"Under Your Skin"

‼️WARNINGS‼️

•Swearing

•Needles

________________________________

Second Person POV

Tapping the end of your pencil against your cheek, you studiously stare down at the current piece you've been creating for an upcoming client that had requested a/an (insert). Between the Bluetooth speakers booming "(song name)" and the buzzing of a tattoo machine, you narrowly catch the jingle of the shop bell as the front door opens. Setting down the pencil onto your sketchbook, your eyes glaze up across the shop, spotting a figure in the entry. "Hey, how's it going?" You shout over the loud music as you stand up from hunching over your tattoo table to stretch your back out. The figure turns their own gaze your direction, deciding to approach. "Hey." A slow masculine voice replies as the man stalks closer.

Reaching down for your phone, you turn the volume down a few notches. "Walk-in? I'm Y/n, by the way." You nod your head over to the waiting room to the left of the entrance, grabbing your sketchbook and supplies to bring with. "Levi." The man states and follows you over to the (color) (texture) couches, sitting across from you. Plopping yourself down as well, you get comfortable and place the sketchbook on your lap, turning to a fresh page. "So Levi, do you have any other tattoos?" You ask, lifting your head to face the raven. Parting his lips, Levi curtly shakes his head. "No. First time." He answers simply. Grinning to yourself, you already know you'll have a field day with him. You love tattoo virgins. "Awesome! I'm honored you came to me!" You exclaim to which Levi looks unamused. He acts like a stereotypical tattooer who gatekeeps the art, making you want to tug the corner of your lip to the side in an awkward way.

"My mother passed away when I was a kid, so I'd like to get her name." Levi explains, folding his arms over his chest, right leg crossing his other as he leans back slightly. Gently nodding, you already begin mentally drafting. "I'm sorry for your loss." You sigh, twiddling with your graphite pencil. "I'd like it on the left side of my chest, below the collarbone." Levi states, which perks your interest even more. Chests are difficult due to the client taking breaths, but you're up for the challenge. "And what's her name?" You ask. "Her name is Kuchel. K-u-c-h-e-l." He spells out, prompting you to quickly scribble it at the top of your page. "Perfect. And do you have any ideas as for style? How big you want it?" You look back up to meet his slightly intense gaze. This man holds some serious eye contact. You have to give it to him though, not many are able to carry that power.

Rolling his head to the right then back as he ponders, he composes himself once more after hardly two seconds. "Not huge, but not puny. No more than 6" inches/15.24cm long." Levi answers, to which you nod. "Got it." You also scribble in his size preference at the top of the page. "For the font, I actually have a letter with her handwriting." He fishes for the paper in his back pocket, holding it out. You reach forward and take hold of the letter, unfolding it to lay your eyes on the inked script. "Ah, I get to transfer this digitally!" You hum enthusiastically to yourself. "All right, well, I'll get the paperwork for you to sign. I'll also start making a few size options, and you can get yourself a drink and snack from our vending machine if you'd like, while you wait." You offer, nodding your head behind the man. "Thanks." The raven responds, glancing behind his shoulder.

After checking his ID and getting the sheet and clipboard with a pen for Levi, you pick up your supplies to head back to your table to begin working on the design. Pulling out your iPad from your bag, you open the drawing app, snapping a picture of the letter Levi gave you, then inserting it to the canvas. Then, you turn up the transparency after adjusting the size, selecting a brush and black to start tracing the signature. Some time later, you print out two stencils to give him options.

With the stencils cut out, you head back to the waiting area to present the options, as well as return the letter. "Hey, wanna check out the design? And here's your letter back." You hold out the two templates for Levi to see, passing the letter over as well. "Sure. Thanks." The man nods, crumpling up the wrapper of the protein bar he just had to throw it away before taking back the letter. Presenting him the two size options, he ends up picking the first one, slightly smaller than the other.

You then show the taller/shorter/same size man back to your station, glancing over to your right as you pass another station, currently in use. "That's my apprentice, Jean. We've been buddies since middle school, then he decided to copy me, so I'm his mentor now." You look over your shoulder at Levi with a chuckle. "Hey!" The mentioned apprentice looks up from his client, machine still in hand. Levi nods once, acknowledging the sandy-brunette with a mullet.

"Hi!!!" The client under his hand, a brunette girl with a ponytail, waves at you both. "What's up, man?" A buzzed-haired boy sitting across from Jean tilts his head up. "That's Sasha, another friend of ours, and her partner in crime, Conny. Since Jean was permitted to pick up a machine and work on human flesh, they've been his pin cushions, a.k.a "guinea pigs." You wave back at the two as Sasha rests her hand back on her lap, watching Jean tattoo an outline of a sun and moon on her ankle. "Nice to meet you all." Levi nods again, following you the rest of the way to your station which is across from Jean's. "The two other artists, Hange and Reiner, will probably be in shortly." You mention, setting down the stencils you printed out to grab your purple sharpie.

