Archive of Our Own

This is bullshit, Sapnap thinks as the bag of chips struggles to jiggle its way down the machine, stuck between the machine coil and glass. He almost wishes for the bag to explode and make a mess inside the machine— he’s not that cold-hearted, though. They should’ve just kept this banned, he cries mournfully to himself, slapping the cold metal one more time.

He sends one last bitter look toward the vending machine and makes his way to Dream who was looking at him amusedly, a smug grin plastered on his face that Sapnap wants to slap away.

Sunlight slips through the leaves’ gaps directly into his eyesight. He heaves out a deep breath and closes his eyes, dropping his head to the hard surface of the wooden table. Dream snickers in front of him, making Sapnap grit his teeth in annoyance.

“Do you need anything?” Sapnap asks, barely keeping the aggravation in his voice.

A shitty day is what Sapnap has been dealing with since he opened his eyes and saw the dreadful numbers on his phone. Almost falling face-first off of his bed, he had wanted to scream when he saw that he didn’t have anything good to wear for his first class. He wanted to, really. Sapnap just feared that he was going to deal with his roommate’s complaint.

Attending his classes late is something he had always despised. The weird and annoyed looks he would get from opening the door of their room mid-discussion were something he always tried to avoid. He’s not always lucky— it was his fault anyway. He shouldn’t have stayed up all night just to watch that anime that Karl suggested to him weeks before when he knew deep well that he has a morning class the next day.

So when most of the students’ heads perked up when he entered their room, all he wanted was to melt and for the floor to swallow him whole, though, he wanted to shout gratitudes to the heaven above when Karl smiled at him when he sat next to the brunet.

Then they had a pop quiz that no one really is ever prepared for, but he wasn’t in the right mind to solve calculus when he literally just woke up ten minutes prior. He patted himself on the back when he remembered some bits from the study he did yesterday. He barely passed the quiz in the end.

At least he did pass.

Their professor presented a project that they needed a partner to do with. Most of the students groaned in distaste when their professor randomly picked out their partner, most were partnered with someone they didn’t know. Sapnap was grateful that he wasn’t partnered with some random person who probably doesn’t know what personal space means.

“I don’t need anything— what?” Dream giggles incredulously, then he nudges Sapnap’s foot. Sapnap nudges him back. “Bad day?”

Sapnap picks his head back up, nodding as he snatches a sandwich from Dream’s food. “I was late, dude.”

Dream raises an eyebrow. “We went back early yesterday. What were you doing?” He asks, sipping on his apple juice. “You didn’t even answer my text.”

“I was…” Sapnap flushes pink. “I was watching something last night.” That was on him.

Dream’s brows raise even higher. “I did not need to know that.” His tone was scandalized. “So, you didn’t answer my text just so you could watch porn?”

“I didn’t watch porn! I never said that, dude,” Sapnap grumbles, munching angrily on his sandwich. He looks at the food in his hand, it’s good and he’s already halfway through it. He thinks back to the bag of chips stuck in the machine— he suppresses a groan. “It was just anime. Plus, I'm not gonna jack off with Quackity in the same place as me.”

“Yeah, ‘cause he’d probably make fun of you for having a small dick.”

Sapnap kicks his foot hard enough to make Dream wince. “What is your problem.” His phone buzzes in his pocket, typing a quick reply to the sender before turning his attention back to Dream. “Why did I take Computer Science again?”

“Because you wanted to impress Karl,” Dream starts to list off with his fingers. “And because he’s also taking the same course, and you’re in love with him. You want to see him when you go to your classes. You wanted to spend every single minute of your life by his side—”

Sapnap kicks his foot again, harder than before, and it makes Dream laugh loudly.

“What? You can’t tell me that I’m wrong,” Dream challenges.

“I hate you,” Sapnap grumbles. “Anyway, Mr. Johnson assigned us to a project and Karl is mad because he was partnered with the jock guy.”

“Why are you talking about Karl?” The blond murmurs under his breath, but Sapnap still catches it and glares at the blond. “What about you, then? Got someone random?”

“No, I know who I’m partnered with. He’s roommates— no, friends with Karl or something like that. We hunged out a couple of times before.”

Dream stares at him, clearly unimpressed at the mention of their friend again. “Okay, then what’s the problem with that? Are they annoying?”

“He’s not.” Sapnap finishes the sandwich in his hand, bunching up the wrapper and setting it down on the table. “I just don’t want to do literally anything. I regret taking Computer Science, I don’t even know anything about it.”

“Should’ve taken law then.” Dream slightly chokes on his juice as he speaks. “At least you have Quackity to be insane with.”

“Are you kidding?” Sapnap says incredulously. “You’ve seen how much Quackity complains about his assignments. We don’t need another insane person in our friend group, I’d rather kill myself.”

Dream rolls his eyes and hums. “Speaking of friend groups; are you saying that you have another friend besides us?”

“He’s not even my friend. He’s Karl’s friend, we just hung out before.”

“So you’ve hung out with him, but didn’t bother to invite me? I thought you were my friend!” Dream pouts sarcastically.

Sapnap stares at him blankly. “You literally denied my invitation ‘cause you were down at the time. I didn’t want to ruin your crying sessions.”

“True,” Dream agrees, nodding his head side-to-side. “Still. You should’ve dragged me out.”

“Dream,” Sapnap says flatly. “One time, you threatened me that you would chop off my dick when I asked you the exact question— you’re not fooling anyone.”

“Well— okay, that’s fair.” Dream laughs, and it was one of those laughs that he's been starting to hear more and more as time passes by; the little squeaks and wheezes that slip out.

Happy. Undoubtedly pure and happy.

For somebody that Sapnap had been acquainted with for basically his whole life, he never would’ve thought that he’d miss something like the sound of Dream’s laugh. Sure, sometimes, he’d bitch about how boisterous his laugh was but it doesn’t have an edge in it. He secretly adores how the man laughs with his whole chest like it was the only sound he could emit.

Dream and Sapnap have known each other since they were toddlers, a privilege that their parents were best friends. When he first heard the blond’s laugh, it wasn't something like it is now, though the squeaks have always been there. However, the wheeze only started to show up when they were in high school.

It first happened when Sapnap told Dream his horrible first impression of the girl he has been crushing on for a week. He’d told him how he dropped his food tray while talking to her, spilling the contents on the floor and ruining the girl’s shoes. Dream, at first, had stared at him like he was the biggest disappointment that had happened in his life, then a loud laugh shook his whole body seconds later. A wheeze was added to it like he was gasping for air.

