Work Text:
Her hands moved smoothly through his dark hair, not a single knot in sight. She let out a soft sigh, it was rather unfair in her opinion, couldn’t this man have even a single flaw, it seemed even his hair had to be perfect.
She brushed it through once again, his whole body seeming to slump at her ministrations, he let out a soft exhale as she continued to play with his hair. It was actually quite therapeutic for her, the softness, the scent of sandalwood, it grounded her in a way she would be embarrassed to admit.
It was late at night, his staff already retired to their own chambers, something she was grateful for. She enjoyed their time together, but it was always hard to appreciate it when there were scheming ladies in waiting ready to lock them in a room together, complaining that they were taking too long.
In her opinion, she was happy with the pace, she had only just started to understand her feelings herself, any quicker and they would have all but been forcing her to accept his affections.
She had only just returned a few days ago, after saving both her and others from those bandits. She had been exhausted, taking her time to return to her normal duties. Though it seemed that she wasn’t the only one.
Even in her tired state she had been able to notice the dark circles under his eyes, and the way his posture slumped as he opened the door to greet her. Though, if that wasn’t enough, perhaps it was the way he fell asleep too quickly, his door still open, and herself laying on top of his chest. His breathing had evened out before hers, even though she was the one who had been kidnapped.
That was how she found herself here, standing behind him as she brushed his hair, a comfortable silence filled the room, neither of them feeling the need to speak. She enjoyed it like this, it was a peaceful moment, something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
His hair had grown some in her absence, his bangs now long enough to fall into his eyes, giving him something of a dishevelled appearance. Even like this he was heavenly, perhaps even more so than usual. The unkept hair made him seem more human, more alive, as if he too had problems like the rest of them.
She had asked about it, about why he had allowed it to get so overgrown, wouldn’t Suiren have cut it herself when she realised? The woman was usually so diligent.
He had brushed the question off with a new tiredness, assuring her that he simply hadn’t had the time. It wasn’t until she had asked Suiren herself did she finally learn the truth.
He had been too worried about her. His mind practically shutting down in her absence. He had put in the energy to find her, and then had nothing for anything else. He had denied a lot of things, even the simple pleasures like a haircut.
So here she was, shears in one hand, a brush in the other. She pulled through the hair softly, gliding through with ease only to trim the bottoms at the end. He let her, his eyes closing softly as he took a break from the paperwork now discarded in his lap.
She was well versed in cutting hair. She had cut her own for as long as she could remember, trimming her own bangs every so often. Though, that was still far different than cutting the Moon Prince’s hair. She knew it would never happen but the potential consequences still frightened her. For a while now Jinshi had been attempting to help her see that she wasn’t just some beheadable servant, but someone of actual importance. She couldn’t help but laugh in his face, he truly was privileged. Didn’t he realise that they would never be on the same level? He was the heavenly Moon Prince, and she, well she was just Maomao, an apothecary from the pleasure district.
Still, she enjoyed the little privileges she did get, like this. Her fingers slid through his hair, teasing his ear slightly as she moved onto the bangs. She didn’t need to lean over much, their heights matched much better like this. His eyes were still closed as she brought her face closer to his, taking the time to line up every hair before snipping away.
“You're rather good at this.” His tired whisper cut through the silence.
She spared a glance at him, her fingers twitching to reach out and trace the scar on his cheek. It was such beautiful work, her pops really had done a great job.
“Thank you, sir.” She spoke quietly, matching his tone. It was late at night, her energy from the day slowly fading. She would need to return to her dorms soon if she didn’t want her disappearance to seem suspicious.
“Do you… cut hair regularly?” His eyes opened, revealing those obsidian irises that seemed to stare so far into her soul, she sometimes wondered if he saw her true feelings.
She suddenly realised just how close their bodies were. He sat on the couch, her legs resting against his knees, caging him in as she caressed his face, her fingers playing with a few strands.
