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Gravel crunched underneath the soles of his sneakers as George stepped from his seat in his taxi, waving a thankful hand at its driver as he hauled his skate bag onto the ground.
“Have a lovely day!” He called, his sharp British accent climbing through the air.
He took a deep breath. He was here, after years of hard work. Moving to America by himself at age 20 in hopes of better chances and training. Hands steady on his skate bag, he paced towards the large doors of the rink in front of him.
He walked in, sneakers clacking gently against the smooth tile, beelining to the reception desk.
A short, beanie clad guy sat at its swivel chair, chattering into his phone in a foreign language.
“sí lo que sea, hablaré más tarde” He said and hung up the phone as he made eye contact with George.
“Hey, how can I help you today man?” His tone was pleasant and George returned the warm smile he was faced with.
“I’ve just moved over from England for a training opportunity? I think my name should be in the system somewhere?”
“Ah you must be George, exciting huh?! Long way to move, jeez.” The other boy typed something into his computer.
“I’m Alex, you can call me Q though.”
“Nice to meet you, Q” George smiled
“Alright, you’re all set. Here’s your keycard and locker key PLEASE. Don’t lose them, Sapnap has cost me $60 in the last four months alone. Scan your card and walk through, the lockers and professional rink are passed the public rink to your right. Enjoy, George.” Q smiled and waved briefly before immediately returning to his computer, typing furiously.
George took another breath in and tapped his card, the green light signalling his admittance being approved.
The chill of the rink immediately hit him, crisp and cool compared to the warmth of the Floridian lobby. He turned to his right past coat clad children, little legs slipping on the fresh ice. He walked to the furthest corner and through another door to the professional rink. He reached the locker room door and tapped his keycard again, a beep letting him know he was successful. He pushed open the door and was greeting with the sound of a laugh echoing from its walls.
“Stop it! oh my god Sap” a light, North Carolina accent bit through the steam of the small room.
“Shutup Jacobs, you like it” A lower southern voice barked back.
“Jesus, get a room you two. I’m gonna head to the ice” a third voice said and then left as a seperate door opened and closed.
Silently, George moved toward the other two voices, who seemed to still be bickering until he found two boys, similarly aged to him shoving each other lightly.
The boy with the deeper voice noticed George first and gave a nod in his direction, gaining the attention of the smaller, smiley-er boy next to him.
“HIII!! You must be George !!” The brown haired boy grinned, almost puppy like as he practically bounced towards George.
“I’m Karl, I emailed you last week?” He tilted his head.
“Yeah you did, it’s nice to meet you” George held out his hand and was pulled into a rib crunching hug.
“You’re so cute, oh my goodness, isn’t he just adorable Sapnap!!!” Karl turned to the southern boy, who rolled his eyes.
“Sorry about him, he gets excited. Nice to meet you George. I’ve seen you skate before I think? Grand Prix 2019? Your quads are impeccable, I’m impressed” the black haired boy said solemnly. Karl nodded quickly, freeing George from his vice like grip and bending down to put on his skates.
“That’s saying something, Sappy isn’t impressed much”
George giggled and walked up to his locker, opening it and shoving his bag inside before starting to put on his second layers. Adjusting his zipper and opening his skate bag, he took out the blades and placed them gently on the ground.
“Woah..” Sapnap whispered.
Woah was right. George’s skates were a deep, midnight colour, their blades shining impossibly bright in the dim locker room.
“These are my babies. I would do anything for them” He giggled and stepped out of his sneakers before putting on his skates.
“We have the same guards!!” Karl hopped up and down in his skates as he pointed to the glittering pieces of plastic hooked on the bottom of the blades.
George smiled and jumped up.
“Shall we go?”
Sapnap nodded.
“Yeah let’s see if Dreams hogging the ice” he mumbled as he trudged towards the door into the rink.
The name stuck in George’s mind as he followed in suite to the open door and stepped onto the edge of the crisp, cool ice.
And then he saw him.
George could barely breathe.
In all his years on the ice, he’d never seen something as beautiful as the blonde boy on the rink in front of him. With a perfect Biellman spin into a smooth toe loop he landed, finishing his flawless routine and meeting George’s eager eyes with a smirk.
Fuck.
George was in trouble.
“George? You good?”
Sapnaps voice drew him back to reality and George shook his head.
“Yeah. Yes, just um. Cold I guess..” He lied, still looking at the blonde in front of him.
Sapnap shrugged and then raised his hand to wave at the blonde boy in the rink.
“Hey asshole, you finished hogging the ice??” The blonde boy just shook his head and skated towards them.
“So youre the new boy huh?” He met George’s eyes again and smiled his Pearly white teeth with sharp canines between his peach coloured lips.
“Y-yeah. I’m George” he stuttered and held out his hand but the boy didn’t take it.
