Chapter 10: Living The High Life
Tuesday, 9:30pm
Ben drove Terry back to his place only to be surprised by movers being there already. They had a few crates of Terry's belongings.
"Wh-What's going on?!" Ben asked.
"I...got a little impatient." Terry admitted.
"There are strangers going in and out of my place! Who's supervising this?!"
"Your mom. She's right there!"
Clawhauser saw his mom waving at him.
"..I think you just broke any speed records I ever had at the academy!"
Terry was a little embarrassed. "Heh, heh. Sorry. Don't worry, I only have four crates. By the way, I LOVE your mom! She's the sweetest thing!"
"She's also been on my case to settle down and get married for the past ten years."
When they got to the door, Terry couldn't help but notice how tall and enormous the door was.
"It's so huge! How do you reach the door knob?"
"I don't! We go through this flap over here." Ben pointed to the large, black, rubber flap at the bottom of the door that the movers were going in and out of. "It has it's own shutter so you can lock it at night. You find things inside are real large as well."
"Why?"
"My former roommate was a giraffe."
As they went inside, Terry couldn't believe her eyes. "I can barely see the ceiling! The rent on this place must be enormous!"
"I'd say it's through the roof but sometimes, I can't see the roof! Mom helps pay for the rent."
Terry nudged him on the ribs. "No wonder you wanted me to move in! You're gonna need help with the rent on a place like this!"
"Hey now! You asked me first, remember?"
"I remember, my sweet fluffball!" She gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Oh wow! Look at the size of the couch!"
"I know right? Whenever I sit in it, I feel like a little kitten! Just be careful of the back. It's not just your change that can get lost back there. I was once trapped for three days! Luckily a lot of snacks find their way back there or I'd have starved to death."
"That's the last of it!" The movers said. Mrs. Clawhauser gave them a nice tip and they left.
"Thanks mom!" Terry said. "But what's this other crate?"
"Just a few things I got extra for you two! Oh, and c'mere!"
Terry walked over and Ben's mom whispered into her ear. "I also got some testosterone medication you can put in his drink and some 'Cheetah Heat' perfume."
Terry looked a little concerned. "Well...thank you, but I want his attraction to me to be physical and emotional! Not chemical."
"Suit yourself, but it may be awhile before you get anywhere with him. My Benny can be very traditional. I taught him good morals, but I think I may have taught him a little TOO well for his own good."
The movers and Ben's mom left. It was just Terry and Ben alone.
"So!" "Terry said. "Our first night alone...together."
"Y-Yeah!" Ben said nervously. "Let me show you to your room."
Terry's ears drooped. "Can't your room and my room be the same?"
"Well, yes! In a few months. In the meantime, check this out!" They went through another flap into Terry's new room. It was the giraffe's old room. The bed was large enough that you had to take a small stepladder to climb on.
But that wasn't the most impressive thing. The ceiling to the room went up about 30 feet high, with shelves and bookcases spiraling upwards. What was in the center of the room shocked Terry the most.
"It's a eucalyptus tree...in my room?!" Terry shouted.
"I know, isn't it neat?! Geoffrey hated getting up for a midnight snack, so he had a tree put in his room to munch on."
Terry couldn't resist. "I...I wanna climb it!"
"Be careful! It's really tall!" Ben warned. Moments later, Terry was high in the tree. The leaves hiding her from sight.
"Benny?" She yelled down.
"Yes, honey?"
"I CAN'T GET DOWN!" She screamed.
"WHAT?!"
"I climbed too high and I'm afraid I'll fall!"
"Terry honey! There's a giant bed right here! Just jump onto that!"
"I'm afraid I'll miss!"
"Hold on! I'll climb up. Go down a few branches and meet me halfway!"
Clawhauser climbed the tree as best he could. He ended up meeting with Fangmeyer on one branch. He then made the mistake of looking down.
"You're okay honey! We'll just...OH MY GOSH! WE'RE SO DANG HIGH!"
Terry started to tear up. "W-What are we gonna do?"
"We'll...we'll just have to drop onto the bed. It's more than large enough to cushion our fall."
"Benjamin J. Clawhauser, I am not moving from this..."
They heard the branch starting to snap. "Uh-Oh." The branch broke and down they fell.
And up they came. Ben was right. The bed not only broke their fall, but made for a fun trampoline.
"WHEEE!" Terry shouted.
"THIS IS AWESOME!" Ben shouted back.
"Check out my elbow dropping technique!" Terry shouted as she slammed onto the bed and bounced back up.
"CANNONBALL!" Ben shouted as he curled himself up and bounced off the large mattress. The weight of the two of them smashing together was starting to make the middle of the frame crack as they kept landing near the center.
"Tag-Team slam!" Terry shouted and she grabbed Ben and they slammed into the bed, which broke the box springs. It split the bed down the middle and the two laid there slightly pinched together.
"Well that was a fun ride, but now look what happened!" Clawhauser said. "What a disaster!"
