Chapter Text
The rare calmness of the shop was shattered by the nearly ear-splitting crash of the shop’s front door being kicked open.
The chimes above the doorframe tinkled wildly, the thin metal rods clicking against each other.
A gust of wind rushed in, carrying the acrid scent of cigarette smoke, the awful byproduct of locating near an alleyway. Through the unforgiving luminous sunshine of the town’s heatwave was the shadowed resemblance of a person. They seemed to be tall, taller than Sae himself, and wore a tattered black leather jacket that billowed around them with neon pink garments that were as bright as the signs in Las Vegas’s Town Square.
Internally, Sae was calculating the next tattoo design he would have to ink for this new customer. The store usually tolerated walk-ins, but then again, Sae was too tired to check today’s schedule to see if he actually had any clients.
He looks up to see the new customer walking towards where he was seated at the main desk. Now Sae can get a better look at him. The man has gelled-up blonde hair, two strands dyed in that same neon pink colour, and eyes framed with this heavy under-eye eyeliner that he has never seen anyone wear, yet oddly suited his whole eccentric appearance.
This look already deviated from a regular Japanese citizen’s appearance, and Sae couldn’t help but think — was this person a foreigner? It’s a question that he can’t help but immediately consider since most of his clients aren’t native Japanese.
Sae’s eyes flickers to the customer’s face, and was mildly surprised that the person didn’t have a vast amount of piercings to finish off the look.
“Hey, dollface,” the new customer sang, and Sae couldn’t decide whether he wanted to grimace or roll his eyes at the outward flirtatiousness. “I’ve got’ta reservation for Ryusei at three-thirty.”
Hot pink irises meet Sae’s for a second, and Sae averts the gaze by subtly glancing down on the desk to open the bulky monitor. Never in Sae’s life had he seen someone wear coloured contacts so boldly and pull it off; this man was most likely one in a million. Unless this guy was a mega-freak, and the weird-coloured eyes were simply genetic.
Regardless, Sae was a little impressed by him after doing a customary analysis that he can’t help but do when meeting new people. The flirtatious personality was to be expected, but the only thing Sae really cared about was the design this person was going to pick out.
Now, Sae knows very well, without looking at the clock, that there were another four hours or so until 3:30. He was unsure if this man thought getting a tattoo was akin to going to the aeroport. Though Sae was free, bored too, and had not gotten much opportunity to tattoo people due to lack of engagement with the store (and that people have been solely booking with Aiku these days only because of his hot, chiselled physique, but Sae is too stubborn to admit that).
He searches for ‘Ryusei’ on the shop’s shared Google Calendar. As he did, a furrow creased his brow in confusion at the sole result that appeared.
Shido, Ryusei - appointment w/ Sendo
Tuesday, 8 March 2022 | 3:30PM - 7:00PM
Remind 10 minutes before
Notes:
- called in on feb 28 23
- kneecap
The calendar event looked a little odd. Just three months ago, Sendo had gotten kicked out of the parlour for the fifth time after having yet another breakup with Aiku. Poor guy; Aiku was the one who cheated, but also held a position of authority as the manager for all the employees here, so nobody couldn’t stop him.
But, strangely, the calendar event indicated that this tattoo appointment was supposed to occur exactly a year ago.
A fleeting possibility jumped into Sae’s mind — maybe this man was a year late for his tattoo appointment?
But he quickly dismissed it, not wanting to jump to conclusions. It was more likely a typo or a misclick; the man did arrive on the eighth of March. However, the fact it did say Sendo’s name on it was throwing him off a little bit.
So he really did come to the tattoo parlour a year later.
Now having an odd awareness of the man, Sae looks up. His eyes met the curious gaze of this Shido-person, who had been silently observing him with a cat-like curiosity, captivated by the clicking of the computer.
With an expression as bored as ever, Sae glanced up from his computer and fixed his gaze on Shido. “Did you know that you’re a year late to your appointment? It’s completely expired now. Right date, but wrong year.”
