who ? celia and oliver wood when ? saturday afternoon, 5th november where ? tattoo studio, diagon alley what ? tattoo getting! status ? complete
Oliver didn’t even consider that in his conviction of what a good brother was and was not, and insistence that he wasn’t, getting your baby sister a tattoo probably did not tick the ‘good’ box. Mostly, Oliver was just excited that he’d judged Celia’s response correctly when he’d decided to get her a tattoo for her birthday. A quidditch tattoo! Whilst Arran, too, definitely loved quidditch, it was the oldest and youngest White-Wood sibling who really shared their levels of passion for the game. Arran mostly just mocked Oliver’s quidditch tattoo (though, suppose in his defense, Oliver’s tattoo did cover majority of his back in a rather unnecessary fashion). Celia, Oliver was sure, would make classier choices. Probably.
“So have you picked a design?” Oliver asked holding the door open for his sister as they entered the studio. “Is it a snitch? It’s a snitch, isn’t it?” Oliver said with a laugh. Celia was well on her way to having a collection of different snitch shaped objects, which, really, he couldn’t complain about seeing how he was contributing to it.
--
Getting a tattoo was something Celia hadn't really considered until she was confronted with the opportunity, and then she'd felt more excited than concerned and she took that as a good sign. Of course it would be a Quidditch tattoo like Oliver had assumed, because that was what she loved the most. It felt right to get something to signify her finally getting to do what she loved professionally. The sooner the better, too, which was why they were going so soon after the idea came up.
“Of course it's a snitch,” Celia said, beaming up at her brother as they went inside. “What else would it be? I'm excited! And a little nervous, but mostly excited.”
--
“Well,” Oliver said thoughtfully as they took a seat to wait for someone to talk to them. “You could have a beautifully done list of your siblings’ names in order of preference,” he told Celia teasing. “Me at the top, obviously,” Oliver added jokingly. It was, too, because Oliver didn’t really think he’d deserve to be at the top of that list, but at least he’d be on the list! Any list of Celia’s siblings would have to involve him.
When the receptionist approached them, Oliver told her the time he’d booked them in, receiving a nod in response and an assurance that the artist would see them within the next ten minutes. “You got a design?” Oliver asked turning back to Celia when the woman left.
--
“Don't be silly, Oliver,” Celia said, rolling her eyes. She was grinning though, and clearly joking. “You said Quidditch tattoo and a list of all of you wouldn't be that.” She poked her tongue out at him but then got straight faced once the receptionist came over, offering her a smile before turning her attention back to her brother.
“Yeah.” Celia pulled a folded piece of paper from her purse and handed it to him, nipping at the inside of her lip. “One of my teammates, their brother is good at drawing and he did that up for me. I think it's really pretty.”
--
Oliver laughed when Celia said he’d specified a quidditch tattoo. He had, so it was a very fair point. “Quidditch tattoos are very important,” Oliver confirmed with a nod, repeating what he’d basically already expressed in his owls to Celia on her birthday. Whilst Oliver did have a (massive) quidditch tattoo across his back, he did also know that he was hardly the only player in the league with one. Plenty of players chose to get their passion tattooed on them, because that’s what it was, for as much as quidditch was a job, it was far more a passion. And it endlessly pleased Oliver that Celia clearly felt similarly.
Opening the paper she’d handed him, Oliver did a little ‘ooh’ sound. “That’s very nice,” he told her truthfully. “Where do you want it?” He asked her looking over as if somehow the particularly body part was going to highlight itself.
--
Celia watched his expression as he looked at the drawing, pleased when he looked happy with it. She bounced on her toes a little and smiled, glad he thought it was nice too. Of course she did but she'd always appreciated his approval.
“Oh, um,” she hesitated, unsure of a good way to phrase it. “Well I looked at a lot of pictures and things to see where people got tattoos and I really liked these ones that were done here? Like just under my boobs?” Celia took the paper back from him and positioned it against her shirt where she meant. “Like that?”
--
Oliver gave a small laugh when Celia said she’d look at pictures of where people got tattoos. The answer to that was probably ‘pretty much everywhere’, but he did nod along as Celia explained, placing the picture against the top of her stomach. “A snitch over your heart?” Oliver commented with a teasing grin. “Seems appropriate,” he added before giving Celia an approving nod. Oliver wasn’t sure how well it’d look there on a man, but on a woman, he felt it was a great place, and it wouldn’t be as obvious as having Quidditch hoops all across your back.
“I think it will look great,” Oliver assured his sister just as the tattoo artist emerged, giving them a smile before leading them into one of the back rooms, walls decorated with drawings and pictures of tattoos. The man proceeded to ask Celia similar questions to the ones Oliver had gone through, before taking the image from her to create a stencil and telling Celia that she’ll have to take her shirt off. Oliver probably would’ve asked if she wanted him to leave, but Oliver had very peculiar ideas about nudity, mostly that there was no embarrassment in it for anyone.
