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#client: fix hangover strips
worldofcifrado · 4 months
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kayte-overmoon · 3 years
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"Slow Cherry" Chapter 4
(cross-posted on AO3)
Tags: Mild Depressive Episode, Drinking (everyone is of age; no alcohol abuse), drunk texting, accidental face reveal
Snippet: A soft laugh drifted over the line. “Are you still drunk, Dream?”
He hummed. “Maybe a little.”
“You’re a mess, Dream.”
“Yeah, I know. Thanks for putting up with me.”
“Anytime, love.”
Read Chapter 1 Here
Read Chapter 2 Here
Read Chapter 3 Here
No sexual content in this chapter.
Dream spent the next few weeks losing himself in his schoolwork.
Every time he closed his eyes, he thought of George, heard his voice, saw his smile. It was wreaking havoc on his attention span. His feelings toward the older man were confusing to say the least. It was easier to hyperfixate on school than to try and sort out why he felt this way about a man he’d never even met face-to-face.
Knowing they were only a few short weeks away from living not only in the same country, but the same city made it very, very hard to think about anything else.
Luckily, he had a hardcore coding assignment coming up, so he locked himself in his bedroom with the lights off and drowned himself in Python.
Sapnap noticed something was off and made sure to text Dream whenever he got food (conveniently always with a little more than one person could eat alone). On the rare occasions Dream emerged from his cave, Sapnap looked at him with concern written in every corner of his face, but he didn’t ask what was wrong. He just pushed a bottle of water or a granola bar across the counter to him and told him he looked like shit.
Dream was sure he was right. It was winter, so he hadn’t properly been in the sun in months—for a Florida boy, that was too long. He’d skipped a few showers, and the only time he’d eaten was when Sapnap made sure he did. He shuffled into the bathroom to scrutinize himself under the fluorescents. He squinted in the bright light, so used to the darkness of his room. His hair was a mess, several days overdue for a wash and unbrushed for longer than Dream could remember. He also needed to shave, not liking the scratchy growth around his jaw. There were dark circles around his blood-shot eyes and his skin was paler than it had been in years. He scoffed at himself before stripping and jumping in the shower.
The hot water burned his skin, but it was a religious experience. He hadn’t realized how far he’d pushed himself and how deep he’d let himself fall until it was over. His last final was the next morning, so he was almost done. Thank God.
As it usually did when he had a free moment, his mind strayed to George.
They had still been snapping back and forth, which soothed some of the ache. But it felt like he was looking down the barrel of addiction: he knew that taking one more hit, one more drink, would land him far beyond his limit, pushing him past the fabled Point of No Return. He considered ghosting George, but just thinking about that made his stomach turn. Sex workers got enough shit as it was without their clients pushing boundaries, trying to make something real out of their arrangements, or dropping them outright without warning.
Dream was so fucking pathetic.
He emerged from his shower scrubbed raw, physically and emotionally. He didn’t feel great in his head still, but at least he didn’t stink. He brushed his teeth to cover all his hygienic basics, put on a clean pair of pajamas, and went to bed.
And just like that his semester was over. He did well on his final—not as well as he’d hoped, considering how much time he’d spent studying, but well enough to stay on track to graduation.
He emerged from his final to find a snap from George waiting for him on his phone.
The older man was sitting on his bed, throwing a peace sign to the camera with a huge, cheesy grin. There were boxes stacked around the bed, the only thing left in the room being his bed.
Good luck on your final! Getting ready to put my stuff in the shipping container. Only a few more days.
Despite himself, Dream smiled at the message.
Dream and Sapnap celebrated the end of the semester that night in the only way college kids knew how: by buying as much beer as they could afford and inviting over as many people as they could fit into their apartment. Someone connected their phone to the sound system in the living room, blasting hip hop music over the subwoofer. Dream knew they were going to get a noise complaint from their neighbors, but he was too excited—and drunk—to care.
He got a few drinks in him and danced when he was pulled from the couch. Faces blurred before him, but he knew almost everybody there, so he didn’t mind whenever someone pressed up against him. Someone else pressed another beer into his hands. He was sweating, the heat in the apartment still fighting the December cold even with a few dozen people packed into the cramped space. His jacket came off at some point, so he was only in his beer-stained t-shirt and jeans.
He could happily say he had nothing on his mind. He was just happy, done with school for the next month and surrounded by his favorite people in the world.
But not his favorite person in the world.
No, that person wasn’t here.
He stumbled to the bathroom at one point to piss, wobbling a little and struggling to aim. He washed his hands and stared at himself in the mirror. He looked much different than he had the previous night: he was flushed from the alcohol and dancing, for one, but he also felt lighter. Maybe it was the beer talking, but he felt good. He always liked life better when he wasn’t in school. And that message from George made him so, so happy.
Only a few more days.
George.
Just thinking about him made Dream smile.
He pulled out his phone just to look at the photo, which he’d screenshotted. They’d agreed they could save anything they sent each other except for nudes, which they had to get permission to keep. But innocent little messages like that one were free game. Dream was thankful for that, since it let him get a fix whenever he needed it. He found himself pulling out his phone to look at pictures of his camboy whenever he had a free moment to twiddle his thumbs.
