Submissive Snips

It started off as something of a joke. Everly had always had a thing for haircuts—watching other women have their hair cut, initially, especially women with very long hair getting a drastic chop. It hadn’t even been sexual at first. Just something she found interesting. But when she started growing her own hair out she must have internalised something, because everything about watching or receiving a haircut suddenly became incredibly arousing.

She’d felt extremely weird and even slightly embarrassed about it, but her then-boyfriend (now her husband), Finn, was more than happy to go along with it. In fact he went above and beyond. He watched haircut videos with her, he figured out all manner of things he could do or say to get her flustered. He even briefly became her hairdresser, dutifully carrying out her trims for her at home in their kitchen. The results were… mixed, but Everly never minded. All she cared about was that he wanted to be part of her fetish.

Then one day, they accidentally found the best thing they could have ever hoped to find: a barbershop with a dumb, gimmicky name and a set of dumb, gimmicky rules. Despite being a trained barberette, Rowan only cut women’s hair. But her clients had to be accompanied by a man, and her haircut was decided by him.

The name of the shop made them both crack up the first time they saw it: Submissive Snips. By the third or fourth time they walked past it, Finn started to joke that he needed to take Everly there someday. At least, the way he said it made it seem like a joke, and she’d written it off as one. But he started bringing it up anytime he wanted to tease her, knowing the thought would make her go red. It always did. And the more he mentioned it, the more she found herself thinking about that shop. How powerless she’d feel sat in a bulky barbershop chair, having her long mane cut however short Finn decided by a no-nonsense barberette. The thought excited her in a way that her regular trims in their kitchen simply couldn’t. Finally she caved and nervously told him she wanted him to take her there. Within an hour of mentioning it, she was sat in that very chair, having a few inches taken off her at-the-time classic-length hair.

Despite initially scoffing at the barbershop, both Everly and Finn quickly came around to it. The concept made for an interesting test of trust in couples. Men particularly liked it as they got to decide how their partner looked, but some women—Everly, at least—also liked the nervousness involved in being completely at the mercy of someone else to decide what happened to their hair. Especially knowing that Rowan was well-trained in giving short haircuts, and that she loved to toy with ladies who were getting shorter haircuts than they ideally wanted. It wouldn’t have been half as effective with someone less scissor-happy and less willing to push people’s buttons running the shop.

Finn took her to Submissive Snips every few months. They’d been going for years at this point. Both he and Rowan revelled in teasing her, making her fear for her precious chocolate tresses. She loved and hated it in equal measure. Usually she ended up with nothing more than a trim, but once or twice he’d had her get a bigger chop than she’d expected. Those were the haircuts she enjoyed the most, even if she preferred to keep her hair very long. Currently it sat at her waist, still regrowing from a shoulder-length cut she’d received over a year and a half ago. Secretly, she wished he’d make Rowan do it again. And Finn must’ve known, because Everly kept going back without complaint.

As they entered the shop, a blonde girl around twenty was being caped. Her thick hair was arranged in a messy bun at the back of her head, held in place by a monstrously large claw clip. Once Rowan tied the pastel blue cape tight around the girl’s neck, she freed her hair from the claw. It spilled theatrically down the back of the chair, unravelling itself like something out of a shampoo commercial. Once it sat still, it reached the bottom of the seat, arranged in perfect natural waves. It shimmered like gold when it caught the sunlight.

“Woah,” Everly said. She couldn’t help it. The girl in the chair smiled sheepishly and went slightly red.

Rowan sniggered. “Woah indeed.” She stroked the girl’s amazing hair. “Good timing. I think you two will enjoy watching this.”

Finn sat next to the other man in the shop, presumably the girl’s boyfriend. “How short is she going?”

He smirked. “Watch and see.”

“Mhmm, no spoilers,” Rowan agreed. She grabbed a comb and a set of scissors from the shelf, snipping them together loudly. “Let’s just say that Sky’s overdue a big, big haircut. Aren’t you, sweetheart?”

Sky didn’t answer, just turned progressively redder and dipped her eyes.

