Fic: Between the Lines
Title: Between the Lines
Author: starrdust411
Fandom: Heroes
Pairing: Mohinder/Gabriel
Rating: PG
Summary: For the schmoop_bingo challenge. Prompt: babyfic - setting up nursery (Word Count: 1,387)
Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes.
Warnings: AU, Mpreg, Slash
Gabriel missed Mohinder, the real Mohinder, because the man he lived with was no longer the man he had married.
When Mohinder had gotten pregnant, Gabriel had thought that the first trimester would be the hardest and between Mohinder's inability to keep a bite of food down without being overwhelmed by the uncontrollable urge to gag and quite literally passing out at the end of each day from lack of nourishment it was hard. Yet Mohinder took it all startlingly well, carrying on with an air of calm that had Gabriel in awe. "It's all for the baby" had been his mantra, the single thought that kept Mohinder sane. Of course months of being plagued by horrible symptoms was enough to drive anyone over the edge.
At thirty three weeks pregnant, Mohinder's new mantra became "God, I can't wait to have my body back!" He could eat again, but it was a very limited diet as the list of foods that would make him vomit at the drop of a hat was still staggeringly long. His feet and hands had swollen painfully, forcing Mohinder to walk around in flip-flops and removed his cherished thumb ring in fear that it would cut off circulation. Sleep was nearly impossible to obtain as Mohinder would constantly be awoken in the middle of the night by either the baby kicking or the stabbing pain brought on by his right arm, which had developed a severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome during the sixth month.
This all lead to Mohinder being in a perpetually foul mood and Gabriel soon found himself living in constant fear as everything had suddenly become his fault. If the house was too hot it was because Gabriel had forgotten to adjust the air conditioning. If the last piece of cake was missing it was because Gabriel had eaten it.
It was impossible to know what could potentially set Mohinder off as his moods were constantly changing. Even when Gabriel would attempt to do something to make him feel better, it could still end up making things even worse, which was how he found himself in his current situation.
Things had started off peacefully enough: Mohinder had come home from his last day of work before starting his necessarily long "vacation" and Gabriel had greeted him with a fond smile and a large glass of ice (which the Indian had found himself craving lately). Mohinder had been calm and pleasantly at ease, just as he had been in the beginning and Gabriel's only intention had been to add to that mood by announcing "I finished setting up the nursery today."
The Indian had been absolutely livid at that announcement, his bright mood darkening as if someone had flipped a switch and turned off all the lights. He sputtered incoherently, his sentences clipped and short and shrill, before smashing his glass on the floor and storming out of the room.
For awhile Gabriel had merely stood and stared blankly at the mess of shattered glass and crushed ice as he struggled to figure out what exactly it was that he had said that was so wrong. He remembered having a conversation with Mohinder just the other day about the nursery. The watchmaker clearly recalled Mohinder suggesting that it get finished as soon as possible. He couldn't understand how the idea of it being done could set Mohinder off like that.
Gabriel sighed, deciding to give Mohinder some time to calm down by focusing on cleaning up the broken glass and melted ice. He went to the retrieve the dust pan and broom from the hall closet, considering Mohinder's words from the other day, playing them over and over again in his head.
"We should finish the nursery soon," Mohinder had suggested and just as the thought popped into his head, Gabriel realized exactly what his mistake had been.
He hurriedly brushed up the bits of ice and glass before dumping them in the trash. Once the evidence of Mohinder's little fit was disposed of Gabriel went straight to their bedroom only to discover that the door had been locked. Not that he was surprised. He suppressed the urge to groan as he gently rapped on the door.
"Go away!" Mohinder cried, his voice muffled by the door and emotion.
"Come on Mohinder. I just want to talk." Gabriel made sure to keep his voice gentle and even so as not to make Mohinder feel as if he were being attacked. "I know I screwed up and I'm sorry."
"You don't even know what you're apologizing for!"
Gabriel opened his mouth to argue against that point, but quickly stopped himself. Suddenly he wasn't so sure he knew what was going on. After all, Mohinder's feelings were complex and frantic, they could change focus easily or center on things that Gabriel could easily over look.
"Well, maybe you should just tell me?" he offered wearily. "Obviously this is upsetting you and I can't make things better if I don't understand."
"You're the one with intuitive aptitude," Mohinder snapped. "Isn't this what you do? Figure things out?"
Gabriel frowned, because he didn't feel like that was a fair question since it was impossible to understand an irrational, hormonal mind. Yet he couldn't say something like that without starting another, and possibly more treacherous, fight.
He sighed, deciding to take a guess at what was wrong. "You're mad because I finished the nursery without you."
