Tattoos on the Heart.

@ ZackyEffingVengeance
Zacky leaned against the car, putting a cigarette in his mouth and lighting it up. They had just gotten home from the tour maybe a week ago and this was probably the first time that he'd left the house. It was just so good to be home that he didn't want to leave. But of course, Zacky had to be the stupid one to answer the phone this morning out of all the others and Matt decided to drag him along on his tattoo trip. Apparently there was this girl that he had found on instagram that did super hella good out of this world work. Zacky didn't really bother with looking at any of it, he wasn't interested or looking for anyone to do any new tattoos for him. Zacky just figured he'd go for morale support for his friend since he seemed oddly nervous. Rightly so though, he was getting a rather big piece done. Zacky followed Matt into the shop, flicking his cigarette out into the parking lot after taking one last long drag of it, blowing the smoke out as he opened the door and walked in. It was a fairly nice shop, though you could definitely tell that a women ran the place. It had that certain feminine vibe that you just couldn't shake off. Probably because it was so clean. Zacky plopped down in a nearby chair so Matt could talk to whoever about doing his thing, picking up some old magazine and flipping through it. These were some extremely comfy chairs. He could totally sit here and fall asleep if he let himself. He sat the magazine down and rubbed his eyes, regretting his life choices. Now all he wanted was to go curl up in bed with his dogs.

---

Jenna's head bobbed from side to side as she finished up a small tattoo on someone. It was a little steaming teacup which she just thought was so cute. Jenna absolutely loved what she did for a living. She loved the stories she got to hear behind the tattoos, the gorgeous art she got to make. She loved the simple black and white ones but then she got to do the brightly colored ones that were just so bold and in your face. Every day she always felt like she had a new favorite tattoo that she did on someone. Jenna on the other hand personally didn't have very many tattoos on her body. She had various small tattoos in black all over her body, most in hidden places. She liked them more elegantly on herself, but she loved doing it on other people. Usually you see all these people tattooed from head to toe when they're an tattoo artist, but that just wasn't her.

Jenna grinned as she wipped off the last bit of ink, cleaning it up and putting some cling wrap on it. She gave them some care instructions before sending them upfront to checkout. Jenna began cleaning her work station, glancing at the clock and realizing that her next appointment should actually be here soon, if he wasn't already.

Louisa sat in her car for a few minutes, finishing off her cigarette before she climbed out of the car, grabbing the carrying container of coffee. She stared up the sign above her shop and grinned. Moving all the way out to California to open her tattoo shop had been a big move, but Louisa figured there was more of demand for tattoos out here than back home in Alabama. And her shop was doing pretty well, if she did say so herself. Take It Off Tattoos and its social media namesakes had quite the collection of regulars and Louisa was proud of the work that she and her artists had done to get it where it was. Louisa certainly looked the part of a tattoo parlor owner, or at least she thought so. She had a half-sleeve on her right arm that she was working with Jenna to turn into a full sleeve, another on her left forearm, one on each thigh, several smaller ones in various places, and a rib piece. Louisa locked the car, carrying the coffee inside. She passed an unfamiliar man sitting in one of the chairs and flashed him a smile, leaning around a second somewhat familiar man to give the girl behind the counter her coffee. "Here you go, Katy," she said. She glanced up at the man standing in front of the counter. "Are you here for Jenna?" she asked. He nodded and Louisa grinned. "Great, she should be finishing up with her current client pretty soon." She leaned on the counter, looking over at the man on the chair, who she was sure was here with Jenna's new client. "Are you here for a tattoo too, darlin'?" she asked, letting her southern accent slip out. "All of our artists are busy but I usually handle the walk-ins."

---

Matt had done a lot of research when it came to his newest tattoo. It was a fairly large piece he was getting done, and it would be on his chest, which would be fairly visible. So it was safe to say that he wanted to be absolutely sure that he'd picked the right artist before he let them put a needle into his skin. He'd found the instagram page for a shop named Take It Off Tattoos purely by accident and as a result had stumbled upon the account of one of the artists there, Jenna Ashburn. Her work was absolutely amazing, and it didn't take long before Matt knew this was the artist he wanted to do his newest piece. But he didn't want to go alone, so he'd called up each of the boys in turn, getting to Zacky before he finally got an answer. He knew the guitarist wasn't thrilled about leaving the house since they'd just gotten back from tour, but lucky for Matt he was a good enough friend to get over it and tag along. At the tattoo parlor, Matt only had to wait for about ten minutes before the girl was finished with whoever was there before him and he didn't even glance back at Zacky as he followed her into the small room, knowing the other man would rather nap in the chair. "So what I was thinking was having a couple of stars across my chest, with the words 'thicker than water' over the top. But I already told you that, didn't I?" Matt chuckled, shaking his head slightly. He had to have told her that, otherwise he wouldn't be here for his first actual appointment. "I'm excited to see the sketch you came up with. If it's anything like the work on your instagram page, I'm sure it's going to be fucking fantastic."

@ ZackyEffingVengeance
Zacky heard the door of the shop open, looking over and smiling back at the women when he made contact with her. She was pretty cute, he had to admit. Zacky closed his eyes, sinking down in his chair and folding his hands over his chest. Matt didn't need him to go back there with him, he was a big boy. Unless he seriously needed someone to hold his hand. In that case, Zacky really wasn't going back there. He opened one eye to look over at whoever talked to him, seeing that it was the pretty lady that smiled at him. If she was open for walk ins, he sure wished he could think up a tattoo she could get done for him. Zacky sighed and bit down hard on his lip, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm just here for morale support for my friend that just went back there, he's a big baby when it comes to needles," he said with a wave of his hand, chuckling a bit. Zacky didn't really know if Matt was afraid of needles or not, or if he was even nervous. "I like your accent. Where are you from?" He asked the women, sitting up properly in his seat. Her accent was pretty attractive and soothing. It must be nice to listen to her talk while you're getting a tattoo done.

