The past two weeks had been the greatest of Kendall's life, aside from the first two weeks of their relationship, which had been filled with shy glances, rosy cheeks and a dozen first kisses. These last 14 days had been filled with cuddle sessions, tons of kisses, and a dozen moments of feeling their baby kick.
Luckily, James' mood swings had gotten less intense, his mood no longer changing drastically in mere seconds. In turn, ever since that night they first felt their baby, James had been more comfortable with his body. He still wouldn't get naked in front of the blond but he was more than okay with letting Kendall touch his belly. He didn't mind it now when Kendall placed his hands on the curve of his stomach, which he did, a lot.
He truly enjoyed the giddy smile that spread over Kendall's lips whenever he felt the baby kick. James would've thought it would eventually get old, that it would lose its thrill but it hadn't yet.
They were resting on the couch that Friday night, in their usual position, James resting against Kendall's side, the blond's arm slung over his shoulders. It'd been a low-key night, James confessing that he was too tired to actually do anything. Kendall was more than happy to relax at home with his boyfriend, watch a few movies and cuddle.
James let out a yawn, tilting his head to rest it on Kendall's shoulder. His hand went to join Kendall's on his stomach. "I think she's sleeping in there."
"She?" Kendall questioned, glancing over at his boyfriend, who just nodded. "How do you know its a girl?"
James shrugged, hand caressing his round stomach. "I don't know, just feels like it I guess."
"I don't know," Kendall muttered, copying James' pattern over his stomach. "Feels like a boy to me."
James laughed, "That's not what I meant," he said softly, "Inside, its just...I don't know! I can just tell okay?"
"Okay," Kendall chuckled, turning his head to kiss James' cheek.
A sweet smile tugged at James' lips before he gasped suddenly. "Do we have any pickles?"
Chuckling again, Kendall stood from the couch, "I'll go check."
"The really, really sweet ones!" James called as Kendall disappeared into the kitchen. The pretty boy stretched out over the length of the couch, his head resting on the armrest.
He hadn't realized how exhausted he was until that moment. By then, he was starting to wonder why he was so tired. He wasn't doing half of what he usually did; he didn't have hockey practice everyday, or gym even. His schedule wasn't anywhere near what it used to be. He guessed it was just the baby using up all his excess energy.
Kendall reappeared a few seconds later, in the doorway. "We don't have any babe."
"Oh."
The crestfallen look on James' face made Kendall's heart ache. He smiled fondly, walking over to the couch, crouching beside it. He brought his hand up to smooth James' hair back, noting how warm the boy's skin was. "You wanna go grab some?"
Precious was the only word Kendall could find to describe the way James' entire face lit up. "Can we?" he asked, hopeful.
"Sure," Kendall chuckled, kissing James' forehead and standing up. "Let me go grab our shoes and coats."
Another five minutes and they were ready to go. Quietly shutting the door behind them, Kendall rushed down the porch stairs first, holding James' hands as he stepped down, wanting to make sure he didn't slip on the ice. The drive was a calm one, each sitting in comfortable silence, listening to the soft hum of the radio and the gentle roar of the engine.
James was going to mention Kendall's distinct lack of speeding but he just assumed it was because of the slight slickness of ice on the road. The blond was never usually this cautious about his speed. James shrugged it off, too excited by the thought of satisfying his sudden craving.
"He still sleeping in there?" Kendall asked softly, a smile gracing his lips as he reached over, placing his hand on James' stomach.
A playful smile tugged at James' lips as he glanced over at his boyfriend, rolling his eyes. "She is." He placed his hand over Kendall's, keeping it there the rest of the ride to the store.
Kendall parked towards the front of the store, shutting the car off and running around to James' side, slipping a bit as he made his way around the front of the car. Watching this, James let out a giggle as Kendall opened his door.
"Oh shut it," Kendall demanded lightly, trying to hide his smile behind a half-heartedly scowl. He held his hand out to James, holding it tightly as they walked towards the store. It was slick outside from all the ice and the last thing Kendall wanted was James to slip and fall.
