#Bc my man has to realise Stede ain't going nowhere

[unlikely-gravestones]

Not me thinking about Izzy standing on the upper deck, leaning against the railing as the ship gently moves in the night, quietly asking Ed "How can we be this fucking close...and still so far apart from one another" as he looks out at sea.

Because they are close, nearly shoulder to shoulder- the closest Eds been since Stede's return. Since Izzy lost him again. And he doesn't fucking understand how even though they're standing right next to eachother, the same wooden planks beneath their feet, the same moon looking back at them...he doesn't understand how they can be this close, and yet still feel like there's miles between them. If he reached out (if he could look anywhere other than the ocean, if he could even move himself an inch, if he could ever get over the pain of looking at Ed and actually face the man-) he would feel the velvet robe Ed still wears under his hand. If he reached higher he would probably feel his heartbeat, and even higher than that, the short scratchy beard Ed's cultivated.

But he doesnt. Because he also feels like if he reaches out, his hand would catch the air. Or maybe Ed would move away from him, refusing his touch, and that's infinitely worse than if he had never been there to begin with.

Where would that leave him, if even his captain couldn't stand to let Izzy touch him. Maybe Ed was right to stay away, to put this distance between them.

(Maybe if Izzy did look at Ed, he would see how his fingers twitched on the railings, inches apart from where Izzy's own hands rested, as if itching to close that insurmountable distance between them. Maybe he would see happiness in Eds eyes again, a sense of contentment Izzy strives to maintain- something Stede accomplishes in a matter of minutes. Maybe he would see that he's not as stranded as he believes, that Eds not lost to the other side of the planet- and maybe, just maybe, they'd be able to work their way up from there.)

#Me back on my bullshit #I just want to put Izzy through the emotional ringer until he cracks #And then i want him to be cuddled and fed food and take naps #Bc my man has to realise Stede ain't going nowhere #And he makes Ed happy #And you can too!! #Sorry to tell ya izz but ur headed down the Stede/Ed/Izzy lane and there's no slowing down #our flag means death #ofmd #edward teach #stede bonnet #izzy hands #blackbonnet #steddy hands