Work Text:
One chilly morning on the island of Sodor, work on the railway had already started. The breeze of the cold was unlike anything the island had faced in a while. Workmen all over the island wore their heaviest winter coats and knitted scarves, but even so some shivered as the cold was truly unbearable. They only hoped it would become better in the afternoon, they looked forward to snuggling up at home to warm up by the fireplace after work. Safe to say nobody liked the cold much, at least it wasn't snowing!
The engines on Sodor had to take extra care due to ice build up on the tracks, especially on the main line. Much to the dismay of a certain cerulean express engine, this obviously meant he couldn't go as fast as he liked, but for others like Edward he didn't mind some slower work.
Edward liked taking good trains, he much preferred them than passenger trains. You could say other certain engines disliked pulling goods, but Edward never minded the slow pace his branchline brought. What he did mind was the piercing cold that awaited him on the platform as he pulled in, his cab was warm and toasty but he knew he couldn't stay in his cab doing nothing for his break. Besides, he had a little project he desired to complete and today seemed like the perfect day to try it out since it was nearly completed.
His engine pulled smoothly into Wellsworth Station, letting out some steam. He had finished shunting and organising the trucks in the yard, and was due to depart with his own goods after his 30 minute break.
With a sigh he stepped down from his cab, the freezing cold brushed past his figure making him shiver. He tried his utmost best to hold a warm smile despite the sudden shift of temperature. He reminded himself of the project he wanted to finish, and so he even forgot he was freezing. He became quite focused on spending his free time wisely in the breakroom.
He entered Wellsworth station's employee break room, luckily the heaters were on so the room felt warm and cozy. The room was nothing to write home about, especially compared to bigger stations like Vickarstown but it was decently furnished. It had all the basic essentials needed to create, for example, a cuppa with some biscuits. On the windowsills sat some succulent plants, such as aloe vera and jade plants. Its unique appearances decorated the room with its own sense of identity, the workers who would enter loved to admire the plants.
They were owned by none other than Henry. Across different stations where he frequently stopped, he graciously donated his plants and pots to decorate the break rooms, and Wellsworth Station was no exception.
Edward sat down at the table, pulling his messenger bag up onto the table, he retrieved a lengthy unfinished bulky scarf. It had been one he had been working on for weeks. A lovely grey and white pattern he picked up from his favourite weekly knitting magazine, It looked almost identical to his current signature scarf. If you questioned why it was so long he would reply stating he didn't have a particular reason to knit it that long, he just wanted to.
Today especially seemed like a good day to finish it up, Edward softly exhaled as he pulled out two knitting needles and some unusually thick wooly yarn, picking up from where he left off from. He got into the knitting rhythm relatively smoothly, the sounds of the soft clatter of knitting needles hard at work filled the room, as well as soft humming from Edward.
It didn't go unnoticed that Wellsworth wasn't as busy today, it didn't seem strange to Edward as he frequented this station granted it was his branchline, he became accustomed to quiet days, preferring them over anything.
Occasionally, some North Western Railway employees would pop in for a cuppa or snacks. Always friendly as they greeted Edward warmly even in the horrid weather, they didn't get the luxury of staying in the warmth for long. They had a railway to run, after all.
It didn't take long for him to near completion of his scarf, to top it all off he tied and cut some fringes at each end and finally completed his beloved passion project. He hummed in satisfaction, swapping his older seagull patterned scarf for his newest creation. Thanks to it being quite lengthy he could wrap it around his neck twice. The difference felt instant, the warmth he felt coarse through his body was comparable to the warmth felt from his firebox. He felt cozy and ecstatic at the results of his handiwork.
Just as he was settling into the warmth, the door creaked open. The warmth in the room briefly escaped into the outside world, and in its place, the unwelcome bitter breeze forced its way in. Though it quickly dissipated when the door was swiftly shut by the lad who walked in.
