(for aodhankingkiler) If It Makes You Feel Alive
For: aodhankingkiler
Title: If It Makes You Feel Alive
Pairing: Jongin/D.O
Word Count: ~7,000 words
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: descriptions of body piercings
Summary: Jongin’s favourite customer isn’t actually a customer, but he does have a really nice mouth.
Author's Note: my google search history is really strange now thanks to this fic :/ but it was a lot of fun to write, i hope you dig it dear recipient * v * thank you S for betaing last-minute and to the lovely 4jongin mod for being so patient ;-;
The plexiglass countertop of the front desk in Two Moons Tattoo Parlour isn’t Jongin’s favourite place to sleep, but on days like this, he takes what he can get. He feels tired down to his bones - not from being up too late or working too hard, but more because of a recurring issue: getting out of bed while he’s still more than half asleep.
Waking up isn’t usually a pleasant experience for Jongin, only made worse when he’s forced into it - particularly by Sehun, and especially by Sehun dropping a box of ink bottles onto the desktop his head is resting on.
Jongin startles awake, sitting up in his chair and blinking rapidly in an attempt to get his eyes to focus on the room around him. It takes his sleep-muddled brain a moment to realize that Sehun is laughing, presumably at his reaction, and another moment further to remember to glare at him.
“What was that for?”
Sehun looks around innocently, as if Jongin could be talking to anyone but him. “What? You were out cold while on the clock, I was doing you a favour!”
“You have a funny way of going about it,” Jongin grumbles, scrubbing a hand over his face.
Joonmyun appears then, seemingly out of nowhere but probably just from outside Jongin’s blurry peripheral vision. He’s put-together as ever, which Jongin figures is probably supposed to be impossible this early in the morning - but then again, he knows that under Joonmyun’s nice knit sweater is the most hardcore chestpiece tattoo he’s ever seen. There is no bigger mystery in Jongin’s life than how Joonmyun manages to uphold his pure image while owning a tattoo parlour at the same time.
This morning he looks a little concerned, while still managing to smile kindly. Since hiring Sehun as his apprentice, this has started to become his default expression.
“Everything alright?” he asks, glancing between the two of them, but he pauses on Jongin and gives him a sympathetic look. “Maybe I shouldn’t have asked you to come in early.”
“I’m awake,” Jongin insists, rubbing his eyes. “Mostly.”
“Yeah, at least he’s not drooling on the desk anymore,” Sehun snickers. Jongin scowls at him. He may only barely remember arriving to start his shift, but he knows he doesn’t drool in his sleep.
“Awake or not,” Joonmyun cuts in before they can start arguing, “I’m glad you came in. We have an appointment this morning that I want Sehun to sit in on, which is why I need you to be here to watch the front desk at the ungodly hour of--” He glances at the clock on the wall. “--ten thirty in the morning.”
Jongin knows he means it sarcastically, but dragging himself out of bed earlier really had been a struggle. Sehun takes one look at the frown on his face and starts laughing again.
“You’ll be okay,” Joonmyun says with an encouraging smile. “You don’t have any clients for a few hours yet, right?”
“I have a girl coming at two,” Jongin says, rubbing his eyes again, “for a… septum, I think. And someone else afterwards getting a reverse helix.”
Sehun makes a face. “Do I even want to know where that goes?”
“It’s an ear piercing,” Jongin says, sticking his tongue out at him.
“If you say so. I swear, you make half those names up--”
“Anyway,” Joonmyun interrupts, getting their attention back. “The guy coming in today was here a few weeks ago for a phoenix design, I don’t know if you remember.”
Sehun and Jongin look at each other and shrug. Joonmyun shakes his head with a smile. “Well, not a big deal. You’ll see it in a bit.” He turns and starts down the hall beside the desk, heading back to his workstation. “The session today is just to finish some shading and touch up the lines a little.”
Looking hopeful, Sehun follows at his heels. “Do I get to do it?”
“We’ll see,” Joonmyun hums, like he’s thinking hard about it, but Jongin already knows he’ll give in.
The two of them disappear into one of the session rooms and Jongin is left alone again, the shop quiet. He rests his chin on his palm and looks around the lobby, eyes wandering over the familiar walls. There are several framed art prints hanging up, all Joonmyun’s, as well as photos of particularly nice tattoos he’s done. One or two of Sehun’s finished works have been added over the past couple months, which makes Jongin smile - it’s a bit like Joonmyun is pinning his child’s artwork to the fridge, or something, but Sehun really is getting quite good.
There’s a couch and some over-stuffed chairs on the other side of the room that serve as a makeshift waiting room, plus a low table with scrapbooks full of tattoo designs, as well as one about different piercings, which Jongin put together himself. Joonmyun’s knowledge of piercings doesn’t go very far, and so Jongin handles the ‘& Piercing’ part of the full shop title, even if it doesn’t fit on the sign outside. It’s a nice setup, and he really does like working at Two Moons, even when he’s beyond tired.
It’s not long before Jongin feels his eyelids drooping again. He could rest his eyes for a bit, he reasons, just to get them to stop aching with fatigue. Just a couple minutes, and then back to work. It sounds solid enough in his head - besides, he can’t get much done if he’s distracted by how bad he wants to go back to sleep, so this is probably a good plan. Too tired to argue with himself, Jongin slumps over the counter and closes his eyes.
The bell above the entrance chooses that moment to chime loudly as someone pushes the door open, and Jongin startles so badly he nearly falls out of his chair. He sits up as two boys enter the shop, trying his best to look casual instead of disgruntled and sleepy as he greets them.
The first one through the door is tall and gangly, grinning even before he gets inside. Jongin only has a moment to wonder if he looks familiar or not before the second newcomer catches his eye. He only just manages to keep his jaw from dropping.
This boy is shorter than the other, dressed casually but somehow still drawing Jongin’s gaze to the way his jeans cling to his legs. He trails behind the taller guy he came in with, eyes wide as he looks around the lobby even though his mouth remains set in a line - but his lips look soft even from across the room, and Jongin has to remind himself to keep his mouth closed.
Joonmyun chooses that moment to appear in the hall again, peeking out from around the corner and smiling when he sees the taller boy.
“Chanyeol,” he calls, and laughs a little when the boy whirls around and runs over to wrap him in a hug. “How have you been?”
“Good,” The tall guy - Chanyeol - says, still grinning. “Stoked for round two.”
“Yeah? How’s your bird?”
“Still beautiful.” Chanyeol slips his hoodie off his shoulders to reveal a bright phoenix tattoo, curled around his shoulder and bicep.
Joonmyun steps over to look at it more closely. “Ah, it’s healed really well.” He runs his fingers over the tip of one wing, then seems to finally notice the other boy beside Chanyeol. “Oh! And you are?”
“Kyungsoo,” the boy says, inclining his head a little. Jongin’s heart jumps a little as he repeats the name to himself.
“My BFF,” Chanyeol adds, putting an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders and trying to pull him in, but Kyungsoo pinches his arm and he lets go with a yelp.
“Are you here for a tattoo as well?” Joonmyun asks.
“No,” Kyungsoo says, gesturing at Chanyeol, who’s pouting and rubbing his arm. “I’m just here to hold his hand.”
Joonmyun laughs, turning back to Chanyeol. “In that case, I’m just about finished setting up.” He steps to one side to show them the way down the hall. “Are you ready?”
“I was born ready,” Chanyeol says, immediately grinning again, all pain forgotten. Behind his back, Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, and his gaze lands on Jongin.
Even from a few feet away with the counter between them, Jongin feels his heart speed up. He does his best to smile and wave, too caught up in Kyungsoo’s stare to be sure if he actually manages both. He must’ve looked alright, though, because Kyungsoo smiles back - it’s tiny, just a quirk of his lips as he turns to follow Chanyeol and Joonmyun down the hall. Jongin feels like his heart might beat right out of his chest.
He’s wide awake for the rest of the day, but unable to focus on anything for very long. The image of Kyungsoo’s smile pastes itself all over the front of his mind, stealing his attention whenever he’s unoccupied - and even a few times when he is occupied, like when the piercing needle in his hand almost misses a girl’s nose entirely.
He doesn’t get to see Chanyeol’s finished tattoo, but he does come out to the lobby just as he and Kyungsoo are leaving, and catches Kyungsoo’s gaze for a moment before the door opens. Kyungsoo smiles again, wider than before, and waves, but disappears before Jongin can return it.
--
Kyungsoo’s smile is still fresh in Jongin’s mind even a week later, but he’s starting to lose hope of ever seeing it firsthand again. These days he spends most of his time at home or at work, and Kyungsoo has, as far as Jongin knows, no reason to be in either of those places.
When he does go out it’s with Sehun and his friends, and if Kyungsoo were a regular at any of the places they frequent, Jongin hopes he would’ve noticed by now. He’s thought about that tiny smile so much that he’s sure he could spot it from across a crowded room.
The point is, Kyungsoo is on his mind a lot, but having no idea how to see him again is kind of a downer. it must show on his face, because when Sehun comes out to the lobby, rubbing hand sanitizer into his palms, it only takes one look at Jongin’s expression for him to pause and raise his eyebrows.
