Playing the Game (DNF)

6

Dream flips over in his bed. After hours of trying, he gave up on going to sleep. The clock reads a quarter till 7 AM. The house is dead quiet, except for the fan blasting white noise through his room.

He sighs and sits up in his bed, rubbing his tired eyes. He sits for a moment more just blankly staring at his gray wall. Standing up from his bed, he stretches out every inch of his body. Instant relief fills him. He brushes a hand through his fluffy hair, combing out any tangles along the way.

He grabs a black hoodie and throws it over himself on his way out the door. The cold, wooden ground of the hallway creaks with every step he takes. He winces, worrying that he is going to wake Sapnap or George up.

The empty kitchen comes into sight. A beautiful sunrise can be seen through the many windows lining the walls. It casts a soft and dim light throughout the house.

Dream walks over to his counter top and picks up his coffee carafe. He fills it and empties it into the coffee maker. A loud gurgling noise comes from the machine as it starts to brew the bitter liquid.

While the coffee brews, Dream makes his way to his pantry, grabbing a box of granola. He quickly tosses it on top of some yogurt and fruit. He pulls out a chair from his kitchen island and sits himself down to begin eating.

A creaking noise starts to travel throughout the house. Footsteps approach him. He turns to face the hallway, just in time to see a tired Sapnap wrapped in a blanket emerge from around the corner. He slowly waddles over to Dream with a lazy smile.

"Hey, Sap." Dream quietly says. He turns back around to his food and takes another bite. Sapnap doesn't respond, instead he shuffles past Dream and to the coffee pot. Sapnap points at it and rotates his head towards Dream. "That's not done yet, give it a couple more minutes." Sapnap nods and sits down in the chair next to Dream, plopping his head and arms down on the cool countertop.

"Did you sleep okay?"

Sapnap moves his eyes up to meet Dream's. "Yeah, but Patches woke me up. I was in the middle of a good dream, too." Dream stifles a laugh.

"Oh, so she finally came out? That's good," Dream responds with a smile. Sapnap groans and puts his head face down on the counter.

Almost as if it were on queue, Patches steps out from the guest bedroom. She quints her eyes and tips her nose into the air. She flaunts her way over in satisfaction. Dream grins at her and motions his head towards them. Patches follows his directions and walks over.

She sits at the base of Sapnap's chair, curiously eyeing him. Her head bobs and she picks up her front feet. She repeats this motion several times before letting out a "brrrup" and hops up onto the counter. Sapnap's hand looms temptingly in front of her. With one swift motion, she buries her fuzzy head underneath his hand, forcing him to pet her.

Sapnap's muffled giggles ring out from his covered face. "Weren't you just annoyed by her a second ago?" Dream stares in amusement.

"Yes, but she has this way about her." Sapnap sits up, a big smile present on his face. Patches looks up at him lovingly as she begins to purr. Sapnap leans in closer to her face, staring at her eyes. A soft ding comes from across the kitchen.

"I'm beginning to think she likes you more than she likes me." Dream stands up and walks over to the coffee maker. He takes down a few mugs from a cabinet. They make a harsh clack when he sets them down. "Would you like any creamer?" Sapnap declines and continues petting Patches who is now sprawled out and rolling around.

Dream fills two mugs to the brim with the dark liquid. He walks back slowly, refusing to take his eyes off of the shaking mugs. He sets one down in front of Sapnap.