If this is a dream, I never wanna wake up.
That's the only thought that's been running through Terry's mind lately. Everything's just been so goddamn perfect. Edd's been a lot more affectionate now that the cat's outta the bag, so to speak, and isn't afraid of expressing it, even in public. Sure, it's a little more reserved to keep up appearances, but the occasional chaste kiss to his tender cheek or scooping him up into an embrace doesn't elicit the same shy response as before. And when they're at home! Ugh! Heavenly doesn't even begin to describe it. T.V. and reading time have become some of the activities he looks forward to most. Settling in on the couch, Edd climbs into his lap, snuggling into Terry's arms to get nice and comfy. Cozy enough to nuzzle his neck as he gets more and more drowsy. It's romantic as hell and fuck anyone who says otherwise.
Then there's all the cute little ways Edd's been showing his affections. Like with cooking. During Terry's shifts, Edd's apparently been spending a lot of his time watching cooking shows and trying out new recipes. It's not always great, he admits. Mostly healthier meals that Edd insists he at least try to see if he'll like it. He does so to appease him, but so few have actually stuck for him. But he's sure as shit not going to complain about it. Edd's reasoning — to encourage a better diet so that Terry will 'be around longer with him' — is too damn sweet and makes the unpleasantness of it well worth it.
The cooking has also led to Edd packing him lunches for his longer shifts to deter him away from the fair food. The little messages he leaves with them are the best part of those lunches, though. The most darling little notes wishing him a good day or, every now and then, a short love note that he can read and fantasize to when he should really be paying attention to the rides. And always signed with a heart. Fuckin' adorable!
Finally, there's his actual favorite activity: the sex. It's not gone much farther past Edd reciprocating more enthusiastically — he certainly refuses to perform any oral acts, much to Terry's chagrin — but he's begun referring to sex as lovemaking, which Terry considers to be more than enough for now. Not to mention hearing his little beloved murmur those three, beautiful words to him in their afterglow is goddamn music to his ears.
Yep. Everything's been perfect. Not a goddamn complaint to be made.
…Well…
Okay, so it's not all been sunshine and rainbows. Edd's not always in that wonderful, delightful mood that draws him into Terry's arms, yearning to be cuddled close. There are still those times when he'll get into a state that leaves him unresponsive and irritable. Often as a result of being interrupted by a certain shitbag runt who still insists on begging for something he ain't fuckin' gettin'. Sometimes for no reason he can discern. Either way, when those moods hit, he's quick to snap back at Terry about any little thing and doesn't want to be bothered. At that point, Terry decides it's not worth pushing him and opts to give him his alone time. Seems to do the trick, even if it does mean he has to put off sex no matter how bad he wants it.
But hey, that's just been a small part of their new routine, and a little frustration is acceptable when Edd's been so fuckin' delightful otherwise.
And this morning is no exception.
As his foggy mind begins to register the waking world, he's enveloped by the delicious aroma of sizzling bacon. He reaches beside him reflexively to pull Edd against him and stave off consciousness for a little while longer, but finds him gone. Alright, so he probably should've guessed that if breakfast is cooking. With a groan, he sits up. Indeed, the bed is empty and there's a neatly-written note on the bedside table.
I wanted to let you sleep as long as you wanted since you don't have to work. I'm preparing breakfast if you'd like to join me.
Signed with a heart, like the others. Pleased and obeying the growling of his stomach, Terry throws the covers off of his naked body and reaches for his robe to pull it on. A chill runs down his spine, making him grimace. It's not terribly cold this morning, but the chill is there. Walking out to the kitchen, he finds Edd at the stove, his gaze locked on the pans before him. Bacon, of course, and some scrambled eggs. Too cold for the jersey, it seems, as he's wearing his pjs, but still looking sexy as fuck actin' like an adorable housewife. He draws near, eager to pull that sweet little body against his own, when Edd glances at him.
"Good morning," he greets, flashing a sweet smile, "Are you hungry?"
"Mm…" Terry purrs, wrapping his arms around Edd's middle, "Hungry for somethin."
Leaning in, he nuzzles the boy's neck and place a couple kisses there. Edd's hair is damp and has a gentle fragrance to it. So soothing. As is the giggling his ministrations earns him. Edd squirms in his arms.
"T-Terry!" he whines through his laughter, "Stop! I don't want anything to burn!"
Terry ignores him, resting his head on the slender shoulder to watch him cook. However, he's drawn from his lust by the nagging urge to take a leak, and reluctantly lets him go. Before heading to the bathroom, he takes a moment to set up the coffee maker to brew himself a pot. When that's all set up, he turns back to Edd and places a hand on top of his head and leans down to kiss his temple.
