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Sunshine filters in through a stained glass window, casting the shop in an orange cozy glow that has Stede pausing before the door to bask in its warmth. Bags from earlier stores weigh heavy on his arm like an anchor preventing him from flying off, working together with the light prickling on the back of his neck to ground him in this moment.
Out of the corner of his eye, something gleams and catches his attention, and well, he wouldn’t be a very good pirate if he blatantly ignored what must be a very shiny good indeed, would he?
Following the glimmer leads Stede right next to where he had found the earring for Ed, and there lays a small golden hoop, with a tiny bunch of amethyst at the bottom that looks so fun to touch, but maybe it’s not the most polite thing to do in the store. Instantly he’s reminded of Ed; with how stunning he looks in the crop top he wears most days, as well as being the most handsome man Stede had had the joy to lay eyes on in the suit he’d worn for the French party, there’s no doubt that purple is definitely Ed’s color.
With his mind made up, Stede returns to the cashier, ignoring the weird look he gets presumably from being there minutes before, but no matter; they’re getting paid and Stede has two new earrings that are absolutely perfect.
~~
Stede enters his cabin with a flourish, not bothering to try and silence the door as it bangs open, and drops the bags on the floor none too gently in his excitement. (Nothing sounds like it shatters, so it’s all good. Probably.)
A loud thud! echoes throughout the room as a book falls off of where it had been resting on Ed’s face and lands hard, shutting close in the process. Bugger, now he lost his place! Hopefully, he wasn’t too far into the story, or at the very least could remember where he left off.
Hand on the hilt of his dagger, Ed jumps up far too fast considering how he tilts forward to the left like his knee hadn’t gotten the memo to wake up (or maybe it had, and it was still struggling even with the apparent break it had gotten- Stede would have to ask about a massage later.)
In an instant, Stede is there with an arm around his shoulder to support him and continues to let Ed put his weight on him as he settles himself back into the chair, making sure he’s comfortable before going to get the ottoman on the other side of the room (who had moved it all the way over there?) and moves it under Ed’s left leg so that he can stretch it out.
“Are you alright, my dear?” I didn’t mean to wake you,” Or hurt your knee, he wants to add, even though he knows it acts up whenever the time is right, or wrong, or when Ed decides to do this instead of that. Basically, whenever it wants.
“I’m fine, man, you just scared me is all.” The words are a bit scratchy, deeper than usual like Ed’s still half asleep which is incredibly endearing, if not a little bit hot, and Stede can feel his cheeks heating up the slightest bit.
Looking for something to lighten the mood, and to maybe make Ed laugh, Stede puts on his best pouty face that quickly turns into a shit-eating grin as he teases “I thought Blackbeard didn’t feel fear?”
Ed scoffs, and lightly pushes at Stede but he’s smiling at having his own words used against him. “Only when he’s sleeping,” he says, leaning back while closing his eyes, only to open them a second later to wink at Stede.
A few moments pass in peaceful silence when all of a sudden Stede remembers why he even came in here- the earrings!
Bursting with an enthusiasm to show Ed his findings, he only offers an “I want to show you something,” before hurrying to the door to scoop up the small paper bag, lighter than he remembers it being (although he was carrying a lot earlier) and brings it back to where they’re sitting, settling the bag on his knee once he’s comfortably situated in his chair.
Luckily, his earring is the first one he finds as he reaches in, the jewel rough on his fingertips telling him it is in fact his, which is perfect because he wants Ed’s to be a surprise. “I went to a jewelry shop today and got myself an earring!” An, as in singular, because this is a two-part surprise.
“That’s awesome, mate!” Ed looks genuinely excited, but then his head cocks to the side and he worries at his lip like he does when he’s had a realization of some sort. “How’re you planning on wearing it?”
“Hmm?”
“Well, you got an earring for yourself but last I checked you don’t have any piercings,” He pauses and then gets this look on his face that practically screams mischief. “Well, at least not on your ears.”
It’s Stede’s turn to scoff, and scoff he does, placing a palm on his chest and dramatically rolling his eyes. “Y’know damn well that I don’t have any, anywhere, Mr. “I have sparkly hoops through my nipples” Teach.”
Ed throws his head back and cackles, a deep hearty laugh that has Stede dropping his front and joining in as well. “You love them,” Ed eventually says, after he’s managed to catch his breath.
“You know I do,” Stede agrees, reaching for Ed’s hand to intertwine their fingers, and give the back of it a small kiss. “You do raise a good point though. How does one… go about being pierced?” If his voice wavers a bit then it’s fine, he knows he doesn’t always have to be strong in front of Ed, but honestly, he’s beginning to second guess himself; he’s already been pierced by swords twice, and neither were particularly fun experiences. (except the part where Ed had taken care of him afterward, those were definitely moments that Stede cherished).
