Work Text:
Tech puts his house key into the front door as quietly as he can. He unlocks it and slides in, careful not to make too much noise. It’s nearing midnight; Crosshair and the children have likely been asleep for a while now. This is the latest he’s come home since getting married to his husband, but Tech had a big project deadline coming up, and he wanted to take a week off from work to spend time with his family.
He’s being as silent as possible in order to not wake anyone. The boys have been so excited for their week with him home, that they’ve been too pumped to sleep. Omega, at only four months old, is still waking every three hours to eat. Poor Crosshair has been juggling four children while Tech has been finalizing his work project.
Tech places his house key in the bowl and notices a sliver of light coming from the kitchen. Peeking his head in, he smirks at the sight. Crosshair is sitting on the ground next to the half open fridge. He’s eating a pumpkin pie straight from the pie tin with his sleep shirt halfway unbuttoned. Tech can see and hear the breast pump pumping from his breast. Crosshair hums around the fork and scoops up some whipped cream.
“Hello darling,” Tech greets, laying his briefcase down on the counter. Crosshair simply glances up and reaches a hand out to him. Tech smiles at his husband and joins him on the floor; he leans in to kiss his lips. He hums at the taste of pumpkin, cinnamon, and whipped cream.
“Hi babe,” Crosshair sighs out, voice betraying his tiredness. He pulls back slightly and rests his head on Tech’s shoulder. “All done?”
“The project is complete now my dear, yes,” Tech answers as he brings a hand up to brush through his husband’s silver curls. “I am now yours for an entire week.”
“You are always mine,” Crosshair whispers, his lips brushing against Tech’s. Tech hums into the kiss and cups his husband’s cheek. He breaks the kiss to press their foreheads together.
“Of course,” Tech agrees. He looks down at the half eaten pie. “Did you make this?” Crosshair hums and nods as he brings another bite to his mouth.
“The boys and I, yeah.” He passes the fork to Tech. “They were tired of watching movies and doing crafts, so I thought baking would entertain them.”
“Did it?”
“For about forty minutes,” Crosshair shrugs. Tech chuckles as he imagines the triplets hovering around Crosshair as he explains how to bake a pie. “They went to bed about an hour ago. They made leaf wreaths and were so excited to show you” He points at the dining room table. “They’re over there. The boys put their names on them, but I don’t think you’ll need to see them to know who’s is who’s.”
Tech sees that the boys have made the wreaths with paper plates and leaves from the backyard. As Crosshair said, he can tell which triplet made which wreath. Mox made the one with the brown leaves that are in a perfectly aligned circle. The next one is Deke’s; the middle triplet inherited his mother’s artistic ability. His wreath consists of red, orange, and yellow leaves wrapping around the circle in a gradient. The last one is obviously Stak’s; it has two leaves, both brown and shriveled up. He was obviously too impatient and hurried his craft.
“They’re lovely,” Tech comments. He means it too, his office is filled with his boys’ drawing and small crafts.
“Where are we going to put them?” Crosshair laughs. He unlatches the breast pump and switches breasts. He’s in the middle of taking a bite when the baby monitor next to him rings out with Omega’s cry. Crosshair sighs and goes to stand, but Tech stops him.
“I will get her,” Tech assures him. He gently helps his husband up and kisses his cheek. “Why don’t you take a nice, hot shower and relax.” Tech kisses his other cheek. Crosshair hums and brings his lips to Tech’s.
“I love you,” he murmurs against his husband’s lips. Tech can still taste the sweet dessert on Crosshair’s lips.
“And I you,” Tech returns. Crosshair begins cleaning up the pie tin, but Tech shoos him towards their master bathroom. “I will clean it.” Tech gently pushes his one and only away from the kitchen. “You have been running yourself ragged, my darling, go rest.”
Crosshair romantically kisses Tech’s face, his cheeks, lips, eyelids, then takes his leave. Tech puts a bottle of breast milk in the warmer and hurries to Omega’s nursery. The four month old’s sad cries make his heart clench. For some reason, Omega’s cries affect him more than the triplets’ cries did when they were infants.
