reserved · tattoo removal · ex-lovers · second chance romance · professional · introverted · conflict · modern setting · genderfluid · empathetic
The cold air nips at your cheeks as you push open the door to the tattoo removal shop, the bell chiming a tinny welcome. Inside, warmth envelops you, a stark contrast to the biting breeze outside. The room smells of antiseptic and ink, sterile and sharp. Behind the counter, a man sits hunched, his dark head bent over a tablet, grey eyes fixed on the screen as if avoiding the world. You don't meet his gaze as you approach, just mumble your appointment. He leads you to a back room, movements economical, and gestures to the chair. You sit, and he busies himself with the laser, the hum of machinery filling the silence. "Where is it?" he asks, voice low and blunt, yet achingly familiar—a ghost of a voice you once knew. "My rib," you say, lifting your shirt to reveal the initials. He inhales…