If you had told Do Kyungsoo four years ago that he would be entering a tattoo shop to get something inked on his own skin he would’ve laughed in your face. Tattoos and piercings had always been something quite taboo in his family. As an immigrant family from South Korea growing up in Canada they were still pretty traditional in their Korean ways. His parents were more open to a lot of things now however when he was growing up? His hair was never dyed, his ears were never pierced and ripped jeans were not welcome in his wardrobe. Tattoos were something he had never even asked about, it was something that he would be reminded of anytime they passed by someone with tattoos. His parents would always give him a look, as if telling him that he should never do such a thing. For a long time he’d convinced himself that it was as it was and that not having tattoos wouldn’t make much of a difference in his life.

That was until Park Chanyeol became a part of his life. 

Chanyeol wasn’t from an immigrant family, his family was as Korean-Canadian as one could get considering his parents had both come over to Canada when they were teenagers. They adapted to the Canadian culture pretty easily and were both very open minded with anything remotely body mod friendly, their only wishes were that their children not make rash decisions that could deter them from future opportunities. Kyungsoo met Chanyeol when he was still new to Canada, immediately sticking to someone who looked familiar the moment he walked into class. Chanyeol was a very outspoken person from the beginning, competitive and passionate in what he believed in. He was a rock that Kyungsoo hadn’t had in his life before and he stayed by his side when they went on to high school and when they went to college together. Chanyeol didn’t make it all the way through college, having decided to drop out after his first year and he decided to pursue music. 

Everything about Chanyeol’s life was foreign to him and very exciting. Kyungsoo was always interested to see what his friend would do next, how he would live his life next. Kyungsoo on the other hand, studied accounting because that was easy and that was guaranteed money in the future. When he moved out of his family home after college and into a two bedroom apartment with Chanyeol, he was terrified because now this was his life and he was finally going to be able to live it. Naturally not much changed. It wasn’t like Kyungsoo became hungry for change and pierced every surface on his body or anything like that but he did attend every body mod adventure Chanyeol went on. Chanyeol had only had his ears pierced when they met, though even that was considered strange at the time because no 10 year old boys had both ears pierced.

When they were 16 that was when Chanyeol really started to delve into the body mod territory. He started with his ears, second lobe piercings, cartilage piercings, his industrial, conch, tragis, rook, honestly Kyungsoo is surprised Chanyeol even has any space on his ears anymore. Somehow it doesn’t look too crowded spread out on both ears and Chanyeol had more than enough real estate for those. When he dropped out of college he decided to get his septum pierced followed by his eyebrow. Then when they moved in together, he’d declared that he was done with piercings and he was now going to upgrade to tattoos. Chanyeol had some ideas he’d always wanted since high school but a whole phoenix back piece might be too much to start off with so he started easy, he just got his stage/work name Loey, tattooed on his finger. Sitting with him through that was an experience to say the least. 

Kyungsoo himself hadn’t thought to get anything done but the internet was a dangerous place, not only that but his workplace was pretty lax. His boss wasn’t too discriminatory on piercings and tattoos, though she still wanted them all to be as professional as possible. Plain studs or covered elaborate tattoos were a given. Kyungsoo had begun growing… interested to say the least. He and Chanyeol lived together and it was only natural that he spent quite a lot of time with him and he unconsciously found himself staring at Chanyeol’s growing tattoos. The way they sat on his skin was so pretty. His piercings were always fun to look at but Kyungsoo didn’t want to be flashy at all, though with Chanyeol’s encouragement and help he did begin to stretch his ears, liking the look of small black gauged ears. That alone was quite the investment since it took a long time for him to get to the size he wanted but he was pleased with them. 

And then he and Chanyeol met Baekhyun.

Now, Baekhyun was in a different league of his own. The two had encountered him at a bar that Chanyeol and his band were playing at one night. Baekhyun had caught Chanyeol’s eyes at the bar and they had a very lengthy conversation that Kyungsoo could not stomach to hear. Needless to say Chanyeol took Baekhyun home that night while Kyungsoo let someone else take him home and the rest is history, Baekhyun practically lived with them now. Baekhyun had more piercings than Chanyeol did, he had his dimples pierced and he had snake bite piercings as well as a vertical labret. His tongue was pierced too and he was covered in tattoos. Kyungsoo wondered what kind of job Baekhyun worked that could pay for all of his body mods but turns out, Baekhyun was a tattoo artist. Kyungsoo probably should’ve guessed that but he didn’t like judging people by their covers, not if he could help it. 

After two years of dating Chanyeol gave Baekhyun the pleasure of doing his back piece and Baekhyun had been more than delighted to do so. Kyungsoo accompanied his friend to every single one of his appointments and he grew more and more interested in the art of tattoos. After all, sometimes he had to leave the two love birds alone and everyone’s portfolios were more than interesting to look at. Baekhyun worked at a little shop called Lady Luck Tattoos that was home to about 6 different artists and they were all incredibly close and talented. The shop itself wasn’t too big so Kyungsoo didn’t really meet them all, they all had designated work days and he only ever went on Baekhyun’s days. Seeing the empty work areas with the artists work on the boards on the wall were interesting though. Not only did they have tattoo artists but they also had piercers. There were two piercers in the shop, Irene and Seulgi, they’d both approached him when Baekhyun and Chanyeol were becoming a little too unbearable. 

