Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Geooooooorge.”

Dream’s whine was punctuated with a smile, and George tried to look annoyed as he rolled his eyes.

It was early in the morning and they were sitting by the water, right at the edge of the forest. Sapnap and Bad were nowhere to be found, probably off doing their own father and son bonding or whatever, so Dream and George had been stuck together for the past two or so hours. They tolerated each other well enough… or at least one of them did. 

“ Yes, Dream?” George impatiently asked Dream. After a good amount of work put into the community house, he felt like they deserved to rest. Hearing his name in Dream’s voice in that tone made alarms blare in his head. He wanted to claim that it wouldn’t end well, but it probably would— just with a lot of bickering and dragging George around involved.

While some mischievous plan swirled in Dream’s mind, they continued to sit by the water; George chose to stay as dry as possible while Dream was happily swishing his feet by the shallow waters. The only reason George was able to maintain his dry status was the threat he’d directed at Dream. As playful as the blond was, he had no desire for George to grow random mushrooms on his skin again. For lack of a better word, it felt really fuckin’ weird. It was a hard pass for him.

All the while, George pretended to find his best friend’s whining annoying. And yet, the unmistakable hints of a smile on his face made it clear that he was having fun being with Dream. His eyes shined brighter because Dream’s boredom only ever promised George one thing:

“Do you wanna get out of here?” A musical laugh finally made it out of George. He rolled his eyes but reached his hand out nonetheless with his head tilted, raising his eyebrows Dream.

And Dream, like the gentleman he was, got up immediately. He dramatically bowed in front of George as he took the offered hand.

A small soft hand took a larger and more calloused one, and George was quickly pulled up. If you asked George, he’d claim that the height difference was nothing. Even as he looked up at Dream’s shining eyes, seeing the sunlight wisp through that soft blond hair, he’d never admit to their height difference. 

Instead, he’d admit to the comfort he found in Dream’s arms. He’d admit to the warmth in both his hands and in his heart as the taller boy intertwined their fingers; he’d admit to the (probably) extremely obvious blush on his cheeks when a certain boy looked at him in that certain way.

He’d admit to all of that— just not to Dream.

And so, as Dream took George’s hand in his, they began walking.

“Where to, my prince?” Dream asked as he went to untie his horse’s lead. George chuckled and shook his head as he tried to hide his smile. He let it slip that he found the “prince” bit cute once and Dream just never let it go.

Instead, he turned away and squinted at some faraway area to the north. He focused on the distant area until he saw the beginning shapes of mountains and a tiny river in between that could lead to a nice refreshing beach, maybe.

George faced Dream and pointed in the direction of the place he wanted to go to.

“There,” he gestured. Dream only nodded before pulling himself up onto the horse. George could barely reach his arm over the horse and Dream just resisted his laughter while he watched the smaller boy struggle to yank himself up and onto the saddle. Even with his foot on the thing meant to assist him up, George was extremely wobbly. Dream was just waiting for him to give in.

George looked up at Dream with exasperation in his eyes, only to be met with the twinkle of entertainment in Dream’s. “Don’t make me ask, Dream,” he pleaded.

“Ask what, George?” Dream played innocent. George hated asking for help, especially from either Dream or Sapnap. His brown eyes twitched in annoyance before he took a deep breath.

“Just help me get up, idiot. You know I hate getting on horses.” Dream only hummed.

Luckily, Dream’s cloak was just out of George’s reach. If it was only a few inches longer, George would’ve tugged himself up with it already, leaving Dream to choke. He heaved a sigh one more time before giving in.

“Could you please help me up?”

“Oh, well you could’ve just asked me, George,” Dream responded with a smug grin on his face. He easily took George’s hand and pulled him up just enough so that George could swing his leg over to the other side.

When he got settled on the seat, George took his hand back and made it a point to wipe it on his own coat. Dream just rolled his eyes.

“For someone who likes holding my hand so much, you sure love to pretend you hate it.” George could feel Dream’s self satisfied smile even if he couldn’t see it.

“Shut up and lead the horse before I grow a mushroom on your shoulder.”

Dream chuckled and, despite wanting to stick to the bratty act, George couldn’t help but laugh along with him. 

“You really need to think of new threats, George,” Dream said as he tugged on the lead to get them moving. “Not that I’ll ever be afraid of you, but it’s cute to see you try.”

Now, because of that comment, George really wanted to stay on the horse without holding onto Dream. But considering his lack of prior experience with horses and the sheer wobbliness of sitting on a galloping horse, he didn’t have much of a choice.

It was a decision between giving in and putting his arms around Dream, or falling off a moving horse. He didn’t really know why he was making it such a big deal, but he learned a long time ago that bratiness was extremely fun, especially around Dream. He refused to lose, so he did the next best thing:

“Dream~” George’s voice lowered as he snaked his hands around Dream’s waist. He resisted a smile when he felt Dream tense up immediately. Sadly, he wasn’t tall enough to whisper into Dream’s ear or anything, but he hoped that his lips and hot breath against Dream’s back would be enough to get his best friend all worked up.

George found it adorable hilarious when Dream got flustered. The damn blond got to tease George like this way too often in George’s opinion. This was just payback, and Dream was making it too easy for him to do so.

“George—” Dream tried. His brain was short circuiting. He knew he should be focusing on balancing on the horse and leading them into the mountains, but his mind insisted on zoning into the cold of George’s hands. He never really understood why they were always so cold, but it was definitely making it hard to not focus on them, right now.

George leaning into him only made it worse.

“What, Dream? I’m just holding onto you like I'm supposed to. We don’t want me falling off now, do we?” His voice was low but sweet, hitting just the right spots in Dream’s mind.

Sighing, Dream was the one to give in this time. He mumbled a small “you’re gonna get us into an accident” before leaning into George’s touch. The older boy was satisfied with his little “victory”, so he properly hugged Dream from behind and laid his cheek against the taller’s strong back. He hummed at the warmth, and Dream sighed again.

And George called him the mischievous one.

