Chapter Text
The Lush store at the mall was the most overwhelming place that Ed had ever stepped foot in, which was saying something considering all of the places he’d let Jack drag him to. There were just so many colors and cheeky signs referencing products that he didn’t know the first thing about.
He went to the lotion section first, or at least what he thought was going to be lotions, because that seemed safe. Until he realized that he was actually looking at shampoo and… What the hell was super milk?
This was his own fault really. He’d put off buying his mother a gift for her birthday until it was too late to order something online. Then he’d slacked off on going to the mall like a normal person because he’d hoped that he’d be able to talk Izzy into going with him. Safety in numbers and all that. Izzy was stubborn but usually Ed could wear him down. The mall was something that he would not budge on though.
So, Edward had braved the galleria alone. It was not as teaming with teenagers as he’d expected it to be. Apparently nobody just hung out at the mall anymore. The calendar store he’d hoped to visit was out of business and the candle shop was in the middle of moving to another location. That left Lush.
Ed was not a coward, but he was five minutes away from bolting, gift or no gift. He could pick up a gift card somewhere else. It was impersonal and boring, but it was easier than trying to decipher the “Avocado co-wash” bar.
“Brilliant, isn’t it?”
He turned to look at the man standing next to him. He was wearing one of the employee aprons with a little floral knot around his neck. He was actually very pretty with his soft, blond poof of hair and brown, doe eyes.
“What is?” He asked, hoping he didn’t look too intimidated. He was completely out of his element here, and there was no way this guy couldn’t tell.
“Shampoo and conditioner bars. Limits all that harmful plastic.” He explained, gesturing to the display right next to Ed. The stuff he’d thought were lotions were flanked by round discs he’d assumed were soap. “It’s also good for you, or at least making the switch was good for me. Less residue. I had my scalp detoxed last month and the woman told me that I had the best pores she’s ever seen on someone who’d never had the treatment done.”
It was like he was speaking another language. Part of Ed wanted to be wary, because obviously this guy was here to sell him something. That was his job, after all. However, another part was intrigued. There was something fascinating about listening to someone talk about their interests. No matter what that interest was, his curiosity always managed to get the part of him.
That’s how he ended up listening to a podcast on snakes, despite how much he hated them.
“Why would you need to detox your head?”
“It’s just called that, it’s more like an exfoliating treatment. It’s supposed to prevent your hair from thinning.” He added the last bit a bit more quietly, as if it was some secret that only another middle aged man could relate to.
Ed glanced at the shampoo bars and then back to the avocado thing he’d be looking at. “Think I could use it on my beard?”
He could tell from the man’s horrified expression that he’d made a severe miscalculation.
“The detox, not the shampoo.” He said quickly, hoping to save face. “Exfoliating and all that.”
The employee let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness. I was afraid for a moment that you might be one of those men who use a three-in-one on their whole body.” He chuckled as if he hadn’t just read him perfectly. “Your beard is too good looking for that though.”
“Coconut oil. It does wonders.”
“Oh, a fellow oil enthusiast!” He said happily, before leaning in conspiratorially and whispering, “don’t tell anyone, I actually buy my oils from a competitor.”
Edward nodded. Who the hell was he going to tell? The twink behind the counter was too busy texting, not that he was likely to care about his corporate overlords.
“Anyway, do you have any questions? Looking for anything in particular?”
“I actually need to buy a gift. I’m a bit out of my depth here.”
Truth be told, Ed didn’t do a lot of pampering. He used oil on his beard and hair, but he considered that basic grooming. He knew what bubble bath was but bath and shower bombs, dusting powders, and body masks were over his head.
“Someone special?” he was smiling but his voice sounded disappointed.
“My mom. I’m single.”
Fuck. What a stupid thing to say, there was no way this guy-
The salesman’s smile widened, “really? You?”
Edward shrugged. Jack was a long term friend with benefits, but neither of them were serious about each other. They could hardly even be called friends anymore if he was being honest. They’d both outgrown each other, would have drifted apart completely if not for the occasional hook ups. It wasn’t the best sex, but it was easy and comfortable. They didn’t have to try anymore.
“You must have very high standards. A handsome man like you must have dozens of suiters lined up.”
Edward had zero standards, but he kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want the attractive Lush guy thinking that he was only single because he was serial killer or something. The man didn’t need Ed trauma dumping on him all of the things that kept him from getting too close to anyone.
“You’re pretty handsome yourself,” he said instead, causing the blond to blush a little. He watched the tint of pink spread all the way down to the fabric around his neck, wondered how far down it could spread.
