For muses_w_remotes | 12.3. Notting Hill quote
12.3. “No, leave it. I'm sure you didn't mean any harm, I'm sure it was just friendly banter, I'm sure you guys have dicks the size of peanuts. Enjoy your dinner, the tuna's really good.”
| Notting Hill
Co-written with agentfraser & mrpublicity | Follows THIS and THIS
Marc hadn't been sure what he was supposed to wear for something like this and ended up opting for some dark jeans and a nice blue form fitting button-up. Harri's BFF knew all about Marc and because he had actually lucked out with the anticipated Easter weekend off (all assuming nothing major broke with his case), there was no hair dye and there were no dark contacts. As he stood and looked at himself in the mirror, James Campbell stared back at him and he sighed softly, shaking his head. He picked up his cigarettes from the dresser and took them out with him to the main space of Harri's apartment. He smoked a lot less these days than he used to, but if he was stressed, he needed one. Meeting Harri's Aiden definitely was what Marc would term 'stressful. Aiden and his partner hadn't arrived yet. Not too early, not late... the guy was probably as punctual as a prune-induced bowel movement.
He smirked when he found Harri in the kitchen and leant against the counter. "You aren't going to lock away the kitchen knives?" he joked.
"No, I thought I might leave them out in plain view to see if you two actually go for them, or resort to using the furniture. I also might consider melting chocolate down so you can do a variation of mud wrestling and I can lick you clean afterwards." Harri smiled at him, licking some sauce off her fingers. Truth was she was a terrible cook, so she usually cheated by using one of those ready-to-serve homemade places, and Aiden would humour her and compliment the 'chef'. Her stomach was determined to do backflips and somersaults, the results of nerves and the morning sickness that was making its appearance in the evening.
She moved away from the serving dish, and looped her arms around his neck to kiss him. She was dressed in a svelt black dress while she could still get away with it. The only thing that was visibly changing so far was her bust size. "Remind me to ask you something before bed... I have pregnant brain, so short of having things tattooed on my forehead I keep forgetting." Harri frowned as something tugged at her brain. "Oh fucking bastard buggering arsehole! I forgot the bloody dessert."
"You've got enough ice cream in the fridge to last a bloody century!" Marc laughed, shaking his head. "Or you could always just serve the chocolate you want to smear all over me, which is going to have to happen another time. This shirt if fucking Prada, you know. I'm well aware how gay your BFF is. I wouldn't want him thinking my fashion taste was in my arsehole. And by the way, you tattoo shit on your head, you won't see it. Everyone else will, and they'll probably just laugh," he pointed out reasonably as the doorbell rang.
"Then I'll tattoo the tops of my breasts," Harri grinned. "Everytime I look down they're fucking there, just staring up at me!" She gave him another quick kiss before squeezing his arse and leaving him to get the door. "You look delicious in the Prada, by the way! Don't need chocolate at all..."
She was still smiling as she got to the door, needing to try and distract herself from the nerves. This shouldn't be as terrifying as it felt. It was her best friend, and her boyfriend meeting. It was supposed to be joyous, wasn't it? She pulled open the door to find Aiden standing there alone and quirked her eyebrow. "You lose something in the elevator, love?"
Aiden just smirked. "I carry him around him my pants these days. Much better access," he joked and gave her a hug, kissing her cheek. "He apologises profusely, but a close friend of his just got diagnosed with a serious illness, so he's flown straight back to Princeton to be on hand. I'm going to spend a couple of days in the city here to catch up on some shit at the office. And where the hell is the fucking fat?"
"Is everything okay?" Harri asked, automatically concerned about any friend of Pat's. He was Aiden's fiance, and he'd more than proven how happy he made her best friend, so she adored Pat by default. That, and his fashion sense. She grabbed at her breasts and laughed. "It's right here at the moment. Can't you tell? I'm going to wind up suffocating myself by nine months. Death by cleavage."
Harri took him by the hand and let the door close behind them as she lead him towards the kitchen, and towards Marc. As embarrassing as it was for her, Harri was sure she was actually about to wet herself as the moment of truth drew closer. "Marc, love? We're going to be one short for dinner."
