drear | OPEN SEASON 2.

Sure.

[ Does Heine sound convinced? ...not really. But he gathers daisies, a couple of yellow button mums, and blue bachelor's buttons into a roughly shaped posy, wrapped tightly around the stems within the cellophane.

He's quick about it, and the process takes only a few minutes. Heine lays it on the counter before ringing it up at the register. < Insert reasonable bouquet price here. > ]

[Fee's quick to pay for it - cash, and he scoops it up carefully. even if it's just going next door, he doesn't want to hurt it.]

Thanks so much. I think everyone's going to like it - I'll see you around, yeah? Don't be a stranger.

[if Fee's not the one to drop by first. there's a lot of moments in life that need flowers, after all, and he'll want to say hi.

with his free hand, he waves to Heine before he leaves - already ready to present the bouquet and somehow come up with something to act as a vase so they can set it on the front desk. to offhand mention it'll be a good habit to cultivate - people like seeing flowers - and get told it'll be his responsibility to see to that if they decide on it. not that he complains.]

[ Heine waves back stiffly before cleaning up the tabletop. That should be that, he thinks, except Fee keeps coming back.

Most of his business comes from people he sees once and never again, buying flowers for special occasions. Other occasional visitors do talk to him, but the conversations they have aren't like the ones Fee tries to start. Over time Heine comes to accept that Fee really is being genuine when he smiles, and that he may actually enjoy Heine's company. Somehow. For some reason.

On a day when the weather is finally beginning to warm, Heine is arranging branches of cherry blossoms in a tall vase—seasonal for spring, surrounding himself with hyacinth, sweet pea, and and lilac in the shop. He has his sleeves rolled up past his elbows, revealing the thick black bands of ink on his right forearm and the cluster of peonies on the inside of his other arm. Seeing Fee come through the front door, Heine glances over before putting the last few branches into the vase. ]

Hi. What are you looking for today?

[Fee does enjoy his company, no matter how it ends up. it flows naturally, easy despite Heine's...everything. for all his traits that some might say just make him weird, Fee's interested, and patient enough to see where it goes. Jakob tells him he's too easy to believe in someone he barely knows when he broaches the topic, leading Fee to say that he wants to know him.

words of caution to not be a nuisance while Heine is trying to work hang heavy in his head, but he still wants to be a neighbor. still wants to wave hi and look for chances to talk to him that won't interfere with his work. and yes, getting flowers is part of that, be it for times when friends need them or picking up the ones for the shop.

today is a shop day, and he comes in, pausing in the door to breathe in the sweet scent.]

Hey, Heine. Good-

[but the greeting is cut off when he sees the artwork on Heine's arms, head tilting before he comes over, already looking at them with interest.]

Can I see?

[professional curiosity, of course.]

My tattoos? [ Heine pauses, but acquiesces after toeing the vase into place in a corner. ]

Yeah.

[ He holds his arms out awkwardly. The blackwork bands are starting to fade, but his skin is so pale that the ink still stands out. The peonies are fresher; the ink has yet to start fading. ]

...you know, I've never seen any of yours. Your tattoos.

[he catches himself before he reaches to touch, drawing his hand back and putting it behind his back. but studying them, he can tell the difference. when? why? the questions bubble up in him, but Heine's observation catches him off guard.]

That's kind of on purpose. My family's more old fashioned, so when I started, the one way I could get them to not be too upset was to promise that anything I got or did, I could cover up.

[and since he's not going to start stripping in front of Heine - that's better reserved for his place of work - he pulls up his right pant leg, revealing the flaming feather that's on his ankle.]

I like yours, though. How long have you had them?

[he can guess, sure, but he'd rather ask.]

[ The single tattoo he sees now is interesting. Heine looks at it until Fee releases his pants leg. ]

Then how about now? [ Heine glances over the area his shirt covers, curious, but answers Fee's question after a second, pointing at the blackwork first. ]

This one's older. Like, seven years. This is from two years ago. [ Said of the peonies. ]

It's really clean. [he says it admiringly, eyes following the curves before he realizes that he's just staring and looks back up into Heine's face.]

For now I haven't started on my arms. There hasn't been anything that's felt right to put there.

[placement was as meaningful as symbol, to him. if he wants something on his arms, it has to be something that feels like it belongs there.]

But yours suit you, I think. Call it an artist's intuition or just a feeling.

Thanks. [ That was a weird compliment, but it makes sense; better that his tattoos suit him than the alternative. Heine considers it for a few more seconds before pushing his hands into his pockets. ]

So are you going to tell me about your other tattoos, or do you just want your new arrangement?

You want to know about them? Seriously?

[he's trying to be modest, Heine, but if you're giving him an inch to get excited about it...]

Edited 2017-01-04 23:59 (UTC)

Yeah. [ Fee's may be more open than Heine, at least a little, but having never seen the tattoos of a tattoo artist before, he's curious. ]

Maybe don't take your shirt off right here, though. [ He pauses, glancing down at his new spring flowers. ]

You know, I haven't seen your shop after renovations.

[ And people would be more used to people getting shirtless there, right? ]

[the implication is something he gets immediately, and he seems to light up a little more.]

When can you spare a break to come by?

[because shirtlessness to inspect tattoos was practically a given in that environment. and at this hour in the day it shouldn't be too busy - he knows no one will mind.]

