Work Text:
Happier
“We should break up, George,”
The moment Dream had said those words, George’s entire world fell apart at the seams.
You'd think, two best friends who had become boyfriends after developing mutual feelings would have a damned friendship once they break up. For some reason, that wasn't true for Dream and George. For some reason, they still remained as close as they were before dating. Before George realised how much he cared about Dream, that it felt wrong to be just friends.
But it was over, wasn't it? Their story together. Those long nights they'd spend together. Miles away in real life, yet side by side through a voice call. Through facetime. Like those thousands of miles didn't mean anything.
Just like how nothing in the world mattered unless Dream was smiling, unless Dream was happy. Or perhaps, that was just George’s world.
George couldn't understand how people could remain cheerful and happy while Dream was sad. Dream upset that his distant relative had passed away, George’s world stopped for a while. For as long as Dream needed to smile again, which was one month by the way.
They never bothered telling their fans that they were dating, for their own unknown reason. George never mind telling his fans about his relationship with Dream, knowing very well how excited and supportive his fanbase would be. Especially when it's their OTP DreamNotFound that became canon in real life.
But Dream didn't want to. He would always tell George, it's not the right time yet, to tell Twitter. To tell their fans about their relationship that had lasted about 8 months. Despite not ever meeting up in real life. That was what made their relationship quite genuine in George’s opinion.
They had loved each other for their own personalities, for their rights and wrongs. Their own faults, some only digital but some were more physical. Like how Dream couldn't sleep unless there was someone there with him, in which George was more than glad to help. To listen to Dream talk softly over the phone, telling George about his day. George would listen, paying attention to each and every word as though it was a sermon, like his life depended on it.
George could and would never think of a life without Dream as his, because it seemed almost impossible. After Dream joined his life, that was all he wanted. Just him. For him to smile, for him to be happy. For him to be able to see everything beautiful and good in the world. All the dreams he had, for them to come true. Dream was good at video games, acting all tough and mighty for his fans on social media, acting like God himself when he was PVPing his friends in Minecraft. But there was a side to him, that no one else but George saw.
The side that would act clingy when George was busy. The side that would tell George almost everyday how much he meant to him. The side that told George, how he couldn't live without George. The side that George believed, the side that lied.
“We should break up,”
Like the bomb on Pearl Harbor, George didn't expect it at all. He hadn't expected, the one day Dream was late for their nightly call, the day Dream didn't tell George how much he meant to him. The day Dream finally told George that he lied.
That it was possible to live without him, because that was what Dream’s plan was. To live without George by his side.
The bomb impacted George in a way he never anticipated. He didn't expect it to hurt as much as it did. To feel like his heart had become stone, like he was carrying the whole world on his shoulders, because his own world didn't want him anymore. George couldn't bring himself to ask, he just didn't want to know. All he knew was that it was over between them. He wondered, if Dream was hurt that George wasn't interested in the reason for the break up.
The worst part, in George’s opinion, was trekking on. It was the way he had to pretend like nothing was wrong, for no one except his friends Quackity, Karl and Sapnap knew that he was dating Dream. Or, had been dating Dream. They had offered their sympathies, as much comfort as they could. But how much comfort could a friend give to a broken heart?
So, George smiled.
He smiled as he continued streaming, he could sense Dream’s slight awkwardness for the first few days after the breakup. He smiled to the camera, laughing along at Dream’s antics, even as it broke him inside that Dream was no longer his. He would end the stream, as his friends left the voice chat. Until him and Dream were left.
Dream would leave. Without a goodbye.
But they still filmed together, they still streamed together. To any normal fan, nothing had changed. Just a small cut back on the DreamNotFound jokes. But other than that, nothing changed.
Then, she came in.
No one expected her. Not Sapnap, not Quackity, not Karl, not Tommy. Especially not George.
Imagine their surprise, when Dream finally streams after months, but none of them, his closest friends, were invited to the return stream. Instead, a girl was. A female, that no one recognised, a girl. A woman, with blonde hair and blue eyes joined Dream’s SMP. Dream gave her a tour, eagerness and… fondness in his voice as he talked to her.
The voice that George recognised all too well.
Her name was Rebecca, according to Dream. He had met her on a Minecraft server, and had taken a liking to her. Platonically, he had assured his chat, which had exploded the moment Rebecca’s voice came in. George could feel his heart sink, his soft smile at the sound of Dream’s voice fade when he introduced Rebecca.
He remembered opening Twitter, seeing tweets from all accounts in Minecraft Youtube Twitter, talking about Rebecca. Some speculate Rebecca to be Drista, which George knew wasn’t true at all. Some said Rebecca was Dream’s girlfriend, or crush.
