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Sleeping peacefully was never something that came easily for Levi. No matter how hard he worked himself during the day, his mind was either too wound up to let him relax once his head hit the pillow, or a lifetime's worth of tragedies replayed in his dreams.
So he wasn’t disturbed by the soft cry that came from his right, or the movement of the bed as the woman beside him stirred and rose to calm their crying newborn. Their time as parents could still be measured in hours instead of days, but Mikasa’s instant response to the sound of their child’s cry still amazed him. A notoriously sound sleeper, they’d both expected him to have to wake her before she proved otherwise. He watched silently as she stretched before leaning over the bassinet beside their bed, her voice strained from sleep, but still warm and gentle as she spoke to their baby.
“Sssh, sssh, let your dad sleep,” she whispered as she scooped up the fussing infant, “I’m here, I’m here.”
Life hadn’t given Levi the chance to be very gentle, but he was learning that side of himself well. His hands were still sore from how hard she squeezed them while in labor, but he’d let her snap every bone in his body if it brought her an ounce of comfort. In the hours that followed their daughter's birth, he only left Mikasa’s side to bring her what she needed. If it couldn’t be moved to her, he’d gently carry her there. He was quick to get up with her in the night when she fed the baby, or he’d take over and let her rest if it was something he could do.
Now, in the glow of the morning light, he let himself have a moment to take her in as she opened her nightgown and held the infant to her breast.
A smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she stared down at their baby, even as her brows scrunched in pain when the child adjusted her latch. Her hair was down, disheveled and loosely thrown over the opposite side the baby nursed from. A swollen, newly empty belly splayed over sore hips and pale legs that lead to swollen ankles and feet; one of the final ailments that plagued her in the last weeks of her pregnancy.
She’d never looked more beautiful.
“Are you awake?” He looked up to see her eyes narrowed at him, probably struggling to focus in the low light.
“What gave it away?”
“I’m pretty sure you’re staring at me.”
“You caught me.” He sat up and scooted closer, reaching his arm around her shoulders to gently pull her against him. She nestled her head against his shoulder, leaning into his embrace with a content sigh. Comfortable silence filled the room until Mikasa adjusted their daughter to her other breast and the baby fussed until she relatched. He felt her shift her lower body and jump lightly under his arm before her brows scrunched again— he could only imagine the pain she was still in, how her body was simultaneously recovering from childbirth and still providing for their baby… It was incredible— she was incredible.
A tiny yawn brought his eyes down to their daughter. Her wrinkled little hands curled into tiny fists as Mikasa adjusted her to her arm closest to Levi, who reached out and carefully took the baby into his arms so she could re-button her nightgown. The infant seemed to know she was no longer in her mothers arms, and her bottom lip curled into a pout and began to tremble.
“She still doesn’t like me,” he’d been told it would likely happen— that many newborns only found comfort in being close to their mother, but it didn’t take away the sting of her crying nearly every time he’d tried to hold her in the four days she’d been alive.
“Talk to her, so she’ll know it’s you holding her.” Mikasa suggested, “she knows your voice.”
“Tch, what do you even say to a baby?” He mumbled, looking back at the infant fussing in his arms, “Oi, Brat Jr., you know you’re stuck with me, right? Better get over whatever you’re hung-up on and learn to like me.”
Mikasa laughed gently and leaned on him, wrapping her arms around his bicep as she nestled into him again.
“She already does,” she assured him, “see? She’s almost asleep.”
Eyes that had been blinking up at him moments before were now fluttering closed. Their baby’s pudgy cheek brushed against his chest as she nestled herself into his arms. When Mikasa began to sit up and reach for her, he shook his head.
“I’m not falling asleep again, she can stay here if she’s comfortable.” He reached around her and pulled her back down to lay her head on his chest, opposite of the baby. She didn’t protest, and soon he felt her go limp against him, slipping back into slumber just as quickly as she’d awakened to tend to their daughter.
Sleeping peacefully might not come easy for him, but now that his time awake was spent with both his arms and heart full, he couldn’t find a reason to complain.