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There was a reason that Izzy hated poorly tied knots.
It wasn’t that he was picky, despite what Edward would say. It was because they were dangerous, they had cost more than one pirate their life.
Now that Stede and Ed were settled in their reunion, and it seemed as if the crews had been permanently entwined, it was well known that the only people that Izzy trusted to tie the knots on the ship were Buttons, Fang, and Pete.
Izzy had noticed the rope moving in the wind more than it should have, and when he went to look to figure out why, the first touch of his fingers on the entwined strands the knot gave way.
It wouldn’t have been an issue by itself, knots would give way sometimes. This knot, however, was attached to the mainsail, and the rope had been supporting a large amount of weight and tension.
Until it wasn’t, when the knot gave way the rope wrapped around Izzy’s wrist, and with a sickening pop, his shoulder popped out of the joint as he was temporarily lifted by the rope.
The pain was immediate, and Izzy heard the pained groan fall from his lips as he landed on his knees on the deck. Edward, surprisingly, was at his side in an instant.
“Iz,” Ed knelt beside him, “okay?”
“Shoulder’s out,” Izzy growled, feeling the sweat already breaking out across his brow at the pain, “fuck.”
“Right,” Edward helped him stand, “we’ll go find Roach.”
“Fuck Roach,” Pete was suddenly at his side, pushing Edward away with a firm hand, “I can help. Who tied that fucking knot? Buttons, get the sail up. I’ll fix Izzy’s shoulder.”
Despite being together to some extent for weeks now, they rarely acted in a way that would show the crew of their relationship. Izzy had a reputation that he had prided himself on, and Lucius and Pete did their best to understand that. Right now, Izzy surprised himself at the sudden desire to have Pete take care of him. Their relationship hadn’t developed much past their shared nights where they spoiled Lucius.
“Take a deep breath for me,” Pete coached, taking Izzy’s hand where it hung weakly at his side, “it’ll feel worse before it feels better.”
Izzy nodded and took a deep breath. The crew was watching with interest, Lucius whispering in Stede’s ear. Stede hadn’t been told of their relationship yet, assuming Edward hadn’t said anything, but Pete holding his hand with this level of familiarity likely warranted some explanation.
“It’ll only take a second, okay?” Pete’s voice trailed off, likely a pet name dying on his tongue before it was brought to life, “but it’ll hurt.”
“Do it.”
Pete nodded, taking a better grip of Izzy’s hand and supporting his elbow. It was impossibly quick, and with another pop, his shoulder felt immediately better. Pete held Izzy’s arm in place, smiling as he noticed the tension from his shoulders dropping.
“Might not be good at knots, but that I can do.”
“Thank you,” Izzy kept his voice low but appreciative, “much better.”
“You’ll need to put it in a sling for a bit,” Pete frowned, “or it might fall out of place again. You’re going to be down for a few days.”
“Go, rest,” Edward nodded toward the door to go into the underbelly of the ship, “as long as you need.”
Izzy gave a short nod, walking toward the door with Pete and Lucius close behind him.
***
“Don’t,” Pete stopped him before he managed to reach for the buttons of his leather vest, “let me.”
“You seem worried, babe,” Lucius lit the candles around the room of Izzy’s quarters, “what’s going on?”
“I was on a boat once where the captain popped his shoulder out and never took care of it after. Had to stop sailing when he couldn’t hold his sword,” Pete gently undid the buttons and helped him slip it off his arms, “I don’t want that for Iz.”
“What do you suggest?”
“Honestly?” Pete encouraged him to sit on the bed, “your arm in a sling for at least five days.”
“I don’t have a sling.”
“Roach will, I’ll get it,” Lucius kissed both of their foreheads on the way out the door.
“You should know,” Pete waited until the door was closed before he turned back to face him, “Lucius is useless around sick and hurt people. Don’t take it personally, but he’ll likely hide for the next few days.”
“Really?” Izzy rubbed at his sore shoulder, “wouldn’t have thought.”
“Yeah, a weakness of his. He makes up for it in other ways.”
“That he does.”
