So, I had this thought of "I wonder if Shulk ever has trouble brushing his hair," immediately followed by "I bet Rex could help him with it!"
Written with friendship in mind but can be read as Shulk/Rex if you want to.
Enjoy, and do please let me know what you think!
Glimmering Hope
Rex yawns and stretches out his arms with a satisfied sigh, looking up at the clear and starry night sky. Their little group has set up camp neat the cliff with a clear view of the Black Mountains, and have just finished enjoying a late evening meal. He's feeling warm, content, and a bit sleepy.
Next to him on the log, Shulk is struggling to untangle the rat's nest he calls hair, while Matthew and A are having a light sparring session close by. He considers warning them against training right after eating, but decides against it. Surely, they can handle themselves.
Across from him, sitting on the log on the other side of their campfire, Glimmer is writing in what he assumes is a journal of some kind. Nikol is sitting on the ground next to her, back resting against the log, tinkering with his machines. Occasionally, Glimmer leans down to ask him something in a quiet voice, and the two of them have short little conversations.
Out of all of them, Glimmer is clearly most comfortable around the boy, which is interesting, considering they were enemies trying to kill each other not long ago. While Rex is glad she has someone she feels she can trust, a part of him finds it rather painful to know that someone isn't him. The only thing he's gotten from her so far is cold, hard, distance mixed with the occasional scowl or dismissive huff.
He knows it's his own fault, really, but that doesn't stop his chest from aching every time. If only he had handled himself better that first time they met, or maybe...
He's pulled out of his thoughts by a nudge on his arm and a call of his name.
"Rex?" Shulk is saying, holding out the brush to him. "Would you mind helping me with this?" he asks, gesturing to his tangled mess of hair. Rex lets out an amused huff, taking the brush. He knows what Shulk is up to, and grateful for the distraction.
"Sure, no problem," he says, settling more comfortably on the log as Shulk turns his back to him, giving him easier access to the golden-blond locks.
He sets the brush aside for now, starting by untangling the worst parts with his fingers. Methodically, Rex works his way through it, untangling the biggest tangles and removing any twigs, leaves, bits of grass and dirt, as well as anything else that's made its way in there.
"How did you even manage this?" he wonders out loud as he pulls out a few rusty bolts from the mess that is Shulk's hair. Shulk looks over his shoulder with a half-apologetic, half-embarrassed little smile, shrugging slightly but not really answering. No idea, then. Not that it really matters, anyway.
Once he's satisfied with what he's done, he grabs the brush to get started on the real work. That's when he notices Glimmer and Nikol have both stopped what they were doing and are looking at him and Shulk with curious eyes.
"See something interesting?" he asks, looking at them in turn. Glimmer looks to the side with a huffed "No, why would you think that?" while Nikol looks down at his shoes and mutters some apology about staring and how he didn't mean to be rude.
"I guess you weren't really expecting this from us," Shulk says with that patient voice of his, looking over at the kids, who both give a little nod, or at least Nikol does. "My hair gets easily tangled up, as you've probably notices, and it's rather tricky to handle with only one good arm." He tosses a small smile in Rex' direction before continuing. "I'm lucky Rex is practically an expert in the matter."
Rex definitely knows how much trouble Shulk has with his hair. He's seen him try to handle it himself enough times to know just how badly the strands can get wrapped in and around his mechanical arm. The first time he saw it, he just shook his head at the blond trying to unsuccessfully untangle his mane with one hand, while trying to remove the loose strands from between all the gears and joints where they had gotten stuck. Then he'd taken the brush from Shulk and told him to just let him handle it, he wasn't making any progress anyway. And he's basically been Shulk's personal hair stylist ever since.
"Or you could, you know, just cut it," Glimmer says, interrupting Rex' thoughts. "Since it's so difficult for you." Rex can't tell if this is meant to be an insult, a snide remark, or actual advice. Shulk seems to decide it's the last one.
"I could," he says, running his fingers through the locks, only for them to snag on some knot, making him pull them away again with a wince. "But I prefer it this way, really. Problems and all."
The kids look at each other for a moment, then back at Shulk, nodding as if in understanding, though Rex isn't sure they actually get it, before going back to what they were doing before. Apparently two old men dealing with haircare problems isn't really that interesting after all.
