Chapter Text
There is a moment of exhilarating weightlessness as the sea rushes up towards him and enough time to think quite clearly that this is very long way down.
Someone is screaming and Stede honestly doesn’t know whether its him or not, only that its faint and and thin in the rush of wind. He closes his eyes just seconds before he hits the water and the force of the impact is enough to make everything momentarily grey and fuzzy.
He comes to under the surface and only instinct stops him from breathing in a lungful of saltwater. It’s almost peaceful down there, floating in darkness and for a moment he’s tempted to slip under again. Then he thinks, Ed and opens his eyes, kicking upwards through the bubbles. The impact had pushed him down far deeper than expected and by the time he’s nearing the light, his chest is aching and black spots are gathering in his vision. When his head breaks above water all Stede can do is take deep ragged breaths and try and keep his head above the waves.
“Ed,” he tries to call out and chokes on saltwater. A wave crashes over his head and for a moment Stede panics before an arm wraps around his chest and hauls him up.
“Kick your boots off,” Ed calls in his ear and when Stede turns in the water, he’s there, looking like a mermaid with his hair slicked back around his face. Stede wants to kiss him right then and there just from relief but before he can, something drops into the sea with a splash, creating a miniature tidal wave.
“Was that Frenchie?” Stede shouts but before Ed can even open his mouth, two more bodies plunge into the water around them.
“ Move! ,” Ed says and then a second later Fang crashes down inches from their heads.
“Should we do a roll call?” Stede asks, gasping and kicking and trying to blink water out of his stinging eyes. “Okay we’ve got Frenchie, Fang. Olu over there good, good. Is Ivan alright? Oh wait, here he comes now-”
“Fuck that,” Ed says, gripping his arm. “Start swimming . They’ll be shooting us in a minute .”
“They wouldn’t do that. We’re sitting ducks out here, it wouldn’t be sporting-”
Before he can finish the sentence, Ed drags him below the water as a shot rings out next to his ear.
“Right, okay,” Stede gasps when they resurface. “Point taken.”
The urge to check over his shoulder to see if the others are alright nearly kills him a few times as they swim for the galleon, which seems a lot further away than it had from up on the prison wall. If it wasn’t for Ed pulling him on whenever he lags behind then he might not have made it. As it is, it’s not until he’s halfway up the ladder and can look back and do a head count that he can breathe properly.
At the top, he looks up to see Izzy of all people leaning out over the side.
Stede takes a sharp breath, half expecting to be pushed back in to drown but after a moments hesitation Izzy reaches out his hand. Stede takes it gratefully and when he’s hauled onto the deck, Izzy looks at him with something close to amazement.
“You actually bloody did it,” he says, shaking his head. “I can’t believe it.”
“Well…I had help,” Stede says modestly as he can manage while struggling to stay upright. He decides not to mention the fact that he had lost control of the plan pretty much immediately.
“Nice bit of cannon work there,” Ed’s voice says and then he’s hauling himself over the side and collapsing onto the deck in a heap of dripping dark leather and tangled hair. When he looks up, he grins at Stede and laughs as if to say, how the hell are we alive?
“Ed!” Stede says and rushes over but Izzy stays where he is, staring down at Ed like he’s a ghost.
“I thought maybe you were dead,” Izzy says, as Stede helps Ed to his feet.
“Same here,” Ed says gruffly, wrapping an arm around Stede’s neck and swaying slightly in place. “There’s a…chance you might have been a bit right. Not about everything but-”
“You’re a fucking imbecile,” Izzy chokes out. “I told you-”
“Maybe a hug is called for?” Stede suggests cautiously, looking between them.
Izzy shoots him a very nasty look but before he can say anything they’re interrupted by the sound of more gunshots from the clifftop.They all duck down but the ship is just out of range and the bullets bury themselves harmlessly in the waves. Even so, it’s a reminder of the danger and they rush into action, Ed letting go of Stede and heading for the wheel.
“The cannons, Izzy. Get us some cover!” he yells and Izzy nods tightly and starts shouting orders at Wee John and Black Pete.
There are still stragglers in the water below and Stede makes himself useful by tossing down a rope. The first up it is Jim, with Olu close behind them. The two of them haul the Swede up between them, who promptly throws up water onto the deck. He’s never been a strong swimmer and now he bears a close resemblance to a drowned blonde rat.
