Chapter Text
The twenty-fourth of December had finally arrived. The snow outside was barely there, but the cold was to stay in Florida for another few weeks. Christmas cheer had settled over the whole state, shops decorated with fancy lights and a wreath on nearly every door. The boys had gone out of their way to collaboratively decorate Dream’s house – both inside and outside – to their heart’s content. The door was decked with a sparkly, over-crowded wreath that Dream had insisted on hanging up, and the front of the house was dotted with warm coloured fairy lights.
The vibes from the boys inside were infectious. The lounge area was brightly lit from the Christmas tree (that had been thrown together in a haste after they realised that they hadn’t put it up yet) in the corner, with wood in the fireplace crackling slowly. The Dream Team were having a conversation over beer and snacks they had spent the majority of the day preparing. Sure, they could have just ordered a bunch of junk food and called it a night, but the three agreed to make an effort with a cheese board at the very least. George knew for a fact he was going to make a call when he could to order as much pizza as the three could handle later in the night. Surely, they would get hungry enough, but for now they would snack on chips, cheeses, and various lunch meats. Music flowed steadily through the air from the sound system on the bookcase in the corner of the room but was long forgotten over the conversation.
If they had swapped the beer for some sort of wine, it would have looked like a wannabe rich person’s party, ha.
George had long since zoned out. He was only about one and a half beers in, having sipped at them slowly throughout the night in order to keep some of his dignity. He had never been completely drunk in front of his friends before and he wasn’t about to start now. From what he remembered, Sapnap had probably had about four so far, and Dream was on his second. He was probably taking it slow too, George thought. In all honesty taking it slower for the night seemed like the best idea for all three of them, seeing as there were no doubt plans to stay up later into the night – but Sapnap didn’t seem like he was really a lightweight when it came to drinks, so he was sure that he knew how to handle himself. George swirled a mouthful of his beer around in his mouth, letting the alcohol slide slowly down the back of his throat. The brie cheese on the board in front of him was looking mighty inviting and before long there was a cracker and a slice of cheese perched on top neatly in his hand. He brought it up to his mouth and shoved the entire cracker inside, and though it didn’t exactly fit perfectly he managed to crack it down the middle with his teeth so it wouldn’t be as uncomfortable. The cheese and the cracker worked impossibly well together – something George had adored since his childhood.
“And he told me that he hid the entire stash of pastrami in his underwear drawer the whole night.” Dream finished his little story that he had been telling during George’s cheese-centric trance. Sapnap dropped the piece of pastrami he had been about to layer onto his cracker, which also had a thick slice of one of the cheeses from the platter and an olive balanced on top. Dream almost spat out his drink with laughter, before cracking a bubbly smile. “Relax, Sap. You saw me keep this in the fridge all week.”
Sapnap eyed the meat carefully, then picked it up between his fingers and dropped it into his awaiting mouth. The cracker he had been stacking before had already disappeared, and he hummed in content as the flavour filled his mouth.
“You know what? We should do this more often. Cheeseboards aren’t as stupid as we make them out to be.”
“When did we say cheeseboards where stupid?” George smiled, knowingly teasing Sapnap just to push his buttons.
“We didn’t, but also we totally all were thinking it, right?”
“…no?”
“Okay, maybe it was just me. Leave me alone, prissy people make me want to break something.”
“Prissy people don’t own the concept of cheese, Sap. Of all people you’d think you would be the one to know that.”
“Wow, okay. I’m taking that as a compliment because neither of you can cook for shit and I’ve been doing everything in the kitchen for the past couple of weeks, because I’m awesome and you both stink.”
“Or maybe it’s because you haven’t let me touch anything in my own kitchen, Sapnap.” Dream finally interjected after watching George and Sapnap bicker. The three laughed, and the atmosphere felt warm. Too warm, actually. It was getting hot, and George could feel the heat radiating off his palms and his face. Sure, it wasn’t the physical weather, but the thermostat must’ve been high or something. Or maybe it was just the alcohol that he had drank? But he made sure to be careful of how much he had… It was getting rather uncomfortable despite the pleasant conversation, so he decided to take a moment and excuse himself to the bathroom upstairs. The other two boys nodded nonchalantly, resuming whatever conversation they were having as George left the room.
The carpeted stairs would have been a lot nicer if the thermostat wasn’t so uncomfortably high. George found himself standing on the cold tile of the bathroom, staring into the deep void while his reflection stared back at him with a blank expression. Now that he was seeing it, his face was flushed a dangerous red. He peeled off the overcoat he had been wearing majority of the night and his sweater underneath still felt constricting and heated. He pulled it away from his body a few times to air out his chest. George fumbled with the tap, turning on the faucet and splashing some water onto his face. It was cold.
The cooling release from the hot prison George was trapped in sent a shiver down his spine. He brought another handful of water up to his face, eager for the feeling to stay as long as it could.
He dried himself off with the hand towel that was nearby and gathered his thoughts. With a final glance in the mirror, he picked up his jacket and left the room. George deposited the garment into the spare room and then made his way down the stairs.
