There Is Nothing To Forgive a Braime soulmates one shot
This fic is a twist on the “shared dreams” soulmate trope, where, in my version, the God’s let your soulmate appear in dreams.
Jaime Lannister had never been good with words. All his life they had evaded him, from the time when he was a child and he couldn’t read without a heafty struggle, to his adolescence when he’d attempt to express to Cersei his feelings.
She didn’t care of course. She didn’t want his love, his admiration, and she didn’t care about his words, or lack thereof. All she wanted was his body and the pleasure it could bring her, all she sought was the security of knowing he was hers, under her spell, forever.
So the appearance of anyone speaking to him in dreams was odd. He was visual, and his dreams often came as a bombardment of images, some cruel, some lovely, all powerful, without a word to be gleaned from any of them.
But this night was different.
The dream was simple really, he was there, in the throne room, watching from above like a raven in the rafters, Aerys on the throne, his own white cloak shining. He watched as the mad king laughed, and he could hear the innocent scream as the king shook with wicked, mad laughter. He tightened the grip on his hilt and stepped closer. He could not hear what Aerys was saying, nor could he hear any other words, but he could smell the sickly chemical scent of wildfire and could feel the heat that would surely come from it.
He watched his own hands shake as he took another step up behind the king, all the fear he had felt in that moment evident on his terrified face.
But suddenly, he was not alone as he raised the sword to strike true. A girl, tall and strong, with long blonde hair hanging down her back. She was younger than him, but her eyes glowed like saphires and as she pressed herself against him, she took his hand on the swords hilt in her own, wrapping a warm hand around his, and helping guide the blade.
I understand. Her words materialized in his mind, and she smiled sadly before helping him guide the word into its sheath through Aery’s back.
Forgive me. Never before had he spoken in a dream. Nor had he cared to.
There is nothing to forgive.
She faded before he could get a true glimpse at her face, leaving him alone to claw at the air, before waking bolt upright, alone in the summer night.
—
Actions spoke louder than words, and yet words were what Brienne put stock in. Honor was her pillar of principle, and she believed in any man’s word as she expected them to do in hers.
And so, when a young man’s begging voice pierced the foggy clouds of her dreams one night, begging for help, for forgiveness, and justifying why he killed.
For the innocent. For those he would slaughter. Because if I do not do it, who can?
She felt a strange sense of longing for that voice, for the man who must wield its mighty tone. She let herself drift towards it, it’s words becoming more and more earnest, panicked, even.
Please, mother, father, someone, guide me.
She searched the crevasses of her dream for its source, but as always found no images, only fragments of words. But then, just as she was about to give up, heappeared.
Forgive me.
The boy was behind the mad king, drawing his sword, tears gathered in his eyes. And suddenly, Brienne was there too. One look at the boy and she knew what he needed. She wrapped her hand around his, and pressed herself gently beside him, taking on the burden of the blade and the sentence it was about to deal. She knew how this story would end.
The sword pierced.
There is nothing to forgive.
All was warm and light was everywhere for a moment, and then it became too much and she awoke, sweating and panting in the summer night air.
Soul dreams are a thing of the distant past. I am no fool. She repeated the sentiment over and over, across years as she travelled lands and seas, and came to the service of Renly Baratheon. Finally, she had stopped thinking about the boy, the Kingslayer, with whom she had shared a dream unlike any other.
Until the night she dreamt of the shadow.
Though she could not see it, she could feel the cool air sweep through the tent, and could feel the hair on her arms stand up. She felt her heart hammer in her chest, and her blood run frozen.
No. No. Please no. Do not make me watch this again.
Renly was dead a week, and yet she could not sleep without watching it play out, over and over again. Perhaps I am the Kingslayer.
You are not.
Suddenly she could see again, and there he was. Older now, but without mistake: Jaime Lannister.
It takes one to know one, and it is not you.
It was his phantom turn to come closer, to warm her against the chill.
How can I ever forgive myself? She wept as Renly before her died once again, and her heart felt as if it were frozen to ice.
There is nothing to forgive.
Her heart beat fast and she turned to see his face.
But he was gone. And she left alone in her bedroll in Catelyn Starks tent.
—
There is nothing to forgive.
Jaime repeated the words his golden haired maiden had once offered him so many years ago. He prayed it would bring her the same solace it brought him.
He had heard of soul dreams, of the most ancient and purest loves, ones which the gods themselves were invested in. Ones for whom the soul was so tightly bound that they could, when direly necessary, appear in dreams.
But he didn’t believe it. Rather, he believed that as comfort had been offered to him, so would he offer it. For some reason. He couldn’t quite place why, but something had compelled him to speak to her, to comfort her, despite not even knowing if she was real, or just a figment of his imagination.
He thought about it a lot on the road to Kingslanding, as him and Brienne walked in silence. There was something in the way she looked at him, this odd familiarity, overshadowed by anger and confusion. It made him wonder a great deal about what she knew of him. It was not an expression he was used to being on the receiving end of.
—
To Brienne’s chagrin, Jaime did not appear in her dreams after the night he lost his hand. Despite the fact that she so sincerely blamed herself for it.
But as they stared at one another at the bathhouse, and he suddenly, inexplicably began to speak, something in her chest thrummed.
“I know, Ser Jaime.” She said, before he had fully begun the explanation of why he killed Aerys. “You did it for the people, for the innocents. If you didn’t, who could?”
His face went slack and his jaw hung loose, eyes fixed on hers as they simultaneously put the pieces together. In unison they spoke their next words carefully.
“There is nothing forgive.”
~~~~~
Thank you so much for reading!!!! I am so happy to be back, and I hope to write a lot more in the coming weeks. Pleaaaaaaaaase send me any suggestions or promps you might have, or if you’d like to see more continuations of any of my work lmk!!!! As always, PM me if you want to be added or removed from the tag list :) Love you all xx, Bea
summary: lila rossi mentally prepared her plethora of lies as she entered her new class. the only thing was, she wasn’t aware they possessed brain cells.
As Lila Rossi stood outside her new class, she mentally prepared her plethora of lies. She could literally taste the victory she was going to feel. After she wooed Adrien Agreste (he was going to fall head over heels in love with her), she would rule the class.
Lie No. 1: I must sit in the front with Adrien because of my tinnitus. I got it when I saved Jagged Stone’s kitten from an airplane. It nearly died! Because Jagged loved his kitten SO much, he wrote a song about me.
Lie No 2. I’m besties with Ladybug! We met at an akuma attack and-
“LILA! Are you even listening?” asked her mother.
Lila almost glared at her for interrupting her. Almost. “Of course I am Mama, I just zoned out a little because I was so nervous.”
Her oh-so-gullible mother’s expression softened considerably. “Don’t worry mio caro, your teacher her, Ms Bustier-” The lady beside her waved at Lila, “says that the children in her class are absolute angels. You’ll get along great!”
Lila smiled with the utmost glee - not that her mother could see it - the class would be so gullible, they’d be at her beck and call! “Of course Mama.”
“Now Lila,” said her new teacher - she seemed to be a pushover, “Why don’t you go inside and introduce yourself. I’m sure my class will welcome you with open arms. I will just talk to your mother for a few seconds.”
Lila nodded dutifully. Mrs Rossi pulled her into a hug and said “Addio mio caro!”
Addio indeed.
◇─◇──◇─◇
Lila stepped into the class. All the chatter inside suddenly ceased. There were about 10-11 students looking at her curiously. She could see her ticket to money and fame - Adrien Agreste - sitting at the front. Time to rule the class.
She pasted her sweetest, fakest smile and said “Bonjour! My name is Lila Rossi! I have just joined. My mother is the ambassador so I have joined late.”