“Dream. Karl told me we were getting a newbie but he didn’t tell me how pretty he’d be hm” Dream looked George up and down, chuckling slightly at the pink tinge across the brits cheekbones.
“Yeah yeah get a room, speak for yourself Dream” Sapnap rolled his eyes and and took off his skate guards.
“Come on Karl, we better warm up before we practice our death spins”. He trudged onto the ice, Karl bouncing behind him, leaving Dream and George alone.
“Why so quiet, pretty boy?” Dream moved closer to George, who’s cheeks deepened in redness.
He fiddled with his jacket and sighed.
“Nervous?” Dream supplied
“Not really. Intimidated maybe” George replied and looked up at the blonde.
“Don’t be. You’re bound to be amazing if they’ve sent you here, and god knows we need a new skater. One of our bests retired a couple weeks ago.”
“Wilbur, right?” George remembered his name from the email.
“Yeah, lanky giant guy. From England as well. He still comes to the rink, brings his little brothers and their friend. They’re all in junior division.”
“Wow. Seems like you guys are really good.” George looked at his feet, but felt a soft finger tip his chin up. Dream looked him in the eyes, finger still on his chin.
“Don’t doubt yourself pretty boy, you’ve got talent. Now how bout we get on this ice huh?”
George nodded and slipped off his skate guards, pushing his way into the rink.
The ice was fresh, newly zambonied and his blades gliding across its smooth surface. He stopped in it’s middle and begun his warm up routine. Two laps and some slow splits as he floated across the ice.
Sufficiently warmed up, he begun doing some smaller toe loops and step sequences, making his routine up as he went. When he felt confident enough, he went into a layback spin and back up into another loop. He did a quick waltz jump before skating to the furthest edge of the rink. Giving himself enough time and momentum, he built up into what could have been a perfect quadruple jump, had he not fucked the last rotation and had to finish on a toe loop.
He stop, breathless and heaving and looked up to see Karl, Sapnap Dream and Three others clapping. He skated up to the rinks side, flushed and still panting as he waved off their praise.
“That was AMAZING??” Karl practically screamed at the British boy as he approached.
“Seriously, dude you’re insane” Sapnap chucked. George looked over at dream, silently wishing for approval.
Dream smirked.
“Perfect, pretty boy” he winked and skated off, leaving George pink and still breathless at the side of the rink.
“Come here, George!” Karl called him over to where he stood, with Sapnap and four others
“This is Wilbur, his brothers Tommy and Tubbo, and their friend Ranboo” Karl pointed to each of them as he said their names.
Wilbur, lanky and skinny reached out to shake George’s hand. “You’re brilliant mate, absolutely”. George blushed and thanked him. “Wilby says you’re from England like us? That’s cool!” The smallest of the three young boys said. “I’m Tubbo, by the way. Pleased to meet you”. George chuckled at the sincerity of the younger boy in front of him. “Nice to meet you too Tubbo. You must be Tommy?” He pointed to the slightly taller, awkward looking blonde boy who nodded excitedly. “Nice to meet you, George!” George nodded and then looked at the last boy. Tall for his age, he work a plain black and white mask over his pale skin, hair flopping into his eyes.
“And you’re Ranboo ?” He asked, but was met with no reply. Instead, the tall boy raised his hands and began to sign
“He says yes and that he’s happy to meet you!” Tubbo translated quickly.
“He’s deaf and mute, absolutely smart kid though.” George felt Sapnap whisper into his ear.
“That’s fine” George said. “I learnt sign when I was younger” He sicommed to the boy, who’s eyes lit up in excitement as he begun signing back, his nose crinkling under his mask
“Well George” A deep voice shook him out of his skin. Dream had skated up behind him, putting a large hand on his waist gently.
“Seems like you’re already one of us.” George flushed again and nodded, Karl squealing on about how cute he was as he looked into dreams eyes.
This was gonna be interesting.
////
He’d only been in America for 2 months, but George was already falling for a certain blonde.
It didn’t help how dream acted around him, calling him pretty boy or staring into his soul as he danced across the ice.
He was gorgeous, but dangerous.
George had fallen for plenty of boys like Dream before, with their sharp smiles and broad shoulders. He told himself to be careful but he was infatuated by the blonde.
He didn’t let it preoccupy him too much, putting effort into perfecting his routine for the rinks charity night. It was only a day away, and as the newest member of the the squad he was determined to make a good effort.
After a long day of working, he made his way to the locker room to pack up.
Humming to himself, he didn’t notice the blonde boy walking behind him until he placed a gentle calloused hand onto George’s shoulders, making him jump.
“Jesus Christ, Dream??” He screamed, making the taller boy wheeze with laughter.
“Sorry, Georgie.” He smirked and shook his head. “How are you going” he questioned, tilting his head as he looked at the brown haired boy.