“Oh my dear girl,” Tech coos as he softly opens the nursery door. Omega’s cries lessen at the sound of his voice. “Daddy is here, my girl, there is no need to fret.” Tech is careful as he brings her into his arms and cradles her so he can see her. “I have missed you.” Tech kisses his daughter’s forehead. “Now, let’s get you changed and fed, shall we?”
Tech has always been a master multitasker, and that particular skill has only increased since having children. Omega greedily drinks from her bottle as her father cleans the kitchen. After wiping down the last remnants of flour from the counter, he pours Crosshair a glass of moscato and sits it on the bathroom vanity.
Omega whines as Tech takes her back to the nursery instead of laying her in her parents’ bed. However, after a few firm pats to the bottom, Omega falls fast asleep.
Tech is in the middle of rereading Frankenstien when Crosshair exits the shower and crawls into the bed. He brings the covers up to his chin, curls in on himself, and releases a deep breath.
“Snuggle with me,” Crosshair sleepily requests. Tech’s lips twitch into a smile as he closes his book and turns off his lamp to fulfill his husband’s plea. He brings his arms around Crosshair and holds him close to his chest. “The bed is too big without you…”
Tech feels guilt creep into his chest. For the past week, he has been coming home late and leaving early trying to hurriedly finish his work project. Crosshair’s father and brothers, as well as Tech’s own father and brothers, have come over to help around the house and with the kids. He misses cuddling with his husband in their bed, playing with his boys, or reading to Omega.
“I am sorry, my darling,” Tech sighs, pressing his lips to the top of Crosshair’s head. He squeezes him closer. “My heart has yearned for this moment for far too long.”
Crosshair huffs out a laugh and tilts his head to look at him.
“You’re so romantic,” he chuckles. “I love it.”
“I say we spend our week together as a family,” Tech suggests. “Perhaps next Friday night we could go on a date.” Tech trails his fingers sensually down Crosshair’s spine and settles them on the swell of his ass. “It would give me a chance to romance you properly…roses, chocolates, wine…I could serenade you again.”
Crosshair chuckles and reaches down to clasp the hand on his ass.
“Careful…” Crosshair says lowly. “Last time that happened we ended up with a little girl.” Tech hums and shrugs.
“I am rather fond of our daughter,” he comments. His hand comes up to rub across Crosshair’s stomach, nails gently skating over his c-section scar from the triplets’ birth. “I would not mind another girl.” Crosshair shakes his head.
“The baby factory is closed,” he insists. “You need a vasectomy.”
“You say that now,” Tech teasingly pinches Crosshair’s nose. “You will come down with baby fever again and want another baby to spoil and love.” Crosshair scrunches his nose playfully and laughs.
“I was thinking, well, the boys brought it up actually,” Crosshair begins. “They mentioned that we could all go to the pumpkin patch this year.” Crosshair’s voice begins slurring slightly. “I bought Omega a cute outfit for Fall online the other day. It came in today, and they all went wild at the thought of Omega’s first pumpkin patch visit.”
The pumpkin patch is a special place in their family. Crosshair invited Tech on their first date there, Tech proposed there, and they married on the property. Crosshair mentioned taking the boys once they turned one, and it’s been set in stone ever since. The boys each pick two pumpkins, eat apple cider doughnuts, and play in the hay side and corn pile.
“We could go tomorrow,” Tech suggests. “It is supposed to be a sunny day and reach up to seventy five degrees. I also read online that a petting zoo will be visiting.”
“Oh god,” Crosshair moans. “We’ll have to go tomorrow then. If Stak finds out there was a petting zoo and he missed it, we’ll never hear the end of it.” Tech laughs in agreement.
“Tomorrow it is then,” Tech agrees. “I must admit, I have been craving an apple cider doughnut for some time now. The USDA reported that this year has seen the highest apple harvest since 1983. Funny enough, most of the apples we see in our chain grocery stores are imported from other countries such as China and Tur-”
A deep breath makes Tech stop in the middle of his ramble. Looking down, Tech sees Crosshair deep asleep with his cheek pressed to his chest. Tech smirks and closes his own eyes, satisfied to sleep with his husband again.
