Chapter Text
“Pierre, your three-thirty appointment is here.” Stoffel, one of Pierre’s colleague, told the Frenchman. Pierre, who had been eating something in the break room, sighed and stood up.
“Thanks for letting me know.” he said tiredly. “Is it a regular?” he asked. Stoffel nodded.
“Yeah, it’s that lawyer. Sebastian, I think his name is?” Stoffel explained, taking one of Pierre’s leftover biscuits. Pierre glared half-heartedly at his friend, before making his way out of the break room to greet his client.
“Mister Vettel?” Pierre softly greeted the curly-haired man, who he had indeed seen more often. The man smiled and dropped the file he had been reading into his bag, before getting up from the sofa he had been waiting on.
“Hi, nice to see you again.” Sebastian greeted politely, shaking Pierre’s hand before letting the young hairdresser leading him over to the right station.
“Sit, please.” Pierre said, coming to stand behind Sebastian. His fingers found their way into the lawyer’s soft hair, ruffling the curls a little as he inspected what he was working with. “What can I do for you today?” he asked softly. Every single time Sebastian came into the salon, Pierre couldn’t help but to get flustered. The older man was always kind to him, making small talk while Pierre did his hair. The man’s curls were also incredibly soft, which was definitely a plus.
“It just needs to be shortened a little bit.” Sebastian said, looking at the younger man through the mirror. Pierre nodded, his hands still carding through Sebastian’s hair.
“Do you want me to wash it first?” he asked, even though the strands felt clean and soft against his fingers. Seb shook his head.
“I washed my hair this morning.” he said. “And I’m in a bit in a hurry.” he added apologetically. Pierre smiled.
“No problem, I’ll get started.” Pierre said, getting out his scissors and other necessities. He was normally very good at making small talk, but with Sebastian, he had no clue where to start. Sebastian smiled as Pierre gently asked him to tilt his head forward.
“I like your necklace.” Sebastian said with a kind smile. Pierre blushed lightly, touching the gold pendant shaped like a heart.
“Merci.” he answered. “My mother gave it to me for my 18th birthday.” he explained, not adding that it had been the last gift he had ever gotten from his family. He was alone now, his parents having passed away years ago. He took a deep breath.
“Do you have an important meeting after this?” he asked curiously, moving to shorten the hair around Sebastian’s ears. Sebastian sighed.
“I have a court case this afternoon.” he explained. Pierre nodded.
“Ah yes, you are a lawyer.” he said with a nod. Sebastian gave him a warm smile.
“I am. I’m surprised you remember.” he said. Pierre bit his lip.
“Part of the job.” he said with a shrug, before they settled into silence again. Once he was done cutting, Pierre rubbed some gel into the unruly curls, arranging them into a more sophisticated hair style. He liked Seb’s hair a lot more when it was unruly and without any product, but would never dare to say so.
“There, all done.” Pierre said softly, unclipping the button on the back of Seb’s neck to take off the cape. He gently brushed off Sebastian’s shoulders before letting him get up. Sebastian checked his hair in the mirror a last time before turning around with a smile.
“Perfect as always.” he complimented. Pierre blushed and averted his eyes.
“Thank you.” he said softly. “My boss will manage the payment.” he added, before fleeing back to the safety of the break room as his cheeks burned red. He heard Sebastian calling another “thank you” after him, but didn’t respond.
~~~~~~
Near the end of his shift, Mister Marko, the salon’s owner, came over to Pierre. Pierre instantly shuddered and tried to find a way out. He was getting his paycheck today, which was a good thing, but he really did not want to interact with the old pervert.
“Mister Gasly,” Mister Marko started. Pierre smiled politely, but took a step away as the man crowded into his space. “I’d like to see you in my office right this instant.” he said firmly. Pierre’s eyes widened.
“Okay sir.” he whispered, meekly following after the man. The moment the door closed behind him, Pierre knew something was very wrong. Mister Marko gave him a sly smile.
“You asked for a raise, and to get your paycheck early.” he started. Pierre nodded.
“Y-yes sir.” Pierre started. “My rent got higher and I… I’m behind on the payments. If I don’t pay by today my landlord will kick me out.” he explained softly, hoping to get some empathy from his boss. Mister Marko hummed.
