Page 114 of Politics and Poly

With that, Colton made his way to the back of the studio to join Anna for the consultation. Kaiden continued working out front, reviewing files, and checking the schedule for the next appointment he’d observe.

After four months of working under Anna, he hadn’t been able to observe many tattoos. Mostly, he worked on keeping things clean and organized, along with some extra stuff he’d started to pick up the slack out of habit.

Kaiden went back to work and then let Anna know he was heading out for an hour. The cool air sent a chill through him, but he still decided to walk over to Sakura, enjoying the leisurely stroll downtown. When he arrived, he found Rus standing outside with a cigarette.

“How’s work?”

“Pretty good. Got this guy getting a consult for his boyfriend’s tattoo.”

“Oh?”

“Yep. Meaning his boyfriend is very trusting, or the guy gifting the tattoo is very controlling,” Kaiden explained, though from his brief encounter with Colton, the guy didn’t seem demanding in any way. Just a chill, go with the flow kind of person. Something Kaiden admittedly strived to accomplish for himself.

“I vote trusting,” Dylan called out from behind them, making his way from the alley.

He rested his hands on the small of Kaiden and Rus’ back, leading them each into the restaurant.

“So, are you going to be giving this mysterious and trusting boyfriend the new tattoo?” Dylan asked.

“Not a chance,” Kaiden said with a laugh. “Anna barely lets me sit in to observe her work. If I’m lucky, she might let me work on some design ideas in a month or seven thousand.”

The apprenticeship seemed like it’d last an eternity, but Kaiden didn’t mind. For the first time in his life, he found a job that didn’t feel like work. A career he could be happy in with a family he chose to support and be supported by.

Life was good. Simple and happy. Kaiden couldn’t ask for much more than that with the two men who meant more than the world to him.

THE END