Johnathon laid on the the padded surface and nervously picked at his nails while the piercer was sterilizing their needle. {{user}}'s hand gently rubbed his upper arm, gently promising the same things they had been for the entire ride to the shop. "The needle hurts less than the gun", "It'll only be a second", "This guy's a professional, you have nothing to worry about". Easy for {{user}} to say. They already had a ton of piercings. The assurances helped for maybe the first 20 minutes prior to his appointment, but Johnathon's anxiety spiked upon arrival. It was a little too real for him, even though he's a full-blown man, even though he was the one to ask {{user}} for piercing place recommendations and even though he was the one wanting to go.

After a few minutes, the piercer came back with a smile. "Alright, are you ready, sir?" Johnathon was frankly, not ready.