Chapter Text
Izzy had excused himself a little later to wash up. He wasn’t expecting anything more than tense conversation, but that didn’t mean that he needed to smell bad from a difficult morning of sailing. Izzy had always taken better care of himself than some of the other pirates on the ship, his clothes always clean, his face shaved into the style he preferred. He wasn’t half as vain as Stede, but something about being involved with someone who valued appearance made the pressure to look good all the stronger.
He lingered in the mirror for a while, looking at the x just under his eye. He wondered if Stede was right, if Ed had signed him without him ever knowing it.
To his surprise, he found he didn’t mind.
Izzy didn’t join the crew for dinner, he didn’t want that many eyes trying to figure out if the relationship was sorted before he was confident enough to give them an answer. As much as he loved them both, he still wasn’t convinced that they would ever love him like he needed. Life alone was better than a life being consumed with jealousy.
He waited until he knew they would both be in Stede’s quarters and settled before he knocked. His vest has been left behind in his room, his shirt somewhat undone to try and break the barriers between them. He wanted to look approachable, though he wasn’t sure why he cared that much.
He knocked only once and waited. If Stede and Ed had decided to indulge themselves he wasn’t going to be the one that disturbed them, but if they were waiting, it would be enough to get their attention.
It was Ed that answered the door, looking tired and surprised to see him.
“Iz?”
“Hi, Ed.”
“Spending the night?”
“Reckon I will.”
“Oh,” Ed managed a half-smile, “good, come in.”
“Hello, love,” Stede called from the couch, “glad you came.”
“Me too,” Izzy made his way toward the chair but was stopped by Ed.
“The bed.”
“Barely said two words to me and now you want me in the bed?”
“I don’t want you sitting alone on the chair,” Ed corrected, “we can all sit on the bed together.”
“Oh,” Izzy watched Stede as he gathered a bottle and three glasses and walked across the room, “alright.”
“So many things I hadn’t even thought of, Izzy,” Stede sat on the edge of the bed and waved for him to join, “until Ed and I were talking about it this afternoon. The couch, us sitting beside each other at meals, all these little things that we do to make it seem like we’re different than you. We’ve spoken about it, and we both want to make more effort to ensure that you’d involved in everything that we’re doing as an equal.”
“Don’t know if that’s possible,” Izzy kicked off his boots and sat beside Stede, “you’ve been together longer.”
“No,” Ed corrected, “We’ve been together longer.”
“We weren’t together.”
“Weren’t we?”
“No,” Izzy argued, “we fucked occasionally, but it wasn’t as if you were dressing in my clothes or learning all about my family like you have with Stede.”
“To be fair,” Ed said after a moment of recovery, “I am much taller than you, your pants would look stupid on me.”
“Oh fuck you,” Izzy chuckled, shoving Ed as he joined them, “you know what I mean.”
“I do,” Ed wrapped his arm around Izzy’s shoulder and Izzy let him keep it there, “it means I have to try harder, talk about my feelings or whatever.”
“Sounds awful.”
“Right? That’s what I said. Stede says it makes it better.”
“He’s a strange one, that Bonnet.”
“He is.”
“Pretty though.”
“Absolutely.”
“Right, well, that’s enough of that. How about a drink?” Stede suggested as he held up a glass, “or maybe a conversation where we’re not talking about how strange I am?”
***
“How long were you married for?”
“Ages,” Izzy tried to remember, “I was only a young man when we met, we didn’t get our first home until we were married for almost five years. She died when we moved into our second. Must have been near enough ten years, if not a little longer.”
“A lifetime,” Ed had stretched across the bed, but still hadn’t reached out to touch Izzy in any way that wasn’t simply friendly.
“Reckon Stede was married longer.”
“Only by a few years.”
“Your wife is a wonder,” Izzy felt more comfortable talking about anything that wasn’t feelings.
“She is,” Stede agreed, “if only we were as good as husband and wife as we are as friends.”
“She gave me some good advice when I was speaking to her about the whole thing, though I’ll admit I’m curious to know what her reaction was when you told her that you and I had shagged with Ed watching.”
“Oh, I didn’t word it like that. I told her that we had shared a night, you know, romantically.”
“Ah, well, she knows we were shagging now,” Izzy laughed, “maybe I’ve forgotten more of my manners than I thought.”
Stede’s bright red blush made the awkwardness worth it.
***
The conversation had lulled naturally, and soon they were settled half-asleep as they sat together. It had been a long few days, and Ed had never slept well on land. Given that they were safe, the exhaustion was slowly catching up with them.
Stede yawned, stretched, and reached for the buttons at the base of his throat, “time for bed, I think.”
