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Chapter Text

Once upon a time in the Caribbean, a Pirate Captain sailed the seas with his loyal First Mate at his side. Although they had wealth and infamy, the Captain longed for more than piracy had to offer, and the First Mate had grown hard and unkind….

~*~

Is this really all there is? Edward Teach, thought as he stood at the rail of the quarter-deck, watching as Izzy gleefully ordered the crew around. 

This had been the dream, once. A ship of their own with a band of cutthroats skilled and bloodthirsty enough to rule the Caribbean. To have more wealth than they could spend in a lifetime, to be beholden to no one but each other. 

But as the years passed, the shine had begun to lose its luster. The monotony was beginning to wear Ed down, and Izzy seemed to be growing increasingly annoyed by Ed’s attempts at whimsy.

“ I don’t fucking know, the man’s half-mad,” he’d heard Izzy tell Fang once when he was relaying a plan that involved carefully lit fires and one controlled explosion. It had worked nearly flawlessly, but Izzy refused to do it a second time and became increasingly critical of Ed’s plans afterward.

“Captain!” 

Ed turned to Ivan, who perched at the rail, spyglass in his hands.

“S’ a good lookin’ ship over there,” He said when he realized he had Ed’s attention, pointing at the horizon.

Sure enough, there was a ship just on the horizon that looked fairly sizable even without a spyglass in hand. He glanced at the sky, noting the clouds were thin and whispy to the west. Not only would the ship possibly promise a decent haul, but it would put their backs to a possible developing storm.

“Fang, set course,” Ed ordered, a thrum of excitement attempting to form behind his rib cage.

“Ed,” Izzy said with no small amount of irritation as he started to make his way up to the quarter-deck.

Ed moved further away from where Fang manned the helm, giving them a semblance of privacy as the crew started to ready the ship for the turn.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Izzy demanded, annoyance heavy in his voice.

“I think I’m putting us on course for what might be a great raid.”

“We don’t need to raid that ship. We have a hold full of goods we need to sell off.”

“But what if I want to, hm? What if I want to change course, seek that ship out, see what shit they’ve got?”

“Because it’s fucking pointless, and will delay us getting to where we can get a good fence. And you know damn fucking well the Navy is looming out there. If we’re too slow that might actually fucking catch us, and we might fucking die.”

For a moment, Ed let himself imagine it, but immediately shook the thought off. Listless and pining for something different he might be, he had yet to truly develop a death with.

“It’s Captain’s orders,” Ed said, low and dark, shooting a glare Izzy’s way. 

Izzy smirked ever so slightly but managed to school his face into something indifferent.

“Yes, Captain,” And with that, he went off to bark orders to the crew.

~I~

Things went well, as far as raids went. 

The ship had been a larger than normal merchant ship. Really, it was like someone had been planning a leisure vessel only to realize they needed to be practical and changed plans half way through the build. More cabins than strictly necessary, enough that the crew of the Queen Anne wouldn’t just be comfortable but probably even consider it all a luxury. There was a decent size hold, a spot that looked like it was intended to be a brig and a decent galley with ample storage. 

There was a decent number of guns, too. It might have even been something of a deterrent had the crew not immediately started running up the white flag as they approached. A fight they could have sunk their teeth into had they not been a spineless bunch of nothing sailors who weren’t used to actually fighting off a threat.

Izzy was antsy from not getting to slice someone open. Worse yet, he was worried what not drawing blood would do to Ed. 

Izzy needed Blackbeard. He needed to have a terrifying, bloodthirsty Captain because standing at the side of anyone else felt impossible. Sometimes he thought he heard Ed musing to himself about packing it all in, but never a specific of what that involved. Izzy didn’t care whether that was a shuffle off the mortal coil kind of packing it in , or leaving to live in a hut on some beach on a remote island. Neither was an option in his book. Not only because of his deep affection for Edward, but because what was Izzy Hands without Blackbeard? 

Standing on the deck of this ridiculous ship, Izzy felt the heavy stare of someone’s gaze boring into him.

“What the fuck are you looking at ?” Izzy growled out as he turned toward the man who stood in the middle of the deck, the crew of the Queen Anne moving around him as if it was perfectly normal for someone on the ship they just raided to not be tied up.

The man, who had a seagull perched on the bald part of his head, somehow looked down his nose at Izzy despite being far enough away to have to tilt his head back to do it. The gull barely ruffled a feather. He was strangely well-dressed for a pirate. His clothes appeared to fit him despite being worn - likely from years at sea. And he was a pirate, Izzy could spot the difference between one and a regular sailor any day. He wouldn’t be able to name it, exactly, but there was a look in the eye, a way a person held themselves that gave the distinction away. 

But there was something eerie about this one that made Izzy believe he might have been wrong about his assessment. Not a normal sailor, no, but this man was something more . 

“Ye’ll be wantin’ to avoid the hourglass,” The man said in a thick, Scottish brogue. “’Tis cursed.”

“Is it now?” Izzy asked.

“Aye,” The man replied. 

“And why do you think that, hm? Your Captain tell you that?”

“Nae. T’was me who put it there. Captain is a right fucker, didnae respect the sea or those who sail her. Should like to see him with the darkest bits o’ his soul showing on the outside.”

Izzy arched a brow.

“How dark can his soul be? He’s just a fucking merchant.”

“Doesn’t mean much, Mr. Hands. We all got ourselves some dark in us. Some are just darker than others.”

Izzy huffed and shook his head, turning away from the man as one of the crew was passing him practically empty-handed.

“Why the fuck is that one not tied up?” He demanded.

The pirate glanced where Izzy was pointing then looked back in confusion.

“Who, sir?”

“Who the fuck do you think? That twat with the seagull-“ 

Izzy cut himself off when he turned back toward the man in question and found the space empty. He glanced up, thinking the gull at least could not have gotten far, but found no birds at all anywhere overhead.

A chill ran down his spine, but instead of allowing himself a reaction, he turned back to the member of his crew and grabbed his ponytail.

“Why the fuck are you empty-handed? Grab something before you head back over.” 

He gave the man a final, harsh tug before letting go and taking off to find Edward.

~E~

Ed didn’t know what had happened. 

One moment, he was checking out all the cool shit in the Captain’s Cabin. Izzy had come in at some point, blathering on about a crazy bird guy and how there had to be a plan for the crew of the ship they’d just raided. Did Ed want to burn this fancy ship with or without the crew still aboard? No one should join, that was Izzy’s take. It was always Izzy’s take these days unless someone on their own crew died. 

The next thing he knew he was in the worst pain of his life. He’d been shot and stabbed more times than he could properly keep track of, but this time it was like every bone in his body was breaking all at once. His skin was starting to feel too tight, and it was like every lock of hair on his head and beard was coming to life. His eyes hurt. His teeth felt strange. His nose felt like it was smashed in, and his spine felt wrong. 

Everything felt wrong.

When it finally started to pass, Ed looked over at Izzy only to see his First Mate look at him in horror.

“What?” He asked, finding his voice didn’t sound right even to his own ears. When Izzy continued to just stare, Ed straightened up and turned to where he remembered there’d been a mirror.

What he saw….

“Ye were not to touch the hourglass,” a man said solemnly from the doorway of the cabin.

Ed turned toward him, glad to not be staring at the mirror anymore because what he’d seen reflected surely couldn’t have been… he didn’t look….

“What the fuck happened?” Ed asked him, because clearly this guy with the seagull on his shoulder had a clue what was happening.

“E’ery dark bit o’ your soul is now there for the world to see.”

Ed ducked his head a moment, trying to quiet his racing thoughts so he could think.

“How do I fix it? Touch the hourglass again?”

“Nae,” the man replied. “Not somethin’ that can be fixed. Just broken.”

“Broken? I’m cursed.”

“Fuck off,” Izzy said. 

Ed peeked at him to see Izzy visibly shake off whatever he was going through to bring himself up to his full height and glare at the bird guy. 

“Curses aren’t real.”

“Feels pretty fucking real to me. In fact, why don’t you go touch the fucking hourglass and tell me how fucking not real it is,” Ed growled, the sky beyond the windows growing darker with each word.

“Was only meant to curse one,” Bird Guy said apologetically.

“How do I break it?” Ed asked him almost desperately.

Bird Guy gave a sad frown.

“Ye need to find someone who’ll love every bit o’ ye.”

Ed took in a sharp breath and glanced Izzy’s way.

They’d loved one another like that once. Still probably did. But Bird Guy said “every bit,” and Izzy was pretty fucking freaked out so getting him to fall back in love with Ed while he looked like some sea creature abomination wasn’t going to happen.

“And ye need to learn to love every bit o’ someone else in return.”

“Sounds too easy, which means there’s a catch,” Izzy grumbled. “So what is it?”

Bird Guy gestured to the desk with a tilt of his head, and Ed knew he was indicating the hourglass.

It was a really cool piece. There were three posts surrounding the glass bulbs, each one made of a different design: a mermaid, an octopus, and (oddly) a unicorn. There was no sand inside the bulbs, only water which is probably what Ed thought was cool about it. Impractical, because the water should just flow from one side to the other and would be useless for properly tracking time.

Except the hourglass was now on the desk with the water in the top bulb and not a drop in the bottom.

“Ye have until the sea changes tide,” Bird Guy said. “After that, there’s no going back to the way ye were before.”

Ed swallowed the quickly forming lump in his throat and closed his eyes.

So he was fucked, then. Love was always an elusive thing, known fleetingly in his life. The love of his mother probably died the day he killed his father, and the love Izzy once had for him withered somewhere along the way. And if he did manage to make his First Mate love him even like this, would it be “every bit” of him? 

Ed had to admit, it was pretty fucking solid, wasn’t it? Took someone special to be able to look past the darkest parts of your soul. Hell, technically they had to embrace those parts, too, for the curse to end. And not just embrace every bit but to love it, too? Absolutely diabolical, really.

After all, who could ever learn to love a fucking beast?

Chapter Text

Bridgetown was littered with odd people. There was Evelyn Higgins who had a pet jaguar, one eye, and a husband who died quite suddenly one day. There was the painter Mary Jones, and her husband Doug of the same profession, who took to creating art that was a bit unusual but still quite lovely. Not to mention Jeffrey Fettering who was considered a bit eccentric as he still rode his horse around town despite said horse constantly having digestive issues.

But no one, absolutely no one, was odder than Stede Bonnet.

He was considered one of the most eligible bachelors of Barbados, sometimes even the Caribbean. He came from wealth. New wealth, yes, but wealth nonetheless and enough to cement the Bonnet family among the upper crust for generations to come so long as no one gambled it away. He was handsome, the sort of gentlemen other gentlemen wanted to look like. Blonde, naturally curled hair, broad-shouldered, strong jaw, and face that was at once masculine and elegant. If those and if the good looks and wealth were not enough, he was well mannered and treated everyone he encountered with kindness, which meant he’d have made a fine young woman with acreage a prized husband to be envied.

But Stede seemed disinclined to marry anyone at all.

For Mary’s benefit, it’s not the gossip it once was, but nearly ten years ago, she had been set to marry Stede. No one knows precisely what happened as the Bonnets and Alambys had seemed in a rush to get the whole thing done and didn’t have a lavish wedding. The general consensus was that the wedding didn’t go on because of Mary, but whether that was because she had run off with her painting instructor the night before the ceremony or that Stede caught them mid-tryst was up for debate. But a few servants from the Bonnet estate swear on anything they thought would matter that Stede put both Mary and Doug into a carriage with his blessing and wished them the best elopement possible, not tryst discovered.

One would think that with Mary no longer in the way, the parents of unwed daughters across Barbados would be vying for a match. For a time, they had. But for one reason or another these matches never went through, the daughters always coming out the happier, and Stede remaining unattached.

Had this been Stede’s way of refusing to be tied down and forced to limit his manly pursuits, the men in the village might have respected him. But no, Stede abhorred hunting and fishing, would never gamble, and a single puff on a cigar would have him in a coughing fit. 

No, as it turned out, Stede liked books. Actually, Stede loved books. They were filled with adventures and romance, things he didn’t believe he would ever get the chance to have. Best of all, any blood on the pages wasn’t tangible. Stede didn’t have to really see it or smell it, and so he could stomach the violence caused by pirates and knights where hunting had him constantly feeling nauseated and faint.

So, while the men envied him to some extent, they certainly didn’t understand him. And while the women respected him, they certainly didn’t want to be around him.

To sum it up, Stede was strange. No question.

~*~

“Good morning!” Stede greeted the crowd of local widows as he passed them on the streets of Bridgetown.

They gave a polite greeting back, some even giving him a courtesy grin, but that was the extent of the interaction. Well, Evelyn sort of glared at him, though Stede couldn’t be certain she wasn’t just squinting in his general direction as the sun was bright and just high enough in the sky to be a bother.

Still, their lackluster response didn’t cause his smile to wane. He’d perfected the art of faking such an expression nearly two decades ago as a young lad fresh out of boarding school. It was one of his tricks to surviving among the upper crust and served him from getting too much ridicule in the streets of Bridgetown.

But this morning, he hadn’t had to fake the smile. He’d received a note from his father at breakfast to say he’d taken off on a merchant ship the day before and wouldn’t likely return for a few weeks. The letter had been terse, with something that could be considered a compliment by most people’s standards pertaining to how he knew Stede would be able to run the household without issue in his absence.

If Stede splashed tea over the part of the note that said it was a skill better suited to a wife, it was entirely by accident.

Still, it wasn’t just his father’s absence from the estate that put a skip in Stede’s step, it was also that the bookshop had received the order he placed months ago. When he’d read the description in the catalog, he knew right away it was pretty much the book he’d been dying to get his hands on most of his life.

“Hey, Stede,” Mary greeted him brightly, falling into step with him as he wound his way down the road toward his destination.

“Good morning, Mary! How’s Doug and the kids?”

“They’re great,” She replied cheerfully. She glanced him over before asking, “Where are you going this morning that’s got you so chipper?”

“The bookshop!” He excitedly replied. “I’ll finally get my hands on the Pirate and the Prince! I can’t wait! A dashing rogue, an aristocrat, sword fights and moments under the moonlight. Romance and adventure on the open ocean.”

“Ugh, I hate the ocean,” Mary replied absently, more like it was an automatic reply than anything. Her eyes were more than a little glazed over before she shook it off and grinned. “Well, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. I’ve got to run. Doug’s setting up our easels, and we need to get to it before the sun moves too much.”

Before Stede could say another thing, Mary was turning down another road, cheerfully greeting someone else that Stede couldn’t see but knew for certainty wasn’t Doug. He shrugged it off and continued on his way, slightly subdued but no less happy.

He strolled nearer to the docks, the ships looming large with flags flapping proudly in the wind. Stede paused to look at them as he often did, sighing to himself while he pined. 

Once, he’d designed a ship that he thought would make for a fantastic vessel ripe with adventure. It was a bit outlandish, he had to admit, fitted as it was with secret passages instead of containing a normal brig or orlop. He was never sure exactly what happened with those plans after his father scoffed at them, but they simply disappeared one day, and Stede took that for the sort of message his father liked to send. He was going to stay firmly on land.

“She calls to those who are worthy of sailing her waters,” A thick brogue said near Stede. 

He turned with only a mild startle, then grinned.

“Hello, Mr. Buttons. How are you today?”

“Well, I thank ye. My mistress and I will no longer be parted.”

“Oh?”

“Aye, she calls me back to her. There be a shift in the tides approaching.”

Buttons made a strange lapping sound, his tongue flicking in the air in the direction. 

“Do ye taste it?”

“Um,” Stede pursed his lips and looked at the nearly cloudless sky. “I… well, I can’t say for sure.”

Buttons turned and looked Stede dead in the eye, bore his gaze into him as if he was seeing into his soul.

“To love the sea as she must be loved requires change.”

Stede blinked.

“I think… that is probably accurate for a lot of things,” Stede diplomatically agreed with a sharp nod.

Buttons nodded slowly.

“Aye, it is. Ye should keep that in mind.”

With that, Buttons turned away from Stede and headed down the pier. 

Strange fellow, that Mr. Buttons. He’d come into town a few months ago, appearing to belong to no crew and certainly not seeming to make himself a part of the town. He was always dressed in shabby clothes, worn from work or life on a ship. Most people seemed to steer clear of him, ignoring him as well. Stede, though, couldn’t help himself and struck up a conversation with the fellow. He wouldn’t call him a friend, but he was at least a decent acquaintance.

With a shake of his head, Stede continued on toward his intended destination.

The bookshop greeted him as it always had, with the chime of the bell over the door and the heady aroma of new tomes. Stede breathed deep a moment before fully entering the shop, letting the door close behind him. 

The shop was small as most people in Bridgetown felt reading wasn’t something one should spend any real time doing. It was a bit on thee darker side, too, with the wood finish hardly lending itself to brightening the space. Shelves lined two of the walls laden with books of all thicknesses, the large windows and entryway on one, and the counter for the clerk on the last.

“Ugh, finally,” Lucius said by way of greeting. 

“Finally? You’ve barely been open a half an hour,” Stede mused as he approached the counter where the boy stood with his arms crossed and his hips jutted.

“Right, but you’ve been grumbling about this book for an age, and I half expected you to be here before closing last night.”

“I was a bit preoccupied,” Stede replied, refusing to look Lucius in the eye because he knew Lucius would be able to figure out exactly what had him preoccupied.

It was a book, of course, paired with a nice brandy and a warm bath. 

Lucius sighed before he turned to the cubby behind him where he stored the book orders. There weren’t many; there never were, but it was always nice to see more than just Stede’s order waiting to be loved.

“My offer still stands. I realize I’m a lot younger than you are, and of a slightly different standing, but if you want to get a drink-“

“Lucius,” Stede sighed, catching himself fidgeting and forcefully putting his hands at his side. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to. But as of now, Lucius at least was willing to make conversation with him, their interactions limited to when Stede inevitably came to buy a new book. More time than that, and he would likely grow unwilling to chat with Stede when he came to purchase, probably even lead to brush-offs. He couldn’t bear that.

“How’s Pete?” Stede changed the subject as he glanced around the shop.

“I don’t know,” Lucius replied almost casually.

“Oh?”

“Well, I haven’t heard from him in a couple of months. He went to see with some old ship mates of his, one promised they’d write letters to me from him - without all the naughty bits. And I did get one letter but then nothing since.” Lucius turned around with a thoughtful frown, setting Stede’s book on the counter. “I suppose they not have had a chance to post anything. I mean, I should probably be more worried since I hadn’t heard from Fang in, like, almost a year?”

“Who’s Fang?” Stede asked as he took the book with both hands.

“Oh, he’s our lover,” Lucius replied flapping his hand and rolling his eyes like he and Pete having a lover wasn’t both new information to Stede as well as a little unusual. 

“And you’re not concerned?”

“Not really,” Lucius replied with a shrug. “I mean, not about Fang. He won’t say who he sails with, but he’s got this sorta leather daddy vibe that makes me think he might be a pirate.”

Stede perked up almost in the same moment that Lucius’s eyes went wide in horror.

“Really?” Stede asked, beating Lucius in getting a word in. “Gosh, that’s exciting. A pirate. Daring swordfights, heroic battles! Gosh, I’d love to be a pirate.”

“Really?” Lucius asked, face scrunching up. 

“Yeah,” Stede said dreamily as he started to daydream about standing at the bow of a ship, a sword on his belt and a spyglass in hand aimed at the horizon. “Adventure in the great, wide…”

“Somewhere?” Lucius offered after a beat.

“Something like that,” Stede replied before sighing softly and looking down at the book in his hands. “Might have to wait for my father to kick it. For now, though, I’ll settle for this.”

“Well, enjoy,” Lucius replied. “And think about that drink, will you?”

Stede might have said something, or he might have just made a noise. Either way, he found himself out of the shop and in the streets, making his way by memory to the tavern where he could sit and read for a bit before heading the rest of the way home. 

He ordered a pint, managed to find one of the best seats in the establishment, and got lost in the tales of the pirate captain who stalked a ship for days only to finally capture it at the end of chapter three. Then the pirate found out it was indeed the ship of the titular prince who was nearly killed by the Spanish, the pirate having come in the nick of time to save the prince from his terrible fate.

Had he not been so gripped, Stede might have paid better attention to his surroundings. Which, if he had, he might have snuck out the side door of the tavern before he was noticed. Unfortunately for him, sneaking out wasn’t an option.

“Well, if it isn’t Stede Bonnet,” Prince Richard Banes announced his presence and pulled Stede from his reading. He sat himself across from Stede, setting his pint on the table as he made himself comfortable.

“Ricky,” Stede replied politely, though he knew the smile he tried to muster was more than a little lackluster. 

“I was just saying to the Badmintons, ‘I wonder if Stede happens to be about today,” Ricky replied with a smile. “Of course, they’d mumbled some rather unflattering things. But I reminded them that they were in the presence of royalty, and whoever I deem worthy of attention is clearly worth respect and deference.”

Stede gave a tight-lipped smile, glancing beyond Ricky to see the twins watching them with unmasked disdain. They were also making absolutely ridiculous faces, acting like they were still school boys instead of a pair of grown men whose father paid for them to be highly decorated naval officers. 

“So what are we reading this week, hm?” Ricky asked, pulling Stede’s attention back to him. Ricky glanced at the book in Stede’s hand, turning his head to read the title. To Stede’s disappointment, Ricky’s eyes lit up. “Oh! I do love a good pirate’s tale! And with a prince, as well.”

“It’s proving to be an interesting read. I’d been waiting for months for this particular book. Thought I would enjoy it with a pint. Though, now I’m beginning to think it might have been better suited to a cup of tea.”

“It must be a romance, then. I always found a romance went much better with tea than ale. Though if alcohol in involved, perhaps an exceptional brandy. So, is it? Do the prince and the pirate fall in love?”

“Well, seeing as how I only just started chapter four, I haven’t the slightest,” Stede lied. It had been in the damn description, but maybe Ricky would lose interest and leave.

“It’s quite wonderful how things have changed in the last few years. I quite think that King George’s drunken declarations that two men could marry was a bit of a win for him. Imagine how many more riots there might have been?”

“Yes, quite,” Stede replied, taking a sip of his ale. “Except the law also states that it’s only so long as neither man is expected to inherit or expect to have heirs to inherit. Basically, it was to minimize the number of clergy men that was popping up. Something about too many men in the church.”

“Still, it does allow for some of us to be more open about things without the persecution. Which, might I remind you-“

“Rick,” Stede cut in pointedly, setting his pint down on the table and closing his book with a thunk. “You might be in a position to take up the changed law, but I’m not. I am to inherit. And I am expected to have heirs.”

“Are you, though? To inherit, I mean? It’s just that when I was down by the water the other day, I overheard your father mention an illegitimate son.”

“Yes,” Stede nodded once. “Illegitimate. So it still falls to me.”

“Unless he wills it otherwise. You could contest it, of course. But why settle for a marriage of convenience with a lover on the side when you could marry me and not even bother with a lady at all?”

“I can think of a lot of reasons,” Stede replied immediately. “Children, for one. I think I might want to be a father. Maybe. Possibly. And perhaps I might find a companion who enjoys a fine fabric as much as I do. Not to mention that while my brother could be made to inherit, it’s unlikely he would be willing to leave Florida for Barbados to have the pleasure of doing so. I understand he made quite the life for himself there. Now, I’m sorry to step out on you so soon, but you reminded me that I’m meant to be tending the household. Which, as you might have guessed, I can’t do from here.”

Without another word, and going as quickly as he could to avert a protest from Ricky, Stede vacated his chair and scooted out of the tavern, managing to avoid being spotted by the Badminton twins along the way. 

He walked as quickly as his heeled shoes would let him, glancing over his shoulder every ten or twenty steps to make sure Ricky and his men weren’t following. As soon as Stede was around the bend and hidden by trees, he allowed the shudder he’d been subconsciously suppressing to zip through him. 

“I would rather marry a woman and deal with all of that than marry him,” He mumbled to himself. “Though perhaps if father is seeking out Fred, then maybe I could have an adventure of my own?”

Stede slowed to a pause as he passed the gates of the estate, stopping to look at the large home that he’d lived in all his life. Where he was told by his father he was never enough. A weak-hearted, soft-handed, lily-livered rich boy, that’s what he was called. His mother was a bit kinder to him, though not as affectionate as Stede would have liked. 

A part of him wanted a do-over, to raise a child while being the sort of parent he had wanted. It was the plan, wasn’t it? He had to settle eventually. Somewhere on the island was a woman of tolerable parentage with perhaps something to offer the Bonnet name. She would be kind, and while he knew he would never love her, his hope is that they’d be able to be friends. They’d have a child, maybe two, and regardless of sex, he would let them both have a share. Stede swore that if he was forced to marry for anything other than love, then any child from that marriage would not have the same conditions laid out as he had.

For now, though, he could head inside. He could make sure the staff had everything under control, that they had whatever was needed. Then, he could sequester himself in the library with his new book and the vaguest hope that maybe his father would be lost at sea.

Chapter Text

Izzy rolled his neck, hearing the cracks more than feeling them before he returned his attention to the waves. 

There was a ship practically heading right for them. Either the Captain of the vessel didn’t care, or they had a death wish. Whatever the reason, the perpetual fog that didn’t seem to let up around them hid them well enough that it would be far too late for that ship to try and escape once they spotted them.

It was probably the only good thing about this whole fucking curse.

It didn’t matter who he sent down or how often, the haul was almost always covered in an obscene amount of barnacles. They even tried purposely beaching the ship, give the whole thing a good fucking scrape. It hadn’t mattered, and Izzy was beginning to worry about the condition of the wood. 

