Ch. 2: doctors and deviance and definitely sorry best friends

reviews and comments and kudos and asks to my tumblr are welcome as always and ps updates are definitely going to be every monday and thursday and also sorry for this being so short idk if there's even going to be a consistent word count whoops

"Well, Ms. Hart, I will see you back in a few weeks then after you get that ultrasound taken."

Doctors appointments are definitely not one of your favorite things. Not only did you just get your blood drawn, thoroughly felt up with cold latex gloves, and have to piss in a cup, but that fun was all in addition to everybody and their fucking mother telling you how gorgeous your baby is going to be.

With Lucas.

Not the actual father.

Nope.

Lucas.

Fucking. Lucas.

(So obviously your favorite part of the day was dealing with the disappointment in their eyes when they realized that Pretty Boy wasn't the donor and the judgement at the fact that your seventeen year old body has apparently been sluttin' it up left and right with every guy that it meets.)

The thing that pisses you off the most, you think, is that he didn't even deny it, either! He just stood there smiling like an idiot while they gave you dirty looks and hit on him after finding out he wasn't on the road to fatherhood. What a load of assholes. You're jumping for joy to be back in a month, don't let your scowling face and dead eyes fool anyone.

"I'm sorry, Shortstack." Lucas wraps his arm around you and leads you out of the office before you probably murder a midwife. "Why don't we go get some ice cream?"

You pout your lips and look down. You stare at your stomach and poke a finger at the bloat filling it at 10 weeks. The doctor told you today that you'll most likely be showing earlier than later considering how tiny your frame is, too. The last thing that you probably need is ice cream.

You continue to prod at your figure until a foreign hand joins yours and presses flat against your lower abdomen. "What was that?" Lucas asks, pausing in the middle of the sidewalk and bending down to press his ear to your stomach. "You want ice cream?" His green eyes glance up with an unapologetic grin for pulling his first baby card, "I'm afraid we have to get ice cream. Lucas Jr. wants some."

"Lucas Jr.?"

You are definitely not letting him name your unborn child after himself, especially if he's already using said unborn child against you.

"He says that he wants... Ooh, Baskin Robins? Sick choice, bud. But we're gonna have to ask Mommy up there." He high fives below your ribs with a wide grin and you almost can't even feel it because his sparkling eyes meeting yours from below after him calling you 'Mommy' kind of makes your heart spin and your head stop. You try to brush it off, but it has little to no success because Lucas is wiping tears from your cheeks before you can register that they're there and when he asks you why you're crying, you can only reply a hushed response in a shaky form, "I'm gonna be a mommy... to a little baby, Lucas."

"Wow, what an unfortunate baby," he teases. and nudges you, all the unknown melting away with his help. He presses a kiss to your forehead and starts heading towards the nearest ice cream shop with you in tow.

(You realize that night when you're lying alone in your bed that the truly upsetting realization that accompanies you being a mommy is that your baby isn't going to have anyone to call daddy.)

The day that Maya tells good ol' Nate the Great that he's going to be a dad, he screams at her that he wants nothing to do with it in front of almost your entire class. He tells her that it's entirely her fault, suggests an abortion, turns to leave as soon as she tries to talk again, and you swear to God that if Maya hadn't touched your chest and held you back that he would be dead.

She laughs at you with tears in her eyes before saying,"Lucas Friar, if your mother heard you using the lord's name in vain, you would be dead."

The fact that she knows that she's right doesn't stop her from telling your mom when you guys got home that you did just that and she lands you a good week without TV, even if Maya was watching.

It was best decided for Maya to move in with you between your separate parents after about her third week of morning sickness. With your mom home all of the time and Katy not, it made sense for her to stay here in your guest room- though she's typically trashing your room-with a mother near to care for her when need be. With all that upchuck and the fact that Maya always found herself crying and/or dead tired, it made sense for her to constantly have a companion when you just didn't cut it.

(Plus, with her go to crave being barbecue sauce and cornbread, your southern roots prove quite useful.)

