Draco's Apartment

Draco could feel his pocket vibrating every time she sent him another text and by the time he was done serving the customer he would have sworn there had to be a hundred new texts on his phone. Reading through them he laughed and typed up a quick response:

I'll get boxes on the way home and if you think walking will help her settle then maybe start looking around to see what we need to pack up and what we can throw away.

As he waited for the inevitable reply he told Alix to take a quick break and in between orders he wiped down the bar and all the tables. One of many things that Draco prided himself on the most about his cafe, aside from personal service, was the cleanliness of it. He never let it get dirty and always made sure to keep all the dirty dishes in the dishwasher or the back sink, making sure the cafe looked its absolute best.

Pansy smiled excitedly as her phone vibrated again, picking it up to write back to him again.

Maybe that will work. I guess I could look around and see what we can start packing. Is it alright if I start upstairs? Less stuff up there and a nice bed in case I get sleepy finally.

She didn't wait for his reply before heading up the ladder, sitting down on the end of the bed and reaching forward to pull open the drawers of the dresser each in turn. there were two that were full of socks, one of boxers, one of t-shirts, and one with some kind of mixture of random things in it. She glanced around a little, seeing if anything looked useful or familiar or anything like that, but didn't really see anything. Lots of little muggle things it looked like, a lot of them she didn't know what they were for. She shrugged, pulling open the drawers of socks. She figured he could do with just one drawerful until they got moved. SHe picked up her phone from the bed, spamming yet again.

Two drawers full of socks? Do you really wear all these?

And what about the shirts I don't think I've ever even seen you open this drawer.

I may steal some of them. They're soft and old and nice.

Draco laughed as he read her texts between customers, amused by both her boredom and random musings. After he was done tending to his last client he stopped to type up a reply to her enquiries about socks and shirts. Next thing he knew she would be raiding his boxer drawer.

I like socks and yes I do wear them all, you'll wish you had two drawers in winter. And steal any of the shirts you want, it's not as though I can't get them back if I need them.

Hearing the little sent noise he put his phone back in his pocket and nodded to Alix who had come forward to take over the bar as he went into the back to check and to a quick inventory before refilling the fridges up front and the pastry rack. Sitting down at a back table he pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen and jotted down a few things he needed to pick up either after work or some time tomorrow.

Pansy had started putting things that she knew he didn't use into a box she transfigured from some old newspapers. She picked up her phone and shrugged when she got his reply, but figured she might at least try to put them all into one drawer. She started scooping them out of one, shoving them into the other. An empty drawer could come in handy for things later.

I think I will definitely steal some of the shirts. Just a heads up.

She pulled out the last few pairs of socks, but found a handkerchief and some papers and other things tucked away in the back. The papers were from where he bought the cafe, some equipment, some other things that seemed quite important. She found a better place to put them than the sock drawer, and then went back to pick up the handkerchief. There appeared to be something wrapped up inside it, judging by the small weight in the center. Carefully she unfolded it, but tears came to her eyes when she saw what was inside.

Sitting there on the dark emerald cloth were three rings. It was their wedding rings and her engagement ring. The very ones she had dropped at his feet when she told him what she had done and they separated, just before she left for Mars. She figured he had sold them or something, gotten rid of them. She never would have imagined that he would keep them. Tears fell into her lap though she hardly noticed. She couldn't bring herself to touch them or pick them up. They felt like they shouldn't be touched by her, like she shouldn't even be looking at them. She'd lost all rights to those rings, but the fact that he had kept them gave her some kind of little feeling of hope. She wondered if she should even mention that she'd seen them or not. She decided she wouldn't. Instead, she wrapped them up again just like she had found them, put the handkerchief back into the drawer it had come out of, and transfered all the socks on top of it, so that it would seem she had not encountered the hidden objects in her process of moving socks to one drawer. He wouldn't need to know that she knew, though in her heart, she truly hoped that one day she might get to wear those rings again.

