#edward teach x femreader

Description: Heartbreak is one hell of a bitch. And one Edward Teach could tell you all about it. Yet thanks to Fate being a little trickster, there’s a person who enters his life to remind him of how nice it is of having someone he can confide in, someone he can care about, and someone he can trust. To remind him, what it means to have a friend for better or worse.  

Part Summary: Buttons wasn’t your favorite member of the crew by any means, he was far from it, actually. But when the crew gets to know that he’s celebrating his 600th basking in the moonlight, you all decide to join this strange, exceptional ritual.

Word counter: 6.1 K

A/N:Yes. The name of this part is a clear reference to Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest.
Also, I realize that the chapter is fucking long as shit and that ‘The Wellerman’ (a New Zealand shanty) was sung a century later (c. 1860-70), but I think that imagining the entire crew just standing there, singing it, that would be so fucking dope. Also, who the fuck cares about accuracy? The show itself ain’t accurate, and Taika, Rhys, and David don’t care in the slightest.

One last thing: I know using the term 'sea shanty’ isn’t accurate, but it’s just catchier and fun to use.

Tagging:@le–petit–croissant@missdictatorme@soliyra-the-sunbringer

Series master list:  h e r e   | Series play list:  h e r e

A month passed by just like that. A whole month of plundering, adventures, and all sorts of exciting daily activities.
It was pretty usual to stop by in a harbor time you met on your way to replenish all the supplies you might need; whether it was a barrel full of oranges, food, or gunpowder. Each time you stopped there, Izzy was trying to sell you with all the desperation he had inside of himself; and yet, to Izzy’s bad luck, there was no slave-holder who’d buy your, and you quote, “fucking annoying ass”. Harbor days were your favorites when it came to breaking the blissful routine you and the crew often came across throughout your traveling; on a Harbor day, everyone was allowed to enjoy their time as they found appropriate before spending the afternoon finishing tasks.

As usual, you decided to join Olu and Jim on their endeavors through yet another strange town since it was often beneficial to have Jim by your side when the locals started to haggle with you in Spanish. Where did you take the money to even haggle in the first place? Oh, that was pretty easy - you sold off some of the jewelry the boys were bringing you from various raids.
Usually, all your Harbor days looked pretty much the same - first off, Izzy was dragging you along with your wrists loosely tied together and tried to talk down anyone, literally anyone, to buy you. After his attempts came in wain, the three of you wandered around the town; sometimes, you decided for a beach trip to soak your feet in the old ocean waves and when the noon hit, you decided it’s time to pick yourself up to find you some food and, in Jim’s case, alcohol source. But this Harbor day was way different than the rest - this time, the entire crew decided to pay a visit to the local pub, ordering food and drinks left and right. Thankfully, Frenchie offered to pay for your dinner, which you accepted immediately since you had no money on you.

“I was talking to Buttons earlier this morning.” - Pete said loudly enough for all of you to shut up and pay him attention; John stopped himself from nibbling on his piece of chicken, sitting there with his mouth wide open and with his eyes piercing through Pete’s profile. Such a view made both you and Jim giggle, but upon seeing Pete’s serious expression, you both shut up and straightened up.
“And you know how he sometimes gets, talking about his mumbo jumbo that no one understands, right?” - The man asked and everyone hummed back in agreement, muttering sentences like 'that’s so Buttons’ or 'yea, that sounds exactly like him’. - “But then he said a big number and so, I started to pay attention and asked him about what he’s talking about… And today’s a full moon, correct?”

“Oh, no.” - You moaned in despair, furrowing upon this realization. Jim patted your shoulder with an apologetic grin, and the rest of the men sighed; each member of the crew knew that seeing Buttons running around naked was a bit too much for your taste. The worst part was that this was happening monthly. To your bad luck, Buttons was also the most talkative during this period of time, so he was capable of coming up to you multiple times a day, telling you all sorts of information you didn’t even want to know. - “Is it really that time of the month again? Oh, dear, help me, Jesus.”

“We all know it’s a small problem for you, Y/N…” - “A problem? A small problem!? It’s a violation of my personal space! But whatever… You heard a big number and…” - You said quickly, prompting Pete to continue.
“He said it’s his 600th basking in the moonlight. And I thought to myself: Woah, that’s a lot of basking. That guy might be a weirdo, but he’s our weirdo and I think we should, you know, show support and come there to share it with him.” - After he was finished with this speech, all of you simply stared at him, not finding the right words to say. In your mind, you started counting; if a year had twelve months, that meant… Six hundred divided by twelve…
“Oh fuck!” - You squealed suddenly, looking at everyone sitting around the table; none of them seemed to connect the two dots, but again, you were the only one who could actually count. - “That means Buttons just had his 50th birthday, guys. Did any of you wish him?”

“Since when do you wish someone for having their birthday?” - Frenchie asked a bit pragmatically, offering you his palm with all the French antics he learned while he worked as a servant. - “I wish you the best for living long enough to become fifty years old.” - Then, the man stopped himself and furrowed, lowering his palm and shaking his head. - “That’s an awfully big number. Imagine living that long. Doesn’t most people die when they’re like… 30?”
“Doesn’t most people die on small pocks, scurvy, plague, or starvation?” - The Swede chimed in. At that moment, you simply shook your head and already regretted the debate you started simply because you wanted to be nice to Buttons. - “… Or a bullet to the chest, to the head, hanging, blowing up… Or a very ugly ax hit, I’ve seen that before.” - Wee John continued, nodding as he finally nibbed on the piece of cold chicken in his fingers. Buttons, moon basking, and birthdays were quickly forgotten as the entire crew started to argue about the most common mortality. So far, of course, the pirate ways to go were strangely the most popular ones. - “… And that was when his finger fell off his foot. I don’t know what he had, but it was the most disgusting stuff I’ve seen so far…”

“Can you all just… Stop?” - You exclaimed and sprang to your feet, looking at everyone. You could feel your stomach turning upside down, and the food in front of you suddenly appeared to be disgusting. You fucking hated when the boys simultaneously started talking about such disgusting shit without being prompted to do so, talking about it until the very evening.
“I think Pete’s idea’s great. We should celebrate Buttons’ 600th basking in the moonlight. Does any of you know what he likes? So we could give him a proper gift, perhaps?” - At this question, the men stared at you as if this was the first time ever saw you. How would they know what Buttons likes? This guy wasn’t exactly the one to share his hobbies or interests with the crew if you hadn’t noticed yet.

“Birds!” - Pete exclaimed after five minutes of utter, dead silence. - “I’m pretty sure he likes birds.”
“That’s certainly… An observation. A good start, though. Come on, guys, you’re a part of one crew for a pretty long time. There must be something you learned about him, no?”
“Mermaids, sea devils, and weird spells. He cursed Calico Jack and that guy just… Vanished. I think he’s a sea witch.” - Frenchie chimed in with another random, unfounded observation. At this observation, you nodded with visible disappointment, but you still brought yourself to pat Frenchie’s shoulder.

“He’s a very wise dude.” - Jim proclaimed out of nowhere, catching your full attention. This piece of information sounded very intriguing, especially coming from Jim. But with each new word they said after, the sparks disappeared from your eyes. - “He might not be able to read… To write… Or to count, but he has so much pirate knowledge. Maybe it’s not as bad that he’s this old because he can teach us a trick or two.”
“Now that I think about it, he was helping Captain Stede with piracy in the begging a lot. Is that helpful?” - Olu asked seriously, making you stiffen for a few minutes there.
“Sure!” - You exclaimed with the fakest smile on the planet; it didn’t seem that any of them noticed. None of that was helpful; what kind of a gift would he appreciate? A picture book filled with drawings of various sea demons and creatures? A parrot? A dead fucking mermaid dragged onto the deck? Huffing, you still kept the smile on your lips.

Truth be told, you’ve seen birthday celebrations rather rarely and knew a small amount of information about them. It was a pretty recent trend, to host a ball for someone’s birthday. And as usual, the ones inventing it were French.
Your mistress threw a few parties as well, once or twice; she explained to you, all of her servants, that these small parties are more of a declaration of respect and honor than an actual birthday celebration. It wasn’t anything the French would be throwing to say it simply. So, you wanted something subtle and nice, to spend some quality time with all the crew members, and have a space to simply breathe.

“You know what? I think we should just bake a cake, cook some good dinner and buy a bottle of wine for the toast.” - With a sigh, you looked down on Jim and motioned for them to stand up. They looked back at you, visibly annoyed, and motioned towards the two remaining pieces of chicken on their plate. - “Stop being so dramatic, you said you don’t like the taste anyway.”
“That was five minutes ago, I thought that puta spotted on my plate.”
“Language!” - You squealed and shook your head, looking into the small leather bag hanging long your belt. You weren’t poor just yet, but you will surely need to haggle. Jim bounced their leg around a few times before sighing, putting their hat on their head, and pulling the coat off of the hanger. - “Roach, pick your ass up, you’re coming along.”

Just like Jim before, the man gave you a dramatic stare, throwing his palms around in a vague gesture. - “Olu didn’t make me a shopping list, you see? I have zero ideas what’s in the larder and what do we need to buy for the cake and the dinner.”
It didn’t take you long to pay and to walk into the local market - if it even could be called a market, that is. It was more of a clamp of three separate stalls pushed together. That didn’t mean that the vendors wouldn’t be offering good quality goods, quite the opposite, to be honest. Just when you inspected the fresh shrimps, Roach leaned in, sticking his head right beside yours; naturally, it made you look him in his damn face.
“You said you want to cook good food tonight, eh?” - He mumbled in a strange, suffocated tone, making you frown. - “Does that mean that I usually don’t cook well enough for your standards, or…”

“I’ve never said that your food is bad.” - Now, you were both standing straight, looking each other in the face. - “What I meant by 'good food’ is 'special dinner, you dumbass. I was thinking of shrimp with a lemon-garlic sauce or something like that, something with a LOT of vitamins. Mostly because Swede mentioned scurvy recently and I don’t wanna watch him pulling out his teeth, okay? That’s what you do to celebrate a birthday - you have a fun time and some special food.”
“So, you think my food is good?” - Roach asked indecisively, making you sigh as you closed your eyes. You only decided to celebrate Buttons’ birthday half an hour ago and all of it was already causing you high levels of stress. But even though all the thoughts you had, you made yourself smile and nod. - “Of course. I love your food. Now, for the love of God, help me with picking everything we need.”

Jim’s trading spirit came in handy eventually. You and Roach stood behind them, watching them and the vendor spitting various Spanish hisses at each other; it almost looked like there was an argument in the air, but then the vendor smiled and started laughing. Jim, clearly taken aback by that, pointed at him and looked your way, making all of you laugh uncomfortably as well (even if you and Roach had zero ideas what was it about). He gave you everything you needed for a very low price, which was something you were endlessly grateful for.
As Roach and Jim picked up the goods packed into two sackcloth bags, you handed the vendor the promised tiara; it was quite big, made out of silver, decorated with big pieces of some very valuable green stone.

All three of you made it back to the ship significantly earlier than the rest of the crew, making Izzy just watch you with a respectful furrow. As soon as you were off the radar, you walked into the kitchen and started preparing the cake as well as the dinner. Looking at the sun, you had about 3 hours to finish all the chores if you wanted any chance of actually celebrating Buttons’ birthday.
Even before the other got back, you already started with cleaning the deck from various bird droppings spread all over it. Roach was almost furiously cooking 2 dishes at once, baking bread and cake, and even Jim themselves joined the efforts; they were cleaning up the upper deck. Izzy was watching all three of you suddenly working furiously, but he didn’t find any reason to scold any of you (which was weird, since he always found at least one vile remark that he spat right into your face).

Later that afternoon, when everyone got back and started finding their chores, you found yourself on the deck, folding the rigging. Pete was just polishing the cannons (and he didn’t miss a single spot) and Frenchie was more or less just… Hanging around, holding his old and broken lute.
“Oi.” - Pete exclaimed suddenly, looking at Frenchie. - “Sing us something and we’ll join.” - He asked, shooting a gaze your way. Naturally, you didn’t protest against it, you simply nodded; by this point, it was normal for you to sing while doing your chores since it always seemed to flow much quicker that way. Sometimes, when you were all bored out of your minds, you just laid around and Frenchie sang you random snippets from all the songs and shanties he knew, making you either continue from where he stopped or guess the name of it.

As Pete asked, Frenchie did. First, he was just playing random chores, watching as you stopped yourself in your tracks, listening into it. When he stopped for a moment, you simply smiled and shook your head. - “Eliza Lee. You are making it easier and easier on me, Frenchie. Give me a challenge, come on.”
“Maybe it’s just because you know all the songs by heart now, eh?” - The man answered with a snicker, making you grin as he sang the first words of the song. Both you and Pete soon joined him while finding your tasks; you tapped your foot in the rhythm of the song while Pete clapped his thigh.

Since you were so preoccupied with singing and tapping your foot, you didn’t even notice Buttons creeping up behind you, watching all three of you. When you finished Eliza Lee and Frenchie started to play other chords, you straightened your back and muffled a scream into your forearm; Buttons was right behind you with his eyes wide open and head tilted in the most Buttons way possible.
Putting your palm on your chest, you closed your eyes and turned away, breathing the shock away. The man always did this to you; you couldn’t understand how someone could be as quiet and sneaky as Buttons was, but he crept on you each and every fucking time, giving you a heart attack.

“You need to stop doing that, Jesus fucking Christ.” - You muttered, still breathing through the scare. You were sure that Buttons is making you freak just for the fun of it at this point; there wasn’t no way around it, he was just doing it for his own pleasure. This time, though, he was watching you without blinking for so long that you figured out he has something on his mind. - “What’s on your mind? Did I fold the rigging wrong or something?”

“Naye.” - Buttons said decisively, making you alerted.
Sure, you two never got along that much, but he usually came after you to show you how to do all that ‘sailor’ stuff right; it was him who showed you some of the basic tricks just so the crew would avert Izzy’s two-hour-long monologue about how lazy and useless all of you are. It was rather rare to have Buttons just come to… Have a chat. Or anything like that.
“Olivia just wanted me to tell ye she likes ye singin’ shanties. All of ye. And she ain’t wrong in this kind of stuff, I like it too. It reminds me of the good ol’ days when I was young.” - With a hum, you nodded and mumbled a quiet ‘Fair’, looking away. So at least he acknowledged he isn’t the youngest as well, good to know. But then, out of nowhere, you opened up your lips and looked Buttons in the eyes, gasping as if you’d just discovered the Lost Arc.