"Anyway, do you mind taking your shirt off? Sorry, that's a weird thing to say in a business setting." You can't help but laugh, grabbing a pair of (color) latex gloves. Complying, Levi reaches over his shoulder to pull the back of the neck up, pulling the whole fitted black t-shirt off. You won't lie, he is an attractive guy. You have to distract yourself and not stare too much. He's not very talkative either, a mysterious type of guy. It has you wondering more about him. Or, maybe its the loss of his mother that has him closed-off?

"So, you said left side of your chest, correct?" You grab some more supplies from your drawer to shave and clean the area. "Yeah." The man nods. "Gotcha. Turn towards the mirror, there." You approach to shave the area, then stand beside him to hold up the stencil to his chest after wiping it clean. "What about here?" You just barely hover it a over the clean area. Studying his reflection, Levi tilts his head to the opposite side of you. "A hair to the right." He watches as you carefully push it away from you. "There." Levi then says. Nodding, you reach for the sharpie on the table, dotting his skin just where the top, bottom, and side edges of the stencil end. That way, it'll make it easier to align the stencil back in the same position.

Setting down the stencil on your rollaway tray, you grab the bottle of stencil applicator, squeezing out a small amount to rub over the area. You allow the applicator to dry a bit, fanning your hand over it to speed up the process. When ready, you take the stencil again, realigning it in the previous position, only this time, you press it onto his skin, smoothing it out. Carefully pulling off the top of the stencil, you grin to yourself at the purple signature on his flesh. "Check that out." You step away, allowing Levi to see it in the mirror. The raven gets closer to the mirror, doing a final once over before committing. Returning to his original place, he gives you the green light. "Looks good."

When the stencil on his skin is dry, you had already prepared the rest of your supplies and washed your hands again in the meantime. "All right, Levi, you can go ahead and lay down on this table." You say after wiping it clean, then getting yourself a new pair of gloves. Levi lays himself down, resting his hands over his abdomen while you scoot your rolling chair over along with your tray table. "This shouldn't take too long, but if you need any breaks just let me know. Hold as still as you can." You warn, picking up your wireless tattoo machine. Using your other hand to smear Vaseline over the stencil, you then dip the end of the needle into the ink cap, ready to start.

"Don't mind me, either. I have to get a little close." You scoot closer to the table, raising your arms up to rest on his chest/arm in order to tattoo properly. "I don't mind." Levi quietly replies, as if afraid to move and throw you off, possibly messing you up. Concentrating, you lower your left/right hand closer to his chest until the needle begins penetrating his epidermis into the dermis to deposit the ink. You take your time maneuvering your elbow, following the curved lines, eventually whipping out the needle to leave a clean finish where you can start again. "How does that feel so far?" You ask as you lean back up, gently patting the recently inked skin with a paper towel in your free hand. "I barely feel it." Levi answers without giving a second to think about it, his eyes glued to the ceiling, not bothered by the bright lights. Snickering to yourself, you lean back over him to continue. "I knew you could take it. Let me know if you need a break, though." You start again a few centimeters before you ended the first stroke to continue a seamless line.

Levi takes the session like a champ, not at all complaining or even chatting. He lays beneath your arms completely still, being cautious of his breathing as not to inhale too deeply and ruin a line. He takes gentle and slow breaths, allowing the subtle buzz of your quiet machine to put him into a bit of a trance. To him, it feels quite therapeutic and relaxing.

About halfway through, though, you lean up again, patting away the excess ink from his reddened skin. "Hanging in there, Levi?" You muse, wiping more Vaseline onto your gloved-pinky from the scoop you have on your tray. "Yeah, I'm fine. You can keep going." He drags his eyes away from the ceiling to meet your own. Your eyes crinkle at the corners, smiling down at him. "Awesome! That means you'll be back on my table for more." You joke, smearing more Vaseline onto his skin to finish the rest of the outline. He's one of the best clients you've had in awhile. Lately, you've been cursed with long or multiple sessions because the person couldn't sit still enough or cried too much. Levi, though? He's taking it like an unbothered champ and you admire him for that.

Some more time passes in a comfortable silence, the background filled in with your favorite playlist, as well as Sasha, Conny, and Jean's laughter from his station, all of it a white noise. You don't even notice a rowdy Hange and Reiner show up for work. After completing the outline, you begin filling it in with the same black ink, excited for the outcome and Levi's first impression. You almost fail to notice the shift in his breathing and heartbeat thumping against his chest the longer you permanently mark his pale flesh. Every time you move to get a better, more comfortable angle, he reminds himself to zone out. He's more worried about you noticing his anxiousness from you, rather than the tattoo itself.

