chapter seven
tattoos

of course nova knew a tattoo artist! why wouldn't she?

okay, the fact that nova knew a tattoo artist who could do their tattoos was freaking peter out.

peter thought nova would just dismiss the whole lucky list, tattoo thing after lunch. but no. nova didn't and dragged peter all the way from delmars deli to a tattoo parlour.

peter walked behind nova awkwardly as she lead him towards the tattoo parlour. she skipped forwards every few steps, it seemed like she was more excited about getting the tattoo herself then peter was.

peter was excited. he was glad that he could do this — do the quests as a way for him to keep his aunts memory alive. but he was also nervous — he was seventeen. he didn't even know any other seventeen year olds who had tattoos. he hadn't even seen a tattoo on his aunt, or any other adults he had known.

okay, maybe he had a teacher when he was younger with a tattoo.

"nova." peter whined, dragging out the a in the girls name.

peter could try and describe the smile placed on novas lips, he could try. but he would get lost in every detail — her dimples, the shine no doubt from a lip gloss, the way she would tilt her head, or the way whenever peter said something she would smile bigger.

"peter?" nova waved a hand in front of peters face, he had been starring. of course he was.

peter blinks and shuts his mouth with tight lips. he hums a yes.

"we're here." nova turned around swiftly to point at the brightly lit sign. INKREDIBLE!

nova clasped her hands together and bounced on her feet. she was ready.

peter on the other hand, had his hands stuffed into his pockets. he looked nervous and if he could run away quickly he would. he would have ran so fast, he would have webbed away — done anything to get away from 'inkredible' and the eagerness nova had.

"you coming?" nova held out her hand, she was waiting for peter to place his own hand in hers. she expected him and her to walk in hand in hand.

peter nodded and hesitantly placed his hand on novas outreached one. once his hand was placed in novas she gripped it and started to walk forward, practically pulling peter forward with her.

"nova!" someone behind the counter cheered.

"micky!" nova waved with her free hand.

"have my books come in yet?" micky questioned with a smile. micky was a buff man — to peter he kinda reminded him of happy.

"uh," nova swung her back pack off her shoulders and dug around for a few seconds before she shot up. "here you go, mic." nova handed him two books, both newly released books too.

"thanks kid." micky grinned before he eyed peter. "who's this kid?"

"oh! this is petey. he wanted a tattoo — and so did i! and what better person to see than my most loyal customer, huh?" nova explained with a bubbly tone.

"is that so? you two aren't dating right? i'll call sam or buck." micky 'threatened', when he saw the clear panic on peters face he chuckled.

"he's just messing with you, pete." nova leaned over and whispered.

peter let out a sigh of relief, "y-yeah, i knew that."

"so, what are you kids wanting?"

peter didn't know yet. he had some ideas, maybe a spider? or a small arc reacted somewhere to resemble tony. maybe a lightsaber, he did love starwars.

"can i look around?" peter asked.

micky nodded, "sure thing, don't wreck anything though."

peter nodded and walked off to where he could look around.

he saw binders and pictures in every nook and cranny. there where starwars tattoos. song lyric tattoos. superhero tattoos — some of spider-man, which brought a small smile to his lips.

there was just so much and nothing caught peters eye.

for nova, this process was much different. she already knew what she wanted, where she wanted it, everything. she's had this planned for a while now.

"— you need a guardian to sign this nov." micky told nova as he showed her some paperwork. oh this was going to make things difficult.

"can sam sign? he's practically my uncle?" nova asked hopefully.

micky sighed. "i'll see. what about your friend? will sam sign for him too?"

nova hummed. "yep!"

micky grumbled something under his breath as he turned away to walk into another room.

nova walked up to peter and swung her newly casted arm around his shoulder. "find anything?"

peter shook his head. "no, im not sure what to get."

"that's okay. keep looking, it'll come to you." nova patted peters shoulder before she left and walked back to the counter where she sent a text to sam.

micky walked back out from behind some door. "if sam shows up, and signs you two are good to go."

"yay!" nova grinned, "thanks mick!"

micky held up his hand. "you better get me that other book i wanted."

"i'll order it right now." nova replied.

around half an hour sam wilson strolled into the tattoo parlour in his civilian clothes. he had a pair of jeans, with a loose sweatshirt on. he looked excited — of course he was, his niece was getting him to sign for her tattoo instead of bucky, he would brag about this until he died.

"hey nov." sam walked up to nova and gave her a hug. "you need me to sign?"

nova looked up at sam, considering she was smaller than him. "yep! micky said you could sign for petey too."

"that so?"

"yeah!"

"why are you two getting tattoos?" sam looked between nova and peter.

nova didn't give peter a change to answer. "me and petey are completing this list he has. we have to get tattoos first and then there's other things on it!"

"i'll sign as long as your not getting something appropriate." sam said as he neared the counter, ready to sign the papers he needed.

"seriously uncle sam." nova rolled her eyes.

sam raised his eyebrows, "mhm sure."

nova pouted. "it's not appropriate."

"sure thing nov." sam ruffled her hair. "there you two go by the way. papers are all signed."

"thanks sam!" nova stepped forward and gave her uncle a hug.

"no problem, you two okay if i leave?"

nova nodded and gave her uncle a light push. "yep! bye!"

sam laughed and walked out of the tattoo parlour just as quickly as he left.

"figure out what your getting yet?" nova asked peter as micky left to go grab some of the stuff for nova and peters tattoos.

"hm no." peter denied sadly.

he was supposed to know what he wanted.

he was supposed to be more excited.
he was supposed to feel mays presence as

he did this, or that's what he thought at least, but he didn't.

"that's okay." nova reached out and squeezed his hand. "i'll get mine done first so you have time to think about it, okay?"

peter nodded thankfully. "okay, uh, thank you."

"thank you! i definitely wouldn't have come and done this myself." nova shook her head with a chuckle before she grabbed peters hand and dragged him to the little room off to the side where she would get her tattoo.

»

07 / 27 / 2024

that's what nova had gotten tattooed on her skin.

what is the date? well, it's the day bucky had signed the papers and nova became his adoptive daughter. it would be a day they both held close to them.

nova stared at the tattoo with doe like eyes. "thank you." she whispered looking to peter who was the only other person in the room with her currently.

"what for?" peter asked softly.

"i don't think i would have came by myself. that was scary."

peter chuckled. "i know, you squeezed my hand hard, 'va."

"do you know what your getting now?" nova questioned after a few minutes of silence.

"yeah, i think i do."

»

I LARB YOU.

that's what peter had gotten tattooed on the inside of his arm.

the tattoo was in the same writing as his aunt mays — he had actually given the tattoo artist, micky, the letter his aunt had left for him to copy the three words.

"i really like it." nova pointed out.

"thanks." peter replied briefly, his eyes focused on his tattoo.

nova sighed deeply, "im sorry about your loss." she reached out and placed her hand in peters. "i met may once. she was kind and let me borrow a pen."

nova smiled at the memory.

"she was the best." peter said.

"mhm. im sorry you had to lose her."

"it's not your fault."

"im still sorry."

"thanks 'va."

"welcome, petey."

»»

hi! any lucky list items you want to see? im taking requests!

also. despite the news. nova doesn't remember that peter is spider-man, but she remembers that he's peter parker.