Chapter 53
Sev - 25 weeks
Siri - 09 weeks
March 27th
"Is Sirius going to be okay tonight?" asked James as they all ate breakfast.
Remus nodded, "Yeah he should be fine. He only throws up once or twice in the morning now. Then he drinks his drink and feels good for the rest of the day. He just has been running to the bathroom a lot."
"Sev lives in the bathroom," smiled James as he looked towards the entrance of the Great Hall and saw Severus and Sirius coming back after they had both run to the bathroom. There was no hiding the fact that Severus was pregnant now, but most students didn't seem surprised or to care.
As far as they knew, no one knew for sure about Sirius's own pregnancy yet, but with his frequent trips to the bathroom and illness, Remus was starting to hear whispers. Sirius didn't seem to mind, or care about it, but Remus noticed that the comments about Sirius were significantly meaner than the ones aimed at Severus.
It is probably because we haven't come out to everyone that we are a bonded pair, thought Remus as he poked at his breakfast. James and Severus came out right away that they were a bonded pair, and then Severus got pregnant, so despite how weird their courting was they still technically went in the right order. With Sirius and myself it might seem like I got him pregnant first and then bonded. I'll talk to Sirius about it later.
"You okay?" asked James, pulling Remus out of his own thoughts.
Remus startled slightly but smiled, "Yeah I'm fine. I was just thinking that I might want to get Sirius a ring or something. Just to show we are in fact together kind of deal."
"I understand," nodded James before he paused to stand up and help Severus sit down.
"I don't need help," grumbled Severus as he accepted James's hand and allowed him to help him sit down.
"You have a watermelon strapped to you," snorted James as he rubbed Severus back once he had sat down.
"The baby isn't as big as a watermelon yet," frowned Severus.
"No but you are." This little jab earned James a light punch in the arm.
Remus smiled and helped Sirius sit down despite him not needing help. Sirius didn't complain as he looked a little pale. "You okay?" whispered Remus.
Sirius nodded, "Just a little nausea again. I didn't throw up or anything. Just had a moment where I needed to hold very still."
"You going to be alright at the party tonight?" asked Remus quietly, now worried he had just lied to James about Sirius being all right for their get together.
Sirius nodded, "I'll be fine, and it's not like it's going to be a big thing. It's just gonna be a couple of us tonight."
"Fuck!" Severus suddenly snapped as he held his stomach.
"What's wrong?" asked James in a worried tone as Sirius and Remus looked towards them as well.
"You're little shit-snack just fucking kidney punched me!" Severus groaned and tried to stretch a little but ended up resting his upper body on the table.
"Please don't call our baby a shit-snack," sighed James trying to keep himself from laughing as he rubbed his fiancé's back.
"He's just so active in the morning," whined Severus as he looked down. "If you want food so bad stop kicking me and let me eat!"
"Have you felt him kick yet James?" asked Lily, who had just moved down to talk to them.
"Not yet," sighed James. "Harry isn't quite big enough yet for me to feel him move around, though he clearly is moving."
"Mostly during the day thankfully," sighed Severus. He paused and turned to James, "You should be able to feel him soon though. Pomfrey said you should be able to feel him any day now. She was a little surprised that you haven't felt him yet, and we were a little worried Harry might be a little smaller than he should be."
"His conception was a little odd," noted Peter, who had been quietly working on a paper.
"I did look that up too," nodded Severus. "It can slow development a little, but it should be fine, Pomfrey says we're both perfectly healthy, but that he might be a little small."
"Or late," added James. "She also said he might take an extra week or two."
"God I hope not," groaned Severus. "I'm already wishing this was done. I'm tired all the time, I can't think straight, my back hurts, my feet hurt, and I just want to eat frosting. James I want a cupcake. I need a cupcake in my life." Severus's voice started cracking halfway through his rant and by the time he mentioned frosting he was almost crying.
"Okay," whispered James as he wrapped an arm around Severus and helped him stand up. He gave his friend and apologetic look and said, "Looks like we're making a quick kitchen run. Sevvy needs his cupcake fix."