Most of the students smiled and introduced themselves, while one - the one sitting behind Adrien - said “Bonjour Lila! My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, why don’t you sit next to Nathaniel in the back?” Nathaniel waved at her.
Lila’s smile became a little fixed. Dammit, she had to sit next to Adrien! “Actually,” she simpered. “I hate to cause an inconvenience, but I suffer from tinnitus so I can’t hear properly from the back.”
The brunette beside Marinette said “Oh? How so? I mean like if you want to tell me of course.”
Lila smiled. Finally someone was falling into her trap!
“Oh no of course not! I got tinnitus by saving Jagged Stone’s kitten! It ran under an airplane and I went to go get it out because, well, obviously, I couldn’t let it die like that! As a thank you, Jagged wrote a song for me! And then Ladybug heard about that and came to meet me. We became besties just like that!” she bragged.
The rest of the class was speechless. They were totally going to fall for it. Hook, line and sinker.
“That’s like…wow dudette.” said Nino.
Lila cackled internally.
Hook.
“That is so cool, Lila!” said Alya.
Line.
Lila didn’t notice the glint in Alya’s eyes though.
Wait for it….aaaaaand…
“What a LIAR!” cackled Alix. The class burst out laughing with her.
And sinke- wait…what?
Lila forced her eyes to fill with tears. “What are you guys talking about? How could you say that to me?”
Kim rolled his eyes at her. “Stop with the crocodile tears Lila, we don’t believe you.”
Alix chimed in with her own input. “Everyone knows that Jagged Stone has Fang-”
Lila, seeing an out, said “That was the kitten’s name! Fang!”
The class stared at her. “Who is a crocodile.” Alix finished.
Oh.
“And no airport security is so lax that it would let a kitten go onto the runway, let alone a girl.” says Adrien. Her ticket to fame.
“And, there is a reason the airport people wear earmuffs on the runway Lila.” said Max.
“I’m NOT lying, you guys.” said Lila, stamping her foot like a 3 year-old.
“Oh because it’s totally legal for a 35 year-old man write a song about a minor.” said Mylene sarcastically.
Well shi- Lila didn’t think of that.
“And anyway Lila, even if we believed your pathetic lies, we wouldn’t even care,” said Rose.
“We’re all successful people Lila, and we have our own connections too. We don’t need your fake ones.” said Juleka smoothly.
“Say for example, Juleka and Adrien. Those two are models. Adrien for Gabriel and Juleka for MDC.” says Marinette. “Rose has Prince Ali on speed-dial. Kim and Alix have several sports figures looking for them as interns. Max has created one of the best AI’s and tech companies are fighting for him.”
Chloe adds her own bit. “Not to mention my daddy’s the mayor. And Sabrina’s daddy is the Chief Police Officer.”
“Me and Mylene are getting known in movies!” says Ivan excitedly.
“I’m the co-owner of the Ladybug and Chat Noir comics, and me and Marc are almost sold out!” adds Nathanial.
Nino grins smugly and says “DJ Nino at your service. I got chosen over XY.”
“Plus Alya is the creator of the Ladyblog. Everyone knows she’s the closest thing to a civilian best friend Ladybug has. Chat Noir is her best friend.” said Adrien.
Lila finally sees someone they missed. Marinette. She smirks at them and says “And what about Marinette hmm? She doesn’t have any connections.”
Adrien surprised her by laughing. “Oh you know nothing. Marinette has more connections than anyone of us.” Said girl was blushing tomato red. “Let’s see..” said Adrien, counting off his fingers. “She’s Jagged Stone’s personal designer. Designed his famous glasses and album covers you know? Then, she designed for Clara Nightingale and Prince Ali and did you know? She’s the M to the DC that’s taking over the fashion world. She’ll be ruling it by the time she’s of age.”
Still blushing, Marinette smirked at her. “So you see Lila, your lies mean nothing to us.”
That was when Ms Bustier entered the classroom. She smiled kindly at the class and asked “I hope the class gave you a good welcome Lila?”
The class nodded at her. “Oh yeah,” said Alix smugly. “It’s one she’ll never forget.”
◇─◇──◇─◇
At the back, was when everything processed for Lila.
At her realization, her heart stopped beating for a minute.
summary: lila rossi mentally prepared her plethora of lies as she entered her new class. the only thing was, she wasn’t aware they possessed brain cells.
As Lila Rossi stood outside her new class, she mentally prepared her plethora of lies. She could literally taste the victory she was going to feel. After she wooed Adrien Agreste (he was going to fall head over heels in love with her), she would rule the class.
Lie No. 1: I must sit in the front with Adrien because of my tinnitus. I got it when I saved Jagged Stone’s kitten from an airplane. It nearly died! Because Jagged loved his kitten SO much, he wrote a song about me.
Lie No 2. I’m besties with Ladybug! We met at an akuma attack and-
“LILA! Are you even listening?” asked her mother.
Lila almost glared at her for interrupting her. Almost. “Of course I am Mama, I just zoned out a little because I was so nervous.”
Her oh-so-gullible mother’s expression softened considerably. “Don’t worry mio caro, your teacher her, Ms Bustier-” The lady beside her waved at Lila, “says that the children in her class are absolute angels. You’ll get along great!”
Lila smiled with the utmost glee - not that her mother could see it - the class would be so gullible, they’d be at her beck and call! “Of course Mama.”
“Now Lila,” said her new teacher - she seemed to be a pushover, “Why don’t you go inside and introduce yourself. I’m sure my class will welcome you with open arms. I will just talk to your mother for a few seconds.”
Lila nodded dutifully. Mrs Rossi pulled her into a hug and said “Addio mio caro!”
Addio indeed.
◇─◇──◇─◇
Lila stepped into the class. All the chatter inside suddenly ceased. There were about 10-11 students looking at her curiously. She could see her ticket to money and fame - Adrien Agreste - sitting at the front. Time to rule the class.
She pasted her sweetest, fakest smile and said “Bonjour! My name is Lila Rossi! I have just joined. My mother is the ambassador so I have joined late.”
Most of the students smiled and introduced themselves, while one - the one sitting behind Adrien - said “Bonjour Lila! My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, why don’t you sit next to Nathaniel in the back?” Nathaniel waved at her.
Lila’s smile became a little fixed. Dammit, she had to sit next to Adrien! “Actually,” she simpered. “I hate to cause an inconvenience, but I suffer from tinnitus so I can’t hear properly from the back.”
The brunette beside Marinette said “Oh? How so? I mean like if you want to tell me of course.”
Lila smiled. Finally someone was falling into her trap!
“Oh no of course not! I got tinnitus by saving Jagged Stone’s kitten! It ran under an airplane and I went to go get it out because, well, obviously, I couldn’t let it die like that! As a thank you, Jagged wrote a song for me! And then Ladybug heard about that and came to meet me. We became besties just like that!” she bragged.
The rest of the class was speechless. They were totally going to fall for it. Hook, line and sinker.
“That’s like…wow dudette.” said Nino.
Lila cackled internally.
Hook.
“That is so cool, Lila!” said Alya.
Line.
Lila didn’t notice the glint in Alya’s eyes though.
Wait for it….aaaaaand…
“What a LIAR!” cackled Alix. The class burst out laughing with her.
And sinke- wait…what?
Lila forced her eyes to fill with tears. “What are you guys talking about? How could you say that to me?”
Kim rolled his eyes at her. “Stop with the crocodile tears Lila, we don’t believe you.”
Alix chimed in with her own input. “Everyone knows that Jagged Stone has Fang-”
Lila, seeing an out, said “That was the kitten’s name! Fang!”
The class stared at her. “Who is a crocodile.” Alix finished.
Oh.
“And no airport security is so lax that it would let a kitten go onto the runway, let alone a girl.” says Adrien. Her ticket to fame.