“It’s pretty simple, you just gotta stick the needle all the way through and then replace it with the jewelry. Izzy did mine what seems like forever ago,” He trails off, almost like he’s waiting for Stede to fill the silence but if he does then there’s a great chance that he’s going to end up insulting his co-captain turned boyfriend’s first mate- not because Izzy did a shabby job, it looks great, but he absolutely does not trust the man to be in his vicinity with sharp objects.
No, that simply won’t do. “I’d like you to do it if you don’t mind,”
Ed’s face lights up and Stede watches with fondness as he rapidly makes fists and then relaxes his hands only to repeat it, really showing that he’s excited about this as Stede is.
“Really? Okay, give me a minute, yeah? I’ll be right back.” Ed gets up, slowly this time, and stands still for a moment to get his knee in order, and then hurries out of the cabin without giving Stede the chance to ask what he’s up to. Deciding to make the most of the moment, Stede sits back and relaxes further into the chaise; the prospect of forever having a piece of his beloved with him curling at his lips.
True to his words, Ed returns a moment later holding a red apple and a small ornate box that looks like it’s seen better days, but is still polished; obviously well taken care of, and beautiful.
“In case we get hungry?” Stede jokes, nodding towards the apple but honestly what else could it be for?
Pulling out his dagger with his right hand, Ed grins and sets down the box so that the apple has his full attention. “Not my intention but I do like how you think, mate.” A distinct crunch! sounds when Ed slices through the apple with the same blade that Stede has seen him use to run people through, although this time red is already bared and pale flesh is the one being exposed instead of the usual other way around. Ed winks as he passes the piece to him, their hands touching longer than is needed and Stede is overcome with the urge to lock his fingers between Ed’s and hold him and not let go. Perhaps that’s selfish, and they have a task to do, the one that Stede asked for, so he simply takes the offering in his mouth, biting down as sweet juices reveal themselves, sweet like his Ed.
Ed does it again, this time popping the resulting slice into his own mouth and savoring it, and then pockets his knife in a swift motion that Stede is barely able to make sense of, clearly a trick born from years of practice. Nodding towards the bed, Ed picks up the box, keeping the remaining half of the apple in his left hand, and goes to sit on the bed- back against the window with a pillow under his bad knee, a position suggesting an afternoon of lounging instead of, well, whatever’s about to go down (he’s still not really sure what is about to happen.)
Despite his reservations, Stede sits down next to him, crossing his ankle over Ed’s good leg and idly playing with one of the shark teeth sewn onto his jacket. It seems a little silly to him (even though Ed has told him many times that it’s not) but feeling the different textures on Ed’s jacket, even just running his fingers back and forth over the soft leather does wonders to calm him down.
Seeming to sense that this is in fact one of those times where Stede’s feeling a little too much, Ed takes his hand in his own, rubbing his thumb over skin that’s beginning to callous from long days of working under the unrelenting sun, a motion that’s immensely calming to the both of them. “Are you all right?” He asks, his voice soft to not overwhelm Stede.
“I’m fine,” Stede starts, giggling slightly at the look Ed gives him that suggests he doesn’t believe him for one second. “I am very excited actually, I’m just-“ He pauses, trying to come up with words to describe how he feels, which is pretty difficult even though he knows, he’s just not sure how to best articulate them. “I think it would make me feel better if you told me exactly what was going to happen? I have this weird dread about not knowing what’s going on-”
“Oh! I totally get that, and I’ll absolutely tell you what’s going on!”
Stede lets out a breath he wasn’t even aware of holding, visibly relaxing into Ed’s side as the scents of salt and Stede’s own lavender shampoo envelope him. Almost like liquid luck, it gives him the courage to breathe out a simple “thank you”.
“Thank you, for trusting me enough to ask. And also for the whole needle in your ear thing,” Together they laugh at that, and Stede practically forgets why he was so worked up in the first place.
“Ready to begin?”
“Absolutely!”
Ed beams and smooths out his pants, before patting his lap two times in quick succession. “I’d like you to put your head in my lap, with the ear you’d like pierced facing up. If that’s all right with you?” He adds on quickly, reinforcing the idea that this is for Stede and his comfort is of the utmost importance.
“That sounds great, actually,” This he has put some thought into, and he lays down facing Ed’s stomach, soft skin and leather closer to his face than ever before with his right ear up; the opposite of Ed’s own earring.
