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The shop bell chimed softly above Eddie's head, greeting him inside, and like always there lingered a distant smell of spiritual incense. He scanned the shop with big, curious eyes.
"Hey Munson." Chrissy smiled up at him from the counter, shutting a drawer she'd been rummaging through.
"Oh looky here, it's little miss cheerleader." Skipping over, Eddie grinned a wide smile and clasped his hands together.
"Still with the nicknames? That was years ago, Eddie."
"Oh, you love it." She really didn't love it. But, Chrissy's soft and smiling eyes didn't waver.
"Well then? It's been a while since I last saw you in here... what can we do you for, mister?"
Sighing, Eddie took his chin in hand, leaning against the counter.
"Well, I do have a few ideas. I was thinking a big one on the lower back. And, ehem, urm, maybe a little something on the wrist..?" His huge, brown eyes flicked up, pleading with Chrissy to let him have both.
"I'm not telling you again, Eddie. Business is tight, and I don't need anymore huge bookings for all our artists. They get tired."
"Hm, I don't.. I don't actually see anyone around right now, so-"
"No."
"Fine~" With a huff, his head fell down in defeat.
"Luckily for you though, that design you asked me to work on a few months ago? It's done." She grinned, whipping out a notepad from behind her back.
"Holy shit, Cunningham," Eddie grasped for the book, gawking its contents. "This is so damn cool. You've done it again... Thank you." Skin crinkled around his smile, Munson passed the book back. "I'll be having that one then."
"On the back still?"
"Hm, no. I think I'll have it right here." He grinned, pressing a ring clad finger against his chest.
Rolling her eyes, in memory of when young Eddie was just as enthusiastic, she wrote down the bill on some paper.
"Alright then. You wait here, I'll go grab L/n. We've got a new artist starting up here."
"Wait, what-"
Before Eddie could question any further, Chrissy had disappeared around the back, leaving him with the low beating music and an empty lobby.
'A newbie?' He wondered, taking a seat by the window sill. 'As in, fresh out of art school, newbie? Damn. What if he fucks it up...'
Worrying a lip between his teeth, Eddie decided it was best not to dwell, and (try to) have some faith in Chrissy's judgement.
☆
"He's ready for you, Eddie."
...
"Eddie?"
...
"Oh my god, wake up, idiot!"
The man's eyes shot open as he jumped to life. "Yep! Yeah, I'm coming, uh-huh." Chrissy was stood by the counter again, shaking her head at him.
"It's fine you doing that in front me, but make sure not to fall asleep on Y/n... if he catches you in here... oh you're in for it."
"Right..." Eddie mumbled back before vanishing behind the curtains.
'What was all that about? I can't even close my eyes for a bit? How was that fair...'
Pullling the drapes shut behind him, Eddie raised his head, eyes locking onto his mystery tattooer.
The man's back was turned to Eddie, hunched over a collection of needles and ink; a frame of luscious hair shielding his face away. Before Munson could say anything, the artist glanced backward.
"Hey. Take a seat." His soft and dark-lined lashes blinked prettily above a lean shoulder.
"Hi."
Doing as he was told, Eddie sat down, his gaze locked onto Y/n's back ('that's his name, right?')
As L/n scanned twice over his equipment, Munson was very silently reeling beside him.
Was it... an angel? No, that didn't describe him nearly enough, but whoever this man was, he had a face like no other.
Perfectly sultry eyes, and the best kept hair Eddie had ever seen; smooth and well shaped to suit his jaw line. And don't even get him started on those absolutely divine--
"Good to meet you, Eddie." Y/n smiled with a calm (near-stoned) look on his face. "I'm Y/n, but I'm pretty sure Chris already told you that."
Wow, those really were some pretty eyes.
"Yeah, of course." Munson kept a brave face on, trying to relax into himself under Y/n's intense gaze. "Um, she also said you were new to this place?" As the man glanced back down at Chrissy's book, he scoffed gently.
"That probably wasn't the best way to introduce me. Especially when you've just asked for a tat like this." Y/n leant back against the wall, and discarded the book to his table. "No need to worry. I've been in business for a good few years now."
That settled Eddie's mind fairly fast, and his body would visibly loosen up.
"Phew, I thought I was gonna have to sell my whole caravan to get it fixed."
"Hmf. I would'a sued me right off the bat. If you ain't got the money to remove it, then that ink is with you for life." Spinning around, Y/n hovered over his tools again.
Perfectly toned forearms flexing over the equipment, capped off by a pair of white gloves that Eddie wished would just go away. He bet Y/n was real good with his ha-
'Dude, you barely just met him. Shut up.'
"Alright. You ready to get started?"
Not really, no. Eddie would rather keep talking and gawking at him. In mere minutes, he'd been enraptured by the way Y/n's words rolled through the room, smooth like butter into his ears. The intensity of their eye contact painfully inappropriate.
Though Y/n probably didn't feel the same, and was just going about the session like with any other customer, Munson couldn't care less. He was experiencing something he didn't want to let go of. That man had a face you could stare at for hours, and lips so sultry they were impossible to look away from.
