The Art of Ink

Chapter Twenty Seven - Happy Ending?

At the Art of Ink tattoo shop, the working day was well underway. The store was open, there were clients sitting or lying in varying positions and the low steady hum of tattoo guns filled the air with a soothing sound. Mo Guan Shan was at work, but he was too engrossed with his own inner thoughts to pay much attention to what was going on around him. Shan was supposed to be manning the reception desk, but his chin was propped in his palm, his pencil was twirling and spinning through his fingers, something he only did when he was distracted.

The anticipation was literally killing him.

He Tian was coming in today to get more of his outline done, Mo thought that maybe one more sitting after this one to get the outline finished, then he could start working on his favourite part, the shading! He Tian's taught muscles under his hands for hours hmm, he had the best job ever. Hands down the best job, he sighed loudly and looked at the clock again.

Tian had decided to stop with all the subterfuge, no more late night off the books appointments, no more thrusting hand fulls of money at Mo, no more lies, just normal customer/tattooist relationship. He laughed and grinned because Tian and him would never have a normal customer relationship, theirs was something all together different.....

When the bell on the door tinkled Mo Guan Shan's head shot up like a meerkat. In slow motion three guys walked in and the whole shop stopped and looked in amazement at the free eye candy on display. The silver haired man whom he had met at the shop and of course at He Tian's apartment, he now knew was called Qiu GeGe. He was a massive slab of muscle in a tight black T-Shirt which showed off his tattoo covered biceps. Holding tight to his hand was a copy of He Tian, or He Tian was a copy of the elder brother. They were both stunning.

Lastly was his gangster. Sorry that was going to take some time to recalculate in his infatuated brain. Mo's grin was teasing as he met He Tian's dark eyes, that hot gaze pulled at him like hooks in his flesh. Tian was head to toe in a dark charcoal suit which fit him like a glove, a pale grey shirt was unbuttoned, drawing Shan's eyes to a strong throat. Shit, he needed to take a breath or his tongue was going to hang out.

"Mo Guan Shan." Tian's velvety voice washed over him.

"Hey." Why did that sound so dumb? Mo cleared his throat and lent forward over the dark oak reception desk on his forearms, today he had on a white long sleeved top, it was a little bit gauzy, just enough to hint at what lay beneath. The dark outline of his dragon tattoo was on show for the very first time. Now that his mom knew about the giant tattoo, he no longer needed to hide it any more.

"Mr Artist, I hope you will work hard today."

What the hell did that mean?

"My brother is here to get a tattoo done, something tiny, don't think he would get through anything bigger." Tian's teasing voice carried over the shop and towards his brother, who was sitting in a comfortable barbers chair at Usalev's station.

"What is he getting done?" Mo was curious, he came around from the desk and went over to stand by his boyfriend.

"Qiu's name on his wrist." He Tian lifted his arm and tapped his jacket covered wrist.

"Umm, shit for a first tattoo? It's a pretty painful area to tattoo because the skin is so thin, there is little fat or muscle, just bone and cartilage." Mo sounded concerned and rightly so, wrist tattoos were only for the brave. "Shouldn't we go over there and tell him, Usalev would stop straight away....?"

"No, that's where he wants to put it." The innocent look on He Tian's face looked bizarre, like it didn't suit him at all, he even shrugged his shoulders for good measure.