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“You still want to mark my skin?” I ask, and Dylan lets out a whoop as Maverick gets distracted. He rolls his eyes as he drops the controller, but still grins as he swaggers toward me.
“Princess, I always want to mark your skin.” His eyes heat as he reaches me, kissing me until my toes curl.
“Come on, love birds,” Dylan teases. “Ink first, fuckery when you’re not here.”
Indi pads out of the room, her hip wrapped.
“How you feeling, Pix?” Mav asks and she shakes her head, trying not to smile.
“I’m fine, go get your girl ready.” She sits gingerly next to Dylan who wraps an arm around her shoulders.
Mav takes my hand and pulls me back into the room with Ryker, who’s wiping down the chair.
“You sure you want to let him ink you?” Ryker asks as I take a seat, looking at Maverick skeptically. “It’s not as easy as it looks, and it’s easy to fuck up.”
Mav laughs. “Oh I know. I’m just going to do a tiny line image. You can fancy it up. But I know you get it. Would you have let anyone else tattoo Indi first?”
Ryker’s eyes darken. “Fair point.”
Maverick shows him the design we picked together, and I tune them out as Ryker walks Maverick through all his shit, way more professional about it than I would’ve imagined. I guess when something is your art, your passion, you take it seriously. It’s no different than my dad and his music. It seems easy from the outside, but the hours, the blood, sweat, and tears, those are the things that people don’t see. It’s more than just something you do, it’s like a living, breathing part of you.
“Ready, princess?” Maverick asks, looking confident as ever.
“I think so.”
Ryker prints out the design, and I lift my top, revealing my ribs. “You two sure are gluttons for punishment. Both going for two of the most painful spots for your first time. You sure you want it on your ribs?”
“I’m sure,” I say with a firm nod. “The other side still has my stitches, but this side is all good.”
He nods and places the paper against my skin, rubbing it over until the purple pen lies on my skin. The birds span across from just under my boob and around my ribs upwards with the words ‘Not all those who wander are lost.’
“Tolkien is a master of words,” Ryker says as he pulls away. “Don’t attempt the script. Just start with a bird, I’ll deal with the rest.”
Mav nods and sits on the stool beside the chair, tattoo gun in one hand, the other splayed across my ribs. He looks so intent on getting it right that I relax a little. The buzz starts up and I close my eyes, sucking in a breath as the sting across my ribs starts.
It’s a weird kind of pain. Almost not like pain at all.
Maverick hands the gun over to Ryker after a few minutes, moving to the other side of the chair and taking my hand, all while watching Ryker work.
I lose track of time, and when the buzzing stops, I let out a deep breath, admiring the artwork on my skin. “It’s beautiful, thank you.”
Indi bursts in the door, like she’s been not-so-patiently waiting, and grins when she sees my ribs.
“Stunning,” she says as she bounces over toward Ryker. “Ready for round two?”
I grin at her, shaking my head. “Why not.”
