Hair Care (Zero/Iris)

“Iris!”

Iris closed the broom closet door and focused her attention on the medical Reploid who had addressed her. “What is it?”

“You won’t believe this! Zero not only shut down the Disposal Facility, but also trashed one of the highest-ranking members of Sage Harpuia’s forces!”

Iris was surprised to find herself…not surprised. Even so, she gave the response her coworker was undoubtedly expecting. “Wow!”

“He didn’t come back completely unscathed, though. His injuries are minor, but…” the medical Reploid trailed off and covered her mouth.

“W-what is it? What’s wrong with Zero?” Iris asked.

“You should go and see for yourself. He’s in the med room right now. But he… *snort* He’s in quite a state.”

Iris was off like a shot. She didn’t know what had happened to Zero, but it sounded pretty serious. But why did that medical Reploid look like she was…laughing? Iris failed to find the humor in what might be a real emergency.

Minutes later, Iris burst into the med room. “Zero! I came as fast as I cou--”

Her sentence died as soon as she laid eyes on the Maverick Hunter, who was sitting on one of the beds. Suddenly, the medical Reploid’s statements and actions made a lot more sense.

Every strand of Zero’s golden hair was frizzed and spiked up. It went this way and that, looking very much like a long-furred cat that had been stroked with a wire brush too many times. A mixture of disdain and embarrassment was plastered all over Zero’s face, and his eyes warned, “I DARE you to laugh.”

Iris covered her mouth with both of her hands and tried to focus on Zero’s face and not the monstrosity attached to his head. “Zero! What--mmph--happened--*snort*--to you?!”

“It’s not funny!” he growled, a dusting of pink coating his cheeks. “You’d look like this too if you were on the receiving end of 100,000 volts!”

Oh. Well, that explained a lot. Electric shocks were definitely not fun things to experience, and in this case Zero’s hair had retained a significant amount of charge from the jolt, which resulted in the mother of all bad hair days. Even so, try as she might, it was impossible for Iris to completely stifle her snickers.

“S-sorry! Sorry! I c-can’t help it! It’s just so--*snort* Heheh, s-sorry! I’m sorry! W-wait here a moment; I’ll be right b-back!” Iris hurried out of the med room, dashed through the halls, and leapt onto her bed, where she promptly released all of her pent-up laughter. She felt bad for laughing at Zero, but it was just too funny!

When she got all of the giggles out of her system, she retrieved a brush and a small spray bottle from her room and returned to Zero. More laughter threatened to burst forth as she approached him, but for his sake she held it back as best she could. She pulled up a chair and asked Zero to sit in it.

“What’s that for?” Zero asked, eying the spray bottle.

“It’s just water. I’ll never be able to tame this mess without wetting it down a little. Oh, and I’ll need you to take off your helmet; it’s probably a rat’s nest in there.”

Zero rather reluctantly did as instructed. As soon as the helmet came off, his bangs sprang up like blades of grass, joining the rest of his hair in spiky, frizzy chaos. Another peel of laughter threatened to exit Iris’s mouth, but she fought it down. This was worse than she thought.

She stood behind Zero and began wetting his hair down with a gentle mist. Then she worked her way through the tangles and frizz. Zero stiffened when Iris had to tug through the more stubborn knots, but he otherwise stayed still and quiet.

“You know, all this frizz aside, your hair is in surprisingly good condition despite being neglected for so long,” Iris remarked. “It’s really soft and shiny. I’m a little jealous, actually.”

“Why?”

“My hair fights with me every step of the way. I have to take really good care of it, or else it’ll look kind of like yours does right now.”

“Mmmm.” Both Reploids were silent for several seconds. “You seem much more relaxed now, Iris.”

Iris paused her brushing. She hadn’t even realized that her earlier shyness had vanished completely. She was surprised at just how comfortable she felt in Zero’s presence. It felt almost…natural.

“Yes… I am.” She resumed brushing Zero’s hair. “Kind of funny, actually… When I first joined the Resistance, I wouldn’t speak to anyone but Dr. Ciel and the team that found me for over a week.”

“‘Found?’”

“I was like you, left in an abandoned lab for many years. The difference is that I was never activated until the Resistance found me. I don’t know why my creator chose to seal me away. The only hint I have is a message saying that she wanted me to be happy and help the world find true peace. I don’t know how I’m supposed to do that; there’s nothing special about me.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” said Zero.

“Huh?”

“If you were an ordinary Reploid, there would have been no reason to not activate you immediately. I’d be willing to bet you have a function or two that you haven’t discovered yet.”

Iris was doubtful, but she appreciated the kind words. “Thanks, Zero.”

The two continued to exchange small talk as Iris continued brushing. It took her nearly fifteen minutes to smooth out every lock of hair, but it was time well spent. When she finished, Zero looked like he had never been shocked in the first place. The red Reploid thanked Iris for her help, although she had to fight back another giggle when the image of Zero’s frizzed-out hair popped into her head again. Afterwards, they went their separate ways. As Iris strolled through the halls, she couldn’t help but wonder why she had gotten so comfortable with Zero so quickly. The entire hair incident certainly helped, but it was still strange that she would open up to him like that when she was notoriously shy. There was definitely something special about that Reploid, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was a legendary Maverick Hunter.