Chapter Text
“Please, please, I just need- “
The burn from the belt rippled through his backside once more. He could tell from the second it hit his bare skin, it’d be bound to bruise and welt for weeks after. In the moment though, his brain could hardly even process it. Nothing did, aside from the intense gnawing sensation coming from the inside. Another choked sob slipped from his lips, “I-I’m sorry father, please. I-I need it though, I feel so-”
“What?” His father barked, tightening his grip on one end of his thick leather belt. “Empty? Like you need a baby in you?”
Stede closed his eyes and lowered his head, because they both knew the answer. It was tumbling out from his desperate lips like a stream that couldn’t be stopped. He wasn’t even sure what he was saying at this point, he just knew it was bad enough to warrant another harsh lash. He crumbled to the ground.
“You sound like a fucking street whore. Is that what you want? To be tossed around, bred up and cast aside like one of the low life criminals we see on the streets?”
“I-I want to feel full. It hurts so bad, please. S-so horny, need to be bred~ fuck. Just cut it out of me already!” Stede pleaded, already tightening up his body in preparation for the lash he was bound to receive. He waited several seconds, sweaty and naked on the floor of his bedroom, before he finally heard his father’s low grunt.
“’Cutting it out’ is for men too weak to control themselves. I will not raise a weak, pathetic, omega like that.”
»»————-————-««
“Thanks again, Cap.”
“Hm? What was that?”
“I said thanks,” Frenchie repeated, “For stopping the ship so we could get my tubes tied. I was really getting sick and tired of all that hormonal- stuff.”
Stede coughed, readjusting his jacket. “Yes, of course Frenchie. You know I support my crew, especially when it comes to biological matters none of us can control.”
Frenchie gave a pleased smile, before taking his slow, clearly painful turn climbing up the ladder onto the boat. It’d been about four days since they docked on the island of Aruba in hopes of finding a doctor with experience in tying tubes. Though Frenchie wasn’t the only omega aboard by any means, he was just about the only one left still capable of having heats. The rest had either got their parts snipped before signing up to become one of the crew, or lost that ability at some point during one of their many expeditions. When the request was made Stede had expected it to be a subtle, rather secretive matter. Much to his surprise though, the whole crew seemed aware and on board with the man’s willing move to end just about any chance he had of ever having a kid. No children, no heats, far tamer hormones over all, it almost seemed like a mythical affair.
It wasn’t, of course. It was a medical procedure very common among the lower class. That didn’t make Stede’s chest tighten any less upon hearing the doctor describe the process to him and Frenchie the night before the procedure.
The operation was, thankfully, an overwhelming success. One that would leave temporary pain for the next several days, and left Frenchie very happy, which was all a good captain could ask for.
After four days of constant omega talk, however, Stede was thoroughly ready for a quiet night to himself. One he quickly realized he wasn’t going to receive, when the ship broke into boisterous cheering the moment Frenchie’s foot landed on deck. Stede’s head popped up seconds later, where several crates of rum and wine soon met his gaze. His expression stiffened, “What’s all this?”
“A going away party!” Lucius grinned, slapping a hand on the very confused, but nonetheless delighted Frenchie. “For Frenchie’s uterus! Celebrate finally tying the knot, hm?”
Stede slowly tossed his foot over the proper side of the railing. Another particularly loud cheer almost left him fumbling over the edge, if it weren’t for the firm grip that wrapped around his wrist. His cheeks flushed ever so slightly, eyes flicking up to his Co-Captain. “Oh- thanks, er- a ‘going away party’?”
Edward was just about the only Alpha Stede had ever met who both fit the ideal image of masculinity to a tee, and yet seemed to go against every stereotype associated with his gender. Logical, witty, a staggeringly good listener. It didn’t exactly make sense, especially when faced with the rough leather wearing demeanor often associated with “Blackbeard”. And yet, it was something about this seemingly constant state of oxymoron that led Stede to subtly drift closer every time the man was in his vicinity. Ed nodded, “Yup, apparently, it’s a big thing among omegas? I don’t know anything about it other than there’s a lot of booze involved. So, I looted a nearby ship of all its liquor while it was mostly vacant. Speaking of which, now that everyone’s on board we should probably set sail-”
Stede raised a hand to his head. Fuck, of course. He should have expected Lucius and Wee John to do something like this. It was foolish of him to assume a simple procedure would be the end of all this. Not that there was anything wrong with talking about it, of course. His heart beat quickened slightly, eyes darting between Frenchie and the other excited members of the crew.
