#fair for stede to let izzy go first but for izzy's first turn instead of moving a piece he rotates the whole board so the white pieces are | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

run-me-through-but-not-like-that · 2 years

Note

ooohhh, maybe a fic where reader is a pirate too, the captain of their own ship? maybe they had an agreement not to fight with blackbeard and even be allies, but they just heard about the toe thing and now izzy has to hold them back so they don't violently dismember ed, lol

I'll Kill Him:

As soon as the ship came into sight, Izzy recognise it. Its flag was raised high and proud, making sure it couldn't be missed.

"Should we get the captains?" Oluwande asked, frowning slightly. The ship was definitely approaching them but who would risk raiding a ship that flew Blackbeard's flag.

"They won't attack us, prepare to let them board," Izzy sighed, already feeling the migraine coming on.

"...seriously?" Normally Izzy wouldn't be so lenient with one of Bonnet's crew questioning him but the concern was fair if they didn't know better.

"They're old allies. Just do it," was all the information Izzy gave.

"And the Captains?"

"...wait for now..."

Izzy watched from the quarterdeck as the ships lined up, a friendly approach considering a canon hadn't been fired. He watched as you boarded the ship, shaking his head. A captain shouldn't board another ship alone but your arrangement with Blackbeard was an unique one.

The majority of your crew, including your stony first mate, stood at the railing of your ship, watching. Waiting to see if their assistance would be required. They understood the peace between you and the other captain but you had sought out the Revenge in a rage, making them wonder if it still stood.

You assessed the crew with a stern expression, figuring out what to make of them. Izzy waited to see what conclusion you came to.

"You," you pointed to Lucius, who scrambled over and stood to attention. He could be a right twat but he wasn't stupid. "Where is your captain?"

"Uh...which one?" the scribe asked nervously, hoping you wouldn't think he was being difficult on purpose.

You frowned a little before putting the pieces together. So, that part of the rumours was true...

"...he took him back?!" you snapped in disbelief.

"Uh...I guess you want Captain Teach?" Lucius decided not to get into Stede's return.

That was when a familiar voice called your name, saving the scribe from your wrath. Though, all of the anger fell away from your face when you turned to see Izzy approaching you, a grin on your face instead.

"There you are!" you approached like an old friend, arms held out at your sides, "thought you weren't going to welcome me aboard for a minute."

Izzy grumbled as you pulled him into a hug. He didn't resist but he didn't wrap his arms around you either. Had to uphold his reputation at least a little after all.

You were still smiling when you stepped back. At least, you were until your gaze dropped to the cane he clutched. Instantly grimacing at the fire raging behind your eyes once again.

Of course, you were disgusted by his weakness. The cane being a dead give away of what, he was sure, you had already heard rumours about. He refused to hang his head in shame.

"Fucking Blackbeard," you muttered through your teeth before turning away from him. "Edward fucking Teach!" you called, the same shout you would use when taunting an enemy to fight you, "get your arse out here!"

The crew quickly when from cautiously curious to completely stunned. They had taken part in their fair share of raids now and couldn't believe you would address the fearsome Blackbeard in such a way, even if they had come to know him as Edward now. They had also had a taste of him at his worst.

Thankfully, you didn't have to storm into the captain's cabin because the two captains soon came running out to see what was going on.

"Uh, who are you?" Bonnet asked with a small frown, unsure whether this would be another Calico Jack incident. Should he be welcoming a friend of Edward's or shooing them away before they can do any damage.

"Seriously, Edward? Everything that happened and you're co-captaining again?" you asked, sounding almost disappointed in him but your anger was more prominent.

"Not that it's any of your business but we have talked all of that out," Bonnet huffed defensively.

"Does he speak for you now?" you raised an eyebrow. You weren't here to speak with the Gentleman Pirate after all.

"Of course not," Edward sighed, rolling his eyes at you. "What are you doing here?" he would have greeted you with more excitement, if you hadn't come here with obviously hostile intentions.

"I had hoped the stories Jackie told me were just rumours, imagine my surprise when I decide to visit and find your first mate needing a cane just to walk across the deck," you glared the pirate captain down.

"Y/n," Izzy sighed, shaking his head, "that's why you're here?"

"That's why-of course that's why I'm here!" you spun back round to face the first mate. Did he really think you wouldn't have something to say about all the nonsense that happened over the last few months? "Seriously, Izzy, I told you that you should have accepted my offer years ago," you sighed, thinking about how this whole thing could have been avoided.

"So, that's why your here," Edward scoffed, "trying to poach my first mate. I thought we settled this."

You faced Edward again with another harsh glare. "We settled it until you fucking mutilated him!"

"It's more complicated than that," Izzy insisted, coming up by your side.

"What? Eddie had his feelings hurt so had to dismember you?" you knew you were taunting him, pushing all the right buttons, but you didn't care.

"Fuck you," Edward spat, Stede sharing his sentiment.

"Well, that sounds enough like a challenge for me," you smirked, unsheathing your sword with a little flare.

With a smirk of his own, Edward accepted by drawing his own sword. "Edward...is this necessary?" Bonnet asked, eyeing the other ship nervously. The crew wasn't exactly prepared for a raid and you seemed like you meant business.

"Stand down. Both of you," Izzy demanded, even if he had no authority over either of you.

"I'm the Captain, Iz," Edward reminded him without taking his eyes off of you.

"And a Captain only lives if his crew allows it, you should know that," you reminded him, threat clear in your words. "How many mutiny attempts has our dear Mister Hands put down?" you asked, earning a glare from Edward as he stepped forward.

The crew watched on intently, honestly a little excited to see the two captains duel.

Your smirk grew as you approached him, sword firmly in your hand.

"Enough," Izzy grabbed your arm, jerking you to a halt, before demanding, "Bonnet, make yourself useful."

Stede got the hint and hurried over to Edward, holding him back and trying to dissuade him. He wasn't the biggest fan of Izzy but if he thought this duel would be a bad idea, he was probably right about something.

"You should let me fucking kill him," you seethed, addressing Izzy but glaring at Edward. "But I'm feeling forgiving, so I'm thinking I might only take a foot," your smile was twisted, sadistic if Izzy hadn't known any better. But he did know better.

