All the rest is Talk [Amos <3]

[nessalaurentius]

So when wants he wants your kisses
you'll give them to the lad.
And anywhere he leads you, you will walk
and anytime he needs you, you'll go running there like mad.
Your his girl and he's your fella -
and all the rest is talk.

It had been a perfectly pleasant day the day before. Nessa had arrived about an hour after lunch and she just loved his parents. Patroclus and Bromelia were perfectly lovable, like her parents, really. She had been a little nervous about meeting them Patroclus was the jovial sort of man she had expected him to be from Amos' stories and Bromelia was caring in a way that reminded her of her mother. All-in-all, if had not taken Nessa long to feel at home at all.
Of course, she had spent most of her time with Amos. Let's be honest, that was the actual person she had come for. Although his parents 'innocently' dropped in a few times to see how the lovebirds were doing, they also seemed to realise they were officially adults now, and didn't ask too many prying questions. Nessa was glad for that. She had the feeling she was maybe the first girl Amos had ever taken home with him, but that didn't mean they were two giggling teenagers, were they?

Either way, dinner time moved closer rapidly and Nessa had to admit she felt a little nervous about it. After all, wasn't dinner time that moment when you couldn't just not answer questions? Amos' parents had been practically leaving them alone all day, but she was rather sure that during dinner they'd want to know how they met, how serious all this was, questions like that. Questions Nessa had no idea about. She hadn't discussed it with Amos, simply because she'd been too afraid to scare him off. Then again.. if the questions didn't scare him away, there was something that would pretty soon, probably.
During dinner, Nessa politely refused the wine and Bromelia made a brief comment on how responsible she was. Nessa felt the blood rush to her cheeks, afraid she'd given something away, but quickly masked it by sipping her glass of water. She was glad there was nothing on the table with too penetrating a scent, or she'd have been running off to the toilet continually.
Because there was one problem: Nessa was afraid she might be pregnant. She had not been feeling very well for the past few weeks, her emotions had gone haywire, and once she had started thinking about it, she realised it had been a while since her last period. She had never worried about such things before, because she had never had boyfriends, and they had only had had sex once, it must have been a terribly lucky shot, right? Maybe it was just stress because she was done with school and unsure what to do with her life? Nonetheless, she had not gotten herself tested - Nessa was too afraid about the result.

Not thinking about it wasn't very difficult during dinner. Patroclus had a number of hylarious anecdotes from his job at the ministry (Amos and Bromalia had probably heard them all before, as Nessa noticed they weren't laughing as hard as she was), Bromelia went into a long reminiscence of how she started her salon as Nessa carefully said she was maybe thinking of setting up a shop of her own if she had the chance, and Amos was there, which was always a nice thing to focus on for Nessa when she needed distraction.
She politely declined dessert because she felt full (full of nerves and possibly full of baby), yet stole two bites from Amos' bowl just so she could compliment Bromelia on her trifle. By the time dinner was over, it was past nine and although Nessa knew it was early, she announced she was tired and would like to go to bed. No one seemed to think it was a problem, or else they pretended it wasn't, and Amos very helpfully showed Nessa to a spare bedroom next to his. Nessa had the feeling this would've been another boy's or girl's bedroom if his parents had succeeded in getting another child.
"You think they like me?" she asked, an edge of teasing in her voice to mask the nervousness that lay just directly under it. Nessa pulled off her shirt after sliding off her skirt and reached for her nightgown. She was not shy when it came to undressing, especially not in front of Amos. It wasn't like he hadn't seen it before. Folding her clothes, she looked down at herself. Had she grown fatter? Would he noticed? Was she turning nothing into something? Maybe nothing was wrong. The thoughts occupied her so much, that she completely missed Amos' answer.




[No idea what his parents are like, sorry! xD I just made something up, lemme know if you don't agree
Also, vomiting ensues in the next post. I didn't feel like rushing things too much.]

[Amos Patroclus Diggory]

Amos had no idea how one was supposed to act when inviting a girlfriend to meet one's parents. Nessa was right in assuming se was the first to be introduced to Patroclus and Bromelia. When Amos returned from Hogwarts at Christmas and during the Summer, his parents always grilled him playfully over his lovelife, but there was never anyone serious to dwell on. Until Nessa that is. Oddly enough, Amos wasn't dreading bringing her to meet his mum and dad, although he had always thought such a commitment would scare him. In fact he noted it as a mark that he was growing up, since graduation. Of course he'd got a job at the Ministry, but he was still dedicated to his dream to become a star Quidditch player, still went to the pub and drank too much with his friends. He wasn't ready to grow up completely yet, unless it was to do with having a proper, grown up relationship with Nessa. Somehow she made it less frightening. Although that didn't mean he wasn't nervous about how his doting-albeit-embarrassing person would show him up during her visit.

