AN: I have come to a decision! You'll know what it is when you're done with this chapter. Enjoy! And seriously, I put warnings on the first two chapters and, in hindsight, I should've put them in more chapters. This story has incest, specifically between a mother and her son and people will get butthurt because incest is a touchy subject for some people. Don't read if you're easily offended, please and thank you.
Much more Than Maternal
Chapter 6
The Date
The day passed at a snail's pace, the majority of it was spent with Darwin, she wanted to make sure he felt like he was a part of the family. In truth, she had desired to spend the day with Gumball after he'd revealed his decision to start a relationship with her. But Gumball had effectively pointed out, that Darwin was the one who needed some affection from her, not him. Gumball had insisted that they would get the time to be together later that night and he'd quieted her protests with a light kiss before leaving her. Seeing his point, Nicole had to agree with her son, Darwin was still in an unstable frame of mind and he needed to be shown that she truly did see him as part of the Watterson family. He barely spoke to Nicole, only giving her one word answers or a grunt whenever she asked him a question. But gradually, he was starting to warm to her and she'd caught his cheeks curling up into a smile more than once. Now, Nicole sat to the side, dozing peacefully as Darwin and Gumball played a video game.
Unbeknownst to him, Darwin had a grin on his face as he beat his brother for the fourth time in a row and he genuinely laughed at his victory. The time was a quarter to six when Richard came blundering in through the front door, a flustered expression on his face. The door shut behind him with a loud thud, waking his sleeping wife from her nap. He gave Nicole a resentful glare, he was upset about not finding the present she'd hidden from him. He walked past the three without a word, went through the kitchen and entered the backyard. A minute later, they heard him enter the shed as the door banged shut loudly. Darwin pressed start on his controller and gave his mother a short glance before returning his attention back to the TV.
"What's wrong with Mr. Dad?," he asked as he tapped at the buttons on his controller.
"I have no idea, dude," Gumball replied, he yipped loudly as he entered the lead.
Nicole spoke up beside them, her voice sounded bored. "Your father thinks I got him an early birthday present."
"What? Why?," Gumball asked, he grunted as he crashed and Darwin overtook him.
Nicole shrugged. "I don't know, but it was good to have him out of the house for the whole day."
The boys didn't answer her, they tapped crazily at their controllers as they entered the final lap. Gumball overtook Darwin and promptly crashed at the same corner as before, allowing the fish to surge into the lead again.
"Ugh, darn it," he grunted, throwing his hands into the air with a defeated moan.
Nicole got to her feet with a tired sigh and went to the kitchen to prepare a surprise dinner for Gumball, she stopped to look back when Darwin laughed and she felt relieved to hear him laugh. When Nicole was out of ear-shot, Gumball threw his controller onto the coffee table. He gave his brother a serious look and Darwin put his controller down as well. Gumball's expression made Darwin feel a little uneasy, Gumball was usually never this serious.
"Dude, while we're alone, I wanted to ask," Gumball paused. "How are you holding up?"
"Honestly? I feel really bad about causing you so much trouble. I haven't seen Mrs. Mom this happy in a long time. It's clear that she sees you differently and I nearly ruined it," Darwin replied, he gave Gumball a frown.
"Dude, I understand how it must've looked. The first time Mom kissed me, I didn't know what to think. It was so weird," Gumball confessed, he looked over his shoulder to check that they were alone.
"But thanks for being understanding, man. It means a lot to me and Mom," he added quickly.
"Look at her, Gumball. She's so happy when she's around you. Honestly, now that I see how much you mean to her, I cannot in good conscience destroy what you two have," Darwin said, he pointed a fin in the direction of the kitchen, Nicole could be heard talking to herself about something.
"So, you accept us?"
"No, I still find your relationship very strange," Darwin confessed, Gumball looked hurt for a second. "But I won't tell anyone, I'll let you two sort out how you're going to tell Anais and Mr. Dad."
