Archive of Our Own ^beta

They say the early bird catches the worm, but Jeongguk never really related to that. To be fair, he was a bunny hybrid and never met a bird hybrid to ask about it. Either way, bunny hybrids were usually more of the crepuscular type, meaning Jeongguk was the most energetic after sunset. He didn’t stay up all night, but no matter how early he went to bed, getting up before 7 am always left him feeling exhausted. This was one of the reasons why he loved being a tattoo artist - he was in charge of his schedule. He made a habit of not scheduling appointments before noon and didn’t mind staying later at the studio than other artists. At least, that was how he had handled it at his old studio. A few months ago, he switched to the Golden Ink studio, and there was a problem preventing him from coming into work late - well, two problems, actually.

The problems were called Park Jimin and Kim Taehyung. They owned the flower shop across the street from the tattoo studio. All that he knew about them, he learned from Hyunjin - a ferret hybrid and fellow tattoo artist at Golden Ink - after he caught Jeongguk staring at them through their glass front. “I don’t think they’re married yet, but they sure act like it. They were high school sweethearts or something sappy like that,” Hyunjin said, nodding to the two hybrids. At first, Jeongguk thought they were both cat hybrids, but Taehyung’s ears were a bit rounder, and his tail was striped, so he was likely a tiger hybrid. Not that Jeongguk cared about that kind of stuff. Okay, maybe he cared a little. It was in his nature to assess who might be a threat to him and who was most likely to say anything rude about him being a bunny hybrid. Most of his closest friends were rodent hybrids since he didn’t have to explain his habits to them.

The first time Jeongguk ran into the couple was at the coffee shop down the street. It was noon, so Jeongguk wanted a sugary treat before his first appointment, but the florists were probably on their lunch break.

“Hey, you’re the new tattoo artist at Golden Ink, right?” Jimin said. He was a little smaller than Taehyung. His hair was ash blonde, but his cat ears were white, brown, and orange, which made him a calico cat as far as Jeongguk knew. He had pink, plush lips that were pulled into a cute smile when Jeongguk nodded.

“Uh, yeah, and you guys own the flower shop,” Jeongguk replied. He glanced at Taehyung, who quietly stood beside Jimin, leaning into him almost imperceptibly. His hair was deep brown, and he had this aura that Jeongguk wouldn’t necessarily call threatening, but it was intimidating a bit - that was until Taehyung smiled as well, the expression softening his features, even though his canines were a bit longer than Jimin’s. Maybe neither of them was someone Jeongguk had to be wary around after all.

In the following weeks, he continued to run into them - Jimin at the bookstore, Taehyung at the convenience store and both of them at the gym a few times (which was a kind of torture on its own and led to Jeongguk changing his gym days just to save his sanity). They never talked much, nothing beyond a little small talk about the shop or studio, but it didn’t take Jeongguk long to realise that he didn’t feel nervous around them because they were strangers but because he was very much crushing on them.

This explained why he now came in early to work on his sketches and all the administrative stuff. The studio had a collection of armchairs and sofas next to its window front. Usually, it was for clients as they waited, but Jeongguk had a perfect view of the flower shop from one of the sofas.

At 7:30 in the morning, Jimin and Taehyung arrived and unlocked the front door. By 7:45, they started moving flowers onto their outside displays. They took excellent care in arranging them in a pretty way, and he often noticed them petting the flower leaves and petals. Jimin and Taehyung were much prettier than their flowers, though. And that was why he arrived at 7:20 to do the work he used to do in the evenings before he went to bed. Was he tired every morning? Yes. Was it worth watching Jimin and Taehyung in their own world before their shop opened? Also, yes.

If the early bird caught the worm, the early bunny caught feelings.

Jeongguk was fairly sure he didn’t schedule another appointment for Thursday evening. After his last session, he stayed to sketch at his desk because he was too lazy to go home. So, he was very confused when Mingyu knocked on the doorframe to his workspace.

“Someone is waiting for you in the foyer.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “And I couldn’t convince them to become my clients instead, so they must really like your stuff.”

He didn’t schedule a consultation, did he? “Why do you always try to steal my clientele?”

Grinning, Mingyu shrugged. He was one of the reasons Jeongguk got the empty spot at Golden Ink. They had met previously at a convention and instantly clicked. “It’s a rite of passage.”

“Sure, it is,” Jeongguk mumbled and quickly tidied up his desk just in case. “You leaving soon?”

“Yeah, just cleaning up before I go,” Mingyu replied, “so you can lock up when you leave.”

Jeongguk nodded. “Will do.” He was still lost in thought about where he put the keys to the studio when he realised there wasn’t just anyone sitting in the waiting area. It was Jimin and Taehyung. “Oh.”

“Hi,” Jimin said, smiling cutely. “I hope it's okay that we dropped by without an appointment.”

“Sure, yeah,” Jeongguk replied on autopilot. “We can sit down in my workspace.” He motioned to the hallway he had just come from. As he led them to the room that was his studio, his hands went up to nervously tug at his beanie.

When he wasn’t home, he was almost always wearing a beanie or hat to cover his ears. His ears were quite sensitive and the extra layer muffled the sound just enough to keep him comfortable. He didn’t mean to hide his identity from other hybrids - at least not intentionally. Nowadays, it shouldn’t matter that bunnies weren’t high up the food chain, but some hybrids still got weirdly hostile.

He didn’t think Jimin and Taehyung were like that, but he didn’t take his beanie off anyway. As the florists sat down on his small sofa, Jeongguk stood anxiously next to his desk. “So, why did you come? Did you need a consultation?”

Immediately, both of them lit up like firecrackers. “Yes, Tae-yah, show him the picture.” Taehyung pulled his phone out of his pants pocket. “We saw this drawing of an artist we really like. And I think a tattoo like that would look really good on me.”

When Taehyung handed Jeongguk his phone, it showed a person with their back turned. Right along their spine was a tattoo of the moon phases. “We also saw the solar system tattoo you did recently,” Taehyung added. “Which brought us here.”

That quickly pulled Jeongguk out of his anxious jitters. There was nothing he loved more than talking about tattoos with clients. He grabbed his tablet and pen before sitting down on the armrest of the sofa so as not to invade their space. Only now, he noticed that they were sat on the edge of the cushions, their tails interlocked behind them.

“So, you want a tattoo of the lunar phases on your spine?” Jeongguk asked as he opened a new document to write down some notes and do some sketches later on. “Do you want that from your neck down to your tail?”

Jimin tilted his head. “Maybe to the middle of my back.” He looked over at Taehyung, who smiled and shrugged at him. “And I don’t want just the outline of the moons or whatever. I want them to be a little more realistic but not too detailed. Does that make sense?”

Nodding, Jeongguk scribbled down what Jimin was saying, hoping he could read his handwriting later. “Absolutely. We’ll find a good middle ground. I have to say, though, the spine area is gonna hurt like hell. Do you have other tattoos already?”

