#the great preggie road trip

[crumbsfortherats]

Sebastian/Charles 1953 words (part i) Note: A bit of a departure from the regular canon AU. A hypothetical scenario that involves some chaos, an impromptu road trip, and a lot of love

***

Sebastian really thought they’d talked about this before. With Charles’s constant insistence on doing what’s good for the baby, he hadn’t even thought this was a question, anyway.

So when Charles walks into the room one fated evening and announces they have to go to the hospital, Sebastian doesn’t think twice about it.

“Did your water break?” is the first thing he asks, instead.

“Yes, a bit ago,” Charles replies. “I think it has been a couple of hours? I did not have many contractions so I thought it would be fine.”

“No, but...” Sebastian’s struggling with how he should respond. He’s excited, of course he is. He’s just… “You could have told me. I would have cleaned it up for you.”

“It is not that much, I did it quite fine myself,” Charles waves him off. “And then I organized the towels again. I don’t know who put the fluffy ones with the old towels.”

Sebastian is suddenly very interested in checking his nails. He looks up when he hears Charles wince, one hand on his stomach and the other kneading his lower back. It doesn’t take long for Charles’s face to unclench and his body to uncurl.

“I have read that it takes longer, for the first,” Charles starts explaining. “But the contractions are happening quicker than I read and then I called maman...”

“And she told you to get to a hospital yesterday?” Sebastian tries when Charles refuses to finish that sentence.

“Yes, she did,” Charles admits sheepishly. “It is quite a drive after all, she wanted an explanation why we did not stay at hers for the last few weeks.”

“You said the nature here would be better for the baby,” Sebastian reminds him. “And the hospital is close by.”

“Yes, staying here would be better for the baby, but the hospital is right around the corner from maman,” Charles says. “I will get my suitcases. Maybe pack one more with clothes for Bean. Then we can go.”

“Great, I will call to the hospital in Milan that we are coming.”

Sebastian is already hitting the speed dial when his phone is cruelly ripped out of his hands, a horrified Charles gripping it tightly.

“Did you say Milan.”

“I… did?”

“What is wrong with Monte Carlo?”

“Where do I start?” Sebastian is horrified himself now. He has read the reviews, figured they were terrifying enough for Charles to never want to give birth there, and they’ve had most appointments with the nice nurses in Milan, who seemed more competent than the ones in Monte Carlo, who allegedly once tried to use a speaker as a heart monitor for the good beat.

Sebastian is having some trouble believing that particular story, but the reviews of patients getting left alone and given some more pills “for the road” are too frequent to ignore.

“But I want her to be born a Monégasque,” Charles pouts. He winces, again, somehow managing to look like a sad puppy even while breathing through something that can only be another contraction. And yeah, Sebastian had read up enough on pregnancy and labour to know that this was too close together. Five minutes apart, at most.

“She will be… are you actually concerned about the nationality of our kid when you’re about to give birth.”

“This is important! I want her to be Monégasque like me, and maman, and everyone else from my family.”

“Why does Arthur keep saying he is French, if that is so?” Sebastian teases, then immediately regrets it when Charles actually looks like he’s getting a little emotional.

“Seb, please,” Charles says, looking him straight in the eyes. Sebastian might be imagining it, but they actually seem a little wetter.

Sebastian really tries to make Charles see sense, he’s got an entire speech prepared about why it’s better to go with the hospital they know, the one they’re familiar with, but telepathy still wasn’t in his arsenal.

When his face contorts again, Sebastian knows it’s a lost cause.

“Fine,” he sighs, grabbing his phone to open Maps. “Go get your stuff. I will see how fast we can get there.”

“You are the best,” Charles says, immediately straightening up. “I knew you would agree with me.”

He’s rushing up the stairs before Sebastian can call him out for manipulation, or maybe pretend to be hurt by Charles acting hurt.

Anyway. Maps is telling him it will be about 8 hours to Monaco, some delays expected on the road, and Sebastian just doesn’t know if that’s even possible at this point. He thinks it is, it should absolutely be in a normal pregnancy, but nothing about this has been normal enough for him to fully relax. Maybe he could just tell Charles he’s driving to Monaco and by the time he figures out they’re in Italy, it’s too late.

God, he feels like a monster thinking it. He just does not trust the Monégasque hospital.

