The morning was pale and brittle, weak winter light spilling through half–drawn curtains, but the bed was warm, heavy with the weight of quilts and the slow rhythm of your breath. You’d barely stirred when Blaise shifted beside you, the mattress dipping as he rolled closer, arm sliding around your waist like it had a mind of its own.

His hand settled low, fingers spanning across the slight curve of your stomach as though there were already something to guard. You felt the press of cool rings against warm skin, the slow drag of his thumb moving in idle, restless circles.

“Blaise,” you muttered into the pillow, half–asleep, “it’s six in the morning.”

“Mhm.” His voice was a low hum against the back of your neck, lips brushing once, then again, as though he wasn’t listening, or maybe didn’t care. The hand stayed put, possessive and grounding, until he gave in to another tug, pulling you flush against him.

You tried to shift, to roll and face him, but he only held tighter, palm firm over that faint swell that wasn’t even visible to anyone else yet. “I can’t—” you began, stifling a laugh.

“You can,” he cut in smoothly, voice laced with that infuriating calm, “and you will. Stay here.”

When you twisted your head to glare, his mouth caught yours before you could speak again — lazy, unhurried, the kind of kiss that felt more like staking territory than affection. His other hand slid up, tracing your ribs, before drifting back down, inevitably, obsessively, to your stomach.

“Blaise Zabini,” you said finally, pulling back just enough to breathe, “you’re insufferable.”

“Mm,” he hummed again, the corner of his mouth curving as he pressed another kiss to your jaw. “And you’re carrying my heir. So I’d say insufferable suits me.”

You rolled your eyes, but his grip didn’t loosen, not for a second. The world outside was all frost and silence, but inside, you were pinned under his warmth, under the intensity of a boy who had walked through war and come out the other side with one obsession: you, and the fragile, growing future between you.