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Sejun’s hands shake as he takes the questionnaire from the friendly artist behind the reception desk. He made this appointment weeks ago and they already settled on a design, a simple strawberry plant, so all he still needs to do is answer questions like ‘Have you drunk enough today?’ and then wait until it’s his turn.
Knowing this doesn’t seem to lessen his nerves. Rather, it makes them worse. He sighs and sits down on a chair in the waiting area as the tattoo artist goes to the back to help his next client, or at least that’s what Sejun guesses he’ll do. It’s his first time getting a tattoo done. He doesn’t know how it will go. All he knows is that it will be painful.
He swallows nervously and casts a glance around. There’s only one other person in the waiting area, a guy that looks to be about the same age. He sits in his chair, completely relaxed, the finished questionnaire in his lap. His fingers play with the pen impatiently, and as his arm moves around, Sejun catches a glimpse of why he’s probably so relaxed: a tattoo of a candle sticks out for a moment as the sleeve moves up his arm slightly.
He has gotten tattooed once before, perhaps more often. Sejun briefly wonders how much ink is hidden under the sweater the other is wearing, when he looks up and meets his eye. And wow, he’s kind of gorgeous shoots through his brain when the man smiles at him. He throws a nervous smile back and feels the back of his neck heat up as the man turns his attention elsewhere again.
He quickly looks back down at the last few questions on his paper and answers them, trying not to think of the way the other’s eyes crinkled when he smiled and how his lip piercing… He looks up again. Yes it’s really there. He has a lip piercing. Sejun swallows and looks back down before he can get caught staring again.
He finishes the questionnaire and looks around the lobby a bit more. There’s a lot of art on display, but also countless of piercings for every part of the body imaginable. He lets his eyes wander over the rows of dangly earrings and wonders if he can afford to get a new pair on top of this expensive adventure. The answer is no. He doesn’t think he can stop himself.
Occasionally he steals glances. The stranger seems content just playing with his pen and his lip piercing, which drives Sejun absolutely crazy. The more he looks the more he realizes the man is really, really pretty and totally Sejun’s type. He shakes himself and pouts, crossing his arms. He’s not here to flirt with some random man that’s just trying to get his who knows how manyeth tattoo.
Determined to not let himself get distracted anymore, he stays in that position, until he hears a soft chuckle from the other side of the room. He looks over surprised, to where the stranger is poorly trying to suppress his laughter, a hand in front of his mouth as his eyes twinkle at Sejun.
“What’s so funny?” He asks, before he thinks twice. Ah yes, be impolite to the handsome stranger. He mentally berates himself when the other’s face turns into an apologetic look. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound angry.” He adds hastily.
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be laughing at you.” He answers and he looks so genuinely upset Sejun almost groans aloud at his own stupidly big mouth.
“It’s okay, really. I’m just curious as to what made you laugh.” He throws the man his Special Dimple Smile and he sees the worry disappear from his face.
“Your expression.” He explains hesitantly.
“What about it?” Sejun encourages him, leaning towards him a bit. What was funny about his expression? All he did was pout slightly, he didn’t think it was noticeable, but apparently it had been.
“It, well, it was rather cute.” The man finishes with a slight flush to his cheeks, but he doesn’t look away.
“Cute?” Sejun smirks. Perhaps he hasn’t been the only one staring. “That’s flattering.”
The man shifts a bit in his seat, seemingly nervous now. Sejun suppresses a giggle of his own at how the roles have switched, but then he hears his name being called out and all his confidence disappears like snow in the sun.
He turns to the tattoo artist, who cocks his eyebrow at him questioningly. “Coming.” His voice sounds shaky and weak. How did he ever talk himself into this?
“Are you okay?” He hears a soft voice from beside him. The stranger has scooted closer, and he looks even better up close. But, more importantly, he looks worried and Sejun feels his heart clench.
“Yeah.” He breathes out, trembling as he gets up. He can do this. He can’t let himself look like an idiot in front of this person who has probably done this a thousand times.
“It’s no good if you think you’ll faint.” The artist says, also looking very worried. Sejun frowns. He can do this. It would’ve been easier if that filthy betrayer Chan, who had promised to come with him, hadn’t cancelled on him, but he’s damned if he lets the fact that he cannot hold a hand to get through this stop him.
