Prom was just around the corner and Dream was absolutely ecstatic, just as everyone else was. It may have been a cliche teen fantasy, but prom was meant to be the biggest night of anyone's high school career.
Dream had waited since his Freshman year for the day he would find himself shopping for a tux and searching for a date, preparing himself for the limo that would bring him to his date's house and escort them both to the gym so they could spend the night dancing and chatting. What Dream began fantasizing about when he found out everyone got laid after prom night was to be left for his imagination and his only.
Of course, the crowds and loud music weren't for everyone, and Dream understood that. He most definitely supported a person's right to decide whether or not they experienced the best night of their lives.
Just, when Sapnap decides prom wasn't for him, how was Dream supposed to sit back and watch him ruin his teenage years? He'd never earn them back. This was destined to hurt him in the coming years and Dream was simply saving him from a life long feeling of regret.
"I'm telling you, Dream," Sapnap slid open his back door, stepping out onto the back patio, "Prom isn't my thing. I'd just be miserable and no fun."
Dream followed Sapnap outside, nearly stumbling into a camera that had been set up and directed at the grill. Ashley had set everything up to live stream and the smell of charcoal drifted through the air, causing Dream to choke up on his words. He had always hated the smell of smoke and Sapnap had always been quite the opposite, teasing Dream when he was sent running when the smoke from a campfire came wafting towards him.
It wasn't Dream's fault. Smoke was just incredibly traumatizing.
"That's impossible," Dream rotated his body to slip past the camera and navigate his way through the endless amounts of cords that had been jumbled up on the pavement, "Prom is definitely your thing. You've always loved big crowds and music."
"Big crowds full of geeks," Sapnap pointed out, literally, as he was pointing a stick in Dream's direction, "I've only ever been to conventions. Prom is totally different."
"How so?"
Sapnap snapped the stick he had been holding in half and through it into the fire pit, going to pick up even more. He had drawn the short straw when it came to chores and was on yard duty, considerably the worst job in the house.
It consisted of picking up all the sticks, dog droppings, weeding the garden, mowing the lawn, and power washing the shed. The tasks could last all week if Sapnap didn't use his time wisely, and if Sapnap intended on having any fun at all this weekend, he had to get to work quickly.
"It's full of people crowding around searching for their favorite games and content creators," Sapnap rolled his eyes and continued tossing smaller sticks into the burn pile, "They weren't slow dancing and making out with each other in the corner."
"I highly doubt no one was making-"
"Okay, they're always making out!" Sapnap interrupted, "Prom just sounds stupid."
Sapnap shoved passed Dream so he could go to the shed and get the shovel. He'd need it if he planned on picking up nearly a month's worth of dog shit. Again, nobody wanted to clean the backyard. The job hadn't been done in a very long time and everything had added up quickly.
Dream turned around when he heard the sliding door close with a loud slam, revealing Ashley who was holding a plate of steaks and trying to balance an entire tub of spices in her other hand. It was proving difficult, as she obviously struggled across the patio, wobbling slightly, looking as if she might drop everything any second.
Instinctively, Dream rushed to help her, taking the steaks from her hand and carrying them over to the outdoor table.
"Oh, thank you, Dream," Ashley gave Dream a polite smile, now capable of carrying the tub of spices with both hands, making everything a lot easier, "I was afraid I'd drop those."
"It was no problem," Dream waved a dismissive hand in the air, denying Ashley's praise, "You should've told me you needed help."
"I'll keep that in mind for next time," Ashley ran a hand through her hair as she made sure she had everything ready for her live stream. Nothing could be missing or her whole broadcast would be ruined.
Sapnap brushed his shoulder against Dream's, drawing in his attention, "I could use some help with the yard, simp."
Dream nodded, twisting on his heel to observe the yard. He had two options here, and sadly only one of them was truly a good one.
The dog poop had to be picked up and the shed had to be power washed. The power washer made far too much noise and would ruin Ashley's stream, so naturally, his only option was the dog shit.
Curse that adorable ball of fur that sat around all day and didn't truly do anything more than sleep and eat.
"I'll pick up all the shit if you go to prom," Dream offered, taking the shovel out of Sapnap's hand.
"Deal."
