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In the distance, Ed can see the island.
The shape of it is starting to solidify on the horizon—still a good way away, but close enough that Ed can make it out without a telescope.
Stede mentioned it two days ago, saying that they were near an island with a wonderful hidden grotto only accessible by water. That was enough to catch Ed’s attention, and he quickly diverted their course, imagining the crew relaxing on one end of the island while he and Stede explored the other.
However, as they get nearer, it quickly becomes clear that some of that is not gonna happen.
The island is nothing but rocks all the way around. There’s not even a semblance of a beach, though there is a jungle perched on the crown of the island. Not that anyone could get to it with all the serrated rocks and jagged cliffs. Really, you could have told Ed that the whole fucking thing was designed to destroy ships, and he’d believe it.
It looks like a death trap.
“That looks like a death trap,” Lucius says, pausing behind Ed to stare at the island.
Either the boy is reading his mind, or it’s obvious to even landlubbers that this is place has Do Not Approach written all over it.
“Yeah, boss, we should stop here,” Fang says.
Ed nods. “Drop the anchor.”
They’re still almost two miles out, but with rock formations like that, it’s not worth navigating the ship into water any shallower.
“Are you really going out there?” Lucius asks, raising a brow.
“Stede says there’s a path underwater.”
“It’s your funeral,” Lucius snarks.
“Fuck off.”
“Oh, like there’s any way he’d let you drown.”
It’s true, and it’s the only reason Ed isn’t having second thoughts. Sure, the island looks like it eats ships for breakfast, but Stede wouldn’t have offered to take Ed there if he couldn’t do it. Ed kind of doesn’t doubt that he would absolutely die if he tried to get to the island on his own, but being escorted by a very fast and strong merman is a whole other deal.
He trusts Stede with his life. He’d trust Stede if Stede said something was risky but doable, let alone trust him on something like this, which Stede suggested as a fun day trip.
As if summoned, Stede appears, his head popping up out of the rolling waves. His eyes land on Ed immediately.
“Ed!” he cries with a smile. “I’ve just been over to the island and scoped out the cave! Everything is just like I remember it. We won’t have any trouble in the passageway at all.”
Ed nods. “The ship’s all set here, so I’m ready if you are.” He gives a few last minute orders to Fang and Ivan about keeping watch for other ships. Then he picks up Stede’s satchel—which is packed with a fruit picnic for them and a canteen of water for him—and climbs down the ladder.
Once he’s in the ocean and it’s just him and Stede, Stede softly asks, “Are you sure about this?”
Ed’s honestly confused by the question. “Of course. Why?”
“You told me once that you didn’t like caves.”
“Yeah, I don’t like being deep in caves. But you said this one’s got an open roof.”
“It does. Though we’ll go through a fairly long underwater cave to reach it.” Stede raises his brows in concern.
Ed considers it again, but he can’t find any more uneasiness than he did when Stede first brought up showing him the grotto. “I know, but… it feels different.” Ed shrugs. “Yeah, it’ll be weird, but it will only be a minute before we’re topside again. Just like swimming with you any other time.”
“As long as you’re sure.”
“I am. Now c’mon, I wanna see this place.”
Ed grins and gets into position in front of Stede. Stede locks his arms around Ed’s chest, and then they’re off.
Ed abandoned taking a dinghy out for short trips to an island long ago. If he and Stede are only going for an afternoon of swimming in shallow water, he’s decided that the best way to get there is, well, swimming. Or rather, Stede swimming and pulling Ed along. A mile or two is nothing to Stede, even carrying Ed’s weight. The system they worked out is simple, and hasn’t changed from the very first time Stede took Ed out on a reef. He swims underwater with Ed, his arms clasped around Ed’s chest, with Ed clutching Stede’s wrists and squeezing whenever he needs to come up for air.
Stede is fast underwater, and Ed’s no slouch at holding his breath, and within what seems like no time at all, the island’s crags are looming in front of them the next time they surface. The waves are breaking impressively on the rocks ahead, all white sprays and foam churned up by the currents.
Ed can feel the current swirling around them, can actually feel the water pulling him toward the island, but Stede’s tail is moving just as furiously, and Stede holds the two of them steady in place in the roiling sea.
“Sexy,” Ed mutters.
“What?” Stede cries over the waves.
“I said you’re fucking strong and sexy!”
