Chapter Text
Dream sat in his bed awake, fantasies of jumping out the window still fresh in his mind when one of the nurses walked a slumped over teen into his room. He perked up, smiling brightly at the nurse who scowled back at him. “Clay, it’s 3 in the morning. Go to bed,” she snapped, “and don’t bother your roommate this time. You both need to be asleep by the time I come check back in, or else.”
“I told you I don’t wanna be called that, I go by Dream!” he called as she stormed out, leaving the other kid behind to stare at the ground where she’d been standing. Dream jumped out of bed, non-slip socks preventing his fall. “Hi! I’m Dream, don’t listen when they call me any other name, I don’t like it,” he moped, almost immediately recovering with a large grin, “so you’re my new roommate, huh? What got you in?”
The other boy was taller than Dream, but hunched over like that he couldn't tell by how much. Dream bounced on his toes, finally something to do, even if the other kid wasn’t talking much. A game! “Ooh, you’re right! More fun for me to guess, huh? Let’s see....wouldn’t be an eating disorder or they’d have you hooked up to stuff, they always have those kids on something when they come in. You kinda look like the violent type, but you haven’t tried to strangle me yet like Zee from two roommates ago and he tried much sooner, so probably not. Unless they have you all high…” he waved a hand in the other kid’s face, “nah. Would’ve wheeled you in then. So...depressed? Probably tried to ‘o-f-f’ yourself, am I right?”
A small twitch of the kid’s hand caused him to laugh, clapping his hands together under his chin, “NAILED IT!” he jumped onto his bed, sitting criss-cross applesauce. “No bandages, i’m gonna say pills?”
The taller boy clambered onto his bed, silently sitting on the covers. He glanced over at Dream, then sighed.
“Do you ever shut up?” he said, voice monotone. Dream giggled, picking at the skin on his legs and shaking his head violently, “nope!”
The tall boy groaned, settling on his side facing the wall. Like that would stop Dream, “how old are you? I just turned thirteen, right before I came here actually. I’m a teenager now!” his chest puffed up, clearly proud of that fact.
“Call me Tech. Thirteen. Yes.” he deadpanned quietly.
Dream cocked his head to the side, momentarily confused by the sudden influx of answers and needing to process for a moment. Oh, okay, “that’s 5/5 for me then, Tech,” he bubbled, rubbing the picked apart skin of his legs. “You don’t talk much do you? That’s fine, I can talk plenty for both of us right now. I’ve got bipolar type 1, that means I have mania and depressive episodes. They found me on top of my school running on the roof to jump into a tree on a bet so here I am. Apparently that counts as mania, like when I don’t need to sleep for a couple’a days and stuff. BUT it means I come up with the best games!” he paused, sucking in a breath, “right now I have a game with the nurses. I’m trying to see how many pairs of socks they’ll replace before I get stopped. I’m at five now, just keep hiding them in my pillowcase. Hey, since you’re my friend now, you can help!”
The smaller boy continued to babble on, not mentioning Tech’s lack of speech again. It was simultaneously nice and annoying. Don’t get him wrong, he didn’t like interacting with people, but if he had to be trapped with anyone it might as well be with a kid who didn’t hate him or try to get him to talk. As irritating as the boy’s rapid speech was, it was also amusing.
“-and he had to get surgery, so that’s why I’m not allowed to play uno anymore.” Wait, what the fuck?
“Come again?” Dream jumped, fingernails digging into his scabbed thigh, “oh! That got your attention, huh? So, Joe gets hallucinations, right-”
The nurse knocked and threw open the door, “Clay, shut up! Can’t you see your roommate is trying to sleep? Do I need to get security again?” she barked. Tech watched as Dream flinched back, hands lying flat on his bloody skin and trembling slightly. He frowned, the kid looked scared.
