summary: you decide to let your kids help you bake a cake for your wife and cute chaos ensues.
warnings: none; quite literally the softest, most cutest fluff i've ever written; cheesy nicknames; incredibly blunt children; hailee being way too proud of being the favorite
wordcount: 1.7k
a/n: this was an absolutely adorable tumblr request, i was giggling and kicking my feet every time i wrote the word 'wife' and i can only hope you all react the same way while reading. [i purposely left the descriptions and names of the kids vague and gender-neutral so you can picture them any way you want...and yes, both of their names are references to hailee projects, i couldn't resist]
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You're not sure what possessed you to invite your kids to help you bake a cake for their mom but you're sure your kitchen will never look the same again.
You couldn't deny that the idea was cute, and you adored the smiles you received from the twins when you offered to let them help you, but now you were covered in flour and chasing around two eight-year-olds on a sugar high. Hailee can say whatever she wants but they both got that restless spirit from her and not you.
A restless spirit that was going to get somebody in trouble and considering how much your wife loves spoiling your kids, that somebody was going to be you. You don't really mind, the mere thought of getting 'lectured' by her being enough to make you chuckle to yourself.
Unfortunately, you're supposed to be playing the role of a responsible adult right now and laughing the way you are only makes the twins believe their rambunctiousness is being rewarded.
"Charlie, no pushing," you say, forcing yourself to sound strict. (Or as strict as you can be with two adorable pairs of brown eyes staring up at you like you hold all the answers to the universe) "Come on, help me clean up a little before your mom comes home."
Your request gets mostly ignored but at least they walk back to the kitchen with you. You walk around, cleaning countertops with scattered bits of flour and sugar, while pretending you don't notice how restless they're getting. Their excitement is too endearing for you to be annoyed by what a hard time Charlie's having staying still.
It's almost funny how much more tolerant you are when it comes to your family. If anyone back at the office was tapping their foot the way the small brunette is, you'd probably glare at them. Now, all you can do is smile and try to come up with a way to entertain both kids.
The more reserved of the two speaks up before you get a chance to offer them something to do. "When's mom coming back?"
"Hopefully in the next thirty minutes," you reply as you sneak a glance at the clock. You decide it's best not to point out the fact that you've been saying that for the past hour or so.
Hailee was clearly running late but you're definitely not the right person to complain about that. You're just glad she's found another project to be passionate about. Especially since it took a lot of convincing to get her to go back to acting once the twins were old enough to understand why their mom worked at such weird hours.
You were just glad your own job allowed you to work from home a few days a week so your kids never felt like they had to take on the world on their own. The last thing you want is for them to feel like you never spend time together as a family.
Hence why you asked for the day off from your highly demanding job to prepare a surprise for your wife. Every year she insisted more and more that she didn't need you to do anything special for your anniversary, that spending time with you every day was the only gift she could ever want, but that never stopped you from finding some way to do something for her. This year was the first year that you got your kids involved and you can only imagine the look of joy you're bound to receive because of it.
"The cake's done!"
You turn toward the oven as soon as you hear the announcement with a smile on your face. "Good job, little bumblebee."
The nickname is a little too on the nose for your liking but it's incredibly fitting and it makes the twins smile like nothing else...except maybe Hailee. They're going through a phase where all they want to do is be around her and honestly, you can't be mad about that because you're exactly the same way. That's probably where they got that from actually.
The twins start chattering excitedly about the cake while you carefully take it out of the oven and place it on the kitchen island. It honestly looks good as long as you ignore all the chaos making it left behind. Then again, chaos seems to be the main love language of your eight-year-olds and who are you to deny them?
"Okay, who wants to help me decorate it?"
You had no idea the kind of response those words were going to get.
Turns out, the twins not only got their restless spirits from Hailee but they also got her creativity and her badly hidden perfectionism. (Although you might share the blame for that last trait) It takes practically all your energy and your focus to keep them somewhat contained and stop them from arguing about what shape to draw and whether or not to write something. You're in the middle of spelling out the word 'anniversary' for them when the distinct sound of your wife's voice steals your attention.
