Alex Danvers x Tattooist!Reader
Word Count: 6,361
Warnings: homophobic slurs, tattoo needles
Summary: Alex keeps scheduling tattoo appointments with you ;3
I didn't mean for it to be this long but my fingers kept typing. Anyways, enjoy!
Also, @spoodermankid, i thought i'd tag you since you commented on my teaser post :3
Your phone dings, indicating a text. You check the notification on your Lock Screen. It’s a DM from your instagram. You swipe it open, looking at the message. They ask about your tattoo service. You shoot them a reply, including some information about your rates and types of art you do, and what you need from them in order for you to tattoo them. In return, they send some photos and description of the tattoo location and size. The two of you come to an agreement and decide a date for the appointment.
That day came slowly around the corner. The last few clients have been rather unpleasant. You sigh, leaning your head on your hand as you scribble some sketches down on a sheet for a client. You flip your pencil over and roughly erase a couple lines that don’t look right and return to scribbling madly. The door swinging open and a small chime alerts you to another client. You glance up at the door, watching as a tall woman walks in. Her eyes scan the room before landing on you. Her auburn hair is a touch messy and she nervously moves it out of the way. You raise your head up, your full attention on her. You look her up and down, taking in her dark outfit and short, auburn hair. Her tank top reveals her muscles as she tucks her jacket under her arm.
“Hey,” you greet, “welcome to the shop.”
“Hi, I’m here for an appointment for 3:30?” She asks.
You look down at your appointment notes. “Alex, right?”
The woman nods, fidgeting with her fingers.
“Okay, have you done this before?” You ask her.
“No,” she shakes her head. “First time.”
“Alright, “well, you’re in good hands today,” you offer her a smile. “Can I see some ID?”
Alex reaches for her wallet, pulling out her ID and handing it over to you. You accept it, running it through a scanner and printing a sheet for her to sign. You hand both back over to her for her to fill out.
“Do you have any allergies I should be aware of?” You ask. “Shellfish..?”
“Uh, no.” She answers.
“Okay, cool,” you respond.
You go over the size and location with her again, showing her some printouts of her design. She selects the one she likes best and you proceed to make the transfer stencil. You watch as her nervousness begins to slowly melt away as you talk to her.
“If you wouldn’t mind following me to my studio,” you get up and lead her down a hall of studios to the last one on the left.
“You can set your stuff down here.” You gesture to a corner near the door. “Just take a seat on the chair when you’re ready.”
Meanwhile you slide on your gloves and begin to set up your tattoo machine and open the ink caps you’ll be using. Alex takes a seat on the chair, settling into her spot.
“Can I see the area?” You ask. “I need to clean it and then I’m gonna apply the stencil.”
She turns her shoulder to you for you to apply the stencil. You wipe down the area and go to apply the blue stencil.
“Right here?” You hover over the area. “Or do you need it slightly somewhere else?”
“No, there’s fine,” she confirms.
You place the paper and smooth it over a few seconds before removing it, leaving a blue stencil behind on her skin.
“Go check the mirror and see if you like it there,” you smile at her and point to the mirror.
You watch her approach the mirror and look at the placement near her collarbone.
“I like that,” she confirms, her hands tracing the area around the stencil.
She turns back to you, pausing until you gesture for her to take a seat again.
You get ready and begin tattooing her. As soon as the needle first touches her skin, she winces slightly at the sensation. You pull away, looking up at her. She nods her head, taking a deep breath and letting it out. She gives you a nervous smile as you go ahead once more. This time, she’s prepared for it.
“So, uh,” she begins, “do you enjoy tattooing?”
“Yeah, there’s just something about watching peoples reactions to their imaginations coming true,” you answer. “It also keeps me in a creative mindset, a release I guess.”
She hums in response. “You ever get bad clients?”
“Yep,” you quip, nodding your head. “My past week has been full of them.”
“Jees,” she sighs.
“I’m gonna be honest, I was hoping you were a woman,” you continue. “I can’t handle another man right now.”
“I feel you,” she agrees.
As you continue with the small tattoo, the two of you make pleasant conversation. She tells you about her job as an FBI agent until you finish. You set your machine down and begin wiping down the area.
“Alright, that’s all done,” you announce, throwing out the ink cap. “I’m gonna apply some ointment and a second skin.”
She nods along to your procedure.
“Don’t leave it on for more than two days, after which you can begin to apply some ointment the next day.” You instruct. “Make sure to wash it twice a day, apply the ointment, and it should be healed within three weeks.”
