Chapter Text
This wasn’t quite how Dream expected to spend his Friday night, though he wasn’t necessarily opposed.
He thought he would get on call with George, play games and stay up way too late. Instead, he sat in a decently comfortable seat with eyes locked onto his younger sister as she twirled around on a large stage.
Her face was indistinguishable from such a distance, but he knew it was her based on her hair alone. It was done up in some fancy twist that their mother insisted on doing herself before the performance. Dream felt a pinch of surprise that it still held a formal shape after all of the movement that dancing entailed.
The children on stage spun, a certain grace in every step, in every lift of an arm or leg. There was a certain name for this type of dance that slipped his mind, but he knew his sister had done it for years and years. Just as he had done a variety of sports like soccer and football during his childhood, she did dance.
She took to it well. Her instructors always had high expectations and praise fell readily from the mouths of her peers. She didn’t do it competitively as much anymore, but she had won awards prior.
Dream followed her with his eyes as she jumped across the stage using some elaborate steps that made his head spin.
The music sounded through the large room so sweetly. It was quiet, if you ignored the toddler babbling in the distance. Just the music and thumps of feet and legs against the floor of the stage.
He shifted against the dark patterned seat under him.
It had been about a year since the last time Dream had gone to one of Dristas dance events and he had honestly forgotten how long they took.
His back started to tense uncomfortably, his shoulders in a similar state as he forced himself to sit up from his previously hunched position. His eyes were unfocused as he stared at the stage. The music muffled gradually until he couldn’t hear anything besides the light, thump, thump of his heart as it hammered in his chest. His eyes could only see blinding lights falling on distant forms and then almost blonde hair framing a blurred face.
Some time passed this way before the music got louder and his eyes focused back in on the action. The melody grew and expanded until it reached its climax and then suddenly ceased, the dancers on stage halting abruptly with arms suspended in the air.
He blinked. He really hadn’t meant to tune out the last part of the dance.
Noise increased dramatically as the dancers made their way off the stage and a woman spoke some final parting words that he didn’t really take in.
People around him flooded out in droves and he stumbled with the crowd.
As soon as he was back in the entrance of the building where he agreed to meet his sister, he arched his back until a series of pops and cracks could be heard. Relief spread through his limbs in an instant. He sighed, a small and happy sound, as he leaned against the nearest wall and pulled out his phone.
George had texted him a few times, random messages and something he had found on twitter, as well as his mom. She had texted about twenty minutes prior with an inquiry on when the performance ended. Dream responded to her first, a quick message of it just ended before sending George a picture of the crowd.
His foot tapped against the carpeted floor as if he was a rabbit, thumb scrolling absentmindedly as he stared at his phone. He wasn’t interested in whatever post popped up on screen but there wasn’t anything else to do while waiting. Luckily enough, Quackity started spamming him about some food he was enjoying. The texts were accompanied by a picture he promptly screenshotted.
His chuckles were interrupted by a familiar laugh. Actually, two familiar laughs. He pushed his body off of the wall and stepped over towards Drista. Next to her stood a familiar brunette. One of Dristas best friends, Nicole.
Nicole often hung around his house. She was usually dropped off by her brother and picked up by him too. The two girls were loud and energetic, their filters always vanished when in each other’s presence. They were little devils, really.
Speaking of her brother, he trailed behind the duo with his hands in his pockets and one cheek sucked in to nip at. His hair was longer than Dream had even seen it, flowing in soft looking waves with bangs that fell into his eyes. It was slightly messy, sort of as though someone had been running a hand through it, but suited him still.
He was dressed casually, dark shirt and dark pants that clung to his shoulders and thighs respectively. A bracelet looped around his wrist loosely and glinted as the bright fluorescent lights glowed above.
Their eyes locked for a brief moment. Dream’s eyes dropped to his mouth as the other released the inside of his cheek from its place between his teeth and gave a small smile. The smile wasn’t wide enough to show off the dimples Dream knew existed and he felt a pang of disappointment. His sister drew his attention away before he could dwell on it, however.
“Dream!”
Drista stood in front of him. Loose strands of hair stuck out at odd angles, little curls lining her face and springing free from captivity. It looked like it would feel disgusting to touch due to the product slathered on it.
