Thank you all for being so patient with me on this. I love writing for fun but it's difficult to keep a consistent schedule while going to university full time and working a job 30 hours a week on top of that. I hope you enjoy!
"Ivy draped portal entrancing a soul
Within a sun enclaved in gold
Made by the Fae
Those wondrous beings
Is this real, what I'm seeing?"
Jayne Eggins-Fae Folk Dance
"You certainly know how to ruin a moment, don't you, brat?" King Levi huffed as he pulled himself away from Eren and, if Eren didn't know any better, he would have thought he sensed a hint of disappointment in the Fae Kings voice. It couldn't be helped though. Unlike the Fae, Eren needed to eat and drink in order to survive.
"Sorry to be an inconvenience, your Excellency. If you think this is bad, wait to see what I get like when I'm really hungry," Eren snorted, "Now, chop chop, oh mighty Fae King, some of us aren't getting any younger and I doubt you'd enjoy me as much if I were half starved, graying and wrinkly."
The Fae King made a face at Eren's words, even managing to roll his eyes, which Eren counted as a victory. With each passing second they spent together, it became more and more clear that King Levi was displaying more of his emotions. Eren was happy for that, but, hopefully, it wouldn't be too much longer before he became fully awake. Eren doubted his own mind would remain intact in the long term. And, from what Hange told him, he only had three days until the entire Fae realm learned of his existence, and that he'd soon be paid a visit by both King Erwin and Queen Petra.
He couldn't worry about that right now though. No, all his attention needed to be on King Levi- he was the only answer to his own salvation. Eren also could no longer deny the pull he felt towards him, the being who was currently regarding him in an almost fond way from across the room. Maybe it was possible to get the two of them out of this mess and be able to live a happy and long mortal life with Levi Ackerman… no! Don't get distracted. This is about saving my friends and family. Levi is up to Hange. My only job is to unlock his emotions. Don't get attached. I can't.
"Oi, brat. Are you listening to me?"
Eren jumped slightly as Levi's face came into focus. "What the hell, Levi? You just about gave me a heart attack!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, your Excellency. Since you're still sitting on the bed, I can't touch you in order to relieve you of your daydreams, this was the next best option. If you want food, I suggest moving your ass. After all, as you said, some of us aren't getting any younger." King Levi grinned wickedly, placing both hands behind his back as he twirled away from a rather stunned Eren. This was, by far, the most human the Fae King had acted since their initial meeting, and Eren wasn't sure if he was ready for it. An emotionless asshole? Sure. But a Levi Ackerman with attitude and a sense of humor? Oh boy, just who have I gotten myself involved with?
"W-wait. If we leave this room, won't the other Fae in your court see us?" Eren asked, stopping behind the Fae King. He peered over his shoulder out into the long corridor beyond the door of their shared chamber. He had known it would only be a matter of time until he was discovered, but he'd hoped it to be after the village's festival.
King Levi snaked an arm around Eren's slim waist and nuzzled his nose against the younger man's collarbone. "Silly brat, you think I hadn't thought of that? This entire section of the castle is off limits until further notice. It's not the first time I've made such a request, so nobody will question it. I am a rather solitary individual, but… you've been quite the exception," Levi explained, fixing Eren with a thoughtful gaze.
The brunet squirmed under the ministrations of the Fae King, but didn't pull away. Almost like he didn't want to, but that was ridiculous! This was simply in order to unlock the Fae's emotions- it had nothing to do with the fact that he actually liked the way King Levi felt pressed up against him. No. Of course not! Nothing like that at all.
"Erm, okay then. Lead the way." Eren gestured half-heartedly, not knowing what to do with his body. Whenever he was pressed up this close to King Levi, he couldn't help but feel the magnetic pull that set his entire body aflame. Couldn't help but want to give into it, but- no. He had other things to be worrying about right now. Right then his stomach growled loudly and he couldn't help but let out a soft groan. Eren was well known for his ability to eat almost anything and everything and seeing as it'd been over a day since his last meal…yeah, his stomach was none too pleased with him at the moment.
