"What are we doing here?" Haru asked apprehensively. Her brain registered how cold her hands were, as if it was something she wasn't already used to. Annoyed, she retreated them into the front pockets of her black jeans and continued to stare at the aqua neon sign that read 'Undivided Tattoo's and Piercings.' The sun had just set, the aqua striking against the night.

"Are you scared?" Wonho side eyed her with a smug smile.

She shook her head. It wasn't that she feared the place.

Not at all.

She just didn't care for needles.

Even though she had a few ear piercings and a tattoo herself, she didn't like being in their presence if she didn't have to be.

"Are you getting something done?" She questioned just as he moved toward the front door and opened it up, waiting for her to enter first.

It seemed that her answer would have to wait.

Haru exhaled in resignation and walked in, mumbling a thank you to Wonho in passing.

The small shop itself was surprisingly cozy with a minimalistic set up. Peculiar aqua accents and paintings set off the stark white interior. Haru stood in front of a vague painting of eleven people, all smiling and tilting their head in the same direction. The faces were blurred, but it still radiated something she couldn’t quite figure out.

Was it love? Admiration? A familiar comradery?

A sudden noise came from a room at the back of the tiny shop.

“Geez, I thought you weren’t gunna make it today either, you punk.”

A guy slightly taller than Wonho came out from the shadows, with pink hair half hidden by a black beanie. He beamed an adorable smile, nodding at Haru in recognition before turning back to Wonho. His aura was warm and bright, leaving Haru feeling a bit more at ease.

“Why are people like this with me today? I’m older than you and you’re calling me a punk!” Wonho radiantly smiled back, playfully shoving his shoulder. Haru quietly moved up to the counter and sidled up next to Wonho. Other than him and the shop guy being friends, she still didn’t quite understand what they were doing here. Was he here just to visit his friend?

“Take good care of yourself then! I called Kihyun when you didn’t show or pick up your phone and he told me everything. Even I was worried a little!” Wonho’s smile faltered the tiniest bit in shyness and all Haru could do was stare at him in wonder.

He was loved. So heavily and adoringly loved by everyone around him, and it made her happy. Haru just knew someone like Wonho deserved all the love in the world.

“And who’s this lovely lady?”

Haru froze up at the sudden question, not knowing whether to introduce herself or not, but before her brain could make a decision Wonho thankfully spoke up.

“Ah, this is Haru! Haru, I’d like you to meet a good friend of mine, Daniel.” Wonho introduced her so enthusiastically, as if he was proud. It made her feel the slightest bit of embarrassment as Daniel stuck out his hand and beamed at her again. “Nice to meet you, Haru!”

Daniel’s hand was heavily tattooed along with the rest of his arm. She took it after the observation, gripping his hand lightly. Her boys had told her before that she had a heavy hand and that was something she didn’t want to be remembered for. “Nice to meet you too, Daniel,” She grinned at him, noticing with her peripheral vision that his other arm was only partially covered.

The art on his body was incredibly entrancing.

So entrancing that it made her want another tattoo, but the thought of the machine against her skin sunk that idea instantly.

“Take care of this guy, yeah? He knows how to take care of everyone but himself.”

“Can you hush up and drag Sungwoon out already?” Wonho grumbled as a laughing Daniel disappeared to the back of the shop again.

“He’s adorable,” Haru burst out. She didn’t mean anything by it in the slightest, but she still wished the concrete floor would swallow her whole. “I know, right? When I first met him, I couldn’t stop hugging him. He’s surprisingly squishy.” Haru couldn’t help but giggle along with Wonho and his half-moon eyes. She had hardly expected that response from him, but she also didn’t think he said it just to ease her evident embarrassment. This was just who he was. Easygoing and comforting.

Wonho sat down on one of the black leather couches and patted the space next to him. Haru gladly obliged. “So, may I ask what you’re getting done?” She asked with a curiously raised brow, fiddling with her light gold and amber hued fingers unconsciously. He was silent for a moment, but she waited patiently for his response.

“I’m getting my lip pierced.”

Did his voice just… crack?

“Your lip?” Haru repeated, genuinely shocked at the choice. She had thought he was going to get a tattoo. “Ah… Yeah.” His white sweater paws were in his lap, clenched into loose fists of deep gold. Haru couldn’t help the smile that came upon her lips. “I think it’ll look great,” She whispered.

Wonho nodded, the confident gold on his hands never changing.

His voice had cracked, but his hands contradicted his apparent nervousness. Haru didn’t quite understand what, but there seemed to be something else going on. Wonho pressed his lips together while looking down at his hands, this time airing them out and freeing them from the softness of his sweater.

“It’s just embarrassing, now that I think about it. I should have thought things through better,” He sighed laughingly.

“What do you mean?”

For some reason, he sounded so defeated.

“Wonho!” Someone squeaked from behind Haru. She flinched as the guy threw himself at Wonho, hugging him from behind and nearly choking him with love. “You get sick like that again, I’ll hunt down whoever gave it to you and make them apologize to me. I don’t deserve the stress!” They all chuckled at the remark. This guy seemed sweet and had amazing skin, but his white hair is what had her in awe.

“Wow, I love your hair!”

The compliment was received with a broad smile.

“I like yours too!”

She had only dreamt of getting her hair that color, only to be told it would take several painful bleach treatments. She handed her hat off to this guy for achieving it and pulling it off.

“Haru, right? I’m Sungwoon! Nice to meet you.” He stuck out his hand while still clinging onto Wonho with the other. Haru gladly shook his hand. “You need to tell me your hair secrets.”