Glitter was dusted in her hair and on her eyes. It shone pretty in pinks and golds on her eyelids and cheeks, almost as if she had bathed herself in stardust. The lights bounced off of it well, allowing for a glow he hadn’t seen from his seat.
Nicole was in a similar state, all stardust and smiles as she stood before him.
“Drista.”
“Didn’t i look great up there!”
Not so much a question, instead a statement. He answered either way. “Of course. Now are you ready to leave?”
“Yup, we’re ready to go.”
“We?”
Drista gestured towards her friend. “We’re having a sleepover. Didnt mom tell you that when she said you’d have to bring me here and back?”
Dream let out a small huff, nose scrunching and lips thinning before he relaxed his face. “No she did not. Whatever, not like it changes the plan.”
Sapnap nudged his sisters arm. “Okay now that you’ve found him i’m gonna head back with mom and dad. Don’t die or whatever.”
As Sapnap turned his body to head in the opposite direction, Dream cleared his throat hastily. “Hey, Sapnap!”
He wasn’t quite sure what he was doing. All he knew was that he wanted to spend some time with someone else. Sapnap specifically. He could’ve just called George after he locked himself in his room but his brain urged him to talk to Sapnap. So, he did.
But when Sapnap turned his attention towards him, head tilted slightly and eyes burning, Dream couldn’t help but feel flustered.
“Yeah?” The shorter prompted.
“Uh,” Dream rubbed his hands together, “Do you want to come with? We can hang out! I can bring you home too!”
Sapnap blinked and Dream resisted a wince. They weren’t exactly what one would call friends. Sometimes they would talk for a few minutes after dropping their sisters off or if they happened to see each other, but never outside of those limited moments. He wanted them to be friends, though. Before Dream could backtrack, Sapnap smiled. One of his smiles that showed off his dimples proudly, two pretty little indents at each side of his mouth. Dream quickly clamped his mouth shut.
“Sure thing! Sounds like a fun time.”
Drista tapped her foot. “Where’d you park the car? Lead the way brother dearest.”
He rolled his eyes but complied. He whirled around and made long strides towards the nearest exit.
When he pushed open the door, a rush of cool air slammed against his face. Goosebumps flared down his arms at the sudden change but he ignored them in favor of leading the little group towards his moms car.
It wasn’t the easiest to find seeing as it was black and the sun had set a few hours prior, but he managed based on his vague memory of parking.
The group stumbled into the car. Dream in the drivers seat, Sapnap in the passengers, and the two girls lounging in the back. The telltale sound of seatbelt clicking into place rang out as he shuffled through his belongings until the cold surface of the keys pressed against his skin. He started the car with practiced ease and gripped at the steering wheel.
The drive home wasn’t anything outrageous, just around half an hour if it wasn’t too busy out.
The road was illuminated by the yellow lights of the car. He could hear the tires rolling against the road as he turned. The chatter of the two younger girls could be heard clearly over the soft howling of the wind and the clicks of the blinker.
Drista had an abundance of energy somehow. She practically buzzed in her seat as she spoke with animated hand motions and over exaggerated tilts to her voice. Nicole slumped slightly in her seat. Every once in a while light would illuminate her face as he drove, allowing Dream to spot the exhaustion that hung on her eyelids and wove together her eyelashes. Despite this, she returned Dristas enthusiasm with large smiles that made up for the lack of excited movement.
A few loud shouts broke the calm that he had grown accustomed to. Drista shrieked as if she was trying to shatter the windows. Startled, Dream glanced over at Sapnap. The younger boy looked a bit dazed, having been jolted into awareness after almost dozing off. An exasperated smile forcibly seized Dream's face as Sapnap glared at his sister with pursed pink lips.
The dark haired boy shoved his hands beneath his thighs to let them rest under the area right above the knee and squeezed his legs together. He tapped his feet against the floor of the passenger's seat four times before Dream had to force his focus back on the empty road in front of him.
At least there was no need to worry about falling asleep at the wheel. The two girls in the back squawked like dying birds competing to get the last noise in before death. His ears were not pleased, to put it lightly.
