Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

George was sitting next to his bed and holding his hand tightly. If Dream looked close enough he could see the tears in his eyes that the brunet was desperately trying to hide away from him. Dream did not like watching George cry, and it hurt seeing him like this, but on the other hand he wasn’t doing all too great either.

There was a pain in his heart, and he felt like he could not breathe while looking at the man he loved with all of his heart. George had always been there for him, ever since they were kids, and two years ago they had finally decided to come clean with how they actually felt for each other.

It had been the best day of his life when George came running to his door, panting heavily from the run he had taken. When Dream had opened his door and seen him he had gotten worried something had happened, since George was pale and looked scared and nervous. He had never really seen the other that way, he was usually quite closed off with his feelings so it had been a shocking moment.
That’s when he had blurted out those words, the same words he was whispering to him now.

“I love you.” The words were soft, carefully spoken. It was something sweet just between them, and Dream valued it deeply. George leaned forward and put his lips against the blond males temples, placing a gentle kiss on them as the tears started to flood down his cheeks. He was not able to hold it in anymore, it was all too much.

“Dream I love you.” He repeated and the grip around his hand tightened. Desperation was starting to kick in, showing itself in the tone of his voice.

“George, I love you too.” He whispered back and tried to return the tight grip to his lover in a way of showing reassurance. His tears were also running wild now, no longer able to hold them back.

“George? Do you want to marry me?” It was silly, really. But something inside of him wanted it to come clean. He had to ask, before it was too late. He had hoped it would have been a greater moment, but it seemed like this was it. George could only look up, giving him a confused look as the blond closed his eyes, his breath slowing down. He felt scared, frightening. Almost losing himself in the way you felt right before falling asleep. Everything was hazy.

“Dream what do you mean?”

“Do you want to marry me? Please just answer.” Dream opened his eyes again and saw the brown pearls looking back at him. He tried his best to keep staying awake, he tried as hard as he could. So many times he had looked into those honey colored eyes for safety, so many times he had seen the happiness and the sun reflect there. He had fallen in love with those eyes and behind them was a strong man with lots of ambition. Those eyes were now glassy and red, slowly growing red and swollen from the pain that was taking over. Those eyes were the reason he was still trying, even for just a second more.

“Yes Dream, I will marry you. I’ll marry you.” There was no hint of hesitation, and the words were spoken quickly. Almsot as if Dream would not be able to hear the full answer. The dying man smiled and looked over at the monitor, seeing the number blinking on the screen showing his heartbeat. George had been looking at it all day too, they knew what was coming and George was not ready for it. Neither was Dream but he was starting to accept his fate, slowly, but certainly. George was there with him, and things were okay. It was okay. Or, that's at least what he told himself.

Suddenly, the numbers went lower and a beeping noise was heard and his whole world started to spin. All he could hear was his name being yelled over and over like a broken record and the loud beeping noise that filled his head. He didn’t feel any pain anymore, instead of the lights being blurry, they became as dark as the night sky until there was nothing left. The noises around him started to die too, and the pressure on his hand faded away. He was losing himself, he could feel it. It was scary, but also comforting. He wished he could scream out, but a calming senation washed over him.

There came one last sigh, escaping from his mouth.

“Time of Death, 19:42”

- -

He was on an open field.

Grass was all around him and up to his thighs, gently touching him and waving in the warm wind which was caressing his cheeks. The grass was as green as an emerald and,judging by the place of the sun, it seemed to be sometime in the evening.

Behind him there was a forest with large trees who stretched themselves up towards the sky, almost as if they were trying to reach and touch the soft clouds that hung above him in the baby blue color. The trees were thick, and he could not see through the trees or what could be hiding in the forest which scared him, but he also felt calm at the same time looking at it. Maybe that could have something to do with the birds who were singing and flying between the crowns of the trees. Dream smiled as he watched them. Overall, it seemed like a peaceful place. Almost nostaglic, even if he had no idea where he was.

In front of him there was an old house. The house was red, and looked to be old and abandoned since maybe around fifty years back, judging by how the roof was slowly caving in and the paint escaping the walls and fading away. Next to the house, there was a small garden that seemed to have gotten overgrown over time, but still filled with beautiful flowers in all sorts of colors. The house itself did not look to be too big, and was probably only a summer house that someone had stayed in a very long time ago. After some thinking, he decided to walk towards it. He almost felt like he was being pulled towards the house, an unvisible force draggign him closer and closer and luring him to the abandoned home.

The ground underneath him was soft, and the male quickly realized he was not wearing any sorts of shoes on his feet, not that it mattered since it surprisingly, it did not hurt walking barefoot through the field. The soft soil underneath his feet felt warm, comforting and Dream kept walking through the field, his destination clear in sight.

The grass brushed against him as he walked and he put his hand in it, letting it swipe through the green soft mass that surrounded him. He liked the feeling, he felt free. He felt somehow alive while walking through the field, even though it felt like it was straight out of a dream or a movie.

When Dream arrived at the door he noticed it was wide open, and only for him to walk inside without any troubles. The door was dark brown with a yellow window, and a small sign with one single flower on it. It was something he had often seen on older buildings, those that old people usually lived in. He thought of it as strange as he stepped inside, a smell of old and wet overtaking him in a wave. It was not pleasnt, but it was also not uninviting. It only made him want to walk deeper into the house.

The floor was wooden, and the wallpapers looked like they once had been crystal white but over time turned a soft yellow. The small symbols that covered them were fading, and here and there the wallpaper also seemed to be ripped and falling off the wall to reveal a stone wall. Dream bit his lip at the sight while trying to investigate the house he had just found. Who had lived here? Who did it belong to? And why was it standing here, alone and forgotten?

On his left, he could spot a kitchen. On his right there was a small closet that looked to be where the previous owners had hung their outdoor jackets. It didn't seem too interesting, and so he turned his attention to look inside the kitchen which was bigger than the hallway he had come from. However, it was not as big as he was used to seeing kitchens. Usually, they were larger and had more space to store different utensils or food supplies. All the cabinets who existed in the small kitchen, were closed, and Dream did not feel like trying to open them and touch the handles that were slowly rotting away. He decided to leave the kitchen and walk into the living room, which was just ahead of him.

There wasn't really anything special in there except an open fire, that must be well used judging by the dark spots from the fire who had once roamed inside the small space. He had not seen that kind of design before on a fire place, the odd design looking foreign. It was made of small white bricks, or well they must have been white. Now they were almost grey from being unkept for such a long time.

“In the book, this house was supposed to belong to you when you were to turn thirtytwo. Unfortunately, something went wrong...” Dream felt his heartrate spike, and turned around to see where the voice was coming from, spotting someone else standing behind him. He had not been there before, where had he come from?

It was a male with short brown hair and a small beard coating his jaw. He looked kind, and almost familiar, but he couldn’t quite place where he had seen him before. Maybe he had known him when he was younger? Maybe it was someone who was a friend of a friend. Dream had no idea, and he didn't feel like trying to figure it out either. This place was strange enough as it is. His clothing seemed to be somewhat normal, the man dressed in pale white pants and soft blue shirt with a white cardigan hanging over from his shoulders and down his body. It seemed to be very thin, as it waved in the wind behind him, looking as if it was floating. Dream narrowed his eyes at this strange detail. Maybe he was seeing things?

“Who are you?” Dream finally asked and turned his whole body around to face him, his arm slightly raised just in case he would have to protect himself from the man in front of him. You never knew with these kinds of people, he was smart enough to be cautious about the situation he had gotten himself into.

“My name is Jimmy.” The man spoke, not an ounce of ill intentions hiding there. “I’m so sorry, this must be quite confusing for you.” He continued, and Dream looked around himself once more, trying to think about what Jimmy had just said to him. Of course it was confusing, why wouldn't it be? The whole situation was a lump of strange pieces that seemed to belong to different puzzles.

And what did he mean with that this was supposed to be his house?

Then one small detail filled his mind, and it made slighly more sense. Yeah right, he had died.

The memory hit him like a bus, and the blond felt how his whole body tensed up while remembering what had just happened.The memory of George who had been sitting next to him, holding his hand while giving one last promise to him before he passed away filled his head. The hospital room who had been filled with lots of paintings from his sister, who had tried her best to make up for not being there. She had just started art school in the Netherlands, and trying to travel now was not something she could do since getting on a plane without any money was hard. Plus he had only gotten to know a week ago that he was sick, and only a day before that there was nothing that could be done. Getting her here would have been hard, close to impossible. Even so, he had a small pain in his heart from the lack of her presence.

Dream covered his mouth to keep in the sound that was threatening to escape his throat. His chest felt like it was on fire, burning him inside out. The pain took over him and he fell to the ground. It was overtaking his body, eating him alive. The realization hitting him, feeling everything coming back. His stomach hurt, his chest ached and his whole body felt weak as he understood that his life was over. He was dead, he was truly dead. George was gone, he had left George and his sister. His poor sister, who he never even got to say goodbye to.

Jimmy came and sat beside him, only laying a hand on his back and gently rubbing him to try and bring him some comfort. Dream was close to hyperventilating, everything overwhelming him. It was way too much to take in, to even understand. How do you even cope with understanding that you had died at such a young age. His eyes stung and all he could do was stare on the dirty floor as Jimmy kept trying to calm him down. It took him several minutes before he finally got his breathing back under control, and when he did, he was left feeling numb and tired. Jimmy didn't seem to mind, speaking no words about his apparent breakdown.

“I understand that this must be very hard for you, Clay. I’m sorry that this happened.” He tried to help him get back up as Dream dried the tears with his sleeves, feeling a bit embarrassed about having a sudden breakdown in front of a stranger he barely even knew.

“Am I really…?” Dream questioned, looking at Jimmy who gave him a sad smile and nodded.

“Yes I'm afraid. You have died at the LKP-Hospital.“

The words were not meant to be cold, they were said in a very nice way, actually. But even so they sent a shiver down his spine, a cold sensation flowing over his body. Dream swallowed before running a hand through his hair, looking up at the ceiling and trying to figure out what he was supposed to do now, and where to even go from here. What were you supposed to do when you died? Do you just sit and chill with other dead people or what was the point?

Then, his mind starting running. Why was he here? And what did Jimmy mean? “Wait, what do you mean something went wrong?”

Jimmy’s expression changed at his question and he looked like he was troubled, or as if he had asked something that was a touchy subject. Although what could possibly be a touchy subject for Jimmy regarding his death? Dream felt like he had to know, and his whole body and mind itched for the truth. He wanted to know and understand his death, that must be fair, right?

“You see, my friend. Every human being has their own Book, this book is often referred to as ‘fate’ or such down when you are alive on earth. Up here, we just say that everyone has their own Book.” He started, noticing the way Dream listened closely to every word that was being said. His eyes urged Jimmy to keep on talking, hungry for understandment.

“The week you got sick, your Book got stolen. How, we are not sure yet. But it was not supposed to be possible. Your Book was thrown into fire and burned, meaning that you were set to die.” Dream looked away, swallowing the lump that was growing in his throat. A small part of him was angry, because how could they have let this happen? And why him? He was just a random guy from America. Why would his Book get stolen?

And what's this about him never being supposed to pass away in the first place? Was he supposed to still be alive right now? Live happy with George back in the US? Were they supposed to be together without any troubles in the world? Was supposed to be waking up next to the british man every morning right now? His life was never meant to end at age twenty three. He had a life, that was a cut off. For what reason? What had made things end up like this? It was unfair, he was supposed to have a life. But instead, he was here, in what he could only guess was an afterlife or a glance into what could have been.

“Why? How?” Dream asked, the questions being too much to just keep in. Anger fueled him, why had this happened to him?

He felt the anger bubble inside of him, knowing that whatever it is they had let happen had ruined his life. They had messed up, which had led him to lose everything. They broke him, and now he was never going to see George smile again, he was never going to see his sister play another match of football or sing along to one of those guys she always liked to listen too. He was never going to cuddle with Patches again, the poor cat he had left without a notice.

“Bad people, I'm afraid. They exist in the afterlife, too. I’m sorry you had to be the victim of this, I truly am. But I’m going to try and fix it.”

Dream looked at him, trying to figure out if he was serious or not and what exactly the man in front of him was planning. He had no idea where he was, or what he was doing, he had no idea if this was the afterlife or who Jimmy even was. What if all of this was actually some sort of fucked up dream and that he was alive and back in the hospital, only sleeping? He hoped that the latter was the right answer.

“What do you mean?” Dream asked and hugged himself, wrapping his arms around his body which felt a lot thinner than he was used to. He could only guess it was because of his death, and the sickness he had had to endure for the past week where eating was not ideal. Most of the time, George had tried to force feed him, the doctors had even threatened to put a tube in him before they came to the conclusion that it was not going to be worth it. His food was turned into painkillers and drugs instead. Now afterwards, he understood just how bad and sad that sounded. His death had been waited.

“You see, everyone on earth is there because of a reason, everyone has something they need to do and something they need to accomplish. Everyone has a purpose, and everyone has a Book. Yours was cut short, meaning that your soul at the moment, is highly unstable. I am going to try and make it right again, but I need you to work with me.” Jimmy sent him a quick smile, and Dream only looked around himself feeling insecure and scared. What did that mean? Was it even possible? His head spun, trying to get around the words and take them in. His heart was beating almost painfully hard in his chest, he could feel his fingertips tingle from the anxiety that spread through him.

“What are you doing, Jimmy? What am I supposed to do?” He asked and his newly found friend chuckled before shaking his head.

“I am sending you back to earth, of course. You will be going back.”

At first, Dream felt a joy swirl inside of his chest. He was going to come back, he was going to keep on living and he was going to see George again. He was going to see those dark brown eyes who soothed him, and he was going to hold his lover close again and feel his breath against his skin. He would be able to fall asleep listening to his heartbeat, once again. He was going to see his cat, he would be coming home and be happy again. Eveything he had lost, all that he was, would be back. He smiled at the thought, looking towards Jimmy for confirmation, but instead, he was met with a sad glance. His heart sunk.

“I'm sorry, but sending you back to the US with George would create a paradox, it wouldn't work. You have already been here too long. I'm afraid that it's too late.”

“But I thought-”

“I know.” Jimmy cut him off. “I am sending you back, but to stop any confusion from happening, you will be sent back to another country in a different time. Do not worry, though. It will be close, so that you don't get confused and can go back to society normally. I promise.” The walls around him lit up. and suddenly the symbols on the wallpaper turned into small lights, filling the room. They were almost beautiful, the lights creating a soft dim like small flames.

Dream looked around himself and let his eyes dance over the walls, the ceiling and the floor. The whole room suddenly felt like it was on fire, the light blending him and warming him, feeling like it was going straight through him and into his body. He had no idea what was going on, and he grithed his teeth wondering if Jimmy had been lying. The man in fact, was watching him from the opposite end of the room, not looking like he was completely sure of what was happening either. It did not sooth his worries.

“It will be alright, okay?. Just try to live normally again, try to be happy alright?”

“Wait Jimmy! What am I supposed to do? What do you even mean, and how am I supposed to fulfill my purpose?"

The symbols looked like they were coming out from the wallpaper, floating in the air and growing larger and moving closer towards the frightened male. The symbols floated closer to him, moving at a steady pace as if they were ready to swallow him whole. He tried to see Jimmy in the mess of the lights, but no matter how hard the tried to focus, the man was out of sight.

The symbols got closer until they touched his body, causing Dream to scream out painfully like an injured animal. The symbols burned into him, almost as if someone had put burning iron against his skin, marking him up, sending him down a spiral of pain. The pain was like nothing he had felt before, and the symbols felt like they were inside of him, eating away at his organs and his skin. Dream wanted it to end, end it all and never have to feel this again. He couldn’t even hear himself scream anymore, losing himself and drifting away.

Suddenly, the pain stopped. Dream had to catch a breath as relief washed over him, and he thanked the gods silently as he panted and opened his eyes again. He wasn't even aware that he had closed them. His breaths were heavy, slow. And then when he looked around he realized that he was in a park somewhere, not sure where or when. The only thing he understood was that this is not America.

He did not dare to move at first, but soon he sat up from the cold and damp grass and looked around himself. It was in the middle of the night, and the moon hung in the sky full and bright over him, letting it’s light spread beautifully upon the small town he seemed to be close by. It was cold, and lonely. Dream had no idea where he was, or even what year it could be. Not a single guess filled his mind. His whole head seemed to be spinning, not sure on what he was supposed to even do. His body hurt as he tried to look around himself and get a better sight. It felt so lonely, and the symbols which had been under his skin had gone with the wind. His body felt whole again, his body felt like his own. It was something strange to feel this well after his week in the hospital. It couldn't have been a dream, could it?

“The hell?" a voice was heard from behind him, and Dream quickly jerked his head around to see another person standing there behind him. He must be around his age, maybe slightly older. On his back, there looked to be hanging a guitar case. "Are you okay?” He continued, and Dream felt more lost than he ever had been before.

Chapter Text

The male behind him had fluffy brown hair which was peeking out from a beanie he was wearing. On his nose rested a pair of round glasses and on his back he seemed to be carrying a guitar. The man overall looked like he belonged in a soft aesthetic board on the internet with how he was dressed. A black jacket covering a yellow knitted sweater hung on his body to try and keep the cold out. Dream saw him as attractive but trustworthy? Not sure.

“I’m fine.” Dream mumbled quietly before standing up and facing the other person. It was hard to see in the dark but he looked to have darker eyes and soft skin. He must have recently shaved since he did not have a stubble nor a beard forming on his face. Dream studied the man silently and tried to come up with what to think about him.

“Are you sure?” His voice was rich and reeked of british. Dream had to stop himself from flinching at the accent which was coming from him. Not many talked in a british accent back in the US, and if you did people would often glance at you for another second. Was he still in the US? He wasn’t supposed to be according to Jimmy but the whole situation felt quite weird. The stranger was however talking english so Dream would have no problems in trying to learn a new language or understand what people were saying around him. He smiled in relief at that.

“Yeah, I’m sure. Can I just ask where I am?”

As fast as the question left his mouth the stranger’s expression changed from being mildly worried to being very confused. He tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes on Dream and the blonde suddenly felt like he was standing exposed in front of his newly found friend as he looked him up and down. Dream himself looked at himself to see that he was standing in nothing but a pair of black pants and a green t-shirt, the same thing he had been wearing before getting admitted to the hospital. Dream tried to swallow the pain that rose in his chest at the memory.

“You are in Brighton.” The brunette said. “You are in England. Are you sure you are alright?” The stranger took a step closer towards Dream and the blonde welt confused. England? He was in the UK? Why the hell had he gotten sent to here? It would have been one thing if he had gotten sent to another state in the US but to get sent all the way over to Europe? What did people in Europe even do? Back in the United States they did not care about what was happening on the other side of earth as long as it did not concern them or if it was something big. Plus the UK and the US had a bit of history. Not that it mattered today.

“Yeah I’m sure, quit asking.” Dream rubbed his head and looked at the stranger who was taking off his guitar and then his jacket, flopping the piece of clothing around Dream.

The jacket was warm and it felt amazing being embraced in it and taking a break from the cold winds surrounding him. It looked to be around fall with the leaves on the ground but he was not quite sure how the seasons worked in the UK. Where in the UK was even Brighton?

Dream looked at the stranger and smiled but did not get a smile back. Instead the stranger was wearing a soft but sad expression on his face and if Dream looked close enough he could tell that the stranger was pitying him. That thought alone made Dream almost feel sick since he did not want a stranger pitying him. But on the other hand someone taking care of him right now felt like the best thing to happen. The pain from his life from before, the meeting with Jimmy in the old house… It was messing up his head and he wished for nothing else but to go home and just sleep.

But there was no home anymore.

“I will take you to my apartment, is that alright? Or do you have somewhere to go?” The stranger asked and wrapped an arm around him. The height difference became a bit more clear to Dream as he was one or two inches taller, but it was not noticeable that much. In a way it was comforting to not be the tallest anymore and have someone else embrace him or take care of him. On the other hand it felt more dangerous since the other male could probably use his height to advantage and kill him as fast as they got out of public.

But the stranger looked thin and not too strong, Dream could probably take him in a fight if they ever came to that. But it did not help the anxiety which was filling up inside his chest. But he did not have anywhere to go and as of now this stranger seemed to be what he had. He had no money, no friends and nowhere to sleep. This stranger did not seem like the type to murder either.

“Yeah, sure. If I can get your name first.” Dream looked at him in the eyes, the eyes that he guessed were brown since they looked a bit like George’s eyes in the dark. But on the other hand they had a lighter touch to them and looked like newly cut wood. He did also smell a bit like a forest right after it had rained which was different from George’s smell of vanilla. One thing both him and the stranger had in common though was that they both shared the british accent since George was originally from Britain before moving to the US.

“My name is Wilbur.” The stranger said. “What is yours?”

For a moment he had to stop and think on what to answer to that question. Back before he died he was always referred to as Dream outside of his family but his real name was Clay. It always felt weird when someone other than his sister and his mom called him Clay so the answer was Dream, right? On the other hand he was a whole new person now, nobody should know who he is or who he previously was. The old Clay was dead, he had died in the US who knows when back in the US. He could pick a whole new name and no one would ever know.

He could be whoever he wanted to be.

But it would also feel weird to have a new name. Because even if he was supposed to be dead he was still him. He was still himself with all of his old memories and from what he guessed his old appearance. Hopefully all of his old skills and knowledge was still etched into his brain, too.

“My name is Dream.” He finally said and Wilbur chuckled quietly.

“That is an unusual name, are you sure?”

Dream smiled as he nodded in response and Wilbur decided to accept the strangers name without questioning it any further.

He had only been out wanting to spend the night with friends and play guitar but his night took an interesting turn. He had to quickly send a text to them saying something came up and that he was unavailable and could not make it. The male he had found in the park was shaking in the cold and Wilbur had no idea where he had come from or what he was even doing out there. Maybe he had amnesia? Wilbur was not sure.

Dream was burying himself in the jacket, feeling bad that he had stolen it but incredibly thankful since it kept him from freezing his ass off. The cold temperature in the air was making the hair on his arms stand up and the warmth of the jacket felt comforting. The jacket also smelled a lot like Wilbur and it wasn’t really a bad smell, but he deeply wished that it was George’s smell instead.

Was George even still alive? He did not look to be too far away from the point of his death but he also had no idea how fast the world around him was changing. He could live twenty years into the future from all that he cared about. Sure, George would probably still be alive and doing well but if he would remember him was another question.

What if George had forgotten about him? He probably hadn’t since they were very close and he had asked him to marry him right before dying, but if twenty years had passed the chances of George still thinking about him were low. George might have gotten married to someone else or has a whole new life. He might not even be in the US anymore.

He wanted to go back to George, his whole body urged him to try and fly back to the US to find his past lover. But the thing is, Dream was supposed to be dead. The man that George had gotten to know had died right in front of him and did no longer exist. He did no longer exist in this world and if he just waltzed back in there was no telling in what would happen.

George would be confused and believing him was not going to be the first response. Seeing your dead lover suddenly up and alive again without having aged a bit was not going to work in the british male’s mind. The thought about it hurt Dream, knowing he was in the same world as George but telling him would not work out. But something inside of him said that it would, it would work out. Maybe George could grow to believe him, maybe he could get back.

Dream nodded as he looked at Wilbur besides him. Wilbur truly did suit him even if it was quite a terrible name in Dream’s opinion. Is this what the brits named their children? George must have been incredibly lucky in that case in getting an actual good name. “Yes, I’m sure.”

Wilbur looked satisfied enough while walking down the street and leading Dream home to wherever it was he lived. The stranger danger was ringing inside of his head but he could not get himself to care. Nothing felt like it mattered anymore since he had literally died and come back.

“It’s just around the corner, are you hungry?” Dream was curious to see where Wilbur lived and how his apartment looked like and if it matched the way Wilbur was dressed. If he was correct his apartment was probably going to have quite the few plants and lots of different paintings on the walls. But who knows, maybe Wilbur was actually goth or something and his whole house was going to have a darker and rebellious tone to it. Dream did not know and for now only imagine how it would be.

“A bit actually, yeah.” Dream admitted as Wilbur took out his keys and opened up the door.

The house was very small and connected itself with different buildings which aligned along the road. They looked nothing like the apartments they had back in the US but they did not look like they were straight out from a sci-fi movie either. Had Jimmy really sent him to a different time or was he still stuck in 2010? He had died somewhere in spring so at least the time of the year was changed but other than that things seemed to be pretty similar.

Wilbur led him inside and Dream felt a little confused when he walked inside the house. It looked quite normal except for all the weird and random items that were standing here and there. On the wall there was actually a painting which looked a bit antique, but other than that Wilbur’s aesthetic had not reflected itself too much on where he lived. He had another guitar by the wall though which looked to be older and a bit more worn out than the normal ones.

His walls were painted in a soft and light grey which felt comforting and safe and on the floor there was no carpet covering the wood which in Dream’s mind felt a bit odd. He guessed that wasn’t as normal as it was in the United States and shrugged it off.

“You have a nice house.” Dream said as he handed Wilbur back his jacket and stepped inside to try and get a better look. He was looking for clues which could give him more information about what year it was. Asking Wilbur straight out would raise a lot of flags in the brunette’s mind and he wanted to seem like he had some sanity left inside his head.

The TV which was standing by the wall in the living room did not look like it was from 2010, and if it was it was a very rich model. Wilbur did not look like he had the money to buy one of those TV’s but maybe he had gotten it from someone. The TV did give him some sort of clue that he was at least a few years into the future. Dream swallowed as he once again felt the anxiety bubble inside him.

He had no idea what today’s society looked like or what they did or how it worked even. He felt insecure since there was no longer a safety to hide behind. He was going to have to learn how to adjust to his surroundings and he prayed that nothing had changed too much and that things still worked like normal. Otherwise he could probably watch Wilbur and do whatever he did to not cast too much suspicions on himself.

“Thank you, I have lived here for about a year now.” Wilbur was in the kitchen and Dream decided to join him in there. The kitchen had some sort of new but still older touch to itself. It did not have the trends that kitchens did back when he was still alive (or well, before he died.) but it still did not look completely modern. On the other hand he was raised in America and had no idea what things looked like or worked in the UK so maybe he was still in 2010? Dream had no idea.

“Where did you come from? Do you remember anything?” Wilbur asked and Dream could only stare at him trying to figure out what he was supposed to answer to that question.

“All I know is that I am from Florida. I’m twenty-two years old and I honestly do not know how I ended up here.” Dream mumbled and Wilbur hummed while heating up some leftover chicken soup. Dream had no idea on what story to go after.

“How did you end up in England? What’s the last thing you remember?”

Dream bit his lip and looked down as the microwave let out a few beeping noises. The microwave also looked like it was from the future since it was a bit more fancy with lots of different buttons and not the classy white. Instead it looked black with a silver lining.

“I… I don’t know.” Dream lied and he felt terrible, but he had no other choice since Wilbur would probably send him to the psych ward if he told him he had just gotten back from death and gotten sent to the UK instead of going back to Florida. Wilbur did not look too happy with the answer.

“Maybe someone drugged you and dragged you here, I have no idea how you Americans work.” Wilbur put the bowl on the table and handed him a spoon, urging Dream to sit down and eat. Dream thanked him while grabbing the spoon and sitting down by the small wooden table, tasting the soup that was handed to him.

Wilbur sat on the other hand and watched him closely, his eyes almost burning into Dream’s skin once again. It was easier to see his eyecolor now when there was some actual light around them and they were indeed light brown. Dream felt a pang of sadness wash over him. They were brown just like George’s, but they were not the same shade to actually be his. The eyes felt so familiar but at the same time not in that way and Dream swallowed the hot soup sadly.

“It’s really good.” Dream mumbled while letting the spoon swirl around in the bowl. It was actually good but his emotions were starting to control him and he felt so lost and empty. Wilbur noticed his mood.

“Dream, you okay? Do you want to maybe go and sleep? It is okay if you remember or not. If you do on the other hand, please tell me so I can help you alright?” Dream nodded and finished his food.

Wilbur grabbed the empty bowl as Dream silently thanked him. He put it among the dishes and started to prepare the extra bed for Dream to sleep in. It felt weird sleeping in someone else’s house, especially since they had just met out in the park at night. Had it been the US, Dream guessed he would probably already have been dead by now.

“Wilbur?” Dream asked and the other male was quick to turn and look at him. “Why do you trust me? I mean, I am just a stranger.”

Wilbur did look like he was thinking about it for a second and Dream feared that he was going to throw him out on the street again. He stood underneath the lamp and watched the taller man.

“You seemed lost, leaving you there would not have been the right thing to do. I just want to help you get back on track. I honestly do not know how you ended up even getting here from America.” Wilbur answered while putting a few pillows and a blanket on the extra bed.

“What do you mean? If I was kidnapped it is not hard to throw me on a boat or something to get me here.” Dream thought for a moment. A plane might have been heard to smuggle another person on board, but a boat was not as hard. His story made sense, right?

“Dream, leaving the US is incredibly hard. How much do you know?” Now it was time for Dream to look concerned and weirded out. He stepped closer to Wilbur.

“What do you mean?”

Wilbur looked like he had to think hard for a moment as he stared on Dream. The blonde looked confused and almost scared as if he had no idea on what was going on or where he even was. It made Wilbur even more confused and the question about taking Dream to the hospital to get him checked stood in his head. He did not know how to explain to the male about what was going on in the world. He took a deep breath.

“Do you know about the virus?”

Dream went pale and his eyes widened for a second, not understanding where Wilbur was going with this. A virus? What did he mean with a virus? He only shook his head in response and Wilbur sat down on the extra bed and ran his hand through the brown locks. In the light they looked soft and a bit golden if you looked from a different angle, but otherwise they reminded him of rich chocolate.

“There is a pandemic going on, Dream. Where have you been all this time? Did someone hurt you?” Dream covered his mouth and shook his head. There was a pandemic going on? Since when and how had it started? Was it like the plague? How many people had died? All those questions were running a rampage through his head, but the biggest question he had was whether George and his sister were okay.

“What...do you mean?” Dream asked quietly, the pain covering his voice like a thick blanket.

“It’s called Covid, or corona. The US has closed its borders and quite the few people have died. It’s global.” Wilbur explained and Dream sat down next to Wilbur, not knowing if he was lying or not or how he was supposed to believe him.

Why had Jimmy sent him here? What was he supposed to do when people were dying all around him? There was a pandemic going on? “Wilbur, what year is it?”

Wilbur flinched besides him and Dream could understand why. If someone had asked him the same question he would probably have laughed and called them an idiot.

“It’s 2020, Dream.” Ten years, ten years into the future.

Dream was not sure on what he had expected but it still hurt. It felt more real. He had died and he had come back, but the whole world was no longer as it used to be and there was even a pandemic going on. Dream was never going to be able to go back home and meet George. He was never going to be able to see that sweet smile and those dark brown eyes ever again. Why was he here? What was the point?

The tears started to fill up in his eyes and Dream hated himself for it. He did not want to show himself vulnerable in front of other people, especially not someone he had just met. Wilbur did not seem to mind however and wrapped his arms around the blonde and pulled him into a hug. Dream let himself be embraced and dug his face into the other’s shoulders, feeling small and alone in this new world which he had ended up in.

Chapter Text

When Dream woke up the next morning, he realized he was tucked in and that the sun was already up and peeping in through the window. The sun was almost hitting him straight in the face and he grunted before sitting up and pushing the blanket off of himself. He grabbed his pants and his shirt and put them on, feeling a bit disgusted wearing the same thing again but it was what he had to deal with for now.

He looked around himself and remembered that he was not in his house back in Florida, he was in the UK in another man's house. The memories started to flood back and the little moment of peace he had just had was washed away and left him feeling empty. He did not have time to dwell on it anymore, he had to get up.

So that’s what Dream did. He stood up and went to look for Wilbur around the house and found the man still asleep in his bed. Dream knew it was creepy but he could not help but to look at the other for a little while.

His hair was all over the pillow and those soft locks were all messed up and needed to be brushed out. His eyes were closed and his mouth slightly open. He looked to be relaxed and sleep peacefully which Dream found odd. Did Wilbur really trust him that much that he let himself sleep as if nothing was going on? There was a stranger in his house and he looked like he had no troubles with it. Maybe this had happened before.

