Wind notices Bunny’s hair is messy and decides to do something about it, whether Bunny likes it or not.
Tags: @thatonecrazysidekick @tiredgaytheatrekid @trainautismgobrr
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So he didn’t understand when Wind stomped over and stood before him, face twisted and arms crossed.
“We’re fixing your hair. Come with me.” And he turned, storming off as if Bunny’s unruly hair was a personal offence to him. Maybe it was, for all Bunny knew. When Wind turned, eyes narrowed, he quickly pushed himself to his feet and followed. They were staying the night at Selmie’s, after a brief pop in to let her know the monster had been dealt with turned into her insisting they get some proper, safe rest within her fire-warmed home.
Wind halted them by Warriors, who looked just as baffled as Bunny. Bunny hadn’t spent any time with their Captain since changing forms, could hardly bear to look at him. He had picked up on how difficult it was for the man to trust the others, and though he had never intended to transform back, he had, and he had no doubt he’d broken Warriors’ fragile trust in him.
How could he look the man in the eyes now?
Wind did not seem to care for his inner turmoil.
“You need to help me fix his hair,” Wind demanded, dropped to his knees by Warriors to lean across him and search through his bag.
Warriors didn’t seem to mind the intrusion upon his personal space, though he did appear confused. “I am sorry?”
“You will be if you don’t help. Where’s your brush?”
“Wind, slow down.” Warriors pushed Wind back, holding him at arms-length. “What is going on?”
Wind huffed, as if frustrated no one could read his mind. Bunny remained standing, awkward and uncomfortable. “Bunny. His hair is all messy. You never let my hair get that bad, and his is so much longer than mine. We have to fix it.”
Bunny averted his gaze before he could meet either of their eyes, embarrassed. It wasn’t that bad, was it? Besides, he had tied it up so no one would notice it was a little messy, that he didn’t have it in him to bother with looking after it.
Warriors gave a thoughtful hum, and Bunny knew he was appraising him, knew the man’s eyes were roaming every knot in Bunny’s hair and wondering how he could ever let it get this messy. “I see,” was all he said. Bunny was certain he intended to say more, but kept it to himself; Bunny wasn’t sure if it would be worse, had Warriors chosen to share his disgust.
Wind located the brush swiftly, and while Bunny kept his eyes on the ground, he allowed Wind to manoeuvre him so that his back faced both Wind and Warriors. “Alright,” Wind said once Bunny had settled. “We have to take your hair out. Is that okay?”
Bunny nodded. He had looped a stray piece of thread around his hair, leaving it in a tight and knotty bun that he hadn’t even considered letting loose. Now, one of them carefully unwound the thread, setting it to the side. His hair fell down his back in terribly knotted pink waves. Bunny winced, the sensation uncomfortable.
“Okay. We might need to uh… pulled some of these tangles out by hand first,” Wind said.
“We will be careful not to hurt you,” Warriors promised, and then fingers were in Bunny’s hair. Instinctive stiffness quickly faded away with a content sigh as warmth washed up his spine. True to their word, both Wind and Warriors were careful, leaving only the pleasant, tingling sensation of fingers running through his hair, turning his brain into content mush. He shifted slightly, pulled his legs closer so he could rest over them, his eyes slipping shut as a peace he hadn’t felt in months, years even, settled over his shoulders. Knots were carefully pulled apart into smaller, more manageable chunks that the hairbrush could tackle, and with each run of their fingers, Bunny leaned farther into his legs.
Had Warriors not spoken, Bunny might have fallen asleep before they were finished: “Okay. I will try the hairbrush now. I promise I will do my best not to hurt you, but…”
“But your hair is a fucking mess,” Wind finished. Warriors hummed, whether to admonish or in agreement, Bunny wasn’t certain. The hairbrush settled in his hair then, tentative and cautious, and as Warriors slowly worked the rest of the knots out of his hair, Bunny settled back into that calm, mushy state of contentment and wondered if this could maybe continue forever.
Instead, Warriors continued as he worked: “You do not need to be embarrassed about asking for help,” he said, to Bunny’s confusion. He opened his eyes, tilted his head slightly in question. “I do not mind lending my brush until we can get you one. There is no shame in asking; it is not your fault you do not have any equipment, when you were trapped in that form.”
They thought… he was too embarrassed to ask for help? Neither of them had realised he simply didn’t care enough to look after his hair, and Bunny wouldn’t correct them even if he had his voice, not when the shame ran deep into his bones.
And beyond that, they had thought he had been trapped as a rabbit? It was better than the alternative of them knowing the truth, that he had done that to himself in a final act of desperation to have some control, to free himself from the never-ending cycle of adventure after adventure, heartbreak after heartbreak. Yes, this was much better than them knowing that he was a failure, that he was too weak to handle the aftermath of his quests when none of them had struggled like he had.
Even if Bunny had his voice, he knew he would never tell them the shameful truth. And at this point… he didn’t think he would ever recover his voice. But maybe it was what he deserved, for destroying Koholint.
He sure didn’t deserve Warriors and Wind looking after him, but attempting to communicate that would be far more effort than it was worth, when the two of them were on a mission.
As Warriors finished brushing his hair, he murmured, “Your hair is very nice.”
Bunny frowned, turned his head slightly to the man and tilted it in question.
“It’s a really cool shade of pink,” Wind elaborated for him. “And it’s like…”
“It is thick and wavy,” Warriors finished for him. “I am jealous.”
Wind snickered. “That’s because you have to spend so much time and money on your hair to keep it looking like that. I bet you’d look like a wet cat without all that product.”
“Thank you, Wind. Bunny, would you like me to braid it for you to keep it from getting messy again come morning?”
Bunny blinked, the words unexpected. He wanted to say you don’t have to do that for me, don’t waste the energy, but he had no voice, and Warriors took his hesitance as acceptance. The brush was set to the side, Bunny’s hair gathered into Warriors’ hands. Wind watched on as Warriors began to make quick work of the braid, never pulling too hard. He was done within no time, with Wind tying Bunny’s scavenged thread around the tail of the braid. Warriors set it gently against Bunny’s back when he was done, where it rested between his shoulder blades.
Bunny didn’t know how to thank the two of them, when he hadn’t his voice. This hadn’t been necessary, the two of them taking care of him, but were he in their position, he knew he would have done the same. Besides, with this braid, he wouldn’t need to touch his hair again for some time, hopefully long enough for him to figure out a way to change back to a rabbit and fix everything again.
But for tonight, he shifted, turning to face the two of them. He didn’t know Hylian sign, but he gave them the best smile he could muster up, alongside a dip of his head, and they understood.
“You are welcome,” Warriors said.
“Damn right,” Wind added. “Just come to one of us next time, before it gets this bad again, okay?”
Bunny wouldn’t let them know there would not be a next time, but he nodded regardless, and they smiled, satisfied. He didn’t understand why, but… that left a little bundle of warmth crackling within him for the rest of the evening.
