Birthday Ink <3 (Squishy-love)

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In comparison to Phoenix’s previous drug problems, and Oriel’s experiences with alcohol, and from what he’d seen when he roamed the streets of New York, Oriel fine with his growing attachment and need for nicotine to get through his more stressful days. There were definitely worse things with worse side effects, and if all he got was a little lung cancer and emphysema, then he could live with it. Probably.

The only thing he’d really mourn was the loss of his stamina (and possibly is exuberant singing voice!) over the years…but he wasn’t that far yet…right?

“You ain’t going to die, pudgey, not from a little bout like that.” Oriel teased his boyfriend as they walked, brushing his fingers through Phoenix’s hair now damp with perspiration. “Uh…sure. If you want. Just don’t hurt yourself.” Oriel could see Phoenix getting a hernia while doing the bicep curl on the lowest weight setting.

Oriel sniggered at Phoenix’s confirmation, or rather, lack of. “Don’t worry ‘bout it, Squish. I’ll tell you ‘nother time.” One of these days. Phoenix had probably wondered where he’d gotten his first tattoo. It was another few minutes before they reached the parlor where they had arranged for this birthday gift. There were a few complication in setting it up(mainly because Oriel was still only 17 and still needed “parental” permission to get this shit done, which nearly sent Oriel into a rage about parentals and adultship ideas that he still felt were ridiculous considering that he didn’t have one and had practically been the other for years) but after a few “kind” words, and a request to a few necessary people, they managed to set the appointment in stone with a deposit. All they had to do after that was show up with the other half of the bill and flash some IDs.

An annoying process. Why did that shit even matter anyway?

Oriel stepped inside after Phoenix, smirking at his lover’s stilly announcement, then pulled the boy over to the front counter where a lady who looked far too old to be the punk rocker she was trying to portray stood, chewing on some pink bubblegum. After some introductions and signing in, they were instructed to wait in the front room while the artist finished up with his previous customer and got the room cleaned and set up for the next one; for Oriel and Phoenix. Oriel nuzzled his head down into Phoenix’s neck. “Thanks for doing this,” he mumbled softly. “I ‘preciate it.”

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"I'm not pudgy," Phoenix grumped, wrapping his arms around his scrawny waist. If anything, he really did need a few extra pounds, but try as he might, there was just none coming. He was starting to think his ability to get to a healthy weight had just been ruined by his long-time addictions. But maybe... "Maybe I'll actually get some bulk built up if I try it out," he replied, shrugging meekly. After all, it probably wasn't a surprise his body wasn't getting any meat, at least the dense, muscley kind, from laying around all the time. Although, he thought his shoulders looked just a tad bit broader from carrying stuff around at the pet shop!

"Okaaaaaay...." Phoenix continued to shoot Oriel a suspicious look, but he eventually shrugged and kept walking. He'd had a hell of a time trying to help with getting this thing set up; Phen didn't really know how the process worked, and he was still pretty shitty at working with adults (better than he was before he'd gotten a job, though), so it'd been a mess and probably would have been impossible without Oriel and other people helping. He was glad the hard part was (hopefully) done.

The lady at the counter was interesting, he thought, as they checked in. He flashed his Hammel ID and soon enough they were waiting to get their tattoos. Phoenix practically draped himself on his younger, taller lover; this was a really big deal for him, for both of them. It was like... A promise. And... A really big step towards probably spending the rest of their lives together, he thought. It made him shiver, and he held Oriel's head under his chin, brushing his fingers through his lover's thick hair. "I'm just... Glad you wanna do it," he mumbled, voice cracking a bit. "Y-you know, it's almost like.... I mean, maybe someday we might get... You know..." Saying it aloud made it somehow seem less special, so he trailed off and just nuzzled Oriel closer.

Once it was their turn, Phoenix stood, legs jittering a bit from nerves. "I can go first," he offered. His hand clasped to Oriel's as they were taken back, and continued to squeeze it as he sat and went over what they were getting done. Soon enough, the needles and whatnot were being prepared. Phoenix had rolled up his sleeve to his shoulder, panning his eyes away from the faded, telltale puncture wounds on the crease of his arm, and instead just gazing at Oriel as the procedure started. It hurt, but not too bad.

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“You are so pudgy!” Oriel teased with a playful grin. “Porky! Flab-master! Gelatinous!” He could go on with the names that were untrue. Phoenix really needed to gain some weight, but maybe it was just impossible for him to gain more than what he had? Stupid metabolisms. At least he wasn’t bone thin like he was when they first met. “Well…if you can’t gain fat, then guess you should work on gaining meat.” Though Phoenix as a muscle bound man was an image that Oriel wasn’t sure about.

