Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

2 AM. The clock glared in George’s face as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. He thought he’d heard-

“George,” a voice at his door, “please, please be awake.”

“Dream?” The desperation in his voice woke George up instantly. He flung open his door and Dream practically fell through the doorway, crashing into George as if he couldn’t hold himself up on his own. “Dream, it’s ok, it’s ok, I’m here.” Dream’s head was buried in George’s shoulder, his arms wrapped around George, holding on as tight as he could. He was breathing so fast. “I’m here, it’s ok, Dream, sit down,” George pulled him gently onto the bed, but instead of sitting Dream collapsed onto it, taking George with him, still holding him like he was the only rock in a storm-tossed sea.

“Listen to my breathing, Dream.” George took long, loud breaths, listening as Dream’s slowly went from racing panic to the same deep pattern. Dream’s hands unclenched, and George realized they’d been digging into his back, holding fistfuls of his shirt.

George made sure that Dream had calmed down enough before asking the question he always asked when Dream called him like this. “What do you need?”

“Just… just talk to me,” Dream whispered into his chest, “please.”

George did. He told Dream about how much he liked Florida, and how much he wanted his own air conditioner now. He talked about the turtles they saw at the aquarium, about the parts of Harry Potter World he was most excited to see, about the ice cream he’d had after lunch that day. He told Dream countless meaningless things, words that didn’t need to mean anything except I’m here, I’m with you, I love you. Slowly, Dream’s body untensed, his arms still wrapped around George but less desperate, more gentle, his head no longer buried quite so aggressively in his shoulders. George kept talking.

Dream interrupted George’s rambling to whisper “thank you”, so quiet George almost didn’t hear.

“Are you ok?”

“No. But… better.”

“Good. Good.” Silence. “What happened?”

“I… I dunno, it just got really bad. Some stuff that’s been on my mind, I guess.”

“Like what?”

“... Like you.” His words seemed suddenly very deliberate. “It’s… weird, being with you in real life-good weird! But it’s… I don’t know. Stressful, I guess. I want everything to be perfect, but even though you’re here and I should be so happy I still feel awful and then I felt like I was ruining everything and that just made it worse-“ his breathing sped up again, and George grabbed his hand instinctually.

“No! No, you’re not ruining anything. Dream, it’s ok. You’re not going to get better just because Sapnap and I are here. We don’t need you to. Trust me, Dream, I am so, so happy just to be here with you. I don’t need anything to be perfect. I just need you. You could never ruin this, no matter how much you’re hurting, I just want to be here, with you. You’re always going to be enough.”

Dream nodded, closed his eyes.

“I’ve got you, Dream. It’s gonna be ok. You’re gonna be ok.”

They stayed there, holding onto each other, silent tears dripping down Dream’s face and onto George’s shirt, for what felt like an eternity. George went back to telling Dream about nothing, anything, and eventually Dream joined in, whispering back responses and trying his best to talk, and George finally started to calm himself down. He’d spoken to Dream like this plenty of times before, but never in person, and seeing him so hurt, so upset… George was so worried about him. At least he was able to help. At least Dream seemed to be doing better. Then George remembered the time.

“Did you sleep at all yet, Dream?”

“No… I couldn’t.”

“You need sleep.” George moved to get up, but Dream grabbed his arm, not making eye contact.

“George… Can I stay with you? Please...”

“Of course,” George whispered back, lying back down beside him. “Of course.”

***

“Wake up idiot! Breakfa-oh!” Sapnap slammed open George’s door but stopped mid shout, shocked by… something. George was still too asleep to figure out what.

“Ugh, Sapnap, what time is-” George realized who his arms were wrapped around, who had been sleeping right next to him, and flushed bright red. “Ah! No! We’re not- He- Get out of my room!” George shouted at Sapnap, scrambling out of bed. Dream did the same, and George couldn’t help but notice the red that covered Dream’s cheeks as well. Of course he’s blushing, this is embarrassing. George was definitely blushing from more than embarrassment, but with any luck Dream and Sapnap wouldn’t realize. Sapnap left, and the other two quickly followed, looking anywhere but at each other.

Eventually, Sapnap broke the silence.

“So, what are we gonna do today?” And just like that, the tension lifted. They made breakfast and talked about plans, and George’s embarrassment quickly turned to concern as the morning dragged on and Dream’s breakfast remained uneaten. He had told George on a late night call once about how he loses his appetite when he’s in a bad place, how he can’t bring himself to eat no matter how empty his stomach is. He pulled out his phone.

You’re not eating, are you ok?

not really

I’m sorry

its fine
ty <3

He glanced at Dream, who made eye contact for a split second before looking away. The pained look on his face reminded George of the way his voice sounded that night when he told George how hungry he was, how his stomach hurt too much to sleep, but he couldn’t eat either. He took Dream’s hand under the table and gave it a little squeeze, praying that Sapnap wouldn’t notice. Dream squeezed back, and didn’t let go.

Dream still didn’t eat much of his breakfast. George was pretty jet lagged (and he and Dream hadn’t barely slept the night before), so they spent the day relaxing with each other instead of going out to do anything. George spent most of the morning watching Dream, trying to make him laugh or yelling at Sapnap even more than usual so he wouldn’t notice Dream’s unusual quietness. And when they ordered lunch from the pizza place he’s been raving about to them for years, Dream ate a slice. It wasn’t much, but still. As the three of them enjoyed the afternoon, George noticed Dream become more talkative, more engaged, more happy. By the time dinner came around, he was able to eat almost all of his meal. They shared a small smile, and George squeezed Dream’s hand under the table again. Dream looked away, and George was about to drop his hand when Dream squeezed back. George’s cheeks instantly flushed pink.

“How about we watch a movie after dinner?” Sapnap asked.

“Good idea!” Dream said.

“Do you have one in mind?”

“Well, I’ve been meaning to watch The Summoning. It’s pretty scary, George, do you think you can handle it?”

“Shut up Sapnap, of course I can handle it!”

George could not handle it. They were only ten minutes in when a jumpscare made George grab onto Dream’s arm and scream at the top of his lungs. And Dream laughed, a beautiful, joyful sound that George realized he hadn’t heard in a while, and turned to George with a grin, and god every time Dream smiled at him like that it was like he fell in love all over again. Fuck.

“What?” Dream giggled.

George spent a moment trying to come up with some lie, some excuse for why he was staring at his best friend and ignoring the movie, but realized that the truth was easier. “You look happy.”

“I am,” Dream said softly.

