Baekhyun pulls up into the parking lot outside the salon, squinting up at the giant name on the front glinting in the sun: ‘Chanyeol’s Salon.’

The weather has been getting steadily hotter as they ease into summer and Baekhyun has let the uneven mullet growing down along his neck get way too long and rather unkempt.  

He’s met with the cool wave of air from the air conditioner inside when he opens the door, immediately beckoned over towards one of the sinks at the side by the guy around the counter, until someone attends to him.

Baekhyun only waits about a minute till someone emerges from the backroom, their waist strap loaded with combs and scissors. The guy beelines towards him and Baekhyun’s stomach immediately swoops because holy this guy is hot.

He's got dark, short hair styled up and away from his eyes, and his lips look soft and plush, accentuated further when they curve into an 'o' as he talks. Mesmerizing.

Hot Guy eases Baekhyun’s head back after draping a towel over his shoulders and turns on the water, adjusting the temperature until it’s comfortable.

“You’re here for a trim, right?” Hot Guy asks, wetting the rest of Baekhyun’s hair, making sure to keep the drops out of his eyes.

He chuckles quietly. “How did you even let your hair grow like this?”

Baekhyun is about to come back with a witty response but Hot Guy squirts some shampoo into his hands and slides his fingers into his hair then, and Baekhyun's thoughts scatter completely.

His fingers feel ing incredible. Baekhyun clenches his jaw, holding his tongue between his teeth so he doesn't make some embarrassing noise that he can already feel straining in his throat.

What the , Baekhyun swallows, trying to focus but , Hot Guy's fingers feel like magic, slipping lower and lower on his scalp and Baekhyun feels the inevitable shiver wrack up his spine, coupled with the hot prickle spiking in his stomach, pooling in his gut.

He barely has time to brace himself before Hot Guy's hand slips down to the base of his head and scratches gently, fingernails dragging slowly along the back of his neck. Baekhyun nearly blacks out right there, feeling a massive surge of heat in his gut, uncertain if he's just moaned out loud or not. He's panting pretty loudly.

Oh. And he's half hard.

“You okay?” Hot Guy asks then. . Baekhyun has to swallow before finding his voice but it still cracks when he manages a ‘yeah’.

He can feels his face burning, trying to shift discreetly to link his fingers together and place them on his lap, high enough to cover his crotch as inconspicuously as he can. Hot Guy gives him a strange look and shrugs before going back to washing Baekhyun's hair and god his fingers keep brushing the base of his neck each time he scrubs the shampoo in and Baekhyun is losing his mind, trying really hard not to squirm in his seat.

His neck has always been super sensitive to even the slightest touch and this is hitting all the right spots in one go. His mind and body are whirling between begging it to stop and to just keep going because this feels ing incredible.

It's disconcerting when the water is suddenly shut off and his hair is patted down with the towel around his shoulders.

"All done," Hot Guy says, patting him on the shoulder to guide him to a chair in front of the wall mirrors.

Baekhyun blinks, feeling dazed and not so sure his legs will hold him up if he stands. Also, there’s the issue of the semi- he's sporting, pushing a slight tent in his pants. Somehow, he manages to get across the floor to the chair and only lets out the breath he's holding when Hot Guy swings the black gown over him, securing it over his front and around his neck.

"So, we’re getting rid of this, right?" Hot Guy asks again, looking at him through the reflection of the mirror, giving his mullet a gentle, indicative tug. Baekhyun feels a little out of breath.

Hot Guy pulls out a pair of scissors and a comb from the holster at his hips and runs it through Baekhyun's hair to smooth it out. There's no way Baekhyun's going to last.

"Hey hyung, phonecall for you," someone calls out from the other end of the shop just as Hot Guy is about to touch him again. Do, huh Baekhyun thinks.

Hot Guy, excuses himself, and Baekhyun almost whines when he steps away to take the call.

“This is Do,” Baekhyun hears him say, keeping his eyes trained on him through the mirror.

"Hey, cover for me will you?" he hears Hot Guy, Do, say then. "It's about the shipment orders, I need to handle this."

"Got it, boss."

Boss. This must be Chanyeol then, Baekhyun thinks, remembering the name on the storefront. Do Chanyeol.

He zones out for the rest of the haircut when the other guy comes to take over, thinking about Hot Guy's fingers instead, because this guy’s just don't feel the same. Baekhyun walks out of there in a daze, a little bummed that he hadn’t managed to see Hot guy again before leaving, having watched him duck into the back room to continue the call. Baekhyun makes his way back to his car like he’s in a trance, barely even paying attention to where he’s driving until he pulls up to his own house without even realizing it.

