Chapter Text
Ed doesn't have a plan as such, but he definitely has an intention. Well, truth be told, he has the start of a plan and he intends to execute it tonight and then just go with whatever happens.
He wants to touch Stede. Maybe kiss him a little too.
The basic urge is very familiar, if ever so slightly less frequent as he’s got that bit older. There’s something unusual about it though. A strange kind of magnetic pull Stede seems to have that makes Ed’s dick twitch, sure, but this strange, buzzing energy seems to spread through his stomach and chest too.
Stede's continuing kindness, generosity and sweet, if fucking mental, nature are doing weird things to him and he feels itchy. Like he wants to act. To do. To have.
So, fuck it, he will.
He’s just not entirely sure how to go about it, is the only thing.
Ordinarily he’d just say “Hey, mate. Wanna tug each other off?” and then either you do or you don’t. Or he’d get drunk with some lad or some lass in a tavern and then, if they were up for it, go and fuck in an alleyway. He knows other people would sometimes just pay for it, though he’s never found that to be necessary.
But, with Stede, it feels like it needs to be different somehow. Maybe more subtle? He doesn’t feel like pushing Stede up against a closed door and shoving a hand down his britches would be the right approach. Much as he would love to. He gets the impression that sex is probably quite a big deal for Stede and he doesn’t want him to feel pressured or cornered.
But he really does want to touch him.
Stede had looked so handsome in his finery at that stupid party. The way he had taken his revenge on those fancy fuckers had been magnificent. Fucking diabolical too. Devastating them to the point where they’d set their own fucking ship on fire. Fucking impressive.
And how kind he’d been later, in the moonlight. With the silk handkerchief. Ed had been so close to just leaning in and taking the kiss he had so badly wanted.
And how forgiving and caring Stede had been when Ed had broken down in the bathtub and confessed that he’d been planning to murder him. Honestly, Ed can’t remember a time he had felt more terrified than standing behind that curtain, dagger drawn, about to do something so irredeemably evil that The Kraken would have coiled around his heart and never let him go again.
And the fucking ridiculous treasure hunt today, just for him. To try to make Ed happy. To give him something fun.
Christ, I’m gettin’ so fuckin’ soppy. What in the seven hells is happenin’ to me?
It’s definitely weird, and it’s not a feeling he has any experience of, but he does like the way he feels when he’s with Stede. Sort of lighter. Calmer. More patient. More playful. Whenever he's around Stede he feels … softer.
Well, emotionally softer. Physically he feels like his cock’s been at half mast, at least, almost constantly for weeks now.
It's like Stede's the exact opposite of The Kraken. Smart, not just instinctive. Strong, yeah, but kind with it, not vicious.
What's the opposite of The Kraken? A fuckin’ … unicorn? Yeah, like the figurehead. That sounds about right. They’re all clean and elegant and noble aren’t they?
He vaguely remembers that unicorns might have something to do with virgins but he’s pretty sure that’s not a deal breaker
And now Ed's thinking about unicorns. And their horns. And he's getting hard. Again. Like a fucking teenager.
Right, that’s it. Come hell or high water, the plan is happenin’ tonight!