#six months later...

NEMO: 

On the earliest hours of Tae’s birthday, Nemo had showed up at his window, just like he promised. He’d come right after the first night of the August Full Moon, decked out in his colours, with the pixie dust brushed over his eyes and an amber sheen on his lips. He’d felt really silly until he’d plopped down cross-legged on Tae’s bed like it was any other Friday. “Happy Birthday,” he’d whispered and giggled and let Tae taste his make-up and get glitter on his nose.

And when he’d probably kissed all that glitter off, Nemo finally presented him with his present. “Close your eyes, put out your hands.” 

And as Tae did, Nemo put a folded piece of paper right there in his palms. When Tae unfolded it, he held the flyer from Sunburst Tattoos. 

“I wanna pay for our tattoos,” Nemo explained. “Y’know? The ones we always said we’d get together? I think we should get them now.” 

And so that’s what they were doing. 

It was a few weeks later. The play was done and Nemo didn’t have many rehearsals for his performance apprenticeship-- jingles, even his ballet class hadn’t started yet. He had a full stretch of free days right at the end of summer, perfect for a tattoo appointment. So he swung by at the end of Tae’s shift to pick him up-- boyfriend, date-style. Though Tae wasn’t at the front soooooo…

Nemo slipped through the aisles, soundless, practically walking on air, till he found Tae in the snacks aisle, putting away some crisps. He slunk right up to him and put his hands on his hips, nudging his chin over Tae’s shoulder. 

“Heeeeeeeeeeeeey,” he greeted, giggling. “You ready?” 

TAE:

It was impossible to get any real work done today, Tae decided, so he settled for stocking shelves--the most mindless task in the whole market. It wasn’t his fault. It was Nemo’s. Out of everything he’d imagined Nemo could get him for his birthday, a fucking tattoo didn’t even make the list. It should have, probably, since they’d definitely talked about it before and 18 was the age where he would be able to get it without adult permission, but it hadn’t crossed his mind. 

It was crossing his mind now. 

It wouldn’t stop crossing his mind.

Every time he thought about Nemo showing up in his room in his cute little outfit, wings out, eyes shining, with that stupid flyer, Tae wanted to explode. Exploding would be so much easier than dealing with the giant lump of feelings sitting in his chest. 

Tae knew he was stupid, he knew that his friends were going to go off to university. He knew Nemo had big dreams and wanted to do really cool things and Tae wanted Nemo to do those things. He wanted Louie to be a successful business man and for Finn to go to Paris and become a famous artist. He wanted Nemo to be a famous dancer and be able to travel all over the world. 

Tae knew he was stupid because he wanted his friends to do all these things that he didn’t want to do, but he also wanted them to stay friends forever. 

And with Nemo?

Well, Tae figured they were probably soulmates. 

It wasn’t a word he liked to say out loud--kind of like wishing on a birthday candle or a star with the secret holding all the power--but he thought maybe Nemo knew anyway. 

That’s what this tattoo meant to Tae. It was something that would mark them forever on the outside just like Nemo had already marked Tae forever on the inside. None of that was poetic or fancy or whatever, but it was how he felt so focusing on anything else was just hard. 

Like these crisps. 

Tae looked at the clock and then back at the crisps in his hand before realizing he’d stocked almost half a box in the wrong place. He groaned, just about to pull them all back down, when Nemo’s chin parked itself right on his shoulder. 

Tae flinched, then laughed. “Fuck, Nemo, you scared me,” he said, then pulled all the bags down and put them back in the box. “But yeah, I’m ready.” 

As soon as he stood back up, he turned toward Nemo and grinned, leaning forward and lowering his voice. “I can’t believe we’re gonna go get tattoos. It almost doesn’t seem real.” 

NEMO: 

Nemo honestly couldn’t believe it either-- but mostly because he hadn’t been sure it would happen. 

He’d gotten his job at Ruff to Fluff at the end of July, and he’d only collected three paychecks thus far. He wasn’t working so much, either, so he had basically just scraped together enough money for both tattoos, plus this little discount they’d get since it was their first time. If Tae had wanted something bigger and more elaborate, Nemo wouldn’t have been able to get the money together. But luck had worked in his favour. 

Or-- maybe it wasn’t luck, but fate. Nemo had that thought too, unaware that Tae thought the same thing. 

The universe wanted this to happen because the universe believed in Tae and Nemo, no matter what was to come. 

(And yes, Nemo had frantic thoughts of the future too. Yes, he was freshly worried about Louie and Finn, getting forgotten or left behind, and he knew in a year’s time, he and Tae would face a similar parting. Where would Nemo end up? Just down the street at Pride U, or in London, in his dream school, where he knew no one, where no one knew him? If that was the case, he needed this tattoo. Like a compass that would always point back home. 

But he wasn’t thinking about any of that right now. Hah! Nemo was excellent at pushing those thoughts away.)

“I know.” Nemo grinned, his voice quiet too. They hadn’t told Jun hyung or Jun-eomma. Now, Nemo snuck his hand in Tae’s and squeezed it just once before releasing. “It’s like we’re grown-ups or whatever.”

He giggled and then scurried down the aisle with Tae, pausing only to let Tae say good-bye to Jun, that he’d finished his shift. 

As soon as the Moon Market door swung closed, Nemo shuffled up close to Tae’s side again, their hands brushing with every step. “Do you know where you want it yet? I can’t decide! I’ve been like, drawing it in different places-- see--” 

He spun around so he was walking backwards, facing Tae and he twisted his arm to show off faded pen scratchings right over his elbow. 

“And then here too!” He lifted the bottom of his shirt, some tiny pen marks peeking out from his sweats right above the left hip bone. 

