Notes:
Warnings: fluff
Pairing: Joe Anoa'i x Reader
Originally published here: post/170192828206/youll-be-in-my-heart-songfic-roman-reigns-x
Phill Collins - You'll be in my heart
The song used for this SongFic was You'll be in my heart by Phill Collins. Since I'm not allowed to post the lyrics here, please look them up accordingly. :-)
*Flashback 10 years ago*
You had no idea how long you had been in labour already. All you knew was that you were almost at the end of your strength and you wanted it to be over for good. You had expected that giving birth would be torture but you didn't expect the torture to last for so long. Tears were streaming down your face as you cried out in pain, grasping on to your boyfriends's hand, who didn't leave your side for just one second. He was gently touching your head, mumbling words of reassurance. „I'm here baby girl. You're holding on great. Its' over soon I guess.", he said, gently stroking your head. You wanted to fire back that he should just save his breathe as he couldn't even try to understand what you were going through right now, but you couldn't as another contraction washed over you, making you scream out in pain once again. You wanted your baby, you really did. But in that moment you kind of wished that you never had gotten pregnant in the first place. You and Joe were dating for over three years already. You always wanted to have your own little family. Not right away of course but sometime in the future. When you got pregnant you were afraid to tell him at first, but when you finally did Joe was overwhelmed and you decided to playfully call the baby, that you were expecting, the most beautiful accident you ever had. Of course life wasn't always easy with limited financial means that you had available but you managed to make it somehow, knowing that all you needed was your boyfriend by your side.
Another half an hour later, when you already thought that you couldn't take it any longer, you heard the most beautiful sound you have ever heard in your entire life. You were hearing the strong cries of your baby, telling you that it arrived safe and sound in this world. As you were crying before in pain, now you were shedding tears of joy due to the little wonder that had just happened to you. A short glance at Joe showed you that he was overwhelmed by his emotions as well, silent tears running down his cheeks as he smiled at you with all the love he felt for you. „I love you", he whispered before placing a soft kiss on your lips with you returning the sweet gesture. „I love you too. Guess we are responsible for another human being now", you smiled exhaustedly before one of the nurses came over to place your little daughter in your arms who was looking up at you with big and curious eyes while you were smiling down at your little angel with Joe holding the both of you, gently stroking your daughter's cheek. „Oh my god she's so tiny.", he mumbled, joy and pride all written over his face. While Y/D/N was smiling up at you, happily babbling you swore to yourself that you would keep her safe no matter what. You had everything you needed in your life; a great boyfriend and a healthy little baby.
*Flashback 5 years ago*
„Baby it's okay. There's no need to cry", you mumbled softly as you were holding your daughter in your arms, rocking her back and forth gently. She was burying her little face in the crook of your neck as she was sobbing. You were gently rubbing her little back as you tried to sooth her. Your life has been great throughout the last five years with a beautiful child that you could love on. The only thing that clouded your happiness a little bit was, that Joe had signed a contract with the WWE, celebrating first successes under his ring name Roman Reigns. This meant that he had to travel for the most time of the year to do his job. Sure it was challenging before as well, when he was already wrestling in an indy league but back then your daughter was too little to realize that her father was not around as often as other fathers of children her age. The more she realized it, the more she was missing him when he couldn't pick her up from kindergarten like other fathers did, but it was only you standing there, waiting for her. And every single time you felt so sorry for her but you knew that your husband loved his job and that he had to be on the road in order to make a living. As wrestling was in his blood you couldn't and didn't want to ask him to give all that up for you and your daughter, although you knew that he eventually would since family always came first for him, no matter how much he loved his profession.
Nevertheless that day was one of those days where Y/D/N suffered especially under her father not being around. It was her birthday and no matter how beautiful of a day it was with all of her friends around that gave her countless presents, it was hard for a 5 year old to accept that her dad wasn't there on that special day. You knew how much it pained Joe but he was booked for a rather important main event that the people in charge didn't want him to skip. As your daughter was crying against your shoulder, you heard her tiny voice asking: „He doesn't love me, does he? I mean he would be here otherwise." It broke your heart hearing a question like that, so you put a little distance between the both of you as you looked her deep in the eye, whipping her tears away, saying: „Honey, your dad loves you with all of his heart and he would do anything for you. He would give his life for you. And he did everything in his power to be here today but his employer didn't give him the day off, he didn't have another choice."
Little did you know that Joe was standing in the doorframe, having overheard the whole conversation, holding a present for his little princess in his hands while his heart ached realizing that she had the fear of not meaning the world to him. He cleared his throat, making not only you but also your daughter turn your heads in surprise. You had no idea that he would be home today, giving him a sad smile as you realized that he must have heard every single word. Your daughter's reaction however made up for that as her little face lit up, a wide and sincere smile all over her lips as she was running towards him, saying: „Daddy you're home, I have missed you so much." Joe kneeled down, placing the present next to him on the floor, before he wrapped his arms around your daughter, lifting her up and pressing her close to him, not intending to let her go. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead as he mumbled: „Happy birthday princess. I couldn't have missed that important day. For nothing in this world." Your daughter was beaming at him before she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck.
