Archive of Our Own

In the staff kitchen, Changbin makes another cup of coffee. He didn't close the door, so Jisung not only hears him, but also sees him (and will probably smell his coffee too), how he leans on the counter while the machine mechanically conjures coffee from the capsule, straight into Changbin's chipped ceramic mug. He hums. He even sways his hips as he picks up a dishcloth and wipes a stain from the coffee machine. His tail swings from side to side, the black tuft of hair at the end curling up.

He doesn't look worried. Considering that he's gonna be Jisung's model for his first exam, he seems in far too good a mood... He has plenty to worry about.

Jisung's tail fluffs up, his legs nervously bouncing up and down while he's curled up on the leather armchair, where Chan gently sat him down so he wouldn't be in the way during preparation and could relax. As if he didn't know the squirrel hybrid well enough, and how far relaxation was from his nature.

He can't stand watching Changbin's cheerful figure any longer.

If he has to spend another minute like this, he'll be tapping his foot like his bunny roommate does when he finds out that Jisung has used up all the hot water because he came up with a melody while showering again and was honing it there.

He springs up and pulls on a pair of pink rubber gloves. He begins to unpack the necessary equipment: pliers, ear sticks, disinfectant, and a size 12 needle nestled in its sterile packaging.

Normally, they would use a size 14, which is the standard size for septum piercings. However, bulls wear larger piercings, and size 12 is ideal for those; the rings made specifically for bulls can be easily inserted through the 2 mm hole.

Chan comes out from the back room where they keep their stuff. Jisung jumps at the sound of the door handle and almost drops the scissors he's preparing. He glances back, and yes, his tail looks like it does after he washes and dries it. Incredibly fluffy.

He huffs. Then he sighs.

"I remembered correctly!" Chan announces proudly. He kicks the door shut behind him. "We have all types in stock. Since Jooheon, no bull has wanted a septum piercing, and he only got a plain horseshoe."

He heads toward the kitchen, carefully tucking his large gray tail between his thighs so as not to knock anything over. His hands are full of jewelry, nestled in a sponge. Jisung is probably just hallucinating their jingle: for one thing, he couldn't hear it over the coffee machine, and for another, the whole point of the sponge is to keep them from moving around and falling out.

By the time Chan arrives at their small kitchen, the coffee is ready. At least the monotonous humming has stopped. This allows Jisung to feel his heartbeat much more clearly. If he put his fingers on his throat, he could easily measure his heart rate. This is unbearable.

Jisung disinfects the black leather seats reserved for clients, wiping down the surface with the disinfectant wipe while he listens to Changbin debate whether he wants gold or rainbow colors hanging from his nose. Should the piercing be jeweled or studded, etc.

"Do you think this would look good?" he asks Chan.

"Yeah."

"And what do you think about…this?"

"Absolutely. Any of them would fit you well, Buttercup."

Changbin makes a flustered 'moo' sound, then turns away from the kitchen with his steaming mug. "You're not much help," he says to the wolf hybrid, but his eyes are sparkling like champagne.

Chan chuckles and follows him.

"Sungie-ah, which one do you like?"

Jisung stares at the jewelry in startled surprise. Everything blurs before his eyes, every size, design, and color sways in a brittle dance. He blinks away the panic, then swallows.

"I think, uh, well..." The words come sluggishly. His tongue feels like a drunken whale. "Well, the point is, you have to be happy with it, hyung. And I'll try to put it in right so you'd be happy with that too."

"No, you won't try," Changbin shakes his head. "You're gonna do it. It's gonna be fine."

The bull hybrid takes out a gold captive bead ring, the second thickest one in that kind, and places it in Jisung's gloved hand. "It went well on the mannequins. You have a knack for this."

Knowing how much physical touch means to Jisung, especially when he's stressed, Changbin pats him on the shoulder.

Jisung's tail flattens slightly, and his fist closes around the piercing.

