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It was during lunch, on a rare day where Rev decided that Kinkaid would be spared of his wrath.
He sat at a table with his group of miscreants (friends) , his tray of food untouched. Today, his head was uncharacteristically quiet. Usually by noon he'd have about a hundred thoughts competing for space in his head, plotting, catastrophising, scheming. Today was not such a day, and he welcomed the absence of urgency from his being. His head was propped up with his forearm, hunching over the desk a little, and his fingers found the cross hanging from one of his earrings. Only as he just began to toy with it–
“Did it hurt?”
Rev looked up, and three sets of eyes were on him. (four, really. sera's second set of eyes squinted at him questioningly.) He coughed, “Did what hurt?”
Mark spoke while chewing, “Bella was asking about your piercings.” Then he swallowed, and turned to the witch, “I’ve had mine done since I was a baby, so I don't remember any more.” He answered.
Rev felt a tap on his ear.
"One… Two." Sera counted, her fingers gently touching the jewellery.
Rev swallowed the urge to lash out and rip himself away from her, but he furrowed his brow and went rigid instead. That is, until the Angel began to tug on one, “A hole in your ear, but no blood…” She murmured, observing him closely.
“Don't pull on it, Angel!” He growled, flinching away with his shoulders raised slightly. Sera seemed unbothered, but apologised nonetheless. Rev rubbed on the hanging cross pendant instinctively, and turned to Bella as she giggled at the spectacle.
With an exaggerated huff, he settled back into place, “It depends on where you pierce on your body. The earlobe is the least painful, so that's usually where people get them." He said. Bella tilted her head, the point of her hat tipping in that direction, “You can pierce your body?"
Mark made a noise of interest, looking at him with curious eyes while Sera listened in calmly. Rev hummed in confirmation, “Yeah, people love poking holes in themselves. You've seen them before, haven't you? You can get your eyebrows pierced, your nose, and mouth.” He listed, and let a grin crack over his face, "And if you really wanna go all out, people even stab metal through their di- RMMFH!"
Bella stood and smushed her hand over his mouth, face red, “Okay, okay! I get it!” She hissed, and sat back down. Mark laughed heartily and almost choked on his Capillary-sun. (a smart name for vampire juice, rev thought regretfully.)
“Prude.” Rev muttered.
The witch brought a hand over to the side of her face, brushing her hair behind her ear and gently taking the lobe between two of her fingers. Sera blinked at Bella, “..Are you planning on getting a piercing there?" She questioned, and Bella nodded in agreement, “I've been thinking about it. I have a few crystals I can turn into earrings, and I was considering some small enchantments to put on them, for my spells and stuff.”
Sera's wings unfolded slightly, “I would like piercings too. But I think my wings would get nerve damage." She mused thoughtfully. Bella laughed, “Yeah, I don't think stabbing your wings would be smart.” Then she leaned a little closer and tipped her head at the angel, “Though, some hanging ornaments would look super pretty!"
Sera seemed to brighten a little, a subtle glow appearing in her eyes, “You think so? Thank you, Bella.”
Rev hummed noncommittally, resting his cheek back on his palm. The hum of the cafeteria was typical and chaotic. His ears fuzzed out his friends' conversations once more as he stared out into the sea of his schoolmates. But his eyes slyly glanced back at Bella, who traced the curve of her earlobe idly.
He looked away.
“Okay. Are you SURE?”
Rev dragged a palm down his face, releasing a groan of frustration, “Yes, Mark. Go the hell to sleep already.”
The Vampire was holding the lid of his coffin open, giving Rev an anxious look, “Okay, but don't watch the rest of the season without me.” Mark warned, “My coffin may be soundproof but I'll know in my heart of hearts if you did!”
Oh my god. Rev felt his eye twitch as he lost focus from calculating potion ingredients again. “Mark. I don't care about Grey's Anatomy. The only reason I know anything about it is because you can't watch anything without blasting it from your speakers!” Mark shrank shyly, giggling a little, “Heh, right. I know you're invested Rev, I won't skip any of the episodes without you–”
“Good night, Vampire.” Rev frowned, and turned around as he heard Mark's coffin lid slide into place with a dampened thud. Thank god he closed his coffin on school nights. He huffed out of his nose and tapped his pencil against his forehead as he went over Potions 101 homework. They had finally gotten to a point in the syllabus that wasn't catered to infants, and had information that would be useful to him, so he actually opted to do this worksheet willingly for once.
He crossed out a few multiple choice answers and kept tapping against his temple. Then came a knock at his door.