“Oh, yeah, I got one a few years back.,” Jimin replied with a smile. “My experience with that tattoo artist is why I haven’t gotten another one though. He was kind of… Well, he made me uncomfortable.”

Jeongguk hoped his grimace looked understanding. “I get that. Do you want to tell me what happened? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable either.”

“I found him on the internet and honestly, I didn’t really research or anything. I just wanted some text in a nice font so I figured anyone would do.” Jimin laughed when Jeongguk clearly struggled to keep a straight face. “I know, very naive of me. Anyway, he ended up being quite opinionated. But like he was inking my body forever, so I wasn’t going to start arguing with him. It was a bit of a mess, and on top of it all, the tattoo blew out or something. Some lines look a little wonky.” Before Jeongguk could ask more about it, Jimin lifted his shirt to reveal his ribs. Right under a scar across his chest was the word ‘nevermind’ inked. Jimin was correct; the lines did look a little wonky, but considering this was a tattoo from a few years ago, it wasn’t too bad.

Jeongguk blinked and focused on looking at the tattoo and not the rest of Jimin’s chest. “I think that could easily be fixed if we do a touch-up, though,” he said with a shrug. “I could make the lines a little thicker, which would look much cleaner.”

Jimin’s eyes widened a little, his ears perking up. “Really? I would love that.”

“We’ll add that to the list then.” Jeongguk switched over to his calendar on his tablet. “Okay, so a tattoo like you want it, is gonna take at least two to four sessions. It depends on how long we make the sessions. I’m a bit booked during the week, but would weekends work for you? Maybe Saturdays?”

Raising his eyebrows, Jimin looked at Taehyung. “I think Saturdays could work. We’ll just have to move some shifts around to ensure we’re both free.”

“Oh, uh, I don’t really allow clients to bring company.” He looked apologetically at Taehyung. “It doesn’t have anything to do with you. It’s just our policy here. It keeps me focused on the client, the client doesn’t get swayed by others opinions and sometimes having company stresses a client out.”

Taehyung nodded. “No, I get that, you’re right.” He didn’t look all that upset but Jeongguk almost regretted insisting on his policy. He would’ve liked to get to know Taehyung more during a session. But, of course, his professionalism won.

They made an appointment for Jimin’s first session in three weeks. That gave Jeongguk enough time to design something and work through his nerves about getting to tattoo Jimin. He forced himself to focus on being excited. He loved doing back tattoos, and the fact that Jimin trusted him with a tattoo this big after having issues with another artist meant the world.

“I almost came by just to ask you what I should wear,” Jimin said with a laugh as he slipped off his shoes. Jeongguk had to tell him multiple times that it really was okay for him to be as comfortable as possible - that included taking off your shoes if needed. Jeongguk cleaned the floor daily anyway. “But then I figured a jacket like this would be fine?” He motioned to his zip-up hoodie.

Jeongguk smiled. “That is exactly what I would’ve recommended,” he replied before taking off his shoes as well after Jimin told him to. They weren’t even street shoes and just a pair of trainers he wore in his studio, but Jimin didn’t need to know that. His tattoo artist friends made fun of him enough for having studio shoes. “When we get started, you’ll just wear the jacket with the zipper on the back. That way, your arms can stay nice and warm.”

Jimin sat back down on the sofa, his tail safely tucked in his lap. “Sorry, I interrupted you before. You wanted to show me what you came up with?”

Ah, yes, the most crucial part. Jeongguk handed him his tablet, sitting down next to him - but not too close - so he could point at the screen. “Okay, so I have two slightly different designs. The only difference is that one has five phases, so five moons, and the other has seven. If we go with the seven, the moons would be a bit smaller, obviously, but we could get more lunar transitions in there. I don’t really have a preference, both would look good in the space we're going for.”

With a hum, Jimin slightly zoomed in on the designs. “I think I’d prefer five so that we can do them a little bigger but…” He cocked his head, and Jeongguk got distracted by the way his ears turned ever so slightly. “The middle moon obviously has to be the full moon. I don’t think I want those quarter moons though, I think crescent moons would look much prettier. So like the outer two moons on each side that you did for the seven phases and the full moon in the middle. Does that make sense?”

“Absolutely,” Jeongguk replied almost automatically. He gently pulled the tablet from Jimin’s hands, isolated some of the moons of his design and started to recreate what Jimin had suggested. “Like this?”

Jimin’s smile widened as he nodded, and Jeongguk could feel his heart missing a beat. This was what he lived for, this joy he could bring people - and the design wasn’t even on Jimin’s skin yet!

It took them a good half hour to get the stencil on Jimin’s back. Sometimes, Jeongguk liked to say getting the stencil right was the hardest part of being a tattoo artist. It definitely wasn’t as easy as it seemed. They played around with varied sizes for the moons and then had to figure out the right space between them, but thankfully, Jimin was quick to agree with Jeongguk’s professional opinion and only corrected him once when one of the moons looked like it was off-centre.

“Should I put on some music?” Jeongguk asked as he double-checked that his phone was connected to his speakers. “Do you have a preference?”

Jimin waved him off. “I’m happy with whatever.”

Jeongguk hummed. “Okay, cool. I found this rapper on SoundCloud, and he goes by Gloss. Honestly, he hasn’t uploaded anything in forever, but I really like his stuff.”

“I see.” Jimin’s smile was almost cheeky. “Let’s listen to Gloss.”

Then, it was time for Jimin to make himself as comfortable as possible on the adjustable bed while Jeongguk got his tattoo gun ready. Jimin didn’t seem to be nervous in the slightest. He looked ready to take a nap - which wasn’t all that uncommon. “If it hurts too much, if you feel dizzy, if anything is off or you just want to take a break, you tell me, alright? You hear me, Jimin-ssi?”

“Yeah,” Jimin mumbled into the hood of his jacket. “Call me hyung, though.”

Jeongguk paused in the middle of putting his gloves on. “Huh?”

With a quiet laugh, Jimin propped himself up again. “On Instagram, it says you are a 97 liner. Since you’re about to mark my body forever, you can call me hyung.”

Shrugging one shoulder, Jeongguk continued to wriggle his fingers into the gloves. “Alright then, hyung. Let’s rock and roll.”

Jimin’s shoulder shook with laughter, and Jeongguk thought he could hear him mumble something else, but he didn’t catch it. Instead, he took a few deep breaths and got into position. He was going to need to take breaks as much as Jimin did.

“Ready?” he asked after double-checking that everything was good to go. Jimin hummed in agreement. As always, Jeongguk only traced the stencil briefly before pulling away. “Are you still good? That’s about the pain level to expect.”

“Oh, I’m peachy.”

As peachy as he was, Jimin fell asleep ten minutes later. Or at least, it looked like it to Jeongguk. Everyone had a different pain tolerance, and to some, the feeling and sound of the tattoo gun were soothing. Jeongguk himself couldn’t fall asleep when he got his tattoos done, but he was so used to the pain that it didn’t bother him until about three hours in.