It's a great honor to do a septum piercing for a bull.

For Jisung, it's somehow even more of an honor that Changbin, who has never had a piercing before, trusts him enough to have his first one done by him. By Jisung, for whom this will also be a first, only on the other end of the spectrum, as an artist.

He doesn't want to mess it up.

While he disinfects the heavy jewelry, Changbin settles into the chair. He doesn't lie down on it, but sits sideways, dangling his legs toward Jisung, sipping his coffee.

Chan takes the rest of the jewelry back to the back room. Jisung has time to mentally prepare himself. He can't start without Chan, nor does he want to. It gives him a sense of security to have the man standing next to him, ready in case Jisung messes something up, which he usually does.

"Can I give a local anesthetic, the kind my mom uses?" Chan asks when he walks back to them, stepping next to Changbin.

The smile on Changbin's face hasn't faded, and Chan's words only make it wider, shining like the lamplight on the surface of his horns. He nods so Chan places his hand on the younger man's neck and presses slow, tiny kisses on the bridge of his nose, down to the tip. "Done."

"Thanks."

Chan takes the empty mug and places it between the printer and the credit card terminal on the "business table," as they call it, where they handle customer transactions. A few months ago, Jisung was on the other side of the table as well.

"And thanks again."

Chan nods, but it's more of a reflex than him actually considering it a task rather than an act of kindness. He usually says that he'd do anything for them. He glances at the clock hanging on the wall, surrounded by framed tattoos. "I'll close up, then I'm all yours."

This is another favor he would brush off as nothing: dealing with Jisung's exam after work, when there are no more customers, and they can both focus on him, while not giving him a chance to worry about the other clients waiting for their piercings.

"Sungie, hey," Changbin whispers. He spreads his legs wider, then pulls Jisung between them by his waist. He squeezes him like a pair of pliers. A pair of pliers that Jisung has to use today. "You're shaking."

"Sorry."

"Relax, baby," Chan says in his calming voice that he used while working on Jisung's side tattoo. "Where do you like to have dinner?"

The board knocks on the door softly as Chan turns it.

"Is Bbokari's fine?"

"Of course it's fine," the wolf hybrid says. "Good place. Not far. You know the boss."

Changbin hums in agreement. "And it's your day anyway." His palm moves slowly over Jisung's hip. No matter how thick the fabric of his pants is, Jisung can somehow feel the mug-warmed, calloused hands on his skin.

He sighs again. "Okay."

"Then..." Chan returns with an encouraging smile.

"Do me, Jisung," Changbin asks, sniffing twice as if he were a rabbit hybrid.

"Yeah," Chan chuckles. He takes out a glove as well.

With a distinct snap, it grips around his fingers. He doesn't have to worry about his nails tearing through the material: while it's common for wolf hybrids to grow their claws longer and longer, Chan's work requires him to carefully trim and maintain them, and he stated that this does not bother him. He may have nails instead of claws, but he certainly won't hurt anyone with them, and that's what matters.

He wriggles his fingers into perfect position and steps next to Jisung. "Do him, baby."

Sure, they're just good friends and colleagues (if we don't count the elephant in the room, or rather Jisung's crush on both of them), but every time Chan calls him baby, he feels like he can do anything.

( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;) 

It was his first time at Racha Salon when he went with Minho, who kept saying it wasn't necessary, but Jisung knew that even though he was putting on a tough, unfazed front, he was still worried. The violent trembling of his nose gave him away. So he accompanied him.

He provided a supportive presence while Chan expertly pierced Minho's eyebrow and Changbin held back the man's rabbit ears so they wouldn't interfere with the work. Jisung also verified that both the bull and the wolf owners were hot. Very hot. He wondered if he could ask for their numbers.

Then he found himself asking for a tattoo appointment instead.

