#stede x reader

“You just have less experience than us honey, we’ve been on ships for years, we had no choice but to get good otherwise we’d be long dead.”

“I’m glad you’re not”

“Hm?”

“I’m glad you’re not dead”

You chuckle at his sincerity. “Thanks babe.”

“Will you help me train?” He asks.

“I thought Iz was helping you with that.”

“Yeah but he shouts at me, a lot” he pouts again, but you know he enjoys it really, you’ve seen firsthand how hot and flustered he still gets when Izzy starts to get a bit frustrated. You’ve walked in on them several times after training, starting to feel a little hot yourself, and glad that your partners haven’t killed each other.

“Thought you’d ask Ed to be honest.” You admit.

“Ed’s too soft on me, need someone that won’t lie to me about how I’m doing.”

You nod in understanding, Ed is definitely a big softie when it comes to his partners, getting to know him properly and eventually seeing that softer side has been something you’ll always treasure.

“Sure I’ll train you.”

“Thanks darling.”

“Right now though I have a better idea.”

Before he can question what that might be, you bend down, your hand caressing his cheek, Stede let’s out a little noise as your lips collide. Soon he’s kissing you back passionately, his hand gripped into the fabric of your shirt as if trying to pull you closer. You certainly don’t get any training done that day.

“Okay my turn!” You plead, as nice as it is to watch Izzy and Ed sparring, you wanted your own turn.

Not that it wasn’t nice to watch them, really nice, the way Ed’s arms flex as he wields his sword, the sweat currently dripping down Izzy’s bare chest, and pooling in those beautiful tits.

“I choose Iz first” you declare, taking your sword out and pointing it in his direction. “If you accept?”

Izzy raises an eyebrow in amusement “I accept” he replies, quickly drawing his own sword.

You liken the way you spar with Izzy more to an intricate dance, weaving and ducking as your swords clink together in a beautiful harmony. You try your best not to get distracted by that beautiful chest, the dark hair that sits there that you love to run your fingers through.

You carry on this dance between you, Ed whooping and cheering for you both as you move across the deck with ease. Neither of you pull out any moves to best the other yet, enjoying this session way too much to want it to end quite yet. You continue with gusto and precision, your chest heaving slightly from the exertion.

You’re happy to see that Izzy appears to be just as affected as you are, the lust in his eyes is apparent and his trousers certainly look tighter than they did, but you know that won’t affect his performance, he can match you any day of the week.

Eventually you manage to best him, knocking the sword out of his hand, you bring your own sword up, the tip pressed to his chin.

“Do you surrender first mate Hands?” you ask, your breath mingling in the small space between you.

Izzy closes the distance as you lower your sword, claiming your lips.

“My turn.” Ed interjects after he’s bored of waiting, you turn your attention to him giving him a peck on the lips.

“I meant at sparring but I’ll take it,” Ed shrugs, going in for another kiss.

“Oh right,” you giggle, “in that case.” You pick your sword back up from where it previously fell, pointing it in Ed’s direction.

“Captain Blackbeard, I challenge you to a duel,” you say, knowing that calling him that will wind him up a little.

“Seriously?” He rolls his eyes at your teasing, “but yes, I accept.”

The clashing of swords fills the air as you both move around the deck with ease, it’s similar to sparring with Izzy, yet there’s something different in the way Ed moves. There’s also a darkness in his eyes, one that had once scared you, yet now it just makes you feel warm inside.

Izzy stands to the side as he observes, not as vocal as Ed, but still appreciative of what he was seeing. He knows Ed’s an amazing swordsman, they’ve fought together for years, trained together when they were just boys, taught each other tricks that they’d picked up.

You though had been more of a surprise to him, he’d been so used to discovering that most of the crew were useless twats, that he’d expected you to be just the same. Oh how he had been wrong, the first time he’d seen you fight during a raid he’d been so distracted that he had almost got himself stabbed.

But there’s something about watching you and Ed sparring together that just does something for him, the way you both move together as one. He has to adjust himself slightly as he continues to watch you both.

He’s so entranced that he doesn’t even notice Stede’s presence until the man puts an arm around him, his hand instinctively going to the sword that is now back at his side.

“Jesus Christ, Bonnet, where did you come from?”

“They’re good aren’t they?” Stede says.

“Better than good.”

“I wish I was as good as the three of you are.” Stede says wistfully.

Izzy clams up a little, he’s not the best at reassuring people, but it turns out it’s something you have to do quite a lot when you have three partners, so he’s getting better.

“You’ll get there, Bonnet.”

“Thanks Israel,” Stede beams at him, Izzy wouldn’t admit it but he loves making Stede smile like that.