With Jimin napping, Jeongguk quietly rapped alongside Gloss. He loved his job. He got to do the thing he loved (art) and connect with people who were really cool most of the time (Jimin). There had been times when he wasn’t sure whether this was the path for him. There was no job security, he was dependent on finding and keeping clients. But he realised as long as he was passionate about his work and shared that passion with the world, clients would find him. It was fate.

When he was done going over the outline of the first two moons twice, Jimin’s head slowly perked up and his tail brushed against Jeongguk’s shoulder. “Can we do a quick break? Need to stretch.”

“Of course,” Jeongguk replied automatically, turning off the tattoo gun. He grimaced as he rolled his shoulders. He should stretch a little as well. Hunching over other people always gave him the worst back pain when he wasn’t careful. “I think I can get at least the outlines done for all of the moons today. That way, it’s gonna be easier to put on the stencils next week.”

“Sounds good,” Jimin said and slowly sat up. He slowly rolled his shoulders and neck. “I fell asleep right away, didn’t I?” He sent Jeongguk a shy smile. “Tae always teases me about how I’m asleep before my head hits the pillow.”

“Cute,” Jeongguk mumbled before he could help himself. Then he cleared his throat as if that could cover it up. “Do you want something to drink? I have water, juice, and soda.” He motioned to the mini fridge in the corner of his studio.

Jimin nodded, his eyes still looking a little sleepy. “I’d love some water.”

After handing Jimin some water, he leaned against his desk. “You can be totally honest. Are you comfortable with me and all that? I know that was one of your worries.”

Raising his eyebrows, Jimin looked at him. “Well, I fell asleep, so yeah, I’m comfortable around you.” He laughed quietly when Jeongguk ducked his head a little. “I promise I’ll say if something bothers me.”

Some hours later, Jeongguk’s eyes burned from concentrating so much, but thankfully, he got a good amount of the tattoo done. Jimin also seemed spent, wincing a little after Jeongguk had placed the second skin over the tattoo to keep it clean. He nodded along as Jeongguk went through his tattoo aftercare spiel and carefully put on his hoodie.

“Do you wanna come over for dinner?” Jimin asked as he slipped into his trainers. “To Taehyung and I’s place?”

Jeongguk paused in the middle of taking his gloves off. “Huh?”

Jimin tilted his head and smiled. “We’d love to have you and after today, I just want to repay you.”

“But you will repay me,” Jeongguk replied slowly. “With money.”

Huffing, Jimin waved him off. “Are you going to let your hyungs feed you or not?”

Jeongguk didn’t have a policy about not befriending his clients, but tonight, he broke a record for how quickly he ended up in a client’s apartment. Of course, he couldn’t say no when Jimin continued to bat his eyelashes at him.

So here he was, in Jimin and Taehyung’s apartment, his hands playing with his beanie. He didn’t feel uncomfortable around Jimin at all during their session. But the disadvantage of always hiding his bunny ears was that taking his hat off was almost a statement. It felt like a blinking neon sign.

“Are you okay?” Taehyung asked when he noticed Jeongguk hovering in the entryway. He wore a simple outfit — a grey shirt with black pants — yet he looked so handsome that Jeongguk was quite overwhelmed.

Jeongguk nodded quickly. “Yeah, I’m-” He pulled off his beanie before he could change his mind and put it in the pocket of his jacket, which was already hanging on a little coat hook on the wall. He then ran a hand through his hair to fluff it up. Taehyung was still standing nearby and watching him. “My ears are sensitive, so I wear hats a lot.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself,” Taehyung said softly. “Now, come in. I’ve prepared dinner already. We’re making gimbap.” Had Taehyung known that Jeongguk would cave to Jimin’s pouting, or had he just been wishful?

“Oh, I love kimbap,” Jeongguk replied, not knowing what else to say. He followed Taehyung to the dining table, where Jimin was already pouring everyone glasses of water.

“I’d offer you something alcoholic, but since I can’t have alcohol, I’m feeling petty,” Jimin said with a grin. “If I can’t drink, you can’t have fun either.”

Taehyung nodded. “That’s valid, my love.” He sat beside his boyfriend, leaving the chairs opposite to them for Jeongguk. “Did the session go well?”

“It went very well,” Jimin said with a smile. His eyes had flickered up to Jeongguk’s ears before he looked back at his face. “Right, Jeongguk-ah? I was good?”

“Right, hyungnim,” Jeongguk replied, not being able to hold back a smile either. “You behaved well.”

Jimin nodded solemnly and started working on his first gimbap before pausing and sitting up straight. “Oh, we should just make each other gimbap! I’ll make some for Taehyungie and he can make some for Jeonggukkie.”

“And I’ll make some for you,” Jeongguk agreed. He could feel his competitiveness kicking in. He’d make sure his gimbap looked and tasted the best. Jimin deserved nothing less. “I’ve been meaning to ask. How did you two meet?”

“We met in high school.” Taehyung laughed and bumped their shoulders together. Jeongguk could see their tails swinging intertwined behind them. “I was the new kid from the countryside, and Jimin was the class president.”

Jimin snorted as he spread rice on the seaweed sheet. “He was also a bit of a class clown, so the teachers had me scold him. I think he loved that a little too much.”

“What can I say? You’re pretty when you’re mad at me.” Grinning, he leaned into Jimin’s space until the cat hybrid rolled his eyes and pressed their lips together in a short kiss.

Jeongguk swallowed and looked down at his plate. “Did you open the flower shop after high school? Or did you go to university?”

“Well, Taehyungie always wanted to work with flowers, so he went ahead and majored in horticulture. I ended up with a business major so we wouldn’t accidentally commit tax fraud.”

“Now, we commit tax fraud on purpose,” Taehyung added jokingly, winking at Jeongguk. “Did you go to university?”

Jeongguk shrugged. “I did like four semesters of med school.” When he looked up, Jimin and Taehyung stared at him with open mouths. It looked both ridiculous and adorable. “I liked doing anatomical sketches, but the rest didn’t work out for me. So, I started a tattoo artist apprenticeship on a whim.”

Jimin raised his eyebrows. “You went to med school because you liked the sketches?”

Laughing, Jeongguk shook his head. “No, I come from a family of doctors. I’m the black sheep now, or well, the black bunny.”

“That you are.” Taehyung motioned to his bangs with a smile. “I like your hair. Is that natural?”

Self-consciously, Jeongguk lifted his hand to touch his bangs. While the rest of his hair was black, he had a white streak in the middle of his bangs. “Yeah, it is. My dad and brother have this as well.” While they were already on the topic, Jeongguk might as well… “Actually, umm, I only really hang out with other rodent hybrids. I mean, I take any client but usually, I feel most comfortable around hybrids like me. Not that I’m uncomfortable right now. I just-”

“We get it,” Jimin interrupted him softly, smiling sheepishly. “Our best friends are mainly feline as well. We’re not around rodents or bunnies, specifically a lot. Is there anything we can do for you?”

