Made to Be

There is a design, an alignment, a cry
Of my heart to see
The beauty of love as it was made to be

~ 'Sigh No More' - Mumford and Sons

Kate peeks an eye open, expecting to see the bright sparkle of her husband's smile greeting her from across their bed, only to find him still asleep, his cheek mashed into his pillow. On one hand she's relieved not to have to make an excuse to keep him in their room to prepare her surprise, but on the other, she'd been looking forward to scooting close, slipping her fingers underneath his shirt, and greeting the day with him before their daughter wakes up. Then again, he does love when she wakes him with her touch, and if he's tired enough after, she might be able to coax him back to sleep…

She closes the distance between them, brushing a hand down his side as her lips find the curve of his neck. It's his birthday, after all; pampering him is the only thing on her agenda for the day. There hadn't been time to plan another party like she had years ago, with Lily and their family taking up every bit of the time she has when she's not working, so making sure Rick is happy and content on his birthday will just have to do. If the rumble underneath her lips is any indication, he's not complaining about a lack of fanfare so far.

He definitely doesn't complain about the lack of clothes when she divests him of his pajamas and shimmies out of her own shorts and t-shirt, warding off the morning chill with the press of her skin to his.

He makes a valiant attempt to stay awake, fighting sleep with quiet conversation and the brush of his mouth over her forehead, but she sees his eyelids flutter as his breathing grows even once more and the caress of his fingertips down her back slows and stutters to a halt. She waits another minute or two, satisfied that he's drifting enough, squirming away and touching her lips to his chin, whispering for him to relax while she starts breakfast and checks on Lil. She's fairly certain he's out again before she finishes pulling her pajamas on and leaves their bedroom.

Lily's half-dressed and beaming up at Kate when she pushes open the door to the nursery. Kate smothers a laugh at her daughter's gleeful announcement that she'd made it to the bathroom on her own and found her special shirt already, praising her with a smile before reminding Lily that she's missing an important part of her outfit for the day: her pants.

Her sweet, crazy child giggles, grabbing a pair of neon striped leggings that absolutely don't match her shirt while Kate retrieves a clean pull-up from the bathroom. Together, they wiggle Lily into the clothes, trading tickles and grins. Lil presents her with her brush once she's dressed, sitting still just long enough for Kate to detangle her bedhead and pull it back into twin pigtails. Kate wishes she'd thought to grab her cell phone to take a picture; Lily is adorable any time, but today she's outdoing herself without even trying.

She does retrieve her phone from the bedroom once they make it downstairs and Lil happily dives into a handful of cheerios meant to tide her over until breakfast is ready. Her husband sleeps on, oblivious to the world coming alive around him, and she stops to press a kiss to his bare shoulder, breathing him in.

There might not have been time to organize a party or make any big plans, but she has a feeling their quiet breakfast in bed, a lazy day around the house (or anywhere else he might want to go), and the gifts she has for him will be enough for Rick. She just needs to tackle the breakfast part before he comes wandering out and spoils the biggest surprise.

Thankfully, Rick either sleeps through the meal preparation, or he's content to stay in bed, because there's no sign of him while she cooks. Once it's ready, Kate puts Lil in charge of carrying napkins and the messily wrapped gifts while she carries the packed tray through the loft. His eyes pop open as Lily pushes the door open, but the empty floor tells Kate that he's been awake long enough to grab his discarded pajamas and dress if nothing else.

Lily all but throws the presents at Rick in her haste to climb onto the bed and launch herself into his chest, crooning a happy birthday to him. Kate waits to see if he notices their daughter's shirt, but Rick just laughs, wrapping his arms around the girl, covering her face in noisy, exaggerated kisses. Lil just laughs, curling into his chest and resting there as Kate moves to the bed and slides beside them, keeping the tray well out of kicking range on her side.

"Morning, babe," she says, dusting a kiss to her husband's cheek. "Sleep well?"

Heat rises in her chest with the look he gives her. Gentle fingers touch her chin, drawing her back to him for a kiss that leaves her breathless and wanting.

"Later," he rumbles against her mouth, squeezing the back of her neck. "When she goes down for her nap."

"Later," Kate agrees, pecking his lips again before pulling away. Rick's hand drops from her neck, brushing down her arm, his fingers flirting with hers on the way back to his side. "For now, why don't you eat breakfast and open your presents?"

Rick's smile widens as Lily takes it upon herself to decide which gift he's going to open first: hers, obviously (Kate's not sure she quite understands that the present isn't for her, but from her, but they'll work on it). Nevertheless, her husband is happy to indulge their daughter, fawning over the Captain America t-shirt and Avengers DVD and dropping kisses on Lily's cheeks.

"I love it, Sprout. Thank you."

Kate takes the gifts from his hand, trading them for his favorite novelty coffee cup. Rick's eyes slip shut at the first sip of coffee, a contented hum rising in his throat, making her sit up straighter with pride. She still can't quite make coffee as well as he does, but he relishes in her efforts just the same. Today she went above and beyond by adding a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon to his cup, a move he seems to appreciate, given the way he cradles his mug and their daughter and sinks back against the pillows. She grins both to herself and for his benefit, grabbing the plate of bacon and eggs and joining him against the headboard so they can eat.

With three of them eating from the plate, breakfast doesn't last long, but she made enough that they all seem full once it's gone. They rest together in easy silence, content to just be near one another, but Kate shakes the tug of sleep in favor of reaching for the last of her husband's gifts and placing the wrapped box on his lap.

For the first time since she started preparing his birthday surprise, nerves lick at her chest. He'll be happy – no, he'll be over the moon – but she can't help the stumble of her heart, the niggle of doubt; what if he isn't?

Ignoring the voice in the back of her head, she kisses him and rests her chin on his shoulder, waiting for him to open her gifts.

The first present – a new heavy-duty phone case – makes him laugh and she welcomes the brush of his fingers against her cheek, the touch of his lips on her forehead. His whispered "I love it" bolsters her confidence, and she hides a grin in his shirt when he moves onto the next present, the big one.

The box rattles in his hands, which only makes him tear into it faster. She shuts her eyes, awaiting his response.

"Kate," he breathes, forcing her eyes upward. "I'm still working on my coffee, so forgive me if I'm a little slow, but–"

She chuckles at his confusion over the gift, the bracelet she'd worn home from the hospital after giving birth to Lily, nodding. "Lil, show Daddy your shirt."

Their daughter nods, pushing at Rick's chest and sitting back on his legs, proudly displaying the shirt Kate had found for her the other day. At first glance it looks just like a regular superhero t-shirt, but beneath the image of Wonder Woman is another message:

Big Sisters Are Big Heroes.

Rick exhales, reaching out to pull Lily closer. The girl squeals at the motion, squeezing Rick's neck. Kate's throat tightens, and tears prick her eyes.

"I-you-yeah?" Rick stumbles, drawing her into an embrace. "You're not pranking me?"

She nods in confirmation, hardly trusting her voice to speak. She's been holding onto this secret for a week, since a lunch chat with Lanie inspired her to take a test before she went back to her desk, but still the words stick in her throat.

"Not pranking you, babe," she manages finally, palming his cheek and smudging her mouth to his. "I'm pregnant."

Rick beams under her lips, pulling away to kiss Lily before coming back and dropping his forehead on Kate's. She rubs his cheek with soft fingers, pulling him close. "Pregnant," he breathes, awe lifting every word. "Happy birthday to me."

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little birthday ficlet.