James tugged his jacket further around his body, hugging the fabric to his stomach. He was glad that the later hour meant there were hardly anyone in the store. He knew that people would eventually find out; truth be told, it probably wouldn't be much longer. It was a little shocking that no one had noticed yet. Then again, he was smaller than most women at this stage.
The baby book of Mrs. Knight's that he'd been reading had said it was normal to have gained 10 pounds at this point. He'd only gained six since becoming pregnant, which was honestly surprising to him considering all the crazy cravings he'd been having lately. After the morning sickness had finally wore off, it wasn't like he had any trouble eating anymore.
Despite how small he was compared to others, he still felt like he'd put on so much weight. Those extra six pounds, plus the baby, made him feel huge. He hadn't voiced this concern yet because he felt like this was the last thing he should be worried about. He just hated how his perfect body was now essentially ruined now.
He tried not to think about it though; as they walked through the aisles of the supermarket he tried to just ignore it. Soon the excitement of getting his pickles washed over the worry about his body and, for the moment, he didn't even care about that.
Kendall chuckled at the absolute giddy smile on James' face as they checked out. He loved that James was so happy. There was nothing else in the entire world that could make him happier than seeing a smile like that on his boyfriend's face.
The second they returned to the car, James grabbed the bag, popping the jar open and eagerly digging in. A pickle hanging halfway from his lips, he extended the jar over to the other boy, offering him some.
Knowing James and how the brunette hated eating alone, he picked up one of the pickles, munching on it contently. Between the two of them, the jar was half empty by the time they finally got home. James' head was leaning against the window, eyes fluttering shut every few seconds. Kendall smiled fondly, gently patting his thigh to get his attention. "We're home babe."
"Mmkay," James mumbled tiredly, hands reaching up to rub the sleep from his eyes.
Kendall grabbed the bag from the other boy, slipping his arm through the handles. He walked around to James' side, like he did before, holding his hand and helping him up the porch steps. Unlocking the door and shoving the door open, Kendall placed his hand on the small of James' back, ushering him inside. Throwing the remaining pickles in the fridge, the two walked up to their shared bedroom, instantly removing their shoes and coats.
Vowing earlier to relax in their pjs that evening, the two were already clad in their pajamas, ready for bed. Kendall smiled fondly as James let out a big yawn, his arms stretching up as he did so. This particular action caused his shirt to ride up slightly, exposing the very bottom of his stomach.
"I'm kinda really excited," the blond confessed in a whisper, vocalizing it for the very first time, as he reached forward, his hand tracing the sliver of James' exposed stomach.
James' own lips curled into a soft smile, "I am a little too," he murmured, glancing up to meet Kendall's eyes, able to see the excitement shining in them. "I'm also kinda scared though."
Kendall answered with an empathetic gaze, understanding the other boy's concern. He gently led his boyfriend over to their bed, turning off the lights and sliding under the covers beside James.
"Everything's going to be just find Jamesy," Kendall promised, voice soft and mellow as he spoke, as if trying to coax the other boy to sleep. By the slow, steady rise of James' chest, he could tell that he was successful.
Something amazing happened that next day at school; Kendall would never be able to fully express how ecstatic it made him. For probably the first time during the pregnancy and possibly the first time in his life, James stopped caring about what people thought. He still spent the same amount of time getting ready in the morning, just slightly less picking out a perfectly concealing outfit. And Kendall noticed.
However slight, it was still an improvement. That morning, instead of grabbing one of his sweatshirts, James wore one of his usual shirts, a navy button up that didn't do much to hide his bump. As they drove to school, Kendall made no comment on it, just smiling to himself, his fingers laced with James.
They were in the cafeteria when he said it, catching all three of them off guard. They were eating lunch in their usual spot. James was receiving the typical amount of girl attention but it was different this time. They were looks of surprise as the brunette brought a heavily frosted cupcake to his lips. There was speculation in their eyes, faltering between the dessert and his recently bulged stomach.
The strangest thing was how little James seemed to care; he seemed more enraptured with the pastry he was currently eating.
"Wait, you're not going to freak out over that?" Logan questioned in shock, gesturing to the girls as they passed.