"I'm mad because you don't let me do anything anymore!" Mohinder clarified. "You treat me like a bloody child, as if I'm a piece of glass that will shatter with one touch. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to have someone taking your tea away because 'too much caffeine is bad for the baby?' Or having your meals monitor because you need a 'balanced, baby friendly diet?'"
"I'm just trying to look out for you and the baby," Gabriel argued. "I didn't want you working on the nursery because I was afraid of you straining yourself."
"Straining myself? Gabriel, it's not as if I'm asking to help remodel the bathroom!"
"Hey, it was more work than you'd think," he pointed out. "Besides, you probably shouldn't be breathing in those paint fumes."
"You painted that room over a week ago!"
Gabriel swallowed the frustrated growl that longed to escape him. Maybe Mohinder was right, maybe he was being a little over protective, but he was just trying to help. Didn't that mean anything? "I just... I'm sorry, okay?" he relented. "I didn't realize that trying to make you happy would drive you crazy."
There was a long pause, a deafening silence that slipped over them and made Gabriel's stomach twist with dread. A loud click broke the stillness and signaled to him that the door had been unlocked. He watched as the door swung open and Mohinder calmly stepped and wrapped his arms around Gabriel's neck.
"You're not driving me crazy," Mohinder assured him. He sighed, resting his head on Gabriel's shoulder, his curls tickling the other man's neck. Gabriel felt himself relax enough to return the embrace, wrapping his own arms around Mohinder and bringing him as close as the man's bulging middle would allow. "You're just... a bit frustrating."
"Frustrating?"
"I know you're doing all this because you're worried about me and the baby," Mohinder went on, "but you have to understand that I want to be able to do more than just wait around to give birth."
"I understand," Gabriel sighed. "But sometimes I feel a bit useless. You're carrying the baby; you're doing the hard part. What am I doing?"
"Putting up with me?" Mohinder teased. He laughed as he pressed a quick kiss to Gabriel's pale cheek. "I know I've been terribly hormonal and... well, a bit crazy and I appreciate you dealing with me."
"Well, I love you," Gabriel told him, then thought, certain he should say more. "And, well, you're not 'crazy,' you're just... pregnant."
Mohinder laughed, kissing him again. "That's not much better." He smiled, pulling away from Gabriel in order to hold his hand. "Come. Show me the nursery."
"Alright," he said. Gabriel felt himself brighten as he squeezed Mohinder's hand and lead him towards the nursery.
"Oh, by the way, I broke one of your clocks."
Author: starrdust411
Fandom: Heroes
Pairing: Mohinder/Gabriel
Rating: PG
Summary: For the schmoop_bingo challenge. Prompt: babyfic - setting up nursery (Word Count: 1,387)
Disclaimer: I do not own Heroes.
Warnings: AU, Mpreg, Slash
Gabriel missed Mohinder, the real Mohinder, because the man he lived with was no longer the man he had married.
When Mohinder had gotten pregnant, Gabriel had thought that the first trimester would be the hardest and between Mohinder's inability to keep a bite of food down without being overwhelmed by the uncontrollable urge to gag and quite literally passing out at the end of each day from lack of nourishment it was hard. Yet Mohinder took it all startlingly well, carrying on with an air of calm that had Gabriel in awe. "It's all for the baby" had been his mantra, the single thought that kept Mohinder sane. Of course months of being plagued by horrible symptoms was enough to drive anyone over the edge.
At thirty three weeks pregnant, Mohinder's new mantra became "God, I can't wait to have my body back!" He could eat again, but it was a very limited diet as the list of foods that would make him vomit at the drop of a hat was still staggeringly long. His feet and hands had swollen painfully, forcing Mohinder to walk around in flip-flops and removed his cherished thumb ring in fear that it would cut off circulation. Sleep was nearly impossible to obtain as Mohinder would constantly be awoken in the middle of the night by either the baby kicking or the stabbing pain brought on by his right arm, which had developed a severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome during the sixth month.
This all lead to Mohinder being in a perpetually foul mood and Gabriel soon found himself living in constant fear as everything had suddenly become his fault. If the house was too hot it was because Gabriel had forgotten to adjust the air conditioning. If the last piece of cake was missing it was because Gabriel had eaten it.
It was impossible to know what could potentially set Mohinder off as his moods were constantly changing. Even when Gabriel would attempt to do something to make him feel better, it could still end up making things even worse, which was how he found himself in his current situation.
Things had started off peacefully enough: Mohinder had come home from his last day of work before starting his necessarily long "vacation" and Gabriel had greeted him with a fond smile and a large glass of ice (which the Indian had found himself craving lately). Mohinder had been calm and pleasantly at ease, just as he had been in the beginning and Gabriel's only intention had been to add to that mood by announcing "I finished setting up the nursery today."
