#Izzy keeps trying to choke him

[angeltannis]

I’d love to know who at Hasbro decided that after 30+ years without, G5 needed to make one of its humor cornerstones be poop and fart jokes

#mlp #just watched the pet sitting episode of TYT and the scene where the rabbit takes a shit on Izzy’s craft supplies- #-​and is visibly straining and there’s fucking stink lines coming from the shit pellets #and then the multiple episodes with Sparky farting and filling the room with green clouds and choking Misty with it #I’m sorry WHAT is the need for this. this is the pretty pony princess show. WHY DO WE NEED SHIT AND FARTS #Sparky could have been SO INTERESTING but they’ve reduced him to the worst dragon character I’ve ever seen #idk you guys. I love Zipp but idk if I’m strong enough to keep going through this gen #this is the only kid’s show I watch so I try to judge it loosely but man. FiM was for kids too. #the closest they EVER came to ‘toilet humor’ was Pinkie with a whoopie cushion 1 time

[starlithumanity]

I'm having a fascinating time rewatching Our Flag Means Death with the knowledge that Ed sees Izzy as a "safe" mentor/family figure ("safe" because Izzy is Ed's subordinate aboard the ship, which creates a more balanced power dynamic) upon whom Ed projects his many unresolved daddy issues. That stated interpretation from David Jenkins does work, even in season one!

Most of the fandom conceptualized season one Izzy as a power-hungry subordinate to Ed and a "co-parent" to the crew (paralleled with the Stede/Mary marriage) who has an understated masochist lust for the Blackbeard legend. All of that is true too, because Ed and Izzy's relationship is incredibly complex and fucked-up. I know from personal experience that this kind of layered toxic relationship is completely possible, though it might seem contradictory on the surface.

In season one, Ed considering Izzy as a mentor/family explains more why Ed let his first mate be so insulting to and controlling of him and still kept wanting Izzy to stay beside him. It adds more meaning to how Ed veers super hard into the violent Blackbeard role after feeling cornered and threatened by Izzy at the end of the season. (This also has further weight for those of us with family members who have disapproved quite loudly of our queer relationships.)

There is a strong parallel that I noticed previously between young Ed's reaction to his father abusing his mother and season one Ed's reaction to Izzy dueling Stede. Stede is linked to Ed's mother through the red silk and through the fact that Stede and Ed's mother--and Lucius--are the only people we see treating Ed with compassion/softness in season one. It thus makes sense for Izzy to be mirroring Ed's father.

Then there's another parallel in how Ed responded to Izzy mentioning Stede in a mocking way ("pining for his boyfriend") by choking Izzy, like how Ed had once responded to his father threatening his mother by strangling his father. In this moment, Izzy touched Ed's face with an intimate kind of familiarity and said, "There he is." Ed clearly found this unnerving, which some people read as sexually harassment, but it makes just as much sense for it to be his daddy issues getting triggered.

(GIF Sources: captain-flint and divineandmajesticinone)

I think part of why this dynamic was unclear in season one is because the writers wanted us to see that, even though Izzy is a mentor figure who taught Ed certain skills, Ed is a grown man who is fully competent on his own. He had likely started building the Blackbeard legend by the time Izzy met him, he has a clever mind that's constantly coming up with new plans, and when Izzy himself was left as captain, Izzy proved to not have the necessary charisma and compassion to lead the crew. Ed is the star power; Izzy is the manager, so to speak.

However, Izzy overestimates his importance and often talks about himself like he's a martyr to the Blackbeard legend, working so hard to keep both Ed and the crew in line. He claims that he's been "clean[ing] up [Ed's] messes... my whole life," which feels like a very parental complaint to me.

Ed fuels this martyr complex some in season two by physically harming Izzy, but notably, Ed doesn't threaten this kind of harm to the rest of the crew (though he isn't very careful with them either) until he's in the suicidal spiral of driving the ship into a storm. Before that, Ed threatens Izzy specifically, both because Izzy threatened him and Stede in season one and because Ed's trying, in his own fucked-up way, to prove to Izzy that he's following Izzy's guidance and "being Blackbeard." The toe-cutting also has some metaphorical weight: Izzy demanded that Ed "cut off" the gentler pieces of himself to be Blackbeard, so Ed starts cutting off literal pieces of Izzy in return. When it becomes clear that this isn't satisfying Izzy either, that's when Ed really goes off the deep end. ("I loved you the best I could," but I never could be enough to fit your expectations.)

(GIF Source: livelovecaliforniadreams)

Meanwhile, we see Izzy starting to question things specifically in response to Ed saying that Izzy could be replaced as first mate. Izzy thought his place, as a mentor/family and self-professed "martyr", was more secure than that, and it challenges his whole identity.

Throughout season two, the mentor/family dynamic is further emphasized via the parallel between Izzy/Ed/Stede and Auntie/Zheng Yi Sao/Oluwande. Others have discussed this more, but there's so much meaning in the similar ways these characters carry themselves, in the tension of Auntie disapproving of Zheng Yi Sao's feelings for "soft" Oluwande, and in the way Oluwande finally teaches Auntie to soften herself some for Zheng Yi Sao.

(GIF Source: bizarrelittlemew)

Additionally, in episode five of season two, we see Stede turning to Izzy for mentorship, proclaiming that Ed himself had recommended Izzy as someone who "made him into the captain he is today." People have questioned that as being a false manipulation from Stede, but I think there's a good chance that it was true! (Ed probably said this to Stede sometime during season one, when the two of them got to know each other so well.) "Taught him everything he knows" is definitely a flattering exaggeration, but hey.

(GIF Source: ofmdaily)

Throughout this and other episodes, we see Izzy continuing to take on a mentor-like role with Stede and the crew (and eventually Ed) as he tries to recenter himself after the darkness of the first three episodes. It's clear that Izzy is most comfortable playing the gruff and politically incorrect old fighter who offers guidance, but now he's letting himself branch out more and connect to the crew in new gentler ways. He even metaphorically "gives his blessing" to Ed and Stede's first time having sex by providing the musical accompaniment, which is the perfect amount of weird for this show, haha.

(GIF Source: izzyfag)

Izzy's transformative arc in season two also involves a steady pattern of reversals, corrected new versions of his treatment of Ed in season one, as Izzy start coming to terms with the harm he did to Ed. Other people have discussed this in more detail, but I think the pace of this change is realistic to what you would see in such a situation. Ed's responses to this, too, are consistent with him seeing Izzy as a mentor/family.

(GIF Source: edwards-teach)

I should further note that Izzy and Benjamin Hornigold (another abusive father figure from Ed's past) are two characters mirrored by the fact that they call Ed "Eddie" in season two. I can imagine that being the nickname Ed used when he was younger, before growing out of it. Izzy seems to start feeling the echo of that memory of younger Ed when Ed comes to him scared, asking for Izzy to "fix [his] mess" by shooting Ed like Ed "dreamed" about.

(GIF Source: blairpfaff)

Right before Izzy's death, there's a scene where Ed is triggered super hard in his daddy issues by the fisherman "Pop-Pop." I think the writers wanted to remind us of the parental trauma Ed has been through before giving us some catharsis through Izzy's deathbed confession and apology. In that moment, Izzy takes full accountability for what he did, while Ed cries and says, "You're my only family." Izzy redirects him in a final bit of mentorly guidance, telling Ed that the crew is there to be his family if Ed will let himself be loved, truly, in the way Ed has often rejected and distanced himself from being loved.

(GIF Source: izzyfag)

Now, I do think Izzy's death was the right choice for this show. I like that DJenkins went with the classic mentor death trope, and he did a similar thing with Buttons, the other old-timer first mate! I agree likewise with those who have discussed Izzy's loss as being a necessary step for the narrative to move forward both from Ed's darker self/parental trauma and from the older age of piracy that Izzy represents. Izzy was always meant to be a dark reflection of and a narrative support/conflict for Ed, and this is the natural culmination of that. His complicated legacy will continue to be something Ed has to reckon with, however, although Ed is trying to compartmentalize that right now.

I very much hope to see, in season three (🤞🏻), how Ed continues to process his past, especially now that he's trying for a domestic life that will likely lead into marriage. Marriage, from what I've seen, often acts as a staging ground for whatever parental trauma you had growing up, because you look to your parental figures as an example of how to do "adult" things. This is going to be a huge conflict for both Ed and Stede, who has his own personal negative marriage experience. I suspect Izzy will continue to represent this problem in some form or another.

(GIF Sources: kiwistede and yenvengerberg)

#our flag means death #ofmd spoilers #izzy hands #edward teach #stede bonnet #gentlebeard #benjamin hornigold #nathaniel buttons #zheng yi sao #auntie #oluwande boodhari #my stuff

[lanadelnegan]

One Night Stand

Jeffrey Dean Morgan x Reader

Request from anon: Can you do 2000s!Jeffery Dean Morgan x actress!reader who works on Grey's anatomy w/ him (she plays Izzie instead of Katherine Heigl) but she doesnt know it yet? Like they meet at a bar and end up flirting and having sex in his hotel and she stays the night and then in the morning she's like getting dressed and says "I have to go to work blah blah blah" and he's like "me too" and then a time skip to when she's on set and Jeffery is going around meeting people and she's just standing there in total shock?

Warnings: smut, NSFW, 18+, vaginal sex, single middle-aged JDM, semi-public oral sex (female receiving), this is HAWT - trust me.

"You look like shit." A deep voice chuckles from beside me.

I snap my eyes towards the asshole, almost choking on my drink in the process. Not sure if it's from his rudeness or his hotness, but I cough and play it off. "Excuse me?"

He laughs before ordering himself a drink. "Oh, and another for the lady here. Looks like she could use it."

My mouth drops open as he just.. grins at me. Who the hell does he think he is.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" I ask annoyed.

"Not yet.. do you want to?" His wide grin stretches across his face, revealing his pearly white teeth. I study his face in the neon bar lights, noticing the shades of green swimming throughout his light brown orbs. This man is stunning.

I chug the drink he orders me seconds after the bartender sets it down. "Not really, but thanks for the drink."

He nods and sips his own drink, raising one of his thick brows at me. "Bad day?"

I sigh, trying to relax a little and accept his small talk. "Just tired."

"Then why are you here? There are beds upstairs, ya know?"

I glare at him. "I'm tired.. of other people. Tired of faking conversations I don't care to have."

He raises both of his brows this time and appears to look surprised by my forwardness. "Well excuse me darlin'. I'll shut the hell up then." He goes back to sipping his whiskey.

Out of all the things he's said so far, it's that sentence that finally puts a smile on my face. "Bout time." I tease and roll my eyes dramatically.

An awkward silence follows after we both laugh. I look over and his eyes meet mine, right before they slowly trail down to my lips. The playfulness in his features fades into a seductive gaze and fuck.. this is the kind of energy I've needed since I've been in this shitty town.

I've been filming for months now, only getting to visit home on the weekends. This hotel is basically my home and it's taken a toll on me for sure. At least at home I have my cats. Here I just have half empty wine bottles, my vibrator, and candy bars stashed in my nightstand to keep me company. I guess when I put it that way, it doesn't sound so bad.

"Are you staying here?" I blurt before I can stop myself. That was a stupid question. Why else would he be at this hotel's bar.

He blatantly ignores me, pulling out his phone while leaning his elbows against the bar and pretends to scroll.

"Um, okay." My lips clench together awkwardly as I nod my head and look in the other direction. "Good talk."

"Oh, forgive me darlin'. Can I talk now?" His veiny hand rests against his heart as he sarcastically grins at me. What a fucking smart ass.

"You know what, no. You can't. Never mind." I get up to leave, hoping he stops me.. and he does.

He turns in his bar stool and blocks me with his thigh as I try to walk past him. "What the hell are you doing?" I snap, walking around his leg. I don't realize he's behind me until I step on the elevator and turn around. I gasp a little, looking up at him. His face is serious now.. all the playfulness from earlier gone.

He backs away and leans against the wall of the elevator. The door is closed but I haven't even pressed the button to my floor yet. He crosses his arms and nods towards the buttons, urging me to press one.

"I'm not taking you to my room." I cross my arms, mimicking him.

"Okay, but I'm walking you there."

The seriousness on his face tells me I'm not going to win this one, so I hesitantly press the number 6 and the elevator starts to ascend as we stare at each other the entire way up.

When the door finally slides open, I start to leave but he gently grabs my wrist, turning me back around. Before I can fully face him, he leans down pressing his lips against mine softly. As soon as he pulls away, I pull his shirt towards me, silently granting him permission and begging for more. My back slams against the elevator wall as he kisses me hard this time. His large hands cup my face as I moan into his mouth. My hands reach for his back as his body presses firmly against me.

He tastes like whiskey and tobacco and smells like leather and musky cologne. It's euphoric. His lips are full and soft but the stubble hairs surrounding his mouth scratch at my sensitive skin. I let myself imagine what it would feel like between my legs.

As if he can hear my thoughts, he breaks away from our kiss, breathing heavily before dropping to his knees and wasting no time throwing my leg over his shoulder. My mouth gapes open as I look between him and the open elevator doors. Anyone could walk by right now and see us. My skirt bunches around my waist, giving him all the access he needs before slipping his fingers underneath my panties and pulling them to the side. I watch his face disappear between my legs and feel his warm tongue lick a stripe from my already dripping cunt to my clit. He moans from the taste and I moan at him moaning from the taste.

His tongue presses firmly against my clit repeatedly in an up down motion. He pulls back for a moment and without warning, slips his middle finger inside me, bumping it against my g-spot repeatedly while gently finding and sucking my clit again.

"Oh my god." I whisper down at him, feeling the pressure building up in me from his finger and tongue working in unison. He looks up at me like he can sense I'm about to explode, and grins against my pussy proudly. The sight alone sends me over the edge and I cum so hard that I think squirt a little in his mouth. He groans at the taste and buries his tongue deep in my hole like he needs more.

After a few moments of him lapping up all of my juices he can possible get, he stands up, lifting me in his arms in the process until my legs are wrapped around his waist. He smiles at me cockily while his facial hair glistens with my wetness.

He carries me down the hall and I point towards my room. I unlock it with my key card. Once it clicks, he kicks it open the rest of the way and quickly brings me inside, his lips never leaving mine in the process.

He lays me down on the bed but I keep my legs wrapped around his waist, bringing him down on top of me as he works on pulling my panties off with one hand and holding himself up with the other.

I arch my back, helping him slide them off.

Once I'm exposed completely to him, he leans back up, undoing his belt and throwing off his shirt, revealing his sweaty chest. He quickly pulls out his rock hard cock and I lean up on my elbows to get a better view.

His dick is just as pretty as he is.

He strokes it a couple times while he watches me watch him. My eyes grow wider at the sight of his precum leaking from the tip and he smiles down at himself. "Look at that, baby. Already got my dick leaking for you." He glides his thumb over the tip and I watch him in a trance, hoping I'm not visibly drooling.

"You ready for me, doll?" He asks as he leans back over me, bracing himself up with his hand. I nod as he kisses my lips and I still taste myself on his mouth. His hazel eyes look down into mine as he uses his other hand to guide himself towards my entrance. I feel the tip of him circle my opening before he slides in me agonizingly slow. He doesn't stop until his dick is pressing against my cervix almost painfully. I groan and wiggle a little, trying to adjust to him. He slides halfway out before thrusting his hips flush against me again, causing my mouth drops open as he reaches even deeper this time.