"Thanks Darwin, you're one of the good ones," Gumball said, he gave Darwin a brotherly smack on the shoulder.
"And maybe one day, I'll fully accept you and Mrs. Mom being together."
Gumball smiled. "That would be awesome, dude."
Gumball suddenly jerked his head to the kitchen and inhaled deeply at the sweet scent wafting to him from the kitchen. He bade Darwin a quick goodbye and went to the kitchen, his stomach growled as he reached the doorway. He found his mother standing by the stove, she fiddled with a dial as she looked back and forth between the stove and a cookbook. He inhaled deeply, groaning at the smell drifting from the stove and Nicole looked over her shoulder at him.
"Oh, Gumball, dinner's not ready yet," she informed him, she turned back to the stove and turned another dial.
"I know, just curious about the smell."
She motioned to him with a slender finger, beckoning Gumball closer, she didn't mind showing him what she had in store for the boy. "Come here, I'll show you."
He went up to her and she put an arm around him as she pointed at the pork tenderloin sitting in the oven with her other hand. His stomach growled fiercely at the food, making the young cat groan in anticipation. Nicole kissed his cheek, giggling at his exaggerated show of hunger.
"It's honey glazed," she teased her starving son, who grunted at her.
"Mom, don't be like that," he moaned, his voice belied his annoyed expression.
Nicole adopted an innocent look at her son. "Be like what, honey?"
He gave her a face and rolled his eyes at her feigned ignorance. She surprised him by quickly moving in and kissing him, making Gumball's eyes grow as wide as dinner plates. It was only a quick kiss and she pulled away, giving his lip a playful nip in the process. Gumball blushed, he still hadn't gotten used to how good her kisses were. He looked back at the cooking food and noticed that there was less food in the oven than he'd previously thought.
"Mom, what's with dinner? Dad could eat that in one go," he looked at her, realizing she was smiling at him.
"It's not for the family," she replied, tapping her son on the nose with her index finger. "It's for us."
"Why is it just for us?"
"I wanted to celebrate the beginning of our relationship so I've made a small dinner for just the two of us."
"Oh, so like a date?"
"Correct," she replied, smiling at her son as he blushed again.
"Um, what about the rest of the family?," Gumball asked, his mother's gesture filled him with love.
"They'll be fine, I've ordered a pizza for them," she stated, she quickly checked on the food then shut the oven door with a small hiss of satisfaction.
"Won't they get suspicious?"
"It's pizza, honey. Once it gets here, your father won't pay attention to anything that isn't a part of the box it comes in. Darwin already knows about us and as for Anais, well, if she asks, I'll just say that I'm simply testing out a recipe."
"Okay, can I have some pizza too?"
"Sure, don't fill up on too much though."
"Sweet, Mom, thanks!," he exclaimed, he kissed her on the cheek before spinning on his heel and leaving.
He stopped at the doorway and shot his mother a sly look, she had been watching him with latent desire in her eyes.
"See you later tonight," he said, winking at her as he walked out of sight.
She watched Gumball from the kitchen as he sat on the couch beside his brother, he was saying something but she couldn't hear it. Darwin spoke, it must have been positive because Gumball high-fived him. Darwin gestured to the TV and Gumball nodded, handing a controller to the fish. They played for twenty minutes until Anais appeared from behind the couch and spoke to them. She said something as she pointed over her shoulder at the front window with her thumb, her expression showed how happy she was. Darwin hopped off the couch and looked out the window, nodding in agreement. The doorbell rang just as Nicole was removing the pork from the oven. She placed the meal on the counter beside her and went to answer the door, reaching into her pocket to retrieve her purse. Gumball practically tore the box from Larry's hands and Nicole gave the man an apologetic smile as she passed him a handful of bills. He thanked her for her payment and left them, bidding a farewell to the happy family.
