The full weight of what we’re doing comes over me as I ink Alexander, drawing the machine carefully across his soft skin. He trembles on my bed but breathes steadily, riding out the pain of the needle.
The tattoo is just a small heart, but it stands for so much more. We’re starting a new chapter in our lives together, a new beginning. Alexander’s trust gives me the confidence I need, and my fears begin to melt away.
I can do this. I can succeed because I’ll have him, supporting me and loving me, just like I love him.
I wipe blood and ink off his arm. “How you doing?” I ask.
“Good,” he answers. “It feels kind of nice.”
I grin. “Those endorphins must be kicking in.”
The needle moves differently than my pen. It’s slower, more delicate in some ways, but rough in others, the machine vibrating as we work. As I complete the heart, though, I fall into the rhythm of it. The motion feels natural and easy, and my excitement builds as I watch the lines take clear and steady shape on Alexander’s skin.
“Done,” I whisper, then gently wipe his arm one last time.
Alexander looks at it. The delight on his face thrills me. “Rafael, it’s perfect,” he laughs.
I set the machine down on the nightstand. “Yeah, you like it? It’s nothing fancy. I’ll be able to give you something much more detailed eventually.”
Alexander stands and meets me in a kiss. “It’s perfect,” he repeats.
My heart soars. I know it’s silly to put so much weight in just a small, simple tattoo. Hell, I probably could have messed the whole thing up, and Alexander wouldn’t have minded. But it’s my first time tattooing another person, and my best friend and I are in love, and how did I get to be so lucky?
Just a few hours earlier, I thought I was a failure. But Alexander keeps kissing me and telling me how proud he is, and I make a promise to myself.
I’m not going to fail, not with the apprenticeship and not with this relationship, either. I’ve finally found my path in life, and I’m not going to lose it again.
I draw my hands down Alexander’s side. He shivers from the touch. We’re both half-hard, and all the focus I summoned to ink him fades. My lust comes back to its place.
“Now I want to do something for you,” Alexander tells me softly.
“Babe, you’ve already done so much.”
His smile widens. “We’re just getting started.”
Alexander kisses me again. Every time we’re together, he becomes a little more confident. At first, he waited for me to make every move, but his shy hesitancy fades, and now he presses his body to mine. Alexander grabs my side, sinking his fingers into my flesh, and gently strokes my stiff cock, trailing his fingers up my length and then pulling my foreskin back as he bites my lip.
“Fuck,” I groan, then push my tongue against his.
Alexander pulls me back down to the bed. His legs hook around mine, and we roll together. I almost surrender to the moment, crashing into him so completely I forget everything else. But when my eye catches the heart, inked in perfect symmetry, I stop and grab for the plastic wrap, waiting with the other supplies on the nightstand.
“Careful,” I say, taking his arm. “We don’t want to irritate it.”
Alexander laughs warmly. “We switched places.”
“What do you mean?”
“Now I’m the reckless one, and you’re acting fussy.”
I laugh as I press the plastic to his arm. “Reckless Alexander,” I tease him.
He strokes my cock. “Horny Alexander,” he jokes back.
We both laugh as we roll around, kissing. The idea of Alexander calling himself horny would have seemed absurd a month ago, but now we’re grinding our bodies together, sweaty and hard, and his whimpering moans are the hottest thing I can imagine. I love the way he grabs me, giving himself to me one minute and then wrestling back on top the next.
Somehow, I end up on my stomach. Alexander kisses from my shoulders down, running his tongue to the small of my back while his hands massage my cheeks. The sensation sparks through me, hot at my core. I groan and helplessly grind my cock against the sheets as he stays there, kissing my cheeks.
Oh fuck, I want Alexander inside me. I want it so bad it burns.
