Pretty Things Bleed Too

You Look Better Smiling

The school festival was supposed to be fun. That’s what everyone said. But for me, it just felt like another way for people to stare and laugh. Blackthorne Academy had turned the whole gym and courtyard into this big flashy thing with booths, games, and loud music. Lights were everywhere, twinkling like fake stars. Students were running around in costumes or matching outfits, laughing with their friends.

Me? I was hiding behind one of the art booths, wearing my oversized black hoodie even though it was warm. My lips had strawberry gloss again. I couldn’t help it. It made me feel a tiny bit brave. But my wrists still hurt from Luca’s grip last night, and every time someone looked at me too long, I wanted to disappear.

“Kai.”

That voice. Deep, rough, and instantly made my heart race. I turned around and there he was — Damian Valenti. He wasn’t wearing his usual school jacket. Instead he had on a simple black button-up with the sleeves rolled up, showing off his strong arms and those bruised knuckles from beating up Marcus. He looked like a dark prince who accidentally walked into a fairy tale.

“H-hi,” I whispered, clutching my sketchbook to my chest like a shield. “You… you came.”

“Of course I came.” He stepped closer, eyes scanning me up and down like he was checking for new bruises. “You think I’d let you wander around here alone?”

Before I could answer, a group of girls walked by giggling. One of them whispered loud enough for me to hear, “There’s the femboy again. Valenti’s new toy.”

My shoulders curled in. I looked down at my shoes, feeling that familiar sting in my eyes. Why did they always have to ruin everything? I wasn’t even doing anything. I was just existing.

Damian’s hand came up immediately, blocking their view of me. He glared at them so hard they scattered like scared birds. Then he turned back to me and gently lifted my chin with two fingers.

“You look better smiling,” he said softly. The same words again. But this time they felt warmer. Deeper.

I tried to smile for him. It came out shaky and small, but real. “It’s hard sometimes.”

“I know.” He took my hand without asking and started walking, pulling me through the crowd. People moved out of our way like always. No one dared say anything when Damian was around. It was like having an invisible force field made of danger and protectiveness.

We ended up at the edge of the festival, near this quiet little booth for face painting and makeup stuff. It was mostly empty because everyone wanted the fun games instead. A girl running the booth smiled at us. “Want to try something? We have eyeliner, glitter, the works!”

I froze. My heart started pounding. I loved makeup. I secretly practiced at home when Luca wasn’t around, but I never let anyone see. Especially not Damian. What if he thought it was weird? What if he laughed?

But Damian surprised me. He sat down on the stool without hesitation and looked at me. “You do it.”

“W-what?” My voice came out all squeaky. “Me? On you?”

“Yeah.” He leaned back, looking completely relaxed. “Show me what you can do, pretty boy.”

The girl at the booth handed me the eyeliner pencil and some wipes, grinning like she thought this was cute. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped it. Me? Touching Damian Valenti’s face? In public? This felt like a dream and a nightmare at the same time.

I stepped between his legs because the stool was kinda low. He was so tall that even sitting down, I had to lean in close. Our faces were inches apart. I could see every detail — the sharp line of his jaw, the dark lashes, the tiny scar near his eyebrow. He smelled like expensive cologne and safety.

“Breathe, Kai,” he murmured, his voice low and gentle. Only for me. “I trust you.”

That did it. My heart melted into a puddle. I took a deep breath and carefully brought the eyeliner up to his eye. My free hand rested lightly on his cheek to steady myself. His skin was warm. Smooth. My fingers trembled as I drew a thin line along his upper lid.

“You have really pretty eyes,” I whispered without thinking. Then I slapped a hand over my mouth. “I-I mean— sorry! That was dumb—”

Damian caught my wrist gently and pulled my hand back to his face. “Don’t stop. And don’t apologize for saying nice things to me.”

So I kept going. The world around us faded away. The loud music, the laughing students, the stares — none of it mattered. It was just me and him in this little bubble. I drew careful wings at the corners, making them sharp and dramatic like the dark prince he was. Every time my fingers brushed his skin, I felt sparks.

