Inked
Title: Inked
Characters: Jared Phillips & Elena Munez (starlightfell)
Universe(s): A Safe Harbor, Falling Starlight
Timeline: This takes place during te current MDSE/FS tour and in the Disenchanted storyline.
Rating: T (just language)
Notes: Just fluff with these two idiots :P
A bell jingled to announce his entrance as he walked through the glass door. The place was fairly empty, but there was at least one other person getting a tattoo because he could hear the buzzing of the needle gun coming from the back.
One of the artists behind the counter looked up from the magazine they were reading and shot him a smile. He was tall and muscular with a buzz cut and tattoos covering every bare inch of skin not hidden by his clothes. "Hey, man. You Jared?"
"That's me," Jared replied. "You must be the dude I talked to over the phone. Todd?"
"Bingo," Todd nodded. "I've got a spare room in back set up if you're ready to go. Or did you want to talk about a design first?"
"Nah, man, I've got it all sketched out already," Jared grinned, holding up a slip of paper with the tattoo design he had Travis draw up for him. "Let's do this."
"Right this way, dude."
Todd disappeared into the back and Jared followed behind him, glancing around the tattoo parlor at all of the sample photos and various designs offered by the place. He felt a touch of pride at the fact that he didn't recognize any of them as tattoos he already had. One of his rules had always been that he tried to ensure all of his designs were one of a kind, and with Travis' artistic expertise, that usually wasn't a problem.
He walked down the narrow hallway toward the empty room, his green Converse squeaking on the linoleum floor with each step he took. He first came to a room that was in use, and despite his knowing better, his curiosity got the better of him and he peeked inside anyway. Besides, a curtain would be drawn or something if it was meant to be really private, right?
He made eye contact with a chick who was sitting hunched over on the table with her shirt off, and oh fuck was that her bra too laying right next to her oh yes it was and that would explain why her tits were directly facing him as the tattoo artist was running the needle around one of her nipples to make a rose design and why the fuck was he still looking?
"Honey, take a picture, it'll last a hell of a lot longer," the woman told him, and she winked.
The sound of someone loudly clearing their throat behind him made him tear his eyes away and he turned to see Todd standing in the doorway of the empty room he was meant to be in. He was smirking. Jared's face burned impossibly red.
"Uh, I was just, uh, you know, I didn't-- I mean, I was just-- uh..." There was no way to salvage this.
Todd chuckled and waved Jared into the empty room. "Dude, I'm just giving you a hard time. How could you not look? One of the perks of the job. Not that I advocate for that sort of thing, but that's Janice. She's another artist who works here, and trust me, she doesn't mind the attention."
"I didn't..." Jared's face was hot and he knew there was no way to try and make it sound like he hadn't just been ogling that chick's tits because he had definitely just been ogling that chick's tits.
There was definitely no way the situation could get any more awkward at this point, so Jared just walked over to the table and sat down on top of it, staring at the floor and nothing else. The floor was good. The floor was safe. There were no boobs on the floor he could run the risk of seeing.
The only boobs he was interested in looking at belonged to a bass player halfway across town, anyway.
"Alright dude, so what are we doing today?" Todd asked as he removed disposable needle tips and sterilized supplies from their plastic packaging.
Jared held out the slip of paper and Todd grabbed it, looking it over.
"Huh. Not bad. You do this yourself, dude?"
"No," Jared replied, still feeling his cheeks burn. If Elena found out about this, she'd never let him live this down. "My buddy did it for me."
"Tell him he does good work. So where do you want it, man?"
"My lower right leg, on the back. Like, just below the knee." Jared tugged his cargo pants up over the skin, thankful they were baggy enough that he could just pull them up without having to remove them.
"Cool. And you want it this size or smaller?"
"Exactly that size and full color, just like on the paper."
"Awesome. Alright, dude, roll over onto your stomach and we'll get started."
His gut sank a little. He hadn't thought about this when he had decided to get the tattoo in the first place. He was comfortable getting in just about every position for a tattoo with the exception of this one. But he had never pussed out on getting a tattoo before and he wasn't going to start now. Besides, he had been wanting this tattoo for months and had never had any free time while they were on tour to sneak away and actually get it before today. He wasn't going to waste this chance today just because of this shit, and he wasn't going to change his plans and just get it somewhere else on his body because this was where he wanted it and he was going to fucking get it.
