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“Thanks again for letting me crash here,” Dream ran a hand through rain soaked hair, the motion flicking droplets from his locks and onto Karl’s cream carpets, “I guess I should have had that light checked,” he huffed out an embarrassed laugh.
Karl waved his hands dismissively, “No worries!” He stepped over the threshold of his home, shaking his umbrella of stray raindrops and closing the door gently behind him, “I just feel bad you sat out in the rain for so long, you should have called sooner.”
Karl smiled fondly, though Dream would not see as his back was turned, carefully taking off his shoes to avoid making more mess than he already had. Karl took his sodden hoodie with an outstretched arm, holding it gingerly away from himself as it dripped.
“Yeah, well,” Dream glanced at his phone, hopeful eyes falling to disappointment like they had every other time he’d periodically checked since Karl pulled up next to him in an empty parking lot, “I thought someone else was getting me, clearly not.” he mumbled.
A small pain pricked at Karl’s chest, he’d always been an empath, so he put it down to feeling upset on Dream’s behalf. Nothing else.
There was a short silence between them, only broken when Dream shivered, reminding Karl that the poor guy had been standing in the rain for almost an hour.
“Do you wanna take a shower? I can run your clothes through the dryer so they’ll be ready by the morning,” Karl gently squeezed past Dream, still standing in the entryway, gesturing to the stairs, “Bathroom’s at the end of the corridor, I think there's clean towels in there,” His eyes followed Dream as the blond wandered towards him, tossing a thankful smile his way before climbing the stairs, “Leave your wet clothes out, I’ll try to find you something to sleep in.”
At that, Dream turned quickly to look down at Karl from halfway up the stairs, grinning widely, “Not to be rude, Karl, but I don’t think your clothes are going to fit me.”
Karl felt his cheeks warm, averting his gaze to his feet to try and conceal the insinuation, “I- uh, I like my shirts baggy,” was all he managed to get out, but Dream had already continued his climb, only acknowledging he’d heard Karl with a soft giggle.
A few moments after hearing the bathroom door lock and the shower start, Karl realised he was still standing at the bottom of the stairs clutching Dream’s damp hoodie. He threw it into the dryer before going into his room in search of suitable makeshift pyjamas, with little luck.
Finally settling on a well loved band shirt and a pair of jersey shorts he’d bought a few sizes too big by mistake, Karl placed the neatly folded clothes on the floor outside the bathroom. He hadn't noticed the water had shut off until the sound of the door unlocking startled him, he spun on his heels and was eye level with Dream’s bare torso.
When Karl managed to tear his gaze away from water droplets running down tan skin, he was met with a self-assured grin and glowing emerald eyes.
“These- um, these…for you.” Karl stammered, opting to just point at the pile of clothes he’d laid out to try and minimize his embarrassment.
“Thanks,” Dream smiled impossibly wider, picking up the clothes and disappearing back inside the bathroom. Karl grabbed the discarded wet clothes Dream had placed outside and tossed them in the dryer too before retreating back to his room.
“What the hell was that?” Karl hissed under his breath once he was safely in his own en suite, gripping the sides of the sink and glaring at his reflection in the mirror.
Dream had to know what he was doing to him, Right? Or was Karl just overthinking a very normal and platonic interaction between two friends.
Karl replayed the evening in his head again, pulling up alongside Dream, who’s whole face lit up when he recognised the approaching car- But that was just because he was happy to be out of the rain. right?
When Dream slumped into the car, looking at Karl like he had hung the stars, thanking him over and over again as if he wouldn't have done the same for the brunette in a heartbeat.
The way he laughed at Karl’s flustered words by the stairs, the lingering stare at the bathroom door, the way he just stood there in the doorway in nothing but a towel, steam drifting from his warm skin-
“Pull yourself together!” He hissed, jabbing a finger at his reflection, “Stop being weird.”