Then, he finally snaps out of it.

“Damn,” he breathes, slumping back against his seat and sagging against it. What a day. He checks out his reflection in the sunshield flap, admiring the tidy cut. It looks way better now that he actually looks groomed. He tugs at a lock of hair falling over his eyes thoughtfully. Black is looking a little boring; maybe it’s time to change it up.

He takes off right after he’s done with work, pulling up into the familiar carpark and walks into the salon. The guy behind the counter greets him; the same one who took over and cut his hair last time, Baekhyun recalls.

“Hi,” he beams confidently, looking around trying to spot Hot Guy. “I have an appointment with Do Chanyeol.”

The guy behind the counter looks at him weirdly, frowning before turning to his computer, pulling up the appointment logs.

“Hey, Chanyeol,” he calls out over his shoulder then. “Your 5 o’clock is here.”

Baekhyun straightens up, folding his arms, then deciding against it, propping his elbow on the counter instead. He leans his weight against it a beat later, wondering if jutting his hip out is overkill.

There’s footsteps approaching from the backroom. Hip out then. Self consciously, Baekhyun runs a hand through his hair just as someone emerges.

“I’ll be right with you!”

It’s not Hot Guy.

This guy is very tall, lanky, his silvery pink bangs falling into his eyes as heads over to the shelves to bring down a towel.

“Wha- that’s not Chanyeol!” Baekhyun loses his carefully rehearsed pose to lean over the counter, hissing at the guy behind the counter, Jongin, according to his name tag.

“Sure it is. This is his salon,” Jongin says, eyeing him suspiciously before this ‘Chanyeol’ calls Baekhyun over to the sink.

Floundering, Baekhyun throws Jongin one last look, as if Jongin could possibly know what’s going through his mind, before heading over to the seat by the sink, slumping down dejectedly.

“So, this is your salon huh?” Baekhyun says casually, looking up at Chanyeol, upside down from his position.

“Yep, going on three years now,” Chanyeol says proudly, giving Baekhyun’s hair an extra vigorous scrub.

“It’s Do Chanyeol, right?”

Chanyeol’s hands pause and he laughs, eyebrows raised.

“Don’t let Kyungsoo hear you say that,” he chuckles, squirting a dollop of conditioner into his hands. “I’m Park Chanyeol.”

Baekhyun perks up at that, sitting up a little straighter, though Chanyeol’s hands keep his head firmly in the sink’s ledge.

“Who’s Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun asks, hoping he doesn’t sound over eager.

“Do Kyungsoo, he works here too,” Chanyeol says, rinsing his hair out and toweling away the stray drops. “Brought him on since I first opened this place up.”

“Huh,” Baekhyun muses, walking over to the chair to get the gown draped across his front. “Interesting.”

“I see you’ve been experimenting.”

Hot Guy, Kyungsoo, is there this time when Baekhyun walks into the salon.

“Just trying something new,” Baekhyun grins, running his fingers through his newly dyed red hair.

Kyungsoo nods, unfolding a towel and waits for Baekhyun to sit before draping it over his shoulder and gently guiding his head back onto the sink. It’s already enough to set Baekhyun’s nerve endings on fire.

He barely even registers when the water is turned off and Kyungsoo is telling him to move to the other chair in front of the mirror, feeling his head spinning and stomach prickling.

“What kind of cut are you looking for?” Kyungsoo asks, combing Baekhyun’s hair down, sending another shiver down his spine.

Baekhyun swallows, trying to find his tongue.

“I wanted to try something new,” he manages finally. “What do you think would look good?”

“Well,” Kyungsoo muses, combing his fingers through his hair this time, eyeing Baekhyun through the mirror. Baekhyun might just explode.

“I think there’s plenty that would look good on you,” he says then, averting his eyes to switch his comb for the scissors and just misses Baekhyun’s smug smile.

“How about an undercut?”

“Sounds good,” Baekhyun grins widely, crossing his legs under the flaps on the gown thrown over him. “Do me.”

Kyungsoo tugs the straps of the gown a little more tightly around his throat, wiping the smile off Baekhyun’s face and spreading one across his own instead. Baekhyun regrets nothing.

He goes in again barely two weeks later when he finds a single, lone split end and decides it’s enough to warrant a whole new haircut.

Baekhyun is beaming before he even steps inside, stomach swooping when, of course, Kyungsoo is the first face he sees when he pushes the door open. He has an appointment, after all.

“There’s literally no way your hair grew that much already,” is the first thing out of Kyungsoo’s mouth. “No hair is that fast.”