“And, there is a reason the airport people wear earmuffs on the runway Lila.” said Max.
“I’m NOT lying, you guys.” said Lila, stamping her foot like a 3 year-old.
“Oh because it’s totally legal for a 35 year-old man write a song about a minor.” said Mylene sarcastically.
Well shi- Lila didn’t think of that.
“And anyway Lila, even if we believed your pathetic lies, we wouldn’t even care,” said Rose.
“We’re all successful people Lila, and we have our own connections too. We don’t need your fake ones.” said Juleka smoothly.
“Say for example, Juleka and Adrien. Those two are models. Adrien for Gabriel and Juleka for MDC.” says Marinette. “Rose has Prince Ali on speed-dial. Kim and Alix have several sports figures looking for them as interns. Max has created one of the best AI’s and tech companies are fighting for him.”
Chloe adds her own bit. “Not to mention my daddy’s the mayor. And Sabrina’s daddy is the Chief Police Officer.”
“Me and Mylene are getting known in movies!” says Ivan excitedly.
“I’m the co-owner of the Ladybug and Chat Noir comics, and me and Marc are almost sold out!” adds Nathanial.
Nino grins smugly and says “DJ Nino at your service. I got chosen over XY.”
“Plus Alya is the creator of the Ladyblog. Everyone knows she’s the closest thing to a civilian best friend Ladybug has. Chat Noir is her best friend.” said Adrien.
Lila finally sees someone they missed. Marinette. She smirks at them and says “And what about Marinette hmm? She doesn’t have any connections.”
Adrien surprised her by laughing. “Oh you know nothing. Marinette has more connections than anyone of us.” Said girl was blushing tomato red. “Let’s see..” said Adrien, counting off his fingers. “She’s Jagged Stone’s personal designer. Designed his famous glasses and album covers you know? Then, she designed for Clara Nightingale and Prince Ali and did you know? She’s the M to the DC that’s taking over the fashion world. She’ll be ruling it by the time she’s of age.”
Still blushing, Marinette smirked at her. “So you see Lila, your lies mean nothing to us.”
That was when Ms Bustier entered the classroom. She smiled kindly at the class and asked “I hope the class gave you a good welcome Lila?”
The class nodded at her. “Oh yeah,” said Alix smugly. “It’s one she’ll never forget.”
◇─◇──◇─◇
At the back, was when everything processed for Lila.
At her realization, her heart stopped beating for a minute.
Summary: Following Hvitserk’s exile to almost certain death in the winter wildness after nearly being burnt at the stake by Bjorn, Ubbe must make a choice.
Ana, please, this was such a lovely fic It’s really frigging warm here, but you managed to make me feel the cold like I was right there with them. Srsly love everything about this and I’m so so glad you managed to finish this fic, because we desperately need fix-it fics like this left you a slightly longer comment on AO3 xD
Jaskier had a secret. A very well hidden secret that he had crafted a life round and no one seemed to notice the things he couldn’t quite control. Like the aging for instance. How everyone had failed to notice that he wasn’t getting any older was beyond him but people tender to see what they wanted to and as he was just a humble bard people tender to look right past him. Well except for those who saw him as the fine specimen he was but that was an entirely different matter.
Jaskier loved, well love and he loved the passions that came with it. He fell in love as easy as he fell into others beds and he fell just as quickly out of it. He seemed to inspire love and passion where ever he went, drawing attention to him with a flourish of his hand and a charming smile. Some might call he a talented flirt, a well practice rouge who seemed to know exactly how to charm his way into people’s hearts and consequently their beds. Jaskier would say it was his calling, his true gift to inspire love and lust be it with his songs or his charms and there had been many a soul who he had helped find love over the years, pointing them in the right direction when they had seemed completely and helplessly out of the depth. There were couples all over the continent that owed their happiness to Jaskier, not that anyone ever seemed to thank him for it. Honestly if he didn’t get so much joy out of it he might have considered stopping but we digress.
Rey begs Ben to come with her but he refuses, not because he doesn’t want to, but because he feels he can’t leave the control of the First Order in the hands of Hux.
He helps Rey escape and tells her that he will do his best to give the Resistance time to escape.
Ben confronts Luke just like in the movie, but instead of fighting him out of anger, Ben and Luke pretend to fight to buy the Resistance more time.
While they are fighting, Luke apologizes to Ben for not being a better master and for giving in to his fears. He tells Ben that he doesn’t deserve to be Rey’s master and that she deserves to have someone who will train her not to fear the darkness inside her.
Finally, Luke urges Ben to finish his father’s and Ben’s grandfather’s mission to bring balance back to the Force, not by eliminating the Darkness but accepting that it is part of life.
Luke tells Ben to pretend to kill him since his Force Ghost is fading. Luke’s body fades into the Force.
Ben and Hux find the Resistance abandoned. Ben/Kylo pretends to be angry.
Hux is clearly suspicious of Ben/Kylo but without proof, he is unable to confront him.
Rey rescues the Resistance. She tells Leia that Ben saved her and the rest of the Resistance
“You saved us, Rey.”
“It wasn’t me.”
The movie ends with Snoke’s funeral. As Ben and the First Order watch his body burn, Ben takes a sigh of relief. The dark voices that have been haunting and terrorizing him since he was a child are finally gone. He slowly starts to walk back to his quarters when Palapatine’s laugh stops him in his tracks.
Rise of Skywalker
The movie opens with Finn’s and Poe’s mission on the Falcon, but it is just a supply run and there is no mention of a spy. The merchant runs up the price last minute with the reason, “Who else is going to sell to you?” Finn reluctantly pays up. (This is supposed to serve as a reminder that the Resistance is running out of allies.)
Rey is introduced mediating, but instead of trying to reach the other Jedi she is trying to reach Ben. Their force bond has been silent since Ben helped her escape.
Rey is furious that Ben is shutting her out.
Rey and Leia talk. Leia tells Rey not to worry about Ben, that he has always been able to take care of himself, even as a child. Leia tells he Ben has always been independent and that he shuts people out to protect himself.
Still angry, Rey goes to train. She angrily swings her lightsaber but freezes when she hears a man laughing through the Force, urging her to give into her rage. (It’s Palpatine, but she doesn’t know this). She accidentally drops a tree on BB-8 (Because that whole Poe/Rey interaction was gold!)
Finn and Poe still argue with Rey about how she is doing nothing but train instead of being out there fighting. She tells them that she doesn’t want to make it difficult for Ben. She didn’t want to have to put into a position again to chose between her and his mission. They make bitter comments about how if Ben is good now, why is he still attacking them. They imply that Ben is using Rey. Rey gets mad at them and walks away without answering.
Ben/Kylo and Hux are shown walking to greet a landing ship on the new First Order starbase. Hux questions Ben/Kylo about this sudden new ally. Ben/Kylo tells him that he doesn’t know more than him.
The doors of the ship open and Sith soldiers walk out followed by a cloaked figure.
The cloaked figure walks up to Ben/Kylo and Hux.
“It is an honor to meet the grandson of Darth Vader. I see you inherit his strength, let us hope you didn’t inherit his weakness too”
The cloaked figure pulls back his hood to reveal a young clone of Palpatine. (Played by Matt Smith)
Rey is asleep and is awakened by a bond forming between her and Ben. Rey is excited to see Ben again but is also furious that he has been shutting her out. He apologizes and tells her that he had to. Hux had been raising questions about him and he needed to focus on playing the part of Supreme Leader.
“So, I distract you?”
“Very much so,” Ben slips. Rey smiles.
Ben tells Rey that she needs to focus. He tells her that Palpatine cloned himself and he just told him and Hux the location of the Resistance’s hidden base. Ben urges Rey to get the Resistance out as soon as possible since he can’t stop Hux’s attack.
