Work Text:
Caleb sat on the edge of the Balleater, his legs dangled over the side of the wooden ship and he looked out over the rolling blue seas and endless skies. As beautiful as the sight was Caleb couldn't help but be irritated with the heat and humidity that the Lucidian Ocean had to offer. His hair was getting a bit too long and clung to the back of his neck, sticky with sweat. He pushed it away from his skin as best he could but it always managed to find a way back. He borrowed hairties from Jester, ribbons from Beau, and was tempted to ask Yasha to cut it (but later thought better of it) and nothing could tame it.
It was beginning to get too much for him to handle.
"Howdy, Caleb. How are you doin' today?" Fjord approached the edge of the ship and sat down beside him.
Caleb huffed, "Annoyed." he said simply and leaned back, stretching his arms behind him to rest on his palms.
"What for?" he looked at the wizard and studied his face. He was practically dripping in sweat, the poor man was not built for the life of a pirate.
"It's so hot. And wet. All of the time." he said and ignored the flush on Fjord's cheek. "It's the damn humidity, its making my hair stick to me."
"Oh." Fjord wasn't sure what to do, he didn't know anything about hair and had always kept his short enough to not have to think about it. He offered a hand on Caleb's shoulder, "I'm sorry, I wish I could help. You should go sit in the cabin for a while, it's cooler in there."
"Nah," Caleb scoffed, "The crew quarters are stale. At least there's a breeze out here."
"You could sit in the Captain's Quarters, there's a porch and two windows for air flow."
"You mean your quarters?" Caleb asked and raised a brow.
Fjord coughed, "I suppose I do." he shrugged, "They're yours if you want em."
"Thank you, Mister Fjord." Caleb smiled and went back to looking out over the open ocean. Fjord left him there and headed in search of a more permanent solution to Caleb's problem.
-
Another few weeks at sea had passed before they had another calm day. Caleb was sitting near the stairs to below deck, trying to get some shade as well as a breeze. His hair had grown even longer and was even more unbearable, he was seriously considering taking fire to it. He was hoping that it wouldn't have to come to that. The day had been slow and leisurely, most people took the time to sleep in and lay in bed, but Caleb was restless.
Fjord, apparently, was too. He walked up to Caleb and held out a hand towards him, "C'mon, Cay. Let's get out of the sun for a bit." he offered.
Caleb was hesitant but eventually took his hand and followed him back to his quarters, taking a mental note as Fjord closed the door behind them. Their relationship had been strange for the past few months, but whatever had been building seemed to accelerate within the past few weeks. They had spent the night together on more than one occasion, and they may have kissed a time or two as well. Caleb wasn't complaining, he just found it strange.
"Thank you, it is much nicer in here." Caleb tugged at the collar of his shirt and relished in the cool interior of Fjord's cabin.
"Anytime." Fjord sat down on the bed and motioned for Caleb to join him. "Here, sit on the floor."
"Why?" Caleb inquired but didn't protest, and sat down with his back leaning against the bed. He thought for a moment that maybe he trusted these people, his friends, a bit too much.
Fjord moved to sit directly behind Caleb, "I think I have a solution to your hair problem." he offered up no other explanation, only waited for a brief 'ja, okay' from the wizard before getting to work.
His hands pulled strands of copper colored hair over and under each other, twisting and pulling them tightly so that they couldn't fall out. He admired the curls in Caleb's hair as he worked, which had become more noticeable since they had been at sea. Sure he always had a light curl to his hair, but now they were really there. He pulled and worked meticulously over the course of twenty minutes, in a comfortable silence. It took multiple hairties and blue ribbons, something he owes Jester and Beau for later, but he had finally done it.
Fjord sat back to admire his work, the braids were holding his hair in an intricate updo, and bumping out far enough so that they couldn't get slick against his skin. "Well, Caleb, I think I've done it."
"What, exactly, did you do?" he asked and stood up, wobbling a bit.
Fjord led him over to the small mirror that hung on the wall, and grabbed a dagger from off of the desk and handed it to Caleb. "Here, stand like this." he helped position the wizard so that he could get a look at the back of his hair through the mirror and reflective surface of the dagger. "I did a real fancy braid."
"I didn't know you knew how to braid." Caleb stared at it for a while, amazed. He kept running his hand across the back of his neck, almost surprised that there was nothing stuck to it.
Fjord shrugged, "Well, I asked Yasha and Jester to teach me a few things." His voice trailed off and he gave a small smile to Caleb.
Caleb smiled back and moved in to give an awkward but well-meant hug to the warlock. "Danke." he muttered in Zemnian. Fjord hugged him back, surprised at Caleb's forwardness. He usually was fairly reserved about physical affection.
"Any time, Cay." He pressed a kiss to the top of Caleb's forehead.