Tattoos and Animals

“That’s the most brilliant idea I’ve ever heard coming from your mouth, Soonyoung.”

Soonyoung sat up straighter, eyes lighting up. “Really?”

Jihoon rolled his eyes. “No.” He took a couple more of his favorite breakfast—sandwiches—into his plate.

Soonyoung’s shoulders slumped and his bright aura visibly darkened. He gave Jihoon a slight glare. “Come on, Jihoon. It won’t hurt to try—”

“How the heck won’t it hurt?” Jihoon challenged. “You’re piercing your skin a thousand times with a tiny needle. As far as I’m concerned it hurts like hell.” He glared at the boy eating across him, though at this point they’re not really eating.

“But it’s worth trying out.” Soonyoung huffed. “You never want to do anything with me. You said you wanted to, but then comes all of that nonsense logic—”

“There’s no such thing as a nonsense logic—”

“Well, you get my point!” Soonyoung glared at Slytherin sitting across from him. “The last time we did anything was that study thingy, and even that was Wonwoo’s idea.”

“I scared Seokmin for you.”

“That doesn’t count!”

“How does it not? I did what you asked and now you’re complaining that I never do anything with you—”

“Once!” Soonyoung stood and held up his pointer finger on Jihoon’s face. His face was red with anger and he was breathing rather harshly. “After a gazillion times asking you to do a gazillion different things.”

Jihoon pursed his lips. He was right. The amount of times Jihoon refused to do any of Soonyoung’s tricks was uncountable, and those he agreed on... less than five. It’s pretty unfair for the other boy, especially when Jihoon said that he wanted to do things with Soonyoung. But he said that years ago, before he knew what kind of risks hanging out with Soonyoung put him into. And no way was he getting in detention.

The silence made him extremely aware of their situation. Soonyoung had just shouted at him, and his voice was that of 10 people, and now everyone was looking at them.

Jihoon sighed. “Fine, sit down.”

Soonyoung looked reluctant, but he did as Jihoon said. He sat down, and tried to calm his breathing.

“Are you sure this is completely safe?”

Soonyoung rolled his eyes. “It won’t kill you.”

“It’s legal, right? I mean, we won’t get in trouble?” Jihoon asked again.

Soonyoung snickered. “I never knew Lee Jihoon to be a goody–two–shoes,” he said. “But I’m pretty sure it’s legal. I mean, Seungcheol’s done it and he doesn’t get in trouble.”

“He’s a prefect.”

“Exactly.” Soonyoung grinned. “If a prefect can do it, then we can too.”

—

And so, Jihoon found himself looking nervously at the chair in front of him. Xu Minghao sat just beside it, readying his tools of death.

Soonyoung, on the other hand, was an overexcited hamster. He was jumping around, looking far too close at Minghao’s tools, making the younger shove him away a couple of times.

“We should make matching ones!” Soonyoung held up his wrist and aligned them with Jihoon’s pale one. “Right here, what do you think?”

What is wrong with this boy? They hardly meet and he wants matching tattoos

“So, you guys ready?” Minghao called out to them, his tool in hand. Minghao had always looked intimidating to Jihoon, regardless of him being a year younger, but at this moment he looked extremely intimidating.

“Ooh yes!” Soonyoung jumped to the chair. “I want a tiger!”

How typical of him.

Soonyoung looked at Jihoon, hope filling his eyes. “What do you want to get?”

—

Jihoon’s right arm burned as he went to breakfast that morning, a steadfast reminder that he now has a permanent ink on his skin. It wasn’t as painful as he thought, but it still hurts.

Soonyoung dropped on the seat across from him, a grin on his face, turning his eyes into tiny slits that oddly looked like the clock. “So, how’s your arm?”

Jihoon sighed. He knew this would be something Soonyoung brought up in breakfast and he dreaded every moment of it. He was not, however, ready to answer that question.

It was a simple question actually. But he knew Soonyoung wanted more than just a fine. He wanted to know how Jihoon felt about that tattoo, how satisfied he is with it and if he’ll get another one. And Jihoon has no idea how to answer those.

He stared at his forearm, to the spot where the small drawing was present on his skin. “I don’t regret it,” He finally said. “But I don’t know if I’ll like it.”

Soonyoung chuckled. “You’ll like it. It looks just like you, after all.”

Jihoon rolled his eyes, chuckling along with his best friend. Soonyoung’s tattoo was a tiger with small eyes just like its owner. Minghao was smart enough to make it look almost exactly like the real thing. And per Soonyoung’s request, Jihoon got something similar, an animal which looked just like him.

An axolotl.