#thanks for breaking my heart
“Thank you for letting me go, because I wouldn’t have walked away”
“How’d you get the scar on your hand?”
It’s an innocent enough question, now that Izzy has been accepted into the crew. And he should have excepted it sooner or later, especially after he moaned at how horrible everyone was at telling stories when they sat in a huddled group like this.
It was a story he’d told a handful of times before, to the old crew. And to crews even older than that.
It felt different with Ed there, curled up in Stedes arms as they both watched him.
“Oh I know that one!” Fang said excitedly. “Izzy told us. An amazing adventure with Blackbeard. They were raiding a French ship and Izzy got captured by the captain during the fire. They fought, tooth and nail! It was Blackbeard that dragged him from the burning ship.”
There were a lot of gasps and comments, and Izzy’s eyes flickered to Ed, nervously.
“That’s not what happened.” Ed said, confused.
All eyes were off Izzy now, looking to Ed to make the story even grander than it was. Izzy could breath. He slipped from the story time even as the silence dragged.
“Well what happened then, Captain?” Ivan urged.
Eds gaze followed Izzy until he disappeared below deck. They’d moved on now to a different story, one from Olu. Ed tugged Stede to follow him, to corner Izzy in his room.
“I don’t understand, dear. That was a lovely tale and-“
“It was a lie, though.” Ed said, staring Izzy down as Izzy tugged at the glove covering his burn scars.
“Blackbeard did it.”
“What?” Stede gasped.
“Got blood on his boots from stabbing the French captain through his gullet. Brand new they were. So Blackbeard torched the ship. Held my arm in the flames until he was satisfied.”
Stede was staring now at Ed, who took the time to appear guilty.
“Always thought you told ‘em the truth.”
“The truth would have had them mutiny.” Izzy said, slight scoff. “Who would serve a captain that brutalised their first mate for a bit of blood? No one. So I made you a legend. The great Blackbeard who risked his life to save the pathetic first mate who couldn’t even stand foot to foot with a French captain.”
Stede stepped forward then, and pulled Izzy to his chest. Ed followed, soft and careful, as he held Izzy’s hand. His lips brushed against the leather of the glove.
“Yeah. Bit of a prick, wasn’t I?”
Izzy was taken to the Captains cabin that night, and both captains took their time in showing Izzy just how loved he was.
