Work Text:
It was early morning, the sun just barely peeking out from the faraway mountains. It was quiet inside of the Citadel, its King and Prince getting dressed for the day while the servants and staff prepared for the workday.
Dark Choco was already dressed, proud that he no longer needed assistance from his appa or the servants. However, the young prince was struggling with one key step: his hair.
It had gotten long - going past his shoulders - and the prince didn't know what to do. The inky black strands were knotted and tangled up, his mallen streak mixed in what was more akin to a bird nest rather than hair. He'd been asked before on whether he wanted to get a haircut, but Dark Choco always refused.
His appa has beautiful, long hair. Why couldn't he?
And while shorter hair seemed easier to manage, it gave Dark Choco a sense of pride to have something in common with his appa. Sure, they already had similar features, but Dark Choco always admired how long and healthy his father's hair was. Plus, it was another trait the father and son could share.
It's why he reached for the comb on his dresser and hoped for the best.
Dark Choco grunted as the comb yanked at another tangled portion of his hair, ripping out a few strands. He's been at this for quite some time now, the minutes ticking by as the sun rose higher and higher in the sky. To his growing frustration, his hair looked no better than when he started brushing - actually appearing much worse than before.
“Why won't it untangle!?” He muttered angrily, cheeks puffing up like balloons.
At this rate, he'll miss breakfast, and his appa will question where he is. He could imagine the disappointment on his face if he found out he couldn't brush his hair properly and miss breakfast as a result.
The young cookie groaned loudly, throwing his head back while holding back tears of frustration. He threw the comb at the wall, the offending object making a loud thunk as it hit the wall and fell onto the carpeted floor. Dark Choco covered his face with his hands, throwing himself backwards onto his bed with a loud, frustrated whine, an act unbecoming of a prince.
He found the whole thing to be a hassle, and he raised his hands to his hair and tugged the black locks angrily. The action only served to worsen the bird's nest on his head, upsetting him further.
“This is so annoyingggg…” He whined, placing his hands on his cheeks and pulling down, forcefully opening his eyes wider.
He laid on his bed in a starfish position, letting out a petulant sigh as he stared at the ceiling. He didn't notice how much time had passed while he pouted until a loud knock interrupted his sulking. Dark Choco floundered for a second, believing it was one of the servants, until a gruff voice came from the other side.
“Son?”
Oh witches above.
Dark Choco could feel the rush of adrenaline hit him strongly, and he frantically shot up from his bed. He swung his head side-to-side, looking for a potential escape route.
“U-Um, yes, appa?” Dark Choco stuttered out, looking for something, anything, that could aid him in his predicament.
“Are you alright? The servants informed me of hearing worrying noises from your personal quarters,” his appa explained, his tone carrying a twinge of concern.
Dark Choco was only partially listening, hoping his appa would be called for something important. “Yup! I'm fine! Just… ah- getting ready!” His voice was shrill as he attempted to come up with a viable reason, stretching the final word a bit too much in his panic.
In his haste, however, he failed to notice the comb he had thrown earlier right in front of him and promptly slipped.
Loudly.
The moment his leg gave way, he let out a yelp not unlike a baby cream wolf and fell back with a loud thump, pain blooming in his upper back.
“Dark Choco?!” He heard his appa yell out in concern. “I'm coming inside.”
That was all the warning he received when the sliding door began to slide open.
He pushed himself up with his arms, internal panic mounting. “Wait, no–!” He tried to shout, but it was too late.
The door slid open, the wooden frame hitting against the wall roughly with the force exerted on it. Dark Cacao stepped inside, hanbok swaying as he walked in, and Dark Choco could see the visible confusion on his face, alongside the sliver of amusement in his appa's eyes.
The boy groaned in embarrassment, and his arms gave out, body hitting the ground with a soft thud. He closed his eyes in defeat.
He must've looked ridiculous, hair looking like it got into a fight with a bird and lost, while his clothes were rumpled from his sulking.
“What… exactly happened here?” His appa coughed into his fist, but he could see the minute twitching of his lips.
“W–well, uhm…” Dark Choco stuttered, smiling sheepishly while his cheeks heated up.
