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The song was too loud.
The beat was too fast.
The lights were too obnoxious.
There were far too many people around, walking and laughing, stumbling around, unable to hold their third glass of alcohol, and about a hundred other things happening around George was unnecessarily pissed him off.
But still, with all the issues in the world that bothered him, the center of it all was his two best friends, dressed in the best of their best tuxedos, dancing with each other like their the only two people in the room.
No. The only two people in the world.
Sure, he felt a little like the Grinch. His best friends were getting married or did get married, actually, about two hours ago, and he was standing right there in front with both of them, holding their rings. And sure, he was happy for them, as happy as the best man would be, but nothing would change his utter hatred of thumping music and rowdy people.
So there he was, sitting on the bar with a glass of half-drunken bourbon, his tie slightly loosened because he was starting to feel suffocated, but at least he was away from the party in his little safe corner.
"See," A voice suddenly piped up in his ear, throwing him out of his absent-minded haze. "Normally, I'd tell the bartender to get me whatever the cute guy that I wanted to talk to at the bar is having-"
George shook his head slightly as to wake himself up and straighten his back before turning to see a curly-haired man taking the stool closest to him. The man smiled, his hand gently pushing his hair back as his other hand tapped the bar.
"-you know, as a conversation starter," He shrugged, turning around trying to flag the bartender down, getting a really quick be right with you, as she was still with another patron at the other end of the table.
At this point, George still wasn't sure if the man was talking to him.
"But your drink looks bleak, what is that? Whiskey?" The man scoffed.
"Bourbon, technically," George replied.
"Oh god, you're not one of those, are you?" The man grimaced.
"One of what?" George asked, a little offended at the tone of the question.
"Technically, a bourbon is a whiskey, just like how a champagne is technically a wine, but not all whiskey is a bourbon," The man mocked in a low and chest-heavy voice, his face contorting into various over-exaggerated expressions, and George couldn't help but crack a smile at.
"But it's true," George said.
"Yeah yeah, all basses are guitars, but not all guitars are basses," George's new companion rolled his eyes. "Still boring, I'm gonna buy you a cocktail."
"Buy-" George furrowed his eyebrows, his amusement slightly peaked. "It's an open bar, all the drinks are free."
"All the more reason for your drink to not be a middle-aged country club dad's go-to," He stated, taking the glass softly from George's hand and pushing it a little closer to the inside of the bar, causing George's jaw to drop as the absolute audacity. "Besides, it's the thought that counts, right?" He turned and gave George a wink.
"Right," George managed to mumble just in time for the bartender to walk towards them.
"Sorry for the wait gentlemen, what can I get for you?" She asked.
"First, you can take this away," The stranger said playfully, handing her George's glass. "And can we get uhm-" He paused and turned to George.
George could feel the tension rising ever so slightly as the still currently nameless stranger gazed at him, his eyes going up and down every single inch of his being with subtle but very definite judgment, before turning back to the bartender.
"Let me get a raspberry cosmo, and a red, white, and blue nectar," He said definitively. After the bartender gave him a quick nod, he turned back to George with a knowing smile. "You'll try both and pick the one you like more."
"I'm-" George didn't know how to respond, so he said the only thing that seemed reasonable. "-George."
"I'm Karl," The man replied brightly. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," George's voice was still hesitant.
"So what's the best man doing here all mopey and sad with a completely boring drink?" Karl said. "Quackity is out on the dance floor getting absolutely floored right now, such a big contrast between the two best men."
"Quackity," George repeated. "Sorry, I don't think I know you, but you know Quackity?"
"Right," Karl laughed. "Sorry, I forget that we're usually super invisible. I play bass, in the wedding band like an hour ago? Before we switched up to the DJ. Quackity was my college roommate, he's the one that booked me for this gig."
"Oh!" George exclaimed. "Sorry, oh god, I'm so sorry, that's so rude of me."
"No, no, it's fine," Karl laughed. "It's not every day that a wedding gets both a band and a DJ. And well, I like to say that if you don't notice the people on the stage and only feel the music and the atmosphere, then we did our job right."
"No, no, I'm so sorry, you were great," George assured him. "You were fantastic, I- Really, I prefer you more than the DJ."
"Well, now you're overcompensating," Karl said teasingly.
