"I want to get a tattoo," Connor declared at breakfast one day.
Kevin looked up from his coffee at his ginger boyfriend. After a moment he put his mug down and stared at him with confusion.
"Where did that come from?" he asked.
Connor shrugged, "I dunno. I've been pondering over it for a while. Thought it'd be a good idea, getting a small one or something somewhere."
"But why though? They're kinda permanent and what not."
Connor sighed, "I knew you'd get like this! I shouldn't have told you. Forget it," Connor stood and took his bowl of fruit loop flavored milk and walked into the kitchen.
"Wait, now-" Kevin stood up and walked after him.
"Forget I said anything," Connor repeated, rinsing out the bowl in the sink.
"Connor, come on," Kevin pried.
"It was just an idea ok? I won't do it, alright? Alright."
Connor scooted past Kevin on his way to the bedroom. Kevin let out a sigh and went after him. When he walked in, the bathroom door was closed, so he proceeded to lay down on the bed and hold his boyfriend's good hoodie hostage till they talked. Connor wouldn't dare to leave the apartment without his lucky hoodie. He wore it to every rehearsal. It gave him good luck and confidence.
Few minutes later Connor emerged out of the bathroom smelling like his favorite men's bath and body works scent, dancing waters. He gave his boyfriend a look after seeing him holding his good jacket hostage. He sighed.
"Kevin…" Connor went over to the bed and flopped down on top of him.
"Connor," he mocked.
He did his best not to smile, but he failed miserably.
"Do it," Kevin handed over his boyfriend's hoodie.
"Huh?" Connor raised an eye brow at him.
"If you wanna do it, do it," Kevin sat up and wrapped his arm around Connor's shoulder, "Don't listen to me, alright?"
"Regret saying that," Connor nodded.
"Why?"
"I didn't show you what I want to get."
"O-kay?"
Connor stood up and got his laptop from the living room and walked back. He snuggled up next to his boyfriend and opened the lid. Kevin smiled a bit at his wallpaper. A collage of pictures of them from their vacation to Orlando earlier that year. Most of the pictures were of them being total dorks, but there was nothing wrong with that.
He clicked a picture on the desktop once before hitting the space bar to preview the picture. A picture of two people holding hands, on the sides of their hands below the thumbs, had two parts of a heart so when they would hold hands they'd make the full heart. Kevin looked at the picture and grew more and more confused.
"Connor, uh, hate to break it to ya but you need two people to make this work," Kevin laughed lightly.
"I know," Connor nodded.
A few seconds later, Kevin's face fell, "Wait a second…"
"That's why I said forget it…" Connor nodded slowly.
"Oh…"
"Yup," he nodded.
The two were silent, a little awkward about it. Connor shut his laptop and set it on the bed behind him and stood. He slid into his hoodie, and was quite pleased that Kevin had held it hostage for a while for it now smelled like him.
"I gotta go now or I'll be late for rehearsal," he nodded, still a bit awkward about the whole situation, "We're gonna move on with the dance sequences so the teacher kinda has to be there," he laughed lightly. He kissed Kevin's forehead, "Love you."
"Love you," he forced a small smile, "Break a leg, love."
Connor smiled a bit and grabbed his things before half running out the door before he was late. Once he heard the front door close, Kevin picked up Connor's laptop and looked over the tattoo. It was a cute idea. Simple, yet meant a lot. Connor really wanted it and obviously wanted Kevin to get it with him.
He set the laptop back down and got ready for work. His favorite thing about working in a off the wall book store was wearing all his graphic book reference tees and still being relevant to the work environment. Once he was dressed in his normal Gatsby shirt and khakis he took another glance at the computer screen before he shut it.
With a single nod, he pulled out his phone and texted Connor; Let's do it
Kevin pocketed his phone and grabbed his stuff and locked up. He was barely half way on his half mile walk to the book store when his phone went off again. After struggling to get it out of his pocket he smiled at the text on the screen.
We're doing this, no going back mister!
He smiled. Soon, there was a follow up text from Connor; BTW, ur amazing. ILY
Love you too Kevin responded back. He noticed the usage of acronyms that he was getting ready to start rehearsal and wouldn't be around for a while and was in a rush to finish his text.
The next Saturday they both had off, Connor begged that they would go then to get their adorable matching tattoo. It wasn't so much as beg but more so as Connor telling Kevin that they were going to get their tattoo that day. Connor had half expected his boyfriend to be kicking and screaming about regretting his decision, but was surprised to find he was completely ok with it.
On the car ride over, Connor looked over at Kevin and smiled. Kevin drove, Connor picked the music and vice versa. Being the theater nerd Connor was, he was in a Pippin mood and had the soundtrack on. For some reason, Kevin enjoyed the soundtrack to Connor's surprise.
"Jamming?" Connor laughed lightly.
"A little bit," he smiled.
"I knew you'd like this show!"
