Work Text:
Nothing says tech week more than last minute rushing around and crying actors, Punz thinks as he scrambles to find the small prop that never seems to leave Dream’s coat pocket and end up back on the prop table.
He wraps his knuckles on the door to the boys dressing room and after hearing a few “come in”’s from inside, he pushes open the door.
“Hey, Dream?” Dream turns his head. His hair falls out of the slicked back style he has to wear for the show, a few small blond strands frame his face. Punz curses God for making him gay in that exact moment.
“Mhm?”
“Where’s your coat from Act 1? I need Gatsby’s medal,” Dream pats his coat pocket before muttering “Fuck” under his breath.
“Um… it should be on one of the Z racks? Probably the one closest to the dressing room,” Dream replies after a moment's hesitation. Punz realizes that it’s probably not there, but he doesn’t waste his time too much as he thanks Dream and leaves the dressing room.
Sure enough, the coat isn’t there. Punz expects nothing less. The actors have a bunch of stuff to keep up with, and he knows that. It’s just… mildly frustrating when he has to run around backstage for 15 minutes trying to find a medal that ends up being in the inside coat pocket of a jacket that is lazily thrown on a chair. But life must go on, and so Punz finishes taking apart the mics, only to be missing one. And the first obvious place to check is the guys dressing room, so he does.
He taps his knuckles on the door again, just in case. He hears Dream say “come in” and pushes open the door. Dream is sitting in one of the far corners of the room, curled up in one of the cushioned chairs that the guys always steal from the prop closet before shows.
“Are you okay?” Punz asks. He could say that it’s just the stage manager’s job to check up on the actors, but that would be a lie. Because right now, Dream seems… nervous? And Dream isn’t the type of guy that just gets nervous. Punz knows that from being friends with him since their sophomore year and watching him perform since their freshman year.
“Yeah ‘m fine,” Dream mumbles, his eyes staying locked on his phone. Usually, Punz isn’t the type of person to push, but he knows Dream well enough to know that something has to be wrong for Dream to be acting like this.
He moves around the dressing room that’s lit up by only strip lights, taking note of the full cup of Coca Cola sitting under one of the chairs as he sits down on the makeup counter.
Dream finally looks up from his phone and meets Punz’s eyes. He lets out a sigh and Punz knows that he’s won.
“You gonna tell me now?” Punz, a victorious smile creeping onto his face.
“Just nervous ‘s all,” Dream mumbles again. The late night rehearsals are definitely getting to everyone, Punz thinks.
“About what?” Punz asks. He wants to add that Dream doesn’t have anything to worry about and that this is no different than the other parts he’s played. Sure, he’s the lead, but Dream has been the lead many times before, so how is this time different?
“I don’t really know,” Dream says after a moment of thought. “This time just… feels different? I guess. Maybe it’s because it’s our last year here, but it’s just been more stressful than it usually is.” Punz nods thoughtfully, leaving space for Dream to say more if he needs to, but after the silence stretches on, he speaks.
“I think I get that. Well, not exactly that because it’s not like I have to be on stage or anything, but I’ve just noticed that everyone seems a little tense for this show.” Dream nods. “It’s really coming together, though. And I know it might not feel like it but you’re honestly doing amazing.” A small smile graces Dream’s lips and Punz can’t help but smile along with him.
“Did you need anything?” Dream asks, the question catches Punz off guard because he himself forgot why he walked into the dressing room in the first place. “Or did you just miss me?” Dream teases. Punz rolls his eyes and tries to fight the blush that rises on his cheeks.
“You’re an idiot,” he replies fondly, “I came in here because I’m missing a mic and I’m just assuming it’s one of the guys.” He takes a quick glance around the dressing room and finds mic 4, Dream’s, sitting on the counter. He picks it up and peels the mic tape off of the wires before turning to leave.
But before he can touch the door handle, Punz stops himself in his tracks.
“Are you… leaving anytime soon, by the way?” he asks rather awkwardly, and Dream knows what that tone means.
“Yeah, I was just gonna hang out for a bit but lemme guess, you forgot to ask for a ride home?” Punz nods awkwardly. It’s embarrassing enough that he’s a senior and can’t drive, but in his defense, it’s scary sometimes.
Dream lets out a breathy laugh and picks his backpack up. “Sure, we can leave when you’re ready.” Punz nods and holds the door open for Dream as they both leave the dressing room. Backstage is empty at this point. Only the work lights remain on, the rest of the auditorium coated in darkness.
