'Well, I'm glad. I've never had it, so I have no idea how it tastes."
Neville told her, shrugging. He wasn't very adventurous when it came to foods- though he liked to cook, he stuck to what he knew.
Taking another bite of his own dinner, he sighed and sat back.
"Man, I'm already full. This is delicious. I'll have to take the rest home."
-----------------
"Oh, come on, Draco~ We've had sex plenty of times, we've been married for how long?"
Atropa teased, smiling at him, feeling a little embarrassed herself.
She thought it was cute how he got flustered, and she was glad she could still do that to him.
Pulling him down to her, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
"I'll walk home with you, if you want? I don't mind, I'd like to walk off the meal and at least give you a kiss goodnight," she beamed flirtatiously, quietly reaching to place a few notes down - why was it always reliant on the man to pay?
If she wanted to pay and show Neville she cared, then she would - he could always pay next time, right? Besides, she made enough money to be able to splash out now and then.
"Or you could walk me to my cousin's? That way you could get to see Jude for five minutes?"
----------
"You don't need to initiate it, I don't want to be so soppy," he groaned, feeling just a little inadequate for basically making her start things - he was genuinely just delighted at the situation at hand, and too much to really focus doing anything but smile to himself.
"I don't mind at all." Neville replied, grinning at her flirtatious comment.
Signaling the waitress, Neville let Karina pay for their meals, and he had the waitress bring them some containers to take their food home in. "Oh, yes, I'll walk you home. I'd love to see Jude." He told her, standing and putting his coat on.
--------------
"Well, fine then. I'll let you do it."
Atropa laughed and closed her eyes, simply enjoying the moment, honestly.
She didn't care who did what, as long as it happened.
Pulling her own coat on, she immediately took his hand with absolutely no hesitation now and at least smiled to herself at his apparent enthusiasm.
She didn't let into just how happy it made her to see that - she knew Draco must love Jude, but she never got to see that, so to see Neville show some enthusiasm, despite not being any relation to her son, only proved to make her realise just how special a person he was.
"I'm sure he'll be glad to see you~"
----------
"You really are one in a million," he snorted, meaning it as a complete compliment, in just how much he loved her, but then equally a remark on just how playful she was, and how hard it was for him sometimes to keep up with that.
But he would pick this over her earlier state - anything was better than that.
Sitting up a little, he tugged off his shirt with as little worry as possible - he didn't really want anything to ruin the moment.
Neville led them outside, and began to walk towards Karina's home.
He really was excited to see Jude. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed the little child.
Neville had never wanted children until he'd met Jude and Karina. "I really need to get a picture of him." He told her, smiling. "I want to be able to look at it when I miss him."
-------------
"I know I am." Atropa answered, laughing as she pressed her lips to his.
~
After their intimate moment, Atropa had fallen asleep.
Waking up, she turned over and smiled at Draco's asleep form, and cuddled up to him, closing her eyes.
She'd slept with Adrian, too, but she'd felt nothing for him. Not like she did with Draco.
Guilt gnawed at her stomach, but she pushed it away, going back to sleep.
"Oh, I'm sure we can get you a photograph-- I didn't know you missed him this much, Neville. Regardless of our arguments and whatnot, I wouldn't have stopped you seeing Jude at all. You were in his life for a little while, and... you're important to him, as far as I'm concerned," she admitted, smiling quietly up at the man - she knew Draco must like and love their son, but it wasn't like he showed the enthusiasm Neville did...
Immediately scooping up the boy once reaching home, Edward having answered the door with Jude in arms, she cooed quietly and smoothed his platinum hair down. "He's getting big, huh? I can't imagine he'll be like Draco, I mean... he's already big for his age, and Draco's so slight and isn't extensively tall..."
----------
"Are you just going to go back to sleep?" Draco drawled sleepily, propping himself up on his elbow with a sleepy smile across to her, nudging her gently in order to try and wake her again. "Because I was thinking we could go make breakfast and have it in bed? Indulge a little before work..."