“Uh,” Pete cleared his throat, “if you don’t mind some time with just me, I’m pretty good at it.”
Izzy didn’t mind.
In fact, he had been trying to find out how to ask Lucius if he could have some time just with Pete, but hadn’t figured out how to bring it up in conversation. His attraction to Pete was something that had grown from more than just admiration for his blue eyes and had moved into something deeper. It was hard to admit out loud, but Pete had become just as much one of his men as Lucius.
“I don’t mind,” Izzy tried for a smile and pat Pete’s thigh with his good hand, “I might need your help.”
“Oh, getting those pants off?” Pete chuckled, “you’re going to need my help.”
***
Izzy hadn’t stayed in his room for long, and once Pete felt comfortable with the sling Lucius had retrieved, he made his way back up to deck.
Surprisingly, Edward had fussed over him.
More surprising was when Pete snapped at Ed when he reached to touch Izzy’s sore shoulder.
“Don’t,” Pete’s voice was a hard edge, “you can push it out of place again.”
“Mighty protective of your man,” Ed pitched his voice low, a threat.
“Someone had to take care of him when you decided to abandon him for Bonnet,” Pete whispered back, “one of your oldest friends and you ditched him for a peacock. You don’t get to decide that you care about him now that you’re settled into your honeymoon.”
“Pete,” Izzy intervened, “enough.”
But he didn’t back down, Pete stayed by his side and met Ed’s glare like he was facing down an average man instead of the most terrifying pirates on the sea.
“I see,” Edward looked between them, “understood.”
Just like that, something shifted, and when Pete pressed his hand to Izzy’s back to guide him away, Izzy didn’t shake it off.
***
“Babe,” Lucius said softly over dinner, “I was just thinking, with how sore your shoulder is it might be best if I sleep on the deck, yeah?”
Izzy was glad Pete had warned him, so it didn’t sting as much even knowing that it was one of the nights that Lucius would be in his bed.
“If you like,” Izzy agreed.
“I’ll stay,” Pete offered, “make sure that you don’t need anything.”
“I’d like that.”
“Oh,” Lucius beamed, “now this is a good development.”
Izzy found that he agreed.
***
Pete followed him to his quarters that night, and it seemed as if there was a collective agreement between the three of them that there would be no more hiding.
To the crew’s credit, no one commented when Pete slipped from the room with Izzy.
Izzy was relieved to have him, too. His shirt was nearly impossible to take off without help and were it not for Pete undoing his pants and taking off his shoes, Izzy would have had to sleep fully clothed.
Pete made sure to get in the bed on Izzy’s good side, and Izzy managed to kiss Pete’s temple without shaking his shoulder too much.
“You should know that you’re probably going to hurt worse tomorrow,” Pete warned, “the second day is always bad.”
“Hurts plenty right now.”
“I bet.”
“I’m sorry I’m not more entertainment tonight,” Izzy kept his eyes on the ceiling so he didn’t need to face Pete’s reaction, “I’ve wanted to spend more time just the two of us, and now that I have you, I can’t do anything about it.”
“Oh,” Pete turned on his side to face Izzy and slowly placed his hand on Izzy’s stomach. It was a test, Izzy could tell, to see what sort of time that Izzy had been hoping for, “well, I’m here now.”
“Good,” Izzy was exhausted, drained in the sort of way that enduring pain all day would pull all the energy for you, “maybe we can do it again when I don’t hurt.”
“I’d like that.”
***
Pete hadn’t been wrong, and the next morning Izzy’s shoulder was hot to the touch and incredibly painful to move at all. Pete had helped him dress with a gentle touch, and had helped him get breakfast when he wasn’t able to reach.
And then he lingered.
All day.
Whenever Izzy stumbled or struggled to do something, Pete was right beside him. When he decided that it was time to double-check the knots that had been tied, he dutifully did every one and held it out for Izzy to review. By the end of the day, the ship was sailing with tighter ropes than it ever had.
Lucius checked in throughout the day, but true to Pete’s warning, had been overly cautious and largely avoided them. Pete didn’t seem to take it personally, so Izzy worked hard not to take it personally, either.
