Archive of Our Own

Dream didn’t mean to get a crush on the coffee shop guy, it just kind of happened. If you had seen him then you would understand what Dream meant. His dark eyes that reminded him of the night sky, his pale skin that held light freckles on his nose and cheeks, and his smile that sparked a flush of heat onto Dream’s face anytime he saw it. To put it simply, the coffee shop guy was gorgeous and Dream had the biggest fucking crush on him.

Dream should have known he was screwed the second he walked into that small coffee shop and locked eyes with the barista. The thought of that moment now made his cheeks go red and his fingers stopped typing on the computer.

Dream sighed and ran a hand through his hair, unsure if he should continue working or if he should take a break. He squinted at his computer for a bit before he saved his work and closed it. He had been working for about an hour and taking a break wouldn’t hurt his grade that badly.

His eyes snuck over a glance to the counter of the quaint coffee shop, where the person of his affections was. George was his name and he was quite possibly one of the most beautiful people Dream had ever seen. Dream hadn’t been able to say much more than his coffee order to the guy but he hoped that one day he would muster up the courage to talk to him. He looked away from George before the other could notice and instead let his eyes roam around the coffee shop.

There were a couple of dark brown wooden tables littered around the rooms and each one with a small potted plant in the middle of it. Soft whispers of classical music played overhead that was just loud enough to be heard if you focused hard enough. The sunset’s beams of light gave a golden glow to whatever it touched through the shop windows and a comforting atmosphere drifted around. Dream had never been more thankful the Starbucks near his apartment had closed two weeks ago, otherwise he wouldn’t have ever noticed this small gem of a shop.

He sighed and grabbed his cup to take a sip out of it, he had a volunteer shift at the local cat shelter later and he needed energy. It shouldn’t be hard to take care of cats but with all the feeding, cleaning their litter boxes, playing with them, and providing medical assistance when they were desperate enough to need him, well it was a bit more than he had expected. Still he loved volunteering at the shelter and seeing the cats run up to him in joy had been more than enough to make his heart clench and for him to stay.

He drank until not a drop of coffee was left in the cup and he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Dream quickly packed up and put his computer in the small slightly tattered grey backpack that he dragged around.

Dream grabbed his cup and walked over to the trash can that stood in a quiet corner in the shop. He pushed it in and turned around to find George right in front of him. Dream’s eyes widened and he realized the other must have been waiting for him to move so he could throw something away. He moved to the side and muttered an apology before a wrist grabbed his arm.

“Hey, you’re Dream, right?” George asked.

Dream’s eyes widened and his mouth flew open. He hadn’t told George his name so how the fuck-

“Bad, he told me your name,” George answered, noticing the confusion in the other’s face. He let go of Dream’s wrist and pointed over to where another familiar barista stood. Dream faintly recognized him but frowned when he realized he didn’t know why. “He wanted to thank you for the other day so he wanted you to pick out a muffin of your choice, for free of course.”

Dream thought for a second before the memory came back. He turned to Bad and pointed at him. “You’re the barista that guy was yelling at!” He exclaimed.

Bad nodded and gave a warm smile. “Yeah, I wanted to give you a thank you gift for being a good muffin and helping me out, but you were out the door so fast I couldn’t!”

“Oh!” Dream exclaimed. He felt his face warm up and he reached up to rub the back of his neck. “Well I mean, you don’t have to, he was being a dick anyway and shouldn’t have been yelling at you. I mean his fault for trying to use a Starbucks coupon at a different coffee shop.” He chuckled

George laughed and Dream felt his heart skip a beat. “I could hardly believe it when Bad told me, some people really are idiots.”

“Y..yeah.” Dream nodded. He mentally punched himself for his stutter and wondered if it was too late to run into the road out of embarrassment. Maybe God would pity him and let a nice car hit him to take him out of his misery.

“Well anyway, thanks for helping him out, he doesn’t do good with people yelling at him and I’m glad someone was nice enough to step in,” George grinned. They walked over to the counter, where loads of muffins were on display behind a clear glass. Dream nearly swore out of shock when he saw all the different types of muffins.

Dream examined the muffins, slightly overwhelmed at the sheer amount, before one of them caught his eye. “Can I get the cinnamon streusel?” He turned to George who nodded at him and motioned at Bad.

“Here, ya’ go!” Bad said. He picked up the muffin and passed it to Dream, who was still standing right next to George. He was actually talking to his crush other than giving him a coffee order, though a muffin order wasn’t really a big step it was still a step.

It felt weird just being handed something without paying for it. He stood there for a second, just looking at it blankly in his hands, before he swallowed and looked up at Bad. “Thanks for the muffin.”

Both baristas nodded at him and George walked behind the counter. “No problem, if you ever want a free muffin when I’m here I can just get you one,” He winked at Dream, making Dream’s heart skip a beat. “Think of it as a thanks for helping Bad out.”

“George!” Bad cried. He took a rag and smacked the other boy’s arm with it. “You shouldn’t be trying to give away muffins to others for free!”

“But he helped you, besides Skeppy won’t mind since he helped you,” George snorted. He seemed confident that, whoever ‘Skeppy’ was, that nothing bad would come from the deal. “He would probably be throwing muffins as a thanks in fact.”

Bad’s face turned red and he turned to Dream with a slight panicked look. “Please, ignore George and don’t actually do that. I don’t want him to get fired by Skeppy for his reckless behavior.”

“It literally won’t get me fired, Bad!” George cried. “You act like Skeppy would fire me over giving a guy a muffin every now and then, you know better than anyone that our sales are good.”

Dream watched the two argue and the awkwardness of being there was stifling. He had half the mind to leave the second Bad began to yell at George for his offer. He stayed though, unsure what he would do if the other two had noticed him leaving silently. He tapped his foot on the ground softly for a bit and eventually decided that slowly leaving would be good enough.

With his bag over his back and a free muffin in his hands, Dream slowly left the two arguing barista’s and walked towards the door. His steps were silent and, thankfully, he managed to get out of that scene. He sighed in relief and put the plastic wrapped muffin in his bag before he walked down the streets to get to the shelter. It was a walk that only lasted thirty minutes, at most, which Dream strangely enjoyed.

The sky was painted in red’s, orange’s, and pink’s near the sunset and it was a pleasant sight. There was a gentle cold breeze that brushed against his cheek and the cold nip to the air reminded him of fall coming up. Dream still wasn’t used to the cold weather despite living here for a month, he supposed there were some traits from being a born and bred Florida man that would stick forever.

He hoped that he could see George again. Even if their first not order related interaction had been awkward, he still wanted to learn more about the guy. It wasn’t like he even learned anything about George, all that happened was George giving him a muffin then offering to give him one whenever because he helped his co-worker deal with a dumbass.

He paused on the street and took a deep breath before he sighed. Dream was never one to half ass things, he was a perfectionist after all, and he was determined to at least befriend George. George was probably straight and Dream would respect that, even if he thought the other was ridiculously attractive that didn’t mean he couldn’t be his friend.

With a newfound hope settled in his chest, Dream continued to walk down the streets to the cat shelter. He was going to talk to George the next time and befriend the ever loving shit out of him.

—————

Dream welcomed the warm air of the coffee shop as he escaped from the cold breeze. He shuddered in his large brown coat and walked over to his usual table, thankful it was empty. This time he had an actual reason for coming to the café instead of just trying to get to know George. A blue folder with piles of papers that promoted kitten adoption at the shelter was in his backpack. It was something Smajor had asked him to do after he found out Dream was visiting a small café and Dream was excited at a chance to get more exposure for the shelter, so he obviously agreed to it.

George, who had been leaning down on the counter with his cheek on his hand, stood up when Dream walked up and his face broke out into a polite smile. “Dream! Are you here for that muffin?”

“Not really, no,” Dream chuckled. “I have something to ask the owner, whenever they’re available.”

George looked down and squinted at the folder. “What’s it about?”

“Ah,” Dream blushed, he placed the folder on the counter and slid it over to George, “well I volunteer at a local cat shelter and we were wondering if we could put some fliers up about our cats? I accidentally let it slip that I was going to this nice coffee shop, so they wanted to see if I could convince you guys to put up some adoption fliers.”

George blinked at him and there was a silence between them for a bit before he chuckled. “You know that’s not what I expected, you seem more like a dog person if anything.”

Dream chuckled and shrugged. “Well, I had a couple cats growing up and my roommate is allergic to dogs so I guess it just turned out that way.”

“So what do you do at the shelter?” George asked. He leaned on the counter and put his elbow on it. “You seem like someone’s who’s good with animals but I know just playing with kittens isn’t a full time shelter job.”

“Well,” Dream chuckled, “they do like me and playing with them is a job that I could only wish for. I have to do all the feeding, bathing, medicine, cleaning, some paperwork at times, giving tours to families who are looking to adopt, and a lot more.”

George’s dark eyes widened and he leaned closer to Dream, making Dream’s heart skip a bit. “Really? That’s a lot more than I expected.”

“Yeah, well I’m working towards becoming a vet and I’ve been volunteering at the shelter for quite a while now so they trust me,” Dream said. His voice came out softer than he expected and he could feel the smile on his face grow. He loved the shelter and the cats in it, who always greeted people and were so damn affectionate it would make the coldest heart melt.

“A vet? That sounds a lot better than becoming a dropout barista like me,” George joked. He got off the counter and shrugged. “I like it here though so I probably wouldn’t change it but being a vet would pay better.”

Dream nodded. “I guess you’re right.” He glanced around the shop. “It is really nice in here. I like the small plants on the tables.”

“Really?” George asked, a slight breathy sound to the word. He flushed lightly, a sight that made Dream’s heart clench. “They’re actually taken care of by me, so I’m glad you liked it.”

“You’re both a barista and gardener?” Dream asked. “That’s...that’s like the perfect recipe for a hipster!” He hadn’t meant to say that, oh God. Oh fuck, George was going to hate him now.

George’s laugh broke Dream out of his small bout of panic. “It really is, but in reality I’m really not. I spend most of my time at home on the computer playing with my friends online anyway and I don’t really like reading that much.”

“Okay, you definitely broke the idea of being a hipster for me at the not liking reading part,” Dream grinned. He raised an eyebrow at George. “The gaming part too, I didn’t expect someone who likes things like coffee and gardening to spend most of his free time gaming.”

George laughed again, a beautiful sound that was infuriating to Dream since George was just making Dream even more flustered with each laugh. “I’ll go check to see where Skeppy is, wait here.” With that he left and Dream stood at the counter.

Physically Dream was standing at the counter casually while mentally he was screaming while jumping up and down in joy. He had talked to George successfully. No, Dream had an actual conversation with George somehow. A warmth settled in his chest and he swallowed when he noticed George and another guy coming to the counter.

“So you’re Dream?” The guy, presumably Skeppy, asked. He had dark fluffy hair and a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He stuck his hand out with a polite smile. “Skeppy, I’m the owner of this shop. You helped Bad out with a customer being rude, right?”

Dream shook his hand with a smile and nod. “Yeah, that was me.”

Skeppy hummed and let go of his hand before he glanced at him up and down. “And you just want to post fliers promoting the cat shelter you work at?”

“Mhm,” Dream nodded, “it’s just to try to boost the amount of cats being adopted since we’re starting to get a bit crowded. We…well, no one there wants to start putting down our older residents to make room for newer ones and they heard about the shop so they wanted me to ask if we could put up some adoption papers. It won’t affect your sales at all and it’s just to try to get people to start adopting some cats.”

Skeppy looked at him for a couple more seconds, just long enough for Dream to start to feel nervous, before he broke out into laughter. “Sure dude. I don’t care if it’s to help a bunch of cats get homes.”

“Wait really?” Dream asked. His eyes widened in excitement and he flipped open the folder. “Are you sure you don’t want to look at it?”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Skeppy waved his hand slightly, “you seem like a good guy and you helped Bad out the other day so I don’t care if you put some posters up.”

Dream grinned and nodded at him. “I’ll start setting these up then.” He paused and looked around for a bit. “Uh, where can I put them up?”

George looked around and pointed over at a rather empty wall that had some fancy looking photos on it. “We can move the photos elsewhere and put up the fliers there.”

“Good idea, you two work on that and I can help Spifey with the orders while you’re doing that,” Skeppy grinned. He took the brown apron from George and tied it around his waist. George raised an eyebrow at Skeppy, who gave him an offended look. “I know how to make coffee, I wouldn’t have started a shop otherwise!” Which sparked laughter and an eye roll.

Dream walked over to the wall with George trailing behind him. He hummed and looked at the pictures. They were mostly of different landscapes or aesthetic photos that just fit the general hipster vibe the place gave. He felt a bit bad at moving them but then he reminded himself it was for the shelter so it was fine.

“Well,” George clapped his hands, causing Dream’s eyes to get drawn to the brunette, “let’s get to work.”

The two spent the next half hour laughing, chatting, and setting up the fliers. From the hangout Dream had found out quite a bit about George. For example, George was 24 while Dream was 21, a fact that seemed impossible to Dream since George looked so young and was a good half foot smaller than Dream. He also found out the other had a small part time gig as a coder and how he was able to earn plenty of money from doing so. Other small things like his colorblindness, hobbies, and favorite foods may have not meant much to George but Dream shelved these things in his brain carefully to remember. The more he learned about George the more interested he was in becoming his friend, though Dream would admit that he would be lying if he said he just wanted to be George's friend.

Once they finished hanging up the final flier and spread the photos around the shop, Dream felt a dull feeling of disappointment settle in him. The sky was painted orange near the setting sun and the soft beams of light entered the shop, giving a warm glow. Clouds in the sky had become a pale orange and stood out brightly against the dark blue they were on. He packed up the papers and put them in the folder again before he passed it to George.

“I’ll check in regularly to tell you if a cat up there has been adopted,” Dream said. “Just take that flier off and put up another, make sure to tell me which one so we can prepare though.”

