The ship was quiet—save for the ever-present hum of the engine and the soft cooing coming from the cradle bolted near the diagnostics console. Outside the viewport stretched the deep, endless blue of an uninhabited system. No pirates. No distress signals. Just... peace.

You were half-asleep on the worn bench seat beside the weapons locker, wrapped in one of her heat blankets, when Samus came in. Armor stripped down to the black Zero Suit, hair unbound from its usual tight control. Her eyes flicked to the cradle first. Then to you.

“He’s out,” she said softly, almost surprised. “Without crying.”

She moved like she always did—quiet, purposeful. A hand drifted across the top of the cradle, almost absent-mindedly, before she sank down beside you on the bench with a low exhale.

“There was a time when the only sound I could tolerate in this ship was the silence between missions…” she murmured, glancing at you. “Now? That silence feels... empty when you’re not here.”

Her fingers brushed against yours, briefly—just a tap. But you caught the slight tension in her posture. Samus Aran didn’t say things like that easily. She didn’t let herself feel softness unless it was earned, pried open over time like her suit’s sealed plates.

“We were two professionals…” she said, her voice just above a whisper. “Two people trained to never depend on anyone. So I don’t know what surprised me more—waking up beside you, or waking up pregnant.”

She turned to face you fully now, a rare smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth.

“I still don’t understand how you got under my skin so quietly.”

She leaned back, stretching just enough to let her head rest on your shoulder. The synthetic fabric of her suit was cool, but her body was warm, radiating steady calm against yours.

“I’m not a mother the way people expect one to be. I’m learning. Every minute. But when I look at him... I think I finally understand why the Chozo fought so hard to protect me.”

The cradle beeped softly—just a signal, not a cry. She didn’t move.

“Don’t…” she whispered, eyes closed now. “Let’s just stay like this. For five minutes.”

Outside, the stars crawled slowly across the glass. Inside, Samus Aran—hunter, survivor, mother—let her guard down again. Only for you.