Archive of Our Own ^beta

George had just bought plane tickets. To Florida.

It didn’t feel real until he got the notification; an attachment of his itinerary in the email sitting in his inbox, confirming his booking. George couldn’t really put a finger on the emotions that he was experiencing – it was probably mostly excitement, with a certain amount of anxiety underpinning it. At least a good amount of it was positive emotions though.

He wasn’t sure what had even compelled him to book the one-way ticket to Florida, it’s not like it had really been planned on his part. Sure, he’d applied for the tourist Visa that week, but he hadn’t anticipated for it to get accepted so quickly. He hadn’t even told anyone that he had planned on going over there, not even his own mother.

It was important to note he hadn’t even told Dream or Sapnap, who were the very people he was going to go and visit in Florida, and hopefully stay with them in their house so that he didn’t have to rent out some expensive hotel for the month. And it was probably going to be a month, at the very most, because that’s how long his Visa would allow him to be there.

George ran his hands over his face in exhaustion, the stress of the situation finally setting in.

The cheapest tickets were set to have him shipped off in two days, which just barely gave him enough time to buy anything he needed for travelling, pack up a suitcase, and eat through all the food in his fridge so that it wouldn’t go mouldy while he was away. He had never even been on a plane before, well, maybe he had as a child, but he couldn’t remember what it was like.

He saved a screenshot of his flight information to his camera roll for easy access in case he needed it for when he was actually in the airport. His next plan of action was to see if his mum would be kind enough to lend him a suitcase, and at the same time break the news of his trip to her.

~*~

The day of his early morning flight, George had barely slept. He told himself it was the excitement, but he knew it was equal parts excitement and anxiety that was running through his veins as he stepped foot inside the national airport. It was way too early in the morning to navigate the massive terminal, but he willed his brain to switch on just enough to check in, successfully make his way through security, and slump down in a hard plastic chair in the small food court, cradling a small bitter McDonald’s coffee in his clammy hands.

Come on George, you’re twenty-four years old, you can’t be scared of travelling overseas.

But it wasn’t just the travelling part that scared him. He was sure he’d probably get onto the plane just fine and sleep for several hours, and get through security with ease on the other side. It was what lay beyond that other side that was making his knee jump up and down underneath the slightly sticky table.

But that was his own fault, really. Not telling the other two.

He couldn’t help it - the idea of a birthday surprise for Dream had wormed its way into George’s head and established itself as a good idea. And he knew that if he told Nick that he was coming over, that big-mouthed idiot wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret from his roommate, even if it was only for the two days that it took him to get there. No, it had to be a surprise for both of them.

“Passengers for flight MCO726, please make your way to Gate 8.”

George huffed, swigging back the rest of his coffee to finish it in case he couldn’t find a bin on the way to his gate.

As expected, the flight went relatively smoothly.

He wasn’t seated behind a screaming child; in fact he didn’t see a single baby in his section of the plane. The staff were all polite, and he was in his own row because the passengers had to be socially distanced, so he could spread himself out. When they did take off however, there was a split second where he felt like his stomach had been left back on the runway, but that feeling went away quickly enough as he looked out the window at the English landscapes rolling out beneath him.

He flicked through the movies on the TV screen in front of him, but nothing really interested him, so he opted for settling his headphones over his ears and listening to music quietly as he drifted in and out of sleep. The plane had taken off at around 6am, and it was a 9 hour flight, but it would be a similar time when he touched down. Early morning at least, meaning sleeping was the best way to stave off the effects of jetlag for when he was in the different country.

He was awoken in the middle of the flight for the one provided meal that economy class was allowed, which was a rather dry piece of fish on some couscous, paired with some salad that George didn’t touch. The whole thing tasted a bit off, maybe it was just the plane cabin air or processed fish that made his stomach a little uneasy, but he appreciated the bread roll. He even asked for a second one.

When the plane touched down he got that same stomach-dropping feeling, somehow emphasised by the terrible plane food that he was still trying to digest. But despite that, he exited the aircraft, and a wobbly smile graced his face when he took his first steps on American land. Well, the carpeted land inside the flight lounge in Orlando.

He made it through the American security relatively quickly – he expected it to be much more rigorous, but he assumed it was a lot worse if you were going through the other end, as in actually getting on one of the planes. He’d seen all the border force videos on YouTube, and it made the whole prospect of having to experience that when going back home a little terrifying. You don’t have to worry about that for a long time, he reminded himself as he finally spotted his suitcase coming around on the luggage belt.