He turns to stare incredulously at Jongin, who shrugs and beckons Baekhyun over to the chair.

“I’m a special case,” Baekhyun says, grinning up at Kyungsoo.

“Oh, you’re something.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, pulling the broom out to sweep the floor clean from a previous appointment.

Jongin washes his hair this time but Baekhyun doesn't even mind, tapping his fingers on his knee to a song he’s humming in his head, waiting till Jongin is done.

“Hey, thanks, by the way,” he whispers, opening his eyes to look up at Jongin when he turns off the water.

Jongin suppresses a smile, toweling Baekhyun’s hair. He’d made sure to set Baekhyun’s appointment up with Kyungsoo specifically this time around.

“Any time,” he says quietly, nodding at Kyungsoo overhead when he’s done washing his hair.

Kyungsoo starts working on the trim, looking at him through the mirror with a slightly exasperated expression but his fingers are gentle nonetheless.

“Long day?” he asks when Baekhyun can't stifle his yawn. Kyungsoo’s fingers just barely brush along his nape again and Baekhyun’s mind goes blank for a moment.

“Shoots ran a little long,” he says, feeling the exhaustion really setting in now.

“You’re a photographer?” Kyungsoo asks, looking interested. “What do you shoot?”

“Clothing lines mostly,” Baekhyun says, eyeing Kyungsoo’s expression. “Anything that looks good.”

Kyungsoo hums, ducking a little lower to get to the hair that’s harder to reach.

“I guess I figured you’d be in front of the camera not behind it, with these eccentric hairdos.”

Baekhyun shakes his head before remembering he’s supposed to be sitting still.

“My clients prefer to keep things a little more low key,” Baekhyun says. “They don’t mind what’s behind the lens as long as they get what they’re looking for.”

“Sounds interesting,” Kyungsoo says sincerely and Baekhyun feels a little chuffed at how impressed he looks.

Baekhyun manages to go through every shade on the maroon spectrum, starting to make his way into the deeper colours. He’s learnt every inch of the salon like the back of his hand by now with how often he’s there. It’s not even Kyungsoo washing his hair anymore, but Baekhyun still goes anyway..

Sometimes, it’s not even Kyungsoo cutting his hair at all but Baekhyun sneaks glances at him through the mirrors while he’s working on someone else and Chanyeol is cutting his hair instead.

It gets to a point where his whole week is spent looking forward to his appointments, even if it’s a trim that takes all of ten minutes.

“Boss, they want to know how many bottles you want shipped in.”

Jongin holds the phone to his chest to cover the receiver, looking over at Kyungsoo where he’s bleaching Baekhyun’s hair silver this time.

“Tell them two boxes.”

Jongin nods, getting back to his phone call.

“Why does he call you ‘boss’?” Baekhyun asks curiously, knowing full well that this is Chanyeol’s place.

Kyungsoo chuckles, his cheeks pushed up with his smile. Baekhyun melts a little.

“Chanyeol’s pretty terrible with all the administrative stuff so I take care of it myself,” Kyungsoo says, tilting Baekhyun’s head down to work a little lower. “I’m the one who hired Jongin to help out so, it just happened that way. He’s interning.”

Baekhyun nods, earning himself a light smack on the back of his neck when the movement makes his hair slip out of Kyungsoo’s hands.

“Is that why you thought I was Chanyeol last time?” Kyungsoo asks then, after a beat.

Baekhyun freezes, feeling the tips of his ears burn.

“They said you were looking for me specifically,” Kyungsoo goes on, eyeing him through the mirror’s reflection and Baekhyun feels under his stare.

“I guess you were just that good the first time,” Baekhyun says weakly, working up a grin and hopes that his hair is still long enough for now to hide his flaming ears.

“Good morning, how can I- oh hey, hyung. Blue? Nice. Yeah, I think there’s a slot tom-”

“Is that Baekhyun? Let me- Baekhyun. Quit doing to your hair or it’s gonna fall out. Don’t come back till it’s been at least a month.”

 
    Click
 

  The line goes dead. Baekhyun blinks at his phone, a little stunned by the abruptness. Huffing, he slumps back in his chair, feeling like his chest took a nosedive into his stomach.

During lunch break, Baekhyun slumps down on a chair in Jongdae’s office, laying his head down on his desk with a huff, and whines about Kyungsoo telling him not to go back. 

  “I mean your hair’s getting pretty fried,” Jongdae muses, tugging at a chunk of Baekhyun’s frizzy bleached hair. 

