feel me | yeonbin

004

5 years earlier

"Next time?" Yeonjun asks, his brows pulling together in a half curious, half amused stare.

With his hand hovering near Yeonjun, Soobin pauses and glances up at him. "Everyone always thinks they'll only get one," he says. "I have to touch you now, is that okay?"

Yeonjun nods, sucking in a tiny breath when Soobin begins to wipe the area after confirming exactly where he wants it. His other hand gently stretches Yeonjun's skin to keep it steady as he cleans it, and then he leans back, head cocking as he observes the area to visualize the exact positioning.

"It's gonna look good. You can lay back now. On your side, arm over your head." Soobin grabs the stencil as Yeonjun does what he says, but he can see the tension in Yeonjun's body as he lays down on the bed, his gaze distant. "If you wanna make a run for it, I can look away and give you a ten second head start."

Yeonjun pauses, halfway stretched across the surface, and then he chuckles. "You gonna chase me down?" he asks as he settles in, a bit calmer already. "Tie me up and finish the tattoo if I run?"

"Mhm." Soobin nods toward the front counter. "Didn't you read the fine print on that consent form? You signed your life over to me."

"Oh, great, well," Yeonjun says, a sudden airiness in his voice, his smile returning, "I hope you're nice, at least."

"When I want to be." Soobin chews on the inside of his lip as he holds up the stencil and gauges where it needs to be, and then he glances up at Yeonjun again. Another quip hangs on the tip of his tongue, but he hesitates, glancing at Ahyeon to make sure she's not listening in. "Also very good at tying people up. So you're better off just letting me finish this."

An inelegant snort escapes Yeonjun, and he claps a hand over his mouth to muffle himself. His face flushes pink, eyes darting around the shop to make sure no one notices him as his whole body shakes with silent laughter.

Soobin smiles proudly to himself as he places the stencil, transferring the design over to his ribs. He can hear Yeonjun exhale through rounded lips to keep from laughing any more, afraid to disturb Soobin's work. Soobin leans back and double checks the placement with Yeonjun, holding up a mirror for him, and then he readies the tattoo gun before he sits back down on the stool.

"What exactly is that?" Yeonjun asks with a nod toward a bowl on the tray. "Diluted alcohol or something?"

"Distilled water and a bit of concentrated herbal soap. All natural. Tattoo-safe, I promise," Soobin tells him, and he can't help but feel a little spark of joy that Yeonjun is asking. Most people don't notice, don't care, or are too nervous to show any interest in the details of his work until it's over. "It keeps the area clean as you wipe away blood and ink, but it doesn't mess up the stencil the way alcohol would, and it won't cause irritation."

He picks up the bowl and holds it out to Yeonjun, who stares at him like he's insane.

"Here. How does it smell?"

A confused laugh leaves Yeonjun before he pushes himself up and leans closer to the bowl, taking a hesitant sniff like this might be a prank. He pauses, then looks up at Soobin. "Like I just face-planted into an old grandma's herb garden."

Soobin chokes as he tries not to laugh, Yeonjun's eyes lighting up at the reaction. Yeonjun's tongue slides across his lips, playful and mischievous.

"Are you telling me I need to touch grass?" Yeonjun asks.

This time, Soobin barks out a laugh and then purses his lips, looking away from Yeonjun as he regains his composure. His cheeks ache from the smile on his face, and then he blows out a long breath and sets the bowl back down.