Izzy catches up with Lucius as he is emerging from the lower deck into the sunshine. "Mr Spriggs." Lucius scrabbles up the ladder onto the sun- and salt-bleached deck but Izzy has seen him. "A word."
Reluctantly, Lucius waits, squinting into the sun and trying to think of pleasant things which are not a whirlpool, or Izzy Hands.
As usual Izzy, when he reaches Lucius, stands far too close. For a man who is half a head shorter than Lucius, he really knows how to loom.
"I've got to take great care of you," says Izzy with his characteristic half-smile.
Lucius rolls his eyes. "Until the next time your boss decides to murder me?" He has notionally forgiven, but not forgotten, how Ed threw him overboard last year.
"You being alive is important to Edward, therefore it's important to me, however much it disappoints me." Izzy casts his eye over Lucius, seeming to find every bit of him distasteful.
Lucius pulls a face. "Great chat. Thanks. Can I go now?"
"No." Izzy stares at Lucius.
Lucius, as ever, is unintimidated. "Enjoying the view?" He gives a head tilt, showing off his good side.
Izzy makes a face which could be yes or no.
"Are you going to be long? Should I fetch a book?"
To Lucius' surprise, Izzy actually snorts in amusement at this. It's not quite a laugh, but close. Laugh-adjacent. "I've seen enough," he says. "Fuck off."
"Gladly. We must do this again, never." Lucius shimmies away.
Izzy smooths his hair back from his forehead. The little prick gets right under his skin every time. A book. He probably thinks Izzy can't read.
Edward is twice the man Lucius Spriggs will ever be. Strong. Tough. Deadly. Brutal. Everything a man ought to be, especially a pirate. Even if that pirate has inexplicably formed a - partnership, with the ridiculous and ridiculously-dressed Stede Bonnet.
Izzy's eyes turn inexorably to where Lucius is now draped elegantly over a barrel, entertaining the crew with some witty comment. The crew are smiling, and Lucius waves a hand, exuding fake modesty. He really is an aggravating little prick.
The way Lucius moves irritates Izzy. The way he speaks, the way he runs his hands through his brown hair and tosses his head, the way he wiggles his hips as he walks...
"My god," says Izzy to nobody. And then, "Shit."
"Mr Spriggs. My quarters. Now."
Izzy's voice floats down from the helm and strikes Lucius in the back of the neck, making him flinch. He sighs. "Yes. Coming."
It's late afternoon. The crew have been checking through the ropes and chains, and Lucius, though technically not obliged to help them, has been sitting nearby and updating the ship's log, mostly for the company.
"Good luck," mutters Frenchie.
"I hope he is not going to berate you," says Swede.
Lucius closes the log book and gets to his feet. Something tells him berating will be the least of it.
There's no window, but otherwise Izzy's quarters are more than serviceable. It's a tight little cabin on the lower deck, along the corridor from the captains' quarters, with a short walk to the open space holding the galley, gunports, and stockrooms. Izzy's place has a cot against the right-hand wall and a desk and chair against the left. A selection of silk shirts and leather doublets hang on the wall facing the door, and a small chest stands beside the bed. That's it.
Lucius follows Izzy inside and at his gesture, shuts the cabin door. Izzy leans against the back wall beside the hanging clothes, arms folded.
Lucius rolls hsi eyes. "Is it time for my regular dose of rage and spittle served two inches from my eyeballs?"
"Yes," says Izzy.
"D'you mind if we just say we've done it and don't? I've got a lot on, and wiping furious saliva off my eyebrows is one job too many."
"You don't look busy."
"I'm doing inventory for captain." Lucius holds up his logbook.
"Which captain."
"Both of them."
Izzy glances into the distance. As ever, he speaks slowly, mistily, but with a current of underlying threat. "I'm surprised you have time to work for two captains. Won't that get into the way of your love affair?"
He means Pete, the baby-faced crewman currently counting chain links and joshing with the other guys up on deck. "I'm afraid that flame has faded. Sweet man and all, but not the one for me." Lucius gives a mouth shrug. "Sometimes love goes that way, you know?"
Izzy looks revolted.
"Did you want something, or …"
"You saw the hideous display in there." It's a statement, directed towards the captains' cabin.
"You mean Ed and Stede," says Lucius.
"Captain Teach and Captain Bonnet. Yes."
Lucius grimaces. "I mean, it's a totally mad idea, but-"
"Not the idea. Although that is mad."
