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The fact he wouldn’t come outright and ask to see it was the most annoying thing.
It wasn’t that he was desperate to show off the lasting reminder of his idiotic teenage self, or that he was proud of it, but he was also well aware that there was no hiding it either. Having a clairvoyant for a boyfriend made secret keeping something of an art.
No, what he minded was the fact that Kei was trying to trick him into showing it.
It was summer time- the ruses of sunbathing, accidental drink spillages, and one very flirty water fight had already been deployed, but he still somehow managed to avoid showing his torso, where the evidence lay.
It was just a tattoo he told himself.
Nothing to be ashamed of.
Loads of people had them.
Even Keita had one. Of course his was a beautiful rendering of Katsu and a trick tattoo showing his inner arm to be clockwork. And Thaniel’s was… well it was what it was. He’d promised himself he’d do something about it but the opportune moment never arrived, the money required to do something always better spent on rent or food or clothes, so there the tattoo had remained. And since he had it done, very few people had seen it, not even his new boyfriend.
But then he fucked up.
It was pure sloppiness. Usually, he made sure to have Kei on his right side, the tattoo being on the left. However, he was already lying on the sofa, half an eye on the TV, when Kei came to join him. He loved how it was second nature to open his arms, have Kei come and lie next to him, snuggled up together. Loved the feeling of Kei stroking his exposed side, where his T-shirt has ridden up, eventually progressing up inside his clothing.
Loved it so much he had forgotten he was lying with his right side to the sofa.
Kei’s hand had frozen. Thaniel knew what had happened before he saw. He looked down to where Kei was staring. His hand had managed to push his shirt further up his chest, exposing the bottom of the tattoo and, being the cheeky bastard he was, Kei had kept going until it was fully exposed. This was highly embarrassing.
Because over the left side of his ribs was an image of the bass and treble clefs twisted into a love heart.
Somehow it was worse in person.
Kei opened his mouth to say something. Thaniel slid off the sofa and stood up quickly.
“No,” he said.
“But-“
“No!”
Keita sat up, looking at him warily.
“Thaniel.”
“Do you really hate it?” It hadn’t meant to sound desperate.
There was a telling pause.
“But you’ve already seen it!” Thaniel protested.
“I know. It’s just so much… more than I could have envisaged.”
Thaniel was very, very close to having a sulk. “It was part of my teenage rebellion phase. You must have had one.”
“Well yes but it hasn’t rendered itself so… prominent .”
This was ridiculous. It wasn’t like he’d done anything illegal (well he had but that wasn’t relevant in this argument). It was just a bit of ink.
“Didn’t it hurt?” Keita asked.
“Like hell.”
He was still staring so Thaniel crossed his arms over his body, as if the T-shirt wasn’t enough to shield the monstrosity from view.
“Can I ask why ?”
Thaniel sighed, staring at his feet. “I’d just started gigging, just the locals you know. Dad laughed, said I’d never make it so why bother with that nancy nonsense and that I should find a real job. I may not have taken it very well and came back the next week with this.” Here he shrugged. It had cost him all the money he’d made from gigging and his side job at the supermarket, had hurt so much he’d cried, and was also perhaps the most horrendous bastardisation of a music note ever but he couldn’t, in his heart of hearts, regret it entirely.
Kei softened slightly. “Well at least it’s not a tribal tattoo.”
“You’re not making me feel better Kei.”
“I wasn’t talking to you. I’m the one that’s going to have to look at it.”
Right.
That was it.
Here he was, a 27 year old having a full on strop because his boyfriend didn’t like his tattoo. A pouting, crossed-arms, just about to walk away in a huff strop. Before he could go anywhere, Kei pulled him back and wrapped him up in his arms.
“Thaniel.”
“Hmmm?” He said, still staring at the floor, refusing to be moved. He would have his diva moment dammit.
“I love you.”
Okay maybe he’ll allow himself to be moved a little bit.
“I love your passion for music.”
Getting closer. He’d almost stopped pouting. He felt Kei sigh.
“I love your stupid tattoo.”
“Promise?”
There was a decidedly upsetting pause before Keita managed to choke out the words “promise.”
Mollified, Thaniel leaned properly into the hug, pulling back only to give Kei a kiss. The he said, innocently:
“You should get a matching one.”
The horrified look on Keira’s face nearly made having the tattoo worthwhile.
Nearly .