"That's a good fucking girl. Taking me so deep." His raspy voice praises me before his lips connect with the sensitive spot under my ear. He bites and licks at me while his stubble tickles me. I reach my hands around to hold onto his back and his thrusts grow steadier and faster. I scratch his back hard enough that I'm sure it's leaving marks, but it encourage him to fuck me harder so I don't stop.

"Mmm, fuck." I moan out. His hips slam into me faster and my face immediately burns with heat. My mouth drops open again but I can't form any sounds because he's completely taken my breath away. He stops kissing my neck to look at me again and smiles arrogantly when he sees my face and what he's doing to me.

"Goddamn, baby. This pussy feels so fucking good." His breathing is rapid and his forehead is sweaty as his grunts and moans fill the room. I can tell he's getting close and I am too. His hand reaches between us and he easily finds my clit like a pro, rubbing circles around it with his thumb and slamming into me so hard that I stars. My pussy clenches around him as I lose control, moaning loudly and arching my back at the overwhelming sensation. I cum around his cock so intensely that a tear rolls down my cheek.

"Oh fuuuck. Fuck." He says, quickly pulling out of me. He buries his head in my neck and groans, and I feel his warm seed squirt all over my lower tummy. He rolls off of me, grabbing some tissues to clean me up. "That pussy is straight from fucking heaven, baby." He chuckles as he wipes his cum from my stomach.

I get up to go pee and clean myself up and when I come back in the room, he's laying on his back.. asleep. The bedsheets are hanging halfway off, revealing his toned torso and dark chest hair. I watch his chest rise and fall slowly, taking a moment to notice every detail of the absolute sex god in my bed.. the permanent dimples embedded on each side of his mouth, the veins in his arms, the tattoos on his tan skin.

I frown to myself. Too bad this can't go anywhere. I'm way to busy in my career to settle down with someone.

I climb into bed, not bothering to wake him and fall asleep with my legs entangled with his.

The next morning:

"Hey! Wake up, I gotta go!" I yell, throwing a pillow at his face. "Seriously! GET. UP. I'm already late!" I finish tying my shoe as I yell impatiently at him. This isn’t the first time I’ve slept through my alarm and I hate being late.

He lazily rubs opens his eyes open before looking at me with that smirk. “Well good morning to you too, sunshine.”

I jerk the covers off him, noticing his erect cock standing against his flat stomach. My eyes cling to the sight of it and he bites his lip and raises his eyebrows suggestively at me as I stare at him.

“As much as I’d love to sit on that right now, I Have to go. Look, just see yourself out okay? Take a shower, whatever you need to do. Just make sure the door locks when you leave.” I grab my keys and my purse and head for the door before turning around again. “You’re not... some creep are you?”

He looks at me amused. “You’re asking me that after we already slept together?”

I stare at him and rolls his eyes, sighing when I don't answer him. “Does going through your panty drawer count?” He bites his lower lip teasingly.

“Yes! That counts!”

He shrugs his shoulders. “Guess I’m a creep then.” He winks at me and I glare at him as I turn around to leave once again.

“See ya later, y/n!” He yells.

I ignore him, still pressed for time and leave him to my room as I rush to the elevator. Poor guy thinks he’ll see me again. I should’ve told him I wasn’t interested in anything other than his dick.

The doors shut before me as the elevator descends.

Oh shit.

My eyes widen with realization.

“He said my name.” I whisper to myself.

I - I didn’t tell him my name. Oh my god, what if he is some creep that’s been stalking me. That would explain the weird interaction at the bar. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had a fan try to stalk me. Sucks being famous sometimes. I breathe, calming myself down. Maybe.. I told him and forgot? I was tipsy last night. I could have said it. I tell myself to soothe my nerves. I think about what he could steal in my room and mentally punch myself for not kicking him out.

What if he eats all the candy bars in my nightstand. My eyes widen at the thought. That bastard.. he would.

I overthink the entire way to work, but finally relax when I get on set with my coworkers. Ellen and I have grown close over the years. She’s like the big sister I never had.

I sip my Starbucks and change into my pretend light blue scrubs while spilling the beans to her about last night. She leans forward on couch in our dressing room, fully invested in my story.

“Was he.. ya know?” She asks curiously.

“Big?” I blush and giggle with her. “Let’s just say.. it was soo thick. He was probably a good 8 inches in length too but the thickness was simply… chefs kiss."

I make the motion with my hand as we laugh together, fully dressed now and sitting in front of the mirror getting our light makeup done. Our stylists are used to our juicy gossip. They’ve learned to tune us out by now.

I grab my iced latte and Ellen and I leave the dressing room, going into the set where all our other costars and directors are. This is definitely the biggest acting job I’ve ever landed. So many of us are on set at one time.. at least 30 of us are spread throughout this room. Ellen and I stand back, waiting for the cameras to get set up. I scan over my script even though I’ve studied it a thousand times and can recite it in my sleep.

“Oooh, todays the day I get to meet my new looove interest. Denny Duquette.” I say to Ellen, putting emphasis on his name.

“I heard the guy they chose to play him is insanely hot.” Ellen winks at me playfully.

I scoff, eyes still scanning over my lines. “Can’t be as hot as my one night stand. I mean seriously... I can’t get his face outta my head. Or his dick.”

The room grows quiet and I snap my eyes up, worried everyone heard me. When I realize they aren’t looking at me, but past me, I turn my head around and the sight almost knocks the wind out of me. Mr. one night stand himself ... No fucking way.. He definitely heard everything we just said and I internally cringe at myself.

“Y’n, meet Jeffrey.. or Denny.. I should say.” Our director next to him introduces us. My coffee slips from my hand and splashes all over the floor in between us. Jeffrey - I guess that's his name - drops to the floor on one knee before I can reach down to grab my empty cup. He lingers down there longer than he should, looking up at me with the same smirk he had last night in the elevator when my leg was draped over his shoulder. I try my best to hide the weakness in my legs and redness in my cheeks at the sight of him below me.

"Lovely to meet you." He says, standing back up with my cup in his hand. He nods his head towards Ellen, politely greeting her as well.

"Thanks." I reach for the cup and my fingers brush his lightly as I take it from him.

He stands proudly, looking down at me smiling before the director pulls him away to meet the others. As they walk past us, Jeffrey leans down to me, his mouth close to my ear.

"I can still taste you." My eyes widen and his deep whisper sends a chill straight to my aching cunt that he destroyed last night.

He walks away and I'm left standing there.. speechless. Goosebumps appear all over my arms. Before I'm done processing, Ellen leans in, "That was him... wasn't it?"

I nod my head, unable to move an inch. The producers call for Denny and myself to begin the scene and my heart races.

Ellen giggles and whispers from beside me before walking off. "Well... this should be interesting."

The End.

Might make a part 2 because I REALLY enjoyed writing this one. Xoxo

#jeffrey dean morgan #negan #jdmorgan #jdm x reader #jdmfanfiction #negan fanfiction #twd negan #jdm fanfiction #jeffrey dean morgan smut #jeffrey dean morgan x you #jeffrey dean morgan x reader #jdm x you #jdm fanfic #jdm smut #denny duquette #denny greys anatomy #denny duquette greys anatomy #greys anatomy #jeffrey dean morgan fanfiction

[bougiebutchbitch]

cannot believe that 'yelling at your boss when he repeatedly almost gets you and your crew killed and lies to manipulate you into staying when you try to leave, is not emotional abuse, actually' and 'there is such a thing as a mutually toxic and unhealthy relationship where both parties are incredibly shitty to each other - and this is obviously where Ed and Izzy stand until S2, when it becomes blatantly abusive' is a controversial take. But as this is Abuse Apologism And Ableism, The FandomTM, I really should not be surprised

Just.

I was deep in physically and mentally abusive relationships in my teens/twenties - including relationships that started out with mutual toxicity and bad decisions on all sides, but which became outright physical & mental & other sorts of abuse with myself as the victim. I know my shit.

I suppose I can see where 'Izzy emotionally abused Ed' comes from IF people give literally the most uncharitable interpretation to Every Single Scene, and assume Izzy shouts angrily at Ed and negs him all the time rather than this being how he acts when he's incredibly stressed by circumstance caused directly by Ed and at the end of his fucking rope? Which, as we see in S2... Is not the case.

It's not freaking emotional abuse when you're shouting at your boss who keeps almost getting you and your crew killed. Even if this is NOT a kind or productive way to help Ed deal with his mental health, considering that Ed's actions have consequences that he repeatedly and blithely ignores, it's pretty fucking justified!

It's not freaking emotional abuse if your boss OPENLY LOVES MAIMING PEOPLE AND IS MORE THAN HAPPY TO BURN THEM ALIVE and you encourage that, while upholding his right to not kill with his own hands. Even if he has private breakdowns after the fact because he suffers from black-and-white thinking, dissociates himself from any wrongdoing, and is afraid of his potential to become 'a monster'.

Are these choices helpful? No. Are they kind? No. Is Izzy demonstrating Model Citizen Behaviour? Definitely not.

But it's sure as hell not emotional abuse. And it doesn't justify the physical and emotional abuse Ed puts Izzy through in S2.

Nothing you say can 'make' him hit you. If he chooses to hit you (or... choke you out then repeatedly mutilate you and pressure you to commit suicide and makes you constantly live in fear for your life and the lives of people you care about) he makes that decision himself. Yes, even if you shouted at him first. Yes, even if you were arguing. Yes, even if you were in the wrong in that argument. Yes, even if he has a Tragic BackstoryTM and mental health issues. This shit shouldn't be controversial.

Signed: one of those actual abuse survivors.

#izzy hands #israel hands #the izcourse #ofmd izzy #our flag means death #ofmd #to be clear: I think Izzy was an absolute shitbag in S1! #but. as someone who WAS emotionally AND physically abused just. Idk. The amount of straws people are grasping at #that's... not what emotional abuse looks like. holy shit. #if they were trying to depict that then they frankly did a really bad job lol #I think he was jealous and also worried for himself and HIS crew (who weren't the Revenge crew at that point in time) #I think he egged Ed on. But as we see REPEATED THROUGHOUT THE SHOW #ED DOES ENJOY VIOLENCE #HE LOVES A GOOD MAIM #HE BURNS PEOPLE ALIVE #THEN DISSOCIATES - that's what makes his character so fascinating and relatable to me! but he absolutely kills people #he just can't handle the reality of that or what it says about him #Izzy didn't 'make' him do jack shit. S1 is heavily dedicated to showing just how much Izzy never can get Ed to do what he wants #'Ed was afraid of him'?? wtf where do you even GET that from #if anything Ed is afraid of HIMSELF in that final scene. And he has good reason to be! #That self-loathing and fear of the self is INTEGRAL to him! See: when he's ACTUALLY scared of the fucking kraken #Anyway stop making both Ed and Izzy fundamentally boring by making one wholly good and one wholly bad lol #Izzy did bad shit. He got a good redemption arc and died. a lot of his fans are tired of that arc. #Ed did bad shit. He didn't get a good redemption arc and a lot of his fans are pissed about it.

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

Okay I know I shouldn't have started thinking about That One Meta again (it's the super long one going around for being an absolutely unhinged conspiracy, here's a link but I'll warn you it's not even unhinged in a way that's fun to read, it's just offensive and uncomfortable). But one thing that keeps making me kinda mad is how the author argues that Ed was not feeling scared when Izzy confronted him in s1e10.

Textually, and looking at the acting we can see on screen, Ed looks scared, and that is reasonable in the text of the show. Izzy has already proven he's willing to call the cops on Ed and try to sabotage his happiness, and when Izzy responds with approval to Ed choking him, that's obviously triggering Ed's fear that he is a monster. Ed isn't just scared of Izzy and feeling threatened, he's also horrified by his own capacity for violence. Izzy is breaking the safe bubble Ed has created for himself during the first half of s1e10, where he was finally feeling safe and happy and comfortable, and now Izzy is making Ed think he's not the kind of person who can have that and he will not be safe unless he's Blackbeard, not Ed - of course he's scared!

Like. He's fucking scared and that's a very easy takeaway from this scene on a basic level. He's very wide-eyed, he has tears in his eyes, he flinches away when Izzy moves.

But in That One Meta and similar analyses, reading Ed as being afraid here is portrayed as some kind of problematic "infantilazation," like a little gotcha for everyone who actually bothers talking about what Ed's feeling in this scene. It's a transparent excuse to try and argue that Ed wasn't afraid of Izzy and absolve Izzy of wrongdoing. And that's such a weird take to me, but it's also a bit illuminating, because-

In this kind of logic, Ed's emotions are dulled down and made simple. He's only truly capable of anger and reacting with violence, a prop pushed along by the actions of White characters in general and Izzy in particular. Fear is too human an emotion for the caricature of him that exists in metas like this.

It's very telling, I think, that only White characters get to be motivated by more vulnerable emotions, while for Ed it's apparently "infantilizing" him.

#ofmd #our flag means death #don't even get me started on how that meta sexualizes a lot of Ed's actions either. it's gross!

[trespasssweetlyurged]

tired of izzy hands angst,,, , , i want steddyhands where STEDE feels like the odd one out. Stede who listens to decades of history between his lovers and with every new tale feels more and more terrible. when he reads stories to the crew at night he doesn’t imagine himself and ed as the protagonists like he used to. instead, he sees Ed and Izzy and himself as the mean witch who dared try and separate them.

he starts spiraling. every time he wakes up first in the morning and izzy has gravitated away from his naturally cold feet towards ed’s warmth, it feels like a message. every time something catches ed’s eye and he yells for Izzy to excitedly show him even though stede was standing right there, it feels like a cut thread. every time he fails at something pirate-y and they both have to pick up his slack, it feels like a death sentence.

his ridiculous waste of water bath times become longer. it’s one of the few places ed and izzy will leave him complete privacy unless he requests their presence, making it the perfect spot to hide when the fear begins to choke him and he can’t help but cry. it’s an ugly sight, that, but ever since mary told him she could hear him he’s learned how to keep almost completely quiet. best to keep it hidden less their opinions of him sour even more.

his first instinct is to run away. to relieve them of his presence so he can’t ruin things any further, because it was his presence that ruined things between them in the first place. but he swore on his life and honor that he would never leave like that again. so instead, he throws himself into being as agreeable and unobtrusive as possible.

he makes sure he’s the first out of bed every day without fail to give them alone time in the morning, and returns from sitting on his ass, doing nothing, useless little rich boy checking on the crew with tea and breakfast for them to enjoy. he’ll happily join activities if invited, and he often is invited!! but he no longer shoves himself into things where he wasn’t wanted in the first place. he still gets one on one time with them, of course, but he makes sure to double check he isn’t taking up their time that could be better spent with each other.

he didn’t mean to get between them, you see, and he’ll be damned if he continues on a moment further now that he’s realized what happened.

#steddyhands #steddy hands #stede bonnet #our flag means death #no trespassing #angst #>:) i want stede to suffer #a majority of steddyhands stuff is izzy-centric #i want stede to be in agony #and of course get fixed up by his leather clad boyfriends

[alexanderlightweight]

hope you’re having a good week! idk how to prompt it but basically malec doing this

i’ve got to get back before magnus realizes i’m not in bed!

alec?