Finally she started to feel a little tired, and crawled up onto the bed, flopping down on the pillow and pulling a throw blanket up over her. She pulled out her phone and sent Draco one more text before closing her eyes and drifting off.

Sleepytime. Love you.

Draco laughed when he read her text and slipped his phone back in his pocket. He and Alix did another wash of the dishes, putting away all the breakfast supplies and organizing so that it would be easy for him to close up later. Now that all the regulars were gone he headed to the back and left Alix manning the front for the slow trickle that would continue until closing. Sitting at his table he buried himself in the paperwork that was the only tedious part of running the cafe. He had only been working for a little bit before his phone buzzed again and he pulled it out. He was shocked by the end of her text but he couldn't stop a small smile from spreading over his lips. They hadn't said anything out loud to each other but it was becoming more common for them to end texts with small declarations of their feelings.

A while later Alix came in and told him that she was leaving for the night and he cleared up and walked back to the counter, serving drinks for another half an hour before he finally cleared up and all the guests were gone. Putting the closed sign up and putting down the blinds as he locked the door behind him and walked back home. Quietly unlocking the door he slipped inside and took off his shoes, wandering into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water before he headed into the living room to see if Pansy was still asleep upstairs. Climbing up the ladder he put his glass of water down and sat down on the edge of the bed, brushing her hair back and leaning in to kiss her gently on the forehead.

Pansy slept on and off for a while, waking occasionally as the baby moved around. Eventually the little girl settled and Pansy could get a little proper sleep, curled up on the bed clutching the pillow beneath her head. A bit later, weight sank onto the bed and she half-woke, though didn't completely come to until she felt a hand on her hair and lips on her head. Her mouth curled into a smile and she opened her eyes with a sigh to look up at Draco. Her smile faltered for a moment, and she pouted slightly. "I slept through dinner, didn't I? I hope it wasn't too much to handle without me to help out..." but she saw that he didn't want her to fret over it, and so she fell silent. "How did it go? All closed up then? Merlin, what time is it." She sat up a little, pushing her hand through her hair and glancing over at the muggle clock glowing from the bedside table. "Nine already, and I've not eaten."

She sat up properly, moving to put her feet on the floor and settle beside him for a moment. "You know what would be really good?" She asked him with a smile and a glance out of the corner of her eyes. "Those funny little muggle cracker things, with the two round crackers and that terrible fake cheese on the inside, but the tiny ones, not the big ones, and they come in that red box, and they're salty and cheap but so good..." Her voice drifted off as she stared out the window talking about them, her hands resting on her belly as she did so. Eventually she glanced over at Draco again, figuring he probably had no idea what she was talking about, and if he did, then she would be thoroughly impressed and excited. Either way, she figured they would be needing to make a late night market run to get some, seeing as it didn't seem very likely they were kept in stock in the pantry downstairs. "I think I'll go and buy some."

Draco shook his head when she started to ask about dinner, stopping her before she worked herself up about it. They had been fine, Tuesday wasn't a particularly busy night and he and Alix had been able to easily keep up. He was concerned when she said she hadn't eaten and was about to ask where she wanted to get food around when she sat up. He put an arm around her and laughed when she started describing those horrifyingly salty and cheesy crackers. Ritz he thought they were called, a lot of the muggle children ate them as snacks. "I guess we'll have to go to the shops then. Anything else you want for dinner? I don't think those are particularly nutritious."

He reached to the side and gave her the glass of water that he had brought up, making sure she stayed well hydrated while trying to think of some sort of food that could possibly be eaten with those cracker things. Steak and salad was always a good option. He looked over at her to see what she thought, knowing that it would be more reliant on what she wanted to eat than what he wanted, after all he wasn't the pregnant one.

