Chapter Text
The day of classes had come to an end and each of them were now spread across Kyle’s apartment. No one had said anything in at least an hour, each of them focused on their own tasks. Johnny and Kyle occupied the couch with Kyle hyperfocused on his biology notes that rested on John’s legs that had somehow found their way into his lap.
John had stopped looking over his own biology notes at some point and was mindlessly scrolling on his phone. Rudy and Alejandro occupied the small loveseat that sat at the head of John’s side of the couch. They were sharing notes for the calculus exam they had coming up. The silence lasted a few moments longer before John groaned, setting his phone aside and poking Kyle with his foot. The other man tried pushing his friend’s foot away but John was persistent. Kyle shot him a sharp look and sighed, setting his notes aside.
“Yes?” He asked and John smiled at him.
“I’m bored.” He stated and Kyle sighed, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hands.
“What would you like me to do about that?” He asked and John sat up, tucking his legs underneath him.
“Do you have to work today?” He asked and Kyle sighed again, having an idea of where this conversation was going. He worked part time as a piercer at the newest tattoo parlor that had opened in town.
“No. I’m off. Are you trying to drag me to my place of work on my day off?” He asked and John smiled, turning to the couple sitting on the loveseat.
“Wouldn’t it be fun to go and get piercings or tattoos today?” He asked and Alejandro set his notes aside, now interested in the conversation.
“I’ll go with you, hermano.” He said, his boyfriend nodding in agreement, but with the way he was focusing on his notes there was really no way to tell if he was truly paying attention, and John’s smile seemed to brighten. He turned his attention back to Kyle who sighed, smiling softly and stood. He stretched for a moment before sliding on his shoes and grabbing his keys.
“Well let’s go then.” He said and John shot up from the couch, throwing on his shoes and following Kyle out the door with Alejandro and Rudy on his heels. Rudy had protested for a moment before Alejandro yanked him from his notes, promising that they would study later. When they were all finally piled into Kyle’s car John turned in his seat and looked at the couple in the back.
“What are you guys going to get done?”
“I’m thinking a Prince Albert.” Alejandro said, wiggling his eyebrows at Rudy who playfully slapped his chest, rolling his eyes.
“I’m kidding, I’m not sure. I may get my ears done.” He said and John looked at Rudy.
“Hell no. Absolutely not.” Rudy said, causing everyone in the car to laugh. John turned and looked over at Kyle who shrugged.
“I’ll think about it.” He said as he focused on the road and that seemed answer enough for the ball of energy in his passenger seat.
The rest of the ride was spent in comfortable silence or loud off key singing. They finally pulled up to the shop and Kyle parked the car, allowing everyone to get out before he locked the car.
“141 Ink?” Rudy said, reading the sign above the door. Kyle smiled and opened the shop door, allowing the group to enter. There was the sound of a buzzing machine in the back and the smell of alcohol. There were two black leather couches in the waiting area and a gumball machine that seemed to hold tattoo stencils. A nervous silence had fallen over the group before someone walked in from the back of the shop.
He was tall, broad and had blond hair that was grown out on the top with shaved sides. He acknowledged them and set down the boxes he was carrying. He had a black surgical mask covering the bottom half of his face and he seemed to smile softly at them as he stood behind the desk.
“I thought today was your day off?” He asked, his voice deep and thick with a Manchester accent. Kyle shrugged and gestured to his friends.
“They wanted piercings.” He replied and the taller man nodded, turning to Kyle’s friends.
“What would you like?” He asked and John stepped forward with Alejandro next to him.
“I would like just my ear lobes.” Alejandro said. The piercer nodded and turned his attention to John.
“I would like my nipples.” John said, trying to suppress the blush crawling onto his cheeks under the taller man’s attention and he tried to ignore the looks from his friends.
Alejandro slapped his back and smiled at him.
“You are braver than me, hermano.” He mumbled and laughed. The taller man nodded and grabbed two forms, laying them on the desk with two pens.
“Just sign these forms and I’ll take your IDs. Nothing for you Kyle?” He said, turning his attention to the man who was now walking around the front of the shop.
“You’ve been trying to get me on the piercing table since I started here, Simon. It’s never going to happen.” He said and the man, Simon, laughed softly, shrugging.
