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It was pretty late, so Eric wasn’t at all surprised that he didn’t receive a message back that night. He finished his drink and then went into his room to go to bed. Eric didn’t realize how tired he actually was until he hit his mattress and crashed, falling asleep within minutes.

The next morning was kinda hectic. Both Eric and Evan has a full day ahead of them. It was Evan’s first day at daycare and Eric was booked through the afternoon with clients at the shop. Pieces to start, pieces to finish, and everything in between. It’s the busiest he’s ever been in his career. The sudden influx of income was certainly a welcome surprise.

Eric was cooking breakfast for himself and Evan when he got a text from Jace, smiling at his phone when he read it. He quickly shot her reply letting him know he would come by around 5 and then quickly sending another to Kate asking her to babysit again tonight.

The rest of the day went by in a breeze. It was hard for it not to since he had something to look forward to. Eric was knocking out his appointment with a level of focus he hadn’t had in a long time. The couple that he finished went up on his Instagram and it even nabbed him some extra followers. His modern street art style was a real hit with people.

After he finished up at the shop, it was time to go pick up Evan. He grabbed some fast food for the both of them on the way home and he carried his son up the stairs. After they ate, Evan took a nap and Eric hopped in the shower. Once he was sufficiently clean, he stepped out and out on a change of clothes, a blue long sleeve t shirt and some black overalls, perfect for painting in.

After that he went to his closet and grabbed some supplies he might need: rollers, brushes, cans of paint as well spray paint. After his gear was all packed, he waited for Kate to arrive

There was a knock on the door and Eric went to answer it, [b [+brown “Hey, Kate, thanks for coming. Evan’s taking a nap. He already had lunch and there’s leftover pizza in the fridge. Feel free to help yourself.”]]

“Hey, Mr. Phelps! You seem like you’re in a rush. Where ya headed? Got a hot date?” She giggled as she snarked at Eric, but she did catch him a bit off guard. Her eyes widened and she laughed when she saw Eric’s look of surprise on his face, “Oh, wait, you [i do.] You move quick for someone who’s only been in this town for a week.” She teased.

[b [+brown “Oh... uh... it’s nothing like that,”]] Eric struggled to get his words out from his embarrassment, [b [+brown “I just uh... Have a commission. For an art piece. A mural. That’s it, I swear.”]]

“Mhmm. Sure, Mr. P. I won’t keep you from your hot date. Glad you’re making friends. Go have fun!”

Eric let out at sigh and then grabbed his bag before saying goodbye to Kate, practically power walking to his car. As embarrassing as it was, Katie was half right. He is making friends. Beautiful, really cool friends.

It didn’t take him long to get to Jace and Jackson’s house. He practically rushed to get to the door. He was going to ring the doorbell, but he decided to have one quick cigarette to calm his nerves before going in

[i Jeez. I have no reason to be this nervous. It’s just a mural,] he thought to himself. He definitely knew it was more than a mural.

After Jace realized she probably wouldn't get a response, she decided to do something else. She tried to figure out of she wanted to shower first, or work out. She decided on a run first, then shower. Jace pulled on a sports bra, some bike shorts and a pair of running sneakers before heading out the door after yelling to Jackson that she was running. She went on a run around the neighborhood, taking in the sights around her.

Jace loved to run, but not as much as she loved art. She was on the track team in high school, which was where she met her awful ex-boyfriend. That was probably why she didn't run competitively anymore, just for the sheer thought of meeting someone like him again.

As she finished her run, the sun was starting to set. Jace hoped in the shower and pulled on some black pajama shorts and a black tank top. She brushed out her long hair, pulling it into a bun on the top of her head. She went down into their art studio, where Jackson was playing with his paints over in the corner very focused. [b "Hey, how was your run?"] Jackson asked, not even looking up from his paint. "Fine. Can I use the watercolors?" she asked, grabbing a watercolor pad from behind him. [b "Yeah, you know I don't watercolor."] Jackson replied, wiping his hair off of his forehead, getting paint on his forehead.

Jace was in the basement long after Jackson went to bed. She wanted to finish what she started before going to bed. She wanted to try something other than space, and it came in the shape of a Jellyfish instead. She was happy with how it came out and put away her mess. She left her painting to dry and went upstairs. She didn't even check her phone before passing out, even with the notification light blinking on her phone.

