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Dream felt like he was close to starving as he waited in line. The smell of greasy inauthentic Mexican food swirling all around him as the queue seemed to move tauntingly slow. It was his own fault really, he knew how busy this Tex-Mex restaurant got at lunch time but the coupons he had for it were enough incisive to keep coming here. Even when he had to walk three blocks from his office to get here.
“Sapnap,” Dream practically whined as he finally reached the counter, his best friend staring back at him with false innocence.
“Welcome to Tex-Mex where we offer the most authentic Texan cuisine you will find outside of Texas, what may I get you today?” Sapnap rattled down his script that Dream knew he only ever says for him. Just to torture him further.
“Is the slow service a part of the Texan experience?” Dream complained as he already started fumbling out the coupons he had. The ones Sapnap always gave him. “I’ll have my usual.”
“What a surprise,” Sapnap just rolled his eyes, “I assume you have coupons?” He already held out his hand. “A portion of pulled beef tacos, an avocado wrap and an ice tea. That would make twenty two fifty nine but with your coupons it comes down to eleven seventy five.”
Dream handed over the exact amount. It had become a routine at this point and he always seemed to carry exactly eleven seventy five in his pocket. “Finally,” he sighed in relief as Sapnap handed him his recite.
“A little more gratitude please,” Sapnap scolded him, though he wasn’t being serious at all. “Or I might have to find someone else to give my coupons to.”
“No, no. Thank you Sapy, I love you!” Dream was quick to make an overexaggerated show of his gratitude, blowing some more kisses at the other before moving out of the line to go wait for his food. If he wasn’t already so close to starvation he might have had a mind to feel embarrassed at the look the old lady behind him had given him but in this state the only thing he could think about was getting food in his system.
Luckily this place was a lot quicker in preparing the actual food then taking orders and so soon enough Dream’s order was called. He took the tray and made his way to one of the window spots. Although the restaurant was always pretty packed, Dream usually had no problem finding a place to sit, most people would order the food to go.
He was barely seated on the high chair before he started eating, stuffing his face and feeling instant relief at the salty and greasy tastes mixing on his tongue. When he had first started his internship he had vastly underestimated how long a morning without food could feel like. He had always been so used to having a big breakfast and little snacks through the morning so he’d survive on just the small school lunch until it was time to go home again.
But the corporate world was a lot different than both high school and college. Dream had to wake up ridiculously early to get to work on time because he had an almost forty minute commute through the city. It left him with no time for breakfast at all most days. He worked at an IT firm specializing in online security which meant his day mostly consisted of running tests on specific softwares on computers that were the size of a full room. And since the technology was very fragile his boss forbade him from consuming any kind of food or drink during work hours.
Of course he had the option of taking small breaks throughout the day and going to the kitchen they had on the second floor to eat something but that’s where the seniors always hung around to get their caffeine fix. And Dream would do anything to avoid them as well as the smell of coffee that hung in the air there.
Most people he knew loved the smell of coffee, even if they didn’t drink it but he just couldn’t stand it. So instead he went the whole morning running on nothing but good will and rushing down the street to this place the moment the clock hit twelve. And it did have its benefits, being this hungry by the time he arrived only made the food taste even better, it was enough for him not to grow bored of it even when he had it every single day.
But the downsides of running on less food than his body needed were still obvious, and it came in the form of unconsentration as Dream felt the oil dripping out of his taco landing right on his suit. “Fuck,” he cursed to himself as he quickly dropped his half eaten food.
The damage was already done however as he watched the grease seep into the fabric of his suit jacket. He tried wiping at it with the provided napkins but it was no use, and as he sat there he felt more and more panic gather in his gut.
“Sheesh, even for rush hour that was a lot.” Sapnap slid into the seat beside him with a sigh, placing down his tray of food. Usually Sapnap would always time his break to line up with Dream, on days where it was this busy it wasn’t always possible but in that moment Dream was more than grateful to see him with his apron off.
“You need to let me in the back.” Dream blurted out.
