Chapter Text
“We’re gonna go to breakfast, wanna come?” Dream asked, leaning against the doorway of Sapnap’s room. Sapnap glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow in slight confusion.
“Sunday breakfasts’ are your guys’ date thing,” Sapnap said, and Dream nodded slowly as if he wasn’t getting the point. “It’s a date thing. For a couple . I am not part of that.”
“And?” Dream asked, “Do you want to come to breakfast or not?”
“I swear to god if you’re pranking me this early in the fucking morning-”
“Dude. Answer the question,” Dream said, clearly not expecting Sapnap to react this way.
Sapnap stared at him for a moment, “Fine, I guess. If you’re being serious.”
“Breakfast is a dumb thing to prank about. We’re getting ready now and leaving in 20,” Dream said, moving to close Sapnap’s door.
“How fancy do I need to be?” Sapnap called, and Dream gave him a playful glare.
“Just look presentable, we’re going out into public,” Dream deadpanned, and Sapnap gave him an over the top thumbs up. Dream laughed gently, before shutting Sapnap’s door so he could get dressed.
Sapnap sighed, staying in his bed for a moment before getting up to get dressed. He checked the weather, just in case. It was cool today, rather than most days, so he went with simple jeans, and a black button up. He left the top two or three unbuttoned. Then he moved to grab his nice shoes. His hair had been growing out, and he tried taming it with a brush, and most of it decided to work with him, but there were some stubborn cowlicks that wouldn’t go down. He decided he looked nice enough.
He went downstairs, perfect timing for George and Dream to walk out of their room, which was, in fact, down stairs as well. Dream in jeans, green flannel with the sleeves rolled up, unbuttoned to a black undershirt, and George in jeans as well in a blue crewneck sweater, sleeves rolled up just a bit on his forearm. They looked nice.
“So he does have nice clothes!” George teased, and Sapnap flipped him off playfully.
“I’m like 90% sure I bought and sent that shirt to you on christmas a year ago,” Dream teased, and Sapnap rolled his eyes.
“Actually, my mommy bought it for me,” Sapnap played along, getting a laugh out of all of them. “You sure you want me tagging along?”
“I asked, did I not?” Dream hummed, and Sapnap puffed his cheeks out slightly. “Plus, you’re already so nicely dressed, why waste it? C’mon.”
Sapnap mumbled something under his breath that the other two either didn’t notice or didn’t care to ask about as they walked out. George’s hand went to his hair. Sapnap, reflectively, moved his head before he realized George wasn’t gonna do him harm. George didn’t comment.
“Growin’ your hair out?” He asked, and Sapnap shrugged as he walked to the backseat of the car.
“Just haven’t gone to get it cut, I guess,” Sapnap said once they were all in the car.
“I like it, personally,” Dream hummed, starting the car up. George shrugged, glancing back at Sapnap, smiling slightly before turning forward to control the music.
Thankfully, George put on music they all knew and could sing along too, even if it wasn’t blasting and aggressively bad singing like you would do on a road trip, since it was almost 9:30 am and none of them had that kind of energy yet, it was still nice.
Dream pulled up to their usual breakfast spot, and Sapnap didn’t question. He didn’t know what he thought was gonna happen anyway. They all hopped out, Dream locked the car as they all walked in. It was a cozy little diner type thing, and the waitress was already, very clearly, expecting their arrival.
“There you two are! And you brought a friend! Lovely,” She smiled beckoning them to walk to what Sapnap assumed was their usual booth. It was a corner booth, so Dream was pressed between the two of them(not really, since Sapnap didn’t sit nearly as close to Dream as George did), and the waitress laid out the silverware and menus.
“What can I get for you guys to drink this week?” She asked, not grabbing her notepad as you would expect. Interesting.
“My usual water with lemon,” George smiled, and she nodded, looking at Dream.
“Orange juice,” Dream smiled, and again, she nodded before turning to Sapnap.
“Another, orange juice, please,” He said, almost timidly.
“Sounds great, I’ll get those right out and give you time to relook, or look, over the menus!” She pipped, before leaving to get their drinks.
“Usual server I’m guessing?” Sapnap asked, and Dream nodded, glancing down at his menu.