Taking the glass from him, Pansy took a few sips and stood up, setting it back down on the bedside table. She'd probably want it later tonight when they were going to bed, and figured she might as well leave it there. Holding a hand out for Draco, she shrugged. "Anything but fish, but maybe not chicken either, I had that for lunch. And nothing too tomato-y. Just the thought of tomatoes makes me feel ill." She shuddered a little as if to prove her point. "Anything that doesn't eliminate that you'd like to eat would be good." She headed over to the dresser, opening a drawer to tug out a sweater she'd stowed away in the bottom one. "Oh, look!" She said, turning to look at Draco quickly before pointing at the dresser and tugging open the newly empty drawer. "I got all your socks in one drawer!" A victorious smile crossed her face for a moment as she shrugged the sweater on, and then made for the ladder to go down.

She found a pair of boots downstairs, slipping them on and grabbing her coat from where she had left it slung over the arm of the sofa, putting that on as well. Once Draco was down as well, she grabbed his coat and held it out for him, slipping a pair of mittens onto her hands to keep them warm since the sun had gone down and she didn't want to catch a cold or anything. "Ready?"

Draco laughed and pulled out a pair of socks from his now very full sock drawer. Opening another one he got himself a different sweater, he had gotten coffee on the sleeve of the one he had worn to work today, and followed her downstairs. "How about we stop at that bistro by the river and get something to eat then pick up whatever you want as snack on the way home?" He accepted his coat from her and made sure she had a scarf, tucking one into his own pocket before he put on his shoes and grabbed his wallet, phone, wand and keys. "All set?" At her nod he opened the door and followed her out. When they opened the door outside they were met with a chilly blast of air and he stepped closer to her, putting an arm around her waist. "If we get there soon we can get a table near the heaters."

He kept his arm around her as they strolled briskly through the narrow Parisian alleys with the dim streetlights casting a yellow glow all around them. They soon reached the river with it's lights and busy tourist filled cafes and kept going to a small side street with no signs or anything around. Walking into it they made an immediate right and went up a flight of stairs to a cozy bistro full of locals who wanted to enjoy the view without too much noise. The maitre'd greeted them with a smile and lead them over to a nice corner table with a view and a heater. Draco took her coat and shrugged his own off, hanging them behind him on one of the many hooks littering the wall. Without even opening the menu he ordered himself a lemon seltzer and steak frites. He had found this place in his first month in Paris and since Pansy had arrived it was a nice place for them to come when she didn't feel up to cooking. Small and casual with warm homestyle food it was ideal for a night like this, and on the way back they would get her some ritz crackers.

Pansy leaned comfortably into his side as he put his arm around her. She was so glad that this had become a normal thing for them once again, it was certainly a nice thing to fall back into doing after missing physical affection from anyone for what felt like so long. She followed him down the streets, smiling as they neared the little place by the river. Draco had showed it to her not too long ago, but it had quickly become a favorite for them both. It was a great place usually full of locals because it was so small and hidden, which made it quite enjoyable to visit often. She followed Draco to the back and took a seat across from him, cozying up near the heater and sliding her feet next to it to warm them. She kept her hands tucked warmly between her knees and glanced out the window, letting her eyes wander as her interest led them. As the waitress walked up, she ordered some pasta with parmesan and butter, and chocolate milk. She gave Pansy a strange look at first, but then smiled as Pansy subconsciously rested her hand on her little round belly, immediately understanding the odd food choices.

Leaning back in the seat a little, she stretched her legs out and let her hand rub little circuits over her belly, without even noticing she was doing it. She turned from the window and looked at Draco, giving him a little smile. "I do love this place." Looking down at her belly, her smile grew a little more as she noticed the way her t-shirt was beginning to stretch over her stomach. "She's getting bigger. Not too long now before you'll be able to feel her, finally."

Draco smiled at her food order, by now it was just entertaining to him to see what she ordered. He looked down at her shirt as she ran her hand over it, "I can't wait to feel her, I want to see what it is that makes you look so entranced every time she shifts." He loved watching her belly grow and sometimes he wondered if maybe she should be bigger, even though the doctor said that because she was petite the bump would not grow quite as large at first. He stared at her bump a little longer, amazed at the beautiful new life growing in there. He wondered more and more as the time passed what would happen when the baby was born. What they would explain to her about her parentage, after all she was technically a Malfoy even if she wasn't his. It was something they would have to discuss at some point but right now didn't feel like the right time.