Edward glanced up to find Thomas slumped against the door, shivering with his eyebrows knitted in frustration, sighing deeply. Saying Thomas hated the cold was almost an understatement, he absolutely detested it. He hated it just as much as the time he had fish swimming in his boiler. Everything that happened on that day affected his physical body to the point he gags whenever he lays eyes on a fish.
He quickly recovered thanks to the cozy warmth of the breakroom, rubbing his arms awkwardly as he corrected his posture, locking eyes with Edward.
“Oh! Mornin Edward!” Thomas greeted, beaming cheekly as he swiftly made his way to the snacks baskets, stuffing his pockets to his heart's content.
The older man returned his greeting with a broad smile.
“Hullo Thomas, nice weather we're having, aren't we?”
“Hardly… It took ages for me to start up my engine! I despise weather like this, I wish it would be nice and sunny all the time,” Thomas moved to the kettle, flicking the switch on. “Would you care for some tea Edward?”
“Certainly, if it's not too much of a hassle for you. I could never deny a good cuppa, especially on a day like this.” Edward exclaimed.
The steady sounds of the kettle boiling filled the silence that befell the room. Thomas’ boots thudded and thunked against the hard surface floor, moving swiftly from cabinet to drawer grabbing tea bags and paper cups. While setting up the paper cups he quickly checked his pocket watch, seeing he only had around 5 minutes before his next train departed. The sudden click of the kettle brought him back to focus, indicating the water had finished boiling. He swiftly poured water into the two cups, adding sachets of milk, then he encountered the sugar cubes.
Thomas pondered, I remember Edward has a sweet tooth… but I can't remember how many cubes of sugar he prefers….
He looked back at Edward, noticing that he was now occupying himself with the newspaper, The Sodor Times, reading deep in thought. Thomas didn't want to disturb Edward unnecessarily, as he thought about it, he unconsciously pressed a finger to his lips.
Time is wasting away… I suppose I'll just add six cubes. Sounds good to me, that's how I make my own anyways. I'm sure Edward wouldn't mind.
He swiftly added six cubes of sugar to his and Edwards tea, hastily stirring them, making a bit of a mess in the process. Nothing that couldn't be cleaned with some paper tissues!
With a smile plastered on his face, he secured the plastic lid on top of the cup, feeling it snap into place with a quiet click , repeating the process with his other cup. Lastly, he slid on the cardboard sleeve from underneath the cup to the centre, repeating this again for his other cup. With a barrier now in place to prevent his fingers from getting burnt he quickly approached Edward, sliding the cup over to him and dashing towards the door.
"Catch ya later Edward! Can't stay, gotta go!” Thomas shouted as he dashed out of the break room.
He exited so quickly Edward didn't get a chance to thank him, he kept a mental note to thank Thomas next time they met. He checked his pocket watch, calculating he had 30 minutes of his break left. With nothing else to do currently, it would be best to check over his engine once again, and double check what kind of goods he would carry next.
He stuffed his equipment back into his bag and slung it over his shoulder as he got up from the chair. Pushing it in neatly, leaving it exactly how he found it. He grabbed his tea and exited the break room. The moment he opened the door he could already feel the chilly breeze bite his exposed hands, though he didn't feel as cold as he did previously.
He adjusted the scarf as he walked towards his engine, each breath he took formed into mist that dissipated as soon as it appeared.
The sharp sound of a whistle echoed in the distance, Edward knew that sound all too well as he perked up and carefully observed the third platform.
The rhythmic puffing slowed into drawn out pulses, growing louder as it approached the platform, mighty white clouds of billowing steam erupted from the funnel of the inbound mogul engine, painted in splendid crimson red with the number five painted on its tender. With a hiss, its brakes sounded in the air as the engine came to a halt, finally letting out excess steam.