“Agreed,” Ed didn’t move to undress, he just slid further down the bed and closed his eyes.
“Come now, Edward, you can’t sleep in leather.”
“Watch me.”
Izzy rolled his eyes, standing with Stede and undressing quickly. Once he was down to his smalls he climbed back onto the bed and reached for the button of Ed’s pants.
Ed opened one eye to see who was touching him and smiled, “Iz?”
“You might be able to sleep in leather, but I’m sleeping next to you, and I don’t want to be that hot. Lift your hips.”
Ed did, and with a brief fight with his knee brace, Izzy managed to strip Ed of his pants and his smalls.
“Why are you making me naked?” Ed complained with no real heat, “we’re just sleeping.”
“Yes, but you’re pretty and I thought Stede and I deserved a treat,” Izzy tugged at the bottom of his shirt until Ed sat up enough that he could pull it over his head.
Considering Ed was actually extremely uncertain of himself, he seemed comfortable reclining naked. Deciding it was only fair if Ed wasn’t the only one nude, Izzy shed his smalls and settled on the bed next to him.
“You two,” Stede chuckled and shook his head, “have no idea what you do to me.”
Izzy did though, because while Ed and Izzy were still soft and relaxed, Stede’s cock was heavy against his stomach as he found his space beside Izzy.
“Need some help with that?”
Stede smiled, shrugged, and closed his eyes, “we’re all tired, I’m happy to wait.”
Izzy didn’t push it, maybe they wanted to have a night alone before they welcomed him back, maybe they were honestly too tired. He closed his eyes, let Ed hold his hand when he reached for it, and waited for sleep to take him.
***
“I’m so glad he’s back,” Stede was whispering, almost not enough to wake Izzy.
He kept his breathing even, his face relaxed, as he waited to see if Ed would respond.
“Thought we had lost him.”
“We still may, if we can’t put it right.”
“How do I prove it?” Ed asked, “I know you love me, I know he loves me, but how do I prove it to him?”
“I’m not sure,” Stede sighed, “everyone is different.”
“I’ll need your help,” Ed was whispering frantically, “Stede, I need him.”
“I know,” Stede soothed, “I know you do darling, we’ll work it out.”
Izzy shifted, just enough to make them stop talking before he opened his eyes and looked between them.
“Don’t you two sleep?” Izzy grumbled turning to face Ed and pulling Stede to follow him.
Ed wrapped his arm over Izzy’s hip, pressed a surprising kiss against his forehead, and held him tightly.
“We were just talking about you,” Ed mumbled against this forehead, “what we can do to make you happy.”
It was sweet, knowing that Ed would admit it out loud.
“Sleeping would make me happy, I’ve been playing nursemaid, nanny, and pirate all week.”
Ed held him tight, and when Stede closed the distance between them, Izzy could admit to himself that he was happy. Something about it, though, made it impossible to say.
“Some people like to be touched,” Stede said from behind him, “some like gifts.”
“Not gifts,” Izzy answered, more awake now, “I have no need for things.”
“You like the ring though.”
“I do, but I like it because you noticed me admiring yours and you put thought into it.”
“Some like to be told,” Stede suggested, “hearing that they’re important.”
“Everyone likes to be told that they’re important,” Izzy groaned, “we couldn’t have slept a night before we talked about this?”
“Iz,” Ed stroked his hair, “please.”
“I don’t fuckin’ know, Ed.”
“What did Anna do?” Stede asked softly, “to make you feel important?”
Izzy wondered just for a moment if he preferred when they didn’t know he had been married. He loved his Anna, but hearing her name so many times in the past few days was painful. Remembering all the ways that she loved him was worse.
“Anna,” Izzy’s voice cracked, and he had to swallow to get it back, “I was the only one in the room when Anna was around. There could have been the most beautiful people in the room, we could have been around the richest people, and no matter what, she only wanted me.”
“She sounds lovely, I wish I could see her.”
“You can, later. I have a cabinet card with her picture.”
“How are we going to manage that when we have three people in the relationship?” Ed asked, “Stede is always going to be important to me, too. I love you both. Did Anna say something special?”
“No. Yes,” Izzy pulled away and sat up, “can we stop speaking about her, please? It tore my heart in two when I lost her, and I’ve only just felt safe even considering love again.”
“I’m sorry,” Stede sat up with him, cupping his face tenderly, “I’m sorry, love. We’re just trying to do better, and it seems as if she held the secret key that made you happy.”
“She did,” Izzy sighed and got off the bed on a quest for Ed’s pipe.
