Exception

By: Aviantei

67. A Little Bit of Change Goes a Long Way

"So what made ya wanna open up a salon, anyways?"

Now that Lavi had committed to getting a haircut of as of yet to be determined style ("Well, I think you'd look good with—" "Don't worry about, it, Kroykins, just surprise me!"), he was getting the full treatment, which happened to involve a quick wash courtesy of the salon. In a room removed from the front workspace, there was a line of special chairs and wash basins, and Lavi was sitting with his neck comfortably in the support as Kroy worked suds into his hair. Lenalee was also present, but she was a couple if seats down and already engrossed in a chat with her own stylist, Miranda, so it was time for one of Lavi's many favorite past times, talking to strangers and learning about their backstories!

While Kroy was a little bit in panic mode over giving a customer a haircut without their confirming it was what they wanted, he was also always glad to chat with a client, so his emotional state had balanced out for the time being. "Well, it was because of my wife, you see," he said. Given that he currently had suds everywhere, Lavi resisted the urge to open his eye wide—not like it was a requirement for feeling surprised or anything, but what fun was life without a little bit of exaggeration? Kroy hadn't been wearing a wedding ring or anything, but maybe it didn't play nice with all the shampoo and hair treatment stuff? "Being from an old family, I had a lot of responsibilities, but inheriting never really interested me. But Eliade has always been interested in fashion and the like, so opening a salon was her idea.

"She always wanted to have one, and she said I could help out until I found something I'd rather be doing. But I ended up liking hair styling a lot, and working together with her was a dream, so I stuck to it. My family wasn't very pleased, but we moved here from Romania, and we've been happy ever since." Kroy laughed a little, and the look on his face was pure joy. "She's not working today, so I can't introduce you, but I do have a picture of her on my mirror if you're curious."

Before he'd been moved back, Lavi had already caught a glimpse of Kroy's workstation, so it was easy to envision the picture in question in his mind. Eliade was a beauty, dressed in all black with blonde hair tied back into a couple of low pigtails. Both her choices in clothing and makeup accentuated her natural beauty, and any attempt at a surly expression had seemed to melt whenever the photo had been taken. Between her looks and the loving way Kroy spoke about her, the man had scored a perfect home run.

"Sounds like you're a lucky guy," Lavi said, his heart feeling a little warm and fuzzy from having heard the tale.

"Yes, I believe so, too." Finished rinsing the suds from Lavi's hair, Kroy started to work in a conditioner. While Lavi could distinctly remember getting his hair washed as a kid, it had been a while, but the sensation wasn't anywhere near as uncomfortable as he thought it would be as an adult. No, something about it was peaceful, even against all odds of the place's design and the ambient music. "You're one of Lenalee's friends, so does that mean you two go to school together, then?"

"That's right, ever since middle school. Though I'm a couple years older, so I'm graduating this year." Which, now that he was on the other end of Christmas, was starting to feel closer than ever. Because of his appetite for knowledge, Lavi had never doubted that he'd go to college—however, he was finding it a bit more complicated to figure out what he'd do once he got there. Too bad being an eternal scholar wasn't seen as much of a viable career path, otherwise he'd just stay in school forever. "If you don't mind me possibly oversharing here, even though I went and applied for some colleges and whatnot, it just kinda feels like I'm going through the motions."

Getting into a school wasn't ever going to be an issue, and Lavi pretty much had the pick of anywhere he wanted to go. Too bad the Old Panda would kick his ass if he ever suggested just lying around. A waste of that brain of his or something.

Kroy chuckled, but it was in a friendly way. "Lavi, I think you'd be very surprised at what sort of things people share with their hairdressers. This isn't close to the most intimate thing I've heard from a client, and you certainly aren't the first person to talk to me about this problem in particular. Not to mention, as I mentioned, I felt rather lost until Eliade gave me a path forward." Having finished working a conditioner into Lavi's hair, Kroy finished running the water and urged Lavi to sit up so he could towel away the excess moisture. "Just a moment, and we'll be ready to get back to the main seat, alright?"

In the transition back to Kroy's main workstation, Lavi couldn't help but think. If he were able to follow in Kroykins's footsteps, what would that even look like? Allen was pretty thoughtful, so maybe he had some insight on what Lavi would do? Or could he go the other route and ask Tyki for a job—he was a Noah, he had to have some sort of connections. Though all things considered, that option might just end up feeling a bit too much like having a sugar daddy, which, while not a bad thing per se, wasn't quite what Lavi had in mind for himself…

Ugh, he'd be all into it, too, wouldn't he? Lavi thought, glad that Kroy was busying himself with searching for the pair of scissors he had in mind, since it meant that the other man couldn't see Lavi's blush. That was a topic to pursue another day, if at all (which meant he'd think about it that night, but hush!), and by the time Kroy had turned back around, Lavi had regained as much of his external composure that he could stand to have in the first place. "So, did you manage to think of something that'll look good on me, Kroykins?"

