˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Valentine special, day 11th : “Couple's dance”
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Pairing : Edward Kenway x fem Reader
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Summary : While patiently waiting for Edward to come back from some business affair around Great Inagua, from the balcony you were leaning into, you heard cheerful melodies coming from the dock. Unable to resist curiosity, you decided to walk near the tavern, quickly joining the collective amusement...thanks to Kenway, of course.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Author's note: I'm incredibly sorry if I'm one day late, also because I promised myself I wouldn't skip a day, but it was over the weekend and well here we are ;( BUT for you all to forgive me, I made this way longer than the last one shot I wrote + I even added some lyrics from one of the songs you can actually hear while standing near the taverns of pretty much all the cities/villages in AC Black Flag! I thought it was a cool idea, so if you want to give it a listen, here's the link!
Ps. I miss writing for Edward so much oh my gOD.
*˚ .♡⋆ﾟˊˎ -
The gentle lapping of the waves as they slowly washed up on the beach, together with the gentle, rhythmic sound of the cicadas singing, lent a peaceful, relaxing atmosphere that reigned unperturbed over the island. From the vast and airy balcony of the manor house where you were currently standing, you had a wide view of the beach and the pier, paying no attention to the darkness that embraced everything; your eyes immediately adjusted to the few, warm and soft lights coming from both the small bonfires on the beach and the numerous candles in the tavern.
Everything around you was motionless and surrounded by shadows, were it not for numerous fireflies that seemed like quick flashes of light dancing, suspended in the air. Sitting on a large, comfortable chair you had managed to get outside, that sort of strange, rhythmic dance caught your attention for a while, distracting you.
After you had lost yourself in watching the pretty insects, you looked away and noticed that a sultry, warm breeze was shaking the tree branches, even causing the sails of the Jackdaw, anchored near the dock, to move slightly. You also noticed the sailors who, having finished their respective jobs on the ship, jumped off and made their way to the tavern... from which immediately arose light-hearted laughter, joyous singing - and even some light brawling, which the wind carried to your ears.
A bored sigh came out of your mouth, your patience running thin with each passing moment without Edward by your side. It was now an hour since Edward left you in the manor alone, saying he had to meet with one of the villagers down the beach to arrange a deal; he hadn't given you much information, leaving you only with a promise, saying he would be right back and you would spend the rest of the evening together, you in turn promising to stay there and wait for him...leaving a gentle kiss on your temple before disappearing into the darkness of the night, leaving you hopeful, waiting for him with such trepidation.
Trepidation that became anxiety, which faded into boredom and tiredness, thinking of the Captain's return while you were aimlessly watching the people far away from you in the distance.
Getting up from your chair, you turned your steps towards the balustrade and, leaning on it with your elbows, you began to look at the tavern and listen to the harmonious and cheerful sound of the songs that the sailors, together with the innkeepers, sang at the top of their voices. All that vitality, all that fun that was like an omniscient presence in the atmosphere of the island, only spurred you more and more to leave the manor and join in the commonl fun.
You looked over your shoulder, behind you, seeing the large chair you have been sitting on for almost a hour, pondering if to leave once for all and give in to your temptation, or if to keep on patiently waiting for Edward to come back, biting your lips at your indecision.
After all, you weren't going to be gone for long, you just wanted to relieve the boredom and waste some time, and you'd be back before he even returned. After all... if Edward hadn't returned until then, how could he ever return just when you weren't there? It really would have been a coincidence, wouldn't it?
And so, happily and firmly slapping the stone balaustra when you finally made up your mind, you swiftly jumped over the balcony, quickly walking down the cliff towards the dock, a satisfied little smile on your lips as the lights and the voices grew stronger and louder.
~ ~ ~
"We like to sneak out without keeping our promise, eh, sly fox?" countless emotions and thoughts overpowered your mind and body as soon as you heard that all too familiar voice and mocking grin; the need - the urge to flee, to run away or even to throw yourself into the water violently seized you as soon as you saw Edward walking towards you.
