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Stede is buried two fingers deep inside him and rubbing forward relentlessly, massaging that spot inside that makes Ed’s knees shake and his eyes cross. It’s fucking amazing and world shattering like always and Ed can feel his orgasm creeping around the corner. He fights to get the words out, “Wait, I want you, I want you to—”
“You take my fingers so well, darling. You look so beautiful, so lovely, so hungry.” Stede’s hand skims around his hip and then takes Ed’s cock in his hand, stroking him mercilessly. “So mine.”
It’s too much and Ed can’t fight it any longer, wailing as he comes all over Stede’s hand and their bed. He shudders and gasps, collapsing to the bed as his limbs go weak and limp. He floats in bliss for an all too brief moment until the wet sounds of skin sliding fast over skin catches his attention.
He struggles to get back to his knees, weak muscles trembling. “Wait, I still want you to fuck me.” He’s too late, Stede groans and comes all over Ed’s arse and thighs. It’s sexy, sure, but not what they agreed to. He groans as he sinks back to the bed. “You were supposed to fuck me, dickhole.”
Stede collapses on the bed next to him, shoving his hair out of his eyes to smile at Ed breathlessly. He wiggles his fingers at him and winks. “Thought I did, and a pretty good job of it too.”
Ed rolls his eyes but doesn’t bother hiding the grin. “With your dick.”
“Not my fault you came on my fingers so fast.” Stede raises an eyebrow at him teasingly.
“Then shoulda done it after.”
Stede’s eyebrow goes back up. “Darling, you’re way too sensitive after.”
“Am not.” Ed automatically lies.
Stede reaches over and slips a fingertip just inside Ed’s puffy hole, grinning when Ed jerks back with a grunt immediately. “Of course. My mistake, love.”
Ed sniffs in the condescending way he’s seen Stede do. “Whatever man, next time I want your cock in me. No excuses.”
Stede hums at him and kisses the tip of Ed’s nose. “Aye aye, Captain.”
Stede does not fuck Ed with his cock the next time. Or the next. They continue to have mind-blowing sex, with Ed fucking Stede into the bed, over the desk, against the bookshelves, every place possible. Stede always gets Ed off too, but with fingers and mouth and tongue, a ready excuse each time for why he didn’t fuck him.
Ed ignores it at first, which he knows is stupid as shit, but he’s still bruised from their reunion and too hesitant to look for faults or poke at cracks so soon. The situation hovers at the edge of his awareness though, steadily present and easily popping up each time he comes down from an earth-shattering orgasm only to realize that once again they are both sated and spent but not the way Ed planned.
The thing is, it makes no sense. Some people might guess that Stede would be shy or nervous in bed. But those people haven’t heard Stede whisper I want you to fill me so full of your come that it drips out of me when I walk across the deck, they haven’t watched Stede kneel over Ed, stripping his cock fast and hard until he spurts all over Ed’s face, smearing it into his skin like lotion and whispering good boy. So he’s pretty confident Stede isn't nervous about sex. But there has to be some reason he won't fuck Ed, right?
Ed tries not to dwell on it until he stumbles over a conversation on the deck.
“Did you hear the captains last night? Who do you think was buggering who?” Frenchie asks.
“Blackbeard would never let himself get buggered! He wouldn’t bend over for anyone,” Pete immediately answers.
A loud smack can be heard from where Ed waits on the other side of the rigging.
“Wow, real fucking progressive of you, babe. Remind me of your archaic views next time you want a little sugar.”
Ed tunes out Pete’s resulting whining and apologizing. It’s stupid. Really fucking stupid, but not exactly unusual. Ed has seen it before. A lot really. Pirates that use sex as a measure of dominance and standing, but he and Stede aren’t like that, right? An uncomfortable gnawing enters his gut.
Stede is confident to the point of lunacy in most things, yes, but he always defers to Ed’s experience when it comes to matters of piracy.
And what if.
What if he truly thinks that Ed doesn't want him that way or that he shouldn't want Ed that way?
Another possibility leaves him staggering and nearly colliding into a mast.
What if Stede just doesn’t want Ed that way? The dark fears from that night on the beach rise up once again. What if he doesn’t really want Ed at all? What if he wants Blackbeard? And what if the thought of Blackbeard on his knees is as disgusting to him as it is to Pete or Izzy?