They continued that way, making their way through a few different biomes. George seemed to be extremely content with his position against Dream, and it wasn’t like Dream was going to complain, either. 

Despite that, an hour straight on a horse was already too much for someone inexperienced like George. This caused them to have multiple stop-overs in various places across the server.

Now that was an adventure in itself when it was Dream and George.

Their first stop was the jungle forest.

“DREAM!”

“Oh my—”

Dream turned around from what he was doing to look at George, only for his eyes to land on nothing. His gaze shifted upwards to see a certain small man look a bit smaller all the way up in a tree. You could fit at least one and a half GeorgeNotFounds between George and the ground. George wasn’t that high up, but Dream would rather have both their feet on the ground. 

“George, get down from there!” He shouted; Dream’s fear of heights was kicking in even though he wasn’t the one holding onto the vines on the side of a gigantic tree.

“Look!” George laughed. “I’m taller than you!”

“You’re still short, idiot! How the hell are you getting down?” Dream exclaimed, wobbling around in his position right by George. The man could fall at any moment with those noodle arms, and Dream didn’t want their little adventure to end with broken limbs.

“Catch me, then!”

That wasn’t part of the plan.

“What?!”

“Tell me I’m tall or catch me, you dumbass!” George repeated.

“I am not calling you tall!?” Dream shouted back, somewhat sure that George wouldn’t dare drop from that height with nothing but hope that Dream would catch him.

“Alright, then. Your—”

That was the last thing Dream processed before all his senses zoned in on an average-sized man falling down and towards him. He reached his arms out instinctively and—

“Oh— fuck that kinda hurt.”

“George what the fuck?” Dream cried out from beneath his idiot best friend. “Did you actually just jump down from—”

“Yes, and you barely caught me! Congratulations, dick,” George let out breathy laughter while rolling himself off of Dream. Sure, it was a majorly risky move on his part, but Dream had good enough arms— surely, he would’ve been able to catch him, no problem, right?

Okay, so he didn’t take gravity into consideration, so what? They may have landed on their asses, but nothing was broken. That was good enough for George.

“Please never do that again.” Dream was (understandably) out of breath and dusting off dirt and leaves from his clothes.

George didn’t respond, just dusting off god knows what off of his own clothes with small bursts of laughter.

“George.” Dream’s voice was stern.

“Dream.” George faced Dream with an exaggeratedly serious look on his face.

They had a staredown until the edges of George’s lips turned upwards, his smile growing bigger and bigger. Eventually, he burst out laughing, and Dream couldn’t help but join in, even if he was exasperated with George’s behavior.

“You’re an actual fucking idiot, George,” he mumbled.

“Yes, well, so are you,” George smiled in a mockingly sweet manner, teasing his best friend.

The unsaid “ that’s why we’re so perfect together” was left in the air.

“Ugh. I can’t believe you did that,” Dream complained again, already making his way back to the horse. “Let’s just get out of here and—” his voice suddenly stopped.

“And what, Dream?” George asked. He turned around to face his best friend who had just gotten up and walked away for some reason. George followed along, also getting back on his feet. Realization struck him when he saw just what Dream was creeping up on.

“Dream—”

“Be quiet, George!”

That made George stop in his tracks. He stared at the back of Dream’s head with a mix of disbelief and astonishment. No one ever spoke to George that way… besides Sapnap, but that wasn’t the point here. George couldn’t recall the last time Dream ever told him to shut up.

“ Excuse me?!” He whisper-shouted.

“George, for the love of god, please be quiet this once,” Dream pleaded, reaching into his bag. His eyes were trained on the parrot in front of him while his hand shuffled around his bag for the wheat seeds he kept around for this specific reason.

George couldn’t do much more besides watch in slight exasperation. Despite his slight confusion about the situation, a small smile made its way on his face. He gently shook his head, and fondness seeped into his eyes.

Dream really liked parrots, huh.

Ever since he got one a few months back, he’s been obsessed with collecting them. They often get lost before he gets to bring them back to the community house, but that never discouraged him from trying.

It was kinda cute.

Still, Dream couldn’t be that lucky every time. This parrot didn’t stop pretty much screaming at Dream regardless of how many seeds he tried to feed it. It kinda hurt, but George just hugged him from behind.

“Maybe next time, yeah?” He tried to lighten up the mood. Dream just gave him a sad smile and a nod.

He ruffled George’s hair before they decided to go back, and George let him. They could joke all they want about how Dream could never say no to George, but surely, these two knew that George was the same with Dream— bratty as he may be, as annoying as he wanted to be, there was nothing he wouldn’t do for Dream.

So, he let his hair be ruffled. He let Dream laugh at his messy hair because it meant seeing that smiling face again even if he was a bit sad that the bird didn’t bond with him. It seemed a bit trivial at face value, but Dream had always been big on having connections with animals. Such a blatant rejection from one of his favourite kinds of birds was sure to bother him. And that was okay— George would just assure him that it would get better, and they believed it would.

It was kind of like magic, really, how they tended to affect each other.

Maybe next time , he thought again. Maybe one day, he’d get a parrot for him and Dream to take care of. It would be cute, and he and Dream would bond over the bird as well. It would be a win-win.

George hummed to himself as Dream helped him up the horse again.

Next time.

Then, it was the field of flowers. It was pretty out of nowhere since they were going in the direction of a more mountain-y area, but it was a pleasant enough surprise. The moment they rode up to it, Dream already found himself smiling. Not as much because he particularly liked flowers, but because he knew George loved them.

George wanted to be annoying. He really did. But when Dream gave him a small collection of dandelions for George to wish on, fully knowing that it was the boy’s favourite, George couldn’t help but go pink. He didn’t even notice Dream doing it since he was so distracted by the sheer abundance and diversity of flowers on the field. George covered his face with his hands while he laughed, hiding his face as he always did, but accepted the flowers nonetheless.

