Work Text:
"I need the boy," Ed says, snapping his wrist in a series of loops. "The writing boy." He listens to the depths of Izzy's nearly silent sigh and keeps his eyes on the candle near his eyes.
"What use is he on Blackbeard's ship?" Izzy asks.
Ed thinks of how Lucius's writings proved Stede was a pirate and allowed Ed to use the Acts of Grace to save them both. "Have him meet me on the bowsprit," he says, and he bares his teeth in a way he knows Izzy will read as a murderous smile.
The problem with Izzy–and Ed's known this since he first met him–is that he loves being bloodthirsty a bit too much. Leave a few bloody breadcrumbs to follow, and he'll think you killed the chicken who laid the egg you used to make the bread. Izzy never thinks that killing a chicken is anything but a messy job. He doesn't understand that if you kill the chicken, you lose an easy source of daily food in its eggs plus free access to one of the most expensive ingredients to make bread.
Ed's never understood it, but when they'd met, he'd needed someone willing to cut throats quickly, while still having a calm enough head to remember to keep a few people alive to answer questions. And Izzy's got that knack.
Lucius meets him on the bowsprit, immediately falling into information about the talent show. It makes Ed's heart yank to hear how excited he is–how excited everyone is–and he feels the tremor in his hands as he shoves Lucius over the side.
He can hear Stede in his mind, lecturing him on rudeness. A gentleman warns a man! but maybe also laughing a little. Oh, Ed, you could have at least whispered you placed a ladder down next to that open porthole.
It is a relief, an hour later, when he gets away from Izzy again, that Fang gives him a sharp, pleased nod when he reaches the locked door of the room with the open porthole.
"Poked my head in and told him it was part of a plan," Fang says. There are little teeth indentations on his lower lip, like he's maybe just been roughly kissed. Fang ducks his head shyly when he realizes Ed's noticed the marks. "He says Pete won't mind," Fang murmurs. "Even though they're serious now, what with the finger."
Ed's throat goes tight and hot for a moment. He has to breathe very slowly to feel anything other than the urge to cry. "It's good to enjoy affection," he says.
Fang cocks his head and gives Ed that sharp look. "That's not what Mr. Hands says."
"Mr. Hands should keep his own busy," Ed replies and clicks his tongue. "But that's between you and me."
Fang beams. "Yes, sir," he says and opens the door.
"Fuck you," Lucius hisses the moment Ed walks in. "Your lyrics were sad, wanky bullshit," he adds when Ed crosses his arms and tries to stare him down. "I'd say I wrote the same fucking slop when I was a baby gay having my first feeling, but I wasn't so pathetic."
Ed thinks, of this entire misfit crew, Lucius might be his favorite if only because the man has never had an issue pointing out he's a fucking asshole. "I should have mentioned the ladder," he says.
"You shouldn't have fucking PUSHED ME OFF THE SHIP."
"I needed the theatrics," Ed replies, and he's pleased at the way Lucius sighs and rolls his eyes but definitely relaxes a little. "I didn't know where Izzy–"
"Izzy the Spewer," Lucius mutters.
Ed has to bite his lip to stop his laugh. Fuck him, what a crew this is, not a weak backbone among them. "I didn't know where he was chucking his hard tack," he says, and there's a quirk to Lucius's mouth that tells Ed that Lucius is willing to listen.
"Fine," Lucius says, all his limbs going loose like a child about to drop to the floor in a tantrum. "What the fuck is going on, and where the fuck is the Captain?"
Ed's heart clenches again, and he shakes his head hard. "I don't know where Stede is," he says. "We were supposed to…" He thinks of the kiss, of the promise, and he has to close his eyes. A moment later, Lucius grips his forearm like he's not a feared pirate who recently fed a man his own toe. "We were going to escape together, but when I got to the dock, he wasn't–"
"He had a good reason," Lucius says, and the steel in his voice and in his eyes and in his grip on Ed's arm makes him believe him. "I don't know what it was, and frankly fuck him for leaving you wondering, but he had a good reason."