If the barnacle situation wasn’t enough to slow them down, the sails being in disrepair certainly contributed. He could send someone up to mend them, he could steal the sails off a ship they raided, or he could have brand-fucking-new ones bought in port. It didn’t matter. Within an hour, there would be holes in them. Some big, some small, but always rips and tears that wouldn’t hold a gust if it tried. 

At first, they thought maybe it was just because the ship had been the one Edward was on when he was cursed. So Izzy had Fang and Ivan - the only two members of the Queen Anne crew who refused to leave Izzy and Ed - fetch the Queen Anne and bring them back around. He got Ed back on his ship in the dead of night, got no more than a half hour away from the fancy thing they raided, and then they slowed to nearly nothing. Practically dead in the water.

They were back on the other ship before sunrise, asking the Queen Anne crew to bring them provisions when they could.

Izzy was beginning to think the fuckers performed a sort of mutiny since it had been months since they’d last been by.

“What do you think, boss?” Fang asked as he came up beside Izzy. “Merchant?”

“Looks like,” Izzy agreed. He peeked up at Fang and noted the grim line on his forehead. “That bad?”

“Can’t blame him,” Fang replied. “It might have made sense if it was something he did.”

“Yeah,” Izzy agreed, vehemently ignoring the voice in his head that bittingly reminded him that while Ed might not have done anything to deserve his fate, Izzy sure fucking would have. He’d been the one to feed the darkness in Edward for years because he desperately needed Blackbeard. 

Who he was without it, Izzy hadn’t a fucking clue. From the moment Edward managed to lead a successful mutiny against Hornigold, sending the fucker to the bottom, Izzy’s loyalty was to Edward. He wrapped himself up in the legend of Blackbeard and didn’t give a shit if his own infamy was tied up in it. He served the greatest pirate Captain in history, as far as Izzy was concerned. There was more than enough glory in that.

But in the last five or so years, it was getting to a point where the flag alone was enough to have the white cloth of the other ship waving in the wind. People practically handed them everything they had. For Izzy, the fight was fun, of course, but survival was paramount. Not needing to worry quite so much as to whether or not the crew would make it out had been one worry taken off his plate.

What he hadn’t noticed was the lack of fight, of needing to plan fuckeries to trick and terrify had begun to dampen Edward’s spirit. Hadn’t realized that he was becoming more morose and withdrawn, only periodic bursts of enthusiasm now and then that always waned too fast.

The fire had come back for a short time after he was cursed. But it was fading fast, probably from the way the crew refused to look him in the eye, and many of them flinched in Ed’s presence. Useless bunch of fuckers, the absolute bottom of the barrel except for Fang and Ivan. Maybe that supposed mute with a beard that’s so fucking fake it’s bordering on ridiculous. The rest of them Izzy would sooner throw overboard for the sharks than keep them on any ship he ran. But they were also the only ones who still stuck around despite there being no benefit to staying aside from continued survival. 

“Tell everyone to get ready,” Izzy said to Fang as he partly turned toward him. “I’ll get Edward.”

~E~

Edward kept his eyes on the horizon. Or, at least as much of a horizon there could be on the cursed ship. Though calling it the cursed ship was implying that the curse didn’t follow Ed like his shadow. Either way, eyes on the horizon so he wouldn’t accidentally meet the gaze of one of the crew and cause them to have that freaked-out look before turning away.

They somehow believed the eyes meant he didn’t see as well, but nothing in that regard changed. Ed could still see as sharply as he always had, could still smell every little whiff of everything he ever did. He could feel a few new sensations, but the wind still felt the same on his skin as it always did, even if he didn’t have normal skin anymore. He heard their whispers when they thought he wasn’t close, and he heard them speculating how he got this way - or if he’d always been that way - when he sat near his open window at night.

Really, beneath it all, Ed was still who he had always been. Edward. Blackbeard. But on the surface? Well, he once said the Kraken killed his father. And given the sort of abomination he’d become, calling himself the Kraken was pretty fucking fitting.

The ship they were waiting for was pulling up beside them, and through the fog, Ed could see the men of the vessel readying the plank. His crew were quietly going to hide behind the stairs and crates for optimal surprise when shit inevitably went down.

He waited, anticipation thrumming because while this little bit of showmanship was starting to get old, it hadn’t gone stale enough for him to not enjoy the reactions he always got. Ed followed the other crew’s movements, seeing about a half dozen navy-like guys, a couple of middle management types with ledgers, and two rich-looking fuckers board the ship. No one else from the other side crossed over, so Ed waited until those ten people were near the mast, and their guards dropped just enough. 

When they were in position, Ed climbed up on the railing and then stepped off, landing on the deck with a thud that didn’t damage the boards but echoed in the silence around them. 

Ten heads immediately swiveled his way. Ten eyes went fucking huge with horror.

“What demon is this?” The paler of the two posh-knobs asked.

“Demon?” Ed mused. “I’m the fucking devil, mate.”

His crew started to come out of the woodwork, outnumbering the others two to one.

“These are the kids,” Ed added for fun, delighting as one of the navy-types dropped to the deck like a puppet with its strings cut.

Ed’s crew took that as the sign to attack, and within minutes, they had the opposing men buckling under. The bald posh fucker whom Ed would have thought was all bluster ended up holding his own pretty well. He actually managed to off one of Ed’s men, which meant Ed was going to have to get his hands dirty. He felt the disconcerting new sensation that crept along his back whenever he got pissed these days, and he could tell as he stalked closer to the fucker that the myth about his eyes glowing was probably still being passed around, even if it wasn't a myth at all since the curse.

Still, Bald Guy stood tall and readied his sword.

“You’re not as afraid of me as you should be,” Ed said.

“No real man fears death,” he retorted. But there it was, a flicker in his eyes like he realized that maybe he wasn’t as fearless as he thought. 

No, that wasn’t quite right. He really wasn’t afraid of his own death. He was just afraid of what that death meant.

“You might as well tell me,” Ed said, drawing his sword. “Whether you do or not, it’s the sword in your gut and whatever little thing you just thought of gets to follow you to the afterlife.”

The bald man narrowed his eyes, contemplating.

“What if I made you a deal?”

“A deal with the devil?” Ed asked with amusement.

“My god would forgive me under such circumstances.”

Ed looked down his nose at the man.

“What’s the deal, then?”

At this point, the fighting around them was simmering down, and he sensed Izzy coming to stand beside him.

The bald man narrowed his eyes at Ed, then turned to Izzy.

“The ship I arrived on had nothing of real value. But allow me to send a letter to my son, he’ll have a good fortune brought to you. We’re only a few days away from Bridgetown. I’d be in your hold no more than a week. And after, you’ll have not only what people would consider most valuable to me but a fine sum to add to your coffers.”

“You should fucking gut him now,” Izzy suggested.

“I dunno. This is actually fucking interesting.”

“We’ve had our fill of interesting, Blackbeard. Gut him and be done with it.”

Ed tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at the bald man.

“Fang,” He called.

“Yeah, Boss?” 

“Fetch this man a quill, some ink, and paper. And when he’s done, I want you, Ivan, and the bald one to sail that ship back to Bridgetown, then deliver the letter he writes.”

“Edward,” Izzy said his name like a curse, and the bald man looked at him with a questioning frown. 

Regardless, Ed never answered Izzy. He watched the prisoner instead, then watched him write the letter when he was given what he needed. Ed read over the man’s shoulder, reading as he relayed instructions to a Stede that didn’t mention a word about naval forces or send for help.

After he had signed it Edward Bonnet , he handed the letter to the bald guy on Ed’s crew, then allowed himself to be brought down to the brig of Ed’s ship.

“I don’t like it,” Izzy said when the rest of the crew were out of earshot.

“I didn’t expect you would,” Ed replied.

“He could still send the navy - any navy - after us once we got whatever shit he intends to give us.”

“He could,” Ed agreed. “Might be interesting to see what they’ll do.”

“Edward.” Izzy’s exasperation was as thick as the fog surrounding the ship. 

Ed might have capitulated, agreed the navy would be a bad idea. Then he looked down at his hand, saw what it had become, and a rush of self-loathing came over him again. 

“If he sends the navy, you can get the crew off the ship. Let them blow it out of the water.”

“And what about you?” Izzy asked as Ed turned and started to head toward his cabin.

“A captain goes down with the ship, doesn’t he?” Ed reminded him, not turning to meet Izzy’s eye as he spoke. 

He didn’t stick around to see what Izzy had to say next.

~S~

Stede had been so utterly wrapped up in his book that when Beatrice knocked on his study door, he gave a rather undignified screech. Once he got a hold on the book he fumbled, he turned to the maid just in time to see her studiously suppress a grin.

“My apologies, Mister Bonnet. But there are a group of men at the door looking for you.”

Stede furrowed his brow.

“One of them isn’t Prince Richard, is it?” He asked with a cringe. 

“It’s not,” Beatrice assured happily. “Um, one appears to be the book seller?”

“Lucius?” 

Stede closed his book with a gentle thunk, tucking it under his arm as he rose from the chair. He allowed Beatrice to lead him, which turned out to be a wise idea since he expected to find them in a sitting room, only to discover no one led Lucius or the gentlemen accompanying him beyond the entryway.

“Heeeeey,” Lucius said when he spotted Stede, grinning a bit too widely. “So, um, Pete and Fang, both are back but apparently for, like, not long at all. And it turns out they weren’t even here to see me, but they’ve come looking for you?”

“Oh?” Stede asked, looking first to who he believed was Pete and then to Fang with a polite smile. 

The taller man dressed all in leather handed Stede a folded piece of paper.

“What’s this?” Stede asked as he unfolded it and paled when he saw his father’s handwriting. “Oh.”

Stede,

You are to go into my study, retrieve the coffer in my lower desk drawer, don’t worry about the key. Accompany the men who brought you this letter, and bring the coffer to me. 

Edward Bonnet

Stede peeked up at the men, arching a brow at them questioningly. Though, to be fair, he wasn’t sure what he was asking. They were pirates. Lucius might not know for certain, but Stede had been obsessed enough with the sea-faring bunch to be able to spot a couple of them. So it was easy to suss out that his father had been taken by pirates, but the letter in his hand was not what one would call a typical ransom letter.

“Was he well?” Stede asked mostly because he felt he had to.

“Who?” Pete asked with a frown.

“As fine as anyone could be in these circumstances,” Fang said kindly. “Boss wanted us to bring it to you, make sure the instructions were followed.”

Stede nodded once decisively. 

“How long’s the journey?” 

“Oh, my God, Stede, no,” Lucius said in a rush. “No, it’s not a good idea to actually go with them. Are you mad?”

“It’s part of my father’s instruction,” Stede pointed out.

“Yeah, and when has that man ever done anything for you? We have all heard the rumors, Stede. He’s going to write you out of the will. Let him rot on the ship, and then not only will you not have to marry Ricky to survive , but you can claim for the rest of your life that you’re just waiting for the right woman to spawn with. Then when you croak, you can will all your money to whoever you want.”

Lucius brought up a fair point. If Stede did nothing, chances are the pirates would get sick of his father, see no further value in him, then do the thing Stede had fantasized about near enough that he almost asked Evelyn for a hand. 

But the call of the sea, even for a short time, was too strong not to answer. Until they reached whatever ship his father was being held on, Stede could pretend that he was about to have the biggest adventure of his life. He wanted that more than he could tell.

“How long?” He asked again.

Pete glanced at Fang.

“Was two days for us to get here,” Fang said solemnly. 

“Then I shall pack for that,” Stede said. “I’ll try not to be more than an hour or two. In the meantime, Beatrice - who I know is just in the next room listening - will have you seated and bring around a nice lunch while I pack.”

Stede had barely turned to head back upstairs when Beatrice stepped out and brought Lucius, Pete, and Fang into the next room. He grinned, partly because of Beatrice, but mostly because he knew deep down that this would only be the start of what promised to be an exciting adventure.

Chapter Text

They sailed for a couple of days, as was predicted. The time spent on the ocean was easily the best Stede had spent in ages. He hadn’t even cracked open his book, far too excited by the whole adventure he was having to read about anyone else’s. 

Fang was patient with him as Stede asked all sorts of questions about sailing. He practically shadowed the pirate as he manned the helm, secured rigging, and all other sorts of nautical things. Stede might have asked Pete a few questions, but he and Lucius kept disappearing into the depths of the ship. He might have asked the fellow known as Ivan, but he just sort of glared at Stede whenever he glanced the man’s way.

Maybe it was because Stede allowed a few men from the docks looking for some work to come with them. He had thought it would have made for an easier trip, he certainly hadn’t meant to upset Ivan. 

Which is why he was so appreciative of Fang being so affable.

“So, who do you sail with?” Stede asked as Fang steered them with certainty to a destination Stede had yet to determine.

Fang grimaced ever so slightly. 

“I used to sail with Blackbeard,” He admitted quietly, as if someone might hear who wasn’t supposed to.

“Wow, really?” Stede asked, equal parts awed and terrified. “He’s a legend! Why did you stop sailing with him?”

Fang was quiet for a moment.

“He went away.”

“What, like retirement?” Stede frowned.

“Not exactly,” Fang replied. “But Blackbeard disappeared. Now, I sail with the Kraken.”

A shiver raced down Stede’s spine at the name. 

He’d heard it, of course. It was impossible to live in a nautical town and not hear of all the great and ruthless pirates on the high seas. The Kraken was a fairly new name, one that had only come up in the last six months or so. Few people survived an encounter with him. Those who had could barely talk about it. All said that they would be sailing along without a ship in sight, and more often than not, they spoke of clear skies on the horizon. Then, out of nowhere, there would be a fog so thick it was nearly impossible to see from one end of the ship to the other. Then, alongside them came a ship that looked as though it shouldn’t be able to sail. Those who stayed on their own ship before barely making an escape would say they were over-run with pirates. One soul supposedly survived boarding the ship, and they said that they found themselves face to face with the devil.

“Oh,” Stede eventually said with a shaky voice. He swallowed down the panic as he realized that if Fang was taking him to his boss, and that boss had his father, then that meant….

It’s an adventure , Stede thought to himself. This is what I wanted. 

“I suppose it’s too late to turn around back to Bridgetown?” He asked Fang. 

Stede knew what Fang probably saw when he turned a sympathetic eye his way. Wide, panic-filled hazel eyes, and a paler than usual complexion. Dread sat low in Stede’s stomach, and he was beginning to wonder if maybe he should have asked if his father was even still alive after having written the letter.

“Yeah, mate,” Fang said. “We’re pretty much there.”

Stede turned back to look down the bow of the ship. 

Sure enough, where not ten minutes ago there was hardly a cloud in the sky and not a dot on the horizon, they were now sailing into the wispy beginnings of fog. 

Stede’s heart began to hammer, and he frantically searched through the mist as it grew thicker, looking for the legendary Revenge that was home to a sea monster.

Between one beat and the next, impossibly, a ship appeared alongside them.

Barnacles had crept up the side of the ship nearly to the deck. Stede was no expert, but there were parts of the wood that looked like it was rotting away. Not broken or splinted, but more like those boards were one touch away from disintegrating. The sails had large, gaping holes in them, white turned grey with age and soot. Some merely fluttered in the wind, no longer able to be secured. 

Stede could see shadows moving around on the deck, readying for a cross boarding as Pete emerged from below in time to help Ivan drop the anchor.

“So, that’s not terrifying or anything,” Lucius said as he came up to Stede, carrying the small coffer that Stede was tasked to bring. 

He thrust it toward Stede, pretty much forcing him to take it before it fell on his feet when Lucius let go. It was weighty enough that Stede was fairly sure it would at least bruise his toes if not break them.

After getting a proper hold of the coffer, Stede glanced between Lucius and the ship, trying to think of something to say and finding there wasn’t anything he could.

Their ship stopped moving, a plank was placed between the two vessels, and two men immediately crossed over and asked Pete something. He directed them to where the cabins were, and the two men moved swiftly.

“We should go over,” Fang said. “They’ll be waiting for us.”

“Right,” Stede said, adjusting his hold on the coffer. He straightened up, held his head high, and descended from the quarter deck to make his way over to the other ship.

There were shadows on the quarter deck of the other ship, the fog thick enough that it obscured whoever was up there. Stede squinted as he tried to peer through it, only making out a smaller shadow begin to make his way to the stairs before Stede’s attention was pulled to the center of the ship. 

Being brought up from below deck was his father. He wasn’t bound, but the man who escorted him was a tall, fierce-looking sort who probably wasn’t one to be trifled with.

Edward Bonnet appeared unharmed though a little irritated. Stede didn’t want to admit that he was a bit disappointed his father wasn't worse off, if only because it could have meant that Edward Bonnet might have walked away from the experience a changed man.

Alas, he still looked at Stede like he was the biggest disappointment a man could be to his father, then turned his attention to the person who came from the quarter deck.

“See, he’s here, as promised. Now release me.”

A short man with an “X” tattooed beneath his left eye looked Stede over with a slight sneer. He then crossed the deck, unceremoniously ripping the coffer from Stede’s hands and placing it on a crate. He gestured for someone to come over, and a skinny fellow with curly hair pulled a set of lockpicks from his pocket. Within seconds, he had the coffer unlocked, flipping the lid and revealing to the shorter man what was inside.

“There’s not much there,” the shorter man replied in a pleasantly raspy voice.

“It was supposed to be a dowry for a daughter. I hadn’t added much to it after Stede’s birth, but when it became increasingly apparent he wouldn’t settle properly, I thought maybe I would get the visiting prince to buy him off me.”

Stede’s eyes widened as his brow furrowed, shock and anger all rolled into one. 

Before he could even find a small amount of courage to speak up, a voice boomed and crackled like thunder and lightning from the quarter deck.

“This is what you meant, is it?” 

Around them, pirates stood straighter but backed away a few feet, all ducking their heads or avoiding looking upward with the exception of the shorter man. Stede glanced around before looking to the quarterdeck, steeling himself for whatever he was about to see.

Two red eyes glowed through the fog, though they didn’t look like human eyes. More like those of a cephalopod.  

Stede barely had a moment to acknowledge the vaguely man-shaped silhouette before it was moving. The imposing figure headed for the stairs of the quarterdeck before slowly descending them with a thunk punctuating every step.

Stede’s eyes went huge, and his lip quivered around a gasp before he pressed them together to keep any sort of vocal reaction from escaping as he gazed upon the Kraken.

Long tentacles replaced strands of hair on his head and beard, moving as though they had a mind of their own. Black, of course, with purple suckers. There was something nose-shaped, though it was flat and blended into the tentacles where Stede imagined the mustache would be. He appeared to have shark-like scales all over his body, darker gray along his shoulders, upper chest, and arms, and lighter gray around his abdomen and fingers. The fingers didn’t seem to have nails but were pointed into something similar to a claw. 

Along his body were scars - the scaly skin raised in a slightly different texture, a shade lighter than the scales around them. There didn’t seem to be a pattern to them, per se, but there was something about them that made Stede believe they weren’t random. Some even looked like they took the shapes of things, like a snake or a shark. The only place they were broken up that he could see was along the back of the Kraken’s arms as he turned physically toward Stede’s father. There, and along his back, were long barbs of a deep purple color, pointed and dangerous, lying flushed against his skin.

“You said 'what people would consider most valuable to you.' You weren’t talking treasure.”

“My life for his, my only legitimate son.”

“What?” Stede asked incredulously.

“The fuck are we supposed to do with him?” The shorter man asked, sounding just as affronted as Stede was.

“Kill him? Sell him? I don’t care,” Stede heard his father suggest. “You get paid to take him the same as I would pay a prince, minor though he may be. You can do with him whatever it was you intended to do with me. I get to return to Bridgetown and let someone else cross these infested waters to let my bastard know he’s now the only heir to my fortune.”

Without another word, Stede’s father turned and crossed the plank, kicking it into the water behind him.

Stede watched, stunned, as his father started shouting at the men he had hired to help him and the pirates on their journey, commanding they get the boat turned around.

Stede turned, hoping to negotiate his own life, only to find himself at the end of the short man’s sword.

“Suppose being a posh twat isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” He said before winding up to skewer Stede.

Stede squeaked, squeezing his eyes shut so he wouldn’t see the blade coming. 

After a few seconds, when nothing happened, he peeked.

The Kraken had his hand with sharp pointed fingers wrapped around the short man’s arm, halting the stabbing motion. The Kraken's lips twisted in a scowl, revealing teeth that looked like a shark’s though they fit together in the humanoid mouth.

“You can’t be serious,” The short man stated, not at all afraid of the Kraken as he looked him right in the eye.

Stede glanced around at the crew, seeing they were still averting their gaze as best as their curiosity would let them.

“I made the deal,” The Kraken said. “I decide his fate.”

The shorter man took a breath, then another, and sheathed his sword. He turned to Stede with a scowl, glanced him over, then scoffed before turning away. 

“Right, you lot! Get this fucking ship moving.” The man commanded as he stormed toward the quarterdeck.

Every single soul on the crew immediately jumped into action, adjusting rigging and raising an anchor that Stede was frankly surprised was even required. 

“Come on,” The Kraken said lowly, and Stede turned back toward him in time to catch the gesture that indicated he was meant to follow.

He didn’t have to be told twice.

He had to rush to catch up, but soon he was trailing the Kraken as he led him down the short hallway of the cabin. The whole time - quick as it was - Stede’s eyes kept darting from the lines of the spines on the Kraken’s back to the tentacles that swayed and curled with no real rhyme or reason. 

Once they crossed the threshold, Stede shut the door, assuming that would be what the Kraken would want. Privacy for whatever conversation they were about to have regarding Stede’s fate.

“Sorry about Izzy,” The Kraken said,  the thunder and crackle gone, though his tone was still unnaturally deep. “Fucker’s gone and gotten himself a stick up his ass sometime in the last decade. Haven’t figured out how to remove it yet.”

Stede blinked, feeling a bit unsteady and not because the ship inexplicably started moving.

“Sorry, I’m not sure I follow what’s happening here.”

The Kraken shrugged nonchalantly as he made his way over to a chair that looked both comfortable and like it had been stabbed multiple times in a spectacularly even pattern with many tiny blades.

“Your dad’s a dick. Know a thing or two about dick dads. Anyway, it’s not really your fault he traded you for his own life.”

“Right,” Stede said, trying so damn hard not to wring his hands, forcing them continually back to his sides, trying to stand stiff. He tried glancing about the room, not sure if he should be avoiding eye contact with the Kraken like the crew had or holding polite eye contact like he had been told to do his whole life. 

The cabin was sparsely lit with lanterns that seemed to have a slight film on them, causing them to emit less light. There was a bed in a nook by the window - something quite large, like it would fit two grown men pretty comfortably. Or, one Kraken on his own Stede supposed. The linens on it looked tatted, as though they’d been around for years and were well loved. The same could be said for the curtains on the windows, which did little to block the minimal daylight. 

There were shelves on one wall that Stede’s mind immediately decided was meant for books. There was a desk and chair not far from it, the former littered with papers and scrolls. There was also, of course, a nice sitting area with a sofa, a table, and a couple of chairs. One which the Kraken was occupying, his flowing red eyes trained on Stede.

The Kraken tilted his head, what lips he had ticking upward.

“Mate, have a seat before you pass the fuck out. Not so sure you want me handling you with these things," He said, lifting his hands and showing off his sharp-looking fingertips.

Stede swiftly moved for the seat across from the Kraken, crossed his legs, recrossed them, recrossed them again, then grabbed his knee so he wouldn’t try it a fourth time.

He couldn’t be absolutely sure, but he thought the Kraken might be laughing at him.

“So you’re Stede Bonnet.”

“I am,” He replied with a stilted nod. 

“And it sounds as though he intended to sell you off one way or another.”

Stede scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“I can’t believe he was going to agree to a marriage with Ricky. I mean, I genuinely can’t believe it.”

The Kraken raised a brow - or at least his forehead arched as if he was arching a brow.

“Legal, isn’t it?”

“It’s not that,” Stede replied absently with a flick of his hand. “I wanted to marry for love. I heard the rumors starting nearly a decade ago that King George was likely going to allow a change in the law as long as there was no inheritance to be had. So I helped my first fiance elope, then managed to help every other eligible woman in Bridgetown find someone, anyone, but me. Preferably someone she could tolerate, which I think I was fairly successful at. And every year I would hope my father would befall some sort of hunting accident, or perhaps simply… drop dead.”

The Kraken snorted, then began to giggle.

Stede grinned as well, unable to help it in the face of such honest laughter that wasn’t at him but with him.

“Sorry, mate. Sounds like you got the short end.”

“I don’t know,” Stede said after a moment of consideration. “I suppose… that depends on what you plan on doing with me?”

“I hadn’t thought about it,” The Kraken replied. “Everyone who comes aboard this ship and stays does 'cause they'd rather serve a sea monster than risk their guts spilling all over the deck. But they were all given the choice, you weren’t.”

“I might have chosen it, anyway,” Stede replied. “I probably wouldn’t live long, but given the choice between being a pirate or being married to Ricky? I’d choose the short life of a pirate.”

“I could always teach you how to be a blood-thirsty pirate,” The Kraken said. 

“Really?” Stede asked, perking up at the idea. He couldn’t help but picture himself standing on the deck of a ship with an earring and a beard, tall and proud in a fancy suit with a sword on his hip. It probably wouldn’t come to that, but he certainly wouldn’t mind even the barest hint of that being a possibility. 

