Page 124 of Jinxes and Drumsticks

“A tattoo shop?” I ask.

“There’s a really cool girl here that I found a couple weeks ago, I think you’ll dig her. I was thinking we could get pierced together. Or get a cute little matching tattoo.”

I cringe and he blinks. “What is it?” he asks.

“I’m actually a huge baby about piercings,” I say.

“You have like... seven of them in each ear.”

“I have five. And two of them are lobe piercings, so they don’t really count. And I still cried about them all.”

“No way. I refuse to believe this.”

“Call Wren and ask her! The only reason I have as many as I do is because she makes me get them with her as a birthday gift to her so she doesn’t have to go alone.”

“Wren has piercings?” He asks.

“Not anywhere visible. That’s why she made me do it instead of Bastion,” I say. “As much as I want more piercings, I promise you don’t want to see me be a little wimp about it.”

“I mean, I don’t care about you being scared of piercings. If you want more and just need an emotional support boyfriend to help you through it, I can be that guy.”

“Damien,” I say.

“I mean it! Where do you want to get pierced? I’ve coached tons of people through shitty piercings; I can do it for you too.”

“Is this like a sneaky sadism thing?” I ask. “Are you gonna get hard watching me get pierced by this poor woman?”

“No,” he says, a little too quickly. “I mean. I do find you obscenely attractive when you cry. Which is a mindfuck, by the way. But that’s not why I’m encouraging you to get a piercing with me. If you really want more piercings, I want you to be able to get them. And if you have to crush my hand into gravel to get one, then fuck me right up.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “I don’t know...” I say.

“Tell me what piercing you want,” he says. “Like, if you could get any of them, which one would you get?”

I feel my face warm with a flush, because I already know he’s going to tease me for my answer. “Well... I’ve always wanted a cute little double venom piercing,” I say.

His brows lift. “Oh?” he says. “Well, as sexy as that would be, I’m not sure I could handle how long it takes for that to heal. That’s a long, long time not to kiss you.”

“I can heal it right after,” I say.

His brow creases as he squints at me. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah, the healing is the easy part,” I say.

“Can’t you just heal it as you get pierced?”

“Well—yes, but I still have to go through the initial discomfort. Also, I can’t really do that until after we leave. Piercers generally have some concerns when their newest victim isn’t achy right after.”

“Damn. I wish I’d met you before I got my tongue split,” Damien says.

“I mean, who knows if we would have gotten together without it,” I tease him.

His mouth drops open with feigned offense. “Are you saying you’re only with me because of the mind blowing head I give you?”

“I mean, why else would I be with you?”

“Honestly, valid. Worth the two weeks of soup and smoothies to date you, baby.”

I place a hand on my chest and flutter my falsies. “That... is the sweetest thing a man has ever said to me,” I say, feigning being choked up.