ALEC?!

this was hilarious so here we go, i hpe you enjoy. it's in petal verse (in his wake, petals fall)

“Is there a reason you’ve called me out of my husband’s arms at nine o’clock in the morning?” Alec rasps as he appears from around the corner.

Simon startles despite his best efforts because Alec is a nat20 with stealth and then he hesitates, staring in confusion because he is currently, very confused.

Befuddled even, if you’re going for the SAT’s, which Simon no longer needs to worry about ever again.

Alec’s hair is covered in flower petals, even though there are no crowns in sight and it’s clear that he’s slept in earrings and the tight choker around his neck.

Simon isn’t sure what he’s supposed to do with this so he tries to just ignore it. Even if the evidence points to Alec being a Disney princess and sleeping in a bed of flower petals.

“It’s a beautiful day!” Simon laughs and then it dies a horrible, grating, choking death in his throat at the look Alec’s giving him.  Simon imagines it’s what he sounded like when he actually died.

“Simon, would you like to continue existing?” Alec asks him calmly, and it’s the serenity of his composure that’s always the most terrifying for Simon.

“Izzy wants to go for brunch! She said I could get you out here and stall you.” Simon blurts out before he can help it and there is a deep, very tired sigh and then Alec turns and begins to run.

Simon can barely keep up with him, even with vampiric speed and he’s not sure Alec has his speed rune activated right now.

“Alec!” He yells, grateful he doesn’t have to breath at the speed he’s going and he wonders how Alec does it.

“Why, are you following me?” Alec asks and he’s stopped, which is great. Except he’s also stopped with his hand around Simon’s throat, holding him up against the wall which is very much, less great.

“It’s for Izzy!” Simon tries pleadingly and he winces at the glower on Alec’s face and doesn’t even try to struggle when two arrows are pulled out. “Can we, hey Alec can we talk about this first? Alec, wait, Alec where are you going?”

Simon tries not to mourn his brand-new shoes that Alec stabbed his arrows deep into, keeping Simon stuck where he is unless he wants to trip. The two times Simon has tried to bend over and use his vampiric strength, he’s almost fallen on his face instead.

“I have to get back to bed before Magnus realizes I’m gone, Simon.” Alec tells him without any sympathy, “I’m sure Izzy will be able to track you eventually. The next time she tries to rope you into this, refuse, Simon. It’s how you stay alive.” Alec pauses and then gives Simon a blunt onceover, “well, as alive as you can get.”

“Alec!” Simon wails, because he does not want to be stuck here like this. “Alec!”

There is no answer, not even an angry rat scurrying away from his yell and Simon sighs and stares down at where Alec shoves adamas arrows through concrete with his bare hands.

“I guess it’s not the worse outcome.” Simon mutters and wonders if he can figure out how to get his shoes off safely by the time Izzy shows up.

Or, if he calls Clary, if she'll actually pick up.

#lumine writes #writing wednesday #writing wednesdays #in his wake petals fall #petal verse #malec #shadowhunters #magnus bane #alec lightwood

[hellishunicorn]

Izzy is abusive towards Ed

Or there are at the very least some signs of abuse in their dynamic, Izzy being the perpetrator.

So I had to read a text about domestic violence and abusive relationships for a course I'm taking in university about queer life and struggle, and some examples were brought up: like, 'the perpetrator is likely to do' and then there is like a list of things depending on the situation. This is specifically in relation to queer people and I started to connect some of the things that got brought up to things Izzy has done to Ed.

So without further ado, here are some examples that got brought up about how abuse can unfold that reminded me of Izzy:

First the text mentions different forms of abuse including emotional, such as threaten and control ("Edward better watch his fucking step"), and shame ("insane, unpleasant shell of a man" "namby-pamby in a silk gown"). Then abuse related to a person's sex, gender, gender expression, race, ethnicity, sex characteristics and so forth ("whatever it is that you have become is a fate worse than death").

Then come other more generic examples of abuse such as: Shows much jealousy and ownership over the victim (that is literally Izzy's entire deal with Ed)

Threatens physical violence (I don't remember if he ever does that specifically, but the Edward better watch his fucking step line sure could include it)

Blames the victim for all fights, arguments and problems in the relationship (again, calling Ed insane, erratic and so forth) The perpetrator tries to control the behaviour of the victim (again, Edward better watch his fucking step) and tries to come between the victim and their current partner (Izzy has been doing that since before Ed and Stede even met, which ties into the whole tries to control the behaviour of their victim, as in Izzy trying to steer Ed into killing Stede, which he does again in episode 6 when he compares Stede to a pet and tells Ed he should end his life. Talking about Stede making Ed weak and such, which also ties into belittling him.)

The perpetrator keeps saying things that are not in line with what they do. (Izzy keeps saying he is just being loyal to Blackbeard and whatever, but his actions point towards him wanting to control him) and the text mentions that it's the actions that speak louder than words when it comes to domestic violence/abuse of some kind and the perpetrator might say all these things about how they are just doing this for the victim and that it is the right thing to do ("Edward, I know you're upset but, it was the only (Ed punches him)- remember though, you said when you made me first mate that above all is loyalty to your captain. You're my captain and I was never going to stand by and let you destroy yourself for that twat. And this is a humane way of ending this, it's quick, it's clean. Edward you know that.") Here Izzy is blaming Ed for the execution of Stede, by pointing out that 'Ed' was the one who said that loyalty to your captain is what's most important, and Izzy is simply doing this out of the goodness of his heart, because Stede is nothing but a twat, and Izzy knows what's best for Ed (note my sarcasm here).

And one final thing that got brought up is that when the victim strikes back against their abuser, the actual perpetrator might use that against their victim as an example of how the victim is the "real" abuser in this situation. So, if Izzy ever uses the toe thing against Ed in season two, I am jumping through the screen to choke that man to death and not in a fun way.

I am by no means an expert on abuse or domestic violence, but I am getting quite annoyed at the fact that it's been a year, and I'm still seeing people believing Izzy is in the right in season 1, just because he says he is, despite the narrative itself suggesting otherwise, and I'd like to provide some examples as to how his dynamic with Ed, specifically, is quite the opposite of what some fans seem to think it is.

the text that I read is in icelandic, so I doubt it would help much to link it here, but it is however translated (with permission and some alterations to fit icelandic society, I think mainly in terms of where people can look to if they are in an abusive relationship) from a brochure/booklet/pamphlet from this organization

Freedom from domestic abuse | RISE (riseuk.org.uk)

#Izzy critical #Izzy hands #Edward Teach #Blackbeard #Ed Teach #Stede Bonnet #ofmd #our flag means death #abuse #domestic violence #tw: abuse #tw: domestic violence

[softsnzstuff]

OF/MD - Kraken!Ed with a Cold

Based on this post thread. Have a snippet of what myself and @snzsnchillz-afterdark think menacing Kraken!Ed would be like when he’s got the worst cold and is trying to still be threatening. This one goes out to my OFMD buddies - @friv0lite @peach-plumb-pear2 @sniffles-and-tickles @softersteve

Based on the new promo pictures because Taika could choke me and I’d thank him Ed looks so good 🫡😍

Set between seasons 1 and 2 (before canon S2 has come out if anyone finds this post 10/05/23)

CW: intentional contagion

The crew of the Revenge were well used to Ed’s overnight personality changes at this point. At first he’d been all weepy and switched to being one with the Earth and musical and personifying his soul…whatever that meant.

The second switch happened a few days later. Over night. When he had reached the point in his breakup that condoned anger and violence. He’d cut off Izzy’s toe and fed it to him in the night, also tossing plenty of Stede’s things overboard - partial crew included.

He’d been in full swing as Blackbeard for a couple of weeks now - ravaging ships, looting them, and leaving men for dead in ways more unimaginable than skinning them with the snail fork.

This third personality shift happened when he came down with the cold from Hell… or rather - tried to convince everyone that he hadn’t.

Ed had been up Izzy’s ass the the last day, quite literally screaming orders in his ear, pausing occasionally to cough wetly. Izzy would just close his eyes and force a smile before responding with, “Yes, Captain.”

This morning, Izzy had awoken the crew early - somehow managing to be both yelling at them and quiet as not to wake Ed.

“Alright listen up, dogs! Blackbeard is… under the weather… and is more irritable than usual.” Izzy started. “I want you lot to just do what he says and try not to fucking upset him.”

“Why is that our job? He’s the one being a dick.” Jim muttered, twirling their knife.

Izzy sighed, having known Ed the longest. “Because the sooner he is well again, the sooner he stops being a cunt.”

“Yeah, that’s a good enough answer for me I feel.” Frenchie looked around for agreement. Everyone stayed silent, but Fang gave a single nod in solidarity.

“I want you all to keep your heads down and stay out of his fucking way. If he asks anything, you say ‘yes captain’ and fucking do it. And you-” Izzy points to Frenchie, “I want you find what’s left of any medicine that Bonnet left on board. Is that understood?”

There were some silent nods.

“I SAID IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!?” Izzy screamed.

“Yes, fucking Christ.” Jim grumbled, bringing some hands up towards their ears.

“H’iszzzSCHEW! K’tCHuh!”

Just as they were finishing up, Ed kicked the door in, sniffling thickly against his gloved hand.

“What the fuck are you all doing down here???”

Izzy quickly came up with a lie, “I was just telling these fucking idiots that it shouldn’t take this long to clean the floor!”

Izzy shot Frenchie a glance and he immediately dropped to his knees, using a piece of his shirt to scrub at the floor.

“I’m sorry captain Blackbeard sir, it’s just hard to clean the floor without any.. water?” He tried to play along with the charade.

“Hmm. You’re right.” Ed hummed thoughtfully before spitting on the floor right in front of the younger man. “There. Now you’ve got something.”

Frenchie held back a gag as Ed stormed out the other door to the deck of the ship, Izzy and crew following behind. Jim have Frenchie a hand up and he scurried off to go find Stede’s medicine stash.

*****

One thing about the gentleman pirate is that he was bound to have loads of the unnecessary - books, fine fabrics, and medicine. It only took a few minutes for Frenchie to find the bottles in the Captains’ chambers bathroom, but seeing as he couldn’t read, he just grabbed everything and shoved it into a crate to bring to Izzy on the upper deck.

Hands full of different bottles and vials, he turned on his heels to leave the Captain’s chambers. Slamming into the chest of the captain…

“The fuck are you doing in my room?!” Ed hissed, looking the man up and down.

“I uh… you see Mr.Blackbeard sir… I just.. I was…”

Ed’s scowl gave way momentarily to something more relaxed. He turned to the side out of habit, sneezing openly at the air.

“Eh’tSZzZiew! Snlrff”

“Shut up! You’re fucking taking too long.” Ed held up a hand, making Frenchie stop.

The crew member was frozen, staring wide eyed, his eyes locked on the small trail of mess leaking down Ed’s upper lip.

Ed had him pinned against the wall. “The fuck are you staring at?”

“You’ve just…. You’ve got a little…on your face…” Frenchie stammered, gesturing towards Ed’s nose.

He watched in horror as Ed’s nostrils flared once again right in front of him. He squeezed his eyes and hoped for the best.

“H’ekTSZZZuhew!”

Frenchie scrunched his face as he felt droplets hit his cheek.

“Well now you’ve got a little something on your face too.” Ed released his grip on the man, throwing him against the wall and rubbing his own nose again.

“This is so unsanitary.” Frenchie whined quietly.

“What was that???”

“I said uh… sanctuary! Thank you for providing us with such a great… sanctuary….” The fake enthusiasm trailed off at the end before he scurried away to the upper deck.

When he arrived topside, he looked like he’d seen a ghost. Jim was standing at Izzy’s side.

“Jeez what the fuck happened to you?” They asked.

“Here’s your fucking medicine.” Frenchie aggressively dropped the crate of medicine on the barrel in front of Izzy, pausing to wipe at his face and swiping one of the bottles, “this one’s for me now.”

Izzy huffed a knowing sigh and rubbed at his temple. “He sneeze on you?”

Jim made a face of disgust as Frenchie nodded. “Yup…”

“He’s worse than I thought.” Izzy groaned. “Never thought I’d say this but we need Stede back.”

#of/md #sickfic #sneezefic #snzblr #snz kink #kb writes #t/aika w/aititi #I/zzy H/ands #s/tede b/onnet #f/renchie #e/dward t/each #kraken!ed

[jakelinestradlin]

18+ Izzy Stradlin Imagine

Take me to bed - I asked, choked with pleasure, wanting to be filled by him in every way. Izzy held me and lifted my body, I wrapped my legs around his waist and we went inside. There he sat on the mattress with me still on his lap. We kiss more slowly now. I felt his most affectionate and delicate caresses. His touch was delicate, his kiss went down my face, chin, jaw and neck in calmly placed clicks. He was tasting my skin and I let myself be carried away by the moment, even though between my legs it was throbbing enough to make me want to have sex, my mind needed it. I needed to let him take charge and go all in. I closed my eyes and adjusted myself better, hugging his neck, keeping our chests pressed together. I took my mouth to his neck too. Izzy's big hands ran up my back, up hard. I rolled over on his lap while his hands supported my back, Izzy lowered his mouth to my breasts, sucking my nipples with the same delicacy. The pleasure grew warm inside me, to the point of boiling.

He smiled as he grabbed my nipple. I felt the heat of his body, his erection so hard against my wet, hot sex. Please, I asked, looking into his eyes. What do you want? I want you inside me, fucking me, I whispered. Fucking me hard until I cum and letting me cum on your cock. Are you going to smear him all over with your wet pussy? - he muttered between his teeth. Her voice was deliriously delicious. I removed his panties and held his penis again, taking it into my sex. I felt the tip of his head touch my clit and I gasped, trying to breathe. I dragged his penis along the luscious edge of my sex, letting it in and forcing it down. I was going up, down, wiggling as I bounced on his dick. I picked up the pace and speed, grabbing his shoulders and letting myself be carried away by the need for more, more inside, stronger, more delicious with each thrust, his cock enlarged me, massaged me.

I held his face with my hands and got closer, relaxing my legs, I think I can cum just looking at you like that - I moaned at the end, devastated by the fire he made me feel. And just hearing that voice of yours, hearing you moan and ask for me... - he whispered, opening his lips in a naughty smile. Izzy held me tight before getting up with me still fully hanging onto him, him still inside me. He turned me around and threw my body on the bed, ripped off my panties and entered me again, thrusting without stopping at a crazy speed. His moves glued me to the mattress. I hugged his body with my legs and felt him descend. His kiss was what was needed to take my breath away and I arched my body, feeling my muscles protest, my air running out and the pleasure taking over me, cumming very hard. I was in a trance for a while, with my eyes closed and panting. I heard and felt as Izzy came inside me. He kissed me one more time before laying down next to me.

#izzy stradlin #guns n roses #jeffrey dean isbell #izzy my beloved #my boyfriend izzy stradlin #izzy gnr #gnr

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

There's Gotta Be Some Butterflies Somewhere.

Mayans MC Masterlist

Part two of A Gentle Kind of Love.

Contains: Fluff, mutual pining, angst (endless longing, Canche) slow burn, violence, flashbacks in italics. Cannabis use.

6.7K words

Comment if you want to be tagged/removed or follow #a gentle kind of love.

"So if you will. Please fall in love with me"

You arrived at the Clubhouse just as everything was getting busy, Angel running up to you with a smile, "you came."

You nodded, "I did, can I get this over with?"

