The beeping of the life support machines turn into background noise, and the tubes and drab white walls fade away from his vision as Kyungsoo watches his mother breathe her last. He stands there by her side, grasping her hand, refusing to let go, when he feels the first waves of pain. Looking down at his arm, he sees their family tree inked in meticulous detail, a line slowly etching itself across his mother’s name. And that’s when it sinks in – his mother is gone. He sinks to his knees, wailing cries ripping out of his throat against his will, the pain in his arm now being matched by the even greater pain in his heart.

==============

Kyungsoo lives in a world where everyone is Inked – all their best and worst moments displayed on their skin. A lifetime of stories, of highs and lows, seen at a glance, preserved in artistic glory until your final breath. Nobody knows how it came to be, but anytime something momentous happens, a tattoo commemorating that event starts appearing moments later, accompanied by a searing pain that somehow helps cement that memory forever.

Days have passed since his mother passed away, and the initial pain that signalled the onset of the tattoo has faded, but the grief that filled Kyungsoo is still there. He feels a void deep inside, a gaping hole where the warmth of his mother’s presence used to be, giving him comfort even when he feels down.

He watches with dull eyes as the last of his relatives and friends walk slowly away, leaving the graveside where his mother lies in her final repose. He walks close to the freshly turned mound of soil and crouches down to touch the earth with a shaking hand, dimly aware that raindrops have begun to fall, a heavy downpour that’s a reflection of all the turmoil he’s feeling within. He feels so, so alone, and the tears he’s held back since that dark day find their way down his cheeks yet again.

Something passes into his line of vision – a hand, fingers long and slender and somehow graceful. He glances up, into the warm yet sad eyes of his best friend.

Jongin is standing beside him. Jongin, whom he has known for more than a decade, and who knows better than anyone the sense of loss flooding him right now. And as he gently helps Kyungsoo to stand, Kyungsoo swallows down the last of his sobs and says, “What are you doing here? It’s opening night of your performance. You should be there.”

Jongin looks at him fondly, soft smile playing about his lush lips as he responds. “Do you remember that day when I injured my ankle? I failed my audition and was feeling crushed and pathetic. You had that big internship interview and I wasn’t expecting to see you there – but you came. And do you remember what you gave me? What you said to me?”

Kyungsoo recalls that day a few years ago, when he rushed to comfort his friend.

He had run out of the interview room, leaving the other applicants perplexed behind him, his only thought to comfort Jongin. He made a single stop along his way, and upon reaching the steps outside the prestigious dance studio, his heart had ached at the sight of his friend, all alone and obviously in despair.

Kyungsoo had grasped Jongin’s shoulder and said simply, “For you.” And he placed in Jongin’s hand a rose yet to bloom, a bud full of the promise of beauty. “For you, because you’re like this rose – you’ve yet to bloom. And the beauty of all you can do is right in front of you, if you just believe.” And Jongin had looked up at him with eyes full of wonder and gratitude, and Kyungsoo just knew that he would be alright.

Kyungsoo is broken out of his reverie as Jongin holds out his hand yet again – and in it was a rose, crimson and vibrant and full. “For you,” Jongin says softly. “This is how I see your mother. She was like a rose in full bloom, sharing her beauty with everyone, asking for nothing in return. It was like she had this inner glow that drew everyone to her, a goodness that was pure and unselfish.” And in a whisper that Kyungsoo wouldn’t have heard had he not been so close, Jongin adds, “Just like you.”

Kyungsoo feels tears well up in his eyes yet again, and he can’t stop them from falling – but these tears are different, a release of his overwhelming grief. He somehow feels lighter and brighter with each drop that rolls down his cheeks, and he feels a surge of gratitude and love for the man standing in front of him.

All of a sudden, there’s a searing pain right over his heart. He gasps, rubbing his chest, as the pain goes on and on. Kyungsoo’s thoughts are a jumbled mess. A tattoo, right over his heart! It could only be a soulmate mark – and it only appears when you realize your feelings for your intended soulmate. He turns abruptly and heads straight for his car, Jongin right on his heels.

A press on the key fob, a pull on the door – then he’s tugging down on the collar of his shirt, peering into the mirror on the sun visor. And there it is. The tattoo is an exquisite, lifelike rendition of the rose Jongin gave him, down to the curled edges of the petals and the leaves on its frail stem. He hears a gasp and turns to see Jongin staring at him – staring at the rose on his chest.

“J-jongin, I’m s-sorry,” Kyungsoo stutters. He’s heard stories of people who shared soulmate marks but didn’t end up together. People who felt forced into relationships that eventually broke apart and destroyed them. “I didn’t m-mean for this to happen, I swear! I’ll have it remo—“

And he’s stopped mid-sentence as Jongin steps forward and pulls him in for a kiss. It’s chaste and light and unhurried, and in the back of Kyungsoo’s mind, he’s finally admitting to himself that he’s wondered for years how this would feel, what it would be like to kiss his best friend. And the reality is far better than anything he’s dreamed of.

He lets himself enjoy it for a few seconds longer, before pushing Jongin gently away, head hanging low. “I can’t do this. I can’t just take this choice away from you. Let’s forget that this happened, okay? Forget all about the mark, and the kiss, and.. Jongin?” He finally lifts his head, seeking a response from his friend, his soulmate. Only to see Jongin smiling at him, tears in his warm brown eyes, as he slowly opens the buttons on his shirt. And then it’s Kyungsoo’s turn to stare, because on Jongin’s chest is..

A rose yet to bloom. A simple bud, full of the promise of beauty.

And he knows then, as Jongin leans forward to claim his lips in another sweet kiss, that he will never feel alone again.

**this is inspired by a book i read recently called ink, by alice broadway. just the idea of being tattooed with all your significant moments.. everything else is straight from my kaisoo trash heart lol. hope you liked this!