▸　❛ tattoo parlor

@❛ yein j。 Solidi amounting to modest scribbles bestrewn the feint recto of his journal, haphazard scrawls of tags marked upon smooth sheet adorned with special effect doodles, harlequin ink besmirching ivory framework. In his left hand, cigarette depended between lissom digits, smog wisps be borne heavenwards, ember flitting into ashtray with every impact of tip against rim; in his right palm, ebony gel pen seized between svelte fingers, sure and straightforward, limning subconsciously an esquisse, sight and conscience sealed from reality, limb the conductor of his actions. Umber gaze centralised on conquis, rosy muscle peeking out between thin tiers in attention, feet swaying back and forth as he sat atop his stool before the cashier counter.

Ears prickled to the sound of front door opening, orbs tearing their focus from the notebook to stare at the entrance, a genial simper instinctively embellishing his countenance in greeting.

“Hello, you must be,” mused Ten, and a quick flip through the record book later, continued, “Jung Yein?”

@❛ jennie k。 Sandwiched between his attacker and the couch, Hanbin decides to reluctantly surrender himself and stop fighting back. He knew there was no use in trying to argue with a Mama bear...Sister bear? But even while under Jennie, the artist could still hear the anger slowly subside in her voice causing a satisfied smug grin stretching onto his face. "Your brother. The kid's got some talent for art. Brought in this sketch of a phoenix that he drew and all I did was alter it more professionally. Also kept mentioning how he wanted to look older or something. My guess would be that he's trying to impress some girl." he quips. "What?! Why am I the victim here? Is your brother getting punished too huh?" As much as he tried to argue back, he didn't mind the compromise as long as she would get off his back...literally. "But who's it going to be for? You or a certain someone else?" he teases.

@❛ hanbin k。 She hisses, now opting to just rest atop of him and leaning her head back onto the couch's cushion. Well, he's /sort of/ right. God, she'd hate to admit it, but she's actually kind of glad that it was Hanbin to have given her brother a tattoo. And, it did look kind of cool too. ".. Did he give you the design or did you pick it out for him?" She asks, not yet wanting her interest to become apparent to him. Her palm flattens over his back for her to peer over his shoulder, her calves swinging over the couch. The last thing she needed was that smug expression of his to come to light once more, oogling at her because she /possibly/ wanted a tattoo from him too. "And, I'm expecting a free bouquet because of this."

@❛ jungkook j。 Not even a minute of waiting and her boyfriend is already at her side, the strong arms she missed enveloping her in an embrace she missed that day. Her own arms curl around his neck, careful not to drop the container of food, as she lifts her chin to press a kiss from his rosy lips. From the corner of her eye, she could see his coworkers donning their usual, over-excited grins, which bring her to smile despite her nerves. “Mhm,” she responds, pulling away just so she could hold out the tupperware. “But eat first.”

@❛ soojin s。 A few moments previous Jungkook had been consulting a drop in, speaking with them with half the eagerness that he usually provides. He was far too excited for Soojin to come by, the image of the tattoo on her skin already something that he can’t seem to stop imagining. As the person leaves, Jungkook spots Soojin at the front desk and immediately he sticks by her side, strong arms roping around her waist as he tugs her in for an embrace despite her occupied hands. “Hey beautiful. Ready to get your first tat?”

@❛ jungkook j。 Butterflies overflow her stomach the moment she leaves her front doorstep, and even moreso when she steps foot into the parlor again. This is the second time she's been here this week, the second time she's ever been their customer. After years of planning, today was finally the day: she is, for the first time in her life, getting a tattoo. Her teeth sink into her lower lip as she waits at the front desk, tupperware filled with the food and condiments she promised.

@❛ soojin s。 Anticipation builds in his gut as he awaits the arrival of his girlfriend. His coworkers give him knowing looks after he had explained why he was so uncharacteristically eager, and although they probably have some suggestive scenarios in mind, he just can't wait to see Soojin. He already has the tools laid out, his gloves resting unused on the table. He thinks she'll like it, or at least, hopefully. It'd be a beautiful addition on her, this is the least he knows.

