The night worked to his advantage, the dense shadows providing ample cover to hunt and sneak up on any unfortunate souls that had wandered too far into his territory. Having recently awoken, it was startling to find an unfamiliar scent polluting the air. A bizarre smell that couldn 't be placed, drenched in dread and despair, but not altogether unsavoury due to the sweet undertones. Regardless, it did not belong and needed to be dealt with. He headed towards it, quick and agile as he maneuverer between the trees, concealing himself in the corridors of darkness.

It was difficult to pinpoint the source; the scent had permeated a considerably large area. It must have been here some time, arriving while he slept. Focused ears twitched, picking up on a quiet whimpering nearby. The distressed sounds called to him. Beckoning him closer, like a moth to the moon, although it wasn 't clear for what purpose.

It must have a death-wish to so openly announce its location. Leaves swayed on their branches as he turned sharply, now knowing exactly where to find the unwanted visitor.

Closing in on the disturbance, the source was revealed to be a fairy curled up in the treetops, head bowed and resting on its knees. Obviously not sleeping as it continued producing the snivelling noises ' but that position prevented it from keeping an eye on the surroundings, rendering it completely defenceless. How foolish.

He landed on a branch beside it, the motion deft and soundless, crouching down against the rigid bark. This was very unusual. Strangers weren 't a common occurrence in this part of the forest, most that passed by possessed a keen enough sense of self-preservation to keep their distance.

He watched, ready to attack if need be, knowing better than to lower his guard simply because the threat appeared to be harmless. Strangely, the fairy 's distressed scent seemed to be affecting him, making his body restless and unwilling to remain still. Resisting the urge to get closer, he fidgeted between the wilted leaves.

A crunch.

Barely audible, but it was enough. The intruder moved suddenly, head turning in response to the sound and staring in his direction. Still shocked by his own carelessness, it wasn 't until the fairy uncurled itself and stood up that he realised... it could see him.

Alarmed at being spotted, his aggressive scent flared up and became incredibly potent, his body preparing for the fight that was sure to come. It smelt like a rotting pile of compost, the vile odour intended to ward off intruders. It clearly hadn 't worked on this one.

Unsurprisingly, the trespassing fairy was put off by the foul stench, scrunching up its nose as it backed away.

A rapid flapping attracted his gaze. The stranger 's wings stretched in preparation for flight, gracing him with successive flashes of vibrant emerald green. He had never seen such bright colouration before, it was certainly very eye-catching. He edged closer, trying to catch another glimpse.

His movement must have spooked it. The fairy spread out it 's wings to take off, and it was truly breath-taking. Being given a proper display, he was enthralled by the shimmering viridian and tarnished gold, lustrous despite the darkness. A hushed whisper fell from his lips, speaking to himself rather than his unexpected company. 'Aren 't you just the prettiest thing ' '

A struggle of instincts raged within Eren 's head, torn between fleeing and attempting to communicate with the threatening apparition. Not only had it spoken, it had complimented his appearance ' hopefully it wasn 't in the way someone might compliment a well-decorated cupcake before gobbling it up.

Timidly scenting the air, Eren found that the foul odour had diminished, partially replaced with what he interpreted as cautious curiosity. Turquoise met the enormous pools of brilliant red, a single question on Eren 's lips. 'What are you? '

Silence followed, long enough for the brunet to doubt he had heard the imposing shadow speak at all, but a reply eventually came. Perhaps it had been thinking about what to say.

'The same as you ' ' The mysterious creature responded in a deep voice, although the words were threaded with uncertainty. Luminous blood-red eyes shifted in the foliage. 'Or something similar, at least. '

The words confused Eren. This creature 's eyes were almost as large as his head, it must be of a tremendous size. He had never heard of a fairy being so enormous, nor of one having glowing eyes such as this. Its vision mustn 't be very good after all ' or perhaps it was trying to trick him.