“I cut my own hair when it gets too long,” she spoke gently, continuing to snip at the bangs, “I also have some experience cutting hair at the Verdigris, though that was some time ago.”
She used to do anything she could to pay off her debt, anything except for taking her own clients. If the old lady asked her to assist in the courtesan’s routines, then who was she to refuse.
He allowed a small smile onto his face, a hand came up to brush a strand of her own hair behind her ear. At this angle, she had to admit, it was starting to get in the way.
“Your hair always looks so pretty,” he murmured, his head tilting as he took in her appearance. She ignored him, instead focusing on not accidentally cutting off half his bang. She was pretty sure he was delirious from lack of sleep, she really ought to make him go to bed after all of this was done.
“When was the last time you cut it, Maomao?” He whispered almost slowly, the way he said her name sent a shiver down her spine.
Though, now that she thought about it. She couldn’t remember the last time she had done something for her appearance. Even her freckles had slowly faded due to her being kidnapped. She had been gone for sometime, and her hair was beginning to show it. It had grown quite a bit since the last time, and it seemed it was starting to get in the way of her work.
Instead, she shrugged, “I’m not quite sure, sir. It would’ve had to have been before I was kidnapped, though I can’t remember the exact date.”
He winced as she mentioned her kidnapping, it seemed to still be a touchy subject, she wondered why, it wasn’t as if he was the one in danger.
He picked at another strand, twirling it around his own fingers as he watched her continue to work. It was almost too distracting, reminding her thoroughly of the night he branded himself, the way he had bitten her shoulder to try and escape the pain as she cut the dead skin from his wound. Did he realise just how much he distracted her?
“It’s getting pretty long, don’t you think?”
She rolled her eyes, of course it had gotten long, her kidnappers weren’t exactly the kind to hand her scissors and allow her to cut her hair just because.
“Yes, sir.” She murmured as she finished cutting the last of his bangs, their faces still inches apart, his breath mingling with hers, “I think I have some extra time tomorrow, I can do it then.”
His gaze lingered on her for a moment, warm and heavy in a way that made her chest tighten strangely.
“Then I’ll look forward to tomorrow.” He murmured back. She wondered what he meant by that.
His voice was quieter now, sleep beginning to seep back into his words. It was easy to tell, whether it was the way he slumped into the couch or the tension slowly leaving his shoulder.
Honestly he still looked terrible, a human in every regard, he was quite beautiful like this.
The dark circles had yet to disappear even after she had returned, and though the haircut had helped somewhat, it did little to hide the exhaustion carved into his features. There was no doubt in her mind that he hadn’t been able to sleep while she was gone.
A small crease formed in her brows at the thought. “Sir,” she spoke quietly, “you really should rest more.”
He hummed in acknowledgment, his eyes slipping further and further closed with each word, his fingers still tangled carelessly in the ends of her hair. He had the energy to play with her hair but not to keep his eyes open?
“You sound like Suiren.” It came out as barely a mumble, but with how close they were, she heard it clearly.
Her eyes rolled, “she’s right, you know?”
“She usually is.” He admitted immediately his lips pinching into a thin line.
He could be so frustrating sometimes, he really ought to take better care of his health.
Maomao clicked her tongue before placing the metal shears down on the low table beside them. The soft metallic sound was unusually loud in the quiet room.
“There,” she spoke gently as she brushed a few loose strands from his shoulders. “I think I’m done.”
He blinked slowly, as if he was coming back to consciousness for the first time in a while. She didn’t doubt that he was tired enough to fall asleep then and there.
“So quickly?”
She gave him a flat look, though she doubted he actually saw it as he continued to blink tiredly at her, he somehow looked even more alluring than usual. “It took nearly an hour, sir.”
“Really?” He seemed to be slightly more awake now as she continued to clean up the space around them.
She nodded, holding in a tired gentle smile, “you fell asleep halfway through.”
