Artist/Author: rosesofred 

Title: Gay Pirate Dads I Guess

Fandom: Our Flag Means Death

Summary: This is basically right after the last episode and Stede came back to reunite with his gay pirate boyfriend. Also Lucius is alive, Stede found him chilling in the ocean and Blackbeard said sorry for the whole murder thing. Ed is trying to be a better captain without the violence and that's really hard to do when you have a feral racoon of a first mate like Izzy Just Needs A Hug Hands, all one name.
Notes & Warnings: spanking

It didn’t take long for Izzy to mess up again. Short outbursts here and there were tolerated, usually accompanied by either a warning glance or a light tap on the backside as a reminder. But even after their first incident the first mate couldn’t quite wrap his head around the idea of these new actions and consequences and what it all meant for their dynamic as a crew. Nobody else seemed to be earning any of the same punishments so it made Izzy wonder if it was just him or if he were the only one bad enough to be earning these. 

The crew did have a tendency to just go with whatever wild kind of plan Stede came up with and having Blackbeard by his side made the idea of mutiny slim to none. He was seen as a proper lunatic now and that gave some kind of credence for respect amongst pirates. Even Izzy respected him a bit more, his methods of discipline were downright cruel and unusual; exactly what you’d want from a successful pirate captain.

Still, treating the new captain with the same amount of respect he’d have for Blackbeard had proved an enormous task. He’d already been threatened once with a few wallops from Ed when he’d caught Izzy mouthing off to Stede. Not enough to earn himself a real spanking but the surprise of being bent over and tucked against his captain’s side while he got smacked a few times had been plenty enough to keep him in line for a good while. 

Now here he stood, stupid enough to earn himself another trip across his captain’s knee for being disrespectful. He’d insulted Stede’s intelligence too many times to count while the captain talked about his plan and this was the final straw. The past few days had been downright terrible as Blackbeard had left for a one week mission to do god-knows-what that apparently wasn’t important enough to let his first mate in on. He’d left Bonnet in charge, warning Izzy before he left that if he got into trouble with his co-captain, he could expect the same punishment from Ed when he returned. Apparently the threat didn’t work so well as the first mate stared at the tall blonde man blocking his path, draped in his long yellow robe with his hands on his hips.

“I gave you an order my dear boy.” His stupid high pitched voice sounded deceivingly weak to an inexperienced ear who hadn’t witnessed Bonnet’s wrath. But Izzy knew, he recognized the order as one of mercy, giving him a chance to obey before he made it worse. He couldn’t seem to move himself, even in the face of his angry captain, he couldn’t do it. He didn’t want to go stand in a corner or lie over the man’s knee, he didn’t want to do any of that. It was a simple mistake, why couldn’t the captain see it had slipped out without meaning? “You’re not leaving me any choice.” Bonnet began moving towards him and it was enough to jerk Izzy back into himself, stepping backwards defensively.

“No.”

“No?” Stede stopped and stared at him. “Well I’m afraid this isn’t up for debate Izzy. You’ve earned yourself a walloping and a walloping you shall receive. Now we can do this the easy way, or-” the captain couldn’t finish his sentence before his first mate was dashing past him for the door, dodging an attack that didn’t arrive. Stede didn’t need to grab him or even give chase really, they were on a ship in the middle of the sea. Clearly Izzy was far too riled up to realize that there wasn’t any escape except to dive into the ocean. At that thought the captain turned on his heel, walking quickly up to the deck to make sure. Sometimes that man could be wildly unpredictable in the worst ways and if he jumped overboard they’d have to stop and fish out the feral wet thing.

Standing amongst the confused crew, Izzy frantically looked every which way for some kind of escape, stopping to stare at the calm water as a possibility. Stede raised his pointer finger at him in warning with raised eyebrows, hopefully making the man reconsider. Deciding it wasn’t worth it, Izzy turned tail and ran, pushing past some of his crewmates to hide down below deck until the event blew over. If he could wait this out in the rec center or ball room it would give his captain a chance to calm down and reconsider his (clearly) rash decision to punish the first mate.

The short pirate pushed the first door he could find open, recoiling at the ferocious screech of Spanish directed at him from the surprised and half-dressed Jim. Slamming the door closed, Izzy sprinted down the narrow hall and turned into the rec center, stopping in the middle. He couldn’t find anything besides large barrels that might be able to conceal him from the predator on his tail. It wasn’t fair, he hadn’t even done anything wrong besides rightly point out his captain’s idiotic thought process. It wasn’t his fault if the blonde dog couldn’t form a logical plan.

