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Stede wanted very much to say that everything had gone according to plan.
Unfortunately, given the fact that he’s coming to consciousness tied up against a mast, he has to admit to himself that it might not be entirely true. He doesn’t exactly remember what went wrong, but he suspects it has something to do with the pounding ache in his head.
He twists, trying to figure out where exactly he is, and is rewarded in his efforts with a sharp pain in his ribs. Ah - now that he thinks about it, he does remember running across a deck - with much less caution than he should’ve had, why was he moving so fast, those decks can get very slippery in the rain - only for… something to slam into his stomach like a battering ram, possibly cracking a rib and definitely sending him sprawling onto the ground.
And now, he remembers why he was running across the deck.
“Ed?” He asks, turning his head as much as he can, bound to the mast as he is. It’s made harder by the fact that it’s still raining, and he doesn’t have any hands free to clear the water from his eyes. He can feel a warm body tied up next to him, and he manages to crane his neck enough to see wild gray hair. “Ed, are you alright?”
Ed’s not moving, not responding at all, and now Stede is panicking.
“Edward, are you alive? Please be alive!”
“I’m fucking alive, you dick,” Ed’s familiar voice hits Stede so hard that he might’ve collapsed with relief if he wasn’t already sitting and tied up.
“Oh, thank God,” Stede says. “Are you ok?” He was running, he remembers now, because Ed was facing a sword held to his throat, his own weapon lost across the deck.
There’s nothing but silence for more than a few moments, and Stede starts to worry again. “Ed?”
“Fuck off, I’m not talking to you.” The voice is rough and angry but Stede doesn’t mind that when it’s also so steady and strong.
“That’s fair. I suppose my rescue didn’t go quite as planned.” Stede hears a derisive snort from his side.
He thinks that’s all the response he’s going to get, then he realizes that Ed is muttering quietly under his breath. Stede strains his ears to listen.
“…. fuckin‘ ‘not quite as planned’, this dickstick, showing up just in time to ruin a raid, thinking he’s all special and handsome with his stupid fucking beard, and goes and gets us both captured with his stupid fucking mess of a crew, but oh, it’s just a slight change of plans, no big deal, stupid fucking asshole-”
Stede is suddenly grateful for the self-control he’s developed over years of marriage and parenthood, because it’s taking every single ounce not to comment on the “handsome beard” part.
It’s not important. They can discuss it later. They have much bigger problems right now than whether or not Ed thinks he actually looks handsome with the beard, since it definitely 100% was not a factor in why he grew it, he doesn’t care at all…
“Can I at least ask if you know where the crew is?” Stede blurts, mostly to keep himself from saying anything about anyone’s facial hair (Ed’s beard is growing back, just a scruff, just long enough that the curls are obvious again, and it’s probably for the best that Stede’s hands are tied up because all he wants is to reach out-) “Ah, I mean, are they safe?”
Ed pauses his rant long enough to say, “They’re fine. Left behind with the guns pointed back to keep them from following. Only wanted us.” Stede sighs in relief, especially as his question has the added benefit of stopping Ed’s tirade. He looks pointedly away from Stede, across the ship, and Stede decides he’s pushed his luck enough for the moment.
It had just started sprinkling rain when Stede’s crew had finally found Ed and The Revenge, mid-battle. The storm has picked up in the time that Stede was unconscious, and now it’s pouring, making things all the more miserable.
The ship they’ve been taken hostage on is slightly larger than The Revenge, with more crew on her, too. From what Stede can tell, the ship didn’t take much damage in the battle - she seems to be sailing smoothly. And despite the ferocity of the rain, the seas are relatively calm, which is at least one thing going for them.
The crew of the ship moves with intent, keeping her going through the storm. They don’t have time to spare even a glance to their prisoners - though Stede does notice they seem to steer clear of Ed’s side of the mast, a clear unwillingness to get near the terrifying Blackbeard even tied up as he is.
Eventually, Stede spots the captain of the ship - he’s the one barking orders, and the only one wearing a jacket fancy enough for the unique brand of vanity fitting of a naval officer. The captain catches Stede’s eye and moves towards him.
“Ah, company,” Stede mutters, and he feels Ed tense beside him as they both watch the captain near.
“Sir! hello! I don’t believe we’ve been introduced,” Stede says cheerily. “I’d offer you my hand, but, well.” He nods towards his bound arms.
“Captain Brisbane,” the other captain says. “No need for introductions on my end, as I’m well aware of who you are.”
He pulls a rolled up parchment from his pocket and unfurls it, showing it to Ed and Stede. It’s a wanted poster for one Edward Teach aka Black Beard (with a significant reward associated) and one Stede Bonnet aka The Gentleman Pirate (with a much smaller reward), both wanted for charges of desertion from the Privateering Academy.
“Deserters? I dunno, are you sure that’s us? Doesn’t sound like me,” Ed says.
“Yes, I think you must have me confused with someone else. My name is Captain Thomas Edwards,” Stede says.
Brisbane looks at him with one eyebrow raised. “You certainly look like this Stede Bonnet,” he says, gesturing towards the portrait on the poster.
It was apparently done by an incredible artist, because it is, unfortunately, an excellent likeness of Stede.
“How fascinating! Isn’t it astounding how two very different people can look so similar to each other?.”
“Fascinating indeed,” the captain says dryly.
“But I thought I heard this Stede Bonnet was dead. Mauled by a jungle cat, I think. Or was it crushed by a piano? Either way, a terrible tragedy I’m sure-”
Next to him, he hears Ed mutter, “Overselling it.” Stede shuts up.
The captain stares at him. Stede stares back, trying to look as innocent as possible.
“Fine. I don’t… I don’t really care. Either you are Stede Bonnet, and I’ll receive the reward, or you aren’t, and as soon as we make land it’ll be someone else’s problem.”
“And, ah, who’s problem will that be, exactly?” Stede asks. “Where will we be going?”
Brisbane looks at him like he’s an idiot. “The Academy, obviously.”
“Right! Of course. But, seeing we’re not those reviled deserters, as previously discussed, that does seem like a rather long trip for nothing, doesn’t it?” Stede asks.
“Listen to me carefully,” Brisbane says. “I cannot overstate how little I care about this. As an officer, I’m expected to pick up anyone who appears to be a wanted criminal, whether or not I have better things to do. Which, to be clear, I do have better things to do. So we’re going to go to the Academy, I’m going to get my reward, and you’re going to bother someone else. Understood?”
“Understood!” Stede and Ed say together. Brisbane rolls his eyes as he turns on his heel and gets back to barking orders.
“Well, he’s certainly not winning ‘Employee of the Month’, is he?” Stede says.
