50 Things He Loves About Her (1/1)
So I'm transferring over two related series to AO3 that I wrote with a friend of mine on LJ, iluvroadrunner6, and they have a bunch of OCs. The very first story in the series at AO3 is the character bios, so if you want to read up on Christina Jensen, just click the link.
50 Things He Loves About Her - 50 things that Danny Messer loves about Christina Jensen.
READ @ AO3 | SERIES PAGE | OC CHARACTER BIOS
#01 - Ring
He'd look at her glance at the engagement ring every so often, and a look of awe would cover her face for just a second until someone pulled her attention away; he still reveled in the fact she'd said yes.
#02 - Hero
She'd stared him in the face, eye to eye, and simply said, "You know, people do look up to you, Danny, whether you want them to or not...you're a cop, which in most people's eyes makes you a hero."
#03 - Memory
He loved to hear her tell him about her childhood in California; Christina was great at making him feel like he was there watching the memories she had through her eyes.
#04 - Box
"I remember my favorite toy when I was a kid was this big huge box our new refrigerator came in...I think I used it to make a castle or something, but it only lasted a day or two because it got wet when it rained," she'd told them as they laid in bed together listening to the rain hit the windows.
#05 - Run
"Crap, I can't wear these; there's a run in them," she said, pulling off her pantyhose and allowing him to get a glimpse of her nicely shaped legs as she reached into her locker for another pair before she headed off to court.
#06 - Hurricane
"You're right; my office does always looks like it got hit by a hurricane," she said before they started organizing her guest bedroom/office, a task he hadn't wanted to help with but in the end was glad he did.
#07 - Wings
He'd asked her why she had a pair of cheap angel wings from a Halloween costume in her apartment one time and she'd just shrugged, saying everyone wants to be a little angel sometimes.
#08 - Cold
The ice cube was so cold it stung at first, but she didn't let it go and just moved it on his bare chest in lazy circles until he realized he didn't mind the cold so much anymore.
#09 - Red
Even though he liked her as a brunette, he missed the red hair she used to have, so dark it looked like black cherries; he was tempted to pick up a box of hair color and surprise her with it if he didn't think she'd make him use it first.
#10 - Drink
He knew, as he carried her up the stairs to her apartment, that he was never going to let her drink tequila again unless he was with her because if it knocked her flat on her ass like it had tonight she could end up doing something very stupid.
#11 - Midnight
At midnight exactly, she leaned over and kissed him softly, murmuring "Happy New Year" before rolling over and going to sleep; the next morning, she acted as though it had never happened and he pretended he hadn't been awake for it.
#12 - Temptation
"You know, I really don't care if you look, but don't even think about touching," she whispered to him as the new female tech Flack and Hawkes had been drooling over walked by him, and he had to smile; this new woman wasn't at all like the woman who'd just called him out, which meant she really wasn't his type.
#13 - View
"Would you just look at that?" she said, looking over the railing of the Empire State Building, watching the sun dip below the horizon, a look of childish wonder all over her face.
#14 - Music
He watched her smoothly glide from one track to the other without missing a beat, knowing full well it took her two days to get that perfected at home before this gig.
#15 - Silk
He ran his hand up and down her waist, enjoying the feel of the silk nightgown beneath his fingers; he could definitely appreciate good lingerie on this particular woman.
#16 - Cover
When he saw two blankets on the bed, he realized she had not been joking with him when she'd told him that morning he stole all the covers and she'd woken up freezing in the middle of the night, and he wondered why none of his other girlfriends had ever just added another blanket to the bed.
#17 - Promise
She crossed her heart and looked at him, and he knew she wouldn't break this promise she'd just made even if she had found a rather juvenile way of showing him how serious she was about it.
#18 - Dream
He never felt silly or stupid if he told her about his dreams, his nightmares; that might have something to do with the fact she opened up to him in much the same way.
#19 - Candle
She lit the last candle and smiled over at him, and he was surprised to find that she looked really nice in just candlelight...leave it to a city-wide blackout to find that out.
#20 - Talent
She blushed every time he'd tell her she had a natural talent for DJing, insisting that it was a learned skill; he stopped arguing with her about it after a while but in reality, he still thought she was damn talented.
#21 - Silence
Normally he hated silence but when she was in the room and quiet, it was all right; there really wasn't a need to talk about everything and anything that popped into their heads, even if they frequently did just that.
#22 - Journey
"I want to go places, Danny, and that's why I came to New York; I guess it's part of my personal journey," she'd told him when he asked why she'd picked the New York City labs over all the other job offers she'd received.
