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Ed and Stede had been dating for two weeks, one day, and about sixteen hours, and it was pretty fucking perfect.
Stede was the kind of boyfriend Ed had always dreamed of having. He was kind, attentive, supportive - even though they hadn’t said the big words yet, of course, he made Ed feel loved. He encouraged Ed to take breaks at his restaurant, coordinate his staff schedules so he would get home before midnight most nights. And he always looked so adorably surprised when Ed complimented him. Ed couldn’t wait until Stede knew he was as hot and funny and sexy as Ed always told him he was.
That was why it was very, very important that Ed didn’t fuck this whole thing up.
It was a nice thing he had going on, finally, for the first time in forever. Stede was a night-and-day difference from Ed’s previous boyfriends, and he’d never even dream of making fun of Ed, or stringing him along by refusing to label their relationship, or yelling at him. Ed’s previous boyfriends had often made him feel small, in the sense that he was unimportant and unsafe; Stede made Ed feel small in the sense of protected and loved, like he could just tuck himself up under Stede’s arm and the world was alright for a while.
And Ed wasn’t about to let a little cold ruin it.
Alright, now, it wasn’t a cold that had been dragging Ed down a bit lately. Ed had been extremely prone to nasty kidney infections since he was in his twenties, and it was one of those sons of bitches. It was just a side effect of his life, honestly, as it was for far too many other trans guys - as a kid in school, he’d avoided going to the bathroom all day because he was too stubborn to give in and use the girls' bathroom, and then he’d made it even worse after opening his restaurant, holding it because he barely had time to breathe during those long years of sixteen-hour days. The thing about holding your piss so habitually was that it fucked your kidneys right up, and where other people would be able to avoid an infection entirely, they always slammed right into Ed no matter how careful he was.
And usually? They weren’t shit. He was pretty used to them happening maybe two or three times a year, and it was just an inconvenient part of his life. He’d feel a bit shitty for a week or two, maybe a bit feverish, maybe a bit gross, but it would sort itself out. He'd grit his teeth through a little pain and before he knew it, it'd be over.
And that was why he hadn’t bothered going to the doctor about it when it started up again.
That wasn’t the only reason, of course. Being trans and being a brown man were both things guaranteed to give you a mistrust of doctors, so Ed had a bit of a double-whammy there. He went to the doctor once a year to renew his testosterone prescription, where he just said what he needed to say and did what he needed to do to make it out the door as fast as possible.
He hadn’t gone to the doctor when he had a bad bout of the flu, or strep throat, or even when one of his exes “accidentally” slammed his finger in a car door and it got all bruised and awful.
So for a little kidney infection that he knew would go away on its own time? Not a chance in hell, man. He was always fine without needing to cave and see a doctor. Maybe the cough lingered longer than it should have, maybe sickness always slammed into him harder than it had when he was younger, maybe one of his fingers would always be a bit crooked. No biggie.
And when this little kidney infection turned out to have a little more oomph than usual, what was he supposed to do about it? He was busy being romanced, man, he didn’t have time to worry that his forehead felt a little warm and his back, like, really hurt.
The evidence of Stede’s impact on his life was pretty apparent, though, when his alarm went off and he realized he felt like total shit and he probably needed to call out for the day.
Was he going to go to the doctor? Uh, no. But his forehead felt very hot, and he was shivering and shaky and just couldn’t warm up, and his entire body was so tired, and there was an awful pain in his lower back, steady and squeezing and so intense it took his breath away and all he could do was just power through.
Fang answered the phone at the restaurant, assured him it would be fine, and Ed tried not to feel like he was getting away with something he shouldn’t be. Even a few weeks ago, he would’ve tried to just brute force his way through the day, no matter how miserable he felt.
He thought about calling Stede, maybe, as he hobbled into the kitchen for a glass of water and a few Tylenol. All he really wanted to do was cuddle up on the couch and sleep and get fussed over.
Stupid, Ed thought with a firm shake of his head. Stede taught at the local middle school, he couldn’t just blow off work to come baby Ed. All he needed was a little rest. A nap, some painkillers, a fuzzy blanket, some shitty reality TV like he used to watch when he was home sick from school.
