~* "Bare" *~
"What are you doing?"
Bear nearly dropped the razor, so startled was she by her love's voice. Snow was….. quiet, even at the worst of times, and right now it was as if she'd come in on the air. Their home, a building usually full of the lively sounds of all seven – no, nine of them now, had been empty. She'd been certain of it. And having noticed her scruff just starting to come back in, she'd decided to take the chance to clear it away before their new family could notice.
Before Snow could notice. Specifically.
But here the very same Gnome Princess was, standing with both hands braced on the doorframe, as if holding herself up from the shock of what she'd seen.
(Or – as if trapping her inside, forcing her to answer).
She gulped, setting the blade down on the side table and turned to face the woman. Not knowing what to say, she opened and closed her mouth several times, aware of the shaving cream sliding down her stubbled cheeks.
"It's nothing," she finally uttered, too loud and full of false cheer. "I'll be done in a moment."
Snow's confused expression should have smoothed out at that, but her fair skin pinked suddenly, brows pinching together. She stomped forward, grabbing a towel from the wall rack above the table without even looking and taking it – dryly, and roughly – to both sides of Bear's face.
"Hey!" she objected, but the smaller woman was not cowed in the slightest. Her grip on Bear's chin above her was very firm, firmer than she expected. Within moments, the cream was gone – leaving the short, short hairs growing there exposed.
The Dwarf huntress cursed in her own language, wishing she had been swifter. Wishing a lot of things.
"You are not to take a blade to any part of yourself again!" the small royal declared, dropping the towel on the floor to plant her hands on her hips. "Do you understand?"
"What about haircuts, your Highness."
"You know what I mean!" She stomped one dainty foot, but then her expression softened, and she took both of Bear's larger hands in her own. Blushing quite differently now, she looked at their linked digits, and gave them a quick squeeze. "…..Don't you think I know what Dwarves are like? At least, I mean, in some ways." She looked up again, forcing the taller woman to meet her eyes. "I will like you HOWEVER you are, you know. I already do."
Bear flushed even deeper at that, not bothering to stop the grin spreading over her face (though she was sure she still looked messy). "…..All right."
"Good." Snow started then, remembering the abandoned towel, and stopped to pick it up. "Now, they're all going to be back soon, wash up un-shavingly for dinner, all right?"
"All right."
"And then maybe after, we can go ice skating at the pond?"
Bear leaned into her a little. "Yes. But just us?"
"Just us," she beamed up at her, then grabbed her shoulder and maneuvered her back toward the wash basin, before spinning on her heel and gliding swiftly and gracefully out the door.
Bear's grin stayed on her face, soon to be less cold from her growing beard – which in truth, she HAD missed – as she turned to pick up the blade, wiped it carefully off, and stowed it safely back away in the nearby cabinet.
When she turned back to wash up again, she was humming.
Thank Gnome it's Friday!!
Featuring Gnome princess Snow White and Bear the Dwarf, of the Seven Dwarves, from my "Tock the Gnome" take on "Snow White & the Seven Dwarves / Snow White & Rose Red." More notes and art of them here. And may this self-indulgently serve to explain why Bear has been beardless in previous material 💗
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