You give her a satisfied smile as she goes to inspect it.
“Thank you!”
“Of course, any time, Alex,” you grin at her. “I also have some snacks if you wanna take one.”
You turn to pull out a drawer full of various candies. You watch her eyes widen at your stash before she roots through it to pick out a candy. Once she has her candy and has grabbed up her stuff, you guide her to the lobby and bid her farewell.
You slide down into the seat, resting your head in your hand, propped on the desk. You let out a small, satisfied sigh.
“Oh, I know that look,” you hear your coworker, Becca, state from across the lobby. Her arms are crossed over her chest and she’s leaning against the frame of the hallway.
“What look?” You sit up, crossing your arms in return.
“You saw a hot woman,” she smirks, “and now you’re fawning.”
Your hand flies over your heart. “Am not!”
“Mhmm…” she slowly nods, an eyebrow raised at you. “Whatever you say, Y/N.”
•••
A few weeks go by before you get an instagram DM by none other than Alex Danvers. You open the message, reading it and responding. She wants another tattoo, so she sends you her ideas and some pictures of what she wants. She asks for your input and what you would do if you were getting it. You advise her that its her tattoo and she determines what she wants on her body. Once again, you two agree on a date and time for the appointment.
“Can you turn this gay shit off?” He huffs at you.
“What vibe do you want, my guy?” You get up and head to your iPod, rolling your eyes.
“Something that’s not so faggy,” he retorts.
“Sorry, mate,” you interrupt, “we’re not using that kind of language in my studio.”
“What?” He snorts. “Gay? Shit? Fag?”
“Yeah, not in my studio,” you shake your head at him.
He just huffs in response, going quiet in his seat. You turn back to your iPod, finding a playlist you’ve put together just for people with his attitude. These people don’t listen to the lyrics, so you play it.
You then slide your gloves on, sitting in your stool to tattoo him.
“Can you give me your arm?” You ask.
“You’re not touching me,” he quips.
“I can’t tattoo you if you won’t let me,” you respond.
“Fine,” he huffs yet again.
You begin tattooing him, beginning on the top of his forearm. He wanted a dragon slithering around. The banter from him continues, wasting your tattooing time. He keeps flinching away, telling you to stop, and interrupting your art by going to grab his water bottle with the arm your tattooing. With every word he speaks, he shortens your fuse bit by bit. You’re nearly done with the lineart, flipping his arm to the underside and tattooing the dragons tail. The moment you touch the underside of his arm, he pulls back violently.
“Ow!” He screams. “Bitch!”
“Sir, I’m telling you one last time,” you glare at him, “respect me and my space, or I’m not tattooing you.”
“You can’t deny my service,” he continues yelling, “I’m fucking paying you!”
“Okay, y’know what—” you put your machine down and taking off your gloves— “you can leave now.”
“You can’t kick me out!” He screeches.
“I’m your artist, this is my space, and you’re being an asshole.” You argue.
“You’re the asshole!” He continues. “You’re playing faggy music in a faggy shop in a faggy studio!”
“Get the fuck out.” You point towards the door of your studio.
“NO!”
You get up, leaving the studio yourself. He grabs his stuff and angrily follows you.
“Where do you think you’re going???” He storms out behind you.
“Away from you,” you answer. “Our session is done!”
“No it’s not,” he bellows, “get back here, bitch!”
You continue walking away from him, not paying him any mind.
“This is why I don’t let women tattoo me!” He screeches, throwing his hands up.
“Hey, if you want to take a while and come back later when you’re not a hater, I can finish your tattoo,” you offer. “But you’ve wasted time and I have a client coming in any minute now so you can take your attitude and get the fuck out.”
“Fuck you, bitch!” He storms towards you. “Fuck you and your fucking stupid ass faggy shop and your stupid fucking bitch coworkers and—“
“Since you want to be such a hater,” you whip back around to him, “I’m not a big dick manly alpha man, and you just got tattooed by a lesbian!”
He stands in his place, his jaw dropped in offense. He finds his composure and tries to speak again, however, you cut him off.
“So why don’t you walk yourself out of this faggy store.”
Between you and your coworker staring at him, he finally lets up, grumbling as he angrily shoves past your next client, kicks the door open, and leaves. You sigh, deflating and taking a seat in the desk chair. You look back up at the person he shoved past.
“Alex!” You greet, a tired smile taking over your features at her presence.
