Work Text:
Through his headphones, Dream heard a knock on the door to his room and when he turned around in his chair, Sapnap was already closing the door behind himself again.
„I've been knocking since forever, dude. What are you doing?“
Dream shook his head in slight amusement. „Sorry. I've just been looking at some footage, planning on editing it later. Why? What's up?“ He took off his headphones and set them down on his desk, turning his attention towards Sapnap completely. The younger looked troubled, he found.
„Are you alright?“, he questioned skeptically.
Sapnap raised his eyebrows slightly, avoiding his eyes. „I've been meaning to talk to you, actually. Can I sit down?“
Now Dream was just worried. He wouldn't ask to sit unless it's serious. Genuinely serious.
„Sure“, the blond said, standing up to sit down next to Sapnap on his bed. „What is it, then?“
Sapnap sat, legs crossed and body hunched over, but at least not avoiding his eyes anymore. He had his lips pressed together and eyebrows slightly raised.
Dream was starting to get slightly annoyed, even though he didnt want to.
„Sap, please, just spit it out, it's not like I’ll bite your head off. You-“
„You know you can tell me anything, right?“
Dream was taken aback at that, passing the few beats of silence by blinking slowly and trying not to look too confused.
„I just wanted to tell you that“, he chuckled, „but why do you tell me that now…?“
„You know that, ok?“
Dream blinked. „Yes? Where does this even come from, i mean- huh?“
„Good.“
There were a few seconds of silence, electricity vibrating from Dream's Set-Up. Sapnap was just awkwardly staring at him, seeming to expect something.
After a while, he slowly asked, „So, is there something you want to tell me?“
„Regarding what?“ Dream had given up. He had no idea where this was going now.
Sapnap rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. „Dream, do you… do you have a crush on our best friend? On… on George?“
There was a beat of forced silence over tuned by the blood rushing through Dream's ears while his stomach dropped.
But instead of answering directly, he asked, „What do you mean!? Why do you even ask that?“
„Because… well, not only I think it, to be fair, but… some people have lost view over wether it's all a joke or not. Like, dude… when we were in VC a few days ago you kept talking about all the ways you'll kiss him when he gets here. And that's only one of many, many moments, some even more… suspicious. But you didn't say anything directly, so I thought maybe you think you can't tell me, and I felt bad like that. So. Here we are. Do you?“
Dream blinked, overwhelmed. „Do i what?“
„Have a crush on him.“
„No.“ Dream noticed how that sounded. His voice was pitched too high, a slight choke at the end giving the rest. To sum it up, he sounded like a middleschooler denying his crush. Sapnap raised his eyebrows, he didnt believe him a word, and he could understand why.
„Ok, I know how that just sounded, but… no. No, I don't. I do not have a crush on George. It's- it's a bit. A long one, yes, but… it's fake, i swear. I don't actually think about kissing him, like, every day. Maybe every few days, but that's just because the whole Dreamnotfound thing has gotten out of hand and all over media. And… and when we talk like that when it's already late for him and his voice gets more slurred, who cares? Or when he- “
Sapnap was grinning at this point. „You’re down bad, dude. The bad kind of bad.“
„I'm fucking not, stop.“ Dream technically knew he had already lost, but his ego was too big for him to admit that.
„So, are you gay? Or what? Cause, whatever it is between you two is the least straight thing i've seen in a while.“ Sapnap seemed to look right through him, and he just kept going. „You know I support you, I don't have to tell you that again, right?“
Dream gave up. There was no point, really. He lived with sapnap. He had known him for almost a decade and they'd been best friends since. So, he let his shoulders down.
„No. You don't have to tell me again. I know.“ He raised his eyes to meet Sapnap's, any mischief in his expression gone at the sight of his best friend letting his guard down like that.
„And I'm not gay. I'm bi. It's no big surprise, I think. Twitter had it figured out even before I had.“
Sapnap stayed silent for a moment until he realised Dream was done.
„That's alright. That's cool.“ Both of their voices had been getting quiter, Sapnap's now finding strength again.
„You're cool with it.“ Dream raised his head, his words coming out as something between a question and a statement.
Sapnap laid his head to one side. „Dude, what did I just say to you? Yes. I am. What kind of person would I be if I wasn't? What kind of friend would I be?“
Dream smiled awkwardly. „I know, I know. But actually saying it is scary, even when you a hundred percent know the person you're telling supports you.“
„No, no, I get it. Just wanted to reassure you.“
Dream paused, deciding to get back to normality. Also known as turning Sapnap’s words around.
„What do you mean by you get it?“, he questioned teasingly, his voice a contrast to the now silent room.
He could see Sapnap's face lose all expression. „Dude, no.“ Dream heard slight panic in his voice. He tried everything not to burst out laughing. „Dude, Dream, listen-“
Dream lost it, bending over and wheezing. He heard Sapnap chuckle nervously but it was like in a distance, he barely heard it over the waves of relief washing over him.
Also watching Sapnap panic like that was unexplainably funny to him.
„You just-“, he was cut of by another roaring wheeze, „you just go, listen-“ His voice was higher than usual and his laughter filled the room to the max. Sapnap, on the other hand, just giggled nervously, which dream only noticed once he calmed down.
He looked at his friend, Sapnap's eyes hiding something in them.
Dream thought for a moment.
„Wait.“
„Dream, no, look-“
„Sapnap, are you actually-“
„Dream, please, just-“
„Wait a fucking second, that-“
„Clay!“
„Nick!“
They were staring at eachother as they would in a contest. Dream's jaw tensed up uncomfortably so he wouldn't grin, Sapnap raised his eyebrows to a warning look.
„Dream, don't. I swear to god.“
After a few moments of silence, Dream's eyes almost watering from the tension in his face so he wouldn't grin, he said, „You know you can tell me anything, right?“
„Dream, oh my god-“
„What are you afraid of? I just came out to you, you think I'll hate you?“
Dream felt himself get into a more serious head space again, even though he'd meant the conversation to be light hearted.
Sapnap rested his head in his hand, his messy hair falling forward and into his eyes when he looked back up at Dream.
„I don't think you'll hate me. But I told you, i get it. What you said about still being scared. So, do you get me now?“
„Yes.“ Dream smiled, this time not mischievously or playfully. Just friendly. „So? Wanna tell me something?“
„I like boys as well.“ Sapnap physically cringed. „It felt incredibly weird to say it like that.“
Dream chuckled. „No label yet? Or want some help finding one?“
„No. Labels are useless. Especially if I can't use them anyways. The rest of the world thinks I'm straight, and I'd like to keep it that way for now. Except for a few friends, of course.“
That actually sounded sad. But Dream knew it was the truth. He remembered his subs on youtube and views on twitch drop just a little bit too much to not notice when the information spread that he was, quote on quote, unlabeled. It had hurt him, not just for himself, but for the rest of queer people all over the internet, especially young ones. Seeing Sapnap now affected by it made the feeling return worse than before.
Moments of comfortable silence passed between them until Sapnap spoke up.
„So, George, huh?“
„So, Karl, huh?“
„Dream, listen-“