Welcome to Lost Boys Ink

Push me away and Pull me closer

This time, Pete is not waiting for Patrick to come by the store, he is decidedly not waiting. Instead he busies himself with work - finishing a couple of new designs he needs for upcoming appointments - and stays hidden in the small workroom.

That's where he still is when Patrick gets there.

"Knock knock."

Pete looks up, surprised by the intrusion, because he hadn't noticed how the time flew by. Somehow his diversionary tactic worked better than expected.

"Sorry, come in, I hadn't noticed how late it is." He motions for Patrick to come closer, remembering almost too late that he's not wearing any gloves and hastily ducks to grab a pair from where the hidden box under the table before he starts packing away the stray designs cluttering the surface.

"Give me a minute to pack this stuff up." He's nervous, but it's not like before. Pete feels more like Patrick is now judging his every move. It's unsettling.

"Don't worry, I've got time. I... brought you a coffee." Patrick says and places a cup in front of Pete. He recognizes the cup, it's from his favorite coffee place – so far off his way to work that most days he can't make it - and when he picks it up to take a whiff it smells like caramel, his favorite.

"Joe told me. I asked him, because I felt really bad, after last time. Look, I'm sorry if what I said last time went too far."

Patrick is fumbling with the sleeves of his shirt, pulling it over his hands in a nervous motion. It looks adorable.

"Just... I'm not a fan of this whole soulmate thing and when you said that it didn't work out for you... But I'm sorry if I went too far and I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you and this is my peace offering."

Pete looks at Patrick, with his open face and his eyes wide, honest and not hiding anything. It makes it hard not to like him. He turns the cup around in his hand.

"Just so you know, bribery is frowned upon." Pete says, but takes a sip from the cup none the less and sighs happily when the taste hits his tongue. He just loves coffee, that would be his greatest weakness.

"As long as it works, I can live with the judgment."

"I don't have to like you, to remove your tattoo, you know that, right?"

"Well yeah... but I think it would be much nicer to not sit in silence for hours. Besides, you're still working with an actual laser on my body. I want to make sure I'm not ending up with a dick on my skin."

There's a moment of silence where Patrick may be waiting for Pete to laugh at his joke, but then he doesn't.

"Does it work?" There's a small smile on Patrick's lips, just one corner of his mouth turned up. Adorable. Maybe coffee isn't Pete's greatest weakness.

"I guess." Pete takes another sip.

"Great. Then I'll let you clean this up and then we can start."

Great, Pete thinks, not really smiling back at Patrick as he packs away the last of the designs. Patrick sits himself down by the table, rolling up his shirtsleeve as he does so. Without looking at his arm too closely Pete can see that the ink faded better than expected. He did a good job last time.

As he cleans the skin and starts up the laserpen, neither of them talks, but it's not awkward like last time. Pete takes a last sip from his coffee before puts it to the side.

"Just for the record," he says, not looking at Patrick, "I'm not mad about my tattoos and I don't regret them." He's not sure why he picks that topic up again, but he feels like he just has to say this.

"The tattoos are as much about me as they are about him. That was the idea behind it."

As he speaks he moves the pen over Patrick's tattoo, his hand gently holding the skin tight. Patrick is just sitting still and waits for him to go on.

"I took something from him, something I had nothing to do with, and combined it with something I love, something that's about me. In the end I created an us. And that's what I think it's all about."

Somehow it feels like he just poured his heart. That's what he always wanted his soulmate to know and even though Patrick doesn't know that, Pete does.

"When you say it like this it sounds really nice."

Pete looks up, surprised. Patrick is intently staring at his own arm, almost mesmerized.

"It does, doesn't it?"

"Yeah."

Pete looks back down and keeps on working. Another session, maybe, then Patrick will be free of him. He's trying not to thinks too much about it as he traces the 't' and 'z'. He can trace the letters easily in his own hand-writing.

"So, Ace is an interesting name."

Pete smiles without looking up, still concentrating on the task at hand. "Is that so?"

"Yeah. What does it mean?"

It's actually one of Pete's favorite topics, because it's another thing he really loves.

"It's a Peter Pan reference."

Patrick makes a little 'hmpf' sound, but doesn't say anything else.

"I don't get it." Almost no one ever does.

"Peter Pan and the lost boys? Lost Boys Ink?" Pete talks while he moves the laserpen across Patrick's skin, re-starting the process with the 'p' and 'e' of his first name.

"In the movie adaption Ace was one of the lost boys and the actor is actually from Chicago. I love that story, so I thought it was fitting. I even..." Pete stops himself before he can tell Patrick about the tattoo between his fingers that show the directions to Neverland. He would have to take his gloves off.

"You what?"

"Oh... Nothing. Forget it."

"So, Pete Pan. Who would have thought the tough looking guy with all the tattoos has a soft spot for children's literature."

"I see. So we are paste the point where you're nice to the guy that's holding a laser to your skin, bold move."

They both have to laugh after that, Patrick's laughter more infectious than Pete likes to admit. It looks like he's really trying hard not to shake his whole body. Afterwards they fall into easy conversation, jokes and smiles included. Pete is surprised how easy it comes now. Patrick talks about what he does – he's working as a producer at a small label – and Pete just shares crazy tattoo stories. They don't talk about soulmates again.

"So, another session and we should be done." Pete finally says, again spraying a disinfectant on Patrick's irritated skin and wrapping plastic wrap over it.

"Great, I'll make an appointment with Joe and then I'll see you next time."

They shake hands – Pete wants to think that Patrick lingered a little longer than necessary but that was probably just wishful thinking - and when Patrick leaves this time Pete is feeling pretty good. He wonders how long that will last.

But it's just one more session, Pete reminds himself.