the goddess diaphena
-
Life’s a picnic when I’m with you
Leslie’s eyes lit up at the sight of the strawberries. She fully believed that any food was even better if you added chocolate to it. That was probably why she hated salads and calzones so much. Chocolate wouldn’t really go with either one. That and calzones were pointless, no matter how Ben tried to convince her otherwise.
She picked a strawberry from the bowl and bit into it, tasting the sweetness mixed with the chocolate. To Leslie, strawberries always made her think of summer. With the weather as beautiful as it was today and the fact that they were sitting in the park together, it felt like summer was already here.
“This is perfect,” she said happily, smiling at him. “Thank you. I know we haven’t really had a lot of time together, but once this raccoon situation is dealt with, I’ll be back to my old schedule.” Which was, Leslie admitted to herself, still pretty hectic, but at least she was home from work right at 5:30 instead of almost midnight.
He grinned, traced a finger over the skin of her ankle. “Any time. I’m sure those raccoons were stressful. I’m just glad I could help alleviate some of the tension.”
He watched her bite into the fruit and was slightly mesmerized by the juice that lingered on her bottom lip. Her tongue darted out to catch the drops, and he decided then that kissing her would be a fantastic idea.
He trailed a finger over the fabric of her dress, hands skirting over her ribcage gently as he opened his mouth against hers, tasting the strawberries on her lips.
Sighing happily into the kiss, Leslie’s hands wove into his hair, fingers tangling gently into it as she kissed him ardently. His hands were warm on her skin through her sundress, and even though the sun was beating down on them, she felt a shiver slide up her spine at his close proximity to her.
She was still in his lap, and used it to her advantage as she pushed him down onto his back onto the plaid picnic blanket, giggling softly as they broke apart for a moment and she hovered above him, her smile wide, taking in his cute face and his great hair, which was now sticking up in all directions thanks to her. She loved every part of him, and she hoped he knew that.
She was suddenly on top of him and he wasn’t quite sure how that had happened, but he didn’t really care because she was warm and soft and she smelled like waffles and chocolate and fruit. Her hair fell into his face as she peered at him, eyes wide and bright. He could see little drops of perspiration collecting between her breasts and was momentarily stymied by the grouping of freckles above her collarbone.
He twined his fingers in the floaty fabric of her dress before reaching his head up to meet hers. He pressed his lips gently against hers, but opened up rather quickly, groaning into her mouth. Her weight pressed on him, and she had to be aware of his state by that point.
She made a little noise in her throat and he bucked his hips against hers—and then a dog barked, and he remembered where they were. “Les,” he murmured, “we’re… in public.”
“Hmm?” she murmured distractedly, too busy enjoying the feel of his hands on her back and the sun on her shoulders to really hear what he was saying. The dog barked again, slightly closer to them, and suddenly she realized where they were and blushed, pulling her head away from his reluctantly.
“Sorry! Got carried away there!” she said, flustered. “But you surprised me with a picnic, Ben. A picnic! And you brought me waffles and strawberries and whipped cream and all my favourite things, and maybe the champagne had something to do with it, although I only had half a glass, but I’m feeling a lot of feelings right now.”
She didn’t kiss him again, but she reached down and made some attempt to fix his hair, still giggling a little before giving up.
“But I’m pretty sure there’s a law against indecent exposure, so we should probably stop. You’re absolutely right,” Leslie said innocently. “Or… we could take this picnic back to my place, where there are no such laws.”
-
Life’s a picnic when I’m with you
Leslie’s eyes lit up at the sight of the strawberries. She fully believed that any food was even better if you added chocolate to it. That was probably why she hated salads and calzones so much. Chocolate wouldn’t really go with either one. That and calzones were pointless, no matter how Ben tried to convince her otherwise.
She picked a strawberry from the bowl and bit into it, tasting the sweetness mixed with the chocolate. To Leslie, strawberries always made her think of summer. With the weather as beautiful as it was today and the fact that they were sitting in the park together, it felt like summer was already here.
