The tattoo shop is in the same area as the bar they usually frequent. The moment they step inside, Joonmyun once more becomes aware of how embarrassingly prejudiced he tends to be because this really isn't what he had expected. He had imagined the tattoo shop to be a greasy, dingy place veiled in thick cigarette smoke and with loud rock music playing over the speakers, but that is not at all what he gets.

Instead he's met with bright, white rooms, black leather furniture and green ferns scattered about to add splashes of color. It's all very clean and very classy. The only things that alert Joonmyun that this has anything to do with tattoos are the pictures on walls – tasteful images of people, most likely past costumers, with various types of ink decorating their bodies – as well as the equipment and the chair he can see through the open doorway leading to an adjacent room.

Somewhere someone is singing, soft, smooth vocals filling the air with some kind of R&B song and the sound of it sends chills rushing down Joonmyun's spine. That voice is amazing. He's almost upset when Yixing calls out: “Hello?” It makes the singing come to an abrupt halt.

A tiny guy steps into the front room, staring at them, and the first word that comes to mind when Joonmyun sees him is 'cute', closely followed by 'squishy'. The guy is dressed completely in black, a stark contrast to his pale skin, his lips are full and his eyes are huge and round, and Joonmyun can't quite figure out if he's surprised to see them or if that's just the way he looks. “You're early,” the tiny guy says, accompanied by a long, pointed glance shot at the clock that hangs above the entrance. “I'm not ready for you yet.”

“Sorry,” Yixing says. “We'll just hang around for a bit, if that's okay.” The guy's expression remains stoney, but Yixing seems to take that as a positive response. “Kyungsoo, this is my boyfriend Joonmyun.” Hearing Yixing call him that still makes Joonmyun warm and tingly inside. “Joonmyun, this is Kyungsoo, the guy who's responsible for a vast majority of my ink.”

Joonmyun can't keep his eyes from widening in surprise. “Wait a minute, you're the tattoo artist? But...” He looks the cute guy, whose name is apparently Kyungsoo, up and down. “But you're so...”

Kyungsoo holds up a hand to make him stop talking, and says in a tone that is completely calm: “If the next word out of your mouth is 'cute' or 'adorable' or something to that effect, I'm going to rip your ing balls off with my bare hands and ing make you choke on them.”

Joonmyun backpedals so fast it leaves him dizzy. In his mind, he's already calculating his chances of making a sprint for the exit and escaping before Kyungsoo can cover the space between them, but Yixing's hand placed at the small of Joonmyun's back keeps him rooted to the spot. “He's just joking,” Yixing says with a serene smile.

“I'm really not,” Kyungsoo says in that same collected tone as before. Yixing just keeps smiling. Joonmyun throws another longing look towards the door. He's very fond of Yixing and wants to trust his words, but right now he's far more inclined to believe Kyungsoo. Although he's tiny, even tinier than Joonmyun, he's also very, very terrifying.

They sit down to wait while Kyungsoo draws up Yixing's piece. For the sake of safety, Joonmyun purposely picks the seat in the corner furthest away from Kyungsoo's drawing table. He would much prefer if his remained attached to his body and he doesn't know if one of the sentences accidentally slipping from his mouth would inspire Kyungsoo to make good of his threat. “He isn't that scary once you actually get to know him,” Yixing reassures Joonmyun, patting his hand. “He just wants people to think that he is.”

“You probably haven't had him threaten to rip off your... your ia before,” Joonmyun whispers.

“Well, no, that one is new to me,” Yixing admits, scratching the back of his neck. “But he has threatened to end my life on several occasions and look, I'm still here, aren't I?”

“Only because I haven't figured out a way to commit an untraceable murder yet,” Kyungsoo quietly comments without looking up from the paper he's drawing on. Yixing smiles fondly at his turned back. Joonmyun wishes he had the nearest police station on speed dial.

