ciɳɗy (ciɳɗɛʀɛʆʆɑ) ѵɑkɑʀiɑɳ (silvershoes) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2017-06-06 19:28:00 |
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Garrus had gone to a pharmacy, selected about a dozen different pregnancy tests, approached the counter and received strange looks and behold - he gave very little fucks, or really, just not at all. Ones that were advertised to let you know the news merely five days before your next period! and ones that were digital, that either spelled out the word ‘pregnant’ succinctly or gave a smiley face upon a positive result. Ones with two lines, plus signs, ones that gave a ballpark timeframe of how far along the person would be. He didn’t expect Cindy to pee on all of them, but he also wanted to be sure and if the result was, ultimately, negative (they’d just do the process again, however many times his wife felt comfortable about it) they’d have spare ones. Bigby was the first to greet him at the door, all purrs and chirps, bowtie around his neck and ready to rub around his owner’s ankles (and spread his fur around, the fucker) for love and attention. Garrus, on the other hand, often interpreted the gesture as stepping over tripwire and hoping he didn’t step on the damn creature. Though if he did? The cat deserved it for slinking around and under his feet. “Got them, Cind,” called the turian-in-disguise, two bags in his hands, and something to drink. “And a gallon of Sunny D. Like that one movie.” Where a teenager was named after a Roman goddess, got pregnant young, and had a hamburger phone. It was on late the other night - don’t hold it against him. It took Cindy a second to figure out what the fuck Garrus was even talking about - because just giving her a clue like ‘Sunny D’ didn’t really ring any bells. But then, oh, right. Juno. Though she really hoped she had a significantly easier pregnancy than the main character (if she was even pregnant at all) - then again, not being a teenager, alone, in some podunk town probably helped. “Thanks, honey,” she called back, scooting in wearing her boy shorts and a shirt she’d stolen from her husband’s collection (because it fit her like a dress, clearly) to greet him and check out this drugstore bounty. A zillion different kinds of pregnancy tests and the aforementioned sugar water - well, if that didn’t get her to piss like a racehorse, nothing would. “I actually have been getting up to go pretty frequently lately, but this’ll help.” She twisted the cap off, chugging straight from the bottle - who needed something classy like a glass anyway? She had positive thoughts for all of this. A good feeling, almost like butterflies. Her period was late and her tits hurt - both she considered good signs in terms of being knocked up, which happened to be what they were going for, so she’d just assume her hCG levels were super awesome. Already she’d started reading baby books, and right now the littlest Vakarian would, in theory, be the size of an orange seed. Yet still developing rapidly, which was kind of crazy to think about. Back in his more advanced civilized life a scan of the omni-tool (and any visor worth a damn) could detect any biological chances, pregnancy included - and that would have been cheaper in the long run, but this wasn’t two hundred years in the future and there was something a little more, ah, exciting, maybe? About the stick tests. Garrus tried to explain it once, but he articulated awkwardly like he often had a habit of doing when something flustered him. A mix of the anticipation, how normal it felt during these times, and hey - if Cindy wanted to take a couple pictures of it like most women did, she’d have the proof. But he’d also maybe give her a scan at the end of it just so they were extra sure. Garrus couldn’t emphasize on how much he desired absolute certainty. “You’ve got to at least pee for five seconds on these things,” he said, dropping a kiss to her forehead as she chugged the sugary orangeade. “I figured a little extra help wouldn’t hurt, and I got several different ones for consistency purposes.” Ahem. As she could clearly see, and the first box he pulled out was purple and had the digital smiley/frowny face results. Cindy would never complain about normalcy - and hell, a pregnancy test with a smiley face on it almost seemed like a rite of passage. But she also wasn’t going to turn down a scan with the omni tool either, nor would she forego making a doctor’s appointment depending on the results. If they were positive, she’d want a checkup to make sure everything was on course. If they were negative, she’d be ready for another round of insemination. Not the most fun thing in the world, but she was aware that not everyone got lucky on the first try - after three failed attempts was when medical professionals began looking deeper, at