IZZY HANDS For Stede !

🪐 —  IZZY HANDS   for  stede !

Hold your tongue now. Oh the reaction that got out of Hands. There were no doubt people who probably wondered that why, at his age, he hadn’t made the move to captain his own ship entirely. Not just the times Edward had turned things over to him but full on leave the nest. Sure there was his immense loyalty to Edward and the fact he didn’t quite feel like his own person without the man (another discussion entirely) but he also craved that commanding presence towards himself as well. At the end of the day, Israel Hands enjoyed being told what to do. Generally by men who had earned it, ie. Edward Teach and not many others. But in that moment, taking that tone with him and having him quite literally pinned to the wall with his weight, Stede Bonnet might have been giving off what Izzy needed for a moment.

Izzy grunted softly as Bonnet leaned his weight into him harder and he caught himself starting to smile at it before he cut that shit out to grit his teeth behind closed lips. Jaw rippled at the exertion to not let out some soft exclamation or even a weird sound. But god was this getting to him. but i’m the captain that you’ve got and the subtle added weight to those words he felt pressed to his chest earned a slipped out whimper from the first mate but not another word. He felt so tense he might as well have become part of the wall he was pressed against.

In fact, Hands didn’t utter a single word of argument while Bonnet spoke to him. He listened to him. Let the words sink it. Didn’t even think about trying to free his arms enough to retrieve his weapon. 

I will have your respect, or I will order the men to throw you overboard.

Israel inhaled sharply, his gaze that had been transfixed on Bonnet’s faltered and some of the tension in his body dropped. It reminded him of Ed in his earlier days of his captaincy. When he had to vocalize such threats. These days, the fear of Blackbeard was enough for anyone to not want to disappoint the man. Only Izzy responded to such things in such a weird way. For one, it might look like he was frightened by Stede’s threat at first. His chest rising and falling a bit heavier, his lips parted and his gaze momentarily averted from Bonnet’s. There was no doubt that Stede would be able to feel how rapid and strong Israel’s heart was thumping in his chest. Especially when his eyes lifted from the man’s mouth back to hold his gaze firmly just before Stede released him. 

Do I make myself quite clear ?

It was at the point that Izzy realized how much of his weight he’d let Bonnet hold up. His knees startled to buckle and he had to quickly tense back up again, knees aching a bit as he partially hyperextended them to straighten back up. He looked distracted a moment, embarassed as well when he realized how much he’d enjoyed Stede of all people being this close to him. Don’t let go – what the fuck? Izzy’s grin had started to poke out just a bit and it faltered some by his realization. God he wanted to kiss this man for that. 

Hands swallowed thickly and nodded slowly. “Yes. Crys–crystal clear.” He felt dizzy by his realization and he was looking up at Bonnet so strangely. The man probably expected anger not – near awe. Not an actual answer that wasn’t spitting in the man’s face and telling him to fuck off. Christ. Was he attracted to this man? Like actually? He wanted Stede to look at him like he used to look at Edward and not just how he was looking at him now. He wanted both. He wanted Stede to look at him like he wanted him. God he felt so stupid. And they were so close. He could still feel the heat from Stede’s hands on him, or maybe it was just his own chest feeling warm. He shouldn’t want any of that. It felt like claws in his chest were trying to dig a hole there to push those feelings back in. The tension was back in his shoulders and he was trying to get his anger back. Trying to blame Stede for this. Witchcraft. Trickery. Something. Anything to cover up the shame he felt. The ache he felt because – yeah – he was attracted to Stede in the way he knew he was supposed to be attracted to a woman. Fuck me. This was not supposed to happen.

“Can I – Can I go now? Or do you need anything, Captain?”

      THE LACK OF STRUGGLE  surprises stede, as does the flicker at the corner of izzy’s lips that appears more smile than sneer.  &  his head reels with it, the fact that edward’s first mate appears to actually be obeying to him.  &  more than that, izzy appears to truly be soaking up his words, really listening.  he does not miss how his eyes meets stede’s for a moment, his shoulders heaving beneath his hands, before flickering down to his mouth.  &  then they come back to connect with his again, holding fast to his gaze.  his hands remain still, no movement made for his blade, though surely he could run stede through now just as easily as he had before.  instead izzy allows himself to be held, to be reprimanded,  &  then allows stede to release him unscathed.                                   &  there is a modicum of thrill that runs through stede that he cannot ignore at being able to impress his will over a man as difficult  &  formidable as izzy hands.  for so long he had been laughed at when he tried to make himself known, mocked  &  ridiculed for his very existence.  but the way izzy is looking at him now  —  his gaze wide  &  his stance uncharacteristically unsteady as he finds his own feet again  —  stede feels rather formidable himself.  perhaps even powerful.  he may still be no blackbeard, but maybe he was learning at last.             ❝ there’s a good man, ❞  stede says with a nod, his tone softening noticeably with approval when izzy speaks his acquiescence aloud.  a hand frees itself from where it has been folded together defensively in front of his abdomen  &  runs itself through his hair, smoothing the blonde waves back into place.  after all, it would not do for him to appear ruffled after their little altercation.  it was a captain’s duty to remain in control of all the members of his crew at all times,  &  stede was certain that edward would want izzy to still be here when he returned.  &  the blatantly obvious truth was that neither of them could do anything that might disappoint edward.  so that now included izzy, for better or worse.                                                               he notices too that there is a strange uncertainty to the other man’s tone when he speaks again,  voice wavering slightly in a way that stede has rarely heard it do.  &  then izzy calls him captain,  &  that same thrill runs through him again, pride flaring warm in his chest.  &  it makes it easier for stede to pull himself up to his full height, hands folding again behind his back this time.  no longer defensive, instead he now seems a picture of confidence, sunlight gleaming off of his white silk.  ❝ no, actually you may not.  i don’t believe i’ve dismissed you yet, mr. hands. ❞  &  then he turns his back to izzy, looking out over the crew instead.  he is no longer afraid that the other man will reach for his sword.  izzy hands would never pull a blade on his captain.            &  though he doesn’t turn to look back, stede is all but certain that izzy will fall into line beside him.  at last.  ❝ as i was saying before i was interrupted, most of my men prefer positive reinforcement.  praise for things done well.  honest compliments alongside the criticisms.  if they must be corrected, a subtle nudge in the right direction can be surprisingly effective.  you may be used to leading by force, but my crew responds better to a gentler hand. ❞  a pause, his eyes flickering to the side at last to ensure he is being heard. ❝ am i understood ? ❞ 