It was adorable how much Phoenix didn’t know about tattoos and the process. Needles were only a part of it, but there was so much more, like finding a good artist, getting them to design something if they needed to, down-payments, appointments, guardian consents…Oriel honestly would have been lost too if the Old Guy back home hadn’t shown him the ropes. It was a business that Oriel would have liked to get into, if he had any artistic talent. It even occurred to him that with his ability he could technically become a needle-less tattoo artist if he wanted, but someone else would have to create the design in the proper ink on a separate medium…and Oriel hadn’t studied it enough to know if that was even possible.

Oriel felt himself tense up a little as Phoenix started mumbling. He felt…a tickle well up in his chest at the thought of what might complete that sentence. Wasn’t it too early to be thinking about that kind of thing? Well…at this point, Oriel couldn’t imagine spending the rest of his life with anyone else, so…it was more than possible. Not now, but someday. “Someday,” he said softly, pulling Phoenix in closer. Because that’s what this thing meant, right? Someday.

Oriel never thought he’d get this far with anyone. He never even thought that the concept of exclusive was possible for him. He still wasn’t sure he was managing it very well…but it was important enough for him to keep trying, right? That meant…something, right? “Go for it,” Oriel said with a smile, taking a seat on the side of the room. He wanted to see how well Phoenix handled the process. Soon, like a dentist’s drill, the device was turned on and the artist got to work. And Oriel watched as slowly, that shape of eternity was carved into his lover’s wrist.

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"Stooooop!" Phoenix whined, playing along. He feigned hurt and warded off Oriel's hands, flailing his own around in his 'tantrum'. "You're gonna hurt my feelings if you keep callin' me fat," he sniffled. "I'll have t'stop lettin' you stuff me with danishes an' shit." He nodded enthusiastically with the 'plan'. "Yeah! Just wait, I'll be able t'benchpress more than you in no time!" Yeah right.

He really was clueless about all this. Really, Phoenix was clueless about how to live in general. He was going to be screwed when he tried to get his own apartment unless someone showed him how to pay bills, cook for himself, become independent... Unless he just ended up relying on Oriel to take care of all that in the long run. That sounded the most pleasant to the pixie boy.

Speaking of the long run.... "Yeah, someday," he whispered, biting his lip. This still all felt like a dream, or a hallucination, to Phoenix - he wondered if one day he'd wake up and realize he'd just been on one massive trip the entire time. He was pretty sure he'd go insane if that was the case.

The entire process of getting the tattoo wasn't bad at all. Not only was Phoenix high on the feeling of monumental affection for the younger boy sitting and watching nearby, but it really didn't hurt all that bad. A couple places made him wince, but he soon got over it. Jabbing needles into veins was much more painful, in his opinion. Soon enough, the symbol was complete - an infinity sign with his lover's name written as part of the design, simple and small but full of significance. Phoenix's eyes watered as it was finished. "Your turn, Squishy," he mumbled, glomping onto Oriel once he was out of the chair. He pecked his boyfriend on the cheek and settled down where he had been sitting, staring at his arm with wonder and overwhelming happiness.

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“Keep dreaming, tubby,” Oriel quipped back to his lover, all giggles and glee. Phoenix was just being all kind of adorable in his poutyness. And people wondered why Oriel always picked on the boy. When he made faces like that and declarations like this, how was Oriel expected to resist?

At least Phoenix had calmed down enough to not be bouncing around in his chair while the tattoo guy was doing his work. That could have been dangerous. But it was true still that Oriel was feeling about as excited as a child himself and was going to have some level of trouble forcing himself to keep still while the man carved into his skin the symbol of his devotion to Phoenix. It hurt, much like his first tattoo, but differently than the one on his back. The skin around his wrist was more sensitive and felt like a cat slowly dragging it’s claws across his skin, embedded deep within his flesh. He felt his eyes prickle and burn as he tried to hold back his winces. Holding Phoenix’s hand with his other, connecting with his important person, did wonders for ebbing away the sharp paint. Before he knew it, they were done and the artist was packing up the materials and cleaning up his workspace.

“Thank you,” he told the man, still gripping Phoenix’s hand. There were instructions after that, how to handle the after-care, keep the area moisturized, use this kind of ointment for this many days and cover it with this for the first couple. Don’t shower for the first two. Use lotion for two weeks. When they should come back for a touch up if needed. What to do if X, Y, or Z happens. Oriel knew all this already, but it was important for Phoenix to hear it, since Oriel suspected that he didn’t know the first thing about getting ink. Well, even if they didn’t explain it, Oriel would have made sure Phoenix took care of it. He’d always take care of him. Forever.