Work Text:
Superposition: noun. The combination of two distinct physical phenomena of the same type (such as spin or wavelength) so that they coexist as part of the same event.
Stede's fingers trailed across the silk of the lavender frock coat. He traced the line of one sleeve down to the cuff, where it was delicately embroidered with a fine silver thread. He toyed with a mother-of-pearl button, turning it this way and that to admire how it shimmered with a multitude of colours as it caught the rays of the mid-afternoon sun streaming in through the bedroom window.
His gaze fell next on the complementary velvet breeches, which were a slightly deeper shade of mauve. He allowed himself to run his palm along the fabric, revelling in the softness of its pile.
He had bought the ensemble on a trip into town earlier that day when he'd gone to buy some soft furnishings for the inn (well, inn-in-potentia), while Ed fished them some dinner. The suit had caught Stede's eye as he had been loading up on curtains and blankets and cushions in the small town's haberdashery-slash-tailor. The jacket had sat atop a dressmaker's mannequin. It had looked to be just about the right size for Stede. And oh, it was beautiful. His feet had carried him across the store without conscious intent, as if pulled by a magnet.
Stede loved the freedom of being able to dress more casually these days. He tended to favour flowy linen shirts, ideally with plunging necklines that he knew drove his boyfriend wild. He would pair them with some hard-wearing leather or cotton trousers, befitting a hard day's work of renovations. But he could admit to himself that he missed the way a well tailored suit and a pair of silk stockings made him feel. He couldn't deny that he wanted both in his life— the practical and the sublime, the gentleman and the innkeeper. So, when the tailor had offered him the suit for an incredible deal (on account of the rather large amount he had already spent on soft furnishings), Stede had found himself unable to resist.
The problem was, while he did, undeniably, wish to bring some finer fabrics back into his life, he hadn't yet figured out how to do so without opening up old wounds. Stede had never held the destruction of his former wardrobe against Ed. He understood Ed's reasons for disposing of it all, and also recognised that it must have caused him great pain to do so. Yet he worried that Ed might interpret the acquisition of new finery as an indictment of his prior actions.
He sighed, carefully folding the garments and placing them back into the box that they shared with a matching waistcoat, cravat, shirt, stockings, and shoes. He wrapped them in protective paper before placing the lid back on the box and sliding the whole thing under the bed. It was one of the few places in their home that Stede could be sure that Ed wouldn't look, on account of the high spider potential.
He pushed down his unease at the thought of hiding things from Ed, promising himself that it was just temporary. He would tell Ed about the suit soon, when the time was right. He didn't know when that would be, but he figured he would know the moment when he saw it.
***
The moment, as it turned out, was on a quiet Tuesday evening around two weeks later. Chores done for the day, dinner cooked, eaten, and cleared away, they had settled themselves on the sofa with a good book and a glass of brandy. Sometimes they liked to read together, one reading aloud as the other listened, interjecting frequently with their own commentary. But on other evenings, like this one, they preferred to each lose themselves in their own book.
Ed was sprawled out along the length of the sofa, feet in Stede's lap. Stede found himself absentmindedly rubbing his left hand along Ed's cotton-clad shins as he read. He smiled fondly every time he heard Ed making a comment on the romance novel that he was currently working his way through. Ed was never a quiet reader, and Stede wouldn't have him any other way.
"Hey, babe," Ed said, poking Stede with a toe to ensure he caught his attention. "Check this out. This bloke looks just like you!"
He spun his book around, holding it at arms length, revealing a whole-page etching of a dashing hero with a halo of bouncing curls. He was clad in an exquisite suit, paired with stockings and dress shoes. The resemblance was quite uncanny, actually. If Stede didn't know better, he may well have assumed that this was a portrait of him during his brief tenure as the Gentleman Pirate.
Stede smiled. "Yes, I suppose he does, a bit."
Ed turned the book back around, fixing his stare upon the illustration once more. "Always thought you looked like you'd stepped straight out of a romance novel," he murmured. "With your floofs and your frills, and your fancy suits in all of the colours of the fuckin' rainbow."
"Thank you," Stede responded, feeling a little overcome. Obviously, he knew now that Ed found him attractive, but at the time, Stede really had been quite oblivious to Ed's affections. Stede found that it touched him quite deeply to hear Ed talk so openly and casually about his feelings during those heady few weeks that they had first sailed together.
Ed peered over the top of his book. "You were a fuckin' knockout mate. Still are, of course — don't get me wrong. You look fantastic in anything… or in nothing," he added, with a cheeky wink.
"Says the man who managed to look stunning in a literal rice sack," Stede quipped.
"You'd have smashed that look, too," Ed replied, with a chuckle. He set the book face down on his chest, splayed open to keep it on the right page; Stede tried very hard to keep his wince internal.