“You’ve got nowhere else to run now so how about we-” Stede cut himself off when Izzy whipped around with his knife out, holding his hands up placatingly. “Alright, there’s no need for that. Let’s just take a deep breath and think this through.” He began walking towards the scared man but Izzy held himself up taller, taking a step back.

“You stay where you are! I don’t deserve a-” suddenly the first mate felt a slight flush in his complexion and he looked away anxiously.

“A spanking?” Stede offered, eyes sympathetic. “Well I’m afraid you do, so let’s just hand that over here.” He held his hand out expectantly, waiting for the man to give in. The pompous captain waited there as if he weren’t afraid of being stabbed again, not worried in the slightest about his first mate’s threat. When Izzy still didn’t move and his eyes darkened angrily, Stede sighed and decided to try a different approach. “Alright, take a moment to mull it over. What do you think Blackbeard will do if he finds out you stabbed me? Again .”

This gave the first mate pause and he hesitated, unsure if he should give in. Ed would be more than furious with him if he even learned about him threatening his boyfriend. But actually stabbing him again? He might not live through the captain’s rage if he did that. Slowly Izzy lowered his knife, leaning back in a defensive stance. When the knife was low enough that it wouldn’t run him through, Stede lunged forward and grabbed the shorter man by the wrist, twisting it until he couldn’t help but to drop the blade. The sound of it clattering to the floor below was almost immediately drowned out by loud quick slaps, muffled only slightly by a barrier of fabric.

Izzy hollered in surprise, grabbing desperately for any purchase he could find in the awkward position. He was bent over at the waist, held tightly to his captain’s side as the man’s unrelenting hand came down over and over across his backside. It felt unbearably intense as he tried to catch his breath, his feet barely touching the wooden floor below him for support. For a moment he felt like a cornered animal, overwhelmed with the need to escape more than anything else. He thrashed and kicked, twisting his body so violently that Stede had to stop and hold on tight. Then a sickening crunch hit the captain’s ears and a moment later he himself was screaming in pain. Izzy fell to the floor with a heavy thud, the breath leaving his lungs too quickly as he wheezed. 

“You BIT me! Ow!” Stede shook out his hand, making a face at the deep grooved teeth marks now visible in the skin. Stretching his fingers out he examined the bite gingerly, happy to see that it wasn’t quite as deep as it felt. He’d still broken skin but it most likely wouldn’t leave a scar, thank the heavens. Then he looked over at Izzy, seeing the man staring at him with wide scared eyes from the floor. “You young man,” he strode over angrily, “are in heaps of trouble.” He grabbed Izzy by the bicep with his good hand, lifting him to stand on his feet as he’d already started moving.

“Wait, wait, captain.” The first mate tried to stand up fully but the taller man was going so fast with a death grip around his arm that he couldn’t quite catch up. He stumbled next to him, his captain holding his bicep up so high that he almost had to walk on the tips of his toes to keep up. As they made their way back through the ship Jim gave Izzy a knowing smile, far too happy to see the man taken down a peg.  “Bonnet please, be reasonable!” He tried to resist, to pull back and stop him from leading them both out above deck but Stede was relentless.

They walked swiftly up the stairs and up to the deck where half the crew gawked at him, a mixture of delighted and shocked by the sight before them. Izzy could only lower his eyes in shame so he wouldn’t have to see them all, wishing he could disappear as their eyes bore into him. Then they were back in the captain’s quarters and the short pirate breathed a sigh of relief when Stede shut the door and released him. “That was quite a tantrum.” Bonnet scolded him as he walked briskly to his desk. “You’ve got to the count of three to get your nose in a corner.” He spoke without looking at the man, digging through his desk in search of something. “One.”

Izzy stood there staring at his captain until the man looked up at him and he realized what he’d threatened. Frantically the first mate scanned the room, running over to the corner closest to the door to save himself just as he heard bonnet reach two. He really didn’t need more added onto the punishment he already had coming his way, not after the whole crew just witnessed him in such a humiliating circumstance. God, what an embarrassment; they’d never let him live this down. 

He fidgeted anxiously in the corner for a few minutes, one hand absently rubbing the sting out of his backside as he waited for his captain to call him over. Peaking over his shoulder he could see Stede bandaging his hand and felt strangely guilty about biting him. He’d never really felt guilty for hurting people before and the feeling was foreign to him. Why should he care if he bites his captain’s hand? Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, stupid boy! A memory flashed through his head, the screeching sound of an adult yelling at him when he was young. Perhaps he’d had a biting problem longer than he could recall.

