Life as a family was beginning to settle after the first two years of flailing and trying to cater to their child.
Thankfully, now, they learned every sound the child would make and their meanings—the grunt of 'I am pleased' to the grumble of 'no more or I will barf in your face' and the ever so popular squeak of 'I'm so funny. Laugh for me.'
Historia just got back from a long business meeting regarding the budget of a side project that was being kicked off to expand business to the East coast. She kicked off her heels, savoring the feeling of being free, and closed the door behind her.
"I'm back. Where are my babies?" She called out but heard no response. She hummed, putting her coat on the rack, and went to investigate the silence and instead found her wife and daughter were sleeping on the couch.
And—insert a surprised gasp!—the two were sleeping together. They were getting along.
Annie was usually distant with Ymir, preferring Historia's company and affection than her taller mom.
But, right now, they were both snuggled under the tiny baby blanket that barely covered Ymir. Annie was sprawled out just like Ymir—legs spread out and gangly limbs everywhere. Except their little daughter had her fists up in front of her like she was going to duke it out with someone.
"Oh," Historia clamored to her cellphone, ready to snap her newest background.
-x-x-x-
Annie whined and sniffled and every few minutes would choke on her own slobber, snot, and tears. Ymir held her close, patting her back and bouncing her lightly as she crept from the baby's room to the living room in hopes to not wake her sleeping wife.
It was four am but Annie, their little Queen, did not care who suffered as long as they heard her discomfort.
"What's wrong, huh?" Ymir asked, stroking Annie's hair, worried that maybe their child had a nightmare—or was she getting sick?
Ymir put her cheek to the baby's forehead, holding still.
It wasn't too warm.
Hopefully not sick.
Annie gurgled another cry as she buried her face against Ymir's bare shoulder, spreading snot and slobber all over the skin, but Ymir didn't care. She only wanted to know why her child was so upset.
"C'mon, Annie," she whispered, kissing her forehead and the child grumbled, pushing her face away, obviously not in the mood for affection.
"What do you want?" Ymir asked, almost defeated.
"Mum, mum, mum," Annie repeated in a choked voice. It was so pathetic and weak and desperate. It nearly made her mother go rush to wake up Historia. However, she knew she had an important meeting tomorrow.
"No…not tonigh—"
Annie's face went red and she stopped breathing.
Ymir knew that she was going to shriek in anger, knowing full well she'd wake up her desired mom.
"Hey, Annie! Wait!" Ymir quickly intervened and the child hesitated. Ymir quickly shuffled into the kitchen, turning on the light, and went to putting a CD in their stereo by the sink.
Curious at what her mother was doing, Annie only sniffled, sucking on her own fist, watching carefully.
Ymir turned on the stereo loud enough so it'd fill the kitchen. She turned towards Annie, dancing away in exaggerated motions, grinning.
The child only glared at her, not liking what her mother was doing.
"Mamma's little baby loves shortnin, shortnin,
Mamma's little baby loves shortnin bread!"
Ymir sang along. It was a silly old song but Annie usually was receptive to it when Historia did it.
Annie had her mouth full of fist as she grunted in dissatisfaction, shaking her head 'no', and then pulling her fist out and clobbering Ymir's face with slobber and baby hands.
"Ugh, Annie, plea—" Ymir got a fist in the mouth instead.
"MEH!" Annie grunted, struggling to get out of Ymir's grip.
"Annie, c'mon, okay, okay—No shortnin bread. I get it. That's you and mom's thing, huh? Not ours?" Ymir went over and turned the stereo off and Annie relaxed a bit more.
Thankfully, her mind was taken off the subject as she glanced around with great curiosity in the kitchen.
Oh the short attention span of children! Ymir praised.
Annie rubbed her eyes tiredly and warning whines came from her mouth.
"Oh, shhh, shh, don't cry, sweetheart," Ymir whispered to her, rocking her once more as Annie sniffled with fresh tears.
Ymir led her slowly back to her baby room, rubbing Annie's back, nuzzling the crown of her golden locks.