“Huh?” Sapnap just asked through a mouth full of food.
“I got a stain and I need to wash it out.” He clarified, already shrugging off his suit jacket. It was the only good suit he owned after all. “Do you have soap?” A million thoughts were rushing through his mind, of what would happen if he didn’t get it out or if he ran late because of it or-
“Hey, Dream,” Sapnap cut off all his trains of thoughts as he put his spoon back in his chilly con carne for a second. “I really don’t think I can let you in the back, and even if, the soap we have there will only make it worse.” He explained.
“Sap I can’t go back with this, my boss will kill me.” Dream was only an intern after all, and his boss knew as much as everyone else that he desperately needed the position if he wanted to stay in the industry. It was the crucial first stepping stone in the path he had been looking forward to for as long as he knew what IT meant. Sometimes it felt like his boss exploited that fact, he’d nitpick everything Dream did just to watch him bend over backwards to try and fix it. It was all just a test Dream was sure he would pass eventually.
“Calm down dude, just take it to the dry cleaner.” Sapnap was by far the more rational between the two. It was funny considering Sapnap was always the first to start throwing things at their game nights. “There’s one just down the street.”
He pointed out the window and as Dream followed the direction of his finger he made out the sign that read ‘dry cleaning’. For a moment Dream’s shoulders dropped in relief, but then he remembered a tiny detail.
“I can’t afford that, I need this clean like right now.” Dream was able to get by just fine usually but this month's energy bill had been higher than he had budgeted for and even with his discounted meals he simply didn’t have the money for expenses like this right now.
“Just go and ask. I know a guy who works there, they clean our uniforms as well, just go in and ask for Skeppy and tell him I’m sending you.” Sapnap told him, sounding way too calm about the whole thing.
“And that will do what exactly?” Dream asked skeptically. He appreciated every help Sapnap offered him, but Sapnap had trolled him often enough for Dream to have learned not to do what he says without a second thought.
“He’ll give you a discount, maybe trade some of your coupons." Sapnap shrugged and it didn’t sound all that convincing. But then again, Dream didn’t have a lot of other options.
“I guess it’s worth a shot,” Dream sighed as his eyes caught sight of the dry cleaning again. He hung his jacket over the back of his chair and went back to eating, very carefully. With Sapnap holding simple conversations was easy, almost mindless in a way as they allowed themselves to wander from one topic to another.
But today their lunch had to be cut short as Dream made sure to finish up quickly to have enough time to go get his jacket cleaned and still be back in the office on time. So with a last wave he made his way out of the now much emptier restaurant and crossed the street.
The dry cleaner was kind of a hole in the wall, the entrance looking completely unassuming and only the sign above letting you know what you will be greeted by.
Dream didn’t waste much time as he pushed the door open, his suit jacket carefully hung over his arm. The interior made him pause for a second though. From the outside the shop had looked tiny but standing inside Dream saw an seemingly endless aisle filled with hung up clothes. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been to a dry cleaner before, but somehow the sight still managed to impress him.
On the counter in the front was a little bell to ring to make his presence known and so he did. “One second!” Came the response from a man almost instantly. And after another moment he stepped out from between the rags.
Dream wasn’t sure what exactly it was about him but suddenly Dream felt all his former panic and worry disappear for just a second as he locked eyes with this stranger. And it wasn’t that he hadn’t expected someone working at a dry cleaning couldn’t be handsome but for some reason he found himself utterly speechless at just how pretty, this man was.
His hair was just the slightest bit messy to still pass as intentional, it was dark brown that matched his eyes and contrasted his almost pale skin.
Dream got almost completely lost in his appearance that for a second he had forgotten what he was even really there for.
“What can I help you with?” The man asked then and Dream found his eyes snapping to the name tag stuck to his uniform; George. As grateful as he was to have been blessed with getting to see such beauty this clearly wasn’t the man Sapnap had recommended to him.
“Ehm, sorry, is Skeppy here today?” He found the words took a lot more effort to get out then should have been necessary.
