Work Text:
Pure Vanilla stares blankly into the freshly cleaned mirror above his bathroom sink. He’d woken up to the sun, as he usually does on his days off, and then promptly got into an hour long battle with his very own hair. As usual. All at once, it’s clear that he cannot maintain this anymore.
He needs a haircut.
A flutter of joy skips about within his heart at the thought. See, Pure Vanilla had recently recovered from a rather depressive sort of state. With the greatly appreciated love and support from his cherished friends, he’d managed to pull through it. Cleaning his room had been the first few steps towards progress, then his fridge, his kitchen and his living room, his bathroom, all had finally been cleaned over the course of a few weeks. Though in all his weeks of healing, Pure Vanilla’s hair had been the least of his concerns. Whenever he thought about going to get a haircut, he was far too embarrassed of the state he was in to even make it out the door. And, when showering started mattering to him again, dragging himself all the way downtown for something as trivial as hair was far too overwhelming.
Truly, it’s overdue. And, perhaps, Pure Vanilla can even say he deserves one. Haircuts have always been a secret pleasure, even as a child. He never fails to feel guilty for the joy that floods him under the careful and attentive hands of hairdressers. They’re only doing their jobs, yet Pure Vanilla is very much a creature of touch. Getting his hair cut makes him feel… important. Seen. And, for just a moment, he feels beautiful. Not that Pure Vanilla finds himself particularly ugly, but he only ever feels like a work of art when his hair is being sculpted by skilled hairdressers.
Pure Vanilla has enjoyed haircuts from all the handful of hairdressers he’s had over his years; however, his favourite has to be the most recent: Shadow Milk, a name he’d memorized a while ago so he could request his services specifically. The man’s blueberry hands are… heavenly. His sharp pointed are nails so gentle and careful when they part the sea of gold running down Pure Vanilla’s neck, not to mention the wonderful conversations they have during their sessions together. And, above all else, Shadow Milk never ever fails to make Pure Vanilla feel… beautiful.
Pure Vanilla deserves a haircut, so he puts himself into some presentable yet still comfortable light coloured clothing and pushes himself to get outside. It still takes about an hour to gather the rest of the motivation needed for a trip, but that’s progress he shouldn’t dismiss. It wasn’t long ago that he couldn’t even make it across his room to get dressed. When he finally creaks open his front door, however, he doesn’t regret it. The sun is shining, the bluebirds are singing, a breeze is blowing Pure Vanilla’s hair into his face- yes, he well and truly needs this haircut.
Shadow Milk works at this little hair salon tucked on a corner downtown next to a bigger nail salon and even bigger tailor. Pure Vanilla’s learned through conversation that Shadow Milk also works at those two stores, what a busy cookie indeed. Weekends, which luckily happen to be Pure Vanilla’s days off, are when Shadow Milk cuts and styles hair.
The doorbell jingles a cheery tune when Pure Vanilla opens the glass door and steps into ‘A French Twist’ (a nice name for a hair salon). The floor, ceiling, and walls are all a cool white, but the nearly excessive decorations of blue and silver along the walls keeps the space from looking clinical. It was a strange difference to get used to when Pure Vanilla first visited, as the hair salon back at his old town was… far more homely, and much less grand. It was almost staggering, the difference. Thankfully, the eccentric personalities of the employees made him feel most welcome, especially-
“Oooooh! My my my, is that my Nilly I see over there?” Shadow Milk’s boisterous voice cuts cleanly through the humbly sized shop. It brings a startled, but true smile to Pure Vanilla’s lips as he walks quickly up to the register, where Shadow Milk is already waiting for him. “Why, I was almost worried you’d left me! So you decided to grow your hair out, huh?”
Decided isn’t exactly the right word, but it’s the nicer explanation so Pure Vanilla goes along with it, “Yes, yes, but I’m afraid it’s just not for me. It’s too high maintenance.”