You made your way over to your little family, taking them both in your arms before placing a soft kiss on your boyfriend's cheek, softly whispering: „Thank you for making it possible to come home. This means the world, not only to Y/D/N but also to myself." Joe was nodding his head before he pulled you closer, too overwhelmed by his emotions to say a word.
Before your daughter was about to open the present her father had brought for her, Joe looked her in the eyes, her earlier words still paining him, and reassured her: „ Daddy's always with you and he misses you and he loves you with all of his heart. You'll be in my heart forever and I miss you as well as your mother every single day that I don't have you with me. Don't you ever forget that."
*Currently*
You were skipping through some older photos of your daughter, a happy smile on your face. You could not believe how much time had already passed by and how your life had changed. By now you were married to the father of your daughter and although it was still hard with him being on the road for the majority of the year, Y/D/N had been able to adjust to the whole situation by knowing that her father loved her no matter how long and how far he was away. You steadily were heading towards a time where she would leave her childhood behind and slowly would turn into a teenager but she would always remain that little girl that brought so much joy into your life no matter what.
„Oh my god babe do you still remember that? That must have been her first Christmas, wasn't it?", Joe smiled at you, holding out a picture that showed himself and your daughter with the house being prepared for the winter time. It was one of his rare days off and you had decided to look through your pictures, reminiscing the old times until Y/D/N would come back from school, not knowing that her dad was here to surprise her. You took the picture, studied it for a short amount of time and smiled. „Yeah it was. Can you still remember how she was pulling down the Christmas ball ornaments from the tree that year, thinking that they would be tiny gummy balls she could play with, just to figure out that they weren't?" Joe had to laugh out loud as the memory came back before he answered: „Absolutely and how hard she cried when they all broke? I'm still sure that she was more shocked that they were broken than the fact that she could have cut her hand."
„I can't believe how fast time passes. One day she's that tiny wonder that just greeted this world and the next she's just steps away from hitting puberty. I wish I could hold on time for a little bit. Before we can think twice you are walking her down the aisle, handing her over to her future husband.", you mentioned before laughing out loud when you noticed the shocked look on Joe's face. „That won't happen, she's mine.", he said protectively with you answering amused: „Only for a limited amount of time. My father was of the same opinion once." Joe pulled you closer to him, before you settled in his lap, his lips nibbling softly on your neck as he mumbled: „Well I'm glad that he had changed his opinion eventually." You placed a soft kiss on his forehead before you replied: „And you are going to change your opinion as well."
You loved those precious moments where you had your husband all for yourself, given that they were way too rare. And you didn't need to hear it to know that he was feeling the same way. You enjoyed each other's company, surrounded by photographs that represented your life when Joe suddenly mumbled: „She will always be my little princess, you know? No matter how old she gets, she will always be that little girl in my heart that was so afraid once that I didn't love her." You gave him a sad smile before you answered: „She knows that you love her with all of your heart. And she knows that she's always in your heart just as you are in hers."
It didn't take long until you heard the key opening the lock in the front door, followed by Y/D/N's voice that let you know: „Mum I'm back home and before you can ask, school was absolutely unspectacular. Nothing of importance happened." You crooked an eyebrow at your husband who had a rather amused look on his voice as he was quite sure that school wasn't as unspectacular as your daughter wanted you to believe but he didn't pick up that topic. You could both hear the sound of her backpack dropping to the floor before you could see her appear in the open door leading to the living room. No matter what she wanted to say, it was immediately forgotten as her jaw dropped when she saw her dad having returned. She instantly rushed to the both of you wrapping her arms around your as well as her father's neck, mumbling: „You're home daddy. You have no idea how much I missed you." Joe gently rubbed her back as he was saying: „If it was just a small amount of how much I have missed you, it nevertheless is a lot." Y/D/N smiled up at her father, blinking away the tears of joy upon seeing him.
„How long do you stay?", she wanted to know as she didn't let go neither of you nor of him. „For about two weeks. That's the most I could get off of work. I'm sorry", Joe said already feeling terrible that he had to leave again. But Y/D/N was shaking her head as she answered: „No it's okay. Two weeks is better than nothing. And I haven't forgotten what you once said to me. I'll be always in your heart and you will always love me. Just as I will always love you.", she smiled at him before pulling the both of you closer to her little body. And in that moment you once again knew that you had everything you needed in life right there with you in your living room - the two people you would go through every fire for.