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Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he always dreamed of this moment. But to finally get here is a different story. Something more fulfilling than he ever thought imaginable.
You’re passed out. Finally cleaned up after hours and hours. It’s a miracle you were up until a couple minutes ago. You surprised everyone with your tired smiles and soft jokes about your disheveled appearance. As if he had never seen you look more beautiful. And now, you’re tucked into bed, dozing softly while laying on your back. An old habit after nine months of not being able to do anything else. But at least you’re safe and sound. That’s all he could ask for. Safe and sound.
That, and the little girl cuddled up in his arms.
Things are different now. In fact, things were different around eight months ago, when you first told him. And how he kissed sweeter than he had ever had before in all the years the two of you had been married before lifting you up in his arms and placing his palm on your stomach. Things are different now because the house is cleaner, and he’s more careful of what his two growing girls would eat now more than ever. And he’d leave behind the spikes more often just to make sure he can hold you and your swollen belly as close as possible in the moments the reality sets in so beautifully. He’ll leave them behind for a haori- something fatherly and a little safer for a baby. Well, until the little small-fry can handle it! And he knows she will. Because she’s your daughter as much as she is his.
But even then….
When he looks down, he sees half of his world in his hands. Smaller than smaller. The most precious thing he’s ever seen. Tucked in his arm with her head propped against his bicep. Properly supporting her neck- just like he’s been trained to. By now, she's barely squirming. Tired herself out with all the waiting for Mama and Papa to recover from her arrival. But all is well now. She can sleep peacefully with her two little eyes closed and her wispy white hair. Chubby cheeks and a button nose. Who knew love could take the form of something so fragile?
“ You’re so little, aren’cha ?” He can’t help but murmur out into the silent room. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that this moment is real. That he’s really holding his healthy baby girl in his hands as she lays asleep, as beautiful as her mama. But then he reaches out with a finger, holding his hand out sideways so he can stroke her cheek without the threat of his nails. She’s warm to the touch. Breathing softly. Existing delicately. Being real and alive . Safe and sound. And that’s all he could ask for. “So, so little .”
The only response is the tiniest of coos and smallest shift of the head. His heart melts a hundred times over, and his only regret is that you wouldn’t be awake now that he’s finally able to hold his daughter for the first time. Person after person may have come in and gone through your bedroom as the delivery happened, but now everyone is gone. For nothing beats the peace of being able to hold and to treasure and to love his own child as only a father could. The first of many moments to come.
Outside, he can hear the muted sounds of laughter and celebration. Plans for a naming ceremony are quickly underway. The Aratakki gang gets along well with your family. You’re someone to protect after. Someone he holds near and dear. And vaguely, he can hear Shinobu promising to your father that his granddaughter will always know safety. That his granddaughter will always know respect. That his granddaughter will always know love. She’ll have an army behind her. Whether she grows up timid and shy, or fierce and bold- she’ll always have her dad’s men behind her.
Even if she doesn’t get his horns.
His ears pick up on the sound of rustling sheets, and he turns his head away from his baby girl to check up on you. You’re still sleeping. Eyes closed, and lips parted slightly. But the only noticeable difference is the way your hand had moved to rest over your stomach overtop of the blanket, just like you did when you were still pregnant. But as he looks at you, he finds that he’s at a loss for words at the pure sight of you. His one true love. The mother of his child. His wife . When did you get so beautiful that his eyes hurt just by looking at you?
When did you start to glow like that?
A little grunt from the small gift he holds in his arms recaptures his attention. He wouldn’t mind staring at you a little more. But now there are two girls in his heart. Two girls that’ll need his attention. And the thought alone makes him feel giddier and giddier as he turns his gaze downwards.
Despite all the little noises, she’s bundled comfortably in one of the thousands of blankets that Granny Oni made when she found out he was going to a father. This one is a little too big for her. It was something meant for when she was older. Bigger. But he couldn’t help but choose this one to be the first taste of family.
Its design is gorgeous. A pastel purple sky, soft and beautiful. At long the bottom edge is a long row of white grass as a white sun sits above. But what he loved most of all about it was how the blanket was decorated with long, spindling branches, coming from one great, big cherry blossom tree. With small little sakura petals painting the purple-colored sky…and raining down on the carefully sewn silhouettes of three people sitting under the tree. A mom. A dad. And a little girl. Safe and sound.
Safe and sound.
It’s why he chose this one. This one is the first piece of love he can wrap around you that isn’t in his arms. This one is the first feeling of warmth now that his little girl is all cleaned up and ready to take on the world as she knows it. This one is the first of many things to share with the rest of the family. For it’s the same design that spreads across the duvet that keeps you warm while you doze off in the bed right beside him. The same design that stands proudly on the back of his haori.
The same design he imagined when he realized he was going to be a dad. A dad willing to do and say and love any and everything about his girls. So long as they were safe and sound. That’s all he could hope for.
"Papa is going to take care of you now, okay? Just like he does with Mama."
Safe and sound.