They held eye contact for a moment, George still holding Dream’s arm, closer to each other than they maybe should have been. Dream looked like all he wanted to do was look at George. He was staring at George the way George stared at him when he wasn’t looking, and this wasn’t normal, this wasn’t something friends did, right? George’s thoughts raced as the moment stretched out until Sapnap shouted something at the tv. It was like a spell broke. George let go of Dream and they both quickly looked away (George’s cheeks turned a furious red that he really hoped Dream hadn’t seen). He tried to focus on the movie, but he couldn’t keep his mind from wandering. What would’ve happened if they were alone? He imagined that moment continuing unbroken, imagined himself holding on tight, imagined Dream’s gaze straying to his lips and- no. No, that wouldn’t happen. George tuned back into the movie just in time for another jump scare, and he screamed again.

“You’re so- you’re such a scaredy-cat, George!” Dream wheezed.

“Shut up!”

“Aww, are you scared? Do you want to hold my hand?”

Yes. “You wish. Simp.”

“Yeah, I’m such a simp.” Dream laughed, but… was he blushing? Yes, he definitely was. Why is he blushing? Because I called him a simp?? Fuck, I’m staring again. George glued his eyes on the movie, determined to keep his eyes and his mind off of Dream’s red cheeks. He was not wondering why Dream started blushing as soon as the conversation got more flirtatious. He was not thinking about the possibility that Dream could have been blushing during any of their conversations and George would never have known. He was paying attention to the movie. A shame, really, because if he hadn’t been quite so determined to pay attention he might’ve noticed Dream, cheeks still pink, sneaking glances at him, or Sapnap also trying - and failing - to pay attention to the movie instead of the way his friends were acting. But George didn’t notice any of that, and movie night continued as if nothing had happened.

***

12 AM.

George knocked on Dream’s door. “Hey, it’s me.”

“Come in! What’s up?” Dream looked up from his laptop, offering a tired smile.

“I just wanted to see how you’re doing.” An emotion George couldn’t place flashed across Dream’s face. Surprise? Happiness?

When he finally responded, he spoke softly. “Thank you, that’s really sweet, George.” George loved the way his name sounded on Dream’s tongue. He said it so gently, like he’s treasuring every letter. Dream stared at him for a moment before actually answering. “I’m doing ok. Still feeling… kinda bad, but I can deal.” George moved to his side, putting a hand on his shoulder before he could overthink the gesture.

“You know you don’t have to… deal, when you’re with me, right? I don’t mind if you need to be… sad, or whatever. You don’t have to act ok.”

“Thank you, George.” Dream smiled at him. “That… that means a lot.”

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

“You’re already doing so much. Being there for me. Noticing me.”

“Noticing you?”

“When I’m spaced out. When I’m not eating.” Dream looked away but placed his hand on George’s. “When I need you.”

For just a moment, George’s mind went blank. When I need you. Not when I need someone. When I need you.

“Whenever you need me, I’ll be here.”

Dream hugged him, not the desperate, pained hug of the night before, but a hug full of happiness, full of love. The kind of hug you just sort of melt into, not needing to think about anyone else but the person in your arms. The kind of hug that you know will end at some point, but you can’t imagine why you would ever leave. Dream wasn’t leaving either. George remembered their first hug, how they’d ran through the airport towards each other, practically thrown themselves into each other's arms, poured years of longing to hold each other into a single, drawn out moment. Apparently Dream’s thoughts had gone down a similar path, because he giggled and said, “George, we’re hugging! In real life!”

“I’ve been here for two days, idiot,” George laughed. “It is crazy, though.” He squeezed Dream tighter. “It’s been way too long.”

“It has.”

I love you. The words bubbled up inside George, like a chorus of voices shouting the desperate truth. He wanted to say it, he wanted to, so badly, but… he couldn’t. Dream had joked once that he couldn’t say it because it wouldn’t just be platonic, because he was in love with him. But that wasn’t it. Well, maybe it was part of it. Maybe he got more flustered when Dream asked than when anyone else did, maybe it was just a bit more complicated with him. But it was more than that. He just… couldn’t say it. He’d tried before, and he’d said it a couple of times, but it was just… too big. Too much. He’d never been good at talking about his feelings. I love you. But he couldn’t-

George was pulled from his thoughts by the familiar sound of a discord notification from Dream’s laptop. Dream left the hug to answer it, but kept one arm wrapped around George. And maybe it was because of how good that hug had felt, or because of the way Dream had looked at him during the movie, or maybe George was just feeling happy, and safe, and brave, but George leaned into him, and Dream leaned back, so George cuddled closer and rested his head on Dream’s shoulder, and oh, that felt right. Dream didn’t say anything, just moved the arm around George to his waist - his waist! - and pulled him closer.

This is perfect. This is so, so perfect.

George needed a reason to stay, some way to keep this moment going.

“What if we talk in the merch discord, like, both of us through your mic?”

“Oh, they would lose it. Let’s do it.”

“Hi! I’ve got a surprise for you…”

“Hiiiii!”

The discord chat dissolved into chaos as Dream’s discord icon glowed green from George’s voice.

“Told you we met up!”

“Technically we could still be faking this… I bet they still don’t believe it, George. ”

“Yeah, we might deserve that. Ooh! We could sing! We couldn’t fake that, right?”

“Ok… how about Heat Waves?” Dream smirked.

George gave a dramatic sigh. “Hm, I still don’t actually know Heat Waves. Sing it for me, Dream.” He’d asked that before, and Dream had ignored it, changed the subject. He looked up at Dream, and despite the darkness in Dream’s room George was pretty sure he was blushing again. He blushes a lot.

“Sometimes all I think about is you, late nights in the middle of June,” Dream was actually singing it! His voice was soft, and it was so easy to pretend that it was full of thinly veiled emotion. The words he’d seen all over the internet found new meaning on his tongue. “Heat wave’s been faking me out, can’t make you happier now…”

“You have a nice voice, Dream.”

“You- you’re so stupid,” Dream mumbled, looking away. Was he reading too much into this? Dream sounded flustered, like he might… “Anyways-” Dream changed the subject. He changed the subject. Surely this was just wishful thinking, right? Dream was straight, he wasn’t interested, and yet… Maybe he just didn’t like singing in front of people. But he’s sung in front of everyone plenty of times. George took a deep breath. He was overthinking this. Dream didn’t have feelings for him, and that was fine. Fine.

Eventually they left discord, and George knew he had no reason to stay in Dream’s room (in Dream’s bed). But before George could bring himself to leave Dream opened a youtube video. “Ooh, George, you’ll love this!” Dream smiled at him and hit play. He wants me to stay.

