Work Text:
"God, there's so fucking much of it…"
Even biting the inside of his lip doesn't prevent Jakurai from chuckling a bit. It's not polite to laugh at something someone mutters under their breath, but really it's true. He looks over his shoulder to where Hitoya sits on the couch behind him, a handful of long purple hair in one hand and a brush in the other. The expression on his face is that of a man who didn't realize what he was getting himself into. In Shinjuku for the weekend for a case, Hitoya's been staying over, and this morning offered to do something with Jakurai's hair. It was a novel idea, but now it seems the task may prove more daunting than anticipated.
Jakurai smiles at him. "If it's too much for you to handle…"
"Ha!" Almost immediately Hitoya's pride gives him a newfound surge of confidence. "You think I can't handle your hair? I've been doing mine since middle school! This is nothing." He pauses. "Though...how do you even handle so much hair?"
Jakurai responds with a small shrug of his shoulders. "It's always grown so quickly," he says. "And I tended to forget about cutting it in school...or ever, really."
"Too busy worrying about being the top of our class, huh?"
"Oh, yes. Every time I beat you at something, my hair grew another inch." Jakurai makes sure to smile as he says that, to make sure Hitoya knows he's just teasing. It's been almost a year now, since they'd had that talk in Shinjuku, but even so he doesn't want to hit a sore spot. As much as he loves Hitoya, he knows his boyfriend can get a bit...resentful of his past.
Hitoya seems to take it just fine, at least. "Well if you'd told me kicking my ass did that ," he says, "I'd never have been such a jackass."
"Oh, you would have," Jakurai says innocently, turning his head back to front. "Just about something else."
His little joke is met with a tug on his hair. "Talking a lot of shit to the guy who has all your hair at his mercy…" Within seconds, though, Jakurai feels Hitoya's hands loosen, fingers running through his hair. "Goddamn...it's so soft, too…"
Jakurai smiles softly, closing his eyes at the feeling. It's nice how soft Hitoya is right now. It's a side of him that the lawyer almost never shows, and when he does it's usually with plenty of attitude thrown in on the side. But there's a tenderness with the way Jakurai is treated, a vulnerability to the man that he doesn't dare show elsewhere, except possibly for his teammates (and even then those two can get on his nerves). As children, Jakurai had been drawn to Hitoya from the start, finding him to be a strange, fascinating person to observe and learn about. And even now, two decades later, he feels the exact same...well, no. He feels more than that, to be completely honest. The affection held for a dear friend has evolved into something deeper, something he'd only ever come close to feeling once before. And that both delights and terrifies him.
"So." Hitoya speaks up then, snapping Jakurai out of his reverie. "How do you want your hair?"
"Aren't you the one who wanted to do this in the first place?"
"Yeah, but see, there's two things I like, Jakurai. First, settling a case before it has to go to court, and second, giving you what you want." Hitoya picks up the brush again. "I'm still getting used to long hairstyles, but I can do ponytails, buns...no braids, though. Still gotta figure that shit out."
Jakurai chuckles. "That's fine. I don't care for braids much, as it is." He hopes Hitoya won't ask him to elaborate. In fact, to ensure he doesn't, Jakurai quickly adds, "A bun might be nice. It's rather hot…"
"You got it." He starts brushing Jakurai's hair, finding it a simple task, if not an extensive one due to all his hair. But it's not one either minds much. There's a peace to this simple little thing.
"I have to ask," Jakurai breaks the silence after a few minutes. "Where did you learn to work with longer hair? I don't think yours ever grew past your shoulders, and mine only got truly long after college…"
"It's a recent thing," Hitoya responds, still focused on the seemingly endless task before him. "Messing with Jyushi's hair seems to be one of the only things besides that damn pig to calm him down when he gets worked up. The little brat's taking advantage of it, though. Sometimes he'll just walk up to me with a brush and puppy-dog eyes and expect me to do his hair."
"Well?" Jakuri glances over his shoulder. "Do you?"
Hitoya scoffs. "Course I do! He'd just cry if I didn't…" He narrows his eyes as he notices the look on Jakurai's face. "What?"
Jakurai turns back. "It's nothing, dear."
"Well now I gotta know."
"It's just…" Jakurai's smile grows wider. "I wonder if that's the entire reason you do it."
"I...the Hell is that supposed to mean?"
"You never exactly struck me as the fatherly type, is all."
Jakurai covers his mouth with his hand as Hitoya starts sputtering, unable to say more than the first two words of a sentence for a good ten seconds. "I...those kids...look, just...ugh!" His brushing gets a bit more aggressive. "I'm not old enough to be a dad." A few seconds go by. "A big brother, maybe." A few more. "I'd settle as an uncle, too." More silence. "I'm not a dad. Not old enough to be a dad."
Jakurai looks back at his boyfriend, who is now scowling as his face flushes a bright pink. So caught up on this fact...he can't help but guess why. "When did it happen?"
"When did what happen?"
"I think you know, darling."
A pause in both conversation and brushing, until Hitoya finally sighs. "...two days ago. During training. Jyushi managed to get a good hit and knocked me back into a wall. Actually took me a second to realize what he'd said." He chuckles, shaking his head. "Kuko threatened to kill me for five minutes straight if I told his actual dad."
Now that's a surprise. "It was Kuko who said it?"
"Yeah, I was just as shocked as you. We called it quits after." He pauses again. "Do I look old enough to be a dad? It's the stubble, isn't it."
