Chapter Text
Things on The Revenge had never been quite so nice, at least not in Ed’s opinion. A while had passed since ‘The Kraken’s rein of terror,’ as the crew had kindly decided to call it. He wasn’t particularly sure who started that or when, though he wouldn’t be surprised if it was once a bitter joke. Whatever it was, even Stede would use it now. It never sounded bitter coming from him. Rather sweet, actually; Like it was just another detail of him that he loved as much as any other despite the struggle it had caused.
Sometimes Ed thought that he was all sweet, but oh what a bitter streak the man had made in his recent years of piracy. The man was a master of passive aggression, and Ed had discovered he could enjoy watching it used against their enemies. Not only that, but Lucius had been happy to inform him of just how jealous Stede had been when Calico Jack showed up. In retrospect he knew damn well that he hadn’t been subtle about it, and that all those bitchy comments had in fact been intentional. The guy deserved it for all he cared, and it was nicer than expected to have a man ‘Defending his honor,’ or whatever gentlemanly way Stede would phrase it. Personally he’d say that it’s hot, and he has! Probably will again, what with how bashful Stede gets about it. That shit is super cute.
Today was a perfectly normal one. They’d been at sea for two days since their last stop, and it was peaceful for the time being. At some point that might’ve driven Ed mad, but now it was a bit of a relief. He had been hoping to sleep in that day, something he’d started doing more than perhaps ever before. It helps to have another Captain who’s determined to wake up near the crack of dawn most days and that is more than capable of directing their crew without him.
Now that’s not to say that he makes it easy for Stede to leave. It’s rarely intentional with how tired he is that early, but he still seemed to find all of his sleepy behavior endearing enough that it only makes it easier. This morning when Stede had woken up and tried to slip out of bed it had woken Ed up before he had the chance. His arms had snaked tighter around his waist, his face buried ever closer into his shoulder. The motions were met with a fond chuckle, and a hand coming to brush his hair out of his face.
“Good morning, love. I didn’t mean to wake you.” His voice was soft, perhaps a bit deeper though it was hard to tell as Ed also felt the rumbling of his chest as he spoke. How the hell was he making full sentences so early? The best he could muster in response was a tired grunt, rubbing his face just a bit against Stede’s chest. He made no move to let go of him either, hoping the point got across.
“I was just going to check on things if you don’t mind. We should be coming into Spanish naval territory soon, and it’d be good to be prepared just in case-” Ed finally looked up at him, just a little bit awestruck through his sleepiness. Stede was always nice to look at, and the mornings were no exception. His hair was tousled, expression so soft and loving as he looked down at Ed. As he finally woke up a bit more he came to realize that Stede was still running his fingers through his hair and leaned his head into it in a way Stede had often compared to cats before.
“Crew’s prepared enough,” Was his rather eloquent response as he leaned up and gave Stede a kiss. It was soft and barely lasted a moment before they pulled apart, smiling as they did. He still remembered how he’d laughed when Stede fretted about his breath when they’d first kissed so soon after waking. Didn’t matter to him, of course. Pirates usually smell like shit anyway.
“You make quite the compelling argument, but I’m not quite sure.” Ed quirked a brow at that with interest as Stede brightened, clearly looking for such a response. “Really, I shouldn’t leave my crew unattended if I don’t have something quite important to tend to. What kind of captain would I be if I did?”
“Best damn captain I’ve known, that’s for sure.” He mumbled, removing an arm from Stede’s waist to run through his hair, that one damn curl at the front that always made him want to play with it, then ran his fingers along his cheek, jaw, a thumb across his lips. All the while he watched him close, each little response. Stede’s face flushed, something that was insanely easy to cause but always made Ed’s heart speed up just a bit. His breath had caught just a bit, and he felt him relax into his hand. The way he looked at Ed had love written all over it, and he was sure he looked about the same. “You’re so damn pretty.”
It wasn’t exactly an argument to make him stay, but he wanted to say it anyway. Besides, the smile that he got for it made him glad he said it. Of course the kisses that followed too, Stede leaning forward to give lots of them wherever he seemed able to reach. Ed couldn’t help but grab the collar of his nightshirt to pull him into a proper kiss. It was sweet, and they seemed to melt into each other the second their lips met. If he could kiss Stede like that forever he would. Of course, the man he loved pulled away to giggle, looking absolutely radiant as he did.
“Goodness-” He watched him pause for a moment to regain his composure. “You’re one to speak. Quite convincing, really! I don’t know how I could possibly leave now when you’re so- Well, you know.”
“I don’t know, actually! You wanna enlighten me?” He smiled and rested his arms on Stede’s chest, basically laying on top of him at this point. His chin rested on top of his hands, making it far easier to look at his Co-Captain, one of the best possible things he could do with his time.