“You like it when we sing?” - You asked in disbelief, staring at him with aggression.
“Aye.” - Buttons nodded, opening his mouth. He knew you weren’t a sailor and that you had a lot of shit to learn, but he never noticed that you were also partially deaf. - “That’s what I just told ye.”
“You like it when we sing.” - You repeated frantically, catching his forearm in your palm and squealing into the sky above you happily. This erased all your problems with not knowing what to give him; the crew could sing a song of his choice, appropriate to the dramatic tint of the moon backing. - “Hallelujah. Thank you, Buttons. Thank you.” - And after you pecked his cheek quickly, you ran off to the kitchen, telling Roach the good news. Buttons didn’t bring himself to move though; this behavior of yours was rather suspicious when he compared it to the way you usually behaved. Usually, you’d end the conversation as soon as it started and you wouldn’t touch him in no way. So he looked at Frenchie, motioning his head in your direction.

“Did someone jinxed her?” - The man hissed in a quiet, sinister tone, his eyes popping out of his skull even more now. - “I’ve seen it before. That’s how ye behave when ye jinxed… Or worse… Cursed.”
“Y/N isn’t cursed, don’t worry.” - Pete defended you, almost laughing at the accusation. He did his best not to start howling, and so did Frenchie, who barely contained his grin as he leaned into the wooden railing innoncently, humming another melody. - “She’s just very excited. That gal is glad someone finally acknowledged how well she sings, isn’t she?” - He called out to Frenchie while putting another piece of wax onto the heated-up cannon.
“Oh, yes.” - Frenchie nodded with a matching sense of drama; it wasn’t that far off. You knew the words now and your voice was much higher than theirs; naturally, it sounded very nice when you sang with them. - “She loves praises. Especially from a wise man like yourself.”

And as Buttons walked away, he eyed Olivia with raising suspicion - he didn’t remember any of them being so nice to him in a long, long time. Something was about to go down and because it was Buttons, he didn’t like being in the dark.

Later that night, you delivered the usual batch of tea to Edward; he seemed to be in a good mood that night. As usual, the cabin was nicely tidied up and he himself was also well taken care of. He groomed his stubble, combed his hair, and wore a nice, easy smile on his lips.
As soon as he noticed your jolly mood, he knew that something must’ve happened to get you this thrilled. You were humming a song as you put the tray down, sitting in the enormous plush chair opposite him.

“It was Harbor day today, wasn’t it?” - The man asked with a huff of laughter and you nodded happily, sipping on the hot tea as you gently tap your foot accordingly to the rhythm playing inside your head.
“It’s now 13 to me and 0 to Izzy, not that I’m counting.” - At that, both of you chuckled. Edward knew precisely what you were talking about; Izzy’s never-ending endeavors and efforts to sell you off. Now, Edward wasn’t as keen on selling you as he was a few weeks ago, but he still didn’t have the talk with Izzy. He was putting off the argument as long as he humanly could, as usual for him. - “And the entire crew had lunch in a local pub. That was also pretty fun. Not the part when all of them debated about the most common mortality, but the rest was lovely.”

“Sounds like a great fucking Harbor day. Would you give me a hand here?” - Edward asked and pushed one of his maps towards you, showing you a trading route located not too far from where you were at the moment. With a hum, you picked the map up, trying to read in it. - “It’s a Dutch trading route, an old one. Which could mean that they’ll be less vigilant since they sailed there millions of times and nothing happened… Yet. The Dutch are usually harmless and even more stupid than my men, so it should raise the spirits. Waddaya say?“

You continued to stare at the paper for quite a bit, almost making Edward believe that you were really thinking about the question he asked you.
As time passed, the more trust you gained from him, the more he trusted you with sharing his future plans. Now, you probably knew more than Izzy himself, which was pretty hard to believe; Edward couldn’t quite believe himself, to be honest. He already went this route and where did it get him? His heart was broken in shambles, his spirits salvaged to bits, and into a deep depression and letargy. And yet, here he was again.

His reasoning behind all of this was pretty simple as well - he was worried sick about losing your company if you’d find him too boring. It was already a surprise that you still managed to find topics to talk about and stories to share. In Ed’s mind, entrusting you with his plans, was a way not to only show you respect and trust, but to also keep you occupied while spending time with him.
But that night, something was different. You quite literally stared through the old, ragged map, and yet, it could be seen that you barely remembered a single piece of information as you mumbled. - "Pete and Roach will be thrilled. You know how they get all giddied up and excited about torturing people. John would love to blow something up, he hadn’t got his fingers on gunpowder in weeks.”

“You’re not entirely here tonight, are you, Y/N?” - Edward asked silently, rolling the map and putting it aside. With a sweet smile, you had to shake your shoulders while leaning closer to him.
“I learned that tonight is Buttons’ 600th basking in the moonlight.” - With that, you wiggled your eyebrows as if that was supposed to mean anything meaningful to Edward. He tried to at least act interested before taking in a long breath.

“That’s… That’s a lot of basking in the moonlight?” - He tried to guess.
“It also means that it’s his 50th birthday!” - You exclaimed. - “So, we decided to throw him a little party, to celebrate with him.”
“Why would anyone celebrate fucking birthday? Shouldn’t he be already, yannow?” - With that, Edward pretended to have a noose around his neck, hanging on it. - “Fifty years old! Heh. That’s an awful age, I’ll tell you that much. Don’t people die in their thirties nowadays?”
“Yea, they die at the of thirty because of plague, cholera, starvation, or leprosy - I’ve heard it all today, Edward, I don’t need to hear it again. The point is…” - You stopped him before he could go on an extended rant about how old Buttons was. - “The point is that Buttons is your bird guy, a deserving sailor, and a wise pirate on top of that. I think the celebration will be good not only for him but also for the crew. It will… Bring us together. I think this would be the ideal day…” - You leaned in, setting the cup of tea aside, looking him in the eyes as you caught his palm in yours. - “Ideal day to finally leave the cabin and join us. They will be so happy to see you, mainly Buttons and Pete.”

By the look on his face, you could say that you just hit a nerve, so you tightened the grip a bit. The look of a small, terrified boy was back in an instant; you have seen it so rarely nowadays that you almost forgot what it looks like. Edward’s breathing got shallow and quick while his eyes looked into yours. His palm was trembling and the color of his face and cheeks vanished.
“Just think about it, okay?” - Now, you were whispering, putting your other palm on top of his as well. - “Truth is… I… I would love to see you there.” - You barely noticed the change in his gaze as you picked yourself up, leaving the room. Just before closing the room, you gave him one last encouraging smile as you then proceeded to make your way into the kitchen.

You would love to have him around for the celebration? This gave everything a new, fresh air - now he had something to fight his anxiety with, this might’ve been his exit strategy. Edward had a reason to leave the cabin, to spend time with his crew, and to bond just like they did before… When Stede was still aboard. With confusion, he turned around and looked at the painting of the lighthouse.
You, on the other hand, were busy finishing the preparations - the cake was ready and it was looking even better than you’d imagine. Since you didn’t have any candle on board, you carefully stuck a piece of cannon fuse on top, choosing Wee John to be the one who lights it up if he promises not to destroy the cake. The dinner was also prepared and it was exactly like you and Roach envisioned it. The shrimp with the sauce and rice looked fucking delicious, you had to say.

Most of the crew was now hiding in the subdeck, trying to warm up their vocal cords - Frenchie was choosing random songs, making you sing all the notes and words perfectly.
Jim was fucking annoyed to sit through this and even had a murderous gaze on their face; but they couldn’t make themselves walk out upon seeing your, Pete, and Roach’s enthusiasm. When the sky got finally dark enough, you moved to the kitchen; Swede and Olu grabbed the tray with old mugs and a bottle of good wine you haggled while you and Pete picked the cake up, letting John hold the fuse in the air. Walking on the deck, you were all giggling like little kids doing something naughty. That was also where Izzy stopped all of you, making everyone stare at him.

“What the fuck you think you’re doing?” - The man asked and pointed his arms at you. The blood froze in your veins; you worked so hard for this… If this fucking asshole destroys it… - “That old moron is running around naked as a newborn, the dinner wasn’t served yet, I doubt that you finished your duties, you fucking twats, and what’s this?” -The men stepped closer, looking at the cake unbelievably. - “A cake? A fucking cake. So this is what you were doing all fucking day? As soon as the captain gets to know, hooo-hooo…” - The man started cackling devilishly, pulling the sleeves of his black shirt up. You were in deep shit, weren’t you? All of that for nothing, heh?
“You shouldn’t be so hasty, Izzy.” - A tired, ironic voice came from above you, from where the rudder was. Hearing it, you closed your eyes and started laughing quietly, thanking all the Gods. Edward was leaning into the railing nonchalantly, smirking down at his entire crew. - “They asked me beforehand. Let them be.” - “But captain…” - Izzy objected, having Ed frown in a very nasty way. He was fucking scary.

In the end, Izzy moved out of the way. Quickly, you and Edward exchanged quick glances accompanied by a warm smile, before you moved on. You found Buttons and Livy near the rudder, as usual; he was already half-naked, chanting, and his board was attached to the railing. Edward was soon to follow you, passing Izzy as he mumbled 'these fucking morons will lead me to fucking madness’.
As you all waited for Buttons to exit the trance as he chanted, Jim walked to the captain, bowing a bit. - “Will you be celebrating with us?”
“No, I came to stare at his naked ass.” - Edward answered with irony, making Jim raise their eyebrows. With a burst of quiet laughter, he patted their shoulder. - “That’s why I’m fucking here. Y/N invited me to come.”
“I’ll go for one more mug for toast then, captain.” - They were giving him a calm, warm and big smile; the crew was still appreciating that he joined, even if they didn’t tell it right away. - “Should I ask your right hand if he wants to join us?”
“Negative.” - He dismissed immediately; Izzy was upset at that moment, like a little kid who had his favorite toy confiscated by their mother because they were too naughty. - “He’ll sulk for a bit but he’ll join as soon as he feels like it.”

If Frenchie hadn’t sneezed, Buttons would probably never noticed you. As he stared at the entire crew just standing there, his gaze was getting more and more intense.
“Waddaya want?”
“You told me it’s your 600th moonlight basking today. And Y/N calculated that it means it was your 50th birthday as well.” - Pete explained, motioning towards the cake in your arms. - “We also wanted to be a part of your special basking.”
“Aye.” - Buttons nodded, watching you all in horror. - “Why would I care about me birthday, eh? I should be dead by now, people die in their thirties nowadays.” - The man continued; but then he noticed your expression getting sadder and sadder with each second. That was why you all acted so weird that day? Because you planned him a surprise and were all excited about it? That’s what the damn kiss meant? Damn it, he couldn’t just tell you to fuck off now, could he? - “That’s nice of ye. All of ye.” - With that, Livy landed on his shoulder. - “What am I supposed to do now?”

And just like that, the jolly mood was back on again; first, Buttons blew the fuse while John was holding it, having you all laugh and clap as a party of little children. Then, each of the members toasted to Buttons, having Izzy joined as well.
Edward was delighted to be outside of his cabin. The night air was a bit cold with a hint of salt and it felt so fucking… Refreshing. The sea was calm, the sky was clear… On top of that, it was so nice to watch all of you interact and chit chat, and laugh at one another’s toasts and jokes. Yet then, everyone got quiet as you stepped forward with a shy smile, looking at Buttons.

“And, as a gift, we’d love you to choose a song that we’ll sing for you since we didn’t come up with anything else.”
“So that was the awful screeching coming from the subdeck.” - Izzy whispered in Edward’s direction, quickly putting the cup in front of his lips so wouldn’t see him talking. - “Your angels were singing. Wouldn’t you look at that?” - “Excuse me? Do you want us to sing about whales? Are you sure?” - You said at the same time, making both the man pay you full attention once more. - “You heard the man, gentlemen, and Jim.” - You sighed, walking back to your crew to join them. Frenchie stepped in front of all of you as your conductor, tapping his foot, and having you all repeat after him. - “What are they signing?” - “No idea.”

But soon, Frenchie sang the first words of the first verse, having you all join him during the chorus. - “Soon may the wellerman come, to bring us sugar and tea and rum. One day, when the tonguing is done, we’ll take our leave and go.” - And to both of their surprise, the harmony sounded really good, just as well as the rhythm. Your, Swede’s, and Jim’s voices were very high and velvety compared to the voice of Wee John and Pete, for example. You and Jim even stomped from foot to foot, swinging your hips.
Just when Buttons got completely naked, just as you expected, you turned away to look at Edward with excitement, stomping on your way to him, mumbling the verse Frenchie was singing. As you offered him your palms, another verse came.
The captain quickly looked at his crew before he reluctantly caught your palms back, having led him next to the ruddle while still singing the song. Just as the last chorus came, Edward noticed you were leading him to Buttons’ board and while singing the words, you leaned in and whispered. - “Live a little. Happy backing in the moonlight, captain.” - And with that, you stepped off the board, making Edward fall down into the warm, salty water as well. At first, he was irritated and almost angry with you; he was looking at you with confusion and fury in his eyes, his lips were sealed and he was ready to snap as soon as you look at him. Yet when you laughed, looking at him with sparks in your eyes and splashed water his way playfully, all the anger just… Defused inside of him.

More so, he could feel himself freezing on the spot as he heard the crew clapping and laughing, watching both of you covered in the moonlight.
It didn’t take long enough for Pete to jump after all of you, laughing and screaming while doing so; Jim seemed to have the most fun with it, though. They rolled up their sleeves, dramatically approached the board, and reached out for Olu’s palm while 'fainting’, laughing as they hit the water. But Edward wasn’t able to look away from you. How beautiful you really were? And why didn’t he see it all before? Would he even notice it if he wouldn’t come out of the cabin to oversee Buttons’ celebration?

The man could feel his heart warm up a bit, he felt the corners of his mouth twitching as he almost started to smile at you. This would be the most genuine, felt-through smile he had given to anyone after months of solitude, but it would surely expose everything on his mind. Therefore, he just nudged your shoulder, making you cackle devilishly.
“I’m dying of hunger. Want to see all the special delicacies that we cooked today?”

Description: Heartbreak is one hell of a bitch. And one Edward Teach could tell you all about it. Yet thanks to Fate being a little trickster, there’s a person who enters his life to remind him of how nice it is of having someone he can confide in, someone he can care about, and someone he can trust. To remind him, what it means to have a friend for better or worse.  

Part Summary: After the captain asks you to come over for tea, you slowly become friends - and one day, you even get to learn what happened to him and Stede Bonnet… In a way. 

Word counter: 4.5 K

A/N: I am wholeheartedly sure that My Jolly Sailor Bold (a real ballad that was sung) is such a fucking bop. Even though it doesn’t mirror Stede and Ed’s relationship perfectly, I think Edward is definitely Maria in this case (the maiden singing the song). Also, the next part will be more crew-relationships-oriented since Buttons will be celebrating his 600th bask in the moonlight and the crew decides to celebrate with him.
Also I know Edward isn’t being quite himself just yet and so far, he hasn’t been true to the cannon that much (that is why it took me so long to write this part) and it’s been heavy on my mind; but as soon as we untangle the Stede issue, you will get some silly, happy and adventurous friend and captain Blackbeard. I would also like to write a few parts that’ll match the show’s chaotic and silly energy and which will be more crew-oriented That’s a promise.

