A glass vase crashed on the floor, shards scattering in various directions. Jongin cursed underneath his breath and rescued the dozen of roses from the mess before he retrieved the broom to start cleaning up. He’d barely just bent down to pick up the dustpan when the bell on the door rung, signaling that he had a customer.

Jongin looked towards the door, expecting to see someone over the rack but was surprised when he didn’t see anyone, or at least not immediately. Eventually, a man a bit on the short side stepped from behind it and looked around.

In a shocking contrast to his cute face, Jongin’s eyes went to his conspicuous amounts of tattoos. Even from his distance from the man, he could see the vibrant colors and crisp ink.

Why would such an adorable man have so many tattoos?

He didn’t have much time to contemplate on the answer because the man locked eyes with him and smiled. “Are you the owner of this shop?” Jongin nodded before he willed his mouth to cooperate with him.

“Yes, I am. Welcome to Kim’s Flowers.” Jongin finally spoke, awkwardly trying to keep his gaze from falling back on the man’s tattoos. That plan failed, and the man laughed.

“My tattoos right?” He asked, and once again Jongin found himself at a loss for words, so he just nodded once again. The guy probably thought he was an idiot at this point. “It’s fine, and I’m used to the stares. Ah! If you’re ever interested in getting a few, I just set up a tattoo shop next door, so I’ll do one for you for free if you want. I’m Do Kyungsoo by the way.” When he finished his sentence, he smiled, and Jongin swore his heart skipped a beat.

“Nice to meet you, Kyungsoo. I’m Kim Jongin.” Kyungsoo reached out for Jongin’s hand and amazingly, his motor skills were in his favor, and he shook it without delay. The movement drove Kyungsoo’s already rolled up sleeves up higher and more ink was uncovered. Exactly how many tattoos did Kyungsoo have?

Even after Kyungsoo left the store, he never really left Jongin’s mind. Ironically right after he left, Jongin thought up at least twenty questions that could’ve lead to him knowing more about Kyungsoo than just that he liked tattoos, could do them and was cute. For one thing, why was Kyungsoo so into tattoos? Secondly, why did he pick a place right between a flower shop and a grocery store? This side of town wasn’t exactly prime real estate nor the best place to attract clientele, especially for a tattoo parlor.

He closed shop early and took his time walking home, slowing down to peer inside Kyungsoo’s shop. Contrary to what he originally thought, it wasn’t dark or menacing. In fact, there was a nice waiting room painted a pretty shade of blue, another heavily tattooed person standing behind a counter and a door, presumably leading to where people got their tattoos or piercings done.

Something told him just to keep walking, but curiosity took over, and he walked in. The door squeaked, and the guy at the counter looked up, smiling at Jongin. Again, Jongin’s assumption that everyone with tattoos and piercings was terrifying or intimidating fell away for good. The guy, Tao, as his nametag read, smiled wider when he saw Jongin’s name tag still on from work.

“Ah, you’re Jongin. I’ll go get Kyungsoo.” Jongin just stood in silence and nodded, looking around. There were several picture albums spread across the counter, probably containing potential tattoos. He found himself flipping through the one closest to him. Typical of himself, he easily found his way to the flower designs, all of them with Kyungsoo’s initials underneath them. Lost in the pages of winding vines, petals, stems and roots, he didn’t notice Kyungsoo approach him.

“Did you come to take me up on my offer? I have to say I didn’t expect you to come so soon, but I’m happy nonetheless.” Jongin looked behind him startled, and when his eyes settled on Kyungsoo, he relaxed. Honestly, he hadn’t come for a tattoo, so he had no idea why he’d walked in, besides to get another look at Kyungsoo.

“I’ve wanted a tattoo for a while actually,” where the hell were these words coming? “So I’m glad I have the chance to get a free one.” Common sense was telling Jongin that his mother was going to kill him for this, but he didn’t care. Something seemed so appealing about having something permanently on your body. Getting a tattoo also meant he could spend some time getting to know Kyungsoo.

“Do you have a specific design in mind?” Kyungsoo asked, walking closer to the counter (and to Jongin). He was so close that Jongin could smell the shorter man’s spicy cologne that had lingered after he left the flower shop. Not even the natural scents of the flowers could overpower it because even as Jongin locked up, he swore he smelled hints of it near the door.