“Make your wish, George,” Dream prodded, nudging George’s shoulder. He was excited to see the look on George’s face when the dandelion fluff floated through the air. George has always acted like a little kid in that sense; his face would brighten up at the simplest things—

Dream found it cute, though. It just made making George smile all the easier to do.

“Shut up, I don’t wanna do it while you’re looking,” George mumbled.

“Okay. Fine, then.”

“What—” Dream then grabbed George’s shoulders and turned him around. “Dream what are you—” He tried again, until he felt Dream’s face snuggle into the crook of his neck, arms snaking around his waist, this time.

“Dream, what are you doing ?” George asked, flustered out of his mind all over again. Dream’s arms were long enough to reach all the way around George’s torso, having him wrapped up like some Dream burrito. Even worse (better?) Dream was smiling against his skin, his breath warm on his neck, pushing him towards the brink of just passing out in his arms. His lips were less than an inch away. If George would just—

“Don’t turn around!”

“What?!”

“I’m not looking at you, so go make your wish!” 

George blinked.

“Seriously?! You’re doing this just to see me make the wish?”

“I won’t see you, dickhead,” Dream laughed. “My head’s on your shoulder so I can see you holding the flowers and everything.”

“Dream!” George still shrieked. “Let go of me or I’ll—”

“You’ll what? Grow mushrooms on me?” Dream challenged. “I told you. I’m not afraid of you, George,” he said as he kept his arms around the now wriggling man in his grasp.

George only huffed, not having taken Dream’s reminder to think of more threats seriously. He didn’t really know what else he could do against the tall man who could easily pin him down if he wanted to.

He didn’t let that thought stay in his head for any longer; especially not when said strong arms were currently wrapped around him.

Dream clearly wasn’t going to let this go. He really wanted to see George wish upon the dandelions he gave, so wishing upon dandelions he’d get. With a sigh, George gave in.

But as George took in his first deep breath, he didn’t blow on the flowers. Instead, he zoned into the feeling of Dream pressed into him, arms around his waist. He was sure that Dream could feel how George smiled, with their faces so close to each other, but he didn’t mind. Not anymore.

George closed his eyes, and made his wish.

When he next opened his eyes, it was because Dream shook him in excitement.

“What’d you wish for, George?” He asked, his dimples even more obvious with that cute smile he always did when he got excited.

Brown eyes landed on sparkling green ones.

That.

That’s exactly what I wished for.

“It’s none of your business, Dream,” George tried to brush him off, moving away from Dream. The latter let him, but he pouted as he did so.

“C’mon! I gave you the flowers, George. It’s kind of my right to know.”

To his surprise, George just stuck his tongue out at him. “I can’t tell you, or it won’t come true.” He turned away again, making his cute little lip-less smile as his head tilted back, looking up at the sky. 

His head fell to the side when he looked at Dream.

“You already know that, don’t you?”

Dream just sighed, saying “I know, I know.” He put his hands on his hips, switching his weight from right to left leg in feigned deep thought.

He was so distracted by the moving trees and clouds that he didn’t notice George walking up to him.

“There. Take it,” George mumbled, holding something out to Dream.

“What…” Dream’s eyes shifted from George’s face to what he held in his hands.

...oh?

OH.

He buried his face in his left hand while his right one accepted the little gift. His body was vibrating with shoved down laughter.

“Stop laughing at me and let’s go,” George demanded, his voice slightly hesitant. If he let this prolong any more, Dream would—

“You are such a secret romantic, George! I can’t believe you—” And… there Dream went. Off his mouth went, full of witty comments, snarky jokes, and no one could leave out that insane laugh of his that still made George wonder that if they had pseudo-demons like Bad on the server, surely , it would make sense for Dream to be a half-kettle?

“No, but seriously— seriously , George—” Dream let out between his laughter, reaching for George’s hand. He let himself sober up real quick before looking his best friend in the eye and saying:

“Thank you for the rose, George. I appreciate it.”

George’s face burst into red. He pulled his hand back and away from Dream, embarrassed as he made his way back to the horse.

“George— George!” Dream called after him, still laughing. The sweetness and warmth of the small gesture still circulated within Dream, making sure that the smile on his face didn’t fade anytime soon.

George continued to walk away, but didn’t speed up when Dream finally caught up to him.

“Where’d you even get it? I didn’t see any roses when I looked for your dandelions?”

“My affinity for nature doesn’t stop at mushrooms, idiot. Of course, I’d find them better than you ever could.”

“You seem pretty competitive over finding flowers, Georgie—”

“Don’t call me that!”

George huffed in annoyance with his arms crossed, but there was an unmistakable lift to his mouth that looked a lot like another one of his tender smiles that always seemed to appear when he was around Dream.

He could act like he didn’t love every single thing Dream has ever done, be it being sweet to him or simply breathing, but there was no way he could deny the way his heart felt like it was being hugged by the sweetest panda in the world when he was with Dream.

And when he looked to the side, eyes turned up, watching the way Dream’s eyes crinkled when he smiled or how his mouth opened so wide when he laughed, George couldn’t help but smile to himself too.

He watched his feet while he kicked the grass, and he’d nudge against Dream’s side every now and then just to bother him.

You.

You’re exactly what I wished for.

And I’m wishing that it’ll be you and me ‘til the end.

“George?” Dream called back for him. Apparently, George had slowed down his walking, and was now a short way from the horse, where Dream was waiting.

“I’m coming!” He replied.

“Sure you are, George.”

“God—” Dream earned a solid whack on the arm from George. “Shut up and help me get up.”

Dream just laughed again.

“Okay, George,” he held onto George’s hand. “Anything for you,” he said as he kissed his knuckles.

“Shut up and go , Dream!”

“I’m going, I’m going!”

Lastly, they just took a break by the river. George insisted that he wanted their camp for the night to be by some cliff overlooking the water and everything, but he also whined about being tired. So, they settled for a quick break there. It was just the right distance from the last field, but just a short enough way to the mountain they wanted to climb as well.