"Why am I crying? I just want a cupcake," sniffed Severus as he buried his face against James's shoulder. "And a doughnut, and maybe a cookie. I want a doughnut full of cookies, or cookie dough."
James rolled his eyes as he gave his friends one last nod while tugging Severus away from them. Once the pair was out of earshot, Peter nodded towards them and said, "And that right there is why me and Melissa are waiting."
Lily nodded in agreement while Remus and Sirius awkwardly poked at their food. Secretly, Remus was hoping that Sirius's own emotional episodes would be milder, but with how everything was going for them so far, he knew he shouldn't hold his breath in the hope everything would run smoothly.
Severus was in a better mood once he had gotten his cupcake fix. He swore to James that he just needed one and he wouldn't eat anymore until the party later, but James saw him sneak a few cookies into his pockets.
As long as he continues to eat other things I won't stop him, thought James as he they went their separate ways.
Since Mulciber was no longer a worry, James had no problem with Severus walking to and from his classes alone. It also helped that now that Severus was truly showing, professors, and other students were quicker to help him if there was something wrong. Something they should have been doing from the very beginning, James thought bitterly.
Though it annoyed James, he could also understand why it had taken until Severus was truly showing before people started being more helpful. It was easy to say you were pregnant, but showing always helped push the point across.
The day went by smoothly, but the amount of homework, and every third thought being his mate, made the day drag for James. It wasn't until he met back up with Severus, and headed to the empty classroom that he started to feel the ball of stress in the back of his head unwind a little.
"You okay?" asked Severus as they walked. He had noticed James was smiling less and frowning more.
"It's just all this homework," sighed James as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "The fact that I know I technically don't need to finish school is also dragging on me, but I need to stay, if only for appearance sake."
"Yeah, I don't think your mom would be too happy if she found out you dropped and I stayed," teased Severus.
"Oh she'd fucking end me," chuckled James. "And there is no way I would leave you alone. If you leave then I have an excuse, but I doubt that is going to be happening." Severus nodded, but he frowned as he touched his stomach again. "Everything alright?" asked James as he rubbed Severus's back.
Severus nodded, but he let out a long sigh. "I don't know. Some days I feel great, then all of a sudden I'll just be tired and feel like shit. Like suddenly just breathing is difficult and I just want to cry and eat everything, and the worst part is, I know it's just hormones, I know I am just being moody and it will pass, but that doesn't mean I can stop it. Knowing it's just me doesn't make it go away."
"Sorry, Love," whispered James since he honestly didn't know what to say to make his fiancé feel better.
"It's okay," smiled Severus as he shook his head as if trying to clear his own annoyance. "It's your birthday, let's just focus on that right now." James smiled at Severus and leaned down to get a quick kiss before they joined everyone.
James's birthday party was less of a party and more of a small gathering with too much cake and candy. In past birthdays, James always had a big party, but he wanted something quieter this year. It was just his close friends and a person or two that they wanted to bring. The end result being that Melissa was the only other person that wasn't from their main inner circle that was there.
James and Severus greeted everyone, got their cake, and sat down to chat with everyone. It was less party and more bullshitting with friends while eating too much sugar.
Severus had told James it was all right for him to go and have his normal big party in the Gryffindor common room, but James had refused. Party because Severus wouldn't be there, but also because Sirius wouldn't enjoy himself much either.
Sirius's pregnancy was making him a little detached even from Remus, though now that they were bonded Remus didn't seem concerned. James had asked Remus about it quietly once, and Remus had simply said it was the constant sickness making him tired.
Even as they were all laughing and joking around, Sirius was a little more reserved as he sat with Remus, food untouched. "You okay over there, Siri?" asked James. He tried to make it sound joking, but it came out more concerned.
Sirius gave him a tired smile. "This kid is kicking my ass, man." He paused to look to Remus. "And I'm not sure who he got it from, but he's fussy."
"Probably you," teased Remus. "I was always a very passive child."
"Passive aggressive maybe," snorted Peter, who had actually known Remus before Hogwarts.