So far though, it appeared that Amos' worries had been unfounded. Since Nessa arrived, Patroclus and Bromelia had controlled their avid interest well. There had been no naked baby-Amos pictures, no 'innocent' inquiries about whether Nessa thought much about whether she would like to get married. In fact, they had been more generous with privacy than Amos had anticipated. It was probably do with his new uber-maturity, Amos thought. His mother in particular murmured after dinner that Nessa's avoidance of red-wine could be a good influence on her Butterbeer guzzling son.

Amos himself hadn't noticed anything suspicious in Nessa avoiding wine, even though she had enjoyed it plenty on their romantic dinner in Hogsmeade that led to their first night together (which Amos often remembered fondly, although wished they could recreate the magic already). He merely thought that she was trying to make a good impression with his parents. Nor did he think it was strange that she announced she was tired by nine o'clock. In fact he thought hopefully that it might be some ploy to lure him up to the spare bedroom for more romantic liasions, and was more than happy to comply. In fact so hopeful was he that he completely missed Nessa's question in trying not to leer at her undressing. Despite the fact that he had seen Nessa naked before, Amos was still suitably mesmerised.

"Wha- Oh, sorry Ness'. 'Course they like you!" He perched on the edge of the double bed and grinned affectionately at his girlfriend's worried face. "You laughed at all dad's crap Ministry stories, so you've won him over already. And I think it's safe to say mum was dazzled by your trifle compliments". He chuckled before adding with an edge of worry in his voice "Do you er - do you like them? I know they're a bit embarrassing" It wasn't that Nessa had been rude, in fact it was quite the opposite. And it wasn't that she had been quiet as such at dinner. It was just that, when she wasn't dazzling his mum and dad with her conversation skills, Amos thought that Nessa looked fleetingly preoccupied at times, as though something was worrying her or on her mind. He almost hoped that it was his parents that she didn't like rather than something he'd done wrong.

[it has been so so so long since you posted this and I apologise, exams have been kiiiiiilling me. but I hope this is ok!]

[nessalaurentius]

Although Nessa was a Hufflepuff at heart, still, despite having graduated, she was glad Amos was with her at practically all times. She loved meeting new people, really, but these were the parents of her first serious boyfriend (well - first boyfriend at all!) plus her fear about possible babies didn't make the whole thing any more relaxed, either. Amos had been perfect to her as always, though, and that made her feel comfortable a great deal more. Not to mention that his parents were both very pleasant people.

She had been able to occupy her thoughts with other things. First spending the day with Amos, then the family dinner which had plenty of conversation to keep her distracted, but after..

Apparently, she wasn't the only one who was distracted - though Amos was for an entirely different reason. It wasn't very difficult to guess said reason, either, and Nessa laughed softly, moving to sit next to him on the edge of his bed.
"You laughed at all dad's crap Ministry stories, so you've won him over already. And I think it's safe to say mum was dazzled by your trifle compliments. Do you er - do you like them? I know they're a bit embarrassing." Vanessa looked up with twinkle of surprise in her eyes. "Of course I like them," she answered, without hesitation and smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder. "They're just like my parents, in fact."

With a slight sigh, she pressed her lips to Amos' still clothed shoulder and smiled a little fondly at him. "I'm glad I met your parents now, nothing else to be nervous about anymore." Well, that was half a lie. It just depended on whether her hunch was right or not. She still wasn't sure if she was going to have to tell Amos, or maybe wait until she was sure.. but then again.. if she waited too long, would he be upset? Did he even want children at all? It was not difficult to picture Amos trying to teach his son or daughter how to play Quidditch, the picture was clear in her mind, but was he ready for it now? At the start of their lives?
Then again, Nessa was sure that she could never get rid of the baby if she had one. You'd have to be notoriously heartless to get rid of a proof of love between two people.



[No worries - exams are killing me here too
One more to go!]

[Amos Patroclus Diggory]

Amos' shoulders dropped visibly in relief when Nessa revealed that she wasn't, as he had nervously suspected, harboring some sort of secret hatred for his parents. He wanted to impress her, had done since they had first gone on their first sort-of-date after his robe shopping, and still now, which meant coaching his parents to be nicer than usual. Sighing with a relieved chuckle, Amos snaked an arm around Nessa's shoulders. "Phew. I'm glad they haven't scared you off". He was comforted already by her reassurance, even the feel of the bed sinking beside him as she sat down beside him. Although there was something else that he couldn't quite shake, a feeling that Nessa was still worried about something or other. Granted, Amos and Nessa hadn't been 'together' for a long time, at least not by his parents standing (21 years and counting), but it was certainly long by his standards, and he felt he had got to know her quite well. They were, he hoped, close enough that he should realise when something was wrong.

