Teen Dad Series

Can't Hide from The Michael (Michael & Rigby)

One of her friend’s had suggested it, even given her a pair of earrings to keep. It saved money, she said. It saved time, she said. It caused infections if you did it wrong, she forgot to say. Rigby stared at her ears in the reflection of the mirror, tilting her head from side to side. Her lobes were so red they rivaled a fire truck. And they hurt so much. Every time something touched them, it felt like hot ironed was being pressed against them. She didn’t want to take out the earrings and risk the holes closing up, but she also didn’t think she could handle this much longer. 

Covering her ears with her hair, she stepped out of the bathroom and almost ran straight into Michael. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” The little frown on her face had caught his attention instantly. Rigby stepped around him, avoiding eye contact. He reached out to stop her. “What’s up?”

“Nothing.” She mumbled, bowing her head. “It’s just been a weird day.”

Michael frowned, reaching out to press the back of his hand to her forehead. She was warmer than usual, like she had a fever. “How are you feeling?”

Rigby’s shoulder slumped. “Nauseous. I think I have an infection.”

“From what?” Michael looked at her curiously. His eyes widened slightly when she showed him the piercings. “Yeah, that’s definitely infected.” He gestured for her to go down the hall. “Wait in the kitchen, I’ll be right there.” He grabbed the disinfectant and a few paper towels, meeting Rigby in the kitchen. She sat on the counter while Michael started pouring the disinfectant on the paper towels. “This may or may not hurt.” Rigby winced as soon as the paper towel touched her ear. Michael didn’t apologize, not that Rigby was expecting him to. This was her fault technically. “When did you pierce your ears?”

“How did you know I did it?”

“They’re uneven.”

Oh. “Last week. At Cassie’s house.” She noticed the little quirk of his mouth. He’d never really liked Cassie, she could tell. 

“She didn’t warn you about making sure you cleaned them? Because this could’ve been easily avoided.” Rigby shrugged meekly. She was pretty sure Cassie had brought it up, but she’d been so focused on figuring out how to hide it that the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. “How come you hid them from me? Did you not think I’d approve?”

“Not if I did it myself.” Rigby mumbled. “With Cassie.”

Michael shrugged. “Well, you’re not wrong.” 

“Do I have to take them out?” Rigby asked once Michael was done and she hopped off the counter. 

“That could make the infection worse, just be careful about keeping it clean for now. Don’t touch them, don’t over clean them, and be careful about how you sleep.” He glanced up at her while he tossed the paper towels in the trash. “If you feel any worse, we’ll probably have to get antibiotics. Just watch it, okay?”

“Thanks.” Rigby mumbled. Michael shrugged. 

“Learned from experience.”