“No, he's out. Would you like me to deliver a message?” George answered easily, so effortlessly in a way that only helped to mesmerize Dream further.
“No! No message I just- I need this cleaned.” He stammered out, his face burning up in bright red as he found himself unable to form coherent thoughts. He held out the jacket and George took it right from him, looking it over shortly.
“I can make that happen for you.” He nodded, laying down the suit jacket over the counter as he went to find pen and paper from one of the desk drawers. “Please make sure the pockets are empty, and items found are tossed. Would you like to pay now or when picking it up?” George rattled off and Dream had to concentrate to actually catch the words.
“Yeah, yeah, ehm, how much would it be?” He asked, this whole thing going much faster than he had expected as he awkwardly double checked the pockets of the jacket were in fact empty.
“It looks like a grease stain, and all in all I think the jacket would benefit from a full cleaning so it will come out to around thirty five dollars. Please leave either your email or phone number so we can contact you when it’s done. Presumably it will take two to three business days.” George told him, and Dream just felt his eyes get wider and wider as reality was dawning on him again, the magic of this enticing man getting covered up by the absolute scam Dream found himself confronted with.
“Thirty five?! For that little stain? Why would that take three days?” Dream cried out in shock.
“You aren’t the only customer, you know.” George told him, looking awfully smug as he gave the clothing rag behind him a little spin. And it was true, they seemed to be overflowing with laundery. “Besides, the prices are industry standard.”
“I can’t wait that long. I need it right now.” Dream told him. He couldn’t exactly afford it either but that was something he'd be able to figure out, he always did.
“If you need it now you can have it, it just won’t be clean.” George slid the jacket over the counter back to him. “The quickest we can have it done is tomorrow morning, but that will cost extra.”
Dream found himself staring at the piece of clothing, weighing his options. He obviously couldn’t wear it dirty, but he would be able to survive the rest of the day without it. His dress shirt was still wrinkle free enough to pass as business casual, and although that wasn’t exactly the dress code his boss insisted on it would do for half a day. But even so, he’d for sure need it back tomorrow.
“How much would that be?” Dream asked carefully, and at least George had the grace to look apologetic as he crushed his hopes this time around.
“Fifty.”
Dream’s hand threaded through his hair as he pulled at the roots. If only Skeppy had been working today. As the thought passed through his mind he remembered something else Sapnap had recommended. “And you only take money as payment?” The words left him before he was able to realise how wrong they sounded. And it was only when he saw George frown that he realised the implication behind them as well.
“No! Wait- that’s not what I meant!” He quickly tried to take it back, and he was just grateful George wasn’t already calling the police for workplace harassment. “I have these coupons.” Dream explained as he fumbled another sheet out of his back pocket, flattening it out to the best of his ability before holding it out to George.
“These are for Tex-Mex.” George observed correctly.
“Yeah I know, do you like Mexican food?” Dream asked, putting on his best smile praying this worked. Though not even he had much hope for it.
“I don’t think you can classify that stuff as Mexican food, it hardly classifies as food at all.” George said as he wrinkled his nose just at the thought. “We wash their uniforms, and when I tell you it’s an absolute nightmare.”
Dream should have known by the man's British accent, of course he wouldn’t like americanized Mexican food. With even that last hope shattered, Dream found himself sighing, packing up his coupons again.
“Please, George.” He opted for begging. “Work with me here.” And at the very least it seemed to get the other to think through all the options he had again.
“This is a good suit,” he eventually said and Dream wasn’t sure what that was meant to mean. “Usually people who can afford them can also afford having them cleaned.”
Dream had to swallow his pride. He liked pretending he was some hot shot making it young in the tech industry, and all things considered he was, it just wasn’t as profitable as most people would assume.
“It’s the only one I have, it was a graduation present from my parents.” He explained as he watched George brush over the fabric with careful hands.
“How long ago was that?” He asked then, looking up to meet Dream’s eyes again.
“Four years ago.” Dream wasn’t entirely sure if it was genuine curiosity or if the other was just trying to guess his age, either way George seemed satisfied with the answer.