Jongin pointed to a picture in the book “this one looks exactly like what I want.” Kyungsoo’s face lit up, and he took a look at the album. “No problem and as promised, it’s free of charge. I look forward to being neighbors with you.” Jongin nodded, and Kyungsoo signaled for him to head through the door.

“Where do you want it?” The question went straight to Jongin’s crotch, but he knew Kyungsoo was referring to his tattoo. A quick “here” sufficed, Jongin pointing to his shoulder and bicep. “Please take off your shirt and sit down in the chair,” Jongin followed the directions, though when he removed his shirt, he felt a bit shy in front of Kyungsoo. He’d just met the man, but here he was getting partially undressed in front of him. Whether he admitted it or not, he was attracted to him. Maybe somewhere deep in his mind, he thought that getting a tattoo would bring Kyungsoo closer to him?

Once Kyungsoo got him relaxed and sanitized, the first bit of pain hit him in a small wave. It was nothing he couldn’t handle, but when one of Kyungsoo’s gloved hands patted the top of his shoulder, he felt a chill. After that, the rest of the process went by without much issue. The only trouble Jongin ran into was when Kyungsoo pressed particularly hard, and the pain aroused him. He had to quickly think of something disgusting to will away the potential hard-on. The last thing he needed was to make Kyungsoo think he was strange.  

“You handled your first tattoo very well. Almost better than Tao.” Jongin must’ve looked confused because Kyungsoo tilted his head towards the hallway. “The guy in the front.” Jongin nodded (how did he forget the other man so quickly?) and peeled his back from the leather chair. One of his feet had fallen asleep but a few steps towards his backpack where Kyungsoo had sat his folded shirt, and he was okay.

Kyungsoo watched him for a moment, admiring the toned thinness of Jongin’s body discreetly. When the man turned back towards him, he slowly tried to put on his shirt without upsetting his tattoo but failed miserably. After another painful try, Kyungsoo approached him and helped, his hands cooling the hot skin around his tattoo. “Make sure you tell your friends about us. I hope you don’t mind being a walking business card.” Kyungsoo chuckled, and he led Jongin back to the lobby.

“I feel kind of bad that I took so much of your time for such a complicated tattoo,” Kyungsoo stopped walking, and he turned around, a small smile on his face. “I don’t want any money Jongin. How about you go on a date with me? I heard there’s a nice Italian place uptown. Here’s my actual business card, it has my number on it.”

Tao greeted them both with a smile, and he motioned towards Jongin’s shoulder. “Did you take time from your flirting to tell him the proper after care?” Kyungsoo’s eyes widened, the startled expression making Jongin laugh.

With promises of a date in the near future and a simple explanation of taking care of his tattoo, Kyungsoo sent him home. The entire walk home Tao’s comment about Kyungsoo flirting with him drifted through his mind. It seemed like Kyungsoo was just being nice to him, but if Tao saw it as flirting and Tao seemed to be close to Kyungsoo, then maybe that was the truth?

It took him a while to find a comfortable position, but after two Tylenol and few strategically placed pillows, he finally drifted off to sleep. His typical dreams of soft muted colors and the feel of soft dirt were now filled with the sensations of the needle from Kyungsoo’s tattoo gun, repeatedly going into his skin.

Unlike when he was actually in Kyungsoo’s parlor, he was lying on a table, completely as Kyungsoo created a work of art on his back, his face set in concentration as he chewed his bottom lip to finish the task at hand.

“Does it feel good Jongin? I can feel you shaking beneath me.” Instead of just leaning over and working like that, he was lying on his stomach, and Kyungsoo was straddling him. Jongin heard himself let out a moan and he could’ve sworn Kyungsoo pressed the gun a bit harder than he needed. In response, Jongin bucked his hips into the table to get friction and Kyungsoo smacked him on his . “Keep still, or you’ll mess it up. Besides, I’ll make you come much better than what you’ll get from humping a table.”