#23 - Fire
He heard her yelp first, and then raced into the kitchen to see whatever it was she had been trying to cook completely engulfed in flames as she scrambled for the fire extinguisher he'd bought for the kitchen in case she decided to cook something more than eggs or pancakes.
#24 - Strength
She had the bottle of extra-strength Tylenol already in her hands when he came into her office, saying simply that she'd heard about the suspect slamming him into a wall and she thought he might need them; he was starting to wonder how she knew when he was coming into her office when he could swear she never actually saw him come in.
#25 - Mask
"That's so not me," she said laughingly as she pulled the mask away from her face, but he had to admit he would have asked her to dance if he'd seen her wearing it at a masquerade ball or something like that.
#26 - Ice
She slipped on the ice on the sidewalk and he managed to catch her before her tailbone hit the concrete, and she looked up at him with a rather sheepish look on her face that worked very nicely with his amused grin until they both dissolved into laughter.
#27 - Fall
"I think I can pinpoint the exact moment I fell for you," she'd told him one night; when he pressed her, she told him it was during their first major case together, the cross-jurisdictional, and he'd been sleeping in her guest bedroom and she had to clamp down hard on the urge to wake him up with a kiss.
#28 - Forgotten
She showed up at his apartment with Chinese food for dinner and the suits and jackets he'd had dry cleaned; he'd forgotten to pick up the clothes and get dinner for them that evening since he was working on a paper and was grateful she'd remembered.
#29 - Dance
He hated dancing out in public, but at home he had no problem twirling and dipping her, making her dizzy until she couldn't stand up enough to dance anymore, which led to them collapsing on the couch in laughter which usually ended up with them in bed shortly thereafter...for obvious reasons, then, he loved dancing with her in the privacy of his or her apartment.
#30 - Body
He knew every inch of her body, from her feet up to her head, but every time they were in bed together he found himself inexplicably drawn to the small scar on her chest, which he almost always kissed before he finally fell asleep, much to her amusement.
#31 - Sacred
There were a lot of things that were sacred to her: her family, her friends, the oath she took when she became a cop...and her relationship with him, and it was that last one that constantly pleased and surprised him since he found he was feeling the same way about her.
#32 - Farewells
She looked out one last time at the gorgeous beach and said her good-byes to her old beachfront home; he didn't have to ask her if that was what she was doing, he just knew, and he also knew she'd take his hand when she was done and they'd head back to New York and maybe everything would be okay.
#33 - World
He wanted to give her the world, she made him that happy; when he told her that she'd laughed and said she'd be happy with just a slice of New York City to share with him.
#34 - Formal
"It's Ryan and Lindsay's wedding, Danny, and we're in the wedding party; that means you get to wear that and I get to wear this," she said as she emerged from her bathroom and his jaw dropped as he took in her long plum-colored bridesmaid dress; with her hair up and curled she looked absolutely beautiful, and suddenly his being stuck in a tux wasn't so bad.
#35 - Fever
"You have a 104-degree fever, Danny," she said in a worried tone of voice as she grabbed a jacket for each of them, "and I don't care what you say, I'm taking you to the hospital...Mac can just yell at me for missing work later."
#36 - Laugh
She had a nice laugh, and he found himself looking for ways to make her laugh just so he could hear it; when he realized that, it started to dawn on him that he might actually be falling in love with her.
#37 - Lies
"I have no problem with the little white lies, the polite social ones...like if I ever ask you if something makes me look fat you better tell me it doesn't regardless of whether it does or not," she said, pointing a fork with salad speared on it at him as they talked over dinner in her office.
#38 - Forever
She glared at the microwave, arms crossed under her breasts and foot tapping impatiently, muttering "This is taking forever" under her breath as he watched, amused and knowing full well that it was his fault she was running late.
#39 - Overwhelmed
He looked around at the casework on his left and his newest paper on his right and groaned, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated until Christina breezed over to pick up the paperwork, telling him she'd type it up for him and to go back to work on the paper before his professor docked his grade for it being late.
#40 - Whisper
She straddled his lap, her face over his and her lips inches away from his, and suddenly she turned her head and whispered in his ear; he picked her up and carried her into her room and wouldn't let her say anything above a whisper the whole time because her voice at a whisper level was a definite turn-on.
#41 - Wait
He had learned she had even less patience than he did at times, but all it usually took to get her to slow down was a simple "Wait a sec" from him, and she'd pause and look at him, which gave her whirring brain time to process things better.
#42 - Talk
He watched her talk on the phone with her mother, pacing back and forth with her arms moving animatedly and her vigorous nodding and a huge smile and he idly wondered if she did the same thing when she was on the phone with him until she thrust the phone at him, asking him to talk to her mother while she went to get something...and he was suddenly at a loss for words.
