Work Text:
“Maki-chan~”
There's a jingling of a bell, and Yusuke appears from around the corner, primly sitting in front of Jinpachi. He doesn't always come when called, but they're working on that—rewarding him for good behavior, though, is required for Yusuke to learn proper manners. Jinpachi reaches behind Yusuke's ears and skritches, causing Yusuke to purr.
“Good kitty,” Jinpachi says. He bends down, pressing their lips together briefly. “Turn around, Maki-chan. I have to brush your hair.”
Yusuke yowls, and flops down on the ground instead of obeying. Jinpachi sighs. His kitten can be so bratty, but if he doesn't brush out his fur, it gets ratty and terrible. Honestly, Jinpachi doesn't know how Yusuke can stand for it to be matted and unmanageable. Yusuke likes to keep his hair long, for some reason, but doesn't always take care of it and it's a problem because he always gets annoyed when Jinpachi has to brush it out.
“Maki-chan,” Jinpachi says gently, “come here and let me brush your hair.”
There's another yowl from Yusuke, and Jinpachi almost thinks he's going to have to punish his kitten, but then Yusuke crawls forward and arranges himself so Jinpachi can brush out his hair. It's funny that Yusuke is so bad at taking care of his hair, because he's an omega. Usually omegas are meticulous about keeping their hair in perfect shape—Jinpachi certainly is—but Yusuke would rather brush it occasionally or make Jinpachi do it. It just goes to show that not everyone lets their gender define them. Really, Jinpachi's never met anybody who adheres to every stereotype about a particular gender.
He focuses back on the task in front of him. It's a tangled mess that Jinpachi keeps telling Yusuke to cut short—every time they go for a ride, Yusuke's hair comes out worse for wear and today there's even pieces of leaf stuck in it. Jinpachi made the choice a long time ago to sacrifice length for the ease of not having to deal with the way long hair tangles in the wind. He carefully picks out pieces of leaf, working his way through Yusuke's hair and trying not to yank too hard. Yusuke still yowls when Jinpachi hits a particularly bad tangle, trying to work it out with the comb.
“I told you this wouldn't happen if you took care of your hair, Maki-chan.” Jinpachi tsks, pulling another leaf from Yusuke's hair and setting it aside. “You should really let me braid it sometime.”
A quiet huff of noise from Yusuke—Jinpachi recognizes it as the one that means Yusuke is annoyed. It's funny how it's almost easier to understand Yusuke when he's like this. When he's not actually even using words. Maybe it's just the fact that they've known each other for so long that makes it easy, but Jinpachi doesn't think so. Yusuke is just more open like this, when they're just playing pretend.
“I'm serious, Maki-chan.” Jinpachi runs the brush through the section of Yusuke's hair he's been working on and finds it free of tangles. He moves to a new section. “If you let me braid it before we go biking, I won't have to spend nearly so much time working on it.”
Another noise. This time it's more resigned, and Jinpachi lets himself smile, because Yusuke can't see it. He almost always gets what he wants from Yusuke, it's just a matter of asking enough times. Some people would call that badgering, but Jinpachi prefers to think of it as acclimating Yusuke to an idea. Sometimes it takes a while for Yusuke to open up to an idea, and he just needs to think it over for a while before he comes around, in Jinpachi's experience. Making something into a challenge also works, but not everything can be a challenge. They're not alphas, after all. Omegas don't crave challenge in the same way alphas do—both Jinpachi and Yusuke are competitive, to be sure, but they're not like an alpha that will do anything to win.
The bell attached to Yusuke's collar jingles and he turns his head, eyes following the way the light falls. Jinpachi sighs and turns his head so he's looking straight forward again. He knows better than this, but for some reason he's decided to be fussy today.
“No,” Jinpachi says firmly. He tries to sound as authoritative as possible—which doesn't come naturally to him. He'd say it's something about being an omega, but god knows that they know some assertive omegas. “Stay still, Maki-chan. I'm almost done.”
Yusuke whines, and Jinpachi presses a kiss to the top of his head before going back to what he was doing. He really is almost done—on the last section before he'll put it into a simple braid. Yusuke is too restless for a more complicated style. That can come later, Jinpachi thinks. One day he'll get Yusuke to sit for a long time and put his hair up in the beautiful styling it deserves.
He works through the last section quickly but thoroughly and braids it loosely before tying it off. Almost as soon as he's done, Yusuke is flopping down on the carpet and curling up in a patch of sun. He purrs, content, and Jinpachi laughs. His kitten is adorably predictable sometimes. Jinpachi watches for a moment before sliding off the couch and crawling over to where Yusuke is and settling in next to him.
Jinpachi's not much for the kind of pretending that Yusuke likes to do, but he can appreciate a good patch of sun and the bone-deep way napping with your mate settles a person. Some people think it's all about mating, but that's low on the things he likes about being with his mate. He likes taking care of Yusuke, likes brushing out his hair and feeding him bits of fruit and letting Yusuke lick the juice from his fingers. He likes sitting on the couch with Yusuke curled up next to him and purring.
Purring, Yusuke turns so they're face to face and tucks his head under Jinpachi's chin. Yusuke's skin is warmed slightly by the sun, and it's easy to close his eyes and settle into sleep.