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It was safe fo say that the raid didn’t quite go as planned.
Stede had spotted the vessel a few miles out and rounded up the crew to talk over his plans to sneak on board and see what they could retrieve without anybody spotting them. It was supposed to be a game of sorts, to test their stealth. They had taken bets on who could collect the most- naturally Stede put his money on Jim, which Ed and Izzy had some competitive objections to. They may have been the more experienced pirates but Jim, well Jim moved like a shadow- they were clearly going to be the best at this game. It was simple enough at first, they approached on a rowboat and quietly climbed the ladder. Splitting up, they all ducked into hiding places on board to survey the other crews movements before begining their raid. Just as Stede climbed over the railings, unfamiliar voices began to surface from below deck. He had clumsily ducked behind a barrel in an attempt to evade the other ships crew but slipped on the uneven decking, knocking it over and alerting the whole ship to their presence. Blades were drawn and cries of panic filled the air before Stede had chance to even attempt blundering his way out of the situation with his clever words. All he could do was throw up his arm to shield his eyes as a ragged stranger swung downward with his sword in a futile attempt to block the deadly blow.
But it never came. What followed was the hollow thud of a body hitting the wood and a strong hand grasping around his upper arm dragging him to his feet.
“What the fuck, Stede!?” Ed bellowed, eyes wild with panic and face dripping with the strangers blood. Stede’s eyes darted from Ed, to the body at their feet, then to the chaos of battle behind them. But Ed’s grip was bruising and demanded his attention. “Why didn’t you draw your fucking sword, you lunatic?!”
Before Stede could answer, another man ran toward them, wielding a polished blade that caught the high afternoon sun and Ed pushed the blonde man behind him. Stood in wide-eyed fascination, Stede watched as Ed danced effortlessly around the scrawny man that swung and hacked with brute force but no real skill. Ed made quick work of him, deflecting his blows with graceful, fluid motions, before driving his sword through his stomach. Before his body hit the ground, Ed’s hands were back on Stede, dragging him towards the rail where the ladder swung down to their row boat.
“Fall back!” Ed shouted over his shoulder to the rest of the crew, beckoning them to follow. “Get back to the ship you fucking idiots.”
Ed had pushed Stede ahead of him, letting him fumble down the ladder as he listened to the clink of swords above him. His feet carried him downwards- away from the commotion and away from danger. It was only when he heard Ed’s voice cry out in pain that Stede froze, clinging to the rope as the waves lapped at his feet, realising that all of this was his fault. Not only had he lead his crew right into the jaws of danger, but he had given them away too. And Ed. Ed was hurt. And it was all because of him. Stede stayed there, ignoring the bile rising in his throat that had nothing to do with the steady sway of the ladder, until the clang of metal died down and all Stede could hear was the waves crashing against the ship and the thumping of his own heart. He was gripping onto the ladder so tight that the rope burnt into his soft hands, but he couldn’t bring himself to move.
Until Ed’s blood splattered face peered overboard above him.
“Hurry up man! Get in the boat so I can send everyone else down.” The bearded man shouted, and Stede’s face broke into a relieved smile as he clambered the rest of the way down into their little wooden boat.
First down came Lucius, babbling breathlessly about how ‘this wasn’t in fact a fun game’ and how he ‘should’ve stayed back scrubbing the deck’. Then came Frenchie, and Black Pete, and Wee John, and Roach, and Buttons. Then Jim, who carried a large sack on their back, followed closely by Oluwande. As each of his crew mates dropped into the boat, Stede checked them over with frantic panic. But each of them had escaped with their lives- a few scratches here and there but all of them were alive. Then Izzy, who for once looked satisfied that a raid had finished with his sword dripping in the blood of other pirates, pushed his way to a seat at the back of the boat with a satisfied smile. Finally, Ed. He jumped into the boat, clutching his exposed shoulder where a nasty looking gash was oozing a steady stream of blood down his arm and staining his shirt. Stede swallowed thickly at the sight of him. Ed looked feral. His hair had fallen from the knot that he had it tied in neatly earlier that day and now the strands of hair were plastered to his face with a mixture of sweat and blood. There was so much blood that Stede couldn’t figure out how much of it was Ed’s and how much of it was from the men he had killed. His chest heaved in ragged breaths and his pupils were blown wide on adrenaline. And suddenly Stede understood why the mere sight of Blackbeard- in his roughened and battle hardened state- was enough to send a fleet of ships sailing in the opposite direction.