Rey again begs Ben to join them, but he again refuses. He tells her that he can’t leave until Palpatine reveals his whole plan to him. They will need this information if they want to have a chance at defeating him.
Rey fully wakes up and alerts the whole base.
With the heads start, the Resistance escapes. Poe is badly injured while escaping. Rey heals him and then passes out. (Baby Yoda style).
While she is out, she is once again bonded with Ben. She sees Hux confront him about his suspicions. He tells Ben he knows he had been helping the Resistance and that he has security footage of him killing Snoke. Ben fights the Knights of Ren and almost wins until the Young Palpatine shows up and restrains him.
Palpatine uses lightning to torture Ben. Ben pleads with Rey through their bond not to try to rescue him. Rey’s bond is broken when Palpatine looks right at her as if he knows that she is there.
Rey wakes up completely panicked. She tells Finn, Poe, and Leia that Ben has been discovered and that he needs her help.
They stop her from running off to find him. They convince her that she needs to rest some more and that they will work out a plan to rescue Ben when they have the resources to do so. Leia is broken up that her son is in danger, but her practical side wins out. (Rey pretends to listen to them and then sneaks out later that night to steal a ship).
Finn, Poe, Chewie, and BB-8 are already in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. They knew she was going to try to sneak away and reluctantly agree to help her rescue Ben because she is going to do it anyway.
Poe tells them that he knows someone that could help them break into the First Order ship.
They go to Kijimi and run into Lando while trying to escape some Stormtroopers.
Chewis is captured. Rey gets upset again and uncontrollably shoots lightning while trying to rescue him. Chewie gets hit accidentally and Rey freaks out. An injured Chewie is brought aboard the First Order ship.
Lando helps make a distraction so that Poe can lead the rest of them to Zorii Bliss and Babu Frik’s workshop.
The meet D-O in Babu Frik’s workshop. BB-8 still heals him (Because I love that droid!)
Zorri gives Poe the coin to get them onto the ship. Poe is not a spice runner. Instead, he used to steal from the rich and get to the poor. Robin Hood-style. Zorri was another thief who always made fun of his need to do good.
Once onboard the First Order ship, they split up. Finn and Poe go search for Chewie while Rey tries to find Ben.
Finn and Poe find Chewie and cause a bit of trouble getting him out. This serves as enough of a distraction for Ben to free himself. (Throwback to Rey using the Force to get the Stormtroopers to free her in the first movie).
Finn and Poe rescue Chewie with help from D-O. Turns out he is a hacking droid.
Rey’s Force sense leads her the wrong direction. She is led straight to Palpatine. He shuts the door behind her.
Palpatine reveals her past to her. He tells her that she is the daughter of one of the original Palpatine’s clones that developed free will and escaped from the other clones. (The clones called each other brothers and the original Palapatine father). Palpatine hides the fact that he had himself cloned by telling everything his wife died in childbirth. The Palpatine family was very rich and powerful on Naboo until the fall of the Empire with the death of Death Vader. Rey’s family had to go into hiding with no money or contacts because people wanted revenge on the Palpatine family.
Palpatine shows Rey a vision of her parents. Her father looks exactly like the Young Palpatine before her. Their house is attacked by a group of ex-Rebels soldiers (The combination of no longer have a war to fight, having no family to return to, and the need for revenge for everything they lost) They believe Rey’s father is a son of Palpatine.
Rey’s father tries to hold them off while Rey’s mother escapes with her. Her father is killed.
Rey’s mother hides her on a smuggler’s ship before leading the soldiers off in the opposite direction. She is then killed.
The smuggler’s ship takes off. A man and women find Rey hidden in their cargo. They think she is an orphan or some beggar’s child who threw her away. They raise her as an employee before selling her to Ukar Plutt. Rey believes they were her parents because of the memory of her parents dying was too traumatic for her young mind to remember.
Palpatine tells her that Ben knew about her past this whole time and that he purposely withheld it from her because he knew it would turn her dark.
This is where she has the vision of the dark version of herself. She sees herself become a Sith apprentice. Palpatine tells her that she cannot escape her own fate. That she will join him and that she will rule with him as his heir.
Finn, Poe, Chewie, BB-8, and B-O get cornered by Stormtroopers. Ben rescues them. using the Force.
“Where’s Rey?”
“We thought she was with you!”
Chewie roars angrily in Ben’s face
“I know, Chewie.” Ben’s voice breaks.
Chewie hugs him.
“This a lovely family reunion, but in case you forgot we are still on a First Order ship about to be captured again,” mocks Poe.
Ben reaches out to Rey to tells her that he is safe but senses her being overcome by the darkness. Rey confronts Ben about knowing about her past. He admits that he knew and tells her that he was just trying to protect her. Rey is still furious and confused. She tells him that she can’t resist the darkness. She wants revenge for what happened to her parents and for her lost childhood.
Ben tries to talk her down, but she completely freaked out.
“Rey, if there is anyone who understands the draw to the dark side It’s me. Please tell me where you are and I will help you.”
“No one can help me.” She cuts off their bond. “I can’t fight what is inside of me.
Rey steals a First Order ship and runs away to Ahch-To
Heartbroken Ben tells the others that Rey left without them and then helps them escape.
D-O does more hacking to help them escape
Finn: “I like this droid!”
Ben and the gang flee to the Falcon. Poe and Ben fight over piloting the Falcon. Chewie is too injury to fly.
“Excuse me? What do you think you are doing?”
“This is my father’s ship!”
“Didn’t you kill him?”
“Poe!” Finn looked nervously at Ben. “Not the time.”
Poe and Ben bicker back and forth while they are chased by the First Order.
Finally Ben does a move to lose their chasers. Poe reluctantly mumbles, “Not bad.”
Finn and Poe tell Leia that Ben is back while he waits for her on the Falcon.
Leia finds Ben still sitting at the front of the Falcon looking blankly at the controls. He is remembering all of the times his father taught him how to fly and how much he misses him.
Ben and Leia are reunited. There are tears.
“I never gave up hope that you would return to me.”
Leia cries and hugs me. Ben shyly returns the hug.
Ben apologizes to Leia about Han. He tells her that he wishes he could take it all back. Leia apologizes for not doing more to protect him from Snoke and for sending him away in the first place.
Ben tells Leia about Rey. He tells her that he regrets not being fully honest with her and for pushing her away. Leia reassures him.
“Now, it’s all my fault. She’s out there all alone, and I can’t help her.”
“Sometimes, we make bad decisions when trying to protect the people we love. We act of fear instead of trust. All you can do is believe that they will have the strength to see past their own fears and return home.”
Leia formally introduces Ben to the Resistance command. Ben tells them about Palpatine’s giant fleet of the planet destroyers. He also tells Finn about the other Stormtrooper who defected and where to find them.
Finn and Rose leave to convince the ex-stormtroopers to join their cause.
Lando and Chewie still go to find more help
Leia, Ben, and Poe discuss strategy. There is interesting back and forth because Leia treats Poe more like a son then she does Ben. Ben is jealous of their close relationship.
“Your father was the jealous type too. Don’t worry, you will always be my son.”
On Ahch-to, Rey destroys her ship and is about to throw the lightsaber into the fire when Luke appears.
Rey tells Luke that he was right about her. She can’t resist the pull to the dark side, so she must isolate herself from the people she loves so she doesn’t hurt them.
“Once again, amazing, everything you just said is completely wrong.”
Luke tells her that he was wrong about her. That she has more strength than she knows.
He tells her that she shouldn’t fear her darker self because that is what he forced Ben to do and what ultimately pushed him to Snoke. Luke tells Rey to trust her and Ben’s bond because together they form a dyad more powerful than any bond in the last century. Together they can overcome any obstacle.
