Ed putting his hand on Stede’s chest gets me every time. He’s reassuring and grounding himself while offering comfort to Stede. He used physical touch with Stede from the beginning, sitting on the bed next to him and placing his hand on Stede’s. There was always a different level of comfort there between them.
And there’s something special about the hand on the chest. He not only does it while kissing Stede, but also during moments where he’s protecting him or where he’s looking for words, being emotionally vulnerable.
