Work Text:
The apartment was quiet, as you stepped into the bedroom. Jack was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through his phone, still a bit sleepy from his afternoon nap. Lizzie was lying in her crib in the nursery, also still asleep.
You just wanted to grab some laundry, maybe run a load or two and then check the fridge to see if you needed to run to the supermarket for dinner.
Jack’s backpack was half open on the chair, the one he always took into the hospital. And he had the habit of putting his dirty socks from his shift in there, forgetting about them until they became a biohazard. So you reached in without thinking – and then your hand hit a box.
You frowned slightly, then pulled it out slowly. When you recognized what it was you froze.
Condoms.
Your stomach dropped so fast it made you feel lightheaded.
For a moment you didn’t move. Didn’t think. You just stood there, holding it, waiting for your brain to catch up.
You didn’t use them. Never had. Before you got pregnant you had taken the pill (with some questionable success) and right now you were still breastfeeding, so no further contraception was needed.
So why would he need to buy condoms?
Your grip tightened slightly and you closed your eyes for a second. You exhaled and thought about your options for a moment. But you didn’t want to run into the living room to start screaming at him.
You walked over to the bed instead and placed the box right in the middle of it.
Neatly.
Deliberately.
Then you turned around and started picking up laundry.
He came in not long after that – he probably heard you rustling and wanted to help. When he stepped inside you could catch a glimpse of the smile on his face – which vaporized the second he saw the box.
He froze mid-step.
“Shit” he muttered under his breath.
“Yeah.” You leaned against the closet, arms crossed.
He looked at you. Then at the bed. Then back at you again. “Um.”
You nodded toward the bed. “You want to explain that? Or do you want me to guess?”
He exhaled slowly, slightly caught off-guard by your calm voice, then he dragged a hand over his neck. “Yeah. Um. I can explain.” He paused for a second. “I should’ve told you about that.”
You tilted your head slightly. “You think?”
He took a small step closer. “I bought them because I was trying to be responsible” he said quickly. “That’s it.”
You watched him closely. You were measuring every word without even wanting to. “Responsible” you repeated. “You want to explain it further? Right now, that doesn’t make any sense.”
Jack swallowed. “Um, yeah, you know.” He was clearly trying to find the right words. “You know we’re… having sex again.”
He paused, glancing at you.
You blinked. “Yeah, I noticed.”
“Um, yeah, and you’re not on any kind of contraception right now” he continued, choosing his words carefully.
You let out a small huff. “Yeah, but I’m breastfeeding.”
“About that…” Jack took a deep breath. “That’s not really reliable, you know? I mean - it is but only under really specific conditions. And I don’t want us to end up in a situation that… um… neither of us want right now.”
You stared at him. “What do you mean by ‘not reliable’?!”
“There is a chance to get pregnant while breastfeeding” Jack said quietly.
Your eyes grew wider at every word he said. “Are you fucking kidding me? I don’t even have my period yet.”
Jack shrugged slightly. “Still.”
You let out a small, overwhelmed laugh. “Oh, fuck. That’s just terrific. Fuck me! I didn’t know that. And you didn’t tell me either.” Your eyes narrowed slightly.
He dragged a hand over his face. “I know” he said quietly. “It was just so nice… We should have had this conversation much earlier.”
“Yes” you said, rubbing your hand over your forehead. “So… should I take a pregnancy test?”
Now it was Jack’s turn to stare. “Do you think you’re pregnant?”
“The fuck do I know, Jack?” you replied without missing a beat. “I apparently know nothing.”
You two stared at each other, then you both started laughing.
After a while Jack took a deep breath. “So, you see – I wasn’t really trying to hide anything. I just… I overthought it. I didn’t know how to bring it up without making it weird.”
Your eyebrow lifted slightly. “So instead… you made it very weird.”
“… yeah” he admitted with a small laugh.
You pushed off the closet and walked toward him, stopping right in front of him. Your fingers tapped lightly against his chest. “To be honest I didn’t really think you were cheating.”
He blinked. “No?”
“No.” You nodded toward the box. “It’s still sealed, you know? If you were actually cheating you wouldn’t be carrying around a full, unopened box like that. That’s just… bad logistics.”
He let out a small disbelieving laugh. “Bad logistics?”
You shrugged. “Yeah. If you’re gonna have an affair, at least be efficient about it.” You paused for a moment. “Or maybe… you’re just really bad at cheating. Or you got the other woman bored before you could have a chance to use the condoms. I haven’t really thought about those options.”
You furrowed your brows, like you were thinking about it now. After a beat you grinned.
He shook his head in disbelief, then he pulled you into his arms, holding you tight.
“I’m an idiot sometimes” he mumbled into your hair. “And I’d be bad at cheating, just so you know.”
“Okay” you replied with a small laugh. “So… just for the record: I’m not mad at you. Not really.”
He pulled back slightly to look at your face. “Really?”
You shrugged. “As you said - you were just trying to be responsible. That’s nothing I could be mad about.”
Jack hugged you again, tighter, pressing a soft kiss to your temple. “It’s just… I’m sure we can’t handle another… happy little accident right now. That’s all.”
You paused for a moment, then nodded once. “Yeah, me neither. I love Lizzie, but God, that parent shit is stressful. And exhausting.”
Jack chuckled softly. “Nice summary. But I do agree with you” he added, more serious now. “And maybe, if we decide we’re done with having kids… there are other options, you know?”
You raised an eyebrow – which he couldn’t see, because you were still pressed against his shoulder. “Like? Adopting a dog?”
He chuckled. “No. But we should also talk about that” he said, then hesitated. “I meant – like options for contraception. There’s no need for you to take hormones if we don’t want more kids.”
You tilted your head. “What are you talking about?”
“I could get snipped, you know?”
Now it was your turn to pull back. You searched his face. “Are you sure? That’s pretty definite.”
He shrugged. “It’s a minor surgery and it’s reversible. I would rather… disarm the gun instead of protecting the target.”
You stared at him for a second then you burst out laughing.
Like proper laughing. You were trembling, leaning forward, while laughter erupted from your body.
Jack’s hands were still around your waist as he held you, but he frowned slightly. “It wasn’t that funny” he mumbled, but his lips were twitching.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” you managed between laughs. “That was the funniest thing you ever said. And it was about… about… about your penis.”
That statement made him laugh too. “Okay, fair.”
You put your hands on your hips, trying to catch your breath. “Fuck me, Jack. Disarming the gun. You are killing me here.”
He shook his head, but he was clearly smug about your reaction. He always tried to make you laugh like this. “It’s true.”
“Don’t start again” you said, your voice slightly hitching, as you straightened yourself. You wiped away tears from your face and closed your eyes for a second.
A small silence settled between you.
He pulled you closer again, nuzzled his lips against your neck, breathing you in.
“Let’s start with the condoms, okay? And maybe talk about the family planning another time. When we’re both more awake and more able to make such a big decision. Okay?”
Jack nodded against you. “Sounds like a plan.”
You nodded too, still grinning. Your hands started to wander over his back toward his backside. You pressed a lingering kiss onto his neck.
“What do you think” you whispered. “Should we open that box of yours?”
He inhaled sharply and you could feel him tense up – in a good way. “Um” he said, caught off guard. “Um, I… I mean… yeah, sure, if you want to…?”
“I want to” you whispered back. “Let’s be responsible, hm?”
Jack chuckled. “Yeah, sure, that’s the only reason.”