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Chapter Text

“What do you think of a three-legged race?” Stede said, gazing out the window as he pontificated. 

“I think exactly what I thought of your last seven ideas,” Lucius groaned, “I’m not writing this one down either.” 

“Oh, you’re no fun at all,” Stede scolded. Lucius wore his scorn like a badge of honor. 

“We haven’t had shore leave in nearly a month, Captain,” Lucius explained, trying to keep his tone in check, “No one wants any more ‘crew togetherness’ than we’ve already had.” 

“I thought you all were getting along quite well! I hear you’ve even gotten Mr. Hands to partake in a few rounds of cards.” 

“We are getting along, and that’s because we take breaks from each other when we have shore leave.” 

“You’ll have days of shore leave!” Stede argued, “You can take breaks on the other ones!” 

“I’m done talking about this,” Lucius snapped, a sense of his true attitude creeping into his voice, “If there’s nothing else, I think I’ll go help with some of the chores on deck.” 

Of course, his version of helping involved staring at Pete’s ass and distracting the whole crew with conversation and sexually charged jokes, but Stede didn’t need to be reminded of that. 

“You win, we’ll table the bonding activities for now,” Stede started. 

“For ever !” Lucius countered, but Stede appeared to ignore him entirely. 

“I do need your advice on something else, and it’s rather pressing.” 

Lucius slumped over in the plush armchair. Stede’s pressing matters were almost always a complete waste of time. 

“I want to do something romantic for Edward during our time ashore, and I simply have no idea where to start!” 

Lucius sat up a bit straighter and smiled. He never minded a chance to meddle in his captains’ romantic life. “Haven’t you done this every time we’ve had shore leave? For the past year?” He asked, already sure of the answer. 

“But every time I can’t think of a thing!” Stede whined. 

“And I suppose this will, yet again, not be the time you decide to abandon all this silly planning, sneak off the ship at night with a blanket, and fuck him hard and fast under the stars?” Lucius smirked. 

“It certainly will not!” Stede squeaked, “And I really do wish you would stop suggesting it.” 

“Why? Do you think you’ll give in to the temptation one day if I keep on it?” Stede made a few sounds that didn’t even resemble words, and Lucius laughed at the confirmation. “It’s not like you haven’t done it yet! We’re all very aware of what you two get up to.” 

“Has Edward been-” Stede started, blushing like a cherry and ready to ramble in panic before Lucius cut him off. 

“No one has been talking about it, you’re just very loud!” Lucius laughed. This somehow seemed to both calm Stede down and rattle him more. 

“I’ve heard there’s a really cute little tea shop in town,” Stede said, “But I think that’s just what I want to do, and I really want to take Ed into more consideration.” 

“You know his perfect day is lying on your lap and not doing anything, right?” 

“How do you know that? How are you so certain?” 

“Because I am also in love with a man with excellent legs and my perfect day is spent with my head touching them for the full twenty-four hours.” 

“Fair, but I really want to go out!” 

“Then take him to your cute little tea shop and talk for hours. He’ll love it, as long as there’s no nature.” 

“Oh, thank you Lucius!” Stede grinned. 

“For telling you to do what you were already going to do?” Lucius smirked. 

“For always knowing just what to say. Now, about the games, I really think we should go with the three legged race, and then just a couple of others.” 

Stede continued to ramble, but Lucius found himself getting distracted by his own romantic plans. For all his talk about it being much simpler than Stede made it out to be, Lucius could panic with the best of them over his anniversary. He had six days left to decide what he was going to do for Pete, and he wanted to do more than just laze around together. He wanted Pete to remember how much he was cared for, how much Lucius loved and respected him. He wanted Pete to understand that Lucius thought he was smart. Not just to shoot down the crew’s teasing, but genuinely. How could he communicate all of that in one day together? How could he say ‘I love you’ a million different ways with one gift? 

It was oddly relaxing to move the sails according to Buttons’ directions. Pete had a lot on his mind, and it seemed a bit clearer when he was tying a particularly intricate knot. Maybe not clearer. Maybe he just didn’t have to think about it at all. 

“You alright, man?” Oluwande asked after the last of the sails were positioned to the first mate’s specifications, “You’ve been awful quiet.” 

“Just thinkin’,” Pete said.

“No insult on the end of that?” Jim asked, joining the conversation from out of nowhere, “ por seguro something’s wrong.” 

“I thought you didn’t want me to poke Oluwande at the end of every sentence,” Pete replied. Jim promised they would enjoy using his bones to sharpen their knives the last time his teasing went too far. Pete had been more careful since then. 

“I don’t want to hear about it later. I’m fine with the occasional insult. Sometimes he deserves it,” they smirked. 

“Hey! You’re the one who-” Oluwande started, only to get cut off by Jim blowing a raspberry. 

Pete breathed out a sigh of relief, thinking that he was sure to have gotten out of the previous line of questioning due to Jim and Oluwande’s insatiable need to banter. 

“Don’t think we’re done with you, short stuff,” Oluwande said just as Pete was about to duck away. 

“Short stuff? You’re not that much taller than me, baby face,” 

“He’s resorting to old ones, it’s really bad,” Oluwande reported to Jim. 

“Is this about your thing this weekend? Aren’t you and Stede doing that whole thing to-” 

“We’re not talking about that!” Pete cut Jim off. 

“So it is about the thing this weekend,” Jim smiled, “Are things not going well with Stede? Maybe I could -”

“Fuck off, it’s fine,” Pete protested. It was not fine. It wasn’t going well, and he had no backup plan.

“Well we’re here if you ever want to-” Oluwande started. 

“I need a backup plan!” Pete blurted out. Today really wasn’t a day for letting people finish their sentences. 

“You could… whittle him something?” Oluwande suggested. 

“Or just fuck him, that’s always nice,” Jim said, the hint of a smile flashing across his face. 

“You’re useless. I can’t believe we were going to let you two be in charge of anything.” Pete stalked off to see if anyone else needed help. 

Roach was always good for a silent shift, so Pete found himself washing dishes in a large basin with scratchy soap. At least Roach could be trusted to keep quiet. 

“How’s your ‘thing’ going with Stede?” the chef asked after about twenty minutes. 

“Fuck!” Pete exclaimed. He threw the plate he was scrubbing down on the ground and was unsatisfied with the fact it didn’t break. 

“Not well, then?” Roach asked.

“I don’t have a backup plan.” 

“What if you got him a flower arrangement?” 

God, Lucius would hate getting a flower arrangement. And where the fuck was he supposed to get flowers? Roach was about as helpful as the unbreakable metal plate. 

“Or an arrangement of something else,” Roach continued, “Arrangements are very romantic. You could arrange bones! Or food! It would be an edible arrangement!” 

“No one wants that,” Pete sighed, then left the galley as Roach talked about skewering fruit.  

“You alright?” Wee John asked him as he stormed across the deck. 

“No,” Pete said, “and I don’t want to fuckin’ talk about it.” 

“You wanna help me move these sandbags over there?” John asked, pointing to the bags’ destination. 

“God yes,” Pete said, and got to work. 

He noticed Lucius wandering out of the captains’ quarters, rolling his eyes as Stede went on about something or other. He noticed Lucius stop paying attention to what the captain was saying and let his eyes wander up and down the expanse of bare skin that Pete had allowed to show during the hard labor. He noticed the approving nod he got from the love of his life, accompanied by a smile that could melt through iron. Maybe everything would be okay after all.

Chapter Text

Pete could never tell Stede. Hell, he could never tell Lucius. But this was Blackbeard, no, Ed. He could tell Ed. 

“I’m glad we’re on the same team,” he said to the taller man, who grinned. 

“What Stede doesn’t realize,” Ed said to the small group standing in front of him, “Is that the competition has already begun.” He winked, and Pete turned to grin at Fang. Maybe Lucius had more to do with the choosing of teams than he had let on that morning, when he had insisted that he was keeping score only to avoid participating and had absolutely nothing to do with Stede’s ridiculous planing, but Pete had his doubts. 

“What do you mean, boss?” Fang asked 

“It means we need a fuckin’ cool team name.” 

“I cannae believe that Ed actually bought into this,” Wee John said to Jim in a failed attempt at a whisper.

“Little John, you have a suggestion?” Ed asked, his voice pointed enough to show that he had heard every word. 

Wee John hung his head and Jim cackled a laugh. Pete looked around at his teammates. With the exception of Jim, they seemed to have no special competitive edge. Fang and John were strong, Jim and Ed were fast, and Roach would be willing to do just about anything if he thought it might be fun, but who knew if any of that would really be useful in a series of games devised by Stede and Lucius? 

“Why aren’t we just team one and team two or something?” Jim asked, “Team Ed and Team Stede?” 

“Because that’s boring as fuck,” Ed explained as if it was obvious, “Come on, work with me here.” 

“Team death and destruction!” Roach called out, finally getting into the spirit of the activity. 

“Better,” Ed said, “A little vague, but that’s more like it!” 

Pete let his eyes wander as he thought of something worth suggesting. Lucius was glowering in Stede’s general direction as he hauled a large bucket filled with water from the ocean towards the tree line. Once he was far into the dry sand, he dumped the bucket, creating a large patch of firm, damp sand. He drew a chart in the sand with a stick, then called out, 

“What am I writing here?” 

“Give us a second!” Ed called back, then leaned in to the team “Come on, we’ve got to have something!”

“We should try to scare them. ,” Pete said, and Ed beamed. 

