Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

𝙍𝙀𝙌𝙐𝙀𝙎𝙏𝙀𝘿 𝘽𝙔 🥞(anonymous) 𝙊𝙉 𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙥𝙖𝙙

𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐍𝐚𝐩

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"𝚆𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍, 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚎?"

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"𝐼 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓈. 𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓈𝒸𝒶𝓇𝑒𝒹."

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𝘈𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱...𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘋𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘢𝘱𝘯𝘢𝘱 𝘈𝘳𝘮𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵.𝘐𝘯 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘹-𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘫𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘵. 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 "𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯?" 𝘖𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦?

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ＷＡＲＮＩＮＧＳ

< alcohol / drug abuse >

< homophobia >

< smut/angst/fluff >

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ＣＨＡＲＡＣＴＥＲＳ

16 ,, Callahan ~ Physical Attributes: soft brown hair, hazel eyes, 5'7" ~ Characteristics: innocent like a deer, intellectual, trustworthy, friendly, mute, extroverted with friends, introverted around strangers, likeable (comfy aesthetic)

17 ,, George Davidson ~ Physical Attributes: brown hair, brown eyes, 5'8" ~ Characteristics: appears innocent, smart but is lazy, always tired, trusted by some, private, colorblind (uses special glasses), semi-likable (laid back aesthetic)

16 ,, Karl Jacobs ~ Physical Attributes: light brown hair, brown eyes, 5'11" ~ Characteristics: appears innocent, not the smartest but not stupid, very energetic, confident, trustworthy, tolerable, likeable (comfy aesthetic)

16 ,, Quackity H. ~ Physical Attributes: black hair, brown eyes, 5'8" ~ Characteristics: confident, hardly at school ~ intelligent, loud, outgoing, friendly, family guy (presentable/comfy aesthetic)

18 ,, Puffy Taken ~ Physical Attributes: curly white and brown hair, brown eyes, 5'2" ~ Characteristics: strong-minded, rich, trustworthy, confident, extroverted, loves to show off her brothers, likeable (confident/outgoing aesthetic)

17 ,, Skeppy Diamond ~ Physical Attributes: black hair, brown eyes, 5'8" ~ Characteristics: loud, could be passive-aggressive, extroverted, prankster, class clown, tolerable (comfy-ish aesthetic)

17 ,, Bad Halo ~ Physical Attributes: brown hair, brown eyes, 5'9" ~ Characteristics: quiet, introverted, friendly, trustworthy, dog lover, very loved by everyone (comfy aesthetic)

17 ,, Punz Taken ~ Physical Attributes: soft blonde hair, crystal blue eyes, 6'0" ~ Characteristics: extroverted, confident, rich, friendly, dependable, trustworthy, likeable (well-dressed, fashion aesthetic)

16 ,, Sam Nook Armstrong ~ Physical Attributes: dark brown hair, but dyes it green, brown eyes, 5'9" ~ Characteristics: confident, trustworthy, likeable, dependable, friendly, loves to talk about his sister and brother (presentable aesthetic)

18,, Niki Armstrong ~ Physical Attributes: black hair with red, blue ghost eyes, 5'6" ~ Characteristics: introverted, friendly, likable, trusting, trustworthy, loves to talk about her brothers, adores her friends (dark aesthetic)

16 ,, Sapnap Armstrong ~ Physical Attributes: jet black hair, grey eyes, 5'8" ~ Characteristics: introverted but confident-ish, likeable, hard to forget, mighty (comfy/dark aesthetic)

17,, Dream Taken ~ Physical Attributes: dirty blonde hair, strong/muscular, emerald green eyes, 6'2" ~ Characteristics: rich, confident, popular, liked by some, introverted, doesn't talk much about himself/friends/family (well-dressed, fashion aesthetic)

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ＣＨＡＲＡＣＴＥＲ ＥＸＰＬＡＮＡＴＩＯＮＳ

Dream, Punz, and Puffy are siblings. Dream and Punz are twins, while Puffy is older.

Sapnap, Niki, and Sam are siblings. Sapnap and Sam are twins, so Sam's height was shortened to resemble Sapnap more, while Niki is older.

Ages were randomized. Last names aren't canon/real. There will be fake characters in the story that were made up, such as parents, friends, etc.

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Chapter Text

⇣ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀᴍᴀᴛʜ ,, ɪ⇡

It wasn’t a surprise that it’d be difficult—years of memories that were irreplaceable, scarred within a second. However, they hadn’t expected it to be as difficult as it was at this moment. Then again, it wasn’t a pleasant breakup between them either. With the burden of their friendship being ruined, to the memories of the little time they shared loving each other, the disaster of their separation dawned on them, making the feelings they felt deep down almost unbearable.

“It’s time to wake up, sir–”

“I know.”

The servant nodded her head slightly, turning away as she placed her hand against the bedroom door. “Uh– excuse me, sir?” she softly spoke, turning to her side while she stood in the doorway. Her eyes remained on him, watching as he reluctantly sat up on his bed.

“What do you want?” he groaned.

She pressed her lips tightly as she hesitated, inching closer to the hallway. “I hope you’re feeling better… I know this has been a hard weekend for you.”

“What do you know about it? Nothing—that’s what,” he hissed, his body tense as he planted his feet on the ground. “Go do your job, why don’t you?”

“This is… my job,” the servant sighed, looking away. “I’m sorry for the intrusion.”

He turned to look at the woman, watching as she quietly closed the door behind her.

Meet Dream Taken—a 17-year-old rich boy who’s grown up in the city, eventually moving into a small town next door during his childhood. With the wealth of his family came a lack of self-responsibility. The Taken’s grew into hiring others to work for them at home, doing household chores and ensuring the kids were fed and sharp, a typical rich family. The only difference is that the kids had an education in public schooling.

Ever since his recent breakup, his usual personality—strong, mighty, confident—had diminished. Shrunk into tiny pieces that eventually withered away with every emotion he felt. He hadn’t known that losing someone he had known for years would hurt him. If he had the choice to go back in time, he wouldn’t have allowed a romantic relationship to emerge between him and his dear friend.

