Archive of Our Own

Ed hasn’t stopped smiling since the date last night, since the kiss , and the warmth that Stede seemed to transfer from his own solid body to Ed’s. It’s stayed with him through the night, and continued as he read Stede’s good morning text, complete with heart emojis .

He had asked what time Stede was working today, and Stede told him, and then he hopped in the shower to get extra clean and beautiful. The hair care, the grooming, and dressing were all accompanied by thoughts of Stede and his smile and how it felt pressed to his own. 

And now he’s here, about to walk through the doors of the public library with an intricate vase of flowers in his hands, cheeks tired and sore from all the grinning. 

The now familiar bell above the door jingles, and Stede’s voice rings out from behind a bookshelf somewhere in the distance. 

“Welcome to Dansville Public Library! I’ll be with you in a moment!”

Ed looks around, notices no one in sight. 

“Hi, yeah, I’m looking for a handsome librarian? Cute hair, dazzling smile, nice legs?”

Ed can hear him gasp, and finally sees him peek out from behind the shelves. 

“Ed! What a surprise!”

Ed strolls over to him, feeling a little self-conscious. Are the flowers too much? Is he being too clingy already? 

“I got these for you,” he shrugs as he comes closer, reaching out to offer the vase. 

He watches as Stede takes in the bouquet of purples and blues and greenery, eyes growing wider as they flit around each flower like a busy pollinator. 

“Oh, Ed, they’re beautiful! Thank you. How sweet.” 

Ed shrugs again, crosses his arms over his chest in a nervous habit once Stede takes the vase from him. He can’t kick the self-conscious feeling, even as he watches Stede’s smile grow and his eyes crinkle up.

“I’ll keep them at the desk for the day, so everyone can enjoy them,” he continues, ambling over to the service desk.

Ed can’t help but finally crack a smile when Stede closes his eyes to take in the aromas from the delicate petals before he sets the vase down to display. 

“I just saw ‘em while I was out and they reminded me of you.”

Lie . 

Ed raced to the local florist to find something even a fraction as beautiful as Stede is. He’s still not so sure, especially when Stede looks at him through his dusty eyelashes, all soft and sweet. 

“Well, thank you. I love them.” 

“So, um. I was wondering if you wanted to go out again? Tonight? Or tomorrow? Or whenever, really, I don’t know.” 

There’s a moment where Stede looks around at the empty library, and it makes Ed feel like an idiot, for coming to his workplace and asking him out a mere 12 hours after their first date ended, and he feels nauseous. 

But then Stede’s stepping toward him, arms outreached, hands landing on the back of Ed’s neck, and they’re kissing again. Ed hums a surprised little sound, and Stede huffs out a breath that tickles Ed’s nose. When Ed’s brain catches up, he wraps both arms around Stede’s waist and pulls him close, flush together, at the same time Stede swipes his tongue along the ridges of Ed’s bottom row of teeth and oh. 

Oh.

Ed takes two steps forward, pushes Stede back against the cherrywood of the service desk. Ed feels that heavy, warm feeling take root low in his gut when Stede’s nails scratch at the nape of his neck. 

“Stede, we have to put a sign on the donation drop off, no more Colleen Hoover, it’s getting— oh holy fuck! ”

They both jump, startled, at the sound of the voice. A string of spit follows them in their break, incriminating as ever, almost as incriminating as the way Stede’s eyelids droop atop blown-out pupils. But not nearly as incriminating as the way Stede’s slacks are filled out in the front. 

“Stedothy! You wanted to nag at me for snogging Pete in the break room and you’re dry humping a leather daddy at the service desk ? I need a raise.”

“Lucius, you’re a volunteer, you don’t get raises,” Stede says, face red as a beet as he swipes his wet lips with the back of his hand.

“Request still stands. Are you going to introduce me to your handsome friend?”

Lucius raises his hand in a flirty wave and Ed notices one of his fingers is not made of flesh, but a very well-stained chunk of wood. 

“Lucius, this Ed. He was delivering some beautiful flowers.”

“Think he delivered a bit more than that, yeah?”

Ed clears his throat.

“Nice to meet you Lucius. Sorry about, um, the snogging.”

“Sorry I wasn’t available for the delivery,” Lucius smirks, pointedly raking his eyes up and down Ed’s body before turning on his heel and leaving them be.

“Ah, Ed, my apologies. Got a bit carried away it seems.”

Stede’s voice his hushed and his cheeks are still pink and Ed feels so, so weak. 

“Nothing to apologize for,” Ed smirks, leaning in for a much shorter, much more work-appropriate kiss, “when can I see you again?” 

“Mary has the kids this weekend, so, tonight?”

“Perfect. Come to my place, I’ll cook for us.”

He feels Stede twitch at the notion of coming to his house, and he’s not sure if it’s a good or a bad thing, until Stede’s face breaks out into a grin. Ed can’t resist this time, presses his lips right to that dimple that haunts his dreams. 

“I’ll be there.”

—

Ed texts Stede his address and tells him to let him know when he’s on his way. He kills time taking photos around town of flowers and bugs and the clouds and thinks about Stede the entire time. He gets groceries for dinner, and answers emails once he’s home, and cleans the entire house.

He’s excited, no, elated , but nervous as hell. Whatever that was back at the library was… a lot. 

And it’s not like he didn’t like it. Quite the opposite actually, he was very very into it. Way too into it for it to take place in a public library, where Stede works . It’s just that he isn’t really sure how this is supposed to play out. 

They only just kissed yesterday, and then today Stede decided to shove his tongue down his throat, and up until that point he kind of had the idea that he’d have to court Stede like a 19th century maiden in order to get in his pants. 

