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Sakura doesn't like his hair. It was the cause of most of his troubles. Therefore, he never took care of it, not that he knew how to anyway. All he did was use whatever cheap shampoo he could find.
From a very young age, Sakura tried dyeing his hair all black to fit in. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the bullying. He'll never forget the hope he felt the day he bought his first black box dye, making a mess in the bathroom trying not to miss any spot.
"Maybe now I’ll fit in and make some friends!" He thought back then, innocent smile on his face.
And he'll never forget how quickly his hopes were crushed by everyone's mockery. They always found something about him to make fun of. That's when he realized his hair wasn't the problem. It was him.
Sakura shook his head. That was in the past. Things are different now. Who knew passing by the hair dye isle in the supermarket would cause him to spiral into his awful past memories?
"Sakura! What are you doing here? Don't tell me you want to dye your hair!"
Sakura would recognize that voice anywhere. He took his attention off the box dye and looked at Nirei.
"No I was just looking." He said catching Nirei holding a box of hair dye. "I should be asking what you're doing with this."
"My roots are growing out so I need to dye them again." Nirei said, putting the box in his basket.
Sakura never realized Nirei wasn't a natural blonde, but now that he looks closely he can see the growing brown hair.
"I've been putting it off because I always make a mess and get scolded by my parents." Nirei sheepishly admitted.
"Do you want to come over? I could help you." Sakura said before thinking about it. He's just being a good friend. Surely he's not doing that because he's desperate to see Nirei even during weekends. And surely Nirei only agreed because he needed the help. Definitely not because he has a huge crush on his best friend and would do anything to spend more time with him.
---
Nirei sat down on a chair, while Sakura mixed the products.
"Have you done this before Sakura?" Nirei asked curiously.
"What makes you think that?"
"Well you're not even looking at the instructions."
Sakura sighed, getting a towel to put it on Nirei's shoulders. "I've done it a few times." He said, practically feeling Nirei's curiosity eating at him.
He put on gloves, then ran his hand through Nirei's hair. It's difficult to feel much through the gloves, but his hair is surprisingly soft.
"Why do you dye your hair?" Sakura asked. Nirei's natural hair color looks pretty, and it's not like it was an odd color that would be the cause of bullying.
"I just thought blonde would make me look cooler! And it's difficult to stop dyeing your hair once you start. The roots grow back and it takes ages to grow out of the blonde!" Nirei explained, as Sakura applied the mixture on his hair, knowing all too well that awkward phase of hair growth.
Younger Sakura thought he was smart by bleaching his hair to speed up the process and hoping it would get back to normal. That caused awful damage, almost causing him to shave all his hair off in hopelessness.
He shook his head for the second time that day, and focused on Nirei's hair. Now was not the time to remember his tragic past.
"And we're done. Now we wait half an hour." Sakura removed the disposable gloves, throwing them away.
"How do I look?" Nirei turned around, facing Sakura.
He looked ridiculous. But with his hair up like that, Sakura could clearly see his face that was usually covered by his hair. That made his heart beat faster and he looked away, feeling his cheeks getting hotter.
"You look fine..."
"I'm hurt Sakura..." Nirei pouted, trying his best not to laugh.
Sakura is in trouble. If Nirei keeps acting cute like that when they're alone he might stop functioning. He looked everywhere aside from Nirei's face to try to calm down, and that's when he noticed something weird.
"Are you sure you picked the right shade of dye?" He asked, picking up the empty box.
"Yes I always buy the same! The medium blonde."
"That's not medium blonde." Sakura said, showing Nirei the 'strawberry blonde' written on the box.
And that's what happens when Nirei runs into his crush while picking hair dye.
"What should I do?? Do I wash them off?" He was starting to panic. What kind of shade is strawberry blonde? Is his hair going to be pink like Kiryu's? Or maybe it won't be noticeable?
"Nirei, don’t panic." Sakura's face was dangerously close when Nirei regained focus. Sakura wasn’t good with words, and preferred comforting through actions. He held Nirei’s hands to stop him from fidgeting. “Waiting time is almost done. You have to wash it in a few minutes anyway.”
Having Sakura so close and touching his hands had Nirei’s heart beating uncontrollably. “What if it looks ugly?” He asked, self-conscious about the possible results.
“It’s just hair. You’ll look cute no matter what.” Sakura said, not realizing what he just admitted until it was too late. His face burned up, and he quickly realized how close they were standing. He was about to step back, when Nirei tightened his grip on his hands.
“You think I’m cute?” His own face was just as red as Sakura’s.
“I guess…” Sakura started, only to be cut off by his phone’s alarm indicating it was time to wash Nirei’s hair.
Damn it… Just when they were getting somewhere. Nirei always suspected Sakura reciprocates his feelings, but never dared asking. He hopes of getting another chance today, since they were rarely alone together.
After washing the dye off in the sink, Nirei wrapped a towel around his hair.
“I’m nervous…” He admitted, standing in front of the mirror.
