Work Text:
February 2023
Maya is well established at the table in The Beanery, surrounded by books and a notepad in front of her that she periodically scribbles on. She’s so focussed, she doesn’t hear the rest of the team arrive back with the food shopping until the peace in the room is shattered by the dumping of grocery bags on the worktop and Jack, Vic and Travis bantering back and forth.
“Whatcha up to Boss?” Vic asks, as she drops the bags she held cradled in her arms, shaking her arms out and moving over to the table.
“Nothing, just…thinking.” Maya answers vaguely.
Vic steps up behind her shoulder, looking at the three books Maya has spread open in front of her. “Ah, I see. Baby names.” She offers helpfully.
Maya sighs, dropping her pen on the notepad and leaning back in her chair. “Just spitballing some ideas. This is harder than anyone warns you it will be. Naming a whole human seems like too big a responsibility.”
Vic claps her on the shoulder, “Bigger than say, keeping a whole human alive?” She teases. “Or, bigger than leading a team of humans into a burning building? Or-“
Maya elbows her in the stomach. “You’re not helping!” She grumbles.
Vic leans over and plucks up the 20 week ultrasound picture that’s propped up against Maya’s water bottle. “Maya. Captain. Were you using this as inspiration?” She turns it to show Maya. “You are too cute.” She gushes.
Maya stands at that, a blush colouring her cheeks. She snatches the picture back and tucks it in the pages of one of the books as she hastily packs them all away into a neat pile.
Vic turns to Jack and Travis who are still loading groceries into cupboards. “We’re brainstorming baby names, boys.” She announces. Then turning back to Maya who stands leaning against the table with her arms crossed. “Are we naming a boy baby or a girl baby?” She asks.
Maya rolls her eyes. “I told you after the sonogram that we didn’t find out.” Maya says.
Vic moves to stand next to her and throws an arm around her shoulders. “You’re the biggest type A control freak I know. Do you seriously expect us to believe you didn’t find out?”
Maya throws her head back. “I promise!” She cries. “Carina is…I might be a control freak, but Carina is…really not.”
Vic lets out a delighted laugh at Maya’s expense, and she skips across the kitchen to steal some raw pepper from where Jack has started preparing dinner. She points her slice at Maya, glee on her face at needling her friend. “Oh you hate it don’t you?“ she laughs. Jack and Travis laugh along at Vic’s teasing and Maya’s reaction as they move about the Beanery preparing food.
Maya sighs, “I don’t hate it. I just…she’s so relaxed about everything!” She exclaims. “She didn’t want to find out because there are so few genuine surprises in life, Bambina .” Maya mimics her wife. “Which okay, fine. But she hit twenty-four weeks yesterday. That is such a huge deal. We’re over halfway, and the baby is viable. If anything were to happen, they’d have a chance at surviving outside the womb now. This baby could come at literally any moment, and we’re not even a little bit prepared.”
“I mean,” Jack drawls, “unlikely to come any minute now.” He says. Maya glares at him and he holds his hands up placatingly. “Got it. We’re spiralling. Shutting up now.”
“Victoria is a great name.” Vic says with a shrug as she hoists herself up onto the counter next to the sink. Maya rolls her eyes at her.
“Jack is a very strong name.” Jack offers with a grin.
“I’m leaving now.” Maya throws over her shoulder as she grabs her pile of books from the table and walks out of the Beanery, done with their teasing. She heads to her office with a small smile on her face though.
She’d never tell them, but it fills her heart up that they care so much about her baby. She knows that she and Carina and their little one - whoever they turn out to be - will always be surrounded by a loving family and that knowledge brings her a joy she hadn’t known she needed.
By the time Carina makes it home from her shift the following day, Maya has napped, been for a run, put all of the clean laundry away, cleaned both bathrooms, cooked dinner and is back at the table with The A-Z of Baby Names, The Big Book of Baby Names From Italy and 100,000+ Baby Names open in front of her alongside her slowly growing list.
Carina drops her keys in the bowl and dumps her bag by the console table, before shrugging out of her coat and pulling off her hat. She rubs warmth into her hands and blows into them before heading through the apartment in search of her wife. Maya feels her cold hands against her cheeks from behind as Carina finds her, tilting Maya’s head up for a kiss.
“Mmm.” Carina moans against her mouth. “Ciao, Bella.” She says as she pulls back.