“Start rowing.” Ed barked as he plopped himself next to Stede.
Someone must have listened to the order as the boat began moving in the direction of the Revenge. Stede felt the need to say something; to fill the awkward silence that had settled over the crew with a run down on what could’ve gone better. But he couldn’t take his eyes off the way Ed prodded and poked at the slashed flesh of his shoulder; either un-phased by the pain or indifferent to it. Ed must have sensed the blonde man watching him as he lifted his eyes to meet Stede’s horrified gaze.
“I’ve had worse.” Ed shrugged in a way of explanation. “Nothing I can’t patch up myself.”
“Ed… I..” Stede croaked, choking on the thick feeling if guilt that lodged itself in his throat. “I’m sorry.”
Ed raised a questioning eyebrow and opened his mouth to speak, but after looking over his shoulder at the rest of the crew, he shook the thought from his mind. Stede took the opportunity to address the others.
“Right, listen up everyone,” he began, clearing his throat. “I would like to apologise for my clumsiness this afternoon. My actions jeopardised the whole raid and I put you all in danger. I would never have forgiven myself if anything happened to any of you. I am truly sorry and I hope you can forgive me.”
A collective grumble rippled from around the boat; they were annoyed that Ed had dragged them away before they could pick the ship clean.
“Can we have double story time tonight?” Wee John asked hopefully leaning forward to peer over Stede’s shoulder.
“Yeah, okay. I don’t see why that would be an issue.” Stede nodded with a half smile, happy to oblige to any requests that would smooth over the mood.
“Then I don’t know about the rest of you, but I forgive you, Captain.” Wee John sat back satisfied, clapping Stede on the shoulder and an excited babble erupted behind them.
“Does that mean we get two chapters about the little wooden boy or can we get one chapter from two different books.” Frenchie piped up.
“Obviously we will get two chapters of Pistachio.” Black Pete spoke with a roll of his eyes.
“It’s Pinocchio, babe.” Lucius corrected. “But yeah, of course we’re going to get two chapters of Pinocchio. Why would we waste time starting a completely new book when we haven’t finished this one yet.”
“I was only asking…” Frenchie defended.
“It was a bit of a stupid question, French.” Olu chuckled.
“Hey now.” Stede piped up with a smile, happy that his crew didn’t seem too bothered about his mistake. “There’s no such thing as stupid questions, okay? We will have two chapters of Pinocchio tonight and….I’ll throw in mug of Angel Milk for you all too.”
Stede smiled to himself as an excited chorus of “Yes!” erupted from behind him.
“Angel Milk?” Ed mumbled curiously from beside him, loud enough for only Stede to hear.
“Warm milk with honey and cinnamon.” Stede whispered back, enjoying the way Ed’s eyes crinkled in excited intrigue. “Will you be joining us for story time tonight, Ed?”
“Hmn, well there’s a lot of jobs to do. Need to clean my sword for a start.” Ed shrugged, seemingly unbothered, but his eyes glinted hopefully. “Then I got to patch my shoulder up and fix the tear in my shirt. These things don’t fix themselves.”
“Surly your sword can wait until the morning. Take the evening to relax after the chaos of this afternoon.” Stede nudged him lightly, being careful to avoid his injured shoulder. “And I can help you patch up your shoulder and get you cleaned up if you’d like, then you’d be able to join us for story time.”
“Okay yeah. Yeah that’s a good idea.” Ed nodded. “I need to speak to you actually so we can do that while you help me fix up this.”
“Sp…Speak? To me?” Stede stammered, suddenly apprehensive. “What about?”
“You kidding me? About that stunt you pulled back there.” Ed grumbled, knitting his eyebrows together in frustration. “I thought I taught you better than that.”
Stede opened his mouth to apologies profusely to Ed but the boat had come to a stand still. One by one, the crew had exited the boat and climbed back on board the Revenge, waiting dutifully on deck for their Captain. Stede stood in front of them, with Ed looming at his side, and addressed his crew all together.