"I never said it wasn't," he laughed, "It has some pretty good songs, not gonna lie."
Connor smiled sweetly to him, "Are you positive you're ok with this? I mean, it is a big decision and I know your standpoints on tattoos."
"I thought a lot about it," he began, "It's a good idea really. God forbid if we to ever break up, which I don't think we are any time soon, it'll be a good idea to get it filled in and have a full heart that kinda means something. Nothing wrong with that."
"My thoughts exactly," he smiled, "But for now, we are not breaking up and we are getting half of the heart."
"Exactly," he nodded.
Kevin pulled into the parking lot of the tattoo parlor. Once parked, Connor smiled to Kevin.
"No going back," he smiled.
"I know," Kevin grinned and got out.
Connor followed in suit of Kevin and the two walked into the tattoo parlor. The sudden sound of a room full of needles buzzing at once caused Connor to cringe a little bit. He was slowly starting to regret this decision. Kevin squeezed Connor's shoulder. If he wasn't allowed to back down, neither was Connor.
"Uh-"
"You're not backing out," Kevin whispered in his ear then smiled to the receptionist at the parlor, "Hi, we have a noon appointment with Alex."
The tattooed woman smiled sweetly, "Of course," she looked down quickly and checked the book, "Ah yes, Price and McKinley, correct?"
"Yes," Kevin nodded. There was no way either of them were backing out now.
"Great, Alex is just finishing up a second part of a job and he'll be right with you two. Take a seat in the waiting room. He'll get you guys when he's done."
"Thank you," Kevin smiled and squeezed his boyfriend by the shoulders again and shoved him over to the standard waiting room chairs out front.
Once they sat down, Kevin smiled slyly to Connor, "No backing out, eh?"
"I hate you," Connor glared at him.
"Love you," he smiled.
"I'm starting to regret this."
"What's to worry about?" Kevin pulled out his phone to check his emails quick, "I'll be holding your hand through the whole thing."
"It's gonna hurt."
"I'm still holding your hand," he reassured.
"But-"
"Connor. Your idea, you're going through with it. Kay?"
"Yes," he sighed.
Kevin smiled, triumphant over his boyfriend. Soon enough, the tattoo artist walked over to the two and gestured for them to follow. On their walk over Connor looked over to Kevin.
"You know, you keep saying you'll be holding my hand," he gave him a look, "No shit we're gonna be holding hands!"
Without saying a word, Kevin simply smiled to his boyfriend. Connor shook his head in his normal "I hate you" way. The tattoo artist showed the two to his chair. There was only one swivel chair.
"Sorry about the one chair," he apologized.
"Not a problem," Connor smiled and pushed Kevin into the chair and sat on his lap, "Problem solved."
Alex smiled, "Alright, whatever you guys are more comfortable with. So, what do you two wanna get? I'm assuming you two are getting something together."
"Yeah," Connor pulled his phone out and brought up the picture and showed it to him, "We wanna get this done on our hands."
"So, one hand gets one half and the other half gets the other?"
The two nodded.
"Alright, I can do that," he nodded, "Just position your hands then and I'll get the needle. Black the choice colour?"
"Yes," the two said in unison as they interlocked their fingers together.
"Ok, so where is this going to go?"
Connor yanked their hands up and he pointed to the skin just below where their thumbs overlapped. Kevin wrapped his arm around Connor's waist. In no time at all Alex had the needle all set up and ready to go for the guys.
"It may hurt a little at first," he began, "but it'll be over before ya know it."
oOoOoOo
Kevin and Connor laid in bed that night, hands interlocked as they smiled at their tattoo. Their hands were still bright red and covered in the clear wrap to keep the tattoo safe. Connor smiled brightly.
"It went well," he nodded.
"Before or after you stopped crying?" Kevin laughed lightly.
"Somewhere in the middle," Connor nudged him a bit.
Kevin nudged him back, "Sorry, but really?"
"Oh shush. It hurt."
"It was a needle, of course it was going to hurt!" he laughed.
"Shush," Connor pouted.
"Yes, it was a good idea though," Kevin kissed his head.
"Not so much a good idea putting it on Facebook though," Connor nodded slowly.
"Yeah…" Kevin agreed, "My mother gave me hell for it."
"Same, same."
The two exchanged looks.
"Worth it," the said in unison.
Connor yawned, "I'm goin to bed," he snuggled down on the bed and released his hand from Kevin's, "Try not to stay up too late."
"I won't," Kevin smiled, "Night."
"Night, love you."
"Love you."
Slowly, Connor fell asleep. His tattooed hand rested on the pillow next to his face. Kevin looked down at his hand again and smiled. Tattoos were against his personal terms by so much, but he was willing to do it for his boyfriend. And it looked pretty awesome. Secretly, Kevin Price felt like a badass. A badass with half of a heart tattoo, but a badass nonetheless.
