Chapter Text
Yoongi didn’t expect to lose his heart to a stranger on his first work day. He had, in no way, been able to predict the way those eyes looked back at him, big enough to drown in. Nothing was something he could have been prepared for, not the way his chest pounded, nor the way his insides fluttered. And especially not the way that stranger would change everything.
Monday. It was Yoongi’s first day in the flower shop where he had applied for a job. It was because of the advertisement he had seen on the window, his empty wallet and the tragic way his last job had come to an end. (Apparently informing your boss’ wife about the affair he’s having isn’t something you’re getting rewarded for.) No doubt, he was in need of a new job. To his surprise and delight, he had been selected.
Yoongi was waiting inside for the shop owner to give him instructions and kept wandering around the place, occasionally sniffing a flower. From the outside, the building was squeezed between two bigger houses, and it looked like a flower field had exploded in a small alley. The facade of the building was painted bright yellow and the window frames sported a faded blue colour. Flower baskets were hanging from each window sill and stacked in front of the shop.
The inside was warm and filled with wooden furniture and plant stands. A rustic counter made of dark wood stood at the side of the room.
"Ah, there you are!"
Yoongi stirred and quickly looked up. The boss had entered, with a neatly folded cloth in his hands. He was a handsome man, with a youthful look in his eyes. His hair was dyed in a soft blonde shade and nonchalantly styled upwards, a few locks playfully falling in front of his eyebrows.
"Good morning, mister Kim.”
"You can ditch that formal stuff if you want to. I'm not that old, you know?" he flashed a kind smile at Yoongi, "Min Yoongi, wasn't it?"
"Y-yeah," Yoongi mumbled, still a bit intimidated. "What do I need to call you, then?"
"Seokjin-hyung’s fine," Seokjin replied. "Or, if you want to become employee of the month, Seokjin-nim." He winked cheesily.
Yoongi stared blankly at him. "But– am I not the only employee here?" He searched the walls for possible employee of the month pictures. Seokjin just laughed.
"I work here too, right? So if I want to, I can frame my face on the wall every month instead of yours. But don't worry too much about what I said," he patted Yoongi on the shoulder and then shoved the folded cloth into his hands.
"Your apron. You'll look like a real florist."
Yoongi unfolded the rough cotton cloth and put it on. He felt only a little bit ridiculous.
"See?" Seokjin winked again, making Yoongi question the situation and his boss' personality. He forced a smile, "Yeah. Uhm. What about the instructions?"
"Of course. I'll show you around."
It didn't take a long time for them to complete the tour, as the flower shop was modest in size. It did take longer, however, to get the hang of the flower stuff. Watering was not that difficult, but Yoongi also needed to learn how to make bouquets and other floral compositions.
"You're really meticulous," Seokjin remarked as Yoongi had made his first bouquet. "Keep that up. I'll learn you more stuff over the week. Until then, you can stand behind the counter and help customers. Here's a list of flowers and their properties and meanings. You can learn them as you wait for customers."
"Thank you."
"Good luck! I'll be in the back room preparing orders, if you need me," Seokjin said before he disappeared behind the door in the back of the room.
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"Do you want to hang out tonight?"
Jungkook looked up from his drawing and tried to look nonchalant. He hadn't noticed that Namjoon had taken a seat on the opposite of the table, so emerged had he been in the tattoo design he was working on.
Namjoon's gaze dropped and he smiled one of those dimpled smiles. "I like the design."
"Oh– thanks." The compliment made Jungkook feel warm inside and he just knew he was about to blush. He probably was already.
Was he free tonight? To be honest, he had quite a bit of work to do. Some chores, some designs that really needed to be finished and he was planning to watch another episode of that one show.
"Tonight?" Jungkook paused, as if he had to think about it, but he already knew the answer. "Yeah, sure. Tonight I'm free."