“Right, I want you all to take the rest of the evening off for a bit of self-care. Any jobs that need to be done can wait until tomorrow. Take the next few hours to get yourself cleaned up and we will meet back on deck at sundown for story time.” Stede sent them all away before turning to Ed- he opened his mouth to speak but was suddenly cut off as Izzy advanced.
“Shall I grab the rum?” Izzy spoke to Ed, ignoring Stede completely and eyeing up the taller man’s wound. “A gash like that is gonna take a lot of rum to numb the pain and then the rest to clean it out.”
“You’re all good, mate.” Ed brushed Izzy with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Stede said he’d help me. We’ve got a few things to talk about.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Izzy laughed angrily. “This rich boy has never had to knit flesh back together in his life.”
“I mean no, but there’s a first time for everything.” Stede began, trying to diffuse the thick, angry tension that had surfaced. “How hard can it be?”
“Everyone has to learn somewhere.” Ed defended, placing his good hand on Stede’s shoulder and squeezing. “Come on let’s go before this starts bleeding again.”
Ed didn’t wait for a reply before he steered Stede away from Izzy and towards the Captains Cabin, ignoring the short man’s distasteful grumblings.
“He’s really not happy about me taking his nursing job.” Stede chuckled as he shut the door behind them.
“Eh, he’ll get over it.” Ed winced as he began undoing his leather and contorting his body to try and get it off without disturbing his wound too much.
“Oo that looks painful.” Stede gushed, stepping forward to give Ed a hand. “Let me help you.”
Ed stilled and Stede’s gentle hands found the lapel of his jacket and and pulled it off him ever so slowly, taking extra care not to cause his shoulder any more pain.
“Much better. Come on now, let’s sit you down in the bathroom so we can get you all cleaned up.” Stede took Ed’s gloved hand in his own and guided him through to the extravagant bathroom in his cabin. Ed followed the blonde man willingly, caught off guard by how much Stede seemed to care about the discomfort he was in. Stede sat him down on the edge of the large tub before turning to rummage through a large cabinet next to them.
“So umm… about earlier.” Ed began, busying his hands by picking up one of the various tubs that Stede kept on his bath side. “Want to explain to me what the fuck you were thinking?”
“Ah yes, well… I’m sorry that your got hurt because of my stupidity.” Stede paused to throw a sympathetic look at Ed. “You didn’t have to jump in like that. I would’ve deserved what was coming for me.”
“What? No. What the fuck, man? I wouldn’t have let you get hit. Rather me than you. I know I can take it.” Ed rambled, not meeting Stede’s gaze. “What I meant was why didn’t you draw your sword? We’ve practised so many times.”
“Well… I suppose I just panicked.” Stede shrugged, ignoring the blush that prickled onto his pale cheeks. “In the moment I forgot what you taught me and I froze.”
“That’s not good enough.” Ed retaliated, and Stede couldn’t quite work out if his voice was laced with anger or panic. “What if I wasn’t there, huh? That bastard would’ve cut straight into you and you didn’t even have your blade in your hand to protect yourself.”
“Ed, I’ve already said that I’m sorry that you got hurt…”
“This isn’t about me, Stede!” Ed all but shouted. “This is about you nearly dying. You think I could live with myself if you got killed? You think I could go on knowing that I didn’t teach you well enough to keep yourself safe? Because I couldn’t.”
The deafening silence that followed was heavy with the realisation that Ed did in fact value Stede and their funny little relationship a whole lot more than Stede first realised.
“I’m sorry that I scared you.” Stede eventually settled on. “Maybe I need a few extra lessons after all.”
“Too right you do.” Ed grumbled, turning his attention back to another jar of perfumed soap on the side of the bathtub. “Next lesson will be learning to draw your sword to defend yourself when you’re flat on your ass.”
“We can get straight on to that after your shoulder has healed.” Stede asserted, turning around holding various bandages. “Don’t need you hurting yourself any more.”
“I’m a pirate. I’ve fought through much worse pain than a scratch on my shoulder” Ed laughed with an unbothered shrug. “No need to put off your lessons on my account.”
Stede didn’t speak for a moment and watched the fierce man in front of him- Ed was so accustomed to living his life in pain that he didn’t see the need to stop and take some time to heal. But every wince and shuddering breath told Stede that Ed was in a lot more pain than he was letting on. So Stede took a bold step towards Ed, reaching out to squeeze firmly on his good shoulder.
