Gemma B.E. Higgs (travellingstar) wrote in lazarustheic, @ 2017-07-08 02:12:00 |
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Entry tags: | !thread, character: adrian pucey, retired character: gemma higgs |
who ? Gemma Higgs & Adrian Pucey
when ? Friday 7th July, midday
where ? Gemma's place
what ? more discussing of the baby
warnings/rating ? sfw
status ? completed in docs
It had been weeks since they'd last talked - well, properly talked about the baby. They had seen each other and talked since then but they hadn't really talked about that. Gemma was appreciative of the fact Adrian had been giving her the space and hadn't been pushing her for any decisions or anything. However, she knew they couldn't avoid talking about it even if there was still time to decide; besides, she was starting to realise that it all seemed kind of pointless to wait when they'd already discussed they were keeping the baby and not giving it up in any kind of manner. Which is why she had invited Adrian over for lunch, that she was currently finishing preparations for, and made mention of the fact that she wanted for them to talk. Gemma heard Butterscotch bark and the scuffling of her feet as the dog headed for the front door. Setting the last of lunch on the table she headed there, and smiled when she opened it and saw Adrian on the other side. "Hi," she greeted. She was genuinely pleased to see him, albeit still somewhat nervous when it came to anything to do with the baby and she hoped that that wouldn't always be the case. "I've got lunch on the table ready. Just let me put Butterscotch outside and I'll be right there with you," she added with a smile, as she let Adrian into the house and closing the door behind them both. -- There were a lot of things that Adrian wanted to talk about. There were a lot of decisions to be made, a lot of things to sort out, and plans to set into place. He had found it difficult to keep himself from bringing the topic up with Gemma when they saw one another, but he had been concerned with pushing her too far too fast. It was a lot to handle for him, but he knew she must be experiencing things ten times more stressful than anything he was feeling. There was still time to decide, yes, but he was happy when Gemma invited him over to talk about things. She'd brought it up, so perhaps she was ready to sort through things now. He arrived at her home on time and knocked. He flashed her a smile when she opened the door and nodded at her direction. "Alright," he agreed. He paused briefly, long enough to steal a kiss in greeting, before stepping aside. While she put the dog outside, he went to settle at the table. -- Butterscotch usually wasn't ever a bother when she had people over and was trying to talk to them, but this was one time when she wanted as few distractions as possible. After making sure that Butterscotch had food and water outside, Gemma came back and sat down next to Adrian. It was a decisive move since the last thing she wanted was to give even an appearance of there being space between them. With bottles of water and juice on the table she couldn't even use getting them drinks as a way of prolonging the start of them talking. "How have you been?" she asked. A little small talk to start with wouldn't do any harm whatsoever, and she did actually care about how he was doing. -- He could tell that Gemma had a lot on her mind by the way she prolonged the start of the conversation with the bit of small talk. He let her, though. Giving a little smile, he reached out to gently brush some of her hair behind her ear. "I've been okay," he said. He was more concerned about how she was feeling. "What about you? How are you feeling?" He'd read up some on pregnancy and the struggles that the first bit of it would bring. He wished there was something he could do to help her through the worst of it. -- "You mean aside from feeling tired and nauseated?" she said with a slight chuckle. "I've been okay, and I'm managing alright at the moment." Gemma was less of a fan of the tiredness than she was the nausea; having an almost distinct lack of energy when she'd had so much in the past was taking some getting used to. "So... there's a couple things I wanted to talk about," she told him, folding her hands on the table in front of her. "Um... first is... well, it's more that it's something I should probably tell you?" Gemma knew she didn't have to tell him but if they were going to go through this she had to trust that they could talk about anything. "I mean, I've already kind of mentioned it before when I told you the news but... I can't seem to stop myself from worrying that you're staying because you feel like you should and that I don't want you to end up regretting it later," she explained, a slight frown on her face. "I know you told me then it wasn't the case at all but... I just can't seem to help it..." -- He gave her a look of sympathy when she said she felt tired and nauseated. He was glad she was doing alright that day, though. Small favors. "Well, on the bright side, there's always naps," he said. He knew that her worries about him staying out of obligation weren't going to go away