Work Text:
framed vintage tattoo designs decorated the walls, the smell of alcohol flooded your nose, the sound of buzzing machines turn into a white noise, and you can hear the muffled sound of popping bubbles from outside the windows in sabaody archipelago. it was your favorite place in the whole island. your boss is a fishman, one of the most renowned tattoo artists in the new world. he’s got tons of tats, he could hold himself in a fight against kaido but he’s the nicest man you’ve known and he’s taught you everything you know.
after a long apprenticeship, you are finally skilled enough to be on your own. you were working on building a consistent client base, but still had a ways to go before you would stop taking walk-ins. although, you’re happy to do so because it leads to meeting some interesting people… one of those being the captain of the heart pirates, trafalgar law.
the first time you met him you weren’t sure about him, he was tall, lanky, dark circles under his eyes and not to mention you saw his name in the papers and knew he was a pirate with a bounty on his head….
but one day he saw you through the window of your studio, there was something about the way you carried yourself, the way your face lit up when you laughed tugged at law’s heart like nothing had before. curiosity and longing got the better of him…he found his hand pushing open the front door of your studio.
“hey, welcome in!” you smile and greet him as he walks in, “what can i do for ya today?”
law takes in the atmosphere and turns back to you, “can you do a walk-in?”
“sure!” you chirped, excited to do some work today since it had been a slow morning. “what are you thinking of getting? we have some traditional fishmen flash sheets you can pick from or i can draw something up for you,” you start to offer some books for him to look through.
“can you do something like this?” law pulls out a folded piece of paper with a rough sketch of a design with a heart and smiley face in the middle.
“oh, okay, nice! do you mind if i see that?” you ask and he hands you the paper. you think to yourself, it wasn’t a super clean design, but you enjoy the child-like nature of the doodle, it made you feel inspired.
“do you mind if i make a mock-up and just add some more embellishments? you don’t have to get what i come up with, but if you’d like i could give it a shot.” you suggest.
he just stares at you with those intense grey eyes and nods once.
at first law is a nervous wreck, this was his first time in a tattoo studio and he wasn’t really sure what he was doing or what he wanted. he knew he wanted to get a tattoo honoring the man who saved his life, but it was something so personal that he didn’t feel comfortable sharing with just anyone… but your grounded and straight-forward demeanor calmed him down so much.
law watched as you started sketching out ideas in your style after seeing his vague sketch. watching the way your fingers gripped the pen and how you tilted your head to the side and got close to the paper. ‘adorable’, he thought.
“how’s this?” you ask and hold up the design. the same elements from his original sketch were there, just executed better.
he didn’t know if any drawing could even evoke the feelings and memories that he had kept precious and locked away. but your clean, yet bold lines were more perfect than he could have done himself.
“seems good enough” he uttered, trying to hide his nerves.
“ya sure?” you ask, lifting an eyebrow. “i can always add to it or do another”. “don’t go through all that. i like it.” he states through almost gritted teeth.
“okay, but theres no going back!” you tease, bringing the design over to your station.
his eyes followed you as you set up your station, making sure that everything is perfect and sterile. law can appreciate the ritual of a set up, just like surgery he thought. you continued prepping your station and finally cutting out the stencil.
“okay, c’mere,” you beckon. gesturing to make his way to your table. “now show me exactly where you want it.”
he looks at himself in the mirror by your station, he starts unbuttoning his black shirt, inspecting his own body where to place the design.
you freeze, your eyes trace his body up and down, noticing how toned his arms and chest is. he’s actually really hot, you think to yourself. catching your own thoughts, you look down at your set up to focus yourself on your job. this is your profession, you have to act professional. no letting any urges get you carried away from the task at hand, although he makes it difficult to do so.
law turns towards you. “um, here”, he relays as he points to the center of his chest.