***
Dream had to shove Sapnap along as he tried to get him to enter the gymnasium, where hundreds of their classmates were already waiting. Sapnap was already complaining about the noise levels and how bright the strobe lights were, and Dream was forced to believe tonight would be a huge hassle.
But Dream would do anything to complete Sapnap's high school experience.
The room was filled in by tables all spaced out on the left hand side, a DJ booth at the very front of all the action, a table full of snacks and various drinks on the right hand side, and the middle section had been reserved for dancing.
It was incredibly cliche, the theme being 'starry night' and room decorated in silver and other dark tones, but it felt familiar. (Quite possibly because Dream had lived through this exact moment every time he watched a Netflix movie, but that was meaningless.)
Dream pulled Sapnap along by the arm, directing them to an empty table in the far corner, unfortunately furthest from the festivities. Although Dream didn't exactly appreciate being so far from the crowd of dancing teens and blasting speakers, he figured the best way to keep Sapnap around was to cater to each and every one of his needs.
If Sapnap said he was thirsty, Dream would be to the punch bowl and back within moments. If Sapnap said he had to pee, Dream would escort him to the nearest restroom immediately and even stand behind him while he used the urinal, as Sapnap had always been uncomfortable about peeing in public. And of course, on the off chance that Sapnap wanted to slow dance and kiss Dream under the artificial stars, he'd wrap his arms around Sapnap's hips and lead the way.
Except the last one was exaggerated. Sapnap would never want to kiss Dream and as far as Dream was aware, he wouldn't kiss Sapnap either.
But if Sapnap insisted and really, really felt the urge to kiss him, Dream wouldn't necessarily avoid the smooch. That would just make things awkward and that wasn't what Dream desired on his prom night.
"This looks like a disaster in the making," Sapnap plopped down in the folding chair, wincing slightly as his spine painfully made impact with cold metal.
"It'll be fine," Dream assured him, placing a (hopefully) comforting hand on Sapnap's shoulder, "Everything is going to go just fine."
"I meant the theme," Sapnap muttered, "It's so lame and everything is so dark. Glow-in-the-dark paint from the dollar section at Target can only get you so far."
Dream backed up, removing his hand from Sapnap's shoulder. Sapnap was simply overreacting at this point, picking at anything he could find. In all honesty, Dream adored the silver tones and greenish glow-in-the-dark balloons being kicked around the dance floor. It was comforting in a way that felt welcoming.
"Come on, Sap," Dream was basically pleading at this point, pointlessly begging for his friend to assist him in enjoying this once in a lifetime experience, "It'll be fun. Just get up and let loose."
Dream got up and shimmied his shoulders, puffing up his cheeks for extra effect. Upon hearing a giggle come from Sapnap, Dream continued to dance around stupidly, as if Sapnap were some sort of child that he was working on cheering up.
The pout that Sapnap was making, with his arms crossed, wasn't exactly helping the image either. Honestly, The whole situation was questionable.
Grabbing on to Sapnap's hand, Dream pulled him up and gripped him close, trying his hardest to get Sapnap to dance with him. It was a tiring process, but eventually he had Sapnap jumping along to 'Wannabe' by Spice Girls.
Sapnap was mouthing the words as Dream screamed them as loud as he could, his voice blending into everyone else's. They were both laughing as hard as they possibly could, trying their best to continue dancing through their tiredness.
When the song finally ended, Sapnap sat down and started sipping on a water bottle he had bought, watching intently as Dream continued dancing and singing, pointing to Sapnap as he did so.
"I want to love you," Dream sang, creeping closer to Sapnap and wrapping his arms around his neck, "Pretty young thing."
They each knew this was a joke. It was so obvious in the way Dream's expression was far too serious, and how Sapnap was laughing so hard, face turning pink. It most certainly wasn't changing colors because he had become flustered.
"You need some lovin'," Dream whispered into Sapnap's ear, "Tender lovin' care."
Dream backed off after that, both for his own good and seemingly Sapnap's. He continued jumping around for awhile, but he had somehow managed to ruin the mood for himself, as he was now overthinking his actions, which he seemed to be doing far too much recently.
He blamed it on him being a bad friend. Sapnap had come out and everything had changed. It was ridiculous.