“Hey,” she returns, “sorry about all… that.”
You wave her off, “It happens more than you think. I’m used to it at this point.”
She hums, shaking her head. “Still, doesn’t mean it should happen at all.
“How long were you there?” You ask.
“Long enough,” she breathes. “Sorry, I also came a bit early.”
“Don’t apologize,” you shake your head at her, “its fine.”
You take Alex through the whole check in process, taking her ID and giving her papers to sign. Once done, you lead her back and get setup in your studio. You place the stencil and she confirms its placement and you get started with tattooing her.
“Do people like him happen often?” She asks.
“Not super often,” you shrug, “but enough to make you contemplate quitting.”
“You think about quitting?” She asks, surprise evident in her tone.
“Not seriously,” you admit, “but sometimes people, like him, piss you off so much and make you feel like shit.”
“That’s not fair to you,” she states, her eyebrows narrowing.
“It is what it is,” you sigh.
The room is silent, other than the hum of the machine as you work on her body art.
“By the way,” she smirks, “I like being tattooed by a lesbian.”
You let out a small chuckle, shaking your head and glancing up at her.
“I’m glad.”
You continue with the tattoo, the two of you finding comfortable conversation in the meantime. Once you finish, you apply the ointment and second skin and go over the aftercare instructions with her. You both walk into the lobby together.
“Thank’s for being a good client,” you acknowledge her.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” She nudges your arm with hers. “You’re the best tattoo artist.”
You chuckle at her compliment. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“C’mon, give yourself some credit,” she encourages.
“I’m your only tattoo artist,” you tilt your head towards her, driving your point further.
“But,” she tuts at you, “you’re the best one.”
You shake your head, taking a seat on the desk.
“Hey, I’ve still got some time to kill,” Alex states, “if you don’t have anything going on, would you mind if I stuck around and chatted a bit?”
“Sure,” you accept, smiling at her.
You hop off the deck, going around to open a cabinet full of your personal snacks.
“Want any?” You offer to her.
She points to one and you grab it for her. You return to her, handing the snack over.
“C’mon, we can chat back in my studio,” you usher her back to your studio.
The two of you chat for a while before Alex has to go. She bids you farewell before disappearing out the door and down the street.
•••
Business is slow for the next month and a half, allowing you to relax a bit more and de-stress from ridiculous customers. Alex sends you pictures of her tattoo in the healing process, which you applaud her for taking good care of. You still spend a lot of time in the studio, taking walk-ins here and there. You sit at the lobby desk more than anyone else in the studio because of your slow business.
The door swings open, the chime alerting the store to someones presence. You look up, recognizing the auburn haired woman.
“Back again so soon?” You quip to Alex, resting your chin on your hands.
You smirk at her from your side of the desk and watch as another woman enters the shop.
“Yep, and I brought my sister this time,” she beams at you.
She hands you her and her sisters ID to you.
“We’re hoping to get matching tattoos!” The blonde announces, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
“Oh,” you hum, turning to the scanner, “you better not be getting each others names on you.”
“Oh god—“
“It’s a curse,” you playfully sigh at her. “I swear it. Any tattoo artist will too.”
Briefly, you turn to the computer and plunk in some commands for the forms needed. You then perch on the desk, waiting for the printer to work its magic. You look back at the two.
“Well, we’re not getting each others names,” Alex states, failing to hide a chuckle from you.
“Well, what were you two thinking?” You ask, grabbing a few freshly printed papers for them to sign. You extend the warm papers and their IDs back to them.
“We were thinking small,” Alex starts, glancing at her sister.
The blonde interrupts her, “I’d get the sun and Alex would get the earth!”
“We were thinking on our wrists,” Alex turns her hand over, motioning to the spot on the underside of her wrist.
“Alright,” you nod, “do you have designs picked out yet?”
“Yep!” The sister chirps.
“Alright, if you two could sign these for me,” you bring your knees up on top of the desk as you spin around.
You hand them the forms required for the tattoos. Alex pulls out her phone, searching it for something.
“I’ll send these to you,” she says, glancing up at you briefly.
Seconds later, your phone buzzes, letting you know you got her message. You open the message, resting on your hand on the desk and leaning back on it. The designs are very simple, just lineart. They’re cute. Like Alex, you think to yourself.
“They’re cute.” You smile, looking over the simple designs.
“Thanks, Kara picked them,” Alex replies.