Or maybe he can? He glances at the pretty stranger, who’s still got his deep brown eyes filled with concern fixed on him, and breathes in deeply before making a ridiculous suggestion.
“Can you come with me?” He asks, and he immediately regrets it. What a stupid thing to ask.
“Sure, if that helps.” The stranger smiles at him and Sejun is momentarily stunned. He didn’t expect a yes, but that is what he got. He smiles, still a bit shaky, but he already feels a bit better. He might not know this person very well, but there will be someone there with him, and that’s more than enough to somewhat settle the nerves in his stomach.
He smiles at him and nods. “This is my first time and my friend, who was gonna come with me, cancelled, so it would be really nice to have someone there, especially someone with experience.”
To Sejun’s surprise the man doesn’t laugh at him. Instead, he nods like he understands. “The first time is the scariest, I can imagine thinking you’ll go in with someone and then suddenly having to do it alone can shake you a bit.”
Before Sejun can respond, the stranger takes his hand and pulls him along to follow the artist to the back rooms. He shakes his head. He can’t believe this stranger just told him it’s perfectly fine to want to hold someone's hand, much less that that same stranger just took his hand. He can’t complain, though; it’s nice.
They enter the room where the tattooing will take place. A not too uncomfortable looking, black chair stands next to a metal table that holds various little ink pots and needles and machinery that make Sejun’s head spin. The artist instructs him to sit down, and he feels his legs mechanically move forward without his command.
He sits down and then notices that the stranger never left. He stands next to him, his hand still securely holding onto Sejun’s. “Thank you,” Sejun whispers, a bit awed.
“It’s nothing, really. Beats sitting in the front and waiting alone.” The man smiles at him, a bit timidly. He seems a bit unsure of whether or not he should be there, but his words are firm and sincere.
Before he can think of what to say, the tattoo artist demands his attention. “So, where exactly on your arm did you want this?” He asks, already readying his cleaning supplies.
Sejun carefully breaks free from the friendly man’s grip to hitch his already short sleeves up even more and give a short explanation as to where he wants the tattoo. The tattoo artist nods and moves in to carefully clean the area and then shave it.
Sejun looks back to the other man, who smiles at him with his arms dangling next to him. He seems very shy, and Sejun finds it hopelessly endearing. He smiles and reaches his free hand out to him again. “Weren’t you going to hold my hand?” He asks, feigning an innocent look.
The man scoffs at him, but he relaxes and takes his hand with a small, happy smile.
“I’m Sejun, by the way.” He introduces himself. Better late than never, right?
“Hanse.” The man nods at him, Sejun notices the tattoo artist throw them a puzzled look, but he keeps to himself, like a professional, perhaps even relieved he doesn’t have to do the small talk for once.
“Nice to meet you, Hanse.” Sejun looks back at him and notices that his cheeks are a nice shade of pink. He barely holds back a giggle.
“Nice to meet you too.” Hanse does chuckle, his hand giving Sejun’s a soft squeeze.
Finally, the cleaning is done and the tattoo artist places the stencil against Sejun’s arm, shifting it until his client is satisfied with the placement. He transfers it to his skin with a stick of deodorant that smells surprisingly pleasant. Sejun nods along happily as he explains the process of the tattooing, the fear completely gone, a soft hand seemingly anchoring him to the ground. He notes vaguely how it fits perfectly in his and his smile widens.
He hears a soft gasp from beside him and looks over to Hanse with raised eyebrows. Hanse blushes and looks away quickly, mumbling something that sounds suspiciously like ‘dimple’. Sejun feels his stomach flip at the thought of his dimple impressing the pretty man with the pretty smile.
The artist moves over to the table and starts preparing his equipment. Sejun gulps and subconsciously tightens his grip a bit. He immediately loosens it again and his eyes widen a bit in shock, but he gets a reassuring squeeze back from Hanse.
“Squeeze as hard as you need to.” He says softly.
“You really shouldn’t say that to me.” Sejun chuckles. “You have no idea what you’re getting into.”
Hanse smirks and Sejun short circuits for a few seconds. “Try me.”