He walked across his room, reaching for the door that led to a large bathroom within. His eyes wandered to the sink, catching sight of freshly ironed and neatly folded clothes sitting on the porcelain counter. Seeing the outfit that had been set out reminded him of the day they said yes to each other, seeing as that very outfit was the same as what he wore that day.

With a quick roll of his eyes, he pulled his pajamas off, throwing them into a laundry chute located across the bathroom counters. He listened as the bundle of clothes thudded against the metal, eventually growing silent as it landed in the laundry basket on the main floor of the house.

Water began to sprinkle down from the showerhead, hitting his dirty-blonde hair as he closed the doors. Dream reached his hands to his face, running them down as he took a deep breath. His hands reached for the shampoo bottle that sat on a rack beside him, pumping the substance into his palm. He swiftly began to scrub his hair, followed by quickly scrubbing his body aggressively, leaving red marks behind.

He stared at the carpet as his mind flooded with thoughts. His heart began to ache as he pulled his clothes on, looking up into the mirror. The boy in the mirror wasn’t someone he knew—it was someone completely different. Dream let out a heavy, shaky breath as he buttoned up his black shirt, slowly fiddling with each button as he noticed how pale he looked.

“Stop thinking,” he groaned, slamming his hands against the counter. Dream glared at himself through the mirror, watching as his brows twitched as he felt his face grow hot. His gaze began to falter as tears began to form, distorting his image through the reflective surface. “Come on.!”

A knock suddenly rang through the room. Dream shook his head as he reached his hands through his face, wiping away any signs of tears as he walked out of the bathroom, pulling the door closed.

“Hey, are you ready?” a female voice spoke.

Dream turned to look at her, staring at her well-kept hair. “How the hell did you get all of that into a ponytail?”

She laughed as she shrugged her shoulders. “Lots of gel. Come on—Mom and Dad are waiting downstairs for you, they’re going to get angry if you don’t hurry,” she said. “Punz has already tried getting into the food.”

“Usually you’re the one who does that, Puffy.”

Meet Puffy Taken—18-year-old sister of Dream. Her big head of white and brown curly hair set her apart from many, making her easily stand out from the rest, beside her incredible wealth. It was unknown why her hair had white streaks through it, a detail that had worried her parents when she was young. Yet, as she grew, Puffy began to see her hair as a beautifully unique feature.

“Well, I’m learning to contain myself. Now, hurry up!” she said, walking out of the bedroom.

Dream sighed as he made his way to the desk beside his bed, grabbing his phone, earbuds, and backpack. Throwing the heavy bag over his shoulders, Dream made his way out of his bedroom as he glued his eyes onto the screen. He scrolled through the many notifications that had come through his device throughout the night, a reason why he always had his phone on Do Not Disturb for most of the day and night.

He walked down the hallway, finding himself at the top of the stairs. He searched endlessly through the notifications, desperately wanting to find a message from what was once his. Yet, the more he searched, the more pain he felt stab his heart. “Good morning, sir–” another servant smiled, bowing down slightly before straightening his back.

“Hm.. ‘morning,” Dream sighed, locking eyes with the man.

The servant’s expression changed into one of worry. “Sir… are you okay?”

“Nothing. Not a single text,” Dream quietly said, stopping in front of him.

The servant frowned as he nodded his head, placing a gloved hand on the blonde’s shoulder. The man before him had been Dream’s designated butler, the very person who had raised him whenever his parents were too busy to care. Because of that, the said servant was trusted to know about Dream’s relationship and the drastic end to it. “Don’t forget, Dream… he, too, is hurting.”

He looked away. “I know… It’s my fault.”

“Don’t think that. You knew that it wasn’t right for you—you have internal obstacles you must overcome before you can be in a relationship, let alone one with a… a boy,” the servant smiled, lifting his hand off the blonde’s shoulder. “You two had something special, but for such a thing to last, you would’ve needed to accept yourself before you could love someone like your friend.”

“Ex-friend.”

“I’m sure he isn’t angry at you, sir. But just like any other breakup for every other couple, both parties are hurt. Given your circumstances, you both have your reasons to be upset at this time,” the man said. Dream looked at him, watching as the servant took a deep breath. “This is your time to heal. Move on. Or… if you believe that he is what you need, heal yourself into someone who is best suited for you and him.”

Dream nodded his head. “I regret getting into the relationship in the first place.”

“If that’s what you believe, then so be it. Do not be surprised when he begins to move on after learning of your words,” the servant said, turning away. He pulled out a small rag, wiping away the dust that lay on the glass tables in the living room.

The blonde sighed as he made his way to the kitchen, walking inside. Within the room, his parents and siblings all sat together, staring at their plates of food. Dream remained silent as he reached for his seat, sitting down. “Sorry for the wait.”

“Took you long enough,” Punz sighed, winking as he looked up at Dream.

Punz Taken—17-year-old brother of Dream, otherwise known as his twin. They were close, sharing everything, no matter what it was. They often silently bickered with each other across the table as they ate during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was a “tradition” of sorts. “Shut up,” Dream groaned.

“I hope that look of reluctance has nothing to do with us, young man,” a man said.

“Clear it from your face. You look horrible with it,” a woman followed.

Dream nodded as he reached for his knife and fork, digging into his food. “Yes, father… yes, mother.”

Noah and Nancy Taken were good parents—the best? No. However, each of their kids loved them with every fiber of their being, even Dream. No matter how many times he argued with them over simple things, he knew that they wanted the best of him, but didn’t know how to go about it. Oftentimes, Noah and Nancy would remain cold and professional, believing they had to stay sharp. There have been times in which news outlets have stalked their house, wanting to know what life inside the Taken’s household was. It had gotten to the point where it rubbed off on the kids, keeping them alert, which kept them from ever talking to each other about personal things. “I just haven’t been feeling myself lately.”

“What is wrong?” Nancy asked, dropping the cold look on her face.

“If it’s serious, you could’ve told us earlier–” Noah reminded, setting his fork and knife down as he reached for his glass of wine. “We’re your parents. We care.”