He’s so soft-spoken and proper, and the idea of wrecking that image is fucking enticing, but all the while extremely unfamiliar. 

Ed hasn’t been on a date in years, and has never been on a date with someone like Stede. Someone who makes his whole body ignite with a touch or a look, someone who asks before they kiss him. And so maybe inviting Stede to his place was a little impulsive, because he isn’t sure if Stede will want to fuck or talk about the weather or something in between and uniquely Stede. And with no distractions like a waiter taking their order or shops to browse or strangers to pass by, he thinks he might just explode trying to decode the signals. 

Ed’s ambitiously making his bed up with fresh sheets when his phone dings, and sees Stede’s 15 minutes away, and he gets hit with a heatwave of nerves that sear through his system. He opens a few windows to the cool evening air, fusses with his hair, and then tries to settle his nerves by sitting on the couch and watching for Stede through the open blinds in the living room. 

Then he thinks to put music on, something quiet and light, as a talking point. Or to fill awkward silences. 

Who is Ed kidding? There’s no silence when Stede’s in the room. 

Still, he finds an old playlist that isn’t full of angry songs or suggestive lyrics or beats that only sound good when you’re high on something. 

Then there’s a knock on his door, and his stomach very quickly relocates to his toes. Fuck, he hopes his hair looks nice. He hopes he isn’t trying too hard with his outfit. He hopes Stede will let him kiss him again. 

He opens his front door and Stede’s standing there with a completely different vase of flowers. The vase is shiny chrome, and the roses are all dyed a deep, dark maroon, but there’s pops of baby blue and brilliant yellows and white baby’s breath filling out the arrangement. 

Ed’s speechless. 

First of all, no one has ever gotten him flowers. He’s 45 years old and he is truly experiencing this gesture for the first time. 

Second, they’re so Ed. Because he does wear a lot of black, but he enjoys vibrant colors just as much as the next guy, maybe even more, and Stede gets him. He’s not all leather, tattoos, tough guy, mysterious. Stede sees past the surface, maybe even likes what’s underneath. The thought alone gets him misty-eyed as he takes in every petal and stem.

“Hi, um… These are for you. I hope they’re okay.”

A breath leaves Ed all at once, one he didn’t realize was caught up in his lungs, and he reaches out to take the vase. 

“They’re perfect,” he says, setting them down on the end table right next to the front door, and then, “ fuck. Stede. No one’s ever…” 

He feels a comforting hand on his back, and then looks to Stede, who has a troubled crease in his brow. 

“You’ve never received flowers?” 

Ed’s breath catches in his throat when he goes to answer. Jesus Christ, this man is going to make him fucking sob uncontrollably with just the sad look he has at the realization that Ed’s never been gifted flowers. 

Freckled arms wrap around him and squeeze him tight. Ed burrows his nose in Stede’s hair, and it does kind of smell like old books, but also something flowery and pretty, and it’s just as fluffy and silky as it looks. 

“You deserve them, and more.” 

Stede’s mumble is low, and his breath ghosts across Ed’s ear. Ed squeezes him even tighter, and gets the same sentiment in return. He feels crazy. He feels absolutely bat-shit out of his mind right now, with this cute librarian fucking holding him in his foyer, murmuring sweet things to him, making him feel more important than he ever has in his entire life. 

Ed pulls away, only a little bit, enough to see Stede’s face with his arms still around his middle. 

“I thought about you all day,” he says. 

It’s crazy, right? That’s a crazy thing to say? Because the last thing he wants to do is scare Stede off, but he also wants to get down on one knee and make sure Stede never gives anyone but Ed flowers ever again. He realizes his own chest is rising and falling rapidly, maybe to rival how his heart is bouncing around in there like an unruly school kid. 

Maybe it is crazy. But maybe Stede likes it , because his face lights up and turns a pretty shade of pink underneath all of those lovely sun dots. 

Ed kisses him. It’s impulsive, he knows, and maybe they’re moving too fast or whatever, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it. Because Ed’s been aching for this, for Stede coming through his door in his slacks and Oxford shirts and walking into his arms since pretty much the moment they met. Stede ventured way too close to the sun with his kindness and softness, and now it’s kissing him and swallowing him into its hot energy, and he’s just gonna have to deal with it. 

He doesn’t seem to mind, Ed notices pretty quickly. Because he makes this noise at the back of his throat, somewhere between a hum and a whimper. And his hands thread through Ed’s hair, gently, careful not to pull any of the tangled curls. He makes a note to tell him, some time, that he wouldn’t mind if he pulled them. 

It makes Ed hungrier, knowing he can actually have this. Because yeah, he thought about it, a lot , like an embarrassing amount he’ll probably never admit. But it seemed miles away when it was just daydreams. Now he’s here, feeling the rough texture of Stede’s tastebuds slide against his own, and he could scream when Stede pulls away. 

“You have to know, Ed. You’re always on my mind.” 

His confession is a whisper, breathy, as he swipes a strand of hair away from Ed’s face. 

Is this man for real?!?

Ed ruins Stede’s attempt to tuck his hair behind his ear by lunging forward again and capturing his lips. The way Stede hums and cradles the back of his head and neck with strong hands makes him burn , ignites a spark low in his gut that has him squeezing his thighs together. 

Are they doing this? Ed fucking hopes so. He pulls Stede’s bottom lip between his teeth and runs his hands along Stede’s forearms. They’re so sturdy , hard muscle all revealed from the way his sleeves are rolled up. 