The brunet felt a little rude referring to them as an

it

. The voice was quite deep, a male? Potentially. Whatever it was, it may have a different vocal range to what Eren knows. Viridian wings twitched anxiously, unsure of how to proceed. The creature was unsure too, if the new scent it was giving off was any indication. Normally he couldn 't detect anything about birds, as they all had the same unchanging smell. This one was very unique.

Eren moved back up the branch, towards the tree trunk, putting as much distance between them as possible. The creature was terrifying regardless of its ability to socialise. His palm pressed against the rough bark, a sense of stability in this unpredictable situation. Taking a shaky breath, the omega asked the most pressing question, voice coming out far less steady than he had intended. 'Are you ' going to kill me? '

It was strange to imagine that a predator would spend time talking to its prey before making a meal of them, but Eren wasn 't going to rule out the possibility. This one might simply enjoy the conversation.

'That depends. ' The unnerving set of eyes tracked the brunet 's movements, slowly rotating in the blackness to watch him cower against the tree. 'Why are you here? '

'I got lost, ' Eren answered straight away, unthinking, not realising until after the fact that his life had been depending on that answer. Being more verbose might 've helped his case. The eyes rose up considerably, pulling an unsettled whimper from the omega 's throat. Taking the differing height of their respective branches into consideration, the pools of blood were slightly taller than Eren 's head now. He wondered where its mouth would be ' was it large enough to swallow him whole? It spoke again, the assertive voice pulling the brunet 's reeling mind back to reality.

'Stop that. ' The creature appeared uneasy, shifting erratically as if it were fidgeting around on the spot. 'You smell ' frightened. ' It paused, a quiet snuffling coming from the patch of wilted leaves it resided in. 'I don 't like it. '

'I am frightened, ' Eren replied. How audacious for it to complain of a scent that its very presence was inducing.

Another silence, the creature was taking care with its words. 'You needn 't be, I already revealed myself. ' The eyes swayed, followed by a wavy motion that appeared disturbingly unnatural. No response came from the brunet. The forest remained quiet as it considered what to do next, eventually producing a deep hum that filled the darkness, intrigued. 'Why are your colours so bright? '

Eren 's wings came together behind him, concealed from its haunting gaze. Not understanding the question, the omega voiced his sudden revelation instead. 'You

can

see me. '

'Yes... ' The voice had a lilt to it, a hint of confusion. 'Can 't you see me? ' The pair of luminous eyes tilted to the side, making one higher than the other. The purpose of the movement was unclear, perhaps it was making a gesture in the darkness to test the brunet 's vision. 'Oh. ' They became level with each other again. 'That would be why you 're scared. I can 't do much about it, unfortunately. '

The creature wanted to make itself less frightening for him? How peculiar... Eren watched its fidgety movements, the gleaming eyes casting a subtle glow onto a nearby leaf, accentuating the curve of its dying form. It didn 't seem intent on eating him, for the moment.

The omega was beginning to feel curious despite the potential danger. In reality, Eren knew that he wouldn 't be able to out-fly the larger creature, and that fact was even clearer now that he 'd confirmed its ability to see in the dark. The only remaining option was to talk himself off the menu.

'That 's okay ' ' Eren said. He hadn 't a clue what its previous words meant, but the tone had seemed apologetic. 'My name is Eren, ' The omega revealed. There was no harm in telling the creature, especially if Eren would be meeting with death tonight. Knowing that he could be seen, the brunet managed to put a meek smile on his face. 'Do you have a name? '

'Eren ' ' The creature repeated it back, a quiet whisper lost to the abyss of darkness. It might 've been creepy if it hadn 't sounded so reverent. The eyes flinched to the side, embarrassed at being caught talking to itself a second time. 'Of course, I have a name. ' The brilliant red seemed to wave at Eren, a fluid motion that somehow came across as friendly. 'It 's Levi. '

This encounter was certainly very strange. Several minutes ago, Eren had thought himself dead for sure ' and now he was engaging in casual conversation with his would-be devourer. It had an interesting name though, and it confirmed that the creature was indeed a male. 'Levi. ' The brunet repeated to confirm that he had caught it. The large eyes perked up at the sound, apparently liking the gentle way Eren had said his name.

