A Tattoo for Lex - 9. Chapter 9

The following week and a half passed quickly for both men. They upped their appointment time to three hours each day. Lex felt that it was close to the max of his tolerance level, both for the sting of the needles and for having to sit still. Most days he made it but some days he had to tap out early. The scar tissue on his lower back was much more sensitive than what Ian had previously worked on. Some of the individual scars were extremely sensitive and after a couple of hours he had enough. The volume of the music was lowered as conversation was comfortable and flowed freely now. They continued to discover more about each other, sometimes still using the question and answer format they had started with at the restaurant and it was fun.

Lex found out that Ian was born and raised in Western Mass and was three years older than him. His mom and dad were still around but they lived in Agawam which was close to Springfield where Ian had grown up. Lex discovered that the area was known as the Pioneer Valley and was the birthplace of both basketball and volleyball. Springfield was also where the Chief had been manufactured.

“So.” Ian started. “My mom called me this morning to remind me that my brother and his family will be in town for a wedding on my sister-in-law’s side of the family.”

Lex had discovered that Ian had an ‘Irish twin’ for a brother. Sean was ten months and one week older than Ian. He lived in Florida with his wife Jessie and their three kids, Hannah who was seven and the twins Patrick and Kevin who were almost five. He managed a marina in Sarasota and Jessie was an architect who mostly freelanced and would occasionally take a contract on a longer project.

Ian had said that they managed to come up once or twice a year and their parents were considering buying a house or condo down there as it wouldn’t be too many more years before they both retired. His mom, Kathy, taught English at the high school and his dad, Rick, was an upper level manager at a large insurance company.

“Do you have to cancel our sessions this weekend? Lex asked.

Ian stopped working and replied “No, not cancel. We might have to move the time up a few hours. The thing is that I, ummm, wellllllll, uhhh, I kinda told her you were my boyfriend and she is kinda sorta insistingonmeetingyou” he mumbled.

Lex looked back over his shoulder and saw that Ian was sitting there with his head down looking like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Did you just say your mom insists on meeting me?”

Ian slowly pulled his eyes up and looked at Lex. Looking chagrined he merely said “Yes.” After a couple of seconds where he endured Lex’s gaze burning into him he apologized “I’m so sorry. I know you’re uncomfortable around people you don’t know and I know that the whole family dynamic thing weirds you out, but Lex, this is my MOM dude, my MOM. You don’t say no to her when she insists on something. It’s suicide.”

Lex couldn’t hold back any longer and started laughing. “Man, I never thought I’d see the day that big, strong Ian was afraid of somebody.” he guffawed.

Ian just stared at him and then repeated “It’s my Mom. You just wait and see. It’s easier to stop the earth from spinning that it is to say no to her.”

Lex laughed even harder. When he calmed down he asked Ian “So when is the revived Spanish Inquisition scheduled to take place?”

“Tomorrow night” was the answer.

Lex sighed and remarked “Nothing like a little notice there my sweet ‘boyfriend’. So is that what we are? Boyfriends?”

Ian’s eyes started to smoulder and he said slyly “I want to get into your pants in the worst way. Not something I would normally do with a stranger, so yeah, boyfriend works.”

It was Lex’s turn to blush and he felt the familiar tightening in his crotch whenever he thought about what was waiting for him when the tattoo was done.

Ian was the one who was laughing now. He put his hand on the back of Lex’s head and gently shoved it back unto the headrest and flipping the switch on the tattoo machine and said “ Back to work”.

The next morning Lex was at the shop by noon. Ian wanted to get a couple of hours done on the tattoo before heading out to his parents’ place mid-afternoon. Ian finished up the section he had been working on. He was almost down to Lex’s lower back. Lex knew that it wouldn’t be long before he would have to bare his ass so Ian could complete his creation.

Ian had already let him know that design wasn’t going to cover his entire ass, just the long, raised scar that streaked across both cheeks and stopped just below the crease that separated his ass from his thigh. Ian had told him point blank that he was going to have to do it in one shot, with no breaks.

When Lex questioned him Ian’s eyes narrowed even as his pupils widened and merely growled. “It’s your ass. I have to work on your ass and you really have to ask me why I’m not gonna stop once I start?”

Lex had shot him a wry grin and his own eyes darkened at the thought of those talented hands touching him and conceded “Point taken”

When Ian was finished for the day he cleaned up his area. Lex asked him “What should I wear?” Ian looked over at him and replied “What you have on is fine. It’s not a formal dinner. Dad’s going to throw some steaks on the grill and I’m hoping Mom makes her roasted potatoes. Damn I love those! Corn is in season and I told Mom we’d stop at a farmstand and get some. I’d normally suggest you bring a pair of swim trunks but I don’t suggest getting in the pool. The chlorine is not good for your back.”

Lex looked down at his loose fitting black basketball shorts and the emerald green v-neck t-shirt he had just put back on “You sure?” he questioned. Ian looked down at his own Navy blue shorts and gray t-shirt with a cartoon drawing of a stick man with a stick dog holding the stick man’s arm with a tennis ball clutched in the stick fingers and the words “Game Over” underneath and shrugged. “I’m not changing.”