“Why not? Maybe you can teach me a thing or two, too. Maybe even show me the ways of an aristocrat. Don't know when I'd ever use 'em, but it might be fun learning to be fancy folk.”

“What about the short, angry man? Izzy?”

The Kraken shrugged. 

“I’ll deal with him. So, have we got ourselves a deal?”

The Kraken leaned forward, reaching across the space between them with an extended hand.

Stede looked at it, a grin forming on his lips as he realized he was really, truly about to get his adventure. Trapped on a ship with a sea monster and the most dangerous band of outlaws on the seas, sure. But a real pirate adventure, one he wanted more than he could tell.

“Agreed,” He said as he clasped the cool hand in agreement. “When do we start, Captain Kraken? Or…?”

The Kraken chuckled.

“No need for that, mate. Far as I’m concerned, you’re my guest. Call me Ed.”

Chapter Text

Ed hadn’t left the cabin for the rest of the day, and by extension, neither did Stede.

He was truly fascinating to watch. When Ed had shouted orders to have a nice cot brought into his room, Stede had startled violently but he hadn’t lost all the color in his face like he had earlier.

When the crew came in with a mattress recently pilfered from the ship Stede had just arrived by, Stede had thanked them. Fuck, he complimented them on the excellent job. The crew had looked at Stede like he was the freak instead of Ed. But then again, they usually just plain looked past him, much like they did as they shuffled the cot into the room.

Same for when Roach brought food. He kept his head bowed, eyes diverted, and hurried out as quickly as possible.

Before Ed could get too puffed up over it, Stede was making delightfully bitchy commentary about the food. 

“Roach is actually the best cook I’d ever had,” Ed had told him. “Not his fault what we have on board is shit.”

“Well, something a bit less dried would probably make everyone on board a little less tetchy. Especially Izzy.”

Stede was still on Ed’s mind even now while he was up on the poop deck, leaning against the taffrail, smoking his pipe and occasionally batting his blasted tentacles out of his face.

Stede had been dismayed by not having proper night clothes, but rallied enough to put on a grin. Called it part of the adventure. Asked for fucking privacy as he stripped down to his under things and didn’t give Ed the all clear until he was under the blankets. To which he asked if there were any less scratchy but was also quick to assure Ed it was okay if there weren’t. Again, the whole adventure of it.

Ed hadn’t known what to expect when Stede’s dad said he wanted to make the trade. He had figured a cowering noble, like so many Ed had encountered even before he was something physically frightening, was the most likely outcome. He hadn’t expected a lunatic. And he hadn’t expected to like him.

“You want me to do it now?” Izzy asked, startling Ed enough that the spines along his back and arms came halfway to standing. 

If Izzy flinched at the reaction at all, he wasn’t letting on by the time Ed turned to face him.

“Do what?” he asked.

“What do you think, Eddie? He’s another fucking mouth to feed, and a useless one at that.”

“I dunno,” Ed shrugged, taking a pull from his pipe and exhaling the smoke slowly toward the sky. “Maybe he’s gonna be the one to teach me to love all of me.”

“The fuck you mean?” Izzy asked exasperatedly.

“Well, I mean someone’s gotta love everything about me, and I’m not sure if you noticed but there’s not a whole lot to fucking love on the outside.”

“It’s not about the outside,” Izzy said as he came to lean on the taffrail beside Ed. He folded his hands together, looked between them and the horizon as he spoke. “We could try again.”

“It’s not gonna make a difference.”

“I still have love for you, Edward,” Izzy said quietly, probably terrified of being overheard.

“Yeah, well, it’s not enough. Or not the right kind, I don’t fucking know.”

“Edward-“

“Don’t!” Ed roared, lightning and thunder flashing and crashing on the horizon as all the spines on his back and arms went erect. 

Izzy had the good sense to straighten up and move back a step, but if he was freaked out at all he learned to mask it well. 

Ed took a couple of deep breaths until he felt he was better in control of himself, then spoke again.

“The glass is three-quarters drained, man. I’m running outta time to fucking fix this, and I’m outta ideas. Not gonna find someone who’ll love all of me except maybe me. I mean, loophole, right? I love all of me and earn my love in return.”

“Not sure that’s how it works,” Izzy said gently.

“Well, none of us fucking knows how it works. Curses aren’t supposed to be fucking real, yet I see how fucking wrong that was every day in the fucking mirror.”

“Fine, loopholes. But that ponce? The fuck does some twat know about loving these darker parts of you, hm?” Izzy stepped closer, raising his gloved hand within the range of the tentacles that replaced Ed’s beard, letting them wrap around his wrist and fingers.

Was always a bit fucked up that Ed could feel it. Not directly, but still, enough to know they were touching his First Mate.

“What do you know about loving the lighter side?” Ed countered, tilting his head back slightly so the tentacles would pull away. 

“Light? You mean soft? Soft will get us killed, Eddie. Might already have if his father gets back to Bridgetown and has buyer’s remorse.”

“Guess we’ll have to see,” Ed said, deciding he didn’t want to continue being where Izzy could drag out the conversation.

He stepped around his First Mate, and made his way back to his cabin.

Stede was asleep inside, softly snoring and occasionally mumbling something about pirates.

Ed only watched him for a second before making his way to his bunk, ignoring the way the mattress and sheets were all torn up from when his nightmares got to be too much. He made himself as comfortable as possible while facing the window, focusing on the way the moon glistened on the water until he eventually fell asleep.

~S~

Stede’s morning was not off to a great start. 

For one, he woke up on the ship. Not a horrible thing, except he never thought to pack his trunks before bringing his father’s requested coffer to him, or even ask one of the men to take care of it for him. No trunks meant no fresh clothes of any sort. For a clothes horse like him, it was a blow. 

For another, it meant no proper morning tea. Even on the ship he arrived on he was able to have a proper tea. Perhaps not the best prepared as the only experience he had in the kitchen was watching the cooks as a lad and occasionally as an adult hiding from his father. But he recalled dinner was a dry, stale affair and that was with what Ed boasted as the best cook he ever had, so he doubted there wasn’t anything he could do to make it better.

Speaking of Ed, the Kraken seemed to still be sound asleep. He was curled in on himself, snoring softly either because he didn’t have much of a nose or because he snoring was just something he’d have done regardless anyway. The tentacles around his head still moved, but they did so more slowly than when he was awake.

There was something Fang said the day before that Stede hadn’t given much thought to. He said he used to sail with Blackbeard. That Blackbeard went away - disappeared - and that Fang sailed with the Kraken.

It felt like there was a connection to that and the Kraken asking to be referred to as Ed. Stede was sure if he just pondered it a little while longer, he could figure out what it was. But despite sleeping fairly well, all things considered, there was still more than a little fog lingering in his mind for him to puzzle out what it all meant. 

Tea would clear that up. There had to be at least tea on the ship somewhere.

Stede dressed and left the cabin, realizing only when he emerged on the deck that he was never told if he could actually leave. 

The instant stares from the crew - all who slowed or stopped their work as he stepped out - was not doing anything to help curb his anxiety.

“Oi! Get back to work!” 

Stede startled violently at Izzy’s shout, and he frantically looked around before the man descended the stairs to his right.

Izzy had his hand resting on his sword, and a glint in his eye that made Stede think he was itching to skewer him with it simple for the pleasure of it.

“You’re a distraction,” Izzy said flatly.

“I’m just trying to find a cup of tea. Ed said nothing about not leaving the cabin,” He retorted, puffing himself up in hopes that he looked more confident than he felt.

He doubted it worked.

“Ed, is it? You dare call the Kraken that to his face?”

“He told me to,” Stede retorted with a frown. 

“I’m sure he did,” Izzy countered with a joyless grin. 

Stede rolled his eyes.

“If you could just point me in the direction of kitchens-“

“Galley,” Izzy said over him. “You’re on this fucking ship for who knows how fucking long, you should learn the proper terms.”

“Whatever,” Stede snapped back. “Just point me in the right direction, and I’ll be on my way!”

“I’ll take him,” a larger man said with a friendly smile for Stede. 

Izzy stared Stede down for a long moment before huffing and striding off.

“Come on, mate,” The man clapped Stede on the back, turning to lead him back inside. 

“Is he always such a complete asshole?” Stede asked as the man steered him toward some stairs, leading him down below deck.

“Yeah, can be,” the man replied. “Bit of a hard ass, but he’s just lookin’ out for Captain.”

Stede glanced over his shoulder, making sure they weren’t being followed.

“What can you tell me about Ed? Er, the Kraken?”

The man shrugged.

“Honestly? Not much. Most of us, we all joined up in the last year. Me and Jim, we were on a ship together trying to make an escape when all of a sudden this thick fog surrounds it. Came outta nowhere. Got the vibe that it was a ‘join or die’ situation.  The Kraken was already, well, the Kraken. Don’t know much else, only really leaves his cabin for raids or after most of the crew have gone to sleep.”

Stede nodded before he turned toward the man and offered a hand.

“I’m Stede, by the way.”

“Oluwande. Most people ‘round here call me Olu,” his guide replied, clasping Stede’s hand and giving it a shake. “Suppose you didn’t get any introductions yesterday, did you?”

“Not really. Roach is the cook, I know. Ed told me that. And I know Izzy, of course. Ivan, Fang. Black Pete.”

“Yeah, haven’t seen those two around since yesterday. Thought I mighta seen Fang, but not Pete.”

Oluwande then proceeded to tell Stede about the crew. 

There was Archie, who was the only woman on board, and who was Jim’s girlfriend. And Jim, of course was explained to be the person with short hair and a flare for knives who didn’t talk much. There was Frenchie, who was a musician at heart, and Wee John who was easily the biggest man on the ship. A lean crew, according to Oluwande, who was apparently among the last to join it.

“Most of us aren’t great at being pirates, but didn’t have any other choice.” 

They entered the galley, and Stede instantly spotted Roach looking at what appeared to be a rather empty spice rack, shaking his head and brandishing a cleaver.

“Alright?” Oluwande asked as they approached the counter.

“I’d kill for some spices,” Roach replied without turning around. “I mean, if a crate of them were to float by, that would be okay, too.”

“Well there must be merchants importing spices,” Stede mused. “We had them often enough in Bridgetown, and I doubt very much they’re all local.”

Roach slowly turned around with an mistrusting glare. He pointed the cleaver toward Stede but then turned to Oluwande.

“Who’s this?”

“This is Stede, the fellow that-“

“Oh! The new hostage! What’s the hostage doing wandering the ship?”

“Not a hostage,” Stede made to clarify quickly. “Just a guest of sorts. Here indefinitely.”

“He’s looking to get some tea? Probably for two so he can take it to Captain.”

At Oluwande’s suggestion, Roach’s eyes went wide and he practically sprung into action, getting some bread and butter on a tray with a couple of oranges, a pot of tea, a set of mismatched cups, and a sugar bowl. 

“My apologies to Captain Kraken,” Roach said as he set the tray in Stede’s hand. “We’re running low on supplies. I’ve done what I can.”

“I’m sure it’s delightful,” Stede politely replied, already knowing the bread would be stale just from the look of it. But he wasn’t about to complain, especially as the cleaver was never too far from Roach’s hand. “Thank you, Olu,” he said with a bow of his head to the man in the hat, earning a confused grin in return.

Stede brought the tray slowly and carefully back to the cabin, moving a bit more slowly as he attempted to make up for the way his balance was thrown off by the listing of the ship.

“What’s that?” Ed asked, making Stede flinch as the voice was far closer than expected.

He turned to see the Kraken just behind him, peering over Stede’s shoulder at the tray with a frown.

“Why’d you bring this?” he asked. “Did Izzy make you?”

“No,” Stede replied, deciding quickly that it was best to keep how he had been volunteered by the crew to bring them both back breakfast to himself. “I wanted tea, so….” He gestured to the tray.

Ed made a sort of growling noise that Stede figured was probably meant to be more of a hum, like he wasn’t sure he believed Stede but didn’t know if he should voice his doubts.

“How do you take your tea?” Stede asked, deciding he might as well make himself useful.

Ed stared at him a moment before he said, “Seven sugars.”

Stede kept his face carefully blank as he went about dressing Ed’s cup, handing it to him before making his own with significantly less cubes.

“How’d you sleep?” He asked as he took a seat, crossing his legs.

“Fine, thank you,” Ed replied stiffly, glancing around the room before taking a seat, too.

Stede hid a grin behind his cup as Ed’s tentacles seemed to want to dip themselves into the cup and he had to keep shifting his head away, batting at the curious buggers before he could finally manage a sip. 

“I wasn’t sure I would find sleeping on a ship restful,” Stede admitted. “But I think it was the best sleep I’ve had in ages.”

“Good. That’s… yeah.” 

Stede took a sip of his tea before leaning forward to set his cup down, picking up the piece of bread he deemed as his own, then proceeded to smear it with butter.

“So when do we think the lessons on pirating will start?” Stede asked curiously. 

“Dunno. Need to find a ship first, might take a bit,” Ed replied, managing another sip before a tentacle tried to dip itself in his drink again. “Though I suppose we could always start fighting skills. Ever use a sword?”

~I~

“Fucking finally,” Izzy said to himself as he noted the ship on the horizon. Nothing more than a dot at this point, but it was something that at least didn’t look like a fucking Naval vessel. 

He turned toward the crew, noting with displeasure that the bunch of useless fuckers weren’t doing much of anything.

“Every fucking one of you useless twats best have a hand in turning this ship West in the next thirty seconds or I’m going to start stabbing people. Move!”

There was a mad scramble on the deck as he scanned the faces, tallying up the number of crew with who should be on deck. He felt like there was someone missing but he wasn’t sure who it was. It made something itch in his brain, niggling away and irritating him more than he already was.

That irritation started when Ed hadn’t sent for him. 

Izzy had seen that fucking ponce wander back into the cabin, stumbling about like a drunk while the ship gently bobbed about in the water. Izzy might have stared really hard, hoping that some of Ed’s new found ability to cause a storm would makes its way to him and he could wash the useless twat right over the side of the ship. Alas, Bonnet was gone from his sight before anything more that a light breeze came to be.

He had expected, however, to have Bonnet come toddling back out to say that the Captain asked for his First Mate, but it never happened. Hours had passed, and not a word. 

Well, with a potential Raid in an hour, maybe two, Izzy would need to go to Edward. 

He headed for the cabin, pausing outside the door when he heard odd sounds. Grunting? Panting? Before Izzy could start thinking the worst, he picked up on a far more familiar sound: metal on metal.

He threw open the door, not entirely sure he knew what to expect but was confused and disappointed with the outcome.

Ed was fighting Bonnet, but it appeared to be play more than anything. 

They were both grinning, Ed’s tentacles flowing behind him like hair in the wind. His eyes were glowing, and his teeth were bared, but Izzy knew he was smiling.

Bonnet had his fancy jacket off, draped over the back of a chair. He wasn’t holding the sword perfectly. The ponce probably hadn’t held one in a long time if ever. He seemed to be enjoying himself, even though he was perspiring a little.

Izzy watched with morbid fascination as Bonnet attempted to charge at Ed, only to be deflected. When Ed hit him with the blade, it was along Bonnet’s backside like a playful swat.

“If you’re done,” Izzy raised his voice to be heard over their nonsense. Ed and Bonnet slowed, turning to look at Izzy expectantly. To his Captain, Izzy said, “There’s a ship on the horizon. Hour or two away, crew’s changing course so we can catch it.”

“Excellent,” Ed said in a voice closer to how he used to sound. 

It stung. It shouldn’t, but Izzy thought he only used that voice with him. To hear it come from Ed with Bonnet around? 

“You’ll get to see how pirates raid,” Ed said to Bonnet.

“Captain, I think it’s best if our… guest stays here so he’s not in the way.” Izzy cautioned.

“Nah, he’ll be fine. He can watch from the quarterdeck,” Ed brushed Izzy off, sheathing his sword and making his way for the doorway. 

Izzy clenched his jaw as Ed passed him without any further acknowledgment, snapping his gaze to the fucking ponce who struggled to get his sword back in the scabbard. Izzy glared at him as he watched Bonnet grab his jack, put it on, fuss with it before he even began to think about making his way to the door.

Izzy stepped in front of him at the last second, making sure Bonnet would have to listen to him.

He took a second to let all his disdain for the man show before he spoke.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” He asked.

Bonnet frowned in confusion, glancing past Izzy a moment before trying to step around him.

Izzy shifted with him, blocking the infuriating man from slipping past.

With a huff, Bonnet said, “Ed said he’d teach me how to be a pirate.”

“I’m sure he did.” Izzy smiled patronizingly. “I’m sure he probably made all sorts of pretty promises. But I’m going to make this very fucking clear.  My sole purpose is to serve him , to protect him . You are the current amusement, and your life is forfeit the moment you’re a danger to him or the crew, he gets bored of you. So I want you to keep that in the back of your head - if you can even retain anything more than silks and fine wine - every time you think you belong on this ship and that you’re one of us. Because you really fucking don’t and you really fucking aren’t.”

Izzy expected Bonnet’s lip to quiver as with each word he said, Bonnet’s eyes got a little more damp.

In the end, though, Bonnet merely took a deep breath and squared his shoulders.

“Understood,” He said in a strangely prim tone. He then gestured for Izzy to go ahead, keeping his other hand balled in a fist at his side.

Izzy wanted to glare, but found himself more wary of the man. Not that he thought Bonnet would stab him in the back, literally. No, there was something else about Bonnet that unsettled him. Something in the way he didn’t do what Izzy expected him to.

He turned, keeping his eye on Bonnet until the last moment before he turned and left the cabin, the ponce just behind him until they were on the deck. Izzy got into position, Bonnet and went up to the quarter deck as Ed suggested. 

Izzy rolled his shoulders, then focused on the ship on the horizon. 

Bonnet will be gone soon, one way or another. Then Izzy would never have to think about the fucker again.

Chapter Text

Stede was told to stay up on the quarterdeck. He could see that unpleasant little man cursing to himself when Ed gave the instruction, but Stede had kept Oluwande’s perspective in place. Izzy was only looking out for Ed, and since the crew was still quite new to them, Stede could understand why the First Mate was always on guard. He just wished he wasn’t such an asshole about it.

But the quarterdeck gave a tremendous view of the ship, and how the crew used the preternatural fog that followed their vessel gave cover for them to ambush the other ship. Stede’s eyes were wide, and his smile giddy, as he watched the raid take place.

He was so absorbed in what was happening on the other side of the plank that he nearly screamed when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

“Lucius!?” He screeched when he turned around, seeing a sort of pale green bookseller beside him.

“So, yeah, Pete was all, ‘let me show you around the place, babe,’ and I thought ‘cool, get to see my man and our man.’ Except they really are pirates, both of them, which is genuinely surprising because I thought Pete was just saying that to try to impress me. Especially since I could tell that while Jim might be a criminal, they probably weren’t, you know, and Oluwande definitely wasn’t. But then I realized after we came across that, yeah, they totally definitely are pirates, and I am on a pirate ship, and then the plank was kicked in the water,” He paused briefly for a breath. “So now I’m stuck here, as a stowaway on a ship with a sea monster, and we are not heading back to Bridgetown any time soon, are we?”

Stede waited a beat to make sure Lucius only intended to stare at him very wide-eyed before he replied.

“I’m afraid not,” He said with a wince. “Unfortunately, my father pretty much sold me to them.”

“He sold you,” Lucius repeated. “So, you’re, what? Their servant?”

“Actually, Ed, or the Kraken, is going to teach me how to be a pirate!” Stede replied, gesturing over his shoulder before he turned to see the other ship.

As he did, one of the souls that was being raided made to cross over the plank only to have someone shoot him in the back. The poor bugger fell into the water.

“Wow!” Stede said, only a little uneasy with the violence. He was far enough away that he didn’t have to deal with it up close. “Note the gusto!”

“The what?” Lucius asked, sounding ill.

“The gusto!” Stede repeated. “Especially Izzy! He’s an ass, but he also appears to be quite skilled.”

“Stede,” Lucius said with faux calm. “I did not sign up to be a pirate.”

“Well, neither did I, exactly. But it’s an adventure!”

“I don’t want an adventure.”

“Maybe you can sneak back off next time we make land.”

“But that’s the thing,” Lucius said, shifting around Stede and tapping the rail vigorously. “They never dock. They don’t make port. They send a dinghy to shore if they’re desperate and have a couple members of the crew row out and place an order. The next day, a couple of dinghies go and get it. I am never getting off this ship. We are never getting off this ship.”

Stede had known that to some degree, but hearing someone say it directly had a thrum of panic start to hum along his veins.

He did what he did best with negative feelings when he wasn’t granted the privilege of privacy: he stuffed them down.

“Well, maybe you can somehow find a way onto one of those dinghies. I’m sure Fang will help keep you hidden until then.”

“Right, yeah, totally,” Lucius huffed, the uncertainty heavy in his tone. 

Before Stede could comment, someone began to make their way back over to the ship, making Lucius drop to the deck in an effort to stay hidden. 

“Right,” Frenchie’s voice called up to Stede. “Captain says now that the fighting’s died down a bit, you should come over and watch an interrogation.”

“On my way!” Stede replied with a grin, glancing down at Lucius, who was trying to make himself as flat as possible.

“Also, can you tell your friend that we all saw him, so he doesn’t have to be hidden right now?”

“Fuck,” Lucius cursed softly, pushing himself up and slowly getting to his feet.

“Noted,” Stede told Frenchie. He spared a sympathetic grin for Lucius before descending the quarterdeck and practically skipped his way over to the other ship.

It only occurred to Stede after he crossed the plank that he hadn’t seen Ed since just before the raid began. He paused in the middle of the other ships deck, glancing around and trying to figure out where a Kraken would be hiding.

“Captain’s cabin,” Izzy said, and Stede turned around to see him tying a bunch of the merchants to the mast. He looked like he was barely restraining an eye roll when he glanced Stede’s way. He also didn’t say anything more.

“I presume you mean the one over here,” he said pointedly.

“I would have thought that was obvious even to the biggest idiots. But I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised it wasn’t.”

Stede huffed, but decided now was not the time to get into it. Instead, he held his head high and made his way to the cabin.

As he approached the door, he heard someone whimpering on the other side, almost as if they were in pain.

“Ed!?” He called without thinking, opening the door and bursting into the room with only a sword he barely knew how to use at his side, still in its scabbard. 

Thankfully, he hadn’t needed to attempt any sort of rescue. Ed appeared fine, if not a little damp. He was leaning with his back to a desk, examining an apple with a casual sort of posture.

The man on the floor curled up in a ball appeared to be the one whimpering, and from what Stede could tell, he wasn’t bleeding.

Stede looked from the man on the floor to Ed in bafflement.

Ed shrugged.

“Used to think the screaming and surrendering was predictable. This, psh,” he gesture to the man. “This is even more boring than the old stuff.”

Stede inched further into the room, albeit slowly. 

“So, the uh… the crying? Is that from… I mean, did you, you know?”

Stede mimed stabbing someone while grimacing a touch.

“Nah,” Ed replied. “Just climbed in through the window.”

Stede glanced to where Ed was gesturing, finding the window to the cabin had been ripped open seemingly from the outside.

“Anyway,” Ed continued. “He was in here for something. Noted he ran inside almost as soon as our ship was spotted. Thought I’d surprise him, see what was so important he had to leave his crew to fend off pirates by themselves.”

Stede tilted his head, trying to catch the man’s eye. When that failed, he looked around the room.

“I take it you checked the desk?” He asked.

“Yeah, man. Desk is always the first thing you look at. Then all the trunks and shit. Didn’t see anything. Still, coulda just ran in here ‘cause he’s a coward.”

Stede contemplated the man crying on the floor, then glanced around the room. Trunks and desk drawers were looked through, so that meant that there was likely somewhere else the man would have hidden his treasures if there were any to be had. He then turned his attention to the cabin, studying the walls, noting the paintings that decorated them. Mostly, they were of people. Probably relatives left behind, perhaps the money behind the merchant vessel, or royalty Stede didn’t know about. There were a couple of landscape paintings, and one of what appeared to be the ship itself. Strange thing to have on the ship. 

As Stede moved closer to inspect one of the landscape bits, Izzy entered the room. Stede knew the man had glanced his way when he scoffed, the feel of his eyes lingering on Stede for a second before he crossed the room in brisk steps. He and Ed were talking about something, their voices muffled and maybe a bit hostile, but Stede wasn’t paying them much mind. The landscape painting, he noticed, wasn’t as flush to the wall as the one with the ship. In fact, none of them were, and a few were slightly askew, like the ship had been through rough enough weather at some point to jostle them.

Stede turned his full attention to the painting with the ship, pressing himself against the wall to better examine it. It was completely attached to the wall, but at the very edge of where the frame met the wood, there appeared to be a seam. Stede stepped back, giving the frame a bit of a tug. When nothing budged, he pressed on the frame.

Click.

He let go, allowing it to spring open ever so slightly, then gently pried the painting away, opening the secret compartment.

“Shit,” Izzy said, a mix of frustration and awe.

“That’s a fuck ton of gold,” Ed agreed.

“More than that,” Stede noted. “I can see some rather expensive if not ugly bits of jewelry in here, as well as some tolerable brandy.”

“Th-that jewelry is a gift for my wife,” The man gasped out. “And my mistress!”

