Work Text:
Ed's house hasn't had any heating or hot water for days. He's grumpy because he's cold, but the cute and very bubbly engineer standing in front of him is starting to make him feel warmer. Ed hasn't got a clue what he's talking about. He's enthusiastically explaining the fault and how he's going to fix it. Using all these technical terms that are just going over Ed's head. His eyes when he talks though.... fascinating!
Ed's trying desperately to remember the guy's name. He said it when Ed answered the door, but he kind of got distracted. Mainly by those eyes, pools of hazel that he could easily lose himself in. Ed's so engrossed he momentarily forgets he's looking after his friend Fang's dog for the day. Until said dog comes bounding into the kitchen, crashes into Ed and sends him flying into the other man's arms. Stede, his name is Stede according to the extreme close up of his ID badge Ed now gets.
Stede is laughing, Ed is mortified and Captain, the dog, looks quite pleased with himself. Ed touches his arm where Stede had steadied him. Had Stede felt that spark too when they had come into contact? Was he also imagining it, or had Stede's hands lingered even when Ed was finally able to stand upright?
Ed shakes his head as if to clear his mind of the thoughts. "Get a grip of yourself, Teach," he mutters under his breath. He's never had much luck when it comes to affairs of the heart, thinks he must be cursed or something. Yet, he can't stop a smile from escaping his lips when he hears the sound of Stede whistling, really quite tunefully, coming from upstairs.
He knows he's done for when Stede starts talking to Captain. Calling the dog his apprentice. Explaining what each tool is for and what he's doing step by step. Stede's a lunatic and Ed's so into it.
Not wanting to admit to himself that he's jealous of all the attention Captain's getting off Stede, Ed heads upstairs. He quickly wonders how weird it would be to ask a stranger, to ask Stede if he could have a belly rub too.....
The fact Stede is kneeling down as he works is not helping matters either, "Breathe Teach, breathe."
Ed focuses on his breathing as he watches the way Stede's deft hands move, how he sticks his tongue out as he concentrates...maybe Ed should have stayed downstairs...
Stede's obviously really smart though and skilled at his job. He's now explaining to Ed what he's doing, Captain has left them to it, and Ed is starting to find it fascinating. He claps, yes claps, when Stede excitedly declares the fault fixed.
Yes, all fixed and after a final check round the house, Stede will pack up and be gone.... gone and out of Ed's life.
"I don't want you to go," the words have suddenly formed on the tip of Ed's tongue and he has to stop himself from saying them. This is absurd! What is even happening to him? Stede's only been there for a couple of hours, Ed knows nothing about him! Stede's not even there because he wants to be. He's there just to do his job, nothing more. This is ridiculous, Ed can't make him stay. He can imagine the headlines if he even tried!
Once the checks have been completed, the paperwork signed, Stede picks up his bag, gives Captain one last fuss and then heads to the door.
Stay, stay, stay, the word races through Ed's mind over and over as he trails behind Stede. Why isn't his hall longer, why hasn't the boiler stopped working again? Yet he stays silent, growing more desperate as Stede says it was nice to meet him and starts to open the door.
Ed takes a deep breath in and blurts out the first thing that comes to mind that he hopes won't get him arrested. "Didn't offer you a drink, got time for one before you go? Tea, coffee, something cold."
Smooth... real smooth... and yet, Stede stops, his hand hovers over the slightly ajar door and... he closes it! He turns to face Ed and God that smile! Tea would be fab thanks. Ed grins like a Cheshire cat as he heads back to the kitchen, Stede now following him. He could be wrong, but did Stede look relieved?
Ed's grin falters slightly when he notices Stede counting the amount of sugars he's adding to his tea. It's back to full force again as Stede looks enchanted when he stops at seven. Everyone knows it wouldn't be the same with six.
