Chapter Text
The crew set up a special hammock for Lucius to rest in. They took turns checking on him and making sure he was eating and drinking. Fortunately the weather was perfect for sleeping on deck and he got to be there for story time each night. He was not as comfortable as he’d been in the cabin but it would do. He was so furious with Izzy that it was better for him to keep his distance before he said something he’d regret. He’d heard that Izzy had fucked off to his own cabin and hadn’t come out since their fight. Was it a fight? A spat? A disagreement? Oh, hell, he didn’t know.
All he really knew is that since the night so long ago that he stood up to Izzy and asked him if he’d ever been sketched, he had a desire for the first mate he could not explain. Sure, he was a good looking man but that wasn’t normally something that Lucius cared about. He thought he sensed a mutual interest during the storm the night of Blackbeard’s birthday party. Why else would he have been so committed to making sure he was safe? What had Bonnet called it? His “strange rapport with First Mate Hands?”
Then again, maybe it was the desire for forbidden fruit. Izzy Hands made it clear that he needed no one. Maybe Lucius just wanted to prove him wrong. He knew he was playing with fire but the more he got to know the first mate, the more he saw the chinks in his carefully maintained emotional armour.
The deck was mostly quiet as the crew took turns going ashore. He was glad. He was taking far less of the laudanum now and was able to move around much easier but he still needed to rest or the exhaustion was almost too much to handle.
It was late in the evening when Oluwande, Pete, The Swede and Jim came back from a tavern in town. They were unusually quiet. Lucius was used to being woken up by raucous celebrating crew coming back on deck. He sat up in the hammock.
“You guys okay?” He looked at their downcast faces.
“Rumor is a ship went down in a bad storm. Word is all souls were lost. It was headed north.” Pete told him.
“Shit… do they know what ship?”
“Hasn’t been confirmed yet,” Jim said. “But everyone thinks it’s the Whydah.”
Word of a shipwreck always hit pirates hard. They lived with the very real threat of death every minute of the day. At least in battle they have some ability to try to keep themselves from dying. But storms were a different story. When mother nature turned ugly, all they could do was pray.
Lucius remained quiet but his mind was buzzing with the implications of the potential outcomes if they hadn’t managed to get Izzy and get off the ship as quickly as they did. It appeared everyone else was also thinking about it too.
~~
Confirmation came a day later when Captain Paulsgrave Williams sailed the Marianne into the Republic with news of the wreck.
The Whydah Gally was swept up in a violent nor'easter storm off Cape Cod at midnight on their way to Maine and was driven onto the sandbar shoals in 16 feet of water some 500 feet from the coast of Massachusetts. At 15 minutes past midnight, the masts snapped and drew the ship, heavily loaded with 4 tons silver, gold, jewelry and 60 cannons, into 30 feet of water, where she capsized and quickly sank, taking Bellamy and all but two of the Whydah's 146-man crew with her.
He listened to Frenchie share the tale after he had returned from being on shore. The crew all looked at the ground, processing the news. Then, one by one, they went off to work on something - anything - to keep their minds busy.
Lucius sat up on the hammock. He slowly got up, wincing a bit.
“Where you going, Lucius?” The Swede asked. He had been tasked with keeping an eye on him.
“Have to do some walking around. Captain’s orders.”
“Oh, okay then!” Swede gave him a winning smile and waved as he headed off.
~~
Izzy had completed an inspection of the hold and was ready to rest a bit. He was healing quickly but not as quickly as when he was younger. Getting older was a bitch.
He walked into his quarters to find Spriggs sitting on his bunk. He stopped and stared.
“Spriggs.. What the f….”
“Bellamy’s ship sunk during a nor’easter.” Lucius spoke in a monotone. “Everyone but two crew died.”
“Shit…” Izzy sat down next to him, letting the news sink in.
“If we hadn’t gotten you off the ship before they made that run north…”
“I’d be dead too.” Izzy said flatly, obviously in shock.
They sat silently for a few minutes. Izzy looked at Lucius, noting his color was good.
“How.. how are you?” Izzy asked.
“A little better each day I think.”
“I miss being around you.” Izzy’s voice was a little above a whisper. He couldn’t believe he’d said it.
“Israel Hands, look at me.” Lucius gently turned Izzy’s head so that he was looking at him.
“I really miss you too. I need you to hear me. I know you are a bastard. I know you can be cruel and mean and that most days the best you hope for is not to die. But I’ve also seen you smile when you thought no one was looking. Now you can push me away all you like but I’ll just keep coming back. I can be a real stubborn ass - guess that’s something we’ve got in common. We’ve got something here and I’d rather find out what it is together.”
Izzy looked at him, searching his eyes to see if he really meant what he was saying.
“Why?”
“Well, to start off with, you’re incredibly sexy.” Lucius winked.
“Not enough, Spriggs. I’m serious. Why?”
Lucius reached up and touched the ring that held his cravat in place around his neck.
“Because somewhere in there is a person who wears this ring to honor someone he loved very much and it is so very valuable to him that he’d kill anyone who tried to take it. I’ve seen glimpses of that person. I very much want to meet him.”
Izzy sat silently for a moment. “It was my mother’s. She loved to sing. I loved to sing with her.”
Lucius nodded and put his hand on Izzy’s. “I didn’t know that you sang.”
“I haven’t for many years. Not even sure I still can.”
Izzy hadn’t thought about his mother in some time. A soft smile crossed his face. It seemed so long ago. He could almost hear her voice in his head.