On the way back to his motorbike, Larry was struck with wonder when he realized Nicole had given him a very generous tip, It was over one hundred dollars. Nicole took the pizza from Gumball and told the three kids to wash up. They were gone in a flash and Nicole didn't bother to chastise them for running up the stairs, she was in too good of a mood for that. She placed the pizza on the table and set some plates down before going out the back to alert Richard. She knocked on the door to the shed, recoiling when the door flew open unexpectedly. It passed by her face so closely, she felt the wind coming off it.
"I smell pizza!," Richard told her, he breathed at the air deeply.
"It's what's for dinner, Richard."
"That's great, Nicole," he said as he brushed past her, running to the house as fast as he could.
Nicole did not join her family at the table, she wasn't in the mood for pizza. Instead, she watched TV as they ate, gazing over at them whenever the urge struck her. Whenever her eyes met Gumball's, he would wink at her without fail. She would always look away shyly, acting like a love-struck teenager.
As they ate, her thoughts wandered to what she'd planned for the evening and despite her experience with dating, she couldn't help but feel nervous about this particular date. Getting caught was the least of her concerns, no, she wanted it to be a date worth remembering. It was their first date as a couple and even though she would prefer it if they went out for their first date, Nicole knew it would only draw suspicion if it was just the two of them. She told herself she wouldn't go overboard with everything, it was to be a simple dinner and maybe some TV before bed.
Gumball had stayed true to his word and had only eaten two slices of pizza and now, he was watching his siblings fight with their father over the final piece. Nicole dug her claws deeply into the armrest beside her, their bickering was getting on her nerves. Gumball could see her annoyance from where he sat and was trying to stop them, he didn't need his mother to be in a foul mood on their date.
"Guys, enough fighting, I'll have it," he said, reaching for the lonely slice sitting in the box.
Richard slapped his son's hand away without a word, drawing a hateful glare from Nicole as she got to her feet without making a sound.
"No, I want it!," Anais argued, she ducked under Darwin's fins and nearly had her hand on the slice when there was a sudden whooshing sound and the pizza was gone.
They froze, staring at the now empty box with utter disbelief on their faces. Suddenly, the tell-tale crash of breaking glass came from behind them and they turned in unison, spotting Nicole who was standing by the now broken front window. She wiped her greasy hands on her skirt and gave her family a cold stare.
"Bed. Now," she commanded, her voice was frighteningly calm.
"Did you just throw the pizza out the window?," Richard asked, he pointed at the broken window behind Nicole.
She cracked her knuckles in response and Richard dropped his finger, he shot his kids a fearful glance.
"Come on, kids. Bed time."
They went quickly, neither of them saying a goodnight to Nicole. When Gumball passed her, she shot out her hand and grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.
"You stay put."
Gumball was dumbstruck at her anger, he hadn't done anything wrong. The rest of the family quietly disappeared, Richard himself also went upstairs to escape his wife's fury. When they were gone, Nicole's let Gumball's shoulder go and he looked at her. He opened his mouth to ask her what he'd done wrong, but he was stopped mid-sentence when Nicole spoke.
"It's okay, honey. We need to keep up appearances around the family so they don't get suspicious," she winked slyly at him. "Now come here, I have something for you."
Somewhat reluctantly, Gumball went to his mother. She pulled him into her chest and kissed him recklessly, not caring if anyone came back down the stairs. The kiss was deeper than the one they'd shared in the kitchen and Nicole enjoyed the way he went limp in her arms. She pulled him closer, his own body heat felt like a fire against her and she bit his lip lightly. She broke the kiss and placed her lips against his ear and he shivered as her breath sent a wave of electricity down his back.
"Come down when your brother and sister are asleep. I'll have everything set up for us," she whispered, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"Will do, Mom," he replied, his voice sounded relieved.
She released her son so he could go upstairs, her whole body felt like it was crackling with electricity as she went back to the kitchen to prepare their dinner. She carefully set up two plates laden with the pork she'd shown him from before, along with an assortment of vegetables she had used to decorate the meat. Nicole set the plates down on the table carefully, making sure she made little to no sound as possible. Afterwards, she sat in front of the TV to wait for Gumball to join her. The time passed slowly, the TV had nothing on that interested her in the slightest and she found herself growing increasingly more nervous. She would glance up at the clock, grunting every time she saw the time, it was moving much too slow for her. She was starting to fall asleep when a shuffling sound came from the stairs behind her, making Nicole sit up quickly.
