walk right in

Luke's arms around River tightened as he began to stir from his sleep, and he couldn't help but shift closer to her, burying his face into the space between her neck and her shoulder; exhaling happily. He was surprised that he'd woken up before River had, because today was so important to them both - but Luke wondered if that's why he'd woken up early in the first place, his own anxiety had decided that he could no longer sleep soundly when, later that morning, River would be taking a pregnancy test to see if their most recent cycle of IVF had worked. Since it had all started, there'd been tears of frustration and anger and desperate hurt, but Luke hoped that, whenever a baby was confirmed, it would be so worth it, just to see River's happiness. Smiling with the thought, Luke felt his heart swell with the thought of being a father, and pressing his lips to River's shoulder with the thought, Luke's smile broadened, because River would look so beautiful carrying his child. She would make such an incredible mother - far better than her own. "Babe?" Luke murmured softly, not wanting to startle her. "You want breakfast? We have a big day." And Luke knew it was difficult for him, but he knew it was even harder for River. She was the incredible human who had to go through the treatments, and she was the one who took each failure with grace he'd never known. Squeezing around her carefully with the thought, Luke couldn't help but think of how much he loved River, and how lucky he was to have her.

Sasha carefully tread back into the bedroom that she shared with Michael, gently placing her bowl of cereal down on her bedside table, trying her hardest not to wake the man she considered to be the love of her life. Climbing onto her side of the bed, Sasha sat cross-legged in her pyjamas, reaching for her cereal as she enjoyed the calmness of the morning. Life had been anything but calm recently, and Sasha discovered that cherishing these small moments of peace was the best option, because they often didn't last for long. They were usually interrupted with negative pregnancy tests and tears of anger, then repeating a long, exhausting process of IVF that seemed to drain Sasha of her energy, especially this time around. Sitting back against the headboard of their bed, Sasha exhaled anxiously with the thought. Maybe the treatment just wasn't working. Pulling the duvet over her legs, Sasha smiled softly as South came to sit by her feet, the loyal dog having been a great company for her when Michael had to work, or when she just wanted to cry without Michael seeing. "Hi, Southy," Sasha cooed, reaching to scratch behind his ears. "I'm so tired, pup." Sasha exhaled, running a hand through her dark hair.

Harry, although he didn't want to admit it - and damn it, he wouldn't admit it; was getting more and more disappointed every time he woke up alone. Skye, although things had started off as nothing more than casual, had become incorperated into his every day routine. He was fond of her, no doubt, but she brought things to his life that he couldn't get alone, like when he got a very rare chance to be domestic and make breakfast, or when he needed a good hug (and a good fuck), he knew he could turn to Skye. It was a great feeling, and although Harry didn't want any attachments, having been hurt in the past, he couldn't help but just feel relieved when she was around him. Reaching out to Skye's side of his bed with the thought, Harry felt that the space was still somewhat warm, and hearing the shower of his bathroom, he couldn't help but grin, because it hadn't been long since she had pulled away from him, and she hadn't left. Standing to his feet sluggishly, Harry treaded over to the bathroom, opening the door. "Good morning, Skye!" Harry called, dark curls almost instantly dampened by the hot steam. "Can I join you?" Harry smirked with the thought, dimples etched into his cheeks. "Or should I go and make you some breakfast as a thank you for the great night last night? Your choice, babe." And although Harry knew he was cocky, and he was sometimes too cocky, he still had an infinite amount of respect for Skye and the friendship she offered him in between the moments he had her in between his sheets, his name leaving her lips in the most sinful of ways.

Kyrie shifted closer to Cillian as she began to stir from her slumber, her thoughts instantly falling to the pregnancy test she'd hidden under her pillow. Shifting, Kyrie rested herself on her elbow as she leaned to press a kiss to Cillian's cheek, before climbing out of the warmth and safety he and their bed provided, carefully slipping the box from under her pillow and treading carefully to the bathroom, looking over her shoulder to Cillian, still sleeping soundly. They'd been in this situation before, with a positive test and a happiness that could only be described as euphoria, but the dream of starting a family soon crashed down quickly when not long after, Kyrie lost the baby she and Cillian shared. She was unsure if she was strong enough to take the test, let alone wait for the result, but she knew she had to find out, for closure's sake. Sitting on the edge of the bath, Kyrie, with shaking hands, opened the box, studying the little stick in her hands. "Oh god." Kyrie breathed, closing her eyes to calm herself. "Cillian..." She called anxiously, chewing on her lower lip. She couldn't do this by herself, she needed the man she loved by her side, now and always, through every struggle. "Cillian!"