“I really dunno where it should go.” 

TAE:

Tae watched Nemo show off his pen-marked skin as the sun shone down on them and warmth filled his chest. This was one of those moments that was going to stick with him through his life. He could feel it in the way the wind moved around them and how full his heart felt. He could feel it all. He could hear the birds chirping, feel the sun soaking into his skin, smell the freshly mowed grass in the lot they were walking past. Every detail screamed at him and he tucked them all away, especially the way Nemo’s skin looked as he lifted his shirt and how his eyes twinkled back at him when he met his gaze. 

All of these were silly, every day things that Tae usually took for granted, but each one was important to the moment. This was Tae and Nemo pre-tattoo, and the rest of their lives would be post-tattoo. It wasn’t like they were getting married or anything, but from now on every time they looked at themselves in the mirror they would see this reminder of each other and it was important. 

Tae poked at Nemo’s hip bone, his nose scrunching up with his wide smile. “I think it would be really sexy right there,” he said, his voice low. “I’d probably have to get down on my knees and kiss it every time I thought about it, though, so that might be super dangerous.” Tae’s nose brushed Nemo’s cheek and he planted a quick kiss in its wake before pulling away and lifting his own shirt up. 

“I’m thinking I could put it here,” he said, pointing to his ribcage. “I was going to be cheesy and say I’d put it over my heart but I couldn’t even say that to myself with a straight face. Plus, ribcage seems better anyway. I think it’s sexier and also like...you know...that’s where my lungs are and you’re kind of like a sick ass airbender so it’s sort of sweet still in a dumb way maybe. Sort of.” 

Tae’s cheeks were on fire when he met Nemo’s eyes again. “I meant to keep that part to myself but then you showed me your hip bone and I lost my mind I guess.” 

NEMO: 

When Tae and Nemo first kissed, it had kicked over a wall in Nemo’s brain that he hadn’t even known he’d built. It was a wall that blocked all of Nemo’s insane horny attraction to Tae so he wouldn’t, y’know, jump his bones, ruin his friendship, etc. At first, Nemo hadn’t really known if he was just rebounding hard after Robbie, or if he was lonely, or if it was the fact he and Tae shouldn’t kiss that made Nemo… want to kiss him literally all the time. 

Surely, once they kissed more regularly and stuff, Nemo would stop wanting him so much.

Alas! That wasn’t what happened at all. In fact, the opposite occurred-- the more he kissed Tae, and the more they slept together, the hungrier Nemo got. This must be what drugs felt like. Just one taste, and Nemo went crazy. And his thoughts just got more and more wild and dirty and unpredictable– 

Okay, yeah, they were like, five seconds from a tattoo appointment. 

All he wanted to do was pre-game it with their mouths though. On each other’s mouths. 

“Gah, put your shirt down!” Nemo exclaimed and he laughed as he tugged said shirt down. He was blushing and giddy. That stupid line about his lungs-- ugh, it made Nemo wanna kiss him. 

But they had an appointment to get to. 

“Gah, c’mon, let’s just go already!” 

So Nemo grabbed Tae’s hand and led him to the tattoo parlor.  “Hey um– we have an appointment. It should be under Nemo Bae?” Nemo said to the bloke at the front. “We’re not late are we?” 

“Nah! We get it, life’s got its flow, things happen,” said the bloke cheerfully. He was probably in his early twenties with bright dyed red hair and a sharp-toothed smile, huge clear-framed spectacles and a bunch of tattoos down his arm. “Lemmeeeee see… yup! Cute, first-timers! I got the email with the designs, so think we’re skipping most of the consult part? I can just trace this out on a stencil, and you both can tell me how big you want it, where, the colour, all that.” 

All that. Nemo’s smile widened, the excitement rushing through him again. He hugged Tae’s arm. “Sounds good. Um-- should we--”

“Oh yeah, come on back!” The artist motioned them away from the waiting room. “We got like, no one on weekday afternoons. It gets busy after dinner so pick any seat. Be right back with the tracing paper.” 

As soon as he entered the back, Nemo giggled and leaned into Tae. “This is so awesome!” He snuck a kiss on Tae’s cheek. “You nervous at all? I think as long as it hurts less than… mmm, maybe my physio. Then I’ll be fine.” 

TAE:

Tae was nervous, but like, in that excited Taekwondo competition way where he could jump so high in the air he’d start flying--all his pent up energy screaming to be released. The only bad part about that right now was that he wasn’t about to kick someone in the head, he was going to have to sit in a chair and get stabbed a bunch of times by a needle. 

“I’m a little nervous,” he said, squeezing Nemo’s hand a little tighter and smiling through the glow that radiated off of his cheek where Nemo kissed him. Nemo did that a lot, made him glow and beam and Tae knew it was probably obvious to the artist that just came back into the room that Tae was head-over-heels crazy in love with Nemo, but it didn’t matter. 

The guy turned his back and Tae leaned over where Nemo had deposited himself in a chair and gave him a quick kiss right on the lips--nothing like the ones they shared earlier, but still enough to heat his cheeks and make his lips tingle--then plopped into the chair next to him. 

“Who do you think should go first?” Tae asked, his fingers dancing over his own ribs. “I think I’m just gonna do plain black letters so mine will probably be really fast. Unless you think we should do a different color? Like do you want to do them exactly the same or have our own sort of flair?” 

It hit Tae again, hard, how he was about to permanently mark his body up and Nemo was too. They were doing this together.

“Alright, are you boys ready? Have you chosen your colors?” 

“Oh uh–” Tae glanced at nemo. “Yeah, I think we both want black.” 