@❛ jennie k。 He felt helpless. Not because Jennie's weak pillow attacks have actually hurt him, but because he couldn't let himself fight back in anyway. Too scared to hurt the tiny figure of his attacker. Mentally defeated, Hanbin surrendered his body as he lay helplessly on the couch with Jennie on his back. "Oh please! Please release me from this torture and end me already!" he shouted sarcastically. "Look! You can't kill me for something your brother decided for himself! Aren't you at least glad that someone as responsible as I am helped him with his first tat and gave him good after care advice?" The sudden mention of his fertilizer caught him off guard. "I- okay I admit, I love my fertilizer but please no..."

@❛ hanbin k。 "Good, it should hurt!" She grumbles, giving his one last smack with the help of the provided cushion. Holding the pillow over her head once more, planning on yet another attack, it's when he brags about his artwork that has her scoffing. "Is that all you're thinking about?" Abandoning the abuse of the pillow, she then roughly takes a seat upon the small of his back, forcing him onto his stomach. Sure, she didn't weigh much, but then again, maybe he was a softie if he found even her throws to be harmful. To ensure he couldn't move under her, she wriggles on top of his build, essentially jumping on his back. "I should kill you." She mumbles, energy noticeably depleting within each weak bounce. "And use your flower shop's fertilizer to bury you."

@❛ jennie k。 Curling himself onto the couch, he tries to fend off the feeble attacks she throws his way. "Hey! That hurts! How are you so strong with those stick arms of yours!" Jennie's words of accusations take a moment to sink in before he realizes why she was here childishly throwing a pillow at him. "Gunhee?" He was the youngest customer that he could think of, but he swore the boy had shown him an ID that stated he was 18 years of age. Staring at Jennie's face, he now clearly sees the resemble between the two. They had the same bone structure from what he could tell along with those sharp eyes of hers. "He said he was legal! But hey!" Holding up a hand as to stop her, his shoulders lifted into a proud shrug. "I did a pretty good job on it. Have you looked at it? Cool huh?"

@❛ jungkook j。 In truth, she had always liked his art. From the very first time he showed her his designs, she always admired his work, even if it deviated from the styles she normally liked looking at. The font that she chose looked nothing like the lettering she saw from his sketchbook, as it was simple and a bit understated. Perfect for a girl like who, who adored simplicity in all things (that doesn’t mean she doesn’t adore the art on his body, though). At his query, she pulls away from him so that she could demonstrate the approximate size of the lettering, her index and thumb approximately 3/4 of an inch apart. “This big? What do you think?”

@❛ soojin s。 The kisses are more than welcome and he turns his head swiftly to try and steal one so they land on his lips, grinning when he just manages to get the corner of his mouth brushed over with her full ones. The designs flutter by as she looks through them, and for the moment he's nervous. He hasn't shown Soojin many of his designs, and although he knows she'd probably support him no matter how ugly or disappointing his art was, he still wanted her to like at least one of them. To tattoo something permanent on her body, to have his art on her skin, he was honored that she trusted him enough. "Hm?" He glances down at the one she points out, and takes the tablet to inspect it once again. "Okay, I can do that. Do you know how big you want it?"

@❛ hanbin k。 If this were to be any other situation, she'd find it amusing and maybe even laugh. You've passed out in the midst of your tattoo shop, sketching about just a multitude of possible designs, yet you're too groggy to differentiate the realms of reality and.. what he thinks he's in, hell. Cute, if anything. But no, this was the man that dare lay a needle on her younger brother, her /baby/ brother. "Flattery isn't going to get you anywhere, Hanbin," she beckons closer, gradually traipsing her way over to smack his shoulder. It's a shame. She was sure that he was able to withstand her puny hits and punches, but she could at least try for the sake of intimidation. "How dare you give my brother a tattoo, you should be ashamed of yourself!" Now, she eyes the pillow behind her, darting between him and the cushion before grasping onto it and holding it over her head. "He's only 17!" She scolds, whipping the pillow on his rear.

