Chapter 53

The whirring of the tattoo gun had by now receded into the background. At first it had constantly tugged at Draco's attention. Titus had been diligently working for three hours now. The outline done, he had started on the filling. The pain was a dull throbbing in the background and Draco could feel every heartbeat in his arm. It was nothing though compared to the torture he'd endured at the hands of his loving aunt. Or when the wounds had been treated afterwards. Or when he'd pulled the dark magic from his mark. All in all, the pain now was a mere tickle.

Having grown bored with the book he'd brought, he tucked it away one-handed in the coat draped close-by. Falling prey to his curiosity, he looked down at his left arm. And was astonished. Nothing indicated he'd ever had the hideous mark. Instead the design he'd brought, improved and artistically rendered greeted his gaze.

"You OK?" Titus asked, not stopping in his work. The tattoo artist had periodically asked this same question, keeping an eye on his customer's skin tone and breathing. It had astounded him a little that Mr Malfoy had never flinched or hissed a bit in pain. The guy didn't really look it, but he was one tough bastard. Titus himself would be in tears by now.

"Yes, thank you for asking. You are doing amazing work." Draco praised. Leaning back, Titus grinned and shrugged.

"Thanks. You want something to drink?" It was about time for a break. Titus had invested in client chairs which he could raise so he wouldn't have to bend over all the time, but stretching his legs would do him good. He could use a bit of coffee as well.

"A drink would be most welcome, thank you."

Nodding Titus got himself a coffee and a glass of water for Mr Malfoy. Offering his client the water, he noted Malfoy's glance at the coffee. Chuckling Titus shook his head and paced a bit around the shop.

"Sorry, no coffee for you. No stimulants or blood thinners. Water or juice only."

Malfoy sighed, but took a long swig of the water anyway.

"I bow to your expertise, Mr Titus."

Titus chuckled and inclined his head, toasting his client.

"You can call me just Titus. No Mister needed." He offered. Mr Malfoy chuckled.

"Very well, Titus. I was not sure and decided to err on the side of caution. The design is coming along well. Do you believe we will be able to finish today? Or would you like to continue tomorrow?"

"I'm up for finishing it today, if you're up for it. How's the arm?" Titus asked while leaning against the back of the counter behind him, crossing his arms. Flexing the arm in question a bit and looking down at it, Mr Malfoy shrugged.

"It aches a bit, but nothing I can't handle." He offered with a deprecating, minimal smile and took another sip. Mulling this over, Titus took a sip himself, taking his customer in.

"I don't want to be nosy, but the way you're handling the pain…it's quite impressive. I have ink in that spot myself and I gotta tell you, at this point I was about ready to hit anyone who touched my arm."

Mr Malfoy's face turned sombre, his gaze far. Seemed Titus had touched a nerve. Hadn't really been his intention.

"I…Unfortunate decisions, youthful naivete and misguided preconceptions cemented by an outdated upbringing led to a misspent youth. I hurt others through my ignorance and stupidity. I had my comeuppance, went to prison for a time. This is nothing." Silence settled over them. Titus studied his cup for a bit. Well shit. He'd thought that his customer may have had an injury or something, which had made him accustomed to physical discomfort. Nothing like this.

"Sorry man." He offered. Draco, a sardonic tilt to his lips, waved it off with a minimal twitch of his left hand.

"It's in the past." Draco emptied his water and leaned back into the seat. It was quite comfortable. Titus returned to his stool, setting down his coffee on a free space of his work station. Snapping new gloves on, Titus checked his tattoo gun and refilled the cup with ink.

"We're done with the outline and most of the details. I'll start filling in and do some shading. We can stop at any time and pick up at another date if the pain gets too much."

Draco nodded, leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

"Please continue, Titus. I promise to advise if it gets to be too painful."

Titus nodded, leaned over and settled back in.

"Just give the word then. I'll reserve the right to pull the plug though." He advised, carefully placing his gun to start.

"Understood." Draco assured him, settling in. In truth, his arm had started to burn, but as he'd told Titus, it was nothing he couldn't handle. He'd endured much worse at the hands of his own aunt. Breathing deep, he closed his eyes and consciously relaxed his muscles. Using techniques taught to him by his godfather, he instead concentrated on something pleasant. Namely Hermione and their dinner tonight. Braving the stove and possible burns resulting seemed a small price to pay for a nice, intimate evening. With possible cuddling. Letting his air slip slowly, he sank deeper into his relaxation. His breathing evened out and his muscles relaxed. The whirr of the tattoo gun became a soothing background noise. As the minutes turned into hours, no matter Draco's tolerance for pain, his arm was starting to hurt. Breathing deep, he looked down to see how far Titus had come and possibly how close they were to completion. Amazed he stared at his arm. Nothing of the blemish he'd carried since his teenage years remained. Now it was covered, nothing remaining. He could only stare. His mind was a jumble. It was gone. Just…gone. His heart tightened and his eyes burned. His throat closed up. Titus looked up at him, a smile on his face. When noticing Draco's expression, Titus' smile slipped.