“Alright?” Stede ask, patting him on the shoulder. “Everyone else? All bullet free?”
There’s a chorus of murmured yeses and Frenchie puts his hand up.
“Yes?” Stede asks.
“Not to be a snitch,” he says. “But I did see Jim get shot.”
Jim curses at him and rolls their eyes. “It’s nothing. Just a scratch.”
“What?” Olu says, turning to look at them, horrified.”Where?”
Jim sighs and rolls up their trouser leg to reveal a nasty looking graze.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Olu says, looking stricken. “Jim!”
“We were busy,” Jim says and gives him a crooked kind of smile. “Don’t worry about it. Have I told you it’s nice to see you again?”
“Don’t worry -” Olu starts and then the rest is cut off when Jim reaches up and pulls him down into a kiss. This continues for so long that after a while Stede feels the need to clear his throat.
“Well then,” he says, edging away. “I’ll just be um, seeing about an escape plan. You two uh, well, yes.”
He flees the scene. No one else seems to be worried about giving them any privacy, at least if the wolf whistles are any indication.
“Everyone onboard?” Ed calls out when he sees Stede coming over to join him at the wheel. “We need to get out of here. They’ll have the whole fucking fleet on us any minute now.”
“Actually they might be having a spot of bother with that.”
“What do you mean?” Ed asks, blinking at him.
“Where did I…Oh, yes,” Stede says and then picks up the spyglass from where he left it hanging on a hook on the mast. He holds it out to Ed proudly. “Have a look at the harbor.”
Ed gives him a strange look but he takes it and holds it up to his eye.
“See anything interesting about the ships they’ve got lying around?” Ed asks. He’s trying to sound breezy but he can’t quite keep the tension out of his voice. If this part of the plan hasn’t worked out then they were in trouble with a capital T and he hadn’t exactly checked in with Lucius yet to make sure it had all gone smoothly.
“They’re low in the water,” Ed mutters and then his mouth drops open. “Fuck me, they’re half sunk .”
“They are?” Stede says, relieved. “Oh thank god. Lucius and Roach were supposed to go over while we were inside the prison and make a little goodwill tour of the English ships, offering cakes and things…”
“Cakes?”
“Fruit cakes mostly. Some biscuits. The idea was Roach would serve them up while Lucius crept down below with the hatchet, but I honestly wasn’t sure if it would work in time or…”
“Did you think that up?” Ed says, lowering the spyglass and staring at Stede like he’s never seen him before.
“Yes- well originally I suggested a victoria sponge. But we didn’t have any vanilla extract.”
“Brilliant,” Ed says, shaking his head. “You’re brilliant.”
It’s ridiculous after all that they’ve been through (not to mention all the kissing) but Stede feels his face heat up. “I am?”
“Yeah,” Ed breathes and then before Stede really knows what’s going on he’s being grabbed by the collar and pulled into a kiss. He returns it enthusiastically, burying his hands in Ed’s still-wet hair until he hears someone cough. When he pulls back he sees Lucius waving at him over Ed’s shoulder.
“Um, we were just,” Stede says, pulling back quickly but Lucius just rolls his eyes.
“Yes, yes, I can see that. Listen captain, we didn’t get all of them . We tried but when they got suspicious we had to run off without doing the last two. ”
“Oh shit,” Stede says. “Well we better get a move on then.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Lucius says and then he narrows his eyes at Ed and crosses his arms. “If there are no objections?”
“Sounds good,” Ed mutters, avoiding Lucius’ eyes. “Good to see you’re uh-.”
“Not dead?” Lucius says sweetly. “We’ll have a chat about that later. A long chat.”
Ed nods sheepishly and after Lucius stalks off, he looks down at Stede. “You know about all of that then?”
They’re still very close together. Stede doesn’t step back, just looks at him and nods.
“Stede, I…” Ed says and he looks so miserable that Stede kisses him again, this time just softly.
It’s not forgiveness- that isn’t Stede’s to give, and he’s not sure he’s in a position to be handing it out anyway. Maybe it’s more like a reminder. That he’s here. That he’s not going anywhere.
