Notes :

Yes! This chapter took forever to write. I couldn't figure out how I wanted it to go, and it suddenly clicked, so here you are at last. I hope you enjoy, and know that there is plenty more yet to come, lots of twists and turns, even more fluff and citrus. And, please, if you like what you read or if you have any suggestions of something you want to see (or mistakes I've made; hey, nobody's perfect), please favorite, follow, and review! Until next time, lovelies!

"Pull over here," Marinette told the cabbie, two blocks from the hotel. She paid him, and the two teens exited the car. Once the car was out of sight, Adrien shouldered her backpack, and Marinette gave his hand a final squeeze before she melted into the shadows of an alley. Adrien made his way to the hotel on the sidewalks.

In the alley, Marinette called to Tikki. "Spots on!" she whispered, making sure no one was paying her any attention. Ladybug swung up onto the rooftops and soared across the skyline to Le Grand Paris, landing lightly on the penthouse balcony, where she was quickly pulled into the room, curtains drawn shut.

"No one saw you, right?" Chloe said, peeking through the cracks in the curtains like a paranoid hermit.

"I don't think so." Ladybug answered. "I wasn't followed, anyway. Someone may have seen me in passing, but I'm usually out there in random places. They probably won't think anything of it." She stood and glanced around the room. The elevator dinged, and Adrien stepped out. Alya and Nino were already cozy on the couch, looking subdued. The mayor stood in one corner, the chief of police right behind him.

Adrien dropped Marinette's bag and the backpack Nino had packed for him to the floor with a soft thud, breaking the bit of tension that had been building up silently. He and Ladybug stood shoulder to shoulder where they could see everyone, looking every inch the heroes they were, pushing away any feelings they may have coursing through their system. Their public faces were on.

"Status report?" Ladybug asked, looking to Alya.

"My parents were already packing up. They knew. I didn't even have to say a word. They're a bit mad that I'm not going with them." The brunette answered.

"My dad was mad that I wasn't already with Adrien." Nino said. "Bro's have to stick together. But he's leaving. Mom's already out of town, and he's going to make sure she stays away for a while." He squeezed Alya's shoulder reflexively, drawing her closer.

Ladybug nodded and turned her attention to Chloe. The blonde stood unsure next to the couch, clutching her arm at her side. "Alya and Nino can stay here with me. It's not a perfect solution, but daddy agrees it's our best option. It keeps us all in one place and will help focus Queen Bee's attacks. If we know where she will strike, it will make it easier to fend her off long enough for you two to arrive.

The mayor moved suddenly, tossing something into the air. Ladybug caught it, looking down into her hand to see two silver keys on a keyring. "You have the entire third floor. The apartment has roof access. It is completely untraceable." He said. He sighed. "I…I can't begin to understand what you are going through." He sounded a hundred years old. "Paris owes you their lives many times over. This, I will happily give you." His gaze turned to Ladybug. There was something sharp in his eyes. "To believe you were just kids…still are…" he mused. He rolled his shoulders. "Right. I will give you the address. Just you two, though. Other parties should not be aware of it's location, even parties included in this room. However, I will ask one boon, if you would." Ladybug inclined her head in ascension. "I request…your identity. I know my daughter and your friends know it. I know from their talking that your family has left Paris for their safety, along with the others." Ladybug frowned, and he held up his hands. "I don't ask for my own curiosity, or to have that to hold over you. I ask as a father. If…if Chloe were in your shoes, I would want to know…if something happened to her, I would want to know it."

Ladybug understood instantly, facial expression easing. She was still uncertain. It was a big secret, one that was becoming less secret every moment. "Plagg." She summoned the small black Kwami out of her backpack. The mayor and chief of police jumped, staring at him. "You know Tikki the best…I know she doesn't approve of me telling people…"

Plagg considered for a moment. "I think…she will come to understand the need, even if she is upset at first. I will talk to her, though, if she won't listen to you." He sounded wise, not like what Chat Noir previously described to her—the cheeky, lazy, snark-ridden god of mischief.

She nodded. She gave one last searching glance to Adrien, who nodded encouragement, managing a tiny smile. "Tikki, spots off." She said just loud enough for those in the room to hear her. The red glow faded quickly leaving Marinette feeling a little…underdressed. The suit always made her feel more comfortable around other people, especially if there was any sort of danger.