#43 - Search
She pawed through the bin of records until he saw a triumphant look cross her face; seconds later she lifted up a single record and grinned, proclaiming her search for the perfect song to complete her set with.
#44 - Hope
When she agreed to dinner, he had hoped she'd agree to another one; when they hit various month-marking milestones together, he had hoped their relationship would last; and when she said she'd marry him he had hope for a great future.
#45 - Eclipse
He couldn't believe she'd never seen an eclipse before, and when an eclipse came, the two of them were up on the roof of the labs along with most of the other staff, watching it in awed silence; she told him later watching it with him quietly talking to her the whole time had made it more interesting than she'd thought it would be and who knew he was an astronomy buff?
#46 - Gravity
She put on a particular Coldplay song to fall asleep and so now, whenever anyone mentioned the word "gravity," he automatically thought of that song and her sleeping soundly, no matter what was being talked about.
#47 - Highway
He saw her look out the rented car's window, staring longingly at the ocean as they went down the 101, and he started to wonder why the hell she stayed in New York when she really wanted to be back in California...and he wondered why he was suddenly okay with the idea of maybe leaving New York and going to San Diego.
#48 - Unknown
He had no clue as to where they were heading with this relationship at times, and it didn't bother him as much as he'd thought it would.
#49 - Lock
She gave him a sheepish look as he approached her apartment, mumbling something about locking her keys in her apartment; she was so red in the face he didn't want to make it any worse by letting out the laugh he was suppressing as he unlocked her apartment for her.
#50 - Breathe
It was almost like he needed to remind himself to breathe when he was around her, he got so caught up in his thoughts about her, and as she flashed him a quick smile from across the lab and waved, engagement ring gleaming, he wondered how he'd been happy without her around.
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Only Us
daniel ricciardo x ofc
word count: 5222
thank you to the lovely @leclerc-stan for always being there and @strawberrysainz and @forteafy for convincing me to post this 🫶🏻 i haven’t posted any of my writing in a while but with some encouragement and support i have built up the courage again. i hope this is okay. 🤍
tw: nausea, vomiting, pregnancy tests
Sienna felt like shit.
Her hands trembled as she dragged her suitcase up the front path, trying to ignore the sweat beading on her hairline. As expected for the Australian summertime, it was as hot as hell, but she had been sweating and nauseous even in the depths of the air conditioned airport and the taxi.
Daniel had, of course, offered to come and collect her from the airport, but she refused, knowing that they were hosting his parents for lunch that afternoon. She wouldn’t deny Daniel the rare, quality time with his Mum and Dad for anything, no matter how much she wished he was there to give her a cuddle when she’d first got out of the airport.
As Sienna fished through her bag for her keys, her stomach knotted again, and she inhaled slowly through her nose, bracing the palm of her hand on the wood of the door. Mentally, she noted that there was a perfectly good hedge next to their front door that could be vomited into, if needed.
Eventually, the churning of her stomach eased a little, and Sienna managed to unlock the front door, pulling herself and her case into the entryway. She set her backpack and suitcase by the foot of the stairs before beginning the search through the house for her family.
Rounding the corner into the open-plan living space, she smiled at the sight of Daniel standing at the kitchen countertop, chopping salad and bopping along to the summery music of one of his many playlists. He was clad in a pair of navy shorts and a bright blue, noisily patterned shirt. His feet were bare. She was home.
Slowly, Sienna walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his narrow waist. She felt him tense for a moment and giggled when he swore under his breath, before he looked down at her hands, which curled over his tummy.
“Well, hey there, cutie,” he murmured.
Sienna sighed contentedly, turning her head to rest her cheek between his shoulder blades as his voice settled over her like smooth caramel, “hi, baby.”
Daniel took hold of her hands to loosen her grip on him enough that he could turn to face her. She rested her hands on his hips, as his came up to cup her face. His stubble had grown a little since she had left, and one unruly curl of hair was hanging over his forehead. She reached up to smooth it back into place, with little effect.
“I fucking missed you,” he admitted, his gorgeous brown eyes scanning her face as he spoke.
Sienna nodded and leant up on her tiptoes to kiss him, “I missed you too.”
He smiled against her mouth until she lowered back to the flat of her feet. The motion alone made her head spin and she let out a groan, leaning forward to rest her head against his chest.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, his large hands running up and down her spine.
She shrugged, “I’ve felt awful for the whole journey home.”
“In what way?” Daniel probed, his concern growing.
“Nauseous, dizzy, hot even in the air conditioning. I haven’t managed to eat anything today,” Sienna listed.
