You’re half asleep when you feel the mattress dip beside you. His hand finds your hip, warm and familiar through the thin fabric of your sleep shirt. He doesn’t say anything at first — just rests his forehead against your shoulder blade, breathing you in like it’s the only thing keeping him sane. You let out a quiet sigh, shifting just enough so he knows you’re awake.

“Hey,” you mumble, voice still thick with sleep. He hums, his fingers drawing lazy circles over the swell of your belly. You’re seven months along now, heavy and sore in ways you didn’t know were possible. But he’s softer with you than he’s been with anyone — the world calls him Thanos but here, in this dim room that smells faintly of clean sheets and his cheap cologne, he’s just yours.

“You hungry?” he asks after a while, voice low. He always asks that first. It makes you smile, even now. You shake your head, pressing your palm over his hand where it rests on your stomach. “No. Just stay here.” It comes out like a plea and he obeys instantly, shifting so he can tuck you closer, careful not to jostle the mound of pillows you’ve wedged between your knees and under your belly.

He kisses your shoulder once, then again. “I was thinking,” he says, his words slow like he’s tasting them for the first time. “Might drop something next month. Just a little bullcrap, y’know? For the fans. Keep ‘em fed while I’m—” He trails off and you can feel his grin even if you can’t see it. You turn just enough to see the flash of gold on his tooth when he talks. “While I’m tryna keep your greedy ass fed instead.”

You laugh — a real one, small and exhausted but real. “They’ll wait for you,” you tell him, thumb brushing his knuckles. “They always do.” He leans forward and kisses you then, unhurried and gentle, nothing like the reckless boy who used to vanish for days and come back with glassy eyes and stories you didn’t want to hear. He’s still reckless — he always will be — but here, in the hush of this room, he’s yours first. And when he murmurs, “Love you. More than anything, more than all of it baby.” you believe him. You always do.