-Next-Day; 8:32 am-

Jace woke up vaguely early, as she had classes today, the first one at 9:30. It was only an hour and it was a charcoal sketch class, which she loved. After that, she had Color Theory, which was once a week, and like 2 hours. As soon as she woke up, she checked her phone. She sat up quickly as she saw Erik had texted her last night. "Oh, I'm the worst," she said to herself. [i [b Hey! I'm sorry, I was up late watercoloring and passed out before looking at my phone. You are so welcome to come by and start the mural today if you'd like. I have a class but I'll be back by 2.]] She sent it to the boy and rushed to get ready for class.

-After Class; 2:09 pm-

Jace walked in, kicking her shoes off. "Jackson?" she called through the house before seeing a note on the table.
[b Hey Jace, I went to work and then I'm going to Todd's. I'll be home late or early tomorrow. Have a good night, don't eat chocolate chips for dinner. Love you.]
Jace laughed at her brother's note. "He's not fun," she said to herself. "Well, let's see what happens with Erik. Otherwise, I'll watch Disney Plus until my eyes fall out." she said to herself, going to her living room and laying on the couch, putting on a Disney movie.

When Eric made it home, he immediately went into parent mode. He hopped out of his beat up old car and quickly shuffled up the stairs to his apartment. Opening up the door to the sight of his babysitter, a high school girl named Kate recommended to him by one of the other artists at the shop.

“Hey, Mr. Phelps! Evan is taking a nap right now, but he had a good day today. Lunch was mac and cheese,” she offered a friendly smile, “You could always just pay me in the form of my first tattoo.”

Eric laughed, [b [+brown “You know the rules, kid. Get your parents permission and I’m down. Otherwise... I’m afraid it’s cold hard cash for you,”]] he reached in his pocket to grab his wallet and pull out a couple of $20 bills to hand to the teenager. [b [+brown “Go nuts. Might even be enough to get one of your friends to do a stick and pole for you,”]] he teased and she offered him a playful scowl in return before scurrying out the door and saying goodbye.

“Later, Mr. Phelps. Feel free to text if you need me again!” she said on her way out the door.

With that, Eric went into his son’s room. Small as it was, the two of them really came up from their shared studio apartment they had in Dallas. Evan was pretty excited to see he had a room all to himself.

Eric walked tenderly across the room. Partially not to wake his son but also not to step on the mine field of toys that lay scattered across the room. When he finally made it over to Evan’s twin sized bed, he softly sat at the foot of the bed to watch over his son as he slept. This was what he moved across the country for. To carve out a life for him and his son. It was hard enough to get custody from his mother. Harder still to move. But everything worked out in the end and now he’s got to make good on everything he promised to himself and his son.

After sitting on the bed for a little while, Eric pulled out his phone and saw he had an Instagram message request. From Jace no less. He couldn’t help but smile. Clearly she was at least a little bit interested in him. Eric definitely didn’t mind. He always had a weakness for other artists. Evan’s mom was Eric’s high school sweetheart. And even before he had went to juvie she was talented with ceramics. It was damn near love at first sight when Eric saw her working. That was a long time ago. A lot has changed.

But with all that being said, was Eric really ready for the possibility of a new relationship? This fast? He got here literally a week ago. And what about Evan for that matter? For all intents and purposes, Evan’s mom is the only woman He’s ever seen Eric with. Something like seeing his dad in a new relationship would be... a lot for a two year old to deal with. Even greater change after already going through some big changes.

Eric stood up from the bed and walked into his own room. A queen sized bed was in the corner and he had a dresser with a small, old television on it that he barely used. His floor was littered with laundry and canvases used and unused lined his room along the walls.

Peeling off his clothes, he added them to the pile and then headed into his bathroom to wash the chlorine off and take a shower. When he was done he stepped out and put on some clothes, another tank top and some basketball shorts.

Eric genuinely contemplated cooking a meal. But fuck it. He was tired and had some cash to spend. So pizza it is. He pulled out his phone to order online before being reminded that Jace messaged him like two hours ago and he has yet to respond. He wasn’t ignoring her. At least not on purpose. He just really wasn’t sure whether or not he should actually pursue this.

