A Pirate's Life For Us

Epilogue

The last of a brilliantly clear day was fading. It had been a few weeks since the encounter with the merchant ships, and the Revenge had been keeping a low profile. They had ducked in and out of coves and small settlements to resupply, but kept away from major settlements until they could be certain the Dutch captains weren't going to send ships after them.

It had been long enough that the crew could begin to relax, so Stede had suggested they pull into a sheltered island cove for a little R&R.

Their guests - the four remaining brigands that Izzy had hired had been deposited on the same tiny island Ed had left the Revenge crew. It was in fact, close to a shipping lane. And a flotilla of English Navy ships were scheduled to pass by in a few days. Which meant they could invoke the act of grace - if they didn't kill each other first.

The crew had spent the day fully experiencing the 'shore leave' that he had introduced them all to, what felt like a lifetime ago. This time, they didn't need to be taught how to unwind. There were card games and drinking, swimming in the crystal clear waters of the cove, or lounging on the white sandy beaches. The whole crew except the two of them were off the ship, enjoying the little slice of paradise.

There was work to be done, but for the moment, that could wait.

Stede and Ed were camped out in the bow of the ship, overlooking the headless unicorn masthead. Stede's injuries had been healing well under the ministrations of Roach, and Ed's fussy nursemaiding. There was still some stiffness and he didn't have a full range of motion, but it wouldn't be long until he was back to full health.

Ed shifted where he was leaning up against Stede as the last of the hot sun began to set over the ocean. He passed a piece of coconut back to the other man, fingers dripping with fresh coconut water.

Stede reached for the piece, but Ed shifted instead to hold it up to his mouth. He smiled a bit shyly, then leaned forward to let Ed feed him the slice. It was refreshing - a little nutty, and a little sweet.

It tasted like freedom. And like love.

Ed smiled warmly at him and rubbed a little dribble of coconut water off Stede's lip. "You know...the coconut is a marvelous thing. It's got all sorts of uses. Like...the fruit bit, of course. Husks for building material. And the oil..."

Something about the way Ed husked that word and looked at him with dark bedroom eyes made Stede flush bright red.

"Well, the oil is pretty special," Ed continued. "I've got some in the cabin. Would you like to see?"

Stede shifted a little against Ed's back. He was smiling stupidly, while Ed was positively glowing with mischievous energy and a sudden haze of obvious horniness.

"I...I think I'd like that," Stede croaked.

Ed winked, then got up, and pulled Stede up to his feet, mindful of his still-healing injuries. He pulled him in slowly and kissed gently.

Stede melted against the other man. The sameness of their bodies just felt so...right. And suddenly, he felt a flutter of anticipation and pulled back to lead Ed towards the cabin.

The co-captains had only just begun their mutual exploration when there was a commotion from the deck as the two dinghies full of crew returned to the ship. They were loud and stumbling and clearly a bit drunk.

"Oh co-captainssss," sing-songed Lucius seconds before he swung open the carelessly unbarred door to their quarters. "You won't believe it. We found a whole cache of rum on the...oh, oh god. Oh god I am so...so sorry." He shielded his eyes and backed out, closing the door firmly behind him.

"Guess what, everyone?" said Lucius, his voice muffled on the other side of the door. "They're finally fucking!"

A cheer rose up from the whole crew. 

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Thank you so much for reading! I will likely write a sequel at some point, but need to let it percolate a bit. I do plan to keep writing in this fandom, though, so follow me for shorts, vignettes and character studies!  Let me know your thoughts on this story. And I hope you enjoyed!