As soon as Dream pulled into the driveway some minutes later, Drista shoved the car door open and almost tripped in her haste to exit. The loud slam of the door made Dream jump in his seat, hand smacking against the steering wheel hard enough to bruise if his skin was anymore sensitive. Nicole exited with just as much speed but far more grace, door closing shut quietly behind her and footsteps light as she rushed to the door. Drista shoved a key in and swung open the door without much care.
Dream clicked his tongue. If his parents were home, she would’ve gotten lectured for that.
The front door shut before either boy moved an inch. Sapnap was relaxed as he leaned against his seat, head tilted upwards with the distant light sources outlining his face in a pretty way that made him pop. Dream had been rubbing at the hand that had smacked against the steering wheel ever since Drista spooked him. The skin was no longer a cherry red and stopped burning a few seconds prior, instead it had settled for a light tingle that spread to his fingers and made him want to shiver.
“Why are they like that,” Sapnap grumbled as he rubbed the back of his hand against the tip of his nose.
Dream laughed. “I have no clue. Where did they get the energy? They were literally performing on stage like forty minutes ago. I would’ve crashed by now.”
“They’re a different breed.”
A comfortable silence engulfed the two as they stared at the sky visible through the windshield. The sky was devoid of any clouds, which allowed for the stars to sparkle and glow as brightly as they desired. A plane blinked its way across the sky and he could hear Sapnap shuffling in his seat.
Dream turned the car off and squeezed the keys between his fingers. They always felt too dirty for him to enjoy touching, always a weird texture that displeased his fingers whenever in contact. The small jingle that sounded as the keys hit one another was pleasant, though.
For a minute, the two sat in the car. They didn’t speak, they didn’t move, and they didn’t do anything but stare at the sky.
But Dream got a bit restless. The desire to finally lay down and give his back a break was all too tempting and he couldn’t quite resist the call. So, he sighed loud enough for Sapnap to pick up on and gripped at the door blindly until he felt the handle. He pushed it open, tucked his keys in his pocket, and closed the door. Sapnap emerged from the other side of the car after closing the door without much sound at all.
“I can bring you home whenever, just let me know when you want to head out,” Dream chimed as they made their way towards the front door. Light from inside caused the windows to glow brightly against the darkness of the night. Dream pulled open the door, gold handle cold even when compared to the chill of outside. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the new light level.
His shoes joined a pile of other footwear near the door and he cracked his toes as his feet touched against the hardwood. Sapnap hesitantly followed his example, white shoes in much better condition than Dreams old black ones, before sliding over to Dreams.
The taller jerked his head in the direction of the living room and motioned for Sapnap to follow.
The floorboards whined quietly as Dream padded over to the brown couch and let himself fall onto it like a limp rag doll. Sapnap let out a quiet giggle before sitting nearby.
Drista and Nicole entered the room with bottles of water nestled in between their fingers. The blonde stuck out her tongue as soon as her eyes saw the boys hogging the couch.
The girls were forced to sit on the adjacent couch that barely fit two people comfortably. They didn’t seem too upset about it as the chugged the water before immediately jumping into conversation.
It was ten minutes later when Nicole groaned. “Come on, we have to take the makeup off and get dressed.”
“Do we have to?”
“Do you want your skin to suffer?”
Drista let out a series of grumbles as she slid off the couch and onto the dark rug. Nicole nudged her side with her foot and marched toward the downstairs bathroom, Drista heading to the upstairs bathroom a second after.
The sound of running water reached Dreams ears before the door clicked shut.
“Finally, the demon children are gone! Hallelujah!”
Sapnap giggled again, face pulled into a smile. “The evil is gone, peace is restored.”
Dream snorted. “So, Sapnap.” The boy hummed, eyes locking onto Dreams. “It seems like we barely know each other after all of these years. Tell me something fun about yourself.”
“Well,” Sapnap turned his body towards Dreams, hand falling to rest on his stomach, “What do you want to know?”
“Your deepest, darkest secret.”
A pause. “How about my favorite color?”
Dream’s face split into a goofy smile. “That definitely works.”
Conversation went on like that for a while. Questions were fired back and forth, ranging from fears to favorite foods to birthdays to everything in between and then some more.
