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Mel could always tell when Jayce wanted to say something. He’d hold himself a certain way, looking off to one side pensively, and drawing his broad shoulders a bit close.
They’d been seeing one another for several weeks now. She’d had flings, or romances that lasted a season, but this felt different. For starters, she wasn’t sure she’d ever spent so many nights with a partner. The potential for gossip would usually worry her, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to care about it now. Like so many other things about Jayce, this was refreshing- that he could make maintaining and curating her public image feel like a distant concern. It was… nice.
They’d been settling into a routine of going home with one another on nights when Jayce wasn’t in the lab. Even when he was, he’d find his way to her some nights, and she to him. They both had late nights throughout the week, so the arrangement worked well. There was more to it than convenience though, wasn’t there?
She watched him in the mirror. He sat next to her at the vanity, pretending to examine his shaved face, but stealing more and more glances at her as she carefully worked out knots in her hair. She had to stop herself from grinning.
“What’s on your mind, Jayce?” She finally asked, "You look like you might burst.”
“Well, ah.. I was wondering if you’d let me…” He cleared his throat, “Do your hair?”
He always managed to surprise her. When it came to styling herself, she liked tried-and-true. Once she'd decided on her signature style years ago, she rarely strayed. Recognizable, predictable, or so they would think. Perhaps Jayce thought differently?
“I'll warn you, I'm not too adventurous about trying new styles.” She said cautiously.
“No, no, I want to learn to do it how you like it.”
“Oh…”
She smiled. She'd learned to stop questioning why he was so sweet. He just was. She'd had lovers try to encourage her to change her hair or style. Make herself up to their liking. Mentors and alliances pushing her towards their views. Her mother’s endless list of Things Mel Should Change About Herself. She was used to people close to her having their opinions on how she ought to be. It wasn't always a bad thing- Elora had been the one to help pin down her signature style, after all. The mentors, the lovers, even her mother each taught her something. In her life, affection had often been a game of balancing favors, of meticulously maintaining relationships. It often had to be.
But sweetheart Jayce never seemed to want to change a thing about her, rarely asked much of her even though she’d outright told him that it was okay to ask her for favors. But as always, Jayce only asked for her trust.
“Only if you're okay with it!” He added quickly.
“Alright.” She said, “Yes… I can show you. I’d… like that.”
She handed him a bottle of hair oil, little flowers and spices suspended in it. Jayce handled the bottle carefully, like it was a special, precious thing. She smiled; hair oils weren’t hard to find in the city, nor much of anywhere in Runeterra, although she did infuse this one herself with her favorite botanicals.
“Where should I start?” He asked.
“You could help me finish detangling. I prefer to use my fingers rather than a brush. The oil helps keep it healthy and prevent breaks. Here, put a small amount on your fingers and rub it into your hands.”
He poured just a little too much on his fingers. She smiled and supposed she could live with it if her hair was a little shinier than usual.
“Now slowly pass a finger through this section,” She indicated the right side of her head, “and if you feel resistance, try to very carefully pull your fingers through.”
He slotted his index finger gently into her hair. She tensed a bit, despite herself. She knew Jayce would be gentle, he always was. She was still getting used to being touched so much. Not that she minded Jayce’s touch. Touching had just been such a measured thing, in her life, rarely given, rarely accepted. It was new for her, but she suspected it wouldn’t be so hard to get used to. He was exceedingly careful. He found a knot and very slowly ran his finger through it, as instructed. She let herself relax.
They both felt a small pop and he stopped immediately.
“Sorry…”
“It's okay,” She reassured, “you can’t avoid some breaks, the goal is to minimize them. You're doing well.”
He continued that way, slowly running one, and then two fingers through her hair to detangle it. When needed, he'd use his thumb to help tease out the knots. Once he was satisfied, she talked him through touching up her parts and her twists. She showed him how to braid the remaining hair, explaining it would help stretch the hair for her to finish her updo in the morning. He followed along attentively. The braids he did were a little misshapen, but he seemed up to the challenge.
When they finished, she tied off the braids and turned back to face him, placing a hand on his bare chest.
“Wasn’t too difficult, was it?” She teased.
He took her hand in his and planted a kiss on it.
“Not at all. Give me a few more tries and I'll be an expert.”
“Best be careful, I may start holding you to that. You know I can be… exacting.” She teased.
He peppered a few more kisses up her wrist and forearm, before gently pulling her towards him.
“I aim to please.”