Luke tells her she should want revenge for her parents’ death. But she should use that anger drive her to do better.
“Those Rebel soldiers acted out of fear. You need to do better than them and take out the forces that are really responsible.”
Luke shows her where to find Leia’s lightsaber and tells her that Ben is going to face Palpatine with or without her.
“He would probably do better with an actual weapon.”
Everything is pretty much the same as the movie. (Rey goes to face Palpatine alone. Ben still show up later and runs to rescue Rey :))
Ben gets Poe to drop him off on the planet.
“In case you forgot, you don’t have a lightsaber anymore. What are you going to do? Blast Palpatine?”
“I’ll work something out. Rey needs me.”
Leia sacrifices herself to use the Force to protect the Resistance fleet from Palpatine’s lightning
There is an epic battle lightsaber battle between Ben, Rey and Young Palpatine. Palpatine uses Kylo Ren’s saber. Ben uses Leia’s saber while Rey uses Luke’s.
When Leia’s body fades into the Force, Rey is injury but still fights.
Rey and Ben defeat Palpatine together (We are all of the Jedi)
Ben heals Rey and Rey kisses him
They go back to the Resistance basis
Rey hugs Finn and Poe.
The movie ends with Rey and Ben going to Naboo to bury Luke’s and Leia’s lightsaber in their mother’s grave. They talk about starting a new Jedi Order that embraces a true balance between the dark and the light. They reveal their new lightsabers. Rey’s is yellow and Ben’s is purple.
i love how there’s the genre of fix-it fic where the author goes into great granular detail of how our heroes manage to avoid or undo whatever character death or other unpopular choice occurred, in a way that abides by the laws of the fictional universe and definitely required a substantial plot outline, and then there are fix-it fics where the author just went “that’s bullshit and didn’t happen,” and we as readers all go “agreed. carry on.”
Warnings:*18+**, TFATWS Spoilers, TFATWS fix-it, Mention of Past Winter Soldier Murders, Violence, Angst, Smut, Fluff
Summary: Six years ago, Shuri set him free from the Winter Soldier programming. But time has been cruel to them both, and when Bucky finds himself standing opposite her once again, the woman he swore his heart and his life to, he begins to wonder if what he’s doing is the right thing after all.
A/N: This fic was a labor of love between @purselover2 and @constantwriter85. This is our very first collaboration together, born out of our love for WinterPrincess and our desire to address a few issues TFATWS missed out on. We hope you like it! This fic contains spoilers for the show, so heed the warnings. Dividers by @firefly-graphics
1. Ben returns from the Force (similar to the arrival of Kyle Reese from Terminator) 2. Ben suffers from temporary amnesia and is aided by the goodwill of two strangers (characters similar to Owen and Beru). 3. Ben slowly regains his memory through nightmares and flashbacks and discovers his Force powers are seriously drained, unable to connect to Rey through the Force Bond. 4. He must fend for himself on a hostile world of intergalactic criminals led by Rotta, son of Jabba the Hutt. 5. Rotta employs Ben in exchange for a means of transport off-world. Soon after, Ben’s identity as the son of the ones who had murdered Jabba is reviled and Rotta has Ben’s caretakers assassinated. 6. Ben swears revenge against Rotta’s criminal enterprise, killing Rotta in the process. As he escapes off-world, Ben travels to Bespin to recruit the help of Lando Calrissian. 7. Ben quickly forms an unlikely allegiance with Jannah to search for Lando and the Millennium Falcon that disappeared into the Unknown Regions. 8. Somehow Ben recovers the lightsaber of Obi-Wan Kenobi?
These are the most plot points I could think of to contribute to any fix-it fics for TROS. If anyone is willing to create a fanfiction based on these plot points, feel free to experiment with then in any way you like.
Though this is a fix-it fic, it’s really more a collection of all the human emotion that was wiped from that ‘What If…?“ episode. Bucky lives. Steve lives. Okoye lives. Everything else is the same except the hurt actually hurts and that novel idea of comfort exists. I also like to think that, as a zombie, Steve was just constantly following Bucky around.
I was left really disquieted by the episode and wanted to give all the characters a chance to actually reckon with what was done to them. Also. Cuddles.
Summary:She’d thought she’d known loneliness before. The years on Jakku. Touching the reflective surface of the cave on Ahch-To. Aching for her parents. For answers.She is off Jakku now. She has her answers.And this loneliness, the loneliness of lost opportunity, of a future foretold but never realized, this is the most unbearable thing of all.
Delia is one of my favorite Reylo authors and her stories never disappoint. This is a very intense but also very beautiful journey into Rey’s grief after losing Ben in Exegol. It really feels like you’re inside Rey’s mind and feeling everything she’s feeling. It’s heavy, but also very cathartic. I can’t wait for chapter 2 (where Delia says we’ll get to the “happy parts” of the story!)
Summary:The best part of Ben Solo’s day is his visit to his local coffee shop. The fact that he can’t stop thinking about the barista who works there is completely unrelated.
Sometimes all you need is a soft and fluffy coffee shop AU.
Summary:Home, Ben has come to realize, isn’t four walls and a roof. Home is the pair of arms that hold you, the lips that kiss you goodnight, the face you see when you wake up in the morning, the person whose heartbeat is synced to yours. Home is Rey. And Rey is here (or: the one where Ben and baby go out to greet Rey).
This is one of my go-to stories whenever I’m craving canon Reylo domesticity/baby cuteness. It fills my heart with joy every single time! So adorable.
For anyone who needs a “fix-it fic” in these dire times… here was my post-TLJ response to the fates of our favourite space couple and, in my opinion, a better (and smuttier) ending than what they got.
moral ambiguity||noun. a lack of certainty about whether something is right or wrong.
He shakes his head in wonder. “I’ve never… I will never get used to this.“
“Used to what?” she breathes.
He swallows hard, cradling her cheek now with his hand, stroking the bridge of her nose with his thumb and then down, over her lips. He gives the bottom one a light tap, pulls it slightly.
“Touching you,” he says, quietly, “like this. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. To have the right.”
Post-Crait, Kylo Ren and Rey find that the Force Bond has remained open.
i’m in pain. in so much pain, it’s crazy. i did not expect that ending at all. it’s so hard to accept that this era has come to an end, and like this. this was the most unexpected thing to happen, to see sam carrying on without dean for the rest of his life. his “apple pie life” which wasn’t half as beautiful as before because unlike the hard, monster filled life of pain, this one was without his brother. sam and dean lived only for each other. dean died giving sam what dean wanted the most, for him to live a life that was normal. sam gave dean what dean wanted the most too. the pain is excruciating. i can’t believe the people i held onto in my darkest moments bid me a goodbye like this. i can’t bring myself to accept this and am just somehow hoping for a miracle to happen and a finale be shot again. but unfortunately, it won’t.
my life, personally, has been anything but normal. of course not as crazy as the winchesters but yeah haha. i’ve got a fucked up mental health and even more fucked up family. i haven’t really got friends, and the people i met online who want to be there for me, i can’t bring myself to talk to them about what i go through. so sam and dean have been the people i held onto, for a long long time. past few months were especially hard, and the past few days took a few hard turns for me. and it now feels harder to know that the people who were “there for me” aren’t there anymore. and not only because the show has ended. it’s funny how someone who doesn’t even exist can have such a deep impact on your life. dean has been so special for me, it’s hard to bring into words. he was my comfort person. a person i related to a lot. maybe the only character i actually did relate to. to see him going without even having the chance to live, after struggling all through his life took away a little hope from me, but again like he would say carry on.