His smile widened, "come on, Marcus is excited to meet you." Angel walked over and introduced you, "Marcus, this is y/n, y/n this is Marcus."

You stuck out your hand, "hello, I've heard so much about you."

He smiled, "yeah, and I've heard a lot about you. The guys really love you."

You smiled back, "only because I indulge their ideas."

You turned to the woman next to him, she was poised and put together, her gentle smile glowing in the afternoon sun, "Marcus must be your husband."

Izzy smiled and took your hand, "I like this woman, you're my husband for once instead of me being your wife."

"Well behind every successful man."

Marcus chuckled, "I can see why they like you."

You sat down on the bench next to Angel, "so what do you do for a living?" Izzy seemed curious and you looked at Angel with suspicion.

"I am a psychologist."

Marcus raised his eyebrows, "wow. Looks like EZ might have some competition."

You laughed, "never, I might have a great memory but I took the milk out of the fridge yesterday then went looking for it two seconds later."

"And funny too. Do you have a specialty?"

You nodded, "complex trauma. Not the best but I love my job."

A quiet came over briefly, "are you seeing anyone?" Izzy's tone was neutral.

Now you were sure Angel was talking, "nope, just me and my three cats." Angel choked on his beer.

"Oh, you fucker. What did you tell them?"

He threw his hands in the air, "nothing, I might have brought up that you and Manny were getting along well when Marcus came to see how he was settling in."

You kicked him quickly under the table, "what was that for?"

You turned to Marcus and Izzy, "I'm sorry about that, Angel doesn't know what he's talking about and is sticking his head where it doesn't belong."

Marcus shook his head, "ignore him y/n. Tell me more about your work."

As the afternoon wore on, you forgot you didn't want to be there. Manny was busy with other Mayans and you had managed to dodge him, that was until you and Izzy returned from taking some of the kids for a walk around the area. He was standing right by the doors as you walked in. You waved at him with a soft smile and he waved back but any hopes of him being too busy to talk were dashed as he came walking over to you. 

"Hey Tesoro, long time no see."

You nodded, "yes, three weeks to be exact." You did your best to try and keep it casual but he wrapped his arms around you and you melted into his embrace.

"I missed talking to you."

You smiled, "yeah, I missed you too." Your phrasing gave him pause, but he didn't mention it.

"You wanna get a drink?"

You nodded, "I'd like that." 

Izzy and Marcus watched on from afar, "Angel is right, those two are in love."

Izzy smiled, "I can see that. She's a nice woman, she's good with kids and she seems to have her head on straight. You said Manny and EZ are the future of the Club, I can see her standing behind him."

Marcus smiled, "they've got to get there first." 

Manny had his arm looped over your shoulder, "you run into Canche yet?"

Manny clicked his tongue, "that fucker, he better hope I don't"

It was no secret why Manny transferred, Canche let something slide that made most people homicidal. "You were his VP Manny, he's going to want answers above what you gave him when you handed in your papers." 

He huffed, "I don't think he wants to hear what I have to say about him."

You smiled softly, "oh well, I won't hesitate to tell him what I think about him."

Manny smiled, "I can't wait to see that. Can I ask you a question?"

You nodded, "you just did but sure." 

"You and the prospect, what went on there?"

You sighed, "Coco never said anything?"

He shook his head, "Angel let it slip that you climbed out the window one night but that's it."

Your eyebrows wrinkled, someone must have talked, "we just didn't gel like that."

He nodded, "really, because he had a lot to say about you." 

"I'm aware, Coco called me. Whatever he said, he's lying, I didn't have sex with him."

Manny hid his smile, "I'm glad, the other women don't seem to like him much and you deserved to be looked after."

You huffed cynically, "wow, if only every man had your attitude."

He smirked, it was laced with charm and seduction, "oh really, well there's..." 

"You two seem cosy." It was Canche, coming to ruin the day.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" You tried to stay calm.

He looked you up and down, "I'm his old President."

You smiled nasty, "oh, the guy who doesn't think certain people should be strung up by their scrotums and bled dry like the pigs they are. Can I help you?" 

Canche blinked, "who do you think you are?"

Manny stepped in front of you and stood over the man, he had at least four inches on him, "someone who's a lot better than you." His tone was calm and not in a good way. You put your hand on his shoulder in hopes of getting him to relax but he didn't seem to notice.

"I think you need to walk away before things get bloody, Manny had every right to leave after what you did and I don't blame him. As for outsiders knowing about it, you can't complain, people talk when shit like that happens."

Canche's face got nasty, "you need to pull in your bitch, that kind of shit wouldn't fly in Yuma." 

You were grateful you saw Manny's reaction in slow motion because you managed to step in and stop it before Manny's fist found Canche's face. There was no way you could have prevented a fight if Manny really wanted one to happen, you could feel the strength coiled behind his lean muscle. You took his face in your hands and put yourself between Manny and Cache, "Manny listen to me. You have very nice hands, his face isn't worth it." 

Canche went to speak and you cut him off, spinning on your heel to face him, "he has four inches on you and he's younger and fitter, this doesn't end well for you if a fight starts. Now walk away before you get yourself hurt." Something about your tone must have knocked some sense into him because he was walking off in a huff. 

"You good?"

Manny swallowed, "that fucker...." You put your hand on his chest.

"That fucker has a higher rank than you, you can't just hit him." You were hoping he'd listen.

Manny calmed down and smirked at you, "you think I have nice hands?"

You thumped his chest, "grow up."

He threw his arm back over your shoulder and walked you into the Clubhouse, "come on Tesoro, I want to introduce you to the Yuma guys I like."

"I told you so, she's got a good head on her shoulders."

Marcus smiled at his wife, "I'll talk to Bishop and see what's going on there."

Someone cleared their throat, "you can try but Bish is pretty fed up, he might just yell at you."

They turned their heads, Angel was standing there sipping on a beer, his face neutral. 

"Where did you come from?" Marcus looked around like Angel had come from a puff of smoke.

He shrugged, "I want them to be happy." 

Being with Manny was effortless, you didn't even notice how things felt like nothing had changed, like you hadn't talked to each other in weeks. "They are far superior, I don't know how you can even stomach store bought tomatoes when you've had the ones I've grown."

He smiled, "I ain't saying that sweetheart, I'm saying that I can't come to your house and raid your garden every time I want dinner." 

"That's fair, but you're going to have to cook for me now just to prove you can."

He chuckled, "alright, I suppose you're right, I've eaten plenty of your food. I should pay you back."

You smiled, "I like the sound of that, what's on the menu?"

He thought for a minute, "what do you like?"

This was starting to feel like something else, "I'll eat anything but I'm a salt addict so that makes it easy for you." 

He nodded, "great, you bring the fresh stuff and I'll cook it."

You smiled, "I like the sound of that. I didn't even know you could cook."

He huffed, "I live all by my lonesome, I can't be eating takeout every day."

You smiled, "wow, handsome and capable."

You released what you said just after you said it, "you think I'm handsome?" 

"Oh shut up Emmanuel."

He chuckled, "so I'm Emmanuel now, there anything else you want to tell me?" 

Oh, so much. "Nope, nothing." Your mind was racing, you wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out again.

"You look like your having fun." You had never been so happy to hear Angel's voice.

"How do you keep appearing out of nowhere?"

He shrugged, "aren't you glad I convinced you to come?"

You nodded, "I am. But Canche's a dick."

Angel cocked his head in agreement, "yeah, we know."

Manny sighed, "if Marcus doesn't do something about him, Yuma's going to go to pieces."

Angel tutted, "maybe that's for the best, the rot starts at the top." 

You nodded, "Angel's right Manny, if the culture of the charter was different, Canche wouldn't have even thought about being on that monster's side. I'm sure you can think of times when that kind of attitude has been extended to other members. You wouldn't have transferred if it was a one time thing."

Manny smiled, "you're know more than you let on, don't you?" 

"I'm very observant."

Angel shook his head, "not observant enough."

You sighed, you didn't have the energy to deal with Angel being cryptic. "I'm gonna get us some beer, you want something y/n?"

You nodded, "just a water please." Angel headed to the bar, leaving you and Manny alone again.

"You don't drink?"

You shook your head, "I get migraines, so no, I don't."

Manny grunted in sympathy, "shit, that sucks."

You sighed, "yeah, it does." 

Manny reached out and put his hand on your knee, "thank you for believing me."

He smiled, "wow, you must have encountered some assholes if you're thanking me for that."

You nodded, "yep."

Angel returned with a curious look on his face, "we good here?"

His eyes moved to Manny's hand on your leg and Manny removed it to take the beer from him, "yep, all good." You nodded your head quickly in agreement. 

The food came out about an hour later, and you all headed up to get a plate. People were drunk now and the talking got louder and less casual. It was the reek of cheap whiskey that clued you in that someone was standing closer than they should be. You turned your head and were met with a very drunk Canche, "you right there?" 

He shook his head and sipped his drink, "I wanna know why you're so interested in a traitor."

You could feel Manny stiffen behind you, "I don't need to explain anything to you, stop ruining my night."

He spun and faced you and Coco grabbed Manny's elbow and spoke softly to him, "she can handle herself." 

You stepped back and crossed your arms, "did you not hear me, what are you still standing here for, you have your food, you don't need to bother me."

He huffed, "you have spent the whole night strutting around like you own the place, I wanna know where it comes from."

You bit the inside of your cheek, "you're projecting, now walk away, I will not hesitate to protect myself." 

The room had gone quiet, everyone paying attention to you and Canche "Oh, you're so big and tough, I bet you beg....." That was the last straw, you acted faster than Canche could think, your fist coming to strike his throat. You pushed him against the bar and got close to his face.

"The last man to mention me begging isn't adjusting well to being blind on account of my thumbs going into his eyeballs. Do not give me a reason to alleviate you of yours." 

Someone went to step forward but you stopped by the sound of a gun coming out of its holster, "come any closer to me and he loses his foot. I want to finish my conversation."

Manny swallowed and glanced away from the scene, turning to Coco, "I didn't know she carried."

Coco shrugged, "I think that was the point bro." 

Canche was shocked, he was smart enough to know how this would go if he stepped wrong, "I think you are the worst kind of person, you aren't just a monster, you help monsters hurt children because you're too greedy to make the call, and it's not even a hard call. I have nothing to say to you and no reason to explain myself." 

Angel was standing with Marcus along the front wall, watching on in amusement, "you want me to do something about that?"

Marcus shook his head, "nah, Canche should have taken Manny leaving as a hint to humble himself." 

You let him up and he adjusted his kutte, looking around for support but finding none, "you got a mouth on you." 

The kick to his testicles had him going down like a lead balloon and then Manny was pulling you away, "hey, y/n. That's enough."

Canche pushed himself up and went to speak, but the look in your eyes had him second guessing, "go off and lick your wounds, don't make me take action you'll really regret." He hobbled away and the music kicked back on, Manny was standing there wide eyed and impressed. 

"Wow, I didn't know you had that in you."

You smiled, "there's a lot you don't know about me Emmanuel." 

Knock knock

Manny opened the door with a smile and you lifted the bag of fresh fruits and vegetables, "hello."

He took the bag from your hand, "hi, please come in."

You threw off your shoes and walked in, looking around his cosy apartment, "wow, you are clean."

He smiled and put the bag on the counter, "is that a surprise?"

You nodded, "for the most part, no offence but most men I know who live alone only change their sheets once a year."

He screwed up his face in disgust, "oh that is so gross."

He started unpacking and opened the fridge, getting out a jug of water before offering it to you, "and gold star service, what's on the menu tonight?"

He smirked and smelled the herbs, "with all this? something really good."

You sighed, "so it's a surprise?"

Manny nodded, "yep, you wanna help?"

"Of course I do." He slid an onion across the table then handed you a knife and a cutting board, he watched you as you cut it, "ok, I'm very impressed, a clean house, cold water and a knife so sharp it could cut bone. You are very capable."

He grinned, "wait until you eat the food."

He crushed the garlic under his palm then ran his own knife through it, "I'm happy you're choosing to season your food, I would stop being friends with you if you only used one clove."

He snorted, "I wouldn't blame you. You've been everywhere, what's your favourite dish?"

You thought for a moment, "ooo, that's hard. Like I told you, I'm a salt fiend so I love salt baked stuff. I have this salt baked chicken in France that I ate almost every day. I managed to get the recipe, needless to say, I have to stop myself from cooking it all the time."

He licked his lips, "shit that sounds good, you better cook it next time we all come over. What about sweets?"

"Chocolate mud cake, made with buttermilk, browned butter and lots and lots of chocolate."

He moaned, "ok, enough. You're making me drool."

You chuckled, "wait till you walk into the house and smell the chicken cooking, it creates this super salty juice that is amazing on fresh rice…"

He threw a tea towel at you with a smile, "you're making me feel inadequate."

You pressed your lips together to stop a laugh, "first time?"

He smirked, "maybe." You couldn't hold it any longer and neither could Manny, his face split into a grin as you started to laugh. You both laughed until you ran out of breath, then the oven timer sang.

He was right, the food was amazing. He had cooked a whole spread, a vegetable quiche with veggies from your garden, beef tacos with pickled red onions, a herb and rice dish with chicken broth and the most delicious strawberry tart.

Everything was perfectly seasoned and cooked, by the end, you were stuffed full and happy. "That was delicious."

He smiled, "thank you, I guess now that I've proven I can cook, I'll be helping you all the time?"

You nodded, "yep, there'll be no getting out of it now but it means you'll get the first pick on taking leftovers home. Was this your master plan?"

He held his hands up, "you got me, the only reason I did this is so you'll acknowledge my skills and ask me to help you cook every time."

You smiled, "I'm fine with that."

"What's got you all happy?"

Manny had been smiling all morning, "nothing."

Bishop didn't believe him for one minute, "really? Because you've been grinning like an idiot since you got in this morning, you wanna tell me the truth?"

Manny shook his head, "really, it's….."

Angel sat down next to them with a smile, "so it has nothing to do with your dinner last night?"

Bishop's eyebrows wrinkled, "what?"

Angel smiled, "Manny and the good doctor had dinner at his place last night."

Manny huffed, "it was just dinner, she left after the dessert."

Angel didn't drop his smile, "so it wasn't a date?"

Manny sighed, "no it wasn't. Just because you are an ungrateful asshole doesn't mean I am. I just wanted to thank her for all the cooking she did."

Angel tutted, "you could have taken it to her house, you didn't need to invite her over."

Bishop grunted, "Angel, that's enough. Leave Manny alone."

Angel snorted, "if you say so Bish."

"Ok, what's the worst parent you've dealt with?"

You were thankful that they were talking about work and not your dinner with Manny, "it's always the same one, just in different bodies. I sometimes go to schools to work in severe bullying cases, and the perp's parents go on and on about how good their kid is. Most of the time, I meet parents and the child's behaviour makes so much more sense."

"Gee, do people really fuck up that bad?" You nodded at Gilly's question.

"All the time, parents are so blind that they truly ruin their children but not giving them discipline. As part of a state mandate, I have to work with a certain number of kids on behaviour programs. The parents are the reason whenever I've had to let patients go. Half the time, the kids want to change but part of that is the parents admitting they need to do better and it doesn't happen." 

They all seemed to understand, "what about you guys? I'm sure you've had some terrible customers."

They all shared a look before iz answered your question, "demon Dave and his wife. They were hell."

You leaned in, "tell me more."