“Sounds good! Here’s the transplant paper-- you wanna measure out how big you want it for me?” the tattoo artist held up the sheet. 

“Oh, um,” Tae said and looked at the paper and then down to his ribs. “So I was thinking that I wanted to put it right here. Uh--” 

Tae lifted his shirt casually and pointed to his side, his finger brushing over his ribs. And yeah, maybe he held himself so that his abs were on full display for Nemo sitting right next to him. If he was going to have a needle stabbing him a bunch of times in a few minutes, he might as well have some fun while he still can. 

Tae met Nemo’s eyes for a second then winked before measuring the size of the area he wanted to cover. 

“So yeah, not too big,” he said, holding up his fingers. They were about two inches apart. “I kinda want it to be where it sort of moves and expands a little when I breathe is sort of the idea, I guess. And black is definitely the color I want. Nothing super fancy. Although, I was looking at some of the art on the walls. Is that all you?” 

The artist grinned, his sharp features softening just a little and Tae realized he was actually kind of pretty on top of being super cool looking. He also probably had all kinds of cool stories that Tae kind of wanted to ask him about. “Some of it is from the other artists who pop in here occasionally and tattoo a bit, but a lot of it is mine, yeah. Do you like it?”

Tae nodded and pointed at some of the nautical drawings that hung in frames behind Nemo’s head. “Nemo, do you think I’d look cool with a pirate ship on my arm? I think I should start a sleeve.” 

The artist laughed and started stenciling the design while he and Nemo talked about tattoos, holding it up when he was finished. “How does this look? Big enough?” 

Tae nodded and pulled his shirt up over his head, draping it over the armrest of the chair. “I’m so ready for this.” He looked up at Nemo, eyes shining. “We’re seriously about to get matching tattoos, Neems. We’re doing it. This is the best birthday present ever.” 

NEMO:

Ugh, okay, Nemo got it, Tae had super hot abs he wanted to get his hands all over. Maybe his face also.

But Nemo was really trying to chill out. He stuck his tongue out at Tae’s stupid wink and then directed his attention toward the art that Tae-yah pointed out. That helped. His eyes searched for any signs of Peri’s work, but he hadn’t seen enough of it to pick it out from the others. All the tattoos were beautiful though. The ones on the walls were elaborate, colorful, some of them massive. He couldn’t imagine getting one himself-- mostly for dance reasons-- but he could admire them the same way he’d admire...like, Finn’s paintings or his photos. 

When he looked back, Tae was shirtless and talking about upping his hotness factor by 200 with a tattoo sleeve

Oh great. 

Still, in that moment-- Tae’s eyes were bright and round as marbles, and Nemo’s friend brain took over his horny brain. They’d talked about this tattoo for like, two years! Nemo almost couldn’t believe it was happening either. He snaked his hand across the distance to lace their fingers together, his heart as light as a feather. 

“Duh, had to one-up last year’s,” Nemo teased a little, referring back to their first ever movie date. 

The tattoo artist chuckled lightly as he set to work. “You two are adorable. How’d you meet?” 

Nemo glanced at Tae. Technically, he could clarify they were just friends. This was a friend tattoo, literally. The hangul they were getting translated to same-age friends, and the date underneath it was their birth year. But this tattoo artist was obviously several years older than them and ran in completely different circles than Tae’s eomma… 

“Uh-- well, our parents,” said Nemo. “We’ve been friends since we were likeeee...three or four?” Nemo’s grin widened. “It’s weird, I really don’t remember not knowing Tae. Though we’ve gotten a lot closer recently.” 

The tattoo artist lifted a brow, a tiny knowing smirk on his lips. 

TAE: The way the tattoo artist was looking at them set Tae’s cheeks on fire. He totally knew, Tae thought insanely. He totally knew that he and Nemo were making out in their spare time.

That thought...didn’t bother Tae at all, actually. In fact, it was sort of nice and Tae looked over at Nemo and smiled his big, nose-wrinkling smile. “Yeah, that’s why we have to commemorate it with these tattoos, right?” 

“Alright, Tae, so I’m going to take this stencil and put it on your side, then I’m going to have you get up and walk over to that mirror over there and check it out. I’m gonna put it on straight, but sometimes, when the body moves things get distorted so I want you to check it out from lots of angles.” 

Tae nodded and tried not to giggle as the man squirted liquid soap onto his side and started scrubbing. “Oh wow, that’s cold,” he said, definitely not laughing, then watched as the artist picked up the stencil and slowly pressed it to his skin. 

Before the paper was completely peeled off, Tae already knew he was going to love it, and when all that was left was the stencil, he was proven right. 

Right there, on his side, was proof for everyone to see that he loved Nemo and Nemo loved him back. 

친구

Tae stood up and looked down at his ribs, his heart thudding in his chest, then started toward the mirror. 

This was going to be on his body forever. 

He looked at it, his smile growing, then he looked back over at Nemo. “Doesn’t it look so cool? I’m so fucking ready.” 

He rushed back over to the chair and plopped back down. “Yeah, no second thoughts here. I definitely want it right where you put it.” 

The guy smiled back and nodded. “Rad. Okay, let me just get my guns set up and we’ll be ready to go.” 

He got up and walked over to a little toolbox and pulled out a couple backs of what looked like huge needles and a little machine. 

“Ooo, Nemo look. It’s the tattoo gun thing! Do you think it’s gonna hurt?” 

 NEMO: It was important for Nemo to pay extremely close attention, because everything that happened to Tae right now was about to happen to him...probably in the next twenty or thirty minutes or so (Nemo had no idea how long it would take to get the tattoo.) 

