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The snow was coming down hard as Techno pulled up to the gate. It looked ominous in the dim evening, iron spikes looming out of the swirling white. He put the van into park as he rolled down the window. A blast of cold air blew snow into the van, melting as it landed on him and the steering wheel. Techno shivered a little. It was a good thing he had cranked up the heat in the van. He leaned out the window and punched the code in. The buttons were slightly stiff from the cold but a moment later the gate slowly creaked open and Techno hurriedly rolled up his window before driving forward.
It was a long driveway and one of the reasons that most drivers refused to deliver to this address, combined with the gate, the often highly specific orders, and being on the edge of the delivery range to begin with. Techno had picked up the first order because the tip had outweighed the inconvenience and he liked driving. It helped clear his head.
He was glad he had. The first dozen deliveries had gone smoothly. By the second dozen, he spent half the time he was shopping exchanging texts with the person behind the orders. It went against policy to give your personal number to a customer but Techno had never been one for policies and Dream was funny. Weird and a little sad but funny. Besides, he had picked up medications and personal products of all sorts for him, knew what sort of snacks he liked. A person could learn a lot about someone, delivering groceries.
The tires of the van spun as he rounded the last curve of the drive. The house was in sight but the van didn’t want to climb the small hill. Techno gritted his teeth as he shifted into a lower gear. The van edged forward a little and then the back half slid to right. Techno let up the gas, allowing the van to roll back down the hill, guiding it only enough to prevent it from ending up in the ditch.
“Dang it.”
Forcing the van up the hill would do more harm than good, Techno knew that. The wind and snow had picked up. He frowned. He would have to walk the rest of the way. Today’s order wasn’t large; it was mostly medication that was about to run out and personal hygiene things that Techno assumed really couldn’t wait. Nothing he couldn’t carry a few hundred feet and that was including the snacks and hot coco he had thrown in on his own dime. He popped open the glove box which he was using for its actual purpose and pulled his gloves on before grabbing the bags on the seat next to him.
The cold was biting and he shivered as soon as he stepped out of the van. Techno was used to the cold but that didn’t mean he wanted to stay out in it for longer than he needed to. He hurried up the hill and onto the porch, his cheeks red from the cold. In the beginning, he had merely left the groceries on the porch and left. Knocking on the door, he took a step back and waited.
A few moments later, the door swung open. The wind blew into the foyer and Dream shuddered, pulling his hands into his lap involuntarily. His eyes flicked past Techno, outside, and then back with a frown when he didn’t see the van like usual.
“Hullo, Dream,” said Techno, stepping up to the door frame and setting the heaviest of the bags onto the floor.
“H-hey, Techno.” Dream’s teeth were chattering already. The thin pajama pants he wore did nothing to stop the chill even paired with an oversized hoodie. “What happened?”
Techno hesitated and then took a step inside. It wasn’t the first time he had been in Dream’s home but the first time, Dream had been passed out on his bathroom floor and it was only on a hunch that Techno broke in. He held out the small, white paper bag to Dream.
“Eh, nothing to worry about, Dream. The snow and my van don’t exactly mix,” he said.
Dream took the bag and shook it. The pills inside rattled.
“Are you, like, stuck or something? I mean, can you—can you get out?” he asked.
That was a good question. Snow was piling up as they spoke. A few moments ago, Techno would’ve said he would be fine, that he’d manage to get back down the long, winding drive but now he wasn’t sure.
“Not gonna lie, I have no idea.”
Dream put his hands on the push rings of his wheelchair and nodded once before rolling back.
“Well, shut the door. It’s fucking freezing and you’re letting all the cold air in.”
He didn’t have to tell Techno twice. Techno pulled the door shut and stamped his feet on the mat. Snow fell off his boots. By the time he had slipped them off, Dream was already moving towards the kitchen. Techno grabbed the bag he had set down and followed him.
The snow was still coming down hard. The large windows that made up one wall of Dream’s living room looked as though they had been painted white and though it was dark out by now, it seemed much brighter than it should. Techno had one leg stretched out in front of him, the other tucked up beneath him. The couch was a worn fabric of undeterminable nature. It might have once had a pattern but Techno couldn’t be certain. Like all the furniture in the home, it felt out of place compared to the house itself. Dream sat on the opposite end, a blanket draped over his lap. He was staring in the direction of the TV but not actually watching the generic action movie that was on.
Techno wasn’t watching the movie either.
He was watching the way Dream leaned his chin against his hand and the way every so often his head would dip down as his eyes closed and then he would jerk back upright. Each time, he would frown in annoyance.
That’s cute, thought Techno.
“What?”
Dream’s frown was now turned on him but instead of annoyance it was confusion.
“Heh? What d’you mean, what?”
The corner of Dream’s mouth quirked upwards as he rolled his eyes.
“You’re staring at me. It’s rude, Techno.”
Something about the way Dream said his name made Techno’s heart flutter. It was lame. He shrugged and then, without really thinking, he scooted over to the next cushion. Dream was watching him with a wariness that Techno understood.
