The hotel room felt a little cold, but neither of them was willing to get up and toy with the heater across the room. They were far too comfortable and, besides just the blankets, their body heat would keep them warm enough. Steph felt this more than her husband, probably, as at that moment she was being squished a bit by the man as he lay half atop her, head angled so he could see the television across the room. It was so late, being after RAW and all, that the only thing on, really, was a rerun of the 10 o'clock news, but he was glued to it regardless.

It had felt nice to be held, sort of, at first, but now he was hurting her a bit and she couldn't even really see the television that well plus, honestly, she didn't want to. She wanted to go to sleep. But how could she when his head was right there, beard rubbing against her cheek, breathing in her face, as he watched a local news station covering things that didn't matter to them?

She couldn't.

"Are you tired yet? Paul?" she asked her husband softly as she blinked up at him.

"No." Then he thought. "Well, I'm always tired, but I can't sleep yet."

"You're making my arm fall asleep."

"Sorry."

"I was asking if you could move."

"I was ignoring it."

"Paul-"

He sat up then, granting her freedom, but as Stephanie rolled onto her side, he only laid right up on her once more, wrapping an arm around her. It was an improvement of sorts, at least.

"Why are you so touchy? I shouldda got my own room."

"I've just missed you," he whispered against her neck.

"This is literally the least either of us have traveled since...well, since you got hurt."

"I miss you when we're in the same building, but different rooms. Sometimes I miss you if you're sitting next to me, but talking to someone else."

"That's not missing someone," Steph replied. "That's obsessive. And sounds like it could turn abusive real quick."

"I try and be romantic-"

"They're talking about a murder victim on the TV right now. I don't wanna be romanced."

"I won't let the murderer get ya, if that's what you're worried about."

"It's not, but thanks."

They both fell silent again and though his beard was still tickling her and his breath was ghosting across her face, Steph felt much better in her current position. Much. Enough so that, honestly, she could just drift off if…

"Paul-"

"I'll be back."

He was pushing out of bed then, tumbling off to the bathroom. "Keep the bed warm."

"What does that even mean?"

He wasn't gone long though. When he got back though, he didn't cuddle up to her and, though Steph should have found this preferable, it wasn't nearly as great as she'd imagined. So she had to shift over, towards him, so that she could fall into his chest.

"Mmmm," he hummed with a bit of a grin. "Stephie."

"I missed you," she joked softly and he hummed again, but didn't reply.

As he tugged the blankets up better around them, she only nuzzled deeper into him as she remarked. "You know that Valentines day is-"

"Thursday, yeah."

"But we'll have dinner-"

"I thought Wednesday, but we can Friday, I guess, if you-"

"With the girls?" she asked of their children. "Or alone?"

"Alone, this year." He patted at her shoulder. "I told 'em that we wanted to be alone."

"We should get a hotel room, if we want to be alone."

"So we can do this all night?"

"I like this," she agreed softly, running a hand down his chest. "But we could do it at home."

"That's my point."

"I'm gonna fuck you on Valentines Day. So much."

He made a bit of a face, but still only replied, "When I get home at two in the morning, you're gonna do that? Or-"

"Friday," she corrected before having to do so once more. "Wednesday. Whenever we have our date."

"Wine and dine me, huh?"

"Will you buy me chocolate? And roses?"

"I'll buy you whatever the fuck you want, baby."

They kissed them, as she leaned up, and he looked bemused over the whole thing, but she was just as quickly dropping her head back down and cuddling into him.

"What if I want a new house?"

"Just for us to fuck in? I've actually been in the market for one of those. Have one in each major city we visit a lot, yeah? But think of the keyring-"

"Just one away from you," she replied, "would be fine."

"Don't be that way, Stephie. I'd miss you so much then."

"Would you buy me a boat?"

"I'd buy you a billion boats. Unless it's for you to escape me in." Then he paused. "Yeah, I do sound a bit obsessive and abusive tonight."

"Would you buy me...a new dog?"

"No." And his voice didn't sound so lovely then. "I won't. Two is enough."

"But think about this-"

"I don't want to."