“Is that a challenge?” Sejun cocks an eyebrow. Before Hanse gets to answer the tattoo artist turns back to Sejun and starts applying an ointment. Sejun learned earlier that this was to make his skin smoother for the needle, and so the action sends a little shock of fear through him that has him clench his teeth.
“Alright, relax as much as you can, and keep breathing.” The instructions that were probably on the tip of the artist's tongue come out of Hanse’s mouth instead. He doesn’t seem to mind, throwing Hanse and Sejun a smile before he gets the tattoo needle out.
“You ready?” He asks and Sejun looks up at Hanse nervously, as if he was a little kid at the dentist looking for his parents' reassurance. Instead of the impatient ‘just get it over with’ he would’ve probably gotten from his parents (or Chan for that matter) he gets a smile and a squeeze of his hand that immediately make all his worries disappear.
“You got this.” Hanse says and Sejun nods, bracing himself for the prick of the needle as he keeps his eyes on Hanse. As long as he doesn’t look worried, there’s nothing for Sejun to be worried about.
When the tattoo artist moves in with the needle, however, he lets out a soft whimper of fear that has Hanse holding back his laughter. He scowls and sticks his tongue out at him, before giving the artist a sign to continue. He does, but right before the needle can touch Sejun’s skin, he lets out a poorly held back scream that startles both the others. Hanse straight up starts laughing, but the tattoo artist scowls.
“If you’re too scared maybe we should reschedule?” He asks, eyeing Sejun suspiciously.
“No! It’s fine, I’m fine.” Sejun says, hastily. “I’ll sit still I promise.” He feels like a little kid again, being scolded for being too rowdy.
The tattoo artist nods and moves back in, and this time Sejun manages to hold still, though a small whimper still escapes at contact. It hurts, a lot, but it’s manageable. Hanse’s face gets a bit blurry as his eyes tear up, but he quickly blinks those tears away. Hanse’s face comes into focus again, and his jaw is set, his smile seeming forced. He’s no longer laughing.
Sejun frowns as he tries to decipher the look in Hanse's eyes, but right then another twinge of pain hits. It's dulling the longer the artist works, but occasionally a spike will shoot through him. He squeezes his eyes shut briefly.
When he opens them again Hanse's smile is almost gone, the remaining ghost most definitely fake and forced. Sejun is about to ask him what's wrong when he suddenly realizes the strength with which he's gripping the other's hand. Hanse is biting through more pain than he is.
He quickly loosens his grip and sees the other visibly exhale. "Sorry." He mutters quietly.
"You did warn." Hanse chuckles as he flexes his fingers a bit. Sejun loosens his grip enough for him to be able to pull his hand free if he wants to, but Hanse gives him a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, I've been through worse. I've got several tattoos of my own, remember?"
Sejun manages a smile despite the dull pain that's still ringing through his arm. "Right, the tattoos. When did you get your first one?"
"It hasn't been too long. I think it's been nearly two years?" Hanse says, scrunching his face in thought.
"February," the artist mumbles.
"Right, February last year. Thanks, Seungwoo." Hanse smiles and the tattoo artist, apparently named Seungwoo, smiles back. Sejun feels like a bit of an idiot for not asking his name.
Hanse holds up his free hand and shakes it, letting the sleeve of his sweater fall down a bit. At first a dot appears on the inside of his wrist, then, underneath it, a comma. "A semicolon?" Sejun wonders aloud.
"Yeap, you got it! It's a symbol of hardships overcome." He says proudly and Sejun smiles.
"That's a great reason for a tattoo."
"Thanks." A small blush appears on Hanse's cheeks and he clears his throat. "After that I got a bunch more."
He starts talking about all his various tattoos, occasionally letting go of Sejun's hand when Sejun requests to see one of them. He tells little stories of what they mean and why he likes them. Sejun is surprised to learn he is also a man of faith.
He hangs onto every word that comes out of the other's mouth, completely enthralled. He barely notices the pain anymore and so Hanse's hand is spared from any more squeezing. He shows him his last set of tattoos, on his forearm, and explains why he got those.
"So, what's your tattoo story?" He asks once he has explained them all.