Dream nodded his head as he took a bite out of the freshly cooked pancakes on his plate. He took a deep breath as he swallowed, reaching for a napkin. “I know you do. Things have been rough, so I thought space would be best for me,” he said, dabbing over the syrup residue on his lips. “A friend and I had a… falling out last Friday.”

“Which friend?” Noah asked.

“Oh, don’t tell me it was that one small boy who came over all the time–” Nancy frowned. “I always thought he was super sweet… he’s the only reason I even bother to get back to the stove and cook for once.”

Dream smiled as he looked down at his plate. It was true—Nancy only ever touched kitchen tools whenever friends of the kids came over, only if she liked them. His friend often came for that reason, knowing it made Nancy happy. “Unfortunately, it is him.”

“Oh, dear… I know you loved him very much, you two were the closest friends I’ve ever seen!”

Love. What a complicated feeling. “I guess…”

“Don’t worry, Dream. I always thought you two needed each other whenever I’d see you together,” Noah mentioned. “I doubt this will last long. You and your friend will run to each other the moment it passes.”

“Maybe it’s best we’re not friends anymore,” Dream whispered, hardly audible. He knew his parents hadn’t heard from the lack of response. Yet, he had hoped his parents could’ve convinced him otherwise. All of those thoughts swimming in his head conflicted with his heart. It was the reason the breakup had happened—the reason he blamed the situation on himself. If he hadn’t listened to what he wanted, if he had listened to what he thought, they would’ve been mere friends, they would’ve “dodged” the altercation.

Loud and fast footsteps rang through the house, growing near the kitchen. Another maid leaned into the kitchen as she lightly knocked on the wall. “I’m sorry to interrupt breakfast, masters. However, the kids should start heading out. School commences in about twenty minutes—your kids like getting there around this time.”

“Ah, yes–” Nancy hummed, putting that stern expression back on her face. “Kids, hurry on.”

Puffy was the first to get up, running out of the kitchen to brush her teeth. Punz sighed as he too followed, dragging Dream out of his chair. He groaned in annoyance as he followed, wondering if he could stay home. If he begged hard enough, there’d be a possibility his parents would agree. Or: he could bribe his butler to hide him for the day, paying the principal off to mark him present.

He turned to look over his shoulder as he stopped at the bottom of the stairs, watching as his butler swiftly cleaned the windows. The man turned around, feeling the blonde’s eyes on him. “You are going to school. I will not pay off the principal just so you can avoid the boy. Deal with it.”

“You know, I’m supposed to order you around–” Dream sighed, crossing his arms against his chest.

“No offense, sir… but ever since you deliberately chose to allow me into your personal life, I’ve decided not to let a little boy who is ten years younger than me boss me around,” he glared.

Dream gasped. “I am not a little boy!”

“You are acting like one. Go to school and deal with your feelings. Shouldn’t be too hard, as you regret the relationship with that boy.”

He rolled his eyes as he shook his head, reluctantly walking up the stairs.

✧˚ · . . · ˚✧

Dream sighed as he walked down the hall, feeling everyone’s eyes on him. It wasn’t a surprise or new. Ever since he was a child—a rising social media star—people always stared. However, it felt horrible knowing people were watching his every move, waiting for the look on his face to change, as he dealt with himself secretly. Although popular, Dream hated social interaction. His friend, although hating interacting with others as well, always did the talking for him.

Now, he had to deal with it himself.

He pressed his lips together as he stopped in front of his locker, staring at the lock. His hand reached for the lock, turning the knob around as he recited each number of the code in his head. The locker popped open, revealing everything he had within. As he reached for his textbooks, Dream caught a glimpse of a cluster of photos taped onto the inner side of the locker door.

He turned to look at it, his eyes locking with the happiness and love that reflected off the pictures.

“Oh…” he squirmed.

His hand reached for one of them, running the tip of his fingers against it. He stared at the happy look on his old friend’s face. The way his eyes squinted as he smiled from ear to ear—how his body leaned into Dream’s as the blonde held the camera outward.

“What are you looking at?”

Dream gasped as he grabbed the door, almost slamming it shut. He turned around, finding his sister standing behind him. “Fuck, Puffy… you scared the hell out of me,” he scoffed, shaking his head as he pulled the ajar door open. “I wasn’t looking at anything.”

“So, am I supposed to pretend I didn’t just see you eyeing those pictures?” Puffy questioned, crossing her arms against her chest. “You know… It’s okay to miss him. You two were–”

“I don't care, alright?!” Dream groaned, looking over his shoulder as he dropped his textbooks into his backpack. Puffy stepped back as she looked up at him, her brows furrowing as she felt her chest ache. Her arms fell to her sides as she looked away. “You know what? I hate the fact that he even considered getting into it with me. I hate myself for agreeing to that stupid shit. If it weren’t for both of us saying yes to trying it out, we would’ve still been friends right now. He’d be standing beside me at this moment, talking to me about how horrible his sleep was.”

Puffy smiled as she tilted her head. “You do miss him.”

“I don’t. I’m actually fine with him not being around anymore. It was some gay shit, anyway. I was just pretending the entire time we were together,” Dream sighed, ripping the pictures off the door. He threw them into the back of the locker while Puffy wasn’t watching, deciding at the last minute that he didn’t want to throw them away, not yet, at least. “Can’t believe he actually thought I was serious.”

“Sapnap wasn’t stupid. If it’s true that you were pretending the whole time, don’t you think he would’ve caught up way before the breakup?” Puffy asked.

“He is. If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have asked me to be his… he wouldn’t have asked me in the first place.”

“You are very stubborn, you know that?” Puffy sighed, shaking her head. “Just to let you know, he’s around the corner. He’s coming this way in a minute.”

Dream remained silent, waiting for Puffy to receive the cold hint. He heard her sigh heavily as she turned, walking off. He scoffed quietly as he shook his head, wondering what must’ve been going through his sister’s head to believe he’d care about a relationship. It was as he said—he regretted it all. There was no need to miss something he merely pretended to be into.

Closing the door, Dream reached his hands to the lock, eventually letting go as he heard it click. The chatter of everyone in the hallway filled his ears as he turned to look out, finding a crowd of people at each end of the hallway. He knew that no matter how hard he looked, he wouldn’t see Sapnap coming. Even if he could, he hadn’t known what he’d do at the moment. Would he run away in shame? Fear—Anger, even. Or would he stay and watch, hoping Sapnap would come directly to him?