"Relax, Mom, it's only me," Gumball whispered and she noticeably relaxed at his voice.
"Let's eat, honey. It's probably cold now," she said.
She took Gumball's hand and lead him to the table, looking behind her to make sure Gumball wasn't followed. As they dug in, they realized the food was indeed cold but Gumball insisted he didn't mind.
"Mom, it's really not a problem," he said, brushing her hand away for the third time.
"Are you sure?," she asked, she was worried the date would be a failure if he hated the food.
"Yes, it's really good. It's the truth," he insisted, shoveling a forkful of meat into his mouth.
She sighed, not sure if she believed him or not. "I just want this to be perfect, Gumball."
"Mom, we're having a nice, quiet dinner together. It is perfect," he said, putting his fork down and placing his hand over hers.
"If you're worried about us getting caught, don't be. I told Darwin about the date tonight, he's keeping an eye on Anais and Dad for us."
"How is he keeping an eye on your father?," she asked, putting down a forkful of untasted food that had traveled twice to her mouth.
"Dad is sleeping in my room with them. He said you'd probably make him sleep on the couch tonight because of the pizza thing so he's going to crash with us."
"Where is he sleeping?"
"He was on my bed when I left," Gumball answered, he ate the last of his dinner and pushed his plate away.
Nicole's heart skipped a beat and she nearly dropped her fork, she ate the last of her meal and picked up Gumball's plate.
She shot Gumball a flirty look. "I guess that means you're sleeping with me tonight."
"I suppose so," he replied, smiling at her.
"Let's just keep it above the shoulders for the time being, okay?," she said, giggling at her son when he looked at her, confused.
"What are you talking about?," Gumball asked, she didn't answer him, his mother had gone into the kitchen to wash the plates.
He didn't know what she meant by 'keep it above the shoulders', maybe it was some adult thing? He didn't have the slightest clue to what that meant at all and now it was bugging him. He could hear the tap running and the soft clinks of a plate being placed on top of another plate, She came back out, turning off the lights as she went.
"Want to go to bed or do you want to stay up a little longer?," she asked, she held out her hand for him and he took it.
"Let's stay up, I want to spend more time with you," he said, he noticed the way she blushed shyly at his sincere words and he smiled.
"Okay, I suppose we could watch some TV," Nicole suggested, she sat down and started channel surfing.
She put Gumball in her lap and held him as she leaned back into the couch, the remote in her free hand. He nuzzled his face into her neck, purring softly as he hugged her back. She sighed, remembering he hadn't purred like that since she'd held him when he had been a baby. True to late night television, there was nothing worth watching and Nicole had to settle with some bland documentary about rhinos. The documentary, unsurprisingly, didn't receive a sliver of Gumball's attention, instead he stayed where he was, letting out a soft purr into the crook of her neck whenever Nicole moved. The soft vibrations of his purrs tickled at her and Nicole giggled, an event that did draw his attention. He raised his eyes to her, and she answered his question before he could ask it.
"It's nothing, honey. It's just your purring is really cute."
He returned his head back to its resting place. "How come I've never heard you purr, Mom?"
"Well, I only do it when I'm satisfied," she replied, intentionally leaving her answer vague.
"How do I do that? Do I just do my chores and do what you say?," he asked, and she giggled at his innocence.
"No, not like that, honey. I'll show you one day. But that won't be happening for a while, it's too soon," she assured him, running a hand down his back.
"Too soon for what?"
"Shh, enough questions. Let's just watch some TV."
"It's a documentary, Mom. I'm not watching that, it's too boring," he groaned, waving his hand in the general direction of the TV.
"There's nothing else on this late at night, honey," she said, she flicked through the available channels and found nothing worth their time.