“Well, I think it’s safe to say it’s better for you that we take them off your hands. Really, we’d be doing you a favor.” Stede looked back at the amulet that he had spotted inside. A massive dark brown gem withmany smaller ones that were probably meant to look like some sort of bird - maybe a turkey - but instead looked… well, he didn’t know what it looked like. It could have been a flower instead of a bird, it was hard to say. While the gem colors wouldn’t have been horrendous in the right setting, the artistry of the design left much to be desired. He glanced past it to the earrings that were big and gem-encrusted enough they would stretch the lobes of anyone who wore them. Which wouldn't have been worth it in any way, as even those weren’t master pieces in the art of smithing.

He turned back to the man with a frown.

“Seriously, you were going to give these to the women in your life? The women who, well, one I presume you at least desire if not love, and the other you would want to at least keep content.”

Izzy frowned down at the Captain before stepping over him, making the man flinch, before he came up to Stede and peeked inside the hidden hold. Stede watched the man’s face, mildly surprised by the quirked brow and the way his sneer deepened.

“Seen literal shit prettier than that,” Izzy said flatly. “Still, the penny it will fetch will be pretty enough.”

“Right, mate. Let’s save ourselves some more time. If there’s any other shit around here, show us now.” Ed said to the cowering Captain.

Stede watched the man get to his feet, doing his very best to avoid looking at Ed as he went around the cabin, revealing false bottoms, hollowed-out books, all sorts of clever and fantastic hiding spots that Stede would like to think he’d have found eventually. 

Frenchie popped it, eyes scanning the room as he reported that the ship had mostly china, some nice fabrics, and furniture.

“Nothing special, really. Almost a dud of a raid,” he said to the wall.

“Here,” Izzy said as he reached into the hidden hold and grabbed the amulet. He tossed it to Frenchie, who fumbled it a moment. “All the good shit is in here. Get Mr. Feenie and Boudahari in here with a sack, they can empty this fucker’s secret stash and then we’ll sink this shit hole.”

Stede’s eyes went wide, glancing at Ed, who appeared indifferent about the decision. Well, perhaps not indifferent, merely unreadable. He and Izzy seemed to be having a whole, silent conversation. Maybe an argument, it was genuinely hard to discern. 

Both of them turned, Ed heading toward the open window, Izzy storming out of the cabin door without another word or a glance back at either Stede or Frenchie.

“Well,” Stede said just to break the silence.

“Business as usual, if I’m honest,” Frenchie replied, shrugging when Stede looked his way. “Haven’t been sailing with this lot long enough to know for sure, but Fangie and Ivan both said that those two could have their spats more often than not. I mean, not sure why. You think if Captain is… well,” Frenchie tilted his head toward the window. “You’d think Izzy would just give Captain whatever he wants.”

Whatever he wants .

“Frenchie, you said there was china on this ship?” Stede said as a thought came to him.

“Yeah, like, a bunch of crates. Got some pretty fancy sets of silver in’em, too, but those are better for melting down than selling.”

“Could you have one set of each sent over to our ship, brought to Ed-er, the Kraken’s cabin?”

Frenchie looked at Stede like most people in Bridgetown would look at him: like he was partway insane or just incredibly strange.

“Yeah, mate. Sure thing.”

“Excellent!” Stede crowed, excitedly planning in his head how he could possibly share some of his aristocratic knowledge with Edward.

~E~

“What’s this, then?” Ed asked as he watched Stede set a table. 

He hadn’t gone back over to his own ship immediately after the raid. Ed just sort of stayed in the water until the crew had lifted the plank between the ships. 

By the time he had scaled the outside of his ship and reentered his cabin through the window, Stede was thanking Frenchie and Wee John, the latter having just finished prying the lid off a crate. Ed hadn’t said anything, figured it was better that he didn’t until after his crew left. Once the door was closed, Stede got to work carefully unpacking the loot.

It had been some fancy dishes, and Ed had watched Stede lay things out just so with a frown for some time before he spoke up.

“Well,” Stede said to the teapot before he smiled up at Ed. “You had asked me to show you the ways of the gentry while you show me the ways of pirates. I figured we could start with the most basic. Dining. Because for the gentry, dining isn’t just about eating, it’s about pageantry.”

“Pageantry?” Ed repeated with a frown. “Sounds ridiculous.”

“It really is,” Stede agreed with a grimace. “I mean, I liked getting dressed for those sorts of things. Fine fabrics and excellent tailoring. It was everything else I hated. But! You said you wanted to learn the ways, and dining is the best place to start.” 

He then beckoned Ed over to the place setting he had arranged, and Ed couldn’t help but boggle at the sheer number of utensils.

“You need all this just to fucking eat?” He asked, feeling the spines on his back and arms twitch.

“Pageantry,” Stede reminded him. “Now, we start on the outside, work our way in.”

Ed listened attentively as Stede told him about each piece of silverware, what it was used for. Melon spoons and snail forks seemed fucking ridiculous. Who the fuck even ate snails? The French apparently, fucking fuckers. The spines on Ed’s back and arms constantly twitched with every new frustration, but he kept his cool, for which he was grateful. Stede hadn’t had to see him at his absolute worst, and he hoped he never would. Which was unlikely the longer he stayed.

Ed realized that wouldn’t be forever. He hadn’t decided Stede’s ultimate fate, but he knew it wouldn’t be a death at Izzy’s hand, nor would it involve being sold off. Another body to run errands, Ed figured. Someone a little more upstanding in appearance, at least until the nice clothes Stede wore started to see better days, and he had to look more like a pirate than he deserved.

Although Ed would never have thought to look behind paintings. Fuck, it wasn’t even so much behind the painting as the painting was part of the whole contraption to hide the goods. Had Ed tried to shift it and it didn’t move, he probably wouldn’t have thought anything of it. How many ships did they sink with good shit still on board because they didn’t know where to look?

“Ed?” Stede asked, and Ed startled at something touching his arm.

Stede. Stede was touching him. A gentle hand on his arm, his thumb resting along the raised scales that were once his snake tattoo. Stede initiated the contact, did it on purpose, and not because Ed had prompted him to. Stede was looking at Ed with genuine concern, not a grimace to be seen. Not for the first time, Ed couldn’t help but note that Stede was looking him in the eye. Met his gaze head-on. No fear of him at all.

“Are you alright?” Stede asked.

“Uh, yeah,” Ed said as one of the tentacles from the top of his head started to reach for Stede. He glared at it before batting it away, forcing Stede’s hand off his arm to do it. “Fuck off.”

Stede smirked, but said nothing about the wayward tentacle.

“If you’d like a break, we can take one.” He offered. “Or if you’re hungry and want to practice, I could always see if Roach has some lunch we could have using the set?”

“I’d like that,” Ed replied.

Stede’s smile knocked the breath out of him, made his belly swoop in the best way. 

“Be right back,” Stede said, touching Ed again to give him a reassuring touch to the upper arm, this time nearer to his spines, before he headed out of the cabin.

Ed looked down at his arm as if he could see a physical change where the ghost of Stede’s touch lingered. He wished it wouldn’t fade, that he could somehow brand the way Stede’s fingers curled around or brushed his limb forever. The last time he felt like that was when Izzy first touched him as a boy, which probably meant….

Shit. No. Couldn’t be that, not after a day. Stede was fucking gorgeous, yes, and kind to boot. He was funny in his own way, a bit bitchy. Smart. Great fucking attributes but not enough to make Ed… not after a fucking day, right?

But Ed’s stomach was still filled with butterflies, and he watched the door like there was a chance Stede was never going to come back.

Maybe there was a loophole. Bird Guy said some one had to love every bit of Ed, but maybe… maybe if Izzy loved the Kraken and Blackbeard, and Stede loved Ed, it would be enough. 

Maybe Ed didn’t need to learn to love himself at all.

Chapter Text

Ed stared out the window, watching as the night sky slowly shifted to the early light of dawn. Or, at least what early light he could make out through the fog. It hadn’t been quite as bad as it usually was the last few days, but the fucking stuff still wasn’t allowing him a decent sunrise to pine too.

The object of said pining snored in his bunk, and Ed couldn’t help but smirk at the sound. 

It had been a week since the moment he realized he was falling in love with Stede Bonnet. A week of putting himself in situations where Stede would touch him just to have the contact. 

He even contemplated whether or not to pull his favored “stab me” line just to get the man’s body along his. Hard to do in the cabin without drawing a lot of questions from Izzy as to why there was blood on the floor. Blood that, sadly, wasn’t quite the same color as normal human blood and would give away who stabbed whom. Then Izzy would probably stab Stede, and that would probably dampen Ed’s feelings toward Izzy, and that would cause a bigger problem than just healing from another stab wound.

It would be easier if any of Stede’s lessons on manners, on fabrics, and massive aggression were also lessons on flirting with the gentry. Ed didn’t think the normal sort of flirting pirates did would get him very far, but he had no idea how to speak Stede’s language in this area. 

Could just ask , Ed thought to himself. Would give you away, though.

But would it? If he didn’t realize you wanted to learn to use it on him , is it really going to give you away?

Maybe .

As Ed contemplated the pros and cons, a seagull landed on the sill of the open window.

Ed immediately recognized it as the same seagull that frequently popped over since his curse set in. He narrowed his eyes at the bird and attempted a decent scowl.

“I have questions,” He said to the bird.

The bird ruffled its wings and nodded, taking up into the sky.

Ed craned his head out the window a moment, seeing the bird circling and waiting for him to inevitably follow.

Normally, Ed wouldn’t think twice about tipping himself out the window and into the water. But there was Stede, and if the splash woke him up, he could only imagine the alarm that would be raised if Stede thought Ed had fallen out the window. Ed wasn’t sure how the crew would attempt a rescue since they seemed to refuse to look at him, so they’d probably ask Izzy. Izzy would get in a fucking snit, and there goes the whole day.

So, Ed did the sensible thing. He closed the window and left the cabin through the door.

Only Izzy and Fang were awake and on deck when Ed emerged. Fang dropped his eyes to his feet while Izzy raised his chin.

“I see the fucking thing.” He said to Ed, gesturing at the circling gall. “Guess that means you’re taking off for a bit.”

“He’s the only one that can answer a few of the questions I’ve started having,” Ed replied.

Izzy glanced at the cabin door, and panic started to shine in his eyes.

“You’re not telling me the ponce-“

“Iz,” Ed reached out and curled his hand around the side of Izzy’s neck, stroking his thumb delicately along his jaw. “We’re good,” he told his First Mate. 

Izzy turned to Fang, who quickly made himself scarce. Only once he was not in the immediate vicinity did Izzy step closer, resting a hand on Ed’s chest. 

“You got questions about this curse that you didn’t think of until you stuck us with him. Makes me think that maybe we’re not so ‘good’ after all.”

“Iz,” Ed started to try and reason with him before he lost any real will to do so. “Just, can you make sure he doesn’t wake up alone?”

“You’re fucking joking?”

“Does it look like I’m fucking joking?” Ed shot back, removing his hand from Izzy’s neck and taking a step back out of his reach. 

The hurt flashed in Izzy’s eyes before he masked it. When Izzy glanced in the direction of the cabin, Ed could practically hear the misplaced blame Izzy was putting on Stede.

“Oh, and Iz? When I come back, he better be in the same state I left him in.”

“Yes, Captain,” Izzy said with a sneer before heading into the cabin.

Ed watched him go before he went to the rail of the ship. He stepped onto it before letting himself fall into the water. Once he resurfaced, he found where the bird was overhead, then followed, swimming toward the cluster of islands it was flying toward.

~S~

When Stede woke up, Ed wasn’t in bed. That was odd, because the whole time he’d been on the ship, Ed had always still been asleep when Stede woke up. 

After frowning over at Ed’s bunk for a while, Stede got out of his own bunk and began to look around the room. Not that Ed could easily hide in the space, but there was always a chance he was tucked in a corner out of Stede's view.

He moved around the cabin looking for a clue, maybe a note. Though the more Stede searched, the more ridiculous he began to think that notion was. Why would Ed leave him a note? What would it even say? Yes, technically, Ed was his Captain, but Stede wasn’t technically part of the crew. He wasn’t really anything.

Nothing new there , he thought to himself as he approached a shelf of knick-knacks. There was a fairly high lip on the thing, meaning it probably would take some really rough weather to knock the contents off. On it was a ship in a bottle, which felt pretty appropriate for a pirate Captain to have. A sextant, also useful, as was the telescope.

The hourglass was unusual. Not because of what it was, but more because of the design. There appeared to be a mermaid and a unicorn shaped into the brass. A third entity facing away from Stede, but he was pretty sure he could see tentacles. Inside the bulbs wasn’t sand but water that somehow didn’t rush from the top to the bottom. Actually, it felt like Stede had been staring at it for a while before he finally saw the tiniest drip splash into the bottom bulb.

It was beautiful, too. The craftsmanship was exquisite. The detail on the figures he could see was astounding. Intricate and nearly life-like.

“I wouldn’t touch that if I were you.”

“Jesus!” Stede yelped, yanking back a hand he hadn’t even realized was reaching for the hourglass before he turned around and glared at Izzy.

Izzy was standing at the entrance of a nook which Stede knew contained little more than empty shelves and a chair. 

Ignoring Stede’s outburst, Izzy gestured toward the shelf now at Stede’s back.

“Thing is what got us all in this fucking mess.”

It was the first time since he’d come on board that someone hinted more firmly that Ed wasn’t always the Kraken.

“What happened?” Stede asked curiously.

Izzy went from indifferent to cold in a second.

“None of your fucking business,” He snarled. After a beat, he regained a touch of composure. “Edward is gone for the day. Asked me to let you know. Now that I’ve done that, I’m gonna go run the fucking ship. So stay the fuck out of the way.”

Izzy then stomped toward the cabin door, throwing it open before storming out.

Stede sighed at the empty doorway before crossing the room to close the door. 

He dressed, wishing not for the first time he might have had his trunk of clothes brought over before his father unceremoniously kicked the plank between the ships into the water. He then made his way out onto the deck, because regardless of what Izzy said, Stede wasn’t about to hide away all day.

“Hey, Stede,” Oluwande greeted him when he stepped out into the ocean air.

“Good morning, Olu. What’s Izzy got you all doing today?”

“Boring stuff, mostly,” Oluwande replied, gesturing with the mop in his hand. “Another attempt at repairing the sails, Pete’s scraping barnacles.”

None of it sounded particularly pleasant, but Stede knew that there were tasks that had to be done around a ship to keep it functioning.

He glanced up to see Jim and Frenchie sending a sail down to Wee John. Archie was laughing as it fell around him to the deck, John standing almost precisely where there had been a giant hole.

“I feel like I should help out, somehow,” Stede admitted even as the very idea was less than palatable. He knew in his gut that the ropes would burn his hands even with gloves, and he’d do a shit job cleaning anything to what was probably considered an acceptable standard. He might be able to patch the holes in the sails; he had mended his own garments now and then, but he frankly didn’t want to.

“Well,” Oluwande said in a considering tone. “Maybe you could just keep us all company. Talk to us. Maybe tell us a story about your life or something.”

Stede’s eyes went wide as an idea struck him. 

A story about his life, absolutely not. A story in general, however, he could absolutely do.

~E~

The Bird had shifted into Bird Guy by the time Ed got to shore. He was naked, of course, because Bird Guy was always naked when he just shifted forms, and random islands didn’t tend to have piles of clothes kicking around.

“Ye said ye had some questions,” Bird Guy said as Ed crossed the sand to stand a little closer. 

It was easier to keep his eyes up.

“You said to break this fucking curse, someone had to love all of me.”

“Aye, and ye love all o’ them in return,” Bird Guy said solemnly, slowly nodding once.

Ed put his hands on his hips.

“What if you can get two people to love the different parts of you? Like, say, one guy loves this and the other guy loves the Ed that’s always been tucked away?”

Bird Guy frowned thoughtfully.

“I may have to consult the spirits on this one,” He said before he slowly turned around, crossed his arms behind his back. Slowly, he strolled deeper into the island while speaking a strange language in an exceedingly deep voice.

“What the fuck?” Ed asked himself quietly. 

He waited a few moments, but when he realized Bird Guy wasn’t coming back soon, he glanced up at the trees, seeing some coconuts closest to him. Turning toward the thicker trees further inland, Ed was pretty sure he’d seen some star fruits. 

“Guess I’ll get breakfast.”

~*~

Ed was getting to the point where he was debating if he should attempt fishing by the time Bird Guy came back. It could have been hours or it could have been twenty minutes after he had breakfast. Ed never really was able to keep track of time well when he got bored.

Ed scrambled to his feet and waited with bated breath for Bird Guy to tell him what the spirits told him. Bird Guy, of course waited until he’d finished his slow walk just a couple of feet away from back to Ed before he looked up and said, “No.”

“No?” Ed repeated.

“Aye, no. It must be one person that loves you completely as you are.”

Ed sighed and looked up at the sky.

He could see the sun was rising, the clouds fine and wispy, meaning it would be good weather for literally everyone else nearby. If Ed wanted to, he could change that for a moment, cause a storm to rage around them. The more angry he was, the bigger it would get, and he knew at the moment he could certainly unleash an unholy amount of rage.

It was funny because until just that moment, he wasn’t entirely sure how he would feel if Izzy had walked away from him. A part of him always knew he’d be a bit sad, but everything between them the last few years felt more habit than anything. There was no passion, no drama, no life! But now, knowing he would have to give Izzy up in order to focus all his attention on Stede, to really try and woo him so that maybe he could fall in love with Ed despite the monstrous form? 

“Fucking bullshit monogamous curse,” Ed growled.

“’S not monogamous,” Bird Guy replied. “Someone can love the worst parts of ye, and someone can love all of ye. Maybe that latter helps the former love all of ya, too.”

“What about someone who only loves the best parts of you?” Ed asked.

Bird Guy made a face.

“Easy to love all the best bits.”

He then pulled his hands out from behind his back, presenting Ed with a compass. 

“This will come in handy,” Bird Guy said. “It will point ye toward where your home is.”

Ed arched a brow as he reached for it.

“So it will lead me back to the ship, then?”

“Eck, no. Home isn’t always a place.”

“Alright, then,” Ed opened the compass curiously, noting the needle swung behind him, pointing away from North.

“I’ll stay close,” Bird Guy said. “Help answer any questions you might need.”

“Well, if you stay close, like as a person, you might want some clothes,” Ed gestured vaguely downward.

Bird Guy’s eyes went wide before he looked down, seemingly surprised to see that he was, in fact, naked.

Ed decided that this would be a great time to start heading back to the ship.

~I~

He wanted to be really fucking pissed. What Izzy was, at least, was very annoyed.

Stede fucking Bonnet was telling stories. Fairy tales from the sounds of things. Perched on the capstan like he was a king on his fucking throne, weaving tales and holding the crew’s undivided attention. Worse, he was being loud, probably so whoever was scrapping the fucking barnacles off could hear him, too.

Yet despite how annoying Izzy found it, chores and tasks were still getting done. Bonnet himself was even doing some work, mending parts of the sail nearest to him. He was taking longer, of course, as he paused to gesture or glance about his attentive audience, but he was still working. 

Which was more than he could saw about the twatty stowaway that the crew didn’t seem to think he knew about. That useless lump wasn’t doing shit, barely even hiding behind Fang as Bonnet told his stupid little story.

Izzy was still trying to figure out how best to burst that bubble when there was a gentle wrapping near his feet.

He left the quarterdeck, sticking close to the wall, before slipping into the hallway where Edward was waiting. 

There was a puddle at Ed’s feet, but he wasn’t actively dripping. His trousers and torso were still damp, droplets clinging here and there. The ever-moving tentacles were dry, though. At least that’s how they looked in the lower light.

“You’re not as wet as I would have expected,” Izzy commented.

“Yeah, I got sucked in. You’d think a wooden puppet listening to a fucking cricket wouldn’t be that interesting, but fuck.”

“You notice the stowaway? He must have came on board with Bonnet, then never fucking left.”

Ed narrowed his eyes, but it became apparent pretty quickly that he had no idea who Izzy was talking about.

“The Twat hanging off Fang,” Izzy clarified, and noted when Ed seemed to spot who he meant. “Every time I spot the fucker he’s with him or Black Pete.”

They only had a stowaway a couple of times, both when they were first starting to make a name for themselves. After all, no one tries to sneak on Blackbeard’s ship. This twat wasn’t any different, he just had the unfortunate fate of being stuck on the ship when he ride home kicked off. 

“Shit,” Ed said with a chuckle. “Guess we’re stuck with him, now.”

“Or we could throw him overboard, feed him to the sharks,” Izzy suggested, turning in time to see that Bonnet had smiled at twatty, pointing at the fucker and laughing along with him.

“Stede would probably miss his friend,” Ed reasoned. “Could always offer him the out, let him head to shore with Fang or whoever next time we need to send someone ashore for supplies.”

“You can’t keep doing this,” Izzy said gently. “First Bonnet, now him?”

“Iz,” Ed said sharply, the undertone of warning in his voice even if the spines along his back and arms didn’t twitch.

“I just,” Izzy huffed. “I worry, Edward. I worry that you’re gonna let the wrong fucker live and that’ll be it. For you, for me, the crew.”

“I wouldn’t worry,” Ed said with confidence, reaching into his pocket and taking out a compass. The needle swayed from one side to another, lingering longer as it pointed toward the mast which Izzy was fairly fucking confident was not North.

“Why now?” Izzy asked Ed as he watched the needle for a moment.

Ed closed the case shut with a snap.

“Because I’ve a plan.”

Izzy narrowed his eyes before understanding took hold.

“The Sea Witch told you another way to break the curse.”

“Kinda,” Ed said before he clapped Izzy on the shoulder. “Tell Stede I’m back when he’s done. Let him finish, first.” 

Izzy watched Ed head back toward his cabin, puzzled over what might have changed since the curse was placed. Maybe the Sea Witch found a fix, something to do with the compass? Probably why Ed didn’t ask to change course, they were already heading roughly where they needed to be.

Izzy nodded to himself before Bonnet pulled his attention. He was getting really into the story, talking quickly and waving his arms about in dramatic gestures.

He was a fucking ponce, an absolute twat, but he was a damn good story teller, Izzy could admit that.

Bonnet flinched, pausing a moment to raise his hand to his eyes as if shielding them. Though why the fuck he’d do that, what with all the-

Izzy noted Wee John doing the same, so was Jim, and only a moment after had he realized there wasn’t any fog lingering around the ship.

None.

He stepped out, took a few steps away from the door, and looked up.

There were clouds still, sure. Enough that not a speck of blue could be seen. But trying hard to come through the cloud cover was the sun, the glow of it easy enough to see that Izzy had to shield his eyes, too.

No fog, a bit of sun? Whatever fucking happened, wherever they were going, really was the answer to this stupid, fucking curse.

In spite of himself, Izzy smiled.

Chapter Text

“Meat!” Roach shouted, eyes wide and wild as he and John carried a crate up from the hold. 

“You can’t-“ The Captain of the raided ship started to argue, but Izzy had his sword to the man’s neck before he could utter the next word.

“I think you’ll find we can,” He told the Captain evenly.

Stede found the whole display quite awe-inspiring.

He’d been sailing with the crew of the Revenge for nearly three weeks. For the most part, it was a pretty uneventful time. There were daily chores they had to keep up with, and during that time, he would tell them the stories he remembered to keep them entertained while they patched sails or garments, swabbed the deck, checked the rigging, and so forth. There were also a lot of hours spent with Ed in the cabin, talking about nothing and everything, sometimes teaching one another things.

Raids happened far less frequently than Stede thought they would, so it was quite the event when they did occur. Apparently, the preternatural fog that followed them everywhere they went during Stede’s first week on board had been the norm for the crew long enough that the crew had to change up how they approached the vessel. Ed had gone into the water, hiding until the fight was in full swing, then climbed up the side of the other ship, his presence still intimidating enough even without his being a shadow to start with.

Stede had been enthralled, of course. There was a grace to Ed’s movements even if they were heavy. He might have been cursed - the inevitable conclusion Stede had drawn - but Ed had obviously adapted to his new form well. Stede had a hard time taking his eyes off of him.

Except, of course, when it came to Izzy. 

He was graceful, too, though Stede would never say it to the man’s face. He moved like a dancer when he had a sword in his hand, every move coordinated in such a way that Stede would have thought the whole fight was choreographed. 

Both of them together were indescribable. 

But as was always the case, once the opposing ship was captured, and the crew either gutted or subdued, Ed would disappear back to the water, and Izzy would go back to snarling and barking out orders. The former wouldn’t be seen again until they were some distance away from the ship, and the latter would go back to pretending like Stede didn’t exist.

Mostly.

Izzy kept his sword at the Captain’s neck while turning toward Stede as best as he could.

“What’s it worth?”

Roach’s smile fell as he looked from Izzy to Stede.

Still, he knew not to argue, and he and John set down the crate, John opening the lid for Stede to peer inside.

He glanced in, but he didn’t really need to look to know what he was going to say.

“It’s nice enough, but you wouldn’t get much for it. Best it get added to our rations, like the flour and cheese.”

Whether Izzy believed him or not was hard to tell. He rolled his eyes, then gestured with his head to Roach and John to bring it over to the Revenge.

“Meat!” Roach mouthed again as John got the lid back on the crate, his giddy grin infectious.

“So did you lot decide to transport anything that’s not fucking food?” Izzy asked the Captain. 

“He’s not going to fucking tell you,” a brute of a fellow replied. He might have been a First Mate as well, it was hard to say. He was one of the last ones to be captured, having lost his sword in a fight against Izzy.

“Actually, I noted Jim carrying a few bolts of some excellent fabric that would probably sell quite well in the right market,” Stede said. “And I think I saw Frenchie’s arms loaded with strings of pearls when he passed by a few moments ago. Past you, actually,” Stede said to the brute. “It’s a wonder you hadn’t noticed.”

