Work Text:
December 1st
Dream woke up with a start with someone shaking his shoulder hard enough to startle him and make him sit up abruptly, his forehead knocking against something hard.
“Ow–! What the fuck Dream?”
He blinked as he brought a hand up to rub at his throbbing eyebrow, his vision focusing on a scowling Sapnap kneeling on the edge of his mattress, a slightly red spot in the middle of his forehead. They were probably matching. “Sap? What happened?”
“Nothing happened–! There was no need to headbutt me…”
He just huffed in response, pouting in slight annoyance now that he knew nothing was wrong. “Well, why did you wake me up like that then? I was like– Ever heard of fight or flight?”
“That wasn’t fight nor was it flight, you were just trying to knock me out.”
“Be thankful that I didn’t hit you with my horn…” He muttered under his breath before he looked away from Sapnap, his gaze scanning the room around him until it settled on the window, his eyes going wide. “It’s– Is that snow?” He whipped around to face his best friend, finding him already grinning.
“Yes! It snowed tonight and I thought you might want to see it, that’s why I came to wake you up–” Dream barely let him finish before he was already throwing the covers off of himself and running to the closet to grab some clothes to change into.
“Yo, chill, it’s not going to melt anytime soon,” Sapnap’s reassurances fell on deaf ears as he rummaged through his drawers for the thick socks Bad had made for him when he had taken up knitting.
For some reason they were all very insistent about him dressing appropriately for the weather, and Dream couldn’t help but think it was because of the sun incident that happened on the first day he left the caves with George and Sapnap. He didn’t blame his friends at all, they couldn’t have known that skulk burned in the sun and that the dark patches on his skin would face the same destiny– Hell, he hadn’t been aware of it either and everything was fine. He’d healed and he’d learned to cover up his arms when he went out in the daylight and Antfrost had even made a paste of sorts that he could rub over his skin to protect it from the sun, and despite all that his friends somehow seemed to keep worrying, so he just went along with what they said.
“Go change, I’ll wait for you downstairs.” He heard Sapnap say and then the sound of the door closing left him alone in the room.
He was quick to change, pulling on two pairs of pants and a thick wool sweater and his hat with holes on the sides so it wouldn’t catch on his horns and by the time he made his way downstairs his best friends were already bickering with each other.
“...Come on George, we can just eat later! We won’t stay out for long and we can eat soup to warm up when we come back in!”
“But we’ll freeze if we go out in the cold on empty stomachs! It’s like, the most stupid–”
“Dream! There you are,” Suddenly two sets of eyes were on him, both men looking at him expectantly from their spots on opposite ends of the table. Great… “Tell him we can have breakfast after we’ve been outside and we’ll be fine.”
“Don’t bring him into this! Dream, don’t listen to him– He can just go out on his own and freeze to death if he wants.”
He couldn’t help but let out a laugh at Sapnap’s flabbergasted expression and immediate protests, and honestly didn’t really care about what they did as long as he got to go out in the snow eventually, but he found himself siding with his younger friend if only to stop the influx of insults they were throwing at each other.
“Alright, fine, let’s go.” George eventually caved, making them cheer, and went to grab his gloves and hat as the other two ran to the front door. “But I swear, if any of you idiots get hypothermia I’m not– ” He didn’t even get the chance to finish his sentence before snow got thrown in his face, Sapnap muttering something about “revenge” as he leaned down to pat together another weapon. Snowball fight, Dream’s brain helpfully supplied, and he couldn’t help but giggle a little at how silly humans could be, fighting amongst each other for fun–
“And what are you laughing about?!” He yelped as a snowball hit him straight in the chest, his gaze settling on George’s mischievous grin. “No, George, wait–!”
They were all soaked by the time they made it back inside, throwing insults at each other because they could feel melted snow everywhere under their clothes. “It’s in my underwear George, I can feel it sliding down my ass!”
“Sapnap what the fuck you’re disgusting–”
They all ended up snuggling under the same blanket in front of the fireplace to warm up, three bowls of soup on the coffee table in front of them.
——
December 8th
There were many things Dream had to learn and re-learn about the human world and the way things worked on the surface since he started to spend more and more time up there, with George and Sapnap. Up until a few months ago he’d been living in his Warden form full time, leaving his city maybe once every six months in the darkness of the night, and then two young men had stumbled into his home and into his life and look at him now, with light wrapped around his horns.
“Look at him George! He’s– He’s literally a Christmas decoration!”
He stood there as his best friends chuckled at him, Sapnap openly laughing and George, bless his heart, trying to hold it in.
