The next morning, Ozzy and Thrax were sitting on their balcony having breakfast like they always did. Ozzy had his usual chocolate cereal, and Thrax had his newspaper, a plate of burnt bacon that Ozzy had made for him and a cup of black coffee. Today, however, they weren't joking around like normal, making fun of each other or even placing any stupid bets.

Today they had planned to start investigating Ozzy's hunch about the sore throat, and the tension was almost tangible.

Ozzy ate his sugary cereal in silence, staring straight ahead and lost in his thoughts, while Thrax sipped his coffee and watched him out of the corner of his eye.

He placed his hand over Ozzy's arm and cleared his throat, making him jump.

Ozzy spun his head round to face him, his mouth full of cereal and his eyes wide. Thrax noted that he looked even more sleep deprived than he usually did, and guessed that he probably hadn't slept a wink last night.

"You know, you're not a cop anymore, it's not your responsibility to keep Lola healthy. If you truly believe that there's something going on and it's worrying you this much, let's go to the police and have them sort it out", Thrax said in a hushed voice, an uneasy smile on his face.

Ozzy shook his head and swallowed. "If they're anything like the FPD, they won't believe me or bother to look into it." He stabbed around his cereal with his spoon and lowered his voice, "I've come to learn that cops are just lazy freeloaders, leeching off the system and doing the bare minimum to keep their jobs. They clock off at 5pm and go back to their families, not giving a second thought to the cases they've been on." He shoved another spoonful of cereal into his mouth and chewed angrily.

"Indignant Ozzy is my favourite Ozzy", Thrax said, trying to lighten the mood, as he smiled and pinched his cheek. "You're so sexy when you set your mind to something, y'know. You get this glint in your eyes." He fed a piece of bacon to Donut under the table when he thought Ozzy wasn't looking and patted her on the head.

"Stop feedin' her that shit, she has her own, very expensive and very fancy food!", Ozzy said jovially, hitting Thrax on the wrist. Thrax swatted his hand away and prodded him in the ribs.

"Oh, I see, this 'shit', as you call it, isn't good enough for the dog, but I, your fiancé, am forced to eat it every single morning?"

Ozzy made a heart shape with his hands and shot him a big grin, before shovelling more cereal into his mouth.

Thrax prodded him again and picked Donut up to put her on his lap. "So, Detective Jones, where do you think we should start?", he asked, trying to keep his tone light and his body language relaxed.

Ozzy's smile was wiped from his face. He pushed his bowl away and sat back in his chair with a serious expression.

"Um… I think we should start the investigation from the bottom up. Let's question some germs and see if they know anything. You can wave your claw around a bit to intimidate them, and I'll… uhh… I'll just stand next to you and try to look threatening, heh."

Thrax shot Ozzy a smile and stroked his cheek, waiting until he had looked down to talk to Donut before letting his face fall. He was trying his best to hide just how nervous he was feeling about all of this. The life he and Ozzy had created was one of absolute bliss and tranquillity, and he desperately wanted it to stay that way.

Others might see their life as boring; waking up with no real plans, no goals, no ambitions, just spending the day doing fruitless, futile activities with their significant other.

Thrax didn't see it that way. He'd spent the majority of his life on the other extreme of the spectrum, fighting for people to respect him, struggling to stay alive, obsessed with beating his record but never feeling satisfied. No matter how quickly he killed a body, he still felt empty, and deep down he knew that he didn't really care about getting into the medical books. He was just looking for a reason to live.

In Ozzy, he'd finally found what he'd been searching for all this time, and the last three months had been full of more joy and laughter than all of his years combined. He didn't even want to imagine anything coming along and messing that up.

However, he knew how much Ozzy needed his support through this, so he decided to keep his thoughts to himself and just stand by him.

"Sounds like a plan, baby. Bring it on!"

They decided to go down to the liver to try and find some germs that might be able to give them some intel, as that's where Ozzy used to find all of his informants.

Thrax was wearing his black cloak and sunglasses, while Ozzy had put on his puffiest jacket and a baseball cap to try and make himself look as intimidating as possible.

