Too Long

Chapter 16: Take Care

Ramie pushed opened the door to the tattoo shop her Mom told her to go to and a small bell rang out into the mostly empty shop. After being gone for three months Ramie hoped her brother would be home so she could surprise him by coming back a week early, but much to Ramie's surprise, Melissa had told her Scott was out getting a tattoo. Although she felt slightly salty that her twin was getting a tattoo and she wouldn't be able to brag to him about the ones she got in Europe, she was overall just happy to see him again.

She could hear muffled voices from behind a corner in the room, where she assumed the tattoo artist and Scott were. There was another man, Ramie assumed someone who worked there, back to her looking at different tattoo designs on the wall. She only glanced at him quickly but he was fairly tall, had dark, thick hair and wore a flannel.

"Hey, I'm looking for my brother, I hope this is the right place," Ramie said as she looked around, impressed with the designs on the wall.

"Ramie?" A voice she recognized called out. Her head snapped towards the voice, realizing she actually knew the man whom she didn't recognize before.

"Stiles?" Ramie said in disbelief, a grin spreading across her face as she made eye contact with her friend whom she hadn't seen in months. His hair had grown out and was styled so it spiked up in the front, and he looked like he had grown taller and filled out a bit over the summer. "I didn't even recognize you from behind."

Stiles nearly ran forward, tackling Ramie in a hug. He picked her feet up off the ground and spun her a bit, and Ramie could hear her brother's laugh.

"I missed you," Stiles murmured into her hair as he set her down. Ramie turned to see her brother jumping off the tattoo chair to tackle her in a hug as well.

"What are you doing back? You weren't supposed to be here until next week," Scott said as he pulled away, sitting back down in the tattoo chair.

"I was coming home today all along, I just wanted to surprise you," Ramie grinned, looking between her brother and Stiles.

"I can't believe you didn't recognize me," Stiles put a hand over his heart, pretending to be hurt.

"You looked different from behind! The hair and everything," Ramie said, reaching up and brushing a hand through his hair.

"You like?" Stiles grinned, wiggling his eyebrows and turning his head slightly as if he was modeling the hairstyle. Ramie giggled and nodded. She thought the longer hair on him looked incredible. Since his hair was longer than it's previous buzzed length the dark color really showed, making his whiskey colored eyes pop. He looked older and certainly very attractive.

The tattoo artist had now sat down next to Scott and was placing the stencil on his arm. The design was simple enough, two bands wrapped around his bicep.

"Are you sure about this?" Stiles questioned, eyeing the artist as he prepped the tattoo gun and poured out some ink. "Tattoos are pretty permanent."

"That they are," Ramie grinned. "And for the record, I am the cooler twin because I got tattooed first."

Scott eyes widened and Stiles jaw dropped. Ramie pulled off the arm of the flannel she was wearing and held out her arm, showing Scott and Stiles the tattoo of flowers she had gotten on her forearm while she was away.

"They're the flowers of our birth month and Mom's," Ramie explained. "I have another one on my thigh, but you can't see it now, obviously."

Ramie pointed to her jeans as Scott broke into a grin and Stiles reached his hand towards her outstretched arm, like he wanted to touch the tattoo. Ramie nodded at him and his fingers landed on the ink, his pointer and middle fingers lightly brushing over her skin.