"Yes, but if I tell you now, I think that would spoil the definition of 'surprise,' now wouldn't it?" The man had a point, so Lavi just made sure he was sitting up properly, closed his eye, and let himself relax into the process. It was kinda like waiting to see what was in your Christmas presents as you unwrapped them, which was fun in his book! "Still, if you don't mind me overstepping a bit, I don't think you need to worry too much about knowing what you want to do right away. You may be finishing high school, but you're still rather young. So long as you keep trying new things and keep moving forward, you'll find something you want to do, no matter how long it takes. It may even be the case that you'll find something to do for a little while, and then you'll change your mind later, which is okay, too." Lavi's first instinct was to nod, but he managed to restrain that urge and hum in understanding instead. "If you'll forgive the metaphor, it's almost like cutting your hair. You may settle on a style, but that choice doesn't have to be permanent unless you want it to be."

The choice doesn't have to be permanent unless I want it to be, huh? Yeah, Lavi couldn't help but think he liked the sound of that.

It was also nice to hear, just in case he ended up not liking whatever Kroy was doing with that electric hair clipper.

In the end, Lavi did like the result, but that wasn't all too surprising to him. Any place that had Lenalee's seal of approval had to know what it was doing, and now he had first-hand evidence to prove it. Overall, not much of his style had changed, the updo still in full force, but Kroy had added a little bit of flair by giving Lavi what would've been the equivalent of an undercut if he wore his hair down. This way, all the volume he had was given a bit more of an oomph, and it was a bit easier to see his various earrings. A subtle change, but one that made a pretty decent impact if you were witness to both the before and after.

Plus Lavi got the added bonus of being able to experience the super satisfying feeling of running your fingers over short-buzzed hair, which was always gonna be a win.

"Damn, I'm looking hot," he said to his reflection, a part of him hoping that Tyki would think so, too, but that was def a problem to deal with another day—or maybe later that evening after finagling together the perfect selfie, but so not the point. Kroy, satisfied to hear such a compliment, smiled. He may have stumbled into his career, but he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. "You did awesome, Kroykins. I woulda never thought of this myself, but it's perfect!"

"I'm honored to hear that you think so," Kroy said, almost blushing from the praise. "Of course, if you notice that anything's off in the next couple of weeks, do come back. I can trim things for free, since uneven styles like yours are a bit trickier to get right."

"Roger that, though I'm sure it'll be fine." Lavi was the very definition of a satisfied customer, no doubt about it, even if this was the most he'd ever paid for a haircut, hands down. Still, if people had the skills, you paid them for it, and he would have no qualms stopping by again the next time he needed it. "Oh, you're about done, too, Lenalady? Lookin' good!"

While it would've been easy to interpret the pure lack of hesitation in giving that compliment as lip service, Lenalee knew that Lavi was as genuine as ever. "S-see, Lenalee," said her hairstylist, Miranda, who seemed to at least half stutter over every word, "I told you it looked g-great."

Lavi was inclined to agree. While her choice of words before had him worrying she'd come out with a buzzed head or a pixie cut equivalent (which she would've made look good, doubtless, but still), Lenalee had instead lost a bit over half of her length. Gone now were the long-signature pigtails, and instead what was left fell just above her shoulders. Her bangs could've been a bit longer to better match the new style, but that was something she could grow out in a couple months with no issue. The style managed to add an extra layer of elegance and maturity to her, making it a perfect strike in every sense of the word.

Lenalee was also very satisfied with the results—Miranda may have had some confidence issues, but she always managed to do good work. It would take a little bit of time to get used to just how much lighter her head felt with most of her hair gone, but maybe feeling lighter was a good thing. She wanted change to be on the horizon for a while, and this was just the first step.

"Thanks, Miranda," she said, offering her hairstylist a brilliant smile. That smile seemed a bit brighter than usual, too. Sure, Lenalee still had things to worry about, like knocking some sense into her stubborn brother, but at least she had proof that she didn't have to sit on the sidelines and let things pass by her. She'd also already handled payment, so she offered Miranda a hug as farewell. "I'll be sure to come back and see you when I need to, okay? Take care of yourself."

"Y-yes, I'll be sure to do that…"

"You're both welcome here anytime," Kroy said.

It was a touching enough scene that Lavi wiped a tear from his eye.

Whenever asked where to next, Lenalee had asked if it would be okay to come stay over at the Bookman house for a bit. She was doubtless that Komui would already be home, and, while her haircut therapy had eased most of her immediate frustration, she was still upset at her brother for being such an overbearing presence. He would no doubt freak out about her sudden change in hair, further proving her point, and while Lenalee had no intentions of backing down on her choices—it was her body, dammit, and thus none of his business—she didn't quite have the juice in her to have another fight just yet.