"Be right back," he murmurs, making a beeline for the bathroom.
The warm smell of the bacon tantalizingly follows him to the bathroom and while he relieves himself. After washing his hands, he also decides to brush his teeth. Might as well. He rinses and then takes a moment to inspect his facial hair, debating whether or not he should shave. Ultimately, he decides to leave it and returns to the kitchen.
Edd's setting the table; a heaping plate of bacon right in the middle and the eggs being split between two more plates — one for each of them. The coffee should be ready soon too, but he's much more interested in the fact that Edd's not distracted by the stove any longer. As Edd finishes emptying out the eggs from the skillet, Terry drapes his arms around hiss middle again, pecking his temple and cheek.
"Terry!" Edd whines, his body betraying his tone as he leans into the embrace, "We should eat before the food gets cold!"
"In a minute," Terry mumbles back, "You left me all lonely when I woke up. You owe me some cuddling."
Edd squirms a little; "I wanted to make breakfast. And it was the best time to get a shower in beforehand so that you wouldn't have to wait to eat."
"Mmm…I love it when you think about me like that," Terry purrs, nuzzling him a little more.
He feels Edd's shoulders slump before he slips out of the man's grip and holds up the skillet like a shield.
"Eat first," he insists, "You can get all that out of your system later."
Rolling his eyes with a groan, Terry gives no further protest, allowing Edd to take the skillet to the sink to scrub away the excess egg still clinging to the pan. Meanwhile, Terry approaches the coffee maker to pour a cup before taking a seat at the table. Edd sits across from him after a moment as Terry starts loading up his plate with bacon and grabs a couple of strips for himself.
"I've compiled a list of groceries we're in need of," Edd states, fork in hand, "Since you're not working today, I thought maybe this would be an excellent time to pick them up?"
Terry shrugs back, chewing thoughtfully; "Sure. I can head out in a bit."
"May I accompany you?" Edd asks, "Just in case I forgot anything, it might help to be present while you're shopping. Not to mention making sure you don't pick up anything too horrifically unhealthy."
"Yeah, yeah…" Terry grumbles, "Whatever you say, sweetheart."
"It's probably best to leave shortly after we eat," Edd suggests, "Make us less tempted to grab snack foods we don't need."
"After a quickie, right?" Terry suggests with a smirk.
Edd pouts back, hunching his shoulders; "I just had a shower, though. I'd just have to take more time bathing before we left."
"Says who?"
"Maybe after we get back?" Edd suggests meekly, "After we've finished out errand?"
Dammit…Realizing Edd's not going to budge on this, Terry sits back in his chair.
"Fine, fine," he grumbles, "I'm holdin' you to it."
With that, Edd relaxes again and returns to his meal, which they finish in silence from then on. Once they've finished eating, Edd takes a moment to wash the dishes — refusing to leave a single fork unwashed in the sink — and then returns with Terry to the bedroom to get dressed. He's really fuckin' pushing it as he chooses his plaid shirt/dress from Valentine's Day and grabs one of Terry's extra overshirts to wrap around his waist.
As they walk to the van, the temperature is still a little too cool for their tastes, but the sunlight keeps them warmer than they would be otherwise. Then, it's a quick drive to the grocery, with Edd excitedly describing a new dish he just can't wait to try! This one, at least, incorporates some meat and veggies that don't make Terry's stomach turn at the thought. Not that he'd actually deny Edd's desire to make this new recipe, of course. Fuck if he's gonna squash his little darling's enthusiasm like that.
When they reach the store and head inside, Edd puts Terry in charge of pushing the cart so he can lead the way, his list in hand. They tour each aisle methodically, loading the cart up with this and that. It's not long at all before Terry starts letting his mind drift in boredom, coming back to the present only when Edd directly addresses him with some simple conversation.
"Mother and father always did the grocery shopping back home," he mentions as they meander through the cereal section, "I recall joining them once or twice, but they rarely asked me to assist them unless I was to fetch something from another aisle."
"Yeah, that sounds about right…" Terry mumbles, half-listening after the mention of those two.
"It's nice to be able to pick out precisely what I want rather than hope the person shopping so happens to remember," Edd continues, lovingly picking out a box of Chunky Puffs.
"Mm…"
By the time their cart is mostly full of meats and veggies and other various cooking ingredients, along with a few household products (like toilet paper and soaps and so on), they turn into the candy aisle, causing Edd to hesitate, debating whether or not to proceed. With a shrug, he keeps walking, keeping his eyes on his list. Terry's eyes skim over the various sweets and chocolates, tempted to snag a few to enjoy as a tasty treat later on. Suddenly, though, Edd stops, startling the man as he has to bring the cart to a sharp halt as well.