“Still?” Daniel queried in confusion, “you were feeling sick before you left for Sydney too.”
“Must’ve just been the start of it. The nausea feels the same,” Sienna admitted, “although I feel like I’m running more of a temperature now.”
Daniel shook his head and lifted his hand to press the back of it to her forehead, “you don’t feel warm, you’re just a little…damp. With the sweat, y’know?”
Sienna snorted out a laugh at his choice of words, “probably because it’s hot as hell here, as usual. Who’s bright idea was it again to move out to a farm in The-Arse-End-of-Perth, Australia, again?”
“Oh I do wonder,” Daniel teased in return.
They knew full well that both he and Sienna had painstakingly searched for a house just like the one they were standing in for years, and were equally enthusiastic when the farm had come on the market. The day they had moved into the house, 4 years into their relationship, had been one of the happiest of Sienna’s life so far. It was their home, and any time that they had spare from Daniel’s hectic racing calendar in the year since they’d bought it was spent there.
Sienna tilted her head back to peer up at his handsome face, her fingertips gripping at the silkiness of his shirt, “are your mum and dad here yet?”
Part of her hoped he’d say no, so that they could cuddle, and she could nap, even though she was desperate to see Grace and Joe again too. She adored Daniel’s family.
Daniel nodded, “they’re outside. But if you’re not feeling well enough to come out now, you can go lay down for a bit. They’ll understand.”
“No way,” Sienna shook her head, even though she was dying to crawl into her own bed and just sleep, “I want to see them.”
The Ricciardos were out on the patio, looking as put together and gorgeous as ever. Grace was holding a glass of red wine, watching Joe heating the grill with a beer in hand. Daniel came out, holding the large bowl of salad he’d prepared in one hand, and leading Sienna out with the other.
“There’s our girl!” Joe cheered at the sight of her, abandoning the grill to rush over as Daniel let go of her to put down the food.
Sienna never had to force a smile around Daniel’s family. They were always so incredibly welcoming to her.
“Hey, Joe,” she greeted, as he engulfed her in a tight hug. Grace had also made her way over in that time, greeting Sienna with a hug and a kiss on the cheek once Joe let go of her.
“How was your journey, darling?” Grace queried softly, cupping her cheek.
Sienna managed a weak smile, “it was a little rough. I don’t feel all that well.”
“Oh, sweetie, go and rest if you need to!” Grace exclaimed, her hands resting on Sienna’s shoulders, “don’t mind us one bit.”
Sienna shook her head, “I’ll be okay. I think I just need some food and fresh air. I haven’t managed to eat yet today either, so that probably explains it.”
Grace still looked uncertain, but let it go, taking her seat back at the table with Sienna beside her as Daniel went to assist Joe with the food again. Grace and Sienna chatted about her work trip to Sydney and other current affairs, occasionally looking up to laugh at the banter between Daniel and his dad over the barbecue, or the ridiculous way Daniel was shaking his hips to the music. They talked about her and Daniel’s plans for the rest of the summer break, including their upcoming trip to Southern Italy.
Throughout, Grace knew that Sienna still wasn’t herself. She was awfully pale, and Grace noticed how Sienna’s hands were trembling a little whenever she went to take a tentative sip of water. She also noticed how Daniel would glance back over at Sienna regularly to check on her, the small crease between his eyebrows showing concern.
In the distance beyond the patio, Sienna spotted their flock of sheep migrating over the red-dirt hills towards their pen. She made a mental note to go down and visit them first thing in the morning, along with her horses. She had missed them so much in the four days that she was away. Having enough space to own animals had always been a dream of hers, and she felt blessed that she and Daniel were in a position to do so.
Suddenly, a slight breeze blew across the patio, carrying the scent of the cooking meat on the barbecue across the table. Sienna’s nose scrunched as the rich scent of steak and seasoned chicken engulfed her, and her stomach lurched. She slapped her hand ove no r her mouth and pushed out from the table as bile rose in her throat.
Daniel could only watch in confusion as Sienna raced back inside the house. He quickly handed the spatula back over to his dad and took off his apron, not wanting to risk anything that was making Sienna feel more sick getting close to her.
“Poor thing,” he heard his mum saying sympathetically as he followed Sienna inside, “she really isn’t well at all.”
The door to the downstairs bathroom was flung wide open, and Sienna hadn’t even bothered to turn the lights on before falling to her knees in front of the toilet. There was no relief that came with actually vomiting though, and now she had started she feared she wouldn’t be able to stop. Already, there was little more than stomach acid coming up, burning at her nose and throat and only making the nausea worse.
