Loving Him Was Red
It was a rare quiet afternoon in the Class A dorms. Everyone was occupied studying or otherwise. The drizzly weather outside had them all hunkering down in the warmth and comfort of their respective rooms.
Had it not been for the fact that she had run out of snacks in her mini-fridge, as well as her eyeliner and concealer; Mari would have stayed in her pjs and binged rom coms all day. She toyed with the idea of changing back into her comfy clothes when a voice broke through her thoughts.
"Oh hey; Mari!"
She jumped a little; startled from her thoughts. The voice belonged to Eijirou Kirishima; one of Mari's best friends and long standing crushes. He was wearing what appeared to be his gym clothes or something similar; but his hair was down.
"Gods; he's gorgeous" Mari thought; trying not to stare for too long.
He laughed. "I didn't mean to startle you. Although I gotta say; you startle really easily."
Mari blinked; bringing herself back to the present. "What can I say? You're pretty stealthy for such a big dude. Are you sure you don't have a ninja Quirk?" She smirked at him, nudging his shoulder.
He rubbed it; acting like she'd actually bruised him. "Nope; just regular ole Hardening. I'm glad I ran into you, though. I was wondering if you could help me with this." He held up a bottle he'd been holding. "I've let my roots go for way too long; and I could use a hand. Mina usually helps, but she's busy."
"That's convenient. Thanks Mins." Mari thought. No doubt her room neighbor faked being busy knowing that Kiri would eventually have to come to Mari for help.
"Sure; Kiri. I'd love to help. Just let me put these in my fridge first." She said; showing him the assortment of snacks she'd grabbed.
"Oooh; meat buns…" He said, practically drooling.
Mari laughed. "Tell you what. I'll heat us up a couple after we're done. Sound good, Sharky?"
He nodded; and grabbed her hand, leading her towards the elevator. Once the food and everything was secured in her room; Mari grabbed an old tshirt and headed across the hall.
Kirishima had already set up some newspaper on the floor to catch any drips; and was in the process of mixing the dye and primer together.
He looked up when she entered. "It's almost ready. It's just gonna take a few minutes."
"That's fine. I'm gonna go put this on so I don't get any dye on my shirt." Mari said; holding up the raggedy tee.
"Sounds good. You know where the bathroom is."
Mari slipped into the bathroom and pulled the shirt over her head. It was one of her play shirts from middle school. Very well loved; but she was willing to get a little dye on it if necessary.
Through the wall, she could hear the sounds of Bakugo's light snores. She smiled. "He always wears himself out. He's gonna make himself sick."
"Hey Mari; you fall in? I thought you were just throwing your tshirt on!" Kirishima called.
She laughed. "Hold your horses! I'll be right there!"
As she exited the bathroom; nothing could have prepared her for the sight waiting for her.
Kirishima sat on the floor in front of his bed; which was normal. They'd done that many a time during movie night. What was out of the ordinary was that he was shirtless, showing off his very broad, defined chest and shoulders.
Mari felt her knees try to give out. Her mouth started to go dry. "Stop it!" Her subconscious scolded. "You've seen Kirishima's chest all the time in training class! This is no different! Pull yourself together!"
Her logical, hind-brain tried to argue that this was different, that they weren't in training; they were in Kiri's dorm room; alone, and that this could definitely fall under Mr. Aizawa's definition of "shenanigans" if looked at a certain way.
She certainly became aware of Kiri calling her name. "Mari? You okay? The dye's gonna dry out…"
"Oh right. Your hair! That's a thing we were doing!" She sits on the bed behind Kiri; positioning her legs so that they're on either side of him. Pulling on the gloves; she grabs the small bowl of dye and the brush that came in the kit.
It's then that she looks at the bottle of product. She scrunches her nose and makes a noise. "You know this shit is awful for your hair; right?" She says, leaning forward to catch her friend's eye.
"Yeah, but it's cheap. I can't exactly make an appointment to maintain it; that's expensive." Kiri sighs.
"Have you tried color depositing conditioners? They make ones for darker hair; and they have the added benefit of making your hair super soft." Mari says; slowly sectioning off the hair into smaller, more manageable parts. "The only drawback is it probably wouldn't be as vibrant…"
Kirishima makes a noise. "Yeah; I'll pass. I like my bright red. Besides; I like the maintenance process of it. It reminds me of how far I've come; both as a hero and as a person."
Mari nodded; slowly painting over the first section of hair with the dye. "I get that. I'm the same way whenever I reorder my contact prescription."
"For what it's worth; I think the glasses suited you." Kiri said, turning his head slightly.
"Stay still." Mari said, turning his head forward again. "And you would think that. You didn't know me in middle school. I was completely different. I'm still mad at Suzume for showing you that picture."
Kirishima laughed. "I don't think any of us are the same person we were in middle school. I'm definitely not; and from the stories Midoriya's told us, Blasty's grown up as well. At least a little bit." They both chuckled.
