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“In a quarter mile, turn left.”
The voice chirps at him from overtop a british man singing songs George doesn’t yet know the lyrics to. He smiles some, fingers flexing on the wheel and feeling a giddiness he hasn’t felt in years.
It’s stupid. He’s twenty four, CEO of his own company, and he’s headed to his employee’s home to watch movies. And he’s excited . Beyond excited, actually.
Maybe it’s because he’s spent far too long alone. Or maybe that’s just the effect Dream has on him, making his chest flutter and head spin.
That has been happening more often. Every time he thought of Dream, he got butterflies in his stomach, a stammer in his heartbeat. Some deep, dark part of him was afraid of it. Afraid of what it meant. But another part of him just wanted to enjoy it, to revel in the warmth it brought him. One day he’ll delve into those frigid thoughts, but right now he was floating across asphalt, onto streets that were quickly becoming familiar.
And there’s that drop of anxiety, like a rock in his chest when he pulls into the parking garage near Dream’s place, weighing him down as he shuts the car off and gathers his things, pulling the bottle of wine to his chest. Was wine too formal? Maybe, but it felt like their thing, the common occurrence with each of their meetings. Anyway, he drank a good amount last time he was there, it was only proper to replace it.
A moment later he’s out of the car, feet skidding over cracked sidewalks and climbing brick steps, before he’s pausing at the door. His heart hammers in his chest, and for a moment his foot shifts backwards, anxious thoughts bubbling in his mind.
Maybe he shouldn’t-
“ I’ve got it! It’s the pizza! ” A voice screeches from inside, and the door’s swung open to an unfamiliar man, shorter than him and with stubble cheeks and pushed back hair. They stare at each other for a moment, before the other blinks and recognition sparks in his gaze.
“Oh, you’re George. I’m Sapnap.”
Ah, the roommate. He’s shorter than him, George notes with a hint of amusement.
“Yeah, I’m George. Nice to meet you.” George tries on a smile and feels relieved when Sapnap smiles easily back and steps aside for him to climb in from the chilly air, nodding him in. George passes the threshold into the warm apartment, tucking one hand into his pocket as he rolls onto the balls of his feet. “Was I supposed to bring pizza?”
“Nope!” A familiar voice pops from the kitchen, and a smile stretches across his face before he’s even laid eyes on the coder. Dream’s got that familiar damn sweatshirt on, hair slightly damp and the scent of coconut body wash just a bit too strong. He moves from the kitchen to meet him halfway, glancing at the wine. “We ordered cheese and a supreme; did you bring me wine?”
“Oh,” George nods, and holds the bottle out. “Yeah, since I drank most of yours last time.” A nervous laugh leaves him and Dream smiles, but before he can grab it, the third party snatches it up from between them.
“That was my wine, asshole.” The name’s directed at Dream, but there’s no malice in Sapnap’s smile or the glare he sends the taller man, who gives him a look right back.
“Whatever, I’m the one who pays the rent. All of this is mine, technically.” Sapnap scoffs, brushing by to go and place the wine with the rest of the liquor.
“We were supposed to have our friends Karl and Quackity come, but they got busy with work.” Dream continues as Sapnap moves around the kitchen. George gives a nod, remembering Dream had mentioned before that others would be joining them.
“They just don’t love us.” Sapnap whines as he moves back for the couch and picks the remote up. “Anyway, we were just about to pick out a movie. George perks at that, setting his things down by the door as he toes his shoes off.
“Oh? What kind were we thinking?” George shifts to move towards the couch, dropping down onto the far end. Dream drops down next to him a moment after, and presses a cold beer into his hand with a smile. Their fingers touch, and it sends a jolt of electricity through him so strong he almost drops the beer. George hums his appreciation, clutching the beer like a lifeline as the conversation continues on.
“Dream wants to watch something funny.
I
was thinking scary.” Sapnap glances over. “What were you thinking, Georgie?”
“Don’t call him Georgie.” Dream huffs, wrinkling his nose. “You’ve known him for five minutes.” Is that.. jealousy in his voice? George snorts, covering his half smile with his hand as Dream looks at him, and grins sheepishly.
“I’ll call him whatever I want!” Sapnap quips back, his voice cracking on ‘whatever’. He slumps with an embarrassed whine as Dream cackles, and George can’t help his own laugh.
“Alright! Alright.” Sapnap waves at them wildly, straightening as he points at the screen. “Paranormal Activity. Take it or leave it.” Dream huffs, but slides his gaze to George, one brow raised. George gives him an apologetic glance.