Jeongguk pursed his lips in thought. “You probably know a lot of stereotypes, and most of them are true. That’s why stereotypes even exist.” Taehyung and Jimin nodded but stayed silent to let him continue. “I’m pretty sensitive to sounds and smells. I can be quite jumpy, especially when nervous. That’s really the only thing you need to know. Like I’m sensitive in general, but that doesn’t mean I’m made of paper.”

“You don’t really have-” Taehyung tapped his front teeth.

“My front teeth do grow longer,” Jeongguk explained. “But we usually get them filed down regularly. Otherwise, I’d gnaw at everything and everyone to keep them shorter.” He laughed, biting the air to demonstrate. “Do yours stop growing? Or do you need to file them too?” Jimin and Taehyung both sported feline canines — though Jeongguk wasn’t sure whether Taehyung’s looked longer since he was a tiger or because he was bigger in general.

Seeing the alarmed look on their faces, Jeongguk already had his answer before Jimin spoke. “We don’t file them.” He shook himself a little; even his ears flicked. “Just the thought of that feeling makes me shiver.” Jeongguk figured he shouldn’t tell them that dentists used to clip his teeth when he was little.

By the time they were done with dinner, they had concluded that maybe bunny hybrids weren’t all that different from cat or tiger hybrids. There were some differences in their upbringings, but Jeongguk was sure there was nothing he needed to worry about. Except maybe getting his own heart broken.

He spent the whole evening watching the couple interact, feeling his heart grow heavier and heavier. Jeongguk had always loved easily. He liked having crushes and feeling happy to be around someone. But watching two people he liked very much being in love with each other so effortlessly hurt more than he thought.

meanwhile…

“He’s a bunny hybrid!” Taehyung raised his eyebrows at Jimin, who threw himself onto his belly on the bed.

“And how does that make you feel?” Taehyung asked before turning off the big light since Jimin had already turned on the lamps on the nightstands.

Without warning, Jimin buried his face into his pillow and screamed into it. Nodding, Taehyung sat down on his side of the bed. Yeah, that summed it up nicely. Jimin turned his face to him. “He’s just so cute. Is that discriminatory of me to say?”

“Not unless you’re saying it because all that bunnies are capable of is being cute.” Taehyung knew that was not what Jimin was saying. He’d been at dinner with Jeongguk as well, after all.

Jimin huffed when he caught himself almost rolling onto his back. He should avoid lying on his back as much as he could. He sat up instead. “He’s not just cute. He’s handsome, and funny, and talented, but, oh man, he’s so cute.” His groan made Taehyung laugh. “It’s like he’s provoking my cuteness aggression. I just want to-” He curled his fingers as if squeezing something.

“I think that’s a very normal response, yes,” Taehyung said, fluffing up his pillows, before leaning against them.

Jimin scooted closer until their thighs touched. “He’s perfect, right? I think he’d fit in our home so nicely.”

Taehyung tilted his head before reaching out to caress Jimin’s ears. “Let’s not talk about him like he’s a household item we’re acquiring.” Jimin pouted but leaned into Taehyung’s touch. “I do like him and I wanna spend more time with him.”

“I just wanna kiss him silly,” Jimin said, widening his eyes at Taehyung. The look in his eyes was so distinctly cat-like that Taehyung couldn’t help but giggle.

“I fear we’ll need to have some discussions with him before you jump into that.”

Letting out a loud sigh, Jimin moved to straddle Taehyung’s thighs. His hands cupped his face. “I guess I’ll just have to kiss you silly then.”

Naturally, Taehyung’s hands came to rest on Jimin’s waist. “I guess that’s the only way we’ll survive.”

Jimin sat up and lifted his arms to stretch. Quickly, Jeongguk looked away before his eyes could linger on the vision that was Jimin’s back muscles. Jimin had already caught him zoning out a few times today, and he couldn’t handle the embarrassment anymore. “Jeongguk-ah?”

Jeongguk hummed in reply, stretching out his fingers. They were in the middle of their second tattoo session. If things went as planned, they’d only need one more for Jimin’s spinal tattoo to be done. “Yeah?”

“I’ve been wondering,” Jimin said, almost coyly, “with your lip piercings. What’s the kissing like?”

Blinking, Jeongguk focused his eyes on the back of his hand. Was he starting to hallucinate? “I don’t— It’s not different, I think. I don’t notice it.” Automatically, his tongue started fidgeting with his piercings.

When he looked up at Jimin, he was already watching him. “I’ve always wanted to know what kissing someone with lip piercings feels like.”

Jeongguk thought, now would be a wonderful time to think about funeral arrangements. Jimin was going to be the death of him. “I mean, mine are kind of out of the way mostly,” he replied. Feeling brave, he added, “I think a labret piercing would look good on you, though. Like a ring here.” He motioned to the centre of his bottom lip.

Jimin smiled knowingly and Jeongguk swallowed. Here lies Jeon Jeongguk… “You think?”

“Yeah, you have good lips for it.” …gone too soon… bested by the plush lips of Park Jimin.

“Are piercings part of your repertoire as well?” Jimin asked, tilting his head at him.

Jeongguk laughed in the hopes it would shake him out of his stupor. “Ah, no, but we have a piercer in the studio. Hongjoon’s exceptionally good at what he does. He’s currently trying to talk me into another eyebrow piercing.”

“That’d be hot.” When Jimin smiled at him cheekily, Jeongguk furrowed his brows. He didn’t know what to make of this. He liked Jimin; he liked that he was flirting with him. But where did Taehyung stand in all this? Why was Jimin even flirting with him in the first place?

“How morally wrong is it to have a crush on your client?” Jeongguk asked, his eyes on the bowl of ramen in front of him. He didn’t dare to look his best friends in the eyes.

“Very.”

“Not at all.”

Okay, maybe he needed to look up after all. Hoseok was frowning at Seokjin, his squirrel ears flattening a little. “What are you saying? It’s just a crush. He can have a crush.”

“I’m not saying anything,” Seokjin defended himself. “I’m just being antagonistic on purpose.”

Jeongguk shoved some noodles into his mouth. “Wewy hepul.” When his friends stared at him unimpressed, he swallowed his food before repeating. “Very helpful, hyung.”

“What client are we even talking about?” Hoseok asked.

Since Jeongguk had already shamefully admitted to his little crush on the florists across the street, he only needed to update them that Jimin was officially his client now - and that he might or might not have flirted with Jeongguk. When he was done talking, Seokjin was shoving so many noodles in his mouth, that Jeongguk was sure he would choke on them - and Hoseok stared at him in disbelief. “You get yourself in the silliest situations sometimes.”

“Okay, yeah, but what do I do?” Jeongguk asked, his voice sounding almost like a whine.

Seokjin raised his hand, motioning for them to wait until he swallowed his food. “I say, next time you see either of them, you just kiss them. That should solve it.”

Jeongguk groaned. “Any advice that doesn’t make me a homewrecker?”

His best friend pretended to think about it and then shook his head. “No, that’s all I got.”

