dnf oneshots

4. caffinated kisses

Barista x Tattoo Artist
Dream and George have been broken up for years, since George decided to go back to London for college, and neither wanted to deal with long distance. Dream becomes a part time coder, part time barista. George becomes a tattoo artist, and moves back to Florida after he drops out of college a month before graduation. When a birthday party goes in a direction Dream didn't expect, he finds himself in his ex's workplace, with his head bent over his wrist, a tattoo pen in his hand. But, of course, it doesn't end there. Otherwise this story wouldn't be here. [angst, fluff]

CW// tattoos, needles

Dream isn't sure how he ended up in this situation. But maybe he's too flustered to speak.

"Relax your wrist," George mutters, his voice sharp like a blade. 

He can't relax anything. He would tell George this, but it would probably either be gibberish or incomprehensible English. 

See, it's Dream's 23rd birthday. He thought it would be any normal shindig -- just him and his best friends, having a movie night and drinking. But of course Karl had to offer free tattoos at the shop he opened only a few months ago. He had been going on and on about it, which no one minded, since he was really happy about it all. And he especially wouldn't stop raving about one of his employees, who was by far his favourite. He never talked about him by name, but when they walked in the store only 30 minutes earlier, Karl rushed him right over to said employee, saying "only the best for the birthday boy!"

Dream just didn't expect the "best" to be his ex-boyfriend from back in high school.

"Fucking hell, Dream," George snaps, dropping his hand like hot coals. "Relax your wrist, or I can't do this."

"Hi," Dream croaks, cringing inwardly at how bad his voice cracks.

George gives him a weird look, turning the pen off. "Hi? Glad you finally caught up? How was 20 minutes ago?"

Had he not been freaking the fuck out, he would've laughed. 

"I think I'm caught five years ago," he admits. 

George rolls his eyes and turns around. "Karl, can you please finish this guy off for me?"

"'This guy'?" Dream echoes, hurt leaking into the words. 

Karl walks over. "Why, what's wrong?"

George stands, where he doesn't stand as tall as Karl, but he's still taller than Dream remembers. "He's taking a trip down memory lane and I'd rather not be here for it," he says. "Plus he won't fucking relax his wrist."

"Hey Karl," Dream says. "Have you met my ex-boyfriend yet?"

Karl looks back at Dream, brows furrowed in confusion. George tenses and sighs heavily. His head tilts back, and he glares at the ceiling. Dream's gaze darts pointedly at George, and Karl's eyes widen. 

"Wait, you two dated each other?"

"High school sweethearts," Dream jokes, smiling sadly. 

George whips around, eyes dark. "Do not call us that," he growls. "We are not sweethearts."

Dream shrugs. Karl sighs. "Just do the damn tattoo, George."

George groans and falls back into his seat. He glares so hard at Dream's wrist as he lifts it back up that Dream feels it more than the needle being pressed against his skin. 

"You've changed," he murmurs as the pen clicks off. George's frown doesn't falter as he beings cleaning the pen and station. He just grunts in reply. "You were a huge nerd. What happened to you?"