Thrax looked down at him and laughed. "You look so adorable like that." He bent down to his level and pinched his cheek. "I've got the cutest little baby."

"Adorable?! I'm meant to look threatening!", Ozzy said, scowling and swatting his hand away from his face. "The germs aren't gonna take me seriously if I look 'cute' and 'adorable'! How the hell am I gonna get them to talk?"

Thrax shrugged. "I dunno, maybe you can flirt the information out of them or show 'em a little skin." Ozzy hit him on the arm and Thrax laughed. "What? We all have our strengths!"

"Yeah, whatever."

They slunk into an alleyway and crouched behind some bins, keeping an eye out for any germs walking by. "I'm sure we won't have to wait long, no matter how healthy a body is, you can guarantee there's always someone dodgy hanging out in the liver", Thrax whispered as he sat back against the wall.

Ozzy nodded and turned around to look through a gap in the bins. He was nervously fiddling with the tassels on his jacket and biting his lip. It had been so long since he'd put himself in a dangerous situation like this, and unlike before, he didn't have the immunity force to call for backup if things turned ugly.

Although they weren't as dangerous as viruses, germs were still much larger and much stronger than white blood cells. One germ could probably take down three immunity cells without breaking a sweat, and therefore, they didn't have any respect for them, even when they had guns, which Ozzy didn't.

He shook his head and lightly slapped himself a few times on the cheeks. He'd done this hundreds of times before, and now that he had Thrax by his side, he knew that everything would probably go fine. They had each other's backs and trusted each other completely.

Perhaps that was the reason he felt so nervous this time around, though. If he made a mistake, it wasn't only his life on the line. Now he had something to lose…

Thrax put his hand on Ozzy's shoulder, breaking him out of his train of thought. He leant down and whispered in his ear, "baby, a group of germs just went round that corner, let's follow them." They stood up and tightly held each other's hands.

They snuck around the corner, keeping low, and followed the germs until they saw them go into an abandoned warehouse.

"Okay, baby, we'll go in together, but follow my lead. I've done this loads of times. We'll get the information we need and get out as fast as possible." Ozzy nodded and hopped from side to side as he tried to psych himself up.

They gave each other a hug, whispered that they loved each other and pushed the door open. They stepped into a dark corridor with a few different doors leading off each side. They could hear hushed conversation coming from the other side of the big metal door at the end of the corridor, and snuck over to it to try and hear what was being said. Judging from the voices, they estimated that there were five or so germs in there, but had no idea how big or how dangerous they might be.

Thrax stood up to his full height, pushed his hair back and grabbed Ozzy's hand. He cleared his throat and confidently strode through the door into the room, prompting everyone to snap their heads round and stare at them.

"Who the fuck are you?", one of the germs spat, "this is a private meeting."

Thrax let a malicious grin spread across his face and lowered his sunglasses to look the germ in the eye. "Play nice and no one gets hurt, baby. We're looking for information about what's going on with the throat. Tell us everything you-", he started to say, but was interrupted by one of the germs loudly clearing his throat.

Thrax slowly turned his head to look at whoever had cut in on his speech. When his eyes landed on the germ in question, his eyebrows shot up and his breath hitched in his throat. He was huge, taller than Thrax even, and looked like he spent every moment of his life in the gym.

Thrax swallowed thickly and narrowed his eyes to glare at him, trying to maintain his composure, as the germ slowly sauntered over with a malignant smile on his face. As he approached them, they could see that he was missing a few of his teeth and that his whole body was covered in marks and scars.

"Hey, Red, is he for sharing?", the germ asked, as he reached out and roughly grabbed Ozzy by the arm. He pulled him closer and put one hand around his waist, while holding his face with the other and forcing him to look up at him. "Let us each have a go on him and we'll tell you what you want to know."

Ozzy bared his teeth and bit down on the germ's hand, before kicking his legs out and hitting him in the knee. The germ shouted and grabbed Ozzy by the throat, raising his fist to punch him.

