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‘What is love?’
If you were to ask Dream a few years back, he would probably answer with something like, “Oh, it’s when you feel too much for someone, when your heart speeds up at the thought of them, stuff like that.” A simple answer, you could say, but at the time it was all he thought of it. That was before he met his best friends, the loves of his life. His soulmates.
Dream was currently sitting squished between the two aforementioned best friends of his, body warm and cozy, as they all idly watched one of the old Twitch streams they did with Karl and Quackity. He was paying attention at first, he really was, but about halfway through his mind drifted to Sapnap and George, the two that surrounded his space. He snuggled deeper against the couch and softly smiled to himself as he thought about his soulmates.
He thought about Sapnap’s eyes and how they light up at the sound of everyone’s giggles coming from the TV. About George’s fond smile and eye roll when Dream or Sapnap say something cheesy to him in the stream VOD. About how their arms felt pressed against his at this moment, hands brushing against his thighs as if they wanted to be even closer. How Sapnap and George’s breathing seemed to sync with his, a feeling of comfort encasing them all together.
He thought about how they all fell into easy friendship when they were younger, how none of them brought up soulmate markings when they called, too excited to make new friends over similar interests to think about anything else. He thought about how nervous he was when the topic finally came up one late-night call when he was about 19 years old; he didn’t know why the topic scared him then, didn’t understand why there was such a harsh pull at his heart when he thought of Sapnap or George having a soulmate that wasn’t him.
He thought about the way his hands shook over his mouse when Sapnap turned on his camera and showed them, with cheeks flushed red, his not one—but two—soul marks that decorated his left forearm. A sharp yet quiet gasp was yanked from Dream’s lungs as his eyes honed in on the oh-so-familiar markings. George choked out a gasp himself and Sapnap’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion and nervousness at their reactions, wondering why his best friends had reacted in such a way. George turned his camera on next, showing his face streaked with tears briefly as he quickly stood up and adjusted his camera to angle down at his lap; the same soul marks kissed the pale skin on the front of his thighs, right below his shorts. Dream thought back to how he had silently looked down at the tops of his hands, where his own soul marks had been. He thought about how fucking crazy the world worked with soulmates, how the world could bring them together despite them living nowhere near each other. He thought about Sapnap and George’s voices softly, nervously, calling out his name through his headset. How they begged him to say something, to talk to them, to tell them that his skin bore the same marks as theirs. To tell them that they were meant to be there at that moment.
Dream let out a small hum, causing the two sitting with him to turn his way in question.
“I love you two,” He whispered, voice buried under the loud screech coming from Karl on the television, but still heard by his soulmates.
“Where did that come from?” Sapnap teased, nudging Dream’s shoulder with his own.
“Just thinking,” the latter shrugged.
“About?” George questioned, leaning down to nuzzle his nose against Dream’s hair, his special show of affection.
Dream brought his hands up to his face and lightly pressed his lips against the flower and stars that blessed him. He felt the other two flinch at the act, startled at the wave of emotion that flooded through them when he did so. George giggled, and Sapnap hummed, and Dream—well, he closed his eyes and basked in the temporary warmth that flowed through his veins, basked in the absolute love his soulmates sent back to him through their bond.
“Sorry, I may be feeling a little out of it right now.” He joked, a breathy laugh escaping his lips as the other two just hummed in response.
When the moment was over, George had snuggled closer against his side, now angled towards Dream’s body so he could nudge his face against the blonde’s head when he felt like it, and Sapnap had simply moved his right arm up and around Dream’s shoulders, hand landing on the base of George’s neck.
Comfort. Warmth. Security. Overwhelmed—but in a good way.
Was this love?
Dream’s mind wandered once again, his thoughts launched even deeper into the ‘Soulmates’ section of his brain.