Maybe, if he made an excuse, he wouldn’t have to be involved at all. He could simply slip back into his quarter’s while the night was young, and re-read one of his favorite books to pass the time before-
“Er, Stede? You okay?”
Stede flinched, eyes flicking back to the far more suspicious Alpha standing beside him. His entire body stiffened as a result. If it were anyone else on the ship, he likely would have just brushed off the question and walked away. With Ed though, it was much more difficult. The man had a certain air around him that made it impossible to think straight, no matter the situation. This only worsened when just a few seconds ago he was casually smirking, only to now be staring into him with an attentive eye. Stede straightened his posture with a gulp. “Yes! Yes, of course. Sounds like a bloody good time. Let’s prepare the ship then, hm?”
It was clear Ed had more to say, but before he could Stede was already gathering the attention of their crew. They needed to be setting sail, not sitting around chatting. He could be unreasonably anxious later when the time fit. For now, he just needed to clear his head, and avoid looking into the eyes of the Alpha currently staring into the back of his head.
»»————-————-««
He tried to think nothing of it. Stede was a strange man as it was, there were likely a million different reasons to why his scent decided to peak the moment the “going away party” was announced. None of which warranted his hyper attention for the rest of the evening. And yet, despite this logic, Ed couldn’t bring his senses away. The scent was like an uncomfortable funk that no one else on the ship seemed to pick up on. Through preparing the ship, settling Frenchie in, dinner- it all reeked of the same polite anxiety he’d grown to associate with Stede throughout his time as Co-Captain of the Revenge. Usually, the scent wasn’t that much of a bother. Tonight, however, something was off. Something he couldn’t pinpoint.
And if there was one thing Ed hated the most, it would have to be not knowing the answer.
So, when the time for the party came and Stede appeared keen on heading off towards his quarters, Ed was quick to yank him aside. The blonde’s eyes widened, “Hey! What’s your problem here?”
“Nothing, why are you trying to leave?”
“What? I just- wish to catch up on some reading, that’s all. It’s been a rather eventful few days.”
Ed scoffed. Stede had many give aways when he was telling a lie. Needle point irises, sweaty palms, a sudden stiffening in the joints. It was almost, or rather undeniably, one of the cutest things about the man. Ed straightened his posture, subtly allowing his height to tower above the fellow captain. A sly smirk pricked his lips, “Bullshit. You love this kind of team-building shit. Especially when it’s related to you. So what’s the deal? Did something happen with Frenchie while you two were gone?”
Stede blushed, “What? Of course not! A-and I hardly see how this has to relate to me. I’m not the one with my tubes tied.”
Ed rolled his eyes, “You’re an omega, that’s what I mean. It’s all going to be stuff you relate to. So again, what’s the dealio? Do I need to fuck someone’s shit up? You know I’m not afraid to-”
Stede turned and shoved himself out of the way before he even had the chance to finish his generalized threat. It was a move that left Ed motionless for a few solid seconds, before his body finally made the decision to follow the man back out towards the party. One that was still getting started, if the mostly full bottles of rum ment anything.
“Fine, fine, I’ll stay out here if you’re so determined. I don’t have much to provide, however. My stories are likely far more uninteresting in comparison to the rest of the crew’s.” Stede huffed, snatching himself up a bottle of whine from one of the crates. Though, he was probably supposed to be annoyed with the childish behavior, Ed couldn’t bring himself to feel anything more than satisfaction with his efforts. Stede was with him, one step closer towards discovering what that scent was.
The crew had pretty much divided itself into two rings, with the omegas consisting of Lucius, Oluwande, Wee John, Frenchie, and Stede along the inside, and everyone else on the outer ring. Just about the only person not present was Izzy, though Edward doubted anyone would miss the beta’s presence in the group. For everyone on the inside, most of the fun seemed to come from drinking heavily and telling the dumbest stories he’d ever heard. For everyone else, it was drinking heavily and listening with shocked expressions. As if none of the Alpha’s had ever heard of periods before.
Though for the most part the conversations were pretty entertaining, Ed’s attention rarely shifted away from the man he chose to sit directly behind. For the first half hour or so it was easy to wonder if there’d even been a point to bringing his Co-Captain out into the circle. Aside from occasional nods and weak chuckles, Stede seemed perfectly content simply drinking the evening away in mostly silence. Once again, to the average eye they probably would have shrugged the behavior off just as him being polite. Ed knew better though; he knew that anxiety ridden smell anywhere.