“I really don’t understand the point of this…” He said, scrunching up his face as he moved to unwrap the wires from around his head. The room around them was a mess with colorful ornaments and strings of lights scattered on the floor, the tree standing bare in the corner of the room that left him wondering why he was the one being decorated.
“Aw, come on Dream, we’ve told you. It’s tradition!”
“Yeah but… I just don’t get it, why are we celebrating this dead guy’s birthday?”
He heard George sigh as the other walked over to help him with the wires wrapped around his horns, his hands gentle as they brushed over the bone.
“We’re only celebrating his birthday in theory, he wasn’t actually born on the 25th– But Sapnap’s right. Celebrating Christmas is mostly tradition, we do it because it’s fun and an excuse to decorate and bake gingerbread cookies and exchange gifts.”
Dream shook his head a little as soon and the annoying lights were off of him, and watched as the other two walked over to the tree and started wrapping them around it.
He didn’t really understand the whole… Religious aspect of it, but he could get behind people doing it for fun. It was probably what his friends did anyways, they didn’t seem to care much about faith.
A lot of things had been a learning curve for him, including understanding that he could do thing just because, that he could still eat a cookie even if he wasn’t hungry, that he could take a nap even if he wasn’t sleepy, that him wanting to do something was enough of a reason to do it. George and Sapnap were very adamant about it, telling him that this place was his home as much as it was theirs and he was free to do whatever he pleased.
“George– Why are you wrapping it around the same spot so many times? You need to go higher!”
“Well, have you considered that I can’t reach?! ”
“Go grab a chair then–”
“Give it to me,” Dream said, walking up to them and grabbing the wires from George’s hands. He’d never done this before but it wasn’t hard to understand what he was supposed to do.
He didn’t really see the point of it but it doesn’t mean he wouldn’t help his friends– It clearly made them happy.
“G, look, a tree decorating a tree–”
Dream just glared as the other two started cackling, George not being able to hold himself back this time.
——
December 24th
The sun was low in the sky, touching the horizon and surrounded by clouds painted orange and pink. Dream loved the golden hour, the first time he’d been outside during it he’d been mesmerized, stopping to stare at the sun until his eyes burned and George had to gently grab his arm to remind him to blink.
“I don’t like winter…” He admitted as he pulled on his coat, hating the way the sleeves of his hoodie bunched up under thick fabric. His friends just looked at him and smiled from where they stood by the open door, ready to leave.
“Why’s that? You don’t like hot weather and you love snow.” George asked, and Dream could make out the faint amusement in his voice. He just huffed in response and followed the other two outside, pulling the door shut behind himself.
It was true, he didn’t really like it when the air got way too warm and dry and he’d recently found out just how fun it was to play around in the snow, especially since Sapnap seemed to enjoy it as much as he did.
“I don’t know, I–” He hummed softly, taking the time to gather his thoughts. “It gets dark too early, I miss the sun.” He replied, stepping closer to his friends and taking his spot in between the two of them as they started walking.
“You– What? But you can barely be out in the sun!”
“I know, but I like it. It reminds me that I’m out here with you guys.” He shrugged a little.
“The starry sky reminds me of skulk– When it was basically all I saw. Now it’s not like that anymore.” He nodded, satisfied with his explanation, and then he glanced at the other two when he didn’t get an answer.
They were both doing that face, the one they always did when he said something honest– He had yet to figure out what was okay to share and what he should keep to himself.
He usually tried to avoid sad things, he didn’t like making his friends upset, but sometimes he seemed to do that involuntarily. What he’d said wasn’t sad– He wasn’t sad.
He’d spent most of his life alone in the city, then George and Sapnap became his friends and he went to live with them on the surface– He didn’t get why they seemed to get sad every time he mentioned his old life. If he had to guess he’d say they probably felt bad for him, for the fact that he’dn spent so much time alone, but he didn’t despise his past. He still loved his city and occasionally wandered back into the familiar caves, but there was not much left for him there, and he loved his friends so he obviously wanted to spend time with them now that he had them.
“So? Where are we going exactly?” He asked, despite remembering well that they were heading to the village a few minutes away from where they lived because the citizens always hosted a fair for Christmas. He didn’t want his friends to be sad anymore and they loved Christmas, so talking about all the markets and pretty lights he’d been told they would find would surely cheer them up.
It only took a moment for George to patiently start going through the same explanation he’d given Dream that morning, talking about an ice skating rink and candy canes and the kind lady that always gave him an extra gingerbread cookie for free– He just listened again, content with the other two thinking he’d forgotten or not paid enough attention to remember in the first place.