He continues his journey as they make out, and Ed feels like it’s his first time again. Exploring an unfamiliar body hasn’t been this thrilling in decades . The hard muscles covering his shoulders ripple as he digs his fingertips in, indulging. His back is sweaty, and the material of his shirt clings there, and Ed needs to feel his own fingers slip and slide against the salty skin. 

He breaks the kiss with a wet sound and grasps at the top button of Stede’s shirt before he reels himself in.

“This okay?” 

He looks up to Stede when he asks, and nearly faints at what he sees. His face is red and his lips even more so, wet and shiny, and his pretty hazel eyes are almost all pupil. He looks wrecked, and Ed feels wrecked. He is. He’s fucking ruined at the sight. 

“More than okay. Are you okay?” 

And the question takes him by surprise until he realizes he must look wild. His fingers are trembling, and he knows his eyes are wide and frantic, and he’s embarrassingly out of breath. It’s all so much, and he wants every bit of it, but he’s so overwhelmed he can’t think straight. 

“I’m great,” he says, trying to breathe, trying to smile, trying to chill the fuck out , “should we, uh, go to my room? Or— is this too fast?” 

Stede smiles at him then, and it’s sweet and tender and makes Ed’s pulse shy away from critical levels. His hands slide to frame Ed’s face, thumbs sweeping across his cheeks, and Ed melts into the feeling and closes his eyes. 

“I’d like to see your room, if it isn’t too fast for you. It’s okay if it is, I don’t expect anything, I’m just—“

Stede’s words seem to fail him as Ed shifts his face in Stede’s hold to suck his thumb into his mouth. Ed’s eyes flutter open to see his reaction, and he’s not ready for it. 

Instead of flustered, or shy, Stede looks… determined. He sets his jaw and tilts his head up, and suddenly his thumb is pressing down on his tongue, a little further into his mouth, and Jesus, Mary, Joseph and the three fucking wise men.

It’s so hot. It’s so fucking hot to see Stede like this, looking down past the bridge of of his nose at him, an inquisitive brow quirked up, playing with him , finding out what makes him tick. 

This makes him tick. Fuck. He’s coming quite close to soaking through his boxer briefs. 

“You like this.”

It isn’t a question. Ed still nods his head, loving how it sinks Stede’s thumb even further past his lips. 

“You like your mouth filled?” 

Ed’s curse comes out all garbled with his mouth full, but the sentiment still comes across. He whines when Stede withdraws, not without pressing his thumb into his bottom lip. 

“Let’s get you to your bedroom then, yeah? See if we can fill it?” 

Stede sounds so gentle . Never in his life has he been propositioned to suck a cock like this. Not to mention how filthy this man is, completely unexpected, if Ed’s being honest. He judged this book by it’s cover all wrong. 

He clutches at Stede’s arm like a lifeline as they make their way down the hallway to his master bedroom. His hands feel clammy, and he truly didn’t think he’d be the one feeling so out of his element here. 

At least he prepared for this. His bed is made and looks crisp, and there’s only lamplight illuminating the room. A candle burns by the bedside, eucalyptus and spearmint, and it calms his nerves enough to turn to Stede for— direction? Approval? He’s not sure. Probably both. 

“It’s lovely in here,” Stede says, like he can read minds or something, like he knows Ed is dying for everything to be perfect. 

“You’re lovely,” Ed counters. 

It makes Stede huff out a laugh and reach for him. They wind into a now familiar tangle of limbs, and Stede goes for a kiss, but Ed tucks his head under his jawbone to inhale his scent and suck a few kisses to his pulse point. 

Stede gasps his name, and the heat is back, forming quick and scalding below the surface. Ed backs him up so he knocks against the foot of his bed, then presses against him so he falls back against it. 

Ed thinks he must look like some kind of predator as they scoot up to the pillows at the head of the bed, crawling, looming over him, scrambling to never let their point of contact break. When Stede settles, he pulls Ed down by the back of his neck with more force than he expects. Their mouths crash, teeth in the way, and finally Ed can press his hips down for relief against Stede’s thigh. 

He shudders at the feeling after being pent up for so long, for weeks if he’s being completely honest. Stede lifts his thigh to give him more and he knows he makes an embarrassing noise but he can’t register it with how his blood’s rushing in his ears. 

A hand presses heavy in between his shoulder blades, coaxing their bodies flush from head to toe. Stede’s so warm, he feels like a muscly, sexy furnace. He can feel sweat prickle at the back of his own neck, surely making the baby hairs there curl up. 

Then he realizes Stede’s dick is pressing against his hip in a hot, hard line, jerking against him when Ed moves the right way and he needs it in his mouth or he’s going to wither away into a horny pile of dust.

Stede’s face is the prettiest shade of deep pink when he pulls away, and his eyes are still shut but he’s smiling, and he’s so god damn gorgeous here in his bed. His hair is all askew and some pieces stick to his sweaty forehead. He looks like he belongs here, like he could move in tomorrow and be perfectly at home on top of Ed’s duvet. 

His eyes finally open when Ed starts working on the buttons of his shirt. They’re bright and glassy underneath his droopy eyelids. 

“Gotta get your cock in my mouth,” he says, as elegantly as he can manage. 

Stede’s eyes widen for a brief flicker, and he grins. He brings a hand up to cradle Ed’s face, brushing his thumb across the line where his beard starts. 

“I wouldn’t dream of denying you.” 

Ed snorts, then goes stark silent when he looks down to Stede’s open shirt. 

“ Fuck mate, you’re perfect. Look at you.”

Ed doesn’t wait for a response before he buries his face in the wispy blond hair between Stede’s tits. It’s scratchy against his lips, and there are so many things he wants to do here that he can’t think straight about it. He moves a hand up to trace his nipple with the pad of his thumb as he bites little indents into the meat of Stede’s pec. 