Dream walked inside the room and closed the door gently behind him, walking over to sit on the bed thinking about waking the other up. He knew it was rude, but it was also rude to just leave without saying goodbye or thanks for letting him stay the night and bring him food. This was the least he could do. A simple thanks.

“Wilbur.” Dream whispered and waited for a response but nothing came. Was Wilbur a heavy sleeper? Dream had no idea and tried to put his hand on his shoulder and gently shake the sleeping male next to him. Wilbur felt warm to touch and the soft shirt hung over his shoulders while lying there in bed. Dream had to admit that the man was not bad looking.

But his mind kept going to George. George was probably not asleep and Dream hoped that he was doing good. He hoped that his past lover was still smiling and an ache in his chest made Dream bite his lip to try and hide the pain in case Wilbur woke up. Dream wished that his own brit was out there living life and that the virus Wilbur had told him about had not gotten to him. How dangerous was this virus even?

“Wilbur, come on… Wake up.” Dream shook the other male again and this time Wilbur let out a grunt before opening his eyes and being faced with the blonde.

He flinched at first and Dream made sure to let go of him and take a step back to show him that he was not going to hurt him and Wilbur relaxed again. The brunette sat up and rubbed his eyes and tried to fix his hair back to normal, failing to do so and Dream had to hold back a chuckle. Wilbur’s bed hair was adorable.

“Dream? What’s up, man?” He mumbled while adjusting himself and trying to not give in and just fall back asleep. His pillow looked very inviting but the male he had taken in looked troubled which was worrying. He also had no idea what time it was but judging by the light which was coming in from behind the blinds it was at least not in the middle of the night anymore.

“I thought about leaving and I wanted to thank you for everything.”

Wilbur sat up and sent him a confused and questionable look as if he was not believing what the other male was telling him. He looked a bit more awake and Dream guessed it was because the other felt some sort of shock, why? He did not know.

“Dream, do you have anywhere to go? Walking around now is not the safest. I told you last night there is literally a virus going around.” Wilbur had pulled the blankets and the sheets up to make sure to cover him, even if he was wearing a shirt. He was holding the covers close to his body and they looked like they were very thick. Did Wilbur freeze a lot while sleeping?

Dream looked away from the brunette. He had nowhere to go and he knew no one who lived in England, barely not even anyone who was from Europe. Sure, he probably had some internet friends who lived in Europe but by now they had lost contact. He was also dead so walking up to them would not have been too good if George had told them why he suddenly was not responding anymore.

He was stuck in this world and as of now it seemed like he only had this man to his aid. He only knew Wilbur and Wilbur was the only one who knew him. No longer did he have a family or friends, he had no one. He was completely alone in this world having to pretend to be someone new and not go back to the family he knew was out there. He had to move on from them even if he was the one who had died. It did not make sense to him.

“Look, man. I appreciate it but I can’t live off of you. That wouldn’t be fair.” Dream tried and looked up again only to be met with a worried and almost sad looking Wilbur.

“I don’t mind.” Wilbur whispered. “I like having someone else here. Plus you only have to stay until you manage to get a job or figure something out. But if you really want to leave I won’t stop you.” Dream bit his lip.

It would be incredibly helpful to stay and the offer was inviting. Sleeping outside in the cold while risking to get sick was not the best thing he could do. Wilbur was almost being too kind and he got curious if all english men were like this or if Wilbur was just special. He almost sounded like he felt very lonely with his choice of words which pained Dream a bit. Wilbur seemed like a nice person, why would he feel lonely?

He had talked about his friends a bit yesterday but not too much, just that they hung out every now and then or played video games together. Dream had little to no information about them so he was not ready to fully judge them yet, but they could not be too bad right? Wilbur did consider them his friends of course.

“Are you sure, Will?” The nickname made the brunette smile which Dream could not have predicted, but the smile was pleasant to see. Wilbur should smile a bit more in his opinion.

“Yes, Dream. I am sure.” He answered and Dream laid down on the bed next to Wilbur, looking up to the roof. He could feel the honey colored eyes on him and he did not mind it or question it. He felt so tired and still quite exhausted from everything. All he wanted to do was to go back home to Florida and see George again. God only knows how much his heart ached for his past lover.

“Do you want to shower? You can borrow some of my clothes if you want to.” Wilbur tilted his head and looked at him, earning a quiet laugh from Dream.

“What? Do I smell bad or something?” Now it was Wilbur’s time to silently laugh before getting out of bed and throwing the covers over Dream’s face, earning him a quiet and muffled ‘hey!’ from the blonde who wiggled out from under the sheets.

“If I say yes, will you accept my offer?” Wilbur went over to his closet and opened it, revealing all his clothing who were hanging and lying on different shelves in quite a small wardrobe. His clothes were not anything too fancy and they actually looked very cozy. He had some button ups but a lot of different sweaters. Dream thought he could also spot a vest in there somewhere and a few pairs of pants.

Wilbur grabbed a black sweater with a yellow and red stripe running across it and threw it over to his bed, making the piece of clothing fall next to his newly found friend. He also threw him a pair of jeans which he thought would fit the other. They were around the same height and size so he hoped he could get away with the jeans by just rolling them up a bit.

“Thank you.” Dream examined the clothes handed to him before standing up, giving a small nod to Wilbur who grabbed some clothes for himself to change into.

“Don’t worry about it. There should be a towel hanging in there already.”

Dream walked into the bathroom and laid the clothes on the toilet before starting up the shower. He undressed and placed his dirty clothes on the floor, deciding to fold them and take care of them once he was out of the shower. Once the water seemed like a nice temperature, he stepped in.

The water hit his back and for Dream it was like being given a massage. The warm water hit him and dug into his skin, warming him up and making him feel a bit better. He leaned his head back and let the water flood through his hair, the blonde locks almost looking brown while being wet. It felt amazing and he had forgotten how nice it was to just take a shower, especially after having a few rough days.

He washed his hair and himself with some soap which was standing by the shower, they smelled similar to Wilbur but still not quite. The soap was faint smelling of pine which was to Dream a little odd but not too strange. He usually just took whatever George had bought for them (which was often sweet smelling soap since George was a sucker for those).

Once he was clean he turned off the water and stepped out, grabbing the towel and drying his hair. He wiped the mirror of fog and looked at himself.

It was still the same Dream standing in the mirror, just that his hair had grown a little bit longer and that his once fully green eyes now had a splatter of brown close to the pupil. Other than that he looked almost exactly like he had when he had died and saw no major changes in his appearance. He was thankful for it and glad that Jimmy had decided to keep him relatively normal.

Dream was not a bad looking guy but he was neither the best. The many years of playing sports had put it’s marks on him. He had a strong upper body and legs but also quite the few scares from his many years of playing soccer. Those scars however seemed to be gone and Dream was not sure if he was thankful or sad over the fact. Sure, they were not important and looked a bit weird but they were also memories. Not that those memories mattered anymore, those memories belonged to somebody who was dead.

The blonde looked away from himself and got dressed with the clothes Wilbur had handed him. The sweater fit just fine but the pants he had to fold up by his ankles so as to not step on the fabric. He chuckled to himself, Wilbur was truly tall. Usually Dream was the one borrowing out his clothes to George since that man was smaller than him so it felt a bit out of character, but he did not mind. The clothes were comfortable.

He grabbed his old clothes and folded them, walking out of the bathroom only to spot a wild Wilbur in the kitchen making what looked like to be french toast. Dream smiled and placed his old clothes by his bed, saving his question for what to do with them later and joining Wilbur in the kitchen.

“I had no idea english men could cook.” Dream teased.

“What?” Wilbur laughed and turned to him. “Well we can, and I hope your american taste buds can bring themselves to like something made outside of the country.” Wilbur teased back and Dream faked a laugh at him.

“Do you have anything you want to do today, by the way? Because I promised Tommy a few days ago I would join him on Minecraft.”

Dream had to stare at him for a second while thinking about what had just been said. Minecraft, wasn’t that the game which had just released a year or so ago? It was starting to grow in popularity when he died but not much and the male had never gotten to play it before he died. George however had mentioned that he wanted to play it. So did that mean that Minecraft had grown more over the years or was Wilbur just into small games? He looked like to be the kind of person who would sit and play small and ‘soft’ video games instead of the bloody and hardcore once which lots of people their age liked to play.

Wilbur placed the french toast on the table and Dream sat down, thinking about it for a second. It would be nice to see where the game has gotten over the years and how it has developed, plus it would maybe give him a little hint of where technology had gotten over the years.

“Sure. It sounds like fun.”

Once they had finished eating, Wilbur led him back to his bedroom where he had his computer and his screen set up. Dream had not noticed it before since it was not on his list to check for computers, but the male was impressed.

The computer did look a bit more modern than the ones they had when he died. He had never seen such a cool set up before and it was not even that much. It was one large screen and a smaller by the side and the computer itself was standing a little tucked behind and hidden. The keyboard looked relatively normal besides the numbers and letters looking like they were written in another cooler font than he was used to. He smiled softly.

“So, who is this Tommy?” Dream asked and Wilbur chuckled before sitting down in his chair, spinning in it. Dream sat on the extra chair and waited for an answer.

“It’s this kid. He is actually quite nice but he can be loud and very energetic. We play on this server together which our friend Darryl created a few years ago. He is also British, so sorry American boy but you will have to deal with us.” Wilbur playfully hit Dream’s shoulder and the blonde male laughed as the screen popped on, revealing a desktop that looked like it was inspired by the 90’s or something. It did look quite cute however.

“You have like a hundred games! What?” Dream leaned forward to look at all the names filling the screen. He did not recognise the majority of them, maybe just one or two titles seemed to look familiar. Dream felt at awe and his own little gamer inside of him itched to try them out but kept his cool in front of Wilbur, not wanting to seem rude or intruding.

“Yeah I have a few. I don’t play too much though. I am usually strumming on my guitar.” Wilbur clicked on the icon which read “Minecraft” and dream felt the excitement fill up in his chest. He tried his best to keep it inside of him so as to not look like a kid on christmas morning excited for his gifts. Wilbur sent him a quick glance and smiled while logging in and starting up the server.

“Damn, this game looks totally different from when I last saw it.” Wilbur stopped and turned to look at him, confusion plastered all over his face.

“You remember Minecraft?” Dream went pale.

Oh fuck. This was bad. He had forgotten about the whole being dead thing and had let it slip out before thinking. What would Wilbur think? What should he even say about it? ‘Yeah I can’t remember my family but I do remember this block game’. Yes, sounds perfectly normal and makes sense. Dream cringed at himself.

“I guess? Maybe it’s coming back.” Wilbur seemed satisfied enough with his answer and opened up an app labeled “Discord” where he clicked on a profile named “TommyINNIT” and pressed the call button. It only took a few seconds before a voice was heard from the other end and Dream had to stop himself from jumping at the sudden yell.

“Hey Wilbur!” the voice said and Dream had to think back if Wilbur had said kid or not, because the boy talking sounded quite grown. Maybe not fully grown but at least not too young. His voice was a bit raspy and quite a normal tone for being a boy. Not too high but not too dark pitched either. When Dream looked over to Wilbur, he could see that the brunette was smiling.

“Hey Tommy, we have a guest here so please don’t act like a child.”

“What? I never do! I’m a big man, Wilbur!” Tommy laughed on the other end and Wilbur rolled his eyes and shook his head, looking over to Dream to make sure he was not too terrified about what was happening or going on. Dream tilted his head in curiosity about this new person.

“Say hi, Tommy.”

“Hi over there whoever you are. You must be pretty weird since you are hanging out with Wilbur.” Tommy laughed again and so did Dream, a wheeze escaping his lips while listening to the kid that Wilbur somehow had befriended. He was quite interested in knowing exactly how these two people had found each other and how they had grown closer.

“Hi Tommy, I’m Dream.”

“Big D!” Tommy exclaimed which led to Dream losing it and doubling over with how wrong that had come out and Wilbur was quick to scold the other male for acting so weird and inappropriate in front of someone new out of nowhere. When Dream listened to the two he could have honestly guessed that they were brothers and it was quite nice to see Wilbur acting like this.

It almost made him miss George even more. He and George often had their own teasing and weirdness going on and acting in a similar way. He wished that George was there with him or that he could run back to the US and have just one more conversation with him. His thoughts dulled out the bickering and talking coming from the two brits, and Wilbur managed to snap him out of it by gently placing a hand on his knee.

“Are you alright?” He said in his british accent and Dream had to stop himself from smiling at how dumb he sounded. It was a bit funny, though.

“Yeah, sorry. Just spaced out there.” Wilbur nodded before turning back to screen, showing off the minecraft characters.

“I will show you around. Maybe later we can get an account for you so that you can join in. I have an extra laptop which I usually only use for my music, but I can make an exception.” Wilbur explained and Dream smirked at him.

“Okay, but if I do, I wanna hear you play later.” Wilbur smiled.

“Sure. But if you laugh I am kicking you out.” He joked and Dream chuckled.

“Wilbur! I got you a woman!” Tommy’s voice echoed out in the room and the two males turned to look at the screen to find Tommy’s character next to a girl with the name tag “Alyssa”. She looked a little bit lost and confused and Wilbur groaned and facepalmed at his friend's stupidity, but Dream could see a faint smile on his lips.

Chapter Text

Dream found himself walking down the streets of Brighton, looking at the cool and odd architecture surrounding him from all around. He had seen pictures of England but he had only been in London once with George. George had been so happy and excited to show him around even if he had not wanted to admit it. It had been adorable to hold his lovers hand as he showed him where he had grown up and where he lived. He had shown him his childhood places and old stores he used to go to. It had been one of the best days in his life.

Now, on the other hand, he was alone walking down the street of an unknown town in England. He was alone since Wilbur had to go to work and had decided to go for a walk and maybe get to know the town a little better. This was probably going to be his new home and his new life since his old one was behind him. It was sad to think about it and it hurt a lot that he had to restart life in England, but that’s how things turned out.

He had found some coins on the road while walking and was now fiddling with them in his hand. They were fun to play with and having something to do with his hands helped to focus on walking. A heavy sigh left his lips as he walked into a store that sounded familiar, maybe George had shown it to him when he had been in London? Dream could not remember but something about it felt familiar.

When he walked inside he got met with a nice and comforting warmth instead of the cold winds outside. There were not many people around since everyone was off to work and Dream could only see a few people walking around inside of the store.

On the wall to his side he saw a payphone and he looked at the coins in his hand. He felt the arms stand up on his skin as a million thoughts soared through his brain. He could probably call George, he still knew his phone number from having it memorized. He could call George and talk to him again like they used to. But what would George think or even say?

It’s not everyday your dead lover from ten years ago suddenly calls you from your home country to say hello. It would be shocking and not make any sense to him. Dream wasn’t even sure that the signal would go through or if George had the same number. For him about a week had passed since last he saw George, but for George it’s been around ten years. Dream was not even sure George would remember his voice. How could he explain that one?

Dream did not even realize that he was walking towards the phone on the wall until he stood right in front of it, staring at the coin slot and feeling how his heart was pounding inside his chest. His fingertips were hurting from the anxiety and his brain was screaming at him to step away and go. His heart was clawing at him though to pick up the phone and call George. His whole being was shaking and if anyone saw him they would probably write him off as crazy.

The green hoodie he had gotten from Wilbur after his shopping last night was falling over his body and making him feel a lot warmer than he was. It felt like he was going to break into a sweat any minute now. All the sounds surrounding him were gone and for a second he thought he had gone deaf.

He put the coin in the coin slot and pressed in the all too familiar number and lifted the phone off from the wall. His heart was beating so hard that it almost hurt and his stomach was rolling in anxiety, making the blonde feel nauseous. His eyes were closed as he listened to the small beeping noises which were coming from the end.

“Hello?”

Dream’s heart stopped and his mouth fell open. His eyes were tearing up as they widened and looked at the wall. His mind had stopped and went silent inside of his head and he had no idea what to do.

George’s voice sounded about the same except for the confusion on why a random number had suddenly called him. Dream could not blame him for it but the sound of his voice was almost too familiar. It hurt listening to it and he had no idea why. It might be because he thought he would never hear that voice again. It had just been a week for him but ten years for the brunette on the other end of the line.

Dream was choking on his breath and could not remember how to talk anymore. The words were drying up in his throat and he had no way of getting them out. Not that he knew what he could say anyways, his mind was spinning way too fast.

He flung the phone back on to the wall, ending the call just like that. His hands were shaking and the tears were streaming down his cheeks feeling hot against his skin. He was breathing hard and he felt himself close to hyperventilating. Everything was hurting and his brain was just screaming at him to run. He had to run far away and not come back.

There was no danger in sight, but his whole body and mind were acting as if it were. Dream had no idea on where to go so he covered his mouth and dried the tears before hurrying away from the store and away from the phone and away from George. He could not stand being in there anymore and hurried out on the street, the cold wind feeling both relieving and painful at the same time. The dark clouds hung above him with the threat of rain, hurrying the boy home.

He ran as fast as he could down the street and back to Wilbur’s apartment.

- - - -

When Wilbur arrived home he found a shaking Dream on the couch. The blonde male’s eyes were puffy and red and the tear stains on his cheeks were reflecting in the light coming off from the lamp which was standing close to the couch. Wilbur dropped his jacket and hurried to take off his shoes and hurried to sit next down to Dream, who refused to look at him.

“Dream?” Wilbur said softly, the normal cheerful and teasing tone long gone from his voice. Dream said nothing back and only laid his head to rest on Wilbur’s shoulder, refusing to look at the taller male. His heart was still beating hard inside his chest as George’s voice played on repeat inside his head.

Wilbur’s arms wrapped themselves around him, pulling him close and trying to comfort him the best way he could. Wilbur was not that good at comforting people since he was a pretty outgoing person who liked to mess around and tease, but it made Dream feel better nonetheless. Just the feeling of someone being there and someone caring made him feel better.

Dream had a hard time figuring out why he was reacting the way he was. It was George, George who had watched him die and now had no idea his past lover was up and walking again. George was probably just living life and Dream was sitting on a couch in England crying over him. Usually it was the other way around when someone had died, the people kept alive cried over the dead. But here Dream was, alive and well crying over the fact that George was still out there but not besides him.

He had been such a coward in not saying anything. George was there, he had picked up and even said his typical hello. Dream had hung up on him and ran away without thinking or saying anything back. He should not have called in the first place, his old self was supposed to be dead. The Dream that George knew was dead and gone since ten years back.

“I’m sorry, Wilbur.” Dream whispered before retreating from the embrace and hopping further away from the brit. Wilbur was giving him a concerned and worried look.

“What happened?” Dream bit his lip and looked away, not sure on how to tell him. He could not tell him anything about George without revealing the fact that he has basically reincarnated which Wilbur in no way accept. He would probably write Dream in for insanity and kick him out of the house.

“I just, I think I remembered something.” Wilbur looked interested and Dream only gave him a sad look to make the brunette swallow his question. The brunette nodded in understandment and kept himself quiet about it. The question was still running inside his head, though, he wanted nothing but to ask what the blonde had recovered from his amnesia.

“Well, it’s getting late. Do you want to help me cook something? It can get your mind off of things.” Wilbur suggested and Dream smiled. It did sound quite nice and hopefully could get his mind off of George. The sooner the better and so the blonde male hurried into the kitchen.

Wilbur was following close behind him and grabbed all the ingredients they needed. He looked determined and wore a smirk on his face while placing it in front of Dream. Dream giggled at his stupidity.

“What are we making?” The blonde asked while washing his hands, looking at everything which was standing on the table in front of him. “I’m taking a wild guess and saying pizza.”

Wilbur nodded and applauded him, giving a small bow. “Well you are absolutely right there my dear american. I thought it would suit you well. But we are making the dough from scratch, I am not dealing with whatever the supermarket does with their pizza dough. They taste weird anyways.”

Dream laughed and the thoughts from before were gone. He felt relieved that Wilbur was such an easy person to just be around with and that he could help him feel better. However he was not sure Wilbur was a good baker. Sure, he could cook, but could he bake? Dream smirked at his own thought.

“Never took you as the home-wife type.” Dream teased him and Wilbur put a hand on his chest and acted shocked and hurt by the other. His facial expression hitting Dream hard as those eyes stared at him with a mouth in the shape of an ‘o’.

“How dare you! Insulting me in my own house? Shame on you.” Wilbur grabbed the white bowl and got the yeast and the water, measuring them up and making sure he got it just right. Dream watched him closely, not being used to making the pizza from scratch.

His eyes however moved away from the brunette’s hands and towards the flour which was innocently standing on the table. A smile spread on the blonde’s lips as he stretched for it, Wilbur seemingly not noticing what the other was up to. His hand fell into the soft powder and grabbed a fist full of the flour.

“Hey Wilbur, can I ask you something?” Wilbur hummed and looked up from his measuring, only to get hit in the face by a hand full of flour.

His face turned white as a cloud formed around his face and the flour stuck to his skin. Dream was wheezing and holding his stomach from laughing so hard, the shocked expression on his friend’s face killing him.

Wilbur took off his glasses and wiped them off so that he could actually see again, the outline of where they had been sitting visible from the white. The sight made Dream laugh even harder, his stomach and chest hurting from the laughter which erupted from him.

“Oh it is so on.” Wilbur smirked and grabbed his own hand full of flour, aiming it towards the blonde who was too busy laughing to notice the incoming attack. For Wilbur it was the perfect opportunity, hitting his enemy at his weakest point. He aimed his hand and threw it, hitting Dream right on the side of his cheek, half the flour disappearing into his hoodie.

Dream stopped laughing and coughed, caught by surprise by the flour. He turned to look at Wilbur who now was also laughing, finding his attack hilarious. It had been a good comeback, but little did he know that he had just started a war.

The two male ran around in the kitchen, throwing the flour and attacking each other as if they were little kids again, the pizza forgotten from their heads. All that they could focus on now was to get in a good hit at the other to win the flour war.

“Come at me, Mr Soot” Dream teased while raising his hand full of flour as a warning to the other, not hesitating to shoot. Wilbur only smiled as he filled both his hands up with flour, peeking up from behind the table showing off his loaded hands.

“Will do, Mr Dream.” Wilbur threw the flour at Dream who ducked to escape the mass of the powder soaring at him, only getting some on his hoodie and on the back of his shirt. He smiled while walking towards Wilbur who was now unarmed and lying on the floor, a laughing mess but also a begging one, asking Dream for mercy.

“Dream! Dream! I give up, I give up!” He cried out as Dream stood above him with a smirk, some of the flour dropping out his hands as he tilted his head and looked down on the brunette who was covering his face and laughing.

His knees were up to his chest as to protect himself and his long arms were covering his face as he rolled around in case the other decided to throw the flour at him. He was laughing and to Dream it was quite a fun sight to see. Never would he expect a full grown man to lie on the kitchen floor and beg to not get a hand of flour shoved up his face. Dream chuckled as he sat down on him, his knees on either side of the brunette.

“Do the british yield?” He said in a low tone while still holding up the flour as a threat to Wilbur, making sure he knew he would not hesitate to throw it at him. Wilbur could only laugh.

“Yes the british yield you bloody american!” Wilbur could feel the weight above him, Dream who pushed his legs down so he was able to sit on his stomach to make sure he went nowhere. A blush spread to Wilbur’s face at the contact, not expecting the other to get so close and personal. It felt odd to have him like this, but on the other hand it did not feel completely wrong. Dream however, seemed to not think of any about it.

“I will have mercy on you this time, then.” Dream lowered his hands and Wilbur uncovered his face, seeing the blonde sit on him with a disgustingly proud smile on his face. Wilbur rolled his eyes and pushed the other off of him and sat up, Dream lying on the floor next to him with the smile still plastered on his face.

“God you are such an idiot.” Wilbur chuckled and got up, offering his hand to the other so he could get up on his feet. Dream accepted and stood up, looking over to the table where there was an absolute mess. The pizza dough was also long forgotten and now stood lonely on the desk.

Neither of them had the energy to finish what they started, both of them exhausted from the day and from their previous play. Dream only looked at Wilbur and bit his lip, feeling a bit bad since he was the one who had started the whole thing. Wilbur only smiled though and wiped his forehead.

“Should we just do takeout?” Wilbur asked.

“I thought I was the american here…” Dream mumbled and acted as if he was thinking which earned him a playful punch on the shoulder from Wilbur. He rolled his eyes at him and shook his head.

“Get that stupid grin off of your face and clean yourself up. I know a good pizzeria nearby.” Wilbur brushed the flour off of himself, trying to get the white stains out from the clothing which worked somewhat with a little help of water. Dream was having a harder time brushing away the evidence from their war.

Wilbur looked up to notice his friend struggling and chuckled, feeling quite proud over himself that even though he had lost, the blonde had a hard time getting the flour out. Dream looked up and quietly asked for help, which Wilbur gave in to and helped brush all the flour out from the clothing.

“Now come on, they are closing in an hour.”

“Well hurry then, you snail.” Wilbur gasped as Dream rushed for the door, putting on his shoes quickly and rushing out with the other close behind him. He had to stop though outside and wait for the other since he had no idea where the pizzeria was which caused Wilbur to give a big and mocking smile.

“What was that?”

“Shut up, just lead the way.”

Once they arrived at the pizzeria, Dream looked at the prices and cringed at the sight of the euro sign being there instead of the dollar sign. He was used to having the S mark instead of whatever the fuck this was and he was not even sure what a dollar was in euro. He had never bothered to understand it since George was the one moving to the US instead of him moving to the UK. Now he regretted his decision of not listening to his past lover on the subject.

Dream was standing close to Wilbur while looking at the menu, feeling a bit dizzy by all the choices there were. Usually he just ordered the same pizza over the phone back in the US. Of course he went to the pizzerias too but he usually left the ordering to George or to his mom if she had tagged along. Plus there was a slight difference from the pizzas back at home. Dream glanced at Wilbur.

“I’m taking it that your brain can’t handle this? That’s alright, not everyone can be smart.” Wilbur teased and Dream chuckled, trusting Wilbur into making a good choice and not handing him something weird.

Wilbur ordered and Dream went to find a table close to a window in the pizzeria, looking out over the scenery outside. It was getting dark but quite the few people were out driving or walking home. It was a tuesday night so not many couples were out which Dream was thankful for. They usually took all the good tables and left the bad ones for him to choose between.

Wilbur sat down by the table in front of him, handing over a can of fanta. Dream thanked him before opening it and sipping on the soda, just enjoying the quiet around himself. It was a bit different from the US where they liked to look cool and have bright signs and lots of modern decorations. Here it was a little more cool and calm which was a nice change in the american’s eyes. He enjoyed it quite a bit and wished that he could tell George all about it.

“You alright? You seemed pretty upset before. You know you can talk to me, right?” Dream turned to the brunette who was holding a glass of water in his hands, the beanie on top of his head and hiding the mess Dream knew was underneath. He gave him a nod in response.

“Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I just miss home.” He mumbled, watching as one of the workers walked to their table with their pizza.

“Thank you.” Wilbur said politely in his british accent, making Dream smile softly. He would never get used to their weird way of saying things but it was adorable to listen to. He would never grow tired of it.

“Here.” Wilbur put a slice on the plate and handed it over to Dream who started inspecting the pizza. He was trying to figure out if they had the same kind back in America and if he had ever eaten it before. He came to the conclusion that it probably existed but he had not tried it before. It looked good however and the other took a bite out of it.

“That’s actually good.” Dream said, the words being muffled from his mouth full of pizza. Wilbur chuckled and shook his head while watching the blonde be in such shock of a pizza. It was quite endearing and funny to watch.

“Glad it can satisfy you.” Wilbur took a bite of his own slice and watched the other. His hair was a bit longer than what you usually see on a male but Wilbur saw it as cute. He guessed that Dream could put it up in a manbun if he so wanted to. His eyes almost glittered in the light and the green shun along with the freckles which painted his face. If you asked Wilbur, Dream was very attractive. Not that he would ever admit that, though.

“This is almost like a date if you think about it.” Dream choked on the pizza, putting it back on his plate and looking up towards Wilbur who was trying to hold back his laughter from the other’s expression. Dream’s face turned red in the matter of seconds and it was the most adorable thing Wilbur had ever seen.

“The hell?” Dream asked and wiped his mouth, staring at the brunette.

“Oh my god you should have seen yourself! Dream holy shit!” He laughed and Dream covered his face by hiding it in his hands, feeling embarrassed.

The thoughts about George came rushing back to him. He had never gone on a date with anyone except George for half his life. It was only once he had gone on a date with a girl who did not even seem to be too interested in him. Otherwise it had always been George. Even if it didn’t mean anything the words stuck in his head.

“You wish.” Dream muttered before returning back to his pizza, glaring at the brit who was calming down from his laughter.

Chapter Text

Wilbur was sitting on his phone in the kitchen, waiting for Dream to finish his toast. It was finally saturday which meant that Wilbur had the day off and the two could stay home and do whatever they wanted without worrying about anything. Dream liked the weekends especially since it meant he and Wilbur could just spend time together and he did not have to sit around thinking about George or his past life. It gave him time to adjust to the new life he was given.

“Well ain’t this interesting…” Wilbur mumbled and Dream hummed, sipping away on his milk and wiping away any crumbs which had fallen on the table. He grabbed his glass and the plate, putting them in the sink.

“What do you mean? Is something up?” Dream asked and walked to stand behind Wilbur to glance on whatever the taller male was referring to. Wilbur showed up his phone and Dream squinted at the screen to read the message which was filling up the phone.

The sender was labelled ‘Daddy Phil’ which Dream had to stop himself from laughing and questioning, wondering what the story behind that name was. The message was not too short but it wasn’t long either and read something about an invitation over for a gaming night at his place. Dream glanced back to Wilbur and the phone screen went black.

“Are you planning on going?” Wilbur smiled and nodded, turning the phone back on and typing in his reply. Dream watched him as he did, not quite sure how their gaming nights looked like. Back in the US he and George often had gaming nights together with their friend Nick who was from Texas but had moved down for college.

They would often sit on the weekends together and play different games while drinking an unholy amount of soda together and eating snacks. They would have stupid competitions together or just be weird. Dream valued those nights a lot and the memories flooded his mind making a new wave of sadness roll over him.

“Do you want to come with me?” Wilbur asked and turned to Dream who seemed a bit shocked and confused by the answer. The brunette seemed to be serious and he did not really have a reason to joke about it, but it still felt strange and he was not sure if this Phil would want a stranger in his home. Sure, Wilbur had told his friends about Dream and such but he had not really met anyone besides Tommy over minecraft. Plus Tommy’s friend Tubbo who also made Dream believe that Wilbur was secretly their elder brother.

“Sure…” He said, not so sure at all, but Wilbur was quick to type in yet another message. Dream looked around himself and tried to imagine what he had gotten himself into. Maybe it was like his, George’s and Nick’s nights and maybe it was something completely different. He did not know what to expect but he could at least write off drugs. Wilbur did not seem like the kind of guy who would throw himself into that area which Dream was thankful for.

“Great! Well it’s not before seven at least so we have some time for ourselves, and I have an idea.” Wilbur grinned and Dream could almost see the evil in his eyes and feared whatever the next sentence coming out of Wilbur’s mouth would be. He prayed to god that it was not paintball. Anything but paintball.

“I bet I can beat you at try not to laugh.” Dream could only stare at him for a few seconds before a smile erupted on his lips.

Those still existed? Even in 2020 people were obsessed with watching the dumbest things on the internet to try and keep themselves from laughter and it was almost sad to hear. He had looked at a couple of those back in 2010 and they were so bad and cringy that he tried to not look at them. But maybe they had gotten better over the years and were not as bad as they used to be. Or at least that’s what Dream hoped.

“My god Wilbur, that sounds way too easy. But beating you? I would never pass by that opportunity.” Wilbur was quick to get up from his chair and walk into his room, the blonde following close behind him while hoping that Wilbur had some sense of humor. He did highly doubt that he did, however, and Dream found that this would be a very interesting experience.

The brunette booted up the computer and clicked onto youtube, going into a playlist which was labelled “By fans” which striked Dream as weird but quickly laid the questions aside, sitting next to Wilbur in his little chair and watching as the first video rolled up on the screen.

Wilbur was keeping an eye on Dream and the other male was confused as to what was going on on the screen. He had expected those weird compilation videos which were around ten minutes long filled with people doing dumb shit or animals making weird noises, he had not expected random images with random sounds to pop on. It was a whole new experience and Dream questioned what had happened during the decade where he was gone.