And so he stared. For science. Or whatever.

He stared as the tattoo artist rubbed at Tae’s skin. He stared at the stenciling process, his hands itching to reach out and try it for himself...just roll his knuckles over the paper and Tae’s rib cage so it stuck, nice and firm. 

His eyes followed Tae as he got up and went over to look in the mirror. Nemo squirmed a little as he did, his mind flashing back to a particular make-out session in the front of the dance mirrors in the studio…

Annnnd he made a mental note to tell Tae that it was kind of hot, Tae looking at himself. Not that he was seriously checking himself out or anything, but Nemo liked the way Tae admired the tattoo, the rise of his breath and the flex of his muscle as he twisted one way and the other. 

Hmm, Nemo was letting his horny brain take over again. 

He grasped Tae’s hand when he returned to the chair as a way to anchor himself back into his friend-brain. Or boyfriend brain. Or something more accurately in the middle, which is where Nemo liked to live best. “Probably,” he said realistically. “But can’t be too bad. Like I said, if it’s less pain than the physio for my wing, I’m probably fine--”

“Oh, you’re a fairy?” said the tattoo artist as he returned. “That’s brilliant! My mum’s a fairy actually.”

“Really?” Nemo exclaimed and he sat up straighter. “Wait, like from the Hollow?”

“Yeah! She moved out though when she married my dad, and they’ve retired down to the coast now actually. He’s a mundus. But I still got a little bit of magic from it.” He grinned and then pointed at his hair…

...which changed colour to a rich blueberry instead of red.

“Jingles! Wait, so you’re an art-talent!”

“Kinda! Since I’m only half, it’s different. And I don’t have any wings, which is a bit of a letdown.”

“Oh yeah, I be-- ow!” Nemo jerked as Tae squeezed his hand out of nowhere. Wow, Nemo had been so wrapped up in the conversation he hadn’t realized the tattoo artist had just started the tattoo process. 

“Tae, you almost broke my hand. A little warning next time?” Nemo said, but mostly to tease. 

TAE:

The little machine buzzed to life as Nemo and the artist talked about...well, something. They were definitely saying words to each other, but Tae couldn’t really comprehend them over the thrum of his nerves right before the needle touched his skin. It didn’t hurt, exactly, but it definitely startled him and he squeezed Nemo’s hand hard. Then he blushed. 

“Sorry,” he said, giggling just a little before craning his neck to see where the ink was being pressed into his skin. It was...actually kind of tickling his bones, and he giggled some more. 

“Is it supposed to tickle,” he asked, and the artist laughed too, nodding. 

“Yeah, sometimes, when we go over the bones like this it sort of vibrates really deep, kind of feels like tickling. Either that or it hurts more. It kind of depends on the person.” 

Tae watched in awe as the Hangul started to take shape on his rib cage and he could already tell he liked this. He liked that this symbol of his friendship was going to be permanently etched into his skin. He liked the way the buzz of the gun felt going over his side. He would definitely be getting more tattoos. 

“What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened to you while tattooing someone?” he asked, a little sad to realize that it was actually almost all over. Next time he was going to have to get a bigger tattoo. 

The artist stopped and dipped his needle into a cup of water, before dipping it back into the black ink he’d set out on his stand. 

“Ah, well, one time this guy was on a first date with a girl--I have to say girls are so much better at getting tattooed. They hardly ever complain, but this guy he was whining almost from the start and he wanted this piece on his side, right, kind of like where you’re getting yours except bigger, and he ended up holding his breath from the pain and passed right out. Pissed himself too which was probably the most embarrassing part of it all. The girl stayed and got her own tattoo after he got taken to the hospital. She did great. She’s actually a regular of mine now.” 

Tae laughed. “Wow, he passed out? That’s wild. It’s not--it doesn’t even hurt that much!” He looked over at Nemo, his smile bright. “You’re gonna like this, Nemo. It’s like a little massage for your bones.” 

 NEMO: 

Honestly, the farther Tae’s tattoo got, the more nervous Nemo was getting. 

So silly. If anything, he should be getting less nervous. Tae had adjusted to the feeling, no longer squeezing Nemo’s hand super tight. The story helped, but also it apparently wasn’t so bad. Still, that gentle buzz of the tool kind of gave Nemo the splinters in his stomach. He chewed his lip a little as the tattoo artist talked and talked, but couldn’t look at the gun. He looked at the pictures, or back at Tae…

Every little glance toward his friend’s chest, the inky tattoo appearing, just made him squirm.

But it would be super lame and not sexy to be scared of tattoos. He liked tattoos too much. Or at least, in theory, right? Nemo was planning for more in the future. He wanted one for his friend group, and if he had a Tae tattoo....

Well, a tiny shark on his ankle might be nice. Even if Robbie never knew what it meant. 

“Done!” the tattoo artist said, startling Nemo out of his thoughts. Nemo blinked, then swallowed as he dabbed away these tiny dots of blood on Tae’s skin.

“Oh wow,” said Nemo. 

“Yeah, super cool right?” the tattoo artist said, grinning at Nemo. 

And it was cool. Nemo wanted to reach forward to touch, but that was probably not allowed. “It’s really there, huh,” Nemo said, even softer. “It looks...soft? Is that weird to say?” 

The tattoo artist chuckled. “Well, it is still just skin. You ready to start yours? Still about the same size and everything?” 

Annnnnd the nerves raced back. They thickened in Nemo’s throat, but he forced himself to swallow, to pretend like he wasn’t a coward (he wasn’t! Tae was super cool, so he was going to be super cool.) “Um, uh-- yeah! So I want it, um, I was thinking-- like on my hip but I kind of want a little bit of it to be visible above the pant line… I should lay down, shouldn’t I? Yeah, okay, I’ll lay down.” 