Poor attempts at cheering someone up by making fun of said person filled his ears; familiar voices. Dream kept his eyes on either end of the hallway, waiting for someone to appear. The more he looked, the clearer they became. The three siblings he had once been extremely close with—he was at least close with two of them after his and Sapnap’s altercation. “Come on, cheer up already! You’re making me all gloomy.”

“Don’t make Niki gloomy, Sap—you know how annoying she gets when she’s in a bad mood!”

“Shut up, Sam. You’re just as bad!”

Sapnap groaned loudly as he lifted his hands to his ears, covering them as he walked in front of his siblings. “Just leave me alone,” he sighed, looking up after staring at the ground for a few minutes. Dream watched as the boy turned slightly, their eyes interlocking with each other. The plain look on the blonde’s face faltered as he noticed the swelling around his eyes—a clear sign that Sapnap had cried that morning, or all weekend.

His face was flushed a soft pink as he stared at Dream. “Hey, Dream!” Niki exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Sapnap’s body as he tried to get away. “How are you?”

“I… I’m okay, I guess–” Dream said, feeling his voice shake as his throat began to close up the more he watched him.

Sapnap looked away, but before he had, Dream caught a glimpse of tears forming in the corner of his eyes. He felt his chest begin to ache as he looked away respectfully, wondering what would’ve been different if the breakup hadn’t had a horrible end to it. “I’m going to class…” Sapnap whispered, barely audible for the blonde to hear.

Dream watched as Sapnap pulled Niki’s arm off his body, immediately walking away. Sam, without a word exchanged with the blonde, followed—quickly catching up to his brother, who was already halfway through the hallway at that point, quickly getting away. Niki sighed as she shook her head, pressing her lips together. She turned to look at Dream, tilting her head to the side. “I hope you’re not lying about being okay. It’s alright to feel upset. Sapnap has been– never mind. I’m sure you don’t want to know. Or care.”

His eyes wandered away as he listened. “Mhm.”

“I’ll see you around!” she sang, running off in search of her brothers.

Dream nodded his head, “See you.”

He sighed as he let his head hang. He feels an ache growing around his entire body.

✧˚ · . . · ˚✧

Chapter Text

⇣ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀᴍᴀᴛʜ ,, ɪɪ⇡

It was no surprise that life was taking the worst turn possible. However, he hadn't expected it to be as horrible as it felt. Sapnap Armstrong, a young teenage boy, very closeted and isolated from the rest of the world, was someone who felt every emotion at its strongest. However, the feeling that he felt the most at the current moment was far worse than one he had felt before.

He had hoped that everything that had occurred the past weekend was all a dream—a nightmare, would be more accurate. Yet, the moment he opened his eyes the next morning and grabbed his phone from his nightstand, only to be met with no message from the very person he hoped to prove the other day false, was when he realized it was all true.

Sapnap, since young, was great friends with a rich boy from a reputable family in his neighborhood. Although he had many other friends surrounding him, people who cared deeply for him, this boy was different. Dream Taken was his name. The Taken family was always under strict rules—no socializing with others who would bring such a reputation down to the drain. Yet, ever since they locked eyes with each other during their first day of Kindergarten, it seemed that such a rule had to be broken. It wasn't until a few days into their second year of elementary school that Dream spoke to Sapnap.

At first, it was awkward. A boy like Dream, popular and well-loved from around the city, and even around the world for being a young model alongside his siblings, wasn't expected to mix with a boy like Sapnap, someone that even his neighbors couldn't tell you about. But from the moment they spoke to each other that day, they were deemed inseparable. With how joyful and bright Sapnap seemed at such a young age, it was easy for Noah and Nancy Taken to take him in as one of their own.

Jackson and Abigail Armstrong, parents of Sapnap and his siblings—Niki and Sam—were open to the idea of bringing anyone they believed to be good into their house. So, when Dream decided to walk Sapnap home one day during fourth grade, the boy's parents gracefully welcomed Dream inside, being the first time they had met him after hearing many things from their son.

Their friendship grew spontaneously throughout the years. Oftentimes, friends of theirs would grow jealous, wondering if Dream and Sapnap even cared for anyone else since they had each other. Many unfriended the two, finding their own group of friends. None of it bothered them, however. It was true—they had each other, and that's all they truly needed besides their other close friends.

So close, even, that Sapnap didn't hesitate to tell Dream all about the discovery he had made about his sexuality during their time in middle school. Although it wasn't easy for Dream to understand, due to the way he grew up, it wasn't difficult for him to accept Sapnap. Even though Dream believed there'd likely be a moment where Sapnap felt something different toward him, he still wanted to keep the boy in his life.

If only Sapnap hadn't proven his suspicion, they would've still been friends to that day. Nothing more and nothing less. However, he had. There had come a day when Sapnap and Dream were together one afternoon after leaving their school campus on a cloudy Friday. It was the blonde who had brought up the topic of relationships, wondering if Sapnap had any interest in one of the boys in their many classes—seeing as Dream had heard from their other friends of someone potentially being interested in Sapnap.

However, instead of simply denying any interest in anyone in general, Sapnap decided to tell Dream how he truly felt. He felt as if the blonde needed to know before he gradually found out on his own. What the raven believed to be the end of their friendship became something much better—a possibility that he had doubted.

It wasn't much of a shock to Dream when he realized that he felt the same way. However, it was a horrible idea and Sapnap knew it. Noah and Nancy alike were against the idea of same-sex relationships, and made sure that their kids understood their point of view at a young age. Their decision to do this resulted in various issues within every single one of them. Dream, however, was the only one who wasn't able to pull himself out of the hole, swimming in a pool of internalized hatred.

When he and Sapnap began to date, they both made it clear that they would try as hard as they could to make it work. Dream swore he wouldn't let his internalized issues get in the way of him loving Sapnap the way he knew he could. Yet, only a few days before the present day, their progress and his promise came crashing down like an avalanche.