"No, I don't-" George chuckled nervously. "No, I didn't understand the whole hiring both the DJ and a wedding band."
"I mean, we had no problems with it, it's kinda nice," Karl confessed. "Gives us a little bit of a break, and to be fair, less stress of messing things up."
"Does that happen a lot?" George questioned. "Messing things up?"
"One time, we were playing at a wedding and the bride's uncle, who was this weird guy- You know, like weird uncle Joe-" Karl started telling the story. "And he got way too drunk, and on his like 6th glass of champagne, he wondered on the stage and broke the drum set."
"Oh, no really?" George gasped.
"Oh yeah, and I mean-" Karl moved his hands dramatically. "Foot through the kick drum. Ruined the whole performance for the rest of the night, they had to pay us for a replacement. It was so difficult to deal with."
"You must see a lot of wedding weekend drama, don't you?" George asked.
"I've seen-" Karl grimaced. "I've seen a fair share of things."
"Ever seen any runaways?" George mumbled.
"It actually happens more often than you think," Karl told him. "It's pretty sad."
"How about objections?" George continued to inquire.
"Less," Karl admitted. "But the one that I saw was from the bride's father and it wasn't because he disapproved," His voice got lower, like a little sneaky whisper. "He was in love with the groom."
"Stop," George choked. Karl laughed and quickly shushed him, while George struggled to keep his giggles from bothering everyone around. "No, oh my god. What?" He repeated out of disbelief. "What?"
"I think this is your turn," Karl said. "Please. tell me some gossip about your friends and your guests."
"Oh no, no I can't," George said, his fingers nervously tapping the side of his glass.
"That doesn't sound like you don't have gossip," Karl squinted. "That sounds like you do have gossip but can't say it."
"It's been somewhat of an interesting weekend," George explained. "To be honest with you, I'm completely exhausted."
"Is that the reason for the depressing drink?" Karl asked. "Come on, tell me something fun."
"Uhm-" George hummed, his mind contemplating on whether or not he wanted to say something. To be fair, he wanted to have fun, and talking to Karl has been very fun so far. "Okay, you see that tall blond kid dancing right there?"
"Sure, sure," Karl said, looking at Tommy being the life of the party, dancing around everyone.
"Friday night at 2 AM, he climbed the hedge and got into my room on the third floor," George said. "Because he needed to tell me that he lost the rings, and didn't want the grooms to know about it and therefore, can't walk down the hallway."
"What?" Karl laughed.
"Wilbur, the even taller brunette next to him," George continued. "Went missing for 7 hours. Nobody knew where he went, nor how he came back. He also doesn't remember a single thing that happened so it's a whole big mystery."
"You seem like a very fun group of friends," Karl commented. "Which brings me back to my original question-" Karl hummed. "What's the best man doing, looking all so glum and alone?"
"Nothing's wrong," George said.
"I never said anything was wrong," Karl chimed.
"Oh don't do that, don't act like you didn't imply it," George squinted at him accusingly.
"Okay, maybe I did," Karl held up his hand in surrender. "Still doesn't answer my question."
George sat there in silence.
It's been eating him up, slowly itching and scratching at his sanity. Every single bit of him wanted so desperately to tell someone, anyone about the secret that he's been keeping in him for the past few weeks. Oh, and yes, it's a big secret indeed. Huge, life-altering secret.
And boy, the guilt was eating him alive.
"Hey," Karl called. "Sorry if I'm prying, I didn't mean to. It was just a thing, you know. Try and get the sad cute guy at the bar to cheer up," He smiled apologetically.
"I'm going home," George blurted out.
"No, no, no," Karl said. "I'm so sorry for bothering you, I can leave you alone-"
"No! I mean-" George stopped Karl and grabbed his arm.
Karl looked at him with furrowed eyebrows and slowly sat back down. George sighed and chugged the rest of his drink before turning to Karl.
"Sorry, sorry-" George apologized before letting go of Karl's arm. "I just-"
"You need to talk," Karl muttered, understanding the gravity of the situation just by the look on George's face. "Alright, I'm here to listen."
"Right," George mumbled nervously. "As you can probably tell, I'm not from around here."
"You mean you're British," Karl clarified and George nodded.
