𝖘𝖆𝖑𝖊𝖒:
salem hardly ever considers a night where he’s behind the bar mixing drinks and dealing with the general public as a good night. there really is no such thing. especially when he unfortunately has to carve out a spot for himself in the world and make a living by begrudgingly participating in capitalism. dealing with annoying drunks by indulging in their shit flirtations regardless if they leave behind a pretty tip never qualifies as a good shift. salem would prefer if there were no shift but alas, while he does make a good income with his writing, the prospect of being holed up in his apartment with the weighed expectation of solely putting words to paper is mentally draining enough. bartending, for as much shit as salem gives it, is tolerable. the money can be nice as well, he supposes. even if it does feel like he’s dealing with petulant toddlers when told no. so when kam’s response washes over him, salem can sense his jaw clench and chocolate hues flicker shut in an attempt to center himself before replying without a filter. if this is what being nice got him then salem might as well continue on being a fucking twat. ❝ kam. first of all, ❞ salem started once he gathered himself and his gaze opened to settle on kam again. ❝ you cursed at me first. i was merely responding in the tone given to me. second of all, you’re the one who essentially challenged me into kissing you and i’m not warranting any further conversation about this right now. taunting the person offering to help you isn’t the best way to get them to continue. ❞ he replies evenly. somehow this conversation reminds him of a very confusing game of ping pong, completely unaware where kam’s next train of thought will land and how to prepare himself for it. salem doesn’t expect his silence to invite kam to venture into his apology and it’s hardly something he expects for the other to bring up on his own volition. sure, he figures the two of them will sort out their shit one way or another, but for that place to be in their break room where kam was nearly passed out on the decrepit couch with questionable stains on the pillows was unforeseen. acidity rises up his throat at the mention of ezra, ready to take the form of venomous words soon to be directed at kam. salem swallows down the bitter taste as it settles in that kam is apologizing. beneath the subtle thrum of irritation bubbling in his veins is fondness for the familiarity of the other’s melodrama. part of salem misses having someone as eccentric as kam to talk to when he’s a splash of vibrant color amongst the drab monochromatic personalities he’s encountered since settling in new york. he’d like to continue a friendship with the other and can genuinely see their relationship taking that form. so salem forgoes the scathing reply dancing on the tip of his tongue for something more gentle, and hopes his expression mirrors such. ❝ it’s fine. i forgive you, but i’m not discussing ezra right now. if we ever do then that will be on my terms. ❞ he answers in a considerably lighter tone than earlier. his frustrations soon disappear as concern for the other’s wellbeing takes its place. his eyebrows knit at kam’s first admission and salem drops his gaze to the arm of the couch. ❝ i’m looking at you since you’re talking but if it makes you uncomfortable then i can just … not ?? ❞ salem offers, keeping his eyes on a singular unknown darkened stain on one of the cream colored throw pillows. silence settles over the two of them once kam finishes his explanation and salem takes a moment to gather his thoughts. clearly by kam’s words it was something he wasn’t too keen on sharing, but everyone had their own shit and who was salem to judge ?? ❝ okay. ❞ salem says simply before slowly shifting his gaze back over to his friend. ❝ i don’t know too much about narcolepsy or cataplexy so it’s not my place to lecture you. not that i would plan to either. do you take your pills at a certain time every day ?? have you tried setting an alarm ?? ❞ in reality, salem felt quite dumb for even asking such a question when the chance of kam already have done that was high. his attempt to show that he did care about the other’s wellbeing probably just painted him as an idiot. the fact that kam manages to slowly walk the line of amusing and frustrating was beyond salem, far past his comprehension for the night to look further into. there’s a slight downward twitch of his lips at their kiss being brought up but salem chooses to ignore it in favor of cracking his back. ❝ for someone who failed to kiss with tongue you have a lot of opinions. ❞ he replies dryly, light humor lacing his words so kam doesn’t misconstrue his meaning again. ❝ nevertheless, hop on and i’ll consider the terms to my agreement as we go to your place. ❞ there’s a brief pause and salem shrugs. ❝ besides, if you truly fucked up that bad then i wouldn’t have woken you up to begin with. ❞ salem squats down at an appropriate height for kam to clamber onto his back from. it’s difficult not to retaliate with his own quips from what kam says next, head turning to toss a glance over his shoulder to the other as chocolate hues shine in mild amusement with a cocked brow. ❝ dude, i’m not mad. we’ll have this conversation when you’re more coherent and not about to pass out again. for someone with supposed regrets about our kiss, you sure like bringing it up. something you wanna share with the class, kam ?? ❞ the mention of jason piques salem’s interest almost immediately. ❝ jason, huh ?? since when and how did he become an emergency contact ?? i’d hate it for you since you’ll get an angry and incoherent scotsman yelling at you over the phone for calling him so late on a weekday. that being said, get situated 'cause my thighs are starting to ache since i’ve been focusing on arm day at the gym the past two weeks. ❞
