Chapter Text
The opening game of the hockey season had been over for nearly two hours, and Stede still couldn’t wipe the enormous grin off his face. “The way the entire arena went dead quiet when that goal went in. I’ll never forget it.”
Louis’s cheeks reddened and he ducked his head to look down at his feet, but not before Stede could see his pleased smile. “Dad, it was a lucky shot.”
“Lucky shot, my eye.” Stede carefully folded his Kings jersey and dropped it into his suitcase. “Besides,” he added. “It was your first game in the majors and you more than held your own.”
“This isn’t baseball,” Louis said with a laugh. He was already dressed for dinner in a simple, well tailored suit that Stede had gifted him the day he’d been called up to the NHL.Sometimes it still took Stede a moment to reconcile the sweet little boy Louis had been with the man he had become, and he had one of those breathless moments now that he tried to hide with a self depreciating smile and a shrug.
Stede gave himself a quick look in the mirror to examine his own navy suit with a pale blue dress shirt, sans tie, and plucked a barely visible piece of lint from the crease in his slacks. “Shall we go?” Louis said nothing and Stede turned to see him staring at his phone with a small smile on his face. “Louis?” Stede prompted.
“Hm?” Louis lifted his head but his eyes lingered on his phone for a beat before he looked at Stede. “Sorry, I missed that,” he said with an apologetic wince.
“I asked if you’re ready to go.”
Louis looked like he was about to say something, then he closed his mouth and pasted on a smile that Stede recognized well. The one that said he didn’t want to disappoint his dad. “Yep! Let’s hit it.”
Stede busied himself collecting his room key and tucking it into his wallet, and asked as nonchalantly as he could, “Is everything alright? You seem a bit distracted.”
“Yeah, it’s great! Some of the guys asked if I wanted to meet them for drinks but I told them I have dinner reservations with you.”
Stede opened the hotel room door and gestured Louis out in front of him. “Nonsense! We can have dinner together any time. Why don’t we go say hello to your friends?” They were halfway down the hall before Stede realized he had just invited himself to hang out with Louis’s teammates and he stopped. “Unless you’d rather I not intrude…”
“You wouldn’t be intruding! I don’t want to bail on you…”
Stede bit back a smile and continued down the hall. “You’re not bailing. Of course you should spend time with your team tonight.”
“We can just swing by and say hello and still make our reservation,” Louis said carefully as they reached the elevators and Stede squeezed his shoulder.
“Sure.” Stede felt the slightest twinge of disappointment, he’d so wanted to celebrate this moment with Louis, to show him how very proud he was. But it was also deeply satisfying to see his son being remarkable all on his own, to know that so many other people got to see it too.
They took an uber to the bar where the team was waiting, and the moment they walked in, Louis was ambushed with hugs and back slaps. Louis introduced Stede to everyone, and he hoped he’d start remembering their names and faces as the season wore on. He got a high five from Louis’s teammate, Adam, who Louis shared a house with, and he was relieved to know at least one of them.
“Where’s Cap?” Louis asked, standing up on his tiptoes to survey the crowded bar.
A big guy slapped a beefy hand on Louis’s shoulder. “Opening day is a lot, especially for a legend like him. He’ll come out with us next time.”
“Ah well, that’s everyone then.” Louis checked his watch, then looked back at the guys reluctantly. “My dad and I…”
“Would love to buy the next round,” Stede said brightly, throwing his arm over Louis’s shoulder and grinning when everyone cheered. “Take my card, enjoy yourself,” Stede added just to Louis, pressing a credit card into his hand.
“But what about dinner? You came all this way…”
“To watch my son make his NHL debut, and it was well worth the trip. Enjoy the night.” Stede gave him a quick hug and pulled away to squeeze his shoulders. “I’m so proud of you.” Louis looked a bit dazed by that, so Stede walked away before he could get too misty eyed.
He endured rather intense back slaps from Louis’s teammates as he edged out of the restaurant, then stepped out into the brisk autumn air with a sigh of relief. His stomach gurgled as he walked aimlessly down the street, reminding him that he hadn’t had anything to eat in hours. He smelled something savory cooking, and he looked up to see he was standing outside a restaurant.
He could go back to the hotel and order room service, finish his book. All in all it would be a pretty nice evening after the overwhelming energy of the game. And there was something about eating alone in a strange city that was intimidating. Still, he had never been one to shy away from a challenge, so he dropped his phone into his pocket and walked into the busy restaurant.