The North Western Railways number five engine James, was quite a splendid engine indeed. He took great pride in his public appearances, ensuring he was presentable and stylish on any occasion. He proved very popular with some passengers whenever he took passenger trains, no doubt thanks to his fancy and almost dramatic uniform that he tailored himself.
Some may call him the best fashionista in the entirely of
Sodor… and well, some would say he's quite vain a tad stuck up, his almost obsessive mindset of keeping up appearances would almost always land him in hot water with The Fat controller.
Unfortunately for him, today seemed like the worst day to don his uniform. The cotton lining of his blazer failed to keep him warm, He scowled as he shivered, stuffing his hands into his pockets. James’ cheeks displayed a delicate shade of pink, while his breath materialised into faint puffs much like the steam that came from his engines’ funnel.
He sprinted as he checked over his engine, quietly noting that he would need to fill up with coal and water later. Fortunately for some, he concluded his engine didn't need a visit to the wash down… at least not yet.
Edward observed James from his side of the platform, curiously watching his every movement with fascination.
Though he could only stare for so long until James turned on his heel to approach the footbridge, turning to notice Edward looking directly at him. His expression swiftly changed to one of ecstatic joy.
“Hullo there, Edward!” James called out, his voice strained but happy.
Edward simply smiled and waved back as James strided across the footbridge, the sounds of his heels clanking against the wooden floorboards. Finally he approached Edward, his face beaming with happiness.
“Hullo James, finished your goods run already?” Edward spoke, curiously leaking in his voice.
“All done, though I must say, I wasn't expecting you to be here.”
Edward cocked his head to the side, “You weren't expecting me to be on my own branchline?”
“No! I didn't mean it like that…” James spluttered, “..What I meant was.. Well I'm just happy to see you, that's all!”
James smiled nervously, shifting from foot to foot while attempting to keep eye contact with the older man, he found it difficult to do. His eyes wandered down to Edwards' new scarf.
“Since when did you get a new scarf?” James asked, observing it in detail. He reached out to gently stroke the material.
“Just today, do you recall the time I discussed that I was working on a little project? I just finished it not too long ago. Today seemed like just a great opportunity to complete it,” Edward slightly adjusted his scarf, continuing. “This time, I tried using more thicker wool than I would normally use.”
“Huh! Wish I had a scarf right about now. It's quite nippy, at least it isn't snowing..” James grumbled, cheeks flushing brighter than his paint job.
“I see..” Edward paused, deep in thought, “How long is your break?”
“Not long, only just about 10 minutes.” James confirmed.
Suddenly an idea popped into Edward's mind, glancing at James, he gestured to him to hold out his hand. James held both his arms out without hesitation, knitting his eyebrows in confusion. Edward carefully passed on his drink to James then unwrapped his scarf slightly and draped the rest around James' neck, his warm fingers brushing slightly against James’ neck as he adjusted the scarf accordingly.
James' eyes widened, his loose grasp on the cup tightening as warmth, not just from the tea, surged through his body. He thought his cheeks couldn't get any redder!
“How do you feel now?” Edward smiled, snapping James out of his trance.
James opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He noticed that he was standing much closer to Edward than he was just seconds ago. On a whim he quickly closed the gap between them, latching onto Edward's arm which greatly surprised the older man. He finally looked up at Edward.
“So warm…” he whispered, coming out quieter than he intended, he spoke a tad louder. “Th-thanks… I feel better already.”
Edward nodded with a mouth-closed smile, he took back the tea from James. He hummed contently as he brought the cup to his lips, sipping the tea.
Immediately he noticed it was quite lukewarm… and awfully sweet. His lips pressed together with a faint grimace.
Edward's own signature tea only used ordinary teabags, minimal milk and a few teaspoons of sugar. You could call it the perfect cuppa, it was rich and smooth and still retained its malty black tea taste.
He wondered just how many teaspoons Thomas added to his tea… its malty taste was basically non existent, overwhelmingly sweet, almost syrupy.
