𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐨́𝐧 𝐈𝐯𝐲

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐𝟔.

Smiley's Pov
I trailed closely behind Ivy as we navigated the long, dim hallway. My gaze remained fixed on her as she hurriedly moved forward, yet I could sense her lingering nervousness. For the past two weeks, Ivy had been pleading with me to take her to the tattoo parlor I frequently visited, particularly to see an artist named Ax, and today is that day. Typically, he would come to me, but due to his busy schedule, we had to visit him instead.

The tattoos Ax had done weren't visible to the naked eye if I were fully clothed. The small ones were discreetly placed on the side of my rib cage and the inner sides of my fingers. Recently, however, I had acquired more prominent tattoos that enveloped my entire right arm in black ink, along with an additional one behind my ear, bearing Ivy's initials. Ivy was unaware of this new tattoo, and I felt no urgency to reveal it to her just yet.

Though I personally don't find getting tattoos painful, I wasn't entirely sure how Ivy would handle the needle. Despite her claims of not being nervous, her body language told a different story. She was going in completely unprepared, without any clear ideas about the placement, coloring, or design of her tattoo. We were essentially going in blind, relying solely on our vibes and spontaneity.

Finally, we arrived at an open door and walked straight in. My eyes scanned the small room before landing on Ax, the tattoo artist, who was engrossed in his music with his headphones on, completely oblivious to our presence. I stared blankly at the back of his head, then glanced down at Ivy, who was giving me a puzzled look, making me chuckle.

"Um, call his name or something,"Ivy whispered, her eyes filled with confusion.

I hummed thoughtfully before my gaze settled on a nearby desk, where a bucket of pens caught my eye. I reached out and grabbed a triple-ink pen, quickly aiming it at the wall near Ax's head. Ivy gasped loudly, dramatically slapping her hand over her mouth. Startled, Ax yanked his headphones out and spun around to see what had caused the disturbance, locking eyes with both of us.

"The fuck is your problem?" Ax said, scrunching up his face as he eyed me, but I ignored him. I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly and moved to sit down on the stool next to the bed where Ivy would get her tattoos done.

"You should've been paying attention," I said, turning my head to see Ivy standing there awkwardly, unsure of what to do as she eyed Ax. Ax wasn't your typical-looking guy; he had stretched earlobes, tattoos covering nearly his entire body, including his face, and every facial piercing imaginable. I giggled, knowing Ivy found it a bit strange, and gently grabbed her arm, pulling her in front of me to make it clear to Ax that she was the one getting the tattoos today, not me.

"This your lady?" Ax asked, raising an eyebrow as he scanned Ivy from head to toe, making her shift her weight from one leg to the other.

"Mhmm, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop looking at her like that. You already look strange enough," I said, mumbling the last part and trying hard to hold in my laughter. Ax rolled his eyes and began taking out his tattoo equipment, while I watched Ivy take a deep breath. I sighed and raised my hand to her arm, gently massaging it in an attempt to comfort her.