He immediately regretted his poor choices in time management, but how could he say no to Namjoon? Namjoon, with his cute dimples and soft yet sexy eyes. Namjoon, who was now leaning in slightly, with a chirpy look on his face. Namjoon, on whom Jungkook had been crushing for years.
"Nice! Do you want to grab ramen together after work first?"
"Oh, yeah. Ramen's fine," Jungkook smiled too. "I'm pretty hungry already." He sighed. He should feel guilty, but all he could feel right now was excitement. Fuck his chores. He was going to hang out with Namjoon, and that was the best way to procrastinate his responsibilities.
"Cool!" Namjoon beamed, "Okay, I'll let you finish that design now. I also have clients soon, so I'd better prepare. See you at eight!" Jungkook threw finger guns at him and Namjoon left the break room with a last flash of his dimples.
After some time, Jungkook heard the faint noises of clients entering the tattoo lab. Curious in nature, he couldn’t help but trying to figure out what kind of people Namjoon was helping. They were pretty loud. Two girls, judging by the voices. One for support, probably. Clients did it all the time, bringing a friend to hold their hand. It was only a small tattoo shop, so they kept it down to one client at a time so everything could remain more private and comfortable for the customers. The sound of Namjoon's voice was soft and calming, even when Jungkook couldn’t hear what he was saying. Jungkook wondered if the girl was getting her first tattoo. He still vividly remembered the first time he walked into a tattoo shop to get inked.
Jungkook grinned as he recalled that day. He had brought a friend to hold his hand, too. It had been Namjoon of course. His mind wandered to the past, but he refused to give in. He had work to do.
It was already becoming dark outside when they closed off the shop. "Look," Namjoon said with a soft look on his face, "You can see the stars tonight!"
Something in Jungkook's chest tightened. "Yeah. And it's almost full moon."
"I just love the moon," Namjoon smiled at the sky and Jungkook could swear that he held the whole universe in his eyes. "I know," he sighed. "You have like, three different shirts with the words 'moonchild' on it."
Namjoon snorted. "Okay, yeah. Ramen?"
"Ramen," Jungkook nodded sincerely.
It was hard to concentrate on his food when Namjoon was sitting in front of him and Jungkook cursed himself. He hated how he felt. So full of expectations. The slightest compliment flustered him. He wondered how Namjoon had managed to keep up with him for years.
Not every day was like this, though. Most of the time, Jungkook could act freely around Namjoon, knew how to tease him, to fool around. But today was different. Today, Namjoon looked extra beautiful. His soft grey locks looked extra soft today. The cuddly blue hoodie looked extra cuddly today. Jungkook sighed and wished he could cuddle all night with Namjoon. But he couldn't just do that.
"Everything alright, Kooko?" Namjoon asked with his mouth full when he noticed him sigh.
Jungkook shrugged, "It's nothing. Should we also order a dessert? I kinda feel like getting ice cream."
"We could also get it down the street? Then we can take a walk as we eat."
"Yes," Jungkook said, breathless. "Let's do that."
He loved taking walks with Namjoon. They would always talk about all kinds of stuff. Namjoon liked to talk about deep things and Jungkook loved strolling with him over the quiet streets in the dark. It felt like one of the most intimate things he could do with Namjoon. Because Namjoon told him once that he felt most alive when talking about his emotions without shame. Jungkook kind of felt the same way.
He sighed happily as they walked home. Late-night ice cream with Namjoon was the best. "You know," Namjoon maundered as he looked the stars which were seated in the deep, dark blue sky, "Sometimes I wonder if there's a star for each one of us on the world. Like a parallel world. And we can see everyone's reflection, just by looking up."
Jungkook shivered, not sure if it was because of the cold breeze and his lack of a jacket, or Namjoon's voice. "Yeah, maybe," he hummed. Namjoon was always so full of pretty and magical ideas.
Namjoon nodded animatedly and went on, "And maybe, there's also someone, someone especially there for each one of us. And every time we look at the stars, we see them in some way, reflected. And they're also looking at us, at the same time. Looking at the same sky."