“Don’t I know it.” Shadow Milk chuckles, then tosses his stunning, long black and blue hair over one shoulder. Pure Vanilla’s closest friends, save Golden Cheese, all have such long and gorgeous hair… but somehow, Shadow Milk’s hair rivals them all. Pure Vanilla supposes that makes sense, for a hairdresser. “And how lovely it is… to see how horribly you’ve been treating it! Seriously, Nilly, I can see your dead and split ends from behind the counter!”
“Ah- truly?” It’s a nice thing, really, to be used to Shadow Milk’s quips. Truthfully, when Pure Vanilla first managed to get a haircut from Shadow Milk, the blunt comments used to unnerve him. Things like ‘It’s clear you don’t use conditioner’, ‘Do you brush your hair or beat it?’, and ‘Please, you little fool, remember that straighteners are for dry hair only!’ were all things Pure Vanilla had been told by his wonderful hairdresser. Pure Vanilla never raised an issue about it, as he’s far too non-confrontational for something like that, and over time he grew to realize that Shadow Milk spouts insults all the same as endearment.
“Yes, really! I’ll get you sorted right away.”
Pure Vanilla nods and tries to pull his wallet out of his bag, but Shadow Milk (very loudly) goes ‘ah ah ah!’ and waves his finger at Pure Vanilla. “Come now, Nilly, getting to cut your hair is like a payment to moi!” Shadow Milk rolls his wrist up high like the theatrical cookie he is, then drops the smile and deadpans at Pure Vanilla, “So put that back and go sit on a chair.”
The slight growl in Shadow Milk’s voice tells Pure Vanilla that there really is no arguing this time, so with a frown and a sigh his wallet goes back into his bag. “You’re too good to me, Shadow Milk. Truly, I don’t deserve all this…” Pure Vanilla can feel a fond smile drift onto his lips despite his disappointment, and he carries it with him past the front counter into the salon proper. He finds a seat somewhere in the middle of a row, and then decides to glance back over his shoulder at Shadow Milk. His hairdresser finishes typing Pure Vanilla’s name into the customer list, then turns and walks over to- oh dear.
The shop is quiet and Shadow Milk’s voice is loud, so it’s hard not to eavesdrop. “Sorry whatever-your-name-was, I’ve got a VIP in here, so someone else is gonna have to do your hair.” Shadow Milk coos dismissively down at some poor other customer, who looks to already be halfway through a styling.
Rightfully, the customer releases an offended scoff, “You’re handing me off to some other employee? I can’t believe this! I specifically booked-”
“Yes yes, I know what you booked. I also know that we put a little box on the website that you checked while booking! What did that say again?” Shadow Milk taps his bottom lip with a finger in faux thought, then smiles and claps his hands together, “That’s right! It said, ‘I acknowledge and accept that there may be unexpected schedule changes’.” Shadow Milk spreads his arms wide and beams down at them, “Well, here’s one! So sorry, really I am!” Shadow Milk hardly sounds sorry, and Pure Vanilla fidgets in his seat with uncertainty. If he hadn’t come here then-
Shadow Milk leaves the customer in her chair and struts over to the door at the back of the salon, the break room. He opens it up to poke his head in with a cheery tone, “Sapphire! I’ve got a customer out here in seat two looking for number seven of the catalogue!”
Theres a muffled sigh just loud enough for Pure Vanilla to hear from his chair that rings out in reply. Before Pure Vanilla can continue considering how much of a bother his presence must be, Shadow Milk manages to sneak over to Pure Vanilla and drapes his hands over Pure Vanilla’s shoulders. Shadow Milk can move so swiftly on his feet that sometimes it feels as if the cookie can teleport. Pure Vanilla can’t help the way he flinches at the sudden touch, welcomed as it is, so he can only hope it doesn’t make Shadow Milk pull his hands away.
It does, but not in an act of politeness. Shadow Milk parts the back of Pure Vanilla’s long hair with his fingers, then sweeps it around to fall down over both Pure Vanilla’s shoulders. “Now then, why don’t you tell me how much of this pretty mess you want to cut off? You have to go at least two inches if you want healthy ends again.”