Sighing, Hoseok wiped something from Seokjin’s cheek. “Listen, Jeongguk-ah, hyung’s advice is extreme but he’s not wrong about you having to be direct. I mean, they’re a couple, and Jimin is giving you mixed signals. You need to talk about that.”

“I can’t do that,” Jeongguk replied, “that’s gonna be so—”

“Humiliating,” Seokjin and Hoseok finished in unison before Jeongguk could.

“What if I’ve just made this flirting up in my head? What if it makes Jimin uncomfortable that I interpreted his words like that?”

Seokjin let out a huff. “Let me tell you, talking about your lips is never a platonic thing. You can’t make that shit up.”

With a sigh, Jeongguk went back to staring at his food. He knew his friends were right. He couldn’t know Jimin’s intentions until they spoke about it. He couldn’t imagine that Jimin was a cheater, not with how in love he looked with Taehyung. But what was the other option? Anything he came up with sounded so unrealistic.

“Hey,” Hoseok said gently and Jeongguk could feel his feet nudging his under the table. “Remember when you were hesitant about applying for tattoo artist apprenticeships because you thought getting rejected by your favourite artist would be so humiliating?” He cocked his head and smiled when Jeongguk scrunched up his nose. He knew where this was going. “And then remember how none of the things your anxiety imagined happened? Remember how happy you were when everything went right?”

“Everything can’t always go right,” Jeongguk mumbled. “One of these days, my luck will run out and I’ll get humiliated for real.”

“One of these days, Hoseok might strangle the negativity out of you,” Seokjin replied with a laugh, accompanied by Hoseok’s innocent smile.

During their third and last session, Jeongguk tried not to feel nostalgic. Theoretically, he knew this wasn’t the end of their newfound friendship. Jimin was already extremely excited about the prospect of letting Jeongguk touch up his first tattoo. Both he and Taehyung also seemed to have noticed that Jeongguk watched them set up their flowers in the morning and more often than not they waved at him with bright smiles. Jeongguk would be embarrassed if he didn’t feel so endeared.

He was finishing the lowest moon on Jimin’s back, while Jimin was propped up a little and typing on his phone. “Hey, I know we’re not done yet and you have your rule about guests but,” Jimin tilted his head to pout at him, “can Taehyungie come by and bring some takeout? We can all eat once we’re done.”

Jeongguk turned off the tattoo gun. He did have a rule about that but… well, it was Taehyung, and he was bringing food. Plus Jeongguk was almost done anyway so he wouldn’t be much of a distraction hopefully. “Sure.”

Only when Jimin informed him that Taehyung had just picked up their Chinese takeout did Jeongguk realise that today would probably be the perfect time to bring up that flirting thing. Jimin had been playful with him today as well but even though Jeongguk smiled and tried to act normal about it, his stomach had lurched painfully.

“Knock, knock.” Jeongguk’s breath got caught in his throat when he heard Taehyung’s deep voice. He looked up to find the man peeking into the studio. Since Hyunjin still had a client over as well, Jeongguk had closed the door to give them more privacy.

“Come in, hyung,” Jeongguk said quickly. Taehyung was only wearing a t-shirt and wide pants, but it looked so good on him. It was almost unfair how Jimin and Taehyung both were so handsome — and when they were together that beauty got magnified by a thousand. Truly, Jeongguk’s heart stood no chance; his crush was inevitable.

Jimin groaned after Taehyung had leaned down to press a chaste kiss to his lips. “The food smells amazing. Jeongguk-ah, how much longer?”

“M-maybe twenty minutes,” Jeongguk replied, caught off guard when Taehyung hugged him as well, his tail curling around his body for a split second. He smelled incredible and it took everything in Jeongguk not to dig his nose into his neck. That would be embarrassing, wouldn’t it?

When he tried to focus back on his task at hand, he caught Jimin’s eye. Jimin only smiled knowingly, before lying his head back down on his arms. Jeongguk inhaled deeply and ignored the way Taehyung was making himself at home on his sofa. If he didn’t want Jimin to starve, he should really finish that tattoo.

Thankfully, he was decent enough at blocking out distractions when it came to his job. It helped that Jimin and Taehyung weren’t having a conversation that made him want to concentrate on them.

“I think—” Jeongguk sat up straight and cracked his neck. “—we’re done.”

Jimin let out a little cheer and did a very cat-like stretch. Cute. “Yay. Lemme see.”

Jeongguk quickly took a picture on his phone to show Jimin. “I’d like to take some proper pictures for my socials. So I’ll set up the lights.” He had a fancy ring light and even a proper camera. His phone would do if he just posted the pictures to Instagram, but he was working on getting a proper website, and for that, he needed better-quality pictures.

Taehyung went over to Jimin, and they both gushed about the tattoo quietly. Jeongguk tried not to let it get to his head. But there was no use; he’d ride this high for the near future. Jimin and Taehyung loved the tattoo and Jeongguk was fully responsible for that. He always got a kick out of his clients' excitement about their tattoos, but this was special.

“Oh my, Jeongguk-ah,” Jimin said as Jeongguk was taking more pictures. This was really a tattoo of which he was especially proud. It looked so good on Jimin. “I think I might cry, I love it so much.”

“Please don’t cry,” Jeongguk replied, glancing at Taehyung who was starting to unpack their food.

Jimin turned around and pouted. “I’m serious. Thank you so much.” As soon as Jeongguk placed down his camera, he had an arm full of Jimin.

He made a surprised sound and gently placed his hands on Jimin’s hips. He tried not to think about the way Jimin fit against him or how he smelled just as good as Taehyung. “Hyung, I still need to put the second skin on.”

“Yes, alright, I’m hungry, let’s go.”

Taehyung laughed. “Quick before he gets hangry.”

After Jeongguk got Jimin ready to go, he took his sweet time cleaning up his workspace. Not because he wasn’t hungry but because he felt like he needed a few minutes to breathe. He needed a little time to figure out how he was going to bring up the topic of flirting. Of course, Jimin and Taehyung didn’t accept that for very long.

“Jeonggukkie,” Taehyung drawled, and Jeongguk really hoped he didn’t notice how his ears perked up. “Come sit down with us.”

So he did. Instead of sitting on the sofa, they were crowded on the floor around his small coffee table that he only owned because it felt weird to have a sofa without a table. He reached for a pair of chopsticks but stopped in his tracks when he noticed Taehyung holding a dumpling to his face.

“Ah, thank you,” he mumbled sheepishly and leaned forward to accept the dumpling. As he chewed, he tried not to focus on the fact that Taehyung just fed him and was quickly distracted by how good the dumpling was.

He must’ve made a noise because both Taehyung and Jimin grinned proudly. “It’s delicious, right?” Jimin said. “We always get the dumplings, they’re just too good to pass.”

Jeongguk nodded, already picking up another dumpling. “Better than my mother’s honestly.”

“One time, we had the biggest fight about who ate the last dumpling,” Jimin laughed, gently nudging Taehyung with his shoulder. “We didn’t talk for two weeks I think.”

