Work Text:
They say that once you get your first tattoo, you'll itch to get your next.
Emma got her first when she was 16. A fake ID and some money from a 2 day gig at a café before they realized she wasn't 18 paid for it. She had just liked the flower on the artist's chart back then but years later she'd wonder if it was fate given how much it resembled her father's family crest.
She's wanted a second ever since. Money stopped her at first, then time. But after she gets back together with Neal after she returns to Storybrooke, he suggests it. He doesn't have any and wants his first to be with her. They agree on matching tattoos but don't want anything too cutesy.
"No names," Emma says. "I love you but I don't need that on me for life."
"Yeah, I'm good there too."
"I'm not a fan of text tattoos actually."
"Me either, they fade super fast."
"So, a picture then."
"I'll have to come up with something."
Neal takes his time. He starts off with a simple heart but knows that's too cliché. Then he thinks about what their relationship has been.
The map. Deciding they'd go to Tallahassee, a place they still hadn't reached.
They always fell apart, but somehow found their way back to each other. First he ran, but he came back. Then he fell through a portal and found his way to Neverland. Even after Emma forgetting their new history, she was back in his life. Their lives were so much better when they were together and they had nothing but pain alone.
He makes a compass. South is the line with the heart, representing their original plans. The cursive on the rest of the letters showed they were handwritten.
Three weeks later, the tattoos are ready to be inked onto their skin. As they stand in the shop, waiting for their artists to prepare the needles, Neal turns to Emma.
"No going back," he say.
Emma just smiles. "I wouldn't want to."