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It started with a cough. It was the FaceTime call. George seeing Dream’s face for the first time ever. It was meant to be a great moment and Sapnap was sitting next to Dream. Leaning on his shoulder. George was taking in Dream’s face and talking about it, the camera watching him intently.
“Alright say goodbye Dream!” George had said so he could turn off the camera and go about his day.
“Bye!”
Sapnap got up to go make lunch and suddenly Dream was coughing. No, he was choking. He took the phone with him but muted it as he set it on the sink to throw up into the toilet. George turned off the camera.
“Clay?” George asked and Dream sat against the sink, grabbing his phone and unmuting it.
“Sorry, Georgie. Just the flowers.” A pause, “again.”
George let out a breath. “I’ll be there soon and we can help each other. Okay? You’re okay and I’m okay. We’re both fine.” George said like he was trying to convince them both.
“Yeah.. we can help each other.” Dream spoke softly. “I don’t want to die.”
“I know. I don’t either. But you told me the other day that we just need to hold on. You were right, okay? We just need to hold on and we can stay alive together.” Dream heard George sniffle. They would have to do this together because they didn’t know how else they should.
*
Sapnap was giving them a weird look. George and Dream were snuggled on the couch together, Christmas gifts moved by the tree in need of taking care of. Sapnap was on the phone with Karl, just talking and passing by the living room. Dream and George and something random pulled up on the tv. “Yeah, they’re busy. I’ll have them talk to you later.” Sapnap said into the phone. “No, I don’t know. We can just talk though. Oh! We can play something!” Sapnap tore his eyes away and went to his room.
“Did he just lie to Karl about us?” George asked.
“Yeah, and he sounded upset.” A pause, “I should go talk to him.” Dream untangled himself from George and made his way to Sapnap’s room.
“Hey.” Dream said. Sapnap muted to his call as Valorant started loading on his pc screen. Dream leaned his left arm on the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Hey.” Sapnap spoke coldly, not bothering to pay any mind to Dream.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why would something be wrong?” Sapnap asked, still not looking at Dream.
“You’re being cold and you lied to Karl about George and I. Just talk to me so I can help.” Dream was speaking softly. He sounded genuinely concerned. Sapnap looked disgusted by the concern.
“I don’t need your fucking help.” Sapnap said. “Nothing is wrong so fucking drop it.” Sapnap didn’t look at Dream when he said that. But he did look when Dream bolted to Sapnap’s bathroom and slammed the door behind himself, locking it, and started throwing up.
Dream looked down at the dreadful Daylily petals floating in the water and huffed. “Clay!? What’s wrong!? Are you ok? Are you sick? What do you need? Can I come in?”
Dream let out a pitiful laugh at the concern lacing Sapnap’s voice. Before he started throwing up, Sapnap was acting like he hated Dream. Now that he was throwing up everything was fine. The petals were starting to get worse. More were falling than normal and there was a small trace of blood. He nor George had gotten blood. And then he saw it. His first ever full flower. He didn’t notice it at the start from the strain of throwing up but now he did and the sight nearly made him sick again, but this time with bile.
He felt the color drain from his face as his stomach dropped. He sat back on his knees and bit at his lip. He had to weigh his options. He could just act like this never happened or call for George. He was supposed to call for George. They agreed to be there for each other. George would be upset. But it’s hard. He’s in Sapnap’s bathroom and Sapnap is outside the door, begging to go in and comfort Dream. They are still best friends after all.
Dream opened his phone.
D: George, I threw up in his bathroom. There is some blood and a full flower. He will be mad if I ask for you or let you in and not him. Help.
Dream didn’t need to read the response as he rested his head on the wall next to him, eyes closing. It was draining this time. It was wrong.
There was blood and a full Daylily.
“Nick.” George said softly, entering the room.
“Make him let us in.” Sapnap said. “He’ll listen to you. You guys and your DNF bullshit. He’s madly in love with you, tell him to open the door.” Sapnap had meant it as a half joke. If it was too serious he was sure George wouldn’t look so calm and collected. Well, after Sapnap said Dream was madly in love with George, George looked a bit panicked.