He wondered if he’d gone too far, it was stupid to bite the man placed in charge of him. Especially when that man could easily maroon him for his disobedience or throw him overboard to be at the mercy of the unforgiving sea. Izzy felt his stomach clench in strange knots. He wasn’t an animal, he was a fearsome pirate; pirates use their swords to fight, they don’t bite like dogs.

“Izzy?” Stede’s hand was on his shoulder and the first mate flinched at the sudden contact. “Are you alright?”

He scoffed in disbelief. Of course he wasn’t alright, he was waiting to face a punishment he didn’t even deserve in the first place! “Fuck off,” he shook the captain’s hand from his shoulder without thinking, staring at the wall in front of him.

“Right. Well you can stay there a while longer then.” He heard Bonnet walk away and settle himself onto the couch, no doubt skimming one of his books to wait out his first mate’s attitude. There weren’t many books left of the captain’s original library after the breakup-misunderstanding but Ed had saved just a few of them despite his emo makeover. They’d even tried looting some of the libraries from the ships they attacked but unfortunately most sailors didn’t bring books with them out on the open sea. 

Bonnet could wait out any tantrum though, any fight of wills so long as he had a good book. He’d had kids so he was quite familiar with the ways of dealing with an overtired toddler or a little boy who didn’t want to face the consequences of his own actions. It would all play out accordingly, he just had to have patience and a warm understanding heart. He could see his first mate was having a hard time today, he was probably missing his captain and feeling left out of the adventure. More so, Stede knew it was difficult for Izzy to be loyal to anyone besides Ed and following his new captain’s orders was a challenge. But he had to learn to respect them equally and that was a lesson Bonnet planned on teaching him today.

“Are you ready to behave Izzy?” He asked once he saw the man’s shoulders relax a bit more, hoping some of the fight had finally leaked out.

The question had an opposite effect however and Izzy bristled in offense. “I’m not a child, you absolute twat!” He yelled back over his shoulder and found the man surprisingly close, walking up to him menacingly.

“Well you could have fooled me. I was only going to use my slipper for your spanking today but you’ve managed to earn yourself the spoon with all that defiance.” Bonnet gave him an expectant look, trying to gauge how he needed to handle the man.

The first mate drew himself up in an agitated manner, huffing in a façade of uncaring. “I don’t give a fuck what you do Bonnet.”

“I see.” Stede thought a moment about how to proceed, deciding it was better to get things rolling now rather than later. Grabbing Izzy by the wrist was easy enough but dragging him back over to the couch proved to be far more difficult. The man’s foot was healed enough he could walk without his cane and that added mobility made him extra feisty. But while Izzy was resting and healing his injury, Stede never stopped practicing his fighting skills with Ed. He’d grown significantly stronger living as a pirate and his hidden strength scared the first mate when he realized he couldn’t overpower the dandy.

Izzy tried to yank his arm away, dig his heels into the floor, anything to stop the looming spanking from actually happening; but when Stede stopped in front of the couch he knew it was over. The blonde captain sat down swiftly, taking the first mate down with him so he landed with a grunt over one sturdy thigh. Stede didn’t waste any time and grabbed Izzy’s wrists, holding them against his back as the man tried to wrestle himself free.

“Maybe this will teach you some manners.” Stede reached into his robe, pulling out the wooden spoon he always kept on him now. He brought it down on the clothed backside over his knee, tightening his grip on Izzy’s wrists when he bucked. Unfortunately it was a lot more difficult to hold the first mate down by himself, especially since the man could kick now and used that to his advantage. After a few more smacks with the spoon Stede found it too difficult to continue and paused to adjust him. He pulled him in closer so their sides were touching and wrapped his arm around Izzy’s waist, hoping the man didn’t try to use his hands to block. 

Then in one swift move Bonnet wrapped his other leg over the first mate’s kicking legs and had him successfully pinned over just one knee. When the spoon resumed its previous task the shorter man yelped, huffing and puffing about the unfairness of it all. He tried to tug himself out of the grasp, using his hands to push off Stede’s thigh but the other man was strong enough to keep him locked firmly in place. “I’ll fucking cut you Bonnet! I’ll gut you like a dog and I’ll- ah! I’ll- ow, Bonnet!”

“That’s quite enough threatening for today.” He chided the man in a soft tone like he was speaking to a child rather than a supposedly bloodthirsty pirate and it only made the small man angrier. His face grew red with the indignation of it all and he growled in pain.