Tagging:@missdictatorme,@soliyra-the-sunbringer @le–petit–croissant

Series master list:  h e r e   | Series play list:  h e r e

“Captain?” - You called upon entering the room. As you looked around, holding the silver tray in your hands, you could immediately see that the room was looking much different than what you’d been used to. For one, it was cleaned up properly; there were no empty bottles in sight, no torn documents laying on the floor, and no dust settled around on the furniture. The air wasn’t as stable as it usually was and some of the cloths covering the windows were pushed out of the frame, showing the night sky. There had been multiple candles lit throughout the room, making it cozily lit up, and there was a small fire in the fireplace. You had your doubts when it came to the last-mentioned element, but Blackbeard hadn’t set the ship on fire until that day, right? It was probably safe, you assumed.
Upon placing the tray down, you had to smile to yourself - did the man clean up just because he invited you over for a chat? That was… Actually very nice and polite of him. It definitely made you feel more comfortable inside the cabin. - “Your evening brew is here, just like you ordered, and excuse me, for it is a bit colder than usual. I had to attend to a matter in the subdeck.”

The man turned his face around to look at you, jumping out of his bed immediately to walk towards you. Until that point, Edward was worried that you might’ve been too scared to come over… Or, in a worse case, Izzy lost his temper and threw you overboard. There was even a moment when Edward wanted to go check on your well-being, to see how you were getting along with the crew, but just as he walked to the door, the sudden burst of courage left him as quickly as it appeared. The anxiety within him was too intense.
The only time he was leaving his room was when a raid was starting, just to make his men more courageous and to get a few good punches or shots himself. At this point, Edward was sure he wouldn’t be able to leave the room in broad daylight.
Would he walk out of the safe walls at the beginning of this new, recent Blackbeard phase? Sure, he was careless a few weeks back. Now, when all the feelings had settled down once more, and after he had been alone with the demons? Not in a million years. That was why having you around felt refreshing; in Edward’s eyes, you portrayed a new way of seeing the outside world.

“Great, awesome. Come on then, pour yourself a cup too, don’t waste any time. What sweets did Roach send today?” - The man asked excitedly, preparing himself a cup as well. That night, he was as dapper as you’ve ever seen him; he actually took his time and had a bath, combed his hair after months, and used Stede’s wardrobe to dress properly… Just like Stede taught him to. You had to admit that the linen shirt, black tie, and black culottes suited him. The man in front of you suddenly felt like a living, breathing human being - which was a stark contrast to the empty vessel full of rage you had the pleasure to meet when you arrived.
“Actually, I baked this with Roach’s help since this night is a bit of a special occasion. It wasn’t anything too difficult, just a simple cake; he learned a thing or two. Had to protect this piece with my body, the crew loved it. But as you see, I managed to sneak one out for you.” - With a chuckle, you pushed the sweet pastry towards him and poured some tea into your cup, preparing it just like you loved it.
Woah, now that you thought about it, you hadn’t had a proper cup of tea in weeks. Back when you worked as a servant, you used to have some tea at least once a day. This felt nice, reminiscent of the life you used to have.

The simple comment about you and Roach baking together made Edward pause in his actions for a nanosecond - he furrowed while pouring milk into his cup, shooting a quick gaze your way. You and roach were… Baking together? And you said you managed to teach him a trick or two?
Since you continued preparing the tea and didn’t realize there should be anything wrong with such a statement, Edward decided to stay silent as well. He thought you hated the place to bits, that you were terrified of everything, and everyone; at least, that would any captive in their right mind would do. They wouldn’t… Befriend the pirates that had abducted them, would they?

“How was your day, captain?” - You carried on with the formalities just like you were used to, sipping out of your cup while standing there awkwardly. Obviously, you realized that it was rather shitty to ask him about something like this, but on the other hand, you wanted this conversation to be casual and relaxed. You wanted to assure him that however, he was feeling, it was normal. That he was normal.
“Oh, well…” - Edward chuckled, clearly flustered by such a simple question. Seeing this kind of reaction made you smile as well, waiting for the response. - “Nothing too extraordinary. I just… Sat around and thought about… Stuff. Like I do every day.”
“Ah, I suppose even something like that can be amusing. Did you figure anything out?” - You answered, trying to sound as polite as possible. For a moment, there was just this very awkward silence hanging in the air - until Edward shook his head, inhaled sharply, and caught your attention once more.

“Come here and sit down.” - The man walked back to his bed, climbing between the sheets on his unfolded bed. Stede’s former bed, you thought to yourself. He put the cake beside his legs and crossed his knees over one another, waiting for you to join him.  
At first, you’ve been quite unsure - should you really do it? Or was that too rude? It didn’t sound like any kind of order, it was more of an invitation if anything. But to sit with him in one bed? With someone who was above you in the hierarchy of the ship? You’ve stood there with the cup in your palm, staring at the captain with an unreadable expression on your face. Edward, as if he was trying to get a hold of his temper, closed his eyes and smirked; then looked at you once more, his eyes being warm and inviting. Oh, you realized, he was just trying to be a good host. - “I’m serious. I won’t cut your head off if you sit here. Make yourself comfortable, woman, I invited you over to have a conversation.”

“With all due respect, I don’t think that rather appropriate.” - Was your explanation as you put the cup down, pushing one of the chairs his way. There was still a decorum you wanted to stick to - the decorum you’ve been holding to at your old work. Servants were never on the same level as their employers and that was something you needed to remember; back in your madame’s mansion, you used to stand in the corner of the room, waiting for orders. No way you’d climb into his bed just like that. - “I’ll just have a seat here if that’s alright with you?”
“I don’t care, just sit down. You looked awkward standing there.” - His palm waved in the place you’d been standing just moments ago. The man rolled his eyes and chuckled before he started to stir his tea. - “Given what you’ve told me about the cake, I guess you made yourself some friends here?” - The man said quietly, looking down into his cup. His expression and tone were so plain that the blood in your veins froze with each beat of your heart.

Fuck. You just… You just divulged the very secret you couldn’t tell him, did you? Cursing under your breath, you looked away, but you managed to keep it all together. With one careful look his way, you were able to tell that Ed wasn’t enraged just yet - and begging for mercy was surely one of the things that, indeed, angered him. It meant that whatever you were about to do or say, you had to do it with confidence to keep him content.
“I don’t know what should I tell you.” - You said honestly, looking the captain in his eyes while sipping on the tea. Your calm aura caught Ed’s attention, making the man turn his head your way. - “It just kind of… Happened, you see? I hated them at first, of course…” - No, you fucking didn’t, your head answered as soon as the words left your mouth. - “But there’s something about your crew, captain. They are… Good men with good hearts. I figured out that befriending them would be much simpler than fighting with them every day. Because that gets very repetitive.”

“That’s actually… Very smart and I agree with your opinion. Although it’s pretty strange that a captive made friends out of their captors, a solid case of Stockholm syndrome if I might say so myself, these men are good ones. I don’t think any of them are suited for piracy and I have zero ideas about how the fuck did they make it this far, but they’re managing, I suppose.”
“If you like your crew, why are you like that?”
“Why I’m like what?” - Edward asked back and put his cap on his thighs, looking you in the eyes.
“Alone, isolated… It wouldn’t have to be like this if you’d like. And, with all respect, something tells me you don’t like being alone here. Haven’t seen you outside this room other than when you joined us on raids. The crew seems to… They seem to like you and respect you, even though it’s pretty obvious some kind of conflict went down before I got her. They haven’t talked about mutiny once.” - Well, you thought, you sort of did, all the time. But the mutiny itself wasn’t directed against the captain, you just often talked about how you’d get Izzy off the ship.  

At first, you thought you asked about something too personal; the man frowned your way (this frown was of one the scary, outraged ones) and took in a sharp inhale. When looking at the way he widened his eyes, you were sure that he was about to blow up any second; then, Edward let all the air out and let his shoulders drop while leaning his head into the wall behind him, closing his eyes.
“I can’t. It’s just… Not fucking possible, I’m not that strong. Because anytime I look at any of them…” - I see him because they all have a piece of him inside, Edward wanted to say, but he stopped himself at the last second. What could you fucking know about him and Stede? It would be nonsense to talk about that when you wouldn’t be able to understand him. - “Forget it.”
“Are you sure you don’t wanna talk about…”
“Pretty positive, Mrs. Trott. Thank you for your concern, but forget it and don’t talk about it. And that’s an order, understood?” - Edward dismissed quickly, dropping the subject altogether. You knew that you had to hit a nerve - it was the melancholic look in his eyes that made you adamant about it. Again, there was this awkward silence until you leaned your head to your shoulder, smiling at him.

“It might be rude to ask, captain…” - You chuckled while stirring your tea before looking up to him. - “But do you have any good stories? Your crew mentioned something here and there, and you’re a legend on the mainland, of course, but hearing those stories from Blackbeard himself? Wouldn’t that be quite something?”
And that was how you made the first step towards knowing each other a bit better. It was hard to say for how long you were just sitting there with an empty cup of tea on your thighs, with your palm supporting your chin as you listened to the stories eagerly… But you surely had overstayed long enough to be sleepless and grumpy tomorrow.
All the stories Edward had told you were incredibly violent and bloody, it was something a lady surely wouldn’t get to hear from rich, bored posh families. But just as brutal as the stories were, they were just as clever and funny - there was something about the way Ed made you interact with his narration that made it so extremely interesting. As he finished the third story, about how he and his friend Calico Jack served on Hornigold’s ship, you furrowed and jolted around; all the muscles on your arse hurt like a hell broke loose. That was your queue to leave. Seconds after, even Edward yawned loudly, which made you sure that it was the right time to end your small tea party.

Just when you were about to walk out of the room, the man called out your supposed surname; since you were used to it, you turned around with a smile. - “Yes, captain?”
“This was… Fun.” - The man muttered, tugging on one of the shirt’s sleeves while shifting his weight on his legs. Edward was looking adorable when he got flustered; blood suddenly rushed into his cheeks, his eyes were all over the place and he kept on opening and closing his lips.
“It was, it was.” - You assured him calmly, still standing in the opened door.
“Would you want to come again? To listen to some more stories?”
“Under one condition.” - Hearing your amused tone, Edward looked up and waited for what you had in mind; will you force him to come out of his comfort zone, out of his shell; meaning you’ll wish to lure him out of his cabin? Or will you want to talk about what happened Stede was around? On the other hand, no matter how uncomfortable it could get, the comfort of your presence was something he didn’t want to lose. Edward was ready to negotiate. He expected anything, so he was taken away when you asked him… - “I know my life was boring compared to yours and I also know that I don’t have a lot of amusing stories, but I’ll come only if you promise that I can tell you a few of mine.”
There was a quiet moment in which Edward chuckled before looking up at you. - “You see, there doesn’t exist anything like a boring story. Only the presentation can get boring. That means that… I’ll see you tomorrow, Mrs. Trott, and I’ll expect to hear about some of your thrilling adventures.” - Edward smiled your way and raised his last cup of tea to toast you. - “Sleep well.”

And so, the evenings spent with the captain quickly became a part of your day-to-day routine as well.
In the morning, you brought him his morning brew of tea, asking him about the basic formalities; how did you sleep? How are you feeling? Any special requests? And it couldn’t be going any better, really; you had a strong feeling that you and the captain were on friendly terms just after two weeks, just like you were with the rest of the crew.
Throughout the day, you helped with anything you were asked of; Swede taught you how to take care of the rigging (and how to sing without sounding like your farts were stunned), and Pete often asked you to help him with moving the metal balls around the ship and checking the the the cannons. You spent hours upon hours doing so, so in the meantime, Pete was able to teach you the most basic things about cannons; how to operate them, for example. Wee John let you stay with him during his gunpowder checkups, which were happening suspiciously often in your opinion, and Buttons (even though he wasn’t exactly thrilled about having you around), let you watch him steer the ship. Frenchie taught you some more old, sailor songs, letting you write them down in a songbook so you could sing them along with the crew. And that were just some of the activities you were doing throughout the day; sometimes, you were just cleaning up or cooking, and other days you were forced to have a patrol to oversee the quality of others’ work.
Each day was different and yet, they were all the same in a sense. And at the end of each day, all of the crew members gathered in the subdeck, letting you read them stories - after which you popped into Edward’s cabin for a talk.

You liked his opinions and thoughts. The longer you spent inside the walls of his cabin, the surer you’ve become - the man in front of you was by no means as stupid or as scary as you initially thought he’d be. The beginning of this friendship might’ve happened because you’ve seen him breaking down, but to be frank, you didn’t mind in the slightest.
The longer you spent together, the better you got to know each other; and the more Edward got to know you, the less vigilant he was becoming… And the other way around. Soon enough, you ran out of pompous action stories; the ones you’ve been telling each other were now more emotional and intimate. Sometimes, he even mentioned Stede without realizing it, jumping back to the subject. You still didn’t know what kind of relationship these two men had, but you were sure that it had to be full of mutual trust, full of warmth, and it was also apparent that Edward used to be very fond of that man; until something broke inside of him and he became bitter. Because anytime Edward would mention Stede in his stories unconsciously, it was nice; but as soon as you bumped into the subject with his vigilance up, the man simply shut down and changed the subject.

Being on friendly terms with the crew and the captain meant that the only person who absolutely despised you, and whom you despised back with great passion, was Izzy.
You and everyone on the ship still carried out all of your assigned tasks without a single objection, but it was clear as day that barely anyone was truly scared of him at that point. They were more worried about the captain’s temper and wrath… On the other hand, Blackbeard liked you and you were everyone’s friend, right? So, the chances were tipped in your favor. Yes, the mutiny was still a very real option and you discussed it rather often, but you wouldn’t do that to Izzy in a million years; you had to have a common enemy, right? He was that one person everyone hated and someone you talked about behind their back, but that was still quite a useful position.

As usual, it was an evening of a long, nice day, when you finished reading the story, you walked to his cabin with tea prepared for serving. This time, you were a bit later than usual; you talked about the moral lesson with those who were still awake. It was quite interesting since that night, you read them Emperor’s new clothes. Once you were sure everyone was done with expressing their thoughts and opinions, you blew the candle off and left the subdeck, fetching the tray from one of the wooden counters in the kitchen.
The door was a bit darker than usual and the sight of Edward made you furrow, but you tried to remain cheerful. - “Your tea is here, captain!” - You exclaimed, singing those words while putting the tray down on the table.

