Work Text:
Jason got the DM at half past ten on a Wednesday night. Normally, he didn’t touch Instagram, much less take work messages after he closed up at eight, but he’d been waiting on a message from Snowball’s groomer, so when the little notification popped up, he decided to click on it. The profile belonged to a man about Jason’s age with dark, curly hair, bright eyes, and a grin that absolutely spelled trouble even before you got a look at the vintage leather jacket he seemed to be wearing in every photograph and the jewelry glinting from his ears and nose. Jason felt his heart beat a little faster as he opened the chat.
hey
i kno ur prly not gna ansr
but i gtta try
pleas man im beggin
ur the best ive seen n a hot minut
and i NEED this
Jason glanced down at Snowball, who was curled up in a ball on his lap, viciously gnawing on her yak cheese chew. “What do you think? Should I respond?” he asked, scratching her behind the ear. As expected, Snowball ignored him and just started chewing faster. Jason figured that was as close to a confirmation as he was going to get.
Hi there! Thanks for reaching out.
I’m glad you like my work so much.
How can I help you?
OH MY GOD YOU ANSWERED
IML ITSEALLY CRYIBF
U HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH THAIS MEANS TO ME
THANK YOU
Jason’s eyebrows shot up and he frowned at his phone.
No offence, but are you drunk?
I refuse to have consultations if you’re intoxicated.
no dude im fine i promise
i just suck at ytping
FUCK
Jason snorted hard enough that Snowball actually abandoned her cheese long enough to give him a betrayed look. “Sorry, ma’am,” he said, stroking all the way down her spine in apology. It was apparently good enough for partial forgiveness because she quit side-eying him, but she did get extra cheese-drool on his sweatpants.
Haha. You’re fine, don’t worry.
So, original question: How can I help you?
ok so ths is a lookng shot
but di u hav ny openings timirr9w?
likw ferry 5?
*after
Actually, yeah, I do.
I had a last-minute cancellation at 6:30
What are you looking to get done?
holy shirt really?
oh my god fucj yes this is the bestbnews if my LIFE
ok do you thinki you could do something like this
ong my chest specifically
but a morning glory not a orchig
The guy sent over one of Jason’s own posts. It was a daffodil, not an orchid, that he’d done on Thalia’s thigh the summer before. It was only about the size of his palm, and had a little bit of shading and some pretty fine line work, if he did say so himself. He may have to stay open a little late to get it done, but he didn’t exactly have a busy Thursday night planned.
Yeah, I can do that.
You’re looking at about $375.
Does that work for you?
dude id pay double that
ur a LIFESACETLR
like seriously
Haha. I don’t make a habit of robbing people.
Especially if I think they could use that money for typing lessons.
-_-
wow grace ur a gasp
very funny
I try :)
lmao
so do i need to bring nothing?
u take cahs/card?
Either is fine, but there will be a $100 upfront on Venmo.
And you don’t have to bring anything
Unless you prefer to listen to music/podcasts
In that case you would need earbuds.
I have water and snacks available though.
👍
What name should I put on the schedule?
Leo Valdez
“Well, he seems fun,” Jason told Snowball. She proceeded to give him that one particular devastatingly judgemental stare that only a pomeranian could pull off, and Jason actually felt himself blush. “What? He’s charming.” Snowball, somehow, managed to look even more disgusted. Jason scowled back at her. “What do you know?”
Snowball made a little noise like she was reminding him that in her prime she’d mothered nearly a dozen show-winning puppies and Jason hadn’t managed to hold a steady relationship for more than a whopping 18 months by that point, so, quite frankly, she obviously had better taste in men. Or maybe she was just coughing up a little bit of yak cheese because she was a dog and Jason was just a little too willing to project his insecurities onto a tiny little fur ball who was just minding her business. Who could say, really?
