#and Stede like ‘of course my darling’

[saltpepperbeard]

Big fan of pet names, and subsequently thinking about which pet names Stede and Ed would use with each other. I’m of course a huge fan of Stede using “darling” and “sweetheart” for Ed, and Ed using “love” for Stede.

But one I’ve also been thinking about a lot is Ed using “baby/babe” for Stede. “Baby” could carry negative connotations, what with Stede having to endure so many years of “Baby Bonnet.”

But what if Ed sort of took it back? What if he turned it into something good, something beautiful, something that was theirs? What if he took that past pain and gently bandaged it with a kiss?

And if “baby” in particular still hit a bit too close, what if he proposed “babe?” For better connotations, healing connotations.

For love after years of hurt.

#OFMD #Gentlebeard #Blackbonnet #Edward Teach #Stede Bonnet #Revenge Rambles #LISTEN #Whenever I hear their dialogue/voices in my fanfic thoughts and what have you #I always picture them using a lot of pet names #And I also picture Stede using more like…’old fashioned’ ones I suppose #Like darling and dear and dearest and my love #Whereas Ed uses shorter ones like love/sweet/babe #So babe in particular keeps rotating around in my brain #Also this makes me ITCH to write about Ed just slipping ‘baby’ out #And a subsequent misunderstanding with communication to follow coming from that #Because of course lol OF COURSE #But I’m suuuuuch a big fan of characters working through things and settling on something even more beautiful #So I just wjdnwndnd I FROTH

[skrifores]

I have seen the point being made that you don’t have to be in a romantic relationship for some behaviour to constitute domestic violence. I’m seeing this said with regards to Our Flag Means Death and what some people perceive as domestic abuse on Ed’s part - that him not being romantically involved with Izzy shouldn’t mean behaviour between can’t be considered domestic abuse.

It is an excellent point that in many places, the definition of domestic abuse isn’t restricted to intimate partners! It is often widened to consider any violence, coercion and emotional harm taking place within a home environment. Under this definition, children can be victims of domestic abuse by their parents, it can occur between siblings, even roommates - especially with a live-in landlord situation. And of course, the Revenge as well as being a workplace is ultimately where the characters live.

I think it’s very clear that the show is a workplace comedy about pirates, but if you want to apply the definition of violence, coercion and emotional harm within a home environment to your reading to the show, that can be done.

Of course, I would be surprised if you genuinely view it that way and still made it as far as even watching Season 2, given the way what you consider to be domestic abuse in this fictional setting happens so very often with little to no moral consequence, and is often intended to be taken as a joke.

I mean. In the very first episode, the crew talk about killing Stede, and begin to plan for this, including lighting him on fire.

Jim threatens Lucius and actually physically locks him in a small wooden box in the second episode for what seems to be quite a long time.

I think in 4, Izzy pulls on Fang’s beard and it really upsets him. He also talks pretty openly about the intention to kill the Revenge crew, though I’ll let that go at this stage since he doesn’t really live there so much as being there for the purpose of murdering them and stealing their stuff. Still, poor Fang, that looked like it hurt.

While we’re on Izzy, he does also actively try to kill Stede by stabbing him, and he then he goes and does the olde worlde equivalent of calling the cops on him on the intention of having him executed, which seems pretty fucked up on the ‘violence’ part of our DA definition but also hits pretty hard on coercive control since he’s doing this to get Ed to behave differently.

He does prevent the Navy from executing Ed, which is nice, but he does point out that he regrets this, which, ouch, emotional harm. If we’re doing real world definitions, “I should’ve let the cops I called on you murder you” is the sort of thing that would make me feel pretty fucked up. And we all know what it means when someone tells you to watch your step.

But it’s not all about Izzy! (It’s really not, guys, there’s a whole TV show here!) Buttons bites Lucius - who ends up needing the whole finger gone! And he’s a visual artist!

Even my darling man Roach tries to eat the Swede, and I’ve gotta say, I don’t think they were on that island long enough to justify murder.

And who could forget Mary?? Wonderfully written character, love her, but, she does with malice aforethought attempt to kill her spouse in his sleep with a skewer. She was right to do it, in my opinion, but y’know, even without broadening the definition beyond partner relationships, murder of your spouse is pretty classic domestic abuse.

So, y’know, the point I’m getting at really is that if your definition of domestic abuse is violence and control wherein the perpetrator and victim share a significant aspect of their lives like living space - that’s a fine definition in real life. It is the one I use, in real life. But if you apply it to Our Flag Means Death, I really don’t understand how you stomached watching the first season or why you came back for more.

And if you only apply this definition with regards to Ed’s behaviour, but not the rest of the characters, I do wonder why that might be.

#our flag means death #ofmd fandom #ofmd #ofmd season 2 #trigger warnings #domestic abuse #warning for domestic abuse #domestic violence #crew of the revenge #izzy hands #edward teach #stede bonnet #apparently I woke up this morning and chose discourse #I don’t know why #but there we are #the izcourse

[napneeders]

Rush (excerpt)

1376 words of hair-pulling and blowjob from a first times blackbonnet fic I started writing before season 2 and may or may not finish at some point in my life

**

"Ahh, darling, not quite so hard –"

"Sorry!" Ed exclaims and lets go like Stede's hair suddenly burns him.

"No, you can – just, a little gentler –"

They've acquired a lovely little loveseat, just today, lush emerald green brocade and just the right size for two co-captains, drinking a celebratory brandy together after a successful raid; quite roomy, even, for two as snug as they are. Ed is straddling him again, up until a moment ago pressing him into the backrest with hungry kisses.

Now he's drawn back, giving Stede a chance to admire the treasure map of tattoos on his chest. He could keep on looking for hours, but Ed is biting his lip in contrivance and that just won't do.

"Really, it's fine," Stede reassures him, running his hands up Ed's sides. "Come here."

He pulls Ed back to his mouth, nibbling at that perfect bottom lip. Ed relaxes into the kiss with a sigh, melts into Stede's chest. A memory from a few days ago suddenly suggests itself to Stede.

"You like that, don't you?" he asks, sneaking his fingers up Ed's neck into his hair.

"Yeah," Ed breathes like a confession.

Stede closes his fist around a good chunk of hair and tugs. "Like this?"

"Closer to the scalp – fuck, yeah, that's it." Stede tightens his grip and Ed closes his eyes in bliss, leaning his head into Stede's hand and exposing the devastating column of his neck. "Harder."

"Really?" Stede thought he was holding on quite firmly already. He tugs experimentally.

"Fuck yeah," Ed moans again. "Is that alright?"

"Of course," Stede promises and latches his lips onto Ed's neck, slowly kissing his way up. "I just don't want to hurt you."

"It's a good hurt."

Maybe he owes Ed some of that after all the bad hurt he had inflicted on him. Maybe he can replace some of it with this.

Stede moves his hand a little higher and pulls again as his lips reach Ed's earlobe, gentle tugs and licks that make Ed squirm against the hold.

"You're gorgeous," he whispers into Ed's ear and feels him shiver all the way where they're pressed together. "I love learning what you like." He uses his handle on Ed's hair to expose his neck further, amazed at how eagerly Ed moulds to his touch.

"Fuck, Stede," Ed groans, "I think I'd like anything you could do to me."

The thought is thrilling – and, in practice, daunting. "Anything more specific in mind?" Stede asks, almost apologetically. "I know I'm not the most –"

"Shut up," Ed says reflexively, then pauses, looking both coy and mischievous. "You could –"

His eyes are dark and clouded in lust. Stede waits. Tugs again for encouragement.

"Shit. I keep thinking – you could drag me down by the hair, fuck my mouth, hold me there."

Stede blushes at that, at Ed's breathless earnest voice, at the words, at the image. "And you'd… like that?"

"That's what I'm telling you, Stede."

"Oh," Stede says. "Oh. Now?"

"Do you want to?" Ed's fingers trace patterns into Stede's shoulder. He looks nervous.

"I'm, uh." Is it wrong that the idea is so enticing to him? "Yes."

Ed tilts his head in a way that says well then? and Stede's mind scrambles to figure out how to go about this. Is he supposed to really, bodily pull Ed down? By the hair? He adjusts his grip at the back of Ed's head, with a tinge of hysteria reminded of gathering the reins, or pulling a dinghy out into the waves. He gives an experimental pull, and Ed follows with a smile. Emboldened, Stede tugs backwards, presses at Ed's shoulder with his other hand to drive the direction home, and thankfully Ed does the rest, sliding off his lap and onto the floor.

"You can grab the bun," Ed suggests and runs his hands up the insides of Stede's thighs, which fall open quite of their own accord. Stede complies, then frowns and unties the leather cord holding up the top portion of Ed's hair, gathering it into his hand instead.

Ed rests his cheek on Stede's thigh. "You ever get sucked off before?"

Stede shakes his head, lips pressed tight. The reality of what's about to happen hits him again, slightly bewildering.

"You look like you're about to bolt," Ed says, voice teasing but eyes full of a warmth that reaches even deeper in Stede than the heat of the moment. Ed rubs his thigh soothingly. "You don't have to do anything. But don't hold back on my account."

He peels off Stede's trousers, and Stede would feel utterly ridiculous sitting there with his pants around his ankles and only his thin shirt separating his arse from the loveseat, if Ed wasn't pulling him forward by the knees and diving between his thighs, and oh, it's Stede's hand that follows Ed's head now – he gives a little squeeze, remembering himself. Ed disappears under the hem of his shirt to kiss the inside of his thigh, the fabric bunching up against Stede's wrist. The sight is titillating enough, but Stede pulls back the shirt-hem with his free hand.

"Darling," he says reproachfully, "I want to see you."

Ed smiles into his thigh, nudges it affectionately with his stubbled jaw, and sucks one of Stede's balls into his mouth. Stede's hips jerk so hard he almost falls off the loveseat, hand tightening in Ed's hair rather abruptly.

"Sorry!" he stammers. "I lost – control…"

"I'd be offended if you didn't," Ed says seriously and massages his balls in his hand. Stede hopes he never gets used to it.

"Oh," he says in a small voice.

It's difficult; even as Ed licks up his desperate cock and wraps his hand around the base and closes his mouth around the head it's difficult to let himself go, even as the unimaginable wet heat covers him and Ed's teasing tongue begs him to lose all sense it's difficult not to hold back. But he tries, because Ed asked him and because Ed keeps asking him with every bob of his head, with every glance of those big brown eyes, vulnerable and bold and shy, shining between his legs. Stede keeps his hand fisted around Ed's hair like a lifeline, like he has been tasked with replacing the leather cord and the world will fall apart if he fails. He doesn't quite force Ed, doesn't quite push him on his cock like Ed asked, but he holds on tight, and Ed makes little moans around him like – like he is being given something, which is silly when he's giving Stede everything.

He wants to tell Ed all of it, what a gift he is, how Stede doesn't deserve him, not because he deserves so little (the jury is still out on that) but because Ed is more than anyone could ever deserve. But mostly what comes out of his mouth is "fuck, Ed", and "darling", and "so good", and he can only hope it communicates a fraction of how he feels.

He finds himself at his crest in what must only be minutes. He used to think that kind of arousal, that kind of urgency only existed in racy novels and the racier corners of his imagination, until Ed made it real, pulled it out of him like it was nothing, and it has only been weeks – and it has only been minutes, surely, now, but he's already panting, almost in a panic, "Ed, I'm going to –" and Ed just mm-hmms and Stede would like this to go on forever but he's already tipped over, coming in Ed's mouth and losing contact with all of his body except what's connected to Ed.

A warm body drapes itself over his side, a leather-covered leg flung over his lap. Stede wraps his arms around Ed, pets his hair and his face and his thigh and hugs him tight.

"Oh," he says when his thoughts clear, "can I…"

It takes a look shared between them for Ed to catch his meaning. "Ah," Ed says, "already came, mate."

He tries not to feel disappointed or snubbed. Ed came while sucking him, that's not a slight on him, probably the opposite, and yet he feels like he has been denied something.

#blackbonnet #smut #my writing #ofmd fanfiction

[littlespacereader]

Hi!! I’m a big fan of your writing (my favorite so far is the OFMD one, I’m so excited for an update!) I was wondering if I could request a Stede and Black Beard comfort fic, maybe little reader gets scared after a fight or something? Lots of tears and extra comfort from the two best guys 🖤 thank you!

