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"Ed? Darling? Is that you? What's happening?" comes Stede's sleepy call from down the hall.
"Nothing, Stede! Just-go back to bed." Ed calls through the closed door, knowing it was useless. Sure enough, Stede pushes through the door a few moments later as Ed desperately re-legs himself before resuming the attempt to de-tangle his hair.
“Oh, dear. What’s all this?” Stede asks softly pushing the door open wider once he sees what Ed is doing.
“Nothing. Just got, uh, caught in a line.“ Ed steadily does not make eye contact with Stede.
“My my...” Stede reprimands while approaching from behind, “well, that is quite a bird nest. Caught in a stray line, you say?”
Stede stands directly behind Ed and takes the comb gently from his fingers. Something about his energy has Ed off balance, but he can't place why. Ed is the one lying. Stede is being his perfectly sweet and kind self.
And yet-
Ed feels like he is being hunted when Stede makes eye contact with him in the mirror.
“Yeah…” Ed says, looking away again. Shit, what is happening.
Stede begins gently working the knot that is Ed's hair.
"I can't hear the rain at all from the cabin." Stede continues quietly a few minutes later.
"Not raining. Not a cloud in the sky." Ed murmurs back without thinking
"Mmm...good night for navigating." Stede says with a smile.
"That's right." Ed's eyes are fighting stay open.
"Then why is your hair wet, darling?"
Ed's eyes snap open and try to find Stede's, but the blond is still fussing with his mess.
"I-well I-went for a dip."
Stede pauses in his ministrations to glare at Edward in the mirror. “Edward! I know you are a man of legend, but isn’t that dangerous? Even for you?”
Shit. “Yeah? I mean, yeah, very dangerous. But I was being safe. Had a-you know, um-fuck-"
"Life harness?" Stede supplies.
"Yes." Ed says with a snap and a point at Stede in the mirror, "that's what I said. Had a life harness on, needed to inspect something on the hull." Genius, flawless, spotless lie-
Ed watches Stede's gaze flicker towards the inky darkness of midnight that surrounds them, but he says nothing for a moment. Then Stede gives a big sigh and drops Ed's hair.
"I'm sorry, darling, this is going to take some extra work. Why don't I call you a bath. I picked up a hair softening treatment for just such an occasion.”
Stede is already walking out the door, leaving Ed dumbfounded. He still isn’t recovered when Stede returns less than a minute later. “Let me help you with your things, darling.” Is that a fucking purr?
Ed is frozen in confusion as Stede approaches once again. This time he pulls Ed’s jacket carefully from his arms, before turning him around by the shoulders. Stede’s fingers graze Ed’s torso, his arms snaking under Ed’s tattered tee. Ed bites his lip the stifle the moan that is threatening to escape, lifting his arms to allow Stede to remove the garment completely.
“Get your belt and boots off, I’ll be right back.” Stede insists before making his way out of the ensuite, leaving the door open wide. He is back in minutes with a metal caddy full of gently clinking bottles, a small stool, and a mass of purple velveteen.
Ed watched Stede fuss with the stool placement and the arrangement of the caddy as he pulls off his leather boots.
"Belts stuck." he declares with a smirk.
Stede looks over at him with a wry smile. "Well, know, can't have that. Here-" he shakes the purple velvet out into a long robe like the ones he wears around their cabin. Stede steps up behind him, holding the garment out for Ed to slip his arms into.
Ed does, and the fabric feels sublime. "Fuck, you get this for me?" Ed asks in wonder, playing with the oversized sleeves. Stede moves to his front and begins work on his belt.
"I did, yes-" Stede answers distractedly. The belt was, indeed, a little stuck. "I thought you could-ah, there we go-use something to relax in." Stede's arms wrap around his torso, his face pressing into his chest for a moment before he's pulling back, setting the heavy leather off to the side.
"You take such good care of everyone, Ed." Stede is standing within inches of him, looking up into his eyes even as his fingers work the buttons on the fall of his pants, "The crew."
The right side falls open.
"The ship."
The left side falls open.
"Me."
Stede pops the final button at the waistband and the pants ease down Ed's hips a few inches. Stede gets on his knees and works them down Ed's legs. Ed tries to breath as Stede instructs him to step out of each leg, folding the well-worn leather and setting it aside before getting spritely to his feet.
"There now." he cinches the robe tightly around Ed's waist, covering his nude form from view, and sitting him down on the stool.
Ed goes without question, his brain having left his body when-he's not even sure when. All Ed knows is he needs Stede to keep touching him and cooing over him.
"I'm going to work this into your hair now, then I should be able to get you all combed out, alright darling?" Stede asks as he pumps a thick substance into one of his hands. He rubs it together with the other before diving them into the disaster that is usually Ed's waist length hair.
It smells like orange blossoms. Ed can't help the little groan that escapes him as he feels Stede's fingers work.
"You like that, darling?" comes a sultry whisper in his ear.
Ed opens eyes he didn't realize he'd closed to look at Stede in the mirror again, expecting a saucy smirk or a predatory wink.