“You’re dead?” Ed asks in response. His tone is flat, but it sounds like he’s desperately working to keep it that way.
“Ah, yes, officially. More officially than before, I mean. Mary and I set it up together, so that I could come back and she could be an independent widow, you know how it is, it was a whole thing, there really was a jungle cat and a piano and - well, anyways. I’m dead,” God, he wishes they had gagged him, just so he couldn’t keep up this nervous rambling. He hadn’t meant to mention Mary like that, without any context, but it had just slipped out…
And, of course, Ed picks up on it. “Mary. Your wife, Mary?” And Stede cringes.
“Erm. Yes.” He’s flustered, trying to remember the words he had practiced over and over with Oluwande. Olu had made a good sounding board, though he missed Lucius’ input desperately. “Ed, please, I need to apol-“
“No,” Ed says, and it’s with such finality that Stede finds himself incapable of arguing. Fortunately - or unfortunately - it looks like they’ll be here for a while, so Stede has time.
The rain lessens over the next few hours, though never stopping entirely. It’s a warm rain, at least, though they’re not long from sunset now and it’s sure to feel colder once the sun is down. Stede eventually finds a way to rest his head that keeps the worst of the rain from falling directly into his eyes. He can’t see much more than the side of Ed’s face, but he can tell the kohl lining his eyes hasn’t fared well in the rain - it’s running down his cheeks in streaks now.
Stede manages to stay quiet for a while, instead watching the crew, the rain, the ocean. It’s incredibly boring.
“What do you think they’ll do to us, when we get there?” Stede finally asks, when he can’t manage silence any longer.
Ed grunts, but he must be bored too, because he answers. “They don’t really love deserters. Best case, they use us as an example. Throw us in jail for a while, stage a nice public flogging, soften us up ‘til we promise we’ll be good little reformed pirates again.”
“That’s the best case?”
“Worst case is they do all that and still hang us, so.”
“Ah.” Stede blanches. “Well, then. I think I’d prefer…. Not that, at any rate.”
“Oh, fuck, really? You would? Well damn, you should’ve told me sooner, I’ve just been hanging out here cause I thought it’d be a laugh.” Ed snaps, and Stede rolls his eyes.
“I hardly think the sarcasm’s necessary, Edward. No one’s happy about this-“
“Bit presumptuous of you, isn’t it, I’m exactly where I want to be, actually,” Ed interrupts. “Sounds like that’s a you problem.”
“- and I understand you’re angry at me, but if we work together -“
“I’m not angry at you,” Ed says, and Stede scoffs.
“I can tell when you’re angry at me,” he replies tensely.
“I am not angry at you, Stede, because that requires caring and I could not give a fucking shit about you.”
That stings, rather more than Stede wants to let on. He takes a deep, fortifying breath, looking away from Ed and over the ocean and trying to collect himself before saying anything that might make things worse.
“Fine, then. You do what you will but I, for one, am going to try to get out of here.” He glances furtively around the ship - between their duties and their steady avoidance of Blackbeard, the crew seems as distracted as they’ll get.
He sits up, straightening his back as much as he can, tied as he is. His legs are stretched out in front of him, and he slowly starts folding his right leg, bringing his boot closer towards the mast. It’s not the most comfortable position - it’s actually rather reminiscent of sitting with Alma on the floor as she showed him her drawings - but it’s doable.
The hard part comes when he tries to reach into the boot. With his hands tied as they are, he can’t reach forward at all. He wriggles his foot, unintentionally (well… mostly unintentionally) kicking Ed a few times in the process. He doesn’t have time to look at Ed right now, but he can feel the other man’s body shifting as he tries to turn to watch Stede.
“What the hell are you doing?” He hisses. “It’s broad daylight, you maniac, they’re gonna see you.”
“Not if you block me from sight!” Stede shoots back, finally managing to slide his fingers down his boot to grasp the handle of the small knife he has hidden there. “Ha!“ He stages-whispers triumphantly as he drags the knife out. “They need to search their prisoners better!”
“You - are you serious, right now in front of everyone, you idiot,” Ed mutters, but he draws his own leg up to his chest now, leaning down to rest his chin on his knee and effectively blocking Stede from sight of everyone on his side of the boat. “You’re gonna get caught, you asshole, and I’m not bailing you own of your own stupidity.”
“Don’t be such a spoilsport! I’m just going to saw myself free, and then I’ll do you, and we’ll come up with a distraction - some sort of fuckery, I’m rather good at them now - something to make them look the other way, and we’ll slip over to the side into a dinghy and row away.” It’s not a perfect plan, but Stede thinks it’s rather good given how little time he’s had to come up with it.
“That’s the stupidest fucking plan I’ve ever heard,” Ed says flatly. “You’re just gonna row away? Middle of the ocean, nothing to see for miles, and you think they’re not gonna notice you rowing away?”
Stede stops sawing at his bindings to snap, “Then you come up with a plan!”
“I have a plan, it’s to wait - “
“Oh, excellent plan, that’ll really get us somewhere-“
“Hey!” A voice from across the deck shouts, and Stede freezes.
“Fucking hell,” Ed mutters. “Are you happy now?”
“Well, maybe if you would’ve helped me instead of complaining -” Stede is cut off by the scrape of the dagger as it’s plucked out of his hand and flies towards the approaching captain in one fluid movement. Ed’s aim is off, limited by the bindings, and it barely reaches the man before clattering to the ground. Brisbane raises one eyebrow before reaching down to snag the dagger.
“Sloppy,” he comments neutrally, and Stede sees Ed give a shark-like grin.
“Not as sloppy as your crew missing a dagger on Blackbeard, is it?” He asks. “You should talk to them about that, probably.”
So much for not bailing him out, Stede thinks. It was his plan, though, and he’s not going to let Ed take the fall for it, so he says, “Well, I must say that in fairness to them, it was actually -“
“- cause they’re too intimidated by me to give a thorough search, yeah.” Ed cuts him off, and Stede nearly groans in frustration. “So I suppose it’s more cowardance than incompetence, if that’s a consolation.”
Fine, then. Two can play at this game. “Don’t feel too badly, though. He can be very intimidating. Some men just don’t perform well under pressure - I’m sure your crew is perfectly adequate in, ah, other ways.” Stede says.
“Right, like knot tying! Their knot tying skills are totally reasonable.” Ed makes a show of tugging on his bindings in demonstration.
“Well, that’s a very nice talent to have when you’re in this field, isn’t it? Important in your day job but also quite useful in your extracurriculares.”
It’s only because Stede knows him so well that he recognizes the catch in Ed’s voice as him desperately trying not to laugh. “Oh, shit, I didn’t know we were on that kind of a ship. You guys should put up a sign up or something, make it more clear.”
