Disclaimer: I own none of the characters!

Note: This was too much fun to write. Slight Eruri warning for this chapter but it's all Ereri after this. And yes, the next chapter will definitely be a ballroom chapter. :3

Eren jumped out of the carriage and ran up to the doors of the castle, while the carriage was still moving. He was ready to be back in the familiar, dank castle. He was ready to see—

Levi stood in the entrance way, looking exceptionally ill. Eren let the doors close behind him, shutting out the cold air as he walked inside. He held his hands to his pounding chest, his eyes on Levi, his lips dry and quivering.

Eren took a step forward and he smiled a little.

"L-Levi…"

"You're back soon," Levi deadpanned. "What the fuck happened?"

Eren stopped, dropping his head. "I…"

"You what? What did you do?"

"I was obviously sent back!" Eren shouted. "I couldn't handle how stuck up they were! And that…princess thought I was some criminal. She was awful and decided she would try bullying me. I didn't put up with her shit."

Levi groaned, his voice weak. There were dark circles under his heavy eyes; darker than Eren had seen them in a long time. His hair was a mess and he was deathly pale. The prince was in shambles, but that did nothing to stunt his attitude.

"Fuck, you're such a brat," Levi sighed, rubbing his head. "I can't believe this. You insulted the princess?"

"She insulted me first!"

Their echoed arguing soon drew attention. Hanji was at the top of the stairs, kneeling down and peeking around the stairway railing as if she could not be seen. The small army of rats ran around in front of her, her pointed hat in clear view and Moblit, her cat, sat on the marble railing above her.

Perfectly hidden.

Petra, Irwin and Mike were in clear view and not trying to hide. The three of them stood along the railing, watching in slight horror.

Eren caught sight of them. Furious, he stomped his foot at Levi and turned to face them. He forced a smile and clasped his hands happily before running.

"Irwin!" Eren cried out, making sure Levi could hear more than Irwin himself. "I missed you!"

Petra gasped. Hanji jumped to her feet, one of her rats flying across the carpet because it had been clinging to her shirt. Mike raised his eyebrows at Irwin and Irwin spluttered as Eren threw his arms around him.

Levi, however, never looked around.

"I know it was only for a little while, but I really did miss you!" Eren continued, his voice carrying through the entrance hall. Petra looked to Hanji who was still trying to make sense of everything.

"Ah…I'm honored, Eren," Irwin muttered.

Eren didn't care if Irwin was uncomfortable. He didn't care how shocked Hanji and Petra were. And he didn't care how speechless Mike was. He didn't even care that he had to play up his innocence and make his big eyes as sparkly as possible. It hurt, but he wanted to make a point. He wanted Levi to know how offended and how hurt he was.

"Hanji," Levi snapped. "I need my tea. I feel like shit. Fix it for me." Levi wrapped his arms around himself, walking toward one of the parlor doors. He still didn't raise his head.

Hanji saluted, grabbing her broom that was floating nearby. "Yessir!"

She hopped on her broom and glanced back to Petra, who was still horrified by Eren's sudden clinging on Irwin. The witch floated to the bottom floor, flying in after Levi.

Eren sighed to himself, resting his head against Irwin's chest. Levi was bothered, that was for sure. But Eren wondered if he ever looked back. If Levi cared enough to see him.

The prince never looked back. Instead Levi waited until he was safely behind the door of his parlor room to sink to the floor and let Hanji help him to the armchair.

Eren sat on the floor in his room, his knees pulled to his chest and his head rested on his arms. He cried softly, trying his hardest not to be too loud. He didn't want to draw any attention. And he was tired; he wanted to sleep but his schedule was all backwards again.

Auruo sat in front of him, patting Eren's foot with a clammy hand.

"You shouldn't be so sad, Eren," Auruo said. "You know, that brat princess always talked about Levi and getting married to him. They'll probably end up together and they'll move far away so you'll never have to see them again. That would be nice, of course, right?"

Eren wailed. The mere thought of that awful woman being anywhere near Levi made him sick. More tears streamed down his face at Auruo's words. The frog croaked softly, shrinking back. He decided to stay quiet after that.

There was a knock at his door and Eren didn't look up. "C-Come in…"

The door creaked open and Petra walked in, looking around.

"Eren? Oh, Eren," she gasped, closing the door and walking over to him. She put her arm around his shoulders and pulled him close. Eren fell against her, still hiding his tearful face. "Shh…shh…Eren, what happened?"

"I don't know…I don't know why…I just…I wanted him to actually feel something, Petra. I wanted him to actually welcome me back and treat me like I mean something…but…"

Petra stroked his hair as he spoke, humming softly. Eren sniffled.