This stop-over wasn’t nearly as eventful as their other ones, but when George sat on Dream’s lap, resting his head on the taller one’s chest... neither had any reason to complain. As much as they both enjoyed the bickering and the playfulness, it was in calm moments like these that they both remembered how much the quiet meant to them, too.

They remembered that they didn’t need action or constant energy when they were together. It was more than enough to hold each other so close, enjoying the warmth and comfort. Dream’s little songs and humming just made it all the better.

George couldn’t help the smile on his face. He turned his body to the side ever so slightly to bury his face into Dream’s chest, finding even the smell of the man comforting. He almost fell asleep right then and there.

It was in those quiet moments that George knew .

He loved Dream beyond his own comprehension.

It wasn’t a strike of lightning or a sudden realization; it was knowledge that’s been lingering in his mind for the past months. Knowledge that got brought to the forefront of his mind in these small moments, and in every small touch. Though George still didn’t fully understand it, he understood the way the warm feeling sunk into him— not unlike each and every one of Dream’s hugs.

George has never been the type to linger on his feelings, much less his romantic feelings for his best friend . It was quite literally beyond his comprehension— he didn’t understand it— not really, at least.

And yet, despite all that, he knew that there was not a person in this world who wouldn’t see the way George looked at his best friend.

Because normal best friends look at each other as they are— best friends. Best friends don’t usually look at each other with hearts in their eyes; like the other was their world, and that the rest of the universe could crumble down around them, but it was okay. It would be okay, because at least they were together.

But that was exactly how George looked at Dream. It was all that and so much more, whether or not he’d ever let himself admit it out loud.

And when George looked up at Dream only to find his green eyes already looking at him, part of him dared to hope that Dream felt the same way.

“You know, George,” Dream began, “We’ve done this so many times that I’m starting to think that you just like finding excuses to hold my hand.”

George scoffed, taking Dream’s offered hand anyway. They were at the foot of the mountain they were to climb, and it was time they tied the horse’s lead to a tree. George had as much of a hard time getting off the horse as he did getting on it in the first place, but Dream still loved to poke fun at him anyway. George was average, he wasn’t even that short— screw his best friend for being so obnoxiously tall.

When he landed on the ground with a slight thump, George just dusted himself off with a mumble of “shut up” as he lightly smacked Dream’s arm.

The taller man pretended to be hurt, if only to validate his friend. George walked straight ahead, simply assuming that Dream would follow right behind him.

And, well, he did.

Dream jogged up to George’s side, slightly panting from the weight of some of their camping stuff. The horse usually carried it, but they weren’t about to force the four-legged creature to hike up a mountain.

The way up was a relatively short climb since they didn’t go all the way up, but the sun had just begun to set by the time they reached the little area that was to be their campsite for the night. It was the perfect spot, exactly as George wanted. It was among the mountains, just a medium sized patch of flat earth so they could stay there while watching the calm waves of the ocean.

George never really understood Dream’s fear of heights, so he sat cross-legged a bit near the edge. Close enough to give him the thrill of being so high up, but far enough so that Dream wouldn’t panic and yank him backwards. That one’s happened way too many times.

“Geoooooorge,” Dream called out, snapping George out of his focus on the sound of the ocean.

“What?” He answered, still not turning around.

“C’mon, I’m already setting up our tent and everything,” he complained. “The least you could do is to give me some moral support, you know.”

George rolled his eyes. He was turning to continue ordering Dream around and insist that manual labour was his job, but then he froze.

Brown eyes landed on quite the sight of Dream with most of his layers off, only leaving his not-so-crisp white shirt, pants, and boots. The coat he always wore tended to cover almost everything about his body but holy shit George could not take his eyes off of his way-too-hot-to-be-legal best friend.

The fact that Dream’s been working hard for their campsite did not make things any better.

Dream hummed with that annoying smug tone of his, as if realizing something. “So…” George’s eyes went from Dream’s body to his eyes. His face began to redden at the idea of having been caught, but Dream’s eyes only twinkled with that lopsided smile of his.

“Do you like what you see… my prince?”

And that was George’s breaking point. 

“Oh, shut up!!” He exclaimed while Dream had the time of his life laughing at him.

George turned back to face the open area all over again. His face was beet red. No number of dumb excuses could save him now. George resisted covering his face with his hands as he always did when he got all flustered, but Dream would catch on easily. He instead tried to disguise his deep breaths as heavy sighs, but it was pretty obvious that he was trying to calm down his own racing heart.

Dream laughed. The bastard had the audacity to laugh while George was out here blinking rapidly and tapping his thigh in an attempt to stop being so goddamn head over heels for his best friend that looked way too hot with his sunkissed skin, blond hair, cute dimples, and— fuck — everything. He was way too attractive by simply existing and George really wished he could unsee it.

Because after the first time he saw his friend this way a few months back, it was pretty much impossible not to think about it every goddamn time he took that godforsaken cloak off.

Unbeknownst to George, Dream had walked right up behind him, squatting on the ground. The blond was still a good distance from the edge, not compromising his fear of heights, but his hand reached over to settle on George’s shoulder, forcing him to turn around yet again.

“What?” George asked, his voice sharp. No attempt at a glare was anywhere near threatening. The poor flustered man was still trying to calm himself, and the large hand on his shoulder partnered with Dream’s close face to his was not helping. He found Dream to be wildly unhelpful at the moment.

Dream just smiled, fully knowing what he was doing. He raised his eyebrows and asked with his sweet tenor voice: “Help me? Please?”

“No.” George’s voice was flat, turning away again.

“C’mon, George. You could at least pay me for everything I’ve done for you today.”

“No. Just do it for me.”

“No. Pay me, George.”

“I said no. Do it for me.”

There was a stretch of silence between them. George was still avoiding Dream’s gaze, while the latter didn’t try to pull George around to look at him, either. Surely, he had half the mind to know that neither of them would be able to mentally handle their faces being so close to each other. Regardless, they were both resisting smiles that the other couldn’t see.

“Okay, fine. Wait there.” They both gave in laughing. George finally turned around, only to have Dream kiss his cheek.