Rowan turned her comb upside-down and scooped up a thick section of wavy gold. “Ready to be de-Rapunzeled?”

“Not really,” she said quietly.

“I think you are.”

Rowan brought the scissors up to the face of the comb and snipped along it with hard but spaced-out clicks of the blades.

Snip, snip. Pause. Snip, snip. Pause. Snip, snip. Pause. Snip, snip.

Heavy hair flopped to the blue cape, with some sliding down to rest in Sky’s lap while the rest dropped to the floor. What remained hung just above her shoulders. Everly almost gasped. It seemed so wrong—so, so wrong—to see such incredible, healthy, beautiful hair be snipped short like this. She’d seen videos of hair like Sky’s being donated as a ponytail or a braid, but never simply cut free to fall on the ground. Oh God was it captivating. Everly sat on the very edge of her seat, eyes fixed on the reflection of the victim in the mirror, watching the hair pile up on her body and the chair and the floor. Sky’s expression remained neutral, but there was no way this was entirely her choice. Everly’s cheeks flushed hotter. She wondered how the poor girl felt having a whole room full of people watching as she lost something that she seemingly put a huge amount of care into.

Snip, snip. Pause. Snip, snip. Pause. Snip, snip. Pause. Snip, snip. Pause. Snip, snip.

Each thick strand crunched as it was severed by the scissors. The blades worked hard to get through it all.

“Gorgeous,” Rowan murmured. “I’ve been itching to do this since you first sat in this chair last year. Thanks, Jacob.”

“Thank her,” the young man said. He was grinning ear-to-ear. “I never thought she’d let me do this. Then one night this week she said she wouldn’t stop me, and I knew what we were doing at the weekend.”

Okay, so not entirely forced, then. Good. That eased some of Everly’s guilt about enjoying watching her lose her precious hair.

Achingly slowly, Rowan worked her way around the perimeter of the chair. Hair fell on her shoes as she worked. The amount that reached the floor paled in comparison to how much collected in Sky’s lap, so much it scaled the rest of her body. She made no move to shake the cape and send the mountain of cuttings to the floor. Everly loved that. She wondered if the whole cape could be buried underneath Sky’s hair by the time Rowan finished with her.

Snip. Pause. Snip. Pause. Snip.

Done. All cut into a vaguely shoulder-length lob, though it still needed tidied up.

“What an improvement,” Rowan said. To her, anything shorter was better. She combed through Sky’s much-reduced mane, catching Everly’s eye in the mirror. “But we’re not done yet, are we sweetie?”

Sky still didn’t speak.

Rowan got to work on her next hairstyle, once again scooping up a thick section of blonde in the comb. This time, she transferred it to her fingers, holding it close to Sky’s head. Everly could hardly believe it, but the scissors click-clacked across the top of Rowan’s fingers and reduced Sky’s hair to a short crop in seconds.

“Oh my God,” Everly whispered involuntarily.

Next to her, Finn’s fingers gently touched a lock of her hair, slowly sliding from her shoulder down to her waist. The same way he did when they watched videos together at home. Which surely meant he’d clocked how aroused she was starting to feel.

Snip, snip, snip, snip. Next section. Snip, snip, snip.

One of Sky’s ears no longer had a blonde curtain to hide behind. Seeing her sat there, covered in her own hair, half of her hair cut short while half remained long—nowhere near as long as it had been, but still a reasonable length—it made Everly’s whole body tingle. She had to cross her legs. Finn kept softly petting her, which only stirred her up more.

Bit by bit her hair was stripped from her. The cuttings crashed around her, leaving virtually no part of the chair uncovered. Everly only wished she’d been brave enough to whip out her phone and film it so she could watch it happen again. Did that make her sound like a creep? Probably.

Rowan cropped Sky’s hair short, then went shorter still, snipping over the face of the scissors as close to the girl’s head as she possibly could. The falling cuttings were now a sprinkle rather than a flood. Though it was less shocking, there was something about the way the little hairs clung to Sky’s neck that made Everly shiver.

The click-clack of the blades slowed and finally stopped.

“There we go,” the barberette said. “Much, much better.”