potential causes for the procedure not working, but she hoped she wouldn’t get to that point. “Five seconds of pee?” she chuckled, wiping her mouth after downing half that bottle of Sunny D. Blech. It wasn’t her favorite drink, shall we say. But it would do the job. “That’s a lot of pissing but I think I can handle it.” She waited for nature to call, taking the box and studying it. “I’ll pee on all of these like a champion. But to kick things off - be right back.” Their first stick test! How exciting. Cindy never thought she’d be here, at any point in her life (because she’d never even been sure if she wanted kids), and yet it was actually happening. Yes, five seconds of the stick at least being in the golden stream - all the boxes said it. Garrus hoped the procedure had been a one-hit-wonder, though. If this took, she’d have a long stretch medical pokes and prods in the future. One less trip to the doctor where things had to be squirted into her would be nice. Men really led a blessed life when it came to procreating, didn’t they. “Good luck,” he smirked with seemingly human lips, all calm and collected on the outside but this was Garrus Vakarian and he was fretting, internally, expressed in the way he toyed with the enchanted wrist watch keeping him presentable to civilization. “And when you’re done I can start the timer and pace a trench in the living room for about two minutes? Seems about right.” Or they could hover over the stick until a frown or smile appeared. But it was likely he’d pace. “Try not to pace too deep a trench, I just polished the hardwood,” she quipped - right, because sometimes Cinderella did housework, in an effort to share the burdens equally. Her husband knew better than to make jokes about it though - it had already happened once, during that rather enchanting time when a spell in the air made everyone hate each other. She’d smashed a bottle of wine and destruction befell plenty of other things too. Cinderella and ‘cleaning’ comments did not go hand in hand. But anyway, to the bathroom she went. Thanks to the pretty generous dosage of Sunny D, she managed that five seconds of going ‘number one’ and then some - and after, she washed her hands thoroughly and just...now to wait. With the stick. Waiting for the damn results to appear. Smiley or frowny? Only time would tell. She sat on the toilet with the lid closed, leaving the test on the sink counter. Only occasionally, her baby blues darted toward that stick. Not like she was nervous. Maybe a little. And on cue, the timer on his watch was set, and they’d have to wait out those tortuous seconds (some pacing was involved, obviously) that wrecked his nerves because what the hell, he’d never expected to be in this situation. Garrus never planned to settle down, start a family of his own - he’d been so focused tracking scum without the restriction of red tape that it was all he’d known. All he’d thought he’d know. Steel and gunfire suited him. And yet. They had planned this. They had wanted this - this would be no accident. “Time’s up,” he spoke up after what felt like an eternity. Garrus cracked opened the bathroom door and his eyes were magnets at the stick, yet he couldn’t see the result yet. “We can look at it together. Or - I can look at it first, whatever you’re comfortable with?” It was her oven that they were hoping was occupied, after all. He had butterflies. Fucking butterflies. Oh, trust and believe, Cindy had already looked at that stick. She’d counted the seconds in her head, starting at one Mississippi and going until enough time passed. That was why she was grinning goofily as she flung open the bathroom door and launched herself at Garrus like a wrecking ball, all references to the terrible Miley Cyrus song aside. “Congrats, you managed to knock me up even in the non-traditional sort of way,” she wheezed, tears beginning to leak from her eyes and wet her lashes (no, really, it was just raining on her face...) because she was happy and also hormones. This was just a small taste of what was to come. If she got through this without burning down Orange County in a rage because she couldn’t find Ben and Jerry’s ‘Karamel Sutra’ in any store, then she’d consider herself lucky. Once she let go, she swiped the test and proudly showed him the ‘I’m pregnant, honey!’ smiley face. Spirits. Cindy was tiny but she’d manage to knock a little wind out of his lungs, you see - that, wrapped with the news of knocked me up even in the non-traditional sort of way, he needed a couple seconds to ground himself. His arms went around her instinctively to hold her in place, a little high above the ground, and he blinked his powder-blue eyes wide as time, briefly, stood still. “Whhhh -” Coherence was something Garrus was working on. Spare him a moment. Indeed, that was a smiley face. “Should you - maybe you - pee, on all of them, should we make sure??” Alright, yes, in retrospect peeing on all of the sticks would probably be overkill but this was a moment where foot-in-mouth could be expected, and that was a fucking smiley face. Doubts damned, he pressed his hands on her cheeks and leaned down to kiss her, several times, over and over - one of the least things he could do for the mother of his child. “If you want me to pee on all of ‘em, I think we’re gonna need more Sunny D,” Cindy replied breathlessly, sweet tea southern drawl making an appearance; sometimes it happened, when she just let herself go and didn’t remember that she’d all but erased the accent anyway. It was who she was, a girl from Georgia with a ‘royal’ family that had money, would take their mint julep recipe to the grave, and made their fortune off of indigo plantations. Any child would know that history too. She kissed her husband in return, of course, big ol’ sloppy kisses that were overflowing with so much joy - god, she could just shit rainbows right now. Hopefully that wasn’t a side effect of being knocked up. There were a thousand things she needed to remember to do and plan out. Like a make a doctor’s appointment, for one. Apparently pregnancy brain could kick in pretty early so she would have to put in extra effort or something. “Should you use the omni-tool also?” she wanted to know, feet touching the floor once more - though she kept her hands on Garrus’ shoulders, looking up. It sucked being short sometimes. Right, right, the omni-tool - probably a more easier, effective way of making extra sure. It was capable of many things; dispensing medicine, fixing electronics, downloads, hacks and body scans to test out the different levels of certain chemicals and body functions. Detecting HCG levels was one of its more primitive functions, and he went to retrieve the tool from a compartment hidden in one of the kitchen drawers. Remember, folks. The Vakarian household had all sorts of upgrades, secret nooks and weapons for those inevitable in-case scenarios here in Orange County. It has served them well. “Got it,” he said, attaching the little tool to his arm and then activating it - orange holographics lit, a datafeed beginning. Then a scan net extended out, and once Cindy stood still it looked her from head to toe, and then after only a couple seconds, Garrus examined the numbers. There were no signs of disappointment. It was clear relief, mouth tilting into a smirk. “Well, those pregnancy hormones are high, and are showing a steady increase it seems.” Meaning it was definite and real, assuming nothing happened between now and the twelve week marker of ‘it’s safe.’ Now began a set of new stressors. Getting pregnant was one thing, and staying pregnant - nature’s gamble, especially this early - was the next thing. “We’ll schedule an appointment then, as soon as possible.” He might need a paper bag to hyperventilate in soon. In a good way. Hearing the phrase ‘those pregnancy hormones are high’ automatically made Cindy feel so much better. It’s not that she didn’t trust the test (or her own body - obviously something was up, given the way she felt) but just hearing that extra confirmation didn’t hurt at all. It boosted her confidence in thinking that everything would be okay - they would have a healthy baby, after so much careful planning and fairly expensive medical treatments. Let’s be honest, getting knocked up in a clinic wasn’t cheap. “Good,” she sighed, with a grin, hand automatically going to her abdomen - nothing showing yet, still with the tiny waist, but that would soon change. A lot. “We won’t tell the families yet either, not until after the first trimester?” That was pretty standard, wasn’t it? She’d want to be out of ‘the danger zone’ before spreading the news. She might tell a friend or two though - she’d promised Katherine an update. And she assumed Garrus might mention something to Neal, which was fine with her. Those numbers were comforting. No doubt Garrus would take regular readings if it was fine with her - merely to make sure all was well, and if anything seemed off they’d detect it early. A couple punches to the holographic keyboard turned the scan and displays off, “We’ll wait, definitely,” he concurred, swooping his arm over her waist. He pulled her in, dropping a kiss to that button nose of hers. “Let’s just...see where the first appointment takes us and wait to make sure everything’s alright.” Hell, there was still a part of him hesitant to tell anyone out of jinxing it - not something he ever believed in until here. Knock on wood, throw salt, something. But he’d tell Neal, definitely. A father of two, he’d know the motions of it all, and he knew of what their plans were anyway. “Sounds good to me,” Cindy exhaled again, but she was still grinning kind of