“Yea, she’s great,” George hummed, not bothering to glance since he was gonna get what he usually did.
“Get whatever you want,” Dream hummed, “Which means, don’t look at pricing. I’m paying, so get whatever, and I mean whatever you want, Sap.”
Sapnap made a pouty face, despite what a lot of their friends thought, Sapnap was really careful with money, especially if it’s someone else's. He’s not scared to spend, nor does he go out of his way to keep himself from spending, but he does like being cautious with other people’s earnings.
George nudged him gently with his foot underneath the table, and Sapnap glanced at him, but George didn’t seem to notice he’d done it, or that his foot was still pressed against his leg. Sapnap shrugged it off, looking back at the menu. To be fair, the cheapest thing was oatmeal or grits, not that those were bad, but Sapnap just wasn’t in the mood for either.
However, there were pancakes that had chocolate syrup, strawberries, and whipped cream served with bacon (or sausage) with eggs. That was most definitely calling Sapnap’s name, but it was 13.99. While Sapnap didn’t know much about pancake pricing, it was over 10 bucks, which seemed extra for a breakfast meal.
“Gonna get your usual?” Dream asked, looking at George who nodded as he closed up the menu. He’d taken a glance at it, just to double check he didn’t want anything else, but evidently, he’d just get what he usually would. Not that Sapnap knew what that was.
“And what’re you gonna get?” George asked, looking at Sapnap, Dream did as well. Sapnap shrugged, glancing at the cheaper pancakes that were around 8 bucks.
“Probably some pancakes,” Sapnap mumbled, smiling slightly at the two of them.
“Ooh, the ones with the chocolate and strawberries are good,” Dream mumbled, moving closer to look at his menu, as if he didn’t have his own. Sapnap shrugged.
“It’s 14 bucks, dude,” Sapnap said, and Dream raised an eyebrow with a amused smirk, and Sapnap groaned at the face. “I’m not letting you spend 14 dollars on me for breakfast . I’m already…invading your Sunday dates.”
“Who said you were invading?” George asked, tilting his head slightly.
“No one…it’s just. You guys do this almost every week, it’s…it a you thing. It’s what you two do together,” Sapnap mumbled.
“We have other stuff we do together,” Dream rationalized. “You’re not invading, Sapnap. We want you here. Feels like we don’t see you enough anymore.”
“We live in the same house,” Sapnap deadpanned.
“When was the last time we had dinner together, all three of us?” Dream asked, and Sapnap’s mind came up blank.
Dream worked a lot during the week, usually didn’t get home until late, around 8 or 9 pm. By then, everyone was tired, and while they were young, long days, weeks, and months take a toll on social batteries. Sapnap and George ate together sometimes, but usually Sapnap would just eat in his room while doing his college homework. George was actively searching for, but hasn’t found luck, in getting a job and just does under the table work until he can find a proper one. So, Dream has a point. The weekends were a chance, but everyone slept in, went out, the couple had their date nights and Sapnap went out with friends. Sure, they see each other everyday, hang out together before Dream has to go to work at noon, but they haven’t actually sat down and ate together and had a conversation in at least a month or two.
“Okay, so it has been a while,” Sapnap said, after thinking about it. “But it’s still your guys’ thing-”
“That started by accident,” George mumbled, “And we’ve been planning to bring you to breakfast or lunch or dinner for weeks. It was just today that Dream’s memory decided to fix itself.”
“Your memory isn’t any better,” Dream mumbled, and George shrugged. “Either way, Sap, we want you here. And I want you to get whatever you want, so forget about pricing, okay? It’s good to indulge sometimes.”
“Pancakes with extra sugar is indulging?” Sapnap asked.
“Literally, yes,” Dream said, and Sapnap laughed softly, shaking his head as the waitress came back, setting their drinks on the table.
“Apologies for the delay, hard table this morning. We ready?” She asked, and Dream nodded.
“No worries. I’ll just take the usual eggs, sausage and hashbrowns,” George smiled, handing her the menu, and she happily took it before looking at Dream.
“He’ll do the Strawberry Chocolate Stack with bacon, eggs scrambled,” Dream said, and Sapnap kicked him under the table, but smiled as he handed her the menu. “And I’ll do the Sunny French toast.” He smiled, handing her the last menu.