"There was this one suit you had," Ed continued. "It was a kind of… soft green colour. Reminded me of a fuckin' fern or something. And there was golden thread all through it, so it shone when you moved. I liked that one."
At some point while he was speaking, Ed had begun kneading Stede's thigh with his foot. Stede felt hotter all of a sudden; it seemed as if the temperature of the room had increased by a few degrees.
"I imagined what it would feel like to peel you out of that suit, layer by layer," Ed purred, foot edging closer to Stede's groin. Stede allowed his legs to fall open a little wider, inviting the touch. "I imagined slipping that jacket off of your shoulders, kissing your neck while I slowly opened each button on your waistcoat. I would have fucking worshipped you, Stede, with my hands and my tongue. Would have had you gasping and moaning as I took you apart piece by piece."
"Ed…" Stede whined, hips shifting instinctively in search of friction.
Ed, the damn tease, chuckled and slid his foot away from Stede's growing arousal as he continued his monologue. "I spent a lot of time thinking about those silk stockings you used to wear, too. Like, a lot."
"Yeah?" Stede asked, pulse racing as Ed's foot continued to massage his thigh. "What did you think about?"
A low, seductive chuckle escaped Ed's lips. "I'd imagine how it would feel to run my hands along them while I was on my knees for you. I'd imagine the feeling of them against my face as you squeezed your thighs around my ears."
Stede looked over at Ed, gratified to see the tent in his trousers — evidence that this conversation was having the same effect on Ed as it was on Stede. He watched as Ed laid his head back, allowing his eyes to fall closed.
"There was one fantasy though, that I used to enjoy a lot," he said, voice a husky growl. "You'd be laid out on that fancy fuckin' bed of yours, wearing nothing but your stockings. Your feet would be thrown up over my shoulders, and I would kiss the silk on your ankles and your calves as I fucked you slow and deep."
The tension inside of Stede was coiled so tight, he felt as if he might explode. He wanted to pounce on Ed, just absolutely fucking devour the man. But he understood that Ed had done something very vulnerable just now, in revealing these fantasies from a time that was still difficult for them to talk about. And so Stede pushed his urgency down, determined to offer Ed the same vulnerability in return.
"I used to think about you, too," Stede murmured, softly.
There was a thud as the romance novel hit the floor. Ed was a blur of movement. One moment he was reclining lazily along the couch and the next, he was straddling Stede's thighs. He stared at Stede intensely, pinning him in place with those beautiful brown eyes.
"What did you think about?" Ed asked.
Stede drew in a deep breath, taking time to gather his thoughts. This moment felt important, and Stede wanted to speak truthfully. He wanted to make himself vulnerable, just as Ed had.
"Your hair," Stede sighed. "You have the most beautiful hair I've ever seen. It's like moonlight. I used to imagine sinking my fingers into your waves and pressing my lips to yours."
Ed was gazing at him, eyes wide and wondrous, but tinged with disbelief. Stede was momentarily transported to the deck of the Revenge on that night of the french party; Ed had borne the same expression then, after Stede had told him he wore fine things well.
"You used to think about that?" Ed asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Stede hummed in assent. "I used to think about your tattoos a lot, too. They fascinated me, the way they would dance as you moved." Stede took one of Ed's forearms in his hands, and began tracing the outline of the serpent with his fingers. "I'd imagine doing this; following the lines of your tattoos with my fingers. I used to wonder whether they would feel smooth, or whether they would be raised. I'd imagine you telling me the stories of them, where each one came from and why, as I brushed my lips across them."
Stede felt Ed shiver beneath his lips as he demonstrated the action he had just described. Ed's arms had broken out in goose-flesh, his breaths coming rapid and shallow.
"What else did you used to think about?" he breathed.
Stede smiled, a blush rising to his cheeks. "I would think about that strip of tummy that sometimes peeked out from beneath the hem of your shirt. I would imagine falling to my knees before you, and running my tongue all along your exposed skin. I thought about how your body hair would feel against my lips. I would imagine placing my palms flat, here" — he reached out, laying his palms against Ed's belly — "and then slowly moving them up, underneath your shirt. I imagined your heart racing beneath my hands as I brought them up to your chest."
As Stede's palms cupped Ed's pecs, he could, indeed, feel his heart pounding. "Fuck, Stede," Ed sighed. "You were impossible to read, man. I had no idea that you were thinking about me like that."
"I… I didn't fully understand my own feelings back then," Stede replied. "I knew that I found you beautiful. I knew I wanted to touch you. I just… I didn't…" Stede squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. Even now, he was unable to find the right words to articulate what he had been feeling, and what it was that had held him back.
Ed placed a gentle kiss to his lips. "It's okay, Stede," he whispered. "We got here in the end, didn't we?"