Izzy didn’t manage to work the full day, and as the sun started to set he knew that he didn’t have the energy to continue. With a polite nod to Ed Izzy excused himself and returned the deck to Buttons control.
When he closed the door to his quarters, he was relieved to have Pete right behind him.
***
“Here,” Pete walked into his quarters with a bowl of stew and some warm bread, “time for dinner.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Pete set the meal on the small table and encouraged Izzy to sit on the chair, “how’s your shoulder?”
“Sore,” Izzy fought the urge to roll it, “aches.”
“I’m sure it does,” Pete watched Izzy struggle with the spoon in his left hand for a few minutes before he reached out and took the spoon, “tomorrow will be better, and the day after will be better still. By the end of the week, you’ll forget that it ever happened.”
“You’re good at this,” Izzy commented between gently fed bites of stew, “have you ever had children?”
“No,” Pete shook his head, “never had the chance. You?”
“A daughter. Rose.”
“Where is she now?”
“Gone,” Izzy answered simply before he decided to expand, “for a few years.”
“I’m sorry, that’s hard,” Pete focused on his task of feeding Izzy, “did she pirate with you?”
Izzy managed to laugh at that, “no. No, she was the result of a wealthy woman deciding to have a wild night with a pirate at a bar. When I found out about her, she was nearly three. I went back to meet her, and there she was. All big eyes and curled hair. I was smitten immediately, and for a few years, I gave up pirating altogether.”
“Really?” Pete looked at him then, “what did you do?”
“Whatever I could, but I’m a fair hand at cabinet building.”
“What changed?”
“Her mother married, and my presence became problematic. When Edward came back into port I left with him.”
“And…Rose?”
“Fell ill with a fever when she was a young adult, and never recovered. I would go back every few months, spend a fortnight with her before I was back on the ship with Ed.”
“I’m sorry,” Pete said again, and Izzy could tell he meant it, “I’m sure she was great.”
Izzy pointed toward the portrait Lucius had drawn. Izzy had stolen a frame from Stede, and it now sat on the desk as the pride of the room, “you almost tie knots as well as she could.”
“No shit?”
The smile was easier now, “no shit.”
***
Pete curled up around Izzy, his face pressed against Izzy’s good shoulder and his hand on Izzy’s stomach. It was comfortable, and Pete had quickly become someone that Izzy felt relaxed with. His fingers drew idle circles against Izzy’s skin, and Izzy let his eyes fall closed as he enjoyed the attention.
“Iz?”
“Hm?”
“Will you take me the same way you take Lucius when you’re better?”
Izzy’s body reacted immediately, his cheeks flushing and cock twitching at the idea of Pete on his back underneath him.
“If you like,” Izzy managed to keep his voice level, “once I’m better.”
“Would you like?”
“I would do it now if I could.”
“Oh,” Pete looked up at him with a smile that Izzy could only just see in the dying candlelight, “good.”
Izzy wanted Pete to kiss him. He wanted it almost as much as he missed Lucius.
Pete seemed to have the same idea, his eyes falling to Izzy’s lips as he licked his. Pete pushed himself up, moving closer without jostling him. Izzy let his mouth open slightly in anticipation, and Pete met him eagerly. There was a lick at Izzy’s bottom lip, a question, one that Izzy immediately answered by opening his mouth to taste Pete properly.
Pete was lovely to kiss, surprisingly gentle but intense in a way that made the passage of time stop. They kissed so long that Izzy was surprised when he pulled away and found the few remaining candles had burnt out.
Pete was hard against his hip, and Izzy’s cock was throbbing under the soft cotton he was wearing. It would have been enough to distract Izzy, were his shoulder not throbbing just as much.
“You said I’d feel better in a week?” Izzy asked with a rough voice.
“Maybe faster,” Pete sounded equally affected, “you’re healthy and fit.”
“Fuck me, that’s a long time to wait.”
Izzy heard Pete’s smile more than saw it, “oh don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.”