“Hey,” Stede spoke softly, coaxing Ed to look up at him with his big round eyes. “Just because you can handle the pain doesn’t mean you should have to. You need to start looking after yourself a bit more, Ed.”
Ed’s brow crinkled in thought, but his eyes didn’t leave Stede’s face.
“I’m… I’m not sure I know how.” Ed confessed. “I know how to push through the pain. I can keep going until I forget about how much my knee aches or I forget about how much the fresh cut stings. But I don’t know how to make it hurt any less.”
“Well, I always find that a nice hot bath is the first step in soothing any aches and pains.” Stede suggested, eyeing up the tub over Ed’s shoulder “How about we see to that shoulder of yours then draw you up a bath?”
“No!” Ed snapped, eyes suddenly wild with panic. “I’ll clean myself up with a wash rag. No way am I dipping myself in a icy cold tub. There’s no way you can find that relaxing.”
“Hey hey hey, slow down.” Stede tried to calm Ed who had stood up and began backing away from the bath tub in terror. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. But I was offering you a warm bath, Ed. A cold bath doesn’t sound fun at all.”
“A warm bath?” Ed asked, relaxing slightly in his curiosity. “How does that work?”
“Well you fill up the tub with cold water then you put a few pots of water to boil on the fire. Then you add the hot water to the tub until it reaches the temperature you want.” Stede explained calmly. “Want me to show you how?”
Ed narrowed his eyes apprehensively but eventually nodded.
“Excellent.” Stede smiled broadly before turning to the large barrel of water that was fixed above the tub with a tap, making it easier for Stede to fill up the tub on his own. “So if you turn this tap here it will start filling up with cold water. But don’t worry, we will get it heated up in no time. This will make it easier to clean up your wounds properly before we patch you up.”
Ed reached out a gloved hand and twisted the tap that Stede gestured to, watching in fascination as the water trickled out.
“That’s going to take a while to fill. Shall we go put a few pots on the fire while we wait?” Stede continued, grabbing a few empty pots from next to the bath and leading the way to the stoked fire. Ed followed dutifully, handing Stede a large jug of water off the fireplace.
Eventually the pair had five large pots of water balanced amongst the flames slowly heating up. Ed kept his distance from the tub as the water level slowly rose.
“Uhhh Stede.” Ed nudged the blonde man beside him who was added a few more logs to the roaring fire. “I think we need to turn that off now mate.”
Stede turned around and eyed the tub that was hardly half full, but the uneasy look in Ed’s eyes as he watched the water level rise had Stede moving toward the tap to shut it off.
“Do you want to pick out some soaps or bath salts to to add to the water?” Stede asked as he used a cloth to pull the first bubbling pot from the fire and into the tub, mixing the water with his hand, feeling chill be removed from the water already.
“What the fuck are bath salts?” Ed scrunched up his nose and crossed his arms over his chest, still keeping a distance from the bath.
“Oh well, it’s all of this stuff.” Stede made a gesture to the various bottles and jars scattered around the tub, all filled with powders and creams of all colours. “You put it in the water to make the bath more luxurious. Some smell nice, some make your skin all soft and others turn the water different colours. Go on, open a few, see if any of them take your fancy.”
Tentatively Ed reached out and took the same jar from before, twisting the lid off and giving it a smell. His eyes lit up curiously as he replaced the lid and reached for the next one, taking his time to inspect the colours before unscrewing the lid. Stede’s smiled to himself as Ed, seemingly more relaxed, sat himself next to the tub and worked his way through the various bottles.
“This one smells like you.” Ed proclaimed shaking a jar of purple salts.
“Ah yes, the Lavender bath salts.” Stede noted, as he dumped another pot of hot water into the tub. “I do favour the smell of lavender , especially for an evening bath. See that bar of soap, that’s lavender too. You can use it if you like. If you like the smell of it, that is.”
“Yeah, I like it..” Ed manoeuvred his body so he was kneeling on the floor and leaning over the ledge of the tub. “How do I do this then?”
