It was a little past dinnertime when Edd finally returned home, where he made a beeline for the kitchen to drop the bags off on the table. As he began unpacking his purchase, he could feel Matthew look at him expectantly. Edd knew it was one of two things that were on his mind, one which he was hoping to hear vastly more than the other.

"Where's my dinner?" Matthew demanded as he turned away from the tv.

Edd hardly spared him a glance, but could see he was watching some program where shirtless, intoxicated guys were being badgered into removing their clothes for the camera. That shouldn't even be legal, Edd thought with disgust. The men on the screen weren't anywhere near the legal limit to drive a car in their state, let alone sign away their dignity on camera while riding high on some party drug.

Shaking off that thought and trying not to reflect on the thirty dollars that would be added to his cable bill, Edd returned his attention to his groceries. He was correct about what the man wanted, after all. What did Matthew actually expect, though? For Edd to just make delicious food magically appear at the drop of a hat? Sorry, but no. He's not that bastard, Lucas, who can just bark orders at a meal preparation staff to make whatever he asks for appear at the shout of his voice.

No, working class meals require real effort and planning.

Recognizing he should at least answer, Edd sighed; "I'll order a cheeseless pizza."

Without waiting for a response, Edd dialed up the local pizza place that would also do delivery. Tired of cheeseless pizzas himself, however, he also ordered a medium supreme pizza with extra cheese to go along with the medium cheeseless, meat-lovers pizza for the world's biggest toddler.

Speaking of that douche, Edd was still furious with him for possibly being a passive accomplice to Lucas' wickedness. And for what? Edd's own rear end?! That pervert would literally sell his own brother up shit creek just to have that so-called 'piece of ass' that his brother coveted. The very thought made Edd's blood boil again as he hung up the phone and set it down.

No sooner were his hands free before a pair of strong arms wrapped around his middle, regrettably informing him that his second assumption was also correct; that Matthew was feeling frisky on top of being hungry.

"Mm…I bet we can squeeze in a quickie before the delivery guy shows."

"You have the mating habits of a Brown Antechinus," Edd quipped in as dry a tone as he could muster, trying to shake his grip.

He was in no mood to indulge in Matthew's sick obsession with him for even a moment; still extremely pissed about everything he'd learned that day. Matthew, Lucas, and Seth…The whole trio was poison and he'd had more than enough that he could stomach.

"S'not like you make it easy for me when you strut around in those tight purple jeans," Matthew uttered huskily as he ignored Edd's squirming, "Makes me want to pull 'em off you."

With a shrill growl, Edd finally managed to get loose just enough to turn and smack him. It was pure instinct. An action he wasn't sure he regretted, but which felt damn good anyway. Matthew's brow arching and the knowing look he cast Edd's way made the younger man lean back towards regret.

"Well, that's unfortunate for you, sweetheart," Matthew replied cooly, tracing the faint red mark that was beginning to rise on his cheek. His tone was even, but Edd could sense the threat beneath as he continued. "But hey, you want to play hard to get tonight? I'll be happy to get a little rough with you so I can get my rocks off by the end of it."

For good measure, Matthew returned the favor, slapping Edd across the face — possibly hard enough to leave an angry, red handprint on his cheek or perhaps even a bruise. Stumbling back a bit, Edd gaped at him as he stuttered out a response and covered his cheek.

"Y-you struck me, you uncouth brute!" he snarled, "Why? Why won't you just leave me alone?"

"First of all, let's not forget that you hit me first," Matthew scoffed back, "And second, why should I? We both like getting off to each other, so why not keep doing that?" With a wicked grin, he then leaned over to add in a whisper. "Or have you already forgotten how many times you've screamed my name while I was inside you?"

Gritting his teeth, Edd forced himself to take a long, deep breath to calm the rage that was once again building in him.

"Listen to me," he spoke through his teeth, hoping to talk some sense into the man before him (as futile an effort as he knew it was), "this…thing we had is extremely toxic to us both. It's not healthy and I'm not having it anymore. I keep using you to take Eddy's place and it's killing me inside and I can't take it any longer. Whatever it is you feel for me is not requited, so I'm asking you to please stop trying to pursue me and do not touch me. I'm not interested."

Matthew scoffed; "Who the fuck do you think you're fooling?" Without warning, he shoved Edd to the floor. "You 'n I both know you're just saying that cuz you're afraid that people won't see you as the goodie-goodie that you pretend to be should you admit you like my dick. I've been through the same song and dance with quite a few of my exes and it always wound up working out the same way. Usually involved liquor of some sort. Hell, you think I've forgotten how sexually aggressive you were when you had one too many?"