It wasn't a horrible breakup, but it wasn't a good one either. Sapnap was okay with it, knowing it would be better for Dream to work on himself if he truly wanted something real. But the way the blonde spoke to him that day made him wonder why Dream thought whenever his mind would change, whenever the idea of being together was wrong came along. His words were full of disgust and anger—Sapnap had felt betrayed. Yet, he accepted every word as if it were true.

He was hoping they could've remained friends. Their friendship before had been something unbreakable that even a relationship together couldn't destroy. However, Dream had a different opinion. So, when the blonde left his house that day, Sapnap hadn't understood what to do. Should he have called to get a better explanation? No. Should he have tried harder to keep their friendship at least? He didn't know.

Cry? Whether the answer was yes or no, Sapnap wasn't able to get up from his bed the entire afternoon and morning after, his pillow cover soaked in tears as he hid his face in the soft cushion.

His parents had grown worried, so worried that his father stayed home from his job at the police station to ensure the boy took care of himself, his mother doing the same the following day. The Sunday before school began, his siblings made sure to bring food and drag him out of bed after deciding to stay home instead of hanging out with friends.

Although he felt horrible for causing as much worry as he did, Sapnap was grateful that his family cared as much as they did. Which led him to that morning—staring hopelessly at the blonde.

Sapnap's eyes were red and swollen. The tip of his nose and his cheeks were covered in a hue of soft pink after sobbing that morning at the idea of seeing the boy again. And although Dream didn't show physical signs of distress at the sight of him, Sapnap could see worry shoot through the blonde's emerald green eyes. "I'm going to class..." he said softly, pulling himself away from Niki's grasp.

He could hear Sam quickly follow him as he made his way down the hall. He hadn't known what drove him to run away. Whether it was the way Dream looked at him at that moment or the sensation of his heart breaking a tad the longer he stood there, Sapnap knew he wouldn't have been able to withstand it any longer.

"Sap! Wait–" Sam said, gasping for air as he finally caught up to his brother. Twins such as these were closer than one could imagine. The Armstrong twins were a pair that nobody could separate—a duo, unlike his and Dream's, that was bound to stay forever. If anything, Niki could've been seen as their triplet if she hadn't been born a year earlier. The three were the kind of siblings that made fun of each other, but would give up a limb if need be. No matter the situation, they were always together, while Niki stood in the front lines, demonstrating the protectiveness she held as the oldest, while the twins stuck to each other by the hip.

He frowned as his eyes traveled to the ground, taking a sharp turn around the corner.

Thud!

"Ack—sorry!" Sapnap gasped, stumbling back before looking up. He felt Sam's hands wrap around his shoulders as he helped pull his backpack that began to slip down.

"That's alright. Ah, here—you dropped this," the teenage boy said, leaning down as he grabbed a phone that had fallen to the ground. The device turned on, revealing a song that Sapnap had been listening to before bumping into the boy. "I love that song," he smiled, handing the phone back.

Sapnap chuckled quietly as he nodded his head, taking the phone back with both hands. "Thank you... Sorry, again."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "See you around."

He watched as the boy walked around him and Sam, turning the very corner that the twins had turned. Sapnap's head followed until he disappeared, feeling a warm breeze on his face. He hummed quietly as he turned to look at his phone, staring at the song playing. "Are you okay?" Sam asked. "It looked like you slammed your face right into that dude's chest!" he laughed.

Sapnap snickered as he shook his head. "I'm fine... but, yeah my nose feels all weird."

Sam chuckled as he wrapped his arm around Sapnap's shoulders, guiding his brother to their classroom.

✧˚ · . . · ˚✧

Sapnap stared at the screen as his hand moved along his paper, writing down every word that was presented. His history teacher stood at the front of the classroom, holding a long measuring stick to the adjustable projector screen as he explained the information. The topic that he presented was on dictatorships and their effects—many students were intrigued, often asking as many questions as they could to fully understand.

Meanwhile, other students sat in silence as they wrote notes, or in some special cases decided to sit and do nothing. His eyes followed the teacher as he moved around the classroom, lecturing the students on the topic as he tracked down students, whose heads were resting against the table as they helplessly stared at their phones on their laps.

"Mr. Davidson!" the teacher yelled.

The called student gasped as he shot up in his chair, quickly looking up at the teacher with exhausted eyes. Sapnap turned around to watch, feeling a small smile creeping onto his face. "Y-yes, sir?"

"Could you explain to me why you're asleep in my class? You are aware that this topic will be covered on your test this Friday, correct?" the man questioned, crossing his arms against his chest as he tilted his head.

George Davidson—a 17-year-old teenage boy who spent most of his time complaining about how tired he was. Although he gets the perfect amount of sleeping hours at night, he always manages to be extremely tired so he can hardly fight off the sleep in some of his classes. There have been times where he's blamed his custom-made glasses—used to help him see regular colors due to being colorblind—on his sudden drowsiness, claiming the specialists who created them must've used a chemical of some sort that caused reactions.

"I... I didn't–" he began, trying to explain why he had fallen asleep.

The teacher sighed loudly as he shook his head. "Don't let it happen again. Please get the rest of the notes from one of your classmates. The lecture is over, the rest of you can begin organizing your notes and studying—there is a study guide posted on our online classroom that will cover the basics. Do be aware that it's only to guide you for the test. There will be different questions on Friday."

George rolled his eyes after the teacher turned his back on him, making his way back to the front of his class where his desk was located. Sapnap looked away as he finalized his notes, sighing as he leaned back against his chair. From the corner of his eye, he could see George quickly slide into the empty desk beside him. "Psst..!"

The boy turned to look at his friend of five years, someone he held very dear to his heart. "No."

"Come on!" George whined, letting his head hang low. "I seriously didn't get any sleep last night."

"Oh, really? I'm supposed to believe that?" Sapnap giggled.

George placed his hands together in prayer before grabbing onto the raven's shoulders. "Please, Sap! Karl was texting me all night because he was hanging out with family. He got bored and forced me into a call."

Sapnap smiled as he shook his head, sliding his open notebook toward the Brit. "Here, take a picture."