Months pass, and he’s used to Dream wheezing at the dumbest shit ever. Sometimes, he’d complain about how loud he was being— because he was loud. But he never stopped him because who would do that when Dream is happy?

News flash: he knows a person who would, and it wasn’t someone who he’d like to see again.

Dream’s laugh is virulent. A song that would affect you in the best ways possible. Sapnap is glad that he gets to hear the sound of it.

His laugh is something that always cheers him up from dissatisfaction. Their dry humor always makes Sapnap laugh. Not because they're funny, but because he’d hear Dream laugh at how ludicrous their jokes were, then Sapnap would also laugh at the sound of Dream’s laughter.

It lifts most of the weight on his shoulder whenever that laughter resounds. It doesn’t matter what his situation was, or where they were. Dream’s giggles always comfort him.

Then a separation transpires after a three-month relationship that Dream was in fucked the basis of his amenity.

It ruined the blond for several weeks. Not because he was heartbroken that his ex left him, but because Dream couldn’t believe that he even got into the obviously inadequate relationship in the first place. It’s been months since the breakup, and Sapnap is more than glad to hear his laugh more.

So, hearing Dream laugh again with that same stupid wheeze, he couldn’t help but smile even though the joke was to his extent.

“Maybe you can meet him. The project is, like, good for two weeks,” Sapnap offers, always wanting the other in his business if he can. Dream does the same, anyway.

Dream tilts his head in genuine curiosity. “I’d like to meet him.” Dream tosses their trash to the nearest can, getting a few looks from the students around them. “What’s his name?”

“Sapnap?” A voice from behind him voices. Sapnap twisted his head and was greeted by Karl and George looking at them. George looks past his shoulder for a second then smiles bashfully. “Dream,” George acknowledges far too quickly before his eyes land on Sapnap again. “Hey, you got any plans for the project?”

“Not really.” Sapnap shrugs as Karl sits beside Dream on the bench. George sits beside him, gaze flickering to Dream for a second before settling on the Sapnap, Dream was also doing the same but with a light blush dusting his cheeks. Sapnap eyes them both a little suspiciously. “I was thinking we can go to that newly opened coffee shop just a block from campus so we can talk about it.”

“That’s fine with me,” George says with a nod, looking at Karl with a head tilt. Karl looked at him with confusion, and George nudged his foot. Sapnap raises his eyebrow. “Karl’s here to confess to you or something like that—”

“George,” Karl hisses, his face reddening. Sapnap can also feel his doing the same. Karl looks at him and smiles. “Are you free to hang out later, by the way? George and I were thinking about it. You can bring Dream and Quackity if you want.”

“I don’t think Quackity’s available today, he’s got a thesis to work on— what are we doing?” Sapnap asks, mentally checking his schedule. If he were to come with them, he’s not going to finish his own thesis in time. It’s fine, he supposes. He can just make up some lame excuse to his professor. This is more fun, anyway.

“Just movie night back in ours.”

“What are we watching?” Dream finally speaks up after his long silence. In his peripheral vision, Sapnap sees George look at Dream.

“Not sure,” George answers softly. Sapnap’s bewilderment only grows. “You can just pick something when we get there.”

Dream smiles softly at him, the corner of his eyes scrunching. That’s weird. “I’m okay with that.”

“Who said that you’re gonna be the one who’s picking the movie?” Karl interrupts with his arms crossed. Dream startles as if he forgot that Karl was beside him. Sapnap stares at him with parted lips.

“I did.” George raises a challenging brow at Karl.

“It’s my turn to pick this time!” Karl cries, but Sapnap can hear the bubbly laugh in his chest threatening to resurface.

“No, I just decided that I’ll be choosing it this time ‘cause you didn’t tell Sap—”

Despite wanting to hear what George was going to say, he couldn’t help but ask Dream, “I take it you two know each other?”

Dream opens his mouth, stuttering and momentarily unable to form words.

“Yes…” Dream mumbles. “I do know George. He’s in one of my classes.” George raises a brow. “Shut up.”

“We’ve worked on a project before,” George supplies, playing with his fingers.

“When?” Sapnap asks in genuine curiosity. “You didn’t tell me that you’ve met George.” Dream hasn’t told anything about him recently, it was like the man was keeping the Earth’s secret or something like that. Though, Sapnap can’t think of any situation that Dream could have brought up George. He feels a little stupid when he asked that.

“You did the same thing,” Dream shoots back, and immediately cringes. “Well, we’ve only really hung out like… a couple of months ago?”

“Less than a year, give or take.” There was a foot war happening under the table.

“What did you guys do?” Sapnap asks Dream, and he was surprised at the tinge of accusatory in his words. Karl even giggles while George blushes next to him. A wave of astonishment hit him. “Are you guys—”

“Don’t fucking finish that— no, we’re not!” Dream shouts, earning him another set of eyes. “Stop interrogating me, what the hell is wrong with you, seriously.” Dream was blushing furiously that Sapnap had to strain his jaw to stop it from hanging open.

The revelation was besmeared on Sapnap’s face, he’s sure of that. His mind is running hundreds of miles per hour and his thoughts become muddled together.

But one thought topped it all up; if they aren’t fuck buddies, then Dream definitely has taken a liking on George. Holy shit.

Because Dream was flushed like a tomato, and Sapnap has seen that look before. It was a look that pigmented his face when Dream met his ex for the first time. The thought fills a little space in his stomach with dread but he brushes it off.

Sapnap gives him a look that says, ‘We’ll talk about this later.’ Dream just flushes harder under his stare.

“Okay, Dream, I believe you,” Sapnap says, but the accusatory tone was still there. “Anyway…” Sapnap turns to Karl who is still giggling. He’s so pretty, Sapnap thinks as Karl brings a hand to cover his mouth just as his giggles disperse. Holy shit. “What time?”

“Around seven…?” Karl answers, uncertain. “I still have to meet my partner at four.”

“Partner?” Sapnap repeats, his tongue suddenly feeling numb.

Karl has a partner. George observes him oddly.

“Yeah, that freakin’ jock guy in our class.” Karl groans, hiding his head underneath his shoulders. Oh. “He wants to finish the project as soon as possible— he wasn’t even being polite when he talked to me!”

A project partner. Okay. Sapnap tries to calm his racing heart. George snickers quietly next to him. Sapnap tried his best to ignore him.