His pulse is racing and breathing is becoming hard and he knows he’s about to lose it but then he looks up and sees Stede across the deck, frowning at something Roach is saying. He seems to feel Ed’s eyes on him and looks up, face breaking out into a beautiful smile as he wiggles his fingers at Ed. It’s bright and affectionate and happy and it can’t be fake. It’s real. And it’s enough to bring Ed back from the edge, enough to have him returning Stede’s wave and appreciating the pleased expression it brings. It’s enough.
It isn’t enough for long though. The rest of the day passes as slow as molasses. Ed is impatient and churlish, snapping at the crew until he sees Stede raise an eyebrow at him. He struggles to maintain normalcy until it's finally story time which he skips so he can brood in their cabin instead.
He's pacing in front of the cold fireplace when Stede walks in. Ed skids to a halt and takes a deep breath to brace himself.
“Whatever is the matter, dear? You’ve seemed on edge all day.” Stede walks over beside him, grabbing his hand, and it’s too much for right now.
“Why won’t you fuck me?”
Stede flinches. He flinches back violently like Ed hit him or something. It’s almost enough to make Ed call the whole awful conversation off, but then Stede is pulling on his mask, smiling fakely and Ed just knows he is about to make some stupid joke or distracting comment and he’s suddenly furious.
“Do you think I don’t want it? Do you not want it?” Something crosses Stede’s face and fuck Stede really doesn’t wanna fuck him. “Why? Is it-Is it because of Blackbeard? Because I was him or because I’m not him or because I’m just Ed or—”
Stede cuts him off, barrelling into him and dropping to his knees, hugging Ed’s legs. “Oh my god, darling, it has nothing to do with you at all. I am so, so sorry. You are amazing and perfect and I promise it has nothing to do with you at all.” Stede is gripping his legs so tightly, Ed thinks his knee may buckle and peppering kisses on the strip of skin exposed at his waist. “I am so sorry.”
Ed swallows, some of the fear receding, but not enough. “Then why?”
Stede shudders against him and Ed realizes he’s afraid too. His voice is thin when he speaks. “Can we move to the chaise for this conversation?”
Ed helps him up and they walk to the chaise together, hands clasped fiercely like it will stave off the impending doom. Or talk. It’s just a talk.
They sit down together, hands still clasped, and while Ed wants to grab a bottle of something potent more than ever, he knows this is a discussion best had sober. “All right. I want to believe you when you say it’s not me, but...”
Stede turns, taking Ed’s hand in both of his. “Again I am so sorry. I was being selfish. I didn’t even consider what you must be thinking. Again.” Stede closes his eyes and Ed knows he is thinking about their countless talks and fights about his decision to leave Ed. They’ve already had that conversation though and luckily Stede seems to remember that because he opens his eyes again. “It truly is only about my own deficiencies, Ed, you are wonderful and amazing and I count myself lucky and blessed to be with you in any way possible.”
And yeah that makes Ed feel all warm and fuzzy inside but it still doesn’t really answer the question. “What deficiencies, man? In case you’ve forgotten I’m pretty fucking crazy about you too.”
Stede squeezes his hand and smiles, but it is strained and fleeting. “I have certain inadequacies that I haven’t fully shared with you.” He swallows and gestures at his lap but whatever he is implying Ed isn’t getting. He gestures again then hisses, “With my prick.”
Ed’s eyebrows shoot up. “The fuck? I love your cock. It’s awesome.” It’s true. It’s a fucking nice cock, just the right size and curved in a way that drives Ed insane with anticipation. “Why do you think I want it in me so badly?”
Stede fidgets and sighs. “It doesn’t work right, okay? I can’t ejaculate.”
This makes even less sense. “Stede. You jizzed all over my arse this morning.” He rummages on the floor under the chaise and drags out a crumpled robe. “You spunked on this yesterday. You came on my—”
“I can’t ejaculate inside someone!” Stede hisses.
It isn’t until he says it that Ed realizes it’s true. For all their dirty romps Stede’s never finished in his mouth either. Ed feels like a fucking prick for not realizing it before. “Okay.” But Stede does come everywhere else. “What do you mean by can’t.”
Stede closes his eyes and massages his temples. “Look, whenever Mary and I had relations, I was unable to… stay the course. I would lose my erection and struggle to finish my duty. It was a terribly frustrating experience for both Mary and myself, and I simply wanted to spare us the indignity of it.”
Stede is nearly quivering with anxiety beside him so the first thing Ed does is knock their shoulders together, the same affectionate touch he’s been tossing at Stede since they met. “Hey, it’s okay. We’ll figure it out.”