"We're booked up for tattoos for the month," Changbin apologized with a kind smile. And here Jisung had the opportunity to correct himself or back out. But no. He got an appointment for the following month with Chan. Changbin asked if that was okay and explained that Chan was more experienced in the side area and with larger tattoos. Jisung replied that it didn't matter. He had spent enough time with them to know that he would feel comfortable under any of their hands (and tattoo needles).

On the way home, he told Minho how he had slipped up. He had been in the bathroom, he couldn't hear. Minho laughed at him, then ruffled his hair. "You can still get their numbers tattooed on your skin," he suggested cheerfully.

When Jisung went for his appointment, he didn't just get a tattoo. Minho was right about that.

During exam season, the closest he came to relaxation was when Chan made the tattoo decorating his side, and he was able to complain about how much he needed to work alongside college because rent was his arch nemesis, and he felt bad that Minho was paying for most of their expenses because he had a job while Jisung didn't.

He couldn't help talking so much. His pain threshold wasn't exactly okay, and he preferred to pour out words rather than whimper or start crying, not necessarily because of the pain, but more because of mental fatigue. And Chan seemed like the kind of guy who wouldn't take things personally and would even give therapeutic advice while tattooing him.

"Would you like to make piercings?" he asked when Jisung paused, giving him a curious look before refocusing on the tattoo he was working on, drawing lightly but precisely with the needle.

"What?" In time, Jisung realized it wouldn't be wise to sit up by surprise. Instead, he just blinked widely at Chan, whose perked wolf ears cast shadows on his bare stomach. "Here?"

"Yes. It'd be nice to have someone who only does piercings. It's hard for us to make tattoos at the same time while we also have a lot of people coming in for piercings. The pay isn't earth-shattering, but you could cover the costs. And Binnie does it alongside college, he can give you advice on how to."

"Okay?"

"Okay?" Chan paused for a moment, his ears twitching excitedly. "Really?"

"Okay. Okay, I mean, yes. I'm in. What do I need to do?"

( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;) 

Chan cleaned Changbin's nose with an alcohol-soaked cotton swab.

Now he's showing how to apply the pliers. "You put it in the opening, here, in front, and then you start pulling it up. You find the edge of the cartilage and put it underneath," he explains. "Binnie, does it hurt?"

"No."

"Then I'll clamp the area. Like. This." Chan glances at Changbin's face instead of the tool, looking for signs of discomfort in his features. "Do you feel anything now? A sting, pulsing?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"Great." This time, Chan's eyes find Jisung, who is standing next to him, watching intently what the older man does. "This is when you're in the right place, Sungie. When it doesn't hurt. If it hurt, it would be on the cartilage, and that would be fucking torture for everyone involved to pierce through."

Amazing how skillfully Chan's hands move. Jisung wonders how many piercings he has done to be able to hold the pliers so professionally. However, it's also true that Chan is the kind of person who easily impresses Jisung, even with simple things. Like when he's engrossed in checking bills and doesn't even notice that he's chewing on the string of his hoodie, just like squirrels do in stressful situations.

"So, after you've clipped the pliers, you let them hang down. If you've done it right, the nasal septum will hold it, even though gravity is pulling it down. Then comes the needle," Chan summarizes.

He opens the legs of the device and carefully pulls it back until it leaves to nose area completely. Finally, he presses it into Jisung's hand and flashes him an encouraging half-smile. "Get this far, and then I'll show you the rest."

The pliers are an interesting device; like scissors, except where the tips of the scissors would be, there are thin tubes perpendicular to them.

For the needle.

At the moment, Jisung doesn't want to think about the needle he has to insert.

He steps between Changbin's legs.

"Raise your head a little higher, hyung," he asks.

Changbin hums and obediently tilts his head up, arching his neck for Jisung's sake. "With pleasure, Sungie. Whatever you want."

Jisung has no chance to feel flustered. "Thank you."

Fortunately, the lamp shines directly above them, so Changbin's horns don't cast a shadow on his face. Following Chan's instructions and Changbin's feelings, Jisung can work without difficulty.

