Chapter Text
Jake led Drew to the bathroom, his footsteps quiet but quick, trying to avoid lingering on the awkwardness. Drew looked at the old scissors in Jake's hand, his face scrunching up in disbelief. He sighed, taking the scissors from Jake and setting them down on the counter with a faint clink. "I said I’d help you, not make it worse. I'm not using school scissors for Rosy’s sake," Drew muttered, shaking his head.
Jake’s face flushed with embarrassment, his gaze shifting to the floor. He hadn’t exactly thought through the whole “cutting my hair with ancient scissors” thing.
Drew, clearly prepared for this, pulled out a set of hair tools from his bag—much more professional than Jake’s haphazard attempt—and grabbed the hairbrush with ease. "I brought my own stuff," he said, holding up the set with a half-grin.
Jake let out a small, relieved laugh. "Thanks... I guess I really did mess this up, huh?"
Drew quietly dragged Jake's desk chair into the bathroom, setting it down with a soft scrape against the floor. He sighed, running a hand through his magenta hair as he glanced over at Jake. "Yeah, it's bad... But I said I would help, so that’s what I’m gonna do." He checked his phone for the time, the bright screen showing it was already 3:45 AM. The lateness hit him all at once, and he knew he needed to work quickly.
He gave a quiet hum, motioning for Jake to sit down in the chair. “I’m glad it’s a weekend...” Drew muttered, his voice a bit distracted as he thought about how late it was.
The bathroom fell into a quiet rhythm as Drew began brushing Jake's hair. The soft sound of the brush gliding through the strands was interrupted only by the occasional mumbled "Ow" from Jake, but so far, it was going better than expected. Drew kept his focus, careful to make sure each stroke was gentle, as he worked to fix the mess Jake had created.
Jake broke the quiet tension with a quiet mumbled question, his voice low and curious. “Hey, so... How did your parents let you come this late at night?”
Drew, not missing a beat, glanced at Jake and sighed. “I snuck out...”
Jake whipped his head around so fast, his eyes wide in disbelief. “You WHA—”
Before he could say anything else, Drew quickly covered Jake's mouth with his hand, his voice coming out in a harsh whisper. “Dumbass! Are you trying to wake up the whole neighborhood?!” He shot Jake a glare, his expression a mix of annoyance and a bit of humor. “Also... Hold still, will you! You’re gonna mess it up more by moving!”
Jake froze, cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he realized how loud he had gotten. He quickly nodded, trying to focus on staying still as Drew continued his work, hoping that Milo hadn’t heard his outburst.
Drew muttered under his breath, clearly irritated by the interruption, "Idiot... Why would they let me out this late at night—"
Just as he spoke, a sudden click from the door made both of them pause. Drew turned his head to see Milo standing in the doorway, looking annoyed but still staring at the ground. "Jakeee, shut up, I’m trying to sleep—" Milo started, only to stop mid-sentence when he looked up and saw Drew holding the scissors, carefully snipping at Jake’s hair. His expression shifted immediately, a knowing smirk spreading across his face. “Ohhhh... I see.”
Jake groaned, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks as he sighed. “What do you mean, oh—?”
Before he could finish, Milo cut him off, his smirk widening. “I thought you liked Daisy, but I guess you and your boyfriend are—” He raised an eyebrow, teasing.
Drew immediately blushed, turning his head away in an attempt to hide it, but it wasn’t subtle enough. Jake’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, his embarrassment palpable. He interrupted Milo with a stammer, trying to regain control of the situation. “M-MILO! He’s not my boyfriend! Get out of my room! Also... Stop inviting yourself into my room! I don’t need an 8-year-old barging in!” Jake shot to his feet, hands waving as if trying to physically push his younger brother out of the room.
Milo rolled his eyes, clearly unfazed by Jake’s reaction. “I’m 9! For that matter, I’m not 8, also chill, I’ll leave... teenagers...” He scoffed dramatically before walking out of the room, not bothering to close the bathroom door behind him.
Jake exhaled in frustration, his face still burning. Drew, despite his own embarrassment, couldn’t help but chuckle quietly at the entire exchange.
Drew turned back to Jake, his face still a little flushed, and let out a heavy sigh. “Does your brother always have to be annoying?” he muttered, rolling his eyes as he picked up the scissors again.
Jake huffed out a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well… not always,” he said with a slight grin. “But yeah—most of the time.”
Drew shook his head, a faint smirk playing on his lips despite himself. “Figured” he muttered, focusing on Jake’s hair again. "Now hold still, or I’ll make you look worse than you already do."
Jake laughed softly, feeling a bit more at ease as Drew resumed working, the earlier tension slowly fading away.
Drew’s blush deepened as he started brushing Jake’s hair again, doing his best to focus on the task at hand. The gentle rhythm of the brush calmed his nerves a bit, though the warmth in his cheeks lingered. “Stay still,” Drew murmured, his voice quieter, softer now. “If you want your hair to look nice.”
A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he ran the brush through Jake’s slightly messy, longish hair. Despite the teasing moments and awkward interruptions, he found himself enjoying the quiet closeness. It was rare for them to have moments like this, and Drew was more aware of it than he wanted to admit.
Jake, still red-faced, shifted slightly in his seat but stayed still, his mind racing with thoughts he tried to push away. “Thanks,” he mumbled, feeling both grateful and embarrassed. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable anymore—it felt... different. Something unspoken hung in the air, but neither of them was quite ready to acknowledge it yet.
Drew hummed softly, his head tilting slightly in confusion as he continued brushing Jake’s hair. “For what, Jake?” he asked, glancing at him through the mirror with a curious look.
Jake shifted a little, his hands fidgeting in his lap. He avoided Drew’s gaze for a moment before mumbling, “For coming over… for helping me with this mess….”
Drew blinked. His brush paused for a second before he shook his head with a small laugh. “You’re my best friend, obviously I would help!”
Jake glanced up, catching Drew’s reflection in the mirror. "Really..?" His voice was quieter this time, Jake smiled slightly.
Drew’s blush returned, and he quickly focused on trimming Jake’s hair again to distract himself. “Yeah man of course!” he murmured, smiling to himself as he worked.
Jake chuckled, finally feeling a little less embarrassed.
~~~
[5AM]
~~~
“Anddd… there!” Drew stepped back, a satisfied smile spreading across his face as he admired his work. “You can open your eyes now, Jake.” He gave Jake’s shoulder a gentle pat, looking a little too proud of himself.
Jake, who had kept his eyes shut out of sheer nervousness, slowly opened them. His eyes lit up the moment he saw his reflection. His hair was no longer a disaster—it looked clean, even, and way better than before. A wide grin spread across his face. “HEHE! AHAHA! thank you Drew!!”
Without a second thought, Jake jumped up from the chair and pulled Drew into a tight hug. Drew flinched at first, startled by the sudden burst of energy, but then he chuckled softly, his arms wrapping around Jake in return.
“No problem-o!” Drew said with a playful grin, squeezing Jake back. “You’re lucky I’m good at this, or you’d be stuck wearing your hoodie up for the next month.”
Jake pulled back slightly, still beaming. “Seriously, I would’ve looked like a total idiot if you hadn’t helped.”
Drew smirked, brushing a stray piece of hair off Jake’s shoulder. “What are best friends for?”
Jake chuckled, feeling his heart swell at the words. But there was something about the way Drew said it—soft, warm—that made him feel a little different. Maybe tonight wasn’t just about fixing a bad haircut after all.