Then again, perhaps you weren't supposed to pry. Perhaps it was some sort of obscure female problem that he wouldn't understand and may feel a bit squicked by. Or worse, perhaps it wasn't something his parents had done, but rather that Nessa was annoyed by him instead. Amos realised he had been unconsciously stroking Nessa's arm, looking mildly worried, and quickly tuned himself back into their conversation, catching just at the end of Nessa's comparison of the Diggories to her own parents. Amos flashed Nessa a crooked grin with no hint of his previously troubled expression. "That reminds me, I haven't met Mr. and Mrs. Laurentius. Can't wait, maybe I'll be able to convince them to get out the embarrassing baby photos" He teased, athough he had previously warned his mother near threat of death to hide any pre-puberty/infant Amos photos. He chuckled again to himself and planted a kiss amongst the redhead currently nuzzling his shoulder, trying to keep his thoughts of whether this bed would squeak enough to alert his parents at bay.

"I'm glad I met your parents now, nothing else to be nervous about anymore." Once again Nessa's words kept Amos' thoughts from wandering to less tasteful topics of conversation. He glanced down at her, noting the fond smile and moving a stray red hair from her face, pleased that his stomach still squirmed pleasantly when Nessa smiled at him. Then again, he still needed to make sure whether his worries were unfounded. "Nothing to be nervous about anymore" Amos repeated, nodding in what he hoped was a comforting, definite way, before quirking a brow. "You're sure? Because -" He added hurriedly. "If there was y'know, anything. You could tell me y'know?"

[nessalaurentius]

Nessa smiled at Amos affectionally when he seemed to relax a little. Had he really been so worried that she wouldn't like his parents? On one hand she felt a little guilty that Amos had worried, on the other she thought it was so sweet of him to worry over something like that - it showed how much he cared. Still smiling, she leant into his embrace. "Phew. I'm glad they haven't scared you off." She giggled softly. "It'll take more than a bunch of parents to scare me away from you."

She was very hard ignoring the sirens and worries in her mind. It was probably nothing; and if it was, she'd deal with it when she knew for sure. Now she was going to enjoy Amos' company for a bit. Stop focusing on what might be going on in your belly.
Nessa sighed softly and leaned against her boyfriend a little (boyfriend - that sounded strangely mature and immature at the same time), closing her eyes and still smiling faintly. She hadn't lied at the dinner table, she was tired, and to be honest, she just wanted to sleep - or anything else that would distract her. Amos was stroking her arm gently and it was nice (her closed eyes prevented her from noticing his worried expression), making her smile slightly wider and lulling her to sleep a little.

"That reminds me, I haven't met Mr. and Mrs. Laurentius. Can't wait, maybe I'll be able to convince them to get out the embarrassing baby photos." Nessa looked up at Amos only to see him grin adorably and laughed softly. "I'll have you know," she started, wearing a bit of a grin herself, "that I have no embarrassing baby photoes - I was too perfect as a child." That was obviously not true, and not only because everyone has embarrassing baby photo's. She was just teasing him, and enjoying it, rather. He kissed her hair and she smiled a little wider, tilting her head and pressing her lips to his jaw.

She was feeling quite at ease now, simply in Amos' arms, but of course something had to come up to remind her. "Nothing to be nervous about anymore," he echoed, and, as though that hadn't been bad enough, then added with an obvious amount of insecurity in his voice: "You're sure? Because - If there was y'know, anything. You could tell me y'know?" Nessa decided to hide her face by snuggling up to him some more, pulling him close. "Of course," she whispered softly, near his ear and the doubt in her eyes (so she hoped) hidden from him for now. "I'd tell you anything." But she didn't want to worry him needlessly. She'd tell him if she was sure, whenever that was.

[Amos Patroclus Diggory]

"I'll have you know," she started, wearing a bit of a grin herself, "that I have no embarrassing baby photoes - I was too perfect as a child." Amos chuckled again quietly, shivering inwardly as Nessa's lips grazed his jaw. "Yeah. I'll bet you were an adorable little ginger kid". As he said it Amos could just picture an imaginary tiny-Nessa, perhaps scribbling designs with her crayons or tottering about in her mum's high heels. Totally imagined of course, as Amos had not seen any photos of babyNessa. But he pictured her as a sweet child all the same. Which was a considerable leap for him. As an only child, Amos had been spoilt from childhood up, and never thought of other younger children as 'cute'. At least, not as cute as he was. Now, being older, he couldn't help but cringe when other Ministry employees' wives came to visit them, with tiny sticky children in tow, screaming their heads off and wrecking the office. He generally tried to avoid them, as invariably he'd be asked to comment on how lovely the littl'uns were, and would invariably lie through his teeth (particularly if they were the children of his superiors).

In short, kids were generally not Amos' thing. He hadn't even gone beyond thoughts of other peoples' kids, hadn't even begun to consider having his own. That was a distant, far off prospect, for when he was old. For when he had a gut and a well paid job and his idea of fun was writing complaints about Quidditch slurs to the Daily Prophet. Not now. Nethertheless, he was totally fine with imagining a cute, tiny version of Nessa in the form of baby-photos. Admittedly, this was different to an actual, real-life kid, but a leap in attitude all the same. Things were just different with Nessa. It was simple, for Amos.

