slicings | ink written on your soul;

ink written on your soul;

[ dan feng will be arriving shortly, and yingxing can't help but to feel slightly nervous.

it's odd, for him, he's never nervous before his clients come in. he knows his worth, knows his own level of skill - he is one of the luofu's most sought after tattoo artists, most clients need to book well in advance, and yingxing is self-assured enough to never be anxious. but dan feng.. he's different. the moment he first laid eyes on the man, yingxing was entranced, and he knows for damned sure that he wants this tattoo to be up to his highest standards, to perfectly match the elegant, beautiful canvas he'll be applying it on.

they've only met in person once or twice now, to go over the design, most of their correspondence has been via email as yingxing worked on developing the piece, but to say he's got a stupid schoolboy crush would be an understatement. it's embarrassing, honestly, and unprofessional as well, so he's made sure to maintain the healthy boundary between them, even if the idea of seeing dan feng again is enough to get his heart fluttering against his ribs. ridiculous. he's well into his thirties, there's no reason to behave as if this man is his first crush, as if he's not a grown man with a job to do.

even still, once dan feng arrives it gets easier. something about the man simply puts yingxing at ease, calms his soul. he's just finishing sanitizing his station when dan feng appears in the doorway, and yingxing offers him a nod. ]

Come in. I'm ready for you.

[ he says, gesturing to the bench in front of him as he snaps on a pair of black nitrile gloves. ]

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[Whatever this thing is that's sparking between them, Yingxing certainly isn't the only one to take notice. No matter how much Dan Feng had attempted to put the man out of his mind, he always seemed to return. Maybe... maybe it was time for him to simply accept this fluttery crush he seemed to have on the artist.

Perhaps the sooner he accepted it, the sooner it would pass...

... Yingxing's chuckle sounds nice, and Dan Feng does his level best to ignore the warmth he can feel at the tips of his ears. He enjoyed listening to the other man talk far more than he expected, after they'd not seen one another for weeks.

Once all of the artists settle in for this last pose, the room is filled with such peace for him. He couldn't watch them certainly, but he could hear the way each approached their art.. he could hear the couple that talked quietly to themselves as they made their decisions, could hear how some were somewhat more heavy-handed than others. It was genuinely one of his favorite things about accepting these modeling requests.

The alarm sounds far too soon, and Dan Feng has to take a moment, blinking as he shifts his focus back to the world around him in a more... conscious way. He's eased himself back to his feet, the robe more modestly in place by the time Yingxing makes his rounds through the class. This was the moment that Dan Feng would typically use to change back into his normal clothes, so he quietly makes his way into the office to do just that.

He always returned once changed though, especially since some students seemed to want to show their work to him... but it's Yingxing's drawing that catches his eye. Dan Feng tugs his jacket more securely around his shoulders, the last moments of class spent taking in the man's work just as he'd done with the tattoo.

Yingxing surely made him look far better than he actually did.]

[ nonsense. he made dan feng look exactly as he is - ethereally beautiful, elegant down to the tip of every finger and every strand of silken hair.

by the time the model reemerges, dressed comfortably again, yingxing has finished speaking with his students, and he's about ready to clean up his workstation when he finds dan feng hovering nearby, examining the art that yingxing had sketched of him. his mouth curves into a smile as he approaches, tattooed arms crossing loosely over his abdomen. ]

Do you like it?

[ not all of the models enjoy seeing the students' work. it's one thing to sit for a life drawing class, but quite another to see the results, occasionally embarrassed or abashed by the way their likeness has been captured upon the paper. he's glad to see that dan feng is not among them. ]

You did really well.

[Dan Feng's eyes don't shift away from the artwork until he hears the approaching footsteps stop. The smile he offers Yingxing is warm, even if there's perhaps a hint of self-consciousness in the way his hands hold idly to his coat. It's... interesting, how he feels in this one instance rather than any of the others.]

I do. I've started to wonder if there happens to be anything you can't do.

