"never have i ever passed out while waiting to get backstage at a one direction concert!" jimin flung a piece of pizza up from an almost empty box, the cheese hitting his tongue leaving little burn bumps along the way.
"that's so fucking rude!" tae groaned, grabbing a shot glass and filling it halfway with a freshly opened bottle of tequila, "that was like one time and it was so long ago and you know i had heat exhaustion! i could have died!"
"drink up!" jungkook forced the shot glass up to tae's lips, tipping it backwards.
he sipped it down, realizing that any more and he would be bordering the line of tipsy and intoxicated a tad too much, "okay can we be serious for two seconds?"
"shoot?"
"so the whole jungkook thing?"
"him coming to your office playing business man?" jimin raised both his eyebrows playfully, "it's so... porn-y."
"that's not a thing jimin!" taehyung rolled his eyes, "and it wasn't like that!"
"it sounds like that's exactly what it was like!" the blonde rolled his eyes, "listen, i love you both but you text him good morning. he brings you coffee. what are you guys? friends? beyond it?"
"that seems just like a friends thing? you and i do that."
"but we're soulmates!" jimin flicked his friend's forehead, "like we're a different level of friends. when yoongi does stuff like that for me, it makes me think that oh, he's in love with me!"
"is yoongi in love with you?"
"well duh, who wouldn't be." jimin waved the remark off, "not the point. the point is, jungkook is obviously crushing on you."
"i just refuse to jump to that conclusion!" taehyung ran his hands down his face, groaning at the sheer idea of having to dissect somebodies feelings for him.
"well then why don't you ask?" it seemed so obvious. too obvious.
taehyung perked up, "just go see him, and flat out ask him if he likes me?" it seemed almost crazy enough to work. honesty, communication, who would have thought?
"he's at the studio until ten so you better get there!"
taehyung glanced over at the clock on the stove, calculating how long he could stall. it would probably be best to just get it over with, "do i look okay?"
"you look beautiful!" jimin shot him two thumbs up, "now go!"
the brunette did as told, grabbing a jacket from the coat rack and sliding his arms into it just in case the temperature had dropped since the two had made a snack run earlier than day. this was the third time he'd waltzed to jungkook's shop; it felt like a bad habit at this point to wonder these streets. a guilty pleasure even.
it was getting to be so well known that he could do it on auto pilot.
it was probably good that way since his mind was anywhere but on directions. he wondered what he'd say, how jungkook would react, what he was wearing? tae hoped he wasn't with a client, or worse, in the middle of an intricate tattoo on somebody else. he'd surely chicken out if he had to wait even a minute after seeing him.
now that the sun had set, the lights in front of the shop seemed brighter and everyone and everything inside was much more visible. jungkook and yoongi looked to be alone, talking with one another, fussing with papers. they laughed occasionally, enjoying themselves despite being at work.
tae entered slowly causing both of their heads to snap in his direction.
jungkook looked absolutely ecstatic at his presence, his eyes round like a baby deer seeing the world for the first time, "are you here for what i think you're here for?"
taehyung gulped; he'd forgotten all about their agreement in the midst of his chaotic life and now, he'd forgotten what he came here to say. so all he could do was nod along, "that's exactly why i'm here, yes!"
"are you drunk?"
"no!" he demanded, the scent of booze dripping from his pores despite only having a few shots, "but i should drink some water while we discuss... the process."
jungkook reached in the mini fridge behind the counter, grabbing two bottles out, "follow me tae bear." he used the nick name mockingly, stuck in his head since he had heard it the other day.
"not you too!" the older groaned, climbing into the chair that jungkook pointed too.
"is the only reason you're feeling confident enough to do this right now because you're drunk?"
"i'm really not that drunk." taehyung slurped back half the water, lost in jungkook who was busy washing his hands.
"good, because technically i'm not supposed to do this if you are." he pulled on a pair of black gloves, covering up the tiny tattoos that danced along his knuckles, "do you trust me taehyung?"
"my brain says no, but my heart says yes." he watched as jungkook poured the tiniest bit of red ink into a little plastic cup, "did you have something in mind?"
"i have the perfect tattoo in mind for you, if you trust me."
"then i trust you!" tae didn't even hesitate this time, excited to see what in the world jungkook had personalized just for him.
"good." his hands dug around for a needle, pulling out a small sterile pack and slipping it into a machine which had somehow found its way to his hand. this was all moving a lot faster than taehyung had anticipated but he felt calm, and warm. he was excited to have jungkook's hands on him, even if it was just because he was tattooing him.
"and i won't pass out this time!" a sinister smile crept onto tae's face, "because i'm pretty sure you said if i do good, you'll let me tattoo you. that end of the deal still holds up, right?"
"that it does." jungkook motioned for tae to roll his sleeve up, the small space right above the crack of his elbow the perfect place for what he had in mind.
the younger started to cleanse tae's skin, goosebumps erupting across his spine and the hair of his back of neck standing. he had never felt such sensational chills.
"it's going to feel odd but shouldn't feel unbearable, okay?"
"i'm going to keep my eyes closed." taehyung told him, "because i want it to be a surprise."
jungkook shot him the prettiest smile, "well then, let's do this." he watched as the older leaned his head back in the chair, his pretty lashes coating the top of his plump cheeks. he looked undeniably handsome even when his entire face was just stoic.
he started the first line, watching carefully to see if taehyung reacted. he seemed relatively calm despite the sudden burst of pain, wincing ever so slightly but remaining still.