After a moment; he continued, "As for that picture; if I remember correctly, Suzume actually didn't show it to me. You grabbed it from Mina and sat on it so I couldn't see it. Then I found it in the couch cushions."
Mari groaned. "You're right. I still blame her though. I love her to death; but she's an absolute menace. Always has been."
"Isn't that a best friend's job; though? To give you grief?" Kirishima said. "I mean; Mina's given me plenty of it over the years."
"I mean, I guess. It's probably even worse because I also consider her my sister." Mari said; starting on the next section.
A comfortable silence filled the room after this; Mari slowly carding her hands through Kirishima's hair. Every once in a while; he'd let out a little hum. It was a well known fact that Kiri loved having his hair played with; but with all the product he used to spike it, it always made it hard and tacky to the touch. But right now; it was soft, almost like silk.
The silence soon started to become too stifling for Mari; and between the smell of the bleach, the dye, and everything that was Kirishima, her head started to spin. "Hey Kiri; do you mind if I turn on some music? Maybe open the window? The fumes are starting to burn my eyes." She lied smoothly.
Kiri opened an eye; apparently the repetitive motion of having his hair touched was lulling him to sleep. "Huh? Oh sure! Sorry; I didn't think of that!"
Mari untangled her legs from around him and went over to the window; cracking it. "It's no big deal. Don't you fall asleep on me; though. I don't want to hear you complain that I messed up because your head kept drooping." She scolded; resuming her previous position and started scrolling through her playlists.
He pouted a little; puffing out his cheeks. "It's not my fault. It just feels so good having my hair played with like that." He tipped his head back a little; closing his eyes.
"Hey! Head up! If you get dye on my jeans; I'm not making those pork buns!" Mari said, shifting his head forward again.
Kirishima looked at her; eyes wide. "But you promised!"
"I did know such a thing. Now please hold still; I have two more sections to go." Mari said; selecting a playlist and picking up the brush again.
The sounds of the second Mamma Mia! soundtrack quietly filled the dorm room; and Mari hummed quietly as she worked.
After a minute; Kirishima spoke. "I like hearing you sing."
She laughed. "You're just trying to butter me up so you can get your steamed bun."
"No! I'm serious!" He said. "I didn't get a chance to tell you at your birthday; but you have a really nice singing voice."
Mari hummed. "Well, thank you. But honestly; that wasn't my best. I got blindsided by the surprise of seeing my sister and the excitement of my birthday."
"Would you sing for me now then?"
"What?" Mari said; blinking. "Also; that was the last section."
"Awesome!" Kirishima said; leaning back. "So will you? Sing for me; I mean?"
"If you lean back again; I'm going down to the kitchen and grabbing the Cling Wrap to wrap around your head while it processes." Mari threatened; no real heat behind it. "But fine; I'll sing for you."
Mari scrolled through the playlist; selecting the song she was looking for. Taking a breath; she started to sing.
"Can you hear the drums Fernando?
I remember long ago another starry night like this
In the firelight Fernando
You were humming to yourself and softly strumming your guitar
I could hear the distant drums
And sounds of bugle calls were coming from afar
They were closer now Fernando
Every hour every minute seemed to last eternally
I was so afraid Fernando
We were young and full of life and none of us prepared to die
And I'm not ashamed to say
The roar of guns and cannons almost made me cry
There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando
They were shining there for you and me
For liberty, Fernando
Though I never thought that we could lose
There's no regret
If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando
If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando
Now we're old and gray Fernando
And since many years I haven't seen a rifle in your hand
Can you hear the drums Fernando?
Do you still recall the frightful night we crossed the Rio Grande?
I can see it in your eyes
How proud you were to fight for freedom in this land
There was something in the air that night
The stars were bright, Fernando
They were shining there for you and me
For liberty, Fernando
Though I never thought that we could lose
There's no regret
If I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando
Yes, if I had to do the same again
I would, my friend, Fernando…"
As the song ended; Mari let out a small sob.
"Hey; woah. What's this for?" Kirishima asked; pulling her into a hug.
She didn't even bother scolding him about the dye; and let out a small, wet chuckle. "I'm sorry. Maybe that was the wrong song choice. I love that song; especially that version. But it makes me sad. Probably because it just hits a little close to home now…" She shrugs.
"That's understandable. For what it's worth; I thought it was a great song. And I still stand by my statement that you have a very nice singing voice." He smiled at her, brushing a tear off her cheek. "Now no more tears. I gotta go wash this outta my hair."
Mari nodded; sniffing a bit. "You need help with that part?"
He shook his head. "Not really. But the company would be appreciated. Plus it'd be nice to not reach around blindly for the shampoo bottles."
Mari sat on the edge of the tub as Kirishima hung his head over the sink. There was movement next door.