"I was a perfectly charming child," frowned Remus.
"Oh yeah," laughed Peter. "Like the time your mom got mad at you for forgetting your daily sweeping chore, so then for literally two months after that whenever you did the chore you would put the broom away wrong so that it would always fall on the floor when jostled slightly. Like it always was when the cabinets opened, which only your mom did while making dinner."
Remus sat quietly as everyone turned to look at him, waiting for him to defend himself. When he didn't, Lily laughed, "Remus, you little prick!"
"I always knew there was a reason I liked you best," snorted Severus. James gave him a hurt look that made Severus roll his eyes, "I meant before I became extremely fond of you."
"You mean fond of his dick," whispered Lily, which made everyone in the room laugh.
"Going back to me being mean to my mother," noted Remus dryly. "I will have you know she was just as bad."
"Oh we know," laughed James.
"That is part of why it was kinda weirdly amusing," added Peter. "She would do something you didn't like and you'd do something, only to have her do something right back."
"Then dad would get mad at both of us and we'd have to apologize and make up," snorted Remus. "Dad was always a good referee."
"Speaking of parents," noted James. "You two told my parents about the pregnancy right?"
Sirius nodded, "We sent a letter. Mia sent us a letter back right away explaining that we were being extremely irresponsible, but that she understood. She then offered Remus a place to stay if things go south when he told his parents."
"We wrote back about your suggestion," added Remus. "She liked the idea."
"Good," nodded James. "There really isn't a reason for us not to have you stay with us. I mean, fuck, did you see the house they are building for us? Half those rooms are going to go unused if we don't have a more couple people there. I mean, why the hell does it have like eight bedrooms, plus the master?"
"I think she is expecting a lot of grandchildren, Lovey," whispered Severus as he kissed James on the cheek.
James blushed a little but smiled as he nuzzled Severus back. "How many kids are you two thinking of having anyway?" asked Melissa.
Both of them shrugged before Severus answered. "We've thrown a few numbers around. Five being the highest one seriously considered, but we really don't know."
"We're kind of playing it by ear right now," added James. "I mean we both want a big family…"
"But we want it within reason," interrupted Severus. "I do want to eventually have my body back to normal."
"I don't mind how you look," smiled James. "I love you like this. You're so cute and chubby. I like your round tummy and your soft squishy face."
"In other news, James is a chubby chaser," snorted Sirius.
"Be nice," Remus scolded Sirius, though there was no real warning in it. They all knew he was just joking. "It definitely has more to do with his mate being pregnant. I know I can't wait to see you getting bigger too."
"You're both weird," muttered Sirius.
"I agree," noted Severus. "Pregnancy is gross, you have any idea how many… fluids are involved."
"Wait, what?" asked both Melissa and Lily.
"Oh yeah," nodded Sirius. "I have a lot of stuff coming out of me that I never wanted to know was a thing."
Both girls looked uneasy as Severus quickly added, "Pomfrey says it's perfectly normal and that it is the body just keeping itself clean. It's just kind of, really, gross if you aren't expecting it."
"It's gross when you're expecting it," grumbled Sirius.
"True," admitted Severus.
The conversation drifted away from the babies and towards quidditch. James and Sirius had dropped out of the team, but they still liked going and watching the games. Oddly enough, Hufflepuff was in the lead for quidditch wins, though the whole school figured it was because Gryffindor lost James, and Sirius, two of the best players. Then Slytherin lost Mulciber, Avery, and Evan as well, so all in all not a good year for either house. Ravenclaw wasn't doing bad, but most of their team was newer, and quidditch never seemed to be the main drive for Ravenclaw anyway.
As the night wore on, it was Sirius who first admitted that he was getting tired. Everyone seemed to use this as a cue that it was time to wrap up their little party. James noted that Severus was taking the remains of the cake and did his best to not scold him.
Severus still saw the look and poked his tongue out at James in a 'just try and stop me' kind of dare. James simply raised his hands in defeat and refused to even voice the worry. Normally, he might have said something, but there really wasn't much left, so James let Severus take it without a word.
