You Are Everywhere | Jikook

One

Jimin had begun to slowly wither away.

It wasn't on purpose, he didn't seek to have himself become less than he was; it just kind of happened.

There were foods he couldn't eat, songs he couldn't hear. Certain things he had done throughout the day for two years had to come to a screeching halt because nothing felt the same anymore.

Jimin would turn on the TV and see one of Taehyung's favorite actors. He would cook and think about how much better Taehyung could do.  He would go for a walk to clear his head and see a flower, deeply purple, soft and delicate, and wonder if Taehyung would've stopped to take a picture of it because purple was a color that reminded Tae of love and happiness.

Jimin made himself sick. It had been two months. Why was the pain still so fresh and searing as if it had happened yesterday?

He blamed it all on the tattoo on his finger. Taehyung's hadn't been P.J.M. no matter how hard Jimin had willed it to be that way. And Jimin's... His weren't K.T.H. either.

But he was adamantly sure that the tattoos meant absolutely nothing.

Why couldn't Taehyung feel this way?

Jimin didn't want anyone else, but at the same time what Taehyung did made him sick.  Jimin didn't think he could ever hate Taehyung, but he certainly was pissed at the state Taehyung had left him in. There wasn't even a warning he just—he just left without any consideration to Jimin.

He didn't want Taehyung either.

He didn't want anyone.

So that was how he ended up here, fresh meat at this tattoo parlor. He wasn't sure if what he wanted was even possible but he would be damned if he didn't try.

Jimin could clearly see through the glass door that there was someone sitting at the counter, a cigarette between his lips, his phone in his hand. The guy's head turned as Jimin opened the door and a bell rang, the sound light. A smell rushed at him, starkly different from the floral scent outside and smelling of musk, antiseptic, and—unsurprisingly—smoke. It was foreign to Jimin, but he expected this.

The guy behind the counter had a lip piercing and looked unamused at the sight of Jimin walking into the shop. Jimin was sure he probably looked lost and out of place, but he was going to do this.

"Can you cover—" Jimin raised his hand to put it on the counter so he could show him those initials, but he couldn't even get the rest of the sentence out.

"We can't cover that." His voice had a slight rasp to it and at the words, Jimin became greatly annoyed.

"Why not?"

The guy behind the counter looked ready to roll his eyes. "Because it doesn't work. The ink won't take there."

Jimin felt a drag in his chest. He had control over everything in his life except this. He was given this at birth with no say. He fell in love and the mark took it away, but he couldn't even get rid of it.

"Can I help you with anything else?" He didn't sound like he wanted to help Jimin with anything.

The guy was looking at him as if he was someone that didn't have the guts to let some stranger put a needle to his skin and permanently mark his body.

He looked around the shop, at the drawings hanging up on the walls—tattoo selections, Jimin guessed. There was an array of them ranging from skulls to flowers to elegant script but his attention kept snagging on one.

A flower enveloped in flames.

He didn't really care for that specific design but the concept behind it triggered a thought process that left his mind whirring, much more active than it had been in a while.

Jimin had always been the quiet one. He had always taken and tolerated everyone and what they did to him but he didn't want to be stuck in the passenger seat his entire life. 

"Who drew that one?" Jimin asked, pointing at the drawing. The guy followed his finger.

"A bratty kid."

"Does he work here?"

The guy put his cigarette out with a sigh.  "Sadly."

"Can I talk to him?" Jimin could feel himself getting excited and tried to force himself to calm down. The last time he actually got excited about something... Well, it didn't end well.

"You'll have to set up an appointment." He turned to the computer they had. "Oh, I should mention, although he's a bratty kid he's a damn good artist so he's packed for months."

Jimin's soul deflated. "When's the earliest time slot?"

"Hmm," The computer screen was reflected in his brown eyes as he scrolled and scrolled and scrolled. With each sound of the mouse Jimin sank further and further. "July-ish..?"

"Ish?" Jimin asked. "Give me a date."

"July twenty-ninth at... one."

Nearly three months.

What if Jimin over thought it and chickened out? What if he changed his mind? What if—what if—

"There are other artists who aren't as busy and you could get in as soon as...May third."

A week. That was better.

But there was something about the way the lines curved, the way the piece was shaded that made Jimin want to meet the person who drew it. He wanted that person to design something just for him because surely it would be amazing.

"No, no. I can wait."

"Okay." The guy said. "I need a name and number."

He gave the man the required information, but the moment the name left his mouth the guy's lips pressed together as he tilted his head to the side. He shook his head ever so slightly, leaving Jimin confused but Jimin didn't dwell on it for long.

"If there's a cancellation," The guy said as he grabbed a card off of the counter and wrote the appointment on it, "I'll let you know and we can see if you can squeeze in."

He handed him the card. "I'd recommend having your ideas written down. It'll make it easier on your tattoo artist."

Jimin nodded, unsure of whether or not he should smile or frown because something was happening but that something was decades away. Regardless, he remembered basic manners as he said thank you.

"See you later, Jimin." The guy behind the counter said. Jimin nodded again, waved goodbye, and left. As he stepped back into the floral spring air, he was left wondering what Taehyung would've thought about the idea floating around in his head.

And even though he tried to dismiss all of it, his smiling face was glued to the back of Jimin's eyelids and his laugh was ringing through his ears; his disapproving frown was glazed over it though, reminiscent of the last time Jimin brought up a tattoo. It made Jimin more hesitant.

Jimin couldn't stand it.

~~

Predictable?¿ is it?? I don't know I just know I'm supposed to be working on a presentation and instead I wrote this lmao bye

Thank you for reading