He moved very slowly, taking his time as he turned his body so his head was laying on one end of the padded table and his feet were next to where Todd was now sitting and putting on black rubber gloves. He tried to slow his breathing as he crossed his arms in front of his face and rested his chin atop them. He closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath. Ground himself. Remember where he was and what he was doing.
Something wet and cold against his leg made him jump until he realized it was just an antiseptic wipe to clean the skin on his leg.
"Shit, sorry, man," Jared cursed. "You just surprised me. Can you, uh, give me some warning before you do that stuff?"
"No problem. Sorry about that," Todd apologized, tossing the wipe into the nearby trash bin after he was done cleaning the skin. "Alright man, I'm just going to lay the drawing over your leg and trace it and then we'll get started."
Jared nodded and slipped his eyes closed again as he felt the tip of a felt pen trace Travis' design onto his leg in black ink. He didn't understand why his heart was beating so fast or why he was so tense. He had done this over a dozen times. Probably a couple dozen at least, he had lost count at this point. He fucking loved getting tattoos. The whole experience was this big, calming ritual for him, and had become a sort of coping mechanism. He fell into a meditative state as the needle gun buzzed over his skin and the sound lulled him into a state of relaxation. The occasional twinges of pain reminded him he was alive.
So why was he fucking it up right now?
"Shit, man, I'm sorry. I'm going to have to trace it again. Your leg muscles are twitching like crazy, dude. You're fucking tense as all get out. Are you okay?"
"Fuck," Jared muttered. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You sure, man? This is going to fucking hurt if you're this tense."
"I'm fine. Just keep going," Jared replied, biting his bottom lip in irritation.
Todd wiped the smeared black ink off of his leg, used another antiseptic wipe, and then started to trace the design onto his skin again. Jared tried to focus on regulating his breathing when he heard the bells on the front door jingle to indicate someone else had entered.
He didn't see or hear who it was, but he didn't have to in order to know it was her. The air instantly felt lighter and as she walked toward the back, he recognized the sound of her familiar footfalls against the linoleum flooring.
Elena stood in the doorway, a holder containing two giant Jamba Juice cups in her arms. From his place on the padded table she stood significantly taller than him and she smirked down at him as she stepped into the room.
His blood pressure dropped and his heart rate slowed.
"You fucking made it," Jared grinned at her. "I thought you said Micah and JJ needed you for something all afternoon."
"Micah and JJ are terrible when it comes to gauging how long something will take," Elena replied, and she pulled up a chair so she could sit down in front of him. Once she was sitting Jared was once again taller, even laying on the table. "It took like ten minutes. What took the longest was tracking down a fucking Jamba Juice that wasn't 40 miles away."
"We've got a blender in our bus and Travis makes pretty good smoothies, you know."
"Travis doesn't know how to make a Strawberry Surfrider. Or an Aloha Pineapple," she held up one of the cups, inserted a straw, and held it up to his lips.
"Oh, fucking sweet," Jared grinned, leaning forward to take a big sip. "You're the fucking best, E."
"Hey man, I'm going to get started on the outline, okay?" Todd asked.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. So what did JJ and Micah need you for?" Jared asked, sitting up just enough that he could hold onto the cup himself.
"Some wiring thing," Elena shrugged, taking a sip of her own drink. "Thought it would have to be major guitar surgery or something but it wasn't even our own fucking equipment. Something wrong with the venue's soundboard. It's all fixed now though and should be good for tomorrow night."
"Nice."
"So what are you getting, anyway?" Elena asked, standing up to try and see the design. "You never told me, nerd."
"Oh that's right," Jared nodded. "I wanted it to be a surprise. Okay, dude, what are two of your favorite things on the entire fucking planet?"
"Gibson and my abuela's tamales."
"No. Although those are fucking amazing tamlies. Two other things."
"Tamales."
"Yeah, tamlies. Two other things?"
"Hoodies and basses?"
"One more try. Two more things."
"...Zombies and Hello Kitty?"
"Zombies and fucking Hello Kitty!" Jared grinned.
