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Ed's a little surprised by how quickly Stede takes to learning how to navigate by the stars, but the fact that he already knows the constellations moves the lessons along at a nice pace. "Didn't expect you to know this stuff already," Ed murmurs, flat on his back beside Stede in the crow's nest.
"Well, I love a good story," Stede says softly, "and the stories behind the constellations are usually good ones. All the old myths, you know. Monsters and maidens, demigods, wild creatures..." He points up, tracing Casseopeia with one pointed finger. "Hubris, hamartia..."
"Hama-what now?"
"Hamartia, the fatal flaw," Stede says, slow and thoughtful. "The trait that leads to inevitable, inescapable downfall. Hubris is pride, that's a common one. Or indecision, or the inability to accept you're mistaken."
"What's your fatal flaw?" Ed asks, in a whisper, like he doesn't even want the stars to overhear this conversation. He's surprised when Stede laughs.
"Oh, I don't have a fatal flaw," Stede says, voice full of amusement laced through with pain. "Hamartia implies that there's only one flaw, one single thing that's wrong with a person, only one way to bring them down. I'm more flaw than virtue, I'm afraid."
"Nawr," Ed disagrees immediately, out of loyalty more than actual disagreement over Stede's balance of virtues to flaws, though he quickly adds, "more than one, yeah, but not more altogether."
"Mm..." Stede turns away from the stars to look at the man beside him instead. "I appreciate the vote of confidence," he says warmly. "Now, you, I'd believe you only have one flaw..."
"I don't have any flaws," Ed lies through his teeth, looking back at Stede with a smile hidden in his beard.
"Hubris," Stede laughs, "that's hubris all over, and it's you all over. The most classic of fatal flaws." He's so bright, even lit only by starlight; shining and seductive, the point by which Ed would navigate straight into the mouth of Hell itself.
Ed knows that his downfall won't be his pride at all; it'll be his love of Stede Bonnet, the gorgeous burning heat of the passion he carries for his co-captain setting him alight and leaving nothing but ashes on the rough water to mark his destruction.