AU: Congratulations (Sophie)

[Dr. Sean Neville]

You’re pregnant.

Two words that Sean Neville had never expected to hear directed toward him.

When in more serious relationships with cisgender women, he had thought that could be a possibility, down the line, once they had settled and engaged in family planning. Those relationships had invariably fallen apart, and left him single again.

Then he and Josh had argued worse than at any other time in the history of their relationship. Then they had driven to Boston, shared their deepest pain and reconciled. He couldn’t be happier. Their first night sharing his house as their home, he thought that he would never experience deeper joy than in that moment.

He had been wrong.

The pregnancy itself was strange, in that it was unexpected and also should have been physiologically impossible. Yet Sean had adapted well, far better than the other men in his social group, and far better than the poor students who had found themselves in a similar condition. And had been forced to move into a single dormitory room, as though that would shield them from mockery and make their pregnancies easier.

Sean, however, had immediately scheduled a cesearean section for full term, had dutifully found an OB-GYN and an andrologist to work with his internist and see him through the situation. He had called to have the house baby-proofed. He and Josh had calmly discussed names until they had decided on one. They had notified their families. Sean had bought bigger, roomier clothing and enrolled himself in a Lamaze class as a means of meeting some other expectant parents.

He ignored 75% of what his Lamaze teacher said, because he, unlikely many people, had a medical degree, but it had been worth trying. Kathleen had gained much from Lamaze when she had been pregnant with Ryan, although that had been back in the late 1980s and culture had shifted.

Sean continued to work through the anticipated due date. His job largely consisted of sitting and he ned not over-exert himself. However, in the middle of the week, there had been an unexpected half-day due to an electricity problem in the academic building.

Josh was on trial, and so Sean called Sophie Tillman, who had returned to Pilot Ridge recently, and asked if she would meet him downtown for some hot cocoa and shopping.

[Sophie Tillman]

Sophie's first assumption upon hearing that Sean was expecting was the he and Josh had just been appproved to adopt, or perhaps had found a surrogate. When she was told that, no, Sean was actually expecting, she was confused - not by the idea of a cisgender man being pregnant but rather why he wanted to pull a prank that seemed so out of character.

It had taken some convincing, but when the shock wore off, the celebration came easily. Sure, it was weird, but Sean seemed happy about it and she was glad for any excuse to shop for baby clothes. Which was why that afternoon found her waiting at the coffee - and other hot beverages - shop in which they'd agreed to meet to start their day about town, several minutes early, fidgeting while she continuously glanced up from her book in case Sean had chosen just that second to walk in.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Admittedly, Sean possessed a sense of humor, albeit one that many might not recognize as such, or acknowledge for the full spectrum it encompassed. Students tended to project all manner of expectations onto him, due to his position of authority, as well as his status as the school psychiatrist, and his age. He knew that they viewed him as unthreateningly asexual, as far too serious and sometimes humorless, and as someone far older than he actually was. (He did not possess the ego necessary to be that sensitive about his age, but when people guess that he was sixty when he was only 54, it stung a tiny bit.)

However, while he prided himself on his imagination, he could never have thought of this as a practical joke in his wildest dreams. Nor would he persist in such a joke beyond the first question of “Are you serious?”

Instead, he had spent all of this time preparing physically, emotionally, and financially for his pregnancy and the arrival of his and Josh’s child. He wouldn’t say that he glowed, but he was incredibly happy and at peace despite the physiological and hormonal changes.

With a large trench coat over his expanding frame, he stepped into the coffee shop looking for Sophie. He saw her and made eye contact, offering a smile before he went to the cashier to order a hot cocoa.

[Sophie Tillman]

Having waited until he'd arrived to order anything herself, when Sean took his place in line Sophie rose to join him.

"Congratulations!" she greeted him warmly, managing to keep her lingering perplexity out of her voice. It was her first time seeing Sean since his little announcement, and the idea still took some getting used to. But now was neither the time nor the place for interrogating him about the particulars.. Now was the time and place for hot cocoa and well wishing. "How you feelin', Doctor?"

