You didn’t know what to expect when Sirius dragged you into the dimly lit parlor of a small, secret tattoo shop in Hogsmeade. He’d been acting strange all day - nervous, twitchy, unusually quiet - and the way he kept glancing at you with that reckless grin had your stomach doing flips.

“You’re not going to chicken out, are you?” he teased, tugging your sleeve.

“I-” you started, but he cut you off, already dragging you toward the back room where the buzz of needles filled the air.

Sirius didn’t answer. He just turned to you, eyes dark with something you couldn’t quite name. Then he gestured toward a chair. “Sit,” he said, like it was an order, not a suggestion.

Before you could protest, he stripped off his jacket, rolling up the sleeve of his forearm. And there it was - your name, inked in elegant, swirling letters across his skin.

Your eyes went wide, heart stuttering. “You… what?”

He grinned, all sharp teeth and mischief. “I got your name tattooed,” he said simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Thought it’d be nice… permanent, y’know? So you’re with me, even when you’re not here.”

You reached out tentatively, fingers hovering over the smooth skin. It was real - no prank, no charm spell. His arm bore your name like a promise, a quiet rebellion against everything that tried to keep you apart.

“You’re insane,” you breathed, half-laughing, half-crying.

“Maybe,” he said, smirking. “But you love it.”

You did. You loved it. And the way his eyes softened when they met yours made you realize this was more than just another of Sirius’s reckless stunts. This was him saying, without words, that you mattered. That you were his.

He leaned closer, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. “Don’t tell Lily, or Marlene, or, Merlin forbid, Mary,” he murmured, voice low, teasing. “I want this one to be our secret.”

You laughed, shaking your head, but your fingers traced the tattoo anyway. “You’re ridiculous,” you said softly.

“And you… are the reason I do ridiculous things,” he replied, his grin softening into something that felt like home.