Pairing: Eren/Mikasa

Setting: Post series in my happy little world where they live happy together in the country okay

Rating: K

Words: 2561

Notes: HAPPY SECRET SANTA MIKA123 :D From my super elusive anon ask, I decided to write Daddy bonding with children, especially a little girl because reasons. You gave such good tropes though it was so hard to pick! I went back and forth on a couple till I had an image of Eren comforting his daughter after having a nightmare and that was it. So here you go, have a Daddy and daughter bonding post series but still in the canon world; there's a little bit of raw emotion but I'm a sucker and everything I write turns into fluff one way or another haha I hope you enjoy! And Happy Holidays to you! 3 The title was chosen from the song because that's what Judy Garland's character in "Meet me in St. Louis" sings to the youngest sister to comfort her on Christmas :3

And Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Now

Eren wasn't a heavy sleeper, he couldn't remember the last time he was. Every small noise in the house would wake him up almost instantaneously and he'd have to breath for a moment, remember there was nothing out there he had to be afraid of anymore. It was worse when he and Mikasa first left the military, nightmares that their new reality wouldn't last, that it wasn't real, that they weren't really free. It got better as time went on, as they got used to their peaceful life on the countryside. Yet the older Eren got the less he listened for creaks in the house, noises outside, and the more he listened for small feet and hushed cries.

He was pretty good at hearing the cries of his children before they even left their rooms but sometimes after an exhausting day, it took a small hand pulling at his arm to wake him up.

"Daddy," a voice cried, echoing through his mind as his weary eyes opened to his dark bedroom. "Daddy." A whimper and a tug told him exactly who it was.

Eren rolled over in bed, sitting up as he reached up to rub his eyes. "What's wrong, Carla?" He looked down to see his youngest standing off to the side of the bed, one hand clutching onto his blanket and the other clutching her nightgown.

"I had a bad dream," she said as sobs fell from her mouth, fresh tears pooling in her wide eyes.

Eren didn't need much more to wake him up, not when his daughter was so visibly upset. He kicked his legs out of his bed, pushing himself to his feet as he picked up the four year old and headed out the open bedroom door, closing it behind him.

Carla was still crying, pressing her face against his shoulder, hands grabbing onto his shirt.

"It's okay, it was just a dream," Eren said softly, one arm holding her up and one hand rubbing her back as he took her down the hall past both her room and Nicolas' room, downstairs into the dark living room. Eren would've normally just let her come into bed with him, but Mikasa hadn't been feeling well for the past week and he didn't want Carla waking Mikasa up when she needed to sleep.

"It was," Carla breathed in a sob, making her cough. "Scary."

"I know, I don't doubt that." He patted her on the back, trying to help her breath a little better. "But it was just a dream, you're safe now, I promise."

She was still whimpering but she seemed to settle down a little bit as Eren sat down on the couch with her. He leaned over the nearby table, taking his hands off Carla for a moment so he could light a match and light the candle in front of them, the small flame making the room look brighter. He almost went to go light up the Christmas tree in the corner to make it brighter for her, but it had to be some God awful hour of the morning and his first priority was the girl in his arms. He settled back down against the couch, putting his arms around Carla as he leaned his head against hers.

"Do you wanna tell me about it?" he asked her, keeping her close to him in case she got scared again.

"What if it makes the monsters come back?"

"Do you think I'd let any monsters hurt you? Or Nic? Or Mama?"

She shook her head furiously against Eren's shoulder, making him laugh lightly.

"Why don't you tell me about it so I can help you feel better?" He resumed rubbing her back in circular, soothing motions. If anything, he knew what it was like to have nightmares; as much as he would've loved to protect his kids from them, it was almost a guarantee it would happen.

"It was dark," Carla said, reaching one hand up to rub her eye. "All I saw was these big monsters and they were…they were bigger than houses. They were all over and they…and they wouldn't stop coming after me." She breathed in a shaky breath. "I didn't know where you or Mama or Nic or even Uncle Armin was. The monsters just…just kept coming…and…and…" Carla broke off as a sob shook her body, tears in her eyes again. "They wanted to eat me." She started to cry again as Eren felt a sharp pain in his chest.

