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The house was quiet, particularly for a Friday afternoon. For once, they didn't have any streams or filming sessions planned, resulting in a rare day off for the entire household. Of course, Dream was using it as an opportunity to get some extra work done, shutting himself away in his office where he could focus on editing his latest YouTube video. Sapnap had taken his skateboard out, promising to stop for groceries on his way home so neither of the other men had to go out.
George had taken a different approach. Originally, he had planned to catch up on a few television shows, maybe play some Bedwars on an alt account if he got bored. Somehow, though, instead of choosing a show that was "age appropriate", he'd ended up venturing into the kids section. Now The Powerpuff Girls was playing, dragging soft giggles out of George's lips and making him slip that much further into a comfier headspace.
He wasn't keeping track of how many episodes had played, simply letting each one queue automatically in order. At some point, Patches had marched into the room and curled up in his lap, keeping him company while both of his caregivers were busy. He brushed his fingers lightly across her fur, his other hand holding his thumb in a position for him to mindlessly suckle on.
By the time anyone realized that he had slipped, he was on the verge of dozing off, thumb still in his mouth and legs criss-crossed for Patches to sit between. He paid no mind to the footsteps in the adjacent hallway, nor the way the cat's ears perked up at the sound of her owner. The antics of Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup were far too entertaining for anything else to grab his attention.
The exception to that was Dream.
His boyfriend's voice melted over him like warm honey, chiming sweetly in his ears. "George, you in here?" Dream called from the hallway, footsteps growing louder as he appeared in the doorway. He took one look at the scene before him and his features instantly softened. "Hey, baby, what are you doing?" he hummed, walking over to take a seat.
"Dreamie," George mumbled around his thumb, urging Patches out of his lap with a gentle poke to her side. As soon as he was free to move, he crawled over right into Dream's arms, snuggling up against his side. Large hands smoothed his hair off his forehead and cupped his face, lips pressing against his cheek. The warm, fuzzy feeling spread over his whole body, eyes averting back to the television with a new smile adorning his face.
"Honey, we talked about sucking your thumb, remember?" Dream's hand suddenly moved down to take George's wrist, gingerly prying his thumb away from his mouth. "Don't want you to get sick from germs."
George whined under his breath, his teeth going for his bottom lip instead. Dream frowned at the sight, shifting to properly hold the boy's hand in his own. "Hey," he began, catching George's gaze at the softness of his voice. "Do you trust me?"
George blinked, staring back at him while his brain processed the question slower than usual. He gave a small nod, teeth still working on his lip with the excess energy that always seemed to creep beneath his skin in this headspace.
Dream suddenly let go of his hand and moved to stand up, drawing a much louder whine than before out of his boy. "Nooo, stay," George pleaded, his anxiety spiking as soon as he lost physical contact with his caregiver. His arms shot out to grab onto Dream's shirt, trying to keep him from going too far. "Stay with me."
"Shhh, calm down, I'll be right back," Dream was quick to assure him, carefully prying George's hands off. He kissed both of the boy's cheeks, willing away the tears that had sprung to his waterline. "Close your eyes and count to ten, okay? I'll be back as soon as you finish."
George whimpered softly, but allowed Dream to drop his hands back in his lap, eyelashes fluttering shut. He began to slowly mumble numbers under his breath, having to think a little harder about the right order to put them in. "One... two..."
He could hear Dream's footsteps getting further away as he counted, making his chest feel tight with nerves. He was all alone now, not even joined by a kitty in his lap. Even the television didn't feel like company anymore. "three... four..."
A tear slipped down his cheek. If he hadn't been sucking his thumb, his Dream would still be here with him, giving him all the cuddles and kisses he wanted. It was all his fault for not listening. "f-five... six..."
Maybe Dreamie would tell Sappy, and then they'd both be mad at him. Maybe he'd be left alone forever. He didn't deserve them anymore. “seven..."
Just as a sob was about to rise up from his throat, footsteps sounded within his ear range again, distracting him from his racing thoughts. His eyes popped open even though he hadn't finished counting yet, just in time to see Dream walk into the room with a brown paper-wrapped package in his hand.
"I'm here, baby, I'm here," he rushed out, hurrying over as soon as he saw the distressed look on his little's face. This time, he didn't hesitate to take George in his lap, guilt shining in his eyes as the boy clung to him for dear life. "I'm sorry, I should've taken you with me, huh?" he sighed, petting George's hair soothingly. "I won't leave again, I promise."
George sniffled, the tears in his eyes drying quickly at finally being back in Dream's arms. Ten seconds was entirely too long to be out of them, in his opinion. It didn't take long for the contact to ease his oversensitive nerves, though his thumb snuck back up to settle between his teeth.
"Look, sweetheart." George turned his head to see his caregiver hold up the brown package, loosely wrapped and no bigger than his fist. He didn't answer, just watched Dream unwrap it one-handed, the other hand still tangled in George's hair.
Once the brown paper lay in a wrinkled ball on the sofa cushion, Dream flattened his palm to reveal a George-sized pacifier. It was blue with a yellow ring, a protective cap still covering the rubber nipple. George stared at it, a million questions running through his head and only one of them making it out: "For me?"
Dream just chuckled and took the plastic cap off, turning the pacifier over in his hands. "Open," he requested, bringing the item to his baby's mouth. A beat, and then George slowly lowered his thumb, parting his lips for Dream to slip the replacement between them.
Neither of them said anything at first. George gave it a tentative suck, and then another, Dream watching intently. The effect was near instantaneous; George's eyelids grew heavy, fog settling over his brain like a weighted blanket. He pressed himself further into Dream's chest, barely even noticing the chuckle above his head as he descended into something even deeper than little space. The world suddenly felt hazy and much too big for him to be out of someone's arms.
"Thought you might like that better," Dream murmured, carefully repositioning the boy so he could properly cradle him. The television continued to provide background noise, though George couldn't hear much else except for his caregiver's soft humming in his ear, soothing him right to sleep.
And when he woke up later in a soft bed, snuggled up to Dream's chest with Sapnap's arm curled around his waist from behind, he just hummed behind his pacifier and closed his eyes again, knowing he was safe and sound.