“Oh, Peach,” Daniel sighed, crouching down beside Sienna’s exhausted-looking form. He carded his fingers through her sweat-dampened hair, ensuring it was all pulled away from her face before he kissed the crown of her head.
“I’m here, baby,” he soothed as she continued to vomit.
One of her hands shakily reached for him to steady herself, her clammy palm gripping onto his thigh where his shorts had ridden up a little to expose the tanned and tattooed skin.
Sienna let out a tired little sigh once her stomach finally stopped heaving, and she turned her head to rest her rosy cheek on Daniel’s thigh. She felt completely drained, and didn’t even try to open her eyes.
“All done?” Daniel asked softly, not wanting to speak too loudly and make her feel worse.
Weakly, she nodded, and Daniel shifted her until they were both sitting on the floor. Sienna was cradled in his lap as he smoothed his hand over her hair.
After a few moments, Daniel spoke quietly, “I’m going to put you in bed for a little while. If you’re feeling better later, you can come sit out with me and mum and dad again, yeah?”
Sienna didn’t even have the energy to object or explain how embarrassed she felt about getting sick in front of Daniel’s parents, so instead she just nodded. Daniel gently slid Sienna off his lap and onto the floor, before getting to his feet and bending down to lift her. He hooked an arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back, encouraging Sienna to curl into his chest.
“I’ve gotcha sweetheart,” he murmured when she let out a quiet groan of discomfort. Even the slight movement of him starting to walk up the stairs was making her feel sick again.
By the time Daniel had reached their bedroom, Sienna was fast asleep against his chest. He pulled back the covers with one hand and lay her down on the mattress gently. He made sure the air conditioning was set just as she liked it, that she had her childhood Snuggle Cat close by and a cold glass of water on the bedside table. He took a moment to perch on the mattress next to her, noting the tension in her forehead and the little crease of her skin between her brows, even in her sleep. Something was definitely off.
Of course they’d seen each other sick in the last 6 years, even suffering through a rough bout of Covid-19 during the pandemic. Daniel couldn’t remember ever seeing Sienna so unwell before. Usually she would still manage to soldier through any symptoms, and simply curl up on the sofa under a blanket to watch trashy TV, but this time, she seemed completely drained.
Daniel gently kissed between Sienna’s brows, before smoothing over the spot with his thumb, encouraging her to relax, shushing her softly. She let out a little groan, arching into his touch before she snuggled further into the pillows.
Joe and Grace had finished off cooking the meat and veggies on the barbecue by the time Daniel wandered back out onto the patio. They’d even set the outside table and brought out the side dishes from the kitchen.
“How’s our girl?” Joe asked, as Daniel raked a hand through his hair, sinking into a chair opposite his mum and dad.
“Uh, she’s sleeping,” he said, reaching for the bowl of salad, “she’s totally wiped.”
“I could tell something wasn’t right as soon as she got back,” Grace admitted, spooning a few baby potatoes onto her plate, “we can save her some of the plainer food in case she’s hungry later, Bub.”
Daniel nodded in agreement, “thanks mum. She’s not been feeling well for a while, even before she left for Sydney. It might just be a bit of a nasty virus or something.”
Grace set down the dish she was holding and stared at her son, “she left on Tuesday?”
Daniel, still not looking up from where he was loading food onto his plate, nodded again, “yeah, she was away for 4 days.”
“Might even be worth seeing the doctor if she’s still not feeling great after 4 days,” Joe suggested, pushing his chair out from the table, “I’m gonna grab a beer. Want one, Dan?”
Daniel shook his head, “nah, thanks. I’d better not in case Sienna needs me later.”
Joe nodded, grabbing his son’s shoulder on his way past him back into the house. Once Joe was fully out of earshot, Grace leant across the table towards Daniel.
“Danny…I think you need to go and buy a pregnancy test,” She said.
Daniel’s brow furrowed, “what? For Sienna?”
“No. For you,” Grace joked, before she shook her head, “obviously for Sienna.”
He felt his stomach clench a little at the suggestion, “you think…?”
“It all adds up, Bubs. I was so sick when I was pregnant with you that I was convinced I had stomach flu for two weeks. I was just like Sienna is now - couldn’t stand the smell of any food, I was vomiting, I had nausea and headaches,” Grace explained, ticking off the symptoms on her fingers.
Daniel let out a little laugh of disbelief, “holy shit.”
Grace shook her head quickly, seeing Daniel’s excitement at the prospect growing, “it might not be, but she’s got the symptoms. Might just be worth checking.”
“She should have had her period by now,” Daniel noted.