Jenna came up front when she heard Louisa's voice, smiling at her and the man beside her, who she figured was her new client. Jenna knew exactly who he was, she loved his music, but she was very professional about it. She didn't want to act like a crazed fan or something. Jenna stole a coffee from the holder, winking at Louisa before leading Matt to her station in the back. She had him sit down, giggling at his words. "I came up with the sketch last night and redid it this morning, so here's the line art and what it would look like colored in," she said, handing him two pieces of paper to look at. This was probably one of the hardest pieces of ink she'd ever worked on. She wanted this to be perfect. It wasn't every day that you got a famous person in you chair, unless you're Kat Von D. Then you have every famous person under the moon. Jenna sat down in her chair, rolling about the room and grabbing the things she needed. She grabbed new packages of steralized tools, new gloves, ink, paper towels and so on, putting it on the table beside the chair. She kept glancing up at Matt, wondering what his thought was on it, nervous.

Louisa gave Jenna a grin as grabbed one of the coffees and disappeared with Matt into her tattooing room. Louisa had remembered who Matt was while she was waiting for Jenna and she was pretty excited to have such a high-profile client in her shop. Surely if a rockstar thought her shop was good, it would attract other new clients as well. She took her own coffee and took a sip, looking over at Matt's friend in the chair when he spoke. "That guy is afraid of needles?" she repeated, a bit incredulously. He had to be joking. Matt already had tons of tattoos, there was no way he could be nervous about getting another. Louisa grinned at his next comment, setting her coffee cup down on the table. Most people made a comment about her accent when they first heard it, so she was no stranger to this conversation. Of course, it was a little different when a very attractive man said that he liked her accent. "I'm from Alabama. Went to school at the University of Alabama, got a degree in art, obviously. And then for some reason I decided to come all the way out here to open up my shop. But then again, I'm sure more people out here want tattoos than back in Alabama, what with all the hippies and rockstars." Louisa leaned against the counter, taking another sip of her coffee as she looked at the man in the chair. "You're a rockstar, aren't you...well, I don't think I caught your name, hun."

---

Matt nodded as he listened to Jenna talk about her sketches. He took the papers from her, looking them over and grinning. It was almost exactly what he'd been picturing, and he was sure it would look even more amazing on his skin. "These look great," Matt said, handing the papers back to Jenna. He rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Let's get them on my skin, shall we? I need a great new tattoo to show off on the next tour circuit, even though that won't be for awhile. But hey, I'm sure there will be plenty of photoshoots and they always ask about my new ink, so I'll be able to tell them that you did and then this shop will get lots of publicity and that'll make your boss happy. And I'm pretty damn sure this won't be my last tattoo, so if you do as good of a job as I think you will, I'll probably be coming back for my next one." Matt grinned at her as he watched her finish getting everything ready, and when it looked like she was ready to start, he pulled his shirt off and tossed it onto the floor near the door. He wondered how long he'd be in the chair this time, since he knew this particular tattoo would take more than one session. But Matt didn't really mind that. He liked the excitement of getting a new tattoo and besides that, Jenna was really pretty and Matt wouldn't be too upset if he got to stare at her several hours during multiple sessions.

@ ZackyEffingVengeance

Zacky laughed, nodding. "Oh yeah, big baby. Passes out when he gets blood drawn, needs a break every five minutes and cries when he gets a tattoo. It's so unmanly," he said, shaking his head. Though none of that was even true, it was hilarious to say. He was sure the girl behind the counter or the two people sitting over in the corner were going to gossip about M. Shadows being a big baby with needles. That's usually how it went, all of the guys said something minorly untrue of the other that they thought was funny just to give someone to talk about. Zacky smiled when she said where she was from, finding it cute that she was just a small town town girl coming to California to live her dream. This was definitely the place to do it, that's for sure. Especially when it came to tattoos. Even though it was becoming more socially acceptable to have them now so they're in high demand everywhere, for some reason everything just does better in California. "Alabama is probably one of my favorite places when we're on tour," he said with a nod, watching her sip on her coffee. "And California is also probably the best place to start a business. Besides if you didn't plant roots here, we wouldn't be having this conversation today," he said with a wink. Leave it to Zacky to try and flirt with the worst moves possible. "I'm Zacky Baker, or as a lot of people know me as Zacky Vengeance, guitarist in Avenged Sevenfold," he said with a shrug. Zacky didn't want to say it was a big deal in case she didn't have a clue who he was because that would be the most emabrassing thing ever.

Jenna giggled, her face heating up. "Oh, okay, no pressure," she said with a wave of her hand, rolling over to her light box to put the sketch onto transfer paper and ink. Jenna rolled back over to Matt, biting down on her bottom lip when she saw he was shirtless. Of course he was going to be shirtless, what was she going to expect? He had such an amazing body, though. Jenna shook her head a little, grabbing a razor and making sure there was no hair of any kind on his chest before cleaning him up and placing the paper carefully where she wanted it. She rubbed down on it gently before carefully peeling it Away, throwing the paper in the trash. "Alrighty, one more thing, go ahead and go look in the mirror and make sure the placement is to your liking," she said pointing over to the full body mirror on the wall as she leaned back in her seat. After everything he said, she was feeling the pressure and she was getting way nervous. Now she needed to do an even better job than perfect. She wanted to kick him in his ass for saying all that before she was about to tattoo him. Even if she was good as what she did and professional, this was just nerve wracking. "I think it looks pretty good myself, but if you don't like it we can definitely wipe it off and replace it." Jenna grabbed a hair tie and threw her hair up in a messy bun on top of her head, not wanting it in her face for the next few hours that she was working on him. "I'm thinking we at least try to get all of the line art done today, then Then give your skin a break for about a week or so then you can come back."

