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The warm light from the floor lamp enveloped her as the Doctor stepped out of the warm, humid bathroom. A simple robe covered her damp body, and a towel covered her dripping hair.
Cordelia perked up from her spot on the vanity, hands still wrapping a strand of blonde curled around a pink cushion roller. “You’re done?” She asked with a smile, putting a bobby pin to keep the roller in place.
“Mhm,” she replied, walking over and planting a quick peck on her lover’s pale forehead. The gesture elicited a soft hum from Cordelia. “Good, because I got the comb heating on the stove like you asked,” she added with a slight smile.
Charlotte nodded, walking over to the dresser and pulling out her pajamas. “Thank you, Princess,” she responded, slipping on her pajama pants and a matching tank.
Cordelia finished her last roller before hopping off the orange cushion and walking to her lover. She stood behind the Doctor, hands finding their way to her hips as she rested her head on her shoulders. Charlotte let out a soft chortle, eyeing the blonde.
“What’re you doing?” She asked with a smile, taking the towel off of her head, giving the dark locks one last towel dry. “Oh, nothing, just admiring your beauty,” she said with a giddy smile, nuzzling Charlotte's neck once more, inhaling her scent. She smelled faintly of sweet shea butter, and if she focused, she could pick up hints of vanilla.
Charlotte pursed her lips together in an amused smile, followed by a soft laugh. “What’d you do with the blow dryer?” She asked, reaching for the empty brown box on the left side of the dresser, careful not to move away from her girl.
“It’s in the kitchen,” Cordelia responded, moving to sit at the edge of the bed, swinging her legs lazily. Charlotte eyed her from the mirror, brown orbs meeting blue. “Why’s it in there?” She asked, confusion written across her face.
The blonde let out an awkward chuckle, prying her eyes away from the Doctor. “If you’d let me… I’d like to do your hair,” she smiled bashfully, sneaking glances at Charlotte.
Charlotte thought for a minute before shaking her head. “Don’t you have to be somewhere early tomorrow?” She questioned, eyes drifting to the clock. “It’s late, baby, you should get your rest.”
“It’s only… at least 11 o’clock,” Cordelia protested, standing up and taking her lover's hand into hers. “I’ll hurry up! Besides, it’s faster when someone else is doing it,” she reasoned, bringing the woman’s hand up and kissing the mocha skin. “And besides, you also have work tomorrow. And you clock in when I’m waking up.”
Charlotte turned to Cordelia, watching her pink lips come in contact with her skin. “We barely have time to ourselves anymore,” Cordelia further explained, blue eyes meeting brown. “You really want to?” Charlotte asked apprehensively, quickly followed by Cordelia’s enthusiastic nod.
“Alright,” Charlotte stated, a small smile spreading across her full lips. Cordelia let out a happy shriek, leaning up to kiss her Doctor. “Thank you, Mummy,” she cooed, rubbing gentle circles against Charlotte's skin.
Cordelia led her lover into the kitchenette, rearranging the dining room chairs and dragging one to the small space. Charlotte grabbed the kitchen stool, positioning the two one in front of the other.
Charlotte sat down in the dining room chair, followed by Cordelia perched above her on the stool. “Ok! So,” she said, picking up the hair dryer. “What do I do?” She asked enthusiastically.
“I’ll do most of it, don’t worry,” Charlotte reassured, reaching up to her scalp and tying her brown hair back, leaving a little section out. “Just dry this section, then part another one, alright?” Cordelia nodded, taking her lover’s hair in her hands. “Aww…” she said with a little giggle at the dark curls peeking up from the relaxed cuticles.
“What is it?” Charlotte asked from her chair, fingers reaching to the coffee machine on the counter and fiddling with the buttons. “Your curls are showing,” she cooed, giving Charlotte a loving tap on her shoulder. The Doctor responded with a knowing hum, leaning back in the chair as the warmth from the blow dryer radiated onto her nape.
“Make sure you take your time there, then,” she responded casually, pouring the instant mix into the coffee filter, pressing the last few buttons before steam started seeping out from around the machine. “Alright,” she mumbled, sectioning out another part of hair, turning the dryer back against her head.
“Hey, Delia? Could you pass the remote?" the Doctor asked from the chair. Cordelia set down the blow dryer, walked over to the coffee table, and picked up the block. “Y’know, I think they’re only showing reruns right now.” She tossed the remote to the Doctor, who quickly caught it. “You think?” she pressed the on-button, flipping through the channels.
Cordelia walked back over to her place in the middle of the small kitchenette, perching back onto the wooden stool. “You can check,” she supposed, letting the last little section fall out of her hair tie. “Mhmm…” the Doctor responded, unamused at all the no-good reruns. Cordelia turned the blow-dryer on one last time, then took the brush and ran it through Charlotte's hair.
In the meantime, the Doctor had landed on a Frasier rerun and decided that’ll do. “So…” Cordelia smiled, setting the blow dryer down. She picked up the handheld mirror from the counter, leaning it down to capture her lover. “Did I do well?” she spilled, flashing her lover a giddy smile. Charlotte nodded, handing the mirror back to the beaming blonde.
“Perfectly,” the Doctor purred, leaning up and giving her girl a kiss, hand snaking up and gently rubbing the side of the blonde’s face. Cordelia pulled away with a satisfied smile, melting into Charlotte’s touch. She stayed like that for a little bit before patting the doctor's hand and getting up.