“Hi,” Maya smiles, turning slightly in her seat. “You’re freezing.” She adds.
“I know. It’s so cold out.” Carina tells her, a shiver working its way through her body as if to make her point. “Cazzo, I hate winter!” She exclaims.
Maya goes to stand, and moves in front of Carina. She rubs her hands up and down Carina’s arms vigorously to provide some warmth before gently turning her in the direction of the couch and the fireplace. “The fire is on. Go warm up, I made dinner so whilst you thaw, I’ll get it dished up.”
Carina groans in pleasure at the idea, and moves to the living room to warm up. “What did you make?” She calls from where she’s tucked herself on the couch, tugging a blanket to cover her legs. She startles as Maya replies from right beside her.
“Just chicken with a green bean casserole.” Maya tells her as she hands her wife a cup of tea. “Here, tea. Should help warm you up. It’s decaf.”
“Grazie, Bella.” Carina smiles as she takes the mug. She rests it against her belly over the blanket. “This baby absolutely does not need caffeine today.” She smiles prodding her growing bump fondly.
“Oh yeah? They’re giving you trouble?” Maya asks, as she perches herself on the arm of the couch, moving her fingers to run through Carina’s hair.
“Just super active today.” Carina tells her. “Doesn’t feel like they’ve stopped moving all day. I’ve had to pee a hundred times because they’re kicking my bladder!”
Maya moves around the couch and kneels before Carina. She places her hand on the swell of Carina’s stomach and presses down a little. She feels a responding thump against her palm. She leans in close and places a kiss just above where her hand rests. “Hey, Thumper . Calm down in there would ya? You’re gonna make your Mamma grumpy, and if she’s grumpy, I get it in the neck.” Maya jokes.
Carina rolls her eyes at her wife but runs a gentle hand through Maya’s hair as she lays with her face pressed against her bump. She grimaces and gasps as she receives a particularly strong kick that takes her by her surprise! “Oh, Merda! Il tuo bambino è così cattivo!”
Maya laughs from where she sits. “I definitely felt that one.”
“Okay! Okay, up. That’s enough.” Carina says, guiding Maya away from her stomach. “You’re a bad influence. Stay away!” She says with a laugh in her voice as Maya pouts.
Maya pushes to her feet and moves back to the kitchen to check on the food. She dishes up their meals, before turning back to the table to clear a space for them to sit and eat. “It’s ready,” she calls as she piles up the books and her notepad she had been working from and moves them to one side.
Carina approaches, “what’ve you been working on?” She asks as she takes a seat. She plucks up one of the books, The Big Book of Baby Names From Italy and smiles. “When did you buy these?” She asks Maya as she places a glass of water down in front of Carina.
“Last week.” Maya says as she turns back to the kitchen for their plates. “We need to start getting prepared.” She adds as she sets a plate down for each of them and takes a seat.
Carina rolls her eyes affectionately. “We have plenty of time, Bella.” She says pushing the book to one side so she can eat.
“We really don’t!” Maya exclaims, dropping her fork onto her plate. “You’re over halfway to your due date. The nursery isn’t finished, we’ve hardly bought anything!” Maya begins to list in earnest. “I wanted to stockpile diapers, we haven’t even started. Not a single one. We don’t know what we’re having. I -“ she stops, realising she’s spiralling. She takes a deep breath to recalibrate. “I don’t feel prepared.” She says softly, looking at her plate. “And that makes me feel out of control.”
“Bambina…” Carina sighs softly. She takes Maya’s hand and squeezes. “Okay, eat now. We’ll talk after.” She says ducking her head to meet Maya’s eyes.
Maya makes eye contact and offers a nod in acknowledgement. “Okay.” She says, taking her hand back and making a start on her food.
After they finish eating, and have cleared the kitchen and done the dishes, it’s nearing 9pm. Carina, exhausted from working a full day and being twenty-four weeks pregnant heads for a shower in anticipation of an early night. Maya gets changed into pyjamas and brushes her teeth at the sink as Carina washes soap suds out of her hair.
By the time Carina has dried her hair and finished her bedtime routine, she returns to the bedroom to find Maya sat up against the headboard, baby name books surrounding her, jotting ideas into her note book propped against bent knees. Carina slides under the duvet next to her, settling in, before turning to her wife. “Maya, are you really stressed about this?” She asks.