Louisa laughed. "Somehow I don't really believe that," she said, listening to Zacky talk about how Matt was a big baby when it came to needles. "And if that really is true, then he's gonna have hell with this new piece. A few hours in the chair for this session for the line art and then at least one other session for the coloring and shading, if not two more? He's gonna have a bad time." She listened to Zacky speak, laughing again behind her coffee cup when he winked at her. If she wasn't sure that he was flirting with her before, she was sure now. When he mentioned that he was in the same band as Matt, Louisa felt a little bad that she hadn't recognized him, but then again it had taken her a few minutes to recognize Matt as well. "And it's a mighty fine conversation we're having here, Mr. Baker," Louisa drawled, the corner of her lip barely drawing up in a smirk. Sure, she was playing it up a little with the way she was talking, but a cute rockstar liked her accent and she was going to use that to her advantage. And maybe it had only been two months since she'd given Jay back the diamond ring, but Louisa didn't really care. She rested her chin in her hand, setting her coffee cup down on the counter. "So you play guitar, then?" she asked. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm not familiar with your music. Are you any good?"

---

Matt sat back in the chair as Jenna shaved his chest and placed the tracing onto his chest. When she told him to, Matt got up out of the chair and went over to the small mirror hanging on the wall, looking at the placement of the tracing on his skin. He turned back to Jenna with a grin as he went back to sit in the chair again. "It looks great," he said. He listened to Jenna explain her plan for how she wanted to do the tattoo, nodding along as she spoke. He was no stranger to getting tattooed, he knew that good work took time, so he didn't expect to get everything done in one session. "Sounds like a plan to me," Matt agreed, smiling at her. "I'm sorry if I made you nervous, by the way," he added, his grin turning a bit sheepish. "I just get kind of excited about getting new tattoos and for some reason I thought hearing that everyone would ask about your work would encourage you. But I'm sure you'll do a great job no matter what. I looked through your entire instagram page and everything I saw was fantastic. So let's get started, shall we? I'm sure Zack is already ready to get the fuck out of here." Matt laughed. "He's not happy that I dragged him along. We just got back from tour, I think he was looking forward to sleeping the day away."

@ ZackyEffingVengeance
Zacky smirked, not planning on telling her that he was telling a little fib. Maybe someday down the road. If he ever was able to have a chance at having a conversation with her again after this. He was certainly glad to hear about how good of a conversation they were having, her accent laying on thick. Man, it gave him goose bumps. She had such a sweet voice, plus that accent, he just enjoyed it so much. He could talk to her for hours if he could. Well, if she wasn't busy while he was here waiting for Matt than he just might be. Zacky's eyes widened when she asked if he was any good, wishing he could magically whip out his guitar and show her his skill. "Am I any good, you ask? I'm Zacky Vengeance okay, of course I'm freaking Amaze-balls," he said, crossing his arms over his chest with a snort. He totally had no evidence to prove how good he really was, which was a shame. She probably thought she was totally lying. "I mean, I'm just you average rockstar guitar player I guess. I'll have to show you sometime and let you judge for your self," he said with a laugh as he got serious. He didn't want her to think he was some cocky bastard when he really wasn't. He just liked fucking around and messing with people. He really didn't like trying to over the top impress girls and use the fact that he was in a band to win them over, he's never been that way. That's how you got washed up hoes who used you for fame and money.

Jenna giggled, shaking her head as she put her gloves on. "Nah, don't worry about it. Just a little pressure, but totally piece of cake. You've seen my art, I work well under pressure," she said with a wink, grabbing her gun and getting some ink before she began working on the lines. "Poor Zacky," she said with a small laugh, shaking her head. When she had went out there to get Matt she saw that he was half asleep in the chair. He had bags under his eyes and looked like he needed a pick-me-up of some sort. "How was your? Are you enjoying being home? You sure are a big ball of energy, you must've got some good rest," she said, wiping off some ink on his skin with a paper towel before continuing. Matt looked like he had some extremely soft skin. Jenna bit down on her bottom lip, furrowing her brow and trying to concentrate on the tattoo instead of his perfectly sculpted body. It was already session one, they weren't even into their first hour and she was already having thoughts that she shouldn't be having. This was going to be a very long tattoo session.

Louisa rolled her eyes playfully, laughing at Zacky. "Sorry, I forgot you were an average rockstar guitar player," she teased. He seemed cocky about his abilities, but playfully so, which was unexpected. She expected him to brag about his abilities to try and impress her, since he was quite obviously flirting with her. "But I guess you're right, you'll definitely have to show me sometime, so I can decide for myself. But I'm sure you'll blow me away, Mr. Baker." Louisa gave him a wink, turning to Katy when she felt the other girl nudge her. The other girl mouthed 'what are you doing?', giving a pointed look at Zacky, and Louisa just shrugged. She was an adult, a single one at that, so she could flirt with whoever she damn well pleased. Louisa turned her attention back to Zacky, resting her chin on her hand again. He might like her accent, but she was starting to realize that she liked his eyes. They were green and absolutely gorgeous and she could probably stare at them forever. "So hun, tell me about this band of yours," Louisa continued, reaching for her coffee. "I might as well let you talk for awhile, give my voice a break," she teased.