"Yeah, and well a few weeks ago I decided to visit my parents. You know, go home," George explained. "I'm gonna be leaving when they're on their honeymoon and I haven't told either of the grooms."
"Oh," Karl's voice was low and sympathetic. "Well, I'm sure they're going to understand it. They probably would want to be there to say goodbye before you leave for a bit, but plane tickets and everything, I'm sure they would-"
"I don't know-" George interjected. "I don't know how to tell them that I-" George inhaled sharply. "That I might not be coming back."
"Oh," Karl sighed again. "You're moving back."
"That's the plan," George said
Karl sat there and silently gestured to the bartender to fill up George's drink again.
"I'm sensing there's a deeper-" Karl said hesitantly. "There's more to this than it seems, isn't there?"
"What gave it away?" George laughed sadly.
"Why are you hiding it from them?" Karl asked.
"They wouldn't understand," George replied. "Feels like I'm abandoning them."
"You don't sound like you want to leave either," Karl said.
"Sorry," George apologized. "Sorry for dumping that on you, I literally just met you and now I'm spilling my guts out."
"It's easier to trust a stranger with a secret," Karl replied understandingly. "I don't mind."
There were no words that George could say, despite having a billion things that he wanted to say. So many things he needed to say. All he could do was look. It was the most simple look, a glance towards the dance floor.
Turns out it was the easiest look to decipher. The look of absolute yearning, his eyes tracking across the floor, following the newly-wedded couple. The way Dream danced, his hands resting gently on Sapnap's back, his arms held so closely, and Sapnap, the way his head fits perfectly on the crook of Dream's neck, his eyes closed like he was safe for every danger the world has ever and will ever come for him.
"You ever feel-" George began. "You ever feel like you're late?"
Karl didn't answer. He knew better and that it was very much a rhetorical question.
"Like everything you do in this world, you're just a little bit late," George continued. "Like there's always someone else doing it first, getting there first. You think, I could do that. I would do that. But somebody else is doing it already, so what's the point."
"Oh," Karl said again after a bright moment of realization. "I understand."
"They met first," George muttered. "Became friends first. Fell in love first. Told each other first. They were each other's firsts. I'm just the second."
"So you're in love-" Karl mumbled slowly.
"Don't say it," George scoffed sadly to himself as he took a sip of his drink, now watered down by the melted ice cubes.
"Him," Karl hummed.
"Well," George sneered, looking across the ballroom. "Him," His eyes glanced over Sapnap, smiling brightly as he placed both his hands on Dream's face to pull his husband's face down for a quick kiss. "And him," And then George's eyes moved to look at Dream, mid-laughter, his hands resting comfortably on Sapnap's back, pressing their bodies together as they kissed.
"Him," Karl sounded out slowly, his tone more unsure as time passed. He most definitely noticed the shift in George's gaze. "Both?" He asked suddenly, but George only scoffed a cold laugh. "You're in love with both of them?"
"You would too if you knew them," George said with a pitiful smile.
"That's a new one," Karl commented. "Both of them?"
"I don't think I ever imagined my life without them. I don't think I could," George said honestly. "But things change. People get married. They have lives, they grow up-"
"I don't think they're planning on leaving you," Karl said. "You're probably as important to them as they are to you."
"I know," George nodded slowly. "Somehow, makes it worse."
"I'm sorry," Karl sympathized.
"And that's why I'm leaving," George concluded.
"You're running away," Karl said.
"What?" George frowned, his head immediately snapping to Karl. "I'm not running away."
"You literally are," Karl stated. "You're doing an overkill by going to a whole other continent, but you're running away."
"I am not running away," George's voice went up a pitch.
"By definition, you are running away," Karl said. "You're far too scared, or too tired, or maybe you just don't want to deal with that problem and all that pain."
"Exactly," George said. "It's painful."
"And you could've told them," Karl continued. "You could've confessed, or stopped them at any point before this wedding, but you didn't."
"Wait, no-" George was suddenly flipped on his head.
"Look, you know they love you, you said it yourself. But you're the one running away," Karl stated. "From your feelings, from your problems. I suggest you just, stop living in fear and let things happen."
"And what?" George laughed incredulously. "Told them that I-" George stopped, his eyes glazing over as he watched the happy couple. "That I'm scared to be alone? That no one will love me because I'm always late."