You always had been protective over those you called friends, even back on Hornigold's ship.

"I don't need you fighting for my honour or some shit," Izzy scoffed.

"Are we fighting or not?" Edward asked, his glare nearly as cruel as yours.

"Oh we're fucking fight, you bastard," you lunged towards Blackbeard, only to have Izzy catch you and hold you back.

"This is ridiculous!"

But what broke out next was an even more ridiculous scene.

Edward stood seething beside Stede as you spat vitriol at him, making all sorts of threats, each one Izzy was certain you would follow through on if he released you. Each one worse then the last.

You fought against Izzy's hold, occasionally slipping loose but only to be pulled back by the first mate.

"Izzy, get their ass off my ship," Edward ordered. "Or our agreement is off the table," he settled a heavy glare on you. Threatening you like you weren't the one to track him down with the intention of dismembering him.

"Fuck your agreement, Edward. If you want fight, fucking do it," you tried to tug out of Izzy's hold, but to no avail.

"Off my ship. Now," Edward snarled before letting Stede pull him back into the captain's cabin.

In an instant you spun around to face Izzy, the speed and force of your movement causing him to stumble back. Thankfully, you caught him by the arm before he could lose his balance. He used to have impressive balance, helped make him such an impressive fighter, but you were certain his missing toe had impacted that.

"You should let me gut the fucker," you insisted.

"Obviously, I can't let you do that," Izzy rolled his eyes.

"He cut off your damn toe, Izzy," you said, as if he needed reminding.

Izzy huffed, shifting as he became aware of the number of eyes on him. "Can we talk about this somewhere else?" he asked.

"Fine," you sighed, knowing this was a private conversation.

You didn't speak as you followed Izzy down to his cabin, ignoring the rest of the crew.

"He took your toe, Iz," again, he really didn't need to be reminded, but you said it anyway once the door was closed. There was another part of the rumour, more speculation than usual, some people believed it some people didn't. However, knowing how impulsive Edward could sometimes be, you couldn't rule it out. "Did...is it true, that he made you eat it?" you asked.

Izzy glanced at you before sitting down on the edge of his cot with a heavy sigh, "yeah."

A beat of silence.

"Can I see it?"

"It's not-"

"Please, Iz."

Izzy looked up at you for a moment before nodding. He knew that you just needed to see the proof, wanted to see how bad the damage was, you weren't enjoying this anymore than he was.

You just watched as Izzy removed his boot and unwrapped his bandages. Neither of you spoke as you knelt down in front of him, lifting his injured foot into your lap. Cradling it.

Izzy bit back his complaints that as captain shouldn't be kneeling for somebody else but you weren't a pirate captain right now, were you? No, you were his friend. Somebody who cared about him. You always had, hadn't you?

Instead, he just watched as you examined the injury. You were well experienced in controlling your facial expressions, but he still caught the sadness in your eyes.

"It looks like it healed alright. Did it get infected?" you asked quietly.

"Yeah...Roach managed to salvage it before I had to lose another toe," Izzy answered honestly.

"And you're still here..." you thought out loud before looking up at him. "You know I admire your loyalty, I always have, but...I can't help but think it may be misplaced."

"I threatened my Captain, he punished me. Any other captain would have killed me," Izzy insisted, it sounding a little like a script, like this has been what he's been telling himself since it happened.

"But Edward isn't just your Captain, he's suppose to be your friend. You've known each other for decades," you reminded him, "even Jack was speechless when he heard, and he normally finds this type of shit hilarious."

"You saw Calico?" Izzy asked but wasn't too surprised. Of course the bastard wasn't dead, maybe nothing could kill that cockroach.

"Oh yeah, drinking his sorrows down in Jackie's. Until she kicked him out, of course," you nodded.

"Useless bastard," Izzy grumbled, earning a small smile from you before you glanced back down at his foot.

"...does it still hurt?" you asked.

Izzy sighed. He had hoped you had forgotten about his foot, even if it was still in your lap. "Yeah, sometimes," he admitted, "most of the time. On bad days it goes right up to my hip."

"When it hurts, you take care of it by yourself?"

"Obviously," he huffed, no real bite to it.

"Ed doesn't help?" You felt like you already knew the answer.

"Don't think he knows how bad it can get. Thinks I'm just down a toe," he explained.

You carefully placed his foot down and stood before joining him on the cot, sitting close enough that your thigh touched his.

"I'll kill him," you whispered, more so to yourself than to Izzy.

"You and Ed have been friends for nearly as long as I've known him. You'd kill him because he took my toe?" Izzy asked, like he didn't believe it. Couldn't believe it.

"Don't act like you don't already know that," you sighed, the way you looked at him stealing the breath from Izzy's lungs. Yeah, he did know that. "You know I would, Iz. When I heard about what happened, I demanded that Jackie told me where the Revenge was last sighted. Had to come see if the rumours were true, and if they were...I had to kill or dismember Edward," you told him as if it were nothing, just a simple fact of life. For you, it was.

"I don't understand you," Izzy sighed, staring down at his lap.

"Oh c'mon, you know I've always sweet on you. Never tried to hide it," you nudged your shoulder against his, your words coming easy and with no shame. Just another fact.

You were sweet on him.

You cared for him.

You would kill Edward for him.

"Never understood that either," Izzy confessed.

You loved him.

And he lov-

"I'm going to ask again," you warned him.

"Please, don't," Izzy pleaded, bracing himself.

"Come with me, sail with me. Be my first mate. Fuck it, if Blackbeard can co-captain, so can I. Be my first mate or be my co-captain. Just come with me," you took his hand in yours, holding it in your lap.

Izzy at least did the decent thing at met your gaze as you spoke. As you pleaded with him to leave with you. As you silently promised to take care of him.

"I can't."

"You can," your thumb brushed over his palm, making him shiver, "and you should."

"I can't."

"I won't stop asking." Another simple fact of life.

You wouldn't stop asking.

You wouldn't give up on him.

"I know," Izzy found himself smiling slightly.