Through the yelps and harsh smacks that fell relentlessly, Izzy slammed his fists against his captor, twisting and writhing like a caught fish. “I’ll throw you to the kraken- Ah! You’ll be lucky if I don’t- shit! OW! Ah, ah!” The pain had grown to such a constant heat that the first mate couldn’t concentrate and found himself far more concerned now with escaping rather than threatening. He thought about biting the man again but closed his mouth with a snap, the smallest sliver of guilt slipping in when he remembered the bandage. “Stop! Stop please!”

“Is that how we apologize?” Stede reminded him. He moved the spoon lower down the man’s backside to begin spanking his sit spots and Izzy cried out in alarmed pain.

“I’m sorry! Please, I'm sorry!”

At hearing the apology the captain paused, resting the surface of the spoon on his first mate’s thighs in warning. “There, that wasn’t so hard was it?”

Izzy grit his teeth to hold the scathing insult back from spilling out of his venomous mouth. He wanted to scream profanities at the blonde tyrant but the threat of more made him seriously reconsider. 

“Now, we can be done with the matter entirely if you’re ready to cooperate. Does that sound reasonable?”

The short pirate breathed heavily, surprised by the co captain’s offer of leniency. He’d expected the man to fully pummel him for the mess he’d made and the fact that he’d drawn blood. When he felt the spoon raise again he gasped and blurted out a frantic, “Yes! Very reasonable.”

“Good. Now can you tell me why you think you’re being punished?”

This had to be a trick question, right? “I’m being punished for- uh,” he had to think about it, what had even started this whole chase? “For running. I- ah!” The spoon landed hard on his thigh and he squirmed uncomfortably.

“No, before that. You will most definitely be punished for your other bad behavior but I’m asking about what you did to earn your initial spanking.”

“Ok! I…” his mind raced again and he tried to cross his legs unsuccessfully. He was fully pinned and nothing he could do would shield his backside from that dreaded tool. “I called you an idiot.”

“Well, not in those exact terms.” Bonnet noticed when Izzy tensed his muscles, realizing the man had been expecting another slap. “No you haven’t earned a smack for that one. You did insult me, yes. But you earned yourself a trip over my knee for being insolent. It was more your attitude and disregard for respect that landed you here. Now can you tell me how you might go about changing that attitude?”

Izzy rolled his eyes as Bonnet lectured him, wishing he could just fight the man with a sword and get the whole issue over with already. It was like listening to one of those tired old philosophers who thought they knew the answer to everyone else’s happiness but their own. “I don’t know,” he grumbled, “ talk it through ?” Maybe he added a bit too much sarcasm to the end of his sentence but he didn’t think that deserved the next few whacks he got with the spoon.

“That is just what I’m talking about Izzy, the attitude. Would you talk to Ed that way?”

The short pirate stiffened defensively. “No.”

“Maybe you should try that then. Why not imagine I’m Blackbeard, will that make it easier to adjust to?” When he got no response he brought the spoon down again, this time right where he knew the man would have to sit. “Alright, I’m Blackbeard. You were very disrespectful to me earlier, what do you have to say for yourself?”

Izzy clenched his fists anxiously, imagining being over his vengeful captain’s lap again so filled with disappointment in himself. “I’m sorry captain.”

“Very good! Right, and what are you sorry for?”

The first mate bit his tongue, hating that this worked. But then anything that would help him get out of this position was a godsend at the moment. “I’m sorry for- for being disrespectful and… not trusting your ability to make decisions.”

“Excellent!” Stede patted the man’s back in praise, proud of him for figuring it out. Then he lifted his leg, letting Izzy relax and stand up. “How does a cup of tea sound?”

The moment he was free the smaller man shot up, backing away to a safe distance from the wooden spoon. “I don’t want any fucking tea.”

His captain gave him a disappointed look but set the implement down, standing up himself. “Alright. Well how about some-”

“I don’t want anything from you,” he bit out. Then the small angry man turned on his heel, storming out from the captain’s quarters to the upper deck. He’d almost forgotten the rest of the crew's presence but they certainly hadn’t forgotten him. It was dead silent as every one of them stared at him, some of them smiling and others holding back laughter. “Is something funny?!” He yelled at Lucius.

The artist swung his hips and looked the first mate up and down, a sly smile on his face. “Just trying to get your proportions for my next sketch.”