Izzy grinned at the brute.

“Guess your Captain didn’t have to tell me.”

Izzy stepped back a few paces, sheathing his sword as he turned and approached Stede.

“You’re going to tell us how much that shit is worth. I mean really worth, not the bullshit you’ve been pulling with the food.” Izzy said in a low, threatening way. 

“It’s good for morale,” Stede retorted, movement from the hostages distracting him, pulling his focus from Izzy. 

“Money’s also good for morale, and they can get by fine on the rations we have.”

“Get by, sure,” Stede agreed. “But they’ll be in better spirits if they eat something more palatable.”

More shifting had him glancing away from Izzy, frowning at the captured crew. Namely, the brute who seemed to be doing to most movement.

“You might benefit from something that puts you in a better mood as well,” Stede said to Izzy without looking at him, hearing a “ha” from someone behind him.

“Listen to me, you fucking twat,” Izzy started, but Stede didn’t hear a damn thing the little man was saying.

The brute of the other crew had slowed his fidgeting, all while keeping his eyes on them, though he seemed to be more focused on Izzy. Stede frowned in confusion, trying to figure out what it was the fellow was up to, when he noted the barrel of a gun just visible as the captive shifted.

“Look out!” Stede shouted as he grabbed Izzy and pulled him to the side, away from the gun’s line of fire.

There was a shot, and Stede felt the burn of something on his side.

He looked down at his abdomen just as red blossomed through the teal of his waistcoat.

Stede looked up at the man, who looked back at him wide-eyed, gun shaking in his hand. 

“You,” Stede paused, swallowing around the dryness in his throat. “You monster! This is high-quality satin you’ve ruined.”

His legs got shaky, then he found the deck coming toward him at incredible speed.

There was a ruckus. Both crews had started to shout, a couple of hands found their way to him, one divesting him of his jacket and ruined waistcoat, another holding his head and shoulders.

Izzy’s sword was back in his hand as he shouted for someone to do… something. It was hard to hear through the pounding of Stede’s heart echoing through his ears. 

He thought for a moment he was blacking out, but realized rather quickly that the dimming light was thick, angry clouds blocking out the sun as a terrifying roar crackled and preluded the deafening boom of thunder.

As best he could, Stede forced himself to stay conscious as Edward moved toward the captured crew, his tentacles wild around his head like the halo of an avenging angel. The spines on his arms and back stood out at attention, pointed and blade-sharp. When he turned to Izzy as the First Mate spoke, Ed’s eyes glowed more brightly than Stede had ever seen them, his teeth bared and gleaming dangerously.

“Beautiful,” he said to himself in wonder. His gaze found Izzy’s before the world began to spin. “Absolutely beautiful.”

As the terrified, bloody screams of the other crew punctuated the air, Stede blacked out.

~I~

Izzy could say his worldview hadn’t been turned upside down. That would be an understatement. His worldview had been twisted and distorted into something he hadn’t recognized. The events of the day took everything he thought he knew for certain and made it so he wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

Rich fucks were always self-serving twats who didn’t give a shit about anyone but themselves. Until that afternoon, Izzy was entirely sure Stede Bonnet was like every other posh knob he’d ever encountered. He had been prissy, useless, and utterly unaware of how the world really worked outside his gilded life. Then Stede had seen the fucking gun and didn’t move when he yanked Izzy out of the way. Whether it’s because he knew that Archie was behind him or not, it didn’t matter. He hadn’t tried to save himself like every other ponce with a silver spoon shoved up their ass would have. Like his own father had when he traded Stede’s life for his own.

That had been enough for Izzy to start to see him differently. Maybe Bonnet had fucking potential to be at least an adequate pirate with the right training if he didn’t die from the injury.

Then Ed had come back on board to investigate the gunshot. He’d taken one look at Bonnet, and the storm rolled in. One second, the sun had shown with a bit of cloud cover, the next it was a dangerous thunderstorm, one that threatened any ship but the Revenge with fire before an inevitable and permanent dip below the waves. The full might of the Kraken had been unleashed, and not a fucking soul from the raided ship was going to live to see another sunset.

Izzy had known Edward was fond of the ponce, he did. A part of him was jealous, of course, it was natural after it had been just the two of them for nearly a decade. Monogamy was not required, per se; it had just sort of become the norm for them. But seeing Edward’s desperation, the fear and anger all mixed up in his gorgeous glowing eyes had let Izzy see that Ed had really wanted to keep Bonnet around. 

When Izzy looked at Bonnet to see if he was still breathing, he caught Stede mouth the word “beautiful” in regard to Ed. Izzy wondered if the man had been delirious with blood loss, but when Bonnet turned to Izzy and said it again,  Izzy came to a startling conclusion.

Stede was the one that was going to end this fucking curse.

Someone who could love Edward. All of him.

The one to love the man when he wanted to learn fancy things, or when he would eye the nice clothes and shiny trinkets that they had always sold with longing. Love the softer, gentler side that Ed always kept tucked away, and that Izzy insisted Ed keep tucked away even with him. Bonnet looked at the Kraken and saw something truly beautiful, whether getting giddy over a cup of tea in fine china or in the throes of a hurricane-like rage. 

There wasn’t any doubt that Bonnet would love Ed even as he was now. The most fearsome pirate Captain in the Caribbean sitting at his bedside, Bonnet’s hand clasped gently in Ed’s, those red eyes watching every single movement of Bonnet’s face, his breath falling in time with the ponce’s.

From where he sat in his armchair turned toward the bed, Izzy warred with himself on what he should do. If he should mention anything at all, or play stupid to what was happening in front of his very eyes.

“Did we ever sort out who didn’t take the fucker’s gun?” Ed asked, a rumble outside and a distant flicker of lightning following his words.

Izzy glanced out at the night sky, vaguely wondering at the reach this curse had, before he answered.

“Gun was one of ours. Must have swiped it off Frenchie when he passed by.” Izzy waited a moment to see what consequences Ed was going to demand. When the Kraken didn’t react, Izzy added, “Wasn’t his fault, he shouldn’t be punished for it.”

“Hm,” Ed grumbled, though Izzy couldn’t tell if he was agreeing or not. 

When Ed didn’t elaborate, Izzy looked at Bonnet, noting the light beading of sweat along the man’s brow. He got up and crossed the room, getting a damp cloth from the basin by the bed and checking for a fever before he dabbed the man’s forehead.

Bonnet’s skin wasn’t burning, and his color wasn’t anything alarming one way or another. Pain was likely the cause. Izzy dabbed his forehead, focusing on the man’s brow as he summoned the courage to ask what was on his mind.

“You want me gone?”

“What?” Ed asked, his confusion a break in the angry rumble.

Izzy took a steadying breath, set the cloth on the edge of the basin, then looked at Ed.

“We both know he’s it,” Izzy cut to the chase. “But it might be a bit hard for what needs to happen if I’m here.”

Ed frowned adorably.

“Iz-“

“It’s whatever. You want the curse ended, he’s gonna be the one to do it. Question is if you want me around while it’s happening or not.”

“It’s not whatever,” Ed replied. “And yeah, I’m… I think I might be falling for him. But I don’t want you gone. I need you here.”

“Eddie,” Izzy closed the space and cupped Edward’s cheek, the nearest tentacles wrapping around his wrist like a lamprey. “He’s not from our world. He’s from one where being able to love a man if a fucking modern concept. What do you think is gonna happen when he learns we’ve been together since we were lads?”

“I don’t fucking know,” Ed replied, his red eyes glistening as he reached for Izzy with his free hand. 

“Ow,” Bonnet’s voice broke the moment, and Izzy turned to see the man’s eyes were at least still closed. He stepped away,  just out of Ed’s hold, the tentacles loosening their hold to allow Izzy to slip free.

“Stede?” Ed’s voice sounded so small as he leaned toward Bonnet.

Bonnet blinked his eyes open, finding Izzy first. 

He sighed softly, shoulders relaxing as the barest hint of smile made its way to Bonnet’s lips. He looked to Ed, the smile lingering before he frowned.

“The crew?”

“Safe, all safe,” Ed assured. 

“Good,” Bonnet said, deflating further with relief.

Relief at he and Ed being alright, Izzy could understand. Bonnet and Ed were as close as anything, and Izzy he had pulled out of the gun’s path. Had Bonnet asked about Archie specifically, he could understand, but the whole crew?

“You were worried?” Izzy asked as Bonnet gave a slow blink. 

Fighting to keep his eyes open, Bonnet turned his head toward Izzy.

“Would have felt horrible if they got hurt because of me.”

“None of this is your fault,” Ed firmly stated.

“Except… well, I could have avoided the bullet better. At least it missed the important bits.”

“It did, yeah,” Ed assured with a grin. “Rest up, mate.”

Bonnet didn’t need to be told twice, and be it from pain, exhaustion, or both, he was out cold again in a second.

“Shit,” Ed’s voice broke, and he was on his feet and moving away from the bed before Izzy could see a single tear. The door to the ensuite closed with a thud that was loud enough to wake the dead. Bonnet stirred, his eyes cracking open again, finding Izzy once more, then he drifted back to sleep. 

Izzy glanced at the door to the ensuite before he took a seat on the edge of the bed and studied Bonnet more carefully.

“Guess there’s something in you I didn’t see,” Izzy told the man as he absently brushed a curl away from his forehead. 

He was going to stay, for Ed’s sake. And he was going to try harder to get to know Bonnet, since Ed didn’t seem to want to live without either of them. But he was going to take a bit of a step back, give them space to let whatever it was that was happening between them grow, so Ed could shed the Kraken.

What happens after that, Izzy would wait and see.

Chapter Text

Prince Richard Banes was getting irritated.

It had been at least three weeks since he’d laid eyes on Stede. 

He passed by the seaside bookshop, but that hadn’t been opened once in all the days that passed. Ricky had attempted to go by the house only to be told by the butler that Master Bonnet the younger wasn’t in. He would stay near the tavern he knew Stede favored, hoping to catch him.

Alas, nothing.

He sighed wistfully as he looked out the window toward the docks, watching the rain trail down the pane.

“You can’t possibly be pining after Baby Bonnet,” One of the Badminton twins said.

“You can’t have possibly used that nickname in my presence,” Ricky replied, words sharp like a knife. “After all, I’m a minor prince. One word from me, and your commission in the Navy is forfeit.”

“You wouldn’t.”

Ricky wasn’t sure if it was the same twin who spoke or not, and he really didn’t care. He turned his head slowly, making sure he had their full attention.

Neither of them was smiling, and both had a nervous glint in their eye. They might be bullies, and they might loathe him. But neither of them was completely stupid, and both knew that it really would only take a snap of Ricky’s fingers and they’d find themselves dishonorably dismissed. 

The Badminton twins were assigned to follow him, though Ricky wasn’t entirely sure why. Not why they were assigned to follow, but more why them specifically. There had to be better naval officers, particularly ones who actually earned their titles. Officers who could have told Ricky the sorts of stories only men who worked their way up through the ranks could tell. But instead of those sorts of me, he got stuck with the ones who could only talk about how they bullied their lessers. 

“You had better believe that I would,” Ricky said evenly. “And I would have Stede with me when I do it, so he can witness your downfall.” He added with a delighted grin.

Movement across the tavern pulled his attention. 

Edward Bonnet had crossed the room toward the bar, shaking his hat out as he went. It was hard to tell what sort of mood the fellow was in, Ricky having never seen the man look anything beyond irritated. Regardless, Ricky had absolutely no issue getting up from his chair and approaching the man. He was royalty, after all, he could do as he pleased.

“Mr Bonnet,” He said, getting the man’s attention.

Bonnet glanced him over.

“Your grace.”

“I was wondering if you could point me to where Stede has been hiding. I haven’t seen him around town in weeks.”

Bonnet scowled slightly before ordering a drink.

Ricky waited with barely-there patience.

“He’s gone,” Bonnet replied, turning back to Ricky. “Taken by pirates.”

“By pirates,” Ricky repeated, raising a hand and beckoning his sycophants to come to his side. He could hear the scramble and the bickering of the twins as they approached. “What pirates?”

Bonnet scoffed, turning to the barkeep as his ale was brought to him. He tossed a couple of coins on the counter, then picked up his drink and stared into it.

“Not sure,” Bonnet replied. “But one of them was a fucking sea monster.”

“A sea monster?” One of the twins asked. “The Kraken?”

“Yes,” Bonnet turned to the twin on Ricky’s right and smirked. “I’ve no doubt you think I’m insane. I would think I was insane if I hadn’t lived it. Fog that comes out of nowhere, a ship that looks like it’s dead in the water and has been for years. You board it. You don’t know why you’re compelled to, but you do. At least you do if you have a spine, which is half the reason I’m surprised my plan worked as well as it did, given what Stede is. Then, it comes out.”

“It?” Ricky asked.

Bonnet looked him in the eye.

“The Kraken. Tentacles around his head, demonic eyes, something on his back that would impale a man dozens of times over. An abomination from the depths. “

“We’ve heard of him,” the other twin said. “A few Naval vessels had the unfortunate luck of coming across it. Sends a tender of men, maybe one comes back crying and screaming about what he saw. Then a storm rolls in, the sort that will damage a ship and send her to the depths if you don’t outrun it.”

“The Kraken happened to appear when word of Black Beard disappeared,” the twin on the right added. “We believe it’s what finally took out the infamous pirate.”

“But this does not explain Stede’s being in his possession. How did you lose my prize?”

“He wasn’t your prize, he was my useless son. And while I was ready to make a deal with you so you could take that burden away, I had a better opportunity presented. My life for his, and what they do with him is not my problem.”

Ricky kept an outward calm as he snapped his fingers. 

Two swords were drawn and pointed toward Bonnet, and the tavern fell silent.

“I believe it is your problem. Because, you see, as far as I was concerned, Stede was mine. And you foolishly gave him over to a band of brigands. So now I’m at a loss of what should be done with you.”

“We could execute him. One less Bonnet in the world,” the twin on the right said.

“We could also force him to help us find the ship,” the one on the left suggested. “We could retrieve Bonnet the lesser and then blow the Kraken and his crew out of the water.”

“Another insect exterminated,” The twin on the right added thoughtfully, “I quite like your thinking Chauncey.”

“We’d be heroes,” Chauncey agreed. “And it would be the first step in eliminating all pirates. Which you, my liege, would be credited for.”

“With our names noted with prominence,” Nigel agreed. 

“Of course,” Ricky agreed dismissively as he held Bonnet’s eye. “I do prefer the plan where I get my groom and have made a legacy for myself. I think that means we set sail tomorrow. And, perhaps, this fine gentleman should be held in the brig of the naval ship in the meantime.”

Bonnet’s eyes went wide as he started to panic. More naval officers, likely a few who were merely in the tavern for a drink, hopped into action as Chauncey snapped his fingers. 

Bonnet protested as he was manhandled out of the tavern, shouting nonsense about being wrongfully detained. But Ricky couldn’t help but feel pleased by it all.

He’d be a hero. Stede will be so happy for the rescue that he’d finally stop playing coy and allow Ricky to marry him, give him a title, and show the world the beauty that Stede Bonnet was. Ricky would be heralded as a saviour in high society, saving a son from a father gone mad. 

Ricky took a deep inhale through his nose and turned to the bewildered barkeep. 

“Three champagnes, please,” he ordered. 

“Champagne?” Chauncey asked in what passed as incredulous for him.

“Yes,” Ricky said as he turned to face the twins. “Preemptive, I know. But I promised myself I’d be married to Stede, and now I have a plan to make it happen. One where he’ll be incapable of saying no.” 

The cork of the bottle popped, and Ricky grinned.

“And, if all goes to plan, the pair of you will become properly decorated officers.”

Nigel and Chauncey glanced at one another before both broke into wicked grins.

The glasses were set on the bar, and Ricky handed each twin one before picking up his own.

“A toast,” he said, “to us all getting what we want.”

~I~

“How the fuck did we catch another ship so quickly?” Izzy pondered aloud as he stared at the vessel on the horizon. Fuck, not even on the horizon so much as nearby. He could see it clearly without a spyglass, enough to know it was another merchant vessel.

Oluwande shrugged, then gestured to the sails.

“They’ve been holding for the last few days,” He said.

Izzy glanced up at the sails and noted that, yes, actually, the majority of the holes in the sails remained patched. They had fixed them again the day before Stede was shot, as the blonde had told a tale of some princess who punished her step sisters by making them dance on hot coals. Might have been the mother, too. Izzy couldn’t remember the details. Just how gleefully Stede had relayed how the Ella girl punished the family that treated her like shit.

It felt like a lifetime ago in the same strange way that it felt like forever since Ed had been human. Ed hadn’t been human in nearly a year. Stede was shot just a couple of days ago.

The first day after it happened was a somber affair. Izzy had spent so much damn time by Edward’s side, and by extension Stede’s, that he hadn’t paid much attention to what the crew were doing. Despite being a bunch of typically useless fucking fuckers, they had gotten the ship away from the wreckage of the vessel Ed sank in his rage and put them on course for a cluster of small islands where they could restock on fresh water and maybe get some fresh fruits that weren’t fucking oranges.

The day after, things were a bit lighter, the crew assured that Stede would live, having made it through two days. No fever, no signs of infection. He’d lost a lot of blood, but Roach figured rest and a decent diet would probably help with that.

Stede didn’t complain, much to Izzy’s surprise. It was clear he was in pain, but he was putting on a brave enough face for Edward. 

Izzy winced when he realized what spotting a ship would mean.

“Right,” He said before clapping his hands and getting the crew’s attention. “Oi, listen up! Every fucking one of you needs to get ready for a raid. And remember to keep your fucking weapons out of reach of the other crew.”

The “aye” that went through the crew was less than enthusiastic, but not for lack of want. Frenchie seemed to shrink in on himself a bit, slipping behind John as if he was actually going to be able to hide.

Izzy rolled his eyes and shook his head. Frenchie had already apologized profusely. Offered to throw himself in the drink to save Izzy the effort of tossing him overboard.

But if Ed hadn’t dismembered him the day of the incident, then chances were he hadn’t wanted anything done to the crew. But, well, better they not clue into that just yet, maybe then Izzy would get to worry less about the amount of mistakes they might make.

He then departed the quarter deck, heading down to the cabin, hesitating at the door. He closed his eyes to steady himself, not wanting to be the bearer of any sort of news that would mean Ed would have to leave Stede’s side.

Izzy took a breath, rapped on the door, then opened it.

“Captain,” He said as he entered.

Stede was the one who looked at Izzy first, then Ed slowly turned as well. His tentacles started to move with more agitation, and Izzy could barely hold back a grimace.

“A ship approaching?” Stede asked.

“Yeah,” Izzy bit out.

“Ed,” Stede started, but Ed rested his hands over where Stede’s were folded over the edge of his bandage.

“Not leaving you, mate.”

“Edward,” Izzy tried, only to have Ed turn back to him with glowing eyes.

“Ed, the crew needs you,” Stede said sternly. “And it would be good for them to do another raid. A sort of do-over after what happened last time.”

Ed had turned back to Stede, and Stede nodded ever so slightly, eyes wide and encouraging.

“Fine,” Ed said. “But I’m coming back right after I scare the fuckers into surrender.”

“That’s the spirit,” Stede said as Ed got up and headed to the other window. He opened it awkwardly, got on the ledge, and then jumped. The splash followed a moment later.

“You and the crew will be safe,” Stede said before Izzy could move to leave.

Said, not asked. A confidence or command, Izzy wasn’t sure, but there wasn’t going to be any other answer as an option.

“We will,” He replied. “And you’re not going to fucking move from that bed.”

“I won’t,” Stede assured.

Izzy scoffed but grinned before he headed out of the cabin. He had no doubt that Stede would probably move at least a little without Ed hovering, but he trusted the ponce wasn’t going to do anything stupid when he did.

~S~

Stede moved. He didn’t get out of bed, but he did sit up. Better to do it without Ed or anyone else hearing him whimper or see a tear or two slip out. It was just that the view of the ceiling was getting rather boring, and how was he going to see anything at all if he didn’t get a proper look out the window. That had been a bit of a miscalculation because he’d forgotten that he was at the back of the ship and therefore got to see next to nothing of the raid. 

At least he could open the window and hear what was happening, which turned out to be a lot of shouts and metal on metal. A few gun shots, which had him flinching.

“Probably shouldn’t have tried to listen,” Stede said to the seagull that perched on the sill a moment before the second gunshot. “Though between you and I, I feel I’ve earned the right to be a little more nervous at the sound of a shot than before. My father probably wouldn’t agree, might even say something about my finally having manned up.”

The seagull flapped its wings a bit as it seemed to shake its head.

“He was going to sell me, you know,” Stede said to the gull conversationally. “I didn’t think he would ever consider a marriage that was… well, I suppose ‘unconventional’ would be the polite way to put it. Still, I’m glad I’m here. Even if the company wasn’t as wonderful as it ended up being. I’d have married a man far more happily than I would have married a woman, but ideally, he’d have not been Ricky. He’s quite creepy.”

The gull made a noise almost like he agreed. Which would have been quite amusing, and Stede really couldn’t help picture this particular seagull flying over Ricky’s head just as it decided it needed to relieve itself. Possibly on purpose.

“There’s not as much battle sounds,” Stede noted with a tilt of his head. “I hope that’s a good sign.”

The gull cried out before turning around and taking off, heading up and around like it was going to investigate. Stede could only sigh and lean his head against the glass of the window, a little lonely without his avian companion. 

It might not have been long after when he heard something hit the side of the ship, then a steady rhythm of the same sound followed until there was a thunk on the floor inside the cabin.

Stede leaned to the opposite side, careful not to do it too much and possibly reopen his wound. He caught sight of Ed, who grinned when he realized Stede was looking at him.

“Raid went smooth,” He said as he came toward the bed. He leaned against the wall beside the bunk, something Stede almost questioned until he noticed the drops of water sliding down his trousers.

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“And we bound all the other crew’s hands, just to be safe.”

“Good call, love that,” Stede smiled. “So what sort of ship was it?”

“Hoity toity folk,” Ed said, grimacing slightly. “Yeah, I think we crashed a wedding.”

“A wedding? At sea?” Stede could feel his face going all dreamy as he imagined what that might be like. 

Ed shrugged.

“Wedding, Matelot. Same thing, really, you’re either doing it for love or you're doing it for assets. So, I mean, weddings at sea aren’t all that unheard of for pirates. Our friend Jack? He’s married to our friend Annie, but she’s married to Mary.”

“More… she’s married to more than one person?” Stede asked.

“Yeah, not really how it’s done with the land folk, is it? Yours is all ‘until death do we part, one person forever, if he’s fucking around he has to keep all the bastards secret.’”

“Well, my father missed that memo,” Stede said bitterly. 

“Yeah, your dad’s a dick. Probably should have stabbed him.”

“But if you had, I wouldn’t be here. And to be honest, I really love being here.”

Ed’s tentacles twitched and shifted, almost standing on end. Ed’s eyes brightened, but all his features softened. 

Stede wasn’t sure what to make of the reaction, but he assumed it was a good one. Hoped it was, anyway.

A knock on the door interrupted the moment, and before Ed could invite or dismiss them, the door opened. Izzy walked in, glanced at the pair of them, then gestured for someone to follow him inside.

“I said not to move,” Izzy said as John and Oluwande came in with a trunk.

“You said not from the bed,” Stede countered, knowing damn well Izzy was talking to him even if he wasn’t addressing him directly. “And I have stayed in the bed as I was told.”

“Should have been more direct, that’s on me. I’m going to have Roach come take a look at your wound.” Izzy replied as he wordlessly directed Oluwande and John.

“What’s this?” Ed asked curiously as the men set the trunk down in the middle of the room before Frenchie and Archie wandered in with a smaller trunk.

Izzy opened the lid of the larger trunk and turned to Stede with his hands on his hips.

Stede couldn’t really see what was inside, the trunk was too far away for him to get a good look without moving from the bed. 

Ed wandered over, doing a little skip-hop before he leaned over to see inside.

“Books.” He said.

“Books!?” Stede nearly got up in his excitement before both Ed and Izzy yelled at him to stop, the former agitated enough that the spines on his arms twitched. The crew, who lingered in the background, startled and took a step back.

Stede put his hands up as he settled back on the bed, though he was only doing so to keep them both happy.

“Figured you’d probably want something to read, maybe even to the crew if you want,” Izzy replied as he looked past Stede at the window. As the crew started to get quietly excited, Izzy added, “At night, maybe, when most of the work is done.”

“You dick,” Ed said affectionately, smiling at Izzy. “That what you were looking so fucking hard at in the cabin?”

“You were preoccupied yourself,” Izzy retorted. 

“Are you trying to outdo me?”

Izzy scoffed.

“It’s not a fucking competition.”

“What isn’t?” Stede asked, now even more curious what was in the smaller trunk.

Ed grinned, then turned to the other trunk and opened it with a flourish.

Stede didn’t need to move to see inside that one.

“Is that…?”

“Silk, I think. Clothes, anyway. Figured since it was a bunch of rich fucks there would probably be something you could wear on the ship.”

Ed picked up something from the crate, a lovely-looking teal piece that Stede figured was likely a shirt. Mindful of his claws, Ed carried it delicately to Stede, who took it with a smile.

“Oh! This is actually a rather exquisite cashmere.”

“A rather exquisite cashmere,” Ed repeated.

Stede grinned as he rubbed the fabric between his fingers, realizing that not only was he going to have something he could wear that was familiar and comfortable to him, but that he could read while he was laid up.

