Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Margot first got it into her head she needed to get a tattoo, she kept the idea close to her heart. She didn’t feel the need to share something so personal with her mom, and truthfully she never felt a strong enough pull to confide in any friends. Especially when said friends were more like acquaintances who flitted right out of her life when she left to travel around the world. Now that she was back in the U.S., she figured it was a good a time as any.

She wanted something just for her – something that she could keep close to mark something important to her. Besides her mom would probably find the fact that she wanted a tattoo from Alice In Wonderland to be frivolous and silly.

Margot could remember when she’d first read it – a tattered old copy she’d found for sale at a library. It may has well have sprouted up from inside her bones, such was the connection she felt to it.

Initially she wasn’t sure she could even find a tattoo artist willing to do a direct copy of the John Tenniel illustration she wanted, much less do it justice. Trawling through dozens of images on the internet of shoddy linework and muddy colours filled her with unease. In addition to questionable artistry, the vast majority of tattoos were of extra toothy Cheshire cats and not particularly anxious rabbits. She wanted an Alice – Alice finding a tiny door behind a curtain to be precise.

To Margot it represented hope and wonder and everything she wanted to live on her skin permanently. It meant very few things were impossible.

After days of sifting through tags on Instagram and rolling her eyes at unsourced Pintrest photos, she decided to ask her cousin Henry if he knew any tattoo artists. He wasn’t necessarily the tattoo type but he always seemed to know everyone wherever he went and liked to surround himself with exceptionally resourceful people.

Within minutes her phone buzzed a reply - [Yeah, my friend Tilly is a tattoo artist. Only been at it for a couple of years but her work is amazing.]

[Great – what shop does she work out of?] Margot typed quickly, blood buzzing with excitement.

[Ink Or Swim, Seattle.]

A quick peruse of Google let her know the shop had little to no online presence. She would just have to make the trek from Oregon to Seattle to see for herself. At least her mom would be happy to see her.

Henry had arranged for her to meet Tilly for coffee so they could talk tattoos. He’d warned her about five times that Tilly was a bit much, but Margot was still taken aback by the nervous look on his face as he introduced them. Tilly beamed a beautiful smile and Margot let every warning slip right out of her mind; only half-listening to Tilly’s rambling about tattoo styles as she tried to blame the quickening of her heartbeat on her first sip of caffeine for the day.

By the end of the brief meeting they agreed to go through a proper consultation at the shop and set up an appointment from there. Henry seemed simply relieved Margot hadn’t run away at full speed. Tilly gave her hand an extra squeeze as a perfunctory “lovely to meet you” left her lips.

Somehow it sounded more sincere in the beautiful blonde’s particular British accent.

Margot clutched her copy of Alice In Wonderland to her chest as she pulled the door to Ink Or Swim open. It was a smaller shop with only four artists taking up regular residence. One of whom, a tall brunette with a wolfish grin, greeted her then called Tilly from the back with a sing-songy “Someone here to see you, Tills.”

“Margot!” Tilly beamed at her, launching into an awkward half hug after a moment of dazzling grinning. “Alice In Wonderland, eh? Can’t say I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading that one.”

“Really?” Margot paled, doubts of anyone who was unfamiliar with the book capturing the essence she wanted for her tattoo rapidly flitting around her mind.

“Uh oh, have I lost you already?” Tilly gave a nervous laugh. “If I promise to add it to my to-read list will you at least look at my work?”

“Of course,” Margot nodded. A not so quiet voice in the back of her head peeped up to chastise her about being willing to agree to nearly anything if it meant getting closer to Tilly as she followed her to the back of the shop.

Tilly gestured to the wall of framed prints and photos with an exaggerated gameshow flourish of her arm. Margot couldn’t control the gasp that escaped her as she took in the beautiful art adorning Tilly’s corner. There were dozens of startlingly realistic landscapes housed inside impossibly small circles, some with miniature versions of famous landmarks throughout the world, dotted across shoulders, collarbones, and ribs. A few elaborate and bold tall ships in neo-traditional style graced larger canvasses, mostly backs and chests, in photos featured mid-wall. Gorgeous colourful blossoms snaked around calves and wrists, and a small number of quotes in tiny, winding scripts peeked out under hairlines.

Margot found herself awestruck, face mere inches from each photo as she poured over the countless details and exquisite shading.

“So, what do you reckon?” Tilly asked with a gentle bump to Margot’s shoulder. “Any good?”

“They’re all so beautiful! I’ve never seen this level of detail before.” Margot felt a smile tug at her lips as she took in Tilly’s presence from the corner or her eye, the two still shoulder to shoulder. “You’ve got an amazing talent…”

The brunette from earlier waltzed in with two mugs, casting a sly glance at Margot as she placed them on the small table in the corner.

“Thought you ladies could do with a cup of tea before I take off.”

“Cheers,” Tilly nodded her thanks.

Margot busied herself with moving two stools so they could sit down as Tilly measured out sugar for her tea.