He liked simple things, just like he liked being told that Nessa would 'tell him anything'. It set him at ease, and he sighed almost inaudibly with the same relief, relaxing further against her and nuzzling her hair again unconciously. "Good" He breathed, adding belatedly, "And ditto" (He was admittedly, not good at romantic speeches or pillow talk - and he wasn't sure if this counted as either, they weren't lying down on pillows after all, unfortunately). He stifled a yawn. It wasn't boring in the slightest, being with Nessa, but she definitely relaxed him, coupled with his mum's excellent cooking, he was feeling pleasantly drowsy. "It's been a long day eh?" He murmured half-apologetically to Nessa, unable to resist adding, "Nice to have some time on our own though. Privacy and that"

[sorry it's a bit short. amos is being eloquent as usual!]

[nessalaurentius]

Nessa smiled as Amos chuckled. She liked the way he laughed, it brightened his face even more and brightened her own mood as a result. To watch Amos laugh without a care in the world made it easier for her to join in. "Yeah. I'll bet you were an adorable little ginger kid." She grinned a little, though it eventually faded into a fond smile. "Naturally, just like I'm sure you were also adorable and maybe.." she paused, studying his eyes and face as though she was looking for something "..hm - I can totally imagine you as a four-year-old on your first broomstick," she giggled.
Surprisingly, this babytalk didn't bother her much. In fact, Nessa wanted children pretty badly. It just.. depended on how Amos would take it. If she was actually pregnant, of course. Part of Nessa still held onto the possibility that she might not be pregnant, just late and nervous, no matter how much she wanted kids, this wasn't a great time..
Au contraire to Amos, Nessa was generally brilliant with children, mostly because she had such a good bond with her younger sister and there was such an age difference between them.

She honestly felt like she melted a little when she noticed how happy it made him to know she'd tell him anything. "You know, I do have something to tell you, in fact," she said with a bit of a smile she was trying to hide and seem serious. "I need you to know that I love you." Yes, very sappy of her, but Nessa did want Amos to know that she did. And she did - very much. She wasn't sure if she was being irrational or not, especially as she had no previous real love or relationship to compare her feelings with, but then who cared if she was being an idiot woman who thrived on hormones and neutotransmitters?
Nessa lazily smiled as Amos yawned. "It's been a long day eh?" She nodded quietly, her head still resting on his shoulder quite comfortably. True, she was tired as well."Nice to have some time on our own though. Privacy and that." She laughed softly. "Indeed, very considerate of your parents to leave us alone for a bit," she half-teased. "Maybe we should get an apartment, though." At this, she blushed. It had just slipped out and although she had, like every slightly romantic girl, her wedding planned and her dreamhouse in mind, she wasn't sure if Amos would appreciate her saying that - he had always been fond of his freedom, after all.

[Amos Patroclus Diggory]

Amos snorted at Nessa's musings about his four-year-old self on a toy broomstick. He felt suddenly grateful that his mother had not shown off those exact photographs at the dinner table. Amos shrugged, feeling the need to be honest with Nessa even although it wasn't an entirely serious conversation. "I was a bit of a spoilt brat to be honest" He admitted, grinning bashfully. This was a bit of an understatement, which Nessa had probably guessed from the molly-coddling of his parents over dinner, even though he was now fully grown up. As a child, Amos had been treasured and yes, spoilt, as the only child. He hadn't just had one toy-broomstick but enough to start off a child-sized national team, and had never had to share any of the models. It wasn't that Amos' parents were especially well-off, but any spare money they had went on their darling boy. It was a wonder that Amos had turned out to be mostly nice and only mildly pompous, really. Despite the fact that he had initially been squicked by the 'babytalk', Amos found himself laughing along easily as he and Nessa talked about it, although he put this down to just how easily they could talk about practically anything.

In fact, in the past few months Amos had begun to think that Nessa was person he found easiest to talk to overall. During the day if he found something funny, or that he thought she would find interesting, he buzzed with excitement until he could relay the (often mediocre) news to her. It was not that Amos was discounting the company of his Quidditch buddies, who he still saw with loyal regularity, but Nessa was different. Being with Nessa was different. Which is why, when she finally dropped the 'love' bomb into their previously easy small talk, Amos found that he was not as flabberghasted as he had always anticipated he would be to hear the phrase 'I love you'. Not that he didn't look shocked all the time. Blinking down at Nessa's sincere expression, Amos goldfished for a second. It wasn't that he didn't love Nessa, it was just hard to articulate it, aloud and sincerely, for the first time (although he told his mother he loved her with embarrassing frequency, that didn't count). That's what Amos was thinking in his momentary pause that probably seemed to drag on for hours for both of them - It's not that I don't love her. Which is when the penny finally dropped.