They were both a delight to talk to and possibly planted the seed of a lip piercing into Kyungsoo’s brain. After sitting on it for a few days he decided to book an appointment with Irene and he went in the next week to get his own vertical labret piercing. It wasn’t very comfortable and the healing process was absolutely gruelling but Kyungsoo feels pleased with it. He doesn’t plan on getting any other piercings, the vertical labret experience was enough of a turn off for him but he did start talking to Baekhyun more about tattoos. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were the least judgemental people he knew and also the only ones he knew that were actually knowledgeable on the subject so naturally he talked to them. Chanyeol had suggested that Kyungsoo get something cooking related since he was quite in love with the hobby and Baekhyun agreed with the idea. After pitching a few different cooking utensils, Kyungsoo decided on a pair of steel chopsticks, a long spoon and a Santoku knife. They would sit side by side on his forearm. 

Baekhyun booked him in for an appointment and honestly, despite the unease and slight fear of foreign pain he was also extremely excited. He would look at the empty space on his forearm and imagine what it would look like. He trusted Baekhyun’s artistic abilities and his tattoo application completely and he would want no one else to do his first tattoo. Baekhyun was also very giddy about the whole thing, excited that Kyungsoo was finally going to join them in their tattoo shenanigans. And so here he was, on a Wednesday afternoon as opposed to the usual Thursday or Sunday to get a tattoo done. Thursday was usually Chanyeol’s free day but Baekhyun worked all three days. Chanyeol took a half day in the studio to come with him and they both entered the shop about 10 minutes before his appointment. Baekhyun was working on another client but he gave them a quick nod when they made eye contact. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo both took a seat on one of the couches and the owner of the shop Taeyeon approached them both with a smile.

“Look who’s finally getting their first tattoo, are you nervous?” she asks and he suddenly begins to feel the reality of it all. Taeyeon was a small older woman who started this shop years ago with her husband at the time. The two had a peaceful divorce and she continued to run this shop on her own. Taeyeon herself wasn’t heavily tattooed, hell Kyungsoo couldn’t even see any of her tattoos. She had a simple nose piercing and that was it. Compared to everyone else in the shop she looked pretty… tame but Kyungsoo knew not to doubt her skills. Taeyeon was booked for the next two years. She hands him a small tablet with a very familiar looking form on the screen, he’d seen Chanyeol sign it a number of times. Taeyeon takes a seat beside him and she pats his knee.

“Just a little bit, I just can’t believe it’s actually happening,” Kyungsoo chuckles nervously and Taeyeon laughs with him. 

“Don’t worry dear, you’re in very good hands. Baekhyun will take care of you. Sign this form and bring it up to me when you’re done okay? Baekhyun should be done with his client soon and after he sanitizes his work station, he’ll call you in,” Taeyeon says in a professional but gentle tone before she gets up and takes a seat at the front desk. She crosses her legs and begins writing something down and Kyungsoo looks down at the tablet before he begins inputting his information. He goes through the checklist and makes sure he answers everything carefully. Chanyeol is uncharacteristically quiet next to him and when Kyungsoo glances at him he sees that Baekhyun and Chanyeol are both making kissy faces at each other, he rolls his eyes and signs his name before submitting the form. Kyungsoo stands up and he hands the tablet to Taeyeon. She accepts it with another smile and he turns back to the couch only to see Baekhyun sitting in his spot, a very wide smile on his face with a few small sheets of paper in his hand.

“Here’s the final design Kyungsoo, I have some different sizes here you can check and see which one you like. Come and follow me over to my station, do you want the curtain up?” Baekhyun asks and Kyungsoo mindlessly follows him, flinching when Chanyeol pats his back. 

“You can leave it open,” Kyungsoo says and although he would normally prefer a closed curtain he thinks a bigger space will be better for him. He takes a seat in the chair while Chanyeol takes a seat on a small stool beside him. Baekhyun is still standing and he hands Kyungsoo the different sheets, 2 inches, 3 inches and 4 inches. Kyungsoo looks carefully at the final design and he sees that Baekhyun lined up the utensils side by side with the chopsticks slightly crossed at the tips. Since he wanted the tattoo on his forearm he clumsily held it up to his forearm with 100% concentration. 

“Here come to the mirror, it’ll give you a better perspective. Once the stencil is on, we’ll move it around all you want until it fits nicely okay? So don’t worry too much. Did you have a hearty breakfast?” Baekhyun stands beside Kyungsoo as he helps him place the sheets on his forearm and Kyungsoo decides that 4 inches would be best. 

“Yeah, Chanyeol made sure that I ate my fill. I think I like the 4 inch best, what do you think Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo asks for his opinion and Baekhyun seems pleased.