“Oh, thank you.” He said, brows rising with surprise. How did he not know?
“I’m Ed, by the way.”
“Stede. So… what types of scents does your mother like?”
He thought about it for a moment, trying to remember what types of perfumes she’d used growing up. Most of his childhood was a bit of a blur until after his dad… After. He vaguely remembered walking home with her after work, picking flowers together. She put them in a vase. He remembered daisies and foxglove surrounded by shattered glass.
“Flowers. She liked flowers.” He answered, not letting himself dwell on the past.
“Wonderful. Now, usually for gifts I recommend bath bombs and maybe a hand lotion. Everyone can appreciate that.”
“What is a bath bomb?” He asked nervously. The balls were the front and center of the store, coming in here without knowing what they were was probably a huge faux pas but Stede seemed more than happy to explain them.
“Oh, they’re wonderful. You just drop one into your bath tub and they fizz up. They smell wonderful, it’s like a little aroma therapy session, and it dyes the water a nice color.” He gushed, plucking one from a huge bin labeled ‘Sleepy’ and offering it to Ed to smell. It was shaped like a cloud and smelled like lavender and something sweet. “This is one of our best sellers, it’s super relaxing. I also recommend Goddess, which is jasmine and rose. It’s also sparkly which is just fab.”
“Yeah. Fab.” He agreed, leaning over to breathe in the rich, floral smell. It was delicious. His mom would probably love it. “Which is your favorite?”
“Oh, I’m quite fond of Sex Bomb, personally, though that’s probably not something you want to buy your mum. Unicorn Poop is a close second favorite. It’s a little fruity.”
“We’re all a little fruity.” The boy at the counter sighed, making Stede turn bright red.
“You have any hand cream with that yummy lavender stuff?” Ed asked, brushing the comment aside before things became awkward.
“Oh, yes. We actually have a lotion in the same scent as Sleepy! Let me go get it for you.” He strolled off toward a shelf of tubs, hips distracting Ed from investigating either of the bath bombs he’d been recommended. Stede was wearing a black pair of leggings under his apron, visible only from behind. They left very little to the imagination.
Calm down. You’ve seen legs before, he reminded himself, trying to refocus on his mission: buying a gift. That’s what he was here for. Not to ogle people just trying to do their job. He was only being nice to Ed because it was his job.
He reminded himself of that as Stede returned and rubbed the sweet, lavender lotion into his skin. He hadn’t expected this to be a hands-on sort of thing.
“You know, this will be good as a gift, but you should really try one of our specialized hand creams. Your hands are so rough.” Stede told him as he worked the lotion in, his eyes never leaving Edward’s face.
“I wear gloves at work.” He explained, knowing that it was a pretty weak excuse. The tattooed outsides of his hands were soft, well taken care of, he just didn’t pay as much attention to the insides.
Stede hummed, his thumbs rubbing circles into each of Ed’s knuckles. “Where do you work?”
“Blackbeard’s.” The nickname had been more fitting when his beard was actually black, it was a wonder that people could make the connection between them at all.
“Oh. I’ve heard of him. Congrats.” Stede said, no idea that Ed himself was Blackbeard. That was actually refreshing. “Anyway, how do you like it?”
“It feels amazing.” He sighed, glancing down at their hands. Ed touched a lot of people at work but it wasn’t this intimidate. Was it normal for Stede to touch customers this much? “You could give massages for a living.”
Stede’s hands were surprisingly strong, despite how soft and dainty they seemed. His nails were well manicured and he was wearing several, glimmering rings. His fingers pressed in all of the right spots with just the right touch. Ed’s hands were always a little stiff after work, he wondered if it would be weird to start coming here once a week just for this.
Again, he reminded himself that this was just Stede’s job.
“You know, we actually have massage bars here. We aren’t supposed to demo them on customers, but I wouldn’t mind making an exception for you.”
Okay, so maybe there was something more to it than just work.
“Sorry, that was probably too forward.” Stede apologized, releasing his hand. Edward didn’t withdraw though, he let his palm linger there.
“No, it’s fine. I appreciate it, I just can’t stay long. I still need to wrap whatever I get and then-“
“We can do that!” Stede volunteered, his smile infectious. “Here, you just go ahead and grab what you want and I’ll get everything ready up front.”
“Sure.” He agreed, watching the man flit around the store excitedly. Ed collected the flowery bombs that Stede had suggested, as well as a couple that just looked pretty.
Stede’s coworker rang him up while he arranged everything into a small gift box which he then placed into a shopping bag, which seemed a bit excessive… He made sure that Ed caught his eye as he slipped something else into the bag, giving him a quick wink before sliding it across the counter.