“Dream!!” He shrieked, face crimson all over again, and hands already reaching up to touch the spot that Dream had touched with his… with… oh god . It was George’s turn to short-circuit. He should’ve known that Dream was going to get his payback sometime soon.

“There. That’s your payment.” Dream smirked before going back to setting up their tent and campfire. “Now scooch away from the edge and at least give me moral support, idiot.”

George licked his lips before biting on them, still having no idea how to respond to what his best friend just did. The line was already blurry— it had been for quite some time now, and that in itself was a struggle for George. You couldn’t blame the man’s brain for blanking after Dream did that . He just chose to laugh it off, shoving the feeling of Dream’s lips on his forehead somewhere in the far back of his mind, along with all the other line-blurring things they’ve done before.

Eventually, George recovered. He did just as Dream asked and scooched away from the edge. He didn’t give much of the moral support though, but he was happy enough to just watch Dream do all the work while the last remnants of the sun shone on them both. 

His wide smile shifted into a soft, sweet one. George couldn’t smile at Dream for too long, in fear of making the blond’s ego skyrocket all over again. Instead, his eyes did all the talking as they shined in silent admiration, relishing these cute moments of just him and Dream.

Dream was happy enough to be George’s entertainment, anyway, even if he tried to pretend to not notice.

At least sometimes they could agree on something. Dream worked in silence as George just watched, both happy to be where they were.

A few minutes later, Dream was still doing some finishing touches to their camp. He wanted to ensure that they’d be safe even if it rained later that night. 

And then George felt a shiver go down his spine, his vision blurring for a split second.

It’s time, George.

It felt like freezing hands were wrapping themselves around his limbs, and George gasped as he shook. It only got worse when a burst of wind tried to knock him over.

“Oh f—” he sputtered, barely catching himself. His arms were wobbly, not in any way stable enough to hold him up at the edge of the cliff he’d been sitting on.

Dream quickly dropped whatever he was holding, and reached over to yank George closer to him and away from the edge.

“George, what the fuck?” He immediately berated the shorter boy who was now holding onto Dream for dear life. He pulled them both away from the edge for their safety and peace of mind before shaking George’s shoulders.

“I thought you were gonna fall!” His hands roamed around George, making sure he wasn’t hurt in any way. “I knew you’d insist on staying by the edge, so I let you just sit there. I trusted you’d be okay, but what the fuck was that?!”

Dream’s panic wasn’t helping George’s own confusion at all. The latter was still panting, trying to wrap his head around the fact that he could've fallen onto some array of rocks by the water if he was just a bit closer to the edge.

But he wasn’t.

He should've fallen, but he didn't. A bitter realization cut through his thoughts like a sharp knife, making George wince in real life.

“George?” Dream asked, concerned. “I’m sorry, I— I didn’t mean to shout at you, you know that—”

“I’m fine, Dream. It’s okay,” George assured him.

“But seriously, what was that? It wasn’t even windy—”

“I’m fine, Dream. Drop it.” George’s voice had an unfamiliar hint of authority to it that neither of them was used to. It wasn’t in the bratty way that George would demand things from Dream, no. This time, he was serious.

"I'm not just gonna 'drop it,' George," the man sighed in frustration. "You almost fell off a cliff, I need to know if you're okay."

Dream's stern voice shifted into a softer tone. "What’s wrong, George? Talk to me," he held George gently by the arms. "Are you feeling okay? Are you dizzy? Are—"

"Dream." George interjected. His eyes met with Dream's but they were hesitant. " Please just drop it."

When George looked up at Dream, part of him wanted to cry. His eyes landed perfectly on Dream’s green ones, so full of gentleness and affection, daring him to fall apart right then and there. He forced himself to keep it together.

"Please?"

Dream was very clear about his doubt and discomfort with the whole thing but even now, he couldn't say no to George. "Okay. I trust you, George," he said, before pulling George into his arms. The pale boy just smiled softly and let him do this— he knew that Dream just wanted him to be safe.

When Dream let go, George put a smile on his face. He adjusted his sitting position on the ground so that they didn’t look like Dream just saved George from falling off a cliff.

He ruffled Dream's hair, much to the latter's surprise, as he changed the subject with a cute smile and those pretty eyes:

"Is dinner ready?"

Never in his life did George want a fork more than he did now.

They had just finished dinner, and George was ready to just lay down ‘til they fell asleep. He began looking for a pillow to use, only to learn that a certain Mr. DreamWasTaken did not, in fact, pack a pillow.

He decided that “okay, pillows are big. I can just use the bag.”

But life never works out the way people want it to, and George soon came face to face with a pathetic-looking deflated bag. He didn’t realize how less pillow-like it would be after Dream had already pulled almost everything out of it.

So there they were, arguing about their sleeping arrangements.

“I am not giving you our only blanket, George!”

“Then why’d you even bring it?!”

“To share, dickhead!”

George’s hands twitched by his side, and Dream should thank the universe that they used sticks to cook their food by the campfire earlier. As much as he wanted the damn blanket, George still had enough brainpower to know he shouldn’t outright stab his best friend with some random half-burnt wooden stick. But if he had their beloved fork, things would be much different for little Dreamie Weemie.

“George— c’mon. We can just share the blanket—”

“I don’t want to!”

“Just sleep on my lap or something! Jesus christ —”

George huffed at that once more. His face was warming up ever so slightly, and he swore that it was just because he really wanted the blanket all to himself, and he was annoyed at Dream for not having thought this through. It definitely wasn’t because of the almost-invisible line between them and… more that was yet to stop blurring.

Dream noticed how George went quiet at his comment, so he pushed further.

“Aww, you’d like that, Georgie? You want me to stroke your hair while you—”

“Oh, fuck off , Dream.”

The light campfire crackled softly, the dancing flames reflected in Dream and George's eyes as they sat together, watching the wood burn and the water make waves behind it.

"I still kinda can't believe you really lied down on my lap, George," Dream mumbled after some silence. His eyes were fixated on the shining reflection of the stars on the ocean while his hands absentmindedly combed through George's hair.

