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The sounds of tires screeching against the pavement and the deafening siren of the firetruck whirring by them as they walked the downtown streets of Indianapolis were intense, but not loud enough to drown out the thoughts tumbling around in Steve’s head. He still couldn’t believe he let Robin talk him into this but she must have got him in a moment of weakness, that was the only thing it could have been. If he had been of sound mind then there was no way that he would have agreed to get matching tattoos of all things with her.
“It’s happening. We’re really here and it’s happening,” Steve mumbled more to himself than to Robin who was leading them down the pavement with a pep in her step.
Downtown was busy, it was monumentally different than Hawkins with the smell of diesel fuel and open sewer grates welcoming them instead of fresh fallen leaves. It was nice though. Steve enjoyed going into the city every now and again, it reminded him that there was more out there in life than the shithole where he grew up.
Indianapolis was bustling that Friday afternoon. Flocks of business people and their stiff shoulder pads bumped against them as they hurried to beat the traffic back home. The buildings that were tightly packed against one another blended together as they walked past. It was a mix of rundown corner stores and freshly repainted apartments. The old and the new lived in harmony.
Robin’s hand pulled at the elbow of a begrudging Steve as he dragged himself next to her.
“Can you stop moping? This is supposed to be fun.”
“Oh, I can think of lots of other things we could do that’s way more fun. Like bull riding. Skydiving. Grand theft auto of the third degree.”
Robin tilted her head towards him with her infamous side eye.
“Don’t worry. This guy is legit and this will solidify our friendship. If I wanted to willingly be branded with something forever that was connected to you bozo then you know I’ve put a lot of thought into it. It’s serious.”
Steve pursed his lips but he knew he could trust Robin. If he was ever going to get a tattoo then she would be the one person he would do it with.
“When I talked to him on the phone he sounded really cool,” she continued. “He actually went to Hawkins high the same time we did.”
“Great. We’re trusting one of Hawkins’ finest with a tattoo. Maybe he can pierce my tongue with a rusty nail while we’re at it.”
Robin scoffed at him before throwing his arm down to stuff her hands back into her jacket pockets.
“Can you at least tell me already what we’re getting done?” Steve sounded exasperated like a child who was dragged to the grocery store by his mother.
Robin answered back with a sing-song tone, “It’s a surprise.”
“You know I hate surprises,” Steve grumbled. “I can’t believe you talked me into this.”
“I barely had to beg before you caved, you’re excited too. Admit it.”
“I had a momentary lapse in judgment, but now that I have a stomach full of roadside burgers my brain is thinking much more clearly.”
Steve held a hand against his stomach as he felt it gurgle at that moment. Robin had them stop before they reached the city to grab a bite to eat. In hindsight he shouldn’t have gotten chili fries and a double cheeseburger from a random stand off the freeway.
“Strange, I didn’t think you had a brain,” Robin replied.
“I must not if I keep going along with your schemes.”
“It’s not a scheme this time,” she corrected him. “It’s a permanent testament to our deep, yet platonic love for each other.”
It was Steve’s turn to scoff, “Couldn’t we just get friendship bracelets or something?”
Robin shook her head, “Absolutely not. Besides, a friendship bracelet won’t piss off my mom. I’m so stoked to see the look on her face when she sees it.”
They rounded the corner onto a slightly less sketchy looking street. At least there was less trash lining the road and the smell of pee was definitely getting fainter.
“We’re almost there,” Robin pointed out. “Just two more blocks.”
Steve pushed a hand through his hair in a nervous habit as they drew closer.
“I’m not sure if I trust this guy. You said he’s from Hawkins? How do we know he’s not some freak?”
“Because,” Robin nudged Steve’s side with her hand still nestled inside her pocket. “My friend’s cousin’s neighbor gave him high accolades when he got work done by him.”
“And why the hell would I believe your friend’s dog’s sister’s aunt or whatever?”
“Come on. He was really nice on the phone, I highly doubt he’s some maniac. Maybe we’ll recognize him. Do you think it would be rude if I asked for some sort of discount? You know, the same alma mater and all that?”
Steve just shook his head yes.
“Okay, but if I get even one shady vibe from him we are booking it out of there.”
“Fine dad. I promise you won’t get any sort of disease.”