Until loud footsteps could be heard on the stairwell, that is. Drista skipped into the living room with damp hair dripping onto her shoulders in slick sections and a loose grey shirt hanging on her frame. Her hands were tucked into the pockets of her sweatpants and stayed there as she fell backwards onto the couch she previously sat on.
“Hey loser. Hey Sapnap.”
Dream clicked his tongue. “You’re a jerk. What have i done to deserve this bullying?”
Drista gave him a narrow eyed stare. One eyebrow lifted. “Remember when you cut my hair while I slept.”
“Hm,” he looked to the wall in faux thought, cheeks puffed. “No, I don’t think I’ve done such a thing. Doesn't sound like a thing I would do.”
Her eyes fell into a deadpan stare. “You call me a devil child but I know.” She jabbed a finger in his direction. “You’re just as bad as I am, you’re just better at hiding it.”
“Whatever you say, Drista.”
She stuck her tongue out and Dream repeated the action without missing a beat. They held each other’s gazes for what felt like minutes, eyes narrowed, tongues drying as they poked out and mouths tense as the two suppressed laughter. Their intense staring contest was broken by a flow of light giggles from Dreams side.
Sapnaps face flushed a pretty pink while he laughed. He gasped as he sucked in air between fits of giggles. A hand clamped over his mouth in an attempt to suppress and smother the sound against his palm. His shoulders shook with the force of his amusement, small shudders and jerks that moved his body.
Dream’s eyes were stuck on Sapnaps face, though. He looked happy, laughed in a way Dream hadn’t seen before. It was nice.
The sound of the bathroom door swinging open was muffled by the little joyful noises that floated from Sapnaps mouth. And, with eyes glued on the others face, Dream completely missed the entrance of the other girl in the house.
So, when Nicole let out a bemused, “Sapnap?” Dream definitely hadn’t expected it.
He jumped at the sudden interruption and let out a surprised noise as his head whipped to the girl now stood next to Drista.
The girls laughed loudly. Nicole collapsed onto the couch and curled into Dristas side, silent laughs coming out as choked gasps.
A flustered feeling warmed Dreams skin, barely noticeable red blooming on his cheeks and the tips of his ears.
He huffed and crossed his arms across his chest. “It’s really not funny.”
Sapnap kicked his foot against Dreams. “It’s kinda funny.”
“This is slander. At least I’m not thirteen.”
Sapnap nodded. “Have to take his side with this one, just be born earlier.”
“You both were our age at one point,” Nicole huffed playfully.
As Sapnap and his sister engaged in a halfhearted argument, Dream looked to his sister. Her eyes, however, were glued on Sapnap. Her pointer finger was tapping against her chin as she stared before her eyes widened and her mouth formed an O.
“Sapnap,” she interjected. The dark haired siblings snapped their heads to the source of the interruption. She curled one hand into a fist and brought it down against her other hand. “You’d look really nice with eyeliner.”
Sapnap smiled awkwardly. He glanced at his hands before locking eyes with Drista. He opened his mouth once before it snapped shut. He tried to speak again but no words slipped out.
Dream interjected, a laugh sputtering out of his chest. “Where did that even come from? That’s not even close to what we were talking about.” He leaned against the armrest of the couch, one arm sliding onto the back and the other moving to rest on his stomach.
“Well,” she sighed, “I was thinking about how annoying it was to take off the makeup we had to wear for dance and then I saw his eye shape and said the first thing that came to mind.”
Nicole leaned towards her brother. “Well you’re not wrong. Then again a little eyeliner can make anyone look great.”
Drista looked over to Nicole and the two exchanged a certain look before their head simultaneously turned towards Sapnap.
“Hell no! You’re not putting that stick anywhere near my eyes! Last time you went near me with one the night ended in disaster.”
Nicole threw her hands up. “Sapnap,” she whined, “it was funny! Mom and dad agreed.”
“Mom and dad let you get away with everything. You’re keeping your eyeliner away from me.”
Dream wasn’t sure how they got there, but eventually the two girls stood in front of a deadpan Sapnap whose arms were crossed over his chest as he slouched on the couch.
Nicole brandished the eyeliner as though it was a dagger. She was poised to attack at any moment if the grumpy boy opposite her made any sudden moves. Drista stood behind her with black nail polish that she twisted in between her fingers as she stared at the siblings.