"It's silly. He's a prince and he's heartless and there's no point…"

"Eren, you shouldn't say that. You know how Levi has that…awful, tough exterior. He'll melt. Eventually."

"Heh…I wish…"

Auruo croaked and jumped on to Eren's knee. Petra raised an eyebrow.

"What is—"

"I hate to interrupt, but Eren, who is this magnificent—"

"WHAT THE HELL!?" Petra screamed, slapping the frog away. Auruo flew across the room, biting his tongue as he hit the armoire. Eren gasped, wiping his eyes and rushing to Auruo's side.

"Petra!"

"WHY DOES IT TALK?! IT'S A FROG!"

"I am a prince!" Auruo shouted as Eren scooped him up. Eren walked back to Petra, lowering his hands so she could see the frog prince. "And, milady, because I am such a generous prince, I will allow you to kiss me—"

Petra slapped him away again, wiping her hand on her dress.

"Eren, it's awful. Why does he talk?"

"He's cursed," Eren said. "Like…L-Lev…"

"Moblit," Petra quickly said. "Like Moblit, right?"

Eren nodded. "Like…Moblit…"

"I thought Levi—" Auruo started, only to get shot down with a hard glare from Petra. Eren's eyes swelled up again and he started to howl miserably at the mention of Levi's name.

The end of the week came quickly, and with it the night of the ball. The sky was crystal clear. The stars were out. The air was fresh. Everything felt perfect.

And God, Levi looked perfect.

Eren swept the entrance hall (now out of habit), watching Levi walk down the stairs. He was draped in all black with dazzling silver accents. His boots were shiny black, clicking against the marble. He wore gloves with the same glossy sheen. His military shirt had a faint, swirling design on it that could be seen when the light hit him just right. His pants were a dark grey and his cravat silver, adorned with an onyx broach. Silver epaulettes held on a short black cape, lined with silver, and a silver aiguillette finished off the uniform.

At the end of the stairs, Hanji held out a large cloak. Thick black fur lined the collar and the rest of it just fell beautifully over Levi's body when he put it on. Next to Hanji stood Petra, holding out a mask that he took once the cloak was fastened. The mask, from what Eren could see, was black with faint silver markings and black feathers on the side.

Levi turned and walked across the hall. Eren looked down and continued sweeping, trying to keep his eyes on his broom.

But Levi stopped.

"Oi, Eren."

Eren looked up at him and stood up straight. Levi tugged off his glove and reached up, wiping away a splotch of dirt on Eren's cheek with an icy thumb.

"You don't have to keep cleaning," Levi said. "Take the night off. Go relax. You have my permission."

"Thank you, sir…"

Levi pulled his glove on and without another word he walked out. Once the doors were closed, Eren tightened his grip on his broom. He didn't want to cry over Levi again. He needed a distraction. Anything to get his mind off Levi running off to a ball.

Eren slipped quietly into Irwin's room and found the man lounging back on his bed, a book in his hand. Irwin raised an eyebrow, tilting his head at Eren's sudden presence.

"Yes?"

Eren whimpered and swallowed, worry all over his face. But he managed to smile and to gain control over his legs again. He walked over to Irwin's bed and leaned against the bed post.

"I was just…want company? I mean…do you want company? In here?"

Irwin lowered down his book and Eren shuddered. He was starting to feel a little numb.

"Come here."

The command was simple. Biting his lip, Eren slipped onto the bed. He crawled over to Irwin, on all fours. But once he was close enough, he just stared at the man, unsure of what to do. Should he sit on his lap? Did people even like that? Was he too heavy? Sure not for Irwin…

Irwin tugged Eren close and Eren went a little limp. He had no idea what Irwin was trying to do, so he let the blonde pose him however he wanted. Eren ended up sitting on Irwin's lap, straddling the man's broad waist. His shaking hands rested on Irwin's shoulders and he kept his eyes lowered, staring at Irwin's chest. He let his hands creep close to Irwin's hair; it was soft but it wasn't…

No, he couldn't think about the prince right now.

"Eren," Irwin said, rubbing circles into Eren's waist, his calloused thumbs under the thin shirt. Eren jumped at his name and raised his green eyes to meet Irwin's blue ones. "Have you ever been kissed?"

Eren shifted uncomfortably and nodded. "Yeah…once or twice…"

"Did you feel anything when you were kissed? Butterflies maybe? Or did your stomach get really funny?"

Eren shrugged. "Not…not really…"

"Kiss me, Eren."

Red bloomed across Eren's cheeks. He mumbled excuses but Irwin pulled him closer. Gasping like a fish, Eren held himself just above Irwin's lips.

"Well?"