"I think it's more the way you act towards them, actually. You seem to be a protector of sorts, and I think they appreciate that." He doesn't add that he thinks Hitoya's teammates are a good influence on the lawyer, too. As if they allow him to soften around the edges.
Hitoya mumbles something incoherent, which is a telltale sign that he's touched. "I bet it's easier with teammates your own age," he finally says, as he starts gathering some of the hair to make a low ponytail. "Hifumi and Doppo never called you dad or shit like that, right?"
"No, they haven't. Though I suppose they do see me as a mentor figure...probably nothing familial, though." He smiles, his own teammates coming into his mind. "I think for us we're...friends, in a way."
"That's good." The ponytail made, Hitoya now starts tucking it into a part in the center. "How are they, anyway?"
"They're well."
"Jakurai…"
Jakurai sighs. "Things are still troublesome at Doppo's workplace."
"I knew it." There's a bit of anger in Hitoya's voice. "I don't know why I can't just--"
Jakurai cuts him off, placing his hand on Hitoya's knee. "He doesn't want that, Hitoya. Not yet. You need to let him figure this out on his own." A pause. "I did bring you up during his last appointment. I don't know if he'll do further than that."
"Wish he would," Hitoya grumbles. Strands of hair not in the main ponytail are brought together, tied into a smaller ponytail of their own. "Workplace harassment is just bullying with a suit and tie."
"I know." Jakurai is solemn a moment, before continuing on, trying to stay more optimistic. "They're both doing wonderfully since joining these division battles, I've noticed. I get the feeling they'll become something more incredible in time." He can't help but smile, recalling something. "In fact...I think something might be happening very soon.
"That certainly isn't cryptic…" Tucking the smaller ponytail into the part, both are combined into one bigger ponytail at its end. Hitoya starts wrapping the rest of his hair around, tucking it into that part until it's all wrapped in. "Now just a few bobby pins...and...hah!" Hitoya leans back, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest. "Not bad, considering all the hair I had to work with!"
Jakurai brings a hand to the base of his neck, feeling the bun there. "Let me go see…" He gets up and goes into his room, and the sight in the mirror stuns him. A few loose strands escape here and there, but Hitoya's done a lovely job. A simple hairstyle that looks elegant, and will hold. Jakurai feels a swell in his chest, and he heads back into the living room where Hitoya waits.
"Well? What do you--" Bending down from behind the couch, Jakurai takes Hitoya's face in his hands and kisses him. It's sweet and short, but he hopes it conveys how grateful he is. As the kiss is broken, Hitoya sits there in a bit of a daze for a second, before smirking. "That good, huh?"
Jakurai laughs, joining him on the couch. "It looks lovely. No wonder Jyushi likes you doing his hair so much."
"He has a lot less to work with than you, though." Hitoya's arm is around Jakurai's shoulders now. "I gotta do this more often."
"I'd like that." Jakurai sighs in contentment, head resting on Hitoya's shoulder. They've started being more affectionate with each other, getting used to the first real domesticity either has ever had. "Hifumi might get a bit jealous. He's wanted to play with my hair for a while."
"Oh yeah? You don't let him?"
"Just a bit," Jakurai replies. "Nothing too extravagant."
"Like the braids?"
Jakurai tenses. He had been hoping Hitoya would've forgotten that. "Yes." He says. There's a painful silence that will follow, he feels, if he can't open up more. Hitoya has been able to make himself vulnerable, and it's done wonders for both himself and their relationship. The thought of doing it himself, though, to get into his past...it's one of the few things in this world that truly terrifies him. But...he can at least try. "...Ramuda liked doing my hair."
"Oh." The hostility between the two division leaders has been known for a very long time, and publicized to bring in excitement for division battles. They've talked of it some, but Jakurai is still unable to go into details deeper than what he's told his own team. He hopes Hitoya can understand, at least. In fact…
"Hitoya…" He sits up, opens his mouth to speak, but can't think of anything to say. There's so much to get into, deep running water under the calm surface. Things he's kept under lock and key, but that still linger and haunt. Where to even begin?
"If you're not ready to talk...don't." Hitoya shifts to face Jakurai. He's not angry, but he has a rather neutral expression, one laced with a hint of concern. "I wanna know one of these days, about you. But not if you aren't ready. There's two things I can't stand. First, people who are constantly late. And second, rushing something prematurely."
"Is that so?" Jakurai is starting to feel a bit at ease. "You've always been so impulsive…"
"Yeah, well...some things you need to wait on. I dunno." He looks down with a sigh. "Whatever we do, I don't want to ruin this. Took us years to get here, and…"
He doesn't finish, but Jakurai knows what he means. This is still new, being intimate with each other. It helps that they were friends before, but there's still so much to learn and figure out, even now. But they're willing to try...and maybe for the moment, that's enough. "I understand, Hitoya. And I feel the same." He smiles, and as he'd anticipated, there's a silence after. But it's peaceful, at least. Staying like that a short while, Jakurai finally stands. "Are you hungry? We should get lunch. My treat."
"I certainly won't turn down a meal. You want takeout or…"
"I was thinking we go out. I'd like everyone to see what lovely work you've done with my hair."
Hitoya grins. "Can't pass up a chance to show you off. I'll get ready." He starts to leave, but Jakurai stops him. "Huh?"
"Thank you," he says, smiling warmly. There's so much more he wants to say, but he wonders if Hitoya will understand. The kiss he receives in response confirms it.