Finches: Eclosion

Days like These: Part 2 (New)

With the mirrors covered by a sheet and a towel haphazardly tied around his neck, James felt no more confident in the endeavor than he had thirty minutes ago when Mia had started whacking away at his hair. He had tried to calm himself with the fact his hair grew fast, as did hers, and that if he had to, he could deal with a buzz cut for the time it took but that was no longer a soothing thought. All of what little trust he had in his sister for her current job flew out the window the moment she started sawing at his hair with the scissors. He attempted to talk himself through the fact that even professional barbers would have done it just to get the hair off as he had quite a bit, however, the striking differences between them and his little sister were blinding. The largest being the noises she would sometimes make that didn't sound promising or secure in her own skills. Those little 'huh's and 'hmm's were giving him miniature heart attacks. Yet all of that paled in comparison to when she had plugged in his clippers.

Originally James had bought them when he was in the academy, convinced he was going to need to play the 'clean-cut soldier boy' if he ever wanted to keep his cover. However, after Mahone had taken him on in his squad, he had learned soon enough that he could break nearly every rule given to him and watch as only others were punished. It was half of the reason for the length of it, the defiance of a nonregulation haircut a blatant and easy one for him to get away with. Fletcher had tried once only to be reprimanded and disciplined, returning the next day with his head completely shaven much to James' amusement. His hair had been a statement and a show of how important he was-- as if that was not already painfully apparent to most.

It had been years since he had used the clippers on his head. Instead, he had begun using them to trim his beard, finding it faster and more effective than scissors. Now, they were back and at full force, the buzzing ringing in his ear as Mia pressed it to his head. "Remember not bald!" He begged, sounding like a child pleading with its parent. With the noncommittal noise he received as a response, James closed his eyes, refusing to look at the piles of hair at his feet.

He was simultaneously grateful and not that the mirrors were covered, happy and angry he couldn't see his sister clipping how she was at his hair. His curiosity was driving him insane, picturing horror story haircuts, one side half shaved with a rat tail in the back. Or maybe she had gone with a mullet. If he could only reach back to feel it...

"James stop moving!" Mia snapped, whacking at his hand grumpily, adjusting his broad shoulders back into his chair. "I'm going to mess up more if you wiggle around!"

"More?!" James shrieked, spinning to look at her only to be smacked over the head with what felt like the handle or cord of the clippers. "What do you mean more!?"

Giggling as she started the buzzing clippers back up again, the noise sounding nothing but pure evil to James, Mia pushed his head forward to get at the back of his neck. "I was just kidding!" She answered, running the blade up his head, humming along with it. "It looks really nice," she added, craning her neck to look at his face. Looking sad with his unconvinced stare, Mia frowned softly. "I'm serious. I'm putting a lot of effort into it," she said quietly, her eyes flicking quickly to the side of his head, shaving a patch near his ear.

Closing his eyes again, James exhaled. It was true Mia was putting effort into it, the length of time she was taking spoke for itself. Yet regardless of her pausing countless times to measure or look or whatever it was she was doing, he still couldn't feel 100 percent positive about the whole situation. Not only was Mia prone to getting over excited but it was his little sister. She had never been to a beauty school let alone touched his clippers before today, or he guessed anyway. He was painfully reminded when Mia had tried to cut her own hair at seven and had cried for two hours straight before James had taken her to the store and bought a box of fluorescent pink hair dye to solve the problem. He had done it without permission, something Carven had been more furious about than Robert, however, his defense was solid enough. Mia had forgotten all about her cut and had been instead, wildly taken with her new color. "I know, you're doing a good job, I think," James forced himself to say, speaking over the sound the clippers were making.