--
“Well not as over my heart as if I got it here,” Celia replied, moving the paper up to her chest where the wings of the snitch were just below her collarbone. “But close enough? And I kind of like it being in a secret spot - though it won't be much secret once the calendar comes out, but that's okay!”
Celia walked back to the room with them and sat on the table as she waited, answering questions and letting her feet dangle as she tried not to get nervous. She’d anticipated having to take off her shirt, considering the spot she'd chosen, and she tugged it off over her head easily enough, absently folding it before holding it over to Oliver for him to hold.
--
“Mum will be so proud,” Oliver teased. Though, honestly, Evelyn was probably the most quidditch-mad of them all. In fact, whilst Oliver didn’t know this for definite, he was sure that their mum also had a quidditch related tattoo. Anthony, who had played on the same team as Evelyn for years, certainly had mentioned the existence of one once or twice.
Taking Celia’s shirt from her, Oliver took the seat the tattoo artist had offered him, close enough to be able to hold Celia’s hand if such need occurred. “Do you think this is good for sibling bonding? You staring at my face whilst having marginally painful adrenaline rush?” Oliver asked only half-joking.
--
“Of me having a tattoo or me being naked in a calendar?” Celia asked with a giggle before scrunching her nose. Either way, she was side their mum wouldn't have much to say about it. She waited for the stencil to be done and stood for it to be positioned correctly and put on before being told to lie down on the table.
Celia reached for Oliver’s hand automatically even though nothing had started yet, nipping at the inside of her lip. The anticipation was worse than the pain she was expecting, she thought. “It's good,” she replied earnestly, tilting her head to be able to look at him better. “We can talk to distract me! Very good bonding.”
--
Oliver was quite sure that their mum would probably be proud of all and every quidditch related activity, whether it’d be done naked or tattooed. When Celia reached out for his hand, Oliver took it automatically, giving it a squeeze, before grinning at Celia’s assurance that his distraction would definitely count as bonding.
“Oh, I should’ve pre-prepared some conversation topics then,” Oliver said jokingly as he watched the tattoo artist apply the stencil, confirming that it was where and how Celia wanted it before he started prepping the machinery. “Did you think about having a magic one?” Oliver asked before the tattoo artist had a chance to start. “Like a Snitch that moves around your body and if you catch it it returns there,” he waved his free hand towards Celia’s stomach.
--
“I’m sure we’ll find things to talk about,” Celia said with a smile, tilting her head a little at his question. She glanced down to the tattoo artist before looking back to her brother. “I didn't know I could. I mean, I know you can get magic ones but I wasn't sure if it was an option?”
It seemed silly, in hindsight, considering the voucher he'd given her was open ended in that it hadn't specified how big or how much, but she hadn't wanted to take advantage of that. “I think that would be nice, though,” she added softly. “To have one that moves. I'd like that.”
--
“I can definitely do that,” the tattoo artist assured Celia and Oliver grinned. “It’ll be fun!” He promised his sister, watching the tattoo artist locate some, presumably, more magical ink. The whole thing was quite fascinating. Oliver’s tattoo was static, since he hadn’t thought having a quaffle flying through the hoops was a very good example of his keeping skills. A snitch that whizzed about, though, that sounded exciting.
Then, after a short moment, the tattoo artist asked Celia if she was ready before putting the needle to her skin. “Does it hurt?” Oliver asked watching the needle pierce Celia’s skin as the ink went underneath it.
--
Celia wasn't sure how it would feel. She knew it would hurt, but also that it was a process. Pain didn't scare her, and she'd been hit by enough bludgers to know what pain really was, but this was different. It wasn't short and sharp and sudden, it was going to be going on for a while.
“Oh,” she said at the first touch of the buzzing needle, her brow furrowing slightly. “It does, but… not a lot? It kind of tickle-hurts.”
--
Oliver had been honest when he’d said that the tattoo on his back hadn’t hurt almost at all. Once he’d gotten over the feeling of marginal discomfort, the pain hadn’t been noticeable at all. But Oliver also was quite sure that a back was much less sensitive than a stomach, especially once the needle would go over bone.
“It’s quite addictive, you know,” Oliver said as he watched the tattoo artist at work, it was a rather mesmerizing work to watch. “Getting tattoos, that is,” he clarified glancing up at Celia. “Something about the release of adrenaline, I think,” Oliver said and the tattoo artist gave a small nod.
--
It felt like a burn, but not a bad one. Just a slight one that was more annoying than painful. Celia’s hand stayed in Oliver’s but she didn't feel the need to squeeze it, not even when the needle was moving over where her ribs were and it definitely felt more intense.
“I don't know what else I would get,” Celia said quietly, not wanting to disturb where the artist was working. “Other than a list of all your names in order of my favorites,” she added with a grin. “I like the idea of them, though. Especially like this, where it will move.”
--
“You can be more elaborate than just our names,” Oliver assured. “I have a very attractive face,” he informed Celia. “It would look well on your leg or something,” he told her jokingly just before the tattoo artist snorted, informing them both that he had tattooed Oliver’s face on someone’s back once.
