'Levi? ' Eren tested as he leaned over the edge of the nest, although it was quiet and non-committed. The brunet wasn 't entirely sure what he wanted, but he was concerned that Levi 's scent might change to something more reserved when he woke. Fiddling with the edge of a half-wilted leaf, emerald eyes shut as he took in the fragrance of warmed wine.

One of Eren 's legs swung over the nests edge, wings spreading out for balance as he clambered over the feathery perimeter. Eren cringed at the sharp snap of a twig under his heel, he had forgotten to take his boots off before falling asleep. There was no movement. Successfully getting both legs over, Eren carefully crouched down besides the sleeping alpha, settling flat on his knees.

Chocolate brown hair dangled to the side as Eren 's head tilted, curiously examining the expanse of blackness the was flopped in front of him. His hand reached out, only just touching his fingertips against the dark wing. It was soft like velvet, and surprisingly warm ' perhaps Levi needed more blood-flow to illuminate his eyespots.

Turquoise eyes moved to the dark burgundy ovals, which looked more akin to aged flower petals now. There was a subtle sheen to them, wet almost. Eren recalled that they had felt greasy when he touched them the last time. Could it be to make the eyespots appear more life-like?

While these observations were interesting, the omega 's focus was elsewhere.

Eren sniffed, attempting to locate the source of the delicious scent. Adding his other hand, the brunet gradually lifted the inky-black wing, trying his best not to disturb the owner as he peeked underneath. Levi was laying on his side. The shadowed face wasn 't given much attention, green eyes locked straight onto Levi 's neck instead.

There.

Levi shifted, startling Eren when the wing suddenly slipped out of his fingers and raised up.

Eren 's head tilted back as he followed the movement. The black appendage flicked in the air, a smooth undulation, and then ' it was coming back down like an enormous flipper. Eren gasped and leaned back, only just avoiding a slap to the head as it settled over Levi 's face again, the end of the wing curling slightly to prevent further disturbance. Levi 's forewings seemed to be much more flexible than Eren 's own, capable of waving with the fluidity of a flag in the wind.

Undeterred, Eren decided to try a different approach and shuffled further down. He took the bottom of Levi 's wing in his hands again. There was more resistance this time, but he still managed to tilt it up enough. Bowing his head and wiggling up, Eren gradually covering himself with the curtain of night.

With Levi 's wing successfully draped over him, there were no more barriers standing between Eren and what he sought. Except perhaps personal boundaries ' but the omega currently didn 't care too much about those, not with the enticing scent of spiced wine laying directly in front of him. Snuffling, Eren craned his neck to get a little closer, and quickly found an ideal spot beneath the alpha 's jaw line. A happy trill chimed out.

The vocalisation made Levi stir, his body jerking awake and a threatening snarl. It was a frightening noise, the ferocious hiss accompanied by a deep growling that made Eren freeze up. The brunet pulled back with closed eyes, scared and worried that Levi would be angry with him. Eren wasn 't sure why he had felt so compelled to get close to the alpha, being a fairy did not necessarily mean that Levi wasn 't dangerous ' but he 'd just smelt so nice.

Realising that the presumed intruder was in fact his guest, Levi 's snarls cut off abruptly. The omega 's distressed scent caused a tightening feeling in his chest. Levi cooed quietly, soft and apologetic.

Emerald eyes cracked open upon hearing the sound, relieved that the alpha wasn 't mad. Levi must 've just been startled to wake with someone so close to him. That was understandable, Eren had been nosing at his most vulnerable area, someone less friendly could easily end a life from that position.

Warm light spread over the omega as the living blanket lifted, shifting away to settle elsewhere. With the artificial darkness removed, he was finally able to get a proper look at Levi 's face, seeing details that he hadn 't been able to make out the previous night.

He was much paler than what Eren had imagined, skin like matte porcelain. Inky-black hair that matched his wings, the contrasting stands falling against his face like a frame, and a pair of elegantly thin eyebrows. His facial structure was just as sharp and angular as Eren remembered. But out of everything, Levi 's eyes were certainly the most captivating.

They were a sterling silver with just a touch of blue, the colour iridescent and magnetic in quality. The chrome irises stood out, pronounced by a thin ring of blackness around the edges of Levi 's eyelids. It wasn 't clear whether he simply had a copious amount of extraordinarily thick eyelashes or if it was actually a skin pigmentation, but it was very striking. Eren had seen something similar on a few nocturnal species, perhaps it was related to the alpha 's ability to see in the dark. He was beautiful, really.

