She sighed quietly as she washed the dishes for the second time, watching out the window. It looked like it was going to rain, but he wouldn't want her calling him right now. He could see it.
They had promised, in their first year, that they wouldn't leave the room in the middle of a fight, and it was rare that that promise was kept. This time, he pulled himself away before he could say anything that truly hurt, telling her in short sentences that he was going running. It wasn't the first time he had gone running - in fact, it was something he had recently adapted as a coping strategy when things got too stressful - but it was the first time he had left a fight to go running.
She just wished he'd come home soon. Because all that happened on days like this was that she wanted to be even closer to his side. The fighting didn't matter, in the end. They were a way of pushing the two of them closer than ever before as they worked through their differences.
"Mommy?"
She turned, forcing a smile as she bent down to Madison's height. "Madison?"
The little girl pointed at the counter, where her cup stood. "Get juice?"
Rose nodded, grabbing the cup and handing it to her daughter before tussling her hair. "You're goin' to have to get to bed soon."
Madison gave disgruntled sigh. "Not tired."
"That doesn't matter. I'll sing to you."
"Daddy."
Rose sighed. "Daddy'll be home soon. But I might have to sing to you tonight."
The little girl pouted, about to say something in return, when the door opened, Loki stepping in, holding something behind his back. Madison squealed happily, running over and hugging his legs. "Hi daddy."
He gave a faint smile, hugging her the best he could. "Shouldn't you be in bed?
The little girl gave a small giggle, almost as if she hadn't been resisting the idea just a few moments previous, before running off to bed.
Rose remained standing near the kitchen counter, offering a faint smile. "'m glad you're home." A pause. "How was your run?"
He gave a sly smile, stepping into the kitchen and wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling a dozen roses out from behind his back. "You tell me."
She smiled widely, smelling them and giving a content sigh before glancing up to him, raising an eyebrow. "You know this isn't goin' to fix anythin'."
"No, but this might." He kissed her, hard, and she gave a small, breathy laugh as she wrapped her arms around him, murmuring into his lips.
"Maybe."
But after another moment or two, she pulled away once more, stealing another quick kiss. "Madison's waitin' for you to sing to her." She took the roses. "An' I need to get these in a vase."
He smirked slightly. "And afterwards?"
She rolled her eyes, her smile widening as she stole another quick kiss. "'m all yours."