Unfazed by the accusation, Shido leaned casually against the counter, an odd expression curling at his lips.
He tilts his head to the side, idly tapping his fingers on the edge of the counter’s granite surface. “Oh, you’ve got it all wrong. Time is an illusion, you know? Besides, can’t you do me a lil’ favour and whip up something for me on the spot?”
Sae twists his expression at the response. His fingers hover over the keyboard as he contemplates how to steer the conversation from that. In the corner of his eye, he takes note of Shido’s every move, from how he absentmindedly adjusted his leather jacket to the casual tapping of his fingers. Only a weird-o like him can say something so alienated like ‘time is an illusion’ — who does this guy think he is?
“I can’t ‘whip you up something on the spot’. We take our appointments seriously here, and people book weeks in advance, plus I have other commitments.”
That statement held some truth, albeit incomplete. Although Sae had no immediate tasks aside from handling incoming shipments in approximately two hours, and even though he was the only tattoo artist working today, it didn’t mean that he would waste his scarce moments of tranquillity by hastily tattooing whatever Shido desired.
“Uh-huh,” Shido replies, having an upward inflextion at the end of the sound. Sae didn’t care if he thought he was lying.
“Do you recall making an appointment with us very recently?” Sae asks instead.
“Uhhh,” Shido hesitates, tilting his head upwards and looking hard at the stain on the ceiling. “Not really,” he announces after a good ten seconds of ‘uh’-ing. With a click of his tongue, he turns his head down to grin at Sae.
“Then I can’t help you.”
Shido shook his head, seemingly uninterested in the possibility. He continued to tap his fingers on the counter, each tap starting to grate on Sae’s nerves. “Come on, it’s not like you have anything better to do right now. Also I’ve got some time to kill.”
Indeed, it truly seemed like Shido had an abundance of time to spare, given the way he was already getting under his skin. Sae isn’t underpaid, but his paycheck didn't account for dealing with individuals like Shido. However, in the grand scheme, he had faced people far more aggressive and troublesome than him.
Something in Shido is ticking him off, and Sae mostly blames it on the odd weariness that has cocooned him this week. He’s unfortunately knee-deep in art block, which doesn’t help as he is forced to tattoo the same basic tattoo designs of infinity symbols, romance-novel quotes, and ugly neo-traditionals on customers.
While his temper remained in check, the annoyance levels were reaching new heights. He was adept at concealing it, but he could sense that his irritation was starting to verbally seep through. There was something about Shido that already irked him, yet a hint of intrigue in his conscience advised him against making hasty assumptions about this person.
Sae finally responds after maintaining a sense of composure. “Well, we do take walk-ins, but it depends on the size of the tattoo and where it is, with a few other details.”
Internally, Sae felt a sense of pride in that response. He had swiftly countered whatever Shido had thrown at him in a poised and professional manner. Go him.
“What if I wanted my tattoo big ‘n’ long?”
“Then we’ll have to figure out a different time to execute that,” he deadpans.
“Oh yeah,” Shido drawled, “that’s probably reasonable. I wanted it to be about four inches anyway. Too large, ya know?”
Sae blinked, taken aback by the casualness of Shido’s response; for a second, he thought the man would pull up a serious fight. Though four inches is not large, what is he on about?
“Four inches of design is usually not going to look good on the skin,” Sae explained, his idly fingers tracing an invisible design on the surface of the counter, “so we enlarge tattoo designs based on visibility and detail.”
But Shido remained resolute, his grin unyielding. “Nuh-uh, four inches is a perfect size for tattooing. Trust me, I know my sizes.”
Oh.
Sae raises his eyebrows imperceptibly…that’s the type of size he’s alluding to. With a quick glance at his watch, not even ten minutes in, the flirtation has taken an unholy turn. It seemed he would be spending quite some time with this one.
“Well…um…what do you want the design to be?” Sae slid his notepad over, ready to write down the specifics.