King Levi let out a soft chuckle, then- fuck, he licked- fucking licked his neck as though he was goddamn ice cream and boy did his legs give out fast. Good thing Levi was already holding him, else he'd be mush on the floor. "Mm, I imagine the hunger you feel is the same hunger I feel whenever I look at you, hmm? If I get you food, what do I get in return?" Levi practically purred the question, his warm breath tickling Eren's skin.
Eren let out a sound that was halfway between another groan of hunger and a moan of pleasure. He couldn't help the way his body responded to the Fae King and it frustrated him beyond end. Why did he have to be like this. "What the fuck do you mean, Levi? If I don't eat, I can guarantee I will pass out. That wouldn't be too fun now, would it?"
King Levi responded by moving his lips back down to Eren's collarbone, nipping it gently, a sinful smirk spreading across his lips. "I could always just use my Fae magic to keep you awake, even with the hunger gnawing at you. It wouldn't be difficult at all, you know, so how about we strike a deal instead?"
At the feel of King Levi's teeth against his exposed skin, Eren had to do everything in his power to keep himself from letting out another moan. He couldn't let the Fae King know just how much of an effect he had on the brunet. Eren bit down on his bottom lip hard and clenched his fists at his sides. He should have known this wouldn't be easy, everything with King Levi was a game.
"What kind of deal are we talking about here?"
King Levi hummed and moved his mouth away from Eren, instead choosing to look Eren straight in the eyes. Eren narrowed his eyes when he saw the mischievous glint that shown in the silver-blue eyes and he mentally braced himself for what was to come next.
"It's the winter solstice and the beginning of my season's reign, as such, I must hold a Yule Festival. I want you to go. Don't worry, it's a masked festival so none of the winter Fae will see your face, and I can use my Fae magic to make your eyes appear blue rather than green. A pity, as I rather enjoy their natural color, but I don't want anyone else to see them until I'm made privy to every emotion they hold…" Levi smirked, "I'm looking forward to seeing what they look like when I'm pleasuring you for hours on end."
Eren's entire face turned ruby red as he smacked King Levi's shoulder. "Levi! D-don't say things like that! Fucking- you're going to be the death of me. I'll go to your damn party if you learn how to control yourself and get me some food. I'll also need something to wear…a-are you planning on going to Shiganshina?"
King Levi dismissed Eren's comment about behaving as he grabbed the hand that was still pressed up against his shoulder and laced his ebony fingers through tan ones, pulling the young brunet along after him as he took short strides down the corridor.
"I'll get you food, as was the original agreement. And yes, I'm going to Shiganshina. Before you ask, I will be going to see your mother. I'm sure she must already have some outfits she made for you in the past that are suitable for tonight. If you behave, I may consider delivering a message to her from you."
Eren allowed the Fae King to hold his hand as he walked behind him, and his mind reeled at the news he'd just been given. He wasn't sure what the Fae had meant when he told him to behave, however, he had an idea of some things he might be able to do to convince the pervert to give a message to his mother. He needed to let her know he was okay and that he loved her. He wondered what his mother would think about King Levi. Would she approve of the feelings that Eren was developing for him? Wait, what? Feelings? No…I don't feel anything towards him. I just find him attractive…that's all. Right?
"So, brat, what's are your favorite foods? If I bring you the ingredients back, I'm sure you'd be capable enough of doing something with them." King Levi had dragged Eren into what appeared to be a sitting room. A large fireplace and two love seats sat in the front, to the left an enormous bookcase filled with hundreds upon hundreds of books, new and old, and to the right were paintings that looked eerily familiar, but Eren couldn't put his finger on it, as well as a large bow window that provided a spectacular view of the castle courtyards. Every piece of furniture sitting in the room appeared to have been taken straight from a Victorian London castle.
They were old pieces, most likely made by someone in the village who was long dead, yet they were all still perfectly intact and immaculately clean. In fact, although the castle had an ancient aura about it, there was not one speck of dust to be seen. I wonder if King Levi is some sort of clean freak? Eren thought amusedly as he filed away this information in his brain. Everything was quiet aside from the flames licking at the wood beneath them which placed Eren at ease, he need not worry about being discovered just yet.
