Septiplier one shots

Just A Trim

By theonedudewiththename

Another day of work, another day of cutting the hair of kids and old people- that seemed to be the majority of the clientele that came into the hair salon where Sean, or Jack, worked.

It wasn't like he minded; the cuts were fairly simple and he usually had a lot of free time between customers, so it wasn't all bad, it just got... boring.

Seeing the same age range of people every day. Hell, even his coworkers weren't his age, they were all almost fifteen to twenty years older than he was. Sometimes it sucked to be in your twenties.

Today, Jack was wearing his favourite black, long sleeve shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and the old reliable jeans that were so worn out but fit him so well he couldn't bear to throw them out. On his feet were a pair of black Converse, in his ears were red gauges, and on his wrists were a watch and some braided bracelets- as for his hair, he just left it be.

When he got to the salon for his shift, he put on his apron and checked the computer to see who was next to be served. "April?" He called, looking up.
"That's me." It was a woman who looked to be in her forties with brown hair that looked like someone took a weed whacker to. "I hope my hair can be saved," She said.
"I'll see what I can do." Jack replied optimistically, leading her to his workstation.

His next few clients were all kids ages four to ten, except for one old man who wanted a shave. After that, he went on break to the Subway two stores over and had lunch for a twenty minutes before heading back, getting to sit and play a video game on the PSP he got for his birthday for a while, until the ding of the bell above the front door signalled a customer. Away went his video game and up he walked to the front, almost being taken aback by the sight of a very attractive and young man waiting at the desk: he was of average height, but had a muscular build that was accentuated by the tight, light blue shirt he wore and his fitted, dark skinny jeans that led to a pair of very cool but odd blue shoes. He had golden brown skin, a strong jaw that was heavily stubbled, and small eyes that shimmered- his dark hair was swept up, but kept falling in his face, which was the cutest thing ever. Jack felt his cheeks warm and heart speed up. "Hello! What can I do ya fer today?" He asked, somehow retaining his professional composure.
The man smiled warmly upon laying eyes on Jack, which didn't help the stylist's nervous disposition in the least. "A haircut, er, a trim, really." The man answered. He scratched the back of his neck, making the muscles in his arm and chest flex.

