Poke

[Addison Sloane]

"Oh come on, Fe. This is gonna be a breeze. It's going to be as harmless as a poke in the belly!" 

Addison grinned and poked Felix's taut stomach and dug in a little. They were on their way to the tattoo parlour and the small brunette was trying to convince her friend that what they were going to do was fun.

She personally was excited and she wanted Felix to be as excited as her, but she knew the teacher's aversion to needles so she wasn't holding her breath. But she was going to make a big effort to keep him at ease at least. 

[Felix Nicholas]

To say Felix was a touch apprehensive was a bit of an understatement. The teacher had always had a slight uneasiness when it came to needles, but before now Felix's only involvement with the implements had been getting his shots as a child; He'd hated every moment, but they'd been a necessity. This was him going by choice into the lion's den. As the time had come gradually closer, the teacher felt his increasing anxiety twisting in his stomach, and he considered calling the whole thing off; Did he really need to get a tattoo...? His parents wouldn't approve... Not that they held much jurisdiction over the teacher now, given his "adult" status. He also highly doubted Addy would accept that as an excuse.

Felix took a deep intake of breath as he walked alongside his companion, heading towards the tattoo parlor. The teacher had been slowing his footsteps a little, trying to give himself more time to think of some way out of the hole he'd gotten himself into; It wasn't that he didn't want to go through with it... But the process of getting one was rather unfavourable. "A poke in the belly?! I don't think- OW!" Felix mocked her poke as having hurt, pouting his bottom lip out slightly and rubbing his stomach. "... That's easy for you to say... You're not terrified." He cast her his usual goofy smile, but the nerves laying underneath were obvious.

[Addison Sloane]

Addison noted Felix slowing down and she did as well, only to grab his hand, lacing her fingers through his and squeezing it lightly. She looked up at him with a smile when he played along with the poke.

"There's no reason for you to be terrified, Fe." She made a show of rolling her eyes before reaching up to ruffle his hair affectionately. "You've got me. And I'm not going anywhere." She nodded decisively and pulled him into the parlour.

"Hi, we'd like to get tattoos and I have a sketch of it in mind already." She announced with a smile.

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix took Addy's gesture of comfort gratefully, giving her hand a return squeeze, before pouting as she ruffled his hair. He knew she was trying her best to calm his nerves, but his heart still seemed rather determined to beat at an uneasy pace. Stepping over the threshold of the business felt like a massive step, the teacher taking a slightly tighter hold on the singer's hand as the buzzing of tattoo guns made up the majority of the surrounding noise, the very sound only serving to bring Felix further on edge.
He had no idea his fear was THIS bad. He bit his bottom lip, offering the heavily tattooed young woman behind the small desk which was serving as some sort of reception a wide grin.
"... I mean, if you're fully booked up then that's perfectly fine, we can come back another day-" His hopes were however dashed as the woman shook her head, informing them that there was a number of open slots that day, and that they were welcome to take a seat while the tattoo artist finished up his current customer.
"Well that's just... Great!" Felix replied brightly, although he gave Addy's hand another squeeze, walking her to the small area of the parlor where a few seats were situated. "... You know, if you're nervous we can always wait a few more days." He spoke as he sat down running his hand through his hair and gripping it a little.

Even with the promise of all you can eat sushi afterwards, this task suddenly felt far more daunting then Felix had thought.

[Addison Sloane]

Hearing Felix trying to get out of getting the tattoo made Addison both smile and pout. For one, she didn't want to force Felix to do something he clearly wasn't ready. But damn it, he looked so damn adorable trying to play off his fear!

When they were waved over to the waiting area, Addison tugged Felix's hand and she guided them out of the parlour after Addison asked for a minute from the receptionist.

She stopped them both and took Felix's other hand in hers and looked up at him with a grin, biting her lower lip.

"Fe, I know you're scared and God knows, you should be. I can't even remember how I felt getting my first tattoo. But I'm still standing here with you." Her bright blue eyes searching his hazel ones. "I don't know about you but I've made some really regrettable decisions in my life but getting a tattoo, a really good one that means something to you, shouldn't be a regret for you. Right?"

[Felix Nicholas]

Addy took the teacher's hand and lead him out before he could say anything more, a small flicker of confusion passing over him before it became obvious of her intentions. Felix's expression softened as he listened to his friend in her attempt to comfort him, letting him know that hey, if he didn't want to go through with it... He didn't have to.