“Alright there?”
“Yeah,” Jongin sighs. He knows Sehun would probably offer the best advice he could come up with, but the thought of explaining his problem out loud just makes it seem silly, like a childish crush. “Just tired.”
Sehun doesn’t look entirely convinced, but he shrugs and lets it go. He leans over the counter to pull out the shop’s day planner, a dollar store notebook with only tape holding the binding together, and flips to the correct page.
For today it’s just the two of them working, Joonmyun having taken the day off, and with only one body piercer and the artist’s apprentice around, there aren’t very many appointments. Still, it’s nice to think that Joonmyun trusts them enough to handle the shop and any customers they get by themselves.
Frowning, Sehun slides his finger down the page to somewhere in the middle, then huffs in annoyance.
“What is it?” Jongin asks.
“This person is late,” Sehun sighs, setting the book down and tapping one of the names on the page. “By like fifteen minutes.”
Jongin leans over to look. “Uh, okay. What do we do?”
“I dunno,” Sehun says, biting his lip. “Do I, like, call them? Or just wait?”
“Is there a phone number?” Jongin asks, squinting at the page. “What does this even say? Your handwriting is awful.”
“This is your handwriting,” Sehun grunts, turning the book back towards himself. “The first name is… Baekhyun?”
As if on cue, the bell above the door chimes, and they both jump as the door is thrown open. Two boys step inside, one mid-sentence in what sounds like a rant, and the other seemingly disinterested, glancing around the shop instead - Jongin recognizes him instantly, and has to stop himself from throwing his chair back and yelling Kyungsoo’s name across the room.
Instead, he tries his best to sit still as the two of them approach the counter.
“I know how to drive,” the other boy is saying, easier to hear as they get closer. “It’s everyone else on the road that apparently can’t tell what the speed limit is, even though there’s a sign ten feet away - and then this dickwad cut me off--”
“I know,” Kyungsoo sighs, “I was there.” He looks at Jongin and smiles, effectively melting Jongin’s insides. “Hi. Sorry, we’re a bit late.”
“That’s okay,” Jongin says dreamily. He sees Sehun give him a weird look out of the corner of his eye, but is too preoccupied with staring at Kyungsoo’s mouth to react.
“Traffic was a nightmare,” the other boy groans, slumping on the desk and effectively shoving Kyungsoo out of Jongin’s line of sight. “I had an appointment at two, with Sehun.”
“That’s me,” Sehun says. Jongin can tell he’s trying to put on his best professional voice, but it trembles a bit. “You’re Baekhyun?”
The boy pushes himself up with his elbows on the counter to grin at Sehun, all earlier frustration apparently forgotten. “That I am,” he says, looking Sehun up and down. “You’re the artist?” he asks, and at Sehun’s quick nod, he leans in to whisper conspiratorially, gesturing at Kyungsoo. “I’ll pay you double if you tattoo ‘Jo Insung’ on his forehead.”
“No you won’t,” Kyungsoo says flatly. “I’m staying out here.”
Baekhyun rolls his eyes with a dramatic sigh. “Fine, whatever. I don’t need your moral support, anyway.” He pushes away from the counter and steps closer to Sehun, whose cheeks turn a bit pink. “I’m in good hands, right?”
“Yeah,” Sehun says a little too quickly. “Uh, I mean-- sure?”
Baekhyun raises his eyebrows at first, then settles into an amused little smile. “Th-this way,” Sehun manages, turning to lead Baekhyun down the hall, and Baekhyun follows with no hesitation.
Holding back a laugh at Sehun’s flustered expression, Jongin watches them go until he remembers that he’s not alone with Kyungsoo, and whips his head back around to find that Kyungsoo is still in front of the desk, looking through the glass at the metal studs and jewelry on display.
“There’s, uh, chairs and stuff, if you want to sit down,” Jongin says. Kyungsoo smiles at him in thanks and goes to sit on the couch, eyes still wandering the walls.
He seems a lot nicer alone than he is with both Chanyeol and Baekhyun, which takes a load off Jongin’s shoulders. Figuring there won’t be anyone else in the shop for a while, he steps out from behind the desk and crosses the room to join him.
“What’s your friend getting?” he asks, and Kyungsoo looks up as he approaches, another small smile on his face. “His tattoo, I mean.”
“‘Be brave’, on his wrist,” Kyungsoo answers. “It’s his motto, or something.”
Jongin nods, carefully taking a seat in the chair closest to the couch. He glances around the room, seatching for something else to say, but Kyungsoo speaks up again instead.
“Are you a tattoo artist as well?”
“Ah, no, that’s just Sehun and Joonmyun,” Jongin explains. “I do piercings.”
“Oh,” Kyungsoo says. “What’s your name?”
Jongin tries his best not to squeak in delight. “Jongin.”
“Jongin,” Kyungsoo repeats. “I’m Kyungsoo.”
“I know,” Jongin says, then panics. “Wait, I mean-- I heard the-- when you were… last time, I heard--”
Kyungsoo just laughs, and Jongin breathes an internal sigh of relief. His heart is beating faster than it needs to, but he still manages to sit comfortably with Kyungsoo as he asks about some different piercings.
“Some of my friends have their ears done, but nothing, like, radically different,” he explains, then pauses, looking over at Jongin. Jongin isn’t sure if he’s imagining the way Kyungsoo’s eyes rove over him. “Do you have any?”
“Piercings? I don’t,” Jongin says, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. “They’re a lot of work to take care of, is all. Giving them out is enough work for me.”
Kyungsoo hums, still staring at him, and Jongin feels like there’s a flush spreading over his whole body. “What about tattoos? Do just your artists have them, or…?”
“No, we all have those,” Jongin says, and takes the opportunity to look away and point at one of the photos on the wall, a thickly-outlined octopus tattoo curled around someone’s forearm. “That one’s Sehun’s, actually. He’s really into that sort of nautical-punk theme. And Joonmyun has a lot, he just hides them when he’s not at work--”
“What about yours?” Kyungsoo asks, eyes still trained on him when Jongin looks back.
“I just have one, right now,” Jongin tells him, wondering if he can see the effect his gaze has. “A tree.”
“Can I see?” Kyungsoo asks, so quickly is startles Jongin a little, then immediately shrinks back, his excited grin disappearing. “Sorry, was that rude?”
“No, it’s fine,” Jongin assures him, and considers it a victory when Kyungsoo smiles back. “I’ll show you, it’s no problem.”
It’s a bit of a problem. Rolling up his sleeve has never felt so sensual, but it’s only because Kyungsoo’s eyes are on him, taking in every inch of skin he reveals.
The tree itself is long and thin, dark inked trunk running up Jongin’s wrist and growing branches closer to the crease of his elbow. He’s had it for a couple years and so he’s used to the look of it, but Kyungsoo shifts closer to peer at it, seeming so in awe of something that, to Jongin, is just a normal part of him.
Kyungsoo reaches out with one hand, then pauses. “Can I--?”
Jongin is nodding before he can finish, and Kyungsoo gently pulls his arm closer and runs his fingers up the tree trunk. His fingers leave tingling trails that almost burn, and Jongin has to suppress a shiver.
After only a few seconds, the sound of a door opening makes Kyungsoo look up, his hands slipping away from Jongin’s arm. Jongin follows his gaze and sees Baekhyun coming out of the hall with Sehun trailing after him, looking a little dazed.
“Done already?” Kyungsoo asks.
Baekhyun scoffs, holding up his arm so they can see the wrap over his wrist. “It was two words, not the Mona Lisa.” He smiles when he turns back to Sehun, though, and the two of them head to the front desk so Baekhyun can pay for his tattoo.
“I guess we’re off,” Kyungsoo sighs, standing up. Jongin also gets to his feet, trying to think of an excuse to walk him to the door, but Kyungsoo doesn’t move away yet, smiling at him instead. “Thanks for showing me,” he says quietly, nudging Jongin’s arm.
Even the split-second of contact feels like the flick of a lighter beneath Jongin’s skin. “Anytime,” he says dazedly.
Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow at his choice of words, but turns away before Jongin can backtrack. He looks over at the desk where Baekhyun is slowly putting his wallet away, smiling at Sehun as he stumbles through whatever he’s trying to say.
“Baekhyun, I’m leaving.”
Baekhyun frowns at him over his shoulder. “You don’t have any patience, do you?” he grumbles, but he does push away from the counter to join Kyungsoo by the door.
“Bye, Jongin,” Kyungsoo says, smiling up at him, but he slips outside before Jongin gets his breath back.
“Later,” Baekhyun calls to Sehun with a grin, and then the door closes behind him, and it’s just Jongin and Sehun left in the shop.
Jongin rolls his sleeve back down and tries to ignore the residual tingling in his arm. He glances over at Sehun, who looks a little like he just got off a rollercoaster.
“So what’s happening ’later’?” he asks.
Sehun’s cheeks go pink again. “Nothing,” he says, too quickly, and scurries off to the session room to clean up before Jongin can ask him anything else.
It’s okay if Sehun doesn’t want to talk about it, Jongin supposes as he takes his seat behind the front desk again. He can’t really focus on much, anyway, except how it felt to have Kyungsoo’s fingers running over his tattoo.
