Chapter Text
There was nothing Molly hated more than being strapped down in any sort of contraption: not a car seat, not a stroller, and especially not a shopping cart.
She was pretty good at walking, and wasn't so much for running away, so Nico figured, as long as he stayed right next to her, what was the harm of letting the two year old run free?
Molly clung to the loose fabric on Nico's jeans and made a "ba" sound with ever step. "Ba ba ba baba ba ba. Ba." Nico stopped in the cereal isle, looking for the Cheerios and the Frosted Mini Wheats. The soft "ba ba ba ba ba" alerted Nico that Molly was wondering. When he looked up, he found his two year old sitting on the ground gnawing at the cardboard box of Froot Loops.
Nico laughed and scooped her up, cardboard snack and all. He took the box away and put it in the cart, and put his finger to his lips, Molly mimicked. "Shhhh, we don't tell daddy."
"Shhh no daddy, rainbow loops."
Nico lifted her up in the air, pretending to throw her. He put her back on her feet, Molly giggling all the way, clapping and singing "rainbow loops, rainbow loops."
She kept walking in front of the cart. She stopped again in front of the fruit snacks, pointing at the Spider Man ones. "Perpy!" Perpy was her way of trying to say Percy, the uncle who showed up for Halloween dressed as Spider Man. Molly was pretty much convinced that any Spider Man was 'Perpy.'
Nico took her hand, and tried to keep walking. "No!" No she cried, "No! Perpy! Perpy!"
Nico shrugged, kids needed to eat. He picked up a box and handed it to her, letting her carry it.
They kept walking, and went into the bread isle. Will didn't like white break, but Molly didn't know the difference between daddy's healthy food, and other daddy's not quiet as healthy food, so Nico figured he could get out of there safely.
Nico was browsing the whole grain bread sales when Molly threw a packet of Kraft Singles in the cart, Nico pretended not to notice. Then Molly started to get more creative, not really caring what went it: Activia yogurt, Marshmallow Fluff, unsalted butter, and hotdog buns all found their way into the di Angelo-Solace cart. Nico tried to pull them out of the cart, but Molly looked so heart broken that her daddy didn't like her contributions, that he just couldn't do it.
They kept walking. Nico turned to grab a gallon of milk, and turned back around to find his daughter pressing her chubby little face to the ice cream freezer. "No, sweaty don't do that! That's got germs!"
She pressed her finger to her lips, "Shhh, don't tell daddy."
I shouldn't have taught her that, Nico thought.
"Frwink, Fwink!" She was trying to say Frank. When Molly learned that Frank couldn't have ice cream she was horrified. She didn't quite understand allergies, so she kept trying to by "Fwink" ice cream so he could have it.
"Yeah?" Nico tickled her belly, "Do you want the ice cream?"
She giggled, " Yih, yih!" Nico pulled a gallon of vanilla out of the freezer and put it in the cart and put Molly back down.
"Ok, baby girl, let's get out of here."
Molly took off "running." Between her tiny legs and slightly off centered balance, it wasn't at all hard to keep up. When they got to the the register, Nico scooped her up again, and put her in the cart's baby seat. She kicked and resisted, but he got her in.
"Come on," Nico said, once they were all paid, "we need to get this all home before Daddy sees it."
"Rainbow loops!" She cheered!
"Nico!" Hearing Will call his name from the kitchen after shopping usually only meant one thing: busted.
Nico walked into the kitchen. "Yeah?"
Will looked at him like a lawyer in a deposition. "Did you buy rainbow loops?" He held up the box.
Nico tried to keep a straight face. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Alright," Will went into the playroom and picked up Molly, sitting her on the counter. "Molly, did Daddy buy you rainbow loops?"
Molly looked at Nico, put her finger to her lips and said, "Shh, can't tell Daddy."
"That's what I thought," WIll said, picking her back up, and throwing her gently into the air, before putting her back down and letting her run back to her game.
"You have to learn to stat saying no to her." Will told him.
Nico jumped up and sat on the table - he started doing that at sixteen and fifteen years later, he still did. "Have you seen her? It's impossible! We could not have picked a cuter one!"
Will laughed, "She's not a shelter puppy."
"Whatever. But this is why I'm the cool dad." Nico smirked.
"Shut up, no you're not." Will said, wedging himself between Nico's legs - he started doing this when he was seventeen, and now fifteen years later, he still did.
"Totally am."
"Ehhhh..." Nico cut off Will's rebuttal with a kiss. Their kiss was interrupted by a familiar "ba ba ba ba ba ba ba." Will pulled away when Molly latched onto his leg. "Hey!" WIll said, "what are you doing sweetie?"
"Weeeeee!"She squealed, gripping onto Will's pants and he moved her around.
"See," Will said, pointing down, "I can be the cool dad too."