"I-I thought you knew what my favorite food was…" Eren squeaked out before he thought better of it.
"And why would I know that?" King Levi all but purred in the brunet's ear.
"B-because. Well…um…it doesn't matter…" Eren was fumbling now, mumbling out his words as he tried to pull himself away from the Fae King's grasp. He wasn't sure there was a moment in his life where he had ever been this embarrassed.
"Do you remember what I said about behaving, Eren." King Levi's voice had shifted from sultry to demanding as he nipped at Eren's ear. Ah, that's what he meant by behaving.
"When I kissed you before…your lips tasted like blueberries…" Eren spoke so softly that if it wasn't for the Fae's incredible hearing, King Levi wouldn't have heard him. As soon as he finished his sentence the brunet wrenched his hand from the Fae King's grasp and covered his face. He knew that this would be used against him. Fuck my life, why do I always have to open my mouth without thinking first?
"That wasn't so hard brat now, was it? Blueberries, hmm… I can do that. I'll bring back a rabbit and some other ingredients- perhaps you could make some sort of stew. I think I might have a cauldron around here somewhere. The pixies enjoy using them to concoct potions. You don't want to know what for, so don't ask. I'll be back soon." Levi gave him one last searing look before departing. "Behave."
Eren was confused at King Levi's reaction. He'd expected the Fae King to tease him relentlessly or to try and kiss the brunet again. Instead, King Levi had acted as though Eren hadn't just utterly embarrassed himself, and all he could see through the spaces between his fingers were stern gray eyes before the Fae disappeared into thin air, transporting himself elsewhere to find Eren some food.
Despite the numerous times King Levi had displayed his Fae powers, it still came as a shock whenever he appeared or disappeared at ease. Eren wished he had that ability...how easy it would be to travel between both realms without anyone detecting him. He sighed as he made his way over to the bookshelf. He wasn't sure what he would find, but he was shocked that many of the books were about the human realm. He ran his fingers along the worn spines of the books when his fingers suddenly brushed up against a book that looked to be thousands of years old. He felt a jolt of electricity shoot through him and his heart began to pound erratically.
Eren tentatively pulled the book out from the shelf, as careful as he could. It was black leather bound and the pages on the inside were fraying, he almost felt as if it'd tear from his just holding it. As delicately as he could, Eren began to turn the thick, cream-colored pages, skimming over the words scrawled over the page. Although the language was clearly not English, for some reason he could still just... understand it. His eyes landed on a passage labeled "The Forbidden Fae Well" and when he found the words "how to become human" written there he nearly dropped the book from the pure shock.
Eren wanted to keep reading, but he didn't want to chance being caught by King Levi once he returned. He'd come back to this, though. This was important information, something he needed to keep in mind for when Levi's emotions were fully restored. Hange was right all along then… Levi had a plan from the very beginning, but then what was it that kept him from becoming human again if this book was sitting right here? Did the Fae King forget that he had this book in his collection? Did any other Fae know that this book existed? Or maybe none of it worked, maybe he'd already tried it and nothing would work…? Whatever the answer was, it was a lead and Eren was going to use anything he could.
Eren slid the book back into place before quickly taking a seat in front of the crackling fire. All he had to do was get Levi's emotions to come back, show him this book, and then Eren could be on his merry little way. Levi, Hange, and Moblit could all become human and leave the Fae realm for good and Eren didn't have to stick around for any of it, hopefully, anyway. But...it couldn't really be that simple, could it? Levi clearly kept this book knowing he was going to make the decision to become a Fae, but if this book existed why was it that Fae like Moblit or Hange didn't know about it? How had Levi come across it?
Eren couldn't understand it all. It was just… sitting there. With all the thoughts running through his brain making him go haywire, he started to wander off, slip away a little- until he saw something. Emerald eyes latched onto the flames dancing in front of him and, through his hazy mind, he could have sworn he saw something moving among those embers. Eren stood up and moved towards the fire, his right hand stretching out as far as he could, almost as if straining to save someone. Suddenly, a stern voice made his head turn and stop his movements, jolting him back into reality.
