i've got hair from here to there

[prydeful]

She is not a woman who enjoys pregnancy, Kate has discovered.

She really, really wants to phase.

Instead, she's distracting herself with bridal magazines that have been heaped upon her by not only her mother, but also Simon's.

Which means there's a really wide range of styles from one page to the next, and every now and then she's not sure if she's looking at something for the wedding ceremony or the honeymoon, but...well, it most definitely serves as distraction.

"Some of your culture frightens me," she informs Simon without looking up when he enters their room.

Comments

[simon_doctor]

"Did anything in particular bring on that observation?" He sets down his bag and makes his way toward where she's sitting on the bed, ensconced in a mountain of pillows and surrounded by magazines, and leans to kiss her temple.

[prydeful]

Wordlessly, she hands him one magazine in particular where she actually double-checked before confirming that, yes, those outfits are for the ceremony itself, not after, while leafing through another one with her spare hand.

"Your mother gave me this. Your mother." Beat. "You didn't tell her about my bar hopping outfit, did you?" That's just slightly suspicious.

(Look, she has enough problems already with her future mother-in-law.)

[simon_doctor]

"Of course not," he says, blinking at the photo spread she's handed him. "Oh. I -- that is a little extreme."

[prydeful]

"See? Valid question, in context," she says wryly, bemused at the slight red tint that affects both his ears and the glow of his eyes.

"We could always get it for...fun," Kate adds innocently, and then sighs as she looks at the piles of slick paper around her. "Not that deciding to do so would be making any of the decisions I apparently have to, but hey, it's a decision, right?"

Beat, and a sideways glance as she reaches for a hair style magazine. "And we deserve some fun, I feel--oh, God, my mother annotated this one." It's said with a slightly horrified fascination.

[simon_doctor]

"What does she say?" He sets the magazine down a little hurriedly, and tilts his head to look at the one Kate's holding.

[prydeful]

She grimaces and hands the magazine to Simon, catching a last glance of her mother's small, neat script before flopping backwards.

After a moment, one hand rests on her stomach.

"Many things." Dryly. "My mother's been at war with my hair since I was seven or eight and started having to show up at fundraisers, or whatever her event of the week was. God, I hated it. I'd have to sit still for an hour while she fussed. Plus, I always choked on the smell of the goop she used to straighten my hair out. Shi'ar products may be technically meant for feathers, but they work just fine on hair and don't smell like someone's been playing with stink bombs."

[simon_doctor]

He frowns at the writing, and then at her, in faint puzzlement. "Straighten your hair?"

[prydeful]

She looks at him, her own brow furrowing, before it clicks.

And then she bursts out laughing, pointing at her own head with a finger. "This? Isn't naturally straight, love. It's curly. Like, seriously so."

[simon_doctor]

"You're -- really?" Faintly astonished. "I don't think I've ever seen it anything but straight."

[prydeful]

Kate mostly looks amused. "Yes, really." And shrugs. "I treat it every few months to help keep it straight, and I blow it dry with a brush. It's not hard. I've been doing it on myself since I was, like, fifteen. Easier to comb through, too."

Her head cocks to one side. "I just assumed you knew, somehow." Some of the amusement's at herself. "...You can see, if you want. And help me out. Both in getting it curly and getting it back to normal tomorrow."

[simon_doctor]

"I'd like that." He smiles. "Though I'll need detailed instructions if I'm going to be helpful. Unless the kind of help you need is on the level of 'hold this until I ask for it.'"

[prydeful]

"Well, sliiightly more detailed." She winces after trying to sit up the way she used to. "--And help me up without any smirking."

[simon_doctor]

"No smirking," he reassures her, reaching to help her sit up. "I promise."

[prydeful]

"Smart man," she says wryly, since the pillows are comfortable but don't provide much support.

For a moment, she just sits on the edge of the bed, looking at the various magazines. "Remember how I wanted to elope, and you said no?"

Wry's now dry.