"Oop! Sounds like Bakugo's up! When we're done; we should see if he wants to join us for a movie or something!" Kiri said, turning his head with a bright smile.
"Definitely! Although I hope it wasn't the music that woke him up…" Mari said, biting her lip.
"You're kidding, right? You know Blasty; he sleeps like a rock."
"Yeah; I'm pretty sure that's you, Kiri. By the way; that's not gonna stain the sink, is it? I don't want him raging on you for 'wrecking the bathroom'." Mari said; using air quotes.
"Nah; I've done this enough times where it doesn't phase him anymore." He turned the water on; and soon a swirl of red was circling the drain.
Mari let out a whistle. "Good grief. It looks like you're bleeding."
"Yeah; I suppose it looks pretty gruesome from the outside. Can you hand me that bottle; second from the right?" He asked, not picking his head up.
Mari looked over; and grabbed a shampoo bottle labeled "color safe".
"Do you want me to just do it? Are you gonna be able to get the back of your head?" She offered; holding the bottle.
"It's fine. Whatever I don't get here; I'll get later in the shower."
"If you say so." Mari said, handing him the bottle.
She watched as he squirt a copious amount into his palms; probably too much if she was being honest; and then lathered it into his scalp.
After a moment; he washed it out. "Towel please." He asked, reaching out his hand.
"That was quick. You're only gonna use shampoo?" Mari asked; handing him a towel that was covered in hair dye stains.
"Later. Right now is just about necessities." He said; wrapping the towel around his head.
Mari felt her mouth go dry again. This man was gonna be the death of her; she was sure of it.
"You should probably dry your hair. Don't want you getting sick." She reached up and started rubbing the towel around on his damp hair. "Flip your head over."
He flipped his head over; and Mari prayed to every deity she could think of that no one walked in and misconstrued their position.
She rubbed the towel around a bit more. "There. That should do for now."
Kirishima removed the towel and grabbed a hair tie, tying his newly dyed hair up in a high bun. "Thanks; Mari. I really appreciate it."
"It's no big deal; Kiri. That's what friends are for; right? Besides, you help me with my hair all the time. It's about time I return the favor." She ran her hands through her bangs; feeling over the freshly shaved undercut he had just touched up for her last week.
"Right. Of course." He turned to exit the bathroom.
"Hold on." Mari said; standing up. "You've got dye around your hairline." She leaned closer.
"That always happens; it'll come out in the shower." He said, shifting from foot to foot.
"I can get it with a washcloth. It's no big deal." Mari said; searching through the drawers.
"Mari; seriously. It's okay. It doesn't bother me. We don't have class till Monday; and I'll wash it out tonight."
She huffed. "Fine; if you're sure."
He laughed. "I swear; you and Bakugo, you're both such perfectionists." He shook his head.
"I take pride in doing things well; is that a crime?" Mari said; crossing her arms.
"Well, no. You both push me to try harder, if I'm gonna be honest. I admire you both." He walked to his drawers and pulled on a sweatshirt; an old Crimson Riot one. "You need a sweatshirt?"
Mari blushed. "I'm good. I can walk across the hall and grab one. Besides; you're the one with wet hair."
He tossed one at her anyway. "I'd feel better knowing you were warm. The window's still open and it's getting chilly. Unfortunately; the room is gonna stink of bleach for a while, otherwise I'd close it."
Mari threw the sweatshirt on. "Good grief; you gave me a tent. I'm practically swimming in this thing!" She flapped her arms in the sleeves; her hands not even poking out of the arm holes.
He laughed, showing off his sharp shark's teeth. "Sorry; I sometimes forget how much bigger my clothes are. It looks good on you though. You can keep it if you want; maybe wear it as a dress."
Before Mari could make a retort; there was a bang on the wall. "Oi! I can hear you two; you know!" came the familiar voice of their favorite explosive blonde.
"Aww; you jealous, Blasty? Come hang out with us!" Mari teased.
"Watch it; Short Stack." came the growled response; but not even a minute, Kiri's door is unceremoniously kicked open.
"There he is! Did you have a nice nap?" Mari smirked.
"Watch it. And why the hell are you wearing Shitty Hair's sweatshirt?" Bakugo asked; raising an eyebrow.
"I helped him with his roots. Room got cold because we have the window open for ventilation. Now we're gonna watch a movie. You in?" Mari asked; like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
He clicked his teeth. "Yeah; I guess so. Weather's got everyone holed up in their rooms. It's too damn quiet."
"Cool! Kiri; you pick the movie, I'll go warm up those pork buns."
Kirishima's eyes light up. "Yay! Pork buns!"
"Yeah; yeah. You're lucky I had the forethought to grab extra."
Mari stops in her room; and changes into her pj pants on the way. It's only as she's heating up the water for the pork buns a few moments later that it hits her.
There was a stain of red right on the leg of her jeans.