Israel, my sweet baby boy… you’ve been lonely for so long…take a chance, my love…
“What about Pete? What about the whole ‘we don’t belong to one another on this ship’ business? I’m going to be honest. I don’t share well. I’m a jealous dick.”
“Pete… well, he knew it was a fling. He’ll be upset for a few days but he’ll get over it. As for the jealousy, we’ll have to take that a day at a time. I imagine we’ll have some spectacular fights.”
“We’ll need rules. Outside of these quarters I need to be able to be first mate.”
“So, not unlike Blackbeard on raids and Edward on the ship.”
“Like that, yes.” Izzy couldn’t believe he was agreeing to that after all the grief he’d given Edward.
“You can’t expect that I’m just going to go out there and simply obey your orders without any backtalk. You know that’s not me.”
“I’d be sorry if you didn’t, prat.”
Lucius smiled. “Fair enough, dick.”
“Look, I’m really confused right now, Lucius. So much going on… so much I had relied upon seems to have just up and fucking changed. it’s all too much. We may need to take this slow.”
For some reason, Izzy could not get the vision of his mother smiling at him out of his head.
“I understand,” Lucius said, noting that for the first time he could remember, the first mate had used his given name. “I’m an expert at slow. You just have to promise me you’ll talk about things with me. Don’t assume.”
“I… will try. Not really good at that either. I’m more of a ‘just get fucking angry’ kind of guy.”
Lucius moved closer and put his arms gingerly around Izzy. He leaned in and gently kissed the star under Izzy’s left eye.
“I think I’ll manage.”
Lucius kept his arms around him and Izzy took a few moments to allow himself to enjoy the tenderness. He could feel his heat and his breathing. And that’s when he decided to take a chance.
“Spriggs… any way you’d be willing to continue your recovery here in my quarters?”
“I think that can be arranged. Where will you sleep?” he responded cheekily.
“The two of us managed in that tiny fucking bed in the Captains’ cabin. I think we’ll work it out.”
~~
Edward and Stede retired to their cabin after story time.
“Been a long few days,” Stede said as he sat down.
“No fucking joke.” Edward sat down next to him.
“Nice to have our cabin back.”
Ed nodded. “Yeah, let’s get undressed.”
Stede laughed. “Heard a rumor that Lucius has moved into Izzy’s quarters.”
“Heard that too. Crew’s all a buzz about it.”
“Do we know how Pete’s doing?”
“Seems to be okay. Think he’s moved on to the Swede.”
“Already?”
“Told you.”
An unexpected knock interrupted their lazy conversation.
Stede looked at Ed. “What could be happening at this hour?”
Edward shrugged.
“Come,” Stede said. It was Frenchie.
“Sorry to bother you captains…” Stede rubbed his forehead, wishing the crew would stop saying that every time they knocked on the cabin door. “But… there’s some persons requesting to come aboard. Say they know you, Captain Blackbeard sir.”
That made Stede sit up and pay attention. Calico Jack Rackam was the last friend of Edward’s that had come aboard and that was, well in pirate parlance, a clusterfuck.
Frenchie continued. “I don’t know them, sirs, so I think perhaps you’d better come out.”
Edward still looked puzzled. “Did they say who they were?”
“No sir,” Frenchie said uncomfortably. “But they’re ladies. I’ll tell them you’re on your way.” He made a quick exit out of the cabin.
“Ladies?” Stede looked at his love and repeated, “Ladies?”
“What, are you jealous?” Edward laughed as he put his boots back on.
“Why on earth would I be jealous?” Stede said unconvincingly. He was glad he hadn’t gotten undressed yet. He did not relish the idea of meeting more of Edward’s friends in his dressing gown.
“If it is who I think it is, you’re going to love them.”
~~
Edward stepped out onto the deck with Stede trailing behind. He looked over the rail to see a dinghy with two women in it.
“Ahoy there!” He called over the rail.
“Blackbeard, you old scallywag” One of the women called up. “What’s with making us sit here all night?”
“Sorry, love, had to get dressed. Couldn’t show up on deck half naked. You know how it is.”
Stede just stood there confused.
“Well, come on up! I’ve got someone you have to meet!”
The two women quickly and adeptly climbed up the rope ladder on the side of Victory. Once standing on the deck, they each gave Edward a joyous hug.
“Uhm…. hello….” Stede said tentatively, doing his best to remind Edward that he was there.
“Oooh, is this him?” The sturdy woman with reddish brown hair asked. “Isn’t he a looker!”
“Yes, yes, ladies, this is the love of my life, Stede Bonnet.”
Stede had never been introduced as the love of Edward’s life. He felt a blush spreading across his cheeks.
“Guilty…” Stede stammered. “Hello..”
“And Stede, these are the two fiercest pirates you’ll ever meet. Anne Bonny and Mary Read.”
Both women turned and hugged Stede.
“So glad he finally found someone to make an honest man of him!” Mary said, “Well, not honest… you know what I mean.”
Anne laughed and kissed the woman with the darker brown hair. “Worked out for us, didn’t it love?”
“Ladies, we’ve got some premium brandy in our quarters. Let’s go discuss why you’re stopping in to see us in the dead of night. Pretty sure it has nothing to do with Stede and I getting married.”
“Well, we were morbidly curious…” Mary started.
“Yes, to see who would put up with you!” Anne finished. “But you’re right. A private place to talk would be good.”
Stede had no idea what was happening but he was getting better at going with the flow since meeting Edward. They entered the cabin and the two women went in and immediately made themselves at home. Somehow, he knew this was not going to be an early night.
~The End~