Ashton nudged open the bedroom door carefully with his foot, carrying the tray of breakfast he'd prepared for himself and Amara. Ashton always wanted to go above and beyond for Amara, because she meant the whole world to him. Ashton had never known love until he'd known Amara, and falling in love with her and been the most wonderful thing, and it was a feeling Ashton never wanted to lose. Amara was someone he never wanted to lose. Placing the tray on the bedside table, Ashton crawled onto the bed, hovering over Amara, his chain dangling between them. "Amara," Ashton murmured, his nose bumping against hers playfully. "Amara." Ashton grinned, pressing a sweet kiss to her cheek, his forehead resting against the side of her head. "I made breakfast, love, wake up." Although, he couldn't help but admire her like this. She was peaceful when she slept, an earth angel in all her glory. They'd been through such a difficult time, where Ashton nearly lost Amara when they lost their unborn baby. It was touch and go for a week, and just the thought of losing Amara made Ashton's stomach turn with sadness and anxiety. But she was here, they'd worked through their grief together, the nights of endless tears and asking why, and they'd come out stronger, and Ashton couldn't quite believe that Amara was his. "I made all the sweet stuff, that's gotta tempt you somehow." Ashton teased.

Ruby dried her hair with her towel as she studied Calum's sleeping form, and she couldn't help but smirk. She was surprised that Calum had managed to sleep through her shower, especially when he'd promised them both an early morning to take Duke to the beach. It was all the better that he'd stayed asleep though, especially with Ruby's morning sickness becoming more apparent. She'd only found out about her pregnancy two days ago, and she was yet to tell Calum, knowing it could only be him that was a potential father. Climbing onto the bed, Ruby straddled Calum's hips, her hands resting upon his chest. Since Calum had dyed his hair blue, Ruby had become addicted to him, even more than what she already was. "Hood, you're so boring." Ruby pouted, giving his chest a light smack. "You said you'd get up early, you asshole, and you're not even awake!" Looking to her pillow, which Duke now occupied, Ruby smiled. "Your Daddy sucks, hm?" She cooed, finding it odd to believe that she'd be speaking like this to a baby soon.

River gave a quiet noise as she began to stir when she heard Luke’s voice, always finding his voice to be the one that she loved hearing the most, the one that eased her mind in ways she could never express, even when she hadn’t even been aware that she had thoughts and concerns weighing on her mind in the first place. But, today, she was all too aware of what was troubling her - today was the day they’d find out whether the latest IVF treatment had worked its magic or not. “Sorry, I’m awake,” she promised quietly before she shifted closer to him, curling up to him, burying her face against his chest, taking in his scent, enjoying the comfort just his scent gave her. “I don’t have much of an appetite, though.” She never did on days like today. “I can fix you something if you want?” Despite how tired she felt, she wanted to do what she could to make today easier for Luke, because she knew he struggled and suffered through this just as much as she did, and she wanted to start a family with him more than anything.

Michael had woken the moment he heard Sasha’s voice, unable to help it. Hearing her voice meant she was awake, and he wanted to be awake with her, to be aware with her, to be there for her, because he knew they were going through so much, and Sasha endured the worst part of it all, having to be the one to go through the IVF treatments so they could experience their dream of being parents together. “Babe?” he murmured quietly, opening his eyes to peer at her, and it took him a moment to register what she’d said to their dog, but when he did, his expression softened in concern and empathy, and he reached to rest his hand on her leg, giving it a gentle squeeze, not wanting to take her hand since he saw that she was eating and he didn’t want to interrupt that. She needed to eat, and he preferred knowing that she wouldn’t be going through the day without something on her stomach. “Good morning,” he whispered before he sat up, leaning to kiss the side of her head gently and he took her in for a long moment. “You doing okay? You feeling alright?”

Skye hadn’t felt her best when she woke up, but she had a sneaking suspicion as to why. When she’d rushed to the bathroom that morning to empty her stomach, she’d gone back to her purse to get the pregnancy test she’d been hesitant to take, and she’d done what she had to, but instead of staring at the test while waiting, she’d decided to jump into the shower. She’d hidden the pregnancy test under the sink so that she could look at it to see the result afterwards, but that didn’t stop her from tensing when she’d heard the door open, Harry’s voice - usually so calming and soothing and comforting to her - making her heart race nervously. Peeking out of the shower, she looked towards the man she often shared a bed with, and she offered an amused look despite her nervousness. “You can definitely join,” she chimed easily, figuring she’d at least know what he was doing that way - plus, she couldn’t pass up on a chance to spend time with him. Even if they weren’t anything more than friends with benefit, he was everything she wanted.