“You know I read in the paper one time of someone reusing an old needle on this kid and he got some sort of blood infection that spread to his brain and boom,” Steve snapped his fingers. “He died three days later.”
Robin stared at him before turning her attention back ahead.
“What newspaper exactly did you read this in?
Steve stammered, “Uh, well it wasn’t like a completely credited, scientific source. It might have been a tabloid I skimmed through at the grocery store, but the principal still stands.”
“If you’re trying to get me out of this by showing me what a complete bonehead you are then it’s sort’ve working.”
Robin suddenly lit up as she pointed out the tattoo parlor coming up. They stopped in front, the large glass window welcoming them with a bright neon sign reading “The Tat Bat." The black and navy awning above gave some shade to the crowd of houseplants that littered the display. Bits and bobbles of gothic design were dotted around along with some crystals sitting on intricately carved wooden trays.
“Great, I’m gonna get jabbed by some hippie aren’t I?”
Steve failed to hold back his judgments as he opened the door for Robin, the bell above chiming.
Robin shushed him as she entered with Steve following close behind.
The inside was similar to what he pictured. The walls were lined with flash designs from the various artists. Black leather seats and tables were scattered around the room. It wasn’t grimy like how he may have imagined it, the place was actually spotless. It was eccentric for sure but nothing that would make him immediately run for the hills.
Robin was absolutely buzzing as she practically skipped towards the front desk. The receptionist was carding through a pile of cassettes for the boombox that sat next to her, the rock music that was already playing was loud enough to be heard all around the studio.
“Hi,” Robin greeted her.
The receptionist paused and looked up at them, her pierced lips pulling up into a wide smile. Her arms were covered in nautical themed tattoos, the ink dark against her freckled skin.
“Welcome in, hun,” she replied, her tone matching Robin’s chipper attitude. “What brings you in?”
“We’re here for Eddie. He told us to come in at four?”
The receptionist glanced down at the notebook in front of her with a list of clients. She trailed the tip of her long, blood red fingernails down the paper before stopping at their names.
“Yup, got you two down right here. So you’re all set? He told you on the phone that it’s cash only and he charges fifty an hour, right?”
Steve leaned over to whisper to Robin, “So he can rip us off without a trace?”
Robin elbowed him in the stomach before replying to the woman without a hitch.
“He sure did. We ate a big meal and no alcohol in our systems, so the chances of us passing out on him should be slim to none.”
The receptionist laughed a little at her before pulling out the paperwork for them to sign. Steve felt like he was signing a death certificate.
She proceeded to lead them over to this Eddie guy’s station towards the back wall. They passed by other clients who were getting worked on by the other resident artists. A woman was laying on one of the tables, chatting casually as a burly man with a spider tattooed across his face was lining a large lighthouse on her back. On the opposite side looked to be a college age boy getting a portrait of a lion done on his chest. The way his knuckles were currently gripping at the edge of his chair did not make Steve feel any better.
The receptionist brought a hand up to cup around her mouth, “Look alive, Eds. Your four o’clocks are here.”
She gave them a parting smile before retreating back to her desk.
Steve politely thanked her with a wave before turning towards the man who was going to be stabbing him with a needle over and over again.
“I’m awake, you don’t need to scream.”
The man called back without looking up from the notebook he was currently scribbling in on his lap. His crossed legs were covered in a seemingly random assortment of tattoos, some more faded than others. Steve was surprised to notice them under the calf length, pleated black skirt he was wearing, but fair enough to him because it matched the Iron Maiden t-shirt that was tucked into it well.
His combat boots clunked against the linoleum floor as he sat up to look at them.
Steve blinked as their eyes met and shit, he has definitely seen those eyes before.
He suddenly felt too hot under the collar as his body froze.
Eddie looked him up and down, a look of realization also flashing across his face that would have gone unnoticed if Steve’s own eyes weren’t glued to him at the moment.
His look of slight surprise was soon overtaken by a sly smile that slowly spread across his cheeks.
“My fellow Hawkins crew. Good to meet you two officially.”
Robin wore a matching smile as she stuck her hand out for a shake to which Eddie obliged, the black nail polish and metal rings that donned his fingers were the only things that were able to draw Steve’s attention away from his face.
“Eddie,” A lightbulb went off inside Robin’s head. “I totally remember you. Didn’t we have an English Lit class together?”
He lifted a shoulder up in a shrug.