"Hey, it's okay, sweetheart." Eren reached one hand up to hold her face up so she'd look at him instead of trying to hide against him again. "Didn't I promise I'd never let anything hurt you?"

She nodded tears still falling but at least she wasn't going into hysterics again this time.

Eren reached up to wipe her tears from her cheeks with his thumbs before he leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead. "Carla, there is nothing like those monsters that live in this world, it was just a dream."

She leaned back against him, still sniffling a little bit but she was calming down again, her hands grabbing onto his shirt again. "Promise?"

He kissed the top of her head, holding her close to him. "I promise."

It was the truth after all; Eren had made sure of that. He fought so his kids wouldn't have to live the nightmares that he did, that Mikasa did, that they all did. What he really wanted to know was how did Carla find out?

It sure as hell wasn't him; Mikasa would've killed him for one but he would've never wanted to. They decided when she was pregnant with Nicolas that one day they'd tell their kids what happened in the world and what part they had in it, but that age was not four years old; Nicolas was nine and he still didn't know everything. Armin knew the rules, and Eren was pretty sure Armin wouldn't go against Eren or Mikasa's wishes for their kids.

"Carla?" he asked, deciding to just see what she knew.

"Yeah, Daddy?"

"Was that the first time you saw the monsters? Or did you hear something that made you dream of them?"

She shook her head. "I've seen them before, but just in bad dreams."

"So you didn't hear any scary stories that made you think about them?"

"No." She lifted her head off Eren's shoulder, her eyes looking up at him. "Do youknow about the monsters?" Her eyes were his, wide with curiosity, but the rest of her face was Mikasa's.

"Yeah, I do." More than you'd ever know. "So that's why I know they aren't gonna hurt you." Eren poked her in the side making the girl laugh for the first time since they came downstairs.

Carla didn't seem to want to let it drop though. "How'd you know them?"

Eren hesitated as she watched him. It's not like he wanted to lie to his kids, but this was different, this was very different. How could he tell her how many times he was nearly killed, how many times he nearly watched the people he loved die, how much he did watch the people he loved die? "Because." He looked down at her with a small smile. "I have bad dreams too."

"Do you see the monsters then too?"

Eren nodded. "I do."

Carla leaned forward a little bit. "Do they make you scared too?"

"Of course they do, monsters are terrifying." Eren tickled her sides making Carla laugh and squirm around. "But, I don't let it get to me because I have people I need to protect, even in my dreams."

"Like me?"

Eren had to smile at the look in his daughter's eyes as she looked up at him. "Of course like you, always you."

Carla jumped a bit in his arms, reaching her arms around his neck as she hugged him.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him, remembering when his parents would do the same when he had nightmares. "Did I ever tell you about your name, Carla?"

She sat back down in his lap, her eyes looking up at him curiously. "I know my name."

Eren laughed. "Yes, I know you do, but I meant where it came from."

She shook her head.

"You," he tapped her on the forehead. "Were named after a very special woman."

"Who?"

"My mama, her name was Carla Jaeger, just like yours."

"Really?" Carla was trying to bite back a yawn but Eren saw it; it had to be like two in the morning, he was amazed she was even still awake. Regardless, she looked excited about this new bit of information and Eren couldn't blame her too much; neither he nor Mikasa talked much about their family for good reasons, it was a little complicated to explain to a child.

"Was she afraid of the monsters?"

It was a decade and some since the day his mother died, but sometimes it still felt like yesterday. Sometimes he still heard her last words. "She might've been, but she didn't let it show. She always did her best to protect me and your mama."

Carla's drooping eyes looked up again at him. "She knew mama too?"

"She did, since mama was the same age as Nic is. Your grandma always loved your mama like she was her own daughter and mama loved her too."

Carla's look of excitement turned to one of curiosity. "How come I've never met her?"

Eren should've known that was coming; it was a logical thing to ask after all. "Well, she's not with us anymore. She died when me and mama were kids."

"Oh," Carla said. She looked like she was trying to understand what he said but she was either too young or was too tired to comprehend.

When Mikasa had suggested naming their daughter Carla, it was the most natural reaction to say yes; his mother would've loved that. She would've loved her grandchildren period, which is what made him sad. She was never given the chance to see himself, Mikasa, and Armin get older; she wasn't there for their wedding and see them have a family of their own which is all his mother ever wanted for him. She'd be so happy, if she could see.

