#Jim keeps asking him to teach him swordfighting

[goayda]

Warning: it gets very sad before it gets better (main character death, but not Stede or Izzy).

So what if… early AU in season 1 where there is no duel (yet) because Izzy is gritting his teeth and waiting for Ed to get bored, but the man is having a great time teaching Stede and the crew how to be pirates.

And everything is fun and exciting until one awful day Edward gets killed in a raid. It’s nobody’s fault, really, just bad luck. Ed’s knee gives out at the wrong moment and a lucky sailor runs a sword through his heart and there is no time for last words or goodbyes because the great Blackbeard is dead before he hits the deck.

And Stede and the crew are devastated, yes, but Izzy Hands? The moment they bury Ed at sea the man crumbles. He simply stops functioning and the others have to take care of him or it looks like the man will simply follow his captain. They all help a bit, but Stede particularly because he is feeling heartbroken, even though he doesn’t know why, but taking care of the broken man soothes something inside of him.

So while Ivan and Fang help the crew to keep the ship afloat and safe, Stede makes sure Izzy eats something and reads to him and keeps him company and he hugs him eventually and they cry together, but he has to swear not to tell anybody or he would get stabbed.

It takes a long time, but when Izzy finally resurfaces from the worst of his grieving, he simply can’t leave. He has got used to Stede’s kind touch, to the company of that crazy crew and decides to stay in the Revenge.

And Stede’s heart soars when he hears Izzy ask to join his crew and he hugs his new first mate right there in front of the crew and he doesn’t even get stabbed for it.