"It's okay dear. At least I won't be able to turn in my sleep!"
Since they were pinched together, she hugged him close. "I kinda like this." She noted.
Ben's ears turned beet red. "Y-Yeah! Me too!"
They kissed for a while, but then Terry started to laugh uncontrollably.
"What's so funny?!" Ben asked.
"We...HEE-HEE! We haven't been together in this place for an hour and we already broke the bed!"
Meanwhile...
Nick and Judy arrive back at the apartment complex. They are walking down the hallway together.
"So...what the heck are you gonna do with a restaurant?" Judy asked.
"Not sure yet." Nick mulled. "I guess for now, it can be a 'Preds for Peace' meeting place but after that, who knows?"
"If only you knew someone who..." Judy and Nick then looked at each other. "GIDEON!"
"That's perfect Carrots! He's been talking about wanting his own bakery!"
"You can talk to him at the wedding!" Judy replied. "Although...how's he gonna move his family here? They adopted a TON of kids and they live under my father's roof, rent free currently."
"Well, I own the building and there's a hotel on top of it I can convert...Geez! I really shouldn't have bought that place! I'm gonna lose tons of money on it if I'm not careful. I bought a building just to SPITE someone. Sometimes, I think I'm not meant to be a millionaire."
"Stay positive!" Judy said. "You'll make it work out! You'll just have to make Gideon your business partner and maybe convert that hotel into his home...If he's up for it. OR...maybe he'll want to franchise and that will just be a bakery he can manage from a distance OR you can lease the place to a new owner. Things will work out!"
Nick smiled at Judy. "You're right again, Fluff! Wanna come in for coffee?"
"Sure." They walked into Nick's place to find Spots already sitting on the couch and watching T.V. She was weeping a little.
Nick was a little surprised. "Hey freckles. You home early?"
"SNIFF! I'm never dating again! Snot was horrible!"
Judy hopped over and gave the hyena a sympathetic hug. "You and that...booger girl looked so happy together. What happened?"
"Let's just say her nostrils aren't the only holes she likes to dig her fingers in."
Nick was furious. "That dirty little..."
"Relax dad! I took care of it."
"What do you mean?! Tell me everything!"
"We were sitting in the back row of the theater, watching 'Action Jackal' and we started kissing and making out a little. She started putting her hands under my clothes. If she started going up north, I wouldn't have minded as much, but..."
"I would have!" Nick said.
"DAAD! SIGH! Instead, she went south. When I felt that, I elbowed her right in her stupid nose ring, dumped my bowl of popcorn on her head and stormed off!"
"Does Miss Logan know?" Nick asked,
"Oh, SHE knows!" Spots replied. "Snot came over and Logan chewed her out good. I never thought that wolverine could get any louder!"
"Well I'm glad to hear that." Nick replied.
Spots started to sniffle. "Every girl I fall for ends in disaster! My SNIFF! My social life is over!"
Judy couldn't help but chuckle.
Spots was upset. "Don't laugh!"
"Spots honey, you're fourteen! You've got your whole life ahead of you. You haven't even started high school yet! You'll find someone. I'm sure of it!"
"Judy's right Freckles. Besides, we're going to Gideon's wedding in a month and Rose will be there! She did finally forgive you."
"I can't EVER be with her again! Not after I scratched her face apart! I don't deserve it!"
"What you did to her was not from your temper, but from PTSD. You tried to do the same to me."
"That's no excuse!" She cried.
Judy spoke up. "NO, it's not, but it's not completely your fault. I had a PTSD attack during my date with Nick tonight. A chef tried to attack him with a butcher knife and..."
Spots stopped her. "Woah! WOAH! Wait a minute! You two went on a date?!"
"Yup." Nick said with pride. "She asked ME out!"
"No way! That's so awesome!" Spots sour attitude took a complete 180. "I TOLD you it was gonna happen dad! Didn't I tell you?!"
Nick rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. You told me."
Spots was bouncing on the couch joyfully. She then grabbed Judy and gave her a big squeeze. "You just watch! You'll be my momma someday!"
"Hey now! That's a LONG way off if at all! Me and Nick are taking it slow this time. We'll be dating quite a while before things get serious."
"Besides..." Nick added. "We made an agreement. SHE has to propose to me when she's ready. This way I don't screw things up again."
Spots turned her attention to Judy. "Well don't take too long deciding, hare-brain! Don't forget, I'll be the one babysitting Michael. Plus, he's gotten VERY attached to Cotton and Petey!"
She then feigned sadness. "The two bunnies are gonna share a room together! If you find someone else and split them apart..SNIFF!...He'll be so devastated!"
"Oh please! At worst, we'll still be best friends, I'm sure."
Nick jumped in. "So you and this other fella who isn't me are just gonna stay at this apartment complex for the next ten years so Michael doesn't miss his friends?"
"Look!..I...Ummm...Can we just cross that bridge when we come to it?!"
Spots chuckled. "Okay Miss H, but you're just fighting the inevitable!"