He switched position with Tae and rolled down his sweats, feeling himself blush as he did. Kind of weird having a complete stranger so close to his crotch like this. Did not think that through! But the artist wasn’t bothered at all as he began to apply the tattoo.

Nemo glanced at Tae and smiled a bit sheepishly. “Um, how does yours feel now?” 

TAE:

Tae looked down at his own ribcage–and not at Nemo’s naked hip thank you very much!--and had to fight the urge to touch it. He knew he wasn’t supposed to. He knew his hands probably had all sorts of germs on them and the hangul on his side was basically an open wound, but it was fascinating. Just the fact that it was now a part of him permanently–it was just there–made him smile like a gigantic idiot. 

When he looked up at Nemo after Nemo asked him the question, he wanted to touch it even more. “It’s kind of tingly,” he said, his eyes drifting down to where the artist was drawing on Nemo’s skin. Wow, it was going to be so pretty when he was done, Tae just knew it, and he was definitely going to have to kiss Nemo’s hip a lot more from now on. Right on that spot they shared with each other. 

Tae stood up then, still shirtless because he had to let his tattoo breathe probably even though the artist hadn’t said that, and he leaned over the man’s shoulder, his eyes glued on Nemo’s hip. 

There the mark was, slowly taking shape, and Tae’s eyes danced from that spot up to Nemo’s face. “Hmm, aren’t your pants going to irritate that?” he asked Nemo, his eyes glinting with something mischievous. “I guess you’re going to have to wear loose fitting pants until it heals more, huh?” 

That’s what Tae’s mouth said, but his eyes tried to let Nemo know he was welcome to walk around Tae’s bedroom naked all he wanted. “Also, I think I’m going to stare at it a lot. It feels so weird that we have the same think on our skin–or well, not weird but cool!” 

“Yeah as far as couple tattoos go, these are really cool ones,” the artist said and Tae’s face flushed bright red and his ears burned. He didn’t deny it, though. In fact, he smiled and nodded. “Yeah I’m really glad we’re getting them. This is the best birthday present.” 

NEMO:

Nemo rolled his eyes at Tae-- but he blushed too. 

He was probably right. Nemo hadn’t thought about the boring parts of after-- taking care of the tattoo, that is, and the mild pain that might linger. He’d been hyper focused on the cool stuff. They’d have tattoos together! They’d be sexy. They’d-- make out! 

Nemo wanted to make out. The longer Tae sat there casually half naked, the more Nemo wanted to pull him close.

This was one of those thoughts he needed to not have right now.

Thankfully, Tae’s flirty comment reminded Nemo not only of snogging, but of--pain.

Because. Yeah. This was going to hurt. 

The nerves poured back in, so Nemo couldn’t even properly appreciate the artist calling these couple tattoos. Instead, the back of Nemo’s throat got dry, like he’d swallowed sand. He tried to swallow to get rid of the feeling, but his stomach just squeezed itself uncomfortably. As the tattoo artist pulled away to get the gun…

Nemo flailed out a hand and grabbed Tae’s so he could squeeze it. All thoughts of being as cool and calm as Tae had been wing-sprinted out the window. While watching had been fascinating, now the gun just looked terrifying, that tiny drilling noise like a nest of angry bees. 

“I’m scared,” he blurted. 

The tattoo artist turned back around, eyebrows raising. “Hey, that’s cool. It can be scary at first. Promise though, whatever you’re thinking in your head… it’s worse than how it will be. But you can take a second if you need it.”

“I need it,” said Nemo, very cowardly and not at all sexily of him. He glanced back at Tae, his eyes wide and round. “Tae, make me feel better,” he whined. 

TAE:

Tae instantly sank to his knees next to where Nemo was laying on the special chair. He was still shirtless and maybe he should feel a little weird about that, but he couldn’t focus on anything but Nemo’s eyes, wide and scared. Tae smiled softly, reaching for Nemo’s hand and taking it in his fingers so gently. 

“Hey,” he whispered, soft and low. “I’m right here, you know.” Tae didn’t bother to look around the room. Where they were was semi-walled off and the artist had stepped out to give them just a little bit of privacy. “I’m not going anywhere.” Tae kissed the tips of Nemo’s fingers and then looked down toward his friend’s hip. 

“We’re gonna match. Isn’t that so cool? And I promise it doesn’t hurt as bad as you think it’s going to. It kind of stings at first, but it goes away and I’ll hold your hand the whole time if you want me to.” 

Tae leaned in and kissed Nemo’s nose, unable to help himself. He wanted to cuddle him. He wanted to curl up on the fancy tattoo chair and spoon Nemo until they were both sleepy and soft and warm. “Plus I know you can do it. You’re like, ten times braver than me probably and I did it. See.” 

Tae leaned over, twisting his body so Nemo could see his brand new tattoo. It was a bit pink around the edges and he knew they were going to have to bandage it soon so nothing gross got in it, but for now it stood out against his light skin, dark and bold. “That’s for you. Right there. I’ll have it forever.” 

With one more squeeze to Nemo’s hand, Tae let go so he could touch the skin of Nemo’s hip, staring at the blank space with awe. “Yours is going right here. That’s so sexy,” he breathed, then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to Nemo’s hip bone too, before looking back up at his friend and grinning. “You ready for him to come back in yet?”

