A/N: Just a thought I had to get out of my head 3 Enjoy the eventual OC from 'Lingering Hope'!

Levi Ackerman was lying on the couch staring into the brown eyes of an infant boy. The infant stared back at him with curiosity in his eyes at this man he had come to know as his father. What was this man going to do next, he wondered. Levi hooked his hands under the boys arms as he softly lifted him in the air, causing a giggle to emit for his small throat. Levi narrowed his eyes at him as he scanned his features for the 100th time that month.

The boys eyes were big and brown unlike his father's narrow and gray ones. The small amount of hair that had begun to grow on his head was coming in curly, though it was black like his had been. Levi let out a small scoff as the child raised his hand to put in his mouth, softly pulling it away from his mouth.

"We don't suck on our hands." He firmly told him.

Kai Pisces let out a soft chuckle as she walked into the room with a watering can, her curly auburn hair softly caressing her light brown shoulders.

"He's a baby. Do you really think he understands you?" She asked, walking around to water the plants. Levi watched her for a moment before looking back at the child in his arms.

"Hange says talking to him like an adult will help him become more articulate. I want him to outsmart all the other brats." There was a brief pause in his speech before he looked at her again. "This is an outrage, Pisces." He suddenly said. Once she put down the watering can she walked over to the couch and leaned over the back of it looking down at Levi.

"What is?"

"He looks like you the most." He lifted his son up again, closer to her face this time for side by side comparison. The moment he saw the undeniable fact that he was, in fact, her twin he pulled the boy to his chest and scoffed with his eyes closed. "He's my son but has the audacity to look like you." Pisces couldn't help but laugh as she reached her hand out to stroke his hair.

"For now. I'm sure he'll grow up to be your twin in due time. Look, his hair is already black." She pushed herself up from the couch, stretching her arms over her head.

"But it's curly like yours."

"Sure, but he doesn't like his knees to touch the floor when he's crawling. I'm pretty sure that type of strange habit comes from his clean-freak father."

"Then that means he gets the hand sucking from you. Unsanitary behavior runs in your blood." His comment earned him a slap on the forehead before she reached to take her son from him. Once he realized it was his mother holding him his eyes grew wide just like the smile on his face.

"Your daddy's just jealous since he's supposed to be humanities strongest solider but not when it comes to genes!" She said in a sing-song voice. It caused the boy to giggle which made her smile as she nuzzled her cheek against his.

"He has your face, Erwin's name, and Hange's energy. How is my son nothing like me?" He crossed his arms and pinched the bridge of his nose, face scrunched and eyes closed. Kai just gave him a sideways glance.

This hadn't been the first time her husband had expressed his discontent of his son not looking like him nor expressing any similar traits. A part of him knew that somewhere down the line there was an opportunity the boy would grow into some similarities. He just wanted someone on his side against the crazy people he had come to know and care about.

He opened his eyes when he felt a weight being added to the couch. Between his legs now lie Pisces on her back and baby Erwin on her chest with a bottle.

"He's still your son. And while he may not look like you now, I'm confident he'll take after you in ways that matter." He looked down at her, letting her words sink in. She was always doing her best to boost his confidence as she often did. In public he was known as a confident Captain but behind closed doors Pisces knew the truth.

"He could even become a short menace like you. Ya never know."

"...Shut up stupid." He said in response to her comment about his height. After taking a moment to think over things, he took a deep breath.

"If it makes you feel better he looks like you when you're sleeping." Her voice was soft as offered him a smile before settling in to get comfortable.

Levi wasn't going to say this out loud to her - in an attempt to not boost her ego - but she had greatly helped him with his views of himself over the years. He had low self-esteem, very little confidence, and a withdrawn character with a fear of getting close to people. Yet somehow he had grabbed her attention and vice versa, convincing the other to fall in love and have a kid. He was grateful for her, to her, and would protect her and their son with his life.

"...Pisces?" He whispered.

"Hm?" She mumbled, nearly fast asleep.

"...The moon is beautiful."

She softly chuckled before responding to him. "I can die happy."

The room was quiet for a moment, Levi looking out the window at the moon hanging above the sky. He couldn't help but think about all the decisions he made to get here, to this point where he could feel happy and not content.

Or rather, thinking about the decisions he could've made to get to that point. Sitting up in his bed he brought his knees to his chest and buried his face in his hands. It was annoying to think about a future he could have where he was a father, but it was bad enough to be thinking of one with a woman he couldn't have. A woman he shouldn't even be thinking about. He loved her and stopped denying it a long time ago but he would never admit to this nor show it. He refused to be the reason she broke down and became someone she didn't recognized. Levi knew she felt the same but would never be vocal about. She was too caring and it showed.

"Levi! How am I awake before you?!" He heard her say outside his room.

'Speak of the devil...'