The Things That You Do

“How are your parents?”

Lionel, who’d moved to pad into the bedroom, lifted his head at the sound of Alexa’s voice, sparing a small look to where she laid on the bed, her blue eyes peeking up at him sleepily. He was surprised to see her awake, after she had gotten home from work, she had been quick to insist that she was in need of an early night, and he had planned on leaving her to it, wanting to give her the opportunity to rest.

It had been a long day, between heading to work and their visit to Eva, Alexa had been busy from the moment that she had woken up, and he wanted to allow her to relax, wanting her to be as calm and as comfortable as she could be in the coming months. It was still a strange thought, the idea that they’d attended their first baby scan was something which still had him in awe, but he glad that things seemed to be going well, even if Alexa was only in the early stages of her pregnancy. He was glad that things were Ok.

“They’re fine” Lionel replied as he padded through the room “They asked after you” he added as sat down on the side of her bed beside her.

Alexa offered him a sleepy smile. “Yeah?” she posed.

Lionel nodded and lifted his hand, tenderly tucking a few loose blonde hairs away from her eyes. “My madre in particular likes talking to you” he noted “And she was a little disappointed that you weren’t with me, but I told her that you’d opted to have an early night. I am a little surprised that you’re still awake” he added as he dipped down, pressing a soft kiss against her temple.

Alexa smiled warmly at the feel of his lips against her head before she shook it, moving to sit up slightly. “I felt sick” she murmured “I climbed in bed and got settled down, but then I started to feel a little nauseous and I couldn’t seem to get to sleep after that” she explained, sparing a soft yawn into her hand.

Lionel watched her for a moment before he offered her a small sympathetic smile. “Anything I can do?” he asked.

“Unless you can switch places with me, I don’t think so” Alexa replied with a playful smile.

Lionel let out a small laugh, amused by her joke, before he shook his head, his expression softening. “Is the nausea that bad?” he posed.

Alexa shook her head. “It’s not a lot of fun” she replied “But I haven’t actually been sick, so it’s not that bad” she added.

Lionel offered her a slightly dubious look, something which made Alexa giggle warmly. It wasn’t the first time that look had crossed his features, since they had received the confirmation that Alexa was pregnant, Lionel had appeared a little cautious and worried around her, and Alexa couldn’t help but smile at it, even if they did have a way to go. She already found it sweet that he was so keen to look after her. Offering him a soft smile, she gently pushed her hand back through the longer hair on the top of his head, before she leant over, pressing a sweet kiss against his lips.

Lionel smiled at the soft contact and kissed her back for a few seconds before he gently pulled back, sparing a slightly bashful laugh. “I’m fussing, aren’t I?” he murmured softly.

“A little” Alexa confirmed with a small nod and a warm smile “But it’s alright. It’s cute” she added, playing with his hair happily.

Lionel leant into her hand slightly, allowing a brief moment to silence to pass between the two of them, before he shook his head. “Move over” he mumbled.

Alexa, who’d been quietly messing with his hair, frowned a little. “What?” she asked.

“Move over a little” Lionel repeated.

Alexa glanced at him, slightly confused by his request, before she shuffled across the bed slightly, something which allowed Lionel to lay down at her side. Sparing her a quick glance, he flashed her a slightly impish grin before he shuffled down the bed slightly, pulling the duvet away from her. Tugging the duvet down, he folded it away from her stomach before he shifted his hand, slipping it beneath the material of the vest top that she wore.

Alexa, who’d been watching him curiously, let out a small hiss as his cold hand touched her skin. “Your hand is freezing” she grumbled.

Lionel merely offered her a small apologetic smile before he turned back towards her stomach, staring down at the blue material which covered it. Quirking a gentle smile, he tenderly skimmed his thumb over her stomach before he leant over, pressing a quick kiss to it. “I am so going to get on your mama’s nerves” he mumbled softly “For the next few months, I am going to spend a lot of time making a fuss over her, and she’s almost certainly going to get annoyed by it eventually, but I won’t be able to help it. This is a surprise. Both me and your mama, we thought we’d have a little more time to get ready for you, but sometimes things don’t work out to your timetable, and this...this is the best surprise that we could have asked for. I know that we have a long way to go, you’re still so very tiny and it’s going to be months before we get to meet you for the first time, but you should know that we’re counting down the days” he fussed, peppering a few soft kisses over Alexa’s stomach.

Alexa, who was watching him, sniffled a little, something which caused Lionel to lift his head, a small furrow in his forehead. “Are you alright?” he asked.

Alexa merely nodded, wiping her eyes.

Lionel smirked at her amusedly before he turned his head, allowing him to press another kiss against her stomach, teasingly mumbling to her stomach that he had made her cry.

Alexa watched him, not missing the warmth in his expression, before she smiled a tearful smile to herself. She knew that they still had a way to go, with Eva having confirmed that she was only seven weeks pregnant, she knew that they still had months and a few hurdles to get through before they had their baby, but she excited about it, something which she hadn’t necessarily been when Marco had first suggested that she was expecting.

She had been worried, with her and Lionel having only been together for a matter of months, she had been greatly concerned that Lionel would freak out about the idea of her pregnancy, but she was more than thrilled by his reaction. He was excited, the smile that he had worn for days confided it, and it thrilled her to see him so happy.