He could picture himself reading aloud to Ed and Izzy from the bunk in the evenings, whiling away the hours together as they had since his injury a few days before. Hopeful now with a lighter atmosphere.

“Thank you,” Stede said, first to Ed, then to Izzy and the crew.

“Izzy was really adamant that you had the books,” Frenchie said, gesturing to the shorter man who looked mildly put out by being called out. “Very shouty about it.”

“Captain found most of the clothes,” Oluwande added, pointing to Ed. “Wanted you to have some nice stuff.”

“Yeah, we’re just the delivery team,” Archie added with a delighted grin. “Though before you change the stories, you should let us know how the thing ends with the girl stuck in a tower. Was it a tower?”

“You lot better fuck off back to work right fucking now, or all four of you will be on barnacle duty.”

“Right, yep,” Frenchie said, moving first, the others swiftly following.

“Better make sure those fuckers do things. I’ll send in Roach.” Izzy said before turning and leaving.

“You want me to bring you a book?” Ed asked Stede with a knowing grin.

“Yes, please!” Stede replied immediately. “But maybe an escort to the ensuite, first. I really didn’t move while you guys were busy, but I never got a chance to before you all left, either.”

~L~

“Whaddya think they’re doing?” 

The question was a curious one posed by Archie, which had Lucius briefly wonder exactly what the situation between her, Oluwande, and Jim really was. She had to have known, right? 

Well, Lucius supposed that for as long as he’d known Stede he’d never really pegged him for the ‘monster fucker’ sort. But, then again, he hadn’t exactly pegged him for the ‘life of actual adventure’ sort, either, despite how often he spoke of wanting it. Sort of like how Lucius would say he wanted to be passed around a group of very manly men, but he didn’t actually want to experience it. 

That’s what he thought Stede’s fascination with adventure was, a sort of kinky fantasy that he would never actually play out.

So, Lucius supposed he shouldn’t jump to conclusions, though he was sure monster fucking was not what they were getting up to in the cabin. He had noted that the storm that rolled in the day got shot did so suddenly, and only after the Kraken had realized what had happened, and it didn’t peter off until after Stede had made it through the night. He didn’t doubt that a similar, if freaky phenomenon would happen if the Kraken experienced intense emotion in the other direction.

“I thought I heard Stede talking,” Frenchie volunteered, smoothly slipping a card out of his sleeve. It was dark, there were only a few lanterns for light, but Lucius didn’t think the rest of the crew would have noticed the cheat even in broad daylight. Frenchie at least made it seem cute, which was not a thing Lucius achieved during his brief stint as a pickpocket.

“ To them, or just rambling?” Roach asked.

“Dunno. Was all, like, flowy?” Frenchie suggested with a furrowed brow.

“Probably reading to them,” Oluwande reasoned.

“Jealous,” John said as he laid down a card that had most of the players grimacing.

“Okay, but you lot realize that’s a good thing, right?” Lucius asked before they could wonder at what Stede was reading, if he’d read it to them, if Izzy was even listening. Because that is exactly the sort of thing he knew they would say and wonder after being stuck on the ship for the last few weeks. 

Lucius knew Izzy knew he was there, but until he was actually confronted, he was going to keep a low profile until such a time that they would send a tender to shore for supplies and then Lucius was pretty sure he’d make his great escape. 

Probably. Hard to be sure since it was nice having both Pete and Fang around all the time, and he already had a plan to offer to do the administrative work should the little man confront him.

But just because he was hidden didn’t mean that he wasn’t observing every little thing he could.

For instance, Lucius knew that the Kraken had been a bit of a show off when he knew Stede was looking. And when Stede wasn’t looking, the Kraken tended to make himself bigger and louder to draw attention. 

He also knew that love and hate were two sides of the same coin, and that Izzy might snarl and snip at Stede, but he also looked at him with a lingering gaze. He gripped and bitched hadn’t threatened to kill him since their arrival on the ship.

It was also painfully obvious to him that while Stede was thrilled with the adventure being on the pirate ship brought and the slight bit more freedom that went with it, it was the Kraken and Izzy that had really cemented Stede’s enjoyment. 

As most of them looked at Lucius in confusion, Jim peered over at him with arched brows, pretty much daring him to say it.

“Okay,” Lucius baked it up. “You all, like, realize that the Kraken is not actually the Kraken, right? Like he’s cursed. That is a cursed man.”

“Sorta obvious,” John replied.

“Yeah, the ship that looks haunted all the time sorta gives it away,” Frenchie added.

“Right, but, like. Curses aren’t supposed to be permanent. And I know Stede told the story about Snow White. And Sleeping Beauty. And the Ogre, which was a sort of different outcome, but the same idea.” When everyone kept staring at him, Lucius sighed. “They’re all falling in love with each other, which will probably break the curse that’s over this whole thing.”

There were a few blinks, and more than a few blank stares.

“So, do you think that it’s a balance thing?” Frenchie asked the others. “Like, Izzy obvs is into Captain like he is, but do you think there’s something Stede needs to do, or?”

“Would Izzy even need to be a part of it?” Oluwande countered. “I mean, it’s Captain that’s cursed.”

“That we know of. Ivan, what was Izzy like before?” Archie asked.

Ivan shrugged.

“About the same,” he replied. 

Lucius threw his hands up and shook his head, turning to Jim, who smirked at him in amusement.

“They’re hopeless,” Lucius said.

“They thought I was actually a dude until my beard fell off in a raid,” Jim reminded him. “And questioned if I was a fucking mermaid.”

“Well, you kinda have to give them a little leeway on that one. You literally sail under a sea monster.”

Jim snickered, tossing the knife they’d been sharpening and catching the hilt without looking. 

“Still, I get what you mean. The raid today was different. And I’ve been sailing with these guys for a while, and I never once saw Izzy look at loot for a reason other than to sell it. And the Kraken has never lingered to see what goods might be around. So yeah,” Jim looked over their shoulder in the direction of the cabin with a soft smile. “Really is something there that wasn’t there before.”

“Thank you!” Lucius flapped his hand. “Nice to know someone else on this crew is paying attention.”

Jim shook their head and went back to sharpening their knife.

Lucius tuned back into the discussion on curses, which made him want to borrow the knife and stab himself in the ear. Fang wasn’t at the wheel all night, so there was that to look forward to. And at least Pete wasn’t here for the discussion, which was an added bonus.

He glanced up at the seagull that always seemed to be hovering about and shook his head.

Eerily, the seagull seemed to shrug as if to say, ‘What can you do?’

“Right, I’m going to get some rum,” Lucius said to no one in particular. 

If he needed to be a bit shit faced to get through the night until Fang was free, then so be it.

Chapter Text

The days passed, and eventually Stede was allowed to leave the cabin. Much as Ed and the crew tried, not all the pieces brought over fit Stede. But the shirt Ed had shown him did, as did a lovely lavender waistcoat and a pair of fine black pants. His own stockings had managed to avoid getting blood on them, but he still used a fresh new pair pilfered from the other ship, their white still more vibrant. No jacket, though, which was a slight shame, but it was warm enough that he could easily go without.

“Up,” Izzy said to Stede with a tap of his sword to the side of Stede’s foot.

For the most part, Stede spent the days sitting on the stairs leading to the quarter deck. He helped by mending a few things, coiling a rope, or simply entertaining the crew while they cleaned. Apparently, Izzy had determined those days were coming to an end.

Stede rose, bracing for a snide remark.

Izzy handed him a sword.

“What’s this?” Stede asked as he took it, then braced again for Izzy to give some sarcastic retort.

“Edward treats you like glass,” Izzy replied instead, moving to a more open space on the deck. “But if you don’t start practicing again, you’ll never be able to properly handle a sword, let alone hold your own in a raid.”

Stede glanced around the crew, but they seemed as unsure and taken aback as he was.

Deciding it’s better to play along, Stede adjusted the grip he had on the sword and then cautiously made his way toward Izzy.

The shorter man grinned with a distinct lack of malice. It was actually quite lovely.

“I’m not gonna stab you, Bonnet. If I wanted you dead, I already had the opportunity to let it happen.”

“I suppose you have a point,” Stede agreed. He adjusted his stance, and Izzy rolled his eyes.

“No,” He said, moving to stand behind Stede. Izzy guided Stede into a different position, his hands firm but not aggressive, and Stede….

Well, Stede was flushed, of course, but also surprised and not opposed to having the hands of Mr. Hands on his back and shoulders.

“This is the stance you want, not whatever you were doing before. Christ, was Ed really letting you practice like that?”

“Um, yes?”

“Fucking,” Izzy shook his head, then glared in the direction of the cabin.

Stede glanced over and noted a pair of softly glowing red eyes watching them.

“Now,” Izzy said. “You listen to me. No snippy remarks, either. You learn my way or you stay in the cabin during every raid.”

“Understood.”

“Good. Now, parry me, let’s see how it goes.”

Stede and Izzy started slow, Izzy making obvious movements at first to see how Stede would block or counter. He would comment with only a little bit of bite, leaving out the harshness that Stede had gotten used to. 

Izzy was almost kind in his criticism. Not mean or coarse, like Stede would have expected. If Stede needed a break, Izzy only pushed a bit before backing off. 

“Only ‘cause you’re still recovering,” Izzy told him as he put his sword away. “We’ll do more before sunset. So, rest up.”

“Will do,” Stede said as he handed Izzy the sword he was loaned, not having his own scabbard for it at the moment. He then headed for the stairs and retook his position on the fourth step up. “How did you think I did?”

Ed gave a considering hum.

“Not bad,” he replied. “Izzy’s a better teacher than I am.”

“You’re still a good teacher,” Stede assured, turning so he could smile up at Ed, who was barely past the threshold. “Would you like to sit?” He asked, gesturing to the spot next to him.

Ed glanced back out at the crew, his tentacles moving nervously.

“Ed, they know what you look like,” Stede said kindly. 

“They won’t look at me,” He replied, his tentacles getting a bit more agitated. A cloud passed overhead, casting a shadow over the deck and causing Ed’s eyes to be more luminous.

“Honestly, I think it’s because they aren’t used to you.”

“It’s because I’m a monster.”

“No,” Stede said, kind but firm. “You’re overwhelming, yes. But no one is afraid of you, and no one thinks you’re a monster. “

Ed scuffed his foot on the deck before he peeked over at Stede with a bit of a pout. Stede gave him an encouraging nod and was delighted when Ed made a little shuffle toward the stairs. 

There was an adorable moment where he seemed unsure where he should sit. Eventually, though, he decided to plop down right beside Stede, so close their knees bumped.

The cloud passed overhead, the sun shining back on the deck again, and Stede looked up at the clouds surrounding them.

“It’s quite a lovely day! We haven’t had many of those, have we?”

“Hm,” Ed shrugged. “Part of the curse. Don’t know why we’re getting more sun these days, but you can’t really trust the weather surrounding us.”

“Well, what about over there?” Stede pointed toward port.

Ed turned, tilting his head a bit.

“Yeah, those look like frankfurters,” He replied. “Probably going to have fog around the ship tonight. At least the rest of the water nearby will.”

“You can tell by the clouds?” Stede asked with awe.

“Yeah,” Ed replied, still looking in the direction of Port.

One of his tentacles perked like a curious cat, drawing Stede’s gaze. As Ed explained the link between cloud shapes and weather patterns, the tentacle reached out and stroked Stede’s cheek. The drag of the suckers tickled, and the unruly little bugger didn’t even pull away when Ed whipped around. 

“Fuck,” he said, then a beat later he was trying to bat the thing away from Stede to no avail. 

“It’s alright,” Stede assured, reaching for the tentacle before pausing. He met Ed’s eye and asked, “May I?”

Ed was still for a moment before he slowly nodded.

Stede raised his hand a touch further, and the tentacle immediately curled around it.

“Do you feel this?”

“Yes,” Ed said softly. “But I can’t control them, mind of their fucking own.” 

“It’s quite remarkable,” Stede said, running his thumb along the scales before he could catch himself. 

“Yeah,” Ed said, his voice filled with wonder. “I guess they are.”

~I~

A new routine began to take root on the ship. 

Izzy would teach Stede the basics, show him the ropes, make him a pirate even if he wasn’t all that good at it. Ed would watch. He would start in the doorway leading to the Captain’s cabin, but he would eventually either make his way up to the helm or sit on the stairs to watch. After Izzy was done with Stede, Stede would go sit with Ed. They would laugh and joke, playing off one another in a way Izzy never could. 

The crew would continue to do whatever work needed to be done, first with sideways glances toward their Captain, then with open looks in his direction. Not with fear, not with disdain. Just as he was: a person, even if the outside didn’t look like one. 

At the end of the day, the crew would gather around the capstan while Stede read to them from the books Izzy had pilfered from that shi,p what felt like an age ago. 

While he did that, Izzy and Ed would be up on the quarter deck, one of them manning the helm, sharing observations of the day.

Tonight was Ed’s turn at the wheel, both hands on it to keep the ship steady, though there wasn’t much need to in the calm waters.

“It’s good to see you out here,” Izzy dared to say into the silence between him and his captain. 

He kept his eye on Ed without looking directly at him to see how the words landed. 

The tentacles stirred a bit more than usual as if they were a bit agitated, but Ed kept his face expressionless.

“Good for the crew, too.” He added.

Ed scoffed.

“Barely look at me.”

“They look at you, Eddie. Besides, crew barely looked at you when you were... well.”

“Not a monster?” Ed suggested. 

“Fuck off with that, you’re not a monster.”

“I’m a fucking abomination, man. Let’s call it what it is.”

“You’re cursed, there’s a fucking difference.” Izzy huffed in annoyance. 

He glanced back at Stede as he smiled through the part of the story he was telling, golden hair appearing more so in the lantern light. He was going to get Ed back to his old self, Izzy fucking knew it. But he also was aware of how much less water remained in the upper bulb of the hour glass than there had been even a week ago. So there needed to be more of a nudge for the pair of them. 

Stede glanced toward them, then, and as Izzy felt a jolt of something inexplicable when Stede briefly met his eyes, he also heard the soft gasp Ed gave when Stede grinned their way, glancing between them.

“Iz,” Ed said softly, one hand coming off the wheel to rest on Izzy’s back. 

“Oi, Cap!” 

Izzy’s eyes went a bit wide as Frenchie stood up, looking over at Ed without a single bit of fear or uncertainty. 

“Did you know that Steddie here has never celebrated Calypso’s birthday?”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Izzy hung his head as he leaned forward and braced his arms on the railing.

He and Ed had been Captain and First Mate for almost two fucking decades and not once had their crew ever attempted this shit. They had done it a few times in the early years together, and they certainly did it when Hornigold was too fucking drunk to do shit about it. But no one had ever said the words “Calypso’s Birthday” to Blackbeard.

He supposed he had to give Frenchie credit. Took guts to look at the Kraken and utter those words.

“Is that so?” Ed replied, sounding amused.

“It is,” Frenchie continued. “And being that it is the most sacred of holidays of the Calypsian Calendar, and we here are all Calypsish.”

Most of the crew all jumped to agree that they were whatever the fuck religion Frenchie just bullshitted into existence. 

“We feel it is absolutely necessary that we throw a bash in her honor.”

“Hm,” Ed hummed, and Izzy peeked up at him only to softly curse when he realized Ed was actually considering it. 

“Well, if I recall, I believe her birthday is a couple of days out. That should put us close to a nice little island that has plenty of fresh water, a few coconuts to drink our rum from.”

“So that’s a yes?” Frenchie ventured.

“As long as you fuckers keep on your tasks,” Izzy cut in before Ed could say yes. It came out more resigned than biting, so the crew probably knew it was likely to happen either way. “Ship won’t get there in time if you lot do fuck all.”

“Of course,” Frenchie agreed, the rest of the crew hurriedly agreeing. 

“I could make a cake,” Roach suggested, and Izzy saw their flour and sugar supply going to shit as the crew eagerly agreed to the prospect.

“We’re fucked,” Izzy sighed, making Ed chuckle.

“Yeah,” Ed agreed with a grin. “But a party might not be bad, you know? We do it at night, get a nice bonfire going. Get Frenchie to play us a song or two, maybe… maybe have a dance.”

Izzy blinked, noting the intensity of Ed’s gaze, and followed it to see it trained on Stede. 

Poor fucker looked utterly out of his depth as the crew seemed to be tossing around all sorts of ideas as to what it meant to celebrate Calypso’s birthday. He looked like he would agree to all of it even if he probably didn’t know what half of it meant.

But Izzy could see it. Stede and Ed dancing under the full moon, the former falling under the spell of the night. Stede would get on his toes and press a kiss to the corner of Ed’s mouth, and then…. Well, actually, Izzy didn’t know what would happen when the curse broke, so in his mind, there was just a sort of shiver, and Ed returned to his normal self.

He was jealous, but couldn’t actually decipher if it was of Ed or Stede. He supposed it didn’t matter, not really. He would have Ed. Maybe not to the same degree he used to, but he would still have him. And Ed would have Stede, and that meant Stede would still be around. The three of them could figure something out.

~E~

“Shit, fuck. What the fuck was I fucking thinking?”

Ed paced the cabin, tentacles fluttering around his head, spines on his back and arms up as if he were in some sort of danger.

He was. The very real fucking danger of making a fool of himself.

They arrived at the island he remembered a couple of days after the crew proposed Calypso’s birthday. It was actually a pretty fucking great island all things considered. Someone either had or at least started to build a pretty fucking big place on the beach. If they had only started it, they only ever got as far as the floors and the frames of the walls. There were lots of coconuts, as Ed promised, as well as a few orange trees. 

Earlier in the day, the crew started heading to shore to set up. Half of them were tasked with bringing back fresh water and restocking their orange supply. The other half began to set up for the night’s festivities. Last Ed heard, Roach set up a pretty epic fire pit, and Jim and Oluwande apparently found a wild pig they could cook. 

As the day went on, Stede left the cabin to join Lucius, stating he wanted to look nice for the party. That he was looking forward to seeing Ed there, and Ed?

Ed hadn’t even fucking considered doing anything for the party.

His old leather jacket, he’d shed not long after he was cursed. It was straining under his new form, and he hadn’t wanted anything to happen to it. Lucky enough as it was that he hadn’t put a bunch of fucking holes in it. The shirt he’d been wearing at the time was rags now. He didn’t really own anything else, and it wasn’t like he had any hair to do anything with.

So he paced, all the while wondering if this hadn’t all been a huge, fucking mistake.

“Eddie, calm down,” Izzy said from where he sat in his armchair.

“Calm down? Calm down? How the fuck am I supposed to calm down? I thought maybe doing this would be fun, ya know? Get Stede to… and maybe… but he’s all… and I’m.”

“Fuck me, but you’re stupid when you’re worked up like this.”

Izzy got up from the chair, putting his hand briefly on Ed’s shoulder before heading wardrobe to where Stede had started to stash some of the clothes Izzy had stolen for him. He rummaged around for a moment before he plucked something off a hanger and brought it over.

It was a purple velvet jacket. Ed had taken a bit of a fancy to it when he and Stede had gone through the pilfered wardrobe, but it was a bit too fine for someone like him. It was also a touch too loose for Stede, if Ed remembered.

Izzy helped him put it on, Ed more than a bit stunned at Izzy’s aid.

“Looks good,” Izzy said as he adjusted the lapels. “You’d probably start a trend if anyone saw you like this.”

Ed arched his brow, and Izzy rolled his eyes.

“Shirtless, you twat. Know a few pirates do it already, but if Blackbeard was seen pulling this sort of look, everyone in the fucking Caribbean would.”

“You don’t see anyone else wearing fucking leather,” Ed pointed out.

“Because it’s expensive, and the shit doesn’t breathe,” Izzy retorted with a grin. After giving the lapels one last smooth down, he looked up at Ed, and that grin stretched wider. “You’re gonna sweep him off his feet, Eddie.”

Eddie’s heart ached and soared all at once, the tenderness he’d carried for Izzy blooming in a way it hadn’t in forever.

Before Ed could act on it, Izzy stepped back, then moved around Ed for the door.

“Don’t swim in that!” He shouted before he left the cabin.

Ed looked down at the jacket and scoffed. 

“Wasn’t fucking going to,” he said to no one, knowing damn fucking well that he was lying. 

~S~

Stede straightened the jacket of his suit, worrying not for the first time that the all white ensemble might not have been the best choice. But Frenchie had found nice outfits for himself and Oluwande, and Wee John had an absolutely spectacular dress, so Stede was hardly the only one who leaned toward fine tailoring. 

Other members of the crew donned flowers in their pockets or hair, perhaps did a little face painting. There didn’t seem to be a specific code for what to wear, something Stede was surprised to find he enjoyed immensely. 

There was a lovely meal - perhaps one of the best he’d ever eaten, all the fine dining he experienced in his life failing in comparison to something made with genuine heart in the open air on a lovely evening. There was rum in coconuts, which was delightful despite how strong Fang tried to make Stede’s at first. There was music, Frenchie strumming a lute and singing a tune that had the crew dancing and stomping on the floor oh what had probably once been a cabin.

“Uh, hey,” Ed’s voice came from behind.

Stede turned with a smile that fell in awe as he took in Ed.

He found the purple velvet suit. The shirt beneath wasn’t tied, hanging open just a bit, only a bit loose on Ed, even tucked into his trousers.

“I, uh, didn’t want to risk the stocking,” Ed said sheepishly. “So, um, no pants. Well, I’m wearing pants, obviously, but uh.. Not-not what went with the jacket.”

“You look lovely,” Stede assured him. “Like a romantic Pirate Captain in one of my books.”

Ed scoffed. 

“It’s… I mean, fine things aren't for someone like me.”

“You,” Stede reached out and took Ed’s hand before he worked himself up, “Wear fine things well.”

Ed’s eyes went wide, and for the first time since they’d met, Stede saw the tentacles go still.

Somewhere behind them, Frenchie strummed a couple of notes. Izzy said something to him before a song began to play in earnest. 

A deep, smoky voice that did not belong to the musician began to sing, and Stede looked over to see that Izzy had gotten into the spirit of things as well, singing a beautiful love song that Stede had heard only in passing.

And as Izzy sang, he seemed to have eyes only for Stede and Ed.

“Dance with me?” Stede asked, only pulling his gaze away from Izzy because he desperately needed to look at Ed.

“I, um… I don’t know how.”

“I’ll show you,” Stede said.

He began to walk backward into where the dance floor was unofficially indicated, pulling Ed along with him. He got them into position, leading Ed into a slow dance that was more like moving in a circle while holding a waltz formation. As they moved, they held each other’s eyes, and Stede could feel himself swooning.

It was like every love story he’d ever read, of meeting prince charming, or the dashing knight. Maybe he was lucky in a way and met both. Prince Charming in his arms, the Dashing Knight serenading them. He peeked at Izzy, seeing the First Mate smiling their way as he finished off the song. Stede turned back to Ed sighed.

“That was lovely,” He said. 

“It was,” Ed agreed.

“I’m afraid, though, that I’d been quite supplied with coconuts before you and Izzy came. Might have to take a little wander for a moment.”

“Do you, um, want me to come with you? Just so you don’t get lost.”

“I’ll be fine,” Stede replied. “Maybe you can have a turn with Izzy.”

Ed glanced past Stede a moment, then said, “Yeah, alright. But we’d just dance the pirate way. Maybe when you come back, you can show Iz, and then we can’t take a turn again.”

“I’d like that,” Stede agreed before he stepped away. “Won’t be long.”

Stede started to head for the jungle, where he knew the crew were going to relieve themselves in private. He stopped at the edge to look back when he heard Frenchie’s voice begin another tune. 

Ed and Izzy were dancing similarly to how Stede and Ed had, the shorter man being led as he looked up at Ed with a soft smile. Stede swooned, wanting so much to have what they had with each of them.

Pirates could have more than one spouse, and Stede clung to that with a hope that had teeth as he turned and headed into the trees. He hoped that maybe they were feeling even a little bit of what Stede felt for them, which seemed so much bigger than anything he thought possible. 

Was this what Mary had felt when she fell for Doug? Stede had asked her what it was like to be in love when he was helping her plan her escape.

“It feels easy. It’s just like breathing.”

Stede found himself a tree deep enough in the jungle that he could barely hear the festivities, let alone see any of them. 

“We expose each other to new ideas. And we laugh a lot. We just pass the time so well.”

He thought of the sword practice with both Ed and Izzy. He thought of the talks he had with Ed on the deck after he’d practiced with Izzy. He thought of how Izzy and he got in the habit of sharing a mid-afternoon coffee or tea when Ed would choose to retreat into his cabin until the sun set lower. Stede recalled how, during his convalescence, he would read to them while Ed smoked and Izzy whittled. He thought of how that didn’t stop when he was healed, only now the three of them sometimes shared a drink together as well. 

They all passed the time well together. He laughed with both of them. It might have been a rougher start with Izzy, but now? Now it was as easy as breathing. He never wanted to be without either of them. 

He was in love. Wonderfully, painfully in love.

Having relieved himself, Stede moved away from the tree and tried to find his way back in the dark by listening to the sounds of the party. Only he wasn’t sure he was heading the right way. There wasn’t ever a change in the sound, the echoes of their laughter and song never growing louder or quieter. He’d been gone a while, now, and had clearly gone deeper in the jungle than he expected.

A gull’s cry called from overhead, and Stede looked up to see it was circling above and just ahead. Gulls tended to stick close to water, and while that didn’t mean it was the right direction, he was on an island. Not a small island, but not a huge one, either. It would take him a bit, but he just needed to pick a direction when he got to the beach and walk along the edge of the jungle until he reached the festivities.

