Thin Skinned [Boy x Boy]

Chapter 22

Horn P.O.V

Monday arrives and I'm finally able to get started on my new job. The tattoo shop is small and cozy. The artists like to laugh and have a good time. I already feel at home here. There's even a store pet; a yellow rat snake named Bo.

Bo belongs to Kit and is kept in a large tank along the back wall. Kit only brings him out when he isn't tattooing someone. He's a rather interesting snake. He's about four feet in length but he's not very big around. Kit can easily carry him around the shop.

Bo keeps the rodent problem under control. This area isn't always the nicest. The buildings are older than other parts of town. They often have a few problems, if not many.

As of now, I'm sitting in the back of the shop, watching Kit tattoo a customer. He wants me to experience tattooing before I try doing it myself. He even throws in a few helpful tips.

"Pressure is key." He wipes away some excess ink. "If you don't get the needle deep enough the ink will just wash off."

I nod and jot down what he's saying in a notebook that I've brought along with me. He's giving me valuable advice and I'd be a fool not to take it. I want to be the best artist I can be. Taking advice from a successful artist and being an apprentice of sorts is one of the best ways to go about that.

"You're really taking notes on this stuff?" he asks with a laugh.

I shrug and doodle in the margin of the page. "It just seems like a good idea to write down any advice that I'm given. I don't want to get fired."

Kit dips the needle in a bright red ink and begins applying it to the person's skin. The guy he's tattooing doesn't even flinch. It's like he doesn't feel the pain at all. By the looks of his other tattoos, he's used to the feeling.

"You'll be a good artist once you start. Normally, if you can't make it in this line of work, you quit after your first tattoo. If you're confident enough to keep going after your first, you're good to go," Kit rambles on for a few moments.

"What if you're no good?" I ask, closing my notebook.

"No good?" he snorts. "If you aren't any good you don't even make it to your first tattoo."

I suppose Kit has a point. No one wants a tattoo from a bad artist. Tattoos are nearly permanent; they can be removed or covered up. I hope that I'm not one of the bad artists that never make it to their first tattoo.

"Don't worry, I've seen you draw in your notebook all day. After a little practice, you'll be getting requests in no time," he says with confidence.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I've been tattooing since I was sixteen. My parents got me my own personal gun. I can tell a good artist from a bad one, just from experience. Trust me, you'll be fine," he tells me.

He cleans up the finishing touches of the tattoo he's been working on for a good two hours and sighs. It's a sugar skull, decorated with vibrant colors and shaded to seem three dimensional.

Kit hands the customer a mirror so he can see the new piece of art that now rests on his shoulder blade. He sees the reflection and a smile infects his face.

"Awesome work as always, Kit," he says, telling me that this isn't the first tattoo that Kit has done for him.

It seems like everyone gets to know each other here. All the artists, even with only about five of them, are very close. Kit himself tells me that the people in the shop are more like family than they are coworkers. This is definitely a place that I could see myself enjoying and becoming a part of.

Kit escorts the customer to the front of the shop and rings up the price of his tattoo. The man pays and walks to the door before waving and leaving.

"He's a regular customer." Kit walks over to Bo and opens his tank. "He usually comes in to get a new addition a few times a year." He drops a small mouse into the tank and Bo quickly devours the defenseless creature.

He smiles and strokes the snake's head gently. "You're gonna like it here, Horn. We're like the rejects and rebels that society looks down upon. We stick together here. If you need anything, just ask, okay?"

I nod. "Thanks, Kit. I think I'm gonna like it here."

He nods and goes to the back of the shop. I sit down behind the desk and look around. I've only been here for a few hours and I already feel at home. I finally have a place where I can fit in and let my creativity flow.

It's already obvious to me that I'm going to like working here. The artists are close like family. I'd like to finally work in a place where I feel like part of the crew. I feel like this is the place that I've been looking for.

The shop stays open moderately late on weekdays and they're open past midnight on weekends. Typically, more people come in for tattoos on the weekend when they have free time. It's better to stay open later then.

After a while, my shift ends and Kit tells me to go home. I walk back to the apartment and open the door. Cuts is asleep on the couch, blankets up to his neck.

I sit down next to him and tease his hair gently. He smiles and adjusts himself, the blanket sliding down his body. I glance and see a bandage wrapped up three-fourths of his arm.

I sigh softly, knowing that Cuts finally reached his limit and picked at his skin. We'll have to talk once he wakes up.