“You got it!” She chirped, before moving to go put their orders in.
“I hate you,” Sapnap decided, and Dream smiled.
“Love you too, Sap,” He hummed.
The three fell into easy conversation after that, and by three we mean Sapnap listened and sometimes put in input, because this was George and Dream’s time together, and Sapnap was just here to eat.
Watching the two interact was sweet. It wasn’t a shocker when the two started dating. The way the two acted and drifted towards each other was a clear start to their relationship. The side glances and the touches, it was so clear from high school, where George and them first met.
Sapnap would’ve been jealous if he didn’t think they were so perfect for each other. They contrast and perfect each other so much, sometimes Sapnap just felt like…a ghost. Floating around while his two best friends thrive around him. It’s not like they actively did it, they weren’t dicks, they were just busy and still working out their own lives while trying to manage a healthy relationship.
Besides, Sapnap didn’t know if he felt lonely, or if he wanted to be a part of it.
“Sap,” Dream said, nudging Sapnap gently when the other got drifted into his own mind.
Sapnap blinked, eyes feeling dry as if he hadn’t blinked in hours. He glanced over at his friends, “Yeah? What?” He hummed, and George snorted a laugh, taking a sip of his water.
“Wanna run around town? Look through different antique shops? Maybe do some clothes shopping, have a day together?” Dream asked, “ With you. No trying to seclude yourself.” Sapnap smiled knowingly.
“Sure, if you seem to insistent,” Sapnap mumbled, and Dream smiled happily, looking over at George.
George smiled at the two of them, his foot nudging Sapnap again. Sapnap would’ve thought he was trying to nudge Dream, if he didn’t know that it had to be intentional with the way they were sitting.
“Dream, he’s kicking me,” Sapnap complained, and George rolled his eyes.
“No I’m not, my legs are crossed and one happens to be pressed against his,” George calmly explained.
“He’s kicked me twice now,” Sapnap said with a playful smile, Dream just rolled his eyes, taking a sip of George’s water, and George pushed him away gently as Dream laughed.
Sapnap watched them interact again. Part of him wanted to do that, wanted to take the glass and take a swig even if it was just water with some sugar and lemon in it. To share a moment like that. Instead, he just grabbed his own OJ and took a sip, averting his eyes to look around the little breakfast place. It was cute, homey, small and didn’t seem very well-known, most of the people in there were either older, or teens looking for a good milkshake to study with. He could see why the two liked coming here so much.
Their breakfast came, and holy shit if it wasn’t some of the best pancakes Sapnap had ever tasted in his life. The fluffiness mixed with the sweetness of the chocolate and the refreshing taste of the strawberries was amazing, and the bacon and eggs were just as amazing, the eggs fluffy and cheesy, the sausage cooked to absolute perfection, juicy and bursting with the most amazing flavors. Sapnap almost didn’t want to have any other sort of breakfast again.
“I hate both of you,” Sapnap decided halfway through their meal.
“What’d we do now?” Dream asked, after swallowing a mouthful of French Toast.
“You didn’t fucking tell me how good this place was. I could’ve been getting breakfast before school daily. How dare you keep this place of pure perfection a secret. I hate you both,” Sapnap said, and George laughed through a mouthful of eggs.
“Our apologies, Sap,” George hummed, and Sapnap glanced up at him.
“I guess you’re forgiven, but only because I wanna come back,” Sapnap declared, and they all broke out into gentle giggles, George nudging him again. Sapnap ignored it again, deciding not to look into it anymore.
Dream paid, like he said he would, and Sapnap almost felt bad. But those pancakes were too good, so he didn’t really feel bad. He did add a little extra to the tip though, when Dream wasn’t looking. George caught him, but pretended to zip his lips shut and Sapnap smiled at his silliness.
After breakfast, Dream took them downtown to do the store hopping and shopping.
*8*
Dream wasn’t kidding about getting new shit. The three of them got more clothes, ended up changing out of their Sunday Morning Breakfast attire into something more comfortable, by that, we mean Sapnap changed out his shirt for a t-shirt and hoodie, Dream put on some looser pants, and George didn’t actually change cause he was already comfortable.