"Just a tip for you, kid," Rex says, directing his words at Nikol, who looks up at him from whatever he's tinkering with. "Don't let your hair end up like this," he holds up Shulk's tangled mane for emphasis "if you don't have someone to help you take care of it."
Nikol blinks, looking a bit confused. "Um... okay? I'll keep that in mind."
Rex nods at him, grabs the brush from where he put it, then gets back to work. He uses his free hand to divide up Shulk's hair into several segments, then starts from tips and works his way up, one small segment at the time. Shulk has a lot of hair, and if he wants to do this properly - which he does - it's going to take a good hour or two, at least.
The methodical work is relaxing, and soon his mind starts to wander, not really focusing on any thought or feeling in particular, his world temporarily narrowed down to the brush in his hand, the soft but messy golden hair under his fingers, and the tangles slowly coming undone with some effort. This isn't a problem that can be solved with strength, but skill. Shulk makes a pleased hum whenever he runs his fingers over the man's scalp and allows Rex to turn and tilt his head however he wants to better manage his task.
After a while, he doesn't know how long, he takes a small break to stretch, only to find several pair of eyes fixed on him and Shulk. A and Matthew have stopped sparring and have now joined the rest of them, Matthew sitting on the third log and A standing behind him, observing them all with keen eyes.
"What?" he asks, cracking his wrists and hands to get the stiffness from them. Sometimes, he hates getting older.
"Well," Matthew says, "even though Shulk said you're pretty good at this, I guess I didn't expect you to be this good at it." He shrugs, maybe a bit embarrassed for assuming, or maybe because he just admitted he was listening in on their conversation.
"Got some experience," Rex shrugs, grabbing the brush to get back to it. "Used to do this a lot with -" he cuts himself off, shaking his head. "Doesn't matter. Point is, I'm used to doing it. It's actually pretty relaxing."
"Looks like you're not the only one who finds it relaxing," A comments, with a nod to Shulk. The man is sitting there with his eyes closed, looking like he might fall asleep at any moment. Rex grins, poking Shulk in the side.
"Hey, don't fall asleep on me old man!" he quips in a teasing voice.
"'m not," Shulk mutters, not bothering to open his eyes. "And I'm only three years older than you."
"So we're both old men," Rex corrects himself with a shrug. He might not love getting older, but it's what it is. Turning back to the kids and A, he adds, "And besides, I get to help a friend who decided it would be a great idea to grow out his hair, despite being shit at brushing it." Shulk huffs, still not opening his eyes, but doesn't say anything. He knows Rex has a point.
"Huh," Matthew says, tilting his head to the side. "I guess I didn't really think about how much care can go into hair when it's that long. I mean, mine isn't exactly short either," he adds, gesturing to his ponytail, "but I've never had problems with it. And A's hair is almost as long as Shulk's, and never seems to do much of anything with it." A looks at him, then sighs.
"I spend nearly an hour brushing it every morning, while waiting for you to wake up."
"Wait, seriously?" Matthew asks while turning his head to look at A, the surprise in his voice making both Rex and Shulk chuckle.
Kids, Rex thinks, still smiling. He starts brushing through Shulk's hair again, this time alternating between looking at what he's doing and what's going on around him.
Shulk is still keeping his eyes closed, but definitely is not falling asleep, as he's using his normal hand to seek out bits of dirt and small stones, which he picks and pokes out from between joints and little cracks on his mechanical arm.
On the other side of the fire, Nikol is still tinkering with his machines, occasionally looking around to see what the others are up to. Now and then his hand reaches up as if to touch his own hair only to stop mid-motion, and Rex wonders if he's actually considering growing it out at some point.
Glimmer seems to follow by example and has pulled out a brush to take care of her own hair, though still keeping it in its usual ponytail. It's not even close to being in the same condition as Shulk's, but has its fair share of tangles.
"Do you want some help with that?" Rex asks her before his mind has time to process what he's saying. Her head jerks up and she's giving him that flat glare. "I'm pretty handy at this stuff, you know. Just ask Shulk here." Nudging Shulk to get him to agree only results in a quiet hum.
