#Ed is trailing behind Stede embodying half-agony half-hope

[triflesandparsnips]

Unfortunate Theory:

The thing is. Stede. Sees things.

Like, the fic-writing fandom seems to have collectively decided that the Kraken should be haunted by visions of dead Lucius and too-good-for-you Bonnet-- but canonically the dude who has full-body visual and auditory hallucinations that reflect his inner turmoil is Stede "Why Confront My Issues When I Can Just Wait and Let My Issues Confront Me" Bonnet.

So season 2, episode 1. A mirror to s01e01, we get A Day In The Life of Edward "The Kraken Is My Sadness Fursona" Teach. His beard's grown out a bit, but it's mostly grey under that black grease stick he's still applying on the reg. He is blank-eyed, violent, and, yes, okay, probably haunted by Lucius because I just need that, okay.

The episode draws to its close-- we haven't seen Stede, just heard people talk about "the Gentleman," heard Lucius lightly emotionally scar Blackbeard about him, etc. In the last five minutes or so, on the dark, lantern-lit deck of the Revenge, Blackbeard hears word that Stede was last seen in Barbados, returned to his wife. His eyes go big. He turns-- walks very slowly across the deck, and through the door of the captain's cabin--

--and on another ship, somewhere close but not close enough, Stede wakes with a start. Someone is coming through the door of his cabin, a slow-moving shadow set apart from the surrounding night. Stede's breath grows rapid; he drags himself upright; with shaking fingers he twists a knob on his oil lantern and raises the flame high.

And in the sudden light is Ed. Eyes wide, surprised, and then suddenly crinkling in joy as he grins under his short, light grey beard. He's wearing the white shirt from the camp, his leather trousers, his rings. He crouches beside Stede's bed, and with a bare, warm hand, he touches Stede's cheek.

"There you are," says Stede's hopes and fears and love and need. Its thumb presses lightly on the center of Stede's lower lip, and its grin shifts to something softer. Wistful.

Promising.

"I'll be here soon," it says.

The credits roll.