Stepping out of the terminal and into the main part of the Airport, George wasn’t really sure what he had been expecting. It looked a lot like the British airport that he had come from, maybe it’s just a universal airport thing. He did however notice the heat, significantly warmer than the nicely air-conditioned areas he had been in before. He already felt his naturally curly dark hair begin to frizz.

He spotted a Starbucks close to the exit, which he quickly rolled over to with his suitcase trailing behind him, seeking a cold drink to bring his body temperature back down. Sure, they had Starbucks in England, but he’d never actually been to one (as far as he could remember) and he wanted the full American experience.

He didn’t have to leave urgently anyways, because he knew that Dream and Sapnap wouldn’t be awake yet. He’d known them long enough to figure out their sleep schedules, which was the typical gamer ‘sleep late, wake up late’ cycle. He didn’t have to worry about rocking up to Dream’s house until at least midday. He knew it was about a half-an-hour drive there too – he’d snagged the address off a package that Dream had sent him with his own merch in it, and googled the distance on Google Maps prior to leaving the country.

So he just had around 4 hours to kill.

For a good hour of that time he slowly drank a ridiculously sweet Frappuccino which he had managed to stumble his way through ordering, (What the hell does Venti mean? Why is Tall the smallest size? Is there an iced drink without syrup in it?) and found a booth tucked around the corner where he could mindlessly scroll through twitter without anyone bothering him.

He hadn’t even thought of the prospect that someone might recognise him. He internally rolled his eyes a little at his own narcissism, but he was relatively well known on the internet. He didn’t want to be caught out and exposed before he’d even surprised the other two, so he decided against going any further than the airport exit until he was ready to leave.

The other three hours were spent wandering around the few souvenir shops that were there, looking at the tasteless trinkets that donned the American flag. He’d pointedly avoided the Disney store, and took some photos of the tacky palm trees that surrounded the main area. He couldn’t tell if they were real or fake. They were probably fake.

When it got to 11am, he was too impatient to wait any longer.

George booked an Uber on his phone, which it turns out was already waiting for him outside of the airport with a whole fleet of other Ubers waiting to take advantage of tourists, and suddenly he found himself in the back of the car looking out at the American landscape. It gave him a small heart attack when the driver started out driving on the right side of the road instead of the left, until he remembered where he was.

The landscape in Florida was notably… flat. A lot of the buildings and houses were spaced out, low-lying. The roads felt wide, and it felt like there weren’t a whole lot of people around. He supposed it was partly due to the fact that they were in a pandemic, and partly because he was just used to the small, tightly-packed London that he’d come from. He’d passed a lot of fast food places, all looking as unappealing as each other. George hoped that he’d be taken to a supermarket at some point so he could actually put together some real meals and not have to deal with take-out every night like he knew those two did.

Maybe he could cook something for Dream on his birthday. It wasn’t even the younger’s birthday yet and he would already be receiving his present (which was George’s presence; he hadn’t actually bought him anything physical other than himself). No, his birthday wasn’t for another two days, but the dates hadn’t matched up with the cheapest flights, and George was very much holding on to his savings in case he wouldn’t be allowed to stay at the house and had to put his money towards a hotel.

When the car rounded a corner and George spotted a very familiar street name on the sign, his stomach churned. And it wasn’t just from the fish and couscous, no, George was nervous. It was hitting him, the reality of the situation, that he was minutes away from seeing the faces of his best friends for the first time in person. Well, it would be his first time seeing Dream’s face at all, considering he hadn’t done a face reveal yet.

He’d seen the ‘famous childhood photo’ of him, grinning widely at the camera as he sat on top of an alligator at what George assumed was some kind of animal park. He had that dirty blond hair that he said he still had, his beady little eyes which he claimed were green, but those were the only notable features that George could remember from it. Even then, it was hard to visualise how a child would look when they were grown up. He had a vague idea of what he looked like, some kind of rugged, blond and outgoing man that fit what his voice sounded like through the microphone. It was almost time to see how accurate his mental image of the younger was.

The Uber driver very kindly offered to help him drag his suitcase from the boot of the car, though he probably offered moreso because he didn’t want his car’s paintwork scratched up, but George appreciated it nonetheless.

Then he was there. He was standing in front of Dream and Sapnap’s rented house.

It was pretty similar to the houses that were around it, and most of the ones that he had seen on the drive. It was two-storey, had a plain front garden. All the blinds on the front of the house were pulled, probably because two gamers lived inside, but also probably for the purpose of privacy.

He’d made sure he actually looked okay in the back seat of the Uber, flattening down his frizzing hair and straightening out his rumpled and slept-in sweater that probably still smelled like the airplane. He wasn’t looking his best, but he’d have to do.

