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"George,"
Dream feels floaty. He's in his own apartment, but isn't at the same time. It feels the same, feels like home, but the layout is dramatically different. The couch is on the wrong side of the living room and the paintings on the wall are filled with splashes of depressing shades of blue. Oh, there's also a stranger pacing laps around the coffee table while he's on the phone with his mother. That's probably the biggest difference.
"Mum, I'm telling you the truth. America is great,"
"You can always come home. You're so lonely there," The mothers voice sounds static through the speaker.
"I have friends," George mumbles.
"You never send pictures with them,"
"I'll do it in the morning, okay? I'm tired,"
George looks tired and sad when he hangs up the phone. Dream wonders if he was telling the truth, he wonders if he does have any friends. George lays onto the couch with a huff of frustration and Dream wants to reach out to him. To comfort him, possibly tell a joke to lighten the mood. But George is dead asleep before Dream can even reach him. He knows the dream is over, it always is when the other falls asleep.
/ / / /
George. The name bounces around Dream's mind, repeating over and over like a prayer. He's dreamt of the man since he and Sapnap moved into their new apartment nine months ago. Last night's dream was the first time that he had ever heard the man's name and it doesn't help him remember where he knows the man from, but he feels a slight relief by knowing his name. His mind has finally offered him one of the missing puzzle pieces that he had been searching for. He has to know the man if his subconscious is forcing him to dream about him.
Dream shakes it off for the time being. He still had videos to film and errands to run, it isn't like he can sit and analyze his dreams all day. Even if he'd like to. When he finally musters enough energy to get up and make himself breakfast, he finds Sapnap searching through the cabinets in the kitchen in a mild panic. He brushes past him as he reaches into the fridge for the eggs.
"Are you okay?" Dream questions.
Sapnap curses as another plastic cup tumbles from the cabinet, "No,"
"What's wrong?"
"My mug is missing," He huffs.
"What?" Dream asks. He sets the carton of eggs onto the counter and peeks over his friend's shoulder, "The one I bought you?"
"The #1 co-parents one. I left it on the counter last night after I washed it,"
Dreams' eyes sweep over the floor to make sure the mug hadn't fallen off and cracked. Much to his dismay, the tile is clean without the specialized mug in sight.
"That's strange. That's like the fourth thing to go missing this week," Dream frowns, "I'll order you a new one,"
Sapnap still looks forlorn, but accepts the mugs' disappearance. He sits at the island to watch as his best friend makes them breakfast. Missing mugs, sweatshirts, even a remote that seemingly evaporated into thin air. An ever growing list of things that were in their apartment one day and gone the next with no explanation. A list of things he needs to purchase all over again, much to his frustration.
The duo eat their eggs and toast in silence for the most part, spare a few conversations about videos or their friends' tweets. Later that evening, he orders a new mug for Sap. They've had the matching set for a few months now, 'The #1 Co-Parents' printed on one side and a photo of Patches on the back and it became both of their favorites immediately. He even orders an extra one just in case. He's growing tired of losing important things and buying an extra one is a decent backup plan.
Maybe.
/ / / /
"Since when do you have a cat?"
George furrows his brows and turns to face his friend, "I don't,"
"#1 Co-Parents," The friend mocks. Dream watches as the man turns that cup over in his hands a few times. It makes his stomach drop, because it's identical to his and sapnaps cup, "A cat and a partner?"
"No! Absolutely not," He rolls his eyes, "I don't even know where I got that. I found it the other day. I keep finding strange things laying around,"
"Weird. Maybe an old thrift shop,"
George shrugs. Then Dream watches as he snatches it back and puts it safely into the cabinet. The friend puts on a show of fake dramatics and feigned hurt, but leaves it alone after George gives him a silent glare.
Dream can tell it's night in his dream. He can tell from the darkening skies and the rings around George's eyes. He watches as George sets up a makeshift bed on the couch for his friend and then walks sleepily to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Dream takes the moment to sneak over to the cabinets to get a closer look at the mug, but when he reaches to grab the handle, his ghostly arm passes straight through it.
Right.
Dream is in a dream.
/ / / /
The new mugs arrive four days later. Dream hides one in the back of the closet and gifts the other to Sapnap once more. Sapnap is delighted with the small gesture of kindness and rushes off to make them both a cup of tea to drink while they game.
Dream is getting his setup ready for the late night stream when he sees it. In the corner of his room something flickers white light and the closer he gets, the more confused he becomes. There's no source in which that light is originating from. There's only light steadily growing and glowing all while the center floats in the air. He reaches a tentative hand towards it and feels a familiar floating feeling, something warm and inviting.
He only yanks his hand back when it feels as if the light is shifting him, pulling him towards it. He takes a step away and it follows him as it grows larger, "What the fuck,"
The light gets so bright that Dream has to squint his eyes and look away. He vaguely hears the door swing open followed by the crashing of glass. Two more mugs are gone. As if he should really be worrying about that at the moment.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?" Sapnap screams at him.
"HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW!?"
Dream throws and arm out to feel for Sapnap, but struggles as he feels around in the blinding light. Then the light flashes so bright that you would think that a bolt of lightning just struck his room. There's a loud crash, most likely Sapnap falling over, which is followed by Dream tumbling against his desk.
"Sap?" Dream calls out, "Are you good?
"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?"
Dream pulls himself up and attempts to adjust to the room once more. There's no more light for floaty pulling feeling, "Yeah, I'm good,"
Dream attempts to pull himself all the way up, but finds something weighing his legs down. It isn't the gaming chair like he originally thought, when he reaches down to remove the foreign object, he nearly shrieks. Skin. He kicks his feet frantically and pulls himself away when he finally gets free. There's a man on his bedroom floor. A man wearing a baby blue hoodie that looks suspiciously like his missing one and jeans. Not to mention that magically appeared with a burst of magic light.
Dream slides his foot out to nudge the man with his shoe. All he gets is some wiggling and a loud groan.
"HEY!" Dream shouts. He nudges him again with a bit more force.
Dream isn't sure what he's expecting, but it isn't for the man to sit up with messy hair looking like George. George from his dreams and not in the dreamy "the man of my dreams, my love" bullshit way. It's more like "the menace living in his mind" way.
"George!?"
"Dream!?"
The two stare at each other in shock at the simultaneous question. Neither of them move until George cocks his head curiously and pulls himself closer to Dream.
"Can you hear me?" George asks. His accent is thick and strange, despite Dream hearing it before.
"Yes?" Dream questions, "This has got to be a joke,"
"There was this flash of light and I got too close…Then boom, I'm here,"
Dream and Sapnap look at each other from across the room. Then he focuses back on George with narrowed eyes, because how does a man from your dreams just tumble into your bedroom. That isn't how it works.
Instead of something questioning or angry, the only thing that comes out of Dream's mouth is, "Is that my sweatshirt?"
"I-Uh. I found it on my floor a few weeks ago. I thought it was one I forgot about. So, maybe?" George answers sheepishly.
"Right, yeah," Dream mumbles.
"Where are you from?" Sapnap questions.
"England,"
Sap couldn't roll his eyes further, "No shit. Better question. Why are you here?"
"I live here," George says. He's unwavering and certain, "Ask Dream,"
Sapnaps eyes shoot to Dream in confusion.
"The dreams I tell you about, I mention that they're always of someone living in our apartment. This is him, that's George," Dream nearly mumbles out the explanation.
There's no way this is real, but Sap sees and hears him too. George hears him. He's tried communicating with the man for so long with zero luck, just ghosting through doors and screaming to himself.
"Either we're sharing hallucinations or there's some weird ass multiple dimensions shit going on. Dream, I think we'd know if someone was living in our apartment," Sapnap rambles.
Dream and George both freeze at that, because he's right. Then George reaches forward and grasps at Dreams hand. It's a desperate attempt at trying to get them to see that he's here and real. Then a flicker of realization crosses his face and he turns to Sapnap.
"Your cup. The one with the cat that you use everyday, I have it safe in my apartment,"
"How do you know that?"
"Because I see you guys in dreams too. No one ever believes me when I say I see a man named Dream within a dream,"
"What the fuck,"
Dream attempts to stretch his fingers out under George's grip, "Can I have my hand back?"
"OH, yeah," George drops it. Dream let's it fall limp back onto his lap with a thump.
"You have my hoodie and Saps cup," Dream reasons, "And you fell out of a bright light in my room. Yeah, no. This is totally normal,"
"Sorry?" George offers weakly, "I'll go back…Home? If I can?"
"We live in the same apartment," Sapnap deadpans.
"Do you have any better options, smart-ass?" George sasses back.
Sap turns to Dream, "I'm literally going to kick your dream boys ass,"
"Shut up. It's not like we can kick him out,"
"HE COULD BE A SERIAL KILLER!"
"THE ONLY THING HE KILLS IS HOUSEPLANTS!"
George lets out a hurt, "Hey!"
"You tried your best," Dream offers.
"Thanks," He smiles.
"He can sleep on the couch for tonight, until we figure out where he's really from," Sapnap reigns the conversation back in. He still sounds distrustful, "But he can help clean the mess,"
"That's fair," George shrugs.
Dream and Sapnap end up with a man from another universe asleep on their couch. Same apartment, same dreams, but worlds apart. Dream wonders if anything would be different if he had fell too close to the light. He'd hope to end up in George's apartment, but is happy he didn't. He wouldn't want to leave Sapnap behind for an uncertain amount of time. Instead he can live in his own world and get to meet the man that's been living his his head. From the comfort of his home.
No longer Dream living in a dream while trying to learn more.