This time, he was cuddled up in his bed, and just from the way he was laying there, it was obvious that something was wrong. Naturally, you concluded that this ‘something’ has something in common with Stede since he was the cause of most of Edward’s ailments. Edward appeared to be hurt and lonely, gazing at the night sky and full moon longingly with plain, bored eyes. He was dressed in the infamous pink robe, covered up with the blanket up to his chin. With a bored sigh, Edward gave you a short look before turning his face away from, you, looking out onto the sea. For a while, you just sat down in the chair and stirred your tea, waiting for him to move or do something… But he was completely out of it. And so, you started talking about your day to occupy his mind a bit. It was obvious that this time, your conversation won’t be as relaxing as it usually was.
“The weather was really nice today, it was cloudy but warm… The air smelled nice. Olivia seemed to enjoy it; she was flying around the ship throughout the entire day and her children came over for a visit… At least that was what Buttons claimed. Oh, this also reminds me - it’s a full moon today, so naturally, Buttons didn’t bother with wearing any clothes the whole day since he was ready to back in the moonlight. I had to look away each time he started talking to me, it was so embarrassing. The cannons are in a good shape, and so are all the guns and gunpowder. By the way, I have a suspicion that Wee John might have some kind of deviation; that guy is obsessed with everything that can catch on fire. And then, Frenchie taught me another song…” - At that, Edward finally turned his head your way, waking up from the lethargy. - “I think you’d like it, maybe.”
“Sing it to me.” - The man asked in a flat tone before turning to watch the seas again.

You weren’t confident when it came to singing, not even after getting lessons from Swede and training with Frenchie, but you didn’t refuse - you put the cup away and cleared your throat and looked out of the window as well, humming the tune at first to remind yourself of the how the song went. The atmosphere in the room was right for this song since it was a bit melancholic and slow.
“Upon one summer’s morning, I carefully did stray, down by the Walls of Wapping, where I met a sailor gay.” - Was the first chorus of the song. Edward knew the song by heart, of course; it was an old ballad he used to sing back when he was merely a sailor. It was a melancholic one, sung from the perspective of a lady involved in an unhappy relationship with a sailor. - “Conversing with a young lass, who seemed to be in pain… Saying William, when you go, I fear you will never return again.”

The man closed his eyes painfully, taking in a long breath. Just as you sang the first word of the chorus, you heard him mumbling the song under his breath and tears appearing in his eyes, making your heart sink a bit. - “My heart is pierced by Cupid. I disdain all glittering gold. There is nothing can console me - but my jolly sailor bold.” - Starting to sing the first word of the second verse, he pulled his palm from under the blanket, asking you to hold it while listening to the story. If he’d done so at the beginning of your friendship, you’d reluctantly deny his request; but since you knew him pretty well at that point, you caught his palm without hesitation before walking next to the bed, sitting at the very edge of it. Singing the words while looking out of the window, you started to smooth his hair subconsciously, holding one of his palms in yours while he cried silently.

When you ended, there was nothing but silence mixed with silent sobs; Edward put the back of his head on your thigh, letting you smoothly hit your forehead and comb his hair with your fingers.
“Can I have a question?” - The man asked after a while, having you hum in agreement. - “What do you think love is? How does one know they are in love?” - This question was one of the unexpected ones, but you weren’t too alarmed by it. You thought your answer through carefully before answering.  
“Describing love is really tricky, but I personally think that it’s the tension you feel around the person, the ease you feel you talk and spend time together. It’s also the moment when you lock your eyes on him and when you freeze… And just like that, you know that your heart is his. Can I have a question too?” - You whispered, feeling the painful grip on your palm tighten a bit as Edward bit his lower lip, trying to fight off the incoming sobs. The man nodded, so you decided to ask him without hesitation. - “Is this what happened between you and Stede?” - Even though you didn’t specify what you thought happened, it was obvious that you had a clear idea on your mind.

The men met when the Spaniards almost killed Stede, they clicked and became friends… Friends who fell in love. But something must’ve happened; something so profound that it broke Edward down. And realizing he was brokenhearted all along actually put things into the right perspective and made a lot of stuff make sense. This wasn’t just another betrayal between two pirates, oh no, this was much more personal; this was a break-up. This sort of spite was the most dangerous of them all.
Still holding on to your palm, the man nodded and a weak moan escaped his lips; he wasn’t able to fight the pain anymore. The entire time he cried, you just sat by his side and let him get it all out, going through all the pain by his side. It took almost an hour before he finally started to fall asleep; even though he looked at you while sipping on a cold you forced him to drink. - “We know so much about each other and… I still don’t even know your first name.”
“You never asked, captain.” - The bit of playfulness in your tone made Edward smile back at you, however, the smile was weak and unsure. - “It’s Y/N. My name is Y/N.”
“And my name is Edward. It’s nice to meet you, Y/N. Thank you for staying here… Again.”
“Anytime, Edward.” - You answered, trying to see if the usage of his name will enrage him. But when he smiled back at you, you just blew a candle out, letting only the last one on his nightstand burn. - “I’ll be here anytime you’d need.”

Description: Heartbreak is one hell of a bitch. And one Edward Teach could tell you all about it. Yet thanks to Fate being a little trickster, there’s a person who enters his life to remind him of how nice it is of having someone he can confide in, someone he can care about, and someone he can trust. To remind him, what it means to have a friend for better or worse.  

Part Summary: After suffering through an emotional breakdown, Edward realizes that you might be a person he can talk to about his feelings, ideas, and everything that is going down inside his head. Meanwhile, the crew tries to guess what happened and even has a very surprising request towards you.

Word counter: 4.5 K

A/N: To explain it: yes, the reader is reading The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen and yes, it mirrors the pilot (when Stede reads them Pinocchio) deliberately. I realize that The Ugly Duckling was writtenafter both Stede and Ed had been dead already, but guess what? Pinocchio is even fucking older, so, please, don’t be negative about small details.
Anyway, I love these small bonding scenes and when I’m trying to write down someone’s lines (dialogue), I always imagine how they’d say it. Shit suddenly gets 10 times funnier inside my head.

Tagging:@missdictatorme,@soliyra-the-sunbringer @le–petit–croissant

Series master list:  h e r e   | Series play list:  h e r e

Waking up and laying in an unknown room was one of the wildest things you’ve done in a long time. Maybe even ever, to be frank. There was this horrendous smell of stale rum lingering about, the dust was settling down with each passing second.
God fucking dammit, it honestly was one of the worst smells you woken up to - it was sharing the number one spot right next to John’s farts. With a quiet swear, you managed to sit up and look around you. You’ve been too sleepy to connect all the dots from the previous evening. You’ve surely had to be on board the Revenge, but you couldn’t name in which part of you currently were. This was some brand-new scenery for you. Clearing your throat, you decided to explore the place a bit.

For a moment, you’ve been looking around a wardrobe that was genuinely impressive in both size and variety - and for a reason, you immediately knew that none of the clothes belonged to Blackbeard himself.
There was an enormous amount of luxurious fabrics, from normal linen to some expensive-looking silk; some were exotic with intricate patterns decorated with gold or gemstones. The color pallet was lively, from plain grey or black to teal blue and shiny orange. Honestly, it was a breath of fresh air after seeing all the boring, torn, and dirty clothes the boys wore all the time. And more so, all the clothes smelled fresh too. This simply had to be a remnant of Stede Bonnet.

With a small frown, you yawned and stretched your back, almost screaming when something gentle tickled your calves. Looking down on your feet, you’ve noticed that you’ve covered and tugged into a long pink silk robe with an intricate pattern as well. And it was at that moment when your brain started to remember what had even happened the evening before.
With each new memory, your eyes were widening in panic; bringing the tea, Blackbeard crying, you trying to comfort him… Fuck you. Fuck, fuck, fuck, you moaned inside your head, this is beyond bad. This is horrible. What the fuck have I done?

Now, there was the question of what to do next.
You could’ve stayed in the sulking room and panicked for a bit more, you could’ve picked yourself up on your feet and walked out of there, or, also, you could’ve just opened the window behind you and just jump overboard before either of the two idiots (the idiots being the captain and his right hand) will have the chance to execute that stunt themselves. It took you quite a bit to go through all of the options above, but you decided for living (just for now anyway); so you picked yourself up on your feet, hung the rope on one of the hangers, and straightened up. The newfound confidence didn’t stick around for too long, though - moments later, you’ve been walking out of the sulking room hugging yourself, looking around like a hunted animal.

At first, you didn’t see him anywhere; that made you calm down a bit as you crept towards the table to pick all of the dishes up. You’ve been just putting the last bowl onto the tray when the wooden floor crooked right in front of the captain’s bed, making you jump since the sound alone scared you. To be frank, it was amusing to watch you from the shadows. You’ve been moving at a surprising fact pace, constantly looking left and right.
The room was still pretty dark, so you didn’t blame yourself for not seeing Blackbeard earlier - and this time, you could see that it was him operating the body. His eyes were dark once more, the emotions were huddled up and frankly, you haven’t been able to read them; to be honest, it was freaky to look him in the two black holes in the middle of his face. The man was now furrowing as he tilted his head a bit, furrowing while taking in each move you took - his eyes slipped on your parted lips, on your widened eyes and shaking hands. You’ve been the most horrified he had seen you… Even more terrified than when he barely missed your forehead with that empty bottle.

What happened last night? What was that short-circuit you’ve noticed yesterday? Well, that wasn’t that hard to explain. At least inside his head. For you, it must’ve been unexplainable.
Edward was weak. Why was he weak? Because it was the three-month anniversary of Stede simply leaving him alone and about; three months of endless depression, anxiety, and hatred. Sometimes, Blackbeard couldn’t be the default setting, and yesterday, you’ve seen Edward taking control, letting the myth sleep for a bit.
The anniversary made an absolute mess out of him, making him unable to control himself, he wasn’t able to keep it in. All Edward wanted to do was to drink as much alcohol as he could, his goal was to pass out, to numb the pain for a bit; and you’ve been there to experience it first hand. And not only to see it but to help him go through it.

This was the part that caught Edward off guard. Ever since he started bottling his emotions once more, which happened after Stede disappeared, Edward didn’t have an option to confide in anyone. No one gave two cents about how was he feeling, nobody wanted to listen to his pathetic whining, and anyone on the ship hardly cared for Edward’s feelings by now. Well… Not until yesterday.
No one except you, it seemed. Maybe that was why Ed gave in so easily once you offered him the option to be vulnerable and broken, to open up without using any words. The man was so deprived, alone, and sad that he jumped after that offer. Now, you knew how weak he could be. What confused him the most was the fact that it… Felt relieving. It made him feel better.

Three months was a long time to lose himself to Blackbeard and to the chaos of the pirate way of living. It was very easy to slip back into the myth, to act as he was supposed to. Violence helped ease things a bit; aggression too, but it wasn’t a healthy resolution in the long run. It wasn’t any kind of resolution if he had to be frank. Truth be fucking told, Blackbeard wasn’t at all what Edward wanted to be.
The day before? Maybe, yeah; did he want to be Blackbeard this morning? No fucking way.
You weren’t Stede by no means, you didn’t know Edward well nor did you share any kind of connection to him (you weren’t even attempting to be a pirate), but there was this warm, gentle look in your eyes. And that was why you reminded him of Stede as much, because of that shy, gentle gaze. It was reminiscent of the emotion Edward associated with the word ‘safety’ - it was the look of friendship.
So, Edward took another step forward and furrowed, even more, piercing his eyes through your ashen face and terrified expression. Then, he put one of his thumbs behind his belt and stopped on the other side of the table.

“I told you to leave me alone, didn’t I?” - The man asked, lighting up a smoking pipe while shooting sharp gazes your way. He’d swear you were about to faint; you put a palm on your chest, you started to breathe heavily and your eyes were tearing up.
“And if I’m correct, and I know I am, Izzy also told you to leave me alone. And you, against all direct orders, stayed here with me. You’re nothing more than a fucking tea brewer, which isn’t any kind of useful position, by the way, and yet, you still managed to ignore us both. The most important men on board this vessel. That’s fucking fierce.” - That was the moment you started to sob, looking at him like a horrified child that was just caught doing something naughty. Blackbeard brought his eyebrows closer together, waiting for your answer; if you’d have known him, you’d surely notice the hint of unsaid admiration in his tone. The man honestly thought that not accepting direct orders just to offer him comfort was fierce and pretty fucking brave.

“I shouldn’t have done that, sir. I don’t know what I was thinking. You’ve sounded so… So lonely and I just think I got caught up in my emotions. I obviously wasn’t thinking clearly, ‘cause, you know how women get sometimes, and…” - The gaze you gave him was legitimately heartbreaking. Edward had to stop himself for a moment; what were you thinking about? Wait, what did you think he was going to do? Maybe he frightened you too well the first time and the rest was his reputation? - “Please don’t murder me because of this mistake, sir. I swear that I won’t tell a soul, not even a word. Nothing. I’ll be as silent as a…” - “Thank you.”

The man blurted out so suddenly that your speech halted in a matter of a second. You’ve been just thinking about various things you could be as silent as to when he repeated himself. - “Thank you.”
“I thought you were… Angry. Like, very angry.” - You mumbled, not sure as to what you were supposed to do. The man thanked you, but what did it mean for you? First and foremost, it had to mean that you were not being killed off that day. Which, as usual, was something you sighed in relief for. To be frank, you noticed you were sighing like that a serious lot in the past few weeks… Was that a bad sign? - “Like murder me angry.”
“I should be, I suppose. If you want to die this much, I can… Kill you… I suppose.” - The man answered with a furrow, barely containing the first waves of laughter shaking his body.

“Oh, if that’s not an option, I’d very much prefer to stay alive. That sounds so much better.”
“Well, glad we have that off the table. On the other hand, I have a favor to ask you.”
“Oh, anything, captain. You can trust me. Anything you’d need, I’m your man… Woman… Whatever.” - You blurted nervously, still shaking like a scared child.
Edward didn’t quite understand it; you heard it first hand, he had no intentions of killing you. Why were you still scared? Why did you barely look him in the eyes? Why didn’t you have a normal, nice conversation with him? And, well, since Edward was never the patient one, his palm suddenly hit the desk of the table, making each piece of the porcelain set shake on the silver tray as well as made you jump a bit. - “Can you stop being so fucking scared? I’m trying to have a conversation with you, woman, relax already! I don’t need you to stick your head up my asshole, just talk to me, goddammit!” - The man growled out in a deep voice, making you look him in the eyes again.

He let his palm lay on the desk, closing his eyes as he huffed out the smoke. Great. That much for making you more relaxed, huh? Using violent gestures, being angry, and overall just pissy. It wasn’t his fault, that much he was sure of; Edward just forgot how to have a normal conversation. Izzy and he just spat insults into each other’s face with Ed threatening to execute Izzy if he says one more word by the end of each interaction the two men had. It was so difficult trying to… Talk to someone again.
“Must be my temper issues.” - Edward stated with a neutral tone of voice, huffing smoke out once more. The next bit was what made you fully pay attention to the guy, though, simply because you’d never suspect he’d say that. - “Excuse me, Mrs. Trott.”
“My apologies, captain. What would you like me to do?” - This time, you added a small, sweet smile as you looked him in the face, slowly picking up the tray. The man in front of you was clearly struggling with forming the sentence, but he nodded after a while, looking away from you; this clearly wasn’t an easy conversation for him.