"You foul bastard!" Edd snarled as he tripped Matthew with his legs.

Matthew toppled like a house of cards on top of him, nearly crushing him with his weight. Regaining the breath that had been forced out of him, Edd managed to use the momentum to swiftly roll them both over, switching their position. His eyes burned with indignation as he wrapped his hands around Matthew's throat, seething down at the man beneath him.

"You will not speak to me in that vulgar way again!" he raged, "Do you understand me?!"

"So much emotion towards a guy that you claim you are just using," Matthew grinned, taunting him as Edd's feeble grip did nothing to silence him, "You know, I love this side of you. It'll make the sex between us that much more satisfying." Taking one look at Edd's inflamed, tearful face, he snorted, adding in; "Please, as if you're above hate-fucking me. In fact, I can prove it to you…"

Before Matthew could use his hand to grope him, Edd pinned it over his head, his eyes narrowed and full of rage; "I asked you not to touch me, now I'm telling you! You will not touch me or…O-Or—"

"Or what, Princess? Or what?"

The situation quickly grew sexually awkward as Matthew gazed at him in the face with unconcealed desire in his eyes. The bastard was getting off on this too?! Edd tried to hold his angry look, but it quickly faltered as he worried about the predicament he was in. Matthew reveled in every moment of his emotional confusion. If he wasn't careful, he might do something he can't come back from. Then, Matthew uttered the phrase that sent Edd over the edge of sanity.

"I wonder how passionate you would've been when we first met."

Seeing red, Edd reared his free hand back.

"I detest you!" he screeched as he wildly punched Matthew in the face.

He couldn't harm Lucas like he desperately wanted to, but Matthew — guilty by association of his crime — would be a fitting substitute to take his anger out on. All the while, though, Matthew laughed against the feeble blows, even when a particularly sharp punch caused a droplet of blood to drip down from his nose. That reaction only served to piss Edd off even more.

"You do know, I coulda blocked any one of those hits if I wanted to, right?" Matthew purred, still chuckling, "Or, even better, I coulda flipped you over and already have had my way with you by now? Don't that sound good. But hey, you comin' at me like a wild animal just now really gave me quite the chub, so I figured I'd let you blow off some steam before blowin' me."

"Must you really have that awful, perverse reaction to everything I do?!" Edd gawked, "Can't you take anything I do seriously?!"

"What can I say?" Matthew taunted, licking away some of the blood, "Those love taps you dished out were kitten strength. A burly man you're not, sweetheart. Those hands of yours are way better suited to giving out hand jobs than tryin' to fight."

Vision blurring again, Edd reached for Matthew's throat, ready to actually squeeze the life out of him this time, but Matthew grabbed his arm and twisted painfully. Edd worried briefly he might've popped it out of its socket before realizing through the pain that the man had flipped their positions again. Now Matthew was back on top, pushing Edd painfully into the hard floor. Only this time, he had Edd face down.

"Now," Matthew snarled, ignoring the pitiful whimpers as he leaned down to nibble on Edd's ear, "let's see if you can worm your way out of this one, slut."

Edd felt Matthew's crotch flush against his ass and his stomach pressing against his lower back. He could also tell by the way the man was was breathing hard into his ear that this was just getting started.

"Fucking slut," Matthew growled, "You oughta beg me for forgiveness. Then I might consider not humiliating you in front of the pizza boy. I doubt you'd want some zit-faced teenager to see you joyfully taking a dick right?"

Dear lord! Has it been that long already? Edd muttered a protest and attempted to wiggle out from under Matthew, but to no avail. The man wasn't about to let up and had already managed to tug Edd's pants down, along with his underwear. Edd's eyes widened and his cheeks turned crimson at being exposed again.

"Y-You wouldn't dare?!" he gasped, struggling anew, "Not when I'm already terribly upset and just gave you a nasal fracture!"

"Aw, does somebody actually admit that they care about me?" Matthew cooed teasingly, "Forget it, sweetheart. You should know the drill by now that I plan on using that hole of yours whether you like it or not."

Amid his struggling, Edd noticed Matthew going still and silent and awkwardly turned to see why, only to find the man with his fingers in his mouth, coating them with saliva like a seasoned pro. He chastised himself for thinking like that — he was angry, goddammit! …Wait, why was he doing that anyway? The realization hit harder than the smack Matthew had given him.

"You can't serious?!" he squawked, "That's all the lubrication you're going to use?!"

"I mean, if you weren't bein' such a feisty little thing, I might've considered grabbing somethin' better from my bedroom, but hey, ya work with what ya got," Matthew retorted with a shrug before bearing down on him again. "Now, relax, sweetheart. I've got something that'll help calm those frazzled nerves of yours."

