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Years ago, under blanket forts and behind the volume of cartoons on the TV Dream made a promise.
A sweet exchange of words, an oath to his best friend. A promise that seemed wildly mature for a young child like himself.
“When I grow up,” he whispered from beneath the thick blanket they lied protected under, voice hushed as not to wake his parents in the other room. “I’ll take care of you. And protect you too.”
George giggled with tiny hands covering his smile, “I’m older than you silly! I will be bigger than you.” Dream laughed along with George, infected by a fit of giggles and pajama-clad knees knocking together.
Before a parent could peek their head into the fort and tell the boys to settle down and go to sleep Dream placed his hands on George’s face, gave him a sincere look, and said “I’m serious, I promise.”
Then they fell asleep, Dreams hands on George’s cheeks and George loosely holding one of Dreams wrists in place.
George didn’t grow up to be bigger than Dream.
At fourteen years old Dream hit a growth spurt, suddenly his feet felt a little too far away and he kept having to buy new trousers. Dream kept getting taller while George’s growth happened much less dramatically.
One day during lunch hour at school Dream stood leaned against the cool drywall of the school building, waiting for the bell to ring. George had been across the hallway, chatting with some friends.
So lost in thought Dream didn’t even notice George had skipped his way over, not until he felt a tug on his tie.
“You’ve grown out of your uniform.” George said, toying with the fabric for a moment and seemingly inspecting it.
“I know,” He groaned. “It’s so annoying being tall!”
It was. It was annoying having to get a new uniform and adjust his shower head and not be able to sit up under the bottom bunk of his bed.
But there were plenty of perks to his new height, one of them being his new perspective of George. Before getting tall (or “stretching out” as George liked to call it) Dream never noticed how George’s hair spewed out from the whorl on top of his head. Or how innocent George seemed, looking up at him through his eyelashes.
Around that same age Dreams promise was brought back into the conversation.
It was that same time when it became the topic of one of their first real arguments.
George was leaving the school building after football practice when a few boys from their grade chose to pick a fight, it started with harmless shoves and tugging at George’s clothes but if Dream had not been at the right place at the right time it would’ve only escalated.
With his intimidating height Dream was able to get the bullies to run off, leaving George on the pavement slowly gathering the strength to get back up.
“Are you okay George?” Dream gasped, out of breath from acting all scary.
He leaned down and offered a hand to help George up. The brunet only huffed and shoved Dream’s hand away, regaining his footing on his own. “I had it under control.” George swung his bag over his shoulder and continued walking as though nothing happened.
“What? George?” Dream sputtered in confusion.
Quickly, he caught up to George, “What’s wrong? I was just trying to-“
“No! You know what Dream?” George shouted, interrupting his concerned friend and halting his walk to turn around and face Dream. “I could’ve gotten them off just fine, I don’t need you treating me like some helpless baby. Just because I’m not a fucking giant like you doesn’t mean I can’t take care of myself!”
And maybe it was true. Maybe George could’ve gotten those boys to leave and defuse the situation himself. But Dream was there to protect George like he promised he would.
They ended up breaking down on the grass outside of school. Knees stained green and bodies hugging in an apology, George’s tears sprinkling their shirts. Dream explained through sniffles that he never meant to imply that George was too weak to take care of himself but rather that he was defending George because he wanted to. He rested his cheek on George’s head and whispered, “I promised I would protect you.”
So Dream continued to keep his promise. Intimidating bullies was only a small responsibility and if it meant George’s smile remaining genuine it was worth whatever sacrifice.
Around age seventeen the pair were invited by a mutual friend to attend a holiday party of some sort. After some convincing from George, Dream agreed to go.
The night was uneventful, cast by the kids in their year that Dream just could’ve guessed were partygoers. Cheap alcohol (not that any of them knew it was) swirled in Dreams half-full cup, tempting him to take another sip. He was about to say something to George but when he turned to his left George wasn’t there anymore.
Gone with the wind, George was too far away for Dreams liking. And he looked to be engaging in a conversation with a girl. Her friends had left and the darkened corner they backed into made Dream's skin crawl. One of her hands held a cup just like Dreams and the other rested on George's bicep, her giggles stinging Dreams ears and making his face tint red with anger.
Before Dream could stop himself and think it through he was zipping across the room. Without a clear plan, he joined George at his side, snaking his arm around George's waist and rudely interrupting their conversation. Her hand falling off George's arm and resting awkwardly at her side.
Jealousy's a bitch because moments later the girl had left and George was scowling up at Dream. With harsh eyes full of anger and disbelief George shoved Dream away and left, weaving through bodies searching for an exit.
At the time Dream didn't know why he did it. Something about seeing George talking to a pretty girl (who seemed quite interested in him) set fire to bitter envy inside Dream. He was frustrated, because who thought they could do that? Why would someone make moves on his George?
George had made it about halfway down the street by the time Dream processed what was happening and rushed out the building after him.
That night Dream tried to explain himself the whole walk home, George ignoring him and walking ahead.