“I didn’t know adoption had more to it than just walking out with a cat you picked,” George muttered. He looked at the folder and narrowed his eyes at it. “It’s a lot more than I thought.”

Dream raised an eyebrow at his words. “Have you never owned a cat?”

“Once, he died though when I was a teenager and I haven’t really had one since,” George mumbled. He looked sad at the thought and Dream wanted to punch himself for reminding him of his old cat, even if it was an accident.

“Ah,” Dream muttered, he brought his hand up and coughed, “sorry if I brought up some bad memories.”

George let out a small laugh and shook his head. “No, no, it’s fine.”

An awkward silence settled over them and the two stood there glancing at each other. Neither was quite sure what to do after you brought up something as delicate as a dead pet. Dream felt like he didn’t know George well enough to tell if changing the topic would have been rude. The awkward air was stifling and everything in him was screaming at him to just straight up leave like he had been thinking about before.

Dream cleared his throat. “Well I’ll get going then, I have to make sure my roommate knows I wasn’t kidnapped or something.” Sapnap wouldn’t think that but it was the easiest way to get out without appearing rude. He didn’t want George to think Dream didn’t like him which was so ridiculous to Dream since how could anyone not like George?

“Oh,” George muttered, it was so soft that Dream nearly missed it and the sad tone squeezed Dream’s heart, “alright then.”

Dream nodded and glanced at the door. “I..uh..see you soon.”

Dream had never left the coffee shop faster with his face so red it could have rivaled a tomato. He quickly walked down the street and back to his car, hoping it hadn’t been stolen in the short 30 minutes he stayed at the shop. He sighed in relief when he saw the ugly blue vehicle and pulled out his keys.

The ride home was a ten minute drive and Dream couldn’t stop thinking about how awkward he made things between him and George. The temptation to smack his forehead on his steering wheel and scream nearly won Dream over but he didn’t feel that crashing his car was a good way to cope with awkwardness.

When he arrived back at the white apartment complex he sighed and parked near the entrance, any free spot was up for grabs. He left his car and walked in the building. He went up the elevator and traveled the hall until the familiar door with a 23 sign next to it was in front of him. He pulled out his keys and unlocked fit before he pushed the door open, his shoulders dropping in relief.

The smell of pizza wafted through the air and Dream hummed in pleasure. He closed the door with his foot and put his backpack on the brown couch Sapnap and him owned. He stretched his arms up and groaned at the stretch.

“Dream?” Sapnap’s voice called from the kitchen, slightly muffled as if he was speaking with something in his mouth. “Is that you?”

“Yeah Sapnap!” Dream said.

Seconds later his friend walked out of the kitchen, a paper plate with a pizza slice and another slice in his opposite hand. “Hey dude, I got us pizza.”

“I can smell that,” Dream chuckled. He walked over to the kitchen and saw the opened pizza box, half pepperoni and half cheese. He grabbed a single slice of each and didn’t take a second glance at the massive size of each slice.

“So, how was the shelter?” Sapnap asked. He wandered back into the kitchen and leaned back on a counter. His plate was put to the side of him and it didn’t surprise Dream. Whenever the two talked Sapnap never ate, it was a weird habit the other picked up but it wasn’t the worst thing ever so there wasn’t any reason to stop it.

“Fine,” Dream said, he paused and decided to go more into depth, “I got to talk to George more today.” He took a large bite from the pepperoni and nearly let out a moan at how good the pizza was to his hungry stomach.

“You stopped by the shop?” Sapnap asked, he raised an eyebrow at Dream. He knew about Dream’s crush on George from the other loudly opening their apartment door and shouting about the cute barista he saw. Not Dream’s proudest moment but cut him some slack, you can’t expect him to not gush about the cute barista to someone.

Dream nodded and chewed a bit more before he swallowed. “They actually sent me over to see if they would let us put some adoption fliers up. So I spent around half an hour doing that with George, I got to know a bit more about him.”

Sapnap grinned and walked over to Dream to clap the older on the shoulder. “Good job!” He said, before he noticed the frown on his friends face and the grin slid off of his face. “You looked nervous when you walked in though, is everything alright?”

“It went well,” Dream said, with each word his voice got smaller and smaller, “but I kinda may have reminded him of his dead pet at the end of it and just left.”

Sapnap’s mouth dropped open. “Holy shit dude.”

“I know.”

“Holy shit, Dude!” Sapnap cried. His dark eyes were wide with confusion and mouth open in horror. “How do you, of all people, always fuck up that bad near your crushes? It’s gotta be some sort of love god cursing you or something cause you never fuck up that badly with literally anyone else.”

Dream winced. “Please don’t remind me of the past. I still think of me asking Katherine what she was doing for Father’s Day and finding out after that her dad has been dead since she was born.”

“Definitely not your prime moment,” Sapnap clicked his tongue. A mischievous grin took over his face and Dream knew he was fucked. “At least it wasn’t the pissing the bed story. You really know how to impress your crushes, Dream.”

“Stooooop,” Dream groaned, out of all the things that had to be brought up, “please don’t bring that up. It’s so dumb and I regret ever letting you know that happened.”

“Did you warn George’s he might have you peeing in your guy's bed? Because I know honesty is important to you,” Sapnap walked over and nudged Dream with his elbow. “I’m just saying I would like to know if my significant other has a thing for pissing the bed.”

Dream’s face felt warm and he would have punched Sapnap’s shoulder if it wasn’t for the pizza in his hand. He scoffed then turned away to sulk and eat his pizza in peace. “Shut up, it happened once and you keep acting like it’ll happen again.”

“Because it could and I gotta warn people about that! That’s what friends are for, Dreamie poo,” Sapnap chuckled. He walked over to his friend and threw an arm around his shoulder. He studied his friend’s face before he sighed and patted his shoulder. “I’ll stop now, anyway want to watch something tonight before we go to bed?”

Dream hummed in thought. “Why not.” He shrugged. It wasn’t like he needed to get up early tomorrow so staying up late wouldn’t hurt.

The rest of the night was spent with Sapnap and Dream on the couch laughing at some stupid action movie that was so bad nearly crying at the end from laughing at its absurdity. Dream even nearly peed himself when he saw the main character get thrown into a wall by the antagonist. It was a good night and Dream found himself smiling at himself the entire time he got ready for bed.

Life was going pretty good for once and Dream was excited for the next day.

—————

Life was not good and Dream was on the verge of either crying from frustration or punching the next person who talked to him. As if some sick twist of fate had made it so the days after his first real conversation with George went terrible in the worst ways.

From drinks being spilt on his schoolwork, his car suddenly breaking down and him needing it to be repaired, and the stress of his teammates on a group project not doing their work, well it was all enough to bring frustrated tears from his eyes when he was behind closed doors. Of course it wasn’t like the world was ending but he felt like he was allowed to feel frustrated at the world for being so...ugh.

He walked in the café, tense and hoping that some coffee would help. George shouldn’t be here anyway, he never took shifts in the morning and Dream figured that out pretty quickly. He closed his eyes and walked up to the counter where a pink haired man stood. Dream read his name tag and lightly frowned at the name, it was a bit odd but it wasn’t really too bad.

Technoblade raised an eyebrow at him from behind the counter. A finger hovering over the register. “You’re Dream, right?” His voice was unexpectedly deep and his blue eyes bore into his soul.

“U..uh...yeah?” He never knew someone could have such intimidating eyes. Everything about this guy screamed danger and that Dream was below him, which was impressive for a guy with long pink hair and an apron on.

Technoblade squinted his eyes at Dream and glanced him up and down before he locked eyes with Dream. “So, you’re the guy George has been talking about for the past week.”

Dream’s heart soared and his cheeks went red. He put his hands on the counter and leaned forward. “He..he talks about me? What does he say?” There were a million thoughts in his head and most of them were hopeful.

“He said you seem pretty cool,” Technoblade shrugged. He picked up a pen and began to twirl it in his fingers elegantly. “You’re probably his favorite customer since he hasn’t shut up about you all week, then again he has like no friends except for his roommate so I’m not surprised.”

“R...really?!” Dream’s face felt even warmer and a giddy smile made its way onto his face. The second part of the sentence ran through his brain and his face dropped. “Wait what was that second part-”

“Why would I lie?” Technoblade cut off. He rolled his eyes and stopped twirling the pen. I’m only telling you this cause I want him to shut up and start getting back to work, so just be his friend or kiss him. Whatever gets him to shut up works.”

Dream choked on his spit and coughed roughly, pounding his chest a couple times with a red face. “I...I’m not going to do that!” He spluttered. His green eyes were wide and the thought of dating George was making him turn even redder. “He probably just thinks of me as a pretty cool guy!”

Technoblade stood there in silence and gave him a deadpanned look, they were like that for about an uncomfortable minute before Technoblade sighed and turned back to register. “Just order so I can get back to doing anything that isn’t talking about my co-worker's love life.”

“Oh, uh, okay!” Dream said. He glanced at the menu and told the pink haired man his order, which made the other grimace and ask him how he drank so much sugar. Dream shrugged and watched him make the drink from behind the counter.

Once he had the drink in his hands he walked over to his usual table and sat down. He put his bag down next to him and pulled out his computer, hoping he could manage to plow through an essay that he had been ignoring for a while.

It was after about two hours of thinking, writing, and editing before Dream even thought it looked close to done. He loved and wanted to become a vet and even if it meant he would have to deal with an unnecessary amount of essays, even if he wanted to pull his hair out sometimes. For the cats at the shelter he would do it.

Dream felt a finger tap his shoulder and he let out a deep sigh before he turned around. His eyes widened when he saw George standing right behind him in casual clothing, something that wasn’t the white shirt with black pants and a brown apron for once. He looked good in the gray sweater he wore and Dream swallowed nervously.

“Hey! What are you doing here so early?” George said. He walked over to the seat on the other side and sat down.

Dream was quick to save his work and close his computer so George didn’t get the idea that he wasn’t interested in talking. “I had an essay I wanted to do so I decided to come here and just get it done.”

“You got a drink as well,” George did a light nod in the direction of the empty coffee cup. His eyes then lit up and Dream felt, what he would describe as, felt like an arrow smack his heart. “Oh, did anyone call and ask about some of the cats?”

Finally, a topic Dream could work with easily. He nodded with a smile. “Yeah, actually, I heard a couple of people called in so that was good.”

“You haven’t gone to the shelter since?” George raised an eyebrow.

Dream sighed and placed his arms on the table before he slumped his head on them. “More like I’ve been too busy, the first quarter of the school year is ending soon so they’re piling work on us.”

“That sucks,” George frowned, “I hated college when I went. Didn’t really make friends there so I ended up leaving after my second year. I knew most of what they were teaching anyway so it felt pointless being there.”

Dream lifted his head and furrowed his eyebrows. “Sorry that happened, it was hard for my first year too.”

“Really?” George put an elbow on the table and his cheek on his hand. “What happened?”

Dream groaned and sat up to lean back dramatically. “Basically, I was a really bad procrastinator that year and I nearly flunked all my work by not turning my papers in. I also had a relationship with this one guy going on, who cheated on me and then blamed me for it. That was one relationship that didn’t definitely didn’t end well.” He chuckled and turned to George who was staring at Dream with wide eyes.

“You’re gay?” He asked.

Dream froze for a second before he chuckled, this time out of nervousness and he started moving his leg up and down. “I..uh...I’m bi. Guys, girls, both are pretty so...uh yeah?” His voice got higher as he talked, each word filled with uncertainty. He had been raised in a loving and accepting household and all his friends were either accepting or lgbt+ themselves, so he sometimes slipped up on his sexuality to others when he hadn’t meant to.

“Oh! No, that’s cool and all, I mean I’m gay so I was a bit surprised to hear you say it so casually!” George laughed. He looked rather nervous when speaking and his voice hadn’t gone above a loud whisper. “I’m just not used to talking about it.”

Dream’s heart soared and he nearly let out a whoop of joy. He had a chance, albeit a small one since just because George was gay that didn’t mean he would like Dream, but it was better than his chances if George was straight.

“It just kind of slipped out to be honest, all of my friends know about my sexuality and relationships and accept me so it kind of just came out,” Dream shrugged. “Not everyone in my life knows, but the people who are important to me do.”

“So, am I important to you?” George raised an eyebrow.

Dream blushed and swallowed nervously. “It scares me how important you became so quickly.” He confessed, the words slipping out before he could think.

A light blush dusted over George’s cheeks and his brown eyes widened. He looked down and cleared his throat. “Right, so uh, how’s the essay going?”

“Oh, uh, it’s going good!” Dream slumped in his chair a little. He picked up the cup and started messing around with it. “I’m nearly done, I just have to edit another page and then I’ll be good to go.”

“That’s good,” George said.

They fell silent and the silence lasted for a couple seconds longer than either man was comfortable with before George stood up. He sighed and stretched his arms up. “I need to go change for my shift, or Techno will kill me, but you can come over and chat with me at the counter.”

Dream smiled and opened his mouth to answer before he remembered he promised to pick Sapnap up from classes. “Ugh, I can’t, my roommate needs me to pick him up from his class and bring him back home. His classes are farther than mine so I normally pick him up.”

“Oh,” George said, disappointment clear in his voice, “okay then. I’ll see you soon?”

Dream nodded, he felt a pang of guilt at the idea that he caused that disappointment. Now that he thought about it, didn’t George mention he had trouble making friends? Maybe that was why the other had become so friendly towards him and approached him. “Probably tomorrow afternoon, it depends if my teachers are feeling merciful or not with the homework.”

“Alright then, bye,” George muttered.

“...bye,” Dream said. He paused and looked at George for a second before he turned around and walked away. Things had been going so good, if only he didn’t need to pick up Sapnap!

Oh well, there was always tomorrow.