With that, he inserted his 'lubed' finger inside of Edd in one, forced shove. Whining pitifully, Edd bit down a retort against the intrusion. The thick digit twisted and squirmed inside of him, as if Matthew was searching for a particular spot. When he finally found it, Edd's breath hitched and his taut muscles from resisting the man's advances grew lax. Matthew's finger assaulted Edd's prostate and he felt himself becoming more complacent towards the inevitable.

"Feelin' good, Princess?" Matthew asked knowingly, "Maybe I should add another one and really get you squirming under me."

"You're…vile," Edd struggled to speak, and was soon rendered mute as another finger was inserted to abuse his poor prostate.

He felt those fingers work their wicked magic inside him, and bit his lip to suppress a moan, if only to prevent himself from being ridiculed for giving into his desires. It was becoming harder and harder to manage the longer those fingers wormed their way further inside him.

Before he knew it, he felt the older man's clothed crotch rubbing close to where his fingers were. He couldn't be any more mortified by his current situation. He didn't want to, but if he could describe it, the only way to do so would be as crudely as Matthew might put it; he was being 'tamed like a disobedient bitch.'

Eventually, the stimuli became too great and he couldn't keep quiet any longer, allowing himself to drone out Matthew's name in what was half a sultry moan, half a war cry; promising all that would hear it that he would have his revenge. Yes, he'll take down Matthew as an after-effect of associating with Lucas. In that primal moment, it suddenly dawned on him as to why Lucas was even chosen to serve in Matthew's scams. It was the same reason he was chosen by Eddy.

He didn't know why, but he felt compelled to voice his revelation.

"I know why you picked them…" Edd uttered in awe through his panting.

"What's that, Princess?" Matthew mocked, clearly uninterested in what Edd's started mumbling about.

"It was the same as Eddy…" Edd continued weakly, his words interrupted with the occasional moan, "Not just…because Lucas was cunning and inventive, or because Seth was…artistic and had that horrifying Kanker, physical prowess…You…You picked them because they were psychologically im—paired from parental neglect and abuse. Th-that's how you won them over…isn't it?" His hands balled into shaking fists. "You knew what to say to an abused child to…to get them to trust you so easily at such a young age…and you passed that on to Eddy."

"Trying to get in my head ain't gonna win you any brownie points," Matthew retorted in a growl, "I'm still gonna fuck you senseless." Despite that claim, however, he paused for just a moment. "What do you even know about their life stories? Or mine for that matter."

"I heard enough about it through those long and tedious courtroom hearings," Edd answered coldly, glad for the brief reprieve, "Seth used to wear a hospital face mask to hide the bruises he got from his biological father, and Lucas…He was neglected through a lack of parental love and supervision. Am I right?"

It sickened him to realize how eerily similar Lucas' situation was to his. Granted, he hadn't grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth like Lucas had, but, his parents had been guilty of neglecting him much in the same way that Malcolm had neglected Lucas. As soon as he'd found out he had a diabetic child, Malcolm had done the same thing Edd's parents had after Edd had received his head injury; sever all emotional ties. Knowing this, however, changed nothing about how Edd felt about Lucas. He still chose to be terrible as a result of that upbringing. Edd believed he himself proved that he didn't have to be like that.

"So what?" Matthew shrugged, clicking his tongue in annoyance, "Jesus…You're always are tryin' to butt into my business, aren't you? Who cares why I picked them? If you must know, it's because they went along with what I said after Sasha gave me the cold shoulder as a kid. Nothin' more, nothin' less."

"That just proves my point," Edd argued breathlessly, "You approaching Sasha was like trial-and-error for you as a kid. He wasn't being abused, so he didn't need your validation and thus was able to see through the lies and manipulations you spread. Not…to say that abused children are stupid, of course…Just that…they chose to ignore the signs when the barest minimum of friendship was offered to them…"

"Uh huh…Are you done psychoanalyzing me already?" Matthew asked, unamused, "Cuz this schtick is gettin' old. You say anything else about that time 'n I'll give you a reason to wear a face mask too."

Sighing, Edd rested his head on his arm. He feels as though he might've gotten somewhere with that, but it just wasn't enough. That is, until Matthew removed his fingers. Oh? Maybe that had been enough to deter him? At least, that's what he thought, until he felt something thick and wet flicker across his hole. Wailing, Edd curled his fingers into fists as he screamed into them. What the hell was that?

"Wh-what are you—?" he gawked, glancing back to see that what he felt had been the man's tongue. He gagged in disgust through the reluctant pleasure. "Are you mad?! That's incredibly filthy! You could get E. coli!"