A quiet snuffling stole Eren 's attention. His eyes dropped down, watching Levi 's pale nose twitch as he scented the air.

Levi took several breaths, deep and in quick succession as he leaned closer.

It was a little startling when Levi suddenly buried his face in Eren 's neck, the omega letting out a squeak of surprise as hot puffs of air tickled at his skin. Eren knew that it wasn 't at all safe to have an alpha 's mouth, likely equip with a deadly set of fangs, so close to his throat, but surprisingly he didn 't mind it very much. Levi wouldn 't bite ' he just wanted to smell. Which was only fair, considering that Eren had all but helped himself.

A soft rumbling started up, not a threat this time but rather a content sound, low and pleased. Levi was purring. It vibrated against Eren 's neck, a subtle tingle on his skin among the alpha 's heavy breaths. The gentle noise was relaxing, up until the moment that Eren felt something brush over the scent gland beneath his ear.

Eren tensed up. That area was very sensitive, and he was unsure about the touch, even though he was certain it was only Levi 's nose. This no longer seemed like

just

smelling. Feeling a firm pressure on his shoulder, the omega 's eyes flicked down to see a hand pushing against him. Levi was trying to roll them. No ' Levi was trying to get on top of him.

Alarmed, Eren yelped in protest as he shuffled away, his knees and palms digging into the wiry grass floor until he was well out of the alpha 's reach. The reaction was probably a bit excessive, but his instincts warned that letting Levi pin him would be a critical mistake. Viridian wings twitched behind him, anxiously awaiting the reaction.

Levi sat up with the crunch of a leaf. Confused, disorientated and quite frankly annoyed by the sudden loss of omega. Looking to the startled brunet, he suddenly realised what had happened. 'Eren, ' Wings of midnight unfurled from where they were resting, righting themselves behind him before drooping down, crestfallen. 'I didn 't mean to... '

Satisfied that Levi was making no move to follow him, Eren released a heavy sigh as he ran a finger over his necklace. 'No, that 's okay ' It was my fault. ' He admitted quietly. Considering that Levi had awoken to an omega snuggling up to him, his behaviour was only natural. Reserved even. Eren 's unbridled curiosity had once again driven him to act recklessly. He sat properly on the dried grass, cross-legged. 'I shouldn 't have snuck up on you or gotten so close, especially while you were sleeping ' sorry. '

Black wings perked up. The sharp apexes pointing towards the ceiling, pleased that he hadn 't spooked the omega too much. 'It 's fine. ' Silence, and then a deep hum came from Levi. Standing up, he turned to glance down at the thoroughly messed up nest. 'Did you sleep well? '

Emerald eyes blinked, Levi was smaller than he had expected. Those widely set eyespots had given him a large and imposing presence, but his body was actually rather lean. Shorter, too, but the alpha still looked powerful despite it. His body was undoubtedly in top condition. Eren 's wings fluttered as he followed Levi 's gaze, embarrassed by how much he 'd seemed to twist and turn during the night, leaving the mound of feathers in disarray. 'Yeah, I did. '

All hope he had of it going unnoticed vanished instantly. The brunet watched as Levi fussed around the nest, rearranged it with expert precision, entwining the feathers and wilted leaves with the odd twig or blade of grass. Looking up, Eren realised that the alpha had likely built this entire structure on his own. It must have taken an awfully long time and a great deal of skill. Eren was impressed.

Within his colony, large groups of fairies usually worked together to make new hollows in the tree trunks, but that didn 't seem like an option for Levi. He had said there were only

a few

others that lived nearby. Eren wondered if he ever felt lonely...

Shifting one more feather, Levi was satisfied with the condition of the nest. He liked to keep his home tidy. Leaving the mound alone, silver eyes turned to Eren, intrigued. 'Why are your wings so bright? I asked before, but you never told me. '

Eren chirped in confusion from where he sat, head tilting sideways. The question made more sense than when Levi had asked last night, but the brunet still wasn 't sure of how to answer. 'I just do, ' Eren said, shrugging with his shoulders. 'But if you want a reason ' most omegas have beautiful wings, although mine are a bit bolder than usual. '

'Is that why you smell good, too? ' Levi asked, his sharp eyes narrowing as the brunet nodded, suspicious. 'I know an omega, my friend... but her scent is boring, and her wings look like rotten lily-pads. '

The muscles of Eren 's abdomen twitched, lips pulling into a tight line to preventing a giggle from escaping. Laughing at Levi 's friend would be rude, but the description had been quite humorous, especially with the serious tone he 'd used. It sounded as though Levi had only met a single omega before Eren came along, but the brunet supposed that it made sense considering the low number of fairies in the area. Which also means that Levi doesn 't have a mate. Eren blinked, surprised by the thought that had popped into his head. 'Do you like my wings, then? '

'I do. The colour is easy to see, because of the blue I think. ' Silver eyes traced the outline of Eren 's wings, considering the composition. 'Gold helps, too. '

'Helps? ' Eren asked.