The video was exactly the kind George would’ve chosen to watch on his own. Dream knew him so well. I love you. There it was again. It seemed kind of silly, not saying it to his best friend. Dream said it so easily, so often, and he asked George to say it back almost as much. It was a running joke at this point, but George couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Dream really just wanted to hear him say it. What better time than when I can say it to his face? George sat there, cuddling Dream, and decided he would say it. He would tell Dream he loved him, in person, this visit. Why not right now? I’ll just say it. Right now.

But he needed a moment to build up the confidence, and a moment was all it took for him to sink deeper into Dream. He was so soft, so comfortable, and George was so tired, and really, what harm could it do if he just closed his eyes for a moment?

***

George mumbled something.

“What?”

George mumbled again, louder this time but still completely unintelligible, and Dream realized he was talking in his sleep again. So cute. Then Dream realized that meant he had fallen asleep cuddling him, and promptly short circuited.

Once he managed to get his train of thought back, he realized that he had no idea what to do about this. It didn’t seem fair to George to just let him sleep here, when he hadn’t really decided to. Sure, they’d slept in the same bed last night, but that was because Dream had been having such a bad night, and they’d talked about it before they fell asleep. And after that, if they slept together again, what would Sapnap think? He didn’t want to do that to George, he got so embarrassed by this kind of thing.

Sing it for me, Dream.

Well, he sometimes got embarrassed by this kind of thing. Dream already regretted that - that audio was sure to be everywhere by now. At least they couldn’t see how red his face had been as he sang that fucking song. He hoped George couldn’t, either.

Should he wake him up? George had been fine sleeping with Dream last night , but last night Dream had been in such a terrible place, and maybe that was why George had said yes (actually, he’d said “of course”. Which was… a thing). But George had stayed up so late for him, and it was already pretty late again, and Dream didn’t want to wake him up just because he had stupid feelings for him. It didn’t matter. Friends shared beds all the time, and George was obviously fine with it. And he needed sleep. I’m overthinking this. Just let him sleep. So Dream closed his laptop and laid down. George cuddled even closer in his sleep, putting an arm across his chest, and fuck Dream really wanted this to mean something. But it didn’t, he knew that.

Well, that wasn’t completely true. It did mean something - it meant that Dream had an amazing best friend, one who would be there for him whenever he needed him, one who loved him, even if he couldn't always say it. Fuck, no, don’t think about that-! It was too late. Dream had wandered down this train of thought before, and it always went the same way. And he knew that, he knew he couldn’t dwell on this, but it hurt, goddammit, it hurt so bad, and he couldn’t stop it.

I don’t love Dream. I like Dream, how’s that

He just doesn’t love you

George doesn’t love me, he’ll never love me, no, he loves me, he does, shut up!

He puts up with me, he doesn’t care about me, he thinks I’m annoying and awful and-

George shifted, pushing his face into Dream's shoulder.

George is here, George is with me, George hates me-

George mumbled again.

Listen to my breathing, Dream. How many times had George said that to him, leaned in close to the mic and taken slow, deep breaths until Dream could match them, staying up late into the night for him? He’d said it in person the night before, but he couldn’t say it now. Listen to my breathing. Dream could feel the rise and fall of George’s chest pressed up against him. Listen. Dream listened. His breath was racing, too fast to hear himself think, but ever so slowly he lined up with George’s calm, sleeping breaths. George wouldn’t be sleeping in his bed with him right now if he hated him, would he? If George didn’t care about him, what brought him to Dream’s door in the middle of the night, asking if he was ok? George didn’t have to say that he loved him. Dream knew how much he struggled with that, but George showed his love all the time, in every way that mattered.

The voice in his head still kept shouting. George hates me, George hates me, George hates me. But George didn’t hate him. George was there, with him, and that was enough.

Chapter Text

Dream woke up before George, and completely tangled in him.

Somehow, the two of them had ended up even closer in their sleep. George’s face was buried in Dream’s chest, his arms wrapped around Dream and a leg on top of him. Dream never wanted to let go of him. He would have stayed there forever if he could. But of course, eventually George woke up.

He looked up at Dream, eyes wide. “Oh.”

“H-hi.” They were so close, too close. Dream really wished he could kiss him. He suddenly remembered that George hadn’t done this on purpose, that he probably wasn’t so happy to wake up in his arms. “Oh- um- sorry, we- while we were sleeping- I’ll move, sorry-” Dream started to pull away from George, but George kept holding onto him.

“Dream, it’s fine! I mean, if you don’t want to stop… I don’t either.”

“Oh! Ok!” George wants to cuddle with me?

George laid back down on Dream’s chest and Dream wrapped his arms around him again. God, this is amazing.

“This is really nice.” George said softly.

“Yeah. Yeah, it is.”

They stayed there for a long, amazing, perfect time. It was a bit like that first night they’d slept together, and yet entirely different. As they melted into each other, Dream couldn’t do anything but smile. He couldn’t see George’s face, but he was sure he was smiling too. George wasn’t holding him because he was hurting, George was holding him because he wanted to. I wish I could wake up in his arms every morning.

“We should probably go eat breakfast,” George said. He sounded just as reluctant to leave as Dream felt, but he was right.

“Yeah.”

For a moment, neither of them moved. Then George pushed him off the bed. “Alright, come on, get up!”

“George!” Dream wheezed.

George helped him off the floor, which had the unfortunate consequence of leaving them holding hands. Dream did not want to let go. For a brief moment they stared at their intertwined hands, but Dream made himself pull away.

“Dream, wait,” George said before Dream could open the door.

“Yeah?” Fuck. Why didn’t I just let go right away, he probably noticed-

“I… I decided that while I’m here in person I should… I should tell you I love you.” He rushed out the words, not making eye contact. “I’m making too big a deal of this, aren’t I? Ugh, this is silly, I just-” Dream cut him off with a hug.

Oh my god, he said it! He actually said it!

“I love you too, George.” Relief washed over Dream, filling the cracks in his heart left from the night before. “Thank you,” he whispered. He could feel his eyes welling up with tears. Shit. He tried to hold them back, but it was no use. A tear dropped on George’s shoulder, who pulled away enough to see his face.

“Wait, Dream, are you- oh no, what’s wrong?”

“It’s… it’s nothing, it just… means a lot. I’m f-fine.”

“Oh no, Dream… I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you… Oh my god…” George hugged Dream even tighter. “I had no idea that actually bothered you, I’m so sorry-”

“No, it’s ok, really! You didn’t need to say it, George, I knew, I just…” He took a deep breath. “Sometimes my stupid brain tries to convince me that people hate me. And… that’s a really easy target. It’s ok, really, don’t feel bad, I just… I was just thinking about that, earlier, and it was… a really big relief. To hear you say that.”