“If it wouldn’t be too strange, would you, in any case, serve the tea a bit later than usual and… Perhaps stay to have a talk?” - Edward mumbled out silently, so silently that you almost missed it. Oh dear, would you look at that - you were sure he was about to kill you just a minute ago and now you were about to have a tea party in the evening. That was, surely, a strange turn of events.
On the other hand, you knew you couldn’t exactly refuse this offer… See, you had to bear in mind that the man in front of you, no matter how shy and hurt he seemed to be, still was Blackbeard. Being alone with him still meant a risk; all it could take would be one bad look or a word and he could become agitated in a matter of seconds. But a straightaway refusal would put you in a really bad spot too. So, as usual, you just smiled and bowed a bit. - “It would be my pleasure to accompany you in the evening, sir. Should I bring you your morning brew, as usual?”
“That would be nice of you, thanks. See ya.” - The captain nodded and walked away from you, hiding in the back of the cabin once more. After that, you finally picked up the tray and waltzed out of the room, taking in a deep breath as you walked out of the small hallways, finally smelling the fresh air with the hint of salt. The weather was just beautiful - there were no clouds in the sky, the sun was shining and the sea was calm. Olivia was sitting on the rudder, right in front of Buttons’ face, looking into the distance with her eyes narrowed; Buttons was standing right behind her with his eyes widened and yet, still absent, as usual. Swede was taking care of the rigging and Pete, as usual, was crawling on all fours and polishing the wooden part of the deck. It was yet another beautiful day on the Revenge… Not for too long, though.

As soon as the crew heard the door clicking back into the place, all the men turned their heads your way. Oh, God, yeah… You had some explaining to do, didn’t you? You didn’t think about what you were gonna say to the boys once you’ll see them. The realization hit you as soon as you saw them, doing their daily chores; you had to come up with a story, no matter how stupid the story might be. And, as if this alone wasn’t enough to bring your mood down a bit, it wasn’t only the boys who saw you - Izzy, as soon as you appeared, cleared his throat and widened his eyes. Oh, fuck, you were in deep trouble, weren’t you? ¨

“May I have a word, lady Trott?” - The small scrag called out to you, making you stop with a tensed smile on your lips. - “Why of course, sir.” - You answered with a wide smile, following him to the back of the ship. As soon as he was sure you were out earshot, he caught the wooden railing in his palms and clenched his jaws. Izzy was about to lose it at any moment.
“What did I ask you to do?”
“Not to talk about anything I’d see or hear in the cabin, sir. Not like I planned on it, anyway.”
“That’s cute, but that’s not all, is it?”
“Ah, I see. In my defense, I acted on the captain’s behalf and with his permission…” - “But that’s not what you were asked for, you… Moron.” - Izzy hissed with his voice so high-pitched that you wondered about how high his testicles had to be. - “I asked you not to react to anything that would be happening in there, does that ring a bell?”
“I’m once again telling you that I acted with Blackbeard’s personal permission and with his well-being in mind. Do you have any idea about what your captain looked like yesterday, sir? Like a piece of mess.” - This time, you stepped closer to Izzy and pushed your face into his personal space, hissing back at him. Being under Edward’s wings, in a sense, made you feel confident. Since the captain sure as hell wanted you alive in the evening, that meant that Izzy couldn’t get you killed throughout the day. - “How in the hell would you want him to obtain his reputation as Blackbeard if he’s barely capable of walking out of his goddamn bedroom? Hm? And guess what, sir? The captain wants to talk to me in the evening, so if even try to lay your dirty rat fingers on me, you will have to explain yourself to him. Now, move out of my way, please. Have a wonderful day, sir.”

As you left Izzy standing there, you were grinning to yourself with pride; the idiot was staring at you with his mouth open wide, not understanding anything you were blabbering. Where did that confidence come from? Who were you? A few days back, you’d start shaking just because Izzy would look your way. And now? Now, you were threatening him. - “What the fuck?” - The man mumbled as he watched you open the door leading into the kitchen, disappearing there with the silver tray in your palms.
Long story short, you weren’t wrong. Each member of the crew was super curious about what had happened the evening before - where were you? Why didn’t you come? Why was your spot empty? Swede was so upset by your sudden disappearance that he couldn’t shut his eyes the entire time.

As soon as you delivered Edward his morning brew of tea (this time, he was nowhere to be seen or heard), everyone started asking you, telling you their theories; they, in fact, had so many theories that they kept on coming until the very evening.
To be honest, you and Jim had the time of your lives laughing at all of the theories; one being more stupid and outrageous than the one before. Wee John thought that you were turned into a mermaid and jumped off the ship to report to King Triton, the king of the seas. Swede was sure that you spent your night tied up to the hull of the ship as a punishment for being a woman (because Izzy sure as hell was that kind of a bastard), Frenchie told you a whole ass story about witches and cats… And the absurdities were becoming more and more absurd.

Only Jim wholeheartedly didn’t care about where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing; they were enjoying all of the lunatic theories since they had to go through the same experience when the men learned they were not a mute man named Jim. Since you’ve been going through the theories while eating dinner, you two had been sitting at the head of the table, laughing while eating your goulash.
“I think I’m going to disappoint you, guys.” - You snickered after Buttons told you his personal theory. It was so crazy and intense that you only barely understood what it had been about. - “What really happened is that… I slipped on a soap bar in the cabin, hit my head, and passed out. As soon as I woke up, I packed everything up and left the cabin. But the witch-slash-cat theory? That’s a fire one, Frenchie. Really good.”  
“That’s not what happened, is it?” - Oluwande asked with a grin on his face.
“No, it’s not.” - You admitted, snickering as well.
“And you’re not going to tell us, are you?” - Jim asked with a smile on their face, watching your grin widen as you shook your head. - “But all of the theories were really good and creative. Why aren’t you guys storytellers or something? Holy hell, imagine how would it look like if any of you could write.”

As you used the phrase, storytellers, everyone’s face saddened a bit.
Everything that was happening at that table was so reminiscent of the days when Stede was around. The atmosphere was so warm and nice, everyone was a wee bit more careless than usual, and everyone felt nice. And damn, it felt good, to forget everything for a minute and to simply compete about who will come up with the most insane, weird fucking story. They missed the evenings when Stede would just sit down among his men, trying to learn more about them, telling them various stories and laughing at theirs. Suddenly, Swede looked you in the face with his baby-blue eyes and started pleading in a quiet, soothing voice… - “Y/N… You can read and write, right?”
“I suppose I can.” - With a chuckle, you tipped your bread in the goulash again. The entire crew was watching your face, making you very uncomfortable. With a snort, you jolted a bit. - “Yes. Yes, I can fucking read. Why?”

“Would there be a possibility…” - Pete mumbled, having others joining him. - “Yeah, just a slight one, you see?” - “It’s kind of stupid to ask, but it could be really nice.” - “And we mean… Very nice.” - “Oh it would be great…” - “We would love that, honestly. Isn’t that right?” - “Absolutely, man.”
“All of you, stop. Just tell me what you need me to do. Yes, I can read and I can write too, but how does that help any of you?”
“Would you mind reading us a bedtime story?” - Wee John asked all of sudden, catching you off guard. With each passing day, the crew of Revenge surprised you more and more. At first, you thought they had to be joking. All of them were adult men, no shit they’d ask you for a bedtime story, right? Right?
The longer you looked around the table, the more obvious it was becoming that none of the men was joking. They seriously wanted you to read them a bedtime story. There were moments in which it was very easy to forget that no matter how tough these men attempted to be, they were still softies on the inside. And so, with a big smile on your lips, you nodded. - “Fine, I’ll read you a bedtime story tonight. Did… Did he do that?”

“Every night.” - Jim answered, looking into their bowl of goulash. While they were going through memories inside their head, there was a small smile appeared on their lips. - “Back when I was still just… Jim, he read us the fairytale about the wooden boy. That was fun and… Wee John cried like a small girl.”
“Of course I did, the boy made it! He became life!” - John started defending himself with passion, turning the conversation into an argument rather quickly. So Stede read them bedtime stories… Wow. How much there could be to know about Stede Bonnet? It almost felt as if you were following in his footsteps and no matter what you learned about him, it was always a pleasant surprise. The man seemed to care about his crew so deeply and with so much warmth and love… Why did he leave? What happened? More so, did it have to do anything with the conflict he and Edward had going on? Even if you learned new information each day, it still felt like you barely knew anything about the Gentleman pirate.

An hour later, the tea set was prepared on the silver try; you were sitting on a barrel in the subdeck with a laters swinging above your head, watching the men go to sleep. You chose one of the children’s books that you got from the boys; when Lucius heard about this strange request, a painful smile appeared on his face, but he didn’t say anything. There was a gentle smile on your face; Wee John was holding a doll in his enormous fist, Roach was hugging a bag of potatoes with a contained smile on his face, Swede was looking up at you and Pete was sort of laying in front of you. - “Everyone tugged in?” - You asked after a few minutes of fuss. Suddenly, the entire underdeck became silent and all eyes were fixed on you.
“Alright… Close your eyes now, just like that… That’s it… Oi, what’s the fuss? Listen, Fang, if you don’t close your eyes right now, we ain’t starting.” - With a portrayed furrow, you pointed your finger at him and warned him. Suddenly, every man in the room was looking at him, telling him to lay down and to close his eyes. Wow, fairy tales were taken rather seriously on this ship, you realized. - “Guys, I think he got the memo. Calm down.” - Waiting for a bit longer, the men finally closed their eyes and waited for you to start reading. And so, you decided to finally open the book and started reading. - “Ehm…” - You cleared your throat quickly, finally looking at the first page. - “It was so beautiful out on the country, it was summer - the wheat fields were golden, the oats were green, and down among the green meadows the hay was stacked…”

As you continued on reading, the room was becoming more and more silent; until the first snores disturbed the heavenly peace. Stopping yourself, you put your finger on the word you’ve been just reading and looked around. The men were all sleeping now, snoring and breathing loudly, farting and slobbering all over the place. You managed to barely read half of the first fairy tale; the ugly duckling was just bumped into the wild ducks who had been wondering about who the hell the creature is.
Sighing, you quietly slipped down off the barrel, putting the book on top of it. Tiptoeing on the tips of your feet, you caught the lantern in your fingers and blew the candle before leaving the underdeck altogether. You had a promise to keep.

Description:Heartbreak is one hell of a bitch. And one Edward Teach could tell you all about it. Yet thanks to Fate being a little trickster, there’s a person who enters his life to remind him of how nice it is of having someone he can confide in, someone he can care about, and someone he can trust. To remind him, what it means to have a friend for better or worse.  

Part Summary: While life moves forward on board the Revenge, you learn a lot about the crew, their former captain, and the relationships on the ship. And just as your life seemingly moves forward with every sunrise, someone else’s life is falling more and more apart.

Word counter: 5.7 K

A/N: I really, really think Edward is the type who shows affection through physical tough and also best receives it that way - he’s just touchy-touchy all the time. And I’m pretty sure he’d also be clingy most of the time (just like when he almost climbed into Stede’s lap during the kiss). For him, it’s just the easiest way of showing/receiving affection or emotions I’d say.
Also I’m a huge Gentleman Jack fan and I kinda imagined that the song hits by the end of the part, the camera would be zooming out of frame… Ah, that would be adorable. Also inspired by 2 Arabesques, L. 66: No.1 in E Major (by Claude Debussy)

Tagging:@missdictatorme​,@soliyra-the-sunbringer

Series master list:  h e r e   | Series play list:  h e r e

After shaking the initiative fear off, everything suddenly became strangely easy.
It was easy to spend time with all the crew members, it was easy to bring Blackbeard his teas every single morning and evening, and it was easy to learn the basic rules the crew had (as well as the relationships between all of the men), it as was easy to remember all of your tasks, it was easy to learn Frenchie’s favorite songs and it was so stupidly easy to slip into a strange kind of routine.

Who would’ve thought?
Slipping into a routine in the middle of nowhere, sailing as ‘a captive’ on a pirate ship. If you were to tell anyone about what you’ve been doing, they wouldn’t believe it. No way. This resembled a fairytale child would listen to before going to sleep. But for you, it became a reality.
At first, you were terrified - the men were pirates, after all, weren’t they? How long until they’d stop with all the politeness and actually start acting like they were supposed to according to your book? How long until you’d be curling in fear hoping they’d leave you alone? How long until they’d get blackout drunk and start being aggressive? But to your surprise… None of that happened.

With each passing day, your relationship with the crew grew stronger and stronger - after a week and a half spent together, you’d swear you knew these guys all your life. You’ve listened to an enormous amount of funny stories, the men told you about their hometowns, about how they found themselves on board the ship. You’ve been getting to know them better and better, just like they were learning all about you. Soon, you began to pick up on their patterns, good habits, bad habits, and all the other weird thing that were specific to them and them only.
Truth be told, you grew on the men just as much as they had grown on you. Fairly soon, it became clear that the crew had a soft spot for you; compared to them, you’ve been seen as a much smaller, gentler creature and you’ve also been sensitive to pirate humor. They accepted the fact that you’re something that needs to be protected to one degree or another. You’ve been self-sufficient and handy, of course, and you’ve been capable of finishing tasks on your own, but they were willing to accompany you or help anytime you’d ask them.

Wee John loved it when you just sat down and let him help with sewing. Roach welcomed you to his kitchen with his arms wide open and made sure to joke around a lot to make you laugh, and Frenchie talked to you about his time as a servant (which you had in common). Olu seemed to be the voice of reason, he was very intelligent, had good common sense, and was very calm - naturally, you’ve been genuinely surprised when you learned how short-tempered and hot-headed Jim could be at times. And yet, the two of them simply belonged together. Out of all the people on the ship, you most enjoyed your time hiding with Lucius and Pete, on occasion. Lucius had some strange aura around him, an aura of charm and wit, something that you couldn’t quite put your finger on while Pete was a good, calm soul.
You’ve even managed to grow onto Blackbeard’s men - except Izzy. Fang and Ivan saw through the ploy rather quickly; seeing you interacting with the rest of the men with ease and calmness made them aware about you not being “a very valuable captive” as you first presented yourself; yet since they both despised Izzy just as much as the rest of you did, they swore to keep the ploy a secret.

It was very fun trying to portray the role of a scared posh lady captured by pirates; anytime Izzy was around to watch over you, which that little rat did rather often, you and the guys agreed to portray him a little over-the-top fuckery to keep the conviction alive.
The conviction of you being someone who doesn’t belong and is beyond terrified to be there was possibly why you were still. And as far as it worked, you weren’t too worried about telling Izzy the truth. Sure, you were aware that one day, you’ll be sold off to slavery… But from what you’ve understood, the captain didn’t plan on anchoring the ship anywhere anytime soon. So far, you’ve been safe and taken care of way beyond your wildest expectations.

