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Tied Back - Part One by LongMulletBald
It had been a long week, and the Friday afternoon sun was finally relenting as Andre stepped out of his office building. From the bottom up, he looked neat and tidy - his black, leather shoes, his dark suit pants, and his white button-up tight around his neck. But when your eyes climbed his 5'5" frame all the way to his head, this all went out the window. Long, unruly brown hair spilled well over his collar and past his shoulders, just like it had every day since forever. It took far too much attention away from his ever-so-slightly chubby cheeks, upturned nose, and deep, brown eyes. Thankfully for him and his hair, he worked in a very progressive office, where they didn't seem to care about grooming standards.
Parked at the curb was Ethan, leaning back in the driver’s seat with a grin etched across his face. He'd offered to pick his best friend up from work today as he was holding a house party later in the evening. He'd suggested Andre sleep over at his house, something they'd done countless times before. There was no reason for Andre to suspect anything, except maybe Ethan's own brown hair which had grown impressively long over the last year. It was swept back and tucked neatly behind his ears, while a hair tie sat snugly around his wrist - a signal that he was sure Andre would understand. Andre soon spotted him and climbed in to the passenger seat. He said nothing, but let out a big sigh as the work week came to an end. He turned to give Ethan a hug - their usual greeting - but his eyes lingered on the hair tie around Ethan's wrist for a second too long. The silence buzzed tensely. Andre said nothing, but Ethan knew that he knew.
It happened about a year ago, when Andre first got this job. He'd rushed to tell Ethan about the news. Ethan had just been to the barber shop for his usual short back and sides, and Andre had picked him up. He told Ethan how he'd be working in an office but that he didn't know much of the details yet. Ethan congratulated him of course, but after a few minutes, he led the conversation towards Andre's hair. "You know what this means," Ethan begun, a cheeky grin on his face. "You can't have hair like this in an office," he said, pawing at the strands that lingered over his collarbones. "You'll have to get it cut nice and short, or at least tie it up," he said, running a hand up the stubble on the back of his own head. Ethan had knew that Andre was a bit sensitive about his hair - everyone did. He'd had the same long mane all through high school and uni, and always got a bit weird when it came up in conversation. Nobody really knew why, but it was a thing. So, in hindsight, maybe it was a bit mean to bring it up when his best friend had just gotten his first job. Andre usually went quiet when his hair got brought up, but this time he snapped back a bit. "Yeah, well, when your hair's long enough to tie up then you can do whatever you want with mine". It had just slipped out, the words laced in a bitter, defensive tone. Andre was just upset that his best friend had brought up this topic now, of all times. But the two friends shared a look after that. They both knew a challenge had just been made. The conversation ended there, and they both spent the next year pretending they'd forgot about it, even as Ethan's hair grew longer and longer.
The rest of the car ride back to Ethan's was surprisingly normal, but there was an obvious undercurrent of tension. Every glance Ethan casted toward him, every chuckle that was a bit louder than usual, every grin that lingered slightly too long. Andre had never forgot the challenge he'd laid, but even after a year he couldn't think of how he could get out of it. He'd spent the first six months in denial. Whether it was because he had exams, he was on holiday, or he'd been busy at work - there was always an excuse in Andre's mind as to why Ethan hadn't got his usual haircut. After about six months, the reality finally set in when he noticed Ethan brushing his now firmly medium-length hair out of his face when they were hanging out one day. But even then, what was Andre to do? His best friend had spent six months growing his hair out. He couldn't break their deal now. From then on, his only reprieve from the anxiety of what Ethan would do to him was forgetting about it. But he couldn't forget any longer.
They soon pulled up to Ethan's house. It was about 6pm and the summer sun was still out. The party started at 7pm. After chilling for a while and drinking a couple of beers each, they went to get ready by themselves.
Andre stood in the quiet of the bathroom, trying to calm the nerves that fluttered in his stomach and seemed to reach up through his chest and throttle him from within his throat. The party was only minutes away, and while he should’ve been thinking about the night ahead, his thoughts were tangled - just like his hair. He stood in front of the mirror, gently combing through the long, dark strands that spilled down past his shoulders. He'd brought a change of clothes - grey shorts and a white tee with an animated black sheep design on the front. Ethan had given him the shirt a few years ago after he'd grown out of it, but right now the white cotton only seemed to contrast with his dark mane and make it look longer and messier. He fussed with it quietly and intently, trying to make it look presentable. Andre was so focused on his hair that he didn't even realise Ethan walking up behind him.
Ethan pushed up against him, wrapping his arms around Andre's smaller frame. Ethan was much taller than Andre, tall enough to rest his chin on the top of his friend's head, a position they found themselves in oddly frequently. "Starting to feel a buzz?" Ethan asked. Andre's face went pale, before Ethan nodded to the half-empty bottle of beer next to the sink. "What?" Ethan asked rhetorically, a smirk on his face, knowing full well Andre's mind had gone to a different meaning of the word "buzz".
"Oh yeah, I just came in here to do my hair." Ethan spoke casually as he moved beside Andre, looking in the mirror. He grabbed a comb from a drawer and ran it through his hair. Every second was torture for Andre. Soon, Ethan reached up, the hair tie still on his wrist. He pulled his hair back slowly, ensuring he held every lock, and tied it up into a short ponytail.
"Oh. Look at that. I can tie it up now." Ethan's head turned to the side, an uncontainable grin etched across his face. Andre went pale. Ethan dragged a stool from the corner of the room just in front of the mirror. "Sit." The grin had quickly faded from Ethan's face, replaced with two expectant eyes staring through Andre in the mirror. The boy had no choice, and he quickly complied with Ethan's command.
Ethan immediately began gathering the thick, long, chocolate waves in his hands. Andre already looked so different and so small with all of his hair held in Ethan's hands behind his head. "So, Andre," Ethan begun, a teasing lilt in his voice. "I can make you look nice and pretty for the party," he continued, tightening his grip on Andre's mane. Ethan leaned in close to Andre's left ear. "Or...we could get it over and done with now." Andre could feel his best friend's warm breath on his ear as his soft cheeks grew paler with every syllable. The words hung heavily in the air Ethan knew Andre couldn't reply. Finally, Ethan broke the quiet. "Let's tie it up."
Ethan held Andre's hair tightly with his left hand while reaching into his pocket with his right. He produced a plain black hair tie and began to tie up Andre's hair. The moment felt like forever for both of them, but in seconds Andre's long locks were gathered in a neat ponytail. Ethan stroked the tail a few times, from its base to its end. It was thick but soft, and long. Must've been six, or even eight inches long. "Cute," Ethan commented, not removing his eyes from the ponytail. He looked back up at his friend in the mirror, and gave him a teasing grin before leaving the bathroom.