Tech wakes before everyone and decides to make pumpkin spice pancakes. Deke is the first one to wake and trudge downstairs. The four year old doesn’t notice his dad at first, but after grabbing a juice box and turning towards the oven, he squeals when he sees him.
Deke’s squeal spends Crosshair running down the stairs, panicked at the sound of one of his babies shrieking, but he slightly relaxes when he sees no one is in any danger. Mox and Stak wake soon after to the smell of pancakes, butter, and maple syrup. They also tackle-hug their dad when they see him.
As they all sit around the kitchen table eating their fall themed breakfast, Tech listens with rapt attention as all three boys talk to him at once about their week. Mox read some Step Into Reading books Tech had bought him and politely asked for more about dinosaurs. Deke excitedly runs upstairs to bring down the mini art kit Grandpa Cody bought for him the other day. Stak brings in the Doberman, Artemis, and proudly shows his Dad how the dog can roll over.
(Tech has taught Artemis nearly every trick a dog can learn. Artemis has known how to roll over since she was gifted to Crosshair for Christmas during their first as a married couple. However, his son’s enthusiasm is too cute to crush).
The baby monitor rings with Omega making unhappy sounds. Crosshair excuses himself to fetch her with Artemis right on his heels. Tech leans in to whisper to them with a conspiratorial voice.
“Mama and I thought we could all go to the pumpkin patch today,” he begins. The boys all gasp in excitement and grin. “Omega will be so delighted to see it.”
“She’ll love it,” Deke agrees, nodding seriously.
“We’ll have to help her pick out a pumpkin,” Mox adds. “She’s still little; she’ll need our help.”
“Oh! Oh!” Stak hops off his seat to tug at Tech’s sleeve. “Can I push her in the wagon, Daddy? Please? Please?”
Tech chuckles and easily agrees to each of his sons’ statements. They all adore their baby sister. From the moment they saw her in their mother’s arms, swaddled in a blanket and snuffling, they’ve hardly left her side. Mox follows Crosshair around whenever Omega is in his arms, constantly tilting his head so he can smile and wiggle his fingers at his sister. Deke will lay next to her during tummy time (Artemis is on her other side of course) and play with her. Stak insists on doing everything with her; he wants to change her, feed her, pick out what clothes she should wear. Anytime Omega makes a sad squeak or angry noise while in her father’s arms, her older brothers come running to her defense.
Crosshair and Tech have a little bet as to what Omega’s first word will be. Tech believes Omega’s first word will be Mama- as Mama was Mox and Stak’s first word (Deke’s was puppy). Crosshair thinks Omega’s first word will be one of the boys’ names.
Tech can hear Omega babbling to herself as Crosshair and Artemis stalk back into the kitchen. Crosshair barely has time to slip a breast out to give their daughter her morning meal when the triplets descend upon their mother.
“Daddy said I can pull Omega in the wagon today!”
“Mama! Mama! Omega needs to wear her pumpkin onesie.”
“I think we need to get her a huuuuuge pumpkin. Please? It’s her first trip. I think she’ll like it!”
Crosshair nods along as each of his boys chatter his head off. Once they quiet down to catch their breath, he speaks.
“Lovely ideas, sweet boys. But first, the baby needs to eat.”
Tech helps the boys get ready while Crosshair finishes taking care of their infant. Deke firmly tells his brothers that they all have to wear the same color.
“Mama will want to take pictures,” he explains. “We’ll look silly if we look too different.” After a quick debate (argument) the boys agree on burgundy. Tech makes sure they brush their teeth and tie their shoes before heading downstairs.
Crosshair has Omega in the baby carrier on his chest. Omega is wearing the pumpkin onesie mentioned earlier. Her blonde little curls are clipped away from her face with a white bow with a pumpkin in the center. He is wearing a burnt orange cardigan with brown pants with white ankle boots. Tech is wearing a simple button up and khakis; his husband has the knack to out dress everyone else in the room.