Sighing with discontent, he thought it better to just suck it up and finish the drink. I suppose it's the thought that counts, he wondered, thinking about the moment prior to Thomas leaving the break room. He would keep another mental note to decline whenever Thomas offered to brew him tea again.
He felt James shift his position, wrapping his arms tightly over Edward's waist, seemingly pulling him impossibly closer.
“I know that look all too well Eddie. Someone's botched your cuppa, haven't they?” James spoke, his voice dripping with amusement. He chuckled to himself, witnessing Edward's eyebrows arch upwards with his mouth ajar.
“Oh… Yes yes, I suppose you could say that,” Edward murmured, feeling his cheeks burn from a sudden rush of warmth, unsure if it was because of the cold or because of James’ teasing tone, “Thomas made this brew, I haven't got the slightest idea of how much sugar he added…”
“And judging from the look on your face, I'm definitely correct in assuming he added a lot more than you fancy.” James interjected, smirking.
“You would be right James. Quite unfortunate but there's nothing I can do about it now. Despite its… peculiar taste, Thomas still went out of his way to brew it for me.”
“And the least you could do is finish it up, am I right? Oh you don't need to confirm, I'm always right, no doubt about it!” James boasted, laughing most heartily. Edward couldn't help but chuckle.
The pair continued chatting for a while, in the midst of their conversations they had moved over to the platform where James’ crimson engine stood proudly idle. They had even forgotten about the unforgiving shivering breeze, they felt so comfortable and cozy in each other's company that it didn't matter. Eventually Edward did finish his tea, he hoped that the sugary overload wouldn't come back to bite him in the tender.
How they wished they could stay like this for eternity, having nothing else but each other's company. But of course it's only a silly desire, especially as time passed and James’ break time only shortened. Now he really did need to depart, Being late is hardly acceptable! I'm an exceptional and splendid engine, and engines like me are always on schedule! Something James would say for sure.
James tugged on Edward's overcoat sleeve from his side, gazing his eyes up at the elders.
“My break’s nearly over, I gotta head back and shunt my own trucks… tch , that's so beneath me..” James grumbled, his expression quickly being replaced with dejection as he snuggled closer to Edward. “You make me feel so mirth, I never want to let you go.”
“You wouldn't want to be late now would you? Let go and look at me” He spoke gently, James obeyed, and gazed into his blue orbs.
James carefully observed Edward's every movement, he unwrapped the scarf from his neck and fixed it on James neck. Double wrapping it tightly for extra measure, his hand rose to gently cradle the black and red haired man's face, his touch felt warm as his thumb traced along his jaw absentmindedly.
Indeed it took James a bit to realise what Edward had done for him, he froze bugged eyed, wanting to speak but his breath was caught in his throat.
“Eddie? You…you shouldn't have! What about yourself? You'll get cold!” James blabbered, cheeks flushing as brightly as his suit.
“You needn't worry about me, dear James. Consider it a gift of sorts, if you really want to return it then you know where I reside. Though I highly encourage you to keep it,” He insisted, striding behind James and nudging him towards his locomotive. “Now off you go, really splendid engines mustn't be late after all.”
James nodded, grinning radiantly. He strode over to his engine, climbing onto the footplate with confidence and elegance.
“Right you are, Edward. You know me all too well, I'm sure you'll miss me terribly but don't fret! I'll come back, I always come back!”
James sounded his whistle as his engine began to pick up speed, puffy steam clouds shooting out from its funnel. He gleefully waved to Edward as he departed Wellsworth Station the elder waved back as he watched James’ engine disappear from view.
He chuckled to himself as he approached the footbridge, rummaging into his bag to retrieve his classic seagull scarf. It was definitely going to be a long day, but in his mind he knew at the end of the day, a certain somebody would be waiting for him. Waiting to return a borrowed item, or waiting to embrace him in the comfort of a home?
Perhaps next time, he would knit extra scarves in advance for days like these.
Just in case.