curiosity begins to slowly flow within him & drips from the cracks that characterize his very imperfect personality, fueling the impertinent side of his that annoys those that surround him, probably because he’s too analytical for people to actually feel comfortable around him & his endless questions. even while he continues to struggle with exhaustion & he fidgets with his fingers to somehow subside both fatigue just as much as he tries to water down the sudden interest that begins to spread out quickly within his chest. how badly he wishes that he could ask why is ezra a forbidden topic now, salem ? but this would most likely bring anger back to his friends body & he’d unleash it against him, which isn’t the best of ideas when he’s about to collapse any time soon. so maybe he should postpone the question for later in time & be satisfied with the fact that he’s been forgiven so easily by someone who seems to have a frozen heart. shouldn’t his charm be blamed for this though ? kam smiles proudly & makes a mental note to remember to have a toast for this moment. to his charismatic & perfect personality !! a good excuse to drink the bottle of wine that is still sitting back home, but he won’t do it until he has a few hours of sleep at least. it would be irresponsible ( more like a waste ) to drink when he’s this tired. although, did he mention terms... ❝ wait a second, ❞ he begins to mutter out loud the ideas that betray him & start forming in the back of his brain, completely disregarding the previous train of thought that had brought him to conclude this definitely wasn’t the best to bring up to salem. ❝ what do you mean it’ll be on your terms ? i’m not going to sign an nda just to talk about a friend with another friend. but i... shall abstain myself from joking too much right now, because i really do need your help tonight. maybe some other day i can afford a punch coming from you, but this is not the moment to summon that hidden force of yours. i’m... still curious. what do you mean by that ? ❞ while it’s fun to think that maybe he might have found another thing to use against salem, something to tease him with, there’s still the imminent reaction to what he revealed moments ago. an awkward smile creeps on his lips, knowing that what bothers him the most about saying i’m narcoleptic !! are the very different reactions he obtains from others. whether it is having his friends teasing him, to the way he’s treated like he’s a doll made of porcelain, all of them are completely irritating & cringeworthy to kam. this man seems to react differently though & for him to have simply stated okay both offends him & makes him feel relieved for once in his life, granting him enough space to breathe in & out deeply, managing to keep a more sincere smile on his lips. ❝ i... forget. even when i set up an alarm, i think that i’ll do it later & by the time i realize that i haven’t taken them, it’s too late. i... have been too stressed lately. both work & my personal life feel too unstable for me to be focused enough to remind myself i need to take pills. i was really worried that you wouldn’t like me anymore & that you’d hate me forever, you know... ❞ kam’s gaze instantly turns down to avoid facing the serious demeanor of his friend, being fully aware that his reaction might be too coarse for his sensitive self to deal with when he’s running on a low battery. what instantly causes him to snap back though is to be insulted the way that he is by the blasphemy that comes out of this demon’s mouth. to keep it classy though, he won’t acknowledge what is used against himself, knowing very well that he would be able to mop the floor with that bicolor rag that is his hair. instead, he will do as asked & comfortably rests against the body of the other to be carried wherever he’s being taken to. shouldn’t he share his address with salem ? that would be very wise indeed. instead he directs his attention to the warmth that surrounds him when he presses the tip of his nose against his neck & closes his eyes to relax just a little. this may also be happening because of the heat that spreads out along his body when he’s questioned about their mutual friend, something that’s happened from the moment they met though, so it’s nothing out of the ordinary. ❝ jason ? ❞ kam swallows thickly & arches his brows while continuing to keep his eyes closed, wondering why he suddenly feels nervous to share something he considers private. a treasured memory of his with an outsider to it, one who might desecrate it through bullying. wouldn’t this also give him an excuse to feel happy again though ? maybe he’s just half hallucinating that he’s talking to salem, because as far as he’s aware, his cheek is resting against his shoulder & he’s watching things move quickly by them for the very brief few seconds he opens his lids. ❝ i think i wouldn’t mind if he yelled at me over the phone. that would wake me up & i need someone to shake me roughly enough to realize i cannot continue to be this reckless. he’s that, you know ? stability. none of you would do the same for me. you’re just as reckless as i am & awfully chaotic. especially you, salem. i think we’re too similar & that’s why we’ll bump into one another too frequently. but he... ah !! did you know he spent a whole night with me because of my birthday ? nothing platonic though, ❞ he teases & lets out a sleepy chuckle as he holds on tighter to his frame. ❝ we had a few drinks, we chatted a lot & i was so amazed that he could talk as much as he did. he’s so dorky & cool when you forget about his height & intimidating gaze, plus he has a really nice smile. he rarely ever smiles around me, he’s too frustrated by me, i guess. it was also a weeknight, so you’re the one in red numbers right now. he’s too weird though. very confusing & frustrating too. one second he’s black, the next one he’s white. i’m convinced that he hates me, but he allows me to stay over at his place, which means we’re actually friends, right ? i know that i wouldn’t lend my pajamas just to anyone. people stink. not you though, you smell very good, but again that’s expected. being real though, ha. i really like spending time with him... but that’s because i get the best excuse to visit lottie or be around her to play around. she’s so sweet. the cutest girl in the world. where... eh. where are we now ? ❞ a question that is asked just to be safe that he hasn’t said something that might be terribly misinterpreted by someone who would most likely be under the wrong impression of what he’s expressing. because he talks like that about all of his friends. all of them. possibly. this could easily be misinterpreted, wouldn’t it ?
shit.