With a breath of frustration, he tipped his head upwards, praying for strength. It was probably Lovecraft asking for the homework he didn't hand in yesterday, damn it–
“Rev? Mark? Um, are you guys still awake?”
His brow rose at the sound of Bella's voice behind the door, and he promptly got up to answer it. A glance towards the clock showed that it was a little past nine, just before curfews at ten. He took a mental note about how strange it was that Mark went to sleep this early despite his nature–
Another knock, and Rev pulled the door open.
Bella stood with her arm raised, looking up at him like she was surprised someone was standing in front of her. She blinks twice and straightens up a little, “Oh! Hey Rev. I hope I didn't wake you up.” She said, putting her hands behind her back.
He shakes his head, “No. If you're looking for Mark, you just missed him.”
“Ah, no! I was looking for you, actually.”
Curious. Rev leans against the doorframe, and Bella's gaze flicks from place to place, before meeting his. He hummed, “This couldn't wait until tomorrow? It must be serious to have you coming here right before curfew.”
“Um. Can I come in?”
He's surprised, but wordlessly steps aside to let her in. As long as she's back home by 10, Mr. Stein shouldn't see her. Bella steps into the room, eyes landing first on Mark's sealed coffin. Rev shuts the door behind her, and flops down on the coffin lid unceremoniously.
Bella gasps, “Rev! Don't do that!”
He rolls his eyes, “What? It's soundproof! He's out, look,” and he knocks on the dark, varnished wood thrice, loudly, “Hey Vampire! Sleepover! Wake up!”
The witch watches on in affronted curiosity, before stammering, “O-Oh. Okay. He's just like that?”
“Yep. If he didn't keep his phone in there with three alarms set up, I doubt we'd ever see him again.” Rev shrugs, “Right. What'd you want from me?”
Bella stares at him a little, tapping her foot. She scratches at her collar over her shirt, and Rev was slowly getting impatient about what exactly has got her anxious enough to be triggering all her nervous tics.
“Bell-”
“– I wanna get my ears pierced!”
The two blinked at each other, voices crossing, before Rev broke it with an incredulous, and amused scoff, “Oh. Really? This look like a tattoo parlour, Witch?”
Bella groaned, “I know, okay? But I– I don't know. You just seemed like the person to ask.” She admitted, rubbing her forearm, “You kinda seem like you'd know about how to get this done without… you know… Parents finding out.”
Rev let the silence draw out before he snickered, eyes widening mockingly at the girl, “Bella Donna.” He said, chastising. The girl went red, “Rev!”
He laughed, a crooked, boyish laugh, and wiped a tear from his eye. Rev felt a strange warmth blossom at the thought of him being the only one Bella could think about when it came to her first rebellious streak. He sighed humoredly, “Well. You came to the right guy. As long as you're willing to trust me with pointed objects near your precious face.”
Bella leaned backwards on his study desk, bracing her arms on the wood behind her, “Now that you say that, I feel like I shouldn't.” She said with a grin.
Rev got up with a grunt, making his way to the drawer next to his bed. He bent down and rummaged, procuring a bottle of alcohol and some cotton balls. Bella suddenly sounded nervous, “Wait– Right now?"
“Er, yeah? That's why you came all the way out here tonight, right?”
"You've done this before?"
Rev blinked, "The piercing?"
Bella nodded.
"Yeah."
"Who?"
He looked genuinely confused. Then he pointed a finger to his chest, "Myself."
Bella stared, lilac eyes searching him, "...Multiple times?"
Rev pointed to his ears, and Bella counted automatically. He watched her eyes flick to each piece of jewellery.
One. Two. Three. Four.
"Oh." She said, and the disappointment in her voice didn't go unnoticed.
"Oh?" Rev echoed incredulously.
"I thought there'd be a cooler story." Bella admitted.
Rev barked out a laugh, "What, were you expecting some underground piercing cult? I just looked it up on Wikipedia like every kid."
"Maybe?"
"That's stupid."
"I learned blood magic from a dead guy."
"Not everyone is as interesting as you, Bella.”
He grabbed the bottle and popped the lid open, rubbing the sharp smelling liquid between his hands like a mad doctor. Rev turned around and gave her a mischievous grin, and Bella stammered, “Okay– Wait, I just thought that it would be, a bit more–”
Rev leaned over his desk and plucked a thick needle out of the sewing cushion he kept near his ritual items, making sure it wasn't one he used to stitch Raven up. He gave her a questioning look, “It’s not like you host a seance before piercing your ears, Witch. Just one on each ear?”
He leaned close, eyeing her ear. She had attached earlobes, he noted. Less common, not rare. Bella shuddered away from his stare, “Uh, yes.”