There was an open seat at the bar and he beelined for that, finding himself sandwiched between a couple on his left, and a man on his right. Stede leaned forward on his elbows and looked up and down the bar for a menu.
“Here.” The man next to him slid a plastic covered menu book in front of Stede. “I know what I want.”
“Thank you,” Stede murmured, his focus on the man’s hands. His fingers were thick, decorated in rings and scratchy tattoos, and Stede dragged his eyes up over his wrist to his forearm, following the path of a snake undulating around scattered crosses until they disappeared under the rolled up sleeve of his black dress shirt. He cleared his throat. “Is that a Bvlgari?” He asked, pointing to the gleaming silver watch on the man’s wrist.
“Ah yeah, good eye.” Brown eyes crinkled at the corners when the man smiled and Stede found himself smiling back, trying not to get too distracted by the salt and pepper hair falling around his seatmate's shoulders or the neatly trimmed beard that accentuated the most stunning jawline Stede had ever seen. “Is that a Cartier?”
“Hm?” Stede asked, then looked down at his own wrist. “Oh! Yes.” He fidgeted with the brown leather strap and let himself have another moment to take in the other man’s lovely face. “I feel like we’ve met before.”
This was met with a slow smile. “I think I’d remember you.”
Tickled, Stede flipped open his menu to hide his pleased smile. “Are you visiting the city?” The other man asked after Stede had closed the menu again.
“What gave me away?” Stede asked, lowering his voice conspiratorially.
“Besides the accent?”
“We have the same accent,” Stede pointed out, smiling when the other man laughed, the sound warm.
“Yeah, and I’m a visitor, mate.”
Stede cocked his head and surveyed his seatmate. “Business or pleasure.”
“Business.” The man pursed his lovely, full lips, and Stede tried very hard not to stare at them. “Although I quite like my business, so a bit of pleasure, too, I s’pose. You?”
“Pleasure,” Stede replied immediately, his smile spreading wide across his face thinking about Louis.
“Romantic?” The man asked, his eyes narrowed, and there was something in his expression that made Stede’s grin widen.
“Not at all. I’m here for my son. I am rather painfully single,” Stede said with a small laugh.. “I’m Stede, by the way.”
“I’m Ed.” He extended his hand and Stede took it, failing to hold in his gasp when their fingers touched. “Also painfully single,” he added when Stede said nothing for a protracted moment.
The bartender appeared in front of them to take their orders and Stede reluctantly withdrew his hand so they could order. As soon as the bartender left, they turned their bodies towards each other like they were being pulled by a magnet.
“Ok,” Ed said, like they were picking up where they’d left off in the middle of a conversation. “Have you been to the city before?”
“Oh yes, I used to live in Boston. You?”
“Loads of times.” A drink appeared in front of each of them and Ed grabbed his, taking a long drag on his straw. “Oh that’s good.”
“What do you do?” Stede asked after he’d sipped his sangria, the pleasant mixture of red wine and fruit and brandy tasting like summer on his tongue.
“I’m a pirate,” Ed said, completely matter of fact, lips not even twitching when Stede laughed.
“Well I’m a renowned art thief,” Stede replied, laughing loud enough to get an annoyed look from the person on Ed’s other side when Ed said “don’t lie!”
“Ok Pierre Despereaux,” Ed said with a sigh. “What’s the last thing you stole.”
“I can’t tell you that!”
“You can trust me!” Ed insisted with a hand to his chest and his eyes wide as if to appear innocent.
“You could be anybody, lying in wait, having studied me for years to have a profile strong enough to predict I’d walk into this restaurant at this exact time and sit on this stool.” Stede gestured with his pinky to illustrate his point.
“Fuuuuck, you caught me actually. What gave me away?”
“The Bvlgari,” Stede said and burst into laughter when Ed snorted into his drink.
“Sloppy of me. Everyone knows Interpol agents have an insatiable appetite for luxury watches.”
“An embarrassing oversight on your part,” Stede tutted. Ed grinned at him over the rim of his glass and Stede’s stomach tightened again.
Conversation was easy between them and after they’d shared their appetizers and ordered a second round, there was a thread of something else tightening between them. Ed popped a bite of pita into his mouth and leveled Stede with a look that made his heart thud hard against his chest.
