Work Text:
Sometimes Ray was in her office for no reason. In the name of "Personal Reconditioning" The Secretary would let him sit in her office and have a bit of a break, sometimes so she could watch him sit and observe her (he was incredibly obvious in his staring) or sometimes so they could do a bit of destressing. Tonight was the former, and Ray sat quietly in the chair in front of her desk, watching her work.
Her shoulders rolled uncomfortably for the fifth time in the past few minutes and she tipped her head to the side, seemingly bothered. "Ma'am?" Ray smiled as she looked up and met his eyes. "You seem uncomfortable."
She stared under her glasses, face neutral and unreadable as she considered her next words. Her shoulders dropped slightly as she spoke "I have a headache." She admitted, and Ray nodded.
"Is it your hair?" He put a hand up and half gestured to the tight bun she kept her hair in at all times. "Would you like me to take it out?"
The Secretary hesitated. Him in her office was already risky enough, and her hair down out of the mandated hairstyle was not something she could spin as easily as private reconditioning. However, her head had this sharp pain that was disrupting the workflow, and she closed her eyes and put down her head as she touched her forehead in an attempt to get the headache to leave. "Take it out." The Secretary sat up and picked up her pen, returning to her notes from the show and Sylvia's own notes and combining them into one report.
Ray stood up and made his way behind her chair, running his fingers around the hair around the bun, searching for bobby pins. "This might hurt, ma'am." Ray put a hand on her bun and pulled out the black bobby pin, awaiting any reaction. The Secretary didn't flinch, her head staying still as she continued her work and Ray continued pulling out the pins, making a small pile on her desk until he felt around the bun and met nothing. Her bun was already falling into a ponytail and Ray uncurled it, running his hands quickly through just the ponytail in an attempt to eliminate any major knots, and her writing stopped. "Sorry." Ray apologized and withdrew his hands, assuming he'd hurt her, and yes, while he was tugging on her hair, she didn't mind it in the slightest.
"Continue." She instructed, beginning to cross stuff off and grabbing a second paper she appeared to start reading, but in reality she was fully focused on the feeling of Rays hands combing through her ponytail, and she resisted a smile as she said "You can remove the hair tie.” Ray nodded and pulled it down until it hung in two of his fingers and his Secretary’s hair fell out in a smooth sheet of umber brown hair, slightly curled from the time in the bun.
Ray grabbed her hair in one hand, making it into a ponytail like shape as he let small amounts of it fall out of his hand so he could brush his hand through, untangling parts until it lay on her back, straight and fully brushed through. Ray pulled his hands away and asked “Is that better?”
The Secretary nodded and adjusted her glasses, missing the feeling of Ray’s hands. “Keep going.” Ray nodded and put his hands on her hair again, picking up the bottom and running his hands down the length of her hair, lightly grabbing the tips. He heard her breath catch quietly and he smiled guiltily. He loved flustering her, and he was sure if he tipped her head back, he would be met with the lovely pink dusting her cheeks. She wasn't even pretending to work anymore, just leaning back, lose and unguarded as she sighed “𑀕 ɸ᮵h𖼞 ᒧ᮵ᗅ.”
Ray’s eyes flicked down in confusion. He didn't recognize the phrase, and she’d said it so quietly he couldn't make out the few words he knew. Ray continued, his nails making their way to her scalp and massaging it. She could have kissed him, feeling him slowly make his way around her head to run down her hair again. “Is this helping, miss?” She didn't trust her voice, just nodding and Ray smiled.