Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

George looked out onto the sea like a man without purpose.

He had done everything right in his life; he graduated top of his class, finished university in record time, and went on to become a successful programmer. And yet, for as long as he could remember, he felt as if his life was being lived by someone else, as if he was merely a passenger trapped in his own mind. That was until he made the choice to leave his old life behind.

It was hard to pinpoint what led him to the place he was in now, sitting on a beach in Florida, living in a town so insignificant that it felt secluded from the rest of the world.

Was it the stress he felt because of the hecticness in London? Was it that his friends seemingly forgot of his existence when he wasn’t useful to copy work from? Was it perhaps the need for freedom and finding himself?

In all honesty he didn’t care much for the why in regards to his choices, he was more worried with the question on what to do next. He had uprooted his life to find the happiness that had vanished through his years in London only to find himself just as purposeless as before.

George let out a sigh, pulling his legs closer to himself while lifting a handful of sand and letting it run through his fingers, as if hoping that it would bring him at least some of the joy the screaming and laughing people around him on the beach seemed to be feeling.

But alas he felt nothing but annoyance as it slowly fell onto and into his sneaker, carried by a sudden breeze the ocean was sometimes known for.

With a defeated exhale he lifted his gaze again to the ocean ahead.

The water reached for as far as his eyes could see, reflecting the light in an intricate dance of blues and greens. Shimmering waves moved across the surface until eventually crashing into the sand in an almost predictable rhythm. Families around him acted like it was a miracle every time, kids screeching with excitement whenever the water met land.

It made him wonder if he would ever have such a reason to screech.

As if responding to his thoughts a seagull nearby let out a mocking screech.

George could see it take flight right as a volleyball landed against George’s leg.

“Sorry! Could you pass us the ball?” A teenager called towards George.

“Ehm…sure,” he answered, his voice barely carrying over. The throw was embarrassingly bad, the arch way too high and not far enough, forcing one of the girls to meet the ball half way.

“Thank you,” the group basically choired behind him, high pitched giggles erupting behind a bad attempt at hiding them.

George promptly turned around and began to walk parallel to the sea, his legs trying to get him as far as possible. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but his face was red, and a headache had started to make itself noticeable behind his forehead. In all honesty, he just wanted to disappear, find a ditch to lay in and hide until the familiar feeling of embarrassment vanished. For now he just wanted to find a place away from other people.

George lifted his eyes to where his ears had suddenly picked up a sound from. It was faint, like the soft murmur of a promise. The sound was continuous, a melody so quiet that it could be chalked up to the wind whistling to the air, rustling the leaves of some nearby trees.

His feet began to carry him further down the beach, the waves matching up to his steps as if they were encouraging him to keep going. He didn’t know where he was going, just straight ahead and along the beach. The beach was getting less packed the further he went, people preferring to gather where the ground was soft sand instead of it being increasingly intermingled with rocks. That didn’t stop George from continuing on his path. Nothing would.

Something in him, an intrinsic curiosity his soul carried with him, urged him to continue, even when he was faced by a formation of boulders which unofficially marked the end of the beach.

They stood imposingly in his way, being tall enough to discourage simple beach goers to go further but seemingly not dangerous enough to put in a warning to not continue. On the other hand that could be because the small town might just not care enough to put up a sign to deter climbing.

Either way George marched on, setting one foot after the other as he began to scale the rock formation.

It took George a little bit more effort to climb the boulders than he had expected to need, but as he landed on the other side he knew it to have been worth it. Right in front of him he found a protected bay, surrounded on one side by the ocean and the other by cliffs. And although he could hear the faintest roaring and soaring from cars passing on the street on the cliff, it fell on deaf ears. George was too distracted by the way the sun hit golden hour in the secret paradise he had found.

The sky was painted orange with yellow and pink following the sun. The ocean reflected those colours while maintaining a blue tint, like a gem being held against the light.

However, that intermingling of colours wasn’t what caused George’s eyes to widen in awe, what did was that he had found the source of the hauntingly beautiful melody.

A little further into the sea, perched on a rock, was a man. His bare back was turned towards George, letting him only see his golden curls sway in the soft breeze of the sea as his song continued. The words of it were swallowed by the waves, the melody of the voice being the only thing remaining.

He listened to it from the shore, observing the man from a distance. George wasn’t sure for how long he had been listening but he hoped for the moment to stay like that forever. Sadly, he didn’t have the power to stop time and space, and just as the sun hit the horizon line, the song changed.

The voice of the stranger began to carry a soft tremble. Something painful had started to seep into the melody like a memory better left forgotten. Sadness began to churn in George. It was as if the stranger was putting George’s inner turmoil into a song; His regret, his insecurity, his fear, and most importantly his loneliness.

His body had involuntarily started to move closer to where land meets sea. His mind was a mess, with thoughts being thrown around as though a storm was raging on. The sand and stones crunched under his steps, only being silenced as he stepped into the water.

He ignored how his shoes got drenched. He ignored the water getting higher and higher, already reaching his ribcage. He ignored the way goosebumps started to run up his arms. He ignored every thought that ran through his mind.

George could only pay attention to him.

Tears started to form in his eyes. His steps came to a sudden stop. Deep sobs broke out of him. The moment of beauty shattered like a delicate wine glass being suddenly thrown against the wall.

Desperately George rubbed at his eyes, wanting to disappear. He didn't want to have to look at the disgust of the stranger for ruining his song. And yet he couldn't help himself, lifting his gaze to apologise for spoiling the moment.

However, he didn't manage to get even a single word out. The man had turned towards him, and George was met with a teary eyed expression that mirrored his own. Still he was hard to read, emotions laying heavy on a face that George would have normally described as ethereal. It gave the man a look of despair but also openness.

The man’s lips were pushed into a nervous line. His enchanting voice had been lost the second he had spotted George, leaving nothing but silence between them.

But the longer the silence was held the more comfortable it became. It was as if they were sharing a secret that neither of them even knew about. The sadness faded, leaving nothing but the feeling after a good cry to float in the air.

Their eyes separated from their stare and George could feel the other’s eyes travel over him, as if inspecting him in. He mimicked him, however, he got caught on something much quicker.

George spotted something on both sides of the man’s neck. It was barely noticeable, but it looked like the stranger had gashes carved, or rather gills embedded into his skin. He also had slightly pointed his ears, webbing between his fingers, and skin on his hips seemingly transitioning into fish scales.

A panicked yelp escaped George as he stumbled back. The pebbles and sand under his feet shifted, causing him to fall back into the water with a loud splash, which was quickly followed by another. The water engulfed all of his senses, in spite of that he saw a flash of green pass by him.

When he resurfaced the stranger had disappeared.

What had he just seen?

It took him a while to get home. The dark layed like a heavy blanket on him, making it difficult to climb over the boulders to get out of the bay. And even when he managed to get onto the main road he felt like in a trance. His feet dragged on the pavement, while his mind raced untamed.

His state was only broken once his keys turned in the lock of his front door and he entered his cramped little apartment.

“Oh, someone went for a swim,” his roommate greeted, as George passed him in the kitchen on his way to his room. He stood by the stove probably preparing something to eat, probably after having accidently fallen asleep by the state of his reddish brunet hair and the crinkles in his loungewear.

“I’m not in the mood to talk, Sapnap,” George replied.

“Someone is snippish.”

“Sapnap,” he said in a tone between warning and plea.

They weren’t particularly close, even after having known each other for about six months. Both of them kept to themselves, although it was probably more because of George than anything else.

Still, even without being all ‘buddy buddy’ George hoped for the other to drop it.

Of course, that wasn’t the case with Sapnap opting to move the pan with his dinner off the stove and leaning against the counter as if wanting to start a proper conversation. “Come on, dude, it's obvious that something happened. Did you go on a date at the bay and the girl rejected you and pushed you into the water?”

“No.”

Sapnap wasn’t convinced. “Then why are you dragging the entire ocean into our apartment?”

“What do you want me to tell you!? That I saw a mermaid out and about with the voice of an angel!? That I feel like I’m going insane!? Tell me, Sapnap,” George basically spat out.

“No, I want you to be honest and tell me what happened. I want to know if you are alright and-”

“I’m fine,” George cut off.

“George-”

“I’m going to take a shower now.” And without even waiting for the other’s reaction he left into his room, ignoring the way Sapnap’s worried eyes seemed to linger on him until he was out of sight.

As soon as the door of his room fell shut behind him George felt as if he could breathe again. He ran through his fingers through his damp hair and exhaled.

He didn’t intend to snap at Sapnap but he was also not sure what had happened at the beach at dusk. His mind was still too plunged into chaos to make any sense of it. He would apologize to Sapnap in the morning.

With mechanical movements he entered his bathroom, letting his drenched clothes fall onto the cold tiled floor and stepping into the hot water of the shower. It burned as it made contact with his probably sunburned skin, but he didn’t really care.

George stayed in the shower for a while. Only after he couldn’t feel any salt remaining on his skin and his thoughts seemed to have been washed off by the water did he step out of it.

He had made up his mind: He would return to the beach in the morning to prove to himself the things he had seen were nothing then his brain playing a trick on him.

Chapter Text

Most of the town was still sleeping when George made his way down to the beach. With the sun having just started to peek above the houseline it wasn’t much of a surprise. Even the seller at the fish market was surprised George was there so early, selling him a few fish he had just gotten delivered.

George had been filled with determination but as soon as he got to the threshold of the hidden bay, marked by the boulders at the edge of the beach, he hesitated. This was an insane idea that would either end with him finding a mermaid again or proving to himself that he has gone insane.

He let out a sigh. “You miss all of the shots that you don't take,” he mumbled to himself, before starting to climb.

When he landed on the other side he immediately noticed how different it was to stand at the shore without the melodic voice of the stranger. It felt as if something was missing, as if someone had cut out the most important instrument of a sonnet, its absence almost deafening.

The sun was slowly chasing the darkness behind the horizon leaving the sky to be painted in various oranges, pinks, and blues. It should have felt like the beginning of a warm inviting sommer day with its pastel sky, but the dark blue water of the ocean conveyed anything but that. It instead was wild and rushed. The waves sounded like thunder as they crashed into the shore.

But George didn’t let himself get discouraged by that. With a calm hand he set down the plastic bag with the fish, taking off his socks and shoes, before grabbing two fish by the tail and going down to where the waves met the shore. With a less than skillful throw George threw the first fish, which landed with an unceremonious splash in the ocean. It stayed on the surface, the waves moving under it, lifting the fish for a few heartbeats only to let it back down.

“You probably remember me from yesterday. I brought you this as a gift. It said online that merfolk like to eat fish,” George explained. “I hope that wasn’t wrong. Hard to tell, seeing as you were my first encounter with a mermaid.”

Nothing but the crashing sound of the ocean.

“Your song was really beautiful. Would you sing for me again?”

Silence was his only answer, the fish still unmoving on top of the waves.

George eventually decided, after watching the rhythmic rise and fall of the fish, to retrieve it. He winced at the cold water slowly engulfing his skin as he stepped into it. With the second fish still in hand he waded deeper and deeper into the sea until it reached around the middle of his thighs and he had reached the fish he had thrown.

The dead fish’ eyes looked up into the colourful sky, the colours getting brighter with every minute that passed. George followed its lifeless gaze to where the darkness disappeared behind the horizon.

He felt like an idiot.

“This was a stupid idea,” George grumbled to himself. “What was I even thinking?”

With a defeated expression he looked down to grab the fish out of the water only to see that it had vanished leaving only a few circular waves behind.

‘Was that you?’ George thought to himself.

He threw the second fish into the water a few feet away from him. This time it was gone in seconds. As soon as it had landed with a shallow splash it disappeared between waves.