“How long are you in town for?” Ed asked, his eyes dropping briefly to Stede’s mouth.
“I fly out tomorrow. You?” Stede’s asked, voice tight.
“Same.” Ed seemed to go very still for a moment, then he lightly placed his hand on Stede’s knee, and Stede watched his throat move as he swallowed. “So we should make the most of it.”
Heat spread from where Ed was touching, up Stede’s thigh, into his belly, his groin, his chest, like little spiderwebs of anticipation were weaving around every part of him. Stede drew a lazy circle around the back of Ed’s hand, then trailed his finger up his forearm. “I suppose we should.”
“What were you going to do after this?” Ed asked, sliding his hand off of Stede’s knee.
“Take a bath, read a book. Perhaps have a glass of wine.” Stede’s voice sounded steady, but his heart was roaring in his ears. He hadn’t been on a proper date in months, struggling to find his people in a new city again and too nervous to get back on the apps. But Ed made everything so easy.
“I have a big bath and wine.” Ed cocked his head to the side. “Might even have a book in my luggage.”
“Is your proposal that we take a bath and read your book together?” Stede asked, wishing his voice didn’t seem to jump up an octave when he was excited.
Ed leaned in closer, swerving past Stede’s mouth to whisper in his ear. “Nah mate, it’s my proposal that you fuck me.”
“Oh,” Stede breathed, his fingers tightening on Ed’s taut biceps. He didn’t even remember lifting his hands to grab them. “Well, I accept your proposal,” he said finally, once he’d more or less caught his breath.
Ed leaned back, a wide smile spreading across his face. “You wanna shake on it?”
“Oh I think we can do better than that.” Stede lifted his hand to catch the attention of the bartender and then made a writing motion.
“Ready to close out?” The bartender asked and Stede smoothly pulled his wallet out of his pocket to hand over his debit card. When Ed started reaching for his own wallet, Stede just gave his head a tiny shake. “I’ve got this.”
“Been a while since anyone’s bought me dinner,” Ed said, something soft in his face that made Stede want to keep spoiling him. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” Stede’s stomach felt like it was full of eager moths while they waited for the bartender to close their check and return his card, then Stede was signing it with a flourish and he almost fell from his stool in his haste to get up. “Shall I order a cab back to your hotel?”
The corners of Ed’s lips twitched. “Nah, it’s just around the corner.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder for emphasis, then let his eyes move over Stede’s body and his lips spread into a wide smile. “Thank god.”
Ed’s fingers brushed Stede’s lightly as they walked out of the restaurant, but before Stede could lace them together, Ed had pulled his hand just out of reach. “It’s a nice night.” He tipped his head back to look up at the sky. “I love autumn in New York. That bite in the air.”
“I think that’s the thing I miss most now I’m in LA,” Stede agreed. He saw Ed’s head jerk in his peripheral and turned to look at his face briefly. “Something I said?”
“No! No, I just…wouldn’t have pegged you for an LA guy.”
“Well I’m not. I’ve been living in Michigan for the last several years and Boston before that.” Stede peaked at Ed again and thought maybe he’d imagined the alarm he’d seen a moment before.
“Takes some getting used to,” Ed mused. “Especially the Santa Anas.”
“You live in LA?” Stede asked, and Ed stiffened a bit next to him. Stede chuckled softly. “It’s a big place, Ed. Tonight’s just tonight.”
Ed was silent as they stepped into the elevator, and he let out a long breath once the doors slid shut on the two of them. “I like you,” he said, his eyes on Stede’s in the mirrored door. “It’s just…my life….”
Stede reached out and took his hand, giving it a light squeeze, then tugged until they were facing each other. “Tonight’s just tonight,” he said again, lifting his free hand to cup Ed’s cheek and letting his eyes drop to Ed’s mouth. “We can handle that.”
“Yeah,” Ed breathed. He leaned in and let his nose brush Stede’s, his breath a tease against Stede’s lips. They both inhaled sharply, but before Stede could tilt his head to line their mouths up, the elevator slowed and dinged to let them know they’d reached Ed’s floor.
Ed looked both ways up and down the hallway, grabbed Stede’s wrist, and dragged him off the elevator, moving fast. “You scared someone will see us?” Stede asked, half joking, but Ed pressed his lips together in a tight line.