Stede sighed. Ed was right; of course he was. And being with Ed now was wonderful. He loved what they had built here together, away from the pressures and the constant peril that came with a life of piracy. But there was a part of him that grieved for what could have been, that mourned all of the moments they lost because of Stede's inability to read his own fucking feelings.
He wished he could go back and experience the wonderful things that Ed had described. He wished he could give those things to Ed, let him take apart the Gentleman Pirate piece by piece. But those moments had been carried away forever on the tide. They were gone. Lost.
But wait a minute. That wasn't quite true, was it? They could bring those moments back, in a way.
Stede opened his eyes, mouth quirking up into a smile. "Ed," he whispered. "D'you wanna do something weird?"
***
With trembling fingers, Stede pushed the final button through the buttonhole on his waistcoat. He pulled the jacket over his shoulders before turning to study his reflection in the bedroom mirror. He had been right a couple of weeks ago, when the garment had called to him from across the shop floor — as if by divine providence, the suit was a perfect fit. He turned from side to side, inspecting the way the fabric caught the light, and admiring how the breeches emphasised the shape of his thighs. And as he did so, he was struck by just how much he looked like his old self; the man who had run to sea with very little idea of where he was going or what he was doing, driven only by the knowledge that he could not keep living the life that had been forced upon him.
There were differences, of course. His hair was a bit longer now, the curls less defined than they used to be. And beneath his clothing, his body was changed. It now bore the scar from the red hot poker that Ned Low had pressed into his flesh. And on the other side of his chest, Edward's name was written upon him in permanent ink. Nonetheless, as he looked upon his reflection, he felt transported in time and place. He could almost hear the waves lapping against the hull of the Revenge, could almost feel the gentle sway of her beneath his feet. It was as if his past and his present were superimposed atop one another, existing in the same space, in the same body: The Gentleman Pirate and the Innkeeper, existing in superposition.
He and Ed had discussed the plan over a brandy. Tonight, they were going to reclaim a missed opportunity. They were going to recreate that ephemeral time after toasting their co-captaincy, when it had seemed that anything was possible. They were going to allow themselves to inhabit a world in which they had continued to sail happily together without interference from Izzy or Jack, without the English and the Act of Grace and all of the heartbreak that had followed.
Stede took a deep breath to centre himself. He knew that Ed was waiting for him on the front porch, which for tonight, was masquerading as the bow of the Revenge. Ed had agreed to dig out his leathers for tonight, though he'd been very clear that he would be playing the role of Ed, not Blackbeard. Stede had assured him that he wouldn't have it any other way.
The click-clacking of his heels on the wooden floor followed Stede as he made his way out of the bedroom and across the living room. He paused before the front door, taking one last moment to enjoy being fully in the present. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he knew he would be stepping into the past.
When he was ready, he opened the door and stepped onto the porch. Ed was leaning on the railing, eyes scanning the horizon. Stede knew the man intimately, could read the tension in his body that belied his nerves, yet his face gave nothing away.
“What are the clouds telling you this evening, Edward?” Stede asked.
Ed pointed to a bank of cloud that had gathered over the bluffs to the east. “See those? They're telling us we'll have a good strong wind in our sails tomorrow. Should make decent headway toward Antigua.”
Stede smiled, heart swelling with appreciation at how fully Ed was inhabiting his role. He hadn't even broken character to look at Stede yet, though Stede guessed he was absolutely dying to.
“Well, that's good news,” Stede said. “I know the crew are all looking forward to some shore leave.”
Finally, Ed turned to face him. He said nothing, but Stede noticed the catch in his breath. He could feel Ed's gaze roving all over him, taking in every detail. Stede, in turn, took the opportunity to study Ed. He hadn't worn his leathers since the day they had watched the Revenge sail away, preferring to wear looser, more comfortable fabrics in the safety of their home. Seeing Ed this way did, indeed, take Stede back. His memory was going to have to fill in the beard, of course. But aside from that one detail, Ed looked just like the man who had plucked him from the deck of a Spanish warship all those months ago.
Stede wanted so desperately to reach out and touch, to fall into his lover's arms. He could tell that Ed was fighting a similar internal battle, the desire and the longing unmistakable in his eyes. But that wasn't how things would have gone back then, so it wasn't how things were going to go now.
“Well, shall we retire for a nightcap?” Stede asked, when he could bear the tension no longer.
“Sure, mate,” Ed said, with a shy nod.
Stede stood aside, gesturing to the front door. “After you,” he said.
He followed Ed through to their living room, which, for tonight, was doubling up as the captain's quarters. They had been adding homely touches to the space over the past few months, and truthfully, the ambience wasn't far off of Stede's old quarters when he had first sailed the seas.
