"Ronin! Ronin! Ronin!" Nod called his name with every jump on his bed.

"Yes?" Ronin caught him while he was in the air.

It was possible he was going to have to make a rule about Nod jumping on the bed.

"Can Eben come over tomorrow so I can show him my room?" Nod squirmed in Ronin's arms.

"He has school tomorrow," Ronin shook his head, "you know Mr. Kendon is Eben's dad, right?"

"Yes," Nod wiggled, trying to escape Ronin's grip, and Ronin let him drop, bouncing down on the mattress, "but Eben said his dad told him I got to see the bed first because it was for me, and I could show him after I got it."

"I think Mrs. Nora said he could come over the day after tomorrow," Ronin smiled, "you can show Miss Orla tomorrow though."

"Maybe you should stay home tomorrow so we can play in my new room," Nod looked up at Ronin, wrinkling his nose at him.

"We can play in it tomorrow afternoon when I get home," Ronin rumpled his hair, "for now though, it's bed time."

They had spent the rest of the afternoon making Nod's bed and arranging the last of his things in his room. Nod had rebuilt his nest under the bed and done his best to be sneaky about moving some of his treasures to hide under it. Ronin had dutifully pretended not to notice.

Nod was ready for bed now, but he was still practically vibrating with over his new room.

"Go pick out a book for us to read," Ronin plucked him off the bed and set him on his feet.

Maybe story time would calm him down a little.

"Okay," Nod started to run to the living room, then stopped, "my books are all here!"

The boy turned around and ran to his bookshelf, chattering away about how all his books were in his room, and he could look at them whenever he wanted, and even take them in his nest under the bed, because he had put the "glow-y" plant under it.

Ronin made a mental note to remind Nod to bring the plant out so it could sit in the sun for a while each day, otherwise it wouldn't keep glowing.

Nod trotted back to Ronin with his arms full of books, "can we read them in my bed?"

"Of course," Ronin lifted the boy with his load of books onto the bed.

Nod scrambled over to make room for Ronin, and Ronin sat down beside him, leaning back against the headboard.

"Maybe…" Nod frowned down at the new blanket he had picked out, the one with the chickadees on it, "maybe just tonight maybe we could sleep in my bed and you could sleep with me and it would be okay because you would be here and it would be good."

Ronin grinned and pulled the boy onto his lap, "we can sleep here whenever you want."

"It's the bestest bed ever and we'll like it and it will be good and we'll sleep good here because there are moon owls," Nod snuggled against Ronin happily.

Ronin was very glad that Kendon had talked him into getting a full sized bed. He had originally intended to get Nod a small bed, but Kendon had pointed out that if he got him a bed he could grown into, he would be able to use it even after he grew up. He had also mentioned that his own children liked he and Nora to lay down with them every now and then, and he wished they had full-sized beds when that happened.

"I'm sure we will," Ronin kissed his head, "which book do you want to read first?"

"This one!" Nod held a book out to him, "it has moon owls and Jack."

Ronin opened the book, setting it on Nod's lap so he could see the pictures while Ronin read.

Ronin knew it was morning, but there was no light coming through the cracks in his curtains, and for a moment he was disgruntled that the day was going to be stormy. Then he remembered that he was sleeping in Nod's room, and there were no windows.

Nod was sound asleep, sprawled sideways on the bed, his head on Ronin's chest and one foot hanging over the side. Even in his sleep, the boy was a wiggled worm.

Ronin sat up, carefully maneuvering Nod back onto the bed and under the covers. The boy rarely got up when Ronin did, especially since…

Ronin froze, his hand raised to tuck the blanket around Nod. Nod hadn't woken up last night, and neither had Ronin. They had both slept the night through for the first time since the disaster with Barnet.

Nod stirred in his sleep, rolling over to get closer to Ronin's warmth, and Ronin smiled down at him, tucking the blankets around him securely.

"We're going to be just fine chickadee," he leaned over to kiss the boy's hair, "I'm sure of it."

The End

Author's note: Thank you everyone who's taken the time to read and for all the lovely comments! There are plans for a sequel that continues little Nod's adventures and will wrap up the loose ends that are left. Unfortunately, I can't give an ETA on it, but it is in the works.