“She’s so nice! You should bring her around more often,” Sungwoon said, poking Wonho’s sides insistently. Haru attempted to control the blush that wanted to creep up her cheeks by looking down at her hands, which were still flowing a light gold.

“He hardly brings his brothers, so forgive us for being curious about him bringing around someone else.” Daniel popped up from behind Haru with a cat in his arms. “Oh my god,” Haru cooed. The precious kitty was a beautiful Siamese with huge emerald eyes that melted Haru’s heart right to the floor in a pile of goo. “What a gorgeous cat.”

“A fellow cat lover?” Daniel questioned, first looking at her and then at Wonho.

“She can have Binx, he’s been asking for attention all day.”

A boy popped up in front of her with a black cat in his own arms. His face was tiny and gorgeous, with a lithe body covered in tattoos. His face had a few piercings as well, but under it all, Haru could tell he was no older than eighteen. “Here you go,” The boy settled Binx onto her lap carefully.

“Hey, introduce yourself to the little lady. Come on.” Daniel let his Siamese cat jump out of his arms and leaned on the couch. “Sorry, he’s a bit shy.”

“I’m Jinyoung,” He finally said with a slight bow.

“He’s an apprentice here, learning from good ol’ Sungwoon, who’s our main piercer and co-owner. I’m the shop owner and main tattooist.” Haru figured that was why out of all three of them, Daniel had the most tattoos. “My lazy apprentice is asleep in the room down the hall, but if he wakes up any time soon, I’ll introduce you to him.” Daniel beamed like the sun the entire time he spoke. Haru could see why Wonho would want to keep company like them around. They were so welcoming and kind.

“I doubt Woojin’s waking up any time soon, he just fell asleep after studying anatomy again,” Jinyoung relayed seriously. She guessed she’d have to meet Woojin another time, then.

Sungwoon patted Wonho firmly on the shoulder as he straightened up. “You ready, then?” Haru could feel the tiniest bit of tension, Sungwoon smiling at Wonho too widely, almost teasingly. Wonho said nothing as he stood up from the couch with a blank expression. To be fair, she had to give herself a pep talk before she got anything with needles done, so maybe he was doing the same.

Before Haru could tell Wonho she would wait for him on the couch with Binx, Sungwoon came around and gently grabbed her by the arm, leading her to his station with a pep in his step. Sungwoon’s station was an even tinier room, with a large black recliner seat in the middle. The walls were aqua with insinuations of clouds in certain places. “You can have a seat right there, next to where he’ll be.” He was grinning happily at her but the only thing Haru could pay attention to were the needles lined up on the tray in front of her. Her stomach turned unpleasantly.

A blur of white snapped her attention away from the tray. Wonho came into view as he sat down in front of her, knees touching as he faced her.

“Are you okay?” He stared at her with such benevolent eyes, but his proximity still made her want to run. Her heart began to thrum in her chest. Gazing down at her hands, she could see a gold and pink mixture forming. Odd, she thought. All the reactions she was having to him today were odd.

“Are you?” She deflected his question, along with whatever those feelings were. He chuckled and nodded, moving to lay down. “Fair enough.”

The needles came into Haru’s view again.

She suddenly felt cold again, the warmth he had provided for her knees dissipating far too quickly.

“Have you told her yet?” Sungwoon spoke, the tiny room making his voice sound that much louder, summoning all his concentration on disinfecting a spot under Wonho’s lip as he waited for his reply. “Told her what?” Wonho retorted, eyeing Sungwoon warningly. Sungwoon came up close to Wonho’s lower lip and placed a dot right under his right side, leaning back to examine the placement. “That you’re scared of needles.”

Haru shot her eyes straight at Wonho’s, watching how he glanced at her and looked away, gulping uncomfortably. Maybe he read her eyes, could see how stunned she was, but it was just such a coincidence.

All her boys made fun of her for it.

Made fun of her for crying at the sight of the tattoo machine. They all got moon and stars tattooed on them as a sign of their friendship and she didn’t regret it in the slightest. Haru would endure the pain on her foot all over again in a heartbeat, but that didn’t mean that her fear of needles was magically cured. She still loathed the things with a passion.

“The guy has 3 tattoos and multiple ear piercings but is scared to death every single time he gets something new done.” Sungwoon tilted his head as he stared at an ever blushing Wonho, ashamed by the dirty laundry Sungwoon had no qualms airing out. “Daniel’s been the only one patient enough to tattoo him. He came to us referred and that’s how we all met.”

“Sungwoon.”

“Hm? What?”

“Get it over with already.”

If a fear of needles was what Wonho was self-conscious about, he had no reason to be. Everyone was scared of something.

Handing Wonho a mirror that led to a nod, Sungwoon smiled proudly. “I’ll let you know when to breathe in and out.”

“Yep.”

Haru had never seen a piercing take place that wasn’t on someone’s ear. So, she understandably began to freak out.

Sungwoon grabbed a long needle off the tray with gloved hands and Haru felt her toes curl in her boots at the sight. That was going to pierce Wonho’s lip? It looked a bit thick. But she couldn’t really judge. Sungwoon knew what he was doing, right?

“Okay, breathe in.”

Haru’s hands shot out and grabbed onto Wonho’s left hand as the needle began to go in. She laid her head down on their hands, finding she was more afraid for him than fearing the needle itself. Just imagining the momentary pain made her cringe, tightening her g