#longer pixie cut plus cute earrings is a look that's been in my brain for a while

[doedipus]

it's been about 6 months since the last time I was seriously considering getting my hair cut short, which means that it's time to think about it again

[crazedtmnt]

How would our turtles react to an S/O who had really long hair but decided to cut it short into a pixie cut but didn't tell them ahead of time (I just recently got a pixie cut and it makes me so happy!)

A/N: Ahhh! Sorry for taking so long. For some reason, Donnie’s headcanon gave me a lot of trouble. I kept getting stuck (and admittedly, my mood has prevented me from wanting to write much).

But anyway, here it is! Thanks so much for the request. I have a few other requests that I’m working on, I swear. Life has just been really... odd. But you’re never bothering me by sending in requests. I’m also happy to see what people want.

This is mostly gender neutral, though the language is a little feminine. Hopefully that doesn’t bother anyone.

[y/n] = your name

~~~~~

Suddenly Short Hair (TMNT X Reader)

Leo:

“Well, who is this beautiful stranger?”

Leo would smirk at the new cut once he saw you again. It took him no time at all to recognize you, but it was still quite the transformation. And you hadn’t said a word about it. How dare you not tell your boyfriend that you were changing your hair so drastically! Now it was way too cute. He had to punish you a little.

“I don’t know how you got to the lair,” he said smoothly, feigning ignorance, “but I should probably direct you out. My father doesn’t like strangers in the house.”

You rolled your eyes. “Leo, you know it’s me, [y/n].”

“Oh, no.” Leo clicked his tongue derisively, shaking his head. “There’s no way you’re [y/n]. They look a lot shaggier – kinda like a monkey.”

“I’m gonna punch you.”

Laughing, Leo pulled you into his arms and kissed your forehead. “I’d like to see you try, love.”

As he kissed your face, his hands took the time to run through your short locks. It was so cute how they framed your face even better now. And they were so soft. He may have liked your longer hair, but this was a nice change of pace too. Expect him to bury his face in your hair a few times, just to take in your scent (and to smell that amazing hair salon shampoo).

After a few minutes admiring it, Leo would bring your face to his and whisper, “You’re so beautiful, [y/n]. No matter how long your hair is.”

“Even if I’m bald?” you ask teasingly.

“Even then.”

You hummed, running a hand down his smooth head. “Good. I guess I could say the same for you. You are a very handsome, bald man.”

Snorting, Leo kissed you on your nose before flashing a devilish grin. “Watch yourself. Your hair may be shorter, but I can still get a grip on it…”

 ~~~~~

Raph:

“What the—? What happened to you?”

Raph knows what haircuts are. He’s seen April get them a few times. But when’s the last time he’s seen someone with extra-long hair cut it all the way into a pixie cut? Probably never.

It’s such a radical change; his first instinct is to assume the worst.

“Did you get gum stuck in your hair or something, Rapunzel? Did someone cut it on purpose?” he asked, running over to hold your face – oh yeah, he liked calling you Rapunzel because of your long hair that no longer existed.

You giggled, watching his eyes look on in worry as his fingers brushed your cheeks. “No, I just got a haircut. It’s nothing crazy.”

“Cutting a few inches is nothing crazy. This is… You’re like a whole new person.”

Biting your lip, you lowered your head. “Does it look bad?”

Raph’s eyes widened. He threw his hands up and started shaking them furiously. “No no no no! It looks good! It’s just kinda weird – ah, that’s not much better… Um, it looks different, but in a good way! Not bad at all!”

As he fumbled with his words, you laughed and shook your head. “It’s fine, babe. I wanted something different. I like the way this looks. And I mean, have you ever tried taking care of long hair? How many hours it can take just to make it look decent?”

“No, and I’m not interested in the least,” he answered, giving you that sexy smile.

Raph chuckled to himself as he ruffled your pixie cut. He’d never admit it so as to not upset you, but he was kinda glad you cut your hair. Cuddling with you had a 50/50 shot of him breathing in more hair than oxygen, especially if you two fell asleep.

“I guess I can’t call you Rapunzel anymore, can I?”

“I mean, not unless you’re thinking of Tangled’s Rapunzel.”