“The hell is this?” Dream asked as he watched a cat fall out of a wheelchair which somehow managed to crack a smile on the brunette next to him. The sight in front of him and the stupidity of the whole situation made Dream keep himself from giggling like an idiot.

“Really awful videos I get sent.” Wilbur explained as a new video started rolling on the screen, leaving Dream even more confused on what was going on or why people found it so hilarious. On the other hand, he had to stop himself from laughing at the stuff happening on the computer but that was just because it was all stupid and weird. Was this something everyone in the future had agreed on was funny?

“Who sends you these anyways? Is it Tommy?” Dream asked and looked away from the screen, hearing random words and screams erupting from the speaker making him flinch slightly, not exactly sure on what was going on.

“No, not really. I let my viewers send them during streams sometimes.” Dream narrowed his eyes and looked at Wilbur. Viewers? By fans?

“Wait, are you-?”

“I am a streamer, yes.” Wilbur answered and looked a bit unsure of what to expect. He was scared the blonde would think differently of him or find him as weird but the other just looked at him for a second before letting out a ‘huh’ noise.

“Well, are you famous?” Dream turned back to the screen and Wilbur laughed, making the other stand up from his chair.

“You laughed! You lose!” Dream had a big grin on his face and the brunette looked at him, aggressively shaking his head trying to defend his honor.

“No! I laughed at you! That does not count!” Wilbur’s accent came in a lot more whenever he was stressed which Dream found absolutely endearing and cute, but in this scenario it just made the whole thing even more funnier. The blonde had a hard time taking the other seriously and he let out one of his iconic wheezes (which Wilbur by the way loved to make fun of) and held his arm over his stomach.

“You so lost! Oh my god I knew it was going to be easy but not this easy!” Wilbur had his arms crossed as he stared at his roommate who was laughing at him, pouting slightly and trying to act mad which was not going well. Dream did not even seem to notice him since he was too busy laughing.

“I did not! You are just a wanker.”

“Wanker!” Dream leaned over the table, the tears building up in his eyes while trying to process the silly brit he called friend. It sounded so incredibly stupid in his ears and Dream found it hilarious. Wilbur however cursed that the american was so american and ruffled the blonde’s hair to try and give some revenge back.

“Just shut up and watch the videos or I will say that you lost too!” Wilbur tried and Dream immediately sat up again and watched the screen, taking deep breaths and trying to calm himself down again at the threat. “Alright, alright. Geez.” Wilbur rolled his eyes at him as they returned to the screen, the weird and random stuff not stopping.

- - - -

Dream had no idea what he had expected when they arrived at Phil’s house. The house was not big but not small either and it actually looked pretty nice. There were a few lights and flowers by the door which added a very nice and comforting touch to the house, making it feel a bit more like home. Dream had to give it to the man, the house was very good looking.

On the inside he was met with quite the few people and he had no idea who half of them even were. Some Wilbur had talked to him about earlier but a lot of them he had no idea who they were. They did seem pretty nice though and Dream did not mind meeting the new people, especially not when they all seemed to be gamers.

“Wilbur!” Someone called and the brunette immediately jerked his head around to face a male who looked to be a year or so older than Wilbur with dark and short hair. Dream had a few guesses on who it could be but the face did not match with anyone in his hand.

“David! What’s up, man?” Wilbur responded and the two men hugged each other, leaving Dream to stand awkwardly by the side and watch the other people talk and laugh about stuff he did not know. Everyone was smiling however and no one looked dangerous so that was a plus.

Dream decided to leave Wilbur up to his conversations and he stepped inside the living room where he was greeted by two males who had close to black hair. They were sitting in front of the TV with a controller in their hands even though the game seemed to be paused.

“Hi there! You must be Dream, right? Wilbur has told us a lot about you!” His voice sounded soft and cheerful which made the blonde feel a bit more relieved. He was calm and seemed to have a very bubbly personality. He almost seemed a bit familiar.

“Yeah, that’s me. I hope he was not trash talking me.” Dream gave a soft laugh.

“Nah don’t worry about it dude! Although I would watch my back if I were you... “ The male on the left blinked at him and it was quite obvious that he was joking, but it did not stop his friend next to him to gently push him.

“Skeppy! Be nice!” The male on the right said to what Dream guessed was Skeppy. Skeppy was wearing a blue hoodie which looked a bit odd but suit him pretty well. His hair was black and a bit longer and curly which looked pretty cool and cute. His voice had a strange pitch to it but it was not something that was too noticeable.

“Sorry about him, but that’s Zak. I’m Darryl!” The other introduced himself and now Dream had to guess that Skeppy was a nickname. Or maybe he was a streamer like Wilbur and that was his nametag. The two seemed to be pretty close and Dream had a guess that they were best friends or something in that area. Either way he liked the two.

“What are you guys up to?” Dream asked and sat on one of the pillows which were laid on the floor. The pillow was pretty big and a bit hard to sit on but it was still better than the floor. Bad turned to look back at the TV and smiled.

“Oh we were just playing, but Skeppy decided that it was a good idea to cheat.”

“I was not cheating!” Dream chuckled while listening to the bicker, it was a bit funny to watch and was also in a way wholesome. They seemed happy joking around which reminded him of how he and Wilbur could be at times, although their bicker seemed to be a bit more peaceful without any wars involved.

“Anyways, how are you Dream? How’s it like living with Wilbur?” Darryl asked and Zak went quiet, getting ready to listen to the answer. Dream let out a nervous laugh and cracked his fingers, feeling quite put on the spot.

“He is very nice and I like him, even if he is an idiot.” Darryl looked like he was about to say something but Zak patted him on the shoulder which made the other sit quietly without a word escaping him. Dream tilted his head slightly to the side feeling confused about it but decided to let it be. Maybe he would get to know later.

“Yeah he can be quite the muffin sometimes.” Darryl smiled and Zak only shook his head.

“There you are, I was scared you had run off somewhere.” Wilbur popped up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder, making Dream look up towards the male who was hovering above him. Even íf they were close to height it was still intimidating whenever Wilbur popped up behind him, especially now since Dream was sitting on the floor. He was more used to George’s height so it was odd having someone taller than him.

“Hey there Wilbur! How are you? It’s been a while.” Darryl stood up and went for a hug, Wilbur giving him a quick one plus a pat on the back before the two separated again. For some reason Dream felt a bit jealous about Wilbur hugging so many people. He and Wilbur had not really given each other a real hug yet, at most Wilbur had embraced him whenever he had gotten upset the first few days of him being around.

Dream could not help himself but to wonder what hugging Wilbur would feel like and how it would be. Would he be warm and soft or was he more of the cold and bone-hugging type? Would it be easy to hug or was it a bit harder because of their body features? Dream had no idea and he wanted to find out, but it would be quite weird to ask him about it or just randomly hug him. He kept his thoughts to himself and only smiled.

“It’s been good, I think the album will be out soon so I’m quite happy about that.” Wilbur said and Dream sat quiet and listened to the accent. His voice was quite nice to listen to, Dream had to credit him for that at least. The accent was comforting but still painful since it reminded him so much of George, but it still felt safe to listen to it.

“That’s awesome, dude!” Zak said and put an arm around Darryl who once again took his seat on the couch. Dream got up from his pillow and stood besides Wilbur who gave him a soft and comforting smile, almost as if he was asking if Dream was okay. He gave a nod and Wilbur turned back to Darryl and Zak.

“Well, I’m gonna go and show this american idiot here some more people.”

“Language! And see you later, Dream!” Darryl waved and Dream gave a small wave back before following Wilbur into the kitchen where David was sitting by the counter together with another male. There was also a girl sipping on some liquid standing next to them who looked to be quite much shorter than the guys around her. She was very pretty though with blonde hair and sharp eyeliner.

“Hi Dream!” The girl said and quickly hurried over, her voice softer than he had ever heard before. He had to think for a second if it was her normal voice or if she changed it in some way. Either way it sounded quite cute.

“Hi.” He responded and noticed Wilbur looking at them from the other side of the kitchen. He had walked back to talk to David who seemed to be very into telling Wilbur a story, but Wilbur was quite focused on watching the blonde talk to the girl who had just confronted him. Dream found this as odd but decided to ignore it, writing it off as Wilbur just making sure he was fine.

“I’m Nikki! You must be Dream, Wilbur has said a lot about you. You are from the United States, right?” He nodded while looking at Nikki, noticing the eyeshadow coating her eyes. She had quite the odd style, almost as if she was some sort of cute emo girl. The eyeliner and eyeshadow was not something he saw on most girls back in 2010 and her style was very pretty. She was wearing a black dress with some lace and a belt around her waist. Her hair reached down to her collarbones and fell flat against her.

“Yeah, I am. It’s quite different from here, not gonna lie.”

She let out a quiet chuckle before handing him a glass. “Do you want some? I was thinking of giving it to Will but he seems busy with David.” She said and Dream gave the glas a glance before grabbing it.

“It’s just wine, don’t worry about it.”

Dream gave it a try and tasted it, feeling the almost refreshing taste on his tongue. It tasted quite good with some sort of touch he could not quite place but it still tasted amazing. He hummed and thanked her, making her face light up with a smile. “You are welcome!” She giggled.

Dream talked to her for a short while, hearing her tell different stories about things she and Wilbur had done. They had known each other for quite some time and had first met on a dating show which Dream found amusing. She was very nice and had apparently just gotten a cat which she was very proud over.

They ended up talking for a while, and after a while Zak and Darryl joined in the conversation and the four stood by the counter and had a couple of drinks while talking to each other. Wilbur was still sending them a quick few looks and keeping an eye out on the blonde male, why Dream was not sure but it was starting to slowly creep him out. He did not have enough time to go and confront him on the matter before Phil stepped into the kitchen.

“Alright guys, and Nikki.” He winked and she smiled while rolling her eyes. “I have started up minecraft on the TV which means we can only play four at the time. So take turns and be nice, okay?” Phil finished and Wilbur plus David could only laugh before replying “yes dad”, making Dream narrow his eyes on the other’s in confusion.

“I think it’s an inside joke.” Darryl explained as they all made their way into the living room, spreading themselves out over the couch and the floor.

The first people to go for the controllers were Darryl, Zak, David and Wilbur. Leaving Dream, Nikki and this other guy named Eret to sit on the floor. After a few minutes another guy who everyone referred to as ‘Fundy’ sat down next to them. Dream figured that it was not his real name and he was curious on where the nickname had originated from. Fundy did look like a suiting name, though.

“Alright try to not ruin the PS4 please, my wife would kill me.” Phil said before sitting down in a chair next to the couch, holding a bowl of popcorn in his lap and his phone in his hand, sneak filming the screen.

Wilbur seemed to be very into the game with the other’s and it was very funny to watch the four men grow so attached to a block game. They were getting very into it and it seemed like they had a server together since there were lots of buildings all over the map. They also seemed to have a full story going on and Dream had a hard time understanding everything going on.

“Do you guys want me to bring you the whole bottle so we don’t have to get up every half hour?” The guy named Eret asked and Fundy was quick to give him a thumbs up. Dream felt like Fundy was quite the good guy and they clicked pretty well. He had not talked to Eret as much but he seemed like a pretty cool dude.

Fundy was sitting very close to him but Dream did not feel uncomfortable. It actually felt pretty nice and at one point Fundy had even rested his head against Dream’s shoulder and the blonde quite enjoyed the affection he was given. Wilbur was not the biggest fan of hugging him, at least that’s the impression Dream was getting from him. So the affection meant a lot to him since it had been weeks since last time he was actually close to someone. The last time someone had really shown him affection was before he died together with George.

Sure, Wilbur had hugged him when he had cried but that was a different thing. That was to calm him down when he was upset and this was more genuine and not forced out or a reason behind it. Fundy did it because he wanted to and Dream kinda enjoyed that. It did not feel weird or strange either. They were just chilling and eating chips watching the chaos on the TV happen.

Eret came together with the bottle and started pouring up in everyone’s glass. Dream noticed this was another kind of alcohol and got a bit confused but said fuck it and tried it anyways since no one else seemed to mind. However they had done this a lot more than Dream had and were probably used to it. Dream usually did not bring alcohol to his gaming nights.

The liquid tasted a bit more bitter than the wine and was a bit stronger, exactly what it was, Dream was not sure but it didn’t taste bad so he accepted it. He watched as the men started switching around on who’s turn it was on the TV, Fundy and Eret were quick to stand up and run to get a seat on the couch, Dream did not even bother rushing and sat on his spot together with Nikki. David and Wilbur gave up their spots.

Wilbur was quick to sit down next to Dream, not even looking at David who sat down next to him with a smile on his lips. Wilbur only reached over for the bowl of chips and grabbed a handful, eating away on his snacks and glancing towards Dream.

“You okay?” Dream asked, feeling a bit worried about his friend's weird behavior.

“Just fine.” Wilbur responded and looked back at the TV, leaving Dream to feel a bit confused. He decided against asking it and continued talking to Nikki and drinking away, feeling his brain go a little weird. The alcohol was starting to hit him and he felt himself grow dizzy. However he could not find himself to care as he talked to Nikki who was also starting to feel the alcohol.

“Dream! Look!” He heard Fundy call for him and Dream looked towards the TV where he saw Fundy’s character standing next to a dog which had the name tag “Dream”. The blonde male could only smile and blush as he looked at the animal in the game with his name on it, feeling a bit special.

Fundy was very proud and smiling, Eret was laughing and Nikki let out a quiet ‘aww’ next to him. Wilbur however was just looking at the TV with some sort of sad expression on his face. This however went unnoticed by the blonde male who was too busy focusing on his name in the game.

Dream rested his head against Wilbur’s shoulder, smiling and just staring at the screen. Wilbur could only guess that his roommate was a few sips away from being drunk and he decided that maybe it was time to make the blonde stay away from more drinks. He had no idea how drunk Dream was and in all honesty he was scared to find out. But he also wanted to find out, just to know.

“Come on, Dream. Let’s go home alright?” Wilbur said and helped the other up on his feet. Dream groaned but followed the brunette’s lead, standing up and giving a small wave to everyone.

“Goodbye.” He said and everyone was quick to say goodbye back. Fundy seemed extra said so Dream was quick to hurry over and give him a quick hug, earning him a ‘yay’ from the other male. Dream giggled and Wilbur only stared at them, waiting for Dream to come back.

“Wilbur you are acting weird.” Dream blurted out as they put their coats on and Wilbur hummed in response, helping the other to button his coat as it seemed like he had some trouble in seeing what he was doing.

“No, you are just a bit drunk.”

“I think I am, yeah. Do you still like me, though?” Dream had a smirk on his face and Wilbur only rolled his eyes and tried to ignore whatever it was Dream was spilling at this point.

“God Dream, you think that lowly of me?”

“You sound like George when you talk like that.” Wilbur opened up the door and let the other walk out, closing the door behind them. Outside he was met by leaves falling down from the trees and the cold night temperature hitting them. Wilbur looked at the blonde in confusion.

“Who’s George?” Wilbur asked, feeling lost. Had Dream recovered another memory? Or was he mixing up names? Either way Wilbur was not sure where the name had popped up or who this George even was. It was quite a strange thing to say.

“Oh I think I’m not supposed to tell you that.” Dream blushed and looked down, almost as if he was feeling guilty for something. Wilbur made sure to stay close to the blonde and lead him back home. It was not a long walk home, it would only take around fifteen minutes or so. Either way Wilbur felt a bit scared to walk a Saturday night outside. Who knew what kind of people who were lurking around the corners.

“No, tell me. Who is George? Why would you not tell me?” A lot of questions were piling up inside the brunette’s head and the mystery that Dream was made him feel confused and lost.

The man had popped up out of nowhere, looking lost and confused. He had come home crying claiming to get memories every now and then. The only thing he had said he remembered was his name and where he was from. Nothing else had he managed to get out of the blonde, no matter how hard he tried. This was something completely new.

“Wilbur, you’d see me as insane.” Dream giggled and linked their arms together, making the brunette blush and look shocked down at Dream. Dream however just wore a smile on his lips as if nothing was wrong.

“No I wouldn’t. Dream please tell me so I can help you.”

“I’m Clay.” He mumbled and Wilbur stopped in his tracks, looking at the other with a confused expression. He was not too surprised Dream was not his real name, but he was however quite sad that the other hadn’t told him what his real name was. When had he remembered that? Had he always remembered?

“Can I call you Clay?”

“No, only my mom and my sister do that. And they think I’m dead.” Wilbur felt his chest grow tighter, feeling bad that he was asking these questions when Dream was under the influence. He knew it was bad and wrong, but the questions were piling up and he had to know. They lived under the same roof, it was only right for him to know… Right?

“What do you remember, Dream?” He asked and for a second Dream went completely silent and his face was completely empty of emotions and expressions. Wilbur bit his lip, fearing that he had gone too far. He started to try and started walking again, Dream now walking a bit behind him.

“Dream I’m sorry, I won’t ask unless you want to tell me, alright?” Wilbur said and waited for the other to catch up to him again. Dream understood and walked a bit faster so that he walked besides his friend again, staying close by his side.

“I miss George.” Dream whispered and Wilbur shot him a sad look.

“I asked him to marry me, but I died.” Dream blurted out and Wilbur felt his skin go cold under his coat, looking towards Dream who looked like he was completely sure and honest in what he was saying.

The whole thing sounded very weird and was obviously not true. If Dream truly had died then he would not be standing here next to him. Maybe something had happened that made the other male blackout and cause a hallucination which led him to believe that he had died. For Wilbur, that sounded like the best explanation to what his friend was spilling.

Another thing that rang a bell in Wilbur’s head was the marriage part. Dream had asked this person to marry him? Dream did not strike him as the guy to be queer, however Wilbur knew that you could not always tell from a person and that he had no rights in getting involved with someone else’s sexuality. But the sentence still stuck out.

Was that why Dream had cried that one day? Because he had remembered George? He obviously seemed to be very upset over this person and attached to him. That kinda hurt Wilbur a little but he was not sure why. He brushed it off as feeling bad for his friend who had lost everything, especially the person he loved.

“I am sorry to hear that. Maybe you can meet him again?”

“No, I can’t. Plus I’m with you now. I love George but I like you, too.” Wilbur smiled and saw the house coming into view.

“I feel honoured.” Wilbur smiled at him and walked up to the door, unlocking it and leading the other inside. It was warm and nice inside but incredibly dark. He heard a yawn coming from Dream and he chuckled.

“Wilbur, you are like my new George.”

“What do you mean by that?” Wilbur could not get another word out of his roommate for the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

Wilbur stepped into his bedroom with a glass of water and a painkiller in his hand. He walked closer to the bed which was standing in the middle of the room where the blonde male was sleeping, completely out from the night before. It had not taken long for Wilbur to get Dream to fall asleep and it had felt quite good that he had not put up some sort of fight like David liked to do whenever he was drunk. Although he guessed Dream was not completely wasted.

He placed the water and the pill on the nightstand and sat down on the bed, placing a hand on the sleeping male. Dream’s hair was a mess sprawled out over the pillow and his mouth was slightly opened from being so relaxed. Wilbur could not help himself but to smile while looking at the sleeping beauty in front of him who looked so peaceful. Dream was very pretty, Wilbur had to admit.

He gently rubbed small circles on his back to try and wake him up in the best way he could. His mother would always try to do that whenever he was sick so he knew how it felt getting woken up like that. He did not want to shake him awake like he had done a few times to mess with him just in case he woke up feeling sick.

Dream grunted and slowly opened his eyes, looking at the brunette who was sitting down next to him. Wilbur was not wearing his glasses this time which felt a bit odd to Dream, but it still also felt more natural. He was not sure where he was since it did not look like the living room where he usually spent the nights in. Instead of the big windows above his bed he saw paintings and only a single window on the other end of the room. He narrowed his eyes before he realized where he was.

“Wilbur I am so sorry-” Wilbur shook his head at him, retreating his hand from rubbing the small circles. Dream had to stop himself from letting out a whine with how much he wanted the other to keep going since it felt so good. All he wanted was to feel the comforting touch again but he was not about to ask and look like a complete weirdo. He still had a reputation to think about even if it was just him and Wilbur.

“I did not want you to sleep in there last night, you seemed pretty tired. Don’t worry about it, you can pay me back some other time.” Wilbur handed him the glass of water and Dream sat up, immediately feeling the pain hit his head because of the action and yelped quietly. He thanked Wilbur for the water and started sipping at it, enjoying the cold in his mouth.

Wilbur handed over the pill and Dream swallowed it quickly and leaned his head against the bed frame, feeling exhausted and tired even though he had just woken up from a goodnight sleep. Wilbur’s bed was a lot cozier than the extra bed, he noted. It was thick and fluffy but still not too soft so that you felt like you drowned whenever you laid in it. The sheets were soft against his legs and warm. The pillows and the quilt were very fluffy and thick which felt comforting and Dream enjoyed it quite the bit. He would never leave the bed if he could.

“Do you remember anything?” Wilbur asked and threw his legs up in the bed, leaning his back against the bedframe and inching closer to his friend. Dream cast him a small glance before biting his lips.

“I mean yeah, but not details. I remember the games and that we walked home. But I don’t remember what we talked about or what happened when we got home. I am pretty sure I blacked out pretty fast however.” Dream explained and watched as Wilbur’s face drained itself of color. This alarmed the blonde male and he felt anxiety rise inside his chest. Had something happened? Had they done something?

Dream could at least right off that they had not slept with each other which would have been the worst case scenario. He had also not thrown up all over so he had managed to at least keep some of his dignity intact. He had not done anything inappropriate he was pretty sure because then Wilbur would probably not act so kind and collected as he did when he woke him up. So why did he look so worried?

“Wilbur… What did I do?” Dream mumbled and placed the water down, feeling his heart speed up inside his chest which only made his headache feel worse. God he wished those painkillers kicked in faster. After ten years it still took some time. Scientists should really start stepping up their game with this.

“Dream, I need you to be honest with me.” Dream swallowed. “How much do you remember? Do you know who you are?”

It was at this point Dream realized how bad drinking last night really had been. He must have said something, exactly what had he said? How much did Wilbur know? It can’t be too bad, right? After all Wilbur was not treating him as if he was bat shit crazy or anything similar to that. He seemed pretty normal besides the panic which was visible in his face. Dream prayed that he would not throw him out or try to end their friendship, he valued Wilbur so much.

Even though the brunette could be harsh sometimes or a complete weirdo who needed to just chill out sometime, he really enjoyed being with Wilbur. They had their moments and it was amazing spending time around him. Yes he could be wild sometimes, but other times he was a soft and big sweetheart. Dream liked both sides of him and he could not lose Wilbur. He had already lost his family and George.

George, what would he think if he saw him now?

Would he be disappointed if he knew? Would he even care after all this time? Dream was out there alive and well messing around with someone as if nothing else mattered. He had not been thinking about George too much for the past days, at least as not as much as he usually did. Would he be sad that he wasn’t trying to figure out a way to get back to the US? Would he be angry that he had hung up on him if he knew? What would George think of all of this?

“What do you mean?” Dream mumbled and pushed his knees up to his stomach, feeling the pain spreading throughout his body. He cared for Wilbur so much, and lying to him felt horrible and so wrong. He did not like lying to him and he wished he could tell him everything. But he can’t, it wouldn’t make sense to him. It didn’t even make sense to Dream and the only reason he knew it was true is because he had all his memories from his past life. He could not have skipped ten years of life without aging. He still looked twenty-three. He still felt like he was twenty-three. Nothing had changed.

“Who is George?” Wilbur blurted out and immediately regretted his questions as fast as the words left his lips.

He watched as Dream’s eyes started tearing up and he saw how the pain filled the other male at the question. Wilbur could not even imagine what was going on inside his roommates head and from what Dream had said while being under the influence he guessed it was not something good. Dream had said that he had proposed to this George and that he had died right after in doing so. The dying part Wilbur had a hard time understanding but the George part did make sense.

Dream had been so upset a few times and looking like he was struggling with something. He also sometimes randomly stopped whenever he mentioned different traits in people, almost as if he was reminded by something. Wilbur had guessed that maybe Dream had gotten abused and that the person hurting him had those traits which had reminded Dream about his past, but usually those traits were not anything bad. Not that abusers can be kind or have good traits, but the puzzle pieces did not exactly fit. Plus judging by how Dream was reacting now…

“Dream I’m sorry.” Wilbur tried to wrap the other up in his arms, reaching over for him. But Dream flinched and pushed him away, causing an ache to spread in Wilbur’s chest. He felt guilty, he shouldn’t have asked. He was intruding on Dream even though he knew it was a touchy subject. Did Dream hate him?

“Don’t.” Dream looked away and ran a hand through his head nervously. Wilbur sat still and watched him, trying to keep whatever it was he was feeling inside of him and make sure the other would not try anything funny or do something he might regret.

“Wilbur, what do you know?” Dream was still not looking at him and Wilbur felt his fingers grow cold. He wished he had never asked and that he had never started this conversation. If he could he would take it all back and just try and make sure Dream could recover from last night in the best way possible. This was going just as good as it could. In hell.

“Your name isn’t Dream, your name is Clay.” Wilbur watched as the blonde flinched, understanding that this was correct and was not just something he had come up with while being drunk. Wilbur felt like he was a stalker figuring out things about his victim and he did not enjoy it one bit. God knows how much he wanted to take back every word he was saying. He wished he could have forgotten about this too and waited until Dream was ready. Even though he had no idea when that would be.

“You proposed to George and I remind you of him. How I am not sure.” Dream hid his face in his hands as to try and hide away the tears which were burning in his eyes. He did not want to seem weak, he did not want Wilbur to know about George.

George was his, even if that wasn’t the case anymore. George was his comfort secret, his everything. George had been his best friend and his lover for so many years and now he was gone and wiped away from his life. The only thing that was proof of that they had ever lived side to side was the memories that Dream wasn’t sure was mutual anymore. Maybe George and all his past friends had forgotten about it. Everyone except Wilbur who had no idea about who he even was or if he was real. To Wilbur, George was no one.

“I think something bad happened to you, because you said you died. Maybe you were drugged and hallucinated and you thought of it as death. I am honestly not sure. But that’s everything. Dream I swear that’s all I know.” Dream was still not looking at him and the brunette was fighting really hard to not reach over and hold the other.

Last night he had watched Dream get closer to all of his friends. He had watched as the blonde smiled while talking to Nikki, he had seen how attached Fundy had grown to his roommate and he had seen how Eret had some questions about the other. He had seen it all happened and for some reason he had gotten mad about it. Maybe because his friends would find Dream more interesting than him, or at least that’s what he wanted to think. He knew however that this was not the entire truth.

“Dream look at me.”

“No.”

“Dream-” Wilbur reached a hand over, but Dream was quick and moved out of the way. He had pushed himself as far away from the brunette as he could without falling off the bed and onto the cold floor beneath. Wilbur looked heartbroken as he met Dream’s eyes who were filled with pure pain. Wilbur took a deep breath and held it.

“I am not crazy.” Dream mumbled and Wilbur could only look at him confused.

“I am not crazy, Wilbur. He did exist. He was mine. He-” Wilbur made a new try and inched closer, this time putting his hand over Dream’s hand which was resting on the bed instead of trying to throw himself around the other. Dream’s breath hitched as he looked down to see Wilbur’s hand on top of his.

“I don’t think you are crazy, Dream. But I am trying to understand. I want to help you.” Dream could not look into those eyes anymore. Those eyes which were brown but not as brown as George’s. George’s name which was now known to his friend and out in the game. Sure, Wilbur did not know too much and was hopefully not lying about how much information Dream had spilled but it still felt wrong and bad. He wanted to keep his past lover to himself.

He was not sure why talking about George to Wilbur felt so wrong, it just did. It was like talking about an ex to your current partner which just didn’t suit right with him. Dream cringed at himself for the very bad example he had taken inside his head and wanted nothing else but to disappear. Wilbur was not like that, he was his friend.

“Wilbur I miss him.” Dream whispered and felt himself getting scooped up, the shock from the sudden action filling his body as he looked at the brunette.

Wilbur placed the smaller male between his legs, his back pressed against his chest. He ignored all the thousands of confused noises coming from the blonde and just rested his head against Dream’s shoulder in a similar way that Floris had done the day before. His arms were wrapped around Dream’s waist as to hold him close. The closeness was comforting for both of them, even if it felt a bit odd and strange.

Neither of them liked to get too close. Most of the time Wibur had only embraced Dream to calm him down from whenever he had had a breakdown (which was twice but that fact was not important.) Other than that they kept their distance and tried avoiding close embracements as much as possible. Neither of them minded that quiet rule between them, but neither felt bad about the close embrace they had now.

Dream was just blankly staring into the room and letting himself relax more while feeling the brunette close to him. Wilbur did not hate him, but he was also not entirely sure about Dream’s story and was trying to piece the puzzle together. It was getting dangerous for him and he was not sure about how much he was allowed to tell. What if Jimmy did not like that he spread it around? Sure, at most one or two would believe him but it could still be dangerous that those facts were out there. Would Jimmy come get both him and Wilbur then?

What if he would end up being the reason Wilbur died?

No, that couldn’t happen, right? A person was supposed to fill some sort of purpose in life before they passed on and everyone had a book already written. But because of Dream the people around him books must be in a mess for the moment since he was not even supposed to exist here right now. Who knows what he was supposed to be doing? Probably not be in the UK that’s for sure.

“Wilbur, can you do something for me?” Wilbur looked up and hummed, waiting for the other to finish his question. He watched the other swallow and look around the room seemingly quite unsure about what he was about to say. Wilbur held onto him harder trying to reassure him that it was okay.

“Yesterday you said you were releasing an album and I know that you play the guitar.” Dream stopped himself for a moment and took a breath, a breath that was not stable and felt a bit shaky. “Could you play something for me? Like a sneak release? I don’t exactly have anyone to tell but if you don’t want to-”

“I can play.” Wilbur interrupted his rant and he saw a shy smile spread across those soft pink lips. Wilbur chuckled at him. “Don’t worry, let me just get my guitar.” Wilbur got up from the bed and left Dream alone, leaving the blonde to miss the arms around him.

Dream knew he was going to come back in a second, but still he felt some sort of longing for him to just return and put his arms around him again. He wanted nothing else but to feel the brunette’s breath on his neck again, to hear his voice and to feel his body pressed against his. Before he knew it, Wilbur was back inside the bedroom with his guitar in his hand. Dream smiled softly as Wilbur grabbed the chair which was standing by his desk and sat down.

“You ready?” Wilbur asked and put his fingers on the neck of the guitar, looking over to the blonde who still had his hair in a mess from waking up and nervously running his fingers through it. He looked quite funny with his hair like that and Wilbur chuckled.

“Yeah, bring it british boy.”

Wilbur started moving his fingers over the strings, letting a soft melody fill the room. Dream was watching him closely and listening to the melody which almost sounded soothing to him. Wilbur looked very concentrated but still very calm while strumming on his guitar as if he had been doing it his whole life.

“Well it’s two forty-five PM” Dream smiled as he heard the change in Wilbur’s voice as he sang. He went down an octave and sounded more soft, getting into the song quite hard. Dream leaned forward a bit and moved to the edge of the bed so as to be able to hear better. Wilbur did not seem to notice, his eyes focused on the guitar and to hit the right chords.

“Wake up from snoring, open DM’s, can of Red Bull by the bed.
Vape is charged and Snapchat’s red”

Wilbur could hear a chuckle coming from his bed and looked up to see a big smile on Dream’s face as he looked at him. He liked to see that smile on his face and he felt his chest warm up a bit, a sudden fire spreading through him. He enjoyed the feeling, even though he did not understand where it was coming from or what it was. All he understood was that it felt good and right and that he did not want the feeling to go away.

“She’s beauty, she’s grace. She has a profile picture of an anime girl’s face”

Dream felt laughter erupt his chest, the lyrics were genius and so on spot. He found it hilarious and it really did fit Wilbur. He was not surprised that this is what he had written in his free time. Normal people would have written a love song or something, but Wilbur was not a normal person. He was special and as far from normal as you could come if you asked Dream, but the male did not mind it at all. He just found it better.