“Okay. Sit down.” Rev pulled his chair out for her and leaned on the desk, setting the items down. He felt an unfamiliar thrill at what he was about to do. Like using something alive for a ritual, but instead of killing a goat, it was poking a hole through Bella Donna's ear. Rev cringed at himself, God what the fuck? I'm so weird. Sorry Bella. Maybe he was nervous. He didn't want to hurt her by accident.
Bella sat down, shifting til she was comfortable. Her head was level to his navel, and he could smell her shampoo this close. Why did he agree so easily? He hated being close to people. It smelled like lavender.
She looked up at him, unsure, “Do I tilt my head or something? I- I don't–”
“Right.” Rev shook his head, “It would help if your head was eye-level, actually.” He mused, “Do you mind sitting on the bed and I'll use the chair so it's easier? More stable.”
The two moved in tandem, and Rev picked up the chair, setting it right next to his bed while Bella plopped down onto his mattress.
“You really don't decorate, huh?” Bella commented. He gave her a shrug, “Nothing to decorate for, nothing to decorate with.”
Grabbing a marker from his desk, he finally sat right in front of Bella. Their knees knocked and brushed together, but he shook his head. This was just how it had to happen. Bella seemed unable to look at him, pink dusting her cheeks. This was probably weird for her, too. Would it be better if it was some tenured old piercer doing this for her instead of a ball of rage she considered her friend?
Rev sucked his teeth, “Shit, almost forgot.” He leaned towards the drawer again, taking out a baggie and handing it to Bella.
“Oh! What's… Uh…” She raised the bag up to her eye, peeking through the wrinkled plastic.
“Dont worry, they're not used.” He said, “You can pick one out for me to use. For you to wear.”
Bella opened the ziploc and studied the pairs of ear studs. Rev watched her pick through them with curious little hums, before selecting a pair with small skulls on them.
“They look just like the ones on your shirt!” She giggled, and added, “You should've worn these instead.”
Rev huffed, and took the ear studs from her, unscrewing them before keeping them in his palm. He gave her a sigh of finality, “Alright Witch, no turning back now.”
He tilted his head to the right, gesturing for her to do the same. She did, turning sideways. “Oh, hold on,” Bella raised a hand and tucked her hair behind her ear, “Here.”
Rev took in a breath, and hoped she didn't hear it shudder. He uncapped the marker, and leaned in and took a hand to her ear, lifting the lobe slightly. And he marked right on the middle of her earlobe, not too close to the edge.
Okay. That looks good.
“Right, Bella.” He instructed, using his fingertips to guide her face the other way. She was quiet, probably because she was fighting the nerves.
He lifted the marker and did the same to her other ear, noticing that a pretty red flush had crawled up her neck. Rev felt his stomach stir with warmth, and he let his hand linger there before moving away.
“A-Are we done?” Bella stammered. He huffed a laugh, “I haven't touched the needle, or the alcohol yet.” Rev said, and rubbed his hands with alcohol again. He tipped Bella's face to the left again, and dabbed some alcohol on the mark. Finally, he dipped the needle in alcohol, too.
Damn. This is pretty much how you do it, right?
“Alright, here we go, Witch.” Rev lifted her earlobe, positioning the needle straight down. Then, press–
“Rev!”
Bella grabbed the front of his shirt, her hand shaking. He froze, “B-Bella.” And promptly rose the needle away, “So, rain check on?–”
“N-No! Um. I'm okay. Sorry. Just let me know when you're about to…” She said softly. His hand sat warmly near the side of her face, and he nodded.
“Take a deep breath.” The needle pointed in the right direction once more, and he felt a little twinge of guilt at how scared the girl seemed, even if she was the one asking for this.
“Out.”
The needle drove straight through, without hesitation as soon as he felt Bella's shoulders start to fall. As soon as the needle passed through, the stud followed, and Rev quickly put the needle down on a cotton ball, and gently screwed the other side on as delicately as he could manage. It was quick, precise, and felt like a surgical procedure.
Fuck. Damn you Mark. Damn you Meredith Grey.
“..Owww…” Bella whined, lifting a hand up to her ear, which Rev had to push away, “No, no touching, Bella.”
“The hurt after hurts more than the initial stab…” She said, pain colouring her voice, she drops her hand obediently, but keeps the other fisted in Rev's t-shirt. He doesn't think she's noticed to let go. He doesn't say anything.
“Better to get the other over and done with, too. Ready?”
Bella hummed, and turned her head the other way without him asking. He muttered a thank you, and took the same position with her unpierced ear. Still warm, still flushed.