It was unexpectedly expected, really. George was typically all bark and no bite, but it seemed that this was one of the exceptions to that idea. Dream knew that his friend would succumb to his desire for a pillow (his lap) and a blanket soon enough— he just didn't expect George to wordlessly shift his position as he laid down on his lap. Most especially not right after a sharp "fuck you" to Dream's face, but Dream was happy to have some unpredictability in their relationship. It kept him on his toes, at the very least.

"Shut up. You wanted this to happen," George bit back from his very comfortable position. He was slightly less comfortable earlier when Dream put his other hand on his waist, but George has long learned how to just get used to Dream's antics.

Dream just chuckled. The rumble of his chest shook George slightly.

"Stop laughing, you're making me dizzy," he complained.

The only response to that was Dream relaxing, humming, then his hand patting George's hair as if it were his silent way of saying there there, George. 

Silence blanketed the pair once again, and George was left thinking about what other comebacks he could make towards Dream. He quickly learned his lesson to think of new threats when it would’ve proved to be useful last time, but he also needed other things to say besides "shut up" whenever Dream purposefully got him all riled up.

George never really learned any more natural comebacks considering he was always more focused on getting Dream to stop bugging him than on making some witty remarks in return. George was just grateful that he only ever told Dream to "shut up." As much as the man teased him, it was still better than what would happen if George decided fuck it and retaliated in ways he definitely shouldn't against his best friend.

Still, though he'd never admit to it out loud, George enjoyed the warm moment with Dream (both literally and figuratively.) They constantly teased each other and bickered to no end, but this kind of quiet moment was rare and pretty far in between, for this pair of idiots. George couldn’t resist melting into Dream's presence, almost tilting his head into Dream's caring hand. Everything was so perfect that he simply closed his eyes and snuggled further into Dream.

Only, the stroking on his head stopped.

"Dream…" George whined, trying to signal for Dream to continue his actions, still not opening his eyes. “Dream, c’mon,” he lightly nudged the man behind him with his elbow. He didn’t want to ask Dream to continue stroking his hair, even now.

But when he kept nudging and still got no response from his best friend, George frustratedly turned around. He was ready to ask why the hell Dream wasn’t replying, but when his eyes landed on blank green eyes, his blood ran cold.

Half of him knew exactly what was happening and had even expected it, but part of him wanted to stay in denial and shake Dream awake. But when he turned back to face their unmoving campfire, he grew face to face with irrevocable proof that not even the deepest parts of his heart could wish to deny.

As the light in his own eyes faded away, replaced by tired ones that have been through this same scenario far too many times already in the past, George laid his head back down on Dream’s lap. Without wishing for it in the slightest, the gigantic figure of DreamXD seemed to blur into George’s reality, hovering ever so slightly away from the cliff. Far enough that its size wasn’t so intimidating to deal with, but close enough that George could hear it.

“It’s time to go back, George,” its strangely familiar yet warped voice called out to him.

Without responding George only took Dream’s hand in his and gently rubbed his thumb back and forth. He didn’t even spare XD a glance when he also turned on his back, just enough to watch Dream’s frozen face. It still radiated a false sense of warmth with the light of the campfire upon his skin and that tiny smile George never seemed to get tired of, but his empty eyes told George that this was far from the Dream that he knew.

He continued to sit there for a few more moments. Not even DreamXD rushed him, with it already knowing how these meetings of theirs usually ended.

George’s eyes stayed on Dream’s face, his left hand holding Dream’s. Gone were his eyes full of affection from watching his best friend prepare the campsite and their dinner— George watched Dream, seemingly trying to memorize every feature. Every freckle, every hair, every way that his face shifted from his relaxed face to his smiling one. Every single thing about Dream, he tried to memorize. He already took it for granted once before— never again, he promised himself.

Because if George ever forgot, he’d never be able to recreate these little virtual realities of his. And he couldn't bear the idea of losing even the fake Dream that he'd concocted from within his mind.

There was a reason why Dream seemed softer than anyone else would vouch for. Because in reality, this was Dream to George. This was Dream as George saw him— as George remembered him. And it wasn’t like anyone could confirm whether it was real or not; not when the real Dream was locked up in the server’s dearest Pandora’s Vault.

Part of this fake reality made George feel good; the part with the soft touches, lingering gazes, and sweet jokes that felt like a little bit more than jokes sometimes.

But part of it also hurt. It hurt more deeply than when George learned that the best friend he fell in love with had gotten himself locked up while George was so far away, unable to do anything; not even being able to think about defending Dream.

It hurt more than when George first lost his true grasp on reality, not being able to fully appreciate being with either Karl or Sapnap anymore because all he could think of was how they all used to be.

It hurt more than losing all those dear to him, because George was constantly made painfully aware that none of it was real. Not anymore, at least; he wasn’t sure if it ever was, but it was his daily choice to live in the pain of a fake reality rather than to think about how real the reality he remembered was, if that made sense.

“Do you think he remembers all this, Dream?” George couldn’t help but ask, still not looking away from Dream. His right hand had just begun to raise in an attempt to softly brush against Dream’s cheek when DreamXD answered.

“I’m not Dream, George,” is all it answers. George wanted to sigh, but they’ve had this same discussion too many times before. He didn’t really know why he still made the mistake time after time, but it wasn’t at the top of his priority list of things to figure out, right now.

Not that he had any plans to cross items off that list, anyway. That much was clear, when he was holding onto this reality in his own little world so tightly.

“Do you think he remembers, XD?” Is what he asked instead.

“I can’t tell you that, George,” is all it replies once more. George only hummed in response, unsurprised with the same answer as all the other times he’s asked that question. That was how it always responded to any and all of George’s questions— usually vague and distinctly useless. 

George continued to caress Dream’s cheek. His hand sunk into the soft skin despite the frozen body. Tears would well in his eyes if only he hadn't gone through this very same thing countless times before. George lost count after the first few “fake” scenarios he made for himself.

