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“You want me to stab you?!”
Edward smiled as he continued to bare his abdomen to Stede. “Yeah, c’mon,” he teased, “take your sword, run me through.”
Stede stared at Edward, perhaps briefly considering the proposition. “I – I don’t think I want to do that,” he finally said, quietly.
“No worries then.” Almost instinctively, in a quick motion Edward pulled his revolver from his holster and pointed it at Stede. “I’ll just have to shoot you.”
Stede threw his hands in the air and a look of horror crossed his face, a fear that excited Edward. “No! Ed, don’t shoot me!”
“C’mon mate, this is it! I’m gonna shoot you in the face!” Edward grinned as he gave his gun a threatening shake.
“No!” Stede cried, and something in the way that he shrieked, the way that his eyes were so wide with fear, caused Edward’s arm to fall back to his side.
Stede’s face relaxed at the sight of Edward’s gun fading from view, but he remained tense, his hands still in the air. “Were you really going to shoot me, Ed?”
Edward shook his head. “’Course not. I think… I think I just wanted to get you to do it,” a grin flashed on his face, “and you should’ve seen the look on your face, man.”
Stede lowered his arms and started to approach Edward. “I – I was really worried you might.”
Edward saw the genuine fear and confusion still etched on Stede’s face, and his own face softened. “I would never shoot you, Stede. I’m sorry.” A rare promise from Edward, but earnest nonetheless.
“Why did you want me to stab you anyway?”
“Oh right! I was going to teach you the art of being run through.”
“There’s an art?”
“Well, there’s a way to do it and miss all your important bits.” Edward gestured vaguely to his abdomen.
Stede’s face remained scrunched with confusion. “And you thought me stabbing you was the best way to demonstrate that?”
Edward shrugged.
Stede cocked his head to the side. “Well, surely there must be a better way you could teach me? It sounds like a valuable skill but, um, I don’t know if I can quite manage the thought of stabbing you.”
“Right, surely, hmm,” Edward paused to consider alternatives.
“Ideally,” Stede interjected, “a way that doesn’t involve you stabbing me.”
Edward laughed. “Y’know Stede, I don’t know if I could quite manage the thought of stabbing you either,” he said, which caused Stede to let a small smile cross his otherwise still uneasy face.
“Not to mention I was quite badly stabbed not even a fortnight ago,” Stede added.
“Y’know, you’re right,” Edward let his eyes drift to Stede’s chest. “D’you mind showing me exactly where you were stabbed?”
Seemingly unphased by this request, Stede began unbuttoning his shirt. He pushed his loosened cravat over his shoulder so Edward could see the entirety of his exposed chest, including the area below his diaphragm that Edward had asked to see.
Edward let out a slow, metered breath as he stepped closer to Stede. He instinctively reached to touch the scar, but held back. “You were very lucky, Stede.”
“Lucky that you arrived just in time to save my arse?” Stede quickly replied before realizing what he said. “Er, you and your crew, arrived in time, to save my crew as well as- “
“I mean you’re lucky you aren’t dead.” Edward really wanted to stroke the soft pinkness of Stede’s belly, but some force greater than himself – maybe the naïve but trusting look in Stede’s eyes – continued to hold him back. “They should’ve hit, er, something, but they managed not to.”
“Yeah, the liver or something.” Almost sensing Edward’s desire to touch him, Stede traced his fingers along the outlines of the scar, looking down almost curiously at the symbol of his miraculous survival. Edward was absolutely mesmerized for a brief moment before Stede looked back up at him. “So you’re saying that getting stabbed straight in the middle of my gut isn’t the best strategy for survival?”
Edward chuckled and shook his head.
“Can you show me then?” Stede asked, pulling back his shirttails to reveal more of his abdomen. “Preferably without a sword or gun.”
Edward’s eyes widened, and he felt his breath briefly catch in his throat. “Yeah, I think I can do that.”
Edward took a final few steps towards Stede until their feet almost touched. He held out his hand and gestured towards Stede’s abdomen. “May I?”
Stede nodded, his eyes shining in the dark.
Edward took a deep breath to focus his thoughts before pressing his left hand softly on Stede’s abdomen, a few centimeters diagonal from his scar. He felt Stede’s body soften under his touch and Edward could feel his own cheeks begin to flush. “If, uh, if you try to get run through here, that’s, uh, what you want to aim for.”
“Right,” Stede breathed, his eyes remaining firmly on Edward’s. “I see. Is there, er, a particular angle the blade should go in?”
“You probably want it to come out around here,” Edward slowly snaked his free arm between Stede and the fabric of his shirt and pressed his other hand to Stede’s back. Stede let out a quiet “oh!”, which startled Edward and he impulsively pulled Stede just a little bit closer to him.
“Sorry, mate,” Edward said, now avoiding Stede’s gaze.
“No, Ed, it’s okay.” The softness of Stede’s voice led Edward back to meet his eyes. “I much prefer this to stabbing you,” Stede said.
Edward laughed. “I think I do too.”
“Well, yeah, I’d imagine,” Stede replied. “You’d be stuck with an oozing bloody stab wound!”
“Oh right, that too.” Despite the awkward position, it was exhilarating for Edward to feel Stede’s warm, bare skin between his hands. He wanted to pull him closer, feel himself enveloped by Stede’s silky unbuttoned shirt and his soft accepting embrace. But Edward was frozen in this moment, staring into Stede’s eyes, until they were both startled by a wave that sent the ship swaying a little harder than usual. Edward moved his left hand up to the center of Stede’s chest to steady himself, before realizing the placement and quickly moving his hand to Stede’s shoulder, his thumb ever so softly pressed on the edge of Stede’s collarbone.
Stede gave Edward a soft smile. “How ‘bout we go back to my room for a nightcap?”
Edward nodded, giving Stede’s collarbone the gentlest stroke before returning his hands to his side. “Yes, that sounds grand.”