“Just take a handful out and sprinkle it into the water.” Stede explained, returning with yet another pot of boiling water that he dumped into the bath. “Then sort of mix it all up a bit with your hand. Go ahead”
Stede prompted gently as Ed began removing his leather gloves to tip a generous handful of the purple salts into his hand and then unceremoniously dumped them into the water. He then plunged his hand into the water, sloshing it around vigorously, not caring about how the water soaked his sleeves.
“Whats the temperature like?” Stede asked, stifling a small laugh. “Would you like it any warmer.”
“Hmmmm.” Ed considered for a moment, dragging his fingertips delicately across the surface of the water. “Yeah, more hot water. This is still too cold.”
Ed pushed himself to his feet and began to move towards the fire, but Stede stopped him.
“No no. You sit down and let me do that.” Stede waved him to a seat. “Those pots are heavier than they look and we don’t want you hurting that shoulder any more now, do we?”
“Honestly Stede, it’s not that bad. I can help.”
“No. Will will hear no more of it.” Stede insisted, stilling his movements until Ed took a reluctant seat. With a satisfied nod Stede continued ferrying water from the fire to the tub, until the room was thick with steam and smelt strongly of lavender. “There, that should do it.”
Ed was on his feet once more, approaching the tub with slightly more confidence and peered at the soapy water. He inhaled the steam, letting his eyes drop shut.
“Mmmh yeah, I’m starting to see why you like this sort of shit now.” Ed spoke, letting his head droop back. “Making my head feel fuzzy. Not like the rum though, it’s better than that.”
“Yes well,” Stede began, clearing his throat as he watched Ed’s big chest rise and fall steadily through the haze. “Lavender is known for its stress reducing and relaxing qualities.”
“Smells delicious.” Ed all but groaned and Stede thanked any God that was up there that the room was hazy enough to hide the way his cheeks blushed furiously at the sound.
“Smells even better when you’re in it.” Stede mused making his way toward the door to give Ed some privacy to bathe. “I’ll just be on the other side of this door if you need anything-“
“Wait!” Ed shouted, suddenly alarmed once more. “Would you….can you stay with me? Please?”
“Oh… ummm….” Stede stammered, taken aback by the desperate plea in Ed’s voice as the taller man approached him, eyes full of fear.
“Please. I wouldn’t ask… but I don’t know if I can sit in that water if I’m in here on my own.” Ed practically begged, voice hushed and worried. “Please stay.”
“Okay. Yeah okay. I’ll stay.” Stede gave Ed a tight smile. “I did promise you that I’d help get you cleaned up now, didn’t I?”
Ed nodded, swallowing thickly, but didn’t make any move back towards the tub. Stede didn’t want to ask why Ed was so nervous around the bath. He was a pirate. Ed had spent his life on the water, but for some reason the prospect of washing in a tub had him cowering. But instead of prying, Stede settled for trying to help Ed through the ordeal.
“Right then. Okay. So, first step in bath time is… well…. do you want to pop your clothes off, Ed?” Stede began, babbling through the nerves, guiding Ed a few steps closer to the tub with a hand on the small of his back.
Luckily for Stede, Ed didn’t seem too put off by his first instruction, unfastening his trousers and dropping them to the floor before Stede had the chance to turn his back. Stede averted his gaze quickly, taking a keen interest in a dark spot on the ceiling.
“Might need some help with the shirt, mate.” Ed grumbled, drawing Stede’s attention as he struggled to undo the buttons with one hand. “Can’t get this bastard thing off.”
“Oh… yes.. okay I can do that.” Stede nodded, keeping his eyes firmly straight ahead as the taller man turned to face him. Stede reached out and began methodically undoing the front of Ed’s purple shirt, fumbling slightly as he became aware of Ed’s eyes fixed on his face. As his shirt fell open Stede stepped back, meeting Ed’s eye line. The taller man seemed more relaxed- Stede could even go as far as saying he looked amused. “Turn around so we can slip this off. I’ll try not to knock your shoulder.”
Ed obliged, turning around so that Stede could help him shrug off the garment. The taller man hissed in pain as the fabric peeled away from his skin- dried blood pulling at the flesh.
“Sorry.” Stede winced as he pulled the shirt away. “There we go though. All done.”