"You're fucking getting the zombie Hello Kitty tattoo?" Elena's eyes went wide. "You fucking dork! Why didn't you tell me sooner? Where'd you get the design?"
"Travis made it up for me," Jared proudly replied, "and E, just wait til you see it. It's fucking epic."
"What do you mean, I have to wait? Why can't I just look at the design now?" Elena motioned to Todd to hand her the slip of paper.
"Todd, don't you dare hand her that," Jared replied, "no way, E. It's a surprise. Be surprised."
She rolled her eyes and took another sip of her drink. Jared felt completely at ease, so relaxed he could've set his head down and taken a nap right there in the tattoo parlor. He barely flinched as he felt the needle gun start to trace the outline of the design over his skin.
The room was quiet, except for the tattoo gun's buzzing, for about fifteen minutes until the parlor's phone rang and Todd cursed. "Shit, no one else ever answers the goddamn phone. I'm sorry, dude. I'll be right back." The tattoo gun stopped buzzing and Todd removed his black gloves, tossing them in a trash bin by the door as he ran out to grab the phone.
While he was gone, Elena leaned toward Jared and whispered, "Did you see that chick getting a tattoo in the other room?"
"Oh, yeah," Jared had a dorky grin on his face, "that's Janice. She works here."
Elena shot him a look. Jared's face burned even redder than it had before.
"Uhhh, I mean... Janice who?"
"I didn't say Janice, you did."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Huh."
"Looked at her tits?"
"...How do you say 'no' in Spanish?"
"No."
"Then no."
This time Elena couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping and she swatted him as Todd started to walk back down the hallway. "You're such a fucking guy. Dork."
"Takes one to know one," Jared grinned back at her, "besides, you must've looked or you wouldn't even know what the hell we're talking about."
"Touche," Elena smirked, holding her Jamba Juice cup up against his. They toasted and each took a sip as Todd came back into the room and sat back down to resume Jared's tattoo.
As the needle gun started back up again, Jared rested his head atop his hands and sipped his drink and talked about random silly shit with Elena and let everything else fall away. Paul couldn't take this away from him.
Characters: Jared Phillips & Elena Munez (starlightfell)
Universe(s): A Safe Harbor, Falling Starlight
Timeline: This takes place during te current MDSE/FS tour and in the Disenchanted storyline.
Rating: T (just language)
Notes: Just fluff with these two idiots :P
A bell jingled to announce his entrance as he walked through the glass door. The place was fairly empty, but there was at least one other person getting a tattoo because he could hear the buzzing of the needle gun coming from the back.
One of the artists behind the counter looked up from the magazine they were reading and shot him a smile. He was tall and muscular with a buzz cut and tattoos covering every bare inch of skin not hidden by his clothes. "Hey, man. You Jared?"
"That's me," Jared replied. "You must be the dude I talked to over the phone. Todd?"
"Bingo," Todd nodded. "I've got a spare room in back set up if you're ready to go. Or did you want to talk about a design first?"
"Nah, man, I've got it all sketched out already," Jared grinned, holding up a slip of paper with the tattoo design he had Travis draw up for him. "Let's do this."
"Right this way, dude."
Todd disappeared into the back and Jared followed behind him, glancing around the tattoo parlor at all of the sample photos and various designs offered by the place. He felt a touch of pride at the fact that he didn't recognize any of them as tattoos he already had. One of his rules had always been that he tried to ensure all of his designs were one of a kind, and with Travis' artistic expertise, that usually wasn't a problem.
He walked down the narrow hallway toward the empty room, his green Converse squeaking on the linoleum floor with each step he took. He first came to a room that was in use, and despite his knowing better, his curiosity got the better of him and he peeked inside anyway. Besides, a curtain would be drawn or something if it was meant to be really private, right?
He made eye contact with a chick who was sitting hunched over on the table with her shirt off, and oh fuck was that her bra too laying right next to her oh yes it was and that would explain why her tits were directly facing him as the tattoo artist was running the needle around one of her nipples to make a rose design and why the fuck was he still looking?
"Honey, take a picture, it'll last a hell of a lot longer," the woman told him, and she winked.