He stayed perfectly still. Most guys would’ve joked or gotten embarrassed, but not Damian. He let me touch him. He let me be close. And the craziest part? His usual scary, cold expression was gone. Around me, he looked… soft. His eyes were half-closed, watching my face with this intense but gentle look that made my stomach do flips.

“You’re really good at this,” he said quietly when I finished one eye. “Why do you hide it?”

I switched to the other eye, biting my lip. “Because people call me names. They say I’m too girly. Too soft. Luca breaks my stuff when he finds it. Dad says I’m disgusting.” My voice cracked a little. “Pretty boys don’t belong anywhere.”

Damian’s hand came up to rest on my waist, holding me steady. His thumb rubbed slow circles through my hoodie. “They’re wrong. All of them.” His voice got darker. “You’re not too anything. You’re exactly right. And I like you soft. I like you exactly like this.”

Tears blurred my vision. I had to pause so I wouldn’t mess up the eyeliner. “No one’s ever said that to me before.”

“Then they’re idiots.” He squeezed my waist gently. “Keep going. I want to see what you can do.”

I finished the second eye, adding a tiny bit of shimmer from the palette because it felt right. When I stepped back to look, my breath caught. Damian looked dangerous and beautiful at the same time. The black liner made his eyes look even sharper, like a fallen angel. But the way he was looking at me… that was the real dangerous part.

“You look…” I couldn’t find the words. “Wow.”

He stood up slowly, towering over me again. Then he turned to the little mirror on the booth and stared at himself for a second. A small, rare smile tugged at his lips. Not a scary one. A real one. Just for me.

“I like it,” he said. Then he looked back at me. “But I like you more.”

My face went bright red. I played with the hem of my hoodie, feeling shy and happy and scared all at once. “Damian… why me? You could have anyone. Someone strong. Someone who doesn’t cry all the time or need saving.”

He pulled me closer until our foreheads almost touched. “Because you see me too. Not the Devil. Not the Valenti heir. Just me.” His hand came up to cup my cheek, thumb brushing my glossy lips. “And when I’m with you, I don’t have to be the monster everyone expects.”

That hit me so hard. I realized then — Damian only got soft around me. In front of the school he was terrifying. But here, letting me put eyeliner on him, holding me gently, smiling… this was the real him. The one only I got to see.

I smiled up at him, a real big smile this time. “You look better smiling too.”

He laughed quietly. It was the first time I heard him laugh. It sounded rusty, like he didn’t do it often, but it was the best sound in the world. He leaned down slowly, giving me time to pull away if I wanted.

I didn’t.

His lips brushed my forehead, then my temple, then hovered near my cheek. Not quite a kiss on the lips, but so close. My heart was exploding. Butterflies were having a whole party in my stomach.

“Stay close to me tonight,” he whispered against my skin. “I’ve got you.”

We left the booth holding hands — well, he was holding mine like he never wanted to let go. People stared. Some whispered. But for once, I didn’t care. Because Damian was beside me, eyeliner sharp, looking like my own personal dark guardian.

Later that night, when the festival lights were twinkling and we sat on a quiet bench away from everyone, I leaned my head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around me and bought me another strawberry milk from a nearby stand.

“I posted something new on my secret account,” I confessed shyly. “After you saw my bruises.”

“Yeah?” He sounded curious. “What was it?”

“A boy with bruises turning into roses… and a shadow protecting him.” I didn’t tell him the account name. Not yet. It still felt too scary to share that part of me completely.

Damian kissed the top of my head again. “One day you won’t have bruises anymore. I promise.”

I believed him. Even though deep down I was scared that promises always broke. Even though Luca was probably waiting at home to hurt me worse for being out late. Even though the world still wanted to crush soft boys like me.

For tonight, I let myself believe.

Because when Damian looked at me like I was his whole world, I finally felt like maybe pretty things could survive. Maybe they could even be loved.

But the universe had other plans.

Twists and pain and truths that would break us both were coming.

For now though, under the festival lights, with strawberry milk and black eyeliner, I smiled.

And Damian smiled back.

Just for me.