"Oi, brat! What do you think you are doing? I leave for not even thirty minutes and you're already doing stupid shit."
"I-I thought…" Eren began, turning back to the flames, but no longer seeing anything within its depths. "I thought I saw something..." Eren murmured, trailing off at the end, hand still outstretched as his fingers twitched restlessly, only realizing now how hot his fingers were getting, on the verge of unbearable.
A noise sounded, alerting Eren that King Levi must have brought quite a few things back with him before smooth, pale fingers softly stroked the skin of his wrist.
"Eren, if you stick your hand into the fire your hand will be burned to hell and you won't be able to paint anymore. You wouldn't want that, would you?" Levi smirks, lifting an eyebrow, "Come, how about we get you something to eat?"
It wasn't the touch that brought Eren out of the fog, but the warmth that laced the Fae Kings voice. He turned his head to regard King Levi with wide eyes, not believing that the same Fae who'd attempted to seduce and capture him with nothing but promises of hurt within those same eyes was now comforting and looking at him as if he cared. Eren's mind was just all over the place today- well, more than usual.
"Sorry, I'm not sure what came over me just then, but uh, food sounds good, though I'm afraid I've never done much cooking myself." Eren sheepishly chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. He liked to think of himself as being grown up, however, he'd been living with his parents up until a few days ago and his mom almost never allowed him to do anything on his own. Hell, it had taken him months to convince her to allow him to do his own laundry, but the final straw had been him embarrassingly muttering that he didn't want her going through his cum-stained boxer briefs and that had led to the two of them turning as red as tomatoes and never bringing the subject up again. Jeez...what kind of 17-year-old am I?
King Levi wrapped his fingers lightly around Eren's wrist and tugged him towards the table where he'd put down all the ingredients Eren would need to cook a stew. Eren's eyes grew wide upon seeing a bowl full of the biggest and juiciest looking blueberries he'd ever seen in his life. Upon noticing what it was that caught Eren's interest, King Levi simpered, strolling over to pick one up before gently pressing it against Eren's lips. Eren allowed King Levi to feed him and as soon as he bit into the blueberry, he found himself involuntarily moaning. Fuck. The moment he realized the noise he'd made, he cut himself off, but it was too late. His cheeks turned a light shade of pink as he pressed his fingers to his mouth and glanced anywhere but at the Fae King next to him.
"That's just fine, Eren. I told you I wouldn't be able to cook it for you because as a Fae I can't create, however, that doesn't mean that I don't remember how to cook from my human days. I've brought back a rabbit, already skinned, as well as some potatoes and carrots and then some herbs for seasoning. I've already filled the cauldron with water so all you have to do is follow my directions and it should turn out at least edible for you. If not, there are always the blueberries," Levi supplied, then turning smug once again. "And I certainly wouldn't mind hearing more of those sinful little noises..."
"T-that was a one-time thing so don't even think about it!" Eren huffed indignantly before tearing himself away to properly look over all the food Levi had brought back. He'd watched his mom cook plenty of times, had even helped her in the kitchen time to time, so it wasn't as if he had no idea what he was getting himself into. It was just that this was the first time he would ever be making something all on his own, well, with the help of King Levi that is. For some reason, the thought of experiencing something new with King Levi made him giddy, but Eren decided to push that to the back of his mind as he picked up the knife and got to work on dicing up the rabbit.
King Levi was surprisingly both patient and kind with Eren as he walked him through each step and in no time Eren had managed to successfully cook his very first rabbit stew. By the time it was finished cooking over the fire, Eren was ravenous and he gobbled down the first bowl within seconds the moment it was cool enough. The Fae King watched in amusement as he devoured three more bowls as well as some more blueberries for dessert. "You're looking much better, brat." There was a teasing lilt in the Fae Kings voice as he reached over and swiped his thumb over some blueberry juice that had dripped down the brunet's chin.
"Mm, I feel much better," Eren smiled gratefully. "Um...thank you for bringing me all of that. You didn't have to go through the trouble of being so thorough. I would've been fine with just some nuts and fruit, to be honest."