"Andre and Attila are so big and huge."

"Yeah, Steph, you're the one who likes Mastiffs."

"But imagine if we got a tiny little dog that I would take everywhere with me and-"

"I don't like little dogs."

"He wouldn't be for you."

"Steph, once you hit three dogs, you become that person. Especially if one of them is a little yappy shit."

"What happens once you hit three kids?"

"You've hit the perennial of the right number." He beamed at the thought.

"Okay, but consider this."

"I refuse."

"What if I got a cat?"

"It would be eaten by my attack dogs."

Stephanie decided not to mention that Andre and Attila were much more likely to attack someone by accidentally licking them to death than they were to do anything aggressive.

"It would stay in my house that I have all to myself."

"I have to buy you a cat and a house?" Paul whistled. "High price tag."

"Cats cost, like, what? Twenty dollars at a pound?"

"Since when do you go to the pound?"

"I'm very progressive these days."

"Yeah, after you got your designer dogs."

"You're right," she conceded. "I'm gonna need an expensive, designer cat."

"Do they have those? What cat qualifies as purebred? And who will change it's litter box for you?"

"Well, you can come over to the house sometimes, to do that, I guess. What else do cats need? You can come over and feed it too, for me, if you want."

"What exactly have I done?" he questioned. "Huh? That I gotta do all this? I'm loyal and kind, hell, I even pretended to miss you for your benefit-"

"I didn't that, actually. Sounded stalkerish."

"It's the exact shit you say about me."

"It's different when the woman says it."

"This is why no one believes you had anything to do with the Women's Revolution."

"Mmmm." Again, his chest got a pat and she titled her head to stare up at him. "You haven't done anything, baby."

"Then why should I buy you all this stuff? Huh? And do all this stuff for you?"

"Because I asked you too."

He considered this before, slowly, saying, "I don't want one of those bald cats though, Stephie. Those things terrify me. Why is it bald? Who shaved it? Is it sick? It should be put down."

"It would remind me of your gross bald head."

"Now you've gone too far." Then he thought. "What are you getting me then, baby? For Valentines Day? If I'm getting you all this."

"I gave you three kids, my love, devotion, and the keys, practically, to my father's company. What more do you want?"

"That fuck would be appreciated, actually, that you mentioned before. The hotel fuck."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

"You're easy," she retorted. "Babe."

"You haven't heard all I plan on doing in that hotel room." He stared down at her with heavy eyes. "Babe."

She couldn't help it. She laughed, perhaps too much, and it was over then, anyways. He was reaching for the remote not soon after that, to flick off the television, and she found, finally, the perfect place to sleep, away from him, on the other side of the bed. It wasn't as warm or nearly as snuggly, but she couldn't sleep that way. All cuddled up to him. Neither could he.

They would be too inclined to talk all night.

"I'm not getting you a cat," he told her as, now in the dark, they both settled into bed, truly, trying to actually find sleep now. "Or a bunch of houses to fuck in. My taxes are already bonkers."

"Who the fuck files taxes?"

"You're silly."

"I'll settle, anyways," she gave in, "for dinner that you don't look at your phone during and the car ride there, I get to pick the music, and on the way back, we drive in silence so that we can talk about how wonderful our loving relationship is."

"Can counter this?"

"You can try."

"Pantera on the way there, you try staying the fuck off your phone during dinner, Metallica on the way back to the hotel, good fuck, then no music on the way home because you'll be too busy giving me head and we both know we need to completely hear every last noise involved in that."

"You're offers been rejected and now no music to or from the restaurant."

"This is bullshit."

"You negated your right to terms by offering up such a ridiculous request."

"Maybe I'll refuse to sign."

"You negated that option as well."

"What if I run out of reasons that I love you? After talking about it on the way there and during dinner? Then what will we do on the way back?"

"We'll talk about all the ways you disappoint me."

He grunted and gave her his back. "Guess I better find some more reasons then."

"I bet it won't be too hard at all," she offered as, finally, she felt like she was drifting off.


Yeah, I missed Valentines Day by a bit, but it's a busy time for me. Back to requests soon, hopefully.