"You trust your captain that much?"
"Yes," Lucicus replies.
Ed squeezes his eyes shut, but the tears get away anyway. Lucius's grip doesn't lessen. "You're about to hate me," he says. "I'm faking your death."
Lucius pinches his forearm. "Fuck you, Captain," he says. He sighs. "But I did tell Izzy the Wanker I only take orders from my Captain. What are we doing?"
Ed opens his eyes as the tears run faster. "You're a better man than most I've met," he says.
Lucius shrugs but blushes. "That's not difficult," he replies, "most men are shit."
The ghost of Stede curls around Ed's brain. It is difficult, Lucius! You are so talented and funny and sweet! But Ed can't say those words. Not easily, at least. Not when he has to put on the veneer of Blackbeard so Izzy doesn't hurt any of these people.
"I need you to be maybe-dead for the next two days," he says. "Long enough I can convince Izzy I'm–"
"A heartless fuckboy who'd toss my cute ass overboard?" Lucius asks, but there's a smirk at the edge of his mouth.
"Yes," Ed says, feeling a smirk start on his own.
Lucius nods once, and the smirk disappears. "What about Pete?"
"I'm going to have Izzy leave him and most of the others on a tiny island so he thinks I want them to slowly die."
Lucius wrinkles his nose. "I love them all, but a couple may snap sooner than the others and try to eat someone."
Ed considers that. "It's a risk I need to take," he says. "If I come at Izzy too soon, he'll be able to react. And, much as I hate to admit it, he's a better swordsman than me, and he won't fall for the Bonnet feint a second time."
Lucius beams. "You mean using the mast so Spewer lost by technicality?"
Ed smiles as well. "Yes,"
"That was so hot," Lucius says. "I'm honestly not sure if Pete came so fast because he was turned on by the cleverness or if I sucked him so hard because I was."
"Sounds like a fun time all around," Ed says, unable to keep the amusement from his voice.
Lucius winks. "Oh, it was." He frowns. "You really have to act like I'm dead and abandon Pete and the others?"
"Only for a day or so," Ed says. "Izzy's confident I'm the old Blackbeard he wants, but he'll be suspicious after I have him drop everyone."
Lucius rolls his eyes. "I hate that he's smart enough to doubt you."
"Me, too," Ed replies. He and Lucius share a fond look and then he uncrosses his arms so he can grip Lucius lightly above the elbows. "What do you need?" he asks. "Fang will take care of you for food and ale, but anything else?"
Lucius flutters his eyelashes. "Fang himself if he wants? Pete thinks he's cute, too, so I'd love to lay some groundwork."
Ed's heart feels like it snaps in his chest. It aches but also feels wonderful. "He won't mind keeping you company," he says. "I'll send him in." He squeezes Lucius's arms in a quick, warm grip, then steps away, turning on his heel so he's facing the door.
"I don't know why the Captain left you on that dock," Lucius says, stopping Ed cold. "But I'm sure he's already trying to find a way to let you know he's coming back."
Ed clenches all his muscles so he doesn't shiver in hope. "You're all too positive," he says.
"No, we're not. Half of us are queer. The other half are dealing with very particular shit and also queer. Captain knew that without asking and never asked us to justify ourselves. He promised us regular meals and no shame. He wouldn't leave any of us without good reason, and he definitely wouldn't leave you."
"What makes me so special?" Ed asks, meaning it to be cutting, but he knows it doesn't sound that way.
"He decided we were special," Lucius says with the conviction of sailors who had yelled their allegiance to the King as they were run through on the left side by Blackbeard's men. "And he decided you were the most special of all."
Ed leaves without saying anything because he has no good reply. He'd had to learn forks and spoons and seventeen ways to tie a cravat from Stede, but exiting when he's beat is something he learned long before he was only known as Blackbeard.
*
Izzy, of course, notices that Lucius is nowhere to be found. He doesn't ask, just grins meanly and looks at Ed with a bit more dark happiness on his face.