George didn’t have to wait long for an answer, to his surprise the stranger’s head broke through the surface enough to look at the brunet.

“I didn’t think you would actually show up, well I did, at least a little, or else I wouldn’t have thrown you fish,” George rambled, letting out a genuine laugh when he saw the other’s eyes widen for a second only to disappear back into the water.

George could see the hint of a green shimmery tail through the water surface before the stranger's head resurfaced slightly hidden by the rocks he had seen him at the day prior.

“Who are you,” the stranger asked.

“I'm George. What's your name?”

“Dream,” he answered, emerging from the water onto the rock, causing a shiver to run down George’s back. Both fish laid in front of the now fully visible mermaid, his eyes locked onto George as if telling him he would be joining them in their dead state if he didn't choose his next words carefully.

The mermaid's tail shimmered green and yellow, depending on what angle the sun hit the scales. Dream had two fins on either side of his tail, about where his mid thigh would have been if he had been human. But what caught George’s attention was how his forked caudal fin was damaged, as if he had ripped out a tracking tag.

“How did you get here?” Dream asked, his tail whipping from side to side, like cats did to show annoyance.

“I walked,” George answered bluntly.

Both stayed silent for a second before Dream without a word jumped into the water, vanishing from George’s sight.

“No, I'm sorry, come back!” He immediately ran to the bag of fish still laying at the beach in hopes to manage to convince Dream to return.

George was anything but elegant as he ran through the water, almost falling twice until he reached the bag. With hurried hands he opened the bag trying to get a hold of a fish to throw.

However, he was stopped dead in his tracks by something landing with a dull sound on the rocky sandy ground.

When he turned he was met by the image of his shoe laying between him and Dream, who was sitting at the shore. His expression was unreadable but holding an obvious curiosity.

George stood up, walking over to where it laid, bag in hand as he looked at his own shoe as if it was a deadly gift. “Why would you do that?”

“To show you how it's not nice to throw stuff to get someone's attention,” Dream answered matter of factly.

“It's not the same thing. You took my shoe to throw at me!” As he spoke George picked up his shoe to wave at Dream.

“How isn't it the same thing? For all you know you threw my friends Bink and Bonk at me earlier.”

For a second, George was taken aback. He hadn't even thought of that possibility.

“Did I?” He carefully asked.

“No, but it could've been.” Dream began to grin at George’s eye roll.

“Okay, fine, no more fish throwing,” George accepted, joining Dream at the shore, sitting down a few feet away. He held out the fish from the bag as a peace offering. “But you still eat fish right?”

Dream took it, looking at the fish with a smile. “Yes, I do. I have to keep myself alive somehow.”

“Do you have any preferences?” George asked, getting a snicker from the mermaid.

He laid the fish down next to him, turning towards the sparkling sea. “I don’t have the time to think about what would taste best. Whatever I can catch, I’ll eat.”

George mirrored his gaze, observing the way the waves barely touched them as they crashed into the shore. He pulled his legs closer. “Well that was before you met me. I can bring you anything that you might normally not go for.”

“Don’t get my hopes up. If I start now, who knows if I’d stop at a simple fish.” His voice had suddenly lost all joy, bled dry like the way it had sounded when George had first heard him sing. The mermaid looked over at George, capturing his eyes and holding them captive in a gaze. His green eyes seemed darker than before.

“What more could you wish for besides fish?,” George jokingly asked.

Dream stayed quiet for a while as if weighing if it was worth telling George, before he spoke up, “I want to go on a roadtrip. I want to see my world from a different perspective.”

It was an odd request, but the thing that really stuck out to George was how it didn’t sound like the excited voice of someone wishing for a dream to come true, but rather like a confession that would have him ridiculed.

Was he ashamed? Was he worried about what George would say?

There wasn’t enough time for George to react to Dream’s confession. Dream cut him off as if scared to hear anything from him. Regret had seemingly festered under his skin.

“Just forget it. I shouldn’t have brought it up,” Dream stammered out his body moving away from George and closer to the ocean.

“No, no, Dream, it’s-”

“A stupid thought. A dangerous idea.”

“I wouldn’t-”

“I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be talking to you!”

Dream jumped into the first wave that came his way, the vast blue ocean swallowing him whole.

“Dream!” George was up on his feet in seconds. His eyes scanned the surface for a sign of the other, but he saw nothing. “Dream?”

George was left alone on the bay, watching the waves reach for him only to pull back, listening to the whispers of the wind, breathing in the salty air. He was utterly alone.

A feeling he had grown accustomed to began to spread in him like a deep seated poison. Dream had unknowingly lifted the burden from him. George wasn’t ready to let himself be dragged back into his prison of solitude. Dream had unknowingly opened the door for him to escape his own mind and so George made the decision to return the favor.

”We will go on a roadtrip together, Dream!,” George promised with the sea as his witness.

Chapter Text

George did not think this through. Only after getting to his apartment door did he realise his mistake. How was he, a guy with no licence, going to be able to take a real-life mermaid on a roadtrip?

He unceremoniously banged his head against the door. How could he have been this stupid? Another bang. How would he tell Dream? Bang. Would he even see him again? Bang. Maybe he got lucky and Dream didn't hear-

The door was suddenly opened and George stumbled against an irritated Sapnap.

“George?”

“Sapnap!” George stood back straight. Sapnap raised an eyebrow with an expression that was stuck between annoyed and utterly confused.

“Did you forget your keys?”

“No-”

“So you are just an idiot. Gotcha.” Sapnap stated plainly, moving out of the way and throwing himself back onto the couch he had probably been laying on since he woke up.

“I'm not an idiot. I just have actual worries. Don't you have university stuff to finish?” George frowned like a disappointed dad.

“Dude, no way you are so old that you already forgot I graduated. I have a job lined up for fall. So let me enjoy my summer in peace.”

The front door fell closed behind George as he entered the apartment, crossing his arms in annoyance. “I'm just four years older than you. At least I'm not wasting my time watching the same anime for like the hundredth time.”

“Oh yeah? What exactly do you waste your time on then? Sure as hell isn’t work.”

“It’s not my fault I already finished my project for the month.” He strutted to his room, continuing to talk as he got changed. “So, as long as I keep sending in my progress without admitting that I have finished my work, my boss will stay off my back. Because believe me, the last thing I need is for her to pile more stuff onto me.”

Dressed in jorts and a punny ocean-themed shirt, George stepped out of his room, sitting down in the old arm chair Sapnap bought for the apartment.

“What are you up to then?” Sapnap asked with genuine curiosity.

George didn’t know how to answer. Words never settled in enough is his mind to actually say out loud. They stayed floating like a piece of driftwood. How could he put into words that he is in the midst of befriending a mermaid? That he wants to take said mermaid on a roadtrip? No matter how he tried to turn his thoughts into a sentence, he sounded as if he had been out in the sun for too long. And so he stayed quiet, his thoughts drifting from one side to the other until the moment for him to answer passed.

“If you are in trouble you can just tell me, you know?” Sapnap said, as if expecting George to admit to being indebted to a totally real small town mafia.

“It’s nothing like that! It’s just-”

“It’s just?” Sapnap made an expression between genuine curiosity and worry, with a dash of annoyance on the side.

George had seen that expression before, having seen it time and time again while Sapnap watched something on his old Laptop while sprawled out on the couch. It was the expression Sapnap pulled when he saw something on screen he desperately wanted to see more of but wasn’t sure what would come as a consequence of it.

The second George saw it a plan suddenly clicked into place and an idea appeared in front of him like a saving island. Sapnap was just what he needed to make a roadtrip possible. If he could convince him of joining him and make him curious enough to not run away at the first sight of Dream, all of George’s problems would be solved.

“You have a driver's license, right?” George tentatively asked.

“Yeah?” Sapnap answered confused at the sudden question.

“And you have a car?”

Sapnap’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “George, where are you going with this?”

“I need you to take me on a roadtrip. Me and a friend of mine, that is.”

“A roadtrip? A friend? I’m surprised you even have friends,” Sapnap bantered, a smile appearing as he got an eye roll from George. “Tell me where to go and I can see if I can fit you in my busy schedule.” He scrolled on his calendar app as if it were filled with errands and meetings.

“Well about that,” George sheepishly started, “I don’t know where we are going, and also not how long we’ll be gone.”

“You don’t even know where you want to go?!!!”

The apartment exploded into a fiery argument, with their voices probably reaching far beyond their apartment walls. To onlookers it might have seemed like a friendship falling apart, ripping at the seams, and anger over boiling. Insults were hurled like a sport and yet in a long time George felt listened to, acknowledged. It was the first time George actually felt like he was getting to know Sapnap. Their yelling was burning away layers of polite avoidance and uninterested small talk, leaving their personalities to shine.

Their yells soon were joined by sparks of laughter, until George eventually managed to convince Sapnap to think of it as an adventure, the journey being the destination, assuring him that his friend would have more answers.

–

“Why are we here? You said you’ll introduce me to your mystery friend, not go on a stupid walk,” Sapnap complained loudly, his hands buried in the pockets of his hoodie, as he followed George across the beach. “If you wanted to go on a romantic walk, you could have just said so.”

George let out a huff. “We are almost there.”

“Why are we even walking down the beach in the first place?”

“Because we are meeting my friend, dumbass,” George answered plainly.

“Well duh, but why doesn’t your friend meet us at the apartment? We are doing him a favor afterall.”

George ignored him, continuing to walk ahead, one step after another, trying to calm his nerves, until they both reached the end of the beach.

It had gotten eerily quiet, with only the ocean and wind filling the air with atmosphere. Like the first time George was there, everyone besides them chose to stay where the sand was soft and undisrupted. A soft breeze rustled his hair and mimicked a soft whispering call, as if it carried the mermaid’s song. Dream was close by.

“I thought you said, your friend would be here,” Sapnap stated, arms crossed and annoyance starting to spread across his entire demeanor.

“He is here,” George answered simply, before starting to climb. “Follow me.”

“George, I didn’t agree to this.”

“It’s going to be alright,” George assured, crossing over to the other side, losing sight of the other. With a soft sound he landed on the stoney sandy ground of the hidden bay.

He lifted his gaze towards the ocean, which shimmered in an endless array of blues, and on a rock, this time closer to the shore, sat Dream looking right back at him. His tail moved from side to side as George came closer.

“Fancy seeing you here,” greeted George, getting a smile from the mermaid.

“No fish to throw at me,” Dream replied.

“Sadly no, but I brought you someone that will help us on our roadtrip.”

“Someone?”

Almost on cue, George could hear Sapnap land a few feet away.

Sapnap came up to him in a matter of seconds, putting his hand on his shoulder to turn him away from the shore. “Dude, you can’t just climb over dangerous rocks! For all you know, we are currently trespassing! And I’m not one to care about something like that but it’s dangerous-” His scolding died in his throat as soon as he lifted his gaze to see what George was looking at. “What the fuck!”

“This is the friend I was talking about,” George stated, putting on a smile, hoping to calm down Sapnap by acting like this was a regular situation to be in. However, it didn’t seem to have the desired effect, with Sapnap stumbling back, his eyes locked onto Dream, who looked just as freaked out to meet the new human.

“Sapnap, this is Dream, Dream, this is Sapnap,” George introduced, in a futile attempt to calm both of them down.

“You named him??” Sapnap exclaimed in disbelief, rubbing his eyes as if to wake up from a nightmare.

“No, that was already his name,” George replied calmly, but Sapnap ignored him.

His roommate turned towards where he came from only to then turn at the rocks to move back to George, mumbling curse words and trying to calm himself down. “Why did I ever agree to this? This isn’t real. Mermaids aren’t fucking real.”

