Work Text:
After having to work on this particularly perilous day you where exhausted and decided to head straight to the Avery for a drink. But then there was your other problem... Well, it wasn't that much of a problem, you weren't sure what to think of it. As you walked closer to the tavern you recalled a night a week earlier.
Your pirate friends had just returned to the island the same day after a successful haul and the festivities began immediately as they got their drinks. You sat there drinking with them, laughing at how Anne had turned down some drunk chap. Everyone was there; Kenway, Thatch, Hornigold, Vane, Kidd... Even Anne, who had waltzed over to Rackhams lap. Of course the same bloke had to try his luck with any member of his desired gender nearby, who happened to be you. You were all well on your way to getting properly boozed up and had you slipped up and given away more information than you would have preferred.
"Wrong gender for the night, mate.", you slurred, and even greater amounts of laughter erupted.
This was clearly a moment of revelation for your mates and Edward elbowed you softly in your side with a smile.
"That's it, you tell him, lass." Thatch roared between laughter.
"Funny, I would not believe you the type.", Rackham said. "You hear that, Annie?" He looked back at the girl and she rolled her eyes and smiled at you.
"Either way,", Hornigold looked back at you from Rackham. "If I'd only known that earlier...", he said merrily.
You groaned at that. There were better jokes to be made that weren't on your expense, not about this.
Thatch, seemingly not to drunk to miss your discontent, added, "There ain't no wrong with it though." And Hornigold happily agreed.
This was how it all started. The teasing wasn't something new, they teased you and everyone else all the time. But you wondered why, why must it be this they chose to joke about and why now. You hadn't personally come to terms with this part of yourself and you had only talked about it with the few girls you'd been with.
This was why you on this day after work didn't have the energy to put up with it, you just wanted a nice bottle of ale and to be alone.
This was where your problem laid, all the mates were still in town and would be sitting in the tavern as you entered the area. They looked to be either too engaged in their merrymaking or too deep into conversation to notice you slip buy. So you took your chance and snook by them up the stairs and slithered over to the bar to get yourself an ale. That went well. You then slunk back the way you came to look for a place to sit down and just relax after the long day.
Just as your foot stepped on the first bit of stairs your friend Edwards eyes spotted your form. His eyes narrowed in concern as he wondered why you were avoiding them, and before he could get up to follow you, the man next to him, Charles Vane, got up from his seat to follow you and gave him a look that said 'I've got this'.
Spotting a haycart in front of a palm tree you decided this would be your seat for the evening. You sat there and sulked, wondering why they didn't make those damn cups bigger. Just as you finished your drink you heard footsteps from your side and you spotted Charles Vane approaching you with two cups in his hands. You sighed and turned your head away as soon as your eyes met his form, you didn't want to be caught brooding.
He sat down beside you silently and held out one of the cups to you and without making eye contact you accepted the offer, motioning with his own cup to yours as a silent cheers. Before taking your first swig you discovered, to your own delight, that rum was the drink he had chosen for the two of you.
You sat there in silence for a while and you focused your eyes on the drink in your hand when he spoke up. "I've been with men, you know?", he said slowly and looked at his drink.
Your eyes shot up and landed on him at that.
"They don't know", he motioned with his head up at his patrons in the lively tavern where the musicians had busted out their jolliest music and looked back at you.
"Plenty of sailors dally with eachother and they all know it.", he continued after a few seconds.
"They mean well, really.", he assured you with a half drunk smile.
Your eyes snapped back down to the ground, fearful about where he was going with this but still a little bit intrigued.
"You know how we all are, teasing anyone about anything." His voice was matching your despondent mood.
"Thatch said it himself, he doesn't mind.", he went on. "I wouldn't call bloody Hornigold disappointed, but he won't harass you."
You snorted sarcastically at that.
"Kenway is just damned oblivious. And Rackham...", the corner of his lips twitched. "Rackham likes it deep in his arse.", he said at finished up his drink. "You don't need to sit here and hide, is all I'm saying..." He smiled a half arsed smile, now drunker than before.
He stood up and offered you a hand to help you up as well and said, "Let's go... I'm sure Kenway is up to dancing by now."
That made you laugh - you'd both been witnesses to his attempts before.
You both walked back to the tavern, which merrymaking had just taken a turn. Edward stumbled drunkenly over to you instantly and fell into your arms and hung over your shoulders in a hug.
"Y/N!", he exclaimed and you huffed at his weight. Still hanging over you he said quietly, "You feeling better then?"
"A bit..."
Edward turned around quickly and held his hand behind your back. "Look who I found, lads!" A hoard of greetings and cheers erupted from the table with your mates.
"Isn't it the lass herself, been off with a girl have you?", Hornigold slurred as Edward led you over to the table.
"That's more than what could be said about you.", you answered mischievously as you sat down next to Edward and laughter broke out.
Hornigold snickered and shook his head in defeat.
As Vane sat down on your other side with a new cup and Thatch asked him, "And where have you been?"
"Piss.", he muttered into the cup.
And maybe you were too drunk but you felt better about yourself. You heard the cheerful music and you turned to Edward with a smile.