#(((((':

So about the gnomes?

❛ @metrictita said . . . “ it’s not that bad, chill the fuck out. ” // from zaya to mia! ❜

𝐁𝐔𝐓 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐍'𝐓. she can't just chill out. the moment she'd laid eyes on him her heart had sank. the black eye is what caught her attention. but as blue eyes scan zaya she notices cuts and scrapes littering his skin. who had done this ? and why would they do this to zaya ? maybe she had went overboard, quickly linking her arm with his before dragging him into her kitchen. the usual doctor on sight at the castle was away at the moment but mia could handle it . . . she's sure of it.

frantically she'd searched for the first aid kit. after five minutes she was able to locate it. zaya had told her to calm down gently at first but the moment she gathers the supplies in her hands the words come out harsher this time. the princess stiffens, blinking as she stares at zaya who is now avoiding her worried gaze. right . . . she was overreacting. arms fall to her sides, fingers digging into the bandages she'd gathered. maybe it was embarrassing having a girl fawn over his injuries. maybe she was just annoying him. turning her back to zaya she places the supplies back into the small box before retrieving some band - aids. she places it on the counter beside him and lets out a shaky breath.

❛ at least use this on your cuts. ❜ the worry isn't leaving her. she still wants to just clean his face and make sure he ices his eye. but that's not what he wants and she will respect that.

she’d thought she’d heard something.  she was sure of the serial creaking of the single floorboard that they always forget to avoid,     & the brushing of air past half - wilted flower petals on the dining table.    of course she’d heard something,    & of course,    this time,    she is pleased to be right.    natasha does not respond immediately,    instead allowing herself the tilt of her head to further expose her neck to his affections with a smile & accompanying sigh.     ❝    I WAS BEGINNING TO WONDER IF YOU WOULD.    ❞    though she cannot say that she was particularly patient in waiting for his return,    either.     finally,    she turns to face him & to greet him properly,    wrapping her arms ‘round his shoulders & rising to the tips of her toes to meet his lips with hers.    when they part,    her fingers grace along his cheek in the loving delicateness he is surely now used to.

         ❝    i’ve missed you.    ❞

and,  meanwhile,  she’ll be able to work her magic on her other dad.   she knows he’ll agree to build a sandcastle with them,  but she wants  him  in the water,  too.   suspects that he wants to jump in just as bad  ------  all he needs is a little  push.

“  i’ll tell ‘im  !  ”   she says,  over danny’s  i  can  hear  you  guys  in the background.   “  i’m so  excited,  daddy  !   go fast,  okay  ?   i wanna swim  and  build the most  biggest  sandcastle  !  ”

nathen picks up the duffle bag,  makes his exit,  and alyss immediately directs her attention to other - daddy,  waddles up to his chair and pokes at his arm,  stands on her tip - toes to see what he’s drawing.   and danny finally concedes,  puts a stop to his drawing so that he can let her up on his lap safely.

“  daddy says you should put your nose - thingie back in  !  ”

yeah,   yeah,   ‘cause  nobody  cayuhs  if  i  got  piahcin’s  aw - rink,   i  huhd.   ya  fathah’s  a  real  loud  mouth,   ‘uh  ?

that earns a giggle.   “  so are  you,  dad  !  ”

and her dad clutches his chest,  like he’s been wounded.   then:  ya  wanna  see  a  cool  trick  ?   and off her enthusiastic response,   i  nevah  took  the  nose - thingie  off  in  the  fuhst  place.   see  ?   and she watches him flip the septum piercing downward from where it’s hiding within his nose,  and gleefully,  she laughs again.

“  it looks like you picked your  nose,  dad  !  ”   a beat.   “  are you gonna swim too  ?   will you ple - ease  ?  ”

maybe  in  a  bit,   kiddo.   but  i  will   definitely  help  yous  build  that  sandcastle.   how  ‘bout  that  ?

and she’s  satisfied,  for now.   he’s already in his swim suit,  and alyss knows that he’ll give in to temptation the minute he sees her and nathen in the water.   at any rate,  she’s  much  more content just knowing he’ll at least help with the sandcastle.   everyone else is going to be  jealous  over how big and great their sandcastle’s going to be.

she hears footsteps  ------  sees nathen reemerging from the bathroom and slides off of danny to reunite with him   (  and it’s a good thing her back is turned away from danny as she waves her arms to be picked up by nathen,  because danny’s peering at his husband from over his sunglasses to give him a  very  obviously approving once - over  ------  more subtly,  then,  he makes an obscene gesture behind his sketchpad  ).

“  time to  swim,  daddy  !   let’s  go  !  ”   beyond ecstatic that her father is  finally  willing to get into the water with her,  she’s clinging to him the moment he picks her up,  wraps her arms around his neck and settles her head upon his shoulder  ------  cranes her neck forward  just  enough to notice the paw print on his shoulder.