It makes Ed's stomach turn. He runs his hands over the empty shelves of Stede's library and mourns all those beautiful books that Izzy forced the crew to throw overboard. He pauses when his fingers hit a bump. It's the secret passage switch. He wonders who snapped the mannequin from the base and if they saw the passage open when they were doing it.
He presses the switch so that the bookcase swings out, and he ducks inside.
All of Stede's clothes are still in their places, and there's a small stack of books on the floor. Ed touches Stede's clothes and drops to his knees to look through the stack of books. They're Stede's very favorites. Including a book of fairy tales, the ribbon bookmark holding Stede's place for the nightly bedtime story.
Ed cries.
*
"Don't make me hit them," Ivan says. "I really don't want to be on the revenge list."
"Jim's fair in revenge," Ed replies. "They'll hit me before they hit you."
"That ain't comforting."
"If we didn't need them so much, I wouldn't be asking."
"I know, I know," Ivan says. He sighs. "Okay, but if they don't go down with the first blow, I'm doing a runner."
"Fair."
*
Thankfully, Ivan's aim is true, and Jim drops to the floor in a heap. Izzy's eyes go bright with approval when Ivan walks by on the deck with Jim slung over his shoulder.
"I'll make certain they remember who they work for," Izzy tells Ed.
Ed nods sharply and wishes desperately he still had his beard to help hide his face. Izzy's too happy at Ed's violence to do more than give him a cursory glance before turning and walking away.
Ed breathes slowly and briefly closes his eyes. When he opens them, Frenchie is watching him from across the deck. He looks terrified, but there's a light in his eyes that Ed's glad to see. He needs that light. That cleverness. Once Izzy's dead, Ed's going to need a new idea man.
*
Jim does not take Ed's entrance into the room with the same annoyed-but-accepted grace as Lucius. They speak rapidly in Spanish and land a glancing punch to Ed's jaw even though he does his best to avoid it entirely.
"I don't understand Spanish," Ed says. "I should."
"Fuck you," Jim says in English. "You understand that?"
"With various tonal cues," Ed replies, and this time Jim's punch hits him squarely on the cheekbone and hurts like fucking hell.
"Where's Olu?" Jim asks.
Ed rolls his shoulders and rubs the ache out of his jaw. "For now, on deck. In a couple of hours, I'm having Izzy leave him and most of the others on an island so they think they're being abandoned to die."
He ducks just before Jim can punch the other side of his face. He ends up taking a punch to the stomach insead. "Fuck," he wheezes. "I'm going to save them."
"Why am I here, you fucking slug?"
Ed just manages to duck away from another punch to the face. "I need you to murder Izzy."
Jim stands straight and reaches for their knife, growling when they realize it isn't there.
"I wasn't taking the chance you'd cut out my heart on sight," Ed says.
"That's a good instinct."
"Thank you," Ed says and breathes a sigh of relief when Jim finally relaxes and rolls their eyes. "I'm going to explain the plan now."
Jim leans back on their heels and nods. They're silent through Ed's explanation, except for a brief hiss when Ed repeats the part about having to abandon nearly everyone on a small island nearby.
"If Olu's hurt at all, I'm going to gut you," Jim says.
"Start with my liver, I really think it doesn't do anything," Ed replies.
"Yeah, what is that thing even?" Jim asks, face screwing up in confusion. "Bodies are weird."
"They are," Ed agrees, and he leaves Jim under Ivan's protection so he can go back on deck and pretend he doesn't want to pitch Izzy over the side.
It's not easy.
*
Watching Izzy row away with the crew makes Ed clench the railing so hard he feels the paint chip away under his fingernails. He feels someone come up to him and doesn't look over.
"Funny," Frenchie says. "You sending them all away to practice but keeping Jim nearby like they couldn't get past Ivan and slit your throat."
"That's not funny," Ed replies, turning to meet Frenchie's sharp gaze. "That's terrifying. I should be quaking in my boots left alone on this ship with someone that dangerous."
