Chapter Text
For 4 years the man that ran the tattoo parlour across the road had fascinated Stede. Every morning he’d open up his bookshop at a ridiculously early hour, sit in his office and stare out the window, waiting to just catch a glimpse of the tattooed man. He was usually on time - arriving between 7.45 and 8.10am - with a coffee in-hand. After spending about 15 minutes in the shop, he’d flip the sign on the door to “open” and it didn’t take long for customers to start filing in. Because of the man’s popularity, it didn’t take long for Stede to find out the name of the tattooed man was Edward.
Stede very quickly realised that his obsession - and possibly a tiny, smidgen, hint of an infatuation - with the tattoo artist was embarrassing. It got much worse when he ended up hiring a couple of part-time workers for the bookshop, who very quickly realised who he was spying on every morning. Lucius and Oluwande, the only two young men he’d liked when conducting interviews, both encouraged him to just talk to Edward (instead of staring at him creepily from across the street) but Stede never followed their advice; he’d just nod and smile until the other two gave up. He knew, realistically, that he should man-up and introduce himself, but as soon as the idea crossed his mind a million different reasons popped up for why it was a bad idea.
This morning was exactly the same - Stede was sitting in his office, meant to be doing some admin before opening time, but instead gazing at the still-closed tattoo parlour across the road. Checking his watch, Stede saw it was 7.40am - Edward should be arriving soon.
Completely oblivious to everything else, Stede didn’t react at the sound of the front door being unlocked, then locked a moment later. Someone walked through the shop, calling out to him a couple of times, but they received no response. Only when they opened the office door and stepped in did Stede react - by jumping half a mile.
‘Bloody hell Lucius! A little warning would have been nice.’
Lucius rolled his eyes and snorted. ‘The bell rang as I came into the shop, I called your name at least twice and knocked on the door before coming in.’
Stede looked away sheepishly. ‘Oh. Well… I was very wrapped up in this paperwork.’
The other man gave Stede a knowing look. ‘Suuure.’ He didn’t say anything else as he placed a paper bag and cup on the desk in front of Stede, making the blond-haired man smile; Lucius had learned that Stede occasionally forgot to have breakfast before coming to work, so decided to buy his boss something to eat whenever he was coming into the shop. Stede had tried to talk him out of it, but Lucius pretty much just ignored him; he did, however, accept lunch when Stede offered to buy it as a compromise.
As Stede went to tuck into his pastry and cup of tea, Lucius glanced at the window. ‘Oh look, there he is! The mysterious Edward.’
Startled, Stede almost dropped his drink as he looked up. Sure enough, Edward was unlocking his shop door one-handed, his other hand holding his breakfast; Stede absentmindedly wondered what sort of thing Edward was having.
‘Go and talk to him,’ Lucius whispered next to his ear, making Stede jump again, but he was out of the office before Stede could glare at him. When he looked back out of the window, Edward was gone.
Sighing, he actually attempted to finish his paperwork and got about halfway through before the shop bell went off again. It was most likely just Oluwande popping in to say hi, but Stede leapt at the excuse to abandon his work and stroll around the shop instead; he absolutely adored his books.
‘Boss,’ Oluwande greeted as Stede came around to the front of the shop, smiling politely.
‘I’ve told you before, it’s just Stede,’ the blond-haired man insisted.
Oluwande avoided the words by saying, ‘Lucy was telling me about you admiring tattoo man again. When are you going to go and introduce yourself?’ Lucius sent a smug smile Stede’s way.
Stede sent a half-hearted glare back. ‘One - stop gossiping to others, Lucius. Two - never.’
Exasperated sighs escaped Oluwande and Lucius in union. ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ Oluwande asked gently.
‘He laughs at me, he rejects me, I embarrass myself, we have nothing in common-’ Stede began listing, counting the reasons on his fingers. When he reached 7, Lucius interrupted.
‘Alright, alright! We get it. You’re just… not ready.’ Ignoring his questioning look, Stede walked further into the bookshop, attempting to get lost in between the shelves.