"Don't you fucking dare, you ugly cun-"

Ozzy didn't have time to finish his eloquent sentence before Thrax crashed into them both, knocking them to the floor. Ozzy rolled out of his grasp and watched as Thrax straddled the germ and punched him in the face over and over, screaming vicious insults at him.

A smaller germ grabbed Ozzy from behind and dragged him over to the other side of the room. Thrax saw this out of the corner of his eye and jumped up to go help him, but before he could do anything he was tackled from behind. Three of them jumped on him and pinned him to the floor, while the largest germ stood up and dusted himself off.

He took hold of Thrax's wrists, lifted him up and shoved him into the wall, glaring daggers at him. They were nose to nose, baring their teeth and shaking with rage. The germ tightened his grip around Thrax's wrists while another one punched him in the stomach. Thrax groaned and bent over double, before he was forced to stand up and be punched again.

"Leave him alone!", Ozzy yelled, as he slipped out from the smaller germ's hold and charged over to where Thrax was. He leapt onto the large germ's back and bit him hard on the shoulder, making him cry out.

Then he wrapped his arms around his neck to choke him, kicking him in the back all the while. The germ let go of Thrax and swung his arm back, hitting Ozzy in the face and sending him to the ground.

Thrax took the opportunity to grab him by the shoulder and shove his claw through his abdomen, lighting it up. He grinned in the germ's face, his eyes ablaze with fury and his chest heaving.

Ozzy jumped up and kicked the germ in the shin for good measure just before he melted into a bubbling puddle on the floor. Ozzy spat over his remains and cursed him out, making Thrax laugh. I've turned him into such a little psycho, I love it.

They turned around to glower at the remaining germs, who were all gawking at them, their eyes wide, their bodies trembling and their mouths agape with fear.

Thrax put his arm around Ozzy's shoulder and pulled him close, before raising his claw and pointing it at the germs. "Tell us everything you know about the throat, unless you wanna end up like your piece of shit friend here."

Ozzy grinned and punched the air. "Yeah, Big Daddy Thrax and the Germinator are back in business, baby!"

The germs told them everything. Ozzy's hunch had been right, there was in fact a virus in the body and he had been recruiting germs for a couple of weeks. He went by the name Xeno, and he apparently reduced the temperature of the body in order to lower the immunity response, so he could then attack the brain and kill the host.

"Fuckin' copy cat. Attacking the brain is my M.O.", Thrax mumbled through gritted teeth as they walked back home. Ozzy clung onto his arm and looked up at him. "Are you sure you're okay? They were hitting you pretty hard back there."

Thrax put his arm around Ozzy, wincing at the pain coming from his side. "Yeah, Oz, don't worry about me. Are you okay?" Ozzy nodded and nestled into him.

Thrax tilted his head back and smirked. "So, what do you say? Shall we go to that meeting he's holding tomorrow? I'd like to pay this 'Xeno' a little visit."

Ozzy didn't reply and just stared straight ahead. He had some niggling doubts before, but now he was practically wading through a quagmire of incertitude. Seeing Thrax so vulnerable had shaken him.

Thrax had always been so dominating in every situation and had held complete control over everyone around him, and if anyone did dare challenge him, he would kill them without a second thought.

However, that germ had been able to pin him against a wall and hold him there, allowing the others to beat him up. Ozzy couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they went to that meeting and were rumbled.

When facing white blood cells, Thrax was unstoppable, but Ozzy had never seen him against another virus, and the uncertainty left him feeling uneasy.

As they reached the house, Thrax slumped down on the sofa and rested his head on the back cushion. Ozzy hurried into the kitchen and grabbed some frozen peas from the freezer. He ran over to the sofa and lifted Thrax's shirt, holding the peas against the bruise on his ribs.

Ozzy smiled at him sadly and sighed. "I've been thinkin' about tomorrow. I'll change my appearance and go to the meeting. I'll record everythin' Xeno says and then we can decide what to do. You stay here with Donut."