"Yeah, who knows?" Jungkook swallowed and he laughed nervously. He stopped walking for a second, hovering over his footsteps and he wavered. He gnawed at his lip, maybe a little too hard and he tasted the faint traces of iron. "Do– do you believe in soulmates?"
Namjoon tore his eyes from the sky and looked at him, with a surprised look on his face. Then he smiled serenely, "Yeah. Of course. Do you?"
Jungkook had to recover from the ache in his chest before he could answer. A warm and cold sensation that was spreading at the same time through his body, numbing the strength in his arms, which suddenly felt heavy. "Hah. I don't know," he decided.
He kind of wished for Namjoon to be his soulmate. That they belonged together. That fate would bring them together eventually. But deep down, he knew that was not going to happen. He knew, but he still hoped. Because as long as there was a little spark of hope for something that he really wanted, that he dreamed of, it was very difficult to abandon it. Jungkook sighed. That was the power of hope, he figured. It grows and it never dies until you decide to kill it yourself. But then still… Hope was easily revived, encouraged by a few friendly words.
"Well," Jungkook mumbled as Namjoon dropped him off by his door. Every time Namjoon dropped him off like that, he couldn't help but secretly hope for something to happen. He should say something. Something heartfelt at just the right moment. He just couldn't shake off that feeling. Those high expectations. He looked at the deep blue of the sky. The faint orange of the street lights that was a little blurry and made everything look warm. "I had fun," Jungkook decided, and he immediately cringed because that sounded like something you would say after a first date.
Namjoon didn't seem to notice, though. He was probably not even considering the thought. He smiled, and he looked so handsome with the street light reflecting on his face. (He actually always looked handsome.) "I had fun too, Kooko! See you again at work."
"Yes," Jungkook said, trying not to show any of the creeping disappointment that was slowly hitting him. Why were his expectations always so high? He stretched his arms for a hug, which Namjoon naturally responded too. Warm and way too short.
When Namjoon let go of him, he had a fond look on his face. (Jungkook's heart swelled instantly.) "See you tomorrow, then."
I want to kiss you. Can I?
Jungkook hummed, afraid to say something. For his voice to tremble.
"Sleep tight!" Namjoon shouted as he turned around. Why did the back of his head look so cute?
"Yeah, you too!" Jungkook yelled.
(By the way, I love you.)
When he got inside, Jungkook stripped down to his boxer shorts and flopped down onto his bed. He groaned loudly and threw his arms over his face. Trying to calm down. Concentrate on his breath. The more he tried, the harder he began to shake. All he could see was Namjoon’s smile. Namjoon’s pretty silver-grey hair. He couldn't hold it in any longer and cried bittersweet tears.
"Fuck myself…" he muttered. "Fuck you, Jungkook."
The thing with him and Namjoon was, that Namjoon already knew. Jungkook had made a (slightly dramatic) confession as soon as he realized he had grown feelings for his best friend. And Namjoon had earnestly rejected him, since he couldn’t return the same kind of feelings. He never became awkward because of it. He never behaved differently than before around Jungkook. But he always made sure to check in from time to time. And it was fine. It was really fine like this. Namjoon couldn’t choose who he loved. Namjoon was one of the kindest people he knew, so he felt happy to have him as his friend. Yes, he was a great friend.
And yes, sometimes it physically hurt not to be able to hold his hand or kiss him. Namjoon was so close, yet so far out of reach. He didn’t want to touch Namjoon when it meant something completely different to him. Sometimes, it was just really difficult to separate his different feelings. Where did friendship end and love start? Do you also want to hold hands desperately with your friends? Probably not. Or do hugs linger, long after they're over?
Jungkook heaved erratically and held his face in his palms. He looked at the ceiling and just stared. For a long time. Focusing on his heartbeat. Namjoon had a heartbeat, too. A heart that wasn’t beating for him. Jungkook sniffled loudly. Slowly, he was starting to calm down.
