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Luke never considered himself an adventurous person or a daredevil by any means, but somehow, his friends Michael and Calum roped him into getting his lip pierced, and holy shit, he is actually going through with it. Luke apparently lost a bet to them he other night, and now has to get pierced. Under normal circumstances, he would just brush it off because he was drunk, how was he supposed to remember this "bet". But Luke had actually wanted to get his lip pierced for a while now, he just never had the guts to do it.
He still doesn't though, he still definitely doesn't.
Now Luke is standing in front of, what he thinks to be, somewhere he definitely shouldn't be. The only reason he is about to enter "Nighthawk Tattoo and Piercings", is because he lost a stupid bet to his two stupid friends. Now, Luke is going to get his lip pierced, completely counter intuitive to his current fears and apprehension.
The parlor looks menacing from just across the street, and Luke has half a mind (a whole mind really) to just walk back home and surrender in defeat. But he crosses the street and nervously walks to the door, much slower than necessary. Before he opens it, he takes a moment to look at the neon signs glowing brightly in the window, even-though it was only mid-day, the 1950's inspired posters of scantily clad women "riding" motorcycles, and every photo after photo of the body art featured. It couldn't be too bad, he was going in, getting his lip pierced, then walking out and showing the two losers at home his new lip jewelry.
Pushing the door open- wait nope, Luke just walked right into the door- pulling the door open, he heard the faint chime of a bell signaling that he was there. After some harsh inner berating of 'Why, why, why do you always do this, every damn door in this city is a pull to open and push to leave, that was such a dumb move! Everyone here probably thinks you're a weirdo now', he moved into the lobby of the shop and searched for a reception desk.
He found the receptionist before he found the desk. This guys was a whole head taller than Luke and was probably the width of about a fridge and a half. Not to mention he was covered in tats. From his neck to what you could see of his chest and arms (which were solid muscle), tattoos decorated his skin. They looped and overlapped, creating a mural on his body. A voice broke his chain of thought.
"Aye! What can I do for ya today?" The receptionist's voice matched his physique, big and scary. Luke walked over to the desk, his shoes making quiet tapping sounds as they struck the floor.
"I'm here to get my lip pierced." Luke realized that he sounded 12 years old talking to this guy. Luke was 16 and still needed his parents permission to get a piercing, but with much coaxing from the one and only Michael, Luke thought he looked old enough to pass for 17 where you don't have to have parental permission but you also don't have any ID. Now he didn't know if the guy would even believe Luke if he told him he real age.
The receptionist eyed Luke over for a bit, which was very uncomfortable, and barked out,
"How old are you, kid?" Luke was sure now that he would be kicked out.
"Uh, 17." He prayed it would work.
The man, who's name was Mark as it read on his name tag, raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest. Luke remembered he was slouching a bit so he stood up straighter and puffed out his chest a bit. To seem a bit bigger.
It must've worked because Mark uncrossed his arms and shuffled around on his desk to pull out a clip board and a pen.
"You've got to sign these if you want the piercing. There is a table over there you can sit at." Mark gestured to a small square table in the front corner of the shop by the windows with a black chair tucked into it.
"If you have any questions, I'll be over here. If not, bring me the completed sheets and I will get someone ready for you." Mark handed Luke the paper and pen with a slightly disapproving look on his face, but Luke took the clip board and proceeded over to the table.
The chair was more comfortable than Luke thought it would be. Sitting all on his lonesome, Luke had time to mull over the fact that he was about to get a large, sharp object shoved through his lower lip, for bragging rights. He couldn't back out now though, Mark seemed to think that Luke wouldn't go through with it, and he kept glancing over to his small table through his eyebrows.
Luke didn't pay much attention to what he was signing, and finished quickly, not taking the adequate time to read over the fine print. He simply scribbled out his signature once, twice, once again and he was done.
As he slowly stood up, the chair scraped against the tile floor with a sharp screech, Mark looked up at Luke again. This time he looked impressed, maybe he really did expect Luke to get back up and go home. While Luke approached the desk he felt a larger than before wave of uncertainty wash through him. Still, with shaky hands, he handed over the papers and was redirected to sit, once again, in the chair.