“Don’t say that.” George said. “He can hear you.” George was whispering and Sapnap didn’t know why. It was all a joke. The DNF crap wasn’t real, and even if it was, Sapnap would support it. He had told them that already.
“Ok? Just make him open the door. He likes you more.” Before George could respond there was more puking and gagging and as soon as George heard sobs, he pulled the keys from his pocket and found the one he needed. The orange tape on the key with a flame drawn on was enough of a hint. George put it into the door and opened it, rushing over and flushing the toilet, seeing the sight he needed to see. Sapnap ran over and just crouched down to Dream’s level and rubbed his back, soothing the man. Luckily, he didn’t care to see into the toilet.
Sapnap helped Dream get up. George just made sure they were stable enough with Dream having an arm around Sapnap’s shoulder. The man was about to pass out from the looks of it and dried tears were still on his face. His mouth felt dry and disgusting and his lips were raw and chapped.
“Take him to your bedroom and lay with him. He likes to lay on his back so just curl into whichever side you prefer. Stay with him the whole time. Please..” George himself looked on the verge of tears. He looked worried beyond anything Sapnap had seen.
“Are you sure you don’t want to lay with him?”
George was messing with the hem of his shirt, looking at the ground. “No, it’s fine. He needs you over me. He might like me more but he loves you more so please take good care of him.” George felt tears building in his eyes as he whispered out a ‘please.’ Sapnap led them to his own room and laid with Dream. George went to his own room and curled up in bed, calling Karl and crying about how the world sucked and was extremely unfair.
George had told Karl that Dream had hanahaki over Sapnap. Dream told Sapnap that George has it over Karl. Karl and Sapnap have not passed on the message yet. They never planned to share the info said to them.
George had said it because he needed to vent to someone. Someone who wasn’t dying of the damn thing.
Dream had told Sapnap for the same reasons.
George had been right. None of it was very fair.
*
As December faded into January, George caught up with Dream in where he was at for puking flowers. Currently, Dream was holding George on his bathroom floor as his body shook and sobs left his mouth. It was the first time George puked up a whole flower. He was scared and Dream would protect him at all costs.
“We can’t keep going like this.. we need to confess.” Dream said softly. George gripped the taller’s shirt tightly.
“And if we get rejected? We die. A lot faster than we are.”
“Or maybe we can learn to move on.” Dream said and placed a gentle kiss to the crown of George’s head. “It’s become something much bigger than before.”
“Why couldn’t this have been easy? Why couldn’t we have loved each other?” George asked and Dream chuckled weakly.
“I don’t know, sweetheart. But how about this, when we do decide to confess, if it goes wrong, we can fall in love and have an amazing relationship till the disease takes over.” Dream rubbed his back. “I’ll take care of you the whole time.”
George nodded. His grip was getting loose on Dream’s shirt. Dream picked George up and carried him out of the bathroom and down the hall, placing a gentle kiss on his head again, kicking his own door open. Sapnap was walking the hall and stopped, seeing the two of them. George had his face tucked into Dream’s neck, he was drifting off to sleep.
“Oh, Nick, I uhm- can we talk?” He paused, “after I get him into bed.”
Sapnap couldn’t tear his eyes away from George in Dream’s hold. “You kissed his head.” Sapnap said.
“Yeah, to comfort him. Just.. Can we talk though?” Dream asked again, “I need to tell you something and it’s kind of important.”
Dream watched as Sapnap’s face twisted in a funny way. Like Dream just betrayed him. Like Dream just tore his heart out and stomped on it. “I’m going to Punz’s.” Sapnap said. “We can talk later or whatever.” Sapnap turned on his heels and retreated back down stairs. Dream sighed and felt the soft petals in his throat.
He walked into the room and set George on the bed, heading to the bathroom and coughing the flowers into the sink. 5. He rinsed them off and brought them into the room to the vase of Daylily’s on his desk and added them to the mix.
George would start collecting the Lilacs sooner or later.
And as January turned into February, things didn’t get better.