"you're doing so well." jungkook spoke with such a low tone, it was barely audible but it still made taehyung swell with pride. something about being praised so sweetly made this moment even better.
he pressed the needle down once again, another line, before wiping off any excess with a damp paper towel. the piece was simple, extremely, and taehyung was surprised to hear the noise of the gun shut off so suddenly, "check it out!"
he cracked his eyes open, blinking to readjust to the light before glancing down at the now covered space on his arm. the skin around the tattoo was clearly irritated, red and more inflamed than it had been, but directly in the middle sat the tiniest little "v" in a perfectly simple font.
taehyung recognized the letter as the nickname that he hadn't heard in years. the one given and used by his late mother; it hadn't dripped off anyone's tongue since she passed. he wondered how jungkook had even found out about it, "wh- how?"
"jimin." jungkook grabbed a small bandage placing it over the new work of art, "you'll want to keep this on for a couple of hours and then rinse with a non-scented soap."
"we can talk details later! i think i get to tattoo you now!" taehyung was so excited that he'd survived, elated to have his first tattoo completed and with such special meaning; he never wanted this night to end- he also didn't ever want to have to talk too much about the actual meaning behind the piece.
the younger finished wrapping his arm, extra gentle as he applied some medical tape to hold everything in place, "do you want me to get everything prepped for you?"
"yes, please." he jumped up from the spot, using the few moments to spare as an opportunity to check out the rest of the art that jungkook had hanging up around his studio.
each wall was filled with taped up illustrations that ranged from extremely intricate to basic line work. he had a few scattered photos of completed pieces, magazine cutouts that featured the shop. apparently this place was a big deal! he wished he was more familiar with the culture and the scene and the history. it seemed like a cool community, nicer than the modeling one, more humble than the business one.
he ran his hands along a framed picture of the grand opening. jungkook a few years younger cutting a ribbon surrounded by friends. it was adorable, the joy and the smile on his face. he looked so proud to be standing in front of that door.
"i'm ready if you are." the younger had settled into the chair where tae had just sat, his own sleeve rolled up to reveal his entire decorated left arm. it didn't appear that much space remained, so many designs mingled perfectly together. jungkook was a work of art.
"what should i tattoo on you?" taehyung slid a pair of gloves on, staring down at the tattoo gun in confusion.
both seemed to ponder for a moment before jungkook finally broke the silence, "how about the letter v, right here." he pointed to a small space that was somehow empty.
"a- a v?" the older didn't understand, why would he want that?
"because you're v, and you're tattooing me, and we're friends?" jungkook was suddenly embarrassed watching the boy's face contort to an unreadable expression, "or you can just do a heart or some shit i mean-,"
"no, no, no! a v... it's a beautiful idea." he couldn't hide the smile that had erupted, almost as square as a box with how wide it was.
jungkook was grateful that his idea hadn't spooked him, "to be totally honest, i'm not sure i trust you doing more than two lines on your first try either!"
the smile faded into a pout, eyes downturned, and demeanor switching from happy to sad without missing a beat. jungkook couldn't help but notice the way he shifted; he also couldn't help but feel an abundance of secondhand sadness just looking at taehyung's broken expression.
"hey, no tears on the tattoo. okay?" he pulled taehyung forward, the two of them inches apart.
it seemed that the only noise in the entire place was the fanning of their breath on one another and the pounding of two hearts, suddenly not confused. jungkook felt himself push even further forward, tapping his lips onto taehyung's until they were perfectly intermingled, grateful to feel him kissing back.
"how did you know what i really came here for?" taehyung pulled away for air, letting his forehead rest warmly on the crook of jungkook's neck.
"because maybe it's the same reason i've been bugging you to come."
taehyung hadn't noticed how bright jungkook's smile was. it could light up a room; it could light up the world. he pressed his lips against it once more, worried that if they stopped, he'd never get to feel those lips again.
it was desperate but in the best way.
"you gonna add some lines to my arm or what?" jungkook left his hand on tae's thigh, squeezing and running his fingers against it, "not that i'm not enjoying myself."
"right! the tattoo thing." taehyung stared at the buzzing gun in his hand, the scent of soapy water and ink coinciding with the warmth of their breath. he could bathe in it, "how do i do it?"
jungkook chuckled at how adorable the older was. he had such an aura of innocence that could be mistaken by some as ignorance, "okay so you're just gonna press and slide, kind of angle it..." jungkook continued to walk him through each step, giggling at how proud taehyung was once he had finished the first half.
"do you see it?" the line was a little jagged, his hand clearly not used to holding straight.
"it's perfect." jungkook would cherish the janky line; a fond memory in his bucket.
taehyung continued onto the next one, brushing off the excess ink like jungkook had told him.
"should we take a picture?" jungkook asked nonchalantly, grabbing a bandage out of the drawer for himself, "matching v's with v."
taehyung bit his bottom lip to curb the goofy grin that was trying to escape, "o- okay, yeah." he carefully peeled off the tape that had been placed on his own arm moments prior, revealing a perfect little letter in jungkook's handwriting.
the younger grabbed his hand and pulled him to the mirror, never dropping their intertwined finger as he shot an image of their reflection. he showed it to taehyung, two boys curled together, now with some permanent shared piece. a memory that couldn't be gotten rid of (unless of course they wanted to endure laser removal).
"send it to me?" tae was aware that jungkook still hadn't let go of him.
"sure, of course." the two felt themselves migrating to the front desk. after all, jungkook was still technically working.
"thanks for the tattoo."
"thanks for letting me tattoo you."
"thanks for letting me do the same."
yoongi could feel the shifted air, the two men standing close to one another, planted in front of the main entrance. he cleared his throat to progress the moment.
"we'll talk. soon." jungkook leaned in and planted a kiss on tae's cheek, swift and gentle.
it left the warmest mark.
"see you later."