Work Text:
Martin opened the freezer to pull out some fish to defrost for dinner when his eyes caught sight of some forbidden food items hidden in the back behind a large bag of frozen fruit. "What are chicken nuggets and ice cream doing in the freezer?" he called out loudly to the rest of the house.
"Oh, those are for Louisa." Mark stepped into the kitchen with a big smile.
"No." He closed the door and turned toward him waggling a finger. "No no no. Those are contraband. They are not on the Budding Baby Nutrition list." He stuck a pointed finger on the paper list affixed to the fridge with novelty vacation magnets. "I even posted the list on the fridge with each day's meals carefully planned out for the next seven months. And you will see that nowhere on this list are chicken nuggets or ice cream." He was trying very hard to keep his voice level. He knew Mark was just being nice. But nice did not ensure healthy fetal nutrition. He has known letting Mark do the grocery run this week was going to lead to something like this.
Mark stepped toward him with his hands out apologetically. "I know. I know. I bought everything else that was on the approved list. But they're Louisa's favorite. And there are gonna be days where she's not gonna wanna eat all this healthy crap-stuff." He corrected himself and flashed Martin his winning smile. "Or she's so sick and her tummy will only tolerate one or two select things. So I wanted to have them on hand. Just in case."
Martin rolled his eyes and went back to pulling items out of the fridge to prep dinner as he scolded him, "Our own comfort and desires are out the window, Mark. We need to provide this growing fetus with nutrients. It is imperative-"
"Come on, man!" he interjected. "Louisa is still a person while she grows this baby. And being happy is just as important as being healthy."
Martin tried to rebuttal but Mark kept going, "And she's gonna have a lot of emotions and hormones and stuff. So we need to be flexible, right? Some days we can be healthy and stick to your plan. But some days it's gotta be about the soul and what feeds us in our hearts."
His argument was annoyingly moving. And as he considered it, he remembered a medical journal about nutrient absorption rates in relation to stress levels that wasn't too far off from what Mark was saying. He let out a big sigh and said, "We should always try to add into her diet items from the list, but-"
Mark's eyes grew wide with glee which only increased Martin's blood pressure further. "But!" he shouted trying to temper Mark's excitement. "I see your point," he conceded.
With a big grin on his face, Mark pulled Martin under his arm and shook him. "Look at us! Being partners at being good partners to Louisa. We're gonna rock this pregnancy thing." He held out his other hand for a high-five.
Trying not to feel too defeated and knowing Mark wasn't going to leave him to meal prep until he returned the high-five, Martin raised up his hand and let him slap it. Mark snuck in a quick peck on his cheek before releasing him and retreating to the living room.
Mark threw himself onto the couch next to Louisa. "Babe, babe, babe."
She looked up at him patiently feigning excitement for whatever had him all giddy. "What?"
He smiled broadly then whispered, "I got Martin to ease up a bit on the pregnancy diet from hell."
Relief washed over her. She'd been suffering that damn list for a couple weeks now and was none to happy with the idea of sticking to it for the foreseeable future. She leaned into him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "You're the best."
He kissed her back more tenderly then replied, "I know." He snuggled into her resting his chin on her shoulder as she returned to the book she was reading. After a moment he added, "He means well, but he forgets that things in life are supposed to be enjoyable sometimes."
Louisa nodded, "He does."
He squeezed her gently, "Good thing he's got us to remind him."
Martin was very lucky. And she was too—especially after everything she'd put Mark through after calling off their relationship the first time. He was an undimmable light she had found a way to almost snuff out. And she could not be happier that not only had he forgiven her and rekindled their friendship almost a year ago, but now he had let her back into his heart again along with Martin.
She leaned in to add, "And good thing I have you," before kissing his forehead.