“You ready for tomorrow?” Dream asks as Punz wraps the mic wire around his hand before putting it into its case.
“I kinda have to be,” Punz says with a dry laugh as he picks his backpack up from where it leans against the wall. Dream chuckles along with him as they walk toward the door. Cold wind assaults them as Punz pushes the door open and they make a sprint towards Dream’s car.
Dream’s room has become familiar to Punz over the years. From the countless sleepovers to late nights working on things for theater, he’s gotten used to the bright green walls and glowing screens that he associates with the room. The scripts and score that would lay scattered around as they approached auditions. The script for The Great Gatsby still sits on Dream’s desk.
Dream sets his backpack down by the door before flinging himself onto the bed. Punz giggles at him before placing his own bag down.
“It doesn’t feel like the show’s tomorrow,” Dream says after a beat. He rolls over on his bed, making space for Punz and sitting up. Punz takes a seat next to him.
“I know. It feels like you guys just ran laps because you didn’t know your lines,” Punz teases. Dream rolls his eyes.
“Maybe it’s because we did,” Dream says, nudging Punz with his shoulder.
“Ohhh right, right.” Dream shakes his head, a smile stretching across his face that makes Punz’s heart melt. He wants to be angry at Dream for being this goddamn attractive, for having girls fawn over him since sophomore year, but he can’t be all that angry. Because Dream is Dream, and it’s impossible for Punz to stay mad at him, they both know that.
“You’re such an idiot,” Dream mumbles. His eyes flick up to meet Punz’s and it’s almost like there’s something more in them. Something that Punz can’t quite place his finger on.
“Mhm, yeah, okay,” Punz says, unable to form complete sentences when Dream is staring at him like that.
After that, they both fall silent, shoulders touching slightly more than they were before. The tension in the room grows with every passing second. Even though it shouldn’t. Even though they've been friends for three years, tension shouldn’t blossom like it is right now.
“Can we go over some lines really quick?” Dream blurts, and the suddenness of it catches Punz off guard.
“... Sure? Which scenes do you wanna go over? I thought you knew everything pretty well,” Punz says, unsure of his words as Dream stands up.
“Um… just some of the scenes in the second act, like the Daisy and Gatsby part. Scenes like that.” And thankfully Punz knows Dream as well as he does because he can instantly tell that something is wrong.
“Are you okay?” Punz asks, sincerity dripping from his voice. It catches Dream off guard. His pacing stops and he almost looks stunned.
“Yeah, um. I’m fine, just- nervous still, I guess. I think it would help to go through lines, yknow?”
“Yeah, of course. I think I know most of Daisy’s lines for that scene so go ahead.”
And the moment those words escape Punz’s lips it’s like Dream’s in his element. Almost like he’s suddenly on the stage again, it’s like a switch flicks in his brain and the next second he’s in the 1920’s on the front porch of the love of his life’s house.
“Daisy! Daisy! Wait!” Dream grabs Punz’s hands and pulls him up from where he sits.
“Let me go! Please! I need to get inside!” Punz says, as monotone as if he’s reading a math problem instead of an emotional line from a play. Dream’s character shatters instantly.
“Give me something to work with here!” Dream says with an amused laugh.
“I’m not an actor, Dream, we’ve been over this,” Punz says in a playfully annoyed tone.
“Just this once?” Dream asks and he looks like he’s about to pull out puppy dog eyes.
“Nope, either take my monotone voice or act both parts.” Dream rolls his eyes but continues anyway, his voice plunges Punz right back into the 1920s.
“It’s alright. Everything is going to be alright,” Gatsby says sternly. It’s like he knows the future and it’s set in stone, but that’s how Gatsby always sounds. Confident, reassured.
“Ruined! It’s ruined! Don’t you see?!”
“It’s going to be fine. I promise you,” Gatsby says, a chill tone to his voice that calms Daisy’s nerves and makes her take a deep breath, but a second later it all comes rushing back.
“Everything’s so confused.”
“It’s all my fault.” Daisy’s eyes wander. “Look at me!” Her eyes snap back to his. “None of this would have happened if I’d handled things right the first time. But now I’m taking care of it.”
“I just wanted it to be beautiful.”
“Do you believe that I love you? Daisy? Look at me. Do you believe that I love you?” It’s the most frantic Gatsby had sounded the whole evening, despite its events.
“Yes.”