As for yourself, you begin to feel the same way the deeper you get into your thoughts, becoming more aware of the man you're working on. There hasn't been one particular thing he's done to catch your eye, it just happened over time. The more time you spend with him, the easier it is to be around him. You feel like you've known him for months already, subconsciously hoping you can continue getting to know him.

Time seems to speed up because you find yourself finished with Levi's very first tattoo, almost forgetting how you went on autopilot towards the end. Turning off the machine, you set it down on the tray to get a fresh clump of paper towels, gently wiping off his irritated skin, even if Levi can't feel the pain. "All done!" You exclaim, finishing cleaning the area. "Already?" Levi questions, not noticing how much time had passed since you started. "Sit up slowly and give yourself a few seconds before looking in the mirror. I don't want you to pass out on top of me." You chuckle, scooting your rolling chair out of his way.

Levi follows your directions, pushing himself up from the table, swinging his legs over the side and sitting idly for a few short moments. Then, he rises off the table to approach the mirror, quietly inspecting the fresh ink. You pull out a new piece of second skin wrap, your (color) eyes darting up every few seconds to guess what's going through his mind. For the first time since your apprenticeship, you're nervous to hear his response. Will he critique your work? Hate it? Hate the placement? Regret it? You can only imagine what this neat person thinks of your art. Hell, you're not even on his level of perfection.

Seeming to read your thoughts, Levi pivots your direction, expression never changing. Here it is, you're awaited fate. Is this newbie about to end your whole career? "It looks great." His voice is... soft? Delicate? He wasn't a talker from the moment he came in, but even then, his words were never that careful. They were straight to the point, slightly numb, but sure. Now, he's acting like his guard has been let down, and frankly, you feel honored to experience that from a man you only met two and a half hours ago. "Really?" Your voice comes out quieter than you had planned, awkwardly clearing your throat. "You really like it?" You ask again, somehow in disbelief of yourself. Its been years since you questioned your worth.

The raven nods once more, his gaze still fixated on you. "Of course. Why would you doubt yourself? You shouldn't regret, either." Levi finally shifts his stance to a more comfortable one. Your eyes meet his again, a warmth enveloping your body as you take in his response. You never expected to receive such a compliment from a guy like him before. You actually feel bashful. "Thanks, Levi." You grin shyly, eventually walking over to put the clear protective bandage on him.

"This will only have to stay on for two to three days, the edges may lift a little, but its okay if that happens. Just make sure nothing goes in or comes out of the seal. Also, it may fill with ink, blood, and puss. Don't worry, though, that's all normal. Don't let it soak in water, but its okay to shower. Make sure that when its time to come off, that you do let it soak for at least fifteen minutes before peeling it off in the shower. Make sense?" You instruct Levi on the first part of the aftercare. Nodding quietly, Levi watches as your delicate gloved fingers line up the bandage, meticulously pressing it onto his skin and pulling off the back.

As you smooth out the bandage, your eyes are trained on the tattoo. "When the second skin is off, gently wash it twice a day with antibacterial fragrance-free soap and lukewarm water. Pat it dry with fresh paper towels, then apply a thin amount of Aquaphor, just enough to make a sheen. Don't touch it at all after that, and definitely don't pick or scratch at it. And avoid direct sun exposure for at least two to four weeks until its fully healed. I'll give you a sheet with all the aftercare instructions too, I know its a lot of information." You lightly chuckle, finished with the clear wrap. "Thanks." Is all Levi says, watching you the whole time without you noticing.

"You can follow me to the front and I'll get you checked out." You meet his eyes again, ignoring the fact that your body still feels warmer than usual. Nodding, the raven cautiously pulls his shirt back on, trailing behind as you take him back to the reception area. "So, the total is $180, and here's that instruction sheet." You pull out a paper from under the desk, setting it on the counter. Levi's brows seem to twitch together for a brief second, almost going unnoticed. "That seems awfully low." He comments, reaching for his back pocket to fish out his wallet.

Damn... He caught me.

"No, no! Its fine, I don't need more than that!" You awkwardly laugh, playing it off. You hate up-charging memorial pieces, the idea makes you feel sick doing that. If you could, you'd do them for free, but unfortunately, you have bills to pay. "You sure?" Levi quirks a brow up, not at all convinced. "Totally!" You nod, struggling to keep eye contact with him. His intense gaze could burn holes through you. "Okay." The light-eyed raven eventually complies, pulling out his card to insert into the PIN pad.