A series of sharp inhales. This

Levi

must be scenting him again. Now that they had exchanged formalities, Eren thought that the striking red colour was actually quite beautiful, in a spooky sort of way. The rotting smell had died down also, barely detectable, which was appreciated.

Crimson orbs shifted as the sniffing continued. The brunet remained still against the rough tree trunk, waiting to see what Levi would do next. Eren was startled when the eyes suddenly jumped onto his branch, his body releasing a surprised squeak as they landed on the bark with a soft thud.

Judging by the steady swaying motion, Levi was walking towards him now, still scenting the air as he approached. Eren was hypnotised, the gentle side-to-side of the luminous red ovals acting as a strange sort of pendulum. With increasing proximity and the rotting odour dissipating, the brunet was confused by a more attractive fragrance coming from Levi. He smelt like ' an alpha. Eren wasn 't sure what to think anymore.

'Your scent is better now, it smells nice. ' A loud huff of air left Levi, one of his magnificent eyes jerking with an involuntary twitch. The swaying continued. 'I like it ' '

Perhaps Eren would be getting eaten after all.

The grisly thought didn 't remain long. Whatever Levi had been intending to do was interrupted by a strong gust of wind whistling through the leaves, the sound stealing both of their attention. The omega grew worried. During the day, the weather had been incredibly calm, a thick dampness in the air that persisted still. It was going to rain.

Falling water made it impossible to fly at all, a barrage of droplets hitting a fairy 's wings mid-flight was enough to send them plummeting to the ground. And then there was the water itself. The forest was already cold, turning his fingers numb and prickling at his sun-kissed skin. Becoming soaked would turn Eren into a frozen corpse by the time morning came ' not that he had particularly high hopes of surviving the night to begin with.

'Eren. ' Levi 's voice rang out again, bringing the fairy 's attention back to himself. The deeper tone carried an obscure warning. His eyes tilted sideways, questioning. 'I can take you somewhere safe. '

The brunet 's jaw clenched at the proposal, unsure of how to respond. It was true that he needed to find shelter ' but following Levi to this vague

somewhere

sounded incredibly dangerous. Those hypnotic eyes could very well be luring Eren to his death, a more convenient place to tear him apart.

But the downpour wasn 't far off, the air steadily becoming more humid with the promise of rain. If the omega got caught in it, he would surely perish. At least if Levi did end up devouring him, he wouldn 't die alone and be left to rot away on a tree branch. Levi seemed polite enough to make it quick, much better than gradually freezing. There was also a chance of not being eaten.

Having decided to put his life in the creature 's hands, Eren remembered a solemn fact. The omega whimpered low in his throat, feeling helpless as the odds of survival dwindled down to zero. 'But I can 't see ' how could I fly? '

Levi was silent, thoughtful, until his eyes straightened up to become level once more. 'You can see me. I 'll guide you. '

'Is that safe? ' Eren asked, he imagined that would be a very difficult task.

'Safer than the rain. '

A fair point. Turquoise eyes scanned the forest, considering the dark outlines of wooden trunks in the distance, still unable to discern them properly. 'Okay ' let 's go. ' Eren hesitantly agreed, flapping his wings to warm them up before taking to the frigid air.

Gaze shifting back to his company, the omega was startled to find that Levi had suddenly developed silver freckles and a set of whiskers.

Levi looked much more cat-like with these new features. The patch of pale freckles was situated between and below his gleaming red eyes, where a feline 's snout and jowls would be located. Four whiskers hung off the spotted area, two each side, with a pair of small red blobs clinging to the bottom of them. Very bizarre ' but Eren decided to enquire at a more appropriate time.