“Oh. Okay— that’s okay.” The embarrassment slowly drains out of him, but he sees Dream covering his mouth, probably hiding his laughter or something. Sapnap gives him a hard glare. “Seven’s okay for me. Dream?”

Dream sits up straighter. “Yep, that’s fine with me,” He agrees, but the blond was looking beside him— at George with a soft smile. What the fuck is happening.

George suddenly stands, making Sapnap startle in his seat. George picks up his bag and slings it over his shoulder, smiling softly at Dream. Sapnap and Karl share a bewildered stare.

“See you later,” George almost whispers. “Karl?”

“Yep, I'll see you two in ours later. Bring some food if you want.” With a smile sent to them, Karl walks away with George in the lead.

When they were out of earshot, Sapnap took a deep breath, inhaling sharply in his nose and exhaling heavily out of his mouth. He looks at Dream who was looking everywhere but him.

“You like him?” Sapnap says, straight to the point because there was no point in beating around the bush. “Haven’t heard of this.”

“Yeah, well…” Dream hesitates, biting the skin of his thumb. Sapnap kicks his foot to stop him. “Listen, I haven’t told you anything yet ‘cause I’m not sure if I wanna do something with it.”

A tug in his heartstrings. Sapnap really despises his ex.

“I’m sorry.”

Dream waves him off. “No, no, no. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you, but listen, you’re, like, my enabler. If you knew about it then you would’ve told me to do something.”

“Well— yeah, true.” Sapnap shrugs with a sheepish smile. “But I don’t think I’d encourage you to be in a relationship with him—”

“George is nice—” Dream interrupts with thinned lips and a creased forehead like Sapnap just said the most insulting thing ever.

“I know that,” Sapnap huffs with an eye roll. “What I meant was you just got out of the shittiest relationship ever. I’m not going to persuade you into another relationship when I see what happened to you in the end.”

Dream paused, thinking, or maybe contemplating what he was going to say.

“I really like him and, like, I wanna tell him that but I also don’t want to,” He whispers. “I know that he likes me too—”

“What?” Sapnap hisses. Dream could’ve told him that he was dying and he’d believed him more. “What do you mean he likes you too?”

“We’re not oblivious like some people,” Dream mocks with a sickly sweet smile. It was forced. “But we never said it out loud.”

“Good for you, I guess,” Sapnap grumbles. He wishes Karl was still here.

“Thanks.” Dream stands up, walking towards the entrance of the school. “George knows what happened. That’s why he’s all but cautious towards me and I hate it, and I hate him.”

Sapnap smiles bitterly as he follows Dream.

“Me too, buddy. Me too.”

—

It has been a week since the four of them watched some shitty movie that had George dying from boredom and suggested doing something else. They went to a busy bar three blocks from their dorms instead and despite George suggesting the idea of drinking, he stayed sober the whole night alongside Dream who never really tasted alcohol in his life.

It has been a week since Sapnap kissed Karl and worked on their relationship. Who would have thought that alcohol will do it for them? Certainly not Sapnap, he’ll tell them that.

He wasn't really drunk; a couple of shots and that was it. Karl, however, doesn't have the tolerance to drink five glasses in a row. (Sapnap doesn't think anyone has.) But it was enough for Karl to just blurt out a Shakespeare quote out of the blue and kiss him.

It has been a week since he got a partner. It has been a week since he built a new friendship with George, and Sapnap was ecstatic.

Dream, on the other hand, was not, as Sapnap watches him pace around his own apartment. Karl and George were lying on the floor, also monitoring him as millions of thoughts ran through his head.

By fair means, Sapnap isn’t thrilled about the situation at all. No one is, really. Karl has a scowl dotting his face and furrowed brows. He looks like he wants to say something vile, his pursed lips just stopping him.

George, who has been angered since Dream’s phone rang, stayed silent, but Sapnap could bet on his life that the man was plotting a murder silently. The brunet might look like he’s innocent, a person who someone could trust their child with, but George is a hundred percent menace.

Sapnap has learned that no one should mess with him in the past week he’s gotten to know him if he wants to keep his balls attached to his body.

He didn’t even do anything bad but it almost happened two times, and he’s never been afraid of losing his balls in his life.

It happened the day after they went to the bar, they had classes that day (which Karl had regretted his decision of getting shit-faced with alcohol), and George insisted on starting their project later that day, Sapnap had agreed. But when he didn’t make it in time, forgetting about their scheduled arrangement because of the hangover he was also putting up with, George had muttered some threat of decapitating his genitals for making him wait for too long with a fatal glare.

When Karl forgot some of his predominant notes for his major, Sapnap had been involved in going to Karl’s and George’s shared dorm to get his boyfriend’s papers. That meant waking up George at an unreasonable hour while Karl runs some errands. Turns out, no one should disturb him if the threat that George mumbles under his breath while shoving Karl’s stuff in his arms tells anything.

At one point, Sapnap had whined about George’s sharpness to Dream and Karl, while George denies every quibble he says. It wasn’t a surprise when Dream backed up George, siding the brunet with every inch of his skin. Later on, Karl told him that George doesn’t mean it.

“Sometimes, he does, but only if you really deserve it,” Karl had divulged, patting his hair mockingly, as Dream and George lived in their own bubble, completely ignoring his cavil. Sapnap believed him.

So, for Sapnap, and maybe even for Karl, it wouldn’t be a surprise that George is actually plotting something behind that razor-sharp gaze while Dream tries to tell his ex to fuck off as nicely as possible. Probably even Dream, since the blond keeps looking at George wearily.

Dream sighs loudly, and Sapnap can hear the frustration in the breath he let out, running a hand through his hair. It looks like the blond wants to rip his hair out of his scalp.

“I already told you,” Dream says gently, like he was talking to a child who doesn’t know how to stop. “I don’t want to do anything with you anymore. We’re done.”

Karl opens his mouth, seemingly losing his patience, but Sapnap holds a foot out and aims at his mouth. Karl slaps his leg away, a deeper scowl on his face— Sapnap sushes him.

The speakers let out muffled words, they were quick and loud, and then a shout. Dream winces, pulling the phone away from his ears.

George, all of the sudden, shoots up from the ground. Dream immediately backs away from him, shielding the phone from George’s clawing hands. Dream quickly taps the mute button to hiss at George.

“What are you doing?” Panic was painted all over his profile. “Don’t—”

“Let me have it,” George whisper-shouts, making a move to the phone again. “I’ll handle it.”

Sapnap just watches, and Karl looks like he wants to back up George.