---

Matt felt the slight, familiar sting as Jenna started on the tattoo. He laughed when she put forth her false sympathy for Zacky. The guitarist didn't have to come along with him. "Tour was great," Matt answered, perking up at the idea of getting to talk about his band. "It's always fun being out on the road with the guys. And this was our biggest tour yet. We got to open for Metallica on one occasion, it was fucking fantastic. But it is nice to be home. I missed my parents and my sister. And my dog, Bella. She's a golden lab. And the only reason I'm such a big ball of energy is because I went to bed pretty much as soon as I got home from tour last week and barely woke up since then. I almost slept straight through this appointment, to be completely honest. If I hadn't set myself an alarm as soon as I made it, I would've missed it." Matt laughed, flinching a bit when the tattoo gun started to hit his breastbone. It didn't necessarily hurt, but it was definitely uncomfortable. He looked over Jenna, trying to see if he could find any tattoos on her, since he thought most tattoo artists would have tons of tattoos. "So where are all of your tattoos?" Matt asked, flicking his gaze back up to her face. "I thought you would have a shit ton. Don't tattoo artists practice on themselves?"

@ ZackyEffingVengeance
Zacky was noticing that she was beginning to flirt with him back, which really excited him. He flirted with girls all the time, but there was just something about flirting and being playful with her right now that he just really enjoyed. When she said for him to talk about his band, he didn't know where to start. There were a million places where he could start. From where they began in high school, to their big break. Switching out bass players and finally landing on short shit, a life long best friend. "Well, we did just get back from tour. Pretty exciting one at that," he said with a nod, stretching in his seat. "Which I'm still extremely exauhsted from so I'm pretty pissed that Matt dragged me out here," he said with a small laugh. He was pissed but then he wasn't. If he hadnt come today than he would have never met Louisa. "My band is just a bunch of best friends living their dream every day and can't be anymore thankful. We don't like to act stuck up and like we have big inflated egos because we still don't feel like we're on top, it's like a dream. We finally got to open for one of our all time favorite bands while we were on tour, Metallica, and let me tell you. That had to be the greatest night of my life. My god," he said with a shake of his head, running his fingers through his hair. They've done a lot of memorable things with the band, and he alone has done a lot of memorable things in general in his life. But that night had definitely taken the cake.

---

Jenna nodded. "I bet it felt amazing getting all that sleep," she said, buzzing away at his skin. She could feel his eyes on her and any other time she wouldn't really care when a client would stare at her, but with him it was a bit different. She looked up when he asked about her tattoos, giving him a small smirk as she lifted the needle off of his skin. "I have a semicolon on my left wrist in white, one that says ink, down the right side of my wrist. Second star to the right above my left boob, but the rest you have to find," she said with a wink, showing him the ones that were easily accessible to show. She had a fair amount of tattoos, just you couldn't see them, and she liked it that way. "I was never one to practice on myself. I love tattoos, but on myself I like simple elegant ones that I know I'll be happy with for the rest of my life," she said, moving around in her seat and getting into a more comfortable position before getting more ink and moving back to the line work. That was probably one of her most popular questions she's ever been asked. It was so stereotypical for tattoo artists to be covered from head to toe in tattoos. Jenna just wasn't like that. She couldn't practice on certain parts of the body on herself. It was just to hard. It was much easier doing it on other people and pig skin.

Louisa couldn't help but grin as she listened to Zacky talk about his band. It was obviously very important to him and the excitable way he talked about it was absolutely adorable. "Well I'm glad you could be bothered to tag along with Matt," she teased. "Because if you hadn't, then I wouldn't get to sit here and stare at your pretty green eyes." She gave him a wink as he continued. For how big Zacky made his band sound, Louisa was surprised that she hadn't heard of them before. And when he told her about how the band had opened up for Metallica, Louisa actually felt a bit excited for them, because from the way Zacky talked about it, it had obviously been a big moment for them. Finishing off her coffee and tossing it into the trashcan behind the counter, Louisa walked around the counter and went to sit on the couch near the chair Zacky sat in, resting her elbow on the arm and leaning in towards him. "You guys must've been excited about that," she said, licking over her lips as she smiled at him. "Were you nervous at all? I mean, Metallica is a pretty big band and you said they were one of your favorites. I think I probably would've been nervous in your place, but then again I don't do well in front of crowds. That's why I like art. Nobody stares at you while you draw. Unless it's a tattoo."

---

"Oh my God, it was great," Matt said. "Borderline orgasmic. I mean, I love being on tour, but those bunk mattresses are killer, especially for someone my height. But then again our drummer has a good three inches on me, so it was worse for him." Matt laughed, listening as Jenna told him about the tattoos she had. He raised an eyebrow when she said he'd have to find the rest, barely paying attention as she showed him the others. Well, well, well. That changed things a little, because there was no way that comment was an accident. And even though Matt knew it was probably a bad idea - and a bit unprofessional on her part - to have a relationship while he was still her client, but he wouldn't be her client forever. And after that, there was nothing stopping them. But for now he probably needed to tone it down before he said something that made Jenna uncomfortable. "That's understandable," Matt said. "Tattoos mean different things to different people. And as long as you like the ones you have, fuck what anyone else thinks. But for the record, I think you'd look pretty hot with maybe a sleeve. Or even just a half-sleeve. Something in black and white, really elegant."

