Hello! Sorry for the long delay! I've been waiting for rivamika week on tumblr and this was my submission for the "baby's breath" prompt. I just couldn't pass this one up after O Rose's prompt request. The two tied perfectly with what I was going for. Before you begin that one, I have a little continuation to the last chapter that was too adorable to leave out.

Enjoy!

They sang their lullaby well until the sun went down, neither one willing to let it come to an end. Helen's soft singing fell to a low hum, eventually quieting completely as she was lulled to sleep to the sound of Levi's soothing voice and rumble emanating from his chest against her back. Being held in the safety of his arms reminded her of her own father, and for once she was no longer afraid of being rejected. She finally found a home.

Levi stopped his singing once he noticed the girl sleeping in his lap. He stood carefully so as not to disturb her slumber and made his way back into the house. Mikasa gave him a knowing smile as he walked in with the girl held securely against him.

"Her name is Helen Reynard." He told her, watching for any sign of disapproval. "We're keeping her."

Mikasa nodded and motioned for him to lay her in the room she prepared for the girl.

Levi shook his head.

"She stays with us tonight."

Together they walked upstairs, not bothering to change into their nightclothes, and snuggled together in bed with the sleeping girl nestled safely between their bodies. He placed a chaste kiss to both their foreheads before turning off the lamp on the nightstand and drifted off into a blissful sleep, surrounded by his makeshift family.

And so begins Part VI...

On June 21st, just as the morning light crept over the landscape and caressed the slumbering form of Helen Reynard through her bedroom window, the first of the baby's breath in the garden just outside began to bloom; the small white buds creating a faux blanket of snow contrasted amongst the rainbow of colors emanating from the surrounding tulips, roses, crocuses, and daffodils. At the same moment, in a field just beyond the survey corps training grounds, a brown jackrabbit narrowly escapes becoming the breakfast of a hungry hawk hovering overhead. Meanwhile, on a log in the fireplace of his office, a single sheet of paper with a list of obscure names blackens and turns to dust against crackling flames as Erwin Smith takes a long swig of scotch from his glass, his eyes roaming over a duplicate document nearby. At the same moment, amidst stifled cries of passion and the rhythmic pound of a headboard against the wooden bedroom wall, the hot essence of Levi Ackerman spurt forth from his engorged length, coating the womb and fertilizing a healthy egg belonging to his wife, Mikasa. Nine months later, Ian Ackerman was born.

"Levi."

Soft nudges poked his bare back as he mumbled incoherent curses, burrowing himself further into the warmth of the thin comforter. Feeble whimpers could be heard from somewhere in the room, but they were so faint, he paid them no mind. It was too damn early to get out of bed and her incessant prodding wasn't exactly helping his mood.

"Levi."

A slender hand grasped his shoulder, shaking with a bit more force.

He grabbed the offending appendage and turned over in bed, wrapping his other arm around the smooth waist of his wife before pulling her closer to him. He pressed his naked hips to hers as he buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply. "No," he drawled, massaging his left hand down her round ass and around her muscled thigh, pulling it over his own.

"Levi, the baby." She pushed on his shoulder halfheartedly, trying to remind him of the whimpering child just a few feet from their bed.

He refused to open his eyes, instead choosing to caress the soft skin of the woman in his arms, tracing the dips and curves he knew would excite her, eventually coming to rest over an enlarged breast.

"Baby can wait." He whispered, opening his eyes to watch her expression as he lightly squeezed the mound of soft flesh. "I cannot."

He shifted to tower over her and roughly met her lips with his, rolling his hardening member against her hot center for good measure. The contortion of her facial features mixed with a breathy moan as she let her hands trail down his back to grasp him from behind excited him even more.

"You're so goddamn beautiful." He breathed, kissing and nipping his way down before latching onto a pert nipple and lightly biting.

"Mm… ahh. Be gentle." She whispered, combing her fingers through his dark hair.

Levi chuckled before soothing the dark bud with his tongue. "Still sore?"

"Mhmm." She arched into his touch. "Your son is an overenthusiastic eater."