Riz smiled, "they turn up in their SUV screaming that the odometer was running faster than they drove, turns out, they were both cheating and running it up seeing their side pieces." 

"Oh, that's just perfect. How did you find out?"

Taza smiled, "I caught the wife at a cafe. The worst part about is, the husband tried to sue us for emotional damage."

You gasped, "no, what happened?"

Angel sipped his beer with a smile, "it didn't get anywhere, he was also stealing from his work, our lawyer found out and threatened to ruin his life." 

Something didn't add up, "how did your lawyer find out?"

Coco smiled, "Chucky."

You smiled, "good old Chucky, God I love that dude."

You had stopped by the garage for an oil change, Coco greeting you with a smile. "You have to meet Chucky, you will love him." While EZ drove your car undercover, Coco walked you into the office and introduced you to the man sitting at the desk. 

He stood up and walked over, that was when you saw his hands. Coco didn't wait for you to ask, not that you would, "the Triad cut them off because he couldn't stop touching himself."

You blinked, "CMD miss."

You nodded, "I'm really sorry you struggled with that and I'm sorry someone chopped off your fingers." 

He shrugged, "I am healing."

You smiled, "well, that's all that matters. Now I have some time before my car's done and since Coco told me I'd like you, tell me about yourself." 

"What about you Manny? I'm sure you have some tails from Yuma."

Manny smiled, "Canche was the only asshole there."

You laughed, "wow, you really don't like the man."

Manny shook his head, "no one does."

Taza agreed, "we don't really like Yuma, to be honest."

You nodded, "I can see that, the tension is palpable when they're here. Are there people I need to be worried about?" 

They looked at each other, "you're a smart woman, I'm sure you know without us telling you."

You smiled softly, "yeah, I've noticed that with certain guys, you tend to give the women they're talking to pressing tasks before they head to the dorms. My question is, why doesn't Marcus know that one of his chapters is filled with predators?"

They looked at each other, "we need Yuma, more accurately, Canche is in with some important people."

You sighed, "ahh, now I get it. It sounds like he needs to meet a sticky end and take the rest of the poison with him."

Bishop huffed, "you know, one day those great observation skills are going to get you into trouble." 

You raised your eyebrows, "if you were going to kill me for knowing the truth, you would have done it already. The fact is, you know I won't say anything to anyone and I know that lying to you about knowing how you make your money isn't worth the hassle." 

"You got some balls, you know that?"

You smiled, "I try Creep."

Manny looked deep in thought, "how did you figure it out?" You smiled, "when I first met you all, Coco had been clean for six months and yet there was Narcan everywhere, that combined with the fact that you always have someone on the line who seems to fix problems without even showing their face kinda clued me in." 

Bishop smiled, "you were a bit blunt about it, I think it's the reason I like you so much." 

"So, what's your read on us?"

You smiled, "you as people or you as drug dealers?" The Clubhouse was pretty much empty, just some the Santo Padre Mayans and some hang arounds, you were sitting with Manny, Hank and Bishop in the corner so it wasn't like anyone could hear you.

"Don't look so shocked, I'm a doctor, you don't think I can read people like open books?" Bishop blinked and went to respond but you cut him off, "I'm not going to tell on you, this isn't third grade and Coco is my friend. You don't need to worry about me, all I ask is that I never see the drugs."

Hank nodded, "we can do that."

You smiled, "great, then we have an agreement and we can go back to pretending like you're just mechanics and scrap metal dealers."

"Blunt is the only way to be. I spend my whole day finding nice and compassionate ways to say things, it's nice to be able to take off the white coat."

Manny smiled, "that must be hard, always being polite?"

You nodded, "it's harder when I have to go to court, one day I'm going to be on the news for killing a defence attorney."

Angel smiled, "ah, we'll bust you out if you do."

"Fancy seeing your here."

You smiled at the sound of Manny's voice, "well it is the only place to get good meat. I am not buying that package shit from the supermarket."

Manny strode up to the counter, "what's on the menu tonight?"

You sighed, "not for me, I feed my cats raw and they're out of food, they won't eat anything other than Felipe's stuff."

Felipe smiled, "what a ringing endorsement."

Manny nodded, "oh it is, you should see these cats."

Felipe chuckled, "I've seen lots of photos, they are very spoilt."

You shook your head, "what about you?"

He pointed to the spatchcock chicken, "I watched some fancy cooking show last night, I'm gonna do that thing where you cook the chicken under a brick."

"Oh, yum. It's literally called chicken under brick."

Manny laughed, "good to know, have you ever had it?"

You nodded, "once or twice, it's really nice. It's not better than my salt baked one though."

He shook his head, "stop teasing me."

Felipe sighed and handed you your meat while you handed over the cash, "thank you Mr Reyes, they will be very happy with this."

Manny got his chicken and walked out with you, Felipe giving you both a friendly wave goodbye. "I guess I'll see you on Friday?"

You shook your head, "sadly, no. I have a fundraiser on Saturday and as much as I love Fridays, they are kinda draining. I can't do both."

He looked disappointed, "where's the fundraiser?"

You leaned against your car, "Oakland, the Sunshine Road Centre. It's actually like ten minutes from the Clubhouse."

The smile of Manny's face was back, "guess where we are on Saturday?"

You mirrored his smile, "no?"

He nodded, "yep, Marcus wants us there to work out some stuff with the Sons, something about a new gang causing problems."

You nodded, "I thought they were out of the life?"

Manny huffed, "they are, have been for years. It didn't stop someone from sending then a threatening text about us."

You crossed your arms, "that's a worry, maybe it's an old group pissed that Jax gave the guns to the Mayans?"

He shook his head, "nah, they're good with everyone involved in that. The text had something in German, Juice, their tec guy says it was a Nazi thing."

Your eyes went wide, "well shit, that's not good."

He nodded in agreement, "we know, we'll talk to Marcus on Saturday and see if we have to go visit Charming."

"All you can do is wait, will Yuma be there?"

Manny shook his head, "nope, looks like their being frozen out, they had another stepped on batch last week."

You huffed, "as Angel said, the rot starts at the top."

He nodded, "I know. Oh well, even if I don't get to see you on Friday, we might run into each other."

"Maybe, although, I'm not sure if I want the guys to see me in an evening dress. I don't think they'd ever let me live it down."

He laughed, "oh, I know."

You smiled, "have fun for me on Saturday, because I'm going to be surrounded by rich assholes and I doubt I'll last till it ends."

He chuckled, "I will party on your behalf."

Angel saw your car pull away, waving to you from his bike as he pulled into his father's shop. He smiled when he saw Manny texting, swaggering up to him with a smirk, "you planning another dinner?"

Manny shook his head, "no, she was here buying stuff for her cats. What has gotten into you man, are you my fairy godmother or something?"

Angel got a twinkle in his eyes, "your fairy godmother, I like the sound of that."

Manny huffed, "I got to get this meat home, you gotta stop looking so deep into it man, we're just friends."

Angel walked into Felipe's shop, turning behind him, "if you say so."

Felipe had his arms crossed, nodding towards the door, "what was that son?"

Angel shrugged "you tell me pops, you saw them together."

Felipe tutted, "you might be right Angel but you can't force these things, they have to figure it out on their own."

Angel huffed, "and if they don't?"

Felipe shook his head, "they will, don't worry."

Angel smiled, "all I'm saying is, they might need a bit of help."

"Come on man, it's like ten minutes away, we can stop by."

Manny sighed, "she'll be inside, they won't let us in, it's a black tie event."

Coco shrugged, "nah, any bet she'll be outside, she hates that kind of shit."

Angel smiled, "see man, there's no reason not to drive by."

Manny shook his head, "you're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope." The pop of the 'p' coming out of Angel's mouth had EZ chuckling.

"Just do it bro, he's not going to drop it."

Manny rolled his eyes, "fine, we drive by once and if you can't see her, we come back."

Angel smiled and stood up, "great, we should go now before it gets too late."

EZ rolled his eyes, "why not make it a group thing, I'll come too."

After some back and forth, the group was Coco, Angel, Ez and Manny, Gilly smiling at Angel, "report back?"

"Hell yeah."

They took the van, choosing to leave the bikes because Manny was worried you'd come out and meet them even if you were enjoying yourself. When they drove by, you weren't there and Manny huffed, "see, we just wasted out time."

Coco shook his head, "give it ten minutes, she might come out." 

Manny sighed, "not what I agreed to."

EZ shrugged, "we need to pick up dinner anyway and the line is huge, we may as well wait."

He pointed to the food truck up the street and Angel nodded, "EZ's right, we should kill two birds with one stone or whatever." 

Seven minutes in, you walked out looking exhausted, Angel tapped Manny on the shoulder and pointed out the driver's window to where you were standing, Manny's breath catching in his throat. He blinked, time slowing as he took in the vision of you leaning against the wall. The tea length red dress and fluffy skirt made you look like something out of a fairytale, he was vaguely aware of someone talking, then someone was tapping him again, harder this time. 

"Dude, you right?"

Manny blinked, "yeah fine, she looks pretty had it. Maybe we should leave her alone."

Angel shook his head, "nah, we're just what she needs after dealing with those rich assholes all night." Angel got out of the car as the other followed, Manny couldn't help but join, his feet having a mind of their own as you pulled him in like you had cast a spell on him. 

You must have sensed that someone was walking close because you looked up from the ground and met eyes with Manny, your face breaking out into a smile as you waved gently. They walked over and stood around you, something had them smiling because they looked at Manny's expression then looked at each other. 

"Hey."

Manny smiled, "hey, you look...you look really nice."

Angel huffed, "really man, you're supposed to say she looks beautiful or radiant or something like that. Which you do by the way."

You smiled and met Angel's eye, "thank you but nice is perfectly fine." Manny pressed his lips together in an effort to stop himself was smiling, his eyes stuck on the way the dress made you look like a princess. 

"You look like shit."

You sighed, "thanks Coco, I feel like it too. If I have to spend another second hearing some banker tell me I'm doing the lord's work while they talk about their two million dollar yacht, I'm going to start throwing mini quiches at people. God I'm hungry." 

EZ pointed towards the food truck, "we were on our way to get food, you want something?"

You nodded emphatically, "I will kill for you if feed me." You held a finger up, "and I came prepared." You reached into the dress, Manny smiling at the fact that it had pockets, "six carne asada tacos, please, with extra veg."

EZ smiled, "done, you want anything to drink?" 

You nodded, "just water please."

He headed off, leaving you with the others, "were you heading home?"

Coco seemed to know the answer, "yes, I lasted till nine thirty, that's enough. I should have come to the party yesterday and told these people my cats had the runs or something. I'm pretty sure I wasted my whole night." 

Angel smiled, "it's not a waste now that we're here, is it?"

You shook your head, "no, actually, you might have saved the night."

He tapped Manny, "see Manny, we might have saved the night."

EZ returned with everyone's food and handed you yours, "thank you." He nodded, his own mouth full and Coco jutted his head towards the van, "we better go hide before some rich asshole comes out and wants to talk about his yacht more." 

Everyone walked towards the van, Manny opening the back for you and helping you up. "Thank you Manny."

He sat next to you and drove into his own meal, you legs almost touching, "how is it?"

You smiled, "so good, there's only so many bacon wrapped mini potatoes a person can eat while trying to act like a lady."

He laughed, "let me guess, you wanted to shove a whole handful in your mouth at once?" 

"Hell yeah, how else do people eat shit like that?"

The smile on his face was lighting up the van, "agreed, how are your tacos?"

You stuck up your thumb, "so good. I was hungrier than I thought. Yours?"

He nodded, "real good, they'd be better with shit for your garden, though."

You smiled, "you said it, not me." 

By the time the food was done, you were yawning and ready to head home. "Thank you gentlemen for salvaging my night, but I think it's time I bid you adieu."

Manny stood up, "I'll walk you to your car."

Behind him, Angel was grinning. "Thank you Manny." He walked you to your car, leaning over the door as you stuck the key in the ignition and turned it over. 

"ppppppp...pp." 

You sighed and dropped your head onto the steering wheel, Manny looking on in worry, "ahhh, not again. The fucking spark plug is gone, I'll have to call myself a cab."

He shook his head, "we'll take you back home, I'll call the others and get your car taken to the Clubhouse, Marcus will make sure they look after it."

You shook your head, "I can't ask you to take me back home, it's forty five minutes away." 

He shook his head, "nah, don't worry about it. I'm sure they guys with be happy to help." You went to protest but he stopped you, "really, I think you'll hurt Coco feelings if you get a cab."

You sighed, "fine, but only if they agree too." He held his hand out and helped you out of your seat, "thank you Manny." 

You walked back to the van, being met with quizzical stares, "what's going on?"

You shrugged, "my car's fucked."

Coco nodded, "we'll take you home."

Manny smiled, "see Tesoro, I told you we'd be happy to drop you off."

You rolled your eyes, "fine, you don't all need to be so wonderful."

Coco huffed, "you can thank us with cake."

You nodded, "alright, are you sure? I don't want you driving back and forth." 

Angel shook his head, "we have to check on the Clubhouse anyway, make sure everything is alright."

Your eyes wrinkled, "because Riz and Tara are going to burn it down in the few hours you're away?"

EZ snorted, "they might."

You shook your head, "alright, thank you again."

Coco smiled, "give us yours keys, we'll get a tow to take your car back to the Clubhouse." You handed them over and Coco went to make the call while you relaxed in the van, Manny sitting next to you. 

"How are the cats?"

You smiled, "so good, Sir Fluffernutter tried to steal my sandwich today, turns out he hates rye bread."

Manny laughed, "he is such a little shit."

You smiled, "I know, he's the problem child."

Coco returned with a smile, "Marcus is happy for us to drop you off, he's going to send Medina to pick up your car, you right with that?"

You nodded, "fine, thank you again, I can't thank you guys enough for all the trouble you're going to." 

EZ nodded, "I'll wait here, you guys head off."

Coco tossed EZ your keys, "thanks man." With a little bit more back and forth, you were off. It didn't take long for the conversation to pick up as they asked you about your night and laughed along as you went into detail about the people you met. 

"One dude went right for the weird shit, asking if I work with serial killers, I'm pretty sure he has a bunch of heads in his freezer."

Angel huffed, "does that happen often?"

You nodded, "oh my God yes. College was the worst, I made the mistake of going to a frat party once and all they could talk about was Freud, I wanted to stab my eardrums out." 

Manny rolled his eyes, "you got more patience than me."

You smiled, "yes, I've noticed you get a little punchy when you don't like someone."

Coco huffed, "nah, that's just Canche."

You smiled, "he does really suck."

There was a rustle and Angel was producing a joint and offering it around. Manny took a puff and then suggested it to you as you shrugged, "why not, one isn't going to give me cancer." You inhaled and suppressed a cough, "wow that's a lot."

Coco chuckled, "you don't like weed?"

You huffed, "I'm civilized, cookies and gummies only. Plus, I can't smell like the devil's lettuce while I'm with patients." 

A few minutes later, the joint kicked in and you were reclining against the van, "you wanna stop somewhere?"

You nodded, "please Coco, I could eat a horse."

He pulled into a burger joint off the highway, "what do you want?"

You thought for a minute, "fries, ice cream, fries."

Manny laughed, "same here." It did take long for everyone to have their meals, Coco eating with one hand while he drove. 

"So, what cake do you guys want." They all started to talk at once, "good lord, one at a time."