@ ZackyEffingVengeance
Zacky smirked a little. "Oh you like my beautiful green eyes, do you?" He teased lightly, wiggling his brow. He watched her come around and sit at the couch, taking that as she definitely didn't have anything to do anytime soon. Zacky shifted in his seat to face her, putting his elbows on his knees and folding his hands in front of him. "I was so excited, but nervous as all hell. That show was just everything to me and the rest of the band. It definitely made everything feel more real," he said with a small sigh, shaking his head. Zacky decided that he wanted to know more about her, thinking he did enough talking for the moment about himself. "So what made you decide to get into tattooing and own a shop?"he asked curiously. He always wondered what made tattoo artists want to do what they did instead of doing some other form of art work. They had so many different choices but they decided to choose to permanently do it onto people's skin. You had to be fucking amazing at it to since this was pretty much something you were giving someone for life. It was just crazy once you thought about it. A lot of pressure to deal with, but in the end they all ended up doing out great. Well, a majority of them. You still had a lot of artists who made some mistakes that more experiences artists can fix, which was a good thing.

---

Jenna's eyes widened when he mentioned that one of his band mate was three inches taller than he was. Matt was already pretty tall, a lot taller than she was. She couldn't imagine anyone being taller than him. "Geez, that sounds so uncomfortable. They need to give you bigger bunks and a bigger bus," she said with a nod, dipping her needle into some more ink. She blushed when he said that she would look good with a half sleeve, tilting her head to the side. "I've thought about it. I'm just to terrified to commit. Plus I change my mind like I change my underwear," she said, giggling. "No wait, wrong expression. Can't use that one because a lot of the time I don't wear underwear so let's see... I change my mind like I change my gloves, that works better," she said, wiggling her fingers at him and laughing. Jenna wasn't shy when it came to a lot of things and she was a pretty blunt person. She Shook her head at herself before looking back down at his chest, wiping off some ink. She was moving right along with the line art and she almost had it halfway done. This was probably one of the best conversations that she's had with a client though so it didn't make her feel like it was taking forever and a day to really do it, which she was thankful for. Sometimes there was just so much tension in the room that it made the session drag on for what felt like years.

"I do like them, they're very attractive, just like the rest of you," Louisa teased back. She shifted on the couch as she listened to Zacky continue to talk about opening for Metallica, smiling at how excited he still seemed to be. She licked over her lips when Zacky turned the questioning on her, trying to think of how exactly she could explain it. Oftentimes things made perfect sense in her head, but when she tried to put them into words, nothing made sense at all. But her accent usually tended to get worse when she started to talk and ramble, so maybe that would help distract him when nothing made sense. "Well, I always liked to draw," Louisa started. "There ain't a lot of rules when it comes to drawing, you know? But I guess I didn't really figure out that I wanted to get into tattooing until I was in college and I got my first one. It was this one, here on my forearm." Louisa paused, holding out her arm so that she could show Zacky the tattoo. It was two black and white roses with the date of her grandmother's birth and death. "I got it after my grandma passed away and I was so grateful that the tattoo artist helped me sit down and figure out something that would be like having a piece of my grandma close to me for the rest of my life, even though she's not here anymore. And...And I realized that I wanted to do that, too. Create art that's important to the person I'm creating it for. And there's just somethin' special about knowing someone trusts you enough to let you do that to them."

---

"It's not that bad," Matt said. "You get used to it after awhile." His attention was peaked again when Jenna mentioned that she hardly wore underwear and despite himself, Matt felt his jeans tighten just slightly. Shit, no. He quickly started to think of his grandmother, his sister, a dead freaking kitten, anything to stop the thoughts he definitely didn't need to be having. "I think that means you don't have a mind," Matt joked, laughing a little. "But I'm glad you change your gloves often. It's very reassuring, considering I'm currently getting a tattoo from you." For the first time in awhile, he glanced down at his chest, noticing that Jenna was almost halfway done with his line work. Had he really been in the chair for that long? It hardly felt like any time at all. But then again, he and Jenna had been talking the entire time and conversation had flowed very easily. "You're making pretty quick work of this line art Jenna, are you sure you don't want me gone?" Matt teased, grinning at her. "I'm just kidding. You're actually making this an enjoyable experience, unlike some of the artists I've been to. You don't mind talking to me and you hardly seemed bothered when I took off my shirt. And it doesn't hurt that you're a pretty woman and not some smelly, hairy, old guy." He chuckled. "Well, I'm already tired of listening to myself talk, so tell me a little bit about yourself. What's Jenna like?"

@ ZackyEffingVengeance
Zacky's cheeks actually turned red for once. Why the hell was he blushing? This girl was actually making him blush. Jesus johnny Christ. He listened to her tell him about how she wanted to become an artist, finding it very touching it was because of her tattoo that she got for her grandmother. "That's really great," he said with a nod, biting down on his lower lip. "All it takes is one little thing to set your path through life," he said, realizing he kind of sounded like an idiot. The more he talked to this girl the more he realized that she was kind of making him nervous and he wanted to smooth talk her or something. Maybe it was just his lack of sleep, who knows anymore. "By the way, I know it's really late, but I'm sorry about your grandmother," he said with a small frown. He was genuinely sorry. She seemed very close with her and it probably still hurt to this day. Who knows how long ago it really was, Zacky had no idea how long the shop had been open for. He thought for a moment, wondering if she could squeeze him in for a small tattoo the next time Matt came back to finish his. "Do you think you could squeeze me in for a tattoo the next time Matt comes back for his? There's something I've been wanting to get done but haven't really gotten around to it."