"Sure thing." Eddie sighed, swinging his legs over the side and leaning back against paper-lined leather. This was all so terrifying. Not much was different, but having a gorgeously handsome dude right next to him, just about to feel up his chest and get super close--
Oh, good lord and fucking dragons, how was he supposed to survive this?
"Shirt off, please." Y/n instructed him, now returning with cotton pads and a bottle of, presumably, rubbing alcohol. "Don't have any hair under there, do you?"
Eddie's face lit up pink. Was he trying to get him flustered? Maybe that wasn't even something he should be flustered about...
Hell. Y/n was just a walking trigger.
"Uh, yeah? I got a few of 'em." Munson chuckled, nerves seeping through as he lifted his top away.
"Huh. Didn't expect that..."
'What does that mean!'
Y/n got to work- cleaning Eddie's skin and shaving the breadth of his chest. Fingers delicate, and ticklish in his plastic gloves. The slow drag of a razor leaving a trail of hot flesh in its wake. Hot from embarrassment. Hot all the way to his face.
Once those few moments passed, Y/n was finally on his way to the stencil; his pretty eyes focussed on moisturizing Eddie's skin. Careful not to rush, cautious to make Eddie comfortable.
And it wasn't working one bit. The pink glowing against Munson's cheeks was unbearable. He felt as though everything had turning numb- and though he knew the best thing to do was look away, he just couldn't.
"How about here?" The hum of Y/n's voice pulled Eddie back in. Wonderful eyes peering up into his own as a clothed finger hovered above his chest. Looking at Y/n was sending him insane.
"Y-yeah, I like that spot."
"I think this is a really good choice, Munson. It goes well with that spider of yours." His finger tapped against Eddie's close sitting tattoo soon before the transfer began. "I might have to get Chrissy to design me something."
Watching with an intrigued stare (though Eddie had seen the procedure countless times before), he gleamed at the compliment.
"I actually highly recommend that. Cunningham is the genius behind a bunch of these designs. You would never believe that girl used to be in cheer squad, God... She completely changed."
"Seriously? Oh, you've got me interested now." They laughed heartily in tandem. Perhaps one of them grinning a little too much with how lovely Y/n sounded.
Once the line art had begun and all the little tweaks and pinches of pain set in, Munson was speaking more frequently, trying to take his mind off things. Or atleast to get Y/n to talk more. Everytime he opened his mouth (which was rare, he found) Munson felt his heart flutter. As embarrassing as it was.
"-And then, we basically all just stayed after school everyday playing DnD from then on. You know that... board game?"
" 'Course I know 'that board game'. Who doesn't? But, I've always preferred Catan."
Eddie, after having talked Y/n's ear off for a good half hour, was now completely speechless.
"Are you... serious?"
"Oh, you're not one of those DnD converting mad-men, are you?"
"W-what? No, no. I don't actually, know what that means but- I'm just surprised that you even know what Dungeons and Drangons is, nevermind Settlers of Catan."
Tutting behind his mask, Y/n pulled the needle back, allowing Munson a little pain relief.
"Just 'cuz I'm dressed in all this grungy shit, just like yourself, it doesn't mean I can't be a nerd." Though he sounded pissed off, Eddie could tell by the creases at his eyes that that was definitely not the case.
Could the man get any better? Munson thought he was trapped in a fever dream with everything that was going on, and also how much his temperature was fluctuating (he hadn't the faintest idea what an actual fever dream was.)
"You know, if you need a break, just tell me. We've got a good few hours left before you leave this chair." The man said, patting the seat and turning around to swap his needles.
"Yeah, sure." Eddie smiled, his eyes attached to Y/n's body, knowing full well that was a bad idea. "Thanks."
And a good few hours it was. Most of the time being spent staring at Y/n and trying to hide all of his blushing and stuttering. The more they spoke, the worse Eddie was getting; and also the harder he was falling.
But suddenly that time was up.
"And we're done." The man would proclaim, sighing in exhaustion as he removed his mask. "That was a pretty successful session. What'dya think?"
Handing Munson the long end of a mirror, he waited patiently for a reaction.
"Holy shit." Eddie could barely say it, gasping at the sight of his absolutely brilliant tattoo. "This, is so fucking cool!
Y/n chuckled to himself, removing the white gloves from his fingers and placing all of his items to one side.
"Glad you like it. I think it could've used a bit more-"
"No. It's... amazing."
Y/n looked up from the finished piece and pulled his lips shut. "Okay."
Gradually, Eddie returned the mirror and pushed himself upright. That shit was gonna bruise so bad, he could already feel it. But once he saw Y/n standing over him and holding a hand out, all those after thoughts went away.
☆
"I'll see you again soon?" Eddie questioned, looking over his shoulder by the door.
Y/n's pretty eyes simmered back at him, stealing Chrissy's spot by the counter.
"Sure, Munson." He smiled, shaking a hand his way. "But don't fall asleep next time."
"What?" Chrissy pointed up to the board over head. There was his face- hair all frazzled and mouth hanging, drooling "Oh, for fuck's sake-"