“What was said at the hotel doesn’t mean anything. Tom was pressuring you, making you say things you didn’t mean, upsetting you.”
“I’m not good for you.”
“You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, most beautiful person I have ever known,” he says, and Daisy knows that he means every single word.
“But what if-”
“Nothing’s going to happen.” Gatsby interrupts. “I’m going to take care of everything. Now, I want you to go inside. I’ll wait out here to make sure he doesn’t try anything.”
“He won’t hurt me.”
“I don’t trust him,” Gatsby says, his voice cold, a bitter angriness that fades as quickly as it arrived. “I’m going to wait out here, just in case.”
“How long will you wait?”
“All night if necessary. My whole life if you want,” Gatsby says. He sounds infatuated, so utterly in love that he doesn’t know what to do with it. And Daisy knows that not a word he’s muttered has been a lie.
“Do you really love me that much?”
“Yes.”
“But what do I say? I can’t hide things. You know how I am. I’ll ruin everything.”
“He knows you’re upset. It’s okay to be upset. But don’t let him talk you into anything. Don’t say anything. Just give me time to set things up and we’ll go away, just like we planned,” Gatsby says, he drops one of Daisy’s hands, bringing his own up to cup her face.
“Yes yes! That’s all I want. It’s all I ever wanted.”
“As soon as I know you’re safe here tonight, I’ll wait for your call at home. Our love is all that matters.”
Dream steps closer and suddenly it feels like they’re back in his bedroom, bright green walls and all. It finally clicks in Punz’s brain that they’ve been holding hands this whole time, and he doesn’t know if he can handle much longer without melting into Dream’s arms.
“We’ll go back to Louisville and get married and start over and have the life we were meant to have,” Dream says, and there’s something so Dream about the way he delivers the line and the way he’s eyes look into Punz’s.
And then Dream kisses him.
“You asked me if we could erase time. The answer is yes. I’m erasing it right here, right now. The past is erased forever, and now it’s only you and me.”
It was a simple kiss, nothing more than a peck. But it renders Punz useless. Dream finally drops his hands while Punz remains stuck in the same position. Finally, he processes the situation enough to move and stop staring holes into Dream’s back.
“That was- that was really good, um. You’re gonna do great tomorrow.” Dream nods, almost sleepily.
“Thank you for practicing with me,” Dream replies. All Punz can do is nod, any and all words failing as they hit his tongue. “But we should probably sleep. I can go sleep on the couch and give you the bed.”
“No, no! It’s fine. If you just have any extra blankets I can sleep on the floor.”
“You sure?” Dream asks with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah, of course. Oh shit, wait, let me text my Mom where I am,” Punz says as he frantically pats his pockets for his phone. Dream chuckles from the doorway.
“Okay, I’ll be right back with a pillow and blanket for you, get yourself comfortable.”
Punz isn’t comfortable for the rest of the night. He isn’t comfortable until he gets out of Dream’s sight at school the next day because the thought of the kiss takes over his mind like the plague.
It replays like a broken record, if broken records replayed memories of watermelon chapstick and soft lips. The noises finally stop 30 minutes before the show, when everything is so hectic that using his brain for anything other than theatre would be a waste. It’s when the chatter through his headset and the endless talking from the actors take over to the point where he can barely hear his own thoughts.
”Punz, are actors in places?”
Their director's voice crackles through the headset. Punz looks around at the wings; he receives a few thumbs up before flipping the mic on his headset down.
“All set.”
”Cue curtain speech.”
The curtain speech plays through the monitors and it’s the first time that Punz has really heard Dream’s voice since that morning, and it’s the stupid 20’s accent that has no reason being that attractive.
And immediately after, 1920’s jazz plays through the speakers and the curtains open. Bright lights flood over the cyc, and everybody moves onto the stage.
Nick’s monologue starts, green light floods over him, and the cue for Dream to walk onto the stage is said.
“Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this story…”
Dream walks up onto the set, nothing more than a silhouette to the audience, but everything to Punz. He lifts an arm and as Nick’s monologue ends, he walks back into the wings.
It’s such a little moment, but sometimes, that’s what makes a show. The little moments that bring a show to life, that transport people back into the story that is being told.
Time seems to mix together as the scenes play through; the same scenes that Punz has heard a thousand times. He just lets himself drift through the things he has to do. Dream’s quick change into Gatsby’s military uniform goes well and Punz watches as he walks onto the stage to dance with Daisy before exiting again.