Dream had never been homophobic in the least bit, but suddenly he was. That was the only logical explanation for his weird behavior. He'd have to make more of an effort to be supportive and keep up the act. They were technically dating now, anyway.
"Oh my god, Dream," Sapnap tapped Dream on the shoulder, urging him out of his thoughts, "Dream, it's One Direction."
"Oh?" Dream raised an eyebrow, studying the way Sapnap's face had so obviously brightened up.
"Dream, this is possibly the gayest thing I'll ever say but," Sapnap offered his hand, "Will you dance with me to the Best Song Ever?"
"Only if it lasts all night," Dream stupidly replied.
***
Dream wiped his hands off on a paper towel, concluding his trip to the bathroom. It was empty, surprisingly enough, possibly not quite late enough in the night to have couples sneaking in and making out yet. That time would definitely be coming later and Dream was not intent on sticking around to watch.
The hallways were mildly crowded, a few crowds passing by every once in awhile, taking a much needed break from dancing and singing. If Dream was being honest, he hadn't had to pee as bad as he let on, rather he needed to get away for a moment and recollect himself. He just didn't want to admit that to Sapnap, who hadn't wanted to be there in the first place.
As Dream stepped back into the gymnasium, he couldn't help but notice that Sapnap was no longer alone. Rather, he was talking to a boy that Dream recognized from their sixth period math class.
He was the one that always wore flashy sweaters and talked quietly, differing from his best friend who sat behind him, yelling everything he had to say - which was quite a bit - and refused to remove his beanie, even when asked daily by the teacher.
Dream made his way through the crowd, kicking away the balloons he had claimed were a luxury, but was now finding annoying. They were only getting in the way, and Dream cursed whichever chaperone had decided the balloons were actually necessary.
A hint of jealousy sparked in Dream's chest and he rushed over to Sapnap's side, nervous that Sapnap was planning on ditching him, after he hadn't even wanted to come.
"Hey," Dream interrupted whatever Sapnap and math boy had been talking about, placing a possessive hand on Sapnap's shoulder, "What're we talking about?"
Sapnap looked up at Dream in annoyance, trying his best to subtly shake Dream's grip, "Karl saw me all alone and politely asked for me to join them."
"Oh," Dream nearly cut Sapnap off in his hurry to get the next word in, "Well, he's with me, so we're okay. Thanks for the consideration."
"No problem," Karl, as Sapnap had called him, waved goodbye, shuffling back to his group of friends, leaving Sapnap to angrily twist around and confront Dream.
Dream sat down in his chair dismissively, believing Sapnap would simply leave him alone if he ignored the conversation for long enough. That was certainly not the case, however, as Sapnap seemed intent on holding the conversation at that very moment.
"What was that about?" Sapnap snapped, trailing a hand through his hair. Dream would've admired the way it just flopped back into place messily, curling up in the slightest bit, if he wasn't so convinced he had to remain angry, "I'm not your property, Dream."
"I'm aware," Dream licked his lips and relaxed into his chair, "You are my temporary boyfriend, though, and that you agreed on."
Sapnap scoffed angrily, "That's so stupid, Dream."
"Then you shouldn't have agreed to the plan, dumbass," Dream argued, "The rules were laid out perfectly and now you're trying to defy them. That's illegal, Sapnap."
"It isn't illegal!" Sapnap exclaimed, throwing his napkin down on the table and standing with so much force that his chair almost toppled over. A few wandering eyes landed on him, watching as the dramatic scene played out. Luckily, the music was loud enough to drown most of it out, "Your stupid game isn't federal fucking law! I don't abide by your lame ass rules!"
"Sapnap, sit back down," Dream kept his cool, calmly ushering for Sapnap to take a seat. Sapnap wasn't very pleased with his reaction, it seemed, as he simply began walking away, middle finger held up for everyone to see as he rushed out.
"Don't bother coming over later, asshole," Sapnap called over his shoulder, "Your game was always stupid and the only reason I was playing was because I felt bad for you. Get someone else to kiss your ass, dude!"
Dream settled further into his seat, covering his face with his hands. Single-handedly, Dream had managed to ruin both of their evenings, the memory being burnt into their minds for the rest of eternity, yet another story Dream could never tell his kids.
"Sheesh," Karl whispered as he slipped past Dream, "Rough night, I guess."
***
Word Count: 2,487