“Tired, but it’s worth it. I’m tryna make my routine as good as possible” George smiled, fiddling with his jumper
“You’ve been working hard. It’s good.”
George felt himself practice melt at the praise, his pale skin dusting with pink, as he stared at the locker room floor.
“Thanks, Dream. That means a lot.”
“I mean it” Dream tilted his head up with a gentle finger, leaning close to George. He put one arm around his waist and pulled him closer.
“You might just be one of the best skaters I’ve met”. He smiled at George’s open mouth and red cheeks before promptly picking up his bag and leaving the room.
“Bye, pretty boy”.
George was fucked. There’s was no coming back from that. He’d fallen.
Picking up his stuff, his face still burning, he reached into his pocket for his phone and was surprised to find a small piece of paper inside it.
“I’ve been tryna work up to asking for your number for a while, but I chickened out.
thought I might as well just give you mine instead
Xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx
Dream
x”
George giggled to himself as he he typed dreams number into the phone
new message; xxx-xxx-xxx
dream?
dream
hey, pretty boy :)
george blushed at the nickname on his screen.
“ I’m surprised it took you so long to give me your number, but I was also too lame to give you mine” he typed.
Dreams reply popped up instantly
dream
nah youre fine
sapnap and Karl were begging me too aha
I didn’t wanna make you uncomfortable.
you didn’t.
any particular reason?
dreams chat bubble typed for a while before disappearing. suddenly George’s phone vibrated
dream is calling
he answered almost immediately.
“Sorry. I thought it would be easier to talk via call.” Dreams voice was soft.
“It’s ok. What’s up?” George replied, leaning against his locker.
“Well, the charity event, tomorrow ?
Every year after it, we all go come round to Karl and Sapnaps house for a sort of party. Yknow, Wilbur and the boys come, Q, a couple others.” Dream mumbled
“Oh wow” George said softly.
“And. I was kind of. Wondering if you wanted to come, Since you’re part of the squad. And; i wanted to know if you like to come with me.”
George took a sharp breath in.
“As.. friends?” His voice trembled.
Dream chuckled.
“No you idiot. I want to take you as a date. My date.”
The words trickled out of his mouth like molasses. George giggled in response.
“Id like that” he said softly.
“Great. Amazing. I’ll see you on Saturday then huh?”
“Yeah. See you then. Bye Dream”
“See you, pretty boy”.
George hung up his phone and practically cried with joy.
“Oh my fuCKING GOD?!?!” He jumped up and down on the locker room floor, the noise making him fail to hear footsteps for the second time that afternoon.
Karls soft hand tapped him on the shoulder and he jumped back in shock, yelping. Karl howled with laughter.
“You good. Man?” He giggled at the look on the brits face
“More than. Oh my god Karl.” George blushed
Karl giggled again and slid pst him to his on locker
“I think I know whyyyyyyy” he wiggled his fingers at George, who rolled his eyes.
“Yeah yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow”
George woke up at 6am sharp.
Shuffling around his tiny apartment, he quickly put on his sweats and jacket as he dashed around. He was chewing on some toast when a message from Dream pinged across his phone.
dream
morning, pretty boy.
good luck today :)
George blushed and typed a thankyou to the blonde before getting up and clearing his dishes. A small meow echoed through his tiny kitchen as his cat, luca, perched on its bench.
“hey little buddy. daddy has to go out for a bit but I’ll be back tomorrow!!” He said to the cat. A disgruntled meow came in return and George shook his head, grabbing his things and making his way to the rink.
He walked through its double front doors to the front desk, stopping to chat with Alex, who was once again in the middle of a call.
“Sí, lo que sea, no le pedí a schlatt que lo hiciera. Te veré más tarde, hombre.” he said and put down his phone, smiling at George.
“Hey man, good luck today! You got this.”
George smiled in return and walked away to enter the rink.
Trying to keep his anxiety at bay, George focused on the thought of the after party.
He was still in awe at the fact that Dream wanted to go with him.
Speaking of, there was no trace in the locker room of the blonde.
George slipped on his skates and costume, but he still hadn’t caught sight of him. Karl and Sapnap shrugged when asked.
“I think he went straight to the ice when you rocked up. He’s on first anyway, we should go to the door and watch” Sapnap murmured and moved to the far part of the room.
George waddled over, Karl bouncing at his heels and a familiar voice game over the rink intercom.
“Ladies, Gentlemen and Those in between. Welcome to the Ice Palace Annual Charity Night.” Quackitys voice rang out.
“ I’d like to thank our sponsors, skaters, trainers and everyone who’s come down tonight, it’s sure to be an amazing show. Before we begin, let’s hear some words from one of our junior division skaters; tubbo”
Some shuffling and muttering was heard, before a small, British voice spoke over the intercom.