Ed also wishes he had slightly more sophisticated cups. He's a bit embarrassed about the one Stede's now holding. Got some cartoon rabbit on it that Ed had found funny when he bought it. Seems stupid now, but Stede is delighted with it! He even recognises the cup Ed is using as being from his favourite TV show about pirates. Stede loves the show too, loves the adventure, the romance... Ed is definitely in trouble.
They slip into easy conversation that slowly divulges more personal information. Stede has always wanted to get a dog for his two children (he has a son and a daughter), but his wife (oh), sorry ex-wife (interesting) is allergic. Things haven't always been easy between them, but Mary was really supportive when Stede came out (can Ed hear music?). Stede hadn't been snooping but had noticed the pride flag in a bedroom upstairs, felt it was safe to say that to Ed. Definitely safe, Ed's dated men, had his heart broken by a man, but he's history now. Water under the bridge.
Stede also caused a few people to raise their eyebrows when he left the family business and retrained as an engineer (fucking snobs!). He loves it though, feels useful, he likes fixing things and he gets to meet really interesting people (wait, does he mean Ed?). Talking about work, Stede really must go, he has another call out soon and he doesn't want to be late.
They both now stand rather awkwardly on the doorstep. Ed looks anywhere but at Stede. When he does dare to glance over, Stede is already looking at him. His eyes full of longing (?) as they drop down to Ed's lips. Stede meets Ed's gaze again and yeah, that is definitely longing. They both slowly lean towards each other, deciding to give in to the attraction no matter how fast it's happening. Just as their lips make the very slightest of touches, a hint of a kiss ... a great, booming bark comes from inside the house, causing them both to spring apart in fright.... Captain!
The moment lost, Stede says again that he really must go. Ed mutters about needing to check on Captain. He was probably barking out of the window at planes or gulls... (timing boy, timing!). He stiffly pats Stede on the shoulder (why oh why?), before watching him walk away.
With one last look at Ed, Stede gets into his van and drives off. Leaving Ed standing on the doorstep, alone again... naturally. Ed can feel a difference in his chest too, a missing piece of his heart that Stede has taken with him.
Life carries on as it does after that. The main difference is that when Ed is stuck bored at his 9 to 5 job, staring at the monitor screens, his mind drifts to Stede. Wonders what he's doing, where he is, if he's thinking about him...
Ed has been treading water, going through the motions for a while now, but doesn't think his team have noticed (they have, especially his deputy Izzy). He fucking hates Tech though. It wasn't the career he wanted. It was the job he had to get when his dad threatened to kick him out as a teenager if he didn't find work. Then he got comfortable, stayed far longer than he intended. He's done OK for himself, risen to a senior management position, has a high performing team, but he's just so .... stuck. Left it too late to do anything about it now. He turns 50 in a couple of years, too old to start afresh, to do something new. Stede did it though, started again, blew his life apart to try something new. He made it through to the other side and is thriving, he's happy and building a new life... without Ed.
Even though he loves his team, would do anything for them, Ed is starting to wish he had gone straight home tonight instead of going out for drinks. He's not in the mood, not feeling it and needs to be on his own for a little while. He sighs as he steps onto the patio where the outdoor seating area is. He heads to an empty bench towards the back, away from where any people are.
Now he's alone, now it's quieter, his thoughts return to Stede. Ed's pretty sure he's not making up that connection between them. They nearly kissed! That must mean Stede felt it too, surely? Ed's thought about ringing up the company Stede works for or even breaking something so that Stede would have to come back. That feels as if it would be crossing some kind of line though. Besides, Ed doesn't know where Stede is, but he knows exactly where to find him. Maybe some things just aren't meant to be.
Ed scowls up at the full moon bathing him in light. "What're you looking at?" he growls. Obviously not expecting a reply, he glares down at the floor and tries to rid his mind of all thoughts of Stede. He's not having much success when he feels someone drop down on the bench beside him. Shit, if Ed wanted company he wouldn't have made a point of sitting right at the back.
Choosing to ignore the interloper, Ed carries on glaring at the floor until a foot moves slowly into his line of vision and gently taps his own.
