Wash 10

Teddy woke up to the blinding late afternoon sun stabbing at his eyes.

His head throbbed like a marching band had set up shop in his skull.

Something felt off—his skin prickled against the crisp white sheets

with a scent of dried bleach.

He glanced down.

What the—?!

His clothes were gone.

"Who the hell took my—"

Before he could finish, a face popped into view,

all gleaming white teeth and mischief.

His mother, Sylvia, grinning like she knew his dirty laundry.

But something was… off.

Her teeth. They were too white.

Too perfect. They practically glowed.

"Morning, sunshine!" Sylvia chirped,

dropping a plate onto his lap with dramatic flair.

The burnt remains of an egg, a stale piece of toast,

and a glass of pulpy orange juice wobbled on the tray.

"Breakfast in bed!"

Teddy blinked at the charred disaster,

then back at his mother, who was giggling—actually giggling—while

spinning around the room in a brand-new, glossy designer leather jacket.

He squinted at it, his sluggish brain struggling to process what he was seeing.

"Where… did you get that?" he croaked, rubbing his temples.

"Eat first," Sylvia said, beaming. "Come on, tell me it's good!"

Teddy took a bite of the toast. Immediately regretted it.

What the fuck was this? Cardboard designed to crack his teeth?

He forced it down, his throat protesting every second of the way.

"Wow. So good, Mom."

She clapped, delighted. "I knew it!"

Teddy poked at the burnt egg,

deciding he’d rather not commit breakfast suicide today.

"What time is it?"

"I don’t know… maybe five or something?"

"FIVE?! Mom, why didn’t you wake me up?!

I have tons of laundry to wash and I need to do a delivery today”

As he shot up, wrapping the white sheet across his waist to hide

whatever decency is left in front of his mom, something really off hits him.

his body betrayed him. A sharp, merciless headache cracked

through his skull. He groaned, collapsing back onto the bed.

"I must’ve drunk too much last night…"

Sylvia panics, quickly hands him a pill and a glass of water.

Teddy frowned. "What’s this? For headache?”

Sylvia’s face turned grave. "Teddy, this is serious.

You need to take this pill it’s a single dose that will fix your worry away."

Teddy narrowed his eyes. "Worry? why will I worry…on WHAT?"

Sylvia took a deep breath, as if preparing to break devastating news.

"Because, Teddy… we can’t afford another accident when we’re already stuck

with all these laundry situation"

Teddy’s gaze slid back to the designer jacket

wrapped around her shoulders.

"—Surely we can’t afford whatever the situation you're wearing right now, the

laundry is last of our worry."

Sylvia ignored the jab. Instead, she grabbed his face

and pulled it dangerously close to hers.

"Mom?" Teddy mumbled. "What are you doing? Please don’t

your Herpes might mouth sore pop me!

"Teddy," she whispered, her voice serious,

"you can’t get pregnant. You need to take this pill."

Teddy nearly choked on air. "What?! Why will I be pregnant?"

Sylvia sighed, full of motherly wisdom. "When a man loves another man,

he will plant his seed in his planter, and in time, that seed

will grow into a new man."

Silence.

Teddy stared. Hard.

Planter. Man. What the Fuck.

Teddy yelled, Sylvia stared.

“I CAN’T get pregnant! I’m a GUY!"

"Oh, Teddy, don’t be naive. These days with all the AI stuffs and everything

anything is possible. You were very drunk last night.

Anything could’ve happened. "

SHOCKED rippled through Teddy.

"Mom, I can’t believe I’m having this discussion with you…this is just so…WEIRD"

Sylvia shyly smiled. Teddy squinted. Something wasn’t right.

"Did you bleach your teeth?" he asked.

Sylvia jerked back, suddenly defensive. "What? No!"

"Mom, bleaching your teeth can kill you.

You can literally die from poisoning."

"Oh, please. A little household bleach never hurt anyone!"

"Mom—"

"I’m just teasing you. Teddy all these laundry

action is affecting your brain, ANYWAY!" Sylvia clapped her hands,

abruptly shifting the subject. "Let’s talk about something more pleasant."

Teddy’s eyes flicked back to the suspiciously expensive-looking jacket.

"Where did you get that?"

Sylvia let out a nervous little laugh. "Letty gave it to me."

"Letty? Letty, who’s cheap as fuck, she

just GAVE you a designer jacket? you’re joking right?”

