The Thrill Of You

Chapter 21

Stede's POV

I lie on the couch, reading a book, and relaxing as my arm heals. This was requested by Ed, though I found it ironic that he couldn't wait even a day before he was up and running around. Though the only reason I complied was indeed the fact that I could read with barely any interruption. Though as I sat on the couch, I had become a little restless and isolated, getting up to stretch my legs a bit. Though as I looked around, Ed was nowhere to be found, not even by the window.

Though it wasn't too odd, I thought he walked in earlier. Perhaps he was on deck to make sure everything was in shape to sail, though it was usually Wee John's duties to make sure the knots were in place, Ed liked to check. I was about to exit the cabin to check up on him when I heard something drop in the bathroom. "Ed?" I asked, taking my hand off the handle as I stepped toward the door.

"Uh- yeah. Just, um, don't come in at the moment, please," I heard him nervously call out, though I wanted to brush it off, I felt a sense of unease as I has no idea what he would be doing in the bathroom, other than the obvious, but he had been in there earlier. "Alright, just- be careful," I called back, hesitantly walking back to the couch and sitting down on the couch with my book. I sat and read my book, and eventually got sucked in as time went on.

The door opening made my ears perk up as I looked at the door, my eyes widening. I slowly shut the book and stood up without the use of my left arm. I stood for a minute, taking in Ed's appearance as he nervously walked toward me. My gaze was caught in his and eventually, I got the courage to look away from his eyes to look at his face. It was smooth now, the lack of a beard feeling more of a shock at the moment as I reached a hand up to feel the skin, the warmth radiating as my slightly colder hands went over the smooth skin. It was a different feeling than I thought it would feel, even when I only thought of it briefly in the mornings when his hair was tangled in my hand when he asked for me to brush it.

"How does it look?" Ed asked quietly, his hand finding my wrist and holding it gently as my hand held his face. "Well, it looks like it would be easier to kiss you," I observed, still looking at how smooth his face is. My thumb moved back and forth on his skin, feeling the slight roughness against my soft skin, smiling a bit. "So you don't like it?" He asked sadly, though I snapped out of what I had been thinking and looked into his eyes again, smiling even wider. "No, I don't hate it, it's kind of like the... Knee brace. I just never thought of you without it," I whispered, feeling his clean-shaven face and feeling goosebumps down my spine as I then kept my hand at his jaw. Very nice structure might I add.

"I figured it was the defining feature of Blackbeard, and I wanted to be done with it completely," Ed spoke, a small but very noticeable smile breaking across his face. There was an upside to the lack of a beard, being able to see his blush and see him smile even more. "It's still freezing from like- my nose to my neck," He told me, which sent us both into a fit of giggles. Still has time to be funny, and that's just another thing I found that I liked about him. Though as we quit laughing, I put my head against his chest, kissing his collarbone and reveling in the fact that I could be closer to him.

I took my head away and kissed his jawline, right beside his mouth, and then kissed him gently. Slowly as we stood there, I pressed against him, my hand against his face and his arms around my waist. We didn't part for a minute or two, finding it hard to find the time until we did. "Well, I was correct about it being easier to kiss you," I mumbled, smiling a little once more as I stared at him in awe. This man, who when I had first met, had become someone who I never could fathom a future without him.

"I can't believe you're mine," Ed whispered as we stood there, slowly rocking with the ship a bit, though we had started to sway on our own. I chuckled and looked into Ed's eyes again. "Claiming me already, are we, Edward Teach?" I joked, though I locked eyes with Ed and knew it was no joke for either of us. I felt his arms bring me closer to his body as we stood there, feeling my chest against his. He nodded, kissing my cheek and resting our heads together. "You know damn well I am, Stede Bonnet," He stated gently, as per his nature that I lived to see. His small smirks and cute quirks that showed themselves when he was comfortable were making my knees feel weak as we stood there in front of each other. I smiled once more before leaning in a bit to connect us in a kiss once more, swaying and smiling as we stood there, content and loving. Something I craved and now had, taking my time to enjoy this moment as the sun set on us. My injured arm snuck around his waist, too caught up in the kiss to tell me how it's bad to use my injured arm, but I wouldn't take it regardless. Parting I hugged him close and kissed the tip of his nose. "I'm so glad to have met you," I whispered, reveling in his warmth and closing my eyes as I felt Ed nod. "I'm forever grateful that I heard the tales of Stede Bonnet," He whispered, kissing the top of my head and standing there. Content. Together. Loved.