The waitress came back with their drinks and he held up his glass to hers, laughing as they toasted with glorified lemonade and chocolate milk. While she wasn't drinking he wasn't really either, not consciously but somehow it felt right. Their drinks tonight looks so simple and childish, and neither of their meals were overly sophisticated either. It felt like for once they were acting their ages, all of seventeen and eighteen instead of the adults they were normally.

"It's so weird," she explained, laughing as she pressed her fingers to her belly. The little girl was being relatively calm for now, which was a pleasant surprise after so much movement all day long. "I think it should start getting bigger faster pretty soon, too," Pansy added, looking down at her belly. "I'm still a little smaller than the usual or what they like us to be at this stage of it all, but I guess it's not surprising. He said there was a lot of stress going on in the early weeks - no, really, doc? - so I'm smaller because of that. I didn't gain enough during the first bit, but all should be okay anyway, they say. I hope so." She was rambling, but sometimes it just felt nice to talk aimlessly. She had been alone and withdrawn for so long, it was like she had to make up for it now. "I just want to make sure she'll be alright. I didn't exactly have the best food at Pigfarts but I cooked when I could, but that wasn't exactly the best either. You can't get normal food on Mars for anything, it seems. And then traveling, and then odd jobs, and not enough money, so that wasn't very good either. But then I got here and I'm pretty sure that was the best decision I've made in a long time."

Smiling at him, she fell quiet again, meeting his silly toast with her glass of chocolate milk. This felt nice with their normal kid food, as if they could at least pretend for just a moment that they were normal teenagers, and not the rich owner of a successful cafe and a pregnant heartbreaker. It had crossed her mind before on several occasions as well, what they would tell the girl about her father. Pansy knew she'd prefer to let Draco be the only father she knew about, but what could they tell her about her real father? What should they tell her, and when, if at all? It was all very complicated and though lying wasn't exactly the best, Pansy wanted more than anything to just let Draco be the girl's father 100% in her mind, to just pretend that her Malfoy genes had come from him instead. Their food arrived, and Pansy picked up her fork eagerly, digging in without waiting for the plate to even be properly set down. The waitress laughed at her enthusiasm, and told them she would be back to check again in a bit. "Yum," was all she managed between hungry bites.

Draco smiled when she said it was the best decision, "I'm glad you came and I'm glad you're getting the diet and care you need here." He was glad she was comfortable enough with him to just sit and ramble, seeing her relax made him feel much better. Though she still wanted to work as many shifts as she could he was slowly trying to ween her off working more and more, getting her to rest at home or just sit down in the cafe and take her weight off her feet. Part of him felt overprotective and told him she was an adult and could take care of herself but it was fairly easy for him to shove that part aside. He liked taking care of her and as long as she didn't protest he would continue doing it. He was also intensely relieve that thus far she hadn't been prone to too many negative mood swings. Oftentimes she was oddly cheerful for no reason but so far she hadn't turned around and snapped or tried to curse him and for that he was grateful.

Pansy ate her dinner much more quickly than she had been known to do in the past, the extra energy used to take care of the little girl inside her belly causing her to be quite a bit hungrier than usual. Of course, nothing was usual anymore. Far from it in fact, but she was alright with it. She had grown to accept everything that was happening and was trying more of a 'go with the flow' approach to life these days, and it was going wonderfully. Especially with Draco around. The time apart had done them both some good to grow up a little and figure out what was really important. Finishing up her pasta, Pansy reached across the table and grabbed Draco's hand, weaving her fingers between his wordlessly and just smiling at him in a state of complete happiness. Of course, her moods were all over the place these days thanks to the baby, but lucky for Draco none of the 'bad moods' had made an appearance. Yet. There was plenty of time for that later. Granted, he had been doing such a grand job of keeping her from getting stressed out or over worked so far, and thus avoiding such appearances of temper from her. But trust me, it's still there. The same fiery Pansy from Hogwarts still lives in that brain of hers, she's just chained up in the basement for now. What is happening, my inner characters are getting inner characters. She sighed happily and glanced away, looking out the window at nothing in particular, letting Draco finish his dinner as well. "We'll have to pick a name soon, you know."