“You say that now. Just wait.” He said and Kyle rolled his eyes, laughing. He got the paperwork done and moved to open the small door next to the desk.
“You can follow me back. It’s a small room. I might not be able to fit all of you inside it at once but you can stand outside of the door.” He said, leading the group back to a room.
The room they entered had black cabinets and shelves filled with artwork across the walls. There was a bed in the middle of the room that looked similar to something you would see in a hospital. There was a closet off to the side with a mirror hanging on the door and the taller man was moving around gathering supplies. He stopped moving and looked towards them.
“Who is going first?” He asked and Alejandro looked back at John who shook his head.
“No. No. I need more time.” He said, with his hands out in front of him.
“This was your idea, you bastard.” Alejandro grumbled and faced the taller man once again.
“I guess that would be me.” He moved into the room and stood awkwardly for a moment.
“Hop up on the table for me.” The taller man said, patting the table. Alejandro followed his instructions and looked between the piercer and his friends.
“This is going to be easy. I’m going to mark you, count to three and shove the needle through.” He explained and Alejandro nodded. The piercer nodded, rolling up his sleeves to reveal arms covered in black ink and putting on black gloves, and grabbed a toothpick that he had colored on.
“I’m going to get right in your business. Try not to move or try to help me move your head. I will move you if I need to.” He bent over and got eye level with Alejandro’s ears, marking them and moving to stand in front of him, blocking the rest of the group's sight. He stood there for a moment making sure everything was even before backing up.
“You can take a look in the mirror. If you want me to move them, I promise it’s not going to hurt my feelings.” Alejandro stood and looked in the mirror and allowing Rudy to look before nodding in agreement and letting the taller man know he was happy with the placement.
“Alright. Hop back up.” He said, pulling his tray closer to him. “Before I start I wanna let you know there are two big rules here. Don’t grab me and don’t grab yourself.” He explained and Alejandro nodded, trying not to look at the needle as the man opened the package.
“Do you want anyone to hold your hand?” He asked and Alejandro reached for Rudy who came to his side.
“Are you going to hold my hand?” John asked and Kyle shook his head with a bright smile on his face.
“Nope.” John laughed and knocked their shoulders together lightly. They both turned their attention back to the scene in front of them.
“Here comes the fun stuff. You ready?” The piercer asked and Alejandro nodded, taking a deep breath in. “I’m just bringing the blunt end to your ear, just to get a feel. I’m not piercing anything just yet.” He said, poking around for a moment before grabbing the clamps and turning back.
“You’re just gonna feel some pressure and then a sharp pain. If we need to stop after one that is completely fine. You would not believe the amount of people I have had collapse after a piercing because they thought they could get two in one day.” He moved back again and placed the needle against Alejandro’s ear.
“Take a deep breath in for me.” He said and counted to three, pressing the needle through on two and quickly following it with the silver jewelry. He backed up and smiled.
“You did great. Are you ready for the second one?” He asked and Alejandro took another deep breath before nodding. The piercer smiled and moved to the other side, Rudy taking Alejandro’s other hand.
“Same thing, just some pressure and take a deep breath for me.” He said and shoved the needle through once again on two. He backed up and pushed the tray away from the table.
“You’re done. I won’t poke you anymore. You can check it out whenever you’re ready.” He said, disposing of the needle and taking off his gloves. Alejandro stood and moved to the mirror looking over them and smiled.
“I love it. Thank you.” He said and Simon smiled.
“I’ll do the aftercare talk with both of you when I finish piercing him.” He explained and Alejandro nodded, walking over to let John and Kyle look who both smiled and agreed it looked great. Simon moved around the room getting things ready before turning back to the group.
“Johnny, right?” He said and Kyle tensed for a moment, looking at John out of the corner of his eye, ready to jump in and correct Simon. But John nodded, smiling and moved into the room. Kyle gave him a look of confusion for a moment but decided they would talk about that later.
“Do you want to close the door or are you fine taking your shirt off with it open?” Simon asked, coloring over another toothpick and grabbing gloves.
“It’s fine if it’s open.” He said, pulling his shirt over his head and handing it to Kyle.