Meanwhile Dream just stayed still, with only his eyes following the other, like a hunter observing and waying the dangers of attacking a strong opponent. Unlike before, where his tail moved in a predictable, almost happy pattern, his tail had stopped moving as if to reserve energy. The only thing that showed he wasn’t frozen in place, was the pulsating gills on his neck and the fins on his upper thighs, opening and closing as he drew deep breaths in.

“Guys, come on,” George tried to break the tension between them. “Dream, Sapnap isn’t dangerous so please stop trying to kill him with a single look,” he assured but his words fell on deaf ears. “Sapnap, I wouldn’t have brought you if there was any danger.”

“Yeah no, because this is a joke. Where are the cameras? Where is the film crew? Where is the host telling me that I passed the test and this is all a prank?” He had started to inspect the rocks they had climbed over to get to the hidden bay.

“There isn’t- This is real, Sapnap.”

And then, suddenly, there was a pause in Sapnap’s freak out. He took a deep breath and as if his brain had finally turned on again, he turned back towards Dream and George. “Okay then, let’s act like this is real.” He took a few steps towards Dream, stopping right where land meets sea. “I am looking at a real mermaid. A mythical creature that has only ever been sighted by drunk sailors. And you and you-” he pointed from George to Dream “- asked me to take you on a roadtrip?”

“Yes.” Dream beat George to it, causing Sapnap to slightly jolt back, having just heard, for the first time, Dream’s voice. He looked over at George, who gave him an encouraging nod. “I want to go on a roadtrip.” Dream let out a deep sigh. “George said he would take me on a roadtrip. If he needs you to help him do that, then I guess I’ll have to accept you tagging along.” It was meant to sound polite, but it came out dry and as if Dream was an enduring sacrifice for the greater good.

“Gee, thanks,” Sapnap answered sarcastically. “Should I feel honored to be able to accompany, your majesty? Next thing you are going to tell me is that you are a mermaid prince who fell in love with a human, who you are trying to rescue in the hopes that they will love you back.”

A growl escaped Dream, deep from the back of his throat, bubbling, something a human, or a mammal for that matter, wouldn’t be able to do. “I’m doing this roadtrip for myself and myself only.”

“Alright, alright, then I won’t bother you about it. Just tell me where you want to go?” Sapnap said, crossing his arms.

George rolled his eyes. “You can’t expect him to know where things are, Sapnap,” as he spoke he pulled out a paper map from the back of his pocket, holding it out as an offering, stepping a further into the water but still leaving some distance towards where Dream was sitting.

This act seemed to calm Dream a little bit, his tail starting to sway once again.

Without any warning he then pushed himself off the rock, landing with an elegant dive into the deep blue sea. He soon reamurged next to George, who handed him the map. Both of them sat down in the shallow water, before Dream started to inspect what he had been handed.

The mermaid held the map up, fascinated by the green, blues and greys, of the streets and landscape. It seemed like he was planning a route, letting his finger move over the map. The water of his fingers only slowly seeped into the paper, darkening where his finger passed. His movements got faster and more precise. George was unable to follow the other’s route but as long as Dream knew where he wanted to go it’d be fine.

Then Dream suddenly stopped.

“So where are we going?” Sapnap asked from where he was standing, still a few feet away.

Dream looked from the map to George before reaching Sapnap, his expression weary as if not trusting Sapnap as much as George. Still he held it out for him to grab, like George had done for him.

Reluctantly Sapnap stepped closer and took the map, only to let it fall to his side as soon as he took one look at it. He groaned, “George, you are asking for the impossible. Your little ‘friend’ just drew shapes onto our map. Like this is physically impossible. This is not how you plan a roadtrip!”

The mermaid huffed. “I don’t get what you want more from me. Where do I want to go? On a roadtrip. Just go wherever I don't know how you work on land.”

“George gave you this,” Sapnap waved it around like it was proof in a courtroom, “so you could help us plan the ‘wherever’!”

“Not very smart of him to hand me that then, because I don’t see how that helps you define the ‘wherever’ is. Or maybe it wasn’t smart of him to ask you to help us.”

“At least one thing we can agree on,” Sapnap stated, keeping his eyes on the mermaid only to be stared down with the same intensity.

George sighed, and stood up. “You two are being so annoying right now. How about we just start driving and we figure it out on the way? We can drive up the east coast for now.” He threw a look towards Sapnap, who rolled his eyes in return.

“Okay, fine, that is at least something to work with. But I think we forgot another teeny tiny Problem,” Sapnap said, his eyes moving from Dream to settle on George. “How do you take a mermaid on a roadtrip? I don’t think he can fit into a portable fish tank.”

Before George could even start to think of a solution, Dream chimed in, “You don’t have to worry about that.”

In a matter of seconds the mermaid’s tail began to glow, slow at first before it shone like molten metal. Right from the caudal fin, the tail began to split down the middle, taking on the shape of two legs. Before the glow had even finished to fade, Dream stood up, the water running down him as he turned towards the others. He looked utterly exhausted but had a grin of pure satisfaction on his face.

“One less thing to worry about, right?” Dream said to Sapnap, proudly putting his hands on his hips.

‘What the fuck’ was the only answer he got from him. George wasn’t even registering what they were saying, he was too busy looking at a new transformed Dream. The beautiful green shining tail had disappeared, turned into two legs. His gills, the fins he had had on his upper thighs, and the scales which transitioned into skin, had only left faint scars behind. In the case of the scales it seemed like his scales had gathered at his hips leaving the biggest of the scars behind.

Other things had also changed but George didn’t have to examine them before he became acutely aware of the fact that Dream wasn’t wearing anything. In an instance his eyes were glued onto some seagulls flying overhead, as if they were about to turn into a pair of dragons. “Sapnap, give him your hoodie.”

“What? Why?” Sapnap looked over to his roommate, only to find him looking up at the sky, which made a teasing, evil smile appear on his face.

“You heard what I said so could you please just hurry.”

“Why? You didn’t have a problem with him being naked before. And besides, he doesn't seem to mind.”

George could feel his face heating, sparing a glance at Dream’s face that had gone from proud to complete confusion at George’s reaction. It didn’t help his face to cool down, embarrassment joining the emotions he was feeling. His eyes fled back up, to find the not-dragon seagulls making their rounds again.

“Sapnap,” George hissed.

“Alright, alright,” Sapnap eventually gave in, pulling his hoodie over his head and handing it to Dream, who mirrored Sapnap’s movements to put it back on. “You can look at him again, Mr. Tomato,” he said, catching George's descending gaze. “You are lucky that the hoodie is slightly oversized on me,” he added, getting an eye roll in return.

“Haha, aren’t you just hilarious,” George replied to Sapnap.

“I know, I’m the best. But to save you some suffering, I’ll go get the car and some spare clothes.” Sapnap turned to Dream. “I think your little trick might have saved your roadtrip.”

With that he ran over to the rocks at the edge of the bay and climbed over, disappearing from sight after a quick wave. Dream and George were left alone, at the shore they had met just the day before.

Sun was making its way up through the sky. It was almost noon. Only a few clouds covered its path, making it the perfect day for an adventure to start.

With Sapnap’s departure, only the sound of the beach and ocean remained. It was as if there had never been any humans to disrupt its song. Seagulls and waves sung a melody while the wind hissed a harmony. It was like listening to an orchestra that had never been rehearsed but intertwined into something so deeply beautiful.

It made George wonder how Dream’s voice would fit into the choir, but that thought didn’t make it past his lips.

“How come you haven’t used this to go across the country yourself? You could have hitchhiked or gone to ask people to help you, you know?,” George stated, looking back at him.

Nobody would hesitate to help him. He was gorgeous beyond belief, like an angel not quite in the right place. His transformation had dimmed some of his ethereal appearance, like his hair and eyes but he was still undeniably other worldly. The scars were the only thing interrupting the flow of flawless skin, and yet they only enhanced his beauty, almost underlining his human aspects.

“Why didn’t you just set out on your own? Why wait for me to show up?” George asked again.

Dream, who had averted eyes and had started to fidget around with the strings of the hoodie, lifted his gaze, a sad smile appearing on his face. “I can only stay like this for a few hours. It’s like with every moment that passes it feels more and more like I’m drying up until eventually it feels like I’m engulfed in flames.” He made a gesture towards the ocean. “If they are covered by water the pain dulls but it can only do so much. I don't know enough to go out on my own without gambling with my life. But when you showed up it was as if you were the gateway to a new world. For better or for worse, I feel like I can trust you.”

Their eyes interlocked. Dream’s words hung between them. It was an amount of honesty George hadn't expected. He couldn’t read the other.

“Thank you for trusting me,” he managed to say. “I'll make this roadtrip count.”

Chapter Text

Eventually Sapnap returned, announcing himself by throwing a bag over the rocks onto the other side. His bag landed with a thud. “I brought some supplies from home. My van is parked on the side of the road, so we shouldn't waste too much time. There is an outfit for your friend, George.”

George and Dream jogged up to the bag, and pulled out its contents. A pair of old sneakers, underwear, socks printed with silly salmons probably stolen out of George’s closet, and a pair of jeans that looked to be a pair Sapnap inherited from his dad. Dream looked at it unconvinced but put everything on without complaining, before imitating George’s way of climbing over the rocks that marked the end of his own little paradise.

The second Dream landed on the other side, his eyes widened. The beach was identical to the one he had just been standing on and yet for Dream it seemed to be like stepping onto a different planet.

“Have never left your side of the beach,” Sapnap asked after seeing the other’s reaction.

The mermaid took a few steps to where the group could hear cherry beachgoers enjoying the sun. “I have but-” Dream stopped himself, chewing on his words, before eventually explaining, “I have but it’s the first time I’m this excited to go beyond the beach.”

“Well I hope me and George can be good enough tour guides for you,” Sapnap said, leading their trio back to his car.

Dream observed the people they passed, how some preferred to lay in the sun, while others shrieked as they went into the cold ocean water. The quiet song of the secret bay was hardly even audible anymore, with the lively nature people taking center stage. It was mundane to Sapnap and George to encounter so many sounds and colours and people on the beach, for Dream it was a new world.

It was endearing to see the mermaid react to stuff. Most of the time his expression barely changed, just a subtle movement of the brow when he saw something new. But when something truly startled him, like the first time he saw a beach ball bounce into their direction, or people put sunscreen on, George could see his eyes widen and how he silently mouthed words like ‘what’ and ‘why’. It made a smile slowly appear on George’s face.

How would Dream react to seeing a campfire, or a forest, or a bustling city?

“George?” Sapnap had turned towards him, walking backwards and waving his hand around to catch his attention.

“I’m listening,” George assured, having not even realized that his roommate had been talking to him since presumably they started walking.

“Sure you did,” Sapnap said. “I was telling you that I packed some supplies for the trip but since we haven’t decided on how long we’ll be on the road for, we’ll have to plan in some stops to buy some more stuff.”

“We can do that,” George acknowledged, his eyes settling back onto Dream, who was staring down a forgotten plastic crab they were now approaching.

“I also was saying how you are responsible for basically everything from now on, I’m just the driver, cause I for sure won’t play chaperone for you just so you can make googly eyes at a fish guy.”

“I- I’m not doing that!” George huffed.

The look he got from Sapnap spoke volumes, but be it a loss of interest or the grace of being nice, Sapnap moved on. “By the way, I just threw some of your clothes into a bag for the trip. You really need to get some fashion sense. I didn’t even know someone could own so many shirts with puns on them.”

“I have a fashion sense!”