Raising an eyebrow, Raph ran a hand down your hair slowly. “That works. She’s almost as beautiful as you.”

 ~~~~~

Donnie:

“Uh, [y/n]? Is that you?”

What happened? You were gone only a couple of hours. How could someone change so drastically in one day?

Donnie stared slack-jawed at your hair. He was incredibly observant of things around him, including people. So, he often categorized stuff in his head, and you were always in the “long hair” category. As soon as he saw sweeping locks, Donnie would feel his chest flutter and fill with warmth, knowing instinctively that his amazing lover was coming to see him. Now, he needed to reset all the presets in his brain. Oh boy.

Grinning, you stood in the doorway of his lab, watching the bar slowly load inside Donnie’s head as he processed everything. He always kept things in their place, never letting any change slip passed his notice. So, of course, you kept your mouth shut about the haircut. Seeing him completely stumble over your transformation was perfect. How else were you supposed to pull one over your genius boyfriend?

“Is something wrong, Donnie-boy?” you teased.

That managed to bring him to his sense. “Oh, no! Nothing’s wrong! Your hair’s just… uh, it’s very… wow! Short hair!”

“Indeed. How eloquent of you.”

Shaking his head, Donnie finally broke out into a smile. “You know what I mean.” He walked over, leaning down for a kiss. Your lips were so soft against his, he couldn’t get enough.

“They almost match how soft your hair is now,” Donnie thought as his hand held the back of your head.

Pulling away, Donnie rubbed his nose against yours. “Really though. I love your hair, no matter what you do with it.”

“Good to know,” you said, moving up for another kiss.

“But maybe next time…” he cut in, leaning away before you could meet his lips.

“Hmm?”

“Next time, tell me when you’re getting a haircut, please?”

Smirking, you winked at him before grabbing his face and crashing it into yours. The kiss left Donnie breathless. Your hair might have changed, but your passion certainly hadn’t.

Once you were finished, you looked up at your boyfriend with mischievous eyes. “No. I don’t think I will.”

 ~~~~~

Mikey:

“[Y/n]? When did you decide to look this amazing?”

Mikey was surprised—after all you told him nothing about a haircut—but he brushed it off pretty quickly. I mean, look at you! He couldn’t get enough of your cute face and body, no matter what you wore. The shape and length of your hair was no exception.

Grinning ear to ear, he put down the comic in his hand and walked towards you, eyes sparkling in excitement. “How is it you got even cuter just from cutting your hair?”

“Do you like it?” you asked, taking his hands in yours.

“I love it! I wish I had hair! We could style it to match each other.”

You both laughed as Mikey leaned in towards you. A few kisses on your cheeks never hurt, right? In fact, Mikey decided to play it safe… and kiss every inch of your face. Once you were a giggling mess, he picked you up in his strong arms and carried you over to the couch so he could better admire your new look.

With you head leaning against his plastron, Mikey ran his hands through your hair. It was so soft and short! Just as he started to feel it between his fingers, suddenly it was gone, already fallen back onto your head. Mikey was in awe. He thought he couldn’t adore you any more than he already did, but each day you managed to push the limit.

He couldn’t lie. He’d miss your long hair a little. He loved sniffing it, feeling it, twirling it… tugging it—you name it. But he’d never deny you what you wanted, especially if it concerned your own body. Plus, this made way for tons of new possibilities. You could more with short hair than some people believed.

“Beautiful…” Mikey hummed in satisfaction and kissed your head. “You’re absolutely beautiful, angel cakes.”

You blushed, rubbing your face against him. “Thank you. You’re pretty handsome yourself, Mikey.”

“I’d be even more handsome if I had hair like yours.”

Shaking your head, you sat up and met his eyes, holding his cheeks in your hands. “I wouldn’t say that. You’re plenty handsome as it is. I like the way you look.” You smile and kiss his forehead, taking his mask tails into your hands. “Besides, your mask is kinda like your hair.”

You expected him to laugh or roll his eyes. Instead, his expression brightened.

“Maybe you could style it for me, then. I bet I could pull off having it in a bow!”

You laughed. “I have no doubt. You can pull off any look, Mikey.”