“It still looks practically like new, just a little dusty.” He added with a slight smirk.
“So?” Dream found himself asking. He didn’t want to come across as impatient but he was becoming more and more aware of how much time he had already been spending here.
“Here's what we can do; just a stain removal, which will come out a lot cheaper then the full service, as well as the fast cleaning so you can pick it up tomorrow right when we open, but since you are a first time customer you get our first timer discount which basically evens it out which-” George once again rambled before finding a calculator to punch the numbers into before turning it to Dream. “Comes out to fifteen exactly.”
Dream stared wide eyed at the number shining back at him. That fit his budget a lot better. “Thank you, you don’t know how much this means to me,” He immediately started thanking him, and in that moment he could have actually kissed him.
“This is a one time thing though, new customer discount and all that.” George reminded him firmly. And Dream just nodded, his head moving up and down way too fast and almost giving him a whiplash. “So, would you like to pay now or later?”
“Now please, with card if possible.” Dream quickly answered, he wasn’t going to risk George changing his mind in the morning and try to charge him more. George got out the card reader and Dream let go of a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding when he saw the payment go through, accepting the receipt with his order number.
“Now just leave me your email or number so we can contact you. We open at seven and your jacket will be cleaned by then so you can just show up.” George explained again and Dream still quickly wrote down his phone number on the notebook he had been handed.
“You don’t even know how much this helps me.” Dream said again.
“Don’t mention it or I’ll get run over with people trying to get discounts.” George told him, brushing off the gratitude, but Dream liked to think he saw amusement in the others' eye roll. “Have a nice day, ehm-”
“Dream,” he quickly introduced himself, already holding out his hand before realizing how cringe that was. George shook his hand nonetheless.
“Have a nice day, Dream.” He repeated, dropping his hand again. And for a moment Dream thought his smile was genuine, that he actually meant it. But then Dream remembered that he was still just standing in a dry cleaning. It was George’s job to be nice to him. And just because Dream thought George was the prettiest man he had ever seen didn’t mean that the feeling would be mutual. Of course it wouldn’t be.
Dream waved one last time before finally leaving the shop again. The street he stepped onto felt a hundred times more chaotic than it had before, the traffic somehow louder and the people somehow more hectic.
The dry cleaner had been so quiet in comparison, a little refuge in such a busy place. And as Dream checked his watch he realised time had completely slipped away from him. He had to run to get back to his office before his boss realised he was late.
~~
In the morning Dream woke up extra early just to make sure he had enough time to spare in case he got carried away in his conversation with George again. He put on his same suit pants as always as well as a white button up and a green tie. It was the only bit of colour that he was allowed in his outfit.
The commute was the same as every day, but somehow Dream still felt different, almost nervous in a way. His boss hadn’t been pleased with his explanation for why he had ditched the jacket in the afternoon but he had let him get away with it at least this once. So maybe Dream was still nervous about whether or not everything had worked out the way it had been meant to.
What if George had actually scammed him? Or if his suit wasn’t actually ready yet? He hadn't gotten notification but since George said it would be done by morning he had just blindly trusted that.
He sighed as he walked down the street towards the unsuspecting shop. Dream’s eyes scanned the restaurant he’d be eating in at lunch as he passed, the lights were still off. Generally none of the other stores were open yet, but as Dream found himself in front of the glass door of the dry cleaning he was welcomed in by the ‘open’ sign from the door.
Once again there was no one to be seen and he quickly rang the little bell on the table, already finding his recitation with his order number.
“Hello, what can I do for you?” Dream looked up abruptly as the voice he was met with wasn’t George’s. Instead it belongs to a slightly older man with long hair and a pair of glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. His name tag read Bad.
“Ehm, I’m here to pick up a jacket. The order was 404.” He explained, holding out the recite to the man. Bad snatched it out of his hand, glancing at it shortly before typing something into the computer to the side.
