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Ahh, the kissing. Yes, the kissing was a veritable delight. Stede had never made time for it with Mary. Their dalliances had been brisk and business-like, with minimal eye contact and preferably Stede's mouth tilted away so he didn't breathe on her. Their business (for now that Stede thought about it, the term was apt) had been the making of heirs, of course, and Mary had been quite eager to conclude it as swiftly as possible. Stede had always been grateful to her for that. It was part of their marital contract, but neither of them found much joy in it, and Mary's lack of enthusiasm for Stede's personage allowed him to keep his clothes on. A boon, really.
Mary had found joy in it with Doug, of course. Stede had seen that first hand and from multiple angles (Doug's athleticism was to be commended, in Stede's humble opinion), and both had been very, very naked. For all intents and purposes, Stede was looking forward to experiencing something similar with Ed. Because with love came love-making, or so it went. However, in the whirlwind of their fraught reunion (Lucius had commented that fraught might be too gentle a term, and Stede had underlined it in his journal for review), Stede had all but forgot about the prospect of coitus.
Ed, as was the case in most things, approached the act of love with an energy and excitement that left Stede a little dizzy. Once the storm of hurt had abated and Ed's heart had healed a little, he had been keen to pick up where they'd left off. Yet, so far, Ed had been content with hungry kisses and longing looks; warm cuddles under cotton sheets and soft caresses along Stede's collarbone as they slept.
There was little as to whether question Ed would like more. Stede has seen him in the mornings, swaggering across the quarter cabin, fully, gloriously... priapic, and oh, the tattoos went–well, they went all the way down to his hips. Ed caught Stede staring once or twice, and acknowledged his rapture with a waggle of the eyebrows but even then he hadn't pushed.
They lay in bed together one lazy morning, dappled sunlight pouring through the quarter cabin windows, leaving warm pools on the bedding. Stede wore a shirt at night still, and his buttercup yellow gown for good measure, but the only reason Ed had a single stitch on him was because he'd departed briefly to relieve himself in the water closet. The pink robe had fallen down one arm and Stede gripped desperately onto his bare shoulder as their lips brushed together. Ed had pulled him back in playful abandon when he had attempted to leave, and perhaps Stede's legs, splayed as they were where he'd fallen, were an invite he simply could not resist.
His fingers circled first on the inside of Stede's knee, gentle and innocent enough, but then those circles became a little wider, worked a little further, until Ed's warm palm pressed to Stede's inner thigh. Stede's cheeks flushed and he pulled back, gathering his gown over his legs. He didn't push his paramour away–didn't really want to, as gentle as Ed's hands were–but his thighs clamped shut, and Ed gazed at him curiously. "Not nice?"
"Oh, no, very nice, I–" Stede swallowed, the blush on his neck deepening, "I've just never, you know–no one has ever, uhm–"
"Never?"
"Well, you know, when you have children to uhm, to muster, you really do need to go about the whole business efficiently, and–"
"The whole business efficiently," Ed repeated, rolling the words over in his mouth. His hand was trapped between Stede's legs, and he hummed. "Do you want me to stop?"
Stede thought about it. The heat in his belly that always simmered around Ed had risen to the intensity of a small inferno. He felt like he was burning up. And how everything ached for Ed's touch. But the voices of doubt in the back of his head wouldn't yield the helm. "I–what if–what if you don't like what you find–down there?"
Ed's eyes widened a little. "I've seen it already. Two balls, one cock. Just like everybody else."
"When did you see it?"
"Your gown rides up when you sleep."
"It does?"
"Oh yeah, all the way up. Fang's seen it too."
"He has?" Stede sounded strangled.
"Uh huh. I covered you up though, y'know, because I'm a gentleman like that," Ed said, his smile teasing a little wider. Oh, how Stede wanted to just kiss him and let–let him touch everything he wanted, but–
"And, you know, I'm not… that is to say… I'm rather–there are saggy bits, and plump bits, and… I may not quite live up to the rugged, handsome bodies you've indulged in, all these wrinkles, and–"
"I like your plump bits."
Stede blinked. Ed was watching him with those same inquisitive eyes; open, wondrous, beautiful eyes. It had never occurred to Stede that his body as it was would be desirable. Fat, plump, weak, soft. Words wielded against him like weapons. But in Ed's mouth, the word plump sounded so very fond. "You do?"
"Mmhm," Ed nodded, "because… they're you."
He said it so simply, with the same ponderous tone he had used on the dock. Stede's chest ached with adoration, and he cupped Ed's stubbled cheek with a shaky sigh. "Perhaps, then, we could–give it a go. If you don't mind."
"I'd like that."
"But you'll be… patient, with me–if I–"
"Like a saint," Ed said solemnly, tilting his face into Stede's palm not unlike a cat seeking further affection. "Not… efficient though."
Stede huffed a laugh. "Perhaps not my finest choice of words." He nibbled his lower lip and dropped his eyes, but Ed tugged gently at the blonde curls at the back of his head. Stede spoke in a hushed whisper, "And you'll be gentle with me?"
"Yeah, always." Ed smiled, resting his forehead to Stede's until his eyes brightened again. He wiggled his trapped hand, scooting a little closer still. "To business then. Handsomely now."
Stede nodded and let Ed tilt him back into the pillows. Every limb shook at first, but his body soon relaxed as Ed kissed him, his wandering fingertips resuming their leisurely descent.
And–
Oh. This love-making, it was a most excellent business.