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Stede Bonnet finally felt like he was getting a hang of the whole captaining thing. Whilst he had initially felt out of his depth, frequently running into trouble whilst being plagued by intrusive thoughts of the people he’d left behind, having Ed as his co-captain had given him a newfound confidence to lead as he’d always meant to. To make decisions without second guessing himself and to appreciate every second of life at sea with his new family. After all, this had always been his dream, and despite the rocky start, he could honestly say that running away to become a pirate was the best decision he had ever made.
To celebrate the week of successful raids, the crew of the Revenge had taken a detour to one of the infamous pirate islands Stede had heard of but never actually visited. His first suggestion was for them to sit out on the deck of the ship and share some of the wine they had purloined, but then Black Pete said that he needed a ‘night on the town’ and an eruption of excited agreement followed. Stede had never exactly partied like a pirate before but Ed clapped a hand to his shoulder with the biggest smile on his face, and well. That was that.
That evening, he found himself in The Thirsty Knave, a proper pirate tavern that looked like it had come straight out of one of those romantic novels he liked to read. It seemed to be the heart of the island, positioned right in the centre and bristling with noise and energy that could be heard from three streets away. The place was filled with the most diverse range of people Stede had ever seen, chatting at the bar that was backdropped by enormous barrels of mead, dancing in the huge crowd that had formed by the raised platform where the band where playing, and drinking at the long picnic benches around the edges of the room. The lighting was low and warm, one of the walls featuring a huge hearth with a roaring fire and the rest decorated with framed paintings of ships and sea creatures.
It didn’t take very long before Stede was three drinks in and right in the middle of the crowd, dancing with his crew who were jumping around and linking arms so that they could spin each other about in circles. At the social functions he was used to, Stede always felt self-conscious about what he said and did but here, he felt free to enjoy himself as he pleased, certainly feeling no judgement from his crew. He was endeared by their out-of-tune singing and shameless affection for each other, even Ed letting loose with his dancing, shaking his hair about in a way that was just captivating to watch. Perhaps the booze was making him soppy, but Stede couldn’t think of anywhere else he would rather be. He loved his new family and the life they had, proud of himself for going through with his escape from normality and how well it had all seemed to turn out.
The night progressed with more drinks and laughter, the crew sometimes splitting off into smaller groups but never leaving anyone out (except for Izzy, whose absence was obviously voluntary). The tavern became so packed that it felt like the floor was moving, people dancing on the tables and a few fights breaking out, although the violence only added to the buzz of excitement in the air. It was nearing midnight when Stede found himself between Frenchie, Wee John and two men they had only just met. He couldn’t remember their names but they seemed nice enough, buying him drinks and cheering on his dancing. At one point Wee John had leaned in to ask Stede if they were bothering him but he just waved him off, always happy to make new friends.
“Ed!” Stede shouted when his co-captain came into view, looking as handsome as ever with his silver hair now pulled back in a messy bun and his face flushed from the booze and heat. He’d gone off nearly an hour ago to find something to smoke with Ivan and Fang and Stede hadn’t realised how much he’d missed him until right now, the two grinning at each other like madmen.
“There you are!” Ed shouted back, holding up two rum cocktails that were bright red and decorated with cherries and wedges of orange. “I brought you something.” Stede had never seen anything like it, walking up to him with widened eyes and taking one of the glasses so that he could have a sip. It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted, high in alcohol content but with a syrupy sweetness that burst on his tongue. Ed must have seen the delight on his face because he laughed and said, “thought you’d like that.”
“Hey. Watch this,” he said before tipping his head back so that he could down the whole thing. He’d seen Black Pete do it earlier and had been very impressed (so had Lucius, who immediately threw his arms around his neck and kissed him silly).
“You’re a fucking lunatic!” Ed laughed, watching the liquid drip down his chin and towards his bobbing throat. He gave a cheer once Stede finished with a triumphant smile and sweet, red lips.
“Thank you, thank you,” he said with a small curtsey, although the booze must have gone straight to his head because he ended up losing balance and Ed had to steady him with a hand to his chest before he completely toppled over.