Stede allowed his eyes to dance over Ed’s bare shoulders- they were littered with scars and tattoos and rippled with muscles. So when Ed looked over his shoulder awaiting his next instruction, and caught Stede mesmerised by his muscles, he laughed.
“I’m stood here with my cock and balls out, and you’re back there staring at my back?” Ed’s voice was laced with amusement. “I’m hardly a prude, Stede. You don’t have to look away on my account.”
“I was simply admiring the artwork of your tattoos.” Stede bluffed, squaring his shoulders. “They’re very beautifully detailed.”
“Ah right.” Ed quirked an eyebrow and nodded slowly. “In that case, you’ll want to take a look at the extremely life-like jelly fish tattoo I have on my right arse cheek.”
Stede’s eyes darted downwards in surprise before he could stop them. He was confronted by Ed’s extremely toned- but extremely not tattooed- arse. Immediately flushing red with embarrassment, Stede’s head snapped upwards and scowled at Ed. Ed, on the other hand, wore a triumphant grin.
“Made you look.” Ed chucked, winking devilishly at Stede. “Like what you see, Captain?“
“Right, yes, very funny.” Stede brushed off his teasing as he guided Ed towards the tub. “Now let’s get back to the matter at hand and get you in the bath before the water cools down too much.”
“Just step in and sit down, right?” Ed spoke, looking for reassurance.
“That’s right.” Stede encouraged. “The water’s really not that deep. I’d say it will come up to about your waist when you’re sitting.”
“Okay, yeah. I can do that.” Ed nodded, trying to psych himself up as he gripped the side of the tub. “Yeah I can manage that.”
After only a few moments of hesitation, Ed lifted his leg to step into water, and Stede took the opportunity to turn his back to give the other man some level of privacy in what was otherwise intimate situation. He busied himself by taking off his own jacket and hanging it up, listening to the slosh of water as Ed got himself settled.
“Always the gentleman.” Ed mused as the sounds of water settled. Stede turned back around to find Ed sat upright amongst the suds and the bearded man gestured to the stool near the top of the bath “Gonna come over here and keep me company?”
Stede obliged and walked towards his seat, rolling up the sleeves on his shirt to his elbows as he went. Ed had already begun scrubbing his hands together roughly in the water in an attempt to wash away the dried blood.
“Steady on there Ed, you’ll scratch yourself.” Stede noted, leaning over to pick up a softer wash cloth and a bar of soap. “Hear, let me.”
Stede dipped the cloth into the water and began lathering it up with suds. He offered out his hand and waited to see if Ed would take it. Ed surveyed him for a moment, eyes flitting between Stede’s outstretched hands and his face, considering. With a huff, Ed settled his calloused hands into Stede’s soft ones, letting the blonde man gently wipe the blood from his skin.
“There.” Stede murmured, watching as Ed’s eyes softened when he gave his hands a gentle squeeze before lowering them into the water. “All better, see?”
“Mmmh.” Ed hummed, looking down to his own chest. “Still got quite a bit to clean up up here. Mind if I dirty up that cloth of yours a bit more?”
“Oh yeah, sure.” Stede extended the cloth but Ed’s eyes widened impossibly further and pushed out his bottom lip into a pout. The mere sight of Ed’s brow crinkled and him blinking up at Stede through his impossibly long eyelashes had a laugh bubbling up in Stede’s chest and out of his mouth. “You want me to do it for you?”
Ed smiled shyly and nodded. Amused, Stede shook his head but proceeded to dunk the cloth into the water.
“You know Ed, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what you want.” Stede spoke fondly, hoping to reassure the man that he only need ask for anything and Stede would willingly give it to him, if it was in his power.
“I didn’t want to sound needy.” Ed admitted quietly, inspecting his now clean hands a bit too closely. “It’s just that… I don’t know… you know how to be gentle. I don’t know how to do it without making the cuts hurt any more than they already do. But it doesn’t hurt when you do it for some reason. You don’t have to though…I can do it myself if you don’t want to.”