“I’m sure we can come to an arrangement, right?” he purred. Pierre nodded fervently.
“Y-yes of course.” Pierre said. “I’d do anything.” he added, hoping to get some more shifts. Mister Marko stepped closer, pushing Pierre up against the wall.
“Anything, mmh?” Mister Marko hissed in his ear, one hand grabbing at Pierre’s ass. Pierre gasped and wiggled against him.
“W-what? No! Let go of me!” he whimpered, pushing Mister Marko away. Mister Marko growled impatiently and moved to undo Pierre’s belt. Pierre let out a scared sob, instinctively slapping Mister Marko in the face. Mister Marko stumbled back now, but his face turned red in anger.
“You’re fired! You insolent brat!” he yelled. Pierre started to cry, grabbing his bag before rushing out of the building. His body burned where Mister Marko had touched him, and he felt dirty.
He pulled the hood of his sweater up over his head, hiding his blotchy cheeks from the crowds. He could not home, not when his landlord wanted money he did not have and so instead he aimlessly walked into a bar, ordering a beer and looking around. He did not have the money for a hotel and his only option for finding a place to sleep was to go home with a stranger.
Pierre felt sick to his stomach at the mere thought of having sex in exchange for a place to sleep, but he was running out of options. He spotted an older, drunk looking man in one of the booths and headed over. Before he could sit greet him, a warm hand wrapped around his wrist. Pierre twirled around and came face to face with Sebastian, who looked worried.
“Are you okay darling?” Sebastian asked softly, wrapping an arm around Pierre’s waist as the younger man stumbled. Pierre stared into Sebastian’s kind face, his own trembling hands clutching on to Seb’s shoulders. He started to cry again then, feeling frantic and scared while also feeling relieved at seeing a familiar face. Sebastian drew in a surprised breath, but then eased the bottle of beer out of Pierre’s han with a resolute nod.
“Come with me.” he said gently, keeping his arm around Pierre’s shoulders as he brought him out of the bar. Pierre barely understood what was going on, only somewhat calming down when he was seated in the passenger seat of Sebastian’s BMW. The German was sitting in the driver seat, but the car wasn’t moving.
“Ssh, it’s okay honey.” Sebastian said softly, reaching over to take Pierre’s hand. Pierre let out a shaky breath, frantically wiping at his eyes with the sleeves of his hoodie.
“It’s not okay.” he sobbed. “I-I lost my job… My landlord will have my head if I ever return home and I- I have nowhere to go.” he hid his face in his hands, before whimpering when Seb wrapped his arm around his shoulders.
“Oh darling.” Sebastian sighed, hesitating slightly before gently squeezing Pierre's shoulder. “Come with me then, I will ready a spare room for you.” he added. Pierre sniffled and looked up at him. Sebastian still looked worried, but there was a soft smile on his face. Pierre really did not have any other option. It was either going home with someone he was acquainted with, or with a complete stranger.
“Please…” Pierre answered brokenly. Sebastian nodded, gently squeezing the young hairdresser’s shoulder.
“Very well then.” he said, starting the car. “Let’s go home.”
~~~~~~
Sebastian lived in a beautiful, stylish villa. Pierre followed the lawyer inside with wide eyes. The house was almost bigger than his apartment building, but somehow it still felt like a home. Sebastian had taken his hand, gently leading him along to the kitchen.
“Here.” Sebastian said with a smile, handing him a bottle of water before taking Pierre’s free hand again, bringing him upstairs this time. Pierre got nervous again, not quite knowing what would happen now. He remembered Seb talking about a spare room, but then again, you never knew for sure.
“This is my room.” Seb started, pointing through large, open doors. The German moved on to the next room, but Pierre didn’t notice anymore. The Frenchman had walked into the master bedroom with a shaky breath, taking his sweater off with trembling fingers. He should have known Sebastian had just taken him home to have sex. Pierre tried not to cry as he wiggled out his pants too, crawling onto the bed in just his boxers. Sebastian, who had been frozen to his spot in the doorway, now rushed over.
“Oh honey, no…” he sighed, gently pulling the covers up over Pierre to cover him. Pierre seemed confused now, wiping at his eyes as he cuddled in under the covers.
