an: it only took me two years to realise i never posted this anywhere except tumblr :clown:
in the heat and focus of posting the main fic i honestly didn't know where this wee snapshot would fit so i left it, but tbh i'll always have a soft spot for wholesome, family royai so, finally, here u go
hope u enjoy this wee snapshot :)
p.s. there's been some edits since initially posting it on tumblr that long ago
"Daddy?"
Riza was jerked from sleep upon hearing her daughter cry out for her father. Groggily she sat up, disorientated for a second. When she got her bearings, she heard Roy still snoring in the bed beside her.
"Daddy?" Mia called again from beyond their door, her voice taking on a hint of fear. Every instinct screamed at Riza to go through and see to Mia…
But she was so tired.
Plus, this was Roy's fault. He'd been watching her one night while Riza was at the university for a meeting regarding her studies, and Roy had decided it would be a smart idea to put on a film for children, which in itself was fine… However, now Mia had nightmares – every night – about the ridiculously large "were-rabbit" who had been the main antagonist in the story.
Bless her little heart, she was terrified of it. Riza had watched the "scary" parts after Mia had finally fallen asleep – she'd been too scared to join her – and there was nothing scary about it, however to a four-year-old… Riza could see where the fear stemmed from. It was a large, cuddly looking "were-rabbit" that had comically large teeth and a cute little smile, but the setting of the film was eerie. She had to admit to that. It would definitely spook a four-year-old.
Roy's argument was that he'd watched it when he was younger and didn't find it scary. Well, now he had to deal with the consequences. Riza had been up with her four nights out of the past five, so now it was his turn.
Lying back down in bed she reached over with her foot, contacting his shin rather sharply, causing Roy to grunt in pain. Riza quickly closed her eyes, feigning sleep, but felt the bed dip by her side. Opening them slightly in the darkness, she saw Roy push himself off his front, and watched as he shook his head to try and right himself, just like Riza had done when she first woke.
"Daddy!"
Riza's heart ached, and she almost ran through there and then because Mia sounded so scared.
Roy had obviously heard her cry. Before literally dragging his body out of the warm and comfortable bed, he flopped out of his push up position, hitting the pillow with his face hard. There was another groan and then he stumbled tiredly to their bedroom door.
"Hey, Mia Bear," he greeted sleepily, followed by a yawn. "What's wrong?"
"I had another nightmare," Riza heard her whisper.
Riza had to strain, eventually choosing to sit up so she could eavesdrop on their conversation.
"Another nightmare?" Roy asked tiredly.
Damn, he hadn't thought the film would be this terrifying to her. It was a massive stuffed rabbit, what was so scary about that?! He'd loved that film as a kid.
Mia nodded and pulled her sheet higher up her face, so now it was covering her mouth.
Roy paused for a second in the doorway, taking in the scene before him. Mia's eyes were large and earnest, almost begging him not to leave her alone in her room with her dreams. The grip on her sheet was tight, her knuckles matching the colour of the white cover.
"Shift over," he murmured, stepping into the room. He reached to switch her bedroom light off, but Mia whined and shook her head, tears beginning to collect in her eyes. "Hey, it's okay, Mia. I'm here."
"No!" she cried out. "Don't turn the light off," she whispered.
Great. He'd made her afraid of the dark.
"Mia, it's fine, I'm right here –"
"No!" She sounded like she was about to burst out crying.
Roy sighed and lowered his hand away from the switch. If it was causing her this much distress, then it wasn't worth it.
"Okay," Roy reasoned. "I'll be back in a second."
"No, Daddy," she pleaded. "Don't leave me, please!"
Something in Roy's body jerked at the words Mia used. Riza had requested the same thing from him after returning from Ishval. He never could – not like that again – but still, the fear in Mia's voice held him at bay a second longer.
The reality of his situation was that if he was called up, he would go off to fight in a war. However, he'd already left Riza once and it was one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. He didn't think he'd be able to do it again, especially not with Mia in the picture now too.
Then you'll be demoted, or lose your job, Roy.
"Daddy?" Mia's call was uncertain, hesitant, and it drew Roy back to the present.
Focus on them. Always.
Cross that bridge with the military ifit comes to it.
"Sorry, Mia Bear. Come with me," he beckoned, holding out his hand.
Immediately she hopped out of bed. She slipped on her bear slippers – they were brown and the front at the toes was a comically large bear's head – and shuffled over to him. Mia grabbed his hand tightly and Roy didn't think he'd be able to escape the grip if he tried.