It was this smell that made the seemingly out-of-nowhere comment almost an hour into the party all the more jarring. The conversation had recently drifted towards heats from what he could tell, specifically first heats, whenever Stede spoke up. “So, it’s not uncommon to enlist in an Alpha’s help through a heat? When you’re both unmated?”
“Uh, yeah. I mean, I don’t know how you don’t. That’s the whole point of heats, finding a knot, eh?” Lucius answered with a confused smile. “What, do the snobby upper-class not find heat mates? My parents found one for me every few months, usually the same little neighbor boy my age. Nice kid, though the knot was rather unimpressive.”
Stede’s mouth hung slightly ajar, “That’s- really? But heats begin so young, you couldn’t have seriously have been having sex at that age.”
“I popped out three pups before I was eighteen.” Wee John spoke up, as if it was the most casual thing in the world. “I also knew another omega down the street, ended up with triplets on her first ever heat. I mean, when a heat is bad enough, and an Alpha’s in rut, what are you going to do?”
“Use toys.” Stede answered, more confidentially than Ed expected to hear with that sort of suggestion. “Or just tough it out, I’m not sure. I guess there’s nothing wrong with any of that. It just- it sounds so different from how I was taught.”
All of the crew alike peaked with interest at the tease. Ed was fairly sure Stede wasn’t even trying to tease, he seemed quite buzzed and more self-reflectant than anything. But soon the whole boat was silent, and the flush on the blonde’s cheeks deepened. “What? Did I speak incorrectly?”
Before anyone could answer, Oluwande was already on it. “How were you taught?”
Stede stiffened, and Ed’s hand subconsciously moved closer. The other stuttered, “I-I’m not sure that’s appropriate.”
“Oh come oonnn,” Lucius whined, “I admitted to waiting outside an Alpha’s house in all leather. I think it’s only fair to hear what the Gentleman Pirate did to deal with his heats as a child.”
“It’s not even that interesting.” Stede attempted to brush away, “In the upper-crust society, heats aren’t even really a thing. Or supposed to be a thing anyhow. Though, on a rather funny note, I once met a man-”
“Aren’t supposed to be a thing? What does that supposed to mean? Heats are biological. Unless you get your tubes tied at age 13, I don’t see how you’re getting out of them.” Lucius snickered.
Stede shook his head, “No, nothing like that. Surgeries aren’t really seen as ‘dignified’. Sharing heats, or even really making people aware of one is generally seen as lower class. For a woman omega, it’s customary to wait until marriage before allowing yourself to participate in a ‘tainted activity like that’.”
“And for male omegas?”
“Well-, its, well, what society expects is, however…” Stede’s words formed and crumbled up in an incoherent stream of grunts and hums. He’d seen the smaller man get flustered dozens of times, it wasn’t particularly hard, but this felt different. The smell that accompanied it wasn’t anxious by any means. The pure discomfort that had once reeked from the gentleman pirate had grown softer, sadder. Like rain, Ed found himself thinking. It smelt like the salty smell of rain that always came while at sea. And though no one else seemed to recognize the scent, Ed’s whole body stiffened as a result.
Before Ed knew what he was doing, he was already standing up. “Hey, I think I’m going to hit the sack for the night. Stede, why don’t you head back too? I’ve got some- captain-y shit to talk about.”
The crew booed in dismay, but Ed was already grabbing the man by the wrist to help yank him up. The move nearly left Stede stumbling in surprise, and likely intoxication, but he hardly cared. His attention was dead set on leading the smaller man out of public eye. Through the entire walk, Ed never stopped gripping his wrist either. It was as if the mere thought of losing physical contact on the man was disastrous.
Stede sputtered a few weak somethings. He wasn’t entirely sure what the man was saying. He waited until they were alone in the captain’s quarter’s to finally begin using his ears. “-I am truly sorry.”
Ed couldn’t help but roll his eyes, “It’s nothing mate, you looked like you were ready to jump, and smelt like shit. ‘Felt like it was the best move.”
Stede groaned, burying his face in his hands. The movement forced his grip away, but the contact was soon replaced with a subtle push against his chest. “Fuck, I smell bad too? I bathed while off port. Damn it, sounds like I need to run a bath tonight.”
“What? No- not that kind of smell like shit. I meant your…” He pointed to his scent gland, to which Stede groaned louder. “Well, that’s perfect. I ran out of my travel perfume while off port, so I didn’t get to apply any today.”
“That explains it.” Ed hummed, subtly leading them over towards the couch, or ‘settee’ as Stede put it. The blonde continued, “I’m truly sorry for the inconvenience. I don’t know what’s come over me as of late.”