"And what a cleavage," Aiden agreed with a laugh. But he sobered a moment later with a shake of his head. "Pat's friend, Chase... he was at the Christmas thing... he's got cancer. It's going to be tough on everyone. He's just had surgery so Pat wanted to get back. Chase is a surgeon, so Pat worked alongside him. They're good friends." He followed her into the apartment, tugging his jacket off.
Marc came out of the kitchen and they were suddenly all finally in the same room. "Is everything okay?" he asked when he realised the BFF was sans boyfriend, his natural Aussie accent coming through. He had promised Harri tonight would be without tension, meaning Marc had to be honest where he could.
Harri indicated a hand from Aiden to Marc, and back again. "Lover, BFF. BFF, lover. Play nice boys, or I might throw up all over you. My stomach is not in the mood for mind games." She pressed a kiss to Aiden's temple before looking at Marc. "Aiden was just telling me one of Pat's friends has just been diagnosed with cancer. He's apparently just had surgery, so Pat's gone straight back to Princeton. I can't really blame him. If it was either of you, I'd be by your side in an instant. Just let Pat know we understand, and send our love. If you, or Pat, need anything let us know?"
Aiden nodded. "Sure, we definitely will," he promised and his eyes turned to Marc with a small clear of his throat. "It's good to finally meet you," he said, and it was. It seemed like ages ago that Harri told him she was seeing someone and they were only just meeting. Plus, the guy looked and sounded nothing like the Mafia boss Aiden had pictured in his head. He didn't exactly know how to take it at first. Hopefully he wasn't seeming as awkward externally as he was feeling internally.
Marc held out his hand so he could shake Aiden's. "It's great to meet you, mate," he said with a smile. "I've heard a lot about you, of course. BFF is a language I understand well, only, my own probably wants to kick my arse as much as you do right now. You should form a club," he joked, smirking.
Aiden shook Marc's hand firmly with a laugh. "Will our bodies end up dumped in an unidentifiable heap in the desert if we do?" he threw back in amusement.
"Such a waste if they do. You both have such lovely bodies," Harri joined in with a laugh. She let go of Aiden's other hand and slipped her arm around Marc's waist, enjoying the fact he was sans hair dye, and contacts. As much as she was used to the brown eyes, and darker hair, she loved him au naturel. "However, I feel as if I should mention Ali promised to lend me her handgun if I needed it."
Marc held his hands up. "Hey, for once, I didn't do a fucking thing," he laughed. "And if I did, I'm very good at covering my tracks. I still have nightmares about that damn thing."
Aiden's forehead creased as he looked back and forth between them. "Wow, that's... yeah, that's some friendship you have with your BFF there, Marc," he laughed, hanging his jacket over the back of one of Harri's chairs. "Though if Harri ever had a reason to pull a gun on me, I wouldn't be here to tell the tale."
Harri grinned at Aiden. "I'm not that bad, love. I'd much rather just yell at you so I can patch things up. I'd miss you too much, but you ever give me reason to pull a gun on you and I'll kick your gay arse." Harri pulled away from both men to give them space to sit down while she went to the fridge. "Now, I know I can't drink, but what will you boys have? Please don't make it anything I'll envy, and spend the whole night watching you enjoy."
Aiden sat down at the table after making sure Harri was mostly out of hearing distance. When Marc sat across from him, he leaned forward. "Don't say water," he advised in a hushed tone. "She'll think you're patronising her and will get shirty."
Marc raised his eyebrows just a little. He thought water would be the safe option. "Uh..." he began. "Diet Coke?" he called out to Harri.
Aiden sent him a thumbs up. "Just juice, love. I'm driving!" he added with a smirk.
"I said it before, and I'll say it again... you're both worse than a pregnant woman." Harri poured their drinks, getting a sparkling water for herself. She'd only just set the drinks down on the table when a wave of nausea hit and she was forced to sit down, resting her forehead on the table. "Fuck..."
Aiden frowned. "Are you supposed to be feeling this bad this early?" he asked, totally oblivious to anything to with pregnancy. "Because I saw this show where things went wrong with this pregnant chick and they made her stay in bed for months."
Marc rested his hand on her back. "Are you alright, babe?" he asked her.
"Bloody evening sickness," Harri moaned. The next moment she sat up, like nothing had happened. It was possible she was just getting better at ignoring the nausea. "I do not need to stay in bed for months. I would go bored out of my fucking mind unless they allowed conjugal visits or hourly viewings of gay porn."