“Dressing like a mix of a middle aged man and a kid who just grabs funny T-shirts, isn’t a fashion sense,” Sapnap argued, laughing at the huff he once again got from George.

“Yeah cause dressing like a generic weeb is any better.”

“It is.”

“It really isn’t,” George answered with a joking finality.

Sapnap clicked the button on his car keys. “Careful, or you’ll have to follow on foot, while I take Dream on a roadtrip.” They had reached Sapnap’s red van, parked at the side of the road where parking wasn’t allowed but it was unlikely someone would actually care enough to write him a ticket. “I tried to move some stuff around, but you’ll have to forgive me if it’s still a bit cluttered.”

The van had a few years on it, dust coating the outside making the crimson red appear more muted to a point where it was almost maroon. With a big tug Sapnap let the door on the side of the van slide open. It revealed more organised inside than the one George had seen the few times Sapnap had given him a ride. The bike had been moved and all the other stuff Sapnap seemed to just drive around with had been disposed of, probably lying around in their apartment now. At least without the stuff it was easier to see the stuff in the van. The backseats of the van had been taken out for storage, instead having a bench built in right across from the door Sapnap had just opened. George recognised his backpack and a few of Sapnap’s bags lying on the bench.

“Where do you want to sit?” George asked, turning towards Dream.

Dream stood a few feet away from the van, inspecting it as if it was a beast that could and would bite his head off. “This is what we’ll be driving in?”

“Oh, right, you probably don’t know what a car is,” George mumbled. “Well, it’s-”

“I know what a car is,” Dream interrupted with a laugh. “I’ve seen wrecks on them on the ocean floor near the cliffs.” He drew his finger across the car’s surface. “My question was more, does this one even work?”

“My car works like it should, thank you very much, and I won’t have a fish judging it like that,” Sapnap warned, getting in the driver’s seat. “I’m gonna leave now, so either both of you get in this second or I’ll drive off without you.”

Both of them immediately jumped into the van. George sat in the shotgun seat, to assist with navigation, while Dream had chosen the back bench to more easily look out the window.

With a turn of the key the engine started and if it weren't for the engine rumbling like an old man grumbling complaints, one could have guessed that the van was brand new, reversing onto the road so smoothly it felt like gliding on ice.

“What did I tell you?” Sapanap said proudly, having noticed George’s surprise.

“Congrats on having a car that drives,” George admitted with an eyeroll, choosing to ignore Sapnap’s triumphant grin. Instead George moved his attention to the rearview mirror where he could see Dream. His eyes were glued onto the scenery moving past the window, as the van moved onto the main road.

They passed houses and shops that simultaneously looked run down and modern. Houses and shops George had never gotten used to looking at in all the time he had been situated here. Dream’s eyes moved from one to the next, his mouth pressed into a line, as if he was lost in thought, while his eyes held a tentative awe.

A few cars drove past them, with Dream always moving away as if scared that they were too close, only to then lean closer to the window to be able to follow them with his gaze. It became a quiet dance as the van drove through the small town, Dream leaning forward or back whenever something caught his attention. It was just like at the beach, and such George couldn’t help but look at how Dream was reacting to stuff.

Their journey had just begun and yet to George it felt like he understood Dream on a deep level.

George used to be just as curious. His pursuit in knowledge was what made him such a high achiever. But behind Dream’s eyes was more than just curiosity. It went deeper. People in the Brit’s life always said this was George’s first life. That his soul was young, like a small child too curious for his own sake. For Dream it seemed to be almost the opposite, an old soul revisiting old memories. Where George found novelty and a new experience, Dream appeared to feel recognition, as if he had seen all the things he should know nothing about once before.

The sudden sound of the radio rang through the van at a volume that was short of deafening as the van exited the town George had felt stuck at. Music blared from the speakers, something that in another word might have resembled an emo rock ballad.

Dream eyes fell shut and his expression froze into cold concentration. All awe and wonder had been replaced.

“Can you turn that back off?” George asked, not appreciating the sudden noise either.

Sapnap turned it down a smidge as a compromise. “I need some entertainment, we can’t all just look at the scenery. So either you talk to me or the music stays.”

The voice of an energetic host took over as the song ended in a harsh cut. “The next song will send your heart into a heart throb if you happen to be on the road. My name is Marian, normally cheery as ever, but a listener requested this song, and who am I to say no to some sadness. Turns out the listener just broke up with her boyfriend, because she found him cheating on her with her best friend. She feels as if she was left behind.” She paused for dramatic effect. “Yeah, I know, tragic. But there is no better way to heal some heartache than with some heartbroken music. The betrayal of a partner, a friend, and being alone; that’s what the next song is about.”

Her voice faded into the first strums of a sad guitar before being joined by a piano, whose sound was just devastated. Soon enough a voice resembling a screeching southern cat began to take over the song with lyrics ambiguously vague.

“You know, Sapnap, moments like this remind me why I usually wear headphones while you are doing the dishes. This is absolutely horrible.”

“You just don’t have any taste in music taste. Dream gets it,” Sapnap pointed out.

Dream had started to bop his head to the music, and a few words began to fall from his lips. At first they were calm and collected. It was eerie and stood in harsh contrast to the singer's voice, on the verge of cracking at each syllable with pain running through her voice like blood rushing through veins. Dream's words only started to pick up in volume once Sapnap began to accompany his voice.

The words still sounded insecure as if Sapnap was trying to guess the rhyme while Dream focused on what would fit in the melody. In the end both were failing miserably. But that didn't stop their confidence from growing. Dream and Sapnap soon got into a groove, singing together, screaming lyrics as if they had been betrayed just as much as the listener, who requested the song. They didn't seem to care about the carefully crafted, ambiguous lyrics, instead opting to butcher them into a mess of screeches.

The van was filled with noises and sounds as it drove along the road, with the glittering sea to one side and impressive mountains to the other. George was caught in the middle of the chaos, but it didn't take long for him to find himself being a part of it.

He didn’t know the song, sounding foreign to his ears, even more so with the others' singing, but something in the way Dream and Sapnap sang allowed George to open up a bit, basically screaming along to the last chorus.

Marian chimed in with a new song right when the previous came to an end, always introducing herself and the song, to which the trio yelled enthusiastically as if to prove to the radio host that they were approving of the listener’s submission. The first song had broken the ice, and to anyone who could have looked into the van they would have seemed like friends that have known each other for their entire lives.

Their sing-along came to a stop when George spotted an advertisement. In bold letters it announced there to be a market in a few miles. Along with cheeses and fruits, fish of various types and colours filled the board, which seemed to also catch Dream’s attention. Sapnap, whose eyes were glued on the road, didn't react much, but his stomach did rumble with hunger.

“We should check out the market. Maybe we could find some lunch there too, and some fish,” George said, smiling as he saw Dream nod in approval.

Sapnap’s eyebrow narrowed in confusion but he didn’t complain, turning at the next exit and letting the car drive past the sign welcoming them to the town.

The town was similar to the one they had started out from but the closer the van got to the market place the more buzzing with life it seemed to be. They eventually found a parking spot and let themselves explore the market.

Different booths were littered across the town square with people moving from one to the next inspecting what the vendors had to offer. The smell of fish filled the air, with subtle notes of other fruits, vegetables, flowers, and cheeses blending into the background. Chatter and calls amounted to a melody befitting of the market

George walked ahead, his steps getting more excited the more he got to see, weaving through people with ease. He stopped at each of the booths taking in whatever they had to offer. Dream held his pace, smiling at George excitedly explaining everything to him as if George was an expert of the culinary world. His smile only shifted for a second into a surprised expression when he felt George’s hand catch his.

“So we don’t lose each other,” George called over the chattering noises from the people around them that passed them like salmon traversing up the river.

Dream nodded, accepting the explanation, and further intertwining their hold. The smile returned at full force as his eyes wandered over the market.

Sapnap on the other hand just followed with a few steps behind with an expression that had turned sour. His eyes narrowed in a mix of disgust and suspicion directed at Dream every time he looked too hungrily at the fish.

Those feelings spilled over when Dream broke off their path and approached a booth asking about a specific tuna.

The fish laid next to several others of his kind, glassy eyes looking up at the baby blue sky. Its scales shimmered gray, catching the light just as Dream’s tail had when they were at the beach.

“How much would this cost?” George chimed in, having caught Dream’s confused look when the vendor asked him if he was interested in buying it.

“I’d do around thirteen per pound of fillet. I’d cut it up for you right here,” the middle aged woman, with fiery hair, said.

George looked over at Dream, who didn’t seem happy with the thought of having the fish pre-cut. “Would it be possible to buy the whole fish off you?”

The woman gave a hearty laugh. “Oh, honey, that’s gonna cost ya a lot for less tasty pieces. I show the fish like this cause it was freshly caught this morning. Like a sales pitch. The whole thing would be around 600 if we do thirteen dollars per pound for the whole fish.”

Sapnap had enough, pulling George away from the vendor by the elbow, just as he was taking out his wallet.

“Sapnap?” George asked, his eyebrows lifted in confusion. “Why are you pulling me away?”

“You can’t buy him that.”

“Why not? I have the money for it.”

“It’s not right. Morally speaking,” Sapnap simply stated as if it was obvious. He crossed his arms and shook his head in disappointment.

George only confused the statement more. “You have to be kidding me. Did seeing fish like this change your mind on veganism? You didn’t have a problem with the fish and chips last week.”

“No, it’s- Dream shouldn’t eat that.” Once again he said it like a fact, annoyance seeping into his voice as if he didn’t get why George wasn’t getting his point.

In turn George matched his tone. “Why not? They caught it this morning. It’s fresh.”

“Yeah, no doubt. But don’t you think it’s –”, Sapnap lowered his voice to be barely about a whisper, “ – cannibalism?”

“Cannibalism? Cause he is-” George broke out into a fit of laughter.

Sapnap’s face immediately started to burn up, heat climbing up his neck like flames engulfing a skyscraper at the few people looking at them like George had gone insane.

“Don’t just laugh. It’s a valid question!”

He could see people start to whisper, some cackling at them with George still laughing as if Sapnap had admitted to not knowing what fish is.

“It’s not that funny. You know what,” he said annoyed, red crawling up his neck due to embarrassment. “Have your fish, what do I care if you eat it.” Sapnap wanted to divert the attention away from him, to let his embarrassment disappear by just buying the stupid fish and show how he didn’t care if it was cannibalism or not. Promptly he pulled out his wallet, but he hesitated as he opened it to take the money out. “On second thought, could I get two of the trout over there?”

The vendor couldn’t help but laugh again. “Sure, darling, a much safer choice if you fellows don’t wanna be eating fish for the entire next week.” The woman took the two fish Sapnap had pointed to and lowered them into a bag before handing it over.

Sapnap paid before immediately pushing the bag into Dream’s hands. “Happy?”

The mermaid gave a nod and a thank you, but he seemed confused about the entire ordeal, not having been able to hear what Sapnap had whispered to George. But he wasn’t too hung up on it, having spotted more stuff from the corner of his eyes. Almost instinctively he grabbed George’s hand, like the other had done before and began to lead them through the market once more.

Chapter Text

Their market excursion ended with them gathering by the van on an empty camping place surrounded by woods. They sat on a few logs that were placed around a fireplace that probably hadn’t been lit in a while. Dream had his fish, still in the bag next to him, while Sapnap and George were already digging into the sandwiches they had gotten from the market.

“Aren’t you gonna eat?” Sapnap asked while chewing through his bites. “All the moral dilemmas of buying you fish only for you to not eat it?”

“I was gonna be considerate. I’m not sure how appetizing my way of eating is for you,” Dream said, dropping his gaze towards the bag.