“Hey, don’t worry about it.” Ed waved off, “We’ve all got weird shit we don’t like in our closet.”
Stede didn’t respond after that, but he could tell the man was thinking. His eyes got that adorable little twinkle they always got when the gears were turning far too fast for his brain to manage. While this was happening, Ed settled them down into a comfortable position on the plush sofa. He made subtle adjustments until he could easily wrap his arm around the smaller man’s shoulders. Stede’s face turned a deep shade of pink, body stiffening. “O-oh.”
“Oh, what?” Ed hummed, “Would you like me to move?”
Stede paused, before shaking his head. Ed smirked, “Good, because I didn’t want to. Now, wanna talk about what’s got your stomach in knots, or do you want to pretend it never happened?”
The silence continued for a few seconds more, before Stede finally relented. His head came crumbling down onto his shoulder in a move that made his protective Alpha instincts flare up. Ed’s grip tightened, while Stede softened. “What is it like having a rut?”
The question was a little surprising, to say the least. Unlike with heats, ruts lasted far longer into an Alpha’s life span. Though they became more infrequent the older the Alpha got, it wasn’t uncommon to still go into ruts deep into your fifties. Even with that though, at his age pretty much all ruts were triggered by something, no longer random and spontaneous like they were in his younger years. Ed hummed, “Well, I’ve never had a heat, but I assume it’s a lot similar. Very horny, very sweaty. If you’re paired up with someone it’s basically impossible to think of anything other than sex, though if you start off alone it’s a little easier to manage. Why?”
Stede fidgeted with the edge of his coat, and it took all his concentration not to reach down and straighten it for him. “Do you- erm, and how many people have you shared your rut with then? If that’s not too personal to ask.”
Ed’s back stiffened. That was quite the question. A question that had no right being as hard to answer as it was. His mind flipped between all the different people he’d fucked over the years, before finally settling upon- “A lot. When I was young it was a lot of omegas, though the older I get the more I’ve been fucking around with other Alphas. Or was, anyway. It’s been a long time since I’ve even done that. Probably at least a hundred rut mates in total though.”
This seemed to take Stede back, if the sudden turn to face him ment anything. “What, really? Not that that’s bad, of course, I just mean, I didn’t picture you as the type to-”
“What? Let another Alpha fuck me up the ass?” He huffed.
Stede shook his head, “What? No! That’s not what I mean. Your interests are your business. I just mean, you’ve shared your rut with that many people?”
Ed shrugged, “Yeah, I guess so. But I mean, what else was I supposed to do? When I was a teen, not finding a rut mate was seen as weak. Like you were failing as an Alpha if you didn’t find an omega to knot. This continued into being a shit deck sailor. Once I became the captain of my own ship though, I sort of just- stopped caring. It was more fun being with Alphas anyway, something different.”
Stede nodded, “Ah, I see. That makes sense.”
To the untrained nose, the change in scent would have been undetectable. It was beyond subtle, even to him. But the disappointment radiating was undeniable, and suddenly Ed couldn’t help but pull him in closer. “You know, that’s a good reason why I’ve been sticking around here, right?”
Stede’s eyes lit up, head snapping back to face him. “What?”
“It’s different here. Not just in a weird way, the entire way you run your ship is different from any other Captain I’ve met. And when I’m with you, it’s like, well…”
“Like what?” Their lips moved closer together, to where he could almost smell the rum on his breath. His heart stuttered in his chest, “Like I don’t have to act like anything. Not a big rough Alpha, or hard power bottom, or just- anything that isn’t Ed.”
Neither of them moved for seconds after that. The only sound came from the ocean winds outside their room, and the faint laughter breaking through the deck floor. There was really no need for words though, not when Stede’s scent said so clearly said everything he wanted to hear. Not when his co-captain’s eyes held a borderline twinkle, in a way he never thought he’d see in another person’s eyes. Specially, a twinkle directed towards him.
He was so close to making the move. It would be so easy to capture Stede by the lips and take him there, but before he could a knock broke through the door. Because of course, there always had to be a knock at the fucking door.
“Uh, Captains? Buttons sort of fell over the side of the ship. We thought you’d like to know that.”
Ed just about rolled his eyes into the back of his skull. How he managed to be unnecessary to the function of the ship, and yet always needed, he’d never know. He didn’t need to feel Stede pull away to know the man was going to try and help despite it all. Just as the blonde opened his mouth to let them know he was coming, Ed pulled him back into the seat. “Hey, why don’t you just hang out here for the rest of the night? I can handle the idiots out there.”
