Chapter 18

That weekend found Santana and Quinn in Emilio's Escalade heading out for some much needed one-on-one out-of-the-house time. Santana drove carefully, but she couldn't help sneaking little smirks to her boyfriend for letting him take her out, even if the wheelchair in the back of the SUV would probably be needed when they hit the thrift store to get him some real clothes. Much as she hated what Russell had done to Quinn, she enjoyed having the chance to finally go out with him. Before Russell's explosion, they'd had to sneak around and only be together at the gay club in West Lima or Santana's house.

Santana pulled into the barbershop and hopped out, hurrying over to help Quinn out of the car with his knee brace. "Time to get you looking sexy, babe," she teased, helping him in by letting him keep his arm around her shoulders instead of relying on a cane. "Hi, Jules!" She waved at the skinny bald man behind the counter. "This is Quinn. The silly lunkhead tried cutting his own hair and just made a mess of it. Think you can save it?"

Jules came out and inspected Quinn's hair before gesturing him towards the chair in the center of the small shop. "Come take a seat, my friend, and let's repair this woeful damage to your pretty hair, shall we?"

Quinn hobbled over to the chair and put his crutches down. "Yeah, I'm kinda a dumbass." He shrug with a bit of a more gruff tone to his voice. "Can you make me look like not a hobo?"

"Don't worry. I will make you look like a sexy man again, my friend," Jules smiled at Quinn via the mirror, patting the top of his head. "Your lady will not be ashamed to be seen with you after I work my magic." The man pulled a black comb out of the jar of blue solution and tapped it free of excess liquid before starting to comb Quinn's hair out. "I am thinking layers for you. Perhaps like they call a surfer style? It will be easier to achieve until your hair grows back out enough to give you a proper style."

Santana perched on a stool, crossing her legs at the knee with a smirk at her boyfriend as her skirt rode up slightly. "I'm already not ashamed of being seen with him, Jules. But he needs to look hot enough out on his own to be my boyfriend."

Jules chuckled. "Always demanding, Ms. Santana. But I do my job very well as you and your luscious locks know from experience."

"You mean her weave," Quinn smiled as he shot a grin to his lover, "Your hair is beautiful baby, I'm just kidding don't glare at me."

"Whateves," Santana snorted, tossing her hair, "Jules works magic with my hair and keeps it amazing so just sit back and trust the man, Q."

"I do." Quinn smiled and sat back, his shoulders relaxing a bit as he watched is hair being styled. He ran his hand over his shorts and scratched at the rough feeling of hair growing on his legs.

"So, how'd you hurt your knee?" He asked as he worked on the blonde's hair, "Football?" Quinn rolled his eyes when he saw Santana stifle a laugh.

"Nah." he said, "Track, I'm way to small to be in football, man. I like to stay alive," he said already making sure his lie would fit his injury. "I missed a hurtle.."

"Ouch." Jules winced, "Well, hopefully a new haircut will make you feel good as new." He snipped some more and stopped, "Do you want a root touch up or are you trying to grow out the blonde?" Quinn blushed as he looked down, "Don't be embarrassed! It looks good on you!"

"Nah, I think let it grow out. I tried it and kinda wanna new thing..." Quinn looked over at Santana, "What do you think? Ditch the blond?"

"Babe, you'd look hot light or dark," Santana smirked, leaning back on the counter and watching Jules work his hair. "Right now, you just look tasty. No more smashing through hurtles instead of over them or trying to cut your own hair though."

"Yeah yeah," he said as he closed his eyes and breathed. After awhile longer Jules brushed the hair off Quinn's neck and styled his hair.

"Alright, Ms. Santana," Jules smiled, patting Quinn on the shoulders. "What do you think? Good enough?" He asked as he styled Quinn's hair a bit more before pulling away.

Santana looked Quinn over appraisingly, "Mmm, I like it." She hopped off the stool and sauntered over to her boyfriend, picking up a hand mirror and handing it to him. "What do you think, babe? I think you look like a sexy shaggy puppy. Can't wait to run my hands through it."