Irwin's blue eyes were bearing down on him. The man's thumbs were rubbing firmer circles on his waist. Everything about Irwin frightened Eren and he wondered, briefly, if he had made a mistake by sneaking in the room.

Swallowing hard, Eren closed his eyes and let himself fall forward, pressing his lips to Irwin's. The man was a better kisser than Jean had ever been, but there were still no butterflies. Eren felt nervous, but he knew that feeling. Nothing was out of the ordinary or weird or different, save for the bit of tongue Irwin slipped in.

Eren pulled away first, panting heavily, a look of confusion on his face. Irwin smiled gently and ruffled his hair.

"A true love's kiss is powerful," Irwin said. "And when it happens, you won't have to question if it did. You'll know. It'll feel like a spark, Eren."

"Huh…?"

Irwin pressed a hand to Eren's cheek.

"We're not meant to be."

"But—"

"There's nothing wrong with that. Of course, I'll envy whoever shares that sparking kiss with you. You're easy on the eyes."

Eren flushed and looked away. He covered his face with his hands as Irwin laughed. He was embarrassed and felt silly, but at least for that moment he wasn't thinking about Levi.

There was no point in staying in Irwin's room. Eren realized it really wasn't his place. And it really wasn't what he wanted either. He shuffled down the hall, deciding he could at least go sit in the library (alone) for the night.

He walked by a window, catching a glimpse of the rising moon. It was stunning. Truly stunning. The night was beautiful and perfect.

And he was stuck in the castle.

He closed his eyes and sighed softly. "I only wish…"

"What was that?!"

Eren jumped, spinning around. He backed into the window, trying to catch his breath as he stared at Hanji floating above him. She grinned big and leaned in closer.

"What!?"

"What did you say?"

"I said nothing!"

"You were wishing…?"

"It…it doesn't matter," Eren said, still breathing hard.

"But—"

"Hanji, please…there's no point…" Eren lowered his head and hurried by her. But he didn't get far. He bumped right in to Petra, who fluttered her wings in shock. "Oh…"

"Eren!"

"Eren won't talk about wanting to go to the ball. And Petra you know he wants to go!" Hanji spat. Eren's face went red.

"I do not!" Eren shouted. "It's really not that big of a deal!"

Petra huffed and cupped his face, firmly squeezing his cheeks together. She made his lips purse like a fish.

"Eren Jaeger, you listen to me right now, what do you want?"

Eren mumbled in her hands and she shook his head.

"Eren!"

"He can't talk!" Hanji cried. "His cheeks are too squished!"

Petra gasped and let him go. "Oh! I'm sorry, Eren. But really…what do you want to do? If you could do anything?"

"Does it even matter?" Eren groaned. Hanji slapped him on the back as Petra pinched his nose.

"YES!" The two of them shouted together.

"I would go to the ball, of course!" Eren shouted. "And I wouldn't go just because Levi is there. I genuinely want to go. I've never been to a ball, so I want to go. And I want to get dressed up because I've never actually dressed up before. I would be terrified though. I can't dance very well. I'm not fucking regal and my manners are a little bad. But yes, I want to go."

Petra warmly smiled at him; Hanji's smile was maniacal.

"That's all I needed to hear," Petra said.

She took Eren's hand and gave him a tug. Hanji pushed from behind. He had no choice and no way to escape. He was forced down the stairs and to the entrance way. He almost tripped multiple times, from being pulled too fast or pushed too hard, but the two women never stopped.

Petra let him go once they were at the castle's tall entrance doors. She pushed them open and ran outside, disappearing into the dark.

"What the hell?" Eren gasped. "It's cold!"

"Shush!" Hanji sang, pushing him outside.

Eren stumbled, catching himself on the railing of the stairs. Petra spun around, her dress rippling at her feet. She clasped her hands in delight, practically sparkling in excitement.

Hanji crept out behind him, rubbing her hands and not to get warm. She had a plan, it was obvious on her face. And she was ready to put it into action.

Eren swallowed.

"First, you need a carriage," Hanji said, holding up a massive bag.

"Where did that come from?" he muttered, watching her walk to the courtyard.

"Hush, Eren, don't ask questions," Petra hummed, skipping after Hanji.

The witch reached in her bag and produced a pumpkin. A bright orange pumpkin.

"Why not a regular carriage?" Eren asked.

"Levi took the nice one," Petra sighed. "And we can't have you going to a ball in a shabby carriage!"

Eren shrugged, unable to form an argument. To him, all the carriages looked the same. But he figured Hanji and Petra (more so Petra) had been to enough balls to know the difference in carriages. He walked to the edge of the stairs, waiting for Hanji to do whatever she was going to do with the pumpkin.

