C35: Luke Cage
Luke?
Luke Cage!
In the barbershop, Li Ran looked at the towering figure in the mirror and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He finally came, at least now the haircut wasn't for nothing.
"Sleep isn't a reason, Dad. I also stay up late every night, but I still make it to the shop first," said Henry Hunter, the old barber, putting down his scissors and switching to electric clippers as he turned to face the newcomer.
Luke replied with a lopsided smile, his broad frame casting a shadow across the doorway: "That's because you don't sleep much, Pops."
Henry grunted. "Maybe you should try a job that forces you to wake up early like working the grill over at Ganke's Diner next door."
Luke chuckled. "Dad, you know I need the bouncer gig at Harlem's Paradise. Tips are better than at the diner, and if I don't pay Mrs. Connie the rent I owe, she's gonna toss me out onto the street. She's already banging on my door like it's the Daily Bugle looking for Spider-Man."
Henry nodded knowingly. "With what I know about Connie, she won't just threaten it. She'll do it."
"I believe it too."
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you standing here? The towels in the washer aren't gonna rinse themselves."
"Thanks, Dad."
Poppy, seated by the window and adjusting the bishop on the chessboard, watched the exchange and shook his head with a smile.
"You don't actually want him to quit that job, do you?" Li Ran asked from the barber's chair, glancing at his nearly trimmed hair.
Henry paused, half-turning. "Was it that obvious? I thought I had better poker face than Gambit."
Poppy chuckled as he captured Li Ran's knight with his rook. "It's pretty obvious, Henry. You want to help the kid, just admit it already."
Henry sighed and resumed snipping. "I know Luke. He's as proud as T'Challa without the crown. That man would juggle two, even three jobs before asking me for anything. Won't even take a raise, says it feels like charity."
Poppy nodded. "But he's a good guy."
Henry smiled faintly. "Yeah, he is."
He's not just a good guy, Li Ran thought to himself. He's the man who once stood toe-to-toe with Sabretooth and lived to tell the tale.
…
"Okay, kid." Henry brushed the loose hair from Li Ran's neck and unfastened the cape. "You're looking sharper than a Wakandan blade. Feel good?"
Li Ran stared blankly at his reflection, now sporting a buzzcut that barely clung to his scalp.
Silently, he remembered a scene from Kung Fu Soccer, where Ah Xing and his brothers looked equally absurd onstage, and he suddenly had the urge to belt out "Iron Head Kung Fu."
He was bald. Unfortunately, he wasn't stronger.
"Dad, I'm not sure that style works on Asian heads," Shamick smirked, his voice thick with amusement as he watched from the side.
Henry grimaced. "Okay, maybe I got carried away. Might've mixed up my styles from when I cut Blade's hair in the '90s. Here, you'll need a hat."
Li Ran rubbed his gleaming forehead. "How much?"
"It's on the house," Henry said, shrugging.
"Dad, come on!" Shamick cried. "That's not fair! He's not Michael Jordan!"
"Or Muhammad Ali," Chico added, scissors still in hand.
"He's not even Black!"
"Dad has his reasons," came a calm voice from across the room.
Luke Cage, Power Man himself, looked up from sweeping.
"'Dad has his reasons~'" Shamick mimicked mockingly. Then, he turned to Luke. "Seriously, man, what are you even doing here?"
"I'm working, Shamick," Luke replied, sweeping another pile of hair into the dustpan. "I mop the floors, wash the towels, keep the place spotless. That's my job. You wouldn't get it."
Shamick scoffed. "You call that work?"
"At least I am working. You wouldn't be able to cut your own hair without someone like me."
Henry stepped in quickly, noticing the heat rising in the room. "Hey, cool it, guys."
But Li Ran noticed something. The old man didn't look worried. Not even slightly. Either he didn't see it as serious or he had absolute faith in one of them.
Li Ran looked at Henry, then back at the room. Honestly, it was hard to imagine this turning into a real brawl, even if his arrival was the pebble that kicked up the dust.
"I've had enough..." Luke muttered.
That set Shamik off.
"Enough of what, man?"
Luke stood tall, quiet but firm. "What have you had enough of, Shamick?"
The tension broke like a wave hitting Luke's unshakeable form. Shamik looked away, voice lowering. "I'm tired of living like this. I wanna change."
Henry handed him a towel. "There's still hair on your neck."
The room burst into warm laughter.
Henry turned back to Li Ran. "Sorry you had to see that, kid. Don't worry about the cut. But if you're in Harlem and things get rough, come to me."
"Dad, I need help too," Shamick protested.
Henry raised an eyebrow. "Then get a job that pays. You can't build a future sitting around playing chess and complaining."
Li Ran cleared his throat. "Actually, I'm looking for someone. Ever heard of a place called Willard?"
Henry frowned. "Willard?"
He turned to Poppy. "You heard of it?"
Poppy barely looked up from his game. "Nope. Sounds like a Gotham name to me."
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