His attention turns back to where you and Ed are still sparring, you’re putting up a good fight but Ed manages to disarm you with a trick that Izzy had taught him many years ago. Not that you seemed to mind, if the two of you making out on the deck is anything to go by.

“How about we have our own fun?” Stede whispers. Izzy nods, allowing him to be guided to the cabin.

“Move that foot here,” you say, attempting to get Stede in a proper stance. “You need to be more on the back foot.”

“Like this?” Stede asks.

“Kinda, just shift your weight slightly, that’s better. Now try and attack me.”

Stede shifts forward, but you’re easily able to predict which way he’s going and block him. He tries again and again but each time he makes it too obvious which way he’s going to go.

“This is useless,” he sighs. “Izzy’s right, I’m totally incompetent.”

“He didn’t mean that,” you assure him. “He just gets frustrated sometimes.”

“He’s right though.” Stede sniffs.

“C’mon babe, one more try, and if you do well I’ll give you one of those back rubs you love so much.”

“With the orange oil?” he asks.

“Of course, but first you need to get a hit.”

Stede seems a little bit more determined after that, brow furrowed in concentration as he adjusts his stance. He uses everything you’ve taught him so far to try and get a hit, it takes him a while but eventually he lands one.

“Y/N I did it!” Stede exclaims.

“You did, well done babe.” You praise.

“Do I get the back rub now?”

“Go on then, I suppose you’ve earned it.”

Stede’s skills slowly start picking up, perhaps your slightly softer but not too soft approach is what does it, or maybe it’s the promise of back rubs whenever he does something well. You and your two other partners are currently sat on crates watching as Stede swings from a rope and lands on his feet.

“You wouldn’t even be able to tell that half an hour ago he was laying on the floor complaining of rope burn.” Izzy whispers, making you and Ed laugh.

“Yeah tenth time round and he’s almost a pro.” Ed replies.

“Guys did you see that one?” Stede asks as he runs up to the three of you, chest heaving from exhaustion. “I didn’t fall over or anything.”

“Well done, babe.” Ed praises.

“Yeah good job, Stede.” You add.

“Can we go back to the cabin now?” Stede asks, slightly out of breath. “I think I might need a little lie down after all that.”

Ed wraps an arm around Stede leading him below deck. “C’mon love let’s go.”

“Oh honey” he wiped the tears away with the hand not holding yours “I’m upset to see you hurt but it’s not your fault”

“But I wasn’t careful enough, got myself captured like an idiot”

You felt comforting fingers combing through your hair, you somehow knew it’s Izzy, he’s always loved playing with your hair. “It wasn’t your fault love” Ed says “we’re the ones that left you alone”

“I shouldn’t need babysitting” you sulked

“That’s not what Ed means, sweetheart” Stede assured you “it’s just safer if you’re not alone, it’s the same for all of us”

“Yeah next time we’re there we’ll stick together” Ed adds

Shit, you hadn’t considered that one day you might have to return there, the idea made you feel sick. “We don’t really have to go back there, do we?” you could feel your heartbeat rising, your palms suddenly becoming increasingly sweaty.

The three men look at each other, distressed by your sudden panic. “No darling, I’m sure we can avoid going back” Stede says, looking to Ed for backup

“Yeah, there’s plenty of other places we can go, don’t worry about it love” lightly squeezing your shoulder.

“Right your back is all done dear” Izzy says “shall we help you lean back again” They help you lean back against the pillows, it’s painful but you think you’d be in pain no matter how you laid. They do the same for the wounds on your front as you just lay there, mostly staring at nothing. Stede must notice you zoning out as he gives your hand another squeeze, you look to him as he gives you what is probably meant to be a reassuring smile.

They checked the rest of your body, massaging your wrists where they’d been bound for hours, they were so sore, really every part of your body was sore. Once they were sure every injury had been tended to properly, Ed and Izzy awkwardly hovered near you, wanting to comfort you so badly but scared they’d somehow make it all worse.

You took Izzy’s hand, rubbing circles in the back of it. “Join us?” you asked, looking between the two men.

“Are you sure love? We don’t wanna hurt you” Ed replied

“Just do as Y/N says” Stede backs you up, already shuffling closer to the window to make room. They helped you move over until you’re in Stede’s arms, the feel of Stede’s broad chest against your back is a comfort. Izzy slides in next to you with Ed close behind, being surrounded by your partners is pure bliss after the past few days. For the first time in what feels like ages, your body finally lets you rest.

You awoke with a jolt to someone screaming, wait it’s you that’s screaming. You had a nightmare, back in that navy cell as soldier after soldier would come in to torture you as they pleased, as you begged for them to stop and they’d just laugh in your face. Your screaming had of course woken all three men who were wrapped around you but you couldn’t even register them talking as your ears were ringing and your body felt like it was on fire.