Stede poured them each a generous measure of brandy from the decanter set on the coffee table while Ed settled himself on the sofa. Their fingers brushed as he handed Ed his glass. Stede honest-to-god blushed, feeling a little frisson of excitement travel from his digits to his core. He watched as Ed placed his lips against the cup, enraptured by the bob of his throat as he swallowed.
Stede sat beside Ed, having to overwrite his natural inclination to curl himself into his side. Instead, he very deliberately left a few inches of space between them. They were close enough that he could feel Ed's presence, but not so close as to be… improper.
The air felt thick with tension, Stede's nerves wound tight like a spring. He swirled his brandy in his cup, appreciating the way the candlelight brought out its amber colouring.
"Here's to another successful day as the world's first co-captains," Stede said, turning toward Ed, glass raised.
A fond smile crept across Ed's face. "Yeah. Cheers, mate. To us," he replied, gently clinking his glass against Stede's.
They each took a sip, eyes not leaving each other. Now that he knew what to look for, the affection in Ed's eyes was so obvious. Was this really how Ed had looked at him before? Had Stede really been so blind?
"This really is excellent brandy," Ed murmured, voice grumbling low in his chest.
Stede hummed in agreement. "It's french," he replied. "From the Charente region, I believe. The distillation process is quite fascinating actually…"
Stede trailed off as Ed gently placed his fingers on the rim of Stede's brandy glass, in a silent request for Stede to relinquish the vessel. Stede did so, eyes fixed on Ed as he turned to set both glasses aside on the coffee table.
Stede's pulse was racing as Ed turned back to him. The candlelight danced in Ed's deep, brown eyes. Stede wanted to swim in their depths.
"Stede," Ed murmured, "can I kiss you?"
"Yes," Stede whispered. "God, Ed, yes."
In the blink of an eye, Ed's hand was reverently cupping Stede's face, angling his head as he leaned in closer. When they were a hair's breadth apart, Ed's brandy-laden breath ghosting over Stede's lips, Stede was once again struck by that peculiar sensation of duality. He knew, rationally, that the forthcoming kiss was the latest of many that he had shared with his partner; yet it felt like their first. It felt monumental, world-changing, completely and utterly unprecedented.
Finally, Ed pressed their lips together. The kiss was chaste and closed-mouthed, reminiscent of their true first kiss so many months ago on that Barbadian beach.
"Was that okay?" Ed asked, pulling back just enough to look Stede in the eyes.
Stede nodded mutely, for once in his life completely at a loss for words. The smile that danced across Ed's face was blinding.
"Can I do it again?" Ed asked.
There was no need for words. This time, it was Stede who crossed the divide, leaning in to crash his lips against Ed's. He swiped his tongue against Ed's bottom lip, a silent entreaty for more. Ed parted his lips, opening up to him. As their tongues glided together, Stede sunk his fingers into Ed's glorious silver waves, cradling his precious skull. In turn, he felt Ed's hands on his back, pulling him in closer.
Eventually, they were forced to part for air. A low chuckle escaped Ed, whose eyes were twinkling with happiness.
"Been wanting to do that for fuckin' ages, man," he said.
"I'm glad you did," Stede replied. "The thoughts I have been having, the desires that have been consuming me… I've been so desperate to reach out and touch you, Ed. You set my blood on fire."
Ed whined, reeling Stede in for another deep kiss.
"Perhaps," Stede gasped between kisses, "we should relocate to the bed nook."
"You want that?" Ed asked, sitting back to look Stede in the eyes.
Stede nodded, taking a moment to separate the thoughts and feelings of now-Stede from those of then-Stede. "I want you to show me how two men can be together," he said.
Ed leaned forward, cupping Stede's face between his hands. "I'll take good care of you, Stede," he murmured. "I'll make you feel so good."
"I know you will, Edward," Stede replied, turning his head to place a kiss on Ed's palm. "I trust you."
Stede stood, offering a hand to Ed. "Shall we?"
Ed grinned. "Fuck yeah, we shall," he replied, clasping Stede's hand and pulling himself up to standing.
Stede felt as if he were under the effects of a magic spell. He and Ed had fucked in just about every conceivable configuration in every part of this house, and yet, it truly felt like the first time, right down to the pounding of his pulse in his ears and the trembling in his legs.
He made his way to the bedroom, Ed following closely behind. He lit the oil lamp that sat on the nightstand; he didn't want to miss any nuances of Ed's expressions as they took their pleasure in each other. Once the room was cast in a warm, golden glow, he turned to find Ed loitering in the doorway. The look on his face was difficult to categorise. There was desire there, yes, but also… apprehension? And there was a sadness in the furrow of his brow, too; the same regret, perhaps, that sometimes pounced upon Stede with little warning.