“Dark Choco,” his appa pressed, and he would've sounded stern had there not been the twinkle of amusement in his eyes.
The prince sighed, defeated. “My hair was all tangled up and no matter how hard I tried, the knots wouldn't go away,” he confessed, face warm with embarrassment. It was bad enough that he was unable to brush his hair, but having to explain his inability to his appa?
He wished a hole would open up under him and take him away.
“Silly boy,” his appa hummed not unkindly and shook his head.
Dark Choco could feel his heart sink, and he really hoped he didn't disappoint his appa, watching as the man stepped closer to his bed and away from the open door.
“Come here and sit on the bed. Bring the comb with you as well,” he ordered, watching him from beside the bed.
Dark Choco pushed himself up, reaching for the comb and wrapping his small fingers around the plastic. He pushed himself off the floor and quickly dusted his white hanbok off. Once satisfied, he trotted over to the bed, feeling a little nervous.
He sat down cross-legged on the comfortable mattress, holding up the comb so his appa could grab it.
There was a moment where nothing happened, and he began to question whether his appa simply left, before the comb was taken from his hands. He jolted, but folded his hands in the empty space between his legs.
He could feel the mattress behind him dip, and a presence rested behind him. He went to turn around to see, but a voice stopped him
“Hold still,” Dark Cacao said plainly, holding his head still with one hand. That very same hand moved to his hair and separated a small portion from the rest.
Only then did Dark Choco realize what his appa was doing.
He could feel the tell-tale sign of a comb brush through the ends of his hair, tugging softly at his scalp. Very gently, his appa worked his way up and untangled the knots that had formed in his hair. As the hands made their way to the top, Dark Choco could feel the way the teeth of the comb scratched pleasantly at his scalp. The rhythmic movements melted away any tension in his body, shoulders slumping as he simply lived in the moment with his appa.
He felt warm inside. It wasn't often that the two of them spent time together, one always working and the other trying to get stronger. There were times when the two would go days without speaking to one another, simply too busy, and Dark Choco would find himself up at night wondering if his appa truly loved him.
But this?
Moments like this made those worries vanish like they never existed.
He felt loved and cared for in moments like this, and he would trade the world just to have a few more minutes like this where his appa didn't look worn down and smiled at him with love.
The brushing stopped, and Dark Choco pushed down the sadness inside. Before he could thank his father, two warm hands began to gather the strands of hair at the top of his head, pulling away the hair that got in his face.
He was confused, but he didn't voice it, trusting his appa and what he was doing.
With the small portion of hair his appa had gathered, he could feel his fingers separate it into three groups and, in practiced motions, began to weave it into a braid.
A quiet humming came from behind him, and it took a second before he registered it as his appa. The melody was familiar, something his appa used to sing to him when he was much younger. Unconsciously, he began to hum alongside him, fiddling with the hems of his sleeves.
Little by little, the remaining strands of hair dwindled, and the braid grew longer and longer.
Dark Choco felt excited, feeling that the braid was now at his nape. His appa expertly braided his hair, making sure there were no stray locks of hair.
As his appa's fingers reached the end of his hair, he could feel him pause, the humming coming to a stop, shuffling as he grabbed something from his wrist. There was another moment of shuffling when his appa spoke again.
“I'm finished,” he said softly. Dark Choco leaped off his bed and dashed for his mirror. He could barely stop himself from crashing into the mirror, but thankfully, he did, and he admired his appa's work with sparkling eyes.
The end of the braid was tied with the purple ribbon his appa always had tied on his wrist, usually hidden under his sleeves.
“Thank you, appa! It looks beautiful!” He exclaimed, turning away from his reflection and beaming at his appa.
Dark Cacao was just getting off the bed, and he watched as he placed the comb on his nightstand. Even with his body facing away, Dark Choco could see the small smile on his appa's face.
He grinned.
“I'll teach you how to do your hair later, but we should get you something to eat,” he said, and as if on cue, his stomach rumbled.
Right, he most likely missed breakfast.
Nevertheless, he felt excited at learning something new with his appa. He smiled brightly and nodded enthusiastically. “Alright, appa!”
Excitement bubbled in his jam.
He couldn't wait!