One of your partners must have touched your arm to try and comfort you, but to your muddled brain it was a navy soldier wanting to hurt you. You struggled out of their grasp, shooting out of the bed in search of safety.

All three men looked at each other, not sure what just happened, wanting to go comfort you but not wanting to make things worse. Stede, who had been the one to touch you, felt terrible, all he had wanted to do was provide some comfort, he hadn’t wanted to scare you.

“It's not you love” Ed tries to assure him “they woke up screaming, must’ve been having a nightmare, they probably didn’t even know where they were” Logically Stede knew what Ed was saying made sense, but he couldn’t help the hurt he felt when you’d recoiled from his touch.

“What if they don’t want to be with us anymore?”

“I don’t think it’s that” Izzy replied “Y/N has been through a lot, we just have to be there for them”

Stede found you in the auxiliary wardrobe hidden under his golden robe, he had to admit it warmed his heart that you had found safety in an item of his. But he was more worried about you, how small you looked, distress etched into every feature on your tear streaked face.

He approached you in a similar way that you’d approach a scared animal, kneeling in front of you but leaving some space between, not risking touching you again yet. Your brain was clearer now, you were mostly just embarrassed by your outburst. “I’m sorry” your voice so small, it was only audible due to the close proximity.

“Oh darling, you have nothing to be sorry for” Stede assured you “I’m sorry for scaring you back there”

“No” you shake your head, it wasn’t his fault, it’s your fucked up brain. “You didn’t do anything”

He nods in understanding. “I’m assuming you had a nightmare, do you want to talk about it?”

The idea of talking about any of it in that moment seemed impossible, your heart beating faster just at the idea. Another sob tore through you as you shook your head. “I’m sorry, I can’t”

He offered you a small smile “That’s okay dear, Y/N would it be okay if I touched you?”

You didn’t respond with words, instead launching yourself onto him, he took this as permission, wrapping his arms around you, rubbing your back as you cried. “Shh, I’ve got you, I’ve got you my love”

Once your sobs had subsided, he led you back to the bed where Ed and Izzy were waiting for you. You immediately jumped into Ed’s arms, burying your face in his chest, the comforting scent of lavender helping to calm you down. “Shh love you’re safe here, we’ve got you” rocking you gently as it you were a baby, it was actually quite comforting.

You were too scared to go back to sleep that night, worried that the nightmares would return as soon as you closed your eyes. “Stede?”

“Yes darling?”

“Will you read to me?”

He smiled at that, one of his favourite things to do is read to his partners, or anyone for that matter. All four of you settled back into bed, Stede had picked a book of fairytales. You laid your head on Stede’s shoulder so you could see the illustrations, Ed curled around your other side, mindful of your injuries, whilst Izzy laid next to him curled around Ed. Eventually you did find yourself drifting off to sleep again, lulled by the sound of Stede’s voice.

Your stomach turned at the sight of breakfast, Stede had asked Roach to put on a full spread for your first morning back, it was a lovely gesture. But you’d been on reduced rations your whole time in the cell, your stomach had shrunk and eating just felt overwhelming to you.

You nibbled on a croissant hoping it wouldn’t be too much for your stomach to handle, all three of your partners watched you as you ate. You knew they were just concerned but it was kinda off putting, plus it was easily going to give away your lack of appetite.

“Why don’t you have some toast and marmalade?” Stede offered.

“I’m fine thanks babe”

“They’ve barely eaten” Izzy interjects, he sounded angry but you knew he was just concerned about you.

“Izzy” Ed warns

“They need to eat Ed, i’m sure those twats barely fed them”

“Izzy’s right, they could get really ill” Stede adds

Whilst the men were discussing you like you weren’t even there, you found yourself bursting into tears. Once again you were burdening the men you loved the most, you wondered if it had been better if you’d died in that cell. Yes they would’ve been upset but they had each other, now they had to worry about you too.

Stede, who was sitting opposite you, was the first one to notice your tears, immediately running over to comfort you. “Oh my darling” brushing away your tears with his thumb. “I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have been talking about you as if you’re not here”

“It’s not your fault i’m so broken”

“Hey, you are in no way broken” he reassured you

“Stede I can’t even eat a stupid croissant without bursting into tears and now you’re all worried about me”

“It’s only because we love you”

“You don’t have to”

Ed’s head snapped up at that “What?”