Dean deserved better and Sam deserved better. They deserved all the happiness the world has to offer. They still do. What made me happy is that they actually are together, maybe not in this world but the other. But the possibility of what all they could have, what all they deserved just makes a little space in my heart which is hard to fill. They are always going to be permanent parts of my heart.
I know it’s been so hard for everyone, but I guess this family we made here is together and will always be. Dean and Sam are alive for us and will be. Dean did not die an untimely death here, in this fandom he’s living happily with Sam. Dean married (Y/N is you’re a dean girl) and Sam married (Y/N if you’re a sam girl). Every day starts with Sam forcing Dean to exercise while Miracle play around happily and it ends with Dean eating a big slice of pie while Sam shakes his head, sometimes annoyed and sometimes happily. They spoil their girls everyday. Sometimes they all sit together as the boys tell you about the hunts they’ve been on. Dean bragging about his heroism and Sam doing the same sometimes. It isn’t until midnight when they’re alone with their wives that they opened up about the struggles they faced. A few tears and a lot of kisses, you make love until his pain is replaced with pleasure. And just like that, a new day starts and their lives carry on.
I’m still not sure when I’ll be active again, like I said it’s been really hard lately. My career, my family and even myself. Nothing seems to go right. I’m surrounded by a lot of toxic and abusive people and now of course, now that my favorite people have gone, it’s gonna be even harder. I guess I’ll have to read a few fics to finally feel Dean alive again. So do suggest me if there are some fix-it fics. And please talk about your experiences too, I know it’s hard on all of us. I love you, always keep fighting.
Wanted to check in and say hello, also wondering if anyone is interested in/is a fan of Star Wars. Looking into building a Star Wars discord for writers, fans, shippers the works. Lemme know if ya’ll are interested!
Wanted to check in and say hello, also wondering if anyone is interested in/is a fan of Star Wars. Looking into building a Star Wars discord for writers, fans, shippers the works. Lemme know if ya’ll are interested!
In confessing to Sherlock why he’s not o.k., John thinks he will push away the one person he loves and cares about most …
For how could such a confession not?
But what if Sherlock had no idea what John was going through … until now? And knowing … he takes his time, gently … slowly … to show John that he is listening … ? And that he’s been here waiting … the whole time …
Absolute shit brother for not having kept in touch with her. To be honest, I’d given their relationship up for a lost cause … knowing the Watson history. Guess that speaks volumes about me?
She asked about you. How you were doing. Before she asked about Mary, and how I’m coping …
Probably knew I wasn’t about to answer. I needed another shot in my glass for that. Something stronger than hotel conference room coffee. And you know what I kept thinking? I was so happy for her … so proud! And yet, all I said was ‘good for you’ …
Good for you.
Like she’d won high marks on a test? Or adopted a puppy.
I’m sad so I’m fixing the ending of S1. Spoiler Warning.
—
As far back as he could remember Blackbeard was told that he wasn’t meant for the finer things in life. His family wasn’t royalty, they had no money and lived in squalor. Hell, he killed his father, Edward was the Kraken, the most feared pirate on the seven seas maybe even the entire world. Legends and certainly horror stories would be told about him for centuries.
But, he yearned for something more, something different.
Blackbeard needed a change he was growing bored, days became mundane. After all, a man could only kill and plunder so much before longing for something more.
Blackbeard was not meant for the finer things in life, but maybe Edward Teach was, maybe that was something he could have. Everything changed when the Gentleman Pirate known as Stede Bonnet entered his life, well more like fell into his life, after being hung, then cut loose, on the deck of a Spanish navy ship. Edward’s natural curiosity won over after he boarded the strange pirate’s ship. It seemed that everything on the ship, from the library in the captain’s courters to even the odd way he ran his ship was curious. It seemed to be run with kindness and patience, which had not been seen on any of the previous ships Ed had conquered. He figured that was why he spent time nursing Stede back to health like a wounded animal. Specifically, one of those sweet little blonde dogs, with big eyes and the cutest puppy dog, face all wrapped in nice fancy clothes and robes.
There was something in the look that Stede gave Blackbeard when he opened his eyes and looked into his own. The gentleman pirate didn’t recognize him as the devil known as Blackbeard but instead as Edward Teach. Edward Teach wasn’t feared and instead was some random pirate who deserved to understand Stedes’ kindness and his secret closet full of fine silk and cotton. All of which was soft to the touch, all beautiful and fair, Edward looked at the man in front of him with a boyish smile it seemed like the man who owned them was the same as the fabric itself.
The look Stede gave him when he found out Ed was Blackbeard was delicious. It was a look of shock mixed with a hint of adoration. But not fear, never fear, it was ingrained in Blackbeard to see that emotion. He had almost forgotten what adoration looked like on another person. He felt his stone heart skip a beat, and pink glossed over his cheekbones. All the Gentleman pirate seemed to want was to learn how to become a better pirate and who was Blackbeard to oppose teaching the eccentric man. Ed would teach Stede how to become a better pirate, and, in turn, Stede would show him the wonders of the finer things in life.
The only person who seemed to have a problem with the situation was Izzy.
But for once in his life, Ed felt like he was worth something, so he disregarded his first mate.
Ed was having fun.
Stede was delightful, Stede was curious, and Stede was beautiful.
Ed decided that Stede Bonnet was his finer thing.
Ed remembered the fear he felt when Izzy plunged his sword through the left side of Stede’s chest. Stede met Ed’s shameful gaze, and with a shy smile, he murmured, “Did I do it right? Aim for the left side? Cause they’re no important organs there?”
He choked back a laugh placing an arm around Stede’s shoulders; Ed dug his fist into the top of Stede’s head and messed up his perfect hair.
“Alright,” Ed turned to Izzy with a tight-lipped frown, “you lost mate.”
“Capt’n you can’t be serious-”
“You heard him!” Black Pete shouted over Blackbeard’s shoulder, “Get off our ship.”
Just like that Izzy Hands was gone and the viscous Blackbeard was left to patch up the captain of the Revenge. Stede hissed as the blade was pulled from his side, immediately slumping against Ed’s chest. “I gotcha,” He assured in a soft voice, far too tender for the fearsome pirate captain. Ed felt eyes staring into the back of his head over his shoulder he saw Lucius eyeing both of them almost with curiosity. Ed ignored the stare and helped Stede back into his courters, Ed spread him on the couch. “Keep pressure on it,” Ed commanded as Stede whined softly as he pressed his hand to the bleeding wound. Ed collected some bandages and ripped open the buttons on Stede’s shirt, Ed ignored the slightly startled sound from Stede’s mouth.
“Hey! I’ll have you know I liked this shirt, be gentler!” Stede argued as Ed gave him a stern look, Stede seemed to swallow thickly before he shrunk in on himself “Please?“
Edward sighed, and gently slid the soft fabric off of Stede’s arms Ed could see the muscles in Stede’s shoulder tense as he ran his fingers across the heated skin. Now shirtless, Ed was able to get to the wound to clean and patch it up; the entire time Stede made small whimpers and whines that sent chills down Ed’s spine. By the time they finished sweat had beaded on Stede’s brow from stress and his face contorted like he sucked on a sour piece of fruit.
“You okay man?” Ed spoke in an uncharacteristically soft tone, and Stede gave a shaky smile.
“I’ll live.”
Ed frowns, “can I get you anything? Tea? One of those kiddie stories you like?”
“They’re not kiddie stories Ed.” Stede said with a huff as Ed smiled, he watched Stede look at him and pout, “ah, you’re making fun of me.”
“Only a little, can you sit up?”
Stede followed his orders like a good little pet and sat up on the couch to the best of his ability. Ed made his way into Stede’s secret room and came out with the softest robe he could find and wrapped Stede in it. Stede hummed in contentment and snuggled into the fabric, Ed felt his heart skip a beat.