“Easy there,” he said, and when Stede grabbed onto both of his arms, he of course spilled nearly half of his drink. He expected profuse apologies but his co-captain just laughed and said, “at least leather is waterproof.” It was actually Stede who had taken most of the damage, a large splash of red soaking his linen shirt and causing the material to stick to his skin. Ed tried not to stare.
“How many have you had?”
“Hmmm, I’m not sure. Those lovely gentlemen over there bought me at least three.”
Ed’s gaze snapped towards the strangers who now seemed to be arguing with each other, one of them gesturing towards where he was standing with Stede. If he was even slightly drunker he might have stormed over to them and started something, but Stede brought his attention back to him by squeezing his bare arm.
“Probably just tryna get inside your fancy pants.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said, but then he remembered one of them leaning close to tell him a dirty joke, the other’s hand stroking the small of his back. “Oh my god. I think they were.”
Ed huffed out a laugh, saying, “trust you not to know when someone’s flirting with you.”
“Well, I…” He was at a loss of words for a moment, baffled by the idea of him being the object of someone’s attraction. He wasn’t completely naive; he knew the sort of things that men got up to at sea (and had perhaps found himself wondering, late at night), but it wasn’t as if he’d ever get caught up in something like that. Right? “I can’t say it happens very often.”
“Come off it, mate. You must’ve had loads of men throwing themselves at you tonight.”
“Ha. Not as many as you have, I bet.” It really was hot in here.
“Nah. I’m not very approachable, me.”
“I suppose not,” he said, his gaze trailing down to Ed’s leather-clad body. He wasn’t wearing a shirt beneath his jacket and he could see the intricate hawk tattoo just below his collarbones, bronze skin illuminated by a thin sheen of sweat. “But I think that’s part of the appeal.”
A moment of silence passed between them, but time was acting strange so Stede didn’t realise that he was staring until he met Ed’s widened eyes. How had their conversation even gotten here? He couldn’t remember, so he instead asked, “would you care to dance?”
“Erm. Sure, mate. Let me just…” Ed tore his eyes away from his dizzying smile and knocked back what was left of his cocktail, sure that he’d need it if he was going to survive whatever the fuck Stede Bonnet was doing to him.
He tossed his empty glass somewhere across the room and Stede gave a delighted laugh at his recklessness, grabbing his hand so that he could lead him further into the crowd. They found a space for themselves and began stepping in time to the jaunty music that was playing, nodding their heads and feeling much younger than they were. Stede had never heard this song before but he loved it nonetheless, badly singing along to the chorus once he’d picked up enough of the words. He only realised that he’d forgotten to let go of Ed’s hand when he quite suddenly twirled him around, Stede squeaking in surprise, the silly noise causing them both to laugh.
They loosened up as time went by, copying each other’s dance moves which got progressively worse, in a world of their own despite the multitude of people around. They were saying things just for the sake of having to lean closer to hear each other, occasionally holding each other’s fingers or leaning against each other to steady themselves against the alcohol. Everything felt easy here and Stede wished that the night would stretch on forever, loving who he was and how he felt when it was just the two of them.
“What the fuck is that?” Ed laughed, finding Stede’s flamboyant shoulder shimmying both ridiculous and utterly mesmerising. Shit, he’d even unbuttoned his top couple of shirt buttons to reveal freckled skin and sandy chest hair.
“I don’t know. I’m improvising!”
“Lunatic,” he said in a tone rich with affection. He’d half-expected Stede to find the place uncouth and leave before it even got dark, but he seemed to be enjoying himself more than anyone. “We should bring ya here more often. Nice place, isn’t it?”
“Yes, and the company’s even better! My face hurts from smiling.”
“How are you so fuckin’ cute?”
The words caught both of them off guard since he hadn’t meant to say that out loud, Stede reacting with raised eyebrows and Ed going quite still. He’d been wanting to say nice things to him all night so he didn’t bother trying to take it back, emboldened by the booze and how touchy they were being.
“Cute? I’m a fearsome pirate captain!” he said, trying to look serious which in turn made them both laugh, dispelling some of the tension and fuelling Ed’s confidence.
“Dunno how you manage it, mate, but you’re somehow both.”
“Maybe I learnt that from my co-captain.”
“Shut up,” he scoffed, whacking him on the shoulder and then having a hard time meeting his eyes. “Course you fucking didn’t.”