He tries it himself, sliding two fingers under his sleeve to rub lightly over the ink. It feels the same as it has since he got it, and only the memory of the burn heats up beneath his skin.
--
That night, Jongin dreams of the tree swirling up his arm and across his chest, spreading its branches over his entire body. He can’t touch the lines, but he knows Kyungsoo can, and when he looks up from the leaves sprouting on the backs of his hands he finds Kyungsoo there in front of him.
Jongin tries to watch his face but ends up distracted by his hands - he’s not sure when Kyungsoo reached out to touch but suddenly he’s leaving sparking trails along the inked lines on Jongin’s body, every press of his fingers making Jongin’s skin erupt with heat. He drags his nails over Jongin’s torso; sends throbbing waves down his spine with his fingertips; slides his hands up his thighs and pauses there, where the ink stops.
Kyungsoo looks up at Jongin from down on his knees in front of him, his mouth wet and red, then presses his palm between his legs, and the rush of heat tears Jongin out of the dream.
He wakes up tangled in sweat-sticky sheets with his cock hard and straining against the fabric of his boxers. It feels a little weird, knowing it’s all because of a guy he’s only met twice, but Jongin rolls over anyway and slides a hand under his waistband. He’s gotten off to thoughts of plenty different people, after all.
Something about his dream, about Kyungsoo, makes this feel different, though, like it should stand apart. He imagines the fist around his cock is Kyungsoo’s instead, and comes hard a few strokes later, biting his lip to keep from moaning embarrassingly loud.
When he climbs back into bed later, with washed hands and clean boxers, Jongin hopes that the next time he sees Kyungsoo they can have a real conversation. One without interruptions or awkward silences, or interludes of Jongin staring at his mouth while he speaks.
Mostly, though, he hopes that another of Kyungsoo’s friends wanders into the shop, and that Kyungsoo will want to come along.
--
As it happens, Kyungsoo does.
Only a few days later, the bell on the door chimes and Jongin looks up to see Kyungsoo enter, another boy following behind him.
“Back again?” Jongin asks, unable to stop himself from smiling as Kyungsoo comes up to the counter.
“In my defense,” Kyungsoo says, “I’ve never been in here getting something for myself.”
Jongin laughs. “So who is it this time?”
“This is Jongdae.” Kyungsoo drags his friend forward by the elbow. “He’s here to get his ears pierced.
That throws Jongin a little. Usually customers that come in for piercings are looking for something a bit more advanced than simple lobe piercings
His surprise apparently shows on his face, and Jongdae blushes a little. “I didn’t want to just go to some piercing kiosk in the mall, okay,” he explains, “and Kyungsoo recommended your shop, so--”
“He did?” Jongin asks, and it’s Kyungsoo’s turn to blush when Jongin smiles at him again.
“Is it okay to not have an appointment?” Kyungsoo asks quickly, trying to change the subject.
“It should be fine,” Jongin answers, then leans back in his chair to look down the hall. “Joonmyun,” he calls, “do you want to take this?”
Joonmyun comes trotting out a few seconds later, kind smile in place even though he looks a bit ragged in just jeans and a thing wifebeater. “Take what?”
“Ear piercing,” Jongin says, gesturing at Jongdae, who waves but is clearly preoccupied with staring at the dark swirls of ink across Joonmyun’s collarbones.
“Sure,” Joonmyun says, smiling at Jongdae and beckoning him over. “Is this your first time?”
Jongdae turns bright pink and nods.
“That’s alright,” Joonmyun says, apparently not noticing the deep blush on Jongdae’s cheeks. “Just follow me.”
And Jongdae does, scurrying after him down the hall. As soon as they’re gone, Jongin looks back at Kyungsoo.
“Did you really recommend us to your friends?” he asks.
“Yeah,” Kyungsoo says with a shrug, but he looks down at the jewelry display instead of at Jongin. “You guys are good at what you do, plus it’s small enough to not be intimidating, and you’re-- I don’t know. Nice.”
Jongin beams at him, and when Kyungsoo glances up at him he snorts. “What’s that face for?”
“It’s just cool to hear that,” Jongin says. “Especially from someone who isn’t even into what we sell.”
“Who says I’m not into it?” Kyungsoo shoots back.
“Oh,” Jongin says, backtracking. “Sorry, I just figured--”
“It’s okay, I’m kidding,” Kyungsoo says with a laugh. “Tattoos aren’t really my thing, to be honest. But…” He looks back at the display in the counter. “I come in here so often, I feel like I really should get something done. Like, get some piercing just for the hell of it.”
“Well,” Jongin sighs, leaning on the counter in front of him, “I could definitely help you out, if you ever wanted to get one.”
Kyungsoo glances up with a smirk. “What do you think I’d look good with?”
Jongin hums, eyes dropping to Kyungsoo’s mouth. “A vertical labret.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a lip piercing.” Without thinking, Jongin reaches out, only realizing what he’s doing when his fingers are hovering in front of Kyungsoo’s face. He hesitates, but Kyungsoo doesn’t move away, so Jongin holds his breath and taps, lightly, just below Kyungsoo’s mouth.
“One end comes out here, like a normal labret,” he explains, “and the other end--” He moves his finger up a little to rest on Kyungsoo’s bottom lip. “Here.”
Kyungsoo looks up at him but doesn’t ask him to stop touching, so Jongin waits a few seconds longer before he takes his hand back.
“Huh,” Kyungsoo says after a moment, and pulls away from Jongin’s hand to squint at himself in one of the mirrors along the wall. He sticks out his bottom lip in an exaggerated pout at his reflection. “You really think so?”
Jongin can’t nod fast enough. Kyungsoo hums for another moment, then shrugs. “Okay.”
“Wh-- really?” Jongin raises his eyebrows. “Just like that?”
“Yeah, sure,” Kyungsoo says. “I might as well, you know?”
He keeps the same nonchalant attitude even as Jongin writes his name down in the day planner, remarkably calm about the whole thing. Jongin is pretty sure that he himself is feeling more stoked about it than Kyungsoo is.
“You have some options,” he explains, flipping the book around to show him. “You can request which of us you want to do it, me or Joonmyun or--”
“You,” Kyungsoo says immediately, cutting him off.
Jongin’s heart jumps a little, but he tries not to let his pleasure show on his face as he closes the book. “That’s sorted, then,” he says, putting it away and turning back to Kyungsoo. “You can come in at five tomorrow.”
“Alright,” Kyungsoo agrees. He looks for a moment like he wants to say more, but then Joonmyun and Jongdae reappear, the latter with silver studs shining on his earlobes.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Joonmyun is asking, and Jongdae shakes his head, looking a little dazed.
Joonmyun hums and leans closer, inspecting one of the studs. “You should probably come back in a week or so, just so I can make sure they’re healing properly.”
“Sure,” Jongdae squeaks, and Joonmyun pulls back to give him a concerned look.
“Are you alright?” he asks. “You look a little flushed, maybe you’re reacting to the metal--”
“I’m fine,” Jongdae says quickly, and scurries across the room to grab Kyungsoo’s arm. “Done, let’s go.”
“You kind of have to pay for these things,” Kyungsoo points out, but Joonmyun waves him off.
“Don’t worry about it,” he says, then smiles at Jongdae again. “See you soon?”
Jongdae manages a noise that sounds only generally affirmative, but it’s good enough for Joonmyun and he waves before he disappears down the hall again. Jongdae looks a little like he’s going to melt into the floor.
Kyungsoo laughs and starts to pull him towards the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he calls to Jongin as he steps back outside.
“I’ll be waiting,” Jongin tells him, not thinking about his words until after the door closes, then lets his head drop onto the counter.
It’s going to be another long wait to see Kyungsoo again, made even longer by the fact that he knows exactly when to expect him back. He hopes the payoff will be worth it.
He closes his eyes for a moment to picture Kyungsoo’s mouth with labret studs in place. It’ll definitely be worth it, even if he does have to sit and watch all the minutes tick by until then. Straightening up again, Jongin rests his elbows on the desk and settles in to wait.
--
On the day of Kyungsoo’s appointment, time seems to pass even slower while Jongin only grows more and more anxious. He tries his best to relax, but he jumps every time the door chimes, even though he knows Kyungsoo isn’t coming until the evening.
He gets his session room set up early just to waste some time, sterilizing the needle and bar that are going to be used, then sits at the front desk and stares at the clock for what feels like a year until Kyungsoo finally arrives.
He slips through the door with a shy smile, and Jongin half-expects someone else to follow him inside. It’s just him, though, just Kyungsoo and Jongin and no one else for once.
“Hey,” he greets, stepping up to the counter. “Am I too early?”
He is, by like twenty minutes, but Jongin could care less. “It’s fine. The shop is dead, anyway, and everything’s ready to go.”
He feels a little weird, leading Kyungsoo down the hall to the correct room. It seems more personal than it probably should - it’s his work station, not his bedroom. Still, when Kyungsoo hops up to sit on the padded chair for customers, Jongin swallows hard.
This is really happening. He’s about to get up close and personal with Kyungsoo’s mouth. He immediately distracts himself from that thought, busying his hands with the piercing needle.
