Rylan's ant bites were healed up by the end of the week, and Niles felt like they could finally unwrap his eyes as well. When the bandages fell away, the little pixie had blinked his eyes open slowly, and Niles breathed out a sigh of relief when Rylan reported that he could see just fine.

His eyes were a shocking shade of blue, the same crystal-like hue as his wings, as clear as lake water. The little thing stared at Niles and Ashton for a long time, just taking in his two giant caregivers, before nodding once and flying towards the window. Niles hurried to open it for him, and he headed straight to the garden.

Niles thought that Rylan would fly off like most pixies, but the little guy hovered around the garden. He was there for so long that Niles offered him his own faerie house in the backyard, which the pixie happily accepted.

As the weeks passed, Niles watched how Rylan interacted with the other pixies, and he was surprised to see the newest pixie keep his distance from everyone. It was strange because Rylan didn't seem shy, just... distracted.

He was much more inclined to scout around the garden on his own or visit Niles and Ashton up at the house and poke around inside. He was nosy and explorative like most pixies, but far quieter.

He was also a bit... accident prone, and Niles had to rescue him from the trappings of a human house on more than one occasion.

The little thing got stuck behind the fridge during his first visit and managed to crawl into the ice maker the next. Niles almost had a heart attack when he opened the freezer, and a shivering pixie had dropped into his hands.

Niles banned Rylan from coming into the house altogether after that, but the pixie was so forlorn that Niles relented and let him inside on the condition that the pixie wear a little emergency bell that alerted Niles to his whereabouts. He also insisted that Rylan check in with him or Ashton every 10 minutes whenever he was in the house.

Rylan resisted at first, as he liked to sneak around and snoop undetected, but Niles threatened him with forever banishment from the house if he didn't cooperate. So, the pixie had reluctantly agreed.

Other than that, Rylan spent most of his time outside, and he seemed to get along with everyone. He was just too mellow to keep up with the energetic and friendly pixies. 

Like most pixies, Rylan never stayed still for too long, but he did like to be held. He would come up to Niles or Ashton two or three times a day and just lie down in their laps or hands for a few minutes before flying off again.

It was such a marked difference from the behavior of any pixie that Niles had met that he just bewilderingly accepted it. It was strange but endearing and cute. Niles quickly found that he liked having the little guy around, and Ashton certainly did, too. 

"He's about the same age as Gale," he explained to Niles one day as they watched Rylan try to weave himself a gathering bag. "So, it's fun to be around him."

The weaving wasn't going well, and Ashton's face just got progressively more disbelieving as he watched the pixie struggle with such a basic task. "Though... the two of them aren't even remotely similar," he added.

Niles tried not to laugh at Ashton's meaning. It was true that Rylan wasn't very adept at basic survival skills. Even Lucy wasn't impressed when she met him, promptly declaring that his head was emptier than a cloud before trying to teach him the few outdoors skills she had developed after being hokla to a woodlands.  

Given Rylan's complete lack of self-preservation and survival instincts, Ashton also took it upon himself to teach Rylan how to do things like hunt bugs or make supplies. Unfortunately, the pixie was always disinterested, choosing instead to play with Ashton's long hair or sit in his hands. And Ashton would have no choice but to just sigh and let him.

Niles always laughed to himself watching the more experienced faerie try to help out the younger one. But even if Rylan wasn't grasping his lessons, it at least gave Ashton something new to do. Niles couldn't help but notice how Ashton perked up at having someone to take care of again.

Maybe... this can be like some sort of new family for him, Niles thought, noting Ashton's renewed energy and sense of purpose. Maybe he'll feel a bit more settled if he has someone besides just me.

But despite Niles' optimistic hope, a day came when Rylan just... disappeared. This wasn't too unusual for garden pixies, as they liked to move around and rarely said goodbye. But Niles thought that Rylan was different. Worried sick, Niles interrogated the other pixies, but all they could do was shrug and shake their little heads. Not even Emmie knew where he went. 

Ashton wasn't worried, claiming that Rylan would be back when he wanted to be. But Niles wasn't so sure.

***

A week passed with no sign of Rylan. Niles was busy reading a book one night while Ashton nestled his head on Niles' shoulder, pressing his face into the side of Niles' neck.

Niles smiled to himself and put his book down. "Hello, lovely," he said, running his hand through Ashton's soft curls. Ashton sighed contentedly and held Niles closer.

It certainly doesn't take much to make you happy, Niles thought affectionately.

He sat there for a long moment, just content to hold Ashton. But as he sat there, feeling Ashton's cool skin against him, he couldn't help but think back to another little faerie.

"Ash, I'm worried about Rylan," he said, bringing up the same topic that had been bothering him for the last week. 

"Hmm? Why?" came Ashton's sleepy response.

Niles sighed. Despite Ashton's own attachment to the little pixie, he was pretty unfazed by his disappearance, which Niles didn't understand. 

"Because... because he's so... accident prone," Niles tried to explain. "Some bird's going to snatch him up, or he's going to get hit by a car, or, or..."

Ashton hushed him. "He's made it this far without needing us," he reminded Niles gently. "He'll be ok. He's a garden pixie, after all. I don't think anything can kill them."

Niles laughed a little at that, but Ashton had a point. Garden pixies were so feisty that they seemed practically indestructible. "You think so?"

