Alex Turner/One Shots. (Smuts And Non-Smuts)

Bella misses Al (Fluffly)

This was requested for someone around here, so tyyy!
...
The first few weeks were peaceful, and Bella liked you. Every now and then, she mentioned missing her dad, so you’d tell her a story or ask her to send him a voice message. He’d always reply enthusiastically, meeting her expectations. Alex was a wonderful father, something you could never stop praising him for—it made you love him even more, seeing how attentive he was. You all had frequent video calls, always long, full of conversation and smiles, but it was starting to not feel like enough.
"He’s about to answer, Bella. What do you want to tell him?" Her eyes were red, her face buried in your shirt. You missed him too, a feeling you tried to hide while wearing his Stone Roses t-shirt. The familiar scent was comforting, and with her nose tucked into your shoulder, Bella seemed to share the same comfort. "I don’t know, mum." It wasn’t usual, but it did happen sometimes. A voice in your head reminded you that you weren’t her mother, but hearing her call you that, with the same accent as Alex, filled your heart with warmth. You loved her so much, and knowing that Alex didn’t mind her calling you ‘mum’ made you feel more connected to the bond they shared. "I really don’t know..." she repeated, her voice laced with tears. The time indicated he was probably finishing up a show, so you sent him a quick message and informed Kate that Bella was eager to see him. It was late at night for both of you, and Bella was refusing to sleep, clearly restless. "I misspoke, my love. It’s okay if you just want to see him. I want to see him too." You hugged her tighter. You only wanted to ease her anxiety about the wait, not make her more anxious by thinking she had to come up with something to say. It was perfectly fine to just want to see her dad’s face before a long day at school and some playing. She had taken over Alex's spot in the bed while he was on tour. Having your best friend by your side during this time was also good for you; she kept your mind off Alex not being there.
You gave a small smile to the camera on your phone, and Bella peeked over slightly as Alex finally appeared on the screen, wearing his usual post-show dad outfit. He was sweaty, his hair sticking to his forehead, and already without his blazer, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to his elbows. If you were there, you would’ve rolled up those sleeves for him, and he would’ve watched you with that familiar breathless smile. Bella would’ve jumped into his arms, the proudest daughter in the world, and Alex wouldn’t have been able to stop smiling.
But right now, in this exact moment, Alex looked concerned, and you felt bad for not letting Bella speak first, afraid that Alex might panic seeing her so down without an urgent reason. "Everything’s okay, love. How was the show? Al, we just really wanted to see you before going to sleep." You brushed Bella’s hair away from her forehead, revealing her tired face on your chest. Both of you were ready to fall asleep, bodies settled in the sheets, ready to never leave again. Alex’s sigh of relief was immediate. He had cute bags under his eyes, and you knew he was also struggling with the distance. Bella nodded, agreeing with what you had said.
"It was good, really loud. The usual stuff. We sang your song, Bella. Aunt Kate managed to record it, I'll ask her to send it to you both." He sounded excited, trying to make Bella smile. "You really did?" She raised her eyebrows, and Alex nodded eagerly. "You can hear the crowd singing along—they love your song." She hugged you, looking from you to the camera as if she couldn't believe it. It was so adorable. "It's okay if they like it, but Suck It and See is my song." You laughed, and Alex joined in. "It's all yours, darling."
You watched them talk, noticing the sparkle in his eyes and how verbally affectionate he was with her since he couldn’t be there physically. Alex was much more of a physical touch person, both with you and with Bella. The effort he made to compensate for that when he was away was obvious, and you appreciated it so much. They continued chatting about school, with Bella mentioning how you had helped her with homework, saying you were smart and patient with her, and also talking about how she had played with other kids at the park. You chuckled; she hadn't been as vocal as usual that day, but she was making it sound so natural, at least with Alex.
He kept talking in his gentle, slow manner, carefully enunciating each word. She loved the attention he gave her; you couldn't imagine how much she missed having him in her daily life when he wasn’t there. For example, every morning you would wake up to the sound of them brushing their teeth together, with her telling him about some dream she had. He did the same with her, but with you, it was different—not that you wanted it to be the same. You had a good relationship with her, but you wished you knew how to make this difficult time easier for her in a better way.
"And how’re you doin’, pretty one?" he asked, his voice more drawn out when he spoke to you. He made the sound drag, prolonging the prit-ee longer than necessary, yet still failing to bring a smile to your face. You couldn’t muster the energy to hide how much you missed him being right there in front of you.
You held your breath, watching him through the screen. He looked exhausted, like he could reach out and touch you, and Bella’s face resting on your shoulder as she slept if he tried hard enough.
"She couldn’t sleep, huh?—It used to happen with my mum too, though she seemed happier being with you." This time, you laughed. It seemed to lighten his mood a bit. "Are you tired? How’s it been?" He was taking on the role of the more talkative one in the relationship. You were afraid that if you said too much, you’d end up crying.
"She’s a sweetheart. She doesn’t give me any trouble; I like having her around." He nodded, biting his lips. His eyes were on you, quietly, and the atmosphere felt warm.
"I’ll stay ‘ere until you fall asleep, alright?"
"Alex, you’re tired. You don’t have to." He didn’t say anything, making it clear that arguing would be pointless, and to be honest, you wanted him to stay with you longer. "Don’t be strong for me, lil' one." He said softly. You laughed painfully, your eyes welling up.
  "I hate this," he laughed too, in that same low tone. "I hate it too," you pulled up your shirt to dry your eyes. The shirt in question was starting to lose his scent. "I’ll be back soon, to spend a few days with you both before I leave again, I promise."
You shook your head, "I understand, Alex, Bella understands too. We just can’t help missing you; you’re not doing anything wrong." It was comforting for Alex that you could voice what he felt guilty about; he knew deep down he was being unfair to himself.
"Even so, I really need to see you both, to recharge my energy." You nodded, feeling better after talking with him. You didn’t realize how much you needed this moment, even though you didn’t know you needed it. This quiet conversation without Bella, where you could cry and be vulnerable with him. It wasn’t that you minded if she saw, but you tried to avoid making her feel worse.
"Are you drinking enough water, Al? Don’t have too much beer after the show." You said after a while, and he bit his lips to suppress a smile, showing you a bottle of water. "I’m not going to stop listenin’ to you just ‘cause you’re not ‘ere." Alex continued talking about more band stuff, the days of shows, until you slowly drifted off to sleep, unable to stay awake any longer, depriving yourself of having more minutes with him.
But the next day would be better.