“I don't think your way of eating can be worse than Sapnap,” George chimed in, laughing as Sapnap threw a wrapper at him.

“Oh no no, don’t turn this on me, I have seen you slurp noodles with the elegance of a three year old, just munching away with no manners. You should be grateful we weren’t close before or I would have snapped a picture to use as black mail.”

“That was one time! And that was when my boss piled me with work cause my colleagues were too useless to figure it out themselves!” George shot back, taking the wrapper of the ground only to throw it back, failing miserably at hitting its target.

This only fueled the flames of Sapnap’s erupting laughter, infecting Dream soon after, whose laughter floated through the air instead of sounding grounded and hearty. Embarrassment crawled up Geroge’s neck, painting his face with a rose tint. Were these his old mates from school or university, George would have wanted to disappear into a ditch, but instead, sitting on old logs on a warm afternoon he felt as if the laugh wasn’t at his expense. His chuckles joined the melody, his embarrassment having shifted and changed.

George and Sapnap began to exchange stories, like the time Sapnap forgot to peel a banana before biting into it because he was too concentrated on the show he was watching to notice.

Dream’s tenseness started to fade, his shoulders dropping as he picked up the bag. He pulled out one of the trout while laughing at the wild gestures George made explaining about the time he hadn’t noticed a spider had crawled into his salad.

The mermaid then took a bite out of the fish.

Sapnap instantly froze, staring at the missing head of the fish Dream had just bitten off in a singular bite. Dream smiled at them, fish bones crunching as he chewed. Sapnap’s eyes flickered from the headless fish towards George, who seemed just as surprised by his friend’s way of eating.

Dream’s smile slowly began to dim as he felt the eyes of his friends settle on him. His shoulders seemed to tense back up and his gaze fell onto the fish he was enjoying moments prior. His fingers moved over the scales as if unsure if he should lay the fish back into the bag and return to his original plan to wait for a moment of solitude to enjoy his food.

Sapnap looked from the fish to what was left of his own sandwich, shredded tuna peaking through lettuce and tomato. He shook his head with an exhale that was between a sigh and a laugh before taking just as big of a bite of his own food. With a smile he looked back at Dream. “How’s the fish?” Sapnap asked between his own chewing.

In surprise Dream let their eyes meet, a smile beginning to make its way back onto his face as he saw genuine interest in the other’s eyes. “It’s pretty good. I have eaten this kind of trout before. Unlike the tuna.”

“As in the tuna I would have gotten you if Sapnap hadn’t intervened?” George inquired with a teasing smirk. Offering the last bite of his own tuna salad to the mermaid, who took it with a nod.

“I have never caught tuna. Those things are beast, fast and strong and even on my best days, the result of catching it is probably not worth the energy spent.” He munched away on the sandwich, reacting with surprise, although if it was because of the fish or the other ingredients.

“Dream, you couldn’t have eaten all that anyway in one day. 600 dollars worth of fish is overkill. That thing was almost as tall as me.”

“Have you considered that you are just short, Sapnap?” Dream asked.

Sapnap huffed. “I’m just as tall as George and you have no say in this, you magic-ed yourself extra long legs. If you were born human you wouldn’t have been this tall.”

George laughed. “I am taller than you, and come on, if Dream had given himself unproportional legs it would be more obvious.”

The mermaid nodded at the statement, his foot began to tap against the ground, handing the leftover wrapper back to George before continuing with his fish, biting another chunk of it, bones and all. “My legs are proportional to my tail. If Sapnap were a mermaid, he’d also be shorter than me.”

“Short mermaid,” Sapnap huffed once more, crossing his arms and leaning against the van. He pulled his cap down to shield his eyes from the descending sun. “I will never buy you fish again, you know.”

“Well good thing he has me then,” George said with a grin.

“If we were mermaids, you’d be just as short.”

“George would be a pretty mermaid, probably lots of blues and grey scales,” Dream said, more so absent mindedly, as if having checked out of the conversation while continuing to devour his fish, his foot still tapping in a calm rhythm.

Sapnap let out a sigh. “First I get insulted as short and now I get told that George would be a prettier mermaid princess. Please start flirting once I’ve fallen asleep.” He pulled his cap even further down onto his face as if actually starting to nap, his slowing breaths a confirmation of that.

“I’m pretty sure there aren’t any mermaid princesses,” George started, until his brain caught up to what his friend actually said,”a-and Dream isn’t flirting.”

George looked over at Dream only to find him already looking back at him. In the afternoon breeze his blond hair had started to be tuzzled around, moving as if dancing along with the leaves of the trees around them. His eyes were locked onto George as if examining his reaction, as if reading how his compliment will be taken. The brunet could feel his face start to heat up.

“Dream?”

Dream’s taps began to fasten into a rhythm. Were they related to how his tail would be moving?

“George?” He asked cheekily but something felt off. His voice sounded strained and his eyes were as if he wasn’t actually seeing him but rather looking through him. Was he lost in thought?

“Dream.” It was a statement to snap the other back to reality.

The mermaid shut his eyes only to open them again, the tapping stopping in an instant. “Yes, George?”

“Are you okay?” George asked, his voice urging for the truth.

But Dream just answered with a short ‘yeah’ and gave him another smile to lessen his worry but it was clear that it didn’t reach his eyes. His hands had found the fabric of his jeans, scratching it like a nervous tick.

“Water,” George suddenly said as if he should have thought of that earlier.

“I’m fine,” Dream tried assured but his voice went ignored.

George jumped into the van, scrambling to find every water bottle Sapnap had packed. Through clothing and other supplies he managed to find three. One for each he assumed. He quickly came back only to find Dream having his head in his hands while his breathing came out in a short burst every now and again.

When he approached and Dream spotted him, he tried to sit up back straight and gained control of his breaths again. His eyes met a sea of worry as one of the bottles was offered to him.

The mermaid took it with a little bit of hesitation, not uttering a word as he pulled up one of the pant legs.

It revealed red blotches of dry skin, blooming on his skin like scales. Like a bad sunburn it had started to flake off. Reds and pinks covered his leg. It seemed so out of place on the flawless skin George had seen earlier in the day.

Dream didn’t flinch at the sight, only wincing at the water he poured over his legs as if it was alkohol burning into his skin.

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Dream said after taking in some deep breaths, not meeting George’s eyes.

The brit didn’t answer him. He didn’t believe him. Instead he walked over to the slightly snoring Sapnap, pulling off his hat and nudging his shoulder.

"What's going-”

George let the cap fall into the other’s lap pointing to Dream, who had begun to sway from presumably the pain. “We need to go to the ocean. Now.”

Even having just been woken up, Sapnap connected the dots. He immediately was on his feet and began to pull Dream up by the arms. “I don’t think we should go to the ocean with him in that state. There might be too many people around the public beaches here and if he passes out we are cooked. We did pass a gas station. We can buy some water there and hope that the cashier knows a less public way to the shore.”

George nodded, rushing over to help Sapnap in moving Dream into the car.

The drive to the gas station was tense. It layed heavy on them as Dream winced at every turn. He was draped over the bench of the van, but held his head high as if trying to appear as if he had everything under control. Sapnap drove at a speed short from reckless as George looked for a route to the beach in case the gas station attended didn’t know of any. But they were out of luck.

“I don’t see anywhere we can take him,” George said, his voice trembling as he spoke.

“We’ll find something,” Sapnap replied through his teeth, keeping his eyes locked on the road.

“And what if-” He made the mistake of looking back. Dream’s eyes moved along with the scenery through the window. Empty roads surrounded by woods. However, his gaze was empty as if reserving his energy to process the pain he was in. His hair was drenched in sweat, sticking to his forehead and no longer moving as if the breeze was playing with it.

“We’ll find something,” Sapnap repeated.

–

The tires of the van sounded like thunder as they finally came to a stop at an empty gas station. They parked furthest away from the store in case Dream passed out and turned back. The last thing they needed was to explain to the gas station clerk that they were taking a mermaid on a roadtrip.

“Come on, George,” Sapnap called as he threw the door on his side shut, as he got out, already running ahead.

George followed suit.

With a soft electric sound the doors of the gas station slid open, letting in two men that were clearly panicking. Through shelves holding various types of chips, bread and soda George eventually managed to spot a few water canisters. Each of them took one and ran their way to the counter where they were greeted by a very bored teen.

His name tag said Frededrick, dressed in a blue vest that marked him as an employee. With an unimpressed expression he began to greet them with a grating voice, not quite high but also not deep, at a speed that matched his expression. “Hello, how may I assist you-”

“We’d like to pay for the water please,” both Sapnap and George cut him off.

A slow blink, followed by a slow sigh. “That would be 24$.”

George paid as fast as he could, taking one of the canisters as he made his way back to the van. Sapnap stayed behind to inquire if there was a more unknown beach close by.

When George got back to their van, Dream was almost passed out. His breathing was irregular, gasping through the pain. And yet he managed to smile as George pulled open the door, helping him out to sit on the curb.

“George,” he whispered quietly, his voice floating like the shadow through the air.

“Dream,” he replied, trying to minimize the worry that dripped off that singular word.

Carefully George stabilized him and began to roll up both of the cuffs of his jeans. Wincing like the cries of a ghost haunted him as he revealed red skin.

It looked burned.

Open wounds, where skin had rubbed off. Reds and pinks barely contrasting against anything. Scolding to the touch and Dream looking like it was in agonising pain. And yet he gave George a weak smile.

“Why didn’t you tell us it was getting this bad?” George scolded, pouring some water on the exposed skin.

“I have endured worse. I could still stay like this for a few hours. It’s not like I’m dying. It hasn’t reached up my stomach or started on my neck,” Dream explained, his voice steady but strained through pain.

The horror of the words George was hearing could be easily read from his face. His eyes stayed on where he was pouring the water, skin cooling and slightly sizzling at the touch of the liquid. “But you are in pain.”

“I didn’t want to cause you any trouble.”

“We don’t want to see you in pain!”

The green eyes widened. George had met his gaze, tears at the corners of his eyes. “I’m sorr-”

“Don’t apologise,” Sapnap interjected, appearing with a cooler and another canister, from behind the van. He began to fill it up with water. “The teen said something from a secluded shore a few miles from here. Until then you should-”

“I’m not getting in there!” Dream stared at the cooler, the water swaying in the container. “I. Am. Not. Getting. In. There.” He moved away, his legs shaking and his body shivering, pain fitting its ways back without George pouring water on them. Tear’s shot up as his eyes moved from Sapnap to the cooler to George. He pulled his legs closer, wrapping his arms around them. “I’d rather-” sobs began to erupt out of him.

“Getting in there?” Sapnap repeated the words, like chewing on nails.

The cooler wasn't big enough to fit Dream’s 6-or-so-feet-tall self. It was just big enough to sit in there but from what Dream was saying it implied something much darker.

“I- I wasn't expecting you to curl up in there.” His voice was dripping with guilt. Sapnap had just gotten it to let him put his legs or his tail in so they could use the water more effectively.

George stared at the figure in front of him. Nothing was left of the ethereal creature. Just a scared man in pain, cornered like an injured animal. “How long do we take to the beach?”

“About fifteen minutes.”

“Close the cooler and put everything onto the back bench. I think that's for the best.”

“But-” Sapnap stopped after he met George's eyes. He trusted George's judgement. With just a short nod, he began to put everything away.

Dream, on the other hand, stayed frozen in place. He held his ears, his eyes jumping from one thing to the next as if trying to decide on what the biggest danger was. He bit open his lip as he shut his eyes, his hands moving onto his neck.

“You don't have to get into the cooler. But I do need you to get in the van again so we can get you into the sea,” George tried to calm him down.