He couldn’t remember the last time Sienna had put sanitary products into their basket while shopping, curled up with a hot water bottle pressed to her belly or taken one of her ‘magical’ Epsom salt baths for her cramping.
It had been a while.
Grace nodded slowly, giving her son time to process his thoughts, “why don’t you run to the store now while she’s asleep? Your dad and I can stay here with her. I won’t say anything to Dad.”
Daniel’s eyes flitted to his mum, who gave him a reassuring smile. He nervously raked a hand through his hair, at which his mum leant forward, offering her hand to him across the table.
He took it and she gave it a squeeze.
“It’s gonna be okay, Dan. You don’t need to be scared,” she whispered.
Daniel stood, staring blankly at the shelves in the tiny convenience store. He didn’t think it was possible to have so many different variations of the same product. Surely they all just did the same thing, right?
He snapped a photo of the shelves and sent it to his mum, followed by one word. ‘Help.’
While he waited for her response, he started at one end of the small aisle, eyes scanning across the various boxes to see if any of the tests stood out to him. There were early result ones, ‘dip’ ones - whatever the fuck that meant - and a plethora of digital ones. They boasted the highest accuracy percentage, and Daniel trusted statistics, so he began picking a digital test from each brand off the shelf and dropping them into the basket at his feet.
His phone pinged, and Grace had replied; ‘digital is better. ClearBlue is what Mich used.’
Daniel nodded and slipped his phone back into his pocket, continuing his journey down the aisle. His mind kept drifting back to Sienna, who was laying in bed back at their house, unbelievably sick and potentially pregnant with their child. The thought of her carrying their baby was almost too exciting for Daniel to bear. He knew he had to get home to her quickly.
A dip in the mattress made Sienna stir from her deep sleep. She yawned and stretched, accidently shoving Snuggle Cat onto the floor before she opened her eyes.
Daniel was perched beside her, his large hand settled on the curve of her hip beneath the comforter, “hey, Peach. How are you feeling?”
Sienna smiled sleepily at the nickname, which made Daniel relax a little. She finally seemed a bit more like herself.
“Um, not as sick, I think?” Sienna answered tentatively, scrunching her nose as she gauged whether she was at an immediate risk of throwing up on Daniel. After a second, she decided that they’d be safe for the moment.
Daniel nodded, “good. That’s…good.”
Sienna then noticed the plastic grocery store bag in his lap, “what have you got, Dan?”
He looked down at his lap, and then back at her, “I went to the store while you were asleep. Mum suggested it.”
“Oh?” Sienna asked, rubbing at her eyes with a closed fist, not caring if she was smudging her already ruined mascara even more.
Daniel reached into the bag and pulled out one of the boxes, setting it on top of the quilt between them. It took Sienna a moment to register what she was looking at, but as soon as she did, she felt her mouth go dry.
“What-?”
“Mum said it might be worth taking a test,” Daniel said softly, hoping he hadn’t overstepped the mark, “that she was so sick when she was first pregnant with me, just like you have been, and I just thought-”
Sienna just blinked at him, her hand coming up to rest on her pale cheek, “I-I could be. I just don’t know.”
“You don’t have to,” Daniel insisted, reaching forward to take hold of her hand, “I know I’ve just sprung this on you which is pretty shitty of me considering how unwell you’re feeling. I’m sorry.”
Sienna shook her head, looking up at him from beneath her lashes, “do you want me to take one?”
Daniel didn’t really know how to answer. Of course he wanted to know if they were going to be parents, but for her, he’d wait to make sure she was comfortable. After all, she hadn’t had much time to process the idea.
“Only if you want to,” Daniel said softly.
Sienna took a shuddering breath, “I’m scared.”
“It’s okay,” Daniel replied, “I’ll be here the whole time.
True to his word, Daniel accompanied Sienna to the bathroom, leaning back against the countertop as she peed on as many of the tests as she could manage. After each one, she’d pass them over to Daniel, who dutifully lay them out in a neat line across the counter.
“Jesus, Si, keep ‘em coming,” he teased, quite impressed by the amount of pee she was managing to produce.
“Shut up, Dan,” she grumbled, her cheeks flushing a bit at his words as she clicked the cap onto the 6th and final test and stretched her hand out towards him. He smiled at her and took it, turning his back only to allow her the privacy to clean up and flush.
“How long do we wait?” he asked, as Sienna perused one of the many test boxes stacked up on the countertop after washing her hands.
“They take around 2 minutes apparently,” She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself.
Daniel was staring down at the line of tests intently, as if his gaze alone was enough to give them a result. She knew he was trying to stay composed for her, but she could spot his excitement a mile off. In that moment, she knew exactly what she wanted, and the real fear came from not being able to give Daniel that either.
