Work Text:
Noriko was no early bird, but compared to her, her girlfriend certainly was. Luckily, the goddess was also a heavy sleeper, so she hadn't noticed Hidemi slipping out of bed to the bathroom. That is, until she heard a pained little "oww…" muffled by the door.
"Hidemi?" She sleepily asked, creeping out of bed. "Dearest darling Hidemi, are you okay?" But she was met with soft sniffles and cries from behind the door. "I'm coming in!"
When she came in, Hidemi looked at her with teary eyes as wide as dinner plates. In the taller girl's hand was a hairbrush, which seemed to be stuck in a mess of tangled hair.
"Noko…" The dressage rider whined, wiping the tears and snot from her face with the back of her free hand. "Is stuck…it hurts…"
"Hidemi, sweetheart…" Noriko softly cooed, gently working her fingers into her girlfriend's hair to unravel it and free the brush. "How did my little princess get into this situation, hm?"
"I-I was gonna brush my hair…but I usu'lly don' do it m'self, ya know? 'Cuz I always used to have Nino do it when we shared a bed." Hidemi sniffled again. "But I wanna try doin' it myself an' be a big girl sometimes! But I can't! 'Cuz ev'ytime I try, I remember the way Gotou used to make me do i' when I was littler than se'enteen, and how— how he—" She was practically babbling at this point, and beginning to hyperventilate just thinking about her past pain.
"Easy, baby." The itasha painter slowly brought her hand beside her girlfriend's face, waiting for permission. "Can I touch?"
The taller girl hesitated, but then nodded, before leaning into the other girl's hand as she kept breathing hard.
Noriko smiled at the hopeful sight. "Okay, then…can you take nice deep breaths for me? In…" She inhaled. "…and out." Then exhaled.
Hidemi copied her breathing, cheek still pressed into her girlfriend's hand. "This okay?"
"More than okay. Splendid!" The goddess's smile widened. "Now, do I have your permission to brush your beautiful hair for you?"
"Eh?"
"It needs to be done anyway. And if doing it yourself brings back bad memories…I can be gentle with it."
The dressage rider nodded, handing her girlfriend the brush. "Please…"
"Good girl, Demi. Using your words…so good." Noriko gently held onto a strand of her girlfriend's hair, repeatedly running the brush through a large knot. "Please, please, please let me know if I hurt you, okay? I want this to be pain-free for you."
"Mkay…thank you, Noko…" Hidemi softly yawned.
"You still sleepy, my girl?"
"Yeah…but I wanted to still get up early an' do big girl stuff! I don' wanna embarrass you or anythin'…"
The goddess tilted her head to the side in confusion, continuing her work with the other girl's hair. "And why would I be embarrassed if you didn't do big girl stuff?"
"Well, 'cuz…isn't it embarrassin' to have a girlfriend so much bigger than you act little?" Her devotee looked as if she was about to start crying again.
"You're not bigger than me, sweet angel. Just taller is all. No shame in being a tall little." Noriko started working on the last real tangle in her girlfriend's hair. "But that's not the point. Point is, I'm not embarrassed. I love taking care of my girl."
"Noko…!" Hidemi's voice nearly broke. The amount of love she felt with every gentle stroke of her hair, every kind word from her Noko's lips…it was enough to bring her to tears.
"It's okay to cry, honey. As long as everything is okay." Finally, the itasha painter finished brushing the girl's hair all the way through. She grabbed a hair tie from the vanity and snapped it around her wrist before beginning to braid.
"It is, it is!" The dressage rider smiled, giggling a little at the sensation of her hair being styled.
"I'm glad. Once we're out of here, I'll brush your hair every day. And then I'll help you dye it whatever colors you want, too."
"Um…" Hidemi mumbled, fidgeting with her fingers. "Am I allowed to let it go brown again? I…I wan' it to be my nat'ral color again…"
"Whatever my little princess desires, she shall have!" Noriko proudly declared, gently pulling the other girl's hair into the braid. "Besides, I bet you look absolutely adorable with brown hair!" She almost squealed at the thought of her lady, hair dark and fluffy. "Oh, the thought delights me!"
"Yay!" Her girlfriend giggled again. Then she looked in the mirror, seeing the finished job. Her pastel hair, that was once incredibly messy and knotted, was now silky smooth and pulled into a beautiful and thick braid. "I…I look like a princess…"
"I take it this means you like it?"
Hidemi eagerly nodded, pulling her girlfriend into a tight hug.
"I'm glad…I'm so glad…" Noriko softly cooed, taking her little princess into her arms and arriving back at their bed to once again have sweet dreams.