George didn’t speak for a moment. “I guess I’ll have to say it more often, then.”

Dream pulled back to look at him, panicked. “No, George, I know it’s hard for you, you don’t have to-”

“Dream, look at you! I’m not gonna say it as much as you do, but… if I can make you feel better, I’m going to try.” George smiled at him, beautifully, lovingly, and Dream could feel his heart melt. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

“Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m good,” Dream smiled.

“Good.” George paused. “Hey Dream, guess what?”

“What?”

George leaned a little closer to Dream and grinned. “I love you.” Dream tried to fight the blush spreading across his cheeks and failed miserably. Luckily George must not have seen it, because he just smiled at him and left the room without another word.

Fuck, I am so in love.

***

He’d seen it.

George had seen Dream blush, again. George had leaned in, said I love you, and Dream blushed. What does that mean?

Dream caught up to him, grinning like an idiot and… still a bit pink in the cheeks. George’s mind pored over every time he’d seen Dream blush since he’d arrived in Florida. When Sapnap found them in bed together, when George called him a simp, when he sang heat waves, when George had woken up that morning… George realized he’d been keeping track. Even though it couldn’t possibly mean what it seemed like it meant… right?

A shocking, beautiful, terrifying thought rang through George’s mind.

Why not?

George tripped on his own feet, crashing into Dream, who doubled over wheezing. Why not? Dream said something about how clumsy George was and George muttered a “shut up” in response. Could Dream actually have feelings for me? George was sure he was turning red - as red as Dream turned every time something at all romantic happened. George couldn’t think, couldn’t pay attention to what was going on. Why not? George had been so afraid of getting his hopes up that every time Dream seemed like he might feel the same way he’d shut it down immediately. But now that he could see Dream’s face, see him smile and blush and stare, it seemed… possible.

George had no idea what to do with this realization.

“Good morniiiing!” Sapnap sang as they came into the living room. He looked between the two of them for a second before continuing, “I’ve got Karl’s stream on the tv, wanna watch?”

“Oh, awesome!” Dream plopped down on the couch.

“I’ll grab you some food, Dream.” George smiled at him, desperate for a chance to be alone and think.

“O-oh, thanks George!”

“No problem!” George closed the kitchen door behind him and let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Dream might have feelings for me. What the hell do I do now?? He considered just telling him how he felt, but that thought didn’t last long. If he was wrong, if Dream just saw him as a friend… He didn’t think Dream would really be upset or anything, but there’d be no way they’d be able to hide that awkwardness from their fans. There were too many dnf jokes, too many ways that George would probably make a fool of himself as soon as it came up. It’s not like he’d been able to hide his feelings from their audience… And they think Dream likes me back… But if they were wrong, some things would surely be different… their dynamic that their audience loved so much, and more importantly their relationship that George loved so much… Would Dream still be so comfortable with him, knowing how George felt? George’s heart sank as he imagined a world where Dream rejected him and they were never quite the same, imagined never feeling the same friendly ease in calls, imagined never being able to cuddle with him again…

His eyebrows shot up. That gave him an idea.

George quickly made breakfast for himself and Dream, walked as confidently as he could back into the living room, and - ignoring the probably reasonable part of him that insisted that this was a terrible idea - sat right next to Dream and leaned against him. “Here you go.” He handed Dream his plate and watched his face as - yes - Dream blushed spectacularly.

“Uh, you- thank you!” Dream stammered. Oh my god. He looks so flustered! Oh my god.

“You’re welcome,” fuck fuck fuck fuck WHAT NOW- “what’s Karl up to?”

“Just hanging out with Quackity right now,” Sapnap answered, trying very hard to look like he hadn’t noticed whatever Dream and George were doing. (He did a terrible job of it, but they were both too distracted by each other to notice)

George’s plan had been simple. Maybe too simple, because now he was pressed against a very flustered Dream and had no idea what to do about it. He’d just wanted to see how Dream would react, and he’d planned to treat it as platonic if Dream did, but he hadn’t actually considered what he’d do if Dream’s reaction wasn’t platonic. Am I supposed to flirt?? He’d flirted with Dream plenty of times, but flirting as a joke (even if he wished it was real, even if a part of him meant it every time) was completely different from actually flirting. What if George was just seeing what he wanted to, and Dream was blushing for some other reason, and when he tried to take it further Dream didn’t want to? Panic gripped him as he was pulled back into that familiar fear of his feelings ruining everything, of destroying their relationship forever. He couldn’t risk it, no matter how badly he wanted to…

Dream leaned forward to put his plate on the coffee table, and George couldn’t help but frown at the loss of Dream’s body against his. But then Dream leaned right back next to him and put an arm around George. Oh. Tentatively, George rested his head on Dream’s shoulder, like he had the night before, and Dream just held him tighter.

It was like a switch had been flipped in Dream, as if now that he had permission to hold George he couldn’t bear not to be. Throughout the day Dream hugged George for no reason, cuddled with him on the sofa, reached out to touch his arm as he doubled over laughing (George had always loved the way Dream laughed, and the added contact made it just that much endearing). In the end, the only thing that was able to make Dream stop touching George was a camera.

Dream still hadn’t face revealed, so when the three of them streamed together that evening he had to sit out of frame. George hadn’t quite realized how much he’d loved the constant contact until it was gone. He kept sneaking glances at Dream, not caring that chat would probably notice, not caring that Dream would probably notice. He just wanted to feel Dream’s warm, strong arms wrapped around him again.

“Hellooo, Earth to Georgie?” Sapnap waved a hand in front of his face. Shit, I have not been paying attention.

“Sorry, sorry, I spaced out.” A donation appeared on the screen, and George leaped at the chance to change the subject. “‘George, is Dream… is Dream cute.” Ok, so not so much of a change of subject. George was about to laugh, joke that he was ugly, move on, when a much more exciting, much more dangerous option presented itself to him instead. George knew it was a mistake, knew he shouldn’t be doing this on stream or probably ever, but he was so fed up with wondering about Dream, dying to know if he really did feel the same way…

George glanced at the camera, then held eye contact with Dream as he said, with no hint of humor, “oh, chat, he’s so cute.”

Dream flushed bright red. So did George.

For several incredibly charged seconds, no one spoke.

“Oh my GOD, can you two go ONE STREAM without ruining chat?” Sapnap laughed, though George could hear the room’s tension reflected in his voice. He looked at the screen to see an unsurprising flood of dnf-related messages. He didn’t care. Not at all. Not when Dream was looking at him like that.