"... I know, I know," Felix replied with a gentle sigh, giving her a smile with a slight tilt of his head. "You're right... But I'm just a little bit more tense then I thought I would be..." He glanced towards the parlor; It still looked as unnerving as it had the first time he'd stepped up the threshold minutes ago, but at the same time... Addy's words had calmed him a fraction. He wasn't here getting some fly by tattoo for the sake of it... He was getting something important, something which bonded him to the Academy, to his music, to his work and to Addy. Music connected them both.
He looked back to Addy, his eyes searching hers for the steadfast conviction he needed before a warmer, less uneasy smile crossed his lips. "No worries, Addy. I'll cope!" He ruffled her hair with a chuckle. "Got that street cred to worry about, remember? Don't want my students thinking I can't even handle a tattoo."

[Addison Sloane]

Addison was a little surprised Felix actually looked less stressed after what she said. She gave herself a mental pat on the back before squeezing his hand again. "Good. Yes, think about the kids on Sesame Street." She said, reminding him of the stupid joke she made few weeks ago when he mentioned his street cred.

She grinned widely at Felix before tugging him back into the parlour, handing the receptionist her phone to show the design Addison wanted. She had come across the design a few months ago and had been contemplating on doing it but she kept putting it off. Now was as good a time as any to revisit the idea.

So they waited until there were two tattoo artists available and Addison looked at Felix, silently questioning his conviction once more before she stood up and followed the receptionist to the chairs.

All the while, Addison didn't let go of Felix's hand.

[Felix Nicholas]

The teacher chuckled slightly at Addy's bringing up of the joke she'd made some weeks ago, shaking his head a little. It put him more at ease, but his stomach was still tying itself up in knots. He allowed her to lead him back inside, waiting with slight impatience; The longer the wait took, the greater the chance of Felix loosing his confidence. Eventually, the receptionist waved them both forward, the teacher swallowing as he produced a folded piece of paper from his trouser pocket. His was a series of numbers, the exact radio frequency for the Academy's radio. The receptionist took the paper, handing it over to the tattoo artist handling Felix's ink.

The teacher gave his friend's hand one last squeeze before letting go in order to get into the chair; Now that he was here, his heart was practically in his throat, beating so violently he was almost certain Addy and the tattoo artists could surely hear it. He settled back in the chair, flinching slightly when the artist dealing with him set the needle off, merely testing it. Felix snapped his gaze to the man, like a rabbit in headlights, quickly reaching out to his hand again to take hold of Addy's. "ADDY... ... Addy you promise this won't hurt?" He spoke, tossing his friend a goofy smile teamed with a nervous gaze. "You know... Not TOO much?"

[Addison Sloane]

Trying to peek at the piece of paper Felix handed to the receptionist, Addison settled into the chair and held up the wrist she wanted the tattoo to be. She was about to tell the tattoo artist where she wanted it when Felix tugged her hand. She turned and a smirk appeared on her face.

"Not too much. I promise. Poke in the belly." She nodded before squeezing his hand.
"And if it does, I'll give you like...two more sushi buffets whenever you want." She chuckled before turning to the tattoo artist to tell him where she wanted the tattoo to be.

"What're you getting by the way?" Addison asked, turning to Felix.

[Felix Nicholas]

The writhing in Felix's stomach quelled slightly as Addison took his hand again. He knew her assurances likely wouldn't be true, since he doubted having a needle injecting ink under your skin was going to be simply the pain equivalent of a "poke in the belly", but still they provided some comfort. Felix grinned at her, before chuckling nervously. He settled back again into the chair, momentarily flickering his eyes shut. "For the sushi. Do it for the sushi," He spoke, before snapping his gaze open and glancing over to his friend.

"... Ha... Well, I hope you don't think it's dumb... But I wanted the Academy's radio frequency on my arm." He gave a light hearted chuckle, running his hand through his hair with his free hand. "The radio means a lot to me... I practically built up that place from the ground up. I modified half the stuff in there myself... It was there for me when everything happened with... My lack of a love life. And of course, it's where we met." Felix gave a shoulder shrug. "It just seemed... The most important thing to have tattooed." He then looked to his tattoo artist, pointing to the inside of his right forearm where he wanted the tattoo, before looking back over to Addy.
"What are you getting?" He asked curiously, the conversation taking his mind a little off what was about to happen.

[Addison Sloane]

She laughed at his repetition, taking note that even the tattoo artists were amused by the display. Addison shook her head in protest when he thought she would think his idea was dumb. She wouldn't ever tease anyone for something they personally believed to be important.

It didn't even surprise her when he mentioned he wanted his channel frequency. His station was well established when they first met and he seemed so at home in it whenever she visited him to work on their projects. What did surprise her was that them meeting there was significant enough for him to note. She felt her cheeks heat up a little before she nodded, turning her face to the tattoo artist who was setting things up.

The turnabout question had her turning back to him, hoping the heat in her cheeks had dissipated.