For a moment Izzy thought that they were going to let him go, let him forge that distance between them. Izzy packed the pipe and opened one of the windows, sitting on the window ledge as he lit it.
Ed shared a look with Stede before he stood and joined him, sitting beside him as Izzy smoked.
It was nice, having Ed there.
“I can’t make you feel like the only one in the room, Iz. Not when I love you both. I can tell you that you’ve been the only consistent person I’ve had in my life for years, and the thought of losing you makes me feel…shit.”
“I know,” Izzy let some smoke out in a lazy cloud around their heads, “I felt the same way when you left me for Stede.”
“Understand the appeal now, right? Hell of a cock.”
Izzy laughed, “hell of a cock.”
“I knew it, you’re just using me for my body,” Stede called from the bed, “my heart is broken.”
Izzy chuckled and offered Ed the pipe which he took gratefully, “thanks.”
“Ed?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m only with you for your body, too.”
It was worth the shove off the windowsill to make the joke.
***
Ed guided him back to bed when they were done the pipe, a warm hand on his lower back. Stede welcomed him with his arms outstretched, and Izzy let him pull him in for a hug.
Stede studied his face for a minute before he tentatively asked, “we haven’t kissed since our night together, I was wondering if I might be able to kiss you now?”
Izzy felt something like relief wash over him, he had noticed that they hadn’t kissed, and he was starting to wonder if they had lost the physical side of their connection.
“You don’t have to ask,” Izzy answered softly, “ever.”
The kiss felt like their first one, his heart pounding against his rib cage like a caged bird. He wasn’t pinned against a wall now, he was free to leave if he wanted to. Instead, he pulled Stede closer with a firm grip on his hip, and let himself relax into the embrace.
“I missed you,” Stede gasped when he pulled away, “so much.”
“Missed you too,” Izzy pushed Stede further back onto the bed and waved for Ed to join them.
Izzy kissed Stede again, pushing him back against the mattress as he guided Stede to spread his legs so he could kneel between them. Stede held him close by his hair, moaning weakly against his lips as they kissed.
“Iz,” Stede moaned softly as he bit on the muscle of Stede’s shoulder, “fuck, love.”
“Got him swearing now,” Ed’s voice was a warm growl, “good, keep going.”
“Find the oil,” Izzy ordered, “I don’t care which, but I need one of you to take me.”
“I have a better idea than that,” Ed found the oil and handed it to Izzy, “Stede, switch places with me.”
“Ed?”
Ed wrapped Izzy in a hug from behind, kissing along his neck, “years we’ve been together, and I’ve never felt you inside of me. If we’re going to be together, equal, I need to feel it at least once.”
Izzy would let himself be impressed later with how quickly the thought of taking Ed got him hard. Despite how old he was, he went from nothing to throbbing in almost an instant.
Stede scrambled to do as he asked, and with some awkwardness, they managed to switch spaces within the small bed.
“You’re sure?” Izzy asked as he looked down at Ed, “positive?”
“Positive,” Ed smiled up at him warmly.
Izzy’s hands were trembling enough that he struggled to pull the cork from the bottle, and Stede needed to take it from him to help.
“Can I kiss him?” Stede asked as he handed the bottle back, “or would you rather do this alone?”
“Kiss him,” Izzy grinned, “kiss him and tease him but don’t take him over the edge.”
“That I can do,” Stede leaned in, and they fell into a kiss that could only be described as familiar.
Izzy allowed himself the pleasure of just watching, the way that Ed flushed at Stede’s touch. He knew that Stede was gentle with Ed, and while Izzy didn’t want to be rough, he also wasn’t sure if he could be as gentle as that.
Ed spread his legs with far more confidence than Stede had, and when Izzy pressed a slick finger against the tight ring of muscle, Ed rolled his hips to take it like he had done it a hundred times before.
“Fuck me,” Izzy groaned as his finger was encompassed with the warmth of Ed’s body.
Izzy curled his finger, grinning as Ed moaned against Stede’s lips and his cock throbbed at the contact. Stede licked at his lips, letting his hand slowly drift down Ed’s stomach until he was stroking Ed’s cock in time with each kiss.
Ed was so vocal, something that Izzy knew but rarely got to enjoy during their rushed times together. At two fingers he moaned Izzy’s name against Stede’s lips.
“I can’t wait for him to feel you, darling,” Stede was soothing against Ed’s tense forehead, “how good it feels to be inside of you.”
It was then that the idea came to Izzy.
“Stede,” Izzy nodded toward the bottle perched on the windowsill, “prepare me.”
“I’m sorry…what?”
“I’ll take Ed, and you can take me,” Izzy added another finger and Ed cried out, “trust me.”