'Most things are boring to look at, dull and faded. Gold holds the colour together. ' Levi said, circling behind the brunet to examine the appendages closer. 'I 've never seen vibrancy like this before, shining even in the dark. ' He reached out, finger tips ghosting over one of the delicate emerald wings. 'Beautiful ' '

Eren's wing twitched from the barely-there touch, his face warming into a blush at the compliment. The words sounded strange, so he turned to look over his shoulder at Levi. 'But there 's lots of pretty things outside, ' Eren said, remembering glossy yellow buttercups and the bumblebee that had inadvertently led him here. 'Mainly flowers, but some insects look nice too. '

A short hum, dismissive. 'They don 't look very pretty to me. '

Eren 's eyebrows pinched together, confused but also worried. 'Is there something wrong with your eyes? '

'No, ' Levi replied quickly, abandoning the viridian wings to walk in front of the brunet and look down at him. 'It 's always been like that. ' He paused to think, taking a few seconds to formulate a hypothesis. 'My eyes are best in the dark, so ' maybe I don 't see colours the same as you. '

'Oh. ' That made sense, he supposed. Eren decided not to enquire any further even though he was curious, it was probably a difficult thing to explain. The fact that his wings seemed to suit Levi 's vision put a tiny smile on the brunet 's face.

The pair of metallic eyes had drifted lower, Eren realised, and were now staring rather intently at his neck ' did Levi like the beads on his necklace? It wouldn 't be surprising, Levi had already expressed his fondness of golden colours. 'Are you a different type of fairy? ' Eren asked, intrigued by the alpha 's unique features. They were the same, but also quite different.

'I don 't know. ' Levi replied.

Eren huffed, unsatisfied by the response. 'What do you mean, you don 't know? '

'I mean that I don 't know. I 'm not a lore-keeper, ' Black wings undulated, waving in the air as Levi spoke. 'This is just what I 'm like. ' He raised an eyebrow, curious and a little bit snarky. 'What kind of fairy are you? '

'Um ' ' Eren paused, thinking for a moment but coming up blank. All the brunet knew was the life he had. 'I don 't know, either... I 'm just a fairy. '

Levi hummed flatly, the answer wasn 't very insightful. He sniffed, head turning to look out the entrance and squinting at the harsh sunlight. 'Are you hungry? ' Silver irises flicked back to Eren. 'I can find something for you. '

'No, but thanks. ' He said, giving Levi a warm smile. While Eren was feeling a bit peckish and the offer was appreciated, there was something far more important on his mind. The entire colony would be trying to find him, especially since his best friend just so happened to be involved with the commander. Eren frowned, imagining about how worried his mother must be. She probably thought that he 'd been snatched up by hungry cat.

'What 's wrong? ' Levi 's asked abruptly as his sooty-black wings raised, alarmed by the omega 's sudden change in mood. 'You smell upset ' are you sure you don 't want anything? '

'It 's nothing like that, I just ' ' A dejected sigh left Eren 's lips. He wanted to spend more time with Levi, but it wasn 't fair to leave his friends and family worrying about his safety. Emerald eyes looked up, meeting with the shimmering silver that was staring back with concern. 'I need to go home now. '

That made Levi scowl, thin eyebrows pinching together as the frown pulled at his lips. He stilled, processing what Eren had said, before his voice deepened for a curt response. 'No. '

Eren 's eyes went wide. 'What? '

'No! ' It was more assertive this time, voice louder. His wings rose high, the tips flicking out menacingly before going rigid in the air. 'I don 't want you to leave. Stay here. '

Concerned by the alpha 's behaviour, Eren placed a palm on the dried grass for support as he started slowly standing up. Levi growled at the movement. A deep, throaty sound that left the brunet frozen in an awkward kneeling position. He risked a glance up, eyes timid.