Distracted by his oddities, the brunet was unprepared when Levi took off and vanished into the night. Left alone on the desolate branch, Eren quickly longed for the visual stimuli that Levi 's presence provided. He called out, a desperate mewl permeating the darkness.

This time, Eren was thrilled to see an eerie red emerging from the shadows. Levi started circling around close by, maintaining lift as he waited for the fairy to join him.

As he stepped up to the edge of the branch, Eren spared the void below a wary glance. It was very dark, very daunting. It caused him to hesitate. His ears pricked up at an interesting noise, presumably coming from Levi. A deep yet gentle warbling that gave both encouragement and reassurance, but also anxious to leave.

Pushing off the bark with his toes, Eren took to the air in a flash of viridian and immediately headed over, albeit quite slowly. Levi broke from his repetitious circuit and set off into the forest, the omega following close behind.

Flying straight as the crow, Eren was relieved that there weren 't many obstacles to evade. Or perhaps there was, and Levi was simply an excellent navigator. It was impossible to tell. The brunet kept a reasonable distance, close enough to catch some tailwind but far enough to allow a sudden change direction if need be. Eren felt a burst of resisting air that was accompanied by a quiet whoosh, suggesting that he'd passed very close to something solid. Knowing that Levi would smack into a tree before he did was somewhat comforting.

Maintaining a higher altitude to look down on the guiding lights, Eren pointedly ignored the fact that Levi seemed to be flying on a strange angle, his large red eyes staring skyward as his silver whiskers quivered in the breeze. Everything about Levi was weird ' namely that he appeared to be some sort of speaking owl-cat hybrid. The omega was no longer surprised by his numerous abnormalities.

The luminous red shifted occasionally, as if Levi was rolling onto his side to check that Eren was still behind him. As they were simply flying straight ahead, Eren risked taking his eyes away to check the surroundings. Glancing to the side, he realised that they were still in complete darkness, possibly even more so than before. What could Levi see, he wondered. Was it like daylight for him, or could he only see certain things?

Feeling curious, Eren raised his hand in front of his face and was alarmed that he could barely make out where it was at such a close distance. It gave him the strangest sensation, as if his eyes were closed when they were not, the vast nothingness instilling dread and terror. Frightened, Eren turned back to the one thing he could see, the mysterious Levi that was leading him to safety.

Or so he hoped.

After an unknowable amount of time, Levi slowed considerably before taking to his beloved circles again. The brunet flapped to hover close by, watching the vulture-esque movement until Levi seemed to settle and landed somewhere within the trees.

Following, Eren found himself at the entrance of what he guessed to be a hanging nest, his fingers digging into the wiry texture of entwined twigs and dried grass. The mass of foliage radiated the scent of his new acquaintance. Eren entered, scanning the interior until he found a familiar pair of eyes, although the silver additions had vanished once more. 'Is this ' your home? '

'Yes, ' Levi replied, quiet and uneasy.

Eren wasn 't sure whether he should be pleased about that or not. The journey here had not been a particularly short one, it begged the question of how Levi had managed to find him in the first place. It was warmer now, he realised, the well-insulated structure retaining heat. Being in an enclosed space, the red glow provided just enough light for the omega to make out some vague features in the darkness.

A glistening shine. Eren approach it, hands outstretched, and found it to be a reflective glossy feather. Further inspection revealed it was apart of a pile of cushioning, a bed of sorts. Eren jumped onto the soft material, the downy feathers like satin, and located a dip in the center to curl up in. A nest within a nest.

Lost in comfort, it took the brunet a minute to realise that he had just stolen his host 's bed. His head whipped around to check for a reaction. Levi, who was still in the same place, voiced no objections about the omega making himself at home. The silence was taken as permission to snuggle down.

