Father Figure
Rebel Till x Reader
Content: Raising a baby with rebel Till after rescuing you.
A/N: Daily tribute to Ivan's ghost so he doesn't slime me out tomorrow. I've seen a lot of Rebel Till content lately... don't think I've forgotten about the Zombie Till fic I had mentioned, I just have like one million Till wips. Sorry for taking forever as well but this is actually kinda long!
Warnings: Reader is a provider and has a newborn, the father of the baby is not mentioned, reader is obviously very traumatized, VERY hurt/comfort stuff. Till isn't mute here I'm sorry 😭🙏
"She's okay." they had informed Till. "She's malnourished and dehydrated, but physically she'll be fine after some proper recovery."
"And..."
"The baby's fine as well. Honestly? He's better than she is. It's a healthy baby with no obvious issues going on... then again, that just means she's been pushing herself to the limit in order to nourish her child. It's gonna be okay, Till, they just need rest for now."
"Okay... thank you."
"I'll leave you to it, alright? Don't stay up too late watching them."
The door click shut softly, leaving him alone with you once more. He watched closely to the rise and fall of your chest as you slept soundly, looking for any little change or flutter that might signal something was wrong, but staring at you he could only see how obvious it was that you needed the rest. When he found you, the heavy bags under your eyes made it clear that even if you probably did sleep you most likely didn't get an ounce of proper rest. Perhaps you always kept yourself in a semi vigilant state, already anticipating the moment something would come in and try to rip away the only real thing that existed in your life.
Even now, you kept a protective arm around your baby's body, as if your own would refuse to believe this was truly safe.
The infant ocasionally let out little sighs or gave a tiny kick, and something about watching so small and vulnerable being protected so fiercely made him feel a pang on his chest. Back when he found you, he had doubted if only for a second if he should risk himself and his mission like that by going back for you, but right now, he felt foolish to have even considered leaving you behind.
Tentatively, he leaned closer, his hand hovering inches away from your face. The baby truly did have the chubbiest cheeks, which for sure meant what he had been told earlier: you were giving your child everything at the cost of your own well being. His thumb gave the softest stroke to your cheek which caused you to wake up on the spot. You had volted backwards and clutched the baby closer to your chest in an instant, causing it to stir.
"Sorry! Sorry." the apology left his lips quicker than the touch had lasted, but you were far from calm. Your hands were shaking slightly as you looked at him with doubt. If he was truly not doing anything, why touch you while you were asleep? "I'm not... taking him away from you, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you either, I just..." he didn't even know what he wanted to do, which made it all that harder to put his thoughts into words. "I'm sorry. I'm not... I won't do it again. Did it... make you uncomfortable?"
"Yes. Don't... do that."
"I'm sorry, I won't. I swear."
The air in the room felt heavy, yet Till remained seated next to the bed you were resting on. The baby, as if sensing the tension, began to fuss and let out soft cries. The tiny hands were curled into fists as you hushed him gently, rocking him in slow motions that were meant to settle him down. For a moment, neither of you spoke, but you could feel Till's gaze directly at you so... you decided to say something after all.
"It's just... very different here. It'll take a while to adjust..."
"No, I know, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have tried to do that. I just thought you looked very peaceful and... it was something stupid."
"You already apologized enough... that's fine. Be mindful next time, that's all. But why were you trying to touch me while I was asleep?"
"Nothing bad, I swear. It's embarrasing actually..."
"How so?"
"It..." he paused, looking back the infant who was already starting to settle down. "...It reminded me of my mom, a little. I remember her clearly so..."
"So you remember being stripped away from her, and that's why you came back for me." Till made an expression close to a grimace, but not quite. "Sorry for being blunt... it seemed like the logical conclusion."
"No, it's... it's also true, yeah. It reminded me of my mom and I thought... if I let you there then your baby would also eventually..."
"...I know. To be honest, I haven't even chosen a name for him." your eyes darted down to the baby in your arms as you spoke, with Till going silent at the confession. "I felt like... if I give him a name, then that makes it more real... I tried to convince myself that if I delayed it and then they came and took him away... then it wouldn't hurt as badly; I wouldn't have a name to grief, you know? It would just be... a baby."
"You shouldn't feel like it's normal to have children and have them taken away from you. I know it's what they want you to think, but it's not... you're his mother and you deserve to watch him grow."
"Yeah... that's true." the baby let out a little gurgle before settling down once more.
"If... you're okay with it, I could help you choose a name. Only if it's fine with you, no pressure."
"Would you?"
"Sure." he felt a flush creeping up his neck as he spoke. "... You don't have to worry about him being taken away anymore. It's okay to name him, truly."
"Well, what did you have in mind then?"
"Oh... uh... I know I offered but I might have not thought you would say yes so easily... hmm..." he thought about it for a moment. "He kind of looks like an Oliver?"
"Does he?" by your tone, you were clearly not amused. "Isn't it a bit random?"
