It's been over a year since Taehyung left and Jeongguk had learnt to stop letting the thought of him invade his mind. But sometimes the past collides with the present and suddenly Taehyung is in his parlor, asking for a tiger flower tattoo and Jeong...
Jeongguk had never been someone who hid his emotions well. He was very sensitive and very expressive, so he wasn't too surprised when Yoongi noticed how jittery he was that evening.
"Hey, you seem really nervous about something."
Jeongguk laughed, pulling his sleeves up and propping his elbows on the table. "I do?"
"You've been playing with your fingers the whole day." The older observed, all the while looking down at the menu pamphlet of a new restaurant that opened a few blocks away. "We still have one customer, right?"
Jeongguk had to act like that one customer wasn't the only thing on his mind for the past twenty four hours. "Yeah I think so."
"You can take care of that, right?" Yoongi asked, grabbing his wallet, "I'll go buy us some dinner."
"Sure thing, hyung, thank you."
Jeongguk waited till Yoongi left before walking up to the glass door and peering outside. His fingertips touched the cold surface and it reminded him of that rainy day he first saw Taehyung again. He even opened a crack in the door to let the cool air of the evening wash over him like waves kissing sun-warmed sand. Leaves flickered like candlelight, their shadows creating a new picture every time the breeze disrupted their stillness.
Suddenly there was a blob of black hair in front of him, knocking on the glass with a pesky smile. And it snapped Jeongguk out of his thoughts, quickly pulling open the door.
"Daydreamer much?" Taehyung chuckled lowly, inviting himself in.
It wasn't until Jeongguk noticed the lack of buzzing or chatter around them that he realized he was truly alone with Taehyung, now that Yoongi was gone.
"You brought a pillow."
"Just like you told me to." Taehyung took off his jacket and shrugged. "Though I do prefer hugging you."
Jeongguk straightened his spine and looked away, flustered. They settled into the same station and the younger gathered the tools he needed, ushering Taehyung into the seat.
"This is your last chance to back out." Jeongguk announced solemnly.
"I'm no chicken."
The younger threw the pillow at Taehyung, who caught it with his free hand, the other pulling his shirt off. Jeongguk seemed to be a little more comfortable than last time.
"The color's either gonna be yellow, orange or pink." The younger pushing his hand through plastic gloves. "I'd suggest you not to go with yellow. Because lighter colors like white hurts more, according to certain people."
"The color matters?" Taehyung asked in surprise.
"Not exactly the color." Jeongguk went to get the soap again, needing to disinfect the area. "Since it's so light I'll be stabbing the same spot over and over again till the color shows, so it's irritating. It also depends on the sharpness of the needle— and personal preference." He gestured to himself. "I've never actually gotten a tattoo myself, as you can tell."
Taehyung looked back at him. "That's kinda funny."
"I know. Sometimes people give me shit for it, but I only started working here a month or so ago after my apprenticeship."
"Fancy."
Jeongguk snorted, lips twitching into a smile. "Maybe one day."
Taehyung snickered a little, then said "I'll go with orange, then".
"Great."
The younger leaned back slightly and admired Taehyung's honey skin and back muscles. So pretty with his tiger flower tattoo blossoming near the shoulder.
Taehyung grew concerned at the younger's heavy silence as the inking started, the feeling close to a rusty screwdriver being dragging across his flesh taking over. He wanted to climb into that mind of his.
His voice was quiet and husky when he spoke. "What're you thinking, Gguk-ah?"
There was a pause, and Taehyung wondered if Jeongguk had heard him over the loud buzzing of the machine.
"Tae." The younger didn't stop working, but his words were reluctant. "Did you really get this tattoo... for me?"
Taehyung kept his eyes on the wall since there was nowhere else to look but forward. "Yeah. You used to look for them in every flower shop we came across, remember?"
"I remember." The nostalgia sank into Jeongguk.
"They're your favorites."
It was an intimate thing to say, even if it wasn't meant to be. Knowing that Taehyung thought of him as much as Jeongguk thought of the older made his heart swell.
How great were their chances of staying together? Taehyung made it clear he wanted him. Jeongguk, however, was doubtful. Temptation was an easy thing. It promises you everything you ever wanted, taunting you like a ball of yarn dangling in front of a kitten, until it's snatched away, too far out of reach. The deeper the hole you dig yourself in, the harder it is to get out.
But thing is, Jeongguk was already halfway there.
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