“I saw that,” he heard the younger man whisper as he left. He didn’t have time to catch Stede’s reply. A quick glance at his phone showed that he was going to be late unless he broke several traffic laws. Well, more traffic laws than usual.
He managed to wait until he was in the parking lot to see what Stede had smuggled him. Wrapped in the bandana that he’d worn around his neck was a tub of beard wash, what he assumed was the ‘massage bar,’ and a trio of bath bombs – including the one he’d referred to as Sex Bomb.
He tied the silk-soft bandana around his neck, unable to contain his excitement as he swapped out the Lush bag with the helmet in his backpack.
Rush hour was in full effect, just as he’d feared, so he took a shortcut on the access road. The speed limits were lower and he had to deal with half a dozen stop lights but it was worth it to avoid sitting idle on the highway for an hour.
It was at one of these red lights that a truck behind him honked. Ed gritted his teeth and ignored it, there was nothing he could do without running into oncoming traffic. Usually the aggressive city drivers annoyed him, but the bandana still smelled like the lotion Stede had rubbed into Ed’s hands. It was calming in a way that he hadn’t anticipated. Maybe there was something to that ‘aroma therapy’ thing Stede mentioned.
Lavender was quickly becoming his favorite scent.
“Sorry I’m-” Ed’s mother embraced him before he could even finish his apology.
“I’m just happy to see you.” She said, taking a step back to look at him. The wrinkles about her eyes crinkled as she smiled, her whole face lighting up in a way he’d never seen in his youth. “I missed you.”
“It’s only been a week.”
“A week! That’s practically forever.” She exaggerated, “I used to miss you as soon as your school bus left.”
He held up the box, raising his brow in question. “Where do you want this?”
“That better not be for me.”
“It’s not, it’s for Fang’s dog.” He deadpanned.
“Good, I was starting to worry about your memory. Your father was the lush, not me.” She joked darkly, taking the box from him. “I’ll put it with the others. Your crew is trying to spoil me.”
“You deserve it.”
She waved him off, but it was the truth. Things hadn’t always been easy between them, even after, but it was out of love. When he told her that he was going to be an artist, she’d pushed him toward academics instead. That changed about a month into his tattoo apprenticeship when she saw how happy it made him.
He wouldn’t have finished that apprenticeship without her support. The shop itself wouldn’t exist without her. She was the one who encouraged him to open it, going as far as to lend him her life’s savings. He’d paid her back with interest, but he’d never be able to give her back the long hours she’d spent working to keep them both afloat during that first year. Even now, she spent at least one day a week helping out at the shop.
Blackbeard’s crew was scattered about the apartment, intermingled with his mother’s friends and neighbors. Izzy gave him a shy wave, his eyes begging for Ed to rescue him from the conversation he was trapped in. He would have, but after being stood up for a shopping trip, Ed was feeling a little petty. Instead of interrupting, he passed his friend with a smirk on his way to sit on the arm of the couch next to Fang.
“Is that from Lush?” He asked, pointing at the fabric knotted around his throat. Ed nodded. “I love that store.”
“You just like having a younger guy flirt with you.” Ivan teased, plopping down beside him, handing over a beer opener he’d apparently been searching for.
“Oh, I didn’t realize he did that with everyone.” Ed fiddled with the patterned bandana. He should have known Stede was just trying to increase sales, not because he’d taken any real interest in him. There wasn’t much to be interested in anyway.
“Hey, don’t feel too sad. He means every compliment.” Fang attempted to reassure him. Edward ducked his head so that he could get a waft of the lavender. It made him feel a little better.
“He’s nice but he has awful taste.” Ivan said quietly, “he’s dating the asshole who broke my nose.”
Ed frowned, realizing just how much of an act Stede had put on. He’d been so adorable, lighting up when he found out Ed was single and then blushing when he complimented him. Then the massage offer and the extra gifts. Ed had really thought there might be something there.
Just his luck really. The one person to take interest in Edward Teach, the man and not Blackbeard the artist, was just faking it. Stede was in a relationship with some jerk and they were probably going to laugh at him tonight at the leather bar where said jerk broke Ivan’s nose.
“I fucking hate you.” Izzy grumbled, sitting on the floor in front of the couch. “I had to hear all about your auntie’s inverted nipples. She wanted to know if piercings can really fix them.”
“Not my real aunt.” Edward pointed out, happy for the momentary distraction.
He made a face. “That makes it worse.”
“Dude, you see nipples every day.” Ivan teased. “We do nipple consultations all the time.”