Absolutely fuming, Izzy pushed past him. He stormed through the deck, daring anyone to get in his path while he retreated to his own room on the other side of the ship. It was an extra storage compartment but when you lived on a ship, any room you had to yourself was considered a gift of the highest value. He slammed the door once inside, leaning up against it to block everything out there from getting into his safe space. Then he felt the tears, hot and salty as they overwhelmed him and spilled down his cheeks.

It wasn’t his fault he had such a hot temper, he didn’t mean to lash out at everything and everyone around him. He slipped slowly down the door with his back, hitting the floor with a yelp as his sore backside made contact. This only encouraged the tears and he cried quietly, wishing he could be better and stop disappointing his captains. Some part of him deeply craved the affection that kept being offered to him but how could he possibly accept? After all these years of keeping his defenses up so high he’d somehow even locked himself out, how could he possibly accept something as weak and needy as a hug?

He felt another sob pulling through him and stood up, climbing into his small bed with the little blanket that never covered all of his body. It was still his though, it was his bed and his blanket and his room. Nobody else’s and he’d kill a man for even looking at it. He let the tears flow, hot and sticky on his cheeks as his eyes began to feel heavy. He wanted to sleep a while, maybe just get a bit of shuteye before anything exciting that needed his attention happened above deck. Just a few moments, that would suffice. He curled into the wall, tugging the blanket up to his chin as he shivered from the cold on his back. Just a little sleep would help.

A commotion above deck jolted Izzy from his sleep and he groaned tiredly. It only took a moment but the memory of what happened earlier that day came rushing back and he felt the embarrassment return in a wave. His body ached from sleeping in the cramped space and his bones creaked when he sat up. The life of a pirate wasn’t for everyone but Izzy invited the roughest parts of the lifestyle, no matter the cost. Standing up, the first mate took a deep breath to prepare himself. It sounded like everyone above deck was having some kind of fun without him and he wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

He fixed his clothes, tidying his hair a bit before leaving his small room. The moment the door opened he put on his tough persona, stomping up to the main deck with confidence.

“And that was worth kissing a monkey?!” The crew laughed heartily at some sort of anecdote but Izzy didn’t care.

“What are you lot on about? Why is no one working?” The sky told him it was mid afternoon, they could be occupied with any number of chores that needed to be done. The crew was silent around him and he set his jaw, clenching his fists angrily. It was going to take years to convince them all he was a tough scary pirate again.

“I didn’t know you were a biter Izzy, coulda warned us.”

“Excuse me!?” He faced Roach, getting in his space to intimidate him.

“Excuse you. Why don’t you use that to your advantage when we attack other vessels?”

“You watch your fucking mouth. I am your superior in every way.”

“Izzy! Well that’s not very nice.” He could recognize Stede’s voice anywhere and rolled his eyes at the pitch the blonde took. The man looked more like a chiding mother than the captain of a vessel. “Roach maybe don’t tease him about it.”

“What? He’s the one that bit you, I can’t make a joke about Dizzy Izzy?”

Izzy turned and pushed Roach, daring the other man to continue. “I don’t fucking bite!”

Roach pushed him back to the sound of Stede trying to interfere but neither men paid any attention to the captain. “Then who’s teeth marks are in the captain's hand, huh? I stitched him up!”

The short pirate paused at hearing about the stitches. He hadn’t realized he bit that hard, he hadn’t meant to seriously injure the blonde.

“It’s alright, really. Let’s all just calm down. Everyone has their bad habits, it’s nothing a bit of firm discipline and attention can’t-” Stede couldn’t even finish his sentence before Izzy was on him, drawing his knife as he approached.

“I’ll send you to doggy fucking heaven if you don’t shut your-” a loud thud startled the man to turn around, freezing when he saw what it was. Blackbeard stood behind him, having jumped from one of the higher sails where he’d been sitting and listening to the whole conversation.

“I think maybe he’s right. We need to give that some attention, don’t you think mate?”

“Blackbeard.” Izzy felt cold all over, barely holding onto his knife as Stede stealthily took it out of his hand. 

“Is that how you act when I’m not here? I thought I gave you clear orders.”

“Y-yes you did, I don’t.”

Ed raised an eyebrow at him, walking forward slowly as he lowered his voice. “I’m gonna give you a choice mate. You can keep arguing with me out here or we can take this below deck.” His offer was clear, without saying it directly he was giving his first mate a chance to preserve some of his very fragile dignity.

Izzy stammered in alarm when he realized how truly fucked he was right then and shook his head quickly. “No, no sir.” Blackbeard stared at him a moment, prompting him to continue. “Uh- down. Below deck.” He turned and practically sprinted to the captain’s quarters, terrified of the crew catching on to what Blackbeard was implying.