“So, why don’t you tell me a bit more about what you want to get tattooed and where. And maybe what it means to you, if that’s not too personal.” Although the warmth still shone from her eyes, Tilly’s expression and demeanor was decidedly set to business mode. Or whatever amounted to business mode in her world.

Margot felt the need to adjust her posture as she laid the book on the table.

“Right, yeah, I’m good to talk about it,” Margot confirmed, nervously flipping through her book until she found the appropriate page. “This is what I’d like-“

Tilly nodded and reached for the book, a questioning glance to make sure she was good to touch it before bringing it closer to her face.

“In black and white, I assume?”

“Yes. Though I may consider adding some colour down the road.”

Tilly made a non-committal hum at that, eyes dancing across the illustration.

“I figure it’s intricate enough that black and white would take a fair amount of time and precision. And since it’s my first tattoo and I have no idea how I’ll react to the pain-“

“You’ll be fine,” Tilly let a smile bleed into her serious approach. “Though, that being said, I need to know where you want it as that can make a big difference!”

“Oh,” Margot pulled the sleeve of her cream sweater to show Tilly the inside of her right arm, “just here.” She’s fully in camp nonchalance as Tilly let’s her fingers brush across her skin for the briefest of moments.

“Not for the faint of heart, I’m afraid,” Tilly’s mouth setting into a half frown. “not impossible, though.”

“That’s good.” Margot gave her a nervous smile. “As for what it means… Well I guess it means all things are possible.”

Tilly hummed around a sip of tea before slipping her shoes off and gesturing to her feet. Margot peeked down to see a delicate swallow adorning each foot, a heart clutched in one beak, another heart clutched with the bird’s foot.

“My first tattoos,” Tilly grinned, “hurt like a bastard.” She wiggled her toes, memory of the pain she had once experienced clearly replaced by joy.

“They must mean a lot to you…” Margot wrapped her hands around her mug, trying to reign in her desire to ask Tilly every aspect about her life.

“Yeah. It’s sort of a request to the universe, silly as that sounds.” Tilly started flipping through Alice In Wonderland again, eyes scanning pages without really taking anything in.

“What sort of request?”

“To bring the lost ones home safe,” Tilly responded, a quiet sadness lingering in her tone.

“I didn’t mean to pry,” Margot stumbled over the words as they left her lips. She had totally meant to pry, she just didn’t want to set that specific sort of impression.

“S’alright,” Tilly’s voice raised a few octaves as if a cheerier tone could vanquish any residual sadness from the room. “The reminder is there every day, regardless.”

“So how long do you think this type of tattoo will take? Do I need multiple sessions?” Margot folded her arms with her elbows on the table, lips resting in a thin line. She would be the most nonchalant and the least eager for multiple sessions with a beautiful, engaging woman.

“It’s fairly intricate so ballpark I’d say 4-5 hours,” Tilly chewed on her bottom lip, “as for sessions it’s difficult to predict and entirely up to how you cope with the pain but I reckon we could probably get it done in one go.”

“Okay. Great. Good.” Margot hoped the slight fall of her bottom lip at the confirmation of only one session wasn’t too noticeable.

Tilly rose and shuffled off to the front of the shop, returning with an appointment book in her hands.

“I’ve got some time Thursday evening if you don’t mind a late night. Say, 6:30?”

“Yeah, perfect, I don’t have any plans,” Margot flushed pink.

“Until Thursday, then.” Tilly grinned, extending a hand to shake.

“Right, Thursday.” Margot gave her best impression of a completely professional handshake, turning on her heel directly afterwards to leave.

To her credit, Tilly didn’t need to silence a giggle when Margot promptly walked into the glass of the front door. Instead she seemed genuinely concerned.“Oh god, are you alright, love?”

Margot could feel more than the contact her forehead had with the door flushing red at the sound of the term of endearment. Those Brits were simply dangerous with their casual affection.

“Fine. Totally fine.”

The fact that she was only physically fine was something Margot kept to herself as she made her way back to her mother’s apartment.

Chapter Text

Thursday, as it happened, arrived far quicker than Margot expected. Thankfully she had done her research and made sure she would be as prepared as she could be to permanently ink something into her skin. She had a decent night’s sleep yesterday and ate quasi-healthy food; no caffeine or alcohol to dehydrate her.

She braided her hair to the side, staring at the outfit options laid out in front of her on the bed. Comfort was essential, of course, but it couldn’t hurt to walk the fine line between comfort and effortless beauty. She snorted at the idea she was the type to pull off such an elusive superpower.

The tricky thing was figuring out what the hell effortless beauty looked like and how close she could manage to approximate it with her existing wardrobe.

Fortunately for Margot, her inclination to be early for everything overrode her indecision and she settled on a worn-in pair of grey leggings, a soft maroon tunic, and her well-loved olive green Doc Martens. She wriggled her nose at the final look, glasses shifting higher. Effortless was her wheelhouse.

Nerves began to bubble just under the surface as she grabbed a shoulder bag. She let herself fully commit to the idea they were only about the impending tattoo.

 ***

Tilly greeted her with a squashy hug and a smile so wide Margot could have stared at it for hours. She could feel the nervous bubbles pop into a fizzy contentment as she carefully extricated herself from the embrace.

