Chapter Text
Before Bela was born, both you and Alcina agreed that you would try your best to give your daughter a childhood that was not dependent on smart devices as most children were. It was the age of technology and it was a common sight to see children glued to a tablet or a smartphone’s screen. TV was slowly being replaced by these smaller devices and while you and your wife were quite dependent on those devices, you wanted your child to experience what it was like to be let out and to run free.
Which was why when Bela was about two years old and already running around the house in glee, laughter bubbling free when she realised neither her parents could catch her, Alcina thought it was a good time to introduce her to the great outdoors, namely, the park.
The first time the three of you were out, Bela was almost afraid to explore, clutching tightly to both your hands as she walked cautiously between the two of you. Everything was new to her— the sights, the sounds, the smells. Alcina suggested that letting Bela take the lead would be the way to go, to allow her to explore at her own pace rather than having to follow her parents’ lead. You agreed wholeheartedly, wanting the experience to be a positive one for Bela, hoping it would incentivise her to come back to play at the park again.
Things did not go as planned, however. The visit was cut short when a curious, stray puppy came prancing by, wanting to sniff her and Bela started to cry. Alcina quickly picked her up and cooed while bouncing the child slightly. Bela refused to walk on her own anymore after that, worried that the puppy might come back. You decided to call it a day and head back home.
It took a while before either you or Alcina managed to coax Bela to play at the park again, with the child throwing a tantrum the moment she realised where you were heading. You were ready to call it quits, not wanting to stress her but Alcina insisted on one more try.
It was better the next time around, the puppy was not around that day and Bela had fun running around the park as fast as her little legs could carry her. She gave you quite the workout as you followed her every step, afraid that she might fall with how fast she was going. For someone so small, Bela was moving with quite a velocity. Needless to say, she had a lot of fun at the park that day— to the point where she refused to go home.
“Mama, Bela want play more!” She tried to reason with Alcina.
“You’ve played enough today, we can come back again next weekend, baby girl.”
Bela pouted at Alcina’s response, understanding that she was just told the equivalent of a ‘no’, and turned to you. At two years old, Bela had somehow managed to brand you as the weak link in the family, someone who was easy to convince. “Mommy, Bela want play more!”
Alcina snorted at her tactics. She saw it coming from a mile away. Bela had always turned to you whenever she told her no— be it for snacks or to stay up a bit more.
Laughing, you picked her up, resting her on your hip with a little bounce. “No, Bela. We need to go home now. It’s getting dark and it’s almost dinner time. Aren’t you hungry?”
Bela gasped. “Dinner!”
“Yeah! Dinner! Let’s go home for dinner!” You responded enthusiastically, hoping to be able to distract her from the park as you swiftly made your way to the carpark.
“Dinner! Dinner!” Bela cheered gleefully in your arms.
Craning your neck towards Alcina who was walking behind you, you shot her a smug grin and wiggled your eyebrows triumphantly. She glared at you for a moment before looking at you with complete adoration. She might have carried Bela to term, but Bela had somehow much preferred you over herself.
Visits to the park became a norm as you started going every weekend. Not only did it give Bela a good chance to play and run around with other children, it also gave you and Alcina some time to be out and get some fresh air after being cooped up in the office most of the time during weekdays. A little time in the sun was good for everyone.
“Is it okay if I jogged for a bit today?” You asked when you reached the park. Alcina nodded as the three of you made your way down the now familiar path towards the jogging path of the park.
You walked with your wife and daughter for a while, with Bela in between you two as usual.
“I’ll be off now, I’ll look for you when I’m done.”
“Enjoy your jog, darling. We’ll be waiting for you.”
You gave Alcina peck and ruffled Bela’s hair before slowly jogging away. Alcina was about to fish out her phone to take some photos of Bela when she felt her tugging on her arm, about to make a run for it. Alcina quickly stuffed her phone back into her pocket when Bela started to cry and stomped her little feet when she realised you were getting further and further away.
“M-mommmyy!!” Bela looked at Alcina with teary eyes, pointing frantically at the direction you had gone to. Alcina wanted to laugh at how precious Bela was and how attached she was to you. Picking her up, Alcina dug around for a hanky to wipe away the snot and tears that had formed.
“My poor baby girl. Are you sad mommy is running away?” She cooed. Bela pouted, her bottom lips trembling, ready to start crying again. Alcina pressed a hand to her heart— there was only so much she could take. “Come, Bela. Let us go find mommy.” She kissed Bela’s cheeks and led her towards the opposite direction of where you had gone.
Bela started thrashing in Alcina’s arms when she realised they were not going the way you went.
“No! No! Mommy there!!” She pointed frantically behind them, trying to tell Alcina that they were going the wrong way. “Mommy there!!”
“We’ll find her quicker this way, Bela. I promise you.” Alcina reasoned.
The park’s path was a loop after all, not that Bela understood. By going the opposite way, they would be able to meet up with you much quicker. Alcina tried explaining it to Bela and somehow, she managed to calm her down. Once Alcina decided that Bela was calm enough, she set her down and together they made their way along the path, hoping to bump into you soon before she started crying again.
Bela walked calmly until she saw a familiar figure coming towards them and squealed in delight, tugging on Alcina’s hand once again.
“Mommy!!!”
Alcina saw that you had stopped just a little distance away from them and released her hold on Bela, allowing her to run towards you at full speed. You were already crouched and waiting for her with open arms and Bela crashed into you, almost knocking you over with the force. You picked her up, Bela nuzzling into you instantly despite you being sweaty from the jog.
“What has gotten into her?” You asked Alcina curiously.
“She started crying the moment you left because she thought you were going away again.”
“Aaaaw!!” You kissed Bela’s cheeks, blowing raspberries. Bela squirmed and giggled. “Bela, it was that one time, for work. I was only gone two days.” You booped her nose.
Bela huffed at your teasing and shot you her best glare, making you snort. “Wow that glare. She’s definitely your daughter, Alcina.”
Alcina rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes. Come on, it’s almost time for dinner.”
“Yes, dear.”