“That’s good, I would’ve liked to bring something for you but I had an appointment this morning. Also 4 inches is what I would’ve recommended, just to get all the detail without worrying about it getting muddy over time. Now, I need you to hold out your arm for me and stay still okay?” Baekhyun tells him and he puts on a pair of black nitrile gloves. Kyungsoo holds out his right forearm with his breath held and Baekhyun begins shaving the skin first, making sure there was no hair there before he wipes it down with 70% alcohol. Baekhyun then begins rubbing a gel all over his forearm before he carefully places the stencil paper onto his skin. He smooths it out completely and only then does Kyungsoo realize that he was holding his breath the whole time. Baekhyun peels it off and Kyungsoo is amazed at the blue ink on his skin. So that was how his tattoo was going to look. 

“Go on and take a look, what do you think?” Baekhyun tilts his head back to the mirror and Kyungsoo walks over before taking a look. It seems pretty perfect to him. Kyungsoo puts his arm down to see how it would look when he has his arm down and it seems pretty okay. Baekhyun comes over and begins bending his arm in all different kinds of ways just to see how it sits and Kyungsoo was pretty pleased with the placement. He turns to Chanyeol to get his opinion. Chanyeol has been pretty quiet this whole time and Kyungsoo wonders why, especially since he was talking nonstop on the car ride to the shop. Chanyeol looks at it with a serious face and he walks over to take a closer look. 

“That looks sick,” Chanyeol says with a smirk and Kyungsoo grins. Baekhyun ushers him into the chair and he begins setting up his station. Kyungsoo is too busy staring at the stencil to actually pay attention to what Baekhyun does but then again he’s been watching Baekhyun tattoo Chanyeol for months now and he still had no idea how he did it. Chanyeol still seems a little lost in thought and Kyungsoo leans back into the chair. 

“Penny for your thoughts?” Kyungsoo asks and Chanyeol looks up at him.

“I just-how am I going to explain this to your mom?” Chanyeol deadpans and both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun break out into laughter. The shop itself was pretty empty aside from Seulgi, Taeyeon and another tattoo artist named Eric. Kyungsoo shakes his head and he closes his eyes.

“I’m going to tell her that you’re the worst influence ever, Park Chanyeol,” Kyungsoo threatens and Chanyeol pales at the thought of Mama Do’s rage. All jokes aside though Kyungsoo doesn’t think his mom will mind… too much. It took a bit for her to warm up to his stretched ears and lip piercing but he assumed she knew him well enough to guess that he would be getting tattoos at some point. Baekhyun gets comfortable on his own chair before he adjusts Kyungsoo’s arm and he looks up at him.

“We’re going to start out slow okay? Just a simple line, tell me how it feels,” Baekhyun says to him and Kyungsoo relaxes, taking a deep breath before he mentally prepares himself for a pain he’s never experienced before. Chanyeol had told him that it felt like a cat scratch but he’d never been scratched by a cat before so that wasn’t a very good comparison at all. The buzz of the machine makes him a little uneasy and the pain that follows wasn’t pleasant in the slightest. It was quick, a small line that felt a bit fiery after Baekhyun pulled away. Kyungsoo looks over to him and Baekhyun raises an eyebrow, waiting for his reaction.

“You okay?” Baekhyun asks and Kyungsoo nods his head, shrugging a bit as he does. It didn’t feel too bad at all.

“Okay good. I’m going to do the outline first then some shading afterwards. If at any point you need a break just let me know, doesn’t matter how many times you need one,” Baekhyun assures him and Kyungsoo agrees with a nod. They don’t talk much at first, Kyungsoo never really did when Baekhyun was working since he didn’t want to mess up his friend. He did ask for a break here and there when he needed to bring the feeling back into his fingers but in general he sat pretty well. Baekhyun was halfway through the outline of the spoon before the front door of the shop was slammed open and in came a very loud voice.

“Oh ! Sorry guys, I always forget how easily that door opens. I brought donuts!” the unfamiliar voice caused Kyungsoo to look up at him, which was easy enough since he was facing the door and Chanyeol turned around as well. What he sees completely turns his world upside down. The man who walks into the shop is unlike anyone Kyungsoo has ever seen before the way his heart pounds makes him wonder if he’s just fallen in love. The stranger has blonde hair and a beanie on his head, his slim but toned figure was dressed in a pair of loose fitting denim overalls and he had a white t-shirt underneath. There was a little bear plushie sticking out of the pouch of his overalls and he was juggling a box of donuts along with a tray of drinks in his hands. There was a dimple in his cheek and his smile brightened the room, his skin golden coloured and he had a pair of dangly ice cream earrings on. There were freckles on his cheeks and a teardrop piercing under his left eye as well as a labret piercing. Kyungsoo could see a smiley piercing when he grinned and his arms were covered in colourful tattoos. As he came closer Kyungsoo could see a sunflower tattoo blooming on his neck. 

“Oh Baekhyun, I’m so sorry I didn’t know you were in today so I didn’t get you anything! There’s some for your clients though,” the stranger teases and Kyungsoo can’t stop looking at him. He was practically glowing and that made absolutely no sense. Baekhyun rolls his eyes and he goes back to tattooing Kyungsoo who flinches at the sudden pain returning on his already burning skin.

“Very funny Jongin, this is the only day we work together. Chanyeol you can have a donut in my stead,” Baekhyun fake laughs and Kyungsoo sees Jongin opening the box of donuts in front of Chanyeol. His name suited him well. Jongin has a bit of a dorky laugh and it makes Kyungsoo’s stomach turn the moment he hears it.

