Chapter Text
“Happy birthday, Eddy!” Mother exclaimed, whirling around with her nicest chipped blue china plate. She placed it gently in front of Ed, beaming. On it was a thin brown cake, coarse from being baked in the hearth. A few shriveled currants formed the bare shape of a very sparse E.
“Happy birthday, me!” Ed echoed. It felt strange sitting in Father’s chair- or rather, the only chair they had.
(“Go on! Sit down! Father is out with his friends.” Mother had tried to sound lighthearted, but he could hear the weariness in her voice, the sanded-smooth tone of words used too often. “But it’s lovely anyways with just you and me, too, Eddy.”)
“I used the good flour,” she bragged. “Oh, it’s a special occasion, I have to treat you a little! Go on, Eddy! Dig right in, it’s for you.”
Ed smiled, but stayed sitting. What Mother didn’t know was that Ed had an even better surprise. “Stay there,” he said. “I got something.”
Mother gave a wry smile. “What is it?”
Edward got up and went to his bedroll corner, unrolling his bedding and pulling out the hidden brown box.
“Eddy, what is that?”
“Mother, I got us… Real cake!!” He opened the box dramatically. Inside was a beautiful, light cake, plump with sweetmeats and sugarplums, with real white sugar frosting piped on in the shape of little stars all around the border- a cake fit for a lord- hell, fit for the master whose house Mother tended all day at work. Mother had probably never tasted one of these, well, now she would, if anyone deserved a taste of the good things, it was Mother!
To his shock, the smile dropped off Mother’s face. Her lips began to tremble. “Edward! Where did that come from? Did you steal it?” she demanded.
Ed pouted. “They have plenty, and no one noticed me go! Come on, I bought it back for us.”
But Mother looked at the brown cake on the table, then looked at the fine, white cake in Edward’s box. Her face fell, and to his shock, her eyes filled with tears.
“Mother!” he cried. “Mother, don’t cry- what’s wrong?”
Mother hiccuped, holding her hand up to wipe her tears. She looked between the cakes again, her eyes lingering on her brown one, before she turned away. “I’m fine, Eddy. Oh, it’s silly. You’re right, Eddy, You want better than my…” She swallowed, and her voice trailed off. “Happy birthday, Eddy.”
Ed came back into their shared bedroom, two mugs of coffee in hand. Stede was still asleep, and the sight of him, soft and slumbering, all wrapped up in their blanket- Ed felt like all the gold that had ever passed through his fingers just melted away. He’d fought for a lot of things- glory, gold, pride, just for the hell of it, but this was the first thing that was truly worth it.
“Good morning, Stede,” he said, and then again, just because he could and couldn’t believe he was really here, repeated it again, “Good morning.”
Stede opened his eyes lazily and smiled, the softness in his face rivaling the morning sunshine. “Good morning good morning to you too, Ed.”
It was a million to one chance that he and Stede could even be born on the same earth, and Ed thanked every one of his lucky stars and then some, that they had met. He never thought there could be anyone who meshed so well with him. Izzy would have just scoffed and snapped he’d already said it once, no need to repeat himself. But Stede- Stede looked at him and understood. Ed’s heart fluttered. He lifted up the cups he was holding. “Made you coffee, love.”
“Lovely. Thank you, Ed.” He gladly took a cup and sipped it elegantly. “Delicious. As always.”
Ed sat down, the crude leaf-stuffed mattress crunching under his weight. His eyes wandered around the room, gazing at the shabby, weathered walls and the ceiling with all its little holes and cracks like it was a cathedral. This would be an inn, one day. The walls would be papered over, the windows would be curtained, nice, polite guests would be coming through the front parlor… It felt like the start of a grand journey.
“Say, Ed, I don’t hear Izzy stomping around,” Stede observed.
“Oh, he’s out,” Ed said.
“Out? Where?”
“Dunno. Said he had to go get…” Ed gazed at Stede’s soft brown eyes, limpid and deep, speckled gold like a summer pond. His pert lips, and the healthy blush in his cheeks- how many ladies rouged their cheeks trying to imitate that sweet, soft pink? “Maybe firewood? Are we out?”
“I didn’t check.” Stede took his cup of coffee, but his forehead had the start of a frown on it. “Er. You don’t think he needs a hand with it?”
Ed pulled his lips in an annoyed line. “No, he’s fine.”
“Okay. Well..” Stede sat up in bed, stretching. He eyed his mug. “Did you make Izzy a cup too?”
“Why? He can make his own when he comes back.”
Stede still had that look on his face, when he was overthinking something.
Ed sighed and waited for him to gather his thoughts.
“I just thought it would be nice if, well, Izzy came back and there was a nice cup of coffee and maybe some breakfast waiting for him.”
Ed’s heart pounded. “You don’t like the coffee?”