When they reached Karina's house, her cousin opened the door, holding Jude in his arms.
Neville grinned at the sight- he'd gotten quite big in the past few months. "He's probably going to be taller than Draco. But man.. He definitely has his hair."
Neville laughed as Jude reached out to grab one of his fingers gently.
"Hey there, Jude. Remember me?" He asked quietly, smiling down at the boy.
------------------
"Mmm, breakfast in bed. Sounds nice." Atropa answered, smiling as she turned over to face him.
Leaning on an arm, Atropa yawned and snuggled close to Draco, kissing his neck softly. "We should probably put some clothes on first, though." She told him, laughing.
"He does look like him, huh? Typical Malfoy traits. Hopefully not the overwhelming sense of superiority and pretension, though," she grinned with a chuckle, watching her cousin wander back into the home and rolling her eyes at his indifference, simply leaned up a tad to smooth her son's hair as the baby clenched his hand around a few of Neville's fingers.
"He's everything to me, really. I just... I don't see how Draco's okay with not seeing him for days on end..."
----------
"Who said we have to?" He snorted, though tugged on his pyjama bottoms all the same with a tired smile, happily wrapping his arm around her shoulders to keep her in his embrace.
"...Do you have to go to work? We could spend the day together, you know. Rather than go to work and, especially in my case, feel like boredom personified."
"No way. Not with you as his mum." Neville said, smiling at her.
He had a horrid father, but his mother was wonderful. Even Draco was beginning to change. "Well, Draco didn't carry him for nine months, and, he isn't with you, so he's got to choose between you, or his wife."
Neville frowned, leaning against the wall. "I don't agree with it, but, you know, his wife comes first. He's been with her forever. He probably feels guilt over what he did, so he's showing her that he chooses her, now."
--------------------
"Well, I wouldn't want to accidentally burn a sensitive bit!" She told him, laughing as she got out of bed and stretched.
Slipping on a pair of panties and a long t-shirt, she ran a hand through her hair. "Hmmm..." She said, putting a finger to her chin as if thinking.
Grinning at him, she grabbed his hand, leading him to the kitchen. "No. I don't have to. Annnd, I won't!"
"But... he doesn't need to choose. I mean, if he only told me that he wants to spend the majority of his time with her in the coming weeks, I'd understand, Neville. I'm not going to throw a tantrum, I... I understand that he wants to make it up to her," she stated tiredly, a little annoyed now by the predicament, and the lack of communication from Draco.
She understood perfectly what Draco was dealing with, but if only he had told her, there wouldn't be that big a problem.
---------
"Then I'm definitely taking the day off, as if I'm going in when I can spend the day here," he grinned.
Of course, he realised that he would miss a chunk of money, and he needed the attendance at work just to be able to keep his job after so much recent time off... but it did feel like he had to make a choice, and everytime it would be Atropa over his job, easily.
"I know. I think that you should tell this to Draco, next time you see him."
Neville smiled and kissed Jude's forehead gently. Looking at his watch, he sighed and stood, wishing he didn't have to leave them. "Well, it's late. I'd better get home."
--------------
"Marvelous." Atropa replied, grinning as she rummaged around in the fridge.
Pulling out eggs, bacon, and milk, she began to make the mix for pancakes, and she began frying the bacon. "We need more days like this." She told Draco, wrapping her arms around his neck, smiling.
"...Oh right! Yeah, I forgot that we don't actually live together," she snorted quietly to herself, gently reaching to take Jude back off him-- despite the groan of discontent her son made at being passed back, though it only succeeded in making his mother smile.
Didn't that show just how liked Neville was by him? Especially when she compared it to Draco, who Jude had cried with out of worry and unnerve.
"Call me when you get home? So I know you're alright?"
---------
"If we had more days like this, I'd have no job. Today, reluctantly, is a one-off," he sighed, glancing over his shoulder at her after daring to take his eye of the food, being an overly cautious cook. He never did use magic to help, unless desperation struck, preferring to do things manually.