You let the two of them finish up while you proceed to download the images and print them on the stencil paper.
“Alex talked me into it,” Kara adds.
You let out a small, humorous snort, grabbing the stencils from the printer.
“Of course she did,” you chuckle.
You fully swing around and drop off the desk next to Alex, stencils in hand.
“C’mon to the back,” you wave them with you, leading them to your small studio room.
The two of them follow you and watch you put on some gloves and begin to organize your tools. You sway your body to the soft beat of the song playing quietly through some speakers in the room.
“Who’s going first?” You ask, opening a box of inks and needles.
“Me!” Kara exclaims. “I’m gonna get squeamish if I don’t.” She laughs nervously.
“First time, right?” You inquire, spinning on your stool, stencil in hand.
“Yeah,” she admits.
“Alright. Well, this will not be bad.” You reassure her. “Have you been scratched by a cat before?”
“Uh, no.” She shyly admits.
“Well, if you’ve ever been scratched by something like brambles or something, it would feel like that.”
You grab your machine and the needle.
“Are you nervous about needles?” You ask.
“Only if they’re stabbing me.”
“Okay, well, the needle I’m using is a very fine needle. It’s going to stab your skin, but it’s nothing like being stabbed with a shot or a knife.” You hold the small needle up for her to see. "It’s just injecting the ink into your cells.”
“Okay..” she sits on the table.
“Which wrist?” You ask, pulling a rolling tray with you.
You open the small ink cup, placing it next to your machine.
Kara lifts her right arm, turning it over for you to see. A green stone bracelet adorns her wrist.
“Do you wanna take the bracelet off for this?” You ask.
“No, I can just slide it out of the way.” She responds nervously.
“What kinda stones?” You ask. “Emerald? Some sort of sapphire?”
“Yeah, emerald,” she answers, playing with it.
You let her pull it out of the way as you wash the area and place the stencil in its spot. You take the paper away, leaving the blue ink on her skin. She confirms the location. You grab your tattoo gun and turn on the machine. The soft buzz fills the room as you gently lower the nose of it to her skin. She flinches at the contact but eventually eases at the sensation. You begin the tattoo, the needle gliding over her skin leaving the black ink exactly where you need it. You work slow enough to get the lines perfect, and quick enough as to not subject her to the sensation more than she needs to. Before long, you’re done. You wipe the leftover ink away from her skin and gently wash the fresh wound. Once you apply some ointment and a second skin, you scoot back.
“What do you think?” You tilt your head at her.
“I love it!” She confirms.
She promptly shows it to Alex, letting her look over your simple handiwork. She hums in content, a smile gracing her features.
“Alright,” you clap your hands, “aftercare.”
Kara looks up at you.
“Since your sister has gotten some before, she can help you,” You say. “Don’t leave the second skin on for more than two days. It’s best to take it off around 24 hours after your tattoo. For the next 5-ish days, wash it gently with antibacterial soap and water twice a day. You can also use a soft ointment on it on day 2. Once it’s done flaking, you can add moisturizer to keep it hydrated and healthy. It should be fully healed within two to four weeks. I’ll send you both home with the stuff.”
“Okay, thank you!” Kara exclaims.
You stand, nodding your head at her. You turn to toss your gloves and grab new ones to reset your station. Upon finding your box of inks empty, you climb the desk to reach a high cabinet.
“Do you need any help?” Alex offers, stepping towards you.
“It’s fine,” you assure her, focusing on your task. “Go sit your pretty self down.”
You wince at what just came out of your mouth, opting to pretend it didn’t just happen. Kara shoots her sister a knowing glance behind your back.
You hear her move to sit in the chair and you let out a small breath you’d been unknowingly holding.
After grabbing a new box of ink caps, you return to the floor and set up your station.
Alex offers you her left wrist, bare of any bracelets. You clean the area and prep it for the tattoo. Removing the stencil paper from her skin, you discard it and turn your machine on.
Tracing the stencil, the ink from your machine stains her skin. The music on in the background makes the silence comfortable as you and your clients vibe. Soon enough you’ve finished her tattoo and are cleaning it up and applying the second skin.
“All done,” you announce, stepping back from your work.
You begin to put your stuff away and discard the needles and ink caps again. Meanwhile, Alex shows her earth to Kara.
You lead them to the front desk and scoot yourself over the top of it once again.
“Thank you, Y/N.” Alex offers the money for the tattoos over the desk.