Everly couldn’t say she agreed. Sky was undeniably stunning, with high cheekbones, big, expressive blue eyes, and one of those perfect little noses that other women went under the knife to emulate. But even though she was more than pretty enough to pull off a pixie cut, and as much as Everly had enjoyed watching it happen, she’d looked almost otherworldly with her amazing hair intact rather than littering the shop floor.

Regardless, it was too late. Most likely she’d never have hair that long and beautiful again in her life.

“What do you think, Jacob?” Rowan asked as she undid the cape fastening and dusted off Sky’s neck. “Like it?”

“Absolutely. You look beautiful, Sky. I’ve always wanted to see you with a short haircut.”

Rowan shook the cape out, sending mountains of shorn hair to the floor. There had already been a jaw-dropping amount around the base of the chair, but now there was so much Everly could practically have gone swimming in it.

Finally free, Sky got up from the chair and let her boyfriend touch her freshly-cut hair. He seemed immensely satisfied, and she beamed at him while he petted her.

Meanwhile, Rowan started sweeping up. Even skating along the floor, that wavy hair looked so soft and sleek. Everly was so tempted to bend down and touch it for herself. She restrained herself from being any weirder than she already had been, though it was a tad disappointing to watch it all end up in the bin. There was so much of it that Rowan needed a second binbag to fit it all.

“Speaking of short haircuts…” Rowan beckoned Everly with one finger. “I spy a brunette who could do with one.”

She gulped, her mouth suddenly dry. For a moment she hesitated and stayed sitting. Partly she didn’t want everyone else to see how her legs were shaking when she stood and walked to the chair, and partly she started to have second thoughts about what would happen when she was at Rowan’s mercy.

“You know the drill, my lovely.” She patted the shoulder of the chair. “Sit. Haircut time. I have a good feeling about today.”

Finn’s hand crept up her back to softly scratch the back of her head. “Come on,” he whispered to her. “You’ll enjoy it once you’re sitting there.”

He was absolutely right, she knew she would. It didn’t stop her shaking with anticipation. But she managed to stand on her Bambi legs, and he walked her those few metres to the chair. It seemed stupid and almost slightly embarrassing, but he knew when and when not to tease her. She was glad he was so sweet.

Rowan immediately clipped Everly’s hair up and the same pastel blue cape soon draped over the chair. With it came a white neck strip. Everly had never needed one in all her years coming here, but the barberette always applied one anyway. She must have known it put the women in her chair on edge before the cutting even started.

“Would you mind if we stayed and watched?” Sky asked. She was still quiet even now that she wasn’t the one in the spotlight.

“Of course not,” Rowan said. “Fair’s fair. Everly certainly enjoyed watching you.”

Now it was Everly’s turn to blush. Sky giggled, exactly the kind of dainty, cutesy laugh Everly would have pictured her having.

Rowan swiped her fingers through Everly’s long, straight hair. “So, what are we doing, Finn? All off for her too?”

He eyed up Everly, smiling as he contemplated whether or not today was the day she got more than a trim. The longer he considered, the faster her heart started to pound. He wouldn’t, would he?

“My plan when we came in was to have her hair chopped back to her shoulders again,” Finn said.

“Mhmm. And now?”

He grinned, glancing at Sky and Jacob. “Well, now I’m thinking shoulder-length seems too long.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” Rowan stroked through Everly’s long, long locks with her fingers, leaning in closer to murmur in her ear. “I knew you were due something shorter soon, Ev. I love it when your hair’s grown out and I get to chop it all off.”

Her face burned. God, she forgot how much the taunting got to her. Rowan knew exactly how to make her nervous and excited in equal measure.

“So, how short?” Rowan took the same set of scissors from the counter and began lining them up against Everly’s hair. “The middle of her neck?” The scissors slid higher. “Her chin?” Higher still. “Her ears?”

Everly heard the blood pumping in her ears, felt her heart hammering away at her ribs like it was trying to break out.

“You know what?” Finn said. “Cut it exactly the same as Sky’s.”

Everly’s gut squirmed in both delight and terror. Did she want him to be kidding or did she want it to really happen? Her hair hadn’t been cut above her shoulders since she was a child. Could she even pull off such a bold style?

