Kareem sat on the couch, fidgeting with his phone, but his mind kept drifting to one thing. His damn hair. It had been days since he bothered to comb it, and now it looked like a damn mess. Curls everywhere, frizzy as hell. He ran a hand through it again, annoyed by the state of it.
He heard footsteps behind him. Santi walked in from the kitchen, looking like he had just finished a phone call, a lazy smirk spreading across his face when he saw Kareem.
"You lookin' like a whole mess, Papi," Santi said, stopping in front of him, his arms crossed.
Kareem scoffed, glancing up from his phone. "Ain't nobody ask you," he muttered, pulling his hand through his hair one more time, trying to tame the wild curls.
Santi raised an eyebrow, not buying it. "Seriously, though. You want me to fix that?"
Kareem shot him a skeptical look. "Fix it? What, you some kind of hair expert now?" He half-smiled, trying to keep his tough front up, but his hair was bothering him too much to care.
Santi shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "I braid. Used to do it for my little brother, my nieces and nephews. Nothing fancy, but I can get you right."
Kareem blinked, a little thrown off. He hadn't expected Santi to offer something like that. But honestly? His hair was getting on his damn nerves.
"You sure?" Kareem asked, raising an eyebrow, his voice still laced with doubt.
"I mean, I ain't gon' make it perfect, but I can help," Santi said, sitting down next to him on the couch. "You want me to try or nah?"
Kareem sighed, defeated by his own frustration. "Fine. Go ahead."
Santi didn't waste any time, immediately pulling Kareem's head back slightly to get a good look at his hair. Kareem tensed up at first but quickly relaxed when he realized Santi wasn't rough with it-just gentle, calm fingers working through the curls.
"You know what you doin'?" Kareem asked, trying to hide how much he was actually enjoying the way Santi's fingers moved through his hair.
Santi smirked, his voice light as he parted Kareem's hair into sections. "I told you, I got this. Ain't no big deal."
Kareem grumbled, leaning back into the couch, trying not to focus on how good Santi's hands felt in his hair. "I still don't trust you with my head, bruh."
Santi chuckled, and the sound was close enough to make Kareem's chest tighten. "Trust me, Papi, I ain't gon' mess it up."
Kareem gave him a side-eye, but he didn't argue. He just let Santi work. And as the minutes passed, the tension in Kareem's shoulders slowly started to melt away. Santi's hands were steady and confident as they braided his hair, pulling it into smooth, neat rows. It was strange-Kareem had never been one for touch, but something about the way Santi moved was... different.
"You done talkin' yet?" Kareem muttered, trying to cover up the weird feeling creeping up on him.
Santi just laughed, the sound vibrating in Kareem's chest. "Nah, I'm just gettin' started. You're lucky I'm doin' this for you, Papi."
Kareem rolled his eyes, but it was clear Santi was having fun with it. He could feel the playful energy in the air as Santi continued to work, occasionally letting his fingers linger just a little too long, brushing against the back of Kareem's neck.
By the time Santi finished, Kareem's hair was braided neatly into tight rows, looking a lot more put-together than it had in days. Santi sat back, inspecting his work with a satisfied grin. "See? I told you. You look way better now."
Kareem ran his fingers through the braids, checking out the work in his reflection on the window. He had to admit, it looked damn good.
"Alright, I see you," Kareem said, his tone less defensive and more appreciative than usual.
Santi leaned back against the couch, looking at him with a lazy smile. "I told you, Papi. I got you."
Kareem snorted. "Whatever, bruh."
Santi raised an eyebrow, grinning even wider. "What? You don't like it?"
Kareem shot him a side-eye. "Nah, it's cool," he said, his voice quieter than before. He wasn't gonna let Santi see how much he was actually feeling it, how good it felt to have someone else care about something as small as his hair. "You just lucky I let you."
Santi just chuckled, his fingers lightly tapping against Kareem's knee. "You know you love it. Don't even front."
Kareem couldn't help the small smile tugging at his lips, despite himself. He wasn't about to admit it, not out loud. But damn, Santi was good at this.
And maybe, just maybe, Kareem didn't mind it as much as he thought.