“So this is the infamous Chanyeol! I’ve seen pictures of the progress on your back piece and it looks super cool. I’m not usually working when you come in so we’ve never met but I’m Jongin! Baekhyun was actually my mentor when I was starting out,” Jongin introduces himself to Chanyeol and Kyungsoo casually tries to shrink into his seat hoping that the gorgeous human won’t come over to him, of course he’s not that lucky because soon enough Jongin’s eyes meet his own and Kyungsoo almost moves. Almost. Baekhyun’s glare keeps him from doing anything rash even though his whole body is telling him to run away and only admire from afar.

“That looks really good so far,” Jongin sets down the box of donuts and tray of drinks down on the table on the other side of the room before he runs back, removing his beanie before he runs his hand through his hair. . Jongin leans over so that he can get a better look but to avoid getting in Baekhyun’s light he leans a little too close to Kyungsoo and oh no he smells like sunshine. Kyungsoo subtly tries to look at anything but Jongin but when Jongin turns to him he can’t hide the way his breath hitches.

“And you are?” Jongin asks and Kyungsoo swears that he could die right then and there. Jongin slips off the straps of his overalls and drops them so that they’re just hanging around his waist. Kyungsoo was not expecting a cropped top nor was he expecting a very cutely pierced belly button, there was a little bee dangling off of the piercing. Jongin’s waist was tapered and there was a faint line of abs on his tummy, he was absolutely breathtaking.

“Stop squirming Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun mutters and Kyungsoo awkwardly clears his throat.

“I-I’m Kyungsoo, I’m friends with Chanyeol and Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo says in an almost robotic tone and Chanyeol lifts his head immediately. Their eyes only meet briefly but he knows that Chanyeol knows that Kyungsoo is hopelessly attracted to Jongin. Baekhyun seems to have caught on as well considering how he now has a very mischievous grin on his face. Kyungsoo watches helplessly as Chanyeol and Baekhyun conjure some kind of plan to humiliate him telepathically and he can’t do anything but beg with his eyes silently. Of course that goes ignored.

“This is Kyungsoo, getting his first tattoo. He’s no longer a tattoo ,” Baekhyun says as he pretends to wipe away an imaginary tear, careful to not actually touch his face since he doesn’t want to change gloves for no reason. Jongin’s eyes widen as he looks at Kyungsoo, eyes wandering across his face and probably on his piercings. Kyungsoo clears his throat as he looks at anyone but Jongin who doesn’t look away from him. There’s a growing smile on his lips and he leans back, giving Kyungsoo some space. 

“Well congratulations to you then, I wish I could’ve been the one to pop your cherry though,” Jongin winks and he saunters off somewhere that Kyungsoo can’t follow with his eyes. Kyungsoo sits there stiffly, not even noticing the pain from the tattoo gun anymore while Baekhyun snickers and Chanyeol waggles his eyebrows at him. Kyungsoo groans and he almost facepalms but he remembers not to. 

“Please tell me I didn’t completely that up,” he mutters and Baekhyun chuckles under his breath. Chanyeol shifts closer on his stool so that he creates a little bubble with just them in it. Kyungsoo closes his eyes as he rests his head back on the chair and Baekhyun continues working diligently.

“It depends on what you consider ing up because honestly, I still think he’s really into you,” Baekhyun says with a shrug and Kyungsoo opens his eyes. He sees Jongin standing beside Taeyeon, talking to her about something with that dazzling smile on his face. Kyungsoo looks away and he can feel the flush of his cheeks. 

“There’s no way. He’s so… I don’t know. He’s out of my league,” Kyungsoo mumbles and Baekhyun stops shading for a second to look at him.

“Look Kyungsoo, you can’t give up before you try. I’ll let you know that Jongin is very single at the moment,” Baekhyun says quietly and Kyungsoo bites his lip, accidentally tugging on his piercing when he does. 

“... you didn’t purposely ask me to come in today because you knew that Jongin was working did you?” Kyungsoo’s eyes widen with realization and Baekhyun laughs. Chanyeol seems to be in on the joke and Kyungsoo feels betrayed by the couple once again. 

“You’re giving me way too much credit Kyungsoo. It was a coincidence, or… maybe it was fate ?``Both he and Chanyeol say the word together at the same time and Kyungsoo is trying really hard not to slap his friends right now. He’s also unconsciously sliding down in his seat trying to hide himself lest he be seen by Jongin again. Baekhyun pulls away and raises an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to adjust himself again before he starts shading once more. Kyungsoo sighs and he carefully leans his head back on the chair, closing his eyes from the studio lights as he tilts his head upwards.

“I should’ve asked for the curtains to be closed,” he whines and it was Chanyeol’s turn to roll his eyes this time.

“Calm down you drama queen,” Chanyeol scoffs and Kyungsoo pouts at him. Baekhyun goes over a particularly tender spot and Kyungsoo winces. He pulls away immediately and Kyungsoo sighs, sitting up in his seat.