"The fuck…?" he grumbles, finally snapping his attention to him.
Oh…Edd's stumbled across the jawbreaker barrel in the aisle. His favorite candy. He sees him fidget a little, clearly tempted to take one and add it to their cart.
"Whatcha waitin' for?" Terry asks resting his chin in his hand and leaning against the cart, "G'head and get some if you want 'em."
Still fidgeting, Edd glances at him; "I shouldn't…I-It's not on my list and…Well…we already have so much…A-And I don't…want you to spend more than you need to."
Rolling his eyes, Terry steps away from the cart.
"Fuck that," he states, grabbing a couple of the jawbreakers, "It aint like they're gonna break the bank or nothin'. Besides…" Placing them in the cart, he strokes Edd's jaw. "Yer pretty lil smile is worth any expense."
There's that aforementioned smile he's lookin' for. As he returns to his place at the cart to lean against the handle, Edd fidgets a little more before glancing at one of the shelves.
"You should get something too," he suggests, "It wouldn't be fair if I'm the only one getting any candy…"
"I already got a sweet treat to enjoy when we get home," Terry retorts with a wink.
And there's the blush that gets him all hot n' bothered. Pulling the collar of his shirt up a bit to cover his face, Edd turns away with a huff.
"Why don't you just pick out some chocolate or something?" he stammers.
With a shrug, Terry grabs a bag of chocolate kisses and tosses it into the cart.
"We about done here?" he asks, hoping to prod Edd along.
"O-Oh…yes," Edd stutters, returning his attention to his list, "I think that's pretty much everything…Oh! The beverages! That'll be the last thing."
With that, they finish their shopping by picking up a case of water bottles, some sodas for Edd, and a couple cases of beer for Terry (despite Edd's protests). In line, Terry also gets himself a carton of smokes to add to the order, ignoring the earful Edd wants to give him about it. Griping, he laments, which persists even as they load up the van with their purchase. He doesn't bother trying to wave it off. Though Edd's technically right, he just can't bring himself to care and he ain't about to give up his cigarettes. So it's a moot point and it's better to just let him get his protests out of his system.
Upon returning home and after putting the groceries away, they decide to sit down for some television. Terry initially wanted to get down n' dirty the way Edd promised, but the trip to the store had left him a little too drained for that. Nothing extreme, of course, but shutting his brain off and kicking back for a bit just sounds more appealing in the moment. Especially when Edd settles in to cuddle as they flip through some channels for something interesting.
Not a lot on today, unfortunately, so they settle on some silly history-related thing. Well, 'history' is a strong word. The show itself is all about supposed alien sightings and discussing the 'legitimacy' of those claims. Yeah, sounds real historical. But whatever. The stories are at least entertaining and Edd's critiques are pretty funny too.
At the tail end of one of the commercial breaks is a trailer. A really shitty, amazing trailer for some new sci-fi thriller in theaters called 'Monster Madhouse'. Looks like shit, but it got Edd's attention.
"That look absolutely ridiculous," he states, the echo of a laugh in his throat, "Who comes up with these movies?"
"Some weird Hollywood auteur," Terry shrugs back, "Probably had the budget of a ham sandwich or somethin'. Those effects looked like shit."
"I almost want to see it," Edd giggles, "Just to witness the insanity I'm sure it contains."
"You want to?" Terry offers, cocking his brow, "It's apparently in theaters. And we got enough time to hit up a matinee — so it'd be a lot cheaper."
"Really?" Edd asks, sitting up excitedly.
"Why not? Should kill a few hours and at least be pretty entertaining."
"That sounds great!" Edd cries, rising from the couch.
And that decides it. Bundling up again, they head back out and make the quick drive to the theater in town. The marquee does list the movie, or, at least a portion of it (Monster Madho), so they get their tickets and approach the counter to load up on popcorn and sodas. In the theater, they're delighted to find that not a single other person is nearly as interested in seeing this thing as the two of them are, resulting in empty seats from top to bottom. With their pick of the ideal seating, they sit smack dab in the middle of the theater and sink into the plush chairs. Terry immediately props his feet up on the back of the seat in front of him to properly recline and Edd, naturally, chides him for this, insisting he should keep his feet off the seats.
"Who's gonna stop me, exactly?" Terry argues with a shrug before gesturing at the rest of the auditorium, "You mean…this gigantic crowd of people who came to see the movie?"
Edd giggles, nudging him; "An usher might."
"Let 'em try."
With that, the discussion is mostly dropped in that regard. While they wait, Terry moves his drink to the armrest on his right and pulls the one between them upright, eliminating the barrier separating them.
