I want to write a fic where Ed is 13 and he runs away because his mother has been watching from the corners and jumping at the shadows. He doesn't want to frighten her but she is frightened and if he can spare her that, he will. So he takes a job on Hornigold's ship. The man is cruel but it reminds Ed of his father and it feels like home somehow. The other boys become family, especially Calico Jack who is one year younger and looking for a leader. When Ed is 15 he gets his first tattoo and Jack is there, egging him on, so it doesn't hurt. When they're 16, Jack is injured in a raid and Ed takes care of him, fucking up the other guys when they try to mess with him or talk shit. When Ed is 18 and Jack is 17 they sneak out at night to swim in blind man's cove in the moonlight. The water is warm and the night is silent and they're testing each other to see who can hold their breath longest and they become lovers, almost accidentally. When Ed is 18, Hornigold gets drunk and gets it in his head that Ed has been stealing extra rations (maybe he has) and attacks Ed with a wild, paranoid look in his eye. He's about to deal a death blow when Jack steps in and strangles the old man. They flee and Ed starts growing his beard. They meet a kid named Izzy in a tavern and come together with two other boys to steal a ship. Ed arranges the whole thing and it goes off perfectly and they're all high on the power they have, the limitless potential and boundless freedom.