~
His day passed largely the same after that. Oluwande left shortly after that for his other part-time job and thankfully, Lucius didn’t pester Stede more just because he was bored. Stede passed the rest of opening hours sorting through the new stock that arrived yesterday and generally reorganising the shelves. Before he knew it, Lucius was closing up the shop and chatting about how the day went. Stede often didn’t even notice if the shop got busy when someone else was manning the till, but Lucius assured him they sold a fair number of books.
After Lucius had left and he finished up his work, Stede sighed contentedly; another good day at work. He grabbed the keys from the office desk and locked all the doors before finally heading out the front of the shop.
It was fairly quiet on the street outside, the sun just starting to set over the buildings. Just before he turned to lock the shop door, Stede chanced a glance over at Blackbeard’s Tattoos, instantly spotting Edward in the window; he was lounging in a chair, flipping through a book of what could have been tattoo designs. Stede locked his door, wondering whether Edward was thinking about getting another tattoo and what it would be.
Stede turned to walk down the street, ready to head home and obsess some more over the dark-haired man, but was quickly pulled out of his thoughts. His body full-on collided with something tall as he moved away from his shop, catching him completely off guard; he couldn’t catch himself in time and plummeted to the ground. Pain shot through his wrist as he landed on it and he winced.
‘Watch where you’re going,’ the man above him sneered before he walked off, not offering help or a simple apology. Stede watched the man go, anger and shame rising in him. He tried to push it away as he sat up, examining his wrist cautiously. Pain splintered through his hand and arm as he gently pressed the joint.
‘Fuck,’ he swore quietly to himself. At the very least, his wrist was sprained and would stop him from doing work properly for at least the next few weeks. He didn’t even want to think about going to the hospital. Why did such a good day have to end so badly?
‘Hey. You okay?’
The voice a few feet from him made Stede jump; he wished people would stop sneaking up on him. He looked up, ready to brush off whoever it was, tell them he was fine, but the words stuck in his throat. Standing above him was Edward.
He was even more handsome up-close, Stede couldn’t help but notice. The man was wearing his usual leather trousers and black t-shirt, but now also had a black leather jacket covering his arms. Fingerless gloves clung to his hands, but Stede could still see the tips of tattoos peeking out from beneath the fabric. Stede hadn’t even noticed the length of Edward’s beard and hair before and couldn’t stop himself from wondering what they would feel like against his fingers.
‘Uh… I-’
A hand extended out towards Stede and for a minute, he just stared at it. Then, in some sort of daydream state, Stede reached up and took it, only to have pain shoot up his arm again. He flinched, feeling incredibly stupid for completely forgetting he’d injured his wrist just because there was a handsome man standing near him.
‘Shit, sorry,’ Edward said, crouching down next to Stede and taking a hold of his arm before Stede could even speak. He copied Stede’s earlier movements, pressing the area lightly and glancing at Stede when the blond man flinched. ‘I think you’re gonna have to go to the ER, mate.’
A stifled groan escaped Stede; he didn’t want to deal with all the hassle. He’d have to get a taxi, pay for it, sit and wait for hours to see a doctor, probably just to be told to go home and let it heal on its own.
Edward sent him a questioning glance before his look softened slightly. ‘I can come with you if you want?’
The suggestion took Stede off guard and, once again, he was rendered speechless. This man who had only just met him was willing to give up the rest of his day just to help him?
Finally Stede managed to form words as he hauled himself to his feet. ‘That- that’s really not necessary. I don’t want to be a bother.’
‘No bother,’ Edward remarked, gently patting Stede’s shoulder. He pulled out his mobile without another word and ordered a taxi, then brushed off Stede’s attempt to offer to pay for it. Why did everyone do that to him?
Once they were in the taxi, Ed turned to him and extended a hand. ‘I’m Ed, by the way.’
