Charlie loved hair, not only did she love her hair, she loved other people’s hair. She loved styling dying it, cutting it, everything. If she wasn’t graced with super cell regeneration and the ability to spy on people through their shadows, she swore she would have worked in a salon. That being said, when she first met Pietro Maximoff, Charlie wanted to attack his head.
Ignoring the fact that the man was utterly gorgeous, cocky to the point it made her swoon, and had the most amazing eyes, his hair was a disaster. Sure he could rock the color, and the cut wasn’t too bad, but the quality of his hair was so awful. His roots were growing in, he had dead ends from bleaching it too much and not trimming it, and it was starting to get brassy, not at all the silver color he desired. At first the color may have looked nice, but now he was just a sallow mess.
Charlie knew she could do something about it, Natasha trusted her hair in Charlie’s hands and no other’s, and on more than one occasion she had trimmed Steve and Tony’s hair. Now if she could only convince Pietro to let her work on his. He just never sat still long enough to hold a real conversation. He would race in, make a flirty comment or two, wink and then be gone again. It was the highlight of her day every time she got an ounce of attention from the speedster, but the small two minute interactions were starting to lose their effect. She was starting to crave more.
Little did she know that both of her problems would soon be solved.
“Is that your natural color?” Charlie looked from the bathroom mirror to her picture of human perfection. Pietro leaned in the doorway, fresh from a run. His workout shirt no longer hugged his torso perfectly, but hung around his neck as he aired himself out. Sweat glued a few strands of his hair to his forehead and dripped down his chest. Charlie watched a droplet fall from his neck, to his collar bones, down to his pecks where it disappeared against his abs. She had to keep herself from drooling. This didn’t stop him from noticing her stares. “You like what you see? I just got back from run, you join me in shower, yes?” He smirked down at the young blonde woman.
“Uh no, I mean yes, er kinda.”
Pietro raised his eyebrow. “You kinda want to shower with me?” He sounded confused.
Charlie sighed shaking her head. “No to the shower, and yes slash kinda to this being my natural color. I am a natural blonde, but more of a honey color. I tone it to make my hair a whiter color, I like the look a little more.” She replied, picking up her curling wand to begin styling her hair for the day.
“Oh, white! Like my hair.” Pietro grinned, looking down slightly to give her a better look at his head.
“Yeah, sure, white.” She scoffed, beginning to part her hair.
“Why you sound sarcastic? My hair not white enough for you?” He looked down his nose at her, his accent thickening as he grew annoyed.
“Not at all, you look like a ska band with how brassy your hair is.” Pietro was confused by both the terms ska and brassy. “It means your hair is yellow.” Charlie finished.
“No it is not! My hair is silver, hence the name Quicksilver.”
“You should change your name then, bud, because it doesn’t fit.” Charlie was loving this. All she had to do was insult his ego and he was talking to her. He was such a guy.
“Fine, if you know so much about hair then fix it.” He sniffed, annoyed at how much of a know it all Charlie was acting like.
Suddenly a choir of cherubic angles floated down and fluttered around Charlie’s head. Pietro was bathed in a ring of heavenly light and she was unable to repress her smile. This was all she had ever dreamed of.
“Pietro, are you serious? I’ve wanted to do your hair forever.” It was clear how excited Charlie was, she visibly shook and had to put her curling wand down before she burned herself.
“Da, you may make my hair silver.” He nodded, a little off put by her excitement.
“Stay here, I’ll be right back.” Channeling the racing god she was about to work on, Charlie ran to her room in Avenger Tower as fast as she could. In a drawer of her dresser Charlie kept her entire stylist kit, an assortment of different dyes, toners, bleaches and developers. As well as different scissors, brushes and mixing bowls. She grabbed the entire kit, and rushed back to the bathroom. Pietro sat impatiently on the toilet.
“That is a lot of stuff, you really know what you’re doing.” He looked almost frightened.
“Pietro, this is the love of my life. I have a passion for hair.” She replied, mixing a small batch of thirty volume bleach for his roots. Usually twenty would be fine, but she wanted extra lift to get him to the silver he wanted.
“Is no surprise, your hair always looks beautiful.” He said nonchalantly. Charlie was not sure if he was flirting, or just being honest, either way it made her swoon.
“Thank you Pietro, it’s because I take care of my hair, unlike you.” She grimaced, getting a good up close look at his hair. His ends looked like straw with how bad they were split, it made her hurt on the inside. “I’m going to man handle your head, and this is going to itch, so be forewarned.” Taking her mixing bowl and tint brush, Charlie began to paint the bleach on his roots, being meticulous that she didn’t touch his scalp. His hair being so short it didn’t take her long to get through his entire head.
He looked funny with all his hair pushed back, bleach lightening his roots as he tried not to scratch.
“How long do I need have this shit in my hair?” Pietro asked, parting his hair to look through it more thoroughly.
“About twenty minutes, because that’s virgin hair it won’t take too long to lighten.”
