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With a low sigh, you let the strands of freshly-processed hair fall naturally through your slightly opened fingers. Facing the well-lit bathroom mirror, you couldn’t help but notice how downhearted your reflection looked. Sure, it was already the early hours of the evening and you had been up since 6AM, but truth-be-told, you knew the long hours spent awake were no real excuse for how defeated you looked: brows furrowed, eyes troubled, nose lightly scrunched, lips downcast, and shoulders slumped.
The reason you were up so early was because the day of your long-awaited appointment at the salon had finally arrived. You had been wanting to get your hair done for the longest time, and after asking friends and family for suggestions, decided on a location about half an hour or so from your home.
During the quarantine, you had taken up many different hobbies, experimenting with your hair being one of the most obvious. Naturally, having no training whatsoever with bleaching, dying, and styling hair, you had ended up with an overall look that wasn’t necessarily bad, but most definitely could be much better.
The experience was lovely, as the stylists were all so nice and welcoming to you and kept you engaged the whole time. Not once did you feel uneasy as you moved through the process of getting your hair done, and easily, your most favorite part of the day was having your hair washed. There was just something about the reassuring pressure of the stylists’ hands against your scalp and the perfect temperature of the water that had you wondering if you could talk your boyfriend into washing your hair at some point in the nearby future.
Unfortunately they couldn’t blow dry your hair due to concerns of spreading the virus, but you completely understood. Either way, you still felt good leaving the salon after about six hours spent in the sleek black and silver chairs.
Now within the familiar walls of your own home, you were able to really get a good, up-and-close look at your hair. Hair finally dry, you noticed some inconsistencies with the bleaching and coloring. It wasn’t that your hair looked bad, as it really was an improvement to how you looked when you initially walked through the salon door, but there were just a few small areas that you knew would noticeably stand out from a close distance.
Taking another wistful glance, you also had to acknowledge the fact that while the stylist fixed a lot of the issues you brought up, unfortunately they missed out on the biggest part: evening out the inconsistency of your inexperienced bleaching.
Knowing the perfectionist that your boyfriend was, you were a bit nervous as to what he would say when he inevitably noticed those specific spots. It was in his nature to be blunt, and you already knew that you’d only feel more insecure about your hair if he pointed it out.
Speaking of the devil, your ears picked up on the jingle of keys and the turn of the apartment’s doorknob. On any other day, you would’ve already been at the door ready to greet the older man with a kiss on the cheek, but today you just didn’t have the energy for it. You stayed almost frozen in your position in front of the bathroom mirror, ignoring the “Oi brat, I know you’re home” that came from your significant other’s lips.
It was only a matter of time before Levi found you in the bathroom, still hunched over the sink counter and facing the silver-framed mirror. From just one look at you, he could already tell that you were not in a good mood. While he would usually bring up your lack of greeting, as he actually really did enjoy the small tradition of receiving a kiss as he returned home, he decided to keep his thoughts to himself. Although he was known to speak his mind with no regards to the consequences, he wasn’t really as mean as most people considered him to be… or at least when it came to you specifically, he wasn’t.
Instead of throwing a playfully halfhearted insult in your direction, he crossed through the simple white frame of the bathroom doorway as he made his way to stand next to you. Wordlessly, he opened his arms and you quickly nuzzled your head into the crook of his shoulder, not only mumbling an apology at your lack of greeting but also telling him about your day at the salon and the feelings you had for your new hairstyle.
Not once did Levi interrupt you, allowing you to just let it all out as gently ran his hands through your newly colored hair. It was softer than he expected it to be after getting bleached and dyed, but he figured that the texture came from the Moroccan oil treatment you were given. Eventually you calmed down enough to shift in position, though still opting to stay in the raven haired male’s arms. Not only did it just feel nice to be held by the one you loved the most, but the warm embrace was really all the comfort you needed.
Looking up to face your boyfriend, you weren’t expecting the sweet kiss he placed on your forehead. With a blush making its way high onto your cheeks, you couldn’t help but smile at the simple gesture.
“Much better,” he commented with a slight smirk, referring to the more lively expression you now had on your face.
In turn, you childishly stuck your tongue out at the older man, an action that just earned you a roll of slate-grey eyes. Laughing at Levi’s reaction, you leaned into him once more to place your own kiss, landing a purposefully loud smooch onto his right cheek. The way his eyes narrowed into a glare only made you giggle even more.
You weren’t exactly sure how he did it, but somehow, Levi always knew how to make you feel much better.