No Finterference

hookedsurvivor​: 

“A debatable point,” Killian returned, his own riposte delivered with enough humour for it to be taken for the tease it was, before the sullen mood gripped him once more. “Try a bottle and I might manage a smile…” he replied, never one to miss an opportunity to gain, especially when it came to rum. “I never mind laughing when it is laughing with me… this however is laughing at me and if the situations were reversed you would be exactly the same. You just happened to be fortunate enough to escape the infernal singing curse…” he replied, dragging his hand through his hair.

despxratesouls​: 

A smile slipped onto Philip’s lips as the words of affection were returned, still sometimes unable to believe that he had found someone who shared his feelings, who liked him for who he was. A scoff of laughter escaped him at the latter words, the sound breathy and hushed but still full of the amusement that he felt.

“Wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t… you knew what you signed up for…” he teased quietly. “Besides you find it endearing secretly…” he added, knowing that if he truly was a source of constant frustration for Ed the other would not endure him. They both had their moments where they infuriated each other, but that was just who they were and beneath it all there was no denying the love they felt for each other. 

“Aye, I know, I know...” Ed grinned, his voice equally as teasing as Philip’s. “Signed on the dotted line and the warranty’s expired so I can’t take you back or trade you in...” He pressed a kiss to Philip’s forehead, letting the touch linger for a moment. “Aye, I wouldn’t have signed up for it if I didn’t actually like it, love. It’s who you are, after all, and that is what I love.”

hookedsurvivor​: 

The ruffle to his hair had a sound of protest escaping Killian and he jerked his head out of reach, though in truth he quietly liked the affectionate gesture. Not that he would admit to it, he had a reputation to uphold when it came to his appearance. He nodded in agreement, however, at the idea having Ed around would temper Liam’s hovering. He knew that Ed was capable enough of telling Li gently when it was too much and would instinctively step in if he could see it was getting too much for him. It would not be the first time after all. 

In the brief time Ed was absent from the room, he took a moment to test his movements, investigating what worked without pain and what he would have to be careful doing for the foreseeable future. The sight of the toast had his stomach grumbling again as Ed entered, and he reached for it, reminding himself to take it slowly given how little he had eaten in the last twenty-four hours. “Try and emphasise I am just a little sore and not on death’s door…” he teased, raising the glass of water to his lips and drinking deeply. 

“Don’t worry. I know how to paint an accurate picture that will keep your compulsive worrier brother content.” He winked at Killian as he headed back for the door, a grin on his face. Leaving the boy to his much-needed breakfast, he carried the cup of tea through to the bedroom he shared with Liam, knowing if he wasn’t already awake it would only be a matter of minutes.

anhonourablecaptain​: 

Once he’d calmed himself enough to lock away everything he was feeling, Liam continued to operate as he normally would. For the week, he carried on with his job, kept the house tidy and spent his evenings burying himself in a book. Occasionally he would feel the absence keenly and he’d drag one of Ed’s hoodies from their wardrobe, or find himself on the other man’s side of the bed, but for the most part he compartmentalised to keep things controlled. 

When the buzz of the phone came, he felt his heart palpitate, uncertain as to what it would say, but eventually he reached forth and unlocked the phone, breathing a sigh of relief as soon as he saw the message to confirm Ed was alive. He took a moment, breathing deeply, then unlocked the device to send his reply, letting the smile form on his face as he did so. Looking forward to hearing from you. Glad you made it back okay, love x 

He wished there was a way to set something up so Liam would know whether the message or call was good news or bad news, because Ed knew how much his partner worried for him whilst he was away on business - and how he probably expected the worst every time the text came through. Alas, technology was perhaps not quite at the stage where the content of a message or call could be predicted. Yet.

despxratesouls​: 

“Indeed it cannot…” Eric agreed, a fond smiling settling on his lips as he looked upon the other, tearing his gaze away from their snow creation. A laugh escaped him and he dipped his head in a nod at the mention of chocolate eggs, amused at the other’s reaction. “Oh you have so many things to learn about, darling…” he grinned, excited to educate Ed all about the different holiday traditions he could experience. 

“Mm perhaps a little, but then you are my favourite pirate,” he laughed a little, rubbing at the back of his neck as he stood back and examined his design. He could see the likeness to Ed now he looked more carefully, though could not find himself minding at all. “You can always adjust a little if you’d rather…” he offered with another smile as he wandered to stand a little closer to Ed. 

“Evidently, I do. I am sure you will delight in being the one to tell me all about them.” Ed smiled, actually enjoying the curious traditions of this world even if some of them made absolutely no sense to him. More specifically, he enjoyed the animated look on Eric’s face whenever he had the opportunity to teach him about this world. That was the reason he indulged, more than anything else.

despxratesouls​: 

“Oh I don’t know… perhaps the specific questions as to my schedule…” Eric replied with a grin, not minding Ed’s habit of whisking him off on a moment’s notice. His passport was thankfully always up to date, so it simply made for an exciting adventure to be shared each time. At the question as to his work, a laugh escaped him and he shook his head at the fond tease that was far more accurate than he was willing to admit to. 