"And if Ed thinks he can make me leave this ship before I'm ready to go, he's obviously forgotten who I am," you huffed. You weren't leaving until you were ready, until you said everything you wanted to say.

"As stubborn as he is," Izzy agreed with a small nod, making you chuckle.

You just watched him for a moment. The slightest smile on his face, the pain in his eyes mixed with...something else.

"Fuck, Iz," suddenly feeling an intense wave of sympathy, you practically threw yourself at him. Arms circled around his neck as you embraced him.

"Wha-"

"Shut up," you mumbled into his shoulder.

And he did. Izzy let out a shaky breath before slowly returning your embrace, giving up his weak attempt at resisting and burying his face into the crook of your neck.

"I don't care what you did, Izzy. If I were here, I wouldn't have let him hurt you, would have killed him if he tried. I don't even care if he was justified, people don't hurt my Israel and get away with it," you spoke into his hair, fingers running through his hair.

"I'm not your anything," he reminded you. Still, he tightened his hold on you.

"Not from lack of trying," you retorted. His grip tightened further.

"Are you going to kill him?" Izzy asked after a short silence, knowing that the two of you couldn't stay down here forever.

"...no. Only because I know it would hurt you," you conceded, pulling away from the embrace, cupping his neck in your hands, touch gentle and caressing. "But I am going to be having a word with him," you told him, using that tone that told him there was no point arguing.

He was looking at you in that way he did sometimes. Reverently. Like you were God's gift.

"My offer will always stand. If you ever decide to leave, there will always be a place for you with me," you promised him, running your thumb along his jaw. Izzy lent into the soft touch.

You wet your lips with the tip of your tongue as you watched him, deciding to take the chance. You closed the distance between the two of you, pressing your lips to his. Izzy didn't hesitate for a moment, like he had been expecting it, hoping for it. He didn't deny himself this one thing, desperately melting into you instead.

It wasn't the first kiss the two of you had shared during your time knowing each other but it had been so long that it felt like the first. And for the first time Izzy truly knew you would do anything for him. It only made this whole thing that much more difficult.

You weren't sure how much time had passed by the time you and Izzy remerged back onto the deck, but you didn't really care. Still ignoring the tense crew, you marched right over to the Captains' cabin

You didn't know, you just let yourself in. Edward could earn your respect back another day.

"I thought I told you-" Edward was up from his seat in an instant, glaring and pointing at you.

"Shut it, Teach," you rolled your eyes. To your surprise, he actually went silent. His glare remained. "You ordered me to leave but since when did I ever listen to you?"

"So, did you steal my first mate?" Edward asked bitterly, as if Izzy wasn't standing right beside you.

"Nah, he turned me down once again," you shrugged, trying not to lash out at Edward's smug look. "He should have accepted my offer, any sane man would, but it's always been Blackbeard and First Mate Hands, right?" you added.

"And always will be," Edward reminded you.

"Until you decide you've changed your mind," you agreed.

"What are you implying?" Edward growled.

"I'm not implying anything, and I'll get out of your hair, but one more thing..."

"Which is?"

You stepped up to Edward until you were only inches away from him, holding his gaze with no fear. Izzy watched you, hoping his awe didn't show on his face. Stede anxiously glanced between you both, wondering if he should step in.

"If you ever lay a hand on him again, I will kill you, Edward. I don't care what he does, I don't care if he kills half the crew, if you so much as slap him, I will kill you. Right in front of your crew," you threatened. Edward had known you long enough to know when your threats were real. This one certainly was.

"Now, I don't-" Stede began to protest but you didn't give him a chance.

"And you," you practically growled, pointing at Stede accusingly. "If you ever leave or hurt Edward again, I will track you down and kill you," your threat had the blond widening his eyes and going speechless.

"Do you both understand?" you asked, looking between them both.

"Yes," Stede nodded. Of course, he had no plans on hurting or leaving Edward ever again, so it would be an easy promise to keep.

"You've always been a protective friend," Edward recalled, almost fondly.

"Yeah. Just don't forget that my loyalties lie more with Izzy than they do you," you warned.

"You never let me forget it," Edward rolled his eyes.

Deciding that this conversation was over, you nodded and turned back to Izzy. "Remember what I said. No matter what, there's a place for you. Always will be."

"I know," Izzy nodded. And he really did, which made it all the more painful.

You sighed but accepted the answer before leaving the cabin, Izzy following after you. If Edward didn't like that, he could tell him about it later.

You didn't care if the crew was around, you gave Izzy one last hug before you returned to your ship, greeted by your diligent first mate before they shouted to raise the anchor.

On either ship, you and Izzy stood at the railing. Focused on nothing but each other, watching the distance between you both expand once again.

#israel hands x reader #izzy hands x reader #izzy hands #ofmd izzy #ofmd #our flag means death

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dragonmuse · 2 years

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You mention that Eddy and Stede met each other when they're both ready to make a leap. What would have happened if THEY'D met at a different point in time? Like, what if it had been Eddy that Stede and Mary had met in the Brat Pack timeline instead of Izzy and Faith? Do you think they'd still have gotten together and been happy together, or would it have been a case of right person wrong time?

(ok, so the honest answer is that I think Eddy wouldn’t even notice Stede if they met earlier and Stede would’ve been too afraid to talk to her. BUT. I have wanted to imagine them meeting earlier so much! in fact Stede talks about it several times and they have both fantasized about what that would be like in the canon of the verse, so fuck honesty, here is what I would hope them meeting as teens would be like. Please have this bulleted AU, you all know the drill by now. Let’s call this one...Hello Young Lovers)

-Stede is home for the holidays. He’s almost done with boarding school and he has a college acceptance in hand. No one else is home. His father and stepmother are away and for the first time in years, he’s alone in a good way. At first he doesn’t plan to leave the house. He’ll just hang out, eat what he wants, watch what he wants and live without scrutiny. But after a few days, boredom sets in and also curiosity. With a pounding heart, he buys a train ticket and goes into the city all on his own with the idea that he might go see a show.

