Chapter Text
The captain's rooms were finally stripped to bare bones, all color and creature comforts cast into the sea. What was once a bright, ostentatious great room was cast in gloomy shadows. His men had strung fabric over the windows after emptying the library into the depths - the darkness was comforting.
Blackbeard perched on the desk, planting one boot firmly on it and marring its pristine shine. He lit his pipe and watched the smoke dance in the hazy morning sun struggling to break in.
The captain's quarters were huge, now that they were empty. He really needed to do something about it. Commandeer some imposing furniture, hang some shackles. He’d always wanted shackles.
Maybe he'd find some skulls, make use of all that bare shelving. That would really deaden up the place.
Commotion on deck quickly brought Blackbeard from his chamber. The crew, skeleton as they were, didn't have time to be making such … clatter.
"Captain," Izzy stopped him at the door, hand on his chest. He wisely let it fall when Blackbeard glared him through. He seemed rather attached to his remaining phalanges. "We're takin’ care of it."
"And what, exactly, is 'it'?" His voice was rough, gravel leaving his chest.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, get off of me!”
No.
No.
Stede Bloody Fucking Bonnet was on his ship. His ship now. Blackbeard’s Revenge. Flag hoisted and everything.
He was just a couple writhing limbs under Fang, but there was no mistaking that be-ringed hand, that posh little shoe tied with a neat little bow. The voice that had been ringing in Blackbeard’s head for days.
“Get him off my ship.” Blackbeard looked off at the horizon. The clouds looked like a skinned snake sliding across the sky - storm weather.
“Right away, Captain,” Izzy said. Blackbeard hated the grin he heard in his first mate’s voice. He made no move to stop him.
“Wait, hey - don’t touch me, I have stabbed a man before, I will do it again - Ed!”
Blackbeard’s heart sank with an anchor tied to his feet, pulling him backwards to wedge between the shadows under the stairs.
“Ed! Tell them to get off. I say, this is just ridiculous.”
“Do you hear something?” Blackbeard asked Izzy.
“Nothing of consequence, sir,” he said, cracking his knuckles and crossing the deck.
“Hmm. Sounds like a yellow belly tit.” Izzy snorted. “It’s nothing. I’ll be in my quarters.”
“Yes, Captain.”
He heard the struggle on the deck grow louder as he shut the door. Stede - Bonnet was yelling.
“Edward! Ed, I’m here, I’m here, I’m so sorry, Ed. Get off! Edward!”
Blackbeard sank to the floor, knees weak as water as Bonnet’s body hit the ocean with a resounding splash. The sound made him sick. Bonnet’s voice in his head made him sick.
He’d just sounded so … nonchalant. Like he could just heave himself up onto the ship and everything would be honky dory, like Bonnet’s very presence didn’t fill the void in his chest with knives.
Damn it all, he had been done crying over that stupid man.
***
“Psst!”
Stede heaved himself onto his boat and looked around, not seeing anything through the seawater streaming down his face.
“Hey!”
He looked up and saw Lucius waving from a gun port. He perked up and started to say hello from his tenuous perch on the dinghy but Lucius hushed him.
“Shut up! Gonna get us both killed.”
Stede leaned closer. “What are you doing there?”
“Oh, I thought I’d just hang out some in the ball room, it’s the best - I’m hiding!”
“Hiding from what?”
“Hiding from who,” Lucius scoffed.
Fang and Ivan leaned over the rails above him. Lucius ducked back inside the port. Ivan yelled at Stede to scram. “Don’t make me come down there!” Fang growled.
“Yes, I am leaving, there’s no need to come down just for me,” Stede said, bending low as he fiddled with the oars. He looked up through his sodden bangs. “Hiding from who?” he whispered up at Lucius.
Lucius rolled his eyes. “Honestly, you cannot be this dim. Captain Arsehole pushed me overboard!”
“Ed? Why?”
“Probably because he likes me so damn much, why do you think?”
“I. He. He wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I should say he did. I was scratched by the damn barnacles on the ship,” Lucius pouted, pulling his shirt lower on his shoulder to show the angry red scratches.
"Yes, we should see about having those cleaned. But anyway, Lucius, who else is on the ship? Did I see Frenchie on deck?"
"Yeah, he's here. Jim, too." Lucius righted his shirt tenderly.
"Jim! Splendid, when did they get back?"
"I don't know, I don't keep track of everyone's comings and goings." Stede raised an eyebrow and Lucius sighed. "Okay, so I do. I don't know! Jim's very sneaky."
Stede felt an itch in the back of his brain. "Yes. Yes they are. Where is Jim now?"
"A little bit tied up. He usually has someone guarding their room but what with you here and all, Blackbeard’s lackies were all hands on deck."
"Excellent. All right." The gears were turning, he just had to reach out and grab the thought … it was almost there …
"Stede. Captain. I guess." Stede looked up. Lucius pulled a face and continued, "The others? How is - how are they?"
"They're well, they're not far. On a little island. Black Pete says hello."
Lucius perked up. "He does?"
"Well, no," Stede admitted. "But he would, if he'd thought of it."
"Yeah. He would." Lucius grinned. There was a sadness, a quiet worry in his eyes Stede had not seen before.
Stede straightened himself to his full height. Doing so swayed the dinghy and he barely caught himself before he tipped. “I’ll fix this. Don’t you worry, dear Lucius, I will fix this.”
Lucius started to reply but Stede saw something stuck to the Revenge's barnacles and tuned him out. He grabbed it with his oar. "Is this … Robinson Crusoe?" He snagged another paper from the ship's side. "Gulliver's Travels?! Oh no."
“Get!” Fang yelled over the rails.
Stede got.