So deciding to procrastinate his response again he instead ordered the pizza and went and sat on the couch, turning on Netflix and watching tv. It didn’t take long for Evan to come stumbling into the living room half asleep still and hop on the couch, laying his head in Eric’s lap.

[b [+brown “Hey, lil’ man,”]] Eric said warmly, gently laying his hand on Evan’s back.

“Hey... daddy...” he said between breaths, basically still half sleep.

[b [+brown “Got pizza on the way. You hungry?”]] Evan just simply nodded and Eric couldn’t help but chuckle. He loved that kid.

The rest of the night went by in breeze. The father son duo’s routine never really changed much. Dinner was eaten, a bath was given, and Evan was in bed by 9. Eric peeked at his phone a couple of times still undecided as to whether or not he should even respond.

He got up and grabbed himself a beer out of the fridge before going outside to his balcony, lighting up a cigarette, his guilty pleasure. Deciding he was gonna go for it he got out his phone and texter her back, several hours later than he got it.

[i [b It was cool meeting you too! I’d definitely love to talk more. Might even stop by to start on that mural even.]]

Eric quickly pressed send before he could talk himself out of it. It’s been a loooong time since he’s tried flirting. Or dating.

Jace smiled. "Yes! We'll get you whatever you need, just let us know!" she smiled. She was a bit disappointed when he had to leave. "Oh, okay! See you later." Jace responded. Jackson waved as well and showed the boy to the door. [i He is something...] Jace thought, putting her art back away. She cleaned up a bit around her drawing area and finished cleaning her painting brushes from earlier before going back upstairs. She headed into her room until Jackson stopped her. [b "Jace, I know you are trying to be friendly, and that's fine. But stop flirting with my friend. You don't need to date anyone anyway. You just got out of a relationship anyway."] Jackson said, to the girl. [b "I am just trying to protect you."] Jackson said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Jace moved the boy's hand off of her, "I don't need you to tell me what to do. I'm 22 years old, you don't need to be my parent." Jace said, going into her room, closing the door.

Jace looked into her mirror, letting her hair down. "He's such an asshole, bringing up my relationship," she said to herself. Her last relationship was terrible, he was mentally and verbally abusive to her. Jace moved in with Jackson after her relationship with her brother because he was so worried about her. "But I can like people if I want. That was months ago, and his friend is cute." she smiled. She had no idea how she could talk to him, but then remembered she followed him on Instagram. She could DM him.

Jace grabbed her phone and went to Erik's Instagram. She went to the DM section and sent him a message. [i [b Hi Erik. I wanted to tell you that it was really cool meeting you today. Here is my number if you want to talk some more: 202-555-0134. :) ]]She sent the message and sat on her bed. All she could do now is wait.

Eric watched and smiled as Jace took off into the house, clearly smitten after only a couple of hours swimming. He then turned around to answer Jackson’s question, [b [+brown “I’ve gotta be back at my crib in about an hour. That’s when the sitter needs to leave,”]] his heart then skipped a beat at Jackson’s next line of questioning.

[b [+brown “Dude, nah... I mean, she’s pretty... I guess...”]] Eric let out an audible sigh of relief when Jace came back outside. Looking absolutely stunning. He could feel his face getting warmer. He always did have a thing for glasses.

He more than gratefully followed her into the house and then down the stairs into their home studio, his mouth agape as he saw more and more of the space, [b [+brown “Daaaamn. Y’all really know how to turn it up right.”]]

He continued to waltz around the space looking through all the different types of artwork from both of the two artists, only stopping to acknowledge Jace when she spoke. [b [+brown “I mean, Space is pretty rad, not gonna lie.”]]

He continued to pick through the art and was totally caught by surprise when they asked him to paint a mural for them. Walls were his preferred canvas. And these were his first friends in a new town. Hell they even offered to let him come back and use the studio whenever he wanted.

[b [+brown “Shiiiit. I thought being from Texas meant I knew a little something about southern hospitality. But y’all are pretty damn rad. I’d love to paint a mural in here!”]] Eric have a wide smile, especially at Jace. And then he quickly glanced down at his watch.