"I'd love to remain unemployed, it's so much less fuss, but... that's wholly impractical, and slightly irresponsible when we hope to have a child, right?"
"Not anymore, anyway." Neville replied, waving goodbye to Jude. It was difficult to let him go now that he'd seen him again, but Jude wasn't his son, and he needed to go home. This wasn't his life anymore, but he hoped it would be again soon.
Smiling at Karina, Neville kissed her cheek gently. "I will." He assured her quietly before leaving.
Shutting the door behind him gently, he made his way to the road, and when he was sure it was clear, he apparated home.
Unlocking his front door, Neville grinned when his cats greeted him happily.
Leaning down to pet them, he locked his front door behind him and grabbed his phone, sending Karina a text.
He was tired, and didn't feel like speaking on the phone at the moment. But he assured her he'd see her at work.
-------------------------------
"Right. We both have to be adults and go back to work tomorrow. But at least it's going to be a beautiful sunny week."
Atropa smiled and let go of Draco to flip the bacon and pancakes, smiling at how well they had turned out.
She wanted to do more of this- waking up in a good mood, having a nice breakfast. And of course, she wanted a child to share it all with.
She had her appointment that morning with the fertility specialist at St Mungo's, and she knew she wanted Draco with her.
"So my appointment is at noon, if you still want to go." She told him, flipping the pancakes onto a plate.
"Oh, is that today? Definitely, of course I still want to go, are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it for the world, Atropa," he promised, his eyes almost immediately lighting in delight.
It definitely made work worth missing, if this could lead the way into them having a child of their own.
"Well, since it's been said I can't have children, by a Muggle doctor, I'm going to a magical one."
Atropa pulled the bacon from the pan and the eggs, and made them each a plate, handing Draco one gently. "So they'll take a look at me, see what the damage is, and either fix it, or help me to have a child in some other way. They've got all kinds of magical stuff to help with that. I feel so bad for Muggle women who can't use our doctors."
Taking a seat at the table, Atropa took a piece of bacon and broke it in two before eating a piece.
"I'm sure things will get sorted out, because I honestly can't envision us without children. Obviously, if that truly isn't an option, then we'll be fine just us, but... I have a good feeling it'll work out for us," he promised quickly, happily tucking into his food though did sit back to smile across at her.
Right now, the whole domesticity and the bliss that rose from it was beyond anything he could have hoped. Going back as early as a month, he couldn't have envisioned this occurring. They had been in the midst of bitter rows every day, mostly all his fault, but now they were getting along perfectly, he was determined not to ruin it. If that meant taking time off work to rekindle his marriage, so be it. He would get another job if it became that big a problem.
"I do too." Atropa told him, smiling as she poured some syrup on her pancakes.
She ate breakfast happily, feeling like everything was going right, finally.
They'd both done stupid things, and had plenty of close calls with ending it, but here they were, doing better than ever.
Atropa was finally happy.
"I'm going to get dressed." She told him, once she was done eating.
Setting her plate in the sink, she went upstairs to their room and put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, followed by a cardigan.
She returned to the dining room and sat down, smiling, feeling slightly nervous.
When she arrived back, Draco was already changed in his usual sort of outfit, consisting only of his smart jeans and a plain jumper. He had been waiting just as nervously for her, perhaps more nervous, though upon seeing her own nervousness, easily forced his off his face and took her hand.
She didn't exactly need him to be nervous at the moment.
Atropa smiled and took Draco's hand, nodding.
Closing her eyes, she decided to just apparate them there, and when she opened them, they were in the waiting room at St Mungo's.
Walking up to the counter, Atropa checked herself in and sat down to wait, squeezing Draco's hand.
She was nervous, but excited.
He was somewhat anticipative of the place, expecting some sterile, clinical environment that all but repelled comfortability, but inside, he was happily surprised by the welcoming nature of the building.
Just being able to relax him meant he could be a far more supportive presence for his wife, and that was probably most important right now.
