Work Text:
Zheng knew she was powerful, she conquered China for fucks sake, how many people could say that. She has a loyal crew and a fierce confidante in Auntie. She even has a whole fleet of ships and the respect of many. Yet she still felt like she was missing something, that she didn’t truly belong anywhere.
She’d been working at the soup stand for a few weeks, watching the comings and goings of the Republic of pirates. She’d seen and heard a lot of things, gained a lot of interesting intel, but she’d also observed a lot of relationships. Couples holding hands as they browsed the wares on offer at the various market stalls, groups of tipsy pirates laughing and joking together.
That’s when Zheng finally had a name for that emotion she’d been feeling deep down to her soul - loneliness. Sometimes it’s harder to identify loneliness when you’re not, well, alone, when you’re surrounded by crew that respect you, and she has Auntie or course, but that’s what it was, loneliness. She was missing that connection, something she’s never had with previous partners, and if she was brave enough to admit it, something she was scared she’d never have.
Then one day, Olu had showed up at her soup stand with someone she had quickly identified as Stede Bonnet, the Gentleman Pirate. Normally she would’ve just flirted a bit to get some intel on his captain, but with Olu it was different, he was genuinely interesting to talk to.
Every day he would come back for a comforting bowl of soup, and he’d ask how she was, no one ever asked how she was. They’d talk for what felt like hours, she’d listened as Olu told her how his captain had fallen in love with the infamous Blackbeard, and how that had somehow led to first mate Israel Hands marooning them on an island. She told him things back, not the big things, even with Olu she couldn’t risk him knowing who she really was, but she could see herself telling him in the near future.
She’d thought about telling him, maybe even inviting him to join her crew. They’d sail the seas together, fighting side by side before retiring to her cabin for a nightcap. She could see it well, Olu on her ship, maybe even in her bed.
One day Olu invited her on a date, she didn’t even have to think about her answer. They went to a bar, he bought them both drinks and they spent the whole night at a table in the corner talking away. He told her about Jim, he’d mentioned them before but this was the most he’d ever said about them. She hoped that maybe one day he’d care about her like that. He was everything, attentive, kind, and that night she learnt he was also a great kisser.
Zheng took him back to her room, it was everything she had thought it would be and more. It was heated and filled with a yearning from both sides. She felt truly known for the first time and whilst that was scary it was also truly beautiful.
The next day, Zheng was working at the soup stand, telling Auntie about the date whilst omitting some of the details of course. It was at that moment that she realised she didn’t feel quite as lonely anymore. She didn’t know what the future held, but she knew one thing, that whatever she did next it didn’t have to be in loneliness.