It took their THC laden brains to answer before Angel spoke, "that strawberry one you made for Chucky, that was really good."

There were nods all around, "easy peasy." 

Time flew as you drove back home and before you knew it, you were pulling into your drive way. "Thank you again, I had a really nice time."

Angel smiled, "so did we."

He met eyes with Manny and Manny shook his head, "I'll walk you to your door." They smiled as Manny helped you off the step and walked you the short distance to your doorstep. 

Maybe it was the weed or the party but something came over you and you were placing a hand on his cheek while you pressed a kiss to the other, "goodnight Emmanuel."

He ached to reach out and hold you to him but he stopped himself, smiling as you walked inside, "goodnight y/n." 

The other were watching from the van, Angel smiling for ear to ear as Manny walked back. He went to say something when Manny climbed back into the back but Manny held up his hand with a head shake. 

"Not a word bro." 

Part 3

Song inspiration is Dodie - Would You Be so Kind

Chapter releases are up to you.

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Chapter three will be released after 20 points.

#mayans mc fanfiction #mayans #mayans fx #manny mayans imagine #manny mayans x you #manny mayans #manny mayans x female reader #manny montana #mayans mc #mayans mc fanfic #fluff #a gentle kind of love #angel reyes #ez reyes #hank loza #neron creeper vargas #gilly lopez #bishop losa #michael riz ariza #johnny coco cruz #hope #leticia cruz

[threadsun]

Painkiller

Fandom: Degrees of Lewdity

Pairing: Whitney the bully x intersex!OC

Synopsis: Whitney takes things too far. Izzy retaliates. She regrets it immediately.

Content: mild violence, mild blood, classic Whitney being an asshole, mention of oral sex

Izzy hadn’t even noticed her arm pulling back. She was only vaguely aware of it colliding with Whitney’s jaw. The ache of her knuckles, the sound of Whitney dismissing his cronies, the blood dripping from his split lip… it all seems so far away as his words echo around her head.

“Didn’t mommy and daddy teach you manners, slut? Oh wait, I forgot. You don’t have parents.”

The sight of Whitney’s blood dripping on the off-white hallway tiles snaps her back to reality. She covers her mouth with a hand, hovering around Whitney and trying to check on his jaw. He’s cradling it in his hand, wincing a bit in pain. He doesn’t seem mad, which only sends a spike of fear through Izzy.

“Oh god, Whitney, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to—”

“Hey, calm down slut.” Whitney sighs and rests a hand on top of her head in a gesture that seems almost reassuring. “Just… bring me to the infirmary. You pack a hell of a punch.”

Izzy rubs her knuckles, grimacing a bit at the sight of the bruise already starting to bloom on Whitney’s jaw. She keeps quiet, following him down the halls to the infirmary. He leaves the occasional spot of blood behind him, split lip dripping crimson down his chin. He still doesn’t seem mad. Izzy waits for the other shoe to drop.

“Go on.” Whitney stops in front of the infirmary and nudges her towards the door.

Izzy’s brow furrows. “You’re the one who got punched!”

“So?” Whitney shoves his hands in his pockets, leaning against the lockers next to the door. “Don’t want anyone seeing me in there, it’ll ruin my image. Go get me some painkillers. You did this to me, after all.”

Izzy feels a twist of guilt in her stomach as Whitney gestures to the growing bruise. She steels her nerves and slips into the infirmary, waving sheepishly to the nurse. They know her a little too well at this point, merely sighing and pointing to the cabinet. She grabs the familiar bottle of painkillers and shuffles a couple into her hand.

“Ahem.” The nurse clears their throat as Izzy turns to leave, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

Shit. Right. She’s not allowed to take pills out of the infirmary. Something about students selling them to each other. Izzy never really paid attention to that sort of thing, she has her own sources of pills if she needs them.

With a sigh, she pops the painkillers into her mouth, hiding them under her tongue as she fakes a swallow. The nurse nods, satisfied. Izzy retreats before she can accidentally choke on the pills, pressing her back against the door as she closes it behind her. Whitney perks up as she emerges from the Infirmary.

“You got the painkillers, slut?”

Izzy wordlessly nods.

“Well…?” Whitney holds out his hand expectantly.

Izzy sheepishly moves the pills to the top of her tongue, sticking it out to show him. For a moment she tries to explain what happened, but she quickly realises she can’t be understood with her tongue sticking out. And that Whitney probably doesn’t care anyway.

“Really?” Whitney laughs, pulling her into his chest and looking at her with something akin to affection in his eyes. “You’re so fucking stupid.”

Izzy flushes, whining softly in protest. Whitney’s hand comes up to cup her cheek, mouth claiming hers. His tongue wraps around the pills, pulling them into his mouth. She can feel him swallow them. She can taste the blood on his lips. He pushes her hard against the locker, pulling one of her legs up to wrap around his waist.

He baffles her. When she realised she’s punched him, she’d expected him to hit her back. Or push her away. Or humiliate her as punishment. She hadn’t expected him to… forgive her? She’s not really sure she’s been forgiven yet. But he’s certainly not punishing her for hitting him. He’s much more interested in shoving his tongue down her throat and groping her ass.

“Whitney~” Izzy tugs at his hair as he moves down to her neck, nipping and sucking at her sensitive skin.

“Slut.” Whitney mumbles against her neck, licking a stripe up to just under her jaw. His teeth tug at her earlobe, tongue following the curve of her ear.

“I’m sorry about… Well, I’m sorry.” Izzy whispers the words, bracing herself for him to push her away, laugh at her, hit her.

Whitney merely sighs against her neck and shrugs, nuzzling into her shoulder. “Whatever. I kinda deserved it.”

Izzy’s head spins, even as Whitney pushes her to her knees. She hardly notices him pulling his cock out, taking it into her mouth without a second thought. Whitney had… well, not quite apologised. But he’d acknowledged he’d done something wrong. She’s never heard him do that before.

“Fuckin’ hell slut, this is a good apology~”

#degrees of lewdity #dol whitney #whitney the bully x OC #Izzy the orphan #18+ only #sunshine #hhhhhhhhh weirdly nervous posting my first DoL fic......

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

I keep coming back to one question: does Izzy know how cruel he's been to Ed?

In s1e3-s1e4, we're shown that Izzy has made a habit out of controlling Ed's perception of situations, demeaning and insulting him to the crew and monitoring his social interactions to isolate him from everyone except Izzy himself, and insulting Ed to his face in order to make him think he needs Izzy around. Ed is clearly desperate for human connection, but Izzy shuts down any topic that isn't an Izzy-Approved Blackbeard Topic, not letting him talk to him about what he's excited about. Izzy is frequently shown lying to Ed in order to get what he wants out of a situation. His behavior is manipulative and controlling from the start, and it only gets worse once Stede enters Ed's life and Izzy tries to pressure Ed into killing him, going as far as to attempt to kill Stede in front of Ed after Ed's told him explicitly to back off. If we're being charitable, we can say Izzy doesn't know how much pain he's causing Ed because he's too focused on trying to "protect" his lifestyle and control Ed's behaviors, so he never really thinks much about Ed's feelings - but, even then, he says in s1e6 he knows Ed "adores" Stede, so he has to know how much killing him will hurt Ed!

And in s1e10, the way he talks to Ed genuinely still gives me goosebumps. He tells Ed he's better off dead than behaving the way he is, painting his nails and writing songs and telling everyone to call him Ed. Izzy goads Ed into reacting with violence by refusing to back down and continuing to mock and berate him, and reacts with glee when Ed chokes him, laughing at Ed's horror once he gets him to respond with violence.

As Izzy himself tells us on his deathbed, the reason for this behavior is clear: he felt like he needed Blackbeard. But how much did he understand what he was doing?

Given how Izzy tends to shut Ed down when he's talking about topics Izzy doesn't think are important, I like to hope Izzy doesn't actually know Ed very well at all. I like this interpretation becasue it makes it a lot easier for his s2 arc to sit well with me.

Because if Izzy really understands how much violence is a trigger for Ed, then his actions in s1e10 move from simply cruel to downright despicable. He would be actively using Ed's trauma response to get what he wants. Izzy's behavior is manipulative, but I like to think he doesn't understand how deeply he's really hurting Ed, because that makes it easier to stomach.

I think it's clear that, even on his deathbed, Izzy doesn't seem to really get it. He admits he's been awful to Ed, saying he "fed your darkness." But he's spent the whole season understating his role in triggering Ed's self-destructive spiral and misunderstanding what caused some of Ed's reactions (like saying Ed shot him because Izzy said he loved him, which is just not what happened).

Izzy says he understands Ed, and I think we're meant to understand he doesn't know jackshit about Ed. Even if Izzy really meant to do everything he did out of "love" for Ed, it wasn't about wanting Ed to be happy, it was about controlling him.

Izzy is, I think, at his most sympathetic when he has absolutely zero emotional awareness. I find his s2 arc much easier to be satisfied with when I assume Izzy still has no idea how much he hurt Ed, because although that still sucks and it makes Izzy seem like a controlling, abusive parent who wanted to ""protect"" Ed and deeply hurt him in the process, it at least doesn't mean Izzy knowingly and willingly took advantage of Ed's trauma when he was in a deeply vulnerable place. It's a lot easier to sympathize with Izzy when you assume he knows as little about Ed as it's possible for him to.

#ofmd #our flag means death #izzy critical #i really like izzy as a character but i am so glad ed will never have to talk to him again frankly. go heal babygirl

[on-a-lucky-tide]

Izzy teaching Stede a "thing or two" about how to have sex with another man, because Stede must be prepared for such things when (if) Ed ever comes round.

I cannot wait for the deluge of these fics.

He has to teach Stede how to do it gently because he doesn't want Ed being hurt, and Stede insists that no one else can know so of course Izzy is the practice dummy.

They have to do it when everyone else is on supply runs, and the crew assumes Izzy is still trying to teach Stede how to fight without stabbing himself through the foot.

Izzy feeling desperately vulnerable in Stede's posh bed, trying to keep his voice steady as he growls guidance, choking back his moans because he has some fucking pride, damn it. And how has Bonnet picked this up so quickly? Balls deep in Izzy like he was born to be there, and hitting the right fucking angle just so--

That croaked whisper, deep in the throes of pleasure, "Edward..." unmissable in the soft quiet of the cabin. Izzy stutters in the moments after when he realises.

The realisation hits Stede like a charging bull, and he leans his forehead against Izzy's back, arms wrapping around Izzy to keep him close. He speaks softly, sensitive to the tension coiled through Izzy's lean form. "Oh, Izzy..."

They share in the ache of wanting Ed but having him dangle just out of their reach.

#ofmd spoilers #ofmd s2 spoilers #izzy hands #stede bonnet

[something-about-sunflowers]

Ooooooohhhhhhh now I’m thinking of an Izzy with an Ella Enchanted style curse on him hhhhhhhhhh

Read-more cause this got away from me lmfao

He keeps it fairly under wraps for most of his life, sets out to sea at twelve, gets picked up by a press gang at seventeen. He manages, its  expected, for a sailor to follow orders on a navy ship, after all (of course ‘no’ isn't an option available to him anyway).

They get boarded by pirates when he's about twenty one and he’s taken on as part of their crew, the captain is after crew more than loot, tells him he should join (saying ‘no’ would have just had him killed, and he's doing his very best to live).

Some time after, he's nearing twenty five, they’re raided by another ship, the Ranger. Benjamin Hornigold likes a ruthless sailor (a ruthless pirate) and Israel Hands has never allowed himself to be anything but. He decides he wants to keep this one. He offers, Izzy accepts. Ben tells him to kill his former captain (wouldn’t have said ‘no’ even if he could have, the man was a bastard).

He earns a reputation of being kind of a kiss-ass, he doesn’t really mind, it keeps most people from asking questions. But Ben’s got his pet projects Edward Teach and John ‘Jack’ Rackham and they’re both too sharp for their own good (though, Jack is better at playing dumb). They notice its not just Captain’s orders he follows to the letter, but everyone’s. They test him, subtly at first, but eventually they show their hand. Tell him that they know there’s more to Izzy’s obedience than he lets on.

He’s terrified for how they might use this against him (the usual ways, which most men abused without even knowing about his curse, easier, safer to let them think he wanted it) but they tell him they don’t want to take his agency from him like that. They offer to help him. He’s not sure whether to trust it (he knows, by rights, he shouldn’t) but he can’t say ‘no’ to ‘trust us, let us help’ (whether Edward is aware of the command, Izzy will never know, decades later Edward doesn’t even remember what he said to convince him).

So they stick by him, as best they can, if someone gives an order he doesn’t want to follow they’ll tell him, quietly as they can, not to. It works, for the most part. Though eventually, Ben notices Izzy’s not quite as obedient anymore (though he still never says ‘no’ to his captain’s orders). He doesn’t like that. He notices Izzy’s been spending more time around Teach and Rackham, decides they’re bad influences (he intends them to captain other ships in his fleet, they’re allowed to push back on orders, Izzy will never have a command of his own, he is not). He separates them. Puts Teach and Rackham on the Marianne with the flimsy excuse of ‘getting practice in’. (he sees them off with Izzy at his side, a claiming hand on his shoulder, Ed and Jack aren't sure how they manage it, but they don't try to kill him right then and there) They now only ever see each other when they all make port. Its a trying few months (for Ed and Jack, for Izzy. . .).

They meet at port one last time (apart, at least). Edward has a plan. They’re going to mutiny. They’ve been stirring the pot on the Marianne (whispers had already started before they got there, not too many of the crew were happy to miss out on loot just because Ol’ Ben had an apparent soft spot for the Crown). He presses his knife into Izzy's hands. Tells him, back on the ship, when everyone else is asleep, he’s to slip into the captain’s cabin and kill Ben, in his sleep, so he can’t order him to stop (Izzy is never sure if he would have said ‘no’ to that unintentional order, had he been able).

The mutiny goes off without a hitch (Ben wakes when the knife plunges into his throat, but he can’t give orders around the steel and the blood that choke him). Edward makes Izzy his first mate, gives Jack the Marianne. He and Izzy go on to create a legend.

Things are good, for a long while they're good. Edward is an inventive and charismatic captain, the crew love him and the loot he leads them to, and Izzy's position (and Edward's possessive protectiveness over him) means that anyone who dares order Israel Hands around, that doesn't have the title of 'his captain', meets a quick end.

Unfortunately, for Izzy, 'good' never tends to last. He'd hoped (and damn him for daring to hope) that he was free, as free as he could be, from his curse, sailing under Edward (Blackbeard), and he was. For a while. Its about a decade later when Edward starts to get bored. He never orders Izzy to do anything degrading or dangerous (more dangerous than he can handle at least) but it still hurts somewhere deep in his chest the first time Edward gives a casual order and doesn't look to see if Izzy wants to follow it.

They come across Jack every now and again. It always takes him a bit to readjust to Izzy, to remember he needs to phrase things as suggestions rather than orders, he always manages eventually. (that little pain in his chest digs a little deeper when he notices Edward avoids giving him orders when Jack is around, though he can't say why) Their crossing paths wind up fewer and farther between as the years go on. One notable visit involved Jack asking Edward to marry him and Anne Bonny ('why not just have your first mate do it?' 'Annie is my first mate, man, 'sides, I want my two best buds to be there for it!'). Izzy isn't sure what to make of Edward's renewed willingness to run into Jack afterwards (only knows that the pain in his chest grows all the sharper for it, and at seeing Jack, happy with Anne, he feels a bit monstrous about that). It doesn't matter much in the end, things go back to normal once Mary/Mark (depending on the day) Read enters the picture and (mostly) steals Annie away from Jack.

