inkspresso

I'll take care of us

Zach turns his key and enters the apartment. He breathes in the sweet scent of both his and Jack's cologne and the fresh scent of baby perfume. It's an aroma he has grown to love. It smells of home.

"Honey, I'm home!" He announces as he takes off his shoes. He takes off his coat and puts his slippers on. Zach frowns when he doesn't obtain an answer. "Honey?"

The brunet walks around, searching for his fiancé. He looks at the living room. No one. The kitchen. A card.

Dear Jack and Zach,

Thank you for caring for me with so much love.
A.J. and Jane are lucky to have you guys as their dads.
I'm heading back to campus to return during spring break. See you then.

Gabriela.

He grabs the envelope set in front of the card and opens it. His eyes widen as he looks at the wad of cash. "Holy shit."

The front door opens, and a groan is heard. Zach heads to the door and sees his lover. Jack looks up and smiles. "Hey, pretty." He frowns as he sets the twins down. "Are you okay?"

Zach hands him the envelope. Jack opens it, and his eyes go wide as plates. "W-Where did you get this from?"

"Gabbie left us that as a thank you for taking care of her while she recovered." He crosses his arms. "How sweet."

Jack smiles softly. "Very much so." He agrees. "She asked me if I could go get her some veggies to make soup... that's why I went out with the twins. I figured she wanted some alone time."

"You went with them to the supermarket? Alone?" He raises his eyebrows.

Jack nods. "I just put them in their stroller and put the veggies in the bag." He turns around to show him his backpack. "They like being pushed around. They're out like lights." He chuckles.

Zach peeks into their blankets and pouts adorably. "Gosh, my babies are so cute." He squeals.

Jack taps his head, making him look up."You're missing your other baby." He says sassily.

The brunet stands up and pecks him. "Of course, my handsome man." He chuckles, pressing his lips on his afterwards.

His phone starts ringing, making him part the kiss. He picks it up.

"Hello?" He greets. "Yes, this is him." He looks at Jack and shrugs. His eyes start to go wide as he freezes him place. "N-Next Friday? In Chicago?" He hums as he listens to the other person speaking. "A-And Berkeley?" He gulps.

"Babe? Are you okay?"

Zach holds onto Jack's arm. "C-Can you please give me a moment? Excuse me." He puts the phone on hold.

"Babe, you're worrying me."

Zach's hands are shaking. "T-They want me to talk about Emma at universities." He pauses, taking a deep breath. "For ten thousand dollars, all expenses paid."

Jack hugs him tightly. "Oh baby." He smiles widely. "Oh baby." He tears up."Take it. Take the chance."

Zach nods and hands Jack the phone. He unmutes it. "I-I'll take it." Zach smiles widely. Jack puts it on speaker.

"Very well, Mr. Herron. I'll see you next week Friday at Harvard's Chicago campus. You'll get an email with everything sent to you."

"Thank you for this amazing opportunity. Thank you." He hangs up and squeals.

Jack hugs him tightly and spins him around. Once he sets him down, Zach speaks. "We have to set some money for their college funds and for you and for the wedding and some for the rent -" Jack shuts him up with a kiss.

"Don't worry about that now, I'll take care of it for us." He reassures. "I'm just so happy for you." He smiles widely. "I'm so proud."

Zach squeals again and jumps into his arms to hug him tightly. The two chuckle. The brunet parts the hug and wipes his tears.

"Gosh, I don't even know what to do with myself now." He giggles, his hands still shaking.

Jack holds his hands and kisses them. "Let's go drink some water, hm?" He kisses his hands again. "Then, if you want, you can go practice all you need. I'll take care of them."

Zach shakes his head. "I'll take care of them. You study. I'll study between my breaks at school."

"I'm ahead on my projects and up-to-date on classes." He smiles.

"Are you trying to seduce me? It's working." They chuckle. "We could totally clean our place."

"I cleaned it yesterday." Jack pecks him. "Laundry is done, dried, and folded."

Zach licked his lips. "I am going to put our babies in the crib while you grab the monitor, and I am going to show you how hot I think that is."

Jack draws up a smile. "I'm all yours."

***

Zach fixes his blazer. "Was this blazer a good idea, even?" He sighs.

"You look absolutely stunning in that, babe. Gimme a twirl." Jack moves the camera closer to him. He was feeding Jane with a bottle.

He smiles and does just that. "Should I wear a tie? I don't wanna seem too intimidating, " He pouts.

"No tie, and your butt looks amazing in that." Ava chimes in as she feeds Andrew.

Zach checks himself out in the mirror. "Shit, you're kinda right." He chuckles. "Did you guys get the email with the Zoom link so you can join and listen to it?"

Jack nods. "Already waiting for the host to start the meeting."

Zach checks the time. "Fuck, I got like five minutes to set up my things. I gotta go. I love you all very much."

"I love you baby, good luck!" Jack sends him plenty of kisses until Zach hangs up.

They all watch as Zach does his presentation. His tone is secure in what he's saying. He flicks through pages of the book to prove the points he makes.

"He's really good at this." Kristin comments as she eats some popcorn. Ava nods in agreement.

"Henry says he's like the best teacher we have." Isla comments.

Sydnie shushes them and points at the computer. The twins are quiet, as if they're listening to his words.

"What led me to choose this as a topic?" Zach questions, to make sure he got the question right. He chuckles. "Goodness, you might think this is absolutely cheesy of me, but my fiancé. He's so loved by his - well, our family - that it just inspired me to research and find meaning in Austen's depictions of love."

Jack smiles widely as the girls practically melt.

"Of course love here is and always will be a subjective topic. However, as you start to experience the types of love depicted in Emma, you can start to understand why they act the way they do. When I made this, I had no idea of what is like to be on the other parental side of love. Now I do. It's a type of incondicional love that can't be explained, just felt."

The curly head looks at the twins as Kristin nods.

Zach chuckles. "Oh you want to know m-more about my fiancé?" He blushes lightly. "He's a business major who's taking online classes to be able to take care of our little angels. He's a complete inspiration for me, and without him pushing me on his last stretch of my degree, I never would've finished it. He's watching us via zoom right now."Zach waves at him.

Jack smiles.

"Someone's in looove!" Ava mocks him.

"Hell yeah, I am. Thank God I put a ring on that finger."