“okay sweet, let me place the stencil on ya. you can lay down for this part.” you direct him to the table once more.
he lays down, his shirt dropping to the sides of his torso, exposing his body up to you. you look down at this man who has a bounty on his head but he’s doing what you tell him to do. the thought excites you and you feel your cheeks start to get a little warm.
“alright, i’m going to prep your skin now,” making sure to verbalize each step you make.
you put on your gloves and start applying stencil goo to his chest. rubbing it thoroughly to get an even layer. the pads of your hand gloss over his physique, you lids start to get heavy as you start to lose your senses, imagining yourself riding him. you snap back after you hear law clear his throat, realizing that you probably spent longer than necessary spreading the stuff on him. you focus back to the process and peel the first layer off the stencil and line it up at the center of his chest.
“okay, go take a look at that placement and let me know if you want me to move it.”
he looks it over in the mirror once more and is pleased with the alignment. “good” he reports.
“alright, get back on the table like you were before and we can begin!”
you dip the tip your machine into a small cup of black ink to fill it up, the fluorescent light bouncing off the surface. you position your chair to the perfect height, just tall enough to reach your canvas before you.
“ready?” you look down at him. he nods back at you.
“take a deep breath in.” you say, and you inhale with him.
after exhaling, you start your process of moving the ink filled needle over his tanned, soft skin. dipping the tip down beneath the surface at the perfect depth to fill it in with the black ink. you draw your first line and clean it up.
“how’d that feel?” you ask.
“not as bad as i expected” he said.
you smile and get back to making your design come to life. steadily making each line as perfect as possible as you delicately follow the stencil outlines.
after an hour of intense focus, you wipe the sweat off your forehead. finally finished with your work. you lean back in your chair and admire the design. it suited him so well. you smiled and look at law, “alright, its done, you can go look now”.
law winces and slowly rises off the table and looks in the mirror. you see his reaction and his eyes turn red and glossy.
after a minute he directly faces you and looks you in your eyes, “thank you”, he said and you could tell it was from a deep place. this is why you love your job. the look on peoples faces when they see their skin marked with something meaningful, but this look on his face was priceless.
you cover his fresh tat with a second skin adhesive and tell him how to take care of it and to keep it clean. he pays you and tips you handsomely. as you said goobye, you thought to yourself if you would ever see him again. wishing that some day your paths would cross again….
___________________________________________________
some time had passed and now law had been coming to you for consistent work over the last several months. you couldn’t help but get a little attached to the attractive man with a dark past. not only was he attractive, you were attractive to his mysterious nature. he didn’t say much but you shared comfortable silences as you shaded in his lines. you wanted to know more about him. his eye contact was so intense but you craved it. you wanted his attention and when he would show up at your shop you couldn’t help but feel special.
law was starting to get attached to you too, he just didn’t show it. (neither of you did, at least you both thought) law was grateful that you and him had established such a comfortable and trusting relationship. he really had planned on only getting one tattoo (as a tribute to the man that saved his life), but there was something about you that made him want to keep coming back for more…
first it was his chest, then left shoulder, then the right, then his back piece and then his forearms.
but it was his hands…. doing the crosses on the tops and lettering on his knuckles, having to hold and handle them with care, thats what made law fall head over heels for you…
he watched the way your eyes focused intensely on making sure each line was perfectly straight, the way that you would breathe in a long breath and hold it while you drew the line, then exhale after you were pleased with the way it looked.
he started to hold his breath in rhythm with yours. you noticed this and stopped what you were doing and locked eyes with him and in a calm voice, “don’t forget to breathe,” and at the same time you both inhaled a deep breath and exhaled.
for some reason it felt like the first time either of you had felt air in your lungs before. you felt your stomach do a back flip and your heart rate speed up, but you cleared your throat and went back to work. you’ve gotten used to having to calm yourself around him.