"You all right?" He asked concerned. Trying to get a grip and his breathing, Draco nodded.

"Yes. Yes, I am." He managed, before his throat closed up. Titus nodded, understanding. He'd seen such reactions a few times. And it filled him with pride that he was able to give this to this customer.

"Good. We're done, if you were wondering." He said, not addressing the emotional moment, as he also knew from experience that his customers as a rule were private people. Or hard-asses. In either case it wasn't tactful or a good idea to point out their emotionality. He started disassembling and cleaning his tattoo gun, giving Mr Malfoy his privacy, taking his time. After a few sniffs and a muffled throat clear, Titus deemed it safe to look up. Mr Malfoy's eyes were slightly red-rimmed and glassy, however Titus pretended not to notice.

"I am going to apply a salve that will help with the swelling and dull the pain. I'll give you some for home and you'll need to apply it each morning and evening for the next week. To protect the skin during the day, wear long sleeved shirts. Over the next few days you'll notice that the tattoo will bleed a bit, as well as a bit of the ink mixed in. That's perfectly normal. Magical ink doesn't do that. Along with the cream, I'll give you some foil. The first one I'll apply, so you can see how it's done. Remove them while showering. Only lukewarm, not hot. Apply the foil again after you've carefully dried the tattoo and applied a bit of the salve. Just a bit. Don't slather it on." Reaching behind him, he pulled a bit of foil from the medical pack. With practised ease he removed the strips covering the adhesive and applied it carefully.

"Thank you for your instruction. I will follow your instructions."

Titus was heartened to see how attentively Mr Malfoy had followed his every move.

"Good. I'll pack the foil and cream up for you." Titus gave Mr Malfoy a clap on the shoulder and rose. Gingerly Draco pulled down his sleeve, fastening the cuff link. Together they moved to the counter, where Titus packed up the promised supplies and pulled his appointment book out.

"OK…We'll want to have a follow-up about a week from now. Any chance you are free next Saturday at…two? We'll just check if there are any lines that need freshening or if we need to touch up anything. Shouldn't take much time. Maybe twenty minutes?" Titus picked up a pen and looked expectantly at Malfoy. Draco on the other hand had pulled out his personal planner. Unlike almost everyone around him, he still preferred a paper calendar. Flipping through the pages he checked his calendar.

"Next Saturday at two is fine for me." Draco penned in Titus' name, along with a small arrow until half past. They shook hands after Draco paid. A pittance in Draco's eyes for the service Titus had provided. Which is why he pulled one of his business cards from his inside pocket.

"My card, Titus. If you are ever in need, please do not hesitate to call." Draco offered, holding out the card in between his pointer and middle finger. Curious, Titus took it. As he'd ordered some cards of his own not too long ago, he knew that what he was holding right now was high end quality that only a lot of money could buy. The card had only Mr Malfoy's name and a phone number on it. Raising an eyebrow, he looked to Mr Malfoy.

"That is my private cell phone number. Only a very small, exclusive circle have it. The card will also allow you to owl me directly." At this Titus' eyebrow rose even more. It was standard practice among the older wizarding families to restrict access via owl by the use of old enchantments. It surprised Draco again and again how unusual it seemed to be in the rest of the wizarding community. Just the thought that just about anyone would be able to send him something didn't sit well with him. Especially considering his past.

"I would appreciate it, if you would keep the card close or in a safe location." Draco pointed out. Titus nodded, pocketing it.

"Sure thing, Mr Malfoy." Titus lifted a small bag. "In here is the salve and the foils. They should last you until our next appointment. If you should need more or if you experience any problems, please come by. If you want to show the tattoo to someone right now, it will not look like much. Like I said before, the tattoo will 'leak' ink and blood for the next few days until the skin heals. That is normal and nothing to be concerned about. The foil keeps it from messing up your clothes and will also absorb some of the fluid. Which is why you need to replace the foil each morning and evening. I cannot stress enough how important it is that you clean the arm regularly and thoroughly. The swelling in your arm is normal and should go down in two days. If it doesn't, definitely consult your physician. On Saturday we'll see how far healing has progressed and the salve should have done its job by then and you won't need to apply the foil anymore." Titus explained, maintaining eye contact to bring home the importance. It wasn't really needed, as he noted. Mr Malfoy was listening intently and nodding. They settled up and shook hands. Titus was happy to see his client leave the shop standing a little taller. Whatever that old tattoo had been, it must've been a bitch.