"Well, can we kiss then?," he asked, she bit her lip when their eyes met.
"Gummypuss, you don't have to ask," she whispered, she placed her hand on his cheek, threw the remote onto the cushion beside her and kissed him.
Whenever they were together, every insecurity she had ceased to exist, every problem she faced faded away and her marriage to Richard would become nothing more than a bad dream. And when their lips touched, it was like a spark connected between them and ignited, sending shocks of electricity coursing though her entire body. It was a beautiful feeling, to finally feel like she mattered to somebody, that someone would love her completely and unconditionally. The consequences of being caught didn't scare her as much as they used to, she didn't care that Gumball was her son, Nicole loved him more than anything in the world and she would protect him from anyone that would dare step between them.
They pulled apart momentarily and Nicole couldn't help but feel her entire body burn with lust. She wanted him, it was true, she yearned to share herself with Gumball and show her son the true meaning of intimacy. It was just too soon in their relationship for that level of trust, and how would he react to her offering herself to him? It was better to play it safe for now and wait until they were both comfortable with each other to go that extra mile together. She knew it would be an incredible bonding experience for them, but there was no way she was going to rush her son into something so serious. Nicole realized Gumball was saying something and she wrenched herself from her thoughts.
"Say again, honey?"
"I said, let's go to bed. I'm falling asleep."
She agreed and turned the TV off, bathing the room in darkness so pitch-black, neither of them could see each other. Nicole yawned and made her way to her room, Gumball followed her from behind, his own eyes felt like ten pound weights. She didn't bother to turn the bedside lamp on, Nicole knew her room like the back of her hand. Nicole pulled back the blankets and guided Gumball to the bedside so he could climb up. When he had gotten comfortable, she went to her side and got in beside him, pulling the young cat against her. He was warm and he snuggled tightly into her chest, curling up in her arms as Nicole pulled the blankets over them. Neither of them said anything for fifteen minutes and Nicole began to believe Gumball had fallen asleep when he suddenly spoke. His voice was quiet, as if he was carefully choosing his words.
"Mom, what did you mean by too soon?"
His question didn't surprise her, she expected him to ask but not this damn soon. He moved in her arms and she knew he was looking at her, Nicole could feel his eyes piercing her as she thought of how to explain his question.
"Well, there's more to intimacy then just kissing," she ventured, hoping that her sentence would be enough to satiate his curiosity.
It clearly wasn't nowhere near enough because Gumball shifted again, completely unaware of his mother's nervousness.
"Like what? Hugs?"
"Yes, hugs are also another way to be intimate," Nicole replied.
He fell silent for a bit, pondering her words and she hoped that it was over. It wasn't.
"That can't be it, Mom. I enjoy our hugs and kisses but there has to be more to it. I want to hear you purr."
She drew in a sharp breath, a spike of arousal shot through her at his last words.
"I understand, sweetie. It's just that we've only recently become a couple. I don't want to rush this," she whispered, kissing the top of his head.
"I don't want to rush it either, Mom. I only want to make you happy," he told her, pulling her arms around him tighter.
She turned his face to hers with her free hand and kissed him. "Continue to do what you did today and you'll make me the happiest woman alive."
Instead of answering her, Gumball rolled over so he was facing her and pressed his lips to hers, causing Nicole to shudder in barely concealed pleasure. His tongue clumsily rolled around her own and she realized she would have to teach him how to kiss. His kisses were always a little clumsy but they were highly enjoyable, regardless of how inexperienced he was. Nicole inhaled deeply, drinking in his scent as she unexpectedly let out a soft purr from deep within her throat. Gumball pulled back, unable to believe what he had just heard.
"Mom, did you just?"
She blushed in the dark. "Yes, you heard right, honey."
"It was really cute," he said, giving Nicole a light kiss.