after the burn of each ink filled line, you would pick up his hand and hold it in yours to wipe it down with a soft cloth saturated with a soothing solution. rubbing away the leftover ink to show your perfect work on his tanned hands. feeling your fingertips align his digits in the perfect position, using a firm but soft touch with such precision. it was an experience that law had never had before. to be at the mercy of your needle and trusting you completely.
funny, the letters together read ‘death’ but he never felt more alive than when he was under your needle.
you could tell that your encounters with law were inevitably going to end, and soon. the thought of this tore your heart into pieces. how could you possibly navigate a situation like this? you needed to remain professional, the thought of going any further with a client made you feel guilty. but your heart was screaming at you to make your dreams and wishes a reality.
after the last session, law isn’t ready to stop seeing you either. over the last 8 months you are what he looked forward to the most. making excuses to the heart pirates to stop at sabaody just so he could get touch-ups and even more work from you. he needed your presence in his life, someone who was grounded, professional, calm, and most of all— you made him feel safe. your tattoos reminded him of the things in his life that were the most important to him and the permanency- yet at the same time, the fleeting nature of life.
“_____-ya,” you look up to meet his gaze, “i….i was wondering if you were doing anything later…” he asked you.
you pause for a second and think, is he asking me out? theres no way…. maybe he needs a favor? or he wants to squeeze in another design?
you clear your throat with a small laugh and reply, “um, not much besides just going home and making some food and watching tv.”
“lets go somewhere” he asks while his intense stare burns a hole through you. you can barely hold his eye contact as you register what he’s trying to ask.
“…oh! um, yeah sure! lemme just clean this up”, you jump up and your heart is pounding in your chest.
law watches you as you clean up your station, making sure everything is discarded carefully to its rightful zone. he loves watching your process of doing things, it’s satisfying to his brain.
“kay, done! let’s go” you murmur, turning away to hide your blushing face as you grab your jacket.
you walk down the street of sabaody, the setting sun now leaving little light left to the under water environment, the lights of the amusement park in the distance twinkle and dance in the air through the large bubbles.
you pick a random spot to get food and barely make any conversation. theres something nagging you and the tension between you is evoking some stirring feelings you had been trying to hide away for the sake of your professional relationship.
after the mermaid waitress clears your stuff from the table you look at him, “well, i guess i should turn in for the night” you say.
“i’ll walk you” he declares.
law walks you home, silently. you walk up the stairs to the entry of your apartment building. turning around to see law staring at you. something about his behavior makes you think he doesn’t want to leave you alone.
“um, would you like to come in?” the question leaves your lips before you can even realize what you’re saying.
he doesn’t answer, just following you as you unlock the door and step inside. you throw your coat on the couch by the door and realize your place is messy so you start tidying some stuff up.
law leans against your desk, scattered with books and drawings. he watches you as you throw away stuff and try to make your place look more presentable. he liked watching the way you do things.
“____-ya” he says. he doesn’t move from the desk, too scared to make the first move.
you turn to look at him, and you realize that trafalgar law is in your apartment.
a pull at your heartstrings makes you feel heavy. you cant move, nor do you want to. you realize this is what you’ve wanted for a long time. to be alone with law.
the two of you just stare at each other, the air is thick with tension, to act or not to act on hidden feelings that have been building for months. youve been so confused on what to do, to act on your feelings or just ignore them until he goes away and never comes back, just to nurse your heartache and forever day dream about what if’s.
“you know, its been so great to work on you—i mean with you. you were one of my first clients at the start of my career and your trust means a lot to me. so thank you law.”you say, hoping you don’t sound like an idiot to him.
law doesn’t know what to say back, he just stares at his feet. trying to think of something to say, something that could explain the gravity of his feelings and appreciation to you. he’s never been good with words or feelings. but theres something about you that has him so worked up and nearly bursting at his seams to show it. so he closes the distance between the two of you in one stride and crashes into you with a kiss, its clumsy and filled with want.