[There had been a time, back when he was still in his teens, where Dan Feng was embarrassed to see how people's work had ended up. Certainly he knew that he was attractive enough -- especially with how often he'd been approached over the years -- but seeing the way an artist captured his appearance had been something else entirely.

That hadn't stopped him from looking, though. Not even back then when his heart would race nervously. His heart is racing this time as well... but it has very little to do with the artwork and near everything to do with the artist.]

I'm glad you think so, really. Even though I still have trouble with over the shoulder poses.

[His hair was just so long that there was no way for him to see the particulars of how it looked in such poses. The only time he'd not needed any help was when his hair had been styled up elegantly, precisely for the purpose of helping the students understand the shapes you could get in hair.]

[ at that, yingxing barks a laugh. ]

Hard to say. Maybe there isn't.

[ his grin slants, slightly smarmy, slightly brilliant, as he approaches to stand beside dan feng, glancing toward his likeness on the newsprint pad. light and shadow outline the still image of the dragon on the paper, a beauty to behold, the inky darkness of his hair contrasting with all of that soft, fair skin, shadows falling into the dips of his body, the curve of a nearly bare shoulder..

yingxing's gaze flicks away from it, and back to dan feng. ]

I wouldn't have guessed it. I think you're just a natural. [ a beat. ] How's the ink healed up?

[Dan Feng chuckles quietly at that response, the gently amused light reaching his eyes easily enough in the moments before his gaze shifts back to Yingxing's drawing of him. It really was so hard to believe that he could actually be quite as beautiful as the man's art made him look. Or at the very least, no other image he'd seen of himself after these courses had drawn his attention so completely.]

I don't know that I'd go that far.

[Amusement colors his voice still, but it's still a genuinely serious response. He'd needed some help with the poses at first, before he'd spent some time looking up anything he could find about posing for this sort of thing. Really he thought that his only real advantage was his ability to sit still.]

Oh, it's healed completely by now.

[Automatically, his hand lifts to brush his fingertips against the tattoo, seafoam eyes shifting back to Yingxing once more.]

I shared a picture of it once it healed up, I'm sure I didn't forget to tag you..

[He's absolutely certain, but still he retrieves his phone from his pocket to make sure. It doesn't take all that long at all before the app loads and he's able to navigate to that specific post. Sure enough, he'd posted it with the tag as he remembered.]

[ dan feng takes the compliment as gracefully as yingxing had expected, of course, and while he shakes his head, he doesn't argue it right now. dan feng had done exceptionally well, and much of that was due simply to his elegant nature as a person, a far cry from yingxing's own more abrasive and ferocious approach to the world. but their differences only makes dan feng all the more alluring. ]

You didn't, no, I saw it.

[ and even liked it, too! it had been very tempting to follow dan feng, but.. that had felt a little too inappropriate, when they were nothing more than business acquaintances. ]

Seeing it in person is different, though.

[ he leans forward a little, craning his neck to glance toward dan feng's neck, one hand lifting, though he doesn't quite touch. ]

May I?

[Before they'd met, while he was still looking into selecting an artist for his tattoo, Dan Feng had already followed the account where Yingxing posted his work.. but ever since they'd met he'd wondered if the man had a more personal account. But he certainly didn't have the guts to ask or even look on his own. They were acquaintances at best, after all.

He certainly didn't need that thought to return now, while he was in the artist's presence again. Surely it was still inappropriate. Wasn't it?

Yingxing's hand lifts, and Dan Feng drops his own to his side without thinking. He ought to have pulled his hair aside... but he does tilt his head a little.]

Of course, feel free.

[At least he does turn in order to make it easier for Yingxing to view the tattoo.. so he wouldn't have to try leaning around him for it.]

[ dan feng turns, and yingxing gently pushes his hair aside and over his shoulder to examine the freshly healed tattoo, surveying his work. his touch is surprisingly gentle and careful as his knuckles brush dan feng's neck, keeping his hair pushed back. he smiles. ]

It looks great. You took good care of it.