“Danny,” she croaked, her eyes brimming with tears.
He turned to look at her and crossed the short distance to where she stood. As soon as he got to her, she crumbled, her arms wrapping around his neck and her face nuzzling into his shoulder to dampen his shirt.
“Hey,” he whispered, his hands running up and down her back, “it’s going to be okay, baby. Talk to me.”
She shook her head against him, and he gently squeezed her hips enough to hoist her up so she was sat on the counter. His hands cradled her face gently, those big brown eyes peering into hers.
“I love you,” he said quietly.
Sienna's eyes brimmed with tears again, “I love you.”
“What’s going on?” He probed, his thumbs stroking the fresh tears from her cheeks. The way she was trembling and crying was breaking his heart.
“I’m scared that you’ll be disappointed,” Sienna admitted, the words alone causing more tears to fall from her eyes.
“Disappointed?” Daniel’s eyebrows furrowed, “how could I be disappointed, sweetheart? If those tests are positive, I’ll be absolutely elated, and if they’re not, sure it’ll sting, but I know that one day when we do get a positive, it’ll be the best day of my life.”
Sienna felt her heart burst with love for the man standing in front of her, and she leant forward to allow their foreheads to meet. Daniel pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose.
“Do you want them to be positive?” he asked against her skin.
Sienna closed her eyes, and without a second thought, nodded emphatically, chewing at her bottom lip, “more than anything.”
Daniel let out a sigh, finally understanding why she was so anxious, “listen, if they aren’t positive, and you do have some shitty virus, then as soon as you’re feeling better, we’ll get on board the baby-making train.”
Sienna peered up at him, “really?”
“Really,” Daniel said decisively.
Suddenly she let out a giggle and rolled her eyes, “I can’t believe you just called it ‘the baby making train’.”
“Is that not what everyone calls it?” Daniel teased, laughing at his own joke as always. Sienna adored him for it.
“I don’t think so, honey,” she sniffled, bringing her arms to loop behind his neck so that she could run her fingertips through the soft curls on the back of his head.
“I think this might be the longest two minutes of my life,” Daniel admitted, turning his head to look at the row of tests again.
Just as he did, the first test began to beep quietly, the small light on the front flashing as if anyone who had taken one of those tests wouldn’t already be watching it like a hawk.
Sienna looked at him, letting a slow breath fall from between her lips. Daniel turned back to her and kissed her softly, silently reassuring as his hands gently took hold of her waist to ease her off the counter.
“I don’t know if I can look,” Sienna admitted quietly, her hands starting to tremble as the second timer beeped too.
Daniel’s hands ran up and down her ribs, “tell me what you want me to do.”
Sienna peered up at him, her vision blurring through her tears again as she saw the excited little smile playing on Daniel’s lips. She knew how much this moment meant to him, so she let him have it.
“Go look,” she urged.
Daniel kissed the top of her head before padding the short distance to the other side of the sink, where the tests were all lined up and waiting. For a moment, Daniel was frozen, his hands pressed to the counter on either side of the tests and his head bowed as he surveyed each of them carefully. It was the quietest Sienna had ever heard him be and the stillest she’d ever seen him.
After a few seconds of just listening to his steady breathing, Sienna mustered the courage to stand alongside him, staring at the side of his handsome face to try and gauge his reaction.
“Dan…what do they say?” Her voice was shaking, and she gripped onto the fabric of his shirt like a lifeline, too petrified to look down at the tests.
Daniel exhaled, turning round to face her, and it was then that she saw the tears on his cheeks. Only once he had her in his arms, did he nod, and let a beaming smile spread across his face. His hands came up to cradle her face, and he looked at her, grinning like a fool.
“Daniel…” Sienna warned shakily, as he continued to stay silent, “what-?”
“You’re pregnant.”
Immediately, Sienna buried her face into his chest and began to sob, as his hands wrapped around her tightly, one curling against the back of her head to hold her against him as she cried. He gently pulled back, pressing kisses all over her face even as she giggled and cried, completely overwhelmed.
“Oh my god,” she whimpered, leaning round Daniel enough to pick up the first test off the counter.
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, but she just needed to see it for herself. Sure enough, the little display screen showed a plus sign, followed by the word ‘pregnant’.
The next 5 tests each said the same.
Sienna clutched them all in her hands, Daniel laughing joyously at the sight of her holding them all with a look of pure amazement on her face.
“Holy shit,” she breathed, “Danny…”
“I know,” he laughed again, raking his fingers through his curls, “I can’t believe this.”