“Just give in Sapnap! It literally won’t do any harm.”
He huffed. “You say that now but in a minute when you stab my eye I think you’ll be proven wrong.”
As the two bickered, Drista leaned over to Dream. She shook the bottles of nail polish in his direction. “Want me to paint your nails?”
“Sure,” Dream shrugged, “Try to make less of a mess this time though.”
“I really didn’t mean to spill it last time.”
He smiled. “I know, I know.”
Nicole cleared her throat and gestured with her free hand. “Okay gentlemen, ready to be dolled up?”
Sapnap gave his sister a lifeless stare that had Dream holding back giggles. The blond saluted the girls and straightened his back until he was in a more formal position.
Drista immediately sat in front of him, opened the polish and yanked his hands towards her. She applied the first coat with as much grace as she danced with, black polish spreading along his chipped nails with ease. The process was quick due to the experience she had acquired over the years of doing both her own, her friends, and his. Whenever she wanted to practice, or when she was bored, she would ask him and he would always say yes.
He really didn’t mind the nail polish. It looked nice and stopped him from biting his nails whenever he felt the urge.
She usually used some sort of yellow or purple, her favorite colors, and on rare occasions pink. Black wasn’t a color painted on his nails often so it was a nice change.
The coldness of the nail polish lasted a few seconds before disappearing as it began the drying process. There had been multiple occasions in which his sister had to berate him to stop touching the polish to see if it was dry, but he knew better now. Instead, he waited.
His eyes wandered to the boy next to him.
Sapnaps eyes fluttered as Nicole brought the liner close to his eye. Her touch was light as she dragged it along his skin until it formed a small point. Dream had heard his sister call it a wing, so he’d go with that term. She knew better, after all.
Drista had finished the first coat on both of his hands by the time Sapnaps eyeliner was finished.
When the dark haired boy turned, Dream paused.
The girls had definitely been correct in their assumption. Sapnap looked good in eyeliner.
His wide eyes seemed even wider as he blinked, nose scrunching as he made eye contact with Dream.
“Well? How does it look?”
The blond gaped like a dying fish. He didn’t blink, instead choosing to stare like he had never seen a pretty boy before.
Drista cleared her throat, nail polish still clasped between her fingers as she coated yet another layer of black onto his awaiting nails.
“Ah, it looks nice. You look nice,” the last part of the sentence sounded awkward even to his own ears. Hearing his sister laugh under her breath only confirmed it.
But he couldn’t feel embarrassed when faced with Sapnaps growing smile. It was wide, it made his eyes crinkle, made two dimples appear on either side of his mouth and made Dream want to revert back to a dying fish.
He stared for a beat more and probably would’ve stared for longer if not for his sister. He was spared further humiliation by Dristas' cheerful exclamation of, “All done! Don’t touch them while they’re drying. Otherwise I will bring out a sharp object.”
Her smile was too cheery to accompany the threat but it was still fitting, somehow.
Drista turned to Sapnap. “You’re next!”
Dream zoned out the conversation that followed, too busy forcing his eyes away from the boy at his side. His eyes bounced around the living room, object to object. He tapped the heel of his foot against the bottom of the couch and let his mind wander wherever it pleased.
Sapnap let out a few ouches as his sister smacked him for touching the wet nail polish but other than that the room was quiet. Nicole scrolled through her phone and Dream stayed in his head until Drista nudged him.
He looked over lazily. She was twisting the nail polished closed, some small spots of black staining her hands. She gave a satisfied smirk and jerked her head in Sapnaps direction.
The boy was wiggling his fingers absently. He used the back of his hand to rub his cheek, carefully keeping his fingers away from harm's reach in fear of Dristas wrath.
Dream hummed. “Sister dearest, you did an amazing job. So amazing that surely you deserve some rest.”
Drista narrowed her eyes, a single eyebrow raising. “Ah yes, we should give you and Sapnap some quality alone time.” She smiled. “You can get to know each other. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
He couldn’t even answer the question posed before the girls linked arms and competed to drag each other up the steps to Dristas room. They staggered out of sight, footsteps more and more muffled until he heard the faint sound of a door clicking shut.
