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Dream woke up blearily, a strange pounding in his head. He tried to turn over, reach for his phone to see the time, but was stopped by something against his back and draped over his side.
Dream took in a sharp breath. That definitely wasn’t Tommy, his little brother always cuddled into his arms when he had a nightmare, not his back, and there was no reason for anyone else to be there when he woke up, which probably meant it was trouble.
As he was preparing himself to pull out of his impromptu restraints, he felt the arm around his middle tighten, pulling him further into the person behind him.
“Mmmm… don’t get up… tired..” A voice mumbled behind him, and Dream felt his heart stutter.
Had… had he..?
No! There was no way. He wasn’t interested in sex and there was no reason for that to change. No way had he brought someone back with him.
He racked his brain for another explanation. Where had he been last night? A club? No. Work? Maybe? He tried to find any scrap of memory from the day before, but it was all kind of blurry. He remembered that morning, it had been fairly normal, at least for their new routine.
Had Niki and Jack dragged him off to go drinking? That didn’t make sense though. He knew Jack liked a drink every now and then, he wasn’t sure about Niki, but they both knew he was under age! Just because he had been a criminal in his past didn’t mean he liked breaking the law!
A thought came to him and he scrambled slightly to feel his body, relief instantly washing over him at the contact with fabric instead of skin.
Ok, whatever had happened, there was a good chance him and this mystery person hadn’t slept together. He didn’t know what other explanation there could be, but clearly there was one.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to take a step back and analyze the situation. He was in a bed- that he now realized was very definitely not his own- with a stranger. Basing off what build he could feel and the voice he’d heard earlier they were probably male.
He’d had sex with a guy-
NO. He woke up in bed with a guy. That could mean a plethora of things other than sex!
… like what?
Dream had to repress a groan. What in Prime’s name was going on? How had he gotten himself in this situation? He hadn’t even-
Suddenly his thoughts were cut off by a half grumble half growl from the guy behind him, his arm once again pulling Dream further against his chest.
“Stop worrying so loudly, you’re gonna give me a headache.” Yup that was definitely a male voice.
Dream made a sort of humming sound and the man huffed, his hand releasing Dream’s middle. Immediately Dream had to quash the urge to scramble to the other side of the bed, intensely aware of how close he was to the other man. Instead he simply pushed himself a little away, turning to look at his sleeping partner.
The man wore a white hoodie, black stripes going down the sleeves. His fluffy blond hair was mussed from sleep and his icy blue eyes were glaring at Dream, though he couldn’t feel any actual anger coming from the man.
Dream watched as he yawned, stretching his arms in the air. More specifically he watched as the hoodie lifted up to reveal the beginnings of a toned stomach before sliding back down.
Dream felt his face flush and he immediately looked down. He heard a chuckle from the other, and looked up to see him grinning at Dream with a raised eyebrow.
“What? Ya like the view?” His drawling voice held amusement, making Dream’s face heat up ever further.
“N- no! I wasn’t-“ He immediately jumped to defend himself but the blond cut him off.
“It’s fine, if you wanna look I won’t stop you, nice change of pace from last night.” Dream felt his heart stutter, dizziness rushing to his head as he paled.
“What happened last night?” Even Dream could hear the fear and desperation in his own tone.
The other rolled his eyes, though Dream could tell they had softened slightly. “Don’t worry pretty boy, we didn’t do anything. In fact you were so adamant about us not having sex last night that I was debating on if I should be offended.“
Even though the blue eyed’s tone had gone to something annoyed at the end, Dream felt his whole body sag with relief. They hadn’t had sex, it was fine.
The stranger raised an eyebrow. “What, that relived to know you didn’t sleep with me? I’m hurt.” The man fake pouted and Dream sputtered for an excuse.
“No! I’m sure you’re a great guy-“ Dream was cut off by a laugh, stopping to stare as the man tossed his head back.
“You are so easy! Prime, you need to learn to know a joke when you hear one.” The man grinned as Dream actually pouted, grumbling about the blond being a jerk.
Said man huffed, sitting up fully on the bed and facing Dream. Dream felt the shift in attitude and sat up straighter as well, focusing on the man.
“So, what do you remember?” The question caught Dream slightly off guard and he hesitated. He still didn’t know anything about this man, nor why he had woken up in bed with him…
The man sighed. “Alright, I’ll take that as nothing.” He reached up and rubbed his head. “Not surprising, I imagine you have a massive hangover.”