————

The next time that Dream came over was after the first quarter ended, aka a week and two days after he last saw George. A mix of sleeping, school work, and volunteering at the shelter had kept him busy and away from the café. Finally it was a cold Friday afternoon when Dream walked through the familiar coffee shop doors again. He stood at the doorway for a second, shivering from the cold and trying to warm up as fast as he could.

He turned to the counter and saw George there looking at him. They made eye contact and the other looked away quickly with a red face, which made Dream wonder if the other thought Dream had abandoned him. He walked over to the counter, where George and surprisingly Technoblade stood behind.

“Hey, George,” He greeted, unsure of how exactly he should proceed. He cleared his throat. “I’ll have the usual if it’s fine?”

George nodded and wrote something down on a paper before giving it to Technoblade, who snorted and went away to make the coffee. “So, you’ve been busy?”

“Yeah, the quarter finally ended and a new batch of kittens came into the shelter the day after we talked,” Dream sighed. He rubbed at his temple and laughed. “I probably should be sleeping since I’ve been staying late to keep track of the kittens and doing my teacher’s ridiculous assignments.”

“Well it’s better than going out and partying,” George said, a slight bitterness to his words that weren’t directed at Dream. “That’s what my old roommates did and it was annoying having them throwing up on the carpet or beds. Thankfully I live with a friend of mine now so it’s all better.”

Dream nodded. “Right? I didn’t room with Sapnap my first year and I got a random guy, all he did was go to parties and eat my food in the fridge.”

“Ugh, the nerve of some people, huh?” George softly laughed.

Technoblade came back with a warm drink in his hands and put it on the counter. “Here’s that sugary hell beast that you manage to drink every time you’re here. It’s a miracle how you haven’t died yet.”

“It’s good, alright?” Dream defended. He squinted his eyes at Technoblade. “I bet you drink black coffee!”

“No, actually I don’t like coffee,” Technoblade answered.

George and Dream turned to him in shock with wide eyes. “That’s the first time I’ve heard that!” George cried. “Why do you even work here then if you don’t like coffee.”

Technoblade pointed to the pastries in the window. “The sweets are good, plus Skeppy has been my friend since, like, Kindergarten so he just gave me the job when I asked.”

“...you’re so lucky you didn’t have to do an interview, otherwise I doubt you would be able to find a good job that isn’t customer related around here,” George huffed.

“That I am, now I’m going to be back there so I’m not witnessing you two awkwardly flirting,” Technoblade walked away before either of the men could tell him that they weren’t flirting.

Dream turned to George and found they had matching red faces, he let out a small wheeze and knelt over. “I really didn’t expect him to say that.” He grinned.

George let out a small laugh. “Yeah, he’s very blunt but the best coffee maker here so he gets away with a lot. Now that I found out he’s been friends with Skeppy for a long time I understand how he got away with beating up a customer.”

“He beat up a customer?” Dream’s eyes widened. He put his palms on the counter and leaned closer to George. “Why?”

“The guy was basically a gang leader who was trying to recruit Techno,” George cringed. He crossed his arms and glanced at the dessert window. “He was stalking Techno, or something, and Techno had enough so he beat up the guy when he visited the café. Cops were called but Techno had compiled loads of evidence to put the guy in jail.”

“Holy shit,” Dream whispered. He glanced back at the double doors that lead to the kitchen where the pink haired man was. “That’s brutal.”

“Mhm,” George nodded, he glanced over at the kitten adoption wall and grinned, “wanna see something?” He asked.

Dream nodded and found George jumping over the counter to grab Dream’s wrist. He dragged the taller over to the adoption wall and let go with a proud smile. Dream’s eyes scanned it for a bit and then he realized that all the papers were new on there.

“It’s working?” He asked. His green eyes snapped to George and a smile spread on his face when the man nodded. “That’s...that’s amazing! Seriously!”

“How did you not know? You work there after all,” George raised an eyebrow.

Dream sighed and pushed a hand through his hair. “Well, there’s a lot of cats and you don’t really realize when one is gone unless they have been there for a while. Plus these past couple of weeks I’ve been doing mostly cleaning, paperwork, and examining some medical stuff. So I haven’t really been able to interact with any cats in weeks.”

“Oh,” George blinked up at him before he glanced at the wall and back at Dream. “Could you take me there sometime?”

“The shelter?” Dream asked. The idea was weird but not an unpleasant one, quite the opposite in fact. It would just feel weird meeting George outside of the shop since he was so used to talking in the shop. It almost felt like he would be going on a date with George.

“Duh, where else would I mean?” George snickered. He turned towards Dream and smiled. “I wouldn’t mind if you were willing to share a part of your life with me.”

Dream fought back a furious blush, like he always did, and nodded. “I’m willing to share any part with you.” He blurted. His eyes widened and he felt the warmth overtake his face.

George looked at him for a bit with wide eyes before he smiled. “You’re quite selfless, aren’t you?”

“I guess,” Dream shrugged, he puffed his cheeks and blew the air out hoping to cool his face, “anyway what day should we go? I can bring you as a volunteer but don’t be surprised if you get stuck cleaning with me.”

George hummed softly. “How about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?” Dream’s eyes widened. “Like tomorrow, tomorrow?”

“There literally no other tomorrow, Dream,” George huffed out a laugh.

Dream chuckled and looked away. “Well I just wanted to be sure, you never can be too sure.”

“That’s true,” George agreed. He walked over to be in Dream’s vision again. “Anyway, does 1pm work?”

Dream nodded. “Yeah, that works.”

They looked at each other for a bit in silence before they broke out into chuckles. This time the silence wasn’t as stiflingly awkward as the other times before, making Dream glad he managed to not screw things up with George completely.

“Well then I guess I should give you this for the pickup?” George reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper.

Dream took it out of his hand, their hands had touched for a second and Dream nearly pulled away a little too fast when that happened. He looked down at the paper and saw an address with a phone number written in a bright blue marker. He froze for a second, staring at the numbers for a bit longer than necessary, before he shot his head up.

“I..I’ll pick you up then!” He said, nearly cursing himself when he stuttered. He carefully folded it and put it in his right coat pocket. His cheeks were flushed and he could hardly believe that he had gotten George’s address and phone number without asking. Sure it was probably out of friendship but it was still a step forward. Any step forward was good enough for Dream.

Dream found that night that he couldn't fall asleep when he was in bed and tomorrow, well tomorrow was going to be quite the day.

—————

Dream looked through his entire closet and found himself frustrated. There were so many different types of clothing and nothing felt right. He tried on every shirt and pair of pants in his closet about five times and all in different combinations. He gritted his teeth and swallowed nervously before he opened his door.

“Sapnap! Can you help me?” Dream yelled, he had to suck up his pride a little bit. A small sacrifice he was willing to pay for the chance to look decent at the shelter.

A series of footsteps ran through the house before Sapnap appeared. “Yeah dude? What do you need?”

“I need to find an outfit today, I’m bringing George to the shelter,” Dream reminded. He nearly grimaced at the sly grin that Sapnap wore. Whenever he saw that grin it always meant some form of trouble for Dream, either with the younger telling him that Dream was useless without him or if something was about to screw Dream over.

“Well, you came to the right guy!” Sapnap walked in the room and looked in horror at the piles of clothing on Dream’s bed. “Holy shit dude, when did you have this many shirts?”

“I...I don’t know, my mom bought me some a while back and when she came over she stuffed them in my closet,” Dream groaned. It had been a while back near the first week of the quarter when she dropped by, along with it being the first time Sapnap had met her. A memory that nearly helped take the stress away since the memory of Sapnap’s polite attitude to his mom had been one of the funniest things he had ever seen.

“Well let’s get to work then,” Sapnap began to shuffle through the clothing. Dream was quick to join in and soon the two were throwing shirts left and right into different piles. It. They argued for a bit over whether jeans were appropriate to wear for a hangout, something that made Sapnap laugh and insist it was a date while ignoring Dream’s flustered protests that it wasn’t.

In the end they finally picked out an outfit and Dream kept nervously looking at himself in the mirror. He turned to Sapnap and fiddled with his sleeves. “Are you sure it looks good?”

Sapnap snorted and crossed his arms. “Dude, if I wasn’t straight I would get down and start-”

A pillow thrown at his face stopped the younger from finishing his sentence. Dream’s face was bright red and Sapnap laughed at him. His face grew even redder at the sound of it. “Shut the fuck up, Sapnap!” He hissed.

“Seriously though,” Sapnap wiped a tear away from his eyes, his voice swapped into a more serious tone, “you look perfectly fine. George will like it.”

Even if Sapnap did make Dream yell, embarrass him, and eat his food in the fridge sometimes, he was Dream’s closest friend and stuck by his side no matter what. Dream sighed and felt the weight lifted off his shoulders. “Thanks, I’ll be back.”

“You got this, Dream!” Sapnap cried as Dream walked out the door. Dream smiled to himself as he closed the door and stood in the hall. He took a deep breath and walked down the hall.

It took Dream twenty minutes to drive to George’s apartment complex. It was a neat white building that looked fancier than Dream’s own complex. He sent a text to the phone number George had given him, silently hoping the other didn’t give the wrong number. Within five minutes he saw a familiar brunette leaving through the doors of the apartment. Dream opened his door and stood outside the car, waving at George.

George turned and when he noticed Dream a smile spread over his face. He quickly walked over and looked Dream up and down. “Woah, it’s the first time you aren’t wearing that coat.”

“Yeah, since we’re going to be in the car instead of walking I didn’t bring my coat,” Dream smiled. He got back in the car and watched the other boy enter the passenger. He glanced around his car and cursed himself for not cleaning beforehand. “...Sorry for the mess.”

George laughed. “If this is messy to you then you’re going to hate me if you ever see my apartment.”

Dream grinned and the conversation went smoothly through there. They talked about lots of things while Dream drove, from their childhoods to what they were doing right now. Soft music played in the background as they talked, not too loud to be annoying but loud enough for both to enjoy it. It was nice to be able to casually talk with someone after getting past the introduction stage, that was always the hardest part for Dream when it came to getting to know his crushes.

When they arrived at the shelter Dream smiled on instinct. The people in there already knew that George was coming, and after lots of teasing, they let Dream take over the caring for the kittens part of working. Aka, they were letting him bring a cute boy to the shelter and letting them play with the kittens.

“It’s...bigger than I thought,” George said once they got out of the car. Dream couldn’t help but to agree with him since that was his first thought when he saw the light gray building. A giant neon sign declared its presence to the world and a cheesy cat image was plastered near it.

“Yeah, I thought that too,” Dream chuckled. He walked up to the building and entered through the doors. The inside had a slight modern look to it, with most of the furniture being black and white, but there was a certain homey look to it. Dream walked up to the secretary desk where a familiar person sat. “Hey, Smajor.”

“Hey,” Smajor said. He lifted his head and glanced at George before he smiled at Dream. “Nice to see you brought a friend.”

Dream wondered if it really was worth being friends with Smajor. “That I did, now if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be going to play with the kittens now.” He grabbed George’s wrist and dragged the boy through the double doors. He heard Smajor snicker behind him but he didn’t even spare a glance back to the man.

He led George through the halls, giving polite but speedy greetings to the people who littered the halls as they walked by. Finally they arrived exactly at the room where Dream knew they would be spending a good amount of time in. The kitten play room, where they let cats interact and play with each other, along with people.

He glanced through the window and sighed in relief when he noticed no cats were near the doorway. Dream tightened his grip on George’s wrist and quickly opened the door before he ran in and slammed it. He let go of George’s wrist and within seconds a crowd of cats surrounded them. Dream laughed at George, who had froze at the swarm of cats.

Dream sat down with his legs crossed and a couple of cats began to climb onto his lap. A fluffy white managed to be the first to sit down in Dream’s lap and Dream laughed before he scratched her chin. He glanced up at George who had been looking at Dream with wide eyes and an unfamiliar expression on his face.

“Are you going to join me?” Dream chuckled. He absentmindedly held out his hand for the cats to rub their heads on. He was one of the shelter cat’s favorites out of all the workers and he still didn’t understand why. Hell his whole life cat’s had been drawn to him.

George knelt down slowly and was assaulted by the cats like Dream. He frantically began to pet as many as he could and a silky black cat managed to hop on George’s lap. “Oh, wow.” He whispered in awe.

Dream laughed at George and removed the white cat from his lap while he slowly stood up. “They’ll calm down in a bit, for now I should go check on their bowls and litter boxes.” With that he walked over to the food and water bowls, frowning when he noticed the water had run a bit low.

He leaned down and picked it up before taking it over to the sink. A gray and white cat hopped on the sink and greeted him with a meow when he went over to it. He scratched his chin and gave him a couple of scratches while he waited for the bowl to fill up. Once it filled up he picked it up and walked back to where another small group of cats stood. The bowl was placed and the cats immediately began to lap up the water like they hadn’t drank in years. He huffed in amusement and turned back to George, who now had a smaller amount of cats near him.

“Want to see the kittens?” Dream offered, he knelt down and picked up a smaller brown cat to hold in his arms. “You’ll have to be really gentle and alright with them biting or scratching you though but I swear it doesn’t hurt.”

George looked up, eyes wide and sparkling. “Let’s do this.”

Dream put the cat in his arms down and offered George a hand, who took it gingerly. He hauled the brunette up and they walked over to another door, with a sign to the side of it telling them it was where the kittens were. While most kittens did stay with their mothers, these ones were orphaned kittens whom the shelter took in. About 98% of them were perfectly healthy under the shelter’s care and the small 2% were the newest kittens of the batch that were currently under their care. Dream had helped out with lots of the medical procedures, obviously with actual vets nearby watching him, so he was one of the few who went in here more than once a week. Meaning the kittens knew him and liked him.

He looked through the window and saw a small batch of kittens waiting at the door, notedly the more rambunctious of the group. He smiled and leaned over to grab a feather toy from a bucket on a counter. He put his hand on the door and turned to George.

