on temporizing || Dream SMP Timeloop Fic

Chapter 18

86. (credit to hyacinthus)

"What the fuck happened to your mask?"

Dream blinked. ". . . My mask?"

"The smile!"

"What about it?"

Sapnap's face went through a series of interesting expressions. At last he sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. "It's. . . an uwu."

Dream paused, then wrinkled his nose. "Did you really say that out loud?"

"I didn't have a choice!"

"You could have just said that the smile changed!"

"I said that! You--" Sapnap paused, suspicion twisting his features. He stared at Dream for a moment, then jabbed a finger at him. "You made me say it on purpose," he accused.

Dream grinned.

"You did!" Sapnap hissed. "Fuck you. Fuck this. I'm gonna go join L'Manberg. Fuck your dictatorship. Viva la revolution all the way!"

Dream burst into laughter, doubling over. "Sorry," he wheezed between cackles. "Couldn't-- miss-- the chance-- to mess with you."

"Fuck you," Sapnap grumbled again.

~~~

"Why."

Dream blinked. "Why what?"

Punz gestured at his face. "You. Just. Why?"

"Well," Dream started slowly, "I'm not quite sure why Prime decided to let me live another day--"

"No, the mask," Punz huffed. "Why the hell is it-- different?"

There was a pause. ". . . but it's not?"

Punz leveled him with a flat stare.

"It's not!" Dream insisted.

"What's not?" George asked through a mouthful of bread. He promptly dropped said bread when he caught sight of Dream. "What happened to your mask?!"

"Nothing happened to it!" Dream cried.

"Bullshit," Punz deadpanned.

Sapnap poked his head into the room. "What's going on? I heard shouting."

"Dream's mask is, uh." George fumbled for the right words. "Different."

"It's the same as it's always been!" Dream protested. Sapnap stared at him for a long moment, then shrugged and turned to Punz and George.

"I don't see anything wrong with it," he said. And dang, his poker face was good. Dream mentally applauded his acting skills.

"You don't--" George cut himself off, lifting his goggles to rub his eyes. "You know what? I'm not even going to bother."

"We are literally about to go to war in two hours," Punz muttered.

"Yeah, so?"

Punz buried his face in his hands and let out a long, long sigh.

~~~

"Is nobody gonna talk about Dream's mask?" Fundy blurted.

"No," Punz and Wilbur said in unison. Then they simultaneously recoiled and glared at each other.

"We don't talk about Dream's mask," George added blandly. "It's just. . . best not to question it."

"What's wrong with Dream's mask?" Tommy asked. The others turned to stare at him and he shrugged. "I mean. . . it's the same as it's always been, innit?"