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“Please, Ed. Please, please, pleeeeeease?” Stede begged.
“How many cups have you had this morning?” Ed countered.
“None.”
“Plus?”
“Five. But yours is better,” Stede grinned.
“Please, Ed. Just give him the coffee. You know he won’t stop anytime soon and I need him to drive me to school,” Alma joined in. “It’s my first day and you wouldn’t want me to be late for my first day, would you?”
Ed groaned, “Fine, I’ll get you your damn coffee.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Stede cheered. “Could I also get pancakes? With a side of bacon? Oh! And can you also draw a smiley face on the pancakes with whipped cream?”
“What? Are you six?”
“You’ve done it for Alma before!”
“Yeah,” Ed agreed. “When she was six.”
“You know what, Edward?” Stede huffed. “I’m just going to find another diner. A place that won’t deny me the joy of having my pancakes smile at me in an adorable and delicious manner.”
“Oh yeah?” Ed laughed. “And will this new diner have coffee that’s as good as mine is?”
Stede huffed again, “It won’t matter. I’ll just send Alma in for coffee. You’ll never know that it’s for me. It’s the perfect plan.”
“Except,” Alma began. “You just told him the whole plan. And I’m not doing that for you. I’m staying neutral on this one.”
“Smart kid,” Ed smirked. “What’ll you have?”
“French toast, please. And coffee.”
“Coming right up,” and with that Ed was gone.
“So, Alma, are you excited for your first day at Queen Anne’s?” Stede asked his daughter.
“Yeah. I’m nervous too. It’ll be weird to not see my friends from town there.”
Stede and Alma Bonnet had moved to the teeny tiny Stars Hollow when Alma was just a baby. Stede was only sixteen when she’d been born. He had been dating Mary Allamby at the time. He was struggling with accepting his sexuality at the time and thought that dating a girl would fix everything. They’d only ever had sex once before he broke down and came out to her, but the one time was enough. Mary was pregnant and they were both terrified. They’d decided to go through with the pregnancy and give the baby up for adoption, but the second Stede had Alma in his arms, he knew that he wanted to raise this child. So he did. Sixteen years later and it was still the best decision of his life.
Stars Hollow was also where he met Edward Teach. Ed was the owner of Ed’s Diner. While there were other restaurants spread throughout the town, Ed’s was by far the best place to eat. It was small and crowded; none of the chairs matched and the plates were chipped, but it felt like a second home to the Bonnets. They came far more often as they should, but despite Ed’s annoyance at their constant presence, the Bonnets knew that Ed loved having them there all the time. He took care of them more often than not; force-feeding them vegetables, fixing things around their house, getting Alma to soccer practice when Stede was caught up at the inn he co-owned with his best friend, Lucius. Stede couldn’t imagine his life without Ed.
“Here you are, french toast and pancakes,” Ed set down the plates in front of them.
“Ed! I knew you loved me!” Stede exclaimed while looking down at the pancakes that were smiling back up at him.
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t say I never do anything for you,” Ed mumbled.
Stede was still grinning at his pancakes, so he missed the deep blush that covered Ed’s face. Alma, however, didn’t miss it at all. She caught Ed’s eye and grinned up at him. Shut up, he mouthed at her. She raised her hands in a sign of surrender; she certainly wasn’t gonna say anything. She was getting a little sick of the pining that had been going on between Ed and her father, but she wanted to see where things went without her interference.
“Thank you, Ed!” she said instead.
“No problem, kid,” he replied. “Now, you two better hurry up or you’re actually gonna be late.”
“He’s right, Alma, hurry up,” Stede started to rush her.
“You’re the one obsessing over your pancake! Why don’t you hurry up?”
“My pancake’s name is Jeff, thank you very much.”
“Great, you’ve grown attached to it. This is the last time I’m putting a smiley face on your food,” Ed sighed.
“Keep telling yourself that, Edward,” Stede was probably right. There was very little Ed wouldn’t do for Stede. It’s not like he’d ever admit that though. “Now, Alma. Last one to finish their food is a rotten egg!”
Ed watched as they dug into their food with reckless abandon, “You two are going to choke one day and I’m not gonna help.”
To say that Stede didn’t have a great relationship with his parents would be a bit of an understatement. He had never felt at home growing up in his parents’ massive home. His parents were judgemental and cruel and tended to ignore him as much as they could when he was growing up. They weren’t thrilled to hear that Mary was pregnant and were even less thrilled that Stede decided to raise the child. Still, they offered to help him as much as they could, but he declined. Well, he actually just left a note on his mother’s bedside table and walked out the door. He still talks to them from time to time but preferred to stay as far away from them as he possibly could.
