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it’s in the little things. it’s the way that gavin stood up for him. it’s in the way that gavin learnt, little by little and broadened his mind. it was the way that he took his time to get to know robin. made him feel seen, and the way he was sometimes too thick headed for his own good. there was no denying that having had a big heart, even if he still had lots to learn, that lovable fool.
it was all the little things. the little things that lead them to this, too. after robin had shamefully had to cut off his long locks, he’d been especially soft around what was left of it. he took extra good care of what he had left whenever possible, and other than gavin, robin had not consented to anyone touching it. well of course one could argue that given earlier situations, the gavin’s lack of knowledge at the time, maybe it hadn’t exactly been consent at all. but that is a story for another time. gavin had learned and grown that had proved a lot to robin as well. but this time. this time was it different.
this time gavin knew exactly how important and intimate the act of touching robins hair was. this time, gavin had asked permission before his fingers carded through robins locks. this time, robin had agreed, trusting in the knowledge that gavin knew what he’d asked. it was the little things, that had prompted robin to say yes. it was the little things that put them in this intimate situation. because if gavin was this thickheaded fool, this wouldn’t have happened at all. because if gavin didn’t make robin feel safe and seen, he would have said no. but as ot was. it was the little things.
if gavin hadn’t been that fool, robin wouldn’t have ended up with his drink in his hair in the first place, and none of this would have happened. but if gavin hadn’t been such a loveable fool, he wouldn’t have offered his help getting it back out, with the knowledge he now possessed. but he did. and robin said yes.
“is this okay?” gavin turned out to be surprisingly good with his hands. but then again, he had grown up with a whole pack of sisters, so maybe it wasn’t that surprising after all. at least not considering the cultural difference between the two of them, and what hair meant and symbolized in their respective cultures. so maybe not that surprising.
“hmm.” robins only answer came as a low hum. he didn’t trust his voice not to shake, when gavin’s fingers softly moved through his hair. one section at a time, gavin cleaned the dirty strands of hair. he washed. he cared. he combed. he even braided.
the two of them sat in silence for the most part, with robin placed on the floor with his back to gavin who was perched at the edge of the bed. it was comfortable. intimate. but instead of running from it, robin decided to just be. and let be.
“i really am sorry, you know,” gavin said. his fingers kept moving, giving robin an excuse not to turn and look at the human. maybe that was actually exactly why gavin kept going as he spoke. whether for his own peace of mind or for robins didn’t matter. for what it was worth, robin appreciated it either way. “for getting this stuff in your hair,” he clarified.
“i know,” robin said. and he did. in all the time robin had known gavin, he’d never once seen him go out of his way to intentionally wrong someone. well maybe with the exception of erek. but erek was a complete ass, so that didn’t really count, did it? so robin knew. he knew that gavin was just a fool, and while getting anything in his hair was one of the worse things robin could imagine, at least he knew gavin.
the silence settles between them as gavin worked robins hair, finishing up the last braid. for a moment they just sat there. neither daring to break the silence. the tension in the air. at least not yet. so they sat there. both simultaneously living in that very moment. it was nice. it was intimate, sure. but whatever awkwardness robin might’ve thought possible from gavin, didn’t come. it was nice. really nice. but they couldn’t very well just stay there forever, however nice that may be. seconds stretched on a little further. just a little bit further. but then robin cleared his throat.
“can i see it?” that seemed to jolt gavin back to reality.
“oh! yeah.” gavin scrambled to his feet, the magic already dissipating like morning fog from the room. gavin handed over the little hand mirror from the — for robin to take. and he did. he took it, and held it up, eyes closed. “might wanna open your eyes then,” gavin added, a little smile evident in his voice as he spoke.
robin swallowed. then he opened his eyes and watched himself in the little mirror. turning his head one way. then the other. gavin was indeed very good with his hands. very good. at least for a human. so that’s exactly what he told him.
“not bad,” he said, glancing up at his friend. his very loveable fool of a friend. then he smiled and winked, effectively breaking the last of the intimate tension and added, “for a human.”