NEMO: Nemo felt extremely silly, his face flushing brighter and his eyes a bit too watery-- though thorn in his side, as if he was gonna cry. No way. Then he’d become one of this mega cool tattoo artist’s “worst tattoo stories ever” and he’d probably have to move out of Swynlake out of embarrassment, not to mention all the attraction Tae felt toward him would just shrivel up like little cranberries left out in the sun--

Tae’s suddenly filled his vision, like a cloud moving over all those thoughts so Nemo couldn’t hear them anymore. 

Right, Nemo was being a goof, huh. 

But Tae wasn’t a goof. Honestly-- this was the coolest his friend had ever been. His face softened as he listened, half in awe, as Tae kissed his fingers and showed off his tattoo. And suddenly Nemo was thinking about the years when they hadn’t totally been as close. When Nemo used to show up at his house for Chuseok with his beanie over his ears and Tae would take him up to his room and show Nemo all of his coolest toys, or when they’d go out onto the lawn and he’d teach Nemo some of his Taekwondo moves. Back then, Nemo had been kept in the Hollow besides dance and a couple of trips to the market-- and so Tae’s world was like… a carnival-- colourful, noisy, bursting with strange things that glittered and begged Nemo to touch. He loved that world; he was envious of it, wanted pieces of it to himself because he thought, just maybe, this world would want him back. 

And Tae in the middle of it had been the coolest to Nemo. What would it be like to go to school with a boy like that? To wear his clothes? To talk like him? To go over to his house after school, and hang out all the time? 

“You’re just the coolest,” Nemo said now, soft and sincere. It was probably the dumbest thing he’d ever said to Tae, but he meant it the way he meant I love you. 

Then he scrunched his nose and tapped his lips. “Kiss me one more time, and I think I’ll be okay.” 

It made Tae laugh. But he kissed him, another stolen treasure, and then with Nemo still clutching Tae’s hand, they called the artist back in.

Nemo’s nerves trickled back in too, but he was more determined now-- thinking about ten-year-old Tae-yah for some reason. Jingles, ten-year-old Tae-yah would really think eighteen-year-old Tae-yeah was cool too, wouldn’t he? 

As the process began, so did the stinging. Nemo hissed a little, squeezing Tae’s hand. “Jingles, you’re right about that bone thing-- that’s--that’s weird.” It was the best word for it. He wasn’t sure if it hurt; it didn’t feel great. Still, Nemo giggled a little. “You’re so fast at this,” he mentioned to the artist. 

The artist glanced up with a grin. “Yeah, it’s my job. Plus, you guys probably have places to be, huh?” And he winked. 

He winked. 

Nemo blinked slow, and he blushed again, even redder than before. 

TAE: Tae had a similar thought to the one Nemo had–he was sure the tattoo artist could probably guess what they’d been up to before they showed up here–and yeah, it made him blush too, but it excited him too. Not in a weird or sexy way, but it made him think about what it would be like if everyone was like this artist. If everyone reacted this way, Tae wouldn’t have anything to be afraid of. If his eomma acted this way, he’d be safe…

Now wasn’t really the time to be thinking about coming out to his eomma. He was here with Nemo and they were getting their matching tattoos and today was about them–and right now it was about Nemo. 

Nemo flinched under the touch of the tattoo gun and Tae smiled and squeezed his fingers tighter. He watched the mark grow on Nemo’s hip, still thinking  over and over about how these weren’t temporary. When Tae was old and wrinkly this tattoo would still be on his side. He would still look at it and think about Nemo and this moment. 

Tae wanted this to be special. Of course it already was, but he’d been scared for so long. How many times had he thought about telling his eomma about himself and then chickened out? How many times had he wanted to take Nemo’s hand in public and decided against it? 

This tattoo–it was about more than just loving Nemo. It was also about being brave and having someone by his side. He could look at it and it could remind him he wasn’t alone. 

Best friends. 

Boyfriends. 

It was easier to be brave with a hand to hold. 

Tae blinked, watched as the artist finished up Nemo’s tattoo, and then, before he could even set his gun all the way down on the table, Tae smiled and said, “I’m going to take him home and kiss the shit out of him.” 

For a second, he just stared, and then he smiled big and bright, his teeth fully on display. “I’m gonna kiss him at least twenty times.” 

The artist smiled back at him, “Is that so?” 

“Yep,” Tae said, then looked at his friend. “Right, Nemo?”

NEMO: Nemo started to sit up, wincing just a little as the bend of his torso at the juncture of his hip where the tattoo was now placed. Welp, that was dumb probably, though the pain was nothing compared to his back pain after rehearsals. Still, the pain nagged at the corner of his brain, splitting Nemo’s focus between Tae and the tattoo--

Until: I’m gonna take him home and kiss the shit out of him. 

Nemo’s gaze flew to Tae, his eyes once again wide and round, but this time, not out of fear. 

How do you describe the...opposite feeling of getting punched in the stomach?

Or maybe similar, but like, a punch full of love? 

(Maybe a little bit like their first kiss, when Tae had pressed forward and smashed their faces together. That was kind of a punch full of love.)

That’s what it felt like now, hearing those words, declared loudly in the middle of the parlor. Sure, no one was here. Sure, they hadn’t really been hiding since they came in, whether it was holding hands or giggling or calling their tattoos a couple tattoo. But it had felt like playing pretend or something, and the game thrived as long as the tattoo artist didn’t ask too many pointed questions. A couple could still mean a couple of friends.  

But now it felt real. 

And so Nemo’s heart inflated, his feelings rising to the surface. A thousand silly responses whirled through his head like feathers. He wanted to kiss the shit out of Tae here. He wanted to take Tae’s hand and press it over his hip, right over his stinging tattoo, despite the little drops of blood and the raw skin. Or take pictures of those tattoos and post them on social media for everyone to see.

