The Tattoo Guy Christmas Edition

Christmas Edition Part 2

*A/N: Merry Christmas guys! I hope you had a great day (well one better than mine- oh don't you just love family feuds!) Hope to hear from you all (in some aspects) in the new year!

Part 2

Age 23

“Are you sure you’re warm enough?” I ask Ivy for the tenth time, she had been complaining for feeling sick with a runny nose and I didn’t want her to get any more ill for Christmas, I mean it was probably the first Christmas she would remember and I was glad we could do it as a family for the first time.

As I pull another jumper on Ivy’s already layered body I hear a soft chuckle in my ear and heat flush against my side. “If she was any warmer she would be the equivalent to the turkey on thanks giving.” I snap my head up at Frank who uses the opportunity to poke his tongue out at me in response to my frown and slips by me from the kitchen to the living room.

“Daddy I just wanna open my pressies!” Ivy jumps excitedly tugging on my jumper and her big doe eyes flutter up at me innocently as she pulls me to follow Frank.

“Baby girl, I told you we don’t open presents until...”

“Until we put the stawr up the twree.” She huffs but beams when I get the black star covered in red glitter to go on the top of our red and black Christmas tree.

I hand the star to Frank who is new to this, his first year with us, one of many I hope. He’s now part of our tradition, we don’t open presents until the star is on the tree and the tree is complete.

“Up we go.” I chuckle as I pick up Ivy and bounce her on my hip a little so she’s comfortable and she can reach up. As she places the star on the tree Frankie and I cheer and give Ivy a kiss on the cheek.

“Pressies!” she cries as I place her down tickling her sides and watching her run under the tree as Frank and I snuggle up on the leather couch.

This year we had brought her a present together and put the rest as from ‘Santa’, we watch with delight as she brings out the biggest one labelled ‘To our little girl, merry Christmas from Daddy and Frank xxx’

She squeals as we read it to her and instantly tears away the paper from the box we had wrapped it in. Through the clear plastic sits a purple and blue unicorn, the one she had been staring dreamily at but didn’t ask for.

“Daddy! Uoook! Uoook! It’s a une-i-corn! Luuv you uni-i-corn!” she cries out as she hugs the soft fluffy toy after we take the box away from it, her soft chubby cheek disappears in the fur. Then she jumps up to snuggle between Frank and I, slinging her arms around both of our necks and giving us warm hugs and kisses. “Thank you daddy Frankie.” She says sweetly and my heart leaps in my chest- I still can’t get over how perfect it feels when she calls him that, it’s like we are finally a family. “Thank you daddy.” Before giving us one final hug and wiggle of excitement.

“Go open the ones from Santa, I’m gonna give your dad his present now.” Frank tells her softly and she eagerly goes to the tree getting herself lost under the branches.

This was the moment I was nervous for. The moment I had dreaded, at first I had no idea what to do when faced with the task of a Christmas present for the guy I loved, for the man I had been dating a year. Ivy I had mastered over the years, but this year I was stuck and I just couldn’t think of anything I could get him… apart from a guitar, but in the end I got the idea from Ivy. We had lay in bed one day and I had given her my eyeliner, she had begun to draw all over the pure skin of my chest, and in that moment I realised if I couldn’t give myself over to Frank though needles I could give him the privilege of having his very own drawing board.

“Merry Christmas, My Gee.” He says as he gently places a rectangle package in my hands in place of his own present, my cheeks flush a soft pink and I bite my lip. My Gee. The sound of his voice makes my stomach flutter with hope and lust.

 I watch as he opens his first, looking at me confused at first. “I thought if I can’t face the pain of a needle I can face the tickle of a sharpie. Tonight I am your paper. I am your piece of art.” I whisper to him before he beams a smile and presses a soft kiss to my lips. When we pull away I see the look of excitement found in a little boy as he leans in to press his next words against my neck before I am left to open his present. “I can’t wait my little canvas.”

With slightly shaky fingers I start to peel away at the corners of the paper till I am faced with something I didn’t know existed.

“Is this?” I ask, a small gasp escapes me as I look down at the familiar heart sketch with a dagger pierced through the centre, it was still perfectly preserved but not encased in a black metal edged picture frame. My fingers tracing over the glass, I could still feel the soft sketch book paper under my fingertips, the pressure of the pen and pencil as I drew and the way his eyes gazed into the side of my face as I drew.

“I knew I couldn’t give you my actual heart- you already have it- so I gave you the next best thing.” He awkwardly scratches the back of his neck, and I feel a tear begin to form in the corner of my eye.

“I can’t believe you kept it.” I choke on my words and before I let the tears overcome me, he cradles my face in his hands, rubbing his thumbs over my cheeks and his coffee coloured eyes meet my own.

“It was the only piece of you I ever had. Until now.” he whispers as his hands move to the back of my neck pulling me to him so our foreheads rest.

“It’s perfect.” I gasp and with an overwhelming emotional need to be connected I kiss him, with all my strength, his warm lips mesh to mine with passion. Not lust or desire, but pure compassion and devotion that I feel, it hurts in my chest to breathe and I feel sick but I know it’s just a part of falling in love. Being so filled with emotion you don’t know what to do, you don’t know what it is that makes you feel this way and for a split second you just want it to end so the pain can be over. They have always said falling in love will kill you- this is my funeral- Frank’s arms are my casket.