“Me neither,” Sienna admitted, setting the tests down on the counter gently, “we’re going to have a baby.”
Daniel laughed, more tears falling down his cheeks as he reached for her. She stepped into his grasp again, her arms resting easily around his waist as her chin dropped to settle on his sternum, allowing her to stare up at him.
“I love you,” she said softly, as his shoulders heaved with another sob.
“I love you too,” he whispered, leaning down enough to press a gentle kiss to her lips.
The pair stood like that for what felt like an eternity, sharing kisses and tears in each other’s arms. Suddenly, Daniel pushed away from her gently, enough to drop his gaze down between their bodies.
“What are you doing?” Sienna laughed, as his hand came down to rest on her flat tummy.
He continued to stare at her body intently, brows furrowed, “just trying to imagine what it’ll be like when you can’t see your toes anymore.”
Sienna snorted and shook her head, “well for me, it’ll be ridiculously uncomfortable. For you, it’ll be like standing beside a beached whale.
Daniel shook his head adamantly, lifting his head again to look at her, “no way. You’re going to be the cutest pregnant woman of all time.”
“Oh really?” Sienna asked, as his hand stroked across her belly. He nodded and kissed her forehead in confirmation, completely overwhelmed at the thought of watching Sienna’s body change and grow over the coming months.
He couldn’t wait to experience it all with her: the scans, deciding on decoration for the nursery, helping her tie her laces when she couldn’t bend down anymore, feeling their baby kicking for the first time. It was all so exciting.
“Really,” Daniel affirmed, leaning his forehead against hers, “I think this is the happiest moment of my life.”
Sienna’s eyes watered at his words, “oh Dan…”
“I’ve always wanted this with you Si,” Daniel continued softly, “we’re going to have the cutest babies.”
Sienna sniffled and laughed, nodding, “we are.”
Daniel grinned, each of his pearly teeth on show as a hand drifted to stroke across her flat tummy, “do you think it’s a boy or a girl?”
“I have no idea,” Sienna laughed, shaking her head, “what do you think? Do you mind?”
“I don’t mind,” Daniel shrugged, “I mean my parents had one of each, your parents had one of each, you can’t get more statistically even than that right?”
“I guess so,” Sienna smiled, leaning forward to nudge the tip of her nose against his.
Daniel lifted his gaze to look at her, and she pressed her lips against his. They kissed for a moment, soft and sweet and gentle, before parting. Sienna whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you too,” Daniel murmured, pecking her lips twice more before his eyes lit up, “how do you feel about telling my parents they’re going to be grandparents again?”
Sienna giggled and nodded, as Daniel grabbed one of the many positive tests from the countertop, “let’s do it.”
Daniel grasped her hand, and gave her a little tug to follow him out of the bathroom. Sienna followed, one hand interlaced with his while the other grasped at his tattooed forearm. Just as he turned the corner and reached for their closed bedroom door, Sienna squeezed him, squeaking out an urgent, “wait.”
He stopped in his tracks as suddenly as she had, turning to eye her up questioningly, his eyebrow quirking worriedly, “you’re not gonna puke again are ya?”
Sienna bit her lip and shook her head, tears welling in her eyes again, “Danny, I…”
He let go of the handle and turned to face her, giving her hand a comforting squeeze, “yeah?”
“This is our last moment of only us knowing about the baby,” she whispered, tears threatening to fall more with every passing second.
The more she imagined the tiny little life growing inside her, the more her stomach churned with nerves and excitement.
Daniel nodded and took another step closer, “do you want to wait to tell them? We can wait if you’re not ready, although I’ll have to come up with something to tell Ma.”
“No,” Sienna insisted, shaking her head before giving him a shy smile, “I just want a minute longer to really remember this feeling, before it’s not only us anymore.
With that, she looked him up and down, taking in his luscious dark curls, his warm honey-toned gaze and gorgeous nose. She admired the way his boisterous party shirt hung off his frame and the glimpse of his thigh tattoo peeking from beneath the hem of his almost-too-short shorts.
When her eyes met his again, he was beaming from ear to ear, each of his pearly white teeth showing in the way that made her heart flutter unconditionally. She knew she’d remember him in that moment, and the way he looked at her knowing she was carrying their first child, for the rest of her life.
“I fucking love you,” she hiccuped, trying to compose herself, even as tears fell down her flushed cheeks.
Daniel snorted a laugh and pulled her close, pressing his lips against hers firmly, “I fucking love you too, darling.”
Sienna pecked his lips twice more, before pulling back to look at him, her gaze still soft and watery, “I think I’m ready.”
Daniel smirked and nodded, “then let’s do this.”
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