Dream thinks this whole thing could have been avoided if he got the chance to talk to Sapnap. He feels that if Sapnap didn’t run away everytime he asked to talk, it could be better. He didn’t have to be dying. And he didn’t have to watch George slowly die right behind him.
*
George had another episode. Dream was rubbing his back and comforting him in his bathroom. Dream remembered the first time he had an episode this bad. He was curled up against the cold tile shaking and crying for hours alone. George must know by now that Dream has gone through this, Dream goes through what George does first. Most of the time, Dream is alone. He doesn’t call for George like George calls for him. George hates it but Dream would rather help George than get help.
Dream was always destined to die first.
George curled into Dream’s chest, body shaking. “I don’t want to die.” George mumbled into the cloth of his shirt. “Please…” it was a soft broken whisper and it shattered Dream’s heart.
Dream carried him to bed and laid him down, tucking him in and placing a gentle kiss to his head. “Get some rest. I’ll be with Nick.” Dream smiled softly and George closed his eyes, mumbling a goodnight.
Dream ran into Sapnap’s room after stepping into the hall and gently closing the door, tears streaming down his face. “Nick, it hurts.” Sapnap opened his arms and Dream fell into them on his bed. “Hearing him beg for his life hurts… and I wish I could help it- I wish I could help him.” Sapnap rubbed his back as Dream sobbed into his chest. “How do I fix this? Nick, please. Please tell me how to fix this. He has that stupid vase of lilacs in his room and the more it grows the more I worry for his life. The flowers don’t die.. they just sit there. They sit there till you are cured or till you die.”
“Would you feel better if we went to your room? Patch will go in there and maybe we can call Karl and invite George to cuddle?”
“Can it just be us? We can move and have Patchey but.. I can’t look at him right now..” Dream was speaking in such a soft and broken tone that it ached Sapnap’s heart.
They moved to Dream’s room and Dream seemed to relax instantly just being in there. His sheets were still crumpled from when he had laid there last and Sapnap just laid them down. He was sitting against the headboard and Dream was lying on his stomach between Sapnap’s legs with his head in the brunette’s chest. Sapnap carded a hand through blonde curls as the blonde drifted off.
That’s when Sapnap saw the last thing he wanted to.
A vase of Daylilies.
S: George Davidson, what the fuck are a vase of DayLilies doing in his room on his desk? Some of them are stained with blood.
Sapnap typed the message and contemplated not sending it, but he did anyway.
George walked into the room and sighed, seeing the flowers and the tears on Sapnap’s face. “Nick..” George whispered.
“You knew.” Sapnap spoke softly. “You fucking knew.”
“Nick, listen.. I’m sorry. But you know about me with Karl..” a pause, “I’m worse than him.” He lied. “I’m so much worse. That’s from like a year.” George motioned to the vase. “Mine is from less than a month. Please don’t hate him for not telling you- if he tells you.. it’ll go bad.” George stepped forward and carded a hand through Dream’s hair where Sapnap stopped. “You have to trust him. And me. Okay? When the time comes he’ll tell you. He still has lots of time.”
“Ok.” Sapnap said. “Fine.”
George hummed and left the room, grabbing the vase of flowers off Dream’s desk as he passed. Sapnap closed his eyes.
*
Dream walked into George’s room and sat on the edge of the brunette's bed. “So, Valentine’s Day was like 2 weeks ago and I’m thinking soon we should invite Karl down. I think maybe next week and he can leave once March hits. Do you think that works?” Dream got no response. He chuckled because of course George was sleeping and didn’t wake up for anything.
Dream nudged George’s shoulder with his hand. “Georgie, wake up.” He laughed again at George’s ridiculousness and now knew he was faking it. Dream rolled George open and nearly stumbled off the bed in shock. Blood was dripping from his mouth and flowers laid in his bed. But most importantly.. he wasn’t breathing.
“Nick!” Dream screamed and started cpr after moving George to the floor carefully. He was glad that he had learned it at some summer program when he was in his teens. “Cmon, George. Stay with me.” Dream spoke softly.
Sapnap ran in and gasped, “what’s wrong with him?”
“Take my phone and call Doctor H.” Dream said.