"No, baby, there's no way you're doin' this alone. I'm going with you, end of. We'll leave Donut with that old lady down the street." He reached up and gently stroked around the bruise on Ozzy's forehead.

He rested his head back down on the pillow and closed his eyes as Ozzy started caressing his cheek. His body started to relax, but he couldn't stop his mind from racing. He couldn't deny it, he was feeling very unsure about all of this. He'd never been afraid for his own life before, not like this.

Sure, he'd had his fair share of scuffles with germs and even the occasional fight with another virus. Coming away with a few bruises or even a broken rib or two was nothing new to him.

However, that didn't change the fact that if Ozzy hadn't been there today, that germ would have probably managed to kill him. A germ. Thrax wondered if he'd gone soft, lost his edge.

He had certainly lost his cool back there, causing him to act recklessly. Normally he would never have tackled a germ so much bigger than himself, but seeing Ozzy in peril set something off in him. He felt a burning rage coursing through his body like a fire every time a germ touched or even looked at Ozzy, which was probably going to cause them big problems if he didn't learn to control himself.

He would have to try and calm his mind if they were going to have any chance of succeeding tomorrow. He trusted in Ozzy, and Ozzy trusted in him. He wanted to believe that that was enough to help carry them through.

He sat up and pulled Ozzy into a hug. "Order whatever you want for dinner, baby, and then we'll go out for some donuts."

Ozzy pulled on his alien pyjama bottoms and looked at himself in the mirror. He had a look of determination on his face that he hadn't seen in a long time. Inside, however, he still felt conflicted.

He had a perfect life; an amazing house that any cell would be envious of; enough money to comfortably live off for the next few years without having to work; and, most importantly, a gorgeous, hilarious, amazing fiancé who would do just about anything for him.

He started to wonder if he was being selfish, and if this was really about saving Lola, or if he was just attempting to relive his days on the force.

It was true, he had missed the thrill of it all; the mystery, the chase, the piecing together of clues, the feeling of triumph when he finally connected the dots. Was that really a good enough reason to justify risking everything he had, though?

He sighed and slung himself around, traipsing towards the bed. He gazed at Thrax for a moment and smiled to himself.

He was laying under their thick duvet, his brow furrowed and his eyes squinted as he read his book in the dim light from the bedside lamp. Donut was curled up on his chest, fast asleep, while Thrax hummed softly and stroked her with one hand.

It was a picture perfect moment, and Ozzy felt a lump in his throat as he thought about the possibility of losing his little family. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Fuck it. It's not worth it. I'll call the police tomorrow and let them deal with Xeno.

He gestured for Thrax to lift his book and carefully took Donut in his hands, before placing her in her basket in the hall. He kissed her on the forehead and stroked her until she fell asleep again. He tiptoed across the floor and slipped under the covers, putting himself between Thrax and his book.

"Stop readin' and pay some attention to me", he whispered.

Thrax grinned and threw the book across the room, before wrapping his arms around Ozzy and pulling him into a heated kiss. Ozzy cupped his cheeks with his hands and relaxed his body into the man below.

He broke away to catch his breath and nuzzled his cheek into Thrax's chest, drawing slow circles on his shoulder with his finger.

"I've been thinkin' about tomorrow. I know we've spent all day collectin' intel and all that, but maybe we should stop while we're ahead. What we did today was risky enough, that one germ almost did us in. Tomorrow's gonna be like walkin' into the lion's den. Those germs all seemed terrified of Xeno, he sounds proper nasty. What if he figures us out and tries to kill us?"

He lifted his head and looked into Thrax's eyes. "I don't wanna screw up what we have, you're too important to me, Thrax. Literally all I want is to be with you. Fuck everyone else. You were right, let's give all the information to the LPD and let them deal with it."

Thrax smiled softly and tightened his grip around Ozzy's waist. Throughout the day he'd noticed a fire and a spark in his eyes that he hadn't seen since they were fighting back on Shane's eye.

He knew that Ozzy was struggling with this dilemma and could be easily swayed in either direction right now. He would definitely regret whichever decision he took if it turned out to be the wrong one later on, and he would never forgive himself if anything happened to this body.

