Gently, he kisses Kimberly on the cheek, the way he did their first morning.
Gently, he kisses Kimberly on the cheek, the way he did their first morning.
"Mmm..."
If he is waking her up at midnight there's probably a reason. She wiggles closer and hugs him. "Going somewhere?"
He holds her. He takes a steadying breath, to brace himself, and hopefully, by his energy, her. "Emergency deployment," he says, levelly. "The confluence just hit."
...she wraps her arms around him and gives him a firm squeeze, then lets go. "Kay. Love you. Do good, be safe."
"Mm," as he's squeezed. "Love you. Do my best, on both counts. Text you as soon as I can after it's dead."
He scritches her hair, then breaks the cuddle properly and gets out of bed.
...He takes her hand in his and kisses her knuckles, briefly, before he turns and leaves the bedroom.
Counterattack: she keeps hold of his hand long enough to kiss his knuckles before she snuggles back under her blankets.
This tugs him toward her a little, and he squeaks a little in the happy way he sometimes does. "Sleep well," he murmurs, and goes to meet Toby.