Chapter Text
Stede is very possessive about his co-captain.
'My darling', 'My Ed' - even called himself 'Edwards' as an alias when he made it back to The Revenge, the son of a bitch.
Jim had to admit however; he's nothing if not persistent.
Even before the two had reconciled, Stede showed his love for Blackbeard despite the responses he got in return. In words, actions, and sometimes touch, like when Jim went to pee and caught the two standing and staring at each other like weirdos when they exited the toilet.
It did stick in their mind though as Captain Stede kept a hand on Blackbeard's shoulder - the other didn't react, and whatever the men were talking about was not their business. Jim just silently closed the door and waited until they heard footsteps walking away.
A couple days later, the captains announced their reunion and renewed co-captaincy, so they're taking a bet that moment influenced the two's relationship.
Jim usually ignored whatever interpersonal drama was happening, ever since Oluwande returned. They didn't want to leave his side for a moment, so it was very tense when the other crewmates wanted a word with one of the two, neither wanting to leave each other's side. Jim had trouble remembering that Olu was the one who made it back to them - he wasn't helpless. In fact, Jim thought he was the most brave person they ever made, as he always knew the right thing to say… something Jim lacked in.
Yes they both showed their love in other ways, but talking about emotions was never Jim's strong suit, and they knew Olu knew it. He never wanted anything else from them but their love, but Jim could see it in his eyes when they were about to say something, then chickened out and said, "Nevermind, forgot".
And Jim did have so much to say about Olu: his beautiful face, his strong yet soft body, his sarcastic sense of humor, his sensitivity to everyone around him, his endless positivity… yet whenever they tried to say it, it felt like their brain malfunctioned and tongue shriveled up every time. They attempted writing it down, both English and Spanish, yet it was simple sentences that didn't seem natural and pretty to look at.
Initially this was a small worry in the back of their mind, but it was starting to gnaw at Jim in little moments when they hugged and kissed and offered each other the good food at the table and they felt like they should do more.
There was one person on this ship that seemed to have the right idea.
Stede pitter-pattered around the cabin, assembling a breakfast feast for Ed. His lover enjoyed being with the crew in the morning, as they're all more lively since there's not much immediate chores to do, so there was time to get up on their own accord and catch the sunrise before Roach called them in for food.
Stede enjoyed the quiet anyhow - it took some time for him to adjust his sleep cycle so he wasn't completely grumpy when he woke up early. This morning though, he felt a kiss against his forehead as he opened his eyes, Ed whispering to him lovingly, "Everything's fine. I'll keep watch on the crew."
"That sounds lovely," he remembered muttering, "what did I do to deserve this treatment?"
"Well last night for one," the smirks they gave each other was fresh on Stede's mind, "but it's a slow day today. I'm sure you'll try to give me something in return, but I don't mind doing something just because."
Well Ed was right: Stede would repay him with this special menu of food, because he's still learning to accept freely given love, despite how much he gave away his own to his darling.
He hummed to himself as he prepared some bread with the yummy marmalade Ed loved, until:
"Hm-hm."
His yelp was very controlled. A purposeful tactic to take the intruder off-guard when said intruder cleared their throat, yep.
Stede whipped around and sighed, "Oh, just you, Jim. What do you need?"
"Oh uh," They mumbled, "Sorry Captain, just snuck in, didn't wanna interrupt… whatever this is."
"Understandable. Though, maybe knock next time," Stede gave a semi-stern point, then spoke mostly to himself, "Lucius wouldn't get off my back last time, even though we swore he didn't knock."
"Huh?" Jim questioned, then, "on second thought, don't tell me."
They stood awkwardly across the table from Captain Stede. The last time Jim was really here was when they were in disguise, and then when they were promptly knocked out another time, so they didn't have time to admire the captain's living space. It was as extravagant as him, with some added trinkets to make it Captain Ed's space too.
Their eyes fell on the table, "Damn. You certainly keep yourself full."
"Oh, most of this is for Ed," he looked at his spread and grabbed one of the sweetened pieces of bread and put it on a tiny plate, "And since this sounds like our first proper chat, you can have some marmalade."
Jim stuttered and hesitantly accepted the plate, "Well it's more just advice, but sure. What is this actually, some kind of honey?"
"Citrus fruit made of juice and peels, boiled with sugar and water. This kind is grapefruit, so it's more sour. Do you enjoy sour food?"
"I guess," Jim tried to grab a part of it that wasn't sticky, "I just don't like overly sweet food."
"Ah, the only kind of sweet food I enjoy is if it's mixed with natural sweets like fruit," Captain Stede had a cheeky smile on his face.
Jim gave a look, "What?"
"We're sharing things about each other," he replied, "doesn't it feel good to bond like this? Mate-to-mate?"
They squint their eyes, slight approval in their voice, "You clever bastard."
"Thank you." He grinned. Stede went back to doing… something, with the food. Organizing? "Now what was it you wanted to ask about?"
"Oh yeah," Jim paused before the treat entered their mouth, "Well it's, kind of about you and Captain."
"Oh?"
"Yeah." Now that Jim's actually bringing it up, they realized how stupidly awkward this was. Jim would sooner stab someone than ask for help on their relationship, but here they were thinking the most dramatic pirates in history got it figured out enough to be role models.
But that's the whole thing, isn't it.
"You and Captain are... very big personalities," Jim tried to find the right words, " everything you do is big and flashy and treat everything as the most romantic shit ever. I mean you make private breakfast for each other. And Oluwande and I are more quiet…"
"Go on." Stede took a seat at the nearest chair, facing Jim and waiting patiently.
Jim will hand it to him - he's great at this emotional shit.
They took a breath, "I wanna do something big but, in a small way? You know."
"I… think so?" Stede raised an eyebrow, "You want to express your feelings in a natural way that still feels special and memorable."
Jim thought over the words and nodded, "Yeah, like that."
"Not to say I'm not flattered," Stede put his hands on his lap - was it a nervous gesture? "But I'm surprised you came to me about this. Why not Lucius and Pete, or even Ed?"
"Those two are fine, but Lucius will just dig into my feelings and Pete would gawk at him the whole time." Jim kicked at the floor, "And Captain..."
It didn't need to be said. They both knew how Ed have been making amends with everyone, but Jim was the last one on the ship to still be weary of him. It's for good reason, and the captains must've known this as they didn't put up much of a fuss.
"Well lucky for you," Stede spoke and stood up, the silence making the room stuffy, "I have ideas."
Captain Stede had that sort of manic glee in his eyes, which Jim should be worried about, but just knew it meant he was enthusiastic.
Before he was able to continue, there came a knock. The door opened to show Buttons and Ed, the helmsman's voice booming, "Port ahead, Cap'n."
Captain Ed was about to add on, yet noticed the other crewmate, "Oh. Hey Jim."
Jim tilted their head down, covering their face with the brim of the hat in half greeting half uh-oh.
"Hello my dear," 'my dear', "don't mind us, just having a moment to talk it through."
"As a crew." Jim completed the slogan under their breath as they snuck by the other two to leave.
"Let's get ready for a raid!" They could feel Stede's proud smile directed at them.