“A dragon. That design could fit clean right here.” Shido brings his left arm forward, using the side of his right hand to loosely mark four inches on his inner arm. “Ya put the head over here, right,” he gestures to a small spot on the middle of his arm, pointing out everything, “body here, use the extra space to make the tail over here.”
It was a rather common request — a dragon design, which won’t help with his art-block at all. However, Sae couldn't linger on the commonplace choice as he raised an eyebrow at Shido's sketchy hand gestures. He folded his arms, a skeptical expression crossing his face as he weighed the logistics of Shido's unconventional proposal. If he wanted to play that type of game, Sae was more than willing to oblige.
“You would need another three inches or so to make the tail actually look nice,” Sae observes, his eyes narrowing as he contemplates the design more. “But if you want to get some no-thought tattoo on your skin, be my guest.”
“Three extra inches, and you’ll be satisfied with the size you say?” Shido smoothly replies; he uses his pointer finger and middle finger as a makeshift measuring tape, spreading them apart until there’s a noticeable gap. “I’m sure we can work with that.”
Sae sucked in a sharp inhale, and for a split second, he was at a loss for words. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Sae replied, forcing his voice to return to its usual monotone. He shifted his attention back to the practical aspects of the tattoo design. “It’s my job to make sure that your tattoo is visually appealing and structurally sound on your skin.”
Shido traced a finger along the imaginary outline of the dragon’s tail across his inner arm, his touch light and teasing. “Sounds fancy,” he grins.
Sae couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the borderline innuendo. He glanced around the waiting room, half-expecting the walls to start blushing at the audacious exchange. “Let’s focus on the design itself,” he said, his voice basically portraying exasperation. “What style are you envisioning for this dragon?”
Shido thoughtfully shakes his head, feigning a pout. “Well, now I’m thinking about not getting a dragon. I know ten guys with dragon tattoos.”
“You’re indecisive,” Sae mutters.
“I am,” Shido admits. “How am I supposed to think of a tattoo design when the most attractive person in the world is right in front of me?”
“Just—” Sae begins, “—what happened to that original idea? You originally called in for a kneecap tattoo.”
“Oh yeah, that design!” Shido says a few notches higher, cheerfully remembering his original plan. Entirely unnecessarily, he swooped downwards to roll up his pant leg, revealing his bare left knee, just to highlight precisely where he wanted the tattoo. “I was thinking something this big,” with both of his arms, he makes a resemblance of a circle that is way out of proportion, “on my knee. Then you put the little squiggles on it, and make it very explosive and detailed.”
Sae glances down at his notepad, where he has simply written ‘kneecap.’ He sighs, almost in defeat. “That isn’t very descriptive.”
“Okay, okay, let me explain better,” Shido kicks his foot onto the counter (almost 5 centimetres away from Sae’s face), then pauses for a moment or so. “Give me a few seconds to think about it.”
“Okay,” Sae dully responded, a touch more irritation seeping into his tone than he intended, his gaze disdainfully fixed on Shido’s leg. He instinctively backed up a little.
Shido did not seem offended at all. “I did remember thinking about the design all the way here, down to the last detail, but then I was thinking about the amount of guys I would pull with the tattoo so I got very distracted. So, I forgot everything.”
“So you don’t know what design you will get,” he deadpans, rubbing his forehead.
“Well, right now I think that getting your number is more important.”
For a second, Sae thought he was talking to some psychotic ward escapee (which would not be surprising considering this line of work). He also realised yet again that he was very, very, very tired.
“You’re not getting my number.”
“What, w—”
“If you don’t know what your tattoo design is, you should leave and come back later, preferably Friday,” Sae deadpans. He also did not have work on Friday. He’d rather hand Shido off to someone else.
“But, this is important,” the man complains, finally standing properly. “I need a nice tattoo, and in order to get that, I need your number!”
“I’m telling you, I don’t give my number to clients at all. It’s not going to happen. You’ll have to trust yourself to remember what design you want.”
“I promise I won’t be a bother. I just want a way to contact you easily for tattoo stuff.”
“No.”
“Alright,” Shido easily replies, resigned. “Give me a few tattoo ideas for the kneecap, and I’ll see what I like.”