Karl was still semi-psyching himself up to go back downstairs when he heard Dream calling him, freezing for a moment before taking a deep breath and regaining his composure, leaving the safety of his room reluctantly.
“I think I’m gonna order some food, I kinda missed lunch… and dinner,” Dream looked up from his phone and over to Karl, who had opted to sit as far away from the blond as possible on the small couch, “Do you want anything?”
“Can I just get a diet coke?” Dream raised his eyebrows expectantly, “and maybe some fries, and some nuggets.” Dream continued to wait while Karl considered how far he could push his luck, “oh, and a strawberry shake, please.”
“Anything else?” Dream teased, though there was no malice to his gentle taunt.
“Yeah, how about you drop the attitude, buster.” Karl shot back, taking the nearest throw cushion and tossing it, hitting Dream square in the face.
Dream did his best to look offended, pulling his face into mock hurt, but was soon wheezing along with Karl’s infectious giggles.
The tension Karl had felt began to ease, reaffirming that he had just got in his own head.
They sat on the sofa in comfortable silence, taking turns choosing obscure videos on youtube to watch, only really talking when the doorbell rang with their food. Dream insisted on paying, though Karl tried to argue that Dream was his guest, Dream was having none of it.
“Nope. I owe you.” Dream had said, pressing Karl back into the couch with a firm palm on his shoulder to prevent him from lunging at the door first.
The rain that had been steadily falling through the evening began to pick up, pattering against the glass doors to the yard with more and more vigour, though it was only really noticeable when there was a lull in noise from the television.
Dream was practically laying on the sofa at this point, legs up and feet lightly touching Karl’s thigh, his head resting in the crook of his elbow against the arm rest.
“I think I’m gonna call it a night,” Karl stretched his arms up above his head, stifling a yawn, “Are you sure you're okay on the couch?”
“Yeah, of course,” It seemed Dream could barely keep his eyes open, his voice laced with sleep.
“Sorry, I’ve still not got a bed or anything in the guest room, I just-”
“Karl.” Dream interjected, still soft in his half-awake state, “I’m fine, really.”
“Okay, well at least let me find some pillows and a blanket,” Karl replied, bouncing up the stair and grabbing spares from boxes still packed in his office, bringing them down to Dream who mumbled a quiet ‘Thank you’, but made no attempt to retrieve them.
Karl sighed fondly, opting to gently lift Dream’s head to lay a pillow under it and draping a blanket over the blond's limbs, his fingers hovering a little longer than they should as they brushed the sleeping boy's shoulders.
Karl padded upstairs to his own room, feeling a strange sense of loneliness climbing into his bed alone, even though he did every other night. Maybe it was simply the knowledge of another person in his home, and had nothing to do with who that person was in particular.
The storm seemed to be closing in, wind howling and causing the branches of a nearby tree to knock against Karl’s window loudly, making him stir frustratedly now and then from his disjointed sleep.
Lightning struck not too far away, filling Karl’s room with bright light as he nuzzled his face into the pillow. A few moments later, he was startled completely awake by a loud crack of thunder, feeling the house tremble.
Karl groaned, trying to bury himself further into the warm comfort of soft sheets, pulling the covers over his face and screwing his eyes shut. The next crack of thunder felt louder, rattling the glass of the windows, solidifying that Karl would not be falling back to sleep anytime soon.
Attempting to be as quiet as possible to not disturb the blond he had left passed out on the couch, Karl tip-toed carefully from his bedroom to the kitchen, aiming to grab some snacks and sneak back to watch the storm in bed.
He hesitated at the threshold of the living room on his way back upstairs, something in him drawing him into the room, only to be startled by another flash of lightning illuminating the couch where Dream was sleeping.
Or at least, where Karl thought he was sleeping.
Karl managed to catch a glimpse of the blond huddled on the couch, knees pulled up to his chin and arms wrapped around his shins, the blanket Karl had laid on him was now wrapped around his shoulders.