  “Exactly. Which means I need to go back!” Baekhyun reasons, sitting up and stealing a fry from Jongdae’s tray. 

  Smacking his hand away, Jongdae swivels around in his chair, turning to face him pensively. 

  “Why do you even do it?” he asks, munching thoughtfully on his fry. “I thought you said he doesn’t even do the shampooing anymore.”

  “Yeah, it’s been a while I guess,” Baekhyun frowns. “I don’t see how that matters.”

  “Well it used to. Isn’t that why you were going?” Jongdae stares at him with a strange look. Then he smiles. 

  “You really like this guy don’t you?”

 Baekhyun’s hand freezes as he’s going to steal another fry, narrowing his eyes at him. 

  “He’s just really hot,” he mutters. 

“Right,” Jongdae says skeptically. “You don’t fry your scalp with hair bleach every two weeks just because he’s hot. Tell me I’m wrong.” 

Baekhyun’s retort dies on his tongue, feeling the familiar swoop in his stomach again at the thought of it.

  “Just eat your fries,” he grunts instead, grabbing a fistful and tries to stuff it into Jongdae’s mouth. 

At least a week goes by before he caves. It’s a little later than usual after getting held up at work but he makes it in time before the salon closes. By the time he cautiously pushes the door open to step inside, it seems like it’s about to lock up anyway. Kyungsoo’s the only one left inside, cleaning up and storing things away.

Kyungsoo glares at him and shakes his head. “It hasn’t been a month yet.”

“I know,” Baekhyun says simply.

Storing the pairs of scissors back into the drawers, Kyungsoo dusts his hands off and then folds his arms.

“We’re closed.”

“I know,” Baekhyun says again, starting to feel his heart plummet right down to his feet again. Kyungsoo stares at him from across the store, perplexed.

Baekhyun tries to find the right words to say but Kyungsoo is marching up to him, pushing him down onto one of the chairs the next second and climbing halfway into his lap before kissing him.

Taken by surprise, Baekhyun’s hands fly up to settle around Kyungsoo’s hips, holding him steady, and kisses him back, melting against the movement of his lips. Kyungsoo wraps a deliberate hand around the back of his neck and drags his nails down lightly as he nudges his tongue in past his lips,

Baekhyun shudders and groans quietly, feeling the electricity ricochet through his veins. Kyungsoo swallows it down eagerly, their crotches dangerously close in this position.

“Yeah, I noticed,” he breathes, grinning pointedly when Baekhyun looks up at him, dazed and breathless.

“So, dinner?” he asks when they break off again, beaming at the flush on Kyungsoo’s cheeks, panting just as hard as he is.

“Only if you promise not to touch your hair for the next six months.”

“Deal,” Baekhyun says happily, leaning up to kiss him again and Kyungsoo laughs into his mouth exasperatedly.

Despite his words, Kyungsoo still can’t keep his own fingers out of Baekhyun’s hair, massaging his head from behind when they’re sitting in the bathtub together. He’s dragging his nails along the back of Baekhyun’s neck again, knowing the exact spots to hit that’ll make Baekhyun putty in his arms.

Kyungsoo’s hand creeps around his waist, his fingertips cold underwater, reaching down between Baekhyun’s thighs. He him idly and Baekhyun stiffens, arching back against him when Kyungsoo tightens his grip and does it again. Shivering, Baekhyun grips the edge of the tub, digging the nails of his other hand into the soft flesh of Kyungsoo’s thigh bracketing his own.

Nosing at a spot behind his ear, Kyungsoo picks up the pace, harder for each of Baekhyun’s moans that echo off the walls, bringing him to the very brink.

Then his fingers slip away. Baekhyun nearly combusts.

“, why’d you stop?” he gasps, trying to grapple at Kyungsoo’s retreating hand but the water makes his fingers too slippery and he’s been edged too close to coordinate his movements properly.

“Because the tub is filthy enough,” Kyungsoo says simply, shifting behind Baekhyun to stand up, carefully stepping out of the tub. Baekhyun loses his train of thought for a moment, admiring the way the droplets of water trail down the arch of Kyungsoo’s back, sliding down the curve of his .

Kyungsoo drags a towel down from the hook, drying himself off while Baekhyun stares up at him dolefully.

Laughing, Kyungsoo leans down, cupping Baekhyun’s faces and kisses him, softly at first, then hard enough to take his breath away.

“I’ll make it up to you,” he says with a small smile as their noses brush. Pulling away, he steps back and walks out of the bathroom, dropping his towel right before he disappears around the door frame.

Baekhyun nearly slips and falls in his haste to climb out of the bathtub.