i see my future in your eyes

Nora placed the shopping bag on the island in the kitchen, looking nervously over at her best friend, Anette. "God, I'm scared." She admitted quietly, grateful that Michael and Anette's boyfriend, Luke, were in the studio that day to write for the new album; meaning that the girls had the day to themselves once more. Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Nora grabbed the orange juice from the fridge and poured two glasses, biting her lip, trying not to lose herself in her thoughts.

Luke strummed mindlessly at an acoustic guitar, listening to Calum track some demo vocals. "I think that sounds good." He told Michael, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. The lyrics Calum was singing sounded good bound together, this particular song reminding him of his girlfriend, Anette, having written the first verse with her in mind. "Up to you man, I think that could work."

Anette stared at the bag for a long moment, feeling her heart racing in her chest as she chewed anxiously on her lip. "Yeah, I know what you mean," she said, looking to her friend for a moment. A lot of their days had been quiet lately, but they'd had each other to rely on while their boyfriends were busy with the album, and, at least, with Luke and Michael being busy with the album, it left her and Nora to figure out what was going on with them alone, without the nervousness she was sure they'd feel if Luke or Michael had been included in their assumptions. Reaching for the glass, she took a sip, thinking. "At least, if they come back negative, we can just pretend this never happened. And, with them not here with us, it's not putting all of us on edge with anxiety."

Michael listened to the others quietly, nodding slightly. "I think it flows well, too," he added, hoping to encourage Calum a bit as he offered a small grin, "And it fits the beat so far, too." But, really, a part of him wanted to finish this song up, figuring that maybe they could take a break when they were done or they could call it a day and he could go home to Nora. With how busy things had been with writing the music, he only really got to see her at night, and he wanted to make the most of that, spend the moments with her that he could so that she didn't feel forgotten.

Nora nodded in agreement. "And if they come back positive?" She leaned against the counter, studying her best friend. "It would be hilarious that we both got knocked up at the same time." She smiled weakly, trying to ease their anxiety as she took a sip of orange juice. "Alright, do you wanna... you know, go first?" She blinked at how stupid she sounded. "I can wait outside the bathroom, if you want?" She suggested to Anette calmly, although internally, she was terrified. "The boys will be done in a few hours."

Luke nodded along with Michael's words, giving a thumbs up to Calum. "It's good, Cal!" He called, staring at his phone and wondering if he should text Anette. Writing for the newest album had been time consuming to say the least, and he felt guilty that he'd been putting Anette on the side. Luke had been lucky enough to call Anette his since high school, and he knew that, despite her amazing support of the band, him being in the studio all day, every day wasn't fair on her.

"Well... Then, we tell them," Anette said with a weak shrug, though she offered an amused smile with the mention of it. "That would be our luck. At least we'd know our babies wouldn't grow up alone. It could be worse." She chewed on her lip, then, thinking, and nodded slightly. "Yeah, okay, um... I'll go do mine and label it and put it aside, then you can do yours, and we can wait a bit, then look at them together?" Mostly, she wanted to delay looking at the result for as long as possible, really.

Michael breathed out with relief, glad that that part was over, hoping that the rest of the session would go smoothly. His eyes wandered to his own phone and he flicked it on just to see Nora's face, hopeful that today was going well for her. As much as he loved recording and working on the music with his friends, he always found himself craving her presence, even when he knew he'd go home to her in a few hours. It'd always been like that, though, even back when they first got together in high school; she was his drive, his muse. "Alright, let's move on to the next bit, yeah?" he suggested, though he didn't look away from his phone just yet, taking note of the time, mentally counting the hours, minutes until he could go home to Nora.

Nora nodded. "Oh god," Nora whined. "Imagine these possible kids getting Luke and Michael's craziness. The world's not gonna know what hit it." She nudged Anette with a faint smile. Grabbing the shopping bag, Nora handed Anette the pregnancy test, grabbing her own. Taking Anette's hand gently, knowing she was nervous and needed a push, Nora lead Anette down the hallway she had memorised. Pushing open the bathroom door and planting herself onto the ground, Nora held her knees up to her chest. "Alright... good luck. Call me if you need me." She offered Anette a weak smile.

Luke nudged Michael. "Your turn to track, man. Then we'll call it a day." Luke promised. It was already early evening, and Luke knew that Anette and Nora had planned a girly day to themselves. All he wanted to do was pick up Anette, get home, and make the most of her being by his side, knowing he'd have to leave her once more early hours the next morning. As much as Luke loved 5 Seconds of Summer and his three best friends, the love he felt for Anette was so wonderfully consuming, and the more long days Luke had away from her, the longer they were beginning to feel.