He doesn’t answer but Stede does knock his knee back in return so Ed continues. “Hey, Stede. If you really don’t want to, you never have to fuck me, okay?” He waits for Stede to nod miserably before continuing, “But uh, what about men? Have you ever tried with men?”
Stede shrugs. “Not really. A few handjobs and a blowjob or two in my school days.”
Ed vanishes the image of a young Stede exchanging handjobs for another time. “And did you have trouble then? Were you able to stay hard and finish?”
Stede laughs. “Well yes, but I was 16. It was more of a struggle not to pop off too early back then!”
Ed smiles but doesn’t laugh with him. “Or maybe it’s because they were blokes.”
Stede looks at him, face carefully blank. “I don’t see why that would matter.”
This is not how Ed expected the night to go. This conversation had seemed a possibility when he first met Stede, but he didn’t expect to be having it after they’d already been fucking for weeks. “Okay, you know how after you told Mary about me,” and Ed will never be over the fact that Stede’s wife not only knows about him but approves of him, “you said she said something like, uh, that it made sense?”
Stede nods. “Yes, she told me things made more sense now.”
“What did you think she meant by that?”
Stede raises an eyebrow. “Well, that I was obviously much better suited for a life of adventure with someone like you rather than a life at home with her. Why, what do you think she meant?”
Stede’s voice is getting defensive, but Ed thinks it needs to be said. “I think she meant you liking blokes.”
Stede’s face and hands still and yeah maybe it needed to be said, but maybe Ed should have worked up to it better.
“There’s nothing wrong with liking men on occasion.”
“Fuck no, of course not, that’s not—”
“It’s perfectly acceptable and, and reasonable in certain circumstances—”
“Stede, I’m not—”
“I don’t see why, why you, a pirate of all things are acting like—”
“Stede! That’s not what I fucking meant okay? Fuck!” He jumps up from the chaise, too much tension to sit still. “Of course it’s fine to like men. I like men!”
“And so do I, and so did Alex and Marcus and many other lads from boarding school and college. And then they left college and married lovely wives and none of them seemed to have trouble making heirs. Alex, the one who’s mouth I fucked, married around the same time as me and produced three darling daughters within five years before producing a son another year later.” Stede is standing too now, speaking too loud and fast for Ed to interject. “While it took me close to a decade to create Alma and another five years for Louis! Do you know that the day Louis was born was one of the best days of my life?” He laughs but it’s dark and bitter. “And it wasn’t as much the joy of an heir as it was the joy of never having to go through that humiliation again!”
The room seems painfully quiet after his shouting and Ed isn’t sure how to break the silence.
Lucius does it for him, pounding at the wall. “If you guys are back to stabbing each other again, can it please wait for the morning?”
All of the anger in Stede is replaced by horror as he looks at Ed. “Oh my god, do you think they heard me?”
“No, of course not,” Ed lies, sweeping Stede into a hug. “Ship’s made from the best wood from Brazil, right?”
Stede nods into his shoulder, slumping against him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get so angry and defensive.”
Ed smooths a hand down his back. “It’s okay.” He doesn’t know what to say. At least he has a better idea of what’s going on. “Thanks for talking to me.”
Stede looks up at him with a watery smile. “Even though I yelled at you?”
“Not the first time.” Stede swats at him and he catches his hand, squeezing it softly. “Wanna go to bed? Talk about this later?”
Stede sighs and kisses him. “Yes, please.”
They try to talk about it again with no success. While Stede has been one of the most open minded men Ed has known in most cases, for some reason he seems unwilling to budge on this, pointing out Ed’s dalliances with women along with the rest of the crew’s. When Ed points out Pete and Lucius, Stede counters that they are in a committed relationship and Pete occasionally visited the female brothels prior to their coupling.
This gives Ed an idea though. While Stede is busy checking the tackle, he slips over to where Lucius is pretending to swab the deck. “Hey.”
Lucius jumps and pretends to swab a bit more convincingly. “Yes?”
“You like blokes, right?” Lucius curls his lip and looks at him like he’s lost his mind. Ed resists the urge to snap the broom over the lad’s head and adds, “Just blokes, like no women?”
Lucius relaxes. “Oh yeah. Tried to pretend I liked ‘em a bit when I was young, did not go well.”
“Okay good. Great.” Ed grabs the back of Lucius’s shirt and drags him below decks into the ball room, ignoring his sputtering protests. “So you know that Stede and I are now uh,”
“Fucking like rabbits?” Lucius suggests.
Yeah. “Yeah. But uh we’ve been talking and Stede needs, well, I was wondering if you could,” he trails off unsure how to ask, and Lucius gets a horrified expression.
