It was Geoff's idea and Ryan had blindly agreed to it. They were two men who couldn't keep a ring on while they worked and if they were going to be together forever, might as well reflect it. Geoff had picked a spot among the spaces he had left on his left hand, and Ryan had a blank canvas. 

"It's going to be over in twenty minutes, it doesn't hurt that much." Geoff tried to comfort him as they drove to the parlor. 

"Easy for you to say, you have so many of them! The closest thing I get to needles near my body are vaccinations." Ryan told him. Geoff smiled at his fiance. 

"I'll go first, okay?" 

Ryan watched as the needle move over Geoff's hand like butter. He sat on the stool quiet as can be as Geoff was almost falling asleep. What felt like hours was only half an hour when she wiped the ink and blood off the area and covered it with a gel and plastic wrap.

"Your turn," Geoff kissed his cheek as Ryan settled in the big black chair and let the artist wipe his hand clean with alcohol. He took deep breaths as they counted down with him as it buzzed and hit his skin. He felt Geoff hold his hand. "Squeeze my hand." he instructed. Ryan squeezed whenever he couldn't take the pain. 

"I'm done," the artist announced. Ryan watched her wipe off the blood and spread the cold gel onto his hand and cover it with plastic. The skin was red and it stung. 

"Well? Do you like it?" Geoff asked as they left the parlor. Ryan couldn't stop inspecting it. It burned and he wanted to touch it but he knew he couldn't. Geoff couldn't stop smiling, looking at his own from time to time. He took his hand, used to the stinging pain, but needing to ground that they were official now, and he was going to marry him.