Though he tried to obey Kyungsoo’s directions, he couldn’t help it and came, heaving underneath Kyungsoo. Another smack sent an aftershock through his lower body, and he let out another ragged breath. “I’m tired, let’s continue this tomorrow. Also, you’re quite stubborn.” Jongin his side and slowly got up, wincing when he felt the come gluing the fabric of his boxers to his body. Just like earlier, Kyungsoo helped Jongin put on his shirt, but this time he stood on his tiptoes and whispered in Jongin’s ear. “Looks like I can’t ride you till I pass out, so you’ll be on top tonight.” Jongin wasn’t surprised when his dream-self choked and nodded briskly. He hurried out the parlor and breezed past a grinning Tao.

The sheer curtains did nothing to block the sunlight as it streamed into Jongin’s room and right into his face. He rolled on his bandaged shoulder and bolted up, hissing in pain. When he looked at the clock, he wasn’t surprised to see he’d woken up at least an hour before he was supposed to. Maybe he might cook himself breakfast for a change. After using the bathroom, taking the bandage off his tattoo and cleaning it, he admired the sharp but blended lines. It was hard to believe it’d taken Kyungsoo less than three hours to get it done. Before he walked out the bathroom, he took one last look.

Coolness rushed over his body when he opened the fridge and dug around for some ingredients, making a quick mental note to hit up the grocery store on his way home after work. Within a few minutes he’d managed to prepare himself some scrambled eggs, some toast, warm up some leftover rice and prepare a pot of tea.

“You have got to be the most aloof person I know.” The extra voice scared him, and he dropped one of his chopsticks to the floor. Once he picked it up and wiped it on his thigh, he looked at his roommate (and best friend) Taemin. “Jesus Christ Jongin, is that a tattoo? Did you get this yesterday?” Jongin nodded, and Taemin got up and gripped his elbow, disturbing the tattoo and sending a twinge of pain to Jongin’s shoulder.

“Jeez, can you be any rougher?” Jongin grunted, clearly annoyed. Taemin wasn’t one for personal boundaries anyway, but Jongin had been in a weird mood since he woke up. How else was he supposed to act when he’d had a dream about someone he just met?

“Is this from that guy that just opened a tattoo shop next to your flower place?” Jongin nodded with a sigh, the annoyance leaving his body. There was no point in being pissy right? Taemin hadn’t done anything to him, and the dream wasn’t that bad. Sure he’d come in his pants like an over anxious teenager, but there wasn’t anything to be mad about.

Taemin finished his inspection of the tattoo and gave Jongin thumbs up, and then he sat back down in his seat. “You’re in your head more than usual. Is the tattoo boy cute or something? I wasn’t sure if I should ask, but with you sighing and staring into space, I know for sure. I didn’t think you’d find your type at a tattoo parlor though.”

Jongin blushed and sputtered, “I don’t have a type! I just like cute guys.” Taemin smirked, and he leaned forward “And that my friend, is your type.” Jongin took to shoving the rest of his breakfast into his mouth before he cleaned up everything, ignoring the rest of Taemin’s badgering questions. He’d forgotten that Taemin was off for the entire week.

Getting dressed for work seemed to be a task, so he settled on a tank top. As an afterthought, he grabbed a cardigan and gently threaded his arms in the sleeves, only brushing his tattoo lightly. The minute he had everything, he left, ignoring Taemin’s catcalls as he walked out the door.

Luhan, Jongin’s only employee, was waiting for him when he walked up to the shop. “Good morning, what’s with the sweater?” He knew it was strange of him because Jongin was always hot, that’s why the shop was cool all year around, as well as for the sake of the flowers. “Fashion.” Jongin managed to answer, unlocking the door and ushering Luhan inside. It was obvious the man didn’t believe him, but it didn’t matter. Jongin owed no one an explanation, especially when that no one was as nosey as Luhan.

“So do you just sit around and arrange flowers all day?” Kyungsoo said when he popped in sometime during Jongin’s lunchtime. He looked up from his jjajangmyeon, black bean sauce smeared on his lips. Jongin didn’t have to look at himself to know that he was a mess. While one of his hands covered his face, his other one frantically searched for a napkin. Luhan must’ve sensed his distress and walked by the table, putting a napkin in his hand.

Kyungsoo watched the scene with an amused expression on his face. It was cute how flustered Jongin seemed to get around him.

