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He knew from the moment he opened his bathroom cabinet that this day wouldn’t go smoothly. His hair gel, usually kept stocked, was gone, a bright yellow post-it note and a thick black hair tie sitting mockingly where it had been.
‘Yuugi—
You ran out of gel yesterday, right? I haven’t been to the store yet, so you’ll have to make do without. I know you like your ‘style’, but it’s only for one day! I’ll go this afternoon, we need milk anyway. Here’s a hair tie, if you want it.
Have a good day at school!
Love,
Mom’
He grumbled, but took the hair tie. He had other things to worry about than a day without hair gel, like the fact that his bullies kept turning up missing or in comas. He figured someone must be playing vigilante, though he had no idea who. He wasn’t that special…
Yuugi brushed his hair, gently working out the tangles until it hung sleek and shiny around his face. The red tips almost touched his shoulders, and his bangs were starting to show their roots. Seems like it was almost time for a touch-up. He yawned, brushing his hair back into a high ponytail and tying it off before brushing his teeth. Maybe a day without the gel would do him good. He heard that using gel too often and washing your hair every day was bad for it, anyway.
--
Eyes. Eyes everywhere. He flinched violently when a hand thumped loudly on his desk when he wasn’t paying attention, looking up to find Jonouchi standing next to him with a wide-eyed expression. ‘It’s fine we’re friends now he didn’t mean to scare me!’ Silently repeating that to himself until he believed it, he managed to calm his racing heart. He smiled nervously when Jonouchi still hadn’t spoken, tugging at the collar of his uniform shirt. “U-Um, Jonouchi-kun? Are you okay? I-Is there something on my face…?” he asked, shrinking a little under the scrutiny.
“I thought your hair was natural!” Yuugi blinked. He’d expected a lot of different scenarios. That…That hadn’t been one of them.
“What do you mean, natural?” He decided to play it safe, still unsure what Jonouchi was talking about. Surely he couldn’t mean…?
Jonouchi waved his hands wildly, making a frustrated growling noise. “Your spiky…hair…thing! I thought that was all natural! It didn’t look like you were wearin’ any gel, at least!” Yuugi blinked again, caught between disbelief and hysterical laughter.
“W-Wait, you thought my hair naturally spiked into that shape?! What do I look like, some kind of anime character?” he sputtered, ears going a bit pink.
“Eeeeh, I mean…Kinda? You have the protagonist hair, the crazy fashion sense, the ridiculously lovable personality…” Jonouchi ticked each trait off on his fingers, looking like he had more before Yuugi cut him off.
“Not important! I-I mean, sorry… Anyway, I ran out of hair gel yesterday, and my mom isn’t going to the store until later today, so I just put it up. Is…Does it look weird…?” he asked, suddenly growing self-conscious. He fiddled with the end of a piece of his bangs, staring at the top of his desk so he didn’t have to look Jonouchi in the eye. He hunched his shoulders when an answer didn’t come after ten or so seconds, already berating himself for a stupid question.
“N-No! It looks fine, Yuugi! Adorable, even!” Then Jonouchi blushed violently, rushing away from Yuugi’s desk to go sit at his own. Yuugi watched him go, feeling an odd twist in his gut when Jonouchi started tugging at his hair and muttering to himself. ‘Weird…’
He turned to his left, where Anzu was sitting at her desk and reading. He bit his lip, nudging her arm gently. “H-Hey Anzu… Does my hair look strange? Jonouchi-kun started acting weird after I asked him, so I kinda want a second opinion?” His voice turned up at the end, turning the statement into a question without him planning on it. She finished the page she was on, marking her spot before turning to face him. The second she saw him, her eyes widened.
“N-No! It doesn’t look strange at all, Yuugi! Maybe a little out of place with your collar thing, but still cute!” she said, quickly turning away again to bury her face in her book. Yuugi was sure he was imagining it, but he swore that the tips of her ears turned pink. He sighed, turning back to his own desk and pulling out a pack of worn playing cards. It’s fine if all his friends were ignoring him right now. He was used to it.
After all, playing cards don’t run away from you.
--
As soon as he got home, Yuugi headed upstairs to change into something more casual. He wanted to go to the arcade, to try and take his mind off the strange behavior of his friends. After Anzu, Honda had stammered something nonsensical and took off to join Jonouchi in the back of the room, and Miho had hugged him and squealed for a good minute before she was forced into her seat when the bell rang. Honestly, it all made him a little uncomfortable. He let out an explosive sigh as he took off his puzzle, feeling the buzzing at the back of his mind lighten as usual. He shed his jacket and uniform shirt, pulling on a warm black sweater covered in small white bat silhouettes. Almost on autopilot, he pulled the thick chain of the puzzle back over his head before shedding his uniform pants for a pair of comfy jeans.
His final stop? The bathroom, to see if his gel had been replaced. He opened the cabinet, expecting, hoping that his mom had gone shopping.
She hadn’t. The note still sat there, its cheery yellow drastically contrasting his mood. He scowled, closing the cabinet door and glancing in the mirror. It didn’t look too bad. His hair was too short to be a proper flowy ponytail, instead sticking up in a cluster of soft points. With the way the red grouped together, it almost looked like flames. If it weren’t for the fact that his friends were acting unsettlingly odd, he might wear his hair down (up?) more often.
As it stands, Yuugi’d rather have friends than a ponytail, no matter how cool it looked. He readjusted his choker so the buckle lay in the middle of his neck, noting idly that the polish on his nails was chipping. He’d have to ask Anzu to redo them soon. Appearance fixed to the best of his ability, he left the bathroom, grabbed his wallet and keys off the dresser, and headed downstairs. He pulled on his shoes and left the house, stuffing his hands in his jean pockets and burrowing into his sweater as a chilly wind blew by. Fall was definitely here…
He sighed, frowning. “Why do they keep avoiding me?” he muttered to himself, keeping his eyes on the sidewalk below him. He brought a hand out of his pocket to tug on one of his bangs as he thought, twirling the end around his finger and tugging enough for it to sting a bit. He ran into what felt like a wall, stopping abruptly as he was sent staggering backwards. He windmilled his arms, trying to catch himself. “S-Sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going, and…and…” He gulped, looking up at the person he’d hit. Ushio Tetsu stared back at him, looking like he’d seen a ghost. “U-Ushio-san! I-I thought you were in the hospital?” Yuugi picked himself up off the ground, dusting off his sweater. He missed Ushio’s face paling in fear, like he was scared of him. He didn’t miss, however, Ushio taking several shaky steps back, trying to put distance between them. “H-Hey, are you okay?” he asked, frowning.
“G-Get away from me! I didn’t do anything to you this time, so stay away from me!” Ushio sounded terrified, nearly tripping over himself in an effort to vacate the area. Yuugi blinked, the back of his left hand throbbing gently in a way it hadn’t for almost six months. He rubbed it absently, watching Ushio go.
“I wonder what his problem was…”