Cute.
Stede’s brown eyes fluttered from under his eyelashes and shyly held his hand out to Ed, “Sit with me?” Ed’s cheeks felt hot, he looked behind him briefly before he pointed to his chest,
“Me?”
“You’re the only one here.”
Ed shuffled his feet momentarily before he slid in next to Stede, who was still sweating and dizzy due to the blood loss. Ed felt Stede move and press his cheek against his shoulder and Edwards’s face burst into a million shades of red. He moved to open his mouth but noticed Stede was already asleep on his shoulder, and his heart melted. Ed’s arm moved to pull Stede closer so he could be more comfortable as he recovered. His hands brushed sweat-soaked hair from Stead’s forehead but pulled away when Stede stirred slightly. Ed looked at his hands and noted the scars and calluses, his eyes trailed over the perfection that was Stede, who had no scars or imperfections.
Stede was immaculate and perfect and Edward wasn’t. But, maybe for this one moment, he could pretend he was as he pressed a hesitant kiss to the top of Stede’s head.
It lasted a moment but meant the world to Edward Teach.
Ever since that day, there was a shift in the air on the ship. Most of the crew either chose to ignore it or try to get to the bottom of it like Lucius. The man knew something was going on between the two captains, for starters, they dueled in the moonlight almost every night. The second was that the air on the ship seemed gayer than usual and that was saying something when you considered the crew. Lucius was sure the two captains were in love, at least in the beginning of love. It was confirmed when they took a stop for oranges to help the Swede. Stede was acting odd, which said something, going on and on about a treasure map and he forced Lucius and Blackbeard to join him in the search. When they finally stopped to eat it seemed like they forgot Lucius was there altogether. They seemed to get lost in whatever fantasy Blackbeard made up about owning a restaurant. Whatever was going on it was the gayest thing he’s ever seen. He thought he was going to witness his captain’s kiss.
They didn’t, which wasn’t fun for Lucius.
Lucius figured they’d have all the time in the world, he could eventually nudge them both in the right direction. After all, this type of thing is what Lucius was good at, just ask Pete.
Just as things went back to normal, it was decided that Blackbeard would stay onboard The Revenge permanently. Ed wasn’t sure how it would work but Stede called it Co-Captianing. Things seemed set, they would sail the seas together as captains until the day they both died and Ed could drink in the beauty that was Stede Bonnet. However, everything changed when the British navy showed up. The crew of the naval ship took everyone on the Revenge prisoner, Ed and Stede were tied up and thrown face-first on the deck. Ed’s head snapped towards Stede’s his eyes were wide and for the first time, Stede was genuinely fearful. Ed took a breath in and moved his foot to nudge Stede’s, I’m not going anywhere, was the promise hidden within the nudge, I’ll protect you always.
When the Navy boarded the ship the first thing they did was separate Blackbeard from Stede. Blackbeard was locked within the ship’s prison cell and Stede was taken who knows where. Now that scared Ed, the unknown and the aloneness, not knowing if Stede was about to die and not being able to do anything about the situation. He huffed and sat down on the small bed in the cell, all he could do was wait. Ed was impatient but found when it came to Stede’s he would be as patient as needed. Chauncey came into the hull where the cell was, face flushed from anger at the situation and Blackbeard knew what he was going to say before he even said it.
“Hm. Sorry mate, I killed your brother. Wasn’t Stede I’m afraid, cut your brother right up.” He mused as he kicked one foot over the other on the bed. Chauncey raised an eyebrow who was he to argue with him, after all, there was no way Baby Bonnet could kill anyone. He was just as weak now as he was as a child, Chauncey only clicked his tongue and disappeared presumably to speak to Stede. Ed could only hope Stede would let Blackbeard take the blame for the situation, Stede was too precious, too important, to be put to death.
Stede, ever the gentleman, wasn’t about to let someone take the fall for a crime they didn’t commit in his steed. At the end that’s how Ed and Stede found themselves on the upper deck bound by the wrists and standing in front of the King’s Navy. Ed turned to the right and saw Izzy standing beside the Naval officer and dread pooled in his stomach. Almost like the sea could sense his dread it was declared that Blackbeard would be handed over to Izzy and Stede was to be put to death by firing squad. Blackbeard growled as Izzy cut the binds from his wrists,
“This is the way it must be.” Izzy growled right back, “you’re too attached. You can’t be Blackbeard and have Bonnet it makes you weak.” Ed turned to face Stede, whose eyes were covered by a blindfold, five guns were aimed at his body. Blackbeard would let Stede die, Blackbeard would get on with his life and not care about the self-proclaimed Gentleman Pirate and his crew.
But Ed didn’t want to be Blackbeard anymore…Ed just wanted to be Ed…and what Ed wanted…he looked over at the tense mop of blonde hair who jabbered for his life.
“Act of Grace!” His hand shot in the air, a loud hissed ‘what’ cut through the air right after the words left his mouth by Izzy.
“You can’t be serious!” Izzy argued, red in the face, “You’d rather serve the rest of your life loyal to the king and the Navy than let this frivolous man die!”
“Act of Grace,” Ed repeated and ignored Izzy’s protests he walked over to Stede and removed his blindfold, “say it. Say Act of Grace.”
Stede looked confused briefly before clearing his throat, “ah yes! Two Acts of Grace please!” He smiled, albeit nervously. “As soon as you’re able preferably!” Chauncey practically snarled at the idea,
“Stede Bonnet isn’t a real pirate! Therefore the Act of Grace only applies to Blackbeard.” Ed cursed and pushed Stede’s body behind his own to protect it from the bullets that were sure to follow.
“Untrue!” One of Stede’s crew members yelled, “Capt’n is a real pirate!”
“We’ve stolen and plundered ships and islands!” Oluwande continued holding up the little plant they plundered from a group of merchants.
Ed smiled in thanks at the crew, but Chauncey wasn’t satisfied, instead, he chose to throw a fit much as a baby would. However, the Navy seemed to have other plans and accepted the Acts of Grace and their forever servitude to the King of England. As the evening drew close the pirates had no choice as they signed their life away. Before both men knew it both Ed and Stede were on their way to the naval training camp. Ed noticed Stede’s anxious fidgeting the entire trip and placed a gentle hand on his thigh and squeezed. Luckily, Stede seemed to relax under his reassuring touch.
As they made it to the mainland they were shoved into a line to get supplies and garments for the grueling days to follow. However, unlike his grumpy companion Edward wasn’t in the same mood he felt light, his skin hummed with excitement. This was a new adventure he wasn’t Blackbeard any longer and had no obligations to be the notorious pirate.
“Okay.” Stede whispered behind him in line and Ed hummed, “Ed what’s the plan?”
“I have no plan man.” He chuckled and strode forward in line with a pep in his step,
“Ah of course you have no plan. Wink, wink.” Stede hummed cheerfully hands clasping behind his back, Ed looked over his shoulder to give him a look.
“No mate I mean I don’t have a plan. This is a brand new start we should embrace it!” Stede sputtered from behind him,
“Embrace it?” He gaped, “But-but we’re pirates! You’re Blackbeard!”
“Not anymore I’m just Edward now.” Ed hummed as he stood in front of the man handing out supplies, “Edward Teach at your service.” The man scribbled his name down on the paper and handed him some clothes and soap. “Look Stede! Soap!” He sniffed it strolling into the room, “Yummy! Lavender!”
Edward didn’t get to hear the rest of Stede’s conversation with the man signing the books. As soon as Ed entered the barracks he was pulled off into the bathroom to get his namesake, his beard, shaved off. Ed felt like a baby once he was finally clean-shaven. He patted the smooth skin of his face, his face wasn’t something he’d seen in decades. He found that his first thought as he was shoved back into the barracks was,
What if Stede didn’t like him without the beard?
