Adopted

Pancakes and Punkins

Zayn arrives home at 8:45. He enters the house to find his husband sitting at the kitchen table sipping coffee and reading a book. Liam wanted to sleep in later, but knowing what his husband was doing put his stomach on edge so instead he decided to wait for him.

"Hey, Babe," Zayn says, leaning down to kiss Liam's crown.

"Hey. So how'd it go?"

"Let's just say the boys sure as hell aren't going back," Zayn mutters.

"You told me you'd just go and talk..."

"Li, we agreed yesterday they wouldn't be going back anyway. Today was just a good reassurance of that," Zayn tells his husband.

"You didn't hit anyone did you," Liam eyes him suspiciously.

Zayn shakes his head. "No, but I was two seconds away from knocking the light out of Josh."

"Josh!? Why was he there?"

"He was dropping off Niall and I tried warning him not to take Ni in there and it evolved into a full blown argument."

Liam puts his hands over his face and massages his eyes and forehead. "Please tell me you didn't fight in front of Little Ni."

"Well... not exactly. He could probably see us but I did pull J away so he couldn't hear," Zayn confesses.

"Zayn," his husband scolds.

"Look, Li. I know I fucked up. But I was just so mad! Simon tried pinning everything on us being bad parents and I couldn't control my anger," he says. Guilt bubbles deep within his stomach as he looks up into his husbands eyes.

Liam stands up from his chair and walks over to his husband. He wraps his arms around the raven-haired man's neck and kisses him gently. "I know you didn't mean to lash out, Babe. But I need to know if you're okay. Like you aren't going to yell at the boys are you?"

"Of course not, Liam," he says, hurt. "I would never take my anger out on them!"

"Shhhhh," Liam says. He massages the tense neck muscles. "I know you wouldn't. I just want to make sure you're relaxed. If you need some alone time I can take care of them this morning."

Zayn shakes his head. "If anything I need them around me right now more than ever."

"Okay then, let's go wake them and make brekkie," Liam tells him.

"Let's take them out for breakfast instead. Harry's so used to waking up and getting ready on Wednesdays anyway."

"Okay, Babe," Liam says.

They hold one another's hands as they walk up the stairs. They first go to their bedroom so Liam can get dressed. Zayn watches his husband getting changed and can't help but bite his bottom lip. Both men have always been handsome, but Liam gets better with age. When they had met, both were equally scrawny. But for the past few years they have been working out daily and eating healthy. Liam has beautiful, strong back muscles from carrying Harry around. Zayn has large muscles, but nowhere near the size of his husband's. Even when he went on a heavy protein diet, his muscles stayed lean. But he is still strong enough to carry Harry and Louis around for long periods of time with zero problems.

Liam pulls on new briefs and dark jeans as well as a black button down shirt, deciding to dress nicely for breakfast with his family. Zayn decides he's dressed appropriate enough in his black jeans and cotton white long sleeved shirt.

"What's the weather like today," Liam asks.

"Not too cold. Sweaters could work instead of jackets," Zayn shrugs.