“Hurt me.”
The words are out of Ed’s mouth before he’s really thought them through. Stede blinks at him, eyes wide and confused. He stills his hands, which had been rubbing gentle circles along Ed’s shoulders while they kissed. They’re both naked, Stede sitting up against the pillows on the bed and Ed straddling him.
“Sorry?” Stede asks, and Ed wants to kick himself.
“Nothing.” He tries to take it back, but it’s too late.
“You want me to—to hurt you?” Stede says, a flicker of concern passing over his features. “How?”
“Dunno,” Ed replies, looking away from Stede’s brilliant, beautiful face. “However you want, I s’pose. I just—” He swallows the words, embarrassment creeping up his chest like a blush.
“You just what, darling?” Stede says, and the endearment melts Ed’s heart a little, like it does every time, like Stede does to him every time. “It’s all right. You can tell me anything.”
And Ed tries to be brave, tries to believe him. He takes a deep breath before he says, “sex with you—it’s fucking fantastic, don’t get me wrong. But sometimes—sometimes I want pain. Want you to bite me, or hit me, or—I don’t know.” He takes another steadying breath. “Be rough with me, I s’pose.”
“Oh, Ed,” Stede breathes, running his fingers ever-so-gently through Ed’s hair, the very opposite of what he’s just asked for, and yet he can’t help but lean into the touch. “I never knew. You can always ask, you know, for anything. But I’m afraid—” Stede bites his lower lip, worrying at it for a moment. “I’m afraid I won’t be any good at hurting you, darling.”
“It’s all right,” Ed murmurs, starting to bury his face in Stede’s neck, to hide his shame. “Forget I said anything.”
“No!” Stede exclaims, and he tilts Ed’s head up to look into his eyes. “For you I’d—I’d like to try. Just—promise you won’t be too disappointed? If I’m no good?”
Stede had worried like this when they’d first gotten together, too, that in his inexperience he’d fail to impress Ed, would somehow disappoint him. But Stede could never disappoint him.
“‘Course not,” Ed murmurs. “You’re always good to me, Stede.”
“All right, then,” Stede says, and then he bites down on Ed’s collarbone, hard enough that Ed curses. “Sorry,” Stede says immediately, “sorry!”
“No, that was good,” Ed breathes. “Really fucking good, in fact. Do it again?”
Stede grins before dipping his head back down to bite Ed’s shoulder. Ed groans, the feeling of Stede’s teeth against his skin sending blood rushing to his cock.
“That’s it, baby,” Ed whispers as Stede continues to scrape his teeth along Ed’s shoulders, his collarbones, his neck, biting down on the places where he knows Ed’s most sensitive. Ed thinks he could come just from this, just from Stede’s teeth working his soft, bare flesh, and then Stede places his fingernails lightly over Ed’s ribs and rakes .
“Fuuuuuck,” Ed says, and then, “Again. Please.” And Stede obliges him, scraping his nails over Ed’s ribs, his stomach, his back. It hurts, and the sting feels so, so good, delicious, almost, like marmalade on toast. Ed’s been hurt plenty before, in combat and in bed, but there’s something about Stede, his Stede, sending the bright sparks of pain through him that feels like nothing he’s experienced before. It’s exquisite. It’s divine.
One scrape of Stede’s fingernails dips low, scratching Ed’s ass, and Ed moans.
“Like that?” Stede asks, and without waiting for an answer, with wickedness in his eyes, he pinches Ed’s ass. Ed moans again, louder this time.
“Spank me,” he says, breathless and desperate and wanting. “Please, Stede—fuck—”
“Yes,” Stede replies. “Anything you want, so long as you keep making those beautiful noises.” He smacks Ed’s ass once, lightly, and Ed squirms just a bit.
“Harder?” he asks, hopeful, and Stede has that expression he gets when he’s thinking.
“A different position, I think, darling. On your hands and knees?”
Ed practically topples over getting himself into position.
“Easy, there, love,” Stede says with a half-laugh, and Ed grunts.
“Want you—please, Stede, hit me.”
“Your wish is my command.” And Stede brings his hand down, harder this time, hard enough that Ed’s breath catches in his throat. “That good, sweetheart?”