"Okay," he nods and steps back.

The pliers hang down, but don't fall out. Changbin sits peacefully, without pain, dangling his legs.

"Good job," Chan praises him.

Changbin smiles and holds up his thumb, signaling his agreement.

This isn't the end of the procedure, Jisung reminds himself. But it's something. He has done his preparations well. A little tension eases in his back, and his shoulders are no longer as tense as they were half a minute ago. Progress.

"You have to pierce the needle in a straight line," continues the wolf hybrid, stepping closer and running his finger along the direction of the tubes without touching the surface. His tail brushes against Jisung's leg, as if offering friendly support, shifting out of his instructor-examiner role. "Follow the arch of the pliers. It mustn't bend. A few seconds and you'd have it in."

It's quite different to listen to the theory, take notes, and study in the solitude of his desk lamp and empty energy drinks, than to experience it firsthand, with the tools in his hands, as Chan recalls the theoretical parameters mentioned.

Seeing diagrams showing the correct insertion angles is distinct from actually holding the needle and finding those angles. On a human body, not on a diagram.

Specifically, on Changbin's body.

The bull hybrid remains calm, like an undisturbed water surface, watching Jisung's face trustingly. Not revealing even a tiny bit of dubiety. And he doesn't look away, though Jisung's face is very close, and it can't be easy to focus on.

Jisung picks up the pliers again. In his other hand, between his index finger and thumb, is the needle.

"Should I count?" he asks. He concentrates 10% of his strength on keeping his voice steady. 90% on keeping his hands from shaking.

"Please."

"Okay. Three, two..."

He pushes the tip of the needle into the pliers until it taps the skin. He checks to make sure he's holding it straight.

He exhales through his nose, "One..." and he starts to push.

Almost immediately, he hears the needle hit the wall of the tube pitifully, deviating from its course.

"Fuck," he pulls it back right away. The tip is bloody. It was already in a little. "Fuck, hyung, I'm—I'm sorry," he stammers.

Chan, staying silent, gently takes out the pliers, and Jisung wipes away the spilled blood with a cotton swab. His hands are still quivering, cool panic pooling under his skin.

"You've freaked out too much," Changbin sums up. "Don't do that. Everything will be fine."

"You're bleeding like crazy," Jisung points out, showing clear evidence that the possibility of 'everything will be fine' is already lost.

"I'd be bleeding like this even if the needle was inside me. That's just how it is. Gonna stop soon."

Changbin holds his waist again. This calms him down. The slow circling palm clears his head enough that he feels capable of trying again, now that Changbin's nose is no longer bleeding like some lovesick teenager's in an anime.

Pliers, securing, needle.

"Three, two, one…"

Then it's piercing through. Goes completely through.

Changbin doesn't even flinch; only Jisung's breath catches at the end, not knowing if this is okay. If he did it right. He casts a helpless glance at Chan, and the man smiles, proudly eyeing Jisung in return.

"Bull's eye," he says, wagging his tail. "You can give him the ring now—unclip, slide it through, snap it into place, then we'll secure it and remove the needle. We're over the hard part. You did it, Sungie."

And Jisung is so relieved and joyous, his grin almost teems over his cheeks.

( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;) 

"Ow," Changbin whimpers, then presses his lips together and furrows his brow.

A bump remains on the side of his face, considering that he was just chewing a medium-sized bite when the pain hit him.

"Buttercup?" Lifting his head from devouring his steak, Chan blinks at his co-worker, confused.

"It hurts," Changbin replies, stating the obvious. He points to his mouth, then his nose, then his mouth again.

"Oh… I see," Chan nods, understanding and soft.

He moves closer to Changbin on the leather-covered bench they share across Jisung. Taking the fork from him, Chan scoops up small bites, then puts them in the bull hybrid's mouth while talking about how interesting it is that it's so natural for the nose to move when chewing, but you only notice it when your freshly pierced septum hurts.