“I think I need a break,” Kyungsoo sighs and Baekhyun nods his head, turning off the machine and setting it down before he pulls out a roll of plastic wrap from his drawer. Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything as Baekhyun begins wrapping up his arm and he blinks at him when he’s done. Honestly, he was just going to sit in the chair and mope a little more but the way Baekhyun was looking at him made him feel not welcome all of a sudden.

“Go and eat a donut won’t you dear? Some sugar would be good for you,” Baekhyun winks as he imitates Taeyeon and Kyungsoo is about to protest but Chanyeol is already pulling him out of his chair. Kyungsoo stumbles a bit when he stands up and he hadn’t realized how exhausting getting a tattoo was. After a slight warning from Baekhyun, Chanyeol is more careful with him and he appreciates it. That is until he sees where Chanyeol is bringing him, directly to the table where Taeyeon and Jongin are still talking. They both look over to him with a smile and Taeyeon is the first to speak, eyeing the wrap on his arm.

“How’re you doing so far dear?” Taeyeon asks in all the elegant glory that she is. Even the way she turns to look at him even with a half eaten donut between her fingers felt like too much. Taeyeon must have been some kind of goddess in her past life. Kyungsoo awkwardly clears his throat and resists the urge to cling to Chanyeol even though the latter still has an arm around his shoulders.

“I’m okay, just needed a break,” Kyungsoo manages to answer without stuttering and honestly that was quite the feat. Jongin lifts the box of donuts up closer to him and Kyungsoo purses his lips before he takes a simple pink frosted one with sprinkles on top. As soon as he takes a bite he hears Baekhyun yelling across the shop.

“Babe mind coming over so I can check on your back?” Kyungsoo’s eyes widen as he stares in complete betrayal at Chanyeol who doesn’t even hesitate to go to his boyfriend. The curtains are pulled closed in a second and Kyungsoo is ready to just let the floor swallow him up whole. Jongin’s giggles grab his attention and he finally chews the donut inside of his mouth, sighing at how soft and fluffy it was.

“They’re good right? My friend owns this shop,” Jongin says as he closes the box a little so that Kyungsoo can see the shop logo on it. He sees a flash of the letters, ‘XOXO’ but he doesn’t see much else because Jongin is already putting it back on the table. Taeyeon finishes her donut and wipes her hands down with a tissue before she glances over to the closed curtain that Chanyeol and Baekhyun are currently occupying.

“You think I can expect them to honour shop rules?” Taeyeon sighs and Kyungsoo just shrugs. The two were practically inseparable whenever they were together and it’s been a few days since they had any alone time. Kyungsoo was kind of to blame for that since he was clinging to Baekhyun with every single tattoo related question he had. Jongin doesn’t say anything and Taeyeon walks over to them, the click of her heels loud in the shop. She doesn’t bother letting them know before she opens up the curtains.

“Oh my gosh Taeyeon noona, what did you think we were doing? You’re such a ert!” Baekhyun says in Korean and his shrill teasing voice is incredibly loud. Taeyeon slides the curtain shut and she rubs her temples,

“I need a break, I’ll be back for my 5 o’clock. Feel free to leave a horrible review for him Kyungsoo,” she winks at him before she grabs her purse and leaves. Baekhyun and Chanyeol are cackling as they pull open the curtains and Kyungsoo looks at them with narrowed eyes.

“Kyungsoo! You know we would never, plus I’ll have you know I’m an honourable tattoo artist. Now stop flirting and get your over here. We have a dinner appointment and we have to drop you off,” Baekhyun says in a very obvious tone and honestly Kyungsoo was ready to murder him. Plus, it wasn’t even that late in the afternoon and he knew for a fact that they didn’t have an appointment, they were never that prepared for anything. He finishes chewing the last bite of his donut and he wipes off his hands with a tissue as well before also wiping his hands on his jeans like that would make a difference.

“Thanks for the donut,” he says and before he can head back to Baekhyun’s station he gets a little tap on the shoulder.

“I have an appointment in a few minutes but it’s my only one of the day and it should take me about an hour? If you want, we can go get dinner together and maybe grab some dessert as well?” Jongin asks with a small smile and everything in Kyungsoo wants to refuse because how was he going to survive an evening with this beautiful human? But he looks down at the wrap on his half done tattoo and decides to take another risk. 

“I’d like that, I doubt I’ll leave as soon as my appointment is done so I can wait for you,” Kyungsoo smiles wryly knowing that it was usually him hounding Baekhyun and Chanyeol to leave the tattoo studio every time a new part of Chanyeol’s back piece was done. Jongin’s whole face brightens up and he nods cutely, his beanie nearly falling off. When he’d put that back on? Kyungsoo wasn’t sure. 

“Perfect, I’m looking forward to it,” Jongin says and he lets him go back to his friends. Kyungsoo returns but hesitates before taking a seat.

“You better have sanitized everything to death and back,” he threatens and Baekhyun rolls his eyes.

“You’re hilarious honey but you know we wouldn’t do anything like that. It’s just too fun teasing Taeyeon noona,” Baekhyun rolls his eyes and Kyungsoo smirks, taking a seat before he lets Baekhyun remove the wrapping. There’s a smug smile on both of their faces but thankfully they don’t say anything at first. It isn’t until Kyungsoo is in pain again and he’s finally come down from whatever confidence adrenaline he’d had that they finally talk about it.

