A/N: Thank you to all who read part one. This one is a little shorter but there will be several more parts to follow! Hope you enjoy.

Ed stepped back into the familiar deck of the Revenge with heavy boots and a weary sigh.

He was emotionally strung out, first from his reconnection with Stede, then the confrontation and fallout with Izzy, and then the wounding talk with Stede's crew.

He had been relieved to find they were mostly understanding but his betrayal (and attempted murder of Lucius…and abduction of Jim and Frenchie) sat heavy on all of them, and much like his relationship with Stede, would take more than one conversation to heal.

His crew, the newest additions that were loyal to Blackbeard and Izzy, gave him dubious looks as he came back on board. They didn't know, or understand, Edward Teach, and he was too exhausted to even act on it.

He glared back at them, warning them silently that he was still Blackbeard, but ignored them otherwise.

To his relief, they didn't press into him and continued on their duties.

Ivan and Fang gave him understanding looks but he avoided them too. They'd been quiet, following orders, doing their job but he knew they had been friendly with Stede's crew.

"Er, captain?'" Fang called out to him as he headed towards his cabin and he froze, momentarily squeezing his eyes shut.

"Yeah?"

"Just letting you know that Captain Bonnet walked in there a short while ago."

Ed's eyes flew to the captain's cabin, the door opened just a crack and his eyes widened. "Shit."

He found Stede standing just past the entryway, frozen as he started into the empty room once full of so much life and color and everything that was Stede.

"Right, uh…about that…"

Ed came in slowly to stand beside him and Stede turned to look at him, his lips turned down in a frown, a deep depth of sadness in his eyes.

"I threw it all overboard…sorry, mate."

Stede let out a quiet sigh and his eyes trailed over the empty room once more. "All of it?"

Ed nodded, pressing his lips together. "Yep…was a bad moment for me."

Stede swallowed thickly, processing and then sighed dejectedly. "I deserve that I suppose."

"Stede…"

"No," Stede shook his head and turned toward him, "I'm the one that left. In doing so I left it all behind and you were free to do whatever you like with it."

"I know how much it all meant to you."

"I was very fond of it all…especially the books but…" His lips pressed, turning into a remorseful, sad smile, "...it doesn't matter and I'm sorry that I hurt you badly enough to make you want to do this."

Ed pressed his lips together and said nothing as Stede gazed at him apologetically. He knew he shouldn't feel guilty about dumping Stede's things - Stede was right, he was the one who left, he was the one who hurt him first. But Ed really did hate seeing that look on his face.

The corners of Stede's mouth twitched and he blinked as he looked away to once again take in the room.

His eyes fell upon the bed, which was empty apart from one of Ed's shirts thrown haphazardly on top of it, and he frowned.

"You've been sleeping here?"

"Mm."

Stede's frown deepened, his brow pulling down. "'There's no bedding."

"Didn't want any."

Stede turned to him with wide eyes. "Nothing? You slept with nothing? Weren't you cold?"

Ed shrugged. "Cold felt good."

"Ed…" he whispered in despair.

Ed sniffled, shrugged again and then waved in the direction of the bedroom. "Made a blanket fort over there for a couple days."

"A blanket fort?" Stede's gaze traveled there, and he stared for a few silent seconds as if trying to picture it. A soft, fond look crossed his features. "Sounds charming."

"Was a good place to hide." He admitted but felt his stomach twist at the amount of vulnerability he was allowing.

He looked anywhere but Stede because he couldn't handle the way he was looking at him anymore. He sighed and was tempted to run, or to ask Stede to leave, but somehow instead he felt the words bubbling out of him like word vomit he couldn't stop.

"I threw it all away and embraced the Kraken…because it was easy, familiar…I'm good at that shit."

"You're good at quite many things." Stede praised softly and Ed's chest tightened and still Ed refused to look at him.

He was good at being Blackbeard, good at being the Kraken. He had been beginning to be better at opening up, at being just Ed, especially in front of Stede but all of that had come crashing down around him. And it had been a very long, emotional day, and he didn't know how much more he could stand.

"Anyway," Ed cleared his throat "Sorry again about your room…I'll just leave you to it then."

"Leave me to it?" Stede's brow furrowed.

"Your room? It's starting to get dark, so I thought you'd want to sleep here."

Stede blinked. "Ed, no, I don't want to kick you out."

Finally, Ed dared to look up at him, his expression guarded. "It's your ship, mate."

An odd look crossed Stede's face and he frowned. "Well… yes I do suppose it is, but you have been living here while I've been away."

Ed shrugged lightly, his nose scrunching. "It was more of a placeholder than anything. It's fine, Stede. I'll sleep somewhere else."

Stede was quiet for a few moments and the tension was thick in the air. Stede patted his thighs anxiously with his fingertips, his eyes trailing between Ed and the empty bed.

"Ed, you could…"

"Don't." Ed said sharply, his voice quiet and he stared pointedly at a spot on the floor next to Stede's feet. He was one slip away from either throttling Stede or giving in and taking him up on his unfinished offer of sleeping beside him and never letting him go again.

"Okay." Stede whispered and knew then he'd stop pushing. He had been fortunate enough that Ed was willing to speak to him at all and he'd give him all the time in the world that he needed, no matter how much he longed to be close to him again. He needed to earn that place beside him again.

