It started with the typical shampoo mohawk, as usual during bath time. He thought it looked fuckin' awesome, when he'd done it the first time, so every time after that when he's in charge at bath time he repeats the fun. Santana mostly just rolls her eyes and scoffs, telling him she'll never understand why she thought the horrible hairstyle was so attractive in high school. He just laughs, and reminds her she used to love it.
When she leaves for a law conference in upstate New York, she makes him swear that he won't permanently damage their child in anyway. "Please babe, he's two we've done the parenting thing long enough, we can survive four days without you."
"Dada," Jackson splashes in the water, pushing the hair up with his own hands but without the shampoo it doesn't stay and falls limply to the right, "'hawk dada."
"Alright bud," he squirts a quarter sized dollop of baby shampoo into his palm before massaging it gently into the boy's hair and then shaping it into a perfect faux-hawk. "Smile for Mama?" he snaps a photo sending a quick text, she only left that morning but if he knows her she's probably wallowing in self-pity about not being with them at the moment. Jackson is such an easy kid, that he has him asleep in bed less than twenty minutes later.
The real problem doesn't arrive until the next afternoon, when Jackson points to the picture stuck to the fridge. It's of Santana and Puck from the Hummel wedding, neither of them even remember the picture being made, but Rachel had found it when she was helping put together a photo album for Burt and Carole's 5th anniversary.
"Hawk like dada?" he asked pointing to his own head.
"You want to rock the 'hawk?" he laughed, lifting the boy to his side.
"Yeah Dada!" he exclaimed, clapping excitedly.
It's not until he shaves off the first strip that he realizes he's in deep shit, but he can see the eager look in his kid's eyes and this is like the first time he's ever seen the kid this still since he was like six months old. He can't leave his kid with a half-done 'hawk either.
"Alright Bud," he sighs trimming away the final bits around his ears.
"Show Mama," he demands, pointing to the cellphone Puck had set on the ledge of the sink.
"Mama's gonna kill Dada," he mumbles, snapping the picture anyway, and less than a minute later his phone began blaring a classic 80s tune. "Hi."
"You better come up with something a lot fucking better than 'hi.'" She snarled into the phone, "what the fuck did you do to my son's head?"
"He wanted it," he didn't want to whine, but it came out that way, nonetheless. He lifted Jack down from his perch on the counter, setting him on his feet and ushering him into the living room.
"He's two years old, Puck," she retorts, "you're the parent, it's your job to decide what is best for him."
"It's a haircut," he sighs, "it'll grow back."
"Yeah but it was his first!"
"What?" he questioned, "No it wasn't."
"Yes it was," she grumbled, "look, it doesn't matter, okay? Just don't make any more decisions concerning our son until I get back, can you manage that?"
"Yeah," he nodded, "I'm sorry San."
"Whatever," that's how he knew he was really fucked, because when Santana Lopez is pissed you will hear about it for days on end, but when she's hurt she shuts down and blows you off.
He plans everything perfectly; he just has to convince Rachel to help him. "Absolutely not," she shakes her head, hand resting delicately on the barely there baby bump she now sports.
"Please Berry," he practically whines, squeezing past her into the Hudson apartment, "I already pissed her off enough."
"And you think adding your own ridiculous haircut is going to improve the situation?" her hands go to her hips, as he sets Jackson on the living room floor and sets up his coloring stuff on the coffee table.
"We can shave it off after, I just want everything to be perfect when we pick her up from the airport."
"And again I reiterate, how's this going to help?"
"Just trust me, please?" he sends her his best puppy dog eyes.
"Fine," she rolls her own before draping a towel around his shoulders, "you saved a lock of his hair right?"
"Yep," he nodded, only to receive a hand under his chin to hold his head in place, "put it in his baby book and everything."
"You're not as dumb as everyone thinks," she smiles, before turning on the clippers. It draws the attention of the young boy, who eagerly watches as his father's hair is shaped into a similar shape as his own. "If she asks I have nothing to do with any of this, you got it?"
"Yep," he answers, "thanks for this Berry. We'll see you next weekend right?"
"Of course," she smiled, "and please don't forget you can drop this little guy off whenever you need a sitter, Finn and I can use all the practice we can get."
"Please, if San and I can raise a halfway normal kid, you guys have got it down," he kissed her cheek, instructing Jackson to do the same, as they hurried out the door, "we've got one more stop to make before we get to the airport."
Jackson's asleep by the time they get to the airport, but Puck was able to get the tiny plaid bowtie on him. Of course he would've preferred that he didn't have the pacifier in his mouth (especially because Santana hates the fuckin' thing) but he chose to pick his battles.
"Oh my god," she groans spotting them, she places her head in her free hand and giggles, "what have you done now?"
"You don't like it?" he chuckled, easily handing her their son before taking the suitcase from her, "I tried to keep him awake, but he wasn't having it."
"I know I was pissed, but our boy really is cute," she murmurs placing a kiss against his shaved head, "even with the dumbass haircut." She couldn't help but smile though, she was back with her boys, and she even had to admit they looked cute in matching button down shirts, and Jackson's bowtie and chubby cheeks were the finishing touches to make her truly care less about the stupid haircuts. "I may have over reacted too, but I think I just missed you two."
"Well we missed you too," he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders, "you should probably wake him up soon or else he won't go to bed tonight."
"He's such a pouter when we wake him up," she whines, before placing multiple kisses against the baby's face getting a frown and pout round the pacifier in his mouth, "nice pacifier too, by the way."
"Alright Jacks let Mommy get a good look at you," she set him on the couch, and stepping back, sending him a stern look when he held his arms up with a pout. He put his hands behind his back and gave her a full on pout, "umm, I missed my baby boy."
She pulled the pacifier from his mouth, before lifting him back into her arms and he wrapped his legs around her waist and placed his hands on her shoulders before puckering his lips for a kiss. "Love Mama," he announced as she popped a kiss against his lips.
"Mama loves you too," she fell onto the couch with him in her lap, "now let's talk about shaving your head."
"How about you leave his hair alone and just shave Dada's?" Puck suggested joining them, "I mean even you have to admit he looks like a mini badass."
"Language!" she warned, "Just never let this happen again, got it?"
"Of course Mommy," he nodded, and Jackson nodded, mirroring his father's look, "now let's get this off Daddy's head because he looks ridiculous."
She couldn't help but laugh, as she lifted Jackson onto her hip, and followed him into the bathroom.