Work Text:
Saturday morning
The light coming from the bedroom's window woke up Grace. The whisper he could hear around him forced his brain to slowly function completely again.
Opening one eye, he smiled at the scene unfolding in front of him. He was half curled on Simon's waist, who was reading a book - probably that one recently recommend by their daughter Nikki - and sometimes playing with Ryland's hair while holding the book with his prosthetic arm. At the end of their shared bed, he could feel the weight of said daughter, scribbling and doodling something on an old notebook while she talked. About what? Grace hasn't listened enough to know yet, but he seemed to heard the name of Sarah and Ilyukhina. He moved his head a bit to find Bryan sitting on the floor, back resting on Simon's side of the bed, while he played some game on his phone, sometimes answering Nikki's rambling or messing with her.
Typical siblings banter. Just like he used to do with Colt.
Who is he lying to, they still do it.
The movement of his head made Simon aware of him, smiling instinctively as he looked at his recently awake husband.
"Look whose the last to join the morning party" Simon lowered his head to give Grace a kiss on the forehead.
Grace hummed as an answer, and sunk himself a bit more between his husband and the covers. He could listen to Simon giggle.
"Fucking finally! I can officially say I wasn't the last one to wake up today" Bryan paused his game and turned around to face the rest of his family "Can't tell me I'm lazy today, NikNik"
"Language Bryan"
"I can always call you lazy little brother, dad is tired because he works, unlike someone…"
"I work too! If I didn't you wouldn't receive any shitty package when they arrive to the postal office"
Grace's words were easily ignored by the discussion. He could let it slide today…
And always, seeing that Simon also swore like he got paid for it. Really, Grace couldn't understand the appeal to do it so often, it was so much more funny to call someone a "staggering waste of carbon" and see how their brain tried to understand the sentence. At least Nikki feels the same and they're able to exchange phrases ideas.
They all stayed like that for a while, until hunger got persistent enough, so they had to change their location to the kitchen table.
Simon started making breakfast - Pancakes, if smell was something to go by- while Ryland cleaned the dirty dishes from yesterday's dinner. The (not anymore) kids sat on their respective chairs when they finished setting up the table.
"We really should go shopping soon, there's barely anything on the fridge to work with" Simon commented as he put the last pancake on his plate, everyone already served.
"I always go the first Wednesday of every month, but this week it was holiday so all the supermarkets were closed." Grace bit his breakfast, face lighting up as he tasted it. "After that I just kept pushing it off."
"We could all go today, a family trip!" Nikki proposed.
"Family trip? To the fucking supermarket? I think we live more interesting lives than that .."
"Oh shut up BryBry, it has been a while since we all got out together. We can even eat outside. I know you also find it enjoyable"
Bryan grumbled, but didn't answer his sister.
Both Simon and Grace laughed before joining the conversation, stopping another very plausible fight.
"I think is a good idea" Said Simon, after finally taking a bite of his own breakfast
"We don't have anything planned for today, and if we all go we can get everything everyone wants at the store without 'Appa i told you we didn't have more of these things but you didn't answer the phone' " Grace exaggerated his voice at the end, gaining a few laughs from his kids.
When the family finished the first meal of the day, everyone went to change and prepare to go outside.
This couldn't go wrong.
Things went wrong very fast.
Well, Ryland would say things went wrong earlier than everyone else. But that was because Bryan insisted on driving.
And he drove too fast for Grace liking. His son also continued to swear like a sailor, that also didn't help. He will continue to apologize to Nikki for when he was scared when she started driving. Grace would prefer Nikki over Bryan's every time.
Simon pretends that Bryan’s driving doesn’t bother him, but everyone has noticed how, on certain fast curves, he grips his seatbelt tighter than usual...
Somehow, they arrive to the supermarket alive.
Bryan has a confident smile. Nikki is laughing at both their appa and dad reactions.
"I won't let you drive again" Simon whispers to him, and that sends Bryan to a fit of laughter, matching Nikki's.
The family enters the supermarket together, forgetting about the nightmare inducing (Grace's words) drive in order to remember all they have to get from the store. Various meats, fish, cereals, cooking ingredients…
Chips, candies, cookies, ice cream. All the family has a spot for snacks, but who can blame any of them? Simon makes sure to get fruits from the local market every Thursday and they try to have more or less balanced diets, they're allowed to indulge.
"I'll go get a cart, wait for me here" Grace says before walking away.
When he comes back a minute later, only his husband is waiting for him. Their kids nowhere to be seen.
"They beaten their record, they managed to stay until you went for the cart, angel" jokes Simon, starting to walk next to his husband and the cart, going towards the meat section. The kiddos would take care of the snacks, it seemed.
It didn't matter that they were 25 and 27 years old, they both continued to act like kids on the eyes of their dads. They grow fast physically, but Grace doesn't know if he can say the same about mentally… Grace laughs the thought off, instead asking his husband what exactly they should buy today.
Some time later, the married couple finds their kids exactly where they expected: the energy drink aisle. At some point they took a small cart, now half full of different types of snacks for all the family.
And they were arguing again, of course. About what drink was better or combined better with certain chips. The kids unaware of the couple keeping an eye on them both.
Bryan goes to snatch a can fast without looking, which causes the whole package to fall from the shelf; some of them exploding and getting everything around it dirty of the beverage. The duo fall silent, and slowly turn around when they finally notice the presence of their dads.
Nikki and Bryan pout, trying to get themselves out of trouble with puppy eyes.
Simon walks away to notify an employee, leaving the kids to deal with a not-so-happy looking Grace. Their sentence is settled.
Simon chuckles once his back is turned, he always found funny how Ryland was the one handling the scolding, Simon was too easy to bribe or to feel bad about scolding. The perks of being a teacher and being able to do a 180° on the feeling of the room, Simon thinks.
Gosh, Simon loved his husband.
When Simon finally arrived with an employee, Grace had already made Nikki and Bryan put away the cans and prepare everything so that the cleaner could have it easier while Grace stood next to them.
The two youngest apologized to the employee for the mess, and finally Ryland dropped the "scolding face", their kids visibly relaxed at the sight.
Finally, they had everything they needed. Plush a smashed package of cans to pay too.
On the garage, Bryan started running towards the car, followed by his older sister, to try and get the driver and copilot seats… even if it was Simon who had the car keys.
Not their brightest moment, seeing them trying to open the door or look for the keys in Bryan's pocket and messenger bag. Simon and Grace just looked at them from the distance, counting the minutes until they realized Simon was holding the keys with his prosthetic arm.
For the record, it lasted 6 minutes.
And Simon nor Grace let neither of the kids ride back home.
"See, little brother, it was a funny family trip were everything went perfectly fine" commented Nikki, everyone already inside the car; Simon driving, Grace next to him, Nikki behind the copilot seat and Bryan on the other side.
"I think your definition of 'fun' and 'perfectly fine' is fucking wrong, NikNik. We won't be able to enter that shitty supermarket again without the employees fucking knowing…" Bryan put his hands on his face, embarrassment filling his whole body.
"I work something similar, they will forget baby tomorrow" Nikki reassured his brother… while laughing at his response.
"They may, but me and you appa won't. And just wait until we tell Colt"
The siblings screamed in fear at the threat. If their uncle knew, he wouldn't drop it for the whole year, even more.
Simon looked at the road, hearing his husband giggle and the desperate screams-laughs of both his kids; and he could only smile.
He would do anything to protect his little family, his own personal heaven.