"I'll be back in a second, so just sit tight and someone will be ready for you soon." Mark said as he walked off to the back of the store, leaving Luke completely alone this time. Just him and his nerves, eating away at his current choices.
A few minutes passed (Luke would know, he's been staring at the clock for the past two minutes and 37 seconds), before he heard the sound of Mark's boots clomp back into the lobby area.
"Ashton will be doing your piercing today, he is just in the back setting up. I'd give it another minute before he's ready." And with that, Mark was back in his chair at his desk, typing away.
Leaving Luke, yet again, to think about what's about to happen. So, for the next 52 seconds, Luke sat in the comfier-than-expected chair with sweaty palms.
Luke was playing with his fingers when his piercer came to greet him, it was a childhood thing he has always done when he was nervous. He was so wrapped up in his own mind that he didn't notice the very attractive boy walking his way.
"Um, hi are you Luke?" A voice broke his concentration. He looked up and stuttered out a 'yeah' and a 'That's me I'm Luke' that was too fast for normal human speech. When Luke took in the features of the boy standing more or less right above him, he felt flustered and so not ready to have this, this, angel drive a needle through his mouth.
Angel was definitely the right word to use, as soon as Luke made it clear how painfully awkward he was, Ashton- yeah, that what his name was right?- let out the most wonderful giggle in the entire universe, and held out his hand for a shake. "Hi, I'm Ashton." Luke took Ashton's hand and shook it, then got up off the chair to see that Ash was a good bit taller than he was.
"I take it you're here for a lip piercing today?"
"Yeah, I am" God that sounded awkward. Could he make the situation any worse for himself?
"OK, cool, so if you want to follow me back, we can get started." Ashton turned on his heel and began to walk towards the back of the shop. It may have taken Luke a second or two to reciprocate the action, but he too was in tow and ready (so not ready) to get his lip pierced.
Ashton had silky, golden-blond locks of curly hair, and nicely defined biceps. As Luke was taken around to the back, he could see how Ashton's back muscles twisted an moved as he walked. His hips swaying slightly with the motion of his steps and his legs were perfectly sculpted. His feet were adorned with a chunky pair of Doc. Martins in flat black that matched his shirt and jeans that were also, completely black. His skin was tanned, but his numerous tattoos were still eye catching with their colourful stories, inked deep inside.
Luke wondered what each one meant. He wanted to know what each one meant, to maybe hear that laugh again, but not in a tattoo parlour, maybe in a coffee shop when it's too cold outside to walk hand-in-hand. Or maybe Luke was getting ahead of himself. He was 16, a mid-teen who was still 2 years shy of adulthood. How old was Ashton, 21? 23? That's at least 5 years difference. Ashton was too good for him anyways.
Luke's inner moping took his mind away from the anxiety he was feeling. It was nice, while it lasted. Until Ashton interrupted his thoughts with friendly conversation that Luke had made awkward because he was been staring into space for the last minute.
"So, what made you decide to get your lip pierced?" Ashton had his hands in his pockets, as he walked beside Luke, down to his office. Luke didn't respond right away, giving just a long enough pause for things to get awkward, then stutter out a 'uh, ya sure.' Because that's what you are supposed to say when you don't know the answer right?- or if you were too busy thinking about a persons dimples to bother listening to what they were saying.
Ashton raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Luke's confusing remark. Luke looked confused with his own answer, and to be perfectly honest he was. There were too many thoughts going on in his brain, plus this obnoxiously cute boy- man, that was messing him up even more.
"So you are getting your lip done because, 'Yes'?" Ashton teased, and giggled as he stopped outside of an open door. Luke could feel his face heat up.
"No, well, I actually got bullied into getting this," Luke tried to look anywhere but ashton's pretty eyes, "my two friends and I made a bet while drunk and apparently I lost. Now I'm here getting peircings." He let out a forced laugh to try and lighten the mood.
Ashton was busy putting on a pair of black latex gloves, and Saran wrapping the leather-looking chair/bed thing that people get tattooed on. In this case he would be getting peirced on.
Ashton looked up at Luke, who looked quite out of place wearing some blue board shorts and a 'bring me the horizon' singlet.
"You do actually want this though? There is nothing worse than getting any kind of body art done and regretting it after." Ashton finished wrapping the seat and stood back up.
