#and the piercer’s name is inspired by the person that pierced my lobes when i was five
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steve harrington realizing that he’s got no purpose if he’s not protecting the people he loves from outer-dimensional beings, and has a minor (read: major) spiral about it post-vecna & the party fixing everything. he’s just a regular ole 20 something with no purpose— his friends are all in school, except eddie, who managed to pick up an apprenticeship as an electrician; putting all of that wire knowledge to use (just not in cars, he hasn’t hotwired one since 1986 and he’d like to keep it that way si vous plais) and making the rich houses have even cooler guts than they deserve.
the kids end up graduating (their first tries) and heading as one little pack to the same school (don’t ask me which, i’m a college drop out) and steve, eddie, and rob end up staying just outside of indy. rob finished school early, because of course she did, and she found that she may have a knack for hanging around high schoolers, so why not teach them how to become polyglots like she is?
steve still doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing— he bartends at a little club in the gayborhood, because they went there so often that the bartenders just kind of pushed him into it, and don’t get him wrong— mixing drinks and flirting all night is super fun, but it also… is kind of depressing? even if he gets to be around people like him and see them happy— he knows that a lot of alcohol and drugs causes that happiness and he wants so badly for his people to be out and proud and not murdered for it. but he can’t do that,, so he does the next best thing.
he talks with one of the regulars, andy, who owns a little tattoo shop on the corner, and andy invites him to come check it out. so he does the next day he’s free, and holy fucking christ. tattoos aren’t his thing— at least not on himself, but on other people they’re gorgeous. and they’re painful, but you’re turning the pain into art and you get to live with it in your skin and look at it and think about the fact that you’re here and you made it and you fucking survived. and people purposefully put scars into their bodies? and not in the i-battled-literal-other-dimensional-beings-and-won kind of way, or the i-battled-my-personal-demons-and-won kind of way, which both are things he’s dealt with so fucking intimately— but in the i-will-decorate-this-flesh-prison-and-make-it-a-castle kind of way, and that’s fucking beautiful. queer people taking their bodies and making them into art with ink and hot metal and needles and the love that they have for each other and the passion and the fucking spite at the world that keeps them going and making their presences KNOWN.
and maybe he gets some piercings while he’s there— it’s fascinating and feels so weird and freeing when the needle punctures his flesh and the jewelry goes in— and now he’s got a shiny little ring hanging through his earlobe; his nostril; his lip.
he learns that piercings take time and effort and care and that he has to treat himself with love to be able to heal— and that he is deserving of that love and care and dedication, especially from himself.
he keeps going back, maybe not always to get stabbed, but to watch others have it done. to see how different people’s anatomy takes different piercings, how he can’t have a piercing through his cheeks because he bites them too much when he’s anxious, but the girl that just left got both of hers done and they looked good. they fit her face, like little shiny dimples.
eventually, the piercer, killie, asks steve when he’s going to help them with their needles and their piercings— and he doesn’t know how to react because he hadn’t even thought about it and yet… maybe he could help other people fall in love with themselves and their bodies and help turn them into art one day
maybe he could be a pretty boy with his scars and his metal and his missing chunks and his polos and his jeans and his sneakers.
#steve harrington#i just love him your honor#steve as a piercer would be so cute#piercer!steve#im obsessed with this and sent ro a 5 minute long voice memo today talking about him#because he is near and dear to myheart#as someone that got into piercing to help other people feel beautiful#i think that he would love this#and i absolutely think that he wouldnt know what the fuck to do post vecna#and get jealous that everyone else has a thing#and he doesnt have one#because all of his things were always things he shared#and this is one thing that he shares— but not with his friends#just with the people that own the lives that he’s changing#one stabbing at a time#also queer people in the 80s are the reason we even have the modern day piercing industry and i owe them my life#and the piercer’s name is inspired by the person that pierced my lobes when i was five#and my mom indeed has dimple piercings#so those are my little art inspired by life or whatever moments
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My Cute Nose?
a vds one shot. you can find more on my ao3.