Frenchie looks out to the dinghy. "Are they going to die?"
"No."
"Where's Captain?"
"I don't know," Ed says and lets go of the railing before he hurts himself.
"We gonna go looking for him once you've done whatever you're doing to get rid of Izzy?"
Ed wants to say no. Stede promised to run away with him, then disappeared. Ed should take the hint. But he also can't because Stede is the most honorable and honest man he's ever met, and he can't believe that Stede didn't mean what he said.
You make Stede happy.
"First things first," he says. "Let's get the fucker off our ship permantely and get the crew back."
"Uh-huh," Frenchie says with a tone that says a thousand more words. He walks away from Ed before Ed can challenge him to explain himself.
*
Steering the ship away from the island makes Ed feel like he's going to throw up. They'll see it. That's the point. But still, they'll see it. They'll think he's abandoning them to die. They'll think he's the Blackbeard Izzy believes is back.
He wants to drop the charade that instant, give the signal to Ivan to send Jim up to do the dirty work. But Izzy's definitely watching him for signs of deceit, signs of weakness. All Ed can do is point the ship away from the island and stick to his lines.
"Let's have a fucking proper meal tonight," he says. "You can tell me your plans for the new crew, and we'll drink all that stupid fucking brandy before we throw the bottle overboard."
Izzy laughs quietly, slapping Ed on the back. "We should keep the bottle as a trophy," he says. "We'll put it on one of those fucking library shelves."
Ed wants to scream. "First trophy of the new ship," he says, not sure he sounds convincing, but Izzy laughs again, and Ed distracts himself by imagining pulling the man's teeth out with escargot tongs.
*
They eat. They drink. Ed lets himself get a good buzz going, then cuts himself off, making sure to keep Izzy's glass full as they sit on the sofa and Izzy fills the space with stories of Blackbeard's greatest exploits.
"Looking forward to you being back to your old self, Edward," Izzy says, drunkenly patting Ed's leg. "I've missed watching you work."
Ed makes a non-committal noise that's enough to fulfill Izzy's need for acknowledgement. After the next refresh of Izzy's drink, he stands and walks towards the sleeping area. It's Jim's signal to move, and Ed watches in the reflection on the windows as Jim creeps out of the secret passage, sneaks up behind Izzy, and slits his throat when Izzy's mid-drink.
"Thank you," Ed says.
Jim plucks the glass from Izzy's hand as Izzy slumps forward. They take a long drink from the glass, then pour a refill. "Huh, no one's ever thanked me for a murder before," Jim says as they walk up to stand next to Ed, the decanter dangling from one hand. "It doesn't feel good."
"No, it doesn't," Ed replies, remembering his mother's quiet murmur after he'd admitted to murdering his father. He holds up his glass and Jim tops it off. "To the ugly end of things," Ed says.
"To shit getting better, maybe," Jim says.
Ed taps their glasses together, and they both take a drink. "Lucius is down in the lower decks. You can let him out, now."
"Ivan told me when he let me out to get into place," Jim says. "There was a sock on the doorknob when he went by. I'm not going near it."
Ed snorts and finishes his drink. He holds out his glass, and Jim simply holds out the decanter. Ed takes it and turns to look at Izzy's body. Izzy's blood is all over the sofa and the rug in front of it. He thinks of Stede sitting against the sofa, running his fingers back and forth over the rug as he and Ed talked to one another about nothing in particular.
He hands the decanter back to Jim and walks into the secret passage. He gathers up the small pile of books and brings them out, placing them back on the shelf where they belong.
"We're gonna go find the Captain, huh?" Jim asks.
Ed touches the book of fairy tales. "We'll have to," he says. "I can't do the voice like he can."
*
That night, Ed sleeps in the bathtub wrapped in Stede's yellow robe.
He dreams of his mother. She's smiling, and she's carrying delicate white flowers that match the silk ones Ed wore in his hair the night of that party with the French. As they walk along the water, a large tentacle breaks the surface and lashes towards them. Before Ed or his mother can move, Stede appears with a sword and slices the tentacle to a stump.