As much as he would have liked to, Stede knew that Ed wouldn’t let him argue, hence why he just rolled his eyes and responded, “whatever you say.” He made sure to sound unconvinced, determined to somehow repay the compliment another time.
Ed dropped the conversation instead of embarrassing himself further, although he did get a thrill out of how honest they were being, hence why he leant a bit closer and said, “by the way, it’s nice, the whole co-captaining thing. I reckon we make a good team.”
Stede beamed at him, relieved to hear that he felt the same way since he’d been worried that he would find it boring to share his captain duties. He was Blackbeard, after all.
“We do, don’t we? If I’m honest, I didn’t really know what I was doing until you came along. I've already learnt so much from you, and well…”
“Well..?”
“I don’t know,” he said since he hadn’t really processed these feelings before now. He was speaking his thoughts as they came, seeing no reason to keep anything from him (although perhaps a sober Stede might have held back). “I don’t even think it’s about the piracy. I just like being with you, really. Spending time with you. I never want you to leave.”
Ed was gazing at him with sparkling eyes, crinkled around the edges with a smile that his beard couldn’t quite hide. He had beautiful eyes, didn’t he? Always so full of emotion and accentuated by dark, curled lashes. Everything about him was beautiful, Stede realised as his heartbeat sped up to match the tempo of the music, his hands going a bit shaky.
“Shit, man. You can’t just say things like that to me.”
Stede looked embarrassed then, breaking their gaze with a flush spreading from his cheeks down to his neck. “Oh. I’m sorry, Ed. Just ignore me; I’ve clearly had too much to drink and—”
“No, Stede. It’s alright. Really.” He was laughing actually, unable to contain his joy. “I know what you mean. These past few weeks have been… the most fun I’ve had in ages. All because I met you.”
A fight or something must have broken out near them because the crowd suddenly swayed and they found themselves being pushed up against each other, Stede automatically resting his hands against Ed’s chest to stop them from completely crashing. They stared at each other for a moment, holding onto each other with giddy smiles and wild gleams in their eyes.
The next thing they knew, they were kissing. It happened so fast that neither of them had chance to second-guess themselves or even discern who had leaned in first. Stede's brain seemed to have short circuited as he came to with Ed’s lips pressed against his, his surprisingly soft beard pillowing his face and his strong arms secure around his waist. Everything in his life suddenly made perfect sense, Stede clutching onto the lapels of Ed’s leather jacket as he was certain that the room was spinning around them.
He couldn’t tell how much time had passed before they finally drew away. They gazed at each other with glistening eyes before they were suddenly laughing at nothing, nearly vibrating from the thrill of it all but holding each other steady. “Oh, Ed,” Stede uttered, bringing a hand up to rest against his cheek and smiling when the other man sweetly pecked his lips, amazed by how natural it felt. This is what he’d been missing his entire life.
Without wasting another second, Stede was kissing him again, firmer this time as a newfound heat rose within him. Ed parted their lips with his tongue, movements slow since he didn’t want to scare him off, although Stede surprised him with his eagerness, licking into his mouth and moaning at the lingering taste of fruit and rum. He was thankfully too drunk to overthink his actions and inexperience, acting on instinct as they shared long and leisurely kisses, occasionally drawing back with smiles before chasing each other's lips again. Ed lost a hand in the back of his hair whilst Stede trailed his hands down to the strip of bare skin between his jacket and trousers, pulling him even closer since he was unable to get enough of him.
God knows how much time passed with the two of them making out in the middle of the dance floor. Over half an hour, probably. At one point, Stede could have sworn he heard familiar voices cheering from behind him although he really wasn’t paying attention to anything except the way that Ed felt against him. When they finally pulled away to look at each other, Stede was overcome with so much feeling that he stumbled on his feet and had to be caught by an amused Ed. He looked unbearably beautiful in the tavern’s warm lighting, curly strands of hair framing his face and his lips kissed pink and glossy.
“Think it’s time to head back to the ship,” he said in a lowered voice and Stede nodded enthusiastically, sure that the only thing they were missing was privacy.