Laying on his side, Eren wasn 't surprised that he felt exhausted after the day 's activities and the night 's terrors. Speaking of which ' it was unlikely that he 'd be able to fall asleep with Levi lurking in the darkness, undoubtedly staring. Eren rolled to peak over his shoulder, finding the eerie red still looking back at him. 'What are you doing? '

Levi tilted, the answer delayed by his thoughts. 'I 'm watching you. '

'Oh ' kay. ' The brunet fidgeted, stroking the soft feathers that surrounded him. A bit strange, but at least Levi was being honest. 'Aren 't you going to sleep? '

'No, I 'm not tired. ' The reply was faster this time, followed by a thoughtful hum. 'And if I did, you might try to kill me. '

Eren 's lips pulled into a frown, that statement didn 't exactly instil confidence. He sat up in the nest, turning to face Levi properly. 'Should I be worried about that, too? '

'No. '

'Why not? '

'If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn 't have brought you to my nest, ' Levi explained. His gleaming eyes lowered, attempting to show that he had no intent to hurt the brunet. 'Too messy. '

Eren thought that was an acceptable answer, although messiness surely wasn 't the most off-putting aspect to ending a creature 's life. Since Levi was responding consistently, the omega decided to make a few more enquiries, starting with the most important one. Tilting his head, green eyes looked straight into the pools of red. 'Levi ' what are you? '

'You 've already asked me that. ' The dried grass crinkling as he shifted on the spot. 'And I 've already given you an answer. '

Thinking back, the brunet recalled that he 'd said they were the same. He hadn 't believed it, despite the fact that Levi smelt familiar somehow. Feeling doubtful, Eren 's hand raised to fiddle with a golden bead of his necklace, turning it between his fingers. 'I thought you were lying. '

'Why would I? ' Levi asked.

Eren breathed deep and slowly released it, preparing to voice his persistent fear. 'To gain my trust and lure me into a trap. '

'Yet you were quick to follow me here. Why is that? '

'Safer than the rain. ' Eren repeated the simple statement that had convinced him to take part in something so reckless. It still held true, perhaps he had been wrong in his assumptions. Levi saved his life and hadn 't done anything to harm him despite the omega 's current vulnerabilities. Emerald green wings flapped behind him, finding the prospect of a new friend quite exciting. 'So, you 're really like me then? A fairy? '

'I suppose so, ' Levi replied, it was a bit too vague for the brunet 's liking, but he explained further. 'I haven 't met many others, only the few that live in this forest. '

'Well the colony I 'm from is huge, ' Eren said, hand dropping to rest in his lap. 'I 've met hundreds of fairies, but I 've never seen one like you before. '

The crimson eyes shifted against the black backdrop as a deep hum came from Levi, thoughtful and considering, and then he went quiet. Several seconds of silence passed before his voice returned, a trace of uncertainty. 'Can I ' come close to you? '

'Um ' ' Turquoise eyes examined the darkness as if he would magically find an answer hiding there. Fidgeting among the feathers, the brunet reminded himself that Levi had said he wouldn 't hurt him. Or that he wouldn 't kill him, at least. 'Okay ' ' Eren said, still cautious, but he assumed that Levi wouldn 't have asked for permission if he harboured ill intentions.

The luminous eyes began their slow approach. The faint sound of crinkling footfalls was loud to Eren 's alert ears as he watched them draw closer, until Levi came to a stop and crouched down besides the omega 's stolen nest.

Eren swallowed as he anxiously awaited whatever was to come next, flinching when something suddenly brushed against his hand. It was a warm touch, it felt like ' fingers. Levi 's fingers, more or less the same size as his own.

Feeling less frightened now, the brunet reached out, feeling that they were indeed attached to a hand ' then a wrist, an arm. All of normal proportion and not at all monstrous. Eren trilled, happy to confirm that Levi wasn 't a ferocious flying cat. He was a fairy, which meant that Eren 's nose wasn 't being deceived by the seemingly alpha scent. It was a little different to what the brunet had experienced before, but still very recognisable.

