𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒔 : 𝒘𝒐𝒘𝒌𝒘𝒂𝒏

india ink

Tattoos hold meaning, ways of escape and remembrance.

Sehyoon has a surprisingly large amount of ink embedded into his skin. all are worn and jagged, the the black dyed skin raised when Byeongkwan runs his fingers over each he can.

Each has a meaning, from the largest one to the single colored dot on his pinky. All are smaller, made with cheap inks and makeshift tattooing needles.

most hide under the sleeves of Sehyoons thin hoodie, resting on his forearms and hands like gloves.

There's a bottle for the first time liquor touched his tongue, a pack of
cigarettes etched over a burn scar to cover the day pain created an addiction, and the rose over his veins is morbidly beautiful because of the marks it hides.

Sehyoons arms are covered, India ink and long ago placed scars each with a story and a pain.

Byeongkwan asks for one, for a mark of his own. something to make him remember that he's human, to dull the bruise on his cheek bone and the ache in his heart.

Sehyoon doesn't question is reasoning, only leans over the side of the creaky bed they've been sitting on and pulls a small tin box from underneath.

inside is a bottle of black tattoo ink, three needles attached to broken chop sticks and wrapped in clean string, and multiple cleaning agents.

they get set aside so Sehyoon can pull out a ink pen and look at the other with a soft gaze, asking in a voice so soft and genuinely sad that it almost throws the younger off.

"Do you know what you want?"

a beat of silence

"...I trust you."

the words leave his lips before he can stop them, they taste like vomit and rose petals and it disgusts him to his core. but he's honest, there no burn in his chest anymore, there's only warmth. he's a naive child sitting in front of a man with a pretty smile and a needle and pen in his hand and he feels so calm and normal for once.

the breathy laugh that heaves from Sehyoons chest almost makes Byeongkwan smile. almost.

Sehyoon embeds a black tooth into Byeongkwans left wrist, small and barely noticeable but holding so much power. Sehyoon always knows.

afterwards Byeongkwan kisses Sehyoon, a fast but calm peck to the cheek that has the orders face heating up and the youngers heart burning.

the boy wishes the other would smile like now more, because it's truely beautiful.

a naive child and a lost man, neither with a true future nor past, but close in heart and will.

somehow pulled together in the mix and match of life. the lack of spoken words never forming an obstacle between the two, only forming a tighter bond.

ones heart burning while the other slowly thaws , an odd twitsted fate of connection shared between basic strangers.

—————

Wow, an update so fast?
this is unhear of!

I really wanted to post this chapter just because I feel so bad for not updating all my stories enough and the thank you guys for 1k+ reads!

I swear it was just yesterday I that this book hit 500 and I'm kind of shocked?
I really didn't expect many to read this at all, let alone enjoy it but after getting so many sweet comments on here and AO3 I'm just - my heart is so full!

I hope you all continue to enjoy this story! I hope I don't disappoint you!