"How do you do?" he says to Ed's mother with a little bow. "Stede Bonnet, at your service." He looks at Ed, and his face is bright with affection and love. "See?" he says, gesturing to the tentacle on the ground. "You aren't the Kraken at all."
Ed wakes with tears in his eyes. It's not quite first light, but there's a change in the darkness that Ed knows well. He gets out of the tub and leaves Stede's robe hung carefully on the hook on the wall. He goes to the lower deck to get a coil of rope and smiles when he hears the sound of Fang snoring quietly in the room where Lucius is still hidden.
He stops on deck and stares east. It's too dark still to get a sense of the clouds or the weather, but the breeze is cool against his face, and the weak sliver of brightness working upward makes Ed feel hopeful for the first time in days.
He rolls Izzy into the ruined rug, then drops him onto the sofa and uses the rope to tie him into place. "You were a massive prick, mate," he says when he's done. "But sometimes you weren't."
When he goes back onto deck again, Ivan and Jim and Frenchie and Lucius and Fang are all there. They're standing around the hawse pipe, eating bread and butter and drinking hot coffee.
"Saved you some," Frenchie says when Ed steps over to join them. He pushes the milk pitcher and sugar bowl towards Ed as Jim slides a plate of two pieces of buttered bread towards him.
"Thank you," Ed says and counts out his spoonfuls of sugar before he speaks. "Izzy's ready to be tossed over," Ed says once he's stirring. "I understand if you'd like to say something to mark the occasion."
"Like go fuck yourself?" Jim asks.
Ivan and Fang both snort in amusement, and Ed meets their gazes. They seem sad but relieved, the same as him.
"He was a great sailor," Ivan says. "Hell of a fighter. Fucking terrible at the interpersonal shit."
"Couldn't appreciate what he had in front of him," Fang says, slipping an arm around Lucius's waist. "Can't expect every crew to act the same way. It's never worked like that."
"I wouldn't mind hearing the fun stories," Frenchie says. "You know, in a couple of decades when I'm done being glad he's dead."
Ed feels tears fall. Grateful tears that these people are here. Sad tears for the actual good memories he has of Izzy.
"Hey, my family's a fucking mess," Jim says. "If you need to say nice things about Izzy, I can probably stand to listen."
"Nah," Lucius says before Ed can answer. "That sort of shit is something you hand over to the boyfriend."
"Gotta find him first," Ed says. He clears his throat and takes a drink of coffee. "But before that, we need our crew back. Once Izzy's overboard, we'll go fetch them."
*
Fang and Ivan get Izzy and the sofa and rug overboard, and Ed stands at the wheel and turns the ship back towards the island. Frenchie pulls down the Blackbeard flag and replaces it with the proper ones. Ed looks up to watch them get raised, and something inside of him feels better. It's their ship again. His and Stede's.
Ed helps drop anchor when they get within range of the island. Frenchie and Jim and Lucius prep the dinghy, and Ed cocks his head in surprise when Lucius announces he's going with Ivan and Fang to get the crew.
"I'll soften them up for you, Captain," Lucius says. "Maybe by the time we make it back here, not all of them will want to keelhaul you."
Ed shakes his head as Frenchie and Jim both laugh. He watches the dinghy as Ivan starts rowing, and then he lifts his spyglass to get a look at the island. He can see everyone in a huddle looking down at the sand. No doubt, they're trying to figure out an escape. He passes the spyglass to Frenchie so he can see everyone himself.
"Where does one start to track down a Gentleman Pirate?" Ed asks.
"Dunno," Frenchie says. "But there's probably a–" He cuts off and nearly drops the spyglass. "Fuck me," he mutters.
"What?" Ed asks, glancing towards the island as Frenchie passes Jim the spyglass. "Are they in danger? Do we need to man the cannons?"
"No. Nope. Uh-uh." Frenchie says, still staring at the island. "They are definitely one-hundred percent safe."