"Please tell me I don't look like Beiber..." He said as he ran his fingers through his newly cropped hair. "I like it though." He smiled happy to finally be looking more male than before. He looked up to his girlfriend with a shy smile. "...Right?"

"Babe, you look like a man, not a little boy," Santana reassured him, stepping into his space and sliding her fingers into the shorter locks to comb them back before leaning in to kiss him possessively. "My man," she breathed as she leaned back when Jules cleared his throat pointedly.

"Alright, my friend, if you are in agreement that I am magical, then allow me to offer you a hot shave and towel. I find many of my gentleman clients enjoy the treatment and not many of the younger generation have learned of this pleasure." He gestured to the straight razor and shaving cream jar on the table, "I assure you it is not a service offered to boys, my friend."

Quinn looked at his girlfriend's eyes, scared to take something that he wasn't really allowed to take. "Um... There's not really much there to work with..." He said nervously, thinking that if he was even passing he wouldn't if Jules shaved his face.

"That is not the point, my friend," Jules explained busily readying the hot towels and equipment he needed for the shave at Santana's nod as she settled back onto her stool, "It is about the process of relaxing and making your face the place of wonderfully smelling smoothness that your lady need not fear the scritching scratch of stray hairs." He cranked the chair up higher and leaned the seat back before pulling a hot towel from the steamer and wafting it over Quinn's face before draping the warm, moist heat over his skin. "Now just relax, my friend, and allow me to show you the wonders of a good shave."

Quinn nodded nervously, he tried to not be tense. A voice in his head screamed the words that his dad said rattled around in his head. He tried to breathe the scents of the towels and tried to not think about all the bad feelings in his head.

"Hey, baby," Santana called out, softly scooting her chair closer so she could pry one of Quinn's tense hands off the arm of the chair and let her hold it, "you looking forward to shopping after this? I don't know where you got some of these clothes of yours, but I want my man looking hot."

"Oh oh, my friend, it sounds as though your lady has laid her claim upon you!" Jules chuckled, pulling the towel off after it started cooling down and beginning to massage the slightly spicy smelling shave soap into Quinn's cheeks and lower jaw. "You are going to love this feel and come back to my shop for this every time you have a special date with your lady. Just you wait and see, my friend."

"Yeah, she's been dragging me around with her since I can't get away on my own." He joked softly, "But, it does smell really good."

"That is the nature of the shave, my friend. Hold still now, there may be a little tugging, but if you trust me and remain still, I can promise you no harm." Jules reassured, picking up his razor and stropping it quickly on the leather strap hanging from the chair. "Especially not with your lady glaring at me so ferociously protective of her man. You are like a lioness, Ms Santana. I promise he'll be unharmed."

Jules worked not quickly but carefully. Long, smooth strokes of his razor taking off strips of lather and leaving pink skin in its wake. With each stroke, he wiped off the mixture of fine hairs and lather upon the skirt of his apron, carefully removing the light peach fuzz that had covered Quinn's cheeks and jaw and leaving behind a slightly sharper outline. Once he'd removed the vast majority of the lather with his blade, he selected another hot towel and carefully removed the remaining lather and stray fragments of hair that had slipped from the razor after being cut. Once he'd cleaned away the excess, he selected a bottle and poured a daub of gel into the palm of his hands before rubbing them together and working the crisp, spicy scented balm into the shaved area of Quinn's face. Once he'd finished, he cranked the chair back upright and turned Quinn to face the mirror.

"There now, my friend. Do you not feel like a new man?"

Quinn smiled as he brought his hand to his face and felt the skin. "Yeah." He smiled before bringing Santana's hand up and letting her stroke his skin. "Feels good right, baby?" he beamed as he looked at her. "Thanks, Jules, I don't know what I was worried about."

