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“You can hold her, you know.”
Historia is tired, but she smiles up at her husband anyways.
Eren is fidgeting nervously. “But what if I drop her?”
Historia laughs gently- he’s adorable when he’s uncertain- and reassures him.
“You won't drop her. You’re her father.”
“That doesn’t mean anything…” He still doesn’t look sure.
“It means everything.”
The nurse laughs jovially. She’s a smallish woman with curly red hair down to her shoulders.
“Every new parent is nervous,” she explains. “But just do it as I show you and you’ll be fine.”
Eren’s face twists into something resembling discomfort.
Or maybe fear, Historia realizes.
He’s totally afraid of dropping their baby.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of, hon.” The nurse smiles reassuringly.
She takes the baby in her arms.
Historia willingly hands her over, though the separation makes something twist in her chest.
She isn’t going to go far.
Just to her father.
But Historia is a hypocrite because she doesn’t want to let go of her baby even for a second, even though she was just encouraging Eren to hold her.
The baby doesn’t cry when she’s passed off to the nurse- she’s such a quiet baby. Completely the opposite of her father who is loud in almost every respect, even if she takes after him in looks.
“Just hold your arms out the way I’m doing,” the nurse instructs and Eren does so.
He tenses when she hands the baby over to him.
He’s stiff as a board holding her, like he thinks at any second he may drop her for real.
The nurse sees this and says, “Why don’t you sit down?”
Eren is almost on autopilot it seems as he heeds the nurse’s suggestion and sits in the chair provided for him.
He’s been completely smitten with their daughter, eyes wide with wonder.
Their daughter squirms and blinks her eyes open.
They’re a startling shade of green as she stares at her father.
“Have you both decided on a name for her?”
Eren and Historia exchange a glance.
There had been plenty of ideas passed between the two of them. None of them had seemed right.
Now, however…
“Eren,” Historia begins, “do you think we could… call her Ymir?”
Eren looks startled, but his look smooths out into a smile.
“Ymir… I like that.”