𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 •jaeyong• [On Hold]

4| Four

"Can you help me dye my hair?"

At the unexpected question, Jaehyun dropped his purple mechanical pencil and probably mouth in surprise. He was over Taeyong's house for the second time that weekend working on their project. "Sure?"

"Thanks. I bought the color after you left yesterday." Taeyong threw his opened  Chromebook and notebook somewhere on his bed and waltzed up to his dark mahogany dresser. They landed next to Jaehyun, causing him to cringe away in fear of getting hit by the items. Then he watched as Taeyong brought a small box and bleach stained black towel out of his second topmost drawer. "My mom usually helps me, but she's working late tonight and can't."

Jaehyun nodded in response. The small action caught by the older. Taeyong's mom was a small, kind, and welcoming lady. It caught Jaehyun off guard when he met her the day before. The two were alike in many ways, Taeyong getting his bubbly personality from somewhere. Probably not his father, who was out of the picture at the moment.

She was loving and was a strong independent woman. Imagine how hard it is to raise two moody teenagers all alone. One was successfully in college and the other in his senior year of high school. Jaehyun would say she was doing a great job.

"Okay, but I've never done this before."

Taeyong sassily crossed his arms over his chest and laughed. "Obviously. Have you seen your hair?"

Jaehyun feigned being offended by placing a hand over his heart and gasping dramatically.

"Anyway, I'll walk you through it," He responded with a light-hearted eye roll. "I trust you."

"I would hope so if you're asking me to do this." He stood up when Taeyong motioned for him to and followed him through the dim-lit hall to the bathroom. Taeyong turned the bathroom light on, and it temporarily blinded both of them, who's eyes had adjusted to the darker hallway.

When their eyes adapted to the brightness, they walked in. The bathroom wasn't too small, easily fitting the two teenage males. Jaehyun's eyes scanned over the coral blue aesthetic of the place. His vision lingered a bit longer on the stained bathtub. It wasn't too bad due to Taeyong's recent color being blue like the bathroom. Sure it was darker, but it looked like some odd interior design project.

Rustling from by the sink caught Jaehyun's attention, and he walked over to where Taeyong was taking the items out of the small box. Grabbing the empty item, he read Toner. Taeyong started prepping his hair by tying the towel over his shoulders and sectioning his hair. "What color are you doing?"

"Just wait and see. It's a surprise."

Jaehyun watched as Taeyong took a worn comb and divided his dry hair into four sections. The comb glided effortlessly down the middle of his head, then across from side to side. When it parted the way he wanted, he grabbed clips out of this small basket full of hair items and dyes. Taeyong twisted and clipped each section with ease. The neon pink hair clips looking funny on his head.

Then Taeyong focused on grabbing bottles and a bowlish pink tray out of his basket. He squirted some stuff into the tray and mixed it like paint with a weird brush Jaehyun has never seen before. So immersed in what Taeyong was doing, Jaehyun almost missed the cute chuckle aimed his way. "What are you doing?" He asked with utmost curiosity. His eyes were observing and taking in all of Taeyong's actions, and his mouth was slightly agape as he breathed in small breaths.

"I'm prepping the bleach." Taeyong simply stated, as he set down the tray and undid his left front clip. A front section of his hair was exposed, and he grabbed rubber doctor like gloves. After putting the gloves on and picking up the bleach covered brush, he began painting his hair with it. Finishing up every section, Taeyong moved to the tub.

"This is where you come in. When the timer goes off, I need you to wash my hair out," Taeyong said while adjusting the water temperature. Then he grabbed a specific shampoo and handed it to Jaehyun. "It's not too hard. When all the bleach is out, you can stop."

Jaehyun nodded in understanding and took the shampoo. He was a little nervous, shown by his unsteady hands, but was also excited to help Taeyong. Plus, he'd be the first to see his new color. The timer went off after a while, and the two went to work. Jaehyun gently ran his hands through Taeyong's thin and wet hair. The strands scratched his knuckles.

When done, Taeyong immediately dried his hair with a dark purple hairdryer. It was a brassy blonde color. "Not done," He said, collecting the items for the toner. He mixed it like the bleach. Instead of clipping his hair, he just parted it in the middle. Then he took the toner and started from his roots, brushing in a diagonal motion. He finished his roots and moved on to the other toner for the rest of his hair.

"Okay, same thing when the timer for this goes off. Okay?" Jaehyun nodded again, getting passed a different shampoo. He read it as color sealing shampoo.

By the time they finished and Taeyong's hair was dry, Jaehyun's phone rang. He answered his mother's call while Taeyong cleaned up. "Soon, mom. Don't worry too much. I have my house key." He hung up after the usual exchange of 'I love you's' and turned to face a newly white-haired Taeyong.

"It looks amazing," He breathed out. His heartbeat was fast and skipped a couple of beats when he unconsciously walked over to Taeyong and ran a hand through his hair. The feeling was ever so gentle and pleasing.

Taeyong smiled and leaned his head into Jaehyun's inviting palm. "Thank you. I knew it was the perfect color." And so, their Sunday ended warmly and with a sense of security.