Tattoo.

Hyunbin (Changbin & Hyunjin)

~

The door to the tattoo shop slammed against the wall loudly as a tall boy stumbled in, visibly disheveled. It made the only other person behind the counter look up in surprise. The stranger bowed and closed the door softly, quickly making his way towards the counter, almost as if he were in a hurry.

"Hello" Minho said politely "how can I help you?" He was obviously trying to hold back his laughter as he looked at the distressed boy.

He slowly caught his breath and moved his dark hair out of his face, in his turn looking Minho up and down.

"I want a tattoo" he stated, still slightly out of breath. Minho almost chuckled but managed to keep a straight face.

"That can be arranged" he answered with a smile "do you have an appointment?"

"No" the other admitted quietly. Minho did chuckle this time.

"Alright, let me check if anyone's free"

As Minho flipped through the appointments the other boy started hopping from one foot to another, very obviously starting to get nervous.

"We're currently all full, except for Changbin. I am however obligated to inform you that Changbin only recently finished training. But he's one of our best already" the boy behind the counter quickly reassured "if you wish to be seen by anyone else I'm afraid you're going to have to wait until at least tomorrow"

"No no, it's fine, I'll take it" the tall boy quickly said, waving his hands, obviously wanting to get it over with as quickly as possible.

"Alright, I'll go find him now"

He nodded, hiding his hands behind his back and finally taking a look around the shop.

"I didn't get your name by the way" Minho suddenly said, snapping him out of his daze. He looked confused for a second before answering.

"It's Hyunjin"

Minho nodded and quickly disappeared behind the curtains lining the wall behind the counter.

Hyunjin took another look around the shop. It was dimly lit and the walls were lined with all sorts of artwork.

A loud noise snapped him out of his thoughts. He quickly turned back to the counter to see a small boy smiling at him apologetically.

"Hi, you must be Hyunjin" he said sheepishly, rubbing a spot on his leg. He nodded.

"And you're Changbin right" he asked. He was dressed in all black and his hair was equally as dark. He had dark eyes, a slim face, and was quite frankly, very good looking.

"Did you walk into the counter again" Minho appeared from the curtains behind Changbin, snapping him out of his daze. He realised he had been staring.

"It's right behind the curtain, how am I supposed to know exactly how closeby it is" Changbin defended himself.

"You've been working here for a month now"

He let out a small chuckle immediately bringing Changbin's attention back to him.

"Don't you laugh at me" he said, pointing his finger at him accusingly. Changbin being a fair bit shorter than him only made it funnier.

"Hey, be nice to the customers" Minho said as he flicked Changbin's head.

"Yeah yeah yeah" Changbin mumbled "come on" he said, motioning for Hyunjin to follow him. He quickly followed through the heavy black curtains.

He examined Changbin's back as they made their way passed various booths, separated by more curtains. He could just see a glimpse of a tattoo reaching above the collar of his shirt. He wondered how big it was.

"How many tattoos do you have" he asked. Changbin turned around and grinned mischievously.

"Here we are" he said as he motioned for Hyunjin to go in before him.

"You didn't answer my question"

"That's right" Changbin said, pushing him into the booth. He sat down on the big chair, leaving only one for Changbin. He sat down with a thud and grabbed the nearest sketchbook.

"Alright, where do you want your tattoo" he asked. He hesitated.

"Uh, I don't know"

"Okay…. a big or a small one"

"I think- I don't know"

"What kind of design do you want"

"I- no idea"

Changbin looked up from his sketchbook as he scratched his nape awkwardly.

"This was kind of a spur of the moment type of decision" he admitted.

"You're lucky you're cute" Changbin muttered as he reached for another sketchbook. His eyes widened and he raised he eyebrows at him.

"Sorry if you're not into that" Changbin quickly apologized, but he didn't seem fazed by the possibility that he might take it the wrong way.

"No it's not that" he quickly answered "it's just that I recently got out of another relationship" he admitted.

Changbin looked up at him accusingly.

"Is that why you're getting a tattoo"

"It might be" he said quietly. Changbin chuckled and shook his head as he closed his sketchbook.

"Okay listen, here's what I'm going to do. I'll make you another appointment for next week. That way you can think about whether you really want the tattoo and I can make you some designs. And if you still want it you come back next week and I'll give you the tattoo" Changbin said resolutely.

He eyed him strangely.

"I just don't want you making any rash decision because someone was stupid enough to break your heart" he admitted. He was a little shocked, was Changbin flirting with him?

He kicked his feet against the chair.

"Alright, fine" he gave in.

"Good" Changbin said while getting up "I won't charge you for this one"

"Thanks" he said, slowly getting out of the other chair.

"No problem" Changbin answered as he took him back to the front of the store.

"I'll see you next week. Or not"

"You'll see me next week" he reassured. Even if he didn't want the tattoo after all, it couldn't hurt to spend some more time with the cute tattoo artist instead.

~

He was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

You'd never get a tattoo

The image of his boyfriend chuckling danced through his mind.

Ex-boyfriend.

In the end Hyunjin had broken up with him, maybe that's why it wasn't that bad. Getting a tattoo was just one thing he wanted to do to prove him that he had been wrong. Had been wrong about him all this time.

He would get a tattoo.

~

He lingered in front of the store, suddenly nervous. He was as set on getting the tattoo as he had been at the start but for some reason he was still nervous. He paced up and down the sidewalk in front of the shop.

"Should I invite you in or are you going to do it yourself" Changbin asked from the door. He stopped pacing and looked up at him smiling a little, rolling his eyes at the shorter boy.