“Not so many, just three…” he replied with a smile, knowing that it was still a fair few though less than he was usually juggling. “Well three and emails about a potential fourth…” he amended after a moment as he sank into the embrace and leant his head against his partner’s chest with a soft sigh. The fourth project itself had been mostly on the back burner though the emails were getting more promising so he had a feeling he might be picking it up by the end of the week. 

“I could just be curious about your schedule.” He grinned, not even bothering to try and actually convince him of that. They both knew it was bullshit, after all. He was obviously whisking him off for another short break away. “Just three, hm?” He waited, laughing softly at the amendment made shortly after. “Yeah, that’s more like it.”

despxratesouls​: 

“Indeed it is…” Eric agreed with a soft smile, glad that he’d been determined in his refusal to give way, knowing the other man had needed the anchor. He smiled as he heard the familiar sound of his phone buzzing alerting him to the arrival of the picture and made a mental note to set it to his lock screen at the next convenience. Probably before he turned in for the night if he was honest with himself as he wanted it on there as soon as possible. 

“I think I could stretch to enjoying a rum, given we are celebrating tonight… Just the one for me, and then perhaps a tea before I turn in…” he replied after some thought, deliberating over the options. He was careful to make it clear that it was only his choice to have one and avoid putting Ed in the position where he dictated how many drinks he could have. He knew the other man had worked hard on moderating his intake and did not want to undo the good progress made. 

The very fact that Eric picked his words so carefully to avoid sounding controlling made Ed only love him more. “A rum it is, then.” He murmured, pressing a quick kiss to Eric’s lips before he stood and headed for his kitchen to grab the drinks. He selected one of the better bottles, one of the few he would always keep aside even when he really needed a drink - this was for special occasions, and this was definitely one of those occasions.

anhonourablecaptain​: 

“I think you know better than that…” Liam replied with an easy smile, returning Ed’s smile with one of his own. He began to eat the breakfast provided for him, enjoying the food Ed had prepared. Every now and then he paused in his eating to simply look at the other man, enjoying the chance they had here to indulge in each other’s company. 

Once they were both finished eating, he slipped his hand across the table to catch Ed’s hand in his own, lacing their fingers together on the table top. His ankle lightly tapped against his partner’s own, as he smiled across at him. He took a moment to sip from his tea before he broke the comfortable silence. “That was well appreciated, thank you, love…” he murmured, appreciating the delicious start to the day. 

He smiled as the hand caught his own, gave Liam’s fingers a soft squeeze whilst he could. “Nice to know my hard work goes down well.” He teased, pushing aside his empty plate and picking up his coffee. “I’m...” He sighed, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before he continued. “I’m really glad things worked out this way. Leaving would have... it would have ruined me, I think.”

anhonourablecaptain​: 

An unbidden shudder made its way down Liam’s spine at the ghosted touch of fingertips along the length of his arm, still not quite willing to completely believe what this was, but wanting it enough to entertain it all the same. When fingers curled around his own, he squeezed gently back, holding to the other man’s hand. “We do have a history…” he agreed, voice hushed as he spoke. “I am, am I? Well I am glad… I cannot say my thoughts on our bond have been so clear…” he murmured, not knowing what he had thought, only that it was not the ties of brotherhood that had kept them connected. 

hookedsurvivor​: 

He could see the joy in Ed’s expression as he gave him his final decision and the very sight of it only made Quinn’s smile widen in turn. He watched as Ed took the ring from the box and had to let a brief chuckle escape him as he saw the leather cord too. It seemed his partner truly did know him well. After all, he could not afford in his work to have any personal identifiers in visible view, so the cord would allow him to keep his symbol of their commitment close to his chest.

“I’ll wear it on the cord… keep it close to my chest always…” he answered, reaching out for the ring and taking the length of cord out of the box. He knew the other would understand his reasoning as he slipped the band onto the cord then held it out to Ed. “You ought to lend a hand you know. That’s how these things usually roll, right?” he teased, sparing a wink for his husband to be before stepping forward into his personal space.  

Ed had suspected Quinn would prefer to wear it on the cord - once things were official between them, he would do the same. Whilst it wouldn’t be uncommon to find rings on the fingers of pirates, given that they were often counted amongst the spoils they claimed, such a plain, simple band - which he would always prefer - would stand out. Besides, he didn’t exactly wear them as a habit.

anhonourablecaptain​: 

“Maybe, aye…” Liam murmured in reply, a soft chuckle escaping him, though the sound did not linger as long as it might have if he was not preoccupied with all that was going on. Fortunately the reassurances were enough to keep him from thinking the other was serious and instead he nodded with a grateful smile. “That you are…” he admitted, knowing that without the strength of his partner in this he would be dealing with a much graver fallout after. 