Draco squeezed her and as he finished up his own meal, picking at his last few french fries and nudging some of them to the edge of his plate, knowing she liked them here. Maybe if he gives her fries she won't get angry for another day. He was loving life with her again, knowing this second chance was the only way they could really be together. Before they would have had big fights, even if they didn't want to admit it, and wouldn't have been able to make it work nearly as well. When she spoke he refocused on her with a smile, "We really should start thinking about that. Did you have any thoughts yet?" He hadn't really considered it, hoping she would want his help in picking one but still not wanting to take any liberties.

Pansy shrugged softly, reaching over to pick up one of his fries that he had pushed to the edge - a gesture of free food that she definitely didn't miss. "I don't know. I just know I don't want to give her some silly family name. I mean, I've as good as gotten disowned and hacked off my family tree by now, so there's no sense in loyalty to the names of my family anyway. And your family, no offense, but the typical pureblood names are sort of silly. Then again, your family's had nothing but boys for several generations so there aren't really any female Malfoy names to reuse anyway. Not that I'd necessarily give her a name from your family anyway, no offense. Something nice. Short maybe, simple enough for her to learn how to spell, but elegant enough that she won't hate it later for sounding too childish, but nothing that would be too old for a little girl in pigtails, you know?" Pansy chewed on her lip, thinking, going through whatever she could think of. "I don't know. Perhaps we ought to get a book or something. You and I could look through a couple pages every night and mark the ones we both like, and maybe find something that way? What do you think?"

Draco nodded when she said she didn't want to use an archaic name and had to laugh when she mentioned the dearth of Malfoy girls. "We haven't had many girls and of course I don't take any offense Pans." He stopped himself before he said something he regretted, something along the lines of it being her daughter not his, which, though it was technically true, wasn't something he wanted to push unless she did. When she suggested the book he nodded, "That sounds good. We can see if any of the shops are open on the way back if you think. I know we pass a few along the river, Shakespeare and Co is open late normally."

Pansy would only likely push the 'my daughter not yours' thing if he wanted something in relation to the little girl that she did not. Like if he preferred a rotten name or wanted to paint the nursery something horrible like orange or yellow. "That'd be great actually if you don't mind going. I'm not tired quite yet so I could stand a little extra walking and fresh air and searching for some name books. Hopefully they'll have some that aren't too outdated, or too Muggle sounding. After all, Christina or Casey or Jessica are just too... too Muggle." Pansy chewed on her lip, alright with Muggles to an extent now just because of their currently life situation, being surrounded by them, and she even had several Muggle friends. But deep down, she still hadn't quite been able to let go of the way she was raised. After all, it's difficult to change your mind about something that's been beaten in for about sixteen years of your life.

Draco will not have a yellow room let alone orange. He suggests a pale purple, because he also won't be having pink either. Draco shook his head and smiled, "I don't mind it at all." He signaled to the waitress as she continued. When he got the bill he smiled at her, "I hope you don't mind but I think it would be better if we picked up some sweet Nutella crepes. There's a great little stand I don't think I've taken you too just past the bookstore." And in fact there is one there because Tam went there after she went to Shake&Co in Paris and their Nutella Banana crepes are to die for. Anyway back to Panco: "And I completely agree about the names, we want something classic, simple yet unique at the same time. Something that people will remember but not laugh at."