More clothes were in the backseat, but right now they were in what Sapnap would call a grandma shop, filled with old trinkets and collectibles. One thing caught his eye, though, a violin.
He stepped over to it, physically it looked in decent shape, and the bow with it didn’t seem damaged at all. Sapnap couldn’t imagine why the lady would be selling it.
“Do you play?” The lady asked, stepping over, catching Dream and George’s attention from the porcelain birds they were looking at.
“I used to,” Sapnap nodded, “Once I got into college and moved, some movers guy broke my violin and I never got it fixed.”
“You never told me that,” Dream mumbled, and Sapnap shrugged.
“Don’t have much time for it anymore anyway,” Sapnap hummed, looking back at the instrument. “Though it would be nice to get back in to. I did love playing…”
“Well, then take it,” The lady said, “Free of charge, even. It’s my daughter’s, but she was gonna throw it out for no good reason other than she doesn’t play anymore. It’s still in perfect working condition. Probably needs to be tuned, but that’s about it.”
“Oh, I shouldn’t, I’m sure someone else could make better use of it-“ Sapnap started.
“Or, you could get back into it. You’ve played really well before,” Dream said. “And I know you loved it.”
“I didn’t even know you still knew how to play,” George chuckled, and Sapnap shrugged softly.
“Alright, I guess I’ll take it,” Sapnap hummed, and the woman smiled, leaning to hand him the violin.
“Here, I’ll get you the case for it. I kept it in the back because people kept kicking it over,” She explained, leaving the three alone for a moment.
“Why didn’t you tell me it broke? I could’ve gotten it fixed for you,” Dream said softly.
“Like I said, I just didn’t have time anymore,” Sapnap shrugged, looking down at the violin that was now in his hands.
“Sap, you got that when you were really got into it, it was one of your favorite things, you should’ve told me,” Dream said, a small pout on his face that Sapnap couldn’t tell if it was real or not. “Plus I missed hearing you play.”
“The annoying loud screeches of a violin you missed ?” Sapnap asked.
“You weren’t that bad once you really got into it,” Dream deadpanned, “We all have a starting point, and you passed yours.”
The lady came back, setting the case down on a table and allowing Sapnap to put the instrument away.
“Are you sure you wanna just give it to us? I can pay you whatever price you were asking for it,” Dream offered, and the lady just shook her head with a kind scoff.
“No need, I know how pricey instruments are, and it can be really discouraging. I’m hoping this encourages you to try again, at least,” She said, and Sapnap nodded.
“At least let me give you something,” Dream said, and the woman smiled.
“If you find anything else, I’ll be in the front,” she said, having put her foot down about the free price of the violin.
“I’m about ready to buy everything in this store to match that violin price,” Dream mumbled, and George chuckled, shaking his head.
“C’mon, let’s actually buy something,” George encouraged.
Eventually they left that store with a violin, and a music box that George fell in love with.
They went around town like that, finding weird shops and buying shit they just saw and liked, Dream paid for a lot of it despite Sapnap (and George’s) protests. Then lunch rolled around, so they sat down at a sandwich place with a seating area on the patio. George had his white sunglasses on, since he was sitting directly in the sun, Sapnap’s back was towards it, and Dream was sitting on the side.
They chatted mindlessly, eating at a slower pace than usual because of their conversation. George started nudging at his leg again, and once again, Sapnap ignored it.
Instead he focused on how the sunlight bounced off Dream dirty blond hair, and how it made his skin glow and his freckles show up more. His green flannel had at one point been replaced by a hoodie, the wind probably sent a shiver through him at one point despite it being Florida, and Jesus, had Sapnap never noticed how good his jawline was? Not too sharp, but not too soft either. Damn.
And George, despite the ridiculous glasses, still looked great, his hair had become wild because of the wind, but Sapnap was digging the look honestly. The way his fingers flexed every time he grabbed something almost entranced Sapnap, but he tried hard to keep his focus on the conversation.
Sometimes you really gotta admire the beautiful people in your life. Especially if they’re your best friends, because holy fuck they’re pretty.
“Sap,” Dream said, tapping Sapnap's shoulder gently to catch his attention again.
