I know,, they have futons but,,, motonari has the cash money and ego for feather cushions does he not?
Motonari stared at you, clearly wary of your intention. "What are... what did you bring?"
You shook the bag in your hand playfully. "Hair ties! Clips and other stuff, too. I've heard that head massages and the like help a lot with stress."
You beamed at him, ignoring how taboo that was for someone like Motonari. He looked too confused to care. He pushed in the chair to his desk and sighed, staying a second longer and wondering if this would really be worth it. He was out of options for two problems; the current enemy in his waters, and the current enemy in his planning room. Motonari straightened himself calmly and looked you in the eye. "All right, then. Follow me."
Ah?
He walked through the doorway behind you and down the hall. You stared at his wall for a moment before rushing to him. It almost sounded like he laughed when your foot caught the door frame, making you stumble.
Motonari lead you through another door, closing it harshly once you had entered. It was his bedroom; the great green pepper of Shikoku had invited you to his personal quarters. Hooooly crap.
Noticing that you were bewildered, he poked your forehead. "Yes, you're in my room. I'd rather try your ridiculous method in here compared to my working room."
He turned away from you and walked to a dresser. He disrobed his gloves and armor sleeves, until the two of you heard a chik. Motonari's arm stopped in place and the air was still.
Using the largest amount of willpower in recorded history, you stifled a laugh and asked in a relaxed tone, "My lord, do you need help?"
Even from behind, you could tell his eye twitched. "...Assist me," he ordered, refusing to lose his demeanor. You hesitantly aided him with removing his armor. He held a stoic expression the entire time, which only worsened your urge to laugh at him. If I laugh, I know he'd kill me. He'd probably throw me through his window.
After the last section was off, he moved over to his bed, plopping down with grace in his tired state. He ushered you over. "Let's start. Don't take too long, I don't want to miss out on sleep. What are you going to do, exactly?"
You fumbled with the bag in your hand. "I was... planning on brushing your hair and... um..." Decorating it? Putting it up? Badazzling?
"...And using the other tools, yes?" he finished for you. You nodded, embarrassed. He sighed, but it seemed more dramatic than authentic.
"Fine, then. Begin. And do not tug my hair."
After assuring him, he turned around and allowed you access to his surprisingly knotty hair. While he was sitting on his bed, the position forced you to rest on the floor with your knees. Every pull from the brush drove them farther into the wood.
There's no way I'm asking him to let me up. He'd kill me, I'm sure of it. "Too far, servant!" he'd say. "Blagh, I'm so entitled and annoying. Also I have a god complex."
You smiled while you worked, making fun of Motonari in your head while he sat in front of you, unaware. During your brushing, it seemed he grew a conscience, because he turned around again to look you dead-on. "You can... come up, you know. You don't have to sit on the floor."
He looked a little embarrassed, perhaps because you both knew he had totally intentionally made you sit on the floor in the beginning.
"I... I don't to, um, intrude, my lord. This is your - your bed and I, I don't belong here. Actually, I shouldn't - I shouldn't be here at all!"
You panicked the more you realized how far you had intruded on Motonari's personal spaces. First, you prolonged your presence far longer than any other servant's, then you insisted on helping him strategize, and then you went into his room. What is wrong with me?!
The brush dropped, loudly clunking onto the floor. Your hands covered your cheeks, twitching and shaking. You started breathing faster, swaying as soon as you stood up.
Motonari jumped up from his bed and placed his hands over yours. He was locking eyes with you again, but this time he wasn't intimidating or cold. It didn't feel like he was going to punish you for anything. It felt like... you hadn't done anything wrong.
"It's okay," he said, hushing you and caressing your hands awkwardly. He didn't seem like he knew what he was doing, panicking as much as you were. "It's - it's fine. You've not intruded. I welcomed you here. I asked you to help, you're helping me. Okay?"
You started to calm down, searching his face for assurance that you weren't going to be killed for stepping foot in places you weren't supposed to. He closed his eyes and tapped his forehead to yours. "It's okay."
After reassuring you for a bit, you had fully calmed down and apologized for losing your composure. Who does that?! Who goes crazy like that? What do I do now?
He made you sit on his bed this time, not allowing you anywhere else. "Do you feel better?"
You nodded. You were still nervous, but that was far better than panicking. He smiled at you and handed your bag over. "That's good. Would you mind continuing? It was working well."
You nearly exploded with a red face, but he was thankfully already turned around again. Hesitantly, you placed a hand onto his head to lessen the pull on his hair. Once you had gotten a couple of strokes in, you worked in a rhythm and the atmosphere became relaxed. Motonari closed his eyes and seemed to fall asleep a couple of times, jerking a little when you found a particularly difficult knot. Apparently, his helmet was not kind to his hair.
When you finished brushing his hair and massaging his head, his weight had fully given out and he landed on your lap.
"Was it that relaxing?"
"Mm," he grunted, not bothering to open his eyes. You moved a piece of hair that had fallen across his eyes, reaching for a clip from your bag. A yellow clip with a sun ornament held his bangs comfortably.
Once you were sure he was asleep (by poking his face and not getting a response), you left quietly, taking your bag with you. At the bottom of the stairs, you met the older servant from before that had warned you about going near your lord. He looked quite surprised to see you not thrown from a window.
"Did you - it went well?"
"Yeah. He's not as bad as we make him out to be."
You smiled and disappeared to the sleeping quarters, desperate to fall asleep. The man sighed in relief and followed after you.
The next morning, Motonari woke up in pure bliss and the best mood he had ever remembered. A glance in his mirror showed your hair clip, still stuck to his bangs. He smiled, adjusting it after holding it for a minute.
He never noticed the purple hair bow you stuck to the back of his head.
