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Alex unbuckled the polished, tiny suitcase on the bathroom counter and opened it. Toiletries filled it, once containing two shampoo bottles and three conditioner ones. Alex’s hands dug past a roll of deodorant and a can of shaving cream. His eyebrows arched after a moment, and his searching grew more frantic. The towels wrapped on his head and around his waist nearly fell off in his confusion.
He groaned and dragged his hand over his face. His skin still felt warm and damp from the shower, just like the misty bathroom mirror before him. It wasn’t his, however.
KNOCK, KNOCK! “Alex, are you almost done in there?” Leo yelled from behind the bathroom doors.
“In a moment,” Alex said, then bit his lip. Under his breath, he muttered, “Of all the things to forget-!”
“You’ve been in there for over an hour, and I-uh-” Alex heard Leo shuffling his legs, “- need to relieve myself soon,”
“Ah,” Alex rummaged through his bag again, cursing.
“You alright, Alex?”
“I...I forgot to pack my hairbrush,”
“You can borrow mine,” Leo shifted his weight again. “It’s in the upper left drawer under the sink!”
Alex pulled the said drawer, and in the middle of it was a large, blue hairbrush with coarse white bristles. He held it up, admiring the light hitting off the golden embellishments on the handle and back.
“Did you find it?” Leo said. “Because if you did, then-”
“Yes, I’m coming,” Alex collected the brush and bag from the counter. Then he opened the doors and quickly slipped past Leo, who rushed past him like a cheetah. As Leo slammed the doors shut, Alex emptied his hands and removed the plush white towel wrapped around his head. Wet, blonde locks fell down into his face in a gleaming mess. He brushed his long bangs back, picked up the brush, and ran it through the ends of his hair. Bit by bit, he worked out the tangles and knots until his prized hair was smooth and straight.
“Alex?”
Alex whipped around at the sudden voice. Leo’s head peeked out between the bathroom doors, mane-like hair fanning around his face. “You can come back in now, if you don’t mind sharing the bathroom.”
“That’s fine, I’m done,” Alex said flatly.
Leo ducked back inside. He just grasped a hand towel to wash his face when he heard a shy knock.
“ Ahem ...c-could you fetch my nightwear, please? I left it in there,”
Leo looked around and found a lilac nightshirt and indigo pants sitting neatly on the seat of the chair.
“Of course!” A moment later Leo’s hand poked out the doors holding Alex’s pajamas. Once Alex snatched them away, Leo’s hand disappeared. Alex swiftly pulled the pants up his slender legs and tugged his shirt over his head, feeling the loose silk brush against his chest.
He refrained from sitting on the edge of the bed, even after a long day of work, black magic, and evacuating a handful of his belongings from his now ruined apartment. His lips twisted distastefully. Then he huffed, and fiddled with the ends of his hair.
“ Ptooh! ” Leo spat toothpaste into the sink, staining the porcelin a foamy white until the water swept it down the drain. After wiping his mouth with a towel, he yawned, tongue folding up like a cat’s and showing off sharp, polished fangs. He walked to the doors while absently smacking his lips.
When he pushed them open, he found Alex’s backside facing him, but the lower half of his long hair was pushed in front of his shoulder.
“Alex?”
Alex turned around. The rest of his hair sat above his chest in a composed, neat braid, like a gold spun rope.
“Is something the matter?” Alex said. “You’re staring.”
“Oh! Just never seen your hair in a braid,”
“It just makes it easier to brush out in the morning…”
Leo scratched his beard. “Well, I think it’s a nice look for you! You should try it during the day sometime!”
“...”
“Or maybe a ponytail? I bet you could pull that off,”
“Never in the presence of others,”
“Have you considered a pompadour?” Leo chuckled.
“Very funny, and no, I would never be caught dead in such a ludicrous hairstyle,” Alex grabbed the hairbrush, now full of blonde strands, and held it out to Leo. “Thank you for lending me your hairbrush,”
“Anytime,” Leo’s fingers curled around the handle, still warm from Alex’s hand. As Leo focused on the faintest warmth and glimmering strands of hair stuck between the crude bristles, Alex grabbed his night bag.
“Now, if you would excuse me-”
“Wait,”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“Can you braid my hair?”
The bag nearly slipped from Alex’s grasp. “I beg your pardon?”
“C’mon, it’s not every day my best friend stays over at my place! We should have some fun! Think of it like a slumber party!”
“Leonardo, we are grown men, not children,” Alex narrowed his eyes. “And you know I am not fond of touching others,”
“Then...how about you just show me with your hair, and I’ll braid it myself?”
Alex pressed his lips together for a long, awkward pause, while fingering the end of his braid. “...braiding one’s own hair is tricky. It takes weeks of practice to master it, let alone a single night.”
Leo held back a chuckle, imagining a young Alex struggling with a sloppy braid. A cute thought. “So...braid my hair, then?”
“...”
“Pleeeeeeeeease?”
Alex narrowed his eyes, but not at Leo. Instead he gazed at the end of his braid in deep thought. Then he glanced at Leo’s hair, fluffy and unkempt.
After a century long pause, Alex inhaled deeply. “...fine.”
“Ya-”
“But,” Alex raised a finger, “if I feel uncomfortable at any moment, then I will stop. No questions asked.”
“Fair enough.” Despite this, Leo couldn’t help but smile. Even his tail perked up.
Alex sat down on the bed, then cleared his throat. “You’ll have to sit on the floor. Otherwise I won’t be able to reach.”
Leo plopped himself down so he sat comfortably between Alex’s knees, back barely brushing the bed. If Alex leaned forward, he could easily rest his chin on top of Leo’s head. Or if Leo leaned back, his head would meet Alex’s chest, ear pressed against his heart.