easily. He'd have to prove that he was staying for more than that. He refused to lie and say that it wasn't at least partially out of obligation, or at least that it played into giving him more reasons to want to be with Gemma, but it wasn't entirely that by any means. "I know that you're worried that I'll regret staying. I could promise you that I won't, but I'm not going to promise that because you probably won't believe that I can promise it anyway. All I can do is tell you that the obligation of a child is not the only reason that I want to be with you, Gemma. I love you. I enjoy being around you. You make me happy. The baby isn't the only reason that I'm here. You'll just have to take my word on that and let me prove it to you with my actions." He let out a breath and leaned in enough to press a kiss to Gemma's forehead. "Is there anything I can say to ease your worries?" -- Gemma smiled at that. "There've definitely been quite a few more naps than usual." It was something Butterscotch was a fan of since it meant that the golden retriever could curl up on the bed in the crook of her legs. She nodded and gave a slightly watery smile when Adrian finished by saying she'd have to trust him and to let him prove it. "That's what Siobhan kind of told me when I told her about it after telling her that I was pregnant," she responded. "I just need to trust in you and how you feel about me, and hopefully do my best to not worry so much about it." Gemma closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. "Keep doing things like that, and telling me how you feel about me and that I don't really need to worry will probably go a long way to helping," she replied. It wasn't going to be an instant fix, she knew that, but little reminders like that would go a ways of relieving her of any of them. "Though I guess that would kind of bring us to the second thing," she added nervously. "Which is a little more serious." -- He was thankful that Siobhan seemed to be guiding Gemma to believing in what he told her. He appreciated the woman's attitude toward the situation. "I know it's not easy to not worry. And I know that we didn't plan for this and that there are a lot of uncertainties ahead of the two of us." He paused after that, shook his head, and smiled a little. "The three of us," he amended. "I think that we can make it through, though," he said. "Together." He was glad that Gemma seemed at least a little less worried. If telling her how he felt about things was all she needed to at least help her feel more confident in the situation, he would gladly tell her every day. "I think I can handle that," he said. As for her more serious topics and that nervousness in her tone, he tilted his head slightly. "I think I can handle some seriousness," he said. "What is it?" -- The three of us. That was something she was unsurprisingly still getting used to but she was slowly coming around to it; at the very least it wasn't quite nearly so terrifying as it was at first. Oh, she was still plenty nervous and worried but it somehow wasn't seeming so terrifying as it had. Gemma nodded and smiled when Adrian said they'd get through it together. Gemma sent Adrian a reassuring smile, because although it was serious it wasn't anything bad. "I know it's maybe kind of early to talk about um living arrangements, but I thought maybe it would be a good thing to maybe have figured out sooner than later?" she explained. Though partly it had a little to do with thinking that it'd feel as if she'd have one less thing to worry about if it did get decided. -- The mention of living arrangements wasn't really all that surprising. It was something he knew they'd have to talk about at some point. "I think it's probably best to figure it out before the baby comes," he agreed. "Did you have a preference on how that would go?" he asked. "Would you rather us try to move in together or continue to live separately?" That, he thought, was the first step of the process. Once they knew that, they could move forward to see their options with whichever preference she may have. She'd wanted him to tell her his opinions on things, so he decided that he should probably tell her how he felt. "I think it might be better if we were to live together," he admitted. "Partly to get used to cohabitating before the baby comes and because once the baby is here it would make it easier to take care of the child if we were together than it would be if we were splitting the time between two places." -- As for the exact living arrangements she hadn't really thought that far, except that both options had merit albeit different ones. Gemma gave a shake of her head. "Not exactly?" she replied with a shrug. Gemma had been about to answer with what she did think but Adrian had beaten her to it. "That would make sense," she said in agreement. It really did make sense, and it was something she had been starting to consider herself when she had started trying to picture how it would all work out. "I mean, we both live pretty near each other but that's not exactly conducive to looking after a baby." If it was a much older child the living situation would likely be quite different and