xXx

Hermione had spent a lovely afternoon with Jane. After their fanciful musings about abandoning their responsibilities and traipsing off to an exclusive spa on Hawaii, they'd returned to reality and Jane's more immediate problem. Namely Lucrecia's dislike of her. They'd bandied about a few plans either to entice Lucrecia to go back home or to make her disappear. As in have her go on holiday somewhere far away. Possibly looking for husband number eight or nine. Both Hermione and Jane weren't sure which one she was on. Hermione didn't know, since she didn't really pay attention to such matters and Jane didn't think it was an appropriate topic of discussion with Blaise, though he was very open about his mother's series of husbands and marriages.

In the end their discussions hadn't resolved the problem, but had given Jane the opportunity to vent and relax. Something she'd obviously needed. There was only so much subtle, psychological abuse someone could take before exploding. Possibly what Lucrecia was angling for. Despite Blaise's grumbling about being pampered as if he was a five-year old, he loved his mother dearly and wouldn't take to any attacks on her lightly. For the time being Jane would have to deal with it. A solution didn't seem to be forthcoming. Hermione wondered whether Draco would have any ideas. He'd known Lucrecia for years, so he may have a solution.

Humming contentedly Hermione entered Draco's building, her bags filled with ingredients for their planned dinner. She found his fear of cooking cute. Especially since he was making hard-concentration faces when he attempted it. She'd never seen anyone approaching pancakes like the storming of Normandy, but it provided her with no end of amusement. He kept trying though and that is what she appreciated. He didn't quit because it was hard for him.

Entering the elevator and pushing the button for the penthouse, she made room for the other tenants returning home from work. With a small smile and an inclination of her head, she greeted them. They returned mumbles, throwing her glances, but didn't try to start a conversation. She could almost feel their curiosity humming in the air in the small compartment. Bit by bit the elevator emptied, until it was Hermione and a young woman dressed to the nines. She looked more like on her way out to a party and not on her way home. The woman looked at the indicators of the floors remaining and back to Hermione. Noting Hermione's outfit with a subtle sneer, the woman turned around fully.

"Hi. I'm Juliette. I don't think we've met before." She offered Hermione her hand for a shake. Hemione shook Juliette's hand, knowing that the younger woman was fishing for information. She would bet good money on it, that Juliette was dressed this way in the hope of running into Draco on the elevator and enticing him into a relationship. Such a strategy might have worked on a fifth-year Draco. Not on the man he had become.

"Hermione." It was maybe petty, but Hermione didn't offer more. Let Juliette think what she wanted. She could tell from the other woman's tightening of her eyes, that she'd hoped to get more information on why Hermione was headed to the penthouse. Glancing at the bag Hermione carried, Juliette gave a simpering smile.

"It is good that Mr Malfoy has a maid to bring him some essentials. The poor man needs a good woman to feed him properly." The glance from Juliette was now definitely hostile and territorial. Again, Hermione decided to be petty.

"Yes." She only said and not more. With a ding the elevator arrived at Juliette's floor and the woman had no other choice but to get off. Despite it definitely not being what she wanted. Remaining on the lift wasn't an option though. The corridor at the top would magically recognise whether you were cleared to be there or not. If not, you would be sent back to the lobby, straight to the security station. A security station that would ask many pointed questions about why you were in an area you were not supposed to be in. Juliette conceded defeat, though not without a glare and left. Chuckling Hermione looked to the ceiling and waited for the lift to arrive at her destination. Pulling out her keys, she found the one to Draco's apartment. Before inserting it, she took it in with a fond gaze. They'd exchanged keys last week. She'd been the one to suggest it of course. Draco's upbringing wouldn't even let him make the suggestion. For her it was the logical next step in their relationship. Free access to each other's personal space. Nevertheless he always rang when he came over. She'd even caught him ringing and knocking at her door when he came to her apartment first. She'd remained hidden behind the corner, watching him. It had been cute to her, as he waited a few minutes after each attempt, before he with an adorable blush retrieved his keys and opened her door.

Lights immediately turned on upon her entering and sensing her presence. Crossing through the living and dining room, she entered the kitchen to put away the ingredients until Draco returned. Standing in front of the fridge, she stared ahead and a mischievous smile teased at her lips. Juliette had given her an idea.

AN: Greetings friends. I am still writing and I am sorry that it's taking so long. RL can be a bit of a distraction. :P I hope you are all well and that you keep enjoying. Have a nice one!