“We’re very serious about dumplings,” Taehyung agreed.

They continued to share anecdotes back and forth as they ate the admittedly lukewarm food. It truly felt like they’d known each other forever. Jeongguk was so comfortable that he almost forgot there was something he needed to talk about. Until suddenly, Taehyung’s hand was cupping his face gently and wiping at the corner of his mouth.

Jeongguk flinched away, noticing the hurt look that flashed across Taehyung’s face. “W-what are you doing?”

Taehyung exchanged a look with Jimin. “You had some sauce on your face, sorry.”

“No, it’s just—” Jeongguk took a shaky breath, this was really not coming out as he planned. “Jimin’s been flirting with me and you’re being so nice and gentle and I’m— I’m just so confused about it?”

“Oh,” Jimin said softly, scooting closer even though Taehyung was still between them. “Jeongguk-ah, we tried to look it up, but we couldn’t find anything about how bunny hybrids court.”

Taehyung smiled and nodded. “So, we thought we’d just wing it a little.”

“Court?” Jeongguk must’ve misheard them. There was no way. “You’re trying to— Why would you court me?”

Sighing, Jimin rolled his eyes at him. “Well, why do people usually court each other?”

“But you’re together.”

“And together, we’d like to be with you.” Jimin sounded a little like he was talking to someone who made an effort to be oblivious. Well, maybe he was.

Jeongguk blinked back at them. Hoseok and Seokjin were going to have a field day when he’d tell them about this. Actually, he was currently having a field day himself. Was this really happening? “So, like, in a romantic way?”

Jimin and Taehyung exchanged a look again but this time they smiled softly. “In any way you’ll have us,” Taehyung replied.

“We want all of us to be equal partners,” Jimin continued when he realised that Jeongguk was still too stunned to speak. “Taehyung and I’ve been together for a long time, so it’ll take some adjusting but we want you to feel… equal.”

“But if we’re overstepping and you don’t feel that way about us at all, that’s okay, too.”

It was then that Jeongguk realised he hadn’t actually told them how he felt. “Oh, no, I’m— yeah.” He nodded quickly. “Yes, I’d very much like to at least try this. I really like you, both of you.”

Jimin giggled and it made Jeongguk’s heart stop a little. “And we like you, in case that wasn’t obvious.” Jeongguk couldn’t help but giggle as well. “So you’ll have to tell us how to court you properly.”

“Oh, well.” Jeongguk shrugged with one shoulder. “We don’t, umm— I feel like courting has never been important for me. We’re big on scenting and being physically affectionate but that’s not exclusive to courting.” When Jimin and Taehyung only nodded in reply, he sat up a little straighter. “But what about you? Is there anything I can do?”

He had never officially courted someone else, and it felt weird to ask how to do it instead of going with his gut. But he didn’t want to get anything wrong — Jimin and Taehyung were too special for that — and he knew next to nothing about feline hybrids.

“Lots of physical affection,” Jimin said with a smile, reaching out to run his fingers through Taehyung’s hair. “Small gifts here and there, as well.”

“Okay, alright.” Jeongguk nodded. He was nervous about his first big courting, and he was nervous about actually trying to get closer to Jimin and Taehyung. But he’d figure it out. He wanted this.

They decided to take things slow, meaning all they did that night was talk about relationships instead of kissing. It felt like the most logical thing to do, given that neither of them had ever been in a polyamorous relationship. By the time Monday rolled around, Jeongguk started to regret that decision just a little.

In the morning, he was sitting in the tattoo studio foyer, acting like he was getting things done when, really, his eyes wouldn’t leave the two handsome men across the street — his handsome men. He was so used to watching them work from afar that he scrambled to sit up straight when Taehyung crossed the street and came into the studio.

“Hi,” Jeongguk squeaked out when Taehyung stood in front of him, wiping his hands on his green apron. All these mornings that they had smiled at each other from across the street and Jeongguk hadn’t thought, either of them would simply come over — even after they became somewhat friends.

“Good morning,” Taehyung said, his voice a little rough as if he hadn’t spoken much this morning yet. “I’ve come to a realization.”

Jeongguk’s eyebrows furrowed before he forced himself to smile. No reason to panic. Surely, he hadn’t driven Taehyung away yet. “You have?”

“Yes, I think it’s quite unfair that Jimin got all this extra quality time with you during your tattoo sessions, and I’ve barely spent time with you one on one.”

The corner of Jeongguk’s lips twitched up at the serious expression on Taehyung’s face. It truly was a tragedy. “So you’ve come to make an appointment for your own tattoo,” he said, raising an eyebrow teasingly.

Taehyung’s face morphed into an expression of pure horror for a second. “Oh, no, I —” When he realised Jeongguk was just joking, he relaxed again. “No, I’m actually wondering whether you’re free tonight?”

Humming, Jeongguk switched to his calendar on his tablet to double-check. “My last appointment is at four and that should be done by six-ish. After that I’m free.”

“Perfect,” Taehyung grinned, flashing his canines. Jeongguk would’ve never thought he’d find teeth that attractive, yet here he was. “I have tickets to this concert tonight, so if you’re interested you can join me, and we’ll make a date night out of it.”

Jeongguk smiled down at his tablet. Date night with Taehyung sounded wonderful. “What kind of concert is it?”

“Well.” Taehyung laughed sheepishly. “It’s an orchestra but it’s not like classical music, they’re playing the soundtrack of my favourite video game and it’s like a farming game so it’s less dramatic music and more happy tunes. It’s a little silly maybe, but I got two tickets because I didn’t want to go alone. Jimin would’ve joined me, but he doesn’t play the game, so he offered to give you the ticket. But you don’t have to say yes, I promise. If you don’t—”

“I’d love to,” Jeongguk interrupted him gently. This was the first time he witnessed Taehyung rambling and if he was this excited about the concert already, Jeongguk couldn’t wait to hear more about it tonight. “Should we meet at the venue?”

“How about I pick you up at seven and then we get some street food for dinner on the way?”

And that’s how Jeongguk found himself staring at a very kissable Taehyung as they shared some lamb skewers. How could he take it slow when he was falling more in love by the second?

“You know, I feel quite underdressed,” Jeongguk said around a mouthful of meat, gesturing towards Taehyung’s outfit with the wooden skewer. He was wearing brown slacks with a white dress shirt tucked into them and a black sweater vest. “You told me this was a casual thing.” Jeongguk on the other hand was wearing a white shirt with black jeans, though he had tucked in his shirt as soon as he saw Taehyung’s outfit.

Taehyung pouted, grease staining his lips. Damn, Jeongguk wanted to kiss him so bad. “This is casual.”

Now, Jeongguk could tell him that it was far from casual, but the truth was, he didn’t think it was relevant anyway. Taehyung looked handsome and if he felt as comfortable in those slacks as Jeongguk felt in jeans then there was no reason for Jeongguk to rain on his parade.