“So,” he starts, “after this, you’re not going to be able to do a lot of stuff with your mouth for a few days.”
“Like what?” Kyungsoo asks, swinging his feet.
Jongin leans back against the counter across from him. “Well, eating, for example. You should avoid things that are spicy, salty, or acidic. Cold things can help reduce the swelling, though.” He crosses his arms, running through his mental list of care instructions. “Once it’s in, you shouldn’t move the jewelry more than necessary, or it can cause scarring or move the piercing out of place. Try not to speak that much or open your mouth too wide, and avoid oral sexual contact.”
Kyungsoo snorts. “So I can’t suck anyone off for a couple weeks, is what you’re saying.”
Jongin nods, turning away to wash his hands. Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything more, though, and when Jongin looks over he finds him biting his lip with an almost conflicted expression. “Is that… an issue for you, or…?”
“Well…” Kyungsoo’s gaze slides from Jongin’s face down across his torso and then drops lower, and Jongin feels a spike of heat flare up his spine. “It’s just a long time to wait,” Kyungsoo says, dragging his eyes back up.
“For who?” Jongin asks before he can stop himself, and Kyungsoo smirks at him.
“Did you think I didn’t see you watching me all those times?” he asks quietly. “There’s a reason I came back so much.”
Jongin’s head is spinning, but when Kyungsoo reaches for him he stumbles closer, and lets himself be pulled in by his belt loops. “Wait, so you’re--?”
“Hot for you?” Kyungsoo breathes, looking up at him with one hand hovering over the zipper of Jongin’s jeans. “Yeah.”
He starts to unzip it slowly, and even the light pressure from his fingers against the fabric has Jongin bucking forward a little, groaning as his cock hardens. It takes until the zipper is down and Kyungsoo’s hand is halfway into his pants before he remembers where they are.
“Ah, stop,” he chokes out. “We can’t do this here, it’s supposed to be sanitary.”
Kyungsoo gives him a look. “Do you have something better in mind?”
“Break room,” Jongin manages. “There’s a couch.”
Rolling his eyes with a sigh, Kyungsoo hops down from the chair and lets Jongin tug him across the hall to the break room. It’s tiny, only barely managing to fit a fridge, a sink, and a coffeemaker.
And the couch, of course, but Kyungsoo ignores that in favour of pressing Jongin up against the door as soon as it’s closed and locked. He grabs Jongin by the collar and kisses him, his lips soft and warm but bruising, and Jongin pushes back against his mouth. He meets Kyungsoo’s tongue halfway, nips his bottom lip, reaches up to pull him closer - but Kyungsoo slips away, sinking down to his knees in front of Jongin instead. Looking down at him, Jongin feels the strangest sense of deja-vu.
“Okay?” Kyungsoo asks breathily, his hands sliding up Jongin’s thighs.
“Yeah, I--” Jongin cuts off when Kyungsoo tugs his jeans down a little to pull his cock out. “It’s nothing, it’s-- christ. Okay.”
Kyungsoo laughs a little, glances up at him to make sure he’s watching, then takes Jongin’s cock into his mouth. The wet heat is almost too much right then and there, but Jongin curls his hands into fists against the door and wills himself to stay upright. Kyungsoo sucks hard, pulls off a little, then pushes forward, taking Jongin deeper each time until he’s almost gagging. Jongin slides a hand into his hair, tugging hard when Kyungsoo’s tongue swirls around the head of his cock. “Fuck, Kyungsoo.”
Humming, Kyungsoo pulls off all the way, a thread of spit and precome connecting his mouth to Jongin’s dick. “Doing alright?” he asks, voice rougher than before, and Jongin whines in response.
His legs start trembling when Kyungsoo takes him back in his mouth, deep as he can take it, and swallows, the very back of his throat working around Jongin’s length. Jongin knows he’s making noise, but can’t quite register anything other than the tight coil of heat building at his core, growing with every burst of pleasure from Kyungsoo’s mouth and tongue on his cock.
He tightens his grip in Kyungsoo’s hair again when it starts to feel just short of unbearable. “I-I’m going to--” he gasps out, cutting off when Kyungsoo pulls back a little, cheeks hollowing around the tip of his cock. He sucks hard on the head, ignoring the hand pulling sharply at his hair until Jongin comes in his mouth.
He doesn’t swallow, just lets it drip out of his mouth as Jongin’s cock slides out. Most of it gets on the floor, but Jongin can’t bring himself to care. Kyungsoo wipes his mouth on the back of his hand as he stands up. “Good?”
“Good,” Jongin manages, leaning his head back against the door.
Kyungsoo snickers as he zips Jongin’s pants back up, standing a little closer than he needs to. Jongin can feel the press of Kyungsoo’s cock against his thigh. “Do you need--?”
“Yeah,” Kyungsoo breathes, half a whine, and Jongin pushes off the door to back him up against the couch and pull him down.
He gets Kyungsoo off with a hand around his cock, rougher and faster than he’d like to give but Kyungsoo has no complaints, writhing as he spreads his legs and bucks up into Jongin’s hand with sharp gasps. He comes with a cry and spills over Jongin’s fist, and Jongin replaces every image from his dream with this - Kyungsoo underneath him and coming apart.
Kyungsoo does eventually get his piercing, it just takes the two of them a while to get back to Jongin’s session room. After cleaning up the couch and the floor and losing a few more minutes backing Kyungsoo up against the wall and licking into his mouth, Jongin finally gets him back in the chair and re-sanitizes all his tools.
He kisses Kyungsoo once more, hard, before he lines up the needle and pierces his lip. Kyungsoo winces but obediently stays put until the bar is in place and the two studs are screwed on.
“What do you think?” Jongin asks as Kyungsoo examines his lip in the mirror.
“I like it,” he says, licking over the stud. His eyes flick to Jongin’s reflection, just behind his own. “What about you? Is it worth me not being able to suck you off again for a while?”
Jongin flushes. “Would you want to?”
“Yeah,” Kyungsoo says, then drops his eyes again. “I… I meant what I said.”
“About being hot for me?”
Kyungsoo nods without looking up, but Jongin can see that the tips of his ears are pink. “I-- if you want something casual, then I can--”
“I don’t,” Jongin cuts him off, not letting himself hesitate. He steps forward and Kyungsoo turns around so they’re facing each other. “I-I want to see you again.”
“Okay.”
“Not just at work.”
“Okay,” Kyungsoo repeats, laughing a little. “But… I feel like this is going to happen a lot.”
“What is?” Jongin asks.
“Wanting to kiss you,” Kyungsoo says, blushing, “but the piercing--”
Jongin leans down and cuts him off with a soft kiss against the corner of his mouth. He tries to pull away after a moment, but Kyungsoo reaches up to his shoulders and holds him there, so he slowly makes his way across Kyungsoo’s mouth with light kisses, nipping at his top lip and only just barely brushing over the sore piercing.
Kyungsoo can’t kiss him back, but his fingers curled tightly in Jongin’s shirt say enough.
--
Jongin learns over the next few days just how difficult it is to not be able to kiss Kyungsoo hard like he wants to - especially when Kyungsoo is sinking down on his cock, breath hitching and uneven. He keeps trying to bite his lip but remembering the piercing is there, and leaving his mouth to hang open instead. Jongin wants to close it for him, but he settles for licking at his jaw, and for light, gentle kisses on the corners of his mouth to contrast how hard Kyungsoo rides him.
And afterwards, coming down from it, Jongin lies in bed beside him and thinks about how long it is until he can press his mouth to Kyungsoo’s as hard as he wants without having to worry about disrupting the healing. Despite how often he assures Jongin that he likes the piercing, Kyungsoo seems just as annoyed by it. Whether they’re lying quietly in Jongin’s bed or squished together on his couch, he can never stop touching it, pressing his tongue against the bar through his skin and licking over the stud.
Jongin pokes his cheek for what must be the fifth time. “Stop playing with it.”
“It hurts,” Kyungsoo huffs.
“Go get an ice pack.”
Kyungsoo snorts. “Harsh. I was going to let you kiss it better.”
“I can’t,” Jongin says with a frown. “It would hurt.”
“It already hurts,” Kyungsoo says, pouting.
It makes his already-swollen lip look even puffier. Jongin reaches up to drag his thumb across it.
“Ow.”
“I told you,” Jongin chides, sliding his fingers under Kyungsoo’s chin instead and pushing his face up a bit to get a better look. “Once the swelling goes down, you can replace the bar with a shorter one that doesn’t stick out as much.”
Kyungsoo hums. “Another appointment, then?”
“Well, no,” Jongin says. “I mean, I have a kit here. I could get a bar from work, and you could come over whenever.”
“A change-my-piercing date. How romantic.”
“Or,” Jongin says slowly, “you could just stay here.”
Kyungsoo smiles at him. “In your apartment, or in your bed?”
Jongin shrugs. “Either or.”
“I’ll think about it,” Kyungsoo laughs.
He pushes Jongin’s hand away, pinning it down on the sheets between them, and runs his fingers over the ink on Jongin’s wrist. With gentle fingers he draws a trail, following the tree trunk up his arm. Jongin closes his eyes and imagines sparks under his skin.
