Epilogue

When you're alive, the concept of time is a tricky one. Some days feel as if they've dragged on for far longer than the twenty-four-hour mark, and some days feel like all you need to do is blink and you're welcoming in a new season. Ironically enough, when you're dead, your perception of time isn't all that different from when you're alive. Some of the days are long, and some of the days are short, but the one, key factor that disconnects life from death is the number. Your afterlife is no longer on a clock, and there is a one-hundred percent guarantee that you're going to wake up the next morning. You can't die again; you're already dead. And as morbid as all of that sounds, there is happiness in death.

I've found my happiness.

It had been three months since Levi and I had vowed our lives and our protection to Elyse, and with each passing hour, our undying love for her has only continued to grow.

She was a beautiful baby girl - our baby girl - with bright, blue eyes and an even brighter personality. Through our guidance over her, we've learned that it's only typical for babies to begin expressing what we consider regular, human facial cues such as smiles and frowns when they've reached twelve weeks of age. Elyse was as brilliant as her fine tuffs of golden hair, and by week ten, she was already showing us that gorgeous little grin to go along with her happy-go-lucky attitude.

Yes, that's right. Elyse could see Levi and me.

It was a sentimental moment like no other, being gifted with the reception of her gaze for the very first time. With her pupils bursting with illumination at our sight, it was apparent that she was completely and utterly drawn to us, captivated by us, just as we were drawn and captivated by her.

We weren't certain of when we had crossed paths with Elyse, or in what lifetime, and in Levi's case, none of the prior information held any value. Elyse could have been someone simple to us; a classmate, a teacher, an old friend, or a stranger, but no matter the title of her past, it was her present title as our guarded human that made a stand.

For the life of me, I couldn't wrap my head around my bout of luck. No, this wasn't luck. This was fate; destiny, if you will. To think that in one of our lifetimes, maybe even two, or three, both Levi and I had seen, interacted with, or befriended Elyse without knowing the grand connection that she held between us. She was the center of our world, the pretty little bow that tied two threads of string into one, and because of the past that we so often try to forget, our future had been blessed by it.

And that brought forth a means for celebration.

In the late hours of that half-winter night, after Levi and I had spent the entirety of our evening fawning and cooing at the gift of gaze that our precious Elyse had given to us, he and I made blissful and satiable love for the first time in over a thousand years.

Everything about our location made the act feel wrong, but everything in our bodies and our minds made it feel oh, so right. And the best part of it all was that we took our time, because time was something that we had endless amounts of. Slowly but surely, we made ourselves once again familiar with what felt good and with what didn't. Kissing each other's necks was good, very good, but pulling at our wings was actually really bad. We were knowledgeable, but we were still learning, and with our bodies working their way up to the peak of absolute ecstasy, it was with words of love on our tongues and hot and heavy feathers in the air that had us both toppling over and onto each other in a mess of limbs and loose garments...all without waking up the baby.

Oh, and how could I forget? About a week after we'd gotten ourselves settled in Germany with Elyse, Armin had graciously paid Levi and I a visit. Although Levi had been the one to advise against receiving a message from Erwin and Hange in return, it was reported that the both of them (mostly Hange) practically forced the message on Armin, begging and pleading that he deliver it. And after all of that tiresome work, their response ended up being very brief, just a simple, "We're glad to hear that you're alright. We miss you. We miss Eren, too." Yeah, that last part had definitely been from Hange.

Before Armin left us for the second time (technically, his third), I snagged what could have possibly been my one and only opportunity of having messages of my own delivered. The first message I wanted to be sent out was to my first-life mother. Even after all of these years - and even if she didn't remember me anymore - I desperately wanted to thank her, honor her, and apologize to her. What she also needed to know what just how much I still loved her and thought about her. The second message was to my last-life mother. It was late in coming, but I had a feeling that she wouldn't mind knowing about my whereabouts and how I was doing. Also, another love send and another apology were in order. Lastly, my third and final message was to be given to Mikasa. Our present relationship may have been confusing and, well, a bit uncomfortable at times, but I had a feeling that she would have liked to know that I still wore her gifted scarf proudly around my neck and that I could honestly say that I missed her, too.