"Thank you! You're a lifesaver—oh, by the way..." George said, trailing off as he pulled his phone out. As he quickly snapped a picture of the notes, he glanced at the boy. "How's it going? The group hasn't heard from you at all this weekend."

Sapnap's smile disappeared. "I just haven't been on my phone, that's all."

"Sap, he told us."

He looked away, staring out of the window. They were located on the second floor of one of the many school buildings located on campus, so he couldn't see the ground. All he could see were a few large trees that were planted around the neighborhood, as well as a few tall buildings.

"Look... you don't have to be afraid to talk to us about it. Sure, it's going to be awkward since we're all friends with the both of you, but it's not like we're going to tell him anything that you tell us," George said. "At least, I won't."

"I know you won't," Sapnap said, turning to look at him, feeling his throat close up as he thought about last Friday. "I just don't want to think about it. That's all."

"He told us that it ended pretty badly... did it get... that bad?" George asked.

Sapnap tilted his head to the side. "It wasn't bad at all. A lot of things were said, but... it was all out of anger and in the heat of the moment. But it's not like we left on good terms either," he sighed, remembering the heavy wave of emotions that he had gone through that afternoon. "We're not even friends anymore."

George nodded his head in acknowledgement. The raven watched as the Brit turned away, staring at his blank notebook while his phone presented the picture he'd taken from his friend. He hummed quietly as he pressed his lips together before turning to look at him again. "I hope you can get over it... if you need anyone to talk to–"

"I can talk to you, I know," Sapnap smiled. "Now, copy those notes so that we can begin studying. Knowing you, there's going to be zero studying done on your part if you're left alone."

George moaned in annoyance as he rolled his eyes, grabbing his notebook and backpack from his desk, moving them to the desk he'd slipped into. "I don't study, because I don't need it."

"You know damn well you need it," Sapnap giggled, lifting his hand to his mouth.

"Oh, be quiet. I don't."

"Who's the one who failed so badly on our last test?"

George glared at the raven as he began writing in his notebook. "You're just smart."

"It has nothing to do with that, you just need to pay attention and remember the material!" Sapnap scoffed, crossing his arms against his chest. As George continued to write—simultaneously groaning and complaining to the raven about how stupid the class was and how much he hated their teacher—Sapnap turned to look around the classroom. His eyes were caught on a few of their friends, who had grouped for a group study.

As he looked around, his attention was caught by someone familiar. A boy who sat alone at his desk as his nose was dug into his notes, trying his hardest to prepare himself for the test in four days. Wavy brown hair covered his face as he looked down, making it seem as if he was blinded by it. The color of his skin was a soft tan—he clearly went out a lot while the sun was out.

He was visibly muscular, but not as much as other boys who went to the gym daily. He was undeniably handsome, too. It was the boy he had run into that morning. Sapnap hummed quietly as he looked away, suddenly feeling a pair of eyes staring at him from a corner that was located right across from him. He turned to catch who it was that was glaring obvious holes into his head, until he realized that it was someone he was planning on avoiding for the rest of his life until he eventually got over the miserable heartbreak.

Dream abruptly turned away.

"Who were you staring at?" George asked.

Sapnap's face turned bright red. "Nobody."

"Sure. The only blindness I suffer from is color, not vision—" George laughed, looking up from his notes.

Sapnap rolled his eyes with a small smile on his face. "It was some guy I ran into this morning, that's all."

"Oh~ you just got out of a relationship three days ago, and you've already got yourself new eye candy," George laughed, catching the attention of the boy from that morning.

Sapnap's eyes widened. "What? No! Of course not, are you crazy?!"

George couldn't help but laugh hysterically as Sapnap began to yell at him quietly, keeping his voice low enough for nobody to truly hear him. All the while, his eyes traveled from both the random boy and Dream, who kept staring at him as he lectured his friend.

Dream visibly grew subconscious, causing a strain on Sapnap's heart. The boy only smiled as he waved at the raven before returning to his solo studying. Sapnap sighed as he trailed off, no longer lecturing the Brit. He leaned back into his chair as his hands fell to his lap. *No way.* he thought. *I'm still in love with Dream.*

"Look, if anything, maybe finding someone new will help you heal," George said. "Just don't get with them to move on."

"I have no plans to get with anyone any time soon," Sapnap said, shaking his head at the Brit.

George nodded his head as he shrugged his shoulders.

Sapnap turned around, staring out of the window. He watched as the trees' branches and leaves swayed as the wind gracefully blew. Although the windows canceled every noise from the outside world, the raven could almost hear the heavy wind hit the glass. There were times when loose leaves would fly through, eventually landing on the ground after slowly falling.

He felt his heart struggle to beat as he thought about the blonde and the look on his face after staring at the boy from earlier. Although his watchful gaze was nothing but curiosity, he couldn't help but wonder if Dream was hurt by it. If he were, it meant there was less truth in the blonde's words than he initially thought on Friday. However, if that were the case, it wasn't enough to keep Sapnap pining after him. After all, the hurt he felt was enough to drag Sapnap away. Their friendship and attempted relationship were forever strained—if they ever tried again, it would never be the same.

Sapnap was truly full of regret. He had only wondered how things would've been different if he hadn't told Dream about his feelings when he had. Sapnap has caught himself thinking one thought throughout the weekend, a thought that caused him to only break further. He should've just left it alone after coming out to the person who was once his best friend.

The only source of comfort he could find in the situation was in the last few words that Dream muttered before he left Friday afternoon. Words that Sapnap hadn't expected to hear after the way Dream spoke that day. Maybe it was out of regret or pity. A possibility that the blonde knew it was only his internalized restrictions and obstacles that had been speaking during the process of the breakup, speaking those last few words to let Sapnap know that what they had was real.

Dream's voice echoed through his head as he remembered those last moments. "We tried, didn't we?"

✧˚ · . . · ˚✧

Chapter Text

⇣ꜰʀᴇᴇ⇡

They had only broken up for three days before it began. However, even then, Dream didn’t understand why he felt the way he did. Ever since he noticed Sapnap looking at that boy from their History class, he felt a strange ache in his heart. However, it wasn’t because of the way Sapnap looked at him—there was no emotion, no thought behind the way he did—it was because of the way the boy looked at Sapnap.

