Chapter Text
The cold of the hard tile floor was beginning to seep through the thin cotton of her leggings so Anna pulled her knees under herself in an attempt to get more comfortable.
“Mommy stay.” Wide brown eyes turned to her, lamp-like in their sudden focus and intensity. Anna felt a smile bloom on her lips despite the toddler’s rather demanding tone. He was just so cute. She even couldn’t imagine leaving, despite her discomfort.
“Yes Loyd, I’m staying.” She ran her fingers through the soft strands of the cowlick at the top of his head and he smiled before shuffling back over to the small wooden bowl he’d place carefully on the floor. He leaned over the treats, his hands on either side of the bowl. With his face hovering directly above Anna was forcefully reminded of a cat poised over a fishbowl.
She wriggled her toes, trying to force some warmth into her legs despite her position on the cold, hard ground.
“Are you sure you don’t want to move to the table?”
“Here you go mama.”
He ignored her question entirely and shoved a pudgy hand out towards her. She snorted out a laugh despite herself. How foolish of her to try and use logic in the face of a two year old.
“Oh, thank you.”
He dropped a bright colorful candy coated chocolate piece into her hand before turning back to the small bowl he had with a handful of the same treats inside. He’d woken up from his nap demanding “chocolate beans” and who was she to deny him a small treat? Not his mother, surely.
“Welcome, Mama.”
She smiled and moved so she could lean her back against a kitchen cabinet, scowling at the stone tiles beneath her. They held onto the frosty late autumn chill more than the small warmth the fire in their hearth could combat.
“Woooow, sooooo many….” he cooed before he started placing the “beans” on the floor in front of him, one by one. Anna felt a wry smile turn the corners of her lips. Floor food was just a part of her life now, she hardly paid it any mind. At least they’d cleaned the floors recently. “One, two…” He pointed as he counted and Anna hugged her knees, affection tightening her chest as she waited, expectant. He couldn’t actually count past two. “Threefourfive! Five chocolate beans!” She bit back a snort, there were at least eight left.
He continued to narrate to himself about the different colors and numbers. She only tried to get up once more before being pulled back down and resigning herself to the fact that yes, she would be sitting on the stone floor with him until he got bored or finished eating the candy.
Normally she wouldn’t be so indulgent, but he was unusually tantrum prone after his nap. She just didn’t have the energy today. She didn't have enough energy most days, any more. She popped the candy to her mouth to pull herself away from her own spiraling thoughts and was pleasantly surprised by the flavor. High quality chocolate was hard to find. Where had Kratos found these?
“Could I have another one?”
Sharing was an important toddler skill, right? Anna smiled as Lloyd looked up at her, a smile dimpling his chubby cheeks.
“Dank you, Mommy!” he chirped as she plopped the second candy into her mouth. She felt a laugh bubble form her lips. He still got that one a little mixed up, but he was adorably polite. Of all the things to pick up from Kratos, manners were not a bad thing.
“Thank you, Lloyd.”
The door to the kitchen opened and Anna glanced up to find her husband coming through the front door, his arms full. He paused when he spotted them there on the floor, the groceries set carefully on the nearby table.
“Hey.” Her lips curled into a smile as any anxiousness she’d felt earlier, fled. At ease to have her family together again. She watched as his expression shifted, one eyebrow raising for an incredulous moment before Lloyd crashed into his legs.
“Daddy!”
“I missed you too, Lloyd.” Anna watched, her chest full of a light fluttery warmth as Kratos practically melted, crouching down so that Lloyd could snuggle up into his neck. His smile was always sweetest when he was looking at their son.
“Daddy daddy daddy.” All other words seemed to escape him as Lloyd led Kratos by the hand over to where Anna still sat on the stone floor. “Chocolate beans!” He offered by way of explanation and Kratos turned to her, his face an adorable mix of mystified amusement.
“Beans…?”
“Yeah, I’m not sure where he came up with that one.” Anna grinned up at him as she patted the ground next to her. Kratos' eyebrows scrunched for only a moment before he folded himself down on the ground next to her, his legs too long for the narrow space between their kitchen cabinets.
Anna breathed out a contented sigh as she rolled her neck to the side and rested her head on Kratos’ shoulder. He shifted so that she was snuggled comfortably against his side and she smiled into the soft fabric of his shirt. She wasn’t cold anymore, she realized. Happiness had warmed her from head to toe.
Lloyd toddled up to Kratos and held out his clenched fist.
“Here ‘go Daddy!”
Kratos made a small noise in the back of his throat before holding his hand out. Lloyd dropped the candy into his father’s hand and Anna cringed as she noticed some of the color had run from candy onto Lloyd’s wet and sticky fingers.
“Thank you, Lloyd.”
Anna buried her face further into Kratos' arm as she snorted out a laugh. Only Kratos could make such a simple sentence sound so grim and so loving at the same time.
“Welcome Daddy!”
“My two favorite people to eat floor food with.” She ran an affectionate hand through Kratos' hair and he sighed before he too popped one of the candies into his mouth. Lloyd giggled happily before plopping back down onto the floor to exalt over his chocolate beans.