“I’m going to bed,” Jason announced. Snowball immediately perked up at the word bed and she yapped sharply, leaving her cheese chew unguarded just long enough for Jason to snatch it away. She yapped again in horrified offense and Jason just scooped her up and stood. “Sorry, ma’am, but you can’t have cheese by yourself.” Snowball obviously didn’t care about the potential choking hazards and just stared at Jason like she’d never forgive him so long as she remembered this slight.
Fortunately, Snowball wasn’t exactly renowned for her grudge-holding abilities and the instant Jason sat her down on the bed she bounced right over to her bedazzled pink bed and curled up in a perfect little ball like a scoop of fluffy vanilla ice cream. Jason followed her and tried not to think about Leo Valdez.
He failed. He failed spectacularly, in fact. He thought about Leo as he was falling asleep, he thought about Leo as soon as he woke up, and he thought about Leo while he was making his microwave oatmeal. He couldn’t quite remember his dream, but based on the flashes of gold he did remember, he got the feeling that Leo had featured pretty prominently in those, as well.
That was… fine. No, really, it was. Jason’s mind just latched onto thoughts and people and ideas sometimes. It was normal. Nothing to worry about in the slightest. It didn’t mean anything. Probably.
Jason did his best to dismiss the thought and just focused on getting dressed for his run. When he was ready, he found Snowball still sound asleep in her bed. “Good morning, ma’am,” he said softly, reaching out to scratch behind her ear. She blinked lazily and then yawned so wide Jason was still amazed that her little jaw didn’t just fall off, even after seeing it every day for years at that point. “Do you wanna go on a run or do you wanna stay home?”
At the word “run” Snowball completely woke up, jumping to her feet and barking a mile a minute while she chased her tail like a little tornado. Jason laughed and picked her up, strapping her into her backpack with practiced ease. “Alright, alright. Run it is.”
When Jason first got Snowball three years ago, he’d been worried. Her previous owner had been a stern old lady by the name of Ms. Lupa, and the most activity Snowball ever got was when Ms. Lupa went downstairs to check her mail, or Jason took her to the groomers on Ms. Lupa’s behalf. Snowball was used to a quiet, sedentary lifestyle with Ms. Lupa, and Jason’s life was not that. He couldn’t afford to stay home every day to keep Snowball entertained the way a retired Latin professor could, and he went on seven-mile runs every morning before heading into the parlor to open up. He’d been worried that he wouldn’t be able to provide the life she deserved when Ms. Lupa signed her over to his full-time care when she moved into the assisted living facility.
Jason should not have worried. If anything, he wasn’t active enough for Snowball’s taste. She couldn’t run on a leash with him, obviously (her legs capped out an astounding 5.21 inches) but she would ride in her backpack carrier with her face next to Jason’s ear and any time he dared go below her pre-approved speed, she’d bark her sharp little bark until he sped back up. She didn’t look it, but she was a tiny little drill sergeant, and Jason’s personal best mile had never been lower.
Plus, she loved spending all day at the parlor. She had a collection of toys she was allowed to play with without supervision, Hazel, the other tattoo artist, adored her, and there was a constant stream of people coming in and petting her and taking selfies of her with their new tattoos. She was a princess and she ruled her realm with an iron paw and a decisive yap.
Today was no different. She coached him through his run, demanding an extra half mile before she was satisfied. Then she nodded off as he jogged towards the parlor, but he found himself pausing at his door because a remarkably large crowd had formed across the street. After checking to make sure he had plenty of time to shower and change before Hazel came in, Jason quickly crossed the street and approached a woman who was lazily scrolling on her phone as she waited around for whatever it was she was waiting for. “Um, excuse me? Do you know what’s going on here?”
The woman glanced up from her phone, saw Snowball, who had woken up at the approach of a stranger who might give her pets, and cooed with delight. “Oh hi, baby! Aren’t you cute!” She reached out but froze halfway and glanced at Jason. “Is petting okay?”
“Yeah, she’s super friendly,” Jason assured her. “Her name is Snowball.”