"I was almost worried you wouldn't come"

"You did give me a choice, I could've changed my mind" he argued. They got into the store together.

"Fair enough"

It was quiet inside.

"We're the only ones left" Changbin explained, guessing at his thoughts.

"Why" he asked curiously as he leaned against the counter. Changbin pushed him towards the opening in the curtains.

"So no one hears your screams of agony" he said with a smirk.

"Hey, my pain tolerance isn't that bad" he defended himself "and besides, you didn't even know that about me"

"I took a wild guess"

He huffed, slightly offended.

"Sit" Changbin said shortly, patting the big black chair. He inhaled deeply and sat down.

"Nervous?"

"No"

"So, do you know where you want it by now or should I give you another week to decide on that" Changbin asked with a smile.

"I got it, I want it behind my ear" he quickly answered. It really was now or never.

"So a small one" Changbin stated. He nodded.

"I do need to inform you that that's one of the most painful places to get a tattoo" Changbin said seriously.

"Yeah I know" he answered. He kept trying to convince himself that he wasn't trying to prove anyone wrong by getting his tattoo in a painful place, but deep down he knew he was. He was trying to very pettily prove his ex wrong by getting a tattoo and getting it in a painful place.

"Hyunjin, you don't have to torture yourself just to get a tattoo" Changbin said seriously. The way he said his name made his heart skip a beat even though he felt like that shouldn't be possible so shortly after a breakup.

"No I know" he said steadily. He had made his decision and he wasn't backing out anymore.

"Alright, I made some sketches" Changbin said handing him one of the many sketchbooks lying around. He flipped through page after page of amazing drawings. Abstract shapes, cliche tattoos probably meant for other customers, some portraits. His eyes fell on a loose sketch of a bird, its wings folded outwards in mid flight.

"Can you do this" he asked. Changbin shifted to take a closer look, his head hovering inches away from his.

"That was just a rough sketch, it wasn't meant to be a tattoo design" Changbin answered hesitantly "it would take some more time to get it perfected"

"No I want it like this"

"But it's only a sketch"

"Yeah I know, I like it that way" he answered resolutely. Changbin chuckled.

"If you're sure"

Changbin put the sketchbook away and rolled up his sleeves.

"You can lie down, I'll do a rough sketch with a marker and then I'll trace it loosely" he explained "if I do it like that it'll give you the best impression of an actual sketch"

He took off his jacket and sighed again deeply.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine" Changbin said, pushing him face first into the leather chair. He huffed a little and shifted his head to get more comfortable. He felt Changbin's hands turn his head and move his hair a little to get better access, his fingers dancing lightly across his skin, sending tiny tingles down his spine.

He closed his eyes as the cool marker touched his skin.

He'll admit he was jumpy.

It seemed to take way too short before Changbin was finished.

He started rummaging around again, looking for other equipment.

"Alright" Changbin sat down next to him "I'm ready to start" he looked at him questioningly. He nodded as far as he could and closed his eyes again, waiting for the needle to hit his skin. He heard the little machine turn on, gears running.

No going back anymore now.

The first touch startled him, Changbin didn't give him any warning and , that hurt. He clenched his fists and closed his eyes even harder, trying to keep himself from groaning. Changbin continued like he hadn't noticed anything.

It continued like that for a while, the pain not getting any better. And he only had a small tattoo. He couldn't imagine what it was like to get a bigger one.

Suddenly Changbin paused.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine" he muttered. Changbin brought the needle back to his skin.

"You don't have to hold it in" he said softly "trust me, I've heard the toughest people scream"

"I can handle it" he reassured him even though his hands were still tightly clutched together.

"Is the emotional pain worse" Changbin asked genuinely.

"Trust me, it really isn't" he answered through gritted teeth, a little snappy he admits, but Changbin hit a sensitive spot.

"Why did you guys break up" he continued asking.

"Can you just focus"

Changbin stayed silent.

"He was kind of toxic" he admitted after a while. He didn't know why he said it, maybe the pain was fogging his mind. Changbin hummed softly, obviously more focused on his tattoo, which he could only be grateful for.

"He also told me once that he could never see me getting a tattoo"

"So this is a revenge tattoo" Changbin said smugly.

"No, I really did want a tattoo" he quickly said. Changbin chuckled.

"You're a bad liar"

"Am not. Ouch"

Changbin chuckled again.

"I swear if you did that on purpose-"

"Alright you're almost done" Changbin cut him off.

Suddenly the sound of the machine stopped, Changbin's hands leaving neck. He sighed and untangled his hands from each other. He sat up stiffly.

"Here" Changbin said handing him a small mirror. He gently took it and inspected his ear. It was all red and a little swollen but he could make out the soft lines of the tattoo perfectly. He smiled.

"Thanks, it looks great" he said genuinely. Changbin was smiling smugly.

"And don't hit me with an of course it does" he said, pointing his finger at Changbin. He chuckled, a nice warm sound.

"So, what do I owe you" he asked, reaching for his jacket. He had quickly stuffed his wallet in one of the pockets as he was leaving, in his nervousness almost forgetting to bring it.

"Fifty bucks, but if you want, and only if you want, a date will do"

His head snapped up, meeting Changbin's eyes. Changbin tilted his head a little and smiled brightly. He snorted a little.

"This is how you're asking me out" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Is it working?"

"Lucky for you, it is, I'll take the date" he answered with a smile.

"Pick me up here tomorrow"