“Stop worrying.” Sakura was just as nervous, but for a different reason.
Nirei removed the towel, looking into the mirror then facing Sakura. “It’s not as bad as I thought it’d be!”
Bullshit! It’s bad, terrible for Sakura’s heart! He forgot how to breathe for a moment. That color suits Nirei much more than the regular blonde.
“You look great…” Sakura admitted, distracting himself by picking up the hair dryer. If he keeps looking at Nirei he would lose his mind. “Sit down. You need to get your hair dried or you’ll end up sick.”
“You’re drying it for me? I’m getting spoiled today!” Nirei sat down, smiling to himself.
“Don’t get used to it…” As if Sakura wouldn’t spoil Nirei some more if he had the chance.
He stood behind Nirei, turned the hair dryer on, and ran his fingers through the strawberry blonde hair. It was unbelievably soft.
“It feels nice…” Nirei mumbled, almost inaudible because of the hair dryer’s noise.
Short hair unfortunately dried fast. Too fast, in Sakura’s opinion.
“You missed a spot at the front.” Nirei pointed out. Sakura stood facing Nirei, running his fingers through the front of his hair.
“I don’t think so. It’s all dry.”
“I know. I just like it when you play with my hair.” Nirei admitted, cheeks turning pink already.
Sakura blushed, setting down the hair dryer, “You could just ask normally…”
“Then can you play with my hair?” Nirei asked, standing up facing Sakura.
And how could he say no to Nirei’s adorable face?
They sat together on the couch, Nirei resting his head on Sakura’s lap and closing his eyes as he got his hair played with.
“You still haven’t told me why you used to dye your hair.” Nirei said, breaking the comfortable silence that had set in.
Sakura took a deep breath. He trusts Nirei, so maybe telling him wasn’t a bad idea.
“I used to get bullied for my hair and eyes. They’re unusual colors and people thought it was creepy. But I really wanted to fit in, so I dyed my hair all black. That didn’t stop the bullying and eventually I got tired of it, and fought back. Once in a while I’d get hopeful things might change so I’d dye my hair again. Eventually I understood there was nothing I could do about it…” Sakura was lost in thoughts, and didn’t see the sad look on Nirei’s face.
“They’re all idiots.” He said, sitting up and hugging Sakura. “Your hair is unique, but it doesn’t define who you are.”
This startled Sakura, but he wrapped his arms around Nirei, finding comfort he’s never felt before.
“They’d always assume the worst of me because of my hair, and maybe they were right…” maybe Sakura was oversharing, but he rarely got the chance to talk about the matter, and he couldn’t stop the words from coming out.
“No, they were all wrong! Your looks don’t define your personality! From the first time we met until now you keep proving to me that you’re amazing! and I swear one day I’ll make you see yourself the same way I see you…”
That got Sakura feeling emotional. Words were getting stuck in his throat, and all he managed to say was a faint “thank you” before he buried his face in Nirei’s shoulder. It was Nirei’s turn to run his fingers through the bicolored hair, and Sakura had to admit it felt nice.
When Sakura regained his composure, he laid on the couch, pulling Nirei down with him.
“Sakura?”
“Just…” Sakura’s face burned up, embarrassed of his own actions, “Can we stay like this?”
Nirei smiled fondly, hugging Sakura, “Of course!”
They stayed still, enjoying the comfortable silence. Sakura’s heart was beating uncontrollably fast, and Nirei felt it because of their proximity. He adjusted his position to be able to look at Sakura in the eyes. He was feeling more confident than usual today, and he might regret his words later but he was set on doing this.
“Sakura, can I kiss you?”
Sakura’s face turned redder than it already was, “If you want to…”
“I want to, but do you?” Nirei wasn’t doing any better. He was certain they looked ridiculous huddled on that couch, blushing and embarrassed.
Sakura didn’t answer, instead he leaned in pressing their lips together. Nirei had always thought about kissing Sakura. He’s imagined it countless of times, but experiencing it was something else. Butterflies erupted in his stomach, heart beating frantically and feeling warm all over. The kiss ended too quickly and Nirei almost went in for another one, but Sakura quickly engulfed him in a hug.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes… just give me a minute.” Sakura mumbled, voice shaking slightly.
Noted, do not overwhelm Sakura with affection.
---
“Wow! That new color suits you!” Kiryu said as soon as Nirei and Sakura entered the classroom.
“Thank you! I got it by accident but it turned out nice!”
Sakura sat at his seat, observing Nirei getting the class’s attention for the morning with his new hair color. Suo sat next to Sakura, smiling deviously.
“What?”
“So are you two dating yet?” Suo asked casually.
“How- why would you ask that?” Sakura failed to keep his composure, and was more convinced than ever that Suo could read minds.
“Judging by your reaction I assume it’s a yes. Congratulations!”
Nirei looked over at them, smiling fondly at Sakura. Fine, him and Nirei were probably being too obvious about their relationship. But if it meant Sakura got to see Nirei smiling more often, he’d gladly let the whole world know.