"Look boys doesn't mummy look beautiful?" Harry grinned as he crouched down in front of the two baby carriers that were sitting on the floor of the hallway, the two seven week old babies in them who were both wide awake. It was New Years Eve and they were on their way out for the meal that Harry had promised Nikki a few days before.
Nikki grinned slightly and blushed, looking down at the green dress that she was wearing and then up at Harry who had stood up and held his hand out to her. She took it and giggled as her lover tugged her closer to him, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her lips, Nikki wrapping her arms lazily around his neck to bring him even closer to her.
"And you are looking very handsome yourself" Nikki told him as they broke away from each other and looked him over and made a noise of appreciation when she saw the suit that he was wearing. She reached up and unnecessarily fiddled with the tie, Harry rolling his eyes and letting her do it as he placed his hands on her sides and ran them up and down, feeling her curves under them. "You keep doing that and we're going to miss our meal"
"Well you are looking extremely irresistible at the moment" Harry replied, glancing down at her again and smiling at her as she shifted on the high heeled shoes that she was wearing. He then chuckled and looked up at her again.
"What?"
"Even in heels you're still short"
Nikki pouted at him and Harry laughed, leaning down to kiss her once again before his lover moved away from him and crouched down in front of their twins.
"Now are you two going to be good in the restaurant?" she asked them both and then both grinned at her and made their mother's heart melt in her chest. "Of course you are because you're my good little boys aren't you?"
She then leant down and kissed them both on the forehead, both babies grabbing hold of a strand of her naturally curled hair as it fell into their grasp. Nikki giggled and shook her head, gently taking the strand away from Gabriel and then from Donovan and placing the strands behind her ears.
"Don't pull mummy's hair" she told them quietly and kissed them again before standing up and feeling Harry wrap his arms around her waist from behind, pressing a kiss to her slightly exposed neck where her hair was up in a messy bun, the strands that the babies had grabbed having been too short to reach the hairband. "When is the taxi due?"
Harry checked his watch quickly before returning his hand to her hip.
"Five minutes, give or take"
Much to Harry and Nikki's surprise neither Gabriel or Donovan went to sleep quickly in the restaurant, both babies were too busy looking at the brightly coloured decorations around the restaurant that were there for New Years and then playing with the toy that they each had in their baby carrier. Donovan was on the chair next to Nikki and Gabriel was on the chair next to Harry, the lovers sitting opposite each other.
"Aren't you sleepy little one?" Nikki asked Donovan as they waited for their starters, stroking his light blonde hair gently as she spoke, the baby looking up slightly to see what it was touching him. Donovan saw Nikki and grinned at her, kicking his legs and making Nikki smile lovingly at him as she leant down and kissed him on the forehead.
While Gabriel was mainly comforted by their presence and their voices, especially when they were both holding him, Donovan was more comforted by seeing his parents and feeling them holding him. He seemed to calm down slightly as soon as he saw either of his parents whereas Gabriel would still keep crying even when he had seen them.
"Your brother is sleepy" Nikki added as she glanced over at Gabriel who was slowly falling asleep as Harry stroked his hair gently, his other hand in the baby's tight grasp as Gabriel gripped one of his fingers with his tiny hand. "The fireworks will probably wake them up at midnight anyway" she told Harry who nodded "Well they'll probably wake Gabriel up" she murmured quietly and glanced down at Donovan, a sad look crossing her face as she realised on all the noises that her little boy was going to miss out on in his life.
"Nikki it's a lot better than what could have happened to him" Harry assured her, knowing what Nikki was thinking just by the way she was looking at their youngest child. The waiter came over with their starters and placed them on the table "Thank you"
"I know" Nikki nodded and moved her hand away from Donovan as she picked up her glass of orange juice and nodded to the waiter. "Thank you"
"Would you like any condiments?" the waiter then asked them and Nikki nodded again.
"Can I have some brown sauce please?" she asked, before her pregnancy she couldn't stand it but now she loved it.
"Of course"
Harry chuckled as the waiter walked off and Nikki kicked him under the table.
"What?" he asked her innocently and Nikki tutted at him and giggled.
"Don't laugh, just because I like it now"
"Well it's a good job you didn't have weirder cravings and still eat them" Harry shrugged and Nikki nodded in agreement as he attempted to take his hand from Gabriel's grasp, the baby fast asleep "I'm going to have to have my hand back Gabriel" he told the baby as the waiter came back with the sauce for Nikki, she thanked him and he nodded, smiling at the two boys as he did so.
"They're gorgeous"
"Thank you" Nikki grinned and glanced at Harry who was having a hard time extracting his hand from Gabriel's without waking the baby up. They didn't want him waking up and crying just as they were starting their meal. "You're not getting your hand back without waking him" she told him in an amused voice as she began to eat her starter of barbeque chicken wings.
"He's stubborn just like his mother" Harry rolled his eyes and picked up his fork to spear a piece of cut up chicken from his plate, his hand resting on the arm of both chairs so it was more comfortable for him to hold Gabriel's hand.