“Oh!” Stede says, surprise coloring his voice. “Thank you! Now, next time we’ll be going through the cave! So get a deep breath and squeeze when you’re ready to go down. No rush!”
Ed nods. He knows that getting a deep breath is not the same thing as taking a big breath, and for a moment, he just lets himself fully breathe. Then he slowly fills his lungs, letting his ribcage expand. He closes his eyes and then squeezes Stede’s hand.
Stede goes down.
Unlike most of the journey, where Stede stayed only a few feet below the surface, now he takes Ed sharply down, headed for the seafloor. The water is calmer the deeper they go, though Ed can still feel the currents that he knows would catch a man and drag him away.
When Stede’s swimming levels out, Ed supposes they’ve entered the passageway of the cave. He starts counting the seconds out of curiosity. Stede assured him that the time it would take to swim to the other opening isn’t even half as long as Ed can hold his breath.
By the time Ed has counted to almost sixty, it’s obvious why Stede wasn’t worried about the possibility of encountering any people in the grotto. If it takes Stede this long to swim the passageway, with his agility and speed and ability to see in the dark, there’s no fucking way a human could swim the length of it in the pitch black before their air ran out. As for someone coming from the island itself, it’s obviously uninhabited. It is, as they’ve established, a death trap.
After another few seconds, Ed can feel Stede start to ascend, and then they’re breaking the surface, just like that.
“Are you good?” Stede asks in his ear.
“Never better.”
Stede’s still holding him up, and for a moment, Ed just takes in the cavern. It’s bigger than he imagined, with the roof being fifty or sixty feet above them. The cave itself is nearly the same width, and it gets shallower at the far end, with sand and dirt washed in to create a tiny rise of solid ground. But what makes the cave stunning is the large hole in the roof, nearly a dozen feet across, where a patch blue sky dotted with clouds can be seen.
“Fuck,” Ed breathes. “This place is incredible.”
He shifts slightly, and Stede lets him go. Together they swim around the periphery of the cave, which is bathed in daydreamy light. Ed could almost swear the sky looks more fucking magical from here.
Stede smiles at Ed as he explores. “I’m glad you like it.”
“You said this whole island has caves under it?”
“Yes. There’s quite an extensive network. But this is the only one that comes out at the surface. All the others are underwater only. I always liked to come and explore anytime I was near, and see if I could find anything new.” He gives Ed a conspiratorial look. “Those caves were one of the places I stored my treasure.”
“Yeah? Any left down there?”
Stede shakes his head. “Everything that was here was something that I wanted to show you. I retrieved it all not long after we met. Some of it is on the ship now, and some of it I left hidden other places near where we were at the time.”
Ed nods, considering. “It’s a hell of a place for a stash, though. After we get back to the ship, I’ll grab some stuff and put together a bag for you to hide. Never hurts to have a fallback.”
“I’m happy to bring something back out here,” Stede says, sliding through the water around Ed. “As long as it’s nothing we enjoy.”
“Nah,” Ed agrees. “I’ll grab some doubloons, and some of the ugly stuff. Nothing we’d miss if we didn’t get back to it.” They’ve got a whole box of ugly treasure from raids set aside strictly to sell. Some of it is downright hideous—Ed doesn’t know what the fuck is up with some rich people’s taste.
“Good. I do like being able to use our things.”
In persuading Ed to appreciate his treasure and not just hide it away, Stede has also started keeping his own things in less far flung areas. A good deal of it ended up in Ed’s cabin, but even the bits of treasure that Stede still has underwater were relocated to more conveniently accessed places. As long as it’s deeper than a person can go, Stede is satisfied that it’s sufficiently hidden.
Ed’s feet find the sandy bottom of the cavern, and he wades into shallower water, taking off his clothing as he does so. He never wears anything leather for swimming with Stede anymore, but he’d worn it today on the off chance they might brush against rocks underwater.
Ed strips until he’s naked, leaving his clothes and the satchel on the shore of the cave. He doesn’t swim back out. Instead, he lies down right where the land meets the sea—half in, half out of the water as he props his elbows up on the sand.
Stede is drifting closer, and Ed catches his gaze.
“Well,” Ed says, “here I am, just a poor sailor lured away by a merman. I’m trapped in his hidden grotto, entirely at his mercy.” He bends a knee, opening his legs. “I can’t imagine what he’ll do to me.”