"Where are we going," she asked as they stepped out of her bedroom.
Roy felt Mia tense because the hallway was dark, so he flicked on the light switch that was across from her bedroom door. The grip on his hand relaxed after they were bathed in the light.
"I have a night light in our bedroom that will make your bedroom a bit brighter while you try and sleep." Roy paused before his bedroom door and knelt, so he was eye-level with his daughter. "But we'll need to be extra quiet because Mummy is sleeping, okay?"
Mia nodded.
"Like a mouse."
"Like a mouse," Mia repeated with a giggle.
"And if you're quiet enough, you'll hear Mummy snoring." He grinned when he stood, hearing Mia gasp beside him.
"Does Mummy snore," she whispered, almost scandalised.
"Oh yes," Roy reassured her. "Like an elephant."
That will teach her to kick me awake, he thought, chuckling to himself.
When they entered their bedroom, it did look like Riza had fallen back asleep. Mia wouldn't be able to see her face from her level, but Roy could, and he watched as she opened one eye and raised the matching eyebrow in question at his snoring claim. Roy gestured to her with his head, telling her to play up her act, and was unable to stop himself from snorting in amusement when Riza let out a loud snore. It was just one, then she quietened down, but it made Mia giggle and to both parents, that was all that mattered.
Mia had slapped a hand over her mouth to try and stifle her laugh, but it wasn't working very well. The louder she laughed the louder Riza comically snored and if Roy wasn't quick, Mia would figure out the joke.
"Mia," Roy scolded lightly with a grin. "Quiet as a mouse, remember?"
It took a lot of effort, but she managed to school her expression and hold in her laughter. For the second time that night, Roy's movements were arrested by how alike her mother Mia was. It was like he'd been transported back fifteen years and was watching Riza do the same thing in her father's old house while they played in secret and tried not to disturb him.
"Okay," Mia vowed, but let out one last giggle. "Quiet as a mouse," she whispered in agreement and nodded.
Roy tugged her over to the dresser in the corner. He crouched and pulled open the bottom drawer while Riza "snored" at a much lower volume behind them. Finding what he was looking for, Roy lifted it to show Mia, then jerked his head back to the door, making sure he had a tight grip of her hand to tow her out.
Once safely back in her bedroom, Mia let out another giggle. "Wow, Mummy is a very loud snorer!"
"She is," Roy agreed, feeling too playful to not go along with it. Plus, it had cheered Mia up, so how he could give up the gig now? "Sometimes it takes me ages to fall asleep because she's so loud!"
Mia's head tipped back as she lay on her bed and her peals of laughter echoed around the room. She certainly wasn't concerned about not "waking up" Mummy now, and Roy wasn't going to stop her, not while her legs lifted into the air and she kicked them in her fit of hilarity.
"Mia," Roy laughed to himself, approaching their daughter's bed. At this rate she'd be too wired to sleep. "Quiet as a mouse, remember?"
"Sorry Daddy," she giggled. Her legs lowered, flopping down on the bed, and her hands came to rest on her stomach. She grinned at him and Roy thought it was one of the loveliest sights in the world. An overwhelming urge to remain there with his daughter all night overcame Roy, and he knew he wouldn't be returning to sleep by Snoring Mummy's side tonight.
"It's okay, Mia Bear. Right, let me get this set up," he announced, waggling the night light playfully in front of him.
The night light was something his mother had bought when Mia was born. "I wonder if she will take after her father," Christmas had remarked with a raised eyebrow. Roy had been terrified of the dark as a child, and who could blame the kid who slept above a bar, while drunken men shouted and partied below him. In the old bar, it was like ghosts floating around the floors.
By pure coincidence, the light was also shaped like a bear. Mia didn't start what they called her "bear phase" until she was about two, but it matched the bear blanket she'd had as an infant then as a toddler. Roy glanced over to Mia's shelf next to her bed, seeing the same bear blanket – much more worn now than it had been years ago – angled where it was lying so the bear head was watching over her bed while she slept.
Mia was terrified again, all amusement and glee gone, when Roy moved to turn her bedroom light off. Her mouth was parted in fear, her hands gripping her bedsheet tightly in her fists.
"It's okay," Roy reassured her. "Look."