The Indian had been absolutely livid at that announcement, his bright mood darkening as if someone had flipped a switch and turned off all the lights. He sputtered incoherently, his sentences clipped and short and shrill, before smashing his glass on the floor and storming out of the room.
For awhile Gabriel had merely stood and stared blankly at the mess of shattered glass and crushed ice as he struggled to figure out what exactly it was that he had said that was so wrong. He remembered having a conversation with Mohinder just the other day about the nursery. The watchmaker clearly recalled Mohinder suggesting that it get finished as soon as possible. He couldn't understand how the idea of it being done could set Mohinder off like that.
Gabriel sighed, deciding to give Mohinder some time to calm down by focusing on cleaning up the broken glass and melted ice. He went to the retrieve the dust pan and broom from the hall closet, considering Mohinder's words from the other day, playing them over and over again in his head.
"We should finish the nursery soon," Mohinder had suggested and just as the thought popped into his head, Gabriel realized exactly what his mistake had been.
He hurriedly brushed up the bits of ice and glass before dumping them in the trash. Once the evidence of Mohinder's little fit was disposed of Gabriel went straight to their bedroom only to discover that the door had been locked. Not that he was surprised. He suppressed the urge to groan as he gently rapped on the door.
"Go away!" Mohinder cried, his voice muffled by the door and emotion.
"Come on Mohinder. I just want to talk." Gabriel made sure to keep his voice gentle and even so as not to make Mohinder feel as if he were being attacked. "I know I screwed up and I'm sorry."
"You don't even know what you're apologizing for!"
Gabriel opened his mouth to argue against that point, but quickly stopped himself. Suddenly he wasn't so sure he knew what was going on. After all, Mohinder's feelings were complex and frantic, they could change focus easily or center on things that Gabriel could easily over look.
"Well, maybe you should just tell me?" he offered wearily. "Obviously this is upsetting you and I can't make things better if I don't understand."
"You're the one with intuitive aptitude," Mohinder snapped. "Isn't this what you do? Figure things out?"
Gabriel frowned, because he didn't feel like that was a fair question since it was impossible to understand an irrational, hormonal mind. Yet he couldn't say something like that without starting another, and possibly more treacherous, fight.
He sighed, deciding to take a guess at what was wrong. "You're mad because I finished the nursery without you."
"I'm mad because you don't let me do anything anymore!" Mohinder clarified. "You treat me like a bloody child, as if I'm a piece of glass that will shatter with one touch. Do you have any idea how annoying it is to have someone taking your tea away because 'too much caffeine is bad for the baby?' Or having your meals monitor because you need a 'balanced, baby friendly diet?'"
"I'm just trying to look out for you and the baby," Gabriel argued. "I didn't want you working on the nursery because I was afraid of you straining yourself."
"Straining myself? Gabriel, it's not as if I'm asking to help remodel the bathroom!"
"Hey, it was more work than you'd think," he pointed out. "Besides, you probably shouldn't be breathing in those paint fumes."
"You painted that room over a week ago!"
Gabriel swallowed the frustrated growl that longed to escape him. Maybe Mohinder was right, maybe he was being a little over protective, but he was just trying to help. Didn't that mean anything? "I just... I'm sorry, okay?" he relented. "I didn't realize that trying to make you happy would drive you crazy."
There was a long pause, a deafening silence that slipped over them and made Gabriel's stomach twist with dread. A loud click broke the stillness and signaled to him that the door had been unlocked. He watched as the door swung open and Mohinder calmly stepped and wrapped his arms around Gabriel's neck.
"You're not driving me crazy," Mohinder assured him. He sighed, resting his head on Gabriel's shoulder, his curls tickling the other man's neck. Gabriel felt himself relax enough to return the embrace, wrapping his own arms around Mohinder and bringing him as close as the man's bulging middle would allow. "You're just... a bit frustrating."
"Frustrating?"
"I know you're doing all this because you're worried about me and the baby," Mohinder went on, "but you have to understand that I want to be able to do more than just wait around to give birth."
"I understand," Gabriel sighed. "But sometimes I feel a bit useless. You're carrying the baby; you're doing the hard part. What am I doing?"
"Putting up with me?" Mohinder teased. He laughed as he pressed a quick kiss to Gabriel's pale cheek. "I know I've been terribly hormonal and... well, a bit crazy and I appreciate you dealing with me."
"Well, I love you," Gabriel told him, then thought, certain he should say more. "And, well, you're not 'crazy,' you're just... pregnant."
Mohinder laughed, kissing him again. "That's not much better." He smiled, pulling away from Gabriel in order to hold his hand. "Come. Show me the nursery."
"Alright," he said. Gabriel felt himself brighten as he squeezed Mohinder's hand and lead him towards the nursery.
"Oh, by the way, I broke one of your clocks."