Still The Same | taekook ✔️

f o u r

[ professional ]
0:58 ──♡───────── 3:47
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺

"I don't know. He just showed up and asked for a tattoo."

The pair ended up in the restaurant just a few blocks away and Jeongguk made sure to ask for takeout to bring back to Yoongi.

"That's odd... I'm so glad you asked me to lunch today." Jimin said, leaning his head into his sweater-paw hand.

Jeongguk was quiet, a trillion thoughts running through his mind.

"Your food's gonna get cold if you don't eat." The older reminded him, kicking him lightly under the table.

"Do you miss him, hyung?"

The question caught the older off guard and Jimin sighed heavily, placing his chopsticks down. "I don't know, Gguk, and frankly I don't care anymore. I'm not about to risk it." He pointed at the thin line of a scar on his cheek, then gave Jeongguk's hand a quick squeeze, offering comfort. "You said he asked for a tattoo."

"Yeah." The younger confirmed.

"So are you gonna see him again?"

The prospect haven't even crossed Jeongguk's mind. "Probably, yeah. Unless Yoongi takes over. But he has his own customers."

"Do you want me to hang around the shop? In case he tries something?" Jimin offered, looking genuinely worried for his best friend.

"It's fine, hyung. You have a taekwondo class to teach." Jeongguk took a sip of his water, feeling a tad too nauseous to actually touch his food. "Besides, if anything happens, Yoongi-hyung would be there."

Jimin raised an eyebrow. "He knows?"

"No. But if I ever feel the need to... I can tell him."

The older seemed troubled, frowning at him from across the table. "You're pale, Gguk-ah."

Jeongguk instinctively touched his face.

"Are you okay? What's going on in that head of yours?"

The younger just shrugged, needing a moment. "I'm thinking he's... still attached." He revealed, "I dunno. My head's all over the place— but he asked for a tiger flower tattoo. That's my birth flower, hyung."

Jimin grunted, irritation lacing into his voice. "Okay now that's just messing with your feelings." He deadpanned, finishing off his last bite.

"I can't believe he's here. Why is he here?" Jeongguk handed his hyung a napkin. "Do you think... his father..."

Jimin waved a hand dismissively. "I don't know. And I don't wanna start getting involved again." He looked at Jeongguk dead in the eye. "You give him that tattoo and send him on his way, okay? You don't have to befriend him."

The younger dropped his gaze to his lap. "Okay, hyung."

__________

There were a lot of things going on in Taehyung's head. One of those things were Jeongguk's thighs, but he shoved the image away.

It's been almost two years, and Jeongguk had went from lean to back muscles ripping when he stood and went about his business in black skinny jeans. He had dyed his hair a golden bronze— apparently a while ago because his dark roots had grown out as well. It startled Taehyung, really, to see someone once (and still) so dear to him change into an entirely different person.

Well, not entirely.

He still had his cute button nose and those precious doe eyes. He still fiddled with his fingers when he was nervous or flustered. He was still Jeongguk. His Jeongguk that he was forced to let go.

Taehyung couldn't sleep that night.

It was almost funny, how Taehyung decided to get a tattoo in his name as a promise to never forget before steeling himself to move on from the boy. Yet there he was, as attractive and as lovable as ever.

But the fear was evident in the younger's behavior. The second Taehyung reached out to him, he recoiled. And hurt to see Jeongguk react that way.

What usually took less than a minute had now turned into an evening of unnecessary stress and a mess of clothes discarded on the floor. Taehyung wanted to try. He wanted to try, somehow, to win the younger back. If it meant dressing up to impress, he'd do it. If it meant explaining something he had sworn to never speak of again, he'd do it.

"Hey." Taehyung said softly as he approached the younger, who was huddled up in his corner of the shop.

"Good evening. Take a seat." Jeongguk replied blandly, purposefully not making eye contact. He flipped a few pages and pushed the sketchbook forward. "H-here."

Pride stirred within Taehyung as he peered down at the pretty design. Memories of hours spent in Jeongguk's bedroom and watching him sketch— and whine when something didn't turn out the way he envisioned it— invaded the older's mind. He always had a knack for drawing.

"It's beautiful, Gguk-ah." Taehyung breathed, tracing the 2D petals.

The younger didn't respond to the compliment, instead hugging his arms around himself like a protection barrier. "I'm... I'll go make a print of it- it's kind of like a temporary tattoo, to try out the placement and see how you like it." He stood up and left.

Taehyung hated how professional he was being, but then again could he blame him?

When Jeongguk returned, he seemed to be bothered by something. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Y-you're gonna have to take off your shirt. Since you want it on your back."

"Oh, right."

Taehyung pulled the fabric over his head easily. When he looked up again, he was delighted to see pink dusking over Jeongguk's cheeks as he tried not to stare. He held onto that as hope.

Yoongi strolled over, patting Jeongguk on the shoulder. "You doing good, bun?" He smiled at Taehyung as well. "Hello, sir."

"We're just about to get this on." Jeongguk told him with false cheer, grateful for the distraction.

Yoongi lit up when he saw the print. "Tiger flowers?" He beamed at Taehyung, completely oblivious. "They're Jeongguk's favorites."

The corners of Taehyung's lips lifted into a smirk. "I know."

Please vote before continuing on to the next chapter >>>>