George had to guess, that was true.
He had given sarcastic replies to tweets from accounts like JustVurb, Spifeyy and VelvetIsCake, who mentioned Rebecca and DreamNotFound, asking George if he was jealous of her. He could neither confirm nor deny that, but it did hurt.
A lot.
The day came, when Rebecca had indirectly ‘replaced’ George, as Dream’s best friend and go-to for plugins. She had revealed herself as a coder as well, and had continued on Dream’s ‘Minecraft but…’ series. Fans got used to Rebecca, some creating fan accounts dedicated to her, but it wasn't the same, was it?
“ Do you want to be in a video with me, George? Me and Rebecca, I mean. We're gonna do a manhunt .I figured it should contain an OG. What do you think? ”
In a flash, George agreed.
He couldn't say he watched a lot of Dream’s videos anymore, since Rebecca came into the picture. They were still best friends, him and Dream. They would still film together , but Dream never uploaded their videos. George didn't have the heart to ask why.
He was scared of the answer.
“Hey George!” Rebecca greeted cheerfully when George entered the Minecraft world.
“H-Hi?” George said softly, scared. It wasn't live, he reminded himself. But there he was, Dream. His green skin, the smiley face on it that George used to make fun of, non stop. Dream didn't greet George.
“You know how manhunt works, Becca?” Dream asked, gently. A question, a simple one. But the way he said it, like his voice was dripping in affection. Softly.
George felt like a third wheel the whole time. But they were just friends, George reminded himself. Rebecca and Dream were just friends. They wouldn't invite him for them to have a date night or something. It was probably how Sapnap felt around the two when they were dating. George made a mental note to apologize to Sapnap once the filming was over.
The manhunt went fine. Rebecca was decent at Minecraft, almost on the same level as George. She was slightly confused with some mechanics of Minecraft Manhunt, but she was surprisingly good.
It was all swimmingly until she said something when Dream successfully killed her.
“Oh c’mon Clay!” She whined. George held back a gasp, Dream never let George call him Clay. Surprisingly, instead of snapping at her, the way Dream would snap at George, Dream laughed.
“Ugh, you know what? You can fall asleep by yourself tonight! I'm not dealing with your bullshit today,”
Another slap. Right to his heart and head. Dream would call Rebecca every night. Of course, why wouldn't he? She was everything George wasn't. Someone George couldn't be. That's why he broke up with him, wasn't it? Had Dream already known Rebecca before breaking up with him?
He could hear Dream say something, but he didn't bother staying to find out.
He left. The game, and the VC.
George thought about what Rebecca had said. He suddenly felt angry at her, for saying that. Dream was an overthinker, he would surely be anxious after Rebecca threatened him with something he needed, which was someone to talk to him as he tried sleeping. Rebecca was his replacement, but she wasn't a very good one. She couldn't take care of Dream, the way George could.
Perhaps this shadow of concern was the reason why George opened YouTube. And searched up ‘Dream and Rebecca’, to see compilations of their videos together. He watched, listening intently.
He could feel like each second that went by in the video, a piece of his heart fell to the floor. He heard Dream laugh at something Rebecca said, even if it wasn't that funny. He would laugh.
He spoke to her, listened to her, like she drew the moon, sun and all stars. You didn't need an expert to tell you that he was in love with her. Dream was in love, perhaps more than he was with George.
If Dream wanted Rebecca to be his forever, then that was what he was going to get. George wouldn't waste his time, to win Dream back. Not when he was just so happy with her. He just wanted Dream to be happy, to be the happiest version of himself that he could be. And if it wasn't with George, so be it. But even with his heart broken in a million pieces hearing how happy Dream was in the clips, he still knew all million pieces still loved Dream.
Baby you look happier, you do.
His discord went off, a call from Dream.
I knew one day you'd fall for someone new.
Messages. Long chains, asking if he was okay, asking if he did something wrong. Dream telling George, that he cared, and apologised for rushing things.
It wasn't Dream’s fault.
But if she breaks your heart, like lovers do…
George couldn't bring himself to reply to his messages, so he didn't. Instead, he searched through Discord, until he found himself looking at a particular name.
A name he had hated a few days ago.
But now, entrusted the name with his life.
‘Take care of him. He loves you, I can tell you love him back. It's hard for me to let go, but I heard the way he acts around you. Because when he laughs, its the best sound to my ears. When he smiles, the only thing I'd ever want from him. Even if now, he smiles at you. And not me. Take care of him, okay? I love him. He loved me,’
George pressed send, and watched as Rebecca read the message.
Just know that I'll be waiting here for you…