“Are you ready, Seb?”

The question’s enough to kick him back into action, Sebastian saving the route to Monte Carlo in case he loses internet along the way. He almost knows the drive down by heart now, even if he’ll never admit that to Charles, but better be safe than sorry.

Just in case, he also downloads the route to Milan.

Charles has somehow packed about three suitcases and a baby carrier. Sebastian takes a deep breath and grabs the suitcases from Charles, setting them down briefly before helping him into his coat and shoes. Locking the door behind them proves to be the next obstacle, but it doesn’t take too long before they’re in the garage, heading to the car.

Well. Apparently they both have different ideas of what car would be suitable for the current situation.

Charles is already putting his suitcase on top of the Ferrari 488 Pista Spider, rubbing at a bit of dirt that somehow made its way onto the matte black coat. The lights blink and Charles pulls his hand out of his pocket, pulling the driver’s door open and starting to move towards the trunk.

“What are you doing?” Sebastian is trying really hard to not sound freaked out, okay. He had a plan and Charles is doing his utmost best to toss it all out of the window.

“I am filling the car?”

Charles, bless his heart, sounds almost as confused as Sebastian feels.

“We are not taking your Ferrari.”

“Why not? This is fast, it is a Ferrari, it will make me feel better when she pinches me again,” Charles complains loudly.

“Does it feel like pinching?” Sebastian can’t help himself, wanders over to where Charles is still leaning against the Pista Spider and resists the urge to put his hand on Charles’s stomach. He’s not even sure if he could feel it from the outside, but he can see Charles’s reactions and he wants to know what it’s like, just so he can help better.

“It is like. I do not know… maybe like very bad cramping? It gets bad and then it disappears again.” Charles tries to show Sebastian by clenching his fist and then slowly unclenching it, sighing when Sebastian still stands frozen in indecision. He grabs Sebastian’s hand and places it on his stomach and Sebastian swears he can feel it harden slightly, along with Charles’s face twisting and his breathing changing.

It feels… strange. His first instinct is to knead the muscles, try to work them through it, but he’s not entirely sure if Charles would welcome that. For now, he just leaves his hand there, gently, waiting until the contraction has passed again.

Once Charles straightens up, Sebastian figures it’s time to put his foot down.

“We’re not taking the Spider.”

“But she is...”

“She is not going to know about any of this. You need to be comfortable.”

“I am comfortable always in a Ferrari!”

“Yes, and I know you have been racing in one up until a few weeks ago, but you will be in a car longer than for a race and also, you’re having contractions?” Sebastian is sure he’s somehow gotten himself in an alternate universe. This was all clear. He’d made a perfectly sensible plan. Charles was usually perfectly capable of seeing sense.

He doesn’t want to blame it on the hormones, but logically, it’s probably the hormones.

Maybe he shouldn’t tell Charles about that.

Or maybe he should, considering the fact that Charles is still trying to cram a suitcase in the back of the Spider. It’s only the first, but he’s already having trouble, twisting it every so often to try a new angle.

“This does not fit,” Charles grumbles, throwing his hands in the air. Maybe stomping on the ground a little. Sebastian didn’t know people did that in real life.

“I am not sure it fits in anywhere,” Sebastian admits. He took a quick look around, mentally took the cars that aren’t quite fit for the road out of the equation, and. Long story short. They’re kind of fucked.

“No, I know!” Charles says, triumphantly pulling the suitcase back out of the Ferrari. “Unless you do not agree. Then I think we need a taxi.”

He looks at Sebastian expectantly, who checks around for hidden cameras. Just in case.

“What do you know, Charles?” he asks carefully, almost convinced right now that he’s getting pranked.

“We take the Fiat!”

Out of habit, Sebastian starts to protest, until he fully realizes what Charles just suggested.

And. Huh. Not actually a bad idea.

Charles has left his side about five seconds ago, already at the Fiat 500, popping the trunk open and piling the suitcases in. At least they go in. It’s a good start.

Sebastian fishes the proper keys out of the locked box, kept in a desk, and opens the rest of the car doors for Charles. He’s already done putting their luggage in the car and Sebastian’s simultaneously proud of his choice of vehicle and annoyed that Charles keeps insisting he can do stuff himself. He’s driving to goddamn Monte Carlo for the guy. The least Charles can do is let Sebastian take care of him, before the nurses in the hospital get a hold of him and try to take care of him by offering their finest sushi delivery.

