The Tattoo Guy (MCR FIC)

Chapter 8- Age 26

*Just a little AN on how happy I am seeing 200+ reads (which I never thought I'd get) so thank you all so much- this is one of the first stories I ever wrote and am currently writing to make it longer (as it was a one shot), thank you for reading and all I can say is vote, comment- I wanna hear from everyone! I'm still a newbie at this!- Love, Bec (MFK)

Chapter 8

Age 26

My little girl was growing up, it’s her 8th birthday already, she had grown taller and thinner but still had her little baby fat that I used to love blowing raspberries on. Her beautiful thin light brown hair had turned darker and thicker, longer with small ringlets on the ends. She was beautiful, funny and smart- my little girl.

Mandy and Patrick decided to throw a little party at the diner, our party of 5 was enough for one booth, Ivy and I perched on the end as Brian, Mandy and Patrick all made a fuss of the birthday girl as she started to open one of her presents from Brian. It was wrapped big and wrapped in princess paper- Ivy looked at it funny as she never was one for fairy-tales etc. But as soon she tore it open her small toothed beam shone through brightly at the ‘Zombie Hunters X-treme 500’ it was a game for the Wii that had an adapter for the control which was black and had a zombie hand attached. She squealed and did her little happy dance as she tore off the rest of the paper. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you Uncle Brian!” she thanked him leaning across the table, making everyone move their drinks quickly so she wouldn’t knock them over, she flung her arms around his neck.

“No worries my little Ivy, you’re the only little girl on my number one list of zombie hunters, it was my job to get you the best of the best!” he says in his sassy little way- Brian wasn’t gay, he actually was one of the biggest players out there- he was camp but somehow ladies loved that.

“Okay our turn!” Mandy sang and handed over a smaller present with a more book-like shape and wrapped in purple paper saying ‘Happy Birthday’; this one I didn’t know about- this year they insisted it be a surprise.

I watched over Ivy’s shoulder as her tiny little hands tore at the paper revealing something that made my heart melt.

It was a photo album with a title ‘A timeline of life’, I found it very cute but I prayed it had nothing too eww in there (although I knew it wouldn’t) Ivy was too young if there was a picture of ‘this is how you were made’ I don’t want her to see it and I don’t want to relive it.

“It’s got some of your dad’s pictures from before you were born and up until yesterday, your last picture of being 7 years old.” Mandy said and a look of amazement crossed Ivy’s face whilst embarrassment and dread crossed mine.

“That is so awesome!” she gapes at the book and opens to the first page which is a picture of us all as a family taken on her last birthday when we did the same thing arranged in a booth with a little party. The next page said ‘Daddy at 18’ which was a picture of me when I had gone to a festival with Mikey, I was stoned and drunk, but Ivy didn’t need to know that- I had my long hair and wore all black. The next page had the sonogram copy I had and always kept in my wallet and had done since I sat next to Lyn-z as they squirted the gel on her rounding belly hearing that little heartbeat flutter.

“How did you?” I ask pointing to the photo checking my wallet whilst it was still there.

“We have our ways, and the first picture I found that night I took Ivy home- I was being nosey whilst she settled.” Mandy admits and nods at Ivy who has carried on reading to a picture of me and her about 5 minutes after her birth that a nurse took gunk and all.

“Is that me daddy?” Ivy snaps me out of a mini flashback I was having internally to that night.

“Of course it is silly, you were so beautiful, even with all the gunk on you.” I smile whilst stroking her hair and kissing her forehead.

After that picture spans a picture of her from 3 months to a year, all so cute and whenever I’m in the shot I look drained but have a big smile of admiration on my face toward my little girl. Some of them had Mandy and Patrick in them from the early days, they helped me so much back then I couldn’t have thanked them enough.

“This is so sweet of you guys, I love it and think it’s an amazing gift to show that part of Ivy’s life that one day she might want to show her children too.” I sigh and give Mandy a hug- she reminded me of an older sister or mother only being in her 40’s she was the only older influence we had in the family and Ivy saw her more as a grandma.

“I wanna open your present now daddy.” Ivy tugged at my red checked shirt and I turn to give her the big box wrapped in black paper with a red box on it- she’d gained a new interest in black and red, her love for light purple turned dark purple and now I was beginning to think she would grow up to be an awesome little punk kid with way more friends than I had and be more accepted into the world than people like us were 20 years ago.

She unwraps this one slowly as if to savour it like you would if eating the best meal you’ve ever had.

She takes her time unsticking the sticky-tape and unfolding to shabby wrapping- to reveal the hamster cage underneath.

“Wow it’s for the unicorn I was gonna buy! It’s so perfect!” she sings hugging the box and jigging it making the pieces rattle underneath.

“Well when I went to the pet store I asked about all the things a unicorn would need and they told me if I were to buy this special cage and promised to feed it hugs and kisses the unicorn would arrive overnight like the tooth fairy. See it has a unicorn on the front.” I say pointing to the box which was like a princess magical castle- Ivy had wanted a pet but I was allergic to cats, rabbits and any other animal would most likely die which is bad as Ivy doesn’t deal well with death; she was terrified of dogs and any form of bird- so we decided on a unicorn together. At home I had a little fluffy unicorn I would sneak into her cage tonight as another present.

“Cake time!” Mandy cried and Patrick moved into the diner kitchen to fetch the cake he had made, it was beautifully white with skittles and everything sugar coated on it; there was eight candles and eight sparklers decorated around the cake.

“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to Ivy! Happy birthday to you!” we all sang as the cake was set in front of Ivy as she stared at it with wide hazel eyes; with a cheeky smile that scrunched up her nose she puffed up her small chubby cheeks with air and POOF. Every candle blew out and Ivy sat with her eyes scrunched up, shoulders relaxed and a sigh.

“Hip-hip hooray!” everyone cheered and Brian leapt forward to snatch a Twizzler from the cake.

“Happy birthday!” Patrick said smiling down at her, he was never really involved a lot and I always felt bad as he was a great guy, he loved ice hockey and he loved baking, he used to be in the army but had to give up when he was injured in combat- he had an artificial leg from the knee cap down but it never stopped him from doing his bit especially marathons and I was glad Ivy had that influence in her life.

“Happy birthday my beautiful girl.” I place numerous kisses around her face as I tickle her making her squeal and squirm in my arms.

“Happy birthday, Ivy.” The voice makes my shoulder stiff and my smile to drop as Ivy turns us around.