Page 47 of Stutter

“Damon says he thinks you think we’re hallucinations sometimes.” I grimace, hoping Cherry didn’t hear him even though he’s whispering to me. “When I was in my third year at Quantico, I saw a lot of shit. I was shot at for the first time. I started getting protection runes tattooed on me and they made me feel better. But sometimes, I also had issues differentiating from real life and my dreams. Maybe that’s why I was so ballsy. But the more I got, the more they helped. Because I could look down and know I was awake.”

He goes on to tell me about a sleep study, ending it with, “So what do you say?”

“Listen, it’s starting to snow, and Tiny is getting antsy.” Cherry says, all the fake gone from her tone.

We both look over at her, noticing thenotso tiny,verylarge, mountain of a man with tattoos covering every inch of skin that we can see. Including an upside down cross on his cheek. He has to be over six-foot-seven-inches because he has to duck a bit to not hit his shaved head in the doorway. His blonde brows shoot up as if asking me if I’m ready and I nod. Tiny turns away, and he has more tattoos on the back of his head.

Children could use this man as a jungle gym.

We follow Tiny through the beaded curtain, and into the room with the usual black tattooing chair. “Do you know what you want?”

I sign, asking for a pencil and piece of paper. Maverick interprets for me, and Tiny delivers. I sit for a little, looking at the blank sheet and let it come to me. I tell Maverick to turn around, swirling my finger in the air, and he heaves out a long sigh, but he does so, and I get to work. I show it to Tiny, brows furrowing. “Alright. Any particular color or just black?”

I nod at black. But then scribble down‘Can you make them different shades of purple?’

He bobs his head and gets to work. He sits on my side and Maverick asks if he can turn around now and I nod though he can’t see me.

“She says yes.”

Maverick turns and grins and I can’t get enough of this side of him. He grabs the extra rolling chair as Tiny asks where I want it. I point to the inside of my wrist, where my thumb is and I gesture towards him the size I want.

Tiny isn’t much of a talker and soon, I’m being shaved, cleansed and dried, the needle going into my skin as Maverick holds my other hand. I don’t really need him to, this is nothing compared to when my knee was being done, but I like the way his calloused hand feels in mine. It’s so big. Like his dick.

I look at my thigh, the spider lilies and lotus flowers. That was impulsive, I made Axel stop at a tattoo shop on my twenty-fourth birthday as soon as we left Lorne Wood in the rearview mirror, finally being able to do something about my scars. But I love my spider lily and Lotus tattoo. I love the vines that go from my ankle to my outer thigh.

Tiny finishes within an hour and once it’s cleaned I show Maverick, beaming at him and once he sits back after seeing it, he looks at me with so much pride in his eyes, I almost think I see them well up.

It’s a thirty-second music note. It’s a lone note, with three flags but instead of the flags, I scribbled their names.

Jonas.

Damon.

Maverick.

It’s legible enough I’ll be able to tell the difference between if they’re squiggly or not. Whether this is all real or not.

“It’s beautiful, Siren. I love it.” Mav says, kissing my temple.

While Tiny wraps me, he looks over at my boyfriend (AH!) “So are you getting one, too?”

Maverick says yes and pulls off his shirt, “I already sent you what I want.” He says, taking my hand when Tiny leans over his chest, prepping him the way he prepped me.

His takes longer.

Except the anus doesn’t let me see it when it’s done.

“You’ll see it later, Siren, don’t worry.” He grins, and soon we’re paying, dressed, and back on the road heading to Kingston.

“Are you hungry? Never mind, you’re always hungry.”

I would be offended if it wasn’t true.

“What would you like?”

“Burger.” I reply immediately.

“Alright, we’ll pick some up for the guys, too.”

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