“Can I tell him ‘good night’ and that I’ll see him tomorrow, at least?” George asked again. He always asked for something like this; one last time, one last goodbye , one last see you later .

“You know it’s not real, George.” It was more of a statement and not like the usual you know it’s not real… right? rhetorical questions he'd get from XD. Still, George only hummed again, not really caring about that too much anymore. Well, less of “not caring” and more of “still desperately wanting to do it despite knowing it’ll only hurt more later.”

“I know,” he added. “But I still want to say it. One more time,” he whispered, as if it were only for Dream to hear. DreamXD probably wouldn’t have heard it at all if it wasn’t a powerful entity that somehow had power and control from within George’s dreams.

Without answering, DreamXD unpaused reality.

Immediately, Dream practically jumped backward. Despite the events from the past few minutes, George couldn’t help but smile. Dream’s eyes were wide and George could see the blush forming on his cheeks. As someone who’s been in that position many times before, George was sure that Dream’s heart must have been beating like crazy.

“Why are you looking at me like that— when did your hand— what are you—” words came tumbling out of Dream’s mouth. His questions only paused when a fond laugh came out of George when he sat up.

“I’m tired, Dream,” George said, with a small smile and sad eyes. “Can we go to bed?”

“Tired?” Dream obliviously repeated back. “You’ve barely—”

“Please?” George gently pleaded. It was clear in Dream’s face that he was confused at the entire situation, but he agreed anyway. He always did, when it came to George. And George couldn’t tell if it was because it was something Dream would really do, or if it was his subconscious telling this version of Dream to say yes. Either way, they both made their way into the tent.

They still didn’t have any pillows, but George wordlessly slid into Dream’s arms in his silent invitation to spoon him. Though he still didn’t understand where all this sudden direct affection was coming from, Dream gladly held onto George.

This was well into their comfort zone; for Dream to be the big spoon, resting his face in the crook of George’s neck with dark brown hair tickling his face when he nuzzled into his best friend.

But when George turned around and faced Dream, their faces a little too close with Dream’s hands still around George’s waist, Dream got yanked out of said comfort zone.

“Um— George—” he tried, but George shoved his face into Dream’s chest as if this was how they always slept. Dream didn’t have it in him to complain, though. He settled with moving his hand to hold George’s head closer to him, instead.

Surely, they could both hear each other’s crazy heartbeats. Their hummingbird heartbeats were a sharp contrast from the soft silence between them and the distant crackling fire outside that kept them from freezing through the night.

George gave Dream one more tight squeeze before slightly pulling away. It was clear in the way Dream’s fingers curled slightly that he didn’t really want to let George go, but it wasn’t like he got up and left.

George only pulled back far enough to be able to look into Dream’s eyes. He was strangely calm about everything, while Dream’s chest puffed up while his eyes kept flickering between brown eyes and pink lips. George only smiled.

“George—”

“Goodnight, Dream,” George said with a smile. He let his hold on Dream tighten in an attempt to keep himself from inching up ever so slightly to kiss the best friend he missed so much. They were so close, and it all felt so real. He didn’t want to look away in fear of it all fading when he did.

Regardless, Dream softened. He shook his head in silent laughter to himself, thinking about why the hell he was getting so worked up about this. He and George were never the type to be an ordinary pair of best friends anyway.

So when he kissed George’s forehead with a mumbled good night, George, it was okay. It was okay, because it was them. It was okay because this was how they always were. It was okay because though they both wanted a little bit more, this was enough.

“You know I love you, right?” Dream whispered to George, his words only for George, as if anyone in the forest or the mountainous area around them could possibly eavesdrop on their little secret. Because that was what it was: a secret. Tiny whispers of confession that were saved for quiet moments like these, and never the shout from the rooftops that George often found himself yearning to do.

If only this didn’t happen in every single dream that George had, he might’ve cried. Or he did, but that wasn’t important. What was important was the fact that Dream would always remind George of his love. Regardless of what reality or fake scenario George came up with, it always ended with Dream showing George how much he loved him. Be it in the form of flowers or catching him when he fell, George could always feel it. Dream just happened to give the exact type of love that was palpable as it overflowed from his simple actions.

It was sweet, really. It was sweet yet painful for George because he genuinely couldn’t tell sometimes if it was just his subconscious yearning to hear the words in Dream’s voice, but part of him just wanted to hold onto the belief that Dream would simply love him in every timeline or reality. As much of a paradox it tended to create, George would never get sick of Dream telling him he loved him.

“Of course I do, Dream,” he replied.

Now, if only he could say it back.

“What, you’re not gonna say it back?” Dream teased him. They always did this.

George only smiled back and hugged him tighter again. Hopefully, Dream would understand. He already couldn’t say it back in the past, when they were truly together— it wasn’t like he was aware he was already in love with Dream, anyway, but it proved impossible to say now that he knew that it was all just a lucid dream… again. He just couldn’t say it— not when he knew that he wouldn’t be saying it to the real Dream. His Dream. The one he fell in love with and would fight the world for, if only he could.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Dream. Yeah?” George wanted to make it lighthearted so that they could fall asleep together in peace, but he knew they wouldn’t get that far. His voice turned to a whisper to avoid cracking. He really didn’t want to cry.

“Okay, fine ,” Dream rolled his eyes and smiled. George couldn’t resist any longer, so he raised his hand to hold Dream’s cheek just as he did earlier.

George's lips tingled, and Dream's must have too. Just a little bit more. A little longer, a little closer. Just a little more was all he wanted for them, but they couldn’t. Instead, his eyes shined with tears that desperately wanted to be freed, and his hands shook in barely restrained desire to just pull Dream closer and kiss him senseless as he always wanted to.

Just a little longer, just a little closer, just a little more Dream .

But again, George couldn’t have everything, now could he?