“Why not 911?” Sapnap asked and took Dream’s phone from his pocket searching his contacts.
“Because they can’t help Hanahaki.” Dream explained and Sapnap called the number, putting the phone on speaker.
“I have George Davidson on the floor and I’m doing CPR. He was unresponsive when I found him 5 minutes ago.” Dream explained. “The address is the same as he gave you last week.”
“Okay, I will be right over. Does he have a pulse now?” The woman on the phone asked and Dream stopped what he was doing and pressed his ear to George’s chest.
“Yes but it’s faint. I’ll keep going till you get here.” Dream said and went back to doing cpr. The doctor confirmed the address and ended the call.
“Is he going to be okay? He told me 2 weeks ago that he was pretty bad.” Sapnap said.
Dream let out a breath remembering flashes of being in the same state as George. George didn’t call for Sapnap though when he found Dream. He called the doctor they had and was instructed on how to give CPR. Sapnap had been at Punz’s house. He never even knew Dream’s heart stopped beating.
“Can you go wait by the door so she can follow you to the room? She lives nearby. Her name is Megan.” Dream asked and Sapnap nodded, leaving the room and going to the front door of the house. Dream looked down at George, he felt a petal in his own throat. He could hardly do anything without a coughing fit anymore. And now George was starting to catch up. They were months in distance but as George’s feelings grow to the size that Dream’s are and time goes on, George gets worse as Dream does. They would probably die together if George were any quicker to getting feelings. But Dream is destined to die first. He had the feelings first and had them deep from the beginning. He fell hard. And it hurt every step down.
The doctor ran into the room and took a syringe out of a bag, shoving it into George’s arm. Dream stopped the chest compressions.
George shot awake instantly and shuffled over to Dream as quickly as he physically could, manic washing over his face as he clung to Dream’s shirt, sobbing and gasping for air. Dream held him like he was the most gentle thing in the world and Sapnap’s heart shattered for them.
Megan packed up her bag and let out a breath. “George, you know what I’m going to say to you.”
George shook his head and sobbed harder.
“Georgie, sweetheart, you’re running out of time.” Dream spoke softly. “I know you don’t want to hear it but you have to. Okay? You have to hear it. But I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.”
Megan nodded to Dream who nodded back and she took her leave. Sapnap tilted his head and Dream but his lip before picking George up. “You can do whatever, he’ll be fine now. It was a mock death. It happens with the disease. Shows you what could really happen. Usually people wake up from them naturally. I didn’t want to risk that small chance.” Dream explained. “I’m going to take him to my room to lay down. You can join us if you want.”
Sapnap nodded and followed Dream to his room.
Once Dream and George both fell asleep, Sapnap left the room to go to his own, calling Karl.
“This is going to sound horrible but.. seeing George dead on the floor made me think of Dream. Like what if I found Dream dead.. because of me? Because of a disease he has due to me? It was horrible seeing George dead even if it was for a minute or two and even if he wasn’t really dead yet. I just.. I can’t imagine what the two of them are going through. They love us and we did a shitty job showing we loved them back.”
“I wish there was more we could do.” Karl said.
“Me too..”
*
“I told you a hundred fucking times that I will be here with you and that I won’t go anywhere. I’m here for you forever.” Dream said, and George turned away from him. George was laying in his bed and Dream was standing next to him.
“I don’t believe you when you say that. You’re lying to me and yourself. You need to stop saying that.” George said. “Please.”
“George, I will be with you till the end. I promised it to you. I won’t die and you won’t have to let me go.” Dream said, grabbing George’s hand and George tugged his hand away.
“Please stop..” George whispered and turned to look at him again, tears slipping down his eyes. His hands were shaking, or maybe it was all of him.
“No. Because I will not abandon you. I will not just leave one day. I won’t die from this disease and leave you to suffer. You do not have to be the one to bury me. I would never do that to you. I love you, George. Ok? And Karl is the way to heal. Just like Nick is the way for me to heal. And if that fails, then we have each other. We love each other, we can make it work.” Dream cupped George’s face. “We used to love each other beyond what we should have, it didn’t disappear, it just faded away naturally and I will work my ass off to bring it back if it meant keeping you alive.”