The only thing you’ve been prohibited from doing, quite logically, was joining the crew during various raids and scavaging. The captain told you not to even think about joining his men - he intended to keep you alive until the point he can get successfully rid of you (preferably sell you for some money).
The sweetest part about this prohibition was nothing else than the pirates themselves. The boys usually made sure to sneak in something they’d later give you. Sometimes it was luxurious clothes or an exquisite piece of jewelry, sometimes it a piece of fresh food they’d found aboard the other ship, other times it was various books; anything from collections of law, which you didn’t understand at fucking all, to fairytales and novels. Each book you’ve been given was hidden away in your secret stash located in Lucius’ hideaway.

The men also made sure you’re feeling safe when you slept - you’d usually be cuddled into a tight ball laying amidst all of them. They made sure you had enough blankets to cover yourself in and a comfy pillow to lay on; that was all they could do. Anytime you’d start furrowing and mumbling in your sleep, indicating you weren’t sleeping well, at least one of them would wake up to calm you down.
That was usually Swede’s time to come in. This dude might not have been the one to have deep late-night conversations with, but he could sing like an angel - over the first week, he successfully lulled you back to sleep five times. Only when you’d start breathing heavily again he’d go back to sleep himself. One night, when you couldn’t get your eyes shut, he spent most of it talking about his home (which made you smile while you listened to him) and his scurvy (which made you so disgusted, that you actually planned on jumping overboard for a split second).

Even though life was moving forward in its own place, there was still a ghost of the past luring on the ship; it was the ghost of the former captain. And its presence was felt on each step you took.
The ship itself was indicating many things about Stede Bonnet. Simply the fact that he was able to build an entire ship using his own funding meant that this man was rich and liked a luxurious, sometimes a bit lavish lifestyle. The wood was expansive, the ship was well equipped, the pirates had anything they could possibly need and even the remnants of Stede’s decorations were very luxurious. At first, you’d assume that Bonnet was just another bored rich boy who thirsted for adventure.
But the men talked about him a lot, changing your opinion a lot. They adored him if you were to exaggerate a bit; according to the crew, Stede was a lovely, mannerly man with a kind soul and even a kinder heart. He might’ve been a weakling, a coward, but he always had the best intentions in mind. Over the time spent with the crew, you’ve managed to learn a lot about the man; and when you said lot, you’ve meant a lot.

Stede Bonnet was undeniably a gentle soul brought up in luxury, never feeling any sort of shortage. And even though he himself was not well equipped for the life of a pirate, he learned from his crew just as they learned from Stede. The former captain taught the boys many manners about which normal peasants could dream about, the man was willing to talk everything through and he even approached piracy itself with manners, sense, and tenderness that was absolutely unheard of.
The crew told you a lot about the various trinkets that were used to decorate the ship, about his rather extensive library formerly located in his cabin, his over-the-top wardrobe, and all of the small particularities the ship was built with. Stede himself sounded very particular; you could barely imagine what the man looked like, but you were interested in meeting him.

One day, while visiting Lucius, you’ve been handed Stede’s diary - it was a transcript of everything that had happened on the Revenge before Blackbeard went on a rampage. Even that time, just as you were about to learn about the relationship between Blackbeard and Stede, you’ve been interrupted from actually learning anything.
Lucius tore the book out of your grip due to Pete’s eyes widening as he looked up; first, you wanted to ask about what’s he doing, but Lucius put his palm over your lips, pointing his finger upstairs. The wood was creaking under someone’s steps, and a loud argument could be heard coming from up there. Someone was pacing around the room, yelling at the other party. Listening in, you recognized Izzy’s voice; anytime he was upset, his voice got a few octaves higher. Izzy usually sounded like an upset woman, but this high-pitched squealing was beyond everyone’s comprehension. All three of you sat on her floor silent as mice until you heard a loud bang - someone, presumably Izzy, just shut the door.

“Whoever he’s looking for is in deep shit.” - Lucius muttered, furrowing as he looked at you. - “I’ve heard him this upset once. It was when he and Ed had that big argument. You remember that, babe?”
“Oh, yeah.” - Pete breathed out, shaking his head at that memory. - “We all thought Blackbeard was doing better. He came to see us after weeks, sang us a song… We don’t know what Izzy told him that evening, we only heard this god-awful screeching.”
“Oh lord, I can only imagine what is going on. I hope I didn’t clean the storage room poorly, hm?” - You said as you tried to lean closer, trying to reach the diary in Lucius’ arms. The last few pages were very exciting, right out of an adventure novel - it was talking about how the two captains met. Stede was stabbed by the Spaniards and he was bleeding out… Suddenly, when all hope seemed to be lost, Blackbeard and his crew saved everyone. You stopped right before Stede was about to wake up after his fever dreams and you wished to learn more. Yet as soon as Lucius noticed that you almost held the diary in your palm, he snatched it out of your reach and gently slapped your palm away.

“Unbelievable. If you read it all now, Y/N, what will you read the next time you’ll come for a visit? Anyway, you two should go now.” - Lucius breathed out uncomfortably. The man loved your frequent visits and he hated when he had to send away. This time, you really couldn’t overstay your welcome. Usually, Izzy was hardly anything more than a harmless barking chihuahua, but he could be ready to bite any moment now. - “The ship isn’t that big and soon, he’ll run out of places to check. Maybe he’s looking for one of you.”
“Or, maybe, Olivia shat on his boots again and he’s actually looking for Buttons. Buttons is surprisingly good at hide and seek, to be fair.” - Was your answer as you picked yourself up, stretching your back with a quiet moan. Lucius snickered while hiding the diary away. Olivia shat all over Izzy’s leather boots, you said? Dear Lord, Lucius would give anything just to see that happening. - “The bird did what now?”

“Oh, it happened two days ago. Izzy was yelling at Buttons because the rope wasn’t rolled up properly… And, you know how usually Buttons gets when he’s upset; he started mumbling all sorts of mumbo jumbo to his bird and the next thing I know, Izzy is yelling on top of his fucking lungs like a little girl.” - This truly made Lucius laugh from the bottom of his stomach; he could imagine the whole scene playing out right in front of his very eyes. - “I had to polish those fucking boots for three hours, but damn, wasn’t the look on Izzy’s face worth it? He was as red as a tomato.”
“It was pretty funny.” - Pete agreed, chuckling as well. After that, you smiled at the pair and turned your back to them, pulling the wooden panel down. You’ve heard them saying their goodbyes as you crawled up the tiny staircase; you’ve knocked on the other panel with your knuckles, waiting for Roach to pull it away.

As soon as you saw Roach’s expression, you could tell that it was him and Izzy who had been arguing. And by the nervous tic on his face, you also knew that your name must’ve been mentioned.
“Right hand was looking for you just minutes ago. That rat couldn’t find you anywhere and he is pretty upset about it.” - The man started explaining while helping Pete to step out of the wall. Oh, shit. So it was you who was looking for, huh? Izzy was Izzy, there was probably nothing to be worried about, but… Your heart grew heavier for a second. You didn’t do anything wrong, you’ve made sure all the tasks are completed perfectly before taking any sort of break, and the captain never complained about your teas… What happened, then? For all you knew, you could’ve been a walking corpse by that moment and the captain could’ve decided to kill you out of pure whim.

“What the fuck did he want? I did everything he asked me to do this morning and I told him, very slowly and calmly, that I’ll start working on the rest in the evening.”
“Oh, yea, you know… We might be best friends, but Mr. Rat wasn’t too specific with me. I’ll ask him next time tho, don’t worry.” - Roach answered with pure irony in his voice, putting all of the barrels back in their place. Upon hearing that tone, you just rolled your eyes, sighed, and waited for the rest of what he had to say. - “Listen, I don’t ever remember seeing him this upset with any of us. Like… Ever. Are you sure you haven’t forgotten about anything today, Y/N? Did you get captain his morning cuppa?”

“Was I thrown overboard?” - Your answer had the same amount of irony in it. - “Of course, I got the captain his cup of tea. And I am pretty fucking sure I haven’t forgotten anything from the to-do list. I guess I’ll just go and find him, eh?” - You guessed, starting to leave the room while following the sound of high-pitched screeching.
Why would he be so upset with you? You got used to his tone-deaf jokes that overstepped any boundary you possibly had, you knew that anything you did was never enough in his eyes, you got used to his pissy voice and face and you even got used to his terrible impressions of the crew. But he never disliked your presence so much that he’d simply explode out of nowhere. You must’ve really fucked up.
“You better move your ass. Izzy isn’t too far from going on a rampage and searching through every inch of the ship. He could potentially discover other hidden passages.” - Pete told you with a serious face. He didn’t even have to say the rest to understand. He could discover Lucius by accident. You took a moment to look Pete in the face, furrowing until the furrow changed into a small smile; the man standing in front of you was so much in love and you found it adorable. - “Don’t worry Pete, I won’t let that rat find Lucius just because he has one of his moody days. Promise.” - Quickly, you patted his shoulder and walked out of the kitchen.

You managed to find him on the deck, just as he was scolding another person just because you were nowhere to be seen. Izzy was leaning above Swede, spitting at least forty various curses onto that poor innocent soul. The blonde man looked at you, his blue eyes widened, but you shook your head. The rat must’ve been scolding that poor guy just to let the steam out of the system; dear Lord, you owed Swede so many apologies. Roach? Ah, he was fine, he was just very dramatic and he secretly loved to argue with Izzy… But Swede was the type that never argued with anyone.
Gulping, you saluted and took a deep breath in. - “Sir, I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you. I was cleaning up the infirmary and the toilets and Roach sent me here as soon as we bumped into each other.” - It was nothing more but mere whispering coming out of your mouth. But at least, it was enough to make Izzy straighten up and adjust his hair a bit. He was mad, you could already tell; the long sigh was a giveaway.

“Mrs. Trott, you seriously have zero ideas about how long I’ve been looking for your damn fucking ass. And you!” - Izzy spat in Swede’s direction for the last time. Izzy’s nostrils were widening so much that there was nothing more than two enormous black holes in the middle of his face and the vein on his forehead was pumping alarmingly fast. - “If I come back and won’t see my reflection crystal clear on the deck, you’ll be without rations for a week, do you hear me?”
“Yes, sir, I do, I do.” - Swede answered quietly, soaking his rag in a soiled bucket right next to him. - “Thank you, I’m sorry sir.”
“Follow me.” - The rat commanded you, walking to the other side of the deck at an insanely fast pace. You could feel your palms getting sweatier with each step you took, and your stomach was shrinking as you walked further away from any crew members. This was it, you thought to yourself, you’ll be thrown overboard. The captain finally had enough of you, right? Why would he continue feeding you just so you could fetch him a cup of tea? He wasn’t charity - he was an insane, bloodthirsty pirate.

“What I’m about to tell you is deeply personal and confidential. If you say a word to any of these idiots, I’ll make sure you’ll hang by the sundown, are we clear?” - The rat-man spat into your face, yelling and whispering at the same time. Since you expected to be thrown overboard immediately, your expression turned into pure confusion. Why was he so stiff and angry if he was to let you die anyway? You’d presume that something similar to a bit of murder would make his day absolutely wonderful. Without a doubt, Izzy would be walking around the ship, humming a tune with a smile on his lips and he’d be even more mocking than usual. - “Do you hear me, woman?” - He snapped after you’ve continued to stare down at him for another few seconds being absolutely dumbstruck.
“Sorry, sir. I hear you. What’s the matter? Are you unhappy with my work, did I do something wrong, sir?”
“Ah, you only think about cleaning. I mean, your work could be done better, of course, but it’s not the worst either….” - Izzy hissed at you, still whispering; he seemed to be calming down a bit, though. The man leaned his forearms into the wooden railing in front of him, watching the waves crashing. - “Forget about your duties now, wench. That’s not why I needed to talk to you. It’s about the captain.” - Suddenly, he stopped himself, stretching the nape of his neck while taking a deep breath. The captain. Did he wish to talk about Blackbeard? That lunatic was alive and well as far as you could day; you’ve seen him earlier that very morning. - “Surely, you had to notice that I and you are the only two people he’s come to contact with ever since you’ve been captured, right?”

Without answering a word, you watched Izzy’s profile getting softer than usual. You’ve seen that motherfucker doing a lot of various faces, anything from grinning through evil laughter to just pure mockery, but you’ve never seen his features growing… Softer. This stuff was, indeed, personal to him. - “I’ve noticed that, sir. Is there anything wrong with how I present him his teas? Would you like me to change it up?”
“No. Captain Blackbeard is in a very bad mood tonight. Just bring him his tea, as usual, but don’t react to anything you’d hear or see inside the cabin. It is absolutely necessary that all of his stays a secret, do you understand?” - And for the first time, the man looked at you with a serious gaze; there was no sign of hatred or contempt, but there were hundreds of pleas present in it. And so, you sighed and nodded. - “You can trust me on that one, sir. I promise I won’t talk to anyone about it…” - Then, you grinned with faked bitterness. - “Not like I can tell anyone, huh?”

Even though the last part was an utter lie, you didn’t tell the guys what Izzy asked of you. And trust me, there had been chances to talk about it. The crew was curious about Izzy’s sudden outburst and none of them understood what you had to do with any of it. They’ve been trying to make you talk all afternoon long and there were a few moments when you almost let it slip past your lips. As soon as you realised that you almost blew it, you just started talking about Izzy not being happy with the way you’re cleaning the toilet. It was a weak cover story, but a good one nonetheless; you’ve theorised about the guy hating your cleaning to absolute bits.
As usual, the tea was ready by the time sky started to darken and the stars started the shine. This time, you took your time preparing the tea yourself (choosing a fine brew of fruit, sweet tea). To top it off, you put small pieces of chocolate and dried raspberries into the small bowl. - “I’ll be right back, the time has come.” - You told all of the boys with a smile, picking the tray up after you put your white apron on. The crew was playing various card games while sitting at the table, enjoying their break to the fullest. - “And don’t let Frenchie cheat! I saw the card he’s hiding in his sleeve!” - You added before waltzing out of the room. With laughter, you’ve listened to yet another argument caused by nothing more than a stupid joke.

The weather was beautiful that evening; it was warm, gentle breeze was blowing, the sea was calm and the air smelled nice and fresh. You didn’t stop to take the view in, though, you had more imports things to do. When you knocked on the captain’s door and waited for anyone to respond, there was nothing more but dead silence for a fairly long time - but just as Izzy told you, you opened the door and carried the tray in, pretending it’s just any other day. - “Captain? Hello? Your evening cuppa is here!” - You tried calling out into the pitch-black space around you, not seeing him anywhere in the shadows. You kinda expected another of his edgy performances, maybe a bottle flying by, but this time, it was different.