“You don’t have to be with me anymore, just drop me off at the nearest port, or even just push me over the side of the ship, everyone would be better off”

Your partners stared at you with wide eyes, shocked that you could say such a thing. Izzy couldn’t take it anymore, you cringed at the sound of his chair scraping against the floor as he stood up, storming off and slamming the door behind him. He wasn’t angry with you, he was furious at himself, he had sworn to protect you and failed, and now you were asking them to throw you overboard. Ed followed him after him whilst Stede stayed to comfort you, guiding you over to the sofa so you could cuddle.

“How about a bath darling? I always find them really relaxing”

It was nice to be able to wash off all the grime, it hadn’t exactly been clean in that cell.

Once the bath had been filled with warm water, Stede guided you to the tub, helping you undress without aggravating your injuries too much. The water was soothing even if it made your cuts sting, it was nice to be clean again after so long. Your eyes closed as Stede gently cleaned your skin, it was soothing to be so cared for after everything that’s happened.

“Does Izzy hate me?” You asked him, worrying about why he had stormed out at breakfast.

“What? No darling, he’s just worried about you like we all are”

“I don’t mean to worry everyone”

“I know love, none of this is your fault, we just want to help you”

“What if I- what if I can’t be helped”

“Oh honey, it’s going to be okay, you have us, and the crew and we all love you and want to help you, okay?” You nodded, maybe Stede was right, they’re your family, maybe they can help you to heal. He takes extra care as he washes the dirt and sweat out of your hair, having clean hair again feels amazing.

You’re resting with Stede on the sofa when Ed and Izzy re-enter the cabin, both men look like they’ve been crying which makes your heart sink, knowing it was probably because of you.

“Iz has something to say” Ed nudged his partner forward

“I- um, I wanted to apologise for storming out”

“It’s fine Iz” you promise him “I know you just needed some time” Ok part of you had been convinced that Izzy was angry at you, but deep down you knew he sometimes needed that time alone to think.

“I just wish there was something I could do”

“Iz love, just having you three here with me is enough”

“Hmm” He wasn’t convinced, he’s used to being in control of a situation, he in no way blames you but everything now feels out of whack and he doesn’t know what to do.

You held your hands out gesturing for him to come closer, once he’s in front of him you held his hands in yours. “I mean it Iz, as long as I have you three I’ll be okay” He nodded, a stray tear falling down his cheek, he knew he would be there for you, whatever you needed. He joined you on the sofa, sitting on the other side, whilst Ed sat next to Stede. You had no idea how long you all stayed like that but frankly you didn’t care.

Over the next few weeks you were slowly recovering, your appetite getting a little better day by day, but you were still occasionally plagued by nightmares and there was that constant nagging fear that it would happen again. You knew you wouldn’t survive it a second time.

It didn’t escape anyone’s notice that you were constantly stuck to the side of at least one of your partners at any given time. Once there was an incident where Stede had left you for a second with Jim and Olu and you started freaking out, he definitely didn’t make that mistake again.

You felt pathetic, but even the thought of being apart from them again, albeit even just in another room, was too much to bear. No one ever commented on it, it was just this unspoken new normal for the ship, where your partners were, you weren’t far behind. They were of course worried about you but were happy that you felt comforted by their presence, plus they had to admit it was comforting to them to know you were safe.

This was fine until the ship was raided, meaning you got separated from your partners, you ended up fleeing to one of the secret rooms. As soon as the raid was over they start to panic about where you’d gone, luckily Lucius had seen you flee and points them in the right direction.

They find you curled up in the corner of one of the smallest rooms, this doesn’t dissuade them from joining you though. It’s a tight fit, what with two of your partners being around six foot, but it’s actually quite comforting to be so close.

Brushing his hair

- Once you have started this habit, you are unable to stop doing it

- The soft hums and the way his breathing slows when you pass your fingers through his golden locks...

- He would constantly praise you and your gentle movements

- If you kind any hair knot he'll probably whine a bit but won't ever blame you.

- It's very probable that he'll fall asleep in your arms like a baby

- He'll sometimes let you give him different or special hairstyles. He also comes to you whenever he needs a fancy hairstyle for some special event, brush, wig and hairstyle products already on his arms as he watches you with pleading eyes.

Giving massages

- This man seems so tense he looks just about to break

- But you'll have to drag him to his headquarter's sofa and forcefully sit him to make him stop for a moment.

- The deep sighs and soft moans he gives when you touch all the right places are totally worth it.

- If he's had a stressful day, your massages are as an oasis in the middle of the desert. He swears you are able to erase his worries with them.

- No doubt he's got plenty of massages oils and you will have "massage-days" where both of you take turns to help the other relax.

Brewing tea

- The first time you brew tea for him he feels very flattered that you remember his favourite "recipe", every cube of sugar included.

