Chapter Text
Dream sat on the floor of his bedroom, legs crossed and phone rested on the inside of his thigh. It lit up his dark room, washed anything nearby in a bright white light that hurt his eyes if he stared at it for too long.
His hands were splayed out on the rug beneath him. The grey fuzz tickled his fingertips as he absentmindedly ran his hands up and down the material.
The black nail polish was practically gone.
It had been two weeks since that night. Two weeks since his sister had done his nails and two weeks since Sapnap had been in his room. He had seen Sapnap since then, however. The two hung out almost every day. Sometimes they went to Sapnaps house, sometimes the movies, and occasionally some pizza place they had found while wandering around town. Dream had met Karl, Sapnap had met Quackity, and they both knew George.
George had known Sapnap for almost as long as he had known Dream, apparently. That knowledge was new to Dream.
He had excitedly ranted about his interaction with Sapnap to George the day after their encounter. It had been awfully cheesy, lots of flowery words and poetic comparisons that made his face flush thinking back on. George had let him talk, finally interrupting when their conversation verged on the thirty minute mark to inform Dream that Sapnap was one of his closest friends.
Dream's jaw dropped and he demanded to know why George hadn’t said anything previously. Apparently George had mentioned him before, just not by name. Instead he had referred to him as, “one of my friends,” because he hadn’t known Dream knew Sapnap through their sisters.
Dream's phone buzzed on his thigh. He clicked on the notification with his pinky and was brought to his messages with Sapnap. The younger had been updating him on what he was doing throughout the day. He was currently hanging out with some people Dream didn’t know at a corner store of some sort. Dream replied to the text without lifting his phone, instead just typing with his pointer finger.
He let out a sigh as the message was delivered. A few seconds passed and it still hadn’t been read, so Dream took to picking at the remains of the nail polish. There were some dots of black in the center of each nail. His pinky on his right hand was half painted while his middle fingers on each hand were almost completely devoid of the polish, the only trace of black right above his cuticles.
Black flakes of polish came off as he picked at it.
His nails looked pretty awful as they were and completely different from the day he had them painted with Sapnap. Well, his sister painted them, but that detail wasn’t important. The physical reminder of that night was practically gone. The urge to fix them gripped his brain, dug its claws in and wouldn’t let go even as he tried to shake it off.
So he pulled himself off the floor and winced as his phone hit the rug with a dull thud. He snatched it off the floor before waltzing over to his door and pulling it open.
His socks muffled his footsteps as he dragged himself to his sisters room. He glanced at his parents bedroom once as he passed. To his knowledge, they were fast asleep after long, boring days at work that tired them easily. Those thoughts were brushed off as he came to a halt in front of his sisters room. He opened the door after hitting it with his knuckles once.
“What do you want,” Drista said without looking up from the homework assignment on her desk. She tapped her pencil against the paper and the movement shook the pencil scraps next to her plastic sharpener on the table. Her head rested on her palm with fingers curled over her cheek and fingertips rested on her cheekbone. Her face was pulled into a frown and her eyebrows joined the frustrated expression.
Dream clicked the door shut behind him. “Need a distraction from your homework?”
She set the pencil down and twisted around in her chair until she was looking directly at him. “As long as it won’t take too long, I need to finish this tonight and it’s already ten.”
“Do you want to paint my nails?”
Her eyebrows lifted as her eyes widened. “What’s the occasion?”
“No occasion,” he sat on the end of the bed, “Just felt like it.”
“I don’t know if I believe that, you never ask first.” Despite her suspicion, she stood up and grabbed the container she kept her nail polish in off of the white dresser opposite her bed. The nail polish let out loud clinks as they hit each other inside the box. She shook it once and smiled at the sound it made before kicking his ankle and telling him to, “scooch.”
Dream shuffled over until he was at the corner of the mattress. She made herself comfortable in the newly opened space and put the blue container onto her lap. There was no lid so he was able to see the many bottles of nail polish. Dream could spot different brands, though most of them had black caps and handles and brushes. There was an assortment of colors, some dark, some light. He could spot every color of the rainbow and then different shades of red, pink and blue.
Before she even glanced at the colorful polish, she grabbed some remover and paper towel shoved beside said nail polish remover.
Drista twisted the cap off and threw it at Dream (he barely caught it) before taking a small piece of paper towel and dousing it in the pungent liquid. It seeped through onto her own fingers but she ignored it, instead setting the remover back into the container and placing the entire thing onto her comforter. She grabbed his right hand and got to work scrubbing the nails clean of nail polish one finger at a time.