Stede hadn’t realized he was getting scared until the relief washed over him. He grinned, then confidently moved ahead, breaking out of the thick jungle and coming out to the beach.

Right in front of a small group of naval officers.

For a moment, no one moved. Then, a half a dozen guns were pointed Stede’s way, as well as a couple of swords.

“Hold!” A dishearteningly familiar voice called out.

Stede glanced toward it, seeing Nigel Badminton looking at him with a twisted smile.

Nigel chuckled as he came closer to Stede, looking him over.

“Well, well, look at you. Dressed in white and everything. You’re like a delicate little bride, aren’t you?”

“Nigel,” Stede addressed him with a strained smile. “How lovely to see you all the way out here. What a coincidence we should find ourselves on the same island.”

Nigel’s grin dropped a bit.

“His highness requested we gather fruit from the trees. Apparently the oranges were getting tiresome. We weren’t going to stop, but that apparently would have been a mistake.”

Nigel snapped his fingers, and two of the naval officers who had guns drawn lowered their weapons and headed toward them.

“Bring him to the ship. Prince Ricky will be so happy we found his bride for him.”

“Ricky?” Stede repeated, glancing out at the water and seeing the grand naval ship in the distance. “No.”

The men took his arms.

“No!” Stede called out, struggling to get free as a couple more officers came to tie his hands. “Ed!” He called out.

Nigel tilted his head as he looked at Stede.

“Ed? The sea monster?” Nigel drew his sword as he looked at the jungle. “He’s here then?”

“Izzy!” Stede shouted, hoping his voice would carry and the First Mate would hear the alarm in it.

“Gag him!” Nigel ordered.

Before he could give another shout, a cloth was wrapped around his mouth, silencing further calls for the Captain and the First Mate.

The gull from before cried out again, circling a little wider than he had before.

“I’ll save the prince some trouble and kill the beast myself. I’ll be a hero, and I won’t have to share the glory with my brother.” Nigel said more to himself than anything. He looked at the men and pointed behind him to the ship. “Bring him back to the prince.”

Stede attempted to resist, but the men were used to lugging people far heavier than him. When he started to kick, someone came for his legs.

Before the man could take hold, Stede gave one more swift kick.

His right shoe came off.

He watched it fly through the air directly at Nigel as Nigel turned to the jungle, sword at the ready. It struck him on the head just hard enough to upset his balance, causing him to trip.

Stede had seen a lot of bloody killings in the time he’d been on the Revenge . Quite a few were very gruesome. None had been the result of someone landing on their own sword.

“Leave him,” One of the men who carried Stede away said. “We’ll blame the Kraken.”

Stede looked up at the gull again, as it continued to circle the island in a strange pattern.

“A fog is coming in,” The other man carrying him pointed out. “Well need to hurry.”

Stede glanced around, seeing that a fog was, indeed, coming in from all sides and herding the naval men toward the dinghies that would return them to the ship.

That was a relief, at least. Perhaps the fog would allow the crew time to escape. Time for Ed and Izzy to get away and stay safe.

It didn’t stop Stede’s heart from breaking more with each break in the water the oars made, and eventually the island became a blur as the tears came. The rest of the way back to the ship, Stede quietly wept.

Chapter Text

“This is nice,” Ed told Izzy as they made a slow circle around the makeshift dance floor. “You did a nice thing by agreeing to this.”

“Only did it because you were going to,” Izzy retorted, but Ed could see the blush even in the dim light. “Besides, good fucking way to set the mood. Once he gets back, you can tell Stede you’re falling for him. He’ll say it back, and then….”

And then.

Ed still wasn’t entirely convinced that it was going to happen, but Izzy was also right. This night was his best shot at getting some sort of romantic feeling out of Stede. He just needed the bastard with him to get there.

Frenchie had finished a song, started another, and still, Stede hadn’t come back.

It didn’t take that long to take a piss. The island wasn’t even that big, so even if he got lost, he should have at least found the beach and made his way back around.

“Something’s wrong,” Izzy said what Ed was thinking, giving voice to the niggling thought that began to creep in.

They stepped apart, the crew around them oblivious to the shift. Ed scanned the trees while Izzy turned to the water. The moon was high and full, giving them more light than normal but still not enough. He had to squint at the shadows before he noted one coming toward them, and his heart sank when Bird Guy stepped onto the sand wearing a shirt and trousers that looked too big for him.

“Quiet!” He bellowed.

The crew went silent and still as they looked wide-eyed at Ed, then past him to Izzy.

Ed kept his eyes trained on Bird Guy.

He came slowly toward Ed, hands clasped behind his back, eyes sad, and face solemn.

Ed’s heart sank.

“Where’s Stede?” He asked.

“I’m afraid he’s been taken.”

“Taken?” Ed repeated, feeling the spines on his back and arms twitch. 

A rumble of thunder rolled in the distance. 

The ting of Izzy’s sword leaving its scabbard zinged through the air.

“How the fuck did he get taken without us knowing?” Izzy demanded.

“I took the liberty of concealing ye from being found. ‘S not just Mr. Bonnet they were after.”

“Wait, hold on, I know you,” Lucius said as he stepped away from Pete, finger pointed and wagging at Bird Guy as he approached him. “You’re Mr. Buttons. You’re the homeless man from the dock. Stede talked to you every day he was down there.”

“He did?” Ed asked.

“Yeah,” Lucius said. “How the hell are you here?”

“He’s a fucking sea witch,” Izzy said. “One who’s going to tell us what the fuck happened.”

“Aye, I will,” Bird Guy - Buttons - agreed solemnly. 

~*~

Back on the ship, Ed stared at the hourglass, noting with resignation that the water in the top was far too low for any sort of hope that things would turn around.

Buttons had told them all what happened, how he wasn’t even sure Stede knew he was heading into danger before it was too late. He explained how he used fog to deter the smarter of the naval men from investigating the island further. 

Jim and Archie went to check the scene, the two of them the quickest and smallest of the crew allowing them to hide more easily should anyone be watching. They reported the body of the Captain that Buttons had told them would be there, as well as evidence of someone being dragged toward the water. If there was a ship, it was  too far out for them to see it in the dark.

It was all just so fucking… it was….

Ed didn’t know what it was. Heartbreaking, of course. Depressing, no doubt. Rage inspiring, but also completely and utterly defeating.

Stede was gone. 

Worse than being stuck in his cursed form forever, Ed knew with absolute certainty that he would never see that beautiful lunatic again. He had no doubt that it wouldn’t be long before he was married off to that fucking prince, and then Stede would never be able to leave the man’s side. He’d probably get shipped off to London, or somewhere else in Europe, and that would be that.

“He knew the sea witch,” Izzy said into the silence. Not an accusation, Ed knew that much. His First Mate sounded more resigned than anything, but Ed couldn’t comprehend it.

“Does it matter?” Ed asked, his voice hoarse.

“No, it doesn’t,” Izzy replied immediately. “Or, maybe it does, who the fuck cares.”

I do , Ed thought. Because Stede knowing Buttons meant that it was entirely possible that anything that might have been blossoming between them was a manipulation. It meant that the moment Stede stepped foot on the naval ship, he might have suddenly found himself grateful for the rescue.  

Ed thought of all their moments together, the easy way they could play off each other. The way Stede wasn’t afraid of his more beastly side, and how he encouraged the softness Ed was never able to show. Stede had seen him maim and probably even kill, and still always had a genuine smile for Ed when the raids were done, usually paired with a compliment.

How close had he been to convincing Stede to love him? How close had he been to not dying in this monstrous form of his?

“Fuck this,” Izzy said all of a sudden, getting to his feet with agitation.

Ed frowned at his First Mate.

Izzy looked at him as if he were slow.

“We need to go after him.”

“No,” Ed said immediately.

“Edward.”                                                                                                                                        

“No,” Ed repeated more fiercely. “He’s free, we should let him stay that way.”

“He’s not free if he’s with the fucking Navy.”

“Yeah. The navy. Someone we typically outrun, mate, not go after.”

Izzy chewed his lip with a scowl for a moment.

“Fine, I’ll go.”

“What?”

“I’ll go after him. I’ll get him back.”

“Iz.” 

“Eddie.”

Before Ed could say anything more, Izzy came up to him, entered his space, took Ed’s head in his hands, and tilted it down so their foreheads rested against one another. 

Ed’s hands rested on Izzy’s hips, his tentacles reaching for the First Mate, curling around him, stroking his cheeks. 

“He belongs with us,” Izzy said in a quiet voice. “Doesn’t fucking matter what you look like to either of us, we both think you’re beautiful even as you are. So even if we get back after the last drop falls, we’re gonna love you, Eddie. But I’ll bet my life he’s the one that will end the curse, and I love you enough to make sure you get that chance.”

“If he was the one—“

“He is. He just never got a chance to say it. And we both fucking know he’ll have to say it because of course he will. So I’m going to bring Stede home. Just gotta figure out where the fuck the Navy took him.”

Ed let out a shuddering breath before he stepped back and went to his desk. 

He opened the drawer where he stashed the enchanted compass Buttons had given him that one day a month and a lifetime ago. Ed took it out, running his hand over the top before he opened it.

Immediately the needle moved to Izzy, but then it swung to the left, stayed, then went back to Izzy before repeating the whole process over again. 

“Here,” Ed said as he brought the compass to Izzy.

“What’s it?’

“Buttons told me it would lead me home. Because home isn’t necessarily a place. Sometimes it’s a person. For me, it points to you and Stede. Stede’s,” Ed gestured in the direction the compass was telling him he was. “So you’ll have to head that way.”

Izzy gently took the compass from Ed, and for a moment, the needle was keeping steady on Ed. Then, much to the Kraken’s surprise, it swung in the direction it told Ed Stede was in.

He looked up and met Izzy’s eyes, breath catching in his chest as he realized what it meant.

Izzy met his gaze unflinching.

“I’m not going to get in the way.”

“I don’t think that’s how it would be,” Ed told him. 

“Yeah, well,” Izzy glanced out the window, then down at the compass. “Won’t know for sure until I bring him home, will we?”

Before more could be said or done between them, Izzy turned and stormed from the cabin.

~S~

Stede looked around the room he’d been placed in once the officers had left him alone. 

It was as grand as the room he’d had when he had sailed to meet up with the Revenge. There were fine fabrics draped around the windows, expensive bedding on the bunk, gilded fixtures, and the highest quality furniture.

He almost hated it.

He wasn’t sure what was expected of him. He was sure it was late and was aware that most people would probably be in bed by now. 

With nothing better to do, Stede kicked off his remaining shoe, allowing him to move around the room to see what was available to him. There was a wardrobe, but it was likely empty. Still, it probably wouldn’t hurt to have a look.

Stede barely got in two steps before the door was opened.

“Stede,” Ricky said, voice heavy with relief.

Stede turned with a frown of confusion that turned into disgust as Ricky threw his arms around him, pulling him in. Stede glanced over Ricky’s shoulder and met the glaring gaze of Chauncey. 

His displeasure didn’t sober Stede in the least.

Thankfully, Ricky pulled back before Stede had to start shoving at him.

“I was so worried for you after I heard what happened. Oh, my love, you’re alright, aren’t you? The Kraken hadn’t hurt you?”

“I’m fine,” Stede snipped, stepping back out of Ricky’s reach. “Ed wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Ed?” Chauncey said the name like a curse. “You call the Kraken ‘Ed’?”

“It’s his name, Chauncey,” Stede retorted irritably, straightening his jacket.

He caught Ricky looking him over with a barely subtle leer, ideas sparking in those beady eyes of his.

“He’s a monster,” Chauncey stated, pulling Stede's focus. “A plague. It defiles beautiful things. And its reign of terror will end. Soon.”

“Now, now,” Ricky said in a placating manner, turning to Chauncey with a smarmy grin. “All in good time, Admiral. You’ll have your Kraken blood. But your revenge will need to wait until after the wedding.”

“Ricky, I—“

“Can’t wait to marry me, I know,” Ricky cut in before Stede could speak.

“No,” Stede said. “Quite the opposite, actually, I never want to marry you, nor will I ever.”

“Oh, but Stede. I’ve come all this way to rescue you. I have your father in the brig rotting away, ready to be tossed into the ocean at your command. You’re already wearing white.” Ricky stepped closer, put his hands on Stede’s shoulders. “Darling, this is happening.”

“I am not you’re darling,” Stede bit out, shaking Ricky off.

“He just needs time, your Highness, to see that this is his best and only option,” Chauncey cut in. “Besides. If I didn’t know any better, I would think he had feelings for the monster.”

“I can assure you that I certainly have no feelings for any monster,” Stede replied sharply.

“Well, that settles it, then!” Ricky said with a clap. “I think tomorrow evening for the ceremony. I’d say in the morning, but there’s that invitation we received to consider.”

Stede noted Chauncey tense a touch more before he nodded stiffly.

“I’ll let you get some rest, my love,” Ricky said to Stede. “I’m sure you’ll certainly need it after the conditions you have no doubt been forced to endure.”

With that, Ricky left, Chauncey hot on his heels, and the door was closed behind them.

Stede listened for what could be the sound of a lock or the murmur of orders to keep watch, but heard none of that.

He did need rest. But he also needed an escape.

Noting the candle mounted on the wall, a small scattering of nails in the dish below. He had to guess what would give him a few hours of sleep but still allow him to rise well before the rest of the ship, and stuck the nail in the wax.

Stripping off his fancy white suit, Stede left it in a pile on the floor while he found clothes and an extra pair of boots in the wardrobe. None of them were fancy, all fairly simplistic, but simple would be smart for Stede’s plan to work.

Not that he had much of one, but it was better than sticking around and hoping he could somehow avoid a wedding indefinitely.

~I~

Izzy was exhausted.

He’d rowed for hours without sleep because if he wanted any sort of hope of catching Stede to bring him home before the end of the curse, he had to keep going. 

The needle of the compass in his lap swung between a destination ahead and one he left behind, keeping him on course. Ahead to Stede, back to Edward, and all the implications of what that meant in between. 

Izzy didn’t have the energy to think too hard about what it meant, or exactly how deeply Stede had wormed his way into Izzy's heart without him knowing it. He had to row and keep rowing until he caught up to the navy. 

A seagull called overhead, and Izzy glanced up to see the fucking thing circling.

“Fucking gulls fucking stalking—“

Thunk!

Izzy snapped his attention back to the sea only to find he had somehow, inexplicably, bumped up against a ship. Sure, it was night and shit, but that didn’t explain how he could miss a giant fucking vessel with lanterns ablaze during a full moon.

Its design was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. Unusual sort of sails, too, in a hue of red that made Izzy think whoever was sailing the thing had money to burn.

As he was examining the vessel, a head popped over the side of the ship.

The woman who peered at him looked as surprised to see him as he was to see the whole damn ship.

“Where did you come from?” She called over.

“Could ask you the same fucking question,” He replied, keeping himself as civil as he could. He had his sword, a knife, and a gun with a few shots, but he’d never be able to take on a whole fucking crew on his own if they were decently trained.

There was commotion on deck, and a moment later, another woman peered over the edge.

This woman had a scowl that Izzy could respect, her demeanor giving off an aura of someone who was not to be messed with. She glanced up as the fucking gull gave a cry, then looked back down at Izzy. She seemed to mumble something before she gestured over the side. 

A moment later, a ladder unrolled itself next to Izzy’s dinghy. Another few seconds, and a tether followed. 

Izzy glanced up at the still circling gull, and resigned himself to the fact that the fucking sea witch was not done meddling yet.

He secured his dinghy, pocketed the compass, grabbed the small bag that had some food and a canteen, and climbed up the ladder.

He was greeted by the unnerving sight of a crew dressed identically. Not just all in the same sort of style like that of the Queen Anne , but exactly the same, like a uniform. They smiled at him, too, even if they all had a hand on their swords strapped to their sides.

“Exactly what are you doing in a dinghy in the middle of the ocean?” 

Izzy turned toward the quarter deck, spotting one of only two women who did not follow the dress code. The one he saw before stood behind a younger woman with long hair tied up on either side of her head. She held a pipe in her hand and grinned in a deceptively kind way. Everything about her, about the crew, was engineered to make others underestimate them. 

“Was it a mutiny?” The younger woman asked like she was in on a joke.

“No,” Izzy replied, glancing around the crew while keeping his own hand on the hilt of his sword. He slowly approached the Captain and her First Mate, craning his head to keep eye contact. “Someone of importance to my Captain was taken.”

“And who is your Captain?” The First Mate asked, her eyes darting to the still-circling gull.

“He was once known as Blackbeard. These days, though, he’s better known as the Kraken.”

A murmur went through the crew as if what he said was taboo. He supposed it probably was anywhere but the Revenge .

The Captain quirked her brow skeptically, but the First Mate’s eyes went wide.

“You sail under the Kraken?” She asked.

“Aye, he does, ma’am.”

Izzy cursed under his breath at the sound of the Scottish Brogue, and he refused to turn to acknowledge the man.

The Captain straightened from her relaxed demeanor, but the First Mate immediately bowed her head and shielded her eyes as if paying the man respect. 

That or the fucker was naked.

“I ask ye, Pirate Queen, to kindly grant passage for this weary traveler.”

“I’ve a very important rendez vous tomorrow morning,” The Captain ( the Pirate Queen? Never fucking heard of her ) responded.

“Zheng,” The First Mate got the Captain’s attention. “It would be unwise not to do it. He’s cursed men for denying lesser requests.”

Zheng tilted her head slightly as she considered what her First Mate said, but she gave no sign as to what she was thinking.

Izzy stuffed down his desire to tell her to just make up her fucking mind because he didn’t have a whole fucking lot of time. He was exhausted, sure, but the longer he did fuck all, the farther away Stede could be.

He took the compass back out of his pocket, opening it to see the needle still hadn’t settled in a direction, continuing its pendulum-like movements between a point behind him and one ahead.

“Alright,” Zheng said after a moment, sounding mildly surprised. 

Izzy looked up to meet her gaze.

“You’re welcome to stay with us for the night. We’ll provide you with a rolled cot on the deck, same as anyone on the crew. But I’ll warn you that the important rendezvous I have is with the British Navy. Specifically with Prince Richard Banes, so you might want to set off before we get too close.”

“Prince Richard Banes?” Izzy repeated incredulously. He turned to get his first look at Buttons, noting the Sea Witch give a solemn nod before he glanced at the compass in Izzy’s hand. He glanced down, seeing it still swinging, but now he realized the ship was oriented in the same direction as one of the two points. 

He chuckled.

“You and I were going to the same place.”

~S~

Stede had overslept. 

That, or the stupid nails had been coated in wax and failed to make enough of a noise to wake him. Either way, Stede was well aware that daylight had broken and that his chance of stealing a dinghy had just gotten slimmer. 

Still, trying to escape was better than resigning himself to his fate. If he could avoid marrying the bevy of women his father attempted to line up for him before the law passed, then he could avoid marrying one persistent and nasally prince.

He dressed in the simple clothes from the wardrobe, lamenting the loss of the white suit. It was lovely, the stitching was absolute perfection, and while it wouldn’t survive long term on a pirate ship, Stede ached at the idea of only getting to wear it once. He briefly considered taking it with him, but he didn’t have anything to carry it in, and he wouldn’t blend in as well with the outfit tucked under his arm.

Once he was dressed, he opened the door to his cabin a crack, checking to see first if there was a guard at his door, and second if there was anyone roaming the halls. When he could confirm it was a no for both, Stede slipped out of the cabin and picked a direction, walking with a confidence he didn’t feel. 

It would have been smart to have paid closer attention when he was being led below deck, but Stede couldn’t have been certain it would have helped. Everything looked the same, with no distinction from one door to the next as to what could be behind it.

He came upon a set of stairs that led further down, but nothing that led up.

He nearly turned around when he heard a pair of voices come from down the hall.

Down it was.

The bright side was that he just had to cross the area he’d found himself in, and he’d be able to head back up, hopefully to a set of stairs that would bring him somewhere he could find a dinghy and sneak off.

About five feet in, he realized he was moving through a sort of holding area for prisoners. The brig, probably. He hadn’t seen the brig on the Revenge to have anything to compare this area to. 

He slowed, glancing into the cells as he passed until he found the one he supposed he would have inevitably come to. 

His father looked so much older and more frail than Stede had remembered him being. And without his own brand of fine attire, he looked like any other man instead of the powerful figure he always presented in Bridgetown.

Edward Bonnet must have felt Stede watching him because he looked up at him.

“So he rescued you after all.”

“Kidnapped me, actually,” Stede retorted. “I’m on my way back to Ed and Izzy now.”

He glanced up as the sound of unhurried footsteps headed toward the end of the ship Stede had planned to go. Hopefully, they’ll head up to the deck instead of coming down to check on their prisoner. 

His father scoffed.

“You’ll barely make it ten yards before they have you back on this ship, you pathetic idiot. Besides, marrying Prince Richard is the least you could do.”

“I’d rather die,” Stede told his father firmly.

More footsteps, but far softer this time than they were before. Stede narrowed his eyes, wishing he’d thought to find a weapon. 

“You’re a coward, Stede Bonnet. Always had been. You’re going to get caught, and when you do, you’ll cower and marry the man instead of facing whatever consequences come for you.”

Stede scowled at his father to mask how the words stung. 

There was movement down the corridor, and Stede turned to the stairs he’d been heading for in time to see feet.

He moved to the next cell over, closing the door just so to make it look fully closed before bowing his head but keeping his attention on the people moving by.

Two small women dressed in lovely blue outfits passed by, glancing at him but otherwise not paying him much mind. 

Another person in a blue outfit slowed just outside Stede’s cell, looking down at something in their hand a moment before looking up and right at Stede.

“Izzy,” Stede said in a rush, moving for the door.

“Bonnet,” Izzy grinned, moving to meet him.

As soon as Stede was across the threshold, Izzy’s fist took hold of Stede’s shirt and yanked him closer.

It wasn’t clear if the kiss that followed was intentional or a happy accident, but Stede wasn’t about to question it. It was biting, bruising, and over far too soon. 

“Here,” Izzy said, leaning around Stede and gesturing for something.

The women from before were back in an instant, handing Izzy a blue garment similar to the tunics they were all wearing. 

“Put that on,” Izzy instructed. “Where’s your sword?”

“I never had one,” Stede reminded him. “And I couldn’t find one between the cabin I was in and where I am now.”

“Fair enough, we’ll put one in your hand soon enough.”

Stede heard his father give a derisive chuckle.

Izzy apparently had, too, because he took a couple of steps back before he looked at Stede’s father with a shark-like grin. His hand curled around the hilt of his sword, pulling it out of his scabbard a hair.

“Jane, Tiff, take Stede here back to the Red Flag, will you? I have some… unfinished business I need to attend to.”

Stede took a steadying breath and slipped the tunic on over his clothes. His hair would still probably give him away if he wasn’t careful, but he probably would be even more passed over this way. Once it was in place, Stede went up to Izzy and laid his hand on his shoulder.

“Izzy, he’s not worth it.”

“I think he is,” Izzy said as he looked up at Stede. “How do you think this lot and that pompous ass who never took ‘no’ for an answer knew where to find you?”

“It was by chance that they found me.”

“Yeah, but they were lookin’. Who do you think tipped them off that maybe you didn’t become a pirate by choice?”

Edward Bonnet snickered, shook his head.

“He’s not a pirate. He’s a soft-hearted, weak-handed, lily-livered little rich boy.”

“He’s one of the bravest fuckers I have ever met. A fuck ton braver than you are, you sniveling insect.”

“Darling,” Stede slid his hand down to rest between Izzy’s shoulder blades. “Leave him. I have a feeling whoever you came with is the guest Ricky spoke of. He might try and move up the ceremony, and it would make escaping more difficult.”

“Fine,” Izzy said, shoving his sword back in his scabbard. “He’ll go down when we sink this fucking ship.”

“Good luck with that.” Edward Bonnet said.

Stede rolled his eyes, deciding to ignore his father’s need to get in one last dig every single time. 

Izzy turned toward the stairs, gesturing for Stede, Jane, and Tiff to follow.

The four of them moved swiftly and soft-footed through the naval ship. Twice, they passed a group of officers, both times no one seemed to give them a second look. 

Stede’s heart hammered as they crossed the deck to the plank that bridged the naval ship with another. He could hear Ricky’s voice, high and grating as he spoke of something to someone that Stede didn’t want to risk a glance at.

“How long until we sail?” He asked in a hushed tone.

“Pirate Queen was gonna negotiate something with the twat,” Izzy replied quietly, glancing over his shoulder briefly. “Not sure she’s gonna go through with it, still. Not a big fan of forcing someone into a marriage they don’t want.”

Izzy grabbed a coil of rope and began to recoil it, keeping his back to the other ship as much as he seemed to be able to. Stede risked a peek, noting that Rick currently had his back to them, and a smaller woman who had to be this Pirate Queen Izzy referred to looking all the world like she was trying not to kill him.

Stede had questions. Lots of them. About the ship they were on, its Captain, its crew, where they were, how far away Ed was, if their crew was safe.

Instead, he smirked and said, “You called me brave.”

“’Cause you are.”

“And pirate.”

“Yeah, that too.”

“Plus, you kissed me.”

“Are you just going to continue stating the obvious?”

“I didn’t think kissing me was something you would want to do,” Stede told him honestly.

“Yeah, well,” Izzy shrugged. “You’re not as bad as I thought you were.”

The grin Izzy gave him might have been considered shy from anyone else, and Stede found himself just a bit more enamored with the normally acerbic man.

