Chapter Text
As he stepped forwards, Ed was grinning widely, even as he brandished his sword at Stede.
“Get off my ship, Bonnet, or I’ll be forced to make you leave myself.”
Stede raised his eyebrow, his judgement obvious even before he opened his mouth.
“Weren’t you the one who taught me to put a little more ‘oomph’ into things, Ed? Surely you can do better than that.”
Ed sighed, but his smile stayed even as his sword dropped.
“Sorry, love, I warned you wouldn’t be great at acting like I hated you.”
“Oh, nonsense. The crew told me what a good job you did with the moping, and they were all very convinced by the sudden heel turn. Black Pete was quite worried about Lucius until I reassured him that he was okay.”
Izzy, who was glancing between the two of them with a vicious glee that had since melted into utter bewilderment, blinked twice very rapidly.
“What the fuck?!”
In life, there are always multiple paths that people can walk down. Nothing is ever set in stone, no matter what purveyors of fate would have you believe. In one universe, one man may carelessly and needlessly break another’s heart, driven to certain actions by a misplaced sense of guilt and duty. But in another, two idiots may get their shit together weeks earlier than expected, and in the face of destiny?
Well, weeks can make all the difference.
The night that changed everything for Stede and Ed was not that different, all things considered, to the one you already know and love.
It was the evening they’d spent at the French party, the hoity-toity gathering that ended in a fiery blast. The two pirates were stood on the deck, still dressed in all their finery, and Stede had just finished tucking Ed’s handkerchief into his pocket with a soft smile.
“You wear fine things well.”
Ed scoffed, but it was hard to dismiss words spoken with such guileless honesty. It was that expression that pushed him to take a single hesitant step forward, just to see how Stede would react. Just to know if he had a chance.
Before he could retreat, Stede swayed closer.
It was a tiny movement, all things considered, but tiny does not always mean insignificant. For that movement was all it took to convince Ed to take another step in; then reaching out, cupping Stede’s face with one large hand, and tugging him in for a kiss.
***
The kiss was gentle, perhaps unsurprisingly, but it was something Ed hadn’t ever experienced before.
He’d kissed people, of course, he was fucking Blackbeard, but most of those people had been like him. Rough, violent, undeserving of the finer things in life. He knew how to kiss like a pirate, not a gentleman.
And above everything else, Stede was a gentleman.
***
Despite the relative lack of light, it was obvious that Stede’s cheeks were flushed when Ed pulled away.
“That… explains some things,” he said, and Ed laughed.
“What things did you need explained?” He asked. “You were married, weren’t you? Maggie, or whatever her name was. I didn’t think I was being that subtle.”
“Mary,” Stede sighed. “And— Well, it was an arranged marriage, you see. We never held any great fondness for each other. But really, I meant it explained things on my end.”
Ed stilled, studying Stede’s eyes intently.
“All good things?” He asked, and Stede smiled before leaning in to brush a second kiss against Ed’s lips.
“All good things.”
They keep things mostly quiet at first, wanting to figure out how they fit together before inviting the crew to comment on their relationship. They hadn’t done that great a job of things, Ed suspected, what with the multiple times he’d used sword fighting as an excuse to put his hands all over Stede, but no one had called him out on it yet.
It wasn’t until he was confronted by Izzy, Fang, and Ivan that he realised that maybe he’d been a little too subtle.
***
(Really, though, they’d made out on deck like a week ago, the night that he’d gotten Stede to stab him. It was on them for not figuring out what was going on at this point, as far as he could figure.)
***
If Ed was a better man, he’d have been honest with Izzy then and there. There was no way he’d be able to kill Stede, even ignoring the fact that he hadn’t killed anyone since he was 15 years old. He’d have told Izzy that he and Stede were together, committed in a way that found him idly considering matelotage no matter how much his younger self would’ve scoffed at such an idea.
But Ed wasn’t a better man. Ed was Blackbeard, the Kraken, and Izzy had known and idolised him for almost his entire pirating career. Telling Izzy that he loved Stede would result in him either killing Stede or leaving The Revenge, maybe both if he was feeling particularly vindicative. Stede’s death wasn’t an option Ed would ever be okay with, but he wasn’t sure he was ready for Izzy to leave him yet either.
So he lets Izzy gleefully plan Stede’s demise, and tries to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut.
***
Of course, the fuckery immediately goes to shit.
He likes Stede, maybe even loves him, but the man and his crew were nowhere near experienced enough to pull something like this off yet.
Despite how shit it is, the simulation of the Kraken is enough to drive him into a flashback, and the next thing Ed knows he’s cowering in Stede’s bathtub, confessing his sins to the only man he’s ever been truly terrified may reject him for them.
Stede, of course, handles the situation with far more grace than it calls for. Say what you might about his ‘people-positive management style’, you couldn’t deny the fact that he’d made blanket acceptance into an art.
Even Ed’s confession that tonight he’d been supposed to kill Stede himself didn’t result in more than a slightly surprised ‘Oh’.
“And, um— Is that still on the cards? Or…”
Ed shook his head, and Stede sighed in relief.
“It never really was,” Ed whispered. “No matter what I told Izzy.”
Stede seemed perfectly fine with that, but Ed wasn’t finished.
“I’m not a good person, Stede. That’s why I don’t have any friends.”
Stede smiled lightly, leaning forward and touching Ed’s shoulder as gently as possible.
“Well, it’s a good thing that we’re not just friends then, isn’t it?”
***
Ed’s so high on the joy he feels by the affirmation that Stede is interested in continuing their relationship that he completely forgets they’re yet to deal with Izzy.