“All ready?” He asks. The boys nod in agreement and sprint to the car. Crosshair laughs and shakes his head fondly at Tech. “Let’s go. I’d hate to keep them waiting.”
Tech powers on the camcorder as he grips Stak’s hand tight to keep him from running off towards the various animals. Crosshair is fumbling with his cardigan so Omega can eat and still sit in the carrier. Deke and Mox hold onto their mother’s pants and peek around to watch as Omega fusses.
“Well boys…” Tech trials off, pointing the camcorder at them and grinning. “What should we do first?”
“Petting zoo!”
“Corn box!”
“Hay slide!”
“I say we all have a little snack while Omega has her own,” Crosshair suggests as he nods his head towards the pavilion turned food court. He pats Omega’s bottom as she nurses and twists his hips like he does every time he has ever fed one of his babies.
“I think that is a marvelous idea,” Tech concures. He squeezes Stak’s hand and looks to his boys. “What would we all like to eat?”
They ended up ordering half a sweet potato pie, two warm apple ciders, three hot cocos, and an entire box of apple cider doughnuts. The boys devour their portions despite eating nearly two hours ago, then beg their Mama to go and watch the animals. Crosshair agrees, on the condition they stay in his sights, and finishes off what they didn’t eat.
Tech watches his triplets laugh amongst each other as they watch the ponies, alpacas, and rabbits in the pen. The air is crisp and smells of apples, pumpkins, and leaves. The laughter of children can be heard from all around. He takes another long sip of his cider and eats the last doughnut. Across the table, Crosshair drinks the rest of Mox’s coco as he pats Omega's bottom. From his position, Tech can see his daughter’s eyes are wide open and locked onto her Mama. He slides in next to his husband and kisses his cheek.
“This is nice,” he comments, bringing his hand to wrap around Crosshair’s waist. Crosshair hums.
“It is,” he looks down at Omega and smiles. “Are you excited, my sweet girl?” Omega pops his nipple out of her mouth as a smile slowly forms on her face. “Yeah? Your brothers are going to have so much fun.” Crosshair fixes himself and pulls Omega out of the carrier to sit her on his lap. “Let’s burp that gassy girl then we’ll get you the most perfect pumpkin.”
“Mama!” Deke calls out. “Come look! They have baby goats!” Tech snorts.
“Young goats are called kids,” Tech tells his son. He lifts Omega from Crosshair’s arms and rests her against his shoulder. “Go ahead, darling. I will care for our girl.” Crosshair kisses Tech’s head, then Omega’s cheek before joining his boys.
Omega does make a few fussy noises as her Mama leaves her line of sight, but she settles as Tech gently rubs her back and talks to her.
“You know how your nursery has a marine animal theme, dear girl?” Omega doesn’t respond, but Tech continues anyway. “Your Mama and I gave your big brothers a farm animals theme. Funnily enough, the goats decorated around the room were Deke’s favorite. All of the boys had their own favorite. Why, I remember-”
Crosshair manages to convince the boys to start with the pumpkins themselves and finds two each to take home. As he said at the house, in the car, and while they were snacking, Stak insists that he pull Omega in the wagon. Crosshair gently tells their youngest triplet that Omega is too little to sit in the wagon by herself. Stak remedies the situation by hopping in and holding his arms out for his sister.
Before they can truly begin, Crosshair poses his babies in front of the sign next to an arranged decoration of hay bales, pumpkins, and corn stalks. Mox grins wide as he tries to hoist Omega higher in his arms, Deke shyly smiles, and Stak keeps getting distracted by the petting zoo still in his sights. Tech ends up standing behind his husband, whistling and snapping his fingers, to get their attention.
Tech follows his family around, recording them as they interact. Mox holds onto Omega’s hand that hangs out from the wagon. He grabs a small orange and white streaked pumpkin about the size of her head and holds it up for her to see. Deke picks out two black pumpkins and enthusiastically informs Tech he wants to paint them to look like Artemis. Stak sits with Omega in his lap and narrates everything that’s going on to her.
