Title: Bubble Baths and Pirate Ships
Author: snarkysweetness
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Skyeward with Alice Ward, the most precious child to ever exist
Summary: "I think we should keep him, mommy. He makes a very good knight to guard the palace."
"That's right, he does."
"Auntie Jemma says that's why you picked him to be my daddy. I think it was a good choice," she said with a conspiratorial wink.
In which Grant Ward is the royal giver of baths at the mercy of Queen Skye and their tiny princess.
Warnings: So much cute your teeth may rot and fall out. Also implied sexy times.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Notes: Hello my name is Jenn and I am starting a support group for everyone who has been personally victimized by daddy!Ward. I dedicate this to all of my Skyeward babes who have been personally victimized by me.
"Oh no! We're going overboard!"
A loud giggle echoed through the small bathroom. "Don't be silly, daddy, the bubbles will keep us safe."
Skye covered her mouth to keep from laughing. She stood leaning against the doorway watching as Alice splashed her huge toy pirate ship around in the water, drenching her father in the process. He didn't seem to mind, in fact he was grinning from ear to ear.
Good, he could grin later when he cleaned this mess. Skye didn't know how in the hell Grant Ward managed to go through two bottles of bubble bath every night but as she saw how the entire tub was filled and overflowing with them she finally understood why.
"My apologies, princess," he replied seriously as he reached over for the shampoo. "Now, what do you say we wash that hair of yours? Even pirate princesses need clean hair."
She gave him a long pout but when he leaned over to kiss her nose she smiled. Skye understood the feeling; kisses from him were a surefire way to get you to cave. Even their daughter wasn't immune. "Okay, daddy, I guess so. Plus it will make mommy happy."
"Yes it will and we like to make mommy happy, don't we?"
Alice nodded eagerly.
Skye smiled against her fist before crossing her arms.
Once their little princess was clean from head to toe she giggled and reached out to cover Grant's face with bubbles. "Your turn, daddy!"
Grant squinted with a smile. "You know what, baby? The water's a little cold; daddy will take a bath when you're in bed."
"With mommy?"
Skye could see him fight a smile. "Yeah, maybe."
"Good, mommy needs to take a bath too." She said with an authoritative nod.
Grant laughed. "Well then, I will make sure she takes one," he said as he pulled the plug on the bath and pulled their tiny and now pruney toddler from the water. He wrapped her in a large, fluffy towel and hugged her to his chest while pressing a sloppy kiss against her face.
"Daddy, that tickles!"
"Oh yeah? How about this?" He brought her little foot to his mouth and blew on it and she laughed loudly.
"Daddy!"
He smiled and set her down on the bathmat. "Fine, let's get dried off then, shall we?"
Alice grabbed his face and kissed his nose. "Okay, daddy! Can I wear my princess jammies?"
"Alice Natalia Ward!" Grant made a 'how dare you ask me that' face. "I would never dare put you in anything else."
She grinned with a giggle before glancing right at Skye. "Mommy!" Alice ran for her and a moment later a wet, naked toddler was in Skye's arms.
"Hi baby girl." Skye pressed a kiss to her temple before handing her back over to her father.
"Hey you." Grant greeted as he gave her a small kiss.
"Hi yourself," she replied with a smile as she kissed him back. There was nothing sexier than a hot dad; especially when he had a face and body like that.
"Mommy, you and daddy have to take a bath now."
Skye did her best not to laugh. "Oh we will do that later; let's get you dried off before you turn into a moldy dragon."
Alice huffed. "I don't want to be a moldy dragon, daddy the towel please."
Grant kissed the top of her head and sat her on the counter. "Allow me, princess." He gave her a small bow before drying her off, tickling her as he went. Alice giggled and reached for Skye when he was done.
"I think she likes me best," Skye teased with a wink as she picked her up and took her into her bedroom to get dressed.
"There are no favorites in this house," Grant muttered as he grabbed her from behind and pressed a kiss to her neck.
Skye met Alice's eyes with a wink. "Daddy's a sore loser."
"That's because he's a boy," she said matter-of-factly as she reached for her princess wand.
Skye chuckled. This child was something else. Of course, Skye knew if she'd had a real childhood with parents who loved her and doted on her she would have probably been the same way.
"It's okay; we still love him, even if he is a dumb boy."
Alice nodded. "I think we should keep him, mommy. He makes a very good knight to guard the palace."
"That's right, he does."