Cillian was startled awake when he heard Kyrie’s voice, and he instantly felt panic course through him, wondering what was wrong, wondering if she was okay. He worried about her constantly, ever since they’d experienced the loss of their unborn child, because he’d almost lost her in the process, too, so he was constantly worried about losing her, about coming across the very possibility of losing her, and he tried to focus, tried to wake up fully as he climbed out of their bed, rushing to the source of the voice. “Kyrie?” he called, not even capable of trying to hide the concern that leaked into his voice, much less actually being successful in it. “Babe?” He reached to open the door quickly, looking to her with concern.”You called? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” But almost as soon as the words left his mouth, he caught sight of the test in her hands and he paused with surprise, watching her. Without another word, he quickly made his way over, taking her hands gently in his to give her hands a gentle squeeze as he watched her. “I’m here, love.”

Amara shifted a bit when she heard Ashton’s voice and felt his weight dipping the bed, but a part of her didn’t want to wake up because her dreams were filled with the child they were meant to be raising right now, and a part of her didn’t want to face reality. As painful as it was, though, she was grateful for everything Ashton had done, grateful that she had him to help her through it all, that they could rely on each other so much, and he was the one thing that made reality bearable, enjoyable, after everything they’d been through. Blinking her eyes open, she smiled slightly when she realized Ashton was hovering over her, and she made a playful face at him. “You’re such a morning person,” she murmured teasingly, taking him in, though the smell of the food wafting through the room made her queasy suddenly, and she gave an uncomfortable noise, shaking her head slightly. “No, um, that’s okay, I don’t… I don’t want any right now.” And, while that surprised even her, she didn’t want to think about the last time she turned down sweets.

Calum found himself stirring when he felt Ruby climbing over him, though he chuckled quietly, waking more as he heard her voice, and he smirked slightly up at her. “You know, I think you only climbed up on me like this because you wanna have fun this fine morning,” he teased lightly as he watched her, reaching to rest his hands on her hips to squeeze her hips gently, pulling her closer to himself before he shifted, flipping them quickly so that he was the one over her, and he grinned happily down at her, arching a brow as he watched her, taking her in, always amazed by her, but never admitting it, because he knew that would just make him want things to progress further, for them to make things more official, and he knew that would end with one of them getting hurt, and the last thing he ever wanted was to hurt Ruby. “Why do you want me awake so early anyway, hm?” He arched a brow as he watched her, squeezing her hips again, enjoying the way she felt in his hold, under him, and he smirked with the thought but watched her, waiting for her to speak.

Luke watched as River began to stir, and he smiled to himself, watching her with nothing but fondness in his eyes, grateful to the universe for bringing her to him; a woman so strong and beautiful, a woman Luke could call his soulmate. Exhaling softly with the thought, Luke ran his fingers through River's hair to relax her, wondering if this round of IVF treatment had worked - it was hard to tell, River always had a glow around her, she barely faltered. "Don't you dare apologise." Luke spoke softly, and as she shifted closer, Luke held her close, rubbing her back gently with a large hand, and as she buried her face against him, Luke pressed a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her shampoo, finding that the scent soothed his anxiety. "I love you." Luke murmured. Hearing her words, Luke nuzzled into River. "I don't have much of an appetite either," he admitted quietly. "Right now, I just want to hold you." And with a fleeting thought, Luke smiled. "You know, one day we're gonna have a crying baby to force us out of bed." Luke grinned. "And we're going to love every moment of being exhausted, because we got our little Hemmings to look after." And just the thought of having a family with River brought tears to his eyes, because it was all he wanted. She was all he wanted. Sniffling slightly with the thought, Luke cleared his throat and tightened his grip on River, squeezing around her gently.

Sasha lifted her gaze as she heard Michael's raspy voice calling her, and she smiled as he opened his eyes. "Good morning, sunshine." She spoke softly, reaching to run her fingers through Michael's hair as she saw the look of concern, the look of empathy that she was so grateful for. Michael had been so amazing throughout everything, a backbone for Sasha when she felt as though she wanted to crumble. "I feel sick, do you want some cereal?" Sasha asked Michael as he sat up, and when he leaned to kiss the side of her head, Sasha smiled, turning her head so she could capture his lips, her eyes closing as their lips met. "I'm okay," Sasha promised. "I feel sick, and dizzy. And I'm just..." Sasha toyed with her lip, wondering if she should just tell Michael the truth. "I'm just feeling so tired of everything, Michael." She whispered softly. "Have you considered that maybe this just... wasn't meant to be?" And as much as the thought hurt Sasha, she would be happy with Michael, because she loved him. They could always consider adoption. Blinking in surprise as South rested his head on her stomach, Sasha scratched behind his ears, assuming he wanted attention.