Sapnap started to talk about something that had happened to him on his flight to Florida, but George couldn’t pay attention. He glanced back at Dream, who quickly looked down at the laptop he was using to see chat. Was he staring at me?

The stream sped by far too quickly, and George was paying full attention for approximately none of it. Sapnap did almost all the talking, George and Dream occasionally chiming in or answering a question, and eventually Sapnap just ended the stream almost an hour before they’d planned to.

Dream stood up the moment the stream ended, not looking at either of them. “I’m gonna, uh, go to the bathroom. Yeah. Bye.”

George waited until Dream’s footsteps faded out of earshot before whirling to face Sapnap. “Sapnap-” he just couldn’t take it anymore “-do you think Dream has feelings for me?”

“Uh-”

“Because I do.” He spat out the words. “...have feelings for him. And I-”

“Ok, yes, idiot, obviously he has feelings for you-”

“Really? You think so?”

“Oh my God you two are impossible! George! Did you see his face after you said he was cute? Did you see how he has been all over you all day? Do you see the way he looks at you?”

“I mean, yeah, but like, if he doesn’t-”

“You two literally slept together!”

“No, no, that was something else, really, that seriously wasn’t anything.”

“Oh. But still, he-”

“But we did again last night...”

“Oh?? How did that happen tell me everything!”

George explained, smiling and blushing and feeling like a lovestruck teen at a sleepover. When he finished, Sapnap whacked him with a pillow.

“I can’t believe you two are like this. All that and you still need to ask me??”

“But maybe he just likes to cuddle or something-”

“GEORGE.” The pillow was back and stronger than ever. “HE. LOVES. YOU.”

“But what if he doesn’t?? I can’t fuck us up like that-”

Sapnap reached out and put his hands on George’s shoulder. “George. I promise you, he likes you back. But if it makes you feel better, I don’t think it would really ‘fuck up’ anything. You two care about each other too much to let that get between you.”

“But you can’t know that for sure.”

“Yes I do.” Sapnap smiled and wrapped George in a hug. “Because if you had feelings for me, I wouldn’t let it come between us.”

***

What the fuck was that?

Dream was sitting on the bathroom floor, leaning against the closed door. What the fuck?

Dream is so cute.

Dream is so cute.

Dream is so cute.

He’d sounded completely serious. Like he meant it. And it wasn’t just some meaningless, friendly compliment, George had looked him dead in the eye, said it like that-

Was George flirting with me? No, no he was just joking, like we always do.

It’s not normally like that... but it was still just a joke.

There’s no way he didn’t see my reaction. There’s no way he doesn’t know.

Fuck.

FUCK.

He’d just ruined everything. Years of keeping it secret, protecting their friendship, and he’d ruined everything. He tried to remember George’s reaction. He’d… he’d blushed too, probably regretting saying that on stream. He hadn’t looked mad, so that was good, but he kept looking over at Dream, he’d been so distant for the rest of the stream, he’d definitely seen it. Fuck, fuck, fuck, what have I done??

Dream could feel himself spiraling. He wanted to call George, wanted him to come and hold him until he’d calmed down, wanted to collapse into his arms and cry and be surrounded by love, his love. But he couldn’t. For the first time in years, he couldn’t go to George for help. And he would never be able to again. George was going to hate him, probably already hated him…

It took Dream longer than normal to calm down. In the end, it was the thought of George that helped him, just like the night before. He had no one’s breathing to listen to, but he closed his eyes and tried to take deep breaths, slowly, slowly relaxing enough to think straight.

He got up from the floor - he didn’t remember sitting down - and splashed water on his face. George… George probably didn’t hate him. He’d definitely seen it, and everything was going to be so awkward, so uncomfortable, but George wouldn’t hate him for it. Probably.

Maybe I should just get it over with. Just walk in there, find out just how bad it is, rip off the band aid. No point in delaying the inevitable.

Somehow, he convinced his feet to carry him back to his bedroom. He took a deep breath and opened the door, preparing himself for the worst-

“Dream!” George beamed at him. Wait. What?

“H-hi George.” Dream hovered in the doorway, completely thrown off.

George patted the bed next to him and looked at Dream with a shy smile. What? Dream sat down next to him, leaving a few inches of space between them (he’d gotten so used to not leaving any that day), only for George to put an arm around him and scoot closer. What?? Dream leaned into the touch even as his mind scrambled to figure out what was going on.

George had flirted with him. Different from how he normally did. And he’d seen Dream blush, seen him freeze and panic, and he still wanted to be so close to him? He… he must not have noticed. Thank god. He must’ve somehow not seen it, or he misunderstood, or something - it wouldn’t be the first time Dream had slipped up and George hadn’t noticed (though admittedly never that badly).

Sapnap shot him a look. Oh, he’d definitely noticed it. Dream looked helplessly back at him, but got only a smirk in response.

The three of them talked together late into the night, all but forgetting what had happened on stream. Well, “forgetting” definitely wasn’t the right word. “Ignoring” would be more accurate. Normally after a stream like that, they’d scroll through twitter laughing about the fans reactions, but that night, nobody mentioned what had soared to the top of trending (“dream is so cute, trending with dnf”) or the flood of tweets about Dream and George’s strange, flustered behavior. Dream saw a picture of George’s blushing face when he said… that, and had to close twitter to keep himself from jumping to all the wrong conclusions.

“I’m gonna get water.” George got up from next to Dream, his hand lingering just a moment too long on Dream’s shoulder. Which doesn’t mean anything. As soon as the door shut, Sapnap turned to Dream with a grin.

“Sooo…”

“So.”

“You should tell him!”

“What?! I can’t tell him, Sapnap, why the hell would I do that?!”

“So you can stop pining and finally fucking be with him?”

“Sapnap! He doesn’t feel the same way, you know he doesn’t.”

Sapnap raised his eyebrows at Dream and wordlessly pulled out his phone.

“What are you-” Sapnap shushed him and handed it to him.

He’d pulled up the top clip from Dream’s twitch. It was titled “DEFFO FLERTING”, and Dream had a sinking feeling that he knew exactly what it was.

“George, is Dream… is Dream cute. Oh, chat, he’s so cute.”

“Sapnap-”

“LOOK AT HIS FACE! He is so in love with-”

“Sapnap!” Dream jolted to his feet, pushing the phone into Sapnap’s chest and pacing away from him. “Please… please don’t do this to me.”

