ORPHANED

:: ninety-four ::

he wasn't thinking, he was skating towards a preset destination, yet not a single thought ran through his brain. the pedestrians on the sidewalk were nothing but obstacles; he paid them no mind. he knew his legs were pushing but he couldn't convince himself to focus on them long enough to regain the feeling in his feet. the breath he was breathing felt fake, he wasn't sure he was the one taking in the air.

despite it all, again he stood in shy regard to the glass doors that housed the next eight uneventful hours of his day. pushing past the doors he wasn't met by his friends laughs, or even a tired groan, the air felt stale. the man behind the counter didn't offer a smile either, rushing to end his shift, desperate to leave the quiet of the sickeningly empty coffee shop.

to say he felt the sigh that left his lips would have been a lie, it came naturally, out of mind. even he had been surprised by it.

tying an apron around his waist with no eager brown eyes studying the movements of his hands, was no fun. no contagious giggles that always filled the silence of the room, annoying anyone who had been awake since the morning. no smiles, no hugs, no stares, no laughs. his eyes found the counter in front of himself, he had never been here alone, even his first day there had been spent with someone to talk to. now he felt cramped, alone with the echos of the wooded walls.

he hadn't seen the others since the day sapnap left, thinking back on it now he figured he should've gone with them to wish his friend one last final goodbye before he got on the plane. it was too late to whine about it now. he heard his heartbeat sync with the ticking of the clock behind himself, waiting for the coffee machine to produce an espresso shot.

lately he spent an irregularly long time in his own company, sitting deep in his brain and thinking things that often hurt his own feelings. with all this time on his hands he realized how lucky he was to have sapnap work the shift right before him. as chaotic as the other seemed, he always kept his workspace neat, dream couldn't say the same for the guy that took his friends shift.

normally dream would start his day by restocking containers and wiping counters, now he had to deal with the mess from hours before, because god forbid bad show up when the shop is a mess during his hours. he wouldn't say he hated the stand in, surely bad had a really good reason for hiring him, but he wasn't an ideal coworker.

his eyes unfocused as he frothed milk, his favorite task, he enjoyed the heat and the bubbling feeling that resonated into his palm through the pitcher.

he used to refer to his life as repetitive, constantly reliving the same day over and over again. he thought he had managed to break that cycle but everyday he woke up and skated to the same shop, stood behind the same counter, and counted down the hours before he could go back home, he realized the cycle wasn't broken it was just altered.

usually after work he'd find himself skating past george's apartment, he'd force his legs to take him away before he had the chance to think about walking up to the door and facing whatever stood on the other side. he spent a lot of time in his room, yet his sister never let him mope in peace, always keeping him up to date with the drama boiling amongst her friend group. he appreciated it though, she gave him something to look forward to at the end of the day.

he sipped from the warm cup wanting to absorb just the much needed caffeine. he stepped out from behind the counter, beginning to gather any mugs and plates that had been left out for who knows how long, mind you, a job that should've been completed way before he showed up to pass off the responsibility.

**

having nobody to talk to, and nothing to do for what he expected to last until the end of this month, or at least until sapnap returned, he found himself trying new things to keep himself entertained. which would explain why now, he hovered above a cup of coffee, frothing milk he expected to sit cleanly on top of the liquid. latte art obviously wasn't his strong suit, he wouldn't describe himself as a very artistic person, however he did think about how much better his sister would be at this seemingly impossible activity.

with all this time he spent secluded, you could almost imagine his surprise when the bell above the door chimed, and in walked a familiar brunette he hadn't seen in what felt like forever. in fact the blonde did a double take between the man and the accidentally milky coffee that stay in his hands.

hastily he set down the cup and the pitcher, desperate to give the other his full attention.

"you keep this place neat."

dream nodded too enthusiastically, averting his eyes, and cringing at his own desperation.

"sapnap told me he was leaving so i thought i'd stop by, figured you'd have no one to talk to."

dream held his breath when the brunette took a seat in the sacred stool in front of him.

"yeah, everyone's pretty busy lately." he watched the brunette open a laptop, already disinterested in the conversation.

"i was actually going to go back home for thanksgiving. i wanted to know if you'd want to come with." he peeked over the screen, shooting a glance to the blonde.

dream huffed, and they broke eye contact, knowing the answer before it was voiced, "will, i dont know."

dream mixed the coffee in the cup, when he said he wanted company this is not what he meant. he'd much rather be alone now.

—

before i forget, happy valentine's day! i dislike how spoons are terrible at their only purpose of being a utensil, forks stay superior!