The sound of someone loudly clearing their throat behind him made him tear his eyes away and he turned to see Todd standing in the doorway of the empty room he was meant to be in. He was smirking. Jared's face burned impossibly red.
"Uh, I was just, uh, you know, I didn't-- I mean, I was just-- uh..." There was no way to salvage this.
Todd chuckled and waved Jared into the empty room. "Dude, I'm just giving you a hard time. How could you not look? One of the perks of the job. Not that I advocate for that sort of thing, but that's Janice. She's another artist who works here, and trust me, she doesn't mind the attention."
"I didn't..." Jared's face was hot and he knew there was no way to try and make it sound like he hadn't just been ogling that chick's tits because he had definitely just been ogling that chick's tits.
There was definitely no way the situation could get any more awkward at this point, so Jared just walked over to the table and sat down on top of it, staring at the floor and nothing else. The floor was good. The floor was safe. There were no boobs on the floor he could run the risk of seeing.
The only boobs he was interested in looking at belonged to a bass player halfway across town, anyway.
"Alright dude, so what are we doing today?" Todd asked as he removed disposable needle tips and sterilized supplies from their plastic packaging.
Jared held out the slip of paper and Todd grabbed it, looking it over.
"Huh. Not bad. You do this yourself, dude?"
"No," Jared replied, still feeling his cheeks burn. If Elena found out about this, she'd never let him live this down. "My buddy did it for me."
"Tell him he does good work. So where do you want it, man?"
"My lower right leg, on the back. Like, just below the knee." Jared tugged his cargo pants up over the skin, thankful they were baggy enough that he could just pull them up without having to remove them.
"Cool. And you want it this size or smaller?"
"Exactly that size and full color, just like on the paper."
"Awesome. Alright, dude, roll over onto your stomach and we'll get started."
His gut sank a little. He hadn't thought about this when he had decided to get the tattoo in the first place. He was comfortable getting in just about every position for a tattoo with the exception of this one. But he had never pussed out on getting a tattoo before and he wasn't going to start now. Besides, he had been wanting this tattoo for months and had never had any free time while they were on tour to sneak away and actually get it before today. He wasn't going to waste this chance today just because of this shit, and he wasn't going to change his plans and just get it somewhere else on his body because this was where he wanted it and he was going to fucking get it.
He moved very slowly, taking his time as he turned his body so his head was laying on one end of the padded table and his feet were next to where Todd was now sitting and putting on black rubber gloves. He tried to slow his breathing as he crossed his arms in front of his face and rested his chin atop them. He closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath. Ground himself. Remember where he was and what he was doing.
Something wet and cold against his leg made him jump until he realized it was just an antiseptic wipe to clean the skin on his leg.
"Shit, sorry, man," Jared cursed. "You just surprised me. Can you, uh, give me some warning before you do that stuff?"
"No problem. Sorry about that," Todd apologized, tossing the wipe into the nearby trash bin after he was done cleaning the skin. "Alright man, I'm just going to lay the drawing over your leg and trace it and then we'll get started."
Jared nodded and slipped his eyes closed again as he felt the tip of a felt pen trace Travis' design onto his leg in black ink. He didn't understand why his heart was beating so fast or why he was so tense. He had done this over a dozen times. Probably a couple dozen at least, he had lost count at this point. He fucking loved getting tattoos. The whole experience was this big, calming ritual for him, and had become a sort of coping mechanism. He fell into a meditative state as the needle gun buzzed over his skin and the sound lulled him into a state of relaxation. The occasional twinges of pain reminded him he was alive.
So why was he fucking it up right now?
"Shit, man, I'm sorry. I'm going to have to trace it again. Your leg muscles are twitching like crazy, dude. You're fucking tense as all get out. Are you okay?"
"Fuck," Jared muttered. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You sure, man? This is going to fucking hurt if you're this tense."
"I'm fine. Just keep going," Jared replied, biting his bottom lip in irritation.
Todd wiped the smeared black ink off of his leg, used another antiseptic wipe, and then started to trace the design onto his skin again. Jared tried to focus on regulating his breathing when he heard the bells on the front door jingle to indicate someone else had entered.