[b [+brown “Shit! I gotta get home. It was real nice spending time with y’all,”]] he gave Jackson a quick pat on the arm and Jace an even quicker hug before quickly storming upstairs and out of the house. He had no idea how he lost track of time like that. He needed to be home in 10 minutes, but he already knew he was ready to come back. To paint and also maybe see Jace.

When Erik mentioned seeing her art, Jace smiled. "Okay! Let me just get out of my bathing suit, give me a minute!" Jace said, leaving the pool area and heading inside. Jackson watched the girl run inside, and got out of the pool as well and started to dry off with his towel. "What time do you have to leave?" he asked Erik. He knew the male had a son after their conversation at the shop, and didn't know if he had to pick him up somewhere. He noticed his sister was noticeably nicer than usual, which means she probably likes his new friend. "Hey, you aren't "into" my sister, are you? 'Cause I'll kill you, dude." Jackson said. Jackson may love to annoy his sister and think she's an asshole, but she is still his baby sister. He will protect her at all costs, from everyone. He will never let anyone make her unhappy...not again.

Jace returned outside to get the boys, now dressed in a tight grey crop top and a pair of jean shorts. Her long brown hair tied up in a nice ponytail, some stray pieces framing her face. She had put her glasses back on, which made the new boy 10x more attractive than before. "C'Mon!" she shouted, making sure the boys followed her.

Jace and Jackson loved their home art studio. It was their safe-haven, and they worked really hard to make it what they wanted it to be. Jace took Erik over to her sketching area to show him some of her art. Jackson and Jace's art scattered the walls, but she thought her best work was stuff she kept safe. [https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZUCHi_2ncPQ/maxresdefault.jpg "This] is one of my favorite sketches." Jace said, holding the drawing up to him. My favorite painting is hanging up over their though." she said. She pointed to her [https://i.pinimg.com/originals/3d/4d/e2/3d4de21dfc8e3d9675d3e118d72524d9.jpg painting] framed against the wall. "Can you tell I like space?" she asked laughing.

Jackson had [https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/713P4TbGI3L._AC_SX522_.jpg pieces] of his art scattered around the room as well. "Here it is, this is our little piece of heaven." Jackson smiled. "You are welcome to come by whenever and create, Erik. Maybe even make us a mural or something" Jackson said. Jace's eyes lit up at the idea, "Oh my god, Erik, would you? That'd be so rad!" she asked, smiling.


[https://blog.mosaicartsupply.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/painting-studio-201310.jpg Painting Area]
[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e2/14/18/e21418e5b9dcd2a3e97b2a4ec0b0207d.jpg Sketching Area]
[https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56cf3d6eb654f9462a418133/1462050104375-71YF2DXQSH2B08NQQLK8/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kM4tqwWhiGlScVBjOt7WCxdZw-zPPgdn4jUwVcJE1ZvWgCjmTad1QpYCGph9EV4QZUJFbgE-7XRK3dMEBRBhUpwskrZ3BP5P9Zg9FIlnB6Psi9JWsFbRSIMe8RQ8nLXrY46Gi_BJMlH3bV1_kwmM-xk/image-asset.jpeg Dark Room/Photography]

Eric listened intently to Jace telling him about her tattoos, studying them, as well as her curves, as she showed off her first and her favorite pieces of work. This was as much an art conversation as it was flirting. But at the same time, his mind also couldn’t help but wander and think about the siblings’ homemade art studio. Unfortunately, when Eric moves here there was no way he could afford something quite that self-indulgent. Honestly, it’s the main reason he agreed to come to Jackson’s house. It’s always fun to see another creator’s workspace.

[b [+brown “No brainer! My first tattoo was, coincidentally, the rose on my forearm. My favorite is the Buddha,”]] he said, motioning to his abdomen. [b [+brown Spirituality was something I really started taking an interest in while I was in juvie. I had a lot of free time on my hands that year and well... considering why I was there they wouldn’t let me near paint or pens,”]] Eric laughed at himself.

He sauntered out of the pool and then plopped his body down on a chair, mildly embarrassed by the fact that Jace was already a follower of his. He couldn’t help but check her out when he knew her brother wasn’t watching. She was truly beautiful.