He wrote a message to George, not really paying attention to what he said. Mainly he just wanted George to think of him while Dream was thinking of George. He sent the message and pocketed his phone. The music became unmuffled as he opened the bathroom door and someone immediately grabbed him and pulled him back into the fray.
Dream had… many regrets come morning.
Before he even opened his eyes, he knew how much of a doozy this hangover was. His head was pounding with the beat of his heart, his mouth felt packed with sand, and his stomach was turning. He felt like he needed to puke, but he was too numb to get up. Besides, he had a feeling he’d only end up dry heaving.
He scrubbed a hand over his eyes, debating going back to sleep. Something on the bed shifted next to him (much bigger than Patches), alerting him to the fact that he wasn’t alone.
After some coaxing, he squinted his eyes open and blinked against the scarce light peeking around the curtains—it wasn’t much light, but it was enough to make him want to die. He turned to see someone’s back facing him in the bed, a dude. Dream sent up a silent prayer of thanks that both the dude and Dream himself were fully clothed. He levered himself onto an elbow to see who was next to him. It was Skeppy, of all people, and he wasn't alone. Puffy was there too, curled up against Skeppy’s chest at the edge of the bed. Dream had no clue how neither of them had fallen off yet, so tightly wound together on the ledge. But they were there, snoozing happily.
Someone was snoring, but it wasn’t either of them. Dream sat up further and poked his head around to find Bad sprawled on the floor beside the bed. It seemed he’d wanted to get in with Skeppy and Puffy, but there hadn’t been enough room with Dream there as well. Skeppy’s hand was dangling off the side of the bed where Bad was; they must have fallen asleep holding hands. Despite his head and his stomach trying to remove themselves from his body, Dream smiled. They were all so sweet together.
He extracted himself from the bed slowly, not wanting to disturb them, and grabbed his phone charger from the power strip at his desk. He slipped into the bathroom and closed the door behind himself carefully. His phone was dead in his pocket, so he plugged it in at the bathroom counter as he set about cleaning himself up. He contemplated trying to throw up but decided against it. It might only make him even more sick. He washed his face and brushed his teeth. He definitely needed a shower and a change of clothes, but he didn’t have the energy for it yet.
A soft ding told him his phone was back on. He dried off his hands and picked it up. He had a couple of missed notifications. Karl left one saying he was taking Sapnap back to his place because someone had already taken Sapnap’s room. There was one from his next-door neighbor asking him to turn the music down or they would call the cops. Dream assumed that was a bluff, considering he didn’t remember the cops showing up at any point.
The last notification caught his eye.
It was a Snapchat message from George, received around 3 a.m.
Dream, call me when you get this. I don’t think you meant to send that. I need to talk to you.
Dream’s heart sunk.
What had he sent George? Had he drunk texted him? What had he said?
Oh God, he hadn't told him anything... incriminating, right? Had he said anything about wanting to be more than a sugar daddy, a friend with benefits, a casual observer?
There wasn’t anything saved in their chats above George’s most recent messages. The last message before that was Dream’s response to George’s “good luck with finals” message.
Wait. No it wasn’t.
The time stamp was wrong.
Dream had sent George a picture around 2:30 last night, when he was several drinks deep. He remembered going to the bathroom and texting George, but he couldn’t remember what he’d said no matter how hard he’d tried. He thought it had been a typed message in chat, not a picture.
Maybe he’d sent a dick pic? He hoped not. He had been too drunk to get it up at that point. If that’s what it was, it had to be horribly unflattering. And if not a dick pic, what had he taken a picture of?
His blood ran cold.
He was hitting the “call” button before he could overthink it.
George answered a few rings later. “Dream?”
“What did I send?” His voice was rough. He was trying to keep quiet so he didn’t bother his guests, and his mouth was dry even after brushing his teeth. He sounded like shit.
George sounded uncomfortable when he spoke. “Dream, I’m sorry. I don’t think you meant to—“
“What did I send, George?”
He knew the answer in the silence before George spoke. His stomach dropped when he said it anyway. “You—you sent me a picture of your face.”
Dream hung his head. Perfect. Of course. He’d had grand plans to pick George up from the airport and reveal his face then, or he’d at least make it sexy over their video calls or something. He wanted to make it a spectacle. Instead he’d drunk texted him a selfie.
“It wasn’t bad,” George tried to reassure him. “I couldn’t see it too clearly anyway. It was in the mirror, and you were very drunk. You were a little blurry.”
“What was I doing?”
“You were, like, leaning on the counter. You were smiling. You had a, uh…”
Dream frowned harder. “I had a what?”
“You had—have—a hickey on your neck.”
“What?” Dream stood up straight and pulled the collar of his shirt. Sure enough, there was a dark red mark on his neck, barely hidden by his shirt. “Huh. How the hell did that get there?”
George snorted. “Sounds like you had a fun night.” There was something bitter in his tone.
Dream scrambled for a response that wouldn't put him in the metaphorical dog house. “I don’t—I didn’t sleep with anyone. I would know. It just—my friends are super touchy. One of them probably did it while we were dancing.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Dream,” George said softly. “I’m a big boy. I know I’m not the only person in your life.”