The feeling of Shadow Milk’s nails lightly scraping his skull and neck left a tingling, almost ticklish sensation lingering there. The pleasure Pure Vanilla gets from the action only adds to his guilt, until it bubbles over. “I… I apologize for the inconvenience I’ve caused. If I’d have known you were busy with someone else- no, I should’ve called to ask first. This was my mistake.” Hollyberry and Golden Cheese often say he apologizes too much, but what else can Pure Vanilla do when others encourage him into taking up valuable space and time?
Shadow Milk snaps him out of it with his ringing laughter, giggling so loud it bounces off the walls, “Hah! Ah haha! Oh Nilly! Silly, silly Nilly. You should know by now that if you’d called, I would’ve simply told you I wasn’t busy at all.” Pure Vanilla watches Shadow Milk through the mirror in front of him, even if it’s clearly a poor choice, since Pure Vanilla blushes needlessly at the smile on Shadow Milk’s face. “You’re one of my favourite customers! Do you even know how much of a treat it is to cut your hair?”
Pure Vanilla’s flustered enough to need a second to gather himself, and even then his words still slip out as a weak murmur, “…Still, I’d rather not interfere with your time or your work.”
Shadow Milk makes a questioning little noise, tilting his head and squinting those vibrant blue eyes at Pure Vanilla in the mirror, “Oh wow, Nilly… telling me how to spend my own time? How rude!” Shadow Milk doesn’t seem truly offended, but he was definitely bothered some by Pure Vanilla’s comment, based on his tone. It’s probably part of the reason why he pulls away from Pure Vanilla and reaches into the largest drawer of the vanity to pull out the hairdresser cape. Pure Vanilla can only sigh and regret letting his tongue slip.
“I apologize, Shadow Milk.” There he goes again. He can’t help it! Maybe the reason he feels the need to apologize so often is simply because he’s always messing up-
“Enough of that!” Shadow Milk exclaims, his boisterous voice dominating Pure Vanilla’s softer one. “Tell me how much to cut off, and all will be well, capisce?” Shadow Milk waves the cape up high and floats it down gently over Pure Vanillas body. There’s a quiet click next to his ears when it snaps closed at the back of his neck.
Shadow Milk pulls Pure Vanilla’s hair back out through the neck hole, then drapes it over his shoulders again. Upon looking closer at his hair in the mirror, Pure Vanilla is hit by a certain… hesitation.
His ends are, without a doubt, unsalvageable. Pure Vanilla supposes that’s to be expected, considering he had taken to rushed showers and rough drying of his hair when he would snap out of his moodiness and realize he didn’t look presentable enough for work. He’s still not sure he has the energy to maintain long hair, and he always did prefer it shorter, but… there’s a selfish part of him that shudders in distress at the thought of waiting too long for his next haircut. Pure Vanilla really is getting far too attached to the indulgently impeccable work of Shadow Milk.
“Perhaps… We could cut it just so it rests on my shoulders?” He and Shadow Milk both squint at Pure Vanilla’s reflection curiously.
Shadow Milk hums thoughtfully, and absentmindedly brushes his fingers through the ends of Pure Vanilla’s hair while he does. Those nails… they’re so intentional. So lovely and light and gentle. They’re probably the reason why Shadow Milk is his favourite hairdresser. There’s nothing quite as nice as the feeling of those claws brushing his head and neck. Or parting his hair strands at a time. Or brushing through his hair like that…
“That’d be aroooound…” Shadow Milk holds his thumb and index finger out and apart, and with how skilled Shadow Milk is Pure Vanilla doesn’t doubt that the space between them measures anything other than an inch. Shadow Milk is skilled enough to eyeball these things, Pure Vanilla is sure. “Nine inches, wouf! Geez, Nilly, your hair grows fast!” Shadow Milk chuckles, and fans himself with a hand like he’s flustered, “The Witches really want you to see me often, huh?”