***
“Can I just say,” Lucius’ voice pulled Izzy from sleep, “how much I love seeing you two together?”
“Babe,” Pete’s voice was mumbled, likely because his face was still pressed to Izzy’s shoulder, “shh.”
“Imagine my surprise when I didn’t see either of my men last night. I thought I might come looking, and here you both are,” Lucius sat heavily on the bed, “so…. how was it?”
“Nothing happened,” Izzy answered, amused despite how tired he was, “my shoulder is still buggered. I told Pete about Rose and then we went to sleep.”
“Kissed for a while first,” Pete corrected, “then we went to sleep.”
“How does your shoulder feel now?” Lucius rubbed Izzy’s hand, “up for some sketching?”
“Soon I hope.”
“Lucius, babe,” Pete pulled away so his voice was clear, “even when he feels better, it’ll still be a while before he can support his weight over you. Unless you plan on riding him, he’s going to be at least a week.”
“Bugger,” Lucius complained, “you know I don’t like waiting.”
“You still have Pete,” Izzy pointed out, “I won’t die for a night alone.”
“You’re sure?” Pete asked, “you’ve been having a hard time taking your shirt off.”
“So come, help me with that, and off to bed with Lucius.”
“Alright,” Pete looked unconvinced, “if you insist.”
***
Izzy wished that he hadn’t insisted.
Pete had come with him back to his quarters, had undressed him with gentle hands, and had left him with a lingering kiss to go and satisfy Lucius’ need.
Knowing that right now, Pete was buried in the inviting heat of Lucius’ body, remembering the desperate moans that would fall from his lips, had Izzy hard with no way of satisfying himself.
His shoulder wasn’t as sore, but at Pete’s suggestion, he hadn’t tested it to see if it would protest if he tried to use it.
Izzy made do with teasing himself, palming his cock with his left hand with just enough friction to make the want worse, and not enough pressure to spill.
He missed his men.
It was torture without one of them nearby, and the ache that had settled in his core wasn’t just that of want. It had been a long time since Izzy had felt important to anyone, and now that he had them both it was difficult to be alone.
He had just given up on the idea of spending when there was a soft knock on the door and Pete walked in.
“Babe?”
“Pete?”
“Lucius talks a big game, but he’s easy to wear out,” Pete laughed as he closed the door behind him. “He was half asleep, but it was bothering him that you were here alone. He asked if I would come and spend the night with you. I was already planning on it.”
“He’s got a big heart, our Lucius.”
“Not the only thing of his that’s big,” Pete undressed and got into bed with him, “how are you feeling?”
“Fine,” Izzy answered honestly as the warmth from Pete soothed him.
“Must be getting tiring,” Pete’s hand found Izzy’s stomach like he seemed to enjoy doing each night, “missing out on your nights with Lucius.”
“Lucius, you. Yes.”
“If you want, I could…”
“You could?”
Pete kissed him, slow and teasing as his hand moved from Izzy’s stomach to his cock. Izzy let the moan that bubbled up in his chest ring out in the room. Pete smiled into the kiss, his thumb rubbing small circles over the head of Izzy’s cock through the fabric.
“Let me help you out of these.”
Izzy was relieved when Pete helped him take off his smalls, spreading his legs to make room for Pete when he gently pushed his knees apart.
“Don’t move,” Pete kissed his hip, “just relax and let me take care of you.”
“Alright.”
Izzy had seen Pete use his mouth on Lucius more than once, and while it had always looked impressive, it was almost shocking to be on the receiving end of the attention. Pete was incredible, with a hot welcoming mouth with just the right amount of suction. He moaned around Izzy’s cock, using his hand to stroke what he couldn’t take in his mouth.
Izzy wanted to thrust up into the heat, he missed the feeling of taking someone. Pete guided Izzy’s hand to the back of his head, and at the invitation, Izzy set the speed.
It had been a while, but he decided that he wanted to draw the night out, and Pete, the lovely man that he was, let him.