“Ready to rock n’ roll?” Tilly’s energy danced in the air around them, though Margot noted it seemed to be more focused rather than galloping around aimlessly.

“As I’ll ever be, yeah.”

“Brilliant. Let’s prep the area then I’ll print off my stencil.” A thwap of latex gloves later and Tilly was gesturing for Margot to take a seat.  

Margot took her place at Tilly’s station, gaze falling to the reference photos already taped to the table. Tilly rolled up her sleeve, lightly running a razor over her arm before spraying it with an alcohol solution. The cool sensation of the alcohol jolted Margot into paying attention; she was really doing it, getting something she loved immortalized on her skin forever.

Tilly touched her arm, “I’ve got bottles of water but did you want anything to snack on? Pretty sure we keep a few granola bars kicking around in the cupboards.”

“I’m good for now, but maybe later.”

“Alright, back in minute.”

Margot tried to steady her breathing as best she could; anticipation was a hell of a drug. She barely registered Tilly carefully positioning the stencil on her arm and delicately peeling back the paper to reveal the outline. It wasn’t until Tilly took a hold of her arm to march her to the mirror that she came back to herself.

“What do you think of the placement? I can always wash this off and do up another one if you’d prefer it higher or lower or centered differently…”

Margot blinked, twisting her arm to catch the light as her breath got caught in her throat. “It’s perfect, exactly where I want it.”

Another toothy grin from Tilly and she was whisked away back to the stool that she would be well-acquainted with for the next several hours. The buzz of the machine was louder than Margot had imagined but Tilly was quick to reassure her everything was in fine working order.

“Right then, this is going to hurt – I’m sure you’ve expected as much – but if anything gets too painful or you need to take a break, just let me know, okay?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“I don’t need any beautiful women fainting on me, so be sure to drink water from time to time.”

Margot gave a small laugh. Beautiful?

She hissed as the needle sank into her skin. It was going to be a long night.

***

“What does that tattoo mean?” Margot asked, eyes trying not to linger as she spied a pretty green something peeking out from the top of Tilly’s plaid shirt. “Sorry if that’s too personal a question, by the way – just trying to take my mind off the pain…”

Tilly smiled softly and pulled the neckline a bit lower; Margot did her best to suppress her eagerness in gazing at the newly exposed skin.

“Not too sure why I ended up with that one there, to be honest. Suppose it’s a bit of a romantic sentiment,” the pressure of the hand on Margot’s arm lightened as Tilly continued, “All arrows sent will find their way into my heart if the quiver is right there.”

“That is quite romantic,” Margot agreed, “but are you waiting for Robin Hood or cupid?”

“I guess I’ll have to see who turns up, won’t I?”

“Who are you hoping for?” Margot winced at her involuntary jerk of her limbs during a particularly difficult bit of needlework. She felt guilty every time she flinched; her small movements not affording an artist of Tilly’s grandeur a perfectly still canvas.

“Ruby asked me the same when she tattooed it on me. Not sure I have any clearer answer for you than I did for her, I’m afraid.”

“Ruby?” Margot asked, trying to school her tone into distinct aloofness. The seconds awaiting Tilly’s response seemed only to cause her to fall farther down the rabbit hole of ‘this stunning woman must already have a girlfriend’.

“You met her the other day – the extraordinarily unsubtle one wearing the Clash t-shirt.”

Margot hummed in response. She needed to focus on breathing calmly and diffusing the spasms threatening to overpower her muscles. “Are you two…” she let her voice trail off, ignoring the strange pang of longing in her chest as best she could.

Tilly looked up, tilting her head to the side in confusion before realization broke across her face. “Together? No, we’re not.” The buzz of the needle starting up again stole the curl of a smile that crept onto Margot’s lips at the news.

“I’m sorry, it’s not any of my business,” Margot sucked a breath through her teeth as a particularly sharp sensation hit her nerves.

“You’re fine, honestly,” Tilly gave a small shake of the head as she wiped away some fresh blood. “Ruby’s a knockout with a good heart so I can only be flattered by the association.”

“I didn’t mean to presume anything.” Margot felt as though she was channeling Alice with every word, shrinking rapidly until all she could do was blink owlishly at where she once was.

“Perfectly alright. I’m sad to say my quiver remains unused.”

Margot couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out of her and tried to keep her arm steady as she regained her composure. Tilly raised an eyebrow, lips twitching into a smirk.

“Guess I should have gone for a bullseye instead, eh?”

“I suppose it loses a bit of the subtlety at that point,” Margot stifled a giggle.

“Precisely, love.”

Margot flushed involuntarily at the term, chastising herself for letting it affect her. It was just something people (particularly British people) said – it wasn’t code for automatic flirting. Even if it had been it probably wasn’t the best of ideas to distract your tattoo artist while you were in the process of getting tattooed.

Either way it did keep the slight edges of a smile on her face even throughout the pain. She’d found out Tilly was single in the most ridiculous way possible but she was glad of the information.