Dream pursed his lips but before he could ask the guy continued. “Well, let’s start from the top I suppose. My name’s Punz, and I found you near black out drunk at a bar last night.”
Dream’s eyes widened. “What?! I don’t even drink!”
Punz snorted. “Well that would explain how you got yourself so drunk.”
Dream was still trying to understand what he’d just heard. He had been drunk? So drunk he didn’t even remember it? How?! He’d never even been to a bar!
“You clearly didn’t have any sense of awareness and I could see at least two guys eyeing you, so I decided to take you home with me before you could make yourself even more of a target.” Dream locked back onto Punz who had continued his story, oblivious, or perhaps just ignoring Dream’s internal struggle.
“… and then what?” He asked hesitantly, not entirely sure he wanted to know the story but still curious.
Punz smiled wickedly and Dream got a sense of foreboding he couldn’t quite explain.
“Oh that’s where it gets fun. I had been planning on taking you to my place and just dumping you on the couch, but you had different ideas.” And suddenly the foreboding made a lot more sense.
Dream shrunk back, wondering what he could have possibly done. Oh no, he was probably an angry drunk! Had he broken something? What if-
“You were alllll over me.” Dream snapped his wide eyes back onto the man in front of him who was still smiling wickedly. “Oh yeah, I tried to put you on the couch and you wouldn’t let go of my arm! You were like a leach! Eventually I just gave up and brought you to my room.” Punz rolled his eyes. “You snuggled right in.”
Dream was sure his face couldn’t get any hotter, yet he was proven wrong. He let out a squeak from behind his hands as he desperately tried to hide his blushing face.
Punz laughed. “You wouldn’t even let me change! You dragged me into the bed, all snuggly and shit, and kept batting me on the head until I hugged you back.”
The man hummed, mirth in his eyes as he fondly looked down. “Of course you wouldn’t let up on the fact that we absolutely could not have sex. You wouldn’t shut up about it. Every time I tried to move away you would start crying, but Prime forbid I try and touch you, you would start throwing a hissy fit!”
Dream cried in embarrassment into his hands, refusing to look at the man he had made suffer through his drunkenness.
Silence fell across the two men as Dream flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. Eret and Niki would never stop mother henning him after this, and Jack would die before he let Dream live it down.
He groaned, rubbing the heels of his hands into his eyes hard enough to see spots. Maybe he could just go home and pretend this whole night had never happened. They didn’t need to know! He didn’t have to tell them. He would just say he’d stayed at a friend’s house.
… he didn’t have any other friends.
Dream once again groaned, dreading the conversation that awaited him once he got back to work.
“… hey um, I know it wasn’t really your idea, so you’re probably upset with me, but I promise I didn’t have any bad intentions. I didn’t want you to get taken advantage of. I swear that was my only goal.” Punz spoke up and Dream looked to the side, seeing Punz having curled up with his legs to his chest, head resting against the backboard.
Dream pushed himself up slightly, frowning. “What? No, of course I’m not mad at you. If anything I’m mad at myself for going and getting drunk and needing you to come in and save me! I promise, you’re good.”
Punz smiled, though it was strained. “Mmm… thanks…”
The two fell into a not quite comfortable but not tense silence, both lost in their own thoughts.
His eyes trailed back up to where the man- Punz- was leaning against the headboard, his eyes closed. Now, without the heat on his face and the rush of adrenaline fading, he found himself really looking at the other. He was quite attractive, in more ways than one, but Dream could see the dark spots under his eyes. He looked exhausted, and Dream almost felt bad about waking him earlier.
He looked back to the ceiling, absentmindedly tracing the faint swirls in the off white pain. He really should thank Punz for what he did. If it wasn’t for him Dream very well might have woken up in a much less friendly stranger’s bed. The thought made his insides twist.
As his thoughts wandered, he wondered again just how he’d ended up at that bar in the first place. The whole previous day was a blur. He remembered waking up in the apartment Eret had been letting them stay in. He made breakfast for Tommy and then the two left for the cafe. He remembered Niki and Jack being there like normal, and him grabbing his apron to start his shift, and then after that it all just kind of faded.
It really didn’t make sense how he could’ve ended up drunk off his ass at some random bar, especially with none of his friends around.
Oh Prime, what would Tommy think? The poor kid was probably staying with Eret or Niki, but he imagined he must have been worried when Dream didn’t come back last night.
Man, he needed to get back, before the others could work themselves into an even bigger fit than he imagined they already had over him being missing.
