Uppercut (A James Maslow FanFic)

Epilogue

EPILOGUE

6 years later

The pancakes were turning out beautifully that afternoon. We had recently got a new stove and it had taken a few tries for either of us to get comfortable with the temperature settings. It didn't help that we kept forgetting it wasn't the same one we had before. I couldn't prevent the smug look that made its way to my face, thinking about how our week long streak of eating slightly charred foods was coming to an end.

I quickly removed the three pancakes that had finished cooking on the griddle. They were chocolate chip and deliciously golden brown. Carefully, I picked up the bowl on the nearby counter and poured more of the batter out of it. This had become our Saturday tradition; sleeping in and cooking a late breakfast.

"Hey Dev!"" I called to the next room over. I balanced the largest pancake on the spatula with two fingers, transferring it onto his favorite dinosaur plate. "Breakfast is ready!" I waited for a reply. The silence ticked by. As I opened my mouth to call out again, I finally heard him.

"Okkkkaaaaaay."

I smiled. From the sounds coming out of the living room he was most likely engrossed in another episode of SpongeBob. He'd probably make an appearance after the episode was over. If he took too long, I'd have to replace his cold pancake with a new one.

I turned my attention back to the stovetop, poking at the edges of the slowly firming puddles of batter. Suddenly, two arms wrapped themselves around my body from behind. I jumped at the touch before relaxing into it, resting my head on the tall body behind me.

"That smells really good," A sleep-roughened voice sounded in my ear.

"Mm hmm," The pancakes were temporarily forgotten as I enjoyed the feeling of his hands gently stroking my arms. "Well you're just lucky that you two have the same favorite breakfast."

I heard a low chuckle in my ear before feeling a kiss planted in my hair. "Lucky me," his hands slid down my arms, resting over top of my own. The spatula was still being firmly held in my right hand. I watched as his left hand envelope my own left. He started twisting around the pair of wedding rings that sat there. I could only catch a few glimpses of silver and diamond shining through both sets of our fingers.

I sighed a moment later, craning my neck back to look at him. "You know, the pancakes are probably burning," I heard him muffle a noise of agreement, unable to catch his eye. His grip only tightened and I was pulled tighter into his body. "You're making it really hard to cook," I strained my neck further, finally catching his gaze. And those green eyes told me that the food wasn't his first concern. Alex was staring down at me with such adoration that I thought I could be trapped in some cheesy romance movie.

"Alright," I pried myself away from him, stepping back up to the stove to flip the chocolatey goodness that was cooking there. Alex leaned against the counter next to me to watch the process.

"Did you tell him they were ready yet?"

"Yeah, but...SpongeBob."

He nodded, suddenly understanding why Devon wasn't in here devouring his third plate yet. "I go see if I can pry the remote out of his hands." Alex pushed himself off the counter. The sound of his footsteps were muffled once he reached the carpet in the next room.

"Bonus points if you can get him to set the table!" I grabbed the bowl of batter, pouring another round onto the pan.

Devon let out a screech. I paused my task, batter still dripping from the bowl I held in the air, and looked into the next room. Alex was coming back into the kitchen, Devon slung over his shoulder. A strained noise left his lips as he set him back on his feet. "Alright kid, you know the drill. Plates, forks, napkins, all on the table."