ORPHANED

:: eighty-two ::

when dream woke up the very day after, he felt a weight lifted. he felt it in his soul, and in the way he carried himself. he stood taller, with more confidence and buzz, excited for the day. apparently it wasn't subtle either.

"what's got you all smiley today?" bad asked, setting down a step stool as he welcomed the blonde into The Grind with a smile.

he set down his bag, and tied an apron around his waist. "i finally got to talk to george."

karl giggled from where he sat at the counter. "talk? is that what they call it these days." he threw a crumpled napkin at the blonde's head.

"george, hmm?" bad shot a glance towards dream as he passed.

"george." karl confirmed with a grin on his face.

dream bent down to pick up and throw the napkin back at the pink haired boy. "yes, george." he began his working tasks by refilling containers with unground coffee beans. "so what are you doing here so early bad?"

the brunette passed them again, two turkey vinyls in his hands. "i don't know if you've noticed, but thanksgiving is approaching, and we need new decorations." he gestured around to the outdated fall theme of the inactive coffee shop.

"not everyone celebrates thanksgiving though, isn't it a religious holiday?" karl attempted to juggle a single orange, failing miserably.

dream tilted his head, "i don't think that's how that works." he watched the orange.

"well it doesn't necessarily have to be thanksgiving, it could just be a turkey day." bad set down bags full of trinkets he brought to redecorate the walls. "what noises do turkeys make?" he asked, holding up one of the vinyls in front of his face speaking for the bird. "turkey, turkey."

this sent both the guys onto the ground. tears welled in dream's eyes, he had to set down the coffee scoop. bad was so cluelessly innocent he was a perfect foil for the rest of them.

karl regained himself first. "bad, i love you and all, but please tell me you didn't really think turkeys walk around going, 'turkey, turkey." he mocked, clutching at his heart as he choked on the strong coffee scented air in the room.

bad stood with his hands on his hips. "what? is that not what turkeys sound like?"

both karl and dream shared a look holding back blaring laughs that would otherwise quickly fill the atmosphere.

"ohhh."

there it was.

"gobble, gobble." bad corrected, ignoring the boys who continued gasping for breath, almost passing out from his unintentionally hilarious personality.

thankfully sapnap showed up just in time to knock out the other two.

"they keep writing shit all over the fucking walls." he slammed down a bottle of bleach.

"language sapnap." bad set down all the things in his hands as he glared at the other.

"oh, hey dream."

as you could imagine it took both karl and dream a long while to recover. just one glance at the other was enough to tip them both off.

"dream you've really broken out of your shell since you started here." bad stared at the blonde with a neutral look on his face. the statement could've been taken both ways.

dream smiled, pointing to both sapnap and karl. "blame them, they're terrible influences."

sapnap tried to bite his finger. "don't point it's rude." he mocked the blonde, flipping him off from under the counter where bad couldn't see.

"i used to steal oranges from my neighbors orange tree." they turned to karl to watch the boy study an orange with too much concentration.

"you pirated oranges from your neighbor?" dream asked as they joined the boy's gaze on the fruit. karl only nodded in response.

"i can't believe i'm friends with a felon." sapnap pushed into dream's side attempting to make the blonde look away.

"aye, sapnap, don't joke about that." bad scolded, from where he had been overhearing the conversation, as he hung decorations on the ceiling.

"do you think i could fit this entire orange into my mouth."

again the attention snapped to karl. both sapnap and dream encouraged him, eager to see how proceedings would play out. unfortunately for them bad stepped in to babysit the guys that were too old to be babied.

"karl no." he tapped him on the head with a leaf cutout.

"you don't think i can do it?" karl turned to the brunette, wearing a frown and lowering the volume of his voice.

"yeah what the hell bad." sapnap crossed his arms, amplifying the illusion.

they knew exactly how to back him into a corner. both sapnap and karl left shortly after that: as soon as sapnap's shift had ended. so of course dream was left to help bad hang decorations. that was, until the bell above the door chimed again.

"i'm looking for a blonde with a pretty smile."

dream looked away from the cornucopia print he had been taping to the wall. there at the counter, had been a brunette awaiting assistance.

he could recognize that voice anywhere.

he slid behind the counter, ready to entertain. "i don't know of any pretty blonde's that work here, i'm sorry i can't help."

george giggled with an open smile. "you're a pretty blonde."

dream felt the need to roll his eyes, trying to hide the blush that started to settle.

"does this place sell kisses by any chance?" george turned the attention by whipping his head around, searching the displays. dream felt his smile widen at the brunette's upfront behavior, pushing aside the small slivers of concern.

"bad could give you a kiss." dream gestured to the man who had been wrestling with tape.

george shook his head. "i want a kiss from you."

that was when dream had started to catch on. "george are you drunk?"

the brunette only giggled, resting his head on his arms. dream nodded, that makes sense. "this is not what i meant by a break, but okay."

just another reason for him to be around and supervise the brunette.

—

why does karl's name always autocorrect to ladle for me?