Stede closes the distance between them, slipping through the shallow water. He pulls himself partway out and slides on top of Ed. His eyes are dark with interest. “Can’t you? Imagine it?”
“Dunno. I’ve got a shit imagination.” Ed licks his lips. “You might have to show me.”
“What would you like?” Stede asks, leaning down to press a kiss against Ed’s collarbone.
“Before we leave, I’d like you to fuck me,” Ed says. “But for right now, how about just this?” He spreads his legs fully, wrapping them around Stede’s sides and grinding up against him.
“That sounds perfect,” Stede says. “Just give me a minute.”
Stede continues to mouth at him, and Ed lies back in the sand, baring his neck. He rubs his rapidly hardening cock against Stede, right at the place where Stede’s own cock will come out. It takes a few minutes of gentle foreplay before Ed feels Stede’s cock begin to emerge and then another minute before his length is fully free.
Stede shifts his kisses from Ed’s neck to his mouth, gasping against him as they start to move together. They’re chest to chest, Stede bracing himself over Ed on his elbows as they grind on each other. Stede’s not really setup to thrust like this, but wriggling and humping will get you a long way, and between the two of them they find a rhythm.
Ed doesn’t get enough of being beneath Stede like this. Most sex they have is fully in the water, so being pressed between Stede and the shore, feeling Stede’s weight on top of him as Stede chases his satisfaction—well, it’s a fucking treat. Ed wants it to last as long as possible, so he never moves to take both of them in hand, and instead just relishes the slow, slippery feeling of Stede moving against him, the pressure of Stede all over him.
Their lovemaking is blissful and sensual, even as it builds to a finish and Ed is taut with pleasure. He comes first, though Stede isn’t far behind him. Afterward, Stede all but collapses on Ed, sighing happily as he rests on Ed’s chest.
They stay like that for a while, before untangling themselves from each other and rinsing off. They don’t stray far from the shallow area, though. Ed sits in water that’s chest high, waiting while Stede goes under the surface and a bit deeper.
When Stede comes back up, he nuzzles against Ed’s left shoulder and asks, “Ed, would you stroke my tail?”
“Of course.”
“Oh, thank you.”
With that, Stede slips completely below the water. He rests his head in Ed’s lap, barely inches away from Ed’s dick, not that Ed’s going to be getting hard again anytime soon. Anyway, that’s not what this is about. Stede curls his body behind Ed in a circle, which puts the end of his tail close to Ed’s right hip, and directly within reach of his right arm.
Ed starts stroking Stede’s fins with care. Besides the large fins at the very end, there are delicate fins on the back and sides of his tail that start about halfway down. Ed’s hand glides over what he can reach, and the fins ripple and sway under his touch, silky against his skin. He slowly caresses the bottom part of the back fin as his hand skims down the narrowest part of Stede’s tail to the full fin at the end. There, his fingers trace over the slight variations in color until he reaches the fin tip. Then his hand returns to where it started, deftly repeating the gentle ministrations again and again.
Ed almost finds it as soothing as Stede clearly does.
Stede is completely relaxed, his eyes closed and a serene expression on his face that Ed can make out even through the water. Ed brings his left hand to rest against Stede’s head. Stede briefly leans into it, though otherwise he doesn’t stir.
He’s not really asleep, though he’s still in a way that Ed rarely sees. Stede is often in motion in some way, even if it’s just idly flipping his tail back and forth as he holds on to the edge of the raft. The fact that Ed never saw Stede doing absolutely nothing in the water didn’t strike him until the first time he saw Stede asleep.
They were alone near a sandbar and just had sex, and Stede slipped beneath the water in post-orgasm contentment. When Stede didn’t come back up, Ed realized Stede was actually asleep and he stared in adoring wonder until Stede jolted awake only a few minutes later, horrified that he fell asleep in the shallows.
Ed, seeing how shaken Stede was, stopped mentally congratulating himself on an orgasm well done, and assured Stede that nothing was going to fucking happen to him while Ed was there. Stede accepted that, but still didn’t like the feeling of being somewhere so exposed while he was unaware. Ed figured that was reasonable, especially considering that Stede only recently overcame his aversion to being in extremely shallow water at all.
Turned out the shallows were great for sex, and Stede really liked having sex with Ed.
The shallows were also where the tail stroking thing started. Once, Ed was lounging on his side and Stede joined him to watch the sunset. The end of Stede’s tail was within reach, and Ed idly started tracing the edges of his fins as they talked, as much to have something to do with his hand as anything.