“Let’s get out of here,” he whispers when he pulls back and Ed takes a long look at him and nods.
They have a head start and a good wind at their back but it takes a better part of a day before the English sails dwindle behind them on the horizon. By the time they disappear to nothing, the sun is hanging low in the sky and casting an orange light over the dark ocean. Stede hasn’t got a clue where they are. He’s not sure even Ed does, only that it’s far away from Saint’s Rock and any British Port. Ed’s clung to the wheel all day, following minute clues in clouds and currents that Stede can hardly track let alone understand.
The only time he speaks outside of barking orders is to call Buttons over at some point to ask him if were many seagulls about. When Buttons says no, Ed just nods and changes course, muttering something about how he’s missed ‘having a bird guy’.
For the most part Stede is happy just to stay close and watch him navigate. He drags himself away once to check if Jim is doing alright but feels twitchy the whole time and anxious to get back on deck. It’s not that he thinks Ed will run off but after spending so long without him, he can’t help but feel that this is all some kind of dream that’s going to end at any minute.
It’s getting colder, so he stops by his cabin to get a blanket. When he comes upstairs, the light is almost gone, just a thin band of color on the horizon. Ed looks round as Stede steps out of the doorway and for a moment Stede sees the worried expression on on his face in the moment before it smooths out into one of relief.
So maybe it wasn’t just Stede feeling this way.
“You must be cold,” Stede says, blanket clutched in his arms. Ed looks down at it and then swallows.
“I guess. A bit,” he says, like he’s gotten used to not thinking about it.
This upsets Stede to think about and he covers it up by coming over and draping the blanket over Ed’s shoulders.
“Soft,” Ed says, eyelashes dark on his cheek when he looks down. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.” It’s quieter up here now. No one is celebrating just yet but there’s a sense of relief. Frenchie has been reunited with his guitar and he’s strumming it softly over on the forecastle deck. Olu and JIm are sitting with their legs hanging over the side, holding hands and talking in low voices.
In the last of the daylight and without the noose around his neck or the threat of death hanging over his head, Stede can see Ed clearly for the first time. The dark paint on his face is smeared and half washed off and under it there are shadows under his eyes and a fresh cut on his chin. He doesn’t look like he’s seen a full meal or a hairbrush or any of that lavender soap in a long time.
And he’s beautiful.
“Does that cloud look like a flower to you?” Ed asks and Stede flushes and looks in the direction of his pointing finger.
“Um, sort of? A dandelion maybe.”
“Perfect,” Ed says and when he turns the wheel, the blanket falls slightly off his shoulder. Stede tucks it back for him and when he does, Ed winces and hisses through his teeth.
“Did that hurt?” Stede asks, wide eyed.
“Just got a chill that’s all,” Ed says, looking away. “All that bloody swimming.”
“Well that’s what happens when you don’t change into dry clothes,” Stede says, aware he’s fretting and not caring that much. “Come on- I need a change too and you can borrow some of mine.”
A strange, soft look passes over Ed’s face at that but he just shakes his head. “Need to make sure we’re on track.”
“You can’t stay up here all night,” Stede chides and then looks over his shoulder. “Fang, would you be a dear and take over?”
“Do you know how many times I’ve been stabbed? I’m not worried about getting the fucking sniffles,” Ed protests but he lets Stede pull him away, downstairs into the captain’s cabin below.
It’s not very big, at least compared to the Revenge and after a moments hesitation Stede directs him to the bed. Ed gets quiet at that point and Stede is suddenly very aware that this is the first time they’ve been alone since the prison cell.
To cover his nerves, he bustles about, lighting the lamps and sorting through his drawers until he finds something that looks like it might fit.
“If we were home I would offer you a bath but in the absence of that maybe towels and hot water or something? I can get Lucius to heat some up in a jiffy…”
“Home?”
“The Revenge . I know it’ll take a while to go and get it but once we’ve thrown them off our tracks we should be alright.”
There’s a painful pause and then Ed says, “I didn’t look after it very well.”
“We fix it,” Stede says, taking his time to pick out his nicest pair of socks. “It might even be fun, doing a bit of remodeling. We can pick out new paint…”
He trails off as he turns around. Ed is in the act of taking his shirt off and while the sheer amount of exposed skin and tattoos is distracting in its own way, Stede’s eyes go straight to the curve of his shoulder.