“Oh my god, no! Stede is like a really dumb nice dad to me and despite rumors to the contrary I do not have a daddy kink! No kink shaming here but please do not involve me!”
Ed jerks back. “What the fuck! No! I just want you to talk to him. Christ.”
Lucius relaxes against the wall with a sigh. “Oh thank god. That I can do. Spill, girlfriend.”
Ed glares for a minute but relents. “I don’t think Stede knows he’s gay.”
Lucius lifts his eyebrows. “That man is gayer than my favorite dildo and let’s again reiterate that you two have been loudly fucking for weeks. What do you mean?”
“He thinks that all men like women, but some men like men too.”
Lucius frowns and wrinkles his nose. “Oh. Yeah, that's definitely the general vibe on land. Part of why I’m here!” He adds with a wink.
“Right. The problem is,” he breaks off. The problem is that Ed has to find a way to explain it without betraying Stede’s confidence. And he probably should have figured that out before pulling Lucius aside. “So certain things that happen with a woman might make you think they would happen with a man.”
Lucius is looking at him like he is the stupidest man alive so Ed tries again.
“Or something might not happen with a woman and then you think it wouldn’t happen with a man either.”
Lucius throws his hands up, mouth hanging open in disgusted confusion. “I’m sorry, did you hit your head?”
Ed grits his teeth. “So when Stede was married before,” he stops unsure again about how to continue.
But somehow this tiny bit of information has Lucius throwing his hands to his cheeks in glee. “Oh my god! That’s what all the shouting was about! He couldn’t get it up for his wife!”
Ed has his hand slapped over Lucius’s mouth and his arm across his throat almost before he finishes the sentence. “If you say a fucking word about this I’ll gut you and throw you overboard for real!” He regrets it almost immediately and releases Lucius with a sigh, rubbing his brow. “Shit. Sorry, no I won’t. But if you say anything to him or anyone else or make him feel bad about any of this shit, I will drop you and Pete off at the next port without a backward glance.”
Lucius grimaces and places his palms out. “Okay. Feeling a lot scared, and a little horny, so if you could just take a step back please.”
Ed flushes realizing he’s still backing him into the wall and moves away. “Sorry.”
Lucius gives him an overly cheery smile. “Right! No pressure at all then! Fix my captain’s relationship before I get killed or booted. Awesome!”
Ed throws his head back against the wall letting it clunk painfully. “Look I’m not gonna do anything to you, but seriously Stede is all fucked up in the head about this. So just don’t, okay?”
An actual sincere expression appears on Lucius. “Don’t worry, I may be a terrible gossip and total shit at keeping secrets,” Ed is not feeling better at all yet, “but Stede is important to me and I will protect his baby gay heart with my life.” He wrinkles his nose. “Well, metaphorical life.”
Ed figures that’s good enough. “Thanks, so you’ll talk to him?”
Lucius gives a weird shrug motion. “I’ll try. I was never married or anything obviously, but I think I get it.” He sighs with fake nostalgia. “First time I saw a cunt I gagged, ya know. Bless everyone who has one or likes them, but not for me.”
Ed pumps his fist in excitement. “Fuck yeah! Tell him about that! Tell him women are gross! They make you sick!”
Lucius grimaces at that. “Okay, how about I just handle the conversation as best it seems fit, yeah?” He reaches over as if to pat Ed then pulls his hand back. “I will let Stede in on the secret
existence of us flaming homosexuals and all I ask in return is that when you reap the rewards of my labor you do it far away from me and Pete so I don’t end up with a daddy kink after all.”
Ed jumps up from the wall. “Great. Thanks, Lucius. It means a lot.”
Lucius cocks his head at him and smiles. “You really can be quite swee-nice with him.”
“Well. Yeah. I love him.” He glares at Lucius expecting a laugh or derision or who knows what but instead the boy reaches out and actually does pat him, fingers skittering away right after.
“I know you do.”
After Lucius leaves, Ed takes a deep breath before following him. Now all he has to do is wait.
Waiting sucks.
Ed’s vibrating out of his skin waiting for Stede and Lucius to talk, and it’s only been a few hours. He’s trying to act normal but the strange looks Stede keeps shooting him prove it’s useless. Perhaps a few hours running the rigging will get rid of some of his nervous energy. Stede stops him just as he’s about to ascend.
“I’m about to go over the provisions list with Lucius. Would you like to help?”