As he approached the kitchen once more, the conversation had run quiet. Strange, considering Dream and Sapnap together were usually loud as hell. He rubbed his eye until he saw stars and continued to walk toward the kitchen. Someone was standing in the doorway, and upon closer inspection it proved to be Dream. George’s steps faltered as he walked, but only for a moment. He could feel himself studying his friend the closer he got.
Dream was leaning against the doorframe, with one of his fingers clenched between his teeth. He turned his attention from biting his nails back to the space between the hallway and the floor, and the second his eyes landed on George he stood up straighter and shot his hand into his pocket. His former distracted state disappeared entirely as he leaned, eyes tracing George’s form as he moved closer. George pretended he didn’t notice the way Dream’s jaw hardened as he dragged his eyes slowly upward. Fuck, that was so hot-
George stopped himself about arms-length from his friend, crossing his arms reflexively in front of him and leaning his weight on his left foot. He spent an extra few seconds raking his gaze over Dream, taking in every detail. The way his hair was only loosely tied back, small parts coming to frame the front of his face in a way that was so painfully Dream.
“Dream, what’s going on with you?” George broke the silence but was only met with an incredulous look from Dream.
“I know for a fact you can’t be quiet forever.” He mused with a dumb smile. Dream exhaled slowly before he made direct eye contact that felt like it could burn through George. He glanced upward with a small quirk of his lips. It was clear he was at least trying to keep himself in character, or whatever the fuck he was doing. He bet his eyes once more with something that looked like expectancy. George frowned quizzically; not quite sure what Dream was asking him. He got his answer when the other’s eyes glanced up to the same spot once more, and George let his eyes follow.
There was a piece of plastic mistletoe taped to the doorframe Dream had been waiting underneath. George didn’t even remember buying it when they went out for decorations, but it was there. Dream had waited for him underneath the mistletoe.
Holy shit.
Dream donned a smile, similar to the one he wore when they first met at the airport. It was almost exactly the same, filled with the fondness he thought he only imagined and that pure spark of excitement in his eyes. Although this smile also wore a gentle softness, something he hadn’t seen him use for anyone else. It made the nerves bubble up in his throat and re-ignited the fire beneath the butterflies that had been bothering him for two weeks. He laughed through his nose with disbelief.
“You can’t be serious-” Now, it was Dream’s turn to speak.
“It’s only there if you want it to be, George. I’m not going to force you into some stupid Christmas tradit-” Yeah, no. George was done waiting. He’d had enough, and if the image of Dream nervously tripping over himself was fuel, he was on fire.
George shut him up by placing his hands on either side of Dream’s face and tugging him downward gently. He leaned in slowly, relishing in the way that Dream immediately stopped talking and slowly let his hands find George’s hair. Their lips met in a slow and hesitant kiss, sending an electrifying current of pure euphoria from his face to his toes, and back again. As he closed his eyes, the world around him began to fade away - leaving the two embracing each other in a spread of galaxies and stars. George’s hands wandered their way over to tanned cheeks, running a gentle thumb across a freckled patch. He smiled into it, letting his hands roam freely down Dream’s neck and sliding cautiously across his chest. In amongst the millions of stars, George was relishing in the fact that he could feel his entire world in his arms. Never in a million years did he think he could actually get a hold of it.
The two parted for air. George kept his hands resting on Dream’s chest, absentmindedly running his fingers along the seams of the sweater for a moment. He felt the other sigh beneath his touch, and finally gathered the courage to look him in the eyes. Dream was a complete mess, frozen with a dumbfounded look on his face. Not sure what to make of it, George huffed out of his nose and moved to take a step back.
“Wow, I-”
“Oh, shut up.” It was Dream’s turn to silence him with a kiss, this time. He smiled fondly as he pressed a sweet-tasting smooch to George’s unassuming face, while gripping him by the shoulders just enough to bring him closer. His hands travelled down to the back of George’s thighs. He gave one a quick squeeze before making a show of hoisting him up just enough for him to wrap his legs around Dream’s hips. It made the positioning more comfortable, George noted, feeling the start of a giggle bubbling up in his chest. Is this real? Am I dead?
They separated but stayed within each other’s grasp. George didn’t think he’d ever see a smile as wide as the one plastered across Dream’s face right now. He brushed a few strands of hair from Dream’s view and leaned in to pepper sweet kisses all over. Dream exhaled out of his nose and closed his eyes, and George could feel him start to sway with him still clinging on. He continued to plant small pecks along the thin scar, then moved to focusing on each freckle he could find.
A quiet click made him halt immediately. George slipped rather unceremoniously from Dream’s grip. They both had snapped their attention to the source of the noise, caught like two deer in headlights.
Sapnap had taken a photo, one hand holding a phone and a beer in the other. He smiled wickedly, shoving his phone in his pocket and saying something about blackmail. He could barely finish his sentence before Dream was after him and he darted away while laughing manically.
George heard a shriek and assumed Dream has tackled Sapnap to the floor for the phone. He just smiled, pressing a finger gingerly to his lips and savouring the feeling of Dream, lingering like a ghost’s touch.