TATTOO

Chapter One: The First Meeting at the Tattoo Shop.

Jimin was nervous and excited.

It wasn't like him to do something so bold but given how drastically his life changed in the last year or so, it felt like the right time to be a little crazy. Jimin had no illusions about his situation or the amount of time he might have left, but what he did know, was that he wanted to make what precious moments he had count. It had been a difficult year, between treatments and everything else. At first, it felt like his world had fallen a part one piece at a time. Diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, lost his chance to become a professional dancer, his relationship of four years ended, and his life turned upside down. Lucky for Jimin, he was a fighter. It hadn't been an easy battle by any means, but Jimin was stubborn and refused to just lay down and die. He made a promise to somehow make each day count. After seeing Taehyung's latest tattoo, he realized that he'd always wanted one. Jimin loved tattoos. He thought they were pretty expressions of art to decorate the human body with. It was one of the few things he could still control when it came to his body and he decided that he would finally get one. Jimin had spent a lot of time thinking of what to get. The meaning behind it. When he finally settled on what he wanted, he asked Taehyung for his help in getting an appointment with his tattoo artist – Jeon Jungkook.

The name of the artist was actually well known in their small community. It seemed that Jungkook had done tattoos for a lot of famous people, actors, musicians and the like, who came to their small town just for his work. Given that Taehyung was an up-and-coming actor, it didn't surprise Jimin that his friend crossed paths with Jungkook as well. They probably had friends in the same circles and Taehyung was always a fan of tattoos, piercings and anything else that went against the expected societal view of appearance. Jimin can recall that Summer his best friend came home with fiery red hair and almost made his mother pass out as soon as she saw it. As long as Taehyung was happy, Jimin didn't see the issue with it. As the door to the shop opened, the soft chime of a bell above it caught Jimin's attention as he glanced up at it. He blinked when he noticed the bell was shaped as the head of Jack Skeleton from the Nightmare Before Christmas, one of his absolute favorites and a classic quite frankly. Jimin smiled a bit as he followed behind Taehyung. Once the door close, Jimin took notice of the soft punk rock music playing in the background, creating a bit of ambiance for the shop. Jimin looked around, admiring all the artwork and photos decorating the walls.

The shop was quite modern, but he could tell the personal touches all over of the owner. Taehyung stopped at the front counter and tapped the bell a few times more than necessary as he leaned on the counter.

"Hellllo!!? Can we get some service in here!" Taehyung called out as Jimin glanced at him with sheepishly wide eyes behind his thick framed glasses.

"T – Tae!" Jimin scolded, "Don't be rude."

"Don't worry, rude is this guy's middle name." Taehyung said, tapping the bell again and when the door to the back room swung open, Jimin almost thought about turning tail and running like a kid that would be in trouble.

"My ears aren't fuckin' broken Tae." A deep, gruff voice spoke first before the tall, dark haired male came into Jimin's view.

Jimin stared at the male that emerged from the back. He was gorgeous. Jimin took note of how tall and built he was or seemed to be from how tight his clothes were. Showing off the definition of muscle. His dark hair was long, the sides shaven and the top was up in a messy bun. Earrings lined each ear, a lip ring and rings and bracelets that added to his whole aesthetic caught Jimin's attention. But what Jimin admired the most were the sleeves of tattoos that covered both of Jungkook's arms all the way to the tips of his fingers. Jimin could even see tattoos on his neck and disappearing into the collar of his shirt. It was clear that Jungkook was no doubt tattooed from head to toe. He snatched the bell from Taehyung before he could hit it again just to spite him.