Not wanting to waste my day off, I decided that I would bite the bullet and go to 'Tat Life'. On the way I grabbed a Kentucky Fried Chicken - Steve's favourite - and tried to block out my memories with Black Sabbath. It didn't entirely work.
"Billy, please can't I get it on my thigh or something? it will look just as good" I pleaded whilst also placating him, even though I knew he wasn't making me get it to look good. "What would be the point of getting my name inked on you if no one ever saw it?" Billy gave me a twisted smirk with nothing behind his eyes. "I mean, my mom had to sign the form for my other one, and there's no way she would let me get this.." I tried to reason with him, how silly, there was no reasoning with Billy Hargrove. "Don't need it this time darlin', Trev is new there, and a good friend of mine." He replied without looking at me. I kept silent as Billy and Trev joked around, whilst Trev pricked the ink into my skin. I welcomed the flaming pain though, it felt comforting weirdly. "Ain't no one gonna mistake her for anyone else's now" he grinned at Billy, as I remained straight faced. "That's the plan." Billy winked at me.
Eventually I pulled up outside 'Tat Life' - Trev not being there did help me feel better about going in - but now I was just remembering how pissed my mom had been that day. "What the actual fuck have you done Rain?!" She had screamed at me once Billy dropped me home. to say she hit the roof would have been an understatement. There was no way chance back then that I would've let her know Billy forced me into it, instead I made out like I was just a love struck teenager, and how I knew we would be together forever so why not get the tattoo? She barely spoke to me for a month. After the incident, once my mom realised the truth, she gave me the money for a cover up. I'd found Jake's place in the pages, and he covered up the hideous thing with a thick black cuff instead, and didn't judge me for having such a stupid tattoo, "everyone makes mistakes.." he had laughed.
The afternoon sun was starting to make me sweat, so I pulled my hair into a low pony and strands wisped around my face. I grabbed my sheets of paper which i had roughly drawn my ideas onto: Frankenstein's monster, Pin Head, Freddy Krueger, Nosferatu, and Leatherface. Characters from my favourite horror movies. "Afternoon, what can we do for ya?" A smoking hot woman with skin the colour of a black forest gateau and a fluffy afro, leaned over the front desk. Maybe coming here from now on won't be so bad after all? Snap out of it Rain, you can have your bisexual crisis at home. I spilled my sketches in front of her, "I'm looking for someone who could work with me on a horror movie sleeve" I said. "Sure thing sugar, these are rad! I think -" she was cut off by the owner of the studio, "You again, hey! I did your first tat right? I remember you!" Liam - who owned the place - greeted me with a handshake. I didn't know what to do, was I supposed to address the Billy thing, or are we scooting round it? "Yeah, you did. It still looks sick, thanks" I smiled at him. "Kim taking care of you?" he asked as Kim stuck her pierced tongue out at him playfully, "was just about to tell her who would be perfect for this sleeve". I internally cringed at the word 'her', there wasn't much I could do about my 'feminine' features, thanks double D's and wide hips, ugh. I knew it wasn't Kim's intention to make me feel uncomfortable, how were complete strangers to know that? I folded my arms around my chest, suddenly feeling slightly dysphoric. Some days I loved having a big chest and soft features, but most days I felt like I wasn't on the gender spectrum at all and wished I had more androgynous features.
"Them. You were just telling them who would be perfect for this...and I'm pretty sure that's me." A familiar deep and sensual voice entered the fold. Fuck. I wasn't even able to feel grateful for a second about someone using the correct pronouns, all I felt was cold all over. My sweat turned to icicles and I could feel my teeth start to shudder. Eddie Munson. I fucking forgot that he worked here, how could i forget that? Aware that I hadn't said anything, I managed to croak "oh hey Eddie, you do realism now?" all the while that insanely hot dream replayed in my head. Eddie cocked his head towards his station, I followed behind focusing sharply on the back of his head and not on memories of that dream. "I fucking love these ideas Rain, didn't know you could draw so well, hey maybe you should tattoo too!" Eddie beamed at my designs. My eyes lingered on his fingers way too long, "thanks, all that pressure of permanently inking someone isn't for me though." I regained my confidence and looked him right in the face. Eddie Munson reached out and lightly held my arm, I swear I saw him slowly look me up and down again, and lick his lips quickly. I kept still whilst Eddie expertly hashed out in his mind where the portraits should go to best fit my arm. As he concentrated, his tongue curled out of his mouth slightly. Pretty cute. After a few moments, he jumped back on the bench and clapped his hands together, "Cool, I'll start drawing this up on Monday and then we can work out when we wanna do it". I tried to conceal a cough when he said 'when we wanna do it'.
So, turns out Eddie Munson would be poking me after all, just in a completely different way