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“I dare you… to call your mom and let us say hi,” Bad said drunkenly. Everyone around them cheered, with a few stray hiccups here and there, egging George on as he brought his phone out.
Techno found himself at a game night… party… thing. Even though he told Wilbur that he didn’t want to come on countless occasions, the brunet still managed to drag him along regardless. He’d tried to get Techno to come along with sly bribes like ‘Dream will be there,’ or ‘Dream wants you to come,’, knowing damn well that it only made him want to go even less.
If he goes, Dream will see him fumble over his words and be a nervous train wreck like he always is. So, he very firmly stated that no, he will in fact not be going.
So how’d he end up here?
He sat on the couch in Sapnap’s apartment (he thinks?), listening to all his friends and Dream’s friends drunkenly say hello to George’s mother. They had been playing Truth or Dare for several hours now, like fucking teenagers, drinking and partying well into the night. Techno himself was even a little tipsy, which was rare.
It was also fucking dangerous. Being drunk around Dream was an accident waiting to happen. One wrong move, one wrong word could cause the fragile friendship he’d managed to build up come crumbling down.
Dream didn’t like him that way. They were just friends. If Techno got too drunk and sloppily confessed his burning feelings for him, he’d probably never talk to him again.
He had a huge exam in, like, three days. He should definitely be studying, instead of getting drunk and trying desperately to keep his stupid confession of love from tumbling from his lips.
Dream sat on the floor, back to the other side of the couch from where Techno was sitting. He sat between Sapnap’s legs, who lay limply on the couch, manspreading his knees to make room for the blond beneath him. Occasionally, when Sapnap would crack a joke or it was his turn to speak, Dream would tilt his head back into the man’s lap and gaze up at him through blond eyelashes. Techno’s eyes caught the motion every time it happened, no matter how hard he tried not to and how hard he tried to pretend it didn’t.
He was returned back to the present with a harsh collective laugh of the whole group. Someone must have said something funny that he hadn’t caught. Wilbur fell on his back cackling from where he had been sitting cross legged next to him.
“Techno,” Phil hiccupped, forcing Techno’s attention from Dream so fast it nearly gave him whiplash. “I dare you to take a tequila shot,” he cackled. He felt himself flush a little at the feeling of everyone’s eyes on him.
“You’re supposed to ask ‘truth or dare’, you know.”
“But you’d never choose dare that way. C’mon drink up.”
“Like, with the lemon and salt thing or—“
“Yup. Mhm. The whole shebang— lick shoot suck,”
Sapnap stood up on the couch and swung himself over the back, fumbling around the kitchen for a few moments. George said something snarky to make fun of him, and Dream laughed something bright and sweet that just begged for his attention.
Sapnap returned with a full shot glass, a lemon slice, and a salt shaker, setting all of them down on the coffee table without much grace. Wilbur started chanting ‘do it, do it’, and Techno never wanted to slap him more, because all of a sudden everyone in the room was egging him on. He sat up, scooting to the edge of the couch due to how pushed out the coffee table was to make room for the people on the floor, trying to ignore the unwanted attention.
The chanting was annoyingly loud now, almost at a shout, and he begrudgingly sprinkled some salt on the back of his hand.
“Aww come on! A little more than that!” Wilbur hiccuped, yanking the shaker from him and practically pouring it on Techno’s hand before he was able to pull it away. His friend continued his childish chant the second he was upright again.
Techno cringed, very much wanting to do literally anything but what he was being forced to do. He felt Dream’s gaze on him, a feeling different than the eyes of everyone else in the room, and it made him blush even more. He eventually took a deep breath, and licked the back of his hand.
He shut his eyes tight, ignoring the loud cheers from anyone around him as he tried not to cringe from the amount of salt on his tongue. Trying to get it over with as fast as possible, he grabbed the shot glass and downed it, fighting the burning of his mouth and the overwhelming shouts of the people around him, and finally fumbled with the lemon slice, gave it one hard suck, then coughed and spluttered to the side.
The room was obnoxiously loud, people cheering and patting him on the back. Someone handed him a glass of water and he took it gratefully, chugging it to desperately get the sour taste out of his mouth.
“You gotta—“
“What’s—“
“Dare someone—“
Everyone’s voices jumbled together, and he couldn’t hear it past his own blood rushing in his ears and heartbeat. “I dare Wilbur to—“ he rasped, “call his crush.”
The attention was thankfully turned from him, and he stepped off into the kitchen with his empty glass to calm down. He watched carefully as everyone laughed at Wil and joked around.
He filled up the glass in the sink, coughing and wincing again as he swallowed against the left over salt. Chugging it again, he distantly picked out Dream’s amusing chime in the chaos, feeling himself blush again against his will. He filled the glass up again.
He was so stupid. He wondered if he could slip out and drive back to his dorm without anyone noticing. Unfortunately, Phil would notice, and then would tell Wil, and then they would both leave and then Dream would be sad because he wants everyone to have a good time. He cursed under his breath, shaming his stupid bleeding heart, and padded carefully over to the couch, setting his once again full glass of water on the coffee table. The tequila was already forming a warm buzz in his mind.
