Chapter Text
June 1997
Hearing the crash of waves from his bedroom was new, a sound distinctly different from the blaring horns of gridlocked cars outside his old apartment. This, paired with the impending darkness around him that brought out the stars, sent a chill up Ed’s spine.
“Ed, love, I brought home dinner!” His mum hollered from downstairs. Ed quickly shut the window he was peeking out of and raced down to the smell of cheap hamburgers and fries.
“Thank god, I was starving.” He snatched a greasy paper bag from the kitchen counter. His mom followed him to the porch where they sat on the stone steps, slightly damp from the day’s drizzle of rain– another change he wasn’t used to.
The two ate in silence as more of the soon-to-be familiar waves splashed a mile away, both ignoring the real reason they were even in this house in the first place.
This was a good moment, hopefully, one of many, Ed thought. Better to not ruin it with mentions of the past. Besides, there was work to be done. Like unloading boxes, unboxing said boxes, putting the unboxed items away, and deciding exactly how that should be done— because it had been well over a decade since either of them had redecorated anything.
“You know, I like your hair long like this,” His mum’s voice forced Ed out of his thoughts. “It suits you.”
Ed agreed. It fell to his shoulders now. Much more complementary to his features than the buzz cut his dad used to give him every summer.
Even so, he pressed his lips together in a half smile, he was never any good at receiving compliments, even from his own mother. “Thanks, mum.” He replied weakly, holding his arms around himself despite the warm weather.
“I was thinking,” his mum set her food down and turned towards Ed on the steps, “Why don’t we get our bikes out of the trailer and ride around the block? Might be a nice way to get to know the area.” After a day of driving, there were a million things Ed would rather do, but he couldn’t say no to his mum.
“We can swing by the marina and look at the boats if you’d like?”
Ed was up in a flash. Leaving his hamburger behind in a messy heap and shooting off toward the truck in the driveway.
***
Wrangling the purple bike (that he begged his mom for when he was fourteen) out of the truck was easier said than done, but ten minutes later both of their bikes were out and ready to hit the pavement– or more accurately the bumpy brick road around his block.
Winding around the neighborhood, Ed took in the newness of everything he saw– not necessarily new, but new to him: the thump, thump, thump, of his bike’s wheels on the burnt orange bricks beneath him, houses older than his grandfather lining the streets. Things like the sound of leaves rustling with the breeze from off the lake, and the smell of the water, weren’t heard or paid attention to in the city.
Unfortunately, as they neared the marina, the stench of dead fish was also new to Ed’s senses– but it was a part of the ambiance, it’s hard to get boats without a little dead fish.
And how Ed loved boats.
Ed admired the assortment that lined the docks. He hopped off his bike and all but threw it at the grass, racing towards the water. There were fancy yachts, a pontoon or two, and a few sailboats that caught his eye.
Well, actually it was the kid with the swoopiest golden hair he’d ever seen in his life that caught Ed’s eye.
Hiding behind a large boat moored farther away, Ed peaked his head out to see the boy. He didn’t seem to be getting ready to sail anytime soon, more periodically posing around the boat itself, like someone was filming. Luckily the brisk winds swallowed his laughter but the boy on the boat flicked his gaze toward Ed anyway, making direct eye contact.
Ed poked his head out from behind the boat and smiled, offering a small wave. The boy waved back and gestured for Ed to come over to his boat.
***
His name was Stede. Stede Bonnet. And he had freckles and smiled with his eyes– which were hazel, by the way.
“I haven’t seen you around here before. Here on vacation?” Stede asked. Ed realized he was staring and had to ask Stede to repeat the question.
“Uh, no, actually,” He looked at his shoes– converse, drastically different from Stede’s boat shoes– suddenly nervous. “We just moved in down there.” Poking his thumb behind him, Ed silently cursed himself for acting so strange.
“Wait, which house is it?”
“The little white cottage at the end of the street, my grandma used to live there a long time ago, so it’s cool to be here.” Stede’s eyes lit up with recognition, his smile morphing into what Ed now knew as his “thinking” face.
“I think I live a few houses down!” The boy with the boat seemed overly excited about the prospect of the close proximity to Ed’s house, but it felt nice for some reason.
After a moment of wind-filled silence, Ed needed to ask, “So, you planning on sailing this thing anytime soon?” A smirk found its way onto his face.
“Is that all you were interested in?” Stede wasn’t trying to be flirtatious, but Ed blushed anyway and played along.
“Yeah, sorry. More into boats than humans these days.” Ed kept his face completely still, waiting for the laugh. Ed shouldn’t have noticed but he saw the minuscule change in Stede’s face, taking his stupid quip seriously.
“I’m kidding, mate.”
“Right…” Stede dragged out, giggling at the end.
Nice one, Ed. Already making the stupid adorable guy in front of you feel bad.
“This is embarrassing, but… I don’t know how to sail.” He trailed off at the end.
Ed’s eyes widened in hilarious shock, attempting to hold back his laughter.
“S’alright, you can laugh,” Stede said with a smile. “My dad is just a very rich man who doesn’t know how to bond with his son, and my mum doesn’t know any of said boy’s interests.”
“Sounds… lovely?”
“Or something.” Stede’s eyes trailed up to the sky, a purply mess of clouds and soon-to-be-rain.
“Well, if it’s any consolation, my dad died.”
Stede snapped his head back to Ed.
“What? Why would I-”
“That was a weird way to say that. I mean he sucked too. Left my mum with a child and fucked off somewhere with all her money. Then he died.”
“Oh, shit. I’m sorry, Ed.” Fuck, even his pity face was cute.
“Eh, don’t be. I don’t even know what he looks like,” Stede’s face lifted slightly, “And plus, we got a house out of it.” Ed’s smile comforted Stede. Relaxing his shoulders, he met Ed’s eyes again.
“Well, that’s-that’s good, I guess,” Stede replied, a smile returning to his face. “So, are you going to school here?”
“Yea! Bridgetown High School?” Ed answered. He really hoped Stede was going to say–
“Yup, eleven years strong.” Stede grimaced, clearly sarcastic. “Other than having to start college, I’m incredibly eager to graduate and get out.”
“Huh,” Ed looked Stede up and down, sending an obvious shiver down the blond’s spine. Ed would have to revisit that later. “You sure you don’t wanna go to college? You’re wearing boat shoes and a polo, peak frat-boy material.”
Stede huffed in a sad excuse at laughter, “I’m supposed to start applying to these hoity-toity religious colleges in the Fall.” Stede grimaced and Ed could tell the blond was not too keen on this decision. He filed this away for a later conversation.
Suddenly, Stede reached for something in his pocket, and before Ed could say another word, a crumpled sticky note was shoved into his hand.
“Um, here’s my number. You can call me whenever. I mean, only if you wa-”
“Stede.” Ed placed his hands roughly on the blond’s shoulders.
“I’ll call you as soon as I get home.”
The last of the sun fell across Stede’s face as his smile widened into a full grin, cheeks glowing.
And fuck,
Ed was already gone.