Jack screamed internally. Externally, he nodded and started typing on the computer. "I can do t'at. Have you been wit' us before?"
"Yes, but not here. I would've remembered an accent like yours."
Jack laughed somewhat nervously at the compliment, glancing briefly at the guy with a smile. "T'at's kind of ya to say, Mr...?"
"Fischbach. But you can call me Mark."
"Ahm," Jack quickly typed in the name and brought up the guy's info, signing him in. "Well, Mark, if ya could come on back, we can get started on your hair."
"Alrighty."
Jack walked back to his station and turned the chair so Mark could sit down. When he had, he turned it back to face the mirror, holding the back of the chair and looking at him. "So, what is it ya want done?"
"Uhm," Mark motioned around his head. "I just want it nice and tight, yaknow? Like, the same style, but shorter."
"By how much, like-" Jack held up a lock of Mark's soft, deep, deep brown hair and held it between two fingers. "-about here?"
Mark eyed the length a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, seems about right."
"Alright, cool, if you'd come wit' me, I'll get yer hair wetted before we cut."
"Sounds good! Lead the way, uh..." Mark paused by the chair he'd stood up from. "I never got your name."
Rubbing the back of his neck, Jack told him, "It's Sean. Or Jack, eit'er one."
Mark's smile grew somehow brighter and he held out his hand to shake. "Nice to meet you, Sean."
Jack shook the proffered hand, the softness and warmth sending shivers up his arm to run down his spine; the feeling made him pull his hand away much quicker than he'd intended to, making Mark give him a strange look. His cheeks flushed and he turned away. "Th-this way, Mark." He said, his voice cracking. Mark said nothing but followed him all the same, sitting down in the seat for the hair washing sinks, placing his neck where it was supposed to be and allowing his head to hang out into the basin. Jack pulled the towel up around the man's neck, and then turned on the water, sticking his finger in the spray to feel the water temperature- too cold, so he waited, glancing down at Mark, who was looking at him out of the corner of his eye. That caused his heart to skip, his eyes quickly diverting their gaze elsewhere; once the water was warm enough, he began to soak Mark's unbelievably soft hair with the hose, running his fingers through it to make sure he wetted everything. As he was doing this, he noticed that Mark was still watching him. "Ya can close yer eyes, it's easier."
"The view's pretty nice from here."
Jack's grip on the hose head tightened and his eyes opened wider; did this guy really just..?
In order to save himself from embarrassment, he didn't comment on it and just kept wetting Mark's hair, then shampooing it before rinsing it again and then drying with a towel. "Done here, let's get to cutting." He said, beginning the walk back to the station. He heard Mark quicken his pace in order to catch up to him.
"Hey, did I say something wrong?" Mark asked, seeming concerned.
Jack sighed inaudibly and shook his head. "No, let's just move on wit' your haircut, sir."
At being called 'sir', Mark furrowed his brows and took a small step back, his whole body seeming to turn away from Jack, as though he had just had his soul stepped on. "... A-alright."
Jack was cringing so hard his neck hurt. "Sorry... Mark. I'm jest not used to compliments."
Mark's posture relaxed, like he was relieved. "Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"It's alright," Jack smiled a little. He motioned to the chair. "Sit, would ya kindly."
"Right! Right."
Mark got settled and Jack wrapped the apron around him, leaving the towel he'd used to dry his hair around the back of his neck to catch the hairs that fell there. He picked up his comb and began to comb back Mark's hair, parting it down the middle and then combing it to either side. After that, he picked up his scissors, took a chunk of Mark's hair between his fingers, and began to snip. There was silence between them except for the sound of hair being cut, Jack concentrating on keeping the style of Mark's hair while he trimmed it, Mark watching him as he worked.
Jack got the back done and was starting on the right side when Mark asked, "So, Sean, where are you from?"
"Athlone, in Ireland." Jack answered absentmindedly.
"Was it nice there?"
"Rained a lot, but t'e people were pretty friendly."
Mark began to nod, but then stopped after Jack gave him a look. Going back to cutting his hair, Sean questioned, "What about you, Mark? Where'd ya come from?"
"I was born in Hawai'i, but I grew up in Cincinnati."
"Quite'a move."
"Yeah, it was weird, 'cause neither my mom or my dad had family there. You'd think we would've lived in Korea or something, but nope."
Jack's ears perked up in interest at the mention of Korea. "Oh, you're Korean?"
"Half, yeah. On my mom's side."
"I act'lly wanted t'e ask ye what ya were, but I didn't want'a be rude."
Mark laughed, a warm sound that caused Jack's stomach to flutter. "I wouldn't've minded. I don't get asked often."
Jack smiled, just stroking a lock of Mark's hair for a bit as he looked at him in the mirror. Once he realized what he was doing, he turned his attention back to his work. "So, do ya know any Korean?"
"I'm learning it now, as a matter of fact. I'd like to actually be able to talk with my family."
"I know some Korean. I learned it when I was datin' my ex-girlfriend."
"Do you know any other languages?"
"Some Irish, but I'm pretty shit at it."
