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For the thousandth time, Dream remembered that George was sitting right next to him and almost gasped out loud. No one could blame him for not being used to it, he’d only met his best-friend-slash-hopeless-crush in person for the first time three days ago! He was allowed to relish this for now. He was allowed to feel pure unbridled joy filling him as he looked around the room, filled with friends from far flung places who had finally been brought together by vidcon. Dream couldn’t quite remember how they’d ended up having a party at Niki’s place, filling her living room with snack food and dumb games Dream hadn’t played since high school, but he didn’t really care because George, surprisingly shy for someone so easily lovable, had been clinging to Dream’s side all evening.
Niki, still beet red from the secret she told last round, turned to George and asked, “truth or dare?”
“Dare,” he answered immediately. Dream was only half paying attention to the game because he had better things to think about. Mostly the way the light from the ceiling lamp reflected off George’s deep brown eyes. And the curl of his eyelashes. And his hair that Dream knew was incredibly soft but couldn’t touch. He’d thought he knew how beautiful his closest friend was, but everything was better in person, apparently.
“Let me do your makeup,” Niki grinned. The image of George’s already gorgeous face with Niki’s winged eyeliner flashed unbidden into Dream’s mind. Not that he was at all upset by the thought, quite the opposite really. Dream swallowed and forced his eyes away from his best friend.
“What? Makeup?” George laughed.
“Do you not want to?”
“I mean, you could always pick truth…” Karl singsonged. From the way he spoke, Dream felt like he was definitely missing something.
“Fine, fine!” George rolled his eyes. “You can do my makeup!” Niki whooped and dragged him off into a corner of the room.
Sapnap elbowed Dream with a smirk. “You gonna be able to handle that?” he whispered.
“Shut the fuck up!” Dream hissed back.
“Hmm…” Niki rummaged through her supplies. “What color eyeshadow should I use?”
“Pink suits him,” Dream piped up before he could catch himself. He was really just digging his own grave now, huh?
George whipped his head around to face Dream, a shocked look on his pretty face. “It does?”
“Uh, yeah,” Dream answered. George stared at him for a moment before turning back to Niki. As soon as he wasn’t looking, Sapnap elbowed Dream again.
“Wait,” Niki exclaimed, “wait, that gives me an idea!” She scooped all her makeup stuff into one arm and pulled George towards her room with the other. “We’re doing a full makeover, come with me!”
“Dream’s gonna pass out when Niki’s done with him,” Sapnap giggled once the door slammed shut.
“Shut up!”
“Is he wrong though?” Karl teased, lifting his head off of Sapnap’s shoulder to look Dream in the eye.
“Nooooooo...” Dream groaned.
“What was he like the first time he saw George in person, Sapnap?” Bad asked. “I mean, if he’s like this now that must have been hilarious!” Dream shot Bad a look of betrayal, who just smiled at him.
“He was a mess, oh my god!” Dream covered his head with a pillow as Sapnap launched into one embarrassing story after another. Eventually Karl cut in with adorable stories about Sapnap from their first meeting that made his boyfriend blush so hard he stole Dream’s hiding-pillow for himself, and soon everyone was recounting various meetups. They had enough stories that they hadn’t even begun to run out when Niki stuck her head out of her bedroom door and called out that she was finished.
“May I present to you, GeorgeNotFound!” Niki pulled George back into the room by the arm, and oh, Dream really was fucked. She had taken his advice on color and ran with it, because George was wearing beautiful pink, glittery eyeshadow and perhaps more importantly Niki’s strawberry dress, which, wow, ok, really suited him, and if George had been the most beautiful person Dream had ever seen before the makeover he could rival Aphrodite now.
It wasn’t like Dream had a particular liking for guys in dresses. Nothing wrong with it of course, but it just wasn’t something he really thought about. Seeing George in one had probably (definitely) changed that. He immediately made himself look away from the plunging neckline and focused on the adorable puffy shoulders, the glimmering waves of skirt that shifted around his legs when he moved, the stunning winged eyeliner and the slight pink in his cheeks that could’ve been blush or actual blushing. Probably both.
George saw him staring and forced out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, I know, I look stupid—”
“What?!” Dream asked incredulously. “Stupid?! No, you look amazing.” The words were out of his mouth before he could dampen the reverence lacing them. He could feel everyone in the room watching them with bated breath, but Dream’s eyes stayed locked on his best friend.
George smiled and Dream felt light headed. “Really?”