“Oooo, I have some wonderful artists on my crew! I’m sure we could whip up a nice flag for you, something that really lets your personality shine-”
“You two are a pair of comedians, aren’t you?” Brisbane says with more than a fair amount of disdain.
“I mean, I was thinking of getting into comedy, yeah.” Ed says. “I’ve done pretty much everything else - world’s most famous pirate captain, world’s most famous privateer, world’s most famous diserter who made the academy jackasses look stupid, yada yada… there’s really not much else on the bucket list, you know?”
The other captain sighs heavily. “The amount of money I’m getting paid to deliver you does not come close to making it worth dealing with you two.”
“Oh, cheers, that’s the real compliment there,” Ed says. “I pride myself in being the most annoying motherfucker on the seas.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t have you causing trouble on our way there. So-” Brisbane pauses, and Stede watches in horror as he drives the confiscated knife into the meat of Ed’s thigh, just above his brace. Ed hisses between his teeth. “- please take this as a warning, and as a reminder to leave me the fuck alone.” He yanks the dagger back out of Ed’s thigh, and Stede can see the blood start to run down his leg.
The captain stands and turns to leave. Over his shoulder he calls, “Someone will be over to make sure you don’t bleed out.”
With the man gone, Stede twists as much as he can to try to see Ed better.
“Dammit, Ed!” He’s trying to press his own leg against Ed’s, to put pressure on the wound, but he can’t get any leverage. “Why would you antagonize him like that?”
“I didn’t ask your opinion, did I?” Ed snarls, and Stede…
The thing about being a pirate, Stede’s learned over the past few months, is that there’s nothing to stop you from being angry. In his old life, anger was hidden under the guise of passive aggression, of subtle snubs and snipes, pushed down to fit polite society. Perhaps others let out their anger in the privacy of their homes, but despite what a terrible husband and father Stede had been, taking his anger out on his family was perhaps the one mistake he hadn’t made with them.
And then he’d gone to sea, and he’d experimented in letting the anger escape just a little - with Nigel, with the French boat. It felt good.
Then he found his crew marooned and left for dead. He learned that Ed had kept Jim and Frenchie and Lucius out of spite. And he’d tried to think of Ed’s perspective, to understand why he was lashing out, but -
But he was so. Fucking. Mad.
“Christ, Ed, why can’t you just think things through!” It’s taking all his effort to keep his volume down, but he doesn’t want the rest of this stupid ship to be involved in this conversation. “There’s no in between with you, is there? It’s all or nothing - you’re not trying to escape, except then you’re antagonizing him into stabbing you. You’re giving up pirating forever to work for the English, then you’re giving that up to sail to China! You’re angry at me so you maroon my entire crew! Isn’t there a fucking middle ground?”
He’s not sure if he’s the one shaking with anger, or if it’s Ed. Maybe it’s both of them, because Ed spits, “Yeah, well, mate, at least I can make a fucking decision. You can’t commit to anything. You abandon your family because you couldn’t work out your rich people problems, then you just - abandon me, and go running back to your family, because it’s easier than committing to something new. You’re a fucking coward, is what you are.”
Stede feels the words hit him like a physical blow, another stab to his gut. All of his righteous anger is sucked out of the wound, until he feels entirely empty. He knows it’s true, but to hear Ed say it, to know that Ed has finally seen this, the worst part of himself, hurts him more than any of the times he’s heard it before.
Almost by accident, he breathes out a soft, “Oh”, and he hears Ed whisper, “fuck”.
There’s nothing more to say, then, because one of the younger boys on the crew appears with towels and bandages. Stede turns away as the boy crouches next to them, pressing a towel firmly against the wound. They spend the next minutes in an uncomfortably heavy silence while the boy holds pressure until the bleeding slows. He finally wraps Ed’s leg in bandages, and Stede lets out a deep breath as he leaves.
The silence that falls once the boy leaves is possibly one of the most tense Stede’s ever experienced (and he has quite a range to choose from). Finally, Ed mutters, “Goddammit”, and then, “I didn’t fucking mean that.”
He certainly doesn’t sound apologetic. He sounds like the words are being dragged from him, like he’s just saying what he thinks will ease the tension between them. “Why not? It’s true,” Stede says coldly, and Ed scoffs.
“Don’t fucking make me comfort you, asshole, you’re the one who should be apologizing to me,” he spits, and that gets Stede’s blood boiling again.
“I’m sorry, what exactly have I been trying to do for the last…. However many hours? What, are you finally ready to hear me out?”
“Fine! Say it!” Ed says, and Stede bristles.
“Well, now I don’t want to,” he says, trying his best not to sound sulky and absolutely failing.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“Oh, and I’m the only one who needs to apologize?” Stede asks.
“You’re the one who fucking left!” Ed says, his voice raising nearly to a shout.
“And you threw all my stuff in the damn ocean! And then marooned my perfectly innocent crew! What the hell did they do to deserve that?”
“They got in Blackbeard’s way!” Ed shouts. “That’s who I am, who I’ve always been, and it’s not my fucking fault you and your stupid crew were too naive to see it.”
Stede knows exactly who convinced Ed of this, and it makes him so angry he can barely see straight. “If I ruined you by making Edward too soft, then fucking Izzy ruined you by insisting Blackbeard is all you can ever be. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Find the damn middle ground.”
They’re both breathing heavily now, as if they’ve been doing something more exerting than arguing while tied to a mast. Ed snaps, “Why’d you even come back, if you’re gonna be a dick about it.”
“Why did- because I missed you, asshole!” Stede sputters. “And I wanted to make things right! Which I was honestly expecting to be a lot easier than it’s turning out, and that’s not even considering the whole ‘being taken hostage’ part, since the fact that we’re tied together with literally nothing to do but talk should’ve helped-“
Stede stops as Ed starts laughing at him, the nerve. “I’m sorry, is my emotional breakdown funny to you?”
“You fuckin’ - you had a plan that you thought would be improved by, by, fucking, getting kidnapped,” Ed manages to say through his laughter. “You woke up this morning and said, hey, I’d like to apologize to Blackbeard, and that would definitely be easiest if I ruined his raid and then got us both tied to a ship’s mast on our way to certain death.”
“It wasn’t my first plan,” Stede says stiffly. “Plan A was more of a 'dramatic rescue with a witty catchphrase' kind of thing.”
He regrets saying that immediately, because Ed instantly says, “What catchphrase?”
“It’s…. It was still a work in progress, we were going to crowd test it first…” he mumbles.
“Well, test it now then.”
“It was… something about… The Gentleman Pirate teaching these scoundrels some manners…”
Ed absolutely howls at this. Stede can’t help but chuckle a bit too.