"Come down from there," Ymir kissed her, wanting her child to feel safe and loved.
"You've been playing too long.
Down here, my child,
It is where you belong."
Annie was quiet, listening intently as they were back in her room. Ymir set the star mobile on and sent her baby room aglow with the vast celestial beauty of the night sky.
"When will you find,
when will you find,
That with every step you heighten
so does it frighten me."
Ymir softly sang to her, rubbing her back until there was only soft breathing. She put her back down into her crib, watching her lovingly, pushing away stray hair, and smiling.
"You're so beautiful." She told her daughter, caught up in their small world.
-x-x-x-
Ymir and Annie stood in front of the pre-school, watching all the other toddlers race forward with their smiling parents. The two wore matching shirts upon Ymir's insistence—She had the shirt that said 'Big Titan' and Annie had the shirt that said 'Little Titan'.
Ugh! Did that kid really just sneeze all over his hands? They better have hand sanitizer in there or else she'd personally tell an inspector how disgusting it was in there.
What was that!?
Did that little girl really just push another kid? Sure, she might've accidentally bumped into him, but that looked so intentional! Her daughter better not have classes with that bully.
"Mom," Annie looked up at her, tugging at her hand.
Ymir inhaled.
"You're going to be fine, honey." She gritted.
Annie glanced at the vice grip her mother had on her hand. Tiredly, she tried to pull away but she knew it was a fruitless effort.
"Mom."
A kid loudly yelled a bad word and had their parents on them in a second, whispering and scolding them that it was inappropriate.
What environment did that child grow up in—a sailor bar!?
"School is so much fun." She smiled but she could feel her lip twitch.
"Mom." Annie repeated.
"You're going to make a ton of new friends—hopefully none of these heathens." Ymir muttered. Annie frowned and was going to say something but an overly excited worker came up, waving.
"OH MY GOSH! YOU TWO ARE TOO CUTE! MOMMY-DAUGHTER PICTURE TIME!"
KZT!
Years from now this very picture would be on the mantle in the living room, earning lots of laughter from visitors upon seeing Ymir's face.
-x-x-x-
"I'm off," Annie called out, backpack over her shoulder, and lunchbox in hand. Historia was at the door, glad she got the day off on her children's first day of school this year.
"Try to learn a lot of things, dearest heart," Historia told her daughter, kissing her cheek. Annie smiled and even possibly leaned into the sentiment before walking to the end of the driveway to the waiting bus.
Historia stood out on the porch, waving her off with a smile, glad to see her daughter so content with school. She was a very smart child—teachers loved her and she was as sharp as a whip. The only problem most teachers had with her was that she preferred to be quiet and observe than speak and be active.
"She's growing up so fast," Historia sighed and turned around to fetch their second child.
But she was not on the couch like she was five minutes ago.
"Sasha?" Historia called out, wandering to her baby's room and then to her own and then every other one.
Ymir was at the kitchen table, fiddling over the newspaper.
"…Have you seen Sasha?"
"Huh? Who?" Ymir wouldn't even look at her. Historia raised an eyebrow and went around the dining table to wrap her arms around Ymir's shoulders and nuzzle her ear.
"Sasha, our baby," she spoke ever so softly, "the one that has her first day of pre-school today."
Ymir was very tense as she laughed.
"I know, I know, I was joking," she was going to shrug off Historia's hold but the blonde tightened her grip into a chokehold.
"Where's my baby?" She laughed as Ymir struggled and squirmed, tapping out quickly as Historia released her with a frown.
"Ymir, she needs to go to school—ah, did you make her lunch?"
As if on cue Historia heard a crunch. She gave Ymir a warning glance before walking to find her noisy child who was no doubtingly stuffing herself with her lunch.
The sounds came from the closet near the door.
"Sasha, oh, Sasha, where are you?" Historia called out, leaning low to look behind the coats in the closet.
She saw two little feet bouncing around in there and then a snuffled giggle.