Was it anger? Jealousy? Dream hadn’t known. Yet, there was nothing he could do to rectify the situation. They were no longer together—he had no say in the matter. As if he ever did. After all, Dream never did care about others staring at Sapnap during their relationship. Then again, neither of them had anything to worry about. Their eyes were only on each other, and that was a fact, certain.

Now, Sapnap was rightfully free to look at whoever he wanted, and so was Dream. But he had no intentions of doing such. The hurt, however, was still there in the center of his heart, within the hole he had dug into it himself when he decided to end it all. “Take that glare off your face.”

Dream turned to look at his sister. “Fuck off.”

Puffy rolled her eyes as she shook her head. “You’ve been annoyed ever since Monday. What happened?”

“Nothing,” he groaned.

“I’m your sister, you can’t hide anything from me.”

Dream sighed as he crossed his arms, leaning against his locker. He could feel the lock hit his shoulder each time he moved slightly, causing a slight annoyance to emerge. However, what annoyed him the most was the smug look on the boy’s face as he looked down at a girl. “Nate’s already talking to someone else? I thought Sasha and he were a thing last week,” Puffy hummed.

“Nate switches chicks every week,” Punz laughed, suddenly appearing behind her.

Puffy gasped and launched forward, wrapping her arms around Dream’s body for protection. He watched as his sister groaned and yelled at the blonde, punching his shoulder. Punz couldn’t help but laugh as he rubbed the soreness away. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“What isn’t?” Punz questioned.

Dream rolled his eyes as he shook his head, turning to look at Nate.

Nate was the boy that he’d seen eyeing Sapnap for the past few days. Ever since Monday, up until that very day, he hadn’t been able to find a single moment where Nate’s eyes were on someone else while Sapnap was in the area. What he had hoped to be a peaceful Friday turned into a jealousy fest—or a festival of whatever cruel pain he felt in his heart. Even then, he knew he shouldn’t let it take a toll on him. Yet, he let it.

“Yeah, he said that–” Punz began laughing, cutting himself off. “He said that Sapnap seemed to be interested!”

Dream slightly turned to look at his siblings.

“I highly doubt Sap was checking him out like that. George always pokes at him,” Puffy giggled, shaking her head. “Plus, Nate is definitely not someone that Sapnap would date.”

“Maybe not ‘date,’ but Nate seems to be a guy that Sapnap would consider hooking up with, don’t you think?”

“What? Well—I guess I could see it.”

Dream scoffed as he shook his head, pushing himself off his locker. Silence fell upon Puffy and Punz as they turned to look at him, watching as he was about to start walking away. However, before he could take another step toward the middle of the hallway, a familiar face appeared. Dream stopped as he retreated, going back to the locker as he watched him walk by.

“Oh, look! We could just ask him–” Puffy smiled, clasping her hands together. Punz immediately grabbed her arms, pushing them down as she attempted to reach toward Sapnap, who walked down the hallway. His head hung low as he stared at the dirty floors. White wired earbuds rested in his ears as loud music blasted through them, slightly seeping out of them into the real world.

Dream watched as Sapnap slowly lifted his head. He turned slightly to look at Dream as he walked—even more pain struck his heart. Those beautiful grey eyes that the blonde once found himself lost in before were dark and empty. The whites of his eyes had a pink-red hue over them. However, it was far too profound to be from simple crying.

Dream’s brows furrowed in confusion as he stared, which further caught Sapnap’s attention. The sad look that was once on his face turned into one of pure distraught and what seemed to be agony. The blonde had so badly wished to lean forward and reach for him, but everything within his body forced him to stay in place. Not a single muscle cooperated with his heart, only his brain. “Sapnap, hey!”

The raven turned around as he stopped walking, looking up at the wavy-haired boy before him. “Oh… hey, Nate.”

“How are you doing?” Nate asked, wrapping his arm around Sapnap’s shoulders. The boy looked up from the raven, peering over to Dream. As he began to lead Sapnap away, semi-listening to the words coming out of the boy’s mouth, he tilted his head and smiled at the blonde.

Dream quietly groaned and glared at the teen, feeling his heart race as anger began to emerge. He could feel his face grow hot as he watched Nate pat Sapnap’s back. A scoff left him as he turned away, walking away from his siblings. He could hear Punz and Puffy call out to him a few times, only stopping when they realized that he had been ignoring them.

He knew he had no reason to feel the way he did. Then again, he hadn’t known what he felt at the moment. All he knew was that the anger he felt deep in his heart was only a mask for the pain he felt. A pain he didn’t understand. If he were to ever understand it, however, he needed someone.

Maybe a friend or a few.

✧˚ · . . · ˚✧

“It’s annoying, that’s what—” he hissed, his hands balled into fists against the table. “It’s him. Sap would never do something like that. It should at least take me a few weeks, maybe months, before he even thinks about moving on.”

“Do you even hear yourself?” George laughed. The Brit turned to look beside him, lifting his hand to point to Dream, signaling to their friends beside him. “Do you guys hear this?”

A friend Dream had met through Sapnap one time during middle school, who had suddenly become a frequent visitor to their friend group until they became an official member—Karl Jacobs—nodded his head in agreement. He leaned toward George, whispering something into the Brit’s ear.

Dream rolled his eyes as he shook his head. He hated to admit that looking at the friends he had made because of Sapnap hurt him. However, there was nothing he could truly do. The worst part was, he knew there’d be a day when he and Sapnap would be stuck together for longer than they’d hoped for when there were plans for the group. “You do realize that you two aren’t together anymore, right?” Karl laughed.

“Oh, gee. I forgot—” Dream spoke, sarcasm tainting his voice.

Karl sighed. “What I mean is, you don’t have a say in what he does anymore.”

“I never did,” Dream corrected. “He did whatever he wanted when we were together.”

“People avoided getting close to him because they knew you would’ve freaked out,” Quackity pointed out, suddenly lifting his head from his phone that sat on his lap. “Don’t you remember how you threatened that one guy a couple of months ago because he touched Sap’s shoulder?”