[starryeyed-char]

Stardust Cafe

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANCE! To celebrate, I’m posting the first chapter of a slowburn, klance, cafe AU that I’m co-authoring with an irl friend! We’ve had this idea for a while, and we’re really excited to share it with you! The first chapter is the only one that’ll be entirely up here, but I’ll make posts whenever it updates. The entire fic will be posted here on my AO3!

Summary: Keith didn’t expect much when he took a job at his brother’s cafe. And he definitely didn’t expect to meet a group of amazing people that would forever change his life as a result.

Lance didn’t expect to actually befriend his new coworker with an 80′s mullet and absolutely no people skills whatsoever.

Neither of them expected to fall in love.

Chapter One

Getting a job at his older brother’s cafe wasn’t Keith’s idea.

Dropping out of college earlier that year was the best decision he had ever made, but he should’ve known it wouldn’t come without consequences. Those consequences being, namely, dealt out by his brother, Shiro.

Granted, he was supportive of Keith’s decision, but he hadn’t counted on Shiro insisting that he do something with his life.

As far as Keith was concerned, getting his life together and figuring out exactly what he wanted to do should take pretense over actually doing something, but Shiro clearly disagreed.

“You have to get a job,” he’d pointed out. “You’ve incurred a lot of debt since you dropped out of school. You know I support you, but you need some way of earning money while you figure everything out.”

And so Keith had reluctantly agreed to get a job at Stardust Cafe, which was owned by Shiro himself.

Keith didn’t know the exact details, but the previous owner, Alfor something, had left it to Shiro when he passed away, as he’d worked there for all of college and part of high school, and knew he wanted to work in the restaurant business. And, with an incredible stroke of (admittedly bad) luck, Shiro had exactly what he wanted.

This was how Keith ended up pushing open the door to the Cafe, and jumping slightly at the unexpected jingle of bells. He’d never actually been inside Shiro’s cafe before, despite constantly being pestered to go.

He glanced around at the circular tables and chairs in the other half of the shop, and at the back was an elevated platform, that looked almost like a stage, with more seating. That side was separated with an open wall, and Keith looked toward the front.

A few people were standing in line, waiting by the counter. A chalkboard menu behind it listed the food options, and Keith could see the door into the kitchen behind the people working there.

He had vaguely expected Shiro, but he was surprised to find the person standing at the cash register was much younger, probably about Keith’s own age, with dark hair, eyes, and skin. Admittedly, he was kind of cute.

Keith definitely hadn’t thought he’d meet any cute guys because of this job.

The guy behind the counter was glaring down at the cash register as if it had personally offended him, before he turned around and called into the kitchen. “Pidge! I need your number skills!”

A scoff sounded from somewhere inside, and a… boy? girl? walked out carrying a textbook that looked as if it weighed more than her… him… them. They set the large textbook down on the counter, and glanced up at the tall guy.

“Lance, do I have to do everything for you?” Pidge asked, shaking their head.

The guy, who Keith now figured was named Lance, crossed his arms. “It’s not my fault that this cash register doesn’t even work.”

Pidge rolled their eyes. “It works fine, you just don’t know how to use it.” To prove this, they stepped forward and pressed a few buttons before handing change to the waiting customer, a girl with large hoop earrings and a pixie cut, smiling as she left. “Seriously, I’m surprised Shiro doesn’t fire you. This is the easiest job here, and you can’t even do it without my help.”

“I’m surprised Shiro doesn’t fire you,” Lance shot back, as he took money from the next customer before handing it to Pidge. “You spend all your shifts doing physics homework.”

Pidge laughed, handing change back to the customer, along with a muffin from a display case that Lance gave them. “Taking AP Physics sophomore year has its consequences,” they admitted. “But I pick up everyone’s slack. Plus, Shiro likes me, and you all know I need the cash.”

Lance nodded grudgingly, and then his gaze swiveled to Keith, which is when the latter conveniently realized that there was no longer anyone in front of him.

Lance’s eyes widened, almost imperceptibly, which drew Keith’s attention to them. He saw that Lance’s eyes, which he had originally thought to be brown, were actually a deep navy blue.

Keith was about to ask to see the manager, when Lance leaned forward across the counter with a smirk, propping his chin up on his hand. And then, he winked.

Keith’s brain short-circuited.

