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The Bittle household wasn’t messy or chaotic. Really. It was just… Intense.
Jack and Bitty prided themselves in having very well behaved but very free spirited children. There wasn’t really a reason for every pair of skates to have to be put away at the right place at all times, as long as you knew where they were supposed to go at times they did, or for getting a little rambunctious at times, as long as you were aware and considerate of those around you.
And Jack smiled to himself as he heard his husband chastising their children for how much maple syrup they put on their pancakes, at times it seemed like they only picked up all of his bad habits, casting a quick glance at the clock as his fingers fumbled over his tie.
The transition from playing to coaching had been far less traumatic than he had painted it up to be. He would never admit it to anybody’s face, but a small part of him even enjoyed coaching more than playing. Sure, he sometimes missed the adrenaline rush of a play clicking into place just right, the puck flying effortlessly between him and his teammates, those frozen seconds as his eyes locked with the opponents goalkeeper right before the puck netted right behind his head, the uproar of the audience, the bliss of the team.
But then he remembered his ruined knee and aching shoulder, and the rush was almost as rewarding when it was his players that stood for all the hard work.
And he was downright gleeful that it had cleared up more time for him to spend with his family. He could attend twice as many games and recitals, he had been to his first couple of PTA meetings, he was able to talk about other things than hockey with the parents of his children’s friends. He had been able to take some time off to properly celebrate his and Bitty’s 10th anniversary.
And maybe he loved to drench his pancakes in maple syrup and eat those extra pieces of bacon for breakfast along with his family.
And as he walked back into the kitchen, his collar may have been crooked, maybe he had a toothpaste stain under his askew tie and maybe his messenger bag was a minor battlefield, and maybe he didn’t give a damn as his oldest daughters ran past him and up the stairs, chatting excitedly as they finished up their last preparations to get ready for the day.
“Any news?” He inquired as he stepped over the threshold into the brightly lit sanctuary of their home, ruffling Josué’s hair as he rolled by, grinning as the boy squirmed under the familiar gesture, the grin turning into a soft smile as he watched his husband’s eyebrows furrow in thought.
“Oh! Karim’s got practice this afternoon!” Bitty piped up from where he stood elbow deep in dishwater, trying to get on top of their chores before they all headed out. “Make sure he packed his grips.”
“And Ana’s got dress rehearsal at 3, I’m on it,” Jack reassured as he munched on the final piece leftover bacon, spinning around the kitchen island in search for his keys.
“And don’t forget to hug Becky extra tightly today,” Bitty continued as his deft fingers worked the cast iron skillet clean, the morning sun scattering off of his golden curls, completely engrossed in the mental check list of the morning, his mind in another world as his hands worked mindlessly, and Jack found himself quite captured by the sight, walking hip first into the granite counter. “She’s still not comfortable in that new class of hers, and…”
“Daaaaaad!” The piercing shriek that came from the top floor cut him off mid-sentence, and both of their eyes drifted up to the ceiling and whatever their daughters could have gotten themselves into this time. “Min stole my brass again!”
“No I did not!” The familiar indignant denial of a sibling that has been wrongfully accused drifted down the stairs, and Bitty rolled his eyes fondly as he dried off his hands.
“Ananta, your brass is under your bed!” Jack reminded quickly before the dispute could escalate into a proper feud, Bitty throwing him his keys that somehow always managed to end up behind the microwave.
“Ha! I told you so!” Came Min’s triumphant voice from upstairs, immediately followed by one of her sister’s biting chirps. The twins continued bickering, no doubt without making any process at all in their morning routines, and Jack managed to squeeze in a half-hearted demand that they hurried before turning back to his husband again.
”The game’s at 7 tonight, so I won’t be home for dinner, and…”
“Papa, I’m taking Josué out to the car now!” His sentence was cut short by their oldest one, standing tall and gangly over his brother’s wheelchair in the doorway, both ready to get going. Karim had still not quite grown into the sudden and brutal growth spurt that had surprised them all a few months ago, limbs still a little too long for him to move about as comfortably as before. But Jack would have sworn on MooMaw’s chocolate chip cookies if him being on the school’s cheerleading squad hadn’t eased the process.
“Dad, can I get an extra apple?” Danielle, their little rookie, had suddenly appeared at her dad’s elbow, tugging gently with big brown eyes. She was in that weird process of growing out her hair, fair tufts sticking up in every and all directions, the first awkward traces of makeup adorning her face, and merde, if Jack would ever be any good at that transition.
