The first sound Meruem hears is a soft pitter-patter of feet, his acute senses ripping him from sleep as soon as it registers. He becomes alert, scanning the room, tail lashing as he readies himself for some type of altercation.
Instead, that woman, Komugi, stumbles out of the darkness.
It becomes clear to him that the reason behind her practically soundless steps was a mixture of her light weight and her desire to not disturb him.
Now she looks mortified. She must have sensed his movement, because her eyes were open in surprise, empty and stareing just past his left shoulder. They slowly closed, and she frowned.
"...Supreme Leader?" Her voice is barely a whisper.
"Yes?" She freezes.
"I…. I… I'm sorry for waking you, but…"
"Yes?" His impatience gets the better of him. Her eyebrows furrow.
"...I… I got scared. There was lots of noises and I didn't know what to do."
Meruem looked at her incredulously. "Ask Pitou. Or Pouf."
"Pouf told me to ignore it, and Pitou…. I can't really look for them."
"Fine. Can you hear the noises in here?"
Komugi seemed to strain to listen, going silent. Meruem listened, as well. He could faintly hear a sound in the distance, but he knew it was Pitou working on something, so remained unconcerned. He could also hear shallow breathing from Komugi. She seemed to be sick constantly.
"I can't."
"There you go. Stay."
Komugi looked horrified. "I couldn't."
"You can. Very easily. You need to be well rested for our next match. Stay."
"But Supreme Leader…!"
"Stop arguing with me, or I will make you stop." He walked over to her, and grabbed her hand. Komugi flinched, but took it. He led her with uncharacteristic gentleness to his bed. She felt around it, trying to find the edge and pull herself up. Meruem snorted, surprising himself and Komugi. She jumped a bit, bracing herself as if waiting to be scolded. Meruem just shook his head in amusement. He picked her up, making her squeak in protest, and tossed her onto the bed.
"There. I will stay somewhere else for the night."
"Oh, no, Supreme Leader…."
"What?" Meruem hissed. "I am within my right to have you stay here. And-"
"But, I don't want to be alone….!" Komugi interjected. She covered her mouth in horror. "Oh, oh, no, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt you, oh, goodness, oh…!"
Meruem stared at her, flabbergasted. "You… You don't want to be alone…?"
Komugi was still rambling on, all flustered apologies and tears. Meruem sighed, a pang of fondness filling his chest. She was so…. Amusing.
"FIne. I will stay, then. But you will, too." Meruem pushed Komugi over, so she plopped onto her back. He lay down next to her, and used an arm to hold her in place. She was extremely warm, and her face had gone red. Meruem made a wheezy noise, a laugh of someone not meant to. Komugi squirmed awkwardly for a few seconds, then seemed to become comfortable with her position. She snuggled up to him, face pressed against his firm chest.
Meruem sighed contentedly, and without thinking about it, began to pet her hair. She made a soft noise, startled, but cuddled closer.
She fell asleep rather quickly, and soon her snores filled the room. There was that pang again. Meruem would have to make sure he carried her to her room in the morning, or Pouf would throw a fit. He wasn't fond of Komugi, or her bond with Meruem.
Meruem found himself feeling calm; happy even. His eyes became heavy, and he found himself sinking into repose.
The last thought he had before he finally succumbed to sleep was that, once he had succeeded with his conquering mission, he wanted Komugi to be his Queen.