Ed automatically says, “Yes,” because he’s a lovestruck idiot, and pretty much says yes to whatever Stede asks. It’s only when Lucius raises an eyebrow behind Stede that he realizes he’s missing the opportunity he’s been waiting for all day. “Actually, I forgot I told,” aw fuck, the only other person around is Pete, “Pete that I would work on some knifework with him. Go ahead without me.”
Stede pouts a bit but says, “Oh. All right. I’ll see you at dinner, though?”
Ed wants to kiss that pout. He looks around. They don’t really do the whole public affection thing but it’s only Pete and Lucius here so why the fuck not. “Yeah, of course,” he answers as he nervously pushes forward and kisses Stede quick and chaste. He knows he made the right decision as soon as he pulls back. Stede’s cheeks are delightfully pink and he bounces on his heels.
“Fantastic! Well, then Lucius let’s make that list! You know I heard this time of year is great for figs and they go so well with—”
Ed smiles softly as he watches him trot off.
“So Captain Blackbeard, I heard you can make one knife split into two, can you show me that?” The smile falls off of Ed’s face. The things he does for love.
Dinner is surprisingly normal. Edward’s nerves slowly ease as Stede chats about what he added to the provisions list (figs and honey big surprise) what the lads hope to do in Nassau (drinking big surprise) and what Stede would like to do once they arrived (look for flamingos which, okay, was a surprise but shouldn’t have been). After dinner they move to the couch with a bottle of whiskey and Ed tells Stede about his own day, having him nearly in tears with his impressions of Pete’s adulation and assumptions.
“I’m serious, Stede! The man really thinks I can throw a knife through a door or make it vanish, or split into two. I think he’s got pirates and wizards confused or something, mate.”
Stede squints at him and hums. “Well, now that you mention it, with the hair you do look a bit…” Ed hits him with a pillow and Stede snorts and covers his mouth which just makes the snort louder and then they are both laughing.
Once they’ve calmed down Stede pours them each another glass and tucks himself against Ed’s side. “There was one other thing we went over today.”
“What’s that?”
“Did you know that Lucius exclusively sleeps with men and always has? He has no interest in women at all actually.”
Ed tries to control his galloping heart. “Yeah. I mean I guessed.”
Stede hmms. “Interesting timing for that conversation too.”
Ed freezes, thinking he must have overstepped, but then Stede slips off the couch, kneels in front of him and takes his hand. “Thank you.”
Ed looks at him in confusion.
“For talking to Lucius and having him speak to me. I hadn’t realized just how deep in my own head I was. I just,” he takes a deep breath and meets Ed’s eyes. “I know you love me.”
Ed nods frantically, eyes welling up. They’d told each other that first day, in between shouts and slices and thrown items, but not since then. At least not in those exact words.
“And I hope you know I love you too, so so much.” Stede’s eyes are filling now too, and spilling down his cheeks. “And I know we both want to make each other happy but I’m just so scared.” The tears are flowing in full force now. “I already hurt you once, so badly, and I don’t want to ruin things again.”
Ed’s tears are making his own vision wobbly but he manages to grab Stede’s hands. “I hurt you too.” He thinks about the betrayal on the faces of Stede’s crew when they boarded again and then of the expression on Stede’s face as he told Ed that Lucius had fought infections for weeks and how his back would be scarred for life due to the severity of his sunburns. He slides off the couch, grabbing at Stede blindly, “I fucked up too.” He sobs and feels snot drip out of his nose, but Stede throws his arms around him anyway, bringing them wet cheek to wet cheek.
“Yes, well neither of us have any experience being in love, and I think it’s safe to say we both bollocked it up quite well.” He laughs wetly and Ed finds himself responding, the sorrow and panic tempering back a bit.
When his sobs subside he looks up at Stede. “I really do love you, Stede. It doesn’t matter what we do or don’t do. None of that matters.”
Stede smiles back at him nodding. “I know. I guess just after everything that happened I wanted things going forward to be, well, perfect.”
Ed tilts Stede’s chin up to hold his gaze, desperate for him to understand. “But it would be perfect. The details don’t matter. Just you. You’d make it perfect.”
Stede’s eyes fill with tears again, but this time he’s smiling so Ed goes on. “All I want is to be with you, whatever that means. If you don’t want to have sex, that’s fine, but if you do, just know it will be great. You can’t disappoint me or ruin this.” He laughs. “Fuck, Stede, you could puke on me during sex and I’d still love you and want to try again.”
Stede starts laughing too. “Well lets hope it doesn’t come to that, but that is the same realization I had. All that matters is that it’s us. Together.”