Marc's cell phone started to ring in his pocket and he scrunched his face up. It was work. He had specific ringtones for certain people. But he took the phone out and switched it off, then pushed it into the middle of the table, now silent. "Should I be worried about the gay porn thing?" he asked.
Aiden looked from the cell phone to Marc and then to Harri. He had actually expected the guy to answer it and then disappear into a poof of mysterious smoke. He sipped his orange juice but didn't comment on his thoughts. "I'd say blame the pregnancy, but she's always had that fetish."
Harri shrugged, and reached over to twirl her fingers through Aiden's hair. "I'd blame the gay best friend, but he's right. I have always had 'that' fetish." She'd half-expected Marc to answer the phone too, but he didn't. She was getting more and more used to the different ringtones, so she knew it was work. She'd have to thank him later. "There's really nothing to worry about, love. It's just entertainment. I don't always want to watch fake breasts jiggling about."
Aiden put his glass down and glanced between them. "Not into gay porn, Marc?" he asked innocently.
"I used to be into the real thing once upon a time," Marc returned smoothly with a small smirk. He figured Aiden was going to try and nudge away at him most of the night. It was to be expected and Marc wouldn't expect anything less from a friend who was protective of Harri. He would do the same thing for Ali.
"Marc said it would make it easier when it came to threesomes, but really, can you imagine him letting me get involved in a threesome in this state?" Harri pretended to pout before she took a sip of her drink, her leg sliding behind Marc's under the dinner table.
Aiden was watching Marc closely. He hadn't actually realised from anything Harri said that Marc might be bisexual. It was eye-opening. He scrunched his nose up though. "Threesomes aren't my thing," he said. "I'm a one guy gay guy," he said, shrugging.
"I've only ever had them to gain something," Marc had to admit. "Usually evidence," he added with a snort, shaking his head.
Harri smiled at Aiden. "Well, you did pick a pretty good one guy to be gay with. All the ones before were just..." she crinkled her nose. Harri couldn't remember the last time she'd approved of anyone Aiden had been with. She tilted her head back in Marc's direction and smirked. "So does this mean I should start keeping my mouth shut during sex in case you use anything I say against me?"
Marc watched Aiden at Harri's comment, almost like he was waiting for him to say something specific in response, but he must've been off the mark. "You'll have to say hello to your fiancé for us, mate. I'm sure we'll all be able to catch up soon. Harri and I can always swing around to see you when we're in Princeton for the doctor thing." He smirked at Harri. "I already took your DNA and prints the first time we fucked. You're doomed if you ever want to start trafficking coke through Thailand."
Aiden swallowed a mouthful of his juice and glanced briefly at Harri. "Yeah, of course. You're always welcome. We've got plenty of room and Coke... the Diet kind," he added with a laugh.
Harri looked at Aiden. "What am I missing? You have that face."
Aiden's body language tended to be telling in personal situations. In his work, he could be anyone who his clients wanted him to be. But when he sat back, it could maybe indicate something but he just laughed and shook his head. "What could you possibly be missing?" he asked. Maybe what happened in Canada was a big 'something' but it was something he wanted to share with Pat at his side. He did, however drop one hand down onto his lap before picking up his drink again and taking another sip.
Marc looked at Aiden and then at Harri, but didn't say anything. What was that all about?
Harri looked at Aiden a little longer before she pressed her lips together and glanced at Marc. She was still sure she was missing something. Surely her pregnant brain wasn't that bad? She took a sip of her drink, and tried to push it away. Aiden would tell her anything, unless he didn't want Marc to know. At least the two of them were getting on. That made Harri more at ease. "I don't know, nothing, I guess. Forget it." She looked at Marc again and raised an eyebrow. "You've met him now, so can we ask him? Or should we wait until we see Pat as well?"
Aiden raised his eyebrows. "Ask me what? Us what?" he corrected. "You can call him if you need to. He's just staying at Tara and Lachlan's for a couple of nights. It's Lachlan's birthday in a few days so I think they're trying to set something up."
"Whenever you like, babe. Whatever you think," Marc assured her with a smile. Surprisingly enough, he thought Aiden was pretty cool, even if he had just seen him briefly. He was curious about the partner though... if he was the partner. Marc's brain was following a train of thought that had Aiden less than innocent right now.