The air was cold and crispy, his breath condensing into a small cloud in front of his face as he glanced up– The sky was dark despite it only being around half past six in the afternoon, and as he gazed at the stars he found himself childishly wondering if they must’ve gotten confused and revealed themselves too early while looking for the sun.
——
The fair was fun, Dream really liked the shiny decorations and the faint music playing from the jukeboxes all around them and he absolutely adored the hot chocolate Sapnap gave him to sip on as they walked through the main road– It was very fun, but it was also a lot. By the time they were heading to the town’s square, where the big tree was, Dream had started to get uneasy.
“I’m telling you, that was her daughter packing up the toys! I’ve seen her before, two years ago, her name was, uh… Mel-something… Melanie? Melody? Yeah, that.” Sapnap was insistent on whatever it was they were arguing about– Something about some lady’s daughter taking over the mother’s business one day. He couldn't pay much attention even if he wanted to.
“No way, that was not her daughter, what are you on? She was–” George’s response got interrupted by shrill laughter and suddenly there was something bumping into Dream’s leg– He looked down to see a kid with dark hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed to stare into his soul for a moment before he yelled “Sorry Mister!” and took off again, screaming even louder than before as another child appeared, her long braids moving with the wind as she chased the first one down. He couldn’t help but clench his jaw at their high-pitched laughter.
Dream hadn’t met too many children in the past few months, but he’d liked the few ones he’d seen on his trips to different villages with his friends.
They were just little humans that smiled wide and cried loudly and did funny things sometimes– He couldn’t help but sympathize, emotions were hard to manage for everyone, he couldn’t imagine having to hold those big feelings inside such a small body.
Or, well, he’d been a kid at some point in his life but he honestly didn’t remember too much about it– He knew his mum had been there with him until he was fifteen, until she disappeared into that portal along with everyone else in the city, he remembered playing with other children sometimes, but he’d always been the warden whose job was to protect his home and people, so he didn’t think he’d had much time to be as carefree as human children seemed to be.
“Dream, hey,” He jumped a little at the hand that touched his shoulder and turned to see Sapnap’s face. The other pulled his hand away as soon as their eyes met. “You okay buddy?”
He nodded in response, schooling whatever weird face he must’ve been making into something neutral before shooting a small smile in his friend’s direction. “Yeah, I’m alright.” The skepticism in Sapnap’s eyes was clear as day but Dream was determined not to make him worry– They loved Christmas and they loved the fair, he wasn’t about to ruin it for them. He’d gotten better at dealing with this, with the uncomfortable buzzing that filled his body sometimes when there was too much going on around him.
He used to get snappy, he even growled at Sapnap for grabbing his wrist one time, but he’d learned not to do that, how to not lash out because it wasn’t his friends’ fault if things bothered him.
They were always understanding about it, telling him it was okay if he needed a break, but they didn’t need to be– He could deal with things himself, he always had, there was no need to inconvenience them.
Still, when he turned and was met with George’s hand held out for him to take and hold he couldn’t find it in himself to refuse. He would be able to zone out enough to block out most of the noise around him and not worry about where he was going because George would be leading him around– It was convenient, grounding. He would be alright.
——
Things did, in fact, not get better. By the time they were walking through the crowd of people in the main square Dream wanted to claw his skin off just a little.
No matter how much he tucked his shoulders in to make himself smaller, how close he stuck to George and tried to use him as a sort of human shield, people kept bumping into him anyways, hitting his shoulder and walking into his back and– It was really becoming overwhelming.
Still, he kept quiet.
“–they’re going to keep this up until the new year, I’m pretty sure.” Sapnap’s words somehow reached him through all the noise around him but he honestly had no idea what he and George were talking about, he’d stopped listening long ago.
He didn’t know what they were meant to be doing, where they would go next, how much else he’d have to last through– It was starting to get stressful in the way that made his skin crawl, a shiver going up his spine as George tugged him through the crowd.
Somewhere at the back of his mind he felt guilty about the way he was feeling because he looked around and he saw people being happy, talking and smiling and having fun while he wanted nothing more than to leave– It was somewhat isolating.
As much as he absolutely adored living with George and Sapnap, sometimes he couldn’t help but think that he didn’t really belong.
They eventually walked a little to the side of the main crowd and stopped to talk about something that Dream couldn't find it in himself to be worried about. He felt like he was losing his mind, a thick fog settling around his brain and making him feel like he was thinking through mud.
