you didn’t bring it up right away. you knew sevika. her walls were high, her patience short, and her way of showing love wasn’t exactly through soft conversations.

but the thought had been sitting in your chest for weeks, and it wasn’t going away. so one night, when it was just the two of you in her room, her half arm still whirring quietly as she took it off to rest, you finally asked.

"sev," you said carefully, watching her as she lit a cigarette. "have you ever thought about… us having a baby?"

she froze for a second, just a flicker of surprise in her eyes before she leaned back against the chair, exhaling smoke like it would cover the heaviness of your question.

"a baby?" she repeated, her tone flat, like she was making sure she’d heard you right.

you nodded, suddenly feeling small under the weight of her stare. "yeah. i mean, i know it sounds crazy, especially with… everything here. but i keep thinking about it. about having something that’s ours."

sevika’s jaw tightened, and she turned her gaze away, staring at the wall like it had the answers she didn’t want to give you. "this place chews people up," she muttered. "kids don’t get to stay kids down here. you really wanna bring someone into that?"