Listen, college has been killing me so I’ve only watched the first three episodes of Season Two (no spoilers please) so with that I’m gonna write this fic similar to my fic on AO3. (Aka everything is fine, the crew is all together and Stede and Ed are together🥰) I am honored you love my fic on AO3! I promise once things settle down a bit I will get back to writing it! For now I would be honored to write this request! I absolutely love me a hurt and comfort fic! Especially with Stede and Ed!! Ahhhh!!! Plus to change it up from my fic on AO3 I made Izzy a Little with the Reader! I love the big brother vibes he has with the crew on the show. I hope you like fluff because this fic has all the cuteness! So please enjoy!! Thank you for the request! 💞💞💞

A Big Brother Solution 🏴‍☠️

Caregiver!Stede Bonnet, Caregiver! Blackbeard, Big Brother Little!Izzy Hands & GN Little!Reader (SFW)

Nicknames - Darling, sweetheart, little sweetheart, little one, cuddle bug, Papa for Ed, Dad/Dadee for Stede, Israel & Iz for Izzy,

Tags - accident, hurt/comfort, Izzy’s a Little too, hugs, forehead kisses, cuddles, story time, play fighting, sibling dynamics.

It was a beautiful day in the bays of a local island. The ocean rested calm against the boat with its beautiful turquoise color. The Revenge was docked off the coast of the island with most of her crew off to explore the island and its shops.

Aboard the Revenge is her Captains of course, Stede and Ed, as well as their two Littles Izzy and Y/N.

It had been an interesting story how the four had met. Y/N is Stede’s Little before he had met Ed and Izzy. They had left it all to pursue their shared dream of being pirates! Then they had met Blackbeard and Izzy during a crazy battle. Little did they know their four worlds would be changed forever.

Ed and Stede fell in love meaning Y/N and Izzy became sibling Littles, which at first was a bit rocky. The two come from different worlds, both have different headspaces and both are very different people.

They fought and they argued often. But strangely, after Stede and Ed sent them on a friendship mission to get fruit on a random island, when they returned…they were the best of friends. (A fic for another day possibly👀)

Stede and Ed never questioned, just happy to see their Littles were close to one another. Izzy was proud to be Y/N big brother. He liked showing them the ropes of pirating as well as being the protective older sibling.

Y/N enjoyed being the younger sibling too. They learned a lot of things following Izzy along. Plus they taught Izzy a thing or two, like it was okay to accept comfort and to let himself be vulnerable around them and their Caregivers.

And in return Stede and Ed became the two’s permanent Caregivers. Ed took on the title of Papa for both Littles. Stede took on the tittle of Dadee with Y/N, and Dad with Izzy. Both nicknames being chosen by their Littles of course.

Today with most of the crew off-ship, the Littles has a chance to really let loose and play around the ship without causing trouble for anyone else.

Ed and Stede sat on the main deck drinking tea and watched as Y/N and Izzy ran around playing sword fight with one another. Ed recently bought the two wooden swords. That way they didn’t seriously hurt one another when regressed.

“This is my ship and you’re trespassing!” Izzy yelled as he held his sword towards Y/N.

“I’m the new owner of this ship! So it is you who is trust-passing.” Y/N yelled back.

“It’s trespassing darling.” Stede helped.

“Oh, right. It’s you who’s tres-pass-ing!” Y/N corrected, taking the time to carefully say it properly.

Stede and Ed couldn’t help but smile at their Littles who ran around the ship giggling and clinking sword together.

“Me and my first mate Papa found this ship far and square.” Y/N ran over and pulled Ed arm. Ed gladly played along, putting his tea cup down and standing beside Y/N.

“That’s right, we found this ship first.” Ed smirked.

“Oh yeah?” Izzy then joined in the fun, pulling on Stede’s arm to join him. “Well my first mate said we saw this ship first so it’s ours.”

Stede happily joined in the fun. Putting his tea cup down and standing beside Izzy with his hands on his hip. “That’s right, my captain here found this ship before anyone else. And I was there to see it.”

“There! That otta sort things out. So if you’re on our ship uninvited then you’re our prisoners!” Izzy leaned against the side railing of the ship.

“Not too close to the edge of the ship Iz.” Ed called out.

While Izzy was distracted with what their Papa was saying, Y/N took off to another part of the ship.

When Izzy realized Y/N had disappeared he stomped his foot, “Damnit!”

“Izzy! Language!” Both Ed and Stede corrected.

Izzy muttered a small apology and quickly hid his eye roll before he took off on the hunt for Y/N.

He checked the ships kitchen, no Y/N. He checked their shared bedroom, no Y/N. He even checked the captain’s quarters, no Y/N.

Now Izzy was getting frustrated. Their game wasn’t hide and seek! It was sword fighting!! He was the oldest, he chooses the game!

Just as he was about to check another area of the ship when he noticed the bathroom door slightly open. He inched his way over, planning to jump in and scare Y/N, but the bathroom was empty.

But inside was a clue to what might’ve happened. On the wooden floor sat a puddle next to the toilet. Izzy sighed, his frustration leaving him and being replaced with worry for his sibling.

He followed on, looking to the top deck where the ship’s wheel was. There sitting in a ball was Y/N, softly crying to themselves.

Izzy put his sword down and made his way over to his sibling. “Y/N, it’s alright. It’s just an accident.”

To be honest he didn’t understand why they were upset to begin with. Their headspace was younger than his so he knew they were prone to accidents from time to time. Izzy himself never teased or made fun of it, knowing that he himself had an accidents on the occasion.

“It’s not just an accident Iz. I was supposed to be big today.” They turned around and faced him. “I told Papa I wanted to be big like you today and that I didn’t need to wear protection. But I couldn’t make it to the bathroom in time.”

Izzy listened on, taking a seat on the floor across from Y/N. “You know Papa and Dad won’t be mad or disappointed in you for having an accident. They see it all the time. I’m sure they’ll-.”

“No! I don’t want them to know.” Y/N casted their eyes down.

Izzy sat back a bit, looking at Y/N confused. Their light brown pants were now a darker shade of brown around their inner legs. Anyone could clearly take one look at them and see that they had an accident.

“Well…it’s going to be a bit hard to hide this.”

“What am I going to do Izzy? Do you have any ideas?”

Izzy was about to say no, but then an idea popped into his head, a rather crazy but workable idea.

He quickly stood up, “I have an idea, but you’re going to have to trust me on this one.” He held his hand out for Y/N to take.

Y/N looked at him quizzically, sure they trusted him…but they didn’t trust the look in his eye at the moment. Regardless they took his hand, “I trust you.”

Izzy smirked, “Good, now follow my lead.”

He led them over to the side of the ship. There he picked them up and sat them on the railing. With a quick glance to Papa and Dad making sure they weren’t paying attention, he continued on.

“Izzy…what’s the idea you had in mind?” Y/N asked after a moment, still patiently sitting on the railing.

“Well I was thinking, how can they see your accident if you’re soaking wet all over? CATCH!”

Before the idea had even had a change to click into Y/N’s head, Izzy threw a sack of potatoes towards them. Y/N caught the potato’s but the momentum threw them off and sent them overboard, splashing into the water below.

Ed and Stede stood up and rush to the side of the ship as Y/N lifted their head from under the water.

“Y/N?! Are you okay?!” Stede quickly yelled out.

Y/N nodded their head, “I think I’m okay Dadee.” They called back up.

“Oh no! I’ll save them!” Izzy called out from the top deck.

Before Ed or Stede even had a chance to let out a single word against it, Izzy had thrown his sword, boots and gloves off to the side and jumped over the railing into the water below.

But his heroics were met with an angry Y/N who splashed and pushed him in the water. “Are you kidding me? Throwing me overboard?! Are you crazy?!”

“I think a thank you is in order! After all I fixed your problem.”

“By knocking me overboard?!”

“Are your pants wet?”

“MY WHOLE BODY IS WET!”

“See? No accident in sight. You’re wel-.” Izzy was interrupted to a mouth full of sea water as Y/N splashed him.

“You could have just dumped a bucket on me!”

“If you had all the brilliant ideas then why did you ask me?”

“Because I didn’t have any ideas of my own but I didn’t think your idea would involve me getting thrown overboard!”

SPLASH!

Right between the two of them splashed Ed, who jumped into the water after the Littles.

“Papa!” Y/N said swimming over to him, Izzy not far behind.

“No need to worry. Papa’s come to get his little trouble makers,” Ed joked, “Come on you two, Dad’s putting the ladder down for us any second now.”

Right on schedule Stede threw the ladder over the side of the ship for the three of them to climb. Ed helped Izzy first, then he helped Y/N, before climbing up himself.

Once on the desk Stede wrapped Izzy, then Y/N in nice warm towels. Truth be told, the water was nice and warm but with the fall weather the air had a cold crisp to it.

Y/N was shivering, wrapped tightly in their towel. Izzy was trying to play it off but Stede could see right through the act.

Soon Ed climb aboard and grabbed the last towel from Stede.

“We’re going to have a chat about what happened. But first I want you two dry before you catch a cold.”

With Izzy’s hand in one and Y/N’s in the other, Stede led the two Little’s into the captain’s quarters to be taken care of. Ed followed along, drying his hair with the towel.

“Now you two wait here while I gather your things.” Stede placed a towel on the ground infront of the fireplace. He had them sit while he grabbed some supplies for the two of them.

Ed stayed behind, helping the two start drying their hair while they waited for Stede’s return. “Alright you little rascals. Let Papa dry your hair.”

The only thing is, Ed is a bit rough when it comes to drying their hair so Izzy and Y/N were trying to squirm away.

Ed chuckled, “Come on! Stay still!”

Stede popped into the Little’s room to grab them some fresh dry clothes. Instead of regular clothing he decided upon pajamas for the both of them, hoping the soft textures will be enough to entice them to take an afternoon nap.

With arms full of clothing he started to make his way back to the cabin when he noticed the bathroom door open. He shook his head, no one on this ship remembers to close the bathroom door.

But when he went to close the door, something caught his eye inside the bathroom. Then suddenly the accidental overboard business was starting to make sense.

Stede grabbed a mop and quickly tidied the mess up before closing the door. With another pit stop at the Little’s room once more for an extra item or two, he made his way back to his room.

Sitting on the couch were his now less damp Littles and his husband, trying his best to get the fussy Littles all cleaned up.

“Alright everyone, I come barring dry clothes for the two of you. But before we get you two changed, what exactly happen?”

Y/N and Izzy froze. They looked at each other worried.

Stede continued on, “One moment you were playing swords and the next Y/N was falling overboard. How did this happen?”

Izzy cooled his features. With a look of I’ve got this to Y/N, he started to explain, “You see, Y/N and I were playing but then we got tired of that game. So we started playing catch. Y/N sat on the railing as I would throw things back and forth to them. But I overthrew a sack of potatoes and when they grabbed it the weight of the sack sent them flying off the ship.”

Stede looked confuses, “You threw them a sack of potatoes to catch?”

Izzy shrugged, “I thought they could catch it.”

Stede crossed his arms and shook his head, “Izzy, you know that was too heavy for Y/N to catch. Roach is going to be very disappointed his sack of potatoes is at the bottom of the sea too.”

Ed crossed his arm and looked at me, “And Y/N, you know the rules. You’re not allowed to sit on the railing under any circumstances. It’s too dangerous and this just proves it.”

Tears started to collect in Y/N’s eyes. They didn’t want to be in trouble, but they didn’t want Izzy to get in trouble with the truth out. So they nodded their head and wipes their tears away, “I forgot Papa. I’m sorry.”

Ed always tries to be the tough one, but seeing Izzy or Y/N upset crumbles him to the ground. “Awwww, it’s alright Y/N. There’s no need to be upset. I think this whole situation is enough of a lesson as to why we don’t sit on the railings, right?”

Y/N sniffed and nodded their head. “Never again.”

Stede decided to step in, “Ed, could you take Izzy’s clothes and help him get changed in our bathroom? I’ll help Y/N get changed out here.”

Ed nodded, having a sense of what Stede was doing. They both needed a little moment away for some added comfort. So he took Izzy’s hand and led him off to the bathroom.

Once alone with Y/N, Stede leaned forward and wiped their tears away. “There, there, darling. You’re okay. Everything is okay.”

“Let’s get you out of these wet clothes.” Stede both said and asked. Y/N nodded before Stede started to help them.

The lie started to eat away at Y/N. Before Stede even had a chance of asking about the accident, they spoke up.

“I’m sorry Dadee.”

“Sorry about what?” He asked as he continued.

“Izzy is just covering up for me. Everything he said was true…but he purposely threw the potatoes at me so I would fall into the ocean. I asked him to.”

Stede stopped and looked at Y/N confused for a moment. But then the final piece of the puzzle set into place.

Stede nodded with a hum, “Would that be because a certain someone had an accident?”

Y/N didn’t say a word, just nodded their head as tears began to fall.

“Oh darling, there no need to be upset. Papa and I would never be upset with you over an accident.” Stede tried to reassure.