“My coworkers don’t need to know who I’m fucking, that’s all.” Ed fished his wallet out of his pocket and pressed it against the card reader on the door, then there was a faint squeal and Stede found himself being manhandled across the threshold until he was slammed up against the wall in the narrow hallway as the door eased shut.
“You’re not going to show me around?” Stede asked, letting out a choked moan when Ed slid his leg up between Stede’s thighs.
“It’s a fucking hotel room, mate. There’s a tv and a big bed that I need you in like yesterday.”
“Hmm.” Stede slid his hands up Ed’s chest, then trailed his thumb up the column of his throat until he pressed it to where Ed’s pulse was pounding. “First things first.”
Ed leaned in to hover his lips over Stede’s, his eyes blazing with desire that sent heat spiraling into Stede’s stomach. “Been wanting to do this all night,” he murmured, his mouth moving against Stede’s with every word.
“Me too.”
Another breath passed between them, then two. Then Stede let his eyes flutter closed and tipped his chin to bring them together. Ed’s lips were so soft and warm when they were finally pressed to Stede’s, a delicious contrast with the scrape of his beard. It was sweet and light for a heartbeat before they both grew restless. Stede couldn’t hold back the helpless groan when Ed’s tongue teased lightly against the seam of their lips.
With a shared sigh, Stede opened for him and they wrapped tighter around each other when Ed’s tongue slid against Stede’s. They held each other up, their fingers dug in hard to shoulders and hips and Ed pressed Stede firmly up against the wall, as if they’d slump to the ground in a boneless heap without the extra support. Kissing Ed left Stede feeling a riot of competing emotions; passion, tenderness, all consuming need, and a quiet sense of loss knowing that it would have to end. They pulled apart and Stede could see it all reflected back at him in Ed’s eyes.
To ground himself in the moment, Stede lifted his leg to wrap around Ed’s waist and let his head thunk against the wall when Ed ground his thigh up against Stede’s balls. “God I want you.” Stede nipped at Ed’s jaw, savoring the scrape of coarse hair on his lips. “I could fuck you right here.”
Ed chuckled, the sound low and dark, and he ducked his head to leave a trail of nipping kisses on Stede’s throat. “You can have me on every surface in this room tonight, but first…” He lifted his head to lick into Stede’s mouth for a long filthy kiss. “Bed,” he said breathlessly when they broke apart.
Stede felt bereft when Ed took a step back, but he let his foot drop to the floor and watched Ed start working the buttons of his shirt open. “You’re so sexy,” Stede said softly, dragging his gaze up from soft chest hair to Ed’s wide, heavily lidded eyes.
The corner of Ed’s mouth hitched up in a half smile and he shrugged out of his sport coat, letting it fall to the floor before he jerked his shirt out from where it was tucked into his pants and dropped it to join his jacket. There was a dark bruise on his hip that spread down below the waistband of his pants, an angry red turning purple in the center, and Stede hissed in a sympathetic breath as he stepped into Ed’s space.
“Are you alright?”
“Wha—oh.” Ed looked down to where Stede’s hand was gently framing the boundary of the bruise. “Fuck I didn’t even feel that.”
“No?” Stede slowly lowered himself to his knees and looked up at Ed. “Does it hurt?”
Ed swallowed hard, shaking his head once as if he was too transfixed by the sight of Stede on his knees to form sounds.
Stede pressed a soft kiss to the edge of it. “Does this happen often?”
“The bruising or the gorgeous man kissing it better?” Ed asked, his voice breathless.
Stede bit his bottom lip to hide his smile. “Either.”
“I bruise easy.” Ed cupped Stede’s chin in his hand and tilted his head back slightly. “The kissing is a nice change.” He brushed his thumb across Stede’s bottom lip, then slid his hand around to cup the back of Stede’s neck and urge him forward again.
Stede kissed the unblemished skin first, brushing his lips over the dip just over his waistband, pressing light kisses closer and closer to the bruise while he absently stroked his thumb over Ed’s other hip. The hand at the back of his head tightened and Stede moaned when there was a gentle tug on his hair.
“Please,” Ed ground out, voice like gravel, and Stede dragged his nose across Ed’s belly before pressing a kiss to the skin just above his belt buckle.