After a while he stood at the edge of the pool and began to talk to Jace again, [b [+brown “So you kinda have me at a disadvantage. You’ve seen mine. You should let me see yours,”]] it took him a split second to realize his awkward phrasing, [b [+brown “Uhhh... your art, I mean.”]] Eric was running short on time. So he was really hoping to squeeze in a peek of the art basement before he had to leave.

As she listened to Erik, she smiled. He was a bad boy, and he was super cool. "You tagged a train? Damn, you're bold." Jace smirked. "Wait, I think I follow you on Instagram. I follow a lot of tattoo pages and one of them said they moved around here!" Jace laughed, she knew his cool tattoos looked familiar. Jackson smirked, "Of course you follow him, I told you to once I was going to the shop!".

Jace dismissed her brother and continued talking to the male next to her. "Sorry to break it to you, but painting is MY thing. I'm in school for sketch and painting," she smirked jokingly at the boy. "You can see our art room later." Jace smiled, winking at the boy before driving back into the water.

When Jackson and Jace moved into their home, they bought the house specifically for the basement. They redid the entire thing for art. The two of them were both artists. Jackson did art as a hobby and for fun, while Jace wanted to do art for her career. They had a painting area, sketching/charcoal area, and an area for photography with a dark room. It was a little precious, but they loved it.

Jackson rolled his eyes, his sister was such a flirt and an asshole. "Sorry about her. I was going to show him the art room anyway!" he started talking to Erik, then shouted at Jace. Jackson ran his hand through his wet hair, getting it ot of his face.

Jace went back over to the boys, smiling. "So Erik, what was your first tattoo and which is your favorite?" she asked. She hopped back on the side of the pool, pulling her tattooed leg up as well. This red rose was my first, and the pocket watch here is my favorite. My leg is vaguely Alice In Wonderland themed if you couldn't tell." she laughed, pushing her hair out of her face just like her brother. You could tell they were related.

[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c1/b9/ce/c1b9ce89ec481005822d73ff9d6b128d.jpg Jackson]

Eric couldn’t help but grin at the two playful siblings in the water. Part of it reminded him of his relationship with his own family. He could tell they were close, and it warmed his heart

He continued to swim around in the water for a little bit, taking slow but powerful strokes and quietly listening to the banter between the brother and sister pair, only opening his eyes when he heard a question being directed at him.

[b [+brown “Nah, Jackson, I don’t mind answering,”]] he threw his body forward so that he was standing in the water and facing the both of them, [b [+brown “You’ve already had the pleasure of meeting me, but I can’t say that if I had a beautiful, out-of-town stranger in my house I wouldn’t be at least a [i little] curious,”]] Eric laughed and then swam closer to Jace, staring intensely at her leg piece, and then looking at her from below. She really was beautiful.

[b [+brown “Well... for starters, I’m a tattoo artist. Been in the game for four years now. I moved out here from Dallas so I could work in a local tattoo shop. This old artist who’s kinda famous in the tattoo community recruited me off of my Instagram,”]] he laughed and then climbed up to sit next to Jace, partially so she could get a better look at him, but also so he could do the same, [b [+brown “Other than that... I’m an art school drop out... and I did a year in juvie when I got caught tagging a train in high school. Painting is sort of my thing.”]]

Eric looked over at the piece he did on Jackson. His urban yet slick, street art style was something plenty of people loved, but painting walls would always be his first love. After his baby boy.

[https://www.pinterest.com/pin/593912269595923551/?amp_client_id=YwzX8IiAcFsi5KqOA1zZGOaeQVhMbUQNr9XSPIUvvrI_a1ACegtFDESelbtTseMa&mweb_unauth_id=7a7663ce -For Eric I’m definitely visializing something along these lines here.-]

When she watched as the male pulled his shirt off, she couldn't pull her eyes away. Tattoos covered his body, and she could not get her eyes off of him. She loved tattoos, she had one leg fulled tattooed but that was where she stopped. She got one on her leg starting when she was 18, and couldn't stop. "Man, I love your ink. I have my leg but I think you win." she laughed, trying to show off her leg in the water.

Jace and her brother were so different, even in their art styles. While Jackson had a chunky street style, Jace has a feminine and dainty style. She would sketch and charcoal all the time, considering she was in school for it. She was an art major in the local college, majoring in sketch and painting. Her tattoos showed her style, as she designed everything on herself. Clocks and flowers and quotes, weaved together to make a beautiful sleave from her hip all the way to her ankle.