“I’m just gonna skip to the chorus” Wilbur said mid song and Dream sent him a confused look and shook his head, watching Wilbur change the pace in how he was strumming his guitar.

“I’m in love with an,
I’m in love with an,
I’m in love with an,
With an E-Girl”

Wilbur looked up to see a Dream lying on his back and giggling, founding the sight endearing and kinda adorable. Dream looked happy which was a very nice change from the Dream who flinched when he got close and looked like he was close to having a breakdown. He liked seeing the blonde happy.

Dream felt everything inside of him bubble, his whole body feeling light from the previous anxiety he had just felt. The song that Wilbur had written was hilarious and perfect and suited him so well. He wanted nothing more than to sit and listen to him all day and make fun of him for it.

“Wilbur you did not write that seriously, did you?” He looked up to Wilbur who put the guitar down on the floor, smirking at him.

“Maybe I did.”

Dream looked at him, his laughter calming down as he looked at the other. “Did you write this for Nikki?”

Wilbur was taken aback for the question, wondering where the blonde had gotten the idea from. He had never thought of it like that. Even if they had met during a dating show he saw Nikki more as a close friend than a potential partner. He could understand however why Dream would have that sight of them and why he thought like that, but it was not completely true.

“No-”

“You hesitated, you like Nikki don’t you? Does she know?” Dream had no idea why those words hurt to say or why he was even saying them. Maybe because it was fun to tease Wilbur or maybe because his roommate actually liked the girl with the soft voice. He could see them being a couple if he thought about it, but it hurt so much to think about. Why did it hurt to think about it?

Wilbur bit his lip, looking at the blonde who seemed to be so sure of what he was saying. Did Dream really see them two being a couple? He didn’t want him and Nikki being a couple and he definitely did not want Dream to think that they were. Why didn’t he want him to think that? Wilbur swallowed his question.

“Says the one who was cuddling Floris last night.” At first Dream looked confused, but after a second the name clicked and he managed to connect it. Fundy was Floris.

“Yeah, he is better at it than you.” Dream teased and blinked, causing the brunette to roll his eyes.

Chapter Text

Dream felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around his waist and pull, making the other come closer to the male who was sitting next to him. He landed in the brunette’s lap, their chests just a few inches apart from each other. Wilbur was looking at him and those honey colored eyes were studying him, looking him up and down. 

Dream was not sure how he felt about it. His heart was pounding inside his chest and all of his thoughts felt clouded as if they were washed away or hidden. He did not know what to think or what to feel, all he knew was that Wilbur was close and that all of his nerves were alive. The hair on his arms were standing up and every touch burned into skin. 

“You’re beautiful.” Wilbur whispered and rubbed his thumbs against Dream’s side, making the blonde’s breath hitch from the touch and the compliment. His voice was darker and more quiet and it did not feel like it was Wilbur who was talking. Wilbur was not like this, he did not act like this. But god knows Dream did not mind seeing this side of Wilbur, he did not want this to stop. 

Dream pressed himself closer so that their chests met. The warm presence of the other male felt so right and so good, almost surreal. Wilbur’s face was hard to read and he could not tell what the other was thinking. The brown locks were falling over his face and his eyes looked stern. There was not a single trait of a smile on his face and the blonde was not sure how he felt about that, he could only hope it was not a bad thing. 

“Wilbur…” 

Wilbur pressed the other down onto the bed, hovering above as if he was a hawk. Dream felt the bed hit his back and hands pinning down his wrists into the mattress. His eyes were looking at the male above him, the words drying up in his throat as a new feeling washed over him. 

Wilbur’s face was just above his own and if he only moved himself up a little he could place his lips on the male. The urge was there but he was not about to give in to it, he was not going to do whatever it was Wilbur seemed to be after. He did not want to give him the satisfaction and at this point Wilbur should be very aware of that. Especially considering all of their mini fights they had. 

The blankets seemed to swallow him whole and the mattress felt softer than it should be, making the blonde feel like he was lying on a cloud of feathers. His breaths came out quick and heavy while feeling the tension that was almost too obvious around them, he felt like he was going to go insane with how close Wilbur was to him and how the change in the air around them. 

Wilbur’s fingers found their way onto his cheek and stroked them carefully, enjoying the soft touch which was Dream. He felt warm to touch, probably because of the blush which was dusting his cheeks. Wilbur only smiled and hummed. 

“Clay?” 

Dream jerked his head to the side to look at where the noise had come from, finding someone else standing by the bedroom door in utter shock staring at him. The male had short dark hair and his eyes were filled with tears and anger, the sight leaving Dream feeling as if he had just gotten stabbed in the chest. 

“George... “ 

Dream pushed Wilbur to the side and quickly got up, trying to make his way towards his past lover who was looking at him. But the more he walked towards George the greater the distance between them, almost as if Dream was walking backwards instead of forward. George was still looking at him with that hurtful expression on his face. Dream could only call out his name trying to reach out to him but nothing was working, no matter how much he screamed after George the other male did not come any closer. 

“I trusted you... “ 

“Dream!” 

Dream’s eyes flew open as he looked at the male hanging above him, his glasses gone and those eyes filled with concern as they met his own. The honey colored eyes scanned him and Dream swallowed, feeling the nightmare wash away from him and leave his mind empty. He sat up and pushed Wilbur away from him, rubbing his head trying to wake himself up and understand the world around him.

“Sorry Wilbur.” He mumbled and felt the bed dip next to him and he turned over to see Wilbur giving him a strange look. Dream found it as odd and wondered why Wilbur was acting the way he did but he decided to ignore it and brushed away all his thoughts regarding it. Maybe Wilbur would spill something later, he did not know. All he wanted right now was to just get up and move on with the day. 

“Where are you going?” Wilbur asked as Dream stood up from the bed and walked towards the kitchen. 

“I’m making breakfast, do you want anything?”

“Dream it’s five PM, you just woke up from a nap.”

Dream narrowed his eyes and looked out the window to see the sun showing itself on the sky, probably already on it’s way down to make way for the moon. He was left shocked and confused before the memories started coming back to him and made him remember that he had actually gone for a nap. How long had he been asleep for? Probably a good while since he managed to have a full on nightmare. 

Wilbur shook his head and stood up from the bed, walking over to the living room to try and find his headphones and his wallet, causing Dream to look up at him in interest. It was obvious that Wilbur was on his way somewhere, but it was only a Wednesday evening and he did not really have anywhere to go, right? Unless he was in some shady business. 

“Where are you going? Don’t tell me you do drugs, Wilbur.” He heard a chuckle come from the brown haired male and Dream smiled to himself, feeling a bit proud that he made the other find him funny. He stepped out of the kitchen again and moved over to Wilbur, handing him his wallet which had been lying on the kitchen table. 

“Thank you. And no, I don’t. But I promised that I would stream.” Wilbur explained and it clicked inside Dream’s head. Right, he was a streamer. Dream wasn’t actually sure of what Wilbur did when he streamed but he guessed that he played minecraft together with his friends since that seemed to be their thing. But he had never watched him stream or seen any clips from when he played and he was curious on how it was. Did Wilbur have fans? It would be hilarious if he did. 

“Do you want to tag along?” Wilbur could see the questions being asked in the blonde’s head, understanding that the other was not too sure about the whole streaming part. Maybe it would be fun to have someone else with him in the office and maybe his chat would enjoy seeing a new face. 

Dream smiled and nodded, feeling excited about knowing how these things worked. Of course back in 2010 he and George had talked about making minecraft videos together, but not once had they ever considered streaming or doing anything similar. They had always liked to play video games, but getting paid for it or have a fanbase? That was something Dream had a hard time imagining. 

• - - -

“Hi chat,” Wilbur started as he turned the face cam on, Dream sitting just out of it as to not show his face first thing he did. “How are you all doing?” Wilbur finished while clicking a few buttons on his screen, making sure that everything was working properly and that the stream was up and running. Besides him he had his laptop which showed his stream and Dream could not help himself but to look at the numbers going up. 

“Holy shit Wilbur, are you like, famous or something?” Dream muttered and just two seconds later he saw how the whole chat filled up with question marks and ‘who was that’. Dream was impressed by how fast they were able to catch on or hear him but he was also a bit worried that he had done something wrong and decided to stay quiet until further notice from his roommate. Wilbur only giggled and looked at him. 

“We have a guest chat, but he is shy. You all better behave.” It was like watching someone else when Wilbur was streaming. It was not the same Wilbur that he saw at home. This Wilbur seemed to be a lot more energetic and more cocky. He leaned back in his chair as if he owned the place or as if he was the king and Dream could not help himself but to find it very attractive. Wilbur was a good actor, or maybe he was actually this confident and cocky. Dream was unsure even if he knew the answer. 

Dream turned back to read the chat which was now filled with ‘pog’ and ‘hi’. Dream cast an unsure glance towards Wilbur who only nodded before returning back to leaning over his mic, starting up minecraft and logging onto a server labeled “Bully child here.” Dream couldn’t help himself but to laugh at name, guessing that the child was Tommy. 

“Hi.” Dream said a bit louder and clearer this time and once again he saw the chat change itself. He was not sure on how they did that and how they all managed to stay so synced up, but he could tell that something was going on since everyone started writing out words such as ‘simp’.  Once again he looked at Wilbur. 

“Are you guys simping over his voice alone?” Wilbur laughed as his character came into view and a world loud itself around him. There were lots of different builds all around the server and he could tell that there were more than one person who liked to play since the buildings were all built in different styles. However this just made the server look hella cool and Dream found himself feeling a bit jealous looking at him. 

Wilbur noticed Dream staring and he almost felt a little bad for making him sit alone a meter away only watching. Sure, Dream did not feel safe showing his face and Wilbur was not sure why but he let it slide. But even so it felt wrong for him to just sit there and watch. 

“You know what here.” Wilbur leaned out of view and towards Dream, grabbing his laptop which was showing his stream and clicked on a new tab to open Minecraft. Dream felt shocked and unsure about it as Wilbur logged the other into the server and he was not even sure if he wanted to do this. But one glance at Wilbur who was giving him a reassuring smile and Dream ignored the anxious thoughts filling his head. 

“Dream has joined the game.”

Wilbur grabbed his phone and placed it on the desk, having his stream up on there instead. It was a lot harder to see but at least it helped them keep some track on what was going on on the stream. Dream could only giggle while handed another pair of headphones so that his voice would be audible as well. 

It did not take long until Tommy’s voice rang into their ears, his loud persona filling up more and more of the stream. Dream did not mind though and it was quite fun to bully him on the server as they tried to build a house together, wanting to outshine the mansion that Eret had built for himself trying to proclaim himself as king over the server. Tommy and Wilbur (like the rebels they were) wanted to overtake his throne and rule the server themselves. Dream was their new recruit. 

“Dream! Dream! Go up and steal all his diamonds. Quick before he logs on!” 

One thing Dream noticed while playing was that he was incredibly good at parkour and that he could move the little figure over the screen like a madman even though he had just started. The chat also seemed to pick up on this since they asked him how long he had played in which he only replied by laughing, seeing the chat turn into ‘simping’ again. 

“The hell? What do you mean simping?” he asked in a low tone and Wilbur looked at him with a big smirk on his face. 

“They find you attractive and would do anything for you, I’m afraid. They have very low standards.” Now Dream was the one laughing, stopping midair with his parkour trying to catch his breath again. The strange laugh filled the room and Wilbur found himself smiling while listening to the other, thinking that his laugh was quite funny and adorable. The chat however, could not stop spamming about tea kettles. 

“You all are weird.” Dream muttered to himself while carrying on the parkour and moving up the walls so he could get to the chests and steal whatever it was Eret stored in there. He hoped he could find something good and that he could make himself a part of the story that was going on on the server,  finding it very funny. From time to time he also glanced at the chat to see what they were all saying. 

Wilbur was keeping a close eye on Dream to make sure he was doing okay and not being distressed or anything. He knew that it could be hard to stream and that sometimes people would be mean or that there could be a lot of pressure, but Dream seemed to be handling it just fine which was impressive. Wilbur was proud of him. 

‘Wilbur is looking a lot at him, don’t you think?’ One person wrote in chat and Dream caught  onto it, quickly turning to look at Wilbur who was indeed checking up on him. Dream sent him a smile and chuckled, shaking his head. Wilbur felt his cheeks heat up a bit at that smile and his stomach roll around. 

“I’m fine, Wilbur. Look! I even got the diamonds!” Dream showed off the diamonds which were in his hotbar, feeling proud over himself for being able to get to them so quickly. There were not too many since he probably kept most of the diamonds in his enderchest, but it was still a mini win for the team who could now make tools to get materials for their building without worrying about tools. 

They moved back to the building where Tommy was waiting, already holding cobblestone in his hand which was making Wilbur freak out and tell him to put it away in which Dream only laughed, watching the two bicker as if they were siblings. It was funny to listen to it and watch it, Wilbur being very into it. He had no idea about Tommy though since they didn’t have his stream up but judging by his voice he was probably jumping in his chair. 

Dream watched Wilbur and smiled to himself, knowing that the viewers could not see him and make fun of him for staring which felt very good. The fluffy locks were resting against his forehead and falling over his eyes. 

The image from his nightmare flashed before his eyes where those brown locks had fallen over his face almost exactly like they did now. Those lips who were leaning over the mic had been leaning like that over him and the memories from it flooded his mind and made Dream almost feel nauseous. His head was spinning and all he could think of was Wilbur. That low voice that he knew Wilbur had and that he sometimes used on the chat, that smirk that he wore every now and then. 

Dream somehow wished that his dream had not taken the turn that it had. He wished that George could leave his mind. George was not in his life anymore and the blonde wanted nothing more than to be able to move on and live the new life which he had gotten together with Wilbur. He wanted to be able to focus on what was going on here instead of what had happened when he was alive ten years ago.

Even though it felt so wrong and horrible, he wanted to know where he and Wilbur could have gone in his dream. He wanted to know if they could have done something and it felt so incredibly wrong for thinking like that, but Dream wanted to know. He felt guilty about it, Wilbur was his friend and was always there for him and here he was sitting imagining what would be if they were more. It was wrong, it was so wrong. 

Wilbur watched as the blonde seemed to fall deep in thought and he tried to carry on with the stream without waking up too much suspicions. Dream was only out for a few seconds before he snapped and got back into the game and started talking again, but Wilbur still felt worried that maybe the blonde had catched something in the chat. Wilbur knew how mean people could be and he really hoped that was not the case and that the blonde was just tired or something. 

“Alright, I am going to end the stream now, thank you all so much for coming. We are going to raid….” Wilbur ignored the loud shouts coming from Tommy who was begging to get more views. “Phil is live! Everyone have a good night or day and go and send Phil some love. Bye!” The stream closed down and Wilbur left the call with Tommy, leaving him and Dream alone in the quiet office room. 

“That was fun, you didn’t tell me you were famous, Wilbur.” Dream leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms while having a smirk plastered onto his face, his freckles showing as the light hit them just right when he leaned back. Wilbur smiled at his friend, finding him very adorable with the light dots all over his nose and cheeks. 

“I’m not. You spaced out by the way. Are you okay?” Dream felt his cheeks heat up slightly at the question, not sure on what to say. He was never going to tell Wilbur the truth, that would ruin their friendship for sure and make things very awkward and uncomfortable between them. The guilt of his previous thoughts came flying back, but he did not really want them to stop. 

“Yeah yeah, I am sorry. I just got a bit tired that’s all. I had a nasty nightmare.” Dream shrugged and watched as Wilbur got out of his chair to reach over and close the computer down and disconnect his laptop. Dream fought the urge to reach over and hug him. It would have been very out of character for him and would probably feel weird and wrong. Instead he wrapped his arms around himself.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Wilbur looked over to him and Dream only shook his head as a response, standing up from the chair and grabbing his coat. He put it around himself and waited for Wilbur to get ready. 

“Dream…” Wilbur walked closer to him and Dream felt his face heat up. The way he said his name reminded him of how he had been talking in his dream. God knows how much Dream wanted to test the waters, but on the other hand he wanted nothing more than to run away and escape it all.

He loved George, he would always love George and even if they no longer existed he still felt like was engaged to the brit who lived across the planet. He still felt like he and George was a thing and finding someone else attractive felt like he was cheating. Dream didn’t like it, he didn’t like it one bit. He wanted George, god he really needed George.

“Dude, you are very pale. Are you getting sick?” Wilbur placed his head on Dream’s forehead to check his temperature, finding it to be relatively normal. He was worried about his friend who did not look good at all. Had something happened during the stream? God he should have checked up on him better before letting him in. 

“I’m fine Wilbur.” Dream pushed his hand away, regretting his decision pretty quickly as he looked at the brunette. Wilbur had a worried expression and Dream was not sure if he liked that at all. 

“Alright.” Wilbur mumbled before grabbing his coat, not wanting to let go of the subject. 

Chapter Text

Wilbur was lying on the couch scrolling away on his phone while Dream was once again scrolling through major news articles which dated all the way back to summer of 2010. Why Wilbur was not sure and he wanted to ask about it but the blonde often seemed to be distressed reading it so he kept the questions for himself. Dream was also found strolling through the internet almost as if he was trying to learn how things work or know what different websites people used. The whole thing felt odd to Wilbur but he let the blonde do his thing. Maybe he was searching for something. 

Wilbur ignored him for now as he stared at the screen, chatting away with Phil about everything and nothing. He liked chatting to Phil and the older male was often there for him whenever he had questions. Wilbur felt comforted talking to him, especially whenever he had some troubles in life. Phil had always been there for him almost like a dad and Wilbur was incredibly grateful for it. 

“Do you like Dream?”

Wilbur stared at the text for a second before understanding what the other was implying and he thought for a second. Did he like Dream? What kind of dumb question was that. Sure, Dream was attractive, funny, a bit dumb and a weirdo but that did not mean he had feelings for the other male. Dream made him smile and laugh and they had fun together but they had also not gotten to know each other too well. Or Wilbur didn’t know anything about Dream. 

Dream had only told him about that he had gotten engaged to some guy George, but more than that he didn’t know. Besides that his name was actually Clay but that was such a basic piece of information that Wilbur did not even think about it. He had no idea how Dream had been like as a child, he only knew he was from the US but he wasn’t really sure about which state (he had said Florida but he seemed confused about a lot of things so he was still not sure if it was correct) or things about his family. He was not even sure on how Dream had ended up in the UK or where he had been half his life since he seemed to have an extreme memory loss. 

The blonde had just been lying in the park, not even aware about the global pandemic which had been going on for the major part of the year. He had no idea where he was or even what year it was. Dream was a mystery and held so many secrets that Wilbur wanted to know. He should probably try to get the other to talk, they had been living together for a little more than three months now. Three months and he still only knew as much as Dream showed on the outside. 

Wilbur looked back to the question on his phone. Even though he didn’t know too much of the man he felt himself wanting to be close to him, he felt jealous whenever some of his friends had been over the blonde back at the gaming night. Seeing Floris leaning on him like that without Dream cringing or tensing up hurt him like a knife and he had wished for nothing else but to trade places with the Dutch man. But maybe he was just protective over him. 

Dream did not know anything or anyone around here and most of the time he looked like a lost dog trying to find its way back to its owner. It was almost sad to watch but whenever he was beside Dream the other seemed to feel more confident and better. Not that he was sure of why it was like that but Wilbur felt good about it. He had found Dream and he wanted to be the one Dream put his trust in. What that meant Wilbur was not sure but he let it slide from his brain while typing back a quick reply. 

“No, I just want to make sure he has someone.” Wilbur cringed at himself while reading his message. He could also almost see Phil cringing too at the other end of the line and he had to stop himself from groaning out loud in desperation. 

“Yeah sure, did I also mention that I am secretly a dinosaur?” Phil mocked him and Wilbur quickly looked over to Dream who was sitting a few meters away from him. 

The blonde was beautiful and Wilbur felt that feeling spread through him again like a wildfire, leaving him feeling scared and weak. He was not sure about why that feeling was there or why it existed and he was scared feeling like this. On the other hand it was a good feeling and he wanted to dive in deeper, but the waves might just swallow him whole if he did. He returned back to his phone. 

“I saw how you looked at him. Wilbur, you are an adult, you should learn to deal with it.” Phil typed another message and if they had been face to face Wilbur would probably have mumbled an ouch and looked away from the other male. Now he was stuck staring at the screen without an expression on his face just in case the blonde was watching. 

“I think he might be engaged. He mentioned it before but I am not sure.” Wilbur typed in and pressed sent. He saw that Phil had read it but it took almost too long for him to start typing in a reply. Wilbur was stuck watching it and waiting to see what the other had to say about it. His heart was beating in his chest and the brunette could hear the blood flooding in his ears. 

“Well if he is, that engagement does not seem to go too well. Are you sure about this? Have you ever met the other person?” When Wilbur thought about it, he had never actually met George. 

He did not know anyone by that name and all he knew about him was that he was british and that Dream saw a bit of George in him. He has also talked something about that he was his new George which was confusing alone, but he also did not know where George was or who he was. Dream never talked more about him and didn’t bring him up in any situation. He kept the other british male like a secret that he only shared with himself. What did that make them?

“No, he never talks about him. He only mentioned him when he was drunk.” 

“Well maybe you should try and talk to him about it.” Wilbur looked over towards Dream instead, feeling some sort of stone inside of him. Dream loved George and he was not sure why that felt bad, but it did. Dream belonged to someone else and the thought of that alone made Wilbur feel hurt and pained. He should be happy for Dream, even if the engagement did not seem to exist in real life or was something active anymore. 

“Maybe I should.” He put down his phone on the table carefully and tried to just think about the whole thing for a while, trying to understand more about his feelings and who Dream was. He had no idea about how his life before the park was and he hardly even knew anything about the blonde male who lived under his roof.

His eyes searched themselves over to Dream who was sitting in one of the chairs scrolling and clicking on the laptop Wilbur had lended him. Dream had a focused expression and Wilbur wondered if he was back on the internet trying to find information about the past ten years. The blonde made could just ask him about it, but for some reason he refused almost as if he was embarrassed about it or if he had something underlying his research. Wilbur wanted to know all his secrets and all his thoughts. If only the mysterious male would lower his walls and let him in. 

Suddenly the focused expression on his face faded and instead his eyes froze and stared at the screen, his face losing its color the more he looked at the screen. Dream looked terrified and heartbroken, almost as if he had just watched his whole family get murdered in front of him and the brunette felt the worry rise inside him. He sat up from the couch. 

The action alarmed Dream who quickly looked up to the brunette, noticing that he was watching him. Dream returned back to the computer and clicked on it before closing it and Wilbur could only guess that he had closed the tab of whatever it was he had been looking at. The blonde hid his face in his hands and Wilbur quickly got up to make his way towards him.

“Wilbur don’t!” Dream quickly stood up which made Wilbur flinch back, shocked by how quick the other’s mood had seemed to change. It was scary to see him like this and Wilbur felt his heart beat inside his chest. He was not sure on what to do but all of his senses were telling him to either run away or hug the blonde and try to comfort him. Dream was staring at him, hiding behind a wall of anger as to not show what he was actually feeling. 

“Dream I can help you, what did you find?” Wilbur took a step closer and the green eyes turned away from him, looking towards the window which was showing off the town outside and the world they lived in. A world that to Dream felt cold and dark, an unfair world which had fucked him over in the worst way it could. God knows how he wished he had just stayed dead. He wished that he could have stayed in whatever world you went to after you left this one. 

Of course he wished that he had never even died in the first place and that he could have stayed with George. They could have had a great life together, but instead something had gone wrong and he had passed away even if he was never supposed to. But for some reason they thought that he was not good enough to die yet and had thrown him back like a doll. He felt like a puppet lost in a game and he had nowhere to go. 

But Wilbur was standing right there in front of him, looking worried and confused but still trying to reach his hand out. Dream did not deserve him, Wilbur deserved so much more than what he could offer. Right now he lived a lie and had nothing to his name. He was building himself up on nothing and he used Wilbur as his rock in the storm which was incredibly unfair. 

The guilt feelings were filling the blonde up and the more he thought about it the worse he felt. The world was spinning around him and he tried to focus on Wilbur, he tried to look into the honey colored eyes he had gotten to know over the past three months and he tried to calm himself by looking into them.                

Wilbur moved slowly towards the other who looked like he was going to fall apart any second now and he had no idea why. He had no idea how he was going to help him or how he was supposed to calm him down. Dream looked like he was going through hell and Wilbur wasn’t even sure on how to help, so he did what he could and tried to embrace the other. 

Dream had his arms covering his chest, getting ready to push the brunette away from him so that he could run out. Wilbur however kept a hard grip on him and tried to hold him still so that he would not run, wanting the other to be close. Wilbur could not have him running away and getting hurt. Dream was still shaking.

“Wilbur let me go.” He cried quietly and Wilbur did not listen or care as he felt the other slowly calm down in his arms. He was not struggling as much anymore which Wilbur took as a good sign and kept holding the other close to his chest. Dream was just staring out into the void and letting himself get embraced, feeling how his heart beat slowed down and returned to normal. 

He felt embarrassed for reacting so hard and acting like a complete mess around the other, but sometimes it was just too hard to keep in. He wished he was somewhere else but at the same time he didn’t want to be anywhere else but in the other’s arms. He slowly let his arms slide around the other and returned the hug, leaning into the touch for the first time. 

Wilbur felt his own heart beat a little faster inside his chest, Dream was hugging back. He was actually hugging back. The other male had not really been the touchy type around him and Wilbur had at first written it off as Dream just being careful, but the more time that went on the more he realized he seemed to be scared of hugging him. He had no problem in having Floris close to him or fighting him, but when it came to actual hugs he seemed to be a bit wary. 

“I’m just,” Dream quickly let go of the other male and pushed him away, his eyes turned to the floor. “go to the bathroom real quick.” Dream turned around and Wilbur had to stop himself from reaching over and grabbing him.

“Dream you have to start talking.” Wilbur mumbled but the other ignored him and walked away, locking the door behind him as to shut the other out. Dream sat down on the floor in front of the door and leaned his back against the cold wood, hugging his knees and trying to hide away from the door.

What Dream didn’t know was that Wilbur fished up the laptop and sat down on the chair, logging into it and opening ‘recently closed’ as to find whatever it was Dream had been looking at. He knew it was wrong and probably very disrespectful to the other, but it was also his computer and he needed an answer on what it was Dream had reacted so hard over. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he pulled up the tap, only getting up some sort of death ad which had been in the papers a long time ago.

How Dream had managed to pull it up, Wilbur was not sure and at first he guessed that it must be someone close to him or someone that he knew, but the more he looked at it the more he started to freak out. Because instead of having a random name plastered onto the ad there was Dream’s real name, or at least what he guessed was Dream’s real name. 

                Clay Forsman

12th August 1989 - 27th March 2010 

                 Forever loved

On the side there was a little cat resting and Wilbur could not help but to stare at the little note in front of him. It confused him on why Dream had reacted so hard over it, maybe it was because it had his name? But even then it wouldn’t make sense. The site in which he had found it from seemed to be from Orlando, Florida. The state Dream had said he was from when they first had met. 

Nothing made sense to Wilbur anymore. The blonde was acting as if he knew nothing from ten years back which almost made some sort of sense since it said he had died back in 2010. It had his name, it was from the state in which he lived in. He also had gone into complete panic mode when he had seen it. 

Was it really Dream’s name?

Logically it would not make sense that Dream had actually died. He had said something about it when he was drunk but at the time Wilbur had just written it off as Dream not exactly knowing what had happened and took the first best option. If Dream actually had died it would also make sense why he seemed to be so upset at times and it would help to tie all the loose ends together but at the same time… One could not just die and come back ten years later. 

It was one thing if it had been a minute or so afterwards, but ten years? It would also not explain how the hell he ended up in the UK since  he obviously was from the United States which was also nagging at the brunette’s head. The only logical thing now was that someone had kidnapped him and written him off as dead and then taken him here, but then what had Dream been up to for those ten years?

He also didn't remember anything from the past years and he did not seem like he had been abused since he would have had scars or some mental problems after it. Dream should be able to retell whatever had happened in which he know couldn’t. So nothing made sense. 

Wilbur was getting a headache staring at the tab trying to understand what was going on and he had so many questions for the blonde that at this point he couldn’t bring himself to think about what would be best. He wanted to know what had happened and he wanted to know now. He did not want to dance around it anymore and he needed Dream to tell him what was going on. 

Dream however washed his face inside the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror, taking deep breaths before collecting himself and unlocking the door to once again go and meet his friend in the living room. When he walked out however he found that Wilbur was staring at the laptop intensely and everything inside of Dream started twisting. 

“Wilbur what are you looking at.” His voice did not sound as his own as he spoke, it sounded darker and a lot harsher than it used to which even scared Dream a little. He watched as Wilbur turned around to look at him, a confused expression on his face. His honey colored eyes were darker and more narrow but also filled with confusion. The screen was putting a white light over his features and Dream had to swallow to stand his place while looking at the other male. 

“I was going to ask you that.” He said and stood up, placing the laptop on the table. Both of them felt afraid of what was going to happen or about which words they would exchange. Dream knew that he would have to start talking, even if he really did not want to. He knew that Wilbur had found it, he knew that Wilbur was not sure of what to think and that he had many questions. 

He had fucked up, he had really fucked up. How was he supposed to tell him? Was he supposed to lie once again and come up with some bad story trying to guide the other male away? No, that wouldn’t be fair. Wilbur deserved to know the truth. The thing is Dream was not sure he would accept the truth or even understand it. Dream himself was not entirely sure about it and a lot of times he questioned himself. The only reason he knew was because of his memories and the lack of knowledge. Would it make sense to Wilbur?

“Dream what is your last name?” Wilbur’s voice was stern and cold, even if he didn’t mean it. He was trying to keep himself calm but at this point he couldn’t. He felt so lost and was not even sure of what was going on anymore. He did not know who Dream was. The blonde male which he had spent the last three months with, the last three months which had been the best of his life in a very long time. 

Dream who always made him smile, Dream who was a complete weirdo but also so fun to be around. All those things and how it felt like they had just clicked. Was it all a lie? Was it just some trick that Dream played to mess with his head or get whatever it was he wanted? Had he been faking it all? Faked his own death and moved to another country. 

Maybe Dream was some sort of criminal running away from his sentence and that is how he had ended up here. Or maybe he had gotten caught up in something dangerous that he did not want anyone to know about. No matter what it was Wilbur felt lied to, he felt lost and played with and he wanted it to end, he wanted answers. 

“Wilbur..” 

“Who are you, Dream? Who are you?” Dream flinched at the tone in his voice and wished that he could run far far away and escape whatever it was he had to go through. He did not want to be here, he wanted to flee. All of his nerves were telling him to run for the door and never look back again. 

But it was still Wilbur in front of him, it was still the british male with the fluffy brown haired locks he liked to hide underneath a beanie. It was still Wilbur who he had his little wars with and who he spent the last three months with. It was still Wilbur who he cared so much about and wanted to be with. He could not run away from him, he needed him, almost like he had needed George. 

“I died, Wilbur. I died.” He whispered and the other male just shook his head. 

“Oh so you are just a ghost then? Makes sense, Dream. Thank you so much.” 

The atmosphere in the room had changed from being calm and comforting to being cold. It was almost as if they had a window open which was letting in the cold air from outside and into the apartment in which they were standing in. Dream bit his lip. 

“I died, Wilbur! I don’t know what happened. All I know is that one second I am dying in a hospital bed and the next I am here.” It was now Dream’s time to be mad, even if he knew it was unfair he could not help himself but to snap at the other. All of his emotions were taking over until they were the only ones left to control him. Wilbur was quiet. 

“Don’t you think I am just as scared as you are? I lost my family, I lost my home and I lost my life. I have no idea how this hell hole works, Wilbur. I lost everything.” His voice was breaking and the expression on Wilbur’s face was changing from looking mad to looking guilty and sad. Dream was clutching onto himself and hugging his arm close to his chest almost as if he was protecting himself from some sort of danger. 

“Dream that was ten years ago Where the hell have you been for the past ten years?” Dream only shook his head and looked down towards the floor again, not sure of what he was supposed to say to the other. He did not even know himself, how was he supposed to explain it?

“Honestly Wilbur, I have been trying to find that out too.” 