“This is perfect,” she said happily, smiling at him. “Thank you. I know we haven’t really had a lot of time together, but once this raccoon situation is dealt with, I’ll be back to my old schedule.” Which was, Leslie admitted to herself, still pretty hectic, but at least she was home from work right at 5:30 instead of almost midnight.
He grinned, traced a finger over the skin of her ankle. “Any time. I’m sure those raccoons were stressful. I’m just glad I could help alleviate some of the tension.”
He watched her bite into the fruit and was slightly mesmerized by the juice that lingered on her bottom lip. Her tongue darted out to catch the drops, and he decided then that kissing her would be a fantastic idea.
He trailed a finger over the fabric of her dress, hands skirting over her ribcage gently as he opened his mouth against hers, tasting the strawberries on her lips.
Sighing happily into the kiss, Leslie’s hands wove into his hair, fingers tangling gently into it as she kissed him ardently. His hands were warm on her skin through her sundress, and even though the sun was beating down on them, she felt a shiver slide up her spine at his close proximity to her.
She was still in his lap, and used it to her advantage as she pushed him down onto his back onto the plaid picnic blanket, giggling softly as they broke apart for a moment and she hovered above him, her smile wide, taking in his cute face and his great hair, which was now sticking up in all directions thanks to her. She loved every part of him, and she hoped he knew that.
-
Life’s a picnic when I’m with you
Leslie leaned against him, feeling the tension from her busy day begin to melt away just from being near. “They caught three more raccoons in Ramsett Park using the humane traps. Honestly nobody has come with a good idea about what to do with them once we’ve caught them — half the team wants to set them free in Eagleton, and the other half is literally gunning to shoot them all. You can guess which side Ron is on,” Leslie said, sighing.
“But enough about work, and more about this awesome picnic you planned,” she continued with a smile. “I just hope there aren’t any bees this time.” She shuddered.
He massaged her neck gently and reassured her, “Don’t worry; I scoped out the area thoroughly. There are no bees within at least a 100 foot radius. And if one does happen to intrude, I will be swift and unwavering in its execution.”
He was almost as excited for the food as he was to see her and eagerly directed her attention towards the waffles. They were stacked high with whipped cream, with plenty of sprinkles and hot fudge on top. “Courtesy of JJ’s.” He popped open the bottle of champagne and poured them each a glass, taking a generous sip before placing it back down on the ground and digging into his own plate of waffles.
“I can’t believe I’ve ever had waffles from a place other than JJ’s Diner. I’m pretty sure we’re singlehandedly keeping them in business.”
“I love it when you get all protective,” Leslie sighed. “Willing to slay bees for me. So romantic.” She reached for a fork and began to attack the stack of waffles on her plate, her eyes closing in bliss at the combination of sugar and chocolate. She wasn’t sure why anyone would ever want to eat anything other than waffles. They really were the perfect meal, any time of day.
“I was keeping him in business long before you even arrived in Pawnee! I put his kids through college with all the money I spent there. Now that both of us are addicted, we’re probably paying for his grandkids now,” she laughed, and took a drink of champagne, giggling as the bubbles tickled her nose.
“I’d do anything to protect my Khaleesi. Not that she’d ever need me, though. She can take care of herself.”
A grin spread widely across his cheeks as he watched her enjoy her food, and felt immense satisfaction at the look of bliss on her face; he loved knowing that he could make her happy. That was the point of the picnic, after all.
He was almost finished with his own plate already, but he did have one more surprise up his sleeve. With a dramatic flourish, he pulled a small bowl from the basket. “Chocolate covered strawberries for you, my lady.”
Leslie’s eyes lit up at the sight of the strawberries. She fully believed that any food was even better if you added chocolate to it. That was probably why she hated salads and calzones so much. Chocolate wouldn’t really go with either one. That and calzones were pointless, no matter how Ben tried to convince her otherwise.
She picked a strawberry from the bowl and bit into it, tasting the sweetness mixed with the chocolate. To Leslie, strawberries always made her think of summer. With the weather as beautiful as it was today and the fact that they were sitting in the park together, it felt like summer was already here.
