Passing Ships | Our flag means death

Sweetpeas

The fragrant scent of fruit blossoms hung heavy in the sultry afternoon air, a gentle breeze carrying it through the open window a couple sat at. Ed reclined in a chair with lidded eyes as he relaxed into the feeling of Stede combing through his tresses with the utmost care to not tug or pull too strongly. With many pins and even more patience, Stede organised the locks up into an ornate style similar to the one he did when he attended that failure of a rich dinner party with Blackbeard. Now it was time to move on to the flowers, arranging daisies into his hair, the meaning they carried being that of love and new beginnings, and sweetpeas, associated with blissful pleasures but also good-byes. As he found a home for every floral detail, Ed's low, silken voice softly sung songs he learnt from his years sailing; the lyrics telling of lovers on far shores or sailors burdened with pining.
"Viola! Now that's done, I must change and so should you," Stede exclaimed, moving in front of Ed as he leaned close and trailed fingertips up his inner thigh, his tone now almost a purr, "however, as much as I look forward to seeing you dressed up. I think I'm in more anticipation to seeing you undressed"

Ed's stare snapped from the reflection to the face before him, swallowing deeply at this sudden teasing; he was the one who toyed with Stede and now the tables have turned he found himself dumbfounded, with cheeks warming at his playful words. However, just as he leaned forward to kiss him, Stede shifted back, "Ah-ah, save it for tonight," He chided before ushering Ed out, leaving him in the hallway flustered, confused and excited to get his revenge tonight for this cruel taunting.

---

The time had come and everything was...beyond perfect. Frenchie strummed dulcet melodies as the crew gathered in the orchard and Stede stood under a cherry tree, dressed in a beige waistcoat which complimented his powder blue jacket. He was in the midst of profusely thanking Lucius for all his work when he was nudged to look the other way, a small gasp coming from him as he watched Ed stride towards them with Black Pete on his arm. When he halted, Stede could truly admire just how grand his groom looked in his tailored clothes which fitted against his sturdy physique, accentuating his board shoulders and built chest. Lucius had insisted on lining his eyes with Kohl to create a feline shape, which now was a very reasonable request as the dark irises had been enhanced to look akin with breathtaking fragments of obsidian that bore through him. The parts that caught the sun transformed into warm pieces of amber that Stede was transfixed by. His heart brimmed with so much adoration it was a struggle to not burst out and declare his feelings until there was no air left in his lungs and his voice was too hoarse to utter another doting word. He was yanked out of his admirations by Oluwande clearing his throat to begin the ceremony.
"You wear fine things well," Stede whispered, earning a coy smile from Ed as he glanced down to hide it.
Oluwande, who generously offered to be the officiant, began speaking, "well, who would have guessed it, eh? Ending up here, seeing these two together. I mean, when I first joined captain's crew, I thought we'd all get killed because of him. No offence, Captain. But somehow, this miraculous, eccentric man survived it all and managed to win over the infamous Blackbeard. A feat no other pirate can claim to have achieved. But it was no surprise, you're kindness may be viewed as weakness to some but I see it as your biggest strength. And of course it's no surprise Ed won you over, he's the coolest bloke I know, after Jim, of course. You two couldn't be more different and yet you balance each other perfectly. Your bond is truly remarkable and few are so lucky to find such a compatible partner. So, Stede Bonnet, do you take Edward Teach as your husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part?"

The words caught in his throat as he took in that this surreal experience was reality and he was blessed with a second chance. He was marrying for love like he had always wished, "I do" he finally voiced.
Oluwande nodded and repeated the same to Blackbeard.

"I do," Ed calmly said, never separating his gaze from his groom.

"Well, I guess, you may now kiss the groom" he finalised, stepping back to allow the couple to embrace as the pop of champagne signalled the start of the celebrations.
Jim draped an arm around their partner's shoulders, "you're pretty good at this, y'know? You should do unlawful weddings for Co-captains more often"

"Haha, yeah might be my calling in life actually... hey, look at that one over there," Oluwande joked, jerking his chin to where Lucius stood, failing miserably at hiding the tears that glinted in his eyes as Black Pete soothed him, encouraging him to 'let it all out'.

The eclectic jumble of people that now considered themselves family drank and sang and celebrated like any true pirates would, congratulating their Co-captains as they did so. The newly weds never parted from each other, staying close as Stede shared a slice of cake with him, feeding him mouthfuls of it with a silver fork. Even when they were talking with others, they would still have some form of contact between them, as if when they let go, the other would completely float away. After enough peer pressure from their friends, they were convinced to chug a whole bottle of champagne. They shared a determined look before linking arms and tipping the bottles up, Ed finishing far earlier than Stede and cheering him on as he caught up. By the time they had lost count of how many glasses and bottles they had swigged, a truly unexpected guest decided to show their face.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," Stede drawled, flicking his gaze up and down Izzy Hands to drive home his negative opinions of the man.

"Izzy I-... what the bloody hell are you doing here?" Ed inquired, his grip around his husband's waist tightening in a protective manner.

"It is my captain's special day after all, well, my former captain's. It's only polite that I pay you a visit. I also wanted to give you a parting gift of sorts. It seems you both have rubbed some... sentimentality off on me" Izzy stated, his hands shoved in his pockets, clearly uncomfortable showing any sort of feeling, "Its on the beach though, if you'll follow me?"