(Levi Ackerman x OC) Melting A Frozen Heart ~ Attack on Titan

Epilogue

The ocean glistened brilliantly against the sun's warm rays, deep ripples quivering upon the water's surface. It was undisturbed and within it swam creatures full of life. White sand bordered its edge and extended outward before dissolving into long fields of lush grass, small clusters of houses sitting only a small ways apart. Children chased each other around gardens full of blooming flowers, their rainbow hues adding color to the bout of green land.

"I'm gonna get you!" a dark-haired boy with stunning gold eyes growled, chasing after a brunette girl whose dark irises darted to and fro. She squealed in surprise as he gained on her, pouncing on her back with irregular swiftness. They toppled over one another as they tumbled through the soft field, laughing and wrestling all the way.

"Meriii!" a voice called, catching the young girl's attention. "You and Ciel need to come eat now if you want to watch the show later!"

"Yes, mother!" the young girl, Meri, shouted in response, standing and dusting herself off. "Ciel, it's your fault we're all dirty. Your dad is gonna get mad at us!"

"My dad?" the young boy proclaimed, following suite. "No, he won't! Not if we clean up before he sees us!" Ciel bolted off in the direction of a small wooden house, Meri chasing after him with a hand holding up her long pants. When the two arrived at the entrance of the house, and there stood a waiting Mikasa, a stern look on her face when she spotted the dark stains on the children's clothing.

"You both know that your father, Ciel, doesn't like when you two get dirty," she scolded, pinning a long piece of white cloth on a drying line tied between two trees. "What's he going to say when he sees you?"

"Sorry, mom," Meri apologized, gazing down at her feet. "We'll change before the show starts, we promise."

"Eat first, then we'll talk later. We're having a large feast, don't you remember? Everybody is coming. This only happens once a year." Mikasa tossed her hair over her shoulder; it cascaded down to her waist.

"Yes, mom!" Meri pulled Ciel into the house where they changed clothing, replacing them with nicely fitted trousers and shirts. Meri's hair was constantly falling in front of her face, and with both Ciel's suggestion and assistance, they were able to pin back the front sections of her long hair.

The two raced out of the house and burst outside, skipping over to where the small town's center was; Ciel pulled Meri along by the hand all the way. There, a large crowd of people milled around, all known to be friends of the young. Many of the adults were seated around a large table, and at another sat the rest of the children.

"Sterling!" Ciel shouted, racing up to the table where two open seats waited for them beside a blonde-haired boy. "Thank you for getting us chairs!"

"You're welcome," the blonde boy smiled, his rosey cheeks deepening. "But Ciel, I think your daddy wanted to talk to you."

"Oh... okay." Ciel turned to Meri, squeezing her hand gently. "Make sure you sit next to me, okay? And save my spot, too." She gave him a quick nod and he waved see-you-later, running off to meet his father, sitting at the adults' table. Once he spotted a head of dark hair, he dashed over and tugged on the hem of said person's shirt.

"Hm?" Levi grunted, twisting his torso to come face-to-face with his son. A wrinkle formed between his brows when he spotted the dirt smudge on Ciel's cheek. "Ciel, you know I always tell you to not play so roughly with Meri. You both get filthy too easily."

"Sorry, papa," Ciel apologized sheepishly as Levi rubbed off the dirt spot with a handkerchief. "Did you wanna talk to me?"

Levi's brow rose. "I just wanted to check up on you, troublemaker. Make sure you don't do anything that'll make your mother and I worry—especially because we've got the show tonight."