“Daddy?” Mox asks, reaching up to grip his hand. “Can we carve a pumpkin? Uncle Fives said he used to carve pumpkins when he was little.”
“Well of course we can,” Tech answers. “Find a pumpkin you like, bub.”
They end up with several more pumpkins than originally planned. Crosshair suggests putting a few back, but Tech shakes his head.
“We only come once a year,” he rationalizes. “Besides, the ones we don’t decorate we can use for food.” Tech smiles and pokes Crosshair’s side. “Pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin ooey gooey butter cake-”
“Yes, yes,” Crosshair playfully shoves Tech away. “You’ve made your point.” He picks up Omega from where she sits and turns to his boys. “I’ve got new names for my babies!” Crosshair boops Mox’s nose. “Pumpkin pancake.” Then Deke. “Pumpkin cupcake.” Then Stak. “Pumpkin muffin.” Crosshair kisses Omega’s nose. “And my little pumpkin pie!”
The boys laugh and heartily agree with their pet names. While Tech pays for their pumpkins, the boys poke and kiss their baby sister, calling her little pumpkin pie and pretending to eat her.
“I say we start with the petting zoo,” Tech offers as he and Crosshair pack the car with their pumpkins. He leans in to whisper in his husband’s ear. “That way we can pull Stak away by bribing him with the slide.” Crosshair snorts and agrees.
Tech and Crosshair split up their kids. Tech takes Stak and Deke while Crosshair takes Mox and Omega. Tech and Deke have to nearly run after Stak to keep up with him. He stops at every animal to pet it and asks the keeper ten questions at breakneck speed before running off to the next animal. Tech sees Crosshair taking pictures of Mox showing Omega how to pet a rabbit. He can only imagine what he must look like in the pictures his husband has managed to take.
“Stak!” Crosshair calls out, waving for his son. He bends to hold both of his hands and looks into his eyes. “Are you ready to go to the slides, pumpkin muffin?”
It takes a little cajoling but Crosshair, by some miracle, manages to get Stak to leave the petting zoo. Tech, out of breath, presses a quick kiss to his lips.
“I love you, darling.”
“I love you too, babe.”
The boys race each other up the hay slide. Tech records them giggling as they run up the hay bales then slide down the giant tubes over and over again. Crosshair gently lowers Omega into the corn box. He stands outside at first, but once Omega begins getting upset, he climbs in and sits her in his lap. Crosshair scoops up corn in the cup and helps her pour it into a trick or treat basket.
Tech switches from corn box to hay slide. He wants to record as much as he can. He’s recorded every visit to the pumpkin patch and cannot wait to watch the older recordings tonight.
Stak is the first one to tap out. He climbs into the corn box and snuggles against Crosshair.
“Mama…” he sleepily whines, clambering into Crosshair’s lap and nuzzling his face to his chest. Crosshair smiles and kisses the top of Stak’s head.
“I guess we’d better start towards the car.”
Mox holds onto Tech’s hand and leans towards him. Deke holds the other hand, swaying and singing to himself. Omega is in her carrier against Tech’s chest. Her eyelids get heavier and heavier with each blink. Stak is fast asleep in Crosshair’s arms, face tucked in his neck and thumb in his mouth.
It takes a minute to buckle in each sleepy kid. Stak refuses to let go of Crosshair, and Tech can’t bring himself to let go of sleeping Mox’s hand. As Tech pulls back onto the main road, he notices each kid is fast asleep, and at least two of them are snoring. Crosshair reaches over and holds Tech’s hand.
“I say we all take a group nap in our bed when we get home,” Crosshair suggests. He brings their hand up to kiss Tech’s. “Thank you. I had fun today. I love you, Tech.”
Tech kisses Crosshair’s hand and brings it to rest at his heart.
“I enjoyed myself immensely as well, darling.” He squeezes his husband’s hand and laughs when he sees him. Crosshair is slumped over, asleep as well. Tech laughs softly and kisses the top of his husband’s head. He switches on the radio and hums along as he drives his family home.