Although Thrax knew the risks they were running by going to that meeting, he also understood that Ozzy needed this, and that he wouldn't be able to stop worrying knowing that there was another virus roaming about this body. Ozzy was right, they couldn't trust the police. They had to deal with this alone, at least until they had concrete proof.

"No, Ozzy. You were right before. The LPD won't take anything we say seriously unless we have some hard evidence. We should go to that meeting tomorrow and try to record what Xeno says, then we can take that to the police."

Ozzy widened his eyes and inhaled sharply. He rested his chin on Thrax's chest below and sighed. "You really trust me that much?"

"Always."

Ozzy smiled sadly. "I love you, Thrax", he whispered.

"I love you too, Ozzy. So much." He put his hand under Ozzy's chin to pull him into another kiss. Ozzy closed his eyes and sighed, trailing his hands down Thrax's sides towards his boxers, before slipping one hand inside and running his fingers over him.

He gently caressed around the bruise on his hip, while he traced over Thrax's lips with his tongue. Thrax opened his mouth to let him in and tilted his hips as Ozzy eased his boxers down. Ozzy then broke the kiss and brushed his lips over Thrax's cheek, pushing his legs up so his thighs were by his sides.

The soft breath trailing over his cheek and the familiar smell of Ozzy's cologne were sending throbs of desire through Thrax's body, and he let a moan escape his lips as Ozzy started softly sucking on his neck.

Ozzy ran his fingers over Thrax's length for a few moments, before taking it in his hand. He moved in a slow rhythm, shifting back slightly to kneel in between his thighs. He gazed at Thrax, entranced by the way his broad chest rose and fell, the way his eyes were glazing over, how his breathing was becoming steadily more ragged with every stroke.

Thrax gazed back at him and whispered, "you're so beautiful", before closing his eyes and relaxing into the pillow.

Ozzy went back in for another kiss, before breaking away and moving down to settle in between Thrax's legs. He pushed his legs further apart and held his hips in place as he started dragging his tongue along his shaft. He looked up and watched how Thrax tilted his head back slightly and let out a contented sigh.

Ozzy continued to slowly run his tongue over him, trailing his fingers over his hips as he did.

Thrax's thighs were quivering around him and his hips started to buck slightly, signalling that he wanted more. Ozzy tightened his grip around him and opened his mouth to take him in about half way, gently massaging small circles on his inner thighs with his thumbs. Thrax gasped as he felt the tight warmth engulf him, and reached down to run his claws through Ozzy's hair.

He looked down at him then and their eyes met. Thrax smiled softly and mouthed 'I love you', his cheeks flushed and his eyelids heavy.

Ozzy softened his expression, trying to convey his love through his eyes. He put his hands on the small of Thrax's back and pushed him up until he felt his length at the back of his throat.

Thrax's eyes rolled back and he let his head fall back onto the pillow. It felt as if he was melting in Ozzy's mouth and sinking down his throat. He moaned Ozzy's name and relaxed his whole body, giving himself over completely.

As he started to feel the pressure building below his stomach, he snapped his eyes open and sat up. "N-no… Ozzy! Come here, I want you up here with me."

Ozzy frowned and pulled away. "What is it?", he asked, cocking his head.

"Come here, baby", Thrax said breathlessly, grabbing Ozzy by the arm and pulling him to lean over him. He didn't have time to respond before Thrax had slid his arms around his neck and pulled him down into a kiss.

He tilted his hips up and broke away to whisper, "I want to feel you, Ozzy", as he reached for the lube on the bedside table, knocking over a few things in the process.

Ozzy leaned down to kiss Thrax again and slipped his pyjama bottoms off, letting a small moan escape his lips as he felt Thrax spread some lube over his cock. He took the bottle from him and threw it over his shoulder, his eyes slowly gliding over Thrax's face, his gaze heated, yearning.