“My alternative was ‘Now your treasure we will plunder, step aside lest we tear you asunder!’, so.”
“Holy fuck,” Ed gasps. “That’s incredible. What about,” He has to pause to control his laughter. “What about, ‘Choosing to fight would be your blunder’.”
Stede’s laughter is hell on his sore ribs, but he can’t stop it now.. “If - if you - if you survive this day it’ll be a wonder!”
They both lose it then, collapsing into giggles. Every time they start to recover, one of them suggests another word, and they fall apart all over again.
Eventually, their laughter dies down, and the silence they fall into is a peaceful one. The rain is no more than a patter now, and the sun has slipped down behind the horizon, night closing in on them. The ocean is awash in a gorgeous orange-red light that promises clear sailing tomorrow. The crew of the ship has mostly moved below deck for dinner - the only one left is a man keeping watch at the helm.
“D’you remember the last time we watched the sunset together?” Ed finally asks. Stede recognizes the white flag he’s waving.
“It was the happiest I’ve been in… well, ever.”
If they weren’t sitting so close together, if Stede weren’t listening so intently, he may not have heard Ed whisper, “Then why didn’t you come?”
Stede has practiced the answer to that question a million times in his head. For every stroke of the oars in his tiny rowboat, he’d thought of what he might say to Ed - “I was scared, I was confused, I wasn’t thinking clearly, I didn’t mean to-"
But now, as he leans his head back against the mast, as close to Ed as he can get, all that comes out is, “It was…. The lighthouse. You were right. About how they’re for… avoiding.”
Ed makes a noise like he’s going to protest, but Stede isn’t done.
“You get too close, you smash up against the rocks, right? I was…. Smashing you. On my rocks.” That’s not at all what Stede wanted to say, but the words are tumbling out without any chance of his pretty, prepared statements making it out. “Chauncey said I was ruining you, making you soft, and. Well. I’d already ruined my family. I figured the least I could do was…. Let you go, and try to fix them, I guess. Minimize the damage all around.”
“So… you went home?” Ed asks, his voice cracking on the last word.
“Home is…. Not the word I would use, I think, not anymore. The Revenge is my home now, has been since -“ he wants to say since you came but it’s too soon, it’ll disturb the quiet peace growing between them. And it’s not entirely true anyway - his crew had already made it a home, Ed had just completed it. He’s not sure how to complete his sentence, so he just forges on. “Anyways, it’s not my home anymore, but they are still my family. Part of it, anyway.” He glances towards Ed, hoping he hasn’t scared him with the implication there, but Ed seems lost in thought.
“So I went back, but it turned out they didn’t need me. The kids were happy with their lives, they didn’t want their… their deadbeat father coming back. And Mary was, just, thriving, she had her art and her widow friends and her… Doug, and there simply wasn’t a place for me.”
“So you came back because there wasn’t any other option,” Ed says, and Stede wants to scream at how badly he’s fucking this up.
“No!” He insists. “It’s not that, it’s… God, I’m ruining this, I had all these things I wanted to say and I’m just messing it all up.”
Ed, bless him, stays silent, letting Stede collect himself. The sunset is fading now into dark purple streaks stretching across the sky. Stede breathes in deeply, tasting the salty night air, the drizzle of rain, and wonders how anything other than this could’ve ever felt like home.
He takes a deep, fortifying breath and starts from the top. “Mary and I talked, finally, about everything we’ve spent years avoiding. We were only ever together out of duty, never love, and we only ever hurt each other because of it. But while I was gone, she found love, real love, and… I asked her what it was like, because I’d never…”
He trails off, but this time Ed whispers, “What did she say?”
“She said it’s - easy as breathing,” he says, and it’s so silent around them that he can hear Ed’s breathing hitch in time with his own. “That they understand each other, that they learn from each other, that they… just exist in sync together, and I -” he turns his head to watch Ed’s profile, sees the other man swallow hard.
“I realized I knew what she meant. I’d know all along, I just didn’t…. Didn’t have the word for it.”
“Yeah?” Ed’s voice is so soft, so hesitant, and Stede wants with all his heart to look at him more fully, but he’s not brave enough to get out what he needs to say if he’s looking at Ed. So instead he directs his words to the ocean.
“I love you, Ed. I’m so sorry I didn’t realize it before. I didn’t understand myself enough to recognize what I was feeling, and I hurt you because of it, and I’m so, so, sorry, because I love you and I - I never wanted to hurt you.” He feels like he’s leapt off a cliff and now he’s poised at the top of his arc, heart somewhere near his throat, waiting to see if he’ll land in the warm embrace of the water or smashed against the rocks and glass at the shore.
There’s a soft body pressed against him, and a hand reaching to his cheek, pulling Stede’s face back toward him as fiercely as a rip current. Ed’s eyes are wide, glistening just the slightest amount, and he says “Stede, you better be - I can’t, if you’re not serious, I can’t do this again.”
“Ed, I love you more than anything, and I swear, I swear if you’ll let me I’ll do everything I can to prove it to you, I’ll do everything in my power to never leave you again-“
The rest of Stede’s words are lost as Ed presses his lips to him.
Their first kiss was soft, awkward and unsure, sweet and gentle and lovely. This one is fierce - Stede captures Ed’s mouth in his, trying to prove that he’s serious, to show this man just how much he loves him. Ed kisses him back like he’s been drowning, suffocating, and now Stede is the only possible air he can breathe.
They break apart, chests heaving. Stede studies Ed’s face carefully - with the kohl running down his face, he looks strangely vulnerable, and Stede feels a fierce need to protect. Ed’s hand is still stroking Stede’s cheek. Stede is twisted uncomfortably, still sitting upright with his arms tied behind him, and it’s-
Wait.
Stede pulls back further, cocking his head at Ed’s suddenly unbound hand. At the same time, Ed furrows his brow, eyes going distant like he’s thinking about something.
“Wait, you’re-“ Stede starts, at the same time Ed says “When the fuck did Chauncey say-“
They both pause again, looking at each other.
“How did you…?” Stede finally says, gesturing at Ed’s free hand.
“I’m Blackbeard,” Ed says, in the tone of someone clarifying that the sky is, in fact, blue. It does not answer Stede’s question. “When the fuck did Chauncey say that shit? He didn’t say that while we were on the Revenge, I would’ve known.”
“Ah, well. It wasn’t actually your man who came and woke me that night. Chauncy came, marched me out at gunpoint, said… well, a lot, probably best not repeated,” Stede says, then pauses at Ed’s absolutely thunderous look.
“I’ll fucking kill him,” Ed growls, and Stede has no doubt that he would.