The following clap of thunder elicited a soft curse from the boy balled up on the couch, and Karl felt a lump form in his throat as he felt an odd rush of affection.
“Dream?” He called gently into the dark room, only being able to make out the silhouette of the couch and shuffling towards him cautiously, “Are you okay?”
There was no reply. When Karl felt the arm of the couch under his fingertips, he climbed onto the cushions next to Dream, reaching his hand out to rest gently on his bicep.
“You’re shaking,” Before he could overthink his next movements, Karl draped both arms around Dream, pulling the younger boy easily into his chest, “Are you cold? Do you want another blanket? Or I can turn the AC down.” He rambled, reaching behind Dream and fumbling with the lamp switch.
Soft yellow glow flooded the room, and Karl pulled back to look at Dream, letting out a small gasp when he was met with swollen red eyes.
“Why are you crying?” The words tumbled from his mouth before he had a chance to stop himself, Dream looked embarrassed and he suddenly felt like he’d said something wrong.
“I- uh, I just-” A trembling hand came up to push blond locks back, Dream shook his head and let out a nervous laugh, “It’s dumb, I’m okay, I promise. You can go back to sleep.”
“No, C’mon,” Karl pressed, one hand still resting gently on Dream's arm, the other falling onto his knee, “What’s wrong?”
“Please don't laugh.” Dream’s voice was barely above a whisper, and Karl couldn't help the soft smile that tugged at his lips while he nodded his head encouragingly.
Dream took a deep breath, fiddling with the hem of the blanket between his fingers before mumbling something Karl didn’t quite manage to catch.
“What?”
The next flash of lightning was less noticeable now the room was softly lit, but the storm had moved closer as thunder cracked moments later, causing the blood to jolt and pull the blanket tighter around himself.
“Oh.” Karl tugged gently on the blanket until Dream met his gaze, “Why didn't you wake me?”
“I’m a grown ass man,” Dream huffed, “Who has lived in Florida all his life, and is scared of thunder and lightning.”
“We’re all scared of things, Dream,” Karl gave an encouraging squeeze to the blond's bicep, who in return looked at him expectantly, raising his eyebrows in realisation he added, “I’m not a big fan of flying.”
“But you fly all the time, for work and stuff?” Dream looked so fragile like this, his face still flushed and his hair messed, his eyes big and doe like.
“Yeah, that doesn't mean I’m not terrified.” Dream smiled in understanding, his gaze going back to the bit of blanket he was still holding between his fingers.
“When I was little, my mom would let us make blanket forts when our power got knocked out by the storm,” Dream was still looking at his hands, fiddling with the fraying fabric, but Karl was hanging onto his every word, “We’d bring all our blankets and pillows downstairs, and she’d let us eat whatever snacks we wanted because we couldn’t cook anything. Then, we’d all sleep on our mattresses on the living room floor together, my mom, my sisters and me.”
“That sounds like fun,” Karl mumbled.
“Yeah, when I was a kid and didn't understand she was distracting us by making it seem like a fun thing, not a scary thing,” He scoffed, but didn’t stop long enough for Karl to interject, “Then when I got older and started living on my own, I started getting really anxious during storms, like I get all shaky and hot and I can't breathe?”
Dream’s gaze flicked up quickly to meet Karls, who simply smiled and squeezed his hand still pressed against Dream’s burning skin, “Silly, you’re having panic attacks.”
“Well, I kinda figured that,” The gentle tease was returning to Dream’s voice as he seemed to calm down a little, “The problem is I can’t get them to stop.”
“I mean, I can’t magically make them go away,” Karl felt his cheeks warm as Dream gave him a toothy smile, “But I might be able to help with a quick fix for tonight?”
Dream raised one eyebrow in question while Karl excitedly stood from the couch, holding out his hand to pull Dream up too.
“I’ll get some pillows, I’ve already got snacks, that's why I was down here in the first place,” Karl giggled, Dream rolled his eyes, “You’ll have to get the mattress, there's no way I’ll get it downstairs.”