"Here's your tip." Levi then flips through bills in his wallet, holding out $75. Your eyes dart to the wad of cash in his hand, your heart racing more than it already is. He can't be serious, that's way too much. "That's more than enough, really! I can't take that much for a tattoo this cheap!" You wave your hands, refusing to take it. That's when Levi's expression falters a bit, looking a tad amused.

He caught me again...

"So, you just admitted it is a cheap tattoo. I knew you would undersell me out of pity." He shakes his head in disapproval, searching through his wallet again. Levi then pulls out another $25, adding it to the stack. "You've got to be joking..." You groan in exasperation, covering your face with your hands. "I only make shit related jokes." Levi holds his ground, cash still in his hand waiting for you to take it. "I'll feel guilty taking that much, like I stole from you." You frown, finally dropping your hands back to the counter. "Fine. I'll just leave it." He drops the money, swiftly turning to make his way to the exit. "Wha- Huh?" You can't find the right words, but its too late, he already got outside.

Dammit.

By the time you make it to the door, he's long gone, plus its dark outside so you have no clue which direction he went. So much for trying to convince him not to tip you so high. It was way over 20%. Now, you felt like you robbed him. You feel disgusted with yourself. "That son of a bitch." You sigh with a shake of your head, still afraid to touch the money that lays on the counter in front of you.

"Right this way, guys." You hear Jean's voice grow closer, followed by three pairs of footsteps. "Hey, (nickname)! How was your session?" The apprentice comes up beside you at the counter, leaning against the wall behind it. "Good. Except he left way too much money for my tip." You eye the stack, causing Jean to shift his gaze towards it as well. "Damn! How many tens are in there?" The sandy-brunette picks it up, flipping through as he counts, eyes only growing wider with each bill. "Someone thought you were cute~" Sasha giggles as she rounds the counter, leaning into it on the other side of you. "What?" Your eyes flick over to her in surprise. "Oh, for sure. I caught the vibes the second I looked at him." Conny adds nonchalantly, standing beside Sasha now. "Not true! He was a normal client and never acted interested or shy!" You rebuttal, only earning unconvinced expressions.

Jean takes hold of your hand, slapping the stack of cash into the palm, then curling your fingers over it. "Hey, my mentor must be pretty good if that's what they're making just in tips!" He exclaims, seeing the good in it. "Not when the piece was a memorial for his mother." You glare at the taller/shorter/equal height male, earning a side lip tug from him. "Um... still, though! That says a lot! He's definitely grateful, so leave it at that." He shrugs, seeing no harm in it. "Plus, I agree with Sasha and Conny, he for sure likes you." He adds at the end, making you hide your face against the counter. "Shut up!" You yell, voice muffled by the surface.

"Did I hear someone has a crush?!" Hange's loud voice carries throughout the whole shop from their station in the back. "No!" You quickly shout, lifting your head back up. "Woah, a crush on a client? That's a first for you!" Reiner pokes his head over his station with a sly smirk. "I need to go home." You sigh, giving up with all the teasing. "Don't worry, Y/n. He'll be back for more ink." Sasha smiles sweetly, reaching across the counter to pat your shoulder. "If that's the case, Hange gets him from now on." You shake your head, embarrassed thinking about how you could face Levi again. "So, you do like him!" Everyone gasps, knowing you would want to avoid him if that were indeed the case. "Stooooop!!!" You whine. "Let's all bet them $50 if he comes back within the next four months." Jean suggests, adding to your misery. "I'm in!" The others all reply.

~~

Then, three months later, while checking out your client, Eren, at the counter, the familiar jingle of the bell chimes as the front door opens. "I'll be right with you!" You call, glancing to the right as you wrap up the transaction. However, your eyes do a double take, sure that they deceived you the first time, but no, it was true. The same guy from a few months ago is back. The same guy you got teased for by all your friends because he left a large tip. "Oh- hey, Levi!" You wave, heart instantly picking up speed. Those unforgettable silver irises land on your (color) ones, locking in place, nodding his head. "Hey." He replies in that same monotone voice you remember all too well from that night.

I owe everyone $50...

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Hey, everyone!

My apologies for not updating very often, I've been a bit busy! I've been slowly chipping away at requests and figured I'd quickly write up an original idea to pass the time while you all still wait for your requests! (Again, I'm so sorry its taking me forever).

I hope you enjoyed this one shot and I hope to publish another chapter soon! I'm bouncing between writing three requests as of right now, so its a bit time consuming, but I'm getting there!

Anyway, I hope you have a great day/night!

~AlpineBreadStick