“Hi, Snowball!” With permission granted, the lady started happily rubbing Snowball’s cheek. “Anyway, uh, the crowd here is for the florist. Brand new, opened today.”
Jason’s eyebrow shot up. “Everyone is here to buy flowers?”
The lady shrugged. “Nothing else to do on a Thursday, is there?” Her phone buzzed in her hand and she brightened. “Ooh, gotta go! It’s my turn now! Bye-bye, Snowball!”
With that she scurried off towards the door. The crowd was too thick for Jason to make out the name properly, but there was a boldly designed ‘V’ in the glass pane. He waited for a second, debating whether or not he should investigate further, then shook his head and headed off to mind his own business.
From there, the day passed fairly normally. Jason showered and got dressed in his usual jeans and hoodie while Snowball got a violently purple bow, and then he started sketching out the tattoos for the day, including Leo’s morning glory. Hazel came in around 10 with donuts and dog treats, and their doors opened at noon. Jason and Hazel both had a pretty full booking, with only Hazel having time to slip away between clients to go grab them some lunch.
“Hey, is that florist across the street still swarmed like it was this morning?” Jason asked as he desperately scarfed down the burger he’d been presented with.
“Not quite as bad,” Hazel reported. “Inside looked like it was packed, but there weren’t people just standing outside waiting their turn to be allowed in anymore. If it keeps slowing down, I may stop by after I get off work. It’s my turn to get Frank flowers.”
Jason felt a twinge of envy at the mention of Hazel’s four-year relationship but he smiled anyway. “You heading out early tonight, in that case?”
“Yeah, my last one should be finishing up around six thirty, so I’ll just head out after, unless you need me here for something.”
Jason shrugged. “The only thing I’d really want is company and I’ll have Snowball and a client for that.”
Hazel giggled at him, but the sound was interrupted by the jingling of the bell over the door, and she checked her phone. “Speaking of, I think that’s my one o’clock. They said they’d probably get here early.”
Jason’s own one o’clock appointment showed up soon after, followed by the three, the four thirty and the five fifteen. All four of them standard appointments, all four completely and totally satisfied with their results. Hazel left just before six thirty with a promise to bring Snowball a new bow, and Snowball took a deep after-dinner nap, leaving Jason alone in the parlor, waiting for his last client of the day.
Only that last client appeared to have better things to do.
Jason was no stranger to being stood up by clients, that was why he made made a point to demand a deposit ahead of time, but for some reason Leo’s absence stung in ways he wasn’t quite ready to address. Realistically, he’d already gotten a hundred bucks from the guy, and this also meant he could close up and go home early for the night. That didn’t make him feel any better though. He didn’t want a hundred bucks and an early night, he wanted dark curls and bright brown eyes.
So maybe that was why instead of just DMing Leo (again) to tell him the appointment was canceled, Jason decided to putter aimlessly around the parlor, rearranging inks that were already perfectly arranged, sanitizing things he’d sanitized half an hour before and hadn’t touched, and sweeping invisible dust off of a spotless floor. Anything, anything, to keep him in the parlor for just a bit longer, to give Leo one more chance.
Then, finally, the door bell jingled around seven and Jason felt his heart soar. He quickly walked out to the lobby and sure enough, Leo Valdez was crouched there, scratching Snowball behind the ear and cooing, “You are the single cutest tattoo parlor mascot in the world. I bet you’re very well aware of that, aren’t you?”
Jason cleared his throat and Leo looked up with a grin. In person, it was even more mischievous, teeth very obviously crooked in ways that they hadn’t been on film. His Instagram was also apparently out of date because in addition to the ear and nose rings Jason had seen, Leo had a pair of sparkly gold snake bites and a bar through one eyebrow. Jason smiled back. “Hi, there.”
“Cute dog, huh?” Leo asked, gesturing at Snowball. “You here to see her?”
Jason blinked and furrowed his brow. “Uh, no?”
Leo’s eyes widened. “Oh, you’re here for a tattoo? First one I’m guessing?”
“What?”