"Auntie Jemma says that's why you picked him to be my daddy. I think it was a good choice," she said with a conspiratorial wink.
Skye pressed her lips together in amusement and glanced over to find Grant red from fighting laughter. She turned back to the darling with a smile. "I do too, my darling. Now, we're all ready for bed, which book do you want to read tonight?"
Alice reached for her e-reader and her stuffed monkey and pulled up Alice in Wonderland. Skye tried not to smirk at her choice; ever since she'd found out that was who she was named after she was obsessed. She'd forgotten all about Mulan, Jasmine, Elsa, Ariel, and all of the other Disney princesses in favor of the lost girl.
Skye pulled Alice against her side and Grant took a seat on her other side. Alice read to them until she began to yawn and then her daddy took over. Not even five minutes later she was out light a light. Skye smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead as Grant tucked her in.
They stopped in the door to watch her for a moment. "I think we did alright," Skye whispered as Grant wrapped his arms around her.
"I think we did better than alright," he said with a smile. "She's perfect."
"Will you still think so when the next one is here?"
He chuckled. "When that time comes I'm sure I'll find them both equally perfect, though, she might not like sharing," he pointed out as he flipped the light switch and pulled the door closed.
Skye chewed on her thumbnail for a moment while she slowly walked towards their bedroom. She pulled her hand away with a grin and playfully reached for the doorknob. "Well, I think eight months is plenty of time for her to get used to it, don't you agree?"
Grant shrugged in that dumb way of his. "Yeah but why would she have to-" He froze as realization hit him and Skye grinned at him over her shoulder suggestively before disappearing into their bedroom. A moment later an eager Grant Ward had pulled her into their bed and was on top of her with a huge grin on his face.
Skye looked up at him innocently and batted her eyes. "Can I help you?"
"I'm going to be a dad?" He was happier than Alice was when they'd taken her to Disneyland.
"You're already a dad," Skye pointed out.
He kissed her and she smirked against his lips as she slid her fingers into his hair. "Yunno, I think that's how we wound up in this position," she muttered as he pulled away.
Grant kissed her firmly once more. "I love you. And I love you," he said as he moved his hands over her still flat uterus. "Yes, I do. Daddy loves you so much," he said in his baby voice while pressing kisses to her skin.
She lightly massaged his scalp as she watched him affectionately. She knew people didn't look at Grant 'I can kill you with my pinky' Ward and think he was dad material but he was the world's best father.
"She loves you too."
He glanced up with a twinkle in his eye. "Does it feel like another girl?" If he had his way they'd have a dozen little girls for him to dress up and protect.
Skye nodded. She didn't know how she knew but she knew. He grinned and moved up to kiss her again. This time it was a real kiss, the kind of kiss that led to babies being made. Luckily she couldn't get pregnant again.
She slid her hands up his chest, pulling his wet shirt with her as she went. As she tossed it over his head he went for her neck and she cleared her throat.
"Sweetheart, we have a visitor," she whispered as she nodded in the direction of the door.
Grant turned to find Alice standing there with her monkey. "Leo had a nightmare," she explained.
"Leo, huh?" Skye shot Grant a glare. She only had nightmares when he let her watch Lord of the Rings. She'd told him a million times the orcs scared her but did he ever listen?
He smiled at her sheepishly. "Sorry." He moved off of her and pulled back the covers. Skye gave him a 'look' but he shrugged. "Come on, Skye, just this once?"
"That's what you said last time." But she couldn't say 'no' to both of them, not when they both gave her the puppy eyes. "All right, come on princess."
Alice smiled and jumped into their bed. Grant held her against him while Skye wrapped her arms around both of them.
He met Skye's eyes for a moment before leaning down to press a kiss to Alice's head. "Princess, mommy and I were talking and how would you feel about a little sister?"
She scrunched up her nose in disgust. "I feel like that's a bad idea, daddy."
"Well, what if mommy and I vote 'yes'?"
"Then I'd have to veto it, daddy."
They exchanged a glance and Skye cleared her throat. "But don't you want to be a cool big sister like Elsa?"
Alice pondered this for a moment. "Does this mean my powers will be ice powers? I do like the idea of being a pirate snow queen."
Skye sighed. She had no idea what powers she'd have or if she'd even had any. Skye's were all intelligence-based but it wouldn't hurt to give her hope. "I don't know, my love, maybe."
Alice sighed in frustration. "Fine, I will take it under advisement. But I will have to discuss it with grandpa and grandma first. They're my royal advisers."
