Your Eyes Look Like Coming Home

Is it Daddy’s birthday?” Livvy asks, eyebrows hiked, and lips pitched.“No,” says Adam while pulling out spare mixing bowls from the cupboard— it’s a miracle that he even knows where they are, if he’s being at all honest. In their household, the kitchen is largely Ronan’s realm of expertise and all Adam’s good for is washing dishes and the occasional toasting of bread.“Are you graduating again?” Gage— a near spitting image of his sister, with all their trappings of dark hair and intense eyes and thin lips, asks owlishly.“Not that either.”“Then why on God’s green earth are we baking cupcakes?”Jesus fucking Christ, do these kids have some mouths on them.“Because, squirt,” Adam pulls out his phone to search for a decently simple recipe he both had the ingredients to, , and one that wouldn’t turn out an utter mess. “Daddy woke up a bit sad this morning and I thought that if we made him this, it would show him we’re thinking bout him and he wouldn’t be so sad anymore.”The twins look suitably cowed at that, both pairs of eyes going pleading and chorusing a thousand questions on whether Ronan’s okay and when he’ll be coming home and how they could help.