'Cause that's what it's gonna turn into, Lenalee thought, sinking into the Bookman family's couch (the regular one in the living room, not the special, probs sentient one in the garage) with her knees tucked into her chest. Nī-san's gonna go overboard, and I'm not gonna be able to take it, and I'm gonna end up saying something awful. Already pulling out the hate card had her feeling a mix of grimly satisfied and guilty, but she wasn't about to take it back. She didn't fully hate Komui, but she hated the way he treated her sometimes, and recognizing the nuance between those two feelings was a little bit complicated when you were a teenager soaked in hormones of all kinds. Lenalee sighed. Sometimes I can't help but wish I had the same freedom everyone else does...

Her friends were an interesting mix of home situations, but most of their guardians were pretty hands off—Lenalee hadn't even seen Ivy's guardian since she'd moved there, though Lenalee was at least passingly familiar with the woman's name. Sure, it hadn't always been that way, but at least things had been chill for them all since high school, provided that they didn't cause too much trouble. Komui was the only one who had a panic attack if Lenalee did so much as anything that disturbed the status quo in his mind, and he didn't let anything that could possibly even hurt her happen. It was sweet in its own way, Lenalee could admit that, but now…

It just feels suffocating.

Lenalee was starting to feel like she didn't have the opportunity to grow—and at the rate things were going, she couldn't help but be afraid that that chance would never come. Both Lee siblings had a certain hardheadedness, which usually worked out in that they never felt the pressure to compromise who they were just to please someone else. It just so happened that they'd never had to deal with their hardheadedness clashing up against the other's.

"Alright, all aboard the hot cocoa train," Lavi said, meandering into the living room. Despite the sort of fear that would paralyze a rational carrying full mugs of hot liquid with massive stacks of books scattered about, Lavi navigated the maze like it was nothing. He did have to pause a short moment to step around a book that hadn't been in that precise spot earlier that morning—had it gotten there through a natural shifting of the piles or an intentional act of sabotage from Ari? The world may never know!—but he did manage to get said drink over to Lenalee. "Ma'am, I'm afraid that boarding the train is mandatory. I'll have to ask that you take your mug now. Extra whipped cream is available upon request."

Lenalee giggled, accepting the drink with gratitude. Lavi flopped onto the couch soon after, feeling satisfied. Was it a weird as fuck day? It sure was. Did it feel like he'd done good despite the mood whiplash? Yeah, and he would heckin' take that.

"Take as long as you need to chill out," Lavi said. He didn't mind being a safe haven for his friends in the slightest. In fact, it kinda felt like there was no greater honor than that. "You could even stay for dinner if you want. I mean, it's not gonna be glamorous, but it'll still be tasty." All residents of the Bookman home were of the sort that, while they thought cooking could be interesting, often saw it as too much time spent on not reading, and that was just unacceptable. Even Ari, who enjoyed Home Ec class, didn't make a meal from scratch more than twice a week, three if she was feeling spicy. As such, they were stocked up on microwavable meals, oven pizzas, and a collection of chips and snack cakes that would've been impressive if it also wasn't intimidating.

On the other hand, the Lee house often relied on one of Komui's inventions to prepare their meals, though on occasion the siblings would cook together—but Lenalee didn't want to think about that now. Instead, she drowned her thoughts in hot cocoa, earning her the delightful discovery that Lavi had hidden mini marshmallows beneath the whipped cream. "…If you don't mind, I think that would be nice." In fact, never going home again was sounding nice, but it was also sounding extremely dramatic, and Lenalee had standards!

"Not a problem, it's not like we don't have plenty of—"

"Nī-chaaaan, you just don't learn, do yooouuu?"

The ominous voice belonged none other than Ari, who was hovering in the doorway. She'd went to go grab a drink from the kitchen, and what did she find? That Lavi had broken into her super special hot cocoa stash. She'd brought some of that shit back from overseas, man, and here Lavi was, already taking things without asking again, as if her aggressive soccer playing earlier in the day hadn't made an impression at all—

And then she spotted Lenalee, with her fresh haircut and obvious signs of stress in her expression, and Ari changed tacks in an instant:

"Aight, whose kneecaps am I breaking?"

[Author's Notes]

The benefits of an AU is I can let people be happy. I can't spell Eliade's name without checking it thirty times, but I can give her and Kroy a happy ending.

In case it wasn't clear, Lenalee's haircut is closer to the look she says after growing it out post Level 3, not the super short version.

I have now started publishing my original queer urban fantasy novel Twelve Zero Zero on the platform Ream! My username there is also Aviantei, and you can find the work by typing it in the search bar. New chapters drop every Tuesday. Do check it out if that feels like your jam.

Next Time: "68. Weekend Planning." Please look forward to it!

-Aviantei

[30 March 2024]