Eventually, Kyungsoo waves Yixing over so he can put the stencil on him. Yixing is sitting down and Kyungsoo is blocking Joonmyun's line of vision so he can't actually see what they're doing, and no matter how curious and eager he feels, he's also too scared to go closer right now so he stays where he is until Yixing calls out for him. “Joonmyun?”

“Yes?” he says, standing up slowly.

“Come take a look.” Joonmyun moves over to him, walking in a wide circle around Kyungsoo just to be safe, and he looks at Yixing. At first glance he doesn't spot anything different, but then Yixing turns his head and Joonmyun sees it: behind Yixing's left ear is a music note, a single quaver, small and currently dark blue in its stencil form. “How is it?” Yixing asks. “Do you like it?”

“Yeah,” Joonmyun says, his eyes fastened on the tiny drawing. “I like it a lot.”

“No touching,” Kyungsoo advises with a stern tone. “I can assure you that you don't want to find out what happens if you mess up my work.” Joonmyun is itching to brush his fingers or maybe even his lips over that previously unmarked spot of skin behind Yixing's ear, but the unspoken threat is great incentive to hold himself back, and he sticks to just looking at it. For now.

As Yixing gets into the tattoo chair, Joonmyun thinks to himself how happy he is that he's not the one who has to do this. Just watching Kyungsoo preparing the needles is enough to make him feel squeamish. He swallows in a dry throat. Yixing seems completely calm and comfortable with the situation, but he still looks at Joonmyun and reaches out for him. “I promised you'd get to hold my hand, didn't I?” he says at the sight of Joonmyun's questioning expression.

Scooting his chair closer, Joonmyun takes Yixing's outstretched hand and intertwines their fingers. “I mean, if you really want to,” he mutters, trying to brush off how nervous he actually feels. It's kind of ridiculous. Very ridiculous, even. It's not like he's the one getting work done.

Yixing doesn't say anything. He just smiles and gives Joonmyun's hand a squeeze. “How about a kiss for good luck?” he suggests, already puckering up expectantly, and Joonmyun is quick to agree and leans in to peck him on the lips.

Kyungsoo makes a sound of disdain. “Ugh, Sehun was right. You guys are ing disgusting.” Joonmyun jolts when the machine in Kyungsoo's hand starts to buzz. His heart is pounding. “Are you ready?” Kyungsoo asks. No, Joonmyun wants to say until he remembers that the question is most likely not directed at him. Yixing nods, still placid, and Kyungsoo gets to work.

The second the needle touches Yixing's skin, he grimaces and hisses in pain. Kyungsoo clicks his tongue in obvious disapproval, but he does have the decency to pull the machine away. “Quit whining, you ing , I barely even touched you.”

“It's not that,” Yixing groans. “Joonmyun...”

Joonmyun realizes that he's clutching Yixing's hand so tightly his own knuckles have turned white. “Oh,” he mutters sheepishly, easing his grip. “Sorry.” Yixing flexes his fingers to regain feeling in them. Smiling, he takes Joonmyun's hand again, keeping his hold looser this time, and then he nods for Kyungsoo to continue.

The buzz of the machine fades into the background as Yixing and Kyungsoo talk over the sound of it. Joonmyun is too busy studying Kyungsoo's arms to pay much attention to their conversation, though. Kyungsoo has rolled his long sleeves up and now that both of his forearms are exposed, it becomes evident that they're covered in tattoos, starting from the elbows and disappearing into the black latex gloves his wearing. Joonmyun is a little taken aback by the sight of it. Kyungsoo doesn't really look like the type who would have this many tattoos. As soon as Joonmyun has thought that thought to completion, he feels dumb. He should've learned by now that there is always more to a person than what meets the eye. You never know what they might be hiding.

He zones in again just in time to hear Kyungsoo saying: “Okay, it's done.”