Only when Stede didn’t respond to something he said did Ed give him a second look and see the zoned out expression on Stede’s face. When Ed finally got his attention, Stede told Ed he was being very distracting and to keep doing it please.
Now, whenever they’re somewhere with calm water and a place for them to settle in, Stede will ask Ed to stroke his fins. Ed’s tried to get Stede to describe it, but Stede says he doesn’t know how other than saying that it’s “so lovely” or “your hands feel so nice”. Ed finally decided it must be like brushing and playing with your lover’s hair. He brought up the comparison to Stede once, who said it wasn’t at all the same as Ed’s fingers running through his hair, but it’s the best analogy Ed’s got to work with. It’s something personal but not sexual, intimate but relaxing.
Ed doesn’t know how long he sits there, gently smoothing his hands over Stede’s most fragile parts. Sometimes he’s still stunned that he gets to have this, that he gets to have Stede, have every bit of him.
Stede is completely boneless as Ed strokes him, like he’s melted into Ed and melted into the sand. Ed wonders if he’s actually fallen asleep, though there’s no way to tell without waking him. Ed thinks that maybe he has, because when Stede finally moves beneath his hands, it’s with a languid stretch, like he’s coming to life again. His tail uncurls from around Ed, and a moment later, he rises up out of the water, though he leans heavily on Ed’s shoulder.
“Oh, thank you,” he repeats. “That was wonderful.”
“Anytime,” Ed says, absolutely meaning it. “Whenever we can.” He’d do it for Stede every day if he could, but they really need to be in shallow water. They tried it from the raft, but Stede tends to sink when he relaxes, and the effort of holding onto the raft or floating at surface level doesn’t allow him to truly let everything go. And if Stede is out of the water on the raft, the fin thing doesn’t work at all.
Stede sighs against him in contentment. Ed’s taking nearly all of his weight, and Stede feels like he might just slide back under the water.
Ed nudges him and suggests they move to the shoreline, which Stede easily agrees to. Stede lies on his back in the sand with only his head and upper chest of out of the water, and Ed cuddles up to him, resting his head under Stede’s chin as Stede’s arm goes around him.
“You fall asleep?” Ed asks softly.
“I did.”
Ed’s glad that Stede was able to sleep in this place without being uneasy. “Good,” Ed says. Stede usually sleeps under the ship these days, snug against one of the leather straps Ed installed for him. Though Ed asked once where Stede slept when he was out in the open sea, and Stede was happy to tell him. It was nowhere Ed could get to, that was for sure. “I never see you sleep, y’know.”
Stede absently chuckles. “Do you want to see me sleep? It’s rather boring.”
“I guess.” Maybe it would be, if it wasn’t a novelty, if it was something they did every single night. “It’s not really about the sleeping.”
“What’s it about, then?”
Ed’s not sure. It takes him a minute to put it into words. “This, I guess,” he says, gathering the thoughts that have been drifting through his mind since Stede was in his lap. “I like being like this. Being… still. With you. And I liked earlier. I liked getting you so relaxed that you were as comfortable as you would be at the bottom of the ocean.”
“Oh, Ed.” Stede presses a kiss to the top of Ed’s head. “I liked it, too. But I always love being with you, no matter where we are or what we’re doing. You know that, right?”
“I know. But you always have to come up to the surface for me. I can’t go down to be with you, not really. Can’t wind myself up in a kelp forest to drift with you all night or bury halfway into the sandy seabed for a nap together.”
“No, you can’t,” Stede says, stroking his hair. “Because I prefer you alive and breathing, darling.”
Ed laughs at that. “Yeah, all right. I’m just saying. Today you seemed extra comfy, and I liked it. I wish I could see it more often.”
“We can come here as often as you like.” Then Stede continues, saying, “And I’m not really uncomfortable at the surface anymore. I wouldn’t spend so much time there if I was. But it’s true that this place is special. Here, it feels like we’re the only ones in the world.”
“Yeah,” Ed agrees, closing his eyes and settling in. Later, they’ll eat, swim some more, probably have sex again. But right now, he just wants to be still with Stede. “Yeah, it does.”
Stede wraps his other arm around Ed, and Ed brings a leg over Stede’s tail. There’s nothing but the two of them and the echoes of the waves in the grotto. As far as Ed’s concerned, the rest of the world doesn’t have anything on this.