Maya sighs and looks up at Carina. “I’m not stressed.” She defends, to a raised eyebrow from her wife. “But I do feel like we’ve prepared very little and if we don’t soon, then I will feel stressed.” She explains. “I don’t know how you can be so relaxed. In another three months there’s going to be a whole other human we’re responsible for.”
Carina laughs lightly, “I just don’t really feel like we’ll be able to name them until we meet them.” She offers, whilst reaching over to take one of the books from in front of Maya.
“Okay, but we could at least have some ideas. You can’t expect me to pick on the spot when they get here!” Maya says, horrified at the thought.
Carina laughs loudly. “Okay, okay. I wouldn’t dream of asking that of you Bambina.” She smiles as she thumbs through the pages of the book. “Maybe we could start with some ground rules.” She suggests.
“Like what?” Maya asks.
“Well, no place names.” Carina stipulates.
“At all? Like, total veto?” Maya clarifies sceptically.
Carina nods, and Maya turns to her notebook and scratches out one of the names on her list. Carina leans over to look and sees Florence crossed through.
“Do you want it to be something Italian?” Maya asks, chewing on the end of her pen.
Carina shrugs, “It would be nice, or at least something that could be both, depending on what the bambino wants.” She suggests.
“Like Andrea?” Maya asks gently. “Would you want to name a boy after him?”
Carina shakes her head. “No, no legacy names. Our baby will be their own person. They need their own name.”
Maya raises an eyebrow in surprise. “Oh. Are you sure?”
“Si. I love my brother, but I want our baby to have their own name. Not to feel like they're always living up to someone else. You know?” Carina justifies, quietly.
Maya reaches her hand across to rest on top of Carina’s on her bump. “Okay,” She reassures her. “No legacy names.”
They each turn back to the books and peruse silently. After a minute, Maya groans. “This is going to be so difficult.”
Carina smiles, “Haven’t you got any ideas on that list of yours?” She reaches over and pulls Maya’s list towards her and scans it. “Oh, see, I like Angelo. That can go on our list.” Carina tells her and adds a star to it. She continues down the list, crossing out Luca. She adds another star next to Augusto and adds next to it August? Another star next to Domenico and crosses out Jacob, Thomas and Lucas. She taps her pen next to one name. “Maverick?” She asks.
Maya shrugs, “I think it’s a cool name.” She offers.
Carina crinkles her nose. “It’s very…American.”
“I’m very American, in case you hadn’t noticed.” Maya says indignantly.
Carina stars it, “It's unusual, I don’t hate it.” She says. “No other girls names?”
Maya shakes her head. “I hadn’t got that far yet.” She says, “I saw Florence somewhere and jotted it down. I think picking a girls name will be harder though.”
“Any ideas?” Carina asks her.
“Not really…” Maya hesitates.
“Bambina?” Carina prods, knowing Maya is holding back.
“Well, I was thinking a lot recently about Joy. As in, this baby is going to bring us so much joy, and I thought, maybe, that would be fitting as maybe a middle name or something?”
“Joy” Carina tests out. “In Italian, it’s Gioia,” She says.
“Gioia. I like that a lot.” Maya smiles. “I love it actually.” She turns back toward Carina, once again pressing her hands lovingly against Carina’s stomach, feeling the baby kick against her palm. “Our little Gioia.”
Carina smiles, “It’s perfect. She lifts her hand and tilts Maya’s jaw to bring their faces closer together until they can kiss. “So we have a middle name if the baby is a girl, and a few maybes for a boy. That’s progress, right?” She asks as she pulls back.
“It’s progress, yes. I’ll feel better when we’ve got a few options for girl first names.” Maya concedes.
“Can we continue this tomorrow? I don’t think I can keep my eyes open for much longer.” Carina tells her with a yawn.
Maya chuckles. “Of course. Rome wasn’t built in a day.” She says, closing the books and stacking them on her bedside table. She leans back over, helping Carina adjust and settle with her long pregnancy pillow.
Once Carina is settled, Maya turns the side lamp off, plunging them into darkness. She settles herself in behind Carina, spooning her from behind an arm around her waist. She kisses Carina’s shoulder. “Thank you for starting the list with me. I love you.” She says into the dark.
“Ti amo anch'io tesoro” Carina whispers back, her hand squeezing Maya’s where it rests on her bump.