Chapter Text
"It would look better on me then her."
"Blonde doesn't suit you."
"I need to impress him."
"Wait-..no, let me start again."
Josh hated it, most of all, the fact that guys never bought hair dye at the cosmetics store. Women constantly bustled in and out, sometimes just checking up on a friend who worked there. How would he know? Well, Josh liked to visit often. He wasn't a fan of the 'go,go' lipsticks that lasted 16 less hours then the label said, or the mascara that would make your eyelids so heavy you'd come off as a panda. No, he liked the main isle, full of tall men with their electric coloured hair hitting forward, surfacing the lightning blue plastic. That was how he liked to imagine himself: bright hair, muscles and some magic to make himself handsome. Then he could attract some cool dude who wanted to jam with him, eat at taco bell or fall into a dark void, resting in the middle of his cd ridden bedroom.
He shuffled again, sneakers squeeking on the tile; girls nearby slowly extending there distance. What hair colour this time? The one that drained his hair to grey after a week or the decent one that shot up brown from the roots - forming a fairly stable, wavy, mohawk. When he tried white, his colledge class mistook him for a middle-aged santa, trying blonde was a no go - Josh didn't rock the 'surfer boy' vibe. And pink made him ill, he didn't even like candy floss, let alone hair that looked considerably edible.
The mirror above the counter looked longer then usual; now he could see the full length of his face, drained. Darn, was shopping for diluted liquid always this hard? What about past generations? Did cavemen ever attempt to dip their heads in lava or bogs and hope it would turn another colour; it would surely singe. Then again, the whole percentage of them probably had tried that once, out of stupidity. Josh would eventually get to tick that task off himself, out of boredom.
He felt his hand edging closer to the two dollar grey dye. How ashamed Gandalf would be if he refused this incredible discount.
"Not today." Josh whispered to himself.
"Excuse me sir, can i help?"
He ignored the voice. He was probably hearing things. He didn't like Gandalf, let alone gollum reaching at him in his nightmares with his slimy fingers. He let the breathing in his mind subside before he turned to check how clear the checkouts were. If he could avoid all interaction, his day would be enlightened with loneliness, or tranquility as he liked to rename it.
He turned, eyes glazed over, only to meet a stare with one of the staff. Damn, did he say something out loud...
"Sir?" Josh fixed his vision so he could see the guy with the squeaky voice properly. It sounded like someone had fitted his vocal chords with a helium baloon. His face certainly didn't fit his tone.
When Josh stepped back, so he wasnt touching noses with the guy, he felt his face burning. His faded pink hair had now turnt the colour of his cheeks, the mirror he turnt to depicted.
God, he was cute. His brown hair didn't have to be gelled to perk up; his tanned skin didn't have to be worked up in a sun bed to shine so naturally. Fuck, he'd been messed with. He came here today to ruin his hair, not bump into a guy that had destroyed any communicative skills he originally had.
The boy moved around him, clothed denim sleeves brushing against Josh's arm. He gulped again - so much in five minutes he could of been deep-throating a water bottle.
"What colour were you thinking of?"
Agh, right, he wasn't thinking at all.
"Well, a colour that's not me...." The counter appeared further; he could feel the boy grinning to himself "Um. No....uh, i mean w-"
"Something rad?" His fingers fiddled with the boxes on the shelf, arranging them, co-ordinated. Simplistic but conventional.
"Yeah! You took the words right out of my mouth."
"Well blue is rad." His hand reached further back to grab at the crippled box. "Its like a tidal wave made from chocolate brown locks."
Josh felt through his hair. He smiled at the mirror. He'd never felt this good about blue. It was the colour of his bedroom,t-shirt,childhood tricycle and the boys whole outfit. It was best if he didn't scream out loud at the current time. This guy had made him loose it.
"So your satisfied?" His squeaky voice asked, Josh's hands now frantically twisting the box at all different angles, smiling furiously.
"You know what? I've never felt better." His hand rose up, waving goodbye. How come his hair now felt like silk? How come the really chatty, annoying girl at the checkouts looked and seemed better?
"Here you go sir?" She looked down at the dye as Josh grabbed it. "Did you find everything you wanted?"
Everything, and more.
He hummed.
"Okay....bye."
"Bye!" Josh felt his feet drag him through the doors, hearing the denim clad boots of the cute boy chase after him.
"Hey." Josh turned, the guy looking up at him. "Show me it when it's done?"
"Sure....um." He shifted on two feet.
"Tyler." The boy chimed, fingers flicking at the buttons on his shirt.
"Josh." He shouted back over the hustle of busy staff. Why did he have such a cute face and name? Why was the sky blue? Sometimes quiet is violent but pandemonium had never seemed more settling.