It was obvious that he was fishing for compliments, but Stede rarely denied him anything he asked for so long as it was reasonable. The man had explained that it was nice that Ed would ask for anything in the first place, and pointed out how long it had taken for him to even be willing to. At first he felt a bit guilty about it, like he didn’t have a right to want more when everything between them was already incredible. It was hard to hold onto that idea with somebody so eager to make him happy instead. If anything it had only encouraged Stede to indulge in the romantic things he’d always loved but never had the chance to enjoy himself.
“Oh, just that you’re utterly enchanting, my love.” He smiled, hand that had been playing with Ed’s hair moving to rub up and down his back instead. The movements were slow, and Ed found himself starting to melt back into him, drowsiness creeping back in. “You rarely wake up this early, and yet each time I do I still find myself drawn to stay, even if only to see how the rising sun shines upon you as you rest. To have you so close, and so happy to be here.. Why, any man would want to draw it out at least a bit longer. It’s incredible that I’m the one so lucky to.”
Well, he had pushed Stede in the direction of compliments knowing how much poetry the man read. It was incredibly cheesy, and yet that only made it even more sweet, more lovely to hear from him.
“Fuck- You’re gonna kill me before we even have breakfast.” He laughed, a bit breathy as he leaned up for another kiss.
The rest of the early morning went about the same, both of them far too distracted with drowsy cuddles and kisses to bother with much else. Ed supposed he didn’t get to sleep in like he’d wanted, but this was a far better alternative anyway. They did eventually get out of their bed, though. They had their breakfast together like usual, even if a tad bit later than they usually liked.
It was impressive how well Roach managed to make all the food Stede always requested, and even more so that they had all the supplies necessary for it on the ship. If he was more into cooking he’d explore the kitchen himself to figure out just how much absurd stock they kept. He wasn’t a chef though, and he didn’t have any complaints about the menu.
“These are one of my favorite types of scones, you know. They pair incredibly well with a jam or marmalade, but they’re still sweet enough to enjoy alone. Often times they turn out a bit bland or dry on their own. Oh, I really should find somewhere that we’d be able to sample some nicer pastries.” Stede would often ramble like this about.. Well, anything that interested him, really. Ed would always listen as he did, and do his best to remember even though much of it went over his head.
“That could be nice. You’ve given me all sorts of fancy foods and I’m pretty damn sure I’ve liked them all so far. I bet your pastries would be even better, yeah?” Stede scrunched up his nose a bit, seemingly thinking for a moment.
“No, not all of them. I believe there was a soup I had Roach make that you didn’t enjoy. I haven’t had it made again, of course. It would be a waste if the person I’m dining with wasn’t interested, after all. I’m not surprised that you would forget.” It took a moment for him to figure out the soup in question, brows furrowed in thought.
“Oh! That seafood thing? Yeah, I’ve had a lot of fish but that shit tasted how fishermen smell.” He snorted, taking a bite of his scone which was smothered in a generous amount of marmalade. “Wasn’t too bad, though. I’ve eaten worse. Hell, there was one ship I worked on where we ran out of food for a while- Shit like that happens, can’t do much aside from steal or buy more. We were ages from a good port though, so the captain just had us fish for food until we could finally raid a ship and clear their kitchen. I think I only ate tuna for a solid week. Can’t get much worse than that without starving, I bet.”
“That sounds positively atrocious. Still, I wouldn’t want to serve you food that you don’t enjoy. I bet that Roach would be upset that his work went towards a bad experience as well. He really is quite invested in his cooking.” There was a pause while Stede had a sip of his tea. Ed had never cared for the stuff before having it with him, but now it was a regular staple of their meals together. “I do get where you’re coming from with the flavor of the soup, though. Did you know that our first pirate mission was raiding a tiny fishing boat? The smell was awful, and I can see the connection.” He laughed, bumping shoulders with Ed. “How the times change, hm? Nowadays I can actually hold my own in a real fight.”
That was true, he realized rather quickly. Even not being the most experienced he had improved exponentially since Ed originally tried to teach him how to be a pirate. His favorite was seeing how Stede fought now, even going so far as to maim others himself at times. He didn’t love doing it, but the fact he was able to was proof enough of the change.
“Poor fishermen must’ve had a bad day having the scariest damn pirate on the seas board their vessel.” He joked, smiling at the thought of it. “Y’know, you might even be good enough that I wouldn’t be able to kick your ass quite as easily as before. Probably still could, though.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt that. It has been quite some time since we’ve fought though, hasn’t it?” Stede looked a bit excited in the way that Ed knew meant he’d become interested in this idea. “Not since you were still teaching me, I imagine. Why, you must’ve stopped just as I had a chance, don’t you think? That isn’t fair at all.”
“Stede Bonnet, are you trying to challenge me to a duel?” Ed was incredulous, even through his obvious excitement.
“I wouldn’t call it that, but I suppose that I am.” They looked at each other, both smiling. “Do you accept my challenge, Edward Teach?”
“How could I say no?” With that, they both were eager to get on with their day. How odd that the idea of fighting your own partner with a deadly weapon could be so very thrilling for you both.