head in the clouds

love and care

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Dream has a cold :(

—

Dream sniffles as he rubs his nose with his sleeve, huddling closer to his caregiver.

Despite being swaddled up in his duvet, a crocheted blanket, and a pair of warm arms, he is still shivering. It feels a little bit like his skin is on fire, but in a way that makes him feel cold as ice.

"Papa," he whimpers. He hates this, hurting all over.

Sapnap, whose chest Dream is resting on, rubs a gentle hand over his back.

"I know baby," he says softly, almost like an apology. "The medicine you took should start helping soon though, alright? Just give it a little more time."

All Dream can do is close his eyes and trust the process, slipping away into a light sleep. If Sapnap says it, he thinks, then it must be true.

...

The past few days have been tiresome, to say the least.

Dream came down with a cold just before the weekend, and it continued to worsen throughout the following Saturday and Sunday. His throat got scratchier, his forehead warmer, and his congestion even more... congested.

Today is Monday and Dream still isn't feeling much better. Although he would be lying if he said it has been all bad. George and Sapnap have been coddling him to no end ever since his fever started, treating him with all the love and care in the world. Their little prince.

Bringing him Tylenol and cold flannels, bundling him up in hoodies and wooly socks, and always making sure that he's getting enough liquids. Whenever Dream has agreed to take yucky cough syrup, he has been rewarded with yummy things, like his favorite ice lolly and spoonfuls of raspberry jam (homemade, an annual gift from his mom).

And Dream can't deny that he has loved the attention, preening under each and every one of their loving actions and soothing words. Nothing makes him feel tinier and more protected than when his friends take care of him.

...

What pulls Dream out of his feverish sleep, is the feeling of something hurting. This sharp stinging in his eyes. Slightly disoriented, he blinks a few times to try to make it go away, but that only acts to make the pain worse. His hands move up instinctively to rub at the soreness, a small whine escaping from dry lips.

Sapnap is quick to notice his distress. He wraps his fingers around Dream's wrists and pulls them down from his face gently.

"Hey, hey. Careful with your eyes, honey," he scolds softly.

Dream whines again, blinking hard a few times. "Hur's, papa."

"Your eyes hurt?" Sapnap asks, gaining a pouty nod.

The brunet turns to their third friend who is lounging in the armchair closest to them. "Hey George," he calls out, careful not to raise his voice too much.

"Hm?" George looks up from his phone.

"Get over here for a second, Dream says his eyes hurt." Sapnap nods to the boy in his arms.

George glances down at Dream, his expression softening visibly. "Well that's no good," he says with a sigh and stands from his seat.

Bleary eyes watch as George walks over and crouches down in front of the couch. "Let's have a look, then," George trails off, placing a gentle hand on his cheek and tilting Dream's face down a little.

His eyebrows furrow ever so slightly in concentration as he examines Dream's eyes carefully, letting out a hum. "Yeah... they look a bit red I'm afraid." George pulls back on his heels and turns to Sapnap, "Must be from his cold."

A poke to his cheek diverts his attention back to Dream who is smiling dazedly at him, amused by how close their faces are. Only now does he realize how much better he feels compared to before he fell asleep earlier, filled with a bit more energy than he has had this whole weekend.

George smiles right back at him before putting his hands on his thighs, preparing to stand up. "I'm gonna go get you some eye drops, okay?"

"Okay," Dream says with a sniffle.

As soon as George has disappeared up the stairs, Dream turns to look up at Sapnap. "Eye drops?" He asks, repeating what George said.

Sapnap brings a hand up to brush through blond curls. "That's right, Georgie's getting you some eye drops. It's just salt water to make your eyes feel better," he explains.

After some thought, Dream nods. "Eye drops."

Moments later, George appears on the staircase again, making Dream light up.

"There he is," Sapnap says with a smile, giving his waist a light squeeze.

George is smiling too as he walks back over to them and crouches down in front of Dream like he did before. There is something that looks like a tiny plastic bottle in his left hand.

"Alright, are you ready?" He asks, slightly out of breath from his quick trip upstairs. He uses his right hand to brush some stray curls from Dream's face.

Feeling uneasy about this whole thing, Dream looks at Sapnap for approval who nods encouragingly. So Dream turns to George and nods too, tightening his grip slightly on Sapnap's hand.

George offers him an easy smile. "Just look up for me, okay? Focus on the ceiling," he instructs. Dream peers upward, locking his gaze on one of the little circular downlights.

Two fingers touch under his left eye and pull gently at the skin. With his other hand, George positions the little plastic bottle right by the waterline.

Dream whines at the uncomfortable feeling, but is quickly appeased by Sapnap's soft shushing. "You're okay, baby. It'll be over so quick."

George squeezes a couple of droplets in, and Dream blinks rapidly at the sensation. Predictably, it felt like getting water in his eye.

"Alright. One down, one to go," George says. "You're doing so well, Dream."

He then repeats the process with Dream's right eye, managing to get at least one droplet in before Dream whines and squeezes his eyes shut, pulling away and burying his face in Sapnap's sweater. He hasn't liked this one bit.

"All done!" The bottle quickly gets set aside and Sapnap pulls Dream closer, placing a kiss on the side of his head.

"Hear that, baby?" He murmurs right by the boy's ear. "We're all done. That was it." Dream's hand is still clutching onto his, and Sapnap rubs soothing circles on it with his thumb.

A second later, George is back in front of them holding out a familiar pacifier, having grabbed it from its forgotten place on a sofa pillow. He offers it to a teary-eyed Dream who turns to face him after Sapnap gives him a tap.

Once Dream spots the yellow soother, his lips part for it automatically, and he starts suckling on it as soon as it settles on his tongue. It works like magic, smoothing all tension from his face and making his tense shoulders sink into the pillow behind him.

George strokes his cheek, his head tilted to line his gaze up with Dream's. "Can I get you anything, lovey? Something to drink, maybe?"

All he gets in response is a slow shake of the head from Dream before he snuggles into Sapnap's neck.

"Okay, darling. You get some more rest."

George then shares a few parting words with Sapnap, Dream thinks he picks up the words "start" and "dinner" before his footsteps recede away out of the room.

Dream curls up to Sapnap with a congested sigh, warm cheek resting on a soft shoulder. His pacifier bobs in his mouth, clicking softly every time it nudges against the side of Sapnap's throat. But Sapnap doesn't mind, as he so rarely does, and lets his hand rest gingerly on the small of Dream's back.

—

1311 words

happy december 1st! <3

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