“Yeah, are you kidding?” He turned to Niki, who was looking back and forth between the two of them with a sly smile. “Has he not seen himself yet?”
“No, no, he has.”
“So you know how damn good you look, then!” Dream really needed to get a filter at some point.
George rolled his eyes and looked away from him. “Uh, yeah, ok.”
“Do a spin, do a spin!” Karl cheered. George twirled, making the dress spin in a wide circle. The swishing, glittery skirt was mesmerizing until George tripped on his own feet and fell forward, but Dream rushed forward to catch him just in time. George gripped Dream’s arms and looked up into his adoring eyes.
George’s timid smile had faded. “Ok, I get it, Niki made me look pretty, you can stop staring,” he muttered, looking at his feet. After so many years Dream could read George like a book, and what he saw made his heart shatter.
“No no no, George, she didn’t make you pretty.” Dream lifted George’s chin with one hand to look him in the eyes and only half regretted it. All he could think about was how much he needed to explain the truth to his friend. “You’re always pretty. You’re fucking gorgeous, George.” If Dream was paying attention to anyone else, he would have seen most of their friends leave the room to give them privacy, and a couple of their friends sticking around to watch (cough Sapnap). But needless to say, Dream didn’t notice anything except George’s cheeks turning a shade of pink to rival his eyeshadow.
“You really think that?”
“You don’t?” Dream asked. George bit his lip and glanced to the side. “George…”
“Whatever, it’s not a big deal.”
“No!” Dream moved his hand from George’s chin to cup his cheek, which was probably a mistake but he didn’t have time to think about that . “It is a big deal. You should know that you’re beautiful! I fucking mean it, everyone agrees, too, you’re gorgeous, and kind, and handsome, and smart, and stunning, and inspiring, and—”
“Ok, ok, I get it!”
“Do you?” Dream asked. “I mean, I know it might be hard for you to believe but—”
“I believe you,” George said softly. “Well, I believe that you mean it. I guess that’s a start.”
“Yeah,” Dream said with a smile, “it is.” For a moment, neither of them said anything, which made Dream incredibly aware of the position they were in. He was still holding George’s face with one hand, and George was still gripping Dream’s other arm despite having long since steadied himself. They were so close that the hem of the strawberry dress brushed against Dream’s shins, so close that it would be way too easy for Dream to lean down and ruin the lipstick Niki put on him so expertly.
George’s cheeks flushed darker. “What?” he asked, his voice trembling.
“I… nothing.” Dream tore his gaze away from George’s pink lips, but just ended up looking into his eyes.
“Are you sure?” George murmured, holding Dream’s arm even tighter.
“I, uh…” He tried to come up with a less incriminating answer and came up with nothing. “No?”
“No as in it’s… something?” Dream was starting to wonder if this was all just one of his namesakes, because George was looking up at him with something like hope in his eyes.
“Uh, do you, uh,” Dream stammered, “do you want it to be, uh… to be that?” If there had ever been a clumsier confession Dream would like to see it, but he didn’t really care because George’s face split into a wide smile. He opened his mouth to speak but it seemed like all he could do was nod like his life depended on it, and Dream pulled him into a hug like his depended on it.
“LET’S GOOOO!!” Sapnap screamed. “The idiots finally confessed!” Distant cheers and shouting came from the other rooms of the house.
“Karl!” Niki ran back into the living room and yelled over the noise, “the makeover worked, you owe me five pounds!”
“Guys!” Dream wheezed. “What the fuck?”
“Oh my god…” George groaned, hiding his face in Dream’s chest.
“Awwww, you guys are so cute!” Bad squealed. “I’m so happy for you!”
“Niki! You did that on purpose?” Dream shouted.
“You’re welcome!” Niki laughed.
“Wait, wait, what? What did you do?” George asked.
“She almost gave Dream a heart attack!” Sapnap cackled. “I’m surprised your face still has any effect on him with how much he’s been staring at you, but apparently a little make up and a pretty dress was just too much for him!”
“Shut up!” Dream moaned.
George laughed and nuzzled his face into Dream’s chest. “You’re such an idiot.”
Dream was too happy for words, and just murmured an agreeing “mhm.”
The two of them stayed there, wrapped in each other’s arms in the middle of the room, whispering long bottled up secrets to each other and swaying as if they might start slow dancing, long after their friends had all gone back to whatever they were doing before. The party wasn’t important anymore, not to Dream and George. They didn’t need anything but each other.