And Stede’s making these sounds above him, breathless and desperate, and he’ll need to revisit these later because he sobers up and remembers where this all started. 

His lips brush just barely, like a whisper, down the trail of hair that disappears under Stede’s slacks. He struggles for a moment with his belt, noting the way Stede twitches when his hands nudges his erection. 

He looks up, just to be sure Stede’s still into this. He thinks he is, because his lips are parted and his chest is flushed and he’s pinching one of his nipples as he watches Ed with hooded eyes. 

“Okay?” 

“God, so okay,” he gasps, hips jolting up. 

Ed smirks, finishes his work on Stede’s fly, and tugs his slacks and briefs down and hears a chorus of angels when Stede’s dick springs free. 

God, everything about this man is perfect. His prick is short and thick and dripping clear strings from his slit, pulsing in the cool air, begging for attention. 

Ed leans down to nuzzle into the soft, porcelain skin between his thigh and hip, and hears Stede hiss as as his dick brushes the wiry hair of Ed’s beard. When he looks up, Stede’s got his head thrown back and his eyes clenched tight. 

He can’t resist, has no restraint left in his body to tease or worship. He goes for it, takes Stede all the way in his mouth until his nose is buried in his bush and Stede’s cock hits just shy of the point that wants to trigger his gag reflex. Perfect .

Stede’s perfect, too. Of course he is, gasping and squirming and finding Ed’s hair to grab hold of. Ed hums as he flicks his tongue just under the smooth head of his cock, tries to wordlessly encourage him to fuck his face, but Stede’s much too considerate to do that without permission, isn’t he?

“ Ah— Edward, Christ ,” He gasps, fingers tightly gripping Ed’s hair now, “so gorgeous, feels so good.”

Ed reaches down to press the heel of his palm against his dick and groans around Stede’s cock. His hips jerk, pushing his cock deep, and Ed groans louder and longer. He gets a hand under Stede’s ass and pushes, encouraging, and delights in the wrecked noises that claw their way out of Stede’s mouth. 

“ Oh , lovely, you’re lovely,” he gasps. 

Ed’s never been called lovely by a man fucking his face before; it sends a shiver down his arched spine, makes the hair on the back of his neck stand straight up. 

He loses himself in it for a bit. His body feels warm and loose and heavy as he lets Stede buck up into his mouth. The noises he makes are incredible, almost tortured, a hectic symphony. Then Ed brings his hand up to roll Stede’s balls in his palm, lightly stroke the loose skin, and then to press behind them, firm and relentless. 

The hand in Ed’s hair gets even tighter , and pulls, and Ed chokes on a moan as he lifts himself off of Stede’s cock.

“Fuck, Edward, please don’t make me come yet.”

“Why, what else do you wanna do?” Ed asks with a smirk, stroking the trembling muscles of Stede’s thigh. 

Stede motions for him to come back up to him, eyelids heavy and chest heaving. They kiss, and he feels the tension in Stede’s body melt away right underneath him. Stede massages Ed’s scalp with his fingertips and everything feels so fucking good with him. His hips start to roll into Stede’s thigh, the denim no doubt scratchy against Stede’s overheated skin, but he can’t help it. He wants to be naked, he wants Stede to touch him, he wants, wants, wants so bad he’s going mad with it.

Stede pulls away slowly, tucks some hair behind Ed’s ear with one hand and sneaks under Ed’s shirt with the other, seeking out skin. 

 “How can I make you feel good?” 

Jesus, Stede sounds so earnest, too. Like it’s killing him inside not to give Ed pleasure, like he needs it this second. 

And look. It’s been a little awkward in the past, not always but sometimes, but Stede’s eyes are shining like he’d do absolutely anything, wants to do absolutely anything for him. 

“I like everything, really,” Ed starts, tracing patterns in the damp hair on Stede’s chest, “Your mouth, your fingers. I like to be fucked, I have condoms.”

He feels Stede cock jump against his hip and his hand clench in the curtain of his curls.

“I want to taste you so badly. Can I?”

Ed whimpers, closes his eyes and grinds down into Stede.

“Yeah, fuck yes, please.”

Stede’s gentle when he rolls them over so Ed’s on his back. It feels hard to remember to breathe, because he’s trying to breathe in everything else, like the way Stede looks so concentrated as he works on the buttons of Ed’s shirt, and the way their hips move a little as they both seek friction, and the tenderness in Stede’s gaze as he looks up at Ed to help him shrug out of his top the rest of the way. 

“You’re stunning, you’re the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen, Ed,” he says, tracing his fingers along all the tattoos he’s seeing for the first time, the scars underneath his pecs, the ridges of his ribs and the hair that patterns his torso. “You make me feel so lucky.”

And Ed is fucking soaked and rock hard, overstimulated all to hell by the roughness of his briefs dragging along his cock and the tight pressure of his jeans and the way Stede’s hands feel mapping out his skin. He can feel the humidity and stickiness between his thighs. And Stede’s saying these nice things to him, making him feel precious , and this is by far the most special he’s ever felt in bed with a partner. And it’s turning him on beyond fucking belief, making him feel ways he’s never even felt before.

His breath catches on the thick feeling in his throat. 

“ Stede .”

He doesn’t know what he’s asking for. He doesn’t need to know, really, because Stede’s right here above him, muttering “I’ve got you,” tracing ten fingertips along his hips.

And then Stede’s working on the fly of his pants, but not before he cups a hand between his thighs and presses , not rough, just fucking delightful pressure, and it has him gasping and pushing down against it while he looks at the wonderous gleam in Stede’s pretty eyes. 