“Oh, am I just a muscle man to you?” Dream poked, though he was already heading towards the stairs.
Karl laughed, shoving Dream gently as he followed the taller up the stairs to his room. Dream took one look at Karl’s bed and giggled, bringing his hand to his forehead and turning to Karl in disbelief.
“Dude, that is an absolute beast of a mattress, there’s no way I can move that,” Dream said.
“It’s memory foam,” Karl’s dejected voice and furrowed brows made Dream laugh even harder. Soon Karl was laughing with him, happy that he was able to provide some distraction.
“We could build a blanket fort up here?” Karl suggested.
“Karl, C’mon.”
“Or,” Karl pulled at the sheets absentmindedly, turning to look up at Dream, who was standing much closer than he had been before, “You can just sleep up here?”
Dream looked a little surprised, Karl quickly added, “I’ll sleep downstairs, I can sleep anywhere!” Rising from the bed and making a beeline for the door, only for a warm hand to wrap around his wrist and pull him back towards the bed softly.
“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m not kicking you out of your own bed,” Dream climbed onto the bed gingerly, still holding Karl’s wrist gently between his thumb and forefinger, pulling him onto the bed beside him, “you can sleep here too.”
“No, Really I-” Karl stuttered, going to pull his arm away, only to feel the light drip tighten and hold him in his place.
“Stay,” Dream whispered, eyes glassy from tears welling along his waterline, and Karl was putty in his hands, “Please.”
No one in their right mind would be able to turn down such a request, so Karl relaxed back into the mattress, cautious to keep a suitable gap between himself and Dream.
Dream on the other hand, had a different idea.
Slowly, Dream snaked his arm under Karl’s neck, his hand resting delicately on Karls shoulder before guiding Karl’s body towards him. Dream pulled him flush to his chest, Karl’s head resting just under his shoulder.
“Is this okay?” Dream breathed in his ear, Karl nodded against him, hoping he understood.
Karl draped his arm experimentally over Dream’s stomach, placing his hand over Dream’s chest, right on his heart.
Dream’s breathing began to level out, and Karl began to wonder if he had fallen asleep already, daring to peek up at the blond only to be met with his piercing gaze.
“Hello,” He smiled, eyes glowing in the low light.
“Hi,” Karl’s hand trailed from Dream’s chest to caress the side of his face tentatively, thumb running over freckled cheeks so lightly it was barely a touch.
“You left the snacks downstairs,” Dream whispered, so close that Karl could feel his breath across his face.
“Yeah,” Karl sighed, “Do you want me to go get them?”
“No,” Dream replied quickly, tightening his hold as Karl pretended to roll away.
Dream pulled him impossibly closer, bumping their foreheads together, Karl only noticed he’s been holding his breath when he let out a small gasp at warm lips brushing against his own. It was so fleeting he thought he had imagined it.
“Can I-” Dream didn’t get the chance to finish asking before Karl pressed their lips together, tender hands making their way to blond hair, stilling as their lips parted.
Rumbling thunder snapped the pair back to earth, Dream buried his head against Karl’s hair and squeezed him so hard he let out a small squeak, causing Dream to release him from his tight hold.
“Hey, at least it sounds like it's getting further away now,” Karl said reassuringly, resuming his gentle strokes along Dream’s nape.
Dream tried to suppress a yawn, though Karl felt it more than saw it as Dream’s chin still rested on the top of his head.
“Try and sleep,” Karl whispered softly.
“Okay, but you too.” Dream said it like there was anything else Karl would rather be doing than sleeping here, next to him.
Still, he mumbled a confirmation into Dream’s chest, closing his eyes and shuffling into a more comfortable position.
Dream fell asleep first, his chest rising and falling under Karl’s arm, muffled snores sounding above his head. It wasn’t much longer before Karl succumbed to sleep too, his breathing matching the rhythm of blond’s as he easily fell into his deepest sleep in months.