He sticks out his foot again.

“I am handling it,” Dream insists, softer this time. He places a hand on George’s forearm, wanting to guide him back to the couch, but he stays rooted in his place.

“You’ve been ‘handling’ it for almost fifteen minutes and nothing is happening.” George looks back at them like he’s asking them a question. They both nodded. “Give me the phone.”

In years of his and Dream’s friendship; he knows that Dream was someone who was a tough one to crack. Seeing Dream’s confidence crumble under his demand was amusing. And also chafing, because George is the only one who could do that to Dream. (He remembers the one time when he had begged Dream to go to Disney with him, and the other had refused. Maybe he can use George for that.)

“I— no, it-it’s fine, George.” George finally lets Dream guide him toward the couch.

Another shout comes through, and Dream winces when George turns around to glare at him.

He just holds his palm out, silently asking for the phone to be handed. Dream finally crumbles and reluctantly puts the device atop his awaiting hand. George rolls his eyes and tosses the phone to Karl, who immediately puts the phone on speaker mode.

“Dream? C’mon, baby—” The four of them cringed at the pet name. “— Just give me one more chance… please.”

Karl fakes a gag before unmuting the phone. “Stop that,” He says, disgust curling with his words. “Jesus, can’t you just leave him alone?”

There was silence for about ten seconds on the other end of the line before the person spits, “Who the fuck is this?”

Sapnap snatches the phone away from Karl and stands up. “Okay, dude, you can’t just talk to people like that. What the hell is wrong with you. Something you want?” Hands are tugging on his shirt. Sapnap walks away.

Quiet shortly hums out of the phone’s speaker before a harsh scrape of presumably metal chair comes through. “Nick?” The man asks hesitantly like he was approaching some rabid animal. “Is that you?”

“Okay, you know what, James?” Sapnap interrupts harshly. “I think we need to talk.”

“I don’t need to talk to you. I need to talk to Dream.”

“No, you can’t,” Sapnap states simply. He can feel the vexation starting to simmer. “Listen, you want to talk to my best friend, sure, fine. Tell me what you wanted to say to him and I’ll pass it to him.”

“I’m not telling you anything, what the fuck.”

“So, we’re done then,” He announces delightedly. “It’s been nice talking to you, James. Don’t ever call us, ever again.”

“Nick,” Dream tries to interrupt, but George sends him another look that has Dream quickly pursing his lips. “Fine.”

The two started to argue quietly; George widely gestured with his hands, pointing at Sapnap— at the phone to be more exact. He hears George hiss something about letting them talk to his ex. Dream defends himself that he can talk to James on his own, that he can make him stop.

Sapnap would’ve loved to roll his eyes at the blond because all this time, a push and pull was what happened during their exchange. James would say that he wants him back, begging for forgiveness, and will do anything. Dream would calmly decline until frustration gets into him. His ex would talk him out of it, assuring him that he will stop before trying to convince him again to be back together— which Sapnap wouldn’t let happen or Dream will have a nail punctured in his head. Although Dream wouldn’t let that happen, at least he knows what he’ll do.

If he somehow sees the fucker’s face again, Sapnap thinks he’d deck him right in the face because he’d rather tolerate George’s tiresome ass till his pubes were white than to see James’ face again.

Looking down at the phone in his hand, James’ voice resonates out of the shitty speaker that he doesn’t bother to hear out. When Dream’s phone rang earlier, Sapnap and George had shared a look of dread. Now, the dread still sits in his stomach with annoyance accompanying it.

“— Didn’t even do anything to you, man.” There was no doubt in Sapnap’s mind that Dream can fend for himself, but his ex was unrelenting in a lot of facets of life, and one of them is ruining the blond’s happiness. Dream was way too forgiving for his own sake.

George suddenly snatches the phone out of his grasp, leaving Dream on his spot with a red face. Sapnap raises his eyebrows at that, though Dream only rolled his eyes in his response.

“James, was it?” George asks directly to the phone, and Sapnap wants to groan because he knows the tone he was using. This fucking man is up to no good. “Look, just letting you know that your ex, who you cheated on, is fine and perfectly content without you in the picture. Frankly, he doesn’t need you at all because there is someone else in the picture. He doesn’t need you ruining shit for him again.”

Dream and Sapnap look at each other with hung mouths, surprise showing on their faces. The blond was now fully red, blush dusting his neck up to his cheeks. He sees Dream’s lips turn upward, but he quickly straightens them. Sapnap sees it anyway and he wants to roll his eyes.

Karl was cheering quietly when he slumped back down the couch. It made Sapnap smile. Promptly, he realizes that he wasn’t any better than Dream. Okay, damn.

“Excuse me? Who’s this?” Sapnap hears the bewilderment in his voice. His voice was a little too loud for their liking, but George didn’t bother to turn the volume down.

George shrugs a taunt as if the man on the other line could see him.

“Someone who’s not a shitty person.” A pause, and George walks toward Dream. “Unlike other people.” He hands the phone to Dream and plops down beside Sapnap.

Dream stared at George, and only George for a long time, before ending the call without a look at his phone. He strides in front of George, holding his forearms into his hands, and drags him out of the living room to the blond’s room without a single glance at them, not even acknowledging Karl’s loud laughter.

“Are they already together?” Sapnap asks Karl slowly, a little confused at George’s words and mostly surprised. When Karl came down from his laughter, he just shrugged.

“I think George would tell me if there’s any development between them so, no, I don’t think so,” Karl answers quietly. Both of their eyes are trained down the hallway. They can’t hear anything, only Karl’s short puffs of air as he regains his breathing. Sapnap wonders what they’re doing, and it’s obvious that Karl was doing the same thing. “James still sounds like an ass.”

“He always is.” Sapnap nods in agreement. “That’s why I don’t want Dream to do anything with him.”

“You’re a good friend.” Karl smiles, pressing a kiss on his cheek. “George is too, I can vouch for him.” Sapnap smiles, remembering Dream’s words when they were eating in the courtyard. “A bit of a dumbass, but he's good.”

He nods again. “I know.” Sapnap’s head falls back to Karl’s shoulder, the other’s hand immediately carding through his hair. “He’s good for Dream, I believe that. I’m… I’m just feeling a little guilty.”

It seemed to take Karl aback, fingers stopping to move for a moment before scratching his scalp, opting for Sapnap to melt against him. His partner was looking at him deliberately.

“It wasn’t your fault.” He tries to comfort him, pulling him in a little tighter. “You just wanted to make him happy, and I think you gave him that for a short amount of time.”