She wanted to throw in a joke about him glowing, but first she'd have to figure out how much he was okay with being said in public. Not much, she imagined.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean stepped back to make room for her in front of him in line. As much as he wanted hot cocoa and something to eat, he had lost neither his friendliness nor his manners with this medical condition.

“Thank you,” he replied, all smiles. Even with the nausea he had suffered (albeit mostly before learning of his pregnancy), the telepath could only view this entire unexpected event positively. Although unplanned – who could plan for this event given that he and Josh were both cisgendered men – they could raise a child and wanted to raise a child, and so he considered this a blessing in the colloquial rather than religious sense.

“A bit tired as you can image. And hungry.” He placed one hand gently atop his stomach at that. He had put on weight and had suffered an increased appetite prior to the nausea, which, in turn, had incentivized him to go to the doctor after it had lasted for far too long. “But other than that, I’m fine.”

He had yet to experience any real pain from the pregnancy. As far as he could tell (and he had better objectivity since he had telepathy to confirm the opinions of others), he had not experienced any mood swings. He was doing fine.

[Sophie Tillman]

"How did Josh take the news?" she asked, as the line shuffled forward. If Sophie had any suspicions that Sean's partner was opposed to going through with the pregnancy, she wouldn't have asked. But with Sean in such good spirits, she figured that sort of extra stress wasn't in the picture.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean smiled at the memory. While there was nothing objectively humorous about the circumstances surrounding his pregnancy or the occasion when he learned of it, and then when he told Josh about it (aside from the cosmic quandary of how it had happened in the first place), he considered the situation joyous and thus nearly everything about it earned a smile. Even the memory of how he had been afflicted by morning sickness for over a week, and, never expecting morning sickness with his age and gender, he had worried that he had contracted something serious.

Josh’s reaction was subjectively amusing. Although his partner had not adapted to the knowledge as quickly or easily as Sean himself had, he had still taken it well enough. Although the attorney had not said so aloud, the telepath knew that his partner had felt increasing protectiveness and pride, perhaps an inevitable reaction to unexpected proof of virility.

“He’s both happy and anxious, which is to be expected.” Thus far, Sean was the only person involved in the grouping of pregnancies who had yet to experience any anxiety over it. His OB-GYN had remarked on how he was the single-most collected individual that he’d ever met. Sean had responded by telling two stories from Hammel and then asking for his ultrasound pictures.

“But he’s a good sport.”

Soon enough, they were near the front of the line, and Sean ushered Sophie to stand in front of him so that she could order and receive her beverage first.

[Sophie Tillman]

Sophie ordered her own cocoa and left her change before stepping aside to allow Dr. Neville his turn. At the bar while they waited, she asked, "So what's on the agenda for today? Any place in particular you lookin' to go first?"

They were only staying in Pilot Ridge, as far as she knew. While Sophie wasn't an expert on the town's selection of children's shops, she imagined they had a few options to choose from.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean took an additional moment studying the menu, since there were many options, and his appetite had only increased with this pregnancy. It had increased in the few months prior to discovering the pregnancy, following the general curve, but now he knew the reason and saw no reason not to indulge. Finally, he ordered a sugar cookie hot cocoa, and, in case that proved insufficient, a banana nut muffin as well. He paid, tipped, and then crossed over to wait with Sophie at the order table.

“Mostly outfits and toys,” he admitted. He and Josh had done a trip for the more major purchases: the crib and bassinette, the changing table, the stroller, assorted furniture and decorations for the nursery. Anything that he thought his partner might have strong opinions about, or which the telepath considered a necessarily joint decision, they had purchased together.

This still left an abundance of items. Babies required so much.

“My wallet is flushed with gift cards.” Several of his friends, as well as his nephew, had sent him gift cards to various baby and child stores, or for things like American Express which could be used anywhere. While the telepath didn’t need financial assistance in even the remotest way, he still appreciated the gestures. He had promised to let everyone know what their individual presents had purchased.