Levi was blocking off the exit with outstretched wings. His lips curled with a snarl, exposing the tips of a frighteningly impressive set of fangs. The brunet hadn 't seen teeth like that before. The glistening white canines were slightly longer than any he 'd seen, the structures tapering down to a dangerously sharp point that could pierce through flesh with ease. Eren 's earlier assumption had been correct. Those were lethal.

While Eren doubted that the alpha would actually harm him, it was near impossible to be sure. Levi looked, and sounded, like he was dead serious.

The persistent rumbling made it difficult to think. Eren 's instincts urged him to submit, but he fought to repress them. He couldn 't stay here forever simply because an alpha threw a tantrum. Emerald eyes flicked up again, automatically being drawn to Levi 's bared teeth.

Clearly, Eren wouldn 't be fighting his way out.

He wasn 't entirely sure what had gotten the alpha so riled up, but this display was obviously being driven by instinct. It seemed that Levi was alone most of the time and had been enjoying the company, perhaps he thought that Eren would just take off and disappear, never to be seen again ' and having recently gotten a nose-full of the omega 's scent would only be aggravating it further. That probably hadn 't been the brightest idea.

Swallowing anxiously, Eren decided that appealing to the alpha 's instincts was the safest course of action. He attempted a series of frightened whimpers, a low whine in his throat that was barely audible over the warnings. Levi seemed to tone it down by half a notch, but he showed no sign of backing down. More drastic measures, then.

Curling in on himself, Eren forced out a pleading mewl that suggested he was in pain, successfully drawing the alpha 's performance to a close.

Levi 's fangs disappeared, lip lowering to cover them as his face relaxed. It quickly changed into one of panic as his eyes darted over the omega 's body, checking for injury. 'Eren, are you okay? ' He asked, voice husky from the throaty vocalisations.

'Yes, ' Eren replied as he straightened up, examining the horrified expression on the Levi 's face. 'Are you? '

Black wings lowered, the pointed tips hanging down towards the floor. 'I 'm sorry, I don 't know why I ' '

The sentence stopped there. Either because Levi didn 't know what he had done, or he simply couldn 't bring himself to say it aloud. Regardless, it was clear that the alpha was very upset and Eren thought he should give a few words of comfort, reassure Levi that he hadn 't tried to hurt him. Deep down, Eren had known that he wouldn 't. Green eyes looked down to the floor, following the entwined strands of foliage as he considered the situation.

Despite the raven 's apparent lack of social graces and having mistaken him for an owlish monster, Eren enjoyed the short time they 'd spent together. To call it interesting would be an understatement.

Levi was downright fascinating; his life was entirely different to what the brunet knew. In addition to his intriguing physiological differences, Levi also had a good character. Perhaps a bit rough around the edges, unpolished, but Eren could tell that the alpha had been trying his best to make him feel comfortable. Not to mention having saved his life ' Levi could have easily flown off and left him stranded on that branch, and he 'd have faced no consequences for it. But he hadn 't. Levi had trusted, brought Eren to his home, and taken a risk by letting a stranger get close enough to potentially harm him.

While Eren was somewhat confused by everything that had happened, he thought that he 'd want to return. He would come back to Levi. Grass scrunched together in his clenching hand, now he just had to tell the alpha that he would. He breathed in. 'It 's alright, I understand ' you didn 't try to hurt me, and I didn 't think that you would. ' The brunet was met with silence. He continued, turquoise eyes moving up to convey his sincerity. 'You don 't need to be upset, I 'm going to- ' Eren stopped, blinking at an arch of sunlight.

Levi was gone.

When had he left? Eren hadn 't noticed at all, no wonder Levi had been able to sneak up on him on the branch. Flapping his wings, Eren got to his feet and rushed over to the entrance, placing his hand on the woven wall as he peered outside.

The forest looked different during the day; much less terrifying. Rays of golden sunshine filtered through the treetops, casting a mosaic of intricate leafy patterns onto the overgrown ground, where patches of orangey-red toadstools speckled the grass. The vegetation was different to his own forest, a notably higher proportion of moss and ferns, vines winding around the tree trunks like breath-crushing tendrils. Coarse bark was darkened by the remaining wetness, freshly fallen raindrops rolling off the leaves and gracefully dripping down to Earth. Despite the inconvenience and hazards that came with rain, Eren enjoyed the refreshing atmosphere it left behind, the crisp scent of watered soil.