“Your tag is stickin’ out, that’s all,” said Techno. Reaching over slowly, he watched the way Dream took a breath and held it. Carefully, he tucked the tag of Dream’s hoodie back in, his fingers brushing against the strands of blond hair that were tied up in a messy ponytail. The ends, he noticed, were uneven and Techno realized he never left the house and must cut it himself. He pat Dream’s back. “There ya go.”
Dream shifted and Techno thought he was going to move away, was ready to go back to his original seat, but to his surprise, Dream leaned his shoulder into Techno’s side.
“You’re so—” A huff of quiet laughter escaped Dream. He shook his head. “Thanks, I guess.”
The press of Dream’s shoulder against him was an invitation and Techno wrapped his arm around him, pulling him even closer. He rested his chin on the top of Dream’s head. The stubble on his chin caught on a few wispy pieces of Dream’s hair.
“Oh, you’re welcome, Dream. You’re welcome,” he said. “I’m always at your service.”
Lifting his hand, Dream smacked Techno’s knee. He started to pull away, to tuck his hand back under the blanket, but instead dropped it onto Techno’s lap as casually as he could manage which wasn’t very casually at all. Techno grinned. With his free hand, he covered Dream’s, running his thumb over his knuckles, the smile only fading when he came to the missing finger. The story Techno had been told was bare bones, just enough for him to understand, because even that Dream had struggled to choke out. He wanted to ask but he remembered the blank look on Dream’s face as he sat on the floor of his bathroom. Techno squeezed his hand lightly and nuzzled his cheek against Dream’s head.
“Don’t—Don’t think you’re getting an extra tip for this,” said Dream, sinking further into Techno’s side.
Against him, Techno could feel him sigh and relax. He ran his fingers over Dream’s shoulders. On the TV, gunfire had erupted and Techno watched it idly for a moment or two. A car crashed into a building as by-standers scrambled out of the way. Techno snorted.
“Pfft, okay, Dream. I mean, I oughta to be thankin’ you for not kickin’ me out into the cold.”
Dream leaned back a little and looked up at Techno. The smile on his face was wide and crooked and scarred. Techno wanted to kiss him and it took an exceptional amount of self-control not to.
“Yeah! Y-yeah, you should be,” he said. A beat and Dream lifted one eyebrow. “So?”
Techno laughed.
“Thank you, Dream, it was very magnanimous of you.”
A flash of confusion crossed Dream’s face, his nose scrunching up, and Techno thought that was very cute as well. He lifted his hand off Dream’s shoulder and brushed a finger along his jaw. It made Dream blush and that fluttery feeling in Techno’s chest came back even stronger. Dream rolled his eyes again.
“Whatever.” He cuddled back into Techno’s side with no hesitation this time, pressing as close as he possibly could. “You definitely owe me.”
“Ahem, may I remind you that I brought snacks,” said Techno, stretching his legs out. One of them had fallen asleep, tingling from his toes up his calf. He had been sitting for awhile but had no desire to get up, not now. Dream was resting his head on his shoulder.
Dream laughed. On the TV, something exploded.
“You’re so stupid,” he said and then, “It’s still snowing.”
It was. Snow had begun to pile up in the corners of the windows in a steep slope as it was blown in. The sky was darker. True night had fallen and it was all white and dark navy outside. Techno sighed quietly. Digging out the van in this weather wouldn’t be fun and he knew he should’ve declined Dream’s invitation, completed the delivery, and left before things got worse. He laced his fingers between Dream’s.
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
The laughter from Dream faded in a snort. He pulled the blanket from his lap and did his best to awkwardly spread it across Techno’s lap as well. Techno then tucked his hand, still entwined with Dream’s, beneath the well worn blanket.
“I guess you can stay here tonight, if you want.”
He sounded a little unsure. The first time Techno had come inside, when he had picked the lock, Dream had admitted he was the only person since the movers who had stepped foot in this house. His isolation had been intentional and protective and Techno had felt bad for violating it. He had been invited in since then but never for this long. Only long enough for a bit of teasing and a couple fleeting touches. Techno didn’t want to leave.
“Look, I’m gonna be honest, the last thing I want to do is go dig the van out but if you want me to go, I’ll go, alright? You don’t gotta offer just because you think you should,” he said softly, dipping his head down until his nose brushed against Dream’s hair. He smelled just like the shampoo that Techno delivered to him.
Dream sighed and it sounded relieved.
"I—I know. But like, I don’t mind. I want you to stay. Seriously, I do. I mean, unless you don’t want to…”
Techno almost choked over his words and swallowed, holding back the eagerness.
Gotta play it cool.
“Nah, I want to, Dream.” Finally, he lost the battle with his urges and kissed the top of Dream’s head. “Besides, I’ve slept on way crappier couches.”
When Dream spoke, the blush on his cheeks colored the words, “Hey! My couch isn’t crappy!”