Anette laughed quietly. "Imagine them getting their talents, though," she said with a small smile, her heart swelling a bit with the thought, despite her nervousness about everything else. She paused when Nora grabbed the tests and Anette reached into her purse for a permanent marker to mark hers before handing it to Nora. When they got to the room, though, she stared at the bathroom for a long moment, her fingers curled around the test. "Oh, man, I don't think I've been this nervous to pee in my life," she tried to joke, making a face, but she took a breath and headed into the bathroom. After she dealt with the test, she set it down on the counter, staring at it for a few moments before she walked out of the bathroom, not wanting to be in there, counting down the seconds, and looked to Nora. "Your turn."

"Awesome. I'll nail it first shot," Michael joked, sure that he actually wouldn't, but hopeful that he would, because the sooner this was over, the sooner he could go home and hold Nora in his arms and just be with her. They were so close to finishing the songs, so close to being done with this, and he knew that was amazing, he did, but he wanted to just make up for all the lost time, feeling like he'd been letting Nora down with how often he was busy lately, like he'd been neglecting her. Heading into the booth, he started his turn on the track, letting himself get lost in it, because the more he did that, the easier it was to land his parts.

Nora stood from her feet, swallowing the anxious lump in her throat as she nodded, taking the permanent marker back from Anette. Heading into the bathroom, Nora shut the door and took a deep breath to calm herself. Once she'd finished the test, she drew a small love heart on the back so she knew it was hers. "Done." She called to Anette, her voice shaking slightly as she tried to steady her hands, wiping her palms on her jeans nervously.

Luke watched Michael take to the booth, glancing at his phone once more, smiling at the lockscreen image: a photo of himself and Anette that she had taken, both of them tired eyed and hair dishevelled, but it truly was his favourite photo of them. Feeling his heart clench slightly, Luke watched Michael and exhaled, wishing that time would pass just that little faster, wanting to get the album done so his concentration could go into Anette.

Anette sat on the bed, waiting nervously, hearing her pulse in her ears as if it was the clock she was supposed to be using to keep track of the time. Her hands were clasped tightly in her lap as she waited, looking up when Nora came out, and she offered a weak, worried smile. "Now, I guess we just... Wait," she murmured quietly, shifting a bit to give some room for Nora to sit down beside her. She pulled out her phone and set the timer for them, waiting anxiously as she watched the time tick away.

Michael did a few takes in the booth, just so they'd have a few to choose from, but also because he was so ready to get home that he knew he'd screwed up at least one or two of them. When he finished, he made his way out of the booth, rubbing at the back of his neck. "So, we're done, right?" he asked for clarification, ready to get back to Nora, wanting to see her face in person rather than the screen on his phone. He wanted to feel her in his arms, take in her scent, just enjoy the warmth and comfort and love that she brought. "I can't wait to get home and see Nora, honestly."

Nora rested her head on Anette's shoulder, showing a silent solidarity with her best friend. "We've got this." She promised, knowing deep within her that the test was going to be positive, but not wanting to say it out loud. Staring at the wall, the two minutes that Anette had set on her phone seemed to take a lifetime. Being yanked out of her thoughts as the phone beeped continuously, Nora ignored her racing heart, gripping to her test. "Okay... ready?"

Luke nodded, understanding Michael's turmoil more than anyone. "We're done." Luke confirmed. "Ashton and Calum are staying behind to run things past the producer, something about one of their takes, but we can go." Luke grabbed the keys to his car, and his jacket, although forgetting his jacket wouldn't be a loss - he'd be back tomorrow. "I wonder how their girly day went." Luke smiled at Michael, raising an eyebrow in amusement at the thought.

Anette shifted, standing to head to the bathroom to get her test from where she'd left it before she returned, not daring to look at it yet. Still, taking a deep breath, she nodded slightly. "As ready as I'll ever be," she murmured quietly, watching her friend for a moment before she sat back down beside her. "Count of three?" She licked over her lips nervously, her lips and throat feeling dry from the anxiety she was feeling, but she breathed out. "One... Two... Three." And, when she turned her test over to look at the result, she found herself staring at a positive result.

"I'm not even surprised," Michael joked lightly, though he felt himself perk up with the fact that they could leave, that he could go home and see Nora. Nodding, he quickly grabbed his things and led the way out of the building. "Those two probably tore the house apart looking for candy." He grinned jokingly. "We'll get there and they'll be bouncy and hyper and we won't know what to do with them." He shook his head, though he did hope that Nora at least enjoyed her day. Since he couldn't be there with her, he was at least glad that she hadn't been alone all day, it wouldn't have been fair to her.

Nora turned her test over on the count of three, her hand over her mouth as she stared at the positive result staring right back at her, unsure of how to feel, or react, and suddenly, she found herself missing Michael's presence, her heart aching. "Positive." She murmured, lowering her hand and running it through her hair. "It's positive." She said it a little bit louder. Blinking, Nora looked to Anette. "What was yours?" She asked gently.