They change into their nightclothes and move to the bed, lying close and holding each other.
“Wanna just cuddle for a bit?” Ed asks into Stede’s hair.
Stede nods thankfully. “While I am more than willing to pursue additional parameters of our relationship soon, I am feeling a bit raw, so a cuddle sounds perfect for tonight.”
The bed is not quite big enough for two men to stretch out, but it makes it perfect for nights like this. Ed runs a hand through Stede’s blonde waves, enjoying the way it curls and slips around his fingers.
“I like your hair longer like this.” He says it low and quiet, hesitant to break the warm cocoon they are lying in. “Looks good.”
“Mm. Should I grow it out like yours? See if I can get it to my waist?” Stede teases with a smile. “Grow the beard too and go by Goldbeard?”
Ed snorts at that.
They exchange soft kisses and smiles that eventually turn languid and teasing. Ed never knew kissing could be like this before Stede. He’d never experienced the slow unspooling of desire in his belly that comes when Stede kisses him open and dirty, tongue reminding him of all the things it can do. Ed scoots his hips back to avoid pressuring Stede, but Stede stops his retreat and whispers, “I know I just said all I wanted was a cuddle tonight, but…”
“Anything you want, love.” Ed says, in between kisses. “Whatever you want.”
Stede smiles into their kiss, “I want you. Always you.” He slides his hands under the silk of Ed’s robe and around to his arse. “I want to try to fuck you tonight.”
“Yeah. Good. Great.” He nods and throws out a ridiculous thumbs up for good measure.
Stede smiles but a flicker of apprehension crosses his face. “If it’s not working for you though, please let me know okay?”
Ed pulls him down to look into his eyes. “I promise. And same for you, okay? If you get in your head again, you’ll stop right?”
“Agreed.” Stede kisses the tip of his nose. “Did the talking ruin the mood?”
Ed snorts and rocks his cock into Stede’s thigh. “I’ve been dreaming about this for months. Nothing could ruin the mood.” He regrets it as soon as he says it because Stede’s eyes start sparkling.
“I’m so glad to hear that, darling, because Buttons has been asking about expanding moonbathing to moondancing and several of the lads have—”
“Fuck you.” The sentiment is ruined by his inability to hide the laughter shaking his chest.
Stede’s eyes are dark as he whispers against his lips. “Oh, not tonight, darling, we have other plans, remember?”
And this is maybe what Ed loves the most. How easily they move together, from tears to laughter to lust and everywhere else and then back again.
Ed lifts his hips up as Stede tucks a pillow under him, skin buzzing. Stede has fucked him with his fingers countless times, but knowing there is more coming this time has Ed feeling giddy and tight with anticipation.
Stede grabs the vial of olive oil out of their bedside cabinet and brings it over, but doesn’t do anything with it yet, just stares. “Everytime I see you lying in our bed I am reminded of how lucky I am. You’re a marvel. A shooting star wrapped in skin on my sheets.”
“Shut up. Am not.” Ed says without heat. He loves and hates when Stede praises him like this. It makes him feel all jumbled up inside with what he thinks of himself or used to think and what Stede thinks of him.
“You are.” Stede pours some olive oil into his hands finally, but places his hands on Ed’s thighs instead of where he wants him. “All of my desires, hopes, and dreams wrapped in gorgeous decorated flesh and lying in my bed. A vision indeed.”
Ed squirms at the praise but doesn’t deny it this time, taking the words as the gift they are. Stede likes to give him presents, lovely things like perfumes, silks, paintings, and sometimes words. It’s easier for Ed to accept when he thinks of them like that, a gift of beautiful words that Stede drapes along his body like a string of jewels.
“Stunning. You are absolutely stunning.” One of Stede’s hands is massaging the muscles of his bad knee, but the other one is skirting higher and higher, close to where Ed wants it, but still not there. Tracing along the swirls of tattoos and scars that thin out to almost nothing as he reaches his destination. He pours some of the oil directly on Ed’s cock, letting it drip down, down, down until he’s slick all the way from his balls to his asshole. He places a thumb on Ed’s hole, just touching, resting there like a promise, then pulls back with a frown.
“Oh bugger. We forgot to put down the sex sheets.”
Ed buries his face in his hands and groans. He can’t believe he loves this fucking idiot sometimes. He wiggles his hips to draw Stede’s attention back where it should be. Stede quickly complies, thumb returning to tug at Ed’s rim.