what is happening? you think to your self. you pull away look up into his grey eyes, noticing the flecks of white in them, making them almost look like smokey quartz the way they glisten at you. you’re caught off by surprise at the unfolding of events that you had daydreamed about for months. you don’t know what to do but let your instincts take over and return the clumsy, sloppy kiss back.
you two take turns trying to get used to each others rhythm until you finally get into sync and carelessly suck on to one another faces. you break the kiss and walk over to your bed, jumping on top of it and patting the space beside you with a grin, inviting him to join you.
law blushes a little and shuffles his feet over to the bed and climbs on. unsure where to put his hands he just rests one of his arms over yours. You smile at him and bring him into an embrace. you open your eyes to stare into his deep grey’s. he can see how long your eyelashes really are. god, you’re beautiful, he thinks to himself. you reach up and take his hat off and his hair tousled around his pretty face. he’s enamored with you and the energy you radiate. he never thought he would be at the other end of it, nor does he think he deserves it.
“can i tell you something?” he asks you.
“of course, anything” you validate.
he cant look at you as he confesses, so he buries his face in your hair, taking a deep inhale of your shampoo.
“i never really wanted a tattoo…” he trails off. “not before i saw you.”
your heart almost leaps out of your chest.
“i mean i had thought about it but then i saw you and i just wanted an excuse to meet you…”
you start laughing, “thats a very permanent thing to do just to have a reason to talk to someone.”
you can feel him smile against your neck and he lets out a short chuckle.
“i made up a design so that you would think i wanted something.” he admits.
“i really liked it, the original.” you compliment.
“yeah, but yours is better.” he says as he wraps his arms around you, pulling you tighter to him.
you look at him, your faces just barely an inch away. your pupils are dilated from your aroused state. the excitement of this finally becoming a reality has you feeling like you could fly. your lips meet again, this time you were ready to take the plunge with him. you don’t care about your reputation anymore. you just want to be at the mercy of his touch and show him everything you dreamt of doing to him for the last 8 months.
law kisses you again, eating your mouth with intensity. he takes you in his hands and squeezes your tits a little too hard, hard enough to make you breathe in sharply. his long thumbs brush over your harden nipples and he twists them through the fabric. law starts undressing you. using his nimble fingers to quickly undo the buttons on your shirt. he sees the black lace bra you have on underneath. his face flushes and inhales deep from seeing your breasts smooshed together to create an image he would only see in an anime or something. you softly moan and grind yourself down against his thigh.
his hands running over the sides of your hips and thighs. trails up to your face, caressing it again. breaking the kiss to trace his fingers over your lips. you part them just slightly and kiss his fingers. he twirls them around your mouth and watches as you open it more for law to reach his finger into your soft wet mouth, swirling your tongue around it. you can feel his bulge pressing into your thigh and you slowly grind into it. your moans are stifled by the tattooed knuckles at the entrance of your mouth, the E & A slowly disappearing.
he had to have you all to himself, the thought of you with another person made him crazy. you’re too good. too good for anyone else. maybe even too good for him.
you slide up his shirt, feeling his abs, inked with your work under your palms, while you suck on his fingers. your hand trails lower and you brush over his hard member and you feel it jump behind the fabric. palming his erection in your hand, exhilarated at the thought that you’re the one who did this to him.
the warm touch of his palms heat you up inside. you feel his hand move down your torso, to in between your legs, leading towards your pulsating wetness. his fingers wet with your saliva surpass the elastic on your underwear.
he finds your throbbing clit, swollen with excitement. his fingers circle around your bundle of nerves before diving into you and scissoring your g-spot. you cant help but melt into his hands and under his lips as his mouth moves over yours, his tongue tasting you as he makes the move to show you all his held back feelings towards you.
he alternates between your clit and your hole until you’re about to cum for him, but he stops. you growl into his mouth from his lack of stimulation and you roll him over on to his back and climb on top of him, straddling him fully with your legs on either side of him. placing your soaked spot on his bulge, softly grinding your aching clit against him. he moans softly.
its not soon after when he lifts you up to take off his own pants and underwear, freeing his member from its clothed confinement you lose your underwear and the rest of your clothing too. you grind your wetness up against his shaft, lubricating it with your natural essence. law lets out a soft groan as you wet his length so easily.
