Becoming the Luna

Dale is brought out of his thoughts by Virgil sticking his head through the door. "You're just going to sit there?" The blond Alpha asks in a low voice, leaning against the door jamb.

He had spent the last couple hours on his laptop attending to business while Hayden and Dream were still fast asleep and he had gotten Ian to get him a blanket for them but Dale had just been sitting in the anteroom, all by himself.

"I need to talk to Dream." He replies tightly.

Virgil couldn't dispute this, they had a lot to clear up.

Hayden wakes up at this point, a little bit disoriented as he takes in his surroundings, Dream was still sleeping beside him and Apple was curled up just between them, her tail tickling his jaw.

Someone had been nice enough to cover them up and he reaches over carefully to push long blonde locks from Dream's face, wondering how long he had been out.

He looks around the room and sees Virgil standing in front of the door to the anteroom, talking to someone that sounded an awful lot like Dale.

He sits up at this, grateful he had been lying on the side of the sofa that he could get out from so he wouldn't have to go over Dream.

Although all fingers pointed to Dale's date for starting all this, he needed to get the confirmation from Dale and maybe kick him in the shins for putting Dream through so much.

Dream immediately curls around Apple when Hayden leaves, tucking his knees in close, lips parted.

He rubs the sleep away from his eyes, when Dream woke up they could go down to the kitchens to get something to eat.

He walks straight for Virgil, who turns around the moment he places a hand on his back, recognition immediately fills his blue eyes which soften at the sight of his sleepy husband.

"Hey, baby." He envelopes Hayden in a hug, resting his jaw on his nest of tawny curls. "How did you sleep?"

Hayden leans into the hug, breathing deeply. "Just fine, I thought I heard Dale's voice?" He asks immediately, leaning around to try and see into the room.

"Hi, Hay." Dale speaks up sheepishly.

Hayden slips out of Virgil's arms who lets him and marches into the room, crossing his arms.

Dale sighs miserably at the obvious upset state Hayden is in and Hayden softens visibly at this, sitting beside the other and taking his hand in his.

"I don't think you betrayed Dream's secret." Hayden starts softly.

"Because I didn't." He immediately replies with a serious expression.

Hayden nods, believing him. "I don't think that's the only reason Dream is mad."

Dale remembers their pseudo date and how the Omega and left in a rage and winces, he still didn't know what he did wrong, maybe he should try asking.

"I still need to apologize to him for that." He says somberly.

Hayden pats his head affectionately and gives him a reassuring smile. "It's not entirely your fault..."

""An apology?" Dream's lucid voice speaks up and they both turn around to see him standing at the doorway. "That's new."

"You're awake!" Hayden exclaims, eyes bright.

The sardonic expression on Dream's face fades away when he catches a glimpse of Hayden's smile. "Yeah but Apple is still fast asleep, I just tucked the blanket around her."

"Thank you."

A short silence falls after this and Virgil immediately takes the reins, stepping in to wrap an arm around Hayden. "We'll drop in on Jaxon to get news on what's happening and you'll eat lunch with us, won't you?" He invites Dream, looking down at him with kind eyes.

Dream blinks, somehow always surprised when Virgil did something like this, something considerate and kind, it was obvious he was different - why couldn't he bump into Alphas like this?

"Oh, yes, thanks." He mumbles.

"Neat." Virgil grins and Dream gets thrown aback, he's never seen the sombre and cold Alpha smile so wide and he saw him frequently at Hayden's bookstore and he's already returning an answering smile of his when Virgil ruffles his hair.

Virgil chuckles internally when Dream bats his hand away instantly like a prickly cat, he had expected that, Hayden gives Dream a quick reassuring hug before they step out.

"We'll come back for you in a while okay." Hayden says.

'after Dale gets kicked out, more like.' Virgil adds mentally.

"Think they'll be okay?" Hayden asks in worry when they leave the office and start down the hallway.

