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It was hard to believe just how small she was. Their little daughter who was held so securely in Charles’s arms, so small that Erik swore he could cradle her in the palm of his hand—something Charles dared him to try for fear of her being dropped.
“You done so well,” Erik whispered to Charles, still not able to pull his eyes away from Lorna, “She’s perfect.” From her green hair all the way down to her ten little toes, Erik couldn’t find anything wrong with her and was ready to fight anyone who disagreed with him.
“She is,” Charles whispered back, his eyes also not leaving their little daughter. “But I can’t take all the credit, you had a part in making her too. Just look at her little nose.”
“My part was fun and didn’t take nearly as long as yours did,” Erik countered, “You made her, grew her and kept her safe and protected from the world. It’s beautiful. You’re beautiful.”
“You’re the one who took such good care of us the whole time, waiting on me and putting up with mood swings and cravings.” Charles said while blushing, not that it was easy to tell with how flushed his face already was, his eyes drooping with a need for sleep as he held their little girl—who was only a couple of hours old. Lorna, in his arms, was sound asleep and it occurred to Erik that Charles should be sleeping too, while he can. After all, the birth hadn’t exactly been a quick walk in the park, taking nearly twenty-four hours.
“Why don’t you let me hold her and you can get some rest, love?” Erik suggested, pressing a kiss to Charles’s forehead, letting the discussion go for now. There was a list of priorities and making sure Charles was cared for was way above arguing how much he did during Charles’s pregnancy.
He could practically hear Charles’s internal monologue, debating if he should or not, if he could hand over the little girl, even if it was to her other father.
“I’m not going anywhere with her, we’ll stay in the room, I promise, omega,” Erik added, hoping to convince him. If he was honest, it wasn’t just because he wanted to give Charles a chance to sleep, it was also selfish. He wanted to hold his daughter, he couldn’t get enough of her and it felt as though his arms yearned for the gentle weight of the little girl.
It took a moment but, eventually, Charles gave a small nod and Erik was on the move, swooping in to take Lorna from her other father. With the little girl in his arms, he held her tightly, safe against his chest and then settled back down in the seat he had previously been in.
From his place, he could see both Lorna in his arms and Charles safe in the hospital bed just inches away from him. His growing little family all safe and sound in one place. The added bonus of skin-to-skin contact with his little girl added to the serenity of the situation, his scent surrounding her and his mate, ensuring they would both stay protected from imaginary threats.
A small sound left Lorna and Erik’s eyes shifted, his attention now solely on the small bundle in his arms. He could only imagine the soft, fond look on his face, the love that was surely written there but his biggest focus was his and Charles’s child.
Already Erik couldn’t wait for the next one and the one after that, happy that he and Charles both agreed on having a large family, a whole litter of little ones running around. The thought of their little feet running through their house, mornings filled with laughter and cuddles in bed, and holidays where they’re watching the kids explore and learn new traditions. Those thoughts, more than any other, filled his heart until he was certain it was going to burst.
Erik opened his mouth to comment on it, looking up at Charles and then promptly closed it. The omega had fallen asleep already, his head turned toward Erik as though he had drifted off watching father and daughter. If the look on his face was anything to go by it was all too possible that it had happened that way. A small smile played at his lips even still, a peaceful look that seemed even more so than normal for sleeping Charles.
“Sweet girl, your daddy fell asleep,” Erik whispered to Lorna and then almost regretted the decision. A twitch of her nose and her mouth opening and closing seemed to signal that she had woken up.
Then little green eyes opened and met Erik’s grey ones. But, against what Erik thought would happen, no screams or cries followed the look. Just curious eyes staring up at him as though wondering whose arms she was in now.
“There’s my little girl,” Erik whispered to Lorna, “Hullo, I’m your Papa, it’s so nice to finally see you properly.” Sure, he had seen her before, when she was first born and hadn’t been cleaned off, when she was red and screaming and crying so hard that Erik wondered if newborns could puke. And then as she slept but this was the first time he had just sat down and looked at her while she was awake and not red and screaming at the top of her lungs.
A little fist moved in an uncoordinated way, followed by a foot and Erik couldn’t help but smile, his hand going to hers until little fingers wrapped around one of his bigger ones. Even still, she couldn’t fully close her fist and the action melted Erik’s heart.
“Your little hands are so tiny,” He whispered, “Everything about you is. I’m so worried I’m going to break you, schatzchen.”
Lorna didn’t seem to have nearly as many concerns since she just kept looking up at him with those big eyes and Erik couldn’t help but smile, his finger moving gently in her grasp before his thumb rubbed over the back of her fist.
“I still can’t believe you’re really here,” He added, hoping there was no one around to hear how he was getting choked up. With nothing else to do and running out of the ability to speak, he simply moved her up a little, pressing a kiss to her forehead and taking in her scent.
As small as she was, her scent, to him, smelled like the perfect mix of his and Charles. Nothing more than a sign of who her parents were and it would stay that way for quite a while until it would begin to change into a scent all her own. Even then, it was likely that some of his and Charles’s would remain on her, a mark of protection.
Erik assumed there was more to it, something biological but that had never been his field of speciality. Perhaps he would ask Charles about it some other time when he was awake but, for now, the only thing on his mind was his little girl and keeping her safe until Charles woke up again to feed her.
And so far, the two of them were doing just fine on their own.