The Art of Ink

Chapter Nine - Surprises

As soon as his boss was 'occupied' She Li tore after the tall shop owner. The man was walking fast towards the lifts, long legs eating up the distance, it was hard for She Li to keep up.

"Oi I think you dropped this." She Li shouted up in hopes of getting Da Wei Usalev's attention.

The man stopped and turned around, a brow arched when he got a look at She Li.

She Li jogged up to him and handed over the receipt which had luckily dropped out of the paper work Usalev was carrying. The fates were with him today.

Usalev nodded in thanks and held his hand out for the piece of paper.

"Hey wanna go and get a drink? I know a good bar that serves strong booze and excellent food?" She Li smiled, turning on the charm while he passed the receipt over.

"Too busy another time." Usalev's face was not disgusted, he just looked bored with the whole situation.

"Are you straight? You know what they say 'straight men are like udon noodles, they're only straight until they get wet'. Come on.....they're going to be ages in there, wanna keep me company?" She Li would normally be playing games on his phone, but the prospect of whiling away the hours with this handsome half Russian was a much better suggestion.

"Firstly I am fucking tired, going home is the only thing I am 'doing' right now." Da Wei Usalev stood close to the younger man and glared down at him. Leaning forward he whispered in the kid's ear. "Secondly I am Bi. My noodle has already been wetted by significantly more talented people than you, мальчик."

The big guy turned his back and got into the lift which appeared.

She Li stood there shocked for a few seconds, and then he grinned as a plan began to play out in his head. Drawing out his phone from his pocket he googled the word he heard from Usalev. It sounded like 'malchick' or something, a minute or two later and he had found the word: мальчик - Boy. Sounded like an endearment to him.

Time to return to the job of guarding his boss, not that he needed it, he was a tough bastard after all. This job was a bit of a moot point, but at least he didn't have to pound the baking hot streets today.

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An hour and a half later, and Mo Guan Shan was finished with the outline. It looked perfect. He was beyond happy with the way the phoenix had turned out, it clung to He Tian's left side and hip. The feathers curved down and one of the mythical bird's talons grasped the ass tightly. Mo was so jealous.

Mo had somehow managed to make it through, normally if a client wasn't the talkative sort he just zoned out. He lost himself in the ink, the sound of the tattoo machine, the needle piercing the firm flesh beneath his hand. Their flirtation had stopped only because He Tian had sort of zoned out as well, his eyes drooped and he even yawn like he was exhausted suddenly. It wasn't uncommon for some to fall asleep while he was tattooing.

"Hey I am finished." Mo wiped off the excess ink and blood and cleaned the area thoroughly. "Wanna a look?" Why was he so eager for He Tian to see it? Like he wanted to be praised more than anything in the world.

"Mm." He Tian stirred himself and rolled off the bed. "It feels as though you have been carving your name on me with a scalpel, then rubbed in some salt for good measure." Tian grumbled as he walked up to the mirror. The room had mirrors on all walls and it meant he could see Mo's work clearly.

"You're welcome." Mo laughed a little. "Thanks for being a massive distraction."

"You're welcome." He Tian grinned back at the redhead, then stopped to really look at his new tattoo. "Okay I am fucking impressed." He Tian's deep rumbling voice was laced with admiration. "You're a talent kid."