“Ah yes! A suit jacket, full cleaning, extra fast.” Bad nodded as he disappeared into the rags of clothing before Dream could even say anything. “Here we go, you already paid?” He asked as he hung the jacket over the counter.
“Yes,” Dream got out weakly as he looked down at his suit jacket that was carefully wrapped in plastic. He had only paid for a stain removal though, and even that with a hefty discount.
“Hmm,” Bad suddenly said as he looked down at the recite Dream had handed him before glancing up at the screen. “Here it says it was only meant to be a stain removal. But you also haven’t paid the fee for the overnight cleaning.” He said, looking back at Dream. His expression was kind but it didn’t change the fact Dream felt fear rising in him.
“No but- George said it was right like that, with the first timer discount and all, maybe he made a mistake typing it in?” Dream tried to explain, his thoughts already stumbling over themselves.
“Oh! George helped you yesterday?” Bad suddenly asked, his smile becoming impossibly wide.
“Yes?”
“Well alright then, I’m sure it’s all how it’s meant to be then. George isn’t one to make mistakes like this.” Bad brushed off, crumbling up the recite and dropping it onto the bin below the desk. “The cleaning was paid for correctly, enjoy the rest of your day.” Bad told him cheerfully, a little too cheerfully for Dream to be able to brush it off as only being customer service friendliness.
Dream didn’t quite understand what kind of interaction he just had but he wasn’t about to over think it, not when he still had a whole day of work ahead of himself. Instead he unpacked the suit right then and there and pulled it over his torso. He thanked Bad one last time before quickly leaving again.
It probably said more about him than it did the dry cleaners but the suit felt noticeably cleaner, less dusty if he had to guess how George would have described it. His thoughts kept coming back to the man.
He had told George that just a stain removal would have sufficed, and it wasn’t like the shop had been overflowing with waiting customers that would have warranted him to make a mistake like that, and apparently he wasn’t the type for it in general.
George had already helped him out a lot by giving him the discount so Dream wasn’t quite able to wrap his head around why he would have been as kind enough to clean his suit fully for basically free.
Throughout the entire day Dream found his thoughts circling back to the man. Every time he smelled the fresh scent that radiated off his jacket he couldn’t help but think of him. More so he couldn’t seem to be able to stop replaying that strange interaction he had had that morning.
“Welcome to Tex-Mex where we offer the most authentic Texan cuisine you will find outside of Texas, what may I get you today?” Sapnap asked just as he did every day. And it was only then that Dream was able to force his thoughts away from the cute brunet who seemed to haunt them as of recently.
“Just the wrap today,” he said, Sapnap stopping his movement completely as his eyes snapped up to Dream.
“And ice tea?” He questioned, already canceling the usual order he had already started typing in. At this point it had basically become part of his work scripted and now Dream was changing it up.
“Yeah, and the ice tea and some fries.” He added. Finding his trusted coupons. They wouldn’t cover it the same as he was used to but he still hoped his counted out eleven seventy five would be enough.
“You're gonna get full from that?” Sapnap questioned as he scanned the coupons.
“I’m not that hungry.” It was a lie, Dream was always hungry after a full morning of standing around stressing over codes not working the way they were meant to, but for some reason he didn’t have much of an appetite today. He was sure it had to do with his thoughts, seeming incapable of focusing on just one task at a time.
“Alright, that makes ten fifty,” Sapnap said and Dream handed it over before moving out of line. The food was done soon enough and Dream sat down at his usual place by the window, his eyes involuntarily shifting over to the dry cleaner.
Part of him really wanted to go back there, even just to thank George again, but a different voice in the back of his head reminded him how cringe that would be. He’d look like a desperate loser if he were to go back there just to thank him again for some discount. It would also for sure make him look creepy. But then again, he was kind of incapable of not thinking about George. Either way it was just more incentives not to go back.
“Cheer up, Dream,” Sapnap said as he slid into the seat next to him. “Did that dry cleaning really cost so much you can’t afford a full meal anymore?” His tone was joking, though Dream didn’t miss the slight worry in the others eyes.