Luke grinned. "I'm just glad it was your house they've probably torn up." He teased, climbing into the drivers seat, putting his belt on and exhaling heavily, just letting go of all the stress he had held onto that day, knowing that he would soon be with Anette, having her in his arms, kissing her lips, just relishing in her existence. Bringing the engine to life as Michael climbed in, Luke reversed out of his parking spot and began to drive, smiling at the thought of Anette.

Anette found it hard to tear her gaze away from the test and she swallowed hard, trying to process it. She knew in her heart that she'd wanted to start a family with Luke one day, but was this way too soon? She wasn't sure how to feel about it or how Luke would feel about it and she could feel her heart twist anxiously. "It's positive, too," she breathed out quietly before she looked to Nora, stunned, and tried to joke lightly to try to ease her anxiety (but failing), "We totally jinxed ourselves."

"Gee, thanks. I'll make sure they go to yours next time," Michael said easily in response, offering an amused look, though he shifted, climbing into the passenger seat. He hoped Luke wasn't planning on making any extra stops - as much as he knew they sometimes stopped to get the girls snacks, he was far more interested in getting home to Nora than he was in taking a bit longer to do so by stopping at a store and debating for a while over what to get her. "No pitstops this time, yeah?"

Nora smiled weakly, not a genuine smile, but still, she didn't want to put any more anxiety on top of Anette. "We totally did." She confirmed with a weak laugh. Looking at the clock to distract herself, Nora's heart clenched once more when she realised it was 8:00, and the boys would be on their way back by now. "It's uh, it's eight..." She told Anette, mentally facepalming at how weak she sounded, but still, all she wanted now was to see Michael, talk things through with him, tell him about all of this. She bit her lip at the thought, ducking her head as she put the pregnancy test box in the bin.

Luke laughed at Michael's statement. "Alright, no pitstops. I'll just order Anette and I a pizza when we get home, I'm starving, and even if they've eaten all the candy, I'm sure she will be, too." Luke smiled at the thought of spending the rest of the night with Anette. "When you get in, tell Anette I'm out here." He yawned as he pulled down his and Michael's street. Luke only lived half a mile up the road from Michael, but the weather was getting colder and he didn't want Anette to catch anything.

Anette blinked when Nora mentioned the time and she peered over, staring at the clock and, almost on cue, she heard Luke's car, and she felt her heart twist nervously. "Oh, man..." she murmured quietly, swallowing hard as she shoved the test into her pocket unceremoniously.

"We'll probably order in, too. Maybe Chinese," Michael said with a broad grin, looking forward to just being able to sit and eat with Nora, with having her near him at all. Nodding, he climbed out of the car. "Alright, I'll send her out," he assured before he headed inside, his heart swelling with knowing that he was just steps away from seeing the love of his life after a long day. Walking in, he peered around, though he didn't see the girls in any of the usual rooms - the kitchen, living room, or games room. "Babe?" he called out as he searched further into the house, though he blinked when he got to his and Nora's room and grinned, seeing Nora there. "Hey." He blinked, though, seeing how she looked, and made his way over. "You okay?" He shifted, kissing her forehead but looked to Anette. "Luke's waiting outside."

Anette nodded slightly, watching Nora for a moment before she squeezed her friend's hand. "I'll talk to you later," she promised before offering a nod to Michael. "Thanks." Standing, she headed out of the room and walked out of the house, feeling her heart racing in her chest the closer she got to Luke's car before she climbed in and buckled up.

Nora perked up when she saw Michael, standing to her feet and subtly slipping the test into the pocket of her jeans when he was distracted with telling Anette that Luke was outside. Nodding to Anette's words, Nora offered her a weak wave. Turning to Michael without a word, Nora wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her head against his chest. "Welcome home, babe." She murmured, reluctantly pulling away after a long moment. "We uh, we need to talk." She told him, anxiously tying her hair back.

Luke smiled as Anette climbed into the passenger seat. "Well, hello gorgeous." He greeted happily, leaning over to press a sweet kiss to her cheek. "I've missed you." He commented with a pout, putting the car back into drive and slowly making his way down the block, enjoying how Anette's perfume filled the car, filling Luke's senses in the best way. "How was your girly day with Nora?" He asked with a smile, instantly taking her hand within his own, running his thumb over her knuckles, desperate for that contact between them.

Michael shifted, sliding his arms around Nora as he held her close, rubbing her back, admittedly worried with how quiet she was being, especially considering how she'd looked when he'd walked in. "What is it, babe?" he asked gently, peering down at her. While those words usually meant a break up was on its way, he knew better than to assume that was the case with Nora. They'd been together for years; if they were ever going to break up, it would have been when he'd first started getting busy with the band when their fame kicked in and their schedules changed to where there were spurts of time where they didn't see each other much. "Are you okay?"