Pansy nodded excitedly, both at the idea of nutella crepes (minus the bananas please, um, disgusting) and at his agreement about needing a very classic and ageless name for the little girl. Pansy should have been Scorpius's mother, because then he wouldn't have a silly name like Scorpius, but alas, Astoria got to name that poor kid. "Crepes sound good." She thanked the waitress when she brought back their change and then got up, reaching out for Draco's hand as soon as she was standing. Of course she had to let go again to put her coat back on and have the scarf wrapped around her neck by Draco, so that he could make sure it was keeping her satisfactorily warm, though she secretly loved when he did things like that. Following him toward the door, her hand back in his, she stepped out into the cool night and turned in the direction the book shop was in, various names and the thoughts of nutella crepes running through her mind.

Draco smiled and got up with her, tucking in her scarf and making sure her coat was nice and wrapped around her. Taking her hand he lead her out of the restaurant and down the little side streets, "Just this way." He tugged her along and into the little bookstore. Letting go of her he smiled as she headed into the stacks, as he walked over to the manager in the front and asked if they had any baby name books. He was lead over to the other side of the shop and looking around Draco picked up a few before going off to find her within all the piles of literature.

Pansy beamed up at him when he adjusted her scarf and coat, because she just loves that so much. Following him into the book store, she quickly hurried past him, lured by all the books old and new, big and small, lovely and wonderful every single one. She found a section she liked, a mixture of sciences that the Muggles studied, along with a few that she had studied at Hogwarts too. She found that the Muggle books about Astronomy were quite different than the wizarding books about Astronomy, which was quite an exciting find for her, because it meant there were so many more to collect. She had carefully and somewhat awkwardly plopped herself down on the floor between two huge nearly falling over stacks of books in a corner, where they had been put since there was no more room on the shelves for them. She'd already started scanning through one of them when Draco appeared with a few books in his hands. She smiled up at him like a child who'd found the secret stash of candy in the back of the cupboard where it was supposed to be nearly impossible to locate. "Hello, handsome, sir. Did you find some good ones for us to look through tonight? And tomorrow night and the night after that and after that and after that?"

Draco smiled when she greeted him and squatted down next to her, holding out one of the books he found. "Here, I picked up some of the older ones that didn't have those new silly names in it." He picked up some of the ones she had pulled out and flipped through them. "More astronomy. Not surprising." He smiled and reached out to stroke a hand over her knee as they flipped through the old books. "So is there anything else you wanted to look for?" He had thought about picking up some more of the history books he had been reading. He had always hated history of magic class but for some reason the muggle history books were fascinating to him. He loved to read through them and find out what they had used to cover for actual magical intervention, and finally getting a chance to understand exactly what had caused all the wars they had glossed over at school.

Pansy took the book and flipped through it a little, glancing at a few pages but not looking too intently yet. She knew she'd be bored later and could have plenty of time to really look at them all. Smiling guiltily as he pointed out her astronomy books, she shrugged when he asked if she wanted anything else. "No, I think I'm good." She was mostly just tired, and hormones had her feeling incredibly cuddly, which meant with him sitting next to her on the floor she was quite happy. In fact, she flopped her head over on his shoulder and wrapped her hands around his arm with a happy sigh. She sat there like that for a minute until she turned her head to look up at him, and shyly put her hand on the other side of his face to turn him toward her, meeting his lips in a quick little kiss. Her mouth twitched into a little playful smile before she looked away and stacked her books up, readying herself to heave up off the ground. She missed the days when she could just spring up as easy as you please, but knew that it was only going to get harder in the coming months. "Let's go home."

Draco's smile widened when she leaned against him and he followed her lips for a moment as she pulled away. When she suggested going home he put the books he had chosen on top of hers then stood up, offering her his hands to help her get up. When she was up he collected all the books, grabbed a couple more he wanted then paid for them, taking the bag and wrapping his arm around her waist. "Let's go." Leaving the bookstore Draco guided her along the river and to the crepe stand. He stopped and looked at the sign with her, "What are you going to get?" When the owner was ready he ordered his own Banana-Nutella and turned to Pansy for her order.