Nick looked at the clock. "Speaking of the inevitable, time to get to bed. I wanna hit the road and pick up the kids as early as I can. We got a lot to do!"
Judy stretched. "Yeeah! I gotta get to work in the morning. I'll see you guys tomorrow night. Make sure Michael's well taken care of!"
"Walk you to your door?" Nick asked.
"Walk me three feet? Sure."
Judy opened her apartment door and Nick tried to walk inside with her.
"Excuse me? Where do you think you're going?"
"Well, since our relationship is on the mend, I was thinking...we could soften those box springs some more?"
"Oooh No! I don't know what kinda gal you think I am Mr. Wilde, but I don't mate on the first date."
Nick looked disappointed. "Awww!"
"In fact, I think Clawhauser has a good idea! If we have a romance, it should be emotional, not physical, so no sex until I see a ring on this finger."
Nick looked worried. "But, but...YOU'RE the one who has to propose! YOU'RE the one who has to get the rings!"
Judy had a grin a mile wide. "Yup! Which puts ME in the drivers seat! Which is a good thing considering the way you drive. Don't worry, I won't keep you waiting forever. Good night!" She gave him a quick peck on the lips and shut the door behind her.
Nick just whimpered back into his apartment. "Stupid Clawhauser!"
Meanwhile...
"Stupid Clawhauser! Why can't I sleep in your bed? We're engaged!" Terry was upset.
"You can sleep in my bed if you want, honey!" Ben replied. "I'll just sleep on the couch."
Fangmeyer started to cry as she screamed. "GOD DAMMIT BEN! I'm your fiance'! It's not a sin to mate with someone you're going to spend the rest of your life with!"
Ben argued. "Language! Besides, the good book says.."
"The good book says a lot of things honey! Things we don't agree with today, like 'prey should only be for subsistence, not socializing' and 'any male who beds with another male must be put to sleep permanently'. You don't believe in those things do you?!"
"Well...no! Of course not!"
"And let's be honest here...how long have you been committing the sin of gluttony?"
Ben had to be honest with himself. "For a few years now."
"So tell me...what kind of sin is it to bed with the person you are committed to spending the rest of your life with? I can't get pregnant. You won't get a disease from me. There is nothing wrong with us being together! It's not about sex. I just want to be intimate with you. I want to fall asleep with you in my arms! Is that so wrong?"
"Perhaps you're right. First thing tomorrow morning, I'm going to talk to my pastor about this. In the meantime, let's make a compromise. We'll sleep in the same bed..."
"YES!"
"..But!...But, with our underwear on and we'll just spoon."
Terry was pleased. "That's great! Honey, that's all I really wanted!" She gave him a huge hug and a long, drawn out kiss. Ben pulled back when she started using her tongue. "Woah! Okay then! Ummm...I have to go use the little kittens room for a sec. Why don't you get ready for bed?"
"Okay, fluffball!" She left merrily prancing over to Clawhauser's room.
Ben rushed to the bathroom since Terry unknowingly made him aroused. "I gotta hurry up and finish what she just started!" Clawhauser thought to himself. "Time to put 'Little Benny' to sleep!"
Moments later, Clawhauser went into his bedroom. There, he saw Terry in silk nightgown with no panties underneath. He was starting to sweat.
"Ummmm...errrr...uhhh..."
"You said to spoon in our underwear. Well, this is my underwear!"
"R-R-Right! Ummm...your bigger than me, soo...you should spoon me. I have bigger boobs to play with anyway."
"HEE-HEE! Okay! Now...drop 'em!"
"Here goes nothing!" Clawhauser pulled off his shirt and dropped his pants revealing boxers with donuts all over them.
Terry was a little turned on. "Get over here, my flabby tabby!"
"Okay...but no funny business!"
He climbed in bed and put his back to her. She moved over and he curled up a bit so she could spoon him better. She then started playing with his fat folds.
"Saaay! You do have nice boobs!"
"HEE-HEE! Why thank you!"
"Hee-Hee!" She hugged him tighter and rested her head against his.
Ben loved it. "This does feel really good. I could sleep like this forever."
"Mmmm...Yeah...This is paradise." She snuggled him even tighter. A little too tight.
"Terry, I'm sorry!"
"Why?"
FFRRRRRT!
"BENNY!"
"I warned you way ahead of time that I'm gaseous and you squeezed me too tight!"
"It doesn't smell too bad. It's pungent, but with a sweetness from all those donuts you've been eating. Let's try that again!"
"NO!"
She squeezed him again.
FFFFRRRRRRTTT!
She started laughing hysterically. "Oh my gosh! Hee!-Hee! My little fluffball is like a squeak toy!"
Ben started to giggle. "Now cut that out!"
Squeeze.
FFFRRRRRTT!
She was in hysterics. "HAAAHAHAAA! Y-You're like the farting version of the Pawsbury Doughcat!"
They laid there in bed, laughing. Both happier than they've been in their entire lives.