-Eddy has no jobs lined up for the week. She’s brand new to Hornigold’s collection (still two years from any potential collision with Izzy) and the beard is only the first promise of stubble. There’s money burning in her pocket, but no one to spend it on. Mom is gone, recently enough that it's a bleeding wound. The guys are all fine, but the crowbar incident was too recent for anyone to relax around him. Maybe Jack, but he’s on a job.

-Eddy spots a blond guy, probably about their age. He’s looking at a light display in the window, clearly enjoying the motorized holiday fair that they’ve got going on. He looks rich, nice clothes, big warm jacket. Old instincts make Eddy’s fingers itch, but they know better than to try it. Hornigold had been very explicit about what happened to idiots who got picked up for petty crimes. Still, they edge in close. Maybe if they were really subtle.

-Stede notices a trim person with dark facial hair and lovely dark eyes looking over the same display.

“Isn’t it something?” He asked, delighted that someone else noticed. “Someone put a lot of work into this.”

“Oh, yeah...it’s nice,” Eddy fumbled. “Like the...sparkly bits.”

“Me too,” Stede sighs. “The detail is incredible. Look at that little couple dancing by the tree.”

There was a small animatronic now that he pointed it out and Eddy leaned in to observe it.

“Sorry to ask a silly question, but am I even within a mile of the theater district?” Stede asks, a little sheepishly. “I got distracted and now I’m really turned around.”

-Eddy doesn’t give directions to tourists, but maybe if they help out this rich kid, they’ll want to say thanks. Eddy could think of a lot of ways Stede can thank her and all of them are appealing.

-They walk and walk and Stede just...keeps talking and noticing things and Eddy doesn’t mean to be charmed or interested. Stede acts like they’re getting away with something just going for a simple walk. At one point, he ducks into a cafe and comes out with hot chocolate for the both of them. Eddy hasn’t had hot chocolate in ages and it’s better than she remembers. They exchanged names, ideas and jokes. Stede is impressed that Eddy already has a job, a profession even if he doesn’t seem to quite understand what it is. Eddy likes the way Stede talks.

-Stede talks Eddy into coming to see the show with him. It’s a play and they get kicked out before intermission because they’re giggling at how stiff it all is. Then Stede offers dinner because he takes the blame for getting them kicked out. They eat huge bowls of pasta with meatballs the size of Eddy’s fist and both get enormous slices of cake.

-Stede should go home, but Eddy cajoles him into coming back to their little apartment. She only has a bed, no couch yet or chairs, so they sit on the bed and drink the six pack of lukewarm beer Eddy had left on the counter by accident. Stede’s never had more than few sips of wine before and it goes to his head. He leans in closer and he doesn’t pull away when Eddy touches his hand or elbow to underline a point.

“So that’s why I wound up failing math,” Stede shrugged. “But I think I won in the end.”

“Yeah, mate, sure,” Eddy smiled at him. “Bet you win more than lose in the end.”

“Not historically,” Stede sighed. “What about you?”

“Oh I’m a winner,” Eddy said solemnly. “Stick with me and who knows where you’ll wind up?”

“It sounds more fun than where I’m going,” Stede’s smile came back. His lips were very pink and his teeth were very white. Eddy wanted to make a mess of his hair. Of his clothes. Of whatever starch someone had tried to put in his soul.

“You wanna make out?” Eddy blurted.

“What?” Stede’s eyes went wide. “Oh no, I-”

“Fuck, okay then,” Eddy laughed, ready to play it off as a joke. “I meant-”

“Wait,” Stede took a deep breath, gave her a long probing look. He was clearly scared out of his mind, but that didn’t stop him from saying, “I’m probably not very good. I haven’t really done anything with anyone and I don’t think I-”

Eddy didn’t wait for him to finish. He wasn’t any good really, but he had a lot of enthusiasm. He was appreciative of Eddy’s tattoos once their shirts were off and despite his nerves, he didn’t stop once as they plowed through making out straight into sex.

-Stede curled up against Eddy’s side after, tentative, but soft as he stroked a hand down Eddy’s arm.

-Eddy let’s him stay. Wants him to stay. Maybe asks him, so quietly that it seems impossible that Stede could’ve heard, but he does. They share Eddy’s blanket and despite the chill outside, they’re warm there together.

-The morning should’ve been an end to it. But Stede didn’t know the rules apparently and Eddy wasn’t sure she cared. When he wrote his number down and asked for hers, she gave it to him. What did it matter? He’d never call.

-He called that night. And the next. They talked for hours about nothing. Then Eddy got called to a job, no warning and they were gone for days, doing boring shit even. When they got home, their voicemail was full, messages from Stede that got shorter and shorter until a last ‘I’m going back to school in a few days. So...goodbye, I guess.”

-Eddy has ways of finding people. She drives to the stupidly large house in the creepily all the same neighborhood. It takes her a second to work up the nerve to ring the doorbell.

-Stede answers the door and when he sees her, he lights up like the animatronics he’d admired so much when they first met. He pulls them into the house, not bothering to ask them a thing and Eddy goes with him, giddy with relief. His bedroom isn’t Stede-like at all, just plain and sensible and neat. Only hints of him in the books piled into the bookcase and tiny wooden ship tucked in beside them.

-”I just have the last semester,” he explained when they’d worn themselves out. Eddy sat naked in the middle of his enormous bed and Stede lay across it at her feet. “And then I’ll be free.”

“Why not be free now?” She challenged. “Run off with me.”

“Sounds nice,” he sighed. “But it’s not so simple.”

“It should be.”

It isn’t. Stede does have to go. They spend three days in the huge empty house and then a car comes for him. Eddy waits with him on the lawn for it. She has his address at school in her pocket and her hand on the small of his back. Stede doesn’t dare kiss her here, in the open of this suffocating neighborhood. But he does turn to her, and say without any hesitation, “I love you. Write me, okay?”

“Yeah,” Eddy said roughly. “I will.”

He doesn’t love her. If she thinks that’s true than she’ll go mad with it. And she won’t write him. This’ll die as it should’ve days ago.

-She hadn’t reckoned on Stede writing her. Long letters, rambling and disconnected, but also full of things that he wants them to know. He draws stick figure illustrations in the margins and ends each letter with ‘Love, Stede’.