“This is perfect,” she said happily, smiling at him. “Thank you. I know we haven’t really had a lot of time together, but once this raccoon situation is dealt with, I’ll be back to my old schedule.” Which was, Leslie admitted to herself, still pretty hectic, but at least she was home from work right at 5:30 instead of almost midnight.
-
Life’s a picnic when I’m with you
Leslie leaned against him, feeling the tension from her busy day begin to melt away just from being near. “They caught three more raccoons in Ramsett Park using the humane traps. Honestly nobody has come with a good idea about what to do with them once we’ve caught them — half the team wants to set them free in Eagleton, and the other half is literally gunning to shoot them all. You can guess which side Ron is on,” Leslie said, sighing.
“But enough about work, and more about this awesome picnic you planned,” she continued with a smile. “I just hope there aren’t any bees this time.” She shuddered.
He massaged her neck gently and reassured her, “Don’t worry; I scoped out the area thoroughly. There are no bees within at least a 100 foot radius. And if one does happen to intrude, I will be swift and unwavering in its execution.”
He was almost as excited for the food as he was to see her and eagerly directed her attention towards the waffles. They were stacked high with whipped cream, with plenty of sprinkles and hot fudge on top. “Courtesy of JJ’s.” He popped open the bottle of champagne and poured them each a glass, taking a generous sip before placing it back down on the ground and digging into his own plate of waffles.
“I can’t believe I’ve ever had waffles from a place other than JJ’s Diner. I’m pretty sure we’re singlehandedly keeping them in business.”
“I love it when you get all protective,” Leslie sighed. “Willing to slay bees for me. So romantic.” She reached for a fork and began to attack the stack of waffles on her plate, her eyes closing in bliss at the combination of sugar and chocolate. She wasn’t sure why anyone would ever want to eat anything other than waffles. They really were the perfect meal, any time of day.
“I was keeping him in business long before you even arrived in Pawnee! I put his kids through college with all the money I spent there. Now that both of us are addicted, we’re probably paying for his grandkids now,” she laughed, and took a drink of champagne, giggling as the bubbles tickled her nose.
-
Life’s a picnic when I’m with you
Champagne: check. Waffles: check. Plaid blanket: check. He had everything they needed for a picnic in the park, plus various other foods that he already knew Leslie would avoid (salad, vegetables, and other miscellaneous healthy foods). He spread the blanket down underneath a large oak, providing cover from the bright sun. A breeze lightly blew through and rustled his hair as he unpacked the food and strategically placed the items around.
He knew she had to be there any minute, and his heart pumped faster as his excitement grew. Ben hadn’t actually spent time with Leslie for days due to a huge city council project dealing with raccoon safety precautions. Leslie was up before 6, at work by 7, and wouldn’t get back until after 11. This was certainly a well-deserved picnic.
It was only a few minutes later that he heard her footsteps in the grass behind him. He grinned at her, blinking in the bright sunlight. “Hey, you.”
As Leslie followed the path through the park over toward where Ben had texted her he’d be waiting, she couldn’t believe how satisfying it felt to know that the park — her park — was finally finished. The flowers were blooming in the community garden, birds were singing in the trees, and so far there hadn’t been any raccoon attacks. Three years ago the only thing in its place had been a huge pit full of garbage, and now it was an actual park.
The sun warmed her body as she walked, and she pulled off her blazer and slung it over her arm, letting the warmth soak into her bare shoulders. The breeze ruffled the skirt of her sundress and it finally felt like summer was just around the corner.
She spotted Ben finally and hurried over to him; when she saw the spread he’d laid out on a picnic blanket, her jaw dropped. When she finally recovered, she leaned in to kiss him hello. “Hi! Sorry I’m late; I wanted to get everything with the raccoon relocation project finished before I headed over. Now I have the rest of the day off, so we can relax!”
The dress she had on was one of his favorites (although he’d never admit that to her face)—not just because it hugged her waist snugly, but because it was bright yellow, just like her personality.