"You're so fuckin' gorgeous" he whispered as he pressed his body against Thrax's and trailed slow kisses up his neck. He pressed his forearms into the mattress on either side of his head and raked his hands through his hair, tangling his braids between his fingers.

Thrax gasped as he felt Ozzy start to ease in, and Ozzy dropped a few kisses on his cheeks, pushing in slowly to allow Thrax to get used to him before edging in any further.

They groaned as their hips met, and he set a slow but intense pace, their bodies intertwining. Thrax lifted his head and brushed his lips against Ozzy's, and Ozzy leant down to kiss him deeply.

They laced their fingers together and breathed each other in, not breaking away until their chests felt like they were going to explode. Thrax started to rock his hips, a shuddering moan passing his lips over every deep thrust.

There was no urgency to finish; they simply wanted to be as close as they could and savour each other for as long as possible.

Thrax's legs quivered around Ozzy's hips as his moans became louder. Ozzy looked at him through hazy eyes and brushed a lock of hair away from his face. "You're so perfect", he whispered.

He shifted his position slightly and buried his face in the crook of Thrax's neck. "I love you so much", he said through ragged breaths, "you're the best thing… I've ever had."

Thrax put his hands over Ozzy's hips and pushed him deeper inside. "You're… everything I ever wanted... Ozzy." He felt the pressure building again and tilted his head back, drifting his knees up to open himself further. Ozzy kissed all over the front of his neck and kept the same steady pace, relishing every moan that escaped his lips.

He pushed Thrax's legs back as far as they would go and wrapped a hand around his cock. He built up slowly, timing his hand with each heavy, languid thrust, watching as the pleasure visibly took over Thrax's whole body.

Thrax opened his eyes and begged him to go faster, his voice rising and his claws desperately digging into Ozzy's hips as the sensation built within him with every pulse. Ozzy complied and sped up his strokes, only faltering as he watched Thrax start to fall apart beneath him, gasping, writhing, crying out his name.

After Thrax had finished, he sank back into the sheets below, shuddering from the jolts of ecstasy running through his body.

He looked up at Ozzy and cupped his cheek with his hand, pulling him down to kiss him. Ozzy opened his mouth and sighed as Thrax explored him with his tongue, feeling the warmth spread down his throat and over his chest. He kept thrusting into him, the temperature rising, Thrax rolling his pelvis to meet Ozzy's. He moaned as the warm pressure rose and spread through him, building with every stroke, every touch, every sigh.

Ozzy wished that this moment could last forever, this feeling of belonging, their bodies becoming one, lips melded together, savouring each other.

Bedsheets crumpled between Ozzy's fingers as Thrax slid his arms around his waist and lifted his hips, forcing him deeper.

Ozzy broke the kiss and pressed his forehead against Thrax's, melting into him. "God, Thrax."

His moans quickened, his toes curling and his thrusts becoming steadily deeper as he felt himself reaching his climax. He cried out Thrax's name, small lines forming on his forehead as the waves of pleasure crashed onto him.

"You're perfect", Thrax whispered, and pulled him back into a kiss, wrapping his legs around his waist as he enjoyed the last few thrusts.

They broke away and gazed at each other as their breathing slowed, the soft light from the bedside lamp dancing over their faces.

Thrax took Ozzy's hand in his own and smiled warmly at him. "Whatever happens tomorrow, Ozzy, know that I trust you with every fibre of my being, and I love you with all my heart." He squeezed Ozzy's hand tighter. "During these three months, you've made me happier than I ever thought I could be… I adore you. I never dreamed I'd have someone so wonderful to share my life with."

Ozzy felt a lump in his throat and screwed his eyes shut to try to fight back the tears. "I'm so fucking glad I ran away with you. Every single second since then has been incredible." He opened his eyes and felt tears pooling. "Even just taking a walk with you, or sitting on the sofa watching stupid films, or our ridiculous bets, or talking about idiotic, bullshit nonsense, everything feels a hundred times brighter and more special when you're there. I can't even imagine my life without you."

The tears started running down his cheeks and his breath caught in his throat. "Thank you for literally everything, Thrax."