Absolute Smokeshow

Like A Jobber Without A Work

You awoke in a cold sweat, Marisol fast asleep beside you as you sat bolt upright, squinting in the sunlight.
What time was it?
You grabbed your phone from the nightstand and tried to turn on the screen.
Nothing.

That's when you realized you hadn't plugged it in to charge overnight the way you normally did; yesterday had been so stressful, you'd smoked more than usual. By the time you went to bed, you were so baked, it must have slipped your mind.
Panic began to set in as you hesitated before tapping Mari's phone to check the time.
You were hours late for work.
Shit.

Fumbling with your charger, your heart racing, your anxiety decided to give you a recap of your current situation:
Your girlfriend, whose communication skills left much to be desired, is famous enough that you cannot safely live in your apartment. As if this wasn't enough, now you'd slept in long enough that you likely no longer had a job with which to pay rent. Most of your things were still in your apartment, and your damn. Phone. Won't. Charge.

Trembling in your hand, your phone showed you nothing but your own reflection: the creases from the pillowcase you slept on imprinted on your face, outdone in prominence only by your knit brow.
"Mmn'sta pasando?" Marisol's sleepy voice made you look up, wondering how you could have awoken her. That's when you realized you were breathing in and out far too quickly.
"I'm- I'm late- late for work," you tried to explain between ragged breaths, "I'm gonna- gonna lose my- my job-"
"Ay, cariño," she whispered, pushing her hair out of her face to get a better look at you.

Suddenly your phone screen lit up and you tried to prepare yourself for the worst.
Three missed calls from work, a text, and a few e-mails all bombarded your notifications at once. Nothing left on voicemail, which was probably for the better; listening to someone firing you might make you pass out.
The text was from Dominik, but you were far too anxious to read it, opening up your e-mail instead.
"NOTICE OF TERMINATION" screamed the very first unread subject line in your inbox. Your heart sank as your vision blurred, hyperventilation breaking down into sobs.
"I'm here for you," Mari said, moving her hand between the two of you on the bed - just close enough for you to reach if you wanted to. "Whatever you need."

Whatever you needed?
What you really needed was a job, or - if that wasn't possible - a place to stay while you found one. And a place to keep all your things. How could you ask for any of that? The last thing you wanted was to overstay your welcome, or move too quickly with Marisol. Rhea travelled so often... Maybe one of your friends?
Tears trailed down your cheeks, landing on the bedsheets as you sobbed harder, still reeling from the sudden uncertainty. It was then that you took Mari's hand and squeezed tightly. She squeezed back, sitting with you as you picked up your pillow with your free hand and cried into it.

It was a few minutes before you could calm down. By the time you did, you could tell Marisol was fighting the urge to go back to sleep.
"Thank you," you whispered, pulling her in for a hug. "I'll let you rest more, just... thank you."
The warm, sleepy smile on her face when you pulled away was adorable, half-lidded eyes looking into yours as she brought your hand up to her lips and planted a kiss on your knuckles. By the time you stood, walking toward the doorway, you could hear slow, even breaths that told you Mari had already fallen back asleep.

Once you had set up in the living room, you checked the text Dom had sent you around midnight.
"I know it's late, but Rhea wanted me to tell you: Jacy and Thea jumped her after the show. She's okay, just needs to rest her arm for a few weeks."
A different kind of worry fueled you as your fingers flew across the keyboard, typing out your response:
"Can I do anything to help?"
Waiting for a reply, you began to realize how unlikely it was that you could help your girlfriend at all. Your financial situation was up in the air, which meant your living situation would soon follow suit - not to mention the fact that you were currently in emotional disarray trying to process it all. Did you have anything left to offer her aside from a familiar face?

Your phone screen lit up surprisingly quickly with the answer:
"When are you free for a video chat? She hurts too much to text right now and misses you"
"I'm free now or whenever else" you typed, pausing for a moment before adding "I just got fired" and hitting send. As much as you didn't want to give Rhea anything else to worry about (and, if you were honest, admit your failure to do something as simple as wake up on time), she and Dom were both going to be able to tell that you had been crying once you showed up on a video call. You would have to mention it eventually, anyway.
"Are you sure you're up for a video chat?"
Dominik replied.
"It's not like I'm going to get any less unemployed any time soon" was your retort.

A moment later, you were gazing at your girlfriend, her arm in a sling. Dom was sitting next to her and gave you a small wave, which you returned.
"It's just a fractured elbow; It's not that bad," Rhea insisted, seeing your brow knit in worry, "They were trying to give me the same injury I gave Jacy, but she's going to be laid out longer than I am. I don't even need a cast!" - the proud look on her face quickly turned into a concerned one - "How are you, love?"
"... Really stressed," you admitted, trying and failing to keep a nervous laugh from bubbling up, "I don't know if I can find a new job in time to keep my apartment."
Rhea and Dominik exchanged a look you didn't understand until Rhea spoke.
"You can always stay at mine if you end up needing to, babe."

Somehow, you hadn't expected the offer; your girlfriend travelled so much, you hadn't even really thought of her as having her own permanent residence anywhere. With another option available to you now, a bit of your stress subsided.
"Thank you so much, babe," you smiled. "I love you."
"I love you so much," Rhea said, looking more than anything like she wanted to hold you. "I'm sorry things have been so hectic lately."
Dom seemed like he was about to say something, but reached out and gave Rhea's hand a squeeze instead.
"You have nothing to apologize for; I'll get through this," you said with more confidence than you felt. "We all will."