Micheal could say without a shadow of a doubt that, even if Ivan had a nice paying job, nothing could beat the comfort he gets from his. As usual, the barber shop, 'The Nice Cut', was buzzing with gossip. One wouldn't think with the constant smell of oil spray, dye, and soap that anyone would want to talk. But not the people Micheal employed. The place looked small, but upon walking in further, there were other rooms. The building used to be a hair salon for women, but Micheal bought the place when the shop closed. He hoped to make enough business that he'd be able to branch out to the opposite sex someday. Most of the work was done in the front where mirrors lined the walls and a T.V hung over the corner where the door was.

Micheal had already placed his jacket on the coat hook near the door when his people noticed him.

"Micheal, you stupid blonde bitch! Get yo' sexy white ass ova here befo' I spank it!" yelled the friendly, and talkative, Addy. Addy was a tall, robust, African American with various flower tattoos on his arms. He gave Micheal half a smile as the blond waltzed over to one of the sinks in the back of the room.

"If anyone is getting spanked, it's you Addy." Micheal scoffed making some of his employees chuckled lightly. Some hooted.

Addy clicked his teeth, "Bitch please!"

"Ooo! You better watch out Addy! Mikey's into some kinky stuff!" another one of the employees, a stylist named Marco, said. He was one of the smaller people Micheal hired. But he would be damned if he wasn't a cutie with his orange hair and long lashes.

Micheal rolled his eyes in response drying his hands on a clean white towel that was hanging up. "Yeah right. If I'm into that stuff and I can whip you hoes into shape—"laughter from the workers, "then I might as well be working in a dungeon." Huge laughter from the workers and some of the clients. Micheal snickered with them and exercised his wrists, "Any walk-ins?"

A rather cute, young man walked up to Micheal a little too excited. Micheal smiled at him and offered the red cushioned chair to him.

"Ain't you popular?" Addy snorted making his client crack a smile. "Done." He handed the man his mirror. The client was pleased, obviously, by his huge grin.

"Micheal is always popular." another worker, Lance, said plainly. He was only nineteen, yet acted like he was fifty sometimes. But for a makeup wearing Goth, he had his sweet moments. There was a moment in time that Michel wanted to sleep with him, but he kept that firmly to himself.

"I'm just as popular as any one of you here." Micheal said honestly tying the sheet around his client's thin neck, "Lance attracts curious customers, Marco is a cutie, and Addy is...big."

Addy grinned flashing his perfect teeth, "What do ya' mean by big?"

"Your head." Lance grumbled loud enough for everyone else to here. He asked what color his client wanted for his hair while Addy cursed him out. Micheal envied his skill of disregard.

A few hours went by with happy customers coming and going. Micheal flicked his eyes to the T.V now and then, but stuck to working. His next client had rather long brown hair. It felt nice and silky. "Do you want a trim, Sir?" Micheal asked running his fingers through the man's hair. God his hair was soft like a ragdoll cat's fur!

"Yes. Just the ends." The man said. Micheal couldn't tell by looking at him, but he sounded older than what he looked like. Was he in his twenties? Before the blond could ask, Addy yanked him into a conversation.

"So what's up with Ivan?"

Micheal flicked his eyes up and shifted his weight to his right, "Still sick."

"And you left him? So unlike you Micheal." Addy said trying to decide which size razor to use.

"That's none of your beeswax Addy." Marco hummed.

"Shut it!" Addy snapped.

"Did you get him a doctor?" Lance said in an even tone. He was carefully finishing his client's hair with another color out of many on his hair.

"Now you already know dat fool ain't ever seen a docta a day in his life!" Addy scoffed.

"Actually," Micheal interrupted, "I did."

Now all eyes were on him. Even Lance was looking at him through his long dark bangs. Marco was the first to respond though.

"No....you didn't..." Marco said in disbelief.

Micheal nodded. He felt sort of bad telling Ivan's business, but his employees have seen too much of Ivan and listened enough to Robin's gossiping to last a lifetime. Micheal just made sure they kept their mouths shut to anyone else. They were good kids.

"I did."

"...and?" Lance urged. This was rare for Micheal. Lance was interested. The blond decided to indulge them.

"Well...since you all have been good children and Daddy's been absent, I'll tell you what's been going on." His client chuckled. Even though it was a chuckle, it sounded sweet and sensual.

"Oh yes Daddy, do tell!" Marco and Addy said in odd, sexual unison.

"That's gross. Stop it." Lance grumbled with mock nausea.

Addy and Marco clicked their teeth at him. Of course, Lance ignored them telling his customer he was done.

Micheal chuckled at their antics and started telling them what has happened the past five days. Starting from when he got the phone call from Ivan about how dizzy he was feeling, nagging him a little about his health, how Ivan tried to go to work in his condition and what happened when he got back home to Robin (not fun). Then Micheal got to the commercial and how unexplainably compelling and weird it was, the phone call. and Ivan's slight cooperation, lastly, he covered the attractive doctor and his recommendations for Ivan. This is where the questions came in.

"So in other words, "Marco droned, "You left that cherry ass Ivan with a sexy piece of ass! Fuck's wrong with you Micheal?!'

Micheal furrowed his brow, "It's for Ivan to get better. Not laid."

"Fuck dat!" Addy spat. "Shhiiiit! When his sick ass is done. Give him ova ta me. I'll play doctor with him any day!"

"He don't want you!" Marco sneered clipping rapidly at his clients head of hair.

"Marco. Careful." Lance warned at the client's expense.

"I know. I know." Marco said, but slowed down his hand's pace.

"So, how has he been taking it?" Lance asked Micheal getting the subject back on track.

"Ah, he's been doing pretty well. Even though I scheduled for the doctor to visit Ivan that one time, Ivan seems to have made his own plans with him."