“You better kiss me way more than twenty times,” was what fell out of his mouth as he stared at Tae’s face, his eyes locked on Tae’s lips like he’d been hypnotized. 

The tattoo artist’s laugh jolted Nemo back to reality. 

Right--er-- before they could kiss, Nemo had to get up. He clambered off the chair and adjusted his sweats over the tattoo while Tae finally went to get his shirt. The tattoo artist explained to them about caring for the tattoo-- keeping it clean and applying lotion, not scratching it, all that kind of stuff. Then Nemo went to the register and fished out the money for both of them. It was all in bills. He counted them carefully, feeling proud of the little pile after he was finished. This was the most expensive birthday present he’d ever purchased but-- there was something nice about that. 

“Thank you!” Nemo waved to the artist as they stepped out of the parlor.

Instantly, his hand went back into Tae’s and he squeezed, leaning into him all giggly. “That was so awesome,” he said, “what you said back there. I hope you meant it.” 

The hunger from earlier, and this bright, bubbly love, stirred in Nemo like weather. It wanted so badly to be released. His arm wrapped around Tae’s arm so he was practically hugging him. “I like how it sounds-- you taking me home.” 

TAE:

It took the tattoo artist thirty-four years to explain all the stuff they needed to do to take care of their tattoos. Yeah, Tae knew he was supposed to listen to all of it because it was actually really important, but Nemo looked like he was paying enough attention for the both of them and Tae was pretty sure they had little fliers anyway. What was definitely more important that tattoo aftercare was gripping onto Nemo’s shirt and imagining all the ways he was going to touch him in about thirty minutes which was way too long. 

Nemo listened to the artist then he paid the artist and Tae’s eyes sparkled and his heart swelled to ten times its normal size when Nemo stacked all of his hard earned money on the counter. Ugh, he was definitely going to have to ask Jun for a raise or like, get another job or something so he could afford to get Nemo something really good for Christmas. 

Finally (!!) they were out of the tattoo parlour and Nemo’s fingers were twisted with his and Tae laughed, his love bubbling up out of him like soda-pop fizz. “Yeah, of course I meant it,” he said, and to prove his point he pulled Nemo in closer and kissed him quick. There was no one on the sidewalk and Tae didn’t think he really cared if anyone saw them right now from one of the shop windows. 

“I’m glad you like the way it sounds,” Tae said. “Because I’m gonna take you home so hard. I’m gonna take you home so hard you won’t know what hit you.” He laughed and kept walking, determined to reach their destination. 

The Moon Market came into view as they turned the corner and Tae ducked into the alley behind the store, pulling Nemo with him. “We’re gonna go in there and I’m gonna go tell Jun-hyung I’m catching the bus back to Besydus with you,” he said.  

Tae pulled himself away from Nemo then, grinning. It took everything he had not to kiss Nemo, but he took off toward the door and motioned for Nemo to follow him. “C’mon. We’ll get some drinks too. Gotta hydrate.” 

NEMO: Tae had no idea what he was doing. 

He kissed Nemo fast, leaving a crackling energy behind, Nemo’s eyes wide like he’d just gotten an electric shock. He felt, out of nowhere, supercharged. The dull sting in his hip wasn’t even background music. Instead, his brain buzzed like a lightbulb, as his thoughts whizzed around about what that kiss even meant-- what Tae’s declaration back in the parlor meant-- 

Was Nemo reading into these things or was Tae-- was he-- 

Tae yanked him from this line of thinking, shoved him back into a wall. But as Nemo’s back hit, the alleyway shifted into a school hallway and the wall turned into hallway lockers. 

Imagine if he’d kiss me there like he said he’d always would, Nemo thought to himself as Tae leaned in. Nemo could smell his shampoo and it made him bend slightly at the knees, lips turning up at the corners as he expected a dirty, hungry kiss. And then it hit him-- 

Tae’s love felt like a spotlight. 

Yeah, that’s what it was. And normally, Nemo didn’t think much of the secrecy because it had become so normal, felt comfy like a favourite sweater, but now Nemo was all amped up and he wanted to bask in the spotlight instead. He wanted other people to know. He leaned in like he was expecting Tae’s kiss. 

But Tae swerved. His lips near Nemo’s ear instead. His breath hot. His words, another supercharge. Nemo felt it in every part of his body. 

Then Tae pulled away.

Nemo was left standing there for an extra second, like he was still waiting for the kiss, while Tae swept away toward the doors. Nemo’s brain was too busy playing those words over again. Playing everything in the last thirty seconds over again, the kiss and the hand holding and all of Tae’s romantic-and-raunchy declarations and Nemo had no idea how he was going to wait at a bus stop without making out with his friend in public, or board a bus without making out with his friend in public, or make it to Tae’s bedroom without first making out with his friend in his foyer, living room, maybe the staircase, even, which was definitely not allowed because telling a stranger in a tattoo parlor that you liked to kiss your best friend, and telling your eomma, was not the same thing.

Jingles, Nemo really needed to snap out of it or else. 

Oliver didn’t know how long he held his wife on the front step of her townhouse but he could have kept going when Felicity pulled back.

Felicity looked at her beautiful husband’s face. She cupped it in her hands and began to kiss it all over ending with his lips. God, she loved this man. He was a part of her in every way, it was like a missing part of herself had returned.

Oliver would have been content to keep kissing his wife but he wanted more. More than he could do on the front step - it had been six long months. He started to guide her inside. He saw a cherry red couch close by, he angled them there.

As soon as Felicity’s butt hit the couch she broke off the kiss. “No.”