“If we did, I was hardly ever there.”
He pulled himself up and threw the notebook back onto the chair, a sketch of a skeleton sat in the middle of the page. The lines were scratchy and smudged, the art looking like it would feel right at home on some heavy metal album cover.
Steve swallowed as Eddie turned to look at him, his feet awkwardly shifting under him as he tried to remain cool, or at least as cool as he could seem.
Eddie’s smile grew larger as his teeth flashed at him.
“Steeeve Harrington.”
The way his name stretched out on his tongue made a shiver roll down Steve’s spine. The sound didn’t hold any malice but it still gave him a funny feeling that he couldn’t quite pinpoint.
“I remember Mr. Popular here,” he wagged a finger at him. “No bad blood though, I promise. I’m just glad to be out of that hellhole.”
“Wish we could say the same,” Robin nodded.
Steve still hasn’t uttered a word. He wasn’t sure if he could.
Eddie must have noticed as he ribbed him, “Cat got your tongue there, huh?”
Steve cleared his throat as he coughed into his fist.
“No, no. Just, uh, nervous is all.”
Eddie was quick to reassure him.
“If it’s the pain you’re worried about then you got nothing to fear. Feels like little kitten scratches. And I’m assuming we’re not getting any monster pieces on your face or anything like that?”
Robin perked up as she fumbled for something inside her pocket, “Oh, actually I have a drawing of what we wanted. Doodled it myself.”
She pulled out a folded up loose piece of notebook paper before opening it to reveal the design. Eddie grinned while Steve’s mouth dropped against the floor.
“An ice cream scooper?” he all but shouted.
“Yup,” Robin rolled her fingertips against the paper. “On both of us please.”
“You want me to have an ice cream scooper permanently seared onto my body?”
Robin raised an eyebrow at him like he was being unreasonable.
“It makes sense with our history. It was the best idea I came up with.”
“Well maybe you should have gone through a few more rounds before landing on this one.”
“Aw, lover’s quarrel?” Eddie teased from where he was watching them with an amused expression.
Robin and Steve answered at the same time, him with an indignant ‘no’ and her with a grossed out ‘ew.’
Eddie bent over slightly in a chuckle, “I’m just messing with you two.”
Robin stuck out her tongue as she made a blegh noise.
“Good because never in my life would I let that happen. He’s not exactly my type.”
“You really have to remind everyone of that,” Steve groaned as he crossed his arms defensively.
Eddie reached over to pluck the paper out of Robin’s hands. He nodded to himself as he looked over it.
“Oh yeah, I can totally do this. You wouldn’t mind if I did it in my style?”
Robin beamed, “Add whatever you like.”
“Within reason,” Steve jutted in.
Eddie slapped a playful hand onto Steve’s bicep, lingering for a moment before pulling it back.
“Don’t you worry, big boy. You’re in good hands.”
Steve felt the heat rise up from his chest and crawl up his neck.
Eddie turned away and told them to make themselves at home as he was just going to be gone for a minute. He left them to retreat to his desk in the corner of the shop to whip up the design stencil.
Steve watched him out of the corner of his eye before he was interrupted by a firm backhanded slap to his chest. He jumped as he turned back towards Robin.
“Why do you have to be so uncool? It’s embarrassing.”
Steve rolled his eyes as he chewed on the inside of his lip.
“My bad for ‘harshing your mellow,’” he put his hands up into half assed quotation marks. “I’m just making sure our new pal here doesn’t mutilate us.”
“Eddie is good. He’s been doing this for almost three years now. Can you chill for one second of your life?”
Steve answered a bit quicker than he would have liked.
“I am a goddamn ice cube right now.”
He was not.
Robin pouted, “Alright, dork. You can just get it covered up down the road. Just remember that I will never forgive you though and you are gonna feel real sorry for yourself when one day you’re on your deathbed and need a kidney transplant and I’m living it up somewhere without you with both of my perfectly healthy kidneys intact.”
Steve sighed. He could tell he was pinching a nerve with her. She was right, this was supposed to be fun. All he had been doing all day was killing the mood.
“Okay, it’s fine,” he lowered his defenses. “This is kind of exciting. It’s like sticking a big middle finger to society. Although I don’t know how badass an ice cream scooper is.”
“It’ll be cute,” Robin’s face already brightened up.