Hearing no objections to the examination, Eren continued up to a shoulder, searching until he found where a face should be, and there one was. Fingertips patted over a soft cheek and nose until Levi suddenly jerked away. The aimless prodding had gotten dangerously close to his eyes. 'What do you look like? ' The omega 's asked, head tilted curiously.

'This might work in here ' ' Levi mumbled quietly, talking to himself again.

Eren didn 't have to wait long to find out what he had meant. The red ovals lowered and came forward, moving on to an angle so that the soft glow illuminated Levi 's face. Taking in the dark hair and sharp features, the brunet promptly came to conclusion, even though the light wasn 't enough to show all the details. Levi was very attractive. It was difficult to determine the colour of his eyes with the warm light reflecting in them, but they appeared to be a metallic shade of silver.

The thought caused Eren 's focus to shift onto the pools of red, which were evidently not eyes after all. Having already determined that Levi was the same as himself, the only possible explanation was that those were part of his wings.

The omega stared at them with wonder, deeply fascinated by the new discovery. Unable to resist, Eren reached out to touch them, fingers flittering over the silken texture of the dense blackness. He moved on to the fake eye, seeing his own hand for the first time in a while as it splayed over the luminous red, smooth but also a little greasy. Being so captivated by the delicate appendage, he hadn 't noticed the rumbling growl that had started up in Levi 's chest.

The warning sound grew louder, startling Eren as his hand promptly retreated back to the nest with a quiet whine of apology. The growling came to sudden stop as the eyespots straightened to their natural position, swaying from side-to-side in a steady rhythm.

Eren pursed his lips, considering the strange movement. It reminded him of a friendly bunny waving its ears around. The brunet couldn 't possibly imagine what the mysterious swaying meant, but Levi had done it before when he was scenting Eren on the branch. At the time, he 'd assumed the motion had simply been from walking, but now it seemed like something Levi did intentionally ' or perhaps it was a subconscious gesture. Could it be a sign that he 's happy?

Deciding to simply observe the odd behaviour some more, Eren moved on to another question. 'Do your wings always glow? '

'No. It 's a natural response, ' Levi answered. He noticed that Eren was blatantly staring at them despite knowing that they weren 't his eyes, but it didn 't bother him. They weren 't so easy to ignore. 'But I usually have more control over it. '

'I guess it 's been a strange night for both of us... ' Eren said, fingers running through his favourite feather once more as he mused over the night 's events. 'Wait! ' His voice rose with a sudden squeal, the exclamation cutting through the quiet atmosphere. 'Why didn 't you tell sooner? I thought you were going to eat me! '

'I did tell you. ' Levi leaned back, not appreciating the volume at this proximity. 'It 's not my fault you didn 't believe me. '

'You knew that I didn 't, though. ' Green eyes narrowed, accusing. 'You could 've shown me like you just did. '

Levi huffed out a breath of air, unsuccessfully concealing an incredulous scoff. 'That was before I determined you weren 't dangerous. I wasn 't going to let you touch me, then. '

'I could still be dangerous... ' Eren said, voice low in an attempt to sound ominous. It was true that he likely wouldn 't stand a chance against Levi, but the alpha shouldn 't be so quick to assume such a thing. Regardless, this was interesting information. Eren hadn 't considered that Levi had been wary of him as well.

'Oh? I 'll be sure to keep that in mind. ' A lilt in his voice sought to tease Eren over the endearing proclamation, but it clearly wasn 't appreciated. The brunet 's face morphed into a displeased pout. 'Stop pulling that face. '

The omega squeaked with embarrassment, having forgotten that Levi could see him. Hopefully he hadn 't been making any horrible expressions.

His reddening face was soon forgotten, attention caught by a crackling roar that echoed throughout the forest, angry and threatening in its booming harshness. Eren recoiled further into the nest with a whimper, hiding among the numerous feathers. With light unable to break through the dense canopy, the thunder was startling and struck without warning.