Title: If It Makes You Feel Alive
Pairing: Jongin/D.O
Word Count: ~7,000 words
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: descriptions of body piercings
Summary: Jongin’s favourite customer isn’t actually a customer, but he does have a really nice mouth.
Author's Note: my google search history is really strange now thanks to this fic :/ but it was a lot of fun to write, i hope you dig it dear recipient * v * thank you S for betaing last-minute and to the lovely 4jongin mod for being so patient ;-;
The plexiglass countertop of the front desk in Two Moons Tattoo Parlour isn’t Jongin’s favourite place to sleep, but on days like this, he takes what he can get. He feels tired down to his bones - not from being up too late or working too hard, but more because of a recurring issue: getting out of bed while he’s still more than half asleep.
Waking up isn’t usually a pleasant experience for Jongin, only made worse when he’s forced into it - particularly by Sehun, and especially by Sehun dropping a box of ink bottles onto the desktop his head is resting on.
Jongin startles awake, sitting up in his chair and blinking rapidly in an attempt to get his eyes to focus on the room around him. It takes his sleep-muddled brain a moment to realize that Sehun is laughing, presumably at his reaction, and another moment further to remember to glare at him.
“What was that for?”
Sehun looks around innocently, as if Jongin could be talking to anyone but him. “What? You were out cold while on the clock, I was doing you a favour!”
“You have a funny way of going about it,” Jongin grumbles, scrubbing a hand over his face.
Joonmyun appears then, seemingly out of nowhere but probably just from outside Jongin’s blurry peripheral vision. He’s put-together as ever, which Jongin figures is probably supposed to be impossible this early in the morning - but then again, he knows that under Joonmyun’s nice knit sweater is the most hardcore chestpiece tattoo he’s ever seen. There is no bigger mystery in Jongin’s life than how Joonmyun manages to uphold his pure image while owning a tattoo parlour at the same time.
This morning he looks a little concerned, while still managing to smile kindly. Since hiring Sehun as his apprentice, this has started to become his default expression.
“Everything alright?” he asks, glancing between the two of them, but he pauses on Jongin and gives him a sympathetic look. “Maybe I shouldn’t have asked you to come in early.”
“I’m awake,” Jongin insists, rubbing his eyes. “Mostly.”
“Yeah, at least he’s not drooling on the desk anymore,” Sehun snickers. Jongin scowls at him. He may only barely remember arriving to start his shift, but he knows he doesn’t drool in his sleep.
“Awake or not,” Joonmyun cuts in before they can start arguing, “I’m glad you came in. We have an appointment this morning that I want Sehun to sit in on, which is why I need you to be here to watch the front desk at the ungodly hour of--” He glances at the clock on the wall. “--ten thirty in the morning.”
Jongin knows he means it sarcastically, but dragging himself out of bed earlier really had been a struggle. Sehun takes one look at the frown on his face and starts laughing again.
“You’ll be okay,” Joonmyun says with an encouraging smile. “You don’t have any clients for a few hours yet, right?”
“I have a girl coming at two,” Jongin says, rubbing his eyes again, “for a… septum, I think. And someone else afterwards getting a reverse helix.”
Sehun makes a face. “Do I even want to know where that goes?”
“It’s an ear piercing,” Jongin says, sticking his tongue out at him.
“If you say so. I swear, you make half those names up--”
“Anyway,” Joonmyun interrupts, getting their attention back. “The guy coming in today was here a few weeks ago for a phoenix design, I don’t know if you remember.”
Sehun and Jongin look at each other and shrug. Joonmyun shakes his head with a smile. “Well, not a big deal. You’ll see it in a bit.” He turns and starts down the hall beside the desk, heading back to his workstation. “The session today is just to finish some shading and touch up the lines a little.”
Looking hopeful, Sehun follows at his heels. “Do I get to do it?”
“We’ll see,” Joonmyun hums, like he’s thinking hard about it, but Jongin already knows he’ll give in.
The two of them disappear into one of the session rooms and Jongin is left alone again, the shop quiet. He rests his chin on his palm and looks around the lobby, eyes wandering over the familiar walls. There are several framed art prints hanging up, all Joonmyun’s, as well as photos of particularly nice tattoos he’s done. One or two of Sehun’s finished works have been added over the past couple months, which makes Jongin smile - it’s a bit like Joonmyun is pinning his child’s artwork to the fridge, or something, but Sehun really is getting quite good.
There’s a couch and some over-stuffed chairs on the other side of the room that serve as a makeshift waiting room, plus a low table with scrapbooks full of tattoo designs, as well as one about different piercings, which Jongin put together himself. Joonmyun’s knowledge of piercings doesn’t go very far, and so Jongin handles the ‘& Piercing’ part of the full shop title, even if it doesn’t fit on the sign outside. It’s a nice setup, and he really does like working at Two Moons, even when he’s beyond tired.
It’s not long before Jongin feels his eyelids drooping again. He could rest his eyes for a bit, he reasons, just to get them to stop aching with fatigue. Just a couple minutes, and then back to work. It sounds solid enough in his head - besides, he can’t get much done if he’s distracted by how bad he wants to go back to sleep, so this is probably a good plan. Too tired to argue with himself, Jongin slumps over the counter and closes his eyes.
The bell above the entrance chooses that moment to chime loudly as someone pushes the door open, and Jongin startles so badly he nearly falls out of his chair. He sits up as two boys enter the shop, trying his best to look casual instead of disgruntled and sleepy as he greets them.
The first one through the door is tall and gangly, grinning even before he gets inside. Jongin only has a moment to wonder if he looks familiar or not before the second newcomer catches his eye. He only just manages to keep his jaw from dropping.
This boy is shorter than the other, dressed casually but somehow still drawing Jongin’s gaze to the way his jeans cling to his legs. He trails behind the taller guy he came in with, eyes wide as he looks around the lobby even though his mouth remains set in a line - but his lips look soft even from across the room, and Jongin has to remind himself to keep his mouth closed.
Joonmyun chooses that moment to appear in the hall again, peeking out from around the corner and smiling when he sees the taller boy.
“Chanyeol,” he calls, and laughs a little when the boy whirls around and runs over to wrap him in a hug. “How have you been?”
“Good,” The tall guy - Chanyeol - says, still grinning. “Stoked for round two.”
“Yeah? How’s your bird?”
“Still beautiful.” Chanyeol slips his hoodie off his shoulders to reveal a bright phoenix tattoo, curled around his shoulder and bicep.
Joonmyun steps over to look at it more closely. “Ah, it’s healed really well.” He runs his fingers over the tip of one wing, then seems to finally notice the other boy beside Chanyeol. “Oh! And you are?”
“Kyungsoo,” the boy says, inclining his head a little. Jongin’s heart jumps a little as he repeats the name to himself.
“My BFF,” Chanyeol adds, putting an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders and trying to pull him in, but Kyungsoo pinches his arm and he lets go with a yelp.
“Are you here for a tattoo as well?” Joonmyun asks.
“No,” Kyungsoo says, gesturing at Chanyeol, who’s pouting and rubbing his arm. “I’m just here to hold his hand.”
Joonmyun laughs, turning back to Chanyeol. “In that case, I’m just about finished setting up.” He steps to one side to show them the way down the hall. “Are you ready?”
“I was born ready,” Chanyeol says, immediately grinning again, all pain forgotten. Behind his back, Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, and his gaze lands on Jongin.
Even from a few feet away with the counter between them, Jongin feels his heart speed up. He does his best to smile and wave, too caught up in Kyungsoo’s stare to be sure if he actually manages both. He must’ve looked alright, though, because Kyungsoo smiles back - it’s tiny, just a quirk of his lips as he turns to follow Chanyeol and Joonmyun down the hall. Jongin feels like his heart might beat right out of his chest.
He’s wide awake for the rest of the day, but unable to focus on anything for very long. The image of Kyungsoo’s smile pastes itself all over the front of his mind, stealing his attention whenever he’s unoccupied - and even a few times when he is occupied, like when the piercing needle in his hand almost misses a girl’s nose entirely.
He doesn’t get to see Chanyeol’s finished tattoo, but he does come out to the lobby just as he and Kyungsoo are leaving, and catches Kyungsoo’s gaze for a moment before the door opens. Kyungsoo smiles again, wider than before, and waves, but disappears before Jongin can return it.
--
Kyungsoo’s smile is still fresh in Jongin’s mind even a week later, but he’s starting to lose hope of ever seeing it firsthand again. These days he spends most of his time at home or at work, and Kyungsoo has, as far as Jongin knows, no reason to be in either of those places.
When he does go out it’s with Sehun and his friends, and if Kyungsoo were a regular at any of the places they frequent, Jongin hopes he would’ve noticed by now. He’s thought about that tiny smile so much that he’s sure he could spot it from across a crowded room.
The point is, Kyungsoo is on his mind a lot, but having no idea how to see him again is kind of a downer. it must show on his face, because when Sehun comes out to the lobby, rubbing hand sanitizer into his palms, it only takes one look at Jongin’s expression for him to pause and raise his eyebrows.
“Alright there?”