His thought latched onto Sapnap first; a soft orange and red feeling spread over him as he thought of him. Sapnap’s anxious yet relieved smile when he finally arrived at Dream’s house to move in with him. Sapnap’s wavering voice as Dream greeted him in the garage that day. Sapnap’s voice… How he sounded calling Patches to him so she could come eat. How he sounded when he was ecstatic about winning a game he was playing. How he sounded when he cried out of sadness, out of happiness, out of relief. How his voice dripped with honey when he spoke Dream or George’s names. Dream thought of his eyes again, about how they lit up when he simply looked at either of his soulmates. How they appeared grayish-blue in photos, but were a bright blue-green color in person, always sparkling and never dull. How beautiful they were even when closed in pain or pleasure or tiredness. How they seemed to trail after him or George whenever they were near him, how they seemed to never want to look away and risk missing just one second of their presence.
He thought of how Sapnap would show his love discreetly, never loudly, contrary to popular belief amongst everyone else. Sure, he would always tease his soulmates, would make obnoxious kissing noises at George when he was annoyed with him during a stream, or playfully flirt with Dream to distract him when playing against him in an intense game, but his love was quieter than Dream’s. If you looked away for a second, you’d almost miss it, almost miss the way his voice would become fond and giggly for a split second when he’d help George out with a hint in a difficult game. You’d almost miss the way his eyes would soften, the way his smile would widen, at the sound of Dream practically choking on air as he wheezed out genuinely happy laughter over something that happened. You’d miss the slight twinge of his voice holding something else when he would whine at Dream to play basketball with him. Sapnap liked to tease the latter for being such a romantic, but he refused to acknowledge his own romantic tendencies. He denied the small things he’d do for either of his lovers, such as taking care of Patches when Dream was busy at the merch warehouse with George, or doing the dishes when it was George’s week to do them.
It was so endearing to Dream, truly, that Sapnap acted the way he did. At the end of the day, though, Dream adored him and his small gestures. Out of the three of them, Sapnap was the one to press kisses against their markings the most, a silent ‘I love you’ flowing to them through their bond when he thought about it.
Was that love?
Dream stifled a giggle that tried to leave his mouth at the image of Sapnap kissing his own arm.
His brain then floated to the brunette that sat to his right, just as George pressed a kiss against his temple, a hand of his playing with the blonde strands that lay where his lips once were minutes ago. If George made Dream feel a color, it was a mixture of blues, purples, and yellows all at once. Dream let out yet another hum and smiled to himself when he felt George smile in response.
George made Dream feel everything at once; out of him and Sapnap, George was the one to overwhelm him the most; Dream could barely think clearly around the guy. When the two first met—well, when they spoke for the first time over call—Dream really didn’t expect them to continue talking, let alone become actual friends afterward. George was older, cooler, more stoic than Dream. Yet, they became close in no time, and George grew a liking towards Sapnap eventually as well.
When Dream thought of George, he thought of annoyed yet fond eye-rolls; he thought of warm speckled eyes tempting him to keep his gaze held on them. He thought of calm, quiet late-night streams as their eyes communicated silently through the discord camera, fans unaware as they asked what to play next. He thought of stolen glances across the room as one of them walks through to grab water or something they forgot in the living room. He thought of how George’s eyes widened at the sound of him joining the discord call during a lonely stream, about how they scrunched up as he laughed out in joy at having someone to talk to. Thought of how his eyes would trail after their other soulmate, hungry gaze lingering on his back as he retreated to where he was headed, before he got up himself and practically scattered after him.
Dream cracked another smile at that memory. Sapnap had been scared shitless, not expecting George to launch himself against his back, causing the two of them to almost fall over in the hallway.
Dream then thought of George’s own smile, his oh-so-pretty smile. Dream and Sapnap would gush quietly amongst themselves about it on nights their soulmate passed out before them. His smile was very loud, dazzling… Dream paused his thoughts and glanced over to his side, seeing nothing but George’s neck as the older was pressing another kiss against his head. Dream thought George’s smile was one thing that grounded him most days, a gentle reminder that everything was as it should be.