Sylvia shrugged. "Ask her."

Something clicked in Teddy’s head. His stomach dropped.

"OH MY GOD!"

He ran straight to the kitchen counter, his heart hammering.

His eyes darted to the old glass jar where he had carefully

stashed their water bill money. His breath caught in his throat. It was gone.

He turned on his mother, devastated.

"Mom… please tell me you didn’t. Please tell me you didn’t use

our water bill money for a fucking jacket!"

Sylvia gasped, clutching her chest like she was the victim.

"Teddy! How dare you accuse your own mother?!

Do you think I’m irresponsible, the last time I became one, I ended up with you.

This is what Letty and Betsy have been telling me for months!

You don’t respect me. You don’t trust me!

I’m your mother Teddy, I’m not just a props in your life”

"Oh my god, Betsy and Letty? Really? Really mom??!

So what are they beside just being silly and crazy giggly,

life experts now?! Mom, they don’t know shit about life!

We’re broke! We owe two months of rent!

Our electricity bill is overdue!

They can’t cut our water off, what about the laundry?”

Sylvia, now casually applying nail polish, rolled her eyes.

"Laundry..Laundry,

with you, everything is about the

freaking laundry.

Don’t be so dramatic, Teddy. I didn’t use the water money. It’s still in the jar."

Teddy froze. "…What?"

"I said, it’s still in the jar."

He turned back to the counter, eyes darting to the jar.

The money was still there, neatly stacked and untouched.

His entire body sagged in relief. "Oh, thank god—"

"Did you every thought that maybe I stole the jacket?"

Teddy’s blood ran cold.

"WHAT THE FUCK Mom, why did you do something like that?"

Sylvia waved a dismissive hand. "Bored. Oh, relax. They’ll never find me."

Teddy clutched his head, feeling the headache of the century coming on.

"Mom, do you realize what’s gonna happen to you?!

They’re gonna find you, and they—"

A loud knock pounded at the door.

Sylvia and Teddy locked eyes.

Then, she whispered, "Do you think I’m screwed?"

Teddy’s heart slammed against his ribs. "You better hide, Mom!"

Sylvia scoffed, flipping her perfectly whitened teeth at him.

"Hide? Where? This apartment is a damn laundromat with no escape routes."

Without hesitation, Teddy grabbed his mother and shoved her right in a cramped laundry

basket by the bedside, her legs and arms sticks out.

Teddy heaved a massive pile of freshly laundered clothes over her, burying her beneath

pastel sheets and mismatched socks.

Sylvia's muffled voice came from under the mountain of laundry.

"Teddy! What the Hell!!!”

Teddy ignored her, staring at his reflection in the wall mirror.

His face was pale, his eyes still groggy from the alcohol.

"Relax," he muttered to himself. "Just say your mom is insane,

no she’s not just insane, she’s CRAZY as fuck., that she had a moment of impulse

but would be happy to return the beautiful jacket in its original store bag."

His eyes darted around. Spotting the fancy bag

he grabbed it, nodding to himself. "Yeah. Jacket plus store bag. Looks convincing."

With a deep breath, he opened the door—and froze.

It wasn’t anyone from the store.

It was Drew.

Teddy’s stomach dropped to his feet.

The memories hit like a truck.

Oh. My. God.

He was with someone last night.

Someone took him home.

Someone carried him up here.

Someone put him to bed.

That someone was Drew.

Teddy’s breath hitched.

OH NO.

The flashes of last night seared into his brain.

“Kiss me, whore.”

Fuck did I just said that to Drew?

But before his soul could completely leave his body,

Sylvia popped out from the laundry pile like a deranged ghost and slapped him.

"I'm no whore! Don't you ever speak to your mother like that!"

Drew, standing in the doorway, blinked in confusion. "Uh…hi again?"

Teddy shoved Sylvia back to the laundry pile, grabbed Drew by the arm,

and yanked him into the hallway.

Their neighbors immediately poked their heads out of their doors,

their eyes glinting with hunger for gossip.

Drew cleared his throat and handed him a bouquet of white roses.

"For you."

Teddy gawked. "For me? Seriously? Thanks…it feels weird because this is really

the first time that someone gave me roses"

Drew smiled, “There’s always a first for everything, right?”

Teddy’s eyes darted to the two old ladies from apartment 12B,

their phones out, recording.