“I suppose they do.” Shadow Milk moves around the chair now, grabbing a comb and a spray bottle. This, undeniably, has to be Pure Vanilla’s absolute favourite part. He takes the opportunity to close his eyes and… just feel it all. To feel the soft mist of water kissing his neck and cheeks like a cool breeze. To feel the thin teeth of the comb whisper through his hair as if taming it with sweet nothings. To feel the tingles of joy drip down every ridge of his spine in blissful waves with every scrape of Shadow Milk’s nails on his scalp.
Shadow Milk always takes his time with Pure Vanilla, and Pure Vanilla isn’t sure if that’s an act of kindness, professionalism, or both. “Soooo, Nilly, school’s out by now, isn’t it? Do you have a different job for the summer?”
Pure Vanilla considers keeping his eyes closed, but that would be rude, wouldn’t it? He cracks them open and directs his gaze over to Shadow Milk’s reflection. The hairdresser is, of course, focused on Pure Vanilla’s hair, but every now and then his eyes will flicker to catch Pure Vanilla’s. “I do work, but it’s only short shifts. I help out with the cleaning at the daycare down the street.”
Shadow Milk nods while he squeezes a section of Pure Vanillas hair and combs the tangles out of it from bottom to top, “I do remember that one. Oh, it was a nice place. And it was really convenient to have it so close to here when my children were just little doughlings.” Shadow Milk recalls in a fond tone, then laughs, “Hah! Oh I remember how much trouble Candy Apple caused! They must’ve been so ready for her to head off to kindergarten and terrorize some other teachers.”
Oh. This is all… very new to Pure Vanilla. In the time they’ve accumulatively spent engaging with idle chatter, Pure Vanilla can’t recall a single time Shadow Milk has mentioned his children… Except now. Pure Vanilla can’t help the spark of interest that perks up inside his chest, “Children? I wasn’t aware you had children.”
“Oh, but you’ve met Sapphire! Don’t tell me you can’t see the resemblance!” Shadow Milk coos down at Pure Vanilla, who barely suppresses the reflexive urge to turn his head around and glance at where he knows Black Sapphire is busy at work.
“Ah- I suppose I didn’t… My apologies, Shadow Milk.” It’s true that Pure Vanilla has met Black Sapphire, on multiple occasions. He used to be the one to cut Pure Vanilla’s hair, when Pure Vanilla first started using this salon. That era was short lived, however, as on one rainy weekend Black Sapphire was absent and Shadow Milk cut his hair for the first time. After that taste of heaven, Pure Vanilla would insist on getting his hair cut by Shadow Milk, even if it meant waiting in line.
Shadow Milk snorts, then rolls his eyes. “Oh, I was just toying with you, Nilly! He’s adopted, I know he looks nothing like me.” Shadow Milk steps to the left as he continues working his way through untangling Pure Vanilla’s hair, which is a tad more tangled than usual. Pure Vanilla did try his best with brushing it this morning… it can’t be helped.
“Then, do you have a spouse?”
In the mirror, Pure Vanilla watches the resting smile on Shadow Milk’s face grow into a smirk, “Woooow Nilly, asking me if I’m single? That’s bolder than I expected from you!”
Pure Vanilla can hardly speak fast enough, “Oh no no! I didn’t…” Pure Vanilla laments the way his face going red makes him appear dishonest in his denial… Shadow Milk’s steady gaze sure doesn’t help with his flustered state. “I apologize if I have caused you any discomfort, I meant it only as an inquiry, I swear”
Shadow Milk’s lips fall into a frown, and that’s enough to make Pure Vanilla tense even under the careful nails running through his damp, masterfully untangled hair. “Well now I’m almost offended. And here I thought I was still handsome to make men swoon.”