“So good,” Ed moans, and Stede brings his hand down again, sharp and sweet and burning.
They find a rhythm, then, Stede hitting and Ed moaning, loud enough that the entire ship can hear him, probably, but Ed can’t bring himself to care. Let them hear him. Let them know that he is Stede’s, that Stede can make him feel this way with just teeth and nails and palms. Let them know that the dread pirate Blackbeard can be absolutely ruined by the impossible, wonderful Stede Bonnet.
Stede stops his ministrations, and Ed almost complains, until the bastard places a hand on each of his cheeks and squeezes, sending a throbbing ache through him. Stede leans down to whisper in Ed’s ear.
“I’m going to fuck your ass now,” he says, and Ed shudders. Where had the gentleman pirate learned to talk like that? From Ed, he supposes, his thoughts scattered as he hears Stede fetching a bottle of oil. And fuck if it isn’t hot when Ed’s filthy language comes out of Stede’s perfect, beautiful mouth.
Ed loves Stede’s fingers in his ass. Before, with the others, this was always perfunctory, something to get through before the real fun began. But Stede takes his time opening Ed up, moving his fingers with gentle precision, curling them around that spot that makes Ed see stars. It feels so good that Ed almost regrets it when Stede slides his fingers out, only holding back a whine of complaint by remembering what’s coming next.
Stede lines himself up but doesn’t enter. “Darling?” he asks, and Ed wants to scream.
“Stede, if you don’t get in me in the next five seconds, I’ll—”
“Do you want me to keep spanking you? While I fuck you?”
And fuck if that isn’t the hottest fucking thing Ed’s ever heard. Stede’s voice, so gentle and proper, with only a hint of rawness at the edges betraying his own arousal, asking Ed if he wants to fulfill one of his favorite filthy little fantasies.
“Fuck yeah,” he says, but Stede still doesn’t move.
“Beg for it, then.”
Ed’s mouth runs dry.
“Please, Stede,” he says, half out of his mind with wanting. “Please fuck me. Please spank me. Please, I’ve wanted you to for so long—”
“Oh?” Stede asks, intrigued. “A fantasy of yours, darling?”
“Yeah,” Ed grunts. “Please, baby, I need you.”
“Yes, of course,” Stede says and he finally, finally slides his cock into Ed’s ass, entirely too slowly, but he makes it up to him with a firm smack on his ass once he’s buried to the hilt.
“Oh, Ed,” Stede murmurs as he starts up a rhythm of fucking and spanking, fucking and spanking. “You’re so beautiful like this, so open and willing for me. I love making you feel good, love, you deserve it. You’re so good to me.”
Ed wants to quip, wants to brush the praise aside with something clever, but fuck, he’s close and he can’t think of anything smart to say so instead he says “I love you.”
“I love you, too, darling,” Stede says, and he wraps a hand around Ed’s aching cock. It can’t be more than a minute of those rough, punishing strokes before Ed tips over the edge, a shout falling from his lips as he comes into Stede’s hand, dirtying the sheets beneath him with his release.
“Oh, Ed,” Stede murmurs into his ear. “Oh, baby, you’re so good.”
“Come in me,” Ed whispers, and Stede does, thrusting deep into Ed as he takes his pleasure. Ed pictures it, his gentleman pirate, so fancy out in the world and so filthy in their bed, using Ed’s asshole to get himself off. Ed moans again as Stede pulls out and immediately scurries off to find a clean, damp cloth.
He lets himself be cleaned up, Stede murmuring comforting nonsense to him as he works. Ed’s eyelids flutter shut, content to bask in the glow of Stede’s attentions.
“You really were so good, sweetheart,” Stede says as he lies down next to Ed on the bed, pulling him into his arms and pillowing Ed’s head against his shoulder.
“Me? You’re the one who marked me with your mouth and spanked me silly, just because I asked you to. You were incredible, love.”
Stede presses a kiss to the top of Ed’s head, running his fingers gently through his hair. “You know,” Stede says, and Ed can hear the hint of a sly grin in his voice, “I could do things like that more often. If you like.”
“I like,” Ed assures him, and he pulls Stede into a warm, gentle kiss.