“Don’t worry about the pain, it’s really not as bad as it sounds,” Leo said encouragingly. He rolled up the sleeve of that vintage leather jacket of his to show off the handful of tattoos already scattered across his skin. “I’ve done this before, so I’ve got some experience. It doesn’t hurt that much.”
Jason bit his lips to keep from laughing, thinking about the designs that spanned both of his arms and stretched across his back. “You don’t say.”
Leo nodded. “Yeah. And you picked a great place to start. This is my first time here, specifically, but every piece of art that comes out of this place is phenomenal. Plus, the dude who runs it is super nice.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Mhm,” Leo hummed. “So, who are you here to see? Do you have a design picked out, or are you gonna do that with the artist?”
“Actually, I’m here to see you.” Leo’s grin pulled down into a puzzled frown, and Jason couldn’t help but laugh as he offered his hand. “Jason Grace. Nice to meet you.”
Leo just blinked blankly at Jason’s hand as his mind raced to keep up. “I– You’re Jason Grace?” Jason nodded. “You don’t look like Jason Grace!”
Jason looked down at himself, then back up at Leo. “This is what I’ve always looked like.”
“I– That’s not what I meant!” Leo yelped, turning a brilliant shade of vermillion. “You look like a… after school teacher, not a tattoo artist!”
“My sister actually runs an after school program, and she looks more like you than me.”
“Not the point!”
“What is the point?”
“You’re wearing boot cut jeans!” Leo accused. “And a lavender jumper!”
Jason frowned at his hoodie. “It compliments Snowball’s bow.”
Leo made a loud, distressed noise, and crouched down into a ball in the middle of the waiting room. “You know what? Just forget it. I have fumbled this bag so fucking hard. I showed up half a god damn hour late and couldn’t message you because my stupid phone died, and then I go and condesend to the best fucking tattoo artist in a fifty mile radius and excuse myself by making the most bullshit stereotype imaginable. At this point just kick me out and make this easier on both of us. I’ll send you the rest of the three-fifty we agreed on, just let me die of shame in peace.”
Instead of doing that, Jason laughed. “I don’t think that will be necessary,” he grinned. “Look, you’re here now, I don’t have any clients after you, and you seem to be a lot more hung up on my jeans than I am. Why don’t we just go ahead and do this thing and we can just pretend this never happened?"
Leo looked at him suspiciously. “Really?”
Jason offered him a hand. “Really, really.”
Leo took his hand and gave a sheepish smile in return. “Sorry for being late, by the way. I got really caught up doing stuff at my shop and I just– Yeah. Sorry.”
“It’s alright,” Jason said truthfully, leading him to the back. “What kind of shop do you own?”
“I actually just opened today!” Leo puffed his chest out in pride. “Valdez Blooms. It’s the florist across the street.” Jason barked out a startled laugh and Leo frowned at him. “What?”
“Nothing, it’s just–” Jason cut himself off by clearing his throat. “No offense, but you’re a florist with snake bites and a leather jacket. I don’t think you have a lot of room to critique my wardrobe choices.”
Leo flushed even darker. “I thought you said we were gonna pretend that didn’t happen!”
“That was before you gave me easy ammo.” Leo grumbled quietly under his breath, and Jason couldn’t help but grin as he got Leo set up in the chair and pulled out his tablet. “Alright, so this is the design I put together today. Any changes you want to make?”
“Just one,” Leo said. “Can you take off one of the leaves on the vine? I’d like for it to be nine.”
“Sure thing. Take your shirt off,” Jason said easily. He quickly adjusted his art and traced out the small design onto the stencil paper. When he was done, he found Leo sitting on the chair, shirtless and flushed. “You didn’t have to shave your chest, I would have taken care of it here.”
For some reason, Leo blushed darker and grimaced slightly. “Yeah, I, uh, shaved. That’s what happened.”
Jason ignored the sudden awkwardness and just prepped the tattoo area, making sure it was clean and applying the transfer solution. His eyebrow arched and he felt a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. “Your heart’s beating really fast. Are you okay?”