Dream only smiled and melted into George’s soft hand, closing his eyes. “Good night, George,” he said right as he turned his face to kiss the palm of George's hand, at least. His hand squeezed him in one last quiet “I love you” before finally relaxing into comfortable slumber. When Dream quickly fell asleep (George reminisced at the memories of Dream always falling asleep so easily), George could feel the way his breathing stopped.

There it was; time was frozen yet again.

This time, George didn’t ask for anything anymore. He knew he had to go— to let go . He settled with kissing Dream’s forehead, instead, in his own silent “I love you too.” His lips lingered for longer than they should have, but it was okay. Dream’s warmth against him was okay. The comfort of his blond curls tickling George’s cheeks was okay. He couldn’t say those three words back, but that was okay too. It was all he could have for now— it had to be okay.

George finally let go of Dream and sat up. He walked out of the tent, undeterred by the presence of the giant deity waiting for him outside.

With sad eyes and barely a hint of the warm smile he wore earlier, George looked at DreamXD straight at the mask. "Let's go?" he asked.

DreamXD only nodded before George felt himself waking up in his old home.

It was disorienting, definitely, but it wasn't as hard to deal with as actually waking up. There was no sleepiness or drowsiness to weigh on his body— only the remembrance that what he felt with Dream wasn't real.

Today, he woke up in the same place he usually did whenever he got a bit too deep into his personal realities. It was the mushroom cottage that a certain someone had once declared war over. As heavy of an event as that seemed, a sigh of vague nostalgia escaped George. Those days felt like forever ago.

Those days of standing side by side, just like the happy family George always wanted them to be.

Even as he looked around, the strange deity that, for some reason, attached itself to him was nowhere to be found. George didn't dwell on that fact for much longer, though. He much rather preferred to think about where he was going next. DreamXD would show itself again when the right time came again; George just knew it.

Still, part of him wanted to laugh.

Hah, the right time. How ironic. It was an annoying reminder of just how much timing seemed to matter in George's life. Always too early, or too late; too much time, or not nearly enough. That was what it was like when he first fell for his best friend— too much too early, but then too late to say anything more; too much time, so he got too comfortable, until they didn't have nearly enough time for their "one last goodbye." Real-life George wasn't as lucky as lucid-dream George when it came to his little "one last" negotiations.

Regardless, George continued on with his day as if it were any other— meaning, he took his time walking as he made his way to the server's dearest Pandora's Vault.

DreamXD seemed to have woken George up on a relatively quiet day. Though he hadn't spent much time with most of the server members recently, he would've expected to hear the sounds of Tommy yelling, at the very least. Nonetheless, his walk was quiet and held some semblance of peace.

Not that walking to the giant building that trapped the man you loved inside could ever possibly be peaceful, but George tried. That was why he settled by simply standing or sitting against its dark walls.

Sam got used to him after the first few times. He had the tendency to be paranoid, but he knew logically that George had no intentions of being a threat— rather, just another person who couldn't seem to fully let go of the past. With that said, George scoffed at the memory of the first time Sam "interrogated" him. The brunet had wanted to roll his eyes at the accusing tone of the warden, but he knew it wouldn't help his case at the time.

Still, George couldn't even bring himself to visit the damn prisoner, much less form some scheme to break him out.

He couldn't do that, no. He couldn't even think about interacting with Dream at all. That was the main reason why he was, for the most part, content with just drifting outside the prison. He never really did anything. He'd say he was waiting, but there was nothing to wait for.

No, George visited Pandora's Vault as his reality check— just enough to remind him that the true reality was that Dream was locked up behind numerous safety measures, but not enough to break the perfect image and memory of Dream that George had crafted for himself over the past months.

He didn't know what he'd do with himself if he lost not only the Dream in the real world, but also the one in his own. Call it what you want, but George did not want his fantasy shattered.

And yet… even then, he raised his hand, palm side facing himself. He was tempted to put it against his face  thinking about the last thing Dream did for him, this time. George wanted to hold onto his fantasy so much that it could honestly kill him one day.

And so, he stayed there, right outside the prison walls. Sometimes he'd think about old memories— missing all the fun he and Sapnap got to have all those… months? ...years ago? George didn't even really know anymore. But for the most part, he wondered why DreamXD woke him up now, of all times.

The reason would show itself soon enough— he just had to wait.

As George waited, he spotted a singular dandelion in the distance. His eyes must have been fooling him— surely, right? What were the odds of him spotting a dandelion after… that experience with Dream in his little world. Logically, he knew that dandelions could pretty much grow anywhere sunny, but if DreamXD has taught him anything, it was that things usually happened for a reason, one way or another.

The brunet felt a magnetic pull that made him yearn to pick the flower, so he did. He picked it up with his hand shaking ever so slightly.

He stared at the flower for a few moments. There wasn't much going on besides the way he remembered how dandelions used to be his favourite flower and all the happy memories attached to that fact.

Now, George often found himself preferring red roses.

He walked back to his usual spot by the prison walls and leaned his head on the wall. His left hand held the flower while his other palm was against the wall— as if, by any chance, the walls could disappear and maybe, just maybe he’d feel Dream’s hands in his again.

George twirled the flower around, its stem pinned between his thumb and index finger. He thought about the irony of finding just a singular dandelion despite the abundance of wishes he wanted to ask the universe to grant.

He’d plead, if he could. His pride wouldn’t let himself tell anyone of that fact, but if all he had to do to get everything back, to have his old life back, to have all his dreams come true… he’d plead if needed; beg if needed; get on his knees and cry if needed.

But with the weight of broken promises and “what could have been”s, George knew just what he’d wish for. Just one thing; just one wish that encompassed everything he wanted.

I’m still wishing that it’s you and me in the end.

He barely had time to process that thought before he heard a semi-familiar voice call out to him.

“George?!” His voice was incredulous, so shocked by the sight of George.

“Quackity?” George could hardly believe it too. He couldn’t even tell just how long it’d been since the last time they met— since the last time he saw Quackity at all, really.

Alex cheerfully came up to George while the latter smiled and walked towards his old friend.

Ah. So this was why XD brought him back.

It was back to the true reality he went.

Duty called.