"Please-" Ed hiccups, feeling weak and pathetic again as his emotions catch the best of him. He doesn't even know what he's asking for, just knows that somehow, once again, he's crying in front of Stede Bonnet, a mess of himself and for what? Stede doesn't even remember what he's done.

He could just curl up into a ball and die. That might be better. The knife falls the rest of the way, Ed's arms limp at his sides as he staggers back weakly, ready to give up. This is what he deserves, he reckons; Stede should be afraid of him, see him for what he is once and for all.