“This should go pretty quick- I’m going to place the apple behind your ear,” ah, so that’s what the apple was for, “and then I’m going to put the needle in, you’ll feel a quick jab but it shouldn’t be too bad. Next, I’ll take it out and replace it with the earring! Again, it won’t be too long but let me know if you need a break.”
Is that all? His mind settles from the explanation, and in all honesty, it seems fast and easy. “That doesn’t sound too bad. All right, let’s do this.”
A lid pops open and then shut, probably the little box that Ed had been carrying if Stede’s guess is correct, and then Ed’s hand is on the back of his neck, steadying him.
“Okay, quick jab. Take a deep breath in for me please.” Ed’s stomach rises in front of him as if setting an example, and Stede reaches up to squeeze his thigh, both the motion and the soft leather under his hand putting him even more at ease.
Taking a deep breath in, Stede complies; filling his lungs with more air than they’ve been privy to in a while. On the exhale is when Ed does it; a fast poke that feels a little like a bee sting, if not a little more intense but still way more manageable than he had been expecting.
“Is that it?” He asks, trying to stay still because even if it wasn’t bad then the thought of jostling it around is enough to make him just a bit nauseous.
“Nah, although the worst part is over.” He leans down and gives Stede a quick kiss on the forehead, the action filling him with joy. “Just have to put the earring in and you’ll be good to go!”
The needle slides out, which is definitely up there on the list of strange sensations, and leaves his ear feeling oddly warm, but it’s quickly replaced by the coolness of the gold being clasped on his ear and then Ed’s hands under his waist, helping him into a sitting position.
Stede watches as Ed opens the box balancing on a pillow that was just to the side of his head; inside is a black velvet lining that houses miniature spools of thread in all different colors, although there’s a prevalence of rich purples and burgundies, as well as a small collection of varying sizes of sewing needles, and Stede finally understands why it was important to have.
“It was my mom’s,” Ed explains, catching him looking. “One of the only things I have left of her.” The mood turns solemn, and Stede’s stricken with the image of Ed’s red fabric, wondering if he has any other keepsakes or if these are the only two. “Comes in handy when I need to stitch up some fabric or a crewmate though.” Just like that the mood is lifted, and Stede has the thought to talk it through as a crew- or probably just as the two of them- because clearly this subject is significant to Ed, but maybe now isn’t the time and he should let Ed decide when that is.
Instead, he fiddles with the earring, immensely satisfied with how smooth and cold it is under his fingertips, the amethyst at the bottom just the perfect variation of rough texture.
“You’ll want to avoid doing that for a few weeks, don’t want to get an infection.”
Ah bugger, probably best though to wait, no matter how tempting it is to play with it.
“Thank you, for this. I really appreciate it.”
“Anytime, man. It really suits you.”
They smile at each other for a moment before Stede suddenly remembers how this whole event transpired. “Wait a minute, I got you a gift!”
Hopping off the bed before Ed can ask any questions, he goes to the sitting area where the paper bag has been haphazardly knocked to the floor, Stede was so caught up earlier that he hadn’t even noticed! Hopefully, the earring isn’t fragile because it was the only one of its kind- Stede will have to be more careful next time.
To his great joy, everything seems to be intact and just as beautiful as when he’d bought it.
“Close your eyes!” Voice going high and sing-songy, and he can’t stop the grin from taking over his face as he turns over Ed’s hand to drop the earring in his palm. “Open them!”
Ed looks down, first in wonder, and then he’s smiling as well when he recognizes what it is. “It’s a snake! Just like my tattoo!” Indeed, a long silver snake in a winding formation, with turquoise eyes, and a hook to wear it where the tongue would be.
“Yes, exactly! Also, like the one we ate together!” It’s one of Stede’s most treasured memories, and now he’ll be reminded of the experience every time that Ed wears it.
Tears well up in Ed’s eyes, and Stede knows from experience that they’ll spill if he tries to talk, so he takes the earring from him- slowly, in case he might want to keep holding it- and tucks a strand of curls behind Ed’s ear before putting in the earring for him.
“It suits you,” Stede says, mirroring Ed’s comment from earlier, even though it more than suits him, he looks simply stunning with it.
“You really think so?”
Stede takes a long look at Ed; how the turquoise compliments the brown in his skin and eyes, how the silver body could be a piece of bright hair but still stands well on its own, and how it will add to the Blackbeard persona while still being undeniably his Edward. More importantly; how Ed seems to glow with happiness as he tinkers with the earring, light catching his rings as his fingers move, as well as the eyes of the snake, reflecting ruby and turquoise onto the wall that every so often join forces to make a vibrant shade of purple.
“Yeah,” Stede says, knowing deep in his heart that it’s true. “I really do.”