"Are you fucking kidding me," Jim spits out. They turn and stare at Ed, then pass the spyglass back.
Ed is almost afraid to take it, but he raises it to his eye and scans the crew again. "Oh," he says quietly when he realizes why they're surprised. The huddle has loosened, and in the center of it is Stede. "How–"
"I got nothing," Jim says.
"Drawing a huge blank," Frenchie adds.
Ed doesn't reply. He can't stop looking at Stede. He's in a white shirt and tan pantaloons. There's a sunburn across his nose and cheeks, and his hair is different, pushed straight back from his face in a way that makes him look rakish and charming in a very different way. He looks confident and content, and Ed knows immediately that whatever reason Stede had for leaving him on that dock alone, the business is finished. The way he smiles and looks at his crew, Ed knows he's there to stay.
He's here to stay.
Ed lowers the spyglass and takes in a shuddering breath. "I–" he says. He licks his lips and shakes his head. "It's not supposed to happen like this. I was supposed to have time to come up with some great speech about, you know, loneliness and love and shit."
"You got an hour," Jim says.
"I can't get a great speech together in an hour! I'm a pirate, not an orator!"
Frenchie and Jim laugh at Ed, and Ed can't even get vaguely mad at them. He's aware he sounds ridiculous. He puts the spyglass back to his eye and simply watches Stede some more.
*
By the time the ship's dinghy and Stede's own come up to the side of the ship, Ed feels like he's going to shake apart. He stands straight with his hands behind his back as the crew boards. He watches Olu run to Jim and Frenchie run to Wee John and Roach. He watches as Lucius comes aboard with a laugh and a squeak as Black Pete gooses him from behind him on the ladder. He smiles when they both turn and help Fang over the railing.
Then there's Ivan and The Swede and Mr. Buttons and Ed is about to run to the edge of the ship and look down to assure himself he didn't imagine Stede in the crowd, but before he can move, Stede's head pops up, and Ed runs forward to help him over the railing.
"Ed!" Stede exclaims, his smile utterly blinding. It drops off his face as he looks Ed over and grabs at his arms. "Oh, Ed. Edward. Darling. I'm so sorry. I can–"
"I forgive you," Ed says. "I forgive you, Stede. I forgive you."
Stede cups his face and runs his thumbs across Ed's stubble. "You are too kind," he says. "I insist you allow me to explain."
Ed nods frantically. "Yes. Sure. All you want. Over and over again. I'll never get bored of it, I swear. I just–" His voice catches, and he simply stares into Stede's eyes. Stede's crying, and Ed feels himself crying as well.
"Oh, I can't believe I didn't know I loved you," Stede murmurs, and then he leans in and kisses Ed.
Ed kisses back. He gets his arms around Stede's waist and pulls him in hard, and Stede responds by cupping the back of Ed's head with such gentleness it makes Ed cry even more.
Stede slides his mouth from Ed's and tucks Ed's head into his shoulder. "Oh, my dear," he says. "My Ed," he whispers against Ed's ear. "Ivan and Fang and Lucius told us everything. I'm so sorry for what you've been through. I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help you."
"No," Ed says. "No apologies. I don't need them."
Stede chuckles quietly. He presses a kiss to Ed's cheek. "Yes, you do," he murmurs. "We all do."
"He threw your books overboard," Ed says, pulling away so he can look Stede in the eye. "Most of them. Someone saved a few."
"That was me," Olu says, and the fact that the whole crew is there rushes back to Ed and makes him gasp.
"Thank you, Olu," Stede says without looking away from Ed.
Ed lifts a shoulder to wipe his eyes, but Stede stops him with gentle pressure to his head.
"No, here, let me," Stede says, and he carefully wipes away Ed's tears with his thumbs.
"You're staying?" Ed asks as Stede slowly trails his fingers through Ed's hair.
"I've no choice," Stede says, eyes twinkling with mirth. "I committed a phenomenal bit of fuckery to fake my death. With Mary's brillant assistance."