“Oh joy, what’s next? You’re gonna paint my nails?”
“No way, not since last time you let me and you kept making gagging sounds saying the fumes were gonna make you heave.”
Eddie stepped back into the room and interrupted them once more but this time with the final design.
He curled his eyebrows up, “So what do you guys think? Don’t be afraid to make any adjustments, just know that any sort of criticism small or big will make me burst into tears.”
Steve could already tell it was made with Eddie’s signature sketchy style. The black lines seemed to jump right out of the page in an organized chaos.
Robin couldn’t help but snatch the paper down in her excitement, but Eddie didn’t seem to mind.
“Holy shit this is amazing.”
Steve had to admit that it looked pretty goddamn cool.
“Yeah I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tattoo like this. It’s sick.”
Eddie raised a hand up to his heart, “My ego is saved yet again. So the size is good? What about placement? Where do you want this sucker?”
“I’m thinking arm?” Robin suggested.
“No way,” Steve jeered. “That’s prime real estate out in the open, I can’t hide that.”
“What happened to sticking a big eff you to society?”
“How about you just pick a different spot?”
“Just do it on your upper arm,” Robin reasoned with him as she pointed to the space above her own elbow. “It’s out of the way and you can easily hide it. Win-win.”
Steve let out a breath before agreeing, “Fine, I’m on board. But if you get any ink on my new sweater you’re paying for dry cleaning.”
He directed that last threat towards Eddie.
“Cashmere be damned if I get a tiny stain on it. But easy fix, the sweater’s coming off then.”
He took the paper back saying he was going to print out another stencil.
“So which of you cuties is going first?” he asked, pointing between the two of them.
Steve didn’t have time to react to the nickname before Robin spoke up beside him.
“Stevieboy here can go first,” she grinned as she shook his shoulders.
Steve stepped away from her hands, “What about ladies first?”
“How archaic of you. Besides I’ve been waiting weeks to see you get inked and I’m not waiting a second longer.”
“Fine,” Steve grumbled.
As Eddie prepared his work station, Robin became intrigued by his bench of memorabilia that sat near his work area. The centerpiece of a framed photo of Ozzy Osborne surrounded by half melted candles definitely brought it to the level of a shrine. Her fingers poked and prodded at the decorative skull statues and embroidered patches dedicated to bands like Mötley Crüe and Judas Priest. Some meticulously painted figures of orcs and tieflings stood proud with shields held tight against their chests and swords raised above their heads. The only reason Steve even recognized them was from all the Dungeons and Dragons meetings he had no choice but to sit through because of Dustin.
“Why do you have this in your little shrine thing?” Robin asked as she traced a fingertip against a piece of paper stained by time with songs scribbled along it in ink.
“That’s the setlist I snagged from my first concert back in ‘81. Iron Maiden. Had to duke it out with a guy twice my size for it and gave him a bloody nose, but that’s what he gets for picking a fight with a fourteen year old.”
Robin commended him for that before she moved on and seemingly got distracted by the designs set up at the work area next to them. She ended up striking a conversation with that tattoo artist and the sounds of their excited chatter told Steve that she was going to miss his finest moment that she waited weeks for.
Eddie set his tattoo gun and ink pots in place on his tray. The final stencil fluttered in his hand as he came over to Steve.
“Time to strip, Harrington.”
Steve fumbled with the sleeves of his sweater as he tried to see if he could just roll it up but sighed when he couldn’t manage to push the thick material high enough. His lips drew into a hard line as he gripped the bottom of the sweater and shucked it fully off his body. Luckily today he decided to wear a tank top underneath but he felt the thin material ride up to expose his stomach. He hurried to smooth it down and as his eyes flicked back up to Eddie he caught the tail end of a sneaky glance before he turned his head away.
Steve was probably just imagining it. He was actually glad to have taken his sweater off because he felt like he was sweating buckets and it wasn’t from the heat.
Eddie didn’t miss a beat as he redirected his attention back towards him.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” he said as he plucked a disposable razor off the table.
As Eddie stood behind him with one hand gently holding Steve’s arm up while the other worked the blade in quick bursts, it felt oddly intimate. Though that was probably not the word Steve should be using, he was already cursing at himself mentally for even thinking that. Way to already make this whole experience creepy.
“So, first tattoo?” Eddie sounded closer to him than he expected.