This is why he felt incredibly ill standing in front of the large wooden door that led to his parents' house. Stede was proud of what he had in Stars Hollow. He co-owned a small inn and he owned a lovely home and he had many wonderful friends. Unfortunately, Alma’s new school was on the more expensive side and he just didn’t have the money to pay for tuition. So here he was, about to throw up in the extravagant driveway that was his parents’.
“You’ve got this, Stede. It’s just your parents, no big deal,” he talked to himself as he finally built up the courage to ring the doorbell.
The door creaked open to reveal a woman in a maid’s uniform, “Hello?” she spoke in a soft voice.
“Hello, dear! I’m just here to see my parents,” Stede informed her.
“Mrs. Bonnet! Your son is here,” she called into the house.
“My son?” came the voice of his mother. “Stede? What on earth are you doing here?”
“Well, I was just in the neighborhood and I thought I’d drop by,” he lied.
His mother raised an eyebrow, “Oh really? You’re not here for anything else?”
“Well, now that you mention it…”
“Let me go get your father. Come in, come in.”
It didn’t matter how much Stede had accomplished in his life, every single time he stepped into this house, he felt just as inadequate as he did for his entire childhood. He hoped this visit would be short and he could go to Ed’s and order the biggest burger possible and have a nice cry.
“Stede,” his father greeted.
“Father,” Stede returned the cold greeting.
“How’s Alma doing?” his mother asked, “We haven’t seen her in ages.”
“She’s doing good. Actually, she’s the reason why I’m here.”
“Oh? Is she okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. She just started going to Queen Anne’s. Which I’m sure you know is a great school. She’s so smart, it’s ridiculous. The thing is, the tuition is due by the end of the month and well, I can’t afford to pay it. I was hoping you could loan me the money? I’d pay it back, of course. I just didn’t know who else to ask,” Stede prayed this would end well.
“Of course, we’ll help, Stede,” his father replied.
“Really? Thank you so much.”
“On one condition.” Shit. Of course, there was a condition. “I expect to see you and Alma here every Friday night for dinner. If I am to pay for her schooling, I want to see her. She is my granddaughter, after all.”
“We’ll be here,” Stede had to remind himself that it was for Alma.
“Perfect,” his father said. “And please dress up, this isn’t a dinner in that strange town of yours.”
“Of course, Father,” Stede tried his best not to roll his eyes. “Well, I have to pick Alma up from school, but we’ll see you both on Friday. Thank you again, it means so much to me.”
They said their goodbyes and Stede made a swift exit. He sat in his car and sighed loudly before banging his head on the steering wheel for a few seconds. Then he drove off.
“Ed, I don’t wanna go,” Stede whined.
“Sorry, mate. There’s not much I can do for you there,” Ed didn’t sound the least bit sorry.
“I can’t stand them. They’re so snobby and rude and they don’t even like me.”
“How can they not like you? Everyone likes you.”
“Why, Edward, are you saying that you like me?” Stede perked up in his seat at the counter.
“What? No. Shut up,” Ed said, flustered and turning a lovely shade of pink. “You said you’re going for Alma, right?”
“Yeah,” Stede decided to ignore Ed’s blush for now. “They’re paying for her school and now my Friday nights are ruined for the foreseeable future.”
“And that’s why you’re dressed all fancy?” Ed asked.
“Yup, I feel a little silly in this, to be honest. Like I’m back in high school.”
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think you look good,” Ed mumbled.
It was Stede’s turn to blush this time, but he didn’t get a chance to reply before Alma rushed into the diner wearing a nice polka-dotted dress.
“Why Father,” she spoke in her best posh voice. “Are you ready for our evening out on the town? I do hope I dressed appropriately for this chilly weather we’ve been having recently.”
“Daughter of mine,” Stede said, putting on his own posh voice, “You look quite charming, you are sure to be the belle of the ball.”
“You guys are weird,” Ed commented.
“Excuse me, young man,” Stede continued, “That is no way to speak to a fancy gentleman such as myself. I demand to speak to your manager, this is simply unacceptable.”
“Just go, you’re going to be late,” Ed groaned, trying not to laugh at how ridiculous this man was.
“A lady is never late,” Alma chimed in. “Everyone else is simply early.”
“Try telling your grandmother that,” Ed said.
“Shit, he’s right, Alma. We’d better get moving.”
“Bye Stede, bye Alma.”
“Bye Ed!” the Bonnets said back.
“Alma, you go in first. They’re less likely to attack you.”
“They’re not going to attack either of us,” Alma rolled her eyes while ringing the doorbell.
This time, Mrs. Bonnet answered the door instead of a maid, “Alma! Come in, come in. How are you, dear?”
“I’m good, Grandma. How are you?”
“I’m wonderful, dear. Would you like something to drink?”
“Just water, please.”
“Stede?” she said, finally addressing her son.
“I’ll have a glass of wine, please.”
“How has school been, Alma?” her grandfather asked her.