“I’m here to have sex, no?” Pierre asked in a small voice. Sebastian shook his head.
“No sweetheart. You’re just here because I want to keep you safe.” he said softly, carding his fingers through Pierre’s hair. Pierre didn’t seem to understand.
“But I… I can’t repay you.” he whimpered. Sebastian smiled gently.
“You don’t have to.” he soothed. “I just couldn’t leave you out there on your own.” he added. Pierre felt himself calm down as Sebastian continued his gentle touches. The events of the day were coming back to him, and he felt his limbs becoming heavy from exhaustion now that the adrenaline wore off.
“S-sorry, I’ll go to the spare room.” Pierre mumbled sleepily, sitting up. Sebastian chuckled.
“It’s okay, I’ll sleep there. You can just sleep here tonight.” he said softly, before standing up. Pierre bit his lip.
“I don’t want to be alone.” he whimpered. He was still so, so scared, even though he knew there was no way his landlord or Mister Marko would find him here Sebastian sighed, leaning in to kiss Pierre’s forehead.
“I will stay here then, yeah?” he asked. Pierre sighed in relief, and fell asleep soon after. He only stirred awake briefly when Sebastian, changed into a soft shirt and boxers, crawled in under the covers.
"Ssh, you're safe." The lawyer said kindly. Pierre sniffled sleepily and moved closer, hesitantly pillowing his face on Sebastian's shoulder. Sebastian hummed tiredly and wrapped an arm around Pierre in return, keeping him close.
"Go back to sleep, love." He said softly. "I'm right here with you."
~~~~
Pierre woke up the next morning, feeling much less scared. He was curled around Sebastian’s side, the German already awake and sitting up with his back against the headboard. He was looking over a file, while simultaneously carding his fingers through Pierre’s hair. Pierre yawned and instinctively cuddled closer, feeling safe with the older man next to him.
“Morning.” he said shyly. Sebastian looked down on him with a soft smile.
“Morning.” he answered softly, fingers brushing over Pierre’s cheek as he placed the file on the nightstand. Pierre sat up too, pulling his knees up to his chest.
“Thank you for last night.” he said softly. “And I’m sorry for overreacting like I did…” he sighed. Sebastian gave him a soft smile.
“It’s alright darling.” Sebastian soothed. “Do you want to tell me what happened exactly?” he added. Pierre bit his lip but then nodded.
"I've been struggling to afford my apartment for a while already. My pay is not great and after my car broke down, I didn't have enough money left from my salary to pay my rent." Pierre blurted out, keeping his eyes trained on his knees. "And my boss asked me in to talk, telling me he could give me a raise or my salary early if I- I…" Pierre closed his eyes. He felt Sebastian wrapping an arm around him, pulling him closer.
"What did he ask you to do?" Sebastian asked. Pierre swallowed thickly.
"H-he just grabbed me, and tried to undress me." He hiccuped. "And I panicked and slapped him, and then he fired me." He finished with a shudder. Sebastian sighed.
"Oh darling." He muttered, carding his fingers through Pierre's hair. "You don't deserve any of that." He soothed. Pierre sniffled.
"I don't know what to do now." He whimpered. Sebastian gently tilted Pierre's head up, and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
"You can stay here for as long as you like." He said firmly. "And tonight, when I come back from work, we'll go over to your apartment and get all your belongings." He added. Pierre looked up to him with wide eyes.
"Why are you helping me?" He asked hoarsely. Sebastian sighed, averting his eyes. He seemed almost shy for the first time since Pierre had met him.
"Because you are a good person." Sebastian said eventually. "And my house is definitely big enough to house a guest." He added with a shrug. He turned back to Pierre, and Pierre could see Sebastian's cheek had turned slightly pink. Pierre gave him a grateful smile, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Sebastian's cheek.
"I swear I'll be easy. You won't even notice I'm here." He promised. Sebastian chuckled.
"But that's the thing." He answered gently, fingers ghosting over Pierre's cheek. "I do want to notice that you're here." He whispered. Pierre let out a small gasp, before smiling shyly, cuddling close to the German again.
"Thank you." He whispered again. "For everything." And he meant it.