“You can’t, actually. He had his gun pointed at me and still managed to shoot himself in the face with it. Rather a family tradition, I suppose, killing yourself with your own weapon.” Stede forces out an uncomfortable chuckle.
“He had - you could’ve died,” Ed says, and his anger seems to be sliding away.
“I‘ve been trying not to think about that, actually,” Stede grimaces. Ed’s face is rapidly contorting into something Stede things might be in the range of terror.
“He could’ve killed you and I never would’ve known, I would’ve thought you just decided not to come…”
“Well, I sort of did decide not to come, though,” Stede says. He’s not entirely sure why he’s arguing that point right now, but it feels important
“But only cause of him, cause of what he said, cause he almost killed you.”
“No, it was because I… I was a coward, like you said. I was afraid and I ran.”
“Ok, yeah, it was cowardly. And shitty. And dumb and seriously, for such an educated dude you’ve made some spectacularly stupid decisions, like it’s almost impressive-“
“Great, thanks,” Stede says dryly.
“But showing up here with this dumbass plan was brave as fuck. And so was becoming a pirate, and telling Blackbeard to suck eggs in hell, and a million other things you’ve done. You can be both. If I’m not any one thing, Stede, then neither are you.”
“Trapped by my own logic,” Stede says, with a wry smile. “Ed, I hope you know, when I said I love you - I mean all of you. Edward, Blackbeard, it doesn’t matter - I love every part of you.”
Ed opens his mouth to say something, then pauses. His eyes harden, just a bit. “I’m not just gonna forgive you, just cause you say you… I’m not ready for that yet.”
“I know. I didn’t expect you to,” Stede says softly. “I’m still rather mad at you about some things as well, if you remember. We still have to… talk it through.”
“As a crew,” Ed agrees seriously. Then he grins for just a second - it’s gone so quickly, but it still lights his face like the sun. “I missed you so fucking much, though,” Ed says, and presses a gentle kiss to his forehead. Stede closes his eyes, and despite their situation, he’s not sure there’s anywhere he’d rather be.
“Ok, time to go,” Ed says when they break apart again. He starts untangling himself from the rest of his bindings.
“Of course. Wait. What?” Stede asks.
“Right, so, we couldn’t go before, cause you can’t escape from a boat in the middle of the fucking ocean in broad daylight,” Ed shoots Stede a look of mixed annoyance and affection, and Stede huffs his own annoyance back at him.
“If you’d share your plans every once in a while, maybe I wouldn’t have to come up with my own…” he mutters, and Ed barks out a laugh. He’s now completely free and working on Stede’s bindings.
“But now, I dunno if you’ve noticed, it’s perfect.” Stede looks around and finally notices the heavy layer of fog that’s developed in the cool air left behind after the rain. The few lit lanterns scattered around the deck aren’t strong enough to pierce the foggy darkness entirely. Stede can just barely make out the outline of the sailor on watch at the wheel.
“Oh!” Stede says, delighted. “Just like that first fuckery.”
“Yeah, exactly. I knew the weather’d turn soon enough. Once it looked like we were losing the fight, I called the plan - Iz and I came up with it years ago, he knows what to do next.”
“You were right,” Stede says.
“Always, but what specifically?”
“My plans are shit,” Stede says feverently, and Ed laughs.
“Ok, so,” Ed finishes releasing Stede, who stretches the soreness from his arms. “I’m gonna go up to that guy on watch at the helm, take him out, and then get all the lanterns on that side of the ship lit. Once he’s out, you put out the lanterns on this side, and that’ll be the signal for The Revenge to get on her way.”
“Right!” Stede says, nodding intently. “No problem.”
Ed stands, takes one step, and immediately falls as his left leg buckles underneath him. “Ok, one problem,” he says.
“Damn!” Stede curses, moving to Ed’s side. His hands flutter ineffectually over Ed’s leg, wanting to help but afraid of hurting him further. “Is it your knee? Your wound?”
“Uh - dunno? Both? The rain always makes the knee worse. So does being tied up. And being stabbed. So we’re really 0 for 3 there.” Ed says. He gently stretches his leg out in front of him and winces. “Well, shit. Ok, lemme just - think this through.”
“I’ll do it,” Stede says. “You stay here, and I’ll go take that guy out.”
Ed looks at him doubtfully. “You don’t have a weapon.”
“Well, neither do you, and you were still going to do it.”
“Yeah, but, I’m kinda experienced at this kind of thing, you know?” Ed says. “Hand-to-hand fighting, and stuff.”
“I can do it!” Stede insists. “I’ve gotten pretty strong, now that I’m actually doing boat-running things. And I’ve been practicing with the crew.”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just, you’ve literally been in one duel in your entire life.”
“And I won, didn’t I?” It’s meant to be rhetorical but Ed looks about to argue, so Stede says, “Look, we don’t really have another option, do we? It’s not like we can just wait around.”
“Guess not,” Ed says, though he doesn’t look thrilled about it.
“Great!” Stede says brightly. “I’ll be right back, then.”
“Wait, don’t you wanna - talk it through?” Ed whispers, but Stede’s already creeping towards the stairs leading up to the helm.
It’s not hard to duck from shadow to shadow on his way across the deck. He creeps up the stairs on his hands and knees, hoping the general ship noises will cover any sounds he makes.
Once he reaches the level of the helm, he realizes his lack of weapon may be slightly more of an issue than previously thought. He’d hoped to grab something heavy while up here, maybe try a stun move - but everything loose has been thoroughly tied down for the storm. There’s nothing he can grab while staying quiet.
Well, then. He does have an alternate - something he’d seen John do on a raid once, and had immediately asked for lessons on. He’s not amazing at it, but he can make it work…
He creeps up behind the man. From up here, he can’t see more than the vague outline of Ed at the mast, and nothing that would suggest the prisoners aren’t tied up so thoroughly anymore.
He slowly stretches to his full height. Then he reaches out, and, with a quick and decisive motion, grabs the man’s shoulders and pushes him forward, slamming his head down against the wheel. The man goes limp, and Stede lowers him to the ground
A variant on the stun move.
He takes a moment to check the man over - he’s unconscious, and not waking anytime soon, but still breathing, and Stede is glad. He doesn’t expect to make it off this ship without having to kill someone, but killing a man from behind like that seems rather unsporting. He relieves the man of the dagger and sword tucked into his belt.
He uses the single lit lantern next to the wheel to light the rest around the aft. Then he creeps back down to where Ed is waiting. After hours of being so close to the other man, it feels strangely cold and lonely to be seperated.
When Stede returns, it’s to find Ed staring at him, jaw open, looking astounded. “Everything alright?” Stede asks, somewhat concerned.