Sejun feels a bit shy about explaining it, but it's only fair that he does, since Hanse showed him all of his and told him the stories behind them as if they were lifelong friends and not strangers that met minutes before. He looks down at Seungwoo's hands, still busy on his arm and is surprised to see the linework is almost done. Hanse talked him through most of it.
He decides he deserves to know and takes a deep breath to settle himself. "Well, it's.. my conception dream. My mother dreamt of strawberries." He says quietly.
"Strawberries? Oh! I figured you were getting a rose, I only saw the leaves. That's pretty." Hanse smiles down at him.
"I wanted something unique for my first tattoo."
"It's very unique, I've not seen any people myself with a strawberry tattoo." Hanse agrees.
"I've only once before done one on someone." Seungwoo comments, confirming their thoughts. "It's time to start the colouring. Are you happy so far?"
"Yeah, it looks great!" Sejun smiles, admiring the linework.
Seungwoo takes his time getting his equipment and colours ready and Sejun grows nervous again. Hanse's hand never returned to his after he showed off his last tattoo, and Sejun isn't quite desperate enough to ask it back. Not yet.
He feels his eyes widen a bit in fear as Seungwoo moves back in with his needle, and he swallows harshly. The fingers of his free hand clench around nothing and he feels sweat break out on his face. Damnit, hold yourself together , he thinks, but then a soft hand wraps around his clenched fist and softly massages it loose, and Hanse intertwines their fingers once again.
It spreads a warmth through Sejun that has him release the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "God, you're such a scaredy cat." Hanse snickers, his eyes glittering with mirth, but then Sejun's hand clenches around his when Seungwoo starts colouring and Hanse's joy disappears.
Sejun laughs, relaxing his hand again as the pain turns out to be far less than what he expected. "I thought you could handle a little pain." He teases.
"This is nothing." Hanse mutters through clenched teeth.
Sejun gently starts rubbing circles on the back of Hanse's hand, feeling maybe a little guilty about causing the friendly stranger so much pain. Hanse looks at him, surprised.
"What are you doing?" He asks, wide-eyed
"Making it better." Sejun simply answers. "Do you want me to stop?"
"No." Hanse says quickly and a deep blush appears on his cheeks. "It's nice."
Cute , Sejun thinks. He continues softly massaging Hanse's hand as best as he can with one hand, both as an apology and to see him squirm a bit under his touch.
Far sooner than he expected (and far too soon for his liking) Seungwoo announces that he's done. He gestures to the mirror for Sejun to go and admire his new tattoo. Hanse moves with him, but lets go of his arm. The tattoo looks amazing. He tells Seungwoo so as well, thanking him for his hard work.
"Can I take a picture? For my portfolio." Seungwoo asks, his phone already in his hand. Sejun nods, taking out his own phone as well to take some shots to show his family and friends the work, without the protective layers that Seungwoo applies after they're done.
He thanks him again and makes to leave, Hanse following him. "Ah, Hanse! You can go sit in room three I'll be right with you." Seungwoo says quickly, before the door can close behind them.
"Alright!" Hanse answers and the door clicks shut. They make their way through the hall together, until Hanse stops in front of the door labelled '3'.
"Thank you for that." Sejun says, scratching the back of his neck. "That was more helpful than I thought it would be."
Hanse snorts. "I practically dragged you through that appointment."
"Well, yes." Sejun admits sheepishly. "Let me make it up to you."
"How?" Hanse asks, intrigued.
"I'll treat you to a coffee sometime." He offers and bites his lip. Was that too straightforward?
"I've got a better idea." Hanse's face lights up. "How about you come in with me and hold my hand?"
Sejun pretends to think it over, as if the idea of getting to hold Hanse's hand a while longer isn't making his whole body tingle. "Can I still buy you a coffee after?"
"It's a date." Hanse winks at him and then takes his hand to drag him inside.
Sejun couldn't be happier as he patiently waits through Hanse's appointment. He reminds himself to thank Chan later for bailing on him. Without that, he would've never scored a date with the prettiest man he's ever seen, who also happens to be the kindest man he's ever met.
His smile quickly falters as Hanse's hand clenches around his. Payback, he supposes.