“Is it that obvious?” Steve humored him.
“It doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out. You got virgin written all over you.”
Steve faltered at the accusation.
“Wh-What? I’m not-”
“Dude, I mean tattoo virgin,” Eddie deadpanned, interrupting him before he could make a bigger fool of himself. “But I wouldn’t expect less from the prom king.”
Steve’s head lowered in embarrassment as he tried to fixate all of his attention towards the floor.
Eddie must have sensed this as he was back with another one of his playful jabs.
“Jeez, it’s like a forest, Harrington.”
Steve straightened up as he let out a chuckle.
“Don’t blame me, blame the genetics. You’re lucky it’s not my chest or you’d be needing a weed whacker.”
He felt Eddie run the razor over him one last time before giving his skin a small finishing slap with his gloved hand.
“How unfortunate for me to miss the sight of those pecs. But this is fun too. Tell me, does the carpet match the drapes though?”
“Dude!” Steve quickly spun around to be met with a laughing Eddie.
“I see we’re not at that level yet,” he held his hands up in defense. “But now this means we can get to the good part.”
Steve didn’t know if he should be annoyed by Eddie’s brand of charm or even more annoyed at himself for finding it unusually endearing. Definitely the second one.
Eddie picked up the stencil then held it out for Steve to take.
“You wanna pick where to place it or shall I do the honors?”
Steve hesitated as he looked at the floor length mirror opposite him.
“Um, I think you have way more experience in this so I’ll give you the pleasure of slapping it on me. I’d probably make it all crooked anyways.”
Eddie tilted his head in a nod before moving behind Steve and taking his right bicep in his hand. His touch was careful as he hummed to himself in thought before lining up the stencil. Steve could feel his warm breath ghost against his skin from where he was leaning in, making the hairs on his neck stand on end. He was so glad Eddie couldn’t see what color his face was turning right now.
“Good?” Eddie’s voice cut through the fog that was quickly filling the space in Steve’s head.
“Huh?”
“The placement,” Eddie sidestepped next to him as he held onto his arm to turn his back towards the mirror.
Steve let out a quick breath as he peered over his shoulder.
“Good, yeah, super good.”
After wiping him down with disinfectant and dousing the stencil with water to transfer it, Eddie slowly peeled off the paper leaving a bright purple outline of the ice cream scooper in its wake. After getting the all good signal, Steve looked back into the mirror, twisting his arm in all directions to get a thorough look.
“Wow. No turning back now.”
Eddie joined him in the mirror and gave him a hearty clap on the shoulder, “A dream come true, huh?”
“We’ll see,” Steve bit back but with a small smile gracing his face.
“Don’t worry,” Eddie gave his shoulder another squeeze. “I’ll take good care of you. Now lay that ass down and let me get to work.”
Steve laid stomach down onto the table and tried to get comfortable. It felt like going to the doctor’s office for a check up. He heard the wheels of Eddie’s stool squeak under his weight as he scooted closer. He maneuvered Steve’s arm to lay flat against his side so he had a good angle to work. Steve rested his chin against his free arm but glanced back towards Eddie as he heard the high buzzing of the needle being turned on.
“Don’t let it scare you, I promise it sounds way worse than it feels,” Eddie assured him.
“I’d say my pain tolerance is pretty high,” Steve mumbled into his arm. “Trust me, I have gone through worse.”
Steve was surprised he even managed to still have an eye after all the times he had been socked in the face over the years. The fact that he still had any nerve endings at all was a good sign this was going to be a cake walk.
“Alright tough guy, but if you need a hand to hold I’ll unfortunately be too busy with mine.”
Steve rolled his eyes, “Ha ha.”
He felt his body go rigid but tried to at least let his arm currently in Eddie’s grip go limp. With the sound of Blondie faintly playing through the boombox and the feeling of Eddie’s surprisingly gentle fingers on his arm, Steve felt like he could fall asleep like this.
He was so relaxed that he didn’t even feel it when Eddie brought the needle to his skin for the first stroke.
“What?” A groggy Steve asked when he thought he heard something.
“I asked if that felt alright, but I think I got my answer,” Eddie sounded pleased.
“Oh yeah, this is nothing.”
Eddie pulled at his skin, keeping it taut as he continued to work. Steve snuck a glance behind him and could see Eddie deep in concentration, the tip of his tongue poking out past his lips. It was kind of cute.