Wilbur sighed and ran a hand through his hair trying to understand the situation. Dream did not seem like he was lying, on the other hand some things still did not fully make sense to him. He could not understand what the other was doing or what he was up to, hell Dream could be lying and he would not be able to catch it. 

But the past three months had not felt like a lie, it had felt real. Even while being drunk Dream had seemed confused and that is not something you can easily fake or lie about. But it was also hard to accept it and come to terms with it since the story was still missing a piece. Maybe he had gone into a coma, maybe he had been drugged. Anything could have happened. 

“Dream if you are lying-”

“God damn it Wilbur I am not lying to you!” Dream had never looked so small before and Wilbur walked over to him, grabbing the blonde male and bringing him into his arms once more. They stayed like that for a while, still a lot of questions flooding around them. However those questions would never be able to get answers and Wilbur was not sure he wanted to accept that. But for the moment, he had to. 

“Will you at least tell me about your past life? I know nothing about you.”

Dream hummed in response and dug his face into the other’s neck, just trying to drown in the smell and warmth that was Wilbur. He felt safer with him and he liked to be close to him. He just wanted to forget their fight and focus on the other and the feeling which was spreading through his body. He did not want to move.

Wilbur played with the blonde strands of hair, still having a lot of things that he wanted to say but decided to keep it all inside of him for now. The feelings were still dancing around like flames inside of his stomach and he wanted nothing more than to put them on the table even if he knew it was wrong. But now was not the time, and hopefully one day it would all pass away. 

Dream did not like him, he knew that. Dream was with someone else even if that someone else was not in his life anymore. He could not come in out of nowhere and steal Dream away no matter how much he wanted. The more Wilbur thought about it, the less he sounded like himself. This is not who he is, this is not how he acted. 

But Dream had some sort of aura around him that made Wilbur change even if he did not think about it. He wanted to be with Dream and he wanted to get to know the other on a deeper level, but he knew that would never happen. The brunette swallowed his thoughts and placed his lips against the other male’s temple, planting a small kiss. For now that was all he was going to give. 

Chapter Text

Dream had still not gotten out of bed and Wilbur was sitting in the living room drinking away on his tea waiting for his friend to come out. It was already eleven and usually Dream would wake up around nine in the morning but today he seemed to be taking his sweet time. He had been like this for a full week now, ever since Wilbur had confronted him about his ‘death’ Dream had seemed to become more distant. It made the brunette feel quite unsure about the situation and if something was wrong, maybe something was still not out yet. Wilbur was not sure.

Wilbur sighed and got up, walking over towards his bedroom where he had let Dream sleep in once again. Instead of having the extra bed in the living room they had moved it to Wilbur’s bedroom. It felt better for Dream since he was not pushed away like before and since his stay was longer than expected. Currently, Wilbur was helping him look for a job and he had his eyes on working in a cafe just down the street.

It was a nice cafe and they are just waiting for a response back to see if he got the job or not. It was hard getting a job in these times but Dream was willing to do anything to try and help more at home than just doing the normal chores. He wanted to actually contribute to the household and not act like a housewife day in and out. Wilbur was happy to help him since Dream was having a hard time and seemed genuine with it.

But lately he had seen quite down and Wilbur was getting worried about it, so he opened up the door and stepped inside to see a Dream who had moved up to his bed and laid there, hugging the sheets to his body. Wilbur looked at him for a moment and saw that he was wearing a dark blue t-shirt which was now ruffled against his body. His hair had grown and probably needed a haircut but the blonde was stubborn and just put it up in a manbun.

He was turned towards the window, his eyes opened and staring out the glass to look at the sky which was hanging above them like a blanket. The sun was going up and the sky was a baby blue with only a few clouds dancing around which was rare in England. Dream wasn’t smiling, but he was not crying either.

When he heard the door close he turned around to see Wilbur standing at the opposite end of the room with his glasses hanging off his nose. His hair was a little damp from the shower and was not as fluffy as it was dry. He looked worried and Dream turned to look at the clock and flinched when he saw the time. No wonder Wilbur had decided to come in and check on him, he had been lying there for quite a while.

“Tired?” The brunette mumbled before walking towards the bed and sitting down on it, looking over to the male who had climbed up. Dream looked a bit embarrassed at being caught lying on the brunette’s bed, he had no idea on how to explain it.

“I guess.” The blonde sat up and leaned against the bed board, not looking at the other who was inching closer and closer to him until their shoulders touched. Dream had to keep himself from taking a deep breath at the little touch, feeling like his shoulder was burning. Wilbur did not seem to be bothered by it, however.

“Dream is something wrong? It’s not the first time this week I have found you like this.” Dream pulled up his knees to his chest and leaned his cheek against them, turning his head to look out the window once again.

His brain was running wild and he was not sure of what to make of it. George was filling up his head once again and the urge to reach out was slowly taking over him once again. He knew he couldn’t and that it would create more problems for him and that the overworld or underworld (or well whatever the hell he had ended up dead was) would not be satisfied with him. He understood that it would create some sort of paradox and that he was not allowed to do it, but he still wanted to.

He wanted to know what George was up to or where he was in life. He missed him and all the memories of them were filling his head, but for some reason they suddenly did not feel the same as they did before.

When he had just gotten here to the UK every memory of him and George felt like a knife to the heart and it hurt and made him almost feel numb in sadness. He loved George and his heart beat so fast every time he thought about the other man, but now he felt differently. All of his memories were more sweet, as if they had gone from being a rose with thorns to becoming a simple daisy. They did not hurt anymore and the feelings he got thinking about them were not as intense.

It was scaring him.

He was not sure as to why this was happening or what he was feeling anymore and the blonde was trying his best to figure out the cause for this. Because instead of feeling his stomach lift whenever he thought about George, he started feeling it more when he thought about Wilbur. Sure, it was not the same thing and it was something new and fragile, but something was definitely there.

The blonde had at first brushed it off as just feeling appreciation for the brunette, but the more time went on the more that felt wrong. It was nagging at his brain like a bug and he just wanted to be closer to the other one in a similar way he had been with George. But a part of him felt like was betraying his past lover, even if had gone ten years and George thought of him as dead. It felt wrong, almost as if he was not allowed to move on.

The sheets which smelled of the brunette made him feel calmer, and right after Wilbur had left bed to go shower they were warm and felt nice against his skin. It sounded creepy, he was aware, but it also felt comforting and safe. He just wanted to lay there and try to figure out what his life was and what the purpose of him being alive was. He just wanted to know so he could do what was right. But that was never going to happen and Dream swallowed hard at the thought, wanting to just disappear once again.

“Wilbur, what’s my purpose in this world?” He whispered and the brunette was taken aback at the question, not expecting him to be so out forward. Wilbur was not complaining though and was glad the blonde did not just dance around the question like he usually did.

“Honestly Dream, I don’t know. That’s up for you to find out.” Wilbur knew it was not the answer his friend wanted, but it is what he had to offer. Dream only huffed and turned to look at him, a sad smile forming itself on his face. Wilbur felt himself feeling guilty for not being able to be there for him like he wanted to. He wished he had all the answers but he did not, seeing Dream like this made him want to have them.

Dream leaned his head against the other’s shoulder, feeling hesitant about it at first but soon relaxing while staying close to him. They had known each other for several months now and they had some sort of trust between each other but there were still quite a few uncertainties. Wilbur still wanted to know who Dream had been and how he had ended up here, but at this point he was not sure if he was ever going to understand or get the full story of it. At least not a logical story behind it.

Wilbur had wanted to be this close to Dream for so long and he had wanted to have the other lean on him like this ever since he had watched Floris do it. One thing he had not expected to feel though was the worry which was spreading through his body now that Dream was doing it. He did not know what he wanted anymore.

“Dream how was George?” The question left his mouth before he had even had time to think about how to formulate it and it came out pretty bland. It sounded rude and intruding and Wilbur had not meant it like that, but at this point he just needed to know what was going on.

He knew Dream thought about George from time to time, it was easy to tell by the way he sometimes just started staring out into space or onto the phone. Wilbur could understand why since from what he pieced together, George had been there when Dream had ‘died’ or whatever it was he had done. Wilbur was still not sure on what to think about that part.

Dream looked shocked at first before sitting straight up again and looking at Wilbur. The honey colored eyes were silently begging for an answer and Dream knew it was only fair to give him the information he sat on since they literally lived together and Wilbur had done everything for him. He felt so lucky to have run into the brunette and he would never be able to thank him enough for all the help he had offered. He took a deep breath.

“He was kind and gentle, a bit shy but also quite the weirdo once you got to know him.” Dream sent him a sad smile before turning away from Wilbur again, grabbing the sheets and hugging them close to his chest. Wilbur pretended like he did not notice the way Dream’s fingers curled around them and how he held them like his life depended on it. He listened carefully.

“He was also short, or well, average in his mind. I used to tease him over it” Dream kept going, remembering the small play fights they had had over the years and the many times he had gotten scolded by the other male. He chuckled at the memory which was not as painful as it was four months ago.

“I miss him, but I don’t know anymore…” Wilbur flinched at the words, not sure on how to take them or swallow them. They were at a new pace in how the other talked and Wilbur was not sure on what they meant or what the other was suggesting. He narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth getting ready to ask about it, but got interrupted by the computer letting out a ‘ping’. The blonde was quick to his feet and ran to it.

He had been on his toes for three days waiting for the computer to let out a ping to indicate a mail. He had not even used sounds on for Minecraft just in case there would be a ping to tell him about the mail he was waiting for.

Dream stood by the computer and clicked on his mail, getting ready to read the message which was representing itself in front of him. Wilbur stayed in the bed and watched the other run towards the computer. The shirt was a bit big on him and fell towards his thighs which Wilbur found adorable from where he sat and he had to fight to keep the blush down.

“Wilbur I did it!” Dream turned around and the blonde strands of hair fell over his cheeks, just missing the big smile which was erupting on his face. His eyes were shining and his lips were curled up.

“You did it?” Wilbur hurried to get out of the bed and walk towards the computer to read the email which Dream had received. In it he read about the acceptance of his request to work at the cafe and Wilbur felt himself growing proud over the blonde which looked very excited and happy.

“I did it!” Dream threw his arms around the other, giggling happily by his new accomplishment. Wilbur felt a bit shocked at first but quickly returned the hug and ruffled his hair, turning it into a complete mess. He laughed.

- -

When Wilbur had said he wanted to celebrate Dream getting the job, he thought he would get take out and come home so they could eat. Maybe even bring bakings or so. He did not expect Wilbur to get home with soda, chips and wine. Especially not the wine, it felt very odd and out of place considering the other things he had bought. Dream sent him a confused look and Wilbur only shrugged.

“Just in case we stay up late.” He explained while placing all the items on the table.

Dream sat by the table and managed to steal a can of soda when Wilbur turned around to put the wine bottle away. The brunette quickly jerked to turn around when he heard the other opening the can, guilt written all over his face as he cracked it with a smile on his face.

“Such a rebel you are.” Wilbur joked and took a soda for himself, opening it and drinking away at the carbonated drink. It tasted very sweet which he flinched a little at, but it was not too sweet so he kept sipping away on it as if it didn’t matter. Dream was smiling at him and he gave a smile away.

“Can I ask you something?” Dream asked while the other took down a bowl from one of the cupboards, deciding to go for a blue one which stood out among the other bowls. He placed it down and opened up one of the bags with the chips and poured it in, glancing over to Dream and humming at him.

“Have you ever had a girlfriend before?” Wilbur was caught off guard by the question and he was not sure on where it had come from or why Dream was even asking him such a thing so suddenly. It felt odd but probably not too weird since they literally live under the same roof. Plus it was quite the basic question, but it still itched inside of Wilbur’s brain. He had not asked about partners, he had specifically asked for girlfriends. Maybe he looked straight to the other.

“Yeah, I have had one or two. Why?” For a second Dream’s little smile disappeared and all that was left was an expression of denial and hurt. But he was quick to hide it and Wilbur did not seem like he had picked up the change in his face which was good. The blonde swallowed and laughed, trying to feel happy for the other that he got some luck in that.

“No reason, just wanting to get to know you better.” Wilbur chuckled and placed the bowl on the table in front of the blonde who quickly reached over to grab a handful of the snacks. Wilbur laughed as he watched his roommate stuff his face full trying to fit as many as he could inside his mouth.

“Okay okay, well how many have you had? Or partners in general.” Wilbur took off his glasses and put them to the side so he would not accidentally knock them off and break them. He had done that more times than he would like to admit and did not want to repeat that mistake in front of the other. Usually after spending so much time with someone you got used to their little quirks and mistakes here and there, but for Wilbur he became more careful. Over the past week he had noticed himself trying to impress the blonde.

It was not anything big, just something here and there like cleaning up on the couch or buying him something small. It was also a lot of trying to not be clumsy or fall in front of him which he had a success rate of a hundred percent at the moment. He prayed to god that the number would not go down.

“I think three actually. I had a girlfriend in middle school, a boyfriend in highschool first year. Last year I got together with George. “ He explained and thought back, remembering the people in which he had had a relationship with. He did not know if that girlfriend counted, but he thought she could at least get a mention. Wilbur hummed in response and took a potato chip, munching away at it.

“My turn.” Dream said and took a sip of his soda. “What was your favorite subject in school?”

Wilbur laughed. “That’s easy, Geography.” Dream cringed and looked at him with a questioning look, trying to understand why geography of all things had interested the other. However he could see it, Wilbur did have that vibe around himself. Plus he was european, that was reason enough for the american.

“Of all the things you could have chosen.” The blonde leaned back in the chair and sipped on his soda, his hair falling over his face. Wilbur could only look at him and find the other quite pretty like that, looking all confident and happy. He chuckled at the sight.

“Alright mister american, who did you consider your best friend besides George?” Wilbur was not sure if it was the best question to ask, but it was also a very simple question and he wanted to know. You could tell a lot about a person depending on who they saw as their closest friend and anything he could get out of Dream the better.

“I think Nick. He was both my best friend and George’s. He was the weirdest person I have ever met in my entire life. But you are not too far behind it.” Wilbur raised an eyebrow before throwing one of the chips at him, making the blonde raise his arms to try and protect himself from the very dangerous threat. He laughed and looked at the brunette who had a small smile on his lips.

Wilbur crossed his arms and acted mad which did not go home to Dream who only kept drinking his soda, finishing the can quite quickly. He looked at it a little disappointed and Wilbur laughed at how stupid his friend looked.

“Alright mr Soot, what is your favorite song?”

Wilbur groaned and leaned his head back, being over dramatic as usual and reaching for his phone to open Spotify and see what songs he listened to. Most of them were quite sad or depressing and he did not want to show any of those to Dream, at least not yet. Plus he had not listened to them that much since the blonde had entered his life since he felt a bit happier and better about life. It was amazing what one person could do.

“How am I supposed to know?” Wilbur kept scrolling through his phone and Dream reached over to snatch it from his hands, immediately going to the search button. Wilbur reached over to try and get his phone back, but Dream was quick to lean away and continue typing.

“Wait wait I’m gonna show you this one song which Nick would never stop playing.”

Wilbur could not keep himself from laughing once the song started playing, and he clapped his hands together while listening to the melody and understanding just how dumb this old friend of Dream’s were. The scooby doo theme was filling the house and neither of the two boys were able to contain their laughter. After a few seconds though, Dream paused the song and handed the phone back.

“That is so stupid.”

“I know!”

Wilbur stood up and grabbed two wine glasses and the bottle that he had previously put away and placed them on the table, asking for a confirmation from the other. Dream nodded and the british male started pouring up for both of them. He also grabbed the two empty soda cans and put them away.

Dream looked at the wine for a second before tasting it, not being used to drinking too much wine. Back in the US he had most of the times tried stronger alcoholic drinks since he was young and it was fun to get drunk- so wine was usually not his to go. But now things were different and Wilbur was different. He didn’t drink just to get drunk, he drank because he liked it. It was a change from what he was used to but he definitely did not mind it.

“Alright. What was your hobby before you came here?”

“I was an author, I wrote books. It did not alway go too well though but I enjoyed it quite a bit.” Dream smiled while drinking at the blood red wine, enjoying it. Wilbur hummed and looked at him trying to imagine Dream in front of a computer writing a story or whatever it was he had been writing. He could not see it but he guessed that it was a good enough answer.

“Dream I have one more question.”

“It’s not your turn but go ahead.” Dream smiled and Wilbur rolled his eyes while placing down his glass on the table and leaning forward, making the other curious in what he had in mind. One part of him was worried considering the big smirk which was growing on his face, the other part of him was very curious and wrote it off as just Wilbur being stupid. The brit was quite good at being an idiot in Dream’s opinion.

“Do you want to dance with me?” Dream had to be careful as to not choke on the wine, not expecting that question out of everything. He had expected something stupid like ‘have you ever done drugs’ or if he had ever gotten in trouble.

“The hell?” Wilbur pouted at him.

“Is that a no?”

Dream looked at him and tried to figure out if he was being serious or not, and the more he looked at him the more he realized that he was actually serious. It felt odd to Dream and for a second he had to think if George had ever asked him something like this. He had not, so maybe it was a Wilbur thing? It was probably a Wilbur thing. “Sure…” He said in the end. agreeing to his offer.

“Wilbur stood up and reached for Dream, grabbing a hold of his hand and dragging him out of the chair in which he was sitting in. Dream seemed very unsure and in reality, so was Wilbur. The british man had absolutely no idea what he was doing or why he was doing it, but it felt like his body was moving on its own and he could not stop it.

Their hands joined and for a second Wilbur felt a jolt go through him, holding him. Dream’s hand was soft to touch but a bit cold. He had expected the other to be warmer but he did not mind it as he pulled the other closer.

“Please fucking tell me they learned you to dance in america.”

“Of course they did, we are not that stupid!” He was lying. Or well they had taught him way back in senior year, but that was a long time ago and he had forgotten most of it and was not sure on how one danced. Hopefully he could blame it on being american and say that the british was dancing in a different way. Hopefully Wilbur would buy it.

Wilbur raised an eyebrow as he looked at the blonde who looked like a lost dog in front of him, desperately trying to remember what he was supposed to do or how he was supposed to stand and put his hands. It was hilarious to watch the little war going on inside of Dream’s head and the brunette had to stop himself from laughing and bullying him about it.

“Here. You will be the girl, though.”

“You fucker.”

It took a while for Wilbur to try and learn the other how to dance, and it felt extremely awkward for both of them. Neither of them being used to getting so close to the other- especially not in dance. Wilbur was not sure why he had suggested it, it had sounded like a decent plan back when they were drinking wine but now he wanted to beat himself with a stick.

In the end however, Dream managed to get the steps and the movement right which Wilbur found impressive, considering the fact that it was Dream. He chuckled at his own train of thought before the actual dancing started, both of them moving in sync with each other.

Dream was sweating really hard, feeling himself grow more and more nervous. Every second being close to Wilbur was another second of him feeling the weird sparks inside of him. He was not sure if he liked it or not, especially not since George was still fresh in his mind. But for the moment he just wanted to forget about his past life and forget about George and just focus on the male in front of him.

“Wilbur, why are we doing this?” Dream whispered and looked at the other, wishing that he had some more of the wine. Maybe that could have helped him from all the second thoughts and the urges to break away and make a run for it. He felt dizzy, but not because they were dancing. More because Wilbur seemed to be intoxicating him, filling him up with some sort of air which was killing his lungs.

“I don’t know. Do you want to stop?” Wilbur slowed down, but the other just shook his head.

“Don’t go.” He whispered and Dream was not sure what he had meant with those words, or he did not want to accept what he had meant with those words.

“Dream-”

“Wilbur.” Dream cut him off and the brunette stopped but kept holding on to the other hands, not wanting to let go. Dream’s eyes reminded him of the forest, the green and the brown fighting for dominance in a way which made Wilbur feel like he was losing himself. He did not know why he was acting like this or what was going on. He felt scared and lost.

Wilbur took a step closer to the other, making the distance between them smaller. He did not do anything else but to get closer, however. He saw something flash in the green eyes and he noticed that he was holding his breath. Everything around them seemed to have gone quiet, or maybe they had both gone deaf. The second Dream got his mind back in the game, however, he pushed the other male away.

“What are you doing?” Dream asked, feeling his heart beat hard inside of his chest. He did not know what Wilbur wanted or what he was doing, maybe he was overreading things or overthinking them. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was because it was late. Dream was not sure but the closer Wilbur got to him the more scared he felt.

Wilbur felt his heart sink as the other pushed him away, thinking that he had fucked it all up. He should not have gotten close to him, he should not have done that. He was pushing Dream and he wasn’t even sure what he was doing himself. He regretted it all, the asking to dance and getting closer to him. They had had such a great time and he had just ruined it all.

“I’m sorry, I think I am just tired.” Dream looked him up and down before turning around, walking towards the bedroom.

“Thanks for tonight Wilbur. “ He said before opening the door and casting one last look at the other, forcing out a smile. “I really enjoyed it.”

Wilbur did not have time to give an answer before the door closed behind the blonde, leaving Wilbur to stand alone in the room with his thoughts running wild inside of his head.

Chapter Text

Since Dream had started working, Wilbur found himself being alone in the apartment since Dream usually worked evenings. It was strange since he was so used to coming home and finding the blonde male in the house somewhere doing his thing, but now he wasn’t. In one way it was nice because he could have some time for himself, but on the other hand it somehow hurt. He missed coming home to a smiling Dream who asked how his day had been. He missed coming home to the other who made him so happy and safe. Now he was only met by darkness and silence.

Wilbur sighed as he put up his coat, probably needing to get his spring coat soon since it was starting to get closer to spring. It was still quite cold outside though so he could have it for at least a few more weeks. He walked through the apartment to turn on the lights, getting greeted by the familiar place except for the smiling blonde boy. God knows how he missed him, even if he knew he was coming back in an hour.

The brunette decided to try and maybe cook something, since he had not done that in a while. It was usually Dream who cooked since he spent so much time at home anyways and the other had actually gotten quite skilled in the kitchen. Wilbur was proud of him for that but it also felt nice to be the one in charge for dinner tonight.

It also gave him time to think more about what had happened last week. He had clearly overstepped a line and made the other uncomfortable which he regretted with his life but had no idea on how to explain it or apologize. He had never been the biggest fan of trying to make things right and in situations like this he was not the best at solving the problem. But maybe Dream could forgive him for dinner, or at least make the atmosphere around them a little bit better.

He made the table for them and put the food in the oven to keep it warm, waiting for the other to come home. His shift should have ended five minutes or so ago so the other guessed he was not going to have to wait for too long. The cafe was only a twenty minute or so walk away from the apartment so he guessed that Dream would be home in fifteen.

However, when forty minutes had passed he felt himself growing a bit more worried.

Maybe the other had to work a little overtime, but that would not make sense. In times like these stores and such had to close pretty early and having them open overtime was not a good idea. So maybe there was trouble with a machine or something? Wilbur was not sure but the paranoia was setting itself in, holding him hostage.

Maybe Dream did not want to come home and face him, or maybe something had happened while walking back and he was hurt. Both of the options were hard to think of and the brunette desperately tried to keep himself calm and not freak out. Dream was fine, they were fine. Nothing was wrong and he was just a little late. Things like that happened.

The brit was pacing around in his house, checking the clock every ten seconds as if it would make Dream come home faster, but it only made time move way slower and the worry was filling up his chest until it hurt. He probably looked like a mother who’s kid had gone missing, and in a way it felt like it. Dream was a mystery, he was not from around and he was quite attractive. If anyone saw him and was bigger than the other male he could be a perfect victim.

In the middle of his thinking the door opened behind him and a Dream entered the house. His shift had ended an hour ago now, but the male seemed to be fine. Wilbur however quickly darted towards him, throwing his arms around the other’s neck.

“Where the hell were you? It’s late Dream what if you had gotten hurt?”

Dream looked at the other confused and shocked, flinching at first because of the embrace and not being ready for it. They had not hugged each other for the last week or even gotten close so it was a little out of nowhere for Dream but he still accepted the hug after a few seconds of hesitation. He buried his face into the other and tried to relax, drinking in his smell.

“I wanted to give you a surprise…” He mumbled into his neck before breaking the hug, taking a step back to hand over a little bag which contained a cardboard box. Wilbur glanced at it for a second before looking up to Dream who wore an apologetic look on his face, almost looking guilty.

“You are such an idiot sometimes Dream, thank you.”

He grabbed the little bag and put it on the table in the kitchen wanting to know what had taken Dream such a long time to fix. Were stores even open? It was past ten and the sun had been down for quite a while so maybe only one or two were, the brunette was not completely sure.

When he opened the box however, he was met with a surprise in which he had not expected. Inside of it was a little cake which had a ‘W’ written on it together with a little guitar which was off to the side. Wilbur could tell that the other had spent quite some time with it considering all the small details on it. The brunette felt himself almost tear up as he looked at it, turning to the blonde who was giving him an awkward smile.

“Do you like it? I’m sorry I came home late but I couldn’t make it while I was working... “ He explained and Wilbur only chuckled before giving the other a hug, this time neither of them flinching from the sudden contact.

Dream felt his whole body bubble up at the hug and he quickly made sure to return the hug, holding onto the other as if life depended on it. He did not want to let go of Wilbur, he just wanted to stay like this and pretend nothing had happened and that they were okay. He despised fighting with Wilbur or having that tense air around them, he absolutely hated it and wanted nothing more than to just break it and be okay again.

In the end the two boys had to break their embrace and a small blush covered their faces, giggling softly and just feeling alright between each other again. Both had needed it and it was now that they realized how hard it had been to stay away from each other. Dream especially had a hard time waking up without being able to say goodmorning to his friend and then not even being able to go to him when he got home. It was almost as if they had spent a whole week apart from each other and it had sucked.

“Oh yeah by the way,” Wilbur quickly hurried to take out the pot out of the oven, placing it on top of the stove and removing the foil from it to reveal the food he had cooked for the other. “I uh, made you something. It was supposed to be an apology gift but I think that one is out of the way.”

Dream laughed as he looked at how proud Wilbur seemed to be, presenting the food as if it was a gift from god or his best cooking of all time. It was adorable that he had tried so hard and Dream guessed that he had spent quite some time on the food (and a lot of energy, it was a miracle the other was still up and running considering he had just gotten off from work). Wilbur sent him a questioning look. “Thank you, Wilbur. That’s very sweet of you.”

Wilbur had made chicken soup again, the soup being a little of a throwback to when Dream had first arrived in England and stayed at his place. This time however it was not leftover soup which Dream smiled at, rolling his eyes at the other and sipping away on the warm food.

“Do you still love George?”

Dream looked up and almost dropped his spoon, the question hitting him out of nowhere and coming quite sudden. Wilbur looked at him with some sort of sad glance in his eyes, Dream could tell however that the brunette was trying to hide this. Why? He was not too sure but the other looked troubled about it. Maybe he was just scared that his friend was going to try and leave him once he got the chance. Or at least that’s what Dream went with.

“I mean, it’s in the past. Maybe I do, but I will never meet him again, you know?” Dream managed to keep eye contact with the brunette who was sitting at the other end of the table. The honey colored eyes were scanning him as if they were looking for something more and Dream chuckled.

“Stop looking at me like that. I’m fine, Wilbur.”

-

Wilbur had brought some friends over, mostly a few of the people he had met at the gaming night a few months ago. Dream could hear Nikki, Floris and Phil standing in the living room at least, he himself was hiding away in the living room playing Minecraft on the laptop. He wanted to be kind and let them have some time of their own, even if Wilbur had begged him to come out earlier.

He was pretty fine with staying on the laptop though, building away on the server that they had together. He was trying to make a path between the different buildings and it was actually going quite well. It was a simple path but it really did light up the server more and make it seem more welcome. He smiled to himself trying to ignore the laughing that was happening outside of the door.

A knock was heard at the door and Dream quickly paused the game and looked up to see Wilbur standing in the doorway, sending him a soft smile and making sure the other was okay. Dream chuckled before leaning back in the chair.

“You know, Floris is asking for you. So is Nikki.” Wilbur said quietly as to make sure his friends were not listening in on them too much, he wanted to just be able to talk to Dream a little without the rest of his friends sitting outside yelling at them to come back and join the little circle on the floor. Dream had always imagined brits being quite calm in nature, but one look at his roommates friends and he might just have to change his view.

“I don’t want to disturb-”

“Dream.” Wilbur closed the door behind him and walked closer, the blonde male looking at him quite confused as to why he was getting so close. Was he drunk again? No, he had not seen anyone come with alcohol and the other male did not have that scent on him.

“You are not, okay? Please come join us.” Dream clicked on the computer and turned his game off, logging out from it and then turning off the computer. Wilbur was watching him doing it and almost praying that it was a yes, missing to have his blonde friend around him. Dream sent him a nod.

“Alright, but only for a short while.”

They walked out and the first thing Dream saw was Floris with a big smile on his face at his arrival, Nikki was sitting next to him laughing softly too and Phil was just smiling. They looked quite happy to see him which warmed his heart and he chuckled before joining them on the floor, stealing a few of the candy bars which they had in a bowl between them. Wilbur sat down next to him, sitting quite close.

Floris quickly put an arm around Dream, saying hi and that he had missed him. The blonde could only laugh while returning the greeting, waving to the other two who were looking at him happily. He felt quite loved while joining them and even if he liked his game this felt slightly better. He glanced towards Wilbur who nodded in approval.

“So Dream, when are you starting a youtube channel?” Phil sent him a half smile which felt quite polite, but the question felt odd for him. He never had any plans on starting one, or well not since he had died at least. But everyone was looking at them, did they expect him to?

“Oh, haha… I had not really thought about that.” He admitted and saw Phil raise an eyebrow and looked towards Wilbur who laughed nervously.

“I’m working on it.”

“You are what?!” Dream turned to the brunette besides him who laughed at his reaction, finding it quite adorable and amusing. Dream however was very confused and tried to figure out if the other was serious about it or not. He would not really mind starting his own channel, but he was not sure he would do too great. In his opinion he was not that special or funny like everyone else was. But maybe, just maybe he would try and give it a try.

“Okay okay lovebirds, can you hand over the glass?”

Both the blonde and the brunette whipped their heads towards Phil, both having a big blush dusting their cheeks like a cloud. They matched Nikki a bit with her makeup and Phil had to stop himself from laughing at them, seeing right through them without any trouble. Floris however, pouted.

Dream turned to look behind him where he saw a glass of water and grabbed it, getting ready to hand it over to Phil who smiled and silently thanked him. However before being able to give it to him, the glass fell out of his hand and landed on the floor, sending multiple shards of glass around them. The water spilled over the floor and Dream felt the panic rise within his chest.

Nikki and Floris quickly jumped to the side to avoid getting the water splashed on them, Wilbur mostly flinched since he had not been able to focus on what was happening and had been deep in thought. Phil just sent him a sad smile trying to reassure the panicking boy that it was okay.

“I am so sorry, wait I will go and get some paper.” Dream said and before he had time to watch where he put his hand down to stand up put it down on the floor among the shards.

He yelped and quickly retreated his hand, feeling one shard cut through his skin causing some blood to start forming from the wound. He held his hand tightly to his chest and tried to see if there was any glass in it but was quickly interrupted once he felt Wilbur grab a hold of his wrist.

“God damn it, Dream.” He mumbled and looked at his hand before looking over to his friends who all wore a worried expression. He knew that they all wanted to ask but Dream looked quite embarrassed and small as he curled up inside himself.

“Can you guys help clean up? I’m going to take care of Dream here.” He said before quickly walking with the other to the bathroom, setting him down on the toilet and closing the door slightly behind them so no one would stare. He could see that Dream was starting to regret his decision of ever coming out of the room and he did not want that happening.

Dream was not looking at him, he was only looking at the wound on his hand which was bleeding. It was not much but it sure hurt a lot. The feeling of guilt was not helping him either and he really just wanted to be left alone and hide away.

“It’s okay Dream, it was an accident. Stop looking like you just killed someone.” Wilbur tried to lighten the mood and Dream looked up, but he did not look amused. His face was pale and his eyes were tearing up slightly. From the pain or because he felt guilty Wilbur was not sure.

Wilbur took some paper towels and held them under the water trying to wet them down before putting it on the wound, trying to clean up some of the blood which was running over his skin. Dream hissed quietly whenever he dabbed right on top of the wound and Wilbur sent an apologetic look.