Jenna stuck her tongue out at him playfully when he said that she didn't have a mind, wanting to say that was totally true. "I totally went to the bathroom and touched myself with these gloves all over earlier specially for you," she said with a sweet smile. She wanted to bust out laughing at that, but she kept up a good front to make it pretty believable. Jenna nodded when he mentioned the line work, getting further and further done with it. "I've gotten most of the little details done, it's pretty much a breeze now. You'll be done in no time and you'll be able to take your friend home. Though I'm sure he's probably passed out in the chair if Louisa isn't pestering him," she said, her eyes slightly wide. Whenever there was someone in the waiting area, either waiting on an appointment or on someone getting a tattoo done, Louisa was one to strike up a conversation and pretty much not leave their side the entire time they were there. Even though it was clear that they wanted to be left alone, she just didn't care. Her little southern accent and talkiticr self just kept on rollin' thinking they needed company. Jenna thought it was just the funniest thing ever.

Louisa smirked slightly to herself when she noticed that Zacky was blushing. He didn't seem like the kind of man to blush, so Louisa was pretty proud of herself for causing that reaction in him. And it was cute. "You're cute when you blush, darlin'," she told him. She glanced down at her lap when he mentioned her grandma. It had been five years and the sharpest part of the pain had faded, but it still made her a little sad to think about. "Thank you, that uh, that means a lot," Louisa said softly, shooting Zacky a sad smile. But she quickly perked up when Zacky mentioned squeezing him in for a tattoo. She got up from the couch and went over to the chair, squeezing herself in next to Zacky. It was a tight squeeze, so much so that Louisa was practically sitting on his lap, and she heard Katy make a strange sort of noise from behind the counter. "Ooh darlin', you'd trust me to add to this beautiful ink?" Louisa asked, lightly tracing her fingers along one of the tattoos on his forearm. She looked up at him with a grin. "I would be honored." But he had so many already, where would he get another? But Louisa didn't really care, she was just excited that Zacky wanted her to tattoo him. And it also meant that he was coming back next week, so Louisa would get to see him again. She enjoyed flirting with him. "Where were you thinking about getting it? And did you have any particular in mind? I'll have to know so I can do a sketch or two for you."

---

"Eww, you touched yourself with these gloves?" Matt asked playfully, trying to ignore the other way that statement could be taken. "That's very unsanitary. I demand to watch you put on the gloves next time I come back." Matt laughed at Jenna's comment about Zacky. "Oh, I'm sure his fat ass has been passed out in that chair," he said. Unless he was being pestered like Jenna said. But if Louisa was who he was thinking of, Zacky probably wouldn't mind being pestered by her. "But he'd probably rather be in his own bed, cuddled up with his dogs." Matt settled back in the chair, surveying the amount Jenna had done and the amount she had left. It really wasn't much at all, and just like Jenna said, he'd be able to take Zacky home soon. And maybe he'd be so tired he wouldn't bitch about being dragged here on the way home. "Damn, this is looking good already," Matt said, watching Jenna as she went about cleaning him up. He liked getting tattoos, but he'd always hated the feeling of the cling wrap touching his skin. And this time the piece was pretty large and on his chest, which meant there would be a lot of cling wrap and it would be covered up by the fabric of his shirt, which would probably make it worse. "So...same time next week?" Matt asked, getting up to retrieve his shirt. He tugged it on, opening the door before turning back to Jenna. "You did a great job on the line work, I'm really excited to see what you're going to do with the coloring and shading." Matt heard Zacky's voice drifting in from the waiting area and he peeked out to see him squeezed into the chair with a blonde woman. "Looks like your friend was pestering Zacky after all," Matt said to Jenna. "Zack! Come on man, it's time to go."

@ ZackyEffingVengeance

Zacky was almost positive that his blush had gotten deeper when she mentioned something about it. He bit down on his bottom lip, cursing himself for even letting it happened. He was such a goof. He grinned at her and nodded. "Anytime," he said softly. He could tell that it still hurt with her reaction and he felt really bad. He was glad that he'd mentioned the tattoo though because she perked up in seconds. Zacky laughed, not bothering about scooting over and giving her room or anything on the couch, ignoring the rather rude sounding nosies the women behind the counter was making. He rather liked Louisa being this close to him. Plus, she smelled extremely nice. He wasn't sure what that girl's problem was over there, but she's been watching them like a creeper the entire time, it didn't make any sense. "I want to get a decapitated Mickey on my arm," he said, pointing to the spot. He's been wanting it for the longest time, he'd just never gotten around to it. He wasn't sure why though. He had plenty of opportunities to do it. After Zacky got finished explaining things to Louisa, he heard Matt's voice. He looked up, sighing heavily when he said that it was time to go. "I'll see you next week when Matt comes back then," he said as he got up, smoothing out his shirt. "It was very nice meeting you, Louisa, thanks for keeping me company," he said with a wink, walking out the shop and lighting up a cigarette. Smooth, Zacky, smooth. Should've got her number. Maybe next week when he comes back for his tattoo he'll get her digits, because then they'll officially be friends, right? Would you even count them as being friends? WHo knows, but he was going to make sure it happened. He really enjoyed being around her.

