#also if u wanna cry a lil while reading it I had the mountains goats Get Lonely in my head the whole time as like

[izzy-b-hands]

What if Stede returns to The Revenge with the rescued crew members, to an Ed that's in an exhausting, devastated, rage that has him sobbing his eyes out

Lantern in one hand, boots traipsing over gunpowder and anything else he could find as an accelerant

What if they fight, forcing everyone else to work together to try and end it, no matter their feelings about each other (Jim pulls Izzy out of the way when Ed swings the lantern nearly into his head, Izzy pauses just long enough for a look of confused realization to dawn on him, then returns to the mass of them all trying to pull Ed and Stede apart. His sword clangs against Ed and Stede's whenever they drift too near to any of the other crew)

What if the lantern falls, unintentionally, and it becomes a race to try and save the ship, a useless one but they try

Buckets of water passed hand to hand, panting in smoke that grows darker and heavier by the minute

Izzy pauses and begs Ed to start leading them to the dinghies, this is madness Edward and we will die here

Tears in his eyes because damn it Ed he doesn't want to die here and even more so he doesn't want Ed to die here and no heartbreak is worth sinking to the ocean floor for

And another painful blink of personal realization hits him and he starts to call the others towards the dinghies

What if Olu pulls Stede towards the boats too but he won't move, Olu there's Ed still here hang on

He motions for Olu to go without him and passes Izzy on the way to Ed

Standing on the rapidly burning deck in tears

Of rage and hurt and loneliness and from the smoke that's inescapable

What if Stede stands there and he begs Ed please you don't have to like me or love me again but I love you and I can't I won't watch you die here

He strides forward and pulls Ed into a hard kiss flames licking a hand as he moves but he doesn't so much as wince

Ed's forehead rests against his after the kiss ends and he finally beautifully blessedly smiles

And he reminds Stede that captains go down with their ships

--

What if they wash up in a sea cave

Alive but slightly singed and with a few burns Roach will need to tend to

What if Ed wakes first and pulls Stede from the low tide onto the sand at the edge of the cave interior

Begging every power he's ever even briefly cared about or believed in to make Stede wake up and smile and he looks so close to how he did when he was stabbed, dark circles under his eyes and pale skin and

What if Stede coughs and flutters open his eyes and smiles because

There you are Ed

I've been looking for you and missing you and I have so much to tell you

And I came up with our fake names Olu says they're too obviously fake but I think he's being a bit too critical and-

What if Ed kisses him and tells him he wants to hear everything after they find the others

After their wounds are clean and bandaged and they're resting together

Because this isn't a healed fracture not yet but

He thinks of kintsugi and golden lines forming like the stitching of a wound as the sun filters into the sea cave

What if in the distance they hear voices gone hoarse and ragged calling their names

(Izzy has never shouted himself fully hoarse before but he's barely audible when he rushes in with Olu and kneels by Ed to help them up adds on to Olu's reassurances that they'll get them up and looked after and things will be fine)

What if they limp out of the sea cave with Olu and Izzy but Stede asks softly

Looking into the distance at The Revenge her remains at least his dream that he made reality in wood and tar and people and

He hesitates but does ask if they can watch her finish burning before they go anywhere else because he created her designs and funded her birth so the least he can do is witness her cremation

What if they all join together on the beach and watch their ship burn

Exhausted and injured and leaning on one another as if making up for the loss of structure and foundation a ragged bundle of people who've rarely ever known a proper home but know it can occasionally be found among others