“Where’d you learn to do that?” Ed asks, and Stede suddenly wonders if he misjudged the situation.
“Ah, well, as I said, the crew taught me some things and, you know, it’s always arm day on the ocean… I’m sorry if that was, ah, too aggressive-“
“No, it was fucking hot,” Ed says. Stede blushes.
“Right! Well, then.” That buoys his spirits significantly. “Here, I got you a gift.” He offers the sword to Ed.
“Thanks, you definitely should’ve,” Ed says. He gives the blade a few test swipes while Stede sheathes his stolen dagger. While Stede was gone, Ed managed to wipe away most of the smeared kohl, and now his face is mostly clear. Stede reaches out and rubs one spot of kohl on Ed's cheek that he missed.
“We’ll put the lights out down here, now?” Stede asks, and on Ed’s nod he darts across the deck. He blows out the lanterns on this side, plunging the bow into darkness while the aft shines through the heavy fog.
“Good?” He asks when he returns to Ed, and gets a thumbs up.
“Now we just gotta wait. They shouldn’t be too far behind us, won’t take too long to catch up.”
“And when they catch up, they’ll…?”
“Oh, you’ll know when it happens,” Ed says. “Now help me move? Better get out of the firing range.”
Ed uses the mast to support himself standing up, and with some jostling, Stede manages to wedge himself under the man’s arm. Stede complains about the movement on his bruised ribs, and Ed pokes him gently in the side. Ed leans on him heavily as they move towards the front of the ship, trying to stretch his knee out as they go. The movement seems to help - after a few minutes, Ed’s walking more comfortably, pacing the deck with only a slightly more pronounced limp.
There’s not much to see, but when Stede tries to train his eyes in the night, he think he can convince himself that there’s a spot of brightness in the dark.
Stede is wondering how long they’ll have to wait when he finally hears the familiar sound of The Revenge’s cannons and the splintering of wood at the helm
“Ah. That’ll be the signal, I assume?” Stede asks, staring at the broken helm.
“Yup, that’s the one,” Ed says. “Easy to hit the only thing lit up, isn’t it?” He pulls out his stolen sword. “Ready?”
In the minute that it takes sailors to start streaming out from belowdecks, the spot of light Stede had noticed has split into two ships - The Revenge and Stede’s new ship, The Nightingale. The ships seperate to flank the enemy ship, The Revenge coming up on their port side and the Nightingale on the starboard.
He can see the outlines of the sailors on their ships preparing to board, but for now, it’s Ed and Stede alone against the sailors nearing them with weapons drawn.
Stede really has been practicing with his crew. They had to get information about Blackbeard’s movements somehow, and raids have provided an excellent source of gossip. He wouldn’t say fighting is quite second nature yet, but he certainly is more comfortable with it now. He’s even starting to get the appeal of it - the adrenaline rush, the feeling of power that comes with bringing another man to his knees.
Fighting by Ed’s side is everything he’s learned to enjoy about fighting and more. They move in sync with each other, without needing to discuss - Stede lunges, slicing his dagger across a man’s knee, sending him stumbling toward Ed who knocks him out with the pommel of the sword. Ed twists under Stede’s arm, stabbing someone coming to attack Stede from the side. When Stede thrusts, Ed is right there at his back, parrying the swords trying to take advantage of the opening. When Ed knocks an opponent to the side, Stede is waiting, ready to finish him off.
It’s as easy as breathing.
The rest of their combined crews have arrived now, cutting in and out of the fog like ghosts. Stede sees Pete gleefully attacking anyone who’s near. Jim and Olu are back to back, Jim’s knives leaving a path of destruction in their wake. He catches a glimpse of Izzy stalking across the ship, his eyes focused on Ed as he parries blows.
With the element of surprise on their side this time, the tide quickly turns in their favor. Stede and Ed clear enough of a path around them that they can start making their way towards the plank connecting them to the Revenge.
It’s chaos, yelling and shouting and gun smoke and formless shapes everywhere, and Stede is thriving.
They’re nearly at the Revenge when Stede catches a glimpse of Captain Brisbane. He has a gun raised to them, and Ed’s back is turned, watching their other side.
Stede doesn’t have time to shout a warning to Ed - instead he leaps, throwing his whole body at Ed, pushing him out of the line of fire. He flings his dagger at the other captain in a smooth movement that would make Jim proud, just as he feels a searing pain hit him. He and Ed land on the deck in a crumpled heap, Stede’s ribs absolutely screaming at the sudden movements. He tries to shield Ed’s body as he looks back at the other captain - miraculously, his dagger managed to strike the man, who’s stumbling backwards as Jim stalks forward to finish him off.
“Ed? Ed, are you ok? Did he get you?” There’s blood on Ed, and Stede’s eyes scan him rapidly, trying to find the source.
“Fine, I’m fine, I didn’t - he got you, you idiot, what the hell were you thinking, where’d you get hit - ” The realization that the blood is coming from him, not Ed, hits Stede with such a wave of relief he goes limp. Ed, meanwhile, is searching him, ripping his shirt down the center so that his chest is exposed, clean and blood-free. “Where’d - ” he mutters, and follows the splatters of blood to the wound Stede now sees in his upper arm.
“Holy shit, Stede,” Ed breathes, his whole body realizing. “Ok, that’s ok, that’s not so bad.”
With the immediate adrenaline fading, Stede can feel the pain of the wound now, and fuck, that hurts. “Not so - I’ve been shot!” Stede says wildly.
“Yeah, but as things go, if you’re gonna get shot anywhere this is kinda the best place,” Ed forces out a nervous laugh. “Now why the hell would you do that?”
“Well, you took a knife for me, didn’t you? Only seemed fair that I take a bullet for you.”
“Yeah, that’s some bullshit,” Ed says.
He pulls Stede to his feet and wraps his arm around his shoulder, pressing firmly on the wound. They stumble towards the Revenge’s plank together, Ed still limping and Stede trying to catch his breath, now that the fighting seems to have calmed down. Stede can see his crew finishing things up, but the way to their ship is now clear.
Izzy is waiting near the plank leading to the Revenge. He looks scandalized to see Ed and Stede leaning on each other. Stede would enjoy it more if he wasn’t actively bleeding from a gunshot.
(He does enjoy it a little, though)
“Captain!” Izzy snaps. “Blackbeard, we have things to do that do not involve that -“
“Go help the men loot the ship, Iz, I’m busy,” Ed says, and Izzy shoots Stede a scathing look before moving away.
Ed and Stede manage to make it over to the Revenge without worsening any of their injuries. Ed leads him to a quiet spot at the far side of the ship, and Stede sits heavily, leaning back against the ship wall.