“It’s been really good, I love Queen Anne’s. It’s really difficult, but I’m learning a lot more than I did at Stars Hollow High.”
“That’s wonderful!” Mrs. Bonnet said, handing them their drinks. “Have you made any friends? Do you have a boyfriend?”
Stede tried not to groan. His mother always was a gossip.
“I’ve made a few friends, but no, I don’t have a boyfriend,” Alma was good at hiding when she was annoyed.
“How about you, Stede? Have you found a girlfriend yet?”
Shit. He knew he was forgetting something. He had never actually come out to his parents. It had never seemed all that necessary, it’s not like he ever talked to them anymore. Although, he would be talking to them a lot more now. Alma whipped her head in her direction and raised an eyebrow at him. He had never hidden his sexuality from Alma, so this was a big shocker for her. Their movie nights were spent arguing over which actors they found more attractive and talking about boys was a common theme for them. He didn’t want Alma to think he was ashamed of who he was, so now seemed like as good a time as any to tell them.
“Well, since you ask, now is as good a time to tell you as any. I don’t have a girlfriend and I never will as I am gay.”
The silence that filled the room was incredibly awkward. His father looked like he might throw up.
“Please, don’t tell me you’re dating that man from the diner,” his mother broke the silence.
Stede choked on the wine he had begun to chug.
“How do you know Ed?” Alma asked.
“He was at your birthday party. One of the only ones we were actually invited to,” his mother scoffed.
“I’m not dating Ed. But there would be nothing wrong with it if I were. He is a wonderful friend and a good man and I will not allow you to speak ill of him,” Stede wouldn’t always stand up for himself, but he would for Ed.
“Can we please talk about anything else?” his father asked. Stede figured his sexuality would be completely ignored by his father which was honestly the best outcome he could expect. He was surprised he wasn’t being kicked out.
The rest of the dinner went smoothly enough, but Stede was ecstatic when the dessert was finally cleared and goodbyes were said. He was not looking forward to next Friday.
“How’d dinner go?” Ed asked while serving them their after-dinner burgers and fries later that night.
Stede groaned loudly.
“That good, huh?”
“I came out to my parents, Ed. I’ve been openly gay since I was seventeen and I’ve only just come out to them now. I can’t believe I forgot to tell my parents I was gay for fifteen years.”
“How’d they take it?”
“Surprisingly well.”
“That’s good at least. Did you have a better time than your father, Alma?”
“It was alright. I was shocked when my grandparents asked if dad had a girlfriend though. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone ask him that.”
“Very funny, Alma,” Stede had his head on the counter.
“I also liked when they asked if you were dating Ed,” she said with an evil grin on her face.
Stede sat up so fast that he fell off his stool and onto the floor, “Fuck.”
“They asked what?!” Ed yelped.
“Grandma asked if you and dad were dating,” Alma repeated. “Dad, are you okay down there?”
Stede pulled himself off the ground, his face bright red, “Um, yeah, my mum asked if we were dating. I told her no, of course, because we’re not. Dating that is.”
“Right,” Ed mumbled.
“You better not be dating him. That man is all mine,” All three of them looked towards a woman who had just entered the diner. She had long brown hair and was wearing a leather jacket.
“Oh my god,” Stede whispered. This night just kept getting worse.
“Stede, do you know her?” Ed asked.
“Mom!” Alma shrieked before he could answer.
Stede adored Mary Allamby. She was feisty and smart and if Stede liked women, he would’ve been head over heels for her. Which is why it was easy to pretend with her when he was still in the closet. As much as he adored Mary, she had the habit of coming to town, bringing Alma on fun adventures, and then leaving again just as suddenly. Every visit of hers passed in a whirlwind that left Stede wondering what had just happened. Most of the time, her visits were planned and he had time to plan. Occasionally though, she just showed up without warning. He never thought it was fair to Alma, but he knew how much she loved her mother, so he was never going to turn Mary away.
“Hey, kiddo!” Mary gave Alma a big hug.
“What are you doing here, Mom?” Alma grinned up at her mother.
“Well, I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by to visit my two favorite people. How’ve you been?”
“Great! I adore the new school and Dad just came out to Grandma and Grandpa!” Alma filled her in.
“Stede,” Mary gasped, “You’ve only just now told your parents?”
“To be honest, Mary, I completely forgot they didn’t know,” Stede sighed.
Mary came over and wrapped Stede up in a hug, “How’d it go, dear?”
“It was alright, they didn’t throw a fit or kick me out or anything. I have a feeling they’re just going to ignore it for as long as they possibly can,” Stede mumbled into Mary’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Honey. Your parents have always been quite shit.”
Stede laughed at that. As stressful as her visits were, he had missed Mary more than he realized. She was his oldest friend and a hug from Mary could cure almost anything. She gave him one more squeeze before letting go and turning to Ed.