“You don’t know how happy I am to hear that—you could use a day of relaxation.” He slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her forehead softly. “I’ve got a great picnic for you.” He grinned and led her to the base of the tree, pulling her onto his lap.
“How were the raccoons? I hope they weren’t as vicious as usual today.”
Leslie leaned against him, feeling the tension from her busy day begin to melt away just from being near. “They caught three more raccoons in Ramsett Park using the humane traps. Honestly nobody has come with a good idea about what to do with them once we’ve caught them — half the team wants to set them free in Eagleton, and the other half is literally gunning to shoot them all. You can guess which side Ron is on,” Leslie said, sighing.
“But enough about work, and more about this awesome picnic you planned,” she continued with a smile. “I just hope there aren’t any bees this time.” She shuddered.
-
Life’s a picnic when I’m with you
Champagne: check. Waffles: check. Plaid blanket: check. He had everything they needed for a picnic in the park, plus various other foods that he already knew Leslie would avoid (salad, vegetables, and other miscellaneous healthy foods). He spread the blanket down underneath a large oak, providing cover from the bright sun. A breeze lightly blew through and rustled his hair as he unpacked the food and strategically placed the items around.
He knew she had to be there any minute, and his heart pumped faster as his excitement grew. Ben hadn’t actually spent time with Leslie for days due to a huge city council project dealing with raccoon safety precautions. Leslie was up before 6, at work by 7, and wouldn’t get back until after 11. This was certainly a well-deserved picnic.
It was only a few minutes later that he heard her footsteps in the grass behind him. He grinned at her, blinking in the bright sunlight. “Hey, you.”
As Leslie followed the path through the park over toward where Ben had texted her he’d be waiting, she couldn’t believe how satisfying it felt to know that the park — her park — was finally finished. The flowers were blooming in the community garden, birds were singing in the trees, and so far there hadn’t been any raccoon attacks. Three years ago the only thing in its place had been a huge pit full of garbage, and now it was an actual park.
The sun warmed her body as she walked, and she pulled off her blazer and slung it over her arm, letting the warmth soak into her bare shoulders. The breeze ruffled the skirt of her sundress and it finally felt like summer was just around the corner.
She spotted Ben finally and hurried over to him; when she saw the spread he’d laid out on a picnic blanket, her jaw dropped. When she finally recovered, she leaned in to kiss him hello. “Hi! Sorry I’m late; I wanted to get everything with the raccoon relocation project finished before I headed over. Now I have the rest of the day off, so we can relax!”
-
Family
“I’m pretty sure our child will love waffles just as much as I do,” Leslie said, giggling. “And they’ll be really smart, like you. Although given that we’re both huge nerds, especially the father, I think it’s safe to say we’re bringing another nerd into the world. It’s probably engrained in our DNA.”
She let out a sigh of disbelief. “I still can’t believe it… we’re going to be parents. We’re going to be a family.”
Leslie cuddled into his side and hugged him tightly; the last time she’d been this happy was on their wedding day over a year ago. It had been the perfect day and she’d thought nothing could ever top it. Today was pretty damn close.
He grinned happily and nuzzled her neck as she described their future child. He had to agree with her: that would be one nerdy kid.
“But imagine a kid with your passion and my brains. That’d be like… a superbaby. That kid would be president by age 35.”
His cheeks hurt from so much smiling. He could already picture days spent in the park with his daughter, her long blonde hair flying past her face as she giggled happily (he imagined her laughter, and knew he wouldn’t be surprised if it sounded anything like Leslie’s).
Leslie let out another burst of giggles. “Superbaby? Yeah, she’s definitely getting most of the nerd genes from you, honey.” She definitely wanted a daughter, although a little boy with Ben’s brown hair and boyish charm would probably grow up to be just as sweet as his father. But if Leslie couldn’t achieve her dreams of becoming the first female President, and her daughter wanted to chase that same dream, she would do everything in her power to support her.
There would be a Knope woman in the White House someday.