@❛ jungkook j。 The jocund attitude of the staff is enough to ease her worries. The stories they begin to tell her after a brief introduction bring her to laugh, amused by their efforts to embarass Jungkook. Her gaze shifts to him every once in a while, her smile growing once she picks up on his slight agitation towards their jovial welcome. When he dismisses them, she couldn’t help but take this opportunity to press distracted kisses upon his cheek as she examines his designs. Her eyes scan each page as he flips through, stopping him with her hand atop his when a font catches her eye. She eyes the handwritten lettering of the quote she showed him earlier that day, then shifts her gaze to Jungkook with a knowing smile. “I like this one.”

@❛ soojin s。 The introduce themselves and Jungkook simply watches from the sidelines, keeping a good grip on Soojin, distracted by trying not to smother her in affection right then and there. When they start to talk about embarrassing stories of him, he hisses and pushes them away, giving them the side eye before he turns around and brings his tablet up to eye level for the both of them to see. He'd been writing with different fonts, drawing with different styles, and as he flips through he glances over at his girlfriend to see if it seems like there's one she prefers. "You can look through here and see if you like one. If you don't we can try and come up with something now."

@❛ jungkook j。 Although she pays incredible attention to detail most days, she fails to recognize the fact that he’s wearing something out of the ordinary. The only thing she truly takes note of, however, is the uncomfortably high heat in the shop in comparison to cooler air outside, but passes it off as a result of her anxiousness. When he guides her to his workstation, she barely gets a chance to look at his designs when a few of his coworkers greet her with unusual excitement. Soojin guesses that it's their usual demeanor. Probably very friendly. She offers them a simple wave, her usual, cordial smile gracing her features. “Hello.”

@❛ soojin s。 He's wearing something different than his usual black sweater or black tee shirt, foregoing his sleeves for a sleeveless black shirt that he only wore because it was too musty and hot inside the shop. Their AC had broken, unfortunately, and he wasn't about to work through the hours that he was here sweating through his shirt. Regardless of the heat, though, he wraps his girlfriend up in his arms, nearly waddling her to his station where he has pages on his tablet lined out for her to take a look at. A few of his coworkers give him odd looks, having never seen him so affectionate or with his guard down, but he pays them no mind. Instead, he gestures them over, and tucks Soojin into his side protectively. "This is Soojin, my girlfriend."

@❛ jungkook j。 She barely recognizes the colorless intonation of her boyfriend’s greeting, as his regular attitude directed at her is far more vibrant in comparison. Nonetheless, she barely notices his welcome, absentmindedly responding with a meek and rather barely audible “hello” of her own as her eyes wander around the shop. She takes in the various artwork plastered around the wall, recognizing a few of her lover’s. She stands idly in front of the front desk, until Jungkook’s figure comes into sight. Managing a nervous smile, she’s sinking her teeth into her lower lip as she makes her way towards him. Just as he reaches out a hand, she does too, and returns his squeeze in obvious anxiety. “Yes, please.”

@❛ soojin s。 The familiar ring of the door chimes in his ears and as if second nature, he calls out a dull "welcome". It's only when he finally lifts his gaze from the piece that he's been sketching for his girlfriend that he finds her standing there, looking a bit more nervous than her usual calm and collected self. He breaks out into a grin, setting down his stylus and pushing himself out of his seat before he approaches her. It's the first time she's ever really stepped foot inside the parlor, had the time to look around, or introduce herself to his coworkers. He takes her hand and gives it a firm, reassuring squeeze. "Hey princess. You ready to see what I have for you?"

@❛ jungkook j。 Approaching the front door of the tattoo parlor was far more nervewracking than Soojin expected. She’s been here countless times to drop off some food for her boyfriend, but never stayed for longer than five minutes. Tonight, she’ll be one of his clients, which means this will be the first time she’ll ever get a tattoo. Though she’s been wanting to get inked for a while, she couldn’t help but wonder if she’ll ever regret it. She looks down at the wallpaper on her home screen, and realizes that it’s just the nerves causing doubt. With a deep breath, she opens the door and steps in.