Eddie pulled back to wipe off the extra ink with a paper towel and leaned back to examine his handy work.
“Never in a million years would I think that the most popular dude of my old high school would walk in here and get a tattoo by me.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Should I be offended that you don’t remember me?” Eddie asked.
Steve laid his cheek against his arm as he looked at him, Eddie’s eyes soft as he gave him an amused smile before getting back to inking.
“I feel like I should remember someone as weird as you.”
Eddie let out a snort, “Flattery gets you everywhere with me, my friend. Maybe it’s a good thing we never saw each other much, could see us getting into a fight or two.”
“I would’ve kicked your ass,” Steve replied with the confidence of someone who has definitely won more than about two total fights in his lifetime.
“I’d like to see you try. Everyone thought I was the scariest kid around.”
Steve leaned into his arm as he hid the grin that was forming.
“A little rough exterior for sure but you don’t seem that scary now.”
“Funny enough, I’d say the same for you.”
The song on the boombox switched to Don’t Fear the Reaper and Steve watched as Eddie bopped his head along to the beat. He sang the lyrics under his breath, his voice gravelly but warm as it hit every note. Steve was transfixed as he made no effort to tear his eyes away, Eddie unaware of his staring as his attention was all on the tattoo.
“You got some nice pipes on you,” Steve commented.
“Oh, if I had a nickel,” Eddie graciously accepted the compliment. “I guess being in a band since the sixth grade helps you to at least stay in tune.”
“You’re in a band?” Steve raised an eyebrow.
“Uh huh,” Eddie finished up a nice, long line, the needle burning Steve’s skin a bit more as it moved towards his inner arm. “I’m not the lead singer though, shredding on the guitar is my main thing. We’re pretty decent according to the handful of drunks who watch us every other Tuesday night at the bar down the street. Not the worst crowd I’ve performed for, that would probably be the eighth grade talent show where someone pelted me with their notebook.”
Steve was silent as he thought for a second and it clicked. He remembered that talent show, he helped put it together. Although help was a very strong word for what he did. He slacked off like he did on all the committees he was on and let the other members do most of the work. Honestly he remembered how Nancy ran that committee like a tight ship while he kicked his feet up on the desk and flicked his pencil at the ceiling trying to get it to stick.
“Holy shit. Corroded Coffin?”
Eddie was taken aback and looked at him with shock, “What the hell, you remember our name?”
“Of course, man. With a name like that how could I forget? You guys were pretty good actually.”
“You should see us now, I’d say I play astronomically better than when I was a little tyke in middle school.”
“Didn’t you guys play a cover of, what’s the song called,” Steve snapped his fingers, the title right on the tip of his tongue. “It was by AC/DC I think.”
“Were you just pulling my leg when you said you didn’t remember me because you are suspiciously recounting a lot of details.”
Steve laughed at the allegation.
“You were just way more entertaining than all the other garbage that performed that year.”
More and more details seemed to be flooding Steve’s brain. He swore he could see the image of a scrawny kid with dark hair just past his ears with spiked, leather cuffs on his arms walking past him in the school hallway. He frowned at the idea that Eddie was someone that his asshole friends like Tommy H. probably had pushed into a locker or two.
“I’d love to see you guys play now,” Steve admitted.
“You’re more than welcome to come down one night. I’ll raise you one better, I’ll even buy you a drink for the trouble. Robin is of course free to tag along, that chick is hilarious.”
“We’ll take you up on that offer for sure,” Steve thought for a moment. “I don’t think I have any mosh pit appropriate clothes though.”
Eddie leaned back to dip the needle into the ink pot, "I’m sure you’ll fit right in with your Sunday best.”
“Would we also get vip access to meet the band backstage?”
Eddie grinned at Steve’s teasing.
“For you? Anything. I’ll even sign your tits like a real rockstar.”
A loud laugh rumbled out of Steve’s throat before he could realize, his face scrunching up as he imagined a hyped up Eddie scribbling his name against his chest after coming off the stage.
“I’m sure that signature will be worth millions one day,” Steve managed to say after he calmed down.
Eddie wore a small smile, the shallow dimple in his cheek making an appearance.
“I’ll try not to forget about all the little people. I’ll thank you specifically in my Grammy speech.”