“It’s my fault! I told Papa I didn’t need to wear protection this morning because I wanted to be big like Izzy. But I’m not!” Y/N cried out.

“Y/N, Papa wouldn’t have been upset if you had an accident today. What did I tell you before we met Izzy?”

Y/N sniffed and wiped a couple of tears away, “I don’t remember.”

“I said not to compare your headspace to his. He is a lot older than you. But that doesn’t mean he’s any better or worse than you. It just means his needs are going to be different from your needs and that’s okay.”

“It’s okay if you have accident and need to wear protection. Papa and I are well prepared and are happy to accommodate your needs, just as we do for Izzy.” Stede explained.

“So you’re not mad?” Y/N shyly asked.

“No of course I’m not mad, only worried. I don’t want you to feel as though you need to hide away every time you have an accident. From now on I want you to find Papa or I right away. Understood?”

Y/N nodded their head, the relief starting to show in their face.

“Good. Now I leave it to you, would you like to wear a little bit of extra protection for the rest of today or would you prefer not to?” Stede asked. “I won’t judge you, norwill anyone on this ship. It’s not about what everyone else needs, it’s about what you need.”

“Could…could I wear a pull-up…just incase.” Y/N asked, a bit shy.

Stede nodded, “Of course, just incase.” He winked.

Stede helped Y/N finish getting changed. Once dressed in their pajamas, he lifted them up into his arms and held them in a tight hug.

“I adore you more than all the grains of sand in the ocean or all the fish in the sea.”

Y/N held Stede tightly, “I love you too Dadee. Thank you.”

Stede chucked, “You never need to thank me darling. I’m happy to be here for you and so is Papa.”

The two stayed like that, just having a nice moment together. Stede held Y/N tightly in his arms, rocking and swaying them back and forth. There nothing Stede loved more than holding his little one close. Well, second only to Ed.

And speaking of him…

Ed and Izzy emerged from the bathroom soon after. Izzy held Ed’s hand and stuck close to him, dressed in pajama with Ed dressed in more comfortable clothes too.

“I tried to convince this one that we were all taking a nap, but someone doesn’t believe me.”

“We can’t all take a nap. Who would watch the ship?! Plus I’m not even tirreeedddd.” Izzy dramatically said.

“Israel,” Stede called out, “The ship will be fine. You and Y/N could use a little rest before everyone gets back before dinner.”

“Could you…read us a book Dad?” Izzy shyly asked Stede.

Stede’s face lit up to the request, “Of course I can. Why don’t you help me pick a book while Papa gets the bed ready for all of us?”

Izzy happily nodded along before darting to the mini library on the other side of the room. Stede traded off Y/N from his arms to Ed’s, who happily accepted the sleepy Little.

“Papa!” Y/N happily said, wrapping their arms around him.

“My little sweetheart. You ready for a little nap?” Ed said, rocking them the same way Stede bad before.

“Yeah,” They said with a yawn, “Papa cuddle?” Truth be told Ed had some of the best cuddles.

Ed chuckled, “Of course sweetheart. Where would I be without my little cuddle bug?”

While Stede and Izzy went through the library looked for the absolute best story, Ed and Y/N got comfortable in bed cuddling together. But Y/N sat up for a moment.

“Papa…Izzy was just covering up for me today. I just didn’t want you to know I had an accident after trying to be big. I’m sorry I lied to you.”

Ed chuckle a little, “I figured as much. That sounds like Izzy.”

But then he shook his head, “There’s no need to be sorry. You know I don’t care about something as little as an accident. I’ll love you the same way whether you have one or a thousand accidents. I would be lost without my little cuddle bug.”

With a kiss to the top of their head, everything felt right in the world again. Y/N cuddles closer to Ed. His arm wrapped around their shoulders, their head placed gently on his chest. It really was the truth, he always gives the best cuddles.

The rest of the afternoon went peacefully for the four. All of them cuddled together in their big bed listening as Stede read one of his fairy tale novels.

Within two minutes, Y/N was asleep against Ed, satisfied and comfortable being their own Little with their own headspace. Izzy, despite not being tired, fell asleep half way through the story, cuddled close to Stede.

Stede looked over at Ed and Ed looked over at Stede as their Littles slept. They just smirked and shook their heads.

“Did Izzy tell you the truth?” Stede whispered.

“Oh yeah. While we were getting changed he told me what really went on. How about you?”

“Y/N has never been good at lying, especially when regressed and especially when it’s with the two of us.”

Again the two shook their heads. They truly loved their troublemakers through and throughout. They would change a thing about them, loving them just the way they were.

#age regression #age regressor #agere #agere little #sfw age regression #sfw agere #agere post #little space #sfw littlespace #age regression blog #little blog #little!reader #little!izzy hands #caregiver!stede bonnet #caregiver!edward teech #caregiver!blackbeard #our flag means death #padded little #agere dips #sfw dips #padded regressor #padded agere #age regression writing #age regression community #sfw age regressor #age regression fic #age regression sfw #agere blog #agere community #agere fandom

[johannestevans]

Pirate Media Recommendations

Along with Ryann Fletcher, Kate Heartfield, Juliet Kemp, and F.D. Lee, I'm going to be on the Queer Pirates panel at 3pm this Friday at EasterCon 2023!

Our Flag Means Death and other pirates: a panel discussion including fandom and canon of Our Flag Means Death and other series such as Black Sails. This item will start around 15 minutes after advertised start time to minimise clash with the Opening Ceremony.

You can still sign up for virtual membership of EasterCon here if you'd like to attend online, as there are going to be a great many panels and discussions throughout the con, which are gonna be great.

Coming up to the panel, I thought I'd make a list of some of my favourite pirate and nautical media to point people to, as I'm probably going to mention a bunch of it on the panel and this is a particularly fierce interest of mine!

So for Our Flag Means Death, we know that it's an interpretation of the historical relationship between Edward Teach and Stede Bonnet as a romance - two other famously queer pirates were of course Anne Bonny and Mary/Mark Read. I'm personally super excited to see if these figures will feature in Our Flag Means Death S2.

Podcast Episodes & Videos:

Ching Shih: The Pirate Queen, from Puppet History

The True Story of a Pirate Queen, from Ruining History

A History of Gay Pirates with Rebecca Simon, on the PRIDE Podcast -

Sailing Through Queer Pirate History with Rebecca Simon, on the PRIDE Podcast

Pirate Queens with Rebecca Simon, on the PRIDE Podcast

Were Some Pirates Poofters?, from the History is Gay Podcast - Going through Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Calico Jack, and Pierre Bouspet.

Queerness in the Golden Age of Piracy, from Queer as Fact

Books & Essays:

FICTION: The Aubrey-Maturin Series, by Patrick O'Brian - The Aubreyad is not about pirates, but is a nautical-historical series of 20 books set in the 1800s. I love these books a lot, they're ridiculous and very homoerotic with a lot of background gay dynamics - you can absolutely infer a romance between Captain Jack Aubrey, a hot slab of beef, and his doctor, Stephen Maturin. They're funny and they're rich with nautical descriptions, really immersing you into the language and feel of the period and the sensation of being on these vessels. While I'm not holding these books up as a bastion of queerness compared to other texts, Maturin is a fervent abolitionist and despite being a member of Aubrey's crew is actually vehemently anti-colonialist in his views, and those discussions do play out on paper again and again. Because of their realism these books do kind of poke a hole in the naval officers being held up as inherently noble or honourable, and particularly regularly criticises the actions and ideas of the state.

FICTION: J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan - I love Peter Pan, and obviously I talk and blog about it a lot. What's particularly dear to my heart is the relationship between Hook and Smee, which is such an intimate marriage even though it's not explicitly described as such, and it makes me very emotional. This book was written at the beginning of the 20th century, and I do want to warn anyone before going in about the racism inherent - the text treats the existence of the Natives to Neverland as part of an "adventure", and there's also anti-Black racism toward many of Hook's crew, as well as the description of Hook himself as "swarthy" despite being a white Etonian. Peter Pan is a story about working class white children in London whose parents has dreams of them ascending to middle class, and the children's fears of growing up are heavily influenced by economic anxiety, but also they desire a return to a time when as young white kids "adventure" would have been more accessible to them, as is typical in the classic adventure novel.

FICTION: Peter Darling, by Austin Chant - The Lost Boys say that Peter Pan went back to England because of Wendy Darling, but Wendy is just an old life he left behind. Neverland is his real home. So when Peter returns to it after ten years in the real world, he’s surprised to find a Neverland that no longer seems to need him. The only person who truly missed Peter is Captain James Hook, who is delighted to have his old rival back. The oft-recommended trans man!Peter Pan/Hook romance novel. Please don't talk to me about this one as I haven't and can't read it for some personal trigger readings, but it's recommended all over and is well-loved for a reason!

FICTION: Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island - Treasure Island is of course, one of the archetypal adventure novels. What a lot of people might not know is that the TV series Black Sails is a prequel to Treasure Island! If you enjoyed Our Flag Means Death, you might be delighted to realise that the real life pirate Israel Hands features in Treasure Island, and fights with Jim Hawkins, the protagonist.

NON-FICTION: Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition: English Sea Rovers in the Seventeenth-Century Caribbean, by B.R. Burg - In Sodomy and the Pirate Tradition, historian B. R. Burg investigates the social and sexual world of these sea rovers, a tightly bound brotherhood of men engaged in almost constant warfare. What, he asks, did these men, often on the high seas for years at a time, do for sexual fulfillment? Buccaneer sexuality differed widely from that of other all- male institutions such as prisons, for it existed not within a regimented structure of rule, regulations, and oppressive supervision, but instead operated in a society in which widespread toleration of homosexuality was the norm and conditions encouraged its practice.

ESSAY: Our Flag Means Death and Queer Utopias at Sea, an essay by Seth LeJacq

TV Series:

Our Flag Means Death - Of course, duh! Our Flag Means Death, a queer romcom interpreting the historical relationship between Stede Bonnet, the Gentleman Pirate, and Edward Teach, Blackbeard, as a romance.

Black Sails - A "gritty" and brutal prequel to RL Stevenson's Treasure Island, exploring the tales of Long John Silver and how he came to be what he ultimately is in Treasure Island. There is a lot of gay shit in this and it's extremely anti-imperial in its outlook - with that said, I'm personally not a great fan of Black Sails to watch, for me personally it's either too upsetting or too dull to stick with, oscillating between the two extremes. If you haven't tried it and do want to, I do recommend sticking through at least the first season and seeing if you get into it! With that said, it's got particularly brutal onscreen treatment of its WOC, especially Max, a Black woman who is violently raped onscreen (as well as onscreen abuses of other women), and I would recommend treading with caution if this is something that will be difficult to watch.

Neverland - This miniseries is near and dear to my heart - it's not huge on the pirates, but it actually has Bob Hoskins reprising his 1991 role as Smee, and I find it to be an interesting and quite different exploration of the Peter Pan prequel that really explores class some. More importantly, it actually has Natives playing Natives, and features Q'orianka Kilcher as Aaya!

Movies:

Love, Death, & Robots: Bad Travelling (2022) - This is a short film that's part of the LD&R series, and it's really good nautical horror. That's all there is to it.

Master and Commander (2003) - Taika Waititi said this movie is his favourite romance movie, and he's so fucking right. Anyway, this movie is based off the first five of Patrick O'Brian's Aubreyad, and it's so loving and so gay.

Treasure Planet (2002) - There are so many adaptations of Treasure Island, but this is my favourite every single time, it's just so well-done, it's so full of care, it really captures the wonder and excitement of sailing and the sense of freedom, and honestly? Jim Hawkins is sooooo transmasculine, he even has an ugly shitty mullet haircut and a little gold earring, he is the blueprint, he is perfect. If piracy in space tickles your fancy, I also might recommend Space Pirate Captain Harlock (2013).

Pirates of the Carribean: The Black Pearl (2003), Dead Man's Chest (2006), and At World's End (2007) - Listen. Are there technically other POTC movies? Yes. Should you watch them? Oh, fuck no. I have seen On Stranger Tides and Dead Men Tell No Tales/Salazar's Revenge and let me tell you: you do not have to, you do not need to, and you do not want to. On Stranger Tides tried to tell me that Hector Barbossa fell in love with a woman. My man. Hector Barbossa. A woman!? Please! Anyway, I grew up on these movies and unfortunately they are overwhelmingly and unrealistically white - there are some really cool characters of colour and I especially love Tia Dalma. Remember not to watch these movies legally, by the way - watch them on an old cheap DVD or do some piracy yourself. Fuck Johnny Depp.