He didn't see or hear who it was, but he didn't have to in order to know it was her. The air instantly felt lighter and as she walked toward the back, he recognized the sound of her familiar footfalls against the linoleum flooring.
Elena stood in the doorway, a holder containing two giant Jamba Juice cups in her arms. From his place on the padded table she stood significantly taller than him and she smirked down at him as she stepped into the room.
His blood pressure dropped and his heart rate slowed.
"You fucking made it," Jared grinned at her. "I thought you said Micah and JJ needed you for something all afternoon."
"Micah and JJ are terrible when it comes to gauging how long something will take," Elena replied, and she pulled up a chair so she could sit down in front of him. Once she was sitting Jared was once again taller, even laying on the table. "It took like ten minutes. What took the longest was tracking down a fucking Jamba Juice that wasn't 40 miles away."
"We've got a blender in our bus and Travis makes pretty good smoothies, you know."
"Travis doesn't know how to make a Strawberry Surfrider. Or an Aloha Pineapple," she held up one of the cups, inserted a straw, and held it up to his lips.
"Oh, fucking sweet," Jared grinned, leaning forward to take a big sip. "You're the fucking best, E."
"Hey man, I'm going to get started on the outline, okay?" Todd asked.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. So what did JJ and Micah need you for?" Jared asked, sitting up just enough that he could hold onto the cup himself.
"Some wiring thing," Elena shrugged, taking a sip of her own drink. "Thought it would have to be major guitar surgery or something but it wasn't even our own fucking equipment. Something wrong with the venue's soundboard. It's all fixed now though and should be good for tomorrow night."
"Nice."
"So what are you getting, anyway?" Elena asked, standing up to try and see the design. "You never told me, nerd."
"Oh that's right," Jared nodded. "I wanted it to be a surprise. Okay, dude, what are two of your favorite things on the entire fucking planet?"
"Gibson and my abuela's tamales."
"No. Although those are fucking amazing tamlies. Two other things."
"Tamales."
"Yeah, tamlies. Two other things?"
"Hoodies and basses?"
"One more try. Two more things."
"...Zombies and Hello Kitty?"
"Zombies and fucking Hello Kitty!" Jared grinned.
"You're fucking getting the zombie Hello Kitty tattoo?" Elena's eyes went wide. "You fucking dork! Why didn't you tell me sooner? Where'd you get the design?"
"Travis made it up for me," Jared proudly replied, "and E, just wait til you see it. It's fucking epic."
"What do you mean, I have to wait? Why can't I just look at the design now?" Elena motioned to Todd to hand her the slip of paper.
"Todd, don't you dare hand her that," Jared replied, "no way, E. It's a surprise. Be surprised."
She rolled her eyes and took another sip of her drink. Jared felt completely at ease, so relaxed he could've set his head down and taken a nap right there in the tattoo parlor. He barely flinched as he felt the needle gun start to trace the outline of the design over his skin.
The room was quiet, except for the tattoo gun's buzzing, for about fifteen minutes until the parlor's phone rang and Todd cursed. "Shit, no one else ever answers the goddamn phone. I'm sorry, dude. I'll be right back." The tattoo gun stopped buzzing and Todd removed his black gloves, tossing them in a trash bin by the door as he ran out to grab the phone.
While he was gone, Elena leaned toward Jared and whispered, "Did you see that chick getting a tattoo in the other room?"
"Oh, yeah," Jared had a dorky grin on his face, "that's Janice. She works here."
Elena shot him a look. Jared's face burned even redder than it had before.
"Uhhh, I mean... Janice who?"
"I didn't say Janice, you did."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Huh."
"Looked at her tits?"
"...How do you say 'no' in Spanish?"
"No."
"Then no."
This time Elena couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping and she swatted him as Todd started to walk back down the hallway. "You're such a fucking guy. Dork."
"Takes one to know one," Jared grinned back at her, "besides, you must've looked or you wouldn't even know what the hell we're talking about."
"Touche," Elena smirked, holding her Jamba Juice cup up against his. They toasted and each took a sip as Todd came back into the room and sat back down to resume Jared's tattoo.
As the needle gun started back up again, Jared rested his head atop his hands and sipped his drink and talked about random silly shit with Elena and let everything else fall away. Paul couldn't take this away from him.