Harry grinned when he saw Skye, beautiful as ever, peeking out of the shower with an amused expression that Harry adored, lighting his world in a way that soothed his soul. Slipping off his sleep shirt, Harry threw it to the hamper with a hum, kicking off his boxers before pulling the shower curtain open, smiling at the sight of Skye, surrounded by steam in an ethereal vision that made Harry decide that if he died in that moment, he would die a happy man. "Good morning, sweetheart." Harry greeted, not needing to speak with a raised voice to battle with the force of the shower. Wrapping his arms around her waist, Harry rested his chin on her shoulder, exhaling happily. Just cuddling Skye like this was the most incredible thing, and although she and Harry were only in a relationship when they needed to let go of some tension, Harry could admit to himself that having her this close made him feel like, perhaps, she was his future. But he knew if ever made a move, the possibility of heartbreak was something that he couldn't face. Even with the hot water, Harry could still smell trace amounts of her perfume, and Harry smiled, burying his face into her neck. "I was thinking of going to the cafe for breakfast, would you like to come?" And Harry knew that this cafe was somewhere Skye enjoyed. It was quaint, not too far from the pier, and they served what was, possibly, the best hot chocolate that Holmes Chapel had to offer, complete with marshmallows. "I need a croissant so badly." He joked, grabbing the shampoo to begin washing Skye's sunshine blonde hair.

Kyrie waited for Cillian, hands trembling as she silently thanked every deity she could that she had taken the test the evening before, because she was certain that the two minute wait for the result would be the thing to break her in half. Staring down at the two little blue lines that meant she was pregnant, Kyrie heard Cillian's voice and lifted her gaze, relief and adoration filling her very existence as he came rushing in. As he caught sight of the stick that Kyrie held, she snuggled into his bare chest, showing him the result. "I -" Kyrie peered up at him. "Oh god, Cil, what are we gonna do?" Kyrie whimpered, burying her face into his shoulder as her eyes began to sting with the sensation of tears. The last time she had seen a positive pregnancy test, she had cried tears of joy, and now they were tears of anguish, of fear, of uncertainty, because there was no way she could allow herself to be happy with the possibility of losing the baby she and Cillian would grow to love so immensely, the possibility of hemmoraging and nearly bleeding to death. Pulling away, Kyrie pushed her hair from her face. "Oh god."

Ashton could see Amara begin to shift, slowly waking from her slumber, and his smile couldn't help but grow just at the sight of the woman he loved. He wondered what it would be like with their child that was meant to be jumping on the bed, begging their mother to wake up, stealing a piece of waffle cheekily from Amara's plate and giggling as Ashton would blow raspberries on their tummy. Feeling his smile fall with the thoughts, Ashton looked to Amara once more and reminded himself that the heartache was nothing compared to the relief he felt that Amara was still with him. He could of lost her - he nearly did - but she was still here, still holding his heart with such care and God, he loved her so fucking much, it was almost difficult to articulate. Laughing as Amara pulled a playful face, Ashton pulled a playful face in return, giggling with her words. "Well hey, I want to make sure that you get a great head start to the day." Ashton spoke softly, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. But raising his eyebrows in confusion, Ashton heard the noise of discomfort and frowned. "You okay, babe?" Ashton asked, remembering the last time she remembered anything sweet. Pressing the back of his hand to her forehead, Ashton hummed in thought. "You're warm. Stay there." And standing to his feet, Ashton took the food to the kitchen, grabbing a glass of orange juice instead, quickly returning to Amara's side. "Here, love." Ashton smiled softly, placing the glass on the bed side table as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Ruby rolled her eyes playfully at Calum's words, flicking her dark hair over her shoulders. "The only fun I wanna have, babe, is sand and sea." She teased in return, although she couldn't help but shift with the thought of having Calum for herself, wrapped in his arms as their bodies moved in sync. Summer break would soon be over, and he'd have to return to being a teacher. Squealing as Calum flipped them over, Ruby laughed as she peered up at him, reaching to kiss his lips, almost breathless. "You're an asshole." She told him with amusement, her fingers brushing through his dyed blue buzzcut, down to the nape of his neck, where she dug her nails in slightly. Hearing Calum's question, Ruby pouted a little. "You promised we'd take Duke for a walk on the beach!" She whined, although she pulled him a little closer so she could kiss him again, completely addicted to his lips, but as Calum's hands began to move up, Ruby grabbed them to stop him. "No!" She gasped, not wanting him to discover her slightly swollen belly.