The Pirates of Penzance (1983) - This is an adaptation of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera, and it is so over the top, so ridiculous, so much fucking fun. Kevin Kline has some of the sexiest fits in this movie and so much thick, thatched chest hair, and the music is good, many of the jokes still land, and it's just fun.

Peter Pan (2003) - Don't watch the Disney Peter Pan. Never watch it, it's garbage, it's ugly, it invented a bunch of anti-Native racism that isn't in the already racist original text, and you know, fuck Disney. Is the 2003 Peter Pan perfect? No. But is it better? Yes. Jason Isaacs is so hot as Hook, and while I am not the biggest fan of PJ Hogan's take on the book that's all about Wendy wanting to fuck her own dad on top of cutting the Hook/Smee dynamic back significantly, the Neverland aesthetics and the silly piratical ones are a lot of fun.

Hook (1991) - Spielberg's sequel to Peter Pan is glorious for one reason and one reason only: Dustin Hoffman and Bob Hoskins were like, "hey, these two dudes are married. They're old queens in love!" and they played it like that, and they were so fucking right. Hoffman's Hook is so queer and so effete and so incredibly mentally ill and he is the biggest mood throughout, as is Smee trying to keep them both alive. I adore this movie to death, I really do.

Down Periscope (1996) - Okay. So. This movie is a little bit different. It's not set in the Golden Age of Piracy or even just after it - it's set in the 1990s, and is about a Yank Naval Captain doing wargames with other members of the navy. With that said, it's got a lot of pirate hijinks and a lot of found family dynamics with a lot of freaks and neurodivergents packing the crew - note that there's some misogynistic harassment in this for the only female crew member, but she's one of my favourite characters and she's so much fun, much like the rest of the crew. Listen. The captain has a tattoo on his dick. They all dress up as pirates while making one of their crew members walk the plank. Their ending credits feature the cast dancing and singing along with the Village People, to the iconic gay anthem, In The Navy. It's good, I swear.

And I've tried a bunch of pirate videogames, but none of them has measured up to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Unfortunately, this game is an Assassin's Creed game and all the AC plot stuff sucks, because that's what AC games are for.

When it's not doing their terrible meta plot in the "real world", though, this game has such excellent gameplay, it's great fun, and the soundtrack is tremendous. Even if you don't play the game, absolutely consider giving the sound track a listen, because it's just great!

An old album I would recommend is also the Robert Shaw Chorale Sea Shanties one! It's from 1960, and they do some really fun arrangements of different sea shanties - their Drunken Sailor is one of my absolute favourites!

If you'd like to see a different take on the sea shanties and would still love some more space piracy, I would also recommend Once Upon A Time (in Space), by the Mechanisms!

My Stuff

And separate to the general rec list above, here's some of my work that's relevant to my takes on queer pirates, and why I'm on the panel:

Communicating Want, by me, DictionaryWrites - 75k, rated E, Frenchie/Izzy. Izzy's just so buttoned-up, how is Lucius supposed to resist the urge to seduce him? It doesn't go well. Just a silly thing exploring sexual trauma and stuff with Izzy Hands! Love that bitch.

Our Flag Means Death S01 E01: Close Textual Analysis — Examining OFMD E1: Pilot in close detail and liveblogging/analysing the text. On Medium / / On Patreon.

Gerald Poole and the Pirates - A distinctly queer adventure full of internal conflict ensues when a gentleman and a sailor are captured by pirates. Read on Medium: Part I / / Part II / / Part III / / Part IV / / Buy as an eBook on SmashWords, $2.99 / Buy as an eBook from Amazon.

The Coffin at Sea — 400w. A vessel picks up a coffin afloat at sea. On Medium / / On Patreon.

The Pirate Accountant — 4.5k, rated M, MB. A quartermaster works up the nerve to finally mount a seduction on their accountant. Dark humour and biting banter throughout, between an exceedingly cautious and paranoid accountant and the quartermaster who’s finally worked up the courage to ask him out. On Medium / / On Patreon.

Saint Jude’s Kitchen — 20k, Rated M, MB. After an injury stops him working, a failing deckhand gets a new lease on life. Themes around cooking and nurturing, identity and sense of self, and complex family dynamics. Adapted from a TweetFic. On Medium / / On Patreon.

#musings #our flag means death #eastercon #conversation 2023 #pirates

[writerpey]

Hiiii!! Though you haven’t been around long, you’re one of my favorite headcanon writers on tumblr! Could I request a Caregiver!Stede Bonnet with reader if you have time? Your work is incredible :’)

hello dearie! that is so so kind of you! <3 stede is one of my favourite cgs to headcanon ever! hope u enjoy (I almost wanted to title this one in cursive because it’s so him)

Caregiver!Stede Bonnet x Little!Reader Headcanons

He is absolutely the type of cg to make everything as fun as possible. You want to play hide and seek? He’s creating an elaborate story to go alongside it with mermaids and pirate treasure. You ask him to do a craft? You better believe he’s sent one of the crew to shore to fetch clay and paints.

Speaking of crafts, he’ll literally display or wear anything and everything you make him while regressed. In fact, he urges you to seek out any creativity you do or don’t have! Once you wanted to make him an outfit, so you stole away to his secret closet (one of your favourite places on the whole ship) and splattered crimson paint all over one of his white, frilly shirts. When you brought it to him with a proud look on your face, he gasped and picked you up, twirling both you and the shirt around. I love it! You are so talented, little one. He wore the shirt every day for the next week, even when you weren’t regressed.

Because he comes from a very humble background (total sarcasm applicable here), Stede has mastered the art of comfort, as he likes to call it with a grand gesture. (Not to be confused with the… other art, he once said.) You can bet you’ll never be uncomfortable when you’re around him, physically or emotionally. Squirmy baby that just can’t sleep? Well, of course Stede has an answer for that. He’ll take you by the hand and lead you to his closet, letting you pick any item of clothing that has the most comfortable texture for little you. He’ll offer you hot tea or warm milk, and he loves nothing more than bringing a cup to your lips and helping you drink while you rest your head against his chest.

Stede is also a huge fan of bedtime stories. Apart from his tales to the crew, he loves adding a dramatic bit of theatre to your bedtime routine. He tailors his stories exactly to your mood, softening his voice and letting the sound of water hitting the hull of the ship lull you to sleep, or entertaining you with an hour long epic about the adventures of Blackbeard.

Oh, he’s so incredibly in tune with your emotional needs. He rarely falters in his ability to understand what you need, and he’s able to immediately tell how old you’re feeling just by being in your presence. Feeling smaller today, darling? That’s quite alright. I’ll be right here with you.

He frequently encourages you to play with the other crew members when you’re little as well. He’ll spot you watching Frenchie play music and will take you by the hand to sit with the other, smiling proudly when you let go and clap along to Frenchie’s music happily.

Playtime is always the best time with Stede, although sometimes he can get carried away. Once during hide and seek he jumped out and startled you so bad you burst into tears on the spot. He’s very quick to apologize and soothe your ailments, wiping your tears from your cheeks and promising you a treat from below deck.

Stede will always make sure you’re a happy baby, and if not, he’s always at his best when comforting and understanding your little side.

<3

#ofmd #ofmd fanfic #ofmd agere #stede bonnet #cg stede bonnet #sfw agere #sfw agere fic #stede bonnet headcanons #little!reader #agere fic #our flag means death #our flag means death fic #stede bonnet & reader

[run-me-through-but-not-like-that]

not sure if anyone's sent sth similar to this in but:

steddy hands with a reader who just can't allow themself to have the good things™ cuz they don't deserve it/it's all going to disappear and they'll be alone, again

so best to just not engage with it, yeah?

(I am in a very angsty mood today, probably partially cuz my self worth problems reared its ugly head and partially cuz I was scrolling through izzy hands related tags for like a full hour or two heugh-)

You Deserve Good Things:

The mood in the captain's cabin was rather sombre, the co-captains and first mate licking their wounds. Tending to their wounded egos after your most recent rejection.

They couldn't even say that you completely rejected them, you had spent enough nights with them for them to know you had to be interested in them to some extent, but you never accepted offers to spend some quality time with them. They always had to disguise it as work otherwise you would go all tense and make an excuse to not spend time with them. It hurt.

"Perhaps...they're just not interested in anything more?" Stede suggested sadly, staring down at his untouched cup of tea.

"I dunno, I thought there was something," Edward sank into the plush settee, having already wrapped himself up in the red patterned robe he had become so fond of.

Izzy, who was slouched down in the armchair, just looked between the two of him. Doing his pondering a little more privately.

"Do you think that we have not been clear enough? Oh God, do you think they thought we only wanted something physical from them?" Stede's eyes suddenly widened with worry.

He hoped you didn't felt used or objectified with them, that hadn't been their attention at all! The only reason they hadn't made their confession is because they didn't want to come on too strong and scare you away. Stede imagined that beginning to date people who were already in a relationship was already rather intimidating, Izzy had expressed as much (at least as much as Izzy expresses anything).

"Shit, yeah, that might be it. What if they only want it to be a physical thing, though?" Edward questioned, pushing himself up slightly.

"Then I suppose we would have to decide whether that's something we wish to continue or something that would end up hurting us more than benefitting us," Stede hummed, his frown returning. They couldn't blame you for the misunderstanding, but somebody was bond to get hurt in this.

"You two are so fucking stupid sometimes," Izzy muttered, forgoing the tea that Stede had offered for a glass of rum. He needed something to take the edge off.

"Fucking hell, Iz. Tell us how you really feel," Edward huffed a small laugh.

"What do you mean, darling?" Stede asked, both of them used to Izzy's way of speaking. Clearly, he had an opinion he wanted to express.

"Remember when you first proposed this whole thing to me? Remember how I reacted?" Izzy asked, looking between his two partners.

"Of course, you were a right little pain in the-" Stede began, only for Edward to speak up and interrupt him.

"Oh..." Edward's eyes widened slightly in realisation. "Do you think that's it, Iz?" he asked.

"I dunno, maybe. That's just how I felt, could be a similar thing since they're acting kinda similar," Izzy shrugged. It's not like he could read your mind, but it was possibly you felt the way he once had.

"Uh, what exactly do we think the problem is?" Stede asked, not quiet understanding what the other two men had apparently concluded.

"I think they're having...some of the same worries I did at the beginning," Izzy explained.

"That we don't truly want them?" Stede's heart just shattered at the thought, at the memory of having that conversation with Izzy.

"Maybe," Izzy shrugged, shifting a little uncomfortably, knowing what Stede was thinking about. "Or maybe that they don't deserve it," he suggested.

"We should speak with them," Stede decided, placing his teacup and saucer down.

"That's the problem though, man," Edward threw his hands up with a whine, "they don't seem to want to talk."

"I do wish they would join us for dinner more often or stay for breakfast," Stede sighed. You had eaten with them occasionally but not nearly as often as they would have liked.

"I mean, we could just tell them to join us for dinner. That's what I did with Iz," Edward recalled.

"Yeah, and I loved that," Izzy agreed sarcastically and Edward gave him an apologetic look. Blurring the lines between captain's order and lovers requests were something they had to work on, and would have to make sure not to blur again with you. "Only stopped freaking out about what you two were up to after you explained it," he reminded them.

"Oh! I have an idea," Stede perked up, and something told Izzy that they hadn't really taken his words to heart. "We should court them, properly. No falling into bed with them until we've spoken properly and made our feelings clear. We'll have dinners and dates and trade gifts," he was smiling at the thought, his face lighting up with hope.

"We'll start tonight with dinner. Think you could tell Roach to make something special, you're great at planning that kind of stuff," Edward was quick to agree, fully sitting up now.

"Of course!" Stede stood, clapping his hands together. He was definitely already planning all the little details for tonight's dinner.

"This is going to be a fucking disaster," Izzy grumbled, sinking down further in the chair.

"At least try to be optimistic, yes?" Stede pouted slightly.

"Fine, we'll do it this way," Izzy sighed, managing a small smile that made his lovers' faces light up.

Izzy couldn't believe that he was the one advocating for talking it through...

-

The invitation to dinner in the captain's cabin didn't come as a complete surprise to you, you had eaten with them before. Though, there was something...different, something you couldn't quite put your finger on.

Stede was being just a little extra charming, Edward was just a little more dressed up than usual, and Izzy looked like he was waiting for the shoe to drop. Nothing unpleasant, just enough to make you think something was going on.

However, the dinner went flawlessly. As always, Roach's food was delicious, all three courses, and the four of you talked like you would any other time. It was easy and comfortable despite the nagging in the back of your mind.

The part that surprised you the most came after dinner was finished. You were invited for a drink in front of the fire, and accepted, the four of you talked and laughed, and then they showed you out and wished you goodnight. A perfectly polite gesture from your captains but it left you a little confused out in the passageway.