“Wonderful,” Rowan said. “I’m so glad you two turned up when you did. I’ve always wanted to give Everly a real haircut.”

She gulped as the barberette snipped her scissors together and began combing through her hair.

“Shoulder-length first. Let’s see what you would have looked like if Sky hadn’t been here.”

Rowan still kept combing, periodically snipping the scissors, though she didn’t cut anything yet. Every time, Everly flinched. The anticipation was killing her. She wanted to keep her hair long, yet at the same time wanted to see it fall to the cape. She wanted the cutting to be over and done with, yet at the same time she wanted it to start and never stop.

Do it!

No, don’t!

Yes!

No!

Snip.

The first hair fell. As easy as that. More than half the length, maybe a full foot, gone. Her breath hitched.

“Ooh,” Rowan said, her voice all giddy. “Listen to that.”

She took another lock of chocolate hair and lined up the scissors again. Snip.

“With Sky’s hair there was a kind of chop noise. Yours is so smooth and soft that the shears cut right through it.” Snip. “Oh, I like that.”

She was right; there was next to no resistance. Barely a sound beyond the click of the blades and the quiet swish of fallen hair snaking down the cape. Was it better that way? Everly had liked the sound of the thick golden hair being cropped. Maybe it was different when you were the one snipping it all off.

As with the last haircut, Rowan worked slowly. Savouring it. Everly naturally began to bow her head slightly. Upright enough that she could still glance up to check the mirror, but she mostly focussed on the increasing amount of shiny chocolate hair softly splatting to the pale blue cape.

Snip. Snip, snip. Snip. Snip.

A long lock slipped free from behind her shoulder and dangled down the front of the cape. God, the shoulder-length remains on the other side of her head looked so short in comparison. The waist-length side looked so much prettier. Why was she letting it be cut like this?

Heat was building up inside her. In the mirror her cheeks looked rosy, though the rest of her face hadn’t gone completely red yet. Miraculously. Every time she took more than a glance at her reflection she was drawn to Sky, sitting there with her new super short hair. Noticing how intently she watched. Just like Everly had watched her only moments ago. Something about it made her feel so self-conscious. Normally when Finn was watching she felt that way to an extent, but nowhere near as much as she did now. Maybe it was knowing that Everly was going to receive the same short haircut, or maybe it was the look of intrigue on the girl’s face. Maybe it was something else entirely.

Snip. Snip. Snip.

Her head felt lighter each time the blades closed together. Unlike Sky’s hair, Everly’s was relatively fine, but the weight—or rather the sudden lack of it—was noticeable. It gradually piled up on the cape. She wanted to touch it, to feel the soft texture on her skin, but she didn’t dare move her hands from the armrests.

Finally the scissors stopped clicking together. Just like that, her waist-length hair was gone again. Back to shoulder-length. Those painstaking eighteen months of growing it back out, all to have it lopped off exactly the same way.

“This is what you could have left looking like,” Rowan said. She swiped her fingers through Everly’s soft hair. “Much neater. Less like a hippie. But I’m glad it’s not where we’re stopping.”

Truthfully, Everly wasn’t the biggest fan of shoulder-length either. It was a boring in-between length that wasn’t long or short enough to catch anyone’s attention. Not that she would have gone shorter of her own volition, but it made the thought of having it cropped more palatable than if it had still been waist-length, if that made sense.

Rowan took a section of Everly’s hair in her fingers, exactly the same way she had done with Sky. What was coming next hung over Everly like a cloud stuffed full of lightning. Was it really about to happen? She felt sick.

The barberette made sure Everly faced straight ahead. “I want you to watch,” she whispered to her. “It’s about time this happened to you.”

Her heart pounded so fast and so loud that it felt as if it was about to pop. She’d managed not to go red before, but now she was the colour of a tomato.

Snip, snip, snip.

It happened. The first of her remaining chocolate locks crashed to the cape. Her organs kept screaming and her face kept burning, but there was something else now too. Amongst the persisting dread was a sense of… relief. She was locked in now—the rest had to be cut too. No more looking for a way out, for Finn to change his mind last minute and rescue her.

