"what sort of hairstyle would you like?" the stylist asked as shark sat down in the chair.

"hold on, i've got a picture..." they said, taking out their phone, and showing him.

"oh, it's a picture of you. that's very convenient."

"yeah, i heard that if you get a good haircut and take a picture to show, it's easier, since, like..."

"i can see exactly what you want, and exactly how your hair sits, and everything. that's perfect, thank you. and you want it a bit fluffy?"

"yeah, it's like... well i don't know exactly what it is or how you do it, but like... you take out the extra hair and stuff..."

"you want layers."

"yeah, exactly." they always felt kind of stupid talking to hairstylists.

"it's alright. i think i have a good idea of what you want," he said, draping the salon gown over them. "you can just relax. do you ever feel uncomfortable while getting your hair cut, because you don't know exactly what to say, or what to talk about, or you feel awkward making conversation with a stranger?"

"yeah, kind of."

"you don't have to say anything, then, if you don't want to. i can just talk, and you can respond to whatever you want to respond to, or you can just stay quiet. i don't mind. i'd just like you to hold nice and still for me... and you can just stare right into the mirror in front of you, if you don't know what to do with your eyes. alright?"

it was a little weird how straightforward he was about it, but it was kind of nice, just being told exactly what they could do.

he gently combed out their hair, separating it into sections.

"the combing feels nice, doesn't it?" he said softly. "i like the way it feels, when the hair is being split like this..."

"it does feel nice," they muttered. it kind of felt nicer when he pointed it out like that. his voice was so weirdly low and soft, too.

"do you ever get asmr, when you're getting a haircut?"

somehow it felt like a personal and intimate question, but they still answered. "i do," they said quietly. "actually, like, sometimes it makes my leg twitch, when i was a kid i kinda had trouble sitting still sometimes cuz of that..."

"i'm sure you'll stay still for me this time, though, won't you?" he said. "you've been doing a good job so far... you can just stay still... perfectly still... just like you're doing right now."

it was such a bizarre thing to hear. just the words gave them asmr - but they didn't twitch at all, so they guessed it worked.

he was carefully cutting some of their hair now. they could hear the quiet snipping of the scissors.

"you do have such nice, thick hair," he remarked. "it seems very healthy."

"it's just genetics..." they mumbled. "i don't really do anything special with it, or anything..."

"well, that's alright. it doesn't change the fact that you have such lovely hair, does it? it isn't something you have to earn."

"i guess so."

everything he said made them feel a little flustered. they could see their own face getting a little pink in the mirror. but they still didn't move a muscle - actually, they almost seemed unnaturally still, now that they thought about it.

"these scissors make such a nice little snipping sound, don't they?" he murmured. "it's such a quiet, delicate sound... snip... snip... snip..."

the onomatopoeia was weird, but it gave them crazy asmr tingles in the back of their neck. he might've even been able to see the hairs standing up there.

they finally realized they could say something about it. "you're really like... this is like an asmr roleplay," they said.

he laughed softly. "i just want you to have a pleasant experience," he said. "well, if you're uncomfortable, or anything, i can stop."

"no, it's like... it's fine, i mean..."

"is it relaxing?" his voice was soft again.

"it really is," they said, with an earnestness that surprised them.

"i'm glad," he replied, his voice almost a whisper.

it was crazy. they never wanted to go to any other stylist ever again. the haircut wasn't even finished, for all they knew it could turn out horribly, and they'd still want to come back just for this.

it was embarrassing how much they were enjoying it.

"you've really been so still for me," he said slowly, as he continued working. "i tell everyone to hold still, but some people seem particularly responsive. it's very interesting."

they had this weird, creeping feeling, like he'd noticed some deep secret inside of them, or something.

"i mean, like, i'm just doing what you asked... or, well, i'd try to hold still anyway. you can't move around while you're getting a haircut..."

"that's right," he said, in a kind of monotonous voice. "it's good to hold still while you're getting a haircut... it makes things much easier... you should just hold still and relax... until i tell you to move..."

he stopped cutting for just a moment, looking into the mirror at them. they could tell, even though they were looking at their own eyes, which were kind of glazing over.

is that what he was looking for?

"very good," he said, going right back to their hair. "you're a good listener, aren't you?"

he definitely meant something else by that. they felt weird. their mind was melting. and now he was focusing on the side of their head, near their ear. just the snipping sounds were sending tingles through their body, let alone all the stuff he was saying.

they still attempted to respond. "i mean, i try to be..." their own voice sounded slower and more monotonous now, too. was it really that contagious?

he moved to the other side. "it's alright to just relax," he droned. "it can feel very relaxing... to get your hair cut... you don't have to think about anything... or worry about anything... you can just enjoy it."

they really were enjoying it. their shoulder dropped - they didn't even realize they had any tension there. the wave of relaxation that went through them was intense.

"do you feel a little sleepy?" he asked gently.

there was this weird drowsiness that came over them, almost immediately. "you're- are you, like, hypnotizing me?" they asked, only half joking.

he took a moment to respond, focusing on their hair, taking a few delicate snips. "well," he finally said, after a long pause, "it's certainly possible for someone to fall into a trance under these circumstances."

it was a completely serious answer.

"actually," he continued, "considering how responsive you were, even very early on... you might be very susceptible. did you know that?"

it was an unbelievable thing to hear from a random hairdresser.

at the same time, as they kind of settled into that feeling... as surprising as it should have been, a part of them just kind of accepted it, just kind of thought that sounded about right.

"well, i didn't know that, but..."

"you know now," he said. "it's alright. i think it's a good thing. you can just enjoy the feeling. i'll be sure to wake you up when i'm done, alright? and i'll only ask you if you're happy with the haircut after the wakeup."

"sounds good," they mumbled. they didn't really get it, but it felt nice. that was enough for them.