+ Max and Mariam are happily married, but Mariam's thinking of babies... much to Max's annoyance. Oneshot.
+ Warnings: Excessive talk of babies and wanting to be pregnant.
+ Disclaimer: I own it not.
+ A/N: I got this idea when watching 'Eastenders' one night. Because the word 'dinkies' was mentioned XD
The Dinkies
"Max... Do you ever want kids?"
Max looked sideways at his wife. Mariam was smiling and edging closer to Max, which could only mean bad things for him. He tried pulling a thoughtful face, and crossing his arms, but Mariam kept creeping closer, and soon one of her arms was wrapped around his waist, and her other hand was stroking his thigh.
"I've thought about having them before... What brings this on?" Max replied, looking back at Mariam, who tilted her head.
"Well, you know. We're in our thirties now. There's a term for people like us. 'Dinkies'. Double income, no kids. Max, we need to start thinking about a family, otherwise we're going to end up like those old, lonely, miserable OAPs who have nothing better to do than go to bingo and complain about pretty much everything."
Max stared at Mariam.
"Well, what makes you think that we have to start a family now?" he asked.
"We're over 30! We're practically ancient as it is! If we leave it any longer, we'll be impotent and any thoughts of kids will go out of the window!" Mariam snapped.
"Mariam, chill out! Just... let me think on it, okay?" Max reasoned, stroking Mariam's hair.
"Sure," Mariam replied, breathing out. Maybe she had been a bit pushy, but she wouldn't stop until she had a baby.
Mariam was unusually quiet over dinner. This made Max a little nervous, and as he ate the Spaghetti Bolognese that Mariam had cooked for them, he couldn't help but feel that the subject of babies would crop up again.
He wasn't disappointed.
"Max, about children..." Mariam began
"Oh, for God's sake, Mariam! Can't you let this rest for a while? I told you I wanted to think about it!" Max interrupted, anger getting the better of him.
"I know, but just think how happy your parents will be if they became Grandparents!"
"Yeah, they'd be fucking ecstatic, but I need to make sure that I'm 100% ready for a child!" Max reasoned.
"Well, I know I am," Mariam said.
"I don't know if I am."
"Oh, Max! You love kids! Look at when Tyson and Makoto visit. Or Kai and Gou! You're always playing with the kids, rather than talking to your best friends!"
"Look, I've said I'll think about it, so can you let it rest, please?" Max asked.
Mariam nodded, but she had no intention of doing such a thing. Later that night, when the two were going to bed, Mariam made sure she was wearing her sexiest lingerie to seduce Max with. She would have his baby, and there was no stopping her!
"Oh, Maxie..." Mariam called seductively, lying on the double bed, and toying with the elasticised rim of her underwear.
Max walked into their room from the en suite bathroom. He stared at Mariam, and she gave him a sexy little smile, but instead of pouncing on her, he scowled and stayed where he was. Mariam raised an eyebrow as Max folded his arms in front of him, and continued to frown.
"What?" she asked.
"This is just another ploy to have a baby, isn't it?" Max asked suspiciously.
"I honestly have no idea what you mean, sweetheart. Come to bed, Max... I want you..." Mariam replied innocently, and putting on her sexiest voice.
"No, I think I'll sleep in the spare room tonight," Max replied, leaving the room.
Mariam watched as Max left, and chewed her bottom lip. She would need another plan. It just so happened that she had thought of one in case this one had failed. Mariam pulled the covers up and over herself, and decided to put her next plan into action in a few days.
As a few days passed, Max had become impressed that Mariam had not mentioned babies once, at all. When it came to himself, Max had thought about having children hard, but still couldn't decide whether he was ready for them or not.
"Max, are you going to sleep in the same bed as me tonight?" Mariam asked, as they stood in the bathroom.
Max spat out the toothpaste in his mouth before answering, "Yeah. You've been on your best behaviour, so I think you can be rewarded."
Mariam smiled sweetly as he said that, and kissed him as he walked into their bedroom. Mariam locked the door behind him once he'd left, and pretended to be using the loo. Instead, she got out their stash of condoms, and with a needle, began piercing some holes through them.
"This plan can't fail..." Mariam muttered to herself.
Max was already under the covers when Mariam entered the bedroom. Though, he had a grin on his face, and was clearly waiting for her. Mariam tossed the condom she had brought out with her to Max without thinking, and began to undress. She heard Max rustling the packet, and assumed he was opening it. But, as she crawled onto the bed, she saw that Max was holding up the packet, and frowning at her.
"Have you pierced this?" he asked accusingly.
'Oh... shit...' she thought to herself.
"Um, well... I, err..." Mariam babbled, seriously unsure of what to say. There was no way she could get herself out of this one.
"You have, haven't you? Mariam, tell me the truth."
"... Okay... I pierced it," Mariam admitted.
"I'm going to assume you've pierced the rest of them, too..."
Mariam didn't reply, but stayed silent, confirming Max's suspicions. Without warning, he got out of bed, pulled his underwear back on, and left the room, heading towards the spare room for the fourth night in a row.
"Fuck!" Mariam cursed herself, and beginning to cry. She had ruined everything. She was trying so desperately to force Max to have a baby that she completely forgot about how he felt. It was stupid that she was only just realising this.
Breakfast the next morning was quiet. Both Max and Mariam ate in silence, and although Mariam wanted to say how sorry she was, she couldn't find the words to say it. So she stayed silent, but knew that in doing so she was not making anything better.
When the two both got home from their jobs, Mariam sat Max down on the sofa, aiming to make everything right again. She didn't want to lose Max, and if that meant postponing having a baby until he was 100% sure he was ready for one, then so be it.
"Max... I need to apologise. I am so, so sorry. I've been so obsessed about having a baby, that I didn't take how you felt into consideration, but instead tried to force you having a baby. It was wrong... I shouldn't have done it," Mariam said, holding onto Max's hand, and hoped beyond hope that he would forgive her.
Mariam was expecting him to wrench his hand out of hers, to tell her that she wasn't forgiven and that he was leaving. What Mariam didn't expect was for Max to begin chuckling, and hold onto her hand tighter.
"What?" she asked, looking curious.
"Just you. Mariam, you're right in the fact that what you tried to do was wrong... but I still forgive you," Max smiled. "Don't look so worried... in fact, look a bit happier, because I've decided that I am ready for a baby after all."
Mariam's face cracked into a grin, and she threw her arms around Max's neck. Those were the words she had been waiting for him to say, and yet... she felt as though they weren't necessary. She felt as though she could've waited longer for them.
"What do you say to starting a family, then?" Max whispered.
"And you're sure you want to?" Mariam asked.
"Definitely."
"Let's get baby-making, then!"
+ A/N: Ahh... I don't know whether this has turned out better than I expected or not... Hmm...
And yes: DINK = Double income, no kids. Dinkies!