"You're clean enough to be eaten out," Matthew scoffed back, just inches away from his hole, "What? Was Pipsqueak too prissy to properly do the job? What a shame. Besides that, though, I gotta lube you up some more before I have my fun with you n' I ain't about to let you get away so I can get some from my room."

"How mortifying!" Edd muttered, covering his face with his arm.

After the initial shock, Edd couldn't deny that the man's mouth on his posterior started to feel quite…pleasurable, but he wasn't about to tell Matthew that. Anilingus; a pleasure he'll never ever admit to enjoying…much like the man currently performing it. Still, the way it made him feel didn't make the act any less horrifying and it was getting hard to pretend as the room filled with the sounds of Edd's pleasured mewls.

During a brief moment of lucidity, he thanked whatever God might be listening that the pizza had yet to arrive during this moment specifically.

As quickly as it began, Matthew stopped and pressed himself against Edd, his clothed erection prominently pressing against Edd's hole. The clothing issue was soon rectified, though, as Matthew dropped his pants and underwear to his knees before lining his dick to Edd's anus.

"Gotta say, Princess," Matthew breathed into his ear, placing a kiss to the shell, "Fucking you is even better when you're nice and feisty."

Before Edd could retort, Matthew slid inside him with one swift motion. Thankfully, the man's saliva provided just enough lubrication to do a somewhat decent job at reducing the pain. It didn't burn like hell, at least, though he did still feel his insides being stretched to accommodate Matthew's girth. Edd moaned out Matthew's name, unable to will back the resentment he had previously felt. He still felt his resolve to throw him under the bus when the time came, though. That much, he was determined to see through.

But, for now, he'll enjoy another session with Matthew, if only to remove himself from the guilt that will surely eat away at him later..

ABABABABABA

It was Daddy-daughter day. Nancy had to shop for Christmas presents and fill out job applications in town, so Seth had the duty — nay, he'd argued, the honor of treating Raven to a kids meal at a local fast food place near a park where she was currently playing around in. Seth watched carefully as Raven traversed the wooden labyrinth-like structure in the middle of the playground, enjoying the peace of the evening.

Despite his many warnings reminding her to not spill her small, half-drunk hot cocoa that they'd gotten from the same place he'd purchased her kids' meal, he soon heard her call out to him maybe ten minutes later and knew what had happened. Sure enough, upon reaching her, he found her on the ground amidst the wood chip flooring, her drink spilled before her. Without any hesitation, he helped her back to her feet and brushed the chips off of her. She pouted, the start of a tantrum welling on her face over the loss of her drink as she started to sob.

"Hey, now, I tried to warn you that would happen, now didn't I?" he chided sweetly. When the jovial tone did nothing to assuage her tears, he added coyly, "Maybe we can get you an ice cream cone before we go home, huh? So long as you don't tell mom."

That seemed to have done the trick, as Raven quieted down pretty quickly as Seth carried her to the car. She allowed him to buckle her into her 'big girl's' car seat and he was suddenly struck with the realization that she wouldn't need the seat for much longer when she starts attending preschool. It seemed like only yesterday that he carried her home from the hospital since Nancy couldn't lift the car seat due to the stitches in the lower part of her stomach. She was growing before his very eyes and it was fucking terrifying.

Soon, another Lovering would be born. As he climbed into the driver's seat, he wondered what would even be good names for his second child. He already had a couple of ideas; Kieffer Roy Lovering if a boy or Lucrecia Hepburn Lovering if a girl. Were those good? Could they even make such a decision right now? Seth sighed, probably not. It was too soon to know for sure what the gender was, so there was no rush to settle on the name.

What they should really be planning out was how to properly budget for the new addition. He assumed that the biggest save in money would be pulling Raven's old crib and her other baby stuff from the attic. They should still be in great condition, particularly after a good scrub down to remove the dust and whatever else lurked on the old furniture. But that was the big stuff. They'd still need to consider the diapers, formula, pacifiers, and all the other little stuff that piled on to burn a huge hole in his wallet. Maybe he could host a co-ed baby shower like they did before Raven was born? Money is gonna be tighter now with a new baby coming, but some help from friends and family would at least give them a head start.

Speaking of help from family…

"Hey, Raven?" Seth asked as he backed out of the empty parking lot, "You know, you're gonna have a lot more responsibilities now that you're gonna be a big sister." The childlike confusion on his daughter's face was adorable, but to be expected, so Seth tried to explain. "Yeah. You'll have to share your toys and help us do important big girl stuff like hand us diapers or baby bottles."

"I don't think I like responsib-I-tee," Raven pouted as she struggled to pronounce the word.

