#thank u for the idea/brainworms amanda

[kindofsortofmaybe]

New Hair

gustholomule ficlet based off of @secretly-of-course’s adorable comic here!

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Matt plodded along the path he knew well, strolling to Augustus’s house under the red summer sky. It was hot, some time past the afternoon but not yet at the cool relief of twilight, and the stifling heat and humidity added to Matt’s sour mood.

There wasn’t any reason for it, really. Not just one, at least. It was just one of those days, the kind where everything goes just a little bit wrong. He had forgotten his lunch, for starters, and had spent all day working in the heat on a near empty stomach. And something about the guys at the construction site had just irritated him that day, and he was tired, and… well. It was just one of those days.

Matt wiped a bead of sweat off his brow and cringed. Hopefully I don’t stink too much, he thought, though he knew he probably smelled less-than-pleasant. He hadn’t bothered to shower or clean up after work, instead heading straight to Augustus’s house. After a long day, he just wanted to see his best friend and wallow in his grouchiness—and besides, it would be funny to see the look on Augustus’s face when he realized that Matt still had the grime of the work day all over him. He snickered at the thought.

The steps of the Porter’s porch creaked just a little as Matt climbed toward the door. Tha-thunk: two knocks, clipped and crisp. His eyes wandered around the porch as he waited, snapping back in front of him when the door opened to reveal his best friend.

Matt took in a sharp breath and his sour mood suddenly dissipated. Gus’s hair was—he had changed it. His usual style was traded in for thick locs, and small gold rings were scattered throughout. He looked… Titan, he looked amazing, and Matt knew he was staring and was certain he was blushing, but he couldn’t process what he was seeing fast enough to cover it up. Where a coherent train of thought should have been was just the word pretty.

Gus didn’t seem to notice him staring. Almost as soon as he had opened the door, he wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“Dude,” he said, “you are so nasty right now. You really think I’m gonna let you into my house like that?”

Matt paid him no mind. “It’s different,” he finally managed, cringing internally at his strangled voice.

“What?” Augustus furrowed his brow. Matt swallowed thickly.

“Your hair. It’s different.”

“Oh,” Gus laughed, reaching toward his hair. “Look, I know you found the perfect haircut when you were eight years old and never looked back, but some of us like to mix it up once in a while. What do you think?”

Matt grinned. He should have shot back with some quip or insult, but he was still in a bit of a stupor. “Pretty,” he said, and hearing his own smitten voice snapped him back to himself. His face burned brighter than ever.

“Looks pretty— I mean, you don’t, your hair is, uh, pretty nice, it looks… nice… and… yeah,” he finished lamely; he had realized about halfway through that there was no salvaging the compliment and gave up trying.

Gus looked confused for a moment, and then started laughing.

“Thanks, I think.” He smiled at Matt, his cheeks now a bit red as well. “Are you gonna come in, or are you gonna keep staring at me?”

“Shut up, Porter,” Matt grumbled as he shoved past Augustus into the house, but there was no bite to it. His irritation from the day was all but forgotten, replaced by a fluttering in his chest that grew stronger every time he glanced at Gus and his new hair.