Love Is A Battlefield (Alan Wilder x Martin Gore)

15: On The Wings Of Love

Three weeks later, May 9th, 2:04pm, the dining room:

"Happy birthday dear Dave, happy birthday to you." Martin placed the birthday cake in front of Dave as they all finished singing, and he blew out the alit candles in the shapes of the numbers three and two.

Poppi, Esme and Alan cheered and whistled as he did so.

"Who wants a slice, then?" Alan began getting up, and everyone cheered louder. "I take that as a maybe." He said sarcastically, leaving the room to cut the cake.

"Uncle Dave, your tummy is really big now!" Esme commented and giggled.

Dave glanced down at his bump and rolled his eyes jokingly. "Thank you, Mae." He then turned to Martin and whispered into his ear. "She's got a point. I'm massive now."

"Oh, don't be like that. You're having a baby, for Christ's sake, you've got to look like that! And, trust me, I got plenty of comments like that from Poppi when I was pregnant with Esme." Martin replied, patting him on the shoulder.

Alan returned with five plates and set them down onto the table, taking a seat again.

"Thanks, Al." Dave began tucking into his slice.

"No worries. By the way, I think the baby's gonna be a boy." Alan replied, smirking. "I just have a feeling!"

"Really? I'm not sure about their sex, to be honest. But as long as they're healthy, I'm not concerned about it. And either way, I'll be happy."

"I was the same way, since we didn't find out Poppi's sex until the night she was born. I just knew we would have a daughter, though. I felt it. In fact, I kind of get the feeling that you'll have a girl, too." Martin shrugged.

"Maybe!" Dave rubbed his stomach affectionately. "What about you, girls? Do you think your cousin will be a girl or a boy?"

"I'd prefer a girl," Poppi gave a similar smirking expression to that of her father's previously. "But a boy would be fun too! It doesn't matter to me too much; I'll still love them."

"Aw, Poppi, that's so sweet of you to say." Her uncle tilted his head and smiled.

"I think boy, like Daddy." Esme grinned.

"Well, after two girls, maybe your cousin will be a boy. But we'll have to wait and see." Dave put his fork onto his plate again. "And speaking of your cousin, they're moving a lot right now. Must be the cake."

"Can I feel, please, uncle Dave?" Poppi asked politely.

"Of course you can!"

She got up from her chair and walked around to the other side of the table, placing her hand onto her uncle's stomach.

"Uncle Dave, they keep kicking my hand!"

"I know, I can feel everything you're feeling." He laughed sweetly. "I don't get much sleep anymore because nighttime is when they really love to repeatedly backflip."

"It's such fun, isn't it?" Martin shook his head from the other side of the table.

"What does it feel like when the baby kicks you?" Poppi asked.

"It feels really strange, but cool! Just not so much when they kick so hard that it hurts." Her uncle explained, brushing through his hair with his fingers.

His niece nodded and giggled. "I'm so excited to see them soon. You'll bring them over for play dates, right?"

"Babies are no fun on play dates; they just sleep and cry!" Her younger sister added.