She’d felt Rowan’s hands in her hair many, many times, but never so close to her scalp. It was so odd having the blades click together so close to her head. It was exciting. Threatening, almost. She shivered, which made some of the hair slide an inch or two further down the cape. It didn’t stop Rowan from cutting.

Snip, snip, snip. Snip, snip, snip.

More. She wanted to see more silky chocolate hair pile up on the cape. The scissors snipped again, cutting through another section, and more locks cascaded around her like confetti. She swallowed, trying to control the excitement that pulsed through her veins. She gripped the arms of the chair hard to try and keep completely still. She was so aroused. Why hadn’t this happened to her years ago? Rowan should’ve taken one look at her the first time she sat in the chair, told her that her hair was far too long, and sheared her mane then and there.

Snip, snip, snip, snip. Snip, snip. Snip, snip, snip.

It was so satisfying. Her hair surrendered so easily, like it wanted to be cut. Like it was made to be.

Sky’s posture was different now. Her head was cocked, one hand subtly tugging at her earlobe. And her legs were crossed. The same way Everly’s had been when she was the one watching.

“Enjoying yourself?” Rowan murmured in her ear between snips.

Everly couldn’t answer. She almost couldn’t breathe.

Still, Rowan seemed to know the answer. “Good. I’ve been waiting years to do this to you.” She petted the short side of Everly’s hair. “It’ll probably never be that long again.”

Snip, snip, snip. Snip, snip, snip.

“And if it ever does get that long again,” Rowan whispered, “you’re getting shorn again. I won’t even ask Finn.”

Everly shivered, inadvertently spilling some of her hairy blanket over the arms of the chair to fall to the floor. The thought of never having very long hair again stirred up an odd mix of emotions. She truly loved having her hair long, and she was sure part of her would regret cutting it once she left the shop. She couldn’t picture herself only having short hair from now on. If she wasn’t made to cut it, she would gladly grow it back to her waist or even longer, even if that meant it had to be shorn all over again. No, especially if that happened.

What was left of her shoulder-length hair was taken, then the comb started pushing up the back of her head while the scissor blades snapped over the top. They felt dangerously close to her skin. Rowan’s face showed no concern, only concentration as she snipped Everly’s hair as short as she possibly could. The tiny hairs clung to her neck, like they had to Sky. They itched, but in an odd way she loved the feeling. It was the first time she’d ever felt cut hair fall on her bare skin. Maybe she should have asked to do the whole haircut without a cape.

The scissors started to slow again. Snip. Pause. Snip. Pause. Snip.

And then they stopped altogether. At long last, it was done. She wished it went on even longer, but at least this way she left with some hair still left on the top of her head. The pixie cut was extremely short, but Rowan had managed to make it still look cute. Like Sky before her, Everly still felt long hair had suited her better, but she could put up with short hair for a while if it looked like this.

The barberette undid the cape and the neck strip, dusting the hairs off Everly’s neck. Then she shook the cape out and freed her latest victim. The hair tumbled to the floor, leaving another impressive mountain of cuttings. Not enough to fill two bins, but still.

While Finn went to pay, Sky came up to Everly.

“It looks good on you,” she said.

The compliment caught Everly off-guard. “Oh, I…” She touched the back of her head, feeling the short bristles. “Thank you. I think you look completely stunning too.”

She touched her own hair, a soft grin on her face. “Thank you.” Her face tinted slightly pink. “Sorry I made you get it cut so short.”

“No, no. It’s…” She almost said alright, but that wasn’t the right way to say it. “I’m glad this happened. Even if I don’t look like I am. And I’m glad I got to watch you cut yours.”

She went red. Maybe she shouldn’t have said that out loud.

Sky didn’t seem to care though. In fact, she smiled once more. “Likewise. When I’ve grown it back out, you’d be welcome to come and watch me chop it again.”

Her heart practically leapt up and out of her throat. “God, yes. Absolutely. You can watch mine too.”

Sky giggled. “Good. Give me your number and we can sort something out.”