“The ending wasn’t worth it,” Sapnap mumbles, memories of phony kindness haunt him in a flash. “I egged him to date an asshole like an idiot.” Because that’s what happened, wasn't it? Dream asked him for advice because some guy asked him out, and Sapnap, who only wanted to make his brother happy, of course, gave him guidance.

He was a month late when he realized that he trapped his best friend in some kind of chain that was enough to draw the prosperity out of him.

Humans are good at acting. A little too good for his preference, he might say, because even Sapnap himself fell for the fabricated words James spat when Dream introduced him as his boyfriend.

It wasn't worth it.

“Not your fault,” Karl repeats, more firmly this time. “James is a dick that deceived Dream and you for thinking that he's some saint. Hell, even I thought he’d be good for Dream, apparently not.”

“I know.” Because he does know. He knows that James was all tooth-rotting smile and fake sincerity, he’s known it the first time they’ve ever interacted. Sapnap had seen it all. He also thought that the guy was good for him. Well, he wasn’t, and that has been eating him alive.

They’ve talked about it before. Sapnap apologized for even motivating him to go with the guy, though, deep down, he fully knows that it wasn’t his fault. He’s not the one to blame. He can’t help how he feels though, can’t help the guilt that crashed with silence for a month. Dream reassured him till he forgets it for the time being.

The feeling always comes back because he would remember that Dream wasn’t himself for some time. It was a loop; he’ll feel bad, Dream will dismiss his apology because it’s not his fault, he’ll calm down for a bit then he’ll feel bad again.

Dream’s previous relationship dissipates as any other connection does, not because they’ve fallen out of love (because Sapnap knows they weren’t in love, Dream had told him that at some point. And he wasn’t oblivious, he knows that they weren’t), but because Dream had enough of him. Enough of his bullshit, lame excuses, and fake sobriety. Marks that came from intimacy but did not come from Dream. Screaming matches that would have Dream ended up crashing into Sapnap’s dorm.

It wasn’t that Dream didn’t try to break up with James, in fact, he did by the first month of their relationship because he knew that it wasn’t working. Sapnap helped him with how to approach because he also realized the mistake he’d made, but it didn’t work because James was something else. James was someone who would go as far as needed just to claim his wants— which would've been appealing to Sapnap if James’ persistence had good intentions.

Well, when he first heard about James, Dream talked well of him; polite and likable when the man approached him in one of his classes, Sapnap can even faintly recall Dream calling him shy. He would’ve scoffed at the memory if Karl wasn’t sitting beside him because James was the most self-assertive guy he had ever met in his damn life. When Sapnap met him for the first time, he thought James had a nice aim. He thought and believed. Nowadays, he rues every single good thing he’d thought of the guy.

When he heard about him, Sapnap wanted to help, and he did. He thought he’d be good for Dream. Turns out: James wasn’t good for him. He thought Dream would be happy, but he wasn’t. He thought he’d done something good. (He didn’t.)

He thought it was all his fault, but it wasn’t, based on what Dream told him.

Dealing with regret wasn’t something he was used to. It sucks. James sucks.

Fuck emotions. Fuck fake niceties. Fuck cheaters. Fuck James—

“Do you think he’s stalking him?” Sapnap asks suddenly, mind blanking. He doesn’t know where that idea came from. He’s starting to lose his mind.

The fingers stopped again. Sapnap looked up to see Karl looking at him like he’d grown two heads. Or maybe concerned, he wasn’t sure.

“Okay, that’s… that’s just creepy.” Karl slowly looks back to the hallway where Dream and George are doing God knows what, distantly eyeing the cream-colored walls of the blond’s flat. “If he is, then, we’ll report him, but I don’t think so. That’s some next level of mania.”

They stared at the wall for a while before Sapnap shrugged opposingly. “If he can call Dream when he blocked his number then maybe he’s doing something else. You know how that guy’s brain works. Granted that he could do that, he could also do worse.”

Karl just shakes his head. “I think you need to rest.”

“Don’t brush off my concern,” Sapnap grumbles, but silently, he agrees. It’s almost midnight and he doesn’t really want to drive his shitty truck back to the dorms. He thinks of just crashing into one of Dream’s extra rooms. “I care for him. He’s, like, my brother, Karl.”

“I know you do,” He murmurs, his hand leaving his hair to rub his shoulder. “And I also know that you were thinking about how ‘it was your fault’, and I’m here to tell you that it wasn’t.” Karl sighs. “Breakups happen. At least Dream got out of it. Good for him, really.”

“True.” Sapnap sinks further into Karl’s body. “What do you think they’re doing right now?” He asks just as the sound of a door opening travels through the hallway. They both watch as a slither of light reflects on the wall.

“Oh, well, I don’t think they were making out.”

“That was pretty bold of George, by the way.” Footsteps are heading toward them.

“Yeah,” Karl agrees, but it was a bit slurry. “Maybe they just talked or something, I don’t know.”

The footsteps stop, and Sapnap hums, his eyes fluttering shut. The exhaustion hit him at once. The hand rubbing his arm and combing his hair lay limp on his side.

“Oh,” Sapnap faintly hears a gasp. “They’re already asleep. Should… them up?” It sounded like George, but the words were cut off as sleep slowly welcomed him.

“... Let them…”

“They’re gonna wake up with sore necks.”

The body beside him stirs, causing Sapnap’s head to dip lower.

“... Could’ve slept in the… our fault.”

“You can carry… room.”

“No, thanks.”

“You’re mean.”

“You just… love me!”

Sapnap stirs.

“... Just changed my mind, not anymore.”

He wants to groan at the voices, but the warmth next to him pulls him further in the upcoming respite, making his brain buzz.

“It’s getting… you should stay.”

Silence finally buzzes in his ears for a good amount of time.

“Fine,” Was the amused reply that came out of the other voice, but it was fucking loud.

Blinking irritably, Sapnap groans and sends a detrimental glare to Dream and George.

—

“Dream,” Sapnap sighs for the umpteenth time in the past ten minutes or so. The blond was treading his room like a hurricane, clothes tossed on the bed as he rummaged through the closet in a quest to find a smoothen dress shirt. “Dream,” He tries again, louder this time, looking up from his place on the floor. Dream doesn’t pay him any mind, possibly because of the pair of AirPods shoved in his ear, or maybe he just doesn’t care.

