femslash feb requests are over for now, thanks to everyone who sent one in, i had an absolute blast and already can't wait for next year!
HinaTema - Artist
"You alright there?" It always amazed her that the voice that was usually so rough and teasing was capable of such gentleness, no matter how many times she heard it.
Hinata took a deep breath and shook her head, though her eyes remained firmly shut. "Mhmm."
There was a pause, filled only with the quiet melody of the zen, instrumental music playing over the speakers and distant chatter, before that soft, caring voice spoke up again, "If you want me to stop, just say so, I honestly won't mind."
"Nn-" the breath she'd been holding caught in her rush to get it out "-no, I really want this, I'm just nervous."
"Hey it's fine, everyone gets like that, I just want you to know that you're in control here." A barely-there brush against her temple made her flinch in its unexpectedness, but it was enough to make her finally open her eyes. Temari smiled down at her, that beautiful, tender smile that brought creases to the corners of her eyes and revealed the dimples in her cheeks.
She sat dumbstruck for a few seconds, before leaning into the hand still hovering at her cheeks and forcing a tense smile onto her own face. "I know," she said, resting the urge to kiss the woman's palm as she settled back on the table. "I'll be fine."
"I know you will." Temari chuckled softly, hand slipping away reluctantly when she went back to her position at Hinata's hip.
Despite her words, she was still feeling incredibly anxious and fidgety, and now that her eyes had been opened she was suddenly unable to close them again, instead focusing on her girlfriend's calm, professional movements, giggling slightly at every press of cold gloves against her skin. The second that the dreadful chainsaw-buzzing started, however, her lids slammed shut. She tried to hold her breath, count to ten, brace herself against the table, anything to calm her down a little.
The painful noise abruptly cut off. "Do you need a minute?"
Her short bob flicked against her face as she shook her head rapidly.
"It would be better if you look, so you know what's coming." Temari didn't order, not like she did with most people, but Hinata had to remind herself that she knew best in this situation, even if the thought of watching was terrifying.
Slowly cracking one eye open, just enough to see the other woman's smile as she gently smoothed a little more petroleum over her hip and carefully picked up the gun.
She tensed, even before it was switched on.
"Try and relax," Temari said, leaning over once more to press a quick kiss to the tip of her nose, "I promise it sounds more violent than it really is." She sat back in her seat, picking up her tool with one hand and lightly pinching her thigh. "Besides, you're nice and plump, so there's no need to worry about hitting bone!"
Slapping her hands against her face, she couldn't help but laugh, even as the screaming of a hundred angry wasps started up again.
"Ok, I'm gonna start with a small line, just take deep, slow breaths."
Temari waited until she'd calmed herself, before slowly bringing the tattoo gun close to her skin, dark eyes focused intently on the stencil as she closed the gap.
She felt something like an electric shock jolt through her, a tiny flinch as the needle hit, but any pain was numbed by shock. Hinata bit her lip, concentrating on her breathing, long inhale, hold for a second, controlled release.
Wiping a tissue against her hip, Temari grinned up at her. "Not so bad, huh?"
It was somewhat surreal to look down and see a smear of black against her skin, but good. "It… stings."
Her girlfriend winced in sympathy, even though she had enough ink that she could probably be tattooed in her sleep and not even wake up. "Can't get around that I'm afraid, I won't say it'll get better, but you do get a bit used to it. So, ready to continue?"
She nodded, a little eagerly this time, now that the terror of the unknown had passed. Temari nodded too, then hunched over to draw.
It hurt, it really did, but not like she'd been expecting, and not any more than her daily Baguazhang training. Still though, she wasn't sure how long she'd be able to bear it; keeping her breathing slow and steady, she instead let her mind focus on other senses, the tranquil song playing, a cough from the next room, the sharp, antiseptic tang to the air, the silky caress of a gloved hand against her thigh, the crease between Temari's brows as she moved her tool with painstaking precision, the single curl that had fallen free of its ponytail, the visible whispering of her lips – even if the sound never reached her ears.
Never before had she been so close to her girlfriend as she worked, it was entrancing to see how fully she devoted herself to her art, completely unaware of anything outside of skin and ink. It reminded her how important this was to her, she'd always been attracted to passion and Temari had it in spades.
Her cousin had been wary about her sudden desire to get couples tattoos with her girlfriend; they'd been together for a few years now and planned to be together for many more, but he'd still felt the need to pester her about the potential failure of love and the pain that would come with a permanent reminder etched into her body. She knew he was just trying to look out for her, but his lack of faith in her own decisions was frustrating.
No matter what might happen in the future, she truly wanted a piece of that passion decorating her skin.
Several hours, a short lunch break and many soothing kisses later, she was finally allowed to stand up and take in the finished piece. Her leg felt more than a little achy, but when she saw the tattoo it hardly seemed to matter anymore.
It started a little below her hip-bone, flowing down to her upper thigh, a beautiful, intricate fan, based on Temari's favourite, the one with geometric designs and three purple circles – though the centre one had been changed to a white yang symbol – faint gusts of wind entwining it and, vines twisting together at the base of the fan, two delicate, white cereus flowers, which only bloomed in moonlight and always reminded her of her own queen of the night.
Temari shuffled next to her, admiring her own work in the mirror. "So, whaddya think?"
She gingerly touched just outside of the reddened skin, wishing she could just press her fingers into it and fully explore every detail, but she settled for skirting the area with one finger, giggling slightly as she said, "It's… beautiful, you did an amazing job."
"Of course I did, I'm incredible," her girlfriend scoffed, nudging her shoulder lightly before casually dragging the hem of her shorts up enough to reveal her own tattoo – a few weeks old at this point, but not quite fully-healed, it was still just slightly red around the edges – a pair of bold orange and yellow marigolds, surrounded by fire, which curved around a dark yin symbol. The taller woman grinned, pressing their hips together as much as possible without touching her still raw skin. "Look~ we match!"
Hiding a snicker behind a hand, Hinata leaned up to brush her lips to Temari's jaw, whispering a tiny, "Thank you," into her skin.
She wondered what she might like to have done next.