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The next morning, Stede woke up alone in his bed with a dry mouth and a banging headache. He hadn’t properly closed the curtains so daylight spilled into the room, shaking him of any last remnants of sleep and allowing hazy memories of last night to surface. His stomach flipped as he recalled him and Ed sharing drunken confessions before going at it like teenagers in the middle of a packed room. It had of course taken him several glasses of rum for him to understand his feelings but as he stared at the ceiling, licking his lips and reminiscing, he realised that it was probably the best night of his life.
He had a vague memory of walking back to the ship at the end of the evening with Ed and Roach holding him up on either side. Leaning his head on Ed’s shoulder and spouting some nonsense about a particular romance novel he was reminded of. How embarrassing. Did they talk about the kissing afterwards? He couldn’t remember. He certainly couldn’t remember making it back to his bed, although a cup of water had been left on his shelf and he carefully sat up to drink from it.
There was a knock at the door and he heard Lucius call from the other side, “Captain? I came to check if you’re still alive.”
“I’m alive!” He shouted, coughing straight afterwards and having to finish the rest of his water. He forced himself to get up, drawing the curtains that separated his bed from the rest of his quarters and calling, “you can come in, Lucius.”
Lucius walked in already dressed for the day, strolling over to get a better look at him and snickering at his dishevelled state. Stede gave him a half-hearted glare before locating his pink patterned robe and throwing it on over his underclothes.
“Good morning, Captain,” Lucius said, sounding far too cheery for someone who had been doing shots and dancing on tables all night. “How are you faring?”
“A bit rough, but it’s nothing a cup of tea and some fresh air won’t sort out. Where’s Ed?”
“He slept in the crow’s nest. He’s still there now, actually,” he said, rocking back and forth on his heels and having a certain gleam in his eye that made Stede suspect that he knew everything.
Stede picked up a hand mirror on his way to the sofa, sitting down and gasping aloud when he saw the state of himself. His hair was sticking up at all ends and his eyes were puffy from the lack of sleep.
“God. I look terrible, don’t I?” He said, looking a bit frantic as he tried to smooth his fluffy hair down with his hand, fighting off memories of Ed running his hands through it as he pressed against him and moaned into his mouth.
“I’m sure he won’t mind.”
Stede relaxed a bit since he knew that he was right, putting the mirror down and smiling shyly at his scribe’s smug expression.
“I take it you saw us..?”
“Snogging in the middle of the dance floor? Yeah, I think everyone in the tavern got a good look.”
It was difficult to be too embarrassed when Lucius looked so happy for him.
“I didn’t imagine it, then.”
“No, boss. And I hope you don’t mind me saying, but it’s been a looong time coming. Honestly. I’m surprised it even took this long.”
“Really? I… It seems silly, but I had no idea until last night. It was like… I just had this big moment of clarity. I looked at him, and he was looking at me, and everything suddenly made sense.”
“Yeah, that’s what ten glasses of rum will do to you.”
Stede barked out a laugh, leaning his head against the back of the sofa with the dreamiest expression on his face. He couldn’t believe that this was his life; that he had kissed Edward Teach, several times actually. “Oh, this is exciting, isn’t it?”
Lucius rolled his eyes with an endeared smile, responding, “God, you’re like teenagers. Come on. You need to talk to him before he dies of anxiety.”
“He can’t be any more nervous than me.”
He made an unconvinced noise, fetching Stede’s shoes and leaving them by his feet, standing with his hands on his hips as he watched him put them on.
“You’ll be fine, Cap. Anyone who knows you can see that you were made for each other. Just tell him how you feel and I’m sure everything will fall into place.”
“Right you are. Thank you, Lucius,” he said with a nervous smile, leading them both out of the room and taking a deep breath before he stepped out onto the deck.
The crew would normally be up and working by now but instead, they were still lounging around in their hammocks and blankets, passing around flasks of water and food to snack on. They were chatting and laughing about the night before, swapping stories and teasing each other about their hangovers. It was a lovely sight to see, the easy camaraderie lit by warm morning sunlight adding to the kind of dream-state Stede felt as if he was in.
“Good morning, crew!” He said on his way past them, a hush immediately falling once they all saw that he was awake, a few of them whispering to each other. Pretending not to notice their knowing smiles, Stede tried to sound casual as he waved his hand and said, “as you were. I’ll be back to give orders soon; I just need to speak with my co-captain.”
