[ WP ] Everytime someone has a 'blonde moment ' they get a little blonder . Black hair is now a symbol of brilliance , and you 've just invented hair dye .

It turned the sheerest blonde hair into midnight black. Andrew tested it on himself - it did n't budge, not even when he deliberately muttered something mildly forgetful, that should have sent tendrils of blonde creeping back. 
 
 As he stared in the mirror, he knew what *could* happen if he were to market this widely. People would go rabid over this stuff. He could charge them ludicrous sums of money, and they'd still buy it. He could be a billionaire by the month's end. Few people had completely black hair, unless they chose to never say anything. It simply happened to everyone: you made a dumb comment, or forgot something obvious - and the blonde streaks appeared. 
 
 And then there were those born blonde. 
 
 Andrew turned from the mirror and approached the bedroom. Alison was still lying in the same spot, staring listlessly at the ceiling. Her hair was swept in careless blonde waves around her. 
 
 “ It worked, ” he said quietly, and put the bottle on the table. 
 
 She looked at it, and a spark of life entered her eyes. She'd watched him work on it for months, but had never really thought it would work. It was a sweet gesture - her boyfriend trying to work on a solution for the problem that had crippled her entire life. But it could n't *really* work. 
 
 “ It turns your hair…black? ” she said, so softly he had to ask her to repeat herself. 
 
 He leaned over and kissed her. “ Pitch black. Now, please, go dye it. And go to the interview. Please. ” 
 
 Her face crumbled and she turned away from him. Like all born-blondes, she had never been given a chance. She ’ d fought her way through university, to prove she was n't stupid. Some of her professors had cheered and patted themselves on the back for being progressive enough to allow a born-blonde in the classroom. 
 
 Pretending it mattered, that society was progressing beyond its prejudices. An empty gesture, in the end. No-one trusted that she could do the job, even with her degree. She was, quite simply, blonde. The brilliance Andrew saw every day, the edge of her humour and mind, didn ’ t matter. No-one ’ s hair turned black from moments of cleverness. 
 
 “ Dye it, ” he whispered. “ Please. Just dye it, and go out. Try one more time, for me. ” 
 
 She took a deep breath, and finally nodded. She heaved herself up and grabbed the bottle to disappear into the bathroom. He heard the sound of running water. When she emerged, her hair was a sleek and shiny black. She smiled tremulously at herself in the mirror, and ran her fingers through it. 
 
 “ You should share it, ” she said. “ You should give it out to everyone. For free. Stop this from happening to anyone else.'' 
 
 He saw again the countless faces of those who jeered at his girlfriend on the street, who refused to listen to a word she said, just on principle. The people who nudged each other and stifled grins when she tried to make a point. The people who had allowed the self-assured, happy woman he'd fallen in love with to fade to this shadow of herself. 
 
 “ I will, ” he promised. “ But once everyone has black hair, it won ’ t matter. I just want you to get a little revenge, first. I want you to go out there and listen as they beg you to work for them. Please - go kick ass now.'' 
 
 She tied her hair up, and he thought he saw a glimmer of her old self in the set of her mouth and eyes. 
 
 She turned to kiss him. 
 
 “ Just be yourself, ok? ” he said, and hugged her close. 
 
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 Hope you enjoyed my story! You can find more of my work on /r/Inkfinger/.