The information did make Oliver make a face at Celia. “Maybe not that then,” he said thoughtfully. “That’s a bit creepy, isn’t it? To think someone out there, who I don’t know, has my face tattooed on their body,” it was.
--
Celia had been trying not to laugh when Oliver mentioned his face, but wasn't able to keep in a giggle when the tattoo artist mentioned he'd done that. She wasn't surprised, honestly, because she knew he was quite popular.
“You're just so popular, Oliver, they can't help it,” she teased. “It is a bit creepy, but that's the price of being such a famous and well loved Quidditch star…”
--
Oliver gave a small laugh when Celia assured him that he was just so popular, people couldn’t help themselves but get his face tattooed on them. “I’ll remind you of that when someone gets your face tattooed,” Oliver informed her. “You are, after all, an up and coming star, so I’m sure it won’t be long before you, too, are so famous people want your face on their skin,” he teased. Though, truthfully, Oliver had no doubt that Celia would quickly become a beloved quidditch star, he couldn’t see how she wouldn’t.
Pushing himself up from the chair slightly, Oliver glanced at the tattoo that was slowly appearing on Celia’s skin. “It looks great,” he assured his sister. “Who you going to show it off to first?” Oliver asked falling back into the chair.
--
Celia didn't think people would get a tattoo of her, truthfully. She wanted to ask the artist if he'd ever done one of Arran or Anthony, but didn't want to go down that rabbit hole. Most likely the answer was yes, and if not done by him she was sure someone else had. Her brothers were all quite talented and well known for their work on the pitch, so it only made sense.
Her eyes followed Oliver as he got up, watching his expression as he looked at how the tattoo was progressing. “Okay,” she said quietly, nipping at the inside of her lip a moment as she considered his question. “I think… Rufio. I don't think I would have if it was just normal but since it moves… yeah.”
--
Oliver nodded at Celia’s answer, giving her a smile. “It’ll be a great tattoo to show off,” he assured her, leaning over to look at the progress of it. It did look good. “Best show it to Arran, he’ll be very jealous, I’m sure,” Oliver added. Even if their brother wouldn’t be jealous, at least he’d probably mock Celia a lot less than he mocked Oliver for his.
“Do you think Lottie will like it?” Oliver asked curiously, glancing back at Celia.
--
Celia smiled at his mention of their brother being jealous. “Well maybe he should get one of his own instead of being jealous,” she said, bringing her hand up to push some of her hair away from where it had fallen on her face. “He could get a quaffle or something zipping around him.”
She paused in thought. “I think so? I hope so. I would like for her to like it.”
--
“I’m sure she will,” Oliver confirmed grinning. It was a very nice tattoo, it was doubtful that Lottie would disagree. “And we’ll strongly encourage Arran to join us on the quidditch tattoo bandwagon,” Oliver added amused. He doubted they would be very successful at convincing their brother to get a quidditch tattoo, but there was always trying.
“It’s done,” the tattoo artist announced. “It won’t move just yet, because the tattoo needs to heal before the magic can be safely activated, but it won’t be more than a few days,” he explained and Oliver ‘ooh’ed, making big eyes at Celia. “Let’s check it out!” He announced standing up so he could help Celia off the table.
--
“I mean he can't be the only one without one, right? We’ll get him and Anthony both,” Celia decided, grinning over at her brother.
Celia got a few butterflies in her stomach when she was told it was done, and she carefully sat up to get off the table. She was careful not to look down, wanting to see it for the first time in the mirror where she was directed. Her eyes got wide once she was standing in front of it, taking in the ink on her skin. “Oh my gosh… I love it…”
--
Oliver’s smile widened when Celia said she loved the tattoo. “Good!” Oliver announced, since really, it was good, not a great deal they could do if she’d changed her mind by now. “It does look great,” he offered again. “Maybe if we can convince Arran to get Bludgers, we’ll have a whole quidditch set,” Oliver teased.
--
Even if it hadn't been a magical one, Celia would have loved it as is. She loved the way the wings spread out across her ribs and the detail on the ball itself. In motion it would be even better, but still it was beautiful too. “We can try our best to convince him. He needs good sibling bonding too!”
Celia stood still as the tattoo artist covered her tattoo for safekeeping, listened attentively to him go over the care instructions and what the healing process would be like. It was all relatively simple, and didn't sound like it would take long before the magic could be activated and it would start being able to move around her body. She was really looking forward to that.
--
“I’m sure we can make a very good team,” Oliver agreed with a grin when Celia said they could use arguments such as sibling bonding in order to convince their brother that he, too, had to get a quidditch tattoo. “You happy with it, yeah?” Oliver confirmed looking at the tattoo as the tattoo artist covered it.
Oliver felt he had done rather well with his present for Celia. “I think it’s great,” he added once more. “You can now go and show it off!” He told Celia smiling.
--
Celia pulled on her shirt carefully, not wanting to accidentally bump against where the tattoo was for fear of messing it up. She made sure it was smoothed down and normal before slipping her arms around Oliver and giving him a hug, burying her face against his chest before looking up at him with a grin.