“Okay, stand right here for me.” He said, tapping a spot a few feet from him with his boot, turning to put his gloves on. John nodded, moving to the spot and crossing his arms over his chest, feeling nervous not only for the piercing but for this surprisingly stunning masked man to look at his chest.
“Just drop your arms for me and stand normally.” He explained, showing the position he wanted the shorter man to mirror. John copied it and blushed slightly as the taller man bent down.
“I’m just marking you, so try to stay as still as possible.” He said, his voice soft. When he finished marking them he backed up and allowed John to look at the markings. He looked in the mirror before allowing his friends to look. They all agreed they looked good and he turned back to the masked man and for the first time since walking in he got a good look at the masked man as he set up the table.
He was definitely handsome under that mask if his eyes were anything to go by. They were soft and the most beautiful shade of brown John had ever seen. There was a scar cutting through his eyebrow but the rest of his face was covered. He seemed to be built like a brick house under his hoodie if his shoulders and forearms were anything to go by.
Simon looked over and smiled softly at John’s staring and patted the table. John blushed and looked to his feet, making sure he didn’t make a fool out of himself as he walked to the table. He heard the snorts and muffled laughter of his friends and cut them a sharp look.
“Lay down for me. You ready?” He asked and John nodded, laying down on his back.
“This is going to be a little awkward for you but I need to pinch your nipple to make sure it is hard enough to pierce. Other than that, don’t grab me and don’t grab yourself.” He said, pinching John’s nipple after the man gave consent for him to do so. Simon waited a moment before placing the clamp on his nipple and grabbed the needle.
“Do you want anyone to hold your hand?” He asked and John shook his head.
“No, my best friend decided to betray me and told me he wouldn’t hold my hand.” He complained and Kyle rolled his eyes, laughing. Simon chuckled and John’s stomach flipped at the sound, it was so soft and yet if he had a recording of it he would never need to listen to anything else.
“I’m gonna feel around for a second.” He said, feeling for a moment before placing the sharp end against his nipple. “Take a deep breath in for me.”
John took a deep breath and listened to Simon count to three before a burst of red hot pain radiated across his chest. He let out a string of curses that would have made a sailor blush and tried to focus on Simon’s voice.
“Here comes the jewelry, you’re doing great, love. Keep breathing through it.” The masked man said and John forgot about the pain for a moment at the term of endearment. But quickly forgot as the jewelry went through and the pain was even worse than the piercing.
“You’re done with the first one. I’m not going to poke that one again. Do you feel okay to do the second one?” It isn’t going to hurt my feelings if you don’t want to. I know the nipples are rough.” SImon said, cleaning off the new piercing as softly as he could.
John looked over to his friends and they each gave him a thumbs up before Rudy spoke.
“You don’t have to do the second one, John. You can always come back another day.” John took a deep breath and looked back towards the ceiling.
“I can do it.” He grunted out and Simon met his eyes.
“Are you sure?” He asked and John nodded, wanting to get it done before he chickened out.
“Alright, second one we go. Same process. I’m just gonna feel around. Do you want someone to hold your hand for this one?” He asked and John looked over at his friends.
“Kyle.” He said shortly, reaching out his hand. Kyle smiled and moved into the room grasping one of John’s hands in both of his.
“Don’t break my hand you bastard.” Kyle said and John cursed at him.
“Take a deep breath for me.” Simon said and before John knew it the red hot pain was back.
“Motherfucker!” He cursed, squeezing Kyle’s hands and Simon laughed softly beside him, pushing the jewelry through.
“You’re done. I won’t poke you anymore.” He said, backing up as Kyle helped John sit up, making sure to take it slow.
“Sit there as long as you need. Don’t rush to get up.” Simon instructed as he cleaned off his tray. He stood and looked in the mirror happy with the results and Kyle winked at him in the mirror. He stuck his tongue out and placed his shirt back over his head.
“I’ll go ahead and give you the aftercare talk now.” Simon said, leaning against the desk he had in the room, crossing his arms over his broad chest.
“The best advice I can give you is keep them clean and do not touch them. At all. With the lobes you can clean it twice a day, once when you wake up and right before you go to bed. You can either use the saline spray we have here or just regular clear antibacterial soap works just fine. Put it on a Q-tip and clean. Be careful washing your hair and putting on shirts or sweatshirts, it is very easy to catch them.” Alejandro nodded along as he spoke.