“When I open the door, stay behind me while I distract them from escaping using the toy,” Dream said. He turned around and saw George give him a quick nod. With that, Dream opened the door and quickly rushed in with the toy, wiggling it on the floor as George walked in. He closed it with his free hand and let out a laugh of success.

“Oh my gosh, they’re adorable,” George knelt down with wide eyes. He held out his hand and a small bunch from the group walked over. He yelped when a tabby bit his finger lightly and pulled back his hand. “Ah!”

“It still surprises me when they do that,” Dream chuckled. He knelt down and the kittens shifted their attention over to Dream when he did so. He held out his hand like George and let them bite him softly, not pulling back since he was so used to their tiny teeth. He pointed at a white one with a slight limp on his right back leg. “That one is Robert Downey Jr, if I remember correctly he had a pretty bad fall and messed up his leg. He’s perfectly fine now but has a limp from time to time.”

“Robert Downey Jr? Like the actor?” George asked. Dream didn’t even need to look at him to see the smile on his face.

Dream shrugged and picked up Robert Downey Jr. “We’ve seen too many snow related names for cats so we kind of started giving them temporary names. Plus Robert doesn’t mind, right?” The white cat meowed and Dream chuckled before he put him down.

“So what’s that calico’s name?” George asked, his finger pointed towards a fluffy calico playing with a siamese.

Dream wheezed and shook his head, it took a second for him to stop laughing before he spoke. “Out of all the ones you could have pointed at, of course you pointed at McDonalds.”

George’s eyes widened and a hand flew to his mouth to hide the tug of his lips upwards. “You...you have got to be joking. McDonalds? Like the restaurant?” He cried.

“The one playing with it is Queen Elizabeth the 3rd, actually,” Dream said. He put a leg out and pulled the other to his chest while he leaned back on his palms that laid behind him. “They’re all temporary names anyway so there’s no harm in having a bit of fun.”

“Did..did you name any of these?” George asked. He glanced around the room at the cats as a small gray tabby climbed on his lap.

Dream looked over the group and pointed towards an orange tabby that slept peacefully in one of the fluffy cat beds they had set out. “Pumpkin Spice Latte.” He wheezed.

“Oh my God,” a hand flew to George’s mouth and he laughed. “Dream! You can’t name a cat after a Starbucks drink!” He exclaimed.

“Well, I did and no one stopped me,” Dream snickered. A small grey and white striped cat approached him and he let her sit on his leg. “This one was actually named by Smajor, say hello to Mara!”

“Mara?” George raised an eyebrow. “Just Mara? Nothing more?”

“It’s short for Marathon,” Dream blurted.

They looked at each other for a couple seconds in silence before both men began to laugh hysterically. Dream’s wheezing didn’t seem to help George since the brunette seemed to laugh even harder at the sound, which in turn made Dream laugh even harder. They sat in the room, laughing their heads off, as the kittens went along with their days.

Eventually the two managed to calm down and Dream was wiping the tears in his eyes away. For about thirty minutes the two had spent it playing with the hyper kittens and Dream was careful to keep an eye on the clock since he knew that the kittens would all need to eat soon. George would be feeding older kittens their dry food while Dream would run off to check on their youngest batch of kittens, who had been put in a different room to be cared for while Dream and George hung out with the older ones. Shubble would probably be watching them but he knew that checking was good anyway.

After they fed the kittens and played with them for a couple more minutes, Dream stood up and stretched his arms up. “Alright, we should head out for now so we can let others use the rooms.”

George nodded and stood up with Dream. He leaned down and gave McDonald’s a quick pat before he straightened up. “I’m ready to go.”

Dream nodded and opened the door, careful to not let any of the kittens get out. They quickly moved past the adult cat rooms and were out in the hall. They walked down the long hallway, this time not as rushed as before, and George had a small smile on his face.

“Did you really enjoy it that much?” Dream stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets. George snapped his head to Dream and raised an eyebrow at him. Dream shrugged. “You looked like you met kittens for the first time.”

George blushed and sighed. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been near a cat.” He glanced up at the bright ceiling lights with his hands in his pants pockets.

“You can always adopt one,” Dream offered, a sly smile on his face and he nudged George with his elbow lightly. “It’ll help us if anything and you were really liking McDonalds back there.”

George laughed as the two pushed past the door, back to the entrance. They walked out to the car and got in. Dream frowned at the sun’s position and squinted his eyes at it. “It’s getting darker now.”

“You don’t like it?” George asked. When he received a wide eyed look of shock from Dream he knitted his eyebrows together. “What?”

“You like that it gets dark early?” Dream asked.

George rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone. “The city looks better at night and I don’t really go outside often so I don’t mind it.”

“That’s weird but alright, George,” Dream laughed. He started the car and connected his car speaker’s to his phone. He clicked on a random playlist before he started moving the car.

The car ride back was just as talkative as the car ride to the shelter. This time the topics were more animal filled and Dream told George his stories of working at the shelter. Each smile and laugh he saw from the other man out of the corner of his eye just fueled his urge to tell more ridiculous stories until it had swapped to stories from Florida. He had also received George’s adventures in England in return and found himself chuckling along with George in the car.

To put it simply, when George’s apartment came into view Dream really didn’t want George to leave but he knew the other boy would probably be busy. It might even have been too much to ask to eat dinner with George, since apparently two guys getting food at a restaurant together was apparently something just friends didn’t do.

He watched George leave his car and rolled his window down as the other stepped on the sidewalk. Dream cleared his throat nervously and his face felt warm. “Hey, George?”

The brunette turned around and walked up to the window. “Yeah?”

“Do you want to hangout again sometime?” Dream asked.

There was a silence in the air for a couple seconds and Dream saw the other blush at the suggestion. He smiled at Dream and nodded. “I wouldn’t mind that.”

“Okay! Well, uh, just text me whenever you want to!” Dream said. His face was getting redder each second he looked at George in the golden sunlight. “Bye!”

“Goodbye, Dream,” George said.

Dream rolled up his window after he saw George walk in and he pulled out from his parking spot. A surge of happiness ran through him and a dopey smile took over his face for the rest of the ride. He turned up the speakers and sang at the top of his lungs, not caring if he sounded bad or good.

He was going to hang out with George again, he didn’t know when but sometime he would and Dream couldn’t wait for that day.

—————

Five days later and many coffee shop visits, Dream had never been happier. Things were going smoothly with befriending George, his grades were doing good, and the shelter was having a steady stream of adoptions lined up for many of the cats.

Even a strange call from George in the middle of the night wasn’t enough to completely damper his good mood, though he did pick it up feeling confused and tired. The older never had called him before, with both preferring to talk over text.

“George?” He asked. His voice was rough and deeper than normal due to him just waking up. He looked at the time on his phone and frowned, his mind muddled as he tried to make sense of why George would call him so late.

There was breathing over the line for a couple seconds before George’s voice came through in a whisper. “Dream, I have a problem.”

Dream had never woken up faster and he sat up on his bed, anxious thoughts running through his head. “What happened?”

Bruises. Alcohol. Being lost. Dream was used to them all and he was more than prepared in that moment to hop into his car to help George however he could.

“So, uh, basically, I kind of found a kitten all alone in a box,” George’s voice was fast and the panic in his voice didn’t go unnoticed by Dream. “I don’t know what to do at all and I can’t just leave it there. I mean what kind of shitty person leaves a kitten alone in a box?”

Dream let out a sigh as relief washed over him, his worry had been for nothing. That was good.

He shuffled out of bed and stood up to get changed. If a kitten was involved then it would be best if he came over to check on it. “Are they breathing and uninjured?”

There was another pause as Dream threw on a random hoodie he owned, unable to tell what the color was due to the lack of light in his room. “Yes, but they’re dirty so I can’t really tell if they’re completely uninjured. Though they feel really small and light.”

“That’s good,” Dream said, he shoved on a random pair of pants and zipped them up, “it could be a lot worse for a kitten out on the streets. As for the thin part they could have been without a mom for a while so they was essentially starving, which definitely isn’t good but dealing with an injury or a disease is a little more difficult.”

“So what should I do?” George asked. Despite Dream’s attempt to calm the other’s concern a small hint of anxiety laid behind those words.

“Stay there, give me your location and I’ll be there soon.”

It took Dream fifteen minutes to get to George’s location and two to find where he was. Once he spotted the figure shivering near a building due to wearing a thin white shirt, he parked and ran over. He saw George tense for a second before he relaxed, probably recognizing that it was Dream running to him. It was dark but the faint outline of his build was enough for Dream to know it was George.

“You’re here,” George said, in a breathy awed way that Dream didn’t want to think about too much. His eyes were wide as he held a small swaddle of blankets in his hand with a fluffy brown tabby head poking out of it.

Dream chuckled. “Of course I am, you needed me here.” He gingerly took the kitten from George’s hand, too focused to notice the blush on George’s face, and squinted at the kitten before he shook his head. “It’s too dark, let’s go back to my apartment and I can look at them properly.”

George cleared his throat and nodded before he glanced at the kitten. He looked up at Dream. “Can I come with you?” He asked tentatively.

Dream paused for a second, not expecting the other to want to go with him. It wasn’t everyday your crush asked to go to your house with you, admittedly it was to keep an eye on a kitten they found on the streets but it still was unexpected. “Of course.”

They quickly went back to the car and Dream made sure to drive more carefully than he had on the way here, not wanting to disturb George or the kitten with his reckless driving. Once they arrived at his apartment complex he quickly ushered them in and up to his apartment door. He slowly pulled out his keys and unlocked the door, tiptoeing when he walked inside.

“My roommate is asleep so we have to be quiet,” Dream whispered. He flicked on the living room light switch and turned to George to see the other nod.

They walked over to the table and Dream carefully placed the swaddle of blankets on the small table that stood in the living room. He stood up and walked over to a cabinet where he knew a couple of spare cat things were, some bottles, formula, food, and toys laid there. He didn’t have anything that would help with medical problems so he would have to wait until tomorrow if there was something wrong with her, though if it was dire he could drive to the shelter and bother them.

Dream walked back over to see George sitting on the floor to the left of the kitten, giving Dream space to sit close to the kitten. He sat down and unraveled the kitten from the blanket before he picked it up. He let out a soft chuckle when they softly mewed at him as he examined the small kitten. Their brown fur was soft and they were thinner than most cats, if Dream had to guess they were around 4 weeks old but they were definitely underweight.

“Well, I can tell you that this cat is definitely hungry and underweight,” Dream said, he clicked his tongue, “I’m not quite sure how long but we need to get something in her. Not too much though or we can kill them.” He picked up some of the formula and measured it before he put it in the bottle.

The kitten moved towards the bottle when he put it near them and began to drink from the bottle, something that relieved Dream greatly. A kitten that refused to eat was one of the biggest struggles for anyone who worked at a shelter or fostered kittens. He had been careful to only add a small amount in there so they didn’t eat too much.

After two minutes the kitten pulled away from the bottle with a small mew and Dream sighed before he turned to George. “Well the good thing is that she’s healthy enough to eat. All they need is a bath and a quick check up then I would say that cat is good to go.”

“So, she’s healthy?” George asked.

Dream nodded. “I think so, she doesn’t appear to have an upper respiratory infection or any injuries that I can spot but I won’t know until after the bath.”

George sighed and his head lightly hit the table. “Thank god and thank you, Dream.” He said, relief evident in his voice.

“No problem, I love these little fluffy creatures a lot so I’ll help them whenever I can,” Dream said. He stood up with the kitten gently in his hand and walked over to the bathroom, softer footsteps from behind him told him that George followed him. He put the kitten on the sink and closed the drain before he closed the bathroom door.

“Can I clean them?” George asked. His eyes were wide in curiosity and it was a bit adorable to see.

Dream nodded. “Let's do it together, cleaning kittens is a bit tricky to do in a way that doesn’t make them freak out.”

After checking that the water was a good temperature and where the soap was, Dream was ready to show George how to wash a kitten. It wasn’t what most people did with their crushes at their house during 1 am, but it was at least something so you have to give him credit where it’s due.

“Alright so, get your hand wet and let them sniff it a bit,” Dream said. “Once she’s used to it, lightly touch her with your wet hand and splash a little on her to introduce her to the water.”

George nodded and dipped his hand in the water before he stuck it out to the kitten, who sniffed it curiously. He took a small amount of water and rubbed it on the kitten gently, causing slight confusion to the kitten. He looked up at Dream. “Do I just get the dirt off in small amounts the entire time?”

“No,” Dream shook his head, “now pick them up and put the paws and some of the legs in the water.”

George carefully picked up the kitten and dipped her legs in. The kitten squirmed a little but wasn’t fighting back or even angry in the slightest. George turned to Dream with a smile. “It’s working!”

“It is, now pick her up and have her back on your palm,” Dream instructed. He watched George flip her and look to him for guidance, which made a chuckle escape Dream’s mouth. “Start rubbing them down with water and add some of the soap after a bit.”

A minute later, a clean and wet kitten stood on the counter and a proud George stood by his side. Dream grabbed a soft small towel he had put out and gently dried the kitten off. While doing so he was able to look at the kitten properly without the brown dirt. She was a brown tabby with a white line on her forehead and on her chest down in a stripe on her belly. She had patches of dark brown on her along with some lighter more orange patches.

“Well, she’s a girl and she’s perfectly healthy other than her weight,” Dream informed George, who was drying his hands off. He swaddled her in the soft towel, not wanting her to go back into the dirty blanket from before. “But with a good couple of days of proper eating and care she will be like all the other kittens at the shelter.”

George frowned and crossed his arms as he looked at the small kitten swaddled in Dream’s arms. “Where am I going to sleep?”

Dream froze and he blinked at the brunette. “I..I can take you home? It’s really not that big of a deal.”

“I want to see her in the morning though,” George softly pet her head with his pointer finger. His eyes were soft and reminded Dream of melted chocolate. “I mean, you have space right?”

