& Stede Doesn't Want To Let Him Go. Like... Ever Lol. - Tumblr Posts
🪐 — EDWARD TEACH for stede !
a pitiful scoff and a low grumble later, edward complies, brought to stillness under the touch of stede’s hand. and it’s a damn miracle, or near to it, to witness such lack of movement from him — edward teach moves with the wind, just like the waves now gently rolling against the hull, and shifts like a storm even in slumber. there’s none of that now, while stede wipes away the mess of dried tears and smudged black paint sticking to his skin. then a flash of gold burns at the corner of his vision, followed by the glimpse of a wrist and edward turns his head towards it before he can stop himself. sure, stede had been close earlier, when he had pressed himself almost flat to the man, but this is different. this sends his heart into a mad gallop, breath halting in his chest before he has the chance to draw it out. now that the ugly affair of crying their eyes out has ceased, edward finally has the presence of mind to notice what he’s missed before, what he has been missing for weeks on end: the colour of stede’s eyes, that gut wrenching stede-like way he has of looking at him, like he is someone deserving of tenderness and careful touches and such alien things. the nice stuff. everything he has been denied for so long. stede fucking bonnet indeed, coming back here without even having the decency of meeting his anguished anger on equal grounds. the mad rogue. when stede proclaims this cleaning thing done with, voice low and gentle, edward can’t help himself any longer, pressing close instead of drawing away like he was meant to — still seated on the ground, he wounds an arm around stede’s waist, then rests his head against his chest with none of the desperate urgency of earlier. ‘ you came back. ’ he sighs, relief and exhaustion both warring through him, causing his body to nearly sag against the other. for now, until he drags his feet out there to face the crew, this is all that matters. all he can think of. the rest, along with the consequences of his own actions, can wait. ' your shirt’s proper fucked. ’ a fit of sleep deprived lunacy has his shoulders shake with barely stifled laughter, before edward has the sense to regain some clarity. ' oh, right. your auxiliary wardrobe hasn't— everything’s still there. summer linens and all the rest. ’ those, at least, he spared from being tossed into the ocean, refusing to let anyone beyond that secret door of his, not even uttering a word about it.
IT TAKES SOME TIME to remove the all kohl from his face, but edward is patient & still under the gentle touches. & when his skin is finally clean again, stede braces himself for the inevitable absence that will come. ed is going to leave now, & stede is prepared to let him. that is what he wants, after all — some space between them to gather his throughts. so he’s surprised when the other man leans against him instead, head tucked against stede’s chest & a strong arm curled around his waist. & it’s second nature to pull edward closer, welcoming him into another embrace, arms looping around his shoulders, right hand stroking comfortingly through his long dark hair. ❝ of course i came back — i’m only sorry that i left you in the first place. i’ll never leave you again, darling, i swear it. ❞ the words call to mind a day not so long ago, when stede had thought himself abandoned, only for edward to return just in time to save his life. but it was clear that his own timing was not yet as finely honed as the other man’s — & stede’s hesitation had resulted in undeniable damage not only to edward, but to the crew as well. he could only hope that he was not too late to heal some of the hurt he had caused with his cowardice. & at the mention of his ruined shirt, stede cannot help but chuckle. ❝ it’s alright, ed, really. don’t even concern yourself with it. after all, it’s just a bit of fabric, right ? easily replaced. ❞ as if such a silly thing even mattered at all to him anymore. since he had given up his wealth in its entirety to mary & the children, the fine silks & linens he had donned all his life seemed to hardly suit him. he was no longer a man of means, but a filthy pirate, just like the rest of his crew. in his absence, edward appeared to have gotten rid of most of the furniture, books, & clothing that had previously filled his luxurious cabin — save for a familiar fuchsia robe he spied thrown over the bed like a blanket, that is. but at the thought of his auxiliary wardrobe remaining untouched throughout the tirade of destruction, stede feels a tightness in his chest. edward had been the only one he had ever shown that room. & to hear that he had protected that particular secret even after being abandoned by him, stede finds he is strangely touched at the kindness of the gesture. ❝ well, that’s — that’s very kind of you. thank you. i’m sure that will be more than enough. & i would really like to put on something clean. ❞ after all, he had spent days on end in a rowboat trying to catch up to the revenge, & the shirt he was wearing had long ago become soiled & stained with sweat.