“You can change it to a hoop in about 4 to 6 months and if you need any help at all, I'll give you both my card when we get to the front desk so you can contact me.” He said and turned his attention to John.
“For you. Taking care of them is very easy and I will always be a phone call away. So you’ll want to wash them just about the same. Twice a day, clear antibacterial soap, I would say avoid using Q-tips or wash cloths they will get caught and pull. So wash your hands thoroughly and clean them with your hands. Washing them in the shower is the easiest way to go about it. Don’t let anyone else touch them, you don’t touch them and do not let your partner or partners in bed touch them or suck on them for the next at least 6 to 8 months. You can change the jewelry out then and they should be good to go. Now if you guys wanna follow me I can take you to the front and check you out and give you my card.” He said, moving out of the room and as he passed John, he noticed how good the man seemed to smell and Kyle chuckled next to him.
On the way to the front John could feel the piercings with every single step and he knew it was going to take some time getting used to that feeling. Simon opened the small door and let them back into the lobby, standing behind the desk while they paid. He turned to the card holder before looking at the desk.
“Where the hell are my new cards?” He whispered and looked back up at them. “Give me a second.” He turned around and walked to the doors on the right side of the shop.
“Price, where the fuck are my cards?” He called out as he walked back there and they heard a deep voice answer.
“Probably in the backroom. I think that’s where Gary put them.” He said and Simon walked back out of the room and towards the back of the shop. An older man followed him. He was tall but still shorter than the piercer. He had a kind aura to him and he smiled at them. Simon came back up to the desk and opened the box with the knife in his pocket. He pulled them out and began writing on them.
“Well I should probably introduce myself. I’m John Price. I own the shop and I’m one of the tattoo artists here. You must be Kyle’s friends.” He said, shaking the group's hands. They each introduced themselves and Simon sat down, still a head taller than the man standing next to him.
“I’m giving you my personal number since you are friends of Kyle. I assume he can answer any questions since he has begun working here but still. Just in case. Call me, text me or come by the shop. I’ll be here.” He handed them to Alejandro and John who looked over them. They were simple black cards with a skull on the back. The shop name and number below the skull.
“It’s true, he never leaves.” Price said, slapping a hand on Simon’s shoulder. Simon cut the older man a sharp look before turning his attention back to the group in front of him.
“It was nice to meet all of you.” He said.
“It was nice to meet you.” They returned and Simon waved as they left the shop. When the door shut he leaned back in the seat.
“The one with the mohawk is cute.” He said and Price rolled his eyes.
“Don’t you dare hit on one of Kyle’s friends.” He said and Simon laughed, standing from the seat.
“Never said I would. I just said he was cute.” He said and Price sighed, smiling softly before returning to his room, allowing Simon to return to his own room in the back.
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“So what did you think of my coworkers?” Kyle asked once they were back in the car.
“They seem nice. I think someone really likes the piercer.” Rudy said, shaking John’s shoulders softly.
“No. He’s just nice.” John protested while the rest of the car fell into laughter.
“Oh is that why you blushed anytime his eyes landed on you?” Alejandro asked and John sunk into his seat refusing to dignify that with an answer. Which led the car to fall into laughter once again.
When they finally arrived back at Kyle’s apartment John took off his shirt and threw it over the back of the couch, deciding against having a shirt rub against his chest.
“You alright?” Kyle asked as John sat back on the couch.
“Yeah. Just sore.” He mumbled, his thoughts occupied with a certain masked man as the rest of the group made plans for dinner. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to the number he had been given.
Johnny: Hi. It’s Johnny. You pierced my nipples today. I just wanted to make sure you had my number.
He took a deep breath and sent it, hoping that was good enough and it didn’t seem weird that he was texting so soon. The reply was faster than he was expecting and it made his heart flutter slightly.
Simon: Hi Johnny. Thanks for reaching out. Just let me know if you need anything at all.
When John went to bed that night his mind was occupied with thoughts of the masked man and the nickname he had sworn off years ago. But mostly, how nice the nickname sounded coming from Simon’s mouth.