Beyond being confused about why Dream needs to wear formal attire on his and George’s supposedly ‘date’, Sapnap lets out a sigh and lets his head fall back on the frame of the blond’s door. No, actually, it’s not a date, because Dream insisted to him that it’s not and offered to come with, which, to Sapnap’s judgment, is pretty absurd. But Dream had given him his pleading eyes that would’ve immediately worked if he was George. Hesitant at first, he finally gave in when he sensed the blond’s nervousness. Who even has dates in dorm rooms while doing their project?

It wasn’t a date, anyway. At least he wouldn’t interfere on a damn date.

Dream throws another t-shirt on the bed.

“Dude!” Sapnap shouts, hoping for the man to be able to hear him.

The blond stops. “What?” Dream snaps, no heat behind the word. He unplugs one of the buds from his ear, tossing it to the pile of clothes and returning to rummage his closet.

“You look fine, Dream,” Sapnap says with an eye roll. He scrutinizes the blond’s clothes; a sweater that has cat imprints and a pair of black jeans. “You don’t need to wear a damn dress shirt when you’re just ‘doing a project’—” He mocks, fingers curling in the air as he signs quotation marks. “— With your crush. Jesus, you’d look dumb, I swear. What you’re wearing’s just fine. I like it.”

“How can you know that?” Dream looks down at his clothes, then scrunches his nose. “You’re not the one who’s supposed to be liking it, it’s George.” An eye roll was sent to him but he finally stops scrimmaging the now-disastrous closet.

“So it’s okay for you to look dumb in front of me but not in front of George,” Sapnap hums sarcastically, nodding his head in fake casualness. “You said it wouldn’t be a date. Well, for me—”

“I look dumb?” The taller asks numbly, looking at the clothes he was wearing again.

“Shut up, you don’t.” Sapnap rolls his eyes at Dream’s maim tone. “It’s not a date, right? Sure, yeah. For me, it could be, like, a date but also not because who would consider typing a shared essay romantic? No one…” A pause. “I don’t really know where I was going with that. But that’s beyond the point. The point is, you’d look dumb walking through the dorm’s hallway wearing a dress shirt. That’s… that’s all I wanted to say.”

Dream was still looking down. “Is it a date?” He asks, mostly to himself because of how quiet his voice is. “I mean, to be fair, he said I could bring you with me.”

“Probably because Karl is also there, and he’s used to me crashing in their place.” Sapnap shrugs, picking at the splinter of the floorboard. “Why do you even want me there?”

“Emotional support or something like that.” The blond starts to fold the crumpled garments as he sits down on his bed. “Or maybe for background noise ‘cause you’re annoying and stuff.”

“Emotional support my ass,” Sapnap echoes incredulously, standing up to help Dream fold. “You guys kissed once and suddenly, you’re having an internal crisis.”

Dream groans, aggressively patting a wrinkly collar. “If he decides to stop talking to me because I kissed him, at least you’d be there to drive me back here.”

“I feel like he wouldn’t waste the effort to invite you when you could just do your project separately. He wants to see you.”

Last night, his friends kissed.

Dream and George kissed. Good for them, right? Indeed. Sapnap was delighted by the news when Dream told him that he kissed George after the phone call incident happened, dragging the brunet to his room and kissing him stupidly. (Sapnap found the last detail unnecessary, and he told Dream just much, but he just continued to ramble on about what ensued.) At least they didn’t do anything further than that.

Sapnap was happy for them, really, but Dream was hesitant about the whole thing, which Sapnap painfully understands. While Sapnap doesn’t see any flaw in George except his presumptuous attitude that he doesn’t fuss on anymore because that’s just how George was, the worry of messing up a potential long-term relationship hangs heavily on his shoulder that even Sapnap can see it himself.

George was someone who would be good for Dream, his assiduity in the times of Dream’s melancholy state was enough for Sapnap to believe it. Because that’s what happened. George was the one who lifted Dream out of that state, checking in on him for two months, painting the golden shade back into his life. He was the one who visited Dream in his apartment to cheer him up, and Dream would always let him, or Dream would invite George and he would brush anything off just so he could be with Dream. Sapnap would’ve been jealous, because when he does check in on him, Dream would brush him off most of the time, but he just wasn’t.

He wasn’t because George was the one who brought him back. Dream’s wheezy laugh, his contaminating smile, and his bright demeanor. George was the one who brought Dream back, and that was enough for him, though sometimes, Sapnap finds himself envying George’s ability to do that.

“What if he told me to come because he’s going to tell me that he doesn’t want to talk to me anymore?” Dream asks with a tired sigh, and he never thought that he’d hear the most ridiculous question come out of someone's mouth.

“You hear how ridiculous that sounds, right?” Sapnap scoffs, mildly amused. “He’s George.”

Dream chuckles airily. “Exactly. He’s George, it’s hard to read him if he liked the kiss or not.”

“He told you he loves you and he shared a bed with you last night,” Sapnap deadpans, tossing Dream the other piece of his AirPods. Sometimes, he wishes Dream goes back to being forward. He can’t blame him, though. “If you’re asking me, I think he fucking likes it.” Dream looks down at his sweater again, and Sapnap wants to put a brace around his neck. “I’m pretty sure I almost caught him stealing that sweater.”

“What?” Dream snaps his head to him, shockingly quick. He doesn’t know why Dream acted surprised by that. Sapnap was pretty sure Dream knows that George steals his sweaters all the time. “Did he really?”

Sapnap groans. “I don’t wanna talk about this,” He playfully cries, falling back into the plush of Dream’s mattress.

“Well.”

An eye roll, it was fond. “What are you even scared of?” Sapnap asks him, despite knowing the answer.

“Of fucking it up,” Dream almost whispers, hands still working on folding a shirt. “I’m really afraid of fucking it up because I’m too attached to him and I… we’ve only known each other for less than a year and I love him already, and that shit’s scary.”

Sapnap aches. The tremble in his voice almost made Sapnap wrap him in a cocoon, keep him safe, away from any threat that awaits him.

“What is it exactly that you want?”

“Him.” Dream shrugs, but it was saddened. “To be with him and not be scared ‘cause it’s annoying because I want to kiss him all the time—”

“Okay,” Sapnap interrupts, laughing and grimacing. “I get it, man, you don’t need to tell me that.”

“I just… I just don’t want to mess things up.” Dream runs a hand on his face in frustration. “Like, George is someone who actually looks at me, in like, another way. I know you care about me, or our other friends, for that matter, but he sees something in me that others don’t, and I treat him the same way just like what you said the other day. I want him to last because that is something or someone hard to find.