As he headed towards the crow’s nest, he heard Frenchie call, “good luck, Cap!” followed by Oluwande shouting, “go get him!”. He turned to give them all a shaky smile and two thumbs up before he was climbing up the ladder to Ed. His heart was thundering but he was mostly just excited to see him again, optimistic about wherever their relationship was heading. He knew that they couldn’t just go back to how they were before; not when being together felt like magic.
He found his co-captain sitting against the mast with his legs stretched out and his eyes closed, head tilted back as the sun warmed his face. Now that he could put a name to his feelings, it was impossible for Stede not to appreciate his beauty, that giddy feeling quickly returning as he cleared his throat and said, “good morning, Ed.”
He thought that he perhaps might still be asleep but Ed opened his eyes with a shy sort of smile, sitting up properly and responding, “morning.”
“Mind if I...?” He nodded towards the space beside him and Ed shook his head, moving up a bit in case he didn’t want to be too close. That didn’t seem to be a problem though, Stede sitting so that their arms were touching, one of his feet even grazing his.
Ed took a deep breath to steady his nerves and asked, “sleep alright?”
“Well enough. Though, I don’t really remember going to bed. I’ve never drank so much in my entire life.”
Ed huffed in amusement, having assumed as much.
“It’s a wonder you’re still alive.”
“That’s basically what Lucius said.”
“‘You seemed to be enjoying yourself. S’nice to see you let loose.”
“Not so nice for my head.”
“Bad hangover?”
“Eh, it could be worse.”
Stede leant against him slightly and they both fell quiet, gazing out at the steady ocean and watching as a couple of seagulls flitted past. The only noise was the distant sound of the crew below, the peaceful atmosphere helping with Stede’s nerves although it was still difficult to figure out how to address his feelings. Perhaps he should have put some thought into it before he came to see him.
“We’re good, then?”
“What’s that, Ed?”
“You know, after… We’re still mates?”
Stede shifted so that he could see him properly, his heart clenching at how uncertain he looked, fiddling with one of his rings and avoiding his gaze. He wanted to reach out and hug him.
“Of course we’re still mates. Well... After last night, I was rather hoping we could be something more.”
Ed looked at him then, searching his face with wide and shining eyes. He needed to make sure that he was being earnest, the words sounding too good to be true despite the things he’d confessed last night.
“Really?”
“Yes, if you’ll have me.”
Stede was smiling at him gently, although there was a slight furrow in his brow that gave away his nerves. As the gravity of his words sank in, a slow smile broke out on Ed’s face and he eventually nodded his head, blinking to keep his eyes from welling up.
“Course I will. I do. Whatever.”
Stede laughed a little, glancing down when Ed reached for his hand and intertwined their fingers, movements slow in his disbelief. Stede gave him a gentle squeeze and then wanting to reassure him further, he brought their hands up so that he could kiss the back of Ed’s, gaze fixed on his.
“I think this makes me the luckiest man on the ocean. I never even considered that you’d be interested in me, of all people.”
“Mate, I’ve been interested since the moment I met you. You’re fucking brilliant.”
Stede seriously thought that his heart might burst.
“Forgive me for not realising.”
“C’mere.”
Ed made his intentions clear by glancing down at his lips and then they both leaned in, meeting for a gentle kiss that somehow surpassed all the ones they’d shared last night. There was no lingering doubt, their confirmed feelings and clear heads allowing them to relax into each other, Stede wrapping his arm around him whilst Ed stroked his cheek. It was fitting that they were in the crow’s nest as they felt like they were on top of the world.
“Ed,” Stede murmured, tracing the seam of his lips with his tongue but drawing away as soon as he opened up for him. “I think I’ve found a new favourite pastime.”
“Definitely a new talent,” he responded, voice a little ragged. “Though, I can’t say the same about your dancing…”
Stede made a scandalised noise and Ed laughed wickedly, holding onto the front of his silky dressing gown to keep him close.
The insult proved to have been worth it when he lowered his voice to respond, “you’re just asking for me to shut you up.”
Ed’s brows shot up and Stede flashed a mischievous little grin, cupping his cheek and drawing him in for a deep and proper kiss.
The crew would have to wait.