Written by Makialene on ao3
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Yknow, this process would be significantly easier if you would just hold still.”
Lumine can’t quite make out what he grumbles in response, but she assumes it’s probably for the best. The wanderer seems to still be struggling a bit with the concept of “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all,” but she has hopes of future progress. For now, though, she doesn’t have time to worry about that, as all of her attention is currently directed towards his unruly hair.
It had seemed straight and malleable; she hadn’t expected this much difficulty. Yet here she was, fighting a losing battle with his stupidly smooth indigo locks. It wasn’t like she was even attempting to change that much from the original style, just to give him some layers and get rid of what almost seemed like an attempt at a mullet.
She shudders. Hideous. Aether wasn’t able to pull it off either, but at least he accepted that and let it grow out.
“I still don’t see why this is necessary.”
There’s more tugging and he winces at the sounds of scissors hacking away at his hair. She isn’t trying to make the process painful, he doesn’t think. A bit of tugging can’t be helped, it’s a necessary sacrifice if it means she’ll stop pestering him about his choice of haircut. There are hair trimmings covering the ground and his shoulders, and the itch is far from unnoticed. Would it kill her to move any faster?
“It’s necessary because I refuse to be seen with someone who looks like this, and I can’t exactly leave you alone, because Teyvat doesn’t seem to have mental health hotlines.”
He huffs out again as she continues to snip away at his navy locks. Kirei had been vocal about his doubts in her makeover abilities, but the overwhelming desire to please was not something he could ever seem to fully overwrite. It was clear how much she wanted this, and the potential for praise wasn’t something he was willing to pass up on. Old habits die hard, he supposes. Even if you’re trying to stamp them out, denying your nature does not come easily.
“I looked fine before, you’re making such a fuss over nothing.”
She hummed, shifting to do something to the sides of his cut, and he watched as more and more hair fell to the ground. Perhaps this was all some trick, and she was attempting to leave him with no hair at all. A fourth betrayal? She’d have to try harder than that.
Having apparently finished up the back of his hair, she moves to the front to correct his bangs, hands unknowingly wandering in an attempt to get a good grip on him. Humans possess a warmth that puppets don’t, something Kirei always fails to remember until he feels it for himself. It’s soft, and not always unpleasant, but very capable of being overwhelming.
“You absolutely did not ‘look fine’, now let me do what I need to do, or I’m going to have to change your name again.”
She had told him Kirei meant beautiful. An explanation about the meaning and her choice had been provided, something about potential, but he hadn’t been fully listening at the time; the warmth of getting a new name and a fresh start had stolen his attention.
That was a different kind of warm, one that couldn’t be felt by others but burned strong all the same. He felt it each time when he got a new name, each time he made a friend, and felt the familiar cold where his heart would be each time they were taken from him.
He felt both kinds now, as Lumine moved increasingly closer to his face. She seemed to not notice any discomfort, too focused on “fixing” his attempts at bangs. Whine as he might, he could acknowledge she was right- it wasn’t the greatest haircut. He didn’t blame himself; that had been a rough night and anything was better than the stupid long hair that reminded him so much of the shogun.