"There," he coos, putting his arm around Edd's shoulder, "Now we can get nice and cozy."
"Mm…" Edd sighs, leaning against his chest and nuzzling him, "This is quite nice."
"Yeah, and you can blow me if the movie sucks," Terry adds smugly.
"And back down goes the armrest," Edd retorts, sitting up and removing Terry's arm before reestablishing the blockade.
"C'mon!"
"Shh!" Edd hisses, nodding towards the entrance where a couple of kids just arrived.
"Motherfucker…" Terry grumbles, chin in hand as he leans against his right armrest.
There goes any notion of getting in at least a hand job while they watch this garbage. Movie better be funny, at least.
It's another ten to fifteen minutes before the trailers like the movie has more draw than they thought, as, during that time, a couple more parties wander in. A teenage couple and a group of douchey frat boys loudly talking about how many tits they expect to see on screen. Jokes on them; Terry discovered when they got their tickets that this movie's actually PG-13, unlike Robot Rebel Ranch, indicating this one will likely have a lot less of the intensity and other 'adult-oriented' content — ergo, probably not much titty.
Finally, the trailers run and finish and the movie begins. As expected, it's pretty damn cheesy. All the effects are done practically, but some are a helluva lot worse than others to the point of being laughable. The plot (if you can call it that), revolves around some Scooby-Doo-esque gang of kids getting tricked into checking out a supposed haunted house, only to be terrorized by the various monsters inside. All the while throwing out one-liners and groaners. Were he viewing the movie by himself with these fuckers, he might've walked out by now out of sheer boredom, but Edd's whispered commentary is fuckin' making this movie.
Every dumbass decision is followed by some quip from Edd about the correct course of action they should be taking. Or some frustrated observation about how this is not the time to be making jokes or making out. Or, Terry's personal favorite, a short and simple 'Good' when one of the air-headed brats gets offed by one of the more gruesome monsters. After quelling his own howling laughter, he mutters a question as to where that reaction came from and receives the best response he could imagine.
"That was natural selection at its finest," Edd replies in a whisper, "She didn't make a single good decision during the entire runtime and the rest of them might actually benefit from her being gone."
Fucking beautiful. None of the kids make it in the end, but the horror of that doesn't resonate in the slightest. Unlike Robot Rebel Ranch, Edd never cowers beside him or submits to any fear. The movie never took itself seriously enough to make any of the stakes mean anything. But he never seemed to outright dislike it. He laughed through much of it and by the end still had a grin on his face. As most of the audience files out of the theater during the credits, Edd and Terry remain to continue their commentary. At least until their bladders demand that they get up and run to the bathroom.
When they finally leave the theater, Terry offers to take him out to eat. The popcorn is wearing off for him, at least, and Edd didn't have that much in the end. Thus, he agrees with a little shrug. Climbing into the van, they drive out to a family style sit-in restaurant. A place that serves the favorites: burgers, chicken, sandwiches, and so on. Piling into a booth, they're given their menus to peruse.
"Order whatever you want, Princess," Terry states, shooting him a grin.
"I don't need much…" Edd shrugs back, "These chicken tenders look pretty good?"
"Like I said; whatever you want."
Their waitress returns for their orders a few minutes later, Terry requests a burger with everything but cheese, and an order of fries and asks for the chicken and fries for Edd and a couple of colas to drink. She writes it down and takes their menus before leaving to relay their orders to the kitchen. While they wait, they discuss the movie and Terry lets Edd go off on a proper tirade about how unlikeable those characters were. How unreasonably stupid and frustrating every action they made were. He only calms down after he gets into the monsters and how effective they could've been if the main group hadn't been so awful. It's amusing to watch him get so heated. So excitable about this movie that he managed to become so invested in. He does admit that he liked it more than Robot Rebel Ranch, surprisingly enough. Or, at least, that he had more fun watching this one. Definitely made it worth seeing the film in Terry's opinion.
Their food arrives and their conversation is silenced in favor of enjoying their meal. Terry decides, as he takes one big bite of his burger after another, that he'll have to keep this place in mind for more dinners out. The meat is seasoned real nice and the fries are crispy and just the right amount of thickness. Edd's enjoying his food too, it seems. His chicken looks tender and the fact that he's quickly going through them indicates that they're tasty as fuck.
As their plates slowly empty, Terry turns to Edd with a question.
"Anything else you wanna do today, Princess?" he asks, popping one of the few remaining fries into his mouth.
Edd's just finishing the last chicken and swallows before answering.
"Actually…I think…I'd like to go home and…stay in for the night?"