He did love her then. He wanted to talk to her all the time, wanted to be beside her. When she left, he was irritable until they saw each other again. And when she had come to visit, he was desperate for Nessa and his parents to like each other. This, he decided simply, was love. He had been a bit slow to respond to it, to name it (which had probably saved him a lot of commitment-phobic angst) until now. "I love you. I love you too" Amos finally croaked, his face breaking slowly into a wide grin. "I've never said that to anyone before, not proper" He remarked with trademark Amos' nice-but-dimness, and then, as though chastising himself, he leaned in to kiss Nessa's jaw again. "I love you Nessa" He was more sincere for a second, sounded momentarily 'adult' (and the proper definition of adult - not the 'adult' he was used to, in terms of x-rated magazines and Carn Alley).

Amos was still leaning pleasantly against the jaw he had tried to kiss, smiling rather absently, when Nessa suggested they get an apartment together. He pulled away slightly, still looking hazy-eyed and sleepy and happy but frowning slightly in an effort to concentrate on this new, equally monumental piece of information and absorb it. "A flat.. just me and you?" He murmured,tilting his head to the side. This, he knew from experience (the cathartic experience of listening to his recently-coupled friends) was A Big Step. It would probably Mean Something Big. But that wasn't Amos' concern at the moment, perhaps because he had yet to absorb the suggestion in it's entirety, or perhaps because it seemed almost logical. I mean, hadn't he just been thinking about how he wanted to see more of her. Amos glanced again at Nessa's bright-eyed expression in her nightwear and thought how nice it would be to wake up beside that every morning. Perhaps she would even make him fry-ups, although they wouldn't be as nice as his mum's. Trying to stop his hurtling train of thought, Amos frowned pensively.

"Could we afford that?" It seemed like they had just left school after all, and Amos was only slowly adjusting to the idea that dreaming of being England's keeper wouldn't pay his way, and that he would have to get a grown-up, proper job.

[nessalaurentius]

She had to laugh a little when he admitted that he was a little spoilt. "I know you're a little spoilt," Nessa said with an affectionate grin. "I find it quite adorable." She was half teasing, but there was a distinct part of truth in there. Amos' slight pompousness had annoyed her in the past, but now that she was able to look past it, it was actually quite endearing in its own way.
"I think children should be spoilt," Nessa half-mused. "Not too much, of course, but just the right amount so they know their parents adore them." Oh, if only.. Nessa felt she would be the best mother ever. Then again, her persisting wish for children had maybe caused her to over-romanticise the idea of giving birth and getting up at some godforsaken hour in the middle of the night to feed the little critter.

Nessa chewed her lip a little when Amos fell silent after she'd confessed she loved him, afraid it had maybe been too soon. But she had wanted him to know so badly, and what if she was pregnant, after all.. She needed to know if he loved her back, that would at least make her feel so much more at ease about the whole thing.
She waited for a few agonising minutes, not moving in fear of doing anything wrong, until he said: "I love you. I love you too." If anything, the hoarseness of his voice made it all the more sweet to her. Was he touched? Was he really? "I've never said that to anyone before, not proper." That was enough to make Nessa blush and smile widely to match his grin. When he kissed her jaw and she heard an 'I love you, Nessa', she did not hesitate a moment to turn her head and kiss him properly and passionately. They loved each other and how to seal that better than with a kiss?
[I'm afeared her hormones are taking over!]

The idea of them moving in together in a flat of their own had been a bit of a joke, a suggestion made only to illustrate how they could get rid of nosy parents and other unwanted things when they wanted a moment for themselves. But that was all it had been, a joke - well.. maybe with a slight hope, but Nessa now looked at Amos' face and feared she had indeed gone too fast. They had only just confessed they loved each other, not just a passing fancy.
"A flat.. just me and you?" She chewed her lip slightly. "Oh, well, eventually, maybe - I mean.. it would be rather soon, right?" she muttered, hesitating, but only slightly. "Could we afford that?" Nessa smiled a little, not sure what this question meant, but at least he wasn't rejecting the idea at once. "I don't know," she softly said. "I'll need to get a job.. maybe we should save up a little, first, you know.." She grinned a little, teasing. "See if you don't have enough of me in a few weeks."

[Amos Patroclus Diggory]

Amos couldn't help but grin hazily at Nessa as she mused to him about the degree to which children should be spoilt. He had often heard the phrase 'basking in the afterglow' (and in fact used it many times when he wanted to sound like an intelligista-Casanova type) but he had always assumed that was strictly post-coital. Who knew that basking in the afterglow could be enjoyed just after saying 'I love you' to each other. When he had thought about how this conversation would go in the past, he had always thought it would be stress and panic, not the near-bliss he was feeling. But then again, things were different with Nessa. Better.