Steve was so caught up in talking with Eddie that he didn’t even notice how much time had passed and before he knew it with one last swipe of the paper towel against his skin the tattoo was finished. With a voila, Eddie rolled back on his stool with his ink stained gloved hands raised up and told Steve to check out his masterpiece in all of its glory.
As Steve stood up from the table and stretched his body loose after laying in the same pose for an hour, Robin finally broke away from her new friend long enough to rejoin him by his side.
Her eyes widened as she admired the tattoo, her mouth dropping open.
“That’s one badass ice cream scooper if I’ve ever seen one.”
Steve smirked as he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her towards the table, “Now it’s your turn.”
The excitement melted away as she allowed him to manhandle her.
“It might be too late to warn you, but I have to say I have the same level of tolerance to pain as a newborn baby so if I end up screaming just ignore it.”
Eddie pulled on a new pair of gloves and was cleaning up the table when he looked up at her wide eyes.
“Don’t worry, I won’t slap you around too much, my dear.”
Robin ended up deciding on the placement to be the same spot above the back of her elbow except it would be on her left arm so it was opposite Steve’s. As they were going through the motions, Robin and Eddie dove headfirst into a conversation, sounding like a couple of old friends catching up instead of complete strangers. Steve sat on the sidelines, only having to give Robin’s hand a reassuring squeeze once during the first few strokes of the needle. Steve laughed as her blunt, chewed up fingernails dug into his palm as she gritted her teeth. She ended up dropping his hand with an ‘oh, this isn’t that bad.’”
Eddie distracted her by telling horror stories about other clients, like the time someone ran out on him without paying and he ended up chasing him for five blocks before he caught him. Or this other client who kept fighting with her boyfriend and she ended up getting up and walking out mid session with half of it done. At least she had the common courtesy to throw a twenty at Eddie’s face before they stormed off.
“I remember one dude I worked on a couple of months ago, the sweetest guy but was dumb as a rock because he told me I was doing a good job and to not erase anything, you know, when I was stabbing him with the ink already,” Eddie retold in utter disbelief as Robin covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from shaking too much with laughter.
They ended up on the topic of Eddie’s own tattoos and were curious about their backstories. Many of them were honestly stupid as Eddie described, but a few had some meaning to him, including an anchor on his ribs that he got for his uncle.
“This one,” Eddie pulled back to point at the bats that found their home on his forearm. “I got it when I was about sixteen and my neighbor did it for thirty bucks in the yard behind his trailer.”
“That doesn’t sound sanitary,” Robin’s eyebrows furrowed.
“Believe me, it wasn’t. I’m shocked that I haven’t died from an infection.”
“What’s one of your favorite tattoos you’ve gotten?” she asked.
Eddie tilted his head as he thought for a moment before he leaned back and pulled the end of his long skirt up past his thigh. The tips of Steve’s ears felt hot as his eyes followed up his lean legs to where Eddie pointed at a palm sized tattoo right above his knee of what seemed to be… a frog?
“Is that a frog with a twenty sided die on its head?” Robin could barely get the sentence out without being interrupted by her giggling.
“Yup.” Eddie looked proud.
The bright ruby red eyes of the frog stared back at Steve, “Why a frog?”
“I was high as hell and said fuck it.”
Steve’s lips tightened into a fine line, “That explains so much.”
Steve felt so much comfort in their camaraderie, he was surprised at how easy this all was. The more wild things he learned about Eddie the more he felt himself being dragged in. He wanted to know more.
Every now and again Eddie would glance up at Steve, his deep, brown eyes boring right through him as he would flash an amused smile before dipping his head back down so as not to linger. In those moments everything seemed to fade around them, no bass pumping from the boombox, no biting smell of alcohol on skin, no one else in the room worthy of Steve’s attention but him.
Before he had time to dwell on these newfound emotions, Eddie finished off the last few details and the tattoo was done. The sound that exploded out of Robin’s mouth as soon as she looked at it in the mirror pierced right through Steve’s eardrums. She gave Eddie a playful push at his shoulder as she exclaimed how in love with it she was.
“Hold on a second,” Eddie said as he pulled off his gloves and made his way back towards his desk.
He returned with a well loved Polaroid camera in his hands as he checked to make sure it had film inside.
