Thankfully, Tuesday gave him a much needed reprieve, with National Paranormal Day not involving any round things being stuck into mouths. Stede had brought homemade cookies in the shape of cute little ghosts, and had set up an audio track to play creepy ghost sounds through the office every now and then, but soon found himself actually getting spooked and swiftly put an end to the jumpscares he himself had set up. At lunch he had everyone share a story of their personal ghost encounters. After work, Stede had set up a viewing of The Blair Witch Project in the conference room, for anyone that felt like staying and getting into the spirit of the holiday. Obviously Ed stayed and watched the film with Stede and a few others who had decided to stay.
Stede had set up a snack table with more cookies, popcorn, and drinks, and told people to help themselves, but please be careful not to make a mess with the popcorn. Ed and Stede sat themselves at the very back of the room, with a bunch of snacks to share, and Ed could almost imagine they were on a real date. He had been intending to sit and have a quiet chat with Stede during the film, but Stede didn’t seem to be in a very chatty mood, and Ed quickly found himself being engrossed in what was happening on screen. Halfway through the film, he felt a weight hit his shoulder and flinched just a little. He turned his head and discovered that Stede had fallen asleep at some point, and was now resting his head on Ed’s shoulder while sleeping very
soundly. Ed couldn’t contain the smile that was spreading across his lips, with a warm feeling spreading throughout his body, lighting him up from inside. He placed a light kiss on top of Stede’s silky soft hair, and went back to watching the rest of the film.
When the film was over, the others who’d stayed to watch noticed Stede sleeping on Ed’s shoulder as they got up, and quietly left the room with a little wave to Ed while the credits were rolling. Stede being sort of tired all day hadn’t gone unnoticed by the rest of the office today, and so they shared sympathetic smiles with Ed as they left. Ed let the credits roll all the way to the end before waking Stede up.
“Hey Stede, the movie’s over,” he said quietly while gently squeezing Stede’s arm. Stede just snuggled closer and Ed’s heart seemed to grow three sizes. He was reluctant to wake him up and wished they could just stay like this for the rest of the night, but he wouldn’t be able to explain why he’d let Stede sleep on his shoulder for the rest of the night, come morning. Besides, Stede needed to get home and get some proper rest in his bed instead of on a chair and a hard shoulder.
Hopefully I won't jinx this good flow I'm having by posting a little #WIPThursday snippet...