An exaggerated sigh tumbled from Sapnaps mouth. His body slouched, head tilted back and legs sprawled along the floor. His socks dug into the carpet and his hands were carefully placed on his thighs.
“You were definitely right about them being demons. They’re evil. I was so worried that my sister was gonna jab my eye on purpose.”
Dream chuckled. “She wouldn’t.”
Sapnap nodded with an expression too serious to be taken seriously. “She would. It would be her revenge for that one time I poured out all of her vanilla perfume. It would be a perfect time to retaliate. Me at her mercy and unable to escape.”
“Why would you pour her perfume out?”
“Why would you cut your sisters hair off?”
“Ah. touché.”
Dream stood from the couch. His bones cracked as he stretched but soon enough he felt warm with satisfaction. Sapnap follows his lead, hands still stiff as he fretted over the state of the nail polish. His concern was cute and his furrowed eyebrows as he glared at the almost dry nail polish was all too endearing.
Dream couldn't help it. He was endeared, enchanted, too many things for a boy he barely knew. But Dream was nothing if not persistent. He would get to know Sapnap and he would relish every moment, that much was for certain.
“Have you had your nails done before?”
Sapnap rolled his wrist. “Not professionally or anything, but my friend Karl likes to paint my nails for practice. It’s not that bad, I kinda like it actually. The eyeliner is definitely something new though.”
“It suits you.”
“I doubt i’ll wear it unless my sister insists. Seems like too much of a hassle to apply.”
Dream hummed. He gestured for Sapnap to follow as he made his way to the kitchen. He flicked on the lights and watched as his surroundings were doused in yellowish light.
His steps were quiet as he wandered over to the fridge. The familiar buzz greeted him as he swung the fridge door open and was doused in white light.
He grabbed the water bottle he had abandoned hours prior in order to watch his sister dance. He twirled it in his hands and listened to the faint sloshing of the liquid as it slapped against the sides of the water bottle. Dream twisted at the waist to look back at Sapnap, who stood at the threshold of the kitchen looking very out of place.
“Do you want a drink or anything?”
Sapnap stepped forward cautiously, one foot in front of the other until he stood a few feet from Dream. “Uh,” his eyes scanned the contents of the fridge (which was sort of empty. they really needed to get groceries.) before they flicked back to Dream's face. “I’ll just have water too.”
Dream thrust his hand back into the fridge and grabbed the closest water bottle, which was actually situated towards the back. The plastic crinkled under his fingertips as he passed it to Sapnap, whose hand was outstretched and waiting.
He swung the fridge door shut and shuffled back towards the living room. He didn’t make any motions to enter though, instead glancing to the staircase. “Wanna head up to my room?”
Sapnap nodded, muttering a quiet, “sure.”
Dream listened to the unfamiliar footsteps that trailed his own as they walked to the second floor. The two boys passed Dristas' room. Her door was shut, though the light glowing under the door made it clear that they were still awake. If that didn’t make it obvious enough, Dream could hear the loud peals of laughter from both girls. He heard a muffled, “He’s so obvious about it” before he continued onwards with Sapnap hot on his heels.
His room was only a few doors down, though it was situated on the opposite side of Dristas and directly across from his parents bedroom.
He pulled open the door, locking it as soon as Sapnap entered. Dream jumped onto his bed. It loudly creaked under him but he ignored it in favor of shoving his face against the pillow and letting out a low groan. Spikes of sharp pain shot through various points of his spine before giving way to a wave of relief.
The mattress dipped as Sapnap sat down. The brunette smacked the surface a few times. The sound was muted due to the flat comforter draped lazily on the bed. Dream hadn’t made his bed before leaving for his sister's dance performance. He had deemed it unnecessary, under the impression he had no one to impress. Obviously that was incorrect, but it was too late to do anything about it.
Dream moved onto his back after a minute of silence that he wanted to break. He pulled his shirt down after it had ridden up to expose the soft skin of his stomach and looked to the other person in his room.