"Absolutely."

They were silent for a moment. "I miss him, too," Ashton finally admitted. "Having him around was like having another little brother." His grip on Niles tightened. "I... missed that. A lot."

Niles' heart softened. "Oh, baby," he murmured, pressing his lips against Ashton's hair. "I'm sorry."

I hope he comes back soon, Niles thought fervently, wrapping one arm around Ashton. It's just not the same without him. 

***

Niles was sitting at his office desk a few weeks later, ordering some more supplies for the clinic, when he happened to glance out the window. He sat up straighter with a start. For a second, he thought he saw the sun flashing off a pair of crystal blue wings.

Niles rushed into the backyard, and to his shock and joy, a familiar little pixie called out to him, waving.

"Rylan!" Niles exclaimed, kneeling in front of where the pixie sat perched in the blackberry bushes. "Where have you been? Are you alright?"

The pixie looked up at him, looking calm and a little confused. "Why wouldn't I be alright?" he wondered, and Niles was a bit speechless.

"Wh... because you disappeared without telling anyone anything!" Niles finally said. "I was worried something had happened to you!"

Rylan cocked his head. "I didn't know I had to tell you when I left the garden."

"You... you don't..." Niles said faintly. "It's just..." he stopped, now just as confused as Rylan.

With how much Rylan approached him and Ashton and even came into the house, Niles had thought that Rylan believed himself to be something of a house faerie, similar to Alexo or even Lucy. Not under Niles' care per se, but closer to humans than the average garden visitor or resident.

Niles was spared trying to figure out how to explain his confusion by Ashton's arrival in the garden.

"Rylan!" the older faerie exclaimed, all smiles. "Where've you been all this time? Niles was worried about you!"

Niles elbowed him and shook his head. "He doesn't get it," he said quietly. "Just drop it."

Rylan blinked up at him. "I was trying to find someone," came his surprising answer, and it was Ashton's turn to look confused.

"Find someone?" he echoed. "Who?"

As if on cue, a little pixie poked his head out from the bush behind Rylan, and Niles couldn't suppress his gasp.

He had never seen such a tiny pixie before. This newcomer was smaller than his pinky, soft brown curls spilling into his face, pointed ears sticking out through his mop of hair.

The little pixie pushed his hair out of his eyes and scowled up at the dumbstruck Niles.

"This is my little brother, Seb," Rylan introduced to them. "I was trying to find him. And bring him here. Because your garden is so nice."

Seb looked to be about nine years old, and he did not look happy about being there.

"We're not real brothers," Seb corrected, crossing his tiny arms across his chest. "We're just half-brothers."

Niles and Ashton looked at each other, and Ashton raised his eyebrows. Could have fooled me, Niles thought. Seb was the spitting image of Rylan, just tinier, baby faced, and angry. He even had the same downturned ears as Rylan.

Rylan placed his hand on Seb's shoulder, but his little brother shook it off and frowned harder. "We have the same dad," Rylan explained. "Different moms. We just found out about each other."

"I... see," Niles managed, still a little shocked. 

I can't believe he actually managed to track down a brother, he couldn't help but think, remembering the time Rylan had managed to get lost in the pantry. He's... not exactly the best at these types of things. 

Out loud, he said, "Well, Seb, you're welcome to stay in the garden as long as you want. Rylan has a house here and everything. I can get you set up with a bed and anything else you need."

Seb didn't respond, choosing instead to open his wings, so similar to Rylan's, and fly over to the apple tree. Niles and Ashton watched him go, and Rylan flew up to perch in Niles' hands.

Niles blinked down at him in surprise. "What was that all about?" he asked, and Rylan shrugged.

"I think he hates me," he answered, and Ashton laughed.

"Don't worry, Ry," he said, reaching over to rub Rylan's blue wings. "He'll come around after spending time in the garden. Where did you find him, anyway?"

"An old couple's garden in Lopel," Rylan said. "But they only had geraniums. Apparently, Seb hates geranium nectar. So, he wasn't too upset about leaving."

"Ry, that's two towns away!" Niles exclaimed. "How did you even know where to find him?"

"That's where my dad suggested I look."

Niles shook his head, feeling more confused. He thought Rylan didn't have contact with his dad. It looked like the clueless little pixie had managed to find him after all.  

"Was Seb with your dad?" Niles asked. "Or his mom?"

Rylan shook his head, too. "He was by himself. He's old enough."

"Oh, poor Seb," Niles said softly. Pixie children were considered old enough to fend for themselves around the age of five or six, but Niles could never get used to the idea of pixie children being left to raise themselves.

That's just the way things were, unfortunately. If a pixie youngling wasn't fast enough to keep up when their parents moved from garden to garden, then they just settled in whatever garden they were last left in. Older pixies sometimes took pity on them and helped out, but younglings were ultimately in charge of their own well-being.

It was a chaotic lifestyle, and it led to very independent and tough little faeries. Most pixies didn't seem to mind being abandoned by their parents, but Lucy was a rare exception, as once Niles' family took her in, she didn't want to leave.

It looked like Rylan was a bit different as well, though Seb was still a mystery. The fact that he had followed his brother across two towns spoke volumes, however. Niles was willing to bet that Seb was different, too.

_____________________________________________________

A/N: I cannot begin to express how much I love Seb. I am so excited to post his future chapters.