Harri smiled back at him before she turned to Aiden, all business. Patience had never been a virtue of hers. "Marc and I want you and Pat to be our baby's godfathers. I'm sorry it's taken you so long to meet Marc, and Pat couldn't be here tonight, but I'm selfish and I couldn't wait. Aiden, love, I just want you to be a part of his or her life. If... Well, if anything happens to either of us, I can't imagine two people I would want looking out for our kid more. I know I promised you my uterus, but please, forgive me and say yes?"
Marc's forehead creased at the uterus comment. He made a note to ask about that when he was alone with Harri next time. Promised her uterus? But then he could feel Aiden's eyes on him again, and really, the guy was hot. It wasn't that Marc was perving on him, but he did appreciate a hot guy when he saw one. This Pat was lucky. At least, on the face of it.
Aiden looked between them both but didn't say anything at first. He was stunned by the question, even if the whole uterus thing nudged at a sensitive nerve. Harri probably didn't realise just how sensitive it was after his trip to Canada. "Are we talking the whole religious shebang here, because I'm about as religious as a can of tuna, considering my lifestyle..." he said, buying himself a little bit of time. "A-Are you sure?"
Harri pointed at herself. "When have I ever embraced religion? I might just want the kid aware of what's what so they can make their own decisions." She blinked and looked at Marc. "Are you religious, love? I mean, it was your idea in the first place." She pushed her blonde hair back and reached out to take Aiden's hand--the one he had left on the table. "Aiden, you're my best friend, and practically my brother. Pat is family by default, and I adore him anyway. This isn't a hard decision, not on this end. But if you need to think and want to talk to him, you can. I understand."
Marc nodded. "Yeah, our family is. Not strictly practicing, but we're all christened, parents had a religious wedding ceremony. I'd like to keep that with any of my kids, if possible," he had to admit, only just realising the fact. It wasn't something he had given any thought to, considering kids weren't something he had given any thought to.
Aiden shifted his gaze from Marc back to Harri. Well, fuck. The guy was just full of surprises. Aiden's brain was still back on Marc liking cock. "Yeah. I'll talk to him. I mean, um, I have to... talk to him, that is." This was probably the interval he should pipe up with his news. Pat had told him to tell Harri if he felt he needed to, but he still wanted to share the news together. Of course, he knew there was a very high chance Pat was blurting the news out to Tara and Lachlan as they spoke. Not because he wouldn't want to tell with Aiden there, but because Pat was honest to the core and would struggle not letting his closest friends know such a life changing event ASAP. Pat got flustered and turned red when he tried to lie. He gave himself away every time. "It's a great honour... an amazing offer." He paused and laughed a little. "I'm still stunned you're knocked up, to be honest."
"We can do that," Harri told Marc. Truth was she had no idea about kids and christenings so she was glad someone knew what they were doing. Even if it made her wonder if that meant she and Marc were supposed to be married before the baby was born. What she'd wanted to ask him earlier still tickled at the back of her mind, and she needed to ask him about that first, before she even asked him about marriage. Kids and weddings... Harri's life was definitely not working out how she'd envisioned. "I know... me too. But my body doing weird freak outs manages to remind me every fucking time. Speaking of which, you boys will need to excuse me for a moment. Feel free to start eating, I could be a while. Aiden, just think about it. Please. Regardless, I'll always want you in my, and my child's life."
Once Harri had excused herself, Aiden cleared his throat. "Do I even want to know what's she's doing that will take awhile?" he asked, reaching to lift the lid of the dishes laid out in the middle of the table. He glanced up at Marc awkwardly. "So, um... nice weather in New York this week?"
Marc took a couple of the other lids off and laughed. "Mate," he began, shaking his head in amusement. "We don't need to resort to the weather. I get it, okay? This is awkward and weird and you probably have no idea what to say, or are worried if you do say something, I'll top you, but relax. I'm not hiding anything tonight. You can ask me anything and I'll tell you."
"If you fuck Harri over, I'll tear your SS balls off and feed them to you in the middle of Times Square... on prime time TV," Aiden warned with a smile. "If you fuck Harri and the kid over, I'll do it on international."
Marc closed his eyes briefly and nodded. "Deal," he said calmly. "I hope one day we can be mates," he added hesitantly.