“Y..Yeah! You can use my bed while I sleep on the couch!” Dream held back a blush from the idea of waking up to George in the morning and making breakfast with him. It was domestic and gave a pang of longing in his heart that he ignored. “There’s plenty of space since I have a queen sized bed.”

George frowned and looked up at Dream. “That’s not fair to you though, it’s your bed.”

“You’re the guest though,” Dream raised an eyebrow, “and I’m not letting a guest sleep on the couch. I don’t know how your mom raised you but mine raised me to be a good host.”

George snorted and crossed his arms. “Whatever you say, Dream, but I’m not letting you sleep on the couch.”

“It’s a perfectly comfortable couch! I’ll be fine!” Dream argued.

“If it’s perfectly comfortable then let me sleep on it!” George responded.

Dream scoffed. “No way.”

There was a silence for a bit before George’s eyes narrowed in thought. “If your bed is a queen sized bed it could fit both of us.”

Oh fuck no. Dream was not sleeping in the same bed as his crush. He didn’t want George to wake up and maybe see Dream’s...uh, excitement he couldn’t control in the morning. It wasn’t common but it did happen and the last thing he wanted was George of all people seeing it.

“I..I..uh,” Dream stuttered, his face was getting hot and he needed to save himself from this situation fast. “Isn’t it more comfortable to sleep in a queen bed alone? I’m sure you also don’t want to wake up to the feeding timer I set up.”

George shrugged. “I don’t mind the timer, and I would rather have less space than to make you sleep on the couch. It’s either I sleep on the couch or we sleep in the same bed.”

Dream’s face was burning and the fact that George was so insistent on sleeping in the same bed only made it worse. “O...Okay! Fine then, we can sleep in the same bed!” He wasn’t going to make George sleep on the couch. If it was between George seeing his...excitement in the morning or having him sleep on the couch, he would rather be embarrassed for life.

“Good,” George smiled. Dream felt like slumping against a wall and sliding down but the cat in his arms and George being there stopped him from living his fantasy.

He walked to his room with George trailing behind him. His hand turned the knob and he pushed his room open to reveal it to George. He cringed at the sight of dirty clothing in a pile on his bed and the papers everywhere on the floor, but George didn’t say a thing as he walked in.

“Sorry for the mess,” Dream mumbled.

George turned to Dream. “It’s fine! It’s nicer than what my room looks like.”

Dream doubted that but he nodded at George anyway. He carefully passed the kitten over to his friend. “I need to get the formula.” With that he walked out of the room and into the living room. The table was a mess of cat things so he cleaned it up carefully before he headed back with formula bottles.

In his room George sat on his bed, wearing the same shirt and pants he wore from his job. Dream blinked and realized that a one in a million opportunity had occurred.

Dream wasn’t religious but he sure felt like thanking Jesus in that moment.

“Do you want to wear some of my things for bed?” Dream asked. He put the formula down on his nightstand and saw the kitten wiggling in the towel on his bed. He gently picked up the kitten and managed to miss the shocked look on George’s face.

“I..uh sure, Dream,” George said, his voice sounded higher than normal causing Dream to give him a questioning look. He ducked his head at the look, eyes to the floor. “I just didn’t expect you to offer.” He coughed into his hand.

Dream shrugged, trying to seem as casual as he could be despite his small blush. “I don’t want my guest to be uncomfortable and I know sleeping in your work clothes isn’t really comfortable. So I thought it would be nice to offer.”

“Well, I’ll take you up on that offer then,” George smiled.

A minute later George was wearing one of Dream’s old t-shirts that was a couple sizes too small and a pair of shorts that were baggy on him. The sight squeezed Dream’s heart and he fought against blushing as he moved the kitten to a small bundle of comfy blankets on his nightstand. He had removed all the things and made the best makeshift bed one could using just blankets. He set up a heat lamp for the kitten and made sure it wouldn’t get too hot during all the two hour naps Dream would be doing.

He shuffled into bed once he saw that she had gotten comfortable and he glanced at George for a second before the other got in bed as well. Dream looked up at the ceiling, a blush on his face and thoughts racing a million miles an hour. Where could he go without making George uncomfortable? What position would be best to sleep in so George could sleep without being uneasy. Even if Dream had feelings for George he wasn’t going to make his friend uncomfortable just because his dumb feelings screamed at him to do something.

“I..I sleep on my side so I’ll just…” George trailed off, he shuffled and his back now faced Dream.

Dream swallowed and nodded. “Okay, I do the same so I’ll just do the same.” He shuffled and his back now faced George’s own back.

He glanced at the nightstand and saw the kitten peacefully sleeping. He yawned and shuffled a bit more under the covers. Even if his crush was right next to him, the tiredness was too overwhelming for him to stay up and worry over.

Well things would be fine and back to normal in the morning, Dream was overreacting.

—————

Dream had woken up before George, of course he would since he needed to feed the kitten, but each time he did he found that he and George managed to entangle themselves in their sleep. He woke up too many times to his arms wrapped around George, who slept peacefully curled up against Dream.

It was around his third wake up when George had disappeared from the bed. He groaned and sat up before he stretched his arms up. His hand rubbed the sleep away from his eyes and he glanced around the room. There was a light chatter coming from outside his room and Dream’s heart dropped.

George was talking to Sapnap. Shit.

Dream threw the covers off and his feet hit the floor. He threw open the door and ran to the kitchen to find Sapnap cooking something on a pan and George laughing at the table.

Sapnap turned to him, back facing George. “Dream! You didn’t tell me we had a guest over.” A sly wink was sent his way and Dream felt his face grow warm.

“I..well, George called me since he found an orphaned kitten in the middle of the night,” Dream rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes widened and he froze. “I left her back in my room!” He blurted.

Seconds later he ran out of the kitchen, laughter behind him as he ran. He entered his room again and saw the kitten sleeping in the bundle of blankets. He sighed and approached her, watching her wake up and look at him as he stepped closer.

“Hey girl,” he murmured as he stuck his finger out to her. Dream chuckled when he received a lick from the kitten and lightly picked her up. “Need to eat and go to the bathroom?”

He got a meow from the small kitten and he grabbed one of the bottles he set out the night before. He walked to the kitchen with a kitten in one hand and a bottle in the other.

“Oh my gosh,” Sapnap dropped the spatula and walked over to Dream. He cooed at the cat in Dream’s hand and his black eyes sparkled. “What’s her name?”

Dream looked at George, who looked back at Dream. Dream glanced at the cat and noticed the patches of color on her. “Patches, and I’m not letting you too close to her with your pet track record.”

“Come on, dude, that was when I was eight!” Sapnap groaned. “I didn’t even know how to take care of any fish or want one! My mom thought it would be a good way to learn how to be responsible when in reality all it did was teach me how fast a fish can die!”

“Still, it’s a miracle how you managed to kill so many fish that fast,” Dream wheezed. He pushed past Sapnap and towards the microwave before he put the bottle of formula in it. He pressed a couple of buttons and started it. Once it started he placed Patches on the counter before he knelt down to be on eye level with her.

She meowed and tapped his nose with her paw, causing a chuckle to come out of Dream. He heard a pained noise from behind him and he turned towards the noise to find Sapnap grinning at him and George sitting at the table, looking at his phone. Dream sighed and shuffled to the side.

“You can pet her if you want, Sapnap,” he rolled his eyes, “I was just joking, plus I can’t say she won’t fall asleep after I feed her and she goes to the bathroom.”

Sapnap blinked at Dream and glanced at George before he shrugged. “Sure, I didn’t say anything though.”

Dream opened his mouth to ask what he meant by that before the timer went off. He opened the microwave and pulled out the bottle before he grabbed a thermometer. He hummed softly as he did so and pulled it out when he saw the temperature. It was the perfect temperature for Patches to drink.

He fed the cat as Sapnap cooed at her and made kissy noises. Dream laughed and shoved his head away from Patches using his hand.

“Stop trying to distract her from eating, Sapnap!” He shoved Sapnap’s face a bit further away. “Unless you want to be feeding her every time for me, then you can do this all you want.”

“Nah dude,” Sapnap shook his head, “all cats treat you like a God so I’m not going to mess with that.”

“That’s true, they were swarming him at the shelter,” George piped up.

Dream rolled his eyes and put the bottle down as Patches drank the last of the formula. “They’re used to me being there, that’s why they like me.”

“Alright then,” Sapnap shrugged. He walked over to the pan and cursed. He laughed nervously at the concerned looks that Dream and George face him. “How do you like slightly burnt pancakes, George?”

“Uh, I don’t really like them but I don’t care if they’re slightly burnt,” George said. He looked at Dream and patted the seat to his right. “I was told this is your seat?”

“Normally,” Dream nodded, he sat down and sighed, “sometimes Sapnap and I swap it up. But that’s are particularly boring nights where it’s just pizza, Netflix, and college classes.”

Sapnap dished out the pancakes and Dream stabbed one with his fork then shrugged and bit it. They weren’t bad, just slightly burnt at the edges, and the syrup managed to drown out the burnt taste of them. The breakfast was spent with the three laughing, chatting, and questioning each other.

Once they finished eating Dream took the plates and began to wash them in the sink. He heard Sapnap whispering something to George he couldn’t quite make out, but judging by the soft smack he heard and the noise of pain from Sapnap, he could tell it had probably been something inappropriate.

He heard a soft meow and felt a soft touch on his foot. He glanced down and saw Patches pawing at his foot curiously. Dream knelt down and booped her nose before he stood up and continued washing. He put the plates back in the cabinet and saw the two men playing with Patches, who stood on the table chasing a feathered toy.

“She’s fast for a four week old kitten,” Dream commented. He walked towards the table and chuckled when Patches leaned in to bite the toy before it was snatched out of her grip.

“How long do you estimate she’ll be at the shelter for?” Sapnap asked. He flung the toy across the table before Patches could trap it and laughed.

Dream froze. It wasn’t like he hadn’t met stray cats on the streets or taken them into shelters, but that was when he was back in Florida and hadn’t taken one back to his house. Patches was different from the other cats he had met and he couldn’t explain why, maybe it was the fact that she was so playful and had warmed up to Dream quickly. But it would be best if she was at the shelter, where she could learn and grow safely.

The idea hurt though. It tugged his heart in the worst way and made his mouth dry.

“After she turns 8 weeks? Maybe two days to a month,” Dream answered. He shrugged and sat down on his usual chair. “She’s a young friendly cat and people like that.”

George frowned and tapped his shoulder. “You don’t seem happy with that.”

“What? Why wouldn’t I be?” Dream knit his eyebrows together. “It’s a cat getting adopted, of course I’ll be happy about it.”

“You don’t look like you like the idea of giving her away,” George sighed, “if you want to keep her that’s fine. You don’t have to give her away if you don’t want to, Dream.”

Dream blinked up at George and his eyes widened in realization. He wanted to keep Patches. He did want to adopt cats in the past but he had never really gotten around to it. The cats at the shelter had never really made him as affectionate as he felt towards Patches. It was reckless for anyone to take in a kitten as young as she was though, she needed proper medical attention, other cats to play with, and Dream was a twenty one year old college guy who was busy.

“I..I can’t keep a cat,” Dream said. He looked at Sapnap and shook his head. “We can’t keep a cat here.”

“Why not? I’m literally here when you aren’t so she could get lots of attention,” Sapnap said. He put the toy down and booped Patches head with his finger lightly, chuckling when she reached her head out to be booped again.

Dream turned to George, who smiled at him. “I’ll come by too, I did find her after all but I don’t mind if you’re her owner. Plus there’s a no pet rule in my apartment so she can’t stay with me.”

Dream looked at Sapnap, who was grinning at him, then back at George, who was smiling, and he sighed. He slumped in his chair and looked at the kitten who was busy chasing after the toy.

He groaned and looked up at the two. “...Maybe, there’s a lot that goes into adopting a cat so I’m still not sure but I’m not entirely against it.”

“That’s a yes!” Sapnap cheered. He pumped his fist in the air and laughed. “We finally got a cat and it only took a year to get one!”

George put a hand up and Sapnap high fived him. He turned to Dream and hugged him while laughing, a sound that was too attractive for Dream’s own good. “I’ll make sure to come over to visit more often then.”

“That..that sounds good,” Dream said, his voice a bit too breathy and his face a bit too red. Even at a simple hug he was brought down so low by George.

Why was it that love made him so weak compared to any other emotion.

They looked at each other for a bit before George coughed into his hand and pointed at the door. “I’ll go get changed to leave.” He muttered as he walked at the door.

Once his footsteps weren’t audible, Sapnap turned towards Dream with a grin and Dream’s face burned. “Don’t. Say. A. Thing.” Dream warned, his face hidden in his hands.

“You literally brought over the guy you’re crushing on to the apartment, Dream,” Sapnap sat down and watched Patches roam around the table. “You can’t blame a guy for being curious on why someone came out of your room, wearing your shirt too.”

“He didn’t have any clothes to sleep in!” Dream argued, his face was bright red and he hated how vulnerable he felt at the moment. Like any second his heart would drop over the edge of a cliff and he would be drowning in a sea of emotions that he couldn’t quite name. “I was just helping a friend out.”

“A friend you have a massive crush on and have been gushing about for the past couple of weeks,” Sapnap groaned. He leaned back in his chair and he looked like he would fall backwards any second. “Listen, dude, I say you should just confess. He likes you as a friend so he could like you romantically as well. I mean, he argued to have you sleep in the same bed right? That’s not something just friends would do.”

“He didn’t want me to give up my bed and that was what we ended up agreeing on,” Dream exclaimed, “don’t act like it was because he wanted to be near me!”

“But what if he wanted to be near you? Would you accept that you have a chance then?”

Dream’s heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened. His heart raced and his mouth felt dry. The idea of George being obtainable hadn’t really crossed his mind ever. He seemed so beautiful and untouchable that the idea of being able to reach out to him felt like a fantasy that Dream would never be able to live out.