Sapnap was looking around with a curious glint to his eyes. He looked from the old posters lining the walls to his pc, then to the shelves filled with books and loose scrap paper. His gaze finally landed on the door. Around the door knob were numerous lopsided smiley faces Dream liked to draw when bored. They didn’t spread too far but there were a lot in the small space around the door knob. Some were faded after so much time on the white surface of the door while others looked brand new. A few looked fresh. The older ones all differed as though they were enlarged snowflakes while the newer ones were much more uniform. He had found a style he liked to draw the smiles in after a few months and it had stuck.
Sapnap looked around until he spotted the black marker perched on the desk. It sat on top of a paper with large scribbled words that were unreadable from their spot on the bed. Beside the marker was a colorful fidget toy Dream had recently purchased.
Sapnap looked to his side to meet Dreams eyes, shoulders relaxed and a small smile on his lips.
Dream pat the space next to him softly, an offer presented without any words.
He shuffled over and collapsed onto the spot next to Dream. The gap between them was minuscule, something they could easily get rid of with even the slightest twitch of a limb. For that moment, though, they were content.
“Hello, long time no talk.”
“Ah yes, those three minutes felt like an eternity.”
Sapnap laughed. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”
A loud meow caused Dreams response to halt in his throat. Sapnap glanced towards the door, a quiet scratching sound coming from the other side.
Dream slid off of his bed and walked towards the door with large strides.
As soon as the door swung open, the cat on the other side sauntered in. She leapt onto the bed without a struggle, paws landing on the mattress with a dull thud.
“Patches!” Her head snapped to Dream at the sound of her name. She gave a quiet meow in response, ears flicking.
Sapnap looked from Dream to the cat now using her tongue to clean her leg at the end of the bed. “Patches?” He asked, voice cracking in the middle of the word.
“Isn’t she such a pretty kitty?” Dream smiled. He walked over until he stood next to the section of the bed Patches occupied. His fingers scratched the space in between and then behind her ears, prompting her to purr contently. The fingers ran along her back and she stood up to move into the contact.
“She is,” Sapnap murmured. He brought his hand up and let it hang in the air in front of the cat. She cautiously sniffed his hand before allowing him to move his hand onto her head.
His touch was light as he ghosted his fingers over her fur. He moved back up to pet her behind the ears as Dream had done. Patches rewarded him with a purr and he grinned.
Dream sat down at the edge of his bed and Patches looked over at the sudden weight change. She pranced over to her owner and put her front paws onto his thigh. He cooed under his breath.
He scooped her up in his arms and quickly pushed himself to a more comfortable position on his bed. His back was pressed against his headboard and legs criss crossed so Patches could lay in his lap. She did so with a yawn, body in between his legs and head rested on his knee.
As he pet the cat, he missed the look on Sapnaps face. It was something just off awestruck. Maybe closer to enthralled. Either way, it was gone by the time he glanced over to Sapnap with a wide grin that showed off his teeth.
They spoke as Patches purred in his lap while she slept. Every once in a while they could hear a thump from the bedroom down the hall followed by strangled shouts or high pitched giggles. Their voices were soft as the tiredness of the night bleed into their brains and coated their throats. The bed moved with every laugh that tore through them and Patches blinked up at them multiple times when they laughed too loud or aggressively.
Two sets of green eyes grew heavy until it was an actual effort to keep them open.
Dream and Sapnap were content to stay like that for as long as their bodies allowed, but then Sapnaps phone buzzed with a notification. The light was a white too strong for their tired eyes so the shorter rushed to turn the brightness down.
It took him longer than usual to read the message but when he was done he opened it and typed a response with rapid fingers.
“Hey Dream,” Sapnap looked over to the blond, “Can you, uh, take me home? My parents are asking when i’ll be back.”
Dream blinked, disappointment settling like a rock in the pit of his stomach. He felt like something sour had touched his tongue and burned his taste buds. He swallowed around the feeling. “Oh yeah definitely! One second.”
He guided Patches off his lap and onto the expanse of bed under them. She curled into a small ball of fur and nuzzled against the white pillows.
Dream stretched his legs until they shook and untensed before he stood up. He twisted his body at the waist and cracked his fingers one at a time until all of them had made the sound he looked for.
Sapnap did the same, running a hand through his hair as he followed Dream out of his room.
Dream almost tumbled down the steps as they made their way back to the living room. Luckily enough he caught himself on the railing before he could fall to the ground. His eyes widened, his heart rate picked up, and suddenly he wasn’t so tired.
