Work Text:
Two pink lines.
Pregnant.
She stares at the little stick in her hands, her mind numb and tears in her eyes. An eternity of desires and dreams spiral through her mind. It was all a bit too much to take in. She had prayed for this, begged her stars. Fought her own body. With age not on her side, she had given it up long ago as a wasted dream- focused her entire being on Salome.
This was too good to be true. Too good to believe.
She looks around at the several test sticks lying near her. All of them said the same thing. Even the one from last week. She should probably thank Jen for jokingly suggesting that she could be pregnant. But later. Right now, it’s all just a bit difficult to believe.
A lot of decisions she needs to make.
Age is definitely not on her side. Her doctor had already warned her when she wanted to try after Salome; now in her late 40s (Okay, 50s) it will be very, VERY risky. But god, if her imagination hasn’t already provided her with visions of a tall-for-his-age, extra clumsy little boy trying to sneak through the house with a dirty football in his hands, his floppy hair a perpetual mess.
A quiet laugh escapes her lips, even as more tears spring forth.
Poor boy. Matt’s clumsiness is just too strong a trait for her genes to overcome. Their little boy is fated to be the King of Clumsy. Just like his father.
Oh god!
A thought flashes through her mind and Alex sits up straighter. Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t even think about Matt’s reaction.
Matt loves her, she knows, but they have only been together for 6 months now. He loves kids, but will he be open to have one of their own so soon? Most of her work is on the other side of the ocean. He is still trying to establish himself. A baby means a lot responsibility. Matt is still young. Will he be ready to be tied down with responsibilities so early in his life?
And dear god, how will she break it to him?! She doesn’t want him to stay just because he has obligations towards her and their child. She wants him to stay because he wants it. But goodness she wants him to stay!
She stays awake that night, trying to think about a way to break the news to Matt.
Next morning, she wakes him up with breakfast in bed.
A stack of his favorite pancakes, a pot of his favorite tea, a bowl of fruit, and a small flower. Struggling to balance the tray in one hand, she clears the nightstand by his side. She softly places the tray on the nightstand, debating with herself about how to wake him up.
His hair is sticking in odd directions. Its not floppy anymore, and he likes to keep the cut short. It makes him look more manly. At the moment, though, he looks like a little boy. While she is trying to decide the best way to wake him up, Matt extends an arm, without turning, and pulls her pillow closer with an air of possessiveness that only he seems to be able to manage. The little action sends a stab of heat through her. And isn’t a similar action one of the reasons behind her present predicament?
Making up her mind, she softly kisses him. She drops a kiss on his forehead, a peck each on his eyelids. The moment her lips touch his, she feels Matt bring his arms around her, and before she can even react, his hands begin to touch her everywhere. What was meant to be just a peck turns into a proper kiss as her lips part under the pressure of his lips.
When she finally manages to extricate herself from his arms, her cheeks are pink. “Honestly, darling. You are terrible”, she huffs at his smirk.
"You were the one who kissed me first", he winks, lounging against the pillows, his arms folded behind his head, and she feels heat pool inside her. Focus.
"I did", she admits softly, placing the breakfast table in his lap, and smiles fondly when he begins grinning like a small child.
"Breakfast in bed? What did I do to deserve the royal treatment?"
She tries to not focus on the movement of his lips and fingers as he questions the treatment, groaning roughly when he takes the first bite of the pancake. "Just being yourself warrants this, darling."
He insists on feeding her himself, and she congratulates herself on keeping it all down without running to the loo even once. His beaming smile is worth it.
When he goes for a shower, she puts out his stuff for him. Without any sort of comment about his carelessness, she finds his shoes, his favourite pair of socks, and lays them all down for him. She is in the middle of checking if she has all the things in place, when he steps out. His arms around her waist, Matt pulls her into him and kisses her shoulder in thanks, “Best girlfriend ever.”
After he leaves for his meeting, she picks up her bag. Time for some shopping.
She checks and rechecks her list. Everything bought and in place. Now to wait for his return.
When Matt returns in the evening, he is greeted by dimmed lights and a romantic dinner setting. Moving further into the kitchen, he finds her by the stove tasting the sauce, an apron tied around her waist.
"That smells delicious."
"Your favorites, darling", she turns to face him, a big smile on her face, and greets him with a searing kiss.
"Mm. Tastes even better", his gaze is heated, and Alex laughs even as her insides perform an intricate somersault, "Freshen up, and the dinner will be waiting for you."
He doesn’t bother getting dressed up and comes to the table with only a towel around his waist. He shakes his head like a small puppy, sending droplets in his hair everywhere. Alex giggles breathlessly, a moan escaping her lips when he licks the drops on her shoulder. She struggles to remember.
"Dinner, darling."
He laughs into the skin of her throat. Taking a seat on the table, he looks around and grins like a boy. She sits opposite him and smiles indulgently as he takes the first bite.
"Oh god, Alex. I love you. This is so amazing!" he groans.
She grins at him in response, “I love you too, darling.”
They don’t talk for a while, enjoying their meal in silence. Matt looks at her curiously when she refuses a glass of wine, opting for water instead.
"Not in a mood, darling", she softly smiles, struggling against her hormones to control her reaction when Matt simply shrugs and goes back to his meal.
While he polishes off his dessert, she bites her lip, trying to make up her mind to tell him, but chickens out at the last moment.
Next day, she greets him with a delicious full English spread for breakfast in the kitchen, and a small, delicately wrapped package next to his plate.
Another package awaits in his car.