Anette offered a small smile with the feeling, trying to ignore the nerves she felt. "Hey," she murmured quietly, closing her eyes with the feeling of his lips against her cheek. "I missed you, too." She leaned back in the seat, trying to let the comfort she usually felt near Luke sink in but her nerves were fighting it off and she chewed on her lip, swallowing nervously. "It was, um... Eventful... Insightful..." She gave Luke's hand a slight squeeze, trying to figure out how to tell him but figured it might be best to wait until they were home, inside. "How'd the recording session go?"

Nora bit her lip to try and stop her tears. "I'm fine." She promised quietly, wondering what was the best way to tell him that she was pregnant - if she didn't tell him now, she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to tell him until it was too late and she was due for a scan. Feeling her stomach do backflips and frontflips simultaneously, Nora ducked her head and slipped the test out of her pocket, still holding it. "I've got something to tell you, Michael." She looked back up at him, taking his hands and slipping the test into the one she was holding the tightest. "We're uh, we're having a baby." As the words left her mouth, she felt her whole throat dry up, and she ducked her head again.

Luke smiled at Anette's words, giving her hand a gentle squeeze in return. "It went great." He nodded as he pulled into their drive. "We got some good progress made, we've got half a demo down for another song, so that's good." He grinned. Having noticed that she was being unusually quiet, Luke frowned, wondering if the barely-seeing-each other thing was beginning to get to her. "I love you, you know." He got out of the car, going to open the passenger door for Anette, offering her his hand so she wasn't alone. "So what's got you all quiet?"

Michael frowned as he watched her, his brows furrowing when he saw how glossy and teary-eyed she looked. It made his heart twist with concern for her and he couldn't think of anything that she'd hide from him, so he couldn't understand why she wasn't telling him what was going on. "Hey," he murmured quietly, ducking his head a bit to meet her gaze. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. We'll be okay. You'll be okay." He watched her, though, feeling her hands in his, and he gave her hands a squeeze as he listened to her before blinking. For a moment, he was in disbelief until his eyes landed on the test and he saw the signs. He wasn't sure how to read a pregnancy test, but seeing the lines, he peered back at her, his heart swelling then. "What? Really?" While he knew they were still young and he wasn't even sure what she felt about this at all, he couldn't keep the happiness from his voice. He'd always been so sure that he'd start a family with Nora one day, when they were both ready, when they both wanted it, and, while this came as a surprise, he couldn't be happier and he could feel his eyes water with happy tears as he laughed nervously. "I'm gonna be a dad? We're gonna have a baby?" And, grinning, he cupped her face, kissing her deeply, because it was the most amazing news he'd ever heard.

Anette nodded slightly to his words. "That's good, then," she told him quietly, squeezing his hand again, "I'm proud of you." But, knowing how hard he was working on the music made her worry about what the pregnancy would do to his career. She could feel her heart drop, because she didn't want the pregnancy to get in the way of his dreams and passions. But it wouldn't be fair to hide it from him, either, and how long would she be able to hide it, anyways? Snapping from her thoughts when she heard him speaking again, she blinked, looking to him. "I know. I do. I love you, too." She offered a weak smile, but chewed on her lip when he got out and looked at him when he opened the door. Placing her hand in his, she cleared her throat. "I'll, um... Tell you when we get inside."

Nora felt her heart swell as she watched Michael study the pregnancy test, and hearing the happiness in his voice caused relief to wash over her, feeling her anxiety melt away. Seeing his eyes water though, Nora bit her lip and nodded in confirmation. "You're going to be a Dad. We're gonna have a baby." She confirmed, laughing slightly as he kissed her, returning the kiss as she ran her hands through his hair. Pulling away after a long moment, Nora tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling bashfully. "Well, that was the best reaction I could've asked for." She smiled, cupping Michael's cheeks within her hands and studying him. "I know it's crazy - and so sudden, but... yeah, I've been feeling off for a little while and I - yeah." She shrugged, smiling.

Luke watched Anette with worry, his eyebrows furrowing. "Alright, sweetheart." He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, leading her up to the front door, squeezing her hand once more. "I was thinking pizza for dinner?" He asked, pushing open the door and moving so she could enter the house first, not wanting Anette to stay in the cold for a moment longer. Following Anette in, Luke shut the front door and flicked on the lights to the large, open plan living room. Looking to Anette, Luke arched an eyebrow. "Alright, you." He murmured softly, taking her hands within his and pulling her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her. Pressing a sweet kiss to the top of Anette's head, Luke rubbed her back and just enjoyed the smell of her perfume, the smell of her shampoo, taking in the things that made her so unbelievably Anette. "What's wrong? I'm worried about you."