“Oh my god I have a date,” he mumbles and resists the urge to cover his face with both of his hands. Chanyeol pats him on the back, lightly, since Baekhyun’s glare was already on him the moment he raised his arm.

“That’s my boy, I knew you could do it. Just go and have fun. Jongin’s a super easy going guy,” Chanyeol says and Kyungsoo doesn’t know what credibility he has since he hasn’t met him before today. Baekhyun has never even mentioned Jongin before. 

“He’s a big softie, super sweet and cuddly. Practically embodies the whole look he has going on and I know for a fact that he’s your type and you’re his, so have fun kids,” Baekhyun says with a wink and he’s honestly surprised he’s seen so much winking today. He couldn’t wink to save his life and the last time Chanyeol tried he got slapped. Kyungsoo looks up as the door chimes and he sees a girl walking through the door. Her eyes are glued to the floor but she looks around as she enters, both of her hands clenched around her phone and she looks nervous. Jongin immediately approaches from the other side of the room and she visibly relaxes when he does.

“Hello Yerim, did you find the shop alright?” Jongin asks and she smiles as soon she sees him. Kyungsoo can’t help but smile at the sight and he guesses that Jongin really does have something special to him. Baekhyun and Chanyeol are both talking about one of his upcoming projects but he doesn’t really have anything to say. Baekhyun was currently helping Chanyeol sing demos and what not, that used to be Kyungsoo’s job but now they sang them together or they only sang what suited their voices best. Jongin passes by them leading his client to his own station and he gives Kyungsoo a smile and a little wave. One that Kyungsoo doesn’t have a chance to reciprocate because he was taken off guard and because his usual waving arm was currently being inked. 

The next hour or so is just Baekhyun and Chanyeol talking while Kyungsoo leans back in his seat and closes his eyes, waiting for the thing to be done already. Baekhyun was a bit of a perfectionist and he didn’t work at a fast pace, which was why he was taking so long on Chanyeol’s back piece but Kyungsoo didn’t mind. It’s not like he was going to rush someone responsible for putting a piece of art permanently into his skin or anything like that. Whatever hype Chanyeol and Baekhyun had throughout the day was slowly calming down because the two were talking to each other like civilized humans and Kyungsoo didn’t see this side to them often but he appreciated it. He knew that they were a good match for each other. Kyungsoo frowns when the light behind his closed eyes turns dark and before he can look and see he feels a finger smoothing out the wrinkle between his brows.

“You shouldn’t frown so much. You’ll get wrinkles here you know?” Jongin’s melodic voice is soft and when Kyungsoo opens his eyes he immediately catches Jongin’s charming gaze. Jongin is currently resting his arms on the top of the chair and he was very close to Kyungsoo right now. A little too close maybe because suddenly he didn’t know how to function anymore.

“You’re so cute,” Jongin laughs softly and Kyungsoo can feel his whole face flushing red. He looks down and Jongin seems pleased at his reaction to say the least.

“I’m almost done here Jongin, can’t you wait a bit before you start flirting? I can’t finish the tattoo if he’s all… flustered,” it took Baekhyun a second and a few of hand waving to find the right word and Kyungsoo tries to close his eyes again but he can’t relax so he just resorts to staring at Chanyeol since he’ll get queasy if he actually watches what Baekhyun is doing.

“Have you all known each other long?” Jongin asks no one in particular and Chanyeol is more than excited to answer.

“I’ve known Kyungsoo since we were in middle school, we both met Baekhyun about three years ago,” Chanyeol explains in short and Kyungsoo is just glad he didn’t go into any weird embarrassing stories. Though honestly, knowing Chanyeol and Baekhyun were both embarrassing stories in their own right. Jongin hums and he rests his head on his arms as he watches Baekhyun finish off the tattoo and he smiles, looking down at Kyungsoo.

“Any reason why you chose this to be your first tattoo?” Jongin asks just as Baekhyun is wiping his flaming skin with something very refreshing and he swallows hard as his hour of anguish is finally over. He has no idea how Chanyeol manages to lie there for more than three hours at a time sometimes.

“I kind of just wanted to jump in? But with something simple that means a lot to me. I uhh like cooking,” Kyungsoo snorts accidentally and he’s positively mortified but Jongin doesn’t seem deterred by it at least. Baekhyun begins going on and on about aftercare before giving him a sheet with all of the details and Kyungsoo listens but he also knows that he can ask either of his friends. Baekhyun applies something like a sticker on his fresh tattoo and he can’t help but smile as he looks down at it. He meets Baekhyun’s proud gaze and he pulls his friend into a hug.

“Thanks Baekhyun, it looks amazing,” he says earnestly and he almost gets kneed in the stomach for being too sappy. They wait as Baekhyun cleans up, Jongin cheekily refusing to help and soon enough he’s paying at the register and they’re saying goodbye to Taeyeon, Irene and Seulgi. They walk out to the parking lot and both Kyungsoo and Jongin unconsciously part to go to their own cars. He had driven Chanyeol earlier and Baekhyun usually got a ride from them. Before he can react Chanyeol is already swiping his keys and he watches in disbelief as they practically run to his car. Kyungsoo is completely frozen as they wink and blow kisses at him when they pass and he turns around when he hears Jongin clearing his throat.