Finally, he gets Ed’s pants down, takes extra care of pulling them off each leg. Ed can see the faint outline of his own cock pressed against his white briefs, begging for attention from the man crawling back up between his legs. 

Stede reaches out, so gently, and hovers, looking up to Ed for an okay, and he gives it over to him with a neck-breaking nod. Stede toys with the elastic band, dips his thumbs underneath to tease the hair below. He’s driving Ed up the fucking wall, and Ed’s not even sure he’s doing it on purpose. He’s sweet and gentle and a fucking tease and it makes Ed want to cry or laugh or come, maybe all three. Maybe all at once. 

When Stede finally tugs the briefs down, Ed hears his breath hitch in the quiet of the room, sees his eyes light up. Ed shivers at the cool air on all the wetness between his legs, and Stede doesn’t hesitate even a moment before he’s diving down and burying his face in the hinge of his thigh, pressing wet kisses to everywhere but where Ed wants to feel him. 

But then Stede’s looking up at him, all wide eyed and golden hair and lashes, and dragging his tongue from his hole, through his folds, all the way up to the tip of his cock, and Ed could scream at the fucking relief after all this tension that’s built between them, even at the lightest pressure Stede applies.

He does it a few more times, teasing, almost tickling, before he takes Ed’s cock in his mouth and suckles, swirls his tongue around it, fucking humming into his package like it’s an expensive, divine meal. Ed pries his eyes open to look at him again and fuck, what a sight, those silky curls bobbing up and down in his lap.

Ed takes a hold of them, winding through the softness in an attempt to ground him in this moment. 

Stede pulls off for a devastating few seconds. Ed sees him suck two fingers into his own mouth, and promptly groans and throws his head back at such a sight. Then he’s back on him, licking and sucking while teasing at the rim of his hole and Ed wants so fucking bad, he’s shaking with it, until the gentlest finger he’s ever felt sinks easily into him, slow but sure, just thick enough to feel satisfying when he clenches around it. 

Then he hooks his finger, just as gently, and pulls back, playing him like a fucking piano , stroking him from the inside with such precision and tact and care that Ed feels himself building quicker than he ever remembers it happening before. 

Ed curses and chases Stede’s mouth, fucking up into it with quick, sharp snaps of his hips. The hum Stede lets loose only encourages Ed to continue to fuck his face and grind down on the finger inside him.

Then Stede adds another finger, just as delicately as the first, and the slight burn of friction shoots sparks through his system. 

“Ah— fuck yes, Stede. Please.” 

Ed looks down just in time to watch him pull off of his cock, lips all sloppy wet. He’s overcome by lust, never been this turned on his entire life, he thinks. 

Stede flicks at it with the tip of his tongue, over and over, and yeah, okay, he’s definitely teasing him. He definitely knows exactly what he’s doing, which Ed is convinced is to commit homicide-by-orgasm.

“Please what , sweet boy?” 

Fucking fuck.

Ed’s dick pulses against the light pressure of Stede’s tongue. He whines, chokes on air, suddenly forgets how to form words. 

Stede’s so fucking pretty , everything about him. The brown speckles that grace his cheeks and charmingly crooked nose, his hazel eyes, his heaving chest, the little blond curls that fall onto his forehead. Ed might be out of his element, sleeping with someone so far out of his league he can’t even find the field.

His voice snaps him out of it, quiet and light and airy. Nonchalant, almost, like he’s not on the verge of sending Ed to his fucking grave.  

“Would you like me to make you come like this?”

Stede kisses the tip of his cock, wiggles the two fingers he’s got inside of him. 

“ Please , yes please, oh my god .”

Ed feels embarrassed now, wants to hide and cover his face at how quickly Stede got him begging for it. He feels desperate because he is . He needs it, needs Stede to take care of him and make him fall apart and this is not how Ed is used to things going.

“So polite. I’ve got you,” Stede hums.

His lips feel so goddamn good when they wrap around his cock again. So firm and silky and plush, creating suction as he bobs his head. A stark contrast to his tongue, a little rough against the underside, insistent, wiggling back and forth. He’s a fucking lunatic, being so good at this, so fucking diligent , every flick of his tongue and crook of his fingers so purposeful.

Stede fucking milks it out of him, from the inside and out, relentless until Ed’s shouting out his name and full-bodied shivering and clamping his thighs around Stede’s head. Until he has to tug at his pretty hair to get him to stop suckling at his overstimulated cock. 

He looks so fucking gorgeous between Ed’s thighs, face red and sloppy wet, panting and gulping in much-needed air. 

And then he’s sucking his own middle finger clean and humming around it and squeezing the base of his dick and he wants it in him so fucking bad, he ignores every gelatinous bone in his body to roll over and grab the box of condoms from his nightstand drawer.

Stede crawls back up the bed, brows all knitted together when Ed turns his focus back onto him, hovering just slightly over him to the side, holding himself up on a quivering arm. 

“Was that alright?”

Ed laughs , an incredulous huff of breath as he reaches to take Stede’s rosy cheek in his hand. He kisses him softly, just enough to taste himself on his lips and the tip of his tongue, enough to get him worked up all over again. 

“Fucking incredible, love. Dunno how your’re divorced,” Ed jokes, then inwardly winces at the poor taste left in his mouth from the comment, ill-fucking-timed, dickfuck. Stede broke his fucking brain.

Stede chuckles then, though. 

“That’s probably the only complaint I didn't get, I’d say.” 