"Well, I guess she doesn't want ice cream—"
"MAMA! EEM HERE!" Sasha piped, throwing herself out from behind the coats, sending her half-eaten potato chips everywhere.
"Oh! There's my baby!" Historia cried out as if surprised, hugging her.
"Ice cream!?" Sasha glanced around excited.
"I'm sorry, my little potato, but not right now."
Sasha gasped, staring at her and then cupped Historia's cheeks, pouting at her.
"I kin't believe you lied!" Sasha chided and Historia chuckled, kissing her daughter's hands.
"I did not. I was going to say we can get it after you and Annie come back from school, hm, how about that?"
"YAY!"
Ymir stood nearby, looking upset and sad.
"Were you hiding from me or did mommy put you up to it?" Historia asked, staring at Ymir. Sasha looked over at her miserable mother and eagerly shook her head no.
"Nope! My idea! I wanted stay home with chips!"
Historia nodded.
"Okay then."
She knew Ymir was behind it but their second was thick as thieves with Ymir.
"I believe you…now let's get going. Aren't you excited, dear heart?"
-x-x-x-
"Sometimes—"
"NO!"
"Ymir, listen—"
"NO! MY BABY!" Ymir roared, giving Historia their crying daughter.
"Ymir! Being angry like this isn't going to—"
"LIKE H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS IT WILL!" Ymir huffed, stomping ahead to the parent-teacher conference.
Historia cuddled Sasha who kept hiccupping.
"It's okay, Sash—"
"I-I toolk funny! I—I have—"
"You talk like you. And I love you very much," Historia assured, kissing Sasha's cheek as she followed a distance behind Ymir.
She only got to the door and stopped there as the whole building shook with Ymir's anger.
"MY CHILD IS BEING BULLIED BECAUSE SHE TALKS DIFFERENTLY! THOSE CHILDREN—GIVE FUN DIP! I WILL STUFF IT ALL IN THEIR FACES TILL THEY'RE HAVING FUN!"
"Oh dear," Historia whispered, petting Sasha's head.
"Mama?"
"Hm?"
"I want fun dip…can I get fun dip?" She schooled her voice, wiping away tears.
"No, you'll get a cupcake, alright?"
"Mm," Sasha nodded, burying her face into her mother's shoulder and clinging to her embrace.
Historia was glad, though, that Ymir was showing her anger and disgust or else she doubted she'd be able to keep calm at hearing her daughter return every day afraid to talk and sometimes crying.
-x-x-x-
It happened way too soon.
Ymir could only stare as she watched Annie carry the cupcake tray for her class's Halloween party. She set it on the food table and then turned to Ymir, smiling.
It was like watching the start of a terrible fire.
Annie was heavily into Pokemon and she adored the shit out of Pikachu. So, naturally, she was Pikachu for Halloween—Ymir could dig that.
BUT THIS WAS NOT FINE!
She watched her sweet nine year old daughter go from smiling to blushing in the three seconds it took to catch a look at someone.
Right across the room was another little girl but she was dressed as Ash fucking Ketchum.
Nope.
Nope.
The impersonator came over with a stoic look but smiled at Annie.
NOPE!
The child leaned over and—
"NOPE!" Ymir intervened, stealing Annie away before the child could kiss her daughter's cheek.
Immediately, the child's parents came rushing over.
"Oh! It's Annie! She's so cu—"
"How do you know my child!?"
"Huh? Oh! I'm Eren Jaeger," he smiled and presented his significant other.
"…This is your child?" Ymir pointed at the Ash Ketchum who was now holding hands with her daughter.
Sneaky little s—
"Yes, this is Mikasa."
Mikasa—mee-ka-sa—the very name of SIN! EVIL THAT'D TAKE HER DAUGHTER AWAY!
Ymir forced a grin, trying to yank Annie away.
"Oh…what a little sweetheart…I sure do hope she plays very nicely with Annie. I really don't want to see my daughter hurt." She said low and slow for the child to understand she was treading some lethal water here.
A/N:
One-shot that I needed to get off my chest.