-Eddy writes back because the letters are the most interesting thing she has. She writes back because if she doesn’t he’ll stop and then what? Her letters are far shorter, terse and lacking entirely in real information. That doesn’t stop Stede for thanking them for each one, for acknowledging what she said.

-Summer brings him home, but he doesn’t do more than stop at his sterile house. He comes to her as soon as he can wiggle away and he brings with him the sun. All the light in Eddy’s world arrives at one time. Stede moves himself in and there are pretty curtains on her windows, extra blankets and pillows on her bed. Stede feathers their nest so quickly and completely that she can barely remember how it used to look within a few days.

-”I’m going to school here.” He told her on the first night of his return. “Dad’ll probably cut me off, but I figured out how to funnel out some money into a personal account. Well. One of the other boy’s said how he did it and I copied them.”

“You did what?” Eddy sat down hard.

“I’m not under any illusion that I can make real money for some time, but I won’t be a burden on you,” Stede shrugged. “He won’t miss it, it’s from one of his less legal accounts. He doesn’t think I’m clever enough to steal. It will get me through school at least.”

Eddy had never been so hot for someone in her entire short life.

-Hornigold gets wind that Eddy’s got someone, but lots of the guys do and no one really asks. Stede doesn’t meet their work friends. Stede eeks out a few friends at college, including a very nice girl named Mary, who thinks Eddy is hysterical and has no issue treating everyone to fancy meals on her parent’s credit cards.

-It should fall apart. Eddy expects it to. Work takes them away from Stede regularly. She comes back battered and bruised. He just kisses them. Tucks them into bed. Their dark moods sweep in and Stede offers them treats and leaves them alone if they ask for it. Stede doesn’t really understand the world, makes ridiculous mistakes and Eddy tries to be annoyed, furious even, but instead she just teaches him and he learns without complaint.

-They tell him that they love him over breakfast because he gives them the rest of the bacon and that is the last drop that spills the water over the rim of the glass of their heart.

"I love you," they say with all the sincerity they can which granted, isn't much.

Stede cries. Which is ridiculous and horrible and then he pulls them into his lap and buries his face in their hair. Maybe Eddy cries too. No one can prove anything, with the way their face was turned.

-Stede finishes college in three years, studying like a demon and determined. He’s not really cut out for the life his father set out for him, and loving beautiful things is no way to make a living. Or so Eddy assumed, prepared to be the main breadwinner for the rest of whatever they were doing lasted.

Instead, Stede worms his way into a fashion startup. He’s got bold ideas and while his business sense is questionable, it’s better than any of his colleagues. The ruthlessness that was always in him, sharpened with years of living with Eddy catapults him forward. He brings home good money. Then fucking great money.

-They move. They get a good place with a view of the river. Eddy spends a lot of time looking out that window. Going to work fills her with dread. She wants to stay here in the velvet and silk world Stede has made for them.

“Ok, then don’t,” Stede said unconcerned. “Do something else.”

“Don’t know how to be anything else.”

“Don’t say that, you’re wonderfully decorative,” he teased. “And you’re clever and quick. You could be whatever you wanted.”

“I know I could,” she realized. “I can do whatever.”

Which is too many choices. Too many things. She’s drinking with Izzy one night, fucking annoying asshole, but he’s less annoying than the rest of them. He’s clearly into her, but she’s never even thought to give him the time of day. But wisdom comes from strange sources. They've just put an end to a fucking awful job using a combination of shooting and some excellent, if slapdash, sleuthing.

“You know, we would make better detectives than the fucking cops.”

Eddy stared at him. Izzy stared back.

“Yeah. We really fucking would.”

After some debate, she takes Izzy with her when she goes. He comes along like packed luggage and proves himself so useful that she never lives to regret it. Being away from Hornigold does them both a lot of good. Izzy stops acting like someone’s going to stab him the neck if he says please and thank you so that’s nice. Stede is so grateful that Eddy’s happier that he starts a one-man friendship assault on the poor weirdo.

“Make him stop,” Izzy begged, but Eddy just laughed. Eventually, Stede’s persistence won out, as it often did, and Izzy would instead call Stede to ask him to make Eddy stop whatever annoying bullshit she was on that week. It didn't work, but the complaining seemed to help him.

-She came out ten years earlier. It’s easy to figure out who she is when she’s drowning in Stede’s creations and boundless affection. It's easy as breathing and hard as hell, but they come out the other side lighter.

-Stede proposes in front of the store where they first met. It’s even snowing a little, like the weather itself got its shit together for it.

-Their wedding is small, but lovely. Just a few friends. Eddy won’t wear white, so Stede does, pleased to put her in a black wedding dress. Mary designs their invitations. Izzy organizes the reception like it’s a military operation.

-They do great things. They have world enough and time.

#leda house and the kraken verse #hello young lovers

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izzy-b-hands · 11 months

Text

I think I’ve identified the main issue w/the latest rizzy fic, but fuck me if I can figure out how to fix it.

I don’t know exactly where it’s going.

Normally, this isn’t an issue. I tend to let the story flower as I go, and trim as needed.

But I’m absolutely staggered with this one, where it’s either (major spoilers for this modern AU fic plot here no matter what direction I go with it in the end, but if you don’t mind that/are curious abt the text blocks of info doing my head in, read on lmao):

Version A: Roach (independent food/chef vlogger) gets too into his May 31st project (a crepe cake) and works into June 1st, only to be reminded by Izzy of his extensively planned Pride Month activities/ideas, that Roach had advertised all the month of May as starting IMMEDIATELY on the first (aka he should already have a video of a themed dish up, but he doesn’t bc he’s on Cake Ten of the crepe cake, and their pantry is now fucking empty too.) Fic (tentatively for now) would end with Izzy figuring out how to help him A. finally finish a satisfactory crepe cake (to Roach’s standards, aka Very Fucking High), B. rapid fire choose and film one of his themed ideas for the Pride Month stuff, and C. eventually sleep bc all of this is going down at like. One in the morning.

