dopamine : luke

acid

TW: drugs
important quick a/n: in NO WAY am i trying to persuade any of you to try illegal substances !!! everything written down below is based on research, strictly for the book and plot only. again, in no way am i tryna get any of u to try or do drugs OKURRRRR

TENTH HOUR
2AM

"the next thing on the list is going to be different," luke says, admiring his new tattoo under the light provided by the street lamps.

clio, on the other hand, is feeling a bit uncomfortable because of the slight sorness she feels from hers.

"and if you're not comfortable doing it, i won't force you, okay?" he continues, looking at clio's reaction, "you can pass on this one."

"what is it?" clio asks, the familiar feeling of nervousness rising, "you're making me nervous. every part of your list isn't normal. how different will this next one be?"

luke found that there was no way he can make any part of this seem normal, and that there was no way he can make the next item on the list light. it's going to be a big deal.

"acid," he says simply, "we're going to take acid. or i will, if you decide not to."

"acid?" clio says, her eyebrows furrowing, "what does that mean?"

"drugs, clio. it's drugs," luke answers, "it's a feel-good psychedelic. i'll answer any question you'll ask about it."

clio stays silent at this, and luke lets her. they continue walking, with clio following luke's footsteps.

clio has never taken any drug before, ever. she drank alcohol occasionally during parties in college, and she would also occasionally take hits from other people's juuls, but that was it. just alcohol and vape.

"h-how do you..." she pauses, trying to find the right words to say, "how do you take it? like, do you snort it or..."

"no, peach, this isn't the kind of drug that's snorted," luke assures, "it's paper. a really small piece of paper that fits on your fingertip. the acid is incorporated in the paper, and to take it, you place it on your tongue and wait for the paper to dissolve. then the acid enters your system. simple."

they continue walking, clio still unsure of it all. though she's not entirely ruling it out. she just has to get all her questions answered properly before she decides.

"this'll take two hours, by the way," luke says, once again admiring his tattoo as they walk, "cause the chemicals will take about twenty to thirty minutes to kick in."

"how long will they, you know," clio says, rolling up her sweater sleeve to prevent it from hitting her
fresh tattoo, "how long will the effect last?"

"a trip can last between six to fifteen hours," luke says, "but, like, it can take a day for the body to come back to how it typically was."

"we'll still be together during the peak of the effect, though, so don't worry," luke says, "the peak will be just in time for the sunrise. that'll be so fucking beautiful, i promise, it'll be an amazing experience. the whole sky will be pinker than ever and we'll see colors that we never see when we're sober-"