“Please what?” Stede flashed a grin up at Ed as he started working the belt open. “Please touch you? Kiss you?” He opened the fastening on Ed’s slacks and pulled the zipper down, tooth by tooth, letting his knuckles brush against where Ed was hot and hard for him.
He let Ed’s pants drop around his ankles while he reached up to lower the waistband of his underwear on the bruised hip. He hissed in sympathy when he saw where it ended high on Ed’s upper thigh, the whole thing larger than a fist. When he leaned in to kiss the newly exposed skin, Ed whimpered and plunged a hand in Stede’s hair.
Once he’d pressed his lips to every inch of the bruise, he eased Ed’s underwear down under one of his ass cheeks, despite the mouth watering desire to free Ed’s cock. There was already a wet spot forming on the front of his boxer briefs and it was all Stede could do not to suck the patch of fabric into his mouth for a taste.
If tonight was just tonight, Stede wanted to savor it, to make it last, so instead of peeling Ed’s underwear down his legs in one quick motion so he could feel Ed’s cock buried down his throat, he massaged Ed’s ass cheek and nipped every inch of skin he could reach. Ed didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands, digging his fingers into Stede’s shoulder and curling one hand into a fist that he rested against the wall.
“What are you doing to me?” Ed gasped. Then Stede slid his finger down his crack until it was pressed against Ed’s fluttering hole and he chuckled when Ed jerked and moaned.
“Whatever it is, you like it,” Stede replied, unable to keep the smugness out of his voice. His own control was hanging on by the thinnest tether, so he pulled back to help Ed get his shoes and pants off. His underwear were still askew, with one ass cheek hanging out while his cock strained against the front, and Stede swallowed hard when he saw the silky head peeking from the top of the waistband.
“Not fair,” Ed mumbled from where he was leaning against the wall, looking down at Stede from under lowered lashes. “You’re still in all your clothes.”
Stede rose slowly to his feet and took a step back so Ed would have to reach out to touch him if he wanted to. He shrugged out of his jacket first, then unbuttoned his dress shirt and left it hanging open while he toed off his shoes. When Stede moved his hands to his belt buckle, Ed’s throat moved as he swallowed and Stede smiled.
“I can’t wait to open you up on my fingers.” Stede’s belt clanked and Ed shivered. “To watch you take my cock.”
“And yet, you’re fucking torturing me,” Ed grumbled.
“Am I moving too slowly?” Stede pouted dramatically and lowered his zipper, then put his hands on his hips to ease his pants down. They caught on his thighs, which seemed to cause Ed some distress, and then he was stepping out of them and bending to snatch them off the floor so he could drape them neatly over a nearby chair. He repeated the process with his shirt, all the while pretending like his hands weren’t shaking with anticipation.
“Boxers too,” Ed rasped and he was still pressed against the wall as if he was stuck there.
Stede lifted his foot up behind him to peel off a sock, then he did the other, laughing when Ed closed his eyes as if he was in pain. “Please tell me you have lube and one to five condoms.”
“Five?” Ed blurted, his eyes bursting open wide.
Stede grinned and shrugged one shoulder carelessly. “It’s been a while and you’re very sexy.”
Ed dragged his eyes up and down Stede’s body hungrily. “Mate, you’re fucking sexy. Feel like the top of my head’s about to blow off.” He pushed off the wall and walked to where his suitcase was open on the luggage rack. He rifled around in a zipper pocket and for a moment, his eyes widened in alarm.
There were other ways they could get each other off, but Stede wasn’t above using instacart to order condoms and lube if he needed to. Then Ed’s expression cleared and he produced a small bottle and a strip of three condoms. “Was feeling optimistic on a road trip last year and never took them out.”
Stede snatched the bottle from Ed’s fingers. “Is it rude that I’m glad your optimism is only paying off now?”
Ed chuckled and sauntered over to the bed, his one ass cheek still out when he gave his hips a wiggle. “Maybe a little.” He turned and flopped back on the bed, then propped himself up on an elbow. “Kinda like it though.”
Stede put one knee down on the bed between Ed’s legs, then dropped the other so he was straddling a calf. He tossed the bottle down next to Ed and gripped the waistband of Ed’s underwear. He wanted nothing more than to tear them down Ed’s legs, to finally see him, but this was the first time in a while that he’d been this excited about a man and he was going to take his sweet time.