“Hmm?” Sapnap hummed, snapping out of, yet again, another daze.
“You good man? The fresh air gettin’ to ya or somthin’?” He asked, and Sapnap shook his head with a small chuckled.
“No just…thinking,” Sapnap said, taking a sip of his soda.
“Penny for your thoughts,” George offered, and Sapnap shook his head immediately. They’d freak, knowing he was checking them both out, calling them pretty in his mind, (perhaps drooling a little bit), but they were homies. It’s what homies do.
“Oooh, someone's got a secret,” Dream teased, and Sapnap rolled his eyes.
“No I was just…” Sapnap started, and George raised an eyebrow expectedly, though it was covered by the glasses Sapnap could see the crease of his forehead “nothing,” Sapnap finished.
“Well now I gotta know,” Dream insisted, and George agreed.
“Seriously it’s nothing at all what you think, so just drop it, okay? Back to whatever…you two were talking about,” Sapnap insisted.
“Sap,” Dream said, in the tone that said he wasn’t gonna drop it. Sapnap just sat back in his chair and slowly slipped his soda from the straw.
Dream leaned his head on the back of his hands, which were standing on the table and folded together, giving Sapnap a look only a best friend could give. Sapnap groaned.
“Fucking Christ, I was thinking about how…pretty you both look today, okay? Leave me the hell alone about it,” Sapnap muttered, not liking that Dream could so easily crack his walls.
“Aweh, you think I’m pretty?” Dream said, a small smile on his lips. Sapnap gently kicked him from underneath the table, and Dream winced with a pout.
“You’re pretty too, Sap,” George said, his tone not as teasing.
Sapnap accidentally hummed his disbelief out loud, he must’ve, but then Dream was giving him another look only best friends could give.
“I know you didn’t just insinuate that you’re not pretty,” Dream said, and Sapnap's eyes widened slightly.
“I didn’t say anything!” Sapnap defended himself.
“I know that hum, don’t try me,” Dream said in a playful, warm tone. “You’re very pretty, Sap. No disagreements.”
Sapnap just slowly took a bite of his food, electing not to allow his mouth to betray him anymore. George nudged him again, Sapnap was going to kick him too.
“The pretty trio,” George hummed before snorting gently as Dream laughed.
“Says the one with pretty privilege,” Dream said.
“Objectively, we all have pretty privilege, so shut your mouth,” George warned, and Dream shrugged.
“ I hate you both,” Sapnap decided, and Dream smiled.
“We love you too,” Dream responded, and Sapnap took another bite of his sandwich.
*8*
When they finally did make it home, they had to sort out all the stupid little things they bought that gave each of them a serotonin boost. Apparently, instruments were a big thing today, because George found a ukulele and absolutely refused to let Dream buy it and bought it himself instead. Dream promised to get him back somehow.
So, both George and Sapnap had new instruments in the house, which was cool, listening to George mess around and tune it carefully, before playing something that actually sounded nice. He smiled when he got a good sound of it, doing a small bounce before setting it down. Sapnap had quickly run upstairs to get his tuner from his old violin case, since Dream was insisting he at least tune it.
And he did, he took his time properly tuning it, and carefully because he didn’t know how fragile it was, he didn’t know the strength of the string, stuff like that. It did take him time, but eventually, each string was in tune, and he decided to at least try to play a note.
Almost as if it was a habit, he moved the instrument to its place, grabbed the bow, and slowly played the lowest note, which actually came out better than he assumed it would, a beautiful sound played from the strings, and Sapnap smiled slightly to himself.
“I forgot how natural you looked with a violin in your hands,” Dream hummed as Sapnap put it down and placed it back in the case.
“Forgot how natural it felt,” Sapnap said, nodding in slight agreement as he closed it and placed it aside. “Maybe I’ll get out some of my old sheet music, and play something for real. For now, let’s finish going through our shit.”
George eventually had a pile of stuff that had no rhyme or reason. The music box, a pair of new sunglasses that did not match the ones he already had, a necklace with a dove charm that he placed around his neck, and little things like that. Along with the clothes they’d gotten before going around the old shops.
“Dream, what the fuck is that thing?” Sapnap asked, pointing at smiley face masked. Creepy as shit, and Sapnap didn’t remember Dream buying it.