Luke was back to nervous now. Ashton had seemed to take away some of the anxiety nibbling away at him, but it came back full force now.
"Well, ya- I mean, I have wanted this for a while now too, so I'm here because I want to be I guess." It was true, Luke new that if he didn't get the peircing, Michael and Calum might push him around for what, three days max? They wouldn't actually make him do something he was genuinely uncomfortable doing.
"Well, make sure you're sure because there's no going back after its done. Oh, and if you ready, feel free to take a seat, get comfy. We can start whenever." Ashton was turned towards a table against the wall of the small room, and Luke made a point of not looking too closely at the sharp, silvery objects Ashton was arranging.
The space was a bit cramped in the small room, well it wasn't exactly small, it's just that Luke was tall and Ashton was really tall so Luke was forced to do a kind of waddle ish sideways shuffle to get to the chair.
The Saran Wrap uncomfortably stuck to his clammy skin and the exposed leather armrests did the same. Luke tapped his feet against the footboard to an unknown beat as Ashton finished gathering up his tools and turned to face Luke on the chair. He pulled a stool over to sit on and plopped down beside Luke.
"So, I see you've decided you're ready." Ashton was comfortably seated and ran a hand through his hair, pulling an elastic off of his wrist and tying his hair into a quick topknot.
"Yep, as ready as I'll ever be." Luke trailed off with the last part. Ash had a good few facial peircings, including his lip. Which looked really good, of course. Ashton's lips looked so soft and just so slightly pouty, very kissable. I mean they were close ish, if Luke could just lean in a bit closer- woah- no. Ashton was giving Luke a weird look and he just coughed and turned back around to his tray of sharp objects.
"Ok then," Ashton giggled and picked up a pamphlet, handing it to Luke, "so, before I pierce your lip, you have to know how to take care of it and all that stuff. Y'know, things like don't take it out or kiss anyone for at least six weeks."
Luke realized he was imagining kissing Ashton again when he mentioned the thing about no kissing. It wasn't his fault Ashton's lips were fluffy pillows, perfect for Luke's own lips, or that his hair must feel so silky and nice to run his fingers through, maybe even pull on. How nice Ashton's torso looked, how nice it must feel on top of Luke's bare chest, accompanied by those lips of his. Those lips that Luke pondered as to just what they might taste like. Smoke maybe? The velvety feel of the indside of his mouth against Luke's wandering tongue, licking and teeth clashing together.
Ashton's voice calling his name.
"Uh, Luke?" Oh shit, it actually was Ashton calling his name.
"Hm? What, sorry, I zoned out for a second." Luke's cheeks heated up as he recounted his less-than-pure thoughts from a second ago.
"Did you hear my question? I asked you if you have any allergies to latex or silver," Ashton questioned, "and are you sure you're ok? You seem, I don't know, really nervous. You are breathing really hard."
That wasn't from being nervous, but, once again, the reality of the situation sunk back in and Luke felt a lot less like he was in dreamland.
"Oh, ya I guess I'm just not fond of needles. And I'm not allergic to anything." It wasn't a lie, Luke wasn't fond of needles in the slightest.
Ashton gave him a sympathetic nod.
"Same, actually. I can, like, do stuff to other people with them, but I get all squirmy when they are being used on me." Ashton cooly spoke.
His voice was almost too nice. The pitch wasn't that deep, just right, and it flowed beautifully.
"I remember the first time I got a piercing," Ashton sat back in his chair a bit, "it was my belly button that I wanted done."
Luke thought about Ashton as a young teenager, venturing out as a clean canvas, into the world of colour. Eventually filling his canvas body with paintings and symbols.
"I was so scared," Ashton gave a breath of acknowledgement for his own story, "it got to the point that I was, like, hyperventilating while the guy was trying to pierce my stomach, and he had to stop because I was moving so much from my breathing."
Luke gave a small 'oh'. He didn't like the thought of Ashton being really scared. He looked so huggable.
"The guy was really nice though. In the end I just had to close my eyes and look away. Then I proudly walked out with this!" Ashton pulled up the hem of his shirt just enough to reveal a small, black bead and a fuzzy, blond snail trail leading down past his boxers.