Eren watched, mesmerized, as King Levi lifted the thumb with the blueberry juice smudged over it and slid his tongue across the skin slowly, setting a sultry gaze on him. It was only after he finished did Levi speak again, but in a low, darkened voice, "Don't be silly. Fruits and nuts won't provide you with the energy that you'll be needing, Eren."
Eren chewed at his bottom lip as his heart thumped wildly inside his chest. He could feel that familiar heat crawling up his face and it took everything in him to muster up a reply that didn't sound broken. "W-what do you mean by that?" So much for trying, Eren thought.
"Oh, Eren, you should really just drop that fake innocence now. It'd be much more pleasurable to do so sooner rather than later, I assure you. But, nevertheless, you'll find out when the time comes. In the meantime… hmm. You've been a good boy, haven't you? I will deliver a message to your mother if you wish, but I must leave soon if I am to make it back in enough time to prepare us both for the Yule festival so be quick about it."
"You'll really do that for me?" Eren asked, spirits uplifting at the thought.
"Tch, brat. I said I would. Don't make me repeat myself. Now tell me what you want me to say."
Before Eren could think about it, he lurched forward and pressed his mouth against the Fae King's in a heated kiss. At first King Levi seemed to be startled by the action, but it didn't take long for his mouth to start moving against Eren's as they both clung to one another. Eren felt cool fingers slide up under his shirt and press against the warmth of his abdomen and he let out a soft sigh before (somewhat reluctantly) pulling away. He wasn't sure where that surge of passion came from and it worried him. The more affection the Fae King showed him, the more Eren felt like just offering himself up on a silver platter. Internally he sighed. He couldn't let this get out of hand.
"Thank you," he breathed, lips slightly swollen as he pressed his forehead against Levi's. "Could you… could you tell her that I'm okay and for her to not worry? That I love and miss her and I'm sorry I left without a proper goodbye? I think… hmm, I think that'll be enough." Eren chuckled. "I've never been too great with words, but she'll get it, even when I'm silent she gets it… she always has," Ere continued, smiling a little brighter.
"You know brat, one of these days I'm not going to allow you the luxury of pulling away from me. I'm sorry to be leaving you again so soon, but I promise we'll have plenty of time together when I get back tonight. Behave while I'm gone, will you? I'd rather you go back to our room, so I don't have to worry about you setting yourself on fire, but I'll allow you to make that decision for yourself. I also have some books and such, if you're interested."
Something about the way that King Levi said that last word had Eren thinking that he knew exactly what kind of secrets he held within his castle, but before Eren could question him, the Fae King had once again disappeared. The brunet sighed as he eyed the bookcase. As much as he wanted to go back to that book and look through its contents, he wasn't sure if his mind could handle it. He knew there was something different with him, something wrong with him, for him to be losing his mind so quickly when Hange had said that Levi lasted here for three whole years before succumbing to the fate of the Fae. He couldn't afford to push himself too far if he wanted to uphold the promise to himself that he had made no matter how much he wanted to. He needed to see his friends and family again- he needed to see his mother again
So, instead, Eren made his way back to King Levi's room. He hadn't failed to recognize how the Fae King had referred to it as their room, but Eren didn't plan on staying here any longer than necessary, and becoming attached to things such as that would only make it harder for them to part when the time came. And though it hurt some to think about, it was what had to happen. Once he was in the room, he sauntered over to the master bathroom, so he could shower and freshen himself up. Eren had forgotten what a difference being clean could make, he felt like an entirely different person.
It was only after Eren had redressed himself and headed over to his easel to work on a painting during King Levi's absence that he noticed the portrait he'd created for his mother was gone and the only explanation he could contrive for its absence was that King Levi must have taken it with him to give to his mother.
"I've never too great with words, but she'll get it, even when I'm silent she gets it... she always has."
King Levi...he'd known what Eren meant when he said he wasn't good at expressing himself in words. From that one simple sentence, the Fae King had figured out what only the woman who had birthed and raised him discovered and it was with that that Eren knew. King Levi was no longer just the cruel king of the Winter Court. He was something so much more and Eren didn't know just how to feel about it.
Levi, just how long have you been hiding under that guise and when were you going to tell me?
