Chapter Text
Doug snapped awake, nearly hitting his head on the light that hung too close to his bed. All he could see was red. Lips red as the rose. He’d never seen lips that color before, not even on his Aunt Snow.
Who was that?
He looked to his right, but the bed next to his was empty. He turned to his left, facing the nightstand and the intricate wooden clock with a rabbit’s ears as the hands. It read 9:43. Doug was almost definitely one of the last ones awake.
He would beat the Sleepy’s, but that was a given. Being the last one awake in the cottage meant breakfast would be scarce, if anything. Doug usually liked to be one of the first awake. That way, he could eat in peace.
But he had been lulled into sleeping in by the girl with the red lips, whoever she was.
Swinging his legs off the bed, Doug slid his glasses on and inhaled sharply, preparing himself for the chaos outside. His door creaked as he pushed it open, revealing all 16 members of his family cooking, or eating, or running back and forth.
Aunt Snow had ensured each Dwarf kid had learned basic housekeeping so they could take care of their fathers in their retirement.
The diamond business had been profitable enough that they were able to expand the cottage and keep the family together in the Enchanted Woods.
Doug walked towards the bustling kitchen, narrowly avoiding his little cousins Hallie and Seth running by. He got to the massive coffee pot on the counter and poured some into the wooden mug that had been inscribed with his name.
He often stared at the lettering on that mug. Those four letters, written in a deep green and in his father’s surprisingly legible hand, had defined him for 15 years. But what did “Doug” really mean?
It was easy to get lost in this family. There were so many of them for one, but Doug felt out of place in a way that had to be more than just the number of people in the house. His dad did too. Or, at least, that’s what Doug assumed.
In a family so loud and boisterous, being the only two who didn’t really like to talk had a way of separating them from the rest of the house.
Staring at the letters written on his mug, his mind drifted back to the lips in his dream. Did she ever feel this way? Would he ever get to ask her?
He raised his cup to his lips and took a sip, the bitter drink waking up his brain.
A plate of eggs, sausage, and potatoes was thrust in front of him.
“Thanks, Daisy,” he said sheepishly as he took the plate. His cousin nodded and smiled warmly. Daisy was the oldest of his cousins, and Aunt Snow’s favorite (though she would never admit that), so she had become the working head of their household.
She had auburn hair that was pulled into a braid and tied with a yellow ribbon, amber eyes, and the biggest smile of anyone in Auradon. She also wore round-framed glasses that looked just like her dad’s.
Her father, Doug’s Uncle Doc, had raised her to be careful and shrewd, but she was also one of the most sensitive and caring people Doug knew.
He took a bite of the hearty breakfast she’d made and exhaled deeply with the comfort of the meal. It was delicious and exactly what he needed.
Daisy must have seen it on his face that he was not in the mood to fight for leftovers. She was always so perceptive, somehow knowing exactly how to make each family member feel loved.
“How long have you been awake?” he asked her.
“Oh, a few hours.” Doug’s widened eyes made her laugh. “Someone has to take care of you all.” She threw her hair over her shoulder and walked towards the now half-empty pot of coffee.
Doug lifted himself onto the counter, his usual spot to eat. He liked being able to observe the house from up there. Plus, the extra height never hurt.
He watched as his Uncle Happy sat at the dining room table with his three children, all laughing and smiling. He watched his Uncle Grumpy try not to smile as Daisy brought a cup of coffee to his organ bench. He watched his cousin Sammi yawn in her blue and white striped pajamas.
“Good morning, Sleepy,” his cousin Seth teased. The 8-year old turned red and crossed her arms.
“Don’t call me that!” she whined. Sammi was at the age where she didn’t want any association with her family, specifically her perpetually asleep father. Thankfully, her younger brother Simon was still perfectly content with hearing about how cute he was when he slept.
Doug pushed his glasses up his nose as he continued eating his breakfast. He loved his family, he really did. It was just hard sometimes, to feel lonely in such a crowded place.
He didn’t know why, but something told him whoever those red lips belonged to understood that feeling. She knew what it was like to feel lonely. Maybe, Doug thought, we could make each other a little bit less lonely.
Doug’s chest warmed at the thought, but he quickly shoved it aside. It was just a dream. A manifestation of my subconscious. She doesn’t actually exist.
“What are you thinking so hard about?” Doug lifted his head to see his cousin Braiden had joined him on the counter.
“Nothing,” Doug muttered. Braiden shrugged, leaning against the counter as he ate his own breakfast.
Braiden was exactly two weeks older than Doug, so the two of them were closer than any of the other cousins. He was on the lean side like Doug, and was just as nerdy. Only where Doug liked calculations and experiments, Braiden liked rhythms and strings.
Braiden could list the defining dates of each musical era and which composers belonged to each, but because he played guitar he was automatically cooler than Doug and his computer programming.
That didn’t matter much to Doug, though. He knew he was cool in his own way, and eventually he would find people who thought so too. Or, at least, that’s what his dad promised. It would definitely help if those people revealed themselves sooner rather than later.
“What do you think dreams mean?” Doug blurted out. Braiden cocked his head to the side in thought.
“I don’t know. Different things, I guess. Depends on the dream.”
“Have you ever had a dream where you see someone you don’t recognize?” He didn’t know why he was asking any of this.
“I don’t think so. Most of my dreams are about me.” Braiden’s cheeks turned a deep shade of red. “That sounds self centered—”
“No, I get it,” Doug offered. Braiden didn’t usually go ‘full Bashful,’ as they had dubbed the sensation, but sometimes his genes snuck through.
“Who did you see in a dream?” Braiden asked. Now it was Doug’s turn to flush.
“Oh, I didn’t see anyone,” he scrambled, “I was just reading an article about a poll Camelot University ran.”
“Whatcha guys talking about?” their cousin Harper asked as she washed off her plate in the sink next to them. She was only a year younger than them, but Harper fit into the younger half of the cousins. She had green eyes and her dad’s electric smile and extroverted energy.
“Dreams,” Braiden answered her.
“Ooh, any fun ones?” she asked. Braiden turned to look at Doug, but he kept his eyes firmly fixed on his bite of potatoes.
“Nothing too interesting, I just heard a new melody in my dream last night.” Harper perked up at that, her blonde waves bouncing with her excitement.
“Do you still remember it?” Braiden whistled a few seconds of something Doug had heard him play before. Harper smiled wide and ran back towards her dad.
“Thanks,” Doug sighed.
“What are cousins for?” Braiden responded.
“Covering up weird dreams to other cousins, I guess.” Braiden chuckled at that.
“So what was this dream?” he asked.
“Nothing—”
“Dude, you have to tell me,” Braiden demanded. Doug let out a sigh.
“Red lips,” he said.
“Red lips?” Braiden repeated, “that’s it?”
“I mean, yeah, a girl with red lips. But also, it felt like…I don’t know how to describe it. Exciting, I guess, like my life was about to start. And maybe hers was too.”
“Wow, you should write my lyrics,” Braiden joked. Doug elbowed his cousin, both of them laughing. “So,” Braiden started, “who do you think she is?” Before Doug could answer, a high-pitched whistle and a loud shout erupted from the living room.
“Braiden!” It was their Uncle Grumpy. “What in Auradon did you do to my pipe organ?” he yelled.
“We’ll come back to this!” Braiden assured Doug as a bashful blush creeped into his cheeks. He ran towards the living room, leaving Doug alone on the kitchen counter.
“I don’t know,” Doug whispered.