Chapter Thirty Two

Lying on his front, half naked, Makoto felt the chill of the plastic wrap underneath his stomach and chest. He wriggled to try and get a comfortable spot on the table, his arms underneath his head and he heard a loud "tut" due to his movement.

"Sou… you gotta learn to keep your boyfriend still, I'm about to be poking him with a needle…"

Makoto heard Sousuke laugh from where he was sat at the side of the room and Makoto turned his head as best as he could to glare at him.

"Hey… I could tie him up but think that might be a bit kinky as you're here, Rin."

"Sousuke!" Makoto exclaimed as well as levelling his best angry look which was ineffectual when Sousuke was grinning and he could hear Rin's chuckling under his breath.

"I'm kidding," Sousuke said with a wink in Makoto's direction.

The wink said that while it wasn't something they'd done yet that the idea had potential and Makoto got his head comfortable on his arms as he thought about the idea of being tied up and helpless under Sousuke… he bit at his lip to stop the shoot of arousal that had coursed up his spine and stopped moving altogether to allow Rin to work.

The tattoo stencil had been placed on his skin of the lotus flower, partially open and then Rin had drawn on with a marker the waves and water that would surround it on his shoulder blade. Once it was all mapped out, Makoto had looked at it in the mirror and nodded his approval. He was ready this time – not some hastily chosen thing and he liked the idea of the blue flower and the green leaves and the swirls of water around it. It would be a beautiful thing, he figured, and it showed how far he'd come from Iwatobi.

"You sure?" Sousuke had whispered as Rin got the colours and machine ready, a large hand on Makoto's unmarked shoulder and Makoto had smiled, leaned over for a kiss and whispered a "yes" against Sousuke's lips.

As yes, he was.

Now he was still, Makoto could hear the low sound of music and the occasional movement from Rin's apprentice who was cleaning due to some indiscretion and then the sound of the tattoo gun cut through the low sounds, its constant buzz causing a moment of fear and anticipation.

Least he'd remember the tattooing experience this time. Least he was unlikely to pass out as Sousuke had fed him a breakfast of pastries and fried food, determined that Makoto was visiting the tattoo shop on a full stomach.

It seemed Sousuke could sense Makoto's sudden reticence as a moment later, Makoto felt a hand rest on his own and he looked up to see Sousuke.

"You ready?"

"Yeah," he said, his teeth gritting, "let's just get this started."

And with that signal, the initial drag of the needle pushed into Makoto's skin and he tried not to wince from the unfamiliar sensation. Last time the pain had been dull and hazy due to alcohol but Makoto felt it this time as Rin drew his first lines.

Those first lines were drawn and then he felt Rin wipe across his skin and Makoto relaxed a little. He knew it was going to take quite some time as it covered his right shoulder blade and he was aware it would hurt but he just had to get used to it. As it would be over soon.

"Pain is temporary, ink is permanent," Sousuke had said like some cheesy salesman for tattooing.

It was true, the pain was temporary and Makoto soon was lulled into a relaxed state from the sound of the tattoo gun, the casual conversation between Sousuke and Rin and the feel of Sousuke's fingers on his own skin. As he closed his eyes, Makoto thought about all the changes that had happened in his life since he'd arrived in Tokyo and how he'd changed too.

He wasn't the same little town boy from Iwatobi. He supposed he'd become something more than that – maybe grown up, maybe become a man or maybe that was too grand a thought but whatever, Makoto had matured and moved forward.

He was exhausted as he lay on the tattoo table, the balancing of his job and the pressures of school becoming more intense as the year went on. Makoto was even now training in schools on some days, enjoying seeing the kids and loving the responses he got from them when he taught them something. It proved working with kids and the classroom was where he belonged. And that was a good thing.

Sousuke had told him to quit the Penguin Karaoke Club and just focus on school and he would help Makoto out with money. It wasn't that Makoto didn't want to sometimes as he rushed between his various responsibilities but then he liked his job and he'd miss his regular interrogations by Nagisa and Rei. And while Sousuke was earning more money, touring the local clubs and bars, he was still delivering pizza so the music wasn't paying for itself.

As though Makoto had even met the Yamazaki's a few times, a few awkward dinners in restaurants where Makoto didn't know what to order, Sousuke wasn't letting them give him money or fully letting them back into his life. He was cautious and the relationship was perhaps healing but then Makoto guessed it never would be truly healed. They had rejected Sousuke at one point and Makoto still couldn't understand why and how parents could do that. He never really would.