So he lowered them slowly, watching Ed ball his fists up in the comforter and squeeze his eyes shut. “Look at me,” Stede whispered and his heart fluttered against his ribcage when Ed opened his eyes again. “Don’t take your eyes off me.”
When he finally stripped Ed’s boxers down his thighs, he had to pause and stare for a moment at Ed’s cock laying thick and heavy on his belly, precum smeared in the trail of hair. They shifted, working together to get Ed naked, and then Ed’s hands were sliding down the back of Stede’s boxer briefs to grab onto his bare ass.
“Show me,” Ed whispered, his eyes pleading, then widening when Stede complied and he let himself look. Stede was admittedly well endowed, and his cheeks heated when Ed’s lips parted on a soft curse. “Christ, you’re…”
“Bit big, I know,” Stede said with a light laugh.
Ed snorted. “I think hung is an understatement, actually. And if you’re not fucking me soon, I’m going to lose my mind.”
Stede lowered himself until his lips were hovering over Ed’s. “You’ll be patient and I’ll give you what you need.”
“Yes, sir,” Ed teased, but his entire body shuddered and his eyelids fluttered when Stede whispered, “good boy” and hooked his arm through Ed’s thigh to shove it up towards his chest.
Watching every imaginable expression and emotion flicker over Ed’s face while Stede lighty massaged his hole, then pressed a finger in, then two was a test on Stede’s patience. He was so responsive, moaning and shuddering and laughing in pure delight at every sensation, and he was the most exquisite man Stede had ever seen.
“I could almost get off just watching you,” Stede heard himself saying and Ed bit his lip, looking up at Stede from under lowered lashes like he was drunk. They moved together like they’d been made for this, their rhythm matching when Ed rolled his hips to take Stede’s fingers deeper, their heads tilting to fit their lips together for a kiss in perfect sync. Stede felt exhilarated, completely in his body and fitted to Ed’s like a missing puzzle piece.
“Now,” Ed begged, digging his fingers into Stede’s biceps until Stede was sure he was going to have five finger shaped bruises when he woke up the next morning.
“Patience,” Stede urged even as he wanted to sink inside him and never leave. He kissed Ed again, waited until he was completely relaxed and pliant and desperate in his arms, and then he gritted out a rough command for the condom.
Ed slapped his hand to the bed, searching around on the bedspread until he let out a triumphant “Ah-ha!” Then Stede was leaning back so Ed could roll the condom over his cock and curling his toes when Ed slicked a palmful of lube down his length. He meant to keep it sweet and slow, but Ed was chanting yes, yes, oh fuck yes, as Stede dragged him closer and pushed both thighs up to his chest before he pressed the blunt head of his cock to Ed’s hole.
Keeping his eyes locked on Ed’s, Stede turned his head just enough to sink his teeth into Ed’s calf, then their moans were twining together like music as Stede pressed just hard enough for the head of his cock to push past the ring of muscle.
“Fuck, oh fuck me,” Ed gasped.
“Well that’s the plan,” Stede managed to grit out and the wicked smile that tipped up the corners of Ed’s mouth was absolutely devastating. It didn’t last long. As soon as Stede started to push deeper, their foreheads were pressed together, brows furrowed, and they panted into each others’ mouths until Stede was pressed flush against Ed. “You feel so good, so tight.”
“A fuckin’ red solo cup would feel tight,” Ed retorted, his voice like gravel. Stede barked out a shocked laugh, then buried his face in Ed’s neck to moan when Ed contracted around him.
They stayed like that for a while, exchanging breathless kisses while Ed got used to the significant intrusion and Stede regained his composure. Then Ed started to writhe and whimper and grasp at Stede’s shoulders.
“Need you to fuck me,” Ed begged, shifting like he could somehow force Stede deeper. “God, please Stede. Give me what I need.”
Stede rolled his hips, just enough to pull back a scant inch and then back in. “I’ll take care of you,” he promised. They shifted so Ed could wrap his legs around Stede’s waist and Stede stretched Ed’s arms up over his head, holding his wrists there with one hand. Then he started to move.
Something about the man with a mean bruise he couldn’t even remember getting made Stede want to treat him sweet, to rock with him slowly while they shared every breath. Ed’s eyes were wide, almost stricken while Stede fucked into him with slow, rolling strokes. Stede felt sweat rolling down his back, slicking both of them where their chests were pressed together, beading on his forehead. His balls ached and his arm trembled from holding himself up.