Somewhere around the tenth bite, Changbin pulls away from the next spoonful of his meal.

"Okay, that's enough," he mumbles. His face is flushed, and he looks at the tablecloth instead of Chan's face. "I'm not a calf anymore... I can do this."

"I'm there when you lift weights—I know you can do it," Chan replies cheerfully. "But do you want to do it? Cause I do."

Faintly, Changbin studies the other's face before he wraps his fingers around Chan's wrist and guides it until the next bite of pasta is on his tongue.

While Changbin is busy chewing, Chan leans in close to his neck peeking out from under his sweater, and gives him a quick kiss, then giggles and scoots back. He only gets louder when Changbin points his horns at his chest without any real anger or threat.

Normally, Jisung would smile at them fooling around, but his facial muscles don't move. They droop like his tail, which hangs down from the seat like a dead animal.

"Sungie?" Chan probes. No doubt he noticed his expression.

"Mm?"

"Baby, you're over it. You did really well. Let yourself loose up."

"I let myself loose up," he defends himself, stabbing with his fork. The roasted chestnut splits in two, steam rising from the brown flesh. "I'm just eating."

"Yeah…"

Chan isn't convinced. Changbin neither. They probably never will be, no matter how hard Jisung tries with his poor deflection tactics. His features are a frozen snapshot of his emotions, especially when surrounded by people who are masters at reading others, just like this duo. And then there's his tail, a telling exclamation mark.

"Fine. If I pierce it once, maybe it won't hurt as much," Jisung says, casting a gloomy glance at the ring hanging from Changbin's nose. "I'm sorry, hyung."

"The needle didn't go in deep enough to hurt much," Changbin explains gently. "It's just the natural pain after a piercing."

"But still... If I hadn't been staring at your eyes..."

"What?"

"You distracted me with your eyes," Jisung explains. "You shouldn't have been staring at me, hyung. Of course, that's no excuse, it's just—"

"Really?" Chan cuts in, chuckling. "He really has beautiful eyes."

"Really?" Changbin asks as well, but he doesn't laugh with that unmistakable cackle of his, which sweet waves would sweep the topic away so they could talk about something else— Changbin is curious.

Not because he wants to bring Jisung's grade down after hearing more. That's not it, he's not playing the role of the strict examiner. Surprise and admiration sparkle in his eyes as he glances at Jisung, and somehow, this gives a whole new color to the fact that the squirrel hybrid has lost himself in Changbin's eyes.

He's revealed too much.

"Well..." he cuts himself off. A hot spark bursts from his chest, the heat creeping up his neck, and there's a level where even his thick sweater cannot hide it.

It doesn't look like Felix, the owner of Bbokari, is about to show up at any moment to take him under his wing (figuratively and literally) and then get him out of this awkward situation.

There's no point in beating around the bush. He has to get it over with. Get the truth out. Pierce through it.

"Yes, hyung. You really do have beautiful eyes, and I really do get lost in them—but that's not your fault, obviously."

Changbin exhales through his nose, causing a slight grimace to appear on his face, but it's quickly overshadowed by his beaming smile and the proud throat sound he makes.

"Sungie..." he begins.

His eyes sparkle. And he really is beautiful.

And he can distract Jisung again if he looks into his eyes for too long.

"This is the first time you've openly complimented me since we've been dating."

"...What?" Jisung furrows his brow. There, that's it. A few seconds of eye contact with Changbin, and he misinterprets entire sentences. "Since... we—what?"

Changbin grins, "Dating."

So he heard it right. The hell.

Chan smiles too, as if it were totally okay for Changbin to say things like that.

"No, we don't," Jisung shakes his head.

The bull hybrid laughs. Jisung blinks at him.

"We don't," he insists.

Changbin stops laughing, confusion appearing on his face. "You're joking, right?"

"I'd know if we were," Jisung argues, then slumps back.