“Fuck off, that was no consultation. She was flirting with me.” He complained, stealing Ivan’s beer right out of his hand. He could move fast when he really wanted to.
“Leave it,” Fang warned before Ivan could say anything. The older man handled him his own bottle, “I think he needs it.”
Izzy was possibly the biggest prude that Ed had ever met. Why he decided to expand from tattoos to body piercings, Ed had no idea. He had zero bedside manner but he had a little script that he went through with clients, explaining what he was doing.
The few times that Ed had been on the sharp end of one of Izzy’s needles, he’d been surprised by how reassuring the steady narration had been. It felt like he had a small bit of control over the whole ordeal.
“You should stab me later.” He said, wistfully. He was feeling impulsive and it was either get a new piercing or get wasted with Jack. Honestly, he wasn’t really in the mood for the eventual drunken hook up that usually followed hanging out with Jack so piercing it was!
“Depends on what you want.”
Ed considered it for a moment, fingers brushing over his ears. He had a couple open spaces but none of them felt extreme enough. “You could redo my eye brow?”
“Hasn’t that rejected twice already?” Ivan teased as Izzy stood up to inspect the scar tissue.
“Third time’s the charm.”
Iz leaned in so that he could get a good look at it, his face mere inches away from Ed’s. “I’ll do it if you do all the prep work first.”
“Well shit, Iz, not even gonna prep me. Rude.”
“Fuck off,” he muttered. “And lose the scarf, it makes you look like a girl.”
His mom looked pleasantly surprised by the bath bombs. Apparently she was a fan for years and just never mentioned them.
“You should try them out some time.” She told him over cake. “Self-care is for everyone.”
“I will. The guy at the counter gave me some freebies.” He twisted the cloth at his neck.
She reached out to stroke the fabric, smiling at it. “Not your usual style.”
“Maybe I’m trying something new.” Ed shrugged. It was silly, he should probably get rid of it like Izzy suggested. It wasn’t like Stede cared, he probably gave these little wraps out like candy.
“Well, I think it looks great. A pop of color really suits you.”
Ed kept the bandana after all. It was a good back up if he lost his hair tie, couldn’t do a tat if his hair was in his face. It annoyed that hell out of Izzy, who felt that it ruined the ‘hardcore’ aesthetic of the shop, but to be honest that was just another plus.
Before he went to sleep at night, he tied the wrap around the lavender massage bar so that it would keep the scent during the day. It was relaxing, a little piece of comfort that he could carry around and breathe in whenever he got overwhelmed.
The bar worked wonders on his tattoos, it left them looking bold and vibrant. The beard wash was also a game changer. Edward had no idea how he’d gone so long just using a three-in-one wash for his whole body. He managed to save the last bath bomb until after a particularly stressful day at work. Once they were gone, they were gone.
Ed wasn’t sure he could handle going back and the longer he waited, the weirder it felt. Sure, Stede probably wouldn’t recognize him. He flirted with lots of people, there’s no way that Ed would stand out. Somehow, he felt that not being recognized would hurt even more.
It had been two weeks when Stede forced himself back into Ed’s life.
Edward reread his schedule but the name did not vanish: Stede Bonnet – Consultation.
“Iz, switch clients with me.” He said, comparing their list of clients on the laptop. Izzy had a piercing appointment scheduled just before Stede was meant to arrive. “I’ll take your six thirty piercing.”
Izzy looked over his shoulder, and sighed, “no can do. I took that call yesterday, he requested you by name.”
He frowned at the screen but there wasn’t much he could do. He would just have to play it cool, it wasn’t like he’d stood Stede up. It wasn’t like he’d promised to come back to the store. Sure, he kept the bandana but that didn’t mean anything, he could take it off but even if he didn’t, what would Stede care?
He kept his calm as he sketched, waiting for the shop to open. His first client was a regular, John, just getting a touch up to the faded stars on his brow and then a memorial to his mum. It went by in a blur, John didn’t seem to mind that he was more quiet than usual. His employees seemed uneasy about it though, Ivan and Fang staying out of his way. Izzy never did know how to read between the lines, or perhaps he felt it was his job to antagonize Ed.
“Is it that man?” Izzy asked, while Ed disposed of his needles. “Who is he?”
“No one.”
Izzy decided that didn’t like Stede, despite not knowing him. He grumbled about him for the next hour while Ed worked on a sketch for someone he was inking tomorrow, putting on the finishing touches. Stede arrived early, because of course he did. Izzy was shut away by then, putting a needle through someone’s navel.
“Oh. Hello,” Stede bit his lip shyly, glancing around.
