Edward Teach Died on a Beach (OFMD)

Chapter 15

Going to take a drink each time I log on and it asks me to confirm my email or miraculously 3 chapters have disappeared

"Sam, you're still here," Ed said tensely as he approached Stede and Sam.

Lucius hummed. "The ship floated too far away before he could jump on."

Ed frowned, sighing softly and looking over at Lucius. "Ah."

Stede frowned slightly. He stepped forward, taking Ed's wrist and squeezing it gently. Ed stepped closer to him, until his lips were brushing right up against Stede's ear.

"I wish we were alone right now so I could-" Ed began to whisper.

"You want to share that with the rest of the class?" Lucius asked lightly.

Ed froze, turning just slightly to look at him. Lucius paled.

"I was just kidding, please don't throw me off," Lucius said quickly.

Ed chuckled. Lucius let out a nervous sigh. Stede had turned bright red. Lucius pointed at Ed and then nodded toward the captain's quarters. Ed rolled his eyes and followed Lucius over, stopping a few feet in front of it. Lucius stopped too. They'd run out of rope.

"Fine," Lucius said, turning to Ed. "Would you like to talk about anything?"

"No," Ed grunted.

"What about how you're obviously jealous of Sam?" Lucius asked.

Ed's eyes flicked past him, locking onto Stede and Sam as they began to chat again. Lucius stepped slightly closer to Ed and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey," Lucius said. "Spill."

Ed crossed his arms, watching Stede and Sam. "They're just so similar. And they were flirting back there."

Lucius rolled his eyes. "No, they were talking about something they both care about. And they are similar. Not all the way, but sort of."

Ed looked over at Lucius. "I don't like him."

Lucius rolled his eyes yet again. "I get that you're annoyed that he's here because Bonny didn't think we could do it alone, but-"

"What?" Ed replied, tensing slightly.

Lucius bit his lip for a moment. "Shit."

Ed frowned. "Is that true?"

Lucius hummed. "It is, yeah. In Sam's defense, he argued against it."

Ed crossed his arms. "I've been through more storms than I can count."

Lucius nodded. "Don't shoot the messenger, here, okay? I know that. We would've been fine. It's Bonny that's dramatic."

Ed sighed deeply. He looked down at the ground. "Blackbeard would throw him off."

"I don't think Stede would like that," Lucius said gently. "Neither would I. Or Sam, probably. Or Bonny."

"Well, Bonny might," Ed said.

"Still not a great idea, though," Lucius said. "Listen, Ed, you've got to pull it together. Don't let Sam bother you."

Ed looked over at him.

"The storm's coming, okay? You have to be at your best here. And don't take out any frustration on Stede, either. I saw where that was going and that's why I stopped you," Lucius said. "You've got to focus on surviving right now and not fucking like rabbits."

Ed looked down at the deck below as rain began to drizzle down onto it.

"Because you can do whatever you want to Stede when we're not in immediate danger, okay?" Lucius said.

Ed clenched his jaw and nodded. He abruptly turned away and joined Sam and Stede again. Stede was listening intently as Sam told a story. Ed looked at Stede's captivated face for a long time before turning back to Lucius. Lucius slowly stopped next to him.

"Is there anything else we need to do to prepare for the storm? Did anyone check the cannons downstairs?" Lucius asked.

Sam paused. "No. Good idea."

Lucius watched with a small smirk as Sam turned and went to Fang. Stede turned to Ed. He'd been in a decent mood, but as soon as he saw Ed's scowl, he sank slightly.

"Ed, my dear, is there something wrong?" Stede asked gently.

Ed shrugged. "I don't really like him."

Steds frowned. "You should try talking to him more. He's really very nice."

Ed looked away. Stede stepped slightly closer. He put a hand on Ed's jaw and turned his face so they were looking at each other again. Stede looked worried. Ed immediately felt guilty. He swallowed all of the jealousy and forced a weak smile onto his face. Stede seemed to be even more worried by that.

"You want to talk about it?" Stede asked softly.

Ed knew by now that the question was phrased differently than he meant it. Really, he meant, 'can you tell me about it.' He already knew Ed didn't want to talk about it, but he was really just hoping that Ed would tell him what was bothering him. Ed took a deep breath. Lucius gave him a thumbs-up and backed away. The rain began to grow harder.

"It doesn't matter right now," Ed said, stepping away. "Let's just get ready for the storm."

Stede quickly reached forward and grabbed the rope that was tied around Ed's waist. He held onto it as Ed tried to pull away. Ed paused, turning back to look at him. His eyes widened slightly. Stede planted his feet firmly and pulled on the rope. Ed stumbled closer to him. Stede caught him and held him tightly for a moment.

"I love you," Stede whispered.

Ed hugged him as the rain began to beat down on his back. "God, Stede."

Stede hugged him back.

"I fuckin' love you," Ed said quietly.

They stood like that for a while, the rain pouring down their faces. Stede squeezed his eyes shut.

"Be careful," Ed whispered.

Stede nodded gently. "You too."

Ed took a deep breath as he gently pulled away from Stede. For all he knew, their ship could crash and they could be dragged down to the bottom of the ocean. At least they'd be together. But Ed didn't want that. Ed didn't want to die. He didn't want Stede to die either.

The thunder grew louder and the rain grew harder. It became harder to stay balanced. The waves crashed against the ship. Lightning raced across the clouds above. Ed wanted to stay close to Stede, so he did. Stede grabbed his hand when the boat rocked slightly.

They stood together, the water beating down on them. Stede watched his crew hold onto the ship for dear life. A few times, Stede lost his footing and Ed needed to catch him. Ed was tempted to tie himself to Stede. He didn't know what he'd do if Stede fell into the water.