"I keep getting red bumps when I shave. I don't know why. They get irritated, and it doesn't look nice."

My hand went to my chin in thought at this new conundrum. Yuki was standing to my side, a welcome distraction from my work. As I was the resident beauty addict, he knew to come to me for this advice. My side of the bathroom cabinet was full of creams and oils, charcoal and niacinamide, salicylic acid and moisturizers, plus so much more. His modest skincare collection was an embarrassment compared. Now, here was a problem I could hopefully solve, if I thought about it long enough. 

"It does look a little like acne," I admitted, admiring his face. There was a small breakout of the stuff off to the center of his chin. My finger beckoned him closer, and he got close loyally, smiling at me as he did, enchanting my heart. My fingers touched the spot, instantly recognizing what it was. "Hmm, that's not good." I turned his head by the chin to see better. 

"What is it?" he asked, concerned now, his brow bending a bit in it.

I let out a breath. "I think it's bacteria getting in when you shave. That would explain the red bumps and why they get irritated."

"Ohh, smart."

I felt a small blush radiate across my cheeks at his compliment. I didn't try to hide it. "Hmm. I want to try something when the hair comes back a bit."

"What do you want to try?"

Just a sneaky smile was his answer. I'd seen this method on TikTok recently. Viral videos of it. I'd been wanting to try it, but I don't grow a beard like he does. 

"Oh, you'll see."

The next morning, he had a pretty good growth happening. His face was definitely more irritated, ingrown hairs everywhere. He needed to exfoliate better, but that wasn't the whole problem. I'd teach him to exfoliate properly later. Now was the solution to the red bumps, and I was so excited. 

"Okay, lay still," I said, stirring my wax mixture like a witch with a cauldron and just as plotting. 

"You sound too excited. Too devious. I'm scared." He was talking with a puff in his cheeks, apprehensive, but taunting me with it. "It's going to hurt," he added, quieter. 

"It's not going to hurt, I promise." A lie.

"It's going to hurt. It's going to hurt." So adorable. Teasing me.

"Shhh. Okay, baby. Here it comes." My stirring stick got a big glob of the marine blue-green wax on it. There was a pretty marbling effect. It was fascinating to watch. 

"Scary." His lips were pursed. Mocking me, or truly scared? Both? I wanted to laugh. 

"Noo, no." 

But as soon as the mixture landed on him-

"Ah!" He jumped so far. 

My other hand went on my hip in a mock scold. "Stay still. I have to spread it before it cools." My hand moved to his chest to stabilize him as my stick spread the wax over his chin. 

"It's hot."

"Shh. Don't talk."

His eyes pinched closed so tight, enduring this strangeness happening on the lower part of his face. More globs of the stuff joined the rest, forming a beard of thick blue-green all the way up to his sideburns. 

"Does it feel okay?" I asked, finishing up. "After this, we can pore strip your nose, too. I see a couple of blackheads."

"Mmmmm..." 

Right, it would be hard to speak with this on your face like that. My finger tapped my chin as I observed him, happy with my work. I put my stick down, then touched the wax gingerly to see if it was all the way set. Poking around his face. His eyes seemed to relax at this, under the lids.

"Okay, I'm going to pull it now," I assured him, patting the side of his face to test it. Maybe he took it as a comforting motion. 

"Mmmmm?" His brow creased. I only smiled, but he couldn't see it. 

He was right. I was entirely too excited about this. 

"One, two, three..."

His eyes rocketed open as I made the first tug at the side of his face. They had a desperate look, but he made no noise. Way braver than me. Still, the results would be amazing. This would not only remove all of the stubborn hairs, but there'd be no irritated red bumps. It would also exfoliate, which he desperately needed. It really was the perfect solution, if he had the patience. 

As I rolled the wax as it tugged across his face, he showed me that patience. Enduring it as he watched me in my concentration, all of my care in the world. His eyes pinched closed again as I got to his lip, surely the pain being intense. I just went steadily, knowing the end result was so worth it for him. My double meaning for this, wanting to try it out on somebody, but also loving him and caring about his well being.

