Work Text:
Four o'clock.
Even on my day off I can't escape bakers hours.
Blearily I wipe the sleep from my eyes as I slip as quietly as I can out of our bedroom, leaving with the image of Katniss resting peacefully on my mind.
My quiet tread doesn't stop when I get to the hallway either, nowadays I have to be really quiet making my way downstairs in the morning, as little Willow is prone to being a light sleeper and if she wakes up before she's ready to we're in for a very grumpy morning.
This morning however as I'm trying my hardest to stay quiet I notice in the distance a sound I don't normally hear.
Sniffling.
Suddenly concerned by this new sound I change course and make my way towards it, slowly making my way into Willow's room where I find a small shaking lump under her covers.
"Willow" I test softly.
Almost immediately the sniffling and shaking stops, and a second later a small head pops out from under the pile of blankets.
With hair all over the place and tear streaks down her face Willow reaches her little arms towards me, murmuring a weak "dada"
"Oh baby" I cry back in return, immediately going in to scoop her up into my arms.
Once there she clings to my neck, burying her face deep into my shirt where she resumes her sniffling.
"Shhh" I soothe gently, "dada's got you, everything's alright" this only causes her sobs to increase so I step up my game, first by beginning a soft swaying motion, gently rocking her body like I once did when she was just a little baby.
This eventually does the trick and slowly her sad sobs turn back into soft sniffles with the occasional hiccup.
"Dada's got you baby, he'll always be here for you" I remind her softly.
Willow nods into my chest, effectively just using my top as a tissue at this point.
"You wanna tell me what got you so upset?"
Willow quickly shakes her head.
"That's okay, sometimes things can be a bit scary and it's okay to feel sad or scared, dada feels that way sometimes"
She nods into my shirt again in response to my words, then after a moment she mumbles something into my chest.
"What was that my Love?"
Willow Pulls away just slightly, "scary dream" she repeats timidly.
"You had a scary dream?" I question softly causing Willow to nod shyly. "That's okay, dada gets them too sometimes"
"We just gotta remember that they're not real"
This seems to soothe something in her as she rests her head against my shoulder, using me as a comforter but not quite hiding anymore.
"You still sleepy?" I ask her softly, earning a tiny shrug in response.
"Well" I begin, "here's our options love bug, either we try to get a few more hours of sleep now so we can have lots of energy when the sun finally comes out to play, or, you can come hang out with daddy as he prepares breakfast"
This slowly coaxes a smile out of her as she points timidly to me.
"You wanna help dada?" I confirm.
She nods.
"Okay, let's go get started then, we have a lot to do" I stand up with Willow still in my arms, heading back towards the hallway and down the stairs.
"Do you remember what the first thing on our to do list is?" I question softly as we walk, testing her knowledge.
"Cheese buns!" she excitedly answers
I smile, "that's right hunny buns, and what comes after that?"
This takes her a moment longer to think of, but slowly a huge smile takes over her face as she answers excitedly.
"Pancakes!"