Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Empty
Clay stood in front of the window in his room, staring out at the landscape surrounding his home. The window sill had been freshly painted, as had the rest of his house. He purchased the home just a couple of days ago, so the majority of the space was empty and void of any signs that a human lived in it. His light green eyes took in all of the views before he began opening the window.
The creak of the window sliding on the track made a subconscious note in the young man's brain to get oil. Clay crawled out onto the roof slowly, finding his footing. This was the main reason he picked this house. The realtor showed him dozens of homes but none had window access to the roof.
The young man sat gently on the shingles, looking up at the blue sky dripping with cotton candy clouds. Hot Florida sun beginning to sink into what appeared to be the edge of the world. Clay took a deep breath, the warm air filling his lungs. He closed his eyes, letting the remaining sunlight rest on his freckle dusted cheeks and dirty blond hair. Through his eyelids, he saw yellow, as his lids fluttered open he was greeted once again by the sun-scorched landscape.
Clay could smell the ocean in the air faintly as the humidity bit at his chest in beads of sweat. A salty dribble ran down his forehead and he wiped it away with the back of his hand. Clay was used to the Florida weather as he's been here his entire life. The young man leaned back and rested his body against the slope of the roof.
He thought about when his parents were together and owned the house on Florablu Drive. The blond would regularly crawl out his window as a preteen to watch the sunset. As he grew older, their family fell apart, and eventually, his childhood home was sold to a retired couple with a pack of grandchildren that probably scribbled on the walls and got their sticky fingerprints everywhere. He lived with his mom and younger sister in a two-bedroom apartment until he graduated. Clay attempted to go off to college but quickly learned where his passion was.
After being involved in his school's computer club, he had learned enough coding and basic computer tech knowledge to be a freelance coder. He did this for a while until he saw a game he had loved dearly growing up become mainstream once again. Clay watched as so many of his favorite online influencers and streamers began growing due to the rapidly increasing interest that viewers had in Minecraft. Clay had an idea for a server that he wanted so badly to code but didn't know enough to do it himself.
He reached out on a coding forum for assistance but didn't have any luck for weeks. After he had it all nearly figured out he received a direct message from a man in the UK, his name was George. At the time they didn't know it, but as George helped with the last bit of the server's code they began building a friendship that enveloped not only them but a few friends, and eventually millions of people.
Clay's phone began to buzz in his pocket. He heaved himself out of thought and brought the phone to his line of sight. A call from Sapnap was attempting to be connected.
Phone to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey, man! Did you get all your stuff in the house?" His friend asked.
"Not yet, it's all still in the U-Haul. Are you almost here?" Clay asked, unable to see the driveway from his position on the roof.
"No, I'm still a couple of hours out," Sapnap informed him.
The pair had been friends since they met in a public Minecraft server when they were kids and never lost touch. They decided that since they enjoy making content together and spend 24/7 in a discord call, it would be smart for Sap to move into the basement of Clay's home. The Texan man had been driving for a few hours now, hauling a small Uhaul trailer on the back of his SUV.
"So you're almost here." Clay stated.
"Kinda, but as I said a couple more hours." He sounded confused.
"No. No, no. Just leave it at kinda. The house feels so empty. I haven't even brought patches here yet." Clay thought of his cat, who was with his mom until he could get everything set up in the home. He didn't want to stress the shy feline out, so he figured if he could at least get all the furniture in and not bring her into a hectic space she would adjust easier.
"Two hours and thirty-eight minutes." Sapnaps voice sounded thick with reassurance, Clay was grateful for his friend.
"Are you excited to meet my family? They haven't stopped talking about it since I told them we decided to do this." Clay looked back out at the view and smiled. They had been friends for nearly half of their lives and had each talked to the other's families through phone calls and facetime but never in person.
"Abso-fucking-lutely!" He nearly yelled. "I'm excited to meet Patches, too. She is my favorite member of the Dream Team- no offense."
Clay laughed. "I think she's going to love you."
The call came to an end soon, Sapnap's check-ins happened at each pit stop because he felt uncomfortable traveling alone. Clay offered to fly down and ride with him but Sap was raised to be careful with money so he refused to let Clay spend extra just for his comfort. Sometimes Clay wondered if he forgot that being Dream paid very well. Clay didn't like spending ass tons of money either, but he had more than enough and would've preferred to be driving with him on his trip from Texas. He imagined how long of a drive it was, Clay was sure sap was lonely.
He slowly stood up and climbed back into the window. Clay walked downstairs, his footsteps echoing on the hardwood floors. Clay found his way to the U-haul and started bringing in each box one by one and setting them in the rooms that the contents inside of each box would belong in. He would have to wait to bring in his bed and some of the heavy stuff until Sapnap arrived. As Clay went out to get the final box a delivery truck with the new couch arrived. After signing for the delivery a group of four men quickly brought the couch inside and put it haphazardly in the living room- as quick as they arrived they left.
Clay moved the couch to where he wanted and admired the gray sectional. He daydreamed about the naps he would take on this thing. The young blond started unpacking his boxes of kitchen appliances and utensils while his beloved Youtube playlist filled with all of his favorite music played in the background loud enough to be heard through the entire house. He had Spotify, but it was public, and these songs were personal.
His audience was large, building an amazing community of people that enjoyed his streams and supported his friends. He adored them, truly. So many talented artists, writers, animators, musicians, and genuine people. However, every community has its issues. Clay never let the issues overshadow how inspiring and caring his audience was, though. despite being doxxed, swatted, verbally ripped apart by accusations and a public relationship- he believed in the people that supported him. He didn't want these songs to be twisted, he wanted to enjoy them by himself.
Kitchen utensils in drawers, cutting board in cupboard, blender, and microwave resting on white a black speckled marble. This wouldn't be possible if it weren't for them, none of it. He worked hard to keep the viewers happy, running his own merch company, producing videos as often as possible as well as additional content. Looking over the large kitchen and living room, he smiled to himself. It was worth it. The shitty twitch chat, the relentless work. It was worth the security and the fans that truly enjoy his presence on the internet.
Climbing the stairs with a small toolbox, he entered his bedroom and began putting together her desk. Sliding wood into slots, metal legs lining up where a screw would be used to connect it like a joint. He was careful, being sure it would be level and sturdy, before setting up the computer. Each plug finding its slot quickly, galaxy mouse pad stretching across the surface. He said he loved it when it was leaked to his audience but in reality, the only reason he had it was because his mom got it as a gift.
Clay was startled by a notification on his phone pausing the music and continuing to alert him that someone was at the front door.
Sapnap.
He raced himself down the stairs and to the door. As Clay pulled the door open he smiled a toothy smile.
"Nice to finally not be sitting in a car?" He suggested, watching Sapnap enter his home.
The dirty blond locked the SUV. "Yeah, dude, it hurts." He huffed a soft laugh.
They smiled at one another once more before finally pulling together in a hug. Sapnap was shorter than Clay expected, he seemed so much taller through a screen. He pats his friends back, a silent agreement that if the viewers asked if they hugged, they would both say no.