He groaned when he unlocked his phone, intending to send Stede their usual good morning texts, and he saw a message waiting for him.
Stede: good morning sweet pea!! 🤗🌻
Stede: for our date tonight, I know we said we just wanted something quiet. My place or yours? 💕🥰🤔
Fuuuuuck. He’d completely forgotten tonight was date night.
Alright, focus, Ed sternly told himself. He was not letting the fact that he felt a little crummy ruin this. Stede would be so fucking annoyed if Ed had to call off a date right now, they’d been dating for such a short time, there was no room for that kind of error.
Facts: Ed had a fever. Probably not a bad one, he didn’t think. He didn’t think he should be driving, but he at least knew that he wasn’t contagious.
Ed: my place works! I’ll make dinner
Stede: sounds perfect! Can’t wait! 😋🍲😊
Ed: 😘 see you soon lovebug!
Alright. Perfect. Ed sounded completely normal and totally fine, he thought.
He leaned back into the couch, sitting his phone down to wrap his arms around his shaky body, closing his eyes to pretend Stede was holding him. It was a good thing he’d called off - he’d have plenty of time to cook something once he felt up to standing and getting on with his day. He didn’t have much of an appetite, but that just meant he could focus on making Stede’s favorites.
Pleased with himself, Ed let his eyes start to slip closed. He was going to romance Stede’s fucking socks off.
But maybe he’d have a little nap first.
–
Ed woke up to the sound of a polite knock on his door.
“Nng,” he whimpered, clenching his eyes shut a bit tighter. He felt like absolute warmed-over shit. His head was pounding, his entire body felt shaky and cold, there was a constant pain in his lower back like an iron hand squeezing at him.
All he wanted to do was curl up in a little ball and cry.
Another knock.
Shit.
“Shit,” Ed whispered, darting bolt upright, nearly stumbling as he pushed himself up off his couch. The clock on the wall confirmed his worst fear: he’d slept through the entire day, and now -
Holy shit, he’d fucking ruined their date. He had not prepared dinner. He hadn’t thought of sweet romantic things to say. He wasn’t even dressed properly, still wearing the faded old t-shirt and sweatpants he’d gone to bed in.
And now Stede was going to hate him -
“Ed?” That was Stede’s voice on the other side of the door, his voice taking on a distinctly concerned lilt. “Ed, are you home?”
The bill had come due. Ed had fucked up, and now it was time to face the music. Ed looked at the floor as he shuffled over to the door and pulled it open, not wanting to see the disappointment or even anger on Stede’s face.
He started tearing up when the first thing he saw was that Stede had brought him a huge bouquet of flowers, beautiful sunflowers and roses, and he was wearing the cutest, softest-looking light blue suit, and his hair looked perfect, and -
Oh, yeah, he also looked confused as hell.
“Ed?” Stede’s voice was soft, so gentle it hurt Ed’s heart. “Are you alright?”
“Stede, I’m so, so sorry,” Ed said, his voice coming out like a scratchy, creaky whisper. “I didn’t forget our date, I promise, please don’t be mad, I didn’t mean - I think I’m a little sick.”
He looked at the floor, waiting for that to go over like a lead balloon -
Then Stede was gently ushering him inside, sitting the flowers on the coffee table, his hands cool and pleasant-feeling on Ed’s arms as he guided him to move. Ed couldn't help his shiver. Stede's hands felt nice, but anything touching his body felt like too much.
“Oh, Ed, you poor thing,” Stede cooed, and he chose to check Ed’s temperature by kissing his forehead, making Ed’s heart flutter despite the mortifying circumstances. “You’re burning up! What are you doing out of bed?”
Ed shrugged one shoulder. He wasn’t sure why he felt so weepy.
“Alright.” Stede guided him to sit back down on the couch, pulling his fuzzy blanket back over him and running a hand soothingly over the goosebumps rising up on Ed’s arms. “You need to drink something, sweetheart, your lips look far too dry.”
“Uh,” Ed said, turning to watch as Stede headed to his kitchen. “I’m, uh - why aren’t you mad at me?”
Stede paused in the middle of grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, frowning at him over the refrigerator door. “Why would I be mad at you?”