He thought of George’s form of love, next. How, compared to Sapnap and himself, George probably loved the quietest. He showed it rather than said it, and even though that caused some anxiety at the beginning of everything, the other two understood—that was just how George was. He would speak his love softly, never making a big deal out of it, would mumble a firm yet loving ‘I love you’ when Sapnap would tease him endlessly about it. He’d never outright say it when Dream jokingly begged him to on a stream or on Twitter, would never look into the camera when Dream would go on his ‘I guess you hate me then, we’re gonna lose this game if you don’t say it’ arc during a bedwars game or something of the like. No, he’d rather pull his soulmates into a breathless kiss as they passed him in the hallway. He’d rather bring them water or food when they’d been busy streaming or focusing on editing for too long to take care of themselves. He’d rather lounge around in their room, on their bed, when one of them was having a rough time and just needed someone to be there. It was quiet, but to Dream and Sapnap, it was perfect.
Well, what about that? Was that love?
Dream reached to his left and lightly gripped Sapnap’s shirt, also reaching to his right to grip at George’s. The two immediately turned their attention back to their soulmate, who now had small tears forming in his eyes. Sapnap’s hand dropped from George’s nape as he sat up straight. George slowly pulled away from his hundredth kiss against Dream’s hair. They stared with concern at their lover as he started to cry.
“Dream? What’s wrong, lovely?” George asked, hand reaching down to hold the one that held his shirt.
“Are you okay, baby?” Sapnap asked next, doing the same to the hand on his side and bringing it to his mouth, lips pressing softly against the stars that rest on top. “Tell us what's on your mind.”
Dream sniffled and whined as a few more tears fell, “I love you two, I love you so m’ch,” He felt them both tighten their grip on his hands as he took a breath before continuing, “Thank you f’r loving me.”
Sapnap laughed out as George sighed in relief, both leaning in to briefly press soft kisses against his cheeks.
“You’re such an idiot,” George mumbled out, nudging his nose against his head once again, leaning away to look back at the blonde.
“You don’t need to thank us, silly,” Sapnap tsked. He pressed another kiss against Dream’s cheek. “I don’t know about Gogy, but I, for one, will always love your dumbass self. You’re my sunshine, you know that.” He mumbled, biting back a laugh at the squawk their soulmate let out at his words.
“Excuse you, Sap-nap,” George huffed, glaring at the younger halfheartedly. “I will always love Dream, too, idiot.” He turned back to Dream just in time to see him break out into soft laughter. He smiled fondly and continued speaking, “And you, Dreamie, are my moonlight. I’m glad you’re one of my soulmates.”
“God,” Dream exhaled, a smile now gracing his lips as his tears slowed to a stop. “I love you both so fucking much, it’s insane… How did I get so lucky to call you both mine?”
“Oh someone’s really going through their lovey-dovey feelings, huh?” Sapnap teased with a slight giggle. He adjusted how he was sitting to crowd against Dream’s body more than he was before the slight scare, making Dream hum out in content. “You’re such a huge sap~.”
“Started crying over how much he loves his soulmates, oh how romantic~,” George joined in with the teasing and also moved to press closer to Dream. Dream flushed a bright red and George giggled out a small, “You’re so cute.”
When they started pressing kisses all over his face, hair, and neck, Dream figured he could bask in their warmth once more. He couldn’t help but let small joyful giggles slip through his lips as the two kept it up, couldn’t help but move to grab each of their shirt collars and bring them into a gentle kiss one at a time. “I love you,” He whispered against George’s lips. “I love you both more than love,” He whispered against Sapnap’s.
It was then he decided he could answer the initial question that fired off his long train of thoughts.
‘What is love?’ someone asks.
‘Love is Sapnap kissing his soul marks whenever he feels like letting them know he’s there for them. Love is George quietly kissing them in the hallway as they pass him, hands holding them close.’ Dream would answer.
‘Love is Sapnap. Love is George.’
To Dream, that was the simplest way to answer the question. And honestly? If that was love, he guesses that wasn’t so bad. He’d take “love” over anything else any day.