"Edward?" Stede asked softly. "Do you want to keep going?"
Ed's expression softened into a warm smile, the apprehension and sorrow slipping away. "Fuck yeah," he sighed. "It's all a bit… overwhelming, seeing you like this. But yeah, I want to keep going. As long as you do?"
"Oh, absolutely I do," Stede purred, voice low. He took a deep breath, once again grounding himself in the moment that they were portraying. He wasn't standing in the bedroom of their shared home, but in the bed nook of the Revenge. And before him was his beautiful, brilliant co-captain, with whom he was sailing the seas of the Caribbean. "Now please, Ed, come over here and touch me."
In two strides, Ed was across the bedroom, where he gathered Stede in his arms, kissing him deeply. Ed's hands were roving all over his back as they kissed, one snaking up his spine to embed itself in his golden curls. Ed's leather jacket was supple beneath Stede's hands, moulded to his body, forming a barrier that Stede was keen to be rid of.
"Ed," he murmured, as soon as their lips parted. He ran his hands over the lapels of Ed's jacket. "May I take this off?"
"Yes," Ed whispered, playfully nipping at Stede's lower lip before pulling back far enough for Stede to work.
Buckle by buckle, button by button, Stede unfastened Ed's jacket, slipping it from his shoulders to reveal the tight black undershirt beneath. Slowly, Stede brought his palms to Ed's chest. He allowed his right hand to rest over Ed's racing heart, basking for a moment in the evidence that he was able to excite Ed in this way. He skated his thumbs over Ed's nipples and watched, rapt, as Ed's eyelids fluttered and his breath hitched. He ran his hands down Ed's torso, gathering the hem of his shirt between his fingers. Ed raised his arms, allowing Stede to pull the shirt over his head.
The light from the oil lamp flickered across Ed's bare chest, imbuing the tattooed tall ship with the illusion of movement. With a feather-light touch of his fingertips, Stede traced the outline of its mast and sails.
"I remember the first time I saw this one, the day we swapped clothes," Stede murmured, voice low and reverent. "It fascinated me. I would imagine reaching out, just like this, while you told me its story. Sometimes, I would even dream of kissing you, just… here." Stede ducked forward, punctuating the sentence with a tender kiss placed to the ship's maintop. Beneath his lips, he could feel Ed's chest heave with a shuddering breath.
He placed his next kiss atop the hawk on Ed's sternum, from there laying a trail of kisses along his clavicle up to the base of his neck. Finally, he pulled back to look his love in his eyes.
"Feeling a bit uneven in the clothing stakes," Ed said, with a low chuckle. Stede held himself still, facing ahead as Ed slowly circled around to stand behind him. He allowed Ed to part him from his jacket, leaning back into the warm solidity of him as soon as he was free of it. He sighed and tilted his head as Ed's lips pressed against his neck while his fingers worked each of the buttons of Stede's waistcoat free.
"So many layers," Ed purred from behind him. "You've wrapped yourself up for me like a fancy little gift, haven't you?"
"Yes," Stede moaned, as his waistcoat was peeled from his body.
Ed's nimble fingers set to work on his cravat next, his lifetime of experience with complex knots allowing him to make quick work of it. Impatient to feel Ed's hands against his bare skin, Stede raised his hands to begin undoing the buttons on his shirt.
Ed's hands were upon his in an instant. "What do you think you're doing, Bonnet?" Ed admonished. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to open someone else's present?"
A needy whine escaped Stede's lips, even as he allowed Ed to lower his hands to his sides.
"You can be patient for me, can't you, love?" Ed mumbled into the meat of Stede's neck.
"I can," Stede gasped, as Ed nipped at him. "'I will be."
"Good boy," Ed murmured, as he slowly pulled the tails of the shirt free from where it was tucked into Stede's breeches. The slide of the fabric across his skin was an exquisite sort of torture. He was so fucking desperate to feel Ed's hands on him, those calloused fingertips on his skin. But he forced himself to be patient as Ed methodically worked his way through the many buttons of his shirt.
Somewhere around the fifth or sixth button, he couldn't resist pressing his ass back, just a little, groaning as his backside made contact with Ed's arousal. He ground back a little, pulling a quiet chuckle and a whispered "patience" from Ed.
When, at last, the final button was undone, Ed circled back around until he was standing before Stede. He gently pushed the shirt from Stede's shoulders, allowing it to fall to the floor.
For a moment, neither man spoke. They simply stood, taking each other in as if this truly was the first time, as if they had not seen each other this way many, many times before.
Eventually, Ed broke the silence. "Fuck, Stede, you're beautiful," he whispered.