“Why are you calling me?” A girl’s voice filtered through the phone, and everyone hushed as they huddled around where Wilbur had held it.
“I got dared to,” Wil smiled drunkenly, ignoring the smack that Phil hit him with in return and the ‘aww’s and ‘boo’s that uttered quietly through the small crowd.
“Oh. Well, I have to go study, so…”
“Yep! I totally get it, go study! Pretend this never happened okay byeee!!” Wil ended the call, nearly being shoved over by Phil as he threw his phone back on the carpet.
“Alright—“ Dream tilted his head back, downing the last few drops of his beer, then stood up gracefully. “I’m gonna go get another beer. Does anyone want—“
Everyone except Techno raised their hand, cheering and shouting jokes and remarks that cancelled each other out in the noise. “I’ll just get another pack,” Dream snorted, walking off and throwing the empty can in the trash. He left Techno’s vision, and he listened carefully for the sound of the garage door opening and closing.
“George, truth or dare?” Wil asked slyly.
“Uhh… I don’t know. Truth.”
“Who is your crush?”
George scowled, crossing his arms with a childish pout. “I’m not answering that. I don’t even have one right now.”
“Okay fine,” Wil shrugged. “Who was the last person you had a crush on?”
George groaned in frustration, then took a swig of his beer. Everyone shouted in unison at the action.
The garage door opened and closed once again, and Dream waltzed back in with a cardboard pack of beer cans. “Drink up,” He said smoothly, setting it down on the coffee table.
“Okay, uhhh… Phil, truth or dare.”
His attention was violently yanked away from what was in front of him as Dream leaned down from behind the couch, whispering in his ear.
“You know, you don’t have to stay if you’re not having fun,” the blond murmured, voice honey smooth from where it dripped over Techno’s ears.
He felt warm hands around his shoulders, felt the blond’s warm body behind his own, his smooth voice sending funny feelings dancing in his gut. Techno’s ability to form words suddenly flew out the window as he turned his head, meeting Dream’s eye. His pupils were dilated, alcohol making itself evident in his eyes and on his breath.
He didn’t seem too drunk, though. Only tipsy. Techno found it didn’t really matter when their lips were so close that he could feel the other’s warm breath on his cheeks. Dream was blushing, he realized distantly.
“Uh— no, I’m having fun, it’s—“ His breath hitched, his mind unable to do anything but focus on the blond’s presence.
Dream frowned. “Are you sure?”
He nodded, something small and uncertain, then blinked, fighting the cloudy haze that alcohol brought in. “Yeah, I’m good. Don’t worry,” He flashed a small smile, so incredibly nervous that he was sure the blond would call him out on it.
Instead, Dream pulled away, and carefully resumed his spot in between Sapnap’s legs, looking a good deal brighter than he did before. Techno’s lungs deflated, desperately missing the buzzing warmth of Dream’s body and closeness, the smell of his cologne, the feeling of his fingertips gently brushing against his shoulder through his shirt.
He grinned like a stupid school girl with a crush, unable to stop the warm fuzzy feeling that danced in his core.
“Dream, truth or dare?” Phil asked, grinning from ear to ear like he was plotting something mischievous. He couldn’t find it in him to care, too busy basking in the memory of Dream’s touch and listening closely for new melodies of his voice.
Dream took a swig of his beer, setting it down with a wry smile. “Dare.”
Phil’s grin turned sinister. “I dare you to spend seven minutes in heaven with Techno.”
Dream’s face fell, expression morphing into one of surprise, then worry. What did Phil say to him, that fucker? How dare he make Dream upset—
“Wait. What?” Techno spluttered, sitting up as the words processed in his head. Wil practically shrieked, yanking him from his seat and shoving him into a random closet, Dream stumbling in after him after being shoved by Sapnap. The door shut behind them, locking with a click, and then Techno and Dream were alone.
Dream was practically in his arms, gazing up at him in something akin to flustered shock as Techno supported him by his upper arms.
“Sorry,” Techno stammered, letting the blond go as if his skin burned. “Are you alright?”
Dream stared at him for a moment longer, blinking innocently, then finally processed the question, shaking his head and nodding. “W- yeah, ‘m fine.”
They stood in silence, awakes tension blanketing the conversation as they desperately avoided eye contact.
Techno needed to salvage this. He really, really needed to salvage this. If he didn’t do something, Dream would hate him forever because of how stupidly awkward he was and then never talk to him again. He wouldn’t even blame him— this was fucking awful. They were so close to each other in this cramped closet, able to feel each other’s gentle heartbeat and deep breathing…
“So, why—“
“Listen, I—“
Their eyes met, and they both chuckled awkwardly.
“You first,” Techno said softly.