There was no sign of the black-winged fairy, and a strange ache in Eren 's chest seemed to reduce the scenery 's beauty. Levi must be a lot swifter without a night-blinded omega trailing him.

Alone once again, Eren worried his lip as his eyes scanned the canopy. Did Levi want him to leave now? The brunet felt awful to go without saying goodbye ' but without knowing where the alpha had gone or when he would return, there was simply no choice. Eren 's loved ones were waiting for him, worried. Viridian wings fluttered as Eren fully emerged from the hanging nest, preparing to take off.

Examining the forest some more, Eren realised that he had no clue where he was. To get back to the meadow, he had to fly west from the branch he was on last night ' but where was that? While following Levi in the dark, the omega hadn 't been able to tell which direction they were going in or make out any landmarks. It had been a long flight with several deviations.

Eren sighed as he stepped back into the shelter, begrudgingly accepting his fate. He needed Levi to show him the way back. The alpha would surely remember where he 'd found him, Eren just hoped that he didn 't take too long to return.

Waiting was tedious, incredibly dull without anyone to talk to. It was impossible to say what Levi might be doing, perhaps he felt guilty about his behaviour or just wanted to clear his head, but he was certainly taking his sweet time. The alpha clearly wasn 't aware of Eren 's predicament.

Unsure of what to do while he waited, Eren had taken a short nap in the nest, huddled among fluffy feathers that carried the lingering smell of fermented grapes. It was soothing, but the omega was unable to sleep long due to the time of day and the troublesome worries on his mind. Was Levi okay? What would happen if he didn 't come back? Rolling onto his side, he petted the glossy feather that he 'd taken a liking to as he sniffed at the alpha 's fading scent. Eren could smell himself there too, his sweet fragrance of peaches with hint of ginger. Mixed together with Levi 's scent ' it smelt like desert wine, an aromatic port. The sugary tartness was tantalising '

Eren sat up in the mound of feathers, seeking a distraction from his spiralling thoughts. He settled on tidying the interior of Levi 's home. After scoping out the area, the brunet fluttered around to collect pieces of grass that looked too old. Brown and wilted. He plucked them out with careful fingers, not wanting to disturb the structured matrix too much, and unceremoniously discarded the material out the entrance. Fresh grass would need to be added in compensation, but Eren doubted that would be a problem. Levi would have needed to do this soon, anyways.

As time passed on, the quick tidy-up evolved into full maintenance. Clumped handfuls of dead plant material were thrown out the entrance, falling apart mid-air and sending blades of grass flittering down to the forest floor. Eren considered going out to find replacements himself, but Levi likely used a specific material to suit his preferences.

Turquoise eyes shifted to the nest. His nap had ruffled the feathers a bit. Eren remembered watching Levi rearrange the entwining feathers and was sure that he could do the same ' perhaps he could make it even better for the alpha.

'Hello? '

Eren 's head snapped towards the entrance, alert. The voice had been feminine. 'Hello '? ' He called back, tone wavering with uncertainty.

A face suddenly popped down from the top of the opening, scruffy red hair dangling upside-down as a pair of forest-green eyes examining him for a few seconds. The newcomer fell, managing to right themselves in the air and land on their feet with a crunch, the fast movement making Eren squeak as he took a cautious step backwards.

With a clear view, Eren determined that this fairy was indeed a female. She had swamp-green wings with a few spots of murky brownish-orange, the overall colour almost dirty in appearance ' This must be the rotten lily-pad fairy.

'Who are you? ' She asked. 'What are you doing here? '

Eren 's eyes darted around, made nervous by the series of questions. He realised that he must look incredibly suspicious, having just been caught renovating a home that did not belong to him. 'I 'm Eren. And I 'm, um ' friends, with Levi. ' Both of her eyebrows raised at that, surprised, but she seemed to believe him. 'Do you know where he is? ' Eren asked.

'Not here, I 'm guessing. ' The red-head hummed as she glanced around, eyes eventually landing back on Eren. 'Name 's Isabel, ' A smirk spread across her face. 'I saw you dumping stuff outside and thought some naughty critter was tearing this place apart. '

'I was cleaning while I waited for him to come back. ' Eren explained, he wouldn 't want her to think that he 'd been damaging anything. Inspected the new fairy some more, Eren noticed that her appearance was closer to Levi 's than his own. The swamp coloured wings weren 't black by any means, but they were quite dark and would blend into the forest perfectly. Isabel was also on the pale side, although her skin had slightly more colour, and she too had that thin ring of blackness around her eyes. While looking at them, Eren realised that she was studying him in return.

