Ralph Dibny loved his wife at all times. When they were at parties and she showed him off like he was better than business tycoons or astronauts or normal husbands. And when he got a case and she scratched her plans for a shopping trip to help him solve it. But he loved her best at night, when the banter dried away and his intellect finally cooled and it was just them. Her presence was nearly indistinguishable in the dark, but through the quiet sounds of the city at night and the starlight that drifted through the mosquito netting, he had enough evidence to justify her existence.
"Honey, grab me some icewater," Sue said. Her voice was low and doused with exhaustion. It had been a busy day: a mystery, being taken hostage, the rescue (on Ralph's part) and the escape (on Sue's part), and the love-making. Barely even able to get back to the hotel before they started, just happy to see each other alive and well. Case closed.
Ralph stretched out. His limb made a plastic noise and extended a few inches before rip-roaring back to his arm. The gingold potion must've run out. He tried to think of a way to get some more without getting up. Sue must've read his mind, because she laughed and pulled a bottle out from underneath the mattress.
"What's that doing there?"
"In case we're attacked during the night." Sue rolled over, an arm thrown over Ralph's chest, the other crooking at the elbow to tug a lock of red hair over his eyes. "It was your idea."
"I'm so smart."
She kissed his chin and patted his chest twice. "Icewater. Chop chop."
Ralph drank, felt the familiar alteration as his body took up the cause. His hand navigated through the hallways to the kitchen, found the refrigerator, and took out one of the bottled waters that Sue brought along on every trip, whether it be to Tijuana, Mexico or London, England.
Sue took a long drink, capped the bottle, and set it down on the ground beside the bed. Ralph shifted a little as she held him tight, her head resting on his bicep.
"So, what are we going to do tomorrow?"
"No more talking," Sue said with a yawn. "Just cuddle."
Ralph rolled his eyes, just a little.
"Hey. There've been studies. Couples who cuddle stay together longer than those who don't. My parents used to cuddle."
"There's a mental image I needed."
Sue sadistically pulled him in tighter. "We'll be old and gray, with a passel of grandkids, still lying in bed every night and holding each other."
Ralph blinked and willed his bicep to go a little softer, letting her head sink into it like a pillow. "I'd like that."