“Edward,” Stede began softly. He wanted to reassure Ed; to tell him that nothing he could ask of Stede would ever be a bother. But no matter the words he used, Ed wouldn’t believe him. So he reached out, taking Ed’s bearded chin in his hand and turned his face towards him. Ed’s brown eyes shon with anticipation as Stede slowly lifted the cloth to his face before drifting shut as Stede began to gently wipe away the splattering of blood on his cheek. A shuddering breath past through Ed lips as Stede dabbed around a small graze on his forehead, and Stede couldn’t help but admire how much younger Ed looked in this light- with his eyes shut and completely void of worry. He wondered if this was how Ed looked when he slept. As he cleared away the the last of the blood and his movements slowed, Ed blinked open his eyes. Finally, Stede found the words he was looking for. “Let me look after you.”
Ed’s lips parted slightly and his chest heaved, but after a moment he nodded.
“Now, I want you to lean back so your head is resting on the back of the tub.” Stede instructed patting the top of the tub where he wanted Ed to lay down. Feeling as though Ed needed constant reassurance that he was safe, Stede added. “Don’t worry, you won’t slip under. The tub isn’t big enough for that. And I’ll be right here the whole time.”
Stede placed a tentative hand on Ed’s back. At first, Ed’s muscles tightened under his touch, but as Stede began rubbing small circles between his shoulder blades, Ed began to relax into his hands.
“There we go, that’s it.” Stede guided, helping Ed lie back so that he was reclined in the tub and the water rose around his chest. “I’ve got you.”
“Hmmm.” Ed hummed as the warm water enveloped him. “Yeah this is good. I like this.”
“I’m glad. All I need you to do now is lie there and relax while I clean you up. Now, if it gets too painful or anything just tell me and we can stop. I don’t want to hurt you.” Stede explained quietly as he manoeuvred the stool around to the side of the bath so he could reach Ed better.
Ed nodded, watching as Stede dipped the cloth into the water before eyeing up the wound. Luckily the worst of the bleeding had stopped but the dried blood still stained a lot of Ed’s chest and upper arm. Izzy was right. Stede had never had to tend to a cut like this before. He didn’t know what he was doing. The flesh was raw and bloody, but luckily Stede couldn’t see any bone, meaning it wasn’t as deep as he first imagined. He reached out with the cloth and began softly dabbing the blood from the surrounding skin. Sometimes Ed would hiss in discomfort and Stede would still his movements and mumble an apology before carrying on. Once the immediate area around the cut was clean, Stede began wiping the blood off his arms with firmer strokes. The methodical task of wiping away the blood and dipping the cloth back into the water became quite soothing to Stede. He moved onto Ed’s broad chest, rubbing the cloth in circular motions from one side to the other, until he was completely clean. Ed had his eyes closed and his chest rose and fell steadily under Stede’s hands, clearly enjoying the soothing motions. The silence between the two men was surprisingly comfortable, broken only by the odd drip of water back into the tub.
“Ed?” Stede mumbled and Ed’s dark eyes fluttered open. “Sorry, you looked really peaceful there. I was just wondering if you’d like me to wash your hair? You’ve got quite a bit blood matted into it.”
“Hm? What? Yeah.” Ed spoke as his mind caught up to what Stede was saying, sitting up a bit straighter. “Honestly mate, I will sit here all night and let you do what you want to me. I feel like I could fall asleep.”
Stede once again ignored his burning cheeks at the double meaning of Ed’s words, and blamed the heat spreading through his body on the steam that continued to rise off of the water. He reached for the jug and placed a hand on Ed’s shoulder.
“You’re going to have to sit up again while I wet your hair.” Stede explained and Ed let out a small, disappointed sigh which Stede chuckled at. “We don’t want to get water all over the floor now, do we? That’ll just create more mess to clean up. You can lie back down while I soap up your hair if you like.”
Ed grumbled as he held onto the side of the tub and pulled himself into a sitting position; water sloshing around his waist.
“Tilt your head back.” Stede instructed as he dunked a jug into the bath water. Ed inclined his head slightly and looked towards the ceiling but Stede reached out and guided his chin further upwards with a delicate finger so that Ed’s head was angled further back. “There we go. Don’t want to get any soapy water in those eyes.”
Ed’s eyes followed as Stede lifted the jug above his head and slowly began to pour out the water, holding onto Ed’s chin so that he wouldn’t accidentally spill any water onto Ed’s face. Stede repeated this- filling up the jug and pouring it over Ed’s head- until his curly mane of hair was soaked with water and slicked back onto his head.
