Consciousness came to Sam slowly, lazily even. The darkness of the bedroom fell over him like a blanket, almost softer than the one that covered him. His prisoner's breath was warm on his neck, and he hugged Sam in his sleep, though not as tightly as Sam held him.
Sleep hadn't felt this good in a long time, and neither had being awake. Without thought, he began to purr. It didn't wake Dream. His prisoner instead seemed to simply burrow further into him. The purr grew louder.
Today would be a good day. He had a new recipe he wanted Dream to try- a meaty bun that crumbled easy- and then he would do some gardening for the first time in ages. Dream would probably need to be watched for the first few days to make sure he didn't try to escape, but Sam's island was peaceful. Far away from the rest of the SMP. He wouldn't need to fight, or hurt, or give in to evil. He could stay with Sam instead, eating fresh food and laying in the sun.
But not without sunscreen of course. Sam made a mental note to grab some from storage after breakfast. Dream wasn't allowed to burn.
He tucked himself a little closer to his prisoner, burying his face into soft white-gold hair. Dream's ankle was still chained to the bed, but that wouldn't be forever. In fact- he grabbed the key card out of his inventory and gently pulled Dream's thigh over his hip to gain access to the ankle brace. With a swipe, it unshackled, and was quickly tossed away. He once again pressed in as close as he could get.
Players like Techno and Quackity could never understand like he could. Dream was made to be coveted privately, to be taken and held. His smile was meant to be preserved, and Quackity dimmed it, while Techno stole it away from where is rightfully belonged. Neither of them deserved Dream.
He placed a chaste kiss on his prisoners brow. Dream stirred, and Sam froze.
"…. Sammy…?" Dream mumbled. He made a grumbling noise and practically shoved his face into Sam's chest, sighing.
When he didn't move further, Sam melted. Anything for his prisoner.
There was a knock at the door.
Sam paused, shutting off the sink and drying his hands before stepping towards the front entrance. He'd been too restless to sleep, so he had decided to do the dishes from that nights dinner before going back to bed. Lamenting that he wouldn't get to go back to his Dream right away, he open the door. Only to nearly slam it back shut again
"Hey, Sam." Punz stood in front of him, hands in their pockets. "Can I come in?"
Dream's former mercenary, not Eret, Fundy, or even Quackity, was at his door. Someone who might tell others on the server if Dream was discovered.
He stepped to the side wordlessly, praying that Dream was still fast asleep, and that Punz hadn't seen anything incriminating outside. While he was sure that he had picked up their cake plates from their picnic in the afternoon, Dream had also been excited to build a sandcastle with Sam for the first time since they were kids. His signature smile had been gently carved into the walls. And then into the surrounding sand. Sam had assumed most of it would eventually wash away by the tide, but-
"Thanks. Could I get some water?" Punz asked. They didn't sit down, instead leaning their hip against the counter.
"Of course," Sam smiled, knowing it looked strained. It didn't matter; he quickly poured a cup from the water in the fridge and handed it to his guest. "What brings you over? It's pretty late."
"Did I wake you? Sorry about that." They sipped their water.
"It's fine. I was just doing the dishes before I headed to bed."
"Yeah?" They eyed the dish rack. "That's a lot of cups to wash. You one of those people who needs a different cup every time you get a drink?"
Sam stuttered. "I- Yeah? Yeah, I do."
"Punz," Sam hid his face in his hands, exasperated and flustered. "Why are you here?"
"I can't come by to see how one of my friends is doing?" Punz grinned, clearly entertained. "I haven't seen you in forever, Sam. Thought you had a workplace accident."
Blue tinted Sam's cheeks; no, it probably hadn't looked good to suddenly up and vanish after announcing that Dream was "missing" from prison. Quackity had been furious with him, and he'd heard Techno had blown up the prison shortly after. Sam should have made a visible effort to search for Dream, but the idea of leaving him was just too much to bear. He was lucky that it took a month for someone to show up at his door.
"No, I just needed… a vacation." He said lamely. "Working for so long made me tired. Needed a change of scenery."
"Is that so?" Punz tilted their head. "Sure picked a good place for it, then. Even if I'd prefer somewhere a little colder. Less beach, more snow."
"I like the beach." Sam defended. Unfortunately, he was too tired to make a real argument. "You can… build sandcastles."
"Yeah? I've never been good at those. You'll have to teach me sometime." Punz finished his glass of water. "You mind if I use your bathroom?"
The bathroom was across from the bedroom. Sam felt his anxiety rise. "You didn't go before you left?"
Punz scoffed playfully. "It takes like an hour to get here, Sam. Anything can happen in that time."
Without waiting for a response, Punz pushed themselves up to head down the hall. Sam rushed in front of them.
"Wait!" He tried to push them back. "You can't, the bathroom is a huge mess right now. I haven't finished improving it."
Punz didn't budge. "Cmon, dude. I know you can be a perfectionist, but I still gotta pee."
"You're not allowed to be back here." Sam said, pulling a little more authority into his voice. "You can go home and-"
The sound of the toilet flushing echoes faintly down the hall. Both Punz and Sam froze.
"You didn't tell me you had company." Punz said neutrally.
Sam floundered. The bathroom door opened.
"Sam, is everything okay?" His Dream's voice was quiet and concerned. Sam only managed to turn halfway however when a sharp blow from Punz sent him careening to the floor.
