ORPHANED

:: ninety-five ::

-500k readers special-

not exactly because i missed it by a little, but holy shit that's a big number. i might not be able to visualize how many people that actually is, but i know it's huge and never in my life would i think i'd be reaching this many people. thank you! you made this quarantine a whole lot more bearable for me :)

—

although wilbur was no sapnap, dream enjoyed his company nonetheless, no longer feeling completely sequestered in the walls of the shop that remained empty for the majority of the day. unlike george, wilbur actually showed up with the intent to get work done, his eyes dedicated to the illuminated screen in front of himself.

instead of inspecting the clock behind himself, dream kept track of time depending on how many cups of straight espresso the brunette on the other side of the counter had ordered.

little was spoken between the two of them.

dream admired the soft music that always played quietly in the warm atmosphere of the coffee shop. he drummed his fingers on the counter, awaiting the faint beep that signaled the end of the wash cycle. he stacked mugs and plates in their respective cupboards underneath the register.

he wiped his hands on his apron, eyes scanning the entirety of the room, searching for anything to occupy his time. with nobody to talk to, and nothing but work to be done, he found himself focusing his energy on anything he could get his hands on. for example, scraping stickers off the bottom of mugs, and wiping down blackboard signs that had gotten muddled the more added onto them.

after many hours of freakishly exhausting labor, dream had finalized all of the responsibilities of the day. he leant against the counter, eyes falling onto wilbur only to look away when he heard the other stop typing. he felt both tired and energized, there were so many other pointless things he wanted to do but he couldn't seem to will his legs to move.

he'd reach for his phone, but honestly there was nothing for him there either. he could text his sister but would it be worth having to open his screen to a picture that reminded him of when times were so simple. before he let his feelings and desperation lead him into kissing someone he actually cared, really deeply for.

his eyes flickered down to the green canvas sneakers he had been wearing so much more often lately. of course he tried to convince himself it was because he was skating so much more, but a part of him knew the only reason he wore them was to remind himself of the pure glee he felt the days he had spent with the man with soft eyes.

eyes that held an unreadable emotion that knocked the breath out of him that night when they sat in the quiet dark. so close together, words leaving his lips the blonde knew he hadn't meant. he felt so caught up in the moment, he knew it was wrong but he didn't expect himself to follow through, he had been able to hold back so many times before, why now, what was different now.

"dream."

wilbur stared at him past the screen of the laptop, with eyes that dream remembered knowing everything about once before. eyes that reminded him of two people, miles apart who he considered to be home away from home.

"you're staring."

dream turned away, feeling a nervous smile and voicing an even more unsure chuckle. "yeah, sorry." his bottom lip found its way in between his teeth

even the morning after he could feel the effects of it, he pushed the feeling down, trying not to acknowledge the drunken events that had taken place before. he was sure the brunette had known then, the way his eyes had lingered on his lips, the feeling so familiar, deepening the blush that mirrored his current flush.

dream glanced at wilbur again before he ran his finger along the edge of the counter, his eyes following the movements of his hands.

he could ask right now.

dream closed his eyes.

he could ask right now.

"dream."

his eyes opened to face wilbur, a closed laptop sat in between them.

"ask me about him."

his breath caught. "what?"

"i can practically see you punching yourself in the face anytime you think about it. go on, ask me about him."

he wasn't sure what to ask, what would give him an answer that would settle the storm that always seemed to rise when he stepped in here alone. "...is he okay?"

wilbur smiled.

"he's alright. he's alright, and i want you to stop worrying about him. it will be a lot easier on the both of you if just focus on yourself for the time being. i promise you'll see him sooner than you think."

dream no longer felt warm, he felt streaks of goosebumps lining his arms, as he tried to still the shivers that shook him to the core.

"ill stop by again sometime soon, you'll be okay?"

dream nodded, but his heart tried to cry out in protest, not knowing how much more time he could go alone.

"you'll be okay." will waved, a reassuring smile plastered onto his face as he stepped out past the glass doors, leaving dream to deal with his problems alone, there was nothing new about that.

it took a few minutes for dream to regain control of his thoughts, he let his mind run rampant as he tried to steady his breathing. it didn't take him long to start panicking about the question he asked. maybe he should've made better use of it.

did willbur tell you about the kiss?

why are you ignoring me?

what happened?

he was lost, there was no other way to describe it. there were plenty of things that could've gone wrong and he just wanted to know what it was exactly that led to this. he shouldn't have let it slip his mind before, it should've been the first thing they talked about when they woke up. perhaps then they could've solved the problem then and there.

just focus on yourself for now, you don't know whats going on with him and you don't have to spend time worrying about it.

i cant just let it go like that.

his hands pried at his eyes.

—

why are there so many shirt fabrics that are see through? i promise you if i'm wearing a shirt i don't want people to see what's underneath it