LOVE LOCKDOWN (dnf + karlnap)

1: The Holiest Thing I Know, chapter one

ONE.

George had worked at McDonald's for about a year. It was a decent job, no matter the amount of complaining he did. His coworkers were nice for the most part, and the customers were understanding more often than not. Sure, sometimes he had eight-hour shifts with people he didn't particularly like and sometimes people came in at ten at night and ordered forty nuggets and then complained about it taking more than, like, four seconds. But it was decent. It paid okay enough, and the money would be good for when he started college that fall.

George had worked at McDonald's for about a year - in fact, he had worked at McDonald's since his specific restaurant opened. He had even worked opening day.

Which had been hell.

With a mere twelve hours of training, he was thrown onto the floor with a newly ironed shirt, a never-used-before headset and trembling hands. There had been a never-ending rush of cars and people. George, who was supposed to have a one hour break and work between four p.m. and 1 a.m, got a 30-minute long break and didn't clock out until 2:47.

Needless to say, he had been an emotional fucking mess. He was hungry, tired and his whole body ached.

When his boss, Phil, told him to finally take his break at eight that day, George practically ran into the locker room and collapsed on the bench. He leaned back against the wall and sighed loudly.

George had never been a crier, and he sure as hell wasn't about to become one, but as he looked at himself in the mirror on the wall, he saw that his eyes were shiny with unshed tears.

"Get it together," he muttered, scratching at his neck absentmindedly.

Suddenly the door was opened and shiny brown eyes met wide green ones.

George frowned. "Clay?"

The other boy, Clay, blinked. " Dream. But uh... Were you crying? Should- Should I go?"

"I'm not crying," George scoffed. Despite denying it, he averted his gaze. "I didn't know you'd be working here."

Dream hummed and shrugged his jacket off. "I wasn't gonna take the job, but Phil is a friend of my mom's, so... I felt kinda bad saying no. And now here I am. Phil called me in, said it was busy."

"Busy is one way to put it," George said airly, leaning his head against the wall again, pale neck exposed.

Dream laughed quietly. "Well, I better get down there. See ya around, George."

Halfway out the door, Dream turned around with a smirk and said, "wipe those pretty tears, George. Save them for someone who will appreciate them."

The words burned a bright red mark into George's brain as he sat there, stunned.

-

TWO.

George was working the opening shift. It was a weekend at the beginning of October and things were just starting to cool down. The restaurant was practically empty, and the drive-thru headsets sat quite on tired heads.

"I hate morning shifts," his co-worker turned genuine friend, Karl, grumbled. In his hand, he had a McDonald's cup and George knew very well that he had filled it with a Monster Energy Drink when Sam, their shift manager, had looked away.

"Same," George sighed, pausing his fridge restocking in favour of turning to look at Karl. "It's a Saturday... being awake before two in the afternoon should be fucking illegal."

Karl snorted in agreement just as the doors were slammed open. The glass trembled with the force of a huge man storming inside.

"What the fuck is this?!" the man yelled, throwing a burger, in its wrapper but half-eaten, on the presenter table right by the cash registers.