“Ruined the date,” Ed mumbled.
“Ed, love.” Stede brought him the bottle of water, sitting next to him on the couch to feel his forehead with the back of his hand properly, his frown deepening. “You’re more important than a date. We can always have a nice dinner later. Your health comes first.”
Ed couldn’t help it, and his lip started wobbling. Everything just felt like so much, and he felt like such utter shit.
“Honey, it’s alright,” Stede soothed, pulling Ed into his side, wiping gently under his eyes with his thumbs. “You poor thing, I wish you'd - it's alright. How bad do you feel, would you say? Scale of one to ten?”
“Three,” Ed said immediately.
Stede sighed. “Edward.”
“Maybe, like, a six or seven,” Ed admitted softly. “I feel so bad, Stede, and it hurts.”
“Alright.” Stede rubbed Ed’s thigh soothingly. “I’m going to grab your thermometer, okay? Can you drink some water?”
Ed tried, and he immediately gulped down half the bottle. It soothed his dry throat in the most heavenly way, but the wave of nausea when it hit his stomach was terrible. He wrinkled his nose at the sensation. “Ugh.”
“Have you eaten anything today?” Stede checked softly, and when Ed shook his head, he nodded, standing up to return to the kitchen. “Alright. I know I hate the feeling of water on an empty stomach.”
Stede brought him a package of the crackers he kept to eat with soup, and Ed wrinkled his nose at them, but Stede bribed him with kisses on his cheeks until he managed to convince himself to start nibbling at them. That really did at least soothe his stomach a bit, even if he could only manage a couple crackers.
Stede’s worry turned to obvious fear when he checked Ed’s temperature. He glanced up at Ed over the thermometer, worrying at his lip.
“How bad?” Ed asked softly.
He winced when Stede turned it around to show him. Fuck, nearly 104 degrees? That couldn’t be right, could it?
“Nah,” he said. “Nah, it’s not that bad.”
“Ed?” Stede sat a hand on his thigh, and the gentle touch made Ed shiver. “I think we might need to take you to the hospital, okay?”
Ed sucked his lower lip into his mouth, staring down at the blanket in his lap. Now he hadn't just ruined their date, he'd made Stede feel like he had to baby him. “I’m so, so sorry,” he whispered. “Please don’t - you can go, I’ll call a taxi.”
“Oh, honey, don’t be silly.” Stede pressed a kiss to Ed’s warm forehead. “I’m driving you. It’ll be alright, sweet man, and when we get back…would you like some ice cream, maybe?”
Ed looked up at him, hardly even able to register what he was saying past the care. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
“Sweet man,” Stede sighed sadly, pulling Ed into a quick but firm hug. “I love being nice to you, alright? You deserve it.”
Weird. A good weird. Still weird, though.
The next thing Ed really registered was sitting in the lobby at the local urgent health care clinic, shivering violently, Stede holding his hand so tight and whispering to him that he was alright, that he’d be okay.
Ed leaned over to rest his head on Stede’s shoulder. Stede must have wrangled him into a jacket, he thought, and Ed must’ve been a bit ornery about leaving the house wearing sweatpants, because he’d changed into a pair of jeans at some point.
He didn’t like how fuzzy his head felt.
“Please,” he whimpered, his voice coming out absolutely pathetic as he tucked his face into the side of Stede’s neck. “Please, Stede, make it stop.”
“It’s alright, precious,” Stede told him soothingly, wrapping an arm around his back to hold him as close as he could given the uncomfortable, stiff chairs. “You’re doing so well, we’re gonna get you taken care of.”
Once Ed finally got called back, after what could’ve been only twenty minutes but felt like twenty years, after Stede refused to let the staff leave without promising to be back with something for the pain, after Ed had been hooked up to a drip of something that made the relief feel like heaven…
He was so damned sure, honestly, that this would be the end of his relationship with Stede. They’d been dating for two fucking weeks, and now Stede was having to help Ed hobble into the bathroom and pee in a cup. His patience had to be wearing thin.
And when Ed owned up to the doctor that he’d thought he’d had a kidney infection for the past couple weeks, Stede’s face had gotten so still and quiet.