"Marinette!" Tikki gasped as she sprang free. "There are civilians here! What are you doing?!" Marinette opened her mouth to answer, only for Plagg to drag Tikki away; Marinette was shocked when she let him do this without a fuss.

"Ah, Mis Dupain-Cheng." He sighed sadly. "I see. Well," He had this look in his eyes that Marinette could almost read—still so young, just children, with the weight of a collapsing world on their shoulders. But they were his only hope, and he knew it. Stepping forward, he pressed a slip of paper into her palm, shaking her hand in a respectful gesture. "I wish you the best of luck. Should you need it, all of Paris will be at your service. However, I will recommend you steer clear of this hotel for a while, as long as its occupants are not under siege. Otherwise, you risk their safety."

"Understood, Mayor Bourgeoise." Marinette said softly. "We will be on our way shortly. And you know we are just a call away, Adrien and myself. If you feel threatened or watched or unsafe at all, don't hesitate to call us. If you can't speak about the danger, slip the word 'mirror' in and we will know and come running."

Marinette stepped to her friends, who now stood together. She pulled them into a hug. "Same goes for you three. Stay safe. Stay in touch." Alya sniffed in her ear. Marinette smiled when she pulled away, tucking a strand of the brunette's curly hair behind her ear fondly.

Then, for the second time that day, she turned away from her family, taking Adrien's hand. "Thank you," she said without turning around, "For everything. Spots on!"

"Claws out!" Adrien's voice still sounded a bit subdued, but still held some of that Chat Noir spark as he posed. He had grabbed their backpacks before he transformed, letting them magically mold into his suit. "Come on, Nooroo." He said, cupping the Kwami and slipping him into Marinette's yo-yo pouch. Without another word, they vaulted off the balcony and into the growing dark of dusk.

The apartment was right in the center of Paris, three stories with a small roof-top garden. It was nice, but not opulent. Nondescript. The garden was thankfully abandoned, and they landed quietly, slipping behind a chimney to de-transform before making their way through the roof-access door and down to the third-floor entrance, using the keys the mayor had given her to enter and locking the door back behind them, closing the world out and entering their own little bubble of peace, quiet—loneliness. The five were silent as they inspected the apartment. There were two good-sized bedrooms, a cozy living room with a fireplace, and a large bathroom with a double sink and a separate tub and shower. It was tastefully furnished, the pantry stocked, soft, expensive-looking bedding stretched over soft mattresses, towels and blankets filling the shelves of the hall closet with a rolling suitcase with a red cross on the side—a fully-stocked first-aid kit. The mayor had thought of everything.

Marinette tried to compartmentalize as she emptied her clothes from her pack and organized them in her dresser. She made a list of things she would grab from her apartment when she had the chance. She mentally rationed the ingredients they'd seen in the pantry into separate meals. She organized her toiletries in the bathroom. She did whatever she could not to think of the obvious elephant in the room—she and Adrien were going to live together, for an indefinite amount of time, in rooms right next to each other. They were going to be sharing space—living room, couch, kitchen, bathroom. Add that to the still-unspoken fact that she'd woken up in his arms that morning and whatever that almost-kiss had been the night before, and you had a perfect recipe for a complete freak-out ready to happen.

Tikki was noticeably avoiding meeting Marinette's gaze and purposefully staying silent, choosing to hunker down on a pillow in one corner of the living room with the other Kwami as the two heroes of Paris awkwardly stood not meeting each other's eyes.

"We should probably…" Adrien's voice sounded loud in the quiet room, making Marinette jump slightly. He gestured to the paper and a map of the city laid out on the dining room table.

"Yeah—yes, let's, uh." She gave up trying to turn her words into a cohesive sentence, sighing and moving to the table. The Kwami followed, settling on the corners of the map. "Okay. What we know." She uncapped a dry-erase marker, moving to the white board covering one wall of the dining room.

Target :

Queen Bee – identity unknown – Bees cause paralysis

Goal -

Last known location : Eiffel Tower

Likely next locations :

Agreste Mansion, Dupain-Cheng Bakery, Césaire home

Lahiffe home, Le Grand Paris, University (on break)

Design studios (?)

Likely targets :

Mayor and Chloe Bourgeoise, Alya Césaire (family safe)

Nino Lahiffe (family safe), University students and staff (on break)

She left the "Goal" section blank. She couldn't remember the girl stating a purpose. The fight hadn't lasted that long before everything went south.

