ℒooks Can be ∂є¢єινιηg ♠♥

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Finley plucked up the piece of paper and slipped it into his pocket, "Mm, thank you very much," he murmured, two-colored eyes giving him one last once-over.

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"You're welcome." He smiled, then turned and saw Gracesyn and his mother standing in the entryway of the shop. And that's when he grinned - not smiled - and could have been declared a second Sun for all the happiness, welcome, and warmth radiating from him as he stepped out from behind the counter and wrapped his arms around Mama's waist and lifted her for a nearly bone-crushing hug.

A soft accent came from her, though it was thicker than Kalian's. "Hey, love. It's good to see you."

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Finley took that moment to grab up his bag and get out of there. It was none of his business and he'd already dealt with people enough for the time being. He could already feel his faux-smile slipping away, a buzzing of annoyance stirring in the back of his head. As much as he appeared to be a nice person, Finley would never call himself nice. That was the last thing he's say about himself.

He slipped out of the store, weighing his options with piercings.

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He gently set her down and stepped back. "It's been a while."

~
Three days later, Kalian was at the tattoo/piercing parlor he owned and ran with equal love and admiration for what it had become. He had a nice, open place, one he didn't lease but had bought for a steep price. And still, it was worth it.

He was behind the counter. It was four-thirty in the afternoon, a blasting 90 degrees outside and the air conditioner as on full blast. He was waiting for a late appointment - thirty minutes late - and was contemplating closing for a while. But he glanced up as the door opened.

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Finley cursed the heat outside- while he adored the sunlight, heat did nothing but make his skin feel too tight and create perspiration along the back of his neck. His long-ish hair was tied up, to keep from stifling him. His heterochromatic eyes darted around the shop, casual in their exploration. Finley knew he was late and while he didn't really care, he hadn't done it on purpose. He'd gotten lost trying to find the place, and a frustrated Finley was a bad Finley. He leaned his hands against the counter as he approached, "Hi."

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Kalian had focused back on the calender book in front of him, the name marked beside 'four o'clock appointment'. Finely something or another.

"Oh, hi." He stood up from the rolling chair and smiled. "Is there something I can do to help you?"

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Finley pursed his lips and drummed his fingers against the counter, "I'm Finley Peterson. I made an appointment."

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"Oh, sorry!" His sparkly, glossy lips pulled into a smile. He leaned his hip against the counter. "You didn't specify what you needed in the book. So, what's up?"

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"I've only come for a couple of snake-bites," Finley tapped the spaces below his bottom lip, "I've been looking into them for a while now and I think they'd look good. Can you do that?"

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"Yeah, sure." He had the prices memorized. "It's only ten bucks for a piercing like that." Kalian gestured for Finley to follow him as he stepped out from behind the counter and headed to a separate space in the parlor. A sign read, 'Do Not Enter Without An Employee, No Children, No Drinks, No Food!'

He opened a small drawer and fluttered a hand at the black chair in front of him. "Have a seat."

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Finley perched in the chair, letting his gaze wander. Shops like this were always interesting to look at, none of them ever looking the same, "How long have you had this place?"

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"About two years. My mom gave it to me as a sixteenth birthday present." He snapped on plastic gloves, cleaned the piercing gun - though it was always clean - and tilted Finley's face just a little so he could get a good look at it.

The parlor - the piercing half of it, anyway - was stunning. Cherry wood floors, oak cabinets with shining white marble counter-tops, gleaming silver trays, piercings, etc. Plain white walls splattered with different paint. A wall of pictures of piercings done - though none of them were genital piercings - and pictures of the piercing staff.

"Alright. It's gonna hurt, but it's not gonna hurt very much, compared to other piercings. Have you ever had your ears pierced? The cartilage, not the lobe?"

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Finley's heterochromatic eyes focused on Kalian's face, "Nope. But don't worry, pain doesn't bother me. Besides, I'd expect that my PA piercing hurt much more than this will." The corners of his lips curled upward.

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He felt the blush creep up his neck, cover his ears and his cheeks. He cleared his throat, his face becoming blank and professional again rather than raging hot-pink. He tilted Finley's face again, lifting it so he could hold Finley's lip away from his teeth. "This is gonna hurt. At least a little." He held up the needle, rubbed a little alcohol over the spot he was going to pierce, and put some lubrication on the needle.

And shoved, hard and fast, into Finley's lip while his other hand reached behind him, finding a simple sterling ring and sliding it through the new hole once the needle was out. "Five minute break." He stepped back, peered at the piercing and nodded. "It looks good."

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Finley did flinch, but this pain wasn't really bad. He enjoyed the stinging in his lip, the small throb that kept reminding him that he'd actually done it, "Wasn't so bad," the boy mused, tilting his head slightly as he gazed back at Kalian, "Definitely not the worst thing in the world."

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"Good. Still, five minute break." He snapped off his gloves, rolled up his sleeves and cleaned the needle.

"Thank you, by the way, for brushing your teeth before you came. I appreciate that. A lot of people come in here, stained and dirty and.." He shuddered. "Gross. I hate that."

Kalian gave a soft smile. He had piercings on his ears from cartilage to lobe, though all of the piercings themselves were rings and not studs. He had a nose piercing, a small silver stud, and under his clothes were lots of tattoos.

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"Tch, that's gross. I always brush my teeth," Finley snorted, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

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A Monroe piercing on the left side of his lip. A labret piercing, a tongue piercing.

He shrugged. "I'm with you there." He put on new gloves, dried off the needle and reapplied lube. He tilted Finley's face to the other side. "You ready?" The needle was just over the side of Finley's face that was ready to be pierced.

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"Mhm, stick me with that needle, I can take it," Finley's voice was teasing, his eyes lidded slightly as he waited for that rush of pain.

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Oh dear lord. His face was red again as he swabbed Finley's lip with alcohol, one hand cupping the back of the boy's neck, keeping his head still with firm fingers. The needle drove home, the hand on Finley's neck pressing him forward, the needle being taken out and the ring slipped through and clasped. He stepped back, taking his gloves off, dropping the needle in rubbing alcohol, nodding his head.

"You're done."