He let himself be helped into his coat, not something he would usually do without an eye-roll or a comment on the fuss, but he could not manage it. Instead he breathed a sigh as he felt the comforting weight of Ed’s palms against his shoulders and tipped his head in a slow nod at the prospective plans for the evening, finding solace in the fact that the rest of the day was taken care of and he would not have to think beyond that which he had to endure through the morning. “Aye, it sounds good, love…” 

The fact Liam wasn’t making a fuss over his hovering told Ed that his husband was definitely preoccupied with what lay ahead of them. He hated seeing him like this, hated knowing the reason for it, but he would stand by him and be whatever he needed him to be. That was his job as the husband - but it was more than just a job, too. “Good. That’s sorted then.” He predicted Liam would be drained either way, so a relaxing evening would be perfect.

hookedsurvivor​: 

“I’d expect little else,” Killian laughed, waving the other away to visit his brother, smiling at the warmth of the palm on his shoulder. He watched on for a moment as Ed joined his brother and smiled, seeing the two most important people in his life together. It warmed him to see such a sight and he lingered only a few more moments before heading off in search of the rum. Rather than go for that which was available to all, he slipped his way towards his brother’s cabin to acquired the bottle he knew he had for the rough days, retrieving it and what tankards he could before returning to the deck. 

despxratesouls​: 

“Of course I am, darling…” Eric replied, smiling warmly at the other man as he seemed to come back to himself. He returned the squeeze, communicating silently that he was alright and he didn’t mind being there. He had a feeling that nonverbal gestures, beyond the ones they had already developed, were going to become important and he made a mental note to speak to Ed at some other time about developing some sort of signal for oncoming feelings that might lead to this, and ones that he could use after to communicate what he needed. 

“Easy… I’m okay… I’ve sat in worse places…” he murmured, twisting slightly so he could face Ed more directly. “I was just considering the idea of running you a bath. The warm water will chase away the ache in your muscles… what do you think?” he deliberately left it open, not wanting to make decisions for the other man, but letting it be clear that he was completely willing to do so. He didn’t mention his intentions while Ed was soaking, preferring to surprise the other man with the tidied furniture he was planning to reset and the small meal he intended to make. 

The fact Eric had remained at his side filled Ed with an almost longing sense, so touched by that simple fact that he couldn’t form words even if he had the mental capacity to do so at that moment. Instead, he leant in and pressed a fleeting kiss to Eric’s temple - about the only thing he could manage. At Eric’s suggestion, he found himself smiling even before he’d finished considering his words. He’s being so careful with his words... careful with me.

anhonourablecaptain​: 

Liam listened as Ed spoke and ducked his head in a nod after, finding himself feeling even more glad that the other had returned to him, that his sneaky brother and his partner had gone behind his back to hunt Ed down to goad him into it in their own way. Squeezing Ed’s hand in his own, he did not say anything for a while before leaning in to embrace the other man, leaning his head against his shoulder. 

“I do have a thousand questions. More probably. But I could not think to word even one right at this moment. All I want to do is hold you tonight…” he murmured, his tone earnest as he spoke. He leant back for a moment to brush his lips against Ed’s own in a gentle, heartfelt kiss. “I am tired of running and tired of denying myself a chance to be happy…” he breathed, before resuming his lean against Ed’s shoulder, one hand holding Ed’s own, the other resting against his back. 

Despite his willingness to answer, Edward was definitely relieved when Liam opted to save the questions for now. It would give him a little more time to get his head in the right place to delve into a history he had long ago buried deep in the sand. “Then that is what you shall do.” He smiled, claiming a kiss of his own before he pulled Liam closer against his chest.

despxratesouls​: 

“I’m never done watching you, but I see your point…” Eric replied, shifting forward quickly to allow the other to slip in behind him. As soon as the arm hooked around his waist, he leant back against Ed’s chest, sighing softly at the comfort of the embrace. Kisses peppered against his skin drew a smile to his face and he turned to look at the other with briefly, brushing lips against his jaw. 

“Very… this is quite the way to relax…” he replied, turning back forward and relaxing, eyes closing as he let the warmth and comfort of both the bath and being with the other fill him. “Are you, my darling?” he asked after a moment, not opening his eyes yet, content to let himself enjoy what he could from this time. “How was work?” he asked, the tone of his voice soft as he spoke. 

“Mm, the pretty company helps.” Ed murmured, in response to Eric’s question. It also helped that the bath was far larger than a standard size - specifically because he didn’t fit in standard size tubs. Since he was already buying a larger bath, he’d decided he may as well get one big enough to share. It was definitely coming in handy now, he mused to himself, stretching out his legs even further alongside Eric’s own.