“Hello people! This is a very special charity night because it symbolises both the end and the beginning of an era. Tonight is my brother wilburs last night on the ice! He has been skating for 12 years. Thank you Wilbur for your contribution to the rink! “ Tubbo’s voice was filled with admiration, and George saw Wilbur blushing from the side of the rink.
“But because Wilbur is leaving,” Tubbo’s voice returned, “we have a new senior skater, George. We are thankful for both of you and we hope everyone enjoys tonight!” The crowd burst into applause, George’s cheeks turned red from his mention. “Thanks tubbo!” Quackity had returned. “Now let’s get on with these skaters! First up, from senior division; Dream” the crowd burst into cheers again as George saw the blonde boy slide into the rink.
George’s eyes felt magnetically connected to the blondes as he zipped through his routine. Perfect loops, steps and jumps pumped adrenaline through George’s Veins and the taller blissfully aced his routine. Ending the soft music with a quad loop and raising his perfect arms into the air.
George could hardly breathe again.
Dream looked at him across the ice, a smirk across his face As he left the rink. The other skaters surrounded him, shrieking praise. George hung behind, watching.
Quackitys voice shook him out of the gutter.
“Simply amazing, as always, Dream. Now, next up, we have our newest member of the squad. All the way from England, it’s George!”
The British boy took a deep breathe and pushed himself across the ice.
In the middle of the rink; he could barely make out anyone else, but he could feel Dreams gaze. His back track begun to play as he slid into his first step sequence.
He breezed is way through the song, body matching it’s tempo and mood. This was it, his finallt move. He backed up and gave himself enough momentum, skates sliding across the cool ice and he built up into his finale. His heels clicked as he flew through the air. He rotated. Once. Twice. Three times. Four times and landed perfect and smooth. He looked over at dream. The blonde smirked and walked off, deeper into the locker room
His music ended and he slumped slightly. He had fucking done it. A quad axel. His legs felt like jelly as he made his way back to the locker room, the crowds cheers echoing behind him. He entered the room, immediately thrown praise and congrats from every angle. Karl and Sapnap hung off him, Wilbur slapped his back and the younger boys beamed with admiration.
George felt a pang in his heart when they let him go and continued their prep.
Dream was no where to be seen.
Before he could think about it any longer, a familiar hand wrapped around his slender wrist.
“Pretty boy.” Dream smiled into his ear
“Come with me.”
George let himself be pulled into the corner of the locker room.
Backed against a locker, he was fully aware of how,,, much large Dream was than him. The hand on his wrist let him go as the blonde tilted his head down.
“You’re the most beautiful figure skater I’ve ever seen.” His emerald eyes shined in the mist of the locker room.
“Dream I..” George’s eyes welled up with tears.
“I mean it.” The blonde leaned in and closed the the gal between them, soft lips against each other as he kissed George.
George squeaked in surprise before leaning up to press their lips together harder.
They pulled a part after a while.
“I’m so glad I moved to Florida”.
//
two years later.
Gravel crunched underneath the soles of his sneakers as George stepped from his seat in his car, waving a friendly hand at one of the parents as he hauled his skate bag onto the ground.
He walked in, sneakers clacking gently against the smooth tile, beelining to the reception desk.
A short, beanie clad guy sat at its swivel chair, chattering into his phone in a foreign language. He put down his phone immediately when he saw George.
“Hey tío qué pasa, George?”. He spoke.
“Not much Q, you good?” George replied.
The beanie wearing boy nodded and crooked his head to the door.
“You know the drill” He smiled.
George smiled back and waved as he tagged into the rink.
The chill of the rink immediately hit him, crisp and cool compared to the warmth of the Floridian lobby. He turned to his right past coat clad children, little legs slipping on the fresh ice. He walked to the furthest corner and through another door to the professional rink. He reached the locker room door and tapped his keycard again, a beep letting him know he was successful. He pushed open the door and was greeting with the sound of a laugh echoing from its walls.
“QUIT IT!” a thick southern accent bit through the steam of the small room.
“Shutup sapnap, you like it” A sweeter, North Carolina voice barked back.
“You two need to get a room or I’m disowning you” a third voice snickered.
George rounded the corner and saw all three boys standing in the locker room.
Smiles burst out from all angles as he was crushed with hugs and laughter.
“Woah slow down Karl you saw me yesterday!!” George chuckled as the brown haired boy squeezed him.
“You know him, he’s clingy” Sapnap replied, opting to give George a fist bump.
(Hugs weren’t his thing. Except for Karl).
“And then there was one” George drawled, looking at the tall, blonde in front of him.
He leant up to peck his boyfriends cheek before resting his head on his shoulder.
Despite being one of the coldest place in Florida, I’ve his was the place that warmed his heart the most.