KalansPhantom 🍐🏴‍☠️🔞 🪢

I know this says knit away, but I always read it as @kalansphantomff.bsky.social’s boys: Knot Away. #OFMD

That's what i see. XD Knots FOREVER.

"Not family?" Ed asks and wants to kick himself as Stede swallows.

"No. Not MY family." He hands over the trio reluctantly. And then,barely audable and thick with sorrow. "Not anymore."

Ed pauses, and Stede doesn't meet his eyes, doesn't ramble, just watches the envelopes like a man drowning.

"Just the first names, no Bonnet." Stede says the words like they cut him, eyes fixed on the caligraphy on the front. "I suppose that was the mistake." He whispers the last to himself.

No chatter, no sunshine, just Stede stroking the envelopes with eyes filled with ghosts.

"Just...I need to overnight these. Please?" Stede almost whispers and draws out three envelopes.

Ed sees the three from last week tucked in the opened folder with a red "REFUSED BY RECIPIENT, RETURN TO SENDER" stamped on each one.

"Okay." Ed murmurs and Stede gives a too quick nod.

Ed doesn't have to wait until Monday. On Thursday morning Stede appears in wrinkled pants and untucked shirt. His hair mussed in an unfairly hot way. Ed sets hotness aside for tear reddened eyes.

And a green folder clutched in his hand.

"I have a shipment." Stede says thickly.

"Mate..."

Stede leaves, but not before travelling off into an insane story about taking up with a professional pick pocket in London. It leaves Ed huffing laughter hearing about Stede accidentally groping a man's arse while going for a wallet.

"See ya, Monday?" Stede asks wistfully.

"It's a date." He vows.

Because Ed's started to count on how Stede chatters, says any fucking thing in his head. He info drops and waxes eloquent on any subject. Ed's spent enough of his life with repressed bullshit, he wants to roll around in Stede's enthusiasm.

Kinda wants to know the hidden piece too.

They spend an hour with Stede chattering about carnivorous plants. The care of them, misconceptions, his outrage that the local grocery store sells the poor things. And it's more normal than last week, but Ed itches to see what's hiding behind the tightness in Stede's eyes.

"Ed!" Stede brightens, sweet and lovely, as if a week ago hadn't happened. "I got new carnivorous plants in!"

"Yeah?" Ed leans over the counter. "In there?"

"Oh no, at the shop, but I have pictures!" Stede waggles his phone while Ed searches his face. There's tightness there. He's hiding.

Monday comes by again and Ed waits, fidgets and jumps anytime the door opens. Which, thankfully, isn't often considering most sane people don't fucking come to Blackbeard's Package to ship shit. Well, not legal shit.

Stede shows up with his pink cart and a seafoam shirt and khakis. Right on time.

"Hey...you..uh, you alright?" Ed tries to offer a hand, feels fucking clumsy and awkward.

Stede must agree since he pastes on a fake smile as he folds up his little pink cart. "Never better."

The man who once admitted to sunburning his dick on his boat lies. Ed's day feels less sunny for it.

Ed has secrets, things he doesn't talk about. Little dark corners of his soul never meant to see the sun. Yet, it feels strange Stede finish the transaction and giving a sick sort of smile.

Feels worse to see him clutching the tracking numbers in a whitened fist. He looks scared.

"Family?" Ed finally cracks the silence as he enters in Louis' address, a college he assumes.

Stede hums a little noise and shakes his head. "No." He says softly and blinks his eyes rapidly. "Not...family."

The words are a whisper, but there's no explanation offered. Ed doesn't press.

Stede always talks, it's what Ed loves. They've never had a silent transaction--until now. There's tension in every line of his body as he hands the envelopes over one at a time, eyes flinching as Ed enters them in.

Louis Bonnet
Alma Bonnet
Mary Bonnet

Three addresses, barely forty miles away.

Personal? Ed's interest is up as Stede neatly arranges the envelopes into an evenly spaced row, staring at them with a pale face and determined swallow.

"You okay, mate?" Ed drops his voice as Stede makes no move to get started.

"I hope so." Stede whispers and gives himself a shake. "I think so."

Ed watches as Stede opens the folder. Closes the folder. Opens the folder, closes it again with a snap. "Y-yes, I think so." He draws in a breath and opens the folder reluctantly..

Three envelopes, cream colored with ivy chasing the border are produced, each one boasting an address in calligraphy.

"Um, yes." Stede tugs the little card reader towards himself and then flinches. "No. I mean, yes for this."

"Mmhm." Ed frowns as Stede taps the card.

"I have a personal shipment. Uh, th-three actually." Stede doesn't meet his eyes as he watches his payment go through. "Overnights."

"Yeah?"

It's a storm-cloud in front of the sun while Stede fidgets with a little green folder clutched in his hand. It's not new, Stede often has invoices and shit in hand, but this one has creases where his fingers are gripping it like he's afraid it might fly away.

"That the last one?" Ed prompts.

Today his stories are missing. No wild tales of living on a sloop called the Revenge in the Caribbean at twenty-six, no embarrassed admissions to an insane slut-era in Europe at twenty-eight, or being arrested for stealing a fern from the US Embassy.

Just chatter, nervous, about the weather.

The average day is Stede excitedly chattering about his plants and his plans, his little shop and the drama going on between his worker Olu and Jim who runs the local mixed martial arts class. He's ebullient and bright, a bit of sunshine in the drab, run down building Ed works out of.

Not today.

They're all lovingly packed with a little fern grinning on the side saying "Please beleaf me, I'm very fragile!" And "Your new friend is inside! Open this side!' At the top.

After months, Ed has it all down to an art, the casual talk and typing in information. The slow smiles and jokes. Normally.

"Big shipping day?" Ed leans over the counter shamelessly and hears Izzy sigh. Well fuck him, he likes to flirt.

"Oh, um, ye-es." Stede's cheeks are pink, biteable.

The grey in the blonde at his temples and gold rimmed glasses just add to Ed's infatuation as Stede begins to unload boxes.

"Hey, mate." He swaggers a little, enjoying Stede's little flush. Today he's opted for leather as he kicks up their flirting a bit. You can only get so far with stuffing packages inneundos before you pull out the big guns.

"Oh, ah, that's hmmm.." Stede trails off and clutches his car handles.

And that's kinda part of it, the way Stede always greets him like Ed is his favorite person. Today he's a vision in white and pale pink, even a little jaunty cravat tucked into his button up shirt. He looks like a sexy fucking ice cream man.

Okay, fine, Ed has a crush. Has done for a while.

Right on time there's a little beep and a shuffling sound from the front doors that make Ed's proverbial ears perk up. He snaps his laptop shut, ignores Izzy's grumble and damn near skips out front to see gold curls and a sweet smile.

"Ed!" Stede's voice is flooded with delight. "Hello!"

Its an argument six months old and still going, ever since the empty shop down the plaza had been bought by a florist that sold the weirdest plants. Ed was enchanted by him from the day Stede had popped over with a orchid to say hello. Now, Monday's are the best fucking days of the week.

"Who?" He affects an innocent smile. "He's a good customer."

"A good... fuck's sake." Izzy's expression takes on an even darker look. "He's nosy!"

"And hot." Ed grins a little wider. "Besides, be weird if we never shipped anything outta here, yeah? A SHIPPING store?"

Izzy glares.

It's Monday, and Ed is buzzing. It's Monday, and that means Insane Foliage guy is going to come in with his adorable pink cart laden with boxes to ship. It's Monday, and Ed is humming at his desk while he works the books and ignores Izzy glaring.

"You need to get rid of him, boss." Iz growls.

Tags: Angst, Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Love, Packaging Services