This was the first time that Archie had been to Will's flat. It was neat, but his bedroom was a mess and he awkwardly removed a female's bra from his bed, throwing it into his wardrobe.
"This is where the magic happens."
"Ew," she said, leaving the bedroom and going back to the living area/kitchen. "From the way you dress, I expected better."
"Harsh, but understandable," he muttered. "I've done a deep clean this morning when they called. All that's left to do is prepare dinner. They'll be hungry when they arrive."
Archie nodded and hung her jacket up, her backpack with it. "Have you got ingredients?"
"To be honest, I've got pasta and shop-bought sauce."
"Do you have any seasoning?"
"What for?"
"To add some life into your bland sauce?" She asked with an eyebrow raised.
"No..."
"Dear Lord," she muttered, grabbing her things. "We're having this dinner at mine. I've got some chicken, sauce, whatever."
Will grinned. "It should be me cooking, considering you're pregnant."
"Oh, you will be cooking under my guidance," she said, leading him out of his flat and waiting for him to lock up before joining her. "We should probably think about what we're going to tell them."
"All we have to tell them is that we're expecting but we are not together," he replied.
Archie cringed. "Telling your sort-of religious parents?"
"They won't mind," Will said. "They would just be expecting us to not be co-parents."
"Well, sorry but we're co-parenting whether they like it or not."
Will sighed heavily. "I know. I've never defied my parents before. Well, not that many times. I can't wait for them to meet you. Strong-willed, independent, don't take any cr-"
"I am not cooking."
"Worth a try."
...
"So, this is lovely," Will's mother, Kathleen said, giving everyone a bright smile as she ate. "This tastes so... flavourful, better than anything I've ever had!"
"What's wrong with my cooking?" Howard Noble asked.
Kathleen smirked. "Nothing, darling. Just a bit basic."
"And bland," Will muttered, sipping his wine. "So, I've got something to tell you."
"Does it have anything to do with Archie's presence?" His mother asked sweetly, her eyes sparkling as she eyed Archie's left hand.
Will sighed. "Yes but no, we're not getting married."
"Oh," Kathleen said, waving it off. "Buying your first home together? Are you asking us to help you with a deposit because we can-"
"No, Ma," Will quickly said. "Archie has her own home. This home."
Archie nodded, smiling. "I've been here for almost a year now. Three bedrooms and everything. I'll give you a tour after dinner."
"An accomplished woman," Howard said, impressed. "You've chosen a good one, son."
"We're not together," Will stated.
"Oh," his parents said. "You're not?"
"No," Will said firmly. "But we will be... parents."
His parents blinked in surprise, sharing a confused look before turning back to Archie and Will. His mother sipped her wine and placed it back down onto the table, laughing a little.
"What does that mean?"
Will swallowed deeply, taking a sip from his wine. "Well, you see-"
"Will and I expecting a baby," Archie told them. "We've decided to be co-parents. Right, Will?"
Will shakily nodded. "Right," he whispered, eyeing his parents.
His father broke out into a small smile. "Congratulations. It's a bit unconventional, being a surrogate father but if the Lord wants you to-"
"No, Da," Will said, cutting his father off. "God wasn't involved. I'm not a surrogate either. Archie's one of my good friends, we've got close over the past year or so and we ended up spending the night in bed. We're friends who are having a baby."
Kathleen downed her wine. "We see."
"Ma-"
"We're happy for you, we truly are," she mumbled, tears springing to her eyes. "Oh, I thought you'd be like your sister. Ready to settle down, marriage or not, but with kids and the house and-"
"I thought your sister was dead?" Archie asked Will in confusion.
Will's eyes darkened and he set his jaw. "Not my little sister. My older sister."
"You've not told her about Claire?" His mother asked, shocked.
Will turned to Archie. "Claire is my parents' pride and joy. She's some top solicitor in London with a husband who used to run a police firm back in Ireland. After Erin's death, she left and never turned back."
"You did the same," his father said.
"You know why I left. Claire was already leaving whether or not Erin died," Will snapped. "At least I left after five years, she went the day after her funeral!"
His mother covered her face. "She was hurting just as much as you. She didn't know how to cope, she'd just found out that she and her husband were expecting Layla."
"Layla?"
"Your niece," Howard stated. "You've got a nephew too, Freddie."
Will sighed and leaned back in his seat. "I didn't know."
"No, you wouldn't have because you blamed her for leaving whilst you were stuck. But then you weren't and you left," Howard told him. "Let's not let our family drama put Archie off, eh?"
Kathleen smiled brightly, sniffling. "So, we're very happy for both of you and we are supportive of your decisions even if they're not in line with our beliefs."
Will almost rolled his eyes. Almost. "Thank you. Not that we need your permission to have a baby unmarried."
"William-"
"Thank you. You coming down means a lot to me," Will quickly said, blushing when Archie glared at him. "Archie and I appreciate it and your support."
Archie nodded, giving the couple a smile. "This is not the first impression I wanted to make. Well ever if I'm honest. I never mix my professional life with my personal life."
"You're so kind, Archie," Kathleen said happily. "What do you do again?"
"I work with Will. I'm a specialist registrar," Archie told them.
"A doctor!" Howard gasped. "Well, welcome to the family."
"Da-"
"I mean, welcome partly to the family, Archie," Howard said, shaking her hand. "The mother of my grandchild is always welcome to ours."
Archie smirked. "I would like to see where Will grew up. For now, I prefer it in Holby."
"Well, you're welcome any time," Kathleen said, giving her son a pointed look.
Will smiled at Archie. "Yes, you're welcome any time."
...
After dropping off his parents at his flat to sleep in his bedroom, Will packed an overnight bag and returned to Archie's. He let himself in with the spare key she'd given him and he found her asleep on the sofa.
Putting his things in the guest bedroom and taking off his shoes, he returned downstairs and gently shook her awake, knowing she'd hate being picked up and treated as an invalid.
She opened her eyes and yawned. "I'm so tired..."
"I know," he whispered, stroking her cheek a little. "You need to get upstairs, Arch."
"Yeah," she mumbled, sitting up and standing. She headed up the stairs, him following after as he switched the lights off. "That was a success."
"Kind of," he muttered. "They grilled me more when I took them back to mine."
"What did they say?"
He sighed. "They told me off for being a player. Asked if we were a one-night stand and I said 'yes'. I had to be honest. I play women, I sleep with them and ditch them... Lara should be a clear example of how terrible I am."
"Taught you a lesson," Archie said, laughing tiredly. "She's in my good books."
Getting to the top, she paused by her bedroom door.
"Towels are in the bathroom, only use two, I'm not a laundromat," she said. "Shampoo, body wash, whatever is there. Most are left by my nephews, they visit a lot now."
"Any reason why?"
"Their parents work a lot so I'm a snack stop," she said. "Anyway-"
She gagged and rushed to the bathroom, throwing up everything she'd just eaten. She felt a hand rubbing her back and she groaned, feeling embarrassed about it.
"I've never felt this bad in my life. I'd rather be hungover than have morning sickness," Archie said, resting her head on her arm.
"If I could go through it for you, I would," Will said, taking a seat on the ground and waiting patiently for her to be finished. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Archie said to him. "Just stay with me?"
"I will."