🪐 —  KANG SAE-BYEOK​   for  katiana !

she shakes her head in answer to the question,   while glancing at the box of sweets with something close to suspicion in her eyes.  of course,  she can’t tell her that the only thing resembling sweets she remembers from her childhood is a soft piece of bread sprinkled with some sugar,  precious and rare enough that she made sure to lick her fingers clean.  so sae-byeok says nothing at all while reaching for a macharon,  round and cream colored,  hesitation and wonder whirling in her gut.  you’ll love them,  katiana promised  —  and sae-byeok hasn’t had anything for herself in so long that her fingers almost shake as they finally bring the pastry to her mouth.  

the taste is sweet,  but not so much her teeth ache and she can admit that it’s good.  she wishes she could bring one to her brother.  maybe she will slip one into her pocket later.   ❛  you were right  —  they are good.  ❜   and then she lowers her voice so it stands barely above a whisper,  because apparently all it takes to lower her defences is a little kindness.   ❛  my little brother would love them.  ❜ 

       IT’S A LITTLE STRANGE  the way that sae-byeok handles the seeet treats as though they were cast from crystal.  they were good, to be sure  —  the best outside of paris, as she’d said  —  but still nothing particularly precious.  katiana had eaten almost a whole box this weekend alone.  &  if she decided she wanted more, she could have her driver sent to fetch another box to be delivered within an hour.  &  she sips from her champagne flute, wide brown eyes curiously observing the way that sae-byeok seems to savor it, taking her time to chew  &  swallow.                                                           ❝ well we can have a box to sent to him.  especially if he hasn’t tried them before either.  everyone should.  ❞  &  the heiress makes a mental note to ask for an extra batch the next time she sends someone down to the little bakery for something sweet.  ❝ &  here i didn’t even know you had a brother.  what does he do ? ❞  come to think of it, katiana suddenly realizes she also knows very little about sae-byeok herself, either.  though she wasn’t sure why she should cared.  the other girl was really nothing more than just another of the ever rotating cast of supporting characters in the heiress’s life, bought into her orbit by her father’s obscene wealth.  but there something about the way that sae-byeok held herself that seemed different from everyone else, that cast her aside from all those preening social climbers who clung to her in hopes of seizing some of her family’s  clout or power for themselves.  &  while katiana wants to brush her instinct off, there is a part of her that is just too curious to simply let her differences slide.  ❝ where did you say your family was from again ? ❞

🪐 — CHRISTINE DAAÉ​   for  giovanni !

 ❝  ────── you don’t have to do that.  ❞    her voice is faint and featherlight, fingers grasping at his sleeve. it would be better if she had said she didn’t want him to do that  ― didn’t want to him to flee and leave her hands empty… but those words thicken and catch and spread like fear  ― and her lips quick to seal… her hand, however, said what she could not, clutching at his sleeve with firm but trembling fingers…

           IT’S NOT ABOUT REASON.  no, the way giovanni reacts when he overhears a filthy comment from complete strangers as they pass by christine is entirely emotional.  he’s on his feet before he even thinks about it, his hearing muffled beneath the rush of blood in his ears. but one thing does cut through,  a gentle but insistent tug at his wrist that keeps him tethered to her side.  &  when he looks down into her wide pleading eyes, the rage slowly begins to dissipate.  though the protective instinct still remains, his other arm looping around her shoulder  &  tucking her close to his side.  ❝ do you just want to get out of here ? ❞

thinking about how stede — the man who once complained that his blankets were too scratchy — disassociated so hard after chauncy threatened to murder him  &  accidentally shot himself that he literally ran across barbados, over mostly undeveloped jungle land, all the way from the beach to his estate barefoot 

What We Do in the Shadows 4.01

We are opening a vampire nightclub.