“Anytime, Alex,” you wink at her as you accept the cash from her.
You watch a soft pink dust her cheeks. You focus back on counting the money and counting the change to return to her.
“Thanks for coming in, Kara,” you bid farewell to her. “See you next time, Alex.”
“Bye, Y/N!” Kara waves.
“See you,” Alex follows.
•••
It’s been a couple months since you tattooed the sisters. Alex had sent you pictures of the fully healed tattoos of the two of their wrists next to each other. You’d responded, noting how clear and healthy the tattoos both look. You’re glad they both enjoy them.
Your appointments were completely booked for a good chunk of the month. While you wracked in quite a bit of money, creating multiple works to the same high standards was beginning to take a toll on you. The appointments finally let up a bit, allowing some breathing room.
One guy was quite persistent even after being denied a tattoo by you. He began blowing up your phone until you blocked him. He even went as far as making multiple instagram accounts to message you. You finally got him to shut up last week.
Your phone buzzes in your pocket. You set your drink down and drag it out, dreading the message. Upon looking at the message display on your screen, your heart gives a little flutter. Alex’s instagram user displays on the alert. You immediately open it, reading her text.
Hey, it’s been a while. How have you been? Anyways, I’ve decided on another tattoo if you’d want to do it. Might need your help with the final look.
She’s attached a few images to the message. One of her own sketch and a few reference images full of flowers and snakes.
You begin typing but immediately stop and rid the keyboard when you see her typing animation display.
I was thinking hip and thigh area. Sorry my artist skills aren’t the best. Take ur time with your sketch! No rush!
You begin typing again, fingers flying over the keyboard.
Of course! I’d be happy to! I’ll come up with a few slightly different designs. I’ll send them when I finish and u can choose which one :)
Awesome! Thank you so much! :)
You smile at your phone, thinking for a moment before typing again.
*Also, I’d been a bit swamped with commissions but they seem to have let up a bit. There’s also this asshole who won’t leave me alone because I refused to do his tattoo—*
You pause your typing, thinking about what you’re about to send. You begin to delete some of it before changing your mind.
As to how I’ve been, I’d been swamped with commissions but it’s seemed to slow now. There’s also this guy who didn’t like being told No about a tattoo
How about urself? How have u been?
The two of you text back and forth a bit about your lives since last seeing each other. She tells you about her FBI job and the coworkers getting on her nerves, and about how her sister loves to flaunt their tattoos to their friends. You tell her about the annoying guy who won’t leave you alone and tell her there have been a few changes to the shop.
•••
Three days pass and you’ve completed four versions of what Alex was asking for. You send her the final photos of them and she decides on them. The two of you also decide on a price and an appointment date and time within the week.
You sit on the front desk casually watching the new shop fish swimming around their tank. The small, striped tiger barbs chase each other around the tank, weaving around the driftwood and plants. The other tetras remain calm, schooling together and minding their business. A small school of cory catfish sift through the sand and plant stratum substrate.
The door opening steals your attention. You look over and see Alex entering the studio. You offer her a smile, which she returns.
“Hey, good to see you back,” you greet.
“It feels good to be back,” she returns.
She swiftly hands you her ID and you promptly scan it and print her paperwork for her to sign and hand both back over to her. She pockets her ID and expertly fills the form out, meanwhile you print the stencil. She hands her form back over to you. You put the form away and hop off the desk, beginning to lead her back.
“The fish tank is new,” she observes.
“May or may not have been my idea,” you cheekily shrug, grinning at the 50 gallon setup.
“Looks amazing,” she awes at the setup.
“Thank you,” you throw a smile over your shoulder at her. “I’ve been planning it for a while now, just needed the money.”
You get her settled in your studio and you look through your various playlists to set as background music. You select one of your indie playlists, allowing the music to softly play a song by beabadoobee. You begin to prep for her tattoo, sliding gloves on and opening packages of needles and inks.
“You got your own studio fish too?” She inquires, moving over to the 5 gallon tank that houses a new betta and shrimp duo.
“Yeah, I had some leftover cash from the big tank,” you state. “Decided I needed a friend in here.”
She coos at the little flamboyant fish as he swims near the surface, looking for food. You set the chair into a recline for Alex to lay down for her tattoo.
“Gotta lay down for this one, Flower Girl,” you pat the chair- now table- for her.
She bites back a grin, opting to chew on her bottom lip at your nickname for her.
“Also, lose the pants,” you instruct, your face immediately heating up.