“Cats!” John burst out, to the confusion of everyone. “Frenchie’s scared o’ cats.” 

“Frenchie can be a good strategist,” Jim noted, “It could help us to fuck with him.” 

“Are the games strategy games?” Fang asked Ed. 

“I don’t fucking know, Stede wouldn’t tell me shit,” Ed complained, “But I like fucking with people. Cat based names, let’s go.” 

Pete volunteered to report their name to Lucius, and walked across the sand to the scoreboard. 

“I still can’t believe we’re playing beach games on our first day ashore,” Lucius groaned, “Nobody cares and it’s a waste of valuable relaxation time.” 

Pete thought about pointing out the perfectly straight lines Lucius had drawn in the sand, implying that he did, in fact, care at least a little, but thought better of it. Instead he stood on his toes and planted a kiss on his partner’s cheek. Lucius relaxed the lines creasing his brow and wrapped his arms around Pete. 

“Not good enough,” he said before pulling Pete into a real kiss. Pete smiled into it as Lucius pulled them ever closer. The beach had just started to melt away when Lucius released them. “Did you come over here just for that?” He smirked.

“I mean, it was very nice, but I’ve got our name,” Pete explained, “Cats of Doom.” 

Lucius barked out a sharp laugh. “That’s a dick move!” 

“Do you think we should change it?” 

“No, it’s fucking hilarious,” Lucius was smiling like it was just the two of them. “Do you have to go back?” 

“Not until we start,” Pete smiled up at Lucius as he took his hand. “Why these teams? Did Stede think they were fair, or something?” 

“Stede said him knowing the teams would ‘tip the scales’” Lucius failed to imitate Stede’s accent, and Pete laughed, “So I just picked whatever I thought would be funniest and put you and Fang on the same team so I could be properly biased as a scorekeeper.” 

“Thanks for giving us Ed!” 

“And Jim. I want to support the winning team.”

Pete gave Lucius’s arm a small shove. “You didn’t think I could carry the team?” 

“Not even a little bit,” Lucius goaded, his grin anything but subtle. 

“Shut up!”

“Fucking make me.” Lucius’s eyes glimmered in the late morning sun. 

Pete nearly pushed Lucius to the ground with the kiss. This time the beach really did melt away, and all Pete could feel was the warmth of Lucius’s lips, the softness of Lucius’s dark hair, the surprising strength of Lucius’s hands all over him.

“Am I interrupting something?” Oluwande asked, looking down at them. 

“Yes, obviously,” Lucius said, and Pete couldn’t help snickering. Lucius grinned at him. Pete loved the way Lucius knew he was funny, and adored the fact that Lucius was still proud every time he made Pete laugh. 

Pete lingered as Lucius berated the other team’s naming abilities. “The Revenge’s Revenge?” he asked, “There were really zero better ideas?” 

“Well no one really cared, except Stede and Buttons, and Buttons’ ideas were even worse.” 

“Even worse than that?” Lucius asked incredulously, and Pete snorted out a laugh. 

“Go back to your own team!” Oluwande yelled, and Pete laughed even harder. 

Pete had never even heard of an egg toss, but apparently it was a very common way for rich children to waste food. Izzy, who Stede had placed in charge of refereeing for the day, led the crew on to a rocky section of beach, then walked through the tedious process of explaining how to play catch. 

“Any questions?” he asked when he was done with an expression that dared anyone to ask a question. 

“Where did we get the eggs?” Roach asked, “We ran out last week.” 

“A gentleman never reveals his secrets!” Stede chirped, and Pete turned just in time to see a look of agony pass over Lucius’s face. He was going to be quite the engaged audience member. 

“He woke me up buttfuck early,” Ed said, “and made me walk halfway across the island to steal them from a chicken coop in town.” Stede pouted at this, but Pete was just ready to let the talking stop so they could play. 

The early tosses were easy. Even as the distance between them began to increase, Fang had good aim and knew how to catch Pete’s overzealous throws without cracking the egg all over his hands. Stede had dropped his egg after only a couple throws, earning a scolding from Ivan, and John had caused an egg to splatter all over Roach’s chest. 

Four pairs were left: Pete and Fang, who had the wildest (and only) cheering section, Ed and Jim, Buttons and the Swede, and Frenchie and Oluwande. 

Buttons got distracted by something, but likely would have missed anyways considering the Swede’s wild throw. Three pairs left. 

“I’ll break up with both of you!” Lucius called after Pete nearly missed a catch. Fang grinned to the side before taking one step back. Further away. 

“Go!” Izzy called, signaling that all pairs were the appropriate distance away and the next throw could commence. This would be no harder than the past eight. Pete was learning how to control his throws, and Fang easily caught the egg. Now to get it back. He kept his eyes on the toss even before the egg left Fang’s hands. He planned ahead. He had it, without a doubt. 

Jim had to jump to retrieve an unexpectedly wild throw from Ed, who called out “Sorry!” as he released it. Pete’s eyes darted to them for the smallest fraction of a second, drawn to the sudden movement. When he refocused on his own egg, it was on the ground. 

“Damnit!” Pete cursed, but Lucius was already gesturing for him and Fang to become new members of the audience. That just about made up for losing. 

The final two were fun to watch, especially since their styles contrasted so much Oluwande and Frenchie were focused, but would easily be called calm. Jim and Ed looked unhinged, trying trick shots and trash talking their competition. 

“I don’t know why you were complaining,” Pete said to Lucius, “This is awesome.” 

“ You didn’t have to listen to Stede plan it,” Lucius retorted, “But I can agree that it’s fun to watch Jim lose their mind while Oluwande doesn’t care.”

“My favorite is watching Stede try to be competitive,” Pete said. Stede was holding back shouts every time Ed made a throw or a catch. 

In the end, Frenchie dropped the egg, giving the victory to Ed and Jim. Lucius trudged over to his chart and drew a long tally mark on the “Cats of Doom” side. Pete celebrated with his team, and laughed along with the others when Stede attempted to celebrate with them, only to be pulled out of the group by an irritated Frenchie and Oluwande. 

“I can’t believe Stede came up with six more of these,” Lucius said as the crew followed Izzy to their new section of the beach. 

“I can’t believe it’s actually kind of fun,” Pete replied.

“You just like finally working under Blackbeard,” Lucius jabbed. 

“I like that I get to sit with you if I lose,” Pete smiled back. Lucius tried to hold on to his air of confidence, but couldn’t. He threw his arm around Pete’s shoulders as they walked. It was turning into a  lovely morning. 

Team Stede won the three-legged relay race, as well as the human knot, putting them ahead in the overall rankings two to one. Lucius refused to acknowledge the team names, no matter how disappointed this seemed to make absolutely everyone. Team Ed and Team Stede. That was enough. 

That wasn’t to say, however, that Lucius wasn’t engaged in the proceedings. He could be quite the cheerleader when it came to Pete’s involvement. He checked his list. Red Rover. Pete would be good at Red Rover. 

Lucius liked watching Pete run. And lift things. And laugh next to Fang. Lucius liked that his favorite people in the world got along like this. 

These games were silly. Ridiculous, even, but Lucius got to sit out in the sun and practice drawing hands in the margins of Stede’s journal while pretending to take notes. 

Team Ed won Red Rover. 

The next event was a collaborative sandcastle building contest. Lucius already knew who was going to win the event, since he would be judging it. Stede had, however, requested that Lucius not observe the castles until they were finished, so he took a nap. 

An hour later, Izzy shook him awake. Lucius’ hair was dusted with a fine layer of sand, and he was sure he’d find another mountain of the stuff in his pockets, but whatever. He trudged over to the castles, where Team Stede was displaying what looked to be a scottish style castle. Maybe it was Buttons’ Idea. Either way, someone had drawn a pattern of stones along each side of the castle. The center was a massive courtyard containing a pond and a few messy sand models of people. 

Team Ed had made what appeared to be three hills with flags on top of them. 

Lucius pulled Fang and Pete away from the rest of the group. 

“I really am sorry, and I hope that you both know I don’t love either of you any less,” he sighed before sending them back without letting them get a word in edgewise. Then he waved Izzy over. 

“Stede.” 

“I have been ordered to say the team names.”

“Do I look like I remember either of them?” Lucius rolled his eyes. 

Lucius watched Pete and Fang as Izzy announced the winner. Pete breathed out a sigh of relief, causing Jim to lose their shit laughing. 

Team Ed won some sort of tag-based game that Lucius didn’t even bother trying to wrap his mind around. Maybe, he thought to himself, this is what it would have been like to have a bunch of mates at school. Maybe every day would have been like this.

They took a break to eat the sandwiches Roach had packed that morning and Lucius threw himself onto Pete’s lap as soon as he had finished his. 

Izzy sent them all into town to collect fruit, which Lucius was sure was a ploy to get more supplies for the ship and do something useful that day. Whichever team came back with six different fruits or vegetables would win the scavenger hunt, and it was no surprise that the point went to Ed’s side. The teams were tied three to three.

For the last game, Izzy marched them all to a pond a bit inland, where for some ungodly reason, Stede had decided on a stone skipping contest. Ed’s team would go first, then Stede’s. The total number of skips would be tallied to determine a winner. 

Fang started off the event with one skip, then Roach provided three. John had no idea how to skip a stone, and ended up with zero, but Jim brought the team back into strong contention with an impressive five. Pete blamed his zero on a poor choice of rock, but Lucius knew Pete couldn’t get a single skip out of a perfect rock. 

