Guys

Kiko

Surfing, much like many sports, can cause a lot of pain, even when done as right as possible. Something as simple as not warming up properly, or not hitting a wave right and falling off the board, it could all lead to feeling tired, sore, or sometimes downright miserable. And yet, somehow, none of those little accidents Zeke's endured could compare to the pain he was feeling in this instant.

"Honey, if you keep moving your head, I'll just have to start over."

He could hear the little edge in her tone. She's always been a patient woman, for everything, but everyone has limits. His nose scrunched when he felt her gel nails running along his scalp, and he winced when she tugged at his bleached curls. 

"You're due for a touch-up. Your roots are almost as long as the bleached parts." Kiko tied a little bunch of curls with an elastic band, the tiny ones you could buy in packs of 500 in the beauty stores. She was trying her hardest to be gentle, but it was hard when Zeke's hair was so crispy from the bleaching and being under the sun all day. She felt tempted to buzz his hair right there and then, but that wasn't what she promised her old friend, and she was going to behave. 

It felt amazing to him that she was back in town. They were both free souls, in his eyes, only that she was a nomadic one whereas Zeke was contently settled. They tended to communicate via postcards, for the most part, and whenever she was close enough to him, they had a little visiting ritual, where he would usually stay for a night or two. 

It's exactly what's happening in this occasion. The second he got a call from the girl asking if she wanted to come over, he hauled ass over to her new apartment, buying food and helping her unpack. He knew he made the right move by arriving so early, since they spent the entirety of the day moving and emptying boxes, arranging furniture, throwing out whatever was unnecessary. As soon as the sun started going down, they both showered and had some dinner, and now there they were, in the bedroom. One of them thought it was a good idea to style Zeke's hair (or maybe it was the both of them; they had a way to speak without words and go with one another's flow), so they turned on the pretty new lamp, started burning some incense, and Zeke settled on the floor in an attempt to make the girl feel taller, having her sit on the edge of her bed. 

And now here he was, knowing they were in too deep to turn back and that his head would be hurting for a while once they finish. She hadn't even bought a mirror for the bedroom yet, and he knew better than to trust his phone's lens, so he had to wait until she was done to see the result. 

"Ezekiel, quit moving your head."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Can we take a little break?" He turned his head to look over his shoulder, giving the woman a little pout, which quickly turned into a smug little grin when he saw her scooting backwards to give him space to sit on the bed. He settled in front of her with their knees touching, and carefully grabbed her wrists, inspecting her knuckles and palms. "Lemme see the new ink... was this done in your shop?"

He could see the way the girl's eyes brightened by his question, and he gave himself a mental pat on the back, feeling proud of how quickly he caught up with things this time around. She let her arms relax under his touch, and moved them around as he inspected them, letting him take a close look at all the new tattoos littering her brown skin. Most of them healed very quickly, and some of them already needed a touch up. Her skin raised as his fingertips trailed along the ones on the palms of her hands, and her eyes followed before going up, meeting his concentrated face.

"That one's to channel my feminine energy." Kiko wasn't sure if she'd spoken out loud. It wasn't the first time she had to explain the symbols adorning her, and she knew Zeke well enough to know he was wondering about it, even if he didn't ask. "And this one's for my masculine energy. The one here is to channel my intuition, remind myself to think... this one's for you."

The lull in the conversation made both of them look up from the stick n' poke palm tree on her upper arm, in the very same spot where he has a bird tattooed, along with his mother's name. She feared she'd accidentally ruined things, whereas he worried she was being dishonest. Things had always been that quick paced between them, but this time everything seemed to halt, freeze in time, just like in the movies. The flow they seemed to always go with had been interrupted.

"Really?"

"You look ridiculous with your hair half done like that."

"When did you do it?"

Kiko sighed, dropping her hands on his lap. "I'm not sure. A while ago. You were on my mind."

"I have the postcards all lining my mirror."

"I want to stay."

Ezekiel pursed his lips, feeling his heart doing that thing where it sped up and traveled all the way to his ears. He cracked his knuckles in his traditional way of trying to stall, trying to ignore all the sudden thoughts and scenarios running through his head. "How long?"

He looked at her as she shook her head, moving her braids behind her shoulders, most likely trying to gather her thoughts as well. There was a split second where he had to remind himself that she was probably feeling just as nervous as he was in that moment. "Long. Long long. I'm opening my shop this week. I've missed you, Z. You and your aunt and your niece, and the boys. I want to-- to be here."

"I never wanted you to leave."

He could feel his heart all the way up in his forehead when her full lips turned down into a pout, and he sighed, grabbing her cheeks. The tension that had formed after the flow was disrupted had to break, one way or another. "Kiko Mahelo, if it had been up to me, I would've followed you til the very edge of the universe. Can I trust that you'll be here?"

Neither of them were maintaining eye contact. How could they, with how serious everything had gotten. Her hands covered his, and she leaned in, kissing his cheek. "I want to try. I mean it. It's... not a certified promise, but I want to. It'll work out. Right?"

Both of them knew there couldn't be a clear answer to her question. Not at the minute, anyways. And yet, somehow, things began settling again, at least for Zeke. Even though this could be their last night on Earth, for all they knew, he had this abrupt realization that... she was here. With him, in her room. His lips gently pressed to her cheek and he got up, sitting on the floor again, with his back pressed against the mattress. Kiko took this as her cue, and took a relieved breath, placing the backs of her knees on his shoulders again as she started dividing his hair into more sections. He leaned a little farther back, and the feeling of her fingers on his scalp ran a shiver along his spine, and put a comforting smile on his face.

"So, did I tell you I got another niece now?"