[simon_doctor]

"You agreed with me," he protests. Mildly.

[prydeful]

"No. No, Simon, sweetie," she says gently. "I resigned myself to your refusal to head to Vegas and/or other, less stereotypical elopement options. Kinda different thing." He gets a light kiss on the nose, to make it clear she's not upset at the moment, before pushing herself onto her feet.

"But that's okay." Her voice is chipper. "We're not eloping, which means doing it properly. My mother's planning an engagement party for us. Have I ever mentioned that her side of the family is large and extended? I just...kinda avoid interacting with them, for fear of someone realizing a connection exists between, like, my cousins' kids and me. Because I get really pissed off when I have to rescue kids or someone uses them against me, so I minimize the odds of it happening. They appreciate that enough that pretty much everyone's RSVP'ed." Beat. "You might want to start studying up on 21st century American culture and creating a backstory. Maybe a detailed one," she adds from the bathroom entrance.

[simon_doctor]

"You don't think they'd believe me if I said I was from another universe, I take it?"

[prydeful]

"...I don't know." Thoughtfully said, as she begins rummaging in a cabinet.

"Some might. But they probably wouldn't come to the wedding, if they did. The rest would think you're nuts. But I live in a weird world. I don't know who'll believe what, honestly."

[simon_doctor]

"I don't know either, but, ah ... you may have noticed that I'm generally not a very convincing liar."

Faint blueish-green sparks flicker in around his hands, and out again.

[prydeful]

Deadpanned, "No, really?"

She catches the sparks in the reflection of the mirror and pauses. "...Wow. I'll have to tell them all I'm a mutant." It's just thoughtfully said before she shakes her head and pulls out two bottles and a device that looks something like a compact hair dryer.

[simon_doctor]

He blinks. "They don't know? -- And do you need my help with this part?"

[prydeful]

"If you would." Softly, almost shyly.

She's kept her hair straight for years. She's forgotten what it looks like curled, almost, but she insists to herself she's not nervous--that would be silly--and phases out of her clothing to step in the shower and wet her hair.

"--And only my mother knows. Maybe her parents, if she told them." She shrugs a little as the water pours over her. "I told you, I don't risk leading bad guys to family. And that means not seeing said family, for the most part. Grab a robe for me?"

[simon_doctor]

"That makes a great deal of sense." Simon turns away from making a neat pile of her discarded shirt and shorts on the laundry hamper, to grab her bathrobe from its hook on the back of the bathroom door.

[prydeful]

"Ta, love," she murmurs, not commenting more on her family while she slips the robe on and loosely ties it over her rounded stomach.

Can't help thinking, again, Good God, I'm pregnant, when she has to adjust the belt and loosen it.

"...Anyway," Kate continues, clearing her throat. "You need a rough two to one ration of this," holding up one bottle, "with this. Work it in my hair. Then just run the...we'll call it a hair dryer, for now, over it. Should work fast."

It was meant for feathers, hence the need to mix two of the products, but it works great on hair. For straightening, yes. And for letting it back to what's natural.

Dammit. She is nervous.

[simon_doctor]

"Two to one," he repeats, nodding as he takes the bottles from her. "And about how much total?"

[prydeful]

"Just enough to coat all the hair. The, uh, hair-dryer activates the chemicals while drying my hair at the same time."

Will not fidget.

[simon_doctor]

"All right," he murmurs, and begins decanting product from the bottles into the palm of his hand, blending the two together with his index finger.

"Would you like to see what I'm doing?"

[prydeful]

"Not really." Her tone's just even. "I've done it before, after all, though it's been...wow, longer than I thought. Anyway. I'll look in the mirror when you're done."

Her right knee goes up and down a bit.

Why am I nervous, she can't help wondering.

[simon_doctor]

His hands are gentle in her hair, careful and smooth, gathering the untreated locks together and working the blended product through.

"Tilt your head back a little?"