“Well,” the doctor told him as he looked down at the floor, his cheeks burning, “you really should’ve come in two weeks ago. Kidney infections are so easy to treat, and you’ve caused yourself a lot of unnecessary suffering -”
“Hey,” Stede said sharply. “He’s hurting enough. You don’t need to rub it in.”
Ed sniffled after she left, promising to be back soon with the results of his tests and a prescription for antibiotics. He wondered how mad Stede would be with him, or if it would just be the kind of breakup where he got ghosted.
“Hey, Ed?” Stede said softly. “Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”
Ed tried to harden his face in preparation for the talking-to he knew was coming. “I get kidney infections all the time,” he said defensively. “They’re usually nothing. It's never been this bad before.”
“Okay, but this one was something,” Stede said, his voice still, somehow, so gentle. “I wish you would’ve told me how bad you felt sooner.”
Ed risked a glance up. Stede smiled when he met his eyes.
“Sorry,” Ed whispered. “I didn’t think it was worth you leaving work.”
“It was,” Stede assured him immediately. “You come first, sweet pea. Always. And, Ed - stop me if you think I’m overstepping, alright? But if this happens so often, do you think we should maybe tell the doctor about that? There might be something we can do. You don’t deserve to be so uncomfortable often enough that you tell me it happens all the time.”
“Never been this bad before,” Ed reminded him. “But, uh. Yeah. If you want. You can say that, maybe?”
When the doctor returned, Stede joined Ed up on the exam table, letting him tuck into his side, hooking his ankle around Ed’s as they talked. His tests confirmed an absolute whopper of a kidney infection, and she said he was lucky he came in when he did - another week and he might’ve been looking at the infection going septic, holy shit, and that could've been the proper definition of an emergency.
Stede nodded attentively as the doctor told them about the antibiotics she’d prescribed him - the pharmacies in town had already closed for the night, but she was concerned enough about the severity of his case that she prescribed him one where the first dose could be given by injection that night so his body would be able to start fighting off the infection. At Stede’s insistence, he was also written a script for a daily pill that would make it harder for the infections to start.
And before Ed knew it, he was home, tucked up in bed, safe and sound. He was still wobbly and a bit out of it, honestly, but Stede had been so gentle and careful with him as he helped him get changed into his pajamas. And now Stede was settling in next to him with a bowl of ice cream and the promise of all the hugs and snuggles he wanted.
“You did so well,” Stede started, handing Ed his bowl.
Ed snorted, playing with his spoon. “It was fuckin’ - pathetic. I’m so, so sorry, Stede. I’ll understand if you want to break up with me.”
“Okay, Ed, that’s enough of that,” Stede said firmly, shocking Ed into looking up at him properly. His face was sterner than Ed had ever really seen it. “You were sick. You needed help. I’m your boyfriend, it is my job to be there for you when you need support. The only thing I’m even a tiny bit annoyed with you over is not telling me sooner that you were suffering, and even then I'm not angry, just sad that you didn't let me in.”
“Oh,” Ed whispered.
Stede didn’t make any noises about going home that night, which was good, because Ed didn’t want him to. Instead, he snuggled Ed close, changing out the cool cloths on his forehead, giving him kisses as rewards for drinking water and nibbling on the bland toast Stede made for him.
“Hey, Stede?” Ed whispered as he was starting to drift off to sleep, curled up safe into Stede’s side.
Stede’s hand was so gentle as he ran his fingers through Ed’s hair. “Yeah?”
Ed tucked his nose against Stede’s shoulder. “Will you marry me?”
With a fond huff of a laugh, Stede bent to rest his forehead against Ed’s, pulling away after leaving a long kiss against his still-warm skin. “Later. I don’t even want to think about what Lucius would say if we got married before we’ve even been together a full month.”
True enough, Ed supposed.
“Gonna marry you,” he mumbled. “Gonna marry you so fuckin’ hard, man, you don’t even know. Won’t even know what hit you. That’s how hard we’re gonna get married. Everyone's gonna look at us and go holy shit, they're so married.”
Stede’s laugh was the best noise in the world, Ed thought, at least before he heard the words that came out of his mouth next. “I can’t wait.”