Chapter Text
A rope is something that can hold many different things... objects, people, heads... But this rope was used as a ladder for people to climb up from. Stede Bonnet overlooked how the rope would react to the environment it was put into, the wind clashing against the swinging material. Jim slowly pulled their arms up as they went onto the ship. Examining the murderer, she had her family knife held in her hands, her clothes looked dirty - reeked of different smells and textures that the crew couldn't quite place. Oluwande slowly helped his long-lost 'friend' come onto the ship, helping them climb over.
Immediately Jim was approached with so many questions by the crew, some basic, some boring, and some just plain right weird.
"Did you get tortured?" Roached asked.
"Is Lucius alright?" Black Pete said, worry and excitement in his voice.
"Why did Blackbeard put us on an island alone?" Swede asked.
"Alright everyone," Stede interrupted the little q&a session. "Let's let Jim settle down first. And please help Frenchie get back on the ship."
"yeah that would be good," Frenchie yelled as he slowly climbed up the rope, the texture hurting his hands as he did so. Stede clapped his hands together, making a loud pop sound at the end of it - not too loud but just the right amount of sound. The sun was soon to be set down, the lanterns soon setting alight as the moon started to show.
The crew soon went down into the feeding area, underneath the main deck. It was very awkward at first. People were huddled around each other as they watched the two unexpected guests eat their food. The food was soggy bread, topped with salt, some veggies and meat put into the middle, and of course an orange on the side.
Frenchie opened his mouth, food still in it as he spoke. "missed this good shit."
Oluwande was looking at Jim so delicately. All those nights they had been away from each other, he had wondered if Jim was alright; if they were safe. I guess most questions can be answered now.
"Hurry up and ask your questions," Jim said as they looked around the table. Their plate was empty but had a few crumbs left sitting there. They rubbed their nose as they looked around the table, seeing the excited and nervous faces watching her.
Muttering while speaking, Swede spoke up.
“Did you get kidnapped by…” He whispered. “Blackbeard?” His eyes were pounding as he had just committed a crime or even worse.
“Of course they did,” Roach said, waving around his knife like it was just a stick. “They didn’t run off just of their own will. Did you run off on your own will?”
“Alright, let me start,” Frenchie said as he coughed into his hand. “It was a normal day, all of us were there when Blackbeard asked me to come in. My hands were absolutely sweaty, wondering if I was going to live or not.” Before he could finish his story, a voice butted in.
“Stop saying that bullshit. Blackbeard just wanted us to be on his crew.” Jim said, their raspy tone having pissed-off energy along with it.
The crew was silent for a moment.
“So Ed just abandoned the rest of the crew?” Stede asked, his voice silent.
“Darn right he did,” Black Pete said. “If he lays a hand on Lucius,”
“Now-now, don’t worry… I’m sure Lucius is alright.” Stede said, confident trying to ring in his voice - the keyword was trying.
Chaos was starting to spread. Small chatter went around, sputtering words of ‘I knew it, ‘how evil’, ‘he is Blackbeard isn’t he?’.
Jim looked at Oluwande, both staring at each other as the rest of the crew talked. Jim pushed their head to the right, signaling to get out of this shit hole. Oluwande nodded.
-
The door slammed shut as Oluwande turned around to face his friend. Before he knew it, that door was used as a leaning poll for him. A soft kiss was placed on his lips, well it wasn’t really soft… more like desperate. Jim pulled away from the man and looked him straight in the eyes.
“Man, I have missed you.”
“Hello to you too.”
“Last hello for a while.”
A confused expression was put onto Oluwande’s face. An eyebrow-raising. Jim stepped back, pushing more space between the two as they pulled out a paper from their jacket. Unfolding it, they looked at the written words over and over again. Jim had already read it before Frenchie and they got there, they knew that it would end in disaster.
“Never should have come on this stupid ship.” they sighed as they looked up at their lover. Seeing the worry on his face. “estúpida.”
“What’s wrong?”
Jim handed Oluwande the letter. His eyes traced the words, his expression growing more and more concerned.
“We need to tell the captain about this.”
-
‘It is my greatest chance that this letter will be here in time before we come to find you, Stede. Tracking you down will be easy but killing you will be easier. By midnight, in two days, we will meet again, and I will show you the pain that you brought me through again and again. Gentlemen pirate, meet the true Blackbeard.’
Even though the letter was so short, so small that it could be put onto a long napkin. But, that still puts fear in the heart of stede. Did his actions really cause things to set a spark?
Weren’t they on good terms? Would Edward understand that he had to leave back to resolve things from the past after his life was threatened? How come he started feeling mixed emotions after reading that letter.
He was all alone, sitting there in the captain’s quarter. Not his usual spot, on the ground as he read it over and over again. Maybe this was a dream? Maybe he was back at the camp waiting for Ed to walk him up and they could go to China together?
He just closed his eyes to wait and see.
Banging, clashing, blood. Where was the gentleman pirate? He walked out onto the deck, lantern in hand as he looked around. ‘The revenge ship?’ He thought to himself. He looked down as he saw what he was wearing, a nightgown with shoes on. He felt like the fabric was soft on his skin yet he couldn’t feel it. But, what he could feel was a sword going through his stomach, on the right side. He looked down to see blood spilling out of the shirt as he fell to the ground.
Huh?
Instead of falling on the hard wooden ground, he was put into the ocean, waves washing around him as blood was dyeing the water red. His ankle was grabbed before he could breathe but now he was sinking down into the water. He looked at what was grabbing his ankle… instead of one thing, there were multiple. Hands of his family, hands of the ones he killed, hands of… his lover. He screamed in the water like any rational person would do, and tried to get the grasp off of him.
But instead, he saw the pain in one man’s eyes. Seeing the tiredness and beaten-up state of himself, he saw the dark circles underneath his eyelids.
Edward? Maybe drowning wasn’t such a bad idea then…
-
His eyes went open, gasping as he woke up. Wait. Was that the smell of fire and rum?