“One more breath for me, Bella.” In.
The needle was put through alcohol again, and his hand was steady. He put the needle through quicker this time, not wanting the pain to last before he put the stud on and screwed it tight.
He let out a breath he had no idea he was holding in, and put the needle far away on his drawer, “..That’s how you do it.” Rev said approvingly.
Bella peeked an eye open to look at him, “Oh. Done?” She said hopefully. But Rev tipped his head to the side and took another look at the piercings.
“Shit. Hold still, there's some blood…” Rev reached around and dabbed alcohol on another cotton ball.
Bella swallowed hard, “What? Ohmygod, is that bad? Rev, Rev!- Ow!–” He had grabbed the side of her jaw to pat away the miniscule drop of blood that was already beginning to crust around the soft skin on Bella's ear. A tilt to the left, and that piercing looked to be less bloody.
The Witch’s panic seemed to fizzle away after he cleaned up the crime scene.
Rev pulled his hand back and inspected his work one final time. The skull studs sat neatly in the centre of each earlobe. Symmetrical, clean. Professional, even. (he was getting ahead of himself.)
Not bad. Actually, really not bad.
Bella blinked, "Huh? Is– Are they okay now?"
He nodded, "They look good."
Her face brightened instantly, "Really?"
Rev immediately regretted saying anything. Bella was smiling now– not the polite smile she wore when teachers praised her grades, but a genuine one.
A smile that made her look far too pleased with herself.
She scrambled off the bed before he could elaborate, nearly tripping over Rev's foot in her haste.
"Mirror. Mirror. Mirror!" Bella chanted excitedly.
"There is literally one on your desk back home." Rev sighed, but couldn't fight a smile from his face.
"I know."
Bella was already leaning over the mirror hanging beside his closet. Rev watched her from his chair. She bounced on her toes, but touched neither piercing.
Just looked, tilting her head one way, then the other. The circular studs caught the light when she moved, and for a second, Rev thought they looked strangely right on her. Like she'd stolen them from his room years ago and only just gotten around to wearing them.
"Oh." The smile that spread across Bella's face was smaller this time, softer and more adoring, "I really like them."
Something warm and unpleasantly fragile settled somewhere beneath Rev's ribs. He shrugged, "Yeah, well."
Bella grinned, "They look cute!"
"They look metal." He nodded.
"They can be both."
Rev rolled his eyes, but he couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from twitching upward.
A pause. Then he scoffed dismissively, "You're lucky I didn't accidentally maim you."
Bella didn't turn, but caught his eye through the mirror.
"I trusted you." She said easily.
The words landed harder than they should have. Something thumped in his chest, thrumming warmly and sending heat to his face.
Rev looked away first.
“Just, ogle yourself faster. Before Lovecraft catches you past curfew.” He complained, and Bella straightened up in realization, “Right! Oh… You're right.”
Neither of them moved. A strange silence settled over the room. Not awkward, just… reluctant. He grabbed the fabric by his stomach, feeling strange at the fact that he genuinely didn't expect the visit to end so quickly.
Eventually Bella cleared her throat, "Thanks."
Rev blinked. "For what?"
Bella looked genuinely surprised by the question, "..For helping me?"
She touched one of the new earrings carefully, "..and for not making fun of me too much."
He drawled, "Didn't make any promises about tomorrow."
Bella laughed.
Then she stepped closer and gently bumped her shoulder against his. Brief,and barely there. But still, Rev felt it all the way down to his stomach.
"Goodnight, Rev."
His throat tightened unexpectedly, "Yeah."
Bella took two steps toward the door, and turned back with a small grin, "If these get infected, I'm haunting you."
Rev barked out a laugh, "You wouldn't survive a day as a ghost."
Bella gasped dramatically, "Flynn gets by just fine!"
"Hmm, would the same go for you?" He grinned crookedly.
She pointed accusingly at him as she backed toward the door.
"Goodnight, Vennett."
Then she slipped out into the hallway, and the door clicked shut behind her.
Rev sat there for a moment, and his room suddenly felt larger. Quieter.
Maybe he should've let Mark keep the coffin open.
He frowned, "...Weird."
A minute later he dropped back onto his bed and reached for his homework. His pencil hovered over the page, but he stopped.
Something glinted near the edge of his mattress.
Huh?
A small purple flower petal.
Probably from Bella's hair.
He stared at it for several seconds.
Then, with a scoff at himself, he set it carefully on his desk instead of throwing it away.
"God."
He rubbed a hand over his face.
Damn witch.