“I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Mary, Alma’s mom. And you must be the man that’s stolen Stede’s heart from me?”
Stede squawked again while Alma giggled, “No one’s heart has been stolen, Mary,” (that was a lie) “Ed is just my friend and the provider of coffee.”
“Either way, it’s lovely to meet you, Ed,” Mary held out her hand.
“Nice to meet you too,” Ed muttered, shaking Mary’s hand.
“Now, how would Miss Alma like to take a ride on my brand new motorcycle?” Mary turned to her daughter.
“Really?” Alma squealed.
“If your dad’s okay with it,” Mary said.
Alma gave her dad the biggest, saddest puppy dog eyes he’d ever seen. The idea of his daughter on a motorcycle made him want to throw up, “Alright, I suppose so. Just wear a helmet and hold on tight. And wrap yourself in bubble wrap, please!” He was yelling out the door by the end of his sentence as the two had already booked it outside. Stede laid his head back on the counter and sighed.
“So that was Mary?” Ed asked.
Stede nodded, his nose squishing uncomfortably against the countertop.
“Wow. I can’t even imagine you dating her.”
“Is it because she’s a woman?”
Ed let out a loud laugh, “That too.”
“Yeah,” Stede sighed again. “She’s a good friend and I love her very dearly, but she always comes and goes as she pleases. I imagine it must be hard for Alma; having her mom here one second and gone the next.”
“I imagine it must be hard for you too,” Ed put his hand on Stede’s shoulder and smiled softly at him. “You raised a good kid though.”
“I know,” Stede smiled at Ed. “I raised the best kid.”
Mary stuck around for a few days; taking Alma shopping and doing her best to follow her around her favorite book stores without getting too bored. Then winter turned into spring and Alma was knee-deep in studying for finals. Stede, being the amazing father that he is, leaves her to do her studying because he knows just how important school is.
“Almaaaaaaa,” he whines. “Please!!!”
“Dad, I already said no. I have four finals coming up.”
“You’ve been studying all day, just take a couple of hours off and go see this movie with me.”
“I don’t even want to see the movie. Why don’t you ask Lucius to go with you?”
“Lucius is away for the weekend with his boyfriend,” Stede pouted.
“What about Ed?” Alma suggested.
“What about him?” Stede asked.
“Oh my god. Why don’t you ask him to go to the movies with you?” Alma groaned.
“Ed wouldn’t want to go,” he replied.
Alma rolled her eyes, “And how do you know that? You haven’t even asked him.”
“I just know he wouldn’t like this movie,” Stede crossed his arms and Alma began to wonder who was the teenager here.
“Dad, you know how much Ed loves shitty romcoms even though he pretends to hate them. Why don’t you want to ask him to go with you?”
“No reason.”
“Really?” Alma raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure it’s not because you have a massive crush on him and you’re just afraid to ask him out on a date?”
“What?! I don’t have a crush on Ed. That’s ridiculous,” Stede said far too loudly. Alma gave him another look. “Okay. Fine. I have a small crush on Ed. It’s not like I’m going to do anything about it. He clearly doesn’t like me like that. Plus, our friendship means a lot to me and I don’t want to risk all that over something so silly.”
“Whatever you say, Dad. But from what I’ve seen, Ed is just as smitten over you as you are over him.”
“Shut up,” Stede muttered. “So, movies?”
“You know what?” Alma said. “Yeah, I’ll go. Just give me a minute to change.”
Stede did a happy dance out of Alma’s room and she shut the door behind him. After a few minutes, Stede called through the door, “You’re not actually going, are you?”
“No, Dad,” she called back, “I have four finals to study for.”
Stede, Alma, and Lucius were walking through Stars Hollow on their way to the town meeting. Town meetings in Stars Hollow were always a thrilling time. Stede couldn’t remember the last time a meeting had gone by without it ending in some sort of argument. He hoped that tonight would be no different.
“I hope Ed has our town meeting snack ready,” Stede said.
“Of course he does,” Alma replied. “He always has a snack ready.”
The trio rounded the corner to the diner, trying to guess what tonight’s snack would be. It seemed, however, that this evening would begin with an argument. Ed and a rather short man that Stede had never seen before were in the diner screaming at each other.
“I guess Ed doesn’t have our snack ready,” Alma whispered.
“Do you know who that is?” Stede asked Lucius.
“I’ve never seen him before,” Lucius replied. “Which is really weird because I usually know everything that goes on in this town.”
“Should we do something?” Stede was more than a little concerned.
He’d never seen Ed so angry before. Grumpy? Sure, every day since he’d moved to Stars Hollow. But never angry. He was in a rage, yelling at this man. Stede wished he could hear what they were saying.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” Jim, who owned the grocery store with their husband, Oluwande, said from behind the trio.
