Building Together A series of fics taking place post season 2, wherein Ed and Stede build an inn, a relationship, and discover together where their lives will take them next.
Siren Song Well, nothing is perfect, and while Stede can pretend the cottage by the sea is the happily ever after he'd hoped for, it seems a bit disingenuous. But maybe being not perfect is perfect in and of itself. Rain Song Love or not, building an inn tends to put a strain on relationships, especially with Stede's somewhat limited skill set. But he's not about to give up on them. And even if construction is not his forte, well, there are other things he's good at.
Frog Song A holiday from building the Inn is what Ed deserves, and by God, Stede is going to give it to him. Even if it's just a picnic, and the food is less than stellar- that's unavoidable. But at least he can get them a spot with a great view. Surely, he can do something right.
Love Song Ch. 1: Flower Song Stede does his best to take care of Ed as Ed processes...everything. Their inn is still in shambles and Stede can't help but keep longing for the life he left behind, full of adventure and promise. But there is adventure and promise to be found here while Ed heals, and Stede is determined to help them both find a way to blossom where they've decided to be planted. Ch. 2: Heart Song Before Stede and Ed can get help to fix the roof, they need to talk to Ed's acquaintance, Lusca. But like most of Ed's old friends, Lusca carries baggage. And Stede still has plenty of baggage of his own. But Co-captains can surmount anything when they learn to speak from their hearts.
Ch. 3: Love Song Intimidating men is hard work, and Stede is not sure that he's up for it. With Lusca being recalcitrant and Ed not being there, Stede isn't much sure of anything. He knows this whole situation would be better with Ed by his side, but keeping him a secret is a worry. And other worries too bubble underneath the surface, a kind of strange reflection he doesn't want to look too hard at.
Little Bit of Sunshine Stede has it all, the love of his life, a repaired roof that doesn't drip on him and mostly trustworthy day laborers that seem to respect him. But something is still missing. Something that he doesn't know how to say. Ed has his secrets too...
And somewhere, a storm is brewing.... Little Bit of Rain Ed is fine. No, really really fine. As fine as he can be. Sure Stede is hiding shit from him and sure it's a struggle to keep things going behind the scenes and sure he's not sure who he is anymore or if there was really a him to begin with... But things are fine, because Stede needs them to be fine, because Ed needs Stede to be fine.
After all, nothing is forever.
He just has to hold on, hold on, hold...on... Little Bit of Happiness Something is wrong with Ed and Stede knows it. Knows it but isn't sure what to do about it. At least not yet. But perhaps someone in the town across the river might know how to help Ed. Perhaps they even may see Stede for the stunning pirate captain he is and shower him with respect. Also he has promised the day laborers to help their friend.
Only what Stede doesn't see is that something is brewing, changes are happening outside of their little world of inn construction. And if he doesn't learn to look beyond his nose, he will come to regret where he ends up.