Unexpected comfort came in the form of a gentle cooing, Levi 's wings lowering as the soft sound vibrated in his throat. The reassuring vocalisations eventually stopped, the alpha choosing to speak instead. 'It 's safe here, you don 't need to be frightened. '

Eren took in the calming scent that had surrounded him. The sweet-citrusy aroma of ripe berries vastly more pleasant than anything Levi had produced thus far, working alongside the soothing noises to chase his worries away.

Suddenly, the brunet realised that he was all alone with an alpha. Curled up in an alpha 's nest. Following him here had presented a danger of an entirely different kind ' fortunately, Levi seemed to be in a protective mood. Eren trilled his appreciation of the efforts, but it was careful and timid, not wanting to rouse any more of the alpha 's natural instincts.

Pleased by the apparent success of his comforting, Levi cooed once more as his magnificent red eyespots perked up and resumed their swaying. He watched, sniffing a few times before speaking again. 'You should try to get some sleep. '

Eren watched the alpha rise to his feet and turn around, eyes drawn to the silver speckles and whisker-like streaks. Only on the back of his wings, it seems. Levi sat down some distance from where the omega was resting, watching the dark forest through the entrance.

Feathers crinkled as Eren curled up in the nest, the enveloping warmth coaxing him to sleep as the patter of rainfall started outside.

Brightness, a distant dripping sound, the dewy scent of wet soil mixed with the strong aroma of fermented fruits. Eren welcomed these things as he stretched out, turquoise eyes blinking open to find himself among a huge pile of feathers and leaves.

Startled by the unfamiliar setting, the brunet sat up and glanced around, examining the walls of entwined grassy-brown fibres as rays of sunlight seeped in through the entrance. He looked up, seeing that the structure grew thinner towards the top, coming together in a spiral pattern. 'Remembering what had happened, Eren 's gaze shifted to where Levi had last been sitting. He was no longer there.

The leaves crunched beneath him as Eren rose to his knees, wings twitching with uncertainty as he scanned the surroundings. Sniffing, he detected that the potent fragrance was nearby. His head whipping sideways to where it was emanating from. Levi had moved much closer during the night, his body laying against the edge of the nest Eren was in, apparently sleeping despite saying that he wouldn 't.

Curious, the omega crawled closer and peeked over the side of his cosy bed. There was a wing draped over Levi 's face, no doubt to block out the blearing sun, the pitch-black appendage covering him like a blanket of night. The wing had a sharp apex, but something was missing ' Eren examined it carefully, finding that the eyespots had faded to barely discernible shade of burgundy.

Tilting to the side, Eren could see that Levi 's wings lightened towards his body, a dark stone-grey that was speckled with black. Intrigued green eyes moved down to the forewing, discovering that the so-called whiskers were actually silver veins that segmented them. Sadly, the edges appeared to have a few tears and tatters.

He settled back on his knees, curiosity satiated. That aroma was tickling at his nose again, so Eren sniffed the air with full dedication. Levi smelt wonderful ' similar to the scent he had made for comfort, except richer. It was spicy and tart, acidic with a faint touch of sweetness, like mulled wine. Most of the fairies Eren knew smelt a lot sweeter, even the alphas, but the brunet quite liked the heady fragrance.

Wondering why the scent was different once again, Eren concluded that it must be because Levi had been suspicious and on-edge before, and that horrible stench from when they first met was likely a sign of aggression. Now that Levi was relaxed and asleep, his natural aroma was uninhibited by caution.

Inhaling deeply, Eren 's wings fluttered at the pleasing scent. The omega found it very attractive, radiating a warmth and comfort that made him feel safe. It was inviting '

enticing

, even.

Eren blinked down at the slumbering mass of alpha, watching the inky-black wing rise and fall along with Levi 's steady breaths.

Surely it would be okay to get a little bit closer.