“I wish for what you and Karl have, you know? Careless, not cautious to move around because you know each other better than the rest. I guess me being scared is acceptable, fully knowing what happened the last time I tried to cherish someone. Exploring something entirely unfamiliar, trying to like someone I know nothing about.

“When I told George I was dating someone, I’ve never felt such regret in my life, because when we talked that day, it was like, we both knew that it was a bad move without even saying it out loud. And, man, was it a bad move,” Dream chuckles, solemn. “Bad idea to try and conceal your feelings by dating somebody else, I guess.”

Sapnap thinks he heard Dream sniffle, but he couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes because his chest painfully throbs— he thinks he might cry if he does.

Love burns everyone who coaxes to touch it. Satisfactory or disastrous, the flame will keep burning or it will cease and crumble into ashes. It would hug them welcomingly, letting them safely fall into the warmth of their arms, or it would force them down the cliff until they ignited into nothingness, vanishing into clouds of hurt that frightens them most.

Perhaps, it’s a gamble. A risk a lot of people are willing to take. If they found their people, they played a good game. If not, they recede empty-handed and possibly, with a damaged heart. Bravery, sometimes, is handed to humans since they were born, Dream wasn’t fortunate enough to be chosen.

By the looks of Dream’s tie with George, their mien with each other are less likely to disperse, but Sapnap still hopes that they were it for each other. So badly, he wants his friends to be happy recklessly.

The rustling of fabric smoothly registers in his ears, gradually loosening the tangle inside his chest, and when he finally pries his eyes open, he sees Dream smiling distantly. Immediately, he wanted to groan because he knew what the distant look in his eyes meant.

It means that he was thinking of George. Lovingly. Based on Sapnap’s observation, he hasn’t seen that look on his face before, not even from Dream’s past relationships besides James. It’s disgustingly fond, he notes to himself, and watches the blond fold the last shirt and place it atop the pile.

He shortly wonders what Dream saw in George that made the brunet completely different from his exes. Maybe it was just the universe doing its own thing because even Sapnap can tell George was different.

Or maybe because George just wasn’t an asshole, simple as that. He will never let Dream die without teasing him a million times at how horrendous he was at picking partners.

“You’re so dumb, bro, you know that?” Sapnap says with twitching lips. The mattress rises as Dream walks toward the closet and starts rearranging the clothes. “Like, you could’ve had your tongue down his throat all this time, but instead, you went and shove yours to another man who you didn’t even like.”

“No need to shove it on my face,” Dream scoffs. “That time, I wasn’t even sure that he felt the same about me, that’s why I did that. I agree, though, it was fucking dumb. I was dumb.”

“Damn, someone’s self-aware.” The phone in his pocket buzzes, he fishes it out and sees Karl’s message displayed on his lock screen. “Uh, I think we need to go.”

karl <3
sap, where r u guys
george is kinda freaking out rn
did dream change his mind or smtn???

“Did something happen?” Dream asks worriedly, and Sapnap can tell that the blond was thinking of all the possible scenarios of how he fucked the situation up. “Did I do something wrong?”

Sapnap fights the urge to let out a loud sigh. “You guys are hopeless,” He murmurs to himself, before speaking louder. “No, we’re kinda late ‘cause you got too many problems.”

“Shut up, moron.” Dream closes the door and runs to the bathroom. “I’m gonna take a piss, real quick. You have your bag on you, right?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Sapnap replies, distracted, fingers hovering over the keys.

sap <3
no nothing happened
dream just wrecked his room cause he wanted to wear a dress shirt
no big deal

karl <3
what
george told me its not a date

sap <3
exactly

karl <3
george is laughing his ass rn
were just doing our projects ryt
are they going on a date after this?

sap <3
ye we r
tell him to text his bf or wtvr
actually, dont hes peeing rn
anyway, i dont think so
probably just to impress his crush
which he does every time

karl <3
i have a boyfriend tho :p

sap <3
shut up moron :<

karl <3
y r u being mean :(

sap <3
what
who

karl <3
ok
see u later ig

sap <3
nooooo
dont be mad at me😭

karl <3
bye sap

sap <3
i think dream died
its been 8 mins he hasnt gotten out of the toilet

karl <3
tf why is he IN the toilet

sap <3
idk babe
y r u asking me
i thought u were mad

karl <3
shur up nimrod
see u later
byeee love you

sap <3
noo dont leave me😭😭😭

karl <3
bye sapnap :I

Sapnap decides to drop the phone when he hears the faucet run. He checks for his bag and sees it by the door— he needs to fucking pee. With a grunt, he gets up from the bed and knocks his knuckles on the bathroom door.

“Dream?” Sapnap calls out, fist already curling around the silver knob, tapping his foot impatiently. “Dude, are you done, yet?”

“I’m good now,” Dream replies with a hum.

Sapnap didn’t waste a second before opening the door with force. “Alright, get out. I need to pee,” He exclaims, frantic.

The faucet kept running. Dream just lets out an amused sigh, taking in a deep breath, he faces the mirror again. “Is the sweater really okay?”

“Get out.”

Dream huffs. “I’ll be in the car. Don’t forget your things, and be quick,” Dream reminds him over his shoulder, exiting the room. “George will be mad if we’re late more than we are.”

“Oh, of course.” Sapnap rolls his eyes in incredulity. “We don’t want your little boyfriend mad at you.” Although it was a little tiring how often Dream worried about George, he would be lying if he said that it wasn’t sweet. It was tiring though.

In the car, Dream tended to be more poised, even letting Sapnap pick the song for their fifteen-minute ride which was weird because that never happens, mostly having Dream play the same playlist over and over again or either George will have the aux instead. However, he was also getting tired of his own playlist that he complained to the blond.

“I have some new ones, if you want,” Dream suggests, placing his phone in the cup holder, and when Sapnap scrolls through his Spotify, he can’t help but make a face at the title of his playlists and the songs they contain.

“What the hell are these…” Sapnap scrolls, scrolls, scrolls, and stares at the numerous Taylor Swift songs that all of his playlists had infiltrated. “He’s corrupted you, man, what the hell.”

“Do you have any problem with me listening to Taylor?” Dream raises a challenging brow and pulls out of the parking lot of his complex. “I don’t see any problem with her.”