“Why do you care so much that I live?” George asked, softly as he leaned into the touch.
“Because I don’t want to die for nothing, George. Even if the last thing I do is ensure that you and Karl are going to ride off into the sunset. Even if the last thing I do is kiss you to cure this curse after having you fall in love with me. Even if I have to fight and claw my way through whatever hell this Hanahaki gives us. I will not let myself die if I know you’re going to follow right after me.”
“You don’t even call for me anymore.” George said.
“What?”
“When you go through an episode. When shit gets worse. I’m not stupid, Clay. I go through the things you do a few days afterwards. You might be able to convince everyone else that you are fine but you aren’t. You don’t go to me anymore.” Because you had that look on your face. You were disappointed in me- or maybe you were hurting and sad and I promised not to hurt you before all this started and I intended to keep that promise. I hurt you by telling you when things got bad. I swore I wouldn’t hurt you so now I can’t tell you.
“Because I handle these things fine alone. Then I can help you.” Dream said. It was a bad explanation. It was terrible. “It’s not you, Georgie. I just want to help you as much as I can and not telling you is helping you.”
“I want to help you too.” George said.
“And I said no.” Dream said. “That’s final.” Dream’s eyes found the vase of flowers on George’s desk. He hadn’t even noticed them with how hectic it had been lately. Dream felt his heart fall to the floor in an instant as his eyes scanned the Daylilies. He didn’t need to ask. Dream swallowed thickly, there was a lump in his throat as his body was warm and his face was cold. His hands were shaking and his eyes were unsteady with dilated pupils and an unsure tug at his brow. Maybe it was more disbelief. Maybe he wished to go back in time when he could unsee the flowers.
“Clay-“
Dream held his hand up to keep George from speaking anymore. He then walked over and grabbed the vase of flowers and left the room with them. George ran after him as he swiftly walked to his own bathroom. Sapnap looked at them with a curious gaze, worrying when he saw the panic on George’s face. Sapnap ran after them and stopped when George was standing in front of a closed door. He gathered the fact that Dream locked it. “I can get the key.” Sapnap offered.
George closed his eyes tightly as he heard the toilet flush as the sound of glass being set on the marble sink. He shook his head. “I’m sorry.” George whispered to Sapnap.
“For what?” Sapnap asked.
George’s bottom lip was wobbling, his hands were unsteady. He looked guilty and Sapnap couldn’t figure out why.
“What happened?” Sapnap asked. The door opened and Dream pushed past them, grabbing his wallet off his desk and slipping it into his pocket and slipped a beanie on his head.
“Clay?” Sapnap asked. “Where are you going?”
“Out.” Dream said, typing something into his phone. “My driver is here.” He left the room then the house.
George mumbled apologies over and over but Sapnap didn’t understand why. Not until he saw the empty vase on the sink. “Oh George, it’s not your fault.” Sapnap said, taking him into a hug. “It’ll be okay..”
*
“Hey chat!” Sapnap said to Dream’s chat. The taller was streaming and Sapnap hopped into call to say hi. He didn’t plan to stay long. “I’m just saying hi then I’ll go!”
“Well hi!” Dream said, smile evident in his voice. It had been a week since the flowers were poured into the toilet and flushed. And when Dream came back the next morning from wherever he went, it was like it never happened. Like nothing ever happened. Like things were fine.
“Hi.” Sapnap smiled as well.
“Hi.” Dream said again, softly.
“Hi.” Sapnap whispered and the two fell into gentle laughter. “And also bye.”
“Awww, chat doesn’t want you to go.” I don’t want you to go .
Sapnap was going to leave, he had a video to edit. But then he got a text.
D: Wait, stay.
S: you sure?
D: I said it, didn’t I?
S: you can say it again..
D: Nick, stay. Stay with me. Don’t leave. I want you here- I need you here.
“I’ll hang out for a little while.” Sapnap said and Dream grinned.
Maybe things really were okay.