“Hi, Stede.” Ed smiled at him, a genuine grin. He couldn’t help it, just seeing Stede again was doing something to his brain. “Nice to see you again. My desk is this way.” He pointed with his thumb to his work station.
“I’m actually here for Blackbeard.”
“I’m Blackbeard.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry,” he said, eyes going wide, “I must look like such a creep! I didn’t mean to bother you here. I really-“
“It’s fine,” Ed interrupted him, feeling just as awkward. Stede had requested Blackbeard, of course he had. He pulled at the material around his neck, the other man’s eyes tracking the movement.
“You kept it?” He asked, licking his lips.
Edward nodded, “it’s a good hair wrap. Come on, let’s have a seat.”
Stede followed him, scooting the guest chair even closer to Ed as he looked through his reference book. “I’ve always wanted something nautical. An anchor or a ship. Something like that.”
“Why now?” Ed asked, helping him find a few ocean themed flash sheets.
“My ex told me that I’d look like an ass if I got one, since I’m not a sailor. Ah, this helm is lovely.” He traced the wheel, his fingers sliding over the laminated paper. “Anyway, divorce just got finalized, figured it would be a nice celebration.”
Ed tried not to think too much about the words ‘ex’ and ‘divorce.’ He couldn’t get his hopes up, after all Stede was still a flirt.
“Congratulations, I think?”
“Thanks. Do you think you could do a ship with a lighthouse?”
Ed nodded, already starting to sketch up a composition. The ship was at a two-thirds angle, the rays of a lighthouse behind it. A wave was attempting to turn it over, giving it movement.
“Could you add maybe a sea monster? That would be cool.”
It didn’t seem like Stede’s style, then again it wasn’t like Ed really knew his style. He erased the sharpness of the wave, made it softer. He drew a twisting tentacle wrapping around the mass, glancing up to see if Stede would change his mind.
“Oh, that’s nice.” He was beaming, “I was afraid it might look too dark but you’ve drawn it so gracefully.”
Ed felt his cheeks warm, hoped that Stede would be too distracted by the long strokes of his pencil to notice. If he did, he didn’t say anything. Just watched Ed draw until he presented the rough outline.
“It’s lovely. Will you really be okay doing it on me?”
“Sure. Why not?” Ed asked, worried that he’d missed something.
“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. At the store.” Stede gave him a rueful smile, regret in his eyes.
“Don’t worry about it. Lots of salesmen flirt with their customers, I’m not going to make it weird.” Their time was starting to run out, another customer would be arriving soon and he would be free from the strange ache in the pit of his stomach. Liberated from the longing that Stede inspired in him.
“I- I wasn’t trying to play you. Is that why you didn’t call?”
Ed gave him a confused look, his brows drawing up. “What do you mean?”
“I, um, left my number on your receipt.” Stede was turned red, the blush creeping down his neck. This time there was no cloth to hide it.
“Oh.” He said simply. “Really? Me?”
He ran a hand through his short, blond waves. “Of course, you’re very dashing.”
“I didn’t think… My coworkers said you’re a flirt.” Ed set down his pencil, realizing that he’d been tapping the end of it. The faint drumming of his eraser echoing his heart-beat, the same rhythm of a traditional tattoo. It was the sound of mallet on comb, not the buzz of modern machinery, that had been the soundtrack to his falling in love with tattooing. Perhaps he was falling again.
Stede snorted, “hardly! That’s Lucius, not me.”
Ed glanced over to Fang and Ivan, neither of them paying Stede any attention. “Your boyfriend didn’t punch Ivan?”
“No boyfriend,” Stede confirmed. “I haven’t dated anyone since… ever. Arranged marriage.”
“Oh.”
“Mary definitely didn’t punch anyone.”
“I am an idiot.” Ed admitted with a laugh. “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to blow you off.”
“It’s quite alright, the little note I left you was really cheesy. You wouldn’t have wanted to call me anyway.” He smiled, small dimples appearing on his cheeks. It was adorable.
Ed shook his head, “after that hand rub? I don’t think there’s anything you could have written that would have made me toss out your number.”
“May I?” Stede offered up one of his hands. Edward placed his hand into his palm. The light massage eased his tense joints, warding off the strain of drawing and tattooing all day.
Ed hummed contently, “fuck, you’re really good at that.”
“Does that mean you’ll give me a second chance?”
There was nothing Edward wanted more.
He dug through his motorcycle’s saddlebag, collecting any and all scraps of paper until he found what he was looking for. The Lush receipt.
You wear fine scents well.
It was adorable.