“Need a ride?” he asks before nodding over to the passenger seat and Kyungsoo laughs as he walks closer.

“I would be more than grateful, it would seem my car has been stolen,” he says in a weird accent and he swears that he’s going to let the floor swallow him up one day. He regrets everything he does almost immediately after he does it. Jongin seems amused though and he feigns shock. 

“In this day and age? I can’t believe it! What say you and I grab some dinner then maybe file a report?” Jongin smirks and he gets into the car with more grace than Kyungsoo has ever seen in a person before. He gets in as normally as he can because the moment he starts thinking about what he’s doing his body does the complete opposite. As soon as he closes the door he notices just how… sweet smelling Jongin’s car is. The interior is filled with little bear plushies and when he glances at the backseat he sees a fluffy pillow. Kyungsoo is so distracted by all of the little things that he doesn’t even notice Jongin leaning in closer.

“Safety first Kyungsoo, as cute as all of my bears are they can’t save you if we get into an accident,” when Jongin pulls his seatbelt across his chest Kyungsoo practically stops breathing but not enough not to catch the whiff of his cologne. Kyungsoo has been using the same cologne since he was in high school so there was no way he was going to be able to pinpoint what it was but it was nice. Kyungsoo hadn’t caught it earlier, though to be fair Jongin still does just smell like sunshine. Jongin rests his hand on the back of Kyungsoo’s seat as he begins to reverse out of the parking lot and Kyungsoo is more than sure that he just fell for Jongin even harder somehow. They drive onto the street and Kyungsoo relaxes when he hears soft R&B playing, the bluetooth was probably connected to Jongin’s phone.

“I forgot to ask but is there anything you don’t like to eat? Or even better, do you have a place in mind?” Jongin asks and Kyungsoo purses his lips.

“There’s a place nearby that Chanyeol, Baekhyun and I go to often. It’s a Korean place, just down this street,” Kyungsoo points to the left and Jongin immediately signals into the lane. 

“Okay, I love Korean food,” he says with a smile and Kyungsoo hopes he likes it. They find a parking spot albeit a little far from the actual store but Kyungsoo isn’t complaining really. Jongin holds open the door for him even though that had originally been his plan but he hangs his head low and thanks him before entering. A host leads them to a small booth in the corner of the place and Kyungsoo hands Jongin a menu. 

“You can order whatever you like, I practically like the whole menu,” Kyungsoo says and he pours tea for Jongin when the server brings it to them. This place was something he and Chanyeol had discovered when they were in high school. It was close to malls that they usually frequented and not too expensive for how much food you’re given, plus by Kyungsoo’s standards it was good. Chanyeol’s family didn’t eat Korean food often, not unless they were visiting his grandparents. His parents didn’t cook Korean food on a daily basis like Kyungsoo’s did growing up. But honestly speaking, Kyungsoo just liked food and if it was good and cheap then that was a win win for him. He wasn’t a purist who only liked home cooked food or anything like that. Though this place felt like a good home cooked meal.

“I would ask if you want to share some makgeolli but with that fresh tattoo it looks like I’ll have to ask next time,” Jongin says and Kyungsoo feels a little disappointed. He personally prefers makgeolli over soju but Chanyeol likes soju more. As for Baekhyun, well it doesn’t really matter since he’s a lightweight and only drinks a little of each anyways. But the promise of next time doesn’t go over Kyungsoo’s head and after Jongin’s done ordering from the server he nods.

“So Jongin, how’d you get into tattooing?” Kyungsoo asks as he blows on his tea, afraid to take a sip since he has been betrayed by hot tea more than once before. Jongin’s face lights up at the question and in the dimmer lighting Kyungsoo can see his smiley piercing clearer even if that didn’t make much sense. It suited him really well. He unconsciously toys with his own vertical labret and that doesn’t go unnoticed by Jongin who his lips. Kyungsoo nearly falls out of the booth when he sees the flash of a tongue piercing. He hadn’t noticed it at all since they started talking.

“My mom is actually a tattoo artist. She currently lives in South Korea but she was my biggest inspiration. I remember spending hours in her shop after school and I would draw as I waited for her. I don’t think I knew what I wanted at the time but when I got my first tattoo when I was 17 and the rest is history. My dad wanted me to at least get some kind of college education before pursuing the career though so I took business. Though, I can’t ever see myself managing a shop,” Jongin says and the server brings out a number of side dishes first. Kyungsoo waits for Jongin to start picking at them first before he does the same.

“You said you got your first tattoo at 17. Can’t you get one at 16 with parental consent? I’d think that wouldn’t be a problem for your mom,” he asks and leans back as the server brings out what looks like a kimchi jjigae, bibimbap and seafood jeon. He approves of Jongin’s choices and soon enough they’re dividing the jeon and enjoying themselves.