“Roach!” Ed yells, and the man glances up from where he’s examining a cut on Jim’s arm. He gives some instructions to them, handing some bandages to Olu beside them, and makes his way over to Ed and Stede.
“Captain,” Roach says, nodding to Stede. He doesn’t spare a glance for Ed. “What do you need?”
“I got shot!” Stede says, still feeling somewhat bemused about the whole situation. “Can you dig the bullet out and patch me up, I guess?”
Ed snorts a laugh, and Stede looks at him sideways. “Why is that funny?”
“That was a joke, right?” Ed’s brows furrowed at Stede’s confusion. “Right?”
“... Which part, exactly?”
“The - digging the bullet out!” Ed’s face is rapidly developing into a mixture of horror and disappointment. “Wait, Stede, you haven’t been digging bullets out, have you?”
“I mean… I can’t say we’ve had the opportunity, but it certainly can’t stay in! Can it?” He’s suddenly unsure. He looks at Roach, who gives an entirely noncommittal shrug.
“What the fuck, how does that even make sense? Why would making a bigger wound help?”
“Well, the bullet causes… infection, or something? Right?” Stede says meekly, and Ed looks at him like he’s the one talking crazy, when Ed is, in fact, the one suggesting they leave a foreign object in his body!
“The bullet came out because something set it on fire! Nothing’s cleaner than that, mate. Holy shit, how have you survived this long?”
“I usually find that not getting shot solves that, actually. Besides, I’m not the one who enjoys getting impaled for laughs!”
Ed mutters something under his breath, which sounds something like, “Cause you haven’t done it with me yet”. Stede gives him a suspicious look, but doesn’t have time to say anything before Roach shoves a bottle of alcohol into his hands.
“You’ll want to take a sip of that before we start.” Roach pulls out his sewing supplies while Stede hastily takes a hefty gulp from the bottle. He winces as the alcohol burns down his throat.
Looking around, it seems like the battle has ended as quickly as it started. His crew has split themselves between the Revenge and the Nightingale - he can see Olu and Jim kissing with a passion on the other side of the ship, with Frenchie catcalling them nearby. Across the ruined enemy ship, Stede sees someone who he suspects to be Wee John standing at the Nightingale’s rail, tossing something onto the enemy ship that explodes into fire on impact. Izzy is shouting orders to get the Revenge moving, all while glaring fiercely at Stede.
“Ready, Captain?” Roach asks, holding a threaded needle at the ready. Stede nods, grabbing Ed’s hand tightly with his other arm.
The pinching and tugging isn’t quite as bad as Stede was expected - probably due to the rum softening the pain. He’s still feeling rather breathless, though. Probably all the excitement.
Ed must notice how quickly he’s breathing, because he frowns. “Stede? You good?”
“Of course!” Stede says. “There’s just a lot going on, isn’t there? Always takes some time to recover after a raid!” That’s not really true, anymore, for him, now that he’s gotten more comfortable with the more bloody parts of piracy. But, he supposes things are different with Ed back.
“Right,” Ed says, but he doesn’t look all that relieved. “How ‘bout you take some breaths with me, ok? In and out?”
Ed breathes, slow and steady and deep, and Stede tries his best to follow along. His heart rate is certainly slowing as he calms. His breathing, though, doesn’t seem to be getting any easier - if anything, it’s getting harder to pull in a deep breath.
“Um, did you say something about your ribs earlier?” Ed asks suddenly.
“Yes, I took a solid hit in the first fight -,” Stede says, then has to pause to breathe.
“Hang on-” Ed pushes Stede back to lean against the wall, ignoring Roach’s protests as his patient is ripped from him. He lays his ear to Stede’s chest. Stede lets out a startled noise, but Ed shushes him, and Stede freezes.
Ed listens intently, then moves to the right side of Stede’s chest. He only listens for a moment there before sitting back up. “Fuck,” he says, then looks back at Roach.
“His ribs got cracked before - I think they must’ve shifted, pierced something. I can’t hear his breaths on this side,” Ed says, gesturing back toward Stede’s right side.
“I’m sorry, what?” Stede asks, but the men ignore him.
“His arm’s good enough for now. I know how to uncollapse a lung,” Roach says, with startling calm.
Stede says again, “WHAT?”
“What do you need?” Ed asks, and Roach thinks.
“Something long, sharp, and hollow,” he says. Both men glance around the deck.
“Maybe one of his quills?” Ed offers, and Roach nods enthusiastically. He leaps up immediately and starts directing the rest of the crew on deck, asking for someone to find a quill.
“Edward!” Stede snaps, and Ed turns back to face him. “What the fuck.”
“Ok, so, you’ve probably got a collapsed lung, mate.” Ed says. Stede can feel his heart start racing again. “It’s totally fine, don’t worry, Roach is just gonna get it right open, no problem.”
“Don’t worry?” Stede asks. His voice is rising, and he’s definitely hyperventilating now. It suddenly seems so much harder to get breaths in. “My lungs aren’t working!”
“Just the one lung!” Ed says, as if that’s supposed to make him feel better. “And it’s working, it’s just working a little less!”
“That sounds like a big deal, Ed! I think both lungs are important!”
“Ok, yes, lungs are important! Can you focus on breathing for right now, though, please?” Ed says, and he sounds frazzled enough that Stede shuts his mouth and focuses on breathing.
Ed is crouched down next to Stede, his bad leg extended to keep the pressure on the knee. He’s still taking steady and even breaths for Stede to follow, and he tries to match Ed as best as he can.
He only gets a few more breaths in before Lucius appears behind Ed, holding out one of his quills. Stede brightens at seeing the boy, even if he does look incredibly put out. Lucius taps the quill on Ed’s shoulder, who reaches up and grabs it.
“Fuckin’ finally, how long does it take to find a fucking quill on this damn ship-” he turns to look at Lucius as he grabs the quill, turns back to Stede, and then does a double take. “Holy fuck!” he shouts, falling out of his crouch and pushing away from Lucius. “Piss off, ghost!”
Well, that seems like an incredibly overblown reaction to someone Ed’s been living with. “Ghost?” Stede asks, raising an eyebrow.
“He thought I was dead because he fucking threw me overboard, Captain,” Lucius says.
“He WHAT?” Stede yelps, and all his work at steady breathing falls apart immediately.
“Asshole tried to drown me! Tossed me into the ocean!” Lucius says, pointing an accusing finger at Ed, as if it’s unclear who he might be referring to. “I’ve been living in the secret passages so he can’t try again!”
“Edward!” Stede shouts. He loses the delicate balance he’s found with the air in his lungs, and starts coughing and gasping as he tries to regain his equilibrium. Ed winces.
