Mr. Gaga

This is for SweetAngiebee27 and LittleMonster_92 who both asked for prompts involving B&G at the inauguration. Enjoy!

"Stefani..."

"Please," she shook her head, lifted a finger in warning, "let's not do this again."

His mouth upturned at one corner. "I was just going to ask for more mac and cheese."

Gesturing to his empty plate, he smiled, ruffling Lea's hair as she ate. "What did you think I was going to say?"

Slightly chagrined, she flashed him a reapproving look. "You're lucky you're cute." She lifted up his dish and went to the stove, spooning more pasta on it. "Lea, sweetie, do you want a little more?"

"Yes, please!"

"Nice manners, baby," Bradley praised. "I'll get it for you."

He stepped over to where his girlfriend was, brushing a hand over her waist while he scooped the macaroni and cheese. "We can continue the discussion we were having, anytime."

"Bradley."

The tone of her voice was enough to stop him dead in his tracks.

"I don't know why you insist on ruining a perfectly good weekend. The back and forth is hard enough as it is."

It was his turn to look chagrined. "Sorry," he mumbled apologetically into her shoulder. "Not trying to upset you, Stef."

She felt herself relax into him. "Let's just enjoy our time together, alright? We only have a few days."

"You're right."

Kissing her cheek, they returned to the table and to Lea who was looking at them curiously. "Can we have ice cream after lunch?"

"Of course we can, honey," Stefani replied, sneaking a quick glance at Bradley who nodded."Maybe... some swimming, too?"

She clapped her hands excitedly, "yay!"

Having them both there was bittersweet. She loved when it aligned where Lea could visit along with Bradley, treasured the time the three of them spent together. But, at the same time, she was hyper aware that they would leave and they would go back to two different coasts, seeing one another when it was feasibly possible. As completely necessary as the division was, for his daughter's sake, she missed him terribly when they were apart.

The rest of the afternoon flew pleasantly by with no mention of anything other than what was going on at that precise moment; the fun Lea was having, what kind of pizza to order for dinner, the sublime weather.

Even so, there were a few moments where she saw something pass over Bradley's eyes. He was clearly honoring her wishes not to engage in any more discussion about the matter but she knew he hadn't forgotten about it.

After Lea was finally asleep, they retreated downstairs to watch a movie, complete with popcorn, and for the first fifteen minutes or so, it was perfection. She cuddled into his side, the popcorn bowl resting on his lap and easily, they fell into their usual banter...cracking jokes, commenting on what was going on on screen.

She loved his laugh; big and full bodied and unapologetic and she longed for it when they weren't together. There were phone calls and FaceTime but it wasn't the same as hearing it in person, watching the way the tiny laugh lines at his eyes and the corners of his mouth deepened. It set something right in her bones, his laugh.

She offhandedly mentioned how much she enjoyed hearing it and he squeezed her hand. "I think you're the only one who does."

"Not true," she nudged him slightly in the ribs, eliciting another chuckle. "God, I miss you so much when you're not around."