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When it came time for Akari Tanahashi to face her fears, she never guessed it would be in her bandmates bathroom while perched on a tan steel chair and sweating her (nonexistent) balls off.
It all started on that fateful Saturday, when Ren showed up to the rehearsal with a new piercing. It wasn’t anything random, he had lots of piercings already, and he loved to show them off whenever he got a new one, but this one specifically got Akari’s attention.
It looked more grotesque than anything she’d ever seen before, two small metal spikes protruding out of his cheekbone area, right under the corner of his eye. There was a patch of irritated red skin near each spot that the jewelry poked out— the sight left Akari paler than ever, and that wasn’t due to her distaste for tanning. She had always been a bit squeamish after all, but this was just another level. She had tried to imagine how that kind of piercing would work; thinking of Ren stabbing his face, ignoring the gushing blood and pushing through the facial tissues just to clean it up with hydrogen peroxide and put a pretty little earring in it, and quickly feeling her stomach flip flop.
“Wow, cool. I hope you know that’s not a part of your stage outfit,” Miuka had joked dryly, leaning in closer with a sneer and squinting to observe before reaffirming, “It looks nice.”
Yuna had leaned in after her, peering at it with wide eyes, “Woah… Can I touch it?”
Ren smirked as he patted Yuna's head, “Can you reach?,” He snapped, ignoring Yuna’s pout.
Akari was the last to say her piece, still concerned about the foreign object in his skin. It was a few more seconds of shocked staring before she finally spoke up, “Oh my gosh, are you okay? It looks so red…”
“It just does that when it’s healing,” Ren said flatly, already over all the worried questioning Akari did each time he gets a new piercing. Still, they all looked at her in expectation, waiting for her to ask her signature question.
“Will it get infected?”
Ren sighed, “There it is… Akari, do you want me to die? Do you have a bet on my piercings getting infected? Is that why you always ask that?”
“No! Nothing like that! I’ve just… heard of people having to get things cut off because of a nasty infection!”
“Well, I take showers, so that won’t happen to me. Stop worrying.”
“Oh, to be alt and unclean..” Miuka remarked with a small smirk on her face.
“Well, Akari? Do you like it?” Ren had asked, staring at her intently.
Akari didn’t like to lie, but also didn’t like to disappoint people..
“I mean, It’s definitely…”
“Do you like it?” Ren questions again. He had clearly wanted to force the desirable answer out of her.
“I, I mean it looks fine on you, but it’s just… not for me…” She managed to stanmer out, choosing to stare anywhere but Ren’s face.
“I literally didn’t ask if it was for you,”
“Shush up! Let’s begin rehearsal already!” Akari shouted with a snap of her fingers, ignoring Ren’s rebuttal.
It seemed like her phone had been listening to their conversation, because later that night—as she was scrolling social media before bed— she saw something that caught her eye on her feed. It was an influencer, bigger than Akari’s own account, talking about her favorite earrings to use for her ear piercings. She had about 4 piercings in her ears, but was still, stunningly beautiful. Opening the comments, she saw tons of people complimenting her ears, and telling her how well the earrings framed her face. Is this the new trend? Akari thought they looked pretty cool if she might say so herself.
A few scrolls and an hour past her bedtime later, she found herself invigorated with videos of different people showing off their piercings, specifically ones on their ears. They’d list off pretty earrings to put on them and how they used it to match their outfits and give their face a cleaner look. The comments were filled with nothing but positivity and more suggestions, and for the first time she actually understood where Ren was coming from. Pardon her French, but this shit looked cool as hell.
There also came the thrill of rebellion. Akari knew damn well her mother would pop a blood vessel yelling if she even entertained the idea of piercing something other than her lobe. Somehow, that intrigued her more. She was an adult now, she could pierce whatever she wanted. Akari couldn’t wait to see the look of reddened anger on her mom’s face when she’d return home with four earrings instead of two.
And so that settled it, Akari was going to pierce her ear, again.
Opening Ren’s messages, she ignored whatever vulgar shitpost he sent her, to set the idea in stone.
AK47: heyy
renalicious: what
He answered almost instantly, despite constantly telling Akari she was “chronically online” and used her phone too much.