“No, you can go,” Dream mumbled, suddenly looking very shy. The sight was so adorable that he couldn’t really find it in him to argue.
“Well, I was just gonna ask why the hell Sapnap has an empty closet in his living room,” Techno shrugged.
Dream chuckled, brightening a little. “I can actually answer that. He just moved dorms, like, a week ago, so he hasn’t unboxed everything yet and like— filled every room, I guess. He told me he was gonna put all his snacks and shit in here but he said he couldn’t find which box they were in.”
He hummed, chuckling softly at how Dream lit up when he talked about it. “So what were you gonna say?”
Dream hesitated, smile falling once more. He sucked in a breath, like he was about to say something, before pausing, gaze falling to the floor. He brought his hands up and hid behind his palms as he blushed. “Oh my god,” he mumbled.
Techno panicked a little bit, unsure of why Dream was so upset all of a sudden. “Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me if it’s that upsetting—“
“No!” Dream panicked, anxious gaze meeting Techno’s before hiding behind his hands again. “No, I need to… fuck.” He hugged himself tightly, tilting his head to the side as he stared nervously at the floor.
“…you know how Bad had, like, this huge crush on his boyfriend before they got together? Like, head over heels, cartoon character with spinning hearts around his head type crush?”
Techno raised a brow. “Not really, but I’m following so far,” he said lowly.
Dream took a shaky breath. “Well, I mean— I just—“ he hid behind his hands again, then had to almost force himself to pry them back into himself. “I wanted to say… that… I feel the same way… about, you?” He said painstakingly slowly, ending the sentence with a questioning lilt. “Like— crushing, I guess, is what I’m trying to say— fuck.” He covered his blush with his hands again.
Techno fought his way through his words, trying to understand the meaning within them. Dream felt… how? He—
Oh.
Oh.
Dream visored his face from Techno’s view. “I mean— it’s stupid, I know, I just. You don’t have to, like— I don’t know. I wanted to—“
“You,” Techno said slowly. “have a crush on me?”
Dream stayed behind his makeshift visor, but nodded painstakingly slowly. His breath shook anxiously.
The information spun in his head. He was lying, right? Techno was this bumbling, socially reclusive english major with practically zero life skills. How could someone like Dream, who was literally perfect in every single way, like someone like him? He was joking, right? No, he was genuinely anxious— Techno would know. Dream—
Dream had a crush on him.
And oh, wasn’t that an addicting thought?
His lungs deflated, and he brought his hands up to his hair as he chuckled breathlessly. Dream looked up at him, anxiety and nervousness lacing his pretty features.
“I— yeah. It’s stupid, I know— you can just forget I said anything—“
“No, Dream—“ He laughed, hands gently reaching out and holding the blond’s forearms. “I—“
He pursed his lips as he fought back a smile, a thousand different versions of this moment he long imagined running through his head at once. He chose his words carefully. “Dream, the only reason I came to this stupid party is because you were going to be here,” He murmured slowly. Something akin to hope sparkled in Dream’s eyes at his words.
“…but you didn’t even want to come, I— I thought you didn’t like me,” The blond spoke softly.
“I— fuck,” he breathed. “I didn’t want to come because I didn’t want to get drunk and ruin whatever relationship we had with a love struck confession that you would reject,” Techno smiled.
Dream blinked. “…which is exactly what I’m doing right now,” he huffed out a small laugh, burying his face in his hands out of embarrassment rather than anxiety. “Fuck, i’m such an idiot,” he mumbled.
Techno chuckled breathlessly, stepping closer and enveloping the blond in a tight embrace. He felt like he was dreaming— he had hoped for this moment for nearly three semesters now. Where had he even gotten this confidence from— he didn’t know if Dream wanted to hug him or not. He almost made the decision to pull away, but the way that the blond fell into his warmth and relaxed like he belonged there made all his worries fade away.
“Are you gonna remember any of this tomorrow?” Techno mumbled lightheartedly into Dream’s golden spun hair.
Dream moaned in exasperation. “God, I hope not. This was embarrassing.” Techno laughed, soft and free, shifting his weight and swaying the blond gently from side to side as if the entire world revolved around the two of them.
Techno breathed in deeply, basking in the scent of the blond’s cologne, his shampoo. “If you don’t, maybe I’ll set up a candlelit dinner with rose petals and fancy wine, and give you a super romantic confession and a first date with sweet honeymoon vibes and everything.”
Dream pulled away just enough to gaze up at him, face flushed and a shy, tipsy smile on his lips.
“Yeah?” The blond cupped his face, brushing his rosemary hair behind his ear.
“Yeah.”
Dream tasted like honey and beer, sickly sweet and smooth and fucking intoxicating. When they returned to the party, they cast giddy smiles and drunken giggles, their friends eyeing them mischievously.
Techno kept his word. He showered Dream with burning words of affection, expensive wine and rose petals swirling in the mist. And if Dream’s glinting eyes remembered the night before, he didn’t mention a thing as they kissed under the moonlight.