Chapter Text
It seemed like a normal day in Orlando for Dream. He had woken up for his one class that day, Senior Design II, worked with his group members on their project, and grabbed a quick lunch from the dining hall. All he wanted to do was go home, take a nap, and play some Minecraft with his friends, but he had work to do for his classes. So instead he was walking to meet up with his best friend, breathing in the humid March air and squinting against the sun.
Dream sighed as he checked his phone. Sapnap had texted him that was going to be late again. He shoved his phone in his pocket as he arrived at their usual study spot, Munchy’s. They’d been meeting pretty much every week all semester, since both of them were seniors in Computer Science and suffering through a few of the same 4000 and 5000 level courses. While they didn’t exactly need each other’s help on assignments, it was a lot more bearable to stare at your screen for hours when you had a friend and endless caffeine with you. Plus, Dream knew the owner, so they got free refills.
He pushed open the door to enter the coffee shop, welcoming the familiar smell of coffee and baked goods. He wrinkled his nose. The smell of coffee was almost unbearable, but he put up with it anyway. There was a short line at the counter, so he pulled out his phone to text his friend back.
S: hey dude i’m gonna be late
S: left my charger at my apartment again lmao
D: i’m not buying your coffee for you this time if you forget your wallet
S: bro that was ONE TIME
S: i stg i’ll be there in ten
More like twenty, Dream snorted.
D: ok dumbass
D: i’ll be in our usual spot
S: k
Dream realized he was next to order, so he quickly put his phone away again and moved forward. Expecting his friend Bad, he said without thinking, “My usual.” Looking up, he was shocked to see a new face smiling at him from behind the counter. “Uh-” he started.
An unfamiliar brown-haired guy that was definitely NOT his friend stared confusedly at him. “I’m afraid I don’t know what your usual is, sorry. What can I get for you?” As soon as he started talking, Dream realized that not only was this barista a stranger, he was also British?
“Uh- where’s Bad?” he asked before he could think about it.
“I assure you I can make your drink for you. I’m just new.” The barista scratched the back of his head as Dream just stood there.
“Ah yeah, sorry, I just- A small iced Chai, please,” Dream said, laughing nervously. This is so awkward, he thought to himself. I didn’t realize Bad hired someone new to help out.
“That’ll be $3.50.”
As Dream handed over the money, he stared at his nametag. It was one of the cheap sticker ones, and it read George in bad handwriting.
“What’s your name?” George asked him.
“What?”
George was holding a cup and a pen now. “For the cup. What’s your name?”
“Uh, Dream.” Fuck, why am I being so weird? This dude is going to think I don’t know how to talk to people.
If he thought the name was strange, he didn’t let it show on his face. “Alright! I’ll get started on this right away.”
Dream quickly moved towards the other person waiting for their drink, eager to get out of that awkward conversation. When he checked his phone, Sapnap still hadn’t sent anything else. After a few minutes of scrolling through Twitter, his name was called and he grabbed his drink, moving towards his usual spot in the corner without engaging the barista in any more stilted conversation. He slumped into his seat and started pulling out his stuff.
Trying a sip of his tea, he admitted to himself that it tasted the same as when his friend Bad made it for him. The new barista knew what he was doing, he was just… a surprise. He shot his friend Bad a text message, knowing he likely wouldn’t respond right away.
D: new employee? was surprised not to see you here
D: do we still get free refills??????
He booted up his laptop as he sipped his drink, his mind still replaying the awkward conversation from a few minutes ago. He’d been coming here since he was a freshman and had been good friends with Bad for nearly two years, and he had no clue the guy had any interest in hiring anyone else. It had just been Bad and his boyfriend Skeppy for longer than Dream could remember.
Before Dream could get too much work done on his computer, he looked up to see his friend Sapnap walking over to him. Sapnap didn’t look especially surprised, he just looked… smug?
“Dude!” He said as he sat down across from Dream. “Tell me you saw the new guy.” He wiggled his eyebrows at him.
“Uh, yeah? I didn’t know Bad was looking for someone new.”
“Never mind that,” Sapnap said. “He is for sure your type.”
Dream did not enjoy where the conversation was going. “What? No he’s not. I don’t have a type.”
“Yeah you do. You SO have a thing for twinks.”
“Sapnap! I do not!” Dream glared at him over his laptop.
Sapnap just gave him a look as he sipped his coffee.
“I made a horrible first impression anyway. The guy probably thinks I’m a weirdo.” Dream sighed as he picked up his cup again.
“First of all, you are a weirdo, dumbass. You’re a fucking Computer Science major. Second, I thought you had game?”
“Apparently not with random British baristas.” Dream messed with his computer stylus absently. "Anyway, it's been a long ass day already."
"Senior Design group that bad?"
"Ugh, yeah. My asshole best friend took a different section than me, so I'm stuck with people who don't know how to work as a group."
Sapnap looked mildly guilty but argued back, "Hey! Just because I didn't want to wake up before noon doesn't mean I abandoned you."
Dream scoffed. "What are you going to do once you graduate this semester? The world doesn't stop so you can sleep in."
"Don't remind me, dude. I am so NOT mentally prepared to graduate, you don't even know."
"Yeah, yeah. Same here. I have to write that essay for ENC4932 by tomorrow too. I'm dead, dude," Dream said, rubbing his face.
"That's your fault for picking up an English minor." Sapnap proceeded to start working on his own classwork. Dream begrudgingly opened up the blank Word document that was his essay.
They both worked for an hour or two, the sound of typing occasionally interrupted by sighs and sips of their drinks. The murmur of conversation around them was just enough to fill the silence without being distracting. When Dream glanced up over his computer and Sapnap's shoulder, he could see George working behind the counter across the shop. It was weird seeing someone other than Bad or Skeppy there, but if he was honest, the new barista was technically his type. Unfortunately, Dream had already been painstakingly awkward in front of him. Feeling a vibration from his pocket, Dream pulled out his phone to see that Bad had just texted him back.
B: That’s George! Me and Skeppy decided it would help to have someone else to work the counter, so I can focus on my baking and management stuff :))))))))
B: Of course you still get free refills!!!! Just tell George you’re friends with me, I already warned him about you guys!
D: :)
“Bad says we can still get refills if we ask George,” Dream said as he put his phone down.
Sapnap looked up from typing on his computer. “Good! You can make a better second impression then. Or at least I can watch and laugh at you this time.”
Dream glared at him again. “I hate you.”
Sapnap just laughed. “Love you too Dream.” After a few moments, he looked up at Dream again. “You know, even if you don’t talk to him today, he’ll still be here when we come in next time. You can’t just avoid him.”
Dream just rested his head on the table and groaned. At least the chai was good.