His fingers were always slightly damp after her ministrations. It stung, some fingers slightly raw from picking at them, but he took comfort in the fact that the smell stopped making his nose flare a few seconds in.
It didn’t take long to get the measly remains of black polish off of his nails, way less time than ever before. Granted he usually got rid of the polish way sooner, rarely ever letting it get to this point.
As soon as she finished, Drista tossed the damp paper towel into a nearby trash bin and pulled the container back to her. Dream watched the liquid of the nail polish remover slap against the bottle and smiled at the faint sound that was overpowered by the clacking of nail polish bottles.
“What color do you want?”
“Green.”
She glanced at the nail polish then back at him. “As in the bright, eye searing green you like to wear or a dark green?”
He glared. “Dark green.”
Drista hummed and rummaged until she pulled out the one she was looking for. She handed it over to him to open as she set the container onto the floor in front of them and nudged it away with her foot.
The smell of nail polish hit his nostrils and he swore it burned some of the hair inside his nose. Drista didn’t seem to notice it as she took the bottle out of his grip and told him to give her his hands again.
He let them drift to the same position as before, hovering in between the two of them and waiting for whatever came next.
The nail polish was applied just as it had been two weeks prior. Her movements were accurate, the green coating his nails but not staining the surrounding skin. She went from pinky to thumb, one by one. His hand was steady and he let her move it as she saw fit. She always twisted it to see the thumb properly and it seemed like this instance was no different.
She spoke as her fingers curled around his other hand. “So,” she started, adjusting her grip on the brush as the words rolled off her tongue. Her tone was almost bored. But he knew better. Her green eyes flicked to his almost identical pair for a second before they fell onto his hand once more. “Why did you want your nails painted?”
Dream let out a puff of air through his nose, making sure to stay as still as he could in fear of invoking the wrath of his sister. “I already told you. I just wanted to.”
“I don’t believe you,” she replied. She smirked before it softened into something more like a smile. “Next question. How’s Sapnap? You two seemed to get along really well after you brought me home from dance.”
He should’ve seen this coming, admittedly. She was perceptive and not afraid to speak her mind. Quite a dangerous combination. “He’s doing good.”
Her gaze snapped up at the short reply. She stared, and stared and didn’t stop until he caved and opened his mouth again. “He’s with some friends right now. They were at a corner store last time he texted but they could be doing anything now,” he said rather begrudgingly.
She smiled and her fingers dug into his wrist a little more than before as she moved his hand. “Have you been talking to him a lot?”
“What is this, twenty questions?” He let out a laugh that faded as she gave him a narrow eyed stare. “Yeah I have, we’ve hung out a lot too.”
“Is he why you wanted to paint your nails?”
He paused. “What? How did you even come to that conclusion?” And how are you right, he added in his mind. “He’s not why I wanted to paint my nails.”
“Okay Dream, whatever you say. We all believe you.”
Four hours later he sat on the floor of his room in a similar position as before, legs tucked under himself and his phone on his thigh. His back was pressed against his bed and his head leaned against the top of the mattress. He dragged his hands down his face once before lifting his head to a normal position.
The phone was warm against his bare thigh, sending goosebumps flaring along the skin. He rubbed his fingers back and forth against the hem of his dark shorts. The fabric was soft to touch and the repetitive movement of his hands let his mind simmer until a feeling of peace overtook his senses. His brain was content. And tired.
Dream tapped his phone twice, an unnecessary habit he had gotten into after deciding one tap didn’t feel like enough, and squinted at the time that flashed in front of him.
2:23am
Dream kicked his legs out from under him. He extended them as far as he could, reached his arms above his head and straightened his back. A funny sound pushed out of his throat as the tension of sitting in the same place for two hours drained out of his body.
“Sleep,” he informed the stuffy and silent air. The phone that still sat on his thigh buzzed with an incoming text.
It was from Sapnap. Hey, you up?
Dream brought a hand to the mess of hair on his head and ran the pads of his fingers against the scalp. With his other hand, he typed out a simple yeah followed shortly after by a why.