Still smiling Amos leaned in closer, returning her kiss at once, one arm sliding over her shoulder and pulling her in closer He poured more passion into the kiss than he had anticipated. Actually giving a name to the leaping, squirming feeling in the pit of his stomach that he had with Nessa meant that he was on a high. Almost as good as sex, or winning a Quidditch match. Almost. Nearly. The nerves and dread he had felt since the start of Nessa's visit had nearly evaporated, those niggling doubts that were left were blocked out by the new jubilation of being actually In Love. And having not messed it up, just yet anyway. He was half-tempted to bound downstairs again to the sitting room and tell Mr. and Mrs. Diggory, but still a remnant of sense reminded him how mortifying this would be. Not to mention it would ruin Nessa's and his' few moments of privacy.

It was perhaps because of this rose-tinted view, and a lingering wish to have more and more ..ahem, privacy, with Nessa, that meant that Amos was not nearly as freaked out by the idea of getting their own place as he expected. In fact, as Nessa explained it, he found himself actually warming to the idea. "Don't be silly. I could never get enough of you." He grinned, oblivious seemingly to how cheesy this line sounded. He shrugged, still half-smiling as he considered the idea. "..S'not really too soon, is it? I mean, apart from the money situation? I hardly know what to do with my wages.. And I'm sure mum and dad wouldn't mind loaning us some to set up.." He grinned again "They do really like you y'know." Already his head was beginning to swim with images of Nessa in the shower, Nessa and him having breakfast in bed, Nessa and him staying up late. They could do whatever they liked! It didn't seem scarily grown up to him, like other aspects of adulthood after-Hogwarts did. It seemed, really, like fun (although Amos was unaware that his naive bubble would eventually have to burst).

[Sorry this took so long. I have been so swamped =/ A flat-hunting thread though, if we did get it going soon or whatever, would be fun? ]

[nessalaurentius]

To be honest, Nessa felt a little hopeful as she chattered about children and he grinned contently. Was that a sign that he wasn't completely against having kids? Or (also likely) was he looking at her and imagining what she'd look like with her clothes off? She had no idea that he was just enjoying the fact that they'd confessed they loved each other - but had she known that, she would've been just as happy. Nessa was, in fact, sure she could be perfectly happy if it was not for one (well: two) things - and that would be a) knowing for sure whether she was pregnant or not and b) if yes knowing for sure that Amos would stand by her. Those were the only two thoughts that had made her a little uneasy all day, but she was doing a good job ignoring them.

Oh - who cared about thinking if you could be kissing? Not that Nessa had a whole lot of experience, but she had found that kissing with Amos was positively mindblowing. Amos pulled her closer, but that just wasn't close enough, so Nessa shifted until she was practically sitting on top of him, relishing the affection and the closeness, glad she could now do such things without restraint, because they were alone. Not that she hadn't shown little signs of affection throughout the day (kissing his cheek, leaning against him on the couch, etc.), but his parents had been there, too, and that had made it all very, very different.

Nessa was surprised, but very pleasantly so, that he seemed to think getting a place of their own wasn't a bad idea. And as he told her he could never get enough of her, she was too touched to jokingly comment 'you say that now' and instead just blushed a little and kissed him again, briefly. Some people might think that it was cheesy of him to say, but who cared? He loved her - that was never cheesy. That was wonderful.
"..S'not really too soon, is it? I mean, apart from the money situation? I hardly know what to do with my wages.. And I'm sure mum and dad wouldn't mind loaning us some to set up.. They do really like you y'know." Nessa smiled a little, leaning against him and, like Amos, falling into daydreams for a moment. "I suppose it's not too soon, as long.. as long as we don't think it is.." She sighed, but happily, for a moment and looked up at Amos, smiling. "Where would you want to live?" Nessa would like something.. something with a garden of some kind. Then again, they could really probably not afford a proper house - an appartment would have to do. She'd have to get a job.
She'd have to check if she was pregnant, because if they was, they'd need an extra room..


[No worries, it's quite the same here Flat-hunting topic sounds fine. You want to postpone the whole omg-pregnant-confession-bit or shall I have her confess it in the next post? Nessa is feeling uneasy about going flathunting with Amos thinking they'll only need one bedroom. xD]

[Amos Patroclus Diggory]

Amos' mind was already racing with flat-hunting plans, and he grinned into Nessa's small kiss, pleased that she didn't think he was being silly in thinking they could move in soon. Admittedly, Amos wasn't the most mature person in the world. When he thought about living with Nessa, his thoughts were mostly constrained to being able to see the girl he now knew he was in love with, all the time, with having their friends over for housewarming parties, having nice food all the time, never having to feel awkward about wanting to slobber all over her all the time because of his parents lurking in the background, and of course, sharing the same bed as her, every day. In short, they were wholly rose-tinted and a tad unrealistic. When Amos thought about sharing a home with Nessa thoughts of financial strain, cleaning and arguing where the furthest from his mind - after all he was still in, what did they call it, the 'first flush of love', and didn't need to think about the consequences. Things would be brilliant. And even if he were to be able to think far enough ahead to foresee potential problems, unplanned pregnancies wouldn't have been among them.