( @ apolloswords )
feel free to comment/message me any suggestions for one shot ideas!
Lucas and Isa go for a spontaneous outing for a new piercing. But what Lucas doesn't expect is how nervous he now feels.
trigger warning: mentions of needles (mostly just poking at the skin, no mention of blood or anything gory)
this one shot was inspired by some fan art done by @alexaneskam !
check it out here!
And all of a sudden, Lucas felt nervous.
Sure, he should've felt nervous way before now. Like when he walked into the tattoo and piercings shop and saw the abundance of needles. Needles being sterilized, the buzzing of the tattoo needles poking and prodding skin and over all, needles all together. It wasn't that bad, he had thought. He'd already gotten some ear piercings done, two on his left lobe and one on his right. So he wasn't completely inexperienced. Which is why when Isa dragged him to the shop to go get another nose piercing right next to her first one, he agreed to go. It didn't sound like a big deal. In fact, he had been wanting one anyway. And now just felt like the perfect time to do it.
But maybe, a little too perfect.
Because right now, Lucas was sitting down on the bench of the small room and trying to keep his leg from shaking and bouncing. He was trying to keep his hands in his pockets to avoid chewing on his nails, but that instead resorted to him biting and chewing too hard on his lips. He envied how calm and collected Isa looked in the chair, even smiling a little as she waited. He only hoped he would act half the way she did. Even a quarter.
His nerves could only be blamed on one thing. On one person.
And that person was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen in his entire life.
Lucas didn't expect to come in on an average weekday afternoon and meet someone he was now claiming to be the love of his life. Isa didn't even warn him about this guy, and when he grabbed her aside before they followed him into his studio and gave her a startled look, she only furrowed her brows and tilted her head.
"What?" She had whispered, so the guy was out of ear shot.
"You never told me your usual piercer looked like this." He hissed and she snorted.
"What? Jens isn't my normal piercer. I don't even have a normal piercer." She defended, trying to stifle a laugh.
"How do you know his name then?" He whispered a little, hoping Jens a few feet away wasn't paying much attention to them.
"Because while you were looking at him all frozen up from being star struck, he actually introduced himself." Isa teased, flicking his forehead lightly. "I'm surprised you didn't even notice the rather adorable Belgium accent he had."
Before Lucas could open his mouth to reply, Jens had appeared in the door way and gave them a smile. "You guys ready?" He asked, adorable Belgium accent and all.
Which is how Lucas found himself practically shoving Isa to go sit down on the chair first so he could give his heart a second from racing so fast. Isa didn't miss his lack of subtlety, and even winked at him as Jens lead her to the chair. Lucas only playfully scowled as he tried not to let his eyes shift from her over to him.
That quickly proved to be inevitable.
Now he was studying Jens as he pulled on a pair of gloves over his sturdy and strong hands and Lucas had to physically restrain himself from gawking. He couldn't help but eye Jens up and down as he focused on getting everything ready for Isa. Lucas took note of his fluffy dark hair falling gently on the side on his head, his brows and eyes focusing on the small diamond stud Isa had chosen and the fitted black shirt that still managed to hang loosely off his body. But Lucas could still make out the broadness of his chest and shoulders as he moved about, hovering over Isa gently as he began sterilizing her nose gently before marking where he would pierce it. She seemed to giggle at his light and gentle touch and Lucas began to panic as he thought of how bright red his face was going to turn the second he was in her position.
Jens had his back faced towards him now, and Lucas could make out the lean muscles on them as he felt his nerves escalate with each second. Even though Isa had her eyes closed and couldn't see him trying to contain his internal panic, the teasing grin she had on her face was enough to poke fun at Lucas. He was just glad Jens was focusing on Isa right now, because there was no way Lucas was going to impress him with all his nerves.
"And you're done." Jens exclaimed and Lucas perked his head up. His mind had been spiralling so much that he didn't even notice how quickly Jens had finished up with Isa.