And Christ, how did this fucking sex-god-in-librarian’s-clothing fall into Ed’s lap? How did he get so lucky? He doesn’t remember signing his soul away, but maybe it could have happened in his younger days. Long fuse. 

“Can I ride you now?” He asks, reaching out to wrap a hand around Stede’s prick, hard and hot and leaking, neglected, and Stede winces as his hips chase the friction. 

“Anything you want,” he tells him, and fuck, Ed has to kiss him all over again, press him back into the mattress and try to lick every last bit of himself out of Stede’s mouth while he grabs a condom from the box and tears it open. 

Stede keens when Ed rolls it down his length, holding tight to the meat of Ed’s thighs, nails digging in. When Ed looks up from the task, ready to poise himself in position, the look in Stede’s eyes stops him dead in his tracks. 

It’s— fuck , it’s honey, hot fudge, searing and sweet. He feels his breath catch under the intensity of the moment, caught between wanting to be stuck here forever and wanting to take what he’s been craving since Stede Bonnet crashed into his life and his thoughts and his dreams. 

“C’mere,” he says, soft and inviting, almost timid now on the very edge of whatever this volcanic energy is between them. 

Ed goes, and lets Stede soothe these catastrophic feelings twisting through him. His lips are gentle and so are his hands, smoothing down his back, his hips, the outside of his thighs, the goose bumped skin of his asscheeks. Ed shifts to urge his hands to keep carving out the paths that feel like a hot iron on his skin, and they both groan when Stede’s dick brushes through his folds. 

Then Ed’s rocking against him, teasing himself with Stede, frotting their dicks together then dipping down not quite into his wet heat, and again, until finally he’s so open and ready and soaking that Stede just slips inside. 

A muffled “Ed!” is swallowed, though Stede’s just barely inside him, just enough that Ed can clench around his cockhead, so fucking deliciously thick. Ed rocks his hips, and he doesn’t mean to tease, but it feels so fucking good to let him stretch his opening wide over and over and over again, barely breaching. 

Stede’s warm palms on his back turn into sharp nails, and Ed can feel him shaking underneath him, willing himself not to thrust his hips up. Ed gives in to the silent plea and presses back and down, slowly, and feels Stede’s body fall more and more boneless until he’s all the way inside. 

They break the kiss, puffs of air clashing in the valley between their faces. Stede’s eyes are clamped shut, and that just won’t work at all, now that Ed knows how much sweet heat can come from his gaze. 

“Look at me,” he whispers. 

Stede does. 

His eyes are glassy and wet and they shine in the dim, peachy light of the room. And then he’s gasping for air, and it’s shuttered and broken and jagged. One of his hands slithers from Ed’s back to his chest, and for a brief second Ed’s terrified that Stede’s going to push him away. 

Instead, Stede covers his heartbeat, and opens his mouth to speak. His mouth forms around words before he can will his body to make noise, and then  it finally comes, low and whispy and breathless. 

“It’s so good, you’re so good.” 

And then his hips move, down and then up, slow like a trial run, until Ed’s eyes close on a whimper and then it’s more pointed, again, and now Ed is at a loss for words, because his dick is fucking perfect inside him, curved so fucking nicely that Ed’s nerves crackle as he drags against the perfect spot inside him. 

“ Stede. Fuck.”

Ed’s head lolls back and his own body gets with the program, in perfect tandem with Stede’s tentative thrusts. 

“Yeah?” 

“Yes, Christ, fucking perfect inside me.”

And he’s not lying. It’s everything , he fits so flawlessly. Ed’s had just enough time to hit that sweet spot between overstimulated and deliciously stimulated , and he’s sure his head could just roll off of his shoulders from how fucking perfect it all really is.

“ Oh,” Stede gasps, hips faltering a bit before picking up speed. 

Ed follows the rhythm, letting himself get lost in the feel of the friction inside him and the noises he can draw from Stede as he clenches around him every other trust or so. Lets himself just soak it all in for a moment, the way it builds with every stroke inside him, the way his cock goes from too sensitive to throbbing hard the longer he neglects it.

Ed takes Stede’s hand that’s on his chest and uses it for leverage to push himself up on his knees. Stede’s there, he always is , holding him up, supporting him. Ed sucks his own thumb into his mouth and then reaches down to press against his dick and fucking keens at how close he is already. He spends a few long moments just teasing himself with the softest, lightest strokes he can muster while Stede fucks up into him. 

But then Stede’s moans turn into silent pants, and then his hips are slowing, and his hands move to grasp Ed’s hips. 

“Can we— I need a moment. Can we switch places?”

Ed’s nodding, quick to lift his hips, and they both gasp when Stede slips out. 

“Everything okay?”

Ed moves to lie next to Stede, turned toward him, and runs his fingertips through the dusty blond hair on his chest, his new favorite place in the whole world, he thinks. He doesn’t miss the shiver that courses through Stede’s trembling body. 

“More than okay, too okay. I want to make it good for you.”

Ed leans in then to press a kiss to his rosy cheek, lingering there to smile against his five o’clock shadow. 

“No concerns there, love,” he hums. 

Stede huffs out a breath, but his hand finds the back of Ed’s head to cradle him close. 

“Sorry,” he sighs. 

“Jesus, mate, don’t apologize,” Ed pulls back to tell him, “it’s so good.”

“It’s just… It’s been a while and you’re— god, you’re amazing. I’ve dreamed about this, but you’re… beyond anything I could’ve imagined, Edward.”

That steals all the breath from Ed’s lungs. Because that’s the thing, all this time, and even after they fell into bed together, Ed didn’t really let himself wonder if Stede’s been thinking about this too. If his nights were spent the same way, longing to be this close, to have this intimacy.

