One year.
Felt like it should've felt like no time at all, in the grand scheme of things. Ed had spent so much of his life feeling trapped in a variety of different prisons, one year of freedom shouldn't have felt like so much compared to all those miserable decades.
But it did.
Ed woke up before Stede on their anniversary. Usually, he'd take his time, on days like this, admire the way Stede looked so unguarded and content in his sleep, snuggle a bit closer to watch him smile. Today, though, he didn't want to waste even one second of potential togetherness.
Stede hummed happily at the soft kiss to his forehead, one hand automatically reaching up before he'd even opened his eyes to touch Ed's face, to hold him close.
"Happy anniversary," Ed whispered.
Stede creaked one eye open. "Shouldn't we get to sleep in? It's a special day."
"Exactly, babe, it is a special day. Don't want to waste any of it." Ed took Stede's hand, lacing their fingers together, and flopped back down onto his pillows with a dreamy sigh. "I think - we're going shopping today, right, and then a nice dinner. To celebrate."
"Lots of things to celebrate," Stede tacked on quietly.
Lots of things to celebrate. A whole year of growing. Of learning together, listening to each other. Of discussions about Stede's feelings that felt like pulling teeth, of conversations about Ed's past that left both of them crying. Of making love and of fucking (two different things, in Ed's mind, and Stede was great at both). Of bickering and little arguments, and of making up. Of stomping off to the beach in a huff, and of coming back. Always coming back, and always to the other ready to melt right back into their arms.
"How do you feel?" Stede asked, his mouth barely moving around the words.
"I feel good. I feel really good," Ed grinned, nudging Stede's ankle under the blankets, both of them giggling when Ed pressed back. "How about you?"
"Free," Stede said, after a long moment. "I feel free."