Seth chuckled a bit at that; "Aw, things will be okay, Raven. You'll still have time to play video games and chase after Binxley. It's just that Mommy and Daddy are gonna need a little extra help around the house. Do you understand?"

"Yes Daddy," she didn't look too ecstatic about the idea or that she actually knew what he was talking about, but Seth accepted the reply anyway. Maybe she'll understand in time?

As they pressed on in silence, Seth's thoughts drifted back to Ted and how vulnerable he'd been to the man at the time. He wondered if it could've been avoided entirely if the adults in his life were a little more responsible. Or…if they were around at all? He might've been better protected if his actual father had given a shit about him. He couldn't blame Uncle Roy, of course. Vietnam fucked his brain up seven ways from Sunday. But at least Roy had cared about him enough when he wasn't completely out of his mind. Roy's only downfall as a parental figure was that he wasn't a mind reader and knew nothing regarding Ted. And the only one he could blame for that was himself and his silence.

He cast a glance at Raven in the rearview mirror, realizing that now might be the best time to have a talk with her about bad people.

"Y'know…" he began carefully, his throat suddenly feeling dry, "Another big-girl thing you need to know is how to deal with…bad people."

"Bad people?"

"Yeah, you know how your Disney movies always have a bad guy?" Seth asked, waiting until she nodded to continue, "Well, there's bad guys in real life too. Only…there are certain bad guys in our world that…like to hurt little kids like you." Seth shuddered, remembering how close he'd come to being molested or sex-trafficked. "Listen, this is very important—"

"Daddy, you already told me to stay away from strangers," Raven groaned, never one to enjoy being lectured to. Seth swore that she had the same stubbornness as her mother and this was not the time for it.

"Yeah, well, you still don't know what to do when one comes up to you," Seth pointed out.

That seemed to get her attention as this new information was presented to her. Or maybe she could tell that her daddy's tone wasn't as playful as it had been. That he was using the voice he'd affect when he needed to really impart something serious to her. Whatever the case, he had her full attention.

"If a stranger comes up to you and mommy or I aren't there, avoid them," Seth listed, "If a stranger grabs you and tries to take you to their car, scream as loud as you can and fight them until they put you down. Then run to me or Mommy. If a stranger claims to know me or Mommy, ask them my name or hers. If they don't say 'Seth' or 'Nancy,' you run away from them and do not go with them. Do you understand?"

"Yes Daddy," Raven nodded, pouting half-heartedly as some of the attitude dissolved from her face. She was silent for a moment, perhaps afraid of saying anything else before the change of subject couldn't be contained any longer. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost, Raven," Seth smiled in relief, glad for the reprieve and already knowing she'll get cookies and cream flavor when they arrive at the ice cream shop.

"Daddy?" Raven asked after another brief pause.

"Yes?"

"What would you do if a bad guy wanted to hurt me?"

Seth nearly slammed his foot down on the brake, his heart gripped with terror. Such a question out of nowhere — was something happening that his lecture made her want to talk about?! Dear god, was someone doing something with his kid?! He was already planning all the horrific ways he'd beat that sick motherfucker who dared to lay his hands on his child by the time he managed to speak again.

"Is…Is there someone trying to hurt you, baby girl?" Seth asked, hoping he doesn't sound as terrified as he feels.

"No," Raven shook her head with a shrug, quelling the terror and making him heave a sigh of relief that felt as if she were squeezing the very air out of him with her reply, "I just wanna know what grownups do to bad guys in our world."

Taking a moment to compose himself again, Seth thought carefully about his answer.

"Well," he began, fidgeting uncomfortably, "most grownups would do the right thing and call the police. They're the guys who are trained to handle bad guys like that and it's important to make sure they handle that situation. But…"

"But?" Raven echoed, tilting her head in confusion.

Seth sighed softly; "But…Some grownups…like your daddy…" He shouldn't put this thought in her head, right? She needs to know that vigilante justice is bad, right?! No. He's not about to just lie to his daughter. She asked him what he would do. And calling the cops is the farthest thing from his mind. "Some grownups would beat them up before the police ever showed."

And that was the truth. Hell, he was already planning on torturing Ted for doing sick shit to him and his friends. He would go nuclear on the son of a bitch who dared go after his children. He only hoped Raven would hear that and take it that he'd do it to protect her. That it's better to call the police, but he cares more about her than them.

The bright smile on her face as they pull up to the ice cream shop suggest that that may indeed be the case as she adds with a happy giggle; "I'm glad I got a Super Daddy that will beat up those bad guys."

As Seth parks, he offers her a warm smile in return. Ah, from the mouths of babes…