The mermaid stared at him, weakly shaking his head. George held out his hand. As their eyes met he could only see a hurricane of fear and pain.

They were running out of time.

“We’ll keep you safe, Dream.”

Something resembling trust appeared behind the foliage of panic. Dream slowly reached out. The scars on his neck, the scars that hid his gills, had started to rip open, as if a dagger had sliced into the skin.

With a bit of effort, George managed to pull him back on his feet. However, his sense of balance was gone, swaying like a drunk before falling against George’s hold. Slowly George, with help of Sapnap, brough Dream back into the van.

George was about to close the door to the van when Sapnap intervened. “I think you should stay with him while I drive. It’s easier to keep an eye on him when you are sitting next to him.”

He did as he was told, sitting on the floor with Dream leaning against him. George held him by the shoulder as the van started up again. The mermaid had his eyes closed as George kept words of comfort flowing, like calming rain drops to keep the mermaid’s mind at bay. Sobs of pain cut through his words before becoming more regular, like the haunting beat of a bass.

The brit could feel the mermaid’s skin was burning up through the shirt he was wearing. He looked like a dying angel. The dirty blond locks had started to appear golden again in the rays of the setting sun. It was as if his ethereal nature was getting harder to hide behind the mask of being human.

He carefully brushed the strands away from his face. Lashes fluttered at the touch but his eyes stayed close.

If Dream were to turn into a mermaid again it would be impossible to get him into the ocean again, because as he currently was, with legs that at least assisted in carrying him from one place to the next. Carrying a mermaid with a tail that was probably near impossible, even with the strengths of both Sapnap and George.

The sun was nearing the horizon, allowing oranges and reds to take over the horizon line. Dark blues started to creep up from the other side. The moon was already being reflected at the edge of the ocean as they reached the edge of the beach.

The van came to an abrupt stop, right in front of some hedges with a small gravel path that led to the beach. There were no signs showing that it was private property, nor were there any people around to suggest it was public.

“It’s just as the bored teen said,” Sapnap mumbled, jumping out of the van and sliding open the van door. Dream was curled up, leaning against George as if he was the only thing keeping him from passing out. “It isn’t as secluded as your bay, Dream, but it should be far enough away from any well known spots to transform in peace without being seen.”

Green eyes opened only to fall shut again.

Chapter Text

The way to the beach was tedious. It required all of their strength to lift Dream out of the van. The red and pink scaling skin had reached about the middle of his stomach as they made their way along the small path between hedges. Dream’s feet dragged against the stoney sandy shore. His breathing had slowed. It had gotten shallower.

“Just a few steps more,” Sapnap encouraged.

Dream stayed quiet, hanging in there like a ragdoll, trending between life and death, as if was being burned alive.

Sapnap gave him a concerned look, causing their stumbling steps to stop.

George threw him a questioning look. “Sapnap?”

All of a sudden Sapnap leaned down and picked Dream up in bridal style. With some strained breathing he began to run. A few times he almost lost his ground, the sand shifting under his feet, but he didn’t let it stop him. His steps rang through the beach like a clock counting down to midnight. George followed suit, until Sapnap threw their friend into the grasps of the sea.

Both of them watched as the tide swallowed their friend, bubbling as if boiling as it touched his skin. In front of their eyes he seemed to turn into sea foam, dissolving into the ocean without a trace.

“Dream!” Sapnap called.

George didn’t bother to do so, his steps already carrying him in a sprint to where his friend had disappeared. Panicked, his eyes scanned the sea. Blue, calm water with waves which broke as they hit the shore. White sand shone through the water as the sea foam was carried back to the sea.

He couldn’t find any green dash across the water. He couldn’t find blond locks drifting in the water. He couldn’t find his friend. Nothing but the clothes Dream had worn remained, floating on the waves. Disregarded.

Guilt sank its teeth into George and like a vampire it began to suck all his energy out of him. His legs gave away under him. Sand crunched as all his weight came crashing down. As if guided by a ghost he picked up whatever pieces of clothing he could get a hold of, pressing it against his chest as if it would lessen his pain.

When Sapnap slowly reached him, sobs had started to fall from his lips in a song of despair. Tears started to form and rolled down George’s face like raindrops landing on the window. He could feel Sapnap’s eyes settling on him before focusing on where the sea met the sky at the horizon line.

“I shouldn’t have taken him on this roadtrip,” George said with a broken voice, shaking his head as if that would lessen the biting guilt.

Sapnap knelt down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. His eyes lowered onto the clothing George was clutching like a lifeline. No words made it past his lips.

The crashing of waves mixed with George’s sobs, forming a haunting melody as the world stayed silent.

That was until a familiar voice cut through the air as if a shot had been fired, shattering time and space. “Don’t say that. How else would I have made such great friends?”

It was Dream, like a water nymph emerging from the waves, sitting a few feet away. His lips were painted with a smile that should have come off as comforting but read more as remorseful. His green scales shone in the setting sun, splashing in the water, disrupting the beat and crashing of the waves.

George stared at him before he chucked a shoe at him. “Fuck you!” His voice crack, his tears having strained his voice. The shoe landed with an unceremonious splash between them.

It made Dream’s smile gain some actual feelings, as he saw how even with tears still dripping from his eyes, relief had washed over George’s face. With a slow movement he picked the old shoe from the water and a laugh started to bubble out of Dream. “I deserve that.”

Another shoe hit him, this time hitting him square in the face.

“No really, fuck you,” Sapnap repeated, having been the one to actually hit Dream. “We were actually worried about you.” His worry and guilt on the situation weren’t so easily changed, having more so shifted to an annoyed anger.

Dream agreed, rubbing his forehead where the shoe had hit him. “I should have maybe warned you that would happen.”

“You think?” George said, wiping his face as he stood up. Water splashed as he waded into the water.

“Yes,” Dream said, moving closer to the shore, “I should have mentioned that that might happen. Thank you for helping me.”

George wanted to hug him, to scream at him, yell about how he thought he had been responsible for his friend's death. In the end he just sat down in the water and looked at the mermaid before him. A mermaid, who had regained his beauty and ethereal nature, with his hair almost looking copperish blond in the lighting of dusk. “You are an idiot,” George simply said.

Sapnap sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose before rubbing his temples. “How close to dying were you?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Dream avoided their eyes.

“Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

The mermaid looked at his hands, opening and closing them as if he was holding the answer in them. In the end he let out a deep breath, lifting his head to look at the stars that were starting to break through the still blue sky. His eyes were dimmed by a veil of uncried tears as if something was making it to the front of his mind.

“I wanted to minimize how much trouble I am to you. If you knew how much you had to keep in mind while travelling with me, what was stopping you from just not continuing with this trip.” Dream’s voice stayed between the three of them like a glas prone to breaking. “I need this trip and I could have held on for longer. If I had drank enough or eaten more, I could have avoided this mess. I could have avoided being a burden.”

Those words rang through George’s ears. He knew them well. He had told them to himself on various occasions. Memories rushed to him and he felt like he was drowning.

By the looks of it, Sapnap knew them too. He tackled them in an embrace as if he didn’t know what else to do, as if on one hand he was holding them together but also keeping himself from sinking into his thoughts.

Both Dream and George returned his embrace.

“We want to take you on a roadtrip,” George eventually broke the silence that had settled between them like a suffocating blanket, breaking their embrace to be able to look at the other’s. His hand reached out for Dream’s intertwining their fingers like they had done at the market. “You shouldn’t suffer in silence to not inconvenience us. We would be pretty horrible roadtrip partners if we let you die on us.”

Dream laughed at George’s statement. It was a sound that cleared away the worry that had built up in him like a breeze carrying away the dust whirled up by bad memories. “That truly would be bad.”

“More than bad, imagine we killed a mermaid. Not to mention our friend. Would have scared us for life. Although you turning into seafoam already came pretty close,” Sapnap added, his voice regaining a slight sliver of its usual humor.

“You wouldn’t happen to be the last mermaid, right? Dream?” George asked cautiously.

“Well I haven’t seen any since I was left to fend for myself by my parents,” Dream said with a shrug. “But maybe there are some others. The ocean is big after all,” Dream said with an unconvinced smile.

“Great, we almost let one of maybe the last mermaids go extinct," Sapnap said, shaking his head.

“Maybe we’ll find a mermaid while we are on our roadtrip, maybe we’ll even find a mermaid princess somewhere for you, Dream,” George added. He could feel Dream’s eyes scanning him, but when he went up to meet them they had moved onto the sky above, as if not wanting to be caught staring.

“I think he already found his princess,” Sapnap mumbled, making eye contact with George. A laugh shook through him as George repeatedly smacked his shoulder.

“Don’t say that,” George hisses, ignoring how his face had started to heat up. Even more so when Dream joined in, chuckling as his tail swayed in the water.

“I don’t need any mermaid princesses. I’m happy to just spend my time with you guys,” Dream said with a smile.

The three of them sat on the beach, listening to the ocean rhythmically hitting the shore, talking about everything and nothing until the sun had fully disappeared. Only a dark sky was left behind. Stars decorated the night sky in a bright display. The milky way, however, remained out of sight.

“We should probably find somewhere to sleep. It’s getting late,” George pointed out a round of yawns passing through him.

Sapnap agreed with a humm pulling out his phone and began to search for somewhere to stay on it. “The closest thing I see is an old motel, around half an hour drive away. It would be following the shore and keep us on our path up the east coast.”

“Sounds like a good plan,” George said between another yawn.

“Will you manage to stay awake ‘til then?”

The brit gave a nod which more so resembled dozing off.

Sapnap rolled his eyes, turning his attention towards Dream. “Are you alright to transform again?”

“Yeah, I think I should be fine to do so,” Dream said, gathering the clothes they had put to dry nearby, peeking through the water. But as he picked up the jeans, he hesitated.

“You don’t want to wear those again, right?” George asked, head leaning on his knees.

He could see he was right at the way Dream’s mouth twitched for a fraction of a second before being pushed into a smile.

“It’s alright, I can wear them.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes, which had worries reflect off of them like the glow of a flame.

“Dream,” Sapnap warned. “Don’t lie to us.”

With a sigh, Dream admitted to what George had already guessed. “The jeans made the drying up of my legs worse. When I transform it usually doesn’t turn out so bad, but I think being so restricted pushed my body into a panicked state.”

“We could see if we could cut the jeans into jorts,” George suggested.

“Or – ” Sapnap began, a smirk appearing on his face as a thought took shape in his mind “ – I have a better idea.” He stood up, brushing the sand off himself. “I’m going to be right back.”

George and Dream could do nothing as they watched their friend run to the car and disappear in it, presumably to look through their bags.

“Do you think he’ll find something?” Dream asked, mirroring the way George was sitting, pulling his tail close and bending it as if he had knees. It looked ridiculous but George couldn’t help but to think of it as endearing.

“I don’t know. There really isn’t anything that would fit you, you being tall and all that.”

“Tall and handsome?” Dream laughed at the eyeroll George threw his way.

"No, just tall.” Although as he looked closer at Dream it was clear that the latter was also true. His skin had the colour of warm sand, with a few freckles that looked as if they only were visible from close up or if the other spent a long time in the sun. His hair, even damp, held its curls and locks. And the green eyes were as ethereal as the day George had first seen them. Even the gills on his neck, which at first he had noticed as brutal gashes appeared deliberately placed opening and closing as if to match the rhythm of the waves. He tried to ignore the flush in his cheeks as his mind noticed that Dream had been looking at his lips. George tore his gaze away from the mermaid as he noticed a self satisfied smile appear on the other’s lips.