“Dream.” Sapnap put a hand on his shoulder and Dream stilled, refusing to make eye contact. “I know you don’t want to mess up your friendship with George. But I… I’m really, really convinced that he has feelings for you too. And I don’t want you two to miss this chance to be together. You don’t have to tell him if it’s too scary. But… I think you should. And look, if he somehow doesn’t have feelings for you, it’ll be fine! You too are so close, you’re not gonna ruin anything just because you like him.”

“Ughhhhhhh…” Dream flopped back onto the bed. “I can’t- it’s just-” George’s footsteps saved him from having to answer.

Some stupid, desperate part of his brain realized that George couldn’t just sit back down next to him now that he was lying down. The sadness he felt was quickly silenced when George laid down next to him, resting his head on his chest. What? Before he could stop himself he wrapped his arms around George, and George put one of his hands on Dream’s. What?!

He saw Sapnap pull out his phone and felt his own buzz in his pocket. He checked it, careful not to hold it where George might see whatever nonsense Sapnap had sent.

told you so

this doesnt mean anything!

you dont ACTUALLY believe that right

he just likes cuddles

he hasnt cuddled ME at all… ;)

Sapnap was… Sapnap was right. George had been so touchy ever since he arrived in Florida, but… only with him. His mind leapt at the thought, hopeful, wishing it were true. George just wants to cuddle with me. Even as he tried to fight it, Dream could feel something bubbling up inside him, something he’d never let himself feel before, not about this: hope.

Sapnap yawned. “I think I’m gonna go to bed. Goodnight!” Dammit, George will probably leave too-

“Goodnight, Sapnap,” George smiled. He didn’t move.

They fell into comfortable silence, scrolling through social media and occasionally showing something to each other or talking about random things that came into their heads. Eventually (Dream was too distracted by the way George was lying on him to keep track of time at all) George yawned and put down his phone.

“Are you tired, George?”

“Yeah… you?”

“Yeah.” He’s gonna go back to his room. God, I really wish he’d stay.

***

Last night was so nice. You liked it too, right? Please don’t ask me to leave.

***

George wasn’t leaving. He lay there, completely still. He was probably just tired and comfortable. Maybe he’ll fall asleep again. George suddenly rolled over, pressing his face into Dream’s chest, putting an arm around him.

“George?” George looked up at him, and Dream could swear that something desperate flickered across his face. He wants to stay. Dream was suddenly sure of it. George wants to stay with me. “Should I turn off the light?” Shit, why did I say that-

“Yes!” George blurted out, blushing - blushing! - “Yeah, yeah we should probably go to sleep now.”

He wants to stay. He actually wants to stay. Dream’s mind looped like a broken record as he got up and flipped the light switch. He walked back to the bed, feeling more than a little dizzy, and carefully laid down next to George. All day he’d been trying to keep some kind of contact with George, so thrilled that George was letting him, but now he wasn’t sure he should. He’d just asked George to sleep in his bed, for no reason, and he couldn’t just cuddle him like-

Dream was spared from his thoughts by an absolutely freezing hand on his arm. “George!”

George flinched, pulling his hand back, but Dream took it between his own. “Your hands are like ice!”

“You're so warm.” George looked directly into Dream’s eyes. “And I’m so cold.” His voice suddenly dropped low. “Not… not just my hands.”

Is he…flirting again? “Oh, come here, idiot.” Dream pulled George closer, wrapping his arms around him, pressing their chests together. George’s head was on his shoulder, he could feel him breathing on his neck. Is this what he wanted? George held on tight as if to answer yes, yes, I want this too..

“Goodnight, Dream.”

“Goodnight, George.”

Chapter Text

When Dream woke up, he realized three things before he opened his eyes.

One, he had woken up in George’s arms. Again.

Two, Dream had basically asked George to sleep in his bed last night.

Three, George had wanted to. Had actually seemed really happy that Dream asked. And had wanted to cuddle, too.

He was still reeling from those realizations when he opened his eyes, just a little, to see George lying next to him, not at all far apart, staring at his face.

“Oh! You’re awake! Uh, I, uh… Good morning?” George blushed and looked away. I could tease him so easily. I could flirt and make him act all nervous and pretend it’s because he’s into me. It would be so easy. But I shouldn’t.

Fuck it. “What, do you like what you see?” Dream watched the same pattern of emotion he’d seen so many times flicker over George’s face. First surprise, then embarrassment, then pulling himself together with a sarcastic smile and an eye roll. If Dream was lucky he would get a blush out of it, another moment he could imagine meant more than it did.

Except this time, there was no eye roll, no attempt at composure.

No, this time, George brought his eyes back to Dream’s face and lowered his voice. “Maybe I do.”

What?! “Oh, right, you think I’m cute!” Dream made his tone as flirtatious as he possibly could and shifted so his face was a bit closer to George’s, desperate to see how far he could take this. This doesn’t feel like a joke.

George was staring deep into his eyes. “I mean, you are.” He was blushing, they were both blushing, and their faces were so close. Too close. George’s gaze shifted to his lips and Dream’s breath hitched, audibly, and even George couldn’t have missed the desire written all across his face, and yet George didn’t move away, didn’t get upset or shut the conversation down. Kiss him.

Dream sat up abruptly and practically jumped out of the bed. “Um, I, I’m gonna…” He knew he was a blushing, flustered mess. He knew he wasn’t exactly being subtle. This always happened when George decided to flirt back, Dream ended up completely, hopelessly undone. It was fun to tease him, to flirt and joke and pretend his end of the conversation wasn’t hopelessly tangled in feelings and want, but whenever George did the same he couldn’t handle it. He should’ve known it would happen at some point during their visit, should’ve known he’d end up panicked and blushing without a faceless screen to hide behind. He couldn’t help but look back at George to see just how much damage had been done.

George was smiling, cheeks red, staring up at him with an expression almost like longing.

He looks like he feels the same way.

He doesn’t, obviously.

But he really, really looks like he does.

George interrupted Dream’s quickly derailing train of thought. “Oh, fuck, I’m gonna be late. I promised Quackity and Karl I’d stream with them today!” George jumped out of bed and ran towards the door. “I’m not late yet though I’m just gonna grab some breakfast, you too come on!” He grabbed Dream’s hand (Now we’re holding hands oh fuck-) and pulled him to the kitchen.

George quickly grabbed some food and started eating as fast as he could. Dream just sat down in the chair next to him, still trying to process… everything. “Nope, you have to eat too.” George poked Dream’s shoulder. “Go get some cereal.”