“Yeah,” Jongin sighs. He knows Sehun would probably offer the best advice he could come up with, but the thought of explaining his problem out loud just makes it seem silly, like a childish crush. “Just tired.”
Sehun doesn’t look entirely convinced, but he shrugs and lets it go. He leans over the counter to pull out the shop’s day planner, a dollar store notebook with only tape holding the binding together, and flips to the correct page.
For today it’s just the two of them working, Joonmyun having taken the day off, and with only one body piercer and the artist’s apprentice around, there aren’t very many appointments. Still, it’s nice to think that Joonmyun trusts them enough to handle the shop and any customers they get by themselves.
Frowning, Sehun slides his finger down the page to somewhere in the middle, then huffs in annoyance.
“What is it?” Jongin asks.
“This person is late,” Sehun sighs, setting the book down and tapping one of the names on the page. “By like fifteen minutes.”
Jongin leans over to look. “Uh, okay. What do we do?”
“I dunno,” Sehun says, biting his lip. “Do I, like, call them? Or just wait?”
“Is there a phone number?” Jongin asks, squinting at the page. “What does this even say? Your handwriting is awful.”
“This is your handwriting,” Sehun grunts, turning the book back towards himself. “The first name is… Baekhyun?”
As if on cue, the bell above the door chimes, and they both jump as the door is thrown open. Two boys step inside, one mid-sentence in what sounds like a rant, and the other seemingly disinterested, glancing around the shop instead - Jongin recognizes him instantly, and has to stop himself from throwing his chair back and yelling Kyungsoo’s name across the room.
Instead, he tries his best to sit still as the two of them approach the counter.
“I know how to drive,” the other boy is saying, easier to hear as they get closer. “It’s everyone else on the road that apparently can’t tell what the speed limit is, even though there’s a sign ten feet away - and then this dickwad cut me off--”
“I know,” Kyungsoo sighs, “I was there.” He looks at Jongin and smiles, effectively melting Jongin’s insides. “Hi. Sorry, we’re a bit late.”
“That’s okay,” Jongin says dreamily. He sees Sehun give him a weird look out of the corner of his eye, but is too preoccupied with staring at Kyungsoo’s mouth to react.
“Traffic was a nightmare,” the other boy groans, slumping on the desk and effectively shoving Kyungsoo out of Jongin’s line of sight. “I had an appointment at two, with Sehun.”
“That’s me,” Sehun says. Jongin can tell he’s trying to put on his best professional voice, but it trembles a bit. “You’re Baekhyun?”
The boy pushes himself up with his elbows on the counter to grin at Sehun, all earlier frustration apparently forgotten. “That I am,” he says, looking Sehun up and down. “You’re the artist?” he asks, and at Sehun’s quick nod, he leans in to whisper conspiratorially, gesturing at Kyungsoo. “I’ll pay you double if you tattoo ‘Jo Insung’ on his forehead.”
“No you won’t,” Kyungsoo says flatly. “I’m staying out here.”
Baekhyun rolls his eyes with a dramatic sigh. “Fine, whatever. I don’t need your moral support, anyway.” He pushes away from the counter and steps closer to Sehun, whose cheeks turn a bit pink. “I’m in good hands, right?”
“Yeah,” Sehun says a little too quickly. “Uh, I mean-- sure?”
Baekhyun raises his eyebrows at first, then settles into an amused little smile. “Th-this way,” Sehun manages, turning to lead Baekhyun down the hall, and Baekhyun follows with no hesitation.
Holding back a laugh at Sehun’s flustered expression, Jongin watches them go until he remembers that he’s not alone with Kyungsoo, and whips his head back around to find that Kyungsoo is still in front of the desk, looking through the glass at the metal studs and jewelry on display.
“There’s, uh, chairs and stuff, if you want to sit down,” Jongin says. Kyungsoo smiles at him in thanks and goes to sit on the couch, eyes still wandering the walls.
He seems a lot nicer alone than he is with both Chanyeol and Baekhyun, which takes a load off Jongin’s shoulders. Figuring there won’t be anyone else in the shop for a while, he steps out from behind the desk and crosses the room to join him.
“What’s your friend getting?” he asks, and Kyungsoo looks up as he approaches, another small smile on his face. “His tattoo, I mean.”
“‘Be brave’, on his wrist,” Kyungsoo answers. “It’s his motto, or something.”
Jongin nods, carefully taking a seat in the chair closest to the couch. He glances around the room, seatching for something else to say, but Kyungsoo speaks up again instead.
“Are you a tattoo artist as well?”
“Ah, no, that’s just Sehun and Joonmyun,” Jongin explains. “I do piercings.”
“Oh,” Kyungsoo says. “What’s your name?”
Jongin tries his best not to squeak in delight. “Jongin.”
“Jongin,” Kyungsoo repeats. “I’m Kyungsoo.”
“I know,” Jongin says, then panics. “Wait, I mean-- I heard the-- when you were… last time, I heard--”
Kyungsoo just laughs, and Jongin breathes an internal sigh of relief. His heart is beating faster than it needs to, but he still manages to sit comfortably with Kyungsoo as he asks about some different piercings.
“Some of my friends have their ears done, but nothing, like, radically different,” he explains, then pauses, looking over at Jongin. Jongin isn’t sure if he’s imagining the way Kyungsoo’s eyes rove over him. “Do you have any?”
“Piercings? I don’t,” Jongin says, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. “They’re a lot of work to take care of, is all. Giving them out is enough work for me.”
Kyungsoo hums, still staring at him, and Jongin feels like there’s a flush spreading over his whole body. “What about tattoos? Do just your artists have them, or…?”
“No, we all have those,” Jongin says, and takes the opportunity to look away and point at one of the photos on the wall, a thickly-outlined octopus tattoo curled around someone’s forearm. “That one’s Sehun’s, actually. He’s really into that sort of nautical-punk theme. And Joonmyun has a lot, he just hides them when he’s not at work--”
“What about yours?” Kyungsoo asks, eyes still trained on him when Jongin looks back.
“I just have one, right now,” Jongin tells him, wondering if he can see the effect his gaze has. “A tree.”
“Can I see?” Kyungsoo asks, so quickly is startles Jongin a little, then immediately shrinks back, his excited grin disappearing. “Sorry, was that rude?”
“No, it’s fine,” Jongin assures him, and considers it a victory when Kyungsoo smiles back. “I’ll show you, it’s no problem.”
It’s a bit of a problem. Rolling up his sleeve has never felt so sensual, but it’s only because Kyungsoo’s eyes are on him, taking in every inch of skin he reveals.
The tree itself is long and thin, dark inked trunk running up Jongin’s wrist and growing branches closer to the crease of his elbow. He’s had it for a couple years and so he’s used to the look of it, but Kyungsoo shifts closer to peer at it, seeming so in awe of something that, to Jongin, is just a normal part of him.
Kyungsoo reaches out with one hand, then pauses. “Can I--?”
Jongin is nodding before he can finish, and Kyungsoo gently pulls his arm closer and runs his fingers up the tree trunk. His fingers leave tingling trails that almost burn, and Jongin has to suppress a shiver.
After only a few seconds, the sound of a door opening makes Kyungsoo look up, his hands slipping away from Jongin’s arm. Jongin follows his gaze and sees Baekhyun coming out of the hall with Sehun trailing after him, looking a little dazed.
“Done already?” Kyungsoo asks.
Baekhyun scoffs, holding up his arm so they can see the wrap over his wrist. “It was two words, not the Mona Lisa.” He smiles when he turns back to Sehun, though, and the two of them head to the front desk so Baekhyun can pay for his tattoo.
“I guess we’re off,” Kyungsoo sighs, standing up. Jongin also gets to his feet, trying to think of an excuse to walk him to the door, but Kyungsoo doesn’t move away yet, smiling at him instead. “Thanks for showing me,” he says quietly, nudging Jongin’s arm.
Even the split-second of contact feels like the flick of a lighter beneath Jongin’s skin. “Anytime,” he says dazedly.
Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow at his choice of words, but turns away before Jongin can backtrack. He looks over at the desk where Baekhyun is slowly putting his wallet away, smiling at Sehun as he stumbles through whatever he’s trying to say.
“Baekhyun, I’m leaving.”
Baekhyun frowns at him over his shoulder. “You don’t have any patience, do you?” he grumbles, but he does push away from the counter to join Kyungsoo by the door.
“Bye, Jongin,” Kyungsoo says, smiling up at him, but he slips outside before Jongin gets his breath back.
“Later,” Baekhyun calls to Sehun with a grin, and then the door closes behind him, and it’s just Jongin and Sehun left in the shop.
Jongin rolls his sleeve back down and tries to ignore the residual tingling in his arm. He glances over at Sehun, who looks a little like he just got off a rollercoaster.
“So what’s happening ’later’?” he asks.
Sehun’s cheeks go pink again. “Nothing,” he says, too quickly, and scurries off to the session room to clean up before Jongin can ask him anything else.
It’s okay if Sehun doesn’t want to talk about it, Jongin supposes as he takes his seat behind the front desk again. He can’t really focus on much, anyway, except how it felt to have Kyungsoo’s fingers running over his tattoo.
