❝𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐘𝐨𝐮❞ | A Richozzy One-shot book

𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘦

Happy June people, here's a little surprise :D Here's a long one to make up for the weeks I missed!

"OZZY, GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE!" Richelle's shrill scream rang through the studio echoing through the halls of Studio A. In an instant reaction to her screams, he sprinted in the direction of her voice, only to find her holding a little girl - no less than four probably, - bouncing up and down in her arms. 

"A little bit dramatic, are we?" He joked, transferring the girl to his arms. "Sorry, I'm just not that experienced with kids you know, only child and all." Richelle apologized, gladly handing the child over to him. "Riley and James, they were in town today and dropped this little urchin off a couple minutes ago for a date night alone or something, so I had to say yes. I now completely regret saying yes." She whispered in a low tone only meant for Ozzy to hear. 

"Oh please, how hard could it be? Plus, it's not like she's a newborn and I'm pretty sure Riley and James potty-trained her too before dropping her off." He said, tickling her little button nose. "I swear to god she better be or else I might go kill them later. Also, you can't say much, you've had Izzy as training! I barely babysat or lived a couple of meters away from a kid. That's why I NEVER do baby ballet. They are cute, but they can be little monsters, can't you?" Richelle cooed, ruffling her hair. 

"You know, I can talk right?" The sound surprised the two, but they refrained from laughter because of the cute way she pronounced her R's which she couldn't quite get. "I've got this," Ozzy said confidently as he took the reigns of the conversation. "I'm Ozzy, this is Richelle, I'm pretty sure your mommy and daddy dropped you off for the afternoon to spend with us, are you okay with that?" He asked, kneeling down at her level. "Mmmhmm." She mumbled, "Mommy told me. Ozzy, and Ri... Ellie." She recalled, with Richelle giggling at her new nickname. 

"So, what's your name?" Ozzy asked, clasping his hands in her tiny fingers. "Rosie." She answered, but it sounded more like a 'wosie'. He smiled at that. "And... how old are you? Four I'm guessing?" He continued. "And a half!" She exclaimed, holding up 3 tiny fingers which Ozzy helped to add one more to. "Four and a half it is." He confirmed, transferring the girl over to Richelle after his phone buzzed with a new message. "Hey, can you look after her for a sec? I just got Riley and James' schedules." "Sure, what did they say?" Richelle asked while hoisting the girl to her lap. "Ellie, Ellie!" Rosie exclaimed, tiny arms reaching for Richelle. She held her close, stroking her hair, trying to calm her down. "Looks like you've got the hang of things," Ozzy added, smiling at the sight before him. 

"Anyway, the schedule says: dinner now, then a nap before they come to pick her up." He informed her, looking up from the text. "Great, I think dinner is in the bag over there. For her, I meant, not us." She laughed, getting up to get the bag from the cubby holes. Rosie trailed behind her like a baby duckling. Opening the large carpet bag, Richelle could spot a jar of baby food along with some plastic utensils in a bag, immediately relieved by the fact that Riley was prepared as they had no baby-safe utensils in the studio. "Could you please heat this up for me while I get her blanket out?" She called out to him, handing over the jar. "Sure!" He grabbed the jar and headed over to the office's microwave with Rosie in hand. 

Next to the bag of food was a tiny but cozy quilt, embroidered with yellow crescent moons and glittery stars that dotted the navy sky. Carefully, Richelle took out the quilt and unfolded it, setting it aside ready for naptime later. "Richelle? We're done over here!" Ozzy's voice came from the other side of the room. "Hey, guys!" She popped her head around the corner, to see Rosie propped up in a high chair which she's sure Riley also bought. "Now, I know I'm the kid genius right here in the room but I CAN NEVER succeed in feeding them. Not Izzy, not even any kid I've babysat." Ozzy complained, handing the jar and the spoon over to Richelle. "You're not kidding? My god Ozzy. Have you tried the airplane trick?" She asked, spooning a gloop of baby food. "The what trick?" He asked in return, genuinely curious. "Oh come on, anyone with a spot of common and baby sense would know the airplane trick. You're telling me you don't know it? And you're supposed to be the baby genius in the room," She jokingly scoffed.

"I'm glad I actually know something about feeding them. Here, I'll do it." Grabbing the spoon, she mimicked the airplane engine with the noises she made, while flying the spoon into Rosie's mouth which she gladly accepted. Little Rosie was engaged by this immediately, excited for one bite after another. In no time flat, the small jar was already demolished by her. "That's one trick for you to keep in the book next time, now can you please go and give these a wash while I prep her for naptime?" Ozzy nodded, noticing the light sass and bossiness she still had in her voice which he loved. 

Meanwhile, Richelle carried Rosie over to the bench where her quilt still was, gently placing her down. "Wait, wait!" Rosie's little voice stunned Richelle, but she still knelt down to listen. "What's wrong?" "Well, Mommy usually sings something before I go nap time." Richelle was skeptical about this as she never sang in front of anyone, but the pure innocence and sweetness in her voice already convinced her before a second thought. "What does she usually sing you?" She asked, propping Rosie up onto her knees. "Frozen! The first song in the second movie, but I forgot what it was called." Rosie exclaimed, her eyes lighting up at the memories. "You're lucky I know that one." 

The familiar tune of the lullaby 'All is Found' filled the room, and Ozzy stepped out of the office to the sound of Richelle's clear and honey-sweet voice. It was like nothing he'd ever heard before, and he was sure it was the first and the last time he was going to hear her sing because he could never get her to do it in front of him alone. His smile widened as Richelle continued to cradle Rosie in her arms while stroking her hair, letting the notes of the lullaby slowly lull both of them to sleep. 

The last lines of the lullaby lingered in the air as both of them fell asleep, leaning against the wooden bench with the quilt still untouched. Ozzy softly padded over to them, careful not to wake them up, while unfolding the quilt to drape it over Richelle and Rosie. "Goodnight, my girls." He whispered quietly, placing a soft kiss on both their foreheads, and the waiting game for Riley and James officially began.