*
Dream scrolled through Twitter. He saw something that made his heart pang instantly with a pain he hadn’t felt in a while. Sapnap’s liked tweets sometimes showed up on his timeline, which makes sense. Of course it did, that’s how the algorithm works. But it was KarlNap fanart and was definitely intended to be more than friendly. He knew he had no room to talk, he liked DNF fanart to get a rise out of the community. But on his art account. Sapnap liked this on his main.
Dream was jealous. He knew that’s what it was. He was jealous of Karl because Karl was attractive in all the ways Dream couldn’t be.
The fluffy brown hair that fell perfectly and didn’t split and stray all over his head in awkward half curls that can’t stay on his head the right way. His soft brown eyes that are easy to fall into, not rough green eyes that would leave bruises and scrapes on the way down. His clingy nature that Dream could never achieve. He valued alone time too much.
Dream knew that Karl’s face situated itself perfectly in a way that Dream’s poked and prodded. Or how Karl’s hands were kissed with rings nicely, while rings made Dream’s hand look like a sore and out of place.
Dream knew there was much more to Karl and he could go on all day how Sapnap should love Karl more. They were Karlnap. They were destined to be together. And maybe Sapnap finally realized that.
Dream felt the petals trying to fight their way up, he just picked his trash can up and spit the petals and flowers into it. He set the can down slowly and kicked it back to the far corner of his desk.
He used to care for each petal with soft grace and careful hands. Now they were worthless to him. They were pointless and would kill him. Boo hoo . Dream knew better than to be sad about the situation. He put himself there. He had to face the consequences sooner or later.
Maybe he was jealous and maybe he was realistic.
Dream got up and crawled into bed. He was irrational and needed to get over himself. He would feel normal in the morning.
And maybe he did.
But maybe normal hurt just as much.
*
Dream rubbed his eyes before dragging his hands down his face. George snickered from Dream’s bed and Dream rolled his eyes. “What?” Dream asked.
“You’re all stressed.” George said, “It’s been 4 minutes, you need to give him time to reply. Besides, you're just an idiot for asking him out over text while he is out with Punz.”
Dream groaned, “I was too nervous to do it in person. Besides- I don’t see you inviting Karl down here and time is ticking.”
George chucked a pillow at Dream in which he caught and chucked back. “You should put your glasses on, your eyes are all squinty from editing for so long.”
Dream shot George a disgusted look, “I don’t need them.”
“He thinks you look attractive with them on, why wouldn’t you wear them?” George asked, leaving the bed and walking over to Dream’s chair. Dream turned to look at him.
“Because… I hate them.” Dream opened his arms and George walked into the embrace, they were both very touch starved and very much pining for their best friends.
“What did you even say to him?” George asked as Dream picked him up and moved them both to the bed. George cuddled into Dream.
“‘Hey Nick, I know this is stupid over text and all but I just wanted to ask if you wanted to be my month late Valentine? Not like the past years where we instacart cheap chocolate hearts to the house and eat them while watching stupid romance movies. Like, a dinner with wine and desert and maybe a walk on the pier? Like a real date. We can talk more when you get home from Punz’s if you don't want to respond over text.’” Dream recited as if the words had been flooding his mind over and over. George cuddled closer.
“There’s no way he’s not blushing like crazy after reading that- I bet Punz is bullying him.” George said and Dream hoped he was right.
“Ok but now you need to invite Karl down. If I have to confess to my best friend, so do you.”
George groaned and grabbed his phone from his pocket, opening his messages with Karl.
“Ok what about something like.. ‘Hey! I know that Valentine's day was like a month ago, but I was wondering if you wanted to fly down and stay for a little while. The others are cool with it and I need a date, if you don’t have one. Dinner will be my treat?’”
“Yeah that's good. Send it.” Dream said and once George set his phone down between them, next to Dream’s, Drema pulled him closer. “And if it fails for us both, I’ll take you out on a pity dinner.”
George laughed into his chest and they both quickly dozed off. If they didn’t sleep they would be puking up flowers in anticipation.