-
Family
“I know, I still can’t believe it myself…” she replied, unable to stop smiling as she wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed in disbelief. “But it’s true! The little stick wouldn’t lie. But I’ll go see Ann tomorrow and get a blood test, just to be 100% sure. No, wait, I hate needles. But I should go ask her for one, just to freak her out. Is that mean? Oh, I should just call her right now!” Leslie chewed indecisively on her bottom lip for a moment before shaking her head. “I’ll call her first thing tomorrow. But I’m not going to tell anyone else, not until we know that everything’s okay.”
The more she talked, the more real it became. The possibilities were all so exciting, but also daunting. Leslie had many skills, as her various awards and certificates showed, but having a child wasn’t one of them. “Ben? I’m… kind of terrified right now,” she admitted with a nervous grin. “I mean, I’m excited, but… I’ve never done this before.”
He couldn’t help but grin. “I know what you mean.” He shrugged. “I’ve never done it before, either.” He grasped her hand tightly, taking a moment to think. He did have a five year old niece, Isabelle, that they visit often and even babysit every once in awhile.
“We did get plenty of practice from Izzy,” he reassured her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple. “I feel like we’ve been doing a pretty decent job babysitting her.” He snaked his other arm around her waist, nestling his head in the crook of her neck before resting his hand on her abdomen. He still couldn’t quite believe that there was a baby in there. He thought about the next nine months as he sat there, picturing trips to the hardware store to pick out paint colors for the baby’s room and late night runs to JJ’s for waffles and salsa.
Leslie’s smaller hand moved to rest on his, her heart so ridiculously full of love for him, but also for the tiny little potential person just beneath their joined hands. Sure, she was scared as hell, but he was right there with her and she knew with Ben at her side, she would be ready when the time came.
“I guess I have to cut back on the coffee,” she sighed dramatically, making a face. “And I’m going to get fat, Ben! I’m eating for two now.” She was trying to remember everything she’d previously read about pregnancy, which admittedly wasn’t a lot. She made a mental note to order some books, or see if Ann could recommend some. Anything other than going to the library. Stupid book jockeys lording their knowledge of the dewey decimal system over everyone.
“Will you even be able to function without caffeine?” He almost shuddered at the thought, but he knew his suffering would be less than hers (he wasn’t the one about to carry a child for nine months). He was excited, but nervous. Everything was going to be different once they had a little Leslie running around. (He was already certain he wanted a girl.)
“I don’t know why you’re complaining; now you have an excuse to eat as many waffles as you want. Not that you needed one before.” He squeezed her hand gently and tried to picture her months in the future, belly round. He was sure she’d be as beautiful as ever, no matter her size.
“I don’t care how fat you get or how cranky you’ll be without coffee. I know I’m not the one that’ll be doing all of the work, but just think: after it’s all over, we’ll have a baby. Our baby.”
“I’m pretty sure our child will love waffles just as much as I do,” Leslie said, giggling. “And they’ll be really smart, like you. Although given that we’re both huge nerds, especially the father, I think it’s safe to say we’re bringing another nerd into the world. It’s probably engrained in our DNA.”
She let out a sigh of disbelief. “I still can’t believe it… we’re going to be parents. We’re going to be a family.”
Leslie cuddled into his side and hugged him tightly; the last time she’d been this happy was on their wedding day over a year ago. It had been the perfect day and she’d thought nothing could ever top it. Today was pretty damn close.
-
Family
“I know, I still can’t believe it myself…” she replied, unable to stop smiling as she wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed in disbelief. “But it’s true! The little stick wouldn’t lie. But I’ll go see Ann tomorrow and get a blood test, just to be 100% sure. No, wait, I hate needles. But I should go ask her for one, just to freak her out. Is that mean? Oh, I should just call her right now!” Leslie chewed indecisively on her bottom lip for a moment before shaking her head. “I’ll call her first thing tomorrow. But I’m not going to tell anyone else, not until we know that everything’s okay.”
