Work Text:
Exhausted from dealing with Felix Kranken and everyone setting up at Bon's Burgers all day, Jack Walten finally returned home with a briefcase full of papers he would need to look at later.
"Rosie, I'm back!" he called, not seeing his wife in sight but not wanting to startle her. He took his shoes and coat off, and he put his briefcase off to the side as he decided to find the rest of his family.
He heard the sounds of two pairs of footsteps running in his direction, and he knelt down when he recognized the noise. As he expected, Edd and Molly came running from around the corner and ran into their father's arms for a hug.
"Yay! Daddy's back!" Molly cheered, hugging him with one arm while she carried Rocket in his other hand.
"He always comes back after work," Edd laughed, but hugged his dad nonetheless. "He only stays away for so long because Uncle Felix keeps tripping over himself."
After a few more moments, Jack finally let go and stood up again. "Do either of you know where your mother went?" he asked with his usual smile on, but Edd and Molly weren't unnerved as most people would be. They were his children, after all.
"I think she's still in the kitchen," Edd answered, "she said that she wanted to bake something."
"Which means that we're not allowed in!" Molly joked. Jack ruffled her hair at that, making her giggle more.
"Alright, alright. You two, go do any homework you have. I might convince your mother to let you have some of whatever she's making while it's cooling if you do," he tempted, and the two children ran off to their rooms to get it done and show their dad later.
Jack laughed to himself, and he made his way towards the kitchen. Just as Edd told him, Rosemary was in the kitchen, but so was his eldest daughter, Sophie. While Rosemary was mixing the ingredients together in a bowl, Sophie was greasing a pan with butter so their creation wouldn't stick to it.
Sophie was the first to notice him enter the kitchen. "Dad, you're back!" she happily greeted. "Sorry I can't hug you right now. Um, butter on fingers."
"Haha, don't worry about it, sweetheart," Jack assured. He turned to his wife and hugged her from behind. "What are you making, Rosie?"
"Just some vanilla buttermilk cake, I thought that we hadn't had something sweet for a while," the woman explained, turning her head to look at him. They shared a kiss, and Jack didn't let go of her when they parted. "How was work today? Did anything happen today?"
"Nothing too alarming. Susan's gotten to testing the animatronic endoskeletons to see if they function properly, she says that the outside casing is still shipping. Chris and Charles were as they always are, haha," he replied casually. "Felix wasn't too drunk today, and he got those financial papers finished and needing review. I'll look over them tonight and file them later."
"Mom, the pan's done!" Sophie called over, putting the greased pan on the kitchen counter. Jack looked over at the sound, and Rosemary walked out of his arms to Sophie's pan.
"Good thing I finished mixing this up then," the woman replied, pouring the batter into the pan. After the bowl was empty, she gave it to Sophie to let her lick. While her daughter was distracted, she put the pan in the preheated oven and set a timer.
"I hope the kids were behaved today. I sent Edd and Molly to go do their homework," Jack told her as she closed the oven and stood back up.
"That's good. My payday is tomorrow, maybe I'll go get something nice from the grocery store for tomorrow night's dinner," Rosemary thought aloud. "Maybe I'll get us some lamb, that's always tasty."
"Oh, that reminds me! I should probably go do my project!" Sophie exclaimed, putting down the pot and spoon before running out of the kitchen. The sound of her racing up the stairs made the adults smile from hilarity.
"Well, shall we should go to the couch and relax a little there?" Jack suggested with a smile, and Rosemary picked up the timer to take it with her. They both went to the living room and relaxed on their couch, with Rosemary's head resting on Jack's shoulder.
"I think Linda was right, what she said the other day. That this is the happiest time in our lives," Jack rambled. "Our business with Felix is prospering, our three beautiful children are happy and doing well in school, and after Sophie gets her braces off at her dentist appointment, the fees from there will be lesser."
Rosemary made a small sound of agreement, leaning her body closer to him. "Oh, Jack, who would have thought these wonderful things would happen?" she wondered, beginning to smile herself. "I'm sure that your business with Felix will set an example for restaurants to come, just who to live up to."
Jack put an arm around her and leaned back on the couch, enjoying his break after getting home from work. He already knew that the cake baking in the oven was going to be delicious.