A/N – Ferb and Vanessa and some sweet sweet lovin'. You absolutely MUST read "The Kiss" and "Warming Up" first, but if you've gotten to this point, you've probably already done that.

This is my first "M"-rated fic, but I don't plan to make a habit of this. I know the rating is going to put some people off, but I hope at least a few readers will be game to check it out and comment.

Sometimes, writing is a battle. Then sometimes you get inspired and the story practically writes itself…

Cooling Down

"FERB!"

Vanessa's cry slammed into the ceiling and exploded above them. Her lover responded with a low, guttural sound that blossomed into a shuddering groan. Their first afternoon of this, and already she recognized his meaning, as he tensed against her, muscles straining, shoulders lifting for leverage as his hips pinned hers to the bed. She watched with delight as he squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip, then his face relaxed and his body collapsed onto hers, inch by inch, like a crumbling bridge, his eyes flickering open for only a moment before his head landed, face down on the pillow, beside her.

They stayed as they were for a minute or so, both breathing heavily. A residual tremor pushed a lingering whimper from her throat, prompting Ferb to shove his nose against her ear and mumble something that sounded like, "Vnssuh." Hands reaching around him to caress his neck and back, Vanessa shifted beneath him, and he said, just a tad more distinctly, "Wait." She felt his hand crawl between them as he moved off of her, holding the spent sheath in place until he could safely remove it. Her body now exposed to the air, Vanessa shivered a little, as Ferb sat on the edge of the bed. The filtered daylight that played through the curtains made the lean muscles of his back glisten, and she reached out a hand to stroke them. Ferb looked down at her, unimaginably handsome to her sight, smiling with a sublime mix of exhaustion, adoration, and relief.

She found her voice and said, "I guess they're right. Third time's the charm."

His face flushed at this remark, but there was a happy glint in his eye, as Vanessa opened her arms to him, and he moved to lie down beside her. Without further conversation, they concentrated on getting settled together, arms around each other, his cheek on her shoulder, her lips against his forehead as she nuzzled into his hair and drank in his scent.

Reflecting on their afternoon, Vanessa felt herself smiling as she sorted through the memories. The discovery that, yes, the green hair was natural, and the sharp breaths she elicited from him when she toyed with the light patches of it scattered on his mostly-smooth chest. The skill in his deft hands as he had explored her, fascinated by the responses they coaxed from her. The first time Ferb had brought her to completion had been with his hands; he had been too aroused by the mere sight of her, never mind the initial attempts at contact, to last very long at all. He had been so cute, brow furrowed in frustration as he insisted on finding some means of satisfying her, and she had eagerly begged for his touch. Vanessa was used to taking care of her own urges, but letting him do it was so much better and, as lovely as this most recent encounter had been, she would never forget the pleasure of that first climax, the intent look on his face as he had focused all his attention on her. He had wanted to learn what pleased her – well, that had been a lesson for both of them.

This approach also had taken off the first, urgent edge and allowed them to slow down a bit. There had been a lengthy session of mutual massaging of backs and buttocks, punctuated by bouts of kissing, nibbling, nuzzling… Vanessa had discovered that a gentle, teasing application of her teeth to Ferb's nipples was enough to send him hurtling over the edge again. As soon as he was coherent, he had shoved his hand between her thighs, but she had put him off this time. They didn't need to keep things "even" between them, she had assured him, and she was happy to wait until he was ready to make another attempt at entering her properly. He had kissed her gratefully, and muttered something about 'rapid refractory time.'

From the start, Vanessa had responded to all of his attentions with an instinctive language of gasps and moans and murmurs of his name, until it had dawned on her that, the more she vocalized, the more difficult it was for him to pace himself. On their second go, she had made a concerted effort to restrain her voice in an attempt to help him last longer, but Ferb, realizing what she was doing, had begged between ragged breaths, "Please – V-Vanessa – I want to hear you!" This was enough to unleash the flood of wild cries trapped in her throat, and with a growl of mingled ecstasy and exasperation, Ferb had hit the finish line.

Tumbling onto his back, he had clasped his hands to his skull and dug his fingers into his hair. Grunting, he kept his eyes closed until she rolled onto her side and stroked his chest, then he glanced at her and said, with the sorry hint of a smile: "Well, I did warn you."

Raising herself on one arm, she bent over him and caressed his mouth with her own, then murmured against his cheek, "Don't worry." Sitting up, she smiled at him and purred, "I'm having a wonderful time."

Dreamy-eyed, he had reached up to draw her in for another kiss and breathed into her, "I love you."

She had felt a quiver go through him as she trailed her fingertips down the length of his stomach and answered, "And I love you, Ferbouche."

Now, reflecting on all of this in the wake of their transcendent third effort, Vanessa gave Ferb a squeeze, and felt him exhale against her breast. They had been still and quiet for a while, when a new sensation began to well up in her, originating somewhere in her stomach. "I'm hungry," she noted, with a soft giggle of surprise, as she added, "Well, Ferb, you do know how to work up a girl's appetite." Nudging him gently with her shoulder, she told him, "I'm going to get something to eat. You want something?"

He didn't answer. When she moved to raise her head and look at him, a soft snore escaped his nose. Carefully disengaging from him, Vanessa scooted toward the edge of the bed. With a glowing smile, she regarded him as he blindly burrowed into her pillow with a drowsy sigh. Her soulmate, her lover, her darling Ferbouche was asleep in her bed, and she felt her heart swell with a sweet, comforting joy.

Vanessa had to walk around the bed to get to the door, and when she passed the side where he slumbered, she reached out and smoothed his mussy hair. She would make an extra sandwich, she decided. Just in case he was hungry when he woke.

THE END

A/N – Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh own the characters. The mush is all mine.