"What the hell man!" he snaps as he sits up and turns towards the person next to him.... Stede!
"Wait, you're here. You came back.... for me?"
"I never left. Not really Ed, I thought about you all the time."
Before they can be interrupted, before any dogs bark, or objects fall from the sky, Ed leans toward Stede and kisses him. Judging by the surprised noise he makes, Stede wasn't expecting it, but he sighs happily and kisses Ed back. The kiss is soft, it's tender and it's better than anything Ed has been dreaming about for the past few weeks.
When they break apart, Stede looks dazed and Ed caresses his cheek with his hand. He can't believe Stede is here, how is he here?
So Stede tells him. His friend Lucius had started seeing someone, Pete, and he'd mentioned Stede was pining over a bloke called Ed. Pete had said it sounded like his boss. He was all hot and bothered over someone named Steve though.
Ed stops Stede for a second, assures him there isn't anyone called Steve, he doesn't even know a Steve! Stede laughs and says it's OK, he gets called Steve all the time. Anyway, Pete had told Lucius he was going out for drinks with work tonight and Lucius had said they should gate-crash. See if they could find this mysterious Ed, and so, here they are.
Stede suddenly looks unsure, this is weird, is this weird? He didn't want to just show up uninvited at Ed's house though. It didn't seem appropriate. Ed takes hold of Stede's hand, their fingers lace together and gives it a reassuring squeeze. Ed loves weird, especially Stede's brand of weird.
This time when they kiss, Ed can feel the piece of his heart Stede took with him slot back into place. Something is different though, it's not a piece of Ed's heart, it's Stede's. He's kept Ed's and swapped it with his own. They can both feel it now, they're intertwined... connected.
Several months later...
Ed looks around at the flurry of activity as everyone gets ready for the grand reopening tonight. The refurbishment had it's ups and downs but everything is so different now. Clean, fresh and looking fantastic.
Frenchie calls to him from behind the bar that Stede is outside if he's looking for him. Ed thanks him and bumps into Jim as he goes to find Stede. Jim asks if he's seen the new sign and Ed can feel the butterflies start to form in his stomach again. He'd wanted to be there when the sign was put up but had been called away unexpectedly. Stede had stepped in, said he'd look after things at the bar until Ed got back. He'd make sure the sign was perfect, and he had and it was. The name they'd chosen together probably wasn't very exciting, but it was an ideal reminder of that night. The night when the ideas bounced back and forth between them, when they'd laughed and Ed knew it would never be this good with anyone else ever. It was something that would make him smile every time he looked at the sign.. Ed's Bar and Grill.
Well, he'd done it, he'd blown his life apart, he's nervous, not entirely sure he knows what he's doing, but Ed's happy. Happier than he has been for a long time.
He feels the butterflies return when he sees Stede standing with his back to the bar, out on the patio area. It's all been given a makeover outside too, new paving stones, potted plants Stede had chosen, new furniture, but they've kept the bench where they had their first kiss(es).
Ed taps the front of his jacket, reassured he can still feel the small box that contains the ring he had to rush out to collect. Excited about the question he's going to ask his lover later. Stede hears him approach and turns to face him, fuck, Ed will never tire of being looked at in that way. Will never get bored of that smile. Not for as long as he lives.
Stede asks if he's seen the sign and Ed nods in reply, he can't stop smiling.
"You own a bar, Ed."
"I own a fucking bar."
They hold each other tight, giggling in excitement, possibly hysteria Ed thinks, but he knows it's going to be OK. They have each other.
"I'm so proud of you, my love," Stede says softly as he kisses Ed on the cheek. "Are you ready?"
Ed nods again as he takes hold of Stede's hand, because he is. As long as Stede is beside him, he's ready for anything. With the sun setting behind them, their friends and family arriving, the proposal of marriage that will be accepted later, they both walk towards the bar hand in hand, towards their future.... together.