The windows were completely covered under the rugs of the heavy red fabric; there wasn’t a chance there would be a single ray of sunshine slipping through it this time. The fabric wasn’t covering the view this neatly ever before. Blackbeard must’ve spent hours pinning it down. As far as you could tell, he wasn’t even present in the room with you; there was no huffing or breathing that could be heard and your surroundings were completely still and lifeless. There was only one lit candle in the room and it was the one standing on his table as an invitation for you. Since you didn’t know where he was or what was going on, you carried the silver tray onto the table and started gathering all of the dirty dishes laying around so you could wash them later.
That was when you first heard it. At first, you thought you must be wrong; it was a quiet, muffled sob coming out of inside the cabin’s walls. Ignoring it, you put the usual seven spoons of sugar into the empty cup, preparing everything for him. That was when you heard it again; the sobbing and quiet shuffling. And this time, it sounded more real. This time, your brain made you aware of that sound not being made up.

For a slight moment, you made your body anything you’ve been doing just so you could locate the source of the sounds. Looking around the pitch black cabin, you’ve been surely alone inside of the room. That also meant that whoever was crying, must’ve been shying away in yet another built-in room. Leaving the preparations, you started walking around, t trying to find the entrance just to see who was it and what was going on. You had your, pretty solid, guess - but you were still intrigued by this unexpected situation. First, you walked behind the desk to inspect it further back; your eyes had been trailing on the floor for any sort of discrepancy. Not finding anything back there, you walked around the entire room, searching for any sort of panel; that was when another sob came through, telling you that you were walking further away from the person. And then, all of a sudden, you could see a small ray of dim light coming from yet another loosened panel built into the wall next to one of Stede’s former libraries.
So this was what 'captain is in a very bad mood’ meant? The myth itself, the legendary captain Blackbeard, was having a breakdown in his small sulking room? That was pretty surprising if you had to be honest. You’d expect finding the man burning someone alive, you’d expect him to throw knives at you or shoot at you, you’d expect scolding and mockery… But you’d never expect anything like this.

With all the willpower you found within you, you decided to continue with serving the tea. Just as Izzy instructed you, you didn’t react to anything you heard. It was incredibly uncomfortable for you, though; as you finished the preparations, the sobs were started to get more raw, even more painful. There was definitely some sort of hurt in the sounds. And not just any kind of hurt; the man was suffering inside. You’ve heard this kind of sobbing just once, a long time ago… And it was still making you physically sick, even after all those years.

For a moment, you didn’t know what should be your next step - your head was telling you to leave the cabin, to leave the captain alone in his despair, to get the fuck out of there as Izzy instructed you - but your heart… Your heart was saying something entirely different. As your fingers started to pick up the tray, you stopped yourself and put it back down. To dry your palms from cold sweat, you quickly wiped them on your upper thighs, then you cleared your throat and started walking towards the loosened panel.
With a small sigh, you dared to open it; and the sight simply broke your heart. No matter what kind of fucker Blackbeard was, there was no doubt in your mind that he’s also in deep fucking shit. At that moment, his mental stability was thrown out of the window and the man was left alone to face his deepest demons. The misery and pain were emitting through the entire wardrobe while the man himself was curled up into a small ball, hidden away in one of the corners. His hair was let loose, his brown eyes were red from crying and there were small red maps all over his cheeks. The man was dressed in a pink robe, hiding away in that enormous piece of fabric. - “What the fuck are you doing here?” - Blackbeard spat in a weak, broken voice. No matter how scary and terrifying he was attempting to be, this couldn’t be further away from his mythical persona. This man, whoever you’ve been looking at, was nothing but a pathetic doppelgänger. - “Stop staring at me like that and fuck off. Go away.”

And even through this clear warning, you continued to stand still while holding the panel in your palm. It was heartbreaking, to stare at that small ball of fear and agony. The man attempted to throw a bottle your way, making you step away a bit. It didn’t break apart this time, but the rum spilled all over the dusty wooden floor. Looking around, you realized this must’ve been Stede’s closet. It was mesmerizing and full of his clothes; everything from summer linen to winter coats, captain Bonnet had it all. - “I told you to get lost!” - The man yelled in your direction; and as soon as he did, he curled into the ball once more, pushing his face into his knees to hide away from you.
It would be wise to leave, so fucking wise, you admitted inside your head. Yet the longer you stood there, watching him in such pain, the less you wanted to leave him like that. It wasn’t morally right to simply turn your back on what you’ve been seeing. And so, you made the first step forward. Without saying a single word out loud or touching him, you decided to sit next to him, looking in front of you. And for a long time, you’ve been just sitting there, staring in front of yourself.

You’ve been so caught up in staring into the pitch-black dark cabin that you didn’t notice the man raising his head up, watching you with interest in his eyes. It was for the first time in the last few months he was feeling something else than rage; did you really just sat down next to him? He was a bit wonderstruck, unsure of what to do; he scared you to death not too long ago and he ordered you to leave… Why the fuck were you still sitting next to him like that, not saying a word, not trying to cheer him up or talk to him?
Anyone else would leave as soon as he’d order them to, they wouldn’t make a single sound and they would, without a doubt, let him fall deeper and deeper into the black hole he had inside his chest. But by doing this, you offered Edward company and encouragement. In the end, no matter how hard he tried to keep all of those emotions in without anyone noticing, you were there to go through the rollecoaster with him.

To be honest, you looked bored to death.This small token of empathy, was enough to make him cry even more. Edward would never suspect to act this kind towards him. Especially knowing you couldn’t have any idea about what kind of man he was. And yet, there you were - waiting for him to say anything he needed to.
If you’d noticed that Edward was staring at you for quite some time with a deep frown, you’d also notice the man shuffling a bit closer to you, searching for even more company without saying a single word out loud.
If you paid attention for at least a split second, you wouldn’t get freaked out when the man hugged you emotionally, pressing his head onto your chest, starting to cry again.
You’ve been kneeling on the wooden floor with your arms risen above your head, gasping for air - the man was holding you tight, pressing your body onto his. There wasn’t a single affectionate emotion in that touch, though, it was pure desperation, almost as if he was drowning and you were the only thing he could hold on to. Slowly, very slowly, you lowered your hands down and put them on Edward’s shoulders, just to see how he’d respond.

The man pressed his ear into your chest even more firmly while he closed his eyes and listened to your heartbeat, basically climbing between your legs like a small boy terrified by a nightmare. Furrowing, you embraced him a bit more; your palms smoothed Edward’s shoulders and his upper back, traveling through the silky pink fabric. This reciprocation was telling him that whatever was happening at that moment was alright, even if neither of you understood how it happened.
It was human to need someone’s company in times of hardship, it was normal to need to feel some kind of emotional connection and support from another human being, and it was perfectly fine to be vulnerable around someone else; even if the state was just a momentary one. For a second, you realized something.

The man holding onto you for his dear life wasn’t the Blackbeard you’ve heard stories about, it wasn’t even the captain who threw a bottle right next to your head in the heat of the moment. It wasn’t the man who had each member of his crew shit in their pants upon hearing his name, it wasn’t the barbarian rumored to murder hundreds upon thousands of innocent people. No. This person had nothing to do with Blackbeard.
The man in your arms was Edward. Ed and no one else. And just when the realization hit you, you realized the man was now breathing heavily with his head still pressed onto your chest; there were no sobs, no crying. Edward fell asleep in your arms, which was both a nice and a bad thing.
But Izzy can kiss my ass and wait until the morning, you thought to yourself as you leaned your chin on top of Edward’s head, closing your eyes as well.

Description:Heartbreak is one hell of a bitch. And one Edward Teach could tell you all about it. Yet thanks to Fate being a little trickster, there’s a person who enters his life to remind him of how nice it is of having someone he can confide in, someone he can care about, and someone he can trust. To remind him, what it means to have a friend for better or worse.  

Part Summary: Surving your first eye-to-eye meeting with Blackbeard was a vital part of your plan. What was going to happen next? You had no idea, but the crew members made sure you knew you’re not alone in any of this.

Word counter: 4.8 K

A/N: I finally managed to write a shorter part, ooof. Also I love the crew and its dynamic overall - so I love creating the dynamic around them and the reader. I think they’ll absolutely grow to adore her by the and of the series. 

Tagging:@missdictatorme​​,@soliyra-the-sunbringer

Series master list:  h e r e   | Series play list:  h e r e

As soon as you’ve gathered some inner strength and been able to stumble out of the corridor leading to Blackbeard’s cabin, you did that the quickest you could; never in your life were you glad to breathe fresh air again. You’ve been leaning your back into a wall, catching the air as if you’ve just surfaced after a long swim, still going back to a few minutes ago; to when you had Blackbeard’s knife pressed right into the tendons of your neck. This quick escape caused some notion on the deck - those who heard you had risen their heads, looking your way. You’ve survived meeting the captain, that was some great news. For how long? Nobody knew. So far, you were sure to live until the evening comes.

Izzy then proceeded to give you a horrendous amount of tasks to complete - you were to polish every glass surface on the ship (since he thought the boys are too clumsy for that), then sew some torn sail back together, helping Roach with the lunch and the dinner and then, you had to bring another kettle of tea to the captain (because he specifically ordered so).
The morning barely passed by and you’ve been already given enough tasks for the entire day. As Izzy listed all of them, you just smiled sweetly and nodded at each word - the longer he talked, the easier it was to imagine punching him right into his teeth. It would be lovely if you’d ever get the chance to do so, but as of now, it was a huge risk to even think that way. So you just smiled and nodded anyway. After you’ve been dismissed, you decided it was right on time to slip back into the kitchen, to sit down and catch a bit of breath.

There was a man with an old dirty apron standing behind a small opened window; he was watching you while sharpening a cleaver. For a moment it almost seemed that he was really thinking about putting some parts of you into the soup, but then he leaned his elbows into the counter and asked you, rather gently… - “Are you alright? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost or something.”
“That’s because I did!” - Both of you were surprised at the volume of your voice since you literally shouted this sentence; as soon as you realized, you covered your lips and took a deep breath, mumbling an apology right after. The scream lured Olu into the room as well; he was in the larder next room, taking a look at the remaining rations. He was, to be frank, putting together a shopping list. - “I didn’t know this ship belongs to motherfucking Blackbeard! I’ve only heard that name in hearsay stories, for fuck’s sake! Yes, Frenchie warned me about him being a psycho and a lunatic, but Blackbeard threatening me that he’ll paint his cabin with my blood? Fuck that! After seeing most of the pirates on this ship, I honestly thought this ship belongs to a mediocre pirate, at best!”

“You know, you’re not that far off with the whole ‘mediocre pirates’ stuff you just said. Name’s Roach, by the way.” - The man said as he lit up a cigarette and snorted, leaning his side into the counter while thinking about how to explain what he just said. - “This ship belonged to someone else a few weeks ago. That guy was a mediocre pirate at best, not even that. But then a few things happened and we found ourselves under Blackbeard’s command. It’s kinda shit. Because that other guy? Stede? He might’ve been a mediocre pirate, but damn, wasn’t he a good captain?”
“A good captain? Are you joking?” - Olu grinned upon hearing the question. - “Stede was a great captain, in the end. Took him long enough, but he got there eventually. Name me one pirate captain that would pay you every single week and top of things, feed you, and didn’t force you to work too hard.”

“That’s lovely.” - You mumbled, looking at both of the men in disbelief. It was a miracle that you hadn’t shit your pants yet and they’ve been reminiscing about their former captain? What the actual fuck? Another question was; what pirate captain would pay his crew as if they were working in a regular job, but that wasn’t as hot on your mind as Blackbeard himself. - “But Stede being gone isn’t the problem here, is it, hm?” - “Hm… Depends.” - Roach answered.
You almost wanted to ask Roach about what the 'depends’ was supposed to mean, but you didn’t have the time to do so; Olu jumped right in, making him shut up. Something was going on between those captains, you sussed. Did the crew mutiny against Stede, hence why he wasn’t on the ship anymore? Was he dead? Did he leave under the cover of the night? Roach confirmed one fact for you, though - Stede had his part in all of this. - “This is a highly private matter, come on.”

“She’s a part of the crew now, ain’t she?” - Roach asked back, hacking the cleaver into the wooden counter while breathing in some cigarette smoke. - “All members of the crew know what happened. Y/N should know it too, might help her… Survive a bit longer.”
“Survive a bit longer? What, in the name of God, do you mean?”
“See, me and Wee John already made a bet on how long you survive - he said week, I said eight days. Knowing Edward’s triggers might help you.” - Roach answered, being absolutely unhinged. This was one of the moments in which you just sat on your ass, looked right in front of yourself, and didn’t know what the fuck should you answer. These guys might’ve been honest, fair, and square - but knowing they already made baits on the day on which you’ll be brutally murdered didn’t help at all. - “I guess this is my queue to leave the kitchen, for now, I’ll come to help you later. I need to pass the time before I fucking die in a week from now, do I not?”
“Girl, come on, that’s not what I tried to say!” - Roach called out after you, looking at Olu while finishing his cigarette. - “I didn’t mean to tell her like that, don’t give me this look. I thought it might make her laugh.”
“Does she seem like a pirate to you? Y/N is a goddamn lady who is not here by her own will, you dimwit. It’s pretty crazy that you even had the balls to say that… And right into her face.” - Olu opposed, shaking his head. Yeah, that might’ve been something Roach didn’t exactly take into account; he was starting to grin as he kept on cutting and pulling the cleaver out of the wooden desk.

First of all, you weren’t a pirate and it could be seen. It was the way you carried yourself, the way you spoke, all the respect you’ve been showing; just like when you bowed to them upon meeting. Next to you, all of them were just a bunch of loutish children. Second of all, you just arrived on board and this couldn’t have been easy on you in any way; you’ve found yourself caught in a naval fight and didn’t have anyone to confide to. And since that point, everything was just escalating for you - strange dynamic, strange surroundings, strange new people you had to get to know and accommodate; all of this was surely taking a toll on you.
While Roach himself might’ve not been the biggest advocate for Stede’s way of being a pirate captain, there were still things that Stede had been able to teach him; and not only him, Stede left his mark on his entire crew. And so, with the grin deepening, Roach started to mumble something under his breath, occasionally looking in Olu’s direction.

“We should tell her that this is open… Open space for sharing emotions and feelings. If anything, that’s what Stede taught us. Never understood that dude, but… Don’t bottle shit up, wasn’t that what he always used to say?”
“You’re right. We should tell her that and talk to her later when she calms down a bit.” - Olu sighed, leaving Roach alone in the room. Soon, he heard how Roach started cutting meat, given loud bangs were coming from behind the closed door.

For most of the noon, you’ve been walking around the ship with a piece of fabric (that piece of such a dirty, old and holey fabric could be barely called a rug) in your hand and a bucket full of cold water in the other one. Trying to make everything shiny was pretty hard, to be frank; that didn’t mean you didn’t look hilarious while trying to do so. There was no willingness to live in anything you’ve been doing, there was no expression on your face and the bags under your eyes grew even darker. For some reason, it just… Looked funny. Not to you, but to everyone else it did.
Coming back to the kitchen, you still appeared to be dead inside. Roach watched as you walk in - your face was stoic, and your moves were almost robotic and automatic. You looked so bad that the guy grinned, knowing it was because of what he told you earlier. It took him another few minutes before daring to approach you; he first stirred the ragu, waiting for you to say or do anything, but when you didn’t flinch, he quickly dried his hands in his apron while sitting on the other side of the table, lighting another cigarette up.
Just when he opened up his mouth to speak up, you looked him in the face and started talking quietly.