Ed sauntered up to the edge of the pond and made a big show of getting into some sort of stance. Lucius supposed this was why Stede had insisted on the event, as Ed seemed almost nonchalant about throwing a seven. That was the most Lucius had ever seen, and he had been an acceptable stone skipper when he was a boy. 

15, he wrote in Stede’s journal before sketching a stick figure in Ed’s stance. Maybe he’d draw Ed throwing the stone if he got bored one day. 

Stede insisted he go first, only to throw his rock straight into the water. Oluwande at least showed up with a two - Lucius thought his partner should have taught him this skill. On the other hand, Pete couldn’t skip a stone either, so maybe he shouldn’t be so judgemental. 

Buttons and Frenchie each logged a three, but Ivan couldn’t keep it up. He was at the wrong angle and only gave the team a single point. Lucius looked down at the tally he was keeping and silently celebrated. Team Stede was at nine points. The Swede would need seven skips, matching Ed, to even tie. Pete was going to be so excited by the victory. Lucius would get one of those hugs where Fang lifted him off the ground and spun him around and around. Pete would kiss him over and over and over again. 

The Swede seemed to not even think as he threw his stone. It skipped twelve goddamn times. 

The whole crew stood in perfect silence. Even Izzy seemed incapable of bluntly saying the number. 

Ed was the one to break the silence. “Well, I guess that settles it,” he said, and Stede’s whole team just nodded. 

“Can I get a woo-hoo?” Stede said, “at least a bit of polite applause?” 

“Woo-hoo, cap’n!” Buttons yelled, and Jim nearly fell into John as they laughed. Pete started slowly clapping. 

Lucius snuggled against Pete’s chest on deck that night. “I really thought you had it,” he whispered into Pete’s shirt. 

“We totally did, if Stede hadn’t planned the events for his team,” Pete breathed back.

“I picked the teams, remember? I would have given him to you lot if I’d known!” 

“Well you should have done some research or something!” 

“I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone the events!” 

“Since when did you care?” 

“Can you two get a room?” Roach said from a few feet away. Apparently they had stopped whispering. 

“We’re not fucking,” Lucius responded. 

“You’re feckin’ loud anyways,” Wee John piled on. 

Lucius rolled his eyes and Pete stifled a laugh. They could finish their squabble in the morning. For the night, Lucius breathed in Pete’s scent and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

Waking up with Lucius in his arms was the best way for Pete to start a day. Roach making pancakes was a close second, however. Both on the same day? Perfection. 

Pete pulled Lucius’s legs onto his lap as he started on his third plate of pancakes with berry compote. 

“Babe, Frenchie and John are going into town later, you wanna go?” Lucius asked. He had stopped after his second plate. 

“Sure, who’s buying?” 

“Not Frenchie, if I’ve learned anything.” 

Pete laughed just as Stede burst into the galley. 

“Lucius!” He shouted, and Lucius groaned before swinging his legs off of Pete’s and trudging over to the captain. 

Stede bounced on his toes as he whispered into Lucius’s ear. Pete had seen this scenario play out dozens of times, but Lucius wasn’t sticking to the standard script. Instead of slumping over with the promise of work, he lit up in a way Pete had believed was reserved for romantic endeavors. Apparently it wasn’t, unless Stede was proposing something unheard of. 

Lucius ended the conversation by nodding excitedly, then practically sprinted across the galley to his seat. 

“What was all that?” Pete asked. 

“We’re not going with Frenchie and Wee John, Stede has plans!” He sounded giddy. 

“Is everything okay?” Lucius wasn’t giddy. Ever. Stede just did something to break him. 

“Everything is absolutely amazing. We have to go. Right now.” 

“Are you sure everything is okay?” 

“Isn’t a boy allowed to just be happy?”

“Yeah,” Pete said, “Just not you. It looks insane on you.” 

“Well, I don’t care. Come on, this is happening.” Lucius grabbed Pete by the arm and dragged him out of the galley. Pete made a moment of eye contact with Jim, who shook their head out of what appeared to be pity just before Lucius pulled him out of view. 

Usually, Pete would climb down into the dinghy first, then hold the ladder steady for Lucius. He would lift Lucius off the ladder a rung or two away from the bottom. 

Today, Lucius dashed in front of Pete and scurried down the ladder himself. Pete looked over the railing to see Lucius throw himself on the bench across from Stede and chatter excitedly. Pete climbed down the ladder and sat next to Lucius, letting the chatter wash over him. 

“... so pretty!” 

“It’s been ages since…” 

“I can’t believe he’s never…”

“... ButI’m sure he’s going to love it!” 

Ed wasn’t waiting for them on the beach, but Stede assured them he remembered the way. He led Lucius and Pete into a clump of trees, hopping over roots and dodging branches. After about ten minutes of walking, Stede pushed through some bushes to reveal Ed sitting on a fence. 

“Mate, it’s been forever, who’d you pick?” 

“Lucius, and I knew he’d want to bring Pete along, so here they are!” 

“Woulda guessed Jim, but these two are alright,” Ed grinned. Pete looked over his shoulder to see horses. Four great stallions stood on the other side of the fence, grazing. 

“Are we going to steal them?” Lucius asked. He was leaning halfway over the fence like he couldn’t help himself, like he needed to be closer to the beasts.

“Nah, they won’t fit on the ship,” Ed replied, “so we’ll just borrow ‘em for now.” 

“I wish we could keep them,” Stede said, “They remind me of just about the only happiness I had back in Bridgetown.” 

Pete looked over at Lucius, whose eyes were wide. “Did you ride horses before…” Pete trailed off. He knew Lucius didn’t like to talk about that. 

“Before everything in my life went to shit and I resorted to being a pirate?” Stede looked at Lucius with wide eyes, but Ed and Pete nodded and laughed. “Yeah, I rode. It was nice.” 

“It’s probably been even longer for you than me,” Ed said. 

“About fifteen years,” Lucius said, looking wistfully at the horses. 

“I reckon it’s been seven,” Ed thought, “maybe eight?” 

Pete glanced between the beasts and Lucius. He hadn’t seen Lucius this excited in… He hadn’t ever seen Lucius this excited. But the horses were so tall. They’d move so quickly. 

Stede looked towards the rest of them. Ed hopped the fence without a second thought, and Lucius was close behind him. Stede started to climb, one beam then the other. Pete hopped the fence and followed. 

Ed wriggled open the lock on the small shed that sat on one edge of the pasture with his knife. Inside were saddles and reins and spare bales of hay.

Pete looked from the saddles to the horses. He could get on one of those. He was sure he could get on one of those. 

“You really need one of these?” Ed asked Stede, “‘s way more fun bareback.” 

“Yes, Edward,” Stede scolded, “I don’t want to fall off the horse.” 

“You won’t fall!” Ed smiled. 

But what if he fell? What if they all fell and the horses trampled their skulls?

“Which one do you want, babe?” Lucius asked, startling Pete out of his thoughts. 

“Which what?”

“Which horse? I like the speckled one, but they’re all so beautiful.” 

“I don’t really care, love.”

“Not even the black one?” Lucius asked, “Ed would get his panties in a bunch if you took the black one.” 

“I’m fine babe, really.” 

“You are not and I don’t like you lying about it.” Lucius leveled Pete with a pointed stare. 

“Lucius -” 

“Are you afraid?” Lucius whispered, cupping his hands around Pete’s ear to ensure that neither captain heard. 

“No!” Pete exclaimed. Lucius looked down, and Pete saw the softness in his eyes. “Maybe a little.” 

“Well, I’m sure riding a horse with your boyfriend isn’t nearly as scary as backflipping into a fight with three Frenchmen at once to save Blackbeard’s life,” Lucius said softly. 

“I never -” Pete started, then realized what Lucius was doing. 

“I never got to see you in those fights. I’m sure you were amazing.” 

“Of course.” 

“And you were so brave all on your own. Imagine what you could have done with me there.” 

“I would have had to do way more!” Pete ribbed, “I’d have to protect you!” 

“You’d be my hero. Now, can we please go pet their noses it’s been a decade and every second I’m not touching a horse is making me sad.”

“I think I could pet one.” 

Lucius swung Pete’s hand in his and strolled over to the speckled horse. The creature was white with a million or so brown spots. Pete felt himself tense. The horse was beautiful. He wanted to see it as beautiful, just like Lucius did. He shouldn’t be scared of a stupid horse. He had faced the Spanish, the British, Izzy hands on his bad days, and none of it scared him like this animal did. 

Lucius slowed his pace. “I’m right here.” 

Pete felt his heart rate slow. Lucius was there. He could be brave. 

The horse sniffed them curiously as they approached. Pete pressed himself into Lucius’s side. Lucius raised his hand up towards the horse’s face, leaving a few inches between them. The horse took another whiff of his scent, then pressed its muzzle against Lucius’s palm. Lucius giggled. Honest to god giggled. 

“Do you want to try?” he asked Pete. 

“I want to, it's just…” Pete trailed off. 

“We can try together, here,” Lucius said, bringing his hand away from the horse and wrapping himself around Pete’s shoulders. Pete loved when Lucius pressed their cheeks together like this. He took a deep breath and put his hand up towards the horse as he had seen Lucius do. The beast sniffed, and Pete thought for a moment that he was sure to be hoofed to death, but the horse simply pressed into his palm. Lucius was right, this felt nice. 