“Ed,” Stede hears himself say. He nearly drops the clothes he’s carrying as he steps forward. “You didn’t tell me it was that bad.”
“It’s not,” Ed says but when Stede sits down behind him and puts his hand on his back, Ed flinches. “Careful!”
“Sorry, sorry.” The wound isn’t lethal but it’s ugly, a ragged score that cuts across his left shoulderblade and into his shoulder. The edges are singed black and Stede has to press his lips together hard to keep himself from making any sounds at the sight.
“You told me you only got shot a little bit.”
“In and out. No mess.”
“Hmm,” Stede says and gets up. “Stay here. Don’t wiggle around.”
“I don’t wiggle ,” Ed says with wounded pride but when Stede comes back a moment later with a bowl of warm water and clean pieces of cloth, he hasn’t moved.
“This might be a bit sore,” Stede says, settling back behind him and starting, very carefully to clean around the edges of the wound. Ed tenses at the first touch but apart from a few long deep breaths he doesn’t make any noises.
“Do you think we’re safe now? Far enough away I mean?” Stede asks softly as he dabs away the blood and dirt. Ed’s skin shines faintly under the candlelight, the tattoos very dark in the shadows.
“Maybe,” Ed says then hesitates. “We’re not going to be able to stop, you know.”
“What do you mean? For the Revenge?”
“No, not that,” Ed sighs and looks away, over to the last of the sun. “I mean this is it, Stede. No more acts of grace.”
“I know that,” Stede says and then pauses to rewet the cloth while he thinks about what he wants to say. “Ed listen. I’ve made my choice, alright? I’m not running away from anything. Not anymore.”
Ed takes a breath and his back shudders under Stede’s hand. “Maybe you should. Stede, when you left I did some…not very nice things.”
“I know,” Stede says, focusing intently on the sweep of fabric on skin.
“I’m not good .”
“How many times have you saved my life?”
“Well now you’ve saved mine,” Ed snaps. “So we’re even. We don’t owe each other anything. And…And I would understand if you wanted to go. It might be safer. For both of us.”
Stede says nothing and dresses the wound, trying to keep his fingers steady. When it’s done, he takes a fresh cloth and wets it with some clear water he’s kept on his bedside.
“Stede?” Ed says at last and turns to look back over his shoulder at him.
“Ask me to go then,” Stede says softly. “Ask me to go and I will.”
Ed says nothing and after a moment he shakes his head. “I can’t.”
“Looks like I’m staying then,” Stede says and gets down on his knees on the floor between Ed’s knees.
“Stede?” Ed asks, sounding a little strangled.
“Close your eyes,” Stede says and when Ed does, he leans up and bringing the cloth to Ed’s face, he starts to clear away the dirt and paint. “You’re a mess.”
Ed takes a shuddering breath, hands flexing on the mattress on either side of him and after a moment asks, “What kind of color?”
“What?” Stede asks, distracted by the feel of running the cloth over Ed’s cheekbones.
“For the Revenge .”
“Green maybe- for the library.”
“Could be nice. Dark green?”
“I don’t know,” Stede says, bringing his hand up to the curve of Ed’s neck to steady him. “I don’t want it to feel cramped.”
“Could be cozy with the fireplace,” Ed says hoarsely. His skin is very warm under Stede’s hand. He can feel the throb of Ed’s pulse under his palm.
“There,” Stede says after a moment, lowering the cloth. “That’s better.”
Ed looks down at him, eyes very dark in the candlelight. “I’ve thought about this before you know. A lot.”
Stede thinks of saying something to lighten the tension, of asking what part ? But he knows.
“Me too,” he says at last and then puts his hands very deliberately on Ed’s parted thighs. He can feel the heat of him through the leather.
“Stede…”
“It seems to me,” Stede says, trying not to sound nervous. “That I haven’t properly made things up to you yet.”