Sometimes, he was getting scared of himself. Because sometimes, he resented Namjoon a tiny little bit for not falling in love with him. A nasty little feeling that was telling him to hold a grudge. They had been such good friends for such a long time, so was there even a better match? They fit so well together. So why not take it further?
N0, Jungkook told himself. He had to keep himself together. Even though it was sometimes so difficult to love someone and have no control over what they do or who they love. Because Namjoon was a human being, who was leading his own life.
Jungkook sobbed quietly. Maybe that was really what love was about. Letting your loved ones live their own life. Letting go of that nagging desire to control, to be sure about everything. To have trust. But why was it so hard?
He sighed again. And started to drift away, as his eyes were still wet.
When Jungkook woke up again, his whole body ached and was feeling cold. He had been crying a lot in his sleep, he noticed when he looked into the mirror. And he had forgotten to set his alarm. Shit. He didn’t have a lot of time left. He was most probably already doomed to be late. Instinctively, he grabbed his phone to text Namjoon he was going to be later. But he paused. And eventually, didn’t. Somehow, he was always overthinking his text to Namjoon since he liked him. Not sending something was easier.
He threw his phone on the bed and hopped into the shower.
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"Yoongi-ssi!"
Yoongi startled when Seokjin was suddenly standing before the counter. He was holding a big tin watering can, clad in chipped white paint, in his hands.
"I have bad news. Well, it's not exactly news," and there was a playful sparkle in his eyes, "I just forgot to tell you. Our tap broke last week, and it will only be fixed in two days. So we need to get water elsewhere. I know the owner of the art shop down the street pretty well, so he'll let us get some."
"Okay," breathed Yoongi, "so shall I get some water, then?"
"Yes, that was kind of the idea. Thanks, Yoongi-ssi! You'll find the shop on your left."
Yoongi took the watering can and left the shop, breaking his head over his boss' personality. It was like a strange mix, something between bold and intimidating, or friendly and easy. He almost tripped over a loose tile in the pavement and made a mental note to watch out for it in the future.
The art shop looked just as tiny as the flower shop where he was working, and it had a classic feel to it. The wooden facade was painted in a dark, rich green colour and golden letters spelled out the word 'Vante'.
He entered and a chime faintly rang. "Uhm, hi," he tried and looked if there was an employee somewhere. There, behind a desk, sat a boy with a beret, who looked rather bored. He was resting his face on his hands and was staring absentmindedly at him. Yoongi shuffled closer, careful not to throw over the piles of art supplies, and he noticed that the boy had a well-carved facial structure with long, pretty eyelashes.
Yoongi cleared his throat. "Hi? I'm Min Yoongi, I'm working in the flower shop down the street. My boss said I could come here to get some water…"
The boy finally seemed to notice him and opened his mouth with a smack of his lips. "Ah. Seokjin-hyung's shop?" His voice was deep and soft, like a warm cup of latte.
"Yeah," Yoongi replied. "Our tap broke."
"I know. Come." He got up and strolled towards the back of the shop. Then he turned around and his lips curling into a smile, a kind of composed mischief to it. "Oh yeah. I'm Kim Taehyung."
"So, uhm," Yoongi began as he was filling the water can under the tap of the washing room. Taehyung was still standing behind him, observing what Yoongi was doing. "So do you run this shop on your own? You seem a bit young to own a shop, to be honest."
"Ah," Taehyung breathed, "I am, aren't I? It's actually a family business. But my parents retired, so now I'm in charge."
"I see," he hesitated, "What about studying?"
"I already got my bachelor's degree in fine arts. I'm currently doing the master's online since I can combine it with work."
“Oh, that sounds good,” said Yoongi. “How old are you again?”
“Twenty-five,” Taehyung adjusted his beret and a big fluff of fuzzy, curly locks fell over his face. He pushed it back and put on his hat again, with questioning eyes. “You?”