"Daddy?"

Eren felt a small hand on his face making him look back down at Carla.

She was looking up at him, her forehead furrowed slightly. "Don't be sad. I love you."

He had to smile; he didn't even know his heart could melt until he had kids. "I love you too, sweetheart."

She settled back down in his arms, her head against his shoulder as another yawn pulled at her lips; this time she didn't have the strength to hide it from him.

"Feeling better?" He asked, adjusting her so she could fall asleep in a position that would be easy to carry her in.

She nodded. "Thank you, Daddy." Her voice was a little mumbled and a little hushed, sleep already taking her again.

"Of course, anything for you."

"Eren?"

Well, that was a new voice, but not an unwelcomed one. He looked up to see Mikasa standing at the bottom of the stairs, still in her nightgown. Eren didn't even hear her come down, but that didn't really surprise him. "Hey, what're you doing up?"

A smile pulled at her lips. "I came to ask you the same." She walked the short distance to the couch and sat down next to him. "I woke up and you weren't there, so I went to see where you went."

Eren held up Carla slightly as to not wake her up again. "She had a nightmare so I took her down her so she wouldn't wake you up."

Mikasa's forehead wrinkled as she leaned forward to brush some hair out of Carla's face. "What scared her?"

"The same things that used to scare us."

Mikasa was quiet for a moment as she watched Carla sleep against Eren's shoulder. "How'd she know?"

"I have no idea, I asked her but she said she didn't hear about any stories that triggered it."

Mikasa looked up to meet Eren's eyes. "Is she okay?"

"Now, yeah, she's okay. I calmed her down and made her feel better enough to fall asleep again."

Mikasa sighed as she rested her head on Eren's other shoulder. "Try to protect them but still the inevitable happens."

"I told her about my mom," Eren said as he leaned his head against Mikasa's. "She always loved the holidays so I figured it was appropriate." He almost felt Mikasa smile against him.

"I bet Carla liked that."

Eren laughed lightly. "Which one?"

"Both of course."

Eren tilted his head to press a kiss against Mikasa's temple. "C'mon, she's putting my arms to sleep and I'd very much like to get back in bed."

Mikasa stood up first though she wobbled a bit on her feet, reaching back out to the couch arm for support.

He stood up, adjusting Carla in his arms before he reached out for Mikasa's shoulder. "How're you feeling?"

She waved him off, as she started to head to the steps, on hand on her stomach. "I'm fine, just feeling a little under the weather." She looked up at him, her bright if not a little sleepy eyes, looking up at him. "Ready to come back to bed?"

"Always." Eren followed her up the stairs though Mikasa stood by Carla's door when Eren went to put her back in her bed with a kiss to her forehead. Eren moved by Mikasa in the doorway and looked back into Carla's room.

"Think she'll be okay?" Eren asked, looking over to Mikasa.

She met his eyes. "Of course, to her it really was just a dream. She'll never have the live the reality like we did."

Eren put his hands around her waist, tugging him closer to her. "That's why we didn't wasn't it."

She looked up at him. "Among other things."

He leaned down to press a kiss to her lips but he stopped when he heard a creek come from the hall.

"Mom? Dad? What're you doing up?" Nicolas yawned from the spot in front of his doorway.

"Your sister had a bad dream," Mikasa answered, placing her hands against Eren's chest. "Why don't you go back to bed? Don't forget we're getting up early to go see your Uncle for Christmas."

"'Kay," Nicolas said with another yawn before heading back into his room, but his head popped out again before he got too far. "Do you know what Uncle Armin got me for Christmas?"

Eren rolled his eyes. "Bed, go on."

Mikasa laughed before she reached her hands up to Eren's face before she leaned up to kiss him, not without a noise of disgust from their eldest. "He's your son," she said, before walking the short distance down the hall to shoo Nicolas back into his bed.

With a smile, Eren shook his head as he closed Carla's door. He heard Mikasa saying goodnight to Nicolas from the other room. Eren would've never thought what he always wanted was exactly what his mother had always wanted for him.