“You have,” Ed says, but it’s a whisper and when Stede slides his hands up to Ed’s lap, he squirms and makes a noise that could only be described as a moan. Stede hasn’t touched a lot of these in his life but he’s pretty familiar with the territory, enough to recognize that Ed is very hard and that he must have been for some time. Stede at what point it had started and the thought makes a hot urgency build in his stomach, thinking that Ed got like this from Stede’s touch, from Stede’s hands on his skin.
“Oh fuck,” Ed says when Stede starts unlacing his trousers. “Come here.”
“Shh,” Stede says, “Just let me take care of you.”
That’s all he really wants, is to take care of him, Ed who’s never been taken care of before, Ed wearing Stede’s robes and holding up fine fabric to his face. Ed, who wants nice things so badly.
Stede wants to give them to him. Stede would give him anything if he asked for it.
When he takes Ed into his mouth, Ed swears out loud and his hips twitch. Stede thinks about holding them down and keeping him still and even though he doesn’t, the idea of it is enough to make him moan. He’s done this maybe twice before in his life, when he was much, much younger and with people he didn’t like half as much. It’s not that hard to pick up though and if nothing else, Stede is hoping enthusiasm counts for something.
He feels hands smooth through his hair and when he looks up, Ed is staring down at him, eyes wide and almost frightened.
“Wait,” he’s saying, something urgent in his voice.
“Is it bad?” Stede asks, almost shocked at how rough his voice sounds when he pulls back. “I meant to get more practice but…”
“What?” Ed says, frowning. “With who- you know what never mind. Just come up here. Please .”
Stede gets up shakily but just as soon as he gets to his feet, he’s being pulled onto the bed and Ed is kissing him with a kind of desperation, hands shaking where they cradle his face.
“Should I have used more teeth?” Stede asks and Ed laughs against his neck.
“No, you were perfect. Take your shirt off.”
“Why did you stop me?”
“Because I wanted it to last longer than two bloody minutes,” Ed says and when Stede gets his shirt over his head, Ed pulls back, breathing hard. “Christ. Look at you.”
“It’ll be better next time,” Stede says, feeling more naked than ever before in his life. “I have a pamphlet with techniques in it. But some of them looked a bit advanced for a first time.”
“God I fucking love you,” Ed says and before Stede can fully process that, Ed leans forward and licks a stripe over his nipple.
“Oh fuck,” Stede says and then, because he can’t bear it anymore, “Ed, please…”
“What is it,” Ed says, eyes closed, hair coarse against the soft skin of Stede’s belly. “Anything you want-”
Stede still can’t say it so instead he takes Ed’s hand in his and guides it between his legs where he’s so hard he can barely think straight. Ed makes a soft noise and palms him through his trousers and Stede almost sobs at the feeling, it’s so good.
“Shh, that’s right,” Ed says, fumbling with the buttons until he finally gets his hand inside. “Is that good? Do you like that?”
There’s something almost urgent in the way he asks but all Stede can do is nod and try to keep breathing. Ed adjust them just a little and then he’s rutting up against Stede’s hip, letting out sharp huffs of breath with each thrust.
“Ed,” Stede says, every other thought driven out of his head. “Ed.”
“Yeah sweetheart?” Ed says and for some reason that’s what tips Stede over the edge. He comes with a moan, burying his head in Ed’s shoulder, hips twitching through the aftershocks When he comes back to his body, Ed is still moving against him, sloppy and urgent, mouthing silent words against Stede’s neck.When Stede kisses him it’s all over. He thrusts up twice against Stede’s bare hip and comes, shuddering, one hand buried in Stede’s hair.
“So what do you think are the chances that no one heard us?” Stede asks a little later when they’ve both gotten their breath back a little.
“Pretty fucking low,” Ed says happily. “I would think.”
“Hmm,” Stede says and licks Ed’s bare shoulder thoughtfully. “You’re still so salty. Is that the seawater do you think?”
“Maybe,” Ed says, shrugging. “ Probably just sweat.”
“You’ve had more experience than me with, well,” Stede hesitates. “Debauchery on the high seas.”
Ed snorts and grins up at him, looking lazy and more content than Stede’s seen him in maybe ever.
“We should go up there,” Stede says gently. “We can’t hide down here forever.”
“Why not?” Ed says and pulls him down into a kiss.