Oh dear. Oh goodness. “Not at all! I mean, you’re very handsome. Beautiful- even…” Pure Vanilla’s frantic words fall quiet at the sound of Shadow Milk’s laughter. This time, Pure Vanilla only sighs, “…You were simply playing with me again, weren’t you?” Pure Vanilla slumps back down into his seat.
Shadow Milk chuckles to himself all the way over to the vanity again, where he puts the spray bottle back on the counter and grabs a pair of sharp scissors instead. “Oh Nilly, you really need to stop believing every little word I say!” Shadow Milk rounds his chair once more, and runs the comb through Pure Vanilla’s hair until it’s level with his shoulder. He holds it up so Pure Vanilla can gauge the amount of hair he’s truly deciding to part with today. It… is a lot. “Take a nice, long look, Nilly! If you want it shorter or longer, speak now or forever hold your peace!”
Looking at it now, and far from fully relaxed, Pure Vanilla hesitates once again. It is a lot of hair to be cutting off. If he realizes afterwards that he preferred the longer hair, he’ll have to wait quite a while to grow it out again. And also, it’s been so long since he had… well, shorter hair. He can hardly remember what he looked like with it. What if it ends up too short? What if it looks bad?
…But Pure Vanilla does trust Shadow Milk with his hair. He’s always felt beautiful from Shadow Milk’s work.
“Yes, that’ll be just fine. Thank you, Shadow Milk.”
“Always so polite, huh?” Shadow Milk rolls his eyes, and Pure Vanilla just closes his with a small smile. Shadow Milk combs through Pure Vanilla’s hair one last time, then starts at the back. He drapes some of Pure Vanilla’s hair back over his shoulders while he works, and a brief shiver rolls through Pure Vanilla when Shadow Milk’s fingers graze the side of his neck. The shame hits next. Pure Vanilla really, truly should not enjoy something like this so much.
“Since I’m sure I confused your pretty little head earlier, I’ll answer you plainly. I do not have a spouse.” Something inside Pure Vanilla unclenches at the response. Something he wasn’t aware had been clenched. “And now I’ll raise you the very same question! What’s your love life like, hm?”
Destitute, that’s the truthful response. Pure Vanilla had never been too deep into dating earlier in his life, and when things started to get worse for him… Well, if he could barely find the energy to talk to his dearest friends, then there’s no way he could go find a date. There’s no way he could’ve treated a date with the attention anyone deserves. “Not very fruitful, unfortunately.”
Shadow Milk makes a curious noise at Pure Vanilla’s response. Though Pure Vanilla has his eyes closed to enjoy the way Shadow milk runs the comb through his hair and holds it between his fingers to cut it, Pure Vanilla is certain his hairdresser is raising an eyebrow. “Oh? Unfortunately, you say? So you are looking to date?” There’s a pause where all Pure Vanilla can hear is the slow snipping of the scissors, “I find it hard to believe that a cookie like you has a hard time wooing others. Oh let me guess, are your tastes simply that particular?”
‘Particular’? The idea is a bit laughable, and it even gets a small giggle out of Pure Vanilla. He’s not particular in the slightest, in fact he’s most likely far less particular than most when it comes to attraction. “Not at all. I suppose I just… Haven’t tried dating for a good while. I don’t often go out either, unless it’s with my friends.”
“Oooooh, I see! You’re just the type to wait for someone else to make the first move!” Shadow milk coos with a high pitched voice. Then he pauses, just long enough to place a knuckle under Pure Vanilla’s chin and tilt his head as needed. Shadow Milk’s touch leaves a flourish of sensation among the base of Pure Vanilla’s jaw. A ticklish sensation, but not an unwelcome one. “That makes much more sense.” Shadow Milk adds on, his voice taking on a slight growl.
“I suppose I am.” Pure Vanilla murmurs quietly in reply. Shadow Milk’s nails are back in his hair, running through the half that he finished cutting to check how even it is. The sensation is exquisite. Pure Vanilla feels… cared for, and maybe even… Precious. As if he deserves this gentleness.