Finally, they were getting somewhere. Wordlessly, Sae opened one of the drawers near him, revealing a thick book filled with pictures and sketches of various tattoo designs. He uses a bookmark tab on one of the pages to flip through the kneecap section, pushing the open book towards the man.
Shido grabs it, immediately flipping through the book with wide eyes. “Are any of the tattoos here from you, like, you made 'em?”
“No,” Sae lies.
Sae observed as Shido fell silent, engrossed in flipping through the tattoo design book. His eyes moved with rapid precision over the pages, occasionally pausing at designs that captured his attention. The tip of his index finger glided across the pages, delicately tracing the lines of particularly intriguing designs.
It was an interesting sight, watching him go from loud to silent.
Meanwhile, Sae’s attention shifted to his computer screen, contemplating his upcoming schedule. In a few weeks, he had nine days off, initially planned for sunbathing and leisurely evening runs. However, those aspirations were likely to be derailed due to his decision to call in some people to repaint the upper floor of his house. He vividly remembered them specifying those very days for the job. For the first time in a while, the idea of time away from work filled Sae with a sense of dread — he hated the smell of paint. It made him nauseous.
After some time, Shido pointed to a bold design, asking, “What about this one?”
He looks at the design — it looked, surprisingly, relatively simple. It was a circular swirling pattern on the surface of the kneecap, having alternating black and white colours like a hypnosis spiral.
“Is that what you want specifically?” Sae asks, taking a closer look at the design.
He shakes his head. “Nah. I think I want something a little more different. Instead of the spiral I want a border around the whole surface of my kneecap, with the border being these cool, jagged spider-web things,” he flips to another page where someone was showing off an intricate spider-web tattoo on the side of their neck.
Sae nodded, gaining a clearer understanding of Shido’s vision. It was a distinctive design, a refreshing departure from the more conventional ones he typically encountered. He began jotting down notes and sketching loose shapes on the notepad he had used earlier. “So, a border spider web knee tattoo?”
“Uhhh, what will it look like?”
He flipped through the book before finding a picture that resembled Shido’s idea more than the other reference pictures. It was a simple picture of a knee tattoo, where there is a spiky border that encompasses the knee.
“Here.”
Shido snatches the book, his grin widening. There seems to be a physical spark that ripples through his body as his eyes devour the page. "That looks amazing! I’m getting excited just from looking at this!!" He exclaims.
“...Yeah,” he maintains a tight-lipped expression. “If that’s the design you like, we can schedule a time to conduct it.”
Shido groans. “Come on, that’s way too boring. Who is even in here besides us? Who are we waitin’ for?” He swiftly pivots around to face the vacant chairs, his voice echoing through the space as he hollers, “Hello?! Is there anyone waiting here besides me?!”
Sae closed his eyes for a brief moment, reopening them to let out the most resounding sigh of the week. This guy was still bothering him, even after he finally decided what he wanted.
After scanning the calendar, Sae finally spotted some available slots for the next day. “Well, that’s the situation. Want to do it another time? I can see if I am able to do the same timings.”
“Yeah, but there’s nobody here, so why not now?”
Sae rubs his temples, “As I mentioned earlier, tattooing is a careful process that requires preparation. Even though the shop seems empty now, I have things to do that are more important than talking to you. If you want flash tattoos, then there is probably some nearby or whatever.”
“Please,” Shido pleaded, his tone turning somewhat earnest, “the design is so cool, I just want it on me right now.”
“When I get paid overtime, sure.”
“Sure. Who’s your boss?”
Sae sighs again. “You’re not talking to my boss.”
“I’ll pay you extra from the original price,” Shido easily slid out his wallet from his back pocket.
“Just figure out a time,” Sae sighs, waving away Shido taking out bills from the wallet.
“With you? Tomorrow?” Shido responds quickly.
Sae raises his eyes at the enthusiasm. He was scheduled for a side-of-the-head tattoo and a hand tattoo tomorrow back-to-back, and knowing those, it will probably take over twelve hours of work.
