Sugar Baby (KaoXEarth)

Chapter 4

"Are you okay? You look like you just ran a marathon." Earth asked, looking at Fluke with concern. "Are you getting sick again?"

"Worry about yourself, I know how often you end up in the hospital needing IV's because you forget to take care of yourself you little sickly gremlin. You really need someone to take care of you."

"Well... I used to have someone but I guess I should have been taking care of myself." Earth said, punctuating his words with a sad little sigh.

"Oh forget that fucker, you'll find someone way better and then when you do we can parade your new lover boy in front of James and his hag and show him what he's been missing. By the way, I absolutely love that highlighter, it's absolutely poppin'."

"Thanks! It's an old one, I'm almost out but I figured, might as well go out with a bang." Earth replied with a shrug.

"I can get Ohm to buy you some more for your channel, you know you just have to ask." Fluke said, spooning some noodles out of the central plate on the table for Earth.

"I can do what now?" Ohm asked, looking up from his tablet where he was doing work at the dining table.

"You aren't part of this conversation, go back to your work." Fluke said, waving him off. Ohm shrugged and put his headphones on, returning to looking at the screen.

"No, I don't want to be a mooch." Earth responded despondently. "I know this is going to sound absolutely selfish, but I miss how easy it was when I was with James. He just gave me whatever I wanted. On one hand, that's a really irresponsible way to live and I regret not being more independent, but on the other hand..." Earth trailed off with a heavy sigh.

"Life was easier." Fluke finished. "I get it."

"But it was all a lie, so I guess this is just a lesson to me huh? I shouldn't let my heart get involved so deeply that I forget to take care of myself in the future."

"Well, you can have both you know. A man who takes care of you and independence. Look at me!" Fluke offered, cupping his hands under his chin like he was a flower blooming in the middle of the restaurant.

"Aren't you as unemployed as I am?" Earth asked.

"Hey! One's employment status doesn't have anything to do with their worth or the stability of their relationship." Fluke rebuked, smacking Earth playfully.

"Sure sure sure. Well, while I'd love to move on and go strutting around with some hot daddy type, finding one is another issue. I can't even find a job. Everyone says I look too young to work in a bar, none of the shops seem to be hiring, and I don't have any skills and I never went to college and it's not like I'm strong enough to work as a construction worker or something, so I'm pretty much screwed." He looked hopefully over at Ohm. "You aren't looking for any help are you?" Ohm removed the earphones from his ears.

"Hmm? Did you ask me something?"

"Are you hiring at your restaurants?"

"Not that I know of, but I'll ask a few of the managers. We might need a dishwasher or something."

"Baby, look at these hands." Fluke admonished, grabbing Earth by the wrist and shaking his delicate and soft hands in Ohm's face. "Do they look like hands that should be washing dishes all the time? They'll lose their softness."

"Honey, that's the jobs that exist." Ohm replied, patting Fluke on the head.

"Ugh, useless. Listen, Don't go be a dishwasher. It's not the job for you. I can help you go to cosmetology school, I know your family isn't supportive but I want to help you. You're my best friend."