She'll Keep You Forever
Pairing: Ron/Lavender
Word Count: 905
Written For:
- February Event: (plot/action) Getting a tattoo with/of/for a spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend, (object) Heart-Shaped Glasses
- Gringotts Prompt Bank/The Inbetweeners: (Action/Scenario) Walking up to someone to shake their hand, only they ignore you
- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Secret Diary: (object) Ten pound note, (dialogue) "You know nothing scares me." / "Except poodles." / "It's the fur. It's too curly.", (word) Scared, (object) Roll of cash, (dialogue) "I don't want scars.
- Gringotts Prompt Bank/True Blood: "You're a brave girl. Brave, and stupid." / "So I've been told.", "You ready?" / "No, but let's do this."
- Gringotts Prompt Bank/Said Synonyms: insisted, promised, greeted, drawled, interjected, interrupted
- Gringotts Prompt Bank/OC Names: Ralph Irwin
"Lav, this is a stupid idea," Ron muttered as they crossed the street and stopped outside the tattoo shop. Before they could enter, Lavender spun around on her heel, the white skirt of her summer dress flaring around her thighs. She folded her arms across her chest, and Ron could see his reflection in her mirrored, heart-shaped sunglasses.
"No it's not, Ron!" she insisted. "I don't want scars. I want them covered up." As she spoke, her hand crept towards the worst mark on her collarbone, a reminder forever of what Fenrir Greyback had done to her. Due to the nature of the bite and his being a magical creature, the scar hadn't been able to be completely removed by magic. Ron sighed.
"I think you're fine, Lavender," he promised, taking hold of her hands. "You don't have to go drawing all over your body."
"It's not for you, though," Lavender sighed. "I have to look at myself in the mirror every day. And I want something to commemorate our relationship!"
Ron resisted the urge to groan. This was what he was truly worried about—Lavender getting his name or something tattooed on her skin, something that would be stuck with her forever. Before he could comment, Lavender had pushed the door open and entered the Tattoo Parlour. She was already talking animatedly to the Muggle artist, who Ron felt immediately intimidated by.
He was about seven foot tall and nearly half as wide, so he towered above Ron, who usually found himself looking down at others thanks to his gangly frame. Instead of wearing professional clothes like Ron expected someone in the profession of mutilating human bodies would wear, the tattoo artist was dressed in a faded black band shirt, with something called 'Iron Maiden' spelled across it. Alongside the words was a picture of an elaborate, long-haired zombie creature, which was wielding a bloody axe. He had a similar tattoo of the zombie on his upper arm—which was only one minor part of the amount of tattoos that covered his exposed skin. He looked like an unfinished colouring book.
The man was nodding at Lavender sullenly, and when she had finished talking, she hopped into the large black chair beside him, and reclined back. Ron took a breath and walked up to the tattoo artist, hand outstretched. "Hello, mate," he greeted, stifling the apprehension in his voice. "I'm Ron, Lavender's boyfriend."
Instead of shaking Ron's hand, the man flickered his down at his palm, then returned them to a set of dangerous-looking electronic equipment on his little table. "Ralph," he drawled, with a voice that sounded strangely girlish for such a large person. "Ralph Irwin. Take a seat," he ordered, pointing to the small, moth-eaten sofa that was beside the reclining chair.
Ron obediently sat down, and reached out to hold Lavender's hand. "Are you scared?" he asked her, though he highly doubted this. Lavender's face was the picture of excitement; her bright eyes were flashing, and she had already propped her sunglasses up on her head and removed her cardigan, exposing the area of her collarbone which she wanted tattooing. She grinned at Ron.
"You know I'm not scared of anything."
Ron raised an eyebrow. "Except poodles."
Lavender chuckled. "It's the fur! It's too curly!"
"When you've finished," Ralph interjected, looking bored. "Are you still going for what you discussed with me the other day?" Ron shot a questioning look at Lavender - he hadn't realised that she had already made a prior decision on what kind of tattoo that she wanted, let alone already visited Ralph to choose something. Lavender nodded furiously. "Well, that will be eighty pounds," he said. "I'll take payment before I begin my work."
Ron was completely clueless when it came to Muggle money, and he always assumed that Lavender was the same, so he was surprised when she pulled out a small roll of paper money from the pocket of her dress. By the way Ralph's eyebrows shot up into his fringe of greasy black hair, he assumed that she was carrying a lot of money. After counting out several ten pound notes, Lavender handed the money over to Ralph, and he pocketed it immediately, and then proceeded to put together his tattooing equipment.
"You're a brave girl, Lavender," Ron told her, cringing at the sight of Ralph's terrifying, needle-tipped device. "Brave and stupid."
"So I've been told," Lavender replied, grinning wickedly.
"You ready?" Ralph interrupted, turning to face Lavender, machine in hand.
"No. But lets do this!"
oOo
About four hours later, Ron and Lavender emerged from the shop. She pressed her hand delicately to the area of her collar and chest, which was covered with clingfilm to prevent the tattoo's ink from running. Her skin was red, and there were areas where she had bled from the needles, but Ron could see what her tattoo was.
It was an perfect image of three Quidditch goalposts, with a Quaffle heading for the centre one. Luckily, Ralph hadn't asked what the goalposts and the ball represented, so they hadn't needed to try and explain.
"It's because you were Keeper," Lavender explained, smiling. "When we got together. And it was the first game you won when we had our first kiss."
Ron was momentarily speechless, but he soon broke into a grin. While he had initially thought that Lavender was being ridiculous, he couldn't help but adore her.