“You can stroke it there, just bring your hand down,” Lucius encouraged, and Pete tried it. When his hand was no longer in contact, the horse shook out its mane and Lucius squeezed Pete to keep him from startling. “Now come here.” Lucius guided Pete to the horse’s side and took his wrist. He guided Pete’s hand to the horse’s neck and moved so Pete’s fingertips grazed its mane. It was soft and smooth. It was really quite lovely. 

“Can you let go?” Pete asked. 

“Do you want to stop?” Lucius checked.

“No, I think I can do it though.” Lucius beamed. “And I can tell you really want to pet him." 

“Oh I do!” Lucius grinned. Pete grinned back. They stood for a long moment, petting the horse. It was quite gentle for its size. 

“You lot ready to saddle up?” Ed asked, approaching them with a saddle in each hand. 

“Yeah, we are,” said Pete, and walked away from the speckled horse that Lucius was so enamored with. 

Deep breath, hand up, take a moment. Pete let the deep brown horse with a flowing black mane get used to his presence, then pet it just like he had the speckled one while he waited for Lucius to help him with the saddle. 

Now that he could get near a horse, getting on the saddle really wasn’t bad. It took some strength, but Pete had no shortage of that. Once he was up, he felt secure. Powerful, even. 

They followed Stede down a path that he assured them would be nice. Pete and Lucius chattered on about how Lucius could or couldn’t survive on a pirate ship that wasn’t Stede’s, but eventually Ed fell back to let Lucius take the lead with the other captain. It was so obvious he wanted to. 

“How’d you learn to ride a horse?” Pete asked Ed, “Don’t you spend most of your time on boats?” 

“Well, it was a few years back. I was on a raid with Hornigold, he wanted to raid some rich fucker’s mansion. Me, Iz, and Calico Jack were going through all of his shit, finding the good stuff, whatever. But he was well connected, so there were officers all over us. We had to go, we had no chance on foot. So we rode bareback, jumpin’ fences, dodgin’ the authorities, it was fucking awesome.”

“Woah!” Pete said. It was nice to have the scenery moving past as they talked. 

Eventually, Ed pushed Lucius out of the place next to Stede. 

“Edward, you’re back!” Stede said, as excited as if Ed had been gone for years and years instead of ten feet behind him for fifteen minutes. “Can we do something I never got to do as a boy?” 

“Course we can. What is it?” Ed asked. 

“Race you up to that sign post!” Stede said and snapped the reins. His gray horse galloped ahead of Ed’s black one. 

Lucius and Pete laughed as the captains shouted trash talk back and forth. 

“Do you want to go faster?” Lucius asked. 

“Just a little.”

“We don’t have to race, just feel the wind in your -” Lucius realized what he was about to say and cut himself off. 

“I’d love to feel the wind on my head,” Pete laughed. Lucius showed him how to encourage his horse to go faster, and they galloped off into the afternoon.

Chapter Text

“You’ve got to come into town with us, Lucius,” Stede said the moment Lucius walked into the galley.

“Why?” 

“Jim won’t write anything down. We need a scribe.” 

“Well, I guess I’m coming into town. What are we writing down?” 

“We’re going on an information gathering mission, of sorts,” Stede explained. 

“That’s a shit explanation,” Ed popped up from behind Stede, “We’ll give you a better one later but we can’t now.” Lucius scowled at him with all the malice he could muster. “You can bring Pete, if you want.” 

“Fine.” Lucius flopped into his seat in between Pete and Fang, groaning as if he hadn’t gotten any sleep at all, despite being quite well rested after a day of riding. 

“What’s the matter, Babe?” Pete asked. 

“Yeah, you look tired,” Fang added. 

“Stede wants me to do stuff,” Lucius half moaned. 

“Isn’t this like the third thing he’s asked you to do this week?” Fang asked, “We only have a few more days of leave.” 

“It’s fucking bullshit,” Pete railed, “I mean, killing him could be on the table.” 

“He won’t even tell me what it is this time!” Lucius whined. 

“He told me,” Jim said from the table behind Lucius.

“He told you?” Lucius barked in exasperation. 

“I can keep a secret,” Jim smiled, “And Stede said I could tell Olu, and he told Frenchie.” 

“Frenchie?!” Lucius sputtered, “After the journal incident?” 

“Did somebody need me?” Frenchie approached the table from across the galley. 

“Lucius is upset that we won’t tell him secrets,” Jim explained.

“You can’t be that upset, man,” Oluwande said, turning around next to Jim. 

“Yeah!” Called Roach, “Remember that time when we almost died and you said yourself,” he put on a terrible approximation of Lucius’s accent “‘I’m terrible at keeping secrets.’”

“You were going to get me killed, bastardito !” Jim growled. 

“So is that why Stede and Ed said to keep it from Lucius, Pete, and Fang?” Frenchie asked.

Pete, whose solidarity had thus far only been because of Lucius, snapped to attention. “Why aren’t you telling me?” he accused. 

“Because, estupido, you’d tell Lucius in like five minutes,” Jim signed as they smacked Pete in the chest, a little harder than was called for. 

“How am I supposed to take note of everything that happens on the ship if you don’t tell me what the fuck is happening on the ship?” Lucius asked. 

“We tell you when we can,” Oluwande explained. 

“And when it’s not a secret,” Jim chimed in, “That’s why we’re telling you today.” 

“I can keep a secret from Lucius,” Fang argued. 

“No, you can’t,” Oluwande said gently. 

“It’s disgustingly sweet that you think you can, though,” Jim said, holding back a smile. 

Lucius, Pete, Stede, Ed, Frenchie, John, Jim, and Oluwande piled into two dinghies and rowed to shore. Stede led the bunch of them onto a secluded area of the beach. 

“I guess this is when they kill us all,” Pete mumbled. Lucius snorted. 

“I think this is far enough,” Ed told Stede. 

“I think literally anywhere except the fuckin’ boat was far enough,” Jim said. 

“Well,” Stede tried to redirect, “It never hurts to be careful! We can’t go about ruining Fang’s birthday!” 

This caught Lucius’s attention. “It’s Fang’s birthday?” He asked. You really should know these things about your boyfriend of over a year. 

“I don’t know,” Ed said, “but he first joined my crew ten years ago today, and I never asked his birthday, so we’re celebrating!” 

Lucius sighed. He hadn’t forgotten something important. 

“Well, no matter the occasion, we have a mission,” Stede declared. 

“We’re gettin’ him a dog!” Ed explained. 

“In about an hour, meet back here to make note of any stray dogs you see in town,” Stede instructed. 

“Or not stray dogs,” Ed added, “it might make an even better gift if we steal it from some rich fucker.” 

“ Wherever  you see a dog, try to keep track of its good qualities. We’ll meet back here and compile the list with Lucius before we select the ideal dog and obtain it!” 

Lucius spent the hour wandering around some shops and didn’t see a single dog. He assumed, on the walk back to the meeting place, that the whole thing had been a waste of time. He was immediately corrected, however, by the small dog following Oluwande. 

“I thought we were going to make notes before selecting a dog!” Stede complained. 

“I can’t get it to stop following me!” Oluwande protested. Jim nearly doubled over in laughter. 

“You should have seen him try to get rid of it!” they said, “he tried to hide behind a barrel at some point!” 

“Smart dog,” Ed noted, “Good size, too. Won’t take up too much space and food and shit.” 

“What kind of dog do you reckon it is?” Stede asked. 

“The dog kind,” Ed replied. 

“It looks like a spaniel, maybe?” Lucius suggested. He knew his dog breeds. 

Frenchie sat down in the sand. The dog ran over to him and attempted a tackle as it licked his nose. 

“Seems like a right good dog!” he laughed as the dog pinned him to the ground. 

“Are we all in agreement, then?” Stede asked, “This is the one?”

There was a general sense of agreement and Stede decided to move on to the next task. 

“Committees?” Lucius asked when he announced it. 

“Of course!” Stede chirped, “We need to name the thing and train it, and there’s hardly enough time to do both!” 

“Training group, you’re with me,” Ed said, “That’s Pete, Jim, Frenchie, and Roach, when he gets here.” 

“Everyone else, you’re with me. We need a perfect name for him!” 

“Her,” Jim said. 

“Her?” Stede asked.

“No dick, mate,” Ed said, looking Stede in the eyes as he turned a fantastic shade of red. 

“Wish me luck,” Lucius whispered to Pete before he left. 

“You might need it,” Pete chuckled. 

He was right. Buttons and the Swede joined him, Stede, Oluwande, and John. Izzy came with him on the dinghy, but didn’t seem to have any intent to really join in committee activities. 

“Well, she needs a name,” Stede introduced to the new arrivals. 

“I thought we’d be gettin’ a bigger dog,” John said. 

“We were chosen by her,” Buttons explained. 

“You weren’t here?” Lucius said. 

“I felt it. I can feel a love like that,” Buttons replied. Lucius didn’t feel the need to ask any more questions.

“What if we chose something regal?” Stede suggested, trying to nudge the conversation towards their assignment. When no one responded, Stede gave Lucius a pointed look. “Why aren’t you writing that down?” 

“What, ‘regal names’?” 

“Yes!” 

“What would a regal name be, captain?” Oluwande asked. 

“Elizabeth?” Stede proposed. 

“Oh god,” Lucius said as he wrote ‘Elizabeth’ in a list of possible dog names. 