It had also become apparent that it was difficult with both of their jobs and lives for them to see each other as much as they liked and Sousuke had come up with a solution to that. For Makoto to move in with him but Makoto was still reluctant due to Haru. His friend couldn't afford the place alone and Makoto wasn't going to just abandon Haru – not when he'd been his most trusted friend and especially not when some of his advice had led him to Sousuke. Sousuke had only sighed at that and shrugged. The no answer suggested he was up to something but Makoto didn't ask anymore as he'd been too tired at the time. Like he always seemed to be.

The hours of being tattooed passed quickly and soon Makoto felt a gentle hand on his forehead, brushing aside his hair and he blinked realising he'd been so exhausted, he'd almost fallen asleep.

"You must have a high pain threshold," Sousuke teased as he Makoto moved his head off his arms.

"I think I'm too exhausted."

Sousuke smiled and looked over Makoto's shoulder at Rin. "He's just got some more shading. Like ten minutes. Then pizza in bed."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

The last ten minutes with Makoto wide awake seemed to take much longer than the previous hours as he felt the drag of the needle in his skin on each press of it. He grunted his pain and Sousuke squeezed his arm until Rin tapped his lower back.

"Done… you go look in the mirror and then lemme get you cleaned and wrapped."

With slightly wobbly legs, Makoto got to his feet and walked over to the mirror, turning so he could see the tattoo. It was vivid and bright, shining and some blood but it was beautiful. And it would be even more beautiful when it healed.

"Looks good," Sousuke said and he pressed a kiss to Makoto's cheek before Rin finished off his job, wiping away the blood and covering the fresh ink in plastic wrap.

There was no payment exchanged, only smiles and thanks as Rin cleaned up the table for his next client and Nitori waved them off with enthusiasm as he cleaned the windows. They walked slowly, Makoto feeling tender and his t-shirt seeming to feel like it was sticking to his skin as he moved. If he swung his arms too much he could feel the sting in his shoulder and he was sure he wouldn't be swimming nor doing much that required his arm moving too high for a while.

They bought pizza, Gorou smiling and making conversation as they waited for it to cook and Makoto tried to keep his eyes open as he felt the full weight of his tiredness overwhelm him. He was looking forward to the fold out in Sousuke's apartment, lying around in his underwear and eating pizza, napping and then slow sensual fucking later. It was his day off and damn it, Makoto was going to do what he wanted and he was sure Sousuke was going to oblige him. Especially as he too had a rare free day.

The pizza in Sousuke's hand, they walked to Sousuke's place and when they arrived Makoto was instructed to open the door with his key. It wasn't an unusual thing as he'd had a key for a while but then as he stepped in, Makoto looked a little surprised at the apartment. As the fold out had gone. And it had been replaced by his bed.

There were also bags of his clothes. His posters on the wall – even the one of Sousuke – and Makoto turned as Sousuke put down the pizza, the door locked behind him.

"What…?"

"Ugh… you said you'd move in with me if Haru wasn't a problem, right?"

Makoto nodded.

"Well… Haru and Rin are moving in together so Haru, Rei and Nagisa brought your stuff over while we were at Rin's."

Shocked, Makoto walked over to his own bed which seemed to take far too much space in Sousuke's small space and sat on it, his body weary. Sousuke seemed concerned and walked towards him slowly.

"You okay with this?"

Getting back to his feet, Makoto wrapped his arms around Sousuke's shoulders and met his lips in a tender and sensual kiss – putting all the emotions he had into it.

"Of course I am! I'm just surprised," Makoto said as he pulled back, his eyes feeling like they were sparkling from the unshed tears as it all felt big and exciting… new and intoxicating. But they were all good feelings as it was with Sousuke.

"Well… hadda do something to surprise you… " Sousuke said with a small laugh, "as I love you Mr. Green Eyes and Glasses."

Makoto smiled and buried his head into Sousuke's neck, pressing a kiss to his pulse. "Love you too… Mr. Tall, Dark and Tattooed."

Very carefully, they stripped each other of clothes, mindful of Makoto's new tattoos and despite Makoto's exhaustion, they slowly fucked, forgetting the pizza and the rest of the world and thinking only of each other.

Thank you to all the people who read this fic - I am no longer using this account for my fics but you can still find me on AO3 and my tumblr (find the links on my profile)