Due to the fact that Amos' thoughts about living together where far from practical, he blinked in bemused silence for a moment when Nessa asked just where they would like to live. His first thought was London of course. After all he was a young guy, this would be his first taste of real freedom. His parents had doted on their only son and whilst he had enjoyed their version of an idyllic countryside childhood, life in the countryside was boring once one became a teenager. Shrugging, he posed the thought to Nessa; "What about London? We could get a flat? A small one mind" He added the last part quickly, keen to sound a little less dim about the prospect of going out on their own. But it was hard to conceal his excitement at the newly half-hatched plan and Amos couldn't help going on quickly - "It'd be handy to be near the Ministry y'know. And it'd be good for you too!" Amos' grin widened as his idea took on a new level of genius, now their imaginary affordable London flat for two would benefit her aswell. "I mean, because there's loads of those.. boutiques (he hoped he got that word right) in Diagon Alley. You could apply for an apprenticeship.. or something"

He trailed off a bit bashfully,rubbing the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed at getting so carried away with the plan. If it wasn't what Nessa wanted to go for he'd feel silly. Slightly more soberly, Amos shrugged, glancing searchingly at his girlfriend. "I know it could be expensive.. but I mean, we only really need a one bedroom -" The only downfall to the plan being having to leave a lot of his Quidditch memorabilia at home. "...So what do y'think?"

[Endless apologies again about the delay, I sound like a broken record XD But I don't mind whether you want to reveal the pregnancy worries now or when flat hunting, I tried to leave it open so just whichever you think. Don't want poor Nessa to feel uneasy haha]

[nessalaurentius]

"What about London? We could get a flat? A small one mind." The more Amos was getting excited about living together in their own flat, the more Nessa started fidgeting. It wasn't that she didn't want to live together with him. Oh, she did, she did so bad. She liked Amos so much she never wanted to let him go, really, and the mere idea of him possibly being angry with her and leaving her made her chest feel tight, made her feel sick.
Like Amos, the idea of having a place of their own, privacy, waking up next to each other.. it would be wonderful. But she couldn't help but look at things a lot less rosy than Amos did. She didn't have a job yet, she might be pregnant, if wanted to live in London, that was going to be expensive, especially if they were going to need that extra bedroom she hadn't told him about yet.. He was still talking and Nessa smiled slightly, quietly listening.
"It'd be handy to be near the Ministry y'know. And it'd be good for you too!" She couldn't help but smile more as Amos grinned, she loved seeing him happy and excited like that, despite her worries. "I mean, because there's loads of those.. boutiques in Diagon Alley. You could apply for an apprenticeship.. or something." She nodded, still smiling. "Yeah, yeah," Nessa agreed, "I suppose I could." Though her smile faded slightly as Amos happily rambled on. The more excited he was, the more guilty she felt. She should tell him. But how to tell him? And what would his parents think of her now?

"I know it could be expensive.. but I mean, we only really need a one bedroom - So what do y'think?" Nessa swallowed, chewing her lower lip, doubting for a moment. "It's-" She glanced up at Amos, but turned her eyes away before she could see his expression. She didn't want to see him disappointed and he was going to be, definitely. He was going to think she didn't want him if she didn't say anything now, but what should she say?
Tears of frustration (and fear) threatened to escape from her eyes and stain her cheeks no matter how much she tried to blink them away. She was just so ashamed of herself. How stupid had she been? Amos had probably assumed she was on the pill and she hadn't even thought of it at all. And she was supposed to be a responsible adult?
She was going to have to speak, say something, so she quietly sobbed an 'I love you' and curled up to Amos close. She didn't want to lose him, she didn't want him to be angry with her, but she was afraid he would be. She didn't want to say, she just wanted to hold him for a bit longer and postpone the confession.


[No worries, I've also been wicked busy xP
As I need two posts to keep Nessa, I'll also start one in Diagon Alley as a flat-hunting/shopping-etc. sort of topic that takes place after this? I'm assuming we don't really need a lot more posts to wrap up this conversation, right? (:]

[Amos Patroclus Diggory]

Amos had always had a bad habit of rambling on, letting his imagination and excitement get the better of him and not, by consequence, being a very good listener. It was something he had tried to remedy when he and Nessa had first got together, partly out of wanting to seem like good 'boyfriend material' but moreover because he actually wanted to listen to what Nessa had to say. He had been out (well not proper going out together but out for dinner and shags) with other girls before who had never had anything much of interest to say, and was exceedingly glad that Nessa was not like that. In fact, he often worried that his limited conversational topics, which probably a little too often erred towards Quidditch, bored her stiffless. But for the most part, Amos thought that he had been successful in becoming a better listener. Tonight was evidently not the best evidence for that though.