---

Jenna laughed, not agreeing or disagreeing about letting him watch her put on new gloves next time. She giggled as she listened to him talk about his friend, shaking her head. She was almost positive Louisa was talking his ear off. When Jenna finally finished up the line work, she cleaned it up and put some cling wrap on it for protection. "Now since you've had plenty of tattoos, i'm sure I don't need to go over care instructions for you," she said, tossing her gloves in the trash. She smiled as she saw his reaction to his tattoo in the mirror, so happy that he liked it so far. "I'm glad you like it so far. That's just the easy part, next week is going to be just a wee bit harder," she said with a small giggle. She nodded when he said about the timing next week, crossing her arms over her chest. "Same time, yup," she watched him pull on his shirt, biting down on her bottom lip as she watched the muscles in his back ripple with each movement. Jesus christ, Jenna, get it together. She followed him to the door, poking her head out to see what was going on. She giggled when she saw that Louisa was indeed pestering Zacky, shaking her head. "Make sure your friend comes with you too next time, okay? That'll keep Louisa out of our hair while I'm tattooing, too," she said, poking his side. She could definitely tell that her friend had taking a liking to the man sitting next to her and that made Jenna excited. Every since things went way downhill with Jay, she needed a little pick me up. Even if it was nothing serious, she needed something good and happy in her life besides the shop. She needed to get back out there in the dating world. Jenna brushed past Matt, going up the front counter and telling Katy when to book Matt's next appointment before filling out a card and handing it to him. "Alright, you're all set. I'll see you next week."

"A decapitated Mickey?" Louisa repeated, laughing softly. She didn't understand why on earth Zacky would want something like that, but it was his skin, he could put whatever he wanted on it. She listened to Zacky as he described exactly what he wanted, already trying to think of how she could sketch it. She was a little disappointed when the door to Jenna's room opened and she and Matt stepped out, even more so when Matt announced that it was time for the two men to leave. Louisa had been enjoying being around Zacky and flirting with him. But he would be back next week, and she would even get to tattoo him, which would give her a chance to talk to him without Katy's prying eyes. Louisa got to her feet as Zacky did, grinning at him. "Well thank you for letting me stare at you and your pretty eyes for two hours, darlin'," she said to him. For some reason, this wink made her blush, and Louisa was glad that Zacky had already left the shop. She went over to Jenna and rested her elbows on the counter with a happy sigh, setting her chin in her hand. "So I get to do a tattoo next week," Louisa said to Jenna, grinning. "On my new friend Zacky." Louisa was probably more excited than she should be about getting to spend more time with Zacky. She barely knew him, but the conversation had just flowed so easily between the two of them, and it was high time she really started to move on from Jay. She wished he would've gotten her phone number before he left, but she supposed she could've given it to him, so it was partially her fault. "Which reminds me, how was Matt?" Louisa asked Jenna, wiggling her eyebrows at her friend. "I know he had to take his shirt off for you to do that piece, and he looks like he has a nice body."

---

"Somehow I think Zacky will volunteer to come along next week," Matt chuckled. Zacky had obviously taken a liking to this Louisa girl, and he already knew it would be far easier to get Zacky to tag along with him next week. Matt took the appointment card that Jenna handed to him, flashing a dimpled grin at her. "Yeah, see you next week, Jenna," he said. He pointed a teasing finger at her. "And I'm going to demand to watch you put on a clean pair of gloves, don't think I forgot about that." Matt chuckled at the look on the face of the girl behind the counter before he followed Zacky out of the shop. "I'm going to stop by Walmart and buy some Auqufor before I take you back to your house," Matt said, starting his car. He grinned at his friend. "And maybe you can buy some condoms to use with your new little girlfriend. I'm sure the ones you had from before have expired." He didn't think Zacky would sleep with that girl, at least not any time soon, but it was still fun to fuck with him about it. "By the way dude, my tattoo artist...totally hot. She told me about her tattoos and said there were a few that I would have to find myself, and she also totally let it slip that she hardly ever wears underwear. I'm starting to think that I made a really good decision when I chose this shop." But aside from the sexual comments, Matt did actually like talking to Jenna. She seemed very funny and genuine and he was looking forward to a few more hours in the chair with her. This was the first time he could remember where he was actually wishing for multiple sessions instead of dreading them.

@ ZackyEffingVengeance

Zacky put his cigarette out before he got in the car, putting his seatbelt on and getting himself situated. He scoffed at Matt about the condoms, shaking his head. "They're not expired. Maybe a little dusty, but expired, no," he said, chuckling. "I'm getting a new tattoo next time too, so you better make sure you take me with you. That Louisa is something else with her sexy southern accent. Gives me goose bumps just talking to her. But that girl behind the counter needs to mind her own business," he said with a shake of his head, thinking about how she was paying attention to every little bit of his and Louisa's conversation. It was so odd. Zacky listened to Matt about his session and his artist, laughing a bit. "No wonder I didn't hear you crying like a baby back there. I told Louisa that you were terrified of needles but you weren't making any noises. You made me look like such a liar, Matthew, that was very mean," he said in a tsk manner, laughing. "She sounds pretty hot though. You really did hit the jack pot on this shop though. I'm so pumped to go back next week and finally get my decapitated Mickey done by Louisa," he said as they pulled up at Walmart. Zacky got out of the car when Matt parked, stretching and yawning. Besides being on tour, he couldn't remember the last time he was so excited about something. Or someone, really. Mostly someone. Ever since he got his heart majorly broken a few years back he hadn't really been looking for anyone, but Louisa might change that.

