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“Would you like to travel to the past or the future?”
A question asked into a mostly silent and dark room, from the other side of the bed.
Stede frowned, his eyes flickering open. He had been in that sleepy haze of not quite asleep but not fully awake either and he was now slightly baffled.
“What?” he asked quietly, turning over to face Ed properly.
“You know, if time travel was real.”
Stede blinked a couple of times, trying to understand where this was coming from.
“Sweetheart I love you, but respectfully what on earth are you on about?”
Ed grinned somewhat apologetically. “Sorry. Just struggling to sleep and I started thinking about the butterfly effect for some reason.”
Stede wiggled a little, so he was closer, reaching out his hand to rest on Ed’s stomach. Ed immediately rested his own hand on top of Stede’s in a move that he barely seemed to make a conscious decision for.
“Any particular reason?”
“Just, it’s funny to think about isn’t it? All the little moments that make up a life. What if a decision I made when I was like ten years old about what flavour ice cream I wanted means I wouldn’t have met you? Or the fact that we ate spaghetti for dinner tonight means in the future, robots will spare us.”
Stede stared at him quizzically. “I think you’re possibly putting a little too much faith in a robot’s opinion of pasta dishes."
Ed rolled his eyes jokingly. “I just mean, it’s an odd thing to think about it. Gets very existential. Like what if a small decision the day we met meant we didn’t meet? Like …. If I had turned right down the road instead of left ….”
Stede grinned fondly. “And you wouldn’t have bumped into a handsome stranger?” he said cheekily, an eyebrow raised slightly.
“Well I might have. Just might not have married him. Reckon I’d have still been holding out for you forever babe.” Ed laughed.
Stede leant forward to peck Ed’s cheek. Ed turned his head at the last moment to make sure the kiss caught his lips instead. He pressed in a little more, his thumb stroking gently over the back of Stede’s hand where it lay on his stomach.
“See I’m still turning to find you after all this time.” Ed giggled, pulling back from the kiss only a fraction.
Stede smiled, staring fondly at his husband. “Darling?”
“Yeah?”
“Is this because you watched Doctor Who this afternoon?”
Their eyes met for a moment before Ed finally exclaimed.
“I JUST DON’T WANT A CREEPY LADY TO PUT A BEETLE ON MY BACK THAT STOPS ME MEETING YOU ALRIGHT?”