“Do you have a map?” Lance asked, still smirking, and Keith was so surprised that he almost admitted that yes, he did have a map. But Lance was talking again before he could. “Because I keep getting lost in your eyes.”

Keith felt his face begin to flame in spite of himself, and there was an audible groan from Pidge. “These one-liners just keep getting worse,” they grumbled.

Lance sighed. “You’re the worst wingman… well, wingperson ever Pidge.”

Pidge sniffed in mock resentment, before cracking a grin. “I don’t remember agreeing to be your wingperson,” they deadpanned, before turning back to a still blushing Keith. “What can I get for you?”

“I…” Keith took a moment to collect himself. “I need to see the manager.”

Lance didn’t miss a beat. “Normally people try our food before they demand to see the manager to complain about it,” he pointed out, still wearing that infuriating smile.

Pidge snorted. “He’s probably going to complain about you, Lance. Didn’t Shiro warn you to stop flirting with all the customers?”

“I’m not a customer,” Keith said, without thinking. “The manager… Shiro’s my… I just need to talk to him, okay?”

“I’ll go see if he’s in the kitchen,” Pidge said, still seeming confused.

“What’re you here for, anyways?” Lance asked, lifting a smoothie (that Keith hadn’t even noticed until now) to take a sip. “If you’re not buying any of our delicious food, I mean. The chef is my roommate, I can personally vouch for him.”

“I’m supposed to start working today, actually.”

Lance nearly choked on his smoothie. “What the fuck?!”

Keith wasn’t sure how to respond, so he just waited for the taller boy to elaborate.

“Did I miss the help wanted sign? You can’t just… there isn’t a job opening!” Lance protested, throwing his hands up in the air as if the world had to be playing a trick on him. “Mierda, first Allura starts working at the counter sometimes, and now this!”

“Well, someone has to pick up your slack, Lance,” a new voice said, and Keith turned to see a woman coming out of the seating area. She had thick, curly white hair done in an elegant bun, and her skin was dark and smooth. She carried an empty tray in each hand, with a pen tucked behind her ear.

“You guys act like I’m the only one that slacks off around here,” Lance muttered under his breath. “Allura, would you please tell this idiot that there aren’t any job openings?”

“That idiot is my brother, Lance,” yet another person spoke, but thankfully Keith knew this one. Shiro had stepped out of the kitchen, followed by Pidge.

Lance’s gaze swiveled back and forth from Shiro to Keith. “This is your little brother Keith?” Shiro nodded. “But… you always talk about how cool he is! You said he has a motorcycle!“

“I do have a motorcycle?” Keith didn’t mean for it to be a question, but the confusion he felt seeped into his voice.

Lance waved a dismissing hand at him. “Sure, but you also have a mullet, and that negates any coolness factor you might have possessed, motorcycle or no.”

“Excuse me?”

Shiro sighed. “Regardless of his hairstyle choices, Keith is my brother, and he’ll be working here with us starting today. That’s not going to be a problem, is it, Lance?”

“I was wondering why you decided to bring everyone in today,” Pidge was already nodding, extending a hand to Keith. “I’m Pidge. Yes, I’m short. Don’t make jokes about it and we’ll get along fine. They/them pronouns, and if you disagree with that sort of thing, then that’s tough for you. Still in high school, by the way, but I’m broke so I started working here. That’s pretty much all you need to know.”

Keith shook their hand, mind trying to process what Pidge had said so quickly. “Uh… great?”

Pidge grinned, and retreated back into the kitchen. “I’ll go get the others.”

“I’m Allura,” the woman who’d walked in earlier chimed in. “This used to be my father’s cafe, but Shiro and Coran own it now… though Coran hates being in charge, which makes Shiro the manager. We have a pretty small staff, and I’m typically the one who waits tables. It’s nice to finally meet you!”

Shiro fixed Lance with an expectant look, and he crossed his arms before glancing up at Keith with an annoyed glare.

“You’re shorter than I thought you’d be,” Lance informed him. “Shiro made it sound like you were some rebellious tough guy.”

“Lance,” Shiro insisted, narrowing his eyes. He sighed, defeated, and shook Keith’s hand.

“The name’s Lance,” he deadpanned. “I work behind the counter.”