“Mm. You’re still a little loose from yesterday. Do you know how hot that is? Should I see if I can get my whole hand in sometime?”
Ed’s hips leap off the bed without his permission. Fuck. Sometimes he swears Stede was a whore in a past life. “Later,” he grunts. “Cock now.”
Stede’s thumb presses in once more before being replaced by a slick finger teasing his hole. “Not that loose darling, don’t think you’re getting off that easy.” And then he shoves his finger all the way in one long glide, just the right side of uncomfortable that has Ed’s toes twitching. He works the next finger in more slowly, teasing and prodding, pressing and pulling back, stroking and wiggling until both fingers are plunged deep into Ed’s ass.
It’s hard to get the right angle in this position, but Stede is nothing if not stubborn so it only takes a few tries before Ed is helplessly fucking himself on Stede’s fingers as he curses incoherently. Every time Stede’s fingers draw back, they scrape just perfectly and fireworks shoot down his spine. “How the fuck are you so good at this?”
Stede winks while his fingers continue to send sparks of magic through Ed; leaving him shuddering and shivering with pleasure almost too much to bear. “Shouldn’t have thrown out all my books, darling. You would have liked some of them.”
And that has Ed laughing and gasping in equal measure which is an amazement all its own since the idea of laughing about anything related to the Kraken seemed so impossible before. A lot of things seemed impossible before Stede.
Stede doesn’t let up though and his laughter is soon choked out of him when a third finger enters him with a dragging touch that has Ed digging his heels into the bed and arching up. Stede’s fingers are flexing and rocking him into a rhythm that’s half torture and half heaven and while part of him wants to do this forever, he doesn’t want another miss tonight.
“Fuck, good enough. Don’t wanna come.” Ed tries to move off of Stede’s fingers, but he won’t let him, his other hand locking like iron around Ed’s hip.
“I'll tell you when you’re ready, darling. Hush.” He does change the motion of his fingers though, focusing more on opening Ed up and less on driving him insane. It’s still ratcheting Ed higher and higher though and when Stede finally slides his fingers free with a dirty squelch Ed nearly cries from relief.
“Okay! Okay! Now fuck me!”
“Patience is a virtue, Edward.” Stede bends down and gives a wet filthy kiss to Ed’s stretched hole, before pulling Ed’s thighs over his own, cock finally moving into position. “And while virtue is its own reward, tonight you deserve something special.” The words are confident and almost cocky but there’s a glimmer of fear or unease lurking on Stede’s face that Ed wants to soothe.
“Stede.” He waits until they lock eyes again. “I love you.”
Stede smiles and it’s not cocky or confident anymore but it’s real and perfect. “I love you too.” He takes a deep breath, eyes still locked with Ed’s, and slowly pushes in. Stede stops as soon as the head of his cock breaches him and shudders above him, face surprised and red. “Holy, Ed, Ed. You feel so good, so tight. Is this, are you sure?”
He means to let Stede take his time with this, but his body betrays him, that first push feeling so good that Ed’s ankles are locking around Stede’s hips and pulling him in further without thought. Ed clenches around him, enjoying the way it makes Stede’s eyes go all big and shocked. “You feel perfect. Now move.”
“Stop that.” Stede scowls but the high spots of color in his cheeks and his blown pupils ruin the effect. “I’m too old to come twice.”
“Ha!” Ed grins, relieved and happy and horny. “Told ya it would be different.”
Stede’s face softens and he brings a hand up to stroke Ed’s cheek. “More than different. This is a world apart.” They lay together suspended in sweat and love and anticipation until Stede swallows and nods and pushes the rest of the way in.
Ed throws back his head and moans, long and loud. It’s been years since Ed’s done this and Stede feels impossibly long and thick in him, making him feel so full full full of Stede. It’s amazing and he’s never felt anything so fantastic in his life until Stede pulls back and brushes every nerve ending just so and no that is the best thing he’s felt, but then Stede’s starts fucking him and Ed thinks he might as well just stop thinking at all.
Stede sets a steady driving pace that has Ed panting and sliding his hands over every inch of Stede that he can reach. He strokes the strong muscles of Stede’s thighs as they flex, coasts his hands along the fur of his chest, traces the veins standing out in his arms. Everything around him is Stede, but he’s greedy and still wants more.
“On my knees.” He manages to gasp out between thrusts. “Wanna move to my knees.”
Stede slips out of him but before Ed has time to mourn the loss, Stede’s strong hands are lifting and flipping him over, gentle on his bad knee as always. It’s an obvious display of strength and apparently being manhandled fucking works for Ed, and he is suddenly very very grateful for Stede’s new found love of climbing the rigging.