"I am not stubborn"
Harry gave her an amused look and Nikki giggled before going back to her food. She could see a few people looking at them, obviously wondering what two teenagers were doing in an expensive restaurant, especially when they had two young babies but she had ignored them like she had trained herself to do.
"I can't believe I'm going back to school soon" Nikki told Harry and her lover nodded as he put his drink down on the table.
"I know, it'll be weird having you back"
"That's lovely"
"You know what I mean" Harry chuckled and Nikki giggled, nodding at him and reaching over to stroke Donovan's head gently with her free hand that wasn't around her glass. "It'll be weird me going back as well"
"I don't like the thought of leaving our boys for that long"
"It's not long Nikki, just a few hours a day"
"I know but it's every day isn't it?"
"Not Saturday and Sunday" Harry reminded her cheekily but Nikki didn't even smile "It'll all be worth it in the end won't it?"
"I know, it's just the thought of leaving them. I suppose it'll get easier, but then again by the time it does we'll have study leave again"
"See, there's nothing to worry about" Harry smiled at his lover, reaching over the table and covering her hand with his, Nikki smiling back at him and nodding.
Half an hour later and Donovan was crying in Nikki's arms and due for a feed, she went to stand up with him but saw the manager walking towards them, the man also working as a waiter as well. She caught his attention and he walked over to them, smiling kindly as he nodded.
"Is it okay if I breastfeed him here?"
"Of course it is" he nodded and Nikki smiled thankfully at him "They're gorgeous by the way"
"Thank you" Nikki smiled as she carefully pulled down her dress slightly and used Donovan's blanket to cover anything else that might be seen before pulling her bra down as well and letting the baby latch on, her son stopping his crying instantly. To anyone who passed it could have looked as though she was just holding him.
"If anyone doesn't like it then come and get me" the manager then told them both in a low voice, crouching down next to the table as though he was taking an order from them "My girlfriend breastfeeds our daughter so I know what some people are like about it, as a manager's point of view as well"
"Thank you" Harry nodded, the young couple appreciating the help from him, the older man nodded back at him and smiled.
"We always allow mothers to breastfeed in here, it's only natural" he shrugged and stood up, smoothing down his suit as Nikki thanked him again and looked down at Donovan, making sure he was feeding properly.
"So are we going to the fireworks tonight?" Harry asked as the manager walked away from the table, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table as he glanced at Gabriel who was still asleep. He had managed to extract his finger from Gabriel's hand without waking the baby, much to both parent's relief.
"I don't really want to" Nikki replied, shifting Donovan slightly so he was in a more comfortable position for the both of them "I would just rather watch from the warmth of our own home, in my pyjamas"
"If you're not already asleep by midnight" Harry teased and Nikki chuckled, both of them knowing that there was a good chance that she would be.
"Yeah okay, don't tease"
"I'm not" Harry lied and Nikki just rolled her eyes at him "Okay so I am a little bit" he smirked at his lover "But you deserve all the sleep you can get after these little ones"
"So do you" Nikki replied as she leant against the back of the chair, stroking Donovan's soft blonde hair as he continued to feed eagerly from her. "So we're staying in? Unless you want to see the fireworks"
"Nah, if we're awake we can watch them from the windows"
"Aww Andy aren't they adorable?"
Harry and Nikki turned to look at the woman who had spoken and saw an elderly couple standing next to the table on the other side, the woman smiling at the babies.
"They're gorgeous" she then told Harry and Nikki who smiled happily and nodded.
"Thank you" Nikki replied, she was always happy and proud when someone complimented her babies.
"How old are they?"
"Seven weeks" Nikki responded, looking down at Donovan as he began to fuss slightly "Ssh my darling" she murmured, shifting him slightly as he began to suckle from her again "And growing up a little bit too fast for my liking" she added as she looked back at the elderly couple who chuckled.
"Yes one's own children do seem to do that" the woman agreed before they were interrupted by someone else on the table next to the young couple.
"Excuse me but do you have to do that here?" the woman asked and nodded towards Donovan, a look of disgust replacing the haughty look that had been there before. Nikki glanced at the man with her, seeing that they obviously thought that they were better than them just by the way that they were being looked at.
"Yes I do" Nikki replied simply and heard Harry and also the elderly man stifle snorts of amusement under coughs.
"This young lady is feeding her son, I don't think you should interrupt" the elderly woman told the other woman who looked to be in about her late thirties in a soft voice "Would you rather the baby cry?"
"No, but she could bottle feed him in a public place"
"No I shouldn't" Nikki shook her head, the words making her stomach curl uncomfortably even though she put on an air of concomitance. It hurt her when people were like that. "I chose to breastfeed my children so that is what I'm doing. If you don't like it then you don't have to look"
"It's not like you can see anything anyway" Harry shrugged, defending his lover and their decisions "It just looks like she's holding him"
"How old are you anyway?"
"I don't believe that's any of your business" Nikki replied tersely and glanced around them, some people from the other tables watching them as well.
"Look lady if the young woman wants to breast feed her baby then you have no right to stop her" a man from the table behind the couple causing trouble told them and Harry gave him a grateful smile which was returned "They aren't causing any harm are they?"