“I don’t want to be harsh,” Oluwande said. Lucius loved those words, they meant Oluwande was about to say something absolutely devastating. “But what if we gave her a name that sounds like a dog’s name?” 

“What do you think it should be?” Stede snapped. 

“Patches?” Oluwande suggested, “She’s got those spots, and patches could be like eye patches from your book.” 

“Ooh, that’s very good!” Stede admitted. Lucius wrote it down. 

“She’s a mystical thing,” Buttons said, “Ailsa.” 

“We are not naming Fang’s dog some weird Scottish myth name,” Lucius said. 

“There are no bad ideas in a brainstorm, Lucius!” Stede chided, “Write it down!” 

“It sounds like a unicorn name,” Lucius grumbled. 

“Fine. We’ll give ‘er a name of honor. Of respect,” Buttons said, “Karl.” 

This time Wee John was the one to comment. “Karl’s definitely a dude’s name.” 

“We thought Jim was only for men before,” The Swede noted, “that was a dangerous thought.” 

“Am I writing Karl?” Lucius groaned. 

The process went on like this for some time, with the group shouting out names, then complaining about each other’s suggestions. Occasionally Izzy, who was leaning against a tree, would make eye contact with Lucius. He understood the absurdity of the situation. 

“Izzy did you just come to laugh at me?” Lucius asked during a lull in the conversation.

“Yes, Spriggs, your frustration amuses me,” Izzy replied, “for all you’re getting done you might as well name her Polly.”

“I like that,” said the Swede, suddenly interested. 

“I hate to agree with Izzy,” Stede said, “but I do.” 

“It’s a little joke, you know?” Added Oluwande. 

“It’s a bad joke,” Lucius said. Izzy was laughing as hard as Lucius had ever seen him laugh. 

“Polly it is,” Wee John chuckled. 

Pete saw Lucius’s red jacket before he saw his boyfriend. 

“You here to help?” Pete asked. 

“Not even a little bit,” Lucius smiled. 

“Was it that bad?” Pete checked in. 

“It was worse than you could possibly imagine.” 

“Did you lot come up with something badass?” Ed asked once he realized Lucius was there. 

“Once again,” Lucius sighed, “not even a little bit.” 

“Really?” Ed asked, “Does Stede want me to come help or something? I’ve got ideas.” 

“No, we came up with a name,” Lucius said, “it’s just not badass.” 

“What is it, Polly?” Ed asked. Lucius leveled him with a stare. “Fuckin’ actually?” Lucius nodded. 

Pete couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It was somewhat comforting to know that Lucius had felt about as useful on the naming committee as he had on the training committee. Polly didn’t know any commands and they hadn’t even had a name to teach her. It had been about half an hour since the groups split off and almost all of that time had been spent with the dog running between crew members and begging for pets and ear scratches. These had been willingly given by all involved. 

“So how do you train a dog?” Lucius asked Pete. 

Pete looked over to Jim, who was playing a ferocious game of tug-of-war with the dog using a large stick. He then turned towards Frenchie, who seemed to be calling out random commands and getting a little miffed when Polly ignored them. 

“I don’t think anyone here knows,” Pete said solemnly. He and Lucius lasted just a few seconds before falling into each other with laughter. 

“Why did the captains think we could do this?” Lucius go out between giggles. 

“I have no idea!” Pete laughed back. 

“You want to give up and hear all the names they came up with?” Lucius asked. 

“Of course!” Pete said. They found a spot to sit in the shade and Lucius spread Stede’s journal over their laps. 

Pete tried to make out exactly how the letters on the page became the sounds Lucius was reading aloud, but between the absurdity of the suggestions and the tight curls of Lucius’s writing it felt like an impossible endeavor. 

“Something wrong, babe?” Lucius asked. 

“No, nothing at all!” Pete said, maybe a little too enthusiastically. Lucius cocked his head to the side. 

“Really? You’ve been staring at my hands like they’ve done something to you.” 

“I was just thinking,” Pete explained, “Your writing looks so delicate.” 

“Are you jealous?” Lucius tried to tease. 

“Maybe a little.” It came out much more sincere than Pete had intended. 

“Well, here,” Lucius said. He turned the journal to a fresh page and pulled two sticks of charcoal out of his pocket. “Can you draw this?” He drew a sharp, narrow curve. Pete nodded and Lucius gestured for him to copy. “Then this.” Lucius finished the letter and Pete recognized it immediately. 

“Why do you add all of these lines to all the letters?” Pete asked. He wrote a “P” in his blocky print: one straight line, one curve. 

“Well, that’s how it looks like this,” Lucius explained, “they’re all connected.” 

“Waste of fucking time,” Pete said, “Show me more.” 

Lucius followed the loopy P with another loop, two curves that somehow merged into a straight line, then a third loop. Pete moved Lucius’s hands out of the way to copy. 

“Babe, I wasn’t done!” Lucius laughed and slid his hand back into place. He added a horizontal line on the vertical one. “Now you try.” 

Pete’s curves weren’t nearly as tight nor as delicate as Lucius’s, but they were there. “Pete,” he said upon completion of the word. 

“You can sign your name now, if you need to,” Lucius said. 

“How about an L?” Pete asked. Lucius obliged and Pete repeated the process with a U, then an S. “That’s not an S,” he insisted when Lucius carefully demonstrated each line. 

“Are you insinuating I don’t know my calligraphy?” Lucius asked

“I’m saying your fancy S doesn’t look like an S. Now an I.” Lucius laughed and demonstrated the next letter. Pete finished the word. lusius.  

Lucius leaned over to kiss him. It was soft and warm. “Let me show you a C,” he said. Pete copied the new letter, which made more sense than the S, then watched Lucius write his own name. “There’s a capital L,” he pointed out, “and it’s a C.” 

“Fuck!” Pete said, “I knew that!” 

“I cannot wait to hear all about when you learned that,” Lucius said, “Because I keep asking you to let me teach you and you keep saying no. Your other options are all absolutely deranged, so there has got to be a story.” 

“There’s no story!” Pete backpedaled. 

“Babe, six months ago you wouldn’t have gotten the L right.” 

Pete was about to argue, but he heard a voice that made his stomach do something interesting. 

“What’s everyone doing here?” Fang asked from a little ways down the beach. The rest of Lucius’s group had come to observe the training, so nearly the whole crew was on a small section of beach. Come to think of it, only Fang and Ivan had been left aboard The Revenge. “One minute I looked up and everyone was gone!” Fang explained. 

Just then, Ivan ran up behind him, breathing heavily. “Captains I-” he started, but Ed held up a hand to cut him off. 

“What the fuck, Ivan?” Ed asked. 

“I had to take a piss, when I got back he was lowering the last dinghy!” Ivan tried to excuse himself. 

“Well, this wasn’t going according to plan anyways,” Stede sighed. Lucius held Pete’s hand as they left their shady spot and fully rejoined the group. 

“Are you hiding things from us?” Fang asked, “Because I thought when Stede got back we all agreed the ship was a place for honesty and sharing and we were past all that shit!”

“It’s not like that!” Stede nearly shouted. 

“Then what is it like?” Fang asked. Pete had forgotten that Fang could get emotional when the situation presented itself. 

Just then, everyone heard a bark from just beyond the treeline. A moment later, Polly burst through the leaves with Jim close behind. 

“ Lo siento,” they said, “she managed to wriggle away from me!” 

“It’s been ten years since you first signed on, mate,” Ed said, “figured it was ‘bout time I set this right. Everyone else getting involved just sort of… happened.” 

“We were going to have her trained to sit and come and the like,” Stede explained, “And make her a little collar with her name.” 

“Wanted it to be perfect,” Ed said.

“You tried to train a dog?” Fang asked. 

“It’s not going well, if that makes you feel better,” Lucius piped up. 

“No surprise!” Fang laughed, “What did you decide to call her?” 

All eyes turned to Lucius, who held Stede’s journal close to his chest. 

“Polly,” Oluwande said, “Like a parrot?” 

Fang was silent for a moment. Pete worried that he thought the name was just as foolish a choice as Lucius did. Then Fang laughed a full, hearty laugh. “She’s just like a parrot. Just as smart as one, I’ll bet!” Fang sat on the beach and patted his thighs a few times. Polly turned to him and he gave her a soft smile. “Polly!” He called. The dog ran to him and he held his hand out to her gently. She sniffed it, just as the horses had the previous day. Maybe Pete and Lucius should have switched groups. 

After showering the dog with affection, Fang stood up and took a chunk of bread out of his pocket. “Saving it for later,” he explained. Without saying a word, Fang got Polly to sit, lay down, and come to him. “I knew she’d be a smart one!” Then he turned to Ed. “You sure about this, Captain?” 

“More sure than I’ve ever been,” Ed smiled. 

“I think the whole crew will enjoy having an animal around!” Stede said. 

Fang threw his arms around Ed and stayed there. Ed’s eyes widened with surprise at first, but he eventually returned the hug and gave Fang’s back a couple pats. 

Lucius leaned over to rest his head on Pete’s shoulder. “Maybe it’s good that no one told me,” he said. 

“Oh really?” Pete asked. 

“Really. I definitely would have ruined it, and this is really nice.”

Chapter Text

It was easier, Lucius found, to draw on the ship. A couple years ago, he wouldn’t have believed this, but he had adapted to a gentle rocking, if not a nearly violent sway. That did not mean it was easy to draw. Lucius lay his head back in the hammock he was laying in. At least he was the only one on the ship. The weather was perfect and this was only the second free day they’d had since they got to shore. 