“Hey,” Ed mumbles, pulling lightly on Stede’s chin so he can look him in the eyes, “you are too, y’know? I’ve wanted this for months and it doesn’t even compare to the things I’ve thought about.” 

Stede, the cute fucker , raises his eyebrows, half-surprised, half- prideful.

“Did you touch yourself, thinking about those things?”

Ed chuckles. 

“I did. Right where you’re laying. Thought about a lot.”

Stede squirms and turns so his whole body’s facing Ed. 

“I’d pay to see that,” he says, voice deep with want, eyelids fluttering with it. 

“You can watch any time, free of charge,” Ed tells him, spreading his legs to prove his point, smirking at the way Stede’s eyes grow wider when they glance down. 

Ed moves his hand down to keep up the act, gives his cock a few strokes before dipping his middle finger into himself. Then Stede’s hand is there too, mimicking the same thing Ed did, pulling on his slick cock then pressing a finger alongside Ed’s and god this man is going to fucking kill him. 

“I think I’d like to watch, some day,” he whispers.

“Not today, you feel too good,” Ed manages to say between gasps.

“Of course not, I want to make you come again. And again.”

He flicks Ed’s cock with his thumb to emphasize his point. 

“Tell me you’re ready to fuck me again. Want your cock so bad.”

“Lie back.”

And Ed does, and continues to fuck himself on his fingers while he watches Stede remove and replace his condom. His hands trail up Ed’s thighs, still so gentle, even after all this time in bed together. He grabs Ed’s wrist, coaxing him to pull his fingers out so he can replace them with two of his own. 

“I think I forgot to tell you how good you taste,” he mumbles, thumb reaching up to circle Ed’s dick. 

Ed tries to respond, but it comes out garbled because Stede is fucking working him , like it’s job , stroking mercilessly at his g-spot like it’s muscle memory, like a magnet he’s drawn to. And he’s stroking his own cock with his free hand, light as a feather over the clear latex. It’s maddening , how Ed’s spent his entire life learning how to make himself come undone and Stede’s just got it , right off the bat, read him like a fucking book, cover to cover. 

“You’re— ‘m gonna fucking come again,” Ed manages. 

“Is that alright? Can I give you two more?” 

“Fuck! Yes, fuck, please .”

Ed clenches his eyes shut, throws his head back. He doesn’t want to think, he just wants to let it wash over him and Christ, is there a lot to feel. It’s a feeling he only ever acquaints himself with when he’s in a certain mood. A really horny mood, when he wants to test his limits. It starts in his toes, just familiar enough to know exactly what’s about to happen. Static works itself up his legs, sharp and steady, until his whole body feels that much more flush, and he’s so fucking close. He clenches and unclenches around Stede’s rapid, insistent fingers, draws him in and out again until he feels the tension break and Stede’s gasping. 

Ed opens his eyes to find Stede fixated on the gush of fluid now on the sheets. His hand falters, and Ed bucks into his hand. 

“Don’t stop, please don’t stop,” he begs.

Stede doubles down, and Ed’s so close to the edge that it almost hurts . He bats Stede’s thumb away to take his own dick between his fingers and that’s all he needs. A couple of strokes and the wave finally drags him under, and he can’t even hear his own shouting with the rush of it, but he watches as another burst of clear wetness is coaxed out by Stede’s fingers. 

And then he’s clamping his trembling legs shut and tucking in on himself, errant moans falling from his lips as Stede retreats only far enough to stroke comforting circles into Ed’s lower back. 

“That’s it, my god. Gorgeous, Ed. So good,” Stede’s saying when the ringing in his ears finally lets up. 

This man is going to absolutely murder him. 

“Fuckin’ hell, man. What the fuck?” 

He unfurls himself to lie on his back and stare up at Stede, who looks just chuffed . As he has every right to. 

“Are you alright? Do you need anything?”

Ed laughs. Laughs, a high, giddy giggle that bubbles up out of his throat. Stede huffs, but he’s smiling too. Ed spreads his legs out on the soiled duvet.

“I need your dick in me, immediately . Want to see you come.”

“I can manage that, I think.” 

He shuffles into place, and pushes Ed’s shaky legs up by his knees. His cock nudges at Ed’s entrance, and Ed reaches down to spread himself wide, cock jumping and pulsing at even the slightest brush. And then Stede’s sinking into him again and this angle is even better . He’s still riding out the aftershocks, still twitching and clenching around Stede as his dick presses against the frayed nerves inside him.

Ed’s eyes roll back into his head with it, and he cries out, and Stede’s pressing gentle kisses to the inside on his knee as he eases himself back and forth. 

“Should I go slow?”

“Fuck no. Feels so good after I get off. Give it to me.”

Stede’s eyes close and his teeth sink into the sensitive skin of Ed’s thigh. He pulls back slowly, hips stuttering, and the drag of it is so fucking good, but not nearly as perfect as when he jolts back in. Ed’s entire body lights up with it, sizzling livewires all throughout his insides. He’s overstimulated and sensitive and Stede’s quick, hard thrusts are relentless once he gets going. 

Ed’s legs shake with it where Stede holds them up, sweaty grip tightening with every passing moment. He can’t even control the noises he’s making, Stede’s just fucking them out of him with his perfect dick. It’s torture and it’s bliss, and Stede’s wrung out expression tells him it must be for him, too. 

“So tight, Ed—“ his voice sounds panicked, almost, “it’s too good, you’re too good.” 

Ed slips his legs free of Stede’s grasp and plants his feet on the bed, uses them to pull himself up enough to capture Stede’s lips in his own. He suspects the change in angle and a brief break will back him down from the edge a little. Even if it doesn’t, Stede’s been perfect, more than perfect. 