The response came immediately. can i come over lol
The hand in his hair was withdrawn and instead went to rest under his thigh. what.
i feel like it’s pretty direct dream
He huffed, fingers flying to respond. well it’s like two in the morning shouldn’t we just wait until tomorrow
come on dream what’s the fun in that
Dream could hear the whiny tone, could imagine the slight smirk. He could see slightly bitten lips forming the words, see green eyes staring at him imploringly. It was almost as if an image of Sapnap sprout from the text and sat in front of him, almost as though Dream could see and hear him in the dark of the silent night.
The images swirled in his heart. He wanted to see him, wanted him to be in reach. okay fine, tell me when you get here and i’ll let you in
Once again, the reply was immediate. funny story !! i might already be outside and standing on your porch
Dream smiled, eyes rolling playfully and a huff leaving his mouth. “Of course he is.”
He didn’t bother replying. He lifted himself off of the floor and opened his door slowly. It let out a quiet creak as it opened enough for him to slide out and make his way down the hall.
Dreams family was made up of heavy sleepers but it was better to be safe than sorry, really.
He gripped the railing as he walked down the steps, careful to avoid the spots he knew creaked even if it made things slightly more awkward.
As soon as he reached the bottom of the staircase he rushed to the front door, slid his fingers along the handle until he unlocked the door and pulled it open.
In front of him stood Sapnap, phone tucked away and arms crossed over his waist. Dreams' eyes lingered on the arms pressed against his body before they flicked up to his face. The streetlight behind Sapnap lit up his back and outlined the boy in yellow. The lighting made it hard to see his expression but as the shorter spoke, Dream could hear the grin in his voice. “Hey Dream!”
He leveled the other with an unimpressed stare. He let the greeting fade into the night air, allowed the distant sound of cars and bugs to hang between the two before he responded. “Hi. Let’s go to my room then.”
Dream let Sapnap close the door behind the two and didn’t watch him take his shoes off, instead headed up the steps.
By the time he got to the top, Sapnap was halfway up. So, he decided to be a good host and wait until the other stood by his side before they continued their trek to his room.
The trip back was definitely louder than the trip to the door but he supposed it was to be expected.
His door was still open when Dream walked in with Sapnap at his side. He pushed it shut with his foot before he wandered to his desk. On it sat a lamp he had gotten the other day. It was small, square, and somehow already coated in a thin layer of dust. He turned it on and resisted the urge to run his finger along the dirty lampshade.
The bed whined behind him, letting him know Sapnap had sat down.
Dream twisted on his heels and made motions to walk to his bed before stopping abruptly.
A black stud decorated Sapnaps ear. That definitely hadn’t been there two days ago when they last hung out. He openly stared at the piercing, eyes wide and body motionless.
Eventually Sapnap looked up from the game he was playing on his phone and glanced over to Dream, who hadn’t moved from his place in front of the desk.
The two stared for a minute. No words, and no movement on Dreams part. Just staring that seemed to fluster Sapnap more with every second.
“Okay so, uh. Why are you staring?”
“When did you get a piercing?”
Sapnap clapped his hand over the ear Dream was staring at. He ran his thumb over the stud and pulled at his ear. “Oh yeah that. I got that yesterday.”
Dream scoffed, mind finally working again. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Well I forgot,” Sapnap said, eyes wide and gaze innocent. “I still haven’t shown my parents if that makes you feel better.”
“Have you been avoiding them since you got it yesterday?”
Sapnap laughed and shuffled until his back rested against the headboard. “Duh. I think they’ll kill me. If you don’t see me after I show my parents just know you have to mourn my death.”
“You’re an idiot.” His tone was more affectionate than he wanted it to be.
Dream finally wandered over to his bed and slid next to Sapnap. The blanket laid underneath their forms but neither made moves towards pulling it out, though Dream did shift so it wasn’t lumpy under his back.
It was peaceful until Sapnap grabbed the pillow out from under Dream and yanked it away. His head hit the mattress with a small thump.
Sapnap laughed as his head bounced up before falling back onto the bed, head thrown back far enough that it almost hit the headboard.
Dream, face still smushed against the mattress, swung until he hit some part of Sapnap. He twisted until he laid on his side with his back facing the edge of the bed.
The stolen pillow had been placed on Sapnaps lap. Unwilling to give up his pillow, Dream just turned onto his back and placed his head onto the pillow. His legs dangled over the edge of his bed and he could just barely touch the floor with his feet.
As soon as his laughter subsided, Sapnap looked down at Dream. His expression was bright and happy, lips perked and eyes slightly narrowed as he smiled.