Stede’s lips formed a frown, “Oh, that isn’t necessary. I can help.”
“You could,” Ed agreed, “Or you can sit back and relax for the rest of the night. Here, you can even barrow my jacket for the night. That way you don’t have to deal with, like, a billion blankets.”
The reasoning was bullshit. Stede had no issue with drowning himself in his heavy blankets. It was the only explanation he could give though to explain the sudden inclination to hand over his clothing. The leather jacket reeked of him, and though he knew the coat wasn’t really Stede’s style, the thought the smaller man might wear it for even a second was enough to leave him tossing the coat on the seat.
Stede sighed, “Oh Ed, that isn’t necessary.”
“Oh, I know. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a button to get back on board. Goodnight Stede.”
The last thing Ed saw before he left the safety of Stede’s quarters, was a weak smile upon the man’s lips. He took the jacket into his arms with a soft sigh.
“Thanks, Ed.”
»»————-————-««
Stede fell asleep shortly after that.
After a long few days, and an…interesting conversation to say the least, exhaustion had truly hit him. Everything in his joints screamed to rest up, and prepare for the conversation they were bound to have the next day.
He ended up sleeping in. On most days his internal clock, as well as his crew, easily got him up by nine in the morning. Today, however, it wouldn’t be until after twelve that he finally bothered to look up at the clock. His eyes narrowed, sleep addled brain struggling to make out the tiny numbers. Once they finally clicked, Stede sat straight up.
“Bloody hell…”
Body drenched with sweat, Stede stood up and attempted to head towards his private bathing room. He wasn’t quite sure why he was so sweaty; he didn’t recall the dream from the night being all that terrible. That being said, he really didn’t remember any of the details. All he knew was whatever it’d been left him completely drenched now.
He’d just about finished undressing for a quick rinse off in the tub, whenever the conversation with Ed the night before came back to mind. Even with the generous amount of alcohol in his system, he remembered it clearly. The warm arm wrapped around his shoulder, the protective scent that coated him, the sincere look in his eyes as he handed over the jacket—
The jacket! He’d almost forgotten about that. Without a single thought, Stede rushed back into the bedroom in hopes of finding it. If Ed came to ask for it back, he’d hate to have to search. It took a couple moments, but the blonde soon found it amongst the knotted-up blankets and sheets on his bed. Rather strange, he didn’t remember sleeping with it all night.
Pushing aside the bath he needed to run, Stede began to untangle the mess that was his blankets. The sight was quite violent, especially for normally being such a gentle sleeper. Thoughts involving the strange predicament soon vanished the moment he finally got the leather coat worked out of the tangle. Despite spending the whole night with it, the article still reeked of that natural smell he’d grown to adore. It was somewhere between the scent of Carmel, and bourbon. A sweet, but tangy combination that left him burying his nose into one of the sleeves. His shoulders relaxed, joints loosening.
For an Alpha who admitted to enjoying the other, softer sides of himself, he sure did pull off the stereotypical masculine persona well. Every time the man stepped into the room in the whole leather ensemble, it was difficult to keep his thoughts straight. It was as if every inner voice he had was commanding him to listen to whatever the larger man had to say. He was the Alpha, after all. Big, charming, funny, well built- the perfect Alpha, if he thought about it. There wasn’t a single other person he could think of that would come close to rivaling Edward Teach.
Stede hadn’t even realized he’d chose to sit down until his back hit the soft sheets. He wasn’t sure why he did, he was still naked for the bath, but there was something so comforting about the way the fabric touched his vulnerable skin. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laid down naked, let alone holding an Alpha’s possession. It seemed so right though. It was as if there was no better place to be than in bed cuddled up against that tangy, addicting scent.
He closed his eyes, and allowed the scent to wash over him. It consumed his mind like a murky fog he wasn’t sure he wanted to pull out of. If anything, the only way it could get better than this would be if Ed was there with him. In bed, perhaps in the same position as he was. Or, better yet, just be inside him. It made more sense anyway.
“Ahh…Ahhh~”
It would feel nicer too. Far nicer than the uncomfortable emptiness stewing in his lower half. It’d been well over decade since he last used any toys. Maybe it was time to open up that little drawer of his?
“Mmhm… Ed…”
Yes, Ed. Ed would be better than any toy. He didn’t need to look to know Blackbeard would take care of him far better than any toy ever could. He’d pin him down, and fill him in ways a proper omega should be. Pump him again and again, stuff him full until his belly was round with his pups, and the only word he’d be able to say would be-
“Alpha~!”
…
“Wait…no...”
“No…”
“Fuck.”