“Do you think I’m really gonna die, that Edward’s gonna kill me? I thought he might just… Sell me somewhere.”
“It wasn’t too nice of me, all the things I’ve said earlier. Sorry for that… Mishap.” - Hearing Roach saying all of that made your eyes snap back at him, now paying him full attention. - “I forgot you’re not a pirate and that you’re a lady. If you’d like to talk about how you’re feeling… You know, emotions and all that stuff, we can help you with that. Turns out it helps one a lot.” - At first, you’ve been just sitting there, staring at Roach’s face with an unreadable expression. The gaze was long and intense, so much so that Roach couldn’t but twitch under it a few times. - “That’s… That would be really nice, thanks. I think I need to talk to someone about what’s going on inside my head. Do you have time?”
“Izzy sent you to help me in the kitchen anyway, I suppose we can talk about it while cooking the rice.” - The guy guessed, shrugging his shoulders in an eloquent gesture.

You’ve spent the next few hours in the kitchen, watching Roach cook, trying to learn a thing or two from him when you had the chance to do so - for lunch, you finished the ragu and for dinner, Roach planned to bake some fresh loaves of bread (saving some of them for later). The entire time, you’ve been talking about anything that came to mind - the man asked about your life, what did you do before, how did you like it and what happened that night. You’ve asked him all of those questions in return.
Throughout the afternoon, you’ve learned quite a lot about him; Roach told you how he was recruited onboard, about how he became a cook, and on top of that, he told you a few stories about a particular man named Stede Bonnet, Revenge’s former captain.

Smiling gently, you were kneading the future loaf of bread as Roach did the same next to you. - “When you’re a pirate, it’s just like living with cholera - you know you’re gonna die soon and there are countless times you’re about to shit yourself, so you want to make each day count. And when we set sail under Bonnet’s command, I was sure we’ll be dead in a week… Or less. So I was stealing food and stuffed myself each night of the first month onboard. And Oluwande told on me. Want to hear what that nut did?”
“Which one of them is the nut? There’s a lot of them in your stories.”
“Captain Bonnet, wanna hear what he did?”
“Yeah, go for it. I’m all tensed up.”
“He ordered me to make us both a cup of hot cocoa and invited me to his cabin. When I sat down on the sofa, we started talking about what was going on inside my head; why I’m so scared, why I steal food, and such. Back then, I was weirded out. A normal captain would have my hands cut off, he’d tie me to one of the masts and let me roast in the sun… Back then, none of us appreciated Bonnet much, but I’d gladly go back to it now.”

You’ve stopped yourself for a slight moment, smiling even more gently than before. Each story about Bonnet that Roach had told you sounded like a fever dream; this 'Gentleman pirate’ had nothing to do with the pirates you heard of before. This strange man dwelled on teaching his crew manners, he always sought a non-violent resolution, he was kind and nice… How the fuck did he end up on one ship with Blackbeard?
Your original idea, about Stede being long dead by now, was starting to become more and more real. But it wasn’t the crew who mutinied or got rid of him, it had to be Blackbeard himself. What if he took over the ship and killed the captain as a primary example? What if he earned his trust just to throw him overboard?

“Listen, this Stede Bonnet…” - You started slowly, stopping with kneading for a short second. - “Is he dead?”
“As far as we know, he’s not. He’s missing, but he shouldn’t be dead.”
“What happened, then?” - It was a genuine question on your end. What happened? You seemed to be learning so much, but still so little. Sure, Stede was a former captain who had suddenly disappeared (after calling the Act of grace, as you’ve been informed) and while Blackbeard came back, he was nowhere to be seen? Also, the men mentioned Ed used to be a different man before Izzy fucking him up; did that have anything to do with Stede as well? How was the Gentleman pirate a part of this puzzle?

Both of you shut up as soon as the crew barged in through the kitchen door to eat their lunch. With great care, you made sure that all of the men had what they needed; to your surprise, each of them thanked you with a great amount of respect. They’ve been the weirdest kinds of pirates, to put it simply. Just before Izzy barged in through the door. For a moment, he watched the crew devour their meals before he straightened up, looking at all of you with a fair amount of disappointment.
“Captain wanted me to send his words.” - The shortie said, addressing everyone in the room. Roach stopped himself from chewing on his food just to prepare two other bowls - one for the captain and one for Izzy, you assumed. To look scared and uncomfortable, you decided to squeeze behind a barrel full of water, curling up into a ball. - “The ship will be crossing paths with a French trading ship tomorrow evening and he wants you all prepared for looting and plundering, so prepare the entire ship, you damn idiots.” - “Yes, sir.” - The crew answered monotonously, waiting for Izzy to finish up. - “And how’s our new addition doing? Is she a good girl?” - Izzy walked over to you, having everyone looking at each move he made.

“Your glass had been polished, your lunch is served and dinner is in making, sir. Shortly, I’ll start working on that torn sail.” - With that, Izzy leaned even closer to you, having all the men tense up for a bit. Frenchie and Olu sent each other a furrow, but it was Roach cutting his cleaver into the wood that made Izzy step back. - “Good. Good.” - The man said, looking at all of you sitting around. - “Sometimes, it doesn’t even seem that you’re just a bunch of useless twats. Continue with that.” - Grabbing both bowls in his palms, he walked out of the dining room. Pete, the bald man from earlier, sighed heavily and leaned his back into his chair.
“I wish we finished that mutiny we did a while back. If the captain didn’t come back, our lives would’ve been so much better.”
“Don’t worry amigo, that rat has it coming.” - A gentle, quiet voice answered. The person themselves had long hair, gentle features, and a rascal smile playing on their lips; this was the Jim you’ve been told about, you assumed. - “Daño conjunto, daño obtener, as my grandma used to say. Set harm, get harm.” - By this, Jim started the talk about revenge and mutiny; each one of them gave their best idea of what would they do to Izzy if they could; you’ve heard some whipping, some torturing using hot metal rods, wooden bars with nails in them, until… - “Next time, we’re not just throwing him overboard. We tie him to the mask and let him grill on the noon sun.”
“And eat parts of him.” - Buttons said all of a sudden, making all of you shut up. - “Oh, God. Come on man.” - Frenchie muttered, setting his bowl aside with a disgusted look on his face. - “Why do you always solve shit with eating people?” - “Yea, that’s just… We are not cannibals.” - “Until it’s absolutely necessary.” - Buttons answered dramatically, widening his eyes even more. With that, the lunch officially ended.

To be honest, Buttons made you laugh quite a bit… And you really needed that short break from stress, to be relieved for a moment. As everyone around the table started arguing once more, you just sat there and laughed into the back of your palm. This whole conversation was so bizarre that you couldn’t but laugh.
After you helped Roach with cleaning up all of the dishes, you finally asked Wee John about his sewing kit and the sail Izzy had told you about. John himself seemed to be pretty abrasive at first glance (you’ve got dry mouth while approaching him, grinning nervously); it was the case only after you asked him about all of that stuff.
“Couldn’t you just leave it to me?” - The man asked you quietly, furrowing as he led you to the chest containing the materials. - “I love sewing, it’s my favorite hobby and everyone here knows that. Helps me when I get anxious.”
“I’m here for the first day and Izzy told me to do it. Do you really wanna watch my ass being shot at by cannonballs or something?” - “Why cannonballs?” - “It just seems that you guys have thousands of ideas of how to make death the most painful ever, so… That would be mine. Being crushed by cannonballs.” - As John opened up the chest and helped you take the sail out, he smiled at you. Suddenly, the huge and scary guy turned into a ray of sunshine. - “That’s an interesting idea. Next time we’ll be talking about mutiny, you have to bring it up.”
“Wait…” - You smiled, letting John stack all of the fabric into your open arms. - “You guys talk about mutiny a lot?” - “What pirate crew doesn’t? A bit of mutiny talk always makes the time fly by faster.” - And to this statement, you couldn’t but agree. Wee John definitely had a point; it had to be so relaxing to sit down at the end of a long day, let everything out of the system, and fantasize about defeating their worst enemy. Who, in this case specifically, seemed to be Izzy.

You’ve decided to sew the sial back together on fresh air, sitting down on the deck while men were relaxing for a bit. Everything for the day had been completed and they decided to prepare the ship in the evening (for the said raid of the trading ship), so now, they have been allowed to rest for a bit. Frenchie was walking around with some kind of musical instrument in his hands, singing some tunes while other men played various card games. The instrument was clearly repaired a few times, but it was still somewhat making sounds - and as long as it made sounds, Frenchie was able to sing tunes.
You realized you knew quite a lot of them. In the end, most of Frenchie’s tunes were old folk songs. In a lot of cases, you’ve been even humming the melody as you pushed the needle through the rough fabric. At first, you’ve been scared of just sitting about, letting the evening sun smooth your skin; yet soon you learned that the captain comes out of his cabin rather once in a while. Before leaving the place that very morning (commanding his crew to scavage and rampage), they haven’t seen his face in almost two weeks.

Slowly, the summer afternoon started to fade away into an evening and evening started to become nighttime. That was when you were supposed to bring captain a fresh batch of tea; which, according to the boys, was also very particular. Only Izzy had unlimited access to talk to the man as he pleased… And dear lord, you knew that baster pleased each second he could be hung onto Ed’s nerves. He looked like that one kid who loves to climb up a teacher’s arse - or, in this case, captain’s.
“Don’t be worried.” - Roach mumbled and helped you perfectly position everything on the silver platter; again, there was a whole kettle of boiling tea, a jug of milk, and a sugar bowl. This time, Roach even added a small bowl full of nuts and dried mandarine, which indeed looked very yummy. - “I think he was trying to scare you before. There’s anything that can go wrong.”
“Blackbeard threatened me with painting his wall with my blood…”
“Eh, to be fair, Ed loves to be dramatic.” - Frenchie chimed in, taking one mandarine and pushing it into his mouth. - “I think Roach’s right. Walk into the room, be confident just like you’re around the rest of us, listen to his orders and for the love of God, don’t break another tea set. We only have the super ugly one left. Thing’s hideous.”

With that, all of you turned your head in the direction of a wooden cabinet with glass filling - on the top shelf, there was this ugly brown-orange colored tea set… And it was extremely unpleasant to look at. With a horrified expression, you nodded and picked the tray up. - “Understood. Wish me luck, boys. See you in a moment.”
“That’s the confidence we want to see, yea.” - Roach smiled and watched you leave the kitchen. Frenchie leaned into the wooden counter and sighed, stretching the muscles on his neck. - “We talked about feelings and emotions… Me and her. Y/N actually seems to be kinda nice.”
“Oh, I know. You applied Stede’s saying "sharing is caring”?“ - Frenchie asked with an amused smile, having Roach shake his head as he walked out of the kitchen to check on all the bread you two had baked earlier that day.

You, on the other hand, walked through the tiny corridor, putting the tray aside so you could knock on the door. You’ve paced there for quite a moment before the captain even acknowledged the knocking; after three minutes of total silence, he invited you in, but not sparing you a single look.
As you entered the cabin, you stopped yourself for a moment to look at the man sitting in front of you; before, you didn’t have the balls nor the time to stare at him so unhinged, but you sure took your moment now - that evening, the cabin was pleasantly lit up since Blackbeard himself was leaning onto his desk, studying some documents. Upon walking closer, you’ve noticed he has multiple maps on his desk, studying each of them very closely.

Now, when you could actually see his face, he didn’t look nearly as terrifying as you thought he’ll be nor as the books described him. He actually didn’t look like the monster you met earlier that day. This guy in front of you was a brand new person.
The man had a rounded face, sharp jaws, and a pretty pronounced chin; his bone structure was very pleasant to look at. You’ve found yourself letting your eyes wander on his distinctive cheekbones and nose bridge, on his sharp lips and furrow, finally letting yourself look into the eyes that gave you one of the most spiteful and hateful looks you’ve ever seen on a man. And it almost knocked the air out of your lungs when you noticed that the spite and hate isn’t there anymore; his eyes were now calm and warm, just like melted chocolate. Who was this man and what did he do to Blackbeard?

"What’s taking you so fucking long, eh?” - The man growled all of a sudden, raising his eyes to spare you a look. He wasn’t angry, really, he just seemed… Fucking exhausted. - “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“I’m… Sorry, captain. I brought you your evening tea, just like you ordered me to.” - With a sweet smile, you bowed a bit and approached the table to put the tray down. Confidence, confidence, confidence, you chanted inside your head as you tried to stay cool, just stay fucking confident, you’re doing just fine. Blackbeard kept on watching as you moved around and prepared the tea set for him; his hair was covering a huge portion of the view, but you felt that he hadn’t looked away for a second. - “And this is the courtesy of your chef.” - You smiled, pointing your palm at the bowl. - “Would you like me to come to pick up the dishes later, captain?”
When you asked this question, the man sighed loudly and leaned his back into the plushy chair, watching you with his eyes narrowed, furrowing even more than before. He caught his chin in his fingers, leaning his head into his palm.

“Listen to me very carefully. I won’t ever repeat myself.” - With that, Blackbeard quickly licked his lips and started to pour him some tea. - “I would like to apologize for what happened earlier. I wanted to scare you, but I think it was a bit of an overkill., I have no plans of killing you… Yet.” - With that, his brown eyes pierced through you once more, sending you a clear warning - he could change his mind anytime and you had to be prepared and on guard.
Who was this fucking man in front of you? This one seemed almost pleasant to be around, he seemed to be approachable and willing to listen to one’s thoughts. Who was the bloodthirsty Blackbeard you met in the morning? Dear God, you’ve been becoming confused. But just as the boys thought, Blackbeard only intended to frighten you into obedience - he didn’t mean it.

With a smile, you bowed a bit and started to leave the room. Now, you’ve felt million times lighten than before. Hearing him say this was amazing. - “And Mrs. Trott?” - The captain called out to you just as you were to close the wooden door. Nodding, you pushed your head back into the doorframe. - “Before we figure out what to do with you, I’d like you to be my tea brewer, are we clear? Bring me tea once in the morning, once in the evening. Forget one time and you’re overboard.” - Tea brewer? Of all the things you could be, Blackbeard wanted you to be his tea brewer. With confusion, you spared him one last look. It was a strange fucking function, but for all you cared, you could be a cleaning lady and you wouldn’t be happier.
“Yes, captain, we are perfectly clear. I’ll pick up the dishes in the morning and bring you a fresh batch of tea.”
“Great. Now fuck off.”

Next part of Love’s Wrecks should be out tomorrow! Had a few rough days and didn’t have enough time to edit!