another revealed truth

prologue (a few weeks prior)

trigger warnings listed in opening author's note

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"where's your friend from yesterday?"

sapnap squeezes his grip on the bench table beside him to keep himself up, already swaying from the alcohol flowing strong in his bloodstream. he's drunk enough to not notice the loud music pounding around him, or the way that he shouts back to be heard over it. "he's at home," he answers.

thankfully, sapnap isn't drunk enough to not recognise the face before him as the boy he went home with the night before.

with college classes starting next week, everyone has begun moving into their new accommodation and preparing for the life change, and this pre-week is filled with 'freshers' parties. the first one was last night, and sapnap was seriously sceptical about trying to find another gay man who was at least relatively attractive and willing to have a one-night stand.

he isn't even sure why he's so fixed on the idea of finding people to fuck at freshers, since he has never craved anything more than a genuine, real relationship, though maybe it's just because of the pressuring stereotypes that come with being at college.

"he's being boring and probably painting trees or some shit," sapnap elaborates for no reason other than wanting to talk - or, maybe it's the alcohol that wants to talk.

george scoffs amusedly, smiling to himself. "yeah, i've heard that one before."

sapnap doesn't really hear the answer, too focused on admiring the brunette in front of him but, even if he did hear, he wouldn't've had the mental capacity to unpack what the casual comment meant. instead of continuing forward, sapnap keeps the conversation on his roommate (and best friend), "he said he was too tired after last night. i don't think he'll come to any more of the club nights," he explains with a slur in his voice.

it doesn't surprise him at all that dream doesn't plan on coming to any more freshers after the first one. sapnap and his best friend are very different, and dream has never been the type for drinking and going out. sapnap was exhausted from last night too, to be fair, but he was awake and ready to go after some quick shots and a cold shower.

"are you coming to all of them?"

sapnap blinks a few times, trying to remember what george is talking about, and snorts amusedly to himself when he realises - humoured by his own mind-slip. "hopefully," he answers, though it's definitely a yes. it's his first year of college, of course he's going to go to every party and club night he can.

he'll surely be tired and feel like death after the first few days, but he wouldn't forgive himself if he wasted precious nights that could be spent living up his college life.

"same, i'm trying to meet as many people as i can." sapnap had originally been doing the same, but his plan promptly failed after he woke up this morning and the only person he remembered was the boy opposite him, and he would've been practically impossible to forget. "i just made friends with someone who's doing the same course as me and he gave me free weed."

sapnap laughs along with the other, trying to remember what course the brunette said he was doing but coming up completely empty-handed - he remembers thinking it was boring, but that doesn't whittle down the options all that much.