As soon as Stede is in position, Ed is pushing back, desperate for him and happy to show it. Stede doesn’t make him wait long, sliding in with a grunt and, yeah, somehow this night just keeps getting better. Stede’s long fingers grab his hips in a punishingly tight grip and he yanks Ed back and forth with his thrusts, the bed shaking beneath them.
Ed’s wailing like a cat in heat, back arched, desperate moans cutting in and out as Stede fucks hiim hard enough to take his breath away. It’s too much and not enough this relentless pounding that makes him wanna collapse onto his face and stay in this position forever, arse raised for Stede’s taking.
“Harder!” he manages to scream before another thrust has him back to incoherent moans and wails. Stede is already fucking him harder than he’s ever been taken in his life, those powerful thighs slapping into Ed’s hard enough to bruise. The force of Stede’s thrusts has already moved them across the bed and Stede takes advantage of that now as he shifts his arms to loop under Ed’s and braces his feet against the headboard and—
“Fuck!” Ed screams and then sobs as the new angle has Stede hammering him perfectly, every punishing thrust stroking that place inside that lights him up so well. He’s gliding right on the edge, his cock weeping and jerking but unable to come for the lack of direct stimulation. It’s everything he imagined and so much more and he realizes he’s just saying Stede’s name over and over— Stede Stede Stede like a chant or a prayer and yeah that makes sense because he whole room sounds like it’s shaking apart with Stede’s thrusts like he really is a god coming down with thunder and lightning shaking Ed’s very foundation apart but he’s still not there, he still needs more, he still needs—
Stede moves one hand down to grip Ed’s hip, with barely a skip in his relentless thrusts. “Do you want me to touch you?”
“Yes,” he moans. “Fuck. Yes.”
“Then beg me.”
“Oh fuck!” Ed’s going to be hearing that firm almost cruel beg me in his fantasies for the rest of his life. “Pleasepleaseplease PLEASE!” He sobs.
“How can I say no when you ask me so prettily.” Stede’s voice has lost its firm edge, but the wild lust in it is just as good.
Stede wraps his hand around Ed’s cock, and it doesn’t even take a full stroke. The minute he feels that soft, hot, newly calloused touch he’s coming, hips jackknifing back into Stede’s as he comes apart completely, body shuddering and moving out of his control and Stede is right there with him, whispering sweet dirty things in his ear that he can’t quite process and then fucking his own release into Ed, pounding him so hard he hears something on the cabinet fall off and shatter into pieces just like him.
It’s enough to have Ed floating and barely conscious when Stede carefully slips out and helps lower him to the bed, gently turning him over and placing a pillow beneath his knee.
“Was that all right, darling?”
Ed cranes his head just enough to look at Stede, the rest of his body out of commission. “I think you broke me.” When he sees Stede’s eyes flare with alarm he adds, “In a good way. A very very good way. I think I had a religious experience.”
Stede smirks at him. “I have a rosary somewhere if you feel a need to count your blessings.”
“Fuck you,” Ed huffs. Although the idea of a little sexy priest roleplay might be sparking inside him now.
“Let me get a cloth to clean us up, back in a second, darling.”
Ed rouses himself up enough to slur, “Careful. Something broke.”
Stede peers at the floor and huffs. “Oh, drat. It was the olive oil.”
The next morning Stede has a bounce in his step and Ed, well Ed has a distinct limp in his. He knows it must be obvious to the entire crew how their night went, but he really can’t give a fuck. Jim—Jim—even tosses him a thumbs up. Hell maybe they’ll throw a fucking party about it tonight. Ed snorts, imagining a Happy Buggering! banner strung across the mast.
“Oh, there he is,” Stede says, coming to a stop. “Lucius! Can you please add some olive oil to the provisions list? A big jug this time?”
Ed is shocked to see the slightest blush cross Lucius’s face. He didn’t think the boy was even capable of embarrassment. “Right away… daddy.” Lucius lowers his voice at the end, glaring at Ed as he leaves.
Shit. Ed winces. He forgot his end of the deal. Ah well. He’ll make it up to him later.
Stede turns to Ed with a delighted smile. “Did you hear that? You know I’ve always hoped I could be a bit of a father figure to Lucius and some of the younger lads, and it just feels lovely to know I’m hitting the mark!”
Ed makes an approving sound while inwardly promising to himself that Stede will never ever learn the truth.