“Me? I’m twenty-seven,” Yoongi shrugged. The watering can was full now. "Well. Thanks."
Taehyung smiled back, a wide grin that stretched over his cheeks, "You're welcome. Feel free to come by whenever you need something."
"I will," Yoongi said as he made his way to the exit.
"By the way!" Taehyung shouted as Yoongi opened the door. He turned around and saw the boy grinning at him, wide and boxy. "You look younger than twenty-seven, hyung."
Yoongi barely suppressed the pleased smile as he left the art shop. Had he just made a friend? It sure was nice to know someone friendly around the street. It was a sunny day, he noticed as he walked down the street. He hummed softly as he looked at the sky, until a solid force crashed into him and knocked the breath out of him.
"Ah! The fuck–" someone yelped. Yoongi fell over and landed on something firm yet soft.
He slowly opened his eyes and blinked. He was lying on top of someone. A boy. A big boy. A man?
Yoongi stared at the wide-eyed face in front of him, and it was really close, and it looked angry. No, annoyed. Disappointed?
"Fuck, sorry–" Yoongi stuttered, "I'm really sorry– Are you okay?"
The expression on the face changed into something less displeased and more forgiving. It was a really pretty face, framed by the long, black locks that were sprawled on the ground around him. His big eyes were vivid and innocent and bit watery, with pinkish eyeshadow on his lower lids. His lips were rose-coloured and looked soft. He had a prettily-curved nose. Cute moles shattered over his face and neck. And he was unbearably close.
This person – really beautiful person – opened his mouth and huffed. "It's okay– eh…" he murmured, and his voice came out breathy, a bit pouty, sort of informal. "You just– took me by surprise."
He grabbed Yoongi by his shoulders to helped them both up their feet, his hands firmly taking a grip of him, dragging him up quickly, slightly too much force, but still a kind of cautiousness to it, and Yoongi could feel he was strong, a lot stronger than him. He swallowed.
The short sleeves of the white shirt the young man was wearing offered a full view of his buff arms and the tattoos that stretched from his arms to his neck. Yoongi felt suddenly really hot. Then he noticed that his watering can was empty. And the boy's – no man's – shirt was wet. See-through wet. And the owner of the shirt was visibly disappointed, although he didn't address it.
"Eh– I'm so- so sorry," Yoongi just stood there, tripping over his words, and he stared, tried not to stare, tried to get himself together. "I– eh, I can, like, maybe give you a new shirt?"
The other man smiled for the first time. Yoongi wished he hadn't. He quickly looked down, the cute, toothy smile still dancing before his eyes. "It's really okay," The young man said with that breathy, quiet voice of his, "I'm sorry, it's my fault. I'm kinda having a bad day so I didn't watch out properly, heh–"
"Oh," Yoongi said, feeling increasingly guilty, now being able to place the reddish eyeshadow under the boy's eyes, which was – by further insight – not exactly eyeshadow. He was having a bad day?? Why did he have to knock him over when he was having a bad day??? Fuck??
"I'll make it up to you," he blurted out before his brain could filter his words from dumbness.
The boy, who was currently wringing the water out off the bottom of his shirt – Yoongi had to collect all his willpower not to peek – paused, looked at him with wide eyes, and continued. "I don't really think that's needed," he began, "it's just water."
"Yeah, but I probably ruined your day…" Yoongi sighed.
The attractive boy tilted his head and quirked an eyebrow, "No." He dried his hands on his pants and lightly shook his head, fluffing his hair that was an inch or two away from shoulder-length. He smirked a little at Yoongi when he swiped the overgrown bangs out of his eyes with his pinky finger, the gesture small, almost delicate. "What's wrong?"