“Hey,” Ed gave a half wave to Stede. “Come on. We gotta deal with this.”

Both captains followed Izzy down below deck, leaving Oluwande in charge until they were done. When Stede closed the door behind them he looked over and saw Izzy standing on the far side of the room, wringing his hands anxiously with worried eyes. He was about as far away from them as he could possibly be and it almost made Stede chuckle.

“I thought you weren’t returning until the 8th.”

“Got done early. Is that why you thought you could treat Stede like that? Blackbeard’s gone so now was your chance to torment him?”

“No! No captain, it wasn't like that.”

“Seemed like it to me.”

“I wasn’t, please Ed it was just a misunderstanding. I didn’t do anything.”

Blackbeard raised his eyebrows, looking over at his co captain. “Stede, did Izzy behave himself while I was gone?”

Bonnet looked a tad uncomfortable at the confrontation but answered none the less. “Well, I’m not sure behaved is the right word but he didn’t torment anyone per se.”

“Mmhmm.” Ed began walking across the room towards Izzy, an idea already forming in his head. He was about halfway to the man now, kind of enjoying the way his first mate squirmed as he approached. “And you didn’t do anything bad? Nothing?”

“No. Nothing.” He shook his head, glad for the out that Stede had provided. He knew Blackbeard had threatened to repeat whatever punishments he’d earned while he was away and if Bonnet wasn’t telling him then he sure as hell wasn’t either.

“Ah.” Ed stood in front of him now, arms crossed. “And you’d never lie to me. You know the consequences for lying to your captain.”

Izzy’s mouth went dry and he nodded his head. At some point he’d backed into the wall and the smooth wood felt like an anchor behind him.

“Good.” He grabbed the man’s shoulder, leading him back over to the sitting area where his co captain stood awkwardly. “Then you won’t mind proving it.”

“What?” His tongue felt thick in his mouth and his stomach did a flip.

“Come on. Take your trousers down mate. Nothing to hide, right?”

“Oh, captain can’t I just-.”

“Now.” Blackbeard’s eyes darkened. 

Swallowing thickly, Izzy looked between both his captains and contemplated making a run for it. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide and he’d just been caught in a lie by Blackbeard. “Please,” he tried desperately.

Ed made a movement towards him and it startled the shorter man, prompting him to start undressing. He cursed under his breath as he tried to untie his pants, remembering how much of a pain this was the last time. When he finally got them undone he looked up to see Ed sitting down on the couch, elbows leaning on his knees. He motioned for Izzy to come to him but the small man felt like he was frozen in place. “You’re really trying my patience right now man.”

Izzy clenched and unclenched his fists as he stepped forward, just far enough away that Ed couldn’t grab him before he decided to confess. “I tried to stab Bonnet again. I- I bit him too.”

“I know mate.” Ed stretched forward and grabbed him by the trousers, pulling him to stand between his legs. “I really expected more from you Izzy.”

Those few words almost hurt worse than whatever the pirate knew his captain was about to dish out and he felt himself deflate with shame. He’d disappointed his captain, broken the rules, lied- unsuccessfully at that. He was a poor excuse for a first mate and he was beginning to feel more and more like a stray dog with a biting problem than a real pirate.

Blackbeard tugged him down, guiding him more gently this time to lie over his lap. He wanted to see for himself how hard Stede had spanked him, he didn’t want the punishment to turn into abuse if he decided to give him too much. In one swift motion he pulled the man’s trousers and drawers down together, whistling at the sight of his skin. It was redder than he’d expected but nowhere near bad enough that another spanking could really injure him. “Ok. What have you already been punished for?”

The question felt unimaginably ominous in such a position with his already sore backside on display for more. But he didn’t want to make things worse, Blackbeard always had a way of knowing everything and the first mate imagined he was somehow already aware of the day’s full events anyhow. With a shaky breath he confessed to his misdeeds, his head hidden between his arms and the couch. “Being rude to Bonnet. I called him an idiot.”

“And how’d he punish you for it?”

“Can’t you just ask him!?”

A sharp slap landed on his thigh and Izzy hissed in surprise. He probably should have expected that. “He used the spoon.”

“Hmm. Anything else?”

“No.”

“Nothing else you want to add to that?”

Izzy tried to adjust himself slightly, burning with shame at being so exposed over his captain’s lap. “He was going to use-” he tried to wet his lips but the embarrassment made his throat tight. “-I made it worse. He was going to use a slipper at first. Captain.”