He gestures to a small stack of magazines on top of the counter. “I’m booked tomorrow, but there are other tattooists available. You can look at their offerings and profiles there.”
Shido flips through the magazine that features the store’s tattooists, and from catching a glimpse of the distinctive teal-coloured page that the man was looking at, Sae knows that Shido is not going to leave him alone anytime soon.
Sae twirls a pen with his fingers. “If you really want to have an appointment tomorrow, I could schedule you with Kaiser. He’s on page four.”
The man ignores him completely, eyes widening and turning the magazine around towards Sae. “Who’s this?”
A pause hangs in the air as Sae shifts his focus to the magazine, taking a moment to decipher Shido’s curiosity. The pages unfolded before him was Bachira’s biography, the paper crisp and bathed in a bold yellow hue. Shido points towards a picture in the corner, prompting Sae to squint his eyes. Sae recognised the photo as Bachira giving his brother Rin a hand tattoo.
“He kind’a looks like you,” Shido comments offhandedly. Sae immediately notices something off in his tone. It got a little quieter, filled with curiosity, almost stripped of the loudness that it carries.
His and Rin’s appearances were similar. They had an obvious genetic resemblance shown in their teal eyes, long under eyelashes, and dark, almost iridescent black hair. Under the right amount of light, both of the brothers have been told that their hair almost takes on a dark green hue.
Yet, Sae recognises a stark disparity, not just in appearance but in character between them. While they may be bound by blood, Rin lacks the refinement that defines Sae — an absence of manners, taste, and skill that, in Sae’s perception, tarnishes the Itoshi name with every unrefined gesture and thoughtless action.
“Yeah,” Sae decides to respond with. Short and curt.
“What’s his name?”
“Rin.”
“Does he also do tattoos?”
“No.”
Shido looks at the magazine again, his gaze lingering on the particular page before closing it. “Right. Could you do next Thursday for me? Same time. With you only.”
Sae nods, already beginning to type out the new session details. “Shido Ryusei, Thursday, June fifteen, same time? I’ll also need your email so we can discuss the final design.”
“Yeah,” Shido said, rummaging in his pocket and retrieving a worn-down flip phone. He flips it open, revealing the cracked screen and chipped paint on the back, “probably somewhere in here; give me a sec,” he fumbles with the buttons on the device.
“...A flip phone?” Sae could not help but comment. He knows they’re quite common in Japan but not in metropolitan areas like Tokyo.
Shido shugs. “The phone that I stole got stolen from me, so I stole this from a random vagrant...uh, oh yeah, my information isn’t on here. Oh, wait, I remember — something like Shido-underscore-r-at-email-dot-jp.”
Sae pulls up a new calendar event on the computer, not even bothering to process whatever Shido said before that.
Shido, Ryuusei Appointment w/ Sae
Thursday, 17 March 2023 | 3:30PM - 7:00PM
Remind 10 minutes before
Notes:
- Discussed at the store on Tuesday, March 8 2023
- Left kneecap, spider design (p.71 in tat ref book)
- Client’s email: [email protected]
Shido waves the magazine in his hand. “Could I take this?”
Sae hesitated for a moment. The magazines weren’t something that the studio printed regularly, and they were often used as a reference for clients looking for a tattoo artist that fits their needs. However, he was tired and ready to end all of this, so he relented just to make the man be quiet.
“...Sure. I guess.”
Shido clicks his tongue, grinning slyly at Sae. “I’ll see you on Thursday…wait, I just realised — what’s your name?”
“Sae,” came his curt reply.
“Saaae,” Shido repeated, drawing out the ‘ai’ pronunciation. “Pretty name; suits you.”
“I know.”
Sae simply nods, not bothering to acknowledge the compliment. He watched as Shido made his way towards the door, relief washing over him as the encounter seemed to be drawing to a close.
With a final wave and a cheerful “Can’t wait to see you! Bye!” Shido exited the studio, leaving Sae alone in the now-quiet shop.