“Are you okay?” Dream looked down again and tried to ignore him, biting down on his lip and trying to not think about the situation. He just wanted to go to sleep.

“Dream it’s fine, stop it.” Wilbur used his other hand to tilt Dream’s face up, looking at him and trying to get eye contact. The other let himself look at the eyes he had grown used to seeing everyday but suddenly it felt like the hardest thing to do.

“I’m not a kid.” Dream tried to snatch his hand back, but Wilbur only gripped onto him harder to make sure he stayed. He knew that the blonde could be stubborn as hell, but today he was not going to give in and the other better understand it. Dream sighed.

“Never said you were.” Wilbur inspected his hand to make sure there were no shards of glass inside the wound and for now it looked to be pretty clean. He wanted to hold it under water just to make sure though and so he stretched Dream’s hand over towards the sink and held it under the water. The blonde flinched but did not fight against it.

“Dream you seem out of it, what’s wrong.” Wilbur was standing so close and the world around him seemed to stop. Time was suddenly standing still and it was just him and Wilbur now. The memories from last week came flooding back to him when Wilbur had gotten so close. He had not wanted to push the other way, he was unsure as to why he had done it in the first place but it had just felt scary.

George was running through his head again. George was always running through his mind whenever he got this close to Wilbur and all he wanted to do was to scream and cry. He did not want to think of his past lover and he did not want to feel like this. He wanted to be close to Wilbur, he wanted to so badly. But everytime they got close George popped up in his head to stop him.

It felt like he was betraying his past lover since he was moving on. Dream knew it was stupid but that’s the best way he could explain it to himself. He felt dragged towards Wilbur almost just like he had towards George. All he wanted to do was to get closer to him and be with him but it did not feel fair. It felt wrong. But Wilbur was here and George was not. The blonde tried to swallow his thoughts as he took a step closer, still making sure his hand was under the water.

“Dream, what are you doing?” Wilbur whispered, feeling how his heart was speeding up now that Dream was getting closer. Usually he was the one to take a step and not the blonde so it felt very unreal and weird. The other looked like he was at war with himself with how conflicted he seemed to be. Wilbur decided to stand still and not do anything.

“I… Don’t know.” He admitted before laying his head in the crook of the other’s neck, just trying to enjoy the warmth and the closeness. It still felt wrong, but the longer he stood like that the more right it felt, almost like time was washing away all the guilty feelings and replacing them with something else. Exactly what it was, however, Dream was not sure.

Wilbur on the other hand was having a mini freak out inside of his mind as he felt Dream rest himself on him. The blonde was not doing anything but it was obvious that he was quite tense and not entirely comfortable with what he was doing. Wilbur did not stop him or ask him about it since he was afraid that it might make the other go away so he kept quiet and let the blonde do his thing.

Wilbur tried to keep himself calm and collected, even though he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around the figure. He did not want to push the other and he knew that whatever it was he was feeling was stupid. Dream did not feel like he did, Dream was probably still determined to search up George even if he was not ready to admit that. That’s what the brunette at least silently thought to himself.

Dream pulled his hand out from the water and turned it off, still not stepping away from Wilbur wanting to have the feeling of guilt completely disappear before doing something else. He just wanted to feel normal and not have George on his mind whenever he thought about Wilbur.

Dream was however quite unsure of what Wilbur thought about him. The brunette seemed to have a fling for Nikki judging by the way they interacted with each other and the way that Wilbur had reacted when he had brought it up. But on the other hand Wilbur seemed to be very determined to get close to him. Maybe that’s just how Wilbur was as a person but it had definitely changed over the last month he had been here.

Wilbur seemed to be trying more and harder to get closer, but Dream did not have any proof that the other even played for the other team. He only knew that he had had girlfriends and a possible thing for one of his best friends who was a girl. Nowhere had Wilbur ever mentioned a guy which also made Dream’s chest ache. He wished so badly that things were changed or different. He wished he could understand or that he knew.

Wilbur let his fingers run through Dream’s hair. They played with the blonde strands which he had let grow over the months and were a bit longer than the social norm for guys. Wilbur did not mind it and actually found it quite adorable- but playing with it made him think about what they could be. His fingers hurt at the thought, feeling like it would never happen and so he stopped and retreated his hand.

“Don’t stop, please.” Dream whispered silently which caused both of them to get slightly flustered, a whole new step getting taken between them. Wilbur did as he was asked and started playing with his hair again, making Dream feel that soft dancing inside his chest again.

The blonde smiled and his undamaged hand played with the sweater Wilbur was wearing, just wanting to do something with his hands since it was hard for him to stand still like this for too long. He did not want to let go and the embrace was warming him up, he did not want to move.

“Wilbur,” Dream took a deep breath and tried to keep his heart from beating too hard. “do you like boys?” He asked and felt like he was going to drown. The blood was pumping through his veins and he had no idea what to do. His instincts were telling him to run and that he had fucked up and ruined everything.

Wilbur felt shocked by the question, not expecting it to come out like that. He wondered why Dream asked him, maybe it had been on his mind for a while? He had not given any clues away about it, or maybe he looked to be queer? Wilbur was not sure, but a little flame of hope rose inside his chest at the question. Why did Dream ask him?

“Yeah… I do.” He admitted and Dream looked up from his hiding spot, looking at Wilbur in the eyes with a smile on his face.

“Are you guys okay?” Floris opened up the door wanting to check up on them, but instead of seeing Wilbur plaster up Dream he found the two being dangerously close to each other and a big blush spread to his face at the scene.

“OH MY GOD” he quickly yelled before slamming the door shut, trying to take in what he had just seen. Wilbur and Dream on the other hand broke out in laughter, both from being embarrassed that Floris had seen them getting so close but also because of his reaction. It had been priceless to say the very least.

Dream quickly pushed himself away from Wilbur again, making the other feel a little hurt that he had once again pushed him away. But there was also a new found question in his head about what Dream was thinking or what was going on between them. He wanted to know what Dream was feeling, but for now it was not a good time to ask.

Dream himself had a panic attack on the inside, cursing himself for asking but also being happy that he did. There was a chance, it was not completely dumb. But on the other hand just because Wilbur liked boys did not mean he would like him. Plus he had only been here for a little more than four months, it wouldn’t be good. He can’t have feelings, right?

What would George think?

Dream felt his heart sink in his chest as he opened the door and walked out of the bathroom, not even looking at Wilbur before walking back to the circle on the floor. Wilbur watched the other and tried to piece together what was going on but failed miserably. He would never know and that alone scared him. He sighed before following the other out and putting on a fake smile.

Chapter Text

He was on an empty field with only grass surrounding him and brushing against his legs, nothing else in sight except the sky and a figure standing in front of him. The figure seemed to be standing completely still and only being a little bit shorter than him, but the sun was lying behind him and making it harder to see his face. No sounds were made except for the wind blowing through the high and green grass. 

Dream looked at the figure, finding the scenery familiar except it was missing a house and a forest. Horror gripped him at the memory of that and he desperately tried to remember something, but he could not. All of his memories seemed to have been wiped out as he stood on the field with the figure in front of him and the blonde felt panic rise within him. 

Was he dead again? Had Jimmy decided it was a good time for him to die this time or what had happened? He could not remember anything that had happened previous to landing on this field and it scared him. He could not lose Wilbur like he had lost George, he was not ready to move on or start over again. He just couldn’t. 

“Dream.” A familiar voice said and Dream narrowed his eyes trying to see the figure and understand whose voice it was. The voice was soft and smooth, reminding him of the touch of milk as it washed over him. The voice felt comforting and Dream took a step towards the figure trying to figure out who it was. The closer he got to him the more features started to pop up. 

The short dark hair was the first thing he noticed, second the dark brown eyes who seemed to be smiling at him. Third he noticed the smile which stretched over his face wide and happily, making Dream almost fall over as he watched the male in front of him, the male he had known all too well ten years ago. 

“George…” He whispered before throwing himself at the other, hugging him tightly to his chest and feeling the other return the hug. He could not smell the familiar scent of George, but for the moment it did not matter and all he could focus on was that George was here, with him and in his arms. It felt like a blessing, a gift.

But then it hit him, what was George doing here and where were they? They were on a field which looked exactly like the one he had ended up on when he had first died except for now there was nothing but high grass as far as he looked. Instead of Jimmy there was George who seemed to be looking exactly the same from when he had last seen him which also hit him as odd. Dream pulled away from the hug to look at him. 

“George, I missed you.” He mumbled and felt a tear roll down his cheek. George lifted his hand to wipe it away before kissing him right where the tear had been, almost as if he was able to kiss away all of the blonde's trouble. 

“I missed you too Dream, so much.” He said back in the typical George way, making Dream chuckle at the sound and the familiarity in it all. God he had missed him, more than he could imagine. But something did not feel right. 

“George, where are we?”

“Does it matter? We are together again, Dream.”

The blonde looked at George again, trying to understand what was going on. He had been with Wilbur, he was alive and well in the UK and nothing had happened as far as he remembered. So why was he here? He could not have just randomly died could he? And even if that was the case why was George here acting like everything was okay? 

“George, are we alive?” He asked and took a step back, waiting for the other to respond feeling very scared. This was not right, George was not supposed to be here and he was supposed to be alive and well with Wilbur. Something was not right and he was not sure on what it was but he wanted to figure it out. George sent him a look of hurt and aboundenment, making the blonde feel guilty. 

“Dream, what are you talking about?” George was avoiding the question which only sparked more danger in Dream’s mind, looking at his past lover as if he was a threat to him. George lowered his gaze and looked to the ground. 

“Don’t you love me? I thought you said you always would.” The words felt like a knife to the chest and Dream was not sure that he could breathe anymore. There was a heavy weight on his chest that he could not seem to shake as he looked at George curling up and hiding away, looking smaller than ever before. Dream shook his head. 

“Of course I do.” George looked up again, this time with anger in his eyes. Dream took yet another step backwards as he looked at the male in front of him. 

“No, you don’t. You left me for Wilbur, didn’t you? You lied to me.” The words came out almost like a hiss and he spat them out like poison towards Dream who felt himself getting ready to run. This did not feel like George, George would not act like this, would he? Something was wrong. Where were they? 

“George stop, no!” Dream tried but George only started to tear up and took a step closer towards him, looking as if he was ready to rip Dream apart limb by limb judging by the way his eyes were glowing. Eyes could not glow, what was going on?

“George!” Dream screamed at him, desperately wanting the old happy and cheerful George back who would jump on him from behind and attack him with hugs. He wanted the George who had been here just a second ago. This was not George but someone who looked like him and Dream could feel his heart shatter into pieces anew, not wanting to be here anymore. 

“I hate you! You liar! You betrayed me!” George screamed at him and Dream covered his ears and shook his head trying to shut the words out but failing to do so. George was walking closer to him looking both hurt and angry. The sight alone made Dream’s guts twist and turn in guilt and pain. He wanted to run, but there was nowhere to run to. It was only him and George on a field with nowhere to go. 

“No! George please!” 

“You hurt me, this is your fault!” Dream ran as fast as his legs could carry him but it felt like rocks had been tied to him and dragged him down. It was so unbelievably heavy to try and run through the field and he could no longer see the ground underneath him. It was all dark, almost as if it had suddenly turned night out of nowhere. But even so Dream tried to run, George right behind him. 

“Dream, I hate you.” The words felt so loud as they echoed inside his skull and he tried to ignore them, he tried to not hear them. He fell over and landed in the grass, only catching himself before his face hit the ground underneath him. He turned to look up only to see George walking slowly towards him. No matter how much he tried he could not get up and he was stuck to watch his past lover walk over to him.

George was holding a knife, and a very sharp one. He was holding it tightly in his hand as he sat down on Dream and pinned him down to the ground with his free hand. He laughed quietly and it sounded like a twisted version of the pure and happy laughter that Dream knew of. He felt his heart picking up its pace and beating hard inside of his chest. He could not breathe, he could not move. And George placed the knife against his chest. 

“You deserve nothing.” 

. 

Dream gasped for air as he sat up, opening his eyes and staring straight ahead of him as he woke up from his nightmare. It was dark in the room and at first he feared that he was still out on the field together with George, but he only found himself on the floor on the mattress in which he slept on. He was lying in Wilbur’s room like he used to since they had gotten too lazy to carry around the bed and hide it away all the time. It was very dark and Dream looked over to the alarm clock to see that it was showing four fifty- five AM. He sighed heavily before rubbing his eyes, trying to wash away the nightmare from his brain. 

His heart however did not want to calm down and he almost felt nauseous as the words in which Geogre had said to him played on repeat in his head. They were ripping him apart inside out and the pain was filling him up even now when he was awake. Dream wiped away the tears which were staining his cheeks and turned to look at the bed besides him, standing up and walking  closer to it. 

Dream sat on the bed and looked over to Wilbur who was sleeping peacefully wrapped up in his blankets and almost buried among all the pillows. His hair was falling all over the place and Dream could only guess that it was an absolute mess. He scoffed as he heard George’s words play in his head again and he tried to ignore it the best he could. 

“Wilbur.” He whispered and sat silently waiting for a response or at least a hum, but nothing came from the sleeping male. He kept on sleeping and Dream felt a bit guilty about disturbing his roommate, but the words from George kept playing in his head and his chest was hurting very badly. All he wanted was to get some comfort from the other, maybe a hug or so too. He really would not mind that. 

“Wilbur.” He said again a little louder this time, climbing up further onto the bed and sitting down next to the sleeping person. Once again he did not get an answer from the brunette and the desperation was growing inside of him, making him feel stressed. He knew it was bad and that it had just been a dream, but it did not mean that the words would not hit him hard in the chest. 

Dream laid himself next to Wilbur and crawled underneath the covers, nuzzling up to his back and pressing himself as close as he dared to. Wilbur turned around which caused Dream to jump up a little in surprise, not having expected for the other to have woken up. The guilt hit him and for a second he thought about pretending he was not there, but quickly decided against the idea and waited for Wilbur to say or do something. 

“Dream? What the fuck are you doing?” The brunette muttered as he saw those two eyes glancing at him in the dark, only having the small light from the moon causing them to show themselves. 

“Nightmare. I’m sorry.” He whispered and the confused and tired expression on Wilbur’s face quickly changed, going from annoyed to looking more concerned. Dream bit his lip as he looked at the other, getting ready to leave again by sitting up. He was quickly dragged down again by Wilbur though who pulled him back into bed. 

“Stay. It’s alright. Do you wanna talk about it?” Wilbur whispered as his hands brushed the blonde strands of hair away from Dream’s face, putting them behind his ear in a soft and comforting movement. Dream closed his eyes as he just let himself be touched in such a gentle way. 

“Not really, just…” He paused. “Can I sleep up here tonight?” He whispered and Wilbur smiled as he felt his chest flutter up again, almost like it had done when they had been alone in the bathroom. But it was also quite dull since he felt bad for the other and because he had just got woken up in the middle of the night. 

“Yeah, sure.” Dream hesitantly moved closer to Wilbur, letting his head rest against his chest. Wilbur was wearing a shirt which Wilbur thanked the gods for since it would have been weird having Dream being skin to skin with him. He was also pretty sure Dream would not have done it if he had decided to skip the shirt for the night. He wrapped an arm around Dream to hold him close and the other hummed at the embrace.

Dream felt his face starting to warm up as he listened to Wilbur’s heart beat, just silently enjoying the even beat. It felt comforting and was real which helped him put his nightmare behind him. He felt safe around the other and curled up, intertwining his legs with Wilbur’s to let him get closer without laying in an uncomfortable position. 

Wilbur had to stop himself from hissing in a breath, trying to ignore how cuddly the other seemed to be. It must have been one hell of a nightmare considering that the other was acting like this, he had never seen Dream being so small before. He did not mind it though and just let it happen, trying to value it as best as he could. 

“Are you sure, Dream? I am here if you want to talk about it.” Dream only nodded and looked up towards Wilbur, their faces only a few centimeters apart from each other. If he leaned forward their lips would meet, he could almost feel Wilbur’s breath against his skin. It made his head spin and his chest hurt and once again he could hear George scream inside of his head. It almost made him look away again, almost. 

“Yeah… I am sure.” Wilbur could feel the tension growing between them and Dream was so close, teasing him in a way with how close he was. All he wanted was to close the distance between them but he knew that was not the right thing to do, he also was not sure if the feelings were real or just because Dream made him feel happy and loved. He still wanted to figure out if it was strong appreciation or actual feelings, the second option scared the living shit out of the brunette as he looked at the blonde next to him.

“Okay.” He responded and broke the tension and hid away his face again, turning around and pressing his back against Wilbur’s chest. The brunette could feel his heart sink slightly because of it but he decided to swallow the lump in his throat and just accept it. He put his arm around Dream’s waist to at least be somewhat close to him and he prayed that Dream did not feel uncomfortable. 

“Try to sleep again alright? It will be better in the morning.” He whispered and fought the urge to place a kiss behind his ear, keeping himself collected and calm. Dream hummed and leaned into the pillow, holding Wilbur’s arm close to his body. He was almost hugging it to himself the way he held it and Wilbur could not help but to let a soft smile spread across his face. 

“You promise?” Dream was probably half asleep judging by how deep his voice had gotten and how muffled the words were, almost as if they were melting into each other. Wilbur almost wanted to chuckle at how cute he sounded. 

“I promise, now go to sleep. Goodnight, Dream.”

“Goodnight, Wilbur.”

-

When Dream woke up the next morning he found himself alone in Wilbur’s bed, the clock showing eleven in the morning. He grunted as he sat up and looked around himself remembering the nightmare which he had had during the night. He was a little sad that Wilbur had not been there when he woke up and the thought that the other might have been uncomfortable hit him. 

He hid his face in his hands as the thought hit him, thinking that he might have made the other uncomfortable. Maybe he had been too tired to understand what was going on and woke up feeling very awkward and decided to just leave him and pretend it had not happened. The thought left a scar on him and he tried to swallow it, only to remember what George had told him in his dream. 

The blonde quickly crawled out of bed and put a pair of pants on before walking out of the room, seeing that Wilbur was sitting on the couch with his laptop drinking coffee. He was caught by surprise that he was already on the laptop but not too shocked. Usually the brunette would sit on his phone but today seemed to be different. 

“Hi.” Dream said quietly and Wilbur looked up to him, scanning him before shooting a hi back. Dream felt awkward as Wilbur put down his cup of coffee and closed down the laptop to place it down next to him carefully. Dream was still watching him and Wilbur tried to send him a smile.

“Did you sleep better?” Dream hugged himself and walked over to sit next to his roommate on the couch, leaning his head against his shoulder. Wilbur put an arm around him and gently rubbed him on the back, comforting him which Dream seemed to need. The blonde chuckled. 

“Yeah, thank you. Sorry for waking you up, by the way.” He mumbled and felt the guilt fill up his chest again, a part of him wishing that he had never actually woken the other up. He should have kept it to himself and just gone back to sleep. However, sleeping next to Wilbur had felt incredibly good and he had not slept that well in several weeks. 

“Dream, don’t worry about it all right? It’s fine. I actually did not mind it at all.” Wilbur confessed and looked down, feeling a bit weird to admit it. His chest was burning and if it was shame or not the brunette was not sure. Dream only giggled. 

“You’re so dumb.” He mumbled before breaking the embrace and getting something to eat from the kitchen, deciding to go for a bowl of cereal. Wilbur was following him into the kitchen and looking at him, almost as if he was searching for something which made the blonde feel a little uncomfortable. 

“Dream, you are quite pale. Are you sure you are alright?” Wilbur finally asked and Dream put down the bowl of cereal on the table and sat down, getting ready to eat it. He hummed as he looked at Wilbur, casting a glance before returning to his cereal. 

“Yes? I don’t know maybe you are seeing stuff.”He took a spoonful of cereal and ate it, munching away on it happily while looking at the brunette who should probably brush his hair. The locks and curl were everywhere and Dream chuckled at the sight, shaking his head before looking back down at his cereal. 

“You literally curled up shaking last night, and now you look like a ghost.” Wilbur crossed his arms and looked at the other who placed back his spoon into the bowl and leaned back in his chair, raising an eyebrow at the other not feeling up to get into yet another one of their bickering. 

“Doesn’t matter, it was a nightmare. Stop acting like I got stabbed.” Wilbur sighed as he sat down by the table and ran a hand through his hair, finally fixing the mess which was laid on top of his head. Dream smiled satisfied and took another spoonful of cereal. 

“Was it about George?” Dream almost choked on his cereal and tried desperately to not cough back his food. He quickly swallowed which hurt his throat and looked up to Wilbur who was staring at him, almost begging to get an answer to the question. How Wilbur knew Dream was not sure, all he knew was that it was a little bit freaky that he managed to figure it out so fast. 

“How did you know that?”

“It’s not hard, everything is about George when it comes to you.” Dream felt his heart sink in his chest as the words sunk in, realizing how badly he must have gotten off to the other. Everything was about George to him, maybe that was true. His nightmares were about him, he did not want to move on from his past life because of him. Did that make him a bad person? Maybe it did. Dream put down his spoon.

“I’m sorry, Wilbur.” He whispered and the other shook his head. 

“It’s fine I just-” He stopped himself and grunted. “I just wish I could help you or be someone.” 

Dream perked up at the last part, narrowing his eyes and looking at the othe trying to understand what he had meant by that. Wilbur looked quite hurt and he had no idea on what to do or what to say. The other seemed to be genuine which was interesting to say the very least. However he was not sure what he was after which was worrying him. 

“You are someone, Wilbur. What are you talking about?” 

Wilbur shook his head, finding his heart picking up it’s pace. He was not sure if he wanted to continue on where this conversation was going and he decided to cut it short, standing up and pushing his chair in towards the table. Dream gave him a questioning look, trying to demand him for answers. Wilbur only ignored him. 

“Nothing, I will have to leave later. I made you some lasagna last night.” He left Dream sitting alone at the table confused. Dream was only looking at the male and wondering if he had done something wrong and felt himself even regretting telling Wilbur about his nightmare. He took a deep breath before standing up and abounding his breakfast to follow the other into the living room. 

“Wilbur.” He said clear as day and the brunette turned around to look at him, raising an eyebrow as a silent question. Dream had to keep himself from biting down on his lip nervously. 

“I care about you.” Wilbur smiled at him and looked away, grabbing his laptop and his bag and stuffed it inside. Dream had to keep himself from grabbing onto the other to keep him in the apartment. He did not want Wilbur to leave, he really wanted him to stay but he knew that was wrong. 

“Wilbur! Stop!” Wilbur stopped in his tracks and turned to the blonde male who was staring at him, almost looking like he was hurt. It did cause a pain in Wilbur’s chest but he tried to swallow it and ignore it, not wanting to accept the feelings which were slowly taking over him. 

“What?” Dream was breathing heavy and he was not sure why. Maybe because all of his emotions were running wild through his mind and the aftermath of the nightmare and spending the night sleeping close to Wilbur. He was not sure anymore and he was way too tired to try and think anymore. 

“You are special. So stop acting like you are not.” Wilbur nodded before returning to getting ready to leave. Dream felt his heart sink inside of his chest as he watched the brunette move towards the door. 

“Thank you.” Dream nodded and returned back to the kitchen, trying to no longer think about it as he heard the door open and close. He decided to throw out the last of the cereal which had turned soggy anyways. The blonde sighed and looked out the window to watch the brit walk down the street and disappear between the buildings along the road.

Chapter Text

Tommy and Tubbo had wanted to go to the ocean and had somehow managed to drag Floris, Phil , Wilbur and Dream along them. They were all walking down the road to get to the shore and god knows what the two were up to. They almost looked like a family as they walked together in a big clump, Tommy and Tubbo chattering excitedly between each other and Wilbur every now and then teasing Tommy for being an idiot which earned him a scolding from Phil. Dream and Floris only laughed while watching them, finding the sight quite endearing.

Floris walked besides Dream and the blonde could tell that there were a lot of questions that he wanted to ask but he kept himself quiet and Dream thanked the gods for that. He was not sure how he was going to explain why he and Wilbur had been standing so close to each other that day when Floris walked in on them. He himself was not sure how he was going to explain the situation to himself since he had a hard time trying to swallow it.

He turned to look at the male with the white patches of hair on top of his head, which he found adorable and pretty suiting. He did look a little like a fox so his Minecraft skin suited him quite well. Dream chuckled at his train of thought before returning his eyes back to Wilbur who was walking in front of him and talking to Phil about who knows what. Dream did not want to listen in on their conversations and he was too tired to join it anyways so he kept walking calmly next to Floris.

Tommy and Tubbo were very funny to be around and even though there were a few years between them the boys were very nice and respectful unlike the rest of the kids their age seemed to be. Dream had lost count of how many times a couple of teenagers had marched into the cafe like they owned the place which pissed him off quite a lot. God knows how many times he had to chase people out for being disrespectful.

Floris seemed to be in a good mood however and was humming on a song that Dream did not recognize, maybe it was something that had come out recently? The blonde was still a little bit behind on what had happened for the years he had missed but he was starting to understand and get the whole picture. It seemed like this generation of people had a high spirit and a sense for justice. They were not afraid to be heard or overthrow the government which to Dream sounded a little alarming, but judging by how much needed change he was not against it.

Hell, he proposed to George and that was not really legal when he was alive. It was only luck that no one had heard them and that they had just acted like best friends whenever the nurses came around. He was unsure of how they would react if they realized what the two boys actually were. When he had first told his mom about him and George she had reacted in a bad way which left his younger self very sad and scared, wondering if there was something wrong about it. Luckily, Nick had been supportive and reassured him that it was okay. In the end, his mom had even grown to accept her child for it which made Dream incredibly happy.

They had their rights now, people were even daring to be more open about it now and he had read about massive parades with the rainbow flags dancing all over the streets and the sky to show that it was okay to love whoever you wanted. Dream had smiled to himself while reading about those parades and he wished that they had existed when he and George had just gotten together.

He was proud over what the kids were doing, however he was not too happy about his own country in which there seemed to be complete chaos. Not that it was not before, but this seemed to be on a whole new level of chaos. All those demonstrations, the virus and the innocent people killed and shamed was disgusting and he deeply wished that he could return home and join the fights. But he knew that was not a choice and that he could no longer be there. He was not even an American citizen anymore since he had died.

He looked to the side to see the ocean stretch out towards the horizon, almost like a promise that things were infinity but not always bad. The water was calm and resting against the shore line, only small waves hitting against the sand and the rocks which worked as a wall between the land and the water. Dream smiled to himself but was interrupted in his peaceful thinking by a loud Tommy yelling before jumping down and running towards the water, a Tubbo right behind him ready to join.

“Hey be careful!” Phil called after them and Wilbur snickered as he turned his gaze towards the older and blonde male who looked like a worried parent. Dream really had to think about if they were related or not considering the way Phil seemed to look after the boys.

“Aw, is daddy Phil worried about his kids?” Wilbur teased and giggled, making Phil raise an eyebrow at him before shaking his head at the brunettes shenanigans. Dream could only watch and laugh at them, finding the bunt hilarious even if he had not been there when the jokes had first started. It was still very funny and he understood most of them so he was able to pass without any trouble.

The group jumped down from the little wall which was there to protect in case there came a high tide or if the water suddenly decided to rise and followed the two sixteen year olds who were already standing in the water, yelling about how cold it was and making bets on who could stand in there the longest without backing out with blue feet. Dream thought that it was a very stupid idea but he was not about to ruin the two’s fun. They seemed so happy which made the blonde happy in return.

They all sat down in the sand together and watched as Tommy and Tubbo splashed water around and playfully fought in the water. They looked like they were having fun while still being mature about it and not trying to drown each other in the water. Floris was sitting next to Dream and Wilbur was on his other side with Phil by his right. They formed a half moon like shape as they looked on the two friends who were laughing and joking around.

Wilbur kept an eye on the two boys feeling like he was their older brother making sure they did not die after their parents had left him. It was all a joke between them which some people scoffed at, but their viewers found it quite wholesome he had noticed and there were some incredibly good fanart capturing their friendship in a very good way. He loved to look through it sometimes and show it to the others.

Wilbur glanced over to Dream who had a soft smile on his lips looking very relaxed and just in the moment. It had been a while since he had seen Dream looking so unbothered and calm since there had been a lot going on at home and since he was still pretty new to the job. The blonde was fighting to get into society and understand the world around him. He had not been able to sleep well and always looked like he was on edge as if someone or something was going to hurt him. It was honestly hurting to watch the blonde act the way he did but he did not seem to want to talk about it. Wilbur had let it go and tried to just be there best he could and swallow all his feelings and all his questions around them.

Dream’s blonde hair was tied up in a little ponytail in the back of his neck, only small strands of hair were hanging over his cheeks. They were too stubborn to reach back behind his neck and so he had given up and just let them fall. His eyes were green with brown around the pupil, glimmering in the light which was escaping through the clouds which hung above them. Small freckles were drawn over his face like dust and Wilbur caught himself staring at the male and quickly looked away again so as to not spark any suspicions.

Phil however was quick to see the way his friend was staring at his roommate and chuckled before shaking his friend and returning his gaze towards the two boys who were now running out of the water and huddling up in their jackets trying to warm themselves up. The water was starting to get to them and it had been Tubbo suggesting that they get out of the water. The two ran towards the other people and finished the circle.

“Got too cold?” Phil asked and the two boys nodded and hummed, still smiling as they scanned their squad trying to join in on whatever was happening. Phil and Floris were trying to start a conversation and Wilbur managed to leave a comment here and there, Dream on the other hand, sat quiet and listened to them while only enjoying being around his friends. Or well, he liked to consider them friends now and he hoped that they saw him as the same back.

Dream looked to his side to find Floris staring at him, looking at him curiously and Dream tilted his head to the side as a silent question. Floris just kept looking at him and scanned him without any special expression on his face which could reveal what he was thinking. The fluffy haired male broke the stare and leaned closer, placing his head on top of his shoulder which sparked lots of confusion for the male.

Was he testing the water? Sure, they had been like this before but the other seemed to be acting strange and it was very obvious that he wanted to ask about something and Dream was pretty sure that it was about what had happened back at Wilbur’s apartment. Maybe he was wary around the blonde and scared that he was going to do something, or maybe he was protective over Wilbur and wanted to make sure that Dream was not a bad person. Either way Dream felt confused but he let it happen, not minding being close to someone.

He did wish that it was Wilbur leaning on him though, or even better that he could be the one leaning on Wilbur. The two had tried to be close to each other for the last couple of days but the tension was strange and neither of them knew what to say to each other. There were lots of words that wanted to be said but they decided to keep it to themselves and tried to pretend like everything was normal. They often played Minecraft together on the server or just watched a movie. Dream had even started to try and teach Wilbur some baking tips he had gotten from his friends at the cafe.

The blonde turned to look at the brunette and found himself being met with nothing else but the back of his head, Wilbur being deep in conversation with the other. Tommy was humming a song which Dream did not recognize, but it did make Wilbur whip his head around quickly with a big smile on his face. Dream narrowed his eyes as the two started bobbing their heads and singing some weird song about Guns and Ships. Or at least that’s what he picked up.

The two seemed to be very into it and Tubbo was clapping along while Phil was laughing. Floris noticed the confused expression on Dream’s face and sat up with a chuckle, understanding that the other felt quite lost as to why they suddenly broke out into a song which made no sense whatsoever.

“It’s from a musical they like a lot.” He explained and Dream nodded in understanding while listening to the other two getting very into it before breaking into laughter and pointing at each other as if they had just done something great. It was so stupid but it did make Dream crack a big and genuine smile. He had heard Wilbur sing before but this was something else, this was something more pure and random and every day like. He was not sure which he liked the most but one thing he did know was that he very much enjoyed listening to Wilbur singing.

He had a rich voice and it soothed him when he sang, even if he sang mostly stupid and weird such which made no sense and seemed to be written while high on something. He did not matter as long as he got to listen to Wilbur singing out the words in the funny melodies. He gave Wilbur a quick clap on the knee and shook his head, making the brunette freeze for a second at the touch and turning to look at him. Dream did not notice the way that Wilbur tensed up but Phil was quick to pick it up.

“You are so easy to read.” Phil leaned over and whispered to his younger friend who quickly turned around to Phil who looked like he was so proud over himself. It had not been hard for him to understand what was going on in Wilbur’s head, but they had been friends for a very long time so of course it was not hard for him. He knew Wilbur inside out and they had quite the big trust for each other. It caused Wilbur to look down and try to hide his blush nonetheless, pretending like there was nothing going on.

