The Color Blue || Dreamnotfound

Chapter 1: Chess

Sweat was dripping down Dream's forehead as his heart pounded a frantic beat in the cage of his ribs. He steepled his fingers beneath his chin and narrowed his eyes, calculating the best move to obliterate the opposition. His opponent sat across from him, face partially obscured by the video camera set up they had hanging above the chess board, offering the watchers a perfect view of their game and hands.

After Dream's face reveal six months ago after George had finally moved in with him and Sapnap, people have been begging him for a face cam. He was still slightly uncomfortable because he wasn't used to the idea that people would be able to see his face and reactions throughout the stream. He was secure in his appearance, yes. But there was just something... too vulnerable... about millions of people watching his every movement. Besides. He wasn't like George, who regularly showed his face. He wasn't like George, with his pretty face and pretty smile and pretty hair and...

And anyway, Dream was used to the anonymity and the safety of his mask, and he was content with the current hand cam that he had going on at the moment.

This was the second stream he and George were doing together in which part of his body was visible. On his own channel, Dream occasionally used a hand cam, giving the viewers a front row seat to his rapid mouse clicking. Sometimes he even had a Patches cam. Each time he was visible, the Internet broke all over again.

Dream, George, and Sapnap first met in high school, with George being an exchange student from England and Dream being his host family for the time being. Even when George returned to England for college, the three still remained best friends.

Now, they all lived together and hung out regularly each day. Sometimes they played Minecraft together in the same room, or board games like the one Dream and George were playing tonight while Sapnap took a nap. Chess... a game of strategy and skill that required full concentration. Yet Dream's concentration went to shit every time George spoke or even looked at him.

"Chat, I'm gonna beat him," George was saying from across Dream, a smile evident in his voice. "Just you wait. After he makes a move, I'm going to completely—"

Finally Dream moved his knight to F3, putting George's king in peril.

"Checkmate," Dream said with a victorious grin.

The Twitch viewers bombarded the chat with thousands of "OOOOs" and "L's" and GeorgeNotFound emotes, along with the occasional Twitter link for fanart, and a comment here or there shipping DreamNotFound.

George's mouth straightened, and he plopped his head into his hand. He looked hopelessly at the chess board.

"So," Dream said, leaning forward with eagerness. "Wanna go again? Best twelve out of fifteen? I'll go easy on you this time." It was getting late—almost midnight—but Dream didn't want to go to sleep. He wanted to stay up and talk to George, like how they used to over Discord all those nights before. But now, George was really here, in the flesh. Instead of hearing him through his headphones, muffled and from an ocean away, Dream got to listen in a way he never has before.

"I don't know," George said, switching the webcam to show his face instead of their hands. He turned to look at the computer monitor to his left, reading chat and responding to a few of the donos he missed. "'Hi George, I just wanted to say I love you and tell Dream I love him too and that he's a pissbaby.'"

Dream chuckled under his breath.

George smiled, looking away from Dream. "Thank you, KarinaNotFound, for the dono, and yeah, Dream is a pissbaby."

"You would know," Dream murmured, fiddling with the chess pieces still on the board and watching chat.

"Yeah, I would. Should we tell them, Dream?"