You couldn't help but be confused. They had invited you for dinner, had seemingly put some extra effort in, and nobody had even made a move to take you to bed.

It wasn't like you hadn't been invited into their bed multiple times alright, not that you had any problem with it. You were always pleased with an invite, an excuse to indulge the feelings you had developed for the three men.

You knew that these things didn't last. Love, tenderness, finery. Not for your anyway. You knew it was best to avoid it, it was easier than losing it, but you just couldn't help yourself. How could you deprive yourself when the three of them were offering? If you couldn't have the whole experience you would take what you could get, the occasional night with them.

They had never invited you for dinner and it just end up being dinner. It left you scrambling to make sense of it.

Maybe they just changed their mind? Had you done or said something that changed their minds?

-

The strange behaviour continued long after that dinner. The three of them were always around more, you always seemed to have one of them by your side.

They would invite you to have lunch and dinner with them and when you did, they would always make sure that you tried one of the decadent cakes Roach had made for them. They always took note of your preferences and made sure to have your favourites available in future meals.

Or that one time when you invited an offer to drink with them one evening and Edward had insisted that you were one of Stede's robes just because of how comfortable it was. He was right, it was insanely comfortable and you regretted having to take it off.

No, the trip the four of you took was weirder. The Revenge had docked off of some little island for a small vacation. Stede had called your little trip a 'nature walk' and had been very excited. It all seemed kind of romantic, it very much seemed like a date, and you couldn't help but wonder why you had been invited along with the three of them.

The gifts were probably the strangest part though. You had received a few new soft shirts from Stede. Edward had presented you with some rings and earrings that he obtained on a raid, as well as insisting you keep the robe he had asked you to wear that one evening. Izzy had even gotten you a new pair of boots, saying that yours were too worn down (he also got you some proper polish to keep good care of them).

You loved and appreciated all the gift, you just wished you understood why they were giving them to you in the first place.

-

You were in the galley, cleaning up after losing a game of cards with Roach. As was so typical these days, you had company.

Edward had sauntered in, offering you company, before searching through the cupboards to see if Roach was hiding any treats from the crew. You had pointed him in the direction of some sweets Roach had been working on but made him swear to take the blame when Roach found them missing.

You finished up the dishes, placing them were Roach had told you too, making sure they were secure in case of a rouge wave. As you closed the cabinet, you felt two strong arms slither around your waist.

"Those sweets were good," Edward hummed, comfortable tucking his chin against your shoulder.

You had to supress the shiver that threatened to run through you. Having Edward so close like this, in the galley where anyone could walk in, his breath against your ear.

"Did you eat all of them?" you asked, trying to ignore the feeling. Edward could be a pretty physical person, so you tried not to think too much about it.

"No..." Edward scoffed, before shyly adding, "most of them, saved the others for later."

You laughed fondly as you squirmed in his embrace, Edward only loosening his hold enough for you to turn and face him. "Roach is going to kill you," you warned, breath hitching slightly.

You shouldn't have turned around, Edward's chest pressed against yours now rather than your back. He felt even closer this way and you had to find a place to put your hands, you settled for resting them against his arms.

"We're wanted folks now, want a taste?" Edward wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

"Fuck it, you're taking the blame, right?" you gave in, though it really didn't take much to convince you.

"'course, you have my word," he vowed and then his mouth was on yours.

The little sound of surprise you made was silenced by the sudden kiss, you should have known better than to assume he was actually going to give you one of the sweets. At least things were beginning to go back to some sense of normalcy. The day trips and gifts were confusing, at least this made sense.

Coming to your senses, you melted right into the kiss. You could still taste the lingering sweetness on his lips, on his tongue. Edward's kisses were always all consuming, nearly possessive, as he surrounded you in every way he could.

The bottom of your back bumped into the counter as Edward pressed further against you. Your arms slipped around his neck and you buried your hands in his soft hair, as he hauled you up and sat you down on the counter, stepped between your legs. Always staying close, always keeping his body pressed against yours.

"Fuck, I love that man but Stede's taking things too slow," Edward groaned when you hooked a leg around his waist.

"It's sweet if he thinks I still need seducing," you mused, cursing the wave of fondness you felt for the blond.

"We're not seducing you. We're courting you," Edward corrected, dipping his head down to kiss along your neck.

"A fancy word for seducing," you huffed. At least that was the truth in your experience.

Edward seemed to pick up on how much you actually believed that, pressing a light kiss to your jaw before pulling away enough to meet your gaze. "Nah, no, I don't think so," he shook his head, frowning slightly. "I think we all have to talk," he stroked up and down your side.

"Is everything alright?" you asked, a little thrown by the serious look on his face.

"Yeah, just come for a drink after supper tonight?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, sure," you agreed, smiling a little when he pressed a quick kiss to your lips before helping you down from the counter.

-

After supper, though you didn't eat much because of your growing nerves about whatever Edward thought you had to talk about, you went to the captains' cabin. You knocked and Stede ushered you inside, telling you that you never had to knock, that you were always welcome.

The four of you sat at the dining table. Stede had originally wanted to sit in front of the fireplace as that would be more comfortable but that would likely mean that some of you would be sitting beside each other on the settee while others were sitting alone on the armchairs. That just didn't feel right to him, that rather defeated the point of expressing that everyone was equal in this relationship. This way, you were all sitting separately but close, and able to see each other.

There was a platter of small sandwiches and cakes in the centre of the table, and Stede had poured each of you a cup a tea, the way you each liked it. He then sat back in his seat, giving you a nervous smile before sipping from his teacup.

"Alright, so...you wanted to talk about something?" you asked, glancing between the three men when nobody started a conversation.

"Yes, well, Edward rather sprung this on us. I mean we planned on doing it, of course, but not tonight in particular," Stede began. You imagined he was the type to rehearse a speech, and you could just imagine him flittering about attempting to prepare after Edward told him that you were coming by for a talk.

"If you want to end things, you know you can just say it, right?" you could sense the tension in the three men, all of which seemed nervous in their own ways. You just wanted to ease their nerves a little, make it easier for them and for yourself.

"What? No!" Edward looked at you with wide eyes, having nearly choked on his tea. Izzy just tensed, the grip on his cup tightening.

"I mean, yes, we know we could just say it if that's how we felt, but that isn't what we want," Stede assured you, trying to steer you away from that assumption as quickly as possible. "We would very much like you here," he reiterated, just in case you still misunderstood what he was trying to say.

"Alright. So, what is it?" you asked. They might not be asking you to leave but something seemed wrong.

"You want to be here, right?" Izzy suddenly questioned you. If your mind was going straight to ending whatever it was you thought the four of you were doing, did you want to put an end to it?

Stede faltered for a moment as he placed his teacup down. He felt like he was losing control over things, seeing that Izzy's insecurities were starting to rear their head. He was worried you were going to leave now. One problem at a time.

"Yeah. Wouldn't be here if I didn't, don't worry about that," you assured him that you weren't being pressured into anything with a small smile.

"Well, that is good to hear. Do you mind if I ask in what capacity you want to be here?" Stede asked.

"Oh, well...I mean, I guess that's on the three of you. It's your relationship and all," you shrugged, taking a gulp of tea to try to force down the lump raising in your chest.

All three of them felt their hearts ache at your words. It was your relationship too! They had clearly let you down, hadn't expressed that well enough, they would have to change that.

"Stede," Izzy sighed, a quiet plea. He remembered being in your position and if they had asked him that, he would have probably had a panic attack. He definitely would have lied.

"Maybe we should tell them...what we want?" Edward suggested, looking to Stede to see if he agreed. The three of them really had gotten better at communicating but they didn't think they would ever have to have this conversation again, not until you came along.

"Ah, yes, of course, Love," Stede agreed before looking at you again, "I think there might have been some miscommunication on our part, about your place in the relationship."

You tensed, growing a little defensive, ready to protect yourself. Izzy recognised the emotions on your face instantly but he had faith that you weren't a coward like him, that you wouldn't run off before they could explain everything like he had done.

"We just kind of thought you...knew," Edward confessed, though it made nothing clearer for you.

"Knew what?" you frowned, still feeling completely lost. Maybe even more so than before.

"That we wanted to be with you," Stede stated, "that we wanted you to be with us."

"Yeah, I picked up on that," you laughed a little, looking nothing but confused.

"Ah, see, this is the miscommunication I mentioned," Stede sighed, looking sympathetic and a little guilty. "We don't want a casual relationship with you, nor do we want you to feel as if we are bringing you into our relationship as...an extra part," he explained.

"Alright..." you nodded thoughtfully before asking, "then what do you want?"

"We should have made it clear in the first place and we're sorry for that. We want you to be a part of our relationship, it would be your relationship. Ours. The four of us," Stede clarified.

"We fucking love you, mate," Edward blurted out, but he sounded completely sincere. Looking at you with those big, expressive eyes.

"Maybe a bit strong, Ed," Izzy mumbled, watching your face for your reaction. You looked like you were putting puzzle pieces together.

"But it's the truth and that's the whole point of this conversation. We fucking love you and we want to be with you, properly. Want all that soft shit with you too," Edward continued, reaching out to take hold of your hand. You didn't pull your hand away but you didn't hold his back either.

"Soft shit?" you asked quietly.

"Yeah, like...having meals together, getting ready together in the morning, listening to Stede read," Edward listed, and those activities did sound nice to you. "Do you read?" he suddenly asked, realising he didn't know the answer.

"Yeah, I can read," you nodded dumbly.

"They've been helping me keep the logs, Ed," Izzy reminded him. It had been one of those jobs they had asked you to assist with as an excuse to spend time with you.

"Oh, shit, sorry, I don't really pay attention to that stuff anymore," Edward confessed, feeling a little bad. He should have known if you could read or not. "You can read with Stede, or clean your weapons with Iz, or come for an afternoon nap with me. All that kinda stuff. Y'know, relationship things," he continued.

Yeah, that 'soft shit' sounded really nice...

"We want you to feel like you belong with the three of us, because we already feel that way about you," Stede smiled as you tore your gaze away from Edward to look at him, "I suppose, what this all comes down to is that we would like to make it official. The four of us."

You looked between the three men, the feeling of fondness and adoration in your heart swelling. It was almost impossible to believe that they all cared for you, wanted you like that, might even love you. Edward wouldn't lie about that, after all.

"I can't," your voice cracked as you pulled your hand out of Edward's gentle grasp, nearly sobbing at the wounded sound he made.

"Why not?" Stede asked carefully, his heart breaking at the rejection but searching for an explanation. He couldn't help but think that the three of them were going to be messes for a little while...

"This isn't something I can have, not like the three of you," you shook you head, staring down at your lap. "I don't...I don't get to keep nice things," your voice came out much quieter than you had expected.

"Darling..." Stede wanted nothing more than to round the table and hold you, to comfort you, to tell you that you deserved all the nice things you wanted.

"Every nice thing I've ever had has been taken from me. Everyone I've ever loved is gone. I can't do this because...because I can't lose it again, it'd break me, okay?" you were pleading with them through glassy eyes, pleading with them to not break your heart. "The universe has made it pretty fucking clear, I don't deserve good things," you hadn't even noticed that your cheek were turning wet or that your breathing had become unsteady.

Your mind was reeling, every negative outcome coming to mind. Everything just felt like a little too much right now. Too heavy, too hard, too loud.

Surprising all four of you, it was Izzy that moved. He could sense your need to run away, he had felt that way once too, sometimes he still did.

Before you knew it, Izzy was on his knees in front of you, carefully taking your hands in his. "You gotta breath with me, yeah?" it was only when he spoke that you realised how difficult it had become to catch your breath.

The two captains brought their chairs around to sit on either side of you, but leaving enough space so that you didn't feel crowded. You focused on Izzy's breathing, syncing yours up to his.

Slowly, you got your breathing under control, Izzy's hold on your hands helping to ground you. Eventually you were breathing normally again and your mind felt a little clearer.

"Stede's fucking insane, he does this thing were he makes you feel all cherished and cared for. I know how you feel, I've never had nice things before, told myself I didn't need it. These two, they make you believe that you deserve love and kindness. And you must, if Ed and Stede care about you, you must deserve it because they certainly do," Izzy spoke, keeping his voice even. On either side of you, Edward and Stede gave him affectionate looks. "Fuck, they even managed to convince me," you laughed a little at that, the three of them thought that was a good sign.

"How did they convince you?" you asked.

"Just...did it. Treated me the way I needed to be treated, not the way I thought I deserved," Izzy honestly couldn't put it into words, it had been such a dizzying experience in the beginning. "Still don't believe it all the time, sometimes I still get scared that I'm going to lose it all and it will be like I never had it in the first place, but they always bring me back from that edge," he confessed.