The suggestive shrug he adds to that is more than enough to drive Terry to flag down their waitress to give them their check.
He speeds the fuck back to the park, all too eager to get home and enjoy the romantic night to follow. As they return to the trailer for the final time that night, he realizes suddenly that he never got the mail. Ugh…that can wait, right?
Well…no. Dammit. He should at least grab it and then he can properly look through it after the sex. With that in mind, he sends Edd inside and stops by the mailbox. Not much today, he's glad to note as he skims through the envelopes. A couple bills, junk mail, and…goddammit. He thought that little fucker would've stopped this nonsense. Entering the trailer, he finds that Edd seems to have disappeared into the bathroom, so he decides to open that one at least. He's sure it's more bullshit about wanting to visit and how unfair he's being and blah blah blah… Rolling his eyes, he takes out the letter and lets his eyes roam over it. It's short, at least, but the words make his blood run cold.
Me and Ed got some bus tickets and we're coming out on Wednesday.
Since fuckin' when?! He keeps reading, gripping the paper in shaking hands.
I've tried calling to let you know, but you keep hanging up before I can say anything. So I figured this would be the best way to tell you. Mom said it was okay, though.
Anyway, we're gonna stay till Sunday.
See ya then!
Eddy
"Motherfucker!" Terry rages, stomping over to the phone.
He dials home, his thumb mashing the buttons so hard he's half-worried he might break it. He waits impatiently. One ring…Two…Three…
Finally, his mother's voice clicks onto the line; "Hello?"
"Put that little fucker on now!" Terry shouts.
"Terry?" his mother gasps, "What's wrong? Why are you—"
"I said put him on!"
She seems to catch on to what he means and he hears the phone being passed along before Eddy finally speaks.
"Hey, Bro!" he greets, "What's up?"
"You are not coming out here you little shit!" Terry insists, "If your fat ass shows up on my fuckin' doorstep I'll wring yer goddamn neck!"
There's a silence on the other end of the line and he worries for a second that they were disconnected, until he hears the muffled sound of a door closing.
"I don't care what you say," Eddy argues hotly, his voice a little more toned down, "Me and Ed'll be there tomorrow. You don't gotta pick us up or nothin'. We'll walk from the bus stop."
"Do Mom n' Dad actually know about this?" Terry demands.
"No," Eddy retorts confidently, "But I'm leavin' a note when we go so they'll know I'm with you. So that threat ain't gonna work."
Terry growls in his rage, gripping the phone so tight it creaks under the strain. He tries his damnedest to calm down. To figure out a way to make him change his mind. But nothing comes to him. Gritting his teeth, he breathes heavily through his nose.
"If I let you come out here," he snarls, "Will you fuckin' drop this? Will you stop pesterin' me to visit ever again?"
Eddy's tone changes in an instant; "Y-Yeah! Sure! I just…I really need to get outta here, Bro! Please! Just for a few days!"
A few more calming breaths as Terry chooses his words carefully.
"Fine," he speaks through his teeth, "You get three days. Starting Friday. You might as well burn that fuckin' ticket cuz you ain't comin' any earlier. I'm not babysitting yer fat ass any longer than that. Take it or leave it."
"Sweet!" Eddy cries back, "Consider it done! Thanks so much, Bro! We'll see ya Friday!"
Terry doesn't get to say anything else as Eddy ends the call. Probably to go celebrate and tell their folks he'd finally brow beaten Terry into submission. Fucker. Slamming the phone down into its cradle, he tries desperately to collect himself. The rage over just what he's agreed to is unquenchable, burning hotter and hotter the longer he thinks on it. He barely feels the delicate hands touching his own.
"Terry?" Edd's little voice just manages to get through, drawing his attention.
His Princess is gazing up at him in concern. Brows knitted and lips drawn into the cutest pout.
"Are you okay?" he asks softly, "What's going on?"
Had he heard none of that? None of his screaming or snarling? Shit…That means he's gotta tell him. He sighs, deflating into one of the kitchen chairs and holding his head.
Edd mutters to him again; "Terry?"
Swallowing down his nerves, Terry buries his face into his hands, too worried about his reaction to look at him any longer.
"I just got off the phone with the little Pipsqueak," he begins slowly, carefully.
The words make him sick to even think, let alone voice, and they're not coming easily. He can hear Edd shifting in front of him.
"And?"
He flinches, digging his nails into his scalp when he hears his darling's voice quiver. He's gotta say it. Gotta tell him. It's bad enough it's happening. He can't let it be a surprise. Swallowing down what little wetness is still left in his dry mouth, he finally says it aloud.
"He'll be here Friday."