“Virgin? I am no virgin.” He sneered, puffing up his chest to seem more manly.
“I wasn’t trying to insult your manhood, Pietro, calm down. Virgin hair means it has never been touched with chemicals or anything of the sort.” She laughed, setting a timer.
“Oh.” Pietro shut down, looking at his hair some more.
“So who originally dyed your hair? From your roots and beard I can tell you’re not a natural silver.”
“Wanda did it for me on a whim one day. We felt so lost and completely out of control of our own lives. We wanted a change, something we could control. So we decided to dye her hair one day. However we could only find one cheap box of blonde dye and she was too afraid to go blonde. So I did it instead, for her.” He smiled down at his hands, remembering the memory fondly.
“That’s so sweet Pietro.” Charlie’s heart swelled and she wanted to throw herself onto him. They chitchatted a bit more, Pietro asking questions about his hair and where she learned how to do all of this. He wasn’t shy about slipping a few more flirty lines throughout the conversation, and Charlie had to hide her blush every time. The timer went off at the perfect time because Pietro’s roots were at the level she wanted them.
“Okay, hop in the shower really quick and rinse that out of your hair. No shampoo or conditioner.” She told him. Charlie turned to clean her brush and bowl, expecting Pietro to wait for her to leave before he got in the shower, but when she turned around he was completely nude in front of her. “P-pietro.” She stuttered, unable to look away.
“You want join me?” He smirked, looking down at Charlie. Her mouth was completely dry and her eyes could not leave the impressive appendage between his legs. Pietro was a shower.
“I-I heard the doorbell ring, and I’m expecting a penis, I mean package.” She stuttered, rushing out of the bathroom to go anywhere but there. She heard him laugh before the water turned on. Charlie speed walked down the hallway muttering to herself about the carpet not matching the drapes, freckle placement, and coloration; when she accidentally walked right into Wanda without even knowing it. Her face turned beat red as she looked the telepath directly in the eyes.
“Charlie, I am so sorry, I was not watching where I was going. Are you okay?” Wanda asked, giving her blonde teammate a once over.
Utterly horrified and not knowing what to say, the first words that came to her mind just shot out. “I just saw your brother’s penis, and he asked me to get in a shower with him, and now I think I may literally melt into a puddle of Charlie soup.” She smacked her hands against her mouth, stunned at her word vomit.
Wanda looked just as horrified for a second before she burst out laughing. “My brother is not a man of subtlety.” She chuckled. “Why were you in bathroom with him in the first place?”
“I was fixing his hair so it actually looked silver, and when we were ready to wash out the bleach, the next thing I know he’s naked and inviting me in with him.” Charlie told her, flabbergasted at the conversation.
“Who’s inviting you to shower’s?” Tony’s voice asked through the intercom above them. Wanda waved her hand, and a red mist made the mechanics short out.
“Back on Sokovia, before we volunteered for Strukers experiments, Pietro had no difficulties with the ladies. We hung out with a lot of activist groups, all young adults like ourselves with no real place to call home. We lived in camps mostly. There we could help organize rallies and different meetings to try and create change in Sokovia. With so many young people around, hormones flying all about, it was not difficult for Pietro to find a new girl often. Whatever he fancied that month he got.” Charlie’s brow furrowed, not knowing where this was going.
“But with you I see something different in Pietro. His methods of going about it are similar to what they were back then, but you’re not just the flavor of the week. I don’t have to be a mind reader to know that.” Wanda said with a knowing smile before she continued walking. When she passed the bathroom Pietro was in, the brunette waved her hand, and suddenly steam poured out from under the door. A yelp could be heard, then seconds later Pietro was out of the bathroom, towel around his waist. He sped off after his sister, yelling at her in Russian.
Charlie watched the two bicker for a few minutes, no idea what either of them was saying. She guessed some of it was about her because she saw both of them gesture her way. After a few minutes it died down, Pietro was staring at his feet while Wanda watched him expectantly. He looked at her, then at Charlie, then back at her before muttering something. Wanda replied with a harsh tone before walking off. Pietro sighed before standing up with perfect posture, clearly puffing out his chest, then sauntering over to Charlie.
“My sister told me I needed apologize to you for my careless and crass actions. I have not had the chance to court anyone properly, and I am not so good at it.” The young Sokovian told her, his blond hair pushed out of his face.
“It,” Charlie paused trying to regain her thoughts, “It’s alright Pietro. Truth be told I don’t know how to be the recipient of anyone’s affection. Every time I guy tries to flirt with me I completely ignore it, or run the other way.” She chuckled sheepishly.
“I know a thing or two about running, Charlie, and you did not seem to be running.” He grinned, leaning against the wall. His towel was sitting dangerously low on his waist, and it threatened to fall off at any moment.
