Sometime later, the table was finally cleared, the homework completed and the twins tucked in with a bedtime story. Fort could feel the days of such moments were close to an end, so he had offered to handle the young men's evening routine.
"No, you cannot have another glass of water," he said to Blaze as he turned off the light. "It will make you need to use the restroom in the middle of the night." Fort shut the door before the boy could argue, and already he heard the quiet chatter of little voices bemoaning their fate.
'They won't be sleeping any time soon…'
As Fort returned to the living room, he found Honey and Noble sitting on the synthetic leather couch listening to something on the teen's communicator. The ladies looked over the couch at him as the triumphant hero approached.
"I don't know how you do it," Fort admitted, with a weary smile. "Do the twins always ask so many questions or did they save them up just for me?"
Noble laughed, "Ah yes, I lovingly call that 'the gauntlet'. And yes, I have to run it every night. They must have gone easy on you. You got out in half the time I thought you would."
Wiping imaginary sweat from his brow, Fort plopped dramatically down on the couch right between the two ladies. They barely had time to move out of the way to accommodate the third person. Fort wrapped them both up in a hug with his two great arms.
"And how are my girls this evening?"
"Honey was playing some music for me that she bought." Noble motioned to the nearly crushed communicator. Fort lifted it from underneath his leg and listened. The tune was both haunting and eerily serene. It gave Fort the feeling of being in another world.
"I recognize this style!" he said excitedly. The government worker seldom had time for pop culture, so he was excited to momentarily feel cool. "It's that composer Griffin, isn't it? His music is always iconic."
Honey nodded. "It's from the movie Song of Light and Darkness. I got the soundtrack."
"You know I met him once…of course that was before he was famous—" Fort was cut off as both females shook their heads.
"We know!" they teased.
The man continued undeterred. "It was a retirement party for a colleague. Joe, I think his name was. Anyway, Griffin was hired to play background music while the hors d'oeuvres were being served. And wouldn't you know it! He got an idea for a song in between sets. And you know who he asked for a fun song name? Me!
"I thought he was just trying to make small talk, so I gave him the first thing that came to mind. Imagine my shock when 'Bored Beyond Belief' hit the top of the charts a few months later. It was the launching point of his career!"
Honey nodded politely and stood from the couch. She kissed her father on the cheek. "That story gets better every time you tell it, but I think it has finally hit its peak. I will head to bed. I have a test in the morning."
After hugging her mother, Honey clutched her communicator and headed to her room.
When the coast was clear, Noble gave her husband a knowing look. She straightened the collar of his button-down shirt and asked, "Did you really just bore our daughter into going to bed at a responsible hour?"
Fort grinned, pushing back a stray hair from his wife's face. "While that was not my intention when I started, I will say that it is a very happy accident indeed. It isn't very often we get to be alone this time of the evening."
The man caught his wife's lips in his own. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Noble made herself quite comfortable as Fort massaged the tension from her shoulders.
Many moments passed before Fort released her from the kiss. He looked into her eyes, which had turned a deep grey. "Perhaps we should turn in early as well?"
Noble flushed. Of course, he knew she didn't sleep in their bedroom. In fact, the Awakened wouldn't need to head to the Dream Realm at all for at least another couple of days.
Which meant Fort could only be insinuating one of two things. She was pretty sure which one it was.
The man held her hand and pulled her into their room. Leaving her behind for a second, Fort went to tell the boys to go to sleep one more time before closing the door.
He gave a lopsided grin. "Now that I have you alone, is there anything you want to tell me?"
Noble's intuition had been right. While she could feel he had a desire for intimacy, he first wanted to talk about what was on her mind.
"Don't worry. You didn't do anything wrong," she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Noble could feel his happiness at her words, yet the man still pulled away.
"All that tells me is there is something bothering you…maybe more than one something, and it is more important than you are letting on." Ford eyed the woman and was satisfied when she did not contradict him.
"Am I that easy to read?" she asked with a pout.
"Just a little. You relaxed when I kissed you, so when I pulled away, I saw your true colors…or rather the color of your eyes. That sullen grey color you have going on means that a conversation is in order."
"You are a wise man." Noble averted her gaze.
Fort pressed his finger gently under her chin. "So? Let's talk. I mean I would be lying if I said I didn't have a slight ulterior motive to ensuring that you are happy," he winked, "but I do want to know what is happening in that gorgeous head of yours."
"We can talk," The professor gave a short nod, "But first…Push the button, please."
"That serious, hm?" Fort furrowed his brow.
"You can never be too careful." Noble gave a small smile in return.
Fort grunted at hearing the same words which he had brandished when implementing their unconventional security system.
Leaving behind his wife, Fort strolled over to the bed and reached for the nightstand. The top drawer made of synthetic mahogany slid silently open, revealing various odds and ends and a rather hefty remote. Deftly, he lifted the remote and pressed two of the buttons in quick succession.
The first caused the door to hiss slightly as it sealed shut. Thick metal shutters came across the wide window and locked into place. The room became suddenly silent. No hum of the heater on the other side of the wall, no giggling of rowdy boys who were probably wrestling again, not even the sound of the PTV blaring its music as it sped down the sleepy street.
This particular spelltech was designed not only to keep sound out but also to keep sound in. Except for Awakened and above with very powerful aspects to counter it, no one would be able to hear what was going to be spoken between the couple.
And that is the way they preferred it.
The second button activated another feature completely separate from the security measures. After all the sound of the outside world was removed, a soft hissing sound replaced it as a machine below the bed activated. The four posts released a groan before releasing their hold on the floor until they hovered slightly above the ground.
Like a mythical flying carpet, the bed floated in place awaiting its weary occupants. The special feature was something Fort had designed as soon as he married Noble.
It was the only way to get around her flaw. With nothing touching the ground, the furniture could no longer be considered, well, ground.
Which meant… Noble leapt onto the bed and buried herself under the heavily weighted comforter. After a day of not having her seat or feet touch anything, the sensation of the sheets felt absolutely heavenly. And with the special weight of the blanket, she could relax completely without worrying about floating away.
Noble patted the spot next to her, her eyes swirling with sudden delight. "Ok, I am ready," she said. "Let's chat."