Around 12.

[ Owning his own business means he can have his own hours, and 12 is as good a time to have a lunch break as any. ]

If that's okay.

That's perfect. So, I'll see you then.

[it's as simple a thing as going next door, and yet Fee's excited over it. to be fair, he had been hoping Heine would wander over at some point, but this is almost even better.

it would be perfect if he then didn't forget the flowers, but no one's perfect.]

[ Heine nods. (Fee's so excited. Why is he so excited?)

He interacts with only a few more customers before noon, so he's still in a decent mood when he locks his shop behind him and goes next door to find Fee. Though he's walked by the storefront several times since it's been reworked, he's never gone inside until today. ]

Edited (clarification) 2017-01-05 04:00 (UTC)

[the storefront is modest, and inside, that continues. unlike some shops, the general look of the place is a little more old fashioned, though the music playing is decidedly modern. framed pictures of different art and design are across the walls, from average symbols up to one person's design of a lizard man in a bomber jacket. a small reception area at the front, and the rest of the place being divided up into stations as well as a back area. each artist has their own station, their own way they've made it unique, and the overall impression is one of somewhere cozy, warmer.

there's a woman sitting at the desk, who looks up when Heine enters to greet him.]

Are you here for an appointment?

[ Heine hesitates, because they'd set a time, but it's not a formal appointment of any kind and he's not here to get a tattoo. ]

No, just here to see Fee.

Just go on back then. He's on the left.

[Fee's station isn't hard to find at all - though part of that is because he's there, checking on things to make sure everything's covered and where it needs to be. he looks more serious while he does it, muttering something about blue under his breath, but the sound of footsteps breaks him out of thought.

seeing Heine, he grins.]

You made it! Was it too difficult to find this place?

[a very bad joke, but one he can't resist. around his station are drawings of various subjects, enough to show someone what his style is. some of it is rather geometric, with straight lines and sharp angles, but he doesn't shy away from color, either.]

[ The shop really looks different in the new layout. Heine's taken aback by the changes, and he's still looking around when Fee greets him. ]

Uh, no. [ It was not hard to get here at all. Heine gives Fee a small, barely-there smile. ]

So. [ Heine walks further towards his station. ] What do you have to show me?

That depends on what you want to see.

[he says it deadpan before the smile comes back.]

Nah, I remember. You wanted to see some of the others.

[one is easy - the geometric one on his left ankle, which looks older than the feather had been. that just requires pulling up his pants.]

That's the second one I ever got - and you can tell, because that one's easy to keep under wraps.

[sometimes clients ask why he doesn't have any visible, but they're mostly satisfied once he explains why. and fortunately for them both, Fee's not body conscious, casually pulling off his shirt after Heine's seen the one on his ankle, revealing the different ones that live on his torso. standing in front of him, he's more or less giving Heine permission to look and examine to his heart's content.]

Yeah. [ Heine positions himself with his back against a wall as he waits for Fee to show him. The geometric design reminds him of the other drawings hung up around his station, but he's not close enough to see if the work is the same.

He looks at the ones on Fee's chest first. The sword is beautiful, straight and stark against his skin. The watercolors, on the other hand, curl and bloom—and Heine's reminded of carnations with their feathered petals, dyed every color under the sun. ]

Can I see your back? [ The style and look of these tattoos are new to him; he's fascinated. ]

[he's happy to show them off - it had never been a question to him that he'd want color, and the way that the watercolors blend and seem to be almost accidental had appealed to him from the start. freeform color, the opposite of the lines of geometry and that precision, it feels like they belong there.

at Heine's question, he nods and turns, revealing what takes up his back. the star chart has no names on it, only thin lines that connect the stars that make up constellations, varying careful dots for the stars in the expanse of dark. the sky is complicated, and around the border at precise points are the tiny letters to signify direction - N S E W.]

[ At first glance, all Heine can think is that there's so much ink. He hadn't noticed any texture change to his arm after the blackwork was done, but maybe Fee's are different..?

Heine doesn't reach out. Instead, he keeps his hands very much to himself, not even leaning closer as he looks over the star map from the distance he's standing at. ]

Cool. [ Not quite adequate, but he doesn't have the words for it. ] When did you get these?

Different times.

[there is a lot of ink, and for that he had been grateful Jakob decided to step in. a gift for his graduation, he'd said, though Fee knew how much the hours put into it were worth. he'd been dedicated, sure, but the gesture had put him in Jakob's debt for a long while - his work as an apprentice wasn't worth that much. might have just been the man's desire to not see him fuck up his entire back so young, too.]

The chart I got at the end of my apprenticeship, the one over my heart during the process, the sword was six months ago. They happen when it feels right, when I need them. Each one of them I can point to and know exactly why I need it, when that was decided.

[reaching over his shoulder, he touches the map briefly before he goes and picks up his shirt, not putting it on yet.]

The good thing about them being covered up is that they won't fade in the sun so quickly, at least.

[ "When I needs them." What does that feel like, to be so sure? ]

Yeah.

[ Heine looks at the tattoos for a few more seconds before looking away, to give Fee the implicit indication that he's done looking if he needs it. ]

Hey—if you still want a new arrangement, I'll be back downstairs in ten minutes.

[ His usual lunch plans involve going upstairs and making himself something easy and quick, or nothing at all. ]

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recants from my own tattoo post

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