Dream jolted at the feeling of a hand being placed on his head. The fingers carded through his hair slowly. Sapnap twisted bits of hair around his fingers, he brushed any strands that fell into Dreams eyes away with a barely there touch. Nails dragged along his scalp in a way that made him shiver and let out a pleased hum at the sensation.
As a few minutes passed, he felt himself relax. His limbs turned moldable and he practically melted into the pillow. His entire body felt like it was on fire whenever Sapnap accidentally brushed his fingers against the back of his neck.
“You know,” Dream murmured. His voice was equal parts breathy and tired, but he didn’t mind it. “I think I want to know you in every way I can.”
Sapnap giggled. “Is this your way of saying you wanna have sex with me? Cause I feel like-“
“Sapnap!” The two laughed for a moment, any trace of anxiousness absent from the air and from their minds. “You know what I mean. Like, romantically, you idiot.”
“I thought so. You're not very subtle, Dream.”
He whined, body twisting so he could press his cheek against the pillow. “Shut up, I can’t be much worse than you.”
“Dude, you openly stare at me every time we hang out. You are the most obvious person I’ve ever met.”
“Ah,” he scrunched his nose, slightly embarrassed. “You noticed that?”
Sapnap ruffled his hair, a smile playing at his lips. “I think everyone did. You should’ve heard what my sister had to say about it.”
“You know what I don’t think I wanna know. I do want to sleep though, so give me back my pillow and lay down already.”
Dream took the offered pillow and shuffled to get under the blanket. He kicked it off of his legs until it only covered his torso and crotch. Sapnap laid down as well, though he left the blanket over his entire body.
It was warm. Everything was so much warmer. Whether it be from the heat Sapnap radiated, or the actual temperature increasing, or maybe the feelings that bounced around his stomach and chest wildly, everything was warm.
Puffs of breath left Sapnaps lips as he drifted off, head tilted towards Dream and lips slightly parted.
Dream leaned over and let his lips linger by Sapnaps ear. “We’ll talk about it more in the morning.”
He was well aware that the dark haired boy couldn’t hear him. But it was comforting. The words helped reassure him that the feelings were real and he was wanted and there was so much more in store for him. They carried a weight unknown to his sleeping friend (he couldn’t quite use friend anymore, could he?) and that was fine.
In the morning.
Safe to assume Dream didn’t expect to be awoken by violent shaking. The person shook his shoulder aggressively, not letting up in the slightest as they carried out their mission of waking him up and souring his mood.
“What do you want?” He croaked. His throat was rough from lack of use while he slept. He swallowed thickly, eyes fluttering open as the shaking finally stopped.
“What's Sapnap doing in your bed?”
His eyes flung open at the sound of his sister's voice. She stood above him looking way too smug for his liking. Her arms were now crossed and her eyebrow was raised. In a feeble attempt to distract her, he said, “I asked you a question first.”
“Mom wanted you awake for breakfast. She has to leave for work soon and wants to talk to you or something. Now answer my question. Why is Sapnap in your bed?”
Dream glanced over to the other side of his bed. Dark brown hair was splayed onto his pillow, messy from tossing and turning as he slept. Sapnaps mouth was parted and he could hear the faint inhales and exhales that moved his chest. He struggled to look away but managed, desire to get his sister out of his room strong. “Well, you see-“
Before he could even finish his thought, she interjected with a gasp. “Are you two-“
“All we did,” he interrupted, “was talk. He was around and I let him into the house. We ended up falling asleep and now you’re here, waking me up.”
Drista grinned unabashedly. Her joy was unbridled and she didn’t bother hiding her pleasure at the situation. “Do I have to tell mom we have an extra mouth to feed?”
“What do you have to tell mom?”
As if things couldn’t get worse, Dream's mom leaned against the doorframe. Her arms were crossed and one eyebrow was raised.
“Mom, look at who Dream has in his bed.”
She glanced at the sleeping form beside Dream and her eyes widened at the image. “Ah, Sapnaps here. When did he get here?”
“Last night after you guys went to bed. Sorry for the lack of a warning, just didn’t want to wake you up,” Dream replied.
She gestured dismissively. “It's fine. I’ll go get him a plate too, come down when you two are ready! Let’s go Drista. ”
His sister followed their mother out the door, though she shot him an amused look before her face disappeared from view.
Sapnap took this moment to throw an arm onto Dream's lap and he was immediately grateful the others had already left.