With one final sigh to say goodbye to the extremely comfortable mattress, Dream pushed himself up, swinging his legs over the side.
The action immediately made pain shoot through his head and he reached up a hand to rub his temple. Prime above, is this what it was like to get hungover? Why would anyone willingly do this to themself? At that moment Dream decided that even when he was legally old enough to drink, he still wouldn’t, the apparent reward was nowhere near worth this stupid headache.
Repressing the urge to grumble about how stupid his past self had been, he pushed himself off the bed, his feet immediately sending him complaints about having been so rudely placed on the cool hardwood.
“Uh, do you know where my phone is? I should probably call someone to come pick me up.” He heard a startled noise from the bed and turned to see Punz staring at him. Apparently the platinum blonde had been too lost in thought to notice Dream getting up, only dragged from his thoughts by Dream speaking.
Punz started at him for a few seconds and then seemed to shake off his thoughts, looking to the other side of the room before speaking up. “Oh yeah, it’s over on the desk. I figured you’d want to message some people in the morning so I left it to charge. Luckily we seem to have the same model, so I had a charger available.”
Dream nodded, quickly making his way across the room to where a table sat, eyes scanning over the contents and landing on his familiar phone case. He sighed in relief, picking it up and turning it over to find a wall of messages and missed calls. He winced, slipping the device into his pocket and deciding he could deal with that later.
He turned back to find that Punz had also gotten off the bed, finding and looking through his own phone.
Dream hummed slightly to voice his thoughts. He really should thank him.
Before he could work up the courage though- “Hey thanks for not being mad or anything. I know waking up in some random person’s bed can be a bit stressful, but you handled it pretty well all things considered.” Punz turned and they locked eyes. Dream couldn’t help but notice how the previously annoyed and even cold eyes now seemed soft, nervous even.
Dream smiled, shaking his head. “Nah, I should be thanking you. I hate to think about what could’ve happened if you hadn’t decided to ruin your own night just to help me.”
He shrugged. “Ah, it’s nothing. You probably saved me just as much. If I hadn’t seen you there and felt guilty, I probably would have gotten even drunker than you.” He grimaced slightly, looking back to his phone.
Dream pursed his lips, tilting his head. “Why’s that? I assumed it wasn’t your first time from the way you spoke, so shouldn’t you have been taking your own advice? Knowing your limit and all that.” He said it jokingly, but inside he felt concern curling through his mind. Punz’s tone had sounded… off. He might be reading it wrong, they had only just met after all, but he had a hunch.
Punz chuckled bitterly. “Yeah well, when your entire goal is to drink until you can’t remember your own name, you tend to go past your limit.” He glared at his phone, as though it was the cause of all the suffering in the world.
Dream frowned. “And why exactly were you trying to do that?” He asked hesitantly.
Punz finally looked up at him, and after a second, spoke again. “Isn’t that a bit personal?”
Immediately Dream back tracked, putting his hands up in defense. “Sorry, sorry! You’re right. I was just being nosy.”
He turned away but he could still feel Punz’s eyes on him. He wished he knew what the taller was thinking. Alas, Prime had not seen him fit to receive the gift of telepathy, so here he stood, awkwardly, with no clue what the room’s other occupant was thinking.
“Went through a break up.” He startled, turning back around. Punz still stared at his phone, sorrow almost palpable around him. “Pretty nasty one. Wanted to forget.”
“Oh…” His eyes were wide, but he forced himself to stop staring. It wasn’t any of his business. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
Punz took a deep breath and finally looked away from the device in his hand, slipping it into his pocket. “Nah it’s fine. I wouldn’t have told you if it was that big of a deal. You didn’t know.”
Dream nodded, though his guilt wasn’t lessened by much.
After a too long moment of silence, Dream hit his fist and hand together, trying for a smile.
“Well, my friends will be throwing a fit by now, I should be heading back. If I’m gone much longer they’ll probably call the police and start a nation wide manhunt.”
Punz snickered and Dream beamed.
Dream: 1
Shitty ex: 0
“We wouldn’t want that, now would we?” Punz asked teasingly.
Dream waved a hand dismissively, the smile never leaving his face. “Bah, I’m sure we could handle it, you and me! I mean come on, I’m already wanted in three cities, what’s the rest of the nation? And you look like you could take a couple cops. I’m sure we’d make a great team!”
“Pffft-“ Punz laughed, his eyes closing with the action.