That’s when Punz realizes how little has truly gone wrong, but boy does Punz speak too soon.
Act one almost comes to a smooth finish, until the awkward tea party scene hits.
Rain plays through the monitors as Dream walks onto the stage. He sits down on a little bench as he and Nick talk.
“Have you got everything in the shape of… tea,” he says, nervousness portrayed perfectly through his tone of voice.
“All set,” Nick says with a smile.
“Are you alright with this? I wouldn’t want you to do anything-”
“It’s fine. Fine. Would you like something while you wait?” Nick asks, walking over to the tea pot that’s situated on a small table.
“No, no.”
The sound of thunder startles the audience, Gatsby looks up as if he’s looking at the sky.
“It’s raining,” he says, as if he’s astounded. “I’m going home.”
“What?!”
“Nobody’s coming to tea. It’s too late! I can’t-” The sound of a car horn interrupts his next sentence. Dream awkwardly runs off of the stage and into the wings.
“Punz, check Dream’s mic,” crackles through his headset. He glances over at Dream, a full suit on and not nearly enough time until Dream has to be back on stage.
Punz flips the headset’s mic down. “I don’t have enough time, he has to be on in like a minute.”
“It’s fine, we’ll just have to change it during intermission.”
Punz runs up behind Dream, who is spraying his face with water to simulate rain.
“Dream.” Dream’s head turns toward him, and god why does he have to be so distracting. “There’s issues with your mic that we can’t fix until intermission so just- project.” Panic flashes across Dream’s features for a second before he’s walking back on stage.
“Hello, Daisy.”
His words carry across the stage where Daisy turns her head.
“We’ve met before.”
“We haven’t met for many years,” Gatsby says to Nick, who nods. The rain sounds around them and Daisy quickly changes the subject. She and Nick conversate for a moment.
“If you’ll both excuse me,” Nick says once his conversation with Daisy has come to a close.
“Where are you going?” Gatsby says, a frantic tone rising in his voice.
“I thought I’d get some tea and cake.”
“I’ll help!” Gatsby exclaims, jumping up from his seat, leaving Daisy all alone looking around Nick’s house. Nick quickly pushes him back into the room with Daisy and they stare at each other, as if entranced.
After some awkward sitting around, Nick finally returns and with him, the rain disappears.
“It’s stopped raining,” Nick says, taking a sip of tea.
“Has it?” Gatsby says excitedly before jumping up. “Would you look at that Daisy, it’s stopped raining!”
“I’m glad, Jay,” Daisy says with an amused laugh.
“I want you and Daisy to come over to my house. I’d like to show you both around,” Gatsby says, motioning towards his house.
The set changes around them and they’re in Gatsby’s house again. Punz watches as the ensemble moves the white metal furniture off as Dream runs up the stairs to the top of the set. He throws shirts off of the top of the set and Daisy grabs them, holding each one as if it’s a memory lost.
Dream walks back down the set to hold her.
“You trusted me with the dearest heart of all and it’s so much more than anybody in the world has ever had!” She kisses Dream as happy jazz floats around the auditorium. They start throwing shirts and laughing, Nick joins in the chaos as the curtain closes.
The moment the curtains shut, Punz rushes onto the stage.
“Dream, let me check your mic.”
Dream’s chest heaves as he turns around, Punz lifts the back of his shirt up, and of course, Dream is sweaty, but then again, most of the guys are after a show. That’s why Punz avoids touching the mic belts.
“Did I sound fine?” Dream asks as Punz pulls the mic pack out from where it’s clipped to Dream’s pants. The light is green, which means it’s not dead, and both wires are fully screwed in. He groans inwardly and hands the mic pack for Dream to hold.
“Shit- sorry,” Punz says after realizing he completely ignored Dream’s question. “You sounded fine, at least I didn’t hear any complaints from Ant.”
“Okay, okay, good,” Dream says, running a hand through his hair. “Do we know what’s wrong with my mic?”
And just as he says that, Punz brings his mic down to his mouth again.
“Hey, um, the light on Dream’s mic is green and both wires are in fully, so I have no clue what’s wrong.”
”Can we just give him a different mic for now?” Ant asks through the headset.
“I think that’d be fine. We could probably take mic 12 because there aren’t any more scenes with Mrs. Mckee or Chester in them.”
”Okay, then just do that, and we’ll figure out what’s wrong with his mic later.”
Punz says okay before flipping the mic up.
