Pall Malls + Poetry // Judd Birch x OC/Reader

Warning! Warning! Caution Ahead!

A bright, fluorescent light shined right in Judd's face. He sat in his gaming chair across from his girlfriend, who'd taken a seat in the adjustable stool he'd bought for her.

Emily meticulously signed her name in beautiful cursive across his left breast. With pink highlighter first, so she could be sure everything was even and accurate. She snapped on a pair of dark purple gloves, unpacking brand new needles that she barely even knew how to use.

"You're sure this is what you want?" She asked him.

Judd had never been sure of much at all until he met her. Now, everything was crystal clear. He knew what he wanted — to watch her get high every night, eat cheap chinese food in a tiny basement apartment, and struggle his absolute ass off until they built the life they both deserved — together.

"Stab me." He replied.

Emily placed her hand on his chest and turned on the machine, it buzzed violently in her hand. She dipped the needle in a small thimble of black ink and when it met his skin, Judd winced.

As he suspected, the pain was nice. It hurt. It burned. Judd's chest radiated as if he were being lit up by a swarm of hornets, but he'd subjected himself to worse and enjoyed it just as much.

"I'm sorry. This won't take long." She said, making note of the sharp inhale he sucked in through his teeth.

"Please —" Judd laughed. "— Take your time."

Emily stopped for long enough to gather up more ink. She glanced down at his lap, not surprised at all by what she saw. "You're really into pain, huh?"

The needle met his chest again before Judd had the chance to readjust himself beneath his jeans. She connected the I in her name to the M, hurting him nicely.

"I'm more into inflicting it on others, but this works, too." He breathed deep, clenching his fists tight.

Goosebumps raised along Judd's arms. He watched her wipe away blood mixed with ink and then start again, already halfway done before he'd really even been given the chance to enjoy himself.

"You gonna let me hurt you, Emmy?" He asked, his voice low and sultry.

Emily paused and cut her eyes up at him. He knew exactly what he was doing when he spoke to her like that. And she'd had so few protectors in her life — Judd knew that she'd give him anything he liked.

"Depends.. how so?" She started on the L, moving slowly so that her shaky hand wouldn't fuck anything up.

Judd smirked, "We could start with turning that sweet ass of yours a nice shade of red."

Her chest instantly became the exact color he was speaking. Crimson. Emily felt her temperature rising under the harsh light, her heart beat rapidly against the inside of her chest. She dragged the needle down, curving the Y perfectly, then finished off the tattoo with a small heart above the I.

Emily cleaned off his chest, admiring her work. It didn't look too bad for her first piece, she thought.

"You're done." She said, sitting the machine down on the table. It felt heavy in her hand. Everything felt heavy. The air surrounding her had thickened with the tension of three words that neither of them could say aloud.

Judd stood up and took a look at himself in his mirror. For the first time in a while, he actually recognized the person staring back at him. When Emily joined him in the reflection, leaning her cheek against his bicep and kissing his skin softly, he knew who he wanted to be.