A few days later they both (non verbally) agreed to ignore the whole situation and act as though nothing happened. Only after Dream came knocking at George's window one evening and crawled into his arms.
After that, the two had a subconscious agreement to not flirt with other people. It was strange from other people's perspectives but made sense in their eyes.
When they made it home from school one day they were rushing up the stairs to Dreams bedroom when they were stopped by Dream's mother. She was asking all of the usual 'how are you? How's the family?' questions but then she asked something that really put Dream and George in their place.
"Are there any girls in your life George?" She asked in a harmless joking tone.
George's body stiffened at the question and Dream's hand made its way to the small of George's back. A wordless warning, a silent plea for the conversation to be over.
"Uh,' George stalled. "Not like that, no. You know how it is, with school and everything?"
Then Dream was shouting some apology/excuse and pulling George up the stairs, swiftly shutting the door behind them.
Twenty minutes later, with their school uniforms half unbuttoned, they lied on Dreams bed. That was something they developed over the years, both agreeing that it was calming to lie together after a long day of school. George's head resting on Dream's chest and breaths in sync.
"Sorry about my mom and all that." Dream said, interrupting a pocket of silence.
George opened his eyes, shifting to peek up at Dream. "It's okay. I guess it's a normal question to ask." Dream nodded.
"I'm just embarrassed. I felt so weird when she asked that."
"How come?" George asked, playing with the collar of Dreams shirt. Looking back at it now, Dream swears George knew exactly what he was doing.
"Well, just," Dream stuttered a little, leaning his head back into the pillow in slight frustration. "The idea of you getting a girlfriend makes me feel weird."
A slim finger pressed to Dreams jaw, guiding his face to look at George. "Why?" George whispered, eyes flicking to Dreams lips for hardly a split second.
Without words exchanged, Dream tempted the universe, leaning until their noses brushed. Holding back excitement when George's eyes fluttered shut as though they'd been that close before a million times. The brunet gently rubbed their noses together with closed eyes, his warm breath seeping into Dreams parted lips.
Dream swore George had never looked so cute. He didn't want to hold back, he wanted to give George what he seemed to be asking for. So he kissed George, gentle and cautious. Ignoring every fear he had, every consequence he knew the action would garner.
Kissing George for the first time (or rather, finally) was something Dream couldn't describe. All he knew was that he wanted to do it all the time.
In the bathroom at school, before leaving either of their bedrooms, when they won playing whatever video game, after a hard day at home, every chance they got their lips were pressed close and hands tangled in hair.
By the time leaving off to university was approaching they both knew they had to say something. Because ever since that day Dreams mom asked if George had a girlfriend and they burned down the bridge between friendship and lovers they hadn't labeled what they were doing.
But Dream did something stupid. With powerful encouragement from his parents and teachers, he applied to a university several countless hours away from their hometown. Too far to travel by car and too expensive to travel by plane more than once or twice a year. And with Dreams luck (or rather his good school performance and meeting all the schools requirements) he got accepted into the university.
He planned to keep it a secret. Well, really Dream didn't have any clear plan at the time. The two had both applied to all the same universities so they could stay together. He never told George about the other school. But as these things happen George found out.
Crying on his bed, the same one he'd slept on his whole life, George felt betrayed. Dream had tried to comfort George, tried to twist and arrange his words in a way that fixed everything. George kept shoving him off.
"I thought you were supposed to protect me?" George whispered after the tears had slowed and his voice was scratchy. "How are you going to protect me when you're so far away?" He asked as he raised his head, bloodshot eyes piercing Dream.
Dream had been just as broken, never had he cried so hard in his life. Nothing stung more than seeing George hurt and knowing that it was his fault, that he was the reason George could barely breathe.
He didn't end up going to that school.
Much to the disapproval of his parents and everyone who'd been rooting for Dream to attend that university, he couldn't. He didn't want to. He needed to be near George, to keep his promise.
One semester into university Dream and George had been leaving class together hand in hand when a friend they made in the short months they'd been students there (Sapnap, a friend they'd end up keeping close for years to come) asked the pair a question they hadn't actually addressed properly before.
"Are you guys like, boyfriends?" Sapnap asked, holding the straps of his backpack and jogging slightly to keep pace with them.
Dream froze. Eyes widening slightly. But George seemed calm, a content smile painting his face.
"Yeah?" George said, catching Dream's eyes.
"Yeah." Dream agreed, fear melting away and being left on the sidewalk behind them. "Yeah, we're boyfriends."
Pride inflated in their chests, picking them up off the ground. Boyfriends. Boyfriends. Boyfriends.
So they made it official, put the stamp of 'boyfriends' on everything they did together, everything they developed. Remaining glued at the hip and confessions of 'I love you' finally meaning what they had actually felt for so long.
And Dream kept his promise. All those years ago where memories from that time are blurry and muffled, Dream remembers his promise. What he said to George, at the time not knowing how powerful his words were and everything the future had in store for the two.
"When I grow up, I'll take care of you. And protect you too."