“Ok, shit! I’m sorry, and we can add this to the list of things to talk about when you have the breath capacity to yell at me for it, yeah?”
Stede glares at him, but he really doesn’t have the ability to argue about it in his current condition. Lucius gives another glare to Ed’s back before retreating to Pete, who's waiting nearby with open arms.
Roach has returned. He plucks the quill out of Ed’s hand and immediately takes a knife to it, slicing the top off.
“That was one of my best quills,” Stede says mournfully as he watches Roach destroy it.
“You can buy a new one,” Ed says.
“Oh. Well. Is now a bad time to tell you that I left my entire fortune to Mary?”
Ed blinks at him for a moment. “I - Ok. Sure. Why not?”
“Lay him down for me?” Roach interrupts. Ed ushers Stede to lay flat on the deck.
It’s a little harder to breathe in this position. Stede is so focused on the effort that it takes him a moment to realize that Ed has moved as well. He’s lying next to Stede - practically on top of him, though Ed is carefully holding himself so that his weight isn’t on Stede. His face is so close that Stede almost leans in for another kiss.
“Oh! Hello,” Stede breathes.
“So, wanna tell me about the beard?” Ed says. Distantly, Stede is aware of Roach moving around his other side, tugging his shirt to expose the right side of his chest, pressing on his sore ribs. It’s hard to focus on that when Ed’s face is right there.
“Um. Well, there’s been less time to shave, you know,” Stede mumbles.
“Right, of course. And it wasn’t part of your ‘dashing pirate rescue’ plan at all, I’m sure.”
“You think it’s dashing?” Stede asks. Ed grins.
Stede has mostly forgotten about Roach at this point - a fact he thoroughly regrets when the other man stabs him in the chest.
Stede jerks, but Ed’s hands, which were gently resting on his shoulders, have suddenly turned into iron grips holding him in place. There’s a moment of shocked pain, in which Stede opens his mouth to gasp without air. A hissing noise escapes from the cut-open end of the quill now sticking out of Stede’s upper chest.
Then his lung expands into the sudden space, and Stede finds he finally has the breath to scream.
Which he does, with great gusto.
When the shock of the pain fades, he takes another great gasp, luxuriating in the feeling of a full breath. “Warn a man!” He snaps towards Roach. The man has the gall to look pleased.
“Sounds like you’re doing great, Captain. Leave that quill for a few hours to make sure the lung can fully expand.”
“A few hours!?” Stede exclaims, but Roach is already walking away. He looks back at Ed, who’s now sitting upright. The other man shrugs.
“I’m not the doctor, mate,” he says, and Stede groans.
“I think I’m gonna faint now,” Stede says. He nods to himself. “Yes, I think that’s it for me for a while.”
“That’s fair,” Ed agrees. Stede glares at him with less force than he’d like - honestly, unconsciousness is coming whether he wants it or not.
“Don’t let anyone stab me with anything else while I’m out,” he says, since it seems like something that needs to be clarified now.
“I will not let anyone stab you,” Ed agrees. “Unless Roach says it’s necessary to save your life.”
“Fuck off, I’ll go find Lucius then…” Stede says, making a movement as if to get up. He definitely can’t get up, but it’s convincing enough that Ed says “Whoa, hey, ok, let’s not do that.”
Stede grins at him. The pain and fear and alcohol are all making the edges of the world a little fuzzy, now. “Fine, I’ll stay. You’ll stay too?” He asks hopefully, and Ed rolls his eyes at him.
“Yeah, I’ll stay too, you goof,” he says, and that’s good enough for Stede to let go.
-------------------------------------------
When Stede wakes, he thinks it must be only a few hours later. It’s still dark outside, though there’s a hint of color suggesting that sunrise isn’t far away. He’s in his bed, in his cabin - the blankets are different than he remembers, and his quick glance around the cabin suggests that there have been other changes too, but right now he’s too exhausted to catalog them all.
Instead, he focuses on the man sleeping next to him. Ed has pulled up a chair next to the bed, a second chair nearby for him to stretch his left leg out. There’s a fresh bandage over his thigh, which Stede hopes means Roach has taken a look at the wound. Ed’s fast asleep, resting his head on the bed next to Stede’s leg.
He’s close enough to touch, and Stede can’t stop himself. He reaches his hand out and gently strokes through Ed’s thick, gorgeous hair. He wonders idly what Ed does to keep the curls so soft - he never quite knew how to handle the curls in his own hair, always settling for keeping it short. Maybe Ed can teach him.
Ed hums quietly, leaning into the touch. Then his eyes open and he sits up fast, looking at Stede.
“You’re awake!” He whispers, as if afraid to break the silence. “How are you feeling?”
Stede takes the briefest of glances at the quill. “Damn, it’s still here,” he sighs. “I was rather hoping it’d be gone.”
“Roach said he’ll check on it in the morning, and if you’re still breathing ok he’ll pull it out.”
Stede sighs, glancing again at the dark sky. “Well, only a bit longer then, I suppose.” He looks back at Ed, studying him carefully. “How are you doing?”
“Me? ‘M fine, mate.” Ed says. Then his face crumples. “Thought you were gonna die, though,” he says quietly.
“Oh, love.” The word slips out, and Stede hesitates, but when Ed doesn’t react, he reaches out to stroke the man’s hair again. Ed leans into the touch. “You seemed so calm though.”
“Cause you were freaking out!” Ed says. “Someone had to be. But all I could think was, I just got you back and you were gonna die before we could talk or fight or I could tell you I loved you too and I just-” Ed breaks into sobs, and Stede feels tears prickling at his eyes too.
“My love, it’s ok, I’m ok, I’m here,” He says, and he keeps stroking Ed’s hair and whispering words of comfort. Eventually, Ed’s tears calm, and he looks back to Stede.
“Do you… do you want to talk now?” Stede asks hesitantly. He really doesn’t, but he’ll do whatever Ed wants.
“Uh… we can,” Ed says, but he doesn’t sound enthusiastic.
“Or… we could put it off till morning, maybe?” Stede asks hopefully, and Ed brightens a little too.
“Yeah, suppose we could do that,” he says. “Best that you rest up, cause I’m not gonna go easy on you. Got some zingers ready. Been planning my argument for ages.”
“I accept your challenge, Captain,” Stede says, and they both grin at each other.
“Would you like to sleep here? Stretch your leg out?” Stede asks, and Ed doesn’t even hesitate before joining him on the bed. He moves carefully, trying not to jostle Stede too much while he settles with his arms wrapped around him.
“G’night, love,” Ed murmurs against Stede’s chest.
“Nighty night. Fight with you in the morning,” Stede mumbles, and he falls back into the most peaceful sleep he’s ever had.