He had rambled on completely, gone all hazy eyed at the half-baked idea of their perfect flat and perfect new life together, and not once during his spiel had he noticed Nessa's sudden reluctance towards his suggestions. When he had finally stopped speaking, to gape hopefully at her, Amos caught, belatedly, that reluctance in Nessa's expression, and his expectant smile dropped suddenly to disappointment - and then, horror, when he leaned in closer and caught the suspiciously pained expression and glassy-eyed look that she was also wearing. Amos gulped. His face was unpleasantly hot, and he knew that he would be blotchy and pink in shame at having evidently forced the idea upon her, oblivious to Nessa's own overwhelming shame for different reasons. "Oh, no don't get upset, please - " Amos stammered, shifting closer just in time for Nessa to clutch at him and sob out an 'I love you'. Bewildered, Amos stroked at her hair and gulped again, managing to croak out a response. "I.. I love you too. What's -"

But he was unable to finish. Crying women always made Amos uncomfortable - in fact, he hated it. It was not because it irritated him on the cryer's part, but more it made him feel suddenly very small and responsible. He had always tried to the best of his ability to steer clear of emotional partings with girls beforehand for this reason, and remembered with particular poignance a time when he was small and had broken an ornament that his mother had inherited from a beloved relative, the shock of the crash sending Mrs. Diggory into floods of tears. Of course, she was quick to repair it and console her godsmacked and tearful son, and maintained that she had just been a tad overstressed that day, but Amos had still felt painfully responsible for making her weep, and felt the same stomach-wrenching shame and bewilderement with Nessa now. Flustered, he pulled her (Nessa not his mother) closer and softly kissed her head, her face obscured by his now slightly damp t-shirt, and tried again, his voice now more measured although still fearful.

"Nessa.. what's wrong? I thought - I thought you wanted us to move in together because - I mean, because you brought it up ... I'm sorry, I was moving too fast. I just got carried away -" He paused, with renewed fearfulness now. Surely.. this wasn't the kind of thing couples broke up over? They had just said they loved each other after all? Then again he had never understood women. Testing the waters, Amos added even more quietly - "That is what's wrong isn't it? You've just - you've just changed your mind about moving in together? Because that's fine but - I mean - I just want - would like, to know.."

[Phew, that's good! And I saw the new flat thread thank you for starting it up! Seeing as we only need a few more replies here to sort of drop the bomb so to speak I think I'll wait for a few more posts before replying to the new topic, if that's okay? ]

[nessalaurentius]

Nessa had always thought Amos' rambling was pretty cute, to be honest - and she still did. It showed how excited he could be about things, showed enthusiasm and spirit, and she loved it just as much as she loved him. Nessa felt terrible for being so emotional, but she couldn't help it. Maybe it was hormones already, or maybe the irony that Amos was so enthusiastic about the idea of moving in together - an idea she had instigated and she might now make impossible!

It was such a double feeling. It was still so wonderful to see Amos so in love with her, but it made her all the more afraid to tell him. Still, her mind told her 'you might not be pregnant, wait a few more weeks, you might just be late, maybe nothing's the matter, he doesn't have to know' - but that was nonsense. Of course he had to know, she had to tell him - at least then they'd both have something to be relieved about when it turned out she wasn't pregnant, right? Also, if she told him too late, Nessa was afraid he'd be angry with her for not telling him sooner.
Still, even if she was determined to tell him now, that didn't make Amos' disappointed expression any easier to look at. Her stomach seemed to sink as he suddenly looked scared and stammered a few broken sentences. "I'm sorry," she murmered against his chest, holding him right. "I love you, I love you." She wanted him to know, she wanted him to not ever forget that.

Despite Amos' thinking he was no good around upset women, Nessa did calm down quite a bit as he held her close, kissed her head, and stroked her hair. "I'm sorry," she muttered, as she pulled back a little, though not completely out of his arms. She liked being in his arms. "I didn't mean to upset you, it's just-" Nessa swallowed.
"Nessa.. what's wrong? I thought - I thought you wanted us to move in together because - I mean, because you brought it up ... I'm sorry, I was moving too fast. I just got carried away." Nessa looked up at him and, at seeing the fear lurking in his eyes, was quick to reassure. "Oh, no, Amos - I'd love to move in together!" she cried out and then fell silent, suddenly aware that they were not the only people in the house, and afraid his parents might have heard. "I really do, I want to live with you, I love you," she repeated, in a softer, gentler voice.
"It's just.." She hesitated, looking down at her hands. "It's just- I think, maybe.." Nessa could feel herself start to blush in embarrassment and guilt. "I think- I think I might be pregnant," she said, softly, so quietly that it was more like a whisper. Nessa glanced up at Amos face with a nervous expression, slightly fearful, and hoping this wouldn't end too terrible.