“It wasn’t,” Dream clarified. “It was pretty cheap actually and I kind of want to go back to thank them again, you know?” He knew it was a bad idea to voice the thought.
“Don’t be ridiculous, they just did their job, besides, Skeppy doesn’t care much for gratitude,” Sapnap told him as he started devouring his bowl of rice and meat.
“Skeppy actually wasn’t there, it was this guy George that helped me,” Dream told him as he took a bite of his own wrap as well, still overly careful.
“George gave you a discount?” Sapnap asked as he seemed to finally match a face to the name. “The guy always tries to scam us when we drop off our uniforms, he makes us lose all the money Skeppy lets us save,” Sapnap complained and dream couldn’t help but chuckle at the mental image.
“That’s kind of fair though, isn’t it. If Skeppy hands out deals like that there needs to be someone to balance it out,” he wasn’t sure why he was defending George like that, but he assumed he did kind of owe it to him.
“Whatever, but you’re telling me that same George gave you a discount?”
That reaction was only making Dream’s thoughts all the more jumbled. Was it really that out of character for him? To be fair it had taken some bargaining to get the deal but still, the way Sapnap talked about him it would have led one to believe he was an ice cold businessman.
“He did,” Dream said as he finished up his food. His eyes found the sign of the shop on the opposite side of the road again. He wondered if George was working again, if he preferred the evening shift instead of the morning one or if it had just been a coincidence.
“Well congratulations,” Sapnap said, moving something from his tray to Dream’s. “Ice cream is on the house today,” he said.
“Huh? What for?” Dream asked, confused as he stared at the soft ice already half melted.
“Just so I know you had enough,” Sapnap told him with a wink as he got out of his seat again. “I’m gonna go hide in the back before Sam can think of cutting my break short.” With that he disappeared, Dream only realising just how full the restaurant was today when he lost sight of Sapnap in the crowd of people piling the front counter.
Dream took a bite of the ice cream. It was nothing fancy, just plain vanilla flavour but he enjoyed the coolness against his tongue anyways.
As he sat there his eyes kept glancing at the shop. He really wanted to go back. Slowly he was able to admit to himself that the only reason was because he wanted a chance to talk to George again. But even so, he wasn’t able to come up with a way to do it.
Thanking him again would be over the top, and to walk in just to do that would be completely embarrassing. But he also didn’t have any other reason to go in there, because going back just to ask George out would be just as weird.
As Dream sat there debating his options his eyes fell to his half eaten ice cream, more so his gaze passed it to his freshly cleaned jacket. The thought that passed through his mind was so bad that he quickly shook it off.
He wasn’t going to get his only good suit dirty again just to have a reason to go back. That would be not only ridiculous but also weird. Still, Dream found himself unable to finish his ice cream as he sat there, the seconds ticking by. As he saw George’s smile flash before his eyes again he knew he was done for.
Dream found himself carefully dripping melted ice cream down the front of his jacket before he was able to chicken out again. Quickly he wiped it away again with napkins to ensure it didn’t actually damage the fabric before he set the cup down on his tray again.
It was only then that Dream felt eyes that were on him, and as he looked up he noticed a little boy seated a few tables away watching him with wide eyes. Dream felt his face heat up in embarrassment as he quickly got out of his seat, bringing his tray away and making his way out of the restaurant.
This better be worth it.
He crossed the street and took one last breath before entering the shop for the second time that day. As he did however he noticed that there was already someone behind the counter this time around.
It wasn’t George though, nor Bad for that matter. “Skeppy,” Dream read the name tag out loud.
“In the flesh, what can I get you?” He asked, leaning on the table lazily. On one hand Dream was glad, at least this stupid idea wouldn’t cost him too much money. On the other hand he found himself feeling weirdly disappointed.
“I, ehm, need-” Dream started, trying to get over the let down quickly but just as he finally was able to form a proper sentence again he watched as George stuck out his head between hanging laundry. “George!” Dream cheered up way too quickly.