---

Jenna watched him go with a sigh, tilting her head to the side as she watched his butt. Damn, it was nice. She jumped a little when she heard Louisa talk, smiling big at her friend. "That's so great, I'm so happy for you, Louisa!" She said excitedly, clapping her hands and jumping up and down. She was hoping like hell that this guy was going to be the guy that she needed and so far it really seemed that way. Jenna hadn't seen her this exited in a long time. Her face turned a bit red when she mentioned Matt and his shirtless self, groaning and covering her face with her hands. There was some things she said that she wished she could take back. Like the fact that she didn't wear underwear. Jesus, she was stupid. "Oh, he's fucking sexy as all hell. We had a very interesting conversation let me tell you, there was never a dull moment. I think the most embarrassing part for me was when I somehow ended up confessing that I didn't really wear underwear," she said, throwing her hands up and shaking her head. She could be so stupid sometimes but hey, shit happens. He seemed to have enjoyed that little bit of information anyways. Jenna heard Katy making weird noises as she typed on her computer, so Jenna looked over and saw her shaking her head. Jenna glared at her taking her foot and pushing her chair so hard that she rolled all the way across the room and fell out of it. Katy and Jenna never got along. Like, ever. "I swear she irritates me so much," she grumbled, smiling innocently at Louisa.

Louisa looked over at Jenna when she started to jump up and down, raising an eyebrow. That girl was something else sometimes, but Louisa loved her for it. "I think you're more excited about this than I am," Louisa laughed. She what Jenna was thinking. And if she was being completely honest with herself, she wouldn't mind starting something with Zacky somewhere down the road. He was smart and funny and sincere, not to mention his gorgeous eyes and all that freaking ink. But she was still figuring things out from her latest and final fallout with Jay, and it made it hard to trust anyone new. But she didn't want that to get in the way of whatever it was she had with Zacky. Louisa grinned as she listened to Jenna talk about Matt. He seemed like just her type body-wise, from what Louisa had noticed over the years. "You told him that you don't wear underwear?" Louisa snickered. "Jesus Christ, Jenna. You're lucky he's not a pervert or anything. You are though, I saw you looking at his butt when he left." She gave Jenna a playful poke, frowning just a bit when the other girl pushed Katy's chair across the room. She knew Jenna and Katy didn't get along, but Katy meant well most of the time. She just had a weird way of showing it. "So since we're talking about these guys, let me just tell you about Zacky's freaking eyes. They're beautiful Jenna, like I think I could stare at them all day. They're green, you know I'm a sucker for green eyes. Ooh, and he said he liked my accent. "

---

Matt drove to the store, chuckling as he listened to Zacky talk about Louisa. "Sexy southern accent?" he repeated curiously. "I didn't know you were into rednecks, Zack. But at least I won't have to drag your lazy ass along next week, since you've finally decided to get that decapitated Mickey tattoo from Louisa." He laughed again when Zacky accused him of making him look like a liar. "Well maybe you shouldn't have lied and said I was a big baby when it came to needles. Besides, I think she rejected that thought as soon as I walked in the door." Matt chose a spot as close to the store as he possibly could before he walked into the store, heading for the aisle with the lotions and ointments. "I think after she's finished with my tattoo, I'm going to ask Jenna out for drinks or something. I mean, it was really easy to talk to her and she's pretty fucking funny, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to keep getting to know her a little better. And I thought that doing it while I was still her client would be a little unprofessional. And I don't want to get her in trouble or anything, even though I doubt Louisa would care. But do you think drinks are okay? I don't want her to think I'm just trying to get into her pants and I don't know what the fuck girls like to do." Matt snatched a small bottle of Auqafor of the shelf and headed for the registers, deciding he didn't need anything else. He couldn't wait to get home and put this ointment on his chest, because it was already itching.

@ ZackyEffingVengeance
Zacky flicked Matt off. "Yes, sexy southern accent," he repeated, following him around the store. Even though Matt was kind of right, Zacky really has never been much on southern people, or rednecks as Matt put it. He used to make fun of them, though he would definitely never tell Louisa that. There was just something about her voice and her accent combined that just had him hooked. Plus her personality, everything about her so far was just amazing. He wanted to get to know her so much better. Zacky smirked when Matt mentioned asking Jenna out. "Well don't just ask her for drinks, man. See what she likes a little more the next time you see her. Maybe she's not a drinker," he said with a small shrug. There had been plenty of times where Zacky had asked girls out and they ended up not being the type that drank. Which was totally embarrassing on his part considering that's usually what he would plan the night around, but he only really wanted to get in their pants too. So there was that. Zacky was super excited about how his day went and he couldn't stop thinking about Louisa. "This is going to be the longest week ever," he groaned as they walked back out to the car. "Maybe I'll just go back into hibernation and sleep the week away that way I won't have to worry about it." Zacky was a very impatient person. Even though going into hibernation sounded really nice, that was almost impossible for him since he was way too excited about getting his tattoo and seeing Louisa. He was definitely going to get her number and ask her out. She was so easy to talk to and he wanted to be around her more often.

Jenna giggled and shrugged. "I could be, who knows," she said, ignoring the frown Louisa gave her when she pushed Katy. She deserved it. Jenna's face turned red when Louisa mentioned that she coughed her looking at Matt's butt, biting her lower lip. "God, it looks so nice though. Can you imagine what he looks like naked? Jesus Christ," she said, shaking her head as she began day dreaming about what it would be like to walk in and see him naked in her tattoo chair. That would be like heaven on earth. She let out a dreamy sigh as she leaned against the counter, placing her chin in her hands. She snapped out of it when she heard Louisa start talking about Zacky, smirking at her. "Oh I know you're a sucker for them green eyes. He's definitely got some extremely bright nonhuman looking ones," she said with a weird face, shaking her head. "Aw suga, he likes that little accent of yours? I can't wait until he sees the country side of you." Jenna just thought this was great. She probably was more exited than she was but she couldn't help herself. She just wanted her friend to be happy.