He rolled over on his chair to the small counter and brought Isa a small handheld mirror so she could look closely at it. For a split second, Lucas felt Jens catch his eyes and he felt his heart stop. Jens let his dark eyes sparkle at the sight of Lucas' crystal blue ones and gave him a soft smile. Lucas tried not to squirm as he gave him a small smile back. Jens subtly eyed him up and down before nodding slightly and turning back to Isa.
"Look good?" He asked, grinning widely at her.
"Yeah, wow!" She exclaimed, admiring the way the new stud sparkled beside the nose ring she already had in. "This looks so cute!" She looked over at Lucas and he gave her a quick thumbs up.
Huffing out a light laugh, Jens rolled around to the other side of the room and grabbed a small bottle of solution. Rolling back, he gently handed it to Isa.
"Here," He said. "Make sure to rinse it out at least twice a day for the next few weeks to avoid any infections. I don't suggest you change the jewelry until it's completely healed, though I'm sure you already know that. If there's anything you think is unusual, like your body rejecting it or something, or any other questions and concerns, just come back here. I'll take a look at it and see what I can do."
"Thanks Jens." She said, a wide grin and a glisten in her eyes. Isa hopped down from the chair and walked over to wear Lucas was sitting.
He awkwardly got up and switched spots with her. His legs felt like jello underneath him and he was hoping they wouldn't give out. Isa gave him a wiggle of her brows as he side eyed her. Jens was busy sanitizing the chair and getting new supplies so he wasn't paying much attention to their silent interactions. Isa reached out to pinch Lucas's leg and Lucas retaliated by gently hitting her leg with his foot.
"It's your turn." Jens finally said, turning around. Lucas felt himself freeze up but somehow his legs managed to head over to the chair and sat down. Isa was looking at him rather menacingly, and he couldn't figure out why.
Giving her a confused look, Lucas felt his eyes widen as Isa picked up her phone and pretended to take a call.
"Liv? Hi, what's up?" She said as Lucas realized what she was doing. She brought her phone away from her face for a second and pretend to smile apologetically at both of them. "Sorry, I have to take this. I'll be right back Luc."
Lucas was about to protest but before he could, she was already gone. He had to give her some credit for giving him some alone time with Jens. But Lucas felt his heart beat begin to race again as he turned to face Jens.
Jens had an eyebrow raised and a rather soft smirk on his lips. Lucas took in the little details of his face. Dark long lashes were made a bit vibrant with the touch of red eyeliner that was lined right above the rich dark brown colour of his eyes. A small mole laid below his right eye and his lips were a little more chapped but that didn't hinder the dark pink mauve shade that rested on them. Lucas also noticed he had a few piercings, multiple on his earlobes and even an industrial bar through his right ear. On his nose was a simple stud. It seemed to sparkle just as much as his eyes, which Lucas was beginning to get lost in.
If Lucas was starstruck before, he had no idea how to even describe what he felt now. Even though he thought his heart was beating far too fast to be considered normal, he still managed to feel a sense of ease as Jens gazed at him.
"So your name is Luc?" Jens asked, interrupting their silence.
He shook his head but then shrugged. "It's Lucas. But, a lot of people do call me Luc instead." He didn't know how he managed to say that without stuttering, but he mentally thanked himself for sounding a little bit normal.
Nodding with the same smirk on his face, Jens rolled over to some of the cabinets and began pulling out some supplies. "I like Luc, so I think that's what I will call you."
You can call me whatever you want, Lucas thought.
Coughing, Lucas shook away his thoughts. "That's fine. I like Luc anyway."
And he did. Especially when his closest friends called him that. But there was something a bit more endearing about the boy in front of him calling him that. It sent flutters of warmth through Lucas's body and he could feel small shocks and tingles solely based on the way Jens allowed the name to roll off his tongue.
"So Luc," Jens said, rolling back to him. "What are you getting today?"
"A septum." Lucas replied, steadying his voice.
"Oh that's fun." Jens got up from his chair and headed over to the small glass cabinet. He made a few clicking sounds with his mouth as Lucas watched him look for something. He turned his head and jutted his chin towards Lucas. "Do you know what size you want?"