“Let’s just go and finish your hair.” She told him, walking them to the Pietro’s room. “Put on a pair of pants and run until your hair is dry.” He looked down at her with an eyebrow raised, but complied none the less. He walked to his closet, instead of changing in front of Charlie like he had before, Pietro closed his closet door behind him and got dressed in there. Seconds later his silver streaks were out the door and rushing past her. “Meet me in the bathroom!” Charlie called out, hoping he would hear her.
Walking back to the bathroom Charlie got everything ready. She was going to trim his dead ends before coloring his hair once more. With a mixture of two thirds toner, one third conditioner and a small squeeze of lavender dye, she was ready for Pietro to return. Three minutes passed before he returned, standing in the doorway catching his breath. His hair was windblown and a complete mess, but dry.
“Shit, I forgot I was cutting your hair as well and would need it wet, oh well.” Charlie shrugged. Pietro glared down at her before taking a seat back on the closed lid of the toilet.
“You did that on purpose.” He panted, before taking a sip of water.
“Maybe,” Charlie giggled as she covered his shoulders in an apron and spritzed his head. Taking a razor and a comb, the blonde carefully trimmed all his dead ends off. It did not shorten the length of his hair by much, but it definitely made a difference in its quality. After that was all finished she brushed the trimmed bits off to the floor and began the coloring process.
“Why is everything in that bowl purple? Am I going to have purple hair?” Pietro asked, leaning away from Charlie.
“No, your hair isn’t going to be purple. At least not overtly. This is all color theory my friend,” She told him as she began to brush on the toner, “Purple and yellow are complementary colors, this means that they negate each other. So if your hair is very brassy, which means it’s yellow, you have to use purple to get rid of these tones.” He nodded listening to her speak so surely about what she was saying. “We do this by using purple toners to reduce the brassiness in your hair. I added some conditioner to make your hair softer and healthier after the bleach, and a tad bit of lavender dye. It’s not going to do much but make your hair an icier color. If you do have ever so slightly purple hair, it will wash out to the silver color you want in a day or two.”
“You really know a lot about hair, Charlie.” He said, almost amazed, “Wanda and I had no idea what we were doing when we did this, we just rubbed it in and hoped for the best.”
“Yeah well, she didn’t do too bad a job. You hair was white when I first met you, but without proper maintenance white can go brassy really fast.”
“Now I have you to help me keep up with all of this.” He smiled, his perfect blue eyes sparkling at her.
“You bet your perfect ass I’ll make you keep up with it.” She said, running her gloved fingers through his hair once more, making sure the color was evenly applied.
“You think my ass is perfect?” he smirked, turning to face her.
“It’s better than mine, that’s for sure.” She sighed, peeling her gloves off and dropping them in the trash. She removed the apron from around Pietro’s shoulders, revealing his shirtless form.
“Charlie, printsessa, do not say such things.” He stood, towering over her by more than a few inches. He leaned down, hands hovering over her cheeks, “May I?” he asked. Charlie nodded, then felt Pietro’s strong hands grab her ass. “Mine is all muscle from running, is very tough. But yours is nice and squishy, like jello.”
“My ass is squishy? Thanks looks like I’ll have to hit the gym double this week.” The blonde Avenger grumbled.
“No no, this is not bad thing. I like squishy butts, shows you are not stick. I like woman with curves.” He grinned.
“I feel like you’re calling me fat, but in a nice way.” Charlie said confused.
“You American womans and your ideas of self-image,” He sighed shaking his head, “Charlie, you are an Avenger. I have seen you destroy robots with your bare hands and take down men double your size. You can recover from having your stomach ripped completely from your body, and have no scars two seconds later. I see you train daily with Natasha and Steve.” Pietro paused looking for the right words. “You are one of the most amazing people I have ever met. You literally saved my life. You are a woman with beautiful curves, long blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes,” Charlie couldn’t help but smile as he spoke, “And you have the most gorgeous dimples I have ever seen.”
Pietro met Charlie’s eyes, gripping her face in his hands. “I don’t know what my point in saying all that was, but would you like to go out to dinner with me one night?” He asked, his accent suddenly thicker than it was before.
Her mouth dried almost instantly. This couldn’t be happening could it? Pietro Maximoff not only let her play with his hair, but also asked her out in the same day. Charlie was sure she had died and gone to heaven.
“Charlie you are awful quiet, please get to the answering me part.” He said shakily.
With a smile that could kill a weaker man she replied, “Pietro, I would love to go to dinner with you.” He let out a loud sigh of relief just as the timer for his hair went off. They both laughed before stepping away from each other.
Pietro reached into the shower to turn on the water. Staying dressed he turned to her and asked, “May I interest in you in joining me this time?”
“Not yet big boy, I know you’re the fastest man alive, but we’re going to take things slow.” She answered, walking out the door. “Come show me your hair when it’s dried.” She called out before shutting the door behind her.
Butterflies fluttering in her stomach, Charlie squealed as she danced down the hallway. “Pietro Maximoff asked me out, I can die happy now.” She laughed, walking to her room, excitedly awaiting the days to come.