It had been a while since you had finally arrived at the tavern, taking a seat not far from the counter, silently enjoying yourself amidst the laughter of the sailors and the melodious voices of some young women, singing accompanied by violins; some couples were dancing merrily among the tavern tables, their quick steps on the wooden planks echoing in the air. You watched and savoured everything attentively, and the anxiety of having to return to the manor before Edward, was now long gone.
But as soon as your eyes caught sight of a tall, blond figure walking slowly towards your table, a slight panic took hold of you: not so much that you could do anything though. What could you possibly have done? He had obviously already seen you, you could feel his piercing blue eyes in the distance; there was no reason to run away after all. Edward could be very magnanimous when he wanted to be... plus his laid back expression and his quiet footsteps put you more at ease.
And here he was, standing tall and proud before you in his usual attire, hood down resting on his shoulders as he was looking down at you, who held his inquisitive gaze, without breaking eye contact. His rhetorical question, said in such a mocking tone and him leaning in more towards you, made you feel slightly in awe.
The captain received only silence in response: you did not know what to say or what excuse to make up. But you knew that Edward was as magnanimous as he was cunning, and it was useless to lie to him as he would immediately discover your lies. In short, it wasn't worth it, and the only thing to do was to keep looking at him with a straight face.
"I was just coming back, it was just a matter of seconds," he continued in an upset tone, raising his eyebrow and pointing with a vague gesture of his hand to the cliff in the distance.
You became lightly shocked in hearing his almost disappointed words, rising one of your eyebrows in a questioning look. Were you wrong, or was he trying to give you the fault, as to excuse himself for his own wrongs? But as you looked in his eyes, you noticed cheekiness twinkling in the blue of them, also finally seeing his usual smug smirk plastered on his lips. He was just genuinely teasing you– as always, and you know he enjoyed seeing you flustered just for the fun of it.
And so, hit by realisation, you decided to play his game, straightening your back as you leaned forward towards him, hands playing with the flame of the candle on the table.
"Seconds which became minutes...and minutes which became a hour. You didn't keep your promise" you replied defiantly, mimicking his grin, stressing each one of your words, reminding him of his own broken promise.
Edward seemed to be taken aback at your biting words, at which he let out an amused little chuckle, lowering his head and shaking it as he clicked with his tongue.
"I was looking for you, but I see someone is so impatient" he uttered with a low voice, murmuring this near your ear when he leaned in down to your face, placing a hand on the back of the chair, his stubble slightly brushing on your cheek.
"I apologize, Kenway" you breathed out with just a low voice, reaching out with a hand towards his cheek, caressing it, then sliding it down to his jaw and chin, touching his strong neck before playing with his necklace, smelling humidity and salt on his tanned skin.
"There should be a Captain in there somewhere" Edward whispered back in a suggestive tone, his nose nudging your sweet spot near your ear, making you shiver; drawing him closer and closer to you with both you mannerisms and voice, for then placing both of your hands on his chest, pushing him away from you, laughing in seeing his astonished expression.
Continuing to laugh you nodded to him to go get something to drink at the counter, and he obeyed as he gave you a wink; returning to your table with two glasses of rum, he sat down opposite you, saying nothing as you both watched the people dance in front of you.
"So how did the meeting go?" you asked loudly enough so that you could be heard, as the violins and voices only increased as you drank some of your rum.
"Everything's already sorted out, we just need to discuss where to build the brothel" he explained as he vaguely gestured over the houses; as he kept talking about his business in the small village, he somehow and sometime got distracted by glancing his sailors with their companions, who kept on quickly dancing around the tables, sometimes even stumbling over your own.
"This place changed a lot. I really like the tavern and the people, and how lively the atmosphere is" you expressed your thoughts loudly, gazing all over you and bittersweetly grimacing at remembering how lame and miserable the village was when you and Edward firstly arrived here; smiling fondly in seeing how much Great Inagua changed thanks to Edward's efforts...and money. You knew– and understood the need of Edward to find a new place to call home: to feel like home. And you always have supported him however you could.
You wondered why he was not giving you an answer, and when you turned in his direction, you saw him shift his gaze from the dancing couples to you, and vice versa. Your eyes met, and somehow you immediately understood what he had in mind when he chugged down all the rum, for then slamming the empty glass on the table, some droplets flying around.
