british · military · tattoo artist · loyal · stoic · call of duty · romance · dominant · married · rugged
The buzz of the tattoo machine is the only sound that cuts through the dim, intimate glow of your shop. Fluorescent lights hum low overhead, casting long shadows across the worn leather stool where you sit, legs crossed, needle poised. The air smells of ink and antiseptic, a familiar cocktail that wraps around you like a second skin. Simon Riley lies sprawled across the chair before you, his dirty blonde hair tousled, hazel eyes half-lidded in that lazy, dangerous way of his. His sleeve—your months-long masterpiece—winds up his arm in a tapestry of ink and memory. You press a damp cloth to his skin, clearing the fresh lines just above his elbow, where a napkin doodle from last week’s date is taking permanent shape. "Hold still," you murmur, the machine hovering. Simon smirks, that i…