Title: Handwork
Characters: Heck Ben x Rainbow Parakeet
"I feel a little silly doing this..."
"Don't. Makeup is a big part of being an actor."
"But..." Heck pauses, unable to find a retort. Rain's right about this one yet again.
Heck has to be on stage in thirty minutes for a bit role in Fushigi na Melmo. He's in a secondary dressing room with Rainbow Parakeet - lately known as "Kato" for whatever reason - who's doing his stage makeup. He's never been a big makeup guy. His ex-wife knew a lot about makeup, but Heck obviously couldn't call her up now. He couldn't trust her to be faithful, so why should he trust her to pick a shade of...no, no. Heck catches himself mid-thought, and forces himself to focus on the now.
Rainbow Parakeet is a bigger star than Heck, and Heck knows it. He doesn't have to be in here, giving Heck a professional level one-on-one makeup session, but he is. It's nothing short of an honour, though Heck is scared to admit it.
RP brushes concealer across Heck's face, soon delicately blending it upwards with a sponge. This is a Broadway-grade makeup job. The younger man's delicate fingers graze across Heck's brow, and Heck fights back a shiver from the sensation. He blinks, but he knows it looks like he's batting his eyes.
Rain's almost done doing Heck's eyebrows. He uses a tool that's small and blunt, like a little mascara brush, across Heck's brows to tint them. The director of Fushigi na Melmo says they've seen "enough" of Heck with his natural blonde hair. It's time to look like a natural brunet for a few hours. The dye job might have been a pain in the ass, but Heck was mostly dreading the cosmetic work that would follow. Under RP's supervision, though, it was a whole lot less painful than what Heck was expecting.
Heck is partly glad that Acetylene Lamp is hogging the main makeup room right now. He doesn't need a wide range of specialists, just a single young man whose confidence makes up for any skill he might be lacking...heavy, heavy emphasis on the "might".
"Tell me," Rain says, sitting back. "How's it look?"
Heck swivels his chair to the right. He looks deep into the mirror before him, with its round light bulbs beaming down on him; these lights are usually unflattering, a warning about how one will look under the stage lights. But for the first time, Heck stares into his own face, amazed. His skin is even, free of blemishes, its wrinkles softened. His eyebrows and hair match perfectly, a nice deep mahogany brown.
RP seems to pick up on Heck's wonderment. Maybe it's just obvious that he's shocked. No matter what, Heck Ben is just impressed by what his partner has been able to do in under five minutes.
"Perfect," Heck whispers. "Simply perfect."