"What's going on in here?"
The speed at which both Charlie and Em move is enough to amaze any speedster in any universe. Hailee just barely manages to brace herself before they both collide into her body.
"We baked you a cake!" Em announces with a smile that looks identical to the one on your wife's face.
"Is that right?" Hailee's warm eyes shift between both of the adorable faces staring up at her.
"Yeah, Em and I did all the work! Right, mom?"
You see no point in correcting your very excited child over something so endearing. "Yeah, that's right, bee. And you both did a great job. You didn't even need me here."
"Of course we needed you!" You prepare yourself for the sweet comment that no doubt follows. "The shelves are too high."
The sound of Hailee's laugh softens the blow a little bit. There's nothing quite like the bluntness of a child, something that you've started to learn the hard way.
"Thank you for the cake, my loves." She leans down to give each of the twins a kiss on their foreheads. "How about you guys go pick what movie you want to watch tonight?"
They immediately run off in the direction of the living room, giving you and Hailee a small moment of peace.
"Happy anniversary, darling," you say as you make your way toward her. "Did you like your surprise?"
"Let me think about it," she replies, her voice tinged with a playfulness you've loved and adored since the day you met her. "I loved it, baby. Thank you."
You wrap your arms around her and pull her toward you once you're close enough. "Don't thank me, I didn't do anything according to the twins."
"Try not to sound so bitter, my love."
"Oh, shut up." You roll your eyes but the smile on your face makes it clear that you don't actually mind the joke. "You're their favorite and you know it."
"It's not my fault that they have good taste."
You'd love to argue with her but you have more important priorities in mind right now. Starting with kissing your gorgeous wife.
You lean in for a short, sweet, kiss, relishing the feeling of her lips against yours after spending most of the day away from each other. She lets out a quiet hum of approval as you kiss and the sound makes your smile grow until you're forced to pull away.
"I have a gift for you," you whisper into the space between you.
"y/n-"
"I know, I know." You give her a quick peck to silence her yearly complaint. "But I saw it and I couldn't resist.
You reach into your back pocket and pull out a small velvet box. Hailee raises her eyebrow once she sees it. "You're not going to propose to me again, are you?"
You laugh and shake your head. "No, I think I got it perfect the first time."
You lift the box up toward her before opening it up to reveal the necklace inside. It's not anything extravagant, and you honestly worry it's a little too cheesy, but your wife's eyes light up at the sight of it just the same.
"Babe..."
"I thought you'd like to have your little bumblebees around all the time," you explain as your own eyes drift down. The cute charm dangling from the gold chain is of a small beehive with two tiny bees on either side of it. As soon as you saw it, you thought of the twins and you knew Hailee would love it.
The huge smile on her face tells you you were right. "I want to be mad at you for breaking the 'no gifts' rule but this is adorable." She gently takes the necklace out of its holding place and hands it to you. "Help me put it on?"
She turns around and you're briefly transported back to your first date. Back when you were young and stupid and sure you would only be a tiny speck in Hailee's dating history. You've never been happier to be proven wrong.
You reach out to move her hair out of the way, letting your fingertips graze her soft skin, before clasping the necklace together and letting it rest on her neck. You can't stop yourself from placing a few kisses along her shoulder and grinning at the sound of her breath catching in her throat. It's these small moments that make you fall in love all over again.
The brunette seems to read your mind and she lets out a soft whisper. "I love you, y/n."
"I love you too, Lee."
The moment is interrupted by the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching you. "Moms, why are you taking so long?"
You respond to the question with one of your own. "Did you guys pick out a movie?"
"We couldn't decide," Em says with a tiny pout. "We want mom to pick."
Hailee couldn't hold in her proud grin even if she tried. "I think I love you more and more each day."
All three of you reply with your own words of affection, filling the room with a small chorus of love. You step back from your wife and motion toward the forgotten cake on the counter. "I'll take care of the cake, go help them figure out what to watch."
She nods in response before leading the tiny rascals out of the kitchen and back toward the living room. You admire their retreating forms for a few moments, feeling like the luckiest person in the world.