He looked almost offended, if she wasn’t so tired she might have laughed. “I did not,” he insisted, “I was… doing paperwork.” He gestured to the papers in his lap, the ones he had forgotten about a while ago.
“You started snoring.” Perhaps that was his one flaw.
His eyes widened slightly, “I do not snore.”
She merely shrugged, offering a smile in return, “whatever you say, sir.”
He narrowed his eyes at her weakly, though the effect was somehow ruined by the fact he looked moments away from falling asleep again.
It should have looked pathetic, so why did she find the whole display kind of cute?
Before she could stop herself, her fingers drifted back into his hair, combing through the newly cut strands softly. They were shorter now, cleaner. The dark locks no longer fell into his eyes quite so heavily.
He leaned into her touch immediately, like a cat. She had to try extremely hard not to laugh. “You’re spoiled.”
“And whose fault is that?” He asked, a soft smile already appearing on his face.
“Suiren’s.”
He let out a tired laugh, low and warm, the sound echoed throughout the large room. “No, I’m fairly certain it’s yours.”
Maomao decided to ignore that completely. Instead she reached for the brush again, carefully sweeping the loose strands from his robes. Some had fallen onto his lap, others clinging to his chest. He watched her the entire time, his eyes following every movement filled with a certain fondness.
She tried very hard not to meet his eyes. “Hold still,” she murmured as she brushed another strand from his shoulder.
“I always do.”
She gave him a look, but there was no real annoyance in it. Her fingers brushed lightly across his neck as she reached for another strand. She felt him shiver beneath her touch.
“Are you cold, sir?” She asked far too innocently.
He spared a glare at her, “no.”
Her lips pulled into a teasing smile, even with her tiredness. “Are you sure? I could get you a blanket.”
His eyes widened slightly at her suggestion, though not in the way she had anticipated. It worried her slightly, his eyes filled with amusement instead of annoyance.
“You’re right Maomao.”
She stared blankly at him, “I… am, sir?”
He smiled, his eyes sparkling, “yes, it is quite cold in here. Perhaps there is something you could do?”
She didn’t exactly like the sound of that, though she asked the question anyway, “and what’s that, sir?”
He brought his face closer to hers, his breath hot on her neck where her outer robes had come loose overtime, “you could sleep here tonight,” his voice was barely a whisper, the sultry sound was too much for this time of night, she suppressed a shiver, “keep me warm with your body heat.”
She really ought to leave, it was far too late at night to stay any longer. If she stayed too long, the servants would notice. Rumours would spread even more than they already had. Suiren would probably smile at her in that knowing way tomorrow morning and she truly didn’t think she could survive that experience with her dignity intact.
And yet.
Jinshi remained almost intoxicatingly close to her. In a way it made sense. He always seemed to sleep better when he was around, and she couldn’t help but wonder if she was beginning to become the very same way. She had slept better than she had in a while after she returned from the bandits, his presence like a safety blanket against her very real fears.
Even so, they couldn’t exactly sleep in the bed, and she had no doubt that neither of them would let the other take the couch alone.
She took a step away from the couch he was almost slumped against, his expression turning to one of disappointment. She made her way to the corner of the room before returning with a large blanket. She took her place next to him, placing the blanket over them as she made herself comfortable, his body so incredibly warm in the cold room.
He leaned into her, pulling her closer only to bury his face in her hair. It was nice like this. He was nice.
“Maomao?” His voice was incredibly quiet as he continued to slip further and further into sleep.
“Yes, sir?”
“May I… cut your hair myself tomorrow?” The question came out soft, and at first she was unsure whether she had heard him right.
She sighed softly, her hand coming up to absentmindedly play with his hair again, “if that is what you desire, sir.”
He exhaled happily, the room falling silent once more. Her eyes closed softly, as she leaned further into his chest, the warmth of his body becoming too much after a while. She would need to wake early to avoid questions, but for now, she would enjoy the peace and quiet.