@❛ ten l。 “Okay, time to wrap up”. The annoucement was music to Hanbin's ears. They had quite the long day and he couldn't wait to throw himself in bed where he'd get to watch some netflix before dozing off to sleep. As Ten disappeared around back, he quickly double checked the record book they kept up front. Honestly the young artist hated book keeping, but knew it was important to keep their business going. There was much more boring duties their parlor called for such as dreaded tax forms, but Hanbin was thankful that Ten took care most of those issues. A business partner he never knew he needed.

"A drink?" The request grasped his attention immediately and brought a smile onto his what was once his tired face. Shutting the book close, he stood up from his spot. "I thought you'd never ask. And I'm never the type to turn down a free drink," he said reaching for the jacket that he had draped over his chair. Throwing it over his shoulders, he headed out the door before holding it open for his company.

"I'm also glad you asked. We've been well off business buddies but don't think we've really had the opportunity to hang out as friends." They'd had been good acquaintences for the past few years due to their united dream, but oddly never stepped past that label.

The night was still a bit chilly causing him to pocket his hands into his jacket. On their way to the bar, he decided to illicit some small talk. "So how have you been liking Lavend so far? Nice town right?"

[] feel free to send the reply in the bar room!

@❛ jennie k。 The sudden closing of the front door along with the gash of air jolted him awake from his short nap. Having lost himself in his sketches it seemed that he had fallen asleep without warning. It took a second for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting of the closed parlor, but once he became situated with his surroundings, Hanbin might as well have thought he was dead. "Oh God, I'm in hell?" he muttered under his breath. Still draped over the lobby couch with pages of drawing spread out around him, he stared at the dark figure that stood between him and the door. "You know, I knew you were real but I didn't expect the reaper to be so pretty." he said out loud without a thought. If he was dead he might as well try to get on the good side of death herself. "You look a little too human to be Death. Where's your knife thingy? The scyth?"

@❛ hanbin k。 Smoke rose from the tip of a cigarette as umber gaze stared at the hanging clock, watching the minutes ticked by slowly. Night had fallen outside, ebony sky blanketing the earth, ivory moon shining its brilliance upon the darkness. Activity could still be heard, cats revving and civilians talking, night life ever the lively as it would be during the day.

The minute arm passed twelve, and the hour ticker moved to direct at eight.

It was finally closing time.

“Okay, time to wrap up,” announced Ten, putting out the ember in an ashtray before leaving the cigarette there, clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Well done, everyone, we can go home now.”

The Thai moved around while putting away the equipments, bidding farewell to workers as he closed up the parlour. Finally, he turned off the lights at the back, flipping the sign over so it would show ‘closed’. At the cashier counter sat Hanbin, probably waiting for him to be done keeping everything so they could leave together — they were always last to depart.

“I’m almost done,” mused Ten, flashing Hanbin a smile. “I’ll be right back, I just need to grab my work bag.”

Ten went to the locker room located at the back, getting his work bag before making his way back to the front of the parlour. He placed his belonging on the ground while leaning against the countertop, peeking at what Hanbin was doing. The record book laid open, inside written the appointments of their customers and other necessary information.

“Up for a drink tonight?” Ten asked curiously, glancing to Hanbin. “My treat!”

@❛ hanbin k。 She was going to murder him, no doubt. She knew it the moment Gunhee blatantly showed off his newly styled tattoo to her. Her steps are fuming with vexation, fists ready to pound on the door to the tattoo parlor she's been told about, until her feet halt in place seeing the reddened closed sign in bold letters. "Huh." she scoffs. That wasn't going to stop her. Readily, she tugs a bobby pin from her hair, crouching over to pick at the lock in an effortless attempt. It only takes a few minutes for her to barge in, eyes immediately zeroing in on the unconscious body of Hanbin on the couch, knocked out. She sports an expression of disdain upon seeing the slight drool that oozes from the latter's lips, holding back her urge to roll her eyes. She lets the door slam shut, hoping that both the draft and sound would wake up the man as she stands with her arms crossed over her chest.