💖 Don't forget to vote/comment! 💖

***Neko's POV**

"I said No." I shake my head adamantly. What the fuck is he even thinking?

"News Flash. Not my Dad." Milo throws his hands in the air and stomps off away from me.

"That's right. I'm not your Father. I'm your Fiancée and I said NO!" I follow him through the house, now I'm frustrated beyond fucking belief.

"That's where you messed up. I wasn't asking. I told you out of respect. But, fuck your opinion." Milo grabs his keys, stomping out of the house and slamming the door.

Angry does not begin describe the burn roaring through my veins. My blood is pumping viciously, causing a loud thump in the vein running through my forehead.

Who does he think he is?

A fucking tattoo. On his beautiful skin. Why? Why tarnish such glorious flesh?

I don't have time for this shit. He is not getting a god damned tattoo and that's final. I said fucking NO!

I snatch my keys off my counter and slam every damn door on my way out.

I'm not his father. Fuck right I'm not. I'm not his mama either. I love him. I cherish him. I'm nothing like those pieces of shit. How dare him to even put me in the same fucking sentence.

My truck roars to life. My hands grip the steering wheel until I feel my wrists protesting, knuckles a paste white.

Our first real fight, over a picture. A picture that will maim his body forever. Always there. Never going away.

I stop off at Lux' house and ring the doorbell too many times to count.

"Hey. What... oh, hell. Neko. Calm down." He yelps as I drag him towards my truck.

"Get in." I bark, my hand already moving the gear shifter.

"Where are we" Lux starts to ask. I put my hand in his face to halt his conversation.

"You talk. I listen." Lux turns and looks directly at me.

"Do you know what my innocent, sweet, selfish, bratty little man is planning on doing?" I ask the rhetorical question. Lux doesn't bother to reply, he already knows I don't want an answer.

"A fucking tattoo. Yep. You heard that. He's going to scar his perfect skin. For life. Like for EVER." I shake as I drive down the roads to who the fuck knows where.

"What kind?" Lux asks innocently.

"It doesn't matter. I said NO!" I yell.

"You can't actually have said that." Lux looks at me questioningly. His eyes are as big as saucers.

"Yeah the fuck I did. He's my fiancée. He isn't allowed." I shake my head furiously.

"That's not how it works." Lux almost whispers the words.

"Why not? I wouldn't do something like that without asking him." I stop the truck in the mall parking lot and jump out.

"Because it's his body." Lux runs to catch up to me.

"Whose side are you on anyways?" I sneer at my best friend.

"No ones. I'm neutral." Lux steps back as I turn on him.

"You're not fucking Switzerland Lux. Whose side?" I roar out.

"I'm not doing this. You're angry and you're going to say something to really hurt my feelings." Lux stands there and crosses his arms, staring at me in shame.

I run my hand down my face.

His precious, soft skin.

"Come on." I point towards the entrance to the mall, seeing only blurs as I make my way through thru the crowd.

"Did you try to talk to him or did you just shut him down?" Lux asks. We stand in front of the American Deli, waiting to eat.

"There wasn't anything to talk about. It's an affirmative no." I shake my head.

"Oh, so that's what loving, adult partners do? They bring up a situation, maturely and then wait for their Daddy to tell them they can't. How did that work out for you, Buddy?" Lux raises his eyebrow at me.

I order my food and take my number before sitting down harshly in the booth to wait for it to be brought out to me.

"He's pissed. At me. Slamming doors and stomping. Flailing his hands like a baby. Pitching fits and raising his damn voice. Who does he think he is?" I'm so beyond pissed. I can't see straight.

"Obviously, he is your child and he better get that through his head. What are you going to do? Ground him? Hmmm. Maybe you should take away his car for a month." Lux continues spouting off ideas that sound pretty damn good to me.

"If he gets that shit on his body. I swear to god. He better fucking not." I growl irritatedly.

"I'm seriously wondering who the fuck you are, Neko Evans. The Neko I know, he would have talked this out. This shit you are doing is beyond irrational. You are not his parent. He didn't even have to fucking talk to you. But, don't worry. You solved that problem. He won't come to you again. Nice job, asshole." Lux thanks the waitress with a small smile. He grabs the ketchup and drenches his french fries in it.

"I didn't do anything wrong." I argue. I did not do a single thing wrong.

"Keep telling yourself that. I hope you enjoy the couch. The dog house would be a great place to build a fucking home you idiot." Lux points his messy french fry at me.

"You think I'm wrong?" How?" I cannot even believe this shit.

"I know you are." Lux looks at me seriously. Like he actually believes his murked up assessment.

"First of all." Lux swallows a bite and drinks from his soda. "He has always told you he wanted tattoos. You used to encourage it."

I go to butt in. Lux puts his hand over my full mouth and shakes his head.

"Nope. I'm not done." Lux cleans his hands off on a napkin before looking at me in contemplation.

"He never asks for anything. Like ever. The boy thinks the sun rises and sets on you and you alone. He asked for one small thing, that wouldn't effect you in any way. You didn't even listen, did you? Just acted like a tyrannical dictator telling him no. Way to go on that. I'm sure he felt as high as a fucking ant in a god damned hole."

Well, now I feel a little bad.