“Dream, we’re gonna switch your mic with Chester’s because we don’t know what’s wrong with it right now.” Dream nods and follows Punz as he rushes backstage.
It’s already chaos backstage but Punz manages to get the mic off of Chester, and it’s a race to get it onto Dream in time. Luckily, Dream has already taken his previous mic off and Punz is able to get the mic pack on before slipping his hand up Dream’s shirt.
It’s then that the realization of their proximity comes crashing down on him. He’s put on mics on Dream and every other actor countless times, but somehow, this time is different. There’s an unspoken tension in the air as he presses his fingers to Dream’s cheek.
Dream smiles at him, there’s something behind it that Punz can’t place his finger on, and then he’s gone with a quick ‘thank you.’ Punz stands there for a moment longer, contemplating late night kisses and unspoken tension as well as everything in between. But all those thoughts escape his brain as quickly as they arrived, because act two is starting and there are bigger things than stupid boy crushes on lead actors to worry about.
The next time he sees Dream, he’s in a pink suit, ready to walk on stage and dance with Daisy as the curtains open and the music begins to play.
Punz feels a twinge of jealousy as they dance together, smiling and happy, but he pushes it down, because he has more important things to worry about.
And so Punz busies himself with random tasks backstage. He helps with quick changes and props and makes sure everything’s in order, and he doesn’t make eye contact with Dream once. Dream in his cute pink suit with his hair slightly messy. Dream with his cute smile and freckles that Punz just wants to kiss.
He busies himself with making sure the car hit scene goes as planned and it does, which leaves him anxiously awaiting the scene he knows comes next.
“Daisy! Daisy! Wait!” Punz tries not to wince as Dream starts reciting the lines that he and Punz had practiced the night before. The lines that led to a kiss, followed by silence.
“Let me go! Please! I need to get inside!” Daisy says with emotion coating her words. That’s something Punz was never able to do.
“It’s alright. Everything’s going to be alright,” Dream says. He takes her hands in his own just like he did with Punz the night before.
“Ruined! It’s ruined don’t you see?!” Daisy says, trying to pull out of Dream’s grip but he holds her there. Punz can’t help but wonder if Dream would hold him like that, or would he just let him go.
“It’s going to be fine. I promise you.”
“Everything’s so confused.”
The next lines pass through Punz’s ears like his brain is trying to block them out completely, to ignore what they mean to him. And it works, until they reach a line that Punz should know wasn’t meant for him, but he wants to believe it was.
“You are the finest, loveliest, tenderest, most beautiful person I have ever known.”
The words feel like an icepick to the heart. The way that Dream speaks in the same loving voice as last night feels like betrayal. It sparks jealousy in Punz’s gut that dares and threatens to bubble it. It sparks jealousy over a person who isn’t his at all. Dream isn’t his. Dream doesn’t love him the same way. Dream didn’t kiss him because he meant it. It was all in Punz’s head, and the realization hits him like a ton of bricks.
He fights the way his body wants to crumple to the ground and the next lines he hears are ones he never wants to hear again.
“You asked me if we could erase time. The answer is yes. I’m erasing it. Now. Right here. The past is erased, forever, and now it’s only you and me.”
Punz thinks that if he could erase the past, he would.
Punz hears footsteps approach from behind him, he opts to ignore whoever it might be. The show just ended and he still has a long list of things he has to clean up and set up for tomorrow’s shows, and he would rather do those things alone.
“Punz?”
Of course, the one person that walks up to him is the exact person he doesn’t want to talk to.
“Do you need a ride home?”
Punz wants to cry. Curse Dream for being so kind to him, to everyone, and curse Punz for liking him as much as he does.
“No,” Punz says firmly.
“Is something wrong?” Dream asks, his voice dripping with concern. Punz could probably cry on the spot.
“Nothing’s wrong. I just have stuff that I need to finish,” Punz lies. It slips past his lips before he has time to stop it. Dream looks at him with the expression of a kicked puppy, but Punz just looks away at the same time that he tries to walk away.
Dream catches his arm, Punz tries to fight out of his grip, but Dream doesn’t let go.
“What’s wrong, Punz, please just tell me.” And that’s when the wire snaps, and so does Punz.
“Did it mean nothing to you?” He practically shouts. Dream is taken back by the outburst, but then confusion crosses his features. “Did the kiss really mean that little?”
“I don’t understand,” Dream says, still not releasing Punz’s wrist from his grip.