Ian looked at the clock and told Lex “Let me lock up and I’ll meet you at my truck.”

Lex countered him and with a wide grin said “You want to take the Chief?”

Ian’s eyes almost popped out of his head. This was the first time Lex had offered to take him on his bike. Over the course of getting to know each other Ian had heard the story of the bike and how it came to belong to Lex. Ian knew how important the Chief was and how possesive Lex was.

“Are you kidding?! Sean will shit himself when he sees me on him. You have no idea how much I will rub this in his face!” he whooped.

Lex just shook his head at Ian’s antics. Luckily it wasn’t too hot out being the middle of July which is why he suggested taking the bike. With comfortable temps and low humidity it would be a nice ride. Even though it was warmer in the Valley where they were headed he told Ian to go put on jeans and something other than the flip flops he was currently wearing. “Bring your shorts and flip flops and whatever and I’ll put them in the saddlebag so you can change when we get there. Ian ran up to the apartment above the shop to don some jeans and when he came back down he locked the doors to his shop and in no time they were pulling into Ms. Helen’s.

“Leave the truck on the side of the house. I just need to run up to my room to change into jeans and get the helmets.” Lex had purchased a second helmet not long after their dinner date knowing that he would eventually ask Ian to ride with him on the Chief. His own helmet was black with a little bit of turquoise trim that matched the paint on the bike. Instead of the usual nylon chin strap his was leather, matching the bike. He had bought Ian a dark, royal blue helmet that had a slight iridescent sheen to it. It had a black nylon chin strap. He stepped off the porch wearing jeans and boots and handed Ian the blue helmet. He stowed his shorts, flip flops and an extra shirt in the saddlebag

Before he slid his helmet on he told Ian “Make sure you don’t wiggle around too much when we’re in motion. Follow my lead when we turn and go around curves. He’s a heavy bike and I’m not used to extra weight behind me so don’t expect me to ride like a bat out hell. Our safety comes first. It’s hard to hear over the engines and I know you want to stop for corn so tap my left shoulder when we need to turn left and right for a right turn. Pointing works too. OK?”

Ian agreed, and with that Lex buckled his helmet into place, checked the strap on Ian’s then grabbed the handlebars and swung his leg over the bike. Pushing the kickstand up with his heel he started the engine with a loud roar. Once he was properly balanced he motioned to Ian to get on. The man swung his long leg over the back of the bike and scooted his crotch up to the ass in front of him. Smiling to himself Ian wrapped his arms around Lex’s waist and gave a quick squeeze and then they were off.

The Chief wound his way through the rolling hills and in short order they were heading onto the Mass Pike. Lex opened up the throttle and settled into a comfortable speed not too much over the speed limit. He had gotten used to the balance of the bike hauling an extra person and the Pike was a pretty straight road, no sharp curves to throw them off. Lex felt Ian tap his right shoulder and he flipped on his directional and took the exit for I-91 South. He had to slow down somewhat as they went over the Connecticut River and the highway curved sharply. Not too much later he felt another tap and then were heading back across the river into Agawam. Ian pointed to the left and Lex pulled into a roadside farmstand.

They picked out three dozen ears of corn that had been picked that morning and as an added bonus grabbed a big watermelon. Ian wanted a half flat of strawberries but they wouldn’t fit in the saddlebags, As it was Lex had to leave the latch of the one of saddlebags undone with the watermelon sticking up. Well at least they didn’t have too much further to go according to Ian. Sure enough less than ten minutes later Lex pointed to a large gray colonial house with periwinkle blue shutters and trim. A tall man stood on the lawn tossing a ball back and forth between two little boys. He turned at the sound of the Chief’s rumbling engines and Ian had been right. The man’s chin dropped down as his mouth hung open as he looked like he was going to shit his pants when Lex pulled into the driveway. He could hear Ian laughing with delight. “Here goes” Lex thought.

As the rumble of the Chief faded away Lex felt Ian dismount the bike. He kicked the stand into place and took off his helmet. He almost wished he hadn’t. As soon as Ian had pulled his own helmet off his head, two high pitched shrieks ripped apart the air around them. It was the type of shriek and the volume that only little kids know how to produce. Lex froze as two small forms shot across the front yard and attached themselves to Ian, one to each leg, almost bowling him over, all the way releasing a continuous Unkin! Unkin! Unkin! Until one of them hit that note. You know the one. It rips through your eardrum like a white hot bolt of lightning, blazing its way into your brain and then making it feel like it was impaled by an ice pick that had been sitting in a sub zero freezer..

“UUUUUUUUUUNKIN!!!!!!!!!!”

Relief in the form of an angel came bursting out the front door of the house. “BOYS!”

All five of them stopped dead in their tracks. The two little ones clung tighter to Ian’s legs. Ian and his brother paled and Lex himself swallowed hard.

“Patrick, Kevin, I’ve told you there is no shrieking allowed didn’t I?” the voice said firmly.