“You better snatch him quick or Floris will do it before you.” Wilbur turned to look at Floris who were only looking out over the ocean and probably daydreaming away. He knew it was a joke and that Floris was just quite the close type (especially with Dream-) but he was pretty sure that there was nothing between the two. If there was he would be aware of it. But still the thought of his friend trying to steal Dream away from him hurt and he had to swallow away the lump which formed in his throat. Phil only chuckled.

“He can do whatever he wants to.” Wilbur whispered back and looked at Phil who could see the slight pain in which the brunette was trying to hide. He was doing quite a poor job and that Dream had not noticed the way Wilbur acted around him was quite the miracle. They both were hopeless and Phil was not sure if he could sit back and just keep on watching it happen right in front of him. It was sad to say the very least.

“But you don’t want to, do you?” Phil leaned back again and left Wilbur to his thoughts, the brunette suddenly going through his head and forgetting about where they were. Dream could see that the two were whispering to each other but he could not make out what they were saying. However Wilbur did not look like he had won the lottery and was just staring at the sand.

“Tommy! No!” Before he knew it, Tommy was up and running holding a little bee plush which Tubbo liked to keep on his bag. The brown haired boy was chasing his friend trying to get the little insect back but was failing to do so since Tommy had quite long legs compared to the other and had arms which would have no trouble in reaching the top shelf. It was funny to watch him try and jump to reach it and Wilbur was dying of laughter besides him, holding on to his stomach.

“Come catch it!” Tommy stood on his toes and stretched his arms as high as he could, making it impossible for Tubbo to try and reach to get his little bee back. He wore a very concentrated grin on his face while pulling at his arm to try and get it down, only failing and resorting to plan B.

Tubbo threw himself at the other and almost tackled him, making his arms lower just in case he would fall which gave the brown haired boy the perfect opportunity to reach up and grab the bee, snatching it out of Tommy’s hand and running back towards the little circle while protecting it with his life. He had a proud smile on his face as he showed off his victory to the other’s who snickered and caused Wilbur to insult Tommy who wore a pout and refused to accept defeat. Dream only smiled as they came back and returned to their seats.

“My god, don’t bully each other.” Phil snickered and shook his head before glancing over to see Dream’s expression, making sure that he was still enjoying his time with them and not being freaked out or feeling left out.

“That’s right, Phil. Be the dad!” Wilbur cheered him on and clapped his hands together while laughing.

“Only if you will grow some balls and take a step, Will.” Wilbur almost choked on air as he turned to look at the other, sending him a death glare knowing what he had meant. The others were left as question marks as they watched the two and it became obvious that they had shared some secrets between each other. Everyone was quick to let it go and move on but Dream kept an eye on Wilbur and watched him, making the brunette feel tense and awkward.

Had Dream heard him? He really hoped that he had not heard them for his own safety considering that things could go really wrong if he knew. If he had misread things or imagined stuff it would make things between them very uncomfortable. Plus most of the things were just friendly gestures that people did on a daily basis so he did not have much to go on besides the moments in which they had been very close to each other. There was some tension between them, right? He had not made it up or imagined it? He sighed quietly to himself before looking at Dream who was surprisingly looking at him too.

The two ended up looking at each other and everything else dulled out. Tommy’s endless ranter suddenly got quiet which was a gift from god if you asked Wilbur and the sounds of the oceans also went quiet. It was only them for a second and all of Phil’s words threw across his mind which only urged him on to try and do something.

Dream quickly broke the connection though and turned to look back towards the ocean in front of him and Wilbur felt like he was left hanging alone. He had been a fool and if he could he would have slapped himself for being this stupid. God knows how much he wanted to take a step forward and test the waters with Dream, but he could not do that. They had known each other for five months but it felt like it had been a year. Or well at the same time it felt like no time since time moved so fast whenever he was around the other. He enjoyed spending time with Dream and he never wanted the days to end.

Dream on the other hand turned to look at the ocean with only George running through his head again. He was on the other side of that ocean and the insecurities were filling him up once again about his situation with Wilbur. He shook his head and tried to get back to reality and ignore the words being screamed inside his head. He took a breath and looked back towards Wilbur only to find that the male was gone.

Dream felt his chest spark in worry by seeing that Wilbur was no longer besides him and that he was gone. He had only looked away for a second and suddenly he had decided to just get up and leave? Floris chuckled behind him before pointing towards the side where he saw Wilbur standing by a little stand, getting them what looked like to be drinks.

Dream huffed in relief and cast a smile towards Floris who only raised an eyebrow before muttering something underneath his breath and returning to his thoughts. That’s when Dream noticed that Phil was studying him and keeping an eye on him.

He was not doing it in a creepy way, not that he could be creepy in the first place. Phil was probably one of the nicest people he had met and the other was wearing a smile but it did worry him that he was staring at him like that, almost as if he could see into his brain and was reading every one of his thoughts as if they were written on his forehead. He gave a careful smile back and was luckily interrupted by Wilbur throwing a can of soda into his lap.

The brunette handed out the sodas and Tommy celebrated getting his iconic cola, or at least that’s what Wilbur had called it when he handed him it. It was kinda funny and Dream was making sure to remember the detail and ask about it later.

“Let’s head back, shall we? This would be a great end of the day.” Phil smiled and everyone agreed and stood up, making sure to brush off the sand from their butts before making their way back up towards the walking path.

However, halfway off the shore Dream felt Wilbur grab onto his jacket and pull him from continue to walk towards the path. The other people noticed this and also stopped, sending him a confused look making Wilbur feel watched and embarrassed. Phil however just smiled and nodded.

“I just want to show him some more of Britain, hopefully get that american out of his blood.” He half lied and everyone accepted it very easily, almost too easily and waved goodbye to them before walking away and leaving the two boys alone. Wilbur swallowed as he let go of Dream who rolled his eyes.

“Get the american out of my blood?”

“Anything to make you stay.”

Dream flinched at the response and tried to figure out what he meant by that but found it quite hard. Wilbur was not revealing whatever it was he was feeling on his face which made the blonde sigh internally and sipping on his soda, waiting for the other to continue with whatever it was he had up his sleeve.

“Do you like it here?” Wilbur asked, sounding like he was quite unsure about the question, almost as if he was not allowed to ask it or as if it had a different meaning behind it. Dream chuckled before turning to look at the ocean again which looked almost grey due to the lighting and the cold which was still hanging around in the air. He did like it here and even if he missed home at times he wanted to stay. He had grown here and he had started a new life here which was quite amazing.

He missed Patches, he missed his little sister and his parents. He really missed George and Nick but it was all starting to slowly dull away and he was growing happy with what he had here in England. He felt good to stand besides the brown haired male and he did not want to change it. He was not sure why Wilbur looked so uncertain about it all or why he looked like he was guilty for something when in reality he was not.

“Of course I do, why would you even ask that?” Wilbur rubbed the back of his neck and looked down for a split second to gather himself before returning to look at the blonde in eyes and completely losing his breath in doing so. Dream was gorgeous and he was no longer sure how to cope with it. All of his nerves were burning and aching, begging him for something to happen or for a touch or anything. He just wanted Dream to be close to him and he was not sure how much longer he could go on with having the other stand a meter or two from him.

“Do you remember what I said that morning after your nightmare?” He blurted out and inside his head he was screaming at himself to stop and to drop it, to back away and maybe tell a joke and just go home without further questions. But something inside of him made him keep going and he was not sure if he liked it or not. Was it wrong?

“Yeah…?” The blonde felt uncertain of where this was going or what the brunette was after and he felt scared listening to him, he felt scared since he was not sure what was coming and he wished he could read the other’s mind to understand what was going on or what all the cryptic sentences meant. He liked to figure out puzzles and he used to be good at it, but Wilbur? He was impossible to solve and to understand. But the feelings must be mutual since he had not given the other too much either.

Wilbur took a step forward and brushed his hand against the other male’s arm, gently letting his fingers caress him over the jacket which made a small blush appear on Dream’s face. The blonde was holding his breath while watching the man he had lived with for almost half a year get closer to him and touching him. He was not sure what to think or what to say. Was he supposed to do anything? What did this mean?

“Am I special to you? Or am I just some guy that you live with?” The words came out as a whisper and Dream smiled softly before chuckling which caused the other to get a little spark of happiness. But it was quickly gone before he could understand what was happening.

“No of course you mean more than that, Will.” He responded. “Why would you think like that?”

Wilbur shook his head and retreated back his hand, feeling like he had just failed whatever it was he had tried to do. In his head he was dying and making all tons of noises feeling verk awkward but trying to hide it. Could he keep going? No, Dream did not seem to get it. Was he playing and hiding or did he just not understand? Maybe he did not see what the brunette saw and this was him trying to finish a story which was something completely different from Dream’s story.

“Now let’s go home alright? It’s getting dark.” Wilbur wanted to bang his head into a wall or rip his heart out. Everything hurt with how close he was but still so far. He just had to say such simple words, just a few words and maybe things could change between him and Dream. He wanted so badly but no matter how much he tried he could not get his mouth to open and say the right words. Instead he only nodded.

He looked down at Dream’s hand and took a deep breath before daring himself to reach down and actually grab a hold of it, saying around a hundred prayers in his head that Dream would not start to cuss him out or think that he was being a creep or a weirdo.

Dream did flinch and look at it confused, but he did return the grip around the other’s fingers after some hesitation. He tried to send a look to ask Wilbur about why but the other seemed to be almost too concentrated to stay on the road than to look at Dream. The blonde blushed and also looked down, trying to contain his happiness from the fact that they held hands.

Dream had his guess about what Wilbur had actually wanted to ask, but Wilbur wanting to ask him something like that did not exist and was only something that Dream believed to exist in his head. Of course Wilbur was a whole lot more special to him and of course he wanted to say that he was more special than just a best friend, but maybe he had understood it wrong and he had not dared to take his chances. One day, maybe he would.

Chapter Text

The silence felt almost deafening to him as he sat alone on the couch scrolling through his phone. He knew he should probably go and stream again since it was once again the weekend but he did not want to move at all. Just the thought of having to pretend to be alright while twenty thousand people watched him did not sit right and he decided against it and to just stay home. Maybe he could tweet out an apology later and say that he did not have time to make it to the office today.

His leg was bouncing up and down and his eyes were no longer able to read the words which filled up the screen, all of them floating into each other and becoming one big mass of letters which he was unable to read. He could not stop thinking, his mind was running wild and it was still around an hour until Dream would get off from his shift. He was alone at home with only the lamp standing next to him as company. A single lamp making sure he was not alone but Wilbur was not sure if it would be enough.

He had been so close to telling Dream about everything, he had been so close so many times and at this point he was not sure on what to do. He felt denied and heartbroken since Dream had not taken a step too or responded to the small things he did. Wilbur took it as this whole thing was one-sided and it hurt like a bitch and he just wanted it to stop.

He did not want his chest to burn whenever Dream was close by, he did not want to crave the others touch as if it were a drug. He did not want to long for him and wish that he once again would climb up into his bed and spend the night tightly pressed against his chest. It hurt to feel like that and never being able to let it out, it hurt to never be able to just randomly pull the other male into a hug or bury his face into that blonde, long hair. He wanted to be able to drown in his scent and warmth and just stay close to him, he wanted to do it so badly but he did not want to risk losing their friendship because of it.

Losing Dream was not worth anything. He could be held at a gunpoint and he would still wish the best for his friend who had not been around for more than half a year. He already meant so much to him, but maybe that’s what happened when you lived with someone. You get close to each other and get to know the other like the back of your hand, that’s almost what had happened to them. Sure, he still wanted to ask Dream more about his past life but that was something the blonde could not control anyways. The Dream he knew now was the one he cared about.

He turned off his phone and had to stop himself from slamming it into the table in frustration, not sure on what to do anymore. God knows he wanted to tell him, it was eating away at him and scratching at his brain everytime that things got quiet. It hurt him and the fact that Phil was trying to push him was not helping either. Phil really was a dad to him, wanted well but sometimes it did not go exactly like planned. He knew the older male would not want his friend to sit like this and contemplate everything but that’s what things had led to.

He stood up from the couch and looked out the window which showed him a world which looked so incredibly beautiful, but felt so incredibly unfair. Why were things like this? Why could he not just be normal and not feel like this without having Dream feel the same way back? It was dreadful and the brunette ran a hand through his hair and walked into the kitchen, looking at the cupboard which was on top of the fridge.

Since he was tall he could reach it without any troubles, Dream would probably have to stretch or stand on the top of his toes to be able to reach up to get to the cupboard. It was not small and it looked pretty plain besides the small little carvings which the wood had. The little handle was black and almost blended in with the dark wood and it felt smooth to touch, however a bit cold from the air.

He opened it up to look at his little hidden collection of stronger drinks, a little different from the wine he liked to drink together with Dream. He was not the biggest fan when it came to drinking or getting drunk, it happened rarely but he had had his fair share of intoxications because of the drink. It had been a while and the last time he really had gotten drunk was before he had even met Dream in the park.

Just a week or so before his nightly walk through the park he had gotten black out drunk in trying to ignore the pain which often overtook his chest. The anxiety and the words and messages that were sent to him usually did not get to him, but that time it truly had. Tommy had watched it happen when Wilbur logged off seeming very distressed and he had immediately gone to tell Phil about it.

Phil had gone to Wilbur’s house directly afterwards to find the brunette sitting on the floor with his guitar trying to strum on it while looking a little woozy. He was not able to walk straight and it was a miracle he had not accidentally hurt himself on the guitar while playing. The strings could easily have been pulled too hard and flung loose, or he could have cut himself on the sharp ends of where the strings were sitting peacefully. The blonde had carefully pulled the guitar from him and placed it back where it usually stood and put the other to bed, leaving him some food before exiting the quiet apartment.

Wilbur had not said a word to him that night but that had been okay. He could understand why the blonde had done it even if he was not sure if he agreed with it. Wilbur was quite careful with the stuff and was not the type to go out in town to get wasted even if he had friends hanging around him. A drink or two was okay, but not so that he couldn’t find his way home. He sighed to himself before taking down one of the bottles and placing it on the table, feeling his whole stomach turned.

Dream was home in an hour, but he could not care. Hopefully he had passed out until then or had gotten at least into bed. This was okay and he really just wanted to wash away all the thoughts which were taking over his brain. He just needed a short break and then everything would be okay, just a minute of not being able to think about the green and brown dotted eyes which seemed to be haunting him. Plus Dream was an adult, he could handle it and hopefully would not freak out. He had gotten drunk before so maybe he would not judge him if he saw his roommate out of it.

He got a glass and filled it up, watching the light colored liquid fill up his glass in a way that felt taunting. He knew he could not run from his problems but at this point it was all he wanted to do, all he could do to just escape Dream. He took a swing and tasted it, the liquid burning at the back of his throat like a fire as he swallowed it and tried to ignore the bitter taste. He took a deep breath and just waited for it to quick in wishing he had brought his phone with him so that he could continue his endless scrolling while drinking away his problems.

It did not take long until he felt his emotions slowly dull away like the clouds after heavy rain. His mind however felt fuzzy and a satisfied smile filled the brunette’s lips as he finished the glass. He knew that it would not take long until he would start to slowly lose himself into the warm and welcoming arms which were the alcohol deep in the liquid he just had. It was also slightly terrifying since he was not sure what he would do during all of this but he decided to save his worries for tomorrow after he had sobered up. For now, he was just going to enjoy the few moments of peace.

. .
. . . . . .
. .

When he walked through the door he noticed that something was up and something smelled quite strong in the house. The lights were off besides the living room light which was sending him some light so that he would not fall over while walking around the apartment. He hung up his coat and walked in properly, trying to look around himself to see if the brunette he lived with was anywhere around.

“Wilbur?” He called out and turned on the roof lights, lighting up the hall and the kitchen and made him see a little better. He walked up to the lamp by the couch and turned it off since it was no longer important to have it on. His eyes scanned the house and he turned towards the bedroom door and saw it slowly opening. He narrowed his eyes and took a step forward as it fully opened and revealed the brunette.

Wilbur’s hair was a mess and he was leaning on the side of the doorway to keep himself up. He looked tired and exhausted, probably in desperate need of some sleep or at least a nap. He was slumped over slightly and Dream felt his chest tighten up in worry before hurrying over to his friend, going to feel his forehead to check for a fever.

Instead of being met by a warmth he was met by the smell of alcohol which hung on Wilbur like a coat and the blonde felt the realization hit him. Wilbur wasn’t sick or dying, he was just drunk. Why was he even drunk and how had he gotten drunk? Had his friends been over again or was the other just stupid. Bars had not opened up again so at least there was one option he could wipe off the table. He sighed before grabbing onto Wilbur’s arm.

“The hell Will? What are you doing?”

“You call me Will, now? That’s actually my birth name. And I guess real name. Wilbur was something I came up with.” Dream narrowed his eyes at the other and was not sure if he had heard it right or if the other was just talking. Maybe he was telling the truth and maybe he was not. It would explain however why the mailbox said ‘Gold’ and not ‘Soot’. He had just never thought too much about it or guessed that there was something up. He would have to ask Wilbur about it in the morning when he was out of…. this.

“Why are you drunk?” Dream pushed the other onto the bed to make him sit down, not sure to what extent the other was gone. He was drunk, that was clear. But if he was drunk enough to get memory losses or throw up the blonde had yet to find out. How was Wilbur even drunk? He could not recall one time where he had seen his roommate get lost in the drink or be intoxicated. Maybe a little fuzzy, but never drunk. This was definitely not just wine. Where had he gotten the alcohol from?

Before Wilbur could answer Dream left him to go into the kitchen and fetch him a glass of water. He took one of the larger glasses hoping he could get the brunette to drink at least some of it. He prayed that everything was okay and that Wilbur did not have anything stupid in mind or that there was some bad reason behind it, he wanted the other to be okay.

When he turned around to go back to the room he noticed that the brunette was standing behind him and Dream jumped up in surprise, not suspecting Wilbur to be standing here. He tried to catch his breath again as Wilbur tilted his head in confusion and giving him a stupid look and a stupid face.

“Holy shit man don’t do that! Go back into the room I got you some water.” Dream tried to shoo him back to his bedroom and Wilbur did surprisingly listen even if he groaned at the other babying him. Dream forced the other to sit down on the bed and handed him the water, sending almost death glares so that the other would start to drink from it.

“Well thanks, mom.” Wilbur muttered and took a few sips as Dream rolled his eyes at the other for the comment and a giggle erupted from the brunette. The blonde cursed the whole situation as he looked at Wilbur who had a smile on his face while his eyes said otherwise.

They were slightly dark underneath pointing that he had been losing sleep for the past few days. His hair was a mess and Dream had to stop himself from reaching over and trying to fix it. He wanted to run his hands through it and feel the brown locks between his fingers. However that would probably be very awkward for them.

But Wilbur would most likely not remember it in the morning.

Dream hesitantly reached his hand up, biting down on his tongue as Wilbur sent him a confused look silently asking him what he was doing. Dream put his hand on top of his head and started playing with the locks who felt very soft to touch. He moved his fingers through it and Wilbur closed his eyes and just enjoyed the touch, not looking like he was in any discomfort at all.

Dream smiled and chuckled before actually fixing up his hair to make it look somewhat decent before pulling his hand back, retreating it from the soft and chocolate curls. Like the big baby he is, Wilbur whined and looked at him not wanting it to be over and wishing for Dream to continue. Dream on the other side just shook his head and crossed his arms. “No, no more head pats. Drink your water, alright?”

Even if he did not want to give in, Wilbur did so and muttered underneath his breath before taking one last sip and placing the slightly less heavier glass on the nightstand which was beside his bed. A small blush was dusted over his cheeks and Dream was not sure if it was from the alcohol or if he was just being an idiot. A drunk idiot.

“Wilbur why did you decide to drink out of nowhere?” Wilbur threw himself onto the bed and landed on his back, staring up at the ceiling hanging above him. His head was empty yet so full at the same time and he was not sure what to say. Maybe he would say nothing or maybe he would say everything and spill his secrets, not that he could remember what his secrets even were. He laughed at that, finding his train of thought quite funny. Dream however, did not.

“Wilbur…” He sighed and sat beside him, wanting to just lay on top of him and cuddle into his chest or hide away in the crook of his neck. He knew it was bad to take advantage of the situation but the urges were quite strong, maybe this would be the only time he could do it too. But Dream sat still and kept himself in check and stayed focused and took deep breaths as to not give in to whatever his heart wanted him to do.

Wilbur looked over at him, turning his eyes towards where Dream was sitting and smiled to him, wanting to get his attention. Dream tilted his head as he watched the other and waited for a response, anything. But Wilbur kept looking at him weirdly and Dream sighed, contemplating if he should try and maybe call Phil or Floris about this and ask what he was supposed to do. He had no idea how drunk Wilbur was but maybe it was time to find out.

He was an adult after all and he could not go around and call the other male’s friends just because he had decided to have a little more than recommended to drink. Plus Wilbur was not even behaving that bad and seemed to be relatively calm. He was not crying, he was not screaming and he was not running around like a wild monkey. If he could just get him to bed maybe he would be more open to talk to in the morning.

“You have really pretty eyes.” Wilbur blurted out without thinking and Dream found himself choking on his own saliva as he turned to the other with his eyes wide open. He had not expected that to happen and he felt his face heat up, probably turning red. Wilbur giggled and watched him, not looking away for a single second.

“Thank… you?” He felt quite unsure about what to do or what to say, was he supposed to give a compliment in return? Was he supposed to do anything or was it best to just smile and move on. Something in his chest however woke up and he felt the familiar dancing inside of him, longing for something more or asking if there was something there. But it was just a single and simple compliment, no more than that. He should not get his hopes up. The blonde swallowed.

“Alright, you should sleep.” Dream watched as Wilbur flew up and shook his head, repeating the word ‘no’ over and over again refusing to sleep. His words did not slur which he guessed was a good thing but he could also tell that Wilbur felt a little bit lost.

“I wanna be with you.”

“I am literally right here.” Dream went over to pull the covers away from the bed to make room for Wilbur, almost feeling like a dad on his way to tuck his kids in. Wilbur however was not about to get in and he was making it clear by crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame. Dream grunted.

“Wilbur stop it.”

Dream walked over to him and grabbed a hold of his arm, but Wilbur was quick to turn it around and wiggle out of his grip only to take a hold of the blonde, switching them around. Sometimes Dream cursed that the other had longer arms than him and had it easier to just spin them around like this but he was not about to go down.

“Come on, green boy. Stay up with me for a while!” Dream laughed at the nickname and raised an eyebrow, not sure where that had come from but he guessed it had something to do with the fact that the shirt he wore quite a lot happened to be green. It was also his favorite color so it was probably not too odd but it was still random. Dream was not sure on what to do and had to rethink the difficulty of this.

“You are so going to bed, come on.” Dream tried to pull the other towards bed and at first he thought he had succeeded when Wilbur followed behind him (reluctantly though). But the moment of his win was cut short when suddenly he got pushed onto the bed with a Wilbur landing on top of him, looking down.

“Oh my god what the hell?” Dream felt confused and felt himself growing more and more scared. Wilbur was playing with his emotions, he was messing with him and taking him to places where he did not want to go. Wilbur was drunk, he was not himself and this was him without a barrier to stop him from doing stupid things.

He wanted the other to be close and he wanted to hold him, but he wanted the other to want it too. He could not tell if Wilbur wanted this or not, he was honestly just fooling around without understanding what he was actually doing. Dream did not want to be in the middle of it and the pain in his chest was starting to get to him, causing him to grow anxious.

“Wilbur, off. Please.” He silently begged and the other was quick to roll off, laying on his back once again by the blonde male’s side. Dream could finally catch his breath and try to swallow his thoughts and emotions. He only had to focus on getting Wilbur to bed, then all of this would be normal and they could forget it ever happened. Or well, Wilbur would probably do it anyways.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized and reached his hand out, gently stroking a finger against the green eyed male. Dream only nodded and accepted the touch which quickly turned into Wilbur cupping his cheek.

Dream was holding his breath while looking at the other who had the most genuine expression on his face that he had seen. It was Wilbur, the boy with the honey colored eyes who protected him and took care of him no matter what, even when he had had nothing to offer Wilbur had been there for him and he was forever grateful about it. Wilbur was there, cupping his face and it felt safe, soft and warm. Dream closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.

He had to hold himself from letting tears fall from his eyes, wishing that it was real and that it was actually happening. It was happening but there was no way in telling if Wilbur was acting on drunk thoughts or if he actually meant this. Maybe he was just touch starved and only wanted some closure. He deeply wished however that Wilbur shared whatever this was and that he too felt the flames which were roaring wild inside of his chest.

“Dream?” Wilbur said quietly and the blonde opened up his eyes to look at a tired Wilbur on the brink of passing out in front of him. He hummed in response.

“Sleep?”

The two got ready to climb into bed but instead of having Dream sleep on the mattress Wilbur managed to pull him up and keep him in bed, wanting Dream to spend the night close by again. The blonde pretended like he thought about it before jumping into bed besides him, enjoying the warmth of the blankets and the fluffy pillows. Wilbur climbed in shortly after.

“Dream.” He whispered and the blonde turned around to look at him, previously having his back faced the other man to not get too close as to avoid any awkward moments. He was half asleep at this point and all he wanted was to close his eyes and just not be awake. He was too tired to deal with any more funny stuff that Wilbur had up his sleeves.

Wilbur however only cupped his cheeks and leaned forward, making Dream’s head scream in an alarming way at how close the other was getting. A soft pair of lips were pressed against his own and Dream’s eyes were wide open while Wilbur had his own closed.

It was such a small kiss, so gentle. Their lips had barely even touched but still Dream felt like he had just been hit by lightning. All of his nerves were screaming and on high alert as the other pulled away with a sad smile on his face, looking even more tired than before. Dream’s head stopped and he was not sure what to think anymore or what he even was supposed to think. Was this another dream? Had he already fallen asleep.

“Goodnight, Dream.” He whispered before turning around and pulling the quilt over his shoulder and up to his face, nuzzling into the covers and leaving a confused and scared Dream. His heart was beating and suddenly breathing became a hard thing to do. Everything inside of him was hurting and killing him, eating him alive as he could still feel the touch from Wilbur on his lips, ghosting them. Wilbur had kissed him, Wilbur had kissed him.

But he had been drunk.

Chapter Text

Waking up the next day was a pain in the ass and Wilbur was not sure if he wanted to wake up at all. He would love to stay asleep for a couple more hours and not have to go through the dunking in his head, feeling like someone was beating it from the inside. The aftermath of the drinking was always the worst and he thought he had not even had enough to get this headache, but maybe he had miscalculated the amount or had more.

It was enough for him to have memory loss at least.

He could not remember anything from when Dream came home, he could only remember sitting in bed looking at youtube eating away on something. He hoped Dream had gotten home safe and that he had not gotten hurt or anything. He prayed to god that he also had not done or said anything weird.

The brunette opened up his eyes and sat up, holding his head in his hands and trying to ignore the headache which was killing him. He wanted it to stop and go away but no matter how much he wished the headache stayed and he released his head to look around himself, finding a small figure laying close besides him.

Dream looked very peaceful sleeping and his hair seemed to be in some order which his did not enjoy doing. His would fly all over the place and look like a bird nest so he was a little jealous of Dream for being able to have good hair all the way into slumber. If only he had that luxury. Dream also had his freckles dusting his cheeks but they were quite dull and fading, the brit could only guess that it was the lack of sunshine which usually helped freckles to pop up more. His eyes were closed so he could not see the emerald eyes which made him a little sad, but the sight of Dream made him feel a little better.

But then another thought hit him, why was Dream in his bed?

Maybe his roommate had another nightmare and crawled up to him once again, wanting to run and hide away from the bad dreams which haunted him, ironically enough. That would be the most logical answer but he was scared that there might be another reason behind it too which he could not remember. But Dream had been sober, probably. He would not do anything weird or bad right? Just to make sure, Wilbur lifted the blanket which covered him just to check. His pyjamas pants were on and he sighed in relief and let go of the covers, letting them fall back over his legs.

He turned back to Dream who still looked like he was deep in sleep and Wilbur was not about to wake him up. Even if he wanted to wake him and ask for help since everything was hurting he wanted the other to sleep, it was the least he could do for getting drunk without warning last night. He chuckled before wiping away a few of the strands which had fallen over his face, putting them behind his ear carefully to make sure he did not accidentally wake him up.

He wanted to lay back down and snuggle up to him, maybe put an arm around him or place a soft kiss on his cheek and just enjoy being close to him but that would probably be a bit wrong. Not to mention creepy if he woke up to a Wilbur clinging onto him without a good explanation, especially not after just waking up from being drunk. God he hoped he had not said anything wrong that could scar them.

He sighed before pushing himself out of bed and making his way towards the medicine cabinet, picking up a few painkillers. It was a mess in there and tons and tons of boxes were thrown all around. He should probably try to organize it and make sure packages did not fall out as fast as he opened it but he was too lazy to do so. Who had time to fix a medicine cabinet? It was just full of random stuff anyways and most of the time he managed to get what he wanted so it could stay messy without problems.

He took the pill and swallowed it dry for now, forcing it down his throat and going to go and drink some water. Hopefully the pill would kick in soon and get him out of his misery that the headache was. He leaned over the sink trying to focus and not accidentally throw up or make it worse than it already was. He grabbed a glass and filled it up with some water, drinking it slowly and carefully as to not shock his body or make too sudden moves. Hopefully the water would help.

“Wilbur?” A soft voice came from behind him and he turned around to see a newly woken up Dream entering the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and trying to fix his hair and evening out his shirt. Wilbur smiled at the sight and stood up from leaning over the sink, trying to act as fine as he could so he would not alarm the other male in front of him. Dream cast a look of uncertainty before scanning the brit, trying to find evidence of there something being wrong or odd. He found none and opened up the fridge, grabbing a carton of milk.

Wilbur raised an eyebrow as Dream shook the milk slightly to check how much there was left in there. When he found out there was not much he looked up to Wilbur before opening it, drinking it all straight out of the carton as if it was his own. Wilbur desperately tried to not laugh and yell at him since it would make his head go crazy in pain, and he managed to keep himself down with only a giggle before covering his face with his hand.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you are quite stupid?”

“Heh, says you.”

Dream put away the empty carton and kept an eye on Wilbur, remembering everything that had happened the night before. He wondered if Wilbur remembered it and a small part of him hoped that he really, really did. He wanted Wilbur to remember and he wished that he had meant it and that it had not just been something in the moment. It had felt so genuine and thoughtful and real and he wished that it was not just his head and that it was real. He would give close to anything to have it be real at this point.

Wilbur was acting like he used to, if you ignore the fact that he was trying to avoid the fact that he had gotten drunk out of nowhere last night without even telling him. Hell even while being out of his mind he had not wanted to tell him the reason behind his behaviour which did sound a little bit suspicious to him.

“Wilbur?” Dream asks carefully and he could almost see as the color drained from Wilbur’s face at the tone of his voice. He knew what was coming and it was not hard to tell that Wilbur would love to avoid the conversation they were about to have, however Dream needed answers. He could not go on for another day without knowing if it had been real or just something he did when he was drunk. But of course he could remember it but still have faked it or just done it with no strings attached.

Wilbur turned around and leaned against the counter to look at the other trying to brace himself for the question that was about to come. Could he get away with a lie? No he could not right. He would have to tell the truth since that would be the only right thing to do for Dream’s sake. It was wrong and he had to stop lying to him, but it was to keep their friendship intact so it was fine right? It had to, sometimes the worlds not black and white so it should be fine, hopefully.

“Do you remember anything?”

Wilbur had expected more of a ‘why the hell did you get drunk’ or a ‘how did you get drunk’ but this he could work with. Unless he had done something incredibly stupid like tweeting out stuff or running around the apartment without wearing any clothes. He really hoped that the last option there really had not happened because that would just make him move across earth and never return again. Or it would take more booze to forget about it.

Wilbur looked down and tried to see if he could remember anything. He only knew small stuff like sitting on the couch, hiding away the alcohol again trying to balance on the chair and hearing the door opening. More than that he was not sure of and could not really make out which was scaring him. He wished he knew or had at least some idea on what he had done, maybe Dream would just tell him and they could move on.