And suddenly Izzy finds himself at fifty five, on a beach, wondering ‘what kind of fucking idiot runs his ship aground‘. Edward is intrigued, Izzy can't tell him 'no'.

He hates the Revenge with every fiber of his being. None of the crew listen to him, Edward doesn't back him up (and neither do Fang or Ivan, following their captain's lead). The first time one of the crew gets it into their head to give him a mocking order he nearly passes out with the force it takes him to not jump to the task immediately. He retreats to his cabin later and vomits at the feeling of violation he hasn't felt in decades (he tells himself he hasn't felt it, Edward is his captain, above all else is loyalty to his captain, his own feelings don't matter).

He hates stupid fucking Stede Bonnet most of all. Hates him for putting a light back in Edward's eyes that hasn't been there for a long while. Hates his pompous attitude, his flippant disregard for the institution of piracy, how little he seems to actually care for the safety and well-being of his own men (leave alone the danger he poses to Edward). Most of all he hates that he calls him 'Iggy'.

So when he challenges him to a duel, and he accepts, its only for Edward's sake that he sets the terms at 'banishment' and not 'death'. When he loses he finds he rather wished it had been to the death. (he doesn't understand, Edward wanted this, he hadn't even told him to stop, hadn't ordered him to stop)

He retreats to Spanish Jackie'z to lick his wounds and to work out a plan to pull Edward out of the steady march towards his own demise that he faces aboard the Revenge. Jackie, Izzy is fairly certain, knows about his curse to some extent (he suspects she doesn't abuse the knowledge for the sake of having a bargaining chip, should she need it), she talks him out of any corners the navy bloke with a grudge against Stede Bonnet inadvertently walks him into. She also runs him into Jack Rackham (and Izzy realizes, at the sight of the silver starting to peek its way through his dirty blond, that its been nearly ten years since they've last seen each other, that pain in his chest not any duller for it) and the last piece of the plan falls into place. Jack tries to talk him out of it, says its not a good idea, even offers him a position on his own ship (not that its his ship to offer anymore, since Annie took over captaincy and made Mary/Mark her first mate, but they've both always had a soft spot for Izzy on account of Jack's soft spot for Izzy, they'd be more than willing), not once does he order though and Izzy can't let Edward keep doing this to himself. Jack will understand when he sees him, Izzy says. Jack goes.

(Izzy hears, when the navy gunners crow triumphantly about hitting the dinghy, the one that Jack and Edward were in, the one that Edward jumped out of, he tells himself not to let it show when that pain in his chest comes back twenty-fold at the thought)

Edward claims the Act of Grace. He and Stede Bonnet leave to lick the king’s boots. Izzy doesn't make it a single day as captain. Edward comes back just before he goes overboard with the anchor to follow. He comes back wrong. Izzy can't take it. Edward can't take it.

The Kraken wakes and Izzy is introduced to the concept of a living hell. (even the captive crew stop trying to give him orders, at the haunted look in his eye, when they see how the Kraken orders him around, when he discovers Spriggs alive, if a lot worse for the wear, he doesn't even need the order to keep it under wraps, he doesn't want to know what the Kraken would order him to do if the boy is found out, he shudders at the thought)

When stupid fucking Stede Bonnet (and his marooned crew) finds his way back to the Revenge Izzy allows himself a single moment to feel relieved. Until, at least, the Kraken orders him to kill the man. He can't. He fights. The crew are all shouting at him not to, it eases the strain. The Kraken levels his pistol at his head, the crew goes silent.

'Israel, I order you to kill Stede Bonnet'.

His sword is in his hand. Stede's gotten better with his own sword, is managing to hold his own against Izzy (in truth, its mostly due to Izzy straining to not follow the order, but there is a marked improvement). The Kraken growls 'Kill him Izzy, fucking- kill him!' Izzy loses his sword to the mast again (he's grateful this time), his knife is in his hand a second later. He's got less reach than Stede does but Stede is trying not to hurt him. Why is he trying not to hurt him?

'Bonnet. Bonnet, you have to stop me. I can't. I can't kill you. I can't let him do that to himself. You have to. Run me through. Right here-' he taps his chest with his free hand, the one that isn't swinging the knife around, the left side, right over his heart '-only way to stop this. He might even listen to you afterwards.'

'Izzy. Izzy no.' In his shock, Stede lowers his sword. Izzy swears as he knocks it out of his hand. Presses close, crowds him against the doors to the captain's cabin, knife against his throat.

'Just fucking kill him already!'

A bead of blood wells under the tip of the blade. Izzy meets his own eyes in the polished reflection of his knife.

'Izzy stop fucking around and do what I told you to!'

His hands shake with the weight of the order. There are tears in his eyes, he can see them in his reflection.

A memory comes, unbidden: He, Edward, and Jack hiking through dense jungle to find a witch that Jack thinks might be able to break his curse, or at least tell them how to break it themselves. Her words 'I cannot break this curse Israel, this is something you must do for yourself. I can tell you this, however, to do this you'll need to face yourself. Face yourself and free yourself. That is all I can say, I'm sorry, I'd tell you more if I could.' They'd left disappointed, Jack cursing about scams and 'you can't even trust witches these days, man', Edward contemplatively silent.

Face yourself and free yourself. Izzy's eyes flick upwards to Stede's concerned face, back down to the blade. He meets his own eyes again.

'Izzy-' The rest of the Kraken's words go unheard.

Izzy tells himself, voice scarcely more than a breath: 'You will not be obedient.'

He feels, more than sees, Stede's gasp. He ignores it. His hand still wants to press the knife upwards. He tries again.

'You will not be obedient.' A little louder this time.

'The fuck did you just say-' Again.

'You will not be obedient!'

The knife flies across the deck, lands with a clatter. Silence (but for the sound of Izzy's labored breaths).

He turns, ignores the shocked crew, meets Edward's wide eyes with his own watery ones (when had the tears started falling so freely?).

'. . . Iz. . . ?'

Everything goes black.

#the dork is being a dork #izzy hands #jack rackham #mmmm i feel safe enough tagging #edward teach #stede bonnet #am i ever going to be able to imagine a cj that isn't in love with izzy? all signs point to 'no' lmfao #izzy is also in love with jack if that wasn't obvious #problem is a bit two-fold in that he's also still in love with ed AND there was an unintentional order in 'above all else is loyalty to your #captain' so even if he was emotionally aware enough to realize they were mutually in love he wouldn't have done anything about it #cj is the world's number one izzy respecter he worked SO hard to make sure izzy never had to do anything he didn't want to do #also he 100% survived the navy guys saw him survive but they didn't like izzy cause he's a pirate so they wanted to fuck with him #he finds his way back to the revenge sometime later (maybe with anne and mary/mark with him) and BEGS izzy to come with him #they compromise and start a fleet (jack stays on the revenge more often than not cause izzy stays on the revenge more often than not) #this COULD turn into stackedhands but its mostly cjizzy #and izzy/people who actually care about him and his well-being #which does start to include the crew post kraken #anyway izzy wakes up later in the captain's cabin and there are several uncomfortable talks to be had #(also i don't necessarily think ed realized he wasn't ordering izzy when jack was around) #(it was kind of like falling into old habits) #(while also knowing subconsciously that jack WOULD rock his shit for doing that to izzy) #(same with avoiding him thru the years) #(he knew he was fucking up with izzy but wasn't ready to face it and let himself be held accountable the way jack would make him do)

[happyandticklish]

His Attention

Notes: FINALLY finished this Izzy Hands fic that has been sitting in my drafts since July, that I’ve been procrastinating for literally no reason. I’ve been wanting a fic with lee!Izzy in it forever now, but I wanted to accurately portray how it would work, because Izzy is not exactly,,,,, lee material, and this is definitely the closest I’ve come to it in my attempts lol. As a result, it does end on a rather sad note as he is a rather sad little guy, but regardless, I hope you enjoy the hard work of endless months of putting this off~ 

Summary: Edward is itching to test this supposed new ‘torture method’ Stede keeps advertising, and Izzy is unfortunately left to be his guinea pig. 

Laughter, unmistakably, bounced across the ship, invading the sacred space of Izzy’s cabin. Not an unusual thing to hear, at least not in recent days, not since that fancy idiot had invaded all of their lives. This kind was different than usual though, frantic and pitched, with words scrambling to be heard throughout it.

Izzy pinched his brow together, staring harder at the map before him and forcing himself to focus. He didn’t need to be distracted by whatever stunt Bonnet had pulled now. Maybe they had invited the enemy upon the ship to discuss fine dining, or perhaps they were playing dress-up and putting on a little show—inevitably something inane and not worth his time.

They had gotten lost, as was the usual case with this lot, and Izzy was painstakingly attempting to track their path once more—not that their path was very clear in the first place. Their current ‘plan’ thus far was merely a hobbled together collection of vague promises and ideas. All of which had been stamped for approval by Edward’s stupidly charming grin. It was hard to doubt him when you were met with a face like that.

Izzy had fallen for it one too many times and he didn’t intend to do so again. 

There was a shriek from outside his door, and Izzy started in alarm. That was Edward’s voice. He pushed the map aside, staggering to his feet and slamming open the door, ready to take on any opponents that had dared try to attack his captain.

“Captain, is everything a—”

His words stumbled to a halt as he entered into the broad daylight of the ship. What he found was not a group of attackers, but instead, endlessly annoying Stede Bonnet with his hands gripped over the exposed hips of none other than Blackbeard himself. Edward was curled partially in half as more shrieks slipped out in that choked, gruff manner of his.

Tickling. Fucking tickling.

“Ah, Mr. Hands, how nice of you to join us,” Stede said, tone perfectly casual as though he didn’t have the world’s most feared pirate giggling under his hands. “I was just showing Ed here how we more gentle-natured folks engage in combat. Not with swords and threats, but instead, with fingers and laughter!”

“I-Ihit’s not vehery effehective, m-mate!” Edward had his hands gripped around his wrists and was attempting to tug Stede’s hands away, though he didn’t seem as determined as he could be. “T-Thihis is n-nohothing!”

“Nothing, is it? Well then, you wouldn’t mind if I moved back to your ribs then, would you? That seemed to be a pretty effective spot earlier, if I remember correctly. Specifically, if I vibrate my fingers like this—”

The two seemed entirely lost in their own world, Stede staring down at Ed like the sight of him snorting and bucking in his hands was the most incredible thing he had ever seen. The whole thing felt so intimate and childish at the same time, and Izzy couldn’t help but avert his gaze, like he’d walked into something far more risqué than just tickling.

The rest of the crew didn’t seem to have the same problem with it. A couple of them smiled over at the scene, but they seemed otherwise entirely unfazed.

Fucking useless.

“Are these…” Izzy gestured vaguely at the scene. “Childish antics the ‘cutting edge new strategy’ you had to show the Captain, Bonnet? I hardly see the merit in tickling.”

The word was strange on his tongue, one he hadn’t used for many years now. It felt out of place considering the setting. Tickling was for children and lovers, a silly, frivolous thing that had no right gracing the ship.

“Now, that’s what Ed said at first.” Carefully, Stede pulled his hands away, leaving Edward to sag against the side of the ship with an exhausted grin on his face. Izzy tried hard not to stare at the sight. “However, let me put you in a scenario. Let’s say you have a prisoner, or a hostage of sorts, and you’re trying to get information out of him. You could torture him with pain and mutilation—”

“Always a fan of that myself,” Ed chimed in.

“But I’ve found that a gentler approach can work wonders, if done correctly. No blood, no mess, and no visible wounds or injuries if you were to ransom him back. Not to mention, no one wants to admit that they’ve fallen victim to a bit of tickling—not when you have your reputation to uphold.”

Stede beamed back at Izzy as though he wasn’t rambling nonsense. Izzy’s brow narrowed just slightly.

“I didn’t believe him at first either,” Edward said, noticing the look on Izzy’s face. He flushed just a tad at the memory, scratching the back of his neck. “But it’s actually pretty effective. When in the right hands.”

Ed and Stede exchanged smiling glances dripping with not-so-subtle affection and Izzy barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

It had been like this for the past several weeks, all jokes and touching and secret looks exchanged in-between words. Izzy would have said something by now if it weren’t for the look in Edward’s eyes when he stared at Stede, like he’d been sailing in a storm all his life and now the clouds had finally parted to reveal perfectly blue skies. He was happy, or at least whatever version of happy he could grasp for himself after so many years of hardship. Izzy didn’t want to take that from him—not yet, anyway. No matter how much Izzy’s heart tugged with a feral jealousy that threatened to destroy him.

He cleared his throat, trying to keep his tone neutral as he said, “Well, if you’re quite finished playing, I need to borrow Blackbeard to look over our route. I’ve managed to get us back on track, but—”

“Yes, yes, yes, all of that,” Edward interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. “I’ll look at it, no need to get your knickers in a twist, mate. Thanks for the lesson, Stede—although don’t think I won’t be trying it out myself once I get back. After all, we should make sure it works on all pirates, wouldn’t you agree?”

A bright crimson swept across Stede’s face, and he stammered out an unintelligible reply, before nodding back quickly. The bastard looked excited about the threat, of course. Izzy stalked off towards his cabin before the writhing in his gut could get any worse. Edward trailed behind him lazily, humming a low, grumbly tune that was reminiscent of a variety of different sea shanties all smushed together into a chaotic medley—clearly unbothered at having been seen in such an intimate state, as though it were nothing for the great Blackbeard to be ticklish.

The door swung shut behind him with a resounding thud, and Izzy exhaled, grateful to be left alone at last, and finally get to work on something useful for once—

“You know, he has a point.”

—or not.

Edward was staring at him in that intense way of his, the stare that said his all-encompassing attention had focused directly on you. Izzy would have given up several limbs to have that stare on him for even a moment normally, but now it sent prickly, uncomfortable heat shooting down his spine. Still, he didn’t dare look away.

“How do you mean, sir?”

“You know, we always rely on torture, stabbing, slicing, burning, water-boarding—it gets boring after a while.” Edward hopped onto Izzy’s desk, knocking over a bottle of ink in the process. Izzy’s hand twitched in brief annoyance, but he kept quiet in the interest of peace. “And nothing like that would ever break a real pirate. Certainly you could handle anything I put those shmucks through and still be kicking.”

Pride shot through Izzy like a bullet at the words, but he quickly shoved it down before it could surface too clearly on his face. “Of course. I wouldn’t call myself Blackbeard’s first mate if I couldn’t.”

“But there’s something to be said for this ‘tickle torture’ as he called it.” Edward’s gaze was distant and glowing with ideas. “So simple to do, and it leaves no marks, so there’s hardly any evidence. Plus, there’d be no risk of injuring the body.”

It was clear he wasn’t going to let this go until it had run its course, so Izzy sighed and decided to indulge the concept, if only to secure Edward’s attention later. “Sure, but could it really be classified as torture? I mean, it’s a child’s game. Nothing as innocent as that could truly break someone.”