He tries it himself, sliding two fingers under his sleeve to rub lightly over the ink. It feels the same as it has since he got it, and only the memory of the burn heats up beneath his skin.
--
That night, Jongin dreams of the tree swirling up his arm and across his chest, spreading its branches over his entire body. He can’t touch the lines, but he knows Kyungsoo can, and when he looks up from the leaves sprouting on the backs of his hands he finds Kyungsoo there in front of him.
Jongin tries to watch his face but ends up distracted by his hands - he’s not sure when Kyungsoo reached out to touch but suddenly he’s leaving sparking trails along the inked lines on Jongin’s body, every press of his fingers making Jongin’s skin erupt with heat. He drags his nails over Jongin’s torso; sends throbbing waves down his spine with his fingertips; slides his hands up his thighs and pauses there, where the ink stops.
Kyungsoo looks up at Jongin from down on his knees in front of him, his mouth wet and red, then presses his palm between his legs, and the rush of heat tears Jongin out of the dream.
He wakes up tangled in sweat-sticky sheets with his cock hard and straining against the fabric of his boxers. It feels a little weird, knowing it’s all because of a guy he’s only met twice, but Jongin rolls over anyway and slides a hand under his waistband. He’s gotten off to thoughts of plenty different people, after all.
Something about his dream, about Kyungsoo, makes this feel different, though, like it should stand apart. He imagines the fist around his cock is Kyungsoo’s instead, and comes hard a few strokes later, biting his lip to keep from moaning embarrassingly loud.
When he climbs back into bed later, with washed hands and clean boxers, Jongin hopes that the next time he sees Kyungsoo they can have a real conversation. One without interruptions or awkward silences, or interludes of Jongin staring at his mouth while he speaks.
Mostly, though, he hopes that another of Kyungsoo’s friends wanders into the shop, and that Kyungsoo will want to come along.
--
As it happens, Kyungsoo does.
Only a few days later, the bell on the door chimes and Jongin looks up to see Kyungsoo enter, another boy following behind him.
“Back again?” Jongin asks, unable to stop himself from smiling as Kyungsoo comes up to the counter.
“In my defense,” Kyungsoo says, “I’ve never been in here getting something for myself.”
Jongin laughs. “So who is it this time?”
“This is Jongdae.” Kyungsoo drags his friend forward by the elbow. “He’s here to get his ears pierced.
That throws Jongin a little. Usually customers that come in for piercings are looking for something a bit more advanced than simple lobe piercings
His surprise apparently shows on his face, and Jongdae blushes a little. “I didn’t want to just go to some piercing kiosk in the mall, okay,” he explains, “and Kyungsoo recommended your shop, so--”
“He did?” Jongin asks, and it’s Kyungsoo’s turn to blush when Jongin smiles at him again.
“Is it okay to not have an appointment?” Kyungsoo asks quickly, trying to change the subject.
“It should be fine,” Jongin answers, then leans back in his chair to look down the hall. “Joonmyun,” he calls, “do you want to take this?”
Joonmyun comes trotting out a few seconds later, kind smile in place even though he looks a bit ragged in just jeans and a thing wifebeater. “Take what?”
“Ear piercing,” Jongin says, gesturing at Jongdae, who waves but is clearly preoccupied with staring at the dark swirls of ink across Joonmyun’s collarbones.
“Sure,” Joonmyun says, smiling at Jongdae and beckoning him over. “Is this your first time?”
Jongdae turns bright pink and nods.
“That’s alright,” Joonmyun says, apparently not noticing the deep blush on Jongdae’s cheeks. “Just follow me.”
And Jongdae does, scurrying after him down the hall. As soon as they’re gone, Jongin looks back at Kyungsoo.
“Did you really recommend us to your friends?” he asks.
“Yeah,” Kyungsoo says with a shrug, but he looks down at the jewelry display instead of at Jongin. “You guys are good at what you do, plus it’s small enough to not be intimidating, and you’re-- I don’t know. Nice.”
Jongin beams at him, and when Kyungsoo glances up at him he snorts. “What’s that face for?”
“It’s just cool to hear that,” Jongin says. “Especially from someone who isn’t even into what we sell.”
“Who says I’m not into it?” Kyungsoo shoots back.
“Oh,” Jongin says, backtracking. “Sorry, I just figured--”
“It’s okay, I’m kidding,” Kyungsoo says with a laugh. “Tattoos aren’t really my thing, to be honest. But…” He looks back at the display in the counter. “I come in here so often, I feel like I really should get something done. Like, get some piercing just for the hell of it.”
“Well,” Jongin sighs, leaning on the counter in front of him, “I could definitely help you out, if you ever wanted to get one.”
Kyungsoo glances up with a smirk. “What do you think I’d look good with?”
Jongin hums, eyes dropping to Kyungsoo’s mouth. “A vertical labret.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a lip piercing.” Without thinking, Jongin reaches out, only realizing what he’s doing when his fingers are hovering in front of Kyungsoo’s face. He hesitates, but Kyungsoo doesn’t move away, so Jongin holds his breath and taps, lightly, just below Kyungsoo’s mouth.
“One end comes out here, like a normal labret,” he explains, “and the other end--” He moves his finger up a little to rest on Kyungsoo’s bottom lip. “Here.”
Kyungsoo looks up at him but doesn’t ask him to stop touching, so Jongin waits a few seconds longer before he takes his hand back.
“Huh,” Kyungsoo says after a moment, and pulls away from Jongin’s hand to squint at himself in one of the mirrors along the wall. He sticks out his bottom lip in an exaggerated pout at his reflection. “You really think so?”
Jongin can’t nod fast enough. Kyungsoo hums for another moment, then shrugs. “Okay.”
“Wh-- really?” Jongin raises his eyebrows. “Just like that?”
“Yeah, sure,” Kyungsoo says. “I might as well, you know?”
He keeps the same nonchalant attitude even as Jongin writes his name down in the day planner, remarkably calm about the whole thing. Jongin is pretty sure that he himself is feeling more stoked about it than Kyungsoo is.
“You have some options,” he explains, flipping the book around to show him. “You can request which of us you want to do it, me or Joonmyun or--”
“You,” Kyungsoo says immediately, cutting him off.
Jongin’s heart jumps a little, but he tries not to let his pleasure show on his face as he closes the book. “That’s sorted, then,” he says, putting it away and turning back to Kyungsoo. “You can come in at five tomorrow.”
“Alright,” Kyungsoo agrees. He looks for a moment like he wants to say more, but then Joonmyun and Jongdae reappear, the latter with silver studs shining on his earlobes.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Joonmyun is asking, and Jongdae shakes his head, looking a little dazed.
Joonmyun hums and leans closer, inspecting one of the studs. “You should probably come back in a week or so, just so I can make sure they’re healing properly.”
“Sure,” Jongdae squeaks, and Joonmyun pulls back to give him a concerned look.
“Are you alright?” he asks. “You look a little flushed, maybe you’re reacting to the metal--”
“I’m fine,” Jongdae says quickly, and scurries across the room to grab Kyungsoo’s arm. “Done, let’s go.”
“You kind of have to pay for these things,” Kyungsoo points out, but Joonmyun waves him off.
“Don’t worry about it,” he says, then smiles at Jongdae again. “See you soon?”
Jongdae manages a noise that sounds only generally affirmative, but it’s good enough for Joonmyun and he waves before he disappears down the hall again. Jongdae looks a little like he’s going to melt into the floor.
Kyungsoo laughs and starts to pull him towards the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he calls to Jongin as he steps back outside.
“I’ll be waiting,” Jongin tells him, not thinking about his words until after the door closes, then lets his head drop onto the counter.
It’s going to be another long wait to see Kyungsoo again, made even longer by the fact that he knows exactly when to expect him back. He hopes the payoff will be worth it.
He closes his eyes for a moment to picture Kyungsoo’s mouth with labret studs in place. It’ll definitely be worth it, even if he does have to sit and watch all the minutes tick by until then. Straightening up again, Jongin rests his elbows on the desk and settles in to wait.
--
On the day of Kyungsoo’s appointment, time seems to pass even slower while Jongin only grows more and more anxious. He tries his best to relax, but he jumps every time the door chimes, even though he knows Kyungsoo isn’t coming until the evening.
He gets his session room set up early just to waste some time, sterilizing the needle and bar that are going to be used, then sits at the front desk and stares at the clock for what feels like a year until Kyungsoo finally arrives.
He slips through the door with a shy smile, and Jongin half-expects someone else to follow him inside. It’s just him, though, just Kyungsoo and Jongin and no one else for once.
“Hey,” he greets, stepping up to the counter. “Am I too early?”
He is, by like twenty minutes, but Jongin could care less. “It’s fine. The shop is dead, anyway, and everything’s ready to go.”
He feels a little weird, leading Kyungsoo down the hall to the correct room. It seems more personal than it probably should - it’s his work station, not his bedroom. Still, when Kyungsoo hops up to sit on the padded chair for customers, Jongin swallows hard.
This is really happening. He’s about to get up close and personal with Kyungsoo’s mouth. He immediately distracts himself from that thought, busying his hands with the piercing needle.