“The clothes we bought for me and Sapnap won’t fit. That’s for sure,” George continued with his train of thought. “And I doubt Sapnap has any sewing skills to make a decent garment for you appear out of nowhere.”

“I didn’t sew this but I did make something appear,” Sapnap confidently announced, approaching with the cooler in one hand and a sage green piece of clothing in the other. “It’s something I found in my glove compartment. I bought it for my girlfriend, but we broke up before I could give it to her. You can keep it even after our trip is done, I don’t think I’ll need it.” He tossed it to Dream, who unfurled it.

It was an ankle length skirt. By the way it looked it wouldn’t quite hit as low for Dream. The skirt was sage green, a colour slightly more muted than Dream’s tail, with a fabric that seemed sturdy but flowy at the same time. It probably wasn’t the cheapest but was also not a high designer piece.

“A skirt?” George questioned. “You found him a skirt?”

“Yeah, I also found a dress, probably got that for her birthday, but I thought Dream would appreciate this more. So what do you think?”

Dream held it up, inspecting it. It felt slightly dusty and as if it had been forgotten for quite a while, but the mermaid looked at it as if he was given a prized possession. “I like how the fabric feels. But I’m not sure how it’ll fit me.”

“If you don’t like it we can still try the jorts,” George suggested.

With a glow, Dream was back in his human form, putting on the skirt and the shirt before turning to the others.

George had expected for Dream to look silly, that the skirt wouldn’t sit right, or even that Dream would feel uncomfortable. Instead George was met with the sight of someone, who could have been seen on the front cover of a fancy magazine. As if the skirt had been tailored specifically for him, it swayed in the ocean breeze, letting him look like a model with a perfectly placed wind machine.

George observed as Dream moved from side to side to let the skirt twirl around him. It was as if he was comparing it to his tail and how his fins probably moved underwater. “Is it comfortable?”

“Very,” Dream confirmed with a smile.

“Well then that fixes that issue,” Sapnap said. “It’s probably still for the better if you don’t stay transformed for too long.”

“Is that why you brought the cooler?” George asked. Dream’s twirling stopped in an instant, his eyes fixated on the cooler that Sapnap had put down next to him.

“I think we should fill this with salt water so Dream can stay in his mermaid form while we travel, it will reduce the risk of drying up. You don’t have to get in there, it's just for you to have some sea water to put your tail or legs in.”

Dream stared at the cooler. But agreed with a nod as he looked over at George and Sapnap. “We can try.”

Chapter Text

For the drive over to the motel, Dream decided to stay human, sitting as far away from the cooler as possible as they drove down the empty streets. They didn’t pass anything that caught their attention and the songs on the radio stayed on the calmer side which led to a quiet atmosphere in the van.

The motel they stopped at looked old and not very frequented, but it looked charming in its own way, with lilac walls and two floors that probably held 7 rooms each. A sign at the entrance introduced the motel as ‘the lavender motel’.

“This is it,” Sapnap said, putting the van in park. “There should be enough space, since I’m only counting ten cars in this parking lot.”

“It should be alright. I just hope they let us check-in. It’s already pretty late and in a rural place like this I wouldn’t be surprised if they only allowed check-ins until sundown.”

“George, this is a motel, I think they would write it on their website if they had any regulations.”

“Fine, if you say so, Mr.Know-it-all,” George said, rolling his eyes and getting out of the car.

“I do say so,” Sapnap replied, taking the cooler out of the van, Dream getting off as well.

“Fine!”

“Fine!”

They stared each other down, eyes narrowed as if asserting dominance. However, their concentration soon broke, as Dream started to laugh.

“I sometimes wonder how you could be bickering about nothing like it was a competitive sport,” Dream said between laughs, shaking his head.

“Tell that to, Sapnap.” George walked ahead, entering the motel through the glass doors.

“Welcome to the lavender motel,” a guy with a beard greeted from behind the receptionist counter. His eyes, which lay behind a pair of purple rimmed glasses, looked tired, his face worn with age, although by the rest of his features he looked to be around forty. “How may I help you today?”

“We would like to stay in one of your rooms,” George stated. “Maybe two if you have any available. For just tonight.”

Tired eyes scanned over George, before moving on to Dream, where they halted for a moment at the skirt. He gave a humm, neither judging nor approvingly, just a humm of acknowledgement. The cooler Sapnap was carrying brought forth a different reaction.

“Son, why are you bringing a cooler into my motel? What’cha got in there?”

“It’s water,” Sapnap explained as if it was obvious and normal to be carrying around a cooler.

“Ya know we have mini fridges, right?” His eyes narrowed as if searching for Sapnap to say something out of place. “What’cha really got in there?”

“It’s good water, sir,” Sapnap replied, a polite smile on his lips.

“Do you mind me checking it out?”

“I don’t mind, sir.” Sapnap brought in the cooler up to the counter.

After the bearded receptionist opened the lid of the cooler he was met with the sight of plain water. He looked at Sapnap confused, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

“Aint you a weird bunch,” the man said with a hearty laugh. “I have only a room left for y'all, there are two twins and a couch you can sleep on. Will ya take it?”

The three of them exchanged looks before Sapnap, said with a bright smile. “We’ll take it.”

The man gave them the key, a singular silver key with a lavender keychain, and took George’s money. “Your room number is 12. It’s the room on the second floor to the right. We serve breakfast at the diner starting at 7am.”

“Thank you,” George said, leading the way out and up the stairs to their room.

In a surprising turn of events, the room didn’t have any purple. The walls of the room were a pale yellow with a few pictures of the ocean decorating it. The two twin beds used up the most room, a little bedside table standing next each with a vase with a few flowers in them, a phone. The couch was located next to the door, with the mini fridge right beside it. Opposite to where they had entered was another door, probably leading to the bathroom.

“I’m kinda glad this room doesn’t have any purple in it,” Sapnap said, sitting down on the bed closer to the door.

“Hey, who gave you permission to pick that bed. What if Dream wanted it?”

“Dream, do you want the bed?”

“I-”

“Of course he wants that bed, you can’t expect him to sleep on the couch, Sapnap.”

“Well, why don’t you take the couch? Wouldn’t that impress your cru-”

“Shut up!”

“Guys!” Dream managed to finally get a word out, silencing both in the process. “I don’t need a bed or the couch, I think I’d rather sleep in the bathtub.”

Sapnap and George exchanged looks. The trio opened the door to the bathroom.

“There is a bathtub at least,” George stated the obvious. “Not sure if your whole tail will fit in there though.”

Dream stepped closer. The bathroom was small with just a bathtub, a toilet and a sink. Tiles with various types of flowers decorated the wall. “I think it should be alright.”

“Does it have to be filled with salt water? Because in that case, we should probably get some more. Although, I’m not sure how keen the receptionist will be if I keep showing up with more and more sea water,” Sapnap thought out loud, his hand rubbing the nape of his neck.

“I think it should be fine, the water you guys poured on me also wasn’t salt water.” Dream shrugged. “It will probably be more so a comfort level, like I know some humans like more humid air to sleep in while others prefer it dry.”

With the sleeping arrangements decided on, the guys decided to just lounge around. Sapnap eventually managed to convince them to watch an episode of an anime he was rewatching. They pushed the two twin size beds together, closing the gap with a singular push, before settling onto the bed.

“You know, Sapnap, we could have asked for a queen or king sized bed if you wanted to cuddle so badly,” George teased.

“Oh George, aren’t you a considerate gentleman,” Sapnap replied with a horrible British accent. “Well my good sir, cuddling isn’t the matter of discussion, I wanted to let you partake in my entertainment.”

“If you say so, ‘mate’,” George said, a smile tugging on the corners of his lips.

The evening soon turned to night. Even through the blaring music of the anime George could hear the breaths of the others calm into a quiet slow rhythm beside him. His own eyes grew tired and it didn’t take long for him to also let himself fall into a deep slumber.

–

The feeling of being suffocated was what caused George to stir awake. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, his eyes still feeling too heavy to look at his phone. Still, he could tell that it wasn't time to wake up yet, and yet the comfort of sleep slipped away by the uncomfortable feeling of something laying on him.

He tried to move but getting an annoyed groan was the only progress he managed to make. Getting annoyed himself he eventually succeeded in slightly opening his eyes to solve the mystery of his suffocational state.

Sapnap was stretched out like a starfish, belly side up. With around half of his weight laid on George, effectively pushing the other dangerously close to the edge of the bed.

George’s eyes moved across the rest of the room. With a dim light passing through the thin curtains he could see that Dream was nowhere to be found, probably having moved into the bathtub to avoid being thrown off the bed. The clock on the wall showed that it was just around 6am.

The sun would soon come up.

He let out a sigh, as he began to move Sapnap off of himself. He would check on how Dream was doing, before deciding if he should try to regain some space on the bed.

With a quiet knock he announced himself to the mermaid. Nothing. He knocked again. Once again he got no response.

Carefully he turned the door handle, and stepped into the bathroom, expecting to find Dream leaning against the side of the bathtub sleeping, with his tail hung out of the tub. Instead he was met with an empty room.

“Where is he?” George mumbled to himself, rubbing his eyes.

George put on his shoes, seeing that there was no use in climbing back into bed, with Sapnap basically stretched over both twin beds.

“I’m going to go find Dream, Sapnap,” he said sluggishly before closing the door to their hotel room.

The air felt crisp as he made his way downstairs, surprised to find the lights in the foyer already on. A different man, although similar in age to the one that had checked them in the night prior, sat at the reception counter, reading a book with a calm expression. He wore a lavender button down and had a mustache that he twirled every now and again as if it would help him read better.

George was about to walk away, when the man suddenly lifted his head and caught his gaze. With a bright smile he waved George over.

“Howdy, are you also looking for the beach?” The man greeted as George stepped closer to the counter.

“Also?” George asked.

“A guy around your age came down around an hour ago as I was opening the foyer, asking me if there was a way to get to the beach from here,” the man explained.

“That does sound like my friend. Could you tell me where I can find him?”

The man handed him a brochure with a map. “If your friend is still at the beach I told him about, you should find him here,” he said pointing to a beach nearby. He looked up at George. “Are you the guys staying in room 12, by any chance? My husband told me that you seemed like an interesting bunch. Bringing in a cooler of water.” He shook his head and laughed. “I told him that it was probably ice that melted or something like that.”

“That is kinda what happened, yeah,” George answered with a white lie, before turning to leave. “Thank you for the map, sir.”

George could hear a joyful ‘your welcome’ as the glass doors closed behind him.

The walk to the beach was simple enough. Guided by a little side path next to the empty road he managed to find his way down to a white sand beach.

It felt different looking out to the sea than the one he had met Dream at. The water seemed brighter, more lively even though there were no birds or humans around to join the melody of the sea.

As he walked down the beach George wondered if many people came to the lavender motel or this beach for the matter. It was a lovely beach, soft sand, bright blue water, but nothing more to it.

He closed his eyes, smelling the salty air, when a familiar feeling hit him. Through crashing waves and a whispering wind, he once again managed to pick up a voice. George opened his eyes again, letting his feet carry him further.

Slightly hidden, where bushes and rocks gave cover he saw a familiar figure. Right at the shore where land meets sea, sat Dream as a mermaid, his clothes laying beside him. His eyes were closed, head tilted up, greeting the sun as it dawned at the horizon. The green shimmering tail moved from side to side, interrupting the rhythm from the waves to for one of his own.

His voice floated through the air, reminiscent of an old memory. Plagued by familiarity but not clear enough to place its origin. It seemed like a pop hit that radio stations would play when they didn’t have anything more recent to play. It was about people changing. A roadtrip and its connection to pain. A song most wouldn’t know the words off but everyone would yell the lyrics to, no matter how right or wrong.