"Our son." He corrected, planting several kisses along her collarbone. "Our healthy, living, perfect, son."

Tired of having his small whimpers ignored, said son suddenly let out a loud, pitiful wail and was showing no signs of letting up. They both winced.

"It sounds like our healthy, living, perfect, son is in need of attention. And it's your turn." She teased, rolling herself out from under him.

He slammed his face into his pillow, the frustration of his current situation incredibly evident. "Mikasa, no."

"He's three feet away, Levi." She told him matter-of-factly, "And a baby. I doubt he cares you're naked."

Levi sighed irritably and reluctantly got out of bed, staggering over to the cradle that held the baby at their feet, mumbling about how the 'damn kid needs his own room.' Mikasa looked on with an appreciative gaze as she sat up on her elbows.

"Oi, you have terrible timing." He deadpanned, lifting the tiny boy from his cradle. Ian let out a pathetic whimper as he grasped for his father's finger, trying to pull it into his mouth.

"I think he's hungry." He said, sitting back in bed and handing him over to Mikasa's waiting arms.

He was proven correct as the baby quickly latched onto one of her offered breasts, eagerly taking in his morning meal with loud slurps. One of his tiny hands came up to grasp onto her other breast in a possessive manner. Small fingers scratched lightly at her skin.

"Lucky brat." Levi muttered, catching the boy glaring at him.

Mikasa smiled, amused by his jealousy, and placed her hand over his, squeezing lightly. "Go wake Helen. I'm going to take her with me to the marketplace today. We need more thread."

He cocked his head. "Oh?"

She nodded, flipping her hand over baring her wrist to his gaze. "She's going to learn how to embroider."

Looking down, he realized she meant to show the girl how to stitch their clan symbol, rather than put her through the painful scarring process. He never rejected Helen's existence in their family life. In fact, she was welcomed, quite literally, with open arms. "But you don't know anything about it. No one does."

"I know it means I am to pass it down to my children in whatever way I see fit. Helen is family, Levi. She and Ian will bear these marks one day and pass them down to their children, whether they understand the meaning or not."

Not wanting to argue, he kissed her softly and ran his thumb over Ian's forehead before dressing and walking downstairs to wake his sleeping daughter. This was a conversation for another day.

The house was empty, save for Levi and his six-week old son, the latter of which was actually enjoying being held in his father's arms. The baby normally preferred his mother's touch.

It was still all too surreal for the new father. Ian had been an unexpected miracle. No one thought the pregnancy would last more than ten weeks, but ten weeks soon turned to eighteen, and suddenly, as if no time had gone by, there he was: a small 6 pound baby boy, who more than made up for his short stature with a loud wail rivaling that of twenty newborns. It was hell getting through the first three weeks.

And yet… here he was. A perfectly healthy, black-haired, blue-eyed, child – with the sharp facial features of his father and kind eyes of his mother – surrounded by a loving family, ready to take on the challenges of life and the happiness it could bring. He was a flawless being and Levi couldn't have felt guiltier.

"Hey," he said, looking down at the babbling child, "I'm your papa… and… I'm sorry you have to hear that." He made his way to the living room, walking nowhere in particular, but not wanting to sit still, either. "You really deserve someone better. Someone who- I almost didn't want you, you know. We almost got rid of you… but you can thank your stubborn mom… she wanted you so bad, even though I knew you were going to hurt her like those other two did. You weren't supposed to happen." He paused, controlling a sudden rush of anger. This was an innocent baby. He couldn't blame a child simply because it lived.

"For a long time I was waiting for you to give up, I wanted you to give up, but you didn't." His words flowed freely now. "And when you were born I wanted to feel happy. Your mom was. You made her cry, and all I felt was anger. But then I looked into your eyes and felt ashamed of everything I was secretly waiting for. You were so perfect and I spent the entire time hating you. So if you grow up to hate me, that's ok. You've already proven yourself. But I'm going to spend my life making those nine months up to you, because I haven't. Don't tell your mom."