Stede whimpered as Ed dropped to his knees before him, settling back onto his haunches. He gently lifted Stede's foot from the ground, resting it upon his thigh. Stede held his arms out for balance as he watched Ed ease off a shoe before placing a tender kiss to the inside of his knee. Stede lowered his leg before placing his other foot on Ed's thigh, allowing Ed to divest him of his other shoe, too.
The pressure inside of Stede was nearing almost unbearable heights as Ed ran his hands up the outside of Stede's legs from his ankles to the tops of his thighs. As his hands reached Stede's hips, Ed rested his forehead against Stede's stomach, pausing there for a moment. Stede had the sense that he was grounding himself, that this encounter was every bit as intense for Ed as it was for Stede. He placed a hand on the top of Ed's head, gently stroking his silver hair, reassuring him.
The moment passed, and Ed seemed to come back to himself. He began placing open mouthed kisses to the flesh of Stede's belly. Stede tried to suppress his ticklishness, not wishing to dispel the enchantment they had fallen under. Thankfully, Ed soon moved southward, mouthing at the velvet of the breeches that covered Stede's half-hard cock.
"Fuck, Stede," Ed mumbled into Stede's crotch. "You have no idea how many times I thought about this." He began fumbling with the buttons on Stede's fall front as he spoke, his words quickly bringing Stede to fullness. "There were so many nights when I took myself in hand just imagining being on my knees for you."
Stede's cock sprang free as Ed tugged Stede's breeches over his hips and dragged them down his legs. Stede kicked them aside, leaving himself completely bare aside from his white stockings. Ed rubbed his cheek against Stede's silk-clad thighs while his fingers toyed with the garters that held the stockings in place.
"These are staying on," he purred, laying a trail of kisses from Stede's knee to his garters, each kiss leaving a damp spot on the silk that rapidly cooled against Stede's skin.
Ed looked up at Stede, those big brown eyes blazing with desire. "Go sit on the bed for me, love," he instructed. Stede swallowed, nodded, and obeyed, perching himself on the edge of the bed.
Stede felt mad with lust as he watched Ed crawl slowly across the floor toward him, his movements graceful and feline, a seductive gleam in his eyes. Stede spread his knees apart, making space for Ed to situate himself between them. Ed grasped one of his legs, slinging it over his shoulder. Stede leaned back on his elbows, lifting his other leg over Ed's other shoulder. He hooked his ankles together behind Ed's back, bracing himself for one of his absolute favourite sensations — the warm, wet heat of Ed's mouth on his cock.
"That's it, baby," Ed murmured. "Wanna feel these thighs around me while I suck you, okay?"
Ed didn't wait for a response, reaching out to wrap his fingers around the base of Stede's cock. A low groan was pulled from Stede's chest by the sight of Ed's pink tongue extending from between his lips to lick a long stripe up the underside of his shaft. He allowed his head to fall back and his eyelids to flutter closed as Ed's perfect mouth engulfed him.
Ed began bobbing his head, taking Stede a little deeper with every pass. His hands stroked up and down the outside of Stede's thighs, playing over the silk of his stockings, fingertips occasionally dipping beneath his garters. Remembering Ed's request, Stede squeezed his thighs tighter around Ed's ears, drawing a deep moan from the man that reverberated along the length of Stede's cock.
Stede opened his eyes to look down upon his love. He watched as Ed fumbled one-handed with his own fall front, heard him hiss as he freed his cock from its leather confines before moaning with relief as he tugged lazily at himself. He looked so fucking beautiful like this.
Ed's eyes flicked up to Stede's before he plunged down deep, taking Stede right down to the root. Stede screamed out a string of obscenities as his cockhead bumped up against the back of Ed's throat. Tears gathered in Ed's eyes as he held himself in place for a few seconds, before pulling back and sucking in a deep lungful of air. A line of spit connected Ed's glistening lips to Stede's cock, the sight of it threatening to push Stede over the edge.
"Ed, wait," Stede gasped, before Ed could plunge down again. "I don't want to come yet."
Ed grinned, languidly stroking Stede's saliva-slicked shaft. When he spoke, his voice was like gravel. "No? You wanna come on my cock, Stede?"
Stede moaned, his dick twitching in Ed's grasp. "Yes, Ed. Yes."
After one final sloppy kiss to the head of Stede's cock, Ed released him and pulled himself to standing. "Can you fetch the oil, babe?" he asked, as he began peeling himself from his own leathers.
Stede nodded, scrambling across the bed to grab the jar of slick that lived on their nightstand. Prize in hand, he turned back to Ed just in time to see him kicking his leather trousers across the room.
Stede scooted back to the edge of the bed, pressing the jar into Ed's hands. He couldn't resist capturing Ed in a filthy kiss, all tongues and teeth, his fingers winding their way into Ed's hair.
"Hands and knees for me, baby," Ed instructed, when they eventually parted. "Just while I get you ready, yeah?"