Version B: All of the above up until Izzy’s part. Instead of figuring it out that night, he gets Roach to bed and does what he can to help before leaving for his own job (PA/Security/Other Duties As Assigned to the combined very rich household of Ed, Stede, Mary, Doug, and the kids (in a huge shared house, so they aren’t in each other’s faces if they don’t wanna be, plus Ed & Stede are implied to own other property they spend time at too.))

The issue with Version B is that I worry the thing is getting too Big:

now I have a subplot started there about Izzy admitting to Mary (when he drops in for the morning to take the kids to school and give both couples of the house one of the reject cakes that Roach has deemed won’t be used at all by him. They have ten fucking cakes in the fridge, getting rid of two barely puts a dent in it tbh)

that his mum passed, in England (implied that everyone else is living in the States or NZ, I’m not exactly sure where I wanna put them yet frankly bc either is fine like I DON’T ACTUALLY CARE BUT I GOTTA IMPLY ONE OR THE OTHER DON’T I) last year, during June.

And he just didn’t tell anyone bc A. everyone was busy w/their own lives, B. Roach was doing his usual Pride Month stuff, and Izzy always helps him film/cook/etc for any bigger projects whenever he can, and he didn’t wanna distract from that, and C. he and his mum had a Complex relationship, so he probably wasn’t going to go visit her before she died anyway (secretly, he wishes he had. Only one who knows anything abt how Izzy and his mum interacted is Ed, who tbh has gotten distracted from any of that stuff since meeting Stede and focusing on helping create the shared family they have w/Mary, Doug, and the kids. Which is absolutely fair, but still. For the sake of their friendship, it will need Addressing of some kind, at some point.)

Like all of this is fine in theory, but it already feels sort of out of control? Bc like I then need to address in a finished version of B:

-Izzy and his mum

-Izzy and Ed

-Izzy and his relationship w/Ed, Stede, Mary, Doug, and the kids. Only bc there’s the implication that while it’s good and fairly easy work for Izzy, he occasionally does feel/get treated like The Help during work hours vs someone they actually know well who happens to work for them, and they sort of. Forget that once his shift is done for the day, he might still hang out just as a friend of the family, and they don’t always remember to turn off that Voice of talking To The Help in those moments (with it being noted that Roach and other crew members have witnessed this, but have leaned on Izzy to sort of give them permission to call it out, which of course he isn’t gonna do for fear of it fucking up their arrangement, and he doesn’t wanna job search in his mid-fifties. Which I think is valid enough lol.)

-Roach and his Pride Month problem (aka he’s got all the research in front of him, in this case the idea that he’ll highlight dishes that were beloved by notable/famous ppl w/in the LGBTQ community, but Actually, that isn’t always info that’s easy to find and some of it is more basic foods which he expected, and it’s fine, except he really wanted to challenge himself and maybe if he just looks a little more he can find something else-cut to two hours later and he’s asleep on his laptop. This isn’t even getting into the actual cooking and videoing of said cooking. He needs a Break.)

-Roach and Izzy addressing their mutual issue of ‘working too goddamn much, but not knowing how to take breaks and not feel Terrible and Useless during them.’ It isn’t necessarily hurting their relationship, but it is making them both more stressed than they need to be, and neither of them knows how to calm their brains down enough to understand that they can, in fact, budget for a small break or a vacation and nothing bad will happen.

-The kids and their implied issue w/mainly Mary and Stede (Ed and Doug hang back and are still doing the ‘I’m a new stepparent and I don’t wanna fuck up and overdo any of this, so I just sort of do what my spouse tells me to do re: the kids’ discipline/scheduling/etc), that they’re forcing them into an obscene amount of extra activities (including night tennis lessons, that require Izzy to also stay/work late, not getting them home until nearly ten at night, and himself then even later.) I don’t think they actually allow night tennis of any kind for kids unless it’s like. a fun now and again event, but to me it sounds exactly like what Mary and Stede would get talked into signing the kids up for. After all, it’ll look good on various school applications, and there’s nearly two whole hours after the after school study groups and other sports they play, surely the kids don’t want to sit and do nothing then? (spoiler alert: they do. they just want to sit and do nothing and be kids, which Mary and Stede do know, but have forgotten in the mess of getting divorced, then watching each other get remarried nearly right away, then realising it would easier/cheaper to try and share a home and keep the kids stable under one roof and moving everyone in together. Not an excuse, just an explanation.)

And that’s. So Much Stuff for one fic. And that’s WITHOUT figuring out what I want the main goal/ending to look like for sure. I won’t lie and say I’m good at multichaptered fics, I’m very much not, but I think that’s the only way Version B could work. And Version B, for what it’s worth, I think could be very satisfying and interesting as a read.

Version A, on the other hand, would be shorter, less dramatic, and would probably involve just Izzy and Roach, whereas Version B eventually would at least be referencing that like. The crew we know and love still work for Ed and Stede and whatever they do in this modern AU (marketing that only involves nautical/maritime/marine life themes maybe? does it matter in the end if it gets mentioned vaguely all of once???)

Even then, we still have the issue of: where in the FUCK is any of this going? What’s the point?

Version A, to me rn, is much more focused on rizzy and the internal dynamic there, focusing hard on the comfort of their life together and tackling problems together. I could probably just pull together something cute abt Izzy trying to fix the latest crepe cake while Roach films his first Pride video. Like my current tentative ending isn’t horrible. Nothing to write home abt, but it’s Fine, ya know?

Version B, to me again dlksajf, is a bigger overall picture that frustratingly, as of yet, doesn’t have a real huge or distinct end goal. It’s less of a ‘here’s a set ending with clear wins and losses’ and more of a ‘life and ppl are messy, no matter how hard anyone tries. Everyone here is doing their best, and learning. Here’s how they’re doing by the end and what they’ve managed to learn/work on, with the implication that they’re gonna keep learning and doing better, but not without fucking up more first bc. Human’

But are either of those actually fucking satsifying???? I wish I knew!!! I was absolutely flying along writing the draft for Version B until all of the above shit knocked on the door of my brain and put up a goddamn roadblock!!!