"Mary…"
"She is a talented painter and a wonderful friend," Stede says. "And she is as desperately in love as I am myself. His name is Doug. He makes her breakfast in bed."
"I can make you fucking breakfast in bed," Ed says. "Or breakfast on deck. Or breakfast in the crow's nest. Fuck. I'll serve it to you in the fucking rigging if you want."
"OH MY GOD WOULD YOU TWO JUST GO INTO THE CABIN AND SPARE THE REST OF US," Lucius yells.
Stede and Ed turn towards him as one. He is, as always, unbothered about being direct.
"It looks horrid, the cabin," Ed says. "It's empty."
"Show me," Stede says, sliding a hand down Ed's arm and taking his hand.
Ed nods and leads Stede to the cabin. Behind him, he hears the crew start to talk amongst themselves. There's a laugh, open and warm in a way Ed's only ever heard on this ship.
He closes the cabin door to the sound of Fang starting to sing a shanty and watches Stede walk slowly around the space, taking in the lack of his belongings.
"Your secret wardrobe is safe," Ed says, desperate to fill the slightly echoing silence of Stede's walk. "Your yellow robe is too. So's the floral."
"Lovely," Stede says, turning to give Ed a smile before stopping in front of the painting of the lighthouse. "Mary's grown so much as an artist," Stede says. "I wish I could have brought one of her newer works with me, but I had to travel light, you know."
"You faked your death," Ed says.
"Yes. It was rather spectacular. Mary has a friend with access to corpses, so we found one that looked like me." Stede turns towards Ed again, and the twinkle is back in his eyes. "I stole a trick from you."
"Oh?" Ed asks.
"Made sure my face was absolutely obliterated," Stede says. He holds out a hand. "Ed, please come here."
Ed walks over to him and takes his outstretched hand. He lifts Stede's hand to his mouth and kisses his knuckles one at a time. "Stede…"
Stede touches his cheek and leans in to kiss Ed on the forehead. "I can't believe I didn't know I loved you," he says against Ed's skin, and Ed recalls him saying the same thing on the deck. "It's so obvious now, but I've never been in love before. I am so glad I can tell you that I know."
"Tell me again," Ed says.
"I love you, Ed," Stede says. "I love you so very much."
"I love you, too," Ed replies.
"Good. It'd be very awkward if you didn't."
Ed laughs, holding Stede's face in his hands so he can press their foreheads together. "I'm sorry all your things are gone."
"They're only things," Stede says. "I've got all I need right here." He holds Ed's gaze for another moment, then pulls away and looks at the painting again. "As I was coming to find you, I was thinking about our talk about the lighthouse, and you know, I think we both might have been a bit full of shit."
Ed looks at the painting, then back at Stede. "You are supposed to avoid them," he says. "It's a really fucking important part of not wrecking the fucking ship."
Stede chuckles. "Yes, of course," he says. "But without a lighthouse to help you, you'd be in the dark alone, and that is much worse."
"It is literally the worst," Ed says.
"I will never leave you without a light to follow again, Ed," Stede says. "I swear that to you."
Ed tugs Stede in and kisses him hard. "I'll be the best light for you I can, Stede."
Stede beams and brushes their noses together. "I like my light with a beard, if you don't mind growing it again."
Ed laughs and pulls Stede by the hands until they can sit on the bed. "Just promise you'll still dress fancy sometimes," he says. "I might have a fantasy or nine about getting you out of all of those clothes."
Stede blushes, but he doesn't look away from Ed. "Once again, I'll need your instruction in the ways of pirates."
Ed scoots closer and wraps his arm around Stede's waist. "First lesson," he says, pressing a kiss to Stede's throat. "Mutual pleasure is the only pleasure worth having."
Stede tips his head back as Ed drags his mouth upward. "I'll make a note," he murmurs, and he chuckles at his own joke when Ed squeezes him tightly and turns his head so they can kiss in the bright morning light pouring into the windows.