“You know him?” Stede questioned.
“Yeah, his name is Izzy. Izzy Hands. I’d only ever heard rumors about him, but Oluwande knew him. Said he’s an angry little fucker. I guess Ed dated him a while a long time ago. He comes around every once in a while and annoys the shit out of Ed. Wouldn’t be surprised if he closed down the diner for a few days,” Jim explained.
“That’s Ed’s ex-boyfriend?!” Stede’s voice cracked out.
“Fuck, Stede,” Lucius looked like he was having far too much fun. “Your man’s got a mean ex.”
“He’s not my man,” Stede protested. “Let’s just go to the town meeting.”
“But what about our snack?” Alma pouted but allowed her father to drag her to the meeting.
Mr. Buttons owned a small dance studio in town. Stede had sent Alma for lessons when she was younger. It was in this dance studio that the town meetings were held. It was a large room with chairs lined up in neat rows facing the front of the room where their town selectman, Chauncy Badminton stood. Chauncy was disliked by the whole town. He was annoying and slimy and demanded that everyone follow the rules. Unfortunately, he ran unopposed every year, so he had been their selectman for ages.
The studio was filling up and people were chatting with each other before the meeting started, but all Stede could think about was Ed and that tiny man. He desperately wanted to know what they were arguing about but wanted to know even more if Ed was okay. The meeting had just begun to start when Ed walked in with the angry man in tow. The room went silent as everyone watched Ed and his guest sit down at the back of the room. Stede didn’t hear a single word of the entire meeting. He didn’t even realize it was over until Alma nudged his arm.
“Dad? You good?”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go,” only now noticing that the studio was mostly empty.
As they stepped out of the studio and onto the street, they immediately bumped into Ed and the man that Jim had called Izzy.
“Hey Ed,” Stede greeted, he wished he could say he didn’t know why he was so nervous to meet this Izzy.
“Stede!” And god, Ed even sounded like he’d been yelling. “I think that was one of the least dramatic town meetings we’ve ever had.”
Izzy cleared his throat from where he’d been standing behind Ed.
“Oh, right,” Ed said awkwardly. “Izzy, this is Stede Bonnet and his daughter, Alma. This is Izzy Hands.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Izzy,” Stede put out his hand for Izzy to shake.
“I’m sure it is,” Izzy spoke in a raspy voice and Stede wondered if it always sounded like that or if it was just from his yelling match with Ed.
“Iz, don’t be a dick,” Ed glared at the shorter man.
“Fine,” he growled. “It’s nice to meet you too, Stede,” he said, finally shaking Stede’s hand.
After an awkward pause, Stede announced, “Well, I guess Alma and I should be heading home, someone has stayed up far past their bedtime.”
“Dad, it’s like 8:30.”
“I wasn’t talking about you, dear, I need my beauty rest. It was absolutely splendid to meet you, Izzy.”
“You sure you don’t want to come in for some fries?” Ed asked.
“Afraid not, we really ought to head home. See you tomorrow for coffee though! Good night, Ed.”
The Bonnets made their way home, both having a feeling that they would not in fact be seeing Ed tomorrow. Based on what Jim had said, they wouldn’t be seeing Ed for a while.
“Edward simply cannot keep doing this to me,” Stede groaned loudly in the kitchen of the inn. He was already on his third cup of mediocre coffee and he was going to cry if he couldn’t go to Ed’s in the next twenty-four hours.
“Stede, it’s only been two days, you need to get a grip,” Lucius sighed.
“Lucius, you know how I feel about coffee. And Ed has the best coffee in the whole world. I need it and I need it now.”
“Yeah, I’m sure the only thing you miss about the diner being closed is the coffee and your complaining has nothing to do with the handsome man pouring it,” Lucius replied.
“You have spent far too much time talking to my daughter. But since you brought it up–”
“You brought it up, thank you very much.”
“–do you really not know anything about Izzy? I thought you knew everything about everyone in Stars Hollow.”
“I do for the most part, but Ed has always been quiet and brooding. It is kind of sexy though, I understand why you like him so much.”
“Oh shut up, Lucius,” Stede blushed.
“Anyways, I’m sure Ed will be back in no time, pouring you coffee and glancing at you longingly from across the counter.”
Stede threw a scone at his head.
Ed didn’t return until the following week. Stede and Alma were driving back from a Friday night dinner when they saw the lights on in the diner. Stede came to a stop in front of the building and put the car in park.
“Alma, dear, why don’t you take the car home? I’m gonna talk to Ed, I’ll be home in a little while,” he told his daughter while getting out of the car.
Alma got out and walked to the driver’s side of the car; she knew better than to argue with her father, “Okay, Dad. Let me know how it goes.”
“Of course, dear,” Stede kissed Alma on the forehead and sent her on her way.