“I- uh, I need to be able to access the, uh, area,” you stutter out.
She smirks at you, obliging to your instructions. You look away, allowing her some privacy.
“There’s uh,” you stutter, “there’s a blanket over there if you want.”
You point over at the burrito print throw blanket in a basket full of additional various blankets. You can hear her shuffle and you occupy yourself in throwing together your tattoo tray. You get the stencil ready.
“Look in this mirror and tell me where you want it,” you instruct her.
What ensues is a game of hot and cold as you find the perfect placement for the tattoo. Once the stencil is transferred to her skin, you let her get comfortable on the table while you prepare your tattoo machine. You pull your stool over beside her, dragging your tray with you. The familiar hum of the machine soon rings out in the room as you begin to trace the stencil on her hip and thigh.
A few minutes into the tattoo, Alex speaks. “So, what got you into bringing fish into the studio?”
“I just wanted to bring some life into the studio,” you respond, eyes not leaving the tattoo site. “Something non-disruptive.”
She hums in response before you continue.
“I’ve been in the fish keeping hobby since high school,” you explain. “And Becca doesn’t like snakes.”
“You almost brought in a snake?” She asks, surprise evident in her tone.
“The thought crossed my mind,” you chuckle, wiping extra ink off her skin.
“Do you have a snake at home?”
“Yeah, actually. She was the model for my snake tattoo actually,” you answer her, briefly showing off your forearm sleeve. “Brought her into the studio I went to for it.”
“You're cute,” she hums, a small smile gracing her features before she panics. "I- I mean, that's-- cute."
You chuckle out a “thanks,” to her.
“Anything else in your home?” She asks, hoping to distract you from her slip up.
“Yep! I got two dogs, a leopard gecko, and seven fish tanks,” you proudly state.
“Wow,” she breathes, “that’s a lot.”
You hum in response, a small smile gracing your lips.
“I wanted to bring a slice of home into the studio,” you admit.
“Do you have any clownfish?” She inquires. “Like Nemo?”
You let out a small laugh. “Actually yeah. Except she doesn’t have his stripes and her name is Coat.”
“You named your fish ‘Coat’?” She chuckles in amusement.
“Yeah,” you defend your fish, “she looks like she’s wearing a white coat and her face is sticking out the hood.”
Alex lets out a laugh at your defense. “What’s your snakes’ name,” she continues, “Wood Glue?”
“Close,” you laugh, having to lift the machine off her skin.
She turns her head to you, mouth agape in disbelief.
“Her name is just Glue,” you laugh, going back to the tattoo.
She raises her eyebrows in amusement and disbelief. She shakes her head, laughing at your choice of names for your pets.
“My leopard gecko is Bones,” you continue. “I also have some cory-cats at home: Panda, Duck, Leopard, Rat, and Toad.”
“You’re insane,” she shakes her head, a grin taking over her features. “How many fish do you have in all those tanks?”
“Pffttt! Too many,” you humorously state.
She raises an eyebrow at you incredulously, egging you on.
“Honestly, I don’t know, but it’s more than like, 40,” you state. “The guppies keep fucking.”
“Jesus—“
You hum, letting a chuckle escape your lips.
“What about you?” You inquire. “You got any pets?”
“Not yet,” she admits. “My job is too demanding for me to have the time right now.”
“If you could choose a pet right now, what would you choose to adopt?”
She hums in thought, tilting her head as she thinks. “I’d probably adopt a puppy,” she admits. “Not a huge breed, but not an ankle biter.”
You laugh at her answer, continuing with the lineart of the tattoo.
“What, do you have a problem with—“
“No, I just—“ you laugh, shaking your head, “pffttt, ankle biter.”
She laughs with you as you continue inking her skin.
The first half of the tattoo goes by relatively smoothly. You’re working on the shading of the upper half when Alex asks you to pause.
“You doing okay?” You ask, placing your machine on the tray.
“Yeah, I just need to take a short break,” she admits. “I need to stretch.”
You nod, backing your stool up and letting her stand. You take your gloves off, discarding them as you stand as well. You reach your hands above your head, interlocking your fingers to stretch out your body. You hear a couple places in your fingers and shoulders crack and pop.
“I’m gonna pop out to the Snack Shack in the lobby, do you want a yummy?” You offer.
“Sure,” she accepts your offer, wrapping the large burrito around herself.
You open your studio door and hop out to the snack station. Alex follows, wrapped up cozy behind you.
