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Apollo thinks a lot about the fact that his girlfriend has incredibly long hair.
It's actually one of the factors that led to them dating - he finds her luxurious mane quite attractive, especially when she takes her hair down and he can run his fingers through it. Of course, there are plenty of other reasons why he's with Athena, but he can't deny the appeal of her hair.
Since they started living together, though, he's noticed how long it takes for her to get ready in the morning. Almost as long as him, though it's for a very different reason; he spends that time doing his hair up and practicing his daily vocal workout, while... she spends that time washing and brushing her hair.
Well, technically it isn't that different, but the fact stands that Athena spends a lot of time on her hair. The thought of helping her out has crossed Apollo's mind a few times, but it's only on a particularly slow morning where neither of them can drag themselves out of bed that he asks the fateful question.
"...Can I brush your hair for you?"
Athena jolts away from Apollo in surprise, staring at him. "H-huh?" There's a distinct blush on her face, and he worries for a moment that he asked a bad question.
"Um, well, I was just thinking..." Apollo scratches his head, feeling a bit embarrassed himself. "It can't be easy to take care of your hair, right? So..."
"You... want to help me?" Athena's expression shifts from shock to something softer, and a smile draws across her lips. "That's really sweet of you, Apollo. Thank you for offering..."
She trails off then, and Apollo thinks that she's rejecting his offer. Logically, he knows how unlikely that is, but their relationship is fragile - they've only started getting intimate with each other recently, and he doesn't want to do anything that might tip the balance against them.
"...I was actually thinking of asking myself," Athena murmurs, sounding uncharacteristically shy. "But then I kept thinking that it'd be rude, and... well, thank you for bringing it up first." She perks up, shifting into a sitting position on the bed. "Well, I'm gonna go take a shower, okay? That'll make it easier for you!"
Apollo doesn't even have time to respond before she scampers off, as if the mere suggestion had fueled her. At least he knows for certain now that his anxiety is unfounded, and he breathes a sigh of relief as he pulls himself up as well, shaking off the last traces of sleep as best he can.
Athena can be a bit strange, but he doesn't mind at all - there's never a dull moment when he's with her, and for once in his life, it's the fun kind of excitement.
When Athena returns from her shower, clad in a bathrobe and nothing else, she finds Apollo searching the dresser for something. She guesses that he's looking for her hairbrush, and giggles a little at the thought that he spent all this time searching for it - but the joke's on him, since he won't find it there.
She also notes that he's made himself decent, and can't help feeling a bit disappointed. She's come to enjoy seeing him indecent.
"Are you looking for this?" Athena places one hand on her hip, holding out the other to her boyfriend; she has her hairbrush, which she took from the bathroom on her way out. "...Or should I say, 'Take that!'?"
Apollo turns and stares at her. "Really? You don't need to present it like it's evidence." He takes the hairbrush from her, looking a bit flustered. "...But yeah, I was looking for it. Guess it wasn't here, huh?"
"Nope." Athena flashes a grin at him. "I keep my stuff in the bathroom. You haven't figured that out yet?"
"Well, maybe you have a spare...?" Apollo rubs his head with his free hand - yep, he's definitely embarrassed by his mistake. "Well, um... thanks either way. Could you sit down?"
Athena moves the chair from their shared bedroom desk, and seats herself beside the bed. "Like this?"
"...You didn't need to move it," Apollo mutters, but he doesn't voice any other complaints as he positions himself behind her. Her hair is damp, and he spends a moment pulling it out from the back of the chair - a bit longer than he needs to, and she giggles again at the reminder of how much he enjoys her hair.
It's cute, really, how much time he spends on it when they're together. Considering his own is short, maybe he just likes the company of someone with long hair that he can run his hands through to his heart's content.
"You like it, don't you?" Athena voices her thought, but doesn't get any further before she feels the hairbrush running through her hair, slow and methodical. She closes her eyes and leans into Apollo's touch, listening to the sound it makes when the bristles part her strands; this is the first time someone else has brushed her hair since her childhood, and she doesn't remember it feeling this nice.
Maybe it's just because it's Apollo, the man she's fallen head-over-heels in love with - her thoughts drift to the events of last night, and she shakes her head in an effort to clear those memories. Not that she would mind an encore, but he's-
"What was that for?" Apollo voices his objection to her sudden action, though he doesn't sound annoyed, just surprised. "...Were you thinking about something?"
"I was thinking about last night," Athena admits, her face burning up. "I... um."
"I thought it was something serious." Apollo returns to brushing her hair, holding it with his other hand to ensure that he gets every last strand. "...Geez, you really have a lot of hair."
Athena has to admit that she's rather impressed. She knows Apollo well by now, but it's still incredible that he's able to keep his mind out of the gutter as well as he does; she'd always assumed that men just thought about sex all the time, but Apollo is different - he doesn't have much interest in that, and now she almost feels bad for dragging him into bed with her.
In retrospect, though... he may not have much interest, but he certainly doesn't seem to mind. Those memories float up in the back of her head again, and-
"I like keeping it long," Athena explains, in an effort to distract herself from her filthy recollections. "Sure, it's a challenge to maintain, but it just feels right." She tilts her head back slightly, just enough to look at him. "Besides..."
Apollo may not have her special hearing, but he knows her well enough to comprehend her meaning, and a blush blossoms across his face. "...Okay, fine, I admit it. I like your hair. A lot."
It's an act - he's playing stubborn because that's just how he rolls, but she can hear the humor in his tone. It drives her into a fit of her own laughter, and he struggles to keep brushing her hair through her shaking - she has to hand it to him, he's nothing if not determined.
Then again, that's one of the things she likes about him. He never gives up on anything he puts his mind to, even if that means accusing someone he loves of murder.
"So, you want to keep helping me with it?" Athena suggests, teasing. "I could certainly use the help..."
"I have my own hair to take care of," Apollo reminds her, though he sounds more upset than he is. "I'll have to style it at the office today."
A small price to pay for this moment - he can't hide how much he enjoys brushing her hair for her. She falls silent for a while, relishing in the feeling of his hand on her scalp as he starts working a bit closer to her head; it's the wrong order, but she really doesn't care, as long as he keeps giving her those gentle touches.
...Maybe he's looking for an excuse to prolong the moment, too.
"If you want, I can return the favor," Athena offers, breaking the silence with a smile. "It's probably pretty different, but I'm sure I can still help out!"
Apollo seems to consider this for a moment, and then it's his turn to laugh. "Thanks, but no thanks. It is different, and I'd rather do it myself." She can practically hear the smile on his own face. "Besides... there's no need to return the favor. We both get something out of this."
The way he says that causes a brilliant warmth to blossom in her heart. There truly is nothing like the sound of his happiness - it's something that she wants to keep hearing for as long as she can.
"...So you'll do it again?" Athena brings the subject back to that point - and he laughs again, open and honest. He can only ever keep up the token complaints for so long when he's with her.
"As many times as you'll let me," Apollo tells her. "Do you like it?"
Athena wordlessly tilts her head back, letting the look on her face do the talking for her. There are no secrets between them - it's pointless to keep them when they can see through each other with ease. Between his eyes and her ears, perhaps they were just meant to be.
When his hand strays down to her shoulder for the briefest of moments, she knows that he understands her meaning, just as he always does. That, to her, is an even better feeling than the light touch of his fingers as he starts over from the base, ensuring that every last knot and tangle is removed before they begin their day in earnest.