Random OneShots

Cursed tattoos pt.1

By: ceruleanandconvalescence on Ao3

Reddie

~~~~

Richie is cursed. No, he's not being dramatic. No, it's not just his imagination. He is honest to god cursed. Courtesy of his father never being able to shut his mouth (a trait Richie knows all too well) and the witch who decided he needed to be taught a lesson.

So she attacked the only thing Wentworth seemed to care about- his son.

Richie has soulmates, but they don't have him. Not anymore. When he was 13, the curse began and his writing stopped appearing on their skin. Before that, he was so scared, he never wrote words. Just drew pictures. So his soulmates don't know anything about him. They probably think he was a fluke, or worse, dead. Richie is destined to watch them fall in love again and again and again, as he remains alone forever.

Yet, there is a cure, a way to break it. But it's tragic and ironic and makes Richie want to scream. An admission of true love. But how will he find them with a one-sided bond? How can they love him back?

The short answer is he can't and they won't and this is just another cruel reminder he will always be alone.

He spends his time avoiding the topic of soulmates and throwing himself into work. He gets a tattoo apprenticeship at age 18 and covers himself in art. This way, no one will ask about his soulmates. This way, he can pretend he's happy.

He's 21 now and instead of getting wasted, he's getting another tattoo. He learned all about his soulmates and now, wallowing in self-pity, he decides to get them marked on his skin. He loves them. He has watched them grow and learn and change. He knows how they like their coffees and their favorite animals. He knows they grew up alone and friendless and that since finding each other, they are learning to be happy. Without him.

So, he gets a tattoo. Two birds, sitting together. The birds he used to draw because one of his soulmates mentioned loving them. He used to draw three on a branch, but in the tattoo, there's only two. (He couldn't bear to strike up another reminder of what he used to have.) Unlike his other tattoos, this wasn't done to avoid suspicion. This was just for him. It sits on his ribcage, right under a poem by Denice Frohman. It reads, "You know heartbreak so well you remove all your bones so nothing can kill you." It's beautiful and heartbreaking and Richie hates he loves it as much as he does.

He's decorated a lot of his body in poetry and lines from books. This is shocking for some. People look at him and see sharp lines and crass humor, but no one sees him. No one has seen him at all since before his curse. He misses drawing for his soulmates. He misses the good mornings and good nights and the feeling of being complete. He misses being loved.

People look at him and see what they want. A tattoo artist covered in so much art, he can't read messages from his soulmates.

People whisper that he's soulless. He wishes.

He's 23 and can feel the longing in his bones. He hasn't had a relationship and doesn't plan on it. His heart belongs somewhere else. How would that be fair?

He's having a bad day. He's having a bad day when the most beautiful couple walks into the shop. (He's stuck on desk duty, as an apology to Mike for spilling ink. Just because Richie is licensed now doesn't mean he stops being the apprentice. Apparently.)

Anyways, his soulmates are writing something about meeting somewhere and on top of that he didn't sleep plus he's stuck on desk duty and even worse it's the fucking anniversary of his curse. So his day is shit. Typical. A hot couple walks in when he's at his lowest. Fucking excellent.

The couple consists of a small brown-haired boy with an angry expression, crinkling his nose as he walks in. Richie can't help but think, 'Cute.'

If the first boy is cute, his boyfriend is gorgeous. His hair is curly blond and his skin is porcelain; he looks like a painting come to life.