"Ignore them lass" the elderly man standing next to the table told Nikki quietly and she smiled slightly and nodded, trying to not let the other woman's words get to her and she was happy that others were defending her as well.
Donovan then stopped feeding and moved away from her slightly, Nikki wiping her son's mouth gently with the bib that was around his neck before moving him to her shoulder to burp him, pulling up her bra and dress as she did so. She was still conscious of the women and man from the next table and the man from the table behind them arguing about what was going on but she was solely focussed on her son.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked her and Nikki nodded, smiling at him slightly and then pressing a kiss to their son's head as she rubbed his back gently.
"Yeah I'm fine"
"Sure?"
"I'm fine sweetheart" Nikki chuckled as Donovan gripped at her dress with one hand, the other hand clenching around a lose strand of her hair that had fallen into his grasp.
"May I ask what is going on here?" the manager asked as he walked over to where the argument had got louder between the two tables.
"The woman on the next table got annoyed when I started to feed Donovan" Nikki replied, nodding to the table next to them "The others are just defending it"
"Thank you" the manager nodded and turned to the table were the woman and her partner were sitting "This restaurant allows mothers to breastfeed their children, if you wish then I can have you moved to a different table"
"No, we are comfortable here"
"Then what are you complaining about?" the man from the other table asked them in a loud voice "Stop complaining, you don't have to look. I'm sorry about them" he told Harry and Nikki who smiled at him.
"It's okay" Nikki replied and shook her head as Harry stood up and walked around the table slightly to take Donovan from her for a cuddle. "Thank you though"
"You're welcome"
The older man then turned back to his meal and Nikki turned to look at Harry who was signing to Donovan with one hand, the small baby held securely in his other arm. She smiled at her lover and then turned to the elderly couple who were still standing next to the table.
"Thank you as well"
"You're welcome lass" the man told her with a smile "It's nice to see women breast feeding over bottle feeding"
"I am very much in love with you" Harry whispered to his lover later on that evening when they had put their babies to bed, they were both standing in the nursery, Nikki leaning against Gabriel's cot as she looked down at her sleeping baby, a loving smile on her face as she did so. Harry was standing behind her with his hands on her waist before he walked around to Donovan's cot and checked on the baby one last time.
"And I am very much in love with you" Nikki replied just as quietly so they didn't wake Gabriel up. It was almost ten o'clock and they knew that the fireworks in the park which was close to their home would probably wake him up at midnight.
"I'm sorry that you have to go through that"
"Through what?" Nikki asked, still not looking away from their sleeping baby as he shifted in his sleep and grunted quietly.
"The breastfeeding thing" Harry replied and Nikki looked up at him, still leaning on the side of the cot as she gave him an encouraging smile.
"Harry it's fine, I knew it would happen when I decided to breastfeed. Some people don't like it and that's their problem, I'm not going to not breastfeed just because I'm worried about offending them. Anyway it was nice to have other people defend me as well"
"I know it was" Harry chuckled, walking around to her again and leaning down to kiss her on the cheek.
Nikki smiled at him and straightened up, looping her arms around his neck and leaning up to kiss him.
"Take me to bed"
Harry chuckled and drew away from her slightly, taking her hand in his and leading her from the nursery and into their own bedroom.
"They have good timing" Harry chuckled some hours later when they heard both babies crying, he and Nikki had been laying naked in bed after their lovemaking just talking about everything and nothing. "It's ten minutes to midnight"
"Let's go and get those babies of ours then" Nikki smiled as she climbed out of the bed and grabbed her dressing gown from the chair next to the bed, slinging it on as Harry found his boxers and pulled them on. "Is the heating still on?"
"Yep, thought we'd leave it on for a while because it's cold outside"
Nikki nodded as she walked from the room, Harry following her as he pulled on a baggy t-shirt and made their way into the nursery.
"You wanted to see the New Year in with mummy, daddy and Donovan didn't you darling?" Nikki cooed as she pushed the side of Gabriel's cot down slightly and reached in to gently pick up her crying son. Harry did the same with Donovan as Nikki walked over to the window and opened the curtains with one hand before sitting herself on the low window ledge and moving Gabriel so he could look out of the window. Harry came to stand next to her, leaning against the wall with Donovan in his arms. The babies soon began to calm down when they felt their parent's comforting presence and were soon quiet, neither of them hungry and both of their nappies clean.
"We'll go and see the fireworks properly next year" Harry told his lover who looked up at him and nodded, smiling slightly as he leant down and kissed her on the lips, Nikki responding eagerly before drawing away and leaning her head against the wall behind her as they drifted into comfortable silence which was only broken by occasional sobs and coughs from their children.
A few minutes later and the fireworks went up from the park, the loud noises and bangs making Gabriel jump slightly in Nikki's arms.
"Ssh darling" Nikki whispered, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead "Happy New Year" she murmured before standing up and letting Harry kiss her as well, smiles on their lips as they did so.
"Happy New Year my darling" Harry smiled and Nikki nodded, leaning down and pressing a kiss to Donovan's head as well.
"Happy New Year"