“Sorry. I like horror.” Dream’s face grows a tad pit paler, but he laughs and nods.
“Alright. One horror movie. Then we watch My Little Pony.” Dream seems far too proud of himself when George crows with laughter once more.
It’s clear that Sapnap enjoys horror far more than Dream does, as the trio settle in to watch the movie. The rooms are lit only by the lone light of the kitchen, casting perfect mood lighting as the movie starts.
And while George and Sapnap enjoy horror, it’s clear that Dream doesn’t. His hold on his beer is intense as the movie picks up, shoulders flinching with every little noise, body pressed back into the couch. George finds himself watching Dream more than the movie, glancing from the corner of his eyes at every movement, every slight slosh of beer as his hands jerk when a scream fills the room so suddenly it even makes him flinch.
And when the doorbell rings? Dream shrieks .
George nearly knocks his beer over, and Sapnap scrambles for the remote to pause the movie, before he doubles over in laughter. Dream has a hand over his mouth, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“I’ll get it.” George chuckles, as Dream is frozen in his spot, and Sapnap is nearly doubled over crying with laughter. He gets up, collecting the pizza from the very confused delivery driver, and heading to the kitchen to deposit it onto the countertops. Sapnap, having recovered, is by his side in an instant, reaching above him to grab some paper plates.
“Dream! What do you want?” George calls, noting how the man hasn’t moved. Dream turns his head, lifting it from where it hunched worriedly over his phone, and he gives a bright smile that George is certain radiates its own light..
“Two supremes! And another beer.” Dream hums, and then turns back to his phone. George almost wants to ask, but decides against it as he collects the pizza and beers. For a moment he hesitates, halfway to the living room, before something in his gut hardens and he drops close onto the couch next to Dream. Their knees tap together, and Dream looks up once more, blinking. George smiles, and Dream mirrors one back at him, sliding his phone onto the end table next to him and, this time, ignoring when it buzzes.
“Thanks.” He takes the pizza and fresh beer, settling back. It’s peaceful, for a moment, clutching cold beer between his thighs as he tries to open it one handed.
And then Sapnap is dropping on the other side of George so he’s sandwiched a little closer to Dream. George gives the other a smile as their shoulders brush, and tries to ignore the growing fond look in Dream’s eyes.
And back to the movie they go.
It’s all tense, edge of your seat scenes, where if you leaned too far you’d get spooked backwards in a heartbeat. It’s what George loves, the scenes that jump out at you and make your heart clench. This is why he loves horror movies!
Another jumpscare makes him jerk, but it gets Dream a bit more. A strangled cry catches in the other's throat, and suddenly two large hands are wrapped around his arm, pressed against a tense chest. George feels his head spin as he glances over to spot Dream clutching him in terror. It takes Dream a moment to realize what he’s done, because he’s suddenly letting him go and leaning away, clearing his throat.
Sapnap hasn’t noticed, too enraptured in the movie to care. George smiles some, leaning closer to Dream. “You can hold onto me if you’re scared. I don’t mind.” Dream eyes him cautiously from the corner of his eyes, a nervous smile coming to his lips in the darkened room. Before he can make a decision, there’s a scream from the screen and Dream is latching onto George again.
They stay like that for a while, Dream practically curling into George's side as the movie progresses. At one point he’s certain Dream is trying to jump into his skin, hands shaking where he grips him tightly. George doesn’t complain, at one point goes as far as to place a hand on Dream's arm to comfort the trembling man. It’s funny, just a little bit, to see the elder so terrified of the movie on the screen.
He doesn’t think about the way he relishes in his touch, in how it feels so warm against his cool skin, reaching down to weary bones too old for his body.
The movie ends almost too soon, and the warmth at his side moves further away, and George wants to shiver at the sudden cold he feels. His hands remain curled around his arm, however, and he takes a moment to admire long fingers and pronounced veins running over the back of his hand. Sapnap’s pointing at the screen, calling their attention with his face twisted and upset.
“Katie should have died. I’ll say it. Micah should’ve killed her.” Dream turns to look at him, laughing.
“Sapnap!”
“What?!” Sapnap then turns to look at the two, and George notices the hint of surprise in his eyes, realizing Dream is still cuddled up to George. And then a dangerous glint comes to his eyes. Uh oh.
“ Aww, was Dream scared ?” Sapnap teases, his voice rising a few awkward octaves. Dream snaps his head to look at the youngest in the group, blinking before he nearly tosses himself off of George, stumbling to his feet.