Yoongi realized he had been staring for too long. "Nothing!" he hurried. "Actually, I need to go. Uhm. Fill this can. Doing– stuff. Work. See you later– uh, I mean– have a nice day! Bye–"
He panicked because he didn't know how to finish this, and he ran off, leaving the other behind in confusion. Yoongi wasn't even sure if he was going in the right direction.
"Ah, you're back," Seokjin said pleased. "You did take long, though. Did Taehyung hold you up?"
Yoongi tried to catch up with his breath. He only realised now that he had been running. "I– uh–"
"Did something happen? Wait– where's the water?"
"Oh," Yoongi said sheepishly, "I spilled it when I bumped into someone…"
Seokjin looked at him for some time with an observant look on his face. "Why didn't you go back for a refill?"
Yoongi felt his heart sink. "I don't know." I panicked. He saw his boss' frown and an uneasiness spread through his veins. "Are you going to fire me?" he asked nervously.
To his surprise, Seokjin's face grew warm and soft. "No, of course not," he laughed. "I value my employees more than that. And since I only got one of them, you're extra valuable."
Relief settled into Yoongi's chest. "Ah. Thank you so much."
"In fact," Seokjin announced, "I'm organising a company dinner tonight. My treat." He winked again.
Yoongi’s eyes widened and Seokjin probably noticed, because he laughed, a bit awkward, and added, “I’m not trying anything with you, don’t worry. So, which food you'd fancy for tonight, Yoongi-ssi?"
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Jungkook had been staring out of the window all day. He tapped his pencil on the surface of the counter desk, trying to think of a new tattoo design, but he couldn't concentrate. His mind kept wandering places. A week had passed since he had cried himself to sleep over Namjoon. It was a rainy day, and he watched the water drops as they rolled down the foggy glass surface of the shop windows.
"No one's gonna come today..." he muttered, not really caring if there was someone in the room or not. Namjoon and Hoseok knew about his habit of talking to himself. "It's raining too much, no one wants to go outside."
"What about appointments?" Namjoon's voice said, and he was also in the room, looking a little bored.
Jungkook lifted his chin from his hand, where it had been resting and turned to look at Namjoon. He had been only vaguely aware that he had entered the room, and now it fully settled in his mind. "Oh. Nah, I checked," he answered, "Nothing scheduled for today."
"Ah," Namjoon didn't seem to be very disappointed. "That's kinda chill, to be honest. Maybe we can go home early." He plopped into on the of the couches that were placed in the launch room and pulled out his phone.
"Yeah, that would be nice," Jungkook sighed. "I still wanted to finish some designs, though..." He gestured towards the sheets of paper lying on the table.
Namjoon looked up and his eyes curiously drifted towards the drawings. "What kind of designs are you working on? More dragons?" Jungkook shook his head as he focused on his drawing again. "No, flowers."
Just when he was about to look for his pencil, he noticed the close proximity of Namjoon. Why did his friend always sneak up on him? Or had Jungkook really been that spaced out? Namjoon was too close, leaning against the other side of the suddenly too narrow counter. He could hear the soft sound of Namjoon's slow breathing as he studied the sketches, holding them up against the light. Jungkook focused his eyes on the rain that clattered down against the windows, trying to concentrate on something else. "Oh, they're really pretty, Jungkook!" Namjoon sounded enthusiastic.
Jungkook felt his cheeks burn. "Ah, thanks…" Why was Namjoon always so invested in his designs? He couldn’t help but wonder, to look for more meaning than there really was. Namjoon was just very curious when it came to these things. And it was objectively adorable.
"We should put them on the wall when they're done!" Namjoon grinned, with one of those exited glints in his eyes. Dimples.
"Yeah," Jungkook smiled, "we should–" he was interrupted by the sound of the entrance door opening. A boy with dark brown hair walked in, his clothes drenched by the rain that was still slamming on the window.
"You!" Jungkook blurted out before he remembered that he should remain professional. But he had not expected to see watering can boy again. The said boy startled, and his eyes widened, even more when they met Jungkook's. A faint colour seemed to spread over his cheeks.