Adrien spoke up, all business again. "If we assume the bees are part of her goal, then we know she wants people to freeze, or, should I say, she wants them to stop. Based on her age and name, we could probably assume this has something to do with popularity." Marinette nodded, notating their board. "She was probably a high school student. It shouldn't be overly difficult to find out her identity; these akumas don't usually take over someone without witnesses. She was first reported near our old school; we could start there." Marinette marked 'Ask mayor to call headmaster' next to the name of their alma mater. "Plus, with there being a break in classes at University, it would be improbable that she would strike there."

"Your…your father mostly worked out of the mansion, right? As did you?" She bit down her hesitation. If Adrien could be calm about this, then so could she.

Adrien fingered his chin in thought. "For the most part…yes. There are a couple of individual studios he would frequent, but none that I would. I was a contract model for my father directly, not for his owned companies." Marinette nodded, marking design studios off the target list.

"Our first priority, then, should be discovering her identity. The listed targets and locations are, for the most part, well-protected and under careful eye, but she probably has targets of her own. If we could find a witness of her akumatization, that would be the best." Adrien nodded in agreement, looking over the map and marking an 'x' over her known locations with a black sharpie, and the targets with red. Then, with a pencil, he created a two-block grid of the entire city. That was their standard method of organizing patrols, leap-frogging through the grid. The parts that included 'x's were outlined darkly, indicating that they would assure they spent extra time going over every inch of those blocks.

"I know we usually only do patrols twice a week, but, since we will probably be devoting our entire time to this task, we should probably do patrols every day, or at least every other day." He remarked, biting his tongue in concentration, a quirk that made her smile fondly. He always did that when he was working through a problem, no matter what the subject. "Once we know her civilian identity, we can narrow our search fields. We could probably only patrol those sections…and rely on the police force to keep an eye on the rest of the city. Maybe…we need to get a police radio…talk to Chief Raincomprix…" His brow furrowed, and he took to biting the tip of the pencil between scribbling notes along the edge of the map. "Probably need a landline…can't be out all day every day…need our rest, too." He was silent for a moment. Raising his eyes a bit, he caught Marinette's expression and froze, blinking back into focus. "What?" He pulled the pen from his lips, looking down on it like he hadn't realized what he'd been doing.

"Nothing." She answered with a grin. You're just kinda cute when you do that." She blushed. Did she just say that?

He quirked an eyebrow in matching surprise. "When I do what?" He was fighting not to give her a signature Chat Noir grin.

"When you…I mean…When you're caught…super focused like that." She stuttered. A thought ran through her mind, one of him paying her that much attention, putting all his focus into her—and she blushed even deeper.

It was that blush that broke his fight, like he knew exactly what she was thinking. He barked a quick laugh, breaking whatever tension was left. "Be still, my heart!" He clutched his chest dramatically, then blew her a kiss. "Glad to know Milady thinks her knight in leather armor is so cute."

"Oh, don't let it go to your head, kitty." She teased back playfully. "Come on. We've got a full day tomorrow. Let's call the mayor to get the rest of it set up, and I'll make one of those frozen pizzas in the fridge." He caught his cell phone as she tossed it to him from where he set it on the counter as she walked into the kitchen, humming softly under her breath and starting the oven as she listened to him explaining their needs to Mr. Bourgeoise from the living room, picking out a film from the rack by the flat screen in the living room. She heard the opening to Princess Bride and grinned, wiping her hands on a towel as she plopped down next to him on the couch.

"Twenty minutes, Chaton." Marinette said, stretching her arms over her head, a small sound of satisfaction escaping her throat as her spine straightened with a line of tiny pops.

Adrien watched her, pupils dilating as he caught a glimpse of the soft skin of her stomach as her shirt rode up. He could feel his muscles shiver as he heard that moan she made. He could imagine all the ways to make her do it again, and it was his turn to blush. Neither of them approached the subject they wanted to. Marinette had been in love with Adrien since they first met, they same with Chat Noir and Ladybug. Then they both learned to let their crushes go in order to focus on the new one—Adrien's crush on Marinette and hers on Chat Noir. The entire situation was a bit ridiculous, making them both face-palm internally. But there was a barrier there, keeping them from breeching the topic.

