Guardian (16 page)

Ty let out a weak laugh and nuzzled against his jaw. “One of these days,” he rumbled in response, “I’m gonna put ink on your skin.”

Alex bit his lip, then nodded.

“Deal.”

T
y kept
his features neutral as the needle scratched close by his nipple. Alex would be next, and Ty didn’t want to make his partner any more nervous than he already was.

The tattoo gun hummed away to itself while the artist worked, and Ty looked down as the device traced across his skin. They’d chosen their artist well: Mo’s hand was sure and steady, and he worked at an unhurried pace.

Alex leaned in as Mo wiped excess ink clear. “It really goes on that fast?” he breathed. “That’s amazing!”

Ty grinned to him and waited for the gun to be clear a moment before he answered. “It’s just like a scratch, that’s all. Needle goes in, drops the ink off, and pulls out faster than you can even see.”

“And a design like this is done in five minutes. Ten at the most.” Mo wiped the site clean before he went back in. “Easy as pie.”

Ty watched Alex while Alex watched Mo. Ty’s partner was everything he could ever have hoped for, and then some. They’d sailed through birthdays, Christmas, and come out into the new year with absolute certainty that this was no short-term relationship.

They’d celebrated the one-year anniversary of their meeting with dinner and a movie. But this? This was different.

It was the first anniversary of their first date.

So, sure, they’d known each other almost a year and a half by now, but some of that time had been while Alex was representing Titus. They couldn’t get together back then.

The wait had been well worth it.

Ty’s crazy plan was hatched a few weeks back. It took him a month to find some good tattoo studios in the neighborhood and narrow them down to three for Alex to pick from. Then he’d gone in and broached the subject to his partner.

Ty looked down as Mo wiped the last of the ink and blood free. The artist turned off his gun and removed the nib, then gestured Ty to a mirror. “What do you think?”

Ty turned to Alex and grinned. “What do
you
think?”

Alex’s eyes were wide, and his mouth open. “It’s there,” he breathed. “It’s really there. Oh my God, it’s
perfect
!”

Ty grinned and eased from the chair, then walked over to the full-height mirror. His own reflection met him there, tall and shirtless and with raw, reddened skin across his heart with fresh, gleaming black ink in the center. It read back to front in the mirror, in a cursive but legible hand:

The feather tips from his eagle’s wings brushed against it from above.

He nodded to himself. “It’s good. But it’ll only be perfect once it’s not alone.”

Ty sat again so that Mo could lay plastic wrap over the site and tape it in place, and then he and Alex swapped seats.

Mo excused himself to swap gloves and fetch new needles, so Ty took Alex’s hand and gazed at him, trying to read him.

“You okay baby?” he murmured.

Alex bit his lip, then laughed weakly. “It’s only a few minutes. I’ll be okay.”

“Only if you’re sure. We can walk away right now if you’re having second thoughts.”

Alex’s gaze dropped to Ty’s chest, and his fingers squeezed tight. “And leave you hanging? No. This is a wonderful idea. It’s…” He looked around the studio a moment, then cast a brilliant, adoring smile up at Ty. “It’s better than a ring, you know? It’s not something that can be taken off, lost. This will be with me forever. Just like you. And I like that. I
love
it. So five minutes’ discomfort now?” He shook his head firmly. “Totally worth it.”

Ty nodded. He knew what Alex meant. He understood, because he felt exactly the same way. Adding Alex’s name to his body was a
forever
thing. It wasn’t a decision either of them made lightly, and now that he had Alex’s name in his skin they shared a level of intimacy which would always connect them. Alex’s touch would be there always, above his heart.

Mo returned and had Alex remove his shirt.

Ty held Alex’s hand and distracted him with small-talk as the artist worked. They talked about Alex’s progress in his TKD classes. They laughed about the duck poo Val rolled in on this morning’s jog. Ty could see Alex’s gaze narrow now and then, and his partner hissed softly or swallowed, but he didn’t back down, didn’t call time on Mo’s work.

Mo cleaned up his work, and Ty gazed down at it, then his breath caught.

Titus
.

Alex went to check himself in the mirror, then lit up with bright smile before he let out a bubbly laugh. “I love it! Oh my God I love it! Ty, come over here!”

Ty went over and Alex looped an arm around his so that they could stand side by side and regard their reflections together.

“How long does this redness last?” Alex gestured to the mirror.

“Couple of weeks at most. We’ll get aftercare instructions, but it’s pretty simple. Keep it clean, moisturized, don’t soak it in hot water, that kind of stuff.” Ty grinned. “Then once it’s healed it’ll take whatever treatment you wanna throw at it.”

Alex sucked on his lip, then leaned up and kissed Ty softly. “Thank you,” he whispered. “I love it.”

“Almost as much as you love me?” Ty rumbled.

“Aaaalmost,” Alex agreed.

Ty laughed, and took Alex by the hand. “Well, turns out I was wrong.” He paused, then smirked. “You look
great
with me on you!”

“I look even better with you
in
me, though.” Alex’s cheeks pinked, and he gave Ty a look that suggested he wanted to prove it and wasn’t willing to wait all that long.

“You get that covered up,” Ty rumbled, gesturing to the fresh tattoo, “then we’ll go put your claim to the test.”

When he led Alex out into the warmth of a late spring sunshine, Ty had the sense that everything in his life had finally settled into place. He didn’t need a reason to get out of bed in the mornings any more; it came naturally to him. He was happier than he’d ever thought possible, and it was all because of Alex.

Ty’s heart soared. They had a future filled with possibilities, and they would face each and every one.

Together.

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