He walked up to the diner door and gave it a gentle knock. Ed looked startled for a second and then calmed down when he saw who was at the door. The bell above the entrance jingled as Ed pulled the door open for Stede.
“Hey,” Ed whispered.
“Hey,” Stede replied, his voice just as soft as Ed’s.
They stood there in the doorway for a few seconds, just staring at each other before Ed spoke again, slightly louder than his first whisper, “Would you–um–do you want some coffee?”
“I would love some coffee,” Stede breathed out. “I love Lucius, but that man can’t make a decent cup to save his life.”
“Sorry to–” Ed cleared his throat, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to make you coffee. It’s just…” He took a deep breath, working up the courage to open up to Stede. “I knew Izzy for a long time. We met as kids and we fell pretty hard for each other in high school. He wasn’t the best influence, but god, I loved him. Or I thought I did. He was upset that I wanted to stay in Stars Hollow after we graduated high school. He hated it here; wanted to leave the second he got the chance. But I…” Ed trailed off.
“You love it here,” Stede stated.
“Yeah,” Ed replied. “Things between us ended pretty badly. Lot of screaming and fighting, but we cared for each other. Still do, I suppose. He comes back now and then to check up on me. But every time he comes back, we just can't seem to get out of the habit of hurting each other.”
Ed had to admit that it felt good to talk about. He’d been holed up for the last week or so, drinking and trying to get rid of the numbness he’d been feeling. He should’ve known that talking to Stede would’ve helped. Talking to Stede always helps.
“I’m sorry, Edward,” Stede said softly. “I wish I could stop it from hurting.”
Stede moved slowly towards Ed, careful not to startle him. When he was certain he wouldn’t scare Ed away, he wrapped his arms around him in a warm embrace.
“You do,” Ed whispered into Stede’s shoulder after a minute.
“What was that, dear?” Stede asked.
“You do stop it from hurting.”
After that, things go back to normal for the most part. Alma finishes up the school year, glad that it’s finally summer. Alma gets a job at the local bookstore, which is great for both of them because Alma gets a discount and Stede gets to read her new books when she’s done with them.
Then there’s the diner. They still go every day now that it’s open again. Stede finally gets his good coffee. But something has shifted since the night that Ed opened up to him about Izzy. Ed is less grumpy; he gives Stede softer smiles and pours him coffee with less complaining. Stede wants to believe that Ed’s mood has improved because of him; that maybe, just maybe, Ed likes Stede back.
Stede is scared though. He hasn’t been in a serious relationship in ages. Sure, he’s gone on dates, but Alma was always his first concern, he didn’t want her to get too attached to someone that he wasn’t sure about. And he wasn’t going to admit it, but he often found himself comparing his dates to Ed. How could he not? The man was gorgeous and funny and kind and cared about his daughter.
“Dad? I think you might be drooling a bit,” Alma snapped him out of his thoughts.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied, wiping his chin anyways.
“Well, maybe if you stopped staring at Ed, you’d know what I was talking about.”
“Shut up!” Stede whined.
“I still don’t know why you don't just ask him out, you’ve been flirting with each other since I was in diapers,” Alma rolled her eyes.
“It’s complicated, dear,” Stede sighed.
“Is it though? Or are you just scared?”
“I’m not scared,” Stede knew he didn’t sound convincing.
“What aren’t you scared of?” Ed asked, bringing their food over.
“Nothing!” Stede squeaked, terrified that Ed might have heard their conversation.
“So, you’re afraid of everything?” Ed questioned putting their plates in front of them
“I suppose so, yes,” Stede said. “Oh! Is that a smiley face pancake? I thought you were never going to make me one again after last time. Alma! Look at my pancake, aren’t you jealous? What made you lift the ban, Edward?”
“Just knew it’d make you happy,” Ed mumbled, looking at his feet.
“It does,” Stede smiled widely. “You’re the best, thank you.”
He looked over at Alma who was pretending to throw up. She was about to say something when Stede’s phone started ringing.
“Hello?” he said, answering it.
“Stede Bonnet, you know the rule,” Ed started. “No cell phones in the diner.”
Stede chose to ignore Ed’s rule as he so often did, “Yes, this is he.”
There was a moment of silence as the person on the other side of the phone spoke. “Is he okay?” Stede stood and another gap of quiet passed. “Okay, alright, I’ll get there as soon as possible,” he hung up the phone.
“Dad?”
“My father is in the hospital. Just had a heart attack. A big one. Alma, we need to go. Thanks for the pancake, Ed,” Stede wanted to cry.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Ed said softly. “I really don’t think you should be driving right now, Stede. I can take you guys there, no problem.”
“That’s okay, you’ve got the diner to take care of. I can just call a taxi,” Stede said.