Kendall's eyes shot open wide in fear, hand making a drastic slicing motions across his throat, a desperate warning for Logan not to go there. Only he knew how drastic and scary James' mood swings could be. They can less frequently than before (luckily) but anything could still set them off. And Kendall was pretty sure that anything was what Logan had just said. His brows furrowed in confusion when all James did was shrug and nonchalantly take another bite of his cupcake.
"I've decided not to care," James replied casually, wiping the smudge of frosting from his upper lip. "Everyone will know eventually and I'm sick of hiding this bump. It takes a good ten minutes away from my hair."
Kendall barely registered the soft, fond chuckle that left his lips. He was too focused on the few beats his heart had skipped. Those words coming from James about their baby just meant the world to him. That James finally accepted their baby, that he was no longer ashamed of what they had created.
It was such a change from just weeks ago when the brunette seemed absolutely miserable because of it. To say it was nice to not have to hide his excitement anymore was a tremendous understatement. Things were definitely going to be much better from that point on.
Late night cravings were becoming too familiar to Kendall. He wondered why they couldn't be afternoon cravings. No, it was never 3pm when the cravings hit, not even 7 or 8pm; it was always much later, anywhere from one to three o' clock in the morning. And because Kendall was defenseless against the brunette, he always went out to get whatever James wanted.
This only posed a real problem on weekdays, when they had to get up early for school later that morning. On weekends, they both slept in later anyways. Even though the lack of sleep made him grumpy, he did it regardless, knowing how happy it made the pretty boy. He would do anything to see James' face light up with that breathtaking smile; it was worth it to see the absolute giddiness in his eyes. He'd easily, willingly, sacrifice sleep for that. There was no doubt about it.
That night, his craving had hit later than usual. The two of them were curled up in bed, Kendall's arm draped over James' body, like it typically was. It was nearing 3:30 when James woke up suddenly, jolting up in bed. The movement instantly woke up the blond, who took the sudden jolt as a bad sign.
"What's wrong James?" his hand subconsciously flew to the other's stomach, as if ruling out a problem with the baby. The sudden jolt must've woken the baby up too because he could feel the light kick of the baby's foot against his hand. A relieved sigh fell from his lips. At least he knew the baby was okay.
The only response he got was a sheepish grin from his boyfriend; it was James' "I want something" smile. Suddenly, realization hit Kendall and he understood exactly what was going on.
"What is it tonight?" he asked, a deep fondness residing in his exhausted voice.
The expression on James' face was a priceless mix of guilt and excitement. "Jellybeans."
Half an hour later found the two downstairs on the couch, a bag of jellybeans on James' lap. The brunette was munching happily on the candy, reaching over every few handfuls to give Kendall all the flavors he didn't like. The blond ate them without a single word.
His heart ached both out of fondness and guilt. Glancing to the side, he saw Kendall's head back against the cushion, his eyes shut, lips parted, taking in steady breaths. He felt bad that he kept Kendall up with all of his late night cravings, but he did look extremely cute asleep like that.
Grabbing the blanket off the top of the couch, he draped it over Kendall's body, leaning over to press a gentle kiss to his forehead, before heading back up to bed.
School that next day was different. From the second James walked in, he could feel eyes all over him. He was wearing another one of his button up shirts, which did little to hide his stomach. Those two girl's speculation must've gotten around already because it seemed like everyone's eyes were on him. It was like they already knew. He knew he'd said that he didn't honestly care about people knowing but it was beyond unnerving that he was receiving so much attention.
He was used to it, the excess of attention but not like this, not because he was pregnant. That he was not used to. That was a completely different story. one James was no longer interested in reading, having barely finished the first chapter. He was already terrified of the ending. Luckily, he had Kendall by his side; he didn't even want to think what he'd do without the other boy.
Said boy seemed to notice when his grip tightened suddenly, squeezing his hand reassuringly in return. James turned his head towards the blond and offered him a shaky smile as they continued towards their first class, noticing but shrugging off all the eyes that followed them all the way there.
Kendall had three classes away from James before they met up again at lunch. This was more than a little worrying to the blond. It was the first day of everyone knowing and he knew James was scared. He hoped there was no reason for him to be. That's what he was worried about. The couple had dealt with a bunch of bullying when they came out the previous year.