“Something I found at one of the shops, it was hanging on the wall, and it looked funny, so she gave it to me for free,” Dream said, putting the mask up to his face. “What? Don’t like it?” He asked, tilting his head slowly to the side.
“Like, actually fuck you, I hate it,” Sapnap mumbled, scooting away. “Dude seriously, stop. You know I hate freaky shit!”
“Okay! Okay, relax,” Dream laughed, putting the mask down. “It’s just a stupid thing. It reminded me of Earl’s halloween costume, so I figured I’d give it to him as a joke or something.”
“I actually hate you,” Sapnap groaned, standing to get some water.
“Love you too!” Dream called as Sapnap walked into the kitchen.
Later, everything was in everyone's respective rooms; despite Dream and George technically sharing a room, they each had their own spaces. They shared Dream’s room, but George had his own for whenever he needed a break. Dream and George had been watching movies on the couch, Sapnap was in his room doing his college work for the day. His ears were filled with music from his headphones, silently vibing on his bed as he wrote down notes from the online lesson.
He jumped when the door opened, yanking his earbuds out before realizing it was just Dream. He exhaled, shaking his head. Usually, Dream gave him a warning, unless the door was just wide open, guess his headphones blocked him out.
“Sorry, I did knock,” Dream smiled, and Sapnap nodded.
“Yeah, listening to music, it’s my bad. What’s up?” He asked, biting his lip subconsciously.
“Stop biting. Wanted to know if you wanted to come watch a movie with us,” Dream offered, and Sapnap released his lip immediately while he checked the time, and then the amount of work he had done. He clicked his tongue, debating. Dream wouldn’t force him, knowing school (despite how much Sapnap hated it) was important to him, but he also needed a break.
“One couldn’t hurt,” Sapnap settled, and Dream nodded, smiling as Sapnap closed his laptop, set his stuff aside and followed Dream downstairs. He promised he’d be there in a moment, stepping into the kitchen to get some water.
“Dream! Come get your freaky mask!” Sapnap called, seeing the smiling mask on the counter.
“It’s in my room!” Dream called back.
“No, the fuck it’s not!” Sapnap said, grabbing it, stepping out from behind the wall that separated the kitchen and holding up for Dream to see. Dream stared at him in confusion.
“I put it in my room, I swear to god,” Dream mumbled, standing and grabbing it from Sapnap slowly.
“Clearly you didn’t,” George hummed from the couch, seemingly unbothered.
“Why would I leave it in the kitchen of all places?” Dream asked, looking back at George, who shrugged in response. “Whatever, back in my room you go.”
“You better not be fucking with me,” Sapnap said, and Dream glanced at him. “Seriously, the creepy mask in the kitchen?”
“Dude, why would I fuck with you like that?” Dream said, sounding seriously genuine. “I know you hate this kind of shit. Yeah, I fucked with you earlier by pretending to wear it, but that’s like it. I like slightly freaking you out, not traumatizing you.”
“If it makes you feel any better, he hasn’t moved since we started watching movies, especially in the kitchen. He got up to get you and that’s it,” George backed him up, and Sapnap sighed.
“Alright, I believe you,” Sapnap said, and Dream nodded before going back to his room to put the fucking thing away as Sapnap got his water and sat down on the recliner.
“He’s gonna tell you to sit with us, I don’t see why you’re bothering to try not to,” George said, without looking up from his phone.
“Has he been acting weird to you?” Sapnap asked, and George glanced at him.
“No?” George said, sounding more like he was questioning than anything.
“Really? Inviting me on your guys’ Sunday date, and then to watch movies? That’s not weird to you?” Sapnap asked.
“Just wants to spend time with you, man,” George reasoned, looking back at his phone.
“Why? He has you,” Sapnap said before he could stop himself, and George froze for a moment, turning to face Sapnap again, opening his mouth to respond, but Dream returned before he could start.
“Safe and sound in my closet, He promised, sitting back down. “Sap, you know I’m gonna say it,” He hummed. Sapnap groaned, but moved to sit next to them on the couch. Dream seemed happy as he started the movie, but George kept glancing at him, something unreadable in his eyes.