Coniferous | dreamnotnap

6. Copious Cloud

"Can I come in, yet?"

"After he wakes up. Be patient."

———

A bright sun ray and muted clinking sounds arose Sapnap from his sleep.

His eyes fluttered open as he stretched out his back. The soft sheets wrinkled with the movement. He felt amazing. A content smile rested lazily on his lips as he sat up in the bed and stretched some more.

He looked down at the white and lilac sheets.

Calmly, he said, "This is not my bed."

Then it all hit.

He scrambled out of the bed, nearly tripped over the sheets, almost tripped again over his backpack, and swung the door open. He scanned the room in front of him, right to left, ignoring George's bewildered look from where he sat at the dining table with a cup inches from his mouth.

Sapnap saw exactly what he wanted to see. Nothing. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Good morning, George."

"Morning... are you okay?" George set his cup down. His eyes flickered to the front door and back to Sapnap.

"Yeah. Yes, I'm okay."

Sapnap sat down across from George. The latter pushed a plate his way, a slice of bread slathered with butter. He took a bite, swallowed, and mumbled a "thank you."

George tapped his fingers against the table.

"Clay wants to come inside."

The bread in Sapnaps hand was set back on the plate. He folded his fingers together.

"Y'know... he's human, right now. He doesn't shift forms at random... and he's really sweet. He even picked those strawberries for that jam you ate yesterday." George mentioned, an obvious attempt at persuasion.

Sapnap bit his lip.

"He acts human?"

George nodded firmly. "One hundred percent."

They both looked at the front door. While George was visualizing his human lover sitting on the step sulking, Sapnap could only imagine that thing he saw in his tent, could only feel the terror he felt in his gut when he first set eyes on the Dream. The way it hovered over his trembling form, the words it had uttered to him.

I do what I want.

Sapnap shivered. He rubbed his neck, finding it hard to swallow. The statement contradicted what George had told him about control.

"But he's not human." He whispered.

"He is human, just not all human. He's not going to hurt you. Especially not while I'm here. I'd kill him. If he so much as makes you flinch, I'll kick him out. Sound good?"

I do what I want.

"Alright."

George grinned. He stood up and walked to the door with a brisk pace, pulling it open. He stood there for a moment, hiding the view of outside with his body. Sapnap heard voices, but didn't care to pay attention to what was being said. He was too focused on calming his heart and trying to catch a glimpse of Clay. Not a Dream, but Clay, a human.

He felt short of breath.

George pulled the door open farther, letting him in. Only a few paces away, he stood. Clay.

Sapnap felt paralyzed. Him and his nightmare fuel made eye contact for an insufferably long amount of time, until George gave the man beside him a light slap on the arm. Clay glanced at George. The look between those two said a thousand words.

"Hello, I'm Clay and I'm extremely sorry for what I did."

Sapnap blinked. The line oozed with 'This is what I was told to say and I rehearsed this for hours'. So for some reason, it did not make Sapnap want to forgive him. He sighed. At least the first words were out of the way. He stared down at the table, not knowing how to answer without sounding forgiving.

"...He's not saying anything. Did I say something wrong?"

"You expect him to be okay all of a sudden? Love, you pretty much scarred him for life."

"Is that my fault?"

"Yes!" George smacked him. "Dumbass. Go back outside and wait."

"I just came in! I don't wanna go back outside!"

George shook his head and pushed his lover toward the door, who groaned in response. He shut the door behind himself.

George sat back down where he was before, across from Sapnap.

After a brief silence, Sapnap articulated his thoughts, "I thought I would have a hard time getting used to your magic stuff... but that? A literal monster? I don't know if I want that to be something I'll get used to. People would call me crazy."

George pursed his lips. "I'm the only 'people' here."

"What about my mom? My brother, my friends back home? What would they say if I told them I was friends with a Dream- a thing my mother taught me to avoid? I have a song memorized, one she sang, that I use to remind me how to save myself from them. I sing it every night before-..." Sapnap paused. "I didn't sing it last night. God, I should have."

George watched him spiral. He could almost see the dark cloud forming over Sapnaps hair. The sweat on his forehead could have been the raindrops. George raised his fingers slightly off the table, made a circle in the air with his index, and bit back a smile as a little cloud really did form. It was dark, as expected.

Sapnaps brows slowly relaxed. He blinked at the cloud above him.

"What is this?" He mumbled.

He flinched as a cool drop of water fell from it, landing on the tip of his upturned nose. The cloud drifted away, squeezing out more raindrops onto the table, then the floor. It created a little puddle.

Sapnap marvelled as it turned white, and ceased its crying. He only then noticed how his mood had lifted to a gentle calm.

"The calm after the storm." George grinned.

"You did that?"

"Yup." He popped the p. "You were so mesmerized by it. There were stars in your eyes."

Sapnap felt heat in his ears. He coughed, embarrassed. "Well, you... brought a cloud inside... it was just... unexpected?"

"Please, you were absolutely mes-mer-ized. Enthralled, absorbed, transfixed, spellbound. Literally, on that last one."

"Shut up."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about." George laughed. "Don't you feel better, though?"

Sapnap glared at the floor. "I guess."

"Can I let him in, then?"

He sighed. "Before I think about it too much."