Work Text:
"Can't believe I'm letting you do this.."
Calvin rolled his eyes, slumping as he looked into the mirror. "Ah come on, don't act like you dislike me playing with your hair." Étienne retorted, waving him off and continuing his ministrations. Calvin glanced pleadingly over to Edward who rolled his eyes, clearly having no intention to help him. Calvin sighed, it couldn't be helped, Étienne can be quite stubborn in his choices.
Since the world was going crazy again, they decided to stay the week at Ed's place to unwind and forget about their worries for a little while. Calvin was sitting on Ed’s bed between Étienne and Edward, one playing with his hair, and the other holding a mirror.
"Yeah, yeah..." He mumbled, "Come on Cal you're overreacting" Edward chirped, amusement evident in his eyes. Calvin narrowed his eyes on the man, “traitor.” he grumbled, before looking at the mirror. Out of the three of them, he was the most different. Both Étienne and Edward had smooth brown skin, hazel eyes and dark brown hair. This sharply contrasts Calvin’s pale freckled face and light reddish brown eyes. However, the most striking difference is Calvin’s soft, golden hair. Calvin wasn't afraid to admit how much he treasures his hair, after all, he went to great lengths to keep it as healthy and neat as possible.
Sighing, Cal looked down, proceeding to fidget with his fingers. In all honesty, he did like it when Edward and Étienne, (mostly Étienne) played with his hair... It was nice. Their hands messaging his head and neck, fingers slipping through the golden threads. The strands nuzzle into their palms, hands twisting and twirling amber locks. It was mesmerizing to lift the silky hair to the light, only to let go and watch it fall like liquid gold. Moments like this remind Calvin of how safe he feels in their arms, getting lost in the feeling of contentment.
"La Fin!~" Calvin quickly snapped out of his thoughts at Étienne's outburst. "What do you think?" Étienne asked eagerly, Calvin looked at the mirror at his reflection, visibly taken aback "Wow...". His eyes widened comically
"I don't like it," he spoke, face scrunching up in disdain. It looked- no, it felt wrong "I look just like my sister..." With his hair like this, Calvin and his sister looked too similar for his taste.
Étienne gave a questioning look, "How is that a bad thing?" He quirked his head to the side, confused about what the issue was.
Calvin sighed, face grim, "Look, I love my sister but we're two different people with our own identities. It feels strange to look like this." Étienne sighed deeply, slightly irked that his work was for naught. "Would've been nice if you told me while I was still braiding" he grumbled but complied, undoing all of Cal's braids.
Cal looked back down at his hands, fidgeting once again. Thoughts filled his head and panic started rising within him. He knew he was overreacting but-
"Hey..."
A hand reached to touch Calvin’s shoulder, dismissing his intrusive thoughts,
"It's okay." The calm and reassuring voice whispered.
Calvin didn’t look up, there was no need to, he knew who it was anyways. Calvin let out a whine that sounded suspiciously like a whimper, "I'm sorry-".
"Hush. You're stressed, I'm stressed, we're all stressed! That's why we're here doing this in the first place, remember?" Edward chastised gently. Cal gave a small huff, “I- yeah…”, eyes drooping and leaning into Edward’s palm. Calvin found himself nuzzling into Edward as he played with the front portion of his hair while Étienne played with the back.
“Your hair has become duller.” Étienne observed. “Yeah, with all the fires and smoke going around I haven’t been taking proper care of myself…” Calvin sighed.
“Stress?” Edward asked, the answer already clear. “Probably yeah…” Cal shrugged. As much as he tried, Cal’s self-care routine had recently been falling apart. Not on purpose, he’d been so tired, the heat beating down on him. As much as he tried to, Calvin couldn’t ignore how his skin was starting to look ghast, eyes dull and skin that had lost its youthful glow. His hair was now a shade of dull flax instead of its typical rich gold. Once again, Edward shook Calvin out of his daze before his thoughts began to spiral, “Hey, it’s okay. I bet Ét has some great beauty tips. I could also provide fashion ideas to replace your beloved cowboy theme”. Cal chuckled weakly, “Hardy, har, har”. In all truthfulness, he was thankful; for the day off, for the pampering, and most importantly, for the two beside him.