"Oh! Just a music bar with a watercolour backdrop." She took her hand from Felix for a moment to take her phone to show him the picture. Once he saw it, she put the phone back so the tattoo artist could do her work. "It's super cliche but I kinda feel like...music made my life colourful, you know? I figure it's going to be in my life for a really long time so cliched or not, it's perfect." She nodded before holding her hand out to Felix for him to hold. "I kinda can't wait for sushi though. I hear the new place that opened has a whole new variety of sushi. Have you ever eaten salmon skin?"

[Felix Nicholas]

Felix had always been a man who valued his friends higher even then himself. He'd gotten himself into some dire, life threatening situations previously merely on the grounds that a friend needed him. Any person who managed to find a warm spot in the teacher's heart was significantly important, so Felix felt meeting Addy was more then enough reason for the tattoo alone. He glanced over to He eagerly awaited her own design reveal, smiling softly at her and giving a small nod when she showed the pretty, elegant design on her phone. "It suits you," He grinned. He noted the sight pink tinge to her cheeks, but supposed the nerves were getting even to her.
The teacher flinched slightly as the tattoo artist began to apply the rubbing alcohol, the liquid sending a small chill down his spine; It was now or never... If he wanted to opt out, he needed to say so now... Instead however, Felix took a deep breath, breathing out slowly to calm his nerves before looking to Addy, ignoring the tattooist continuing to prepare his arm. She offered him a distracting question, which the teacher took gratefully. "Can't say I have," He spoke thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair and looking up at the tattoo parlour's ceiling. "I mean, I've eaten in a few sushi places. My Father's a big fan of Japanese food."

Felix knew Addy was well aware of who his Father was, and the wealth his family held; Yet she'd never treated him any different because of it... Anyone which did so almost always made you an instant friend to the teacher. He felt himself tense once the tattoo artist placed the thermal transfer paper, on which had now been printed his design, onto his arm. He glanced over, quickly nodding to confirm the placement before looking back to his friend. "Well... Um. Here we go," He spoke softly, his voice a little quieter now. "Are you going to be okay? I mean, you're got big brave Felix here so you know there's nothing to be scared of."

[Addison Sloane]

Addison smiled affectionately, her head leaning back on the headrest at his response. "Thanks. Yours too. It makes perfect sense for you." She nodded and was glad he participated in the idle chat with her, even though he was clearly still visibly nervous.

"I'm a big fan of food." She chuckled before the buzzing sound began. The prickling sensation that slowly turned into pain surprised Addison but not enough for her to react in any negative way. Her eyes widened before she turned to the tattoo artist who was working on her forearm. Her hand had involuntarily gripped Felix's tight before she chuckled. "Yep. Nothing to be scared of."

The pain eventually dulled for Addison and she looked over to Felix to see how he was doing. His tattoo was considerably smaller than hers and she knew it was only a matter of time before he was done, way before her.

"Think of the sushi."

[Felix Nicholas]

The idle chat was a thankful distraction, although Felix doubted it would be enough to completely distract from from the inevitable pain he was about to endure; Still, at least he wasn't about to go through this alone... Having Addy present was more of an crutch then he realised... If she hadn't come with him, the teacher doubted he'd be laid out in a tattoo chair right now. He chuckled a little at his friend's comment on liking food, before he gave a sharp, sudden intake of breath.
The tattoo artist working on his arm had finally started up the gun, the tingling as it was placed against his skin quickly shifting to needle like pain. The teacher gasped, biting his bottom lip, closing his eyes tightly despite himself as he took a tighter hold of Addy's hand.

It hurt far more then he thought it would... Frantic, rapid needle like jolts dug into his arm, causing Felix to shift his legs a little uncomfortably, clenching his other hand a little into a fist; He managed a pained smile, opening one eye and looking over to Addy. "OUCH... You lied to me, Addy, it IS worse then a poke in the belly! How could you?" A chuckle escaped his lips as he gave a soft sigh, forcing himself to relax a little as he settled back, closing his eye again. He occasionally flinched when the tattoo gun was particularly uncomfortable, but he was beginning to get used to the sensation. "... You know, something tells me I have a really low pain threshold," He grinned. "But I'll think of that sushi... You so owe me like... Three buffets for this."

[Addison Sloane]

Addison grimaced when Felix joked about her lying to him. "I know, I'm sorry. But I had to say something to make you come with me." She laughed at his next statements and nodded. "All the sushi you can eat." She promised.

She tried to engage Felix in small talk as the tattoo artists did their magic and for her, it worked. Their hands might as well have been melded in that time from the way they gripped each other. Before they knew it, the tattoo artists were done.

They started cleaning up and instructing Addison on how to take proper care of it for the next few days. She listened carefully and made sure to note it down so she could relay the message to Felix if he forgot. She stayed in the chair, looking down at her tattoo and smiling at the end result. So worth the pain.