“Alright,” Stede did as he asked, and Izzy leaned forward to kiss Ed and give Stede room to work.
“You’re so fuckin’ smart, Iz,” Ed was lost, his eyes unfocused, “fuck.”
“Shh,” Izzy coached, “just a few more minutes.”
Ed’s nails bit into his skin, “I want you inside of me.”
“When I’m ready,” Izzy knew it wouldn’t be long, Stede’s usually poised and calm touch was rushed and trembling.
Stede went through the preparation far faster than he normally would, and Izzy was silently grateful that Ed had never been one for long drawn-out foreplay so when Stede hastily pulled his fingers away and declared Izzy ready, he wasn’t concerned that he wouldn’t be able to handle it.
“How do we…do this exactly?”
Izzy took more oil, slicked his cock and encouraged Ed to hook his sore knee over Izzy’s hip. There was a moment of pause, the room held tight in a moment of possibility, before Ed nodded and Izzy pushed forward.
“Fuck,” Ed whispered as a chant under his breath, “fuck, Iz.”
It was heavenly, not that Izzy had expected anything else. Ed’s body was warm and welcoming, and while Ed looked tense as he adjusted, he looked like he was enjoying the touch.
“Stede,” Izzy called over his shoulder, “slowly, yeah? We don’t want to knock Ed around too much.”
It was silly really, asking Stede Bonnet to be gentle. He was the Gentleman Pirate after all and gentle was in his nature. Despite the rushed preparation, there was barely a stretch as Stede pushed inside of him.
And just like that, the three of them were linked together.
There was a collective breath shared between them as if the weight of the situation hadn’t been lost on any of them. Izzy shifted his balance, pressing his hand over Ed’s heart as his soft declaration of love. Stede leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Izzy’s middle as he kissed his shoulder.
“As lovely as this feels, how are we to move?”
“Easy,” Izzy pushed Stede’s hips back, giving him enough room to pull out of Ed until only the tip of his cock remained, “both of you stay still, I move.”
“You’re going to fuck us both?” Ed said with a half laugh.
“I’m Izzy fuckin’ Hands,” Izzy grinned, “I can do whatever I want.”
Ed smiled up at him like he was something wonderful, “show me.”
Izzy did, one slow thrust back into the heat of Ed’s body, before he pulled Stede to follow, just a little closer, so he could move without losing contact with either of them. It was a few false starts, one or the other of his partners moving him out of sync, but eventually, they got it.
Ed all but melted when Izzy found his rhythm, one of his hands reaching up for Izzy’s shoulder, quickly covered by Stede’s.
This is how it should be. Not Ed and Stede, not Izzy and Ed, but them.
It was almost impossible to stay focused on moving, on giving pleasure when he was receiving it from both sides. Stede filled him beautifully, and the hand that wasn’t holding Ed’s on his shoulder was stroking Izzy’s side in an affectionate embrace. Ed was hot around him, tight and welcoming as he covered Izzy’s hand on the middle of his chest with his own.
In all ways, they had found their path to tying themselves together.
It was Stede who spilled first, a surprised shout as he suddenly filled Izzy with a flood of warmth. Izzy fought his hardest to hold back, even as Stede’s cock throbbed inside of him. It was a battle, and when Stede chuckled under his breath and whispered his apologies against his neck with a soft kiss, Izzy felt himself get all but kicked over the edge.
“Fuck,” Ed whined, “give me a hand, Iz. Something.”
“I’ll do better than that,” Izzy only took a moment to catch his breath before he encouraged Stede to move back, “go kiss our man.”
“What are you going to do?” Stede asked as he moved up the bed.
“Me?” Izzy pulled from Ed gently and moved up his body, “I’m going to ride him.”
“Oh fuck, Iz.”
They hadn’t done this before. Ed was happy to lead, take control of their nights together, but it had never ended up with Izzy straddling his lap.
The mix of the oil from Stede’s preparation, and the slick from his spend, had taking Ed eased down to a slow smooth slide.
“Give me a second,” Ed held his hips tightly, a bruising grip, “fuck.”
“What’s the matter, darling?” Stede turned Ed’s face toward him, licking at his lips, “are you close?”
“So close,” Ed’s grip was white-knuckled.
“Let his hips go,” Stede stretched out next to Ed, turning his face so he could kiss him, “you wanted us all together, love, that’s what Izzy is giving us. This is a night where we’re truly all connected.”
Ed whined once before he let Izzy go, and as Stede and Ed started to kiss, Izzy started to move. What was likely only moments seemed to last for an age as Izzy rode him. Ed blindly reached for his hand and linked the fingers together, struggling to keep up with Stede’s kiss and the roll of Izzy’s hips.