“you’re so wet”, he sighs. the thought of you aroused this much for him sends him over the moon.
“i know, i just want you so bad”, you breathe as you lean down to kiss his neck. leaving love bites and hickeys all over his shoulders.
you position yourself so that his mushroom tip kisses your needy entrance. the two of you have exercised enough patience, now it’s finally happening. everything you’ve wished for is coming true.
you shift your weight down and he pushes his hips up. you both simultaneously sigh as his hot member slides up into your warmed core.
you look down at law beneath you, your hands placed on his chest, the first piece that you ever did for him smiling up at you. you shake your head and laugh.
“what?” he asks
“nothin”, you smile as tears sting your eyes and nose, “just remembering the first time i met you and never thought it would lead to this, even though i wished for it everyday.”
he sighs again and gives you a small smirk. with hearing you say those words, law starts moving his hips to buck up into you. you moan, his shaft grinding against your walls. the friction reaching the places you could never reach by yourself.
law wanted you just like this, he thinks to himself. naked, supple flesh, on top of him, tits bouncing, and brows pinched together from the pleasure of his length hitting your soft spot inside you.
“you like that?” he asks you with a devilish look in his eyes.
you moan something intelligible, eyes rolling back in your head as your synchronized movements make you close to climax.
law’s fingers find your clit again and quickly makes work on it, as he pounds his dick into you. your hair falls over your face, and your lips and cheeks match in a pink hue. law has never seen something more dazzling in his entire life. he wishes he could take a picture of you like this and keep it forever.
you feel the bubble growing from within you as you begin to orgasm, and you squeeze it until it pops. your head snaps back as your body gushes a downpour of cum all over him beneath you. law follows you immediately and shoots ropes all over your walls as he pinches his eyes closed and opens his mouth to let out a guttural groan.
his eyes widen when he looks down at the mess you two made, (he has never made anyone cum like that before). you collapse forward, your whole body resting on top of law as you huff to catch your breath.
you take in how good it feels to actually have someone else make you orgasm. it’s just not the same when you do it yourself, imagining your hands are his. the feeling of your two bodies together feels better than anything you’ve ever experienced before.
your breathing becomes synchronized. the touch of his bare skin under yours is euphoric. you’ve touched his skin before when he would be on your table, but you always wore gloves. to finally have the raw skin to skin contact gives you a lustful high.
you lift your head and look up to him with a lazy smile, “that was even better than i imagined.”
“seems like you imagined me a lot”, he jokes.
“well duh, i mean you have that effect”, you relay.
he just smirks and kisses the top of your head and sighs deeply.
“lets go take a shower” you invite.
as the two of you waddled to the bathroom carefully, trying not to drip any juices on the floor. you reached into the shower and turned the water all the way to the left. steam began to rise in the air and you cracked the window. you both stepped in, the hot water washing over you. you stood beneath the gentle spray, watching the water tracing rivulets down his body.
law pulled you close and looked into your eyes with a tender gaze, “____-ya, come with me. stay with me and join my crew.”
the room filled with the soothing sound of the rhythmic beat of the falling water. you wrapped your arms around his neck, leaned up to him and kissed him deeply, then whispered your answer in his ear.
the intimate space was filled with a comforting silence. law’s fingers traced invisible patterns on your back through soap suds, his silent language of affection. in this shared space, the vulnerabilities of the last several months were washed away, replaced by a sense of unity and connection. with a lingering kiss, you stepped out of the shower, wrapped yourself in a fluffy towel. the air carried a hint of a sea breeze, a reminder of the adventures awaiting you beyond your bedroom walls.