"Dance with me" he said from all of sudden with a decisive voice and firm expression, not giving you the time to realize what was about to happen: the Captain was already standing before you, towering over you. In the heat of the moment you didn't had time to properly think about his sudden proposal: but his outstretched arm, him offering you his opened hand and his encouraging and trustworthy smile made you immediately accept, throwing away any doubts or insecurities. After all, you decided to go to the tavern because you were bored and you wanted to have some fun. So why denying? Why denying a dance to your lover, who was so willingly and happily giving you his hand?
And so, widely smiling, you grabbed his hand and squeezed it, letting him pull you up from the chair, grabbing your waist as you placed one hand on his broad shoulder, for then finally starting to dance.
It had been a while since you had danced with someone, in that carefree way, not particularly following the rhythm of the cheerful music, not feeling embarrassed when by accident and emotion both you and Edward stepped on each other's feet, laughing amused at your awkwardness. Stumbling and colliding with other couples, not stopping for a moment except to drink and kiss each other appassionately and hastily, tongue crashing, tasting the alcohol on each other's lips, keeping on dancing, breathless, body against body, feeling each other's fanning breaths on your sweaty necks.
Spinning around the tables and other people, dancing wildly and messily for all the night, the ashen light of the moon and the hundreds of stars which enchanted you when Edward knocked you backwards, only to pick you up again soon after; your neck exposed to him who, inches away from your chest and leaned down on you, left a searing kiss on it, feeling him smile against your skin.
Seeing your wheezes, your hearts beating wildly in your chests and your heads that were spinning both from the twirls and the alcohol, you both decided that it was enough for that night. All the sailors and the women were passed out, some on the damp wooden floors, some on the chairs and some even on the tables... and some vomiting as they looked out over the water.
You and your lover found shelter in a corner away from everyone, still near the tavern, not too far away not to hear a last tune that one of the few awaken sailors was singing alone. Edward was sitting on his chair, and you on his lap, head laying on his chest, smelling his natural perfume, delicately lulled both by his now calm heartbeat and by the crackling produced by the small waves who hit on the Jackdaw.
Just when you were about to fall asleep, eyes closed and snuggled so close to him, your hands clasped around the back of his neck, you heard him humming something under his breath:
"Here's a health to the dear lass that I love so well, for her style and her beauty, sure none can excel..." smiling fondly when you recognized that he was softly singing along the lyrics of the song of the sailor.
"...there's a smile on her countenance as she sits on my knee" your smile only grew wider, your heart skipping a beat and shivering as he started to murmur the melody closer to your ear, his hands securely holding you.
"There's no men in this wide world as happy as me" he stopped to sing, falling silent and you bet that you could still hear his soothing voice lingering on the air and on the breeze.
"I didn't know you could sing so well" you joked in a sleepy voice, giggling amused when you felt his body shake for his chuckle.
"I used to sing a lot to myself while doing commissions around Bristol for my parents, when I was a boy, sweetheart" Edward answered as he played with a lace of your clothes, hearing a nostalgic veil covering his words, you humming as you tried to imagine his youth.
Silence returned to take hold of you both as you relaxed in each other's embrace,you giving one last glance at the tavern, at the people, at the village and at least, at the manor on top of the cliff
"Do you think this can feel like your new home?" you softly asked, almost scared of the answer he might would have given you when he didn't immediately answered you; pondering his words before your felt him placing his cheek on top of your head.
"Yes, it can" he whispered, feeling him squeeze your waists "with the right people"
I remember when I used to post everyday on here and I would see all of my mutuals' reblogs and posts about Assassin's Creed.
The sheer excitement and the memes, the fanfictions and the debates about Valhalla. Or the sweet nostalgia in the fanarts of the first few AC games.
It's been four years now. And thinking about it, that's pretty insane. I don't post on here anymore, but from time to time I do find myself looking through my account and scrolling down to all the posts.
Seeing my then mutuals (now my best friends) making memes. Seeing how lively and excited the whole AC fandom was.
It's been a couple months since I drew anything so I've been trying to get back in the habit with some knights. Not fanart, but wanted to post anyway :)
