Work Text:
Will stood at his canvas, a clear image of what was going to be painted. An abandoned battlefield, swords, axes, weapons of all sorts stabbed into the earth amongst their wielder's bones. with all the chaos of the past, the flora grows its way back again after being trodden on for decades upon decades of war. The sun shines behind white clouds with winged creatures shooting through in murders leaving behind holes in the masses. he painted with a focused face but a beaming smile in his mind, his art for his husband, his art for his daughter, his love fueling each stroke of the brush as colours fill out the blanks.
Caught up in his magic, it took him a few seconds to notice the babbling toddler at his side, dabbling her fingers in the open bottles of paint, catching a glimpse of her in his lower peripherals, he swiftly places his materials down and pulls her back, "Oh god, what're you doing?" he says to her with a giggle. "I wanna do some!" Hazel says with a smile, her hands lightly covered in yellow and blue paint. Will ponders on the idea for a moment, then speaks. "Alright, what do you wanna do?" he asks. "Painting for Daddy!" Will smiles at her response, the idea of making a gift for Michael brightening him instantly. "Thats amazing love, if we want to give it to him when he gets home, we better get started." Hazel nodded happily and hopped on her toes. "C'mon." Will said, he stood up and guided her to the bathroom first, where they washed their hands for a clean slate, then will tied one of his old shirts around her to avoid getting paint on her clothes. He pulled out a new, small canvas from his art cupboard, let Hazel pick whatever colours she wanted, he offered brushes, but she wanted to use her hands, he went along with it proudly.
Will watched and guided as Hazel smeared her paint coated fingers over the canvas, swirling and zigzagging the colours, the blue and yellow paints she had chosen mixing into each other with a gentle harmony, forming a calm green. Hazel was set on leaving no white space, coating the edges of the canvas with lines that blurred into one another with love, his smile never left his face. Once she was finished, the canvas was a group of shapes and whirls, yellow, blue, and green with small paint hills that stuck up off the surface. "It's perfect, Hazel." He said before planting a small kiss on her forehead, she wrapped her arms around him tight as she could. "I love you, dad." Wills smile grew. "I love you too, Hazel, so much." The two went outside to set the painting in the sunlight and have lunch together as they waited for Mike to come home at 3PM. Will pushed Hazel on the swing for a while before they went back inside to listen to music and play together.
The hours passed and eventually they heard the sound of Mikes car pulling into the garage, they looked at each other, laughing softly, giddy with excitement for his reaction. "Quick! Go get it!" Hazel says, motioning her hand to the backyard, Will smiles and jogs outside, grabbing the painting and getting inside quickly as he hears the keys jangling at the front door, he passes it to Hazel and she holds it behind her back as they make their way to the front hallway and stand together as the door opens with smiles on their faces as he walks in. Mike pauses momentarily, slightly confused by their position. "What's this?" he asks with a soft chuckle, Hazel giggles with her hands behind her back
as she turns her body side to side. "What've you got there, haze?" Will taps Hazels back, beckoning her forward. "Go on." he says, Hazel runs up toward Mike and unveils the gift from behind her back, He kneels to her level and takes the art from her. "Whoa! For me? Did you make this?" Hazel proudly nods her head with a smile. "Awh, c'mere, this is beautiful, honey." Mike hugs her tightly, he sees will watching from behind and smiles. "I love you, Hazel." He says. "I love you too, Daddy."
"Well then. how about we hang this up, yeah?" Will speaks. "Yeah!" Hazel says excitedly, rocking back and forward on her feet. Will quickly goes to his art room to get a nail to put the work on, he comes back with that and a hammer. Hazel chose a spot in the middle 0f the hallway for it to be hanged, she did the honors of putting it up, with the assistance of Mike holding her up high, her beautiful, wonkily placed painting was on the wall, right next to their family photo.