“Fuck!” Lucius shouted, letting his sketchbook fall into his lap. 

“ Qúe pasa ?” Jim asked, “the book hurt your feelings?” They smirked. 

“I thought you were…” Lucius trailed off. 

“We had a late night last night,” Jim explained, “So we slept in. Olu’s still in the galley.” 

“Well, fuck,” Lucius said, “I thought I was alone out here.” 

“You were until maybe five seconds ago. I just wanted to get the dinghy ready.” They turned to look over the deck’s railing, then turned back to Lucius. “This is the last one, are you going ashore today?” 

“I wasn’t planning on it, but I’m not doing shit here,” Lucius thought aloud. 

Oluwande came out onto the deck. “ Lista?” he asked Jim, then noticed Lucius, “Oh, hey man.” 

“ Va a ir con nosotros,” Jim said. 

“ De verdad?” 

“ Sí, no sé por qué, dice que tiene dificultades con su arte en barco hoy.”

“ Okay,” Oluwande said. Lucius had forgotten that the two of them usually defaulted to Spanish when no one else was around. 

“Yes, I think it might help to relocate,” Lucius said, and they all climbed into the dinghy. 

“So what do you need to draw so bad?” Jim asked. 

“Pete and I, we,” Lucius found himself in a rare situation: at a loss for words, “We have a big day coming up and I need to finish this.”

Jim and Oluwande sat in silence for a moment, processing what little Lucius gave them. 

“We have ours in, what, three weeks?” Jim asked Oluwande. 

“Happy anniversary, mate,” Oluwande smiled at Lucius. 

“Won’t be happy if I can’t figure out what to draw.” 

“You’re good at this,” said Jim with as much sincerity as Lucius had heard from them, “You’ll get it just right.”  

The boat jostled the three of them as it landed ashore. 

“We’re going into town, are you good?” Oluwande asked. 

“I think I’m going to take a walk,” Lucius said. Maybe whatever the woods had to offer would be enough to make a piece happen.  

The weather didn’t seem quite so perfect in the trees. It was humid and buggy. There weren’t bugs on the ship. But it was beautiful. It was unusual for Lucius to want paints, but the sheer variety of greens made him realize their appeal. Birds and flowers splashed bright pinks, blues, yellows, and reds across the canopy of green. 

Lucius tried to resist at first, but eventually sat down on a large stone and started to sketch. A page of his sketchbook was filled with leaves, vines, and flowers. Then another. He didn’t have a source color, but he had a gift for shading and crosshatching. He tried to infuse black and white with a world of color. 

Lucius had lived so much of his life in black and white. There were years of promising to be something that he could never be. Tiny moments of joy in back alleys and dark closets. There were only good and bad days. He’d never say it to Stede. The man had enough ego for the whole ship. But the Revenge was a fucking rainbow after that. 

Instead of drawing a new position or situation, Lucius stopped thinking about sex. He drew a border of vines like in one of Stede’s fancy books. Then two forms, fully clothed for a change. The taller one was gently caressing the shorter one’s cheek. The shorter one rested his hands on the taller one’s waist. 

Usually, Lucius saved the eyes for last, but today he started with them. He spent so much time drawing a spark of lust that it took a moment to remember how to draw the gentle glow of love. He had barely finished them when the sun started to set and he had to walk back to the beach. 

“Try one more time,” Stede said, and Pete considered throwing the book at him. Instead, he sighed and started again. 

“Shall I… compare… you to a summer’s day?” Pete lilted the end of the phrase like a real question

“Though art more lovely and more tem..per..ate

Rogue winds do shake the daring buds of may”

“This is fucking stupid!” Pete yelled. “This stupid poem doesn’t even make any sense!” 

“But it’s the greatest love poem ever written!” Stede argued, “It’s Shakespeare!”

“He’s got you there, mate,” Ed laughed, “If I’ve learned anything it’s that Shakespeare is allowed to not make any sense.” 

“Edward! William Shakespeare is the greatest literary genius -” 

“England has ever produced, I know,” Ed said. He had been Stede’s student for some time now, honing his minimal education into competence and even sometimes enjoyment of literature. Pete liked having him around when he completed his evening lessons. Ed understood what it was like to learn all of this as an adult, particularly from an objectively terrible teacher. 

“Well, you just don’t appreciate him!” Stede scolded, “aren’t you reading something else?” 

Ed lifted the book from his lap and turned it so Pete and Stede could see. It was the first volume of Stede’s journal. Volume two spent most of its time with Lucius, being filled with the more recent events of the crew. “‘M reading ‘bout that time you thought I was gonna kiss you and got all pouty that I didn’t.”

“Which one?” Pete laughed. Lucius had complained about Stede insisting he document his lovesick ramblings. 

“After that party, the one with the arson,” Ed explained and Stede sputtered. “The first one. You didn’t even realize that’s what you were doing, did you?” 

“I really need to attend to my other student,” Stede said, pointedly turning away from Ed to focus on Pete. “Remember those O-U words! ‘Rough’ and ‘thou,’ not rogue and though!”  

Pete repeated the words, but it didn’t make the thing less overwhelming. He was never going to be able to read it aloud in just a few days. It was too late to memorize it. He was doomed. 

“Maybe I’d get it if it made sense,” Pete said, “I read the grim story really well!” 

“It makes perfect sense,” said Stede and Ed huffed out a small laugh, “But I understand what you’re saying. I just don’t know where we’ll find what you’re looking for. The great love poems and odes aren’t the most accessible.” 

“I’ve got an idea,” Ed said, and Pete watched as he flipped a few pages in the journal, “Listen to this.” Ed stammered a bit, but got through the poem. It was gorgeous. It was nearly perfect. It sounded like the way Pete and Lucius talked to each other, but it also sounded like singing, even though Ed had spoken the words.

“I certainly don’t remember dictating that,” Stede said when he finished. 

“Love, I don’t think you dictated everything in here. It’s got a title, I’m Used to Death, and he initialed it at the bottom, see?” 

Pete looked over the book to see the loopy capital L that Lucius had shown him, along with an S which looked nothing like the cursive one. This one looked like an S. 

“Lucius wrote that?” Pete asked, although he already knew the answer. “I want to read that one. That’s better than Shakespeare.” 

“Better than -!” Stede cut himself off. “Alright, let’s look over some of the words.” 

Stede ended up copying the poem onto a new sheet of paper. Whether it was was actually to help Pete avoid having to decipher Lucius’s handwriting or just to keep the journal in the cabin, Pete would never know, but it was a great help. 

The sun had started to set, and although much of the crew would stay in town drinking late into the night, a few members were back. Jim and Oluwande had been the first, planning on an early morning the next day and intending to be well rested. Pete stopped by their room after leaving Stede and Ed to their nightly routine. 

“Hey Pete,” Jim said when they opened the door, “ qúe tal?” 

“I need to ask a favor-” Pete started. 

“No,” Jim cut him off

“I need to ask Oluwande!” Pete said. 

“Why wouldn’t you ask me?” Jim pretended to pout. Pete tried to conjure his inner Lucius for the look he gave them. “Fine, come in.” 

“What do you need, we’re about to scrape together some dinner,” Oluwande said. 

Pete pulled the folded page out of his pocket. “I need to keep this in your room.” 

“Can’t you keep it in your pocket?” Jim asked. 

“It might fall out. And this is the only place Lucius definitely won’t snoop,” he nodded to Jim, “They scare him.” 

Oluwande laughed, but Jim nearly pounced. “What’s the big secret?” They asked, trying to grab the paper out of his hands. 

“It’s none of your business!” Pete said. Playing keep-away with the world’s most agile person wasn’t easy.

“Remember?” Oluwande asked them, “What Lucius said on the boat?” 

Jim relented. “Yeah, I’ll leave him alone.” 

“And don’t read it when I leave?” 

“Fine!” Jim sighed. 

“Happy anniversary, by the way,” Oluwande said, and Pete blushed. 

“Thanks.” 

Pete found his way to one of the most comfortable spots on deck. On advantage of staying in for the night was getting first pick. He pushed a blanket into the space next to him. No one would take it, the whole crew knew it was meant for Lucius, but he wanted his boyfriend to know that he was thinking about him. 

“ T-H-O-U-G-H is though,” he thought to himself as the darkness intensified, “ W-O-U-L-D is would. M-O-U-T-H is mouth.” Why did O and U make so many different sounds? If anyone had asked him, this reading thing would make much more sense. Between him and Blackbeard, they could probably make it actually easy. The whole crew could learn if all the letters made fewer sounds. 

Pete had nearly drifted off when a batch of crew members loudly returned to the ship. Their laughter was laden with alcohol and they kept talking over each other, but Pete could pick Lucius’s chuckle out of the crowd. A few moments later, the man took the spot next to Pete’s. Lucius curled around Pete’s back and pulled him close. Pete could smell the ale on his breath, but also that scent that could only be described as Lucius. Pete was glad they had woken him up. It was nice to go to sleep feeling so warm.

Chapter Text

“Do you want to go into town for lunch with me and Fang?” Lucius asked. 

“I’m supposed to meet Wee John and Frenchie on the beach later, but I think I’ve got time,” Pete replied, “Roach might come too. You can join us if you want.” 

“What are you doing on the beach?” 

“Blowing shit up!”

“I am good, actually,” Lucius smiled, “I’m going shopping with Fang.”

“And I’m happy to miss that!” Pete said. 