“Yes, Grandma” was the reply in tandem. The voice belonged to a short woman who was obviously Ian’s mom. She couldn’t have been much more than five feet tall. She was slim and well proportioned. She looked to be in her early forties but Ian had told Lex she just turned fifty-three. She had the same gorgeous blue eyes that her son had and her hair was the same shade of light brown with a hint of cinnamon only it was threaded with gray.

Lex was processing all this when she looked at the three men and said “For the love of God who was making all that racket out here? It sounded like thunder. Was that you Ian?”

Ian’s eyes held a flash of panic and he quickly replied “No Mom. It was Lex. It’s his bike.”

Lex huffed and gave Ian a light shove and heard his brother snicker as he said “Nice way to throw your boyfriend under the bus bro!”

Ian’s mom was quick to reprimand “Sean Quinton McColm you better hush your mouth.,” Then turning to Ian as he started to smirk at his brother being called out she continued “and you Ian Robert McColm should be ashamed. Knock it off. Are you going to just stand there or are you going to introduce us? I know I taught you better.”

Now it was Lex’s turn to snicker. Ian, looking properly chastised put his hand on Lex’s shoulder and said “Mom, this is my boyfriend, Lex Hewson. Lex, this is my mom, Kathy and my brother Sean. And these two little cling ons are Patrick and Kevin.”

The two little boys squealed with delight as their uncle bent down and scooped them up, one in each arm. He looked at the one in his right arm and with a mischievous gleam in his eye said “This one here is Patrick.”

Immediately the little boy screwed up his face in indignation and squawked out “Unnnnnkin! I’m KE-VIN!” Lex could see by the fake look of surprise in Ian’s face and the way the other little boy rolled his eyes that this was a ritual that had been played out many times before.

Seeing Lex start to unload his saddlebags Kathy told the little boys to help Unkin and Lex bring the stuff into the house. Lex looked at Ian and questioned “Unkin?”

Ian answered “They mashed Uncle and Ian together when they were learning to talk and it just stuck.”

Lex laughed “It’s cute. I like it.” as he handed him the watermelon. Sean came over to help and each little boy was given a bag of corn with the instructions to take it to the backyard and they could help shuck.

Sean came over and shook Lex’s hand “Welcome to the World of Chaos. Hope you enjoy the ride!”

Lex laughed and shaking his head handed Sean a couple of bags of corn and said “Thanks!”

As they made their way inside Lex was impressed with the well kept house. The front door led into a nice sized entryway. A wide staircase was directly in front of them leading to the second floor. To the left was a set of French doors which held what looked to be an office behind them. To the right he could see part of a living room with a baby grand piano and a fireplace. There was a short hallway to the right of the stairs which led them into the kitchen. The kitchen was huge with a large island in the middle. On the other side of the island was a pretty woman who must’ve been Sean’s wife. She wore jean shorts and a tank top and her long light brown hair was done up in a ponytail which hung down her back. Next to her was her clone, only younger and shorter.

Sean set his bags of corn on the counter and stepped around to drop a kiss on his wife’s cheek and another on his daughter’s head. Ian set the watermelon on the counter near the sink and went over and pulled both females into a warm hug.

Stepping back Ian smiled saying “Jessie, Hannah, meet Lex. He’s my boyfriend.”

Lex blushed as Jessie wiped her hands on a towel and came over and threw her arms around him, squeezing tight and in a warm voice told him “It’s great to meet you Lex. I couldn’t believe it when Sean told me Ian had a boyfriend. I thought he was going to be a bachelor forever!”

Meanwhile Hannah looked over at Ian, winked at him and said “Good job Unkin, he’s cute!”

Lex didn’t think he was capable of turning any deeper shade of red when he heard a deep baritone voice say “Cute? Since when does a seven year old become an expert on cute?”

Lex looked over to where a tall version of Ian and his brother was coming in through the sliding glass doors which led out to the deck overlooking the backyard. While Ian had inherited his coloring from his mother he had definitely inherited his features and his voice from his father. Sean was the one who got his dad’s color. Both had dark chestnut hair and brown eyes. The two boys were also tall like their dad. All three of them were about 6’2’ with similar builds. Ian’s shoulders were slightly broader and he had a little more definition to his muscles as a result of regular gym visits. Other than that the resemblance between them was striking. Good looks definitely ran in the family.

The man stepped over to Lex, reaching out to shake his and introduced himself. “You must be Lex. Welcome. I’m Rick, the original owner of these two hooligans. Thank you for taking this one off my hands for me. I was starting to worry I’d never get rid of him.”

Lex gripped the older man’s hand firmly and laughed. “Thanks. I think?” he said.

He was taken aback at the welcome he had been given by the family. As he scanned their auras he could see the genuine warmth they exuded. Yes, he saw threads of worry and uncertainty, but he reminded himself that normal people had everyday challenges that they dealt with and the threads may not have anything to do with him.

Lex decided that this whole family dynamic thing might not be so bad after all.