River relaxed in Luke’s hold, comforted by his presence in more ways than she could put into words. “I love you, too,” she murmured quietly, breathing out against his shirt, inhaling his scent, just relishing in the fact that she had such an amazing person in her life, a man she loved and who loved her in return, because she didn’t think she could do any of this without him. She listened to him quietly but intently, and she smiled slightly, offering a small nod. “It’s gonna be amazing,” she whispered, though she blinked when she heard him sniffle, and she lifted her gaze, watching him for a moment before she leaned to press a kiss over his lips for a moment. “Hey, it’ll be okay,” she murmured, shifting to cup his face gently in her hands, “Even if this time isn’t the one, we’ll keep trying.”

Michael felt his expression soften as he watched Sasha, and he shifted, pulling her closer to himself. “I know, baby,” he murmured quietly, his heart breaking with her words, but he hoped, more than anything, that this time would work, so that Sasha didn’t have to suffer through the treatments anymore, and so that they could finally have the little bundle of joy they’d been working so hard for. “I’m sorry. I wish I could take it all away, I do…” But, he couldn’t, and he knew that, he knew all he could do was be there for her, help her through every treatment, with every single thing that she could ever want or need. Hearing her words, though, he blinked, pulling back to watch her with concern, surprised with her question. “What’s got you thinking like that all of a sudden, babe?” Reaching, he ran his fingers through her hair. “If you don’t wanna continue the treatments, all you’ve gotta do is say so.”

Skye breathed out quietly when she felt Harry’s arms around her and she shifted to be as close to him as she could, letting herself relax, because it was moments like this that reminded her why she cared so much about Harry. He was a kind soul, soft and gentle, and while their current relationship was… Complex to say the least, it was so worth it. But it made her wonder how he’d react if the pregnancy test she’d taken turned out positive. Chewing on her lip with the thought, she buried her face against him, trying to distract herself. “Good morning,” she murmured quietly, trying not to show that her mind was elsewhere, though she offered a small smile with his suggestion and nodded. “Sure, I’d like that.”

Cillian watched Kyrie with concern, unsure of how to help her, of how to comfort the woman he loved in her time of need, and he hated it - he hated not knowing what to do, what to say, how to make things better for her when her concerns were crushing her or when her world was falling apart around her. All he wanted was to take away all of her pain, to make everything better, easier, for her. His gaze went to the pregnancy test and, seeing the positive test result, he felt his heart swell with hope, with happiness, but then felt the weight of concern, of pain, of loss, of panic over what happened last time, and he held her close to himself. “We’ll get through this,” he promised quietly, leaning to press a kiss to her temple, rubbing her back gently as he held her to him, “We’ll do everything we have to do, everything we can do, to make this time work, we just… We gotta stay calm, okay?” He shifted, burying his face into her hair. “We’ll figure it out.”

Amara gave a quiet whine, pulling the blanket and sheets over her mouth and nose so she couldn’t smell the scent of the food that lingered in the room even after Ashton took it away. The only time she’d reacted like this when it came to sweets was the last time she was pregnant, and while she tried not to think about it, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was a possibility. And, if it was, what would they do? What would happen? What if something went wrong again? As Ashton returned, though, she tried to force the thoughts away - she didn’t even want to share the concerns with Ashton, because there was no guarantee she was pregnant, anyway. It could just be a bug. “Thanks, Ash,” she murmured quietly, her voice muffled by the fabric covering her face, “Sorry, I know you probably worked hard on the food…”

Calum couldn’t help but laugh. “And we have all day to take Duke for a walk!” he pointed out with amusement, amused with the whole thing, because it was hilarious. It wasn’t that big of a deal, anyway, and he didn’t think there was any rush to do it, especially so early in the morning when they could just laze around for a while longer and enjoy each other’s presence, each other’s bodies. He blinked, though, surprised with her declaration of ‘no’ and his brows furrowed as he pulled back, watching her with concern. “Uh, okay…” he said carefully, not wanting to cross any boundaries that she had suddenly thrown out at him, and in such a firm way, finding himself confused and unsure of what it meant, of why she was reacting this way towards him. “What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?” he asked, wanting to know, because at least if he knew, then he’d know not to do it again, he’d know what lines not to cross.