"What's happening?" Namjoon asked, and he looked almost as surprised as the other boy.
"Oh, we bumped into each other some days ago," Jungkook told Namjoon.
"Yeah," the boy slowly walked towards the counter, leaving a trail of muddy footsteps, his small eyes not really looking at him. His rain-soaked hair made him eerily resemble a wet kitten, his nose a little flushed from the cold outside. He looked down at the floor and winced, "Sorry about that." He looked sort of shy. Just like last time, actually.
"It's fine," Jungkook waved vaguely, "We’ll clean up later."
Namjoon was throwing glances between them with an invested look on his face. "So, who's your new friend?"
"He's not really–"
"Min Yoongi," Yoongi talked over Jungkook and then quickly shut his mouth. "Oh shit– sorry. You were saying something–"
“Oh no, it’s fine,” Jungkook said quickly. Min Yoongi. It was a pretty unique name. Kinda pretty. His brain kept repeating it. He figured he should also introduce himself now. “I’m Jeon Jungkook. Eh. I do tattoos here. But Namjoon also does. He’s really good.” He clenched his jaw to stop the word vomit.
Yoongi looked at Namjoon for a moment and then at Jungkook again. “I didn't know you worked here," he said quietly, “Anyway, nice to meet you two.”
Namjoon smiled, “Likewise. So, what brings you here? Do you want to get a tattoo?"
"No," Yoongi simply said, with a mix of bluntness and innocence to it, and then he touched the back of his neck, a little nervous. Jungkook was confused for a moment. "I want to get pierced," Yoongi then continued. "You guys do piercings too, right? A friend of mine recommended this place.”
"Ah, yes, of course–" Jungkook hurried. Of course they pierced. "What kind of piercing do you want?"
"Nothing special, just in my ear…" Yoongi mumbled, and his hand moved to the top of his ear, "A helix."
Namjoon cleared his throat. "Alright, I'll leave it to you, Jungkook. I'll take the counter over from you since you've been sitting here since this morning."
"Thanks, hyung," Jungkook sighed thankfully. Although he wasn’t sure what to feel about this client, it was nice to finally do something else than staring out of the window. "Come," he glanced at Yoongi, who followed him to the tattoo lab.
"Where exactly do you want it?" Jungkook asked while he put on disposable rubber gloves. "Here," Yoongi pointed, and Jungkook sat down in front of him as he observed the right spot. He noticed that he already had a considerable amount of earrings in his lobe. "Okay," he cleaned the area, put a dot on the cartilage with a marker, took a mirror, and held it before Yoongi’s face. "Is that okay?" he asked as he held the mirror in front of his client for approval.
Said client looked intently and eventually scrunched his nose just a tiny bit. "A bit more to the left?"
"Okay," Jungkook repeated patiently. He erased the dot and placed a new one. "Like this?"
Yoongi looked again and smiled. "Yes, that's good."
"Nice," Jungkook muttered, as he took a box of sterling silver barbells and rings. "Do you have a preference?" "Yeah, one of these," he pointed at the small rings. Jungkook hummed. He sterilized one of the silver rings and put it aside.
"It this your first cartilage piercing? I mean, obviously you've had some piercing done, but just in case. I should explain the procedure to you."
"It's not my first cartilage," Yoongi showed the remnant of a healed scar on his other ear. He smirked a little, "but explain anyway."
Jungkook was a bit taken aback by the boldness, "Uhm, alright." He took a piercing needle out of its sterile package. "So it's only gonna take some seconds. I'll pierce your ear with this hollow needle, and you'll feel a little sting. That's normal."
Yoongi nodded quietly. "Okay..." Jungkook mumbled more to himself than to his client. "Can you please lay down, so it's easier for me to reach. Thank you."