“Oh! …thank you, George.” Through the cloud of feelings muddling Dream’s mind, he realized what George was trying to make sure of. Even though he was moving so quickly to make it to the stream on time, even though he must have noticed… whatever just happened, George was still looking out for him. God, I love him so much. He’s amazing. Dream made a bowl of cereal and started eating, but by the time he sat back down George was almost finished.

“Ok I have to go now sorry bye!” George left his plate on the table and rushed off to Dream’s room to stream. As he ran past Dream he let a hand graze his shoulder. He did that on purpose, he definitely did!

Dream’s mind was racing. His thoughts kept returning to the image of George lying on his bed with red cheeks and a smile, looking deep into his eyes… There’s no way. There’s no way in hell I could be that lucky… He thought about every little moment they’d shared since George’s plane landed that he’d overanalyzed, and then every moment before that, too (he had a long list that he both wished he could forget and wanted to treasure forever). All the smiles and laughter and the goddamn blushing, the jokes that maybe, just maybe, weren’t really jokes for George either. His phone buzzed. Georgenotfound is live. He opened the stream on autopilot, and George’s smiling face filled his screen. He really has no right to be that pretty. Dark fluffy hair and beautiful deep brown eyes and pink, kissable lips-

“You really can’t be away from him for one minute, huh?” Sapnap smirked over Dream’s shoulder, apparently having come into the kitchen without Dream hearing him at all. I guess I was a little distracted…

“Shut up!”

“I’m teasing, I was gonna watch too. Come on, let’s put it on the TV so we both can.”

They walked into the living room, Dream nervously picking at the peeling skin on his fingers while Sapnap fiddled with the remote. Dream took a few minutes to work up the confidence before taking a deep breath and turning to Sapnap. “I think you might be right. About George.”

“Duh, of course I’m right,” Sapnap smirked before quickly turning to face him, glee spreading across his face. “Wait, why though? Did something happen?”

“I mean, maybe? We were just flirting, you know, like we do, but like, a lot, and he sounded serious?”

“And what did you do?”

“Uh…” Dream dropped his head. “I panicked. And left.”

“Dreaaaaaam! Just talk to him, oh my god.”

“But he probably didn’t actually mean it, you weren’t there, really he probably was just joking but I wanted him not to be, it doesn’t matter-”

“No. Nope. He’s in love with you, absolutely.”

Dream felt something digging painfully into his palms and realized with a jolt that it was his own fingernails. “Can we… can we talk about this later?”

Sapnap started to object but froze as Dream’s fingers uncurled, revealing little red crescents pressed into his skin. “Sure, dude. Yeah, just chill, watch the stream or something.”

Dream let out a breath and tuned back into George’s voice from the TV. “Yeah, it’s really nice. I’ve been waiting so long to see them in person, it’s… it’s amazing, honestly.”

“Is Dream’s bed comfortable?” Karl giggled. George was clearly fighting back a smile, and failing, a slight blush creeping across his cheeks. He’s smiling at that? I mean, I know he liked sleeping with me, platonically, but Karl’s obviously talking about more than a little friendly cuddling… And he smiled!

Dream had no idea what George might say to that, but he prepared himself for anything. Or, for anything except for what George actually said, in that low, flirting tone that always left Dream scrambling to get his mind back on track: “Oh yes, it’s very comfortable.”

“Oh? What-” Quackity shouted. He and Karl were both cackling too hard to speak.

“So you do like cuddles?” Bad chimed in, clearly trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

“Well, that’s between me and Dream, isn’t it?” George was still using that fucking tone, and he was grinning, really grinning, as if there weren’t thousands of people analyzing his every reaction. Karl implied… that… and he responds like that? Dream was suddenly failing to keep up the carefully constructed walls he kept between himself and the one thing he most desperately wanted to be true. As the stream continued Dream noticed something that chat couldn’t: George’s gaze kept straying to where Dream knew his bed sat out of the stream’s view. Every time, George would smile a little and then pull his eyes away from it in a heartbeat. But he kept looking.

“George!” Quackity shouted, “I asked you a fucking question!”

“Hm?” George tore his gaze away from Dream’s bed (he’d been staring for a while, Dream couldn’t help but notice) and blinked a couple times. “Sorry, I spaced out, what did you say?”

“Well, he obviously really likes sleeping with you. Did you again last night?” Sapnap teased.

“We did…” Dream didn’t want to tell him more, didn’t want to give Sapnap any more fuel for his ridiculously incorrect fire. Or maybe he really, really wanted to give him exactly that, wanted to be convinced and live in that kinder reality for a little while. He gave in. “I… I asked him to, and he seemed really happy that I did?”

“Awww…” Sapnap grinned at him.

“But he’s not- he doesn’t- it’s George, Sapnap,” Dream snapped, “he doesn’t have feelings for me!”

“Why not? He thought- he thinks you don’t have feelings for him, a lot of people think you don’t, but they’re wrong! Why couldn’t you be wrong about him?”

“Because… I don’t know, because he…”

“Dream.” Sapnap put a hand on his shoulder. “Think about it. Really think about it, think about how he acts, think about the way he talks to you, the way he looks at you, think about whatever secret romantic moments I’m positive the two of you have that I don’t know about. I promise you, you’re not over analyzing it, it’s not wishful thinking, he definitely likes you!”

The water had been pooling behind a dam since George arrived in Florida, waves of new moments and resurfacing memories that Dream held back in every waking moment of every day. It wasn’t like Sapnap’s words suddenly made Dream realize how George felt. It was more like he’d already seen how George felt, and all Sapnap did was give him permission to open the dam he’d kept firmly closed for years and let the truth rush through. He’d been dancing around that conclusion since last night, and he finally, finally came to rest on it.

“Fuck, you’re… you’re probably right.”

“I always am,” Sapnap said with a reassuring smile.

“What do I do?!”

“Just ask him out or something, I dunno.”

“Can you… can you help me?” Dream looked hopefully at Sapnap.

“What, you want me to go even more wingman-Sapnap than I already am? If I haaave to.” Sapnap grinned.

After some bickering and second guessing and reassurance, it was decided. The three of them were going to the beach that afternoon, and around sunset (“it’ll be so romantic, Dream!”) Sapnap would make some excuse to leave and Dream would tell George how he felt.

Dream was terrified. And excited. Mostly terrified.

***

“Bye guys!” George waved at the camera. I wonder if Dream was watching. I wonder what he thought of what I said. As soon as George’s stream ended, Dream burst into the room.

“Come on, get your swimsuit! It’s beach time!” Dream pulled him out of the chair, grabbed his own swimsuit out of a drawer, and raced back out of the room, shouting something about the ocean. George found himself staring into space, smiling at his boundless enthusiasm. He really is cute. For what felt like the thousandth time that day, George glanced over at Dream’s bed.

