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Look, Patty’s hair isn’t short. Travis knows that comments on it sometimes even. Nothing mean, just chirps about how pretty he is or something. He definitely doesn’t mean them. He also definitely doesn’t sometimes just sit in his stall next to Patty and stare. Watch the way his hair sometimes swings in front of his face when he bends down to unlace his skates or whatever. Refuses to notice the way Patty just fiddles with it sometimes, when he’s nervous or doesn’t know what to say or just needs a moment to think about he’s going to say. What Travis is trying to say is, Patty’s hair is long and he wants to braid it.
Patty won’t let him anywhere near his hair. Not after a drunken admission that Travis once put gum in a girl’s hair because she wouldn’t split her brownie with him. His only hope is to wear Patty down with constant begging. And maybe alcohol, shots never hurt anybody. It’s after a win, everybody’s sweaty and disgusting and proud of themselves. Travis brings another round to the table and slides in next to Patty. He leans on his shoulder and Patty barely notices the sudden extra weight and heat.
“Are you sure I can’t braid your hair? I’ve been watching tutorials and shit bud”, Travis wheedles. He had watched two videos on something called a Dutch braid and a how-to plait your hair video that put him to sleep. The three minutes of gentle voiceover instruction and tinkly music had an effect on him. Patty mumbles something into his beer and flushes red.
“What? I can’t hear when you whisper into the beer bro”
“Yea I guess you can”, a huge sigh “why not. If you fuck it up though I’m not giving you a second shot”, and just like that Travis has signed his soul away.
They go to Patty’s apartment, Travis following him in through the doorway and claiming a seat on the couch. The throw pillows Patty’s mom chose are soft and smell like Patty somehow. Patty goes to his room and reappears with a hot pink brush and a hair tie. He sits on the floor at Travis’ feet without hesitation. Travis gulps suddenly faced with the consequences of his actions. Yeah, he had watched tutorials and looked up which brush was best to use but he never expected Patty to actually say yes. Yet here he is, perched on the edge of a too-expensive couch holding a brush like it’s a baseball bat.
From back here Travis can tell how much Pat’s hair has grown. It shines in the living room light and looks suspiciously soft.
“Well, are you gonna do anything or just sit up there?”, Pats says and that’s what breaks Travis out of his hair-induced trance.
Just braid your teammate’s hair, Travis this is what you watched those videos for. That’s what he tries to tell himself, that this is a totally casual interaction between two teammates. Dudes braid each others’ hair all the time, right? He shifts on the couch and experimentally runs the brush through Patty’s hair. When Travis is sure that nothing’s going to jump out and bite him he finishes brushing Patty’s hair. Now it’s even shinier and just flows past his shoulders. It’s way softer than Travis had expected, like Patty actually uses a separate conditioner or something.
Travis steels himself with a deep breath and tries to part Nolan’s hair into three even pieces. Just like how the lady had said see Travis can follow instructions he just chooses not to most of the time. The left chunk is much bigger than its two counterpoints but Travis doubts Nolan cares at this point, he’s already let Travis get this far. Travis squints and tries to cross one piece over “onto the middle piece and continue the pattern” like the lady had said but they all look the same to him. All he can really focus on right now is Patty’s soft breathing, how Patty’s hair feels in his hands, and how Travis is starting to think maybe this isn’t a strict bros-only thing.
After what feels like a lifetime, Nolan’s hair is in something that could maybe be called a braid. If you squinted and were drunk. Which he was currently. Feeling incredibly proud he takes a Snapchat on his phone and leans down to show Patty. It’s dimly lit, the braid the main focus and the room suddenly feels smaller. Like it’s shrunk to the two of them, Travis half falling off the couch to show off his handiwork and Nolan still just sitting there. They’re almost the same height like this, and Travis doesn’t know how that makes him feel. He leans down more, closing the distance and gently presses his mouth to Patty’s. So, definitely not a bros-only thing.