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Eren stared out into the night sky, his toes curled over the edge of the balcony. The railings that would have otherwise impeded the position were gone, their disappearance meant for easy flight. The height of the apartment was no mistake either, the floor being one of the highest you could get. It was built specially for angels, the doorways wider, the ceilings higher… Even the shower was built with wings in mind, from the several adjustable showerheads to the large glass doors. Levi had made sure that one would always have room to stretch out their wings if needed, something that had made Eren’s heart burst with warmth when he’d first found out. It had all been for him, he knew. Levi, with his calm, silky wings that hardly ever ruffled, had no need for extra measures. But Eren… Eren was another story. With large fluffy brown wings that were more often than not in disarray, Eren was constantly in motion, his wings the perfect portrayal of his mood. When he was upset they bristled, curling around his body in comfort. When he was angry, they flared outwards, looming behind his shoulder blades with an added fluff to make him more intimidating; and finally, when he was happy they twitched and shivered, jerking randomly and flailing about. More often than not Eren found himself knocking things, or--on the odd occasion--people over.
Which was what had left him in his predicament in the first place.
Eren, with his always-in-motion wings, had injured himself. A flare of excitement while too close to one of the walls in their apartment and a trip to Hanji later had declared the angel to have a sprain of which it was apparently imperative to rest.
He sighed.
Rest. What a horrible word. Rest was something he hated. Especially when the sky called to him, the cool winds buffeting him from so high up stroking through his parted wings with a tempting caress. How he longed to spread them even further, to jump up into the air with a powerful downward thrust and soar through the blank sky above him. If only…
“You better not be about to do what I think you are,” a warning voice called from behind him.
Eren sighed, wings slumping against his back with defeat. The slight twinge near his shoulder was not enough to dim his want to fly.
“Levi,” he greeted, turning towards his lover on bare feet.
“Eren,” Levi answered, padding out onto the smooth marble tiles of the balcony. He was barefoot as well, his pale skin glowing in the faint light of the city around them as he stopped before the other male. With his arms crossed, his unimpressed expression and the black shadows at his back, anyone else would probably have been cowed; Eren merely pouted.
“I wasn’t going to fly,” he muttered, glancing away. “So stop glaring at me.”
Levi sighed, reaching a hand out to touch a dejected wing. “I’ll stop glaring when you stop putting yourself in danger.”
“Standing on the balcony is not being in danger!” Eren protested halfheartedly, his entire body leaning towards the touch.
“It is if a strong enough wind came by,” the shorter male countered, tugging gently at Eren’s wing. The appendage flared open obediently, stretching out and arching slightly as Levi stepped closer. “and don’t even try to tell me that you’re not still sore. I saw that look.”
Eren sighed, leaning his forehead against his lover’s shoulder. “I know,” he admitted, wing aching sweetly as Levi massaged the sore spots lining the arch of it. “I just… it’s already been two weeks.”
“Hanji said you were lucky you didn’t break anything,” Levi murmured, running his fingers through the large primaries at the base of Eren’s wing, spreading them out and smoothing their surface. The taller male shuddered. “Be grateful you don’t have to wait longer.”
“I am,” Eren mumbled, lifting his head to nudge his nose against Levi’s. “I just wish I could do more.”
Taking the silent plea for what it was, Levi met the other male’s lips, hands lifting to cup his face in his hands. They kissed slowly, the cold city air nipping at their exposed skin. The temperature was barely even enough for them to feel it with their different biology. It was Levi’s mouth against his more than anything else--so soft and gentle despite the other male’s outer exterior--that had Eren shivering against him. Years with the other male and not once had Eren ever grown tired of his touch. He didn’t think he ever would.
“If you want to fly,” Levi murmured, sometime later when they had gone breathless and flushed, Eren’s lips swollen and pink. “then I’ll take you.”
Eren blinked, eyes widening as Levi stepped back with one last caress, wings unfolding behind his back. “Are you--really?”
“I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t ‘really’,” the shorter male answered, lips twitching upwards in amusement. Eren was too mesmerized to care about the jab. Levi’s wings were like starlight under the twinkling lights of the city, their surface inky black and near reflective, making it look as if they were made of the sky itself. “Come on then,” he interrupted. “Close your wings.”
“You’re serious,” Eren echoed, excitement making it hard to do as he had ordered. His wings were quivering at his back, feathers twitching erratically as he folded them as best he could. It had been so long since Levi had taken him for a flight, almost a year in fact. This was a rarity.
"If you hit me in the face while we’re flying I’m not responsible for what I may do,” Levi warned him, kneeling slightly to scoop the other male up into his arms, careful to adjust his grip so as to not jar his injured wing too badly.
“I won’t,” Eren promised, winding his arms around Levi’s neck.
“I’ll believe it when I see it,” he muttered, stepping up to the edge of the balcony. Eren had mere seconds to tighten his grip before they were plummeting into empty space, his stomach barely in his throat before with a surge of starlight wings, they were airborne, rising high above the city. Eren couldn’t help the whoop of exhilaration, and by the smile on Levi’s mouth he didn’t exactly mind it either.