"Right then…I'd better go search storage for some extra bedding. Hopefully your crew won't mind." Stede let out a small, nervous laugh.

Ed's nose scrunched and dared a look at Stede. "If they do, I'll stab 'em."

Stede's brow lifted but the corner of his mouth twitched up in an affectionate smirk.

"That won't be necessary though."

"You think they'll be accommodating?" Stede wondered, trying to recall the new additions to Ed's crew he had seen on board. Fang and Ivan, he knew would be amenable but the others looked ready to murder him at any moment.

Ed scoffed. "Hell, if I know. Nah, that's not what I meant." He shot Stede a look, for the first time the barest hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, and he walked over to the empty bookshelf. Empty for all but one object that was crafted into the shelf.

He pulled the small wooden figure and with a familiar click the door to the auxiliary wardrobe clicked open.

Stede's face softened in surprise and he kept his eyes on Ed as he approached the room. Ed stepped out of his way, watching the back of his head and his heart leapt at the delighted gasp that left Stede's lips.

"Edward." Stede breathed his name and Ed couldn't breathe for a second. He shook off the warm, tingling feeling and took a few steps in behind him. Suddenly being reminded of the first time Stede had led him through.

The room was full, fuller than it had been when Stede left it. All of the clothes that had previously been stored there remained plus some various other objects Ed secretly couldn't bear to part with.

"So, I suppose, not all of it…" Ed said, his voice slightly mumbled and he averted his gaze as Stede turned the small room with an ever brightening smile.

"You kept it." His voice was breathless, and the joyful sound tugged at his heart.

Ed nodded quietly, his fingers tapping lightly against the side of his leg.

Stede rushed in and took a hold of the closest garment, gripping the fabric in his hands, and then continuing on to fondly caress the fabrics he must have thought were long gone.

A flood of warmth filled Ed's heart as he observed Stede and his joy. His first thought was that he'd do absolutely anything to keep that look on his face. To be the one that puts that look on his face.

Then his hurt kicked in, gripped tight at his heart and he looked away before he let Stede so easily take back his heart.

A voice deep inside told him that Stede always had it and that thought tugged at him even tighter.

"Blankets are there." Ed cleared his throat and pointed to one corner where Stede's familiar blankets and sheets lay in a heap and Stede brightened at the sight of them.

Stede took a step toward it and then glanced back at Ed. "Thank you."

Ed's eyes lingered on the blankets for just a few moments longer and then slowly braved a look up to Stede.

"For what? Not destroying all of your things?"

"Precisely."

Ed scoffed and shook his head. "You're insane, mate."

Stede shrugged his shoulders with a small smile. "Perhaps but I think it just means somewhere inside you did still care."

Ed pressed his lips together. "Yeah, guess I didn't completely hate your guts."

Stede's smile turned a bit sad, and he nodded. "Well believe it or not that is a relief."

Ed was quiet then, his heart pounding, his body buzzing, aching to go to him.

Instead, he broke his gaze and turned away, taking a step back towards the main cabin. He cleared his throat. "Goodnight Stede."

He couldn't deny how good it felt to say his name again and to see Stede react out of his peripheral vision. A small, sad smile, followed then by a sweet whisper, "Goodnight, Ed."

Then without another glance toward him, Ed turned and left.

Stede watched him go, stood quietly and listened to the sound of his footsteps across the room and didn't move until the door clicked shut with his wake.

With a deep sigh, Stede took one more look around his wardrobe and then started to gather the sheets into his arms. As he did, a wave of scent washed over him, and the familiarity squeezed at his heart.

He brought it up to his face and closed his eyes as he buried his nose in it, unabashed. He was alone after all, and this was as close as he was going to get to Ed.

He didn't know why it smelled so deeply of Ed - though he could hazard a guess and the thought of that alone put a glimmer of hope in his heart.

Ed had kept his auxiliary wardrobe and despite what he said, and the bed appearing to be empty, Ed had at one point used the sheets and fairly recently.

He carried the bedding back into the cabin and took another look at the empty room.

It did hurt, but he understood and accepted why Ed did what he had done.

As he walked over to the bed, he caught a flash of color out of the corner of his eye and turned toward it.

His heart leapt into his throat as he caught sight of the lighthouse painting hanging on the wall.

His first immediate thought was of Mary and the children. He missed them. He knew they were well and happy, but he missed them.

Then he thought of Ed.

Ed had left the painting too, just in the eyeline of the bed, where he could see it every night. He hadn't tossed it or destroyed it, nor locked it away with some of the other things.

For a moment his heart lifted, and with it the corners of his mouth.

Then he remembered Ed's words and how empty the room was.

He took a seat on the bed, the blankets tangled in his hands, his eyes never leaving the painting.

His heart ached as he realized how lonely, how miserable it must have been for Ed, to sit there in his room without him, knowing what he'd done, with only the lighthouse to remember him by.

With a frown he glanced at the door, wanting nothing more than to follow Ed through it, apologize again and again, and make him see how much he loved him.

But he knew he couldn't. Not yet. Ed gave him hope that perhaps one day he could earn back his trust and his heart.

For now, he sat alone, just as Ed had.