“Are you ready?” Sebastian asks instead.

“I need to pee, be right back,” Charles says, already disappearing in the general direction of the house.

Sebastian gets into the driver’s seat, gets himself comfortable and checks whether the passenger seat will still go back all the way. It won’t be entirely flat, but it does recline back far enough that Sebastian is positive he can keep Charles comfortable, too. And if push comes to shove, that he can make sure Charles can push.

Oh god, he really hopes it doesn’t come down to that. Or that they’re still close enough to Milan if it inevitably does.

Charles comes back before too long, gets into the car and immediately adjusts the seat, pulling up his legs until he can hug his knees to his chest.

“This is going to be alright, no?” Charles asks, sounding shockingly honest and even slightly scared. Sebastian strokes his hand down Charles’s knee, gets caught tightly in between Charles’s fingers.

“I will do my best to make this okay,” Sebastian promises.

Charles gives him a watery smile.

“But you do need to put on your seat belt if you want to leave soon,” Sebastian tells him, making Charles chuckle softly, put on the requested item and let Sebastian have his hand back.

The GPS says it will be 8 hours to Monaco.

Charles’s face contorts and Sebastian rushes out of the garage.

[thetiptoeingtulip]

The lettuce-y @bookobsessedtaco tagged me in this thirty questions thing and I shall very quickly tag 20 blogs and y’all are under no obligation to do this but yea enjoy! I’m tagging @vigilante-hall-monitor, @adorkable-and-proud, @reveille413, @camellia-quince, @honeybee-and-batman, @nowehavenobananas, @epicwinsauce, @valseceleste, @novellaqueen, @myusernameisstolen, @butherlipsarenotmoving, @darksacrednight, @meepuli, @caressthosecheekbones, @applecranberry, @chetungwan, @emptyspacebrokenplace, @impossible-stargirl, @crash476, and @confession--time you pretzels are all cute

1. nicknames: none

2. gender: she/her

3. star sign: scorpio

4. height: 5′3″

5. time: 1:08 pm

6. birthday: november 14

7. favourite bands: the front bottoms is my no.1 and i’m concerned if i start listing others it’ll just get out of control bc i’ll feel bad for leaving out certain ones so i’ll just give two- the bleachers and catfish and the bottlemen

8. favourite solo artists: does brandon flowers count? i mean his solo work outside of the killers. also kate nash is pretty great. i also have a soft spot for sara bareilles although she isnt my typical genre. 

9. song stuck in my head: fire that burns by circa waves

10. last movie watched: the 1973 version of the three musketeers which, by the way, is absolutely hilarious and you should definitely watch it.

11. last show watched: veep, also hilarious you should definitely check it out

12. when did i create my blog: my baby will be two years old this october

13. what do i post: memes and aesthetics mostly. sometimes fandom but less and less as time goes on. 

14. last thing you googled: ‘how to find last google search’

15. do you have any other blogs: yes (its super secret)

16. do you get asks: like once a month

17. why did you choose your url: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSXiLVsq0cI

18. following: lol 2,664. i haven’t unfollowed anyone ever and when i get a new interest (every two weeks) i follow like 20 blogs either focusing on or sharing that interest

19. followers: 312 (that ratio tho) and i love every one of them

20. favourite colours: purple and green, but nOT TOGETHER. I LOVE THEM SEPARATELY. together reminds me of puking pastilles from hp.

21. average hours of sleep: 7, but it varies

22. lucky number: 14. this is also troy bolton from hsm’s lucky number btw. coincidentally.

23. instruments: bass guitar.

24. what am i wearing: still in my pyjamas so black and white flannel pj pants, blue t shirt, and a pullover sweater.

25. how many blankets do you sleep with: typically only one but its thick af

26. dream job: research psychologist (secretly i wanna be a detective)

27. dream trip: maybe a road trip around new zealand or in the uk.

28. favourite food: i love chicken

29. nationality: its complicated. legally im from the usa but its shoddy since i’ve never lived there and the only reason i was born there is bc mom travelled w/t me when she was eight months preggie just so i could have a usa citizenship.

30. favourite song now: paris by magic man but this is subject to change every month or so.