Chapter Text
“Hey Duang, your appointment is here.” He gave Pae a nod and continued setting up.
After getting tired of freelance work, Pae and Duang decided to open a tattoo shop that had been doing pretty well. They even spent two weeks in Korea to improve their skills. They were very popular.
Duang finished setting up and began walking to the front to grab his last client of the day. Once he approached the front, he saw a fair skinned man with black hair, wearing a white see through shirt with a tank top under it. He looked up and smiled.
“You can follow me,” Duang spoke softly.
They walked to the back. Duang gestured for the man to have a seat as he got ready to get started.
“Is it gonna hurt?” the man asked. His voice was soft almost a whisper. He sounded slightly nervous and slightly curious.
Duang looked up. Under all the lighting at his station, the man’s eyes seemed to sparkle. He could see him more clearly. He looked nervous. Duang extended a small reassuring smile.
“You’re getting the moon, right?” Duang asked.
The man nodded.
“Well, it’s bound to hurt, but it shouldn’t be that bad. You’ll handle it fine.” Duang tried to be comforting, but he could tell he was still nervous.
“So, what’s your name?” he asked, hoping some conversation would help him take his mind off the tattoo.
“Qin,” he said simply.
“Well, Qin,” Duang spoke with more energy to lighten the mood, “it’ll be quick. What made you wanna get this tattoo anyways?”
Qin didn’t answer at first. He simply stared as if he was trying to find the answer somewhere in Duang’s eyes. Then, he took a deep breath as Duang held the tattoo gun, ready to start.
“You don’t know why you’re getting it?” Duang asked, slightly relaxing on his stool to give Qin the chance to answer.
Qin seemed to not want to talk about it, so Duang didn’t press it.
“You ready?” Duang asked, sitting up in his seat and holding the tattoo gun up again. Qin nodded.
“Well, if you don’t wanna talk about that, then let me guess what you do,” Duang teased, starting the first tattoo line.
Qin took a deep breath. “I’m a music producer.”
Duang smiled. “Ahh, you look like the type.”
Qin scoffed. “What does that mean?” he challenged.
“Oh, nothing. You just have that look,” Duang responded.
Qin didn’t accept that answer. He rolled his eyes. “And what look is that?” he challenged. He tried to sound stern, but it came out more like a whine, and Duang couldn’t help but laugh. Qin really was cute. There was something almost delicate about him. The way he spoke, the way he dressed, even when he rolled his eyes. So cute. Duang’s thoughts were interrupted by a small hiss from Qin.
“You okay?” Duang’s voice returned to his gentle tone from earlier as he paused, checking for Qin’s reaction.
Qin nodded. “I mean, I am getting a tattoo,” he said teasingly. He seemed more relaxed now.
“We’re almost done. I have one more line, then you’re good to go,” Duang said confidently.
Qin chuckled and nodded. “That’s not a pass to avoid answering my question.”
“Okay, if you can make it through the rest of this, then I’ll tell you.” Duang finished up the tattoo, letting Qin look at it while he began cleaning up.
“See? It wasn’t that bad, right? You like it?” Qin nodded, still eyeing his tattoo. Duang gestured for his arm to wrap it up.
“To answer your question,” Duang started, “you just have this pretty look that feels like you should be a singer, but your demeanor is standoffish, which makes it easy to believe you do more behind-the-scenes work.”
Qin smiled. He was impressed, though he wouldn’t say it out loud. He felt seen in a way he never had before. Once his tattoo was wrapped, he thanked Duang, paid him, and headed towards the door.
“Get home safe!” Duang yelled behind him. Qin thanked him and left.