When the urge to spill finally won out over the urge to prolong being touched, Izzy pulled his hand away and let Pete take the lead. Pete hummed around him, slowly but deliberately pushing him toward his peak. Izzy growled out a warning as he felt his body tense, one that Pete ignored as Izzy came with a shout and his cock throbbed in Pete’s mouth.
Izzy’s shoulder ached as soon as Pete pulled away, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.
“Better, babe?”
“Much, thank you,” Izzy held out his arm for Pete to curl up with him.
“Your shoulder?”
“Sore, but not as bad as it has been.”
“Glad to hear it,” Pete kissed his cheek, “night, babe.”
***
Izzy was relieved to be freed of the sling, and the first time he rolled his shoulder was almost as good as bedding his men.
“Throw it overboard,” Izzy growled when Pete folded the fabric.
“I would love to, babe. Problem is that now you have a bad shoulder you’ll probably always have a bad shoulder. We should keep this just in case you need it again.”
Izzy looked around the deck, and waited until he was confident that they weren’t being watched before he leaned in and whispered, “the only thing I need tonight is you.”
“Oh,” Pete blushed, a beautiful bright pink, “well, we can do that. I can do that. I mean, sure. Leave it with me and I’ll meet you tonight?”
***
Izzy had planned all manner of things. He had thought of pressing Pete against the door as soon as he got into the room and taking him just like that. He had thought of telling Pete to ride him until they both spilled.
By the time dinner came, Izzy had spent most of the day thinking of how he wanted to take Pete to pieces, and yet none of them seemed exactly right.
Pete knocked on the door to Izzy’s quarters once before he slipped inside with a shy smile, “uh, hey.”
“Hello,” Izzy had undressed down to just his pants, “no Lucius?”
“He was nice enough to help me get ready,” Pete answered vaguely, “and after all the excitement, he fell asleep.”
Izzy chuckled, “all talk.”
“He can be,” Pete agreed, walking over to the bed with a gate that looked slightly strained. It only took a minute for Izzy to realize what Pete had meant by help get ready.
“You’re wearing a plug?”
“You can tell?”
“Oh, I can tell. Undress for me.”
Pete did, awkwardly. His body was tight with nerves as he left his shirt, pants, and boots on the floor. Once he was nude, he stood just outside of Izzy’s reach and waited.
Izzy undressed without ceremony, his clothes left on the small chair as he took Pete’s hand and guided him to the bed.
“I’m nervous,” Pete admitted abruptly, “usually I’m on the other side of this arrangement.”
“I wouldn’t hurt you,” Izzy promised, leaning in to kiss Pete gently.
At the first soft moan from Pete, the pieces fell into place. It made sense, why none of his plans seemed to exactly fit what he wanted. Pete, until just now as he trembled under Izzy’s sure hands, had been an extra to his agreement with Lucius.
Here and now as Pete shivered in anticipation but kissed him with something that felt like trust, Izzy realized that Pete had moved to more than just an extra. Pete had become someone important to him, just like Lucius was, and he wanted to treat him with just as much kindness.
“How long have you had the plug in?” Izzy asked between kisses.
“Few minutes.”
“How does it feel?” Izzy spread Pete’s legs to kneel between them, “being stretched around something of your design?”
“I feel like I should have made it smaller,” Pete joked, “and I wish it was you.”
Izzy stroked Pete’s cock between kisses, only half-hard because of his nerves. Pete moaned weakly, squirming under the attention without fully relaxing into it.
Izzy reached between them to tease the base of the plug gently and found Pete far slicker than he had expected. Lucius had prepped him with more oil than Izzy would have used, but given his self-expressed inexperience, he assumed it was done with an abundance of caution.
Pete tensed when Izzy took hold of the base of the plug and started to pull, so much so that Izzy stopped.
“Take a breath,” Izzy said softly, “relax. I won’t hurt you, but you can’t fit my cock with the plug.”
“Sorry,” Pete whispered sheepishly, “I’m—”
“Nervous,” Izzy finished for him, “I know, love. I won’t hurt you.”
Pete took a deep breath, and as soon as he started to release it, Izzy pulled the plug from his body. There was a weak moan, and Pete covered his face with his arm.