The more she talked, the more real it became. The possibilities were all so exciting, but also daunting. Leslie had many skills, as her various awards and certificates showed, but having a child wasn’t one of them. “Ben? I’m… kind of terrified right now,” she admitted with a nervous grin. “I mean, I’m excited, but… I’ve never done this before.”
He couldn’t help but grin. “I know what you mean.” He shrugged. “I’ve never done it before, either.” He grasped her hand tightly, taking a moment to think. He did have a five year old niece, Isabelle, that they visit often and even babysit every once in awhile.
“We did get plenty of practice from Izzy,” he reassured her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple. “I feel like we’ve been doing a pretty decent job babysitting her.” He snaked his other arm around her waist, nestling his head in the crook of her neck before resting his hand on her abdomen. He still couldn’t quite believe that there was a baby in there. He thought about the next nine months as he sat there, picturing trips to the hardware store to pick out paint colors for the baby’s room and late night runs to JJ’s for waffles and salsa.
Leslie’s smaller hand moved to rest on his, her heart so ridiculously full of love for him, but also for the tiny little potential person just beneath their joined hands. Sure, she was scared as hell, but he was right there with her and she knew with Ben at her side, she would be ready when the time came.
“I guess I have to cut back on the coffee,” she sighed dramatically, making a face. “And I’m going to get fat, Ben! I’m eating for two now.” She was trying to remember everything she’d previously read about pregnancy, which admittedly wasn’t a lot. She made a mental note to order some books, or see if Ann could recommend some. Anything other than going to the library. Stupid book jockeys lording their knowledge of the dewey decimal system over everyone.
-
Family
Leslie rolled her eyes in reply. “Yeah, and you know who you got the nerd genes from? Your mom. It’s possible she’s seen Star Wars more times than you have.” She laughed softly before going quiet, her head on his shoulder and her hand still covering his. Ever since she’d sat down next to him, she’d been trying to decide how to tell him the news, but a tiny part of her was actually nervous.
She knew that was silly. This was Ben. Her husband. And it wasn’t bad news; it was good news. Great news. It was just… it had happened a little more quickly than she’d anticipated.
Lifting her head up, she smiled at him and took a deep breath. She’d spent so much time worrying about how to say it, when all that really mattered was that it was actually true.
“I’m pregnant.” The words came tumbling out in a rush, and before she could stop herself she was smiling so wide that her cheeks hurt.
“Well, she did take me to the original showing of it back in ‘77… when I was still a toddler. She started saturating me in nerd culture before I made it out of the womb, probably…”
They were quiet again, one of Ben’s hands still in Leslie’s and the other tap tap tapping at the keyboard. He enjoyed his quiet moments with Leslie and took great pleasure in just sitting with her, appreciating the home they had created together. Usually Leslie was much more animated, but the reason for her silence became clear rather quickly.
The words spilled out of her mouth and he almost thought he had heard her wrong, but she was grinning hugely and he knew couldn’t have mistaken that sentence for anything else. “Oh my god, are you - are you serious?” He grinned widely, and his laptop lay forgotten on the coffee table as he kissed her, ecstatic.
“You’re pregnant.” He said it out loud, still trying to process the information. They were going to have a baby. Their baby. A little Leslie Knope was already growing, and he almost couldn’t believe it.
“I know, I still can’t believe it myself…” she replied, unable to stop smiling as she wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed in disbelief. “But it’s true! The little stick wouldn’t lie. But I’ll go see Ann tomorrow and get a blood test, just to be 100% sure. No, wait, I hate needles. But I should go ask her for one, just to freak her out. Is that mean? Oh, I should just call her right now!” Leslie chewed indecisively on her bottom lip for a moment before shaking her head. “I’ll call her first thing tomorrow. But I’m not going to tell anyone else, not until we know that everything’s okay.”
The more she talked, the more real it became. The possibilities were all so exciting, but also daunting. Leslie had many skills, as her various awards and certificates showed, but having a child wasn’t one of them. “Ben? I’m… kind of terrified right now,” she admitted with a nervous grin. “I mean, I’m excited, but… I’ve never done this before.”