Aiden nodded too and held up the dish of pasta. "Fettucine?" he offered.
Words: 3601 | All muses referred to with permission
| Notting Hill
Co-written with agentfraser & mrpublicity | Follows THIS and THIS
Marc hadn't been sure what he was supposed to wear for something like this and ended up opting for some dark jeans and a nice blue form fitting button-up. Harri's BFF knew all about Marc and because he had actually lucked out with the anticipated Easter weekend off (all assuming nothing major broke with his case), there was no hair dye and there were no dark contacts. As he stood and looked at himself in the mirror, James Campbell stared back at him and he sighed softly, shaking his head. He picked up his cigarettes from the dresser and took them out with him to the main space of Harri's apartment. He smoked a lot less these days than he used to, but if he was stressed, he needed one. Meeting Harri's Aiden definitely was what Marc would term 'stressful. Aiden and his partner hadn't arrived yet. Not too early, not late... the guy was probably as punctual as a prune-induced bowel movement.
He smirked when he found Harri in the kitchen and leant against the counter. "You aren't going to lock away the kitchen knives?" he joked.
"No, I thought I might leave them out in plain view to see if you two actually go for them, or resort to using the furniture. I also might consider melting chocolate down so you can do a variation of mud wrestling and I can lick you clean afterwards." Harri smiled at him, licking some sauce off her fingers. Truth was she was a terrible cook, so she usually cheated by using one of those ready-to-serve homemade places, and Aiden would humour her and compliment the 'chef'. Her stomach was determined to do backflips and somersaults, the results of nerves and the morning sickness that was making its appearance in the evening.
She moved away from the serving dish, and looped her arms around his neck to kiss him. She was dressed in a svelt black dress while she could still get away with it. The only thing that was visibly changing so far was her bust size. "Remind me to ask you something before bed... I have pregnant brain, so short of having things tattooed on my forehead I keep forgetting." Harri frowned as something tugged at her brain. "Oh fucking bastard buggering arsehole! I forgot the bloody dessert."
"You've got enough ice cream in the fridge to last a bloody century!" Marc laughed, shaking his head. "Or you could always just serve the chocolate you want to smear all over me, which is going to have to happen another time. This shirt if fucking Prada, you know. I'm well aware how gay your BFF is. I wouldn't want him thinking my fashion taste was in my arsehole. And by the way, you tattoo shit on your head, you won't see it. Everyone else will, and they'll probably just laugh," he pointed out reasonably as the doorbell rang.
"Then I'll tattoo the tops of my breasts," Harri grinned. "Everytime I look down they're fucking there, just staring up at me!" She gave him another quick kiss before squeezing his arse and leaving him to get the door. "You look delicious in the Prada, by the way! Don't need chocolate at all..."
She was still smiling as she got to the door, needing to try and distract herself from the nerves. This shouldn't be as terrifying as it felt. It was her best friend, and her boyfriend meeting. It was supposed to be joyous, wasn't it? She pulled open the door to find Aiden standing there alone and quirked her eyebrow. "You lose something in the elevator, love?"
Aiden just smirked. "I carry him around him my pants these days. Much better access," he joked and gave her a hug, kissing her cheek. "He apologises profusely, but a close friend of his just got diagnosed with a serious illness, so he's flown straight back to Princeton to be on hand. I'm going to spend a couple of days in the city here to catch up on some shit at the office. And where the hell is the fucking fat?"
"Is everything okay?" Harri asked, automatically concerned about any friend of Pat's. He was Aiden's fiance, and he'd more than proven how happy he made her best friend, so she adored Pat by default. That, and his fashion sense. She grabbed at her breasts and laughed. "It's right here at the moment. Can't you tell? I'm going to wind up suffocating myself by nine months. Death by cleavage."
Harri took him by the hand and let the door close behind them as she lead him towards the kitchen, and towards Marc. As embarrassing as it was for her, Harri was sure she was actually about to wet herself as the moment of truth drew closer. "Marc, love? We're going to be one short for dinner."
"And what a cleavage," Aiden agreed with a laugh. But he sobered a moment later with a shake of his head. "Pat's friend, Chase... he was at the Christmas thing... he's got cancer. It's going to be tough on everyone. He's just had surgery so Pat wanted to get back. Chase is a surgeon, so Pat worked alongside him. They're good friends." He followed her into the apartment, tugging his jacket off.