And really, why wouldn’t he be? He’d just confessed his deepest secret to Stede, alongside the fact that he’d been part of an active murder plot against the man, and things were fine. Things were great, even. Stede hadn’t said he forgave Ed, not in so many words, but he didn’t need to. Not when he was acting like there was nothing to forgive in the first place.
Ed would’ve worried, maybe, if it was anyone else but Stede. Had plans in the back of his mind about what to do when Stede eventually stabbed him in the back, returning the favour of Ed’s own plots. But when Stede brushed a gentle kiss against his lips before offering him a hand out of the bathtub, well.
Ed knew at that moment that he’d die happy if he had the knowledge that Stede’s hand was the one behind the knife.
None of that, however, helped him in the moment.
Even if they hadn’t spent most of their time together flirting instead of working, the scant fortnight of duelling experience Stede had was never going to measure up to Izzy’s decades.
He knew, though, that he had to let the chips fall how they may. Izzy wouldn’t accept interference in the duel, not even by him, and Stede seemed blissfully unaware of the danger he was in.
The duel starts off about how he expects it to. Izzy isn’t going easy on Stede, of course, but Stede still isn’t taking it seriously. Ed tries not to watch, especially once Izzy has him on the ground, but he finds he can’t look away.
He’s glad he couldn’t, a moment later, when Stede throws gunpowder in Izzy’s eyes. It’s a dirty trick, and one that he knows must be driving Izzy spitting mad, but they’re pirates. Everything is fair game, here.
Still, Stede doesn’t use the advantage the way he needs to. He doesn’t know how, and that’s Ed’s fault. If— If they get out of this with Stede alive and still on the Revenge, then Ed will make sure to change that. The idea that it could be his fault that Stede dies, no matter how indirectly, well.
It’s fuckin’ horrible.
A moment later, Izzy has Stede cornered against the mast. He averts his eyes again, not wanting to see Stede die, and his heart sinks as Stede asks to call it a draw,
There’s a swish, then a thunk, and the crew gasp. Stede makes a choking noise, and Ed refuses to look over till he hears a plaintive “Did I do it right?”
And what do you know, the dickhead actually had.
***
“Are you okay, mate?”
“Well, I would say yes, but I’m a little bit stabbed,” Stede replied, and Ed laughed.
“Right, yeah. Bit of a stupid question.”
He hesitated for a moment, glancing around the deck. He should probably help Stede out, as the person on the crew with the most experience, but also…
“Listen, mate, are you alright? Not in too much pain right now?”
“Honestly, I think it’s gone numb? Though I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not.”
Ed made an either-or noise, then glanced back once more.
“It’s just… I should probably talk to Izzy a bit? See how he’s handling this. If that’s okay with you, at least.”
“Oh, of course! I’d, well. I’d offer to let him remain on the ship, even if only temporarily, but I’m not sure he’d want to.”
“Even if he did, I wouldn’t let him,” Ed admitted. “He’s… a bit stabby, right now. I’d be worried about your safety.”
“That’s fair,” Stede responded, smiling sadly. “I’m sorry it’s had to come to this. I know he’s important to you.”
Ed glanced back one last time, and found that most of the crew was still watching them interact with curious eyes. He hesitated for a moment, then stepped closer to Stede.
“You cool if I kiss you right now? Given… everyone.”
Stede’s gaze turned adoring.
“Of course, Ed.”
“Cool,” he replied, flushing beneath his beard.
With that, he reached out a hand to cradle Stede’s face tenderly, careful not to disturb his body around the blade. Their lips connected, despite the slightly awkward positioning, and he heard a wolf whistle sound off behind his back.
“Oh, shut up, Lucius,” Stede called, and Ed laughed.
“You definitely good?” He checked, stepping back, and Stede nodded.
“I’m definitely good. Go talk to Izzy.”
***
When Ed found Izzy, he was packing his meagre belongings into a bag.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” Ed said. “You’ve been a good first mate.”
Izzy sneered, not looking in Ed’s direction.
“Not good enough if you’re so obsessed with that fucking ponce,” he replied, and Ed sighed.
“Izzy, you know this was never anything against you? You’re the one who forced the choice. I’ve told you before, pirating was getting… boring. Stede makes it interesting again.”
“And none of the fucking promises you made to me mean anything anymore because of that? Because it doesn’t seem like you fucking need me here anymore.”
Izzy still wouldn’t look at him, so Ed didn’t worry about shielding his expression from showing on his face.
“Iz, Blackbeard did need you. I’m just… not feeling so much like Blackbeard these days.”
“Well, Edward, I’ll be out of your hair come daybreak,” Izzy replied, derisive. “Or is that not soon enough for you and that pompous arse?”
Ed sighed.
“Daybreak’s fine.”
***
And gone by daybreak he was. The rest of the crew seemed to be celebrating this fact, even Fang and Ivan, but Ed couldn’t help the little nugget of regret he felt.
That regret was magnified tenfold when Lucius came to fetch him, saying they needed help with Stede, despite the different source.
“Did no one get you out of the mast last night?” He asked, incredulous, and Stede shrugged.
“I’m not sure that anyone knows how.”
“God, I really do have to do everything around here myself, huh?” Ed muttered, brushing a hand across Stede’s arm before turning around and calling for the crew.
“We’re gonna have to try and get the rest of the handle off,” he explained, and Stede winced in anticipation. “I know, love, it won’t be pretty. But better than you bleeding out still stuck in the mast, yeah?”
Stede’s breath caught in his throat, and his eyes looked shiny as he gazed at Ed.
“Love?”
Ed flushed violently, blustering out something about not reading into things, and Stede smiled.
“If that’s what you wish, darling.”