"Sailing into a whirlpool to rescue a ship that's already sailed into a whirlpool? Yup, definitely in the mad column and not the normal life on a pirate ship column." Lucius gives a what can you do eh? shrug.
"Shut it. Forget the whirlpool." Izzy makes an impatient gesture.
"Right."
"It's the other stuff that bothers me." Izzy clearly can't bring himself to say it. He winces and scowls.
Lucius, by contrast, is in his comfort zone. "You mean the hand holding? The PDA? You think it's too much?"
"I think it's totally inappropriate."
Lucius lifts his eyes to the heavens. "They're a couple, they're in love, they occasionally let each other know this. What's inappropriate?"
"We're on a fucking pirate ship."
"Izzy-"
"That's Mr Hands to you."
"I thought it was 'no more need for sir', sir."
"We're equal rank. Which you have me to thank for, may I remind you."
"I'm very grateful." Lucius trails his finger over Izzy's tiny table. "Izzy-"
"Fuck sake!"
"We're not pirates any more. Not full-time, anyway. And I don't know if you've noticed, but discretion around our lovers isn't a strong point on this ship."
Izzy takes an ominous step towards Lucius.
Lucius steps back. "Our self-restraint, on the other hand, is legendary."
Izzy makes a noise half fury, half despair. "Forget it," he says. "Get back to... Whatever it is you do." He turns away.
"Izzy," says Lucius, compelled despite himself, "are you ok?"
"Yes. Fuck off."
Lucius doesn't move. "The captains are... Well, they are unusual. Unlikely. But whatever we might think about their partnership. They're happy." He shrugs. "As their friends, we should be happy for them."
This gets Izzy's attention. "What do you mean, whatever we think of it? What do you think of it?"
"Ed threw me overboard," says Lucius. "Newsflash, not his biggest fan."
"I made him apologise to you," says Izzy.
"Yes, why did you do that, I've never understood-?"
"A quiet life. Listen." Izzy paces, but there is only room for a few steps towards Lucius and back. "This co-captaining. It's no way to run a tight ship. And I don't like the influence that Bonnet has on Edward. The way he - manipulates him." Izzy gives a shudder. "A ship has one captain."
"Normally," corrects Lucius.
"No."
"Ok."
Silence.
Lucius clasps his hands. "Well, if that's all, I'll be going."
"No." Izzy resumes pacing the tiny cabin, obliging Lucius to step aside at each pass. Lucius' hair nearly touches the low ceiling. Overhead, boards creak as the crew moves about on the main deck.
Lucius makes a show of looking around the room. It contains almost nothing personal. Only the clothes, which are entirely black. Except - Yes. One of the shirts hanging up is not black, but a rather fetching midnight blue. Lucius has never seen Izzy wear it.
Interesting.
Even on his increased purser's wages, Lucius does not have the means to fund an extravagant lifestyle. Neither does Izzy. Lucius has a couple of shirts, his favourite red fringed coat, and an ever-expanding collection of neckerchiefs. He always thought Izzy spent his money on .. swords. But seemingly not.
Swords and shirts.
"See something you like?" says Izzy, stopping abruptly in front of Lucius.
"No. Yes."
Izzy s eyebrows shoot up.
"Nice shirt," says Lucius, waving at the hook.
Izzy shakes his head. "It's just… clothes."
Lucius waits. Izzy continues to frown at him. Lucius groans. "Are we done here?"
"No."
"Then oh my god please get to the point. Stede wants me to catalogue the food stores and I haven't even started yet."
"Stede, Stede. Doesn't it burn you, to see him fawning over Edward?"
"No," says Lucius.
Izzy snorts.
"You can't bear it, can you?" says Lucius. "Ed's taking advice from Stede. It's nothing to do with the hand-holding or the kissing on deck-"
"Oh my god-"
"-You just hate the fact that Ed worships Stede and not you. Admit it."
"It's weakness," says Izzy. "It's manipulation."
"No, it's love."
"Love!"
"Oh you are hopeless. I'm going." Lucius grabs at the door handle.
Izzy blocks him. "Wait."
"What now?"
Izzy pulls a face. "All right. I admit it. I am ... unhappy. About Edward's decisions being influenced by ... Captain Bonnet."
"There. Not so hard was it? Can I go now?" Lucius wrenches open the door.
"No," says Izzy. He pushes the door closed again. "I … want your help."