[ it's healed quite well, the skin is smooth and the ink looks nice and crisp, the color well distributed. perfect. he lets dan feng's hair fall back into place and steps back, keeping a friendly but still respectful distance as his arms cross loosely over his abdomen again. ]

Are you a student here?

[ he might as well confirm it, he supposes, given how tempted yingxing finds himself, how easy it would be to just.. ask him out for coffee. normally he's more than confident enough to pursue the people he's interested in, but he's never dated someone significantly younger than he is before, and holding back is absolutely a challenge. in order to keep his eyes from dragging over dan feng's beautiful face any longer, he turns to his easel to begin cleaning up his things, carefully closing the newsprint pad and stowing it away in his portfolio. ]

[It takes all of Dan Feng's strength to keep his breath from catching again in his chest when Yingxing moves his hair over his shoulder to view the tattoo more easily. Though he doesn't quite manage to keep the faint hitch out entirely. It's ridiculous... why was it only this man who made him feel this way?]

It's.. important to me. And I did promise to follow your instructions, after all.

[He takes a slow breath when Yingxing steps back, trying to calm the way his heart fluttered. There really was something about the artist that continually drew his interest... and it was getting to the point where Dan Feng wasn't certain it was just a passing fancy.

The question draws his eyes back to the other as he turns to face toward him once again.]

I am, though I have been for some years now. Keeping myself busy, I suppose.

[Certainly an understatement. Having finished high school with enough college credits for an associate's degree, he was nearing finished with enough study to get his master's by this point. Though he had cut down to only a full-time student's class load, once he took his part-time job... but it would be soon enough.]

[ yingxing knows he's not making it up. he can't be. the way dan feng's breath hitches quietly.. it makes his abdomen tighten and his chest constrict. gods, he's such a creep. plenty of men his age pursue younger partners, sure, but he's never been that type - even still, he feels the electric current that runs between them, thick and warm as syrup.

but he's been called an arrogant man, before. maybe he is making more of it than there truly is. ]

Professional student, huh?

[ he chuckles lightly under his breath as he stows away his charcoals and conte crayons, then carefully breaks down his easel, tucking it beneath one arm. the room is all but deserted by now, and yingxing can't - and shouldn't - make up excuses to linger, however much he wants to. ]

It was good seeing you again. My door's open when you're ready for that next tattoo, yeah?

[The entire time they've been speaking today, Dan Feng has been doing his best to ignore anything he could feel between them. It wasn't as if he was unfamiliar with how it felt to have chemistry between two people... but surely he was mistaken this time. Compared to previous partners... what he felt around Yingxing was far more powerful. Even from the moment they met, he found himself drawn to the man more than he'd been drawn to anyone before.]

I'll eventually be finished with everything I'm working toward, but I suppose until then you could say that.

[There's a light chuckle in his voice as he responds. It isn't as if Yingxing was the first to make a comment along those lines. Previous partners.. even his closest friend, though Jingliu had since learned why he was doing this.

Yingxing mentions the next tattoo.. and Dan Feng feels his chest grow tight. He hadn't completely made up his mind before today... but now...]

It's been good to see you as well.. but about that next tattoo... [His eyes drop briefly, before he glances back up to Yingxing.] ... would you happen to know if you have any time available for a consultation anytime soon?

[ yingxing's brows lift, and he smiles. ]

Hang on, I'll check.

[ with his free hand, he fishes his phone from his pocket and flips through it, pulling up his schedule and giving it a glance over, thumbing through his upcoming appointments. when he glances toward dan feng again, he looks pleased. ]

You're in luck. Someone cancelled this Thursday night. You free then?

[ he can't help but hope that he is. it's not often that yingxing gets cancellations, usually his appointments for consultations and tattoo sittings are booked several months in advance, but the idea of seeing dan feng again so soon.. well, he shouldn't let himself be excited by it, but he is. waiting months to work with this man again feels like torture. ]

[He really shouldn't feel so nervous waiting to schedule an appointment -- he never has been before... yet this man has made him feel so many things out of the ordinary for him. His heart racing, breath catching in his chest... feeling nervous about being able to see him again.. Dan Feng really couldn't say just what he hoped for.]

I think so, let me see..

[Since his phone was already out, it doesn't take Dan Feng long to check his calendar. His classes, work and appointments were all scheduled out... and it's an incredible relief to see this Thursday completely free.]

Ah, yeah, I'm free Thursday night. So.. I suppose this means I'll see you then..?

[He does his best to keep the hope he feels out of his tone.. but he does still sound pleased by the thought. It wasn't too far away... and knowing he would be able to see Yingxing again this week settled warmly in his chest.]

[ yingxing can't help the smile that blooms across his face. ]

Yeah. Eight o'clock. I'll see you then.

[ with a sharp wink, yingxing pockets his phone again and lifts his portfolio by the handle, and the two of them leave the room together, yingxing's heart leaping.

in the few days leading up to the appointment, he considers his options. clearly, he's interested in dan feng, there's no denying that to himself, and it's not just the man's good looks.. there's something else, too, a rumbling feeling in his heart. he likes everything about dan feng, the way he moves, the sound of his voice, his gentle smile - man, he can't remember ever being so struck by someone so quickly. it almost feels familiar, like they've met before, but that's impossible.

either way, he's got a decision to make, one that hinges on just how this consultation goes.

the day arrives, and yingxing is thankfully busy enough with his appointments that he can't obsess too much over the fact that dan feng is arriving soon, but by the time the night winds around, his nerves are sparking. in his workroom, yingxing cleans up, pushing his station to the side, just finishing up sanitizing the last of his tools when dan feng appears in the doorway, and yingxing grins. ]

Hey, you.

See you then.

[The part ways once they've both stepped out of that room... and thus begins several days of his nerves fluttering.

Still the last thing he wanted to do was make the man uncomfortable, in his workplace or anywhere else... but that doesn't mean his mind doesn't wander to Yingxing regardless. The sparks he can feel between them... they're almost magnetic, in the way they draw him to want to be close to the artist. In the way they've made him want to be close since the moment they met. To Dan Feng it felt almost like they'd been meant to meet... to grow close even.

To say he throws himself into both work and schoolwork over the next couple days would be an understatement. Dan Feng had picked up the next several weeks of assignments for a couple of his classes and settled himself in to studying on his own and doing future work just to keep himself occupied when he wasn't at work or in class. But that doesn't make him any less nervous on Thursday, in the hours leading up to the eight in the evening appointment.

His heart is fluttering in his chest immediately upon stepping into the parlor... and especially when he reaches the doorway to Yingxing's workroom. Dan Feng allows the door to fall closed behind him, just as it had during their first meeting, and turns a soft smile toward the man.]

It sounded as if you've had a rather busy day today. [The person up front had said so, anyway.] I really am fortunate that cancellation happened.

[ setting aside the last of his cleaned tools, yingxing stands and washes his hands thoroughly in the small sink, chatting all the while. ]

Yeah, it would've been a three month wait if they hadn't cancelled. Lucky for me, you're here now.

[ a subtle flirt, but one that could be easily written off as friendliness, even if it certainly means more. drying his hands on a towel, yingxing turns, leaning up against the countertop with his arms lightly crossed, his sleeveless top showing off strong, well-muscled arms and his intricately patterned tattoos. down his right arm runs a sleeve of stars from shoulder to wrist, while his left is inked in clockwork gears and mechanical parts. ink trails along his shoulders and collarbone, disappearing down into his shirt. a close, critical eye might notice the scarring on his skin - lacerations against the backs of his arms, and burn marks along his forearms, but they are well hidden beneath the layers of beautiful ink. ]

But you're my last for tonight, so we've got plenty of time. Why don't you get comfortable and tell me about what you're looking for?

[ he gestures to the comfortable sofa against the wall, then leans to turn down the radio he'd been listening to, dulling to music to a quiet hum. ]

[Dan Feng hums quietly, something warm lighting his eyes.]

Are you sure I'm not the lucky one?

[He certainly feels like the lucky one of the two of them. A three month wait.. he feels almost like he'd have lost his mind waiting for that. It had been several days of nerves as it was with a same week appointment.

Slipping out of his coat, his shirt beneath it loose, if less wide collared than on the day of his first tattoo, Dan Feng lets his gaze trail idly over Yingxing's tattoos. Even during the few appointments last time, he'd found himself drawn to them.. something about them making him wonder about the artist. Like his own, tattoos were often meaningful... so he'd wondered what meaning Yingxing's could have to him...

Dan Feng catches something... different on the man's arms this time, but he doesn't quite get the chance to look closer before Yingxing speaks up again.]

I'd hate to keep you too terribly long, after a busy day..

[He pauses long enough to settle down on the sofa, his hands clasping in his lap as he takes a moment or two longer to lift his gaze again.]

What I'm looking for... is a tattoo to cover something up. I know things like cherry blossom branches are popular, which started the idea.

A cover up?

[ could mean several things. people often cover up older tattoos that they regret, or that have deteriorated due to poor execution, but he remembers dan feng having mentioned that the dragon piece was his first tattoo.

but there are plenty of other possibilities. scarring is always one, or some other sort of blemished skin.. not that he can imagine dan feng being anything but flawless from head to toe. but everyone has secrets, things they'd like to hide, parts of themselves that they don't like, no matter how beautiful they might be to other people. yingxing gets it. he's covered up plenty of things. ]

Why don't you show me what you'd like covered up?

[ pushing off of the counter, yingxing sidles across the room to drop onto the sofa beside dan feng, one leg bent and tucked up beneath him as he leans his elbows onto his thighs. cherry blossoms, huh.. cute, and beautiful, but a little overdone, he thinks. another idea sparks to his mind, but he'll keep it to himself for now. ]

[There's something about showing Yingxing -- showing anyone -- what he needs covered up that makes Dan Feng exceptionally anxious. Other than his grandmother, only Jingliu knew about it... and he'd often done his best not to look at his own back in mirrors. He never wore anything that could risk showing any of it.

But if he was to get this tattoo, Yingxing would need to see.]

Alright... but.. just know that it's a lot.

[His voice is quiet, his nerves flickering into his eyes before he's tugging his long hair forward over one shoulder and shifting so that his back is to Yingxing. Dan Feng takes a breath.. before tugging his shirt off over his head.

The scarring on his back is extensive, jagged torn lines stretching and crossing his back from above his right shoulderblade, down below his left, and down to the small of his back. The scars are clearly several years old by now... but they would clearly be with him for the rest of his life, very unlikely to fade even over decades.]

[ dan feng turns away from him and tugs his loose shirt over his head, and for a moment it's a struggle to stay professional - but only for a moment. it soon becomes apparent just what dan feng wanted covered up, as yingxing glances over the deep, extensive scarring along his smooth back, his brow furrowed. ]

Don't worry. You're not the first who's wanted to cover up scars, and you won't be the last.

[ his voice is conversational, but gentle. in order to want these covered up, and given how hesitant he had been to show them, yingxing can only gather that he must be quite self-conscious about them. but he'a a professional, and it's his job to give the customer what they want, to make them happy, so he takes this plenty seriously. ]

I'm going to touch you, if that's okay.

[ he says, then lifts his hands, carefully feeling over the scars with a decent amount of pressure, testing the tautness of the damaged tissue as he leans in. ]

[Even knowing that covering up scars was a popular reason for people to get tattoos, Dan Feng still found himself struggling with just how bad his own scars were. Jingliu had told him that anyone who would judge him upon seeing the scars weren't worth his concern, but it had always been one thing to hear that and another entirely to feel it.

Dan Feng's hands close around the soft fabric of his shirt as he does his best to keep himself from going tense down his back. He was self-conscious... but he was certain that he could trust Yingxing. It was part of why he chose him in particular for this.]

That's fine..

[It wouldn't be the first time Yingxing had touched his skin... and Dan Feng could only hope he'd enough control over himself not to react as he had the previous two times at that event. But he isn't completely prepared for the careful exploratory touches. The next breath he takes trembles audibly enough in this quiet room.. and he can't stop the faint shiver that curls down his spine.]

[ despite how tightly he clings to his professionalism, yingxing would have to be a fool not to notice dan feng's reactions - the way his breath shudders like that, audible even over the quiet music, and that shiver..

fuck it. you only live once. if yingxing is entirely wrong about his assumptions regarding dan feng's interest, well, he's going to look like an absolute idiot at best, and a complete, intolerable creep at worst, but.. he's pretty sure he isn't wrong. this thing rapidly developing between them - it's real, and swallowing the both of them alive.

carefully, yingxing's fingertips explore, but something changes. his touch becomes lighter, and rather than pressing and massaging the scar tissue to test it, he's simply tracing the path of them, following the patterns until he's soon not touching his scars at all, he's just touching him, dragging his knuckles down dan feng's back, over scars and cool, impossibly soft skin. ]

I see why you suggested cherry blossoms.

[ he says, quietly, shifting in his seat a little so that he's fully facing dan feng's back, making it all the easier to tip his head down, his warm breath ghosting across the rise of dan feng's shoulder. his heart pounds against his ribs, yingxing's eyelids dropping low. ]

But I've got another idea.. if you trust my judgment.

[Dan Feng notices immediately when the way Yingxing is touching him changes, when his touch changes from something impersonal and searching... to something far more intimate. The man's fingers are still tracing his scars at first, and Dan Feng's breath catches in his chest.

While he'd thought this thing between them was simply his imagination or wishful thinking... he would have to be incredibly dense to miss just what the intent behind Yingxing's touches was.

He knows precisely the patterns of his scars... which means he also knows the moment that touch strays from them completely. It feels so nice, having those warm hands on his skin, and Dan Feng can't even stop the way his breathing picks up just a little at first.

Yingxing's warm breath ghosts against his skin.. and Dan Feng shivers fully, his breath trembling as he releases it.]

I.. [There's something faintly breathless in the way he speaks.] I do trust you..

[ dan feng doesn't immediately reject him, doesn't jump to his feet and slap him across the face for his behavior (it would be warranted), and that's all that yingxing needs to go for it.

his hands settle at dan feng's hips, broad and strong, thumbs rubbing circles against bare skin as he leans in further, his mouth dragging hot along dan feng's bare shoulder, then up along the slope that leads to his throat. heat coils in his stomach at the way dan feng's words fall from his lips, breathless enough to be exceedingly arousing, and it punches a hole straight to his libido, snagging his insides and squeezing.

it's dan feng's last chance to put an end to this, to pull away before yingxing loses what little restraint he has left. ]

Good. I'll give you exactly what you want.

[ his voice rumbles, deep and suggestive, as yingxing presses open-mouthed kisses along the column of dan feng's mouth, both arms coiling around his middle, warm palm sliding over his exposed abdomen as he tugs dan feng back against his own body. ]

[Yingxing's hands come to rest on his hips, and Dan Feng's heart races in his chest, the pace of his breathing picking up even further. Those warm hands feel so hot against his skin, each touch like fire as it sends waves of warmth through his body. Never once has he ever experienced something quite like this, regardless of how warm a partner had been in comparison to himself.

The artist's warm mouth on his bare shoulder feels better than it has any right to, and it's really all Dan Feng can do to keep himself quieter. He'd always thought himself a rather quiet person... but perhaps that had been simply because he'd never found the right partner.

He's lost, once those hands slide against his skin -- once those hot kisses are pressed to his skin. Soft sounds of pleasure begin to chase each breath he takes, heat pooling low in his body as he feels the beginnings of an ache in his lap.]

Yingxing.. [He leans back into the artist's body, voice low and trembling as his eyes flutter closed.] .. please...

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