He cleared his throat before softly rasping, “he said his name is Dream, I think he’d prefer you call him that. Why’d you call me Tech when I asked, but not him?” The nurse hesitated, “well, sweetie, you’ll understand later. Uh, don’t hesitate to come to me about him,” she gestured to the other side of the room, “he’s trouble.”
Tech glared into his hands, “I can handle myself, thank you very much.” The nurse rolled her eyes, muttering about ‘another one’ as she left, closing their door with a slam. Tech turned to face the wall again, ignoring the burning of eyes into his back from the oddly quiet boy. His eyelids drooped, threatening to close. As Tech drifted off, he thought he heard a small ‘thanks.’
A nurse’s knock on the door awoke Tech the next morning far too early considering his late arrival. He groaned, burying his head under the scratchy pillow, wishing he was anywhere but here.
“Morning,” Dream spoke quietly from near his bed. Tech opened one eye to peek out at the kid in the blinding light. He looked...different than Tech had expected. Dirty blonde hair rested in a mop on his head, freckles scattered haphazardly across tan skin, his marbled green eyes scrunched to match a crooked grin. He was short, relatively thin but wearing an absolutely giant lime green hoodie that went down to mid thigh. He was, simply put, cute, but the kind of cute that would easily become handsome as he got older.
Tech flipped to face the wall, hoping to get away with sleeping for a bit longer. “Woah, I didn’t see your hair was pink!” he exclaimed. Tech groaned, accepting that sleep had escaped him for the time being. He sat up, stretching.
“It is? Wonder when that happened?” Tech mused, voice still gravely with sleep, “do you see where they put my clothes?” Dream nodded, gesturing to the desk at the foot of his bed where a small bag sat, “they probably took out all the strings already, so don’t panic. Bathrooms are right outside the door to the left, it’s labelled. Boys are on the right side, girls on the left,” he twisted his hands, looking near painful, “i’ll stay here and we could walk to the cafeteria together if you wanted?”
Tech narrowed his eyes at the shorter boy, nodding and grabbing a random shirt and bottoms from the back before leaving. It was weird how the kid changed from last night til now, he was acting calmer, but clearly was still full of energy.
The bathrooms weren’t the worst. He studied his limp pink hair, roots obviously coming through, and dark circles under his eyes. Guess trying to kill yourself didn’t help the looks at all, he mused as he met Dream back in the room.
The blonde jerked up from his upside down position on the bed, scrambling off so fast Tech was afraid he’d crack his skull open yet landing on his feet, cat-like. “C’mon, we want to get first dibs on the good cereal before morning meds,” he grinned, grabbing Tech’s hand and bounding out of the room.
“Mornin’ Rock! Peter, Sam, a pleasure. Cherry, looking good!” Dream called cockily as they passed by people. Most of them scowled at him, some only glaring but others outright swearing as he walked by. Tech simply followed the blonde, too curious to break away and too anxious to be alone. This kid was weird, but he was the only connection the pinkette had.
Dream sat at an empty table, gesturing for the older boy to sit with him. “How’d ya know so many people?” Tech mumbled through a yawn, it was far too early. Dream smiled his crooked little grin and shrugged, “most of them don’t like me cause I started rambling while manic at them. Actually, none of them like me…” he tailed off, shoulders curling forwards self-consciously “I’m just here now, well, until you got here!”
Tech mused as he ate his cereal, the kid was pretty inflammatory, he understood. But at the same time, he was pretty cute, harmless too. Well, if you ignored the memory that he’d been totally willing to jump off a roof for a bet, he was just a kid, a kid who was willing to deal with Tech without even knowing him.
“So after breakfast and meds we have group therapy 1. It’s with Dr. Lou, he’s my favorite. Well, he’s the only one who knows me right. He knows I have trouble focusing and stuff and lets me walk around sometimes, or play with a little toy. You shouldn’t have any problems with him!” Dream reassured, gently touching the older boy’s arm. Tech flinched back as if he’d been hit, putting some distance between them.