“Well!” Shadow Milk pushes his uncut hair back down. It’s almost staggering to feel the difference. Nine inches really is a lot of hair. “Then how about I send you off with my number once we’re done here, hm?”
‘Snip!’
Pure Vanilla goes quiet for a moment, and Shadow Milk waits for a response even quieter. Not only that, but Black Sapphire’s quiet chatter Pure Vanilla hadn’t registered as more than background noise disappears too, and he sorely misses it. Not even the faint music from the radio on the front desk counter can fill the breathless hold of silence. Pure Vanilla is so startled that he can’t stand to keep his eyes closed.
Then, Pure Vanilla remembers how to not be rude and finally trips words with his tongue to push any response out. “I- oh! Pardon me, I wasn’t expecting such an offer!” Even though he’s acknowledge it, it still takes a moment for Pure Vanilla to fully comprehend the question- offer? Either way, Pure Vanilla’s face goes red. “Are… You certain that’s what you want?”
Shadow Milk scoffs, as though Pure Vanilla just said something foolish. Which… Pure Vanilla would believe that that’s exactly what he’s just done. “Course, Nilly! Goodness. What? You think I was just asking for no reason?” There’s a bit of bite to Shadow Milk’s words now, and something tense in his voice, even if it’s barely noticeable.
Pure Vanilla is tense too, though his nervousness is probably far different to Shadow Milk’s. Does Pure Vanilla… truly deserve a chance to be with a cookie as beautiful and charming as Shadow Milk? What if Pure Vanilla messes up? What if he’s dragged back down into a spiral by that unseen force that snared his mind all those months ago? What if he hurts Shadow Milk? “I just… I know there are many bosses who forbid that employees… give special attention to clients. I fear that someone may hear and…”
Shadow Milk clicks his tongue, clicks his scissors to cut more of Pure Vanilla’s hair, then laughs, “Hah! What? What boss, Nilly? Do you even know who runs this place?”
“I can’t say I do, no.” Pure Vanilla realizes too late that his ‘worry’ was really a refusal that slipped out before he was able to gauge whether or not he truly wanted to accept. It’s a lingering bad habit, one that often leaves him regretting his actions and missing out on the things he wants… Lily was the one to point it out some time ago, and Pure Vanilla’s tried being mindful of it. Obviously, he’s still messing up. This time, however the Witches must have chosen to grace him with kindness, as Shadow Milk hardly seems shaken. In fact, he seems more confident.
“Is that so? You little fool, you didn’t check who ran this place before doing business here?” Shadow Milk snickers, and he finishes cutting a bit more of Pure Vanilla’s hair so he can stand up straight. In the mirror, Pure Vanilla watches him sweep his arm across his chest with a dramatic, mock bow (as Shadow Milk has no room to do a real one), “‘Tis I! Your gracious host and the owner of establishments such as ‘A French Twist’, ‘Silver Spire Atelier’, and ‘Magical Nailology’!” Shadow Milk’s voice rolls down his tongue dramatically, as though he were a true performer on stage.
Shadow Milk’s unadulterated pride in himself only makes Pure Vanilla feel… equally as proud, for Shadow Milk. There’s a fluttery feeling in his chest, the one he often feels when his friends recount how well their lives are unfolding. “That’s amazing! I can’t imagine having the strength and wisdom needed to run three businesses.”
Shadow Milk’s smug smile drops into wide eyed confusion, interestingly enough. It’s like he hadn’t been prepared for the praise. The smile is back within seconds, though his cheeks are a bit of a darker blue, “Yes, yes, I’m fantastic, I know.” Shadow Milk pauses to grab the spray bottle again, wetting Pure Vanilla’s hair once more and making him shiver under another the nails that run through it. “So, Vanilla, did you want my number or not? Just say no if you don’t.”