This is so much info, but if you’ve read this far and have any thoughts/opinions on which of these seems more worth pursuing, please let me know somehow. I’m dying to brainstorm & bounce ideas around w/folks. But even if u just wanna say ‘nah Version A sucks do B’ or vice versa. Pls say it fdksafalk

#text post #long post #will very much appreciate anyone's input even if it is just to say you like Version A vs B or vice versa flkdjsalkfj #it's almost one am i should go shower #but I'm just not...feeling sleeping rn #i could clean up and pull out the laptop after when I'm in bed proper but eughhhh what if I kill my tiny bit of motivation #by getting up and doing other stuff #THIS WAS JUST SUPPOSED TO BE ROACH AND IZZY COOKING SOMETHING TOGETHER FOR PRIDE AND BEING CUTE HOW DID I FUCKING GET HERE

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izzy-b-hands · 1 year

Text

Ed takes a day off that honestly is just him getting to sleep in bc the plot interrupts said day for him unfortunately.

Note that this wasn't going to end sadly but then...there I was and now I made myself sad ☹️

No one dies, but there is a loss. A beautifully designed, many-secret-passageway'd loss. Stede cries over it and tbh I nearly did too by the end so I'd weepily join him in a sobbing session over this.

I gotta write something happy and/or smutty tonight yet to balance this, but for now, have at.

---

He wakes, face smooshed into a pillow instead of Stede's chest.

Not ideal.

Less ideal is that the room is empty and the sun has clearly been up for awhile now and-

It clicks. He can sleep in today. Barring an emergency, of course, they should come get him then, but since there isn't one...

"Nah," Ed waves away his leathers, sitting on the patch of floor where he'd stripped them off for Stede. "You guys go on ahead without me."

He giggles to himself, and faceplants into the pillow again.

Not as good as Stede's tits. But good enough for now, while he sleeps until he decides he actually wants to be awake.

"We aren't waking him!" Stede hisses. "I've got this!"

'This' is a tentacle. A long, heavy tentacle that has slapped up out of the sea and onto the ship, holding it firmly where it is.

"Maybe he'd prefer not to see a tentacle anyway," Izzy remarks, and Stede catches his eyes.

The Dutch fuckery comes back to mind. Izzy's right. This is one of Ed's first days to relax and use as he wants, however. The last thing he needs or probably would want is this.

"Buttons," Stede turns back to the helm. "Any ancient sea magics to rid us of this beast?"

"Aye," Buttons nods. "Called an oar."

"What oar is long enough to reach that?"

"Tie it to another one," Buttons continues. "Till it reaches."

"And it'll let go?"

Buttons chuckles. Then giggles, then laughs, until he's bent over at the waist cackling with Olivia hopping around him in apparent concern.

Then, she lets out a call that sounds suspiciously like seagull laughter.

"Alright," Stede scowls. "It isn't that funny."

He turns to a red-faced Izzy.

"Sorry," Izzy says, muffled by the hand over his mouth. "I'm not laughing at you. I promised Ed I wouldn't-"

"Just shut up!" Stede snaps. He's heard of ships being pulled to the depths this way, but no one seems as concerned about it as he is. "Unless you intend to actually be helpful for once!"

"Well now," Lucius pipes up. "That's not entirely fair. He's always done stuff. Even made us do stuff on occasion. Did you even see the new chore wheel?"

"The what?!"

"Chore wheel!" Lucius continues with an eye roll. "I told you ab-never mind. Look, I really don't th-"

There's a deep groan and straining in the ship's wooden panels, and she rocks hard before slamming back to her usual position.

Then, the wet, slimy slap of another tentacle, maybe two, this time on the other side of her.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Stede sighs. "What if we just kill it?"

A gallery of offended faces greets him.

"Okay, no killing it then, geez. It might kill us first but whatever," he can't help but spit at them. "Leave me to it then! I'll figure it out all alone!"

He's in a lovely dream.

Stede, shirtless, rowing them in a dinghy along the sea. Not for any escape, just as a little outing.

However, each time he rows, there's an oddly slimy slap into the water.

"Did you do something to the oars?" Ed asks Dream Stede. "They shouldn't sound like that. Sounds more like-"

He topples out of bed at the slosh of water at the windows, and the shadow of a tentacle near it.

"Fuck."

"He's being stubborn; let him be stubborn," Izzy says. "I did it all the time and I'm f-"

He frowns. "Never mind. Bonnet! Wait up, please."

"Even the 'please' thrown in there," Lucius teases. "Look at you."

"Just make sure everyone else gets back to work," Izzy sighs. "For now, at least. If things get worse, then we'll call folks back to help as needed."

"Okay," Lucius smiles, and turns to Pete. "Babe, could you go do that? I should really document this for the new journal."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Pete kisses his cheek. "Consider it done."

Izzy watches him walk off. "There's no work getting done, is there?"

"Awww," Lucius takes his arm gently. "No. Not even a little. Because we're being attacked by a possible, though seemingly very lazy, sea monster. Sort of hard to concentrate with that going on."

By the time they've found Stede, he's already tied several oars together with rope, and is smacking the first tentacle as hard as he can.

"You can swim!" he screams. "You don't even need a ship! There's nothing on here for you!"

"Buttons' ancient sea magic isn't working?" Izzy asks, regret immediately flooding him as soon as he says it.

Stede leans back up from over the rail, and glares. "Does it fucking look like it, Israel?"

He shouldn't laugh. Normally, someone using his full name like that would piss him off. But the entire thing is ridiculous, painfully so, at least for now...

He leans into Lucius, dampening his laughter in his shoulder.

"There, there," Lucius sighs. "He was worried about you."

"He was not, and he isn't now!"

Izzy lifts his head, wipes the tears from his eyes, and smiles. "I am, in that you're a member of the crew like anyone else, and I don't want anyone falling off the ship trying to fight this thing. We'll try something else instead of that, maybe-"

"What?" Stede tosses the oar monstrosity to the deck floor. "What the fuck else would you suggest?"

"Okay," Lucius says softly. "I think we're all a little worried about things right now, but-"

"Oh shut it!" Stede snaps, and yanks the oar back up before leaning over to resume his tapping of the beast.