In the evening, she waits for him with another one of his favourites cooking on the stove. He doesn’t disappoint her.
Hugging her from behind, Matt holds up two stuffed badgers, bigger one holding the smaller one, both dressed in matching outfit- tweed and bowtie.
"So I found these in my car", he whispers softly.
She laughs nervously, “So, what do you think?”
"Really adorable, but a curly haired female badger is missing, don’t you think?" he teases, and she groans internally at the lost subtlety. She pinches him lightly; he giggles softly, and she struggles to keep a check on her emotions.
She tries once again, two days later. Free from commitments, he plans to spend the day lounging on the couch, playing video games, reading books, and doing nothing. Normally she would have bugged him to help her out with household chores. Instead, she lets him do all that he wants. She brings him snacks and drinks when he switches on the video games, even joining him sometimes.
When he finally switches off the games to read some books, she waits with a bated breath.
She doesn’t have to wait long. Matt comes almost running and kisses her softly in thanks, “A first edition copy of Rapture. God, you are amazing, love!”
"Anything for you, my love", she smiles and pecks him in response.
—x—
Breakfast in bed.
Romantic dinner.
His favourite food.
Favourite cologne.
First edition copy of his favourite book.
Stuffed badgers.
She had even gifted him a big box of his favourite sweets, tickets to a football game he had been looking forward to, and several other small but thoughtful things.
Is she breaking up with him and is trying to let him down easy?
Did he miss her birthday? Or some other event?
FUCK! Did he miss their anniversary?! Oh wait. Its only been 6 months.
Did he miss their 6 month anniversary?
A million questions go through his mind. For the past whole week, Alex has been more affectionate to him than ever. It makes him feel special, but it is also making him nervous. The moments where she looks like she wants to say something, do not escape his notice. Did he miss something? Are they okay? Is she leaving him?!
His nervousness only intensifies when Alex doesn’t say anything when he spends the day playing video games, ignoring all the household chores. He tries not to let it show when she brings him his favourite biscuits and tea, and loses game in his nervousness when she agrees to play with him.
That evening, he volunteers to make dinner, but she stops him, pecking him softly, and informs him that the dinner is almost ready.
Definitely something wrong.
He waits for the shoe to drop, trying his best not to squirm through a dinner of baby corns, carrots and baby back ribs. For dessert, she brings out a bowl of sugar babies. It is then he spots the neatly packed, brightly covered package- probably a book- in her hands.
He swallows nervously when she hands the package to him. He tries not to let it show when he fumbles with the tie on the package.
—x—
Her nerves are bubbling with nervous excitement. Her insides somersault, and she tries to suppress the urge to throw up as he opens the package in his hands, smiling all the while.
After a week of nervously fidgeting and chickening out at the last moments, she wants to get over with it as soon as she can. She wants to know where he stands on this, its just that she doesn’t want him to leave. And she is sick with waiting. She will tell him.
With that in mind, she had prepared the dinner. All babies. Trying to balance the bowl of sugar babies, the book in her hands and the nerves dancing inside her was hard, and she congratulates herself on not dropping everything as her hands shook out of nervousness.
She tries not to fidget and let her curiosity show, but she observes his every reaction. A nervous grin appears on his face when he finally sees the contents of the package- a onesie with words “Daddy’s little footballer” and a little football printed on it, and a copy of the book My Boys Can Swim.
Apart from a soft ‘thank you’, he doesn’t say anything and Alex tries not to let her disappointment show. May be he just isn’t ready. Another relationship on the verge of breaking apart.
Cursing her hormones, she gets up to clear the table and tries to hide her tears, but Matt has different plans. He catches hold of her wrist, tugging at it until she is seated in his lap.
"Alex, love-", he softly begins, all the while looking at her face to gauge her reactions, "is something wrong? I love all these presents, all the little things you have been doing, but I can’t help the feeling that I have done something wrong or missed something. Please know that I really love you- I love you more than anything. Tell me what to do- to amend whatever that is I have done wrong."
He kisses her knuckles softly, looking in her eyes, and the tears spill forth. Curling into him, her head in the crook of his neck, she lets the flood move past the dam. Alarmed by the shaking of her shoulders and wetness seeping through his shirt, Matt strokes her back, “Alex, god, tell me, please. I am so very sorry, sweetheart, for whatever I have done, but talk to me, love. Please. ”
She sobs even harder at his pleading words and mumbles something.
"Wh-What?" He asks fearfully.
Pulling back, Alex looks him in the eye and he feels his heart break at the sight of the tears shining in her red rimmed eyes.
"Alex, love-"
"I’m pregnant."
"-I am sor- wait. what?"
He gapes at her, his mouth slack. It was impossible. He must have heard it wrong.
"I’m pregnant, Matt."
He sits back, hardly breathing, his lips parted in shock, and Alex fidgets nervously. His fingers around her hips, Matt holds her steady.
"Stop moving, love. Let me process."
She opens her mouth, all the annoyance, nervousness from past few days bubbling near the surface, and then stops at the sight of his grin.
"You are pregnant." There is a grin on his face, and she feels herself respond.
"You are not angry?" She tentatively asks.
Matt frowns, “Why would I be angry?”
"You are still young, darling., and-"
He silences her with a kiss, and grins at her, “You are pregnant. We are having a baby.”
"Yes", she softly smiles, leaning against him.
"Ha!" He grins. She follows his gaze and giggles, batting at his shoulder when he holds up the book.
"Seems like my boys can swim after all!"