“We don’t have to do this,” Izzy said softly, “we can do something else.”
“I want this. Just…” Pete trailed off and chuckled, “you know.”
Izzy reached for the oil on the table, adding even more and likely un-needed lubrication as he coated his cock.
“We’ll take it slowly,” Izzy carefully guided his cock into place, taking a moment to let Pete adjust to the feeling of pressure before he leaned in for a kiss and pushed.
Despite Pete’s nerves, Lucius’ preparation had his body easily welcoming the length of his cock without any discomfort. Pete gasped, panting against Izzy’s lips as Izzy held still and let Pete adjust.
“Fuck,” Pete whispered, “fuck.”
“Alright?”
Pete nodded, but Izzy wasn’t entirely convinced. Izzy reached for one of Pete’s hands, interlocking their fingers together as he waited.
“You can move.”
“No,” Izzy corrected, squeezing Pete’s fingers, “I can wait.”
And wait he did, until Pete was smiling up at him and his body felt lax and welcoming around him. His first thrust was barely there. A soft roll of his hips to get Pete used to the idea.
Pete, to both of their surprise, groaned desperately.
“Oh shit,” Pete chuckled, “that’s intense. Do it again?”
Izzy grinned, relieved at the break in tension, “gladly.”
It was slow, clumsy, and Izzy adored every minute. Pete’s cock slowly stiffened between them, and were it not for the fact that Izzy was concerned for his shoulder, he would have tried to balance his weight on one arm while he stroked Pete.
His shoulder was sore, though.
“Touch yourself,” Izzy growled, “my arm…”
“No,” Pete refused immediately, “I want to see if I can get there just like this.”
That was an enticing idea, so using his good arm he pulled Pete further into his lap so with each roll of his hips he brushed against the sensitive spot inside of him.
“There,” Pete begged at the first touch, “there, there, there.”
“Hush,” Izzy chuckled, “I know.”
It turned into a race, once that Izzy was desperate to lose. Pete braced his hand against the wall to stop Izzy from fucking him up the bed while giving him the leverage to let him push back. Izzy bit his cheek until he tasted the metallic bloom of blood, held his breath until he was lightheaded, and watched Pete with blatant adoration.
“Yes,” Pete met his eyes, a brilliant blue that showed his surprise, “close.”
“Good,” Izzy fucked him harder, “let's hear you.”
Pete tensed around him, his breath coming out in short gasps as he furrowed his brows. Izzy counted in his mind, and just as he realized he was going to spend if Pete did or not, Pete came with a shout.
Izzy wasn’t sure if it was the way Pete was clenching around him, the time it had taken to get there, or the fact that Pete reached for his face and cradled it in his hands like he was precious that had him following. Izzy moaned weakly, catching his weight on his good arm as he noticed for the first time that he was sweating.
They took a moment to catch their breath, and when Izzy pulled away he did it with an abundance of caution to avoid hurting Pete.
Pete, it turned out, was even more of a cuddler after sex. Izzy happily took him into his arms and smiled into the gentle but consistent kisses Pete showered all over his face.
“I take it you enjoyed yourself?”
“Thank you for caring about me, too,” Pete blurted out before he paled, “not that I’m assuming you care about me, or that I’m as important as Lucius, never mind.”
“I do care about you, too,” Izzy said confidently, “very much.”
“Oh, good,” Pete tried for his cocky smile but it didn’t quite land, “me too.”
“Go to sleep,” Izzy kissed his forehead, “we might have time to do that again in the morning.”
“You’re the best, Iz.”
***
“Good morning,” Lucius sang as he opened the bedroom door that morning, “and how are my men? Oh.”
Izzy chuckled, mid-dressing as Pete tried to catch his breath on the bed, “well. How are you?”
“You broke him,” Lucius laughed, “what did you do?”
“Tried my hand at sketching,” Izzy kissed Lucius in greeting, “seems I might be a bit of an artist.”
“I love you, babe,” Lucius leaned his weight against Izzy’s side and took in the scene, “I’m so glad you joined us.”
“Me too.”