"Hey," Edward scooted his chair closer, placing a hand on Izzy's shoulder and his other on your knee. "Plus, we're fucking pirates, yeah? We take what we want whether we think we deserve it or not."

"All you have to do is take it, we'll work on making sure you know how worthy you are of it," Stede promised, standing and placing a hand against your shoulder.

"It's a lot," you breathed out but lent into each of their touches.

"We'll go at whatever pace your comfortable with," Stede assured you.

You nodded slowly, thinking over it. A relationship with the three men you had fallen so hard for, it was too good to be true. And yet, here you sat between the three of them, their affections for you appearing to be very much real. In that moment you realised you were already into deep, whether you walked out of this cabin now or in a months time or in however many years, the hurt would be the same.

"Will one of you fucking kiss me or something?" you muttered, a smile playing on your lips.

Edward lunged forward, cupping your face in his hands and capturing your lips in a kiss. "Will you stay tonight?" he asked, barely pulling away at all.

"Just sleeping of course," Stede added quickly. "We want to do this right, this time," he squeezed your shoulder.

Letting Edward pull back, you looked between the three men, remembering the nights that you would pry yourself out of their embraces and leave their cabin. All because you had told yourself that you didn't deserve to be held by them. But the way they were all looking at you now...it was hard to keep thinking that way.

"Yeah...yeah, I'll stay," you agreed.

Stede smiled, leaning down and rewarding you with a sweet, lingering kiss.

When he released you, you pulled your hands out of Izzy's so that you could take his face in your hands. "Thank you," you whispered, leaning down to kiss him, smiling when he pushed himself up on his knees to meet you halfway.

You knew that Izzy wasn't good with words, so you appreciated how he had opened up to help bring you back to them, to bring you back from that self destructive part of yourself.

As promised, you stayed the night.

Stede had offered you something more comfortable to sleep in and the four of you had sat in front of the fire. Your head in Izzy's lap and Edward leaning against Stede's shoulder to follow along with the words as he read to the three of you. His voice steady and soothing.

You slept in the bed with them, all three of them somehow managing to touch you in some way, holding you close, making you feel safe and secure between them. That night you slept better than you had in a long time.

In the morning the four of you ate breakfast together before getting dressed and starting your days, feeling a lightness in your steps that you hadn't felt for a long time.

It had only been a few hours and you knew you were right. If you were to lose this, it would break you.

#israel hands x reader #izzy hands x reader #izzy hands #ofmd izzy #ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd x reader #edward teach x reader #stede bonnet x reader #steddy hands #steddyhands #steddyhands x reader

[talesfromthebandgeekmafia]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god too much to process I’m about to fucking cry I never cry at tv man THEY LEFT THEM IN AN INN 😭 PETE & LUCIUS GOT MARRIED. WHILE ED LOOKED AT STEDE. the whole crew—well not the whole crew. Izzy oh my god fuck man. They gave him the fucking thesis of the show. Our Flag Does Mean Fucking Death 🏳️‍🌈 our love for eachother and the community we’ve built will both outlive and tear down all of the walls that forced us to the margins

The fucking monkey’s paw got me man I was just thinking today about how my initial season 2 predictions ended with Izzy succumbing to his hubris and bitterness and dying for it I DIDNT KNOW. I DIDNT KNOW HOW HE’D TURN IT AROUND! Ah Fuck 😭 gonna try not to think about him at Calypso’s Birthday. He was so happy and at peace with himself. He finally had a real home and a community. He was a good first mate. He was part of the family. He died apologizing for making Ed feel like he couldn’t be loved and assuring him he was with his hand on his face saying ‘there he is’ but this time it’s Ed not Blackbeard 🥺 Rest In Peace darling Unicorn man I did not expect to end up loving you so much <3

but yeah pushing that gutwrenching tragedy aside for a second (wait nevermind actually because I just realized Izzy got shot in the right side aka the one which according to this show’s logic has all the important bits in it FUCK—) the entire crew is back on The Revenge PLUS Zheng and MOTHERFUCKIN SPANISH JACKIE!!!!!!! HOLY SHIT SPANISH JACKIE REGULAR CREW MEMBER POSSIBILITIES NEXT SEASON????? Fuck me even if our hard work doesn’t pan out (#renew as a crew) and we don’t get our third season I could live with this ending. Ed and Stede are happily retired fixing up an inn, they both know they love eachother, the rest of the crew is off together doing their pirate thing but still able to pop back and visit whenever. Though Ricky when they catch you Ricky you son of a bitch istg. Little weasel. Demeans Jackie, tries to wipe out an entire culture because they didn’t let him play pirate, assumes (of fucking course) that a white man is the real power behind Blackbeard’s glory not Ed’s tactical genius and martial skill. Murders Izzy putting a damper on an otherwise badass scene where everyone looks fucking incredible in their fancy matching coats.

I can’t with Our Flag Means Death man. Despite budget cuts and less episodes they fucking did it again. I know I’ve said it before but I seriously cannot understate how much ofmd means to me. What a season, everything I’d hoped for and more from my favorite show <3

#so much to process here #I can’t believe the season is over just like that #this show is all love man #there’ll never be anything quite like it again #ofmd #ofmd s2 #ofmd spoilers #ofmd s2 spoilers #our flag means death #renew as a crew #spilling the Tea

[tinsnip]

looking at stede's pretty new earring, and like

stede: marry me ed! please! please say you will!

ed: of course i will, dickfuck

stede: oh! you've made me the happiest man-- but wait! ed! i've got no ring for you!

ed: well i'm sure we can--

stede: WAIT I KNOW

ed: wait-- mate don't--

stede: AUUUUUUUUUUUUGH

ed: (wide-eyed horror)

stede: (eyes and nose streaming, half his ear missing, covered in blood) for you my darling

ed: (takes earring, flicks off the chunk of ear, slides it onto his finger)

stede: oh, look at that. it fits perfectly. you're gorgeous.

ed: (with deep, admiring love) you really are Bat Shit Insane.

stede: (heart eyes; passes out from blood loss)

#ofmd #krakhouse #gentlebeard

[tinytinybumblebee]

We all know Ed is a baby, a little little one. I need the world to know hes a babbler though. He “talks” constantly but its more just random noises & coos. Of course, stede thinks its adorable.

“Babababababa”

“Oh is that so?”

“Shbbbbpp”

“Wow! Thats so interesting, darling!”

It's a very important part of a baby's development that you reply to their babbles as if they're speaking real words!!

So, Stede is reading a book with his little squid sitting beside him. Occasionally, Ed will look up from his toys and gently pat at the page Stede's on and be like, "Dabbabbsbbabaa?"

And Stede smiles, "My, you really know what the author is getting at, dear! That's what I thought too." ♡♡♡♡

#agere #age regression #sfw #fandom agere #mailbox #ofmd #stede bonnet #edward teach

[our-death-means-flag]

Floral Scented Hugs

Ship: Stede Bonnet x Reader (ambiguous, could be romantic or platonic) Notes: You ask Stede for a hug. He goes all out.  There needs to be more Stede love out here! He’s a darling. So, I wrote out the whole scenario from the Headcanons: Hugging the Revenge Crew post. Warnings: none

“Uhhh… Captain?” You questioned softly. You couldn’t help but feel kind of anxious. All you’d done was ask Stede if he wanted a hug and he’d gone silent. “You… uh… Don’t have to… I mean… If you don’t want-”

“NO!” Stede cut off, making you both jump at the unexpected volume of the request. “I mean…. Yes, I do want a hug. Just… I need to prepare!” Stede seemed to snap out of his stupor and was immediately rushing off. He made it all the way around the corner before seemingly remembering that you’re still there and excitedly peeked his head back out of his cabin with a huge smile. “Come back to my cabin in two hours! After dinner, alright?” You nodded. Stede grinned wider somehow. “Great! Fantastic! That’s… Great!! See you soon! Toodle-loo!”

Then he fully disappeared into his cabin leaving you standing on the deck, very confused. “Okay?” You mumbled, more to yourself than anything else. “Okay.”

Two hours later you found yourself standing at the door of the captain’s cabin. You weren’t really sure how to prepare for a hug but you had changed into something softer than your usual sturdy clothes. You weren’t really nervous per se. You doubted you could mess this interaction up so badly you’d get hurt (not physically at least, that wasn’t Stede’s style) but it was very strange. Then again, having Stede as a captain had generally been really strange. He didn’t really act like any captain you’d served under or even any you’d heard about. 

You took a moment to compose yourself, then knocked on the door. Then almost jumped out of your skin when the door opened almost immediately and without any warning. Had Stede been standing just inside the door? 

“Ah! Y/N! Good to see you! Come on in!” He beamed, smiling brightly as he quickly ushered you inside. You couldn’t help but notice that he’d changed out of the bright blue suit he’d been wearing earlier into something that looked more like pajamas with a very soft looking golden banyan on top. (Admittedly you had also changed, though it had been mostly in order to save Stede’s fancy clothes from getting dirty.) Being in the captain's cabin was still odd. You felt so terribly out of place amongst all the finery.

“I made tea!” Stede explained excitedly, passing you a small but gorgeous porcelain tea cup. With Stede looking at you almost expectantly you took a quick drink and found it was actually really good. “ It’s  chamomile. Supposedly helps you relax!” He explained before quickly, going into a really unnecessarily ramble about that particular kind of tea and where he got it.

You listened politely, regardless, letting him ramble for a bit and took note of the fact that he was very rapidly drinking his own tea, downing gulps like a drunk in a bar. 

After he seemed to finish his rant, you were about to say something, but we’re very quickly interrupted when he decided to run off to his closet. At this point you were so used to Stede’s strangeness that you didn’t even blink at the fact that he had a secret closet. He emerged moments later holding armfuls of banyans and robes. “Oh! You can borrow one of these if you’d like!”

You gently set down your tea cup and looked at the fabric Stede was holding. All of it seemed incredibly soft and comfortable but also expensive. “Are you sure you don’t mind if I borrow one?” You were already gently holding onto one, a soft ocean blue one with subtle details, but you had to double check. That one article of clothing was more expensive than anything else you owned.

“Of course! You’re more than welcome to!” Stede smiled as he spoke. “I mean, I’ll admit I’m a bit of a clotheshorse and I can hardly wear them all at once!” He gently took the robe from you and draped it over your shoulders, still smiling.

Stede immediately jumped into another monologue. You couldn’t help but notice that it seemed more stilted than usual. Sure he talked a lot, but it was usually some kind of passion behind what he was saying but he seemed very nervous. It sounded oddly formal.

When he paused, you finally got the courage to say something, “Stede, are you doing alright? You seem kind of nervous. We talk things through…” you prompted. 

“… as a crew.” Stede seemed happily surprised by you using his own catch phrase against him. But he sighed, busying himself by refilling his own cup and topping yours off. “I suppose I did get  a tad carried away. I’m not quite sure myself what one does before a hug… I wouldn’t know…”

That made you stare. What? Stede, the guy who’d gotten you a care package when you joined his crew, who’d been so eager to invite you into his luxurious cabin and who (despite his lack of experience) clearly cared about his crew, had never been hugged?

He seemed to notice your surprise. “I’m aware it sounds odd. You see in the circles I’ve lived in my whole life it’s been seen as rather improper.” He sounded almost ashamed, like a part still thought it was improper. “Not that I had many friends, even if it wasn’t…”  He was breaking your heart out here. Stede took a deep breath. “ I’m sure I’ve already fumbled this. This is ridiculous. I-I’m so sorry for wasting your time.”

You were quick to jump in to comfort him. “Hey no, don’t worry you haven’t messed anything up nor have you wasted my time.” You gave him your best comforting smile. “ Besides we’re pirates, and last I checked, pirates don’t care what’s improper.” He gave you such a soft hopeful look that you had to keep talking. “Honestly, I’m kind of looking forward to whatever you have planned.”

He looked up at you with huge puppy dog eyes. “Well, then.” His voice cracked a little bit but he continued confidently anyway.  Quickly jumping to his feet and offering you his hand. “I can hardly disappoint you at this point can I?”

You smiled. “Would be rather rude to do so, yes.” You replied as he took your hand and pulled you up. He sat down on the bed and patted the mattress next to him. Stede’s bed was undoubtedly the softest thing you’d ever touched in your life and it took self control to not sink into it.

After a pause, Stede chimed in with a strained but chipper, “So! Hugs? What… erm… How does one go about that?”

You smiled. “Well, may I take the lead, Captain?”

“By all means!” Stede seemed nervous but was still smiling.

