Ollie smeared the ball of his hand against his wet cheek,
"Yeah, something like that," the answer was short and sharp, his eyes now pulled away from Mars and settled on the wall of portraits again.
The old ones sparked his emotions the most. People of different shapes and sizes, all from such a fragile period, connected by their love of an art. He wondered if they were still alive somewhere, reflecting on the memories their ink-spotted skin held.
His skin was the same, yet completely different. Instead of illustrated drawings of self-expression, marks of self-loath littered his body, reminding him of the sins he carried with him.
Mars finished setting up the tattoo gun and rolled back over to Ollie's side. "I never really understood bucket lists. Like, I get the sentimentality behind it but it seems a little depressing, ya know? You have this list of things you wanna do before you die and so many people do it so young like they expect to die tomorrow. It confounds me, truly. So much to do, so little time."
He shrugged. "Who knows, maybe I'm just a pessimist. But can you blame me? Humanity's obsession with "We may die tomorrow, might as well go out with a bang" is as depressing as it is inspiring."
"…yeah"
The sensation of a thin wipe ran delicately over his scar made the hair on his arm prick up, sensitive from the cool air and the tingle of the disinfectant mixing.
might as well go out with a bang.
That's been his mindset these past few hours, giving in to temptation because, fuck, he'd probably never get to again.
The diagnosis wasn't a surprise. His mother had died of it, and so had his aunt. No, what surprised him was how quickly it happened, how young it was going to take him.
Mars gave Ollie one final once over with a slight smile. "Ready? Last chance to rethink everything and run out of here screaming."
It was a chance he gave all of his clients. Last chance to rethink. Last chance to back out. It was a common courtesy that the gods had extended him and ignored which had landed him here. So now he always offered it in earnest.
"Yes." was all he said, mind wrapped up in a cocktail of anxiety and heartache.
He tensed as the small needle grazed his skin, marking it with the same dark colour it had Mars. It reminded him of a blood test, a gentle pinch followed by a burn, it made him bite his lip to keep in a cry. He white-knuckled the side of the chair and closed his eyes, his ridged body staying as still as it possibly could.
Mars worked as quickly but carefully as he could. He could tell Ollie was scared and uncomfortable, could practically feel his heart beating out of his chest from under his fingertips. He leaned in close to get the details, his breath coming in uneven half-gasps as he choked on air when he felt his breath warm his face from where it rebounded off Ollie's skin. Something about being this close, about having Ollie like this, it felt…strange. Strange in a way he'd never felt with another person ever. Strange in a…good way. The buzz of the tattoo gun which was usually like an angry bee swarming around his head was but a dull afterthought compared to the sound of his heart pounding in his ears.
Oleander opened his mouth to say something but choked.
The air around them was thick with something he couldn't really pinpoint, be it tension or just general awkwardness.
He kept his mouth shut from then on, only letting the occasional whimper. He closed his eyes and tried to relax his muscles, but the buzzing of the gun kept every nerve in his body one high alert.
to late to go back now he supposed,
might as well stick it through
Mars only sat back once he was done, taking his first real breath in who knows how long. "And there we are. Congrats, you just made it through your first tattoo. How's it feel?" He couldn't help but smile when he asked. He always loved hearing how people felt once their tattoos were done depending on their meaning. Some people felt relief, some felt comfort, some just felt better about themselves. It gave him a strange sense of satisfaction that he couldn't quite explain.
The tinging sensation of irritated skin burnt his chest, but it was the most he's felt alive in months
"Good. It feels good to cross something off the list, thank you."
He took the mirror from Mars' hands and held it out in front of him, studying the intricate patterns and swirls of the plant. It reminded him of something he had seen once growing in his grandmothers garden, and old, droopy plant with vibrant flowers that vined along the wall. The tattoo itself vined similar, following the curve of the scar under his breast.
Mars watched him for a minute, tracing over the lines with his eyes. "You'll have to keep me updated on that bucket list, maybe you can get a new tattoo for every one you cross off." He laughed, mostly joking. "Depending on how long the list is, you could end up with a whole sleeve by the time you finish it."
Oleander frowned slightly. Mars had been so quick to pick up on the fact he was working on a bucket list of all things, was he really being that obvious?
"Ha, yeah, well, I don't think I'll have time for all that- you know-" He tried to joke, but not even he was sure what he meant by that.
"Uh, thank you, for the tattoo, how much?"
Mars looked over the tattoo for a minute, contemplating. Logically, he knew how much he should charge for it but something in him really didn't want to.
He shook his head with a smile, pushing himself back. "Y'know what, I like you. Just take it. Consider it a gift for saving me from my boredom with a fun story."
A confused half-smile crossed his face,
"What- really? Like its free?"
Ollie slowly stood to his feet, hands clumsily dance around each button of his shirt. They made their way back to the front of the store in a sort of stunned silence,
"Hey- um- take this"
Ollie handed him a smooth, green card, a logo with beautiful flowers and curved writing grace the front and back.
"Its a card- from where I work. Its a little flower shop down the street." He paused as they reached the front counter, laying his sun-graved hands on the cool metal,
"Come by sometime, if you need flowers, I mean. Its on the house, to say thanks, for being such a good listener…and- you know, the tattoo."
