✓ nip it in the bud | k.th

nip it in the bud

Before Taehyung went ahead with the first of your piercings, he glanced at your face, like he did with all his clients to make sure that everything was still going smoothly. What he found had him putting the needle down again. Your face was white with fear and your eyes were filled with liquid.

"Hey," murmured Taehyung softly, his gloved hand cupping your cheek. "What's up Y/N? You wanna tell me what's going on?"

"No!" you protested fiercely.

"Miss Park Y/N," teased Taehyung, striving to adopt a lighthearted tone, "Come on, is it just nerves? You can tell me. If I know what's wrong then I can help you fix it. Do you not wanna get these done today?"

You sighed, "Taehyung, it's just. I don't know. Why am I even doing this?"

"Hmm," hummed Taehyung, steepling his fingers, his warm brown eyes glancing at you comfortingly, "A very good question. Why are you doing this? We don't want you getting a piercing for the wrong reasons. What is it? Have you been down in the dumps and need some change? Well maybe it'll help you but maybe it won't and then you'll end up with far more piercings than you ever thought you would."

"Is that what happened with you?" you whispered. Now that Taehyung wasn't actively working on getting your piercings done, you had covered your chest again with your hands cupping your breasts.

"Not exactly," admitted Taehyung, "Maybe at first when I was getting the piercings with Jimin, but later on as I got more serious about art and creating, it became a way for me to express myself to the world. A way to solidify my character and what I wanted to be known for and associated with. I really had fun once I started adding the tattoos in," he laughed huskily. His cheeks came with his boxy wide spread grin. You had missed Taehyung. Though granted, he had been annoying for much of your childhood, you'd had a lot of fun with him. You adored Taehyung, you realized belatedly. Though perhaps realizing it while you were topless was not the best time for your epiphany, you thought as blush took over you, blood rushing to the surface of your skin, painting your cheeks, ears, and chest a muted red.

"Will you tell me where the seventh piercing is?" you asked softly, pushing yourself up.

Taehyung stared at you, his gaze going in between your face and your uncovered form, its heat was infectious and made your own skin flush even further in its wake.

"Perhaps," he agreed, "Although, you'll have to tell me what pulled you into this studio today, first."

You pouted, "It's really dumb."

"This is a safe place," Taehyung smirked winningly. He repeatedly raised and lowered his thick, impeccably groomed eyebrows mischievously, "I won't judge you, Y/N."

"Yes, you will," you groaned.

"Yes, I will," admitted Taehyung easily, the ghost of a smile still painting his lips. "But you'll tell me anyway, won't you?"

"Donghyuk broke up with me," you grumbled, "We were supposed to get married."

Taehyung blinked, he vaguely remembered a baby faced male that was slightly taller than him with a mushroom cap haircut. He scoffed, "The audacity of some people. You were so far out of his league, it's insulting that you weren't the one to end things."

You smiled weakly at Taehyung's attempt to cheer you up. "It made my mind go all over the place. I don't know. Maybe he wasn't wrong. Maybe I am unadventurous and boring. Maybe I am vanilla."

"What's wrong with vanilla?" complained Taehyung, throwing his hands up. His outcry of displeasure loud and clear.

You snorted, your gaze focusing on the length of his fluttering fingers for far too long, "Let's not pretend you're not one freaky mofo, Taehyung. But I don't know, I just wanted to live a little."