Page 52 of Pure Silence

The movie was even more terrible and corny than Goldie remembered, and a few more beers helped fuel his laughter. Day laughed so hard a couple of times that he cried, and he was nearly hysterical when it was time for Goldie to battle the evil emperor and a painfully obvious stunt double was swapped in for certain shots.

“They wouldn’t let me do my own stunts,” Goldie defended, “but they couldn’t find anybody as big as me! So, you know, they did the best they could!”

Day was snickering away, shaking his head.

“Okay, yes, it’s awful,” Goldie finally agreed, “but I think it just adds to its charm!”

The evil emperor was defeated, Starax got the princess, and it was a happy ending for all. Over the final credits, however, there was a quick flash showing the emperor crawling out of the giant hole Starax had thrown him into.

Day gasped.

“Dun dundun!” Goldie teased dramatically. “And that’s why there were two more equally awful movies.” He chuckled. “Wow. They were a lot of fun to make though. They really were. I haven’t watched these in years, you know.”

Scrunching his brow, Day mouthed, “Why?”

“I dunno.” Goldie shrugged. “I guess I figured they’d just depress me or something. You know, I got that big stick up my ass about losing everything…” He paused, glancing over the light reflecting in Day’s big brown eyes. He suddenly didn’t feel like he’d lost much, not when he had this beautiful young man here in his arms. He smiled. “Thank you for watching it with me.”

Day grinned, and he leaned up for a kiss.

Goldie loved how the simple touch of Day’s lips made his heart beat faster, and the rest of the world vanished away.

A loud truck outside disrupted the tender moment and immediately forced Goldie to recall images of the man getting splattered into the pavement. He tried to ignore the memory, and he looked outside, seeing that the snow was blanketing the city in white. He usually hated it, but right now he found it sort of beautiful.

Maybe it was just because he was in such a good mood. The horrors of the day were dim compared to Day’s smile.

Day held up two fingers.

“Oh, ready for the second one, huh?” Goldie laughed. “Really?”

Day nodded.

“Okay, well.” Goldie grunted as he sat up and stretched. “How about we take a quick break? You cooked, so I’ll clean up.” He smirked. “Maybe try on some of your new stuff, huh? I’m definitely changing into some sweats and making some of that popcorn.”

Day’s eyes widened, and he suddenly sprang up from the couch. It was almost as if he’d forgotten about his new clothing. He hurried into the kitchen where he’d left the shopping bag, and then he whizzed back by on his way to the bedroom, no doubt to change.

Laughing to himself, Goldie gathered up their plates and Day’s glass to take to the sink. He rinsed everything off before sticking it in the dishwasher, including the pot and spoon Day had used to cook their lunch. He shook off the crumbs from the baking sheet that the nuggets had been cooked on and stuck it back under the oven.

He retrieved the popcorn out of the pantry, debating before he grabbed two bags. He wasn’t sure how much Day would eat, but he knew he’d eat at least one bag by himself. Given the snow falling outside, he decided to heat up some milk on the stove for some hot chocolate too.

He got the popcorn and milk going, and he left to reunite with his sweats.

Day was coming out of the bedroom, and Goldie stopped dead in his tracks.

“Wow,” Goldie whispered.

Day was wearing the big white slouchy socks, the new pink sweater, and apparently nothing else.

His legs looked fantastic, and the sweater was just long enough to keep whether or not he was wearing any underwear a mystery. The reveal of skin at Day’s shoulder where the sweater hung off was somehow especially sultry, and Day had tucked his hands into the sleeves, worrying them together as he stared at Goldie, clearly apprehensive about his selection.

“You look so fucking sexy,” Goldie was quick to assure him, holding out his hand to take Day’s so he could pull him in for a deep kiss. He hugged him against his chest, and he groped hungrily over Day’s hips. He wanted so badly to reach underneath the sweater and see if he’d find bare flesh or not, but he resisted for now.

Day sighed breathily, his cheeks nearly as pink as his sweater.

“Popcorn is in the microwave, milk for hot chocolate is heating up on the stove,” Goldie said. “If you can switch over the movie, I’m just gonna go change, all right?”

Day shook his head.

“What?”