"Come on," Karl rolled his eyes. "You're never late," He said with a smirk. "You're just on time for something else," George's eyes flickered and glanced at Karl. "Everything in its own time, George."
"Right," George mumbled though the word barely convinced himself.
"Speaking of time, I have to go swap out with the DJ and perform one last song-" Karl said sprightly. "Pleasure talking to you. Would love to talk some more, but you're- moving home, I guess."
"I guess," George mimicked.
"Bye," Karl gave him a little wave before heading towards the stage side and meeting up with his friends.
For the first time that night, George had somebody else to pay attention to. He was watching Karl talk and laugh, flipping over sheets of music for last-minute memorization as he slung his bass guitar over his shoulder. He was watching his new acquaintance, though, at the rate that he'd just learned all of George's dark secrets, he quickly moved up the ranks all the way to therapist.
"So?" Quackity's voice suddenly brought him back down to Earth.
"So what?" George asked.
"How'd you like him?" Quackity said giddily.
"Like who?" Meanwhile, George was still more and more confused.
"Karl," Quackity exclaimed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I hired him for you."
"You hired-" George furrowed his eyebrows.
"Well no, no I didn't hire him for you, I meant that I hired his band so that he could be here," Quackity interjected with his explanation. "You liked him, right?"
"I- what? What do you mean you hired him for me?" George was starting to think that maybe he'd had too much to drink.
"You guys met right? At that New Years' party earlier this year?" Quackity said. "I thought you guys hit it off pretty well, I mean he was your midnight kiss."
"What?" George exclaimed. "I don't- Quackity, I barely remembered anything from that night, you should've told me!"
"Why does it matter, you guys hit it off right?" Quackity asked. "I saw you having fun back here with your pretty little cocktails, while I'm busting my ass trying to entertain the guests."
George just sighed, watching as the song goes into tho the first verse following the intro.
"Did he ask you out?" Quackity bounced excitedly. "He's easily one of my favorite people on this planet, and you're one of my favorite people on the planet so-"
"I, yeah, I'll-" George sighed. "Was he supposed to ask me out?"
"Yeah, kinda," Quackity said. "I mean, he said he would."
"Right, right," George bit his lip as he watched Karl play on stage.
He doesn't remember anything about that New Years' party. In his defense, Dream and Sapnap had gotten engaged like 6 days before that on Christmas morning like the perfect couple they are, so to say that he was drowning himself in alcohol to forget about that fact is more than reasonable.
But he remembered that kiss. A fleeting moment of peace where he could feel calm and at ease, away from all his troubles and feelings. It was the softest pair of lips that tasted like a cherry lip balm with the slightest smell of vanilla. He remembered the hands on his face, the cold metal of the rings pressing against his skin.
And then it was over.
And by over, George means that he vomited then proceeded to blackout.
Honestly, in the past few months, he'd been convinced that he hallucinated the whole thing. Maybe that's why he never asked Quackity or anyone if they knew who'd kissed him that night. Karl didn't even look at all familiar to him.
And now, George has just potentially scared him off.
Great.
George was standing by the stage side as Karl and his band finished their last song. Karl saw him, his eyes lighting up as he grinned and walked immediately to George, handing off his bass to a bandmate to put away.
"Can't get enough of me, can you?" Karl said teasingly.
"You were my New Years' kiss," George said.
"Heh," Karl laughed nervously. "See, I thought I was pretty good, you know, at the kissing thing. I didn't think I'd be so forgettable."
"You're not, you're not-" George corrected Karl so quickly. "I do remember the kiss, I just don't remember-" George blushed. "You."
"Wow," Karl hummed sarcastically with a hint of mischief. "I'll try not to get offended by that."
"Oh no! That's not what I meant at all, I just-" George stuttered. "I drank so much alcohol that night, I was so sure that I was gonna need a liver transplant by the morning."
"I'm kidding," Karl laughed. "I know how to take a joke, George," His voice assured George.
"I do remember you. I remember the kiss, I-" George smiled softly. "I remember you."
"I remember you too," Karl told him with a smirk on his face.
"Were you gonna ask me out?" George asked abruptly.
Karl stood there, opened his mouth then closed it before opening it again. He shrugged.
"That was the plan when I approached you, yes," Karl confessed.
"Right," George nodded. "And I scared you off."