“I mean this is a flower shop. Do you sit down and draw on people all day?” Jongin answered once he wiped his mouth. The retort sounded less snarky in his head, but he decided to just go with the flow. Maybe Kyungsoo hadn’t picked up on it?

“I’m a tattoo artist, so yeah that is what I do. I didn’t peg you for the snarky type.” Jongin blushed and turned his head, running a hand through his hair. “So about that date, how does tonight sound? Also, how is your tattoo doing? Did you follow the instructions I gave you?” Luhan’s eyebrow went up, and Jongin sighed internally, now Luhan knew why he was sporting a cardigan in the middle of the summer. He knew he’d get questioned later.

The workday passed quickly, and after Jongin crafted a bouquet for Luhan to deliver, he threw the older man his key. “Lock up for me, please? I’m going home to get ready for my—date.” He lingered on that last word, mulling over it.

Jongin hadn’t been on a date in awhile, so he was anxious. He took a quick shower then wandered into his closet. He didn’t have too many clothes, but he had enough to make choosing the right outfit difficult. Since most them were stained with various chemicals—the most predominate being flower preservative—his selections were slim. Even then, he still had three or four outfits to choose from.

An hour went by before he settled on some fitted black t-shirt and some loose fitting jeans as well as a plaid shirt tied around his waist. He was so busy messing with his hair, that he didn’t notice Taemin standing in his doorway. “You look nice. Not your usual get up.” The compliment was a surprise, and Jongin almost didn’t know how to respond, save for a reluctant “Thank you?”

Kyungsoo’s eyes lit up when he caught sight of Jongin walking past the glass windows of the parlor. “He looks nervous. You really like him huh? I didn’t think spacey guys were your thing.” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes at Tao and told him to lock up in his place.

The bell at the top of the door jingled, and Jongin glanced around the lobby until his eyes fell on Kyungsoo. The shorter man was also dressed a bit differently, his pants a bit tighter and the v-neck of his shirt was almost plunging. The pale expanse of chest in combination with the several peeks of ink that Jongin saw made his mouth go dry.

“You ready to go? I made reservations for 6:30. We should get going.” Jongin just nodded. He vaguely heard Tao hoot catcalls behind them, mentioning something about Kyungsoo's.

The food ended up being nothing short of amazing, and Jongin kept wondering if Kyungsoo knew that he loved Italian food. Each sip of red wine that Jongin took, he felt himself get more confident. Soon he told Kyungsoo most of his life story: everything from his age and where he graduated from college to how many sisters he had and why he loved flowers.

He would’ve felt embarrassed talking so much about himself, but Kyungsoo just egged him and kept asking questions. Finally, after he ran out of things to talk about it, he turned the conversation to Kyungsoo.

“So tell me about yourself, Mr. Tattoo-man.” The nickname made Kyungsoo laugh and Jongin feel lame. It’d sounded cuter in his head.

“Well I just moved here from Texas, I’ve wanted to branch out from home for a while. I was happy that Tao agreed to move with me and help me open my parlor. As a kid, I used to draw on myself, and when I turned 18 I got my first tattoo, and I haven’t turned back since. It’s been nine years since then.” Jongin did the math and figured out that Kyungsoo was three years older than him.

“It’s amazing because you don’t look a day over 16.” Kyungsoo frowned and Jongin smacked his hand over his mouth. That was rude. The frown on Kyungsoo’s face turned after he poked his tongue out at the younger man. “It’s fine, I get it all the time, though people figure I’m older once they see my tattoos, which I’ve been told don’t fit me.” Jongin shook his head and smiled.

“I guess people don’t think they fit you because they don’t know you. After talking to you, I think they fit you just fine. In fact, it’s hard to imagine you without them.” A light of something twinkled in Kyungsoo’s eyes, but Jongin couldn’t figure out what it was. He wanted to ask but knew it’d be dumb, and Kyungsoo would probably just brush it off. “Do you have anything else to do tonight? Tao and the new employees will be running the parlor tomorrow, so I was  thinking about staying out a bit late."

At first, Jongin thought about telling Kyungsoo he couldn’t, but he decided to just go for it. The flowers would be okay without him for one day.