"Looks nice." Luke inwardly drooled.
Ashton giggled again, "Thanks, I was so proud of it after I got it. All I wore was crop tops, or no tops." The lightest dusting of pink covered Ashton's cheeks. Luke just wanted to squeeze him, how could he be older than 12? Let alone 21.
"Anyways," Ashton turned to his tray and grabbed a white square packet, "enough about me, let's get on with you."
Ashton ripped the top off of the packet and an alcoholic smell wafted throughout the room.
"This is just to clean up your lip. Make sure there arent any germs to get inside the piercing." He rolled over to Luke and dabbed at his bottom lip before he could process what was going on.
"What side do you want done? Left or right?" Ashton asked as he rolled towards a bin near the door, throwing the used swab in.
"Uh, left please."
"Sure thing, babe."
What. Luke froze up for a second because Ashton just called him babe. Maybe it was just Luke's brain malfunctioning, seemed plausible.
Luke sat awestruck in the chair as Ashton approached him with a large sharp metal object! Ok, this was going very fast, and Luke felt his breathing speed up but he couldn't get enough air in his lungs and, wow, the needle looked so sharp and he suddenly really didn't want it going through his lip. He didn't know what to do and he couldn't say anything because his mouth wouldn't work. And-
Ashton voice broke his thoughts.
"Hey, hey, breathe." Ashton put the needle back on the tray.
"It's ok, I'm not going to put anything through your lip until you are ready," Ashton rolled close to Luke's pale, sweaty figure, "I'm sorry, I didnt think about how nervous you must be right now."
"S'ok." Luke gulped out. Feeling very tense.
"No, no, I want you to feel comfortable. I know what it's like to be nervous, trust me."
"Can you take your hands off the arm rests maybe? Try to put them in your lap?"
Luke looked down to see his knuckles white from gripping the chair so hard. His fingers unwillingly curled back from the arm rest, leaving finger-shaped dents in the material. He let out a big puff of air he didn't know he was holding in, and deflated into the chair.
"Feel any better now?"
Luke have a curt nod, looking strait forward, he just wanted this over with.
"Can you breathe for me, babe? You aren't breathing." Ashton said softly.
Luke moved his chest up and down, but he wasn't getting much more air than before. Ashton seemed to notice.
"Hey, watch me. Try and follow my breathing ok?" Ashton took a deep, exaggerated breath, elongating the inhale and exhale while making it louder than a normal breath.
Luke tried to breath like Ashton but just got small, half breaths that made his chest jump with their frequency.
"It's ok, you're ok, I'm right here. Just keep breathing. In and out, just like that."
Luke's breaths slowly became less shallow and longer. Ashton continued his mantra of 'it's ok' and 'I'm here, babe'. The babe part probably didn't help because Luke kept forgetting how to breathe every time Ashton called him that. But Luke never wanted to stop hearing it.
Luke's breathing returned to a normal level, and he was aware of how embarrassing what just happened actually was. He just had a moment of panic in front of a cute and comforting stranger who takes his breath away, and spend a good minute trying to breathe.
Luke's cheeks heated up in embarrassment and he looked down at his fingers, starting to twiddle them again.
"Are you alright now, babe?" Luke looked up to see Ashton gazing down at him with a genuinely worried look on his face.
"Yeah, uh, sorry about that. I guess I just wasn't ready." Luke tried to come up with an excuse for his actions.
"Don't be sorry. I'm the one that's sorry." Ashton said, apologetically to Luke's hunched over figure.
Luke shrugged, feeling a bit awkward tired from his moment of panic.
"Wait, I have an idea. I want you to close you eyes, and only pay attention to my voice. Can you do that for me, babe?"
Luke looked at Ashton almost robotically, searching his face for any sign of insincerity. Ashton chuckled to himself, and raised his eyebrows in question.
"Um, ya I guess. Why?" Like felt weird sinking back into the chair and closing his eyes, more vulnerable.
"I don't want you to think about what I'm about to do. I want to to thing about my voice instead. It will help you I promise."
Luke closed his eyes and listened to the soft jingle of metal hitting other metal. He heard Ashton's chair roll back towards him and listened to the sound of Ashton's breath get closer to Luke's face. He felt something warm pull at the left side of his bottom lip, and he jumped at the contact, sucking in a breath.
