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One of the first things Dream learned when he moved in with his long time best friend and boyfriend was that they all had wildly different music tastes. Of course, he did know that before they moved in, they had been online friends for years and he and Sapnap practically grew up together, but living in the same house really highlighted that.
Dream only listened to pop music, the most outrageous artist he listened to was Ashnikko while Sapnaps music taste was a wide variety. Sometimes Dream would find him in the kitchen, cooking and listening to some god awful rap song, or when he was doing an online class with a rock song in the background, or even when Dream would walk past the bathroom and hear the shower running accompanied by a One Direction song and George listened to what he’d heard Sapnap call “male manipulator music” whatever that meant.
Point is, they have very different music tastes and that leads to many arguments in the car or while they’re all cleaning or cooking.
So that's why Dream is wondering how he finds himself tagging along with his very energetic boyfriend, who is almost vibrating with excitement, to see a new rock band he's been obsessed with since he discovered them a few months ago. He and George have had to endure listening to their entire discography on repeat as that was the only thing Sapnap seemed to listen to these days.
Sapnap is bouncing on the balls of his feet, dragging Dream behind him as he runs into the large crowd of the small venue. It's crowded and smells of sweat and alcohol and there are barely any lights apart from the ones on stage. It's really not Dream's scene and the way he's dressed probably reflects that. Sapnap however, seems to fit right in, to the point Dream worries if not for their intertwined hands he would have lost the shorter boy the minute they stepped inside the building.
The sound of a guitar broke through the chatter of the crowd accompanied by an instrument Dream couldn't name but sounded distinctly electronic. The crowd cheered as the concert started, Sapnap yelling loudly from beside Dream as the drums kicked in and the curtain fell away, revealing the three band members of SBI.
The drummer drew Dreams' attention first, he couldn't have been any older than sixteen with a lanky build and a wild smile. He wore a red leather jacket over a plain white shirt, his fluffy blond hair falling every which way and a mess of silver jewelry; rings, braclets, earrings, necklaces that Dream is starting to see is a staple of this community given he'd spent a solid five minutes watching Sapnap meticulously arrange all of his jewelry earlier this afternoon.
He spots the guitarist next, the brunette is freakishly tall, wearing just combat boots, ripped jeans and a yellow sweater. He seems almost as out of place as Dream does, if not for the fact he was the one playing the grungy guitar riff Dream would have expected to see him on an indie album cover.
His eyes are drawn to the lead singer next as his voice comes through the speakers, familiar in the way that thanks to Sapnap the low timbre of his voice was all he'd listened to but also familiar in a way he couldn't place.
Count down to thunder
I think we're too close for comfort
So now don't rock the boat, don't calm the storm
God already gave you his answer
His long pink hair captures Dream's attention first, sides shaved in an undercut yet the rest of it is long enough that even in a braid it reaches his waist.
Blink, I'm sorry, it's over
The whistle has been blown now
Think you got the wrong number
I'm breaking up
Wanna make a connection
Can't get no reception
Leave a message after the tone
The drums suddenly kick in harder as the pre-chorus starts but Dream is hardly paying attention to the music, not even aware of the crowd around him or his boyfriend beside him as he zones in on the familiar looking pinkette clutching the mic stand in both hands and singing without a care in the world.
'Cause it's got my head running 24/7
I don't know if I can figure it out
It's all messed up, only one thing I know for sure
We're so full of-
"What's the name of the lead singer?" Dream yells over at his boyfriend who seems puzzled by the sudden interest.
"Techno!" Sapnap yells back. "He's hot right?"
Dream doesn't answer that, turning his attention back to the stage to see both Techno and the guitarist who he now realises is Wilbur singing the chorus together.
-Sugar, honey, ice, and tea
Sugar, honey, ice, and tea
(Everybody's full of)
Sugar, honey, ice, and tea
Sugar, honey, ice, and tea
The music stops suddenly as the chorus finishes whatever weird electronic stuff they use filling the silence as Techno sings part of the second verse.
Don't move a muscle
No, we can't have a struggle
But the situation is in control
So play pretend that it's all good
SBI are certainly something Dream is not used to listening to but it's something he would definitely expect of Techno. How he managed to convince his brothers to have the same aesthetic as him he's not quite sure.
You could tell the Messiah
His pants are on fire, I politely decline, I
I gotta go, I gotta stick my head in the sand
And block out all the sadness
la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la
He remembers going to the Craft house after school everyday and spending every weekend there. His and Technos relationship might have just been a fling in the end but to their teenage selves it had felt so real. Promises whispered in childhood bedrooms to always be together forever left forgotten to the waves of time as they grew and changed.
Cause it's got my head running 24/7
I don't know if I can figure it out
It's all messed up, only one thing I know for sure
We're so full of-
Dream left to go to college, finally meeting his internet best friend for the first time while Techno stayed behind, unsure of what he wanted to do with his life.
They promised to stay in touch, to make the long distance work for them but eventually they fell apart and Dream found himself happier in Sapnap's arms.
-Sugar, honey, ice, and tea
Sugar, honey, ice, and tea
(Yeah, everybody's full of)
Sugar, honey, ice, and tea
Sugar, honey, ice, and tea
Besides…
And it's got my head running 24/7
I don't reckon I can figure it out
It's all messed up, only one thing I know for sure
(We're so full of)
Techno seemed to have found what he wanted to do with his life, it seemed he managed to get over his crippling social anxiety and now here he was singing in front of at least a hundred people.
Dream hadn't even known he could sing.
And we all march on like we know the way to Heaven
Who the hell died and made you the king?
We don't know what we want, but we know that we want it
Yeah, we want it, yeah, we want it right now
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, ooh
(Fuck you) Everybody, everybody's full of
"I know him!" Dream suddenly announced to Sapnap, gesturing to Techno and struggling to hear himself over the loud music.
"What?" Sapnap asked, eyes flickering from the stage to Dream.
"Yeah! You remember my old high school boyfriend? That's him."
"Dude," Sapnap laughed, "that's so crazy! You should try and catch him after the concert!"
Sugar, honey, ice, and tea
Oh, and now everybody full of sugar, honey, ice, and tea
Every, every, everybody full of sugar, honey, ice, and tea
Oh, everybody full of sugar, honey, ice, and tea
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Dream just shrugged non-committedly and turned his attention back to the stage as the song finished, it just seemed like inviting trouble by opening up communication with his ex again. It's not like they ended on bad terms, that just, ended.
And anyway, as Dream looked down at Sapnap smiling wide, bouncing with the crowd as he mouthed the lyrics of the next song now playing, he was happy where he was and he'd rather not tempt fate.