separate living arrangements could indeed be possibly. In this instance it really didn't make sense to. "I guess the question now is whose place it is that we'll live in?" she suggested, a little wary. -- Adrian was glad that they seemed to be in some sort of agreement as to which option seemed better. Her next question may have served to be a more complicated one, but Adrian wasn't terribly attached to his own residence. While it was a nice house and he enjoyed living in it, he hadn't moved into it suspecting it would be the last house that he would ever own. "Well, I'm not completely tied to my own," he told her. "Are you more attached to yours? Would you want me to be here?" He wouldn't have minded that because Gemma had a lovely home. It all really depended on what her preference ended up being. "I guess the third option would be that we could find something together," he offered. "If one or the other wasn't the best option." -- Gemma instantly knew it wasn't something she could even try and lie about. Her house had been the first thing she'd bought after she'd been playing pro Quidditch for a bit. It had almost, minus a few years, been her home for as long as she'd lived with her parents. So she knew it would be hard to give up, and terrible though it might be she would at least try to consider it if they decided on the third option of finding somewhere else. "I don't think I could even pretend to lie and say no," she said with a chuckle. "And I wouldn't mind you being there - it's got more than enough space to accommodate more than just us three. But... I guess I'd just want to be sure you were comfortable being there, and that it felt like your space too or that it was our space rather than it just be us sharing my house. Does that make sense?" Gemma nodded. "That's definitely an option, and although it'd be hard to give my place up but if it was for the best for us then I would at least try." -- He could tell that Gemma really wanted to keep her house. He knew she probably had many reasons for wanting to stay in it and she was entitled to every one of those reasons. When she admitted that she would find it difficult to give up her home, he smiled at her. "Then there's no reason that you should have to give it up," he said. "Like I said, I don't really have any attachment to my place. I could put it on the market anytime and get back what I paid in on it, surely." It was a nice enough home that it shouldn't be a problem to find someone who wanted to move into it. It wasn't something he had to do right that moment anyway, but it was still an option that he could consider. Her worries that he wouldn't be comfortable in her space or would think of it as hers and not his as well had him shaking his head. "I'm sure it'll take some getting used to, sure, but I don't think it would be all that hard to settle in," he assured her. "Especially if it means I get to wake up to your pretty face every day." -- Gemma leaned over and pressed a kiss to Adrian's cheek, "Thank you," she said with an almost bright smile. Although she would've been willing to give it up, it was such a relief that with as many changes that were happening that this was one thing that would stay constant. "I mean, I'll still feel kind of bad that you have to give your place up but... it really is kind of a relief to not have to give this up or worry about moving." She couldn't help but chuckle when Adrian said it'd be okay if it meant waking up next to her every day. "Well, with a baby who is likely to wake us constantly I get the feeling that'll happen a fair bit," she joked. "You are sure you don't mind?" -- "You're already putting up with the most changes out of the two of us," he said. It was true, after all. While he might have to move house, Gemma was the one growing another human being inside of her body. She was the one with the morning sickness and she would be the one to give birth. If moving house was the biggest thing that he had to cope with, Adrian considered himself to be quite lucky. "I think I can handle moving house." He smiled at the mention of the baby waking them up. The thought of being a father still scared him a great deal, but it was also something he found himself thinking about often. He looked forward to it in many ways. He shook his head at her question. "No," he said. "I don't mind. I promise." -- And half... or rather the big changes hadn't even happened yet, though at times she did find herself wondering how she would feel when she felt the baby kick for the first time amongst other moments. "I'm glad you don't mind," she murmured, leaning over and resting her head against his shoulder. "And even though I still kind of worry and that I know I'll have my family's support, it really does mean a lot knowing that you'll be there too." Gemma had realised that with all her worrying that she hadn't told Adrian that. Instead she'd only mentioned how she worried and not once mentioning that she appreciated his support as much as she did her family's; even if she hadn't yet told her parents or nan. After a moment she straightened up in her seat. "Logically I suppose the next question should be when? But that maybe is a bit early, so maybe we can focus on lunch for a bit and then talk some more?" she suggested. -- Adrian ran his fingers soothingly through Gemma's hair. "We'll sort out those worries eventually," he promised. She had the right to worry. They hadn't been together very long and all he could really do to prove the way he felt about her and about the situation was to carry on the way he'd been thus far. Eventually she'd realize that he was in this because he wanted to be. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, he hummed softly, then pulled back when she did. Her question was a good one. "We can sort out the when soon enough," he told her. "Maybe a few weeks?" It would give him enough time to start packing things up and getting his affairs in order. "For now, I think that lunch and talking is a perfect plan." -- Gemma couldn't help but close her eyes, Adrian's voice and the way he ran his fingers through her hair felt very soothing, and for a moment it felt a little like her worries didn't quite matter nearly so much. Of course such moments can't last forever but it helped make her feel better and that felt just as good. "That sounds good," she replied. A few weeks would also give her time to organise the spare room and shift all of the Cannons merchandise Arran had given her over time. Although she suspected they would quite possibly share her bed, Gemma wanted Adrian to have some space that felt like his - at least until things started feeling more like a 'theirs' rather than his/hers. Though it did make her wonder if she should look at getting a room extension added for the baby's nursery, but that was probably something they could talk about when they decided on the moving date. "I completely agree," she said with a smile. "I'm really glad we could talk today." -- Adrian smiled, catching Gemma's chin with his fingertips so he could tilt her head enough to press a kiss to her lips. "Me too," he said. "We make a pretty good team, don't you think?" he asked. He thought so. Things could have been even more conflicting if they disagreed on more than they did. He was happy that they had been in agreement with most things thus far. Maybe things hadn't been easy to accept, but Adrian was content to believe that they'd make a new plan that would work out for both the two of them and the baby. "Was there anything else you wanted to discuss today?" he asked her. -- Gemma smiled against his lips and returned the kiss. "I think we do, yes. Given the circumstances I think we've been doing rather well," she replied with a smile. Down the road there might be, and probably would be, moments where they disagreed with each other but for now the fact that they were in agreement with each other was one less bit of stress. Fighting was the last thing wanted whether it was with Adrian or anyone else for that matter. She shook her head slightly. "No, that was it. Unless there's something you want to talk about?" she responded. Gemma then remembered the owl she'd gotten just the other day. "There is one thing I almost forgot about. Um the healers asked me to come in for my first scan within the next week or so. It's mostly just to check the dating and to make sure baby is progressing and all that. Uh, I... would you like to come along?" -- Adrian thought they were doing well also. He was glad that, despite how unexpected the circumstance was, that they had managed to figure it out thus far. It wasn't going to be easy, but it was going to be okay. They'd get through it together. He was pretty sure that once their baby was born, that it would all be worth it. All of the fears wouldn't evaporate, but they would be worth it to have a healthy baby. There may be disagreements in the future on how to raise their child or what color to paint the nursery or even what they wanted to name their baby, but they'd find a way to make it work. Being invited to the first scan made Adrian smile. "Yes," he said immediately. "I'd like that. And any others you want me to come along to. We're in this together, right? Just let me know what days and what times and I'll make sure to be available." -- Gemma smiled, reaching for and squeezing his hand, as she leaned in to kiss him briefly. "Of course, and I will definitely let you know when the next one is happening - there's really only one more after this one," she replied. As far as she'd been made aware there was usually only a couple of scans unless any issues popped up, or if she happened to request for any extra. However many scans she ended up having though she would definitely love having him there. "So since I went to just a little trouble of making lunch for us both I think we should probably take the time to eat it?" she suggested with a chuckle. "Though we can certainly talk more afterwards or... well, I could definitely go for talking and cuddling." -- Adrian smiled. "We should probably eat," he agreed. "Can't let all of your hard work go to waste." His stomach was growling a little anyway. "I think that cuddling and talking is just the way to spend the rest of the evening," he agreed, pulling her in close so he could steal one more kiss. "Emphasis on the cuddling." |