- Since then, he will gladly share with you different teas and various infusions so you can enjoy them together.

- If your taste buds choose a favourite beverage, he won't doubt in returning the favour and brew it for you whenever he cans, but I hope you don't mind sugary drinks.

Making breakfast

- Waking up to the smell of delicious food being served is like heaven to him, only surpassed by waking up next to your sleepy figure cuddling into him. Honestly, that one's impossible to match.

- If he feels energetic, he'll scoop to the kitchen to see if he isn't too late and still can help.

- Seeing you laughing together with roach as you're covered in flour does make him a tiny tiny bit jealous

- But he probably just stays on the doorframe, smiling to himself as he watches you having a great time, you always telling roach things like "he's going to love this!" or "Add this, it's his favourite!" while the crew's cook, humorous as always, swings around all kinds of fruits and flour.

Bathing (together or not)

- Taking relaxing baths together was his idea!

- Although the bath is quite small for two people, you really have a good time laying on eachother between bubbles and warm water.

- Discovering that you prepared him an aromatic bath after a stressful day will probably bring a few tears to his eyes. Good luck breathing after he squeezes your soul out of you with a hug.

- And if you offer to wash his hair he'll be the happiest man alive, he's always on with anything that involves you playing with his hair.

Sleeping

- Sleeping with Stede is heavenly —sleeps still, snores softly and is like a human pillow, what else could you wish for?—.

- He loves to cuddle when sleeping

- His favourite position is when his head is laying on your chest so you can caress his hair while he hugs you, your legs tangled together. Your heartbeats help him relax and tie him to reality so he doesn't have too many nightmares about his youth.

- The only "imperfection" that you could remark is that he loves to get up early, sometimes because he isn't able to stay still on the bed awake or because he wants to take an eye on the crew.

Chatting

- He loves talking to you about anything in particular.

- Of course, he'll tell you everything about his plans with the crew and his dreams around piracy, his dreams around that world that he admires so much.

- If you are a pirate on the crew, he would love to listen some stories too! This man will never get tired of them so don't worry if you happen to repeat anyone.

- Will ask you for pirate advice about some troubles that he encounters as how to deal with pirates or how to handle a gun —he even asked you once if you could help him get used to rum—.

Reading

- He'll read to you when you're on his room together.

- As he sits on the caramel sofa of his room holding a book on his hands, you dreamily lay stretched out with your head resting on his laps. You've got your eyes closed as you imagine and reproduce the events that Stede narrates, sometimes giggling or gasping when the story's scenarios invite to it.

- Oh, of course, you also have VIP access to the continuation of the stories he reads outloud every night on deck. (Only in exchange for some cuddles and just because it's you.)

- If you like reading he will also recommend and give you books, he has plenty for you to choose, too. If you don't know how to read [I don't know man, I'm just doing my job. Paradoxes are fun] he'll make his goal to teach you, waking you up every morning only to make a tower of books in front of you that he chose as the easiest ones. He then will sit next to you, grab a book from the pile and start helping you read the title and summary of it so you can decide if you are interested on it.

Flower crowns

- He doesn't know how to do a Flower crown but he's open to a sweet teacher that could help him out and teach him. wink wink

- As a child, he always saw little girls wearing the prettiest daisy crowns and he always felt so sad that that was forbidden for him. So when you told him that he could freely wear them and appeared with the most beautiful flower crown on your hands just to set it on his sea of golden locks... You didn't seem aware of the fact that you had just cured his inner child as he hugged you tightly.

- He didnt take it off in the entire day and he felt at he verge of tears everytime that someone of the crew complemented his beautiful ornament.

- Stede loves saving little, special things as reminders of adventures, love, friendship... And your flower crown is no different. He will keep it safe in his room, always at sight.

- Now everytime you arrive land he will bring a basket with him and collect all the pretty flowers he can find, so you can make him a new crown. He will also keep some for himself so he can try returning the gesture and make one for you, too.

Imagine being assaulted by a couple of pirates that wear matching flowery crowns. Terrific!

Flower bouquets

- He'll probably understand the meaning that each flower carries so be careful not to give him some "rude flower" —This cute overthinker will spend the whole day thinking about why did you give him that flower—.

- If you are interested in knowing more about flowers and their meanings for the bourgeoisie he'll gladly sit with you as he shows you different drawings of flowers from his book while he reads outloud and explains everyone to you.

- Stede is a sweetheart and will always have prepared different vases for your flowers, even if it's just one. He hates to see them die.

- He will also gift you bouquets! And if you don't understand their meanings he will explain every flower to you with bright eyes, as he is confessing his deep love to you through colorful flowers.