"As if," Glimmer huffs, giving him another glare. "I can handle myself," she says, going back to brushing her own hair, carefully working out the tangles, very pointedly not looking at him. Dejected, Rex tries to keep his face neutral and far calmer than he actually feels.
"All right you guys," Shulk announces after a little while, addressing the rest of the group. "Go get some sleep. We're leaving early tomorrow morning." Matthew nods quietly, his eyes burning with determination. He's so worried and anxious to find his sister, but even a hothead like him knows he won't be any use if he collapses from exhaustion.
"Rex and I will keep watch," Shulk adds, and the two of them watch as the others curl up in their bedrolls, one by one.
Rex sighs, returning his attention to Shulk's tangles mane of hair. There isn't much left to do, actually. Most of it is completely untangled and all he has to do is run the brush through it for a bit, and it will be as good as new. That is, until Shulk gets knocked around by some monster or other.
"Try not to take her words too personally," Shulk says quietly after a few minutes of silence, turning his head slightly to look at Rex. Rex glances at the kids, making sure they're all asleep, which they are. The only one who might hear their conversation is A, and what A hears will surely be kept quiet.
"What," he whispers back, feeling his voice is far too loud in the quiet night. Sometimes he wishes he had a slightly softer voice, rather than the rough tone it tends to come out in.
"You and Glimmer didn't exactly meet during the best circumstances," Shulk continues as if Rex hadn't said anything, still keeping his blue eyes fixated on his single golden one. "She just needs some time. I'm sure she'll come around eventually."
"Maybe," Rex mutters, letting the exhaustion seep into his voice. He's finished brushing Shulk's hair, and is now just uselessly running his fingers through the golden mane. "But still..." he trails off, not sure what to say.
"She's had a difficult life," Shulk continues. "And just a short while ago she's had her whole life tipped upside down with no warning, everyone and everything she knew ripped away from her. She's probably still confused, worried and frightened. She needs time to properly adjust."
"She seems to be doing fine with Nikol and Matthew and A," Rex mutters, trying not to sound like he's complaining. He's not sure if he succeeds. His hands are now just buried in Shulk's hair, unmoving, grasping the strands like they're the only things holding him in place. That might not even be too far from the truth, as he feels an itch to start pacing, which would surely wake the kids.
He doesn't mention how easily Nikol seems to have adjusted to everything. What he feels when he sees the boy sitting with Shulk, their heads bent over some mechanical thing, or just chatting about how to best improve the machinations in something-or-other. How effortlessly Shulk gets to spend time with his kid, while Rex just gets the occasional huff and glare from Glimmer.
"She and Nikol are in the same situation, and they're close in age" Shulk says. "They find support in each other. And Matthew and A are more familiar to her than we are."
"Maybe," Rex admits, not reminding Shulk that Glimmer didn't really know Matthew and A, seeing as she apparently ran away from them within the same day she met them. He drops his gaze for a moment before meeting Shulk's eyes again, with a little smile. "Any other gems of wisdom you feel like sharing?"
"She might not have taken your offer today, but now she knows it's there. Give her time to come around." Shulk is quiet for a moment, and when Rex thinks he might be done, or just fallen asleep, he adds "Don't give up on her. Keep trying, but don't try to force anything. If you do that, you'll just push her away." He reaches to untangle Rex' hands from his hair, then turns around to properly face him.
"You're a good man, Rex. And it's very difficult to not like you after getting to really know you." He smiles, putting a hand on Rex' shoulder, squeezing gently. "She'll come around, given some time. Just be yourself, you'll see."
"Thanks," Rex says, grasping Shulk's hand in turn. "I'll try to keep that in mind."
Three days later when Glimmer sits down next to him and hands him her hairbrush without a word, it takes all the self-control Rex has to not hug her tightly. Instead, he takes the brush and slowly, carefully, he starts the work of untangling her long red hair. It's only a start, but he believes he can finally see a glimmer of hope for this relationship.
I left out the two characters who are supposed to be travelling with the group at this point in the game, but they wouldn't have had anything to do, so I just didn't include them. Just pretend they're somewhere else doing... important Liberator stuff, or something.