“All of us could take one dinghy, though. You want to ask them if they’re ready?” 

“Are you hungry?” 

“Babe, I’m starving!” 

Pete took his leave, and Lucius checked his pockets to make sure he had the wages for lunch. He grabbed a bag to throw over his shoulder. He would fill it with purchases later, but it was a nice way to carry his sketchbook for the moment. 

Speaking of his sketchbook, Lucius pulled it out of his bag to check for what must have been the eighth time. He flipped to his new piece and found it to be just as he left it. He hadn’t done anything silly to it in his drunken state. There was still shading to be done, but Lucius had woken up fearing he may need to start over, so a few hours was nothing to be concerned with. 

“We’re ready!” Frenchie said. 

“Just waiting on -” Lucius paused, “Oh, there you are, Fang.” 

“Just making sure Polly has everything she needs while I’m out,” Fang said. 

“I’ll row,” John offered, and the five of them piled into the dinghy. 

Going to restaurants was so different than it had been in Lucius’s youth. People always stared at them, and today was no exception. Even with Frenchie and John pursuing other options, he, Fang, and Pete stood out like three sore thumbs. Good thing their wages were enough to persuade the staff to overlook just about anything. 

Lucius ate lemon and pepper seasoned chicken that could rival some of Roach’s cooking while Fang had a bowl of delicate, creamy soup and Pete opted for a lovely smelling fish entree. This, of course, meant that Lucius also got to enjoy soup and fish and share the pleasure of his chicken. He loved his boyfriends more than anything. He loved that the two of them shared not just with him, but with each other. They were friends. They never competed for his attention and seemed to genuinely enjoy each other’s company. How had he gotten so lucky?

When they finished the meal, Pete split off to find Frenchie and Wee John. Lucius and Fang wandered through stores with no intention to buy. It was just a way to pass the time. That wasn’t to say that Lucius didn’t have three new books to add to the expanding racier section of Stede’s library.

“That’s beautiful!” Lucius said about an amber bracelet in a window. 

“You know what you’re doing tomorrow?” Fang asked. 

“Yes, I do,” Lucius said, having gained some confidence in his gift the previous day. 

“Where you’re going and everything?” 

Lucius stopped in his tracks. They were still on leave. They weren’t pulling up the anchor until Monday morning. They didn’t have to be on the ship until late Sunday night. Pete would want to go somewhere. They wouldn’t get to crawl into the crow’s nest. That wouldn’t be enough. 

“That’s a no, then?” 

“Want to go for a walk?” Lucius asked, “We could find a spot for a picnic.” 

“Didn’t you want to wander around anyway? For some green pigment?” 

“Yes I did!” Lucius took a deep breath and found his smile again. “It’ll all work out.” 

When they returned to the beach, Lucius held a handful of leaves that created a soft stain when crushed just so and the knowledge of a perfect little hill. Pete and the others were still in the process of blowing up half the beach, so Lucius and Fang caught a dinghy with the unusual grouping of Stede, Jim, and the Swede. 

“Lucius, could I ask you a favor?” Stede asked. 

“Ugh, I’m not busy, what is it?” 

Stede looked to Jim, who nodded, then back to Lucius. “I have some plans for at the banquet tonight, something special. I thought we could hang some more lanterns on deck, maybe some candles and these garlands,” Stede held up a bag, “I want it to be stunning.” 

“Hmm,” Lucius pretended to consider. He would never say no to Stede’s relationship drama. “Only if you tell me what’s happening.” 

Stede looked again to Jim, who gave him a pointed look. “It’s like, one afternoon, right?” They asked, “He can last an afternoon. Ed’s not even on the boat.” 

“I’m going to propose!” With Jim’s approval, Stede didn’t hesitate. “I asked Roach to make all this food and have you all there and I’m going to propose matelotage!” 

“Stede, that’s really great!” Lucius grinned. 

“You and Blackbeard are getting married?” asked the Swede. 

“I forgot you were here,” Stede admitted, “and I believe we are, once he says yes!” 

The Swede pouted for the remainder of their short trip, but still helped to decorate through the afternoon. 

When Pete got back to the ship, coated in a thin layer of dust and sand, the deck had been transformed. Lanterns danced from all angles, making the deck as bright as day. The tables from the galley had been brought out and lined with candles and flowers. 

“Holy shit,” said Ed when he climbed onto the deck behind Pete. Wee John and Frenchie followed behind him, having all rowed back together. “Do we need to change? I feel underdressed!” 

Pete laughed, not quite willing to admit he had been thinking the same thing. 

Stede came onto the deck in a hurry, encouraging them to sit and ensuring that the food would be along soon. 

“I knew Roach left early to make everyone something for tonight, but I didn’t know Stede was going all out,” Frenchie said as they found their seats. Each of them had a small place card with their name on it in Lucius’s tight script, and Pete was sitting next to Lucius and across from Ed. Frenchie and Wee John were just a bit further down. 

“This is fancy as fuck!” Ivan said when he got back on board with the last dinghy. Oluwande, Buttons, and Izzy came with him and each reacted in turn to the elaborate scene on deck. They took their seats, and Pete didn’t miss the cleverness of the seating chart. Nothing looked like a slight, but the Swede was separated from Buttons and Roach, and Izzy was as far from Stede as possible. Only Lucius could do something like that. 

Just as he had the thought, Lucius sat down, grinning. “Good stuff tonight,” he said, “I was just in the galley.” 

“And you didn’t bring me anything?” 

“The man has a meat cleaver, I’m not taking anything until he says I can!” 

Lucius asked Pete about his afternoon of explosions, and Pete was happy to share. He asked Lucius about the shops and Lucius rattled off every detail he could think of about his newest books. 

By then, Stede, Roach, and the Swede came out of the galley carrying trays of Roach’s creations. It was going to be a lovely night indeed. 

“I know you had a good time today, but was that all you were smiling about when you sat down?” Pete asked. 

“Oh my god I can’t tell you!” Lucius whined, then whispered, “Not this close to Ed. I’ll tell you after dinner, but you’ll know more by then anyways.” 

Pete nodded. “You’re really in on proving you can keep a secret, huh?” 

Lucius threw a piece of carrot at him. They laughed and talked and ate a fantastic meal. Rum was passed around and everyone was a little generous when they poured. 

Eventually, Stede tapped his fork against his cup to request silence. After a moment, the crew granted it to him. “Ed,” He said, standing so all eyes stayed on him, “I know it has barely been a year since my return, and I know it will never be as easy as saying all of that is over,” 

Pete turned to Lucius, who was staring intently at Ed. Pete followed his gaze and saw Ed’s eyes swim with love. 

“But I know that I would rather die than leave your side again. When I first boarded this vessel, I believed myself ill-suited for marriage. I now believe that to be correct, as I learned a few days ago that at sea it is called ‘matelotage.’ I am suited to matelotage, and the promise to share my life with you, and to share as much of your life as you will allow me.” 

Lucius was tearing up. Pete took his hand. His boyfriend was such a hopeless romantic. Maybe he’d cry over the poem. 

“So, Edward, I guess what I’m saying in far too many words is, will you matelotage me?” 

Edward nearly tackled Stede to the ground with the enthusiasm of his kiss. Pete didn’t know what happened behind the doors of the captains’ cabin, but he knew there had been many late nights of talking and nearly as many of shouting. He knew that Stede didn’t forgive Ed for marooning them until the rest of them did, and didn’t forgive him for Lucius until Ed had apologized not only to the man he threw overboard, but also to Pete. Whatever they had done, it was working. 

“Of course, you idiot,” Ed said, grinning at Stede. Roach went to the galley and brought back cake. 

After desert, Stede brought out some of his private collection of alcohol and Frenchie compiled a small band. The whole crew danced and sang shanties. Ed and Stede never left each other’s reach. 

“Stede wanted it to be special,” Lucius explained, “I only found out this afternoon, when he wanted me to set up. It was sweet.” 

“It was sweet,” Pete agreed, “But I’m fucking exhausted.” 

“Time for bed?” 

“I’m not sure it’s time for bed yet,” Pete smirked, “But maybe we could… find a bed?” 

“Black Peter are you propositioning me?” Lucius feigned being scandalized.

“Are you saying yes?” Pete raised his eyebrows. 

“Well, the only beds are Jim’s, Ed’s, or Izzy’s and I’m a bit scared of what any of them would do if they found us,” Lucius said, “But I would love to find a spare room and a bedroll.” 

“Well then,” Pete said, “I’ve already spotted the bedroll.” He took Lucius’s hand. How did he ever survive before he could take Lucius’s hand? There were plenty of spare rooms, and he needed to do something to satisfy the hunger that was beginning to ignite in Lucius’s eyes.

Chapter Text

“Good morning, sunshine,” Pete said to Lucius. They woke up in the storeroom wearing practically nothing. They hadn’t woken up like this in a while, and Pete could get used to it. 

“I don’t want to sound like I’m not very excited about our anniversary, but could I sleep for a few more hours?” 

“Absolutely not!” Pete laughed even as Lucius glared at him. Lucius’s hair was stuck out at odd angles. He was adorable even with a first-thing-in-the-morning evil in his eyes. “We’ve got to get lunch ready.” 

“Isn’t that just asking Roach to get lunch ready?” 

“Well, yeah, but we gotta do it!” 

“Fine! But I require a bribe to sit up.” 