“You can go ahead and lie back down.” Stede said as he moved his stool back round so that he was sat behind Ed once more. He routed around in a box for a bar of soap that he kept for washing his hair- it smelt like coconuts and always left his own hair feeling like silk. He imagined running his hands through Ed’s lustrous locks after they had been freshly washed, brushed and dried in the sea breeze; but quickly shook the thought from his mind.
With Ed’s head resting on the edge of the tub once more, Stede lathered up a generous amount of soap in his hands before getting to work on Ed’s hair. He stared at his hairline, massaging the soap into Eds scalp before slowly working his way down his temples. As Stede dragged his fingertips backwards and began working the soap into the hair just behind Eds ears, out a small, pleasurable groan passed Eds lips. Stede continued raking his fingers through Eds hair, massaging his scalp and eliciting small noises from the man.
“You’ve got such lovely hair, Ed.” Stede remarked, lathing up his hands with more soap before sliding his hands to the back of Eds head to work the suds into the nape of his neck. Ed didn’t reply but Stede continued his work, methodically combing through Eds curls with his fingers until every inch of his hair was thick with foam.
Stede was about to reach for the jug and ask Ed to sit up once more when he heard it.
A small sniffle.
And it was in that moment when Stede realised that Ed was crying.
Stede rushed forward, kneeling at the side of the bath so that he was now facing Ed. His face was wet from the bath and small droplets of water clung to his eyelashes but tears also brimmed in his big brown eyes.
“Oh, Edward.” Stede consoled, taking one of Ed’s hands that was resting on the side of the bath into his own. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Why are you so nice to me?” Ed choked out between stifled sniffles. His voice was so shaky and heartbroken that Stede felt his own chest heave.
‘Whoever made Edward Teach believe he wasn’t worthy of nice things would now have the Gentleman Pirate to answer to.’ Stede thought angrily fighting to keep his emotions from showing on his face.
“Because you’re my friend.” Stede explained softly, rubbing small circles on Ed’s hand with his thumb. “And friends look after each other, no matter how messy it gets.”
“I’m sorry. I’m being silly. It’s just… No one has ever looked after me like this before.” Ed confessed, screwing up his face as a shaky breath racked his body.
“Well, I’m here now.” Stede affirmed, giving Ed’s hand a tight squeeze and smiling affectionately. “And I promise that I will always look after you, okay?”
Through his tears, Ed let out a small laugh and nodded his head.
“Thank you, Stede Bonnet.” Ed spoke quietly. “For taking care of the fearsome Blackbeard.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Stede reassured, reaching out to wipe away a tear on Ed’s cheek with his thumb. “Now let’s get this soap out of your hair so we can get you out of this bath ready for story time with the others, yeah?”
Ed nodded as he pulled himself into a sitting position and then tilting his head towards the ceiling. Stede made quick work of rinsing his hair, combing through with his fingers as he went along to ensure all the soap was washed away.
“There we are, all finished.” Stede stood up as he spoke, rolling his sleeves back down to his wrists. “There’s some bath robes hanging on the back of this door and you know where the closet is if you want to pick out some clean clothes for the evening. I’ll leave you to get out and dry by yourself if that’s okay? I wanted to go and ask Roach if he would kindly make up the Angel milk I promised everyone ready for story time.”
“Yeah that’s fine.” Ed nodded as he watched Stede back up towards the door. “Thank you for helping me tonight.”
“Anytime.” Stede smiled and nodded curtly as he backed out the door and closed it behind him. He paused for a moment, listening as the bath water began to swish around as Ed climbed out of the bath. Satisfied that Ed was managing on his own, Stede turned on his heel and walked towards the door of his cabin, intending to make his way down to this kitchens.
As he rounded the corner he bumped into a slender figure.
“Ah, Roach!” Stede exclaimed in mild surprise. “Just the man I was looking for.”
“Captain?” Roach replied.
“Would you mind setting up some milk to boil and making up a pot of Angel milk while I round up everyone for story time, please?”
“Of course Captain.” The man nodded, happy to have a task to carry out.
“Thank you, Roach. Oh, and one last thing.” Stede called after Roach as he began scurrying away to the kitchens “Could you put an extra spoonful of honey into Ed’s mug please? I think he needs something with an extra bit of sweetness tonight.”