As they made their way to the venue, Taehyung started rambling about the video game again and Jeongguk didn’t stop him since he was genuinely interested. He didn’t have a lot of time to play video games these days and he had never been much into farming sims, but Taehyung’s excitement was infectious.

“So in my current save I’m trying to earn enough money to buy more cows,” Taehyung said as they sat down in their seats. There were only ten minutes left until the concert started. “I have a lot of chickens already and I earn some money with the eggs, but milk just sells for more.”

“Are there geese, too?” Jeongguk asked, trying to get comfortable in the small seat. “Or just chickens?”

“No geese but you can have ducks.” Taehyung pressed his shoulder into Jeongguk’s. “You know there’s a multiplayer option so we can play a little together, next time you come over. Jimin is no help because he just walks around trying to romance the NPCs.”

They kept gravitating toward each other during the concert until they locked pinkies and Jeongguk leaned his head on Taehyung’s shoulder. On the way home, they continued holding hands, and when Taehyung dropped him off at his place, Jeongguk felt like his insides were burning.

“I hate taking things slow,” he mumbled as he hugged Taehyung goodbye. He kept his arms tight around Taehyung, absentmindedly rubbing his chin over Taehyung’s shoulder. “Stupid idea.”

Taehyung hummed. His tail was gently wrapped around Jeongguk’s leg to pull him closer. “You know it’s not,” he said, pressing his nose to Jeongguk’s temple. “And Jimin texted me earlier that I’ll sleep on the sofa if I kiss you tonight.”

Laughing, Jeongguk leaned back to look Taehyung in the face. “He’s so mean.”

“He’s got a point.” Taehyung shrugged with a smile. “I’d be jealous too if you guys kissed without me around for the first time.”

Jeongguk took a moment to just look at Taehyung. His eyes were shining, and his cheeks were a little flushed, but he didn’t know if that was because Jeongguk had essentially scented him. Jeongguk couldn’t remember the last time he felt this wanted. It sent sparks up and down his spine. “Goodnight then,” he said with a smile. “Before we do something to land you on that sofa.”

After his date with Taehyung, Jeongguk didn’t have the patience to wait for Jimin and Taehyung to come up with another reason to drop by. He also didn’t have the patience to think of some genius date idea. He just wanted to spend time with them in any way he could, so he invited them to his place at the next available opportunity. Jimin and Taehyung didn’t seem to have any gripes with it, since they showed up with matching grins and squished him between them in greeting.

“You know you can just drop by the shop, you don’t need to always text,” Jimin said as he looked around the apartment. Jeongguk had spent the last hour panic-cleaning everything.

Jeongguk raised his eyebrows. “Oh, well, I’d love to check out the shop, but I don’t think my allergies would agree with me.”

Jimin’s smile froze on his face, and he spun to look at Taehyung in horror. “He’s allergic?”

“Seems like it?” Taehyung replied with an amused expression.

“I’m also standing right here,” Jeongguk added. Jimin sent him an apologetic smile. “I’m not allergic to all flowers but standing in a sea of flowers is probably not the best idea.”

They stood in the middle of Jeongguk’s living room which doubled as his bedroom for a few moments. It was then that Jeongguk realised he hadn’t thought about what they would do tonight. He’d been so desperate to spend time with them and be near them but now they were here, and he felt a bit clueless.

“So, umm.” Jeongguk fidgeted with his hands. “I thought we’d just… hang out? We can put a show on or something. I know my sofa isn’t very big but—”

“We’ll make it work,” Jimin said as he sat down. Before he knew it, Jimin and Taehyung were sat on either end of the sofa, patting the space between them.

Jeongguk ended up positively squished between them - not that he could complain. He wouldn’t be able to say what show they ended up watching because all he could focus on was their thighs pressing into his and their arms slung around him. “At what point should I admit I only invited you so we could advance to the kissing part of this whole courting thing?”

Both Jimin and Taehyung giggled at that. Jimin turned so he was sitting sideways on the sofa, his hand wandering to Jeongguk’s thigh. “I hate to tell you, bun, but that was quite obvious.”

Jeongguk laughed as well. “I’m very desperate,” he said, turning towards Jimin. “Whatever shall we do?”

Humming, Jimin moved his hand from his thigh up to Jeongguk’s jaw. His thumb traced along his jawline before moving higher to run over his bottom lip. “You know, I’ve wanted to kiss you silly since I saw you from across the street for the first time.”

With a smile, Jeongguk leaned in until their noses brushed. His heart was beating out of his chest in anticipation, and his whole body was tingling. “Well, get to it then.” Jimin didn’t need any more encouragement and pulled him in the rest of the way. Their lips met and for a good moment, Jeongguk thought he would melt away on the spot.

All he could feel was Jimin’s hands on his face, in his hair at the base of his ears and squeezing his waist. Wait, that was Taehyung’s hand on his waist. Sighing against Jimin’s lips, Jeongguk reached out to interlock his fingers with Taehyung’s.

After what both felt like an eternity and only a second, Jimin pulled back, his fingers still tracing the lines of Jeongguk’s face. “So so pretty,” he whispered and giggled when Jeongguk pouted. Jimin tilted his head to look at Taehyung over Jeongguk’s shoulder. “He’s so pretty.”

Jeongguk felt Taehyung shift behind him until he was leaning over him and pulling Jimin in for a kiss. If Jeongguk hadn’t been sure yet that he didn’t feel any jealousy when it came to Jimin and Taehyung, this was proof. Because watching them kiss, with Jeongguk’s spit still shining on Jimin’s lips— Jeongguk thought he was ascending to heaven.

Oh, if this was just the start, this relationship was going to end him.

“You really are desperate, aren’t you?” Taehyung asked after a whine accidentally escaped Jeongguk’s throat. He grinned and leaned down to Jeongguk, his body still halfway draped over him. His canines were caught on his bottom lip and Jeongguk realised he was pretty much squished between an angel and the devil. He knew Taehyung, he knew he was kind and adorable but, in this moment, he looked anything but.

Turning as much as he could, Jeongguk wrapped his arms around Taehyung’s neck and pulled him down. He was more or less lying on Jimin as Taehyung finally kissed him. For the sake of his sanity, he concentrated on moving his lips against Taehyung’s, running his tongue over his canines. If he didn’t, he’d come undone at the feeling of Jimin’s hands on his body and the press of his lips on his cheek and jaw.

“I think,” he gasped against Taehyung’s lips. “I’d say we’re quite compatible. I think this will work.”

Jimin gently bit his earlobe. “We’re not letting you go anyway, baby.”

Turns out that kissing was the best way to stop the awkward dancing around each other that they had done before. Every day before work, Jimin and Taehyung dropped by the studio to earn their good morning kisses. Most days, Jeongguk went to their place after work so they could have dinner together and once or twice he even spent the night. Seokjin wouldn’t stop teasing him about how domestic it all sounded and Jeongguk could only agree. It was domestic.