Jackson followed Erik's suit, jumping in. She pressed down on Jace's shoulders, dunking her underwater. "Yeah, my sister's a pain in the ass." Jackson said, smirking at the girl. "Fuck you." she replied to her brother.

Jace couldn't keep her eyes off the new male. He was really cute, had great tattoos, but she needed to learn more about him. The girl pulled herself out of the pool, sitting on the edge with her legs in the water. "So, Erik...Tell me about yourself" the lady smirked at him. Jackson rolled his eyes again at his sister, "Jace, stop investigating the man. He did my new piece, and he's cool." the boy said.

Jace splashed her brother. "Forget him. What's your story?" the girl smirked, biting her lip at the boy while Jackson just glared at the Jace.

[https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9d/93/38/9d933867bbdc66c65e59c79ebbcfc57e.jpg TATTOO]
-NOT OWNED BY ME, BUT WHAT HER LEG LOOKS LIKE (: -

Art was Eric’s life. That and his 2 year-old son. Everything in Eric’s life was centered around those two things. Going to juvie for vandalism when he was 16 for painting trains and walls around his hometown. Turning his life around when he got out so he could go to art school. And dropping out of art school to work as tattoo apprentice when he found out his ex was pregnant. Painting and drawing are the only things he could do well. They were the only ways he could put food on the table. Which is why, it was a no brainer for him to move him and his child to a nice, coastal town to work in a tattoo shop under one of the scene’s well-known legends when he got the offer to. Goes to show what a little bit of Instagram fame can do for your career in this modern age.

Jackson Thibodeaux was one of Eric’s first clients I’m his new town, and they became fast friends, conversing on quite a few topics while Eric gave Jackson his first tattoo. It was only a matter of time before the subject of art came up, at which point Eric couldn’t be stopped. And neither could Jackson. Eventually Jackson invited Eric over to his house to see his personal collection and kick it at his pool. An offer Eric couldn’t refuse. So he didn’t.

Little did Eric realize, that the actual work of art was going to be Jackson’s sister, Jace. He was woefully unprepared to see the 22 year-old beauty strut outside of the house. It was disarming. And when she flashed him a cutesy wink and a smile, he almost melted. He felt completely off guard.

Fortunately, her sarcastic introduction in response to her brother helped to release some of the tension. Followed by a splashing as well.

[b [+brown “My name is Eric. Nice to meet you,”]] he chuckled and began to peel off his pink v-neck, revealing a heavily tattooed torse, chest, back and arms on top of a well-maintained, muscled form. His board shorts had a design that were Jean-Michel Basquiat piece printed on them. This man had paint for brains.

He looked over to Jackson and smiled warmly, [b [+brown “Yo, you ready for this swim?”]] He then ran quickly and cannon balled into the pool, splashing Jace back and Jackson yet again.

-I’m not used to doing starters either lol. Lowkey why I made you do it. I also haven’t rped in a while so I’m a tad bit rusty-

Jace Olivia attempted to make herself look good, but not too good. Jackson told her many times that his friend was coming over and she needed to make a good impression. Jace was impulsive and said things as she thought of them. She told him she would play nice, but she didn’t know if she really would. Jace pulled on a black and maroon bikini on her slim figure, pulling a short black dress over it. She grab a towel, her glasses and slid on some sandals.

Jackson and his friend were sitting by the pool as the side door opened. [I “Shit, here comes Jace.”] Jackson thought. Jace walked into the back, seeing the two boys. “Hey. What’s going on? Names Jace. Who are you?” she said to the new male in her backyard. [b “Goddamn Jace, can’t you be polite?”] Jackson said, rolling his eyes at her. “Sorry. Hello good sir. How are you this fine afternoon? The pleasure is all mine. My name is Jace Olivia Thibodeaux, what is your name kind sir.” Jace said, using a fake British accent. Jackson just rolled his eyes, putting his head in his hands. The girl smiled at the boy and winked, [i Damn, he is cute.].

Jace jumped into the pool, splashing the two boys with water. “Well, are you two losers gonna join me or what?” she said, splashing only Jackson this time.

-Sorry, they can be longer when I have more to work with! Starters aren't my strong suit-