Whether or not Ian understood what his father was saying, he would never know. The child had long since grown quiet, instead just content to stare at his father with bored eyes. Levi took that to mean Ian was tired and moved to lay him to rest for his nap, humming the only lullaby he knew, but once the baby touched the cushion beneath him, he began to wail.

Levi panicked and lifted the child to check for injuries, fearing he set him down on something sharp.

"Oi, what's wrong?" He gently patted the baby's bottom and set him back down, removing his clothing to check his cloth diaper. "Did you soil yourself?"

As soon as his skin met air, Ian began to giggle. Levi gave him a strange look and immediately froze in horror.

'No.'

The warm liquid hit his chest like a scalding iron rod.

'No. No, no, no, no, no…'

A trail of pungent yellow trickled down his previously flawless, white cravat and down his pressed white shirt. He could feel it soaking through, touching him.

"You did not just…"

Ian continued to laugh, now highly amused with his father's facial expression. And again…

"FUCKING HELL!"

It was June 21st, and as the summer sun met its midday point over the bustling world below, a new generation of baby's breath in the garden just outside was in full bloom, softly dancing against a rare, cool breeze. At the same moment, in a small shop filled to the brim with fabrics and notions of all colors and sizes, Helen Reynard proudly holds up a spool of bright red thread to the woman she has come to call maman; all other colors she held previously were long forgotten. Meanwhile, in a nest beyond the walls and far from human disturbance, a small blackbird prepares for its first flight, ready to begin a life all its own. At the same moment, in a small cottage surrounded by flowers of all shapes and colors, the terrified cries of Ian Ackerman and unreserved cussing of his father could clearly be heard, loudly voicing his opinion of babies with little to no control of their many bodily functions. Ten minutes later, the swing of an axe coming down hard could be heard by anyone who chose to listen.

It was evening when they finally came home, a bag of groceries in one hand, cloth and thread in the other. The house was dark and quiet.

"Levi?" Mikasa called, wondering if he was even home.

Helen, excited with her purchase of the day, skipped to the living room. "In here!" she yelled out excitedly.

Mikasa followed the girl's chipper voice to find a shirtless Levi sleeping soundly on their small, grey couch; Ian, wearing only his diaper, slept peacefully on his chest. They must have had an eventful day if not even Helen's loud voice could wake them. She pulled a thin blanket resting on the back of the cushioned seat over their sleeping forms, hushing Helen in the process.

"Why don't you go wash up and help me with dinner? Papa needs a break tonight. We can show him what we bought later."

Helen smiled and nodded enthusiastically, happy to be allowed to help out. She didn't miss the flicker of small flames from the backyard, and no one noticed as the girl quickly snuck outside with a pail of water in hand before joining her mother in the kitchen.

That night, after ensuring everyone was fully clothed before dinner, the Ackerman household was filled with laughter (from the children) and light teasing (from Mikasa directed at an embarrassed Levi).

"What did you do with your clothes, Levi?" Mikasa finally asked as their meal winded down.

"I took care of them." He simply told her, pressing his tea to his lips.

She knew that meant he didn't want to talk about it, and he knew she wouldn't push it.

In the backyard, charred and in a smoldering pit, the faintest bit of white cloth could be seen amongst a pile of freshly created ashes. Evidence of baby urine completely and utterly obliterated. This went unseen by all except Levi, who relished in the attentions Mikasa was giving to his now bathed and clean infant son. He only hoped she didn't notice Ian's missing clothes, either.

They finally have a baby!

Did you guess the prompt?

Levi dealing with getting peed on for the first time by their infant son.

Yes. haha Thank you O Rose! The first time a baby peed on me, I immediately took my shirt off and threw it in the trash before running to take a hot shower. If I had access to matches, you can bet your butt I'd have burned the damn thing! With Levi being the clean freak he is, it wasn't too hard to imagine him doing this.

I think it's pretty obvious by now that from here on out, these two will definitely be ooc. (more so than before) They have little Ackermans to watch over and boy are things going to get interesting. Please feel free to send me prompt ideas! And thank you everyone for the awesome reviews! They put silly smiles on my face. :)