When Stede pulls back, he’s feels flushed and oddly glowy, like there’s some kind of light inside him. The feeling stays even after they get dressed and wash up, Ed in his borrowed green waistcoat with the daisies. He looks good in it.
“Ready?” Ed asks before they open the door.
“You kept the lighthouse painting too,” Stede says and Ed pauses, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” Ed says. “Well, it’s a nice painting.”
“Shame to waste it,” Stede agrees, smiling at him.
Ed nods slowly and then holds out his hand. Stede takes it.
Up on the deck, they’re still under way but an impromptu party seems to have broken out.
Lanterns have been set up on the deck and while Frenchie plays his guitar, Ivan keeps time on an upturned bucket. The Swede is providing vocals and its surprisingly good and upbeat, even if the lyrics are mostly about getting mauled by sea monsters. Olu and Jim are dancing, while Lucius seems to be attempting to teach Black Pete and Fang how to waltz together. Even Izzy at the wheel looks almost relaxed, tapping his feet to the rhythm.
“Captain!” Button says, swooping out of nowhere with a bottle in each hand. “She’s smiling down on us tonight!”
“Is she?” Stede asks, frowning until he realizes Buttons is talking about the moon.
“Oh aye,” Buttons says, passing him a bottle. “Now if you’ll excuse me I need to lose some of these clothes.”
Ed wrinkles his nose and Stede stifles a laugh until Buttons is out of earshot.
“We’re supposed to be on the run,” Ed says, looking round. He doesn’t sound too unhappy though.
“It’s not all bad,” Stede whispers, leaning into his ear. “With all this noise, I don’t think anyone heard us.”
“Oh, we heard,” Jim calls over from where they’re dipping Olu.
“Why do you think I started playing?” Frenchie adds.
Stede covers up his blush by taking a low swallow of rum and elbows Ed in the ribs when he laughs.
“Come on,” he says, gesturing to the crows nest. “Let’s go up.”
“You want to climb?” Ed says doubtfully.
“Why not? It’s a beautiful night.”
“Hmm,” Ed says, raising his eyebrows. “Guess I’ve rubbed off on you.”
“I suppose you have,” Stede says, lowering his voice and looking at him from under his eyelashes.
“Please,” Lucius says weakly over by the dancefloor. “You are not talking as quietly as you think you are.”
They bring the bottle with them and take turns sipping from it, leaning against each other and looking out across the moonlit water. It’s a little cold up here but with the music floating up from below and Ed close against him, Stede thinks its pretty much perfect. Certainly the best party he’s ever attended.
They talk. At first filling in the blanks of what happened while they were parted but then more than that. The past. The future. Whether or not to get a parrot.
“We’ve already got a seagull,” Ed is arguing. “Believe me, parrots sound great in theory but they’re a real pain in the arse. They take all the dignity out of the work. You’re in the middle of threatening someone and they chime in with all that who’s a pretty boy shit and ruin the mood for everyone.”
“But seagulls don’t have any character,” Stede insists, taking yet another drink. At this rate he’s going to struggle to make it down. “They’re gray for a start, not red and- oh shit .”
“What?” Ed asks, head snapping round. “The British?”
“No, no I just can’t believe I forgot,” Stede says and rummages in his waistcoat pocket. “Thank god I left it in this one…hold on. Here!”
He pulls the handkerchief out with a flourish. Even in the moonlight you can see the red of it.
Ed looks at it for a moment and then takes it, and wraps it very carefully around his hand. He holds it up and presses it to his face and when he looks at Stede, his eyes glitter in the dark.
“How the hell did you find this?”
Stede doesn’t ask how he knows its the same one. “Pure luck really. And well, Lucius.”
Ed just shakes his head, looking down at the fabric in his hand. “I thought it was gone. I thought it was lost forever.”
Stede reaches out and puts his hand over Ed’s, their fingers wrapped together in the silk. Maybe it’s the liquor but a phrase floats into Stede’s head. A line from one of the hymns they had to sing in school. Blessed be the tie that binds.
“It was never lost,” he says at last. “You just lost sight of it for a little bit.”
Ed’s thumb rubs over the back of Stede’s hand. A seagull calls from somewhere in the dark and below them, the lanterns are still burning.
“How about pink,” Ed says. “For the library.”
THE END