If George had, somehow, liked Dream back, then what would he do? Sure the obvious answer was to confess, but how? He did really like George and wanted it to be special if he ever did confess. George deserved something special and genuine. The idea of pouring his heart out scared Dream, especially when it came to George since there was so much in his heart. George deserved the truth though and Dream wasn’t going to half ass something as big as a confession.

“I would, god, I would in a heartbeat,” Dream groaned and put his face in his arms that laid on the table.

George held power over Dream, power he wasn’t even aware of. The brunette couldn’t have known that each smile he gave made Dream’s entire day light up, or that the sparkle in his eyes made Dream’s heart skip a beat. He drowned Dream in a pool of emotions that Dream couldn’t help but to stay in despite knowing it was dangerous.

Dream’s heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened. His head shot up and all he could hear was his heartbeat in his ears. “I love him.” His voice was soft and warmth rushed to his face.

“I think you do,” Sapnap patted his back softly. His voice was soft and held a familiar comforting tone. He had always been a great friend and stood by Dream’s side no matter what.

Dream ran a hand through his hair. Everything was overwhelming him, he felt like any second the feelings would flood out of his heart and he wasn’t quite sure what to do. He could scream into a pillow, cry, or just push it all away but nothing felt quite right. He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked at Sapnap, tears welling up in his eyes making his vision slightly blurry.

“I..I’m not sure what to do, God,” Dream muttered. Sapnap’s arms wrapped around him and he hugged him back. He wasn’t sobbing or sniffling at all, the urge to make any noise didn’t even appear. Instead the tears loosely fell down his cheeks and soaked Sapnap’s hoodie. “I..I haven’t even been in...”

Dream had crushes before, quick bursts of passion for those who managed to catch his eye. However eventually Dream’s feelings slowly faded away into...well nothing. He knew it was the reason why so many of his relationships ended so fast. They hadn’t felt loved enough to stay with him after Dream’s quick burst of passion had faded away. Love wasn’t something you could half ass and it took Dream 20 years to realize that.

“I know,” Sapnap murmured, his voice soft and the gentle patting he did on Dream’s back was comforting. “You aren’t used to this either so it’s probably overwhelming as hell.”

They stayed there silently for a bit before Dream pulled away and wiped his tears away with his hand. His green eyes found themselves looking at the wet spot on Sapnap’s gray shirt and he frowned. “I’m sorry for crying on you.”

“Dude,” Sapnap chuckled, “I think that’s the least of your worries at the moment. I’m not the one having a breakdown over realizing I’m in love with someone.”

“You’re right,” Dream groaned, his hands dragged over his face and he smacked his cheeks lightly. His eyes felt strangely raw along with his throat feeling weird, it made sense since he just cried over his feelings for George. “I’ll be fine, it’s just a lot realizing you love someone. When half of your relationships end because someone didn’t feel loved enough, it’s hard to believe you can love someone in the end.”

There were muffled footsteps in the hall and Dream quickly pulled away from Sapnap, hoping it wasn’t apparent that he had just cried his eyes out on the younger’s shoulders. His throat still felt weird and he was sure his eyes were red, but the familiar smile he always wore made its way back on his face.

The brunette entered the kitchen and glanced at Dream before he turned to Sapnap. “Thank you for the meal and sorry for scaring you to death when you woke up.”

“I didn’t hear about that, what happened?” Dream asked. He prayed to God that George wasn’t capable of noticing his red eyes. George and Sapnap broke out into laughter, causing confusion.

Sapnap pointed at George and huffed. “I thought he was a robber or something and I flung a book at him. He’s not the best at catching so I ended up over him with another book in my hands.”

“You literally threw a book at me and I didn’t expect it! How is that being bad at catching?” George argued, a finger pointed accusingly at Sapnap. He turned to Dream with an incredulous look. “Did you know he screams like a ten year old girl?”

“Okay, buddy,” Sapnap scoffed, “your scream was way worse than mine. If I was a ten year old girl then you are a seven year old girl. Seriously, how does a 24 year old scream that loud!?”

Dream smiled to himself as the two argued. It was nice seeing your best friend and crush get along, well if arguing like two cats defending their territory counted as getting along then they were definitely getting along. A warm fuzzy feeling bloomed in his chest despite the raw feeling still in his throat. He tuned out of the argument, wondering what to do with his newfound love.

Dream wasn’t going to half ass love, not when doing so had led him to too many failed relationships and tears. He wasn’t going to make George feel like he wasn’t enough, he needed to make the other feel satisfied. He paused mid-thought and wondered if George really would ever consider being in a relationship with him. Dream wondered if even getting into a relationship with George would be good, afterall his track record with relationships was pretty disastrous. Would Dream be able to love George like he deserved?

“Dream, I swear, how do you room with such an idiot!?” George cried, snapping Dream’s attention from out of his thoughts to the world. The argument seemed on the cusp of ending and so did George’s stay, judging by the familiar white shirt and brown pants the other wore.

“I don’t know,” Dream chuckled, gaining an offended noise from Sapnap, “I’m always open to moving out.” It was a lie, Dream wouldn’t move out from Sapnap for a long time. The other was probably one of the few sane roommates at college and Dream wasn’t going to let go of his best friend quite yet.

“That’s a lie,” Sapnap scoffed. His arms crossed his chest and he walked over to the stove, frowning at it for a second before his eyes widened. “Holy shit I still have my project!” He cried. Within seconds he was out of the room, leaving George and Dream alone.

They stood in silence for a bit before George smiled at Dream, it was a soft kind that made a flutter in Dream’s heart. “Thanks for letting me stay. I was a bit tired last night and I didn’t really want to go home.”

“It’s fine, I understand what you mean,” Dream shook his head and held a hand up. “I’m the same, whenever my family went to our beach house. I would hit the bed and pass out for a couple hours until my siblings woke me up at dawn to go to the beach.”

“The beach? You aren’t from around here?” George sat down across from Dream. He scooted his seat a little closer to the table and leaned an elbow against it.

“I’m from Florida,” Dream answered, his voice came out soft as memories of his hometown flooded in, “Orlando specifically but my family had lots of beach houses around so I kinda went all over the place.”

The sounds of the waves crashing on the rocks, the smell of the salty ocean air, and the sunburn after forgetting to put on sunscreen for the umpteenth time, these things were so familiar to Dream that he could imagine it near perfectly. He hoped to bring his friends down sometime and maybe even George if the other was alright with it.

“I mean I lived in England before I came to America so I guess we both aren’t from this area, huh?” George said. He looked at the doorway and stood up before he stretched his arms up. “I should get going since my roommate is probably freaking out.” He muttered.

Dream had half the mind to ask him to stay for longer but decided against it since the other probably had things to do. “I’ll drive you, if you want?”

“That’d be nice,” George smiled. He reached up and rubbed his eyes. “Ugh, I hope Quackity doesn’t think I was kidnapped or something. He tends to worry about those things if he doesn’t get some message from me.”

“He sounds like a mother hen,” Dream chuckled. He walked over to the counter and opened a drawer before he pulled out the keys. He glanced at Patches and realized that maybe it wasn’t the best idea to leave a kitten unattended on the kitchen table. He lightly picked her up and walked over to Sapnap’s room.

He knocked softly on the door and opened it a second later, knowing the other was probably too engrossed in his work to notice the knock. “Sapnap?” He saw the younger hunched over a computer furiously typing, a sight he was a little too familiar with. “I’m going to leave Patches with you, keep an eye on her while I drive George back home.”

Sapnap made a noise and that was good enough for Dream to put Patches on the floor before he left. He hoped the other had managed to remember some of Dream’s kitten caring ramblings, even if it was for 45 minutes it still worried Dream that he was leaving Patches. He sighed and saw George leaned against the wall in the hallway.

“Are you going to get dressed or do you just want to leave?” George cracked a smile. Dream looked down and cursed when he noticed the baggy lime t-shirt and loose gray shorts. He definitely wasn’t going to wear this outside, he looked homeless.

Dream glanced at the floor, a small blush on his face. “I’ll be back,” Dream muttered. He quickly left for his room, silently enjoying the laughter behind him. A smile was on his face as he closed his door and he sighed in his room as he leaned on the door.

Dream stretched and walked over to his closet, after shuffling through some clothes he finally found an acceptable outfit for the day and put it on. He shoved the white sweater over his head and put a brown coat on above it, hoping it would help fight against the cold. He didn’t even have to go outside to know it was cold since he could see a bit of frost on his window outside.

He stepped out into the hall and saw George, who he noted didn’t have a jacket or anything more than his thin shirt and pants. He frowned at George and knit his eyebrows together. “Don’t you have a jacket?”

“Didn’t bring one, I forgot it at my apartment,” George shrugged, his arms wrapped around him and a casual look of indifference. “It doesn’t matter much anyway, I’ll be fine.”

“Even if you will be, which is bullshit,” Dream interjected, he saw the offended look on George’s face and continued talking before the other could, “at least take a jacket of mine? I don’t want my friend to freeze.” He walked back into his room and to his closet. He grabbed a random jacket and threw it at George.

“T...Thank you?” George put on the jacket quickly and seemed tense, for whatever reason. The black coat was giant on him and at the sight of it Dream stifled a laugh.

“No problem,” Dream said, he twirled the keys around and walked to the door. He opened it and motioned for George to go. “Age before beauty.” He grinned.

George scoffed and rolled his eyes, a smile on his face. “I would still go first even if it was beauty before age.” He walked through the door and Dream couldn’t help but to agree with him.

It took 20 minutes for Dream to get to George’s house and it definitely didn’t feel like it. The brunette had probed him the entire time with questions about Florida and his adventures at the beach. Dream had spilled every single story he could remember off the top of his head. The time he nearly drowned his younger sister, when he got lost at the boardwalk, and the crab hunting he did with his family were all some of the few that came to mind. By the time the familiar apartment complex came into view, George was laughing with Dream. Tears were in Dream’s eyes and he didn’t dare to move them away until he was safely parked near the apartment.

George took a couple of deep breaths, his cheeks red from all the laughter and the grin on his face looked like it hurt. He turned to Dream with wide eyes. “I can’t even believe you accidentally got lost in the sewer because you were looking for crabs!”

“My parent’s,” Dream wheezed and took a deep breath before continuing, his voice high pitched and tears clustered in his eyes, “they were freaking out. I had to be in view of my parents the rest of the summer because of it.”

The two calmed down after that, cheeks red and stomach hurting from all the laughing. Dream couldn’t help but to feel happy that he was able to make George laugh that much because his dumb stories. His laughter always did funny things to Dream’s heart and it made a warm sensation flood his body.

Love. He loved George. The idea of it sent shivers down Dream’s spine and made his mouth dry up. It wasn’t safe to think about this with George here, he didn’t want to do something rash and mess things up. But damn it was tempting to reach out to him.

“Dream?” George’s voice cut Dream out of his thoughts. A frown was on his face and worry shone in his eyes. “Are you alright? You spaced out.”

Dream straightened up and coughed into his hand. “Y..yeah! I was just thinking about the beach and what other stories I could give you next time we see each other.” He nearly cringed after the words left his lips. Dream had never been a good liar.

“You have even more stories?” George laughed lightly. The sound was soft and brief but it still squeezed Dream’s heart. “I have to see you soon then.”

Dream swallowed and nodded quickly. “I would like that.”

There was a silence for a couple seconds before George sighed. “Goodbye, I guess.” He sounded disappointed, which confused Dream.

Everything had gone well so why did he sound so disappointed?

Dream watched the other leave and waved at him before George entered the building. He sat there for a couple of seconds before he took a deep breath and started the car. His phone bluetooth connected to the car and he shuffled a playlist to listen to as he drove, even though it would be nothing but background noise to him.

Dream knew that love was a broad word in english. You wouldn’t love a movie like you would a family member, or a girlfriend how you would with a cat. There were probably millions of ways to love and millions of words to try to use to describe it. But Dream had never been good at describing his feelings. It felt so vulnerable to him when he tried to and he ended up a stuttering mess with fumbled words littering his sentences.

Dream stopped at a red light and took a deep breath. He stared at the light as if it would give him all the answers he needed. Sure he could talk to Sapnap about it but his luck with love was even worse than Dream’s.

If there was one thing he knew, it was that George deserved the truth. He deserved to know what he could cause Dream to feel and how easily he could make Dream weak with just a small smile. Even if George would hate him he had to tell him, Dream didn’t want to keep lying to him. He had always been a bad liar afterall and he wouldn’t be able to hide his feelings for much longer. He would eventually slip up, so why not confess before that happened?

A loud honk and a yell startled Dream out of his thoughts. He shook his head and adjusted his hands on the steering wheel. His foot hit the gas as he muttered a useless apology to whoever honked at him.

Dream knew he wasn’t some sort of sweet prince of love but if it was for George then he could try his best.

—————

The cold air nipped at Dream’s cheek’s as he stood outside the small chocolate shop. He nearly let out a groan of discomfort but sighed and opened the door. Inside the shop it was brightly lit space with glass displays holding different types of chocolate and desserts in them. Dream turned his head towards the cash register and saw a familiar boy at the counter, who looked at him smiling.

“Dream! How’s it going, man?” Karl asked. One of his closest friends who he had met through Sapnap. It turned out they had some classes together as well so that just helped strengthen their bond. He raised his eyebrows and giggled. “Are you going to buy some chocolate for that coffee shop boy?”

“His name is George,” Dream answered, he paused and blinked at the boy before his eyes widened. “And how the fuck do you know that?”

“Sapnap told me,” Karl answered, he walked out from behind the cash register and put his hands on his hips. “You should have known that, he tells me nearly everything.”

“Well yeah, but I didn’t expect him to tell you about George,” Dream scoffed. He waved his hand around the shop. “Anyway, do you have anything good in the shop I can kind of give as a gift? I would have gotten flowers but George can’t really see any other color than yellow or blue.”

