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.
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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)
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.
