random etho writing thing, its sfw lol
.
.
.
It was an impulsive decision really. But Etho found himself doing more of those the older he gets. Vaguely he remembers Bdubs saying something about getting more selfish as you get older but..Etho's fairly certain he's not that old yet, right?
It was a random Saturday, his grocery day where Etho tried to stock up as much as he could for a month so he didn't have to leave the house often. He remembered Gem had insisted he get this specific brand of shampoo and hair products that would be quote “better for hair then any stupid 3 in 1 men's product,” end quote.
So here Etho was, perusing the hair aisle while looking for the brand, when his eyes settled on a row of hair dye. he intended to skip over it, it wasn't exactly like he was getting gray hairs any time soon and if he did, he's seen enough social media stuff to know people tend to like that sort of stuff. though, he sincerely doubted anyone would want to date him, let alone he would let anyone see his face.
but..Etho's eyes stick on a particular box of a woman smiling with long silver almost white hair and..he can't help but think of his minecraft skin. It was silly, stupid even, and even then he could feel that odd pressure in the back of his throat, something not quite like anxiety but just..pressure, like he was being watched. He should have left it at just that, a passing thought.
Etho bought two boxes of hair dye that day, one of the tempting silver and the other his natural hair color, a safety net. He didn't know why, but he expected the cashier to make a snooty comment. Something mocking about him being adventurous, his ears already starting to burn with a mix of embarrassment and shame, but the comment never came and the cashier simply told him to ‘have a good day Sir,’ in a way that always made his skin itch because surely he didn't look that old right? and then he headed home.
Etho put the hair dye under his sink to be forgotten then went about his week. He told himself it was just because he was mulling the decision, but it felt like a poor lie. he recorded episodes, talked with his friends and coworkers, and tried to ignore how every time he had he went into 3rd person in minecraft, all he could think about were the boxes of hair dye hiding under his sink.
—
Etho didn't drink, or at least, he didn't drink often. He didn’t care for alcohol, or its after effects, so he tried to avoid it when he could. But tonight had been a strange night, and something had drawn him into going into town, buying some random drink Bdubs had recommended to him, then nearly drinking the entire thing.
he..didn't really remember much after the fifth drink. When he woke the next day, his head hurt, everything smelled like chemicals, and he's fairly certain he did something shameful last night considering he was wearing only his boxers. With a frustrated noise he made his way to his bathroom, planning to take a cold sobering shower, maybe eat something substantial..then probably nap honestly. But the sight in the mirror caught him by surprise.
Etho almost hadn't noticed in his stupor, but suddenly found himself just..staring into the mirror. his hair..was silver. it glinted under fluorescent light, curling around the bottom of his ears and messy in that ‘just woke up’ way, but..sometime between him getting blackout drunk and him waking him, he had managed to actually..dye his hair.
it didn't look bad per se, the roots needed a bit of a touch up and it was a bit sloppy in some places. but..it looked like how he expected. It was nice, in a strange way. He looked..well more like his minecraft skin obviously but..hm. he kind of wished his hair was just a bit longer, not girly long, obviously. but long enough that he would look more…Etho wanted to say more like himself, but that didn't make sense. Etho was himself, he was..normal.
Etho decided to keep it, at least until it faded out. It was strange but it felt freeing. Besides, no one had to know. It could just be a him thing, a silent happy mercy that he allowed himself. with no further reflection on why it made him feel more free.