“So,” he starts, “after this, you’re not going to be able to do a lot of stuff with your mouth for a few days.”
“Like what?” Kyungsoo asks, swinging his feet.
Jongin leans back against the counter across from him. “Well, eating, for example. You should avoid things that are spicy, salty, or acidic. Cold things can help reduce the swelling, though.” He crosses his arms, running through his mental list of care instructions. “Once it’s in, you shouldn’t move the jewelry more than necessary, or it can cause scarring or move the piercing out of place. Try not to speak that much or open your mouth too wide, and avoid oral sexual contact.”
Kyungsoo snorts. “So I can’t suck anyone off for a couple weeks, is what you’re saying.”
Jongin nods, turning away to wash his hands. Kyungsoo doesn’t say anything more, though, and when Jongin looks over he finds him biting his lip with an almost conflicted expression. “Is that… an issue for you, or…?”
“Well…” Kyungsoo’s gaze slides from Jongin’s face down across his torso and then drops lower, and Jongin feels a spike of heat flare up his spine. “It’s just a long time to wait,” Kyungsoo says, dragging his eyes back up.
“For who?” Jongin asks before he can stop himself, and Kyungsoo smirks at him.
“Did you think I didn’t see you watching me all those times?” he asks quietly. “There’s a reason I came back so much.”
Jongin’s head is spinning, but when Kyungsoo reaches for him he stumbles closer, and lets himself be pulled in by his belt loops. “Wait, so you’re--?”
“Hot for you?” Kyungsoo breathes, looking up at him with one hand hovering over the zipper of Jongin’s jeans. “Yeah.”
He starts to unzip it slowly, and even the light pressure from his fingers against the fabric has Jongin bucking forward a little, groaning as his cock hardens. It takes until the zipper is down and Kyungsoo’s hand is halfway into his pants before he remembers where they are.
“Ah, stop,” he chokes out. “We can’t do this here, it’s supposed to be sanitary.”
Kyungsoo gives him a look. “Do you have something better in mind?”
“Break room,” Jongin manages. “There’s a couch.”
Rolling his eyes with a sigh, Kyungsoo hops down from the chair and lets Jongin tug him across the hall to the break room. It’s tiny, only barely managing to fit a fridge, a sink, and a coffeemaker.
And the couch, of course, but Kyungsoo ignores that in favour of pressing Jongin up against the door as soon as it’s closed and locked. He grabs Jongin by the collar and kisses him, his lips soft and warm but bruising, and Jongin pushes back against his mouth. He meets Kyungsoo’s tongue halfway, nips his bottom lip, reaches up to pull him closer - but Kyungsoo slips away, sinking down to his knees in front of Jongin instead. Looking down at him, Jongin feels the strangest sense of deja-vu.
“Okay?” Kyungsoo asks breathily, his hands sliding up Jongin’s thighs.
“Yeah, I--” Jongin cuts off when Kyungsoo tugs his jeans down a little to pull his cock out. “It’s nothing, it’s-- christ. Okay.”
Kyungsoo laughs a little, glances up at him to make sure he’s watching, then takes Jongin’s cock into his mouth. The wet heat is almost too much right then and there, but Jongin curls his hands into fists against the door and wills himself to stay upright. Kyungsoo sucks hard, pulls off a little, then pushes forward, taking Jongin deeper each time until he’s almost gagging. Jongin slides a hand into his hair, tugging hard when Kyungsoo’s tongue swirls around the head of his cock. “Fuck, Kyungsoo.”
Humming, Kyungsoo pulls off all the way, a thread of spit and precome connecting his mouth to Jongin’s dick. “Doing alright?” he asks, voice rougher than before, and Jongin whines in response.
His legs start trembling when Kyungsoo takes him back in his mouth, deep as he can take it, and swallows, the very back of his throat working around Jongin’s length. Jongin knows he’s making noise, but can’t quite register anything other than the tight coil of heat building at his core, growing with every burst of pleasure from Kyungsoo’s mouth and tongue on his cock.
He tightens his grip in Kyungsoo’s hair again when it starts to feel just short of unbearable. “I-I’m going to--” he gasps out, cutting off when Kyungsoo pulls back a little, cheeks hollowing around the tip of his cock. He sucks hard on the head, ignoring the hand pulling sharply at his hair until Jongin comes in his mouth.
He doesn’t swallow, just lets it drip out of his mouth as Jongin’s cock slides out. Most of it gets on the floor, but Jongin can’t bring himself to care. Kyungsoo wipes his mouth on the back of his hand as he stands up. “Good?”
“Good,” Jongin manages, leaning his head back against the door.
Kyungsoo snickers as he zips Jongin’s pants back up, standing a little closer than he needs to. Jongin can feel the press of Kyungsoo’s cock against his thigh. “Do you need--?”
“Yeah,” Kyungsoo breathes, half a whine, and Jongin pushes off the door to back him up against the couch and pull him down.
He gets Kyungsoo off with a hand around his cock, rougher and faster than he’d like to give but Kyungsoo has no complaints, writhing as he spreads his legs and bucks up into Jongin’s hand with sharp gasps. He comes with a cry and spills over Jongin’s fist, and Jongin replaces every image from his dream with this - Kyungsoo underneath him and coming apart.
Kyungsoo does eventually get his piercing, it just takes the two of them a while to get back to Jongin’s session room. After cleaning up the couch and the floor and losing a few more minutes backing Kyungsoo up against the wall and licking into his mouth, Jongin finally gets him back in the chair and re-sanitizes all his tools.
He kisses Kyungsoo once more, hard, before he lines up the needle and pierces his lip. Kyungsoo winces but obediently stays put until the bar is in place and the two studs are screwed on.
“What do you think?” Jongin asks as Kyungsoo examines his lip in the mirror.
“I like it,” he says, licking over the stud. His eyes flick to Jongin’s reflection, just behind his own. “What about you? Is it worth me not being able to suck you off again for a while?”
Jongin flushes. “Would you want to?”
“Yeah,” Kyungsoo says, then drops his eyes again. “I… I meant what I said.”
“About being hot for me?”
Kyungsoo nods without looking up, but Jongin can see that the tips of his ears are pink. “I-- if you want something casual, then I can--”
“I don’t,” Jongin cuts him off, not letting himself hesitate. He steps forward and Kyungsoo turns around so they’re facing each other. “I-I want to see you again.”
“Okay.”
“Not just at work.”
“Okay,” Kyungsoo repeats, laughing a little. “But… I feel like this is going to happen a lot.”
“What is?” Jongin asks.
“Wanting to kiss you,” Kyungsoo says, blushing, “but the piercing--”
Jongin leans down and cuts him off with a soft kiss against the corner of his mouth. He tries to pull away after a moment, but Kyungsoo reaches up to his shoulders and holds him there, so he slowly makes his way across Kyungsoo’s mouth with light kisses, nipping at his top lip and only just barely brushing over the sore piercing.
Kyungsoo can’t kiss him back, but his fingers curled tightly in Jongin’s shirt say enough.
--
Jongin learns over the next few days just how difficult it is to not be able to kiss Kyungsoo hard like he wants to - especially when Kyungsoo is sinking down on his cock, breath hitching and uneven. He keeps trying to bite his lip but remembering the piercing is there, and leaving his mouth to hang open instead. Jongin wants to close it for him, but he settles for licking at his jaw, and for light, gentle kisses on the corners of his mouth to contrast how hard Kyungsoo rides him.
And afterwards, coming down from it, Jongin lies in bed beside him and thinks about how long it is until he can press his mouth to Kyungsoo’s as hard as he wants without having to worry about disrupting the healing. Despite how often he assures Jongin that he likes the piercing, Kyungsoo seems just as annoyed by it. Whether they’re lying quietly in Jongin’s bed or squished together on his couch, he can never stop touching it, pressing his tongue against the bar through his skin and licking over the stud.
Jongin pokes his cheek for what must be the fifth time. “Stop playing with it.”
“It hurts,” Kyungsoo huffs.
“Go get an ice pack.”
Kyungsoo snorts. “Harsh. I was going to let you kiss it better.”
“I can’t,” Jongin says with a frown. “It would hurt.”
“It already hurts,” Kyungsoo says, pouting.
It makes his already-swollen lip look even puffier. Jongin reaches up to drag his thumb across it.
“Ow.”
“I told you,” Jongin chides, sliding his fingers under Kyungsoo’s chin instead and pushing his face up a bit to get a better look. “Once the swelling goes down, you can replace the bar with a shorter one that doesn’t stick out as much.”
Kyungsoo hums. “Another appointment, then?”
“Well, no,” Jongin says. “I mean, I have a kit here. I could get a bar from work, and you could come over whenever.”
“A change-my-piercing date. How romantic.”
“Or,” Jongin says slowly, “you could just stay here.”
Kyungsoo smiles at him. “In your apartment, or in your bed?”
Jongin shrugs. “Either or.”
“I’ll think about it,” Kyungsoo laughs.
He pushes Jongin’s hand away, pinning it down on the sheets between them, and runs his fingers over the ink on Jongin’s wrist. With gentle fingers he draws a trail, following the tree trunk up his arm. Jongin closes his eyes and imagines sparks under his skin.