"Wow," Lucius scoffs. "Yeah, I'm recording that. He can feel bad about that later, reading it in here."

Izzy frowns. "No, he can feel bad about it now, I think."

Before he can take a step over to ask Bonnet if he thinks that's how a captain ought to speak to his crew in a panicky moment, the ship rocks hard again.

"I hate you!" Stede bellows to the tentacle. "You are literally the worst!"

The first tentacle he sees doesn't concern him. One isn't so bad.

The second, third, fourth, and fifth are concerning though.

"What's our game pl-" Ed pauses. "What is he doing?"

"Captain Asshole is taking out his frustrations on the sea monster," Lucius sighs impatiently. "But he's only frustrated because he won't stop to try anything else to get rid of it!"

He looks to Izzy, who nods.

"Honestly, we didn't help though. I mean, we came over here to help, but before this we all...we didn't handle this well."

"Kinda got that idea," Ed says. "We should be abandoning ship before the thing gets more curious and yanks us down to see what we are."

"That can happen?" Lucius asks. "Wait, actually, don't tell me yet. I'm gonna go get everyone ready to abandon and...yeah, I'm moving, meet you at the dinghies!"

He jogs off, and Ed turns his attention to Izzy.

"Look, whatever happened before...just be honest with me. Did he panic because he didn't want to wake me up?"

Izzy nods again. "Normally, I would have gone to you regardless, but you did ask me, when I swore my pledge of loyalty to Bonnet, to try and abide his orders first. Well."

He gestures to Stede, still bent over the deck rail, shouting wordlessly as he slaps the everloving shit out of the tentacle.

"We'll keep working on it," Ed sighs. "Go gather your things, then whatever you can of mine and Stede's. We'll grab the rest ourselves. If we take a bit, then just start getting the others out on the boats, and-"

He stops himself. "What am I talking about, you know what to do for this. Sorry, go on."

Izzy speed walks off, and finally, there's Stede.

"Hey," he leans on the rail by Stede. "So, in theory, the ship might survive this. If she does, we can row back and see if repairs can be made, and if they're economical. If they are, great, we get to work and then sail off. If not, or if she gets pulled under..."

Stede's arms stop, and he leans back off the rail with a groan.

"Ed," he says, looking utterly miserable and defeated. "She's my first ship. I helped draw up her plans, and I swore I'd do anything I could to keep her safe, or I'd go down with her."

Ed nods. "Were we in a situation that demanded that, sure. But something like this? No one will care if the captain went down with his ship. Besides, squid are curious, and this one probably just wants to figure out what the ship is. Sometimes they let ships go."

"I didn't even think they would or could do this! I expected at least an actual sea monster!"

"I don't think it's like, a squid hobby," Ed says. "And not many that I've seen are this big, or act this way. But some are, and some do, and I've watched people get pulled under while trying to salvage their vessels."

He stands and pulls Stede into a hug. "The first loss is never easy, but this might not be that. We don't know yet, and we can't unless we get away to safety then keep an eye on her. Alright?"

"I shouldn't cry over this," is sniffled into the leather of his jacket. "Stupid."

"Not stupid," Ed murmurs. "I cried after I ran one of my first aground. Felt like the biggest idiot and worst person in the world when we realised we couldn't get her free, and even if we did, she was too badly damaged-"

Tears prick at the corners of his eyes. He can't help it.

"She was a damn good ship, just like this one. And maybe our lady here will fare better. But even if she does, you can't help fix and sail her if a squid is using you to play pirates at the bottom of the sea."

Stede doesn't argue when Ed leads him away, towards the remaining dinghy, and the assemblage of tied oars is left on the deck.

"I grabbed everything," Izzy says as they step carefully into the boat. "I figured..."

His voice trails off as Stede hiccups and snuggles closer into Ed's arms.

They end up floating near the rest of the crew, fairly far away from the ship in case she should break apart or be pulled below.

Izzy wraps one of Stede's oversized velvet robes around their shoulders. "Lucius and Roach made sure food was in each one of these. I'll unpack and see what we've got."

"I'm good," Stede says, voice wobbling. "Not much of an appetite now."

"Fair enough," Izzy sighs. "Ed?"

Before he can answer Izzy, an alarming amount of additional, larger tentacles rise out of the blue, only to slam in The Revenge's middle, splitting her nearly in half.

He reaches a hand back and grabs Izzy hard. The ensuing waves might not be the biggest, but he doesn't want anyone in the water right now.

That's not a squid. Probably not. Not like any he's seen before, even the big ones.

Stede dives back into his shoulder, face pressed there and shoulders shaking.

"I know," Ed murmurs. "If it helps, I don't know what the fuck that thing is. Technically, I think we just made some sort of history with this."

Stede sniffles. "Really?"

"Yeah. Lucius is over there sketching away, and-"

Stede pops up from his shoulder. "We can commemorate her in a story about this!"

"Yeah. Once we're somewhere safer, we can. Like an inn, maybe not right near the beach."

"Ed, I can't row us away if you don't let go of me," Izzy says gently. "The others are looking here for some direction. I know it's a bit of a crapshoot, but...what way are we headed?"

Ed blinks, and watches the tentacles finally crush completely through the ship's middle, sinking most of her down below the waves. "Any direction that isn't that one."

"Got it," Izzy says, and Ed can feel him gesturing motioning the others to row away from the scene.

But he doesn't let go of Izzy's other arm. Not yet.

He's not ready, and he can tell Stede isn't either.

Besides that, someone needs to witness her final moments, before the last bit of The Revenge is gone for good to the depths.

So they sit, a trio in a violently rocked dinghy, as the beast drags their home to Davy Jones's Locker.

#text post #long post #to the revenge my darling lady im so sorry this particular story ended badly for u #i will write some lovely happy times and possibly also some queer sex going on instead among your rooms and passageways #aka the usual but still #idk what it is abt shipwrecks even ones with no human loss but they all break me and make me so sad #i know ships aren't living but we name them and endeavour to treat them well and make valentines for them so

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