Hidden Mysteries

Piercing

AN: This one's a chapter that I've honestly been excited to get to! This marks the beginning of one of the overarching arcs in the story that's essential to the plot, and is actually fairly personal to me as well! (This chapter was minorly inspired by an event from my childhood, as a matter of fact!) I hope you all enjoy!
Warning for needles!

"You're not gonna wear them yet?" Balloon asked, kicking a can along the road as we walked down to Balloon's house after school. His parents weren't home that day (Lifering was working and Tea Kettle was helping out with some event at Balloon's church), so it was a perfect excuse to look through the journal while we were over there.

"No. Not in front of Baseball and Nickel, at least." I look down at my friend from my spot on the short brick wall I was balancing on. "I mean, I want to, but...I don't have the courage yet, y'know?"

"Yeah, I get it. It takes a lot of guts to do something big that your family might not like." He kicks the can again. "Maybe start with something small? Like...pierced ears?"

"I guess it wouldn't be that big of a deal. I mean, Knife and my sister Microphone have like...a ton of piercings so I don't think they would be opposed to the idea." I hop down from the wall. "But that's kinda scary to ask them to take me to get it done."

"We don't have to ask them. Mom once told me her college roommate pierced her ears with a sewing needle and an ice cube. Well, it got infected, but it was like, the early eighties and crap, so as long as we use hydrogen peroxide..."

"But don't we need...earrings? To put in my ears?" I pull on my sweater sleeve. "Like...the super simple tiny silver ones?"

"We could probably buy some. I mean, you can buy a huge set of earrings for what, ten bucks at the store not too far from here? It'd just be a matter of the piercing...I-I've never done it before, but it can't be too hard."

"Oh."

"We don't have to do it if you don't want to, though! It's up to you—"

"No, no, it's just..." I take a deep breath. "Nickel is going to kill me when I get home tonight."

Balloon smiles slightly. "Is that a yes?"

"Yep. Let's do this thing."

~~~~

"Are you sure this is how the website said to do it?" I ask nervously, still holding onto the earrings while watching Balloon hold a "borrowed" needle from Tea Kettle's sewing kit over a lighter's open flame ("for sterilization, I think", Balloon had said), eyes squinting in concentration.

"Yeah, that's what it says. Besides, this is how they did it in one of those movies we saw Saturday night, remember?" He bent down next to me, staring at the dot on my earlobe that we had made with a Sharpie. "You sure you want to do this?"

I nod. "You're sure you can do it?"

"Mmhm. Hand me the potato."

I hand Balloon the small potato we had taken from the kitchen. He places it beneath my earlobe, holding the needle over the Sharpie mark. "You ready?"

I only make a noise of affirmation, anxiety bubbling in my stomach.

"On three, okay? One...two...three-!"

It hurt. It really, really hurt. It felt like I was getting a shot, but more intense. I let out a cry of pain, grasping at my skirt.

"Sorry, sorry! I'll try to have it over soon, hand me the earring." I hand the earring to Balloon; just one of those simple, sparkly studs that looked like they were made with diamonds. He took out the needle, sliding the earring in the hole and fastening the back on. "There, halfway done now!"

I sit up, glancing at the mirror that was propped up against Balloon's desk, staring at my new piercing. "You...you did a good job."

"I guess I did, huh? Not bad for my first time, maybe I should become a piercer?"

"Oh, don't get cocky!" I shove him playfully, and he bursts into laughter. "You're still not done yet, anyways!"

"I know, I know. Mind laying back down?"

i do just that, and Balloon pierces my other ear, fastening the earring in. Once he's done, he helps me up, and I look at the final result; a pair of sparkling earrings, in my newly pierced ears.

"Wow, I..." I don't know what to say. "This looks great!"

"Yeah." Balloon smiles. "It suits you."

"You think so?" I look up at Balloon shyly.

"I really do." He chuckles slightly. "Your dad is gonna kill me for this, though."

"Well, he'll have to kill both of us, then." I wrap my arm around his shoulder. "Besides, we've dealt with worse, haven't we?"

"Yeah. If we can survive something like the sentry, we can deal with Baseball freaking out over some pierced ears."

~~~

I left Balloon's house that afternoon with my hair still tied up from when Balloon was doing the piercing, my earrings sparkling slightly in the sunlight. I was, of course, nervous about how my family would react. I didn't think Knife or Mic would think it was a big deal, since they both had more piercings than I could count, but I knew Baseball and Nickel would react more strongly than that.

I take a deep breath, lightly touching one of the earrings, before grasping the strap of my bag and heading inside, noticing Nickel sitting on the couch, reading something while drinking coffee.

"Hey Nickel! I'm back from Balloon's." I greet, moving to take off my shoes. He glances up at me, his eyes widening once he notices my ears. He spits out his coffee, coughing and sputtering in shock.

"Nickel? Are you okay?" Baseball runs in from the kitchen, still cooking dinner from the looks of his outfit. "Is something—O-Oh my gosh! Suitcase!"

"Is something wrong?" I know I'm playing dumb, but Nickel's reaction is hilarious. Is this what the characters in teen movies feel like when they rebel against their parents? Because oh my god, this feels great.

"Your ears," Nickel sputters, pointing towards my earrings.

"Oh, my earrings? Do you like them?" I smile at both of them. "I've been wanting to get them pierced for a while, and Balloon and I saw this movie where this girl got her friend to pierce her ears herself, so we used one of Tea Kettle's sewing needles. Balloon did a pretty good job."

"Balloon pierced your ears?" Baseball asks in disbelief.

"Yeah? I don't see a problem." I fold my arms. "A lot of kids at school have pierced ears. It's not like I got a tattoo or anything."

"Y-Yes, but—it's not safe!" Nickel protests. "When I was seventeen, my ears got infected when I got them pierced!"

"That's because you paid a kid from our grade twenty dollars to do it with an old embroidery needle we stole from our home ec classroom," Baseball deadpans.

"Well, Balloon probably didn't know what he was even doing!"

"And Pretzel did?"

"I don't see why you're overreacting! It's not a huge deal!" I interrupt them suddenly, causing them to turn to me. "So what if Balloon pierced my ears? Yes, he may not have experience, and yes, there's a chance it could get infected, but I wanted it done! It's not like he pressured me into it or anything! Say what you want about it, but at the end of the day, this is my choice! So there!"

"Suitcase—" Nickel starts.

But I'm already turning on my heel, heading up to my room and shutting the door. I slowly slide to the floor, hand clutching my chest as I stare at the ceiling.

This...this feels amazing.