"Of course," Grant said with amusement in his tone.
"But if I agree to this it has to be a little sister, okay? Boys whine too much and I do not have the time to deal with that while ruling my kingdom."
"Now, baby, that's not very nice. You'd love your little brother if you had one," Skye insisted.
"Maybe but you only asked my permission for a sister."
Skye looked at her husband for help. Their child was too much sometimes.
He smirked and cleared his throat. "Well, you know princess, brothers make good first mates. Every good pirate princess captain needs a first mate and when you go off to become queen you'll need someone trustworthy to take over your post."
"That is a very good point daddy. Okay, I guess a brother would be okay but I'd much rather have a sister; girls make better pirates and spies, like Auntie Nat and grandma."
"Oh, does that mean you have made your decision," Skye asked as she toyed with her hair.
"Yes, grandma and grandpa will just have to accept my royal decree."
"As you wish your majesty." Grant said as he swirled his hand around in front of Skye. He gasped and gave Alice a serious look. "My royal daddy powers tell me that your royal decree has been granted. Mommy's got a baby in her belly right now."
Alice shot Skye a confused look and Skye nodded. "That's right, my love, my magical mommy powers tell me it's so."
She scrunched up her nose. "But Uncle Tony told me that Uncle Thor brings mommy and daddies babies from Asgard."
Skye was going to kill Tony.
"Sometimes, baby, but most babies come out of mommies."
Alice made a face. "That means Uncle Trip wasn't lying when he said babies are made when mommies and daddies kiss too much? Is that why you were kissing mommy, daddy? To make a baby?"
"Sweetheart, why were you asking your uncles about how babies are made?"
"Because, daddy, I heard Uncle Fitz tell Auntie Jemma he didn't understand how she was pregnant and then she got mad and asked him if she really had to explain how babies were made and then he said 'no' and then they were arguing and kissing," she said in a scandalized whisper.
Skye's jaw dropped. Oh God, she was already a little spy. She met Grant's eyes and he looked just as surprised as she was.
"Baby, we should keep this to ourselves, okay? Baby news is always classified until the mommy decides to divulge the information, got it?"
Alice nodded. "Got it, mommy." She yawned and Skye was grateful. She really hoped the next one was less….well, less like her, really. She wasn't sure she could survive two of them at the same time.
Grant kissed the top of her head. "Come on, baby girl, you need your royal slumber, darling. You can't make important decisions without rest."
She nodded and settled in between her parents and closed her eyes while clutching Leo to her chest. A moment later her eyes shot open and she leaned over to kiss Skye's belly. "Night, night, baby Anna, I love you."
Skye almost cried right then and there. "Anna?"
Alice nodded. "Anna Elsa Ward. I think that's the perfect name for my successor, don't you think?"
Grant laughed and kissed her. "Go to sleep, princess, we can discuss this in the morning."
She yawned again. "Can mommy sing to me?" She muttered while fighting to keep her eyes open.
"Of course," Skye whispered. She quietly sang her a lullaby while running her fingers through her hair. Once she was sure she was asleep, hopefully for good this time, she glanced up to meet Grant's eyes.
"Are all of our children going to have to be named after Disney characters?"
"At least she didn't want to name her Princess Leia or Megara," Skye answered with a smile.
"God, I love you so much."
Skye smirked and sat up carefully. "What do you say we let this one sleep while we go shower? She did tell us we had to. I don't know about you, but I don't want to find out if she's the beheading type of queen when disobeyed."
He smile was so big it lit up the room. He took one look to make sure Alice really was asleep before taking Skye's hand and pulling her out of bed. They snuck out of their bedroom and into their on-suite like teenagers. He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the shower.
"Try to keep your hands off of me until we're in there."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever Wall-E, just make sure you lock the door this time."
"As long as you remember to keep it down."
Skye smirked. "Yeah, because I'm the one whose loud."
He blushed and Skye buried her face in his neck with a smile. She'd had no idea when he'd showed up at her van with that stick in his ass that years later this would be her life but she was so thankful. If she'd never met him she would have never found a place where she belonged; a home and a family. Those words had never really held meaning for her, they were just another thing she never had but now she finally had everything she'd ever wanted and it was because of him.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I hope so or all of these kids we keep making would be a huge mistake."
She playfully swatted his arm.
"Grant?"
"Sweetheart?"
"Shut up and kiss me before I make you walk the plank."
"As you wish."