Izzy rises first, always. Too many years of late nights and early mornings for it not to stick. A jaunt to the gym for weight lifting and a smoothie that tastes awful, then home to find his partners still cuddlee in bed.
Pancakes and tea, one to wake Ed and the other for Stede. Sunday music is Simon and Garfunkel, Fleetwood Mac, Grateful Dead, Hall and Oates. The men wake up rumpled and smiling, kisses on the forehead for Izzy, murmered thank yous, darlings, love, gorgeous, starving, genius.
Izzy takes it all, takes everything they give him.
Stede compliments Izzy's cooking as he eats, more ludicrous moans than last night.
"It's just pancakes, twat." Izzy replies smiling. Stede just gives him a syrupy kiss and says "delicious."
Izzy says he'll go shower, but Ed noses him, asks him to wait and Izzy giggles when his beard tickles. Okay, he can do that.
Some days it's so easy to be loved by them.
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"Careful there, mate. Got a nasty scrape I'm gonna patch."
Roach looked down quickly, the movement sending pain through the whole of his body.
"Fuckin' just lay there!" Izzy said, pushing him back down gently.
"Bring me rum and gut. I'll do it myself."
"I've done this plenty times before. You'll be fine."
Somehow it sounded more reassuring than Roach thought Izzy was capable of.
The cut was on his side, it'd be hard for him to reach on his own anyway.
"Fine, at least give me some rum....and put some on the needle!"
"I know, Roach. I've got this, really."
Izzy layed a hand on his forehead. It seemed so warm.
"No fever, not yet at least."
He held the bottle up to Roach's lips and helped raise his head carefully for him to drink. Roach took a long pull and gestured he was done.
#izzyisme
Izzy's been sleeping shittily for so long he doesn't remember what it's like to be rested. He's tried all the things they say to do to sleep well; going to bed early, no screens in bed, limit blue light, keep a consistent sleep schedule, no caffeine in the evenings.
Nothing seems to help. He lays awake at night, trying and failing to empty his head. Eventually he falls asleep and then wakes what seems like mere moments later, eyes tired, head pounding. He lays in his bed as long as he can, hoping somehow he'll feel better.
Every day and night the same thing happens, and the bags under his eyes just get darker, his attitude bleaker, his attention fractured.
And at first the crew is annoyed, Izzy's not pulling his weight anymore as a manager, but then they start to worry.
The boys believe highly on the importance of parallel play. Ed sits on the couch playing Fortnite, yelling and hooting and generally keeping a running commentary. Stede sits on the floor in front of the sofa, leaning against Ed's leg putting together a puzzle of birds.
Izzy says in the armchair cattycorner, earbud in one ear listening to a Parltrick O'Brian book while he wrestles with the sweater he's knitting. Every so often he holds it up and makes Stede come over to measure it against him. It's Stede's favorite colors and smiles each time.
It doesn't matter if they talk to each other. It doesn't matter what they do or if they do it alone. It's enough to share the space, breathe the same air, exist in proximity to each other.
Ed has become a bath guy. With all the soaps and oils and lotions Stede has been acquiring, everyday he smells a bit different. It's relaxing and decadent and Ed could spend hours just soaking his worn body.
"Stede! Come join me!"
When thr seas are calm and empty, both captains can hide away for a bit, and lately that means a soak. They've tried to get Izzy to join in, but he resists still with honestly solid reasons.
"Awful waste of fresh water"
"What if we're boarded while you're covered in bubbles?"
"Stede! C'mere, mate!"
Stede was captain on duty for the afternoon, but it'd been a quiet day. Clear skies and no ships on the horizon, so Stede felt safe enough to answer Ed's calls from the dark hallway to the captains' cabin.
"Yes, Ed?"
"C'mon. Got you a present in our room." Ed said with a wink and turned toward the door.
Stede followed excitedly. Ed's presents since he'd returned had always been fantastic, especially since they usually included one or both of them naked.
Ed ushered Stede through the door crying "Close your eyes!" As he took him by the shoulders and walked him through the room.
"'Kay, one minute." He said with a giggle.
Stede waited patiently.
"...okay...open!"
Stede was standing in front of the bed nook with the curtains drawn.
"Wear a coat, Darlings. It's quite nippy out there this morning." Stede called as Ed and Izzy headed for the door.
The thing Izzy hadn't anticipated about being in a relationship with Stede Bonnet was how much the man cared about his comfort.
Wear a coat.
Take a hat.
Sit by the fire a bit.
A tea will sooth your throat.
Would you rather be on the outside?
Can I touch you there?
Would you rather Ed help?
Are you sore?
Oh dear, you've gone all red, should I shave first next time?
Is it too rich?
Can I rub your feet?
It was infuriating how much he saw. How much he thought about Izzy every day. Ed seemed enamored with the attention, but Izzy itched from it. It was lovely and annoying and it made him want to throttle and kiss Stede all in one breath.