Stede complied, turning and arranging himself on all fours on the bed. He felt the mattress dip as Ed knelt behind him, heard the distinctive pop of the stopper being removed from the jar.
"Ready, love?" Ed asked, his voice gentle and reassuring.
"Please, Ed," Stede pleaded.
Stede sighed as Ed's slick finger began circling his rim. He forced himself to breathe deeply as the first finger breached him, willing his body to relax against the intrusion.
"That's it, baby," Ed cooed as he worked his finger deeper. "You're doing so well, love."
Stede closed his eyes and gave himself over to the fantasy that they had spun together. He had always had a talent of being able to immerse himself in imaginary worlds of his own creation; frankly, it was a talent that he had had to hone to make his lonely boyhood tolerable. So it was easy, now, to slip into their shared narrative of an alternate past, one in which they hadn't run from each other, but had fallen into one another, instead; one in which they were now joining together for the first time.
He couldn't hold back an involuntary gasp as he felt a second finger slide in alongside the first. He always found this initial stretch a little overwhelming, walking right up to the line of too much. Ed had learned this about him, of course, and so soothed him with tender caresses to his flank, showering him with praise all the while.
Stede's toes curled, his fingers twisting in the sheets as Ed crooked his fingers at just the right angle to make him see stars. "Fuck, Ed," he moaned.
"Feel good, baby?" Ed asked, voice carrying a little hint of smugness.
"So fucking good," Stede gasped, his body beginning to rock back onto Ed's fingers of its own volition.
"Look at you, so eager for me," Ed murmured, as he scissored his fingers. "Do you think your ready to take my cock, Stede?"
"Yes, Ed, fuck, please. Need you."
Stede whined as Ed withdrew his fingers, even as he felt Ed place a tender kiss on the meat of his ass cheek.
"Turn over for me, love," Ed requested, in that quiet voice reserved only for Stede. "I wanna look at your face while I fuck you."
Stede wanted that, too, wanted so desperately to look upon the face of his lover. Ed was beautiful every second of every day, of course, but there was something about the way his teeth would play over his lips, the way his brow would furrow and his eyes would darken when they made love that elevated his beauty to a whole other level. Stede didn't want to miss a single minutia of it.
He did as Ed asked, rolling onto his back. Ed was standing at the edge of the bed, having just slicked himself up. It didn't matter that they had done this dozens of times; it still thrilled Stede to his core to think that very soon, he would be filled with that perfect, flushed cock.
Ed coaxed Stede to the edge of the bed. Stede reclined on his elbows, wrapping his legs around Ed's back, ankles hooked together at the base of his spine. Ed made sure to catch his gaze as he lined himself up, eyes asking a silent question. Stede nodded as Ed's cockhead brushed up against his hole.
Slowly, inexorably, Ed pushed in. His dark eyes bore into Stede's as he worked his way deeper until, eventually, there was nowhere further to go.
"You good, love?" Ed asked.
"So good, Ed. So fucking good."
Ed began to move, thrusting slow and deep, almost pulling out every time he pulled back so that he could feed the entire length of himself back into Stede. Stede clenched around him, revelling in the drag of Ed's cock along his internal walls.
"Fuck, Stede. You feel so fuckin' good. So hot and tight around me, baby."
The praise burrowed itself into every cell in Stede's body, from the top of his head down to the tips of his toes. He felt drunk on it, mad with it.
Ed ran one hand along Stede's thigh as he fucked into him with those long, slow strokes. A snippet of their earlier conversation swam to the forefront of Stede's mind — Ed confessing that he had imagined Stede's stockinged ankles upon his shoulders. He unhooked his legs, bending one leg back to offer it up to Ed, who took a reverent hold of Stede's calf before lifting his ankle up onto his shoulder. Stede brought his other leg around, slowly and deliberately running his foot along Ed's belly and up to his chest, making sure to tease a nipple with his toes. Ed positively growled, cajoling Stede's ankle up onto his other shoulder.
The change of angle was fucking amazing, Ed's cock brushing up against Stede's prostate with every thrust. Ed appeared to be having a great time, too, sucking and licking and nipping at every part of Stede's stockinged calves and ankles that he could reach.
Stede looked up at him in wonder. He looked so unbelievably beautiful like this, thrusting into Stede. And the look on his face, it was devotion. Every roll of Ed's hips, every curse that tumbled from his lips, every bead of sweat that gathered on his chest felt like an act of worship.
Their pace began to quicken, Ed's thrusts becoming more rapid and forceful. Stede had no real leverage, so he just let himself lie back and take it, writhing against the sheets as Ed's cock massaged that wonderful spot inside of him over and over.