You adjusted a little then gently pulled him into your arms. He tensed, his own hands resting against your back as little as possible. You were a little caught off guard by how strong Stede’s whole body felt, with how clumsy he usually was and how many layers he normally wore, you’d never noticed. You feel him relax. After a moment or two he breathed a deep sigh of relief and just melted into your arms, holding onto you tighter, not enough to be uncomfortable.. You realize that you’ve been running your hand up and down Stede’s back the whole time. You consider stopping but he hasn’t said anything about it so you don’t. 

“This…” Stede mumbles into your shoulder and if he wasn’t so close you definitely wouldn’t have heard it. “This is very nice.” He hummed in contentment, rubbing his face against your shoulder. 

After a nice long hug he pulls away. He’s smiling and his hair is a bit messy. It actually looks really cute on him. “Thank you!” He pats you twice on the back, probably a bit harder than he meant to, considering that you stumble a tad and almost fall in his lap. “Eek! Sorry!” He apologizes immediately, clearly looking concerned. 

You laughed a little. “Of course, happy to help, captain!”

“Stede, call me Stede.” He said quickly, eyes widening as he said it. 

You smiled. “Well then, thanks for all this,” You motioned at the banyan and the cabin in general. “Thanks for the lovely hug, Stede.”

He beamed wider than you’d ever seen. “Of course! I’m glad I didn’t mess it up.” He was almost sheepish.

“I’m no hug expert, in fact I doubt that exists, but I can say that it was a very good one.” You complimented. Stede puffed his chest out a little, clearly proud of himself. “Just say the word if you’d like to do this again.”

“Of course! Have a lovely night, Y/N!” You nodded and stood, already slipping the banyan off. “No, no.” Stede fussed standing alongside you and gently moving the fabric back in place. You raised a brow. “Keep it.”

You stared, stunned, as you toyed with the end of one of the sleeves. It was incredibly soft and comfortable. “I… Are you sure?” You could tell that just this one garment was worth more than everything else you owned combined. It was shocking enough that he let you borrow it but now he was letting you keep it?

“Yes, of course! It suits you incredibly well.” Stede patted you on the shoulder. “I insist!” His voice wasn’t commanding but you could tell that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. It was a very nice banyan.

You smiled. “Thank you. I really appreciate it.” You made your way across the captain’s cabin, clutching your new banyan to yourself tightly. “Good night, cap- erm… Good night, Stede.” You fumbled, all your instincts telling you to call him captain. 

Despite that, Stede didn’t seem annoyed. He simply waved. “See you tomorrow.” 

“Of course! See you tomorrow.” You closed the door to the cabin carefully, not wanting to make too much noise and risk waking anyone. Luckily the crew was all asleep already so you wouldn’t have to explain why you were wearing the captain’s clothes sneaking out of the captain’s cabin after dark. The jokes that Lucius would make… But you could see him, fast asleep against Black Pete’s side. The only one awake was Buttons, who gave you a nod of acknowledgement which you returned (while keeping your gaze averted), and you doubted he’d care.

You made your way back to your cabin. You hadn’t expected to have your own cabin but the ship was huge and Stede was Stede so you ended up with one. It was definitely nice to have your own space. You gently took the banyan off and folded it nicely (even rubbing the spot on your desk where you were planning on placing it down as if to clean it). Sleepily, you changed into your sleepwear and almost collapsed when your attention was pulled back to the soft fabric on your desk. Before you could talk yourself out of it, you grabbed it and put it on before climbing into bed.

As you got comfortable, you realized that everything smelled nice. Like a soft but not overpowering floral smell. You confirmed your suspicions when you sniffed the banyan. It smelled like flowers.

You smiled and fell asleep surrounded by the smell.

#ofmd x reader #ofmd #ofmd stede #stede bonnet x reader #our flag means death #our flag means death x reader

[saltpepperbeard]

OBLIGATORY COMPLETE OFMD SEASON 2 TEASER THOUGHTS AND SPECULATION POST™

Okay, to start off, I cannot BELIEVE we got this. I cannot BELIEVE we got a voiceover of Stede's note to Ed. We were all thinking it. We were all hoping for it. I CANNOT BELIEVE WE LEGITIMATELY GOT TO SEE AND HEAR HIS LOVE RIGHT OFF THE BAT. HE LOVES HIS ED SO SO MUCH.

Followed by this shot right as Stede is narrating. It's difficult to tell, but it seems like Ed??? The one-armed jacket and the fact that it's layered with Stede's narration makes me quite certain it's him. But ALONE??? AND COMING OUT OF THE SURF??? (There's a shot later that has me PARTICULARLY raising eyebrows at this moment. I'm thinking that he fell off the boat/was lost in that one storm shown later, and Stede of course is going to dive in after him or attempt to get to him in some sort of dramatic way. Which makes me think he and Stede are going to potentially talk feelings/reconcile on the beach)

And the fight choreography of this. Are you actually kidding me right now. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. GETTING TO SEE ED ABSOLUTELY KICKING ASS IN COMBAT??? NEVER IN A THOUSAND YEARS DID I EXPECT TO SEE A SHOT LIKE THIS BUT I'M HOLLERING SO HARD OVER IT (NOT TO MENTION, AGAIN, LOOKING AT THIS AND A LATER SHOT..........I'LL SCREAM ABOUT MY THOUGHTS WHEN SAID SHOT APPEARS HSKDLS)

Oh, they're PINING pining. They're YEARNING yearning. They're GAY gay.

They want to be back with each other so so so bad I'm losing my mind <3

"Fuck you, Stede Bonnet." The way he's JUST as dramatic as we were all thinking. The way he's hurting in a way WE ALL ANTICIPATED. LIKE, YOU HATE TO SEE IT, BUT MAN DSJKLDSSDKL. Also, the contrast of him saying that vs Stede's voice over is so so insane. The editors are INSANE FOR THAT ONE.

AGAIN, GOING BONKERS OVER ED'S CHARACTERIZATION BECAUSE HE SEEMS EXACTLY HOW I ANTICIPATED. Outwardly, angry, hardened, and cold. Inwardly, heartbroken, desperate, and wanting nothing more than to be back with Stede. Because hello, HELLO, HE'S NOTCHED WHAT I ASSUME TO BE HIS NUMBER OF DAYS WITHOUT STEDE IN THE WALL??????

HI OLU HELLO OLU MY DEAR DARLING OLU

but also screaming and crying and throwing up because this is ALSO what i was anticipating/hoping for. the crew being like "ummmmm lmao captain?? you really think you've got this under control???"

"You think Blackbeard's going to murder you?" I THINK NOT BECAUSE WHAT IS HE EVEN SHOOTING AT JSLDKS. OFF TO THE SIDE??? A WARNING SHOT????? Also the lighting of this and his look matches the ending shot so I'm very eyes emoji at this entire thing.

HOWEVER...

"MURDERER THRICE OVER?????????????"

Like sorry, that sign won't stop me because I can't read. Look at him. LOOK at him. You're telling me he stole the wedding cake toppers so he could PAINT HIMSELF ON THE BRIDE??? SO HE COULD MAKE HIMSELF INTO THE BEAUTIFUL BRIDE HE WANTS TO BE????? SO THAT HE COULD PLAY PRETEND MARRIAGE BETWEEN HIMSELF AND STEDE???????

INSANE!!!

INSANE FOR THIS!!!!!!

Again, bonkers editing. The split screen. The CONTRAST between Stede's hopefulness and Ed's depression. The WAY THEY LINED IT UP TO MAKE ED LOOK LIKE HE'S TAKING AIM AT STEDE. THE WAY THIS PROBABLY PERFECTLY ENCAPSULATES THEIR CHARACTERIZATION IN THE FIRST FEW EPISODES HSDJKLSDS LIKE BITING THE EDITORS BITING THEM BITING THEM

ALSO ED AND ALL OF HIS GUNS,,, NINE GUNS???????

It kills me because he's probably being exactly what he thinks people see him as. He's probably like "Oh, you want a monster? I'll give you a monster."

WHICH,,,, NO, HONEY. YOU'RE A SWEETHEART, SORRY ABOUT IT.

AND THEN LOOK AT THEM. LOOK AT OUR DARLINGS!!! FANG'S FUCKING SPIKES ARE SO METAL. FRENCHIE'S WOLVERINE COSPLAY SHDJKLSHDLKS. JIM!!! JIM JIM MY BELOVED JIM, AND THEIR PAINTED BEARD. THEIR GENDER!!!!!!!

Honey hsdksjds the drama of it all. THE DRAMA. CRASHING WEDDINGS TO DISRUPT LOVE BECAUSE YOUR OWN WAS DISRUPTED??? SIIIIIIRRRR THE THEATRICS, THE SPICE OF IT ALL

excuse me ma'am that is a gay man shdkjshkls THAT IS A GAY MAN. WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING,,,

kiss me instead like wtf

OKAY NOW THIS,,,

THIS.

PRESIDENTIAL ALERT: THE BABYGIRL IS FIGHHHTTTTIIIING

BUT IZZY WATCHING ON??? IZZY????????????

I have Genuine Thoughts™ about this. I have a feeling that the big arc/character development Con mentioned might pertain to him like, REALIZING what's important, and what Ed actually wants and needs. And a good chunk of that will be him realizing the consequences of his actions, and maybe potentially wanting to undo the damage. And also, in his Bitchy Izzy Ways™, he might also get very very tired of Ed's sulking/theatrics and want to rectify things for that reason too.

So I feel like he's going to sort of team up with Stede and show him the ropes for that reason?? So they ALL can work towards betterment???

WHICH IS NUTS LMAO. NEVER EVER EXPECTED THAT.

REGARDLESS, GO STEDE BABY GO!!!

HI REVENGE HELLO REVENGE PLEASE DON'T DO ANYTHING DRASTIC LIKE EXPLODE OR ANYTHING PLEASE BABYGIRL <3

yeah yeah the titties we've all seen them.

BUT AGAIN, AGAIN, STEDE OFF TO THE SIDE. STEDE WATCHING. STEDE LEARNING THE ROPES FROM THE MOST UNEXPECTED PERSON EVER SHDJKSDS LIKE WHAT!!!

AND HEEEEEEERE WE GO. HERE'S THE SHOT I WAS REFERRING TO EARLIER.

THE SAME BLACK SAND BEACH. FIGHTING THE BRITISH. ED AND STEDE. ED WITHOUT HIS MAKEUP ON. STEDE IN A DIFFERENT OUTFIT.

ARE THEY BOTH,,, FIGHTING TO GET TO EACH OTHER??? FIGHTING THROUGH CROWDS AND ENEMIES TO GET TO EACH OTHER'S SIDES???????

WHAT IF THEY FIGHT TO EACH OTHER AND THEN KISS HUH???

WHAT THEN.

HIIIIIIYYYAAAA JACKIE <33333

ALSO HELLO IS THAT THE SWEDE BEHIND HER???????

EXPLOSIONS FIRE EXPLOSIONS EXPLOSIONS FEELING VERY WEE JOHN CODED RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

AND THIS IS YET ANOTHER SHOT I WAS REFERRING TO EARLIER,,,

LIKE UHHHHHHHHHHHHH

WITH ED ON THE BEACH, AND THIS SHOT OF SOMEONE FALLING INTO THE WATER,,,,,,

I HAVE A FEELING THAT ED IS GOING TO DO SOMETHING THAT ENDS WITH HIM FALLING OFF THE BOAT. MAYBE HE TRIES TO SAVE SOMEONE???

if he fights to save stede from going overboard or something equivalent i'm going to eat all the tiles off my floor <3

LIKE IT'S BAD BESTIES. IT'S BAD. IT'S DIRE. THE WATER IS SO FUCKING HIGH AND THEY'RE IN A STORM AND JIM IS SCREAMING AND I AM ALSO SCREAMING!!!

But then also, LOOK AT FUCKING WEE JOHN!!! IN DRAG!!! HE'S A FUCKING MERMAID!!! JIM ISN'T A MERMAID???? WELL, THAT'S FINE--WEE JOHN IS!!! LIVING HIS BEST FUCKING LIFE!!!!! AND WHAT IF HE MADE THAT COSTUME HIMSELF SJDKSDJLS <3

AND THE FINAL SHOT I'M CHOOSING, THE FINAL ONE OF THE SET,,, MATCHES UP WITH THAT LIGHTING EARLIER.

WHO ARE WE FIGHTING, ED BABE. WHAT'S THE TEA. WHO ARE YOU CLOBBERING.

IS IT US?

IT'S PROBABLY US.

