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If somebody told Israel Hands twelve years ago, he would not only be happily married to the most incredible men he's ever met but also comfortably retired, he would've laughed in their face.
But now, waking up in their huge, soft bed, surrounded by warmth and skin, feeling the safest he's ever had, Izzy could certainly see the appeal of married life. So many things he never knew he wanted before that now he couldn't imagine his days without. Hearing his husbands just existing in the house with him, filling the silence with their voices and laughter, made his life complete for over a decade now. There wasn't anything he would change in his life, not a single moment because it all lead to this.
As Izzy stretched his limbs in an attempt to wake his body up more, two groans of protest came from each of his sides. Just like every other day, Stede and Ed weren't happy with how early he woke, especially because he would leave the bed to make breakfast and they didn't want him to go. And as if their groans weren't making it obvious enough, their arms wrapping around him certainly did. Years ago, he would've protested, called them lazy fucks and demanded they let him go. Now? Now, he just chuckled.
"Fine, ten more minutes." He hummed as Edward nuzzled the back of his neck. His beard tickled, but Izzy didn't mind. Another reminder of the people who loved him. He closed his eyes, letting his eyes rest for another few moments with his husbands.
He finally left the bed nearly an hour later, having fallen asleep while trying to just rest some more. Instead of dressing up immediately, Izzy opted for one of Stede's robes, much less fuss and still very comfortable. He even let himself pause to take a whiff of it. The smell of his husband clung to it permanently by now and it gave Izzy a sense of comfort. Despite having just left their shared bed, it was nice to keep the smell of lavender and roses close while he made breakfast. A way of assuring himself that he had this, he had this life and wouldn't lose it.
As much of a perfectionist as Izzy was, this breakfast didn't need to be perfect. Just like he wasn't. Neither had to be perfect to be appreciated, to be loved. So he settled for something simple, eggs and bacon with grilled cheese, just like he used to make for Jim before they went to school when they still lived here. Jim, their pride and joy. They'd be coming over for dinner with their boyfriend tonight to celebrate this anniversary. Their little family, all together. Happy and perfectly imperfect.
The breakfast took no time to finish and soon enough Izzy was attempting to drag Ed and Stede out of bed for it, which proved more difficult than he anticipated.Both of them liked to sleep in, and while he couldn't blame them, it would sometimes cause all three some problems. But not today, today was all about happiness and celebration.
"Come on, Ed. You can't eat in bed today." Izzy insisted, a soft smile gentling his features even as he pulled on the covers, a useless fight against Edward's iron grip. "I made tea how you like it. Stede? Any help?"
"Edward, we should go." Stede finally spoke up, yawning right after. "Izzy made an effort here." He pointed out, finally stretching to properly wake up. They all remembered the date and nobody wanted to miss it, but the bed was still so soft and warm...
"Ugh! Fine. Fine, I'm up." Edward groaned, finally following Stede up. Before either of them could really process being awake, Izzy was shoving robes in their arms, trying to get back into their routine. Even on special days, like this one, he couldn't give it up. It just wouldn't happen. He was out the door before they were done, making sure every last detail was as good as can be.
And there, bent over the table, adjusting Edward's favourite mug, he felt hands on him again. Just like in the morning, two sets of warm, soft hands wrapped around his waist, pulling him close to two equally warm bodies, chins resting on his shoulders as his mouth once again this morning split into a smile.
"Jim's adoption anniversary is in two weeks." He hummed, thinking back again to the day they picked Jim up from an orphanage. They were the oldest child there, a big troublemaker, reminding Edward and Izzy so much of their own childhoods. There wasn't a moment of doubt when the three, freshly married men decided they would take the kid in. "We should get them something."
"We'll think about it later." Stede hummed, nosing at Izzy's neck. "Let's just eat now."
They all sat down at the small, round table, enjoying a homemade breakfast. Nothing to worry about, nothing to discuss, not a conflict in mind.
And life was good. For all of them. It was all good.