But he couldn’t bear for it to be over, so he took his time and swallowed each of Ed’s increasingly desperate moans. He pulled out once to squeeze more lube onto his fingers and fuck them into Ed’s open hole, then he slicked more over his cock while Ed whimpered and begged for him to come back.
Pushing back in was easy, Ed’s body accepting him, arching up to meet him. And all it took was one more whispered “please, Stede,” for Stede’s control to snap. The next thrust was hard enough that it forced Ed further up the bed and he let out a shout of pure joy that made Stede’s heart squeeze.
It wasn’t long after that. Stede lowered himself so they were chest to chest, stealing kisses when they could. Ed was mindlessly jabbering, his words slurring together into high pitched, indecipherable nonsense while he dug his fingers into Stede’s hips harder and harder with each thrust. “So good, so fucking good,” he wept.
“Come for me,” Stede breathed, “need to feel you come on my cock.” He slid a hand between them to stroke Ed. He was slick with precum and it only took a few passes of his fist before Ed was craning his head back and trembling as he came. The aftershocks rattled both of them, his whole body jerking while his hole pulsed around Stede’s cock. When he finally started to settle, Stede lifted his come soaked fingers up to Ed’s lips and watched as he lazily parted them to suck them clean.
He was so beautiful, his eyelids heavy now that he’d come, shaking underneath Stede while he moved. Stede was mindless with need as he neared his own climax, his pace picking up with every thrust. Right when he was teetering on the edge, Ed sucked three of Stede’s fingers as deep into his mouth as he could and moaned around them, and Stede came so hard that tears stung his eyes.
He collapsed forward onto Ed’s chest, face buried in his neck, his breath sawing in and out of him hard and fast while Ed ran his hands up and down his back. They were sticky where their bellies pressed together from sweat and come, and tendrils of Ed’s hair were clinging to his neck, damp with sweat. Their combined scent was intoxicating and Stede wanted to live in this blissful in between forever.
Then he felt Ed’s chest rising and falling shallowly beneath him. “Crushing you,” Stede murmured, and he felt Ed’s laugh rumbling through him.
“It’s nice, actually,” Ed said, but his voice was constricted like he couldn’t quite take a deep breath. He let out a soft whimper when Stede pulled out and then rolled into his body as soon as Stede flopped onto his back.
“I should clean myself up,” Stede said to the ceiling while Ed nestled his head under Stede’s chin.
“In a minute,” Ed murmured before pressing light kisses to Stede’s collarbone.
“I’ll be right back,” Stede promised, slipping away to make quick work of the condom and clean himself up as well as he could with tissues. Ed had taken care of his own mess then burrowed under the blankets and Stede slipped under them with him. Ed immediately reclaimed his place in Stede’s arms and they both let out a long, wistful sigh. They were quiet for a while, Stede drawing circles and swirls on Ed’s back and side with his index finger while Ed did the same on Stede’s chest. “Will you stay?” Ed asked, sounding almost meek, and Stede felt something like relief.
“I’ll stay.”
*****
They dozed for an hour or two while reruns of Friends played on the tv, then Stede woke up with Ed’s lips on his ear asking if he could suck his cock. What followed was the slowest blow job of Stede’s life, and it felt like Ed was savoring every second of it as much as Stede was. As long as he lived, he would never forget what Ed looked like with his lips spread wide around his cock. When he came, Stede was pretty sure he understood what people meant when they said they saw God.
Ed got a hankering for chocolate cake and they ordered room service, then fed each other bites while they talked about where they’d grown up, their favorite places in LA, the last movies they’d watched. Stede wanted to ask if they could see each other again, but he’d promised Ed that it was just tonight so he bit his tongue. After they’d crawled back into bed, Stede slipped under the covers and spent the next half hour worshiping Ed’s cock.
They passed out in each other’s arms until the sun peeked through a gap in the curtains and then Stede rolled Ed onto his belly and fucked him again. Ed hissed when Stede grabbed his bruised hip, but when he jerked his hand away, Ed flashed a sleepy smile over his shoulder and told Stede not to hold back.