“I see. Well I guess I need a slipper then.”

Stede walked around them to his wardrobe, grabbing one of his morning slippers for his co captain to use. When he returned he handed it over, sitting across from them in one of the cushy reading chairs. 

“Alright. This is for disrespecting Stede.” He brought the soft shoe down, leather side facing his skin and the impact made a sharp slapping sound. To Izzy’s surprise it didn’t hurt nearly as much as he’d expected it to. It stung, yes, but this was a mercy compared to that damned wooden spoon. The noise itself sounded much harsher than the implement felt to his skin. It did still hurt, especially on top of his previous spanking from only a few hours ago but it was bearable.

“I’m sorry captain.”

“Glad to hear that.” Ed brought the slipper down all over his first mate’s backside, up and down each side to make sure he covered everything. He wasn’t letting the man off the hook just because his beautiful co captain happened to have a big heart. It wasn’t ok for Izzy to treat the man like he was lesser than his other captain, whether Ed was there to supervise or not. He had to learn that they both held the same authority and he planned on making the point sorely known by the end of the week. 

After another round of sharp smacks Blackbeard decided to hit a little harder and adjusted his first mate so his sit spots were accessible. He slammed the slipper down again and was satisfied when he heard Izzy start to gasp, glad it was finally getting through to him. He squirmed more with the smacks landing on such a sensitive area but the slipper came down relentlessly. Something Ed noticed was how the little pirate didn’t try nearly as hard to escape from him as he did from Stede. Maybe it was because of the man’s strong loyalty and his need to obey his first captain but it was curious nonetheless.

“That’s about where I stopped,” Bonnet commented.

“Alright Izzy, you know the drill. Apologize to Stede.” He kept the slipper raining down blows all across his backside, waiting for his first mate to obey before he would stop.

Beginning to twist a bit more at the discomfort and building heat, Izzy was more than happy to have the spanking end. “I’m sorry Bonnet! I shouldn’t have insulted you.” He was only half out of breath, nearing that point where he’d begin to feel frantic but he could still hold onto his control for now.

“You are forgiven Izzy.” Stede reached over to pat the man’s head and got a scathing glare in return.

Ed set the slipper down beside him, readjusting his first mate on his lap without letting go. Izzy felt concerned when he wasn’t released and took a deep breath. “Now. This is for that bullshit you just pulled above deck.” Blackbeard’s hand came crashing down on the red skin in front of him and his first mate jolted in shocked pain.

“Wait! Please, Ed, wait!”

The captain continued to rain down harsh slaps, quickly covering the man’s backside in another round of fiery swats that never missed their mark. The short pirate struggled against his captain’s hold, not trying to get away necessarily but certainly trying to avoid the next smack. “You don’t talk to the crew that way.” He slammed his hand down right at the curve of the man’s legs and Izzy yelped. “You don’t talk to Stede that way.” Another smack on his right side and the man was whining involuntarily. “I don’t care if you think I’m here or not, you respect your captain.”

“Yes! Yes, Ed please! I understand, cap-tain!” Izzy’s voice broke and Blackbeard could tell he’d begun to cry. He landed another round of blazing swats to make sure the message was clear, paying close attention to not hit areas that looked too tender before stopping. The cries coming from his first mate almost made him feel a bit guilty but he looked over to his co captain, hoping he hadn’t gone overboard.

“I think he’s probably at his limit for tonight dear.” Stede didn’t look too worried so Ed relaxed, glad he hadn’t overdone it. He was still getting used to this whole ‘discipline’ thing and wanted to make sure he didn’t screw it up. This was all to help his first mate and change the dynamic of the crew, not just some new form of torture. If he wanted to break his crew he’d just tie them to the mast for a week but he wasn’t that kind of guy anymore. 

“Alright mate, you can get up.” Ed lifted his arm but found his first mate too preoccupied with trying to stop crying to notice. He could feel the man shaking, shoulders heaving as he tried to muffle the sound of his tears into the couch cushion. The poor guy was too emotional to realize his captains were even watching him and barely noticed the spanking had even ended.

Stede’s heart broke at the sight of the small pirate trying to hide his pain and he wanted nothing more than to ease that pain. “Hug him,” he whispered, pantomiming the action so Ed would catch on but the man only returned a confused expression. Bonnet felt deeply concerned about their earlier interaction and how Izzy had run out before he could either forgive or hug him so doing it now was vital.