Stede had to stop himself saying he already knew the man’s name; that would definitely come across as creepy. Instead, he met Ed’s hand with his uninjured one, feeling cold leather beneath his skin. ‘Stede. Nice to meet you.’ Properly.
Ed nodded, watching him curiously; Stede almost cringed under the scrutiny. He always felt self-conscious when someone stared at him; especially someone he had a big, fat crush on. ‘You run the bookshop across from me.’
Stede looked away, feeling a little sheepish. It wasn’t surprising that Edward had noticed someone opening a shop opposite him; but, what if he had noticed Stede spying on him pretty much every day? ‘And you run the tattoo place. Famous throughout the city and beyond for your tattoos.’ Realising he was probably being weird now, he added quickly, ‘or so I’ve been told.’
A small smile appeared on Ed’s face, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. ‘My reputation precedes me.’ He let out a quiet sigh, looking as if he was about to say something else but quickly thought better of it. Stede’s heart sank; he hadn’t meant to make the man sad, but was unsure of what he could do to right the wrong.
They arrived at the hospital shortly after and thankfully their silence was filled by Stede answering questions thrown at him by the receptionist. Once he was finished, him and Edward quickly found two chairs due to the ER being, thankfully, relatively quiet.
Trying to rescue their conversation, Stede glanced at Ed. ‘So, how long have you lived here?’
Ed thought for a few moments before answering. ‘I’ve been in this city 22 years, but I’ve lived in New Zealand all my life.’
‘Which part did you live in before moving here?’
‘Christchurch.’
The name made Stede smile. ‘Really? I grew up not too far from there.’
‘Wow, small world.’ A tiny smile passed over Ed’s face and, despite how brief it was, the sight warmed Stede. ‘You haven’t been in the city for that long, right?’
‘I’ve been here for 4 years. I moved here after-’ He cut himself off, embarrassed.
Ed raised an eyebrow at him. ‘Skeletons in the closet?’ He asked jokingly.
‘No,’ he let out a breath of laughter. ‘Just… Well, I don’t want to burden you with my life story.’ Or even any details which might embarrass him in front of the dark-haired man.
A casual shrug came as a response. ‘You don’t have to tell me, but I think we’re gonna be here a while. Love a good story.’
That elicited a smile and chuckle from Stede. ‘I suppose… if you don’t mind.’ Ed shook his head, watching Stede curiously. ‘Well, I moved here after my divorce.’
Ed’s expression remained steady, but he asked softly, ‘how long were you married?’
Stede sighed involuntary. ‘16 years.’
That won a surprised expression from Edward. ‘Wow. You have kids?’
Thinking about his kids brought back his small smile. ‘Yeah, two; a girl and a boy. Alma is 14, Louis’ 13.’
Stede could practically feel the different questions emanating off of Ed, but the other man kept quiet. Casting a quick glance to his right, he saw that gentle, curious look back in Ed’s eyes. Could a practical stranger really be that interested in what he had to say?
His mind went back to the earlier comment - ‘we’re gonna be here a while.’ He supposed it was a way to pass time and, besides, no one really knew full story of what happened with Mary, apart from those who were with him through it (which, admittedly, was only him, Mary, and his parents). Then again, despite Ed's words, he didn't want to spend the whole time just talking about his life; maybe he'd just give a shortened version of the events.
‘Well, I met Mary when we were studying at uni and we dated through the whole time there. We got married after we graduated, but we waited a couple of years before having kids. I think, in the end, we both kind of decided we should have kids because it was the “done” thing, I suppose. Don’t get me wrong,’ Stede added, glancing quickly at Ed, ‘I love my kids. I just… don’t know if I was ready to have them so young.’
Ed finally asked another question, in that soft, gentle tone of his. ‘How old were you?’
‘23.’
Surprise washed over the older man’s features again, but he quickly hid it. ‘They live in the city too?’
‘No, they’re back in my hometown. After the divorce, the kids were already settled there so Mary didn’t want to disrupt them by moving. I know it was the best decision, but I do miss being able to see them regularly.’