It’s been so long since Pure Vanilla’s dated anyone, so of course he’s nervous and flustered. Some part of him instinctively wants to deny, to spare Shadow Milk from his low moods and lack of energy, but there’s also another part. There’s a part of him that rings warm and true within his heart, and it tells him that he does want this. It whispers soothingly to him that he’s healed, and he’s learned how to manage the challenges that make him less sociable. Above everything, though…
Shadow Milk is terribly attractive, in both personality and appearance. He’s confident and bright, loud and dramatic, eccentric and sophisticated, responsible and spontaneous… And he looks at Pure Vanilla like he’s beautiful.
It’s far more than Pure Vanilla believes he deserves, but he also needs to believe his friends when they say he deserves more.
“I’d like that.” Pure Vanilla will work hard to make Shadow Milk happy. Even if romance fails between them, Pure Vanilla will ensure that they, at the very least, become good friends.
——
The haircut, unfortunately, doesn’t last much longer. No matter how much Shadow Milk deliberately drags it out, there’s only so much hair to cut. Shadow Milk brushes any stray golden strands off Pure Vanilla’s cape, then takes it off.
Pure Vanilla’s hair is dry and warm from the hairblower, as well as soft and untangled from Shadow Milk’s attention. His hairdresser fluffs up Pure Vanilla’s newly short hair with skilled fingers in a way that has Pure Vanilla’s stomach filling with something giddy. When Shadow Milk is satisfied, he steps back and holds a handheld mirror up behind Pure Vanilla. “So? We like it like this, Nilly? I think you look far more dashing!”
In the vanity mirror, Pure Vanilla examines his hair uncritically, because even with a single glance anyone could tell that Shadow Milk’s work is perfection. The length is just as Pure Vanilla imagined, with the slightly wavy tips of his hair tickling the tops of his shoulders and neck. Shadow Milk made the very back of his hair a bit longer, as well as very front strands slightly shorter. Both things Pure Vanilla hadn’t thought to ask for, but had certainly requested in the past. Yes, Shadow Milk truly is an attentive artist. “It’s lovely, thank you, Shadow Milk.”
Shadow Milk’s smile grows beautifully, and he places the mirror back down beside the larger one hanging above the vanity with a proud nod. “Of course it is! I cut it.” Shadow Milk rounds Pure Vanilla’s chair again, fluffs Pure Vanilla’s hair one last time, and then walks off towards the front of the salon. Pure Vanilla can’t help but stare at himself a second longer, though he eventually tugs himself up and out of the chair. He stretches his legs some before following Shadow Milk’s path, and arrives at the counter to find Shadow Milk writing down what Pure Vanilla assumes is his personal phone number on a business card.
“There… we go! Be sure to call me soon, Nilly!” Shadow Milk pinches the card between two fingers, then sweeps his hand out for Pure Vanilla to take from. “I get off the clock everyday at six, but if you call earlier I wouldn’t mind skipping a bit of work!” There’s not a single chance Pure Vanilla would ever dare to disturb Shadow Milk’s work, but he smiles at the sentiment while he takes the card.
“I’ll be sure to contact you… Thank you again, Shadow Milk. This… means a lot to me.” More than Shadow Milk could know.
Shadow Milk blushes that brilliant shade of blue again, and smiles wide while he waves his fingers goodbye, “See you soon, Nilly!”
Pure Vanilla waves goodbye and leaves the salon. He makes it barely a few steps out of view of the large windows before he stops once more.
Pure Vanilla holds the card close to his chest, and savours the feeling of feeling right. His head feels lighter, for more reasons than just the loss of his hair. His heart, as well, feels lighter, yet full of something warm at the same time. Throughout his recovery, Pure Vanilla has never felt quite so… recovered. It’s as though he’s truly himself once more, standing here under the bright sun of a busy street. All at once it crashes down on him just how far he’s come. Just how much he’s grown out of that void which seized his emotions and wouldn’t let them go. It’s enough to bring tears to his eyes all the same as a smile to his lips.
For the first time in months, Pure Vanilla feels right. For the first time in months, Pure Vanilla feels beautiful.