“So, go get the comb from the stove, and I’ll section my hair for you, alright?” Charlotte said, followed by a swift nod from her lover. Cordelia grabbed the wooden handle from the stovetop, twirling it in her hands apprehensively. “It seems pretty hot…” she mumbled, brows furrowing.
Charlotte nodded, pulling out a section of her hair and tying the rest back up. “Of course it is. That’s what it’s for, Delia,” she said, a little laugh in her voice. Cordelia nodded warily, turning off the stove and walking back to her stool with the smoking item.
Charlotte put her head down, body involuntarily tensing. “See the section I left out? Go over that a few times.”
Cordelia nodded at Charlotte's instructions, bringing the comb near her ends and raking it through the, now smoking, brown locks. “Get the roots,” her lover instructed. “But I might burn you!” She whisper-shrieked, moving the tool away.
“Delia, it’s alright if you do,” she reassured, turning to face her lover. “Just… try not to, alright?” She said with a half smile, turning back around. Cordelia nodded once again, this time bringing the comb down against her roots.
She felt her lover actively trying not to pull away from the heat, forcing herself to stay in place. Cordelia finished ranking the metal through her Doctors hair, setting it on a paper napkin. “You alright?” She asked, feeling Charlotte loosen up again. “Mhm,” she responded calmly.
Cordelia nodded, sectioning another part of her dark hair. “You’re doing great, Princess. Just keep doing that for all of it, alright?”
“Mk,” the blonde responded, tying the excess hair back up. She picked up the smoking comb, noticing it had burned the paper and left a dark outline. She let out a little sign and brought the comb back to her lover’s head.
“Ah!” The Doctor hissed, quickly pulling away from the scorching heat on her scalp. Cordelia almost instantly retracted the other way, quickly setting the comb back down on the counter. “Oh! Did I burn you?” She fretted, biting her lip anxiously.
No, no, it was the steam, that’s all,” she told her, tilting her head up to meet her lover's furrowed brow. The Doctor pursed her lips together in a small smile, reaching up to kiss the anxiety off Delia’s face. “It happens.”
Cordelia nodded, kissing her lover back gently. “I just don’t want to hurt you, Mummy,” she said softly against the Doctor’s lips, eyes fluttering shut. Charlotte nodded, pulling away from the kiss. “Delia, I promise, it’s fine.” The Doctor turned back, eyes drifting down once more to the kitchen tiles.
Cordelia sighed softly, parting another section. “It’s not fine… Having to do this every week,” she mumbled softly, bringing the smoking comb against the tense Doctor's hair. “How’re you ok with this?”
“I’d rather do this than lose my job,” she said with a stiff laugh, trying to prevent herself from moving. Cordelia signed deeply, raking the hot comb through the little section. “I thought they stopped that in the 70s,” she murmured, shaking her head.
She placed the comb back against Charlotte's hair, taking it through the smoking brown locks.
She sat the comb down, parting another piece of hair. “Delia, they never stopped it,” she took the rubber band out from the last section, wrapping it around her wrist. “If I went out there with my hair like that, I’d probably get arrested. Then fired.”
“That’s harsh.” Cordelia said, heart dropping. She had known a bit about the situation, but not nearly enough. “Damn right,” Charlotte scoffed, keeping her head still so she wouldn’t get burned.
“There’s others fighting the active fight,” she said, taking the mirror Cordelia passed down to her. Charlotte stood up from the chair, stretching her legs from sitting so long. “It looks fabulous, Princess,” she mused.
Cordelia nodded, wrapping her arms around her Doctor’s waist, gently leaning against her back. “Your natural hair is beautiful to me,” she said sincerely, gently nipping at her lover's earlobe. “Thank you.”
Charlotte leaned back against the blonde, leaving gentle kisses against her neck. Cordelia let out a soft moan, followed by a quiet laugh. “It’s late, isn’t it?” She snorted, eyes lazily drifting up to the clock resting behind the stovetop. The blinking green letters displayed 1:14 am.
“And I’m only getting 4 hours of sleep tonight,” Charlotte sighed, turning in her lover's grasp and planting a sweet kiss against her pink lips. “Thank you, Delia,” she purred softly, smiling against her lover's lips.
The blonde blushed and nodded, giving her a quick peck on her lips before turning everything off and leading her into their bedroom. Cordelia flopped onto the bed as she watched her lover wrap her hair up into a nice bonnet.
“Are you gonna drink that coffee you brewed?” The blonde asked, snuggling underneath the covers. “Maybe in the morning,” the Doctor shrugged, tying the strings of the fabric.
Charlotte soon climbed onto the cool mattress, snuggling underneath the covers. She tangled herself into her lover, their bodies twisting into each other’s. Cordelia slid one of her legs in between her lover’s thighs, wrapping both arms around Charlotte's neck and resting her back against her stomach. Delia leaned her head back, resting it on the Doctor's chest.
“I love you, Mummy,” Cordelia sighed, eyes fluttering shut against her warmth. Charlotte wrapped her arms around her lover’s waist, nuzzling her head into her neck. “I love you too, sweetheart,” Charlotte mumbled quietly, planting a kiss against her neck.