Dream sung it in a similar way. Words mixed with the melody to the point where they sounded barely coherent. A lead singer without any backing vocals. His face started to scrunch up, as if rummaging for how the song ends. His voice became less enchanting and eatherial, more so like a frustrated call.

And then it stopped. His eyes opened and looked down at his tail. At his small missing part of his caudal fin.

It hadn't been the end of the song. It just came to an unsatisfying cut as if someone had just turned it off. The world suddenly felt empty. Silence overtook the waves and the wind.

George stood there, frozen in place, trying to remember why the song had seemed so familiar to him.

It took for a car to pass on the street further away, the sound of the engine carried by the breeze, for George to make a connection to what he had heard. It broke him out of his trance.

“Roadtrip!” George blurted out.

Dream turned towards George.

“What?”

“Is that why you asked me to take you on a roadtrip? Because of the song?”

Dream didn’t answer.

“Would make sense how you got the idea for it.”

“I can sing about anything I want,” he said, a voice taking a defensive edge, not quite overpowering but like a humm of a choir, defensiveness accompanied nonchalant.

“Why did you want to go on a roadtrip?”

“I wondered how it would be to see the ocean from a different perspective. See the world I can’t see otherwise.” It mirrored the way he had phrased it the day George promised to take him on a roadtrip. And yet, it felt like a hollow statement or rather a venir hiding something else.

George stepped closer but was stopped by Dream’s reaction. His gills flared out and his fins extended as if to appear stronger. His caudal fin slapped down into the water, causing the water to splash up, given the Illusion that his tail was bigger.

“Why is your fin damaged,” George asked, brazing to be told off or for Dream to just vanish into the water.

Instead he got a forward answer. “I got hurt so I could escape.”

The wound, although not fresh, didn't seem like something that would happen during an escape of a fight at sea.

“It looks like a tag was ripped off,” George stated, his voice warning that he didn't want to be lied to.

Dream avoided his eyes. All the ways he used to make himself appear dangerous to approach collapsed. “You're right. I ripped it off myself.”

George couldn’t hold back the question, it falling off his tongue before he could catch it. “How were you tagged?”

“Do you remember the day we met, George, the song I sang?” Tears began to fall as Dream spoke. “That was a call for my family to help me, it was me trying to find a way to feel like I wasn't left behind to fight for myself.”

George nodded, sitting down with enough space to Dream that he didn't feel cornered.

He shook his head as if that would wipe his memories before he began. “A few years back, when I was eighteen or so, I fell in love with a woman that I shouldn’t have trusted. It was a different beach to where we met, George, farther north. She was beautiful, with eyes that could have cut glass and hair as black as night. She used to come to the beach with a metal box, a radio or something of that sort. She would sit at the beach and play songs for hours. She never smiled or sang along to them. It should have put me off but it didn't, more so it intrigued me.”

A sob shook through him causing his voice to break. George wanted to tell him that it was alright and that he didn't have to talk about it. But Dream took a deep breath and continued. “One day I decided to approach her, to ask why she always looked so serious, almost sad. When I came out of the water it was the first time I saw her smile. She asked me who I was. I came closer. She sweet talked me, tricked me to trust her. She did that for months and months, all winter long. And then out of nowhere I was pinned down with a net on me.”

Dream began to hug himself. “Hands were on me, pulling me up before pushing me into a box. I was trapped. A lid was placed on the box and I was carried onto a car. I don't know how long we drove but when we got to our destination I wished I had dried up in the box.”

The fear, the claustrophobia, the anger at himself that Dream must have felt, it was but a nightmare George could try to imagine. Dream saw that as he looked over at George, his eyes quickly turning back to his tail.

“When I finally got there I was taken out, I was laid out on a table, and figures began to inspect me, touch me, pinch me, and eventually tagged. Only after they were done was I thrown into a tank with water. There I was greeted by the woman I had fallen in love with, grinning from ear to ear. She had turned into a different person. I almost didn't recognise her.” Dream let out a dry laugh, no joy filtering through the sound. “God, I was stupid. I should let her wallow in her sadness at the beach.”

He didn't need for Dream to go further into detail about what happened to him there. The scars littered across his body was evidence of that. Normally George wouldn't have noticed them, but sitting so close to him and having the topic on his mind it made them impossible to ignore. A dissecting table, tools and blood, unimaginable fear, hands tugging and examining the mermaid, the scent of fish and death laying thick in the air.

“How did you manage to get out?” George's voice was barely above a whisper.

“I figured out how to turn into a human. I learned their schedules. I learned how many there were. I learned to work with the tools I had. I got out because I had to. It was me against the world and I managed to crawl my way out of that hell. I ran out of there, stumbling with my legs feeling as if they could stop working at any second until I reached the sea.” He turned back towards George. “I try to forget but I don't think I ever will. I had been reckless and trusted someone I shouldn't have, which got me captured and experimented on. For days after I hid at the bottom of the ocean, even having ripped the tag out, I felt like I would be dragged back.”

George couldn’t bear to see his eyes anymore. Tears having run out at this point, Dream looked at him with an empty gaze.

“Why did you trust me?”

“Simple, I was meant to trust you.”

“Dream.” George gave a weak eye roll, his eye catching the other’s gaze.

“No, I actually mean it. Seeing you react like that made me feel like I was found, finally seen.” He paused, leaning back. “I don't count days, I'm not sure how many days it has been. But on the day we met, the pain, the loneliness, were too much to bear and I began to sing that song. My mother taught me that song would solve my ache, bring me someone I could trust with my life. It never did lead someone to me. I was always left to my own devices. And yet, on the day we met, when the pain was no longer bearable, you showed up. You had tears in your eyes, mirroring my own. I felt seen by you. It was obvious you usually hid behind a mask but to me it was as if you showed me your true self right then and there.”

“You shouldn't have trusted me so easily,” George said, looking for any doubt or regret in Dream's demeanor, but he was met with nothing but warmth. “What if I had been someone vile?”

“But you aren't.”

“It could have been someone different.”

“George,” Dream said with a sigh and a smile, “I trust you. I only would have ever trusted you.” He reached out. George let him take his hand. A comforting cold sensation against his skin.

“Why were you singing that song earlier? Something of memories lingering on and a roadtrip?” George asked.

“It was a song she used to play for me. That's also why I wanted you to take me on a roadtrip. To paint over memories in a way.”

“I hope Sapnap and I are succeeding, even with the little bender of you almost dying on us.”

Dream gave George’s hand a soft squeeze. “You are doing great.”

Their gaze fell to their joined hands.

Slowly their eyes met once more. It felt different.

Before George sat Dream, his friend and a mermaid, whose beauty was unmatched and had the voice of an angel. And yet Dream looked at George, who was just an unextraordinary man, who liked to wear shirts with bad fish puns, as if he was the most divine being he had ever seen in his life.

It was unclear when they started to lean in, but both stopped when there was barely any space between them.

“Dream,” George breathed out as if warning the other to pull back, to escape the tension that had started to form around them.

“George,” Dream simply replied, his hands breaking away from George’s, only to frame his face and pull him into a kiss.

It was as if time dissolved between their lips. Their movements mirror the tides. The taste of salt and water ran through the kiss, as waves broke at the shore. George let himself melt into the kiss, pulling the mermaid closer to him, hoping for the moment to never end.

–

“There you are!” It was Sapnap’s voice cutting through the beach as he spotted them, causing the two lovebirds to move apart like embarrassed teenagers. “You guys could have at least left a note. I went looking for you until I decided to ask at the reception. Such a wild goose chase. I should have expected you to be here making out,” Sapnap ranted, sprinting over.

“Sapnap!” George yelled, face going red in seconds, while Dream laughed beside him.

It was a soft sound, like the sound you could hear when you put a shell to your ear.

“Well, am I wrong? Next time, just tell me ahead of time and I won't panic and go search for you.”

George rolled his eyes but smiled, “Fine, next time, I'll leave a note.”

Sapnap joined them in the sand. “So what did I miss besides you guys making out?”

“Just us realising we should go on more roadtrips,” Dream said, looking out to the sea with a melancholic expression.

“How about we finish this one first? We haven't even left the state yet,” Sapnap suggested.

“You should really get better at planning routes, Sapnap,” Dream countered with a smirk, laughing as a smack hit his shoulder.

George laughed too, although for another reason. He smiled at them bantering and bickering as a warm feeling started to spread from his heart.

His gaze drifted towards the glittering blue water and George looked out onto the sea like a man who had found his purpose.

Chapter Text

About a year had passed since their first roadtrip, with many having followed suit.

George led Dream, who wore a blindfold down the beach, ignoring the looks they were getting from other beach goers.

“Couldn’t you have put the blind fold later?” Dream asked, almost tripping over his own feet with every step.

“You just say that so you see the surprise earlier.”

“No, I'm saying it because I don't want to trip and fall, George.”

“Just be happy I didn’t make you climb with it on,” George said, pulling Dream away from the comforting sound of the waves hitting the shore.

They walked for a while only for George to remove the blindfold off of Dream's eyes and reveal Sapnap, with the expression of an excited kid, standing next to the dusty red van.

“What am I seeing?” Dream asked, confused. “It's just Sapnap with the same old van as always.”

Sapnap gasped, offended at the statement, as George redirected his attention. “Take a look inside, Dream.”

Dream gave him an eye roll as he stepped closer and pulled open the door. His eyes widened at what he saw.

The inside of the van had been fully renovated. The bench was gone and Instead of the cooler Dream eventually got used to the van having an inbuilt tub. Walls with waterproofed paneling had been set up to take up most of the space in the back of the van, being deep and big enough for Dream to be able to lay down fully and be submerged in water. But that wasn’t the only change made. A feet or so above the tub, there was a plank that could be moved up or further down with a mattress.

“What is this all for?” Dream asked in awe.

“It's a gift for you,” George explained. “So in case we want to take a roadtrip away from the sea, your life isn't on the line.”

“Guys-” Dream cut himself off, laughter starting to bubble out of him just as the tears from happiness began to run down his cheeks.

Sapnap pulled him into a bear hug. “The actual plan was to get a new van in which we can live out of, but as of right now we don't have the funds for that.”

Dream hugged him back, borrowing his face into the other’s shoulder. “This is more than enough. Thank you.”

“Hey, don't just thank him! Who do you think had to pay for all the materials?”

“Well, who had to actually construct the damn thing while the other just kept interjecting with criticism?” Sapnap fired back.

“You can thank that criticism that it even worked out,” George countered with a huff, putting his hands on his hips.

The mermaid laughed, peeling himself off of Sapnap.

“Girls, you are both pretty, please don't fight.” He walked over to George, grabbing him by the hips, letting George drape his arms over his shoulders. “Thank you, George,” Dream said, looking into his eyes, with the voice of an angel that always made butterflies appear in George’s stomach.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” George turned his face away as if that would hide the blush that was starting to show up on his face.

A kiss was placed by soft lips on the flushed cheeks which made George even more flustered. Like a cat not yet used to the public display of affection he tried to escape Dream's hold but he was only pulled closer in an embrace.

“Maybe we shouldn't do van life,” Sapnap said, “I'm not sure how I'd survive being all over each other in the long term.”

“You could join in,” Dream said with a laugh.

Sapnap replied with a straightforward ‘no’ but that didn't stop Dream from pulling him into an embrace too, forming a group hug as the other two tried to escape it.

Soon enough they turned into a pile of laughter as both of their thrashing caused Dream to stumble, pulling them onto the ground with him.

Covered in dirt at the side of a road near a beach, laughing with Dream and Sapnap, that's where George was meant to be. He had found his place in the world.