A/N: This is the first fic I've ever written, and I'm not super confident writing for these characters yet, but I hope I did an okay job! I didn't want to make Maya weak by any means, but I can see her letting her guard down and letting Lucas baby her from time to time. I might turn this into a series of unconnected drabbles if this is received well :) Let me know what you think/if you want to read more!
Also- just for reference I wrote this with the idea that Lucas and Maya are in their mid twenties and they have been married for about a year, but they have been together since the summer before college.
"Huckleberry please?" Maya begged, already knowing Lucas' answer was going to remain the same, but asking anyway. She was almost five months pregnant and desperate for a latte.
"Maya, you know what the doctor said, babe. Caffeine can stunt the baby's growth. And not to point out the obvious, but she's already getting your shortstack genes. We wouldn't want to do anything stunt her anymore" he teased with a grin.
Maya reached over the side of the table and hit him jokingly on the arm. She then got up and walked to his chair at the table and curled up in his lap and rested her head on his chest.
"Lucas, what if I told you that your child wants a latte more than anything? We can't just brush aside these cravings. I want what she wants and right now she is screaming for some coffee."
Lucas thought about it for a minute and he knew he was starting to fall under her spell.
"Babe, I can make you some decaf if you'd like? We can fix it up how you drink your regular coffee and you won't even know the difference."
Maya lifted her head and looked at Lucas with her best sad puppy dog eyes and shook her head. She wanted the real stuff.
"You know, when we found out I was pregnant it was really unexpected, and I didn't get to enjoy my last latte like I would have if I had known it was the last one I would have for 9 whole months." Wrapping her arms around his neck, she continued "I haven't had anything bad for me in like four and a half months and I really don't think that a couple shots of espresso and some milk will hurt me or the baby. Please, Hopalong?" she pleaded, keeping his gaze and preparing for the final part of her side of the argument. "If not for me, then for your precious child inside me who kept me up half the night kicking me in the ribs while you slept peacefully beside me?" Maya was playing dirty and she knew it, but she needed to make Lucas cave.
"You know, Shortstack, I think the baby is causing you to go a little soft on me. Pre-pregnancy Maya would have already gone to get the coffee whether or not I thought it was a good idea." He brushed some hair behind her ear and grinned at her. Maya rolled her eyes and looked at him, knowing he had more to say.
"I think you know it's a bad idea and you just want me to agree so you can blame me if something goes wrong." Lucas smirked at her, knowing he just figured out her entire game.
Maya pouted at him and laid her head back on his chest and grumbled "I'm just so tired, Huckleberry. And even though I'm only halfway through the pregnancy, I'm all baby because I'm so small and it's uncomfortable. I'm so excited we are having a baby, but pregnancy is hard and it makes me moody and achy and hungry and sappy and it's ruining my street cred around here."
Lucas chuckled and wrapped his arms around his wife the best he could with her baby bump coming in between them, pressed a kiss to her temple and rubbed her back. He knew that she just needed to know he was there and not going anywhere. He also wanted to soak in this rare moment of weakness and enjoy feeling needed.
"Okay, let's compromise. Why don't we get you set up on the couch with some blankets and your favorite show so you can maybe nap and get some rest and I will go get us some drinks. Then we can stay in tonight and watch movies and order whatever takeout you want?"
He really did feel bad that she was going through all of this for them, and wanted to make sure she knew that he would do anything to make her happy. Maya felt a familiar flutter in her stomach that she recognized as the feeling she gets when Lucas reminds her exactly why she said yes to him all those years ago.
Maya leaned forward and kissed him softly in response, conveying all the love and appreciation she felt in that moment. "Thanks, baby daddy" she said with a grin. Lucas rolled his eyes, scooped her up bridal style and carried her over to the couch, where he got her situated with pillows, blankets and Netflix.
When Lucas left in search of coffee, Maya took a moment to let herself feel really lucky that this was her life.
The next thing she knew, she felt a touch on her arm and the faint calling of her name. She opened her eyes to find Lucas was back with two drink trays filled with different coffee options and some snacks too.
"You are such a Huckleberry" she teased as he set the trays on the coffee table, but she knew her eyes were giving away all the love she felt for him in that moment.
Lucas smiled and began to explain, "Okay, so I went to all the coffee shops within a 4 block radius of our apartment and told them to make me the best decaf drink they could and gave them your usual milk and flavor preferences. I know you wanted a full caf latte, but you just had a little nap, so maybe that combined with the taste of coffee will trick your body into thinking you actually had one?" he squinted a little, unsure of what her response would be.
That was both the dumbest and sweetest thing she has ever heard and she couldn't help but smile in response.
"Babe, you went to 4 different coffee shops just to try and find me the decaf drink that made me feel the most like I was drinking fully caffeinated coffee?" Maya had tears in her eyes- damn hormones- and reached her hands out towards her husband to get him to come sit with her. Lucas helped her sit up so he could sit at the end of the couch next to her. They spent the rest of the afternoon sampling and ranking the coffee drinks, cat napping and cuddling while catching up on the shows and movies in their Netflix queue.
Even though the coffee debate itself was silly (she blames the hormones), Maya couldn't help but be touched by the fact that Lucas tried so hard to get her something she liked that wouldn't affect the baby. As she sat there playing with Lucas' fingers while he napped next to her, she started thinking about how happy she was in this season of her life. It took her a really long time to accept that she deserved to be loved by someone who was good and trust that they would stay no matter what. In that moment she was grateful as hell that her favorite neighborhood Huckleberry was the one who made her believe it.
She whispered "I love you" in his ear and kissed each of his fingers before draping his arm around her waist and snuggling back into him, content to nap with him until the baby insisted it was time for dinner.