Marc came out of the kitchen and they were suddenly all finally in the same room. "Is everything okay?" he asked when he realised the BFF was sans boyfriend, his natural Aussie accent coming through. He had promised Harri tonight would be without tension, meaning Marc had to be honest where he could.
Harri indicated a hand from Aiden to Marc, and back again. "Lover, BFF. BFF, lover. Play nice boys, or I might throw up all over you. My stomach is not in the mood for mind games." She pressed a kiss to Aiden's temple before looking at Marc. "Aiden was just telling me one of Pat's friends has just been diagnosed with cancer. He's apparently just had surgery, so Pat's gone straight back to Princeton. I can't really blame him. If it was either of you, I'd be by your side in an instant. Just let Pat know we understand, and send our love. If you, or Pat, need anything let us know?"
Aiden nodded. "Sure, we definitely will," he promised and his eyes turned to Marc with a small clear of his throat. "It's good to finally meet you," he said, and it was. It seemed like ages ago that Harri told him she was seeing someone and they were only just meeting. Plus, the guy looked and sounded nothing like the Mafia boss Aiden had pictured in his head. He didn't exactly know how to take it at first. Hopefully he wasn't seeming as awkward externally as he was feeling internally.
Marc held out his hand so he could shake Aiden's. "It's great to meet you, mate," he said with a smile. "I've heard a lot about you, of course. BFF is a language I understand well, only, my own probably wants to kick my arse as much as you do right now. You should form a club," he joked, smirking.
Aiden shook Marc's hand firmly with a laugh. "Will our bodies end up dumped in an unidentifiable heap in the desert if we do?" he threw back in amusement.
"Such a waste if they do. You both have such lovely bodies," Harri joined in with a laugh. She let go of Aiden's other hand and slipped her arm around Marc's waist, enjoying the fact he was sans hair dye, and contacts. As much as she was used to the brown eyes, and darker hair, she loved him au naturel. "However, I feel as if I should mention Ali promised to lend me her handgun if I needed it."
Marc held his hands up. "Hey, for once, I didn't do a fucking thing," he laughed. "And if I did, I'm very good at covering my tracks. I still have nightmares about that damn thing."
Aiden's forehead creased as he looked back and forth between them. "Wow, that's... yeah, that's some friendship you have with your BFF there, Marc," he laughed, hanging his jacket over the back of one of Harri's chairs. "Though if Harri ever had a reason to pull a gun on me, I wouldn't be here to tell the tale."
Harri grinned at Aiden. "I'm not that bad, love. I'd much rather just yell at you so I can patch things up. I'd miss you too much, but you ever give me reason to pull a gun on you and I'll kick your gay arse." Harri pulled away from both men to give them space to sit down while she went to the fridge. "Now, I know I can't drink, but what will you boys have? Please don't make it anything I'll envy, and spend the whole night watching you enjoy."
Aiden sat down at the table after making sure Harri was mostly out of hearing distance. When Marc sat across from him, he leaned forward. "Don't say water," he advised in a hushed tone. "She'll think you're patronising her and will get shirty."
Marc raised his eyebrows just a little. He thought water would be the safe option. "Uh..." he began. "Diet Coke?" he called out to Harri.
Aiden sent him a thumbs up. "Just juice, love. I'm driving!" he added with a smirk.
"I said it before, and I'll say it again... you're both worse than a pregnant woman." Harri poured their drinks, getting a sparkling water for herself. She'd only just set the drinks down on the table when a wave of nausea hit and she was forced to sit down, resting her forehead on the table. "Fuck..."
Aiden frowned. "Are you supposed to be feeling this bad this early?" he asked, totally oblivious to anything to with pregnancy. "Because I saw this show where things went wrong with this pregnant chick and they made her stay in bed for months."
Marc rested his hand on her back. "Are you alright, babe?" he asked her.
"Bloody evening sickness," Harri moaned. The next moment she sat up, like nothing had happened. It was possible she was just getting better at ignoring the nausea. "I do not need to stay in bed for months. I would go bored out of my fucking mind unless they allowed conjugal visits or hourly viewings of gay porn."