[Sophie Tillman]

"Well, the clothes an' toys are the best part anyway." In Sophie's limited experience, at least. She'd been lucky enough to attend a few baby showers in her life - mostly for her coworkers but most recently for her sister-in-law - and she'd always try to stick to the essentials, the sort of stuff that ran out first. But it'd be a lie to say she'd never been tempted to splurge on adorable clothes that would be too small in no time.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean smiled and nodded in agreement. “I think so too.”

Both toys and clothing were necessary for babies, as necessary as many of the other baby items that he and Josh had already bought. Babies needed more clothing than most older children, or adults, due to the fact that they grew quickly and had a tendency to soil everything that they touched; three or four outfits per day was not out of the ordinary for babies out of their “sleeping for twenty-three hours each day phase.” Babies needed toys for visual and mental stimulation, or for auditory stimulation in the form of ones that played music or made sounds.

He and Josh had already picked out a mobile for that purpose; it dangled soft animals and played lullabies.

Clothing and toys were certain more exciting than the crib or the changing table or the stroller that he and his partner had already purchased, even if those three items would each see more use than an individual piece of clothing.

“Sophie!” The barista called, before setting her cocoa order up on the counter.

A moment later, this was followed by a cry of, “Sean!” and his cup being set on the counter beside hers.

[Sophie Tillman]

With both drinks ready, Sophie claimed the first and passed the second to Dr. Neville. Rather than drink from hers straight away, which she knew would be uncomfortably hot, she popped the lid off a bit to allow steam to escape for a moment.

"You ready to brave the cold?" Sophie asked him, smiling broadly. "We've got some shoppin' to do."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean took the other cup from Sophie, shifting it into one hand, since he had to hold the bag with the cinnamon bun in the other. He could feel the heat through the cardboard; he wouldn’t get to sample his cocoa just yet.

He was patient.

He nodded in response to her question. “I’m ready when you are.”

It was cold out, although not frigid – not by Vermont standards – and he’d worn his winter coat for a reason.

They started for the exit. His pace was a bit slower than usual, than before his pregnancy; he hadn’t acquired a waddle, but he had to walk more slowly to accommodate the new center of gravity and to cope with how quickly he became tired these days.

“Do you know what’s popular with babies these days?” He meant the question sincerely, rather than as a lead-in to a discussion about trends or politics or a rant about everything wrong with attachment parenting. “My nephew is twenty-two.”

His only nephew. While he’d bought baby gifts for friends and coworkers more recently than for Ryan, he remained the baby with whom he’d spent the most amount of time. To his knowledge, a number of those toys and trends had fallen to the wayside long ago.

[Sophie Tillman]

Once outside, Sophie was grateful for the heat radiating from her cup, which she held with both hands. She didn't mind the cold - she'd now lived in Pilot Ridge long enough to be used to it - but she'd forgotten her gloves at home.

"I don't follow baby trends much, but I imagine jingly key rings are still a hit," Sophie replied. That Frozen movie was also still quite popular with the children she saw at the clinic, but it would probably be replaced by the time Sean's little one was old enough for movies. "Cardboard boxes, too - the way Barb at work tells it, the more expensive the toy, the more they prefer the box."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean did mind the cold, although not enough for him to move from Vermont towards a warmer climate. He had tolerated it better in his youth, but now every winter brought with it additional stiffness in his joints and an assortment of aches and pains. With the pregnancy, he found himself more sensitive, but he coped with that by adjusting the heat in his home and office, and by dressing accordingly when venturing outside.

He smiled and nodded, having witnessed that phenomenon several times with his nephew, and with Josh’s nieces and nephews over the years. “As true as that is, she’ll be far too young for cardboard boxes for a while.” Although when she was old enough, they would have boxes; he and Josh shopped online regularly enough to ensure a steady supply.

“The last time I went shopping wasn’t too long ago, and everything is gender-segregated even worse than it was when I was a child.” The telepath had been born in the late-1950s and had grown up in the 1960s. The fact that he found it worse than during his youth spoke heavily to the ways that they had failed to make strides socially. “Everything is pink and blue now, even blocks or stuffed animals. Greens and yellows and reds have largely fallen by the wayside, and it makes shopping with Josh...difficult at times.”