AK47: wowww no hi back?
anyways
ren
where do you get your piercings done?
renalicious: i do myself
well
except for my nipples lmao
i dont trust myself like dat
AK47: so i didn’t need to know about that
tmi boy
okay but
with what?
renalicious: wdym bro yru askign me this again
AK47: i’m just curious ww
renalicious: ggrks u slow its late i’m tryna go to bed
AK47: you and me both know you dont go to bed www
ANSWER THE QUESTION
WHAT DO U PIERCE YOURSELF WITH
renalicious: like
a needle
AK47: what kind of needle?? a sewing needle
renalicious: yeah ur special alright
dont pierce urself with a sewing needle
i use a piercing needle
dodo bird
AK47: ohh okay makes sense..
renalicious: did you think i was out here piercing myself with sewing needles and safety pins????????????
you think i did my smileys with a kitchen fork???
AK47: idk man, you seem like the type of person
renalicious: y do u think i dont shower bro
AK47: okay but..
liek
can u
do mine
She turned pink as she sent that message, instinctively throwing her phone across the room and pathetically squeaking when it landed on her hardwood floors with a clatter.
She made her way across her bedroom to check on the phone, not broken, thank goodness.
renalicious: yeah sure ig
only cuz if i dont youll probably try and pierce 3 chambers of your heart w/ a butter knife
cuz ur a slowpoke
what do u want
She let out another sigh of relief, but this time held her phone close to her chest and jumped around in excitement before finally responding with a picture of an influencer with pretty earrings and highlighting the piercing that she wanted.
AK47: [1 attachment] like this
renalicious: sure ig
come by like
whenever im at home
and ill do it
ig
goodnight im tired of talking to you
AK47: good night!!!!!!
Sure, she could go to a professional parlor to get it done, but there was an added sense of taboo about getting it done unprofessionally—having no record whatsoever of the ordeal except Akari herself. That train of thought just added to the exhilarating thrill of being a bad girl for once. She grinned mischievously to herself as she kicked her feet under the blanket.
Which brings her to the situation now, Akari sitting in a flatfooted squat on the tan, steel chair, curling in on herself in boiling anticipation while Ren stood behind her, sweeping her multicolored hair into a low ponytail as she bit her lips, trying not to visibly tremble.
As much as she would like to pretend she doesn’t sweat, Akari’s armpits were damp and sticky even though the air around her felt dry and stuffy. All this wasn’t just because she was nervous to get a piercing, it was mostly because Akari was scared of needles. She would’ve mentioned it earlier, but it slipped her mind in the excitement and anticipation. Now, it’s hitting her again full force as she finds herself stuck between a rock and a sharp place.
“Bro, are you good?” Ren says suddenly, his voice cutting through the tense silence of the bathroom. “I mean, we don’t have to do it if you don’t wanna…” he continues, sounding a bit peeved, but concerned. He can sense the nervousness radiating off of Akari, and see the sweat on her neck when he moves the hair.
“I’m fine.. Go on.” She felt like she couldn’t back down. If she didn’t do it now, when would she ever?
“Alright, well-”
“Wait! Are you sure it’s not going to hurt?!”
“Just a little pinch and then you’ll be fine.” Ren reassures her, pulling her black and pink hair through the hair tie, then doubling it over for security. Now free, Akari whips her head around to face Ren, still very clearly frazzled,
“How do you know? Wouldn’t you be, like, desensitized to it by now?!” She says, shaking more visibly now. “How much did it hurt when you first pierced your ear?”
Ren sighs,“I don’t even remember, dude. I was like…14,” He trails off, taking note of Akari’s trembling frame and scared face. Ren clicks his tongue, looking away awkwardly,“I’ll tell you what, if it really hurts, you can slap me across the face however many times you want.”
Akari hums, weighing her options. “Fine.” she says finally, feeling that was good enough payback for whatever hell Ren might put her through. It’s not like he won’t have it coming.
She closes her eyes, trying to think of a happy place. Flipping through her memories, she decides to distract herself by reminiscing on the moment she listened to RAiN to END’s first real album release. She breathes in deeply through her mouth, and exhales through her nose, like her yoga instructor taught her. She does it three times over before switching to sit on her bottom and whisper, “Okay, I’m ready,”
She mentally steels herself for the pain; transporting herself to when she was laying on her satin bed sheets, just about to conk out. Miuka had sent her a series of audio files, and she ended up not sleeping for that entire night because she was so darn excited.
“‘Ight, I’m gonna clean off your ear now.”
“My ears are clean.”
“Hey, Smartass, shut up.”
Akari flinches, feeling the cold, wet alcohol wipe scrub her right ear. She shuts her eyes even tighter, trying to get her nerves under control once again.
