Heavenstruck (Guardian Angel AU)

Goggles

"Who's this ratty homeless man who showed up on my doorstep? How'd you get my address?"

"I hate you, Dream."

"And he knows my name." Dream laughed and scrunched his nose to make his next words nasally. That's what witches sounded like, right? "Welcome to my lair, Sappitus Nappitus."

George's laughter rang out in the room while Sapnap entered, his suitcase trailing behind him.

"Not too happy at being called that," Sapnap said, "but thanks for letting me stay here. Really."

Dream shrugged. "It's nothing. Do you want the bed or the couch?"

"Let's be honest here. Would you really let me have your bed?"

"No."

"Knew it."

The rest of the night was spent pulling out various boardgames Dream didn't know he owned and yelling at each other for "cheating," because apparently cheating at boardgames was a thing either of the two would know how to do. George had the courtesy of keeping quiet for most of the night, though even the threat of Dream saying the wrong thing at the wrong time wasn't enough to keep him from throwing out the occasional insult.

But eventually, the night came to an end.

Dream dug through a closet and tossed out a light blanket in Sapnap's direction. When he turned around, he was met with Sapnap's best cosplay of a ghost.

"You want some scissors to cut out eye holes in that?" Dream said.

A storm of chuckles erupted from underneath the blanket. "I'd rather have—"

"Go to sleep, Sapnap. Your pickup line quota resets tomorrow."

There was no reply, but Dream could recognize the beginnings of a snore when he heard it. Sapnap being able to sleep sitting upright was nothing new.

Dream lifted the blanket just enough for air to pass into and out of the space underneath before stretching his arms. The floor was littered with stray game pieces that would be picked up next morning when his eyes weren't half-drooped over his face—

His foot caught on the Game of Life box. How fitting.

Dream's heart leapt to his throat as his body dropped closer and closer to the ground. Then right when his nose was an inch from the ground, a pair of hands caught him.

"You're later than usual," Dream said as he was brought to stand upright.

George snorted and rolled his eyes. "Just reminding you of your place. Can you get to bed already? It's prime accidental death time."

"Gee, thanks." Still, Dream walked carefully to his room, mindful of the game pieces they had left haphazardly lying on the ground. When he shut the door behind him, he remembered.

"Wait," Dream said, "we don't have a bed for you."

George shrugged. "I don't need to sleep. Just because I get tired doesn't mean it's from sleep deprivation."

"But it does help."

"My performance doesn't really depend on sleep. I'll still save you after you make some stupid mistake, sleep or no sleep."

"That's not really what I'm concerned about."

George blinked, and Dream wondered just how disconnected George was from the concept of friendship.

"Just because you don't need sleep doesn't mean I don't want you to get some," Dream said. "Isn't that what humans spend most of their life doing?"