Welcome to Lost Boys Ink

Want a free ticket to leave me behind?

On monday morning, when Pete gets to the shop – already late because he overslept – he still hasn't made up his mind.

Pete spent his day off on sunday thinking about it. When he got home the day before - he closed up immediately after Patrick left - he tried to think it through rationally. But there was no way he could, it just hit too close to home. He told Joe and the conversation went as he already expected. Joe had been adamant that he should tell Patrick. But Pete had already spend a good amount of time thinking about all the horrible outcomes.

From disgust and hate to indifference. In Pete's mind this could not end well, even though Patrick seemed really nice. But a part of him still wants the chance of... something. Pete doesn't expect a big cliché movie-like ending, but something. Anything.

While he's distracting himself at work – acutally waiting for Patrick to show up - his mind is still racing. He's nervous and can barely contain himself. The coffee he had earlier is not helping right now, making him feel even more on edge. He restocks all their supplies and arranges their cabinets. Pete thinks he might be driving Joe mad with all his fiddling. He is pacing through the shop, mumbling either 'I'm gonna tell him' or 'No, no you can't, idiot'. Joe has stopped responding a while ago, but keeps glancing at Pete when he thinks Pete can't see it.

Whenever the door opens and another customer comes in Pete runs to the workroom to hide, holding his breath for a few seconds until it becomes clear that it's not Patrick this time either.

But when the door opens again and it is Patrick coming in, Pete can't hide, because Joe is holding him in place.

"That's him, right?" Joe just asks, hand on Pete's arm.

"How do you know?"

They're whispering until Patrick is standing right before them, smiling first at Joe, then at Pete.

"Here I am again." Pete tugs at his gloves, checking if they're still covering his traitorous tattoo and loosens of Joes grip.

"Right. Hi. This is Joe, my buddy who's helping around here. Great tattoo artist."

Patrick shakes hands with Joe, who easily engages him into conversation. This right here is why he keeps him around. He can take over when Pete has a nervous breakdown. Pete watches them talk about this and that - Joe talking about work and Patrick listening with bright eyes, nodding here and there.

"So, you guys should talk, right?" Joe looks at him expectantly.

"Yeah, follow me." He jabs his thumbs up to point behind him and leads Patrick back to their small workroom, gesturing for him to take a seat on one of the stools.

"I have to tell you, I'm glad that I finally found someone to remove this tattoo." Patrick says, his voice laced with glee.

"Really?" Pete's stomach sinks a little at that, a little more than before.

"Yeah, ever since I was a teenager I just wanted it... gone. I heard stories about people meeting their soulmate at random – the supermarket or something. I couldn't think of anything worse. Just thinking about that guy, running around thinking he has some kind of ownership to me." Pete can actually see Patrick shuddering at the thought.

And that's when he knows he can't tell him. All the time he spend debating the pros and cons amount to nothing now. Patrick is right, Pete has no right whatsoever. And if Pete had met Patrick at random, he would have kind of ambushed him – not because he thinks Patrick owes him something, but because he would have been just so happy and excited.

"Well... congratulations," he says, the words stuck on his tongue like lead "when it's done you won't ever have to worry about this again, I won't even leave a scar."