AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just want to clarify that Clay and y/n are not an official couple nor have they ever decided to be exclusive.. i just saw some people saying that Clay was basically cheating on y/n when he called Storm hot, but i wanted to make sure it was clear that he is not a cheat in this story
anyways hope you are enjoying the story!!
I joined a call with Dream, Sapnap, George, Karl and Quackity. They were kind of just chilling in a vc together.
"Have you ever heard your music in the real world, Dream?" Karl asks, "I mean when you weren't on your phone or whatever."
I almost laughed a little. I heard it in a small business store once and started to chuckle a little bit. Streamers have gone so far from where they began. I also have to admit that it's on my own playlist though, so I'm not complaining that it was playing.
"Uhh, yeah actually," he says casually. I sometimes like Dream. Well this version of him at least. The one who is just relaxing and not arguing with me.
I try to think of the last time the song came onto my playlist. It's been awhile since i've actually sat and listened to music, instead of just using it as a background noise while I cook or clean.
I think the last time I would've actually listened and sang along would be when Clay was in the car with me.
I laugh. Imagine if he really was Dream like he joked, and I called his song actually good to his face.
"What's the most surprising place you've ever heard it?" Quackity asks.
"One time I heard 'change my clothes' in a friend's car, but the friend didn't actually know that I was Dream at the time."
I freeze in my swivel chair.
No way.
"That's actually hilarious," Karl laughs along with Quackity.
There's no way. There's no way Clay actually is Dream.
No. There can't be. Sapnap has seen both me and Dream. He would've told us if he knew we were actually neighbors. He couldn't keep that kind of secret in.
I think back to when me and Sapnap's conversations when we first met.
"So what have you and Dreamy poo been up to?" I ask.
"Well, we're actually looking at some houses and apartments to buy. I think I might be moving here in a few months," he says.
I smile as the waitress gives us our drinks before replying. "We'll live so close to each other!"
He smiles. "Practically neighbors."
Practically neighbors... Was that a hint? Did he know then, and just choose not to tell me? There's no way Dream knows either, or he would've said something by now. That was months ago.
Wait. What did Clay say last night? About his friend Nick?
"He's moving in with me in like two weeks, so you can meet him then." He leans against the counter as he talks to me.
My stomach tightens. The timeline matches. Months ago he said he would be moving here. Now Clay's friend is moving here.
I snap out of my thought.
"Sapnap." I say, ignoring whatever conversation they were having.
"Storm." he repeats the same way I said it.
"What's your real name again?" I ask, trying not to freak out on the outside like I am on the inside.
"Uhh, Nick, why?" he says hesitantly.
Oh my gosh. There's no way. No chance. My chest feels a little bit tighter.
"What does that even have to do with what we were talking about?" Dream asks
"Shut up, Dream." I say sharply, "I have to go. Bye."
I leave the call immediately and walk into my kitchen to get some water. I need to calm down a little bit.
"I had meetings all day so tired." Clay laughs, "I have a friend staying with me, so I think we're just going to chill for the rest of the night."
"Oh, how do you know him?" I ask as I close my box.
"We met online when we were kids." He smiles.
He checks his phone. "Oh he's almost here. I'm going to wait for him down here."
"Oh okay, I'm going to go ahead and go up." I point upwards.
Was I that close to realizing the truth earlier? I was one yes away?
No. Because Dream and Clay are not the same person. They can't be. I won't allow it. There is no way on Earth that my crush and my rival are the same person. I just won't believe it.
"I'm just grabbing some snacks. I have this big thing for work and I need to be stocked." He shrugs.
"Oh what do you do?" I place the flour in my cart.
"Oh, uh, computer programming."
Computer Programming. That's what Dream and George do for their videos.
When was that? I think it was a Thursday because that's the day I go shopping. I do the math as I pull up a calendar. MCC would've been on that Saturday. A big thing for work. I'd say MCC is pretty big.
Shit.
I scramble to find my phone, struggling to type 'Dream' into the youtube search bar.
"In this video..."
I gasp, immediately locking my phone as I place it on the counter.
No no no no.
That was Clay talking. No doubt in my mind that that was his voice.
"Hi," Dream says. I get a strange sense of deja vu as he says it, although I haven't talked to Dream today. "I was wondering if you wanted to practice.. for , uh, MCC." he continued.
Their voices do sound the same. I should've been able to point that out in the first second of meeting him. Maybe I'm just an idiot.
I slide to the floor of my kitchen, trying to wrap my head around this. Memories flood my head, each leading to the same conclusion.
"Doritos," I take this opportunity to crunch into a chip right next to the microphone.
He laughs. "What the hell? What is wrong with you?"
I crunch again. "A lot of things,"
I grab my hair a little bit. This cannot be happening.
He shakes his head. "You sound like one of my friends. They like to crunch food into the microphone when we talk."
I was the friend. How could I not realize that? It was too much of a coincidence to be different interactions. Things don't just happen like that.
"Anytime, do you-" his phone starts to ring, "ugh,"
"What's wrong?" I laugh a little at the way he said 'ugh'.
How did I miss all these things? I thought about that ugh so much. It should've wrung at least one bell.
~"Ugh," He whispers under his breath. He's said that a couple times whenever he misses a jump. ~
I always used to think it was so cute how Clay would say 'ugh'. How could I not notice Dream said the exact same thing to me multiple times? Don't George and Sapnap make fun of him for that, too?
I can't believe this. I don't want to believe this. Dream is allowed to be anyone in the entire world, except Clay. He really had to go and ruin my neighbor crush? Actually, I'm pretty sure it was a lot more than a crush.
"No worries," I glance up to put a face to the smooth voice only to find a familiar face I've looked at more times than I'd like to admit. Building Boy. "Oh hey, I know you." I blurt out.
A look of panic crosses his eyes before it's replaced with relief as he recognizes who I am.
That look of panic... He thought I was a fan. He thought I recognized his voice.
I remember thinking Clay was keeping something from me. How could I be so stupid? The closed doors, the vague job descriptions, how he was never too specific about his friends... I can't believe it. All the clues were there. I just needed to put all the puzzle pieces together.
A thought crosses my mind. I quickly go to twitter to search for a specific tweet from Mr. Dream himself.
Dream @dreamwastaken
Today I donated to cancer research. I have a lot of empathy for those who have been affected by cancer, whether that is patients or loved ones. Please give your friends and family a big hug for me today <3
I check the date. It's the same night I cried to Clay in the car. I thought this was just some crazy coincidence. I'm starting to learn that there is no such thing as a coincidence.
I read over the tweet multiple times. Dream cares. He always has. I've just been too stuck up my own butt to notice.
Finally, I do my last bit of research. I type in the google search bar:
'what is dream's real name?'
Clay, better known as Dreamwastaken or Dream....
No way.
I can't fathom this. I don't believe this.
I can't believe it.
I feel so strongly about the two of them. And very very opposite feelings.
I stand up in my kitchen. I can't believe all of this information I strung together in my head. I couldn't even believe it when I heard it from Clay (or Dream or whatever his damn name is), himself.
I walk out of my apartment and knock on Clay's door.
Something inside me tells me that I need factual evidence.
And I intend on getting just that.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
finally she notices!
sorry for the cliff hanger haha but i'll be posting it tomorrow!
also i'm almost done prewriting all of 'the streamer next door' then I will begin my new sapnap fanfic (which is already story plotted)!!
the new fanfiction will come out the day 'the streamer next door' is completed so stay tuned!
THANK YOU GUYS FOR 30K VIEWS THAT IS INSANE
hope you guys are enjoying :)
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