"Stede," Ed moaned, tipping his head back. "Can't believe I'm inside you. Can't believe I get to see you like this, all fuckin' debauched. You look so fuckin' pretty like this, baby."
"Ed, I need you closer," Stede whined, as Ed's words set his blood ablaze. "I need you to kiss me. Please, love."
Ed pulled out, allowing Stede to scoot back along the bed. Ed clambered aboard, crawling along the length of Stede's body to claim him in a deep, passionate kiss as he pushed back inside. Stede wrapped his legs around Ed's ass and ran his hands along Ed's glorious arms, gripping his biceps as they flexed with every thrust.
Stede stared up into his lover's eyes, and he was once again overcome by that powerful sensation of doubling. The man above him was simultaneously his co-captain and his co-innkeeper. The moans and grunts and breathy curses that spilled from them reverberated around their shared bedroom, yes, but also around the captain's quarters of the Revenge. And Stede himself, well… he was two people, co-existing in the same body. He was that foolhardy man who been called to the sea without really understanding the reasons why, and yet he was also the man who had left the sea behind to make a life of his own choosing, with the person of his own choosing.
They panted into each other's mouths, sharing breath as their bodies rocked and moved together. Stede's cock was trapped between them, rubbing against Ed's belly with every thrust. He was blindsided by his orgasm when it barrelled into him, hitting him with the force of a tidal wave. His back arched from the bed as he spilled over his stomach. Ed fucked him through it, wide-eyed wonder etched onto his face, until Stede flopped back against the mattress, loose-limbed and sated.
"Should I stop, baby?" Ed asked, slowing his movements to a near stop.
"No, please don't. Take what you need. I want to feel you come inside me."
Ed nodded, picking up the pace once more. Stede figured that the slight discomfort of Ed's thrusts against his oversensitive hole was a small price to pay to watch the man he loved shake apart above him. He watched, awed, as Ed bit down lightly on his bottom lip, his eyes fluttering closed as he plunged home over and over. Ed's groan was deep and rumbling as he emptied inside of Stede, slumping against him, forehead pressed to his chest as his hips stuttered and then, eventually, stilled.
Two waveforms collapsed as Stede and Ed came back down to earth together. The could-have-beens dissolved, the Revenge fading further with each heaving breath, as two possibilities resolved into one.
Hot tears welled up in Stede’s eyes, overflowing to spill down his cheeks. He tried his hardest to stifle his sobs, but it was no use. Stede sniffed, drawing in a shuddering breath.
Ed raised his head, concern etched into every line of his face. "Babe, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?" he asked. He looked stricken at the possibility.
Stede did his best to smile, scrubbing his hands across his face to wipe the tears away. "No, sweetheart. Absolutely not. That was — you were wonderful."
Ed relaxed a little at that, though his brow remained furrowed in concern. He gently pulled out, before folding his arms across Stede's chest, resting his chin upon them.
"You wanna talk about it?"
Stede stared at the ceiling. The little clock on their mantlepiece ticked once, twice, three times. For all that he had encouraged others to 'talk it through', it wasn't something that came easily to Stede. But Ed had learned to be patient with him, and Stede was so grateful for the space he gave him to untangle the knotted mess of his thoughts enough so that he could actually put them into words.
"I think…" Stede began, haltingly. "I think there is a part of me that grieves for all of the moments we could have had together, but that we didn't."
Ed opened his mouth to speak, but Stede cut him off, needing to finish what he had started. "And I know — I know that we have said our sorrys, and that we've put all of that behind us. And what we have now is wonderful, Ed. It's more than I ever could have dreamed of. I just…" He ran a hand through his golden curls, searching for the right words to make Ed understand where this was all coming from. "We found each other so late. We were denied so many years with each other, and then we… well, I totally fucked it, and we lost more time, and it's not fair."
Ed hummed thoughtfully. "Y'know," he said, after several more ticks of the mantle clock. "The way I look at it is this. If things had happened differently, then we wouldn't be here right now. We'd be… different us-es. And I like these us-es."
"I like these us-es, too," Stede croaked, throat still burning and tight.
Ed drummed his fingers against Stede's chest, the furrow in his brow deepening. "Stede, I need you to know something. You looked incredible tonight. You were a fucking vision in that getup. But… I didn't fall in love with you because of all of that stuff. You don't need to buy fancy clothes to impress me, babe."
Stede hummed thoughtfully. "I know, darling. I know that. But truthfully, I didn't buy them for you. I bought them for me. I bought them because I like the way that fine clothes make me feel."
"And I like to feel you in fine clothes, so it's a win-win," quipped Ed, eyebrows waggling.
"You're incorrigible, Edward Teach!" giggled Stede, giving him a light swat on the back of a hand.
"You know it, Stede Bonnet. Just one question, though."
"Yes?"
"Next time, can I wear the stockings?"