Karl snickered and began to walk through the shop, with Dream on his heels. “So it’s serious? You’re serious about him?”

Dream froze for a second, memories and feelings coming to surface. He felt his face heat up as he looked at the floor. “Yeah. I’m serious.” His voice soft as the brunette’s smile flashed through his mind.

The next couple of minutes were spent with the two looking around the shop, Karl explaining each chocolate basket and Dream trying to remember George’s favorite chocolates. In the end they decided on a neat basket of a couple of expensive varying chocolates, all sorts of fillings and types in each wrapped piece. Karl had rung it up and added a small cream teddy bear to the basket, telling Dream that it was custom with romance gifts. Dream had just given his wallet to his friend and nodded, thoughts of doubt filling his head with each second that passed by.

Dream walked out of the chocolate shop with the basket and bear in a bag, he yelled out a goodbye behind him and closed the door carefully. He took a deep breath before he walked over to his car and hopped in. He glanced at his phone as he started the car and felt like screaming when he noticed that he would be picking up George from the café in 30 minutes.

In an hour he would either have a friend, a boyfriend, or an ex-friend, and Dream felt sick. Confessing meant that he could be throwing away his friendship with George, that he could lose George forever, but it meant he wouldn’t have to lie to George any longer. He could spill every single feeling and thought to him in it and he wouldn’t have to be scared anymore. He wouldn’t have to hide these damn feelings.

Dream's hands gripped the steering wheel the entire time he drove, weaving in between lanes and stopping at lights with the sort of expertise that any other city driver would have. The thoughts of doubt continued to gnaw at him with each minute that he got closer to the café. George could hate him, he could think of Dream as disgusting and never want to see him again. Of course that was a bit unrealistic and the more realistic thing was George expressing his discomfort before breaking their friendship, but it meant the same thing in Dream’s head.

When he saw the coffee shop to his left, Dream felt his hands begin to clam up and he took deep breaths. He parked near the shop and shoved the bag with the basket and bear into the back, praying that George wouldn’t see it. Dream’s hand shakily reached in his pocket and he pulled out his phone. He sent a quick text to George and took a deep breath before steeling his nerves.

Any confession Dream had done was always with people who were strangers, people he had in his school classes or he saw at a park. He had never confessed to a friend and only ever had friends confess to him, he now understood why they always seem so anxious during the confession compared to his. They were risking a lot by confessing and he hadn’t understood that before.

George walked out a minute later and the sight of him made Dream’s heart skip a beat. He watched the other’s face light up and he approached the car slowly. Dream unlocked the doors and George slid into the passenger’s seat with ease.

“Sorry for the wait, I had to ask Skeppy something before I left,” George absent mindedly said. He placed a wad of folded up clothes that Dream recognized as his work uniform, making him glance and appreciate the casual clothes on George.

“It’s fine,” Dream chuckled, praying that his hands would stop sweating so much, “now let’s go see Patches.”

The drive was quieter than most since Dream was too occupied trying to ease his nerves to even think about starting some small conversation. It was alright though since George didn’t look uncomfortable in the silence. When they made it to Dream’s apartment building they parked and Dream discreetly grabbed the bag with the chocolates and bear in it. Thankfully the packaging wouldn’t give it away but he was still terrified.

They entered the apartment and Dream carefully put the bag on the table, doubts distracting him from noticing someone was sitting on the couch. He heard George shuffle behind him a bit before he spoke. “Nice to see you Sapnap.”

Dream whipped around to find that his roommate was indeed in the living room, more specifically on their couch. “I thought you had a class to go to?” His voice was a little higher than normal and he prayed that George didn’t think too much of it while Sapnap understood what message he was trying to send.

“It got cancelled,” Sapnap sighed, he glanced at Dream who gave him a panicked look and stood up, “but I have to meet Karl, uh somewhere, so I’ll see you guys later!”

He was out the door within seconds and Dream nearly stopped him to try to get him to put shoes on. The door closed with a loud bang and Dream and George were finally alone. The apartment was quiet for a couple seconds, the two both just staring at each other, before a high pitched meow broke the silence.

Patches had run over to Dream and pawed lightly on his pants leg. Dream knelt down and picked up the small tabby. “What’re you doing?” He whispered, voice full of fondness for the tiny kitten.

“She doesn’t look as skinny as before,” George stepped closer to look at Patches. His eyes crinkled and a soft smile took over his face before he looked up at Dream. “It’s a good thing you took her in despite all your whining.”

“I have a soft spot for cute things,” Dream shrugged. He touched her forehead softly with his pinky. He watched her close her eyes and lean into the touch with a soft purr. “When you started saying I should keep her it was really just the final push I needed to keep her.”

“I’m glad,” George muttered, he tapped her forehead and gently scratched it.

Eventually Patches began to get annoyed with being held and squirmed in Dream’s arms. Dream put her down and watched the brown tabby run out of the room to somewhere that was either his room or the bathroom.

“So, what should we do?” George asked.

Dream snapped his head to George and found the other sitting on the couch. It was too sudden to confess right now. Dream needed time to set the mood.

...And maybe five beers for confidence if he was honest.

He walked over to the couch and plopped down next to George. His eyes made contact with the tv and he grabbed the black remote on the table.

“Let's watch something!” Dream laughed. His throat felt dry and his hands began to sweat.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

He was twenty one years old, a man! He wasn’t going to act like a fucking preteen near someone he loved.

Dream clicked absentmindedly on Netflix as the word love danced in his mind. Taunting him like it had for the past couple of nights as he laid in bed with his mind occupied by memories of George that Dream clung onto desperately.

Memories he had analyzed so often that he wondered if some of it he had altered to fit in the rose tinted glasses he knew he saw the other in.

His hair that looked so soft Dream regularly resisted from running his fingers through. His dark eyes that sparkled whenever he saw Patches. His pink lips that looked so tempting to just-

“Can I pick something?” George asked, tearing Dream out of his thoughts.

Dream snapped his head to George and nodded. “Y..yeah! Sure.”

He tossed the remote to George and quickly pulled his eyes away from the other. He mentally smacked himself and more thoughts about George away as he stared at the tv screen. Anywhere was better than looking at George right now.

Eventually George clicked onto some movie and it began. Dream should have been watching it but his mind had wandered to the man next to him and the bag on the table.

Just a couple words would change everything. Just a couple words could ruin everything.

The words danced dangerously on his tongue but they didn’t quite slip from it.

Not yet at least.

The background noise of the movie stopped and Dream looked to find George had paused it. He turned to George to find the other studying his face.

“You’re distracted by something,” George muttered, a small observation that made Dream’s head be thrown into a panic.

“W..what?” Dream asked, voice coming out rough and unprepared. He cleared his throat after and glanced at the tv before back at George. “What made you think that?”

“You aren’t paying attention for one, your eyes are all glazed out,” George snorted.

Dream felt his face flush a little and he rolled his eyes. “Well they weren’t.”

“Well then tell me what was happening.”

Dream froze as his brain tried to conjure what scenes of the movie had stuck out to him on screen. Men with guns, a standard conventionally attractive man as the protagonist, and lots of explosions, basically something old white men in their forties loved to show their families as if it was as good as Avatar the Last Airbender.

“...Explosions?” Dream offered, voice cracking at the end.

George stared at him for a second before his lips began to twitch upwards and eventually a stupidly attractive smile took over his face. “That...that’s literally the most broad thing you could have said! That’s like if you said the sky was blue!”

Dream couldn’t help it. Hearing George’s laugh and seeing his smile was too much. He began to wheeze loudly with George and soon the two of them were in a laughing fit as they sat on the couch.

It wasn’t even that funny but all the built up anxiety in Dream had somehow made the situation ten times funnier than it really was.

It was about three minutes before Dream had finally stopped his laughing fit. Tears trailed down his cheeks and his abdomen hurt from all the laughing he had done. He took a couple of deep breaths before he looked at George, who had been looking at him.

“Your throat and abdomen have to seriously hurt,” George commented.

Dream nodded and a couple of small wheezes escaped him. “It...it does. Oh God it hurts.”

George laughed and patted Dream’s back. “Stand up and stretch a bit, get some water too since that will help calm you down.”

Dream nodded and stood up, the movement stretching out his abdomen that had been hunched over while he had been laughing. His feet padded softly on the ground as he walked to the kitchen, where Patches had currently decided to take over by laying in the middle of the floor.

Her head lifted from the ground with a soft mrr sound and Dream felt his heartstrings tug at the noise. She stretched before she stood up and softly walked over to Dream, tail held high with little flicks at the end of it.

Dream smiled and pet her head before he headed over to the counter to grab a glass. Once he had it he filled it up with water and sipped it with Patches rubbing against his ankles as he stood at the sink.

The water was cold and comforting to Dream’s poor throat. He quickly tipped it back and began to gulp it down, relief washing through him as he drank.

Dream put the glass down and looked at the table where the bag sat. He swallowed roughly and walked towards it.

There was never a perfect time for anything.

The words rang in his head as he walked towards the bag. His hand gripped it and he took a deep breath before he took it.

He turned and saw George giving him a look, eyes glancing at the bag with barely held back curiosity.

“What’s in the bag?” George asked.

The words made Dream’s heart drop but he shoved it aside in an attempt to ease the anxiety he was feeling so he didn’t get cold feet.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he opened them and walked to the couch. He sat down and placed the bag at his feet before he turned to George.

The other’s hair was slightly ruffled, his eyebrows furrowed together, and his confusion swimming in his eyes. His lips were slightly parted and Dream snapped his eyes away from them to look George in the eyes, something that only sparked more anxiety in him.

It was only a couple of seconds but in those couple of seconds Dream had never felt more vulnerable.

His eyes snapped to the bag at his feet and he took a deep breath before he pulled out the basket and bear. He shoved them into George’s lap and felt his face burning as he watched George’s face, expecting something despite not knowing what exactly he was expecting.

He watched the brunette's eyes widen as he looked at the bear and his cheeks flush pink. “O...Oh.”

Fuck, there was no going back now. There was absolutely no heterosexual explanation for giving your friend a basket of chocolates with a bear with a bright red face. Besides, Dream wasn’t even straight so he couldn’t try to play it off as a friend thing now.

“George, I like you,” Dream blurted. He felt his face only grow redder and watched the same happen for George. “And I..uh, didn’t want to hide it anymore.”

“Dream-” George started, his dark eyes burning into Dream’s own green eyes.

“No, no, George just let me finish before I pass out from embarrassment,” Dream’s words were rushed and he had never felt more like he was a foolish teenager than in that moment. “I like you George and I have since I’ve walked into that coffee shop.”

There were a couple painful seconds of silence between the two before Dream cleared his throat and looked away.

“Well, I mean if we’re being honest, I love you is probably more accurate,” Dream nervously laughed, eyes still refusing to look at George. “I didn’t even expect that you would talk to me, I just kind of thought you would be that really pretty barista I liked at the shop back in college that I saw a couple times and nothing more. But then we started chatting and became friends so now I want something more than friendship so, uh, yeah?”

The silence returned after Dream’s ramblings and Dream wanted to scream. All his past confessions had always been a lot more smooth and refined, not as sudden and emotional as this one.

Having his heart out on display for George was terrifying. Each word felt raw and full of vulnerability that Dream was willingly showing George.

He hated it.

He loved it.

George cleared his throat. “Dream, can you look at me?”

Dream felt himself freeze at the idea of the brunette’s eyes locked with his own and dangerous thoughts slipped into his mind. He shook his head stiffly and continued to stare at the house plant in the corner.

A hand touched his jaw and the action shocked Dream enough to make his eyes snap in front of him. He froze when he was met with a wide eyed dark brown stare.

“Dream, I love you too.”

The words were soft and breathy but the weight of them shook the room. They covered Dream like a blanket of assurance and a tender emotion held behind them so genuine that it clenched Dream’s heart.

Dream’s eyes widened and he felt his anxiety slipping away at record speed. He stared at the brunette in shock before a laugh bubbled up from his chest.

Sure he had known that George would either reject him or accept his feelings but somehow he hadn’t been prepared for either.

“You love me?” Dream asked. The words were unfamiliar on his tongue but sounded so sweet that Dream felt like he had discovered a new favorite sentence that day.

The outside world could have been collapsing right beside him and Dream wouldn’t care. All that mattered right now was George and George’s words because in that moment Dream’s heart was more vulnerable than it had been in years.

George nodded, cheeks bright red and hand still on Dream’s jaw. “I loved you the second I saw you running towards me when I held Patches in my arm. Or well, that’s when I realized it.”

Dream swallowed roughly before he cupped George’s face with his hand. “I’m not sure when I fell in love with you but I realized it after we visited the shelter.”

His eyes glanced at George’s lips. They were a light pink and looked so soft in that moment Dream had to physically restrain himself from leaning in. George’s tongue darted out to lick them gently and he looked up from Dream.

“Can I kiss you?” Dream blurted. The words slipping out before he could think and once they had he wanted nothing more than to hit himself.

George froze for a second, causing Dream’s mind to go into overdrive with panic, before his shoulders began to shake and his lips twitched upwards. His sweet laughter filled the air and it was so contagious that Dream could help but to join in.

They laughed for a bit, giggles and wheezes mixing together, before they managed to slow it down. Once they had Dream’s hand cupped George’s face and he smiled at the other.

“So, is it still alright if I kiss you right now?” Dream asked.

George smiled and put his hand on Dream's jaw. “Hm, how bad do you want to kiss me?”

“George,” Dream whined, more to just be dramatic than out of genuine annoyance.

George giggled and leaned in. “You can kiss me, Dream.”

Dream’s lips caught George’s not even a second after he finished speaking. It was a soft and sweet kiss that sent the butterflies in Dream’s chest soaring. He felt George’s hum of delight and Dream reached his hand up and cupped George’s face to lean it slightly so they could deepen the kiss.

