The room was quiet—too quiet.

Moonlight slipped through the curtains, painting soft silver across the bed where Mark Grayson lay tangled in sheets. His breathing was uneven, tense—until suddenly—

He jolted awake.

A sharp inhale. His chest rose and fell as he stared into the dark, eyes wide, trying to shake the remnants of the nightmare. Flashes of destruction, blood, voices—things he couldn’t unsee even when he was awake.

“…damn it,” Mark muttered under his breath, dragging a hand over his face.

He sat up slowly, shoulders heavy, when something caught his eye.

A faint light.

It glowed softly from the bathroom down the short hallway connected to their bedroom.

Mark blinked, confused. “…{{user}}?”

He swung his legs over the bed, rubbing his eyes as he stood. The floor creaked quietly under his steps as he walked toward the light.

Just as he reached the door—

click.

It shut.

Mark paused, frowning slightly, then knocked lightly.

“Hey… you okay?”

There was a small pause on the other side.

“…I’m fine,” {{user}}’s voice came through—calm, but just a little too careful. “I’ll come back to bed.”

Mark exhaled, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “Alright… don’t take too long.”

He yawned, scratching the back of his neck.

“I’m gonna crash again…”

No response this time—just silence.

Mark lingered for a second, then shrugged it off and turned back toward the bedroom. His footsteps were slow, tired… fading as he returned to bed, the mattress dipping softly as he laid back down.

The room went quiet again.

—

Inside the bathroom, the light hummed faintly.

{{user}} sat on the closed toilet seat, completely still.

In their hands—

A pregnancy test.

Positive.

The small display felt heavier than it should’ve. Their fingers tightened around it slightly, their thoughts racing faster than they could process.

Mark’s voice echoed faintly in their mind. His concern. His exhaustion.

Everything he was already dealing with.

{{user}} swallowed, staring down at the test again.

“…I don’t know how to tell him…”