The witch waved her fingers and muttered something over the pumpkin. She set it on the ground and they waited. Petra bounced happily, clasping her hands. Eren snuck a little closer to the pumpkin, watching as a magic dust started to surround it.

The pumpkin glowed, orange turning to a faint gold. Slowly, it started to grow. Eren's eyes widened in awe as—

POP.

The pumpkin exploded. Eren flinched, Petra yelped and Hanji just rubbed the back of her head, laughing.

"Hanji!" Petra screeched.

"Sorry, sorry!" Hanji cried, digging into her bag again. "I overshot the growing thing. But now I know!"

Eren picked pumpkin residue off his shirt as Hanji repeated the spell. The pumpkin did the same thing; sparkling dust, glowing and growing. Only this time it didn't pop into a mushy mess. The pumpkin grew and transformed into a sparkling white carriage with gold accents.

"Wow…," Eren muttered, walking up to it. He reached out but he quickly drew his hand back, daring not to touch the pristine carriage. He turned, his eyes wide. "Wow…Hanji…"

"I know," she sighed. "I'm damn good."

"This obviously needs horses now," Petra said, walking up to Hanji. She held out her hands. "Hanji, let me see your rats."

"M-My familiars?!" Hanji cried. "B-But…"

"Hanji!"

The witch pouted and tugged her hat off her head. Her six mice crawled over each other in the actual hat. Petra bit her lip and reached in, grabbing one of the mice. She threw it out of the hat and Hanji screamed in horror.

However, as the rat flew through the air, golden fairy dust surrounded it. The mouse grew, its limbs extending, its hair changing from black to white. By the time it reached the ground, it was floating to its feet. Rather, its hooves.

The first rat had become a prancing horse.

Eren clapped. Hanji squealed a little, half in excitement and half in horror. Petra smirked and repeated the process, turning another four rats into beautiful, white horses to match the carriage. She held up the last rat and instead of throwing it toward the other horses, she threw it to the carriage. The transformation was quicker and instead of a horse this time, the rat turned into a human.

And actual human. He squeaked and touched his face, apparently confused.

"My precious Bean!" Hanji cried, running over to the now-human rat. She ended up chasing him around.

Eren watched everything in awe. Speechless awe. It was really happening. All this magic was real and it was all in front of him. It was all for him…

"Oh, Petra!" Hanji said, walking close after she left Bean to the horses. "Eren can't go like that, can he?"

"Definitely, not," Petra agreed. "He needs something…"

Hanji snapped her fingers. With a quick wave of her hand, before Petra could finish her thought, the witch worked her magic. A spark flew at Eren, circling his head as glittering magic fell around him. His shirt turned from the ragged pullover to a sparkling, long sleeved top; silky white, gold threaded through it to form faint designs along the chest. His brown pants turned to slacks in a faint shade of gold. His costume was completed with a white cape, matching gloves and high brown boots.

The starry magic faded and Eren looked down at his clothes.

"This…I…"

"You look so nice, Eren," Petra said as he spun around, testing the cape. "And thank you, Hanji, for not making Eren explode like the pumpkin."

Eren stopped spinning. He stared, horrified, at Hanji. But she waved the comment off with a pleased laugh.

"Oh, you're welcome," she said.

Petra scorned her with her eyes but Hanji just continued laughing. Eren ran up to them, grabbing their hands.

"Both of you, thank you so much," he said. "For all of this."

The two women stopped their scorn and giggling to look back at him. They both smiled and squeezed his hands.

"Of course, Eren," Hanji said.

"You deserve it. After…well after everything," Petra said. She held up a hand. "One thing though, our magic is limited. And it will wear off. You have at least five hours so…just try to be back by midnight?"

"By midnight," Eren repeated, nodding. "I can do that."

Hanji clapped and threw her arms around his neck. "Wonderful! Now you have to get going! You can't waste anymore time here!"

She let go and started to drag him to the carriage, but Petra caught his hand.

"Wait!" she cried. The fairy waved her hand and a white cloak appeared, adorned with a feathered collar. It fell over Eren's shoulders. "You'll catch a cold!"

Eren pulled at the cloak. It was heavy and warm and the feathers were all soft to the touch. Gold was embedded in the feathery strands.

"And this," Petra added with another quick flick of her wrist. Eren craned his neck and saw, in her hands, a dazzling glass mask. Hanji ran over to her and tapped a finger to the delicate thing, two gold ribbons appearing at the edges of the mask.

Eren walked over and allowed Petra to tie the mask on, while Hanji held it to his face. He did a final spin and the two women nodded, pleased with their work.

"I think he's ready," Hanji said.

"I think so, too," Petra agreed.

Notes: I know nothing about glass but there had to be a glass something in this. This also concludes the Eruri adventures.