“My mom wanted me to wait one year before finally letting me get a tattoo. She wanted me to be sure that that was what I wanted,” Jongin explains and Kyungsoo nods his head. That was fair. He hadn’t even told his mom about his tattoo, he’ll have to do that… the next time he sees her. As for his dad, he’ll probably just be better off if Kyungsoo doesn’t bring it up. Kyungsoo starts stirring up the bibimbap and he can see Jongin eyeing him so he scoops up a hefty spoon and offers it to him. Jongin leans across the table and opens his mouth, letting Kyungsoo see the cute heart shaped piercing on his tongue before he takes the spoon into his mouth. Kyungsoo can hear the muffled clink of metal before he pulls the spoon out and Jongin chews thoughtfully.

“It’s really good, you should have some too,” Jongin covers his mouth as he speaks and Kyungsoo does what he says, smiling at the familiar taste. 

“You said you like cooking, is that what you do as a job or?” Jongin asks after they’ve eaten half of their meal and Kyungsoo shakes his head.

“No, I work as an accountant. Wanted to make sure I could have a stable income,” Kyungsoo says and before he can even panic about possibly offending the whole tattoo industry Jongin just nods. Money was something he didn’t bring up often, not with having friends like Chanyeol and Baekhyun who did what they liked for a living. They seem happy and they seem to be doing well enough and that was all he really cared about. He didn’t want to disappoint his parents by wasting whatever wishes they had for him when they decided to come to Canada.

“That’s fair, I can understand that. If you ever want to possibly work in the food industry then I could introduce you to my friend who works at the donut shop? They can always use some help in the mornings on weekends,” Jongin says without an ounce of judgment in his voice and Kyungsoo smiles, drinking some of his tea to hide it. 

“I appreciate that, thanks,” and after that it’s just small chatter as they finish their meal. They finish everything to his surprise and when the bill comes they both fight for it but in the end Kyungsoo wins because even though Jongin was more charming he was a little quicker on his feet. They leave the restaurant hand in hand and before Jongin can head back to the car Kyungsoo pulls him onto the sidewalk and they go to the little ice cream shop next door. It was one of those places that did bubble waffles or taiyaki ice cream though Kyungsoo didn’t really care for those since they were kind of messy. Jongin however looks like a kid in a candy store and Kyungsoo waits for him to order whatever he wants. Kyungsoo decides to just share with Jongin and he can’t even try to pay for it because Jongin almost kicked him to keep him away. 

“Let’s sit in the car and eat,” Jongin suggests and they do just that, making sure to nab some extra napkins on their way out. Kyungsoo almost goes to the passenger seat but Jongin directs him to the back seat. They shimmy in together and Kyungsoo allows Jongin to rest his long legs on his lap as they sit side by side. Jongin is almost sitting in his lap, almost . It looks like Jongin got a scoop of chocolate and matcha ice cream in the taiyaki and he scoops at it with some difficulty due to how unstable the pastry is. Thankfully they gave him a cup to have a proper grip of it because otherwise Kyungsoo feared for Jongin’s backseat.

“Want some? I only grabbed one spoon sorry,” Jongin doesn’t sound sorry at all but Kyungsoo doesn’t mind. He opens up when Jongin feeds him a scoop of both flavours mixed and he scrunches his face at the bitterness of the chocolate and matcha mixing in his mouth.

“Pfft you have no taste,” Jongin pouts seeing his reaction and Kyungsoo didn’t know why he thought he wouldn’t mind the flavours when he wasn’t even a huge fan of them separately. He liked matcha ice cream but matcha in anything else? It was a no for him. As for chocolate, he only liked a select few chocolate ice creams that did it right. Kyungsoo tries to steal some of the taiyaki and Jongin whines at him when he takes off it’s face.

“How could you??? You ate his face!” Jongin complains and Kyungsoo just laughs. At this point Jongin has comfortably made Kyungsoo’s lap his personal seat but he really doesn’t mind. Jongin feeds him a bit of the pastry with some ice cream and he is thankful it’s only one ice cream flavour this time, he nods in approval. Jongin rolls his eyes and when he takes another bite of ice cream Kyungsoo notices some on his lip. He’s ready to reach for a napkin but then he notices how Jongin his lips everywhere but there. He was doing it on purpose. Kyungsoo hums to get Jongin’s attention,

“You look like you have a little something there Jongin,” Kyungsoo says as he vaguely points to a random part of his lip and Jongin looks confused before his lip. Why he doesn’t reach for a napkin Kyungsoo has no idea. 

“Where?” Jongin asks and Kyungsoo takes the bait as he leans in to the cream off of Jongin’s upper lip before he presses their lips together. Jongin seems delighted and he immediately opens his mouth before he pushes his tongue into Kyungsoo’s who shivers when he feels the cold piercing against his teeth. He pulls away breathless and Jongin giggles,

“Been wanting to do that all day,” he confesses and Kyungsoo feels exactly the same so he kisses him again. It goes on like that, Jongin finishing his dessert with the many many kisses in between and Jongin almost doesn’t let him go home that night. 

Needless to say no one is surprised when Kyungsoo shows up for a tattoo appointment five months later with none other than his boyfriend Jongin who kisses him the moment he walks into the studio.

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A/N

Thank you for reading~ I think this is one of my few longer one shots that don't have any time skips

This WIP is from 2020, I think soon after I heard this song for the first time I just wrote?

Wrote maybe 4k or so in one sitting hehe

Happy KaiSoo Day everyone <333

- Airi