"Just the standard. 16 gauge I think."
"Got it."
He came back over holding a small silver septum jewelry with two small bulbs at the end. It looked fairly tiny in his hand and he held it for Lucas to see.
"This good?" He asked and Lucas nodded.
"Good."
Laying it carefully on the tray, Jens walked over to a small sink, washed his hands and slipped on a new par of gloves. Lucas didn't want to watch every movement the other boy made, but focusing on the bright colour of the auburn walls in the room was still distracting. His eyes then marvelled at the photos that Jens had hung up, mostly of city skyscrapers and graffiti on buildings. They were rather artistic and Lucas was surprised. He didn't really read Jens as the artistic type.
"Did you take those photos?" He asked and Jens whipped his head up.
Wrinkling his nose as he smiled fondly at them, he shook his head. "No, I'm not that artistic." He said, disproving Lucas' assumption. "My friend back home took them. He and his boyfriend walked all around the city and I asked for some of them to be printed out before I moved here."
"So where is home?" Lucas asked as Jens took a seat back down in his chair. His hands were playing with the loose threads on the sleeves of his pink sweater, trying to still settle his nerves. The pink of his sweater matched the small brush of pink eyeshadow he put on the inner and outer corner of his eyes. And soon, they would match the colour of the blush on his cheeks.
"Belgium. More specifically, Antwerp. Though I go back and visit it a lot so it's not like I'm that far away from home."
"So much for moving to a whole new country." He teased.
Smiling widely, Jens let out a loose laugh. "That's what my friends said. They were really upset when they found out I was leaving Belgium, but after learning I was only going to be an hour away on the train, they told me I was being dramatic."
"They do have a slight point."
Huffing out a small laugh again, Jens leaned closer. Lucas felt Jens place his fingers gently under his chin to tilt his head up. He couldn't help but hold his breath as the shocks and tingles began to elevate with the slight touch.
"Nervous?" Jens asked as he gently poked at Lucas's nose as he marked and measured where he would poke the needle.
If only he knew.
"A little." Lucas admitted, his breath hitched. He flinched his body a bit, knowing his nerves weren't for the actual piercing but rather the piercer.
"Don't be." Jens softly said. "It really doesn't hurt that bad and I promise I will be gentle."
"Will you really?"
"Yes? I always am." He laughed. "Your friend didn't even flinch and just giggled her way through. I don't think I've ever had someone so happy about getting stabbed."
"Stabbed does not exactly help with trying to trust in you being gentle."
"Just relax." Jens assured, marking the inside of his nose which felt like a small tickle. He playfully brushed the tip of Lucas's nose gently and Lucas finally felt the blush on his face grow warmer and more vibrant. "I wouldn't ruin your cute nose."
Somehow his face managed to get even warmer and a brighter pink at the compliment and Lucas hated how he couldn't just act calm.
"My cute nose?" He choked out as he brought his head down and gave him a questioning look.
"Yeah," Jens said lightly. He tilted Lucas's chin back up and held a needle and clamp in his other hand. "Goes along with the cute pink blush on your cheeks. Kind of matches your eye shadow."
Now he fully wanted to gawk at him. His cover was definitely blown and he was internally panicking again. He would much rather deal with the nerves from the needle stabbing him than his crush noticing how unsubtle his feelings and reactions were.
"Okay Luc, I'm going to clamp this around your septum. And then when you're ready, you're going to match my breathing okay?"
"Okay."
Lucas felt the squeeze from the clamp on his septum and he winced at the foreign feeling. It didn't hurt, but it felt rather weird and uncomfortable. He remembered the second part of Jens' explanation and tried to slow down the internal workings of his body so he could feel Jens' breathing pattern. It took a few seconds but he was able to regulate his body and calm it down for the first time since seeing Jens.
"Okay, when I tell you to, I need you to take a deep breath for me. You might feel a slight pinch but it really shouldn't feel like anything more than that. It might be a bit more of a pinch than when you got your ears pierced so don't be surprised about that." Jens assured.