"What? I'm not scared off," Karl laughed.
"No, no, you're totally scared off," George groaned. "I scared you off because I had to open my stupid mouth and tell you all my stupid secrets and feelings, and-"
"Hey," Karl said, his hands grabbing both of George's shoulders and shaking him gently. "You didn't scare me off."
"That's a lie and you know it," George scoffed.
"George, people have baggage," Karl explained. "Unresolved things, old relationships, family secrets. Everyone has troubles. You just-" Karl laughed in astonishment. "-decided to tell me the whole picture in the first 10 minutes of our meeting, that's all. Honestly, I admire you for that honesty."
"I'm not ready," George declared completely unprompted.
"Okay?" Karl said slowly.
"No, I just-" George smiled slightly. "You're really cute-"
"So are you," Karl chimed in. "Go on."
"I-" George was blushing bright pink. "I just don't want you to be a rebound. I think you're too good for a rebound."
"Okay," Karl hummed.
"I like you," George said. "And with time, I think I have the potential to really, really like you. But I'm not ready," He spared a little glance towards the dance floor one more time. "There are things that I need to get over. Feelings that I need to deal with, relationships that I need to fix, or save, or both. I don't want you in the middle of that, not when I'm not ready."
"I'm not rushing you," Karl said. "We can take things slow."
"We can?" George asked.
"Of course," Karl shrugged. "It just sucks that you're gonna be across an ocean, that's all."
"Maybe," George added. "Maybe."
"Maybe, across an ocean," Karl said.
"Hey," A very familiar voice suddenly showed up behind George.
George saw Karl's eyes widen ever so slightly as he looked behind George, and George knew everything he needed to know before turning around.
"Hey," George said, turning around to see Dream and Sapnap hand in hand. "What's up?"
"So Wilbur, apparently-" Sapnap said. "Set up a big firework show for us as his wedding gift. So we're gonna go to the lake."
"Because if we don't go to the lake, he will burn this place down," Dream said. "I don't like the idea of Wilbur and fireworks."
"Honestly, it's only a concern if Techno's the one handling the fireworks-" Sapnap scrunched up his nose.
"Which he is," Dream stated. "Of course, he's helping Wilbur with this."
"Anyway, we gotta go," Sapnap nudged his head towards the door.
"You're riding in the limo with us, right?" Dream asked.
They weren't leaving him out. Confusing. But George is just gonna have to learn how to deal with it.
"Can Karl come?" George asked, but to Karl's own surprise.
"Karl," Sapnap said slowly.
George stepped aside and pointed a thumb at the bassist standing behind him that could only smile awkwardly and give them a small wave.
"Karl," Dream exclaimed chirpily, extending his hand to shake. "The bassist. Wonderful performance, by the way, thank you so much."
"It's a pleasure, honestly," Karl said, shaking Dream's hand before shaking Sapnap's. "It was a beautiful wedding."
"It's a lot of effort, George is a lifesaver. Helped with so many things," Sapnap said. "I don't know what we'd do without him."
"So can he?" George asked again.
"I don't see why not," Dream replied after sharing a look with Sapnap. "The more the merrier."
"We're gonna go steal some champagne to drink at the lake, and we'll see you in the limo," Sapnap said excitedly. "It was so nice to meet you, Karl."
"Likewise," Karl smiled as the wedded couple walked away.
"That was-" George exhaled a shaky breath. "That was okay."
"You're solving it," Karl shrugged. "Baby steps."
"Everything that I told you about them, I'll-" George turned to Karl, his eyes pleading. "I'll talk to them about it eventually, but in the meantime, you can't mention anything to them."
"I won't tell a soul. I promise," Karl said. "I mean, if you wanna even the scores, I can tell you a deep dark secret."
"Oh yeah, like what?" George taunted.
"People have baggage," Karl told him. "You haven't heard any of my stories yet. My ex-girlfriend is in prison."
"What?" George gasped loudly.
"And she got arrested when we were still dating," Karl added.
"Oh my god," George laughed softly.
"One step at a time?" Karl offered.
"Okay," George nodded, inhaling a deep breath before looking Karl straight in his bright grey eyes. "Karl, will you go to see the fireworks with me?"
"George," Karl grinned. "I would love to go see the fireworks with you."