His heart leaped in his chest one more time before he hesitantly brought his hand up to the doorbell, and pressed it once. He figured his knock might not be heard from upstairs, where he believed at least Sapnap’s bedroom was.

No one answered the door. George felt a bit dumb just standing there, his anxiety spiking. What if they weren’t home? No, George thought, of course they’re home. They never leave the house, at least Dream doesn’t. Maybe they’re still asleep?

George rang the doorbell one more time, rocking on the balls of his feet, his suitcase held in place by his left hand as he tried to peer through the small frosted-glass window at the top of the door.

Then he heard it, the tell-tale signs of footsteps padding down the hallway, the jostle of what sounded like a sliding lock on the other side of the door. George had to remind himself to actually breathe, before the door swung open a few inches, and a dishevelled looking Sapnap poked his head through the gap inside.

They stared at each other for about 3 seconds, before Sapnap’s hand shot up to cover his own mouth to stop whatever noise was threatening to come out of him, his eyes blown wide. A smile wrapped it’s way around George’s lips.

Before he could get out any words to explain himself, he was being tackled to the hard concrete ground of the front step, his suitcase abandoned to the side as Sapnap’s arms engulfed him, the younger practically squealing with joy.

“Sapnap, Sapnap-” George huffed out through laughter. “You’re gonna crush me hang on-“ he shifted onto his elbows so that his head didn’t hang dangerously close to the corner of the concrete platform, laughing up at the man that was hovering over him on all fours.

Sapnap was practically screaming, “George, oh my god George! What the hell are you doing on my doorstep? Holy shit-”

The younger pulled away from his spot between George’s legs, just enough to place his hands on George’s shoulders and properly look at his face.

George shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant but his excited wobbly voice betrayed him, “I got sick of you two enjoying the roommate life without me.”

The younger looked like he was still in shock when he shook his head. “I can’t believe you Gogy, you really just showed up out of nowhere. You couldn’t have warned me?” he laughed, voice shaking with excitement.

Sapnap stood up and offered a hand to George, which he took. “I knew that if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to keep it from your roommate because you’re an idiot, and you’d ruin the big birthday surprise,” George giggled in return.

Now standing, he had a moment to take in the younger’s appearance. It looked like he hadn’t been awake for long, his dark brown hair dishevelled and fluffy. He also looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few days, but he kind of always looked like that. He probably slept in the sweatpants that he was wearing too, but he couldn’t judge him too harshly, because he was a gamer and streamer himself, so he understood. Sapnap was also just barely 20 years old too, so what more could he expect from an overgrown teenager?

Sapnap broke him out of his thoughts to ruffle his hair fondly. “You’re short, you know that George?”

George gawked, “You’re literally the same height as me! We established this ages ago!”

“Yeah, whatever,” the younger helped him wheel his suitcase past the front door and into the hallway. “You’re skinny though, so you look smaller. Dream’s gonna love that.”

George took a moment to let his eyes wander around the interior, now that he’d been unofficially invited inside. It was what he had expected, not too different to the inside of the houses back home. He did notice that the kitchen had an ‘island’, which was a little different. “Speaking of Dream…?” George questioned, eyes still flicking around and getting used to the low light inside compared to the harsh summer Floridian sun outside.

Sapnap just nodded down the hall. “He was up late, probably won’t rise until early afternoon, you know the deal.”

George quirked an eyebrow, “Really? You don’t think he woke up when you screamed my name out to the whole neighbourhood on your front porch?”

“No,” Sapnap huffed, “That guy can sleep through anything. I could go in there right now and stream from his computer, put it on full volume, and he’d sleep like a baby the whole time.”

George giggled at the imagery, earning a soft smile from the younger.

“So,” Sapnap continued as he rolled the suitcase into what looked like the spare room and guided George to sit down on the bed, “How is this surprise gonna go?”

“Surprise?”

“Yes, surprise,” Sapnap grinned, “You said it yourself, you’re here to surprise Dream for his birthday. So, what’s the plan?”

George subconsciously smoothed out the single sheet on the mattress underneath him, “Well, this was the plan. Just show up at your house I guess?” He finished lamely, earning him a pointed look from the younger male.

“Well, that’s a stupid plan, and I’m gonna come up with a better one.”

~*~

“This isn’t gonna work, he’s gonna wake up and I’ll look like an idiot!” George frantically whispered as he was dragged to stand outside of the door at the end of the hall. “What if he’s already awake? And we just open the door and he sees me?”

