Sweaters & Cigarettes by Mika Fox Read Free Book Online Page A

before taking in the sight of Theo, spread out underneath him, and
lets out a sad sigh. Then he gets off of him and swings his legs over the bed’s
edge, reaching for his black shirt that landed on the floor earlier. And Theo
glances over at him, only to almost start in surprise.
    “Holy crap,” he murmurs involuntarily, and
Max glances over his shoulder at him.
    “What?” he says, but Theo doesn’t answer
him. Instead, he just reaches out and touches Max's back, mesmerized.
    He knows Max has tattoos, now; he has seen
them, and he has felt them, even though it may take a while for him to get used
to it. But he didn’t know about these . He hasn’t seen the wings that
mark the skin on Max's back, sprouting from between his shoulder blades and
trailing down, all the way to the small of his back. They’re made from black
ink, not shaded, only outlines, but they’re still beautiful, and Theo just
stares at them.
    Max feels his fingertips touch his skin,
and he starts, before visibly relaxing.
    “Oh,” he says, absently turning his shirt
the right way, seeing as how it landed inside-out on the floor. “They’re not
done yet.”
    Theo glances up at Max's profile.
    “They’re beautiful,” he says, despite
himself, and he could have sworn Max froze for just a split second, just now.
    “Thanks,” he says. “Just need to spend
another ten hours or so under a needle to get them filled-in, but… All in due
time.”
    He pulls the shirt over his head,
obscuring the tattoos, both the wings and the ones on his arms, and Theo feels
slightly disappointed.
    “How do you have so many?” he asks. Max
really does seem very young to have so many tattoos, already.
    Max exhales.
    “Well,” he says, “I’m eighteen. Even if my
parents weren’t okay with it, I’m technically an adult. As in, I can get as
many as I like. And I started pretty early.”
    He picks up Theo’s Henley from the floor
and hands it to him.
    “And as for money,” he continues, “I’ve worked
part-time since I was thirteen. And a friend of mine’s the tattoo artist, so he
gives me a discount. Although, seeing as how society doesn’t exactly approve,
and especially not in high school, I have to cover them up, most of the time.
Which sucks. Most people think the piercings are bad enough.”
    Theo doesn’t answer him, slowly sitting up
and putting on his sweater.
    “My parents would freak,” he says.
“They’re not exactly into that kind of thing.”
    Max looks at him, from the edge of the
bed.
    “It’s your body,” he says simply,
shrugging. “And you’re legal.”
    He frowns then, almost suspiciously.
    “I’m assuming,” he adds, and Theo looks at
him.
    “I turned eighteen last month,” he
confirms, and Max nods.
    “Then, there’s my point,” he says. “You’re
an adult. And it’s your body, your skin. Who the fuck cares, right?”
    Theo just looks at him, wishing it were
that simple.
    “Yeah, I guess,” he says. And for another
few seconds, neither of them says anything.
    “Fuck, I need a smoke,” Max finally
murmurs to himself, and Theo watches as he clambers over the bed and opens the
window above the bed’s headboard. Then, he simply climbs out, and Theo
realizes, after a moment of shock, that there’s a roof right outside. Max turns
around, crouching.
    “You mind?” he asks Theo, gesturing to his
bedside table. Theo looks over, and sees a pack of cigarettes and a lighter,
lying there. He reaches for them and hands them to Max.
    “Thanks.” He pulls away and out of sight,
and Theo hesitates for a moment, before climbing out the window, himself.
    The roof lines up almost perfectly with
Max's bedroom window, and it overlooks the house’s backyard. Max is sitting
with his back against the outside wall, knees pulled up in front of him, and
Theo slowly sits down beside him, with some hesitation. He mirrors Max, who
just glances at him, before lighting a cigarette. Neither of them speaks for a
few moments, as he pulls