Gemotions

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Liam asked, his voice barely a whisper. He was standing outside a bustling tattoo convention. Inside, hundreds, maybe thousands, of people were covered in ink. He felt suddenly ill.

He'd spent his life honing his craft, the intricate patterns and abstract designs that defined his work. He’d worked so hard. But now, seeing it worn by someone else, someone anonymous, felt like a violation.

His sister, the only person who knew what was going on, squeezed his arm. He couldn't meet her eyes. He felt a deep, pervasive sense of wrongness, as though he was the one who had committed a transgression.