They sat close on the couch, just barely not touching the heat between their skin a tangible thing that neither could ignore, building the tension back up—despite the adorable hilarity of one of their favorite movies—so that when the oven timer went off, they both jumped, turning to each other and chuckling at the ridiculousness of it. They were best friends, in and out of the mask. This certainly wasn't the first time they'd watched a movie together with a pizza. Neither had really understood just how hungry they were until that cheesy, gooey delicacy was before them on the coffee table, but the fell on it ravenously. Somehow Adrien got cheese on his nose. When Marinette caught sight of him, he was cross-eyed trying to see the cheese, his tongue stretched out trying to lick it off. She cracked up, clutching at her stomach and laughing until tears rolled freely down her face, and that was the final push they needed. After that, she leaned against him as they finished the movie, both randomly quoting their favorite lines, grinning at its cuteness. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her with him as he reclined bit by bit, until they both were almost laying on the couch, her head resting over his chest, his heartbeat thrumming in her ears. His fingers absently stroked through her hair; she wondered if he even realized what he was doing. She, of course, didn't notice the circles she was tracing on his ribs, both lulling into a sleepy, trance-like state, eyes half-lidded, breathing and heartbeats matched, falling into perfect synch. It took them several minutes to notice the credits had finished rolling, leaving the main menu looping on and on.

Adrien didn't want to move. He didn't want to disturb Marinette. He didn't want that warm moment to end. He wanted to stay just like that, forever. And yet…He found himself shifting. Marinette pulled away, sitting up and yawning, blinking slowly with her big doe eyes. "We should head to bed." He said reluctantly. He wished they could stay there, and he could wake up next to her again. But he wouldn't force that on her. "Like you said, we have an early morning."

She nodded. She hoped she hadn't put that wall back up between them again. She loved the feeling of falling into rhythm with him, just like she always had with both Adrien and Chat. But he wasn't himself. Not really. He was broken inside. She wouldn't take advantage of that. So, instead of pulling him back down onto the couch, she stood and moved to her room. "Good night, minou." She whispered before closing her door and crawling into her pajamas and under the covers. The bed was heavenly; she was almost instantly asleep.

Marinette was startled awake. At first, she wasn't sure by what. Her too-bright cellphone screen said it was 3:42 AM, so it wasn't her alarm. Then she heard it again: a strangled, choked cry. She shot out of bed, bursting into Adrien's room to find him trashing in his bed, face screwed up in terror. His comforter was on the floor at the foot of the bed, his sheet tangled around him. She took his shoulders, pushing him back on the bed. "Adrien! Chat! Oh, Chaton! Please, wake up!" She cried, voice increasing in volume as he still didn't respond. She scrambled for something to snap him out of it. She pressed her forehead against his, feeling fever-heat radiating off him in waves. "I'm here. I'm here." She repeated the mantra, keeping her voice soft and soothing, feeling his body slowly calming. His hands came up, clenching in her hair. They clenched into fists, pulling her hair, but she didn't flinch.

When his hands finally relaxed, she knew he was awake, his body going still. "M-Mari?" His voice was cracked, still tainted with fear.

"I'm here." She repeated, pulling back to look him in the eyes, pushing his sweat-soaked hair away from his face. "I'm always here for you, minou."

"But you weren't," he croaked. "You were gone, and it was dark, so dark. Black. I couldn't see myself in the darkness, and I couldn't find my way out. I couldn't tell if I was falling or standing or floating or sinking. There was nothing, because you were gone."

She shook her head, smiling down at him. "Right here. Always. And I'll keep saying it until you get it. I'm here."

He pulled her down onto the bed to lay beside him, turning towards her. They wrapped both arms around each other, pressing their foreheads together, so close they breathed the same air. She knew he was trying to assure himself. She had woken up to those nightmares before herself. They were…indescribable to someone who hadn't experienced them firsthand, but she knew that all-consuming dread intimately. "What do you need, minou?"

"I…" He started, then hesitated, squeezing her tighter against him. "I just…"

"What do you need?" She repeated, her voice just a husky whisper.

There was another moment of hesitation; she could feel his muscles tensing and stroked a hand up and down his back soothingly.