'Where 'd you come from, anyways? ' She asked, eyebrows quirking with curiosity. 'You look different. Are you some kinda fancy-fairy, or something? '

'I 'm from another forest. I got lost yesterday, and ' Levi helped me. He brought me here to take shelter from the rain. ' That was the condensed version, but it was previously decided that Isabel didn 't require all the details. Eren sniffed, noticing that she had a faint herby scent. Rosemary was the most prominent.

'Well, you 're lucky it was Levi who found you. ' Isabel said. Her wings gave a powerful flap that propeled her across the room, making herself at home and settling on a cushion of dried grass. 'That storm was nasty, my mate and I have a lot of repairs to do on our own nest. ' Head lulling back, she inspected the ceiling. 'Looks like this place is fine, though ' Levi must 've reinforced it after the sparrow incident. '

'The what? '

'Oh! ' Her head raised back up, an excited smile covering her face. 'Yeah, it 's so funny. This silly sparrow kept pinching grass and twigs from here, it came around every few days and pulled big chunks out of the walls. ' Isabel 's wings twitched as she snickered to herself. 'Levi taught it a lesson once he figured out who was responsible for the damage, I doubt it 'll ever come back after that! '

Eren blinked. 'Levi beat up a bird? '

'Only a little bit, ' Forest-green eyes glanced over to the nest. 'Where 'd you think he got all those feathers from? ' Eren 's jaw dropped in shock, eliciting a loud bout of laughter from the red-head. He didn 't know whether she was serious or not, but he was certainly not going to answer that question. Once the fit came to an end and she settled, Isabel gave him a questioning look. 'You don 't know where he 's gone, then? '

'No, I don 't. ' Eren replied, eyes shifting to a random twig that was resting peacefully on the floor. 'He ' went out. A while ago. '

'Weird, he tends to avoid going out during the day, ' Isabel folded her arms, reclining back on the pile of grass with a deep sigh, considering. 'I 'm not usually up at this time, either. But with the storm last night, there wasn 't much else to do besides sleep through it. I guess Levi did the same. '

Eren hummed in response, he hadn 't the faintest idea what time the alpha had fallen asleep last night, but it probably hadn 't taken too long for him to grow bored of watching the rain. Truthfully, he suspected that Levi had only been sitting there to put distance between them, to make the omega feel safe enough to fall asleep.

Still worried, Eren concluded that talking to Isabel about it might be a good idea. They were friends after all. Viridian wings twitched nervously, not wanting her to think that he 'd intentionally upset Levi. Eventually, the brunet found his courage. 'He left because ' something happened. ' Isabel turned to him, eyes demanding further details. 'I told him that I had to go home. And he, um ' got angry. He tried to stop me from leaving. '

'Really? ' Isabel asked, leaning towards him. 'That 's unusual. Levi 's usually quite docile ' although, he can be a bit touchy sometimes. I guess he must like you. ' She smiled, red bangs shifting to the side as her head tilted. 'But I 'm not surprised, I 'm thrilled to meet someone new as well. It 's been the same crowd around here for as long as I can remember, it 's pretty lucky that my mate happened to be included in that. '

The brunet nodded along with the words, he had already known that Isabel was an omega like himself. Except she had already found a mate, which would probably be why Levi thought her scent was so boring. The dull smell of unavailability. Eren personally enjoyed the herby fragrance, it was homey, reminiscent of a soup that his mother liked to make.

'Right, that 's enough about me. ' Isabel continued. 'You said you 're from a different forest, what 's that like? I 've never ventured very far from here, I didn 't know there were fairies like you. '

'The plants are the biggest difference, from what I 've seen. ' Eren replied. 'And we live in hollowed out tree-trunks, instead of nests like this. '

'Aye? ' Isabel gaped. 'In the wood? How do you manage that? '

'We work together, it 's not too difficult when you divide the labour among a large group. ' He paused, considering what topic to broach next. It would be interesting to see just how similar she was to Levi. 'Can you see in the dark, too? '

'Yeah? Of course. ' Red eyebrows scrunched together, baffled by the question. 'You 're a strange one, Eren. '

It seemed that Eren was the abnormal fairy to them, what an odd notion. Eren was about to enquire about Isabel 's wings, but the crunch of dried grass stole his attention. It had sounded sharp and heavy, as if something had made impact with the side of the nest ' hopefully not the fabled sparrow returning for vengeance. His head perked up, ears twitching and alert.