Before she could protest, Roy flicked the light off. Mia let out a loud squeak, but it cut off quickly when a soft glow emitted from the night light plugged into the socket by her bedroom door. Roy stepped out of the way to let the whole light fill the room, and thanks to a little filter on the plastic, there were now tiny little bears projected all over her ceiling and walls.
"Wow," Mia gasped in wonder, her head craning all around her room to find them all.
"Now the bears will watch over you," Roy told her, approaching the bed. "Budge over."
He lifted the cover and scooted into the bed next to his daughter. He didn't want to leave her tonight. Their shenanigans didn't happen often because he was so busy at work, but he'd take every opportunity he could to spend time with Mia. He wished they could play all day, every day, but alas, that would never be a reality. So, if spending time with his daughter meant watching over her while she slept – and causing himself to lose sleep in the process – he would take it. Always.
"Get some sleep, Mia," Roy murmured. He propped himself up on an elbow, his head resting on a fist. His hand ran through Mia's unruly hair. It was so like his own, and Roy was very pleased and proud of that fact.
"I can't," she whispered, pulling the sheet up to cover her mouth.
"You can, Mia Bear. I'm right beside you and you have all your bears watching over you too."
Mia's head craned up to look at him. "You won't leave," she asked, her tone pleading with him not to.
Once again, Roy was jerked back into the past.
"Just promise me you won't leave," Riza whispered against him.
"I won't," Roy vowed. "Not like that again."
"Never," Roy vowed. He bent forward and kissed the top of her head. "I'll protect you. So will Mum, and so will your bears."
"But…" Mia trailed off then lifted her head, peering down the bed to the bottom where Roy's feet were sticking out underneath the sheet. "You don't fit," she frowned.
Roy chuckled, wiggling his toes. Mia smiled and laughed at the same time. He almost opened his mouth and told her he'd slept in worse places, but that was not an avenue he wanted to go down at three o'clock in the morning with his four-year-old.
"I can't go back to sleep in the same bed as Mummy, though."
"Why not?"
"You heard her snoring!" Roy exclaimed. "I won't be able to fall asleep with her snoring that loudly."
Mia's laughter was loud once more and it was wonderous sound. It was worth it one last time. Riza might kill him for it, but Roy didn't care.
"Get some sleep Mia Bear. I love you."
"I love you too, Daddy," Mia sighed, settling into her bed as she shuffled right up to his side. Roy's arm wrapped around her body, pulling her in close. He couldn't resist bending to kiss the top of her head one last time.
"Mummy loves you too."
"I love Mummy," she yawned. "She's the best."
"Better than me," Roy demanded in mock horror.
Mia snickered sleepily. "Never, Daddy. You're both equally the best. She's the best Mummy and you're the best Daddy." Mia's eyes drifted closed. Roy felt her body relax into the bed. She was asleep almost in an instant.
On the opposite side of the room, Roy glanced up when he heard her bedroom door open. Riza crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe with a soft, amused smile on her face as she watched them.
"You are a menace," Riza whispered to him, enunciating each word to ensure he knew Riza meant each and every word.
"It cheered her up," Roy shrugged. "And it stopped her thinking about the were-rabbit, so I'm classing it as a win," he grinned.
"Uh-hu." Riza raised an eyebrow. "At my expense," she pointed out, but Roy knew she wasn't mad.
"Anything for our little girl, right," he reminded her sweetly, then laughed quietly as she rolled her eyes at him, pushing off the doorframe as she unfolded her arms.
"Of course," Riza agree. Her whole expression softened as she watched Roy brush a hand through Mia's hair, alternating between doing that and brushing his thumb over her forehead. "Anything for her."
"I promised I wouldn't leave. Go back to bed. I'll be fine here," Roy reassured her.
"I love you," she murmured, turning to leave.
"Love you too, Riza."
"Oh, wait," she muttered, crossing the room. Riza crouched at his side, giving him a chaste kiss.
Roy smirked into it, loving her attention.
"And for the record," she whispered in his ear. "I don't snore."
Even to this day, her breath tickling his ear made him shiver. Roy doubted that feeling would ever leave him, and he was one hundred per cent okay with that.
"Yes, dear," he replied dutifully, his tone suggesting he didn't believe her one bit. He smirked though, and he caught Riza hiding her grin as she walked away, back to their bedroom.
an: shout out to wallace and gromit: curse of the wererabbit. top notch film
and for me, and the sake of some parental family fluff, just pretend they had access to flims in this time period using fanfic, hand-wavy magic~