With a whole new sense of closure, one that most spirits in death probably weren't lucky enough to receive, Levi and I were finally ready to begin the future that we had talked about before. It may have been different from what we'd originally planned, but that didn't make it any less exciting.

Yeah. It didn't make it any less exciting at all.

May 7th, 2014

The evening was quickly turning into nightfall, and with the curtains drawn the lights dimmed low, Elyse was resting safely and soundly in her crib, right where her parents had left her. It was hard for Levi and me to believe just how much she'd grown in these past three months. Her little legs were getting longer, and the soft hairs that crowned her head was really starting to fill out. She was rapidly maturing right before our very eyes, and I was entirely convinced that it was because of all of the love and warmth that she received from not just her parents, but from her guardian angels, as well.

And speaking of love...

"Levi..." I breathed, trying to hold my own as he felt the need to toy with my weaknesses. This had become the norm for us. While Elyse slept, our sense of sensuality was awoken, and it was always a battle to keep our voices down, while we let our pleasures soar. "You...you're going to wake her like last time..."

"Like last time? And whose fault had that been?" he whispered in return, exhaling a soft, rather smug chuckle against my skin. I shivered, but in the best possible way. Levi may have been placing the blame on me for rousing our little angel a couple of nights ago, and granted, it was kind of my fault, but he wasn't all that innocent, either. If he hadn't bitten into the nape of my neck as hard as he did, I wouldn't have screamed, and Elyse wouldn't have woken up. Regardless of who was at fault, it wasn't something I was going to waste my breath bickering with him over.

That was when I felt his lips as they began to roam along the curvature of my jaw, painting a portrait of pink with each of his pecks. All of his advancements were so slow that they were almost taunting, and as I shifted my weight to one where I was on top of him, I could feel his hands almost instantly beginning to work their way down to where innocent became intimate. "Heiß..."

Levi's chest began to rattle with gentle laughter, as both his oral and his tactile motions were brought to a still. With amusement still lingering in his tone, he genuinely asked, "Are you trying to seduce me by speaking German?"

I'd apparently gotten too excited over the possibilities of where things were heading between us that my wings had started frantically fluttering like they always did. At least I wasn't alone in that aspect. He may have tried to hide it, but I could very well see the slight tremor in Levi's wings also. Our mouths may have spoken lies, but our bodies were always honest.

"...Maybe." See? Our mouths speak lies.

"You're full of it, Eren," Levi spoke lowly, coaxing our eyes to meet as he stroked his fingers along the side of my face. "You only know, like, three words in German."

And he was right - what a shocker. For someone who used to speak German fluently with their parents in not just one lifetime, but three, I'd forgotten next to everything about the language. That's what happens when you don't keep at it. You forget and you regret. Still, that didn't keep me from adopting an air of confidence of my own. It was about time, right? "At least the three words that I know are the three that are the most important."

"Oh, yeah?" From his laid back demeanor alone, I could tell that Levi was more than ready to hear what I had to say. "And what are they?"

I'd allowed Levi to have his fun, but now it was my turn. With any healthy relationship, either human or celestial, there was always a method of give and take, and for most of our personal encounters, Levi had been doing much of the giving. It was time for him to learn how to take.

With his hands moving to support me from the rear, our torsos meshed and my chest slid against his. In all of my lives, I've known what made Levi tick, and having a bit of a boastful ego during heated moments was one of those things.

My wings continued to flutter as my lips began to work their magic against his neck, and knowing full well that I couldn't keep the answer to Levi's question waiting for long, I had to cut my grand display of self-pride short. No worries, though. Levi would definitely appreciate what would be coming at him next.

As my lips found their way to the shell of his ear, showing all of the seduction of a siren, but hosting all of the tenderness of a saint, I whispered to him what was more than obvious, but my linguistics gave it a unique flare.

"Ich liebe dich, Levi."

I'd thought I'd known all of the tocks to Levi's ticks, but apparently, speaking to him in German was just another one of those new discoveries that we've been progressively uncovering about each other. Like a drop of fire in a sea of gasoline, we were off, and until that flame had been reduced to ash, it was needless to say that neither of us would be satisfied.

