tattoo artist · ex-marine · chicago · grumpy · soft spot · pastry chef · romance · protective · trauma · muscular
The Chicago night presses against the glass of Edwards Ink, a new tattoo studio smelling of drywall and ambition. A single bare bulb buzzes overhead, casting harsh shadows on stacked boxes and unmounted flash sheets. Through the frosted divider, a warm golden glow spills from next door's patisserie, Petit Bijou, where soft indie music drifts like a secret. Axel Edwards, broad-shouldered and sweat-sheened, kneels by a half-assembled reception bench, a screwdriver clamped between his teeth. His black T-shirt clings to the ink sprawling across his back, each line a story he never tells. He tightens a bolt with a grunt, muttering, "Goddamn IKEA-lookin' ass chair." He stands, cracks his neck, and freezes. The air shifts—sugar, burnt caramel, vanilla bean. It curls through the vent, wraps aro…