He could barely discern his thoughts from the sounds all around him, the noise gathering at the back of his mind and making his temples throb in sync with the rapid beating of his heart, his discomfort so great that it made a shiver go up his spine. Maybe it was because of all the layers he was wearing that he started to get too hot, his chest constricting and feeling too tight against his lungs.
He swallowed thickly, his gaze fixed on the ground, trying to calm down, pulling at his own fingers as he willed himself to chill out because he just– He couldn’t ruin things for his friends.
“Dream?” He jumped at the sound of his name, his gaze snapping up and settling on two concerned faces. Was it that obvious that he wasn’t having a good time?
“Are you okay? You’re–”
He didn’t get to hear the rest before there was someone bumping into his back and he moved away instinctively, turning to see what it was and meeting the eyes of a girl– She couldn’t have been older than ten and as soon as her gaze landed on his horns, on the turquoise freckled scattered on his face, her eyes went almost comically wide. The expression on her face went from confused to horrified in the span of a moment before she turned on her heels and ran away.
He felt his heart drop and roll out of his chest, falling onto the ground with a splat and leaving a giant, gaping hole behind his ribs.
That was it, the last confirmation he needed– He couldn’t be here, it wasn’t his place and it would never be.
He didn’t pay his friends any mind as he walked away, moving quickly through the crowd and gritting his teeth at every accidental touch and brush against his arms.
The world around him was a blur, the only thoughts echoing in his mind the ones that screamed at him to leave, get away, because this was no place for him, he couldn’t– Staying would do nothing but make him feel worse, make him panic more, and no one wanted him there anyways.
He swallowed down the lump in his throat, wrapping his arms around his torso in the pathetic resemblance of a hug and blinking rapidly to keep the tears welling in his eyes at bay– He spotted what seemed like a quieter street and quickly ducked in there, resting his back against the wall of a building.
God, why did he run away like that? Now George and Sapnap would worry about him and no matter how much he tried he could never seem to do what was right.
His friends did whatever they could do make him comfortable, little things like getting rid of their old kettle because the noise it made bothered him or avoiding making coffee when he was in the house because the smell made him gag and even going as far as cutting off a longtime friend of theirs just because he hadn’t liked the fact that Dream was a warden hybrid–
“Guys, it’s fine, I get why people would be scared of me, you don’t need to–”
“No Dream, he wasn’t scared at all, he was just an asshole. We don’t want to be friends with someone who is capable of being so awful to our best friend.”
–And here he was, freaking out in a random alley because the Christmas fair they’d brought him at was too busy. A fair , during Christmas time– Of course it was busy, why was he overreacting? Fuck, he felt pathetic.
He sniffled softly, reaching up to wipe away the lone tear rolling down his cheek. He really didn’t want to lose his friends.
George and Sapnap always told him that he didn’t need to apologise for stuff like this, that he shouldn’t feel bad, but he did because how could he not? They never complained but they must get annoyed at him sometimes, it must get tiring to have to constantly accommodate him and his quirks and was it really worth it to be friends with a warden hybrid? Was it really worth it to be friends with him? He didn’t think he was that special.
He swallowed thickly, the pressure in his chest increasing until his next exhale came out as a quiet, choked up noise. Stupid, he told himself, this is so stupid.
Heavy steps reached him, making him turn with a start– There was George, standing beside him, breathing heavy as if he’d just ran a marathon and gaze shining with concern as it settled on Dream.
“Jesus– You sure know how to run off fast…” The comment was nothing more than a tease, a gentle attempt of lessening the tension, and yet it sent a fresh wave of tears rolling down his cheeks and he was powerless to stop them. George just frowned. “Dream…”
“Sorry.” He pushed out, squeezing his arms closer to his chest, pressing himself closer to the wall as he stared at the floor in shame– So much for not making them worry.
“Stop, you don’t need to apologise.” His gaze snapped up and locked with George’s as the other stepped closer, a small, kind smile on his lips. “What’s wrong?”
Dream hesitated, biting on the inside of his cheek, his thoughts almost going by too last for him to follow. “It’s– Nothing, I’m alright, don’t worry.” Liar, he thought, because he certainly didn’t feel alright, not right now at least– He wasn’t fine, but he would be, so did it really matter?
“You’re–” An exasperated huff. “Dream, you’re crying, and you’ve been clicking for a while now, Sapnap asked you about it earlier but you didn’t say anything, so– Spit it out.”
He just stared for a moment, only now registering the quiet clicking noise that was coming from him– The same noise he used to communicate with the skulk and shriekers in the city, a way to soothe himself. How long had he been doing that without noticing? “Sorry, I didn’t notice.”
