brain is gone only gay pirates now (Cover is not my art)

"Well, that's that, then. I know he's your friend, Ed, but he was a toxic influence on the crew. And on you as well," Stede declared. Something about those words stung Ed just a little. He wasn't not-not himself with Jack. It was just that being around him seemed to bring out the part of him that enjoyed giving and receiving pain. Cut your finger and you'll forget about your chronic headache, if only for a little while. But slowly, Stede was showing him that a moment of warmth and connection could be just as distracting. ------ This story begins assuming Calico Jack left the Revenge, Ed stayed, and Jack didn't betray the crew to the English. How would the slow burn of Ed and Stede's relationship have carried on? How long would it take for them to realize their feelings for each other in the absence of life-changing events? Plot-light, especially compared to my hypothetical S2 fic, A Pirate's Life for Us. The main driver of plot is Ed and Stede's accidental flirtation and growing intimacy.