Pete took Lucius’s wrists in his hands and smiled softly when Lucius reciprocated the gesture. He pulled Lucius hard enough that he fell a little past sitting and into the hug that Pete had waiting. After a few long moments, Pete pulled their faces together and kissed Lucius without any heat. It was slow and gentle, beautiful like a sunrise. 

“Enough?” Pete asked when they pulled apart, just far enough to speak. He could feel Lucius’s words on his lips when he responded. 

“Never enough of this.” 

“What if I hold your hand on the way to the galley?” 

“Kiss me again and hold my hand on the way to the galley.” 

“Well if you insist,” Pete kissed him again, parting his lips, but not letting his tongue turn up the heat of the moment. Lucius responded in kind, and they both let the seconds turn into minutes.

“We have to stand up,” Pete argued, expecting Luicus to protest. 

“Fine, but only because I’ve planned us the best date ever.” 

“The best one ever?” Pete asked as they stood. 

“Well, you deserve the best,” Lucius cooed. 

“Good thing I have it, then,” Pete squeezed Lucius’s hand. 

“Are you two going to be gross?” Jim asked when the couple walked into the galley. 

“Obviously!” Lucius said, and dipped Pete into a dramatic kiss. A couple people cheered. 

“Where’s Stede?” Pete asked. Usually he’d be all over an anniversary, especially a second one. 

“We’ve all agreed not to try to find out,” Oluwande said. 

“They’re definitely awake,” Frenchie added, “I heard them talking when I walked by.” 

“Could you hear what they were saying?” The Swede asked. 

“Tried not to,” Frenchie said, “What if they were… dirty talking?” 

“I’m sure the cap’ns are both generous, attentive lovers,” Buttons said, and the rest of the crew groaned. 

“Was that necessary?” Jim asked him. 

“Most of us don’t want to know anything about what kind of lovers they are,” Lucius said. 

“Most?” Pete asked. 

“Not me!” Lucius protested, “But I’m sure Izzy is very curious.”

“I mean, the Spewer’s got to think about it,” Wee John agreed, “But aren’t you curious about Stede?” 

“Oh, god no,” Lucius said. 

“Not like we’re interested, ” Frenchie said, “But what does he do? Do you think he plays fill in the blank?” 

“Yum, yum, yum, I’ll drink your…” Jim trailed off and let the rest of the crew decipher the rhyme. 

“I think Ed does the drinking,” Lucius smirked. 

“There’s no way Blackbeard is a bottom,” Pete said. 

“Oh he definitely is,” Jim agreed with Lucius. 

“Why are you still engaged in this conversation?” Oluwande asked them. 

“And in my workspace!” Roach complained. 

“Why do you ask?” Jim chuckled, “Does it make you… uncomfortable?” 

“Yes, actually, it makes me very uncomfortable!” Oluwande said in a higher than usual voice. 

“Well, I have so many theories. I wrote them all down in Stede’s journal, just to see if he ever actually reads what I write,” Lucius admitted. 

Pete, who was taking a sip of water, nearly spit it out. “Ed reads Stede’s journal,” he said, quiet enough to be a whisper.

“What was that?” Lucius asked. 

“Ed,” Pete said, his voice steadier, “reads Stede’s journal.” 

Lucius paled. “He’s going to stab me in the face, babe!” 

“Or he’ll laugh,” Jim suggested, “He kinda goes either way.” 

Lucius groaned, and Pete decided then was a great time to start assembling their picnic for the afternoon. 

“This is pretty,” Pete said as they ate, sitting on the hill Lucius had found. Lucius beamed. 

“You’re pretty,” he smiled. 

“Don’t you mean dashing? Or handsome?” 

“I do,” Lucius said, leaning against Pete’s side, “but also pretty. You have pretty eyes.” 

“ You have pretty eyes!” 

Lucius giggled. “Jim was right, we are disgusting!” 

“It’s been two whole years, I think we’ve earned disgusting.”

“You are absolutely right.” Lucius, who usually couldn’t stop talking, hadn’t said much since they rowed to shore. 

“You okay, babe?” 

“I’m just thinking. Remember when we were going to kill Stede?” 

“Course I do, it was my idea,” Pete said, “What’s that got to do with anything?” 

“I’m just glad we didn’t. We wouldn’t be here if we did.” 

“We’d definitely be dead,” Pete agreed. 

“No, not like that. Well… yes, like that, but also I didn’t like you at first.” 

“Hey!” Pete protested. This was supposed to be their anniversary. 

“Did you like me when we first met?” Lucius tilted his head to the side. 

“I thought you were hot,” Pete said. 

“That’s not what I asked, babe.”

“You were kind of annoying. You were lazy and smart and scared all the time.” 

“Why is smart in there like an insult?” 

“You asked!” Pete complained. 

“You’re right, you’re right, I’ll shut up.” 

“You weren’t really a pirate. And I was such a pirate.” 

“You were kind of an asshole,” Lucius said, “But we changed.”

“You’re still lazy!” Pete poked, “And smart. And scared most of the time.” 

“And you’re still a pirate, and kind of an asshole,” Lucius smiled and Pete knew that the words didn’t carry the same meaning they used to. “I don’t know if I would have changed without Stede.”

“Yeah?” Pete contemplated, “I think I know what you mean. Did you like me the first time?” 

“I didn’t want to,” Lucius said. 

“Babe,” Pete gave Lucius his most judgemental look, “that’s not what I asked.” 

“I really did!” Lucius admitted, “I so didn’t want to because I didn’t like anyone I fucked. I had my fun and moved on!” 

Pete looked at Lucius for a long moment, then pulled him into a hug. “I’m glad you didn’t move on.” 

“Speaking of commitments and not having fun,” Lucius said when they pulled apart and could look at each other again, “I have something for you.” 

“Not your most exciting introduction.” 

“Well, it’s something different.” He took the drawing out of his bag and the green immediately caught Pete’s eye. 

Lucius usually drew them together . He drew tangles of limbs and made it difficult to tell them apart. This was different. He drew them. Together. Pete wasn’t begging like he often was in Lucius’s art, but he wasn’t overconfident or dramatically masculine like he often was with his other friends. He looked sure of himself. He could feel the gentle pressure of Lucius’s hand against his face through the page. Even though green was the only color on the page, filling in some of the leaves in the border and background, but it felt like they were here, on this hill, surrounded by all the beauty of the world. 

“So? Do you…” Lucius trailed off. 

“It’s perfect. I love it. I love you!” Pete set the drawing down carefully before squeezing Lucius tight to him. 

“How was your week?” Pete asked and Lucius laughed. 

“You were here, weren’t you?” 

“Not for all of it!” 

“Fine! I guess I’ll share my entire life with you because I love you or something.” 

And so they talked. They laughed at Stede’s games and the Swede being incredible at skipping stones. They planned to ride horses again, if they ever got the chance. Lucius promised he’d show Pete how to ride side saddle if Pete could convince John to sew them dresses. They told each other about every time they had seen Polly on the ship, and how she already felt like part of the family. They talked about drinking and wandering around town, the time they spent with the rest of the crew, and the time they had spent together. 

Lucius had always been told he talked too much. Until he met Stede, he really thought he talked more than anyone he had ever met. Even though he didn’t, he wasn’t always a good listener. But Pete made him want to be one. He could hang on to every word Pete said. 

“Hey, you didn’t tell me about the reading!” Lucius realized. 

“What reading?” Pete said, a little too quickly, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

“When we gave up on Polly and I was showing you cursive, you could spell and you were so confident! I know there’s a story there!” 

Pete took a deep breath, then took a piece of paper out of his pocket. 

“This is your present. Stede helped me. And Ed, a little. I’ve been practicing.” Another deep breath. 

“There is a lot
I don’t know about you
Though there’s a lot
you don’t know about me

I don’t know your childhood
and you don’t know mine
I would tell you
if you asked

I don’t know if I want you to ask. 

You said this was fun
This really was fun
I’ve had a lot of fun
All kinds, really
This is fun

But not like that. 

I’m used to fun
but not your fun
I’m used to men
but not the way you look at me
I’m used to sex
but not everything that comes after

I’m used to wanting
Needing, even
Needing dicks and hands and mouths
Needing passion, needing lust

I’m not used to wanting more

I’m not used to needing you” 

Lucius let his mouth sit open. Maybe Pete had stumbled once or twice, but Lucius didn’t notice. He knew those words. He remembered writing them while rubbing his thumb back and forth across a wooden finger. 

“Where did you find that?” he asked. He didn’t want it to sound accusatory, he just desperately wanted to know. 

“Ed found it, apparently he reads Stede’s journal to make fun of how embarrassing his crush was.” 

“It was super embarrassing,” Lucius agreed. 

“I wanted to read you a love poem, and Stede found all this Shakespeare stuff, but it didn’t make any sense and I was shit at it. But Ed found that one and it sounded like how I felt about you, in the very beginning. You made me so nervous.” 

“Dread Black Pete,” Lucius laid his head on Pete’s lap so Pete could play with his hair, “you terrified me.” 

 They stayed like that for a long time before Lucius realized he hadn’t actually said anything. “That was the best present anyone ever gave me,” he said, looking up into Pete’s eyes, “It really is perfect.” When Pete didn’t say anything Lucius added, “And you have to read me smut now, I literally need it.” 

Pete laughed. “I can try!” 

“Do you wish we did something bigger? It has been two years.” 

“I can’t imagine anything better than just being with you,” Pete said. 

“There’s nothing better than just being with you.”