Work Text:
Morning! Was hoping to catch you before class to see how you are but you were still sleeping. Hope you had a good first night at Revenge Manor. Please shout if you need any help unpacking. My number is below if you need anything else. – Stede
The message, written in the tiniest, most-precise hand on the brightest green sticky note Ed’s ever seen, nearly makes Stede drop the bowl of cereal he’s on his way back from retrieving. At first there’s a little roil of panic that he’s already fucked up this new ideal living situation, but after reading the note the panic eases into something warmer.
He can’t remember the last time anyone’s offered to help him unpack. Or cared about his existence before 10am.
He thinks me might like it here after all.
Ed pulls the note carefully off of his door, closes it gently behind him, and settles onto the bed to plan his next move through distracted mouthfuls of cereal. He wastes no time entering his number into his phone (“Stede – Cute Sticky Note Guy”) but isn’t really sure what to do beyond that. His instinct is to text him to thank him for the note and to tell him he slept alright, but he worries that Stede might find being texted during class annoying. A sticky note on Stede’s door then?
One glance around his as yet unpacked boxes tells him that he’s not doing that. He doesn’t even have the first clue as to where his sticky notes are, let alone enough energy to actually unpack them.
It’s been a rough week. In a meeting with his scholarship a few days ago, they’d told him that due to one of their main backers pulling out, they would only be paying him just over half of the amount from the previous two years. He thankfully has enough to cover his tuition and maybe textbooks if he gets some of them second-hand and pirates the rest, but the modest amount he’s supposed to get for rent and living expenses just… doesn’t exist anymore. That means the flat that he’s rented for the past two years and has come to think of as home is now completely out of his price range.
It was while he was having a small breakdown outside of the English block and trying not to actually cry at the idea of having to call all of his friends to ask if he could crash on their couches for a while, that the words “Need a room, like, right now?” jumped out from the crowded notice board. He pushed aside the other notices to read the rest of it and it was as baffling and as much of a godsend as the headline promised.
Need a room, like, right now?
We have a free room. Yeah, I know that sounds like the beginning of a serial killer documentary, but I swear this isn’t a hoax or a ploy to lure you into our den of iniquity for ritual black magic reasons. My boyfriend and I have decided to share a room, meaning we now have a free room for someone who needs it. Broke? No problem. Pay when you can, no strings attached.
We’re only looking for actually interesting people though. If you suspect you might be a boring person, don’t bother applying. We’re all a bunch of multiracial queer communists, so if you’re a racist, homophobe, biphobe, transphobe, fascist, or bigot of any kind we’re probably not your cup of tea.
And absolutely (and I could not be clearer on this if I was wearing a transparent parka and nothing else) NO Econ Majors. Seriously, don’t even look at this notice anymore. Move on. Go rub one out while you listen to your crypto podcasts or whatever it is you do when you’re not being annoying as fuck in my ethics lectures, thanks.
If you fit the bill and you’re interested in the room (or even just want to help us figure out why the fuck we’re called Revenge Manor), hit me up at [email protected].
He wasted no time in emailing Lucius, heard back right away, and in a matter of a few messages and one brief visit to Revenge Manor to meet and be met by the rest of the housemates, Ed was officially offered the room.
Though Ed would have taken the room no matter what given the alternative of sharing a living space with Izzy for more than a night, he had to be honest that the “multiracial queer communists” as advertised were the real selling point. Especially Stede, who before even really exchanging a word with him had beamed at him like he had been waiting all day to see him, and immediately offered him a cup of tea. Something about it made Ed want to lean into more of it. It felt like a part of him he didn’t even know was missing was a little closer to being found. It made him crave like he hadn’t craved in years.
Now he’s staring down at Stede’s number on the page and all he wants is more of his kind smiles and gentle words. So, throwing caution to the wind, he snaps a picture of the sticky note and types his reply.
Hey. This is Ed (the new guy). Just wanted to say thanks for the note. I slept the best I have all week. Hope your night was good too. Might take you up on the offer of help unpacking. Hope classes are going well. 🪠
He glares at the plunger emoji for the longest time. He’d meant to press the star emoji next to it, but he’d sent it off without realising and now it’s too late to change it. There, his first interaction with Stede is tainted forever by his inability to proofread texts before sending them. He feels so stupid that the last few mouthfuls of cereal are a wrench to get down. Embarrassment radiates from his very core so that it feels like the milk is curdling in his mouth. He feels like –
His self-effacing inner tirade is interrupted by his phone buzzing in his hand.
Stede – Cute Sticky Note Guy
Hahaha I’m assuming the emoji was a typo, but double History with Old Marron on a Thursday morning definitely feels that way 😂 Glad you slept well. Like I said, I’m happy to help with unpacking, you just let me know when. I’ll get pizza and we can maybe get to know each other a little better? Pete (Lucius’ boyfriend) says he shared a tut with you in first year, so I’ve heard a lot about you. Only good things you’ll be glad to know (Pete’s a big fan), but I’d like to hear more from the source. If that makes sense? And is alright with you? If you need space, I totally get that too. God knows there aren’t many opportunities for peace and quiet at Revenge Manor.
Ed’s heart hammers as he reads the words. Stede wants to spend time with him? Wants to get to actually get to know him? Nothing has ever sounded like a better idea.
“Yes! Fuck yes!” he yells at his phone, while typing his much demurer reply.
That sounds great. Maybe tomorrow night? I’d like to get to know you better too. First thing to know about me – I’m always down for pizza.
The text he gets in reply plays over and over in his head while he gets ready for class, while he takes notes on dead and dying languages, while he grabs a bite to eat at the cheapest of the on-campus cafés, while he walks back to his new home, and when he unlocks the door to find the object of his thoughts beaming at him again and asking if he’d like a cup of tea.
Stede – Cute Sticky Note Guy
It’s a date then. 😊🪠