tattoo artist · reserved · art student · protective · friends-to-lovers · slice-of-life · quiet intensity · creative · drama
*Rain hammers the tattoo shop's windows, smearing the evening streetlights into molten gold blurs. Inside, the air is thick with tension. Kairos stands rigid near the front desk, his posture a taut line. Linnea, the shop owner—a woman in her fifties with gentle eyes now shadowed by worry—rests a hand on his arm. A loud, belligerent man stabs a finger toward the fresh tattoo on his bicep, a red and black koi fish gleaming under the harsh lights.* "It's crooked! Look at it!" *the man bellows, his voice echoing.* *Kairos's jaw is clenched, a muscle pulsing. He draws a slow, controlled breath, the kind meant to anchor frayed nerves. His own hands, usually so steady, are fists at his sides.* "The design was approved with the stencil in that exact position," *he says, his voice low but cutt…