When they pulled away a couple seconds later a warmth buzzed on Dream’s lips. The urge to plant his lips right back on George’s own was great but he ignored it in favor of examining George’s face.

His breathing was shaky and each breath was clearly another attempt to stabilize it. His face was flushed, something that looked downright adorable, and his dark eyes were blown wide with an emotion Dream finally could recognize as desire.

“Is everything alright?” Dream asked, concern for the other slowly trickling in him. Sure George could have just been trying to catch his breath but these sorts of things were important no matter how much people liked to skip over them.

George nodded and his lips quirked up before he looked up at Dream. “It’s odd, i haven’t kissed someone in ages and I forgot how good it feels.”

Dream’s face flushed and he smiled. “Well I guess that’s going to change, huh?”

“Oh definitely,” George grinned, he raised an eyebrow up at the blonde. “I also didn’t know you were such a gentleman, Dream.”

“What?” Dream asked, tilting his head lightly at George’s words. A gentleman would have been all proper, given roses and lavish gifts along with the confession. Store bought chocolates and a teddy bear hardly counted as a lavish gift.

George grinned and kissed his cheek, causing Dream’s cheeks to turn red while a smile took over his face. “You don’t have to ask to kiss me. Not anymore at least.”

“So I could kiss you right now?” Dream asked. Anticipation thrumming in his body at the thought of kissing George again.

George laughed and leaned his face dangerously close to Dream’s face. “If you want to, sure.” The breath from his mouth ghosted on Dream’s lips, calling out to him like a siren and damn Dream was one foolish sailor.

Dream smiled before he leaned in to plant a soft kiss on the other’s lips. It was meant to be short but just sweet enough to bring a small satisfaction to both. However when George’s arms flung behind his neck to pull him closer it was impossible for both men to keep the kiss short.

What finally broke the kiss wasn’t their need for air but rather the meow of a rather needy cat with bad timing. Dream pulled away from the kiss to look at Patches standing at her food bowl, causing a huff of annoyance from George.

He gave his friend, maybe boyfriend, an apologetic look as he stood up to refill Patches bowl. “Sorry, I’ll be back in a minute.”

“I have the feeling you like that cat more than me,” George said, a playful smile on his face that contradicted his words.

“Maybe I do,” Dream hummed and tapped his chin, discreetly watching George’s eyes widen as his mouth dropped open.

He laughed and walked off to fill Patches bowl. The brown tabby cat stood near the empty food bowl and meowed up at Dream when she noticed him there.

Dream was quick to fill her bowl and didn’t look back at her before he rushed back into the living room, excited to get back to George.

He stopped and looked at George on the couch, who raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you going to sit down so we can continue or are you just going to stand there?”

Dream laughed as he walked over before he sat next to George on the couch. “The movie or…?” He teased.

“God,” George rolled his eyes with a scoff, “maybe I should just watch the movie and let you suffer.”

Dream’s eyes widened at the idea and his mouth dropped open in horror. “You aren’t serious, right?” He laughed nervously.

George only grabbed the remote and pressed play, causing disappointment to flood Dream. A couple seconds later he felt warm lips on his jaw and Dream stopped his pouting to give George a surprised look.

“You really thought I would prefer watching a movie over kissing you?” George asked.

The silence that followed the words was loud and George gave him an annoyed look before pecking Dream’s cheek with his lips. It was so fast Dream wondered if he had imagined it but when he turned and saw George’s smile he knew it had happened.

“Georgeee, you can’t act like that didn’t just happen!” Dream whined, clinging to the smaller brunette. He ignored the brunette’s splutters asking for the blonde to get off and continued to hug George.

“Who the fuck made you 6’3,” George grumbled under his breath. It was clearly not meant for Dream to pick up on but he managed to, barely, make out the words.

Dream laughed and kissed George’s temple. “Well technically my parents.” He laughed.

“Oh my God,” George groaned, his head dropped back and the side lightly tapped Dream’s shoulder. “You’re so annoying.”

“‘I may be but you love me,” Dream laughed before he dropped his head onto the top of George’s head.

George turned his head and kissed Dream’s neck, causing a furious blush on Dream’s face. “That I do, now let’s finish the movie.”

A warmth settled in Dream’s chest at hearing George confirm he loved Dream. He smiled to himself and decided that watching the movie wouldn’t be half bad so long as he got to cuddle with George. He wrapped an arm around the other and pulled him closer to Dream so George was leaning heavily against Dream’s side.

George’s eyes were trained on the screen for the rest of the movie but that was fine to Dream, he at least got to cuddle with the other for a bit. George’s smaller body pressed against Dream and wrapped him in a blanket of warmth despite only touching one side of Dream.

Nothing could have ruined the moment.

Dream smiled to himself as he lazily watched the screen, not really paying attention to the movie.

Once it reached the credits Dream held back a groan of delight. He looked at George’s face and froze when he saw the other’s eyes closed. His lips were parted and soft snores that had been hidden by the noise of the movie were finally being heard.

Dream felt his heart clench in his chest and he had half the thought to move his arm to grab his phone before rejecting the idea. If he moved his arm then he would be moving George, who was peacefully sleeping in his arms. Holy shit.

He could have stayed there forever with George in his arms and the peaceful atmosphere smothering Dream, begging for him to join George in sleeping. Sleeping next to the one you loved definitely didn’t sound like a bad idea.

Right when Dream’s eyes began to flutter closed a loud slam came from the front door and he found himself wide awake within a second. He jerked his head towards the door and saw Sapnap with a brown paper bag in his hand.

He felt George shift and raise his head from Dream’s chest to look at the door. Dream’s face went bright red as he watched his friend’s face go from wide eyed shock to a smug grin.

“Sapnap-” Dream started before a loud laugh cut him off.

“Oh you two finally got together! Thank God!” Sapnap cried, interrupting Dream.

He looked at the two’s red faces and watched them stutter in an attempt to save themselves from more embarrassment. His grin only grew as he shoved the brown bag on the table.

Sapnap looked at Dream with a devilish look and in that moment Dream had to fight the urge to fling himself at the man to get him to shut up. “I was sick hearing all of Dream’s gushing about you George! Seriously he ranted for like two hours one time about how pretty the barista at the coffee shop he started going to was.”

Dream’s mouth dropped open in horror and his head snapped to George, who was looking at him with a similarly flushed face.

“You talked about me to him?” He asked, voice soft and breathy in all the wrong ways that only made the warmth on Dream’s cheeks grow.

Laughter rang from Sapnap’s mouth. “Oh don’t act like you didn’t pine as well, Gogy. I remember that time in the kitchen when you were very passionately telling me about how unfairly hot my roommate was when it came to playing with cats. I even remember you gay panicking when he so much as smiled at Patches or pet her.”

George choked on his own spit and frantically pounded on his chest in an attempt to stop choking.

“You said you wouldn’t say a thing!” George hissed once he had calmed down. His face was as red as a tomato and Dream couldn’t tell if it was from blushing or from choking a couple of seconds ago.

“I just told my best friend’s secret to his crush so it’s only fitting that I would tell him how hot you found him after weeks of pining,” Sapnap snickered, clearly enjoying the scene unfolding in front of him.

“Y..you thought I was hot?” Dream mumbled out. His cheeks were downright burning and he had never felt more flustered in his life.

George’s eyes snapped up to Dream with an almost offended look on his face. “I..well of course I did! Have you seen yourself when you’re looking at Patches?”

“Obviously not!” Dream cried. At this point his brain was frantically screaming at him to stop talking and to just go in a corner before curling up in a ball and screaming.

There was a couple of seconds of silence between the three. Dream and George looked at each other with flushed faces while Sapnap stood there with an amused look.

“Well, I’ll leave you two to talk,” Sapnap awkwardly laughed behind him as he walked out of the room.

The silence that fell between George and Dream was stifling and made Dream want to squirm in his seat. He wasn’t quite sure how to proceed after all of this, after having George hear about how badly Dream had been crushing over him.

“I can’t believe that happened,” George said, breaking the silence.

Dream lifted his head and made eye contact with George. His face was now a softer pink and his eyes were wide with shock. It was adorable and made something in Dream scream at him to kiss the man in front of him.

“Can I kiss you?” Dream blurted out.

George looked up at him and huffed out a small laugh. “Please?”

This kiss was sweet and short, casual in a way that played with Dream’s heart. Soft. Everything was soft and Dream wanted to drown in the softness.

George pulled away and smiled at Dream. His hand reached over to grab Dream’s and he interlocked their fingers. “What are we now, Dream?”

“Boyfriends,” Dream said, he paused for a second, “I hope?” He added.

“Well that’s definitely alright with me,” George laughed, he gave a gentle squeeze to Dream’s palm which caused a soft squeeze in Dream’s heart.

“Boyfriends then.” Dream squeezed George’s hand back. A soft smile was shared between them and George giggled.

“My Dream.” George kissed his cheek, causing laughter to fall from Dream’s lips.

He gently pulled up George’s hand and looked into his dark eyes. Light freckles were splattered along his face and Dream wondered if George would ever let him count them out. He smiled at George and kept eye contact as he lifted George’s hand to his lips. He softly kissed the back of his hand and watched the other’s eyes widen before a pink blush dusted on his cheeks.

“D..Dream.” George’s hand didn’t move from Dream’s grasp and his eyes stayed locked onto Dream’s eyes.

“George,” Dream whispered, the words tender as they passed through his lips. He smiled at the beautiful man in front of him.

No, boyfriend. George was Dream’s boyfriend and the idea was enough to make Dream’s head go fuzzy and his heart warm.

“George I love you.”

It was louder than his previous I love you’s. It was clear and said with no nervous hesitation unlike all the previous times Dream said it. Dream loved George and he knew that George loved him, that was all he needed in that moment.

George had exhaled at the words stared at Dream for a couple of seconds before clearing his throat, breaking the careful silence after Dream had spoken.

“Y..you can’t do that,” George said, his face becoming redder with each second and his eyes dancing around the room as he spoke.

“Do what? Say I love you?” Dream felt a smile tug at his lips as he watched his boyfriend.

George’s eyes snapped to him and his face scrunched up in annoyance. “You know what I mean, Dream.” He exasperated, face still a burning red.

Dream chuckled and softly kissed George. They stayed there for a second before pulling away. Green met brown and Dream couldn’t help but to smile.

George smiled back and opened his mouth before a meow came from below them. Dream’s eyes glanced down to find Patches waiting there with her tail held high proudly. He smiled and bent down to pick her up to put her on his lap, knowing she would keep meowing unless he did otherwise.

“She’s needy.” George’s hand slowly untangled from Dream’s and he began to softly pet her head with a single finger.

“This isn’t even half of it.” Dream affectionately rolled his eyes as his lips twitched upward. “I’ve been around a lot of cats and I can safely say she’s one of the neediest cats I’ve met.”

Patches meowed and moved out of his lap to look at him before tentatively putting a paw on his chest. Her head leaned up to his and sniffed cautiously at him. She laid her paws down on his chest and laid down on him with her head facing Dream.

Dream glanced over to see George’s eyes wide and staring at him. He laughed and softly began to pet Patches. “Yeah, this is normal.” He whispered.

“She just stole my boyfriend from me,” George accused.

Dream let out a hard wheeze at the words, scaring Patches and causing her to hop off of his chest and onto the ground. She stared up at him while Dream was hunched over with his arms around his stomach. Tears built up in his eyes and he felt light headed from how hard he had wheezed.

After a couple of seconds Dream had managed to calm down he felt a hand rubbing small circles on his back. He took a couple of deep breaths and looked up at George, who was looking at him with amusement though there was the slightest bit of concern on his face.

“You’re such an idiot,” Dream exhaled, his breathing still uneven and shaky. He found himself staring at George, who appeared to calm down after hearing Dream speak.

“Whatever you say.” George rolled his eyes and moved his hand off of Dreams back.

Dream smiled and sat up before he leaned over to pull George closer to him. The smaller man’s body brought a warmth that spread all across Dream’s body and filled him with a sense of belonging.

In that moment with George's body pressed against Dream’s, Dream had never felt more at peace.

—————

The warm spring breeze hit Dream as he walked on the sidewalk. The sun beamed at him overhead and Dream thanked himself for having the insight to wear a T-shirt today. He walked past the shops and people until a familiar café was in sight.

He smiled to himself as he walked in and saw George at the counter. Dream watched the other’s face light up once he saw Dream and George gave one of his small genuine smiles as Dream walked over.

“Hey,” Dream smiled once he reached the counter. His backpack felt heavy on his back and he was running on three hours of sleep but the sight of George made a spark of energy rush through him.

George leaned on the counter and looked up at the blonde. “My shift doesn’t end until 4.” He informed Dream with a raised brow.

Dream smiled and tilted his head at his usual table. “I’ll wait then we can head out. Patches is going to be all clingy though when we get back to my apartment.”

“I swear that cat is in love with you.” George huffed, he looked at Dream for a couple seconds before he frowned. “You look like you’re dead on your feet, at least get a drink so you can stay awake,” He stood up straight and stretched his arms up with a groan.

“Fine, I’ll get the usual,” Dream said, pulling out his wallet to pass a five over to his boyfriend.

George squinted at the money, not moving to take it, until Dream noticed and put the money back in his wallet with a laugh. He watched a smile spread across George’s face before the other turned to go make the drink. Dream watched him make the drink and softly thanked him for it when he was handed it.

Soft humming music played overhead as Dream sat down. He pulled out his laptop and clicked on a random word doc to fake writing on so he could discreetly watch his boyfriend behind the counter.

After a couple of minutes of watching their eyes connected and George gave Dream a soft smile with a raised brow. Dream felt his cheeks heat up and he laughed as he waved at the brunette, who tentatively waved back.

Dream found himself smiling like an idiot as George turned away.

Fuck, Dream didn’t mean to get a crush on the coffee shop guy but damn it was definitely one of the best things that had happened to him in his life.