"You were a silly boy who did not know how nice a good shave is, but now you are a man," Jules chuckled, whipping the cover off of Quinn and dusting away the stray bits of hair before plucking Santana's credit card from between her fingers and going to ring him up at the counter.

"Mmm," Santana hummed happily, leaning in and nuzzling his neck, "you smell really good now, baby. Can you wear this smell all the time?" she asked with a smirk as she helped him back to his feet and got him up on his crutches again. "I'm really wet smelling this spicy new you, you know," she breathed in his ear as she held his crutch so he could adjust his weight on it.

Quinn rolled his eyes and kissed her soundly, "I'm pretty sure you're wet about eighty-eight percent of the time, baby." He smiled and settled himself on his crutches. "But, more scientific research needs to be done on those matters."

"Mmm, this scientific research is going to involve you in clothes that make you look like my hot ass boyfriend should," Santana murmured with a wink, walking over and signing off on the credit slip for Quinn's cut and shave before waving at Jules and promising to see him next week for her treatment as the man disappeared into the back.

Stepping to Quinn again she moved to help him out to the car once more. "I'm thinking something with a tie. I rather like the idea of being able to tug you around in public," she teased.

"You'd like me being your bitch," He raised his eyebrow as he followed her, "Which ain't gonna happen. I'm the man in this relationship..." He smirked and thought for a moment, "But hey, if you wanna use that tie thing in the bedroom? I'm down."

Santana backed out of the shop and opened the car up to help him in. "Oh, so you'd like me to tie you up and have my way with you some time, hmm, handsome?"

"Maybe." He smirked, "I just like seeing you naked and writhing. " He said softly as he situated himself and looked in the mirror. "I look good right? Like a dude? You... you're not uncomfortable being in public with me?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "Quinn, if I wasn't comfortable out with you, we wouldn't be out right now. You look good. I don't bullshit about that sort of thing. Now we're gonna get you some threads to make you look even better, so chill, okay?"

"Okay." He said as he looked out the window. "The cops called this morning..." He distantly after a little while, "Your dad talked to them while you were sleeping and I was reading the paper..."

Santana glanced at him then reached over and took his hand as she directed the SUV down the road towards her favorite thrift shop. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"They still can't find my dad... or my mom." He said softly, "I mean... my mom can get away and hide with people she knew before... but he... I don't know where he'd go." He swollowed, "If he went anywhere."

"He can't get you, Q. You're with us now. You're my boyfriend. That's it, end of story." She looked determined, "He tries and I'll end him. And if he even thinks of touching me, mi Papi will end him."

Quinn's head snapped to look at Santana. "I'd never let him or anyone else touch you." He growled, "I'd kill him first."

Santana smirked, "There's my badass boyfriend." She squeezed his hand as she pulled into the lot of the thrift store. "Come on, handsome. We're here. Let's suit you up."

He nodded, groaning slightly as he got out of the car. He wasn't really suppose to be moving so much but he only had one pair of jeans, two pairs of shorts and a package of white t-shirts that kept getting stained with blood and gunk from when his chest seeped through his dressings while he slept.

"Cool," he muttered once out of the SUV and heading inside to the first rack of guy's shorts and jeans, thumbing through sizes that were mostly way too big.

Santana rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's stubbornness and got the wheelchair out of the back and pushed it in to find him. "Babe, sit down and get off your leg. Who are you looking for clothes for anyway? Finnocence?"

He glared at her, but settled into the chair she was pushing. "What? And it's not my fault all the dudes in this town are fucking giants," he growled, taking the items Santana started picked out for him. "I don't wanna look gay, San." He said when he saw her pick up men's skinny jeans.

Santana just looked down her nose at him and picked a pair of grey stone washed jeans with tears at the knees, tossing them onto his lap before pushing him towards the dressing rooms. "Seriously, Quinn. You've been taking fashion tips from two gay boys and you think your girlfriend is going to make you look gay. Me. Do I look like Kurt?"