By mid-afternoon, I was gathering our things so we could go to work. My laptop went into my bag, then his folder of sheet music which he'd be going over with Darla later. There was the list of interesting wine coming out this season that I wanted to show our bartender, Io. So many scattered things. 

As I moved about our apartment, I caught glimpses of Yuki as he went about his own checklist. A few times, I saw his hand to his face. About the third time, I caught what he was doing.

I gasped, stopping in the kitchen with him. 

"Hmm?" he asked, scratching his face vigorously. 

"Ahhh, don't scratch. Don't scratch!"

My hand went to his, bringing it down gingerly and cradling it in both of mine. Rubbing the back of it in dear caring. His other hand just went up to the other side of his face to keep scratching. 

"It's itchy," he said. I took his other hand and brought it between my hands, rubbing them both. Keeping them away from him, adoring him. 

"Oh, it's itchy?" Hmmm. 

"Yes. Started itching about an hour ago. Is that normal?" His head started going from side to side, lead by his chin. I snorted at it.

"What's this motion?" I copied him, and he just smiled as I did, too. We shook our heads slowly at each other and he burst into worse laughing at me. 

"Itchy. I can't scratch," he answered, so very obvious. 

"Are you trying to scratch with the air?!" Laughing so hard.

"Yes! Ahh, it's so itchy. What do I do?!"

It was looking red, indeed. But, he'd been scratching for a while. 

"Rub it instead. That's just as good," I said, thinking to myself for a solution. I got my underarms waxed regularly, as well as my happy trail. They'd never itched afterwards. What was he experiencing?

"Mmm. I want to scratch," he complained lightly, still wiggling his head. I couldn't stop grinning at him. He was too cute. 

All of a sudden, it hit me. Oh, it was so simple. I began to pull him towards the bathroom, to my witch's cabinet of concoctions and potions. But, I wouldn't need any of them for this. I released one of his hands to grab what I needed, and he immediately began to scratch his cheek. He was so adorable that I let him. He was so preoccupied with it. It must have felt good. 

"Rub it, rub it," I scolded lightly, smiling into the mirror as I closed it. Between my fingers, I shook a slim little bottle. 

"What's that?" he asked, rubbing his face now like one would with a towel to get water off. 

I released his other hand and popped the cap off. The little bottle went toward his face, the tip wet with liquid. 

"Oh! Ahh!" he gasped. It had to be cold when it made contact. 

My fingers went to his chin, stabilizing it. "Shh. Shh. Don't talk."

He closed his eyes, patient with me just like this morning. Smoothly, I rolled the medicine all over the lower part of his face. The clear blue liquid left wet marks, so I used it as a guide to make sure I got his whole itchy area. 

At the end, I popped my lips and grinned, putting the cap back on. He let out the biggest breath at this, no doubt holding most of it in the whole time. 

"Ohhh, that feels so much better!" he sighed, going to touch his face. But, most of the liquid hadn't dried yet. I caught his hand just in time and brought it to me. He was so much more relaxed now. 

I shook the bottle near my face, smiling so gently to him. "It's cortisone with aloe vera. Used to treat mosquito bites. But, the aloe vera will calm down your face, too. It's good for skin that got too hot. Wait until it dries, then you can touch you face."

He sighed out so much, so happy. Like magic, his face was coming closer to mine, his lips puckered. Oh, but we couldn't-

"Ah! You'll get the medicine on me!" I turned away, giggling at his carelessness. 

He snorted and then laughed. "Oh, right," he giggled with me. 

"My itchy boy," I said, pursing my lips teasingly now that he couldn't kiss me for a while. Oh, but-! "Ahh, no!" I laughed so hard as he came back, trying to kiss. 

He just laughed at me, holding my hand patiently. Waiting for the medicine to dry, so he could finally kiss me to say his thanks.