Kendall didn't want a repeat of the hell they went through. The names, the fights, holding James as he cried, wondering why everyone hated him. James deserved better than that.
This buildup of anxiety in his chest was the reason his heart nearly stopped when he received the text from Logan right before lunch, demanding that he rush straight to the upstairs bathroom. Fear momentarily paralyzed him and it took a second to remember how to breathe. His feet couldn't seem to carry him fast enough. Was it the baby, what if something was wrong? The mere thought terrified him.
He made the trip in record time, flying through the door just minutes after getting the text. Logan and Carlos were standing by the last stall, the door wide open. Kendall immediately crouched before the brunette, whose eyes were red and puffy, signs that he'd been crying. One hand flew up to his cheek, the other resting on his stomach.
"What's wrong?" he asked breathlessly, half from practically sprinting here, half from worry.
James tugged his quivering lip between his teeth, eyes portraying his own anxiety.
Kendall was more than grateful when Logan spoke up to answer the question. "Some guys were giving him crap during third period," the smart boy swallowed hard before continuing. "They called him a...faggot and a freak."
Kendall's heart broke at the news. That was exactly what James was afraid would happen.
"They got a month of detention each!" Carlos proclaimed enthusiastically.
"Good," Kendall muttered under his breath, hands reaching up to thumb away the tears lingering on James' rosy cheeks. "Jamesy, look at me." He grabbed each one of James' hands, placing one on his heart while bringing the other down to his round stomach. "You feel that?"
James nodded, feeling the strong thud of Kendall's heart which in turn caused the baby to kick against his hand.
"Those are the only two things that matter. Me and the those dicks, okay? You've got Carlos and Logan, Katie and my mom too. They can't take that away from you."
James nodded in understanding, smiling as he caressed his stomach fondly. They left the bathroom minutes later, James proudly keeping a hand on his stomach. She must've known something was going on because she was going crazy. James focused on that as they entered the cafeteria, ignoring how everyone was staring at him. As soon as they were settled down with their lunches, Carlos glanced over at James, fidgeting in his seat.
"Can I feel your stomach James?"
James chuckled and nodded.
Carlos reached over, pressing his finger to James' stomach.
"Carlos, you won't be able to feel anything like that," James said, his fingers curling around Carlos' wrist, tugging his hand roughly to press it against his stomach.
"Woah!" Carlos exclaimed, instantly yanking his hand away. "That's weird."
James' face scrunched up in slight offense, lips jutting out in a pout. "Don't call my baby weird."
"No, some of James' cravings are weird," Kendall insisted, earning another pout from the pretty boy. "I'm sorry but going to the store at 3am to buy pickles is kinda weird."
"There is nothing weird about going to the store at 3am!" Carlos persisted in all seriousness. "I would love to do that!"
"You would," Logan agreed, accusingly, voice holding the slightest tone of affection.
"It'd be fun, is all I'm saying," the Latino clarified, holding his hands up defensively.
James smiled, listening to the exchange as he ate, grateful that the day went better than he originally thought it would.
The two plopped down onto the Knight's couch, both emitting exhausted groans. James looked over at the blond, sighing.
"I am so sick of people touching my stomach," he groaned, "Everyone wanted to. All the girls, that one kid, Bo, who I swear has a crush on me, Mrs. Jackson, Jenny Tinkler, but I didn't let her anywhere near our baby. God, if one more person asks, I'm going to scream."
Kendall put on a playful pout. "What about me?"
James smiled and grabbed Kendall's wrist, bringing his hand over and pressing it against his stomach. "You're the father, you have a right."
James' hand rested right beside Kendall's, gently caressing the curve of his stomach. "She must've really hated all the attention because she hasn't kicked much all day. And now she's going crazy."
This statement brought the biggest smile to Kendall's lips. His entire face practically just lit up. Knowing that his baby only kicked for him made Kendall so unbelievably happy. Like their baby knew who he was already. "Crazy for daddy," Kendall murmured with a grin.
James' cheeks flushed a soft pink as he smiled, pressing a sweet kiss to Kendall's cheek. "She's not the only one."