“I don’t have a problem with her,” Sapnap says candidly. He exits one of the playlists and clicks on another one, he notices that it was shared with someone. With George. He scrolls again, and blurs of pink covers fly on his screen. “You guys are just weird ‘cause you two already act like a couple, like—” He flaps his hand vaguely. “I’m not even surprised, but all of your playlists, really?”

“She makes good music, dude.” Dream shrugs, unaffected. “You can’t blame me for that.”

“Yeah, because you can relate to most of her songs. You’re, like, in love or some— oh, wait, you are,” Sapnap drawls flatly, but a smile was threatening to cross his face. “You guys are disgusting, Jesus.”

“I asked him who he was listening to and he just told me to listen to her—”

“I know that.” Sapnap rolls his eyes. “He already tried to turn me into one of them. And he also puts his volume to the highest even though he’s wearing headphones, and I swear it’s louder than my fart.”

Dream just smiles, and Sapnap closes the current playlist he was just in. He clicks on another one called ‘you were there’, which he guesses were a lyric to one of her songs. He barely fights an eye roll.

Clicking the shuffle mode, he places down the phone just as the psalm of the guitar comes through the car’s speaker.

“Took a deep breath in the mirror…”

Sapnap lets his head fall on the window, and he feels like something gratifying will be happening.

—

Dream was laughing at his own joke while George was trying his best to quarrel down a smile that Sapnap can see the strain on his face as he keeps an unimpressed face. Sapnap wants to tease George, but he can also feel his cheeks hurting.

Sapnap was on Karl’s side of their shared space, laptop on his lap as he worked on his research paper that was due by midnight. Karl was on his desk, continuously typing on his laptop, sometimes breaking his gaze from the screen to look at Dream and George whenever they snicker to themselves. Sapnap will see him smile softly at them and go back to typing, and he always realizes that he was staring at his boyfriend more than the device on his lap.

All of them work in silence, aside from Dream and George’s whispers, or the occasional laughs, but it wasn’t enough to destroy the serenity that looms over them. They’ve been working for three hours now, and the sounds of their keyboard clacking became static in his ears.

Dream laughs again, and George sushes him with a fond ‘shut up, idiot’, slapping Dream on the arm in an attempt to stop him from laughing.

The mattress dips beside him, and Karl places his laptop in front of him, and whispers, “I feel like we’re third-wheeling.”

Sapnap huffs in agreement. “Did you see George kiss Dream earlier?” He asks, leveling his voice with Karl’s.

“I think they were making out when Dream followed him into the bathroom. Maybe. Just maybe.”

“I think they’re trying to be subtle, but I don’t think it’s working.”

“Why, though?” Karl mumbles, fingers resuming on the keyboard. “Didn’t they just ask us for our permission to date?”

“Permission to date,” Sapnap snorts incredulously. He looks at Karl and he brings a hand up to brush some hair that falls on Karl’s eyes. “They said they wanted to date, they don’t need our words for them to do as they please.”

“Well, you know how they are.” Karl rolls his eyes, fingers pausing in the air, turning to look at him. “They need, like… guidance, or something. They’re too… prudent.”

It feels familiar— they do have the same thought process.

“That’s a good thing, don’t you think?” They stare at each other’s eyes, and both of their lips twitch when they hear George giggles quietly. “I’m sure they’ll become more unrestrained around each other when they solve their problems— or forget, at least.”

Karl smiles, gray eyes casting downwards. “They are so…”

“Yeah.” Sapnap looks at the dark screen in front of him, forgotten. “Do you think they’ll last?”

“Do you?” Karl asks quietly, and Sapnap nods. “I think they will. George asked me the same thing.”

“Dream wants the same thing…” They both laugh. Sapnap didn’t care if he was loud, he was sure that the other two were in their own world. “Lately, I just realized that George has his own problems. I focused on making sure Dream would be okay a little too much, I didn’t realize that George had things to work on.”

“I do the same thing with George, Sap,” Karl says softly. Sapnap remembers their conversation when Karl told him he was helping his roommate because of a horrible breakup. God, why did his friends suck at finding the right person? 

“Why do they suck at dating,” Sapnap states flatly.

“And why do you suck at writing your paper?” He shoots back, sending him a sweet smile before turning back to his essay. “Do your paper or you’ll fail.”

“You sound like my high school teacher,” Sapnap huffs, but swipes his finger on the touchpad, watching the screen turn on and display his research outline. Outline. It has been three hours and he only has an outline. He needs to stop staring at his boyfriend so much or he’ll have no idea what to do in his future.

“We sound like high schoolers. You don’t see two grown men gossiping about their friends’ relationship.” Dream giggles again, and Sapnap sees Karl roll his eyes. “That’s, like, what every high schooler does.”

“What do you mean? We do that every time,” He whispers with a teasing smile.

“Shut up, nimrod.”

Later that day, when Sapnap said his farewell to his boyfriend and his friends, when he heard George whisper to Dream that he loved how his laugh sounded, he didn’t tease either of them. He just smiles (and his smile was achingly soft), before walking toward his corridor.

It feels like he was watching something delicate, and maybe it was. It feels like watching something bloom, a fire slowly ignites with small but soft smiles.

He was there when Dream rambled to him about what happened when he told George ‘I love you’ for the first time. The blond told him how George told him that he knew, that he loved him as well. Dream told him the… things… that happened after that. Sapnap informed him that he didn’t need to know any of that.

Dream called him a prude and complained about how he did the same thing when he and Karl got together. Sapnap stopped bitching. It was familiar.

It feels like he was watching something that happened before. Something he’s experienced before, perhaps.

With Karl, together, would bitch about how they always felt like they were third-wheeling even though they were in a relationship.

Dream and George would do the same thing, bitch about how they also felt they were third-wheeling even when they were in a relationship.

He watches. They have their different worlds, but it was familiar.

It was all familiar.

When Sapnap and George worked on their last day for their project, Dream decided to tag along. He watches everything. Their heads were thrown back, laughing like little kids. It wasn’t their date, they were supposed to finish their project.

When Sapnap complained, they didn’t retort with anything, just sending him bashful smiles and continuing to do what they do. When Sapnap complained, his cheeks were hurting from biting back a smile because he was happy. Sapnap was happy. His friends were happy.

On a Wednesday, he watched his friends be happy. On a Wednesday, he was happy because his friends were happy.

On a Wednesday, he watched.

They were something exquisite and intricate. When he watched them, he felt like it was special. He watched them evolve, he watched their flame ignite larger. It feels like he was watching something beginning. It feels like something begins. It was familiar.

And on a Wednesday, Sapnap watched it begin again.