Adrien tensed at the touch of her skin on his, the assurance that this was real, that he was here, that she was here. That is what he needed. His world was shattering. Tomorrow, he faced his father's…his father's murderer. Tomorrow he faced a new world that knew his secret, and a mask he couldn't hide behind anymore. Tomorrow, his world ended. But, tonight, he needed…He didn't think.

Marinette gasped as his Adrien's lips crashed into hers. Of all the first kisses she imagined, this one was better than anything she had pictured. His kiss was fierce, his hands firm on her lower back as they pulled her flush against his body. As if just realizing what he was doing, he jerked away, eyes wide, pupils almost overtaking the emerald of his irises. "I—"

Marinette let out a tiny groan and grabbed the back of his neck, pulling his lips back to hers, and that was the only argument either of them gave. She couldn't figure out where to keep her hands, running them along the cut lines of his muscled torso, lingering over a few scars from their adventures. Adrien growled into her mouth and pushed forward, until he was over her, swinging a leg over her hip and moving his lips down her jawline. Marinette's head fell back as she caught her breath. Adrien's hands were desperate, running down her sides to grip the hem of her tank top, pulling up until it was bunched under her breasts. He brought his face down, lips making a fiery trail over her stomach, making her back arch with a gasp as she grasped at his hair. Playfully, he nipped at her skin with her teeth. To his delight, Marinette moaned, pressing him closer. Testing her, he bit down a little harder, sucking her skin into his mouth, and she squirmed under him with another moan. He raised up, pulling her shirt up over her head, revealing her perky breasts. He kissed her lips again, groaning at the sight of her glassy, lust-filled eyes, before suddenly bringing his mouth to her breast, sucking a pink nipple into his mouth and relishing her needy cries, his right hand cupping the other, nipple pebbling against his palm. He squeezed and massaged gently as he nibbled, switching back and forth between them, being sure not to neglect one for the other.

"Chaton!" She gasped. He raised his hand, a canary-eating grin on his face. "Chaton, please!"

"Please, what?" He murmured against her skin as he kissed and nipped his way down her torso, tugging her tiny shorts down over her hips, taking her panties with them in one move and tossing the garments away. He slid one arm under her thigh and pulled it up, resting it on his shoulder, the palm of his hand holding her hips down on the bed. The other hand he used to spread her thighs open for him. The smell of her was intoxicating.

"Oh my god," She whispered, twisting her fingers tighter in his hair. He bit her inner thigh, giving her a mischievous look, and she took the hint, loosening her grip. He sucked at the skin there, making sure to leave a few marks like those he could already see forming on her stomach and collarbone. Marks for him to see, to remind him of everything he had done—and still planned to do—to her. She was breathing hard, and he could feel her muscles tremor with every kiss that brought him closer to her heat. "Oh my god." She threw her head back.

"Look at me." He demanded, mouth an inch from where she needed him. Her hips thrust towards him, but his hand held her down, keeping her right on the edge, until she whimpered and opened her eyes again, meeting his gaze. As soon as they locked eyes, he closed the distance, tongue running from the bottom of her slit up to her clit, circling it. That was all it took for Marinette to shatter in his arms. She held his gaze as she came undone, even when her vision was spotted with black and white stars from the force of it she held on to him. He didn't stop what he was doing, flicking his tongue against her clit while bringing two fingers up to enter her halfway through her orgasm, making her back arch and her cries grow louder and more desperate. Only when her body fell limp to the bed did he stop his ministrations, licking his lips as he raised back up, kneeling over her.

"Mari…" he groaned against her neck, hands sliding up her stomach to cup both breasts, massaging them. "God, you're perfect."

She let out a breathy laugh. "I was bout to say the same about you. That was amazing, minou." Adrien never realized how much he loved that nickname until he heard it on her lips as she came. Now, it made his heart race. Marinette nuzzled her face against his cheek, bringing her lips to nibble on his earlobe, hands massaging circles into his back. "What else do you need?" She nearly moaned in his ear. One of her hands slid down and under his pajama pants in the back, gripping his ass, nails digging into his skin lightly, while her other slide around to his front, down his chest…over his rock-hard abs…to rub the bulge at the front of his pants.

"All I need is you, Mari." He answered, hips thrusting into her hand. His control was slipping, but that was the opposite of what he wanted right now. He needed control. He needed to feel like he was in control of at least one of the things spiraling around him. He removed her hands, pushing his pants off and flinging them god-knows-where in the dark room.