“A taxi? Stede that’ll cost a fortune. Just give me a second,” he walked to the front of the diner and started yelling, “Everyone get out. The diner is closed for the rest of the day. Don’t bother paying, the food is on the house as long as you get out right now.”
And just like that, the diner was empty and the Bonnets were being ushered to Ed’s truck. Ed opened the door for them and then made his way to the driver's seat. He checked to make sure they both got in okay and then helped Stede with the seat belt he was fumbling with.
“What hospital?” Ed asked, turning the car on.
“Yale New Haven,” Stede whispered.
“That’s a good hospital,” Ed reassured.
Stede felt like it took hours to get to the hospital. While it was true that he never really enjoyed his father’s company, he was worried about the man. He knew how much his father meant to his mother and didn’t want her to have to suffer the loss of her husband. When they finally got there, Ed followed them to the nurse’s station.
“Hi, I’m Stede Bonnet, I’m here for my father,” Stede told the closest person in scrubs.
“Just a second,” she replied and then began typing something on a computer. “Looks like he’s in surgery right now, you can wait in the waiting room for now though.”
“Thank you so much,” said Stede.
The three of them took a seat in the uncomfortable hospital chairs and began to wait. Ed, who had been a rock since Stede got the call, began to look woozier and woozier the longer they sat.
“Edward, dear, are you alright?” Stede asked, his voice full of concern.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” Ed sounded anything but fine.
“Are you sure? You look like you’re going to pass out.”
“I’m good,” a gurney carrying someone covered in blood passed by, and Ed looked down at the floor as fast as he could. “Just don’t like hospitals, is all.”
“Ed, you don’t have to wait here with us, you can head home. We can get a cab back, it’s really no problem,” Stede reassured,
“No, I’ll take you back home. Don’t worry about me, okay? Just focus on your dad.”
Stede wanted to send Ed home, but knew arguing was pointless. Instead, he gave Ed a hug and whispered a thank you.
It was hours before they heard anything about Mr. Bonnet. Mrs. Bonnet had come and joined them about an hour after they’d gotten there. It was clear she had been crying but sighed in relief when she saw the three of them in the waiting room. She even smiled a bit at the sight of Ed; her son could pretend all he wanted, but she knew that Stede had feelings for the man.
That had all been hours ago though. Now, Ed sat staring at the tv that played HGTV, doing his best to avoid looking at anything that might make him lose his lunch. He was sandwiched between Alma and Stede, both of them were resting their heads on his shoulders. They’d fallen asleep a little while ago. Ed kinda had to use the bathroom, but there was no chance in hell he’d disturb the Bonnets. He smiled softly down at them and then made eye contact with Mrs. Bonnet. She still looked stressed but was somehow elegant about it.
“So, Edward,” she began. “You are in love with my son, aren’t you?”
Shit. How was Ed supposed to reply to that?
“Um…” he stuttered. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“You guess? Or you know?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Fuck. I know. I just wasn’t expecting the question.”
This woman was scary.
“Tell me, why haven’t you done anything about it?” She asked.
“He’s got Alma to worry about, can’t see why he’d want to worry about me too,” Ed would’ve shrugged his shoulders if he didn’t have two Bonnets sleeping on them.
“Well, believe me, Edward, he wants to worry about you. He does worry about you. And while I’m not thrilled about you two becoming a couple, you’re good for each other, anyone can see that. So do something about it. Lord knows Stede is far too scared to do it himself. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to see if I can find any information about my husband’s condition.”
Ed took in what Mrs. Bonnet had said. He still wasn’t convinced that Stede loved him back, but it gave him a little hope to think his own mother seemed to think so. He looked back down at Stede who was still fast asleep on his shoulder. He was snoring a little bit, but Ed thought it was cute.
“So,” Ed almost jumped at the sound of Alma’s voice, “You’re in love with my dad?”
Fuck. Of course, she had heard that.
“Shit, kid. How long have you been awake?”
“Long enough to hear that you, Edward Teach, are madly in love with my father,” she had an evil grin on her face.
“You’re not mad about it?”
“Mad? Why would I be mad?”
“Well, I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable. I know how close you two are and I wouldn’t want to make you feel like I was intruding or anything.”
Alma put her head back on Ed’s shoulder, “Ed, you’re basically already a second father to me. You went to all of my soccer games and you’ve helped me make almost all of my Halloween costumes because Dad is shit at sewing. Honestly, the only thing that would upset me is if you didn’t date my dad. But even if you don’t, which would be an incredibly stupid decision to make, you’ll always be like a father to me.”
Ed started crying. He had never thought he’d be a good dad; his own dad was pretty shit, so he thought he’d be the same. He let out a sob and wrapped Alma in the biggest hug he could manage. He unfortunately woke Stede up in the process.