“I do have to explain myself, though.” Dream ran his hand through his hair. “I care what you think about me. I don’t want you to think I sleep around. I don’t. Not really. Not anymore, at least. And I wanted to surprise you when you saw my face. I wanted it to be a thing.”
“Dream, calm down.” There was something calming about the British man’s voice, especially when he used that tone, like he was soothing a spooked animal. Which, for all intents and purposes, Dream was. “It’s okay. I’m not upset. I was just worried about you. I know it’s a thing for you, people seeing your face.”
“Oh.” Dream’s heart was thundering in his chest. It was making his head throb harder, but he didn’t particularly care at that moment. “Thank you. That’s—you’re really considerate. And did you—I mean, did…”
“You’re very handsome, Dream.”
Dream was dumbfounded. That wasn’t what he was going to ask, but he’s glad George said it. He wasn’t really concerned about that particular aspect of this whole ordeal, but it was nice to know. “Oh. Thanks. That’s… you too. I mean, I think you’re—fuck.”
George’s laugh echoed across the line, settling Dream’s frazzled nerves. “I know, honey. You’ve told me before. But let's continue this conversation when you’re not so hungover, yeah?”
Dream hummed in agreement. “You can tell?”
“You were sloshed last night. I could tell just by looking at you. Partied hard, hmm?”
Dream snorted. “Just a little. I don't even want to see the state of my living room right now. And there’s, like, two-thirds of a thruple in my bed right now.”
“Oh?” Amusement and interest tinged the older man’s voice.
“No, not like that,” Dream laughed. “They passed out in there. Their third is on the floor. They’re good friends of mine. No clue when we all fell asleep though.”
“Sounds like you need to get started making coffee for everyone, then. Be a good host.”
“Probably. I thought about ordering pizza. I have no clue how many people stayed over though.”
“Celebrating the end of term, then?”
A yawn worked its way out of Dream. “Yeah,” he said. “We all finished up yesterday so we just bought a bunch of beer and invited folks over.”
“Sounds fun.”
“We’ll invite you next time,” Dream said, his tongue loose from his hangover. Oh well. “I think you’d like my friends. They’re all… absolutely insane. But they’re the coolest, nicest people you’ll ever meet.”
A soft laugh drifted over the line. “Are you still drunk, Dream?”
He hummed. “Maybe a little.”
“You’re a mess, Dream.”
“Yeah, I know. Thanks for putting up with me.”
“Anytime, love.”
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Stolen Goods
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Stolen wallet, long night of drinking and an even longer morning. I couldn’t tell you what happened or what I did but what I can tell you is what happened before I started drinking. I remember playing a game, I remember sitting down and I remember my turn.. I picked my lucky number thirteen and was told to perform my favorite scene from a porno. How on earth would I do that? And embarrass Cam in front of the lot of them? I think not.. That was for private eyes only not the crew, I wasn’t back in the gang anymore. I took a different route and decided to trust my bartender who told me to drink a huge glass of… of.. Who the fuck knows. After that shit went god knows where.
My vision blurred but I could hear them and then nothing. Word is is that I jumped up on the bar and stripped off my shirt throwing it to Leo… I guess that would explain why I woke up in bed with no shirt. By morning I woke up with a nasty hangover, thankful Maya was with the sitter she’d never have to see me like this. When I pulled my shit together I tried looking for my wallet and at first it seemed silly, I probably left it in the jeep or Cam put it up but after checking both I came to realize that it was actually missing, stolen and I wasn’t the only one to have something robbed. I told myself over and over again that it was in the bar somewhere but after checking it over and over again I found nothing. I returned home and there it was on my front step but empty…
Inside my wallet:
Money: 15,000 in cash, the down payment from a client to begin recording in his studio. How careless could I have actually been? Why didn’t I just drop in the safe before going to the bar? How was I going to eat this one? Just tell them it went missing and ruin the chance of bringing on a promising singer? I think not..
Lola:  After unpacking the last of my boxes I found her my fixed brand of weed, my own strand I had created and named Lola. One blunt of her and it could turn the most unhappiest person happy with hallucinations.
Identification/ Photos:  No matter where I go I carry my /New/ Id as well as the photos I received of Maya the day she was born when I was locked up. Why would someone want to steal photos of a child? Those photos not so replaceable as my Id was.
Things in the hidden slit:
Prison Id: Why keep this.. Why hold on to one of the darkest parts of my life? To remember the past I had or maybe this Id would be my out one day.. Who actually knew but I kept it and I left it hidden where only I’d see it but apparently the thief has seen it too.
A credit card: I never dealt with many banks and still don’t the world is corrupted and working with money is enough to make even the most innocent greedy. Banks can be robbed and they can be hacked so why throw all my mostly hard earned cash in a place that would be easily drainable? I found a place, someone I could trust who build a safe in my home to hold my money and what nots, that card wasn’t an actual credit car but an access card indisguise.
The letters: Once week from my arrival to my new home I started finding random letters and packages. What seemed like a harmless prank quickly turned into something more serious those  letters contained some dark things and I need to get them back before things get worse!
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