Dream felt his cheeks warm, a dopey smile crossing his face. Punz was really pretty when he laughed…
Punz gave him a big grin. “We’d make an awesome team. The police force wouldn’t know what hit em.”
Dream: 2
Shitty ex: 0!!
While the air was still light, he nodded his head towards the door. “You want to drive me home? Frankly I want to delay the reunion as long as possible. I am dreading getting chewed out by my friends.”
Punz nodded, waving towards the door. “Yeah I gotchu. Just head to the front door, I’ll meet you there. Go right, and then through the main room. The next door down is a bathroom by the way, if you need it.”
Dream nodded, taking the door to the main room.
He followed Punz’s instructions, but couldn’t help looking around a bit. It wasn’t a huge place, but it was nice enough, especially for one person. He wondered if Punz had any roommates. Now that he thought about it, there was a good chance his ex was his roommate…
Best not bring it up.
After a couple minutes Punz joined him at the door, different clothes on and his hair styled.
His apartment was on the second floor of the building, so they had to walk down a flight of stairs, which did not sit well with his headache, but Punz helped him not fall.
“Dang it, I should have gotten you an aspirin. Sorry, I can go get one if you need-“ Punz offered.
Dream interrupted him by waving him off. “It’s fine. It’s not my first time having a killer headache, even if it’s my first time being hungover. I’ll live. I’m already making you drive me, it would just be plain rude to make you go all the way back up to get me medication too.”
Punz looked like he wanted to argue, but ultimately gave it up. Soon enough they were in the car and on the road.
It wasn’t the most awkward car ride Dream had ever been on, definitely more comfortable than a police car, and they talked almost the whole way. Luckily Punz’s apartment was only about twenty minutes from his own, and the two were pulling up outside before Dream could realize any time had gone by at all.
He stepped out of the car, awkwardly standing with the door open, looking between Punz and the building.
“Well, I guess this is goodbye…” He said.
Punz nodded, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. “Yeah, I guess it is.” The two sat and stood in awkward silence, both unwillingly to break away.
Punz turned to him. “Hey I just realized that I never actually got your name.”
Dream’s eyes widened. “Oh seriously? It’s Dream, I can’t believe I forgot to tell you.” He laughed in embarrassment.
Punz smiled. “Well Dream, thanks for spending the night with me. It was nice, even if you are an extremely clingy drunk.”
Dream smiled. “It was nice. Thanks for not leaving me on the side of the road when I got annoying.”
“Anytime.” He paused. “Hey, want to exchange numbers?”
Dream faltered for a second, then beamed, pulling out his phone. “Absolutely! I can’t believe we didn’t think of that sooner!”
Punz smiled and the two shared numbers, Dream finally backing out of the door.
“Text me?” He asked.
“Only if you text me first.”
Dream laughed and nodded, finally closing the door. Punz waved at him as he pulled away, and Dream waved back, his heart feeling lighter than it had in weeks.
“Had fun last night, did we?” If anyone was to say that Dream screamed he would vehemently deny it, but in that moment he would admit that Niki’s voice was far more terrifying than any hero or villain he’d faced.
He turned around, laughing nervously, and avoided meeting Niki’s eyes. “Ni- Niki! Hey, what are you doing here?”
She folded her arms, glaring at him. “I could ask the same of you, Dream.”
“Wh- what do you mean? I live here.” He responded, voice a few octaves higher than it should have been.
She scowled. “Oh really? Then why weren’t you here last night?” She questioned.
He chuckled nervously, backing away. “Uh, about that. I promise there’s a totally reasonable explanation-“ He turned on his heel and made a break for it.
“Dream!” Niki shouted after him, and then there was something wrapping around his ankle and he was face planting onto the ground.
He glared at the shadow slithering off his ankle and back to its master, who was now standing over him, hands on her hips and disapproval on her face.
“Waaa, Niki, come on! It’s not even that bad! Can’t we just pretend like I was here the whole night like usual?” He pleaded, doing his best puppy dog eyes.
She didn’t budge. “No. Now get up, we’re going to see Eret.”
When he didn’t make any move to stand the shadow wrapped back around his leg and started dragging him across the concrete, making him yelp.
“Ok ok I’m getting up!” He promised, glaring at the shadow as he pushed himself to his feet.
“Good. Now move. We got an Eret to appease and a child to comfort.”
Dream gasped. “Tommy!” And took off towards the apartment doors.
Niki sighed, shaking her head fondly. “That idiot…”