"No.. you have boobs," he said as he took the items. "Anything else I need to try on?" He asked as he held his armful of items.

"Me?" she teased, before shaking her head. "If I find something good, I'll let you know unless you need some help with all that?" She winked at him, "Honestly, you'll only be able to try on the cargo shorts as far as pants go, but you should be good with the shirts."

"I mean, I know my size and I trust you..." He shrugged not really wanting to jostle his leg too much. "I doubt I need to try on anything."

"Humor me and try the shirts?" Santana asked, pushing him into the dressing room. "I know your size too and maybe your girlfriend wants to find you something cool."

"Fine, woman." He smiled and closed the door and carefully went about trying on everything he could.

As soon as he was in the room, Santana made her way to a rack of suits, carefully flicking through until she found just what she was looking for. A black classic smoking jacket style suit that would go amazingly with a white tab-less dress shirt she could acquire nearly anywhere. She smirked as she noticed the missing buttons and torn liner. The seventy dollar price just dropped to thirty if they were lucky. Twenty if she was.

Glancing towards the dressing room again, she moved to fumble through a display of silk ties until she found a nice selection of nearly six solid and tastefully patterned skinny silk ties. They'd have to be shortened, but they'd look good on him. She almost headed back to the dressing room when she noticed a pair of belts that would really look good around his trim waist and a particular hat. Balancing the brushed silk fedora on her head, she got back to the dressing room with her bounty just as Quinn was opening the door.

"So?" She smirked, "Think you could use some of this?"

His eyes raked her over as he leaned against the wall. He was in one of the button down shirts and is shorts. "I like the hat on you." He smiled, "Why do I need a suit?" he asked as he looked at the fabric in her arms.

"All guys need a suit," she smirked, holding it up to him an deciding it would work after some tailoring. "And this one is classic and good quality. All it's missing is some buttons and then some minor tailoring and you will be James Bond hot, babe."

"If you think so." He shrugged and folded the stuff he wanted to buy on his chair. He pulled her inside the cubicle so he could take off his button down and put his t-shirt and hoodie back on. "I like this stuff... it makes me feel good you know?" he took off the shirt and folded it before checking his stitches were still covered.

"That's why we're here, Q. To make you feel good about you and stop stress so much about not being good enough for me or whatever stupid crap you've been thinking. It's stressing me out with you doubting everything all the time and I just want you happy for once, okay?" She leaned in and kissed him softly, "Now can we just buy you your sexy new threads so I can take you to dinner? I wanna tell the waiter how you protected me from a mugger," she whispered, leaning against him slightly with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, "I bet it would get you so many points with the staff and bonus is if it ever happened, I have no doubt you would. Now into the chair, hero. I'm on a mission to spend Papi's money on my sexy boyfriend!"

Quinn laughed softly, picking up the pile of clothes and putting them on his lap. "I have some money, your dad's already doing enough for me." he protested, trying to get his wallet out of his pocket.

"Save it," Santana smirked, pushing him over to the counter. "This is maybe eighty bucks tops after I'm done and you should save your money for something more fun. Besides," she leaned down and kissed the corner of his jaw, "maybe I like pampering my wounded boyfriend."

"I'm a kept man." He rolled his eyes and reached out for her hand. "But I'm buying you dinner, no arguments."

"I did say keep your money for something fun, didn't I?" Santana teased, coming back after paying for the items with a pleased smirk. "And what could be more fun then taking me out to dinner, hmm?" She pushed him out to the SUV and helped him in before folding the wheelchair back up and shoving it in the back. "By the way," she smiled at him, hopping into the driver's seat and pulling the hat off her head before dropping it onto his newly shaggy locks, "I'm thinking we could have some fun with those ties, don't you?"

"Sex addict." He smiled and climbed in the car. "But yeah I think we could." He smiled before popping a painkiller and swallowing it.

"Please," Santana snorted, "if I were an addict, I'd drain you dry. Now come on, time to gets our Breadstix on."