“We kissed, you don’t even mention it and then you go and kiss her the exact same way that you kissed me and I shouldn’t be fucking jealous but I am,” Punz says, voice breaking. He wants Dream to let go. He wants to run away and pretend this never happened.
He wants to pretend that the kiss never happened.
“So that’s why you were so upset today?” Dream asks cluelessly. Punz doesn’t want to have to explain how in love he is with a boy he shouldn’t be, but it doesn’t feel like he has another choice.
“Why else would I be upset?” Punz asks, his voice heavy with the emotions of the day.
“Listen, Punz, I’m sorry.”
“Is that all you have to say?” A humorless laugh escapes his lips
“I’ve had a crush on your for the longest fucking time and I always just hoped that it would go away because I know that you don’t like me like that, and then you kissed me. You fucking kissed me and then you don’t even bring it up?”
The confession makes the air leave Punz's lungs, the weight of his words settling down onto his shoulders. He stops fighting against Dream’s grip, expecting Dream to just drop his hand and move away, but he doesn’t. No words land on his tongue, all he can focus on is the green of Dream’s eyes and the beating of his own heart.
“I’m- Punz- I didn’t mean to not talk about it I was just- I don’t know what came over me but I kissed you and you didn’t kiss back so I convinced myself that you hated me and- now I don’t even know anymore,” Dream stutters, like his brain is going too fast for his mouth to keep up.
“Were you not listening?” Punz asks, more astounded than accusatory. “I don’t hate you, Dream. I don’t think it would be possible for me to hate you no matter how stupid you are. That’s what I hate,” Punz blurts. Dream looks offended for a split second before the rest of the puzzle pieces connect in his brain.
Dream blinks slowly, his grip on Punz’s wrist loosening.
“Do you have anything to say?” Punz asks more aggressively than he probably should, but he’s so so tired, and he’s tired of waiting for a confession that might never come.
Dream grabs Punz’s hands and tugs him closer, mimicking the position that they found themselves in last night. Punz holds his breath.
“How about this,” Dream starts, his voice quiet for only Punz to hear. “I like you, Punz. A lot. So I’m erasing the past. Right here. Right now, It’s only you and me.”
“Don’t fucking say that,” Punz grits out. What he doesn’t say is, “How do I know if you actually mean it?”
“Why not?” Dream asks, his expression crumbles into utter confusion that makes Punz’s heart speed up.
“Because I don’t know if you mean it or not.” Punz blurts out. “I don’t know if you actually think that about me or if you’re just a damn good actor.” He laughs wetly.
“What if I told you I meant it?”
And it feels like Punz is back in Dream’s bedroom again, reciting lines from The Great Gatsby as Dream holds his hands.
“Then I’d ask you to prove it,” Punz says breathlessly. He doesn’t know where the boost of confidence comes from but he definitely needed it, because Dream is kissing him, and this time, Punz is kissing back.
He’s practically transported back to the 1920’s, back to a dimly lit porch that ebbs with a love confession and a promise that things will be alright. It sends a rush of adrenaline through Punz’s veins.
They pull away breathless.
“That was definitely better than last night,” Dream says almost immediately. Punz groans and hits his head on Dream’s chest.
“Yeah, I’d definitely say so you idiot,” Punz teases. Dream is about to offer a rebuttal, but Punz quickly cuts him off with another kiss.
“Now, do you need a ride home or not because I feel like we got a little off topic before,” Dream says playfully and Punz almost regrets kissing him.
“Fuck you,” Punz mumbles, but he still hasn’t dropped Dream’s hands.
“I mean if we go back to my house you could,” Dream says and Punz feels his face burn. He glares at Dream who wears a cocky smile.
“Yes, I need a ride home, by the way,” Punz grumbles as he goes to walk away, because his previous schedule of preparing things for the next show got interrupted by a certain someone.
Dream grabs his wrist again and practically spins Punz around. Punz tries to keep an annoying look on his face, but it quickly melts away as Dream tugs him to his chest.
“I have just one more question,” Dream says with a sly smile.
“Yes?”
“Will you, Punz, be my boyfriend?” Dream asks, his smile only growing as Punz looks at him.
“Yes, Dream, I will be your boyfriend.”
And Dream kisses him again. It feels too magical to be happening backstage after a show. It feels as magical as awkward tea parties in the rain and large parties that feel more intimate than small ones. It feels like a crisp fall day when everything is new. And it feels like the green light shining at the end of a dock.
Erasing the past doesn’t seem so necessary anymore.