When Jens felt that Lucas' body was at a relative ease, he leaned in a bit closer.
"You can keep your eyes closed but on the count of three I need you to take a really deep breath and just hold it okay." Jens instructed.
Nodding slightly, Lucas waited as Jens counted down. On the count of three, he held his breath and winces his eyes slightly at the sudden pinch he felt. But it was there for barely a second and then it was gone.
“You did great." Jens assured. "I'm going to pull out the needle as you slowly breathe out. And then you'll have that septum on your cute nose.
Lucas nodded slightly again and breathed out, feeling the needle be removed as he sighed contently. He didn't open his eyes right away as he felt Jens gently screw the small ball on the end of the jewelry. His body was more relaxed than before, but he still felt the flutters in his chest.
"Alright and you are done." Jens exclaimed.
Opening his eyes, he was faced with Jens smiling widely as he held up the mirror. Lucas slowly reached out for it and couldn't help the small smile on his face when his fingers brushed against Jens' own. When he looked at the new detail on his face, his smile grew wider. Slowly, he poked at it and while the slight pressure was uncomfortable, he was beginning to really like how it looked.
"Cute huh?" Jens asked proudly as he took off his gloves and tossed them aside. He began putting away all his tools before he got up from the chair.
"Yeah, you kept your promise. I could hardly feel a thing." He replied, following his movements across the room.
"Here, same thing for you. Rinse it out with the solution at least twice a day for the next few weeks. And if there's anything else you think is a bit off with the healing process, you can just come in and see me." There was a pause, a hesitation in his sentence as Lucas listened to him.
Tilting his head and raising his brows to gesture Jens to continue, he noticed the sudden change in his behaviour. Jens was slightly averting his eyes away from Lucas' and chewing on the inside of his cheek. There was a slight clench in his jaw and his body was a bit more tense, showing off its broadness even more. Jens awkwardly scratched the side of his face and Lucas finally caught onto why his behaviour had changed.
Now, it was Jens' turn to be nervous.
"Uhm, listen, I know this may not be the most professional of me but, in the most non-professional way, you are really cute. And if you would be interested, I'd love to take you out sometime." He nervously mumbled. "It'd be nice if I saw you again for non-piercing festivities."
A grin came onto his face as he placed the mirror down on his lap. "You're cute when you're nervous."He noted with a teasing look, which just made Jens snort.
"I could say the same about you."
They both smiled at each other and Lucas knew his grin was now from ear to ear. He could see the slight pink flush appear on Jens' cheeks, bright against the darkness of his all black clothing and complimenting the tiny line of red above his eyes. He figured his cheeks were probably even more pink, so he couldn't even poke fun at Jens.
Instead, he dug into his phone pocket and unlocked it. Opening up a new message thread, he passed it over to Jens.
"Place your number in and I'll text you." He said with a wink.
As Jens began to type in his number, Lucas' eyes were drawn back to the doorway of the studio. After a second, Isa popped her head back in with her award winning smile.
"Sorry," She said, now gaining Jens' attention. "Liv called and I couldn't get her off the phone."
Lucas rolled his eyes, knowing that was far from the truth. If anything, Isa had probably just waited outside at the shop's lobby until she figured she had given Lucas enough time to awkwardly and shamelessly flirt with Jens. Though, he hadn't really done much of that.
However, he did get some of that from the boy still putting his number into his phone.
"Luc!" Isa exclaimed, and they both remembered she was there. "Your piercing looks so good! You look so cute."
And before Lucas could reply by thanking her, Jens whipped his head up again with another smirk on his face.
"I agree. He does look very cute." Turning his head away from Isa and back to Lucas, he eyed him up and down before winking at him. "But I'm sure he knows that already."
#vds#van der stoffels#vds fic#vds one shot#jens stoffels#lucas van der heijden#wtfock#skam nl#one shot#ao3#ao3fic#piercing#luc is a little awkward but who wouldn't be#but it is rather adorable#or as jens would say#cute ;)
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