"I guess, yeah... but aren't most names like that?"
"True..."you looked down at the sleeping baby once more. He did kinda look like an Oliver, but it still felt strange. "I don't know..."
"Then... what about Arthur?"
"Is he an old man?"
"He will be someday!" you were giving him that look again, but it also seemed like you were trying to supress a laugh. "We can call him Art while he's still little. Or Artie, something like that."
"That's... not bad actually." you considered it for a moment before deciding. "Alright then. If I don't accept something we might as well be here all day... let him be Arthur."
"Art." the infant was obviously still to little to recognize that as his name, but he did kinda look in his direction when he said it! Maybe. "Hey, uh..." Till lifted his gaze to meet yours again. "Thank you for... letting me choose. I know it's something pretty personal, I mean, so... thanks for letting me be a part of it."
"Well... you did save us so I felt like I owed you something." you adjust the baby, Art, in your arms before looking over at him once more. "Would you like to hold him?"
"For real?" you gave him a nod alongside a soft, reassuring smile and he nearly let out an actual nervous laugh. "If... you're sure, but I don't think I've ever done it..."
"Just like this." you move closer, Till's arms already up to recieve the little thing. He trembled as you lowered the baby there and gently adjusted his hands to give him a steady grip. "You have to craddle his head and neck and then you just put your other arm on the rest of his body. There you go. See?"
It was Till's first time holding a baby in his arms. It settled inmediately, barely even noticing the motion and fell right asleep on his chest. For someone who had spent his whole life fighting something, to be able to hold something so precious... so gently... only to protect. He could feel his eyes stinging with unshed tears. Why was he even crying? Maybe he felt moved watching that miracle of life. Perhaps, even, it was simply because he realized that what he had decided to safe was there, infront of him, safe and sound... he would never have to worry about being stripped away from his mother like he was, he would never have to fight or perform or do anything because somebody else owned him. This baby... he could just... live. And he had saved him; he had saved them.
The following months had passed in a blur. Even if he tried to act casual about it, he came to see you practically everyday. He would help you hold the baby, soothe him, get him to sleep... and after it was settled, he would stay for your company. Sometimes, he would even stay to sleep... at a respectable distance, of course, he didn't want to make you uncomfortable. Nights during which he would stay up with you, talking about everything or nothing at all... it was obvious his bond with you had grown more and more with every day, given the fact that you even felt comfortable enough to let him touch you. He would softly reach out for your hand or hug you close, and eventually, he would give you a kiss you would remember forever. With time, he had become more than the man who saved you, but also the man who loved you. Both of you, dearly.
As those months turned into a year, the once newborn Arthur was now a bigger one-year-old baby who was already wobbly practicing how to walk. His giggles had grown louder and the energy around him was bursting with a childish excitement he could not feel happier to witness.
With a steady arm around your waist, he remained seated beside you on the floor, watching carefully how the infant would try to stand up and give steady steps which would then turn clumsy.
"I think he's gonna do it." your voice is merely a whisper as you both watch Arthur stand up, his knees buckle slightly yet he doesn't give up. "Come on, Art, come here." you call and he looks up, using one hand to reach towards you both. His little fingers clench and unclench on a grabby motion, a clear want for closeness, and then... he takes a step.
"Oh, he's gonna do it for real... come on, come on. A few more steps..." the baby wobbles towards you as Till suddenly opens his arms towards him. He gives a few more unsteady steps before collapsing just close enough for Till to pick him up and hold him tight against his chest. "There you go! Hey, that was amazing. He did it! Did you see?"
"I saw." you giggle at the sight of Till playfully holding the baby up and bringing him back down fast to nuzzle him with his nose, the contact making the baby laugh loudly. He was smiling as well, wide and sincere, which made your heart feel a little flutter.
"I should get this one to bed before he learns how to run next."
"Haha, I don't think he's gonna do that just yet."
"Still, it's past his naptime. He'll get cranky otherwise..." he pressed a quick peck against your cheek before standing up with the baby safely held on his arms. A few months ago, he would be overthinking every motion, but now he could hold him as if it was a second nature to him.
However, before he could get far...
"Dada."
He froze. Till looked down at the baby who was looking up at him innocently as if he didn't just say his first word, as if his word wasn't...
"Did you just...?"
"Dada." he repeated, with more firmness. He looked over at you for help with tears already flooding his eyes and you simply smiled.
"You spend so much time with him, it was just a matter of time for him to call you his father."
"His father..." he repeated, the word tasting strange on his tongue. Nontheless, he was aware that this was true; he did spend almost every waking moment when he wasn't busy to be with them. Feeding him, putting him to sleep, memorizing his schedule, learning what he likes and telling him stories... that wasn't just babysitting. "If that's... what he needs me to be. If that's what... you want. Then I think I can be that. His father..."
"Till... you already are at this point." you teased. "But... I don't think I'd want anyone else anyway."
Tags: @heavenlylostnagel