“For posterity,” he brought the viewfinder up to his eye. “Now let’s see those bad boys together.”
Steve and Robin stood side by side with their backs towards him, their arms lined up and matching grins on their faces as they looked back over their shoulders at the camera. With a click and a flash, the photo spilled out of the front slot to which Eddie grabbed and shook between his fingers. Once it developed, he held it out for Steve to take.
“So you guys always remember your first tattoo from your new favorite artist.”
Steve looked down at the photo in his hands, the fondness of seeing this milestone between him and his best friend solidified made his chest bloom.
“Don’t be so presumptuous,” Steve taunted.
“Ouch,” Eddie hit his fist against his chest. “Does that mean I shouldn’t expect a repeat customer?”
“You’ll see me again, don’t worry.”
Robin lifted an eyebrow at that but she seemed to promptly let it go. Hopefully she won’t prod at him later.
After all was said and done, Eddie wrapped up their arms and gave them proper aftercare instructions. He did end up offering them a discount from how much he liked them, but Steve and Robin insisted on a pretty hefty tip instead.
The three of them stood near the front of the shop to give their last goodbyes. Robin wrapped her arms around Eddie’s neck as she held him tight with Eddie patting her back in return.
“Thank you again for this. I kept telling Steve you were good but he wouldn’t believe me.”
“Well now he knows I’m good with my hands,” Eddie threw him a wink as they pulled away from their embrace.
“Wait, before you go,” Eddie held up a finger.
He walked over to the front desk and plucked a black Sharpie out of the stationary cup. He returned and stood in front of Steve before reaching down and taking his hand in his own. Steve’s breath hitched at the contact as Eddie brought the cap of the pen up to his mouth and popped it off, holding it between his teeth. He started writing along the top of his hand and all Steve could do was watch in agony. He could see Robin’s eyes flicking back and forth between them from where she stood.
Once Eddie was finished he slipped the cap back on the pen but kept Steve’s hand cradled in his.
“My number. So you have no excuse to not come to that show you promised.”
Above the top of the number, Eddie signed his name in his signature messy handwriting along with a small star scribbled at the end.
“Y-Yeah I’ll call for sure.” Steve sounded breathless.
Eddie finally gave him some mercy and let go of his hand with Steve already missing the warmth.
“Good.”
“Alright, alright enough of that,” Robin was quick to interrupt any semblance of a moment the two of them had as she nudged Steve towards the door. “Come on doofus, you have all the time in the world to call your new boy toy. We got a long drive home.”
Steve’s eyes narrowed into a scowl as his shoes unwillingly scuffed against the floor. He managed to bid Eddie a final goodbye with a wiggle of his fingers as Eddie returned the same gesture.
Steve managed a last glance behind as the door shut behind them, the silhouette of Eddie seen retreating to the back of the studio. The street was more calm than when they arrived with the sun just kissing the horizon line and turning the sky into vivid shades of orange and pink. Steve unconsciously brought a hand up to trace his fingers against the digits scrawled across his skin.
Robin bowed her head forward from where she walked beside him, her face popping into Steve’s line of sight briefly to catch his attention.
“So what was that about?”
“What was what?” Genuine confusion dripped from his words.
“Don’t play dumb.”
“I’m not playing dumb, what do you mean?”
Robin straightened up her back as she looked ahead at the sidewalk.
“Nothing.” Steve was glad that she didn’t push it. “You and Eddie just seemed to be getting along.”
Steve dropped his hands and held them stiff at his sides at the mention of his name.
“Yeah, he’s a cool dude.”
“Mhm.”
A few seconds ticked by before the curiosity of what she could be insinuating got to him, prompting him to ask again for her to clarify.
“Like I said it’s nothing,” Robin whined. “It’s just after all these years you still surprise me, that’s all.”
Steve thought about what she could mean. That he managed to befriend someone like Eddie who he couldn’t be further alike from or that in their brief time together Eddie lit a spark inside him that was foreign and terrifying and unlike anything he had felt before. The scariest part must have been how those feelings didn’t seem scary at all.
“I’m pretty surprised myself,” was all Steve said, agreeing with her sentiment.
As their shoes tapped against the concrete as they walked with Robin chattering in his ear, the breeze nipping at his face, and the street lights flickering on to cast them with a yellow glow, all Steve could think about was how soon he should wait before giving a certain someone a call.