But it's just Stede, smiling at him lightly, genuinely waiting for an answer to his question. Ed knows that if he asks, Stede will stop in an instant.
"Yes..." he exhales, closing his eyes again and leaning into the touch, "I like that very much."
They are interrupted much too soon by a quiet knock on the hallway door. Stede removes his hands and begins wiping them on a towel, kissing Ed lightly on the forehead and instructing him to wait where he was. Ed hears him open the cabin door and direct someone toward him. Ed sits up stiffly on his stool, ready to to cut down anyone that dare make fun of Blackbeard wrapped in a luscious robe-
"Look at me." Stede instructs quietly. He's standing behind Ed again, blocking most of the reflection of the room with his form.
Ed does as he says, his dark brown eyes meeting Stede's hazel ones in the mirror.
Much better.
Stede begins massaging Ed's temples delicately and Ed let's his head fall back, using the nice layer of padding along Stede's stomach as a pillow and letting out a sigh of content.
"That's it, just relax darling." Stede says and Ed fades away into the feeling of Stede.
Before he knows it, Stede is coaxing him to stand and remove the robe. Ed comes back to himself and realizes the crew has left, the door is shut tight. It's just the two of them and a tub.
Ed gulps.
He'd seen the steam curl off Stede’s bath with shudders as Stede had slipped below the surface. Ed knew what a sought after delicacy kraken soup was and he didn’t really fancy cooking himself.
Well, maybe for Stede.
Stede holds one of Ed’s hands high, providing him with balance as Ed dips the very end of his big toe-
“Oh!” Ed eyebrows shoot up in surprise and he quickly eases himself into the tub. It’s salt water, which he hadn’t been expecting, and it wasn’t hot, but warm. Like basking in the shallows of a shoal. “Oh, you know what I like.” He sighs, stretching his legs out and leaning his head back on the folded towel Stede placed for him.
“Oh good. I’m very happy to hear that.” He does indeed have a bit of a pink tinge to his cheeks as he moves the stool closer, comb in one hand.
Ed closes his eyes, listening to Stede get situated above him.
“Now, let’s see if this hair potion is worth what I-well, you, paid for it, hm? And you, love, you just relax.”
So Ed does. He lets himself float in his bath that feels sun warmed, not having to worry about being captured or killed if he drifts off for a second. The only sound are Stede occasional sighs of, “Ah! There we go.” that are so soft, Ed’s not sure Stede even realizes he’s doing it.
Ed can tell Stede has succeeded when he feels the comb begin to scrape across his skull in rhythmic pulls.
Ed tries to suppress his moan, really he does, but if a little whimper escapes, well. That’s between him and Stede.
“That’s it love, just relax.” Stede purrs again as he carefully pulls through Ed’s black and silver curls.
Ed is imagining spending the day swimming with Stede. He’d find a pocket of warm water like this so Stede would be comfortable. Droplets would glisten on his skin as Ed lifts him, laughing, high in the air-
“Will you pass me a towel from the chair, love?” Stede asks in barely more than a breath.
“Mmm…” Ed agrees without opening his eyes, stretching out an arm to where he'd seen Stede place a stack of the fluffy cotton sheets earlier. The end curls tightly around the table towel and passes it carefully to Stede.
“Thank you.” It’s even softer and if Ed wasn’t so relaxed he’d be concerned about the subtle hitch in Stede’s thanks. As it stands, Ed returns to his daydream Stede, as reality Stede resumes his task, now gently squeezing water from Ed’s hair.
“Could you pass me another, please?” Stede requests.
Again Ed reaches over with an arm, his human arms and body still where they lay against the tub, his dark, sucker laden kraken arm moving lazily-
Ed’s kraken arms, which had been floating lazily in the water, retract, curling around him and making him ready to scurry away-
"Hey now, none of that..." Stede chides gently. Ed's eyes are still closed, his arms still poised in position to flee or fight, when Stede's fingers begin working gently at his tempers again, sliding his fingers through the hair there, "You were being so good and relaxing for me..." Ed feels the tug of the towel as Stede eases it from the tight curl of his arm, and resumes gently blotting Ed's hair, muttering to himself as he works "Want to keep these curls intact, I bet they'll be ringlet's if we treat them right-"
"Stede." Ed says firmly, finally opening his eyes, head still resting against the tub. Stede's beaming hazels smiled down at him.
"Hello, love." Stede continues to beam at him as he moves the stool a little so he can sit along side the tub and look at Edward, sliding their hands together.
Ed is still tense. Is Stede insane? All dozen of Ed's arms are fully on display and Stede is beaming at him like he did when Ed is in his human form.
Very carefully, and preparing for the screaming to come, Ed reaches out with the very tip and slides the sucker side down Stede's cheek, tasting his skin again for the first time since they met in the water.
Stede beams impossibly wider, slowly bringing his hand up to cradle Ed against his cheek.
Ed's breathe catches as he watches the tenderness with which Stede handles him, fingers running along Ed, feeling him.
"You-you're not scared?" Ed asks, awestruck.
"Oh, hush." Stede scolds playfully, smirking, "I told you I knew you had tentacles."