“No?” Oliver was so confused. He could see Felicity’s dilated pupils she was clearly as turned on he was.

“No. No, Oliver Queen we can’t do this. Not after the crap, you pulled.” Felicity jumped up from the couch, hugged her arms around her stomach and faced the window. She needed to get herself under control. She never could resist Oliver, being apart for six months didn’t make that any easier. But they needed to talk damn it.

Felicity got her breathing under control. She slowly turned back to face Oliver. He looked like a lost puppy.

“It’s okay, Felicity. I get it. You want a divorce. What I did. Going to jail without letting you in the decision. Making decisions for you is exactly what I agreed not to do. I fucked up.  I don’t deserve you. Do you already have the papers?”

“Papers?” Felicity shakes her head as if to clear the cobwebs. “Oliver, I don’t want a divorce. I love you. I just got you back. But just so you know I’m super pissed. You have a lot of explaining to do.”

Oliver lets out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. “Anything. Felicity, I’ll do anything for you.”

“Except tell me when you agree to go to prison?! That was a low blow but you deserve it. You left William and me alone, Oliver! Alone! Where was I in this decision? Remember I reminded you right before that that we are no longer alone - EVER. We are married. We support each other!!!”

“I just knew…”Oliver’s voice faded away.

Felicity came to stand over him. She looked down at his sad face. “You just knew, what? That I wouldn’t let you give your life up? That I would insist there was another way?”

Oliver nodded. “Felicity it was the only way. Diaz had the city. I couldn’t let him take the city!”

“Oliver, you don’t think I understand? Believe it or not I understand you going to prison may have been the only choice BUT we should have made that decision together.”

“You never would have..”

Felicity cut him off. “Let’s be clear we have no idea what I would have done because YOU never gave me the option.”

“Dad?”

Felicity had been yelling so loud they didn’t hear William come into the room. Felicity’s eyes welled up as she watched father and son reconnect. She knew just how bad they both missed each other.

Felicity walked into the kitchen to continue tidying up. Oliver and William deserved a moment alone. She needed to calm down to get her point across to Oliver.

*****

“You’re home,” William said into Oliver’s ear.

Oliver smiled at his son, who had grown even taller, he must be taller than Felicity now. “Yes, buddy. I’m home. I’m never going to leave you again.”

Oliver watched William put his hand through his hair, it was something he did when he was anxious.

William gave a slight glare. “Please don’t say that. Please don’t make promises you cannot keep. I know you want to be here and will do your best but don’t say you won’t leave because you don’t know.”

“Okay, buddy. I won’t say that. But I can say this is my favourite place to be, with you and Felicity.” Oliver beamed.

William took a seat next to his father on the couch. “She’s pretty pissed, you know?”

“Oh, I know. I deserve every bit of it.” Oliver looked down ashamed of his behaviour.

“Oh, you do. She took good care of me. Made sure I ate healthy food, took me to school, everything. She did it all.” William looked over at Felicity and smiled.

“Healthy food, huh? That doesn’t sound like Felicity.” Oliver joked.

“Well, not at first. At first, she wasn’t doing so good.” William looked pointedly at his father so he knew where the blame for that belonged. “We ate a lot of take-out and mint chocolate chip ice cream but she pulled herself out of it and got help. Raisa began cooking for us full time,even showed Felicity how to make some basic meals.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow.

“Sure, she burned them at first but she got better - WAY BETTER. At cooking and at hiding her pain. But you, you have some major sucking up to do. I have to go to bed now, school tomorrow. Go talk to her. She needs you. You can make her as happy as you made her sad.” William hugged his father. Oliver watched his son head off back to his bedroom.

When did his son get so smart, Felicity must be rubbing off on him.

*****

Oliver found Felicity in the kitchen just as she turned the dishwasher on. The kitchen was dark minus the overnight light from the stove. He knew she was stewing.

“Can I talk now?” Oliver asked hesitantly.

Felicity nodded.

Oliver could see the tears her eyes and tracks that they had already run down her cheeks. He did that. “I’m sorry. Fully and in every way sorry. I will spend the rest of my life making this up to you. I knew the moment my jail cell closed for the first time that I was wrong. That I should have talked to you. That I should have been upfront. My biggest mistakes in life come when I don’t trust you. I was wrong. I am so sorry, Felicity.”

Felicity held on to the counter. Everything in her wanted to rush into Oliver’s arms and forgive him right now. She loved this man with every fibre of her being. But he hurt her so bad. He had no idea. So she stood there and said nothing. Willing herself not to run to him.

“Felicity, I love you. I will always love you. I will wait as long as it takes for you to forgive me. Even if you never forgive me. I’m not going anywhere.” Now that Oliver was here with William and Felicity he knew he could never leave. He had missed them both so much. Not being able to see them while he was in prison was beyond cruel. He stood waiting for Felicity to say something. Quiet Felicity always worried him.

Suddenly she was in his arms again. She embraced him with all the good and light she had in her. “Oliver Queen I love you! I forgive you. I don’t want to spend one more second of my life without you. You are my everything.”

“Are you sure? I mean, I can wait. Sleep on the couch.” Oliver looked at the couch. It was the last thing he wanted to do but she deserved time.

“Oliver I’ve been waiting for you for SIX MONTHS. SIX MONTHS OLIVER! That is a really long time. I want you to come up to OUR bedroom and show me just how sorry you are. REPEATEDLY. Are you up for that?”

Oliver could not stop smiling. He had no idea how he became such a lucky man but he didn’t want to miss one more second with his wife. He took her hand and she led him up the stairs.

Hope you liked :)