A flash of blackness came from the side of the entrance, then successive flapping accompanied by a breeze of wind as Levi landed. The alpha approached, silver eyes dancing over Eren 's face. 'You 're still here. ' His voice sounded surprised, but also pleased to see that the omega hadn 't left.

'Big bro! ' Isabel shouted. The sudden exclamation startled Levi, who hadn 't taken notice of the second occupant. 'Where 've you been? It 's not polite to ditch your guests, you know. '

Levi frowned at her. 'Why are you awake? '

'Slept through the storm. ' She provided, smiling brightly despite the alpha 's look of displeasure. 'I just came to make sure you hadn 't drowned or anything; our nest took quite a beating overnight. ' Isabel winked, her head tilting towards Eren. 'But then I met your new friend and decided to keep him company while you were absent. '

'I 'm not going to thank you for it. ' Levi said, releasing an exhausted sigh as midnight wings stretched behind him. 'If your nest is damaged, shouldn 't you be helping Farlan repair it? '

'Ah ' ' Isabel blinked. 'Yeah, probably ' I better go. ' She turned to Eren with a radiant smile, friendly and elated. 'Nice meeting you, Eren. Get home safely! ' Isabel jumped up and rushed towards Levi, ensnaring him in a rather awkward-looking hug. 'You should come see us tonight. '

'Maybe. You smell like stagnant pond water. '

Turquoise eyes watched as Isabel galloped towards the exit and swan-dived out, taking to the skies with a squeal of excitement, her murky-green wings vanishing among the treetops.

With their energetic visitor gone, the brunet quickly found Levi 's gaze, remorse swirling in his metallic irises. 'Are you feeling better? ' Eren asked.

'Yes. ' Levi replied as he took a step closer, hesitantly. 'I 'm sorry, Eren. I wouldn 't hurt you ' but I hate that I frightened you like that. '

'It 's okay. I wasn 't that scared ' more worried, really. ' He said quietly. 'But why did you take off? '

The alpha sighed, the dried grass crinkling as he sat down in front of Eren. 'No, it 's not okay. I 've never done that before. ' Levi ran a hand through his hair, humming deeply as the black strands fell back over his face. 'I think ' being in here with your scent all night was messing with my head, I needed air. ' Silver eyes shifted up to meet with turquoise. 'And I wanted to give you a chance to leave without seeing me. ' Levi took a deep breath, his expression softening with fondness. 'I 'm ' glad that you stayed. '

Eren 'hadn 't actually had a choice in the matter, but Levi didn 't need to know that. 'I still need to leave. ' Eren stated, wanting to make sure the alpha understood.

'I know. ' Black wings shifted, waving slightly before settling again. 'It was wrong of me to suggest otherwise. I 'm sure you have family, friends ' people waiting for you. Of course, you need to leave. ' Levi sighed again, a dejected sound as he shrugged lazily. 'We 've only known each other for half a day or so, most of which was spent unconscious. You didn 't even have a choice in coming here. I don 't know what I was thinking earlier, telling you to stay ' it was ridiculous. '

Eren listened carefully, it seemed that Levi had regained his logic during his outing. While Eren agreed with the words, he also couldn 't deny that he felt drawn to Levi in some way. 'I understand ' I enjoyed spending time with you, too. ' The alpha 's wings perked up at that, starting their intriguing swaying movement again. Levi 's face was usually void of emotion, but his wings were incredibly expressive, even though Eren didn 't know how to interpret the gestures. 'I would probably stay longer if I could. But you 're right, my colony thinks I 'm lost, dead even. ' Green eyes watched the inky-blank appendages sway from left to right. 'I 'll come back to visit you, soon. '

'You will? ' Levi asked, hopeful with a touch of scepticism.

'I will, promise. ' Eren smiled brightly as silver eyes flittered over his face, it seemed as if Levi was thinking about something.

Levi averted his gaze, staring at a random spot on the grassy wall. 'You should go now ' to make it home before the sun starts to set. '

'Um, about that ' ' The omega looked away too, inspecting a twig on the floor that was a decidedly interesting shape. His voice lowered, timid. 'Can you fly with me to that branch please? '

'You- ' The alpha 's black eyebrows came together, a thin crease forming between them. 'You don 't remember the way, do you? '

Sucking on his cheek for a moment, Eren considered the probability of being tested on it if he lied. Deciding it wasn 't worth the risk, he replied simply. 'That is correct. ' Levi squinted at him, suspicious, surely realising now that Eren couldn 't have left even if he 'd wanted to. The omega cleared his throat under the scrutinising glare. 'Shall we go, then? '

'Fine. ' Getting to his feet, Levi huffed incredulously as he eyed the brunet. Wings of midnight stretched out, preparing to take flight once more.

