Chapter Text
Athena was exhausted.
Dead-on-her-feet exhausted.
She was in the middle of her third twelve-hour shift, and she was not sure if she would make it to the end. The city of Los Angeles seemed determined to make this last shift her hardest yet. One call after another, barely a moment to breathe in between, and she couldn’t even remember the last time she had eaten, something Bobby would definitely scold her for later.
There had been an energy bar in her bag, but she gave that away to a teenage girl that looked like she needed it more than her. It was something Athena did without thinking twice, not even considering her own growling stomach when she looked into the sad green eyes of a girl far too young to be living on the streets.
She was sure Bobby would understand that. Hell, he would probably have done the same thing. There was a reason both of them ended up as cops.
Athena was not the only one who had a hard time with her back-to-back shifts. Her three year old daughter wasn’t doing much better. Zuri had been throwing tantrums left and right, refusing to listen to her Dad or take a nap no matter how tired she was. She really missed her Mama, not used to being separated from her for so long. Normally Bobby and Athena alternated their shifts so there was always someone with Zuri, but this week Athena pulled the short straw and had been scheduled three days in a row.
Lately, Zuri had been deep in a Mama phase, insisting Athena put her to bed, wanting her to do her hair, barely sparing a glance towards her Dad. The long separation was definitely not helping, even if she did let Bobby make her breakfast and help her get dressed when Athena wasn’t home. She still grumbled while she ate her breakfast or when he took her to daycare, making sure everybody knew she was unhappy with the situation.
“Zuzu, come on, baby. You have to go to bed now.” Bobby said gently, kneeling down so he could look into his daughter’s eyes, tears clinging to her lower lashes. It had been an hour past her normal bedtime, but the girl was as stubborn as a bull and didn’t budge to any of the tactics he used to get her to bed.
“I want Mama." Zuri sniffled, rubbing her eyes roughly with her fists. She was dead on her feet, but her stubbornness was stronger. Athena would be home in a few hours, and she just wanted to see her so badly. The few quick kisses and hugs in the morning weren’t enough for the little girl, needing Athena to be around more often than those stolen moments in the dark.
“Mama won’t be home until after you are asleep.” Bobby replied softly, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. Zuri shook her head until the curl bounced back into her face, giving him a defiant look that dared him to try again, even though she knew she would have to listen eventually. Her parents taught her to not be rude.
“Please, Daddy?” Zuri said, switching her tactics. She knew her Daddy had a soft spot for her, batting her eyelashes and using her puppy eyes worked very well most of the time. Even if her puppy eyes looked droopy with exhaustion, they still had the intended effect on him.
Bobby smiled, already defeated. “Maybe we can find one of Mama’s shirts for you to sleep with?”
It was a tried-and-true solution they had been doing since she was a baby. Zuri loved having her mother’s clothes close by when she went to sleep, something about the smell and the fabric was enough to calm her. Athena even went as far as leaving a worn shirt on the dresser, switching them out almost daily so they would always smell like her, just in case Zuri needed one.
"Okaaaay…." Zuri dragged out the word, dragging her feet as she followed her dad into the bedroom. It didn’t take her long to find the shirt Athena left her on the dresser, a maroon sleeveless top she had worn the day before when she got home after her shift.
“Here you go, sweetie.” Bobby said, handing her the shirt before steering her back to her room. Zuri clutched the fabric tightly in her hands as she changed into her pink pajamas, strawberries decorating the top and bottom. It was her favorite pair since she had been obsessed with strawberries for the past few months. Zuri refused to wear clothes if they didn’t have the fruit on them.
Bobby helped her brush her teeth, put on her bonnet, and climb into bed. It was surprisingly easy to get her to lie down in her bed where he read a bedtime story to her, his long body awkwardly squeezed on her tiny toddler bed. Zuri ended up falling asleep halfway through, her head resting on his thigh, the shirt clutched closely to her face, mouth slightly open. It took some careful maneuvering, but Bobby got out of the bed without waking her again.
When Zuri woke in the morning her bedroom was still dark, except for her little nightlight in the corner of the room that emitted a soft warm light. She reached for the shirt, but it was no longer in the bed with her, which was weird.
Confusion flickered across her face, but it was then she felt warmth at her back. Blinking sleepily she slowly turned around, remembering to be careful when someone was sleeping. It was something her parents had taught her as she liked to climb into bed with them in the morning.
She saw Athena curled up beside her, somehow fitting into the small bed, one of her arms beneath the pillow and the other wrapped protectively around Zuri’s waist. 3
The girl smiled, but didn’t make a sound as she slowly burrowed back into Athena’s arms, inch by inch, until her head rested on her chest and she closed her eyes again. She was so happy to see her mama again, but even happier to drift back to sleep in her arms.
Athena slowly stirred in her sleep, tightening her arm around Zuri’s waist while her cheek rested on top of her head. She sighed before relaxing her body again, never fully waking by her daughter moving next to her.
And for the first time in days, Zuri fell back asleep without a single tear.