Stede never wanted to leave this room. He’d had a small handful of one night stands in his life and a couple had even been mind blowing. But he’d never felt like this before. He was subdued as they cleaned each other in the shower and neither of them spoke while they were getting dressed, Stede in yesterday’s clothes and Ed in a soft looking black t-shirt and well worn jeans. It felt like he was being marched to the gallows and Stede would have laughed at how dramatic he was feeling if he weren’t so deeply regretting the promise that there didn’t need to be anything more.
There was suddenly nothing left to do but leave. Stede thought about asking for Ed’s number, thought about finding a pen and paper and leaving his behind, thought about proposing to Ed then and there, but instead he just smiled bravely and said, “well! I guess that’s that.”
Ed gave him a half smile that made him weak in the knees and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Or we could get breakfast?”
Stede would be embarrassed at how fast a huge smile was spreading over his face if Ed’s didn’t immediately light up when Stede said, “yeah?”
“Yeah. Last night was last night but…I dunno. Maybe today’s more.” Ed ducked his head for a beat and when he looked up, his expression was serious again. “Thing is…I’m not exactly out, so just no PDA ok?”
Stede bobbed his head. “Of course.” He started to follow Ed out of the room before he realized his wallet wasn’t in his pocket and he turned back to see if it had fallen to the floor in his haste to undress the night before. “Just a second,” he said over his shoulder as he stooped down to look for it.
The faint sound of Ed’s voice outside the door drifted to him and Stede sighed impatiently. Ed must not have heard him. “Ah-ha!” He cried triumphantly, snagging his wallet from where it had fallen between the chair and the wall, then he hurried to catch up with Ed in the hall, slamming suddenly into his back as soon as he opened the door.
A familiar laugh cut off abruptly and Stede’s eyes widened when he realized who Ed had been talking to.
“Dad?” Louis gave his head a small shake. “How…when did you meet Cap?”
“I…” Stede trailed off. It was 8:00 in the morning. There weren’t a lot of reasons for him to be coming out of another man’s hotel room in a strange city in the suit he’d been wearing the night before. Then his brain caught up. “Cap? You mean…”
“I mean how do you know the captain of my team, dad,” Louis said in a voice that seemed calm, but Stede knew better. “Ya know, legendary center Edward Teach.” When Stede said nothing, Louis made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat and muttered something that sounded like “puck bunny” under his breath.
“I didn’t know…” Stede said, looking at Ed and qualing when he saw how stiff and wide eyed he had become. “I didn’t know,” Stede whispered again, this time just for Ed.
“It’s fine,” Ed said through his teeth, eyes locked on the wall. “I didn’t either.” He sucked in a long, deep breath through his nose and then he looked at Louis. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell any of the guys on the team.”
“I’d rather die, actually,” Louis said grimly and turned on his heel towards the elevator.
“Louis!” Stede took off after him, leaving Ed by his door with one last look over his shoulder. Ed looked small and scared and Stede wished he could do or say something to fix this. But he couldn’t let Louis go without an explanation, and he made it onto the elevator just as the doors started to glide shut.
“I need a minute, Dad,” Louis said through his teeth.
“And I need you to believe me when I say I had no idea who he was. I would never knowingly put you in that position.”
Louis seemed to soften just a little, then he sighed and dragged a hand through his messy curls. “How is that possible, you researched hockey like it was your job when I was in college. Guy’s been a legend for like a decade.”
“I researched the sport, not the players.” Stede sagged against the elevator door. “I really am sorry. He was just a nice man I met in a bar.”
Louis held up his hand and made a face. “I don’t need details.” His lips twitched when Stede threw his hands up in exasperation. “Are you going to see him again?”
Stede looked up as if he could see through the floors between them to find Ed still standing outside his room. He could almost taste his own disappointment. “No. No I guess not.” He looked at Louis and forced a sunny smile. “I wouldn’t want to make things weird.”
Louis snorted. “That ship’s sailed.” He shook his head. “I didn’t know he was….”
“Put yourself in his shoes. Can’t be easy as a professional athlete.”
Something passed over Louis’s face, something so familiar that Stede’s heart ached. “No, it can’t.” There was a ding and Louis sighed again, his eyes brightening when he finally looked at Stede. “You got time for breakfast before your flight?”
“I’m off the hook just like that?” Stede asked, stepping away from the doors so he didn’t fall out of the elevator when they opened.
“Oh no, I’m going to rat you out to Mom as soon as possible but then, yeah. You’re off the hook.” Louis grinned and Stede breathed a sigh of relief.