“No, Ed, the coffee’s perfect,” Stede reassured him. “But I don’t know… I mean, if I were Izzy and I was out- I don’t know, gathering firewood or whatever he’s doing… Oh, you know what I’m trying to say.”
Ed snorted. “Stede, you’re not Izzy. Izzy’s particular. He likes doing his stuff by himself. If I made him coffee, I’d be doing something wrong,” he said, maybe a little bitterly. Something was always wrong, according to Izzy. Ed’s lists were missing important things. His plans didn’t take into account something or other. With Izzy, Ed was always in the wrong somehow. “Trust me, I know Izzy. Known him for years. He doesn’t need breakfast in bed.”
The strangest, sad look appeared on Stede’s face suddenly. He looked away, like he was suddenly ashamed of his coffee. “Well,” he said quietly.
“Well what?” Ed asked. “What, Stede?”
Stede tapped his fingers against the chipped clay mug. “Nothing,” he said. “Well, thank you for the coffee, Ed. Why don’t I go make a cup for Izzy too, for when he gets back?”
“Or you could stay here, and…” Ed said.
“And what?”
Ed lunged forward, laughing, and pinned Stede back down to the bed. He nosed up the side of Stede’s neck, admiring how tender the skin was there, how soft the little hairs on the nape of his neck were when they brushed against his cheek.
“Ed, you’re insatiable-”
“Can’t help it with you,” he said. It was just the truth- even in worn, sun-bleached clothes, Stede glowed like an angel, as gold as all that was good in the world- his handsome face, the healthy blush of his skin, the tens of freckles dappling like the grandest constellation. He was absolutely delicious, that fresh peach of a man- Unable to stop himself, Ed nipped his earlobe, and buried his face in Stede’s hair. The scent of him tickled Ed’s hindbrain, he could feel himself growing hard and full in his pants as it conjured up memories of previous nights.
Stede laughed and put down his coffee cup. “What are you getting up to?”
“Dunno. What about you?” Ed asked, mock-innocently, hands going to Stede’s pants and undoing them. He slipped a hand inside and pulled out Stede’s cock, already rapidly plumping up, the purplish head peaking out of the enclosure of his fist.
“Oo, Ed, it’s awfully early-” Stede began, but his breath hitched as Ed began to pump his fist gently, twisting his hand at the top just the way he knew Stede loved. His fingers just barely reached around the circumference of it, Stede was that big, Ed needed a good hour to prepare comfortably, on a good day. Even Izzy had trouble with it sometimes, and the little fucker was a professional ass. It was always a sight, watching Izzy grunt and squeal like a pig when Stede stuffed inch after inch of that monster into his tiny little ass.
He hadn’t prepared for that. Instead Ed leaned down and took Stede into his mouth, with little kittenish licks around the ridged head, and down the side. Stede shivered like an untied sail, and Ed took him into his mouth, bit by bit.
“Ed,” Stede breathed in his quiet, raspy whisper.
Ed sucked slowly, working his mouth around the shaft, enjoying the taste, the sound Stede made when he was pleasured.
Suddenly, the door slammed open. “Eddy,” Izzy’s hoarse shout from the front of the house.
Ed rolled his eyes. “Izzy’s back.”
“Eddy, give me a hand with this,” he shouted.
“It’s fine, we’ll finish up later,” Stede said, face strained.
“Better go.” Ed gave Stede a quick peck before getting up and leaving the bedroom. “What do you want, Izzy?” he yelled.
Izzy stood in the doorway, a load of wood in his arms. “Take some of this- careful, don’t drop it,” he snapped.
“I’m careful,” Ed said, taking half of the pile. It was heavy, even the half of it. He strode over to put it in the designated wood box in the kitchen. “Is that all?”
Once he had put down his load, Izzy sank into the chair. His hair was stuck to his face. “I smell coffee,” Izzy said hopefully, wiping sweat out of his eyes.
“Oh. Uh.”
Stede unfortunately chose that moment to come in, his cock carefully tucked in his pantline.
“About coffee.” Ed looked guiltily at Stede. He meant for it to be playful, but Stede actually looked a little shamed. “We finished it, sorry.”
Izzy’s face fell. “Water’s fine,” he said shortly, getting up to go to the water barrel. He looked inside, and turned around reproachfully. “Someone forgot to refill the water when they used the last of it,” he said warningly.
“Sorry. So sorry, that must have been one of us,” Stede said, quietly.
“Was me,” Ed said, much louder.
Izzy glared.
“I was going to refill it,” he said hotly. “Look, I’m going now.”
Izzy nodded.
“See what I mean? Something’s wrong with everything I do,” he muttered to Stede as he passed by the door. Izzy heard him, clearly, glaring at him from where he stood by the water barrel wtih his empty cup. But before he left, he caught Stede’s eye, and was surprised at what he saw there- again, sadness.