Make it So Easy

A Reference Material Verse ficlet

"You nervous?" he asks finally, finding his voice for the first time in what feels like hours. They haven't spoken since he sat down, pulling her beside him, and the question bounces over the walls, louder than he means for it to be.

Her fingers twitch, curling tighter around his own. Her thumb slides over his, lazy and soft despite the tension in her other digits, the tension in her wrist. She's soothing herself as much as she's soothing him right now.

"Yeah," she whispers, clearing her throat. "Yeah, I am."

Rick nods, lowering his chin. His lips brush her hair once before he turns his cheek to rest against her head. Kate settles against him on a long exhale, allowing him to take her weight and shoulder some of her burdens for the moment.

"It'll be okay," he says, careful to lower his voice this time.

His girlfriend squeezes his hand. "This isn't like an exam, Rick. We can't just study and wait and hope for the best. This is–"

"I know," he interrupts, shifting his weight. The tile under his ass is hard, though it no longer feels as cold as it had when he plunked down and refused to move. "I know it is. But it'll still work out. Whichever way it needs to, it'll work out."

Her head lifts from his shoulder, her worried eyes nearly emerald in the cool overhead lights. Her mouth opens, but she doesn't speak. Instead she rocks closer to taste the assurances from his lips.

"You make it sound so easy."

He laughs against her mouth, trailing his fingers down her wrist. "Easy is the last thing I expect it to be. I'm nervous, too, Kate. But it'll be okay."

"No matter what?" she asks, moving their joined hands closer to her body. It twists his arm awkwardly, but he doesn't complain or pull away.

"Yeah," he promises quietly, willing the agitated flutter in his own chest to slow. He can freak out on his own time if he needs to, but right now the woman at his side deserves his full focus. "No matter what."

She tenses at the beep of the timer, but doesn't move to silence it. If anything, she burrows closer, pressing her nose into the warmth of his neck.

"I love you," Kate breathes, squeezing his hand tighter. "And you know that… in a couple of years, it wouldn't be… you know that, right?"

"I know," he answers, steady in her reassurance. "I know, and I love you, too." Rick cups her cheek, smearing his lips to her forehead. "Come on, moment of truth."

Kate nods, pulling away. He watches her swallow hard and presses his mouth to hers one more time.

"Moment of truth," she echoes, sucking in a deep breath before reaching across his body to silence the timer and lift the test from the lid of the toilet.

She sags against him, her fingers going slack in his grip. He doesn't ask, won't fill the silence with conversation just yet, but she knows what he needs to see, turning her wrist to let him read the display for himself.

Not Pregnant.

Her arms wind around his neck. "Just stress then," she says, resting her forehead against his temple. "From the semester, graduation coming up, my training…"

Rick nods, palming her back. Exactly what they'd needed it to be right now with the final few months of school for the both of them, his writing, and Kate preparing to enter the police academy at the end of the summer. But even as relief washes over him, want does, too.

He wants that life for them. The kids, and the pets, and the driving each other crazy forever. He wants that.

When the time is right.

Her lips brush the corner of his mouth, drawing him from his contemplation. He hums, nudging her nose with his, letting her know he's with her.

"Me too, Rick," she whispers, somehow reading his mind. Or maybe the look on his face. "I want that, too."

Palming her back, he pulls her onto his lap, sealing his mouth to hers as she gasps. He needs her closer right now.

"And when the time comes," she adds, panting against his lips. "I promise to only freak out a little bit."

He grins, preparing to stand with her in his arms. As much as he likes this bathroom, making love on the floor has its drawbacks.

"Deal."

To see the inspiration to this ficlet, check out the cover photo on this story, or visit: bunysliper tumblr post /156981885691/ photo-not-mine-to-reblog-just-the-photo-please

Other stories in this universe (in chronological order):

Late Night Study Break
Reference Material
TGIF
A Persuasive Argument
Make it So Easy
Extracurricular Activities
summa cum laude
Always Right

and more tagfics and drabbles, which can be found on my tumblr at bunysliper dot tumblr slash reference - material!

To answer a couple of questions I've received but haven't been able to respond to: For anyone wondering why I'm skipping around chronologically, I'm posting these in the order they were written and posted on tumblr, to (sort of) provide the same experience for ffnet readers as tumblr readers had. That said, all of the fics listed above will be posted eventually! (And I will start keeping a list of these stories on my profile to make finding each one in chronological order easier.) Thank you!