He is probably going to get up at 3am and eat it, James mentally sighed as he remembered his fiancé's newest habit. Severus had been waking up at three or four in the morning every day to pee, and eat. He insisted it was Harry, and that he was hungry. James wasn't sure this was true or not, but that last time he had voiced a concern about the amount of sugar he was eating, Severus had started crying.
Just let him have what he wants unless there is a problem, James reminded himself as they headed back to their room, Severus walking in front happily humming as he held his cake.
"You're waddling a little bit," snickered James. He hadn't meant to say it out loud, but it had just come out suddenly as he watched his fiancé walk.
Severus glanced back to glare at him, "I am not."
James had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself form laughing. He looks like an angry penguin!
"I'm not sharing the rest of this with you," huffed Severus.
You weren't going to anyway, snorted James, this time keeping his thoughts to himself, though with the audible snort he shouldn't have bothered. Severus made a mocking sound even without having known what James's thoughts were.
In the three minute walk to their room, Severus was already forgetting the comment as he set his treat down and got undressed for bed. As Severus changed, he suddenly felt tired. Turning to James he sighed, "I know it's your birthday, but…"
"But?" smiled James having an inkling into what his mate wanted.
"My feet just hurt so bad," whimpered Severus.
"Get up on the bed, Love," smiled James as he dressed down into nothing but a pair of pajama bottoms.
"I love you," sighed Severus as he awkwardly hopped up onto their bed and made a back rest with his pillows. James wasn't sure where Severus was getting them, but he swore every time he saw the bed there was another pillow present. He asked him about it once, but Severus had insisted they had always had that many. James knew it was bullshit, but he didn't feel like calling his lover on it, and had simply let it go.
James waited for Severus to get situated before joining him on the bed, and letting Severus rest his feet in James's lap. "Your feet really are swollen," frowned James as he started gently massaging Severus's right foot.
"Tell me something I don't know," groaned Severus through clenched teeth. The massage always hurt at first, but once James got started, it felt better.
"Just breath," reminded James as he did his bet to be careful. Severus whimpered, but nodded as he let his head fall back and he focused on taking in deep breaths and letting them out slowly.
When Severus finally started to relax and enjoy the massage, James switched to the other foot. It hurt Severus, but James knew that when his mate was relaxed enough to enjoy the massage he needed to switch feet and move to the other one a fact that annoyed Severus, but he understood it.
Once both of Severus's feet were relaxed, James gently pushed his legs apart so he could lay between them and rest his head on Severus's stomach.
"Enjoying yourself?" teased Severus as James kissed and nuzzled his belly.
"My baby is in there," said James giddily as he rested his ear to Severus's stomach again.
"A fact you love to point out," hummed Severus as he closed his eyes and laid his head back.
"Well I'm—" James stopped suddenly, sitting up and putting his hands on Severus's stomach.
"What's wrong," frowned Severus.
Before James could answer, the baby kicked hard, hard enough that Severus could see his belly move a little. "He's moving," said James excitedly as he bounced on the bed. "Love, he's moving around and I felt him!"
Severus just smiled and tried to sit up with the intention of kissing his fiancé, but James was quick to push him back down so he could lay his head back down on Severus's stomach.
"Don't you want your present from me?" hummed Severus as rubbed one of his feet up and down James's side. Their sex life had been going strong, and Severus had fully intended to get laid after his foot massage, but now it had seemed as though James had lost interest for the time.
"I just got the best present every," smiled James as he slowly wiggled up so he could hug Severus properly. "I just want to lay here with you."
Severus wanted to roll his eyes, but he felt himself smiling as James rolled him so that he was being spooned with James's hands on his belly. Letting out a small happy sigh, Severus put his hands over James's and relaxed. This is fine too.
AN/ Shit-snack is something I say often.
Meanwhile I am on day 3 of my "no sugar" ban and it is fucking killing me. Story is getting bleed-over from my own sugar cravings.
tumblr - Lennydark