stupidly. Already she was planning what cute things they could put in a nursery - there was a spare room doubling as an office that would work great as a baby’s room in the near future - and no doubt she’d be coming Pinterest to get even more idead. God, what had happened to her? A note would also be sent to Leliana later too. No doubt she’d make excited squealing noises and want to chip in with the Pinterest browsing. Come to think of it, Cindy was looking forward to that whole pigging out idea Katherine had also. Provided morning sickness (or...any time of day sickness) didn’t kick in. She flung her arms around Garrus again, giving him a kiss. “I love you, Vakarian. I wouldn’t want anyone else to knock me up.” No doubt there’d be someone long distance going to Pinterest with her. Nightingale, married and nestled comfortably with her soldier, would sing at the sound of her baby bird’s news. Whatever the project or craving Garrus expected to cater to Cindy’s every whim, even repainting the chosen room ten times over if she kept ping-ponging back on the right shade of whatever for the walls. From what he’d heard from Neal and Pete, pregnancy hormones were intense. He hoisted Cindy up with a hand on her ass, and the other lead her legs around his waist - latch on, princess. “Damn, Mrs. Vakarian, that’s a hell of a compliment,” he huffed a laugh. “Good to know. I’d want no one else’s supportive hips bearing mine.” They were doing this. Really doing this. If he thought reality hit him when they were in the medical room with her knees up in the air, then he clearly underestimated the experience of this. And it felt good. “I don’t know, we’ll find out how supportive my hips really are,” Cindy laughed, hanging on with her legs hooked around her sturdy husband, arms encircling his shoulders - soon, she’d be big and rather awkwardly-shaped so he probably wouldn’t get to do this. “Just be there for me if I potentially break something.” Her own torso included. They really were doing this, and it had yet to sink in fully - maybe when she first heard the heartbeat at the ultrasound, it would. Or when they were turning the guest room into a nursery. Or when she was about to push out a football into this world - only time would tell, but she was looking forward to the adventure either way. Cindy had handled a castle come undone all around her, through the dreams - there was nothing she couldn’t do, he was convinced of it. Or maybe that was the utter husband bias in him talking, completely smitten by his wife and all of who she was. Andit was nature all around, in humans and in any other intelligent species to find their mate so completely and irrevocably attractive when they were carrying their young. Garrus’ own laugh eased into a throaty chuckle, one stifled by the other kiss he’d given her. Something sweet and soft, for once not on those hardened turian mandibles. “I’m with you, all the way,” he promised. It didn’t need to be said, but he liked saying it nonetheless. They were partners, after all - throughout guns and life. And she liked hearing it as well, after a time where she was emotionally cracked and beaten down from a pretty bad relationship (a string of them, actually - after the failed first marriage, she apparently had some ‘fun’ with all the wrong men, though it wasn’t really much fun at all). However, she’d learned to trust again - to actually love again, maybe even love for the first time; she couldn’t say she’d actually loved her first husband, not really. Not in this all-encompassing, unconditional sort of way. Garrus was the right person for her, and she’d honestly known that from the initial Oktoberfest date. With a sunburned nose and beer in a funnel. “Just where you should be,” she chuckled, giving him another kiss - human lips or Turian mandibles, she’d be smooching on him either way. “I’m kinda hungry now though. I’ve been too nervous to eat but I could go for...hm. A tofu milkshake.” Not even a strange craving. It was the type of rabbit food Cindy ate on a regular basis. Tofu was common in this household. Hell, common with Cindy overall - both just so happened to have very specific diets, didn’t they? His eyes squinted, slyly. “Interested to see if your appetite’s ever going to lean on the carnivorous side with your little passenger,” he mused. Garrus had heard legends about those infamous pregnancy cravings; he’d not be surprised. Wouldn’t even really question it if she batted her pretty sapphire eyes at him and asked for bacon, either. That’d be the day. He set her back onto her dainty feet gently. His hands, though, they kept to her ass - he drummed on them a little. “Let’s go, we’ll celebrate. Maybe I’ll get one too and we’ll both get morning sickness.” Vomiting in solidarity with his expecting wife, why not? It was what romance was made of. |