Jack laughed, Mark chuckling along with him. Jack moved around to Mark's left side and started returning the style back to his hair with his texturizing shears. It was Mark who struck the conversation back up. "If you don't mind my asking, Jack, how old are you?"
"Twenty-five. Yerself?" Jack answered.
"Just turned twenty-six a couple weeks ago."
For some reason, Jack felt a rush of excitement spread through his insides rapidly at finding out that Mark was only a year older than he was. "Really? Didya do anyt'in' fun fer ya birthday?"
"I was at a convention for the weekend, and since it was also my friend's anniversary, they were there, too, so we went out to Dave & Buster's to celebrate."
"Sounds like a great time!"
"Yeah, it was." Mark eyed Jack in the mirror. "What about you?"
"Pardon?"
"What do you do for fun, I mean."
"Oh. Ahm, I play video games, watch movies. I don't act'lly..." Jack faltered a bit. "Have any friends."
"What? A nice guy like you? Nuh uh!"
Jack laughed airily and blushed for the third time that day. "I don't get out much, and since I just moved to America I don't really know anyone, yaknow?"
Mark smiled brightly. "Well, now you do."
The two men made eye contact for the second time, but this time, Jack wasn't the one to look away first; Mark did, his cheeks turning red, clearing his throat as his walnut brown eyes flitted to stare at the wall. Jack's lips pulled up into a small smile and he continued texturizing. "So, d'ya got a job, Mark?"
At the mention of employment, Mark seemed to close up. "Uh, yeah."
"What d'ya do?"
"I uh, I work from home, online. I'm a content creator for a company."
"Oh, like graphic design, or..?"
"Media."
Jack nodded in understanding, kind of impressed. "T'at's pretty cool, dude. Better t'an my job, not t'at I'm complainin' er nothin'. It's cooler."
"I guess." Mark smiled; it was crooked, pulling up to the right, one eye crinkling more than the other. It was the most attractive thing Jack had ever seen. "I actually went to college for engineering, but it just wasn't for me."
"I got me bachelor's in hotel management," Jack began, "Now lookit me."
Mark made a funny face. "Why'd ya go for that?"
"I was plannin' ta move to Korea to be wit' my ex, and ya gotta have some kinda business degree fer that, so I chose HM."
"Hmm." Mark shrugged. "Makes sense."
"Ay!" Jack swatted him lightly on the shoulder- more of a tap, really. "Quit yer movin', you're gonna make me mess up."
"Sorry." Mark chuckled.
Jack smiled in return, clipping at the last lock of hair with his shears. He put his comb and texturizers away, then took up his razor, plugging it in, swapping out the end, and then turning it on, buzzing first Mark's sideburns, then the lower back part of his hair, and then swapping out the end for a smaller one so he could shape his hairline and trim up his sideburns. After that, he picked up the hand mirror and turned Mark around so he could check his hair. "Yay or nay?" He asked.
Mark ran his hand through his hair, turning his head this way and that; when Jack saw his hands, his eyes widened slightly and he coughed- they were so... He comically tugged at the collar of his shirt. Mark didn't seem to notice his predicament and smiled widely at him, handing him back the mirror. "It looks great! You did a fantastic job." He said brightly.
"T'ankya! Lemme just clean ya off, t'en yer done." Jack told him.
He used a soft, synthetic-haired brush to clear to hair from Mark's face and neck, then took off the apron and removed to towel, Mark standing up and swiping his hand through his hair again. Jack strode back to the front desk and began typing on the computer, seeing Mark out of the corner of his eye come around to stand in front of him on the other side, taking out his wallet. "What do I owe ya?" He asked.
"Ten fifty." Jack told him, taking up a card from a pile on the desk. "Wouldya care ta fill out a performance feedback card so we can know how ta better serve ya in th' future?"
Mark beamed, handing over a ten dollar bill and two quarters. "Sure! Got a pen?"
He was given a pen, he bending a little to fill out the card using the desk, and then write something on the back before sliding it over to Jack with a kind of nervous grin and posture. "Well, I guess I'll see you around." He said.
Jack smiled a little. "I hope so!"
And then Mark left, twiddling his fingers, his walk more of a shuffle.
When he was gone, Jack read the card; on the front was the small questionnaire plus a comments section, which Mark had written "Great service! Very friendly and skilled." under, but then on the back was... Mark's cell number, and a note that asked, "Wanna have lunch sometime?"
A bubble of excitement rose up inside Sean upon seeing that- he actually... he actually got asked out... on a date. He held the card tightly and hopped up and down in place, giggling like an idiot.

When his shift was over, he drove back to his apartment as fast as he could without breaking the law and rushed up to his place, taking out his phone and texting Mark his answer. "Hey its jack from the salon. Id love to have lunch with you!"
Not a minute later, he received a text back. "Im glad! When are you free?"
"Im off for the next three days"
"How does the day after tomorrow at one sound?"
"Sounds great!"
"Awesome!! Ill text you the details l8r, im kinda in the middle of something :)"
"Okay! :D"
Jack set his phone down on his kitchen table and covered his face, feeling unbelievably giddy for the first time in forever.