“So you’re saying you could resist it?” Edward continued, leaning forward on the desk, his interest piqued. “I mean, think about it Iz, really think about it. All vulnerable, tied up, not a chance of escape, having to endure hours upon hours of fingers and feathers scouring every inch of your exposed skin, nothing to do but take it?”

His words raced with a strange urgency, and Izzy couldn’t help but find himself drawn in as he imagined it. He could almost feel it, the bubbly, electric sensation crawling across his nerves and sending goosebumps scattering over his skin. He resisted the urge to shudder and brush away the imaginary touch. Instead, he settled on a compromise, crossing his arms and subtly covering up said vulnerable spots.

“Of course I could,” he replied sharply, hating the way his ears tinged pink at the question. He refused to believe it was due to embarrassment, and blamed it on the summer heat instead. “It’s only tickling.”

“Willing to make a bet out of it?”

Izzy’s heart stopped and it took him a second to respond as he tried to jumpstart it back into motion. Eventually he managed to stutter out a weak, “A bet?”

“Ten minutes. I get to tickle you for ten minutes, and if you can resist, I’ll admit it’s stupid and you’ll never have to hear about it again.”

Izzy scoffed, rolling his eyes and trying not to let his nerves show too obviously. “Edward, please. We’re not kids anymore.”

“Fine.” Edward shrugged. “I’ll just know it’s because you can’t do it, because deep down, you know I’m right, Izzy. Which, if you’re still as ticklish as you used to be, I can’t blame you for.”

Izzy fought back another blush at the memory, wiggling fingers and restrained smiles dissolving into frantic laughter that seemed to echo for miles. There was a playful glimmer in Edward’s smile, and it reminded Izzy of a simpler time, years ago back when the former’s beard was merely a thought and hope still shone in his eyes—hope that maybe they could do something with their lives instead of just waste away in a nothing town for the rest of time.

Many times before had Izzy attempted to bring that look back, each of which had failed until now. Of course, he had a feeling that Stede was most of the reason for it. It was undeniable that the strange, slightly eccentric man brought him joy for reasons Izzy would never understand. Still, it was nice to see him happy again—happy enough to tease Izzy like he used to, anyway.

He decided to blame it on that when he answered. “If I agree,” he said slowly, narrowing his eyes and emphasizing the if. “Not only do you admit that tickling is a fool's game, but I get your attention for the rest of the day. No antics, no silly gimmicks, no children’s stories. Just you, me and a map.”

“Done.”

“And you have to make sure the crew is actually working, too.”

“Done.”

“And you’ll actually help me come up with a plan this time, not some crazed idea that you pull out your ass and decide to share with no one—”

“Done, done, done, and done,” Edward interrupted, waving one hand. “All of that and more. The ship will be in tip-top shape by the time we’re done with it. If you agree. So? What’s it gonna be, mate?”

Izzy hesitated for a second too long before he nodded. He told himself his reluctance was caused by annoyance at the stupid idea. He wouldn’t allow for the possibility that it was due to any kind of repressed anxiety. It was just tickling—nothing more. Besides, there was no evidence to suggest he even was ticklish anymore. Perhaps it had faded with time.

Izzy desperately clung onto that hope as Edward approached him. His walk was almost cat-like as he backed Izzy against the wall, like a lion stalking their prey—all smooth movements and assured glances.

“Arms up, Mr. Hands.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Would you rather Israel?”

Izzy exhaled in resigned irritation, raising his arms with little preamble. That was when Edward’s hand closed about his wrists. Without thinking, Izzy tugged, trying to pull his hands down.

They didn’t budge.

He swallowed audibly.

“You seem nervous,” Edward noted. He was making a point to catch Izzy’s gaze, holding it until Izzy was forced to look away. It was humiliating. And something else. Something he didn’t want to think about. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you nervous before. It’s a nice look—humbles your normally obstinate face.”

In defiance, Izzy shifted his features into something undeniably obstinate. “Of course you have, Edward,” he replied tiredly. “I’m always nervous. It’s impossible not to be when you have a maniac for a captain.”

“Oh, exasperated, sure,” Edward admitted. “Deeply concerned, almost every day. But not nervous.”

Izzy huffed, shifting underneath him. He was too close, and Izzy could smell the sea on him—and that twat’s perfume. “Just get it over with already. I don’t have all day.”

“Always so impatient,” Edward hummed. Despite this, he complied with his wishes. Izzy tensed when he felt Edward’s free hand come to rest on his hip, toying with the hem of his vest. And then all at once slipping under it.

“What are you—!?”

“Relax.” Edward’s hand was warm against his skin, and Izzy hated how nice it felt. “You’re not gonna feel a thing through all that leather. You want to win fairly, don’t you? I’d be the last one to peg Izzy Hands as a cheater.”

The implication sent a spark of defiance through him and he tilted his chin up subconsciously. “Of course not. I just want our intentions to be clear. I’m not like him.”

Edward’s eyes crinkled up in amusement, the gesture far too much like pity. “I know, Izzy. You never were.”

Before Izzy had time to parse through his words, Edward’s hand twitched and his mouth clamped shut in quick defense. It was barely a movement, barely anything really, but it was enough to set Izzy’s nerves on edge.

Gently, Edward’s fingers wiggled against the soft skin of his hip, curling against the bone. Izzy inhaled sharply, unable to help it. It didn’t tickle, exactly. It was more of an itch, and Izzy had the inexplicable urge to swat him away.

Not that he could do that with his hands out of the way.

For almost a minute it was just that, light, quick touches that made him tense, but nothing he wasn’t able to handle. At first, Izzy had assumed he wasn’t taking this seriously. He wasn’t sure whether to be offended or grateful for that.

By the second minute, however, he caught onto Edward’s game. What had started as an itch was turning into something far more… well, something. Something that made Izzy’s arm tug against his grip. He hadn’t upped his pace once, but the repetition of it all was getting to Izzy. He found himself jerking back before Edward had even touched him, glaring at the smirk he was greeted with every time.

“Is this really your plan?”

“What do you mean?” Edward’s hand slipped and fingers were exchanged for nails, gliding over the bump of skin. A shudder coursed its way down Izzy’s back. “Is this not effective?”

Izzy shifted slightly, trying his best to be subtle about it and failing. “If this is how you plan on winning, you’re doing a miserable job of it. What would you like to start on first tonight—navigation or the rations that have, at least as far as I’m aware of, never been stocked since this new crew of yours boarded the ship?”

“Ah, ah, ah, Izzy, ye of little faith.”

The fingers tempo sped up just slightly and Izzy coughed to cover up the startled noise that had just escaped him. The whole act was bordering on the edge of being genuinely ticklish—something Izzy absolutely could not allow if he was to get through this. In theory, provided Edward did not move past this stage, Izzy could hold out for a mere ten minutes. However, the threat of him going further was making him jumpy, which could be bad.

“You know, laughing doesn’t disqualify you.” His voice was barely even a whisper, but each word rang clear to Izzy, settling a knot of unease at the base of his spine. “Nor does all this twitching you keep doing. So if I were you, I would stop wasting all my energy on that and save some for when I start to get really serious.”

Izzy had plans to ignore the offer stubbornly, but a sudden squeeze to his hips let out a choked noise that was almost, almost, a giggle. Not enough that he would ever in a million life times admit to it though. The flush already present on his face spread out further, till it felt like his whole body was burning up with some strange new form of fever.

You’re not ticklish, that isn’t you, he told himself, useless words of affirmation to try to bear through the flurry of soft pinches he was being assaulted with. He knew he was smiling, a wobbly, giddy thing that he tried and failed to mask. Maybe he could get through this by smiling. Just one smile, and that was the last of what he would allow himself.

The touch scribbled around his hips to the base of his lower back and Izzy jerked forward, nearly knocking Edward aside. The latter let out a low, grumbly chuckle; it was the same one he greeted his opponent with when he knew he had bested them. “Ah mate, I think you’ve revealed a little bit too much there. I was worried that maybe the same spots wouldn’t work, but it seems like you haven’t grown out of anything.”

Each glide of Edward’s fingers sent his stomach pitching, squeezing tighter and tighter till he felt as though he would burst if he didn’t laugh or scream or cry or something really soon. A build-up of kinetic energy with no outlet, all rearing to escape. Goosebumps rippled out from one another, making Izzy unbearably area of each new sensation. Fingers scuttled patiently over that same spot, lazy, crawling circles in the dip of his back that made his face scrunch up in protest. It was awful and pleasant all at the same time and Izzy found himself edging closer to giving in with each second that drifted by.

“Ed, c-c’mon—”

“Are you giving in?”

Scratching that same fucking spot. “N—ahA, mhmm n-no. No.”

“Good. I would hate to think you would give up the game so early. We still have a whole seven minutes left to go and I intend to spend my time with it.”

Seven minutes. Even ten minutes hadn’t seemed like that long of a time when they had started, but now even the threat of those seven minutes made him feel like throwing in the towel in right then and there. He had forgotten how much things could tickle, how sensitive skin could be, how helpless it was to be pinned like this.

And how wonderful. Pride might have let him surrender by now, but Edward’s attention, Edward’s touch, Edward’s smile directed at him, delighting in him, was too good a promise to give up now.

It wasn’t anything big that broke him, just that same ever light touch on that same ever sensitive spot on his back, but finally Izzy’s lips crackled up into a full grin, a series of huffy breaths and giggles slipping out.

“F-Fuhuck ohof Edward, c’mohohon.”

“Tickle, Iz?”

Izzy couldn’t even fight off the tease, too much of him melting into how nice it felt. He had spent so many weeks now watching Edward’s attention become entirely captivated by that idiot and now, finally, had found something to divert it back to him. Even if it meant giving up his pride. Even if it meant letting himself giggle in front of fucking Blackbeard. 

He couldn’t risk a protest ending this just yet.

So instead, he let out a growl to indicate that yes, it very much tickled, thank you, and squeezed his eyes shut to try to bear his way through this. Edward’s hand was moving up now, edging towards the back of his ribs, and Izzy arched forward with a noise that was in no way, shape, or form a whine, trying to avoid its path.

“Now this,” Edward commented, a note of awe in his voice. ���This is almost worth it, even if you don’t give in. I should thank Stede for reminding me of this method, I had nearly forgotten how effective it is on you. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a genuine smile on your face, let alone heard you laugh. You should consider yourself lucky I can’t reach your feet in this position, or I’m sure the sounds you’d make would make me inclined to keep you here forever.”

Izzy’s toes curled in his boots at the mere threat and he thanked any deity that might be out there for that small mercy at least. This was already bad enough as is. Edward was slowly climbing up his ribs in an ascent that sent his nerves on high alert about their end destination. It was strange; it had been so long since he’d been tickled that he couldn’t actively remember where he was ticklish, but instinct provided him with a pretty good radar for it. Each step that Edward’s fingers took sent a bolt of energy through him and he found himself jerking at his trapped arms with increasing desperation.

Worse yet was the anticipation that sent laughter tumbling freely out of his mouth, silly and frantic and bubbly in a way that Izzy Hands, First Mate, Blackbeard’s righthand man, simply wasn’t. He couldn’t even attempt to stop it either, so focused was he on doing anything to keep those hands away from under his arms.

“Ehehehedward, yohohou dohohon’t—gahhAHA w-wahait, you dohon’t—shihit lihihisten to mehehe!”

Edward cocked a brow, deliberately teasing the spaces in-between his topmost ribs. “Yeah? I don’t want? I’m really trying to listen mate, but I can’t hear you through all that whimpering.”

Izzy was going to bash his head in when he got out of this, tear out his fingers piece by piece so they could never do the world anymore damage. Quite possibly he was going to pin Edward down and show him just how much this shit fucking tickled so he would think twice before doing this to anyone else—because there was no way he would still be going if he knew just how badly Izzy needed him to stop.

Even more possibly, Izzy was going to lock himself up in his quarters when this was done and spend the rest of the day trying to wipe the stupid smile off of his face and convince himself he hadn’t enjoyed it in the slightest.

When Edward’s fingers finally reached their goal, Izzy thought it was probable he had ascended to another plane. A shriek slipped out, followed by a snort and finally a round of tumbling cackles that shook his whole frame. He knew better than to try to fight his way out so instead he threw his head back and gave into the laughter and the helplessness and the pleasant embarrassment radiating throughout his form.

Had he always been this ticklish? It hardly seemed likely as he was sure he would have gone mad from all the times Edward had pinned him down just like this back in the day.

And yet, for some reason, he didn’t hate it.

He wasn’t sure what to do with that.

A thumb digging into just the right spot was what did him in. One thumb, and a yelp of pure panic slipped out as Izzy thumped back against the wall giggling out a plea for mercy. Edward let go of him so fast Izzy was sure he must have imagined the whole thing from his now casual stance a couple feet away. Izzy sunk to the ground gratefully, gulping in air greedily as the last of his laughter slowly receded. His arms were wrapped around himself in a hug that he knew must have looked stupid, but he couldn’t help it. Phantom sensations crawled up and down his sides, making him twitchy and jittery as he tried to calm his nervous system.

“Torturous, isn’t it?”

Izzy scoffed, which was as much admittance as Edward was going to be getting out of him anytime soon. He nearly found himself hoping that Edward would demand a better answer, that he would insist he hadn’t ‘fulfilled his end of the bargain’, and pin him down for a flailing round two.

Instead, Edward merely rolled his eyes fondly, strolling over to the desk and calmly righting the spilled ink container, as though no time had passed since their earlier conversation.

“I’ll have to let Stede know that his methods work even on the most reputable and feared of pirates,” Edward mused, tossing a glance back at his flustered state. “I thought I was bad, but you looked like you would have bit off my head if I had let you.”

“You’re lucky I didn’t,” Izzy hissed, perhaps with more venom than he needed to. The introduction of Stede’s name made him prickly. Even now, seconds after Edward had just finished turning Izzy into a pile of goop on the ground, he still couldn’t take his mind off of Stede. He wanted to stand up and grab Edward’s chin, force his wistful eyes away from the door where they had strayed and back towards him. “That was a pity win at best, something to get you to shut up about it so I don’t have to spend the whole day hearing about the Amazing Stede and his wonderful tickling know-how.”

“A pity win.” And Edward did look at him then, but with a skepticism that made Izzy’s shoulders creep in defensively. “You mean to tell me you put yourself through all that just for my sake?”

“I didn’t say that—!”

“I’m touched, Iz, I really am. But next time, all you have to do is ask, no need to be so roundabout with it.”

Izzy gaped at him as Edward shot him a sly wink, pushing open the door and pausing with an endeared chuckle as he went to rejoin Stede and the others across the ship. Hardly a minute later, laughter echoed across the ship, sending a pang of envy through the former that he didn’t have the strength to lie to himself about.

Eight minutes. The first time Edward had really touched him with any kind of affection in nearly five years, and it had lasted eight minutes. The memory of the tickling had faded into a distant ache now, a mere imprint of what it had felt like to have Edward’s hands on him, to have his fingers wrapped securely around his wrists.

The hands that were taking their revenge on Stede at that very moment if the boisterous, desperate laughter booming across the ship was anything to go off of.

Izzy leaned his head against the back of the wall with a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair to fix the mess it had become. “Get a hold of yourself, Israel.”

He stayed there for an additional five minutes before finally forcing himself up to work on the leftover paperwork sitting on his desk.

Alone, as always.

#tickle fic #izzy hands #edizzy #our flag means death #edward teach #tickling #fanfiction #stede bonnet #blackstede