“I’m giving you an ‘Anti-Tragus’, that’s right here.” Ren pinches the part of her ear she asked for, earning a jolt and squeak from Akari. Chuckling lightly, Ren stands up straight, cracking his back.
He returns his fingers to Akari’s ear, picking up the needle and gently pulling down on her lobe to get a clear view.
“Don’t move, ‘kay? If you start squirming I’m going to rip something and you’ll be bleeding.”
“Okay, okay, okay, just do it already,” Akari’s mouth contrasted what her brain wanted her to say (Stop!). The yoga breathing was thrown out the window as her breath started to speed up and her heart followed suit. She came down from her happy memory and became reminded she was sitting on a cold chair in Ren’s bathroom, gripping her skirt like it owed her money; feeling her mouth dry up as she sweated profusely. You’re okay, you can do this, be a big girl.
“Akari, just a pinch, remember?”
Even Ren’s uncharacteristically gentle, reassuring voice didn’t calm her. A tremor ran down Akari’s back as the cold metal met her ear. She bit into her lip and gripped her clothing harder, anticipating the stab.
“Are you ready?”
Akari makes a sheepish grunt of approval, remembering she’s not allowed to nod.
“Is that a yes?” He deadpans, shifting his weight to one leg and popping his hip out, clearly tired of waiting.
“Yea..” She barely manages to croak out, her throat dry and scratchy.
“I’m going to pierce it now. Stay still and relax, it won’t hurt.” How could I relax?! Akari thinks to herself. Ren regains his straight stance and tightens up his wrists. He slightly squats and makes himself eye level with her ear, pressing the piercing needle to her skin once again.
Everything around Akari seems to slow and deafen, only hearing the sound of her own heartbeat. The pain starts out with a small poke, barely noticeable, but becomes more and more intense as Ren pushes the needle harder and deeper into her skin. She lets out a shuddering whine, her jaw shaking as the sharpness pressed deeper. That whine then grew into a high-pitched shriek when the needle suddenly broke through her skin. She feels tears prick at her eyes and spill down her face, ruining her makeup. She sniffles lightly, reminding herself that it’ll all be over soon.
Once the piercing needle fully passes through that triangular piece of cartilage above her earlobe, Ren slowly removes the bloody object. Then in contrast, speedily drops it onto a square of napkin and picks up a cotton ball, dousing it with the Wound Wash and pressing it against Akari’s piercing with gentle pressure, his movements methodical and practiced.
Akari inhales harshly, the sting and burn of the cleaning product hardly the worst of it. When she feels the sharp pain subside and leave a dull pulsing ache in its wake, she practically deflates with a heavy sigh and tries to regain herself and balance her breathing. Ren inserts a small, golden hoop earring into the piercing and gently pats her on the head.
“See? That wasn’t so bad, right?” Don’t cry, you big baby,” Ren chuckles, roughly shoving her head forward, catching Akari off guard.
“Ow! What the freak?!”
Nevertheless, Akari felt an accomplishment in herself. She had done it, braved the needle and faced her fears. Feeling like a new woman, she pushed herself up from the chair and gazed at her ear in the mirror. The gold gave her browned eyes the pop they needed, and her ears felt more personal now— They felt so… her.
“Totally worth it, huh?” Ren spoke, resting his elbow against Akari’s shoulder, feeling proud of his work and smiling smugly in a way that made Akari want to punch him.
“Uh huh..” Akari replied, mesmerized by the new person in the mirror. He watched her check it out countless times, in different angles and poses, entranced by the modification, before jumping up with a squeal. “It’s perfect, Ren, thank you!” She exclaims, throwing her arms around his neck before turning to exit out of the room; a weight lifted off her shoulders.
“Ahh… I forgot..” Ren taps his chin in a caricature-esque fashion and makes a mock confused face.
“What?”
“How many ears do you have, Akari?”
The relief is only temporary. Akari’s breath hitches in her throat, breaking into a brand new sweat as she realizes the worst, she has to do her other ear.
Ren, the sick bastard, takes pleasure in Akari’s shell-shocked expression and lets out a maniacal, villainous, hyena cackle. “That’s what I thought! Sit your ass down!”
Akari’s face darkens. Then a devious smile turns up on her face as she remembers what Ren said before the first piercing.
“If it really hurts, you can hit me, like, ten times.”
Poor Akari, she was only allowed to hit Ren on his non-pierced side.