[prydeful]

She does, unable to keep herself from being slightly annoyed when she has to put her hands out to steady herself as she does so; changing centers of gravity suck.

The smell is something like mint and something like fruit and something that only exists in the Shi'ar Empire, so it reminds her of the Majestrix. Back when Lilandra was a friend.

She refuses, however, to let any of this make her sad.

[simon_doctor]

To Simon, the unfamiliar scent is a vague puzzle rather than a jog to the memory; he's still trying to place it as he finishes spreading the substance through her hair.

"There, that's finished. Do I need to do the next part immediately or can I wash my hands first?"

[prydeful]

Dryly, "I think my hair can wait 20 seconds."

[simon_doctor]

"Twenty seconds with rose oil isn't the same thing as twenty seconds with bleach," he says with some dignity, over the running water. "That's why I asked."

He finishes wiping his hands, and picks up the device.

[prydeful]

It really doesn't take that long; much less time than she spends over her hair every morning, even just blowing it dry.

Even just running the device over a section of hair once is enough to trigger the reaction, and her straight hair suddenly looks wavy.

Then more so.

After three minutes, her head is bent slightly, but her face is totally hidden by the unruly, thick mass of curls that the chemicals have kept straight for years.

[simon_doctor]

Simon's watching in wonder.

And, very gently, he lifts one hand to touch the curly mass.

[prydeful]

"And this," she says lightly, feeling like the moment is oddly intimate with Simon touching her hair so gently, "is my hair when I don't straighten it. Voila!"

[simon_doctor]

"I had no idea." He's smiling. "It feels so different."

[prydeful]

She laughs at that and shakes her head a little, letting the curls fall about her. "Well, no, you wouldn't. It's not exactly come up. And it's a pain to keep it this way with all I do. Sometimes it could be dangerous, too. But yup. This is the hair courtesy of my mother and one Endless."

Kate smiles a little crookedly as she tilts her head backwards to look at Simon.

[simon_doctor]

He shifts to the side a little, to make it easier for her to face him. "What's dangerous about it?"

[prydeful]

She looks at him wryly before resting her head on his shoulder. "Straight hair goes into a nice, smooth bun, or a sleek pony tail. This? Can get caught on anything, or be grabbed more easily. But getting caught when I have to be solid is my main concern."

They haven't exactly talked about how she'll be an X-Man after the baby comes, but they've been focused on that very thing--the baby--and Simon's mutation more than anything else.

Still, she has to mention her..."lifestyle" to explain.

[simon_doctor]

"Oh, I see. Not ... dangerous in itself, just less tidy when that's important."

He's thinking of Zoe's hair, and how she used to tie it into a club or braid it before action, but maybe that's not as easy as it would be with straight hair.

[prydeful]

It's more that when she has to be solid, she's generally dealing with mechanical and electrical things. Lots of wires and springs and things for curls to catch on. Minimizing that? Helps.

There are other reasons, too, but that's a biggie.

"Well, sorta. Getting your head yanked back at the wrong time because a curl got caught on a wire is kinda dangerous," she says wryly, then shifts to rest herself more on him. "So what do you think?"

[simon_doctor]

"I really like it," he says honestly, winding one curl around his finger. "It's completely different, but ... it's still beautiful."

[prydeful]

Her smile softens at that; Kate doesn't blush often, but she does now, pale skin slowly reddening. "So, I'm thinking you might like curly hair for the wedding, then?"

She'll still wear it up, like she was thinking. And smooth it, God knows. But that's normal hair stuff and styling.

And the way he's touching her hair makes her think it would be wonderful.

[simon_doctor]

"Well," he says, starting to smile again, "that might be one occasion when it wouldn't be so crucial to have hair that won't catch on things?"

[prydeful]

"I dunno," she laughs, "you are having an X-Wedding. And now with two mutants instead of just one. That's tempting fate, that is."

And then she leans over to kiss him, carefully. "But I think it would be worth it."

[simon_doctor]

"I think it might be."

He kisses her back, gently.