“I get it, I’m sorry. I should’ve asked.” he apologies, oddly subdued. Tech returned his arm to the original place, forcing himself to stay still and mustering a tiny smile to the younger boy. Dream’s returned smile was full of self-depreciation as he rubbed at his forearms under the table.
Tech frowned, purposefully looking to where the kid was scratching. Dream followed his eyes and blushed bright red before slamming his hands palm flat on the table with a thud.
“Don’t tell Dr. Lou,” he pleaded, tears flickering into green eyes, “I wasn’t trying to mess with anything, I forgot!” Tech’s curiosity was piqued, he looked down once more and gently peeled back the massive sleeve.
Lines criss-crossed the kid’s forearm, some white, some pink, and some surrounded by angry red irritation. Dream snatched his arm back and held it close to his chest, twin red splotches high on his cheeks, “depressive episode,” he muttered, pulling the sleeves back down to form sweater paws, “and my ADHD makes me pick when I get figet-y.”
Tech nodded solemnly, “I don’t focus too well either,” he offered, taking another bite of cereal. The kid was staring again, he seemed to open his mouth to speak, but a five minute warning sparked them both to eat a bit faster and shut him up.
Tech couldn’t get out of bed. Well, he could, he had working limbs that could swing sideways just a bit and with a little push he’d be standing. But it was just...better, buried under a scratchy blanket and pillow. He didn’t have the energy.
Dream settled hard on the edge of Tech’s bed, bouncing slightly. “Hey sleepyhead, we gotta get to breakfast,” he sang, yanking on the edge of the older boy’s blanket. Tech let him, fingers lacking the coordination to keep his grip on the blanket. Dream frowned, the older boy was supposed to put up some kind of fight, even if it was just a growled out request for more sleep time.
“Hey, c’mon. I’m already dressed and everything, lazy bones,” Dream teased, voice lacking the amused edge it normally did. He was worried.
Tech simply breathed out, eyes slipping closed. Was it really worth it to get up? He might get told off by the nurses, but it’s not like they’d kill him. And if they did, he was fine with that too.
A whine sounded from where Dream sat, “I’m hungry, you must be too! Let’s go to breakfast, Tech.” The pinkette shrugged, he really wasn’t. He didn’t feel much of anything at the moment. Starving wouldn’t be the worst option…
Dream’s stomach absolutely revolted, growling the loudest he’d ever heard a stomach rumble. He blushed, grabbing his practically concave tummy with both hands and hunching over with a groan, “I’m starving Tech, and I’m not going anywhere until you come with me. So either I starve here, or I get desperate and eat you, your choice.”
He knew his friend was just trying to be funny, but Tech felt a dull throb of worry rise. He didn’t want his only friend to be hungry, and as stubborn as the blonde was that’d be the outcome. Tech huffed out, mustering up the energy to throw a leg out and sweep the younger boy to the ground where he pouted momentarily. A twitch of his cheeks signaled Tech’s amusement, throwing a hand down, “c’mon, they aren’t gonna be waitin’ for us,” he droned, ignoring the large grin thrown up at him with what he was sure to be dazzlingly bright eyes.
There’s no reason why Tech should’ve liked him, none at all. He didn’t have friends, let alone hyperactive, chatty, borderline annoying friends like Dream. The blonde was the type of kid he’d usually stay far away from, avoiding crossing paths even briefly. But for some reason, he didn’t want to leave Dream- maybe it’s cause he found someone lonely for being too social and he liked the irony, or maybe somethin’ else.
They grew close, eating every meal together and spending their free time playing uno or making up stories about their cell mates, er, other patients. The nurses quickly learned to not separate them, as Tech seemed to calm the troublemaker down and keep him out of trouble, but the effect only lasted when they were together.
Dream’s energy negated Tech’s general exhaustion, and vice versa. When Dream started picking at his skin, Tech’d bat his hands away or throw something for the kid to fidget with. Likewise, on nights where Tech just wanted to crawl in a hole and die, Dream lulled him to sleep with outrageous stories of what was happening outside their pediatric ward.