“Izzy, mate, you alright?” Ed ran his hand up and down the man’s back, hoping he hadn’t broken his first mate. They were really hard to replace. When he didn’t get a response he grew worried and looked over to Stede again, getting the same instructions to hug him. He didn’t think it was a good idea but if his blonde angel was so sure then he’d do it. 

The Captain gently pulled his little pirate’s drawers back up, wincing at the fresh sob Izzy let out from the contact. Then he started to rub soothing circles into the man’s back, trying to gently get his attention.

“Izzy we’re going to try something ok? Don’t bite me.” He put his hands under the man’s arms, lifting and turning him to sit on the side of his lap in surprise. Then before the first mate could protest he pulled him in against his chest, wrapping one strong arm around the man's torso.

Izzy stopped breathing for a long moment while he processed this new position, realizing at last that this was a hug. A real hug, one offered to him by his closest friend, his captain and the man he’d known most of his life now. In a heartbeat the first mate returned the embrace, going in so fast that he made Blackbeard grunt softly. 

Ed looked over at his co captain and was happy to see the man smiling at him. “Don’t forget to forgive him,” Stede whispered loudly.

“Right and I forgive you.” Ed patted the man’s back encouragingly, glad for the happy conclusion. “For this at least, not the other stuff. We'll do that later.”

Another sob shook Izzy’s shoulders and Blackbeard felt bad momentarily at having to give him the bad news. “Ed. Do you think maybe we should share with him why you left for a while?”

“Oh, yeah great idea.” Edward moved to reposition himself but found his first mate entirely attached and instead motioned for his boyfriend to fetch the item. Stede was more than happy to oblige, running over to their shared bed to grab the present. When he returned he was carrying a large folded up blanket and unraveled it to wrap it around Izzy’s shoulders.

When Izzy leaned back he saw Blackbeard smiling at him and touched the soft material around his shoulders in surprise. “What is this?”

“I went on a little adventure to get some new decorations for the ship. It’s kind of bare since we tossed everything.”

“But this- is this-?” He didn’t know how to ask but he held the question in his eyes.

“That’s all yours mate. I know you’ve still got that old rag from ages ago and I thought you could use a new one.”

Izzy’s eyes began to water again and he shoved his face into his captain’s chest, clutching the blanket tightly in his shaky hands. “I’m sorry!”

“You’re already forgiven mate.” Ed placed his hand on the man’s shoulder gently to reassure him. 

“Thank you, I don't deserve it! I’m a useless first mate, you shouldn’t have gone through the trouble for this, I don’t deserve-.” Izzy’s self loathing was interrupted when his captain pulled him back to face him in warning.

“Any more of that and I’ll flip you back over.”

Izzy nodded his head urgently, eyes wide at the thought of another spanking. He felt another hand on his back, and looked up when he realized there were too many for it to be Ed’s.

“Now how would you like a bite to eat? Or could I offer a nice hot cup of tea, some honey toast perhaps?” Stede beamed down at him with pride and for once Izzy didn’t feel the primal urge to strangle the man for speaking. Progress.

The first mate realized then how deeply tired he felt after the whole ordeal and his shoulders slumped slightly. “No. Thank you.”

“I think you need some rest mate. You look bone tired.”

Izzy felt his eyes getting heavy but he shook his head, wanting to just be alone so he could sleep in a safe space.

“Right, let’s get him to bed shall we? Ed could you-?”

Ed was already standing up before Stede finished his request, scooping up his first mate to the man’s great surprise. He held him easily in his arms, wrapped like a caterpillar in his big soft quilted blanket. “Captain! Put- put me down!”

Blackbeard laughed at the man’s protests, carrying the squirming bundle over to his boyfriend’s bed where Stede was fluffing some pillows. He gently laid him down on the mattress, careful not to just flop him down like a sack of potatoes. “There you go mate. Try to get some sleep.”

Izzy looked up from beneath the blanket at his two captains, too surprised by these strange turns of events to really protest. Maybe he didn’t really want to protest. He watched them walk away, mind racing as he saw Stede smile at him before closing the little curtain that separated the bedroom from the main living space. He hated to admit it but he liked this. The forgiveness, the affection he’d been craving all his life, being treated like a person and like people cared about him. 

It was more than he’d ever had and he didn’t know what he could have done to deserve such kindness. Or to deserve such a generous gift as the quilted blanket he had wrapped around his very tired frame. Each moment became harder and harder to hold his eyes open until he finally gave in, shutting them with the confidence that his captains would keep him safe while he slept. This felt like a place where he could rest without a worry. It felt like a safe space.