Marc's cell phone started to ring in his pocket and he scrunched his face up. It was work. He had specific ringtones for certain people. But he took the phone out and switched it off, then pushed it into the middle of the table, now silent. "Should I be worried about the gay porn thing?" he asked.
Aiden looked from the cell phone to Marc and then to Harri. He had actually expected the guy to answer it and then disappear into a poof of mysterious smoke. He sipped his orange juice but didn't comment on his thoughts. "I'd say blame the pregnancy, but she's always had that fetish."
Harri shrugged, and reached over to twirl her fingers through Aiden's hair. "I'd blame the gay best friend, but he's right. I have always had 'that' fetish." She'd half-expected Marc to answer the phone too, but he didn't. She was getting more and more used to the different ringtones, so she knew it was work. She'd have to thank him later. "There's really nothing to worry about, love. It's just entertainment. I don't always want to watch fake breasts jiggling about."
Aiden put his glass down and glanced between them. "Not into gay porn, Marc?" he asked innocently.
"I used to be into the real thing once upon a time," Marc returned smoothly with a small smirk. He figured Aiden was going to try and nudge away at him most of the night. It was to be expected and Marc wouldn't expect anything less from a friend who was protective of Harri. He would do the same thing for Ali.
"Marc said it would make it easier when it came to threesomes, but really, can you imagine him letting me get involved in a threesome in this state?" Harri pretended to pout before she took a sip of her drink, her leg sliding behind Marc's under the dinner table.
Aiden was watching Marc closely. He hadn't actually realised from anything Harri said that Marc might be bisexual. It was eye-opening. He scrunched his nose up though. "Threesomes aren't my thing," he said. "I'm a one guy gay guy," he said, shrugging.
"I've only ever had them to gain something," Marc had to admit. "Usually evidence," he added with a snort, shaking his head.
Harri smiled at Aiden. "Well, you did pick a pretty good one guy to be gay with. All the ones before were just..." she crinkled her nose. Harri couldn't remember the last time she'd approved of anyone Aiden had been with. She tilted her head back in Marc's direction and smirked. "So does this mean I should start keeping my mouth shut during sex in case you use anything I say against me?"
Marc watched Aiden at Harri's comment, almost like he was waiting for him to say something specific in response, but he must've been off the mark. "You'll have to say hello to your fiancé for us, mate. I'm sure we'll all be able to catch up soon. Harri and I can always swing around to see you when we're in Princeton for the doctor thing." He smirked at Harri. "I already took your DNA and prints the first time we fucked. You're doomed if you ever want to start trafficking coke through Thailand."
Aiden swallowed a mouthful of his juice and glanced briefly at Harri. "Yeah, of course. You're always welcome. We've got plenty of room and Coke... the Diet kind," he added with a laugh.
Harri looked at Aiden. "What am I missing? You have that face."
Aiden's body language tended to be telling in personal situations. In his work, he could be anyone who his clients wanted him to be. But when he sat back, it could maybe indicate something but he just laughed and shook his head. "What could you possibly be missing?" he asked. Maybe what happened in Canada was a big 'something' but it was something he wanted to share with Pat at his side. He did, however drop one hand down onto his lap before picking up his drink again and taking another sip.
Marc looked at Aiden and then at Harri, but didn't say anything. What was that all about?
Harri looked at Aiden a little longer before she pressed her lips together and glanced at Marc. She was still sure she was missing something. Surely her pregnant brain wasn't that bad? She took a sip of her drink, and tried to push it away. Aiden would tell her anything, unless he didn't want Marc to know. At least the two of them were getting on. That made Harri more at ease. "I don't know, nothing, I guess. Forget it." She looked at Marc again and raised an eyebrow. "You've met him now, so can we ask him? Or should we wait until we see Pat as well?"
Aiden raised his eyebrows. "Ask me what? Us what?" he corrected. "You can call him if you need to. He's just staying at Tara and Lachlan's for a couple of nights. It's Lachlan's birthday in a few days so I think they're trying to set something up."
"Whenever you like, babe. Whatever you think," Marc assured her with a smile. Surprisingly enough, he thought Aiden was pretty cool, even if he had just seen him briefly. He was curious about the partner though... if he was the partner. Marc's brain was following a train of thought that had Aiden less than innocent right now.