He sat on the bottom bunk albeit a bit uneasy as Stede sat on the bed beside him, Ed was still hiding his face a mix of nerves and pretending to unpack. Once he faced Stede fully the blonde let out a frightened yelp, and Ed flushed nervously. Shit, he didn’t like it,
“You’ve shaved-”
“Apparently beards are against the dress code here.” He rubbed his chin as he played off the nerves he felt, “Does it look bad?”
“No! No of course not! Just it’s different.” Stede assured and held his hands up defensively, “not bad though.” Ed let out a small breath he hadn’t known he was holding in, at the smile Stede gave him. A small bought of silence settled between them, “So about a plan, I was thinking since you shaved we can use your beard hairs and make a fake head-”
“Stede I don’t have a plan alright? Let’s just enjoy life enjoy the now. Together.”
Stede didn’t seem happy with the response, and he frowned, it wasn’t his normal cute pout either it was a full-on frown. Stede stood up and seemed lost, lost in his own world in a way Ed had never seen. Ed licked his lips as Stede left the barracks, he took a breath pulling the red cloth from his pocket. He rubbed it gently against his face feeling the soft silk of the finer fabric his mother had given him all those years ago. He thought about Stede and how long ago he had decided for himself that Stede was his finer thing. The thing that his mother claimed he could never have, Ed wouldn’t let him go so easily and it was time he told him that.
Ed found Stede sitting by the water and plopped down beside him with a smile, “hey man. You know the fake heads idea wasn’t that bad.”
“Oh come on stupid idea.” Stede let out a small laugh, before his eyes drifted to the floor, “I’ve only got stupid ideas.”
“Oh shut up.”
There was a beat of silence where Stede looked over at Ed with a soft expression, “How are you handling this so well?” Ed looked at him and Stede had the puppy dog pout on his face that Ed just adored. Ed tilted his head to the side allowing his long hair to fall over his shoulders,
“I don’t know…It’s just kind of nice just to take a load off.” He looked out into the rolling waves of the ocean. “Just to…just to be Edward.” He breathed a fond smile forming on his lips, before he grew serious again, “I don’t know if I want to go back to the old days. Just drinking all day and biting the heads off turtles or making some poor bloke eat his own toes with a laugh.” He looked over at Stede whose face morphed into one of disgust before muttering an eloquent
“Yuck.” He shuffled, “Where’s the laugh there?”
Ed didn’t look over at Stede and felt his heart beating in his throat, “I suppose what I’m saying is right now I just want to do what makes Ed happy.” Ed glanced at the sand beneath him and sighed,
“And what makes Ed happy?” Stede asked and Ed could feel his soft gaze on his back.
“These past few weeks have been…the most fun I’ve had in ages.” He laughed a little with a shake of his head and glanced over at Stede, “years…maybe ever.” Ed saw Stede straighten a proud, almost haughty, smirk on his delicate features. “So…so I reckon what makes Ed happy is…you.” He looked up and locked eyes with Stede, he let out a breath and saw Stede’s eyebrows shoot up into his forehead. A little smile poked at the edges of Stede’s lips as he took a shaky breath in,
“Well that’s uh- that’s-” Before Ed could even comprehend what he was doing he cupped the back of Stede’s head and pulled him into a kiss. It wasn’t a storybook kiss, after all, these were two grown men who knew nothing about romance. The kiss was messy and inexperienced teeth knocked against one another and lips slowly slotted against each other. Ed didn’t know what to do with his hands, hell, he barely knew what to do with his lips. He brought one hand up and placed it gently on Stede’s chest while the other cupped Stede’s face fondly. As Ed went to pull away he found that Stede chased the kiss and allowed it to last for a few more blissful moments. When Ed officially pulled away, he swore he heard Stede let out a small wanton whine as they parted. Their lips were barely touching as Stede opened his brown eyes. They were hazy with what Ed thought was love and adoration. “You make Stede happy,” Stede whispered like it was a secret between lovers. Edward felt himself grin and moved away from Stede, only slightly, he made sure to keep a hand placed firmly on his chest.
“Maybe we can just get away,” Ed’s other hand moved to rest in Stede’s lap, “start over, reset.”
“But you said there was no escape.”
Ed laughed and sent a devilish smile Stede’s way, “there’s always an escape. We could be gone tonight.”
“What about the English? They’ll be all over us-”
“No, no, no we could get a new boat.” A look of hope and realization spread across Edwards’s face, “new names, new backstories. Everything. We’ll go somewhere they’ll never find us. We can go to China!” Stede blinked a few times in stupefaction, and let out a small laugh of disbelief,
“China?”
“China.” Ed insisted,
“It’s quite far away.” Stede insisted back, and Ed placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“Yeah,” He licked his lips, “That’s the point, our old lives would be gone, dead. What do you say?” He saw Stede take a deep breath in, looking lost in thought and Edward squeezed his hands tightly to snap him out of it. “Yes?” Ed asked with longing in his voice, Ed saw Stede nod his head,
“I think so,” a smile broke out across Ed’s face as he shouted,
“Yes!” Jumping up from his spot, “yes, yes?”
“Hmhm.” Stede nodded and pressed his lips together in bashful a smile,
“Again, this is great, okay, we leave at dawn. I’ll work out the details!” Ed was practically bouncing on his feet, “You think of some new names! Cool ones!” He commanded as he left to figure out a plan for the two of them to escape together. It was perfect, he’d mug some guy and get dingy with just enough space for the two of them to fit. He’d get a bag of food and fresh water and they’d go off together to start a whirlwind romance meant for the storybooks. Ed’s smile couldn’t be wider as he told Stede the plan that night, someone would give him the signal to meet Ed at the docs. Ed made his way there a few hours before dawn, the boat was tied to the dock and set up, all the food and drinks were stored away and kept safe from seagulls. Now all Ed had to do was wait for the love of his life to appear before him.
So Ed waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
As dawn approached a wave of bitter anger began to form in his heart as he sat on the edge of the docks. The sky began to fill with pastel blues and pinks that only served as a reminder that Stede wasn’t coming. Ed stood on the dock cruses left his mouth as he moved to get into the boat, he would sail back to The Revenge, take the ship and the crew, and forget Stede ever existed.
“Ed!” A shout and Ed spun around on his feet, his hand was wrapped around the rope of the boat. Ed was blindsided as arms, frim arms, wrapped tight around his torso which caused him to stumble back off the edge of the pier. Both men let out a respective noise of surprise as they landed in the boat. Ed breaking Stede’s fall not so elegantly, “Were you about to leave without me?” Stede asked and pulled back to look Ed in the eyes, his classic pout on his face.
“It’s well past dawn,” Ed argued with a scowl on his features,
“Don’t brood that’s not very gentlemanly of you. Plus I…” He looked away from Ed to let out a small huff, “I got held up.” Ed gave him a look, “no really! I was held up at gunpoint! By Chauncey!”
“What?” Ed snarled and scrambled to reach back out towards the dock to get them back to land so he could kill that sonofabitch.
“Ed, Ed listen! He’s dead…tripped and shot himself in the head, while going to shoot me so it’s kind of ironic when you think about it. Especially, considering how his brother died and-” Stede was abruptly silenced by a kiss. He let out a long whine and kissed Ed back with just as much vigor. He pulled away and panted lightly, his pupils dilated, “What was I saying?”
“Nothing important.” Ed assured and pressed a kiss to Stede’s lips once again, “So?”
“China?”
“China.”
Edward Teach was certain his mother was wrong. Ed deserved the finer things in life and his finer thing was and always will be Stede Bonnet.