That seemed like all he wanted to say, but fortunately for Keith two more people were coming out of the kitchen.

“I’m Hunk,” said the bigger guy, with a friendly smile. He wore a bright yellow apron that was positively covered in flour. Almost the second he was out, Lance leaned an elbow on his shoulder. Hunk sighed fondly. “I’m the chef. I made the majority of what you see here myself.”

“I made some of it,” the other man, an older guy with a mustache, pointed out. “I’m Coran. I help out in the kitchen, but mostly I make drinks.”

“You… make cocktails?” Keith asked, confusion only rising.

Coran barked out a laugh. “Of course not! Smoothies, milkshakes, coffee, tea, and all those things take time to perfect, young man.”

“Well, you’ve met everyone,” Shiro clapped a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Now you can get to bussing tables. It’s something we’ve all shared the responsibility for, but having someone to do the job by themselves is probably the best course of action.”

Keith nodded. He was a very clean person, and he’d told Shiro that he’d only work at the cafe if he didn’t have to deal with food or people.

“Oh, thank god,” Lance breathed out, before Keith could say anything. “He’s just going to be a busboy.”

Keith scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Lance threw his hands up in surrender. “I’m just glad you aren’t taking my job, that’s all.”

“Don’t worry, Lance, you’re the only one charming enough to ensure that customers always return,” Allura said, her voice walking that thin line between detectable sarcasm and sincerity.

Lance squinted at her, but either decided she was being honest or didn’t care, because he just winked. Then, he grabbed Hunk’s arm and dragged him back into the kitchen.

“You all seem very… nice,” Keith searched for the right words. “I guess I might like working here.”

“You’ll fit right into our dysfunctional family,” Pidge guaranteed with another grin.

“You hit on him, didn’t you?” Hunk asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lance groaned, and buried his face in his hands. “It’s not my fault! Did you see his eyes, Hunk? Those are the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen!”

Hunk shook his head. “You said the same thing about that brunette last week.”

“But I mean it this time,” Lance sighed dramatically, collapsing into Hunk’s shoulder. “And now I have to deal with him every day. He’s probably decided that he hates me already!”

“Relax. You’ve hit on regular customers before, why is this any different?” Hunk tried for encouragement. “Shay forgave you after that atrocious thing you said when you two first met! What was it again…? Something about sedimentary rock—”

Lance smacked a hand over Hunk’s mouth. “I’d rather not go down memory lane for all my past romantic failures, thank you, Hunk,” he grumbled. “It was such a good line, too! One of my favorites!”

“He works here now, sure, but he’s not going to hate you just because of a stupid pick-up line.”

“Pick-up lines aren’t stupid!” Lance cried, clutching a hand to his chest as if wounded. “And even if he doesn’t hate me, I’m not sure I like him all that much. He kind of seems like a jerk.”

“Which, I’m sure, is why you used one of your favorite lines on him,” Hunk said, voice laced with sarcasm. Lance felt his face turn bright red.

“I didn't— I just— okay, FINE! He’s hot! What else do you want me to say?”

Hunk laughed. “I thought you said his mullet negated any sort of cool factor he had?”

“He’s not cool,” Lance protested, shoving Hunk back towards the stove. “But… he kind of… pulls it off I guess? Which you are forbidden from ever telling him, or I will disown you as a best friend and move in with Pidge. After all, the guy still acts like an asshole.”

Hunk just laughed again, returning to making a grilled cheese that a customer had requested. But, as Lance was about to return to the register, he whirled around, grinning.

“I remember now!” he declared, excitedly. “The first time we met Shay was in the winter, when she came to get tea because of a cold, remember? I mean, now she gets it every day, but she was really bundled up, with a scarf and jacket and everything!”

“Oh no—”

“And you said, ‘girl are you a sedimentary rock?’” Hunk did a terrible impression of Lance’s voice, aiming finger guns at his best friend in mockery of Lance’s own behavior. “‘Because I’d love to see what’s under all those layers.’ And she was so surprised she couldn’t respond, so I came out of the kitchen to apologize.”

Lance smacked his head deliberately on the doorframe on the way out, only to meet the confused gaze of Keith. Great, now Shiro’s brother thought he was crazy, too.

It was going to be a long day for the both of them.