"It's perfect." Evan sighed as he stood shirtless in the tattoo parlor looking at his back in the mirror. It was only the outline that the guy had placed on his skin, but he couldn't wait. It would fit between his shoulder blades. Jonathan had warned him it would hurt, but his mind would adjust and the pain would start to ease off after a while.
"Are you ready?" Jonathan asked and Evan nodded as he laid himself down face first on the cushion. He looked up as Jonathan pulled up a chair in front of him and nodded at the artist. Evan heard the needle buzzing and his heart started pumping faster. He looked up and Jonathan held his hands out.
Evan took them without question, curling his fingers over Jonathan's, then he took a deep breath. He felt it pierce his skin and he squeezed.
"Mhm. That does not feel nice." Evan huffed a laugh. He turned his head to the side and closed his eyes.
"It gets better." Jonathan squeezed his hands. "I promise."
Evan nodded and he let his thoughts drift off as he lay there, feeling soft fingers rubbing circles on his hands. Evan may or may not have drifted off into a light sleep or a daze perhaps.
It felt like an eternity but it only lasted about an hour, but what made him look up was the fact that Jonathan's hands weren't holding his anymore. His gut tightened at the loss and he cursed himself mentally for wanting them back so bad. He glanced around the parlor and found Jonathan on the other side sitting in a chair getting the most glorious thing he'd ever seen tattooed on his chest. It spanned from collar bone to collar bone and was centered in the middle of his chest. It looked like a bird with it's wings stretched out, in flight. But it was the colors that were so beautiful, the feathers were shaded in hues of teal blue and sea foam green, with hints of a deep blue and purple. It was magnificent and he couldn't stop staring.
"Alright, man. You're done." The guy, Charlie, gave him a pat on the back and Evan pushed himself up from the chair, he had lines from the leather across his body when he looked in the mirror. He turned and a smile stretched across his face. It was perfect and it made him even happier knowing that Jonathan was the one who made it.
Evan shook Charlie's hand, "I appreciate it. It's fucking perfect."
"No problem. Come back and get another one sometime." Charlie grinned at him. "Your friend over there is quite the artist. Best designs I've seen handmade in a while."
Evan let his eyes find Jonathan and he was already looking his way, "Yeah, he's pretty amazing."
He sat with Jonathan for another hour until his tattoo was complete, then he took them to a restaurant that didn't mind if they were shirtless.
"Dude, everyone is checking you out." They were sitting outside of a small Mexican restaurant, the breeze was just right and the sun was warm. Jonathan looked up and around as he dipped his chip in more cheese sauce. Evan was right, mostly girls had their eyes on him but there were a few guys eyeing his tattoo. But he wasn't the only one they were looking at. He could feel their eyes on Evan and he felt the sting of jealousy.
"Not just me they're looking at." Jonathan said and grinned at him. "You're hot too, you know."
"So you admit that you're hot, finally?" Evan nudged his foot under the table and Jonathan took a sip of his drink.