My words of confession had Levi instantly pinning my back up against the corner wall that we had been sitting near, and as I yelped against his mouth for the well-being on my wings, he breathed an apology before his hungered lips began to devour mine. Heiß. I would have said it again, if I wasn't already busy muttering out my pathetic moans of greed.

This was getting dangerous. This was getting out of hand.

This was incredible.

I could feel the vibrations; where were they coming from? I could feel the sting of electricity; his hand was gripping at my key. I could feel the love and I could feel the lust, two emotions that were good on their own, but were made great when pieced together. I wanted everything. I wanted it all. In all of my lives and through all of the excitement, I had never wanted Levi as badly as I had wanted him in that single moment.

Fate had been kind, but it had never been that kind.

We heard a hiccup, and knowing that such a sound could have never come from either Levi or me, our heads quickly snapped up at the noise. Pulling apart with such a force had caused our breathing to fall into an uneven tempo, but it wasn't our the heaving of our chests that stole the show. It was Elyse.

Whimpering and whining, but not exactly crying, she began to make a fuss in her crib over we couldn't imagine what. It wasn't until I had my wits about me that I was able to realize, oh, those vibrations I had felt? Yeah, they had a source, and that source was the raw power of behind wings ramming and thrashing at the very same wall that Levi had held me up against. Oops.

Knowing that Elyse's parents wouldn't come running into her nursery over the subtle sound of a tiny whine, Levi and I looked at one another, before looking at the crib, before looking back at one another again. Our feelings were mutual, and so was our sigh.

"This is why it's your fault, Eren," Levi said playfully, helping me off of his lap. It was as we both began fixing our robes that he added, "You just don't know how to keep quiet."

And for the most part, he was right. I did have trouble with my volume control, but as per mentioned, could I really be the only one at blame? After all, I wouldn't be making so much noise, if Levi wasn't so assertive with what he was good at. But for now, I'd let it slide. We had a baby that needed immediate coddling and consoling, and when all was said and done, who's to say we wouldn't pick right back up from where we left off?

With mortality no longer binding us, we had forever to look forward to, but I had a feeling that Levi would only be needing one of those nights in forever to teach me a lesson on how to be quiet...and I had a funny little feeling that tonight was going to be that night.

Hi there! Chappy here! :D

This is officially it, everyone! "Feathers and Follies" has reached completion! And hopefully, it went out with a bang! (See what I did there? ;D)

Honestly and truthfully, I cannot thank you all enough for taking the time to read this story, and to leave all of your lovely comments and reviews. Throughout this journey, I've had people tell me that "Feathers and Follies" was their favourite Eren/Levi fanfic, or that they're planning on reading it again once it's over, and honestly, that is just so flattering and humbling that it really just blows me away. To think that something I've written is viewed as a favourite, or is worthy of being read twice, it really just makes me feel so grateful and continues to give me the motivation that I need to keep writing!

And speaking of motivation, can you believe that I've been publishing chapters for this story for 36 weeks consecutively?! That's more than half of a year!

So many personal, writing milestones have been reached through "Feathers and Follies", and it's always going to hold a special place in my heart because of that. I hope that you, as my dearly devoted readers, will be able to keep a special place in all of your hearts for this story, as well!

It's hard to say goodbye to this story, but as I've been told by someone who has also become a dedicated reader of this fanfic, when one door closes, another one opens.

As I've been saying for the past few weeks, I am planning on starting up a new fanfic! It won't happen immediately, though, as I'm choosing to take a one to two-week break to clear my head and start fresh. It'll be worth it in the end, I promise!

Now, before this note ends up being longer than the epilogue itself, I feel the need to end it by saying thank you, I'm grateful to all of you, and I'm glad that we were able to go on this journey of emotional roller coasters together!

And for one last time, thank you for taking the time to read! (:

- Chappy

P.S. Also, I never actually think of posting this until after the fact, but if you'd like to stay updated with more things involving my writing, or just a plain flood of Eren/Levi on your dashboards, you can follow my tumblr account! My URL is kairixxxsora16. (: