Vincente Rikke 'Rik' Soeren (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
riff_razor) wrote2022-08-05 12:41 pm
riff_razor) wrote2022-08-05 12:41 pm
A Mark of the Heart
For Writer's Month 2022 Day 5: Heart (CW: references to child abuse)
Rik sat down with his cousin alone for once. It was a rare thing on tour with this many musicians. Mikkel was digging around in his bag to pull out his drawing pad and the inks. Rik pulled off his shirt and then walked over to sit on the chair beside his younger cousin. They had lived through hell together and there was something beautiful in watching the boy flourish now that he was away from the hatred and abuse.
“Here.” Mikkel shoved the open pad toward his cousin.
Rik took it and looked down at the drawing. The black and purple crossed guitars over a heart colored in half Union Jack and half the flag of Denmark. It was perfect and he smiled at his cousin. “The shoulder?”
Mikkel glanced over, both young men were rail thin, and he held the drawing up to Rik's shoulder. “Is that where you want it?”
“Yes. On the same side as my music notes.” Rik confirmed.
Mikkel gave him a smile because he knew why these tattoos belonged on the same side. Both represented men his cousin loved, would probably never stop loving as long as he lived. Rik was that way. He went in all the way, went in for keeps, or not at all.
Mikkel busied himself shaving and cleaning Rik's shoulder. “Does Billy know?”
Rik smiled and let out a little shy laugh. “No.”
Mikkel kissed his cousin's cheek. They were so much a like and yet so different. One shy and one a loudmouth but they shared a lot. They were unbreakable, determined, caring, and had a love for music and art that wouldn't fade.
“Do you think he will like it?” Mikkel asked while positioning the stencil and pressing it in place.
“I hope so.” Rik looked at the purplish black stencil lines on his shoulder. “I hope it will ease things between them.”
Mikkel was putting on gloves and pouring out inks while they continued to talk. “I saw them talking together earlier over drinks.: Mikkel knew the road had been rough. His cousin's current boyfriend and his ex in one place and sort of forced into each other's space. “If Sigurd can stop being a jealous bastard, anyone can.”
“Has he?” Rik started to laugh as Mikkel began the black linework.
Mikkel pausing to laugh. “Fuck no. He's just as ready to punch everyone.”
“That's not reassuring then.” Rik mused while twisting a little to watch the lines go in. “Have you tattooed Fredrik yet?”
Mikkel shook his head. “Not yet. He has great skin for ink though I think. Like yours.” Mikkel kept working though his mind was breifly on his best friend.
“What does that mean?” Rik'd curiosity obvious in the tone.
“Pale, soft, well cared for.” Mikkel shrugged. “Some skin is easier to ink than others. I don't know. I can just tell when touching it. Rekker's skin is a bitch. Red heads are like that. The ink tends to blowout if you aren't careful because their skin is delicate.”
Rik laughed enough that Mikkel had to pause in his work for the way it shuddered his body. “Rekker is the last person I would call delicate.”
Mikkel started to laugh too while cleaning and change out his tattoo needles. “I guess that is the trade off. You get to be a demonic freight train but your skin is delicate as flowers.”
Rik glanced at the nearly finished black lines. “I wouldn't let him hear that.”
“I don't know.: Mikkel responded while starting to work on the color and shading. “I talked to him about that sleeve he's getting to match Bjorn's and he wants flowers and things in it. I think some of that grouchy asshole persona is an act.”
“Oh.” Rik stiffled more laughter. “Like your bratty, loud mouth?'
Mikkel went quiet for nearly all the dark colors. The younger Dane lost in thought for a long time while he milled over his own thoughts. “I don't know. Probably. His parents locked him in an empty room too. We might have some things alike.”
Rik reached over and stroked Mikkel's arm while he switched colors. The worry he felt over how Mikkel was coping wasn't going away, even now that it was several months later. “You both have people to treat you well now.”
Mikkel went in to finish up the white and make sure the tattoo was clean. “Did you just suggest that Sigurd and Bjorn have something in common?”
The tattooing had to stop again as they shared a good long bout of snorting laughter. Mikkel shook his head. “Well, they both bitch when they don't get their way.”
Rk nearly doubled over laughing, partially because this was funny but exaggerated from the slight high of tattoo pain.
“Come on.” Mikkel grouched. “I'm almost done. Then you can laugh all you want.”
“Ok.. ok.” Rik tried to hold it in and then went into more laughter. “You can finish.”
Rik bit on his lip to keep the laughter in and saw the twinkle in Mikkel's eyes that suggested he was doing his bests to stay quiet too. The two struggled through the last fifteen minutes of tattooing then the giggles broke free again.
“Go have a look in the mirror.” Mikkel patted Rik's thigh then went to clean up the mess from his work.
“OH.. Mikkel...” Rik stood at the mirror, hands over his mouth and almost in tears.
“It looks good on you.” And it did. The bold colors on his pale cousin popped out. “It's going to look good with all your red, purple, and black stage gear.
Rik turned and gave the other Dane a lingering hug. “Thank you.”
“I owe you so much. This can start making up for it.” Mikkel mentioned while clinging to Rik.
“You don't owe me anything, never.” Rik kissed his forehead and then smiled. “Except a drink after losing that game this morning.
Mikkel sighed and rolled his eyes, more like a teenager than the young adult he was. “Let me clean up.”
Rik sat down with his cousin alone for once. It was a rare thing on tour with this many musicians. Mikkel was digging around in his bag to pull out his drawing pad and the inks. Rik pulled off his shirt and then walked over to sit on the chair beside his younger cousin. They had lived through hell together and there was something beautiful in watching the boy flourish now that he was away from the hatred and abuse.
“Here.” Mikkel shoved the open pad toward his cousin.
Rik took it and looked down at the drawing. The black and purple crossed guitars over a heart colored in half Union Jack and half the flag of Denmark. It was perfect and he smiled at his cousin. “The shoulder?”
Mikkel glanced over, both young men were rail thin, and he held the drawing up to Rik's shoulder. “Is that where you want it?”
“Yes. On the same side as my music notes.” Rik confirmed.
Mikkel gave him a smile because he knew why these tattoos belonged on the same side. Both represented men his cousin loved, would probably never stop loving as long as he lived. Rik was that way. He went in all the way, went in for keeps, or not at all.
Mikkel busied himself shaving and cleaning Rik's shoulder. “Does Billy know?”
Rik smiled and let out a little shy laugh. “No.”
Mikkel kissed his cousin's cheek. They were so much a like and yet so different. One shy and one a loudmouth but they shared a lot. They were unbreakable, determined, caring, and had a love for music and art that wouldn't fade.
“Do you think he will like it?” Mikkel asked while positioning the stencil and pressing it in place.
“I hope so.” Rik looked at the purplish black stencil lines on his shoulder. “I hope it will ease things between them.”
Mikkel was putting on gloves and pouring out inks while they continued to talk. “I saw them talking together earlier over drinks.: Mikkel knew the road had been rough. His cousin's current boyfriend and his ex in one place and sort of forced into each other's space. “If Sigurd can stop being a jealous bastard, anyone can.”
“Has he?” Rik started to laugh as Mikkel began the black linework.
Mikkel pausing to laugh. “Fuck no. He's just as ready to punch everyone.”
“That's not reassuring then.” Rik mused while twisting a little to watch the lines go in. “Have you tattooed Fredrik yet?”
Mikkel shook his head. “Not yet. He has great skin for ink though I think. Like yours.” Mikkel kept working though his mind was breifly on his best friend.
“What does that mean?” Rik'd curiosity obvious in the tone.
“Pale, soft, well cared for.” Mikkel shrugged. “Some skin is easier to ink than others. I don't know. I can just tell when touching it. Rekker's skin is a bitch. Red heads are like that. The ink tends to blowout if you aren't careful because their skin is delicate.”
Rik laughed enough that Mikkel had to pause in his work for the way it shuddered his body. “Rekker is the last person I would call delicate.”
Mikkel started to laugh too while cleaning and change out his tattoo needles. “I guess that is the trade off. You get to be a demonic freight train but your skin is delicate as flowers.”
Rik glanced at the nearly finished black lines. “I wouldn't let him hear that.”
“I don't know.: Mikkel responded while starting to work on the color and shading. “I talked to him about that sleeve he's getting to match Bjorn's and he wants flowers and things in it. I think some of that grouchy asshole persona is an act.”
“Oh.” Rik stiffled more laughter. “Like your bratty, loud mouth?'
Mikkel went quiet for nearly all the dark colors. The younger Dane lost in thought for a long time while he milled over his own thoughts. “I don't know. Probably. His parents locked him in an empty room too. We might have some things alike.”
Rik reached over and stroked Mikkel's arm while he switched colors. The worry he felt over how Mikkel was coping wasn't going away, even now that it was several months later. “You both have people to treat you well now.”
Mikkel went in to finish up the white and make sure the tattoo was clean. “Did you just suggest that Sigurd and Bjorn have something in common?”
The tattooing had to stop again as they shared a good long bout of snorting laughter. Mikkel shook his head. “Well, they both bitch when they don't get their way.”
Rk nearly doubled over laughing, partially because this was funny but exaggerated from the slight high of tattoo pain.
“Come on.” Mikkel grouched. “I'm almost done. Then you can laugh all you want.”
“Ok.. ok.” Rik tried to hold it in and then went into more laughter. “You can finish.”
Rik bit on his lip to keep the laughter in and saw the twinkle in Mikkel's eyes that suggested he was doing his bests to stay quiet too. The two struggled through the last fifteen minutes of tattooing then the giggles broke free again.
“Go have a look in the mirror.” Mikkel patted Rik's thigh then went to clean up the mess from his work.
“OH.. Mikkel...” Rik stood at the mirror, hands over his mouth and almost in tears.
“It looks good on you.” And it did. The bold colors on his pale cousin popped out. “It's going to look good with all your red, purple, and black stage gear.
Rik turned and gave the other Dane a lingering hug. “Thank you.”
“I owe you so much. This can start making up for it.” Mikkel mentioned while clinging to Rik.
“You don't owe me anything, never.” Rik kissed his forehead and then smiled. “Except a drink after losing that game this morning.
Mikkel sighed and rolled his eyes, more like a teenager than the young adult he was. “Let me clean up.”
no subject
"Rik has always liked hairy chests." Mikkel grinned and nearly laughed. "I tease him about how much he does."