The Things That You Do

Gently tracing his finger around the outline of the baby in the sonogram photo, Lionel smiled to himself, still a little awed by the idea that he and Alexa were only a matter of months away from welcoming their son or daughter into the world. It still felt odd to him, despite the few weeks which had passed since they’d discovered that Alexa was expecting, it was still a thought which seemed a little surreal to him, but he couldn’t help but smile whenever the topic of the baby arose, even if it was still early days. He couldn’t wait to meet the little boy or girl for the first time.

Smiling to himself, he admired the sonogram quietly for a few seconds before the sound of the footsteps reached his ears, causing him to look up, his dark eyes settling on Alexa who stood in the doorway, watching him with a soft smile on her lips. “Have you actually stopped smiling yet?” she quipped, resting her weight against the doorframe. It wasn’t unfamiliar, since they had discovered that she was pregnant, the smile which played on Lionel’s lips seemed to have been a near permanent feature, and Alexa had to admit that she liked to see it, more than a little relieved that he was as excited as he was about the prospect of the new arrival.

Lionel flashed her a boyish smile before he shrugged innocently, flicking his attention back down towards the sonogram which sat in his hand.

Alexa rolled her eyes playfully before she stepped a little further into the room, carefully pulling herself up onto the kitchen counter. “What are you doing with this?” she asked, looking over his shoulder at the sonogram which he held in his hand.

Lionel, who’d been happily admiring the picture, lifted his head, offering her a look over his shoulder. “It’s a copy” he mused “I was thinking that I could take it and put it in my locker, provided that you’re Ok with a few more people knowing” he added, returning his stare to the picture as a soft smile reappeared at the corner of his mouth.

Alexa admired the look on his face for a moment before she leant forwards, pressing a tender kiss against the top of his head. “I don’t mind” she mumbled “If anything, I find it remarkably sweet that you’re so excited. It’s pretty adorable” she added, gently smoothing out a few wayward hairs which stood up on the top of his head.

Lionel leant into her slightly, allowing her to gently play with his hair for a second, before he turned, pressing a soft kiss against the inside of her wrist. “I’ll remind you of that when you’re in the middle of pushing him or her into the world and are cursing my name for knocking you up” he quipped impishly.

Alexa rolled her eyes playfully before the sound of her phone vibrating filled the air, causing her to let out a small groan, something which made Lionel chuckle amusedly before he offered her his hand, helping her down from the counter. “You have to go” he quipped.

Alexa nodded. “I do” she noted “I’ll see you tonight?” she posed.

“Of course” Lionel replied “Try to take it easy” he fussed.

Alexa smiled a little at his fussing, wordlessly noting how cute it was, before she pushed herself up onto her toes, sneaking a couple of quick kisses before she pulled away, padding out of the room, leaving Lionel smiling to himself behind her. It was still early days, he and Alexa hadn’t quite been dating for a year, but he was pleased with how things were going between them, even if he knew that things would be a little different once the baby arrived. He was more than glad that they’d taken a chance on them.

~#~
“Is that what I think it is?”

Lionel, who’d been carefully sticking the sonogram picture to the inside of his locker, smiled a little at the surprised tone in Luis’s voice before he wheeled around, offering him a nod.

Luis tilted his head. “Alexa’s pregnant?” he posed, his voice a little louder than he had intended.

Lionel smirked a little, not missing that a few of the others had turned to look at them, before he nodded. “She is” he confirmed “She had her twelve week scan a few days ago. Everything seems to be going really well” he fussed gently.

“Yeah?” Luis quipped, moving to study the picture which was pinned to the locker door.

Lionel, who’d moved to accept the congratulations of a few of their teammates, nodded, turning his attention to the Uruguayan. “Our midwife seems pretty happy with her progress” he explained “She’s pretty tired, but she hasn’t had much in the way of morning sickness. Alexa seems to be handling it all very well” he enthused proudly.

Luis, who was quietly admiring the scan picture, nodded along with Lionel’s words before he lifted his head, offering him a small amused smirk as he spotted the familiar loved-up grin which appeared on Lionel’s face whenever Alexa’s name came up in conversation. It was sweet, the little smile that the argentine had reserved for his girlfriend was cute, and it made it all the more amazing that he had missed Alexa for as long as he had. It clear that she was someone that meant a lot to him. “It’s hard to believe that you missed her for so long” he quipped.

Lionel merely shook his head, something which made Luis chuckle before he stepped towards him, patting his shoulder jovially. “You were oblivious to her for a long time” he noted “I mean, everyone else knew it, but you just didn’t seem to notice, at least not until she pointed it out to you, but I am happy for you. She’s a good woman, Leo” he mused warmly.

Lionel nodded his head in agreement before he turned, offering Luis a small smile. “I know she is” he noted.

Luis glanced at him for a second before he patted his shoulder once more. “You love her?” he posed.

Lionel frowned slightly, but nodded without hesitation. “Of course I do” he noted, his voice a little sharp “I love her, Luis” he insisted. It had caught him off guard, Luis’s questioning of his feelings towards Alexa was sudden, and it irked him slightly, even if he was sure that Luis had a reason for asking what he had. He didn’t like the idea of his feelings for Alexa being called into question.

Luis raised his hands defensively. “Lo siento” he noted “I didn’t mean to offend you. I just...Alexa has loved you for a long time, even if she won’t admit it, and I just want to make sure that you’re on the same page as he. You hesitated, Leo, when she told you how she felt about you, you freaked out a little, and I wanted to make sure that...that you love her the way that she loves you” he explained haphazardly. He knew that Lionel had feelings for Alexa, whenever the blonde’s name come up in conversation, Lionel tended to light up, but he still wanted to ask, wanting to make sure that they were on the same page. It was complicated, Alexa had had feelings for Lionel a lot longer than he had had them for her, and Luis wanted to make sure that the argentine knew what he was doing, not wanting to watch Alexa get hurt.

Lionel glanced at Luis for a moment, quietly mulling over his words, before he let out a small sigh. “I did freak out” he agreed “When Alexa told me that she had feelings for me, I didn’t react well, but that was then. I could have handled it better, I know that, but it worked out and I wouldn’t change it. She’s amazing, Luis, she’s funny, and she’s smart, and she’s beautiful, and I love her. It took me too long to figure that out, but I am glad that I did” he insisted warmly, a soft smile appearing on his face

Luis watched him for a moment, not missing the warmth in his smile, before he nodded, returning his smile gently. “I’m glad that you figured it out too” he insisted “You and Alexa, you’re a pretty great couple, and I am sure that you’ll make wonderful parents too” he added before the sound of their coach’s voice filled the air, calling them out towards the training field.

Luis rolled his eyes, mumbling a joking comment beneath his breath, before he excused himself, leaving Lionel alone for a couple of seconds. Watching his teammate away, he shook his head a little before he flicked his attention towards the sonogram, wordlessly noting how much things between him and Alexa had changed.