Marinette gasped as Adrien grabbed her wrists, suddenly pulling them off his skin and over her head, one hand holding them there while the other gripped one of her thighs, hooking it over his hip. He flexed his hips, making her moan as she felt his length pressing against her core, the head of his cock brushing against her sensitive clit. She had never thought about it before, but she liked him taking control like that, liked it when his teeth or nails scraped over her skin, when he squeezed her breasts a little harder, and the way he was holding her down like that…it was enough to get that heat coiling in her center again.

Adrien paused, then cursed. "Marinette," he said seriously. "I don't think the mayor would have stocked us with condoms, would he?"

Marinette smiled up at him. "I'm on the pill, Adrien."

He grinned and kissed the soft spot behind her ear that made her squirm under him. "It's not your first time…is it? I can go gentle if it is." She shook her head, and he tried to ignore the surge of jealousy at the thought of his Marinette with another man. "Do you want me to be gentle?" His voice was barely a whisper, just a breath over her neck. He didn't really want her to say yes. He had always wanted his first time with his lady to be sweet and soft, loving. This was still loving, but more…carnal. Pure longing to be closer, as close as they could, as fast as they could. This was hunger. This was two people who didn't know what their future would hold taking comfort in each other, using each other to ground themselves as the world flew out of control.

"Don't." She answered, her voice just as quiet. He turned his head to meet her eyes. They were steady. "I know you won't hurt me, Chaton. The two of us, we've never really been gentle, have we? I don't think we should start now."

He kissed her lips, a long, searing kiss that made her forget how to breathe. Just as Adrien began to pull his lips away from hers, his hand snaked down between her legs, lining himself up, and his hips snapped forward. Marinette cried out into his mouth, eyes opening wide to meet his as he filled her. He held himself still a moment, letting her adjust, before pulling out to just the tip, rolling his hips teasingly until she bit her lip, whimpering with need and looking up into his eyes, and thrust forward again. This time, he didn't pause, picking up pace to create a powerful rhythm that rocked the bed, the frame tapping on the wall. His free hand gripped her hip hard, nails biting into her a bit, and he leaned down to capture a nipple in his mouth, rolling it between his teeth, alternating a rough thrust forward with a bite and a tug, driving Marinette crazy with the sensations. She wrapped both legs around his waist, locking her ankles behind him to keep him pressed as close as she could. He shifted, yanking her further down on the bed, raising himself up a tiny bit, altering the angle just enough to allow him a fraction of an inch deeper, hitting a soft spot that made her scream for him as stars exploded behind her eyes again. As he felt her clench down on him, he couldn't hold back anymore, pressing his lips to hers and jerking his hips forward, burying himself deep as he came.

He fell to the side, pulling her with him so they were cuddled together, legs tangled together, faces pressed into each other's necks as they caught their breath. "I didn't…?" He couldn't even finish his sentence; he was completely spent.

Luckily, his partner knew him well enough to know what he meant. "No." She answered, her voice showing the same exhaustion. "I told you; you could never hurt me. That was…That was perfect." She sighed. She pulled away, sitting on the edge of the bed and waiting to make sure that when she stood, her legs would hold her.

"Where are you going?" He asked with a frown. Had he done something wrong?

Marinette turned and flashed him a sleepy, gorgeous smile. "I'll be right back." She assured as she stood, shuffling to the bathroom door, grabbing her panties and tank top off the floor as she went. Adrien sat up, running a hand through his hair, working the tangles out as he surveyed the room, looking for his pants. He found them draped over the lamp on the desk, and chuckled as he retrieved them, slipping back into bed. Marinette joined him shortly, sliding under the covers and into his arms readily.

With her previous partners, few though they were, she had never felt quite…at home. Especially at this point, the post-coital cuddling always ruined by a sense of wrongness she could never place. But now, with Adrien—she fit perfectly in his arms. There was no forced closeness or tossing and turning and rearranging to find the least uncomfortable position. It was instantaneous, like putting on a favorite pair of blue jeans. Of course, none of them had ever come close to making her feel what Adrien had…

She drifted quickly, Adrien rubbing her back. They fell into synch again. Just before she fell asleep fully, she whispered against his chest, "I love you, minou."

"I love you too, Bugaboo." He answered in a soft, happy voice. The world fell away, leaving just the two of them, warm and satisfied and sleeping better than they had in ages.