Virgil places a reverent kiss on Hayden's hair. "I think so." He says supportively, knowing how much Hayden would want his two friends to make up.

Dream keeps the door open as he walks in closer, still debating if to sit or not, he wasn't really interested in a holding a conversation with Dale but he would do it anyway because it would make Hayden happy.

Besides Dale looked really miserable and he couldn't just ignore his plight.

Dale fidgets uncomfortably on his seat, which worsens when Dream takes the seat opposite him and stares him down, the black t-shirt he had on riding up slightly when he crosses both of his arms.

"I'm waiting." Dream quips, morbidly enjoying the way Dale startles.

Dale is momentarily confused on the other hand, then it hits him and he nearly facepalms. "Um, yeah... I'm really sorry about everything that has happened..." He trails off, realizing now that Dream's secret that had been entrusted to him was now public knowledge.

"Shit, you must hate me right now."

Dream gives him a skeptical look but then shrugs. "Maybe." But now that he knew that there was no way the Alpha would have been able to stop his date from ruining his life, maybe he didn't hate him but that didn't mean he was suddenly up for sainthood.

"...did you leave?" Dale was saying.

Dream shakes himself out of his thoughts, uncrossing his arms. "What?"

"Yesterday, at the restaurant, why did you leave?"

Dream gives him a bewildered look, noting the sincerity in those leaf green eyes and he sighs audibly, telling himself that this was all for Hayden.

"You turned down your nose at how much I was eating." He admits crisply, starting to get ticked off again as he remembered.

Horror drenched Dale's face. "What?" He leans forward on his seat with his earnestness. "No, I... didn't... I... I mean, I wasn't, I would never do that."

Dream's eyes go round. "You weren't?" He prompts with something akin to disbelief.

"No, I wasn't." Dale verifies. "I was just um... Fascinated." He finally admits, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Dream flinches back, he's never heard himself being addressed with that term, that wasn't something Alphas should be doing. "Oh." Is all he says, all the hostility bleeding from his form.

But there was still the very believable rumor that Dale was a playboy, that wasn't a crime, his victims seemed to be having the time of their lives.

"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding then." He adds stiffly.

Dale barely hides his expression of intense shock. "Accepted." He agrees promptly. "Truce?"

He walks over with a hand held out, expectation on his face.

Dream glances down at the offered hand, face blank.

Dale pulls back his hand momentarily. "But before then, I um... I promise to fix all this..." He trails off and Dream notices the light go out of his bright eyes.

"I'm truly sorry about your status if I... If I had known this was how it would turn out I wouldn't have pressed you to eat out with me."

Dream purses his lips at the open sincerity of the Alpha who was trying to make himself look smaller although he easily towered over him.

"Maybe you should be more careful with your dates too." He adds without thinking and immediately regrets it but Dale doesn't even look the least bit offended, nodding seriously like Dream would have told him to do anything and he wouldn't hesitate before doing it.

"So, truce?" Dale asks again, hope shining in his eyes.

Dream bites his lip, thinking it over, this didn't mean anything, they would just go back to being acquaintances, no love lost.

"Fine." He agrees reluctantly, placing his hand in Dale's outstretched one. "Truce."

Dale breaks out it a goofy grin and for the second time that day, Dream is ranting mentally at how unfair it was for Alphas to be so bloody attractive, no wonder he was such a popular heartbreaker.

Dale takes his precious time letting go of his hand but he doesn't think much about that, fidgeting uncomfortably when Dale just stands in front of him, staring down at him like the Alpha's brain had short circuited.

"So, why don't we try this again?" Dale slips his hands into the front pocket of his slacks, nervousness tinting his words.

"Huh? Try what?" Dream asks, bemused.

"Mind if I buy you apology food?" He asks cutely.

Dream's mouth drops open, stunned. Was the Alpha dumb? Apology food was what got him into this mess in the first place. 

"Are you fucking kidding me?"