Ed touches light fingertips to his heaving chest, swirls them in the sweat soaked curls. He hums and threads his fingers through Ed’s hair, and Ed pulls away to lie back down. 

“C’mon, it’s your turn. Just enjoy yourself,” Ed tells him, bringing his hands up to rest behind his own head. 

“I enjoy getting you off, it’s kind of my thing,” Stede tells him, reaching down to tease circles around his dick. 

Ed hisses on an inhale. 

“You’re a fucking lunatic ,” he growls, “fuckin’ love it.” 

He bucks into Stede’s touch, and watches as he lets a string of spit dribble from his mouth and cover his pulsing cock. He whines when Stede grabs him between two knuckles, sloppy and wet, and starts to jerk him off. 

“Please, god , fuck me,” he begs, “need you to come in me.” 

Stede gives a determined nod, and god he’s fucking adorable and sexy and ridiculous. He starts thrusting into him again, setting a steady pace, and Ed’s not sure how he’s not blown a fucking gasket yet, how he can still feel another orgasm creeping up on him like approaching flames, completely pushed to his limits. 

“Fuck me harder,” Ed gasps, fiending for the sharp bursts of almost-too-much every time their hips meet, “ Yeah, like that, just like that.”

Stede pants his name, and it’s the best it’s ever sounded, breathy and desperate and Ed wants to hear it like that over and over, every single day until he’s six feet under. 

Stede’s fingers on his cock are uncoordinated, sloppy and slick, until it’s clear he’s too close to focus. Ed replaces them with the flat of his own palm, presses down and groans at how fucking much it all feels, with Stede staring down at him like he’s a wonder of the world on top of everything else. 

“Gonna come with me? Wanna feel it while you’re inside?” 

Stede nods so hard his head’s at risk of flying off his shoulders. 

“I’ll— try, fuck, please come for me. You feel perfect, sweet boy. You’re— stunning like this.” 

And Christ , does the praise do it for him, turns him into a shivering mess. All he has to do is slide his slick palm up and down a few times over his swollen dick and he’s done for , crying out and convulsing around Stede. 

To his credit, he fucks him through it as best as he can, but his quick, punishing thrusts quickly turn into a deep grind inside him, as deep as he can get, and he’s choking out half-words and digging his nails into Ed’s hips. 

He falls onto Ed’s chest, sweaty and trembling, and Ed thinks even after 3 world-altering orgasms that this is his favorite part. Feeling his hot breath come out in huffs against his sweaty skin, trailing gentle fingers down the goosebumps on his back. His hair, fluffy and sweet scented against his face as he kisses Stede’s scalp. 

Does that make him a madman?

He doesn’t have much time to question it, because Stede’s shaky arms are lifting him up as he reaches down to safely remove himself from Ed. 

He wishes he could just stay inside a bit longer, feel the way Ed’s still reeling from all of it. But Stede cuddles back into him as soon as he's got the condom tied off and tossed toward the floor. 

The silence is quite deafening, now. Ed’s ears ring with it as Stede shifts into his side. What do you say after all of that? When ‘I’ll cook you dinner’ turns into ‘fuck me with your mouth and hands and perfect cock for—‘

Ed glances at the clock. Stede got here an hour and a half ago. It feels like 15 minutes or it feels like days, his brain is so goddamn fuzzy he can’t even fathom the concept of time. 

When he looks back to Stede, head nestled against Ed’s shoulder, his eyes are closed and his cheeks are pink and he’s smiling like an angel. His chest unclenches, brings his head back down from that dangerous path it wanted to wind itself along.

“You okay, Stede?”

His angelic smile turns into a face-splitting grin, eyes still shut. 

“I’m fantastic,” he sighs, “how are you, Edward?”

Ed snorts. 

“Fucking delightful.”

Stede hums, nestles against Ed’s skin before he blinks his eyes open. 

“Should we debrief now?”

“Should we what now?”

“You know, debrief. Talk about it. I think it’s important to talk about what went well and what didn’t with sexual partners, especially if you’re planning to repeat the performance.”

“You saying you want an encore?”

Ed smirks as he watches Stede’s face go splotchy red again.

“I don’t mean to presume—“

“Presume away, love. Think I might just lock you up in here forever.”

Stede’s expression eases. 

“I wouldn’t mind that.” 

“Hm, noted.” 

“So?”

“So…?”

“How was it? What would you have changed? What did you like?”

“Oh my god , Stede, you made me come my brains out three times. I wouldn’t change a fuckin’ thing.”

Stede huffs. 

“Nothing??”

“Nu-uh. Liked it all, promise. You?”

Stede hides his face a bit. 

“I liked it all, too. I hope I last longer, next time.”

“You last any longer and I might not make it out alive,” Ed mumbles.

“Maybe we’ll have to test that theory.”

“Good god , man, where did they make you?”

Stede chuckles and stretches when Ed musters up the strength to sit up and start for the bathroom. 

“I can’t cook after that, so, pizza?” 

__

It’s way later, after they bicker about pizza toppings and change the sheets. After they huddle up in bed with a movie and a Domino’s box on their laps. After they stop paying attention to the screen to cuddle and make out with less heat and more sweet adoration, when Stede pulls away to speak up. 

“Ed?” 

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to be my boyfriend?”

Ed’s struck with a feeling he doesn’t know how to place. No one’s ever really asked him that. It was always either a given or strictly off the table when he was younger. His heart seizes up and his face feels flush as it crinkles into a smile. 

“Yeah, I think I do.”