In his mind they were all still, and would probably always be, his little babies. And any reminder that they were all growing so fast he swore he could hear their joints creaking gave him a minor heart attack.
But he had a busy morning and afternoon and night ahead of him and he did not have time to get swept up in his impending middle age crisis, and he turned around to reassure his son that he was coming as Bitty handed Danielle her extra apple and Jack was just about to head out for the day when-
“Hey!”
Turning back into the kitchen again, keys in hand and children slowly assorting in the hallway, he ransacked his brain for what he could have possibly forgotten today as he faced his husband again. Bitty stared him down with an indignant glare, one eyebrow raised in an immaculate arc, his arms spread out in disbelief, his head tilting slightly as Jack just stared back at him quizzically and-
Oh.
The whole word slowly drifted apart as Jack closed the distance between them, all noise disappearing and stress wearing off as he stepped into Bitty’s open arms. And then they were the only thing in the entire universe as his lips pressed into Jack’s.
He rested his forehead on Bitty’s softly as the chaste kiss broke off, content in just breathing the same air as his husband for a few moments, tracing his triceps with his fingertips.
“I love you,” he finally murmured, nudging Bitty’s forehead lightly.
“I love you too,” Bitty replied as he carefully adjusted Jack’s collar. And that was it. The rest of the world slowly came crashing down all around them again, their children yelling and causing all sorts of havoc, but with nothing but tenderness in their hearts, and Jack sighed blissfully around a smile.
He still couldn’t believe that this was his life.
“Good luck today,” Bitty continued with that tilt to his smirk, pulling him out of his reverie. He had never faltered in his chirping abilities, even more than a decade after having put his hockey stick on the shelf, emphasizing his wishes with a light slap to Jack’s ass.
Jack bit down his laugh as he pulled his husband closer, pressing a soft kiss into his messy curls.
“You’re on bedding duties tonight, I’m really not jealous.”
He was so happy that the act of putting his children to bed had become so commonplace that he was glad to get out of it for once. But Bitty just scoffed at him indignantly, shoving lightly at his bad shoulder.
“Oh you shush, I don’t wanna hear it. Now off ya go, shoo!”
Jack managed to steal one final kiss before he was completely expelled from the kitchen though, lingering by their little ritual for as long as he could, all the way up until Bitty caught sight of something behind his shoulder.
“Min, no mitts at school!” He chided, stepping away from Jack’s embrace to properly face their little troublemaker. The girl groaned miserably as she was caught in the act, but dutifully threw the leather glove back onto the staircase she had just descended before racing her sister out to the car.
That was the final punctuation of their little bubble, Bitty whisking off to wave their children goodbye, and Jack found himself already longing for the evening.
But taking a deep breath, he turned around to finally face the day himself, starting by kneeling down next to his youngest daughter.
“You ready, baby girl?” Becky just inspected him for a few moments, before nodding uncertainly and taking the hand Jack had offered her in a death grip. He ran his thumb over her small knuckles gently and smiled down at her with as much courage and warmth he could muster. “Alors, allons-y.”
Bitty sighed heavily as he sunk into one of the still upright chairs by the kitchen table, listening to the familiar sound of the van pulling out of the driveway, glancing at the clock as the sound quickly disappeared down the street. Hannah and Alexis had covered the opening hours at the bakery, but he still had to go in for his day shift, before he could start his daily round of picking up kids all over town, coming home to an uncooked dinner, and he had bedding duties tonight, and…
He groaned as he sunk further down into the chair, tilting his head over the backrest and closed his eyes. You’d think that after almost 10 years as a father, he would have gotten used to the early mornings. But nope, he hated them just as much as he had done in school. He really just wanted to crawl back into bed, preferably with his husband by his side…
“Dad!”
He couldn’t help but to jump in surprise at the light tap on his knee, and opened his eyes again to stare down at a small toddler.
“Oh, hey baby,” he murmured as he scooped Chris up onto his knee, promptly pressing his nose into his messy mop of hair. It still smelled faintly of baby, but he was bound to outgrow that sooner rather than later, and Bitty had to make an effort to actually compose himself before he addressed his littlest one. “You ready to face the day, huh?”
“Daycare!” He exclaimed brightly, a ginormous grin illuminating his face.
“Yes, we’ll drop you off at daycare soon. Are you gonna play with all your friends? You gonna play with Asra? And Thulani?”
His son started nodding enthusiastically at the mention of his friends, and started prattling on inconsequentially, and Bitty chuckled softly as he shimmied off of his knee to run out into the hallway to tug on his boots.
And following the lead of his overly excited child, he was ready to face the day too.