"It's permanent." I throw out my only excuse.

"No shit, fucktard. Do you really think he hasn't considered that?" Lux goes back to eating his burger.

"I don't actually know." I whisper, the fight in me all but gone.

"Because you didn't listen to him. You didn't let him tell you what he wanted. Why he wanted it. You took his excitement and squashed it under your umbrella of stupidity." Lux cleans up our mess and takes it to the trash bin. Then he comes to sit back down. Instead he grabs our cokes and gets them refilled.

I stand up and accept my cup with a grateful head nod.

"He's really upset with you by the way." Lux confesses. I stare over at him. How would he know?

"He came by the house. He yanked Max and Ky out of bed, cussing up a hurricane. He was not happy."

"Great." I groan. I'm suddenly not feeling like my case is that bullet proof.

"Yeah, I hope you figure this out. He isn't going to just accept your apology. You hurt him Neko." Those words work exactly as intended. I feel a sharp pang of guilt in my stomach.

We walk through the mall, my head in the clouds.

What have I done?

"What's the real reason motivating your opposition?" Lux stops in front of a tattoo shop. I glare in his direction.

"Their dirty. They look ridiculous later on. One day, he will regret it." I list my only excuses.

"Have you always felt that way?" Lux brings me in to the studio. I look around, feeling out of place.

"I don't know." I shrug my shoulders.

"Is this because you don't want to think of him as anything other than your little brother?" Lux waits for an actual answer.

"I'm fucking him. I'm pretty sure I don't see him that way." I really don't think of him as anything but my innocent love.

"He's growing up. Face that. He will continue to grow up. You can't stop that. You shouldn't try." Lux carries me to a rack that has poster boards of pictures.

I flip through them in disgust. Their so generic.

"It's not that." I really don't know why I'm so opposed. I just am.

"Then figure out why. He deserves a reason. He needs to understand. When you finally man the fuck up and talk to him, you better have a hella good excuse as to why you are denying him something he has always desired." Lux pats my back as we walk out of the shop.

My eye catches a really big dude getting his tattoo done. He looks happy. The piece on his arm is really something too. The guy is sitting with tears welled up in his eyes. I know it's not from pain. That picture means something to him.

I feel even shittier.

"Let's go to the house." Lux heads towards the exit. I nod and follow along.

We drive the long way back to the Wallace house. My mind is telling me I wasn't that right.

I head into the house feeling pretty fucking small. What if he has a good reason for what he wants? I should have at least asked.

I follow Lux to his room and accept the controller to the PS4.

"Let's kill someone bratty zombies." Lux sets up the game and I start mindlessly blowing their stupid heads off. We play for several rounds. I'm not even that into it. My mind is just not on the game.

The game shuts off and I don't even care.

"You better get home. He might want to talk." Lux sees me out and I hug him before getting back in my truck. I drive carefully home.

I'm welcomed to radio silence. I'm not surprised. He probably doesn't want to see me. Why would he?

I walk to the bathroom, shedding my clothes as I go. It's late. Lux and I were together all day and night. I let the water rush over my head, burning my skin with heat.

Stupid fucking idiot. Who the hell just yells at someone they love? God, I am such a fuck up.

I get dried off and slip on my boxers. I climb into our large bed and run my hand over the spot next to me. It's cold without his warm body to keep me comfortable.

I roll over onto my stomach and fold my arms under my head. Then I grab my phone, lifting up on my elbows.

Batman: I'm sorry. We need to talk. Please come home.

I wait a while, realizing he probably isn't going to answer me. I don't blame him.

I close my eyes and let myself drift off. I'm a dick. I don't deserve his forgiveness.

My alarm wakes me. I sit up and see that I slept alone. Great.

My head pounds, the tightness in my cheeks informing me I must have cried at some point in the night.

I wash my face and get dressed. I walk through the quiet house. He didn't come home, everything is still the same.

I grab my keys and head out for work. Maybe he will come home later.

The day drones on. I send multiple texts. He is ignoring me.

When five o clock comes around, I'm not even excited. There is no point. You can't be happy to go to a place when it won't feel anything like home.

Why I am I so against a stupid picture? I guess that is the real question.

Maybe I'm a tiny bit worried that he is changing. Maybe he will want something different as we grow up. Maybe he will grow passed me and decide he doesn't want me.

That thought causes a sob to threaten to slip out. My chest tightens. I sit in my truck and hold my hand over my chest, rubbing the throbbing organ beneath my skin.

If it made him happy, I would just walk away. I could never say no to that boy. He is everything. He deserves to be happy.

My head pushes that word back at me with a vengeance.

No!

Just like that, I had said that word. No. Without asking, thinking or even contemplating, I just said no. Did I have that right? Was it even worth the 24 hours without him?

No!

Two letters, one syllable. That's all I had to say, hear and think of.

So, your willing to leave him, if that's what he needed?

Yes!

But, you couldn't let him have an innocent tattoo?

No!

I feel ridiculous. When I think of the trade off, I was stupid.

I drive down the road to my house, knowing I was not right. Not at all. He has every right to make decisions for himself. I should have listened. I should have been mature. I'm not his father. I don't want to be.

I walk into the empty house and sigh. Eventually he will come home.

He has to.

I will fix this. I need to fix this.