“No I’m free, I was planning to take the day off anyway. Perks of being your own boss right?” Kyungsoo nodded, and he flagged down their waitress, paying the bill and tip. Jongin didn’t even have time to pull his wallet from his pocket before the waitress brought back the receipt for Kyungsoo to sign. “I asked you out, so I’m footing the bill. You can catch the bill next time.”

The "next time" raised a flag in Jongin’s mind and he felt himself get warm inside. So there was a definite chance that Kyungsoo wanted to see him again. It was a relief that Kyungsoo wasn’t affected by Jongin’s foot-in-mouth syndrome.

After dinner, Kyungsoo drove them to the nearest beach and asked Jongin to walk with him. The couple left their shoes behind and went toeing around in the cool sand. Somewhere in between talking about whatever came to mind, Kyungsoo’s hand brushed Jongin’s and he took the initiative and held it.

“Your hands are so warm. How can you handle this breeze?” Jongin shrugged and untied the plaid shirt from his waist. Kyungsoo took it happily and put it on, the sleeves going far past his hands. Right then and there, Jongin made a mental note that Kyungsoo looked nice in his clothes. He definitely wanted to see it again sometime in the future.

“Hey Jongin, I know this is a little weird to ask, but why’d you come to get the tattoo the same day I offered? I was half-kidding, and I didn’t think you’d actually come.”

“I think I wanted to know you better and what better way to get to know someone than watching them do what they love. Also, I wasn’t lying when I said I’d been thinking about getting a tattoo for a while. One of my friends has a few, and he’s been pestering me for months to go get one.” Kyungsoo nodded slowly and looked at Jongin. When he stopped walking, he held on tighter to Jongin’s hand and pulled him back a little bit. “Something wrong?” Kyungsoo shook his head, and he smiled, the action pulling his lip ring to the corner of his mouth.

“Can I kiss you?” Jongin’s eyes widened, and he looked down at Kyungsoo in surprise. “Su—sure.” He stammered. Kyungsoo reached for his face and kissed him softly, pulling away as he gauged Jongin’s reaction. It must’ve satisfied him because he pulled the taller man closer and kissed him again. This time he ran his tongue over Jongin’s bottom lip, asking for entrance into his mouth. Jongin quickly opened his mouth and leaned into the kiss when Kyungsoo’s tongue (which he discovered was also pierced) ran along the back of his teeth.

The way the kiss felt was nothing like neither of them had felt before. If Jongin was his usual corny self, he would’ve described it as fireworks going off behind his eyelids. With the way Kyungsoo was clinging to him and delving deeper into his mouth, Jongin knew he was enjoying it just as much.

It wasn’t like he was chaste, but he’d never really kissed anyone on the first date before, especially after only knowing them for a couple of days. It took him five dates to kiss his last boyfriend and three to kiss his first girlfriend. Kyungsoo really didn’t seem like the type to wait for a person to make a move.

Now as the familiar smell of Kyungsoo’s cologne filled Jongin’s lungs and his hands settled around Kyungsoo’s waist, Jongin did some tasting of his own. Besides the faint taste of their dinner, there was also a hint of mint. Had Kyungsoo planned to kiss him all along? No matter the answer to that question, it made Jongin lean into the kiss more. Both of them finally pulled away from each other, in need of air.

They didn’t, however, let each other go.

“Do you always smell like freshly cut flowers?” Kyungsoo finally spoke, breaking the brief silence. He leaned forward and took a deep inhale, closing his eyes as if he were thinking hard.

“Most people just say I smell like weird perfume. I’ve never really taken a good sniff of myself.” Jongin answered, still holding Kyungsoo in his embrace.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and both of them agreed that they should leave. While the idea of getting caught in the rain with Kyungsoo sounded nice, Jongin wasn’t in the mood to deal with a potential cold. When he told Kyungsoo this, the man laughed at him for five minutes. Once he told Kyungsoo his address, the man pulled up to his house in no-time (thanks to his GPS). 

“So do I get another date?” Jongin turned and pressed a soft kiss to Kyungsoo’s lips for an answer, laughing a bit when the man’s piercing tickled his lip.

“Definitely.”