The blush that had been creeping up his neck is now licking his cheekbones. Another half a minute of this, and it will reach his 'deliciously chubby' face, and then, oh poor him, one of them will pinch it.

Chan hunches over the table, his ears so straight from concentration that they almost touch the bottle stuffed with a string of LEDs functioning as a chandelier. "So you don't know we're dating?" he asks neutrally.

"We're friends. And you're my examiners and my potential colleagues. I know that."

Chan stares at him blankly. "But I—I call you baby all the time."

"Friends call each other nicknames too." Jisung doesn't get the joke. He's missing out on something, and it's hard to figure out what exactly.

"I kiss you in the morning, shower you with kisses during the day, and kiss you again at night," Changbin butts in.

"On my face," Jisung shrugs.

He constantly kisses and hugs his friends. Of course, it feels different with Changbin and Chan than with Felix or Minho. But Jisung's feelings don't change the fact that they are friends.

"Of course, on your face—because I'm a gentleman and I'm waiting for the signal to proceed!" Changbin pouts and folds his arms.

"Oh," Jisung acknowledges. "Really?"

"Sungie, come on," Chan grumbles, running his fingers through his hair. Like in the movies, when the characters can't take it anymore because the situation is too stressful, or they're teetering on the brink of insanity. "We've been dating for months. We eat together every other day. Or we're simply together. We sleep at each other's places," he lists, then sighs and adds a little more softly, "Binnie always pays for everything."

"All of these are friendly things."

"Do you do these things with Minho as well?"

"Not really. No."

Chan points at him passionately, as if to undermine his previous argument. Then his hand falls into his lap.

"No," Jisung says again, like a stuck tape. But it's no use. Still doesn't make any sense.

Then he watches Changbin's muscles tremble as he takes a breath — almost gasping — while Chan stares at him with round puppy eyes, his ears drooping conspicuously on top of his head.

Oh.

Oh.

"So… you guys like me too?"

"Of course!" Changbin exclaims with such intensity that the otter family sitting in the neighboring booth looks up at them, startled.

Jisung's eyes widen.

"Damn it, Jisung. Didn't you even notice? You accepted both of our courtship, the courting gifts..."

"The... what?"

Chan sighs. "I gave you clothes for your nest. Binnie bought you hazelnut chocolates every day, and you kissed him after each one."

Jisung shakes his head. He looks at his thigh. He feels ashamed for being so blind.

He looks up when another body leans on the leather seat. Chan is sitting next to him.

He reaches out and takes Jisung's hand. "Okay, it's fine. I can court you again. If you let me. Will you let me, Sungie?"

"I—Yes. If you want to. Of course. Gladly," he nods, then the burden of their working relationship takes a toll on him. He looks uncertainly from one to the other. "If this doesn't interfere with us working together," he adds.

"We'll make it work. We did it with two, we can do it with three," Chan promises, gently squeezing his hand.

"Trust in the love we feel for you, Jisung," Changbin advises with a broad, slobbery grin. Then he covers his face. "Ouch."

"Hey, Buttercup." The wolf hybrid shakes his head, smiling incredulously at his co-worker.

Who is also Jisung's future co-worker.

And their boyfriend.

Officially.

At least, it's clear to Jisung as well. But he still has to get used to it.

"Don't smile," Chan requests.

"How can you say that, hyung!" Changbin protests, then grabs his cheek again.

"Well, as you heard, it's impressive enough when you bat your eyelashes to sweep some people off their feet."

"Mm..." Changbin leans on the table, resting his face in his hands, seemingly satisfied with the older's reasoning. "And tell me... what else do you like about me, Sungie?" If he were next to Jisung, he would tilt his forehead against his shoulder and nudge him, that's for sure.

Now he's eyeing him intensely, egging him on.

If Jisung has to list everything, it's going to be a long night.

But he will really enjoy it. Definitely more than making piercings.