Eren followed him to the exit and peeked out, checking the sky, while Levi thoughtlessly hurled himself over the edge in a flapping mass of blackness.

Through the canopy, the sun appeared to be directly above or somewhere close, which meant that there was plenty of time to make it home. A grumpy warble drew the brunet 's gaze down, and he was greeted by Levi 's figure hovering in the distance, arms crossed and face impatient. Eren hadn 't realised how moody the alpha was.

Leaping off the crisp nest with a kick, viridian wings fluttered as Eren caught up, although it didn 't last long. Levi fell backwards into a spin, darting between tree trunks and assemblages of leaves as the brunet struggled to keep up.

Eren managed to get altitude over him again, Levi seemed to prefer flying low. Looking down on the black sails, he was amazed by their flexibility as they tilted to catch wind beneath them, much like the wing of a bird. Eren smiled, remembering the alpha 's silver streaks that he had mistaken for comically large whiskers. It looked completely different now, Levi was elegant and graceful as he effortlessly cut through the air.

Following the same route in the daylight, it was clear just how many obstacles Eren could have collided with in the dark of night. Many wooden trunks, as expected, but also hanging foliage and skeleton fingers of hanging branches, all off which could have smacked the omega straight out of the sky or snagged on his fragile wings. Levi must 've taken great care to lead him safely.

A unique trill caught his attention, high and harmonious, a melodic chiming. His eyes fell down to Levi, who had tilted slightly to look up at him, pools of sterling silver peeking out from beneath a jet-black wing. The meaning of the vocalisation was lost on Eren, it was unfamiliar to him, but the pitch had implied that it was a positive sound. The brunet took a moment to enjoy the sensation of flight, the refreshingly cold air blowing against his skin, the dewy smell of a forest post-rain. Perhaps Levi was enjoying it, too.

The journey back was much faster, and soon they found themselves back at their branch of meeting. The brunet didn 't recognise it, but Levi was adamant that it was the correct one. Eren gracefully touched down on the bark, chestnut hair ruffling as the alpha 's wings directed a gust of air his way while landing. Green wings twitched, Eren suddenly felt nervous about saying goodbye and wondered what he was supposed to do.

Emerald eyes turned to Levi, who was already staring back at him. Expectant, but not moving at all. Chewing on his lip with uncertainty, Eren eventually decided to approach, walking forward until he was within the alpha 's reach. Taking the final step, Eren tentatively reached out to wrap his arms over Levi 's shoulders. Levi responded instantly, looping his arms around the brunet 's waist, embracing him in return.

Eren pressed himself against Levi 's firm chest, feeling the warmth radiating off him. His head bowed to rest on the alpha 's shoulder, thoroughly enjoying the comforting closeness. Breathing deep, he took in the alluring scent of spiced wine. Eren would miss it. Levi started shifting, although it wasn 't to escape the contact, instead he was nuzzling, rubbing his face and neck against the omega 's chocolate hair rather vigorously.

Eren chirped happily, liking the strange form of attention, and was surprised to hear a gentle vibration start up in the alpha 's chest. Purring again, he thought, smiling as he listened to the satisfied sound. 'Thank you. '

'You 'll come back? ' Levi asked, voice a bit rough as he continued pressing the side of his neck against messy brown hair.

Eren lifted his head, eliciting an irritated grunt from the alpha as his nuzzling was cut short. Withdrawing his arms and attempting to step back, Eren heard the purring come to an abrupt stop as Levi 's grip tightened around his waist. 'I promised, didn 't I? '

The alpha gave a weak nod, reluctantly releasing his hold. 'Goodbye, Eren ' ' Levi said as he turned, pushing off the bark with a powerful wing-beat.

Green eyes watched his figure disappear within the leaves. That went far better than expected, Eren thought, having not heard a single growl during their farewell. Levi had sounded downhearted, though ' as if he didn 't believe that Eren would return. The unsavoury thought was forced away, replaced with determination to make it home to his mother before sun set. Emerald winds spread wide as Eren took to the sky again, following the sun west towards the meadow.