Jungkook hoovered over Yoongi, focussed on the marked dot, he reached for the needle— but then a hand was his holding his, fingers still icy and damp from outside, but he could feel the heat in his palm, warm and close, pressing against his skin. He paused. Then looked down to see it was indeed Yoongi’s hand that was holding his, a little tentative. Jungkook blushed, the color hot on his cheeks. "What are you doing?"
Yoongi didn't look at him, and he was also blushing, but he didn’t let go of his hand, only loosened the grip, grazing his fingertips against Jungkook’s. “Can I—?” he asked, his voice small. “Just– I just like to squeeze something. When the sting comes. So, I wondered if I could– nevermind." He drew his hand back, his face red, and the touch lingered for just a second too long.
Jungkook let out something along the lines of an embarrassed chuckle, "U-uhm, well. I kind of need both hands to do this."
Yoongi shrugged, turning his head away, "Nevermind. Forget what I said."
He was conflicted and didn’t fully understand why. He fumbled with the needle for some seconds and puffed his cheeks. "Okay, you could– like, squeeze my arm if it helps. Because it's scary, right?"
Yoongi glanced swiftly at him and Jungkook could see his face light up, his eyes glowing with a soft kind of relish. "Yeah," he replied, a smile audible in his low voice, "And my pain tolerance is kind of shit."
Jungkook huffed out a laugh and placed the needle. "Okay, ready?" Yoongi grabbed his arm and squeezed, tentatively at first, his long fingers pressing with slightly more force after he relaxed. "Yeah."
The next moment, it was over and Jungkook had placed the little ring into his ear, the cartilage blooming into a pretty red, irritated. He handed Yoongi the mirror again, their fingers brushing briefly, and he felt Yoongi’s stir slightly against his. "Good?"
Yoongi smiled a tiny happy smile at his reflection, still reddish on his cheeks. "Yeah, it looks great. Thanks."
They left the tattoo booth and entered the launch room again, where Namjoon was still sitting behind the counter, and they got over the further instructions and payment. After he had handed Namjoon a set of somewhat crumpled bills, Yoongi made his way to the exit door again, two steps away from Jungkook.
And then hesitated for a moment, stopping, turning to Jungkook, opening his mouth, like he wanted to say something. Jungkook threw a questioning look at him, but then Yoongi’s eyes were on the wall next to him. “I like the interior of this place,” he muttered then, after some moments had passed, while scratching behind his ear, careful not to touch the fresh piercing. He looked at Jungkook for a second, like he was trying to catch something that only he could see.
Jungkook looked at the neon signs on the wall. He liked the way they wrapped the room in a dim, glowing light. “Yeah,” he replied, “I also like it. It’s nice.” He kicked the ground with his feet, feeling the way the thick rubber sole of his shoe bounced back. He enjoyed the feel of wearing his chunky shoes, how they tightly hugged his feet, and made them slightly too heavy. It made him feel comfortable, like he was taking a soft carpet with him wherever he went.
Yoongi didn't seem to think about leaving. He just stood there, puffing his cheeks and looking around. He was shorter than Jungkook, a good few inches, of course Jungkook had noticed before, of course it was obvious. But now, it was just undeniable, when Yoongi was standing there like that, slightly too close to him, brushing a little too much into his personal space.
"Ehm," Jungkook cleared his throat after some minutes because for some reason he felt like he shouldn’t dwell too much on it, "Do you need anything else?"
Yoongi visibly startled. "Ah! Yes. I mean, no. I'll be going now."
"Okay," Jungkook said, "Have a nice day."
"Yeah. You too, actually."
"Thank you," Jungkook smiled and watched how Yoongi shuffled towards the door and disappeared, still leaving some raindrops on the floor, falling from his dark hair. Jungkook turned around when he heard a snicker from Namjoon's direction, who had been silent all the time.
Jungkook frowned. "What?"
"Oh," Namjoon smirked, the hint of a scoff spread over his face, but he still looked cute somehow, "Just. Funny guy, he was. I thought for a moment he was never going to leave."