“Alma? Edward? Is everything okay? Are you crying, Ed?” Stede asked as he woke up with a start.
“Yeah,” Ed sniffled, “Everything is great.”
Mr. Bonnet was going to make a full recovery. The surgery went well and he would be mostly back to normal within a few months. They got to visit Mr. Bonnet for a little while before visiting hours ended and Ed herded Stede and Alma back to his truck for the drive back to Stars Hollow. Ed pulls into the driveway of the Bonnet household and puts his truck into park. The three of them get out of the truck and Ed walks them to the door. Alma gives him another hug before going inside, leaving Stede and Ed alone on the porch.
“Thank you, Edward,” Stede says quietly.
“It’s really no big deal, Stede,” Ed replies.
“It is a big deal. You shut down the diner and you hate hospitals, but you did it anyway. I really appreciate it.”
“C’mon, Stede, you know there’s very little I wouldn’t do for you.”
“I should, uh, I should go check on Alma,” Stede stuttered. He wanted to kiss Ed so badly. “Thank you, again,” He gathered the courage to kiss Ed on the cheek before rushing inside in a panic.
Ed lifted his hand to the spot where Stede’s lips had been and smiled to himself. He didn’t stop grinning until his head hit his pillow.
Ed was planning to ask Stede out, he really was. It’s just that he was still working up the courage to get there–he had been since the day he’d met Stede. He promised himself that he would do it as soon as Stede’s dad got out of the hospital. He wanted to ask Stede when he was less stressed and figured that if Stede said yes, his schedule would free up then since he’d been driving to the hospital almost every other day. At least that was what Ed was telling himself.
His plan went to shit a few days before Stede’s dad was released from the hospital. Stede was sitting in his usual seat at the counter, drinking his third cup of coffee since he’d gotten there an hour ago. Ed was going around with a coffee pot to refill mugs around the diner before Stede drank all the coffee. He looked across the diner to see a man he didn’t know sitting next to Stede.
Ed couldn’t hear their conversation, but Stede turned a bright red, so he guessed the conversation was flirtatious. He pretended his stomach didn’t churn at the thought. He glared at the mystery man from where he was pouring coffee. Ed could hear Stede laugh nervously and then Ed grew worried that this man was making Stede uncomfortable. His suspicions were confirmed when the man put his hand on Stede’s thigh and Stede flinched. Ed growled, slammed the coffee pot on the table, startling the customers sitting there, and rushed over to Stede.
“Hey, Stede. Is he bothering you?” Ed asked Stede.
Stede looked so relieved to see Ed there and he gave a small nod to answer his question.
“Stede,” the man said. “What a lovely name. Now I know what to scream when you fuck me.”
Ed put himself between Stede and this creep, “What the fuck did you just say?”
“Jesus, dude calm down,” the man said. “Is he your boyfriend or something?”
Ed panicked and growled out, “Yeah, he is. Now get the fuck outta here before I beat the shit out of you.”
“Fine,” the man said. “I didn’t want to fuck that bitch anyway.”
That was the last straw for Ed. He pulled his arm back and punched the man in the face. It had been ages since he’d punched someone, but fuck, it felt good. The man yelled and tried to stop the blood that began pouring from his nose.
“Get the fuck out,” Ed yelled.
The man fled and Ed began to feel the pain in his hand from the punch as his adrenaline began to fade. Along with the pain came the realization of what he said. He called Stede his boyfriend. Fuck. He turned to see Stede with his mouth open in shock at what just happened.
“Fuck. Stede, I’m sorry, that guy was such a dick and he made you uncomfortable and I couldn’t stand that. I’m really sorry, I should’ve just kicked the guy out, but he called you a bitch and I just lost it.”
“That was so fucking hot,” Stede cut Ed off.
“What?” Ed choked out.
“I said, that was so fucking hot. You just came to my rescue and punched a guy for me. It was really hot,” Stede didn’t really know where his confidence was coming from, but he was okay with it.
“And–and it didn’t make you uncomfortable that I called you my boyfriend?” Ed mumbled.
“Edward,” Stede put his hand on Ed’s cheek, cupping his face. “It would only make me uncomfortable if you didn’t call me your boyfriend again.”
Edward began to lean in to kiss Stede when someone called his name. They both flinched, having completely forgotten that the diner was still open.
“What the fuck do you want, Frenchie?” he asked.
“I was just wondering if I could get some more toast,” Frenchie responded.
“Alright, that’s it. Everyone out. Breakfast is on me. Just leave. Now,” Ed yelled.
“Why, Edward, are you closing the diner for me once again?” Stede asked, cheekily.
“Yes, now hold still,” Ed said.
“Why?” Stede asked.
“Just hold still,” and Ed finally got his kiss.
“Alma, dear, how would you feel if I dated Ed?”
“Oh my god! It took you idiots long enough.”