Jimin and Taehyung were an established couple for many years and now that they were including Jeongguk as an equal partner, it was natural that things felt serious much quicker than in his previous relationship. He didn’t mind, though. It was all about commitment, and he was committed.

A small bell rang, as Jeongguk pushed open the door to the flower shop. He concentrated on breathing through his mouth as he looked at all of the flowers on display. The shop looked even prettier inside than Jeongguk could tell from across the street. Even though he told them that he couldn’t visit their shop, he couldn’t stay away any longer.

“Just a second!” Jimin shouted from the back. Jeongguk was looking at a bouquet of lilies when Jimin finally came back to the front. “Oh, it’s you.” He smiled and joined Jeongguk next to the bouquets. “I thought you didn’t wanna risk your allergies?”

Jeongguk shrugged with one shoulder. “I’ve decided I can breathe through my mouth for a bit,” he replied and bumped their shoulders together. “Hey, did you know, my birth flower is the tiger lily?”

Jimin gave him a deadpan stare. “I’m a florist, we looked up your birth flower as soon as we found out your birthday.”

Nodding, Jeongguk laughed. “Probably helps that I have a tattoo of it, doesn’t it?” Jimin giggled and pulled him down for a short kiss. The action surprised Jeongguk enough to inhale with his nose — bad idea. His nose instantly started tickling and he quickly leaned away to pinch his nose.

After watching him struggle for a moment, Jimin took his other hand. “Let’s go to the back.”

“Are there less flowers there?” Jeongguk asked, his voice sounding quite nasally.

“No, but there’s a Taehyung there.” Jimin smiled and called out for their boyfriend. Then he turned to Jeongguk again. “He’s sorting out a delivery right now.”

“Look who it is!” Taehyung exclaimed when he noticed the two of them. His arms were full of buckets of flowers, and he had the cutest grin on his face. “Hyungs, you can’t leave yet! You need to meet Jeonggukkie.”

The hyungs turned out to be a black-haired cat hybrid, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here, and a dog hybrid with dark blonde hair and a blinding smile. Both of them were carrying buckets as well. “This is Yoongi hyung and this is Namjoon hyung,” Jimin said, pointing to the two men. “They’re our suppliers but also close friends. Hyungs, this is Jeongguk, he—”

“Yes, you’ve mentioned him,” Namjoon interrupted him with a laugh. “It’s very nice to meet you, Jeongguk.”

“Likewise,” Jeongguk replied, though he struggled to remember if his boyfriends had ever brought up Yoongi and Namjoon. They probably did; they mentioned some friends, but Jeongguk was a lot more focused on kissing them these days.

“Oh, Yoongi hyung,” Jimin waved the cat hybrid closer and took the bucket of flowers out of his arms. “Jeonggukkie here really loves this rapper called Gloss.”

Yoongi raised his eyebrows at Jeongguk before a small smile tugged at his lips. “You do?”

“Yeah,” Jeongguk replied quickly, bouncing on his feet. “He’s amazing. His way with words and the emotions he raps about— I’m a huge fan. But he hasn’t uploaded anything in forever.”

Namjoon wrapped an arm around Yoongi and grinned at Jeongguk. “You should listen to Agust D,” he said. “He’s like Gloss but a little less angry.”

Jeongguk nodded, excited to discover new music. “I’ll look him up.”

“How come you’re here?” Taehyung asked him as Jimin joined their friends in finishing the delivery. “I thought you’d come over after work?”

“My last appointment cancelled.” Jeongguk leaned into his boyfriend, feeling Taehyung’s tail wrapping around his waist. “So, I thought, I’d pick you guys up for a little date.”

Humming, Taehyung pressed a kiss to his lips. “You’re amazing.” Another kiss was pressed to his forehead. “I’m so happy.”

“Happy enough to let me tattoo you?” Jeongguk wiggled his eyebrows and yelped when Taehyung punched his arm.

“Never in a million years, my love.”

“Baby, you’ve gotta keep your tail in check,” Jeongguk laughed when Taehyung’s tail swatted him in the face for the dozenth time in the last few minutes. It was something he was somewhat used to from tattooing hybrids, but usually he had to be nicer about it. “Jimin hyung, help me out here.”

Giggling, Jimin got up from his studio sofa and gently led Taehyung’s tail away from Jeongguk. A year ago, he had been so set on not letting anyone accompany his clients. Well, he still was, he just made an exception for his boyfriends. Over the last year, Jimin had developed a bit of a tattoo addiction and Jeongguk was always happy to indulge him and clear a spot in his calendar.

This was exactly how they managed to sway Taehyung on his aversion to getting a tattoo. He had watched Jimin and Jeongguk be excited about new tattoos for an entire year. The metaphorical last nails in the coffin were the matching tattoos Jimin and Jeongguk got for their first anniversary. Inspired by Jeongguk’s tattoo of his birth flower, Jimin wanted to have a small tiger lily as well as a Carolina allspice flower (Taehyung’s birth flower) behind his ears. Jeongguk being Jeongguk didn’t need convincing to add the Carolina allspice flower and Jimin’s bridal wreath to the new sleeve he was working on.

To be clear, they didn’t do it to make Taehyung feel left out. They repeatedly told him they didn’t mind if he never got a tattoo. And yet, it was the last push Taehyung needed to get over his fear of needles — as long as Jeongguk would be the one holding the tattoo gun.

“We’re almost done, hyung,” Jeongguk said softly and gently squeezed Taehyung’s calf.

Taehyung only hummed in reply which was better than the pained sound he let out every once in a while. Jimin pouted at Jeongguk before leaning down and pressing a kiss between Taehyung’s twitching ears. “It looks so pretty already, and you picked a good spot on your thighs.”

Half an hour later, Jeongguk was placing the second skin over the two small tattoos. The tattoos were a little more delicate than his usual style, but they looked perfect on Taehyung’s skin.

“Thank you,” Taehyung said with a tired smile and pulled Jeongguk’s face mask down so he could kiss him. “I’m sure once the pain dies down, I’ll be a lot more thankful.” He glanced at the big mirror and turned a little so he could see the tattoos. “It looks so beautiful, though.”

Jimin smiled and winked at Jeongguk, before also pulling him in for a kiss. “Well, our boyfriend is the best.”

Shaking his head in amusement, Jeongguk started to clean up the workspace as his boyfriends continued to inspect Taehyung’s tattoos. At this point, he wouldn’t be surprised if Taehyung changed his opinion on tattoos in a few months. It truly only took one tattoo to get hooked.

After they were done here, they’d go home and Jeongguk still couldn’t believe that home wasn’t the tiny studio apartment he used to rent but the bigger apartment the three of them had moved into a few months ago. Home was the living room where they watched Taehyung play his farming game, the kitchen where Jeongguk and Jimin argued over who got to cook, and the bedroom where they slept with Jeongguk sandwiched between his boyfriends because Jimin and Taehyung wanted to catch up with all those nights they spent without him in the middle.

The early bird caught the worm, and the early bunny caught feelings. But let’s be honest, two boyfriends were better than some worm.