Chapter Text
Taking care of someone’s horns is a meticulous task.
Due to the outer keratin layers being cut off from any blood supply and exposed to the elements, drying out and cracking is a common issue when not treated properly. A lot of special salves, soaps and towels can be found on the market, promising to keep horns in perfect pristine condition. At the end of the day, a regular horn-care routine is what truly matters.
In the majority of her life, ever since she has gained these horns and tail in her childhood, Zani has been taking care of them herself. She has learned the hard way, just which products make empty promises and which do their job. At the start it felt like a hassle, now it has become a routine just like getting up in the morning for work.
Every Sunday morning after her morning shower, she would use the products she has come to prefer.
Or well, she did until a very endearing acolyte pushed her way into Zani’s life. When the two of them grew inevitably closer after the Vault incident, more and more of their lives intertwined. And with that, their routines intertwined as well. Phoebe took great interest in Zani’s non-human features, continuously asking the horned woman to teach her just how to care for her extra appendages. And as time passed, the blonde took the lessons to heart and started taking over the task for Zani.
It is a warm rinascitan morning, Zani is seated on a small chair in their shared bathroom. Her wife is gently massaging her favourite lotion onto her horns just how she likes it. A finishing touch to their rigorous weekly routine. The cleaning supplies have been discarded in the sink. It might take away quite a bit of their time every Sunday, but neither would complain. There was no greater feeling than enjoying each other's presence to them.
Little did the two of them notice the small companion at the door. Pibi, the strange cube-shaped Phoebe lookalike, has been watching them intently the whole time.
As her human caretakers start to finish up, Pibi slowly waddles away from the door. “Fibi Chupi...” she hums, making her way through the apartment in search of her partner. Napping on their keepers' bed she found Nini, the not so talkative Zani lookalike.
Excitedly Pibi jumps on the bed, calling out to Nini, waving her stubbly little arms around. “Fibi Chupi! Fibi Chupi!” she chatters but Nini just looks at her neutrally. “Mmhmm ... mmh?” Nini replies.
Pibi jumps off the bed again without answering Nini, quickly wriggling around the bedroom to find what she needs. She takes a small towel from the laundry basket and a bar of soap from out of her carer’s travel bags. Having acquired both items, she makes her way back to Nini on the bed.
Nini looks at Pibi questioningly, not quite understanding what the other cube has planned. “Fibi Chupi!” chirps Pibi, making her way to Nini’s side and starting to rub the bar of soap along Nini’s right horn just like she has seen Phoebe do. Little particles of soap fall down from the horn, landing on the quiet cube’s face and making her sneeze. Pibi startles for a second, almost rolling off the bed in surprise but continues after making sure Nini is alright. Once the blonde cube has deemed it enough soap, she grabs the towel and starts running it across the horn.
Just as she started, the door to the bedroom opens and Phoebe walks in. “Pibi, what are you doing?!” the acolyte asks frantically, running over to pick up Pibi and stop her from continuing. Pibi looks at her owner questioningly. “Fibi chupi...?”. Phoebe sits Pibi down on the floor and rushes to Nini, taking a look at the cube’s horns.
Pibi doesn’t quite know what she did wrong, wasn’t this what she has seen her owners do as well? The cube slowly crawls back to Phoebe’s legs, nudging her little hands against one calf. When Phoebe didn’t react to Pibi’s ministrations, she started outright hitting her fists against Phoebe’s leg, however still nowhere near painful.
“Fibi Chupi, Fibi Chupi!!” she cries out, wanting her owner to stop ruining her work. Phoebe looks down at her cube, not quite understanding it.
Looking back to Nini, Phoebe then decided to call for Zani because who has better knowledge on horns than her.
“What’s going on here, amore?” Zani says as she enters the bedroom. “I don’t know, I found Pibi rubbing something-” “Fibi Chupi!!!” “-on Nini’s horns. Now she’s upset that I stopped her. Can you look at Nini’s horns for me? You understand this better than me.” Phoebe pleads to her wife.
Zani quickly makes her way over to the bed and taking Nini from her hands, the cube seeming unperturbed from the whole ordeal still.
Meanwhile Phoebe picks up the wailing cube from the floor, taking her back to the living room. She sat them both down on the sofa, Pibi on Phoebe’s lap, still making quiet sobbing noises.
“Oh, little one, please calm down.” she says, petting the cube and rubbing its back. “I don’t know what you were trying to do but I’m sure Nini will be fine.”
Pibi cries out once more. “Fibi chupi!” She wildly gestures with her little hands, trying to imitate herself rubbing Nini’s horns. It took Phoebe a moment to catch on, but when she did, she couldn’t help but giggle.
“Were you trying to take care of Nini’s horns? Were you watching me and Zani this morning?” She then hugs the cube, who has stopped wiggling about. “That’s so sweet of you but horns take a lot of care. You can’t use the normal soap, nor can you be so rough with them.”
Phoebe looks Pibi in the eyes. “How about this, if you really want to learn how to do this, I will let you watch me take care of Nini’s horns next time.” Pibi jumps off of Phoebe’s lap, hopping around in circles and making happy noises. “I’ll take that as a yes.”