“It’s okay Dream, don’t worry.” George stepped closer and he forced himself not to move away. “Can you tell me what happened? Did me or Sapnap do something that upset you?”
Dream was quick to shake his head, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion because how could George ever think that? “No– No, of course not. It’s just…” He shrugged, blood rushing to his face. “Too many things going on, too many people, I got overwhelmed.” He admitted, the words taking a ridiculous amount of effort to pronounce. It sounded even dumber when said out loud. “I’m really sorry George, I didn’t mean to make you worried. You can go back to Sapnap if you want, I know how to find my way home–”
“ Dream , for the love of god, chill.” George let out a faint chuckle, effectively startling him out of his rant because what was so funny? “I’m not leaving you here and we are not going to make you find your way home, you absolute idiot.”
“But–”
“No buts. You’re tired? Overwhelmed? That’s fine, it happens, all you need to do is tell us and we’ll go home.” The way the other said it, like it wasn’t a big deal– It made him frown.
“But I want you to have fun, I don’t want to be an– An inconvenience or something… I don’t want to force you to go home just because I don’t feel up to doing things anymore.”
“Well, that’s how things work around here.” George’s voice was much more stern than he expected it to be but his gaze remained gentle. “We– This is how friendship works, at least when it comes to us. Now tell me, if I told you I had a migraine and didn’t feel well would you be upset about having to go back home?”
The question made him frown, and he thought about it for a moment. George was prone to headaches and migraines, it had to do with his eyes being more sensitive because he was colorblind, and it really had nothing to do with him when and if he got them, it just happened.
He sniffed a little and shook his head.
“And would you be upset if Sapnap asked you to leave because he got nauseous and wanted to go lay in bed?” Once again, it was nothing his friend could stop or prevent. Dream shook his head again.
“So why would we be upset with you over wanting to go home because you’re not having a good time?” George’s words made him pause because as much as he thought that his tendency to get overwhelmed was stupid and annoying it was there and, well, there was nothing he could do about it either. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder…
“But is it worth it? Having to deal with it? I mean– I can be…” He grimaced a little before gesturing to himself. “I don't know. Plus, I’m a hybrid, some people don’t like me, doesn’t it get tiring?”
He watched as George’s face twisted into something that he could only describe as displeasure before he stepped closer. “Dream… No, no it doesn’t, I–” He watched as George sighed, almost defeated.
“I’m not good at this stuff, but I really need you to understand that I– We care about you, we love you and we want you to be happy and healthy and all that nice stuff. We aren’t dealing with you, we’re just being your friends. You hear me?”
Dream just stared at him for a moment, his heart feeling like it had grown twice its size. Nobody had ever said something like that to him and nobody probably ever would. He’d just gotten way too lucky on his first try.
He took a step forwards and let himself be wrapped in a hug, George’s arms wrapping around his back. Had it been someone else he would’ve probably freaked out, but for some reason the other’s touch didn’t bother him at all.
“It’s okay, you’re alright.” The reassurance made him exhale and he spent a few moments just standing there and breathing, uncaring of whatever happened around him because it didn’t really matter anymore. “Take your time, when you’ll feel up to it we can go get Sapnap and then we’ll go home, sounds good?” He nodded into the other’s shoulder, his own muscles slowly losing the tension that had gathered into them.
A gentle kiss was pressed to the side of his head, and his heart warmed in his chest, doing a little flip. A soft noise made its way past his throat without his permission, making him flush– George just chuckled in response.
“Later, when we get home.”
——
December 25th
The house was quiet as the mid-morning sun filtered through the living room windows, hitting a now unlit fireplace that had ran out of wood to burn during the night– A lump of blankets sat on the couch, tangled as of they’d been thrown off in a sleepy hurry to reach an actual bed and fall back into a peaceful slumber.
Upstairs two bedrooms out of three were full– George’s bed sat untouched, Dream’s mattress creaked under the weight of two people, tangled limbs and soft breathing.
Under the tree sat gifts wrapped with colorful paper, boxes full of love and ready to be unwrapped.
——
For: Dream :)
From: Sapnap
I met a wandering trader that sold rose bushes seeds and you mentioned wanting to take up gardening so I thought you might enjoy planting your favourite flowers. I hope you like them!
So happy to have you as my best friend, Merry Crhristmas, love you bro!
——
For: Dream
From: George
I know you never complain about the cold but I saw this blanket at one of the shops in the village and it was so soft and it’s green (or at least that’s what the guy told me) so I couldn’t not get it for you. Heads up, I will be using it too.
Merry Christmas idiot <3
Maybe Christmas wasn't that bad after all.