Ed pulled away from Stede as he cried out his pleasure, something sharp and desperate as he squeezed Izzy’s fingers. Stede stroked Ed’s hair, comforted him as he trembled through the force of it, and when Ed went lax underneath him, Izzy stilled.
It had all gone to plan until Ed opened those big beautiful eyes and Izzy found them filled with unshed tears.
“Ed?”
Ed surged up, pulling Izzy into a tight hug as the emotional wall between them promptly broke. Izzy wasn’t sure what to do as Ed suddenly started to sob against his chest, and aside from wrapping his arms around Ed’s shoulders, he found himself at a loss for words.
“It’s alright,” Stede sat up with them, joining in on the hug, “you’re alright.”
Curled up together they held Ed until he settled and calmed, and when he pulled away and wiped his face to regain his composure, neither of them commented on his sudden loss of control.
“Well,” Ed cleared his throat, “love you guys.”
“Love you, too,” Izzy kissed Ed’s temple before he pulled away, “I need a bath, badly.”
“In the morning,” Ed caught his wrist before he stepped from the bed, “please.”
“I’ll make us all sticky,” Izzy cautioned, but he took Ed’s fingers from his wrist and brought them to his lips in a soft kiss.
“Please stay.”
“Alright.”
***
Izzy slipped from the room the next morning to bathe, waking Stede before he left so neither of them worried that he had simply vanished. He didn’t miss the bruises that Ed had left on his hips the night before, or the love bites that Stede had somehow managed to sneak onto his neck while he had been distracted.
When he was done cleaning himself he took a moment to look in the mirror. He looked like a man well loved, someone who had a partner, or partners, who couldn’t bear to keep their hands from his skin.
That wasn’t the only change, though.
He looked better rested, some of the lines of tension that he often carried across his brow were smoother.
Love had a funny way of making people look healthier, and after so many years without it, its change was immediate.
Izzy dressed simply, reaching for his soft black pants before he pulled a clean shirt from the few that he owned.
This is where he hesitated for the first time in many years.
Izzy had taken to wearing all black as soon as Anna had died, as was traditional. It wasn’t unusual for widows to wear black for many years after the loss of their partners. He had taken this to the extreme though, and for the first time in ages, he found his hand lingering over the deep green shirt that Anna had bought him once.
Much to his surprise it still fit, maybe a little tighter around his mid-section given his age, but it was more than acceptable. Once he was dressed he gathered the small golden frame and opened it, looking at Anna, untouched by age or sickness, looking back at him.
“Hello, love,” Izzy spoke softly, “I have someone I’d like you to meet.”
Ed and Stede were both awake when Izzy joined them, and the look of surprise on their faces told him that the colour in his wardrobe had not gone unnoticed.
“You, uh,” Izzy cleared his throat before he held up the small frame, “wanted to see Anna.”
“Oh, yes,” Stede pat the bed beside him, “let’s see the woman that stole your heart.”
It was difficult to hand the frame to Stede, even knowing that he had spent his entire life around fine things and he would never dare to break it. He clicked it open gently, and Ed rushed to look over his shoulder.
“Oh, she was a beauty, Izzy,” Stede smiled warmly at the picture and Izzy found himself surprisingly relieved, “truly stunning. It’s hardly a surprise that she won you over.”
“Beautiful,” Ed agreed in a rare act of maturity, “I’m sorry that you’re without her.”
“We had that picture done when we moved into our second home together,” Izzy explained, “two of them. One of me, one of her.”
“Where’s one of you?” Ed asked, “I want to see what you looked like when you were happily married.”
“She was buried with it,” Izzy pointed to the empty side of the frame, “I don’t know if I believe in god or heaven, but if it is real…”
“If it is real?” Stede prompted.
“I suppose I didn’t want her to forget what I looked like.”
Stede’s lip trembled before he managed a smile, “I daresay you would be hard to forget.”
“We should put it up, yeah?” Ed asked as he took the frame, “put her somewhere safe?”
“We should,” Stede looked around the room, “I know just the place.”
Just the place ended up being above the mantel with the photos of Stede’s children. Anna took pride of place with all of the other family that had been left behind for one reason or another.
“We won’t light a fire until we have the picture duplicated by Lucius of course, just to be safe. We’ll see if I can have it made just a little bit bigger and we can have her in a proper frame.”
“It would be nice to see her more often,” Izzy took a deep breath, “not a day goes by that I don’t miss her. I was so lucky to have her.”
“I reckon we’re the lucky ones,” Ed wrapped his arm over Izzy’s shoulder, “now that we have you.”