Dream looked away as his brows furrowed. “He already knows that there are shitty people out there. Maybe I care just a little still, alright? I don’t want him running off and getting involved with the wrong guy.”

“Seems to me that you’re going to go about it the wrong way if we don’t stop you,” George said. “So, let’s get a few things straight.”

The blonde groaned in annoyance as he leaned back, resting in his chair. Loud voices filled the cafeteria as more students began to fill the area—hurriedly finding a place to sit before other schoolmates stole it. Many of them threw themselves into multiple increasing lines as the lunch ladies and men hurried to serve the students their food, not wanting to cause a never-ending loop of annoyance and desperation through them.

He looked around as he listened to his friends talk about things Dream was no longer allowed to do or say now that he was no longer with Sapnap. There were a few words that stuck with him. However, many of the things that his friends were spitting out went through one ear and out the other—he hadn’t listened to anything they had been saying.

His eyes scanned the room, immediately finding Nate sitting at a table full of girls and a few of his friends. Sapnap was nowhere in sight, which only meant one thing to Dream: he wasn’t with Nate. The blonde let out a quiet, but heavy sigh as he turned back to his friends. “Alright, alright—I get it.”

“So, you’re not going to be pissed and do something reckless if Sapnap decides he wants to get with someone else,” George said. “Right?”

“Sure. Whatever–” Dream mumbled, pressing his lips together as he crossed his arms against his chest. However, no matter what he said or thought, he knew he wouldn’t be able to let it go. It wasn’t like Dream didn’t understand that they were no longer together. He was the one who suggested the departure in the first place. It was the waves of complete regret that he felt sometimes. Waves that were then shut down by a storm of homophobic thoughts, reminding him of all the reasons why he shouldn’t have loved Sapnap the way he had.

He turned to look at his friends as they began to change the topic of conversation. His mind began to wander to other things, wondering what it would’ve been like if Sapnap was sitting beside him. Yet, the more he thought about it, the more his heart ached. Dream’s eyes fell to the table, staring at the letters that Sapnap had scratched into the table only a month ago. His vision began to grow blurry.

✧˚ · . . · ˚✧

Sapnap coughed into his arm as he leaned against the bathroom walls. He felt his throat burn as his lungs were filled with smoke, changing his breathing pattern for a time. “Fuck–” he groaned, gently resting his head against the wall.

His eyes scanned the ceiling, brows furrowing as he wondered why there were pieces of toilet paper stuck. His nose scrunched up in disgust as he looked away, shaking his head. Boys in his school were often rebellious and out of control, causing all sorts of mayhem they could think of. There was never a dull moment when they were around.

Things were always being thrown. People were always being pushed against their lockers as fights began to ensnare. If one thing bothered someone, it would eventually grow into something that required a fight to resolve. Sapnap still remembers when he was a Freshman, walking into a new and terrifying school full of people he didn’t recognize—many of whom had roamed those halls for more than a year.

He’d watch as he hid behind the only person he knew would protect him as groups of boys began to riot against each other. Weapons were often pulled out during those fights, which caused many arrests weekly. It had only been the year before that it stopped. Yet, they always found a way to stir trouble—one of those ways being trashing the bathrooms.

Sapnap quietly groaned as he pushed himself up from the ground, stumbling around as he searched for his balance. His hand clenched a small pen-shaped object as he reached down for his backpack, throwing it over his shoulders. His eyes wandered the stall as his vision grew blurry—objects began to combine, creating something unimaginable. Colors mixed, often creating spinning spirals that made him gag.

He knew it was the effects of the pen he had in his hand. As someone who came from a family that was strict on resorting to alternate measures of escape, he was rather confused as to why he had decided to ask for one. For sure, he imagined the cost of it would’ve scared him out of it—kids often priced the drugs for more than twenty bucks. If it were “good stuff” as they claimed, it’d shoot up to fifty.

Yet, the price didn’t stop him. All he knew was that he wanted to get rid of what he felt.

The day before, Sapnap ran into someone he had seen selling “snacks” to their peers. It wasn’t as if there weren’t actual snacks. Beneath them, however, is where lies the real treasure that everyone wanted to get their hands on. There were small bags of greens, white rocks, and different-shaped vapes that hid in the corners of the bag. Sapnap, who hardly knew anything about these things, talked to the dealer privately, all while planning a time to meet after school.

Which is where he found himself later that night. Having snuck out of his house through the bedroom window, which was on the second floor, Sapnap was in a hurry to get back home. His arms had been wrapped around his body as he held the cash in his hands, leaning against the brick wall of the alleyway. After getting his hands on the item, he ran back home.

Now, having taken a hit that morning and more that very moment, he truly felt as if he were floating. Sapnap’s hand reached for the latch on the door, flipping it open. He listened to voices that echoed throughout the school as students loudly talked to each other, eliminating any and all silence. “Man…” he sighed, placing the pen into his jeans pocket.

The bathroom door suddenly swung open as Sapnap began to approach it. The boy flinched as he stepped back. Tension began to rise in his body as he stared at the boy, feeling his face grow red hot as his chest began to ache. He’d assumed it was because of the smoke he had inhaled. But he knew it wasn’t because of that.

“Shit, are you okay?” Dream asked, approaching the boy. Sapnap watched as his big hands reached for his face. His mind told him to move, but his body refused. He quietly gasped as he felt Dream’s hands against his face, forcing him to look up. “Your eyes are all red.”

“I’m f-fine–” Sapnap struggled to say, his cheeks squished together as Dream took a close look.

“No—” Dream said, tilting his head to the side. “You’re not. What did you take?”

Sapnap’s brows furrowed. “I didn’t take anything? What are you talking about?”

The boy reached up and grasped Dream’s hands, pushing them away. “Why do you care anyway?” he groaned, walking around the blonde. Dream scoffed as he shook his head, turning around as he watched Sapnap approach the bathroom door.

“I don’t.”

Sapnap walked through the hallway as he shut his eyes tightly, feeling a pain in his chest. “You don’t…” he sighed, feeling his mind grow foggy.

✧˚ · . . · ˚✧