"It's just my fingers. Don't worry." Ashton murmered, as if he was concentrating.
Easier said then done.
Ashton sensed the remaining tention in Luke still.
"Hey, do you trust me?" It was a strange question because under normal circumstances, knowing someone for just inder 30 minutes did not equal trusting them. But Luke felt like he did trust Ashton.
Luke gave a small noise of agreement.
"Good. Now all I'm going to do it replace my fingers with a metal clamp. It's a bit colder but nothing else." Luke felt Ashton's warm fingers switch places with cold, hard slabs of metal. Not as nice, Ashton had nice hands.
"I want you to think about something that makes you really happy. Something that makes you smile when you think about it, but don't open your eyes."
Luke searched his brain. There was his family, yes he loved them, but he didn't smile when he thought of them. There were Michael and Calum, but he was a bit pissed at them so he didn't smile thinking of them either. Then he landed on a thought of Ashton. How hard and edgy he looked on the outside but how kind-hearted and kindred he was once you get to know him. Luke felt the corners of his mouth pull up in a smile. Or, as much of a smile the clamps were letting him do.
"I see you've thought of something," Ashton mused, "keep your mind on that. I'm going to count down from 5. Every time I say a number I want you to breathe in and out nice and deep, just like we practiced. I'm going to pierce your lip as I'm counting."
Ashton thought of his panicky outburst as practice, not something that Luke should be ashamed of. That made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Luke was so wrapped up in his perfect world where he and Ashton can hold hands and stargaze without a care in the world, that he didn't feel the needle thread through his lip. Not even a pinch.
"It's all done, babe. You can open your eyes," Ashton all but whispered as his voice pulled away from Luke's face.
Luke opened his eyes to see Ashton holding out a small mirror for him to take. Luke took the mirror with shaky hands, and brought it up to his face.
Wow.
It was a small, black bead, just like one that adorned Ashton's belly. Luke couldn't have thought of a nicer lip stud.
"I love it." It was completly honest because Luke really did love it.
"I'm glad. I wouldn't want anything less."
Luke blushed and returned the mirror to Ashton's hand, reaching one of his own up to feel his lips. Only to be berated by Ashton telling him that if he touched it, it might get infected. Or maybe it was an excuse for Ashton to gently pull Luke's hand away from his face with one of his own. To hold it for a second too long to be casual, and leave Luke very flustered and blushy.
Ashton lead Luke back to the front of the shop, where Mark was still typing away at his computer. Luke felt much more confident now. He wanted to flaunt his new piercing in front of everyone, including Mark. Mark didn't bother looking up when Ashton and Luke strided in, side by side, hands brushing slightly and sending shivers up Luke's spine. Some though, pooling in the lower regions of his tummy, making him squirm with delight.
Ashton rung Luke up looking a bit flustered as well. Shyly asking for '33.02$ please' and not looking him in the eye as Luke handed over some cash.
When a receipt slowly chugged out of the machine, Ashton quickly ripped it off and brought it back down to the computer table and grabbed a pen, scribbling something onto it. He hesitated multiple times before putting the pen back down and handing Luke the receipt.
"Have a- have a nice day, Luke." Ashton stuttered.
Luke looked down at what Ashton wrote down on his receipt, there was a mess of numbers that looked like a phone number.
"Call, uh, call me sometime. If you want to, y'know, do something maybe, or if you need advice about your lip piercing n'stuff." Ashton blurted out looked anywhere but Luke's eyes.
Luke blushed profusely as well and smiled so wide.
"Thanks Ashton, maybe I will." Luke said, smoother than intended but he wasn't complaining.
Luke saw Ashton wave to him and scuttle to the back of the store again. Luke thought he heared some sort of scoff and a grumble that vaguely sounded like 'young love' but passed it as nothing.
He walked out of the parlour feeling like he could conquer the world and squeal like a 12 year old girl at the same time.
Luke couldn't wait to show Michael and Calum his new piece if lip jewelry and maybe rub it in their faces a bit. Then he was going to pick up his phone and call Ashton.
Now that, made everything worth it.
(He also really wanted to be called babe again. Maybe that too. )