Leo’s heart kicked under Jason’s fingers and Leo went darker. “Shut up!”
Jason just chuckled softly. “Alright, alright. So, you opened up a flower shop? I’m guessing that’s what the morning glory’s for? And why you needed it done today?”
“Mhm,” Leo hummed, still flushed, but recovering. “My mom always wanted to be a florist, but she was really good with machines, so she stayed at a garage. She… can’t do that anymore, so I thought, ‘Hell, let’s make that dream of hers a reality,’ and decided to open shop for her. She always liked morning glories, so I wanted to get this to represent that. The first guy I booked canceled on me, but luckily you were here to save my ass.”
“I’m glad I was available to do it for you,” Jason said genuinely. “So, morning glories are your mom’s favorite flowers, but what’s yours?”
“I dunno, I’ve never really thought about it,” Leo confessed. “I’ve always been more into machines.”
Jason froze, letting the words process for a moment before he let out a laugh. “Seriously? Your mom was a mechanic who wanted to be a florist and now you’re a florist who wants to be a mechanic?”
“Crazy how that works out, huh?” Leo grinned. “I’m just happy to be living my mom’s dream, to be honest. Besides, I still get to work on bikes in my free time, which was my favorite part of the job anyway.”
“Bikes? You mean like motorcycles?”
“Mhm? You ride?”
Jason shook his head while he prepped the gun. “No, but my sister does. She has a Yamaha r-something or another.”
“The one who runs an after school program?” Jason nodded, which made Leo snort. “So the teacher wears leather jackets and rides a sports bike while the tattoo artist wears purple jackets to match his pomeranian. I think you guys got a few wires crossed somewhere along the line.”
“If it makes a difference, I do actually have tattoos, they’re just under my hoodie,” Jason offered. “I’ve got two full sleeves of line art and some on my back. During the summer, I volunteer with Thalia, my sister, and the girls just color in all the designs with washable marker.”
“That’s amazing,” Leo cackled. “Like, seriously, I love that. You’re a walking, talking coloring book.”
Jason hummed in agreement and settled down on his stool to get to work. However, the moment the pen hit Leo’s skin, he sucked in a sharp breath, and Jason pulled back with a frown. “You alright?”
“I’m fine,” Leo promised. “That first little bit just always gets me.”
Jason winged up an eyebrow. “But you promised me it didn’t hurt.”
“Dude! You’re breaking the not talking about it agreement again!”
Jason snickered, unrepentant. “Well, if at any point it does start hurting or you need a break, let me know, alright? I don’t want you just sitting there and suffering for no reason, okay?”
“Promise.” Jason got back to work, this time without Leo flinching even a little. The hum of the machine filled the room for a moment before Leo spoke. “So, how did you get into tattooing?”
“It… just sort of happened,” Jason said, debating on what was and wasn’t appropriate conversation to have with a man he’d met less than half an hour ago. “My sister helped me get my first real job as a receptionist at a tattoo parlor, and I just always loved art, so it seemed like a perfect fit. I met Hazel a few years ago and we decided to break off and make our own place.”
“I’ve seen Hazel on your Instagram. Is she, like, a girlfriend or something?”
“No. She’s been seeing this guy, Frank, for years. I’m shocked they aren’t married yet.”
“I know what you mean. My friends Percy and Annabeth are the same way.”
“Wait, Percy? Percy Jackson? And Annabeth Chase?” Leo looked startled, but nodded and Jason laughed. “He’s my cousin.”
Leo’s jaw opened in a perfect little ‘o.’ “No fucking way.”
“Small world,” Jason shrugged.
“Well, now I’m pissed at Percy for not introducing me to his hot tattoo artist cousin,” Leo grouched. “I have literally fangirled about you to his face. Bastard.”
“I don’t mind, I kinda like it better this way,” Jason said, wiping up some of the excess ink to get a clear look at what he was doing. His gaze flicked up to Leo’s and he smiled. “Feels a bit more like Fate like this, don’t you think?”
