[They row in quiet for some time, broken only by Ed reaching into his pocket to retrieve a familiar square of soft, red fabric. His heart can't really handle continuing to watch as tears idly slip down Stede's crumpled up face.
What he wants to do is hold him until they stop. He wants to have the perfect words to bring this together and hold it down safe and propel the dinghy smoothly halfway across the continent to somewhere they can hide alone to figure this all out.
All he can manage, instead, is to lean across the slats of the boat, between the ends of the oars, and pat Stede's face dry with tenderness as awkward as it is sincere.
There's so much contained in Stede right now; Ed can feel it like a rubber band drawn incredibly tight and given no reprieve. He can do that, maybe. Ed can try to cut him loose.]
Just say it. Say whatever you want to say right now.
no subject
What he wants to do is hold him until they stop. He wants to have the perfect words to bring this together and hold it down safe and propel the dinghy smoothly halfway across the continent to somewhere they can hide alone to figure this all out.
All he can manage, instead, is to lean across the slats of the boat, between the ends of the oars, and pat Stede's face dry with tenderness as awkward as it is sincere.
There's so much contained in Stede right now; Ed can feel it like a rubber band drawn incredibly tight and given no reprieve. He can do that, maybe. Ed can try to cut him loose.]
Just say it. Say whatever you want to say right now.