“I’ll need to brush your hair out first,” Alex said. Leo handed Alex the brush, fingertips brushing each other. Alex held his breath, then stared at his hand.
“ No lilith hands so far…”
“You okay?”
Alex blinked. “What?”
Leo craned his head to make eye contact. Upside down his hair splayed out on Alex’s crotch, while he stared back with large, deer-like eyes. “You’ve been staring at the brush for a while.”
“O-oh, my apologies,”
“Do you want to stop?”
Alex paused. “...no, I’ll begin.” He grasped the ends of Leo’s hair-incredibly soft, he thought-and hesitantly pulled the brush through.
“ It’s just hair. It’s just hair. It’s just ha-”
“Soooooo while we’re here,” Leo’s tail twitched playfully. “Mind filling me in on why you’re apartment was ‘absolutely ruined’?”
Alex scowled. “...It was flooded.”
“What?! How?”
“How do I put it…”
As steam drifted around him, Alex climbed out of the shower and tied a soft lavender towel around his waist. He reached for another towel, a deep purple one, to wring out his hair, when he heard the sound of water. Not going down the shower drain, but being flushed in the tiny closet that housed the toilet.
The door opened, and out walked Cog, oblivious and sighing with relief. He turned to the sink when he noticed how foggy the metal was. Raising his head, he found his reflection equally blurry, with Alex’s distorted reflection as well. Cog froze, standing as straight as a rail, with clenched fists at his sides. He slowly, slowly turned around, until he faced Alex.
Still wearing nothing but a towel.
“ S-S-Sir!! ” Cog’s face burned as bright as the Mercian flag.
“ Get out of my bathroom!! ” Alex’s face burned equally deep, but with anger mixed in.
Cog whipped around and ducked back into the toilet closet, locking the door.
“That’s not what I meant!!” Alex banged on the door. Over his pounding heart, he heard clambering feet and more flushing. “And what on earth are you doing in there?!”
“Trying to get out!!”
Alex pinched his nose. “Please don’t tell me you’re trying to climb the toilet to the window in there.”
“Nope! Definitely not doing that! Just-Just not that!”
Leo cupped both hands to his mouth, spurts of laughter spilling between the fingers. He couldn’t hide his wide smile, however, no matter how hard he tried.
“Hold still,” Alex commanded, tone deadpan but face flushed.
“S-s-so your-pfft-little assistant f-flushed your apartment down the drain?”
“In a nutshell, yes. The plumber said it wouldn’t be fixed until the day after tomorrow, so I salvaged a handful of my belongings and left,”
“Then I found you on the streets and-OW!”
Alex yanked the brush through Leo’s hair. “I was on my way to an inn, NOT on the streets like some beggar,”
“-right, and I couldn’t just leave you like that. What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t let them crash at my place while theirs is completely soaked?”
Alex said nothing, concentrating on parting Leo’s hair into three thick, equal portions. Now fully brushed, Leo’s hair felt even softer under Alex’s fingertips. Softer than his own, he might add.
And still no Lilith hands.
Right over middle, left over middle, right over middle, left over middle... He braided gently, careful not to touch Leo’s scalp. Now with his hair back, he could see Leo’s pointed ears. Alex wondered if he brushed against the lobe if they’d twitch, like a kitten’s ear.
Alex blinked with a sharp intake of air. What a foolish thought. His fingers hastened their braiding until they reached the end, a wispy two inches left. One hand held the braid together while the other dug through Alex’s pocket for a spare hair tie.
“How’s my new hairdo coming along?” Leo chirped.
“Almost done...there,” Alex fastened the black elastic. Leo jumped up like a rubber band and ran a hand over his thick weave of hair. He dragged it in front of his shoulder and gazed at it, moving it so it could shine in the pale overhead light. Then he spun to Alex, grinning.
“How do I look?”
“...”
“What? Struck speechless by my handsomeness?”
“...”
“...Alex? You okay?”
“...O-oh, just lost in thought,” Alex said. Lost in thoughts of how ridiculous yet delectable Leo looked in the braid. “You look...acceptable,”
“I’ll take that as a compliment!” Leo guffawed.
Alex stood up, picked up his night bag, and said, “Well, I believe I’ve dallied long enough. I should retreat back to my room.”
“Going to bed?”
“No, I still have some paperwork-”
“What?! You’re joking!”
“And why would that be?” Alex crossed his arms.
“One, it’s late, and two, it’s preposterous. You’ve been doing paperwork ever since you got here, besides eating and bathing! You should kick back for the night!”
“Leo-”
“Nope, no buts,” Leo planted his fists on his hips. “From now until you leave, you’re doing anything BUT work.”
“And what do you suggest I do instead?”
“Read a book, have a drink, go for a walk-”
“At this hour with a serial killer on the loose?”
Leo’s face dropped like a bowling ball. “Um, besides that. Speaking of hour, it’s pretty late, isn’t it?”
“Somewhat,” Alex stifled a yawn.
“Then it’s settled; we’re both going to bed.” Flicking the light switch, Leo dimmed the room into glimmering moonlight, reducing Alex to an elegant silhouette. “I’ll chain you to your bed if I have to.”
“That will not be necessary,” Alex pulled his braid behind his neck.
“Alright, but I better not catch you asleep over a pile of papers tomorrow,”
Alex sighed. “Very well, I’ll play along for now,” He walked lethargically to the bedroom door, and looked over his shoulder, whispering, “Goodnight, Leonardo,”
“‘Night, Alex. Sweet dreams.” Leo paused, “Want me to tuck you in?”
“No,”
“Bedtime story?”
“No,”
“A goodnight ki-”
“ Leonardo, ”
“Just teasing!”