“No!” His voice breaks, and he clears his throat. “No,” he reiterates, stronger. “Nope. George was really afraid, so I was helping him.” His face is ablaze with color, and George can’t help but giggle. Dream breaks his cool facade then to smile, and Sapnap snorts from behind them. “Fuck off!” Dream whirls on Sapnap, his laugh causing his voice to tilt a few octaves higher than usual, and sending Sapnap into a laughing fit.
The night goes on similar to this, with greasy fingers and warm beers as the tension of the movie melts away into something more familiar, more welcoming. But there’s something wrong, in the way Dream checks his phone too often, the shine of his phone showing the pinched expression each new message from anonymous brings.
It goes unnoticed by Sapnap, but not George. For a moment he thinks he should leave it be, but the way Dream’s eyes grow heavier and his brow furrows more makes him decide otherwise. He decides to bring it up after Sapnap retires, stating he has an early morning despite it already being said morning.
“Is.. everything alright? You look upset.” George says softly. Dream glances at him briefly, mid-message before he sighs. First he finishes his typing in silence, and then when he’s done he turns his phone off and sits there staring at it, idly rubbing the hard plastic cover. Dream doesn’t meet his gaze.
“It’s.” A pause. “It’s my ex. He’s back in town and wants to meet up. Lots of conflicting feelings.”
George blinks. His ex- the shitty one? The one he mentioned being stuck with? The one that made his eyes go hazy and hands shake whenever he was brought up? That ex?
“Yeah, I know.” Dream mumbles, and for a moment Georges fearful that he’s just said everything out loud. But he’s just been looking at Dream, who squirms under his gaze. This is a Dream he hasn’t seen before, one he’s come close to viewing a few times in the few months they’d been hanging out. And now it’s come out, on a late night in a suddenly too cold room.
“He was shitty- he is shitty. People like that can’t change. I know this, I’ve experienced this. And yet every time he comes around I want to.. I want to see him again. It’s like I’m being pulled in by a string. I always end up in the same spot, and then get upset when I’m being treated like shit. But it’s no one's fault but my own. So I can’t be mad . But sometimes it feels like all I’ve ever known. And it’s.. I don’t know.”
Dream shrugs, looking more exhausted than he’s seen him in a while. It’s an exhaustion that runs deep, one he knows too well. It’s like a hole in your chest, where everything keeps spilling out and no matter how hard you try, you can’t plug it up. Eventually, you stop trying.
And Dream’s opening up to him about it. Him, George, who can’t even understand his own feelings let alone talk about them with such ease as the other does. His tongue feels like lead, a dead weight lying behind his teeth, but Dream’s shoulders are hunched and the energy of the night has suddenly evaporated. His phone pings once more, and Dream glances at it with a sigh.
“It’s.. hard.” George’s spoken before he realizes, wanting to distract Dream before he has the chance to pick up his phone once more. Dream slides a viridian gaze to him, curiosity glittering in those dark depths. His look alone is enough to send a shiver down his spine, forcing his mouth to move and form words he’s scrambling for.
“I don’t know, with my ex it was.. Hard to not want her back, in a weird way. I still kind of do, but not in the ‘I miss her’ way. Just.. sometimes it’s hard being alone, and you want to go back to not being alone.” Dream gives a slow nod, and it’s enough to spur him along. “But you’re not alone, Dream. You’ve got Sapnap, and your other friends, and, y’know. Me.” George shrugs, and suddenly the weight of his gaze is almost too much for him, breaking eye contact as he runs his eyes along the walls, studying a photo of Dream and a younger girl in the background. It’s silent, for a moment longer, and then Dream chuckles. And that’s unexpected, so George looks back and there’s tears glossing Dream’s eyes, but he’s smiling.
“Yeah. I guess you’re right. I’m never really alone. Sapnap bothers me almost all hours of the day.” Dream snorts, and George watches as some of the tension falls from his shoulders, relief fluttering like a butterfly in his chest.
“This is weird.” Dream laughs again, and he brushes a hand to his eyes, rubbing the tears away and leaving behind a wet sheen to his eyelids. “You somehow went from being some guy, to being my boss, to being my friend, to consoling me on my couch. That’s weird.”
George pauses, blinking like an idiot. “You think we’re friends?”
Dream looks at him, one brow raised. “You don’t think we are?”
George feels his chest twist, heart stammering an uneven rhythm as Dream looks at him. And he smiles.
“No, I think we are.”