Leo flushed maroon and didn’t say anything.
The rest of the tattoo passed in remarkably companionable conversation. Jason had learned over the years that mastering small talk was pretty much essential for someone in his field, but it never flowed quite as smoothly as it did with Leo. They played off of each other effortlessly, making the other laugh and blush more than any conversation Jason could remember having in years, and Leo was just easy to talk to in a way that Jason wasn’t used to. They talked the whole time Jason worked; two and a half hours, which was way, way too long for someone of Jason’s skill for a tattoo of that size, and meant that he’d stayed open a whopping hour and a half after closing. But as Leo stood in front of the mirror, tracing the edge of the inflamed area around the new ink with something akin to reverence on his face, Jason found he didn’t mind all that much.
“This is just… God, it’s fucking amazing, Jason,” Leo whispered. His eyes were bright and shiny as he pressed his lips together. “Thank you. Thank you for doing this. You have no idea how much it means.”
“Thank you for letting me do it,” Jason said genuinely. He always got a little emotional about the idea of people walking around with his art, bits of his soul, inked into their skin, and Leo was carrying it over his literal heart. “I hope your mom likes it as much as you do.”
Leo closed his eyes and his lips pulled up in a smile that was sad for reasons Jason knew he didn’t have a right to know yet. “She will. She’s gonna love it.”
They were silent for another moment before Leo turned on Jason, and gave him a smile that actually reached his eyes again. “Seriously, dude, thanks so much for everything you’ve done.”
“I was just doing my job,” Jason shrugged suddenly feeling bashful.
Leo shook his head, unwilling to let him downplay it. “No way, dude. What you’ve done is way above just your job. You were super nice to me on Instagram last night, even way after hours, and you didn’t kick me out when I showed up half an hour late and insulted your jeans.”
“For the record, I wasn’t the one who brought it up this time.”
“Shut up, I’m being serious,” Leo laughed. “The work you did tonight is amazing, and I’m proud I get to have the honor of wearing it.”
“Thank you,” Jason said softly.
“Thank you,” Leo shot back. “For real, though. You can come into my shop literally any time you want, and I’ll get you a stem on the house. Sound good?”
“You don’t have to–”
“You stayed open an hour and a half late, and you didn’t have to do that,” Leo interrupted. “I know I don’t have to. I want to, if that’s alright with you.”
Jason figured he should probably protest. Staying open late didn’t feel at all equivalent to giving away merchandise like that. The problem was that he didn’t want to protest. The problem was that he was alright with pretty much anything, so long as it involved Leo. “I don’t have a vase.”
“Coffee mug works just as well,” Leo shrugged. “Or you can skip the vase entirely and press it in a book or wear it behind your ear. Hell, you can even pluck the petals off one by one chanting ‘he loves me, he loves me not’ if you want. The moment I hand it over, it’s your flower. Chase your bliss, man. You deserve it.”
Jason went quiet for a moment, letting the words sink in for a moment before he smiled. “I think, if you’re giving me flowers, then I would want to display them properly in a vase.”
Leo’s cheeks got that wonderful shade of red again and he grinned. “Then you’d better hurry up and buy one. I expect to see you in my shop soon, Jason Grace.”
After that, Leo got dressed, Jason went over the care guide for the tattoo, and Leo disappeared into the night, leaving Jason standing in the middle of the parlor, alone and breathless.
Well, not completely alone, Snowball reminded him with a little nip to his ankle. It was already past her nighttime brushing, and they still hadn’t even made it home. Jason suddenly realized that he’d skipped dinner. Still, even with all that, he couldn’t help but bend down and scoop Snowball up with a dazzling grin. “Come on, ma’am, we need to get out of here and get to bed. We’ve got an early morning ahead of us.”
Jason looked out the front windows, across the street to where another shop was closing up for the night. “We need to buy a vase on the way in tomorrow.”