“Oh, but you really should stay!” 

Ricky’s voice shattered the moment, and Stede turned away from Izzy, ducking his head, crouching slightly so he’d appear to be the same height.

“As lovely as the wedding sounds, I’ve another meeting I can’t be late for,” A woman replied, sounding polite enough and maybe even apologetic to someone who wouldn’t know any better.

“Well, I suppose you’ll have to meet my darling Stede when we rendezvous again next week. Bad luck to see the groom before the wedding, and all.”

“Of course,” the woman replied, and Stede had to bite his lips to keep from laughing. Her tone was so deliciously patronizing, and he just knew Ricky didn’t see it. “Until then.”

There was some noise, an order given in a language Stede was unfamiliar with, and then he felt the boat begin to move.

“So you’re the runaway groom?”

He turned to the woman who spoke and grinned.

“I suppose I am. Thank you. I’m not sure how you came to be involved with my rescue, but I’m grateful for it. My plan, admittedly, wasn’t very good.”

“Well, let’s just say a little bird told me it would be a good idea.”

“Oh fuck off,” Izzy grumbled. 

“Which way are we set to go, then?” The Pirate Queen asked.

Izzy reached into his pocket and took out a compass. Stede leaned over and looked at it as he opened it, finding the needle initially pointing in his direction before swinging away and pointing steadily.

“There’s you’re heading,” Izzy told her. 

“Then we'll set course.”

~R~

Preparations for the wedding had begun before Zheng Yi Sao had come aboard, so it wasn’t terribly long after that that things were ready. Ricky might have insisted on a proper wedding feast had the Pirate Queen elected to stay, but since it was just him, Stede, and the navy, it seemed fine to forgo such frivolities. He and Stede could have a proper feast when they make land, a real celebration of their union.

“Fetch Stede, please? And someone get his father from the brig so he can see his son marry.”

Ricky didn’t care who followed his instructions, only that they did, and the retreating footsteps told him more than one officer was making their way to put those orders into action.

Ricky hummed the bridal march to himself as he took in the arch and the white cloth weaved around it. He didn’t know where either came from, nor did he care. He only cared that he had something of a proper setting when he made Stede his husband.

He heard the grunts of Bonnet senior first, and waited a moment before turning.

Ricky had fully expected to see a nervous but lovely Stede waiting to marry him. Instead, he saw nervous-looking officers.

“Where is he?” Ricky asked.

“Gone,” One brave man replied.

“Gone?”

“He’s not in his room. Or anywhere on the ship so far as we can see.”

“No sign of him in the water, either,” another officer added.

“So where is he?” Ricky demanded.

“He’s escaped with the pirates,” Edward Bonnet said. “Apparently Stede’s finally grown a spine.”

Escaped with the pirates? Back to the beast? No, clearly there was some sort of spell that was being cast. Stede would not want to go back to the Kraken. He might have an interest in pirates, but there was no need for him to become one. 

Ricky turned toward the back of the ship, catching sight of the vessel that apparently had his husband-to-be aboard.

“Kill him,” Ricky commanded, pointing toward Edward Bonnet while his eyes locked on the Red Flag as it sailed toward gray skies. “And turn us around.”

“Your highness?” Chauncey asked, sounding a touch eager.

“I haven’t forgotten about your Kraken, Admiral. But if Stede has left with Zheng Yi Sao, she is undoubtedly in league with it. So call it war, call it threat. I don’t care what you say this all is, but we are going to get my fiancé back. We will sink the Red Flag, the Revenge, and then we will end every pirate on this damn ocean.”

Chapter Text

Ed watched a drop fall from the upper bulb of the hourglass into the lower one, noting with sadness that the drip wasn’t all that loud. The water in the lower bulb was too high, the drop didn’t have as far to go, didn’t have as much impact to make. 

He was going to die a monster. There were maybe ten drops left, which by Ed’s calculation meant he had until sundown. Given his mood since Izzy left - since Stede was taken - he wasn’t going to know when that was. 

The sky outside the ship windows was dark enough that he had lanterns still lit from the night before. He’d had a fitful sleep filled with nightmares teaming with shadows he couldn’t drive away. At some point, he’d given up trying and chose to simply sit and stare at the last dredges of hope fall away.

There was a knock on his door, and Ed didn’t give permission for anyone to enter, but someone did anyway. Whoever they were closed the door behind them, shuffled about the room, and didn’t say anything right away, so chances were no one was dying or already dead.

“I’m given to understand the weather’s your doing.”

Ed frowned, then turned in shock and confusion to find the boy who stowed away on his ship in his cabin looking at him with sympathy.

“I mean, I get it,” Lucius added with a flap of his hand. “I was just a wreck when Pete first set off, and then after I met Fang, it just got, like, a whole lot worse. It was not cute.”

“Why are you talking?” Ed asked, voice gruff from disuse and also because that’s just how it got when he was in any sort of mood these days.

To his credit, Lucius didn’t flinch.

“Well, I thought I’d point out that you’re not the only one who’s ever had to sit around and pine for their lovers.”

“Stede was taken,” Ed reminded Lucius. “It’s not like he went off to become a fucking fisherman or some shit.”

“And Izzy went after him. We all know, we all saw him leave. Which means they’ll both be back, because Stede is relentless when it comes to something he wants, and Izzy seems sort of indestructible. And Stede couldn’t have gotten far, he was just on the other side of the island.”

“Even if they do come back, I’ll be out of time,” Ed glanced back at the hourglass, seeing a drop begin to bead. 

There was a moment of heavy silence between them. One in which, thankfully, a drop didn’t fall.

“He loves you,” Lucius said. “Even if he doesn’t know it yet. Stede Bonnet loves you both. The time we’ve been on this ship? I’ve never seen him happier.”

“Really?” Ed asked doubtfully. “All his books and fancy clothes left behind so he can slum it on a pirate ship, and you think this is the happiest he’s ever been?”

“It is,” Lucius stated. 

Ed narrowed his eyes but couldn’t find the lie. Sincerity was written all over the fucker, which only made the loss of Stede all the worst.

He sighed, sinking deeper into his chair as he looked back at the hourglass. Maybe Izzy was right. Maybe Stede found Ed beautiful even now, maybe living cursed for the rest of his life wouldn’t be the end.

Except. Well, except he could never take a stroll through the Republic of Pirates with Stede, that would be Izzy’s job. Fuck, it would be Izzy’s job to escort Stede anywhere. The compass wouldn’t lie, so Ed was already aware that Izzy had feelings for Stede, so eventually, things would progress between them. Izzy and Stede would probably just simply not return to the ship one day, and what was Ed going to do then? Cause a hurricane? No need to sail the ship into the storm if he was the storm.

“Ed,” Lucius said gently, snapping him out of his spiraling thoughts.

One of the tentacles wiped at his cheek, bringing his own tears to his attention.

A frantic knock on the door had the tentacles standing on end like they were suddenly on alert. 

He turned to the door to find Oluwande opening it, hanging half inside the door with wide eyes.

“Ah, boss? We got a ship heading toward us fast. And what looks like a navy ship in the distance.”

~*~

The wind whipped around them, not exactly causing a storm but creating choppy waters and doing next to nothing to fill the sails. The Revenge was basically dead in the water, rocking in the waves, a sitting duck for what looked like a naval ship on the horizon.

Between the Revenge and the Navy was a smaller, red-sailed ship that was moving toward them at a slightly faster clip. Ed had no idea what to make of it, but he did know what the intention of the Naval ship was. 

He glanced down at the crew on the deck, the lot of them barely keeping their footing, none of them truly battle hardened. 

“Those of you who can swim would be wise to do it now,” He told the lot of them.

“Would it?” Archie asked. “I mean, waves would probably throw us into the ship.”

“We’re gonners either way,” Frenchie said with a shrug. “Don’t know about you, but I’d rather die on the ship than drown.”

Ed couldn’t find it in him to argue. The sea could be a cruel mistress, and while they technically weren’t far from the island, she could still decide to pull them all under. Staying on the ship, well, they could still drown as the Navy sinks it, but it was more likely they’ll die by gunshot or get gutted. 

He turned back to those incoming ships, noting the Navy ship adjusted course ever so slightly so that it would come up alongside the Revenge. They are most certainly going to come under attack. The ship with the red sails was the unknown that he didn’t know how to account for.

“Spyglass!” He called out. Fang was the one on the quarter deck with him, and he handed Ed the spyglass he requested.

He put it to his eye, focusing on the ship with red sails. The crew looked focused, determined, all hands on deck. He looked to the quarter deck, seeing a fierce, petite woman commanding them all. A larger woman scowled and waved her arms about before moving to join the crew on the deck.

Ed followed her movements, scanning the crew again when a spot of black in the sea of blue.

He focused on it, stared at it, until someone moved enough for Ed to confirm that he was looking at Izzy.

Izzy was on the ship with the Red Sails.

Fucking fuck, but that probably meant that he couldn’t get near the Naval ship. At least he didn’t seem to be a prisoner, he was working with the crew. He and one other man, it seemed. Blonde, casually dressed, strong arms pulling ropes and securing lines. Izzy looked to have said something to the man over his shoulder. The man turned, and Ed’s breath caught.

Stede. Izzy was talking to Stede. He found him, they found each other. The ship with the red sail was an ally, bringing his loves back to him.

The winds died, and the sea settled for a moment.

“Lower the sails!” Ed ordered. “But be ready to hoist them again.”

“Captain?” Frenchie asked, glancing at the others, who all shared his confusion.

“That ship has Izzy and Stede,” Ed told them. “Once we’ve got’em, we hoist our sails and get ourselves the fuck out of here!”

The crew didn’t question his orders again, and Ed turned his attention back to the incoming ships. 

The winds picked up again as he stared at the red-sailed ship, like his desire to have Stede and Izzy with him again willed the weather to help bring them closer. 

Of course, that meant it was helping the naval ship gain ground. Couldn’t have one without the other, it seemed. 

He gripped the railing, calculating the odds of them making a great escape once they had their men back. It wasn’t looking good.

The spines on his back and arms stood straight out, his tentacles fanning out around his face.

“Black Pete, Ivan, Wee John, ready the canons on the port side. The rest of you dogs, ready your fucking weapons. We’re gonna have a fight on our hands.”

As Ed guessed, the red-sailed ship began to approach on the Starboard side. The Navy Ship was veering toward port. They were the real targets, after all, not whoever sailed the other ship. It’s what Buttons had warned him about, not even a full day beforehand.

Ed bared his teeth in glee. Stede and Izzy would be on the Revenge when Ed managed to take out the fuckers who took the former. He wasn’t typically one for killing, but he always made an exception for the King’s Navy.

The Red Sailed ship came up beside them at last. Izzy, Stede, the Captain, the likely First Mate, and a few others swung over on ropes while the ship continued onward. 

Stede hadn’t had the most graceful landing, but he at least didn’t fall flat on his face.

Those who came over turned to the quarter deck, the eyes of all the ladies going wide a moment as they took in the Kraken at his worst. 

Stede and Izzy both grinned, the latter more subdued but not less happy.

“Ed,” Stede said, and Ed’s heart leaped at the sheer joy in the blonde’s voice.

Then a cannonball hit somewhere at the bow of the ship, rocking it.

“We’ve got incoming!” The Captain of the other ship called out.

“Ready the guns!” Ed ordered. “Prepare to fight!”

~S~

There were grappling hooks thrown, and planks lowered. There was shouting and the clang of metal on metal. The air tasted like smoke and gunpowder, and Stede was beginning to break into a sweat from the exertion and the humidity.

The sky above was pitch black, light only really getting to them because somewhere above the clouds, it was still daylight, and on occasion, lightning flashed around them.

“Keep your back to mine,” Izzy said firmly when the fighting started.

“What about Ed?” Stede had asked.

“He can take care of himself,” came Izzy’s answer.

He was right, of course. The Navy must have been under very specific instructions not to harm Stede, not to even engage him if it could be helped. That meant that he was able to keep a closer eye on Ed than he likely would have otherwise.

Most of the Navy kept their distance, preferring to take their chances with the crew of the Red Flag over the Kraken.

Chauncey was not one of them.

He and Ed were engaged in swordplay that Stede knew was far, far too advanced for him. 

“We’ve nearly got them all,” Zheng said with pleasure, and Stede forced himself to look away from Ed.

There were some officers still on the other ship, but they were either told to stay back or were too afraid to join the lot of them.

“We need to fucking sink it,” Izzy said. 

“What would your Captain say?”

“He’d say to fucking sink it, but we’re a bit too close for cannon fire.” 

“What about actual fire?” Stede suggested. “Wee John, he’s good with it. Maybe if we start it low enough on the ship?”

“We’d need to clear out before the gunpowder explodes.” Izzy countered.

“So cut their ropes, and push their planks in the water.”

“Alright, then,” Zheng nodded, then started shouting orders in Chinese.

Two of her crew ran below deck, perhaps to relay the order to those who were manning the cannons, waiting for word to fire.

“I’m surprised they didn’t try to sink the ship more than taking out the figurehead,” Zheng commented.

“Ricky wants me alive,” Stede told her. “He can’t marry a corpse.”

“Strikes me as the sort who would still try,” Izzy said, just another bout of navy men crossed over. “Fuck, here we go ag—“

A roar of pain silenced the fight. The storm around them increased in ferocity, and Stede and Izzy both turned to the quarter deck to see what would cause Ed to react like that.

Ed had been brought to his knees, eyes closed and teeth gritted. Blood dripped from an unseen wound, though Stede could guess where Chauncey had sliced based on the fact that the tentacles on Ed’s chin were limp.

He was moving before he’d made the decision, hand tight around his sword as he charged up the quarter deck

“The Kraken Reign of Terror ends,” He heard Chauncey say as he came up behind him. 

The admiral had drawn his gun and aimed at Ed’s. Without hesitation, Stede grabbed the gun and yanked it upward.

The shot was far louder than he expected, startling Stede violently enough that he had let go and hopped back a step. He was ready to defend himself, and Ed, with his sword, except…. Well, except Chauncey had shot himself in the head.

Stede felt himself go pale at the sight, but swallowed down the fear so he could check on Ed.

“Hey,” he said as he got down on his knees in front of him. He put his hand on Ed’s cheek, managing to get those lovely red eyes to look at him. “Hey, come on, it’s alright. We’ll get Roach, he’ll have look at you, get you stitched up.

Ed chuckled weakly before wincing.

“Think they’re done-for, mate.”

“You don’t know, not yet. You just have to-“

Another gunshot barely registered to Stede before Ed’s eyes screwed shut and he roared again. There was another, and Ed’s weight was falling against Stede.

He caught him, brought his arms around Ed as best he could, mindful of the spines.

It gave Stede a clear view of Ricky with a gun in his head and a smarmy grin on his face. 

“If you won’t be with me, you won’t be with him either,” Ricky said. “So, Stede, I think - unless you’d like me to kill your Kraken quicker - you had best come with me.”

Stede scowled, ready to tell Ricky for the last time that he wasn’t going anywhere, when there was another gunshot.

At first, Stede feared Ricky’s finger had slipped, but his barrel wasn’t smoking. 

Then Stede saw the red blossoming on Ricky’s white shirt just where his heart would be.

Ricky looked down, face screwing up in indignation before he tipped backward into the water. Stede heard him hit with a splash, and it was like the world came rushing back in.

Suddenly, there were shouts to hoist sails and clear out. There was the crackling of fire, screams from the other side, and more people hitting the water.

“Here,” Izzy said next to Stede, and the two of them worked together to get Ed to lie on the deck.

“We need Roach,” Stede told him. “He’s been shot, and-and injured. Badly. He needs….”

“Stede,” Ed said, voice rough with pain and breathing labored. 

“Don’t,” Izzy said firmly, voice breaking.

“’S too late,” Ed panted. “Too late. But it’s alright, ya know? Got to see you two before I carked it.”

“But we’re supposed to have adventures,” Stede said, eyes stinging with tears before he felt them roll down his cheeks.

“You two have’em.” Ed said, reaching a hand toward Izzy as he took hold of Stede’s with the other. “Listen, ‘kay? Last few weeks? Most fun I-I’ve had in ages,” he coughed. “Maybe ever. You both… made me… happy. This curse… you made me happy.”

“Ed,” Stede whimpered. “I lo-“

“Don’t,” Ed said, a trickle of blood forming in the corner of his mouth as he pleaded with Stede not to say anything.

But how could he not? If this was really the end, how could Stede not tell Ed? But if hearing the exact words was too much for him to take….

“I love everything about you,” He said, doing his best not to cry. “Being near you? It’s nice, feels good. Breathing the same air. Izzy and I, we’ll get by, but it won’t be the same. We need you.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Yeah, we do, you cocksucker,” Izzy rushed out, voice straining to keep back grief that was still leaking out with every word. “I was terrible to you. Fed your darkness. Blackbeard was us, and I needed him, and I thought if I let you be anything but Blackbeard, you wouldn’t need me. Turns out, I didn’t need the legend I just needed the man behind it. I need Ed. So you can just be Ed, but you need… you need to fucking live to do it, okay?”

Ed coughed again.

“Pretty sure… time’s out.”

Ed stopped breathing. His eyes slipped closed, and his grip went lax. 

“No,” Stede cried. “No, please.”

“Ye love all o’him.”

Stede turned sharply to see Buttons standing on the other end of the Quarter Deck, dressed fairly nicely, all things considered.  He was grinning at the three of them, his attention not on any one of them in particular until he seemed to settle on Ed.

“An' he loves all of ye in return.”

Buttons raised his hand, and the ship seemed to tilt violently toward port.

Izzy grabbed hold of Stede, pulling him back a few steps just before a wave washed over the side of the Revenge.

For one horrifying moment, Stede thought Ed’s body was about to be washed out to sea, but then the ship righted itself, the water spread out in an impossible amount over the deck, and Ed?

Ed was gone.

At least, the version of Ed Stede had known was gone. 

Lying on the deck was a man. Where once there were scales, there was now glorious brown skin. Where once there was some abnormal scarring, there were now beautiful tattoos. The tentacles became lovely black and silver locks that were spread out on the deck, though what might have once been a long beard was now short but still full. There were no claws, no spines, and through slightly parted lips, Stede could see a set of normal human teeth. 

He was beautiful. One of the most beautiful men Stede had ever seen.

He put his hand over Izzy’s, where it clutched his arm, then moved forward. Izzy allowed him to go to Ed, but was also just behind him.

They both knelt down, and took one of Ed’s hands, Izzy brushing a strand of hair from Ed’s beard while Stede stroked his fingers along Ed’s cheek.

Ed’s eyes fluttered.

“Ed?” Stede gasped out, leaning in closer, feeling warm breath puff against his chin.

Ed’s eyes opened, and they were a warm, doe-eyed brown that had Stede falling in love with him all over again.

He grinned, laughing wetly at the miracle that was Ed still being alive.

“You came back,” he beamed.

Ed slowly blinked as his lips curled into a grin.

“Never left,” He replied, and Stede could not go another second without kissing him.

It was soft and shy but so full of affection that Stede couldn’t help but let a few tears slip. He had to break the kiss when it became too much, but it was entirely worth it.

“You son of a bitch,” Izzy said with love before he leaned down and kissed Ed as well, the two of them laughing in relief which only set Stede off as well.

Sun warmed his back as he and Izzy helped Ed sit up, neither of them letting go of the former Kraken’s hand even to check his back for any sign of injury. There was nothing, like Ed had never been shot twice or sliced with a blade.

A gull’s cry pulled their attention, and Stede watched as three seagulls flew in a circle over the ship.

The sails shimmered, and then all the patch jobs put in place melted away into perfect, unmarred sailcloth. The wood of the ship shifted from something that looked rotted to brand new, all imperfections and breaks returned to pristine glory. 

There were probably plenty of changes he would find throughout, but Stede found himself looking back to Ed and Izzy, so utterly happy to have them both.

“Like one of your books, then?” Izzy guessed.

“Better,” Stede replied. Because it was. So, so much better than any tale he’d ever read, old as time or otherwise.

Chapter Text

Ed stood in the cabin of the ship they’d just raided and scoped out the Captain’s wardrobe. Lots of things dark colors, which was surprising. He didn’t seem like a dark colors sort of bloke with his sailing uniform, but Ed’s learned not to judge someone by appearances.

Sun streamed in through the windows, warming the room. When a particularly intense beam fell over him, Ed found himself closing his eyes for a moment and basking in its warmth.

It was a nice reminder that he was alive and no longer trapped in a body that didn’t feel quite right.

A pair of footsteps was approaching the cabin, and Ed smiled when he caught the bickering just before Izzy and Stede entered the room.

“All I’m saying is it can’t hurt!” Stede said as the door opened.

“Stede, love, while booze is booze and most pirate will drink whatever a crate of that shit will pay for double the same amount of rum plus decent fucking food. You want wine? Or do you want Roach to be able to give us three decent meals a day for a month?”

Ed turned to see Izzy glaring up at Stede half-heartedly, and Stede grinning fondly back at him. 

Stede was turning into a sort of gentleman pirate, pairing well with Izzy during interrogations of the crew. If Izzy’s brand of extracting information made the captive choke up, Stede would calmly talk to them in a language neither Izzy or Ed would ever be able to master. It was sort of a nice pirate/nasty pirate way of going about it. If they didn’t cough up information for the right hand of Blackbeard, then maybe they told the polite menace who could understand and maybe appreciate why they didn’t want to give up whatever it was they were protecting. 

“Fine,” Stede relented. “But I request we keep at least one bottle to share.”

“Right, fine, whatever,” Izzy said, but there was zero heat behind it. If anything, it might have been affectionate.

“Find some good stuff, then?” Ed asked as he approached his lovers.

“Debatable,” Izzy replied as Stede said, “Absolutely.”

There was a knock on the open door, and Ed glanced past to see Frenchie dressed up in some fancy clothes.

“Good day to you, fine sirs.” He said with a bit of a bow.

“The fuck are you doing?” Izzy asked with a sigh.

“Found these in some bloke's cabin. Figured he’s probably not going to be needing them, and nabbed ‘em. Got a lot of matelots coming up, figured some of ‘em might be fancy. Also, I found this! Looks like an invitation to a fancy party for hoity-toity people.”

Stede took the offered invitation, giving it a skim and then going a bit pale.

“Oh.” 

“What?” Ed asked him.

“Well,” Stede paused and cleared his throat. “It’s, um, addressed to one Godfrey Thornrose.”

“That is a stupid sounding fucking name,” Izzy grumbled.

“It’s, um….” Stede looked up from the invitation and glanced around the cabin. “Where was this ship heading?”

“South,” Ed replied in confusion. “Bit East. Probably heading for Barbados, most of these vessels do.”

“Right, that would… that would make sense.”

“Stede?” Ed touched his arm.

“Well, you see. Godfrey Thornrose.”

“Annoying fucking name,” Izzy mumbled.

“He’d have been heading for Bridgetown. Maybe got this particular invite because his social status would have recently increased.” He took a deep breath. “Because our father would have been on a Navy ship that sank, leaving few if any survivors to tell one last tale of the Kraken.”

Ed blinked at him a moment, and from the corner of his eye, he noted Izzy looking just as taken aback.

“Fuck, did we kill your brother?” Ed asked.

“I’m,” Stede glanced over his shoulder at the door with a frown. “I’m actually not sure. I don’t know if I would have recognized him if I saw him.”

“Well,” Frenchie said thoughtfully. “Maybe you’re not the only one?”

“What are you getting at?” Izzy asked.

“That perhaps Steddie here might be Godfrey for a night, attend this party, let us swipe a few things or run a few scams.” 

Ed did his best to play it cool, but he damn well knew his eyes were doing that thing Izzy hated where they’d get all big and pleading. Like a cat, he’d said once. 

It was just that there was a suit, the one that he’d worn the jacket from the night of Calypso’s birthday. Ed really liked the suit, was dying to wear it, but he knew there needed to be an occasion for it. This was an occasion, and Izzy had said he was willing to give different types of piracy a try these days. Scams were just piracy in fuckery form, but usually without the murder.

Still, just in case Stede was feeling some kind of way about the possible murder of a half-brother he’d have to assume the identity of, Ed shrugged.

“Could be fun. I mean, we could dress up, I could practice my massive aggression.”

“You just want to dress up in the suit,” Izzy retorted fondly.

“And it’s passive aggression,” Stede smirked as he glanced between them. He eventually focused more on Izzy, making his eyes wide, though perhaps not nearly as pleading. 

Ed could almost count down to the moment when Izzy broke.

“Fucking fine. But I’m not involved. Someone has to stay on our ship.”

Ed grabbed Izzy by the back of the head, giving him a loud, wet kiss before eagerly taking off back to his own ship to get ready. He knew Stede wouldn’t be far behind after giving Izzy a less aggressive smooch. 

It’s usually how these things went.

As was how Stede and Ed would take forever to actually get ready, the pair of them getting distracted by each other. They’d get too wrapped up in soft touches and trading kisses, then have to rush to get dressed and styled, ready to go.

And later, after Ed would fumble the rules of the upper crust, Stede would manage to get them to set themselves on fire. Then they’d return to the Revenge, where they’d tell Izzy all about it, who would look at them both with such adoration while he called them both idiots.

He’d act on the adoration later in their oversized bunk, Ed and Stede reciprocating in kind.

It was a new kind of predictable. As certain as the sun, some might even say, but Ed liked it. Things were never boring, for one, and he didn’t think they ever would be again. 

In fact, a little bird might have told him that the three of them - and the crew - were going to live happily ever after.