Silence spread between the two, making Stede feel self-conscious again. Was Edward regretting helping him now? Stede guessed that the man didn’t want to spend the rest of his day stuck in an emergency room with someone who couldn’t stop talking.
Trying to move the conversation away from him, Stede asked, ‘how about you? Do you have any family around here?’
‘Just my mum, who lives back in Christchurch. I try to visit her when I can, but work makes it hard sometimes.’
Stede couldn’t help himself as he asked, ‘no partner? Kids?’
Something indescribable passed over Edward’s face, but it disappeared just as quickly. ‘Never really found anyone I could stand to date that long, let alone have kids with.’ After a pause, he shrugged, throwing a casual smile at Stede. ‘Gives me more time to focus on my work, so I’m not complaining.’
How, he wasn’t sure, but Stede could sense Ed wasn’t telling the truth, but he didn’t push it; he had no right to.
As time ticked on, they talked about, thankfully, less sensitive topics and the tension slowly faded again.
Eventually, Stede was called in to see a nurse, who very quickly placed his wrist in a splint and gave him pain relief while he waited to have an x-ray. As he sat in the small room and waited patiently, his mind drifted back to Edward.
Stede had told the dark-haired man that he didn’t have to wait around any longer, that he could go back to his usual day; but Ed had practically ignored him, telling Stede that he didn’t mind waiting for him (‘even if I’m here until 11 tonight,’ Ed had concluded). Bemused, but also silently grateful, Stede had left the other man sitting in the waiting room looking at his phone. He still couldn’t quite wrap his head around why Ed was being so nice to a practical stranger.
The thoughts wouldn’t leave his mind as he was taken to have his x-ray and eventually allowed to leave with some more painkillers and an appointment for tomorrow to have a proper cast put on his wrist.
When he re-entered the waiting room, Ed stood, walking over to him. ‘All done?’
Stede nodded, heading back out towards the door. ‘I have instructions to rest, but I have to come back tomorrow so they can put a cast on it.’
Confusion passed over Ed’s face and he stopped walking. ‘They couldn’t do it today for you? Won’t it be more painful without one?’
Something warmed inside of Stede at Ed’s concern and he smiled at the other man. ‘They’re doing it tomorrow to let any swelling go down. The painkillers should help until then.’
Ed nodded and began walking next to Stede again, but he didn’t look completely happy with the explanation.
Once they were outside, Ed ordered another taxi and again gently declined Stede’s attempts to pay for it. I’m going to owe this man a fortune after this, Stede thought.
The ride to Stede’s house was relatively quiet, but Stede found himself wishing the journey wouldn’t end just yet. Despite how kind Edward had been today, Stede knew the dark-haired man would probably forget about him as soon as he got out of the taxi; after today, Stede would have to go back to stealing glances at Ed out of his office window.
All too soon, the taxi pulled up at Stede’s terrace house, he hopped out of the car and turned, ready to say a quick goodbye to Ed; but the other man had opened the door on his side and was leaning against the roof.
‘Thank you, for today.’
A small smile crossed Ed’s face, but he shrugged. ‘No worries. You gonna be okay? If you need any help-’
‘It’s alright,’ Stede interrupted, trying not to sound rude; as much as he enjoyed Ed’s company, he knew he’d intruded on his time too much now. ‘I’ll just be resting until tomorrow anyway.’
Ed went silent for a few moments as he seemed to consider something. Then he moved away from the car, walked over to Stede and held out his hand. The blond-haired man stood, bewildered, until Ed said, ‘phone.’
Still confused, Stede grabbed his phone from his pocket and handed it over. Ed typed in something on the screen before giving the device back, a small smile on his face again. ‘Just in case you need me.’
Ed walked back around the car, but just before he jumped in, he said, ‘take care of yourself, okay?’ Stede nodded. He found himself unable to move until the taxi was halfway down the street, Ed’s words still echoing in his mind. Then, remembering something, he grabbed his phone again and went into his contacts.
Edward Teach.