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Izzy was pacing the deck, hands clasped behind his back, fingers nervously kneading leather against skin. This shouldn’t be so fucking difficult. He was a grown man. Seasoned pirate. Best swordsman in the Caribbean. How hard could it be to ask a single question?
“You ok, Iggy?”
Lucius was sitting on a crate, taking notes in the Captains’ journal. Though he had paused his work a while back, fully aware of the first mate circling him like a shark, drawing closer but then veering off again. It was honestly getting a bit creepy at this point. Finally, Izzy stopped. He cleared his throat and waited for the scribe to look up as he felt himself flushing under the glaring sun. The black didn’t show blood but really was not the most practical choice in this damn heat.
“Spriggs, you’re on break from your journaling duty. I’ll need a sketch.”
“Oh.” Lucius’ eyes went wide. “What’s the, um… occasion?” Izzy looked like he wanted to sink through the planks right then and there but he soldiered on.
“Anniversary,” he rasped curtly.
“Ah, so this would be a gift?”
“Yes.”
“For the Captains?”
“Yes.”
“That can be arranged.”
Lucius was vibrating with barely contained glee as he followed the first mate to his room.
“Why even have a room anymore? You’re shacked up with the Captains anyway,” he asked, shamelessly nosy.
“Bit hard to get any work done in there,” Izzy drawled, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Iggy, you little seductress!” Lucius snickered. The name had evolved from insult to term of endearment somewhere between Izzy helping Jim hide the scribe after pulling him out of the water and Lucius cleaning Izzy’s cuts and bruises during those long nights before Bonnet’s return to the Revenge.
“Wait here.”
Izzy left Lucius in front of his door and made a detour to a storage room. He returned with a large canvas bag.
“Oh, hello! We got props for this?” The dirty smirk and wink did nothing to calm Izzy’s fraying nerves.
“Shut up and get in here, Spriggs. Before anyone sees us.”
Ever curious, Lucius peeked into the bag before Izzy could yank it away. A bouquet of wildflowers was perched on what looked like at least 100 feet of coiled, black satin ribbons. Izzy sat on the edge of his bed, more confident now that he was in his own space.
“How are your knots, Spriggs?”
Lucius swallowed, intrigued. “Is this, like, a kinky thing? Because while I’m totally down for whatever, I don’t wanna get murdered by Blackbeard. Again.”
Izzy giggled, which somehow made the scribe more nervous. “Relax, Spriggs. Just for the art reference. Here, I’ll show you.”
Izzy took a short piece of ribbon from the bag, folding it in half.
“Arms out toward me” he ordered, Lucius obliged. Izzy looped the band around his arms and walked him through the motions. “Bight in the middle, pull through, then back around, through this loop here, and back again…”
Soon, the scribe’s arms were lashed together in an intricately braided pattern of shiny silk.
“Wow, Iggy, that’s pretty fancy - never showed us that on the rigging!”
“Edward picked it up from a Japanese fella he met in port a few years back. Don’t remember what it’s called.”
“So… is it a sex thing?” Lucius inquired, always ready to expand his repertoire. Izzy shrugged.
“Can be. Doesn’t have to. Just feels… nice, I suppose.” He trailed off with a fond look. It did feel nice - just giving in to the tight embrace of a rope, nowhere to go, like an anchored ship.
Izzy came back to the task at hand, untying Lucius again. “Anyway, Edward likes it. Flowers are for Bonnet, obviously. Think you can get both in the drawing?” Lucius nodded - this could get interesting.
“Why do you still call him Bonnet?”
“Why do you call me Iggy?”
“Ok, fair.”
Izzy unbuttoned his shirt and vest, draped them over a chair. Next came the pants, leaving only his cravat, glove and smalls. Lucius cocked a disappointed eyebrow.
“No, you’re not drawing my junk,” Izzy groaned, rolling his eyes.
“Well, there’s always next year,” Lucius smirked.
The evening sun was just falling through the narrow window in Izzy’s room, illuminating a small patch on the bed in warm orange hues.
“Sit there. Up on your knees. Yes, little to the left. Perfect.” Lucius arranged his reluctant model to take advantage of the light.
Then, under Izzy’s guidance - and cursing at the limited fine motor skills of his wooden finger - Lucius wrapped the first mate in black satin like the grumpiest present ever. He lashed his arms together, then his thighs, the leftover length wrapped up around his ribs like a corset, tied off in a bow. Bringing Izzy’s hands up as though to pray, he tucked the bouquet between them. Finally, he guided his head so it tilted down and to the left, exposing the swallow on his neck. Lucius stepped back and took in the scene - the first mate all contained in silken braids, sunset in his hair.
“You really are gorgeous, you know that?” Izzy blushed, cheeks as crimson as the poppies in his hand.
“Shut up and draw, Spriggs.” And he did.
“So, what else you got planned for the big day? Tomorrow, is it?” he attempted small talk as his pencil flew across the paper.
“Not much. Dinner, I guess? Bonnet’s in charge of the whole pageantry. Been annoying Roach all week.” Izzy spoke while trying to stay still, which was a challenge. But he had been tied up and tortured in enemy brigs before, so he could just about deal with it. Lucius hummed in affirmation, vaguely recalling Captain Stede having a heated argument with Roach about pineapples and lobster tails earlier this week.
“And Captain Ed? He writing a song or something?” Izzy grinned. Edward had been persistently pretending not to know what date it was. But his insistence on making port the week before, and the mysterious crate of leather belts and buckles Izzy had found in a storage room gave him reason to think otherwise.
“He’s in charge of… dessert, I guess.”
“Wow. I aspire to be that freaky when I’m old,” Lucius snickered.
“Fuck off, Spriggs,” Izzy responded, not without pride.
“What’s the anniversary, anyway? If I may ask.” Fair question, Izzy thought. It had been rather messy with him and the Captains, at the beginning there. Kisses, fights, sex, tears, so many firsts, all tangled up together.
“First time we all woke up in the same bed,” Izzy answered, blushing again.
“Ok, that is so adorable, I am fully about to cry,” Lucius gushed, actually feeling his eyes grow damp. He had seen that rocky road toward love, patted many a captainly shoulder. He felt oddly proud now.
“Ok, just a few finishing touches, and… all done!” Lucius set aside his pencil and paper. “I’ll clean it up and add some color, so it should be ready by dinner tomorrow. Let’s get you unwrapped now.” He got to work unraveling the first mate, almost sad to destroy the aesthetic. Izzy shed his bonds and almost tipped over as he craned to see the sketch, his joints stiff from immobility.
“Impatient, are we? Remember, it’s not quite finished yet.” But Izzy had already snatched the paper from the table. He stilled when he looked at it, eyes misty, biting his lip. Some mornings, Stede would caress his face and tell him he was beautiful. Ed would grin at him during a raid like he was the most fascinating thing ever to be covered in sweat and blood. He never quite believed them. But if they saw anything close to this in him, maybe they had a point?
“Is it ok?” Lucius asked, carefully taking the drawing back.
“Thanks, Spriggs. For… you know, everything.” Izzy turned to get dressed, failing to hide the tear he was wiping off the cross on his cheek.
“You’re very welcome, Iggy. And thank you too, for… you know, everything.”