Chapter Text
The rum and vodka burned down Izzy’s throat as he downed the glass of both, the mere movement of throwing his head back enough to make the room swing and his head pound and his stomach lurch.
He didn’t usually drink like this . Drink like this on the ship and mishaps and mistakes were inevitable , no matter what the others said and allowed . Drink like this before a raid and you’re dead before they could get a gun to your head and a blade in your gut.
And first mate Israel Basilica Hands couldn’t afford mishaps .
But then again , he wasn’t first mate anymore , how was he ?
Edward had made that abundantly clear when he threw him into the brigs for—what exactly ? Testing Bonnet to see if he would be able to adequately defend himself ? Had it been an actual attack , he wouldn’t even have the coconut for a warning , and still he was flat on his ass in seconds . A fucking pirate he calls himself , and he couldn’t even fend off a surprise attacker when he wasn’t on his beloved ship . How many times had they been on the receiving end of such attacks ? Both he and Edward had enough scars to show for it , showed that they were thrown headlong into ambushes and survived . Had he had some guts , he might have even gained a smidgen of Izzy’s respect , that maybe he was worthy to be Blackbeard’s life partner , but instead the ponce couldn’t take a real sword , needed his boyfriend to come to his rescue and it was all his fault ?
Izzy took another swig for his troubles .
He’s had epiphanies, down in that brig , while the fucking engagement party was going on on the deck above . Because Blackbeard didn’t have engagement parties . Blackbeard didn’t get down on one knee with a head full of poetry , reciting it against the railing before sunrise . Blackbeard wouldn’t have settled for a damsel in distress . Blackbeard wouldn’t have thrown his first mate into the brig for trying to make him see sense . Well , no , he would , but the brig wouldn’t have had a cushioned mattress and books , because who the hell keeps books in the brig when most pirates couldn’t even read ?
It was there in that brig that he realized that Blackbeard was gone , Edward Teach was here to stay .
And he was no longer anyone’s first mate .
And so he picked the lock and stole away in the lifeboat in the night with enough provisions for a few days ( he was tempted to take more than that , but they wouldn’t last long , not when he was in charge of the provisions in the first place , and he wasn’t a monster , no matter what they said )( though he did take the candied oranges) . They were docked a little ways off from Barbados , situated in an alcove as Edward and Bonnet figured out their plan to go back to Bonnet’s old home , giggling like smitten school children whilst Izzy tried not to gag. Then he crept into the first bar he could find and drank the night away .
He didn’t really have a plan , but by morning , he figured that he could bargain for passage on a ship to the Republic . Israel Hands bargaining to be transported like cargo ? It was a humiliation, but who was he anymore anyways ? He’d lost his captain and the respect of his crew , lost his position and was currently sitting in some dingy pub in a beer soaked shirt and whatever was left of his dignity .
He didn’t have much to lose.
He downed the last of the alcohol , tossed the money onto the counter and trailed out the door . The morning air was cool and damp , and Izzy squinted against the light before making his way along the harbor , his feet stumbling over themselves just ever so slightly on the slick pavement .
A crash and a yell somewhere to his right sent his head throbbing and he glanced over just as a young blonde girl shot out from amongst the crates , 2 burly boys on her heels . She ran impressively fast , no doubt helped by the fact that she was wearing trousers rather than a skirt , but still she was no match for her pursuers , with their much longer legs and the stamina of a sailor .
He’d seen similar scenarios play out countless times on the seas . Pick a fight you can’t win , and a quick death would have been a mercy . The girl had probably tried to steal something from the crates, but she didn’t look like a thief , and her clothes were made too finely for her to have been in poverty . Then again , it won’t have been the first time he encountered someone with too much money and too little sense .
Something in his gut told him that that wasn’t exactly the case, and he hadn’t survived as long as he had without trusting his instincts .
He forced his legs quickly into a sprint , following them until he was at the mouth of an alleyway
Just in time to see one of the teens swing a punch right at the girl's head .
Just in time to see the fist collide with the brick wall instead as the girl dodged .
Just in time to see one of the others sweep one long leg from behind the girl and send her sprawling as his companion howled in pain .
Before any more blows could come , Izzy had his hand fisted around one of the boy’s collars and him up against a wall .
He gasped from the motion , but showed no recognition. He supposed most people didn’t see Israel Hands as a disheveled , beer soaked man in a baggy shirt and pants .
“Would anyone please tell me what the fuck is going on ?”
The boy in his grasp only gasped and sputtered , Izzy let his fingers curl just a little tighter .
“Don’t waste my time boy , now tell me , what the fuck is going on.”
The other piped up , “she was trying to steal …… something from us !”
Izzy loosed his grip and let the boy drop , still conscious and rubbing his neck .
“Oh yeah ? And what was this “something”?” He said the word with a sneer
And watched as what lingering confidence the boys had melted off their faces .
Christ he was getting soft , a year of running with Bonnet’s crew and he wasn’t even feeling the urge to strangle people for incompetency anymore. He pinched the bridge of his nose to fend off the pulsing headache and sighed.
“Could either one of you dipshits at least tell me what your ship was transporting then ?”
“A- Antiques and — exotic fruits.”
“Right , and you’re the only 2 on shift to guard the produce ?”
“Y-yes?”
“And you left your post to chase after a kid you thought was stealing your products , leaving your shipment completely unguarded and vulnerable ?”
Ah , there was the realization.
“I’d say that you boys better run back and do a proper search before something really does go missing, would you agree ?”
His question was answered as they sprinted back out of the alley, waiting until their footsteps were fading into the distance before he turned his attention to the girl .
She’d gotten up since her fall, dusty and a little roughed up , still pressed up against the wall , clearly still wary of him and a little shaken from her incident .
“You alright ,kid ?”
She gave a curt nod , shifting on her feet as she did so , and failed to repress a wince .
Ah fuck .
“Stop that,” he hissed. He stopped in front of her and lowered himself to inspect her foot .
Yep , definitely sprained.
“Good news and bad news , kid . It doesn’t look too bad , but you’ll have to stay off your feet for a couple of days or it’ll get worse , you hear ?”
The girl gulped and nodded .
“You got a place around here ?”
“I-it’s on the other side of the island.” She mumbled sheepishly .
Izzy sighed , his head really beginning to throb in earnest now , and decided to just get it over with .
“Fine , come on then .”
And with that he hefted her into his back , ignored the protesting of his knees , and started walking .
“Aren’t you going to check to see if I stole something ?” She asked as they started moving.
He huffed a laugh then. Really , with everything that had just happened, honesty was what she was concerned with ?
“If you did then you wouldn’t be asking , now would you ? Besides , your clothes are so thin that if you had stolen their antiques or fruits , then even those dimwits would have seen it . I’ll say that the only things you did take from them were their pride and time.”
She hummed thoughtfully against his back.
“I’m Izzy , by the way ,” he added as they passed the market stalls out onto the main road . He had no clue why he was telling her his name , but something in his gut settled as he did so .
“I’m —” The girl’s reply was cut off as she sneezed over her shoulder .
Her skin was cool to the touch .
Izzy fought the sudden urge to throw a blanket over her , and settled for tightening his grip ever so slightly instead .
“I’m Alma.”
Why did that name sound so familiar? Never mind , he’ll figure it out later .
“Alright Alma , you might want to tell me what you’re doing getting into an alleyway fight at 6 in the morning in too thin clothes when you should be at home in a warm bed on the other side of the island , but let’s get you home first , aye ?”
“Aye.”
Fuck , he really was getting soft .