The brunet looked at him with surprise clearly written over his face for a moment before he came out all the way from behind the clothes, quickly starting to pull Skeppy away from the counter.
“You go help Bad in the back, I got this covered,” he said and Dream didn’t miss the clear amusement in Skeppy’s eyes as he let himself be pushed out of sight. “I didn’t expect you back so quickly,” George said as he turned back to Dream again, brushing out his hair a little as he tried to compose himself again. It was endearing.
“Yeah, I kind of-” Dream just pointed at his jacket when his words failed him.
“And that right after I cleaned it so nicely,” George said, half amused but behind it Dream could see some genuine disappointment. It made something in his heart ache, maybe he should have just risked his own embarrassment rather than disappointing George like this.
“I’m sorry,” he apologised, rubbing the back of his neck.
“No worries, idiots like you are the reason we stay in business,” George assured quickly, already getting out his calculator again. “Let’s see, it looks like a dairy stain, and you will probably want it by morning again so that will come out to thirty seven dollars.”
Dream felt his throat run dry, embarrassment would have for sure been better. “There are no second time discounts?” He tried weakly, and his response at least managed to amuse George.
“I told you, if I keep giving out discounts people will come running to me like they do with Skeppy,” George told him, repeating the sentiment from the day before.
“That makes loyal customers,” Dream argued, mustering the best smile he could as he silently calculated what groceries he’d have to renounce this week.
“Well, here is what we can do,” George grabbed the calculator again, once again starting to ramble on in a way that was becoming more and more adorable to Dream. “A simple stain removal with overnight cleaning and the loyalty discount for customers who keep coming back and we end up at ten dollars plus dinner,” George finished, turning the calculator for Dream to look at again, though Dream didn’t even care about the numbers anymore.
“Dinner?” He found himself asking almost dumbly.
“Come on, I know you are a fan of non money payments. Invite me out for a nice dinner and the rest of the cleaning as well as your debt for yesterday's full service will be covered,” George said, way to proud of the solution he had come up with.
“Don’t expect it to be any nicer than Tex-Mex though,” Dream found himself saying. This was literally all he wanted and more and still he couldn’t help but feel self-conscious. He had found the prettiest man on earth in some hole in the wall dry cleaner at a time where he wouldn’t even be able to provide him with a proper date night.
He of course still had his savings he could dip into, and he was starting to think he actually would if it meant getting to go out with George but it still wasn’t the most ideal option. Before he could get carried away worrying about it George’s voice broke him from his thoughts however.
“I’d settle for home cooked pasta,” George told him, and his expression was earnest in a way that made all worries leave Dream’s mind instantly. “As long as you promise not to get your shirt dirty.” That finally managed to pull a chuckle out of Dream.
“I promise I’m usually not this clumsy while eating,” he assured, rubbing the back of his neck almost sheepishly. “It’s a date then?” He asked again, just to be sure. And the smile on his face only became bigger and bigger as George nodded.
“Tomorrow after work? Just pick me up here.”
“Perfect, I will.” Dream nodded determinedly, already turning to leave again, having completely forgotten why he had come back to the shop in the first place until he felt George grab the back of his collar.
“Not so fast, Dream,” he said, pulling the jacket right off Dream's shoulders with one smooth motion, the blond turning on his heels. “I can’t have you running around with a dirty suit like that.” George smirked up at him as he shook the jacket in emphasis, Dream’s face heating up.
“Right, sorry.” Dream took a step back to the counter again, he still had to pay for that as well after all. But before he could ask to pay by card again he watched George stand up on his tip toes, leaning over the table and placing a quick kiss onto his cheek.
“There, that will cover it,” he said as he dropped onto the floor again.
“Are you sure?” Dream asked, his face only feeling hotter and hotter now. He really didn’t want to exploit this new relationship before it was even official, especially since his dirty jacket hadn’t even been an accident this time.
“Don’t worry about it,” George assured, an almost wicked smile taking over his features. “I’ll just have to drive up the price next time Sapnap drops off the uniforms.”