She could feel herself blushing madly and she nearly burst into tears again, this treatment she was getting from him had to be too good to be true. She'd never been treated this way, not even by Richard. The loving man he'd been only lasted through their courtship, his affections had quickly died when they had married. She couldn't help but feel Gumball would do the same and she felt a shard of guilt drive itself into her heart, amplifying her insecurities. Gumball slowly re-positioned himself so he was facing away from her again, she held him against her chest with their hands clasped together.
"Gumball, why did you choose to be with me?," Nicole asked, hoping she wouldn't offend him with her question.
"Because I love you, Mom," he said, happiness overcame Nicole and she felt her eyes begin to well with tears.
"But why do you love me?," she wanted to know, she pushed back her tears with some difficulty.
"You were there when Penny and I broke up. You gave me a shoulder to cry on and an ear to talk to. You helped me through all the hurt. Nobody else stood by me, nobody except you. I realized that you cared about me more than I'd thought."
She squeezed his hand affectionately. "I did that because I saw how hurt you were. I hated seeing how much pain you were in."
They were silent for a while, when Nicole suddenly blurted out a question that was bugging her.
"Honey, does it bother you that you're in a relationship with your mother?," she instantly regretted asking her question, afraid of his answer.
Gumball squeezed her back comfortingly. "It did at first but now, I see how much this means to you, and I realize I mean the world to you as well. I figured there wasn't any harm in giving a relationship a go."
She didn't answer, she felt guilty for asking Gumball such a needless question. Gumball nudged her with his elbow, he wanted her attention.
"Mom, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about Anais and Dad finding out about us."
"I'm worried too, honey. But they need to know about us, just not right now. But we will tell them though...one day."
He didn't answer for some time and Nicole held him close, whispering soothing words to her son. Gumball suddenly spoke up, he seemed determined to get this subject off his chest.
"Do you blame Penny for hurting me?," he asked quickly, his voice was soft as if he was afraid of what she might say.
"No, I don't blame Penny at all."
"What about her dad?"
Nicole shook her head, surprising herself at her honest answer. "No, he did what he thought was right by his family. I can't fault him for that."
"Do you think he meant it when he said he was sorry?"
"I do, honey. I think he really did mean it," she said, she stroked his head softly in an attempt to comfort her son.
"He wasn't such a bad guy, was he?," Gumball said, he was drifting off to sleep.
"No, I guess he wasn't," she replied, smiling a little.
When he didn't reply, Nicole realized Gumball had fallen asleep in her arms. She smiled and nestled her face behind her son's head as she pulled the covers higher over them. Nicole cuddled her son, listening to his slow breathing as she fell asleep with her son in her arms. The last thing she thought of before darkness took her, was how beautiful he looked under the light of the moon. They both slept peacefully, their dreams were pleasant and neither of them woke up when Darwin opened the door to check on them. In the dark, he could just barely make out their sleeping shapes, hidden underneath the blankets. He was happy they were together, even though their union was still very foreign to him. Darwin only wanted them to be happy and if this was how they chose to be happy, then who was he to stand in their way?
He hoped that when they finally came out about their love, the rest of the family would accept them. But Darwin couldn't lie, he was afraid that Richard would take it too hard and the family would end up hopelessly destroyed. Anais was a bit more open-minded than her father but there was still no way to tell how she would take the news. Darwin shut the door carefully and made his way back to his fishbowl. He felt like he'd made some progress in accepting them and he knew in his heart that one day, he would defend their love with the same fervor as Gumball. He hummed happily as he jumped into his fishbowl, quickly falling into a deep sleep.
AN: I love it when ideas for chapters just come to you, it makes this writing stuff so easy. Anyhow, I've decided to have this story go lemony. BUT, the lemon will be at the end of the story, as in, the final chapter. It will not be one giant, ram it home fuck-fest, I want it to be subtle and romantic, it just feels like it fits in there with how Nicole would treat her son to some sexy times. I was also hungry when I was writing one part of the story, that sorta found its own way in. Also, depending on how well this story develops, there may be more chapters to come before I decide to write the last one. Have a good one!
