Blood Ink ✔️

01: New Start

Y/N, you can do this.

You've got this in the bag.

It'll be like ripping off a Band-Aid: fast, and (hopefully) only slightly painful.

You hover outside the glass doors of the tattoo shop, peering into the gloomy depths beyond. The difference between the bright, sunlit street you're standing on now and the dark space inside is incredible. It's like a whole different world in there.

The walls are dark, covered up in sketches and ideas, sample art and pictures of past clients. The floor is black tile, and the lighting is dim and hazy. Smoke hangs in the air like a cloud. You can see a couple of guys milling around inside aimlessly, taking a break in the lull between customers.

There's one sitting behind the counter, lazily scrolling through his phone. A cigarette is clamped in between his lips, the dull orange light on the end reflecting off of the lip ring encompassing the slight fullness of his bottom lip. His face is young looking, which combines in a shocking manner with all of the ink on his body. Especially the tear-shaped tattoo on the crest of his cheek, right below the corner of his eyes.

He'll be crying for the rest of eternity.

The man glances up, not flinching even a bit when he sees you on the other side of the door. Slowly, one of his eyebrows rises up in a barely-caring, questioning arch.

You comin in or what?

Taking a deep breath, you place a trembling hand on the door and push inside. The interior of thee shop smells different than you expected it too. You anticipated a mixture of cigarettes and sweat, but there's a yummy undertone floating along in the background.

It smells musky and attractive.

It smells like men.

A bell over the door jingles, summoning another guy from the back of the shop. This one's a brunette in a choker, small black gages in his ears.

"Welcome to BB's," he says with a bright smile. "I'm Hoseok. How can I help you?"

You start to smile at him, but his shirt catches your eye and you blink. It's made  completely of...mesh? You can see his entire chest clearly, including the big work of art across the right side of his torso that partially flows over his tight abs. The sight of the man's bare chest makes you blush and avert your eyes. Dang it, Y/N, be mature.

Hoseok's head cocks to the side as he observes you, curiously amused at your lack of answer. As you go to speak, you notice with even more shock that he's got an almost identical teardrop tattoo on the opposite eye as the man behind the counter.

"S-sorry," you manage to stutter, forcing your eyes from the tear. "Um, I'm here to get a tattoo." Maybe.

The guy behind the counter snorts dryly at your pathetic request and goes back to his phone, pausing for a moment to exhale a mouthful of smoke. His black hair is glimmering in the low lights of the shop.

"That's great!" Hoseok says cheerfully. "You're eighteen, right?"

"Nineteen, actually," you respond. "That's okay, right?"

"Perfect." Hoseok nudges the guy behind the counter, insistently. "Yoongi hyung, can you hand me that paperwork?"

Glancing up at you again, Yoongi puffs out some smoke and clasps his cancer stick between two fingers. "It's your first tatt, huh?" he says in a deep voice. "You're nervous." With one hand, he passes a stack of papers to Hoseok.

You blush at his slightly mocking look, trying to hold your chin up straight. "It's my first," you confirm shakily. "I...it's kind of a new start for me. A new me."