Mercedes giggled as she watched Sam attempt to part a straight line down the middle of Lilliana's hair. She held a clump of Cameron's hair in her hand, having just shown Sam what to do using their pouting son as a reluctant example.
"Take your time with it. You can go back to a certain point and do it again if you mess up," Mercedes advised, still giggling at the concentration on her husband's face. He was really invested in getting this right and his tongue poked out as he concentrated on tracing the part perfectly. Lilliana sat in front of him, obliviously playing a game on her LeapPad. It was the only way to keep her silent during the process. If she turned into a crying mess, then her father would fall apart and they'd be back at square one.
Mercedes—who'd been responsible for all hair-combing since Lilliana was born—was about to leave the next afternoon for a little under a month. She'd be in New York, staying with Kurt, as she recorded songs for her new album with a producer she'd been dying to work with. It would be a bit of an adjustment for the family, but worth in the end as it would boost her career.
Sam had approached Mercedes a few days before she left, really wanting to know how to pull off a few hairstyles for his daughter that wouldn't be a clear sign that her mother was gone. He'd tried before on a few occasions where Mercedes had been gone for the day, and always ended up with a lopsided or clumpy mess on his hands.
The final straw for Sam had been during Mercedes' last trip away from home. Lilly had come home from school upset that some other girls had teased her messy hair, calling her Poodle Head. Sam had felt so guilty at the sight of her tears—even as he'd advised her not to heed their words because she was beautiful. It'd killed him to hear her wish she was anything but her absolutely perfect self. It'd taken a long talk from him and her mother when she returned to set Lilliana straight and boost the little girl's confidence back up.
It'd taken an even longer talk between him and Mercedes before Sam had been able to forgive himself.
The tight, curly texture of Lilly's hair was much different than what he was used to from when he'd styled Stacey's hair. He couldn't really just brush the strands, pin them down, and call it a day and he didn't want his daughter to have to go through that for a month. He couldn't deal with the guilt of not trying. After all, he was her father. He should know how to comb her hair.
With Cameron, it'd been easy. All he did was moisturize his son's blond curls, untangle them, and let them be free. Lilliana's brown curls were slightly looser than her brothers. They also had a finer texture that tangled easily and that required an extreme amount of care to prevent breakage.
Mercedes had already taken him through the washing, conditioning, and untangling process—laughing the whole way through as Sam listened intently and tried to copy her actions. The amount of concern she could see on his face was just one of the many reasons she adored him. She loved that he cared enough to learn.
They'd enlisted Cameron to help with the styling portion. Sam completed the part and turned to gauge Mercedes' reaction. She laughed at the complete look of pride on his face when she told him it was good.
"You sure?" he asked. "I don't want another P-O-O-D-L-E incident," he said, his cheeks flushing red at the mere mention.
"It's perfect, baby. I promise," she replied with a soft smile. "Okay," she said when he nodded, "now you just wanna pull one side tightly." She demonstrated on Cameron's head. Cameron squinted at the action and tried to yank his head away to no avail.
"Is this really necessary?" Cameron said, cutting off whatever his mother was about to say next.
Sam shushed his son, eyes flashing at him, before he went back to listening to his wife. Cameron's pout was surly, but he turned his attention back to his iPod, as Mercedes continued.
"Use the brush to smooth it out and make it straight." She demonstrated again on Cameron's head, pulling one side of his hair in place for a pigtail, smoothing it down with a comb. "Then you put in the hair tie. Twist it a couple times so it's tight—but not too tight, or it'll hurt her and give her a headache. Then she'll be a world of trouble the next day when you try to get her to sit through it again because her scalp will hurt."
Sam looked worried at that. He was putty in Lilliana's hands. He knew if she started crying, he'd be likely to let her go to school looking however she wanted—and with Lilliana there was no telling what that might be. Knowing her, it could be anything from a Power Ranger to a unicorn and he'd be in trouble.
"You know, this is not a thing people do," Cameron commented while his father worked. "This is weird. Why do we have to be weird?"
"Just hold still, Cam," Mercedes said, pulling his hair through the hair tie as Sam watched. She looped the hair tie around again and smiled as Sam successfully copied the actions on Lilly's hair. "Good, baby. You're doing great," she encouraged. "Now, try the other side."
She watched as Sam pulled the side, smoothing it down with the brush, before pulling it into a hair tie and looping it around again. She had to laugh at the look of pride on his face when he'd completely finished and took in his work. Mercedes quickly fixed the other half of Cameron's hair so he had poofs to match his sister's.
"Now, you could braid it, but I think it looks cuter this way. Plus you don't have to worry about fixing the braids if they come out—which they usually do because she messes with them," Mercedes said, laughing when Lilliana turned to look at her with wide eyes and abruptly pulled her hands away from her hair.
"Am I done?" Cameron asked, turning to look at her. She took in his face and the two poofs on the side of his head and just started to laugh. Sam and Lilliana joined in as the surly pout returned to Cameron's face. "Oh, I see," he said standing up, while his family kept right on laughing.
"I so nicely volunteer my time and hair, and you laugh at me?" he asked dramatically. His put out expression only made his family laugh more, the two poofs at the side of his head ensuring that nothing he said could be taken seriously. "See if I ever help y'all out again," he said before making his grand exit, poofs and all, out of the living room.
Sam sighed out a breath when he finally could, his face red from the exertion. "I still have more styles to learn," he said a little absently.
"I'll bribe him with snickerdoodles," Mercedes promised. "Let's take a lunch break."
With that, Sam picked up his daughter, proudly patting one of the poofs on her head as they headed to the kitchen behind Mercedes.
A/N: I was going through and sorting things on FF. This one has been sitting in my Doc Manager on FF for the longest. Just decided to finally post it. Hope y'all like it. Just another family moment and Cameron being a fool. There might be another update today, too. I have two oneshots currently in the works. If I feel like finishing them, I will lol. Please review!