You open the cabinets that house the snacks and find your personal stash.
“Anything specific you want?” You pull out a couple bags of snacks to show Alex your options.
“I’ll take the cookies right there,” she points out the bag of chocolate chip mini cookies.
You grab them and toss them to her, nearly catching her off guard. You grab your own snack and turn around to usher her back to your studio.
The two of you take a seat, you on your counter next to your fish, and her on the tattoo table. The two of you snack in silence. You’re grooving to the beat of Fever Dream by mxmtoon, humming softly along.
Before long, the two of you finish your snack break.
“Let me know when you’re ready to go again, you state, tossing your wrapper in the trash bin in your studio.
Alex follows your role and tosses hers across the room, scoring it in the bin.
“Nice,” you congratulate her.
Alex begins to settle back on the table, exposing the tattoo site. You grab a new set of gloves and get ready again, settling down in your stool.
“I’m ready,” Alex states, shifting on the table one last time.
You get ready to tattoo, adjusting your own position to best tattoo the area.
“Has that guy texted you anymore since?” She inquires, breaking the silence between you two.
“Yep,” you huff. “He keeps making new accounts to bother me.”
“You know, you can put in a police report about it,” she suggests.
“I did,” you sigh. “They said since he’s not threatening me and he hasn’t shown back up, they can’t do anything about it.”
“God, that’s such bullshit,” Alex snorts. “That’s unfair to you!”
“It is what it is..” you sigh defeatedly.
“That’s not how it should be though,” she adds. “If he keeps bothering you, I’ll open a case against him for you.”
A small smile takes over your features and you glance at the agent. “Gosh, Alex—“
“Don’t tell me not to,” she insists, “I won’t listen to it.”
You let out a chuckle, gently shaking your head. A comfortable silence falls over the two of you again as you continue working on her tattoo. Various sapphic artists continue to play through your speaker softly.
“You know,” you begin, “you don’t have to keep paying me hundreds of dollars to be able to talk to me.”
You glance up at her and she meets your gaze. Confusion crosses her features as you continue.
“Just ask me out already.”
You continue focusing on her tattoo, waiting for her response. She opens her mouth to speak, not being able to find the words to respond to you.
“I- well,” she begins to stutter out words. “I mean, I’m free next Thursday if you are?”
You smile, lifting the needle off her skin and looking at her.
“Three o’clock?” You ask.
“I’ll pick you up,” she offers.
“Deal.”
The two of you smile to yourselves, stealing glances from each other as you continue tattooing.
Alex finds mother topic for the two of you to converse about while you finish up the last hour of tattooing. Once done, you clean the area and add the second skin.
“What do you think?” You ask, discarding your gloves as she inspects it in the mirror.
She runs her hand around the second skin, inspecting and admiring your work.
“I love it,” she states, turning to you.
You give her a grin, happy with your work and her content with the final product.
“I’m glad,” you smile at her. “Okay, go get dressed and meet me at the front desk.”
You turn and hop out of the room, gently closing the door behind you. You happily skip over to the desk, jumping up and sliding over the top into your spot behind it. A few moments later, Alex exits your studio and approaches you. She digs for her wallet, taking out the cash for your work and handing it over. You accept it and quickly hand back over her change.
“Thursday,” she nods at you, “three o’clock, I’ll pick you up.”
You nod, biting your lip. “Here. I’ll be here.”
“It’s a date then,” she agrees.
•••
Come Thursday, you’d just finished up your last client of the day about an hour before Alex was supposed to arrive. You’d planned a bit ahead this morning, opting to bring a change of clothes to work for you to change into for your date.
Glancing at the fish tanks, you notice how grubby they look. “To kill some time,” you sigh to yourself.
By the time you finish, you’ve got 15 minutes to get cleaned up and ready for Alex. Before long, you hear the engine of a motorcycle revving approaching the store. You throw on a jacket, completing your look and stepping outside to wait for Alex. You look down the streets and watch the person on the motorcycle pull up in front of you. Placing a foot down to hold the bike, they take off their helmet.
“Hop on,” Alex greets.
She pulls an extra helmet up into view, extending it towards you. You grin, approaching her on her bike and accepting the extended helmet. You swing your leg over the seat, settling in behind her and securing your helmet. She urges you to hold onto her. You wrap your arms around her torso, feeling the warmth radiating from her. You hold onto her firmly yet gentle as she revs the engine, gently taking off onto the road.
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