Breathe Me In || Minbin ✔️

22

"Is that a good size for you? This is as close to the $200 limit, plus the discount," Changbin smiles, holding the paper up to my thigh.

"Yeah, I like that size. It's not too big, but not teeny." Standing here while he focuses his attention on my thigh is very flustering.

"Okay. I'll go put this onto a stencil and then I'll bring you back to my station."

"Alright." I've never felt so awkward near him before. Why am I so awkward? Is he feeling the same? I mean, it's his job. He shouldn't.

My leg bounces as I wait. I've never gone by myself. Chan came with me last time. He even offered to hold my hand. I accepted it. Just for a few minutes.

"Alright, you can come back," Changbin grins. I stand, following me back. "Sit on the bed first. I'm going to clean your leg before putting the stencil on. You already shaved, so that gets that out of the way."

He directs me through what he's doing. The product he's using and how and why he's doing it. I have to stand before he puts the stencil on because my leg needs to be in the state it's in usually? I don't know. Changbin explains it better.

"You can either sit up or lay down. The bed can tilt up as far as you need it."

"Can you tilt it so I'm sitting up?"

"Sure thing."

My heart is beating so fast. I don't remember how my first tattoo felt. It was painful. How is this one going to feel? Necks are more sensitive.

"Are you good for me to start?"

"Yup."

"Okay. Deep breaths," he giggles, bringing the light down to help him see.

He turns the needle on, the buzzing ever so loud. The first press is uncomfortable. It's like bees stinging, but not painful. Maybe like excessive tickling to the point it's bothersome.

"How does it feel? You okay?"

"Yeah, it's just uncomfortable. Not bad, though."

"Alright. Let me know if you need a break. If you start to feel dizzy or lightheaded, I can get you water and maybe a snack. I'll let you walk around and take a breath. Anything you need."

"Thank you."

"How was your birthday morning?" He continues on with the tattoo. I try not to tense my muscle. I heard it would hurt worse if it was tense, but I don't know if it's true.

"It was something. The boys broke into my apartment at midnight and jumped on me. They crawled into my bed and then made me breakfast a few hours later."

He chuckles, leaning back and getting more ink. "They broke into your apartment?"

"Yeah," I grin. "Chan and Jisung have a spare key. I have one to their's too. Seungmin and I don't trust one another to not fuck with each other. I would totally break into his house unexpectedly and he would break into my apartment just to steal my cats."

"That's incredible. The bond you four have is insane."

He moves down to a different spot, the pain intensifying. Oh, wow, that area is so sensitive. Oh, my god. I squeeze my fists together, pinching my finger. Two fucking hours of this shit or more? Oh, my god.

"You doing okay?" He looks up at me, glancing at my sudden hand movements.

"Yeah, that spot is just way more sensitive than the others."

"Do you need me to stop?"

"No, just keep going."

I gaze at his face, watching the focus between his eyes. Though I can barely see his entire face, it still looks hot. His eyebrows pinched together. His piercings shining in the lights. He's biting it lip, too. Maybe that's a habit of his.

"You know, you're really smart for wearing shorts underneath your sweatpants. I had a girl come in today wearing jeans. She wanted a leg tattoo too. It was very awkward for the both of us because she had to pull down her pants and stay like that for three hours."

I giggle, feeling slight sympathy for the girl. "I'm sure it was worth it for her anyway."

"Oh, totally. The tattoo was beautiful and she almost started crying."

"Aw, that's so sweet."

"Mhm," he grins, focusing back on his task.

I lay down, staring at the ceiling. This is going to be a long day. At least I brought a coffee. My hands are too shaky to actually drink it, though. My nerves are bad today.

-

"Alright, that should be it. I think it's done. Let me look it over real quick. Yeah. It's good. Take a look in the mirror and tell me what you think. If there's anything I missed, you can tell me and I'll fix it."

I nod, swinging my legs over the table. As soon as my weight is set on my legs, they weaken. I hold onto the wall, laughing. "Wow, it feels weird. My ass hurts."

He smiles at me, grasping my upper arm. "Don't worry, I got you."

God, is this him being professional or actually sweet? I can't tell. Maybe both. I don't know. I love it either way. It's nice, but makes me feel vulnerable. Weak, almost. Awkward.

I take a look in the mirror, smiling brightly at the new ink on my skin. It's definitely sore. The tiger stares back at me, connecting to my soul in a weird way. I love it so much.

"Oh, my gosh. It's beautiful, Bin."

"Yeah? You like it?"

"I love it! It's perfect."

"Good," he pats my back, "sit back on the bed. I'll clean it up and wrap it. I'll get you a paper on how to properly take care of it, too."

"Bin," I grasp his arm before he heads back. "Thank you, a lot. It means so much to me that you would give me a tattoo, much less give me a discount. I really, really appreciate you."

He just smiles. "Happy birthday, Minho."

____

The Kids 🤡

almost done guysss
just wait outside for me

Sungie 🐿
omg hyunggg
that's so exciting
i can't wait to see it

Seungmo 🦴
hell yeah
i feel like it looks
amazing already

Channie 💪
dopeee. cant
wait. we'll be there
in a few