He whispered, "Sorry about them. They’re like vultures with Wi-Fi."

Drew chuckled. "I noticed. Maybe I should flash my ass give them

contents to vlog about "

Teddy licked his lips. "Drew…about last night."

Drew’s expression tensed. "Yes, about last night."

Teddy hesitated. "Look, Drew, I didn’t mean to—you know…"

Drew stepped closer. "To what?"

Teddy exhaled sharply. "I don’t know what I was doing. I was drunk."

Drew’s jaw twitched. "Did you do anything?"

Teddy braced himself. "I think I touched you."

Drew’s eyes darkened. A storm of emotions flashed through them—

shock, confusion, and then something dangerously close

to possessiveness. "YOU TOUCHED ME?"

"Shh!" Teddy clamped his hands over Drew’s mouth,

his eyes flickering to the nosy neighbors who had zoomed

their cameras on Drew’s crotch.

Drew pulled his hands away. "What else do you remember doing to me?"

Teddy gulped. "I…I think I said…'Kiss me, whore. Sorry.'"

Silence.

Drew’s gaze bore into him, intense, unreadable.

The heat creeping up Teddy’s neck felt unbearable.

He had never wanted to disappear more in his life.

Drew shot a painful glance on Teddy, “What else do you remembered we did?”

Teddy looks down, “I don’t know…I woke up naked.”

“Naked?” Drew let out a long sigh. Fucking Cliff. He absolutely fucked my Teddy.

Without saying anything, Drew walked away, leaving Teddy more confused

and regretful.

Teddy stood there, still gripping the bouquet,

his heart hammering against his ribs.

He watched Drew disappear down the hall.

The neighbors gasped in unison.

He shot them a glare. Doors slammed shut.

Teddy trudged back inside, closing the door behind him.

Sylvia was sprawled across the floor, rubbing her shoulder.

"You manhandled me, you ungrateful bastard!."

Teddy groaned. "Sorry, Mom, I just—"

Before he could finish,

Sylvia picked up a gallon of bleach and poured it over herself.

Teddy choked. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! MOM THAT’S BLEACH!"

Sylvia wailed dramatically.

"I might as well bleach myself, Teddy! I'm nothing to you but laundry

that you can just toss, wash and shove!"

"Mom, this time you’re the one

being dramatic—" Teddy poured a bucket of water over

Sylvia to rinse the bleach off.

Sylvia sniffled. "Why can't you be like Cliff? He's a perfect gentleman."

Teddy’s world screeched to a halt.

Cliff?

And suddenly, everything clicked.

The gorgeous man in the suit.

The strong arms that carried him up the stairs.

His lips on his ear. FUCK it was Cliff and yes

Fuck. I bit his ear.

Why did I do that?

Why am I such a pervert? Suddenly every sensations and

memories returned.

The heat against his skin.

The voice whispering, asking him where’s his apartment.

Teddy’s mouth fell open. "Mom…was it Cliff? The guy in the suit?"

Sylvia casually buffed her nails. "Mm-hmm."

Teddy’s stomach twisted into a thousand knots.

"Did he leave a number?"

Sylvia twirled a piece of lint off her jacket. "Maybe but since you

shove me on your stupid laundry…" Sylvia shoved Cliff’s

business card right inside her bra and gave Teddy

a steel cold stare. “Really mom?” Sylvia grins, “Finders keepers Teddy”

To her shock Teddy quickly snatched the card off her bra.

Teddy scans the name. His throat tightened.

Sylvia sighed. Teddy can’t read.

“Cliff Sinclair. that’s what the card says Teddy”

His fingers trembled.

Sylvia whimpered dramatically.

BUT- without any fair warning, to Sylvia’s shock, Teddy quickly

snatched her jacket as well, grabbing the store bag by the floor,

he shoved the jacket inside.

"I’m returning this. I have no cash to bail you out if you got jailed for this”

Sylvia sniffled. "I just wanted to feel special for once."

Teddy softened. He sighed, kneeling beside her.

"Mom, I can’t buy you things like this, designer jacket, but I can give you this."

He took her hand and placed it over his heart.

"You have me. I love you."

Sylvia blinked. Then she deadpanned,

"Yeah, but I can’t wear your heart like that jacket. You’d die."

Teddy groaned, chuckling despite himself. Sylvia burst out laughing.

And for once, despite the chaos, everything felt…okay.