BECAUSE THIS ENTIRE THING HAS ME SO SO SO DEAD Y'ALL

#OFMD #Our Flag Means Death #OFMD Season 2 #OFMD S2 #OFMD S2 Teaser #OFMD Season 2 Spoilers #Gentlebeard #Blackbonnet #Edward Teach #Stede Bonnet #Oluwande Boodhari #Jim Jimenez #Frenchie #Fang #Izzy Hands #Spanish Jackie #Revenge Rambles #OKAY NOW I'M ALL OUT OF JUICE HSDLJKSS #ALL OUT OF BRAIN POWER #BUT MAN #MAN!!! #SO SO SO OSO SO SODOSJDKLSDKLS EXCITED

[izzyeffinhands]

-holds out a bouquet of wildflowers and Izzy’s favorite sweet treat.- Will you be my Valentine, Israel?

“ I’d say laying in your bed constitutes I am indeed your Valentine, but of course I’ll be. “

And though he’s all smiles and takes the flowers happily, giving them a sniff, his eyes drift to the little pink box. “ Why that looks like it’s chocolate and coffee eclair sized.. “ He hoped, but then yanked him forward so he could give him a kiss. “ Thank you darling. You brought me just what I want to devour for breakfast. A sweet treat and a Stede. “

#avastyetwats #he’s so happy and cute xD #they’re cute #hold me close and hold me fast #valentines day

[brigdh]

Okay I'm really curious about "Seme/uke-ifed ship"

The WIP meme!

Thank you!

Ahahaha, okay, I saw a prompt asking writers to deliberately lean into OOC seme/uke stereotypes, complete with giant yaoi hands, regardless of how little they actually fit your ship. This was my silly result. This is another one where I'll just post the whole thing because I never intended to publish it (among other reasons, it involves me being mean about some common tropes).

Also, wow, on rereading I feel like I should note that I wrote this months ago, long before Stede's dream in 2x01.

“I’ve come to rescue you,” Stede said, “from Izzy.” 

Ed’s hand loosened around the hilt of his knife in shocked confusion. He opened his mouth to curse Stede out, but instead what he said was, “Rescue me?”

“Oh, my darling, yes.” Stede kept coming forward, despite Ed’s bewildered backwards steps. Stede looked golden in the late afternoon sunlight that was just beginning to break through the clouds. He’d grown a beard, the short hairs just a bit redder than the waves on his head. Ed was not thinking about what it would feel like against his skin, if it would be scratchy or soft. He was distracted enough that he let Stede back him up against a wall, and then there was nowhere else to retreat to.

Stede’s hand, outstretched all this time, finally made contact with Ed’s cheek. It was big enough to touch from his hairline to his chin. “The crew told me everything,” Stede whispered.

Ed jerked his head away, but Stede just kept going in the same confident tone of voice. “How sad you were. How trapped. How Izzy marooned them.”

“Izzy?” Ed stared at Stede, but his attention was caught by the black smudge on Stede’s fingers, still hovering between them. Ed’s face paint, transferred to Stede. A dark and possessive hunger shot suddenly through him. He’d put that mark on Stede, stained him. “Yeah, that was all Izzy’s idea. Definitely.”

“I know, dear, of course I know.” Stede crowded closer, his broad shoulders cutting off Ed’s view of the rest of the deck. Ed fisted his hands in the front of Stede’s shirt, pulling him even closer. It wasn’t silk or cashmere or any of the fine fabrics he was used to on Stede; it was something stiff and scratchy, but that didn’t matter. It was still Stede. “I know you could never have been responsible for such an action. I knew right away that it must have been that horrible little man. But I’m here now. I’ll keep you safe from him.”

Ed swallowed down a burst of manic laughter, fighting it back by biting his lip and blinking his eyes up at Stede. Stede seemed taller; it must be those new boots. “Really?” Ed whispered, pitching his voice higher and more tremulous than his usual habit. “Do you promise?”

“I promise, my love.” Stede surged closer, his arms tightening around Ed. One broad hand rested at Ed’s waist, nearly big enough to wrap around it. Ed shivered with anticipation, exaggerating the movement so Stede would feel him trembling. “Oh,” Stede cooed right on cue. “Look at you. There’s no need to be afraid. I won’t let Izzy hurt you.” 

Ed tucked his face against Stede’s shoulder, rubbing his cheek to smear more of his kohl onto Stede. “You can’t trust him. Please. He’ll tell you lies about me, it’s what he always does – “

“Don’t worry. I would never believe him over you.”

“You can’t let him go, either. Last time he sold us out to the British. He’ll do it again.” Ed spared a brief moment to send a silent apology to Izzy, who had honestly been quite helpful lately. But he wasn’t going to let Stede back out of this again. He had to make sure this was permanent, no escape possible. Blood on Stede’s hands was the surest way. “Stede, you have to… I think you need to….”

Stede shushed him, one hand cupping the back of Ed’s head and gently combing through his hair. “I will. I’ll take care of it.”

Ed pulled back just enough to meet Stede’s gaze. He lifted a hand to Stede’s jaw, brushed his thumb through the copper-colored beard. “Will you do it yourself? I don’t trust anyone else, Stede.”

Stede went a little pale beneath his new tan. “Well – I –“

“Please?” Ed whispered. “I’ll feel safer if I know you did it.”

Stede swallowed, the bob of his Adam’s apple brushing against Ed’s fingers, then nodded. The set of his shoulders firmed. “If that’s what you need, Ed, of course. I’ll do it. I would do anything for you. I – I love you.”

“No one else has ever told me that,” Ed lied. 

Stede seemed content to stare into Ed’s eyes for a long moment, long enough that Ed decides to move things along. He let his fingers drift down along the neckline of Stede’s shirt, then curled them into the lowest point of the V. “Take me to bed?” Ed asked, glancing back up at Stede through his lashes.

Stede tightened his arm around Ed’s shoulders, then abruptly bent and scooped up Ed’s legs in his other arm. Ed choked, briefly shocked to find himself being carried like a bride. He didn’t think Stede had been this strong before; he must have spent his time away working out. It was a strange sensation, but not entirely unpleasant. Something new, at least. It boded well for Stede’s devotion to Ed.

As Stede whirled them across the deck to the captain’s quarters, Ed briefly met Jim’s eyes. They were standing beside Oluwande, their hand clutching his sleeve. They’d been smiling, but as soon as they saw Ed, their face went blank, expressionless except for a slight narrowing of their eyes. Near them, Frenchie stared as well, moving slightly to be more behind Jim. Ed smiled at them both and tucked his head against Stede’s shoulder. He’d have to figure out what to do about them, but he had time to plan. He had no doubt about his ability to keep Stede distracted for the next few hours. 

#meme #also gaslight gatekeep girlboss forever babygirl. you're insane and I'm so here for it

[polyamoryprincess]

Ed: I mean, I get it, mate, probably more than most, Izzy has this way ‘bout him, but you say it’s… different, the way you feel about him and me, wha’s that mean… exactly?

Stede: Uh, well, I-I’ve quite unexpectedly come to… enjoy his company, when he’s not berating anyone, of course. He’s smart, and-and quite funny when he deigns to be, a lot less ruthless than I believed him to be, even though he’d hate me for saying so, and-

Ed: And that’s how he’s… different from me?

Stede: What? Oh! No! No, of course not. You’re funny, and kind, and everything I never knew I wanted, you’re-you’re perfect, Ed. Goodness, I’m explaining this all wrong.

Ed: A bit, yea.

Stede: I… When I look at you… at your darling face… it’s like I want to give you everything and anything. I want to wrap you in every exquisite fabric there is, give you every jewel, serve you tea and sweets until all your teeth fall out and spend the rest of my days mashing your food for you, chew it for you if I must.

Ed: …

Stede: …Too much?

Ed: You are so fucking insane, man, ‘course it’s not too much. Christ, I fuckin’ love you.

Stede: Oh… haha… well… That’s-That’s good then. I-I love you too.

Ed: I know. Keep talkin’, love.

Stede: Right…, right. When I look at Izzy….

Ed: Yeah?

Stede: I just want to bite him.

Ed: oh ho!

Stede: And not to hurt him or for-for… carnal… reasons. Sometimes I want to just take the meat of his cheek or his neck… and just… hold him there between my teeth.

Ed: Alright… o kay…

Stede: Do you think there’s something terribly wrong with me? Are you upset? Oh, Edward, I’m so sorry.

Ed: Hm, I- no? I mean, you’re still a fuckin’ lunatic, but I’m not upset, at least, not anymore.

Stede: Really? Oh, Ed, that’s such a relief! I’ll never be led astray again, darling, I’m so sorry I let it get this far.

Ed: Hmm, I don’t know about that, love.

Stede: What? What do you mean? I give you my word, I will never-

Ed: Pretty sure you’re a bit in love with him, mate.

Stede: Oh… Oh. Oh dear.

#steddy hands #steddyhands #ofmd #our flag means death #mini fic #I’ve been thinking about this a lot but I couldn’t commit #So here #gentlebeard #stizzy #Ofmd Izzy hands #ofmd edward teach #ofmd Stede bonnet #It’s related to that other post I made about Izzy teaching Stede how to have sex #Hopefully the emotions still come across even without actions lines #blackhands

[straightupsickfics]

One might think that as a pirate, stabbing is something you get used to, over time. Stede Bonnet is taken by surprise every time, however, and this time is no different. He's mid-sentence, asking Oluwande what he thinks their best course of action is, half of him looking around for Ed, when it happens.

He doesn't even register the pain, not at first, just the sound of the blade on — or, well, through — his skin. The pain comes after, sudden and then all at once, but before he can hone in on it, Stede passes out.

.

This time, when Stede wakes up, sweaty and feverish and entirely disoriented, it isn't Mary he's calling for, not that he recalls that first time, though Ed has told him. No, this time he's calling for Ed, and Ed, miraculously, answers. And not just that, but Ed's right beside him, brown eyes almost black in the dimly lit quarters, his hand, Stede notices belatedly, already tangled in Stede's own.

"Oh," Stede manages, the sound more like a croak than anything. His mouth is so dry he has to wonder how long he's been out. "Ed," he says.

"Stede," Ed says, voice cracking as he says it.

"Did they miss...the important bits?" Stede asks, wincing as he shifts in bed. He'd hoped to illicit a bit of a laugh from Edward, but the question has the opposite effect, and Ed glares at him.

"Yes, and you're fucking lucky for it," Ed growls. "And so are they. Fuck, Stede, do you have any idea—" he trails off, gives Stede's hand a squeeze as if to remind himself that Stede is fine, is right beside him, in fact, before he continues.

"Do you have any idea what it was like, turning around and you're—" Ed stops again, apparently unable to put to words what it was like, and it's Stede's turn to give Ed a squeeze now, grounding them both.

"It's alright, love," Stede says serenely. The stab wound is throbbing painfully and he certainly doesn't feel alright, but Ed is there, and in his dream he'd been entirely alone, lost at sea and unable to call out for Ed at all.

Painful as it may be, this is the better option, surely.

"Alright?" Ed repeats, incredulous. "You're unbelievable, you know that? I just." He stops, swipes angrily at his eyes, which is how Stede learns he's crying, then continues. "Just got you back, then you go and jump in front of a fucking sword? You're a lunatic," Ed concludes.

Stede smiles a little at that, one of the first things Ed ever said to him. "Thought you liked that about me." He doesn't mention that he had hardly jumped in front of the sword. He'd merely been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Ed huffs a sigh, but the corner of his mouth quirks up, the tiniest glimmer of a smile, and Stede decides to take that as a win.

"Come here, my love," Stede says, shifting again to make room beside him in the bed.

"Don't— Stede, the bandages..." Ed protests.

Stede's already moving, though, shifting over to the side of the bed closest to the window, leaving room enough for Ed to fit beside him. He shouldn't, and Stede knows they both know he shouldn't, but Ed makes it work, wincing as he removes his knee brace and tucks himself gingerly around Stede. He wastes no time burying his face in the crook of Stede's neck, mumbling unintelligibly as they cling onto each other.

"Speak up, darling," Stede says, petting Ed's hair.

Ed shakes his head, looking up at Stede with bloodshot, watery eyes that make Stede's own eyes prick with emotion.

"Fuck off," Ed says. "You scared me. Not used to... not wanting people to die. Would've fucking killed that fucking—"

Stede stops him with a kiss. "I know," he says. "But I'm okay, aren't I? I'll be right as rain in a few days, my love, you're not getting rid of me again so soon. I'm afraid you're stuck with me now."

Ed stares at him for a moment, his expression slowly softening. "Fuck off," he repeats, quietly this time, then kisses Stede slowly, careful not to disturb the bandages. He kisses him like he's something precious, something to be protected, and for once, Stede believes him.

#releasing this tiny ficlet from my drafts #of//md #my fic