All in all, this pregnancy thing isn't as hard as you suspected it would be so far. Granted, you're not the one actually carrying the baby, but still. The biggest change so far is only Maya's constant hurling. She still cries at terrible Shia LaBeouf movies. She still eats almost all the food in your house. She still throws things at your head when she gets mad. If anything, you're the one changing.

You're more protective of her now. You're constantly walking with your hand on her back and making sure she never trips. You're angry at everyone who looks at her like she's anything less than pure gold, ready to fight at the drop of a dime. Hell, she isn't even too visibly upset about the Nate debacle at school. She cries for a bit, tattles on you, and is right back to laughing in your bed at the Netflix blasting from your computer in your clothes. You're the one ready to tear his head off. She's been mellowing you out so far.

"HeeHaw, I want affection." Her hands grab at you from the bed adorably. It's been two hours since your mama grounded you and you're stuck cleaning your room while Maya has the time of her life. You pat her head, averting your eyes from the tempting screen to stick to your punishment that she ever so sweetly landed you with. "Mama's boy," she begs, "I need to be cuddled."

You try to ignore her, but she doesn't stop.

"No," she drawls as you turn away, "I want a hug." She gives you a pout and bats her eyelashes. Surprisingly enough, the bursts of wanting signs of love isn't new at all. She's made that same face at you with grabby hands for the past eight years.

"No, you want me to lay down with you and watch TV so that I can get in trouble again." Her eyes beg you more while she wraps her arms around her torso.

That's when she does it.

She does the absolute most devious thing that Maya Penelope Hart has done in your entire friendship since the beginning of time.

"Lucas, the baby wants you to come hug us."

Fuck.

"The baby wants you to come and cuddle with us because we need body heat or we'll freeze to death. You have two people to keep warm now."

And you totally give into it because you're on the bed with her giggling into your neck before she can even get to her hypothermia facts and risks.

"Maya Penelope, I swear to the editors of that I will knock down this door right now!"

"You wouldn't."

"Well, I'm knocking really hard!"

"You're barely tapping it."

"You just got your new landlords, and I don't know them yet, Maya! I don't want to damage the door without knowing that they're nice and understanding people, which I'd like to assume but you don't live in the...best part of town."

You swing open your bedroom door to meet soft brown eyes with an apologetic twinkle in them. You hadn't exactly told her about the whole 'living with Cowboy' thing yet, so you're glad that she caught you on a night that you stopped home to pick up some clothes. "Oh, honey, you are just too sweet."

Riley steps into your room as you make room, her arms occupied with a bag filled with your favorite Laffy Taffys. "I brought 'I'm sorry' candy... and jokes." She gives you a tiny smile before dropping her gift and hugging you as tightly as she can. "I'm sorry, peaches. I'm so sorry. I was so surprised and I was being entirely selfish. I promise, I'm here for you! I'm as here for you and I'm as here for this baby as here can be!"

You weren't that upset with Riley for freaking out, if you're being entirely honest with yourself. You didn't really expect any less.

...and perhaps announcing that she was going to be an aunt wasn't the best way to put it, either. Yet, here she is; as regretful as ever.

"It's really okay, Riles. I swear. It's a big thing, and you didn't do anything wrong."

"Dad says he's really sorry, too. We want you to come to dinner tomorrow! It's been hectic weeks without you and we really don't like how we handled it. Mom's had a few good talks with us about it, and you're my best friend, Maya. You and the guys are everything to me. I never want to lose you, especially if you need me around."

You can't hold back your smile as your arm wraps around her waist and you lead her to your bed. When she lets out a content sigh, you can tell that this has been eating her alive without you around.

A twinge of guilt courses through you as you realize that you hadn't made any effort to reach out to her. Maybe letting her sit wasn't your brightest idea. Now actually considering who you're dealing with, Riley's parents probably had to force her to get up from bed to face you. She was probably moping and terrified that you hated her, which you should've known before deciding to leave her without any input from your side. You press a kiss to her temple before tightening your grip around her.

"I'll always need you around, sweetheart."