"I see. He's probably trying to overcome his phobia." Lance ushered for his next client to come over to the chair.

"And how do you know?" Marco sassed.

"Because I've had a therapist from Geo Phobia before."

Now Micheal was curious about Lance. He could tell from the faces of the others, they were too.

Micheal was the first to ask, "You have?"

"Yeah." Lance answered plainly.

"For what—if you don't mind telling." Micheal lowered his voice in a warmer manner. It was easy to get Lance to talk about himself.

Lance shrugged, "I don't mind." Despite what he said, his monotone voice changed to a low growl. " It was for clowns." Lance raised the scissors he was about to use, "I hated...clowns." The customer in front of him had the eyes of someone screaming 'Help me.'

Micheal was surprised at this. Lance showed little to no fear at any time. But to be afraid of clowns of all things...?

Marco snickered while Addy laughed tactlessly.

"Clowns?! Really?" Addy howled. "You already look like one doh!

Lance just blinked not taking his eyes off his work.

"I know what I'm wearing for this Halloween!" Marco sang in a high pitched voice.

"To tease someone with a sharp object is stupid. What's even stupider is that you guys think I won't wait for you when you're alone, knock you out, and throw you in my basement with Raven." Lance growled in a deadly tone.

Marco and Addy paled a little. Raven was Lance's purebred Alaskan Husky. Micheal swore he'd never go anywhere near that five foot monster.

"Okay guys! Don't tease Lancy Cakes!" Micheal exclaimed. Addy and Marco pouted and Lance blushed. He hated that nickname. (Micheal lied and said he came up with it when it was really Robin.).

"So," Micheal turned his customer toward himself, "You had a doctor from Geo Phobia?"

Lance's face softened under his bangs and he nodded. "But not a doctor, more so a therapist. To be honest, I think they're all doctors." He said uncharacteristically, talkative. "He was Irish and Swedish, his hair was a deep red too, like blood." Lance cracked a sweet smile like he was reminiscing. "He liked my make up a lot even though he was a catholic."

"You know, them Catholics be the freakiest ones!" Marco mocked Micheal's accent. Addy agreed with an 'Amen.'

Shockingly, Lance blushed a bright enough red that it made his pale skin livelier. Micheal took this into account and asked in a teasing voice why.

Lance looked away, pausing his work, "No reason."

"Aaahh! Someone got some!!" Addy joked making Lance bite his lower lip.

Micheal smiled, a little jealous. He wondered what Lance looked like without all that black make up and more sweaty and hot. "Was he good?" he teased pausing his own work.

"Guys." Lance looked down, "We're at work."

"Kill joy!" Micheal feigned irritation.

"So what was his name?" Marco finished his customer.

Lance looked up, his blue eyes a little visible, his blush still there. "Adam O'Hare." Smooth as silk he said this.

The three men whistled.

"Sound like a hot one to me." Marco smirked.

"You still seein' him?" Addy asked teasingly.

Lance glared at him for a moment before going back to his customer.

"Hey, I ain't tryin' to steal your man!" Addy put up his hands in defense.

Micheal thought about various questions he could ask Lance. For a moment, he was lost in thought, until he felt a soft tapping on his left hand. He blinked down to the handsome face of his client. "Oh! Sorry!" he gasped.

"That's alright." The man giggled softly and turned back around. He stayed perfectly still as Micheal finished.

"And, what was your treatment?" Micheal asked seriously.

"Just some exposure therapy." Lance said plainly. "Some trips to kid's parties. Eventually, I could look a clown in the face. I even dressed as one....for a little while."

"Wow." Micheal marveled. "How long did it take you?"

"Six months."

"God damn!" Micheal shouted in his accent.

Lance shrugged again, "He told me it's normal. That some get over it faster than others."

Micheal nodded in understanding. "Would you recommend Geo Phobia to anyone?"

Lance looked at Micheal and with one nod said: "Yes."

Micheal nodded. "Ah." He looked back down at his work and hovered over his client's left then right side.

"Heh, well, if you got sexy guys helping you, I think I might call!" Marco rested his elbows on the back of the chair.

"For what?" Addy snorted, "Pregnancy? Loneliness?"

"Black people." Marco snorted back.

"Racist!" Addy hissed. He waved the black razor he was holding at him like he had problems.

Micheal smiled at his employees then at his handiwork. "Alright Sir. All done." He sang and whipped the plastic sheet from around the man's neck. The man looked in the handheld mirror Micheal handed to him. His brown eyes reflected brightly off the mirror. The customer, after a moment, smiled in satisfaction. "I love it. Thank you."

"It's just a trim." Micheal said honestly.

His customer got up and said, "You wouldn't believe the amount of people who can't do a trim right."

"True!" Addy shouted.

"Like you?" Lance said more of a fact than a question earning more glares from Addy.

While Micheal was cleaning up his station he thought about what he learned about Geo Phobia and Lance. 'Maybe this isn't so bad.' He thought. Even though he had left Ivan in seemingly capable hands, his mind still wasn't at ease. Now he could safely say he hadn't made the wrong decision. Micheal trusted Lance's opinion more than anyone else's.

In that moment, Micheal forgot to tell his client how much the haircut was until he said: "Here you are. I enjoyed your...criticisms."

"Huh?" Micheal murmured inadvertently taking the cash given to him. The long haired man inclined his head to his employees and left swiftly.

"He was kinda cute." Marco giggled. Addy agreed and Lance only noticed Micheal's dumbfounded face.

Lance moved from his station and came toward his boss. "What's wrong Micheal?" he asked. He finally noticed what it was that had Micheal's attention. He brushed his bangs out of his eyes to look at the money in Micheal's hands. Lance's blue eyes bulged in disbelief. He had never seen a five hundred dollar bill a day in his life.