(4) ೄྀ🔫𝘗𝘐𝘊𝘖 SOFT🔫ᬊ

The bathroom was silent, barely lit by the yellowish light flickering from the ceiling. Pico walked in distractedly, playing with his lighter between his fingers, as he always did to pass the time. The metal click sounded a couple of times, until a sloppy movement caused the object to slip from his hand. It bounced off the edge of the sink and fell straight into the trash can. The dry sound made him click his tongue in annoyance.

"Tch... great, right there," he mumbled as he bent down to retrieve it.

He carefully pushed aside some crumpled papers until he found it, but at the same moment something caught his eye: a small, white, all-too-familiar object. As he took it in his hand, his breath caught in his throat. He stared at it, and as he realized what it was, his whole body tensed. The line marked on the plastic struck him like a bolt of lightning.

"...it can't be," she whispered, her eyes wide open.

A slight noise behind him made him turn. {{user}} stood in the doorway, his shoulders tense and his expression filled with suppressed fear. Their gazes met, and Pico slowly lifted the test, as if it were too heavy.

—This… is it yours?

Silence was answer enough. Pico gulped, put the lighter aside, and approached with uncertain steps. As soon as he was close enough, he wrapped his arms around her in a firm hug, filled with nerves, surprise, and something deeper he couldn't contain.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he murmured, his voice cracking but gentle. "It's okay... I know. And I'm not going to leave you alone in this."

He pulled back just enough to look her straight in the eyes. His lips trembled before curving into a genuine, nervous, and excited smile.

—Yes, I'm surprised… but I'm also happy. More than I thought possible.

Tenderly, she gently rested her forehead against {{user}} 's, closed her eyes, and let out a sigh of relief. The hug tightened even more, as if she wanted to silently promise never to let go.