“Tech, you’re making really good progress! The doctors seem to think you’ll be able to leave sometime this week, maybe even today if you’re good” his nurse praised at morning meds. He hastily gulped, choking on the provided water and waving off the concerned nurse before catching his breath and returning to their usual table.
Dream showed up seconds later, plopping down next to the older boy with a practiced motion, nudging against his shoulder gently. Tech shifted uncomfortably, not with the touch, mind you. He’d gotten used to that weeks ago after Dream had a particularly bad night and nearly clawed his skin open. Tech had fallen asleep still holding the blonde’s wrists in his own hands, head tucked protectively under the older boy’s chin. Since then, they’d been as touchy as the nurses allowed them to be.
“Hey, what’s up?” Dream asked through a mouthful of chewed up food. Thankfully, he swallowed before continuing, “your meds get switched again without asking? Man, they have to stop doing that!”
Tech shook his head, ignoring the concerned look the kid threw at him, “they might send me home. Apparently I’m no longer a danger to myself,” he mumbled, poking at his Captain Crunch forlornly. Don’t get him wrong, he was so ready to leave the psych ward. But discharge meant he wouldn’t see Dream anymore. He didn’t have a phone number to give to stay in contact, not that they were supposed to, of course.
Dream deflated before slapping a fake ass grin onto his face like Tech wouldn’t notice how wrong it felt, “that’s good! You can see your little sister, you said you missed her, right?” Tech pretended not to notice the tears that welled up in suspiciously bright green eyes.
“I miss her, yeah,” he trailed off, looking anywhere but at the younger, “but I’m gonna miss you if I leave, huh?” Dream threw his arms around the pinkette, stifling back his tears. “I’ll see you sometime dude, I promise. Even if we move all the way across the country, I’ll find you,” he promised, chin lifting slightly and eyes hardening, jade glinting dangerously. Tech shivered at the intensity, nodding once.
He left that night. His mom’s gaze kept bouncing over to him on the car ride home, almost as if she couldn’t believe he was really coming home. “Sweetie, you seem...off. Is everything okay, do you want me to go back?” she worried, slightly frantic look on her face. Tech cringed, he hated making her feel like that.
“No, just gonna miss my friend,” he mused, looking out the window wistfully. His mom looked confused, “you...made a friend,” she sounded out before breaking out in a sob. Tech panicked, what did he do this time?
His mom wiped away her tears with a laugh, “I’m sorry, sweetie, I just- you made a friend,” her voice sounded so hopeful Tech could’ve cried with her, “I...wasn’t sure what was going to happen when I picked you up, but...you made a friend. I-I just have a good feeling. When is he getting discharged, can you keep in touch? I can’t wait to meet him!”
This time tears did sting at his eyes. He looked away, reluctant to see his mom’s face fall, “he doesn’t have any kinda social media or electronics, his parents are really strict. And he lives half-way across the state. We...decided it was for the best to not dwell on impossibilities,” he choked out. Why was it so much harder to say out loud?
“Oh, sweetie…it’s okay. You’ll find him eventually, right? If it’s meant to be, that is. If I can say so, I’m kind of glad. We’ve been thinking it over and decided maybe it was time for a change...how do you feel about California?”
Dream had refused to say another goodbye to his best friend, one was as much as he could get through. A nurse had stayed behind when Tech left to watch him, benefit of having bipolar, he guessed, she got stuck staying with him to watch for any behavior changes.
“Clay, why don’t we get your mind off him? Maybe some uno?” the nurse offered, as much as she didn’t like the blonde, she still cared about him. Those kids were good for each other, it was a shame the pinkette had to go. He’d been good for the younger…
Dream shrugged, lacking the energy to fight, “sure,” he moped, jumping off his bed to meet her on the floor. He remembered their earlier promise, they’d find each other eventually.