Dream asked me to sleep in his bed. Which really could be platonic, but with everything else… It probably wasn’t! And how he looked at me this morning, how fucking flustered he got…

George finally left his room and found Sapnap on his phone in the living room. “Where’s Dream?”

“He’s putting stuff in the car. Miss him already?” Sapnap smirked.

“No, I…” He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. “I’m gonna tell him. Today.”

Sapnap made a face like he was holding back a laugh, but George was too nervous to notice it. “That’s awesome! When were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t really, I kind of only decided just now…”

“Why not sunset? Romantic and all that. I can slip away, give you two some privacy…” (Sapnap was very impressed by his ability to hide the hilarity of his situation from George. He shouldn’t have been; anyone but the very otherwise-occupied George would’ve seen right through him.)

“That sounds… that sounds perfect! Fuck, I’m really doing this.” George felt a confusing rush of exhilaration and panic wash over him.

“It’ll be fine, George, trust me!” Sapnap grinned. “Come on, let’s go!”

***

The beach was fun. It could’ve been a lot more fun, but Dream and George’s nerves were running so obviously high that none of them could really properly enjoy it. They tried to stretch the afternoon out with swimming and splashing and games of frisbee, but before long the sun was nearing the horizon, pinks and oranges beginning to splash across the sky.

“I’m gonna go get snacks from the car, see ya!” Sapnap said more than a bit too enthusiastically, leaving George and Dream alone together for the first time since breakfast.

This is it. I’m supposed to tell him now. I have to tell him now, thought Dream.

I should tell him. I’m gonna tell him. In just a second. I can wait just a bit, thought George.

“Isn’t the sunset beautiful, George?”

“Yeah, it’s so-” romantic “-pretty.”

You’re pretty. “What do you think of Florida?”

“I love it!” Because you’re here, like you said I would. “It’s nice. Warm.”

I’d move to Antarctica if it meant I could spend more time with you. “I’m glad you like it! You should visit more often.”

“I want to!” I never want to leave. “And you should come to London someday.”

“Ugh, London sounds boooring.” I’d love to visit you. “But I’ll go, for you.”

“It’s not boring!” It is. Anywhere is boring without you there. “I can show you around, I promise you’ll have the time of your life.”

I know I would, it’d be with you. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

The sun slipped below the horizon as a conversation left half unsaid dragged on. Stars filled the sky, though they were too close to the glow of a city for them to be anywhere near as beautiful as the sunset. The two of them shared a single unspoken thought:

I can’t lose this. Nothing is worth the risk of losing you,

and both decided against their grand plans of boldness.

“Tell me about London, what are you gonna show me?”

Are. He’s really gonna come someday. I hope it’s soon. “Probably not the touristy stuff, unless there was somewhere you wanted to go.” I’d go anywhere you wanted, I don’t mind. “I’d take you to all my favorite restaurants. And we’d go to this little park, it’s kind of far from my house but it’s so worth it, it’s beautiful, especially if you came in the spring. Although it’s also gorgeous when it snows - oh, you don’t get snow here! It’s so pretty, the snow covers all the tree branches so when you look up it’s like the world is white and sparkling, there’s icicles and you can see footprints of all the animals and people who walked there before you… you’d love it.”

“That sounds amazing.” Dream was looking at the stars and George was looking at Dream and for a moment the only sounds were the waves gently crashing on the shore and the silent roar of unspoken confessions.

Sapnap came sprinting down the path, calling out “I’m back!” Dream and George both shook their heads at him as subtly as they could, cheeks reddening from embarrassment. “Wait- you didn’t… oh my god, please just tell him!”

“It’s not important-” Dream started, but George stuttered out “No, Sapnap, I’m-” at the same time.

“No, he was talking to…” George trailed off. “Wait, you have something to tell me?”

“No, no, nothing, it’s not… it’s not a big deal, just drop it.”

“Guys…” Sapnap frowned. “Look, I wanted you guys to do this yourselves but enough is enough. Obviously this is really scary for you guys and that totally makes sense, but I already know how this is gonna go down and I want you two to have that. So listen to me: you’re both trying to tell each other the same thing.” George and Dream whirled to face each other, eyes wide.

“Really?” George breathed.

“Yes, really, now please finally talk to each-fucking-other, I’ll give you some privacy.” Sapnap grinned at them and walked away down the beach.

For a moment, neither dared to speak.

Dream slowly reached over and took George’s hand. They’d already held hands a couple times before, but this felt different. This meant so much more. He could barely hear his own thoughts over the beating of his heart.

“George…” His voice came out in a whisper. “George,” he tried again, “I love you. Like, love love you. Please… please tell me Sapnap knows what he’s talking about?”

“Dream…” George trailed off, lost for words, but panicked when he saw Dream’s face fall. “No! I mean yes, yes, I- I love you, too.”

Dream stared at George. George stared at Dream.

“Oh thank fucking god.” Dream folded in half, still holding George’s hand. “Fuck.”

George squeezed Dream’s hand. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m… fine. I’m more than fine, I’m so fucking happy, George.” Dream pushed himself back upright and looked at George with a small smile. “I was just so worried. I didn’t want to mess this up.”

“Me too.” George was smiling so wide his face was starting to hurt. He didn’t care. Not at all. “But we didn’t!” He placed a hand on Dream’s cheek, and Dream leaned into his touch. “I love you. So much.”

“I love you so much!” Dream giggled, his nervous tension finally dissipating.

“You’re such an idiot.”

“I’m your idiot!”

“…my idiot. I like that.” George paused. “Are we boyfriends now??”

“I- oh, I- yes, I mean i-if you want to-”

“Dream! Of course I want to be your boyfriend. I want to so much, stupid.”

Dream giggled. “That’s awesome.”

George couldn’t help but laugh. “You really are cute.”

“Uh- I- NO YOU’RE CUTE!” Dream was blushing furiously, which really only made him cuter.

“Wow, it’s so easy to fluster you. This is fun.” George teased and leaned forward.

“You’re just as easy, I’m gonna make you regret that!” Dream leaned even closer, bringing their faces only a few inches apart.

George's voice dropped to a whisper. “Can I kiss you?”

Dream’s eyes flew wide open, and then his mouth was on George’s. Oh. Dream cupped George’s face with one hand, still holding George’s with the other. George’s free hand slipped into Dream’s hair. Oh. This. They smiled into the kiss, and after a moment George pulled back, resting his forehead on Dream’s.

“I love you, Dream.”

“I love you, too, George.”