Joonmyun blinks. The words take a few seconds to register in his mind and when they do, he lets out an inaudible sigh. “Wow, that was fast,” he says. He tries not to let his relief shine through in the tone of his voice (but he's pretty sure he fails, judging by the way Yixing the back of Joonmyun's hand with his thumb in a comforting motion).

“It's a small piece,” Kyungsoo mutters, wiping the tattoo over one last time for good measure.

“That, and Kyungsoo is faster than most because he's great at his job,” Yixing adds with a dimpled grin, and surprisingly Kyungsoo returns the gesture. His smile is heart-shaped and bright and makes his eyes turn into crescents. Joonmyun would call it cute too if he wasn't still so scared of getting his scrotum violently detached from its place between his legs.

“I assume I don't have to give you the speech about aftercare and all that .”

“Nah, I think I know what I'm doing by now,” Yixing says, chuckling. He gets out of the chair and Kyungsoo motions to peel off his gloves, but pauses as if a thought has suddenly struck him.

He turns to Joonmyun and looks him over with a calculating stare. “How about our Mr. Suit here?” he asks. “Ever thought about getting some work done?”

Joonmyun balks and his heart rate sky-rockets at the mere thought of tiny needles pricking into his skin over and over. “N-no, I'm not... I mean, that is to say, I-I...” He swallows thickly and looks at Yixing for help, only to jump at the sudden sound of the tattoo machine buzzing again, closer to him now as Kyungsoo jabs it in his direction with a grin.

“Please don't bully my boyfriend,” Yixing sighs.

Kyungsoo snickers. “Relax, I'm just playing around,” he says in a light tone, but it doesn't calm Joonmyun down, not one bit.

Fortunately, Yixing doesn't seem bothered when Joonmyun grapples for his hand to hold it again. He just keeps his attention on Kyungsoo. “How much do I owe you?”

“You can pay me in drinks,” Kyungsoo says, glancing up. “You are coming tomorrow, right?”

“I'm counting on it,” Yixing says.

“Good.” Kyungsoo lets his eyes slide over to Joonmyun, who manages to resist the urge to cower (mostly because there's still a chair between them and he's sure Kyungsoo wouldn't climb over it just to get to him... right?). “Bring your boyfriend. I like him.”

They say their goodbyes and leave the tattoo shop, and they have only made it a few strides down the street when Joonmyun's curiosity takes over. “What's happening tomorrow?” he asks.

“Oh, nothing big,” Yixing says. “We're just going to hang out at the bar again. You're more than welcome to join us.” There's a brief pause, then: “I'd really like it if you came.”

Joonmyun doesn't even have to think it over. “Of course I'll come,” he says right away, and when Yixing smiles, Joonmyun knows he's made the right decision.

~*~

A/N: I almost didn't post a chapter today because I didn't feel like it, but I didn't wanna let y'all down so here it is.

so. now you all know what yixing's new tattoo is, and who the artist is. it's kyungsoo. of course it's kyungsoo. you can all thank my buddy bonnie for that, by the way. when I started writing this story, I had an idea in mind for most of the characters, but I hadn't quite figured out what to do with kyungsoo. I know that bonnie loves kyungsoo, so I asked her opinion, and she suggested that he could be a tattoo artist and I was like "I love it". fun fact! behind the story!!

(second fun fact: I have character notes for all the characters in the story, and my note for kyungsoo says "homicidal, foul-mouthed tattoo artist. likes to date tall, really hot chicks with big s". yeah. that's this story's kyungsoo. in a nutshell.)

I don't have anything else to say about this chapter because it's just nearly 2000 words of kyungsoo threatening to murder joonmyun and joonmyun freaking out about various things and yixing being his usual, mellow self throughout the entire ordeal because he is a literal saint. the next chapter is going to have more switchblade granola/yixing's friend group-shenanigans. funnn!!

yeahhh. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I hope you will leave me some nice comments.
y'all are babes and ilu. ♥

ps. if you have a thing for baektao or spontaneous bjs (or both!!), you should totally look here. 8D