Harri smiled back at him before she turned to Aiden, all business. Patience had never been a virtue of hers. "Marc and I want you and Pat to be our baby's godfathers. I'm sorry it's taken you so long to meet Marc, and Pat couldn't be here tonight, but I'm selfish and I couldn't wait. Aiden, love, I just want you to be a part of his or her life. If... Well, if anything happens to either of us, I can't imagine two people I would want looking out for our kid more. I know I promised you my uterus, but please, forgive me and say yes?"
Marc's forehead creased at the uterus comment. He made a note to ask about that when he was alone with Harri next time. Promised her uterus? But then he could feel Aiden's eyes on him again, and really, the guy was hot. It wasn't that Marc was perving on him, but he did appreciate a hot guy when he saw one. This Pat was lucky. At least, on the face of it.
Aiden looked between them both but didn't say anything at first. He was stunned by the question, even if the whole uterus thing nudged at a sensitive nerve. Harri probably didn't realise just how sensitive it was after his trip to Canada. "Are we talking the whole religious shebang here, because I'm about as religious as a can of tuna, considering my lifestyle..." he said, buying himself a little bit of time. "A-Are you sure?"
Harri pointed at herself. "When have I ever embraced religion? I might just want the kid aware of what's what so they can make their own decisions." She blinked and looked at Marc. "Are you religious, love? I mean, it was your idea in the first place." She pushed her blonde hair back and reached out to take Aiden's hand--the one he had left on the table. "Aiden, you're my best friend, and practically my brother. Pat is family by default, and I adore him anyway. This isn't a hard decision, not on this end. But if you need to think and want to talk to him, you can. I understand."
Marc nodded. "Yeah, our family is. Not strictly practicing, but we're all christened, parents had a religious wedding ceremony. I'd like to keep that with any of my kids, if possible," he had to admit, only just realising the fact. It wasn't something he had given any thought to, considering kids weren't something he had given any thought to.
Aiden shifted his gaze from Marc back to Harri. Well, fuck. The guy was just full of surprises. Aiden's brain was still back on Marc liking cock. "Yeah. I'll talk to him. I mean, um, I have to... talk to him, that is." This was probably the interval he should pipe up with his news. Pat had told him to tell Harri if he felt he needed to, but he still wanted to share the news together. Of course, he knew there was a very high chance Pat was blurting the news out to Tara and Lachlan as they spoke. Not because he wouldn't want to tell with Aiden there, but because Pat was honest to the core and would struggle not letting his closest friends know such a life changing event ASAP. Pat got flustered and turned red when he tried to lie. He gave himself away every time. "It's a great honour... an amazing offer." He paused and laughed a little. "I'm still stunned you're knocked up, to be honest."
"We can do that," Harri told Marc. Truth was she had no idea about kids and christenings so she was glad someone knew what they were doing. Even if it made her wonder if that meant she and Marc were supposed to be married before the baby was born. What she'd wanted to ask him earlier still tickled at the back of her mind, and she needed to ask him about that first, before she even asked him about marriage. Kids and weddings... Harri's life was definitely not working out how she'd envisioned. "I know... me too. But my body doing weird freak outs manages to remind me every fucking time. Speaking of which, you boys will need to excuse me for a moment. Feel free to start eating, I could be a while. Aiden, just think about it. Please. Regardless, I'll always want you in my, and my child's life."
Once Harri had excused herself, Aiden cleared his throat. "Do I even want to know what's she's doing that will take awhile?" he asked, reaching to lift the lid of the dishes laid out in the middle of the table. He glanced up at Marc awkwardly. "So, um... nice weather in New York this week?"
Marc took a couple of the other lids off and laughed. "Mate," he began, shaking his head in amusement. "We don't need to resort to the weather. I get it, okay? This is awkward and weird and you probably have no idea what to say, or are worried if you do say something, I'll top you, but relax. I'm not hiding anything tonight. You can ask me anything and I'll tell you."
"If you fuck Harri over, I'll tear your SS balls off and feed them to you in the middle of Times Square... on prime time TV," Aiden warned with a smile. "If you fuck Harri and the kid over, I'll do it on international."
Marc closed his eyes briefly and nodded. "Deal," he said calmly. "I hope one day we can be mates," he added hesitantly.
Aiden nodded too and held up the dish of pasta. "Fettucine?" he offered.
Words: 3601 | All muses referred to with permission