It had been such a stupid argument.
They couldn't decide on what color they wanted to paint the walls in the library (which wasn't even really a library, yet, on account of there were only five books in there). It shouldn't have been a big deal, but they'd both doubled down, snapped at each other, and Ed had slammed the door behind him as he stomped off.
And now here he was, sitting on the porch steps, chin resting on his knees, because he didn't want to be too far away from Stede, even if he was a little pissed at him.
He couldn't help but wonder if this was some kind of sign. If they could get themselves so worked up over paint, then what did that say about their chances for any long-term future?
He turned his head as the front door opened, and Stede was taking in a deep breath, ready to yell so loudly you could hear it down the beach. "EEEEEEDDD!"
"Christ, man, don't shout," Ed snorted. "I'm right here."
"Oh." Stede deflated a bit, and his shoulders slumped as he plopped down next to Ed on the steps. "I expected you would've got...further."
Stede was holding Ed's knee brace, which he obviously hadn't taken the time to put on before stomping off. Ed took it, sat it behind them on the porch, and replaced it with his hand instead.
"I'm sorry I yelled," Ed said quietly. "It's just paint, it's not a big deal."
"And I'm sorry I got so stubborn about it," Stede said, raising their joined hands to his lips to press a kiss to Ed's fingers. "We're still boyfriends, right?"
"I still love that we're boyfriends," Ed corrected, bumping their shoulders together just to make Stede smile. "I'm not gonna want to leave you over one little spat."
"Good. Because I still love that we're boyfriends, too."
"Hey, Stede?" Ed waited patiently for Stede to meet his eyes. "Why did we get so upset about paint?"
"I dunno," Stede shrugged. "Maybe because this is...the first room that's done? That's where I'm at, I think."
"Feels big, yeah. Like it's a big deal."
"And it makes it feel real -"
"Real," Ed nodded. That was a good word for it. "Like, we're doing this. That's our house."
"And it has to be perfect."
"Paint's not permanent ink, though," Ed said, after a moment. "If we decide we don't like it, we can fix it later."
"Yeah." Stede leaned his head on Ed's shoulder, and Ed rested his cheek against his forehead. "But a love like ours..."
"That's permanent," Ed finished, and he could feel Stede's smile against his cheek when Stede turned to kiss him.
They'd butt heads. They were determined, stubborn fuckers, the both of them. But Stede was Ed's most important person in the world, and he was Stede's, and even if they got mad at each other, if they'd always find each other again...
Yeah. Ed was beginning to trust in the knowledge that they'd be okay.