Chapter Text
"The Revenge" was sailing away from the city in a cool spring morning, as the crew were having their late breakfast. Jim spreading butter on the bread with their ever so sharp heritage knife and buttons sneaking some of his food to his new seagull friend Olivia.
Butter, jam and bread. A pretty fancy meal for a pirate crew I'd say!
And as always, captain Stede bonnet and his friend, Blackbeard were having breakfast in their own private space, sneak peaking at each other and smiling while eating like it was only yesterday that they met.
The love and respect they had for each other was uncanny and obvious even for the blind to see.
The ship's shelves of food were restocked, the ropes and fabrics were packed and they were all set to continue on their unknown journey to new discoveries.
Stede and Blackbeard were discussing the directions of a new map of the seven seas that Stede had just bought from the city.
"If we keep heading east... and we don't meet the Spanish, or the English army...or giant icebergs...." Stede was really trying to make those obstacles sound like nothing but he knew it was to no end.
"I can't have this I'm getting some air"
"We have to focus" Stede sounded offended.
-"You're the one who decided to buy this map instead of actually valuable things so you figure it out"
-"How would a new knife be of value?"
-"WE'RE PIRATES" Ed's tone was surprised, eventhough they practically lived together for almost a year, he didn't seem to make sense of what was going on inside Stede's mind.
They were starting another one of their odd-couple arguments when somebody knocked on the door
"Go away. We're in the middle of a very important talk." Stede shouted back
"I'm afraid you have to see this captain...captains!" Buttons insisted, "I will not go unless you come with me."
"Ah, alright." Stede exhaled and beckoned Blackbeard to go after him.
The two walked up to the deck, leading to the whole crew circling around something placed right there in the middle. Stede and Ed weren't able to see anything from their angel.
"Should we keep it?"
"Throw it back in the water."
"Why the fuck would you say that?"
"What do we call it?"
Everyone was talking at once and the chatter was inaudible.
Captain Stede clapped his hands to win everyone's attention to undrestand what's going on. No one paid attention, which was unlikely since he had become rather respected to his sailor family considering all the bravery he put into rescuing and leading them; but that's a story for a another day.
Ed, seeing the indifference of the crew, cleared his throat for a good shout. He knew his partner would not do such a thing so he was willing to make that sacrifice. A short, loud and quite scary "HEY" did the work and made everyone turn around to form a line in a heartbeat.
The ship went completely quiet for a second right before the sound of a crying baby resumed the tension.
"Oh look what you've done." Oluwande said with annoyance while rushing back to the barrels that had the pile of dirty white fabrics on top of them. Not even glancing at Blackbeard in hopes of getting away with his tone.
The screams were getting louder and louder as Oluwande picked the big dirty fabric thing up and tried to calm it down. As he was shaking and moving the baby to make it feel better, the fabric covering its tiny pale face dropped down, exposing it to Stede, who was too stunned to even say a word.
"Is that? Is that a?"
"Yes!" Oluwander made it easier for him, "it's a baby."
"I think it's his. Oliwande's the only one who manage to calm it down." Black pete volunteered to speak on behalf of everyone but he was welcomed with a slap on the neck from Jim, "don't be so fucking stupid." Jim raised their voice so that everyone could hear, they were not ready for taking that kind of bullshit about Oluwande. Besides, they never wanted kids considering what their own childhood had been. That child would rather be in hell.
"Look at her skin, it's white as snow. And her hair is red so if you're blaming anyone it should be someone like Buttons." Jim was willing to blame the nearest person there.
All eyes turned to face buttons who was standing straight as if the commander had just shouted "attention" and said no words. the wind smashing the few locks of hair he had on his face.
"This idiot..." one perosn shouted from the back and everyone started rushing into poor Buttons with their fists and cold weapons.
Always stand up for yourself folks, not doing so will leave you with the same faith.
Captain Stede's eyes doubled in size when he saw how everyone reacted to the accusation. And since buttons appeared to go mute all of a sudden he decided to take control of the situation, "okay okay" Stede blocked the crew with his hands, facing buttons to ask him what was going on, "let's not get ahead of ourselves. Mr. Buttons? anything you'd like to say?"
Buttons kept his head up, still in attention stance, and spoke firmly, "Captain I have to say that this baby is not mine and I have no idea where it came from." his accent somehow sounded thicker
"then why didn't you speak when everyone tried to kill you?" there Stede was, trying to father them again.
"I froze captain. besides, that's a very pretty baby I would have wanted to take credit for that. Alas, I swore an oath to the mother nature not to take no wife and I renew that oath every month by the full moon."
The expression on everyone's face went from "What the fuck?" to "What the fuck?!!" really quickly. the first what the fuck expressing shock and the second expressing a good mixture of disgust and confusion.
"It was that goddamn tramp" Izzy Hands was talking to himself but he forgot that every single one of his crewmembers were standing right next to him and they all happened to look for an answer to the same question. So it was only natural that they heard that whisper of anger.
"What tramp?" Blackbeard asked.
All eyes travelled away from Buttons and onto Izzy.
"When you were all in the city I came back early to settle some things and I saw a young dirty hobo girl next to the tying ropes."
"Where I found the baby" roach interrupted
"Oh you wanna tell what happened now? I bet you can repeat what you didn't see or do, perfectly." Izzy's temper was what you may call a "zero to six knots in one second".
"Okay! Continue! Damn!" Roach stepped back, still keeping his "what the fuck" face.
"I thought she was stealing so I grabbed her and took out everything from her pockets. They weren't much so I just let her go after. I didn't undrestand why she was so upset about the fact that she was caught stealing from a pirate, and I thought she was a beggar repeatedly asking me to "help her baby" but now I realize she was weeping for that." Izzy pointed at the baby, now soundly sleeping in Oluwande's arms.
"Poor thing must've had no other choice, leaving her baby to some random pirates." Stede was genuine and sorry for the baby, he looked around at the crew like they were a bunch of uncultured scoundrels. But, could you really blame him?
"What do we do with it captain? Throw it overboard?" Swede finally opened his mouth for an unnecessary opinion nobody asked for.
"We can't do that. That's a baby." Jim spoke up, they didn't like children but they were also against murdering them for no reason.
"But a ship is no place for a baby"
"Look how cute it is though"
"Those sheets are probably worth something"
"I think what we should do is ask the captain." Frenchie tried to give Stede a chance to speak since all that chaos was drowning him out.
"Oh! Yes! Well I...I have to..."
Ed sensed Stede's panic attack coming and tried to help him out of the situation, "...take some time to think about it. After all not all decisions can be made in a matter of seconds. Ain't that right? Captain?"
The whole crew, including Ed were staring at him dead in the eye.
"Oh, yes! Thank you Blackbeard. Oluwande can you meet me in my room? And; bring the unknown baby."
Stede's hands were starting to sweat as he stepped towards his room, got in and closed the door. Oluwande, the baby and his co-captain behind him. None of them knowing what to do or how to act. None except one.
"Hey Stede you don't think we can..." Blackbeard, sensing Stede's confusion moments ago, wanted to take the upperhand but Stede started talking; loud and steady as if he is so sure of himself. That's what the Captain had learned in a whole year of piracy; and the years before that in the rich folk community. fake it till you make it.
"I think we should keep the baby."