It took both of their phones buzzing to wake them. George grabbed his phone and looked at a message from Karl, while Dream had one from Sapnap. George and Dream shared a knowing look that the two definitely messaged each other about the date invitations.
“Ok what's yours say?” Dream asked.
George hummed, “‘Platonic or Romantic dinner? And I’ll book a plane rn!!’ You?”
“‘Sounds wonderful, Clay. :) I’ll be home in like an hour or two, Bad wanted me to go over to Skeppy’s. Something about him leaving tomorrow? Idk, you owe me cuddles- and tell George I said congrats on confessing!’” Dream and George both laughed a bit and George shot Karl a quick message about it being a romantic date. Karl sent him a heart and a screenshot of his plane times.
“Back to napping?” George asked and Dream nodded.
“Sounds great.” They both dozed back off.
*
They were woken by a gentle hand, shaking them both. “You guys need to get up so you can eat.”
Dream groaned and George just curled further into the warmth and away from the now burning overhead light. Sapnap huffed. “I will not go get Karl from the airport if you do not get up, Georgie.”
George sat up quickly and Dream groaned again, turning away from the light. George slipped out of bed and walked past Sapnap, going to the kitchen. Dream only curled into the mattress more. Sapnap laughed and climbed into bed with him, accepting arms wrapping around his waist and pulling him close.
“I’m glad you asked me.” Sapnap said into Dream’s chest.
Dream chuckled and kissed Sapnap on the head, “I’m glad I asked you too. This cuddle session would be gay as fuck if not.”
Sapnap burst out into laughter, concealing it into the hoodie Dream was wearing. Dream just smiled against the crown of Sapnap’s head. “You’re gay as fuck.” Sapnap retorted and Dream simply hugged him tighter.
“Yeah, for you, baby.” He said and Sapnap yelped at the name, shoving his face into Dream’s chest now like he would see the blush on his cheeks and down his neck. Dream laughed and rubbed his thumbs in circles on Sapnap’s waist.
“We should get up and eat so I can go get Karl.” Sapnap said and Dream hummed.
“We have time. Your car drives fast.” Dream said and Sapnap scoffed.
“I have to go the speed limit.”
Dream moved them so he could look Sapnap in the face and just blinked at him. Sapnap rolled his eyes. “I have to go the speed limit today so I don’t get pulled over for speeding and abandon Karl.”
Dream kissed Sapnap on the nose and rolled off the bed, Sapnap took a moment to process the action before he got out of the bed too and followed Dream to the kitchen.
“If you guys were having sex, I don't want to know.” George said and Dream chuckled a slice of bread at him while Sapnap hid his face in his hands. Dream swallowed the petals down. Sapnap had yet to watch him go through an episode and it wasn’t going to happen at all if he could control it.
“Like you and Karl wont make out every chance you get- you already kiss all the time.” Dream said and George huffed.
“He kisses everyone, it's platonic.”
“Not Sap.” Dream said, “They’ve never kissed. And Karl and I kissed through a mask.”
“Well he thinks I’m straight and would freak out.” Sapnap said, now making himself a sandwich.
“Fine, whatever, we can shoot a banter episode I-r-l.” George said and Sapnap nodded in agreement.
*
Dinner and wine had been as great as Dream promised. He didn’t have an incident anymore and honestly he felt so much lighter than he had in a while. It was like the damned curse was gone.
Dream held Sapnap’s hand as they walked down the pier, “it’s gone.” Dream spoke softly.
“Huh?” Sapnap asked.
“The hanahaki.” Dream said and Sapnap grinned widely at Dream, stopping them where they are. Soft music played around them from the speakers on the light posts.
“I’m glad.” Sapnap said.
Dream’s hand found Sapnap’s waist while Sapnap wrapped his arms around Dream’s neck. Dream swayed them to the music playing on the crappy speakers, while fairy lights twinkled around them and the noise of people from the nearby festival clashed with the sound of the water. Dream put their foreheads together and they both smiled.
“I love you.” Dream whispered.
“And I love you.” Sapnap said, just as soft.
Dream pressed their lips together and Sapnap didn’t hesitate to kiss back as they still swayed. It was the perfect night.