He went over to the coffee table and snatched the keys he had abandoned at some point an hour prior. They were cold against his skin and he could basically feel the germs. His nose scrunched for a second before he dropped the expression.
“Drista, I’m bringing Sapnap home. I’ll be back in like 30 minutes,” Dream shouted to his sister.
Her response was muffled by the walls but after years of the shouting routine he could make out the words. “Okay, don’t die!”
The night had cooled even more while they hung out inside, a slight breeze shook the trees and a lone car rolled down the street, headlights lighting up the surroundings for a second before everything faded back to black.
Dream pulled open the drivers side door and shuffled inside a bit awkwardly. He shoved the keys in the proper place as the door to his side opened. Sapnap entered the vehicle and quickly clicked his seatbelt in.
He started the car and pulled out of the driveway.
They spoke as Dream drove. They laughed in the quiet of night and then laughed over the music they put on.
Occasionally they would pass a streetlamp or get in range of another car. The yellow light would fall onto Sapnaps face in a certain way that never failed to catch Dreams eye. He had to remind himself multiple times to pay attention to the road in front of him.
Dream usually wasn’t a fan of driving during the night, instead preferring the bright light of daytime. He couldn’t help but see the appeal of night drives if they were with Sapnap.
The boy was half asleep in the passenger's seat. He sang along to the songs floating through the car. His voice would crack, his tone would be completely off, and he would sing louder than the actual music. He would smile and hum and giggle through his words. It was cute. He was cute.
The car ride felt shorter than it was. In Dream’s mind, it felt like a mere five minutes had passed when in reality it had been a little over twenty.
As Dream pulled into Sapnaps driveway, he couldn’t quite stop the frown that overtook his features. Talking to Sapnap had been fun. It had been refreshing in a way Dream hadn’t felt in a while. It was easy.
Dream didn’t want to go back to talking to Sapnap once in a blue moon. Before today, they had rarely spoken and even when they did the conversations had been brief. After having an actual conversation with the other, Dream knew he didn’t want to go back to how it was before.
Before he could voice any of this, Sapnap poked his shoulder with his pointer finger. Dream snapped back to attention and glanced over.
Sapnaps face was illuminated by the light from the windows of the house. Dream could see his eyes, the eyeliner painting his skin, the slope of his nose, the arch of his eyebrows and the curve of his cupid’s bow. Dream knew his face was similarly lit up.
“So,”
“So?”
Sapnap shuffled in his seat as his hand dove into his pocket. He pulled out his phone and swiped to unlock it. The white light made him squint, features now visible as he swiped up and to the side. He held the phone out to Dream and waited until the blond took it to drop his hand to his lap once more.
Dream gripped the phone in his right hand. He held it up, pinky tucked under the bottom and the rest of his fingers curled around the edge of the case, and blinked as his eyes adjusted to the new light level. Once he could see clearly again, he was faced with a space to create a new contact. His eyes snapped over to Sapnap.
“Well,” the dark haired boy tapped his hands against his knees, “I want to get to know you and you want to get to know me. I think being able to talk without relying on our sisters is a good step.”
A flush pushed its way onto Dream's face. I want to get to know you.
He entered the information and passed the phone back to its owner. With it sealed a sort of promise, something of an affirmation. I want to get to know you.
Sapnap smiled, unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed open the door. The cold air made him shiver as it first embraced him. He pushed himself up and out of the car. He used his free hand to adjust the clothing that had been ruffled during the drive and stepped away from the door. With his phone clutched in his hand, he waved at Dream. A smile was half lit up on his face, one dimple visible and the other hidden under the cover of night. I want to get to know you.
He waited for Dream to wave back before hastily walking over to the front door. He looked back one time before the door opened and he stepped inside.
Dream got the text a few seconds after the door closed. A simple hey from a number that wasn’t saved in his phone. No capitals, no emojis and certainly no punctuation. He smiled.
“I want to get to know you,” he mumbled. He puffed his cheeks, sent a simple hi back, and tucked the phone away. His fingers curled around the steering wheel and he let out a breath.
Then he pulled out of the driveway and smiled at the subtle vibration of his phone in his pocket.