However Dream looked quite troubled as if something was up. He looked nervous and scared while having a hard time looking at him in the eyes. Wilbur swallowed while looking at the blonde who was on the other end of the kitchen, dragging his foot along the lines in the wood which lined the floor. Wilbur bit his lip before turning to look out the window real quick.

“No, I do not. Did something happen?”

Wilbur could have picked up a knife and stabbed him right in the chest and it would still not match the amount of pain that spread through his body all at once. It felt like he had just gotten a heart attack or as if someone had decided to rip his lungs out by Wilbur’s answers. His fingertips were hurting almost as if the circulation had suddenly stopped reaching out there. He was not sure what to think or what to feel but this was definitely something he would have liked to skip out on.

Wilbur did not remember anything, he was not aware of what he had done. He was not aware of the fact that he had kissed him last night in the softest way possible and Dream was not sure he could tell him about it. He was not sure how he could tell him that hey, you kissed me last night, without sounding like a complete idiot. Wilbur did not know, he really didn’t and that was tearing the blonde apart slowly.

It felt like he was carrying around a dirty little secret which was only his, a secret which the brunette should be aware of but wasn’t. He hated it so badly and he was not sure what he had expected. Of course Wilbur did not know and he was hanging himself up over something that did not matter anyways. It did not matter and it had probably meant something, just another stupid Wilbur act he had done while being under the influence of whatever it was that the man had drank.

Wilbur watched as pain flashed on Dream’s face for a second before hiding it. He was going to be honest, if the other had not been caught by surprise like that Wilbur would never have guessed that something was wrong. Although something was wrong, something was very wrong and he had probably done something bad that he could not remember. What had he done that could cause Dream to look like that?

The brunette tried to think back as much as he could to try and manage to remember what could have possibly happened last night. Still, no matter how much he tried he could not think of anything that could have happened. He had done something which probably fucked Dream over and he could not even remember what it was. He had hurt his friend and he was not even sure exactly what it was that he had done.

He felt like a horrible friend as he watched Dream nod and walk out of the kitchen and back into the bedroom. He was left standing alone with only his thoughts as company feeling all of his nerves shaking awake. What had he done? Had he said something bad? Dream had fallen asleep in his bed though so he could not have done something too horrible had he?

Wilbur nervously looked around him before grunting and deciding to go to Dream and ask about what had happened. He did not want to ask him anything at the moment since the blonde seemed upset but he could also not help him unless he knew what was wrong. For once, he was going to try and fix this and not get into yet another one of their fights. He was tired of the weird aura around them and he wanted to fix things so that they could maybe just move on and have fun and play Minecraft again.

His legs carried him over to the closed bedroom door and he knocked a few times as to alarm the other that he was coming in before placing his hand on the doorknob and opening up the door. He was met by a Dream holding the covers close to his chest, cradling them as if someone had just died. He looked quite hurt but also not entirely broken. He was just staring down into the mattress while holding the covers near.

Wilbur was not sure on what to think as he saw him. It was strange that he was hugging the covers but maybe that’s just because the boy needed to feel some comfort. He looked up to Wilbur however and kept the kinda numb look in his eyes, probably not having enough energy to try and keep his facade up for too long. A pang of guilt spread through the brits body and he sighed before walking inside and closing the door behind him.

“Wilbur what are you doing? I could have been changing.” The blonde tried to keep up his normal happy talk but it almost sounded more depressing when he said it and Wilbur was not a big fan of it. He wished he could walk out of there and wait for the other to be better but that would be the dick move of the year and he was not about to pull it. He walked closer but Dream flinched, making the other stop in his tracks.

“Dream what happened?” He asked softly and once again he saw something shift inside of Dream’s eyes, something that he was not able to understand or read. He swallowed hard before running a hand through his hair.

“Because if you wanna yell that’s alright by me. You really can.” He was talking fast and nervously, his voice slightly shaking as he looked everywhere but the blonde male on his bed hugging the covers looking like he was not about to let go anytime soon. Wilbur closed his eyes and grunted quietly to himself, feeling unsure of what to do.

He had just wanted to forget about his feelings for Dream for two seconds thinking it would be fine but instead he had managed to hurt the other without even knowing how. He had no idea what he had done and he felt like a horrible person for it. He should not have done it, he had fucked up. How could he even fucked up this badly? Was it possible to win awards for being the dumbest person alive? If there were, Wilbur felt like he had just gotten nominated for it.

“Wilbur it’s alright, don’t worry about it.” Dream faked a smile and looked up, trying to meet the brunette’s eyes which were turned away from him which did not make him feel any better. He wanted Wilbur to at least look at him, it was incredibly hard to just have him standing over there and not being close.

He wished he could rewind time and maybe just relive the moment for his own sake and be able to feel that closeness once again. On the other hand he wished he could write it out of his mind so that he did not have to feel like this. He was happy Wilbur did not know but it was also incredibly painful. He had been there, there was even a chance. There had been a chance that Wilbur could have liked him back and there had been something to go off on, but now it was blown away like the wind and there was nothing left but a memory which Dream carried alone.

“It’s not alright! You are upset. Just tell me what happened, please.” It was now Wilbur’s turn to look upset which took Dream a bit by surprise and he knew that it would only be fair to tell him since he was the one who had done it, but at the same time he did not want to tell him. He did not want to tell Wilbur about it because he wanted the other to have his own view on it and not get to hear about like some stupid book. It would not feel the same.

“Wilbur nothing happened. You were drunk, I took you to bed and that’s about it.” He climbed out of the bed and walked over towards where Wilbur was standing, hiding his pain behind a voice of anger. This made Wilbur flinch slightly but Dream tried to ignore it.

“Then why are you acting like this?” Wilbur pointed out, also sounding a bit more irritated and angry which made Dream feel bad about using this tactic in the first place. He swallowed hard as he looked up at the other.

“Wilbur stop I am not acting up!” Dream raised his voice at him, feeling the desperation hit him hard in the stomach. He did not want to fight, he just wanted to forget about it all and move on from this crap. He wanted things to be normal when they watched movies or had flour fights in the kitchen or just eating take outs.

Wilbur could only stare at the blonde who was starting to tear up and he realized he was only making things worse the more he tried to fix them. He was feeling horrible and he just wanted to lay down and sleep and disappear from this world or at least be able to comfort Dream somehow better than he was doing now. He ran a hand through his hair and looked away.

“But you are…” He whispered and tried to keep the pain in his voice before looking back at a Dream who was hugging himself, his favorite green hoodie falling over his chest with the hood up to hide the hair which was poking out from underneath it. Maybe one day Dream would let him try to give it a little bit of a trim. He did not complain about the man buns, however his hair could probably go to lose a bit of the tips.

“Oh yeah? I am acting up?” Dream was not sure what he was doing anymore, his body was moving on its own and it felt like he had lost all control. He was not sure what to do anymore and all he could focus on was the burning in his eyes and in his chest. The sinking feeling in his stomach which was making him want to throw up or curl up on the floor in pain.

Wilbur felt his blood turn cold at the tone of his voice and he almost felt scared as he looked at the male who seemed to be close to broken. He was shaking and the tears had finally broken out, or well one single tear had escaped and was now running down his cheek in a way that made Wilbur want to just pick the other up and hold him and never let go. Wilbur bit his lip.

“You kissed me, okay? You fucking kissed me, those that make you happy, Will?” He said quietly and Wilbur almost did not pick up at it at first, but after a second the words sunk in and he felt how everything around him stopped.

It felt like someone had forgotten to close the window over night since the air around him suddenly felt very cold. All of the hairs on his arms were standing up as he watched the sad expression on Dream’s face which was softening up second by second. He did not look angry anymore, he just looked very small and sad and it was killing Wilbur slowly.

Had he really done that? Had he really kissed the blonde male while being drunk? He was not shocked that he had done it since he had strong feelings over him but Dream was taking it quite hard and he was not entirely sure why. It must have meant something for him since he looked like he was close to a breakdown because of it and Wilbur was not sure how he was supposed to react or handle the situation. He had really gone for it and kissed him as if it was nothing?

“Dream... “

The blonde took a step back as to put some distance between them, his head was tilted downwards so that it would be impossible for Wilbur to catch a glance at his face to read him. Even though he had just woken up he felt like he had not slept in days, feeling drained and exhausted. Maybe he could run away from here and just crash at Nikki’s or Floris’s place to get away from Wilbur for a short while until he had his head back in the game.

“I don’t need it, Wilbur. You were drunk, you don’t even remember it. It really does not matter.”

Ẅilbur grabbed a hold of his shoulders, placing his hands on him to try and make sure that he stayed. He could tell Dream was on his way to run for the door judging by how he was fidgeting with his hands and glancing at the door every now and then. He could not have the blonde leave, not now and definitely not like this. Dream actually dared to look up at the touch and saw the thousands of emotions playing in those honey colored eyes he had grown to love.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered and Dream nodded before looking away again, half heartedly accepting the apology. He did not want to accept it, he wanted it to be real but he did not want to lose his best friend over it. Was this really how things would go? Had he failed? Dream was not sure.

“I told you it’s fine-”

“Shut up, it’s not!”

Dream whined before going quiet and Wilbur pulled him into a hug, holding onto the blonde as if he was going to lose him. He dug his nose into the fabric of his hoodie and just felt the smell that was Dream. Dream was hesitant to hug back at first but after a while he gave in and wrapped his arms tightly around Wilbur.

They stood like that for a while just embracing each other and holding on as if they were standing at the edge of a cliff. There were so many words unspoken between them and neither knew if they were ever going to be able to say it all at once, but maybe it would be okay. Dream felt his heart lighten slightly but he was still not sure what this meant, he still felt lost and confused about the whole situation.

“Are we okay?” Dream asked and Wilbur nodded.

“Yeah, we are. I’m sorry Dream, I never meant to hurt you.”

Dream took a deep breath before pushing Wilbur away gently, taking down the hood off from his head and letting it fall against his back. Wilbur was looking at him and watching him, feeling unsure of what the other was doing but he kept silent as he watched the war flash over his eyes. Dream was nervous and played with his fingers, picking at loose skin and not knowing what he was supposed to do.

He looked at Wilbur, scanning him. It was the same person that had found him in the park all those months ago. It was still the same eyes and it was still the same hair which fluffed up whenever it had just dried from being wet. It was still the same round glasses which looked adorable on him and it was still the same warmth that he had grown used and accustomed to. Has anything changed? Probably, but in the moment it was Wilbur, the same Wilbur he knew very well.

So why did he feel so nervous?

“Will?” His voice was still very quiet but Wilbur could hear him just fine, trying to keep his breaths even and his mind in check. The silence was taking over them, swallowing them whole as they stood in front of each other and waited to see what would happen.

“Yes?” He mumbled back, feeling some sort of tension between them grow. He was not sure on exactly what it was but there was something happening to say the least. Wilbur could not tear his eyes away from the other.

“Can you mean it this time?” Wilbur smiled softly before reaching a hand into those blond strands of hair, feeling the smoothness on his fingertips as he leaned down and pressed his lips against the other.

Dream was quick to put his arms around his waist to pull him close and keep him there, crying into the kiss. He was free, they were free. After all this time suddenly everything started to make sense. Every conversation, every look and every action started to make sense and it felt like a puzzle piece had just been found and finished them. It was just them in their little apartment somewhere in Brighton, holding on to each other and never letting go.

It was a soft and pure kiss, a little experimental as they were trying themselves forward and testing the water. It felt so vulnerable and so new, almost like the shell of an egg. Both of them were scared to take a wrong turn or a wrong step but hopefully that would change in the future and they would learn how to live with it.

Wilbur broke the kiss and leaned back, his mouth slightly open to catch a breath. Dream looked at him and only smiled before leaning his head against his shoulder, feeling all of those fuzzy and warm butterflies that romance novels always described fly through him. It had always sounded so awful and so cliche, but in the moment he could kinda understand what they were pointing out. They could never manage to catch the way he felt for Wilbur however, nothing ever could.

Chapter Text

Wilbur was sitting behind him and having his long arms wrapped around his lover and holding him close to his chest. They were both staring at the screen in front of them and refreshing the page every tenth second to keep a track of the number who was going up everytime that they refreshed it. Dream was nervous as he watched it but Wilbur was only smiling and silently cheering him on as he looked at the screen and hoping that the nine would go up to ten soon. 

They had already been sitting there for twenty minutes and Dream did not seem like he was going to get up any time soon. He was nervously picking at the loose skin on his fingers trying to keep track of the numbers and what they meant, Wilbur leaned forward to grab his hands to make him stop creating small wounds at the tip of his fingers. Dream let it happen but refused to tear his eyes off from the screen as he squeezed his lovers hands. He was biting his lip and chewing on it, not sure on what to think or what to say. 

When the nine however finally flipped over Dream was not sure on how to react. His heart probably skipped a beat and his breath hitched. He stood up from the chair covering his mouth in complete shock over what had just happened. Wilbur behind him chuckled and buried his face into the blonde hair which Dream had finally let him cut, the strands now not reaching his shoulders and just being long enough to tuck behind his ears. 

“I’m so happy for you.” He whispered as he placed a small kiss on his temple, holding the blonde who was just staring at the screen in shock with a very big smile on his face. It was hard to believe that he had come so far after just being on for a few weeks, just a few weeks ago he had uploaded a stupid minecraft video and kept going from there. No way in hell had he expected so many people to actually like him, but it was a big thanks to Wilbur, Tommy and Floris who actively talked about him on their streams as to give him a boost. 

Ten thousand subscribers read the red numbers in front of him and he was not sure on where to go from here. Sure, it may not be big to other creators like his friends were but it still made him feel so incredibly happy and lucky to be a part of the community. People liked him and they enjoyed the things that he did and that alone was one of the biggest accomplishments he had ever done. He could never have guessed that he would do this back in 2009 when it was only something he had thought about quickly with George. 

But now he was here and he got to share the moment with Wilbur and he could not have wanted anyone else to celebrate it with. He quickly turned around to face the brunette who was wearing a proud smile on his face and tilting his head slightly to the side. He understood what the other was feeling since he had once experienced too and he was so happy for him and so proud. He had never once doubted his roommate and this was proof of it. 

Dream was an amazing person and finally the world could see what he saw. A funny young male with lots of humor and a thoughtful and kind mind. He was an overall good person and if you asked Wilbur, perfect. There was no better person out there and Dream was a literal gift from above and every day he felt blessed to have him in his life. 

“You did it.” Wilbur said as the blonde almost tackled him by hugging him, wrapping his arms around the taller male and digging his face into the crook of his neck while not being able to stop smiling. He had really done it, he had reached his goal and more. It was amazing and it absolutely blew his mind that he had gotten this far so quick, who knew what the future would look like? It seemed so bright and perfect and he was going to be able to walk down the road together with someone he loved. 

They had not officially asked each other and they were not sure if they were together or not. The only thing that they focused on for now was that they were able to spend time together and express the love that they had kept down for so long. It had been painful, but finally being able to let it out was the best feeling in the world and Dream was not sure how he was supposed to explain it. Wilbur made him happy and safe, that’s the only thing that he could put into words. 

Wilbur felt the same way. As long as he could hold the blonde and keep him close he felt like life was completed and that things were going to be okay. He was ready for anything as long as he had his little partner in crime besides him along the way. They were unstoppable even if only their closest circle of friends actually knew that they had a thing for each other. Dream wanted to one day tell the world about it but he was not ready yet since he still felt new to the whole thing. Plus he was still not sure how the internet worked but he was getting there and trying his best to learn what people did and what they said, it was amazing how much could change in only a few years.

“Wilbur, I really did it.” he whispered as tears of happiness filled his eyes up from the emotions which were bubbling up inside of him and making him go all sappy. He found it a little embarrassing and Wilbur knew that he was a sensitive person even if he often would not admit to it. It was adorable and he always tried to let the other show it and not make him feel like he had to hide away. 

“I always knew you could, you little weirdo.” Dream laughed and Wilbur smiled as he listened to him, pulling the blonde in for a quick kiss as another way of congratulating him on his sub goal. Dream chuckled quietly and leaned into the kiss before retreating back to look at his screen which was still showing the two digit number. He could not believe it and finally he felt like he had accomplished something big. He had made people happy, he even got some messages from people thanking him for just existing and telling him how he was always there for them whenever times felt dark thanks to his videos and every now and then streams. It was amazing. 

He could not help but to think if this was his purpose in life that Jimmy had talked about. 

Jimmy had sent him back down because he had still not accomplished something that he was supposed to do and he could not help but to think if this was it. It sounded quite stupid, playing minecraft and filming it sounded so plain and dumb but when you dug deeper there was a lot more to it. He made other people happy, people he had never met before and people he had no idea where they even came from. They could be from Germany, the US, France, Mexico, literally anywhere. 

He hoped that this is what he was supposed to do because it made him incredibly happy and he liked to be helping people. He only had to be himself and do what he loved, sometimes even with his friends, only to spread happiness and positivity around the world. As of now the number may be small considering that there were millions of people in the community but he was slowly getting there, every day was one step closer to making more people happy. He did not care about the numbers, he cared about the people. 

He was not sure on what to do from here on now. He had never had a face cam video or showed his face to anyone except for his friends, still in fear that people who knew him from before could accidentally walk up on his content and recognize him. Sure he could say that maybe he just had a similar appearance and get away with it, but he was not sure he was going to be able to lie to his old friends and family. Therefore he stuck to only showing off his voice or anything besides his face really. 

Wilbur had seen to be accepting of this and let it happen without questioning it or trying to push an answer out of him. Wilbur had overall grown more calm around him and did not seem to be searching for answers to everything. He was happy with what he had and his past started to matter less to the brunette since he only wanted the Dream he was with now. Who he was before did not matter as much. 

He let go of Wilbur before reaching over to close down the computer, not being able to look at the numbers anymore since he was growing incredibly tired from having to sit there for so long just staring at the numbers going up. On the other hand he did not want to go to bed and even if it was in the middle of the night he wanted to stay up a while longer. Wilbur did not seem like he wanted to go to bed anytime soon either which was a plus. 

“Hey Will?” Dream asked and smirked, making the other narrow his eyes as if silently asking what he was planning on, knowing the other it could be anything. 

“Yeah...?” His voice was a little shaky and sounded concerned which he probably was both for his own well being and his house. Dream however? He would probably be fine even if he decided to start a fire in the sink. The boy had that power to somehow always manage to get out of situations miraculously and Wilbur was quite impressed by how he managed to do it so simply. Maybe Dream was magic, he was not entirely sure. He should search up angels and see if any of it fits ond Dreams. 

“I’m going to eat the last of that cake.” There was a silent moment at first where they just stared at each other, waiting for the other to move and the words to set in before Wilbur understood but it was too late, Dream was already running towards the kitchen.

Wilbur was right behind him following the blonde who was laughing while darting through the apartment and towards the fridge where the cake he had gotten the other day was standing. It had been some sort of gift from one of his co-workers at the cafe since he was such a hard working employee and because of his success on the internet. He was a pretty nice person and Dream had shared it with Wilbur that night. There was only a little left of the cake and Dream was going to eat it all by himself. Wilbur could try to stop him all he wanted. 

Wilbur however managed to grab a hold of the other’s arm and pull him into a grip, latching his arms around Dream’s chest as if he was an octopus (or at least if you asked Dream, that man had some serious long arms) and the blonde laughed while trying to escape the hold his lover had on him, wanting to reach for the fridge who was just a few meters away from him. 

Wilbur smiled as he felt the smaller one struggling and trying to wiggle himself out of his grip, but he was not about to lose to Dream and he was going to get that cake before he did if his life as much as depended on it. Therefore he lifted the other up, resulting in a screaming Dream and placed him behind himself, dropping him before running towards the fridge which gave him a second of head start. 

“Oh no you don’t!” Dream called before managing to get in between Wilbur and the fridge, protecting his cake from the monster who was after it. Wilbur was not about to get his hands on his cake which he had earned, if he was lucky and behaved well maybe he could get to taste a little of the cream but not more than that. He giggled and raised an eyebrow towards the other male, now standing eye to eye with him. 

“Wait Dream, do you hear that?” Wilbur stopped and went silent, suddenly trying to listen after a sound which the blonde was not sure about. He went silent and waited, hoping that maybe whatever sound Wilbur had heard would repeat itself so that he could know what was going on. Maybe there were people outside or maybe a pipe had broken somewhere and was not letting out a small hissing sound. But no matter how much Dream focused he could not hear a single thing. 

“That’s the sound of the cake screaming my name.” 

Wilbur quickly managed to get Dream to the side and open the fridge, catching his lover by surprise before grabbing the half eaten cake which was tucked away inside of the cold space. He smirked and pulled it out, showing off his victory to a pouting Dream who was crossing his arms after being so badly tricked. 

He could not believe he had just fallen for that, it had been so stupid and such a Wilbur kind of thing to pull. He was not sure if he could ever forgive him for hurting his feelings like this and Wilbur was going to be hella aware of it for the rest of the day. Or well night since it was closing in on turning one. Wilbur was only laughing as Dream turned around, not going to give him the satisfaction and face him. 

“Aww is someone upset? Does the baby want his little cake?” Wilbur teased him and Dream had to keep himself from laughing at how stupid he sounded. A little smile cracked on him though as he shook his head, still very reluctant to look at his lover. He could hear Wilbur placing down the cake on the table and walking up behind him, wrapping his arms around Dream and gently rocking him side to side. 

“Does someone need to go to bed? Is the baby angry?” He used his baby voice and Dream chuckled and rolled his eyes at him.

“God you are so stupid.” Wilbur was poking his sides and making silly noises trying to get a reaction out of his lover and the other started struggling to get out of his grip once again, cursing that Wilbur somehow managed to hold onto him this hard. 

“Aw where did the baby learn a no-no word?” Wilbur kept teasing him and Dream finally managed to get himself out of the others arms and throw himself at the cake, grabbing it and immediately heading for the door as to escape. He smiled to himself as he heard Wilbur gasp and curse in surprise behind him as he ran away with the cake and into their bedroom. 

He sat on the bed and removed the white plastic lid from the cake, only to realize that instead of there being a cake there was the bread which he had bought the other day from the bakery resting on the plate. He felt confused wondering how the hell and when the bread had gotten there and how he had not noticed it before.

“Oh yeah, I changed it when you were sulking. I have hidden the cake and you will never find it.” Wilbur leaned on the door with a big and proud smile on his face as he watched Dream stare at the piece of bread which was laying presented in front of him. He looked back up to Wilbur and could not help but to let a small smile get on his lips. 

“You are just pure evil.” He muttered before placing down the bread on the bed and walking over to Wilbur. He walked closer to him and slowly pressed himself against the other so that their chests meat and started rolling his finger in the brown chocolate like curls. Wilbur blushed but tried to keep the smirk on his face. 

“Oh really? You still seem to like me.” Wilbur shot back and tried to keep his voice steady. Even if it had been weeks since they first had kissed his heart always started to beat faster whenever Dream got close to him. It was like Dream had this air around him that caused his heart to panic and his mind to go blank and it was terrifying sometimes, but also nice. The feeling of a thousands swirls inside his stomach and the nice warmth which spread through his body was addicting and he never wanted it to end. If he could he would have kept close to Dream at all times and not given a shit about what others would think.

But now there was this little obstacle in his way and this obstacle was called work which both of them had to do outside of their normal lives and Wilbur hated it. All those hours he had to spend apart from the blonde just because he needed to pay rent sucked and he wished he could quit all together or follow Dream around like the hopeless romantic he was. To anyone watching it was almost funny to watch Wilbur be completely head over heels for the man who he lived with. That was also a plus, they did not have to decide who’s apartment to move into or work with annoying moving. 

“Sometimes a little less.” The other shot back and hummed before pressing his lips to the others cheek, teasing him by missing his lips with just a few centimeters. Wilbur whined as Dream buried himself into his neck and hid away, feeling like he had missed and that it was unfair. It was definitely unfair. He wanted a proper kiss and that was just a very very bad one. 

“You missed.” He muttered and Dream only chuckled without moving, making Wilbur let out another whine to show that he was not satisfied with the sad excuse of a kiss he had just been given. Dream looked up and raised an eyebrow. 

“The cake?” 

“Yeah fine, just kiss me properly.”

Dream let out a quiet laugh before leaning in and kissing him on the lips this time, tasting the sweet taste that was Wilbur and feeling everything inside of him bubbling. One would have thought that after a while the feeling would calm itself down a little but it never seemed to do. All those sparks continued to fill both of them up at every touch and every time they looked at each other. The tension never seemed to go away and it was there to stay. It was one of the best feelings in the world and Dream could not help but to crave the other. 

Dream pulled away again and looked at him, playing a little with the brown locks and just enjoying the sense of them on his fingertips. Wilbur closed his eyes and just melted into it, feeling so happy and lucky to finally be able to be like this with Dream. All those months of going back and forth and fighting over such stupid things just because they could not grow balls to just say anything.

Now after it all and understanding that the feelings were mutual he wanted to go back and slap his past self for not doing anything and just sitting on his butt like the idiot he was. He could have gotten like this with Dream a long time ago if he had not been such a coward about it all, but on the other hand he was not sure what would have happened if he had said it earlier. Maybe this had been the best time to say it and get it out of his system, maybe this was even too earlier. He would never know but he was happy about where he was now and he would not trade it for anything. 

“I love you, Will.” He whispered quietly and Wilbur could feel himself growing flustered. Dream usually did not say it too often, but it just made every time more special. It was the best in the world and he took a deep breath and smiled, feeling his cheeks slightly warmer than before. 

“I love you too… Clay.” 

He watched as Dream flinched at the mention of his real name, looking at Wilbur confused before giggling and shaking his head at him wondering what the hell was wrong with him. It did feel a little strange to hear people call him by his real name again but he also did not mind it too much, especially not from Wilbur. 

“Since when are you calling me Clay?” He asked and took a step backwards so that he was not leaning on the male. He decided that he should probably clean up a little from their previous shenanigans and try to put the bread away. The bread which had been incredibly stupid and the more he looked at it the more he wanted to laugh. He had to hand it to the other, it had been quite the good move and he cursed himself for not thinking that Wilbur could have pulled a sneaky on him. 

“I don’t know, it feels silly. Clay.” Wilbur looked like he was trying some new recipe as he looked up at the roof and pretending like he was thinking and analyzing it almost like they did in those bad cooking shows that sometimes played on the TV. He looked stupid and Dream picked up the bread and brought it back into the kitchen to rest on the counter. The bread felt a little heavier than the normal bread they used to buy in the supermarket but it was also a more high quality bread. Dream was not sure how the other managed to survive on the crap they had in stores in England. 

One day he would have to go back to the US and show Wilbur around if things still looked the same and still existed. It would be fun to show him around the different places that he knew and where he had grown up. He would have loved to introduce Wilbur to his sister and his parents, showing him off. Yet he knew that would never be possible or happen since over there he was supposed to be dead. He did not exist there anymore and he could never explain what had really happened. 

It saddened him since he was sure his sister would fall in love with Wilbur and also be pretty good friends with Tommy. They both liked to mess around and be stupid so they would probably get along quite well. God knows how much he missed his little sister even if they got into so many fights over the smallest of things. If he knew this would have happened, he would have appreciated her a bit more and maybe spent more time with her. But they had quite different lives even back then. 

His sister was not even in the US when he had died, she was out of the country to study and he was not even sure if she had ever gone back or if she was still gone. He wished he could say hi to her or at least know how she was doing, maybe even get to know how she was feeling during this pandemic that still lingered around. God this stupid pandemic, if someone had told him back before he died that this would happen he would probably call them weird for even suggesting such a thing. 

Wilbur followed behind him quietly and he enjoyed the silence, letting it wrap itself around them in a soothing way. Sometimes it felt nice to just exist next to the brunette and Dream loved every second of it. He could never have been more happy than he was now. It felt like life could have gone to absolute shit but he had been lucky to run into Wilbur. What if they had been meant to run into each other all along? What if this had always been written in the book but just changed when and where they would meet? 

Sure, a lot of his story had probably changed and everyone around him had to get an update in their books since suddenly one tiny detail had changed. But it must have been decided somewhere that he would meet these people right? It could not just have been random, it did not feel random at least. It felt like it had always been supposed to be like this. 

Dream was awoken from his thinking by the doorbell going off and he looked at Wilbur in confusion, wondering who the hell was outside their door at one in the morning. It felt a little scary and he feared that maybe someone was out to kill them, but he was also curious. Has someone gotten lost? Even though spring was just around the corner and starting up it could well be someone lost in the dark and the cold. Things worked a little differently in the UK Dream had noticed and it was not like Florida at all. 

“I will go check…” Wilbur mumbled and Dream nodded, not sure if he wanted Wilbur to open the door. But they both felt a little worried and Dream was silently praying that it was nothing and that Wilbur would return back to the kitchen unharmed saying it was just something random that had happened. 

He reached up to the cupboards and stored away the bread, trying to listen to Wilbur as he opened the door. The familiar creek was heard as he opened it and it sounded like he was talking to someone. The male did not seem alarmed or scared which managed to calm his nerves down a little but he still felt a little on edge. Maybe it was just Phil who had decided to drop by to congratulate or something, Dream was not sure but it did sound like the most reasonable option.

“Dream… Get over here.” He heard Wilbur call for him and he did not sound like he had gotten the best news in the whole world. He sounded stressed and a little like he was unsure on what to do. He was serious and Dream swallowed as he left the kitchen and entered the hallway. His whole body was tensing up and his heart was pounding so hard inside his chest that it was almost hurting him. 

He could not see who was standing on their staircase since Wilbur was in the way, completely frozen. He feared that someone was pointing a gun at him or holding a knife at him and had made him call Dream over. He should have grabbed a knife to defend himself on the way and the blonde cursed himself for not grabbing one earlier. 

His footsteps echoed in the hallway as he got closer and Wilbur turned around to look at him. Sadness and worry was written all over his face and Dream was not sure what had caused his lover to look so broken down. Something bad must have happened, but what? What in the world could ruin the brunette’s mood so quickly?

Wilbur stepped to the side so that Dream could look out the door, and he felt his breath get taken away from him as fast as his eyes locked with the other person who was out in the cold. 

It was a male who looked quite normal and was not holding any weapons, no gun or no knife was visible in his hands and instead he was wearing soft woolen gloves to keep the cold away from him. Around him was a blue scarf and his jacket seemed to be quite thick in a dark black color. His cheeks and nose was slightly rosy and Dream could only guess that he had been either walking for a while or standing outside his door scared to actually ring the doorbell. 

His hair was poking out from underneath the hat which he was wearing and in the dark his hair looked closer to black than brown. His eyes were also slightly darker but shared a similar color to Wilbur’s eyes the first night they had met. He wanted to call him a stranger, but he was not. Or maybe at this point he was but Dream had no idea. 

“You really are alive... “ His voice was soft as the snow in winter but it was also filled with so many other emotions that Dream could not pinpoint them all. His voice sounded so familiar though and he was not sure if he liked it or not. It was scaring him to death and he felt his whole body starting to shake as he locked eyes with the male standing on his doorstep. 

Wilbur was not saying a word but Dream could tell that he was worried too. Maybe not to the extent that Dream was but he was definitely not okay at least. The blonde could not blame him for it because if the roles had been reversed he would also have been feeling his whole body go numb and cold from the surprise and the worry for what was about to happen. Neither of them knew what to do and it seemed like the third person was also not sure on what was going on. 

It had been over ten years since he had died in that hospital room and it had been ten years since George had been besides him. All that he had was his dreams and his memories of the boy and it was pretty obvious that things had changed over the years. George’s hair was shorter and darker, he was starting to get more of an adult look on his face since he was in his thirties now instead of his twenties like they had been when he had died. 

George was there, right in front of him. He could not tell if this was another nightmare or not but judging by the fact that he could feel the wind brush against his skin made him believe that this was real and happening, although he was not sure how. How had George found him? What was he even doing here? What was going on and how did he know?

“Dream please say something.” George silently begged but the blonde could not get any words to come out of his mouth. He was left staring at George in terror and in shock. He was not sure what he was supposed to do and Wilbur seemed to be just as lost as him. George was on the edge of crying, Dream could tell. George knows. 

George is here.