Sapnap send him a wild smile back, “Then we yell ‘surprise’ and that’ll be that!” he whispered back just as frantic, opening the door with his phone in his hand, the camera app open and ready.

This is stupid, George thought to himself as he let himself be dragged in. He hadn’t even been in Florida for one full day, not even half of a day, and he was being roped into the younger’s dumb antics. He wasn’t ready for what the rest of the trip had in store for him.

The plan was relatively simple, but a lot could go wrong with it. They were going to sneak George into the room and under the covers of Dream’s bed, tuck him in right next to Dream, and Sapnap was going to take a photo of them lying like that side by side. George would get back out immediately, and he’d go hide out in the spare room until Dream finally woke up in a few hours. Then Sapnap would say something like ‘I took this photo of you while you were sleeping, don’t you look cute,’ and he’d show the photo to Dream, who would then probably freak out because George was very clearly lying next to him, and that’s when George would jump out of hiding and surprise him.

Simple plan, lots could go wrong. Sapnap didn’t seem to care.

The room was pretty dark, so George couldn’t really snoop around like he wanted to. He always wondered what was on the other side of the camera, what it would look like if the younger man would have his own webcam on. He’d wondered if it was tidy or messy, what colour his walls were, what his room layout looked like. He didn’t have much time to look at all that now though, because he was being unceremoniously shoved towards the sleeping figure on the double bed which took up a good third of the small room.

He did have a second to look at Dream though. Or Clay, the name that he didn’t like going by, which he didn’t let George call him. It was hard to tell in the low light, and also with his eyes closed, but he looked strikingly… handsome. Oh no, he was handsome.

George had almost expected him to be ugly, or even just average looking, but not handsome. He thought that maybe he was holding out on the face reveal because he wasn’t confident in his looks, but looking down at his rested face… that definitely wasn’t an issue for him. George suddenly longed to see his eyes open, to see how his green eyes looked fitted amongst the rest of his nice features. It was a weird feeling.

Then he was drawing the covers back just enough so that he could slip in underneath them, trying not to jostle the bed too much and stir the sleeping male, as he scooted a little closer. He was close enough now to fondly make out the light scattering of freckles on his upper cheeks and across his nose, blending nicely with his tanned Floridian skin. He was inches away from him, he could hear him breathing lightly through his nose, he could feel the air stirring around him. He could also feel his own heartbeat in his ears. George lay on his side, facing him parallel, grinning shakily as he saw Sapnap angle his camera at the foot of the bed to capture them together.

The flash went off, momentarily bathing the room in white, and George’s heart beat faster at the danger of Dream waking up… but he didn’t. He didn’t even stir, Sapnap was right, he really could sleep through anything.

He saw Sapnap give him a thumbs up and gestured back at the door, having taken the shot he needed.

Just as he was about to pull away and escape, George suddenly heard a rustle in the bedsheets. He stopped still, training his ears in on the noise, not wanting to give himself away. Then, an arm snaked around his waist and grabbed onto the material of his sweater on his lower back, and pulled him in.

George hid a poorly contained squawk with his own hand as he was dragged in by the younger, still asleep, and let himself be tugged into his embrace.

He heard Sapnap wheezing out laughter by the door, but George was too flustered to gesture to him to shut up. Dream was cuddling him, he was cuddling him in his sleep. George’s face had been pulled in against his chest, his head tucked in just under the younger’s chin, an arm wrapped around his torso and engulfing him. His own arms were squished between their bodies, firmly pressed against Dream’s broad chest. He couldn’t move, because he’d definitely wake Dream up.

He heard a hysterical whisper behind him, “This is a way better surprise, wait till he waits up and realises he’s been using you as a human teddy bear!”

George managed to unwrap one of his hands out from the sheets to flip him off.

His response was a “Have fun, lovebirds!” and George heard the quiet click of the door closing behind him.

It was warm. George’s whole face was flushed at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation, and the close proximity of another person which he wasn’t used to experiencing considering he lived alone. It didn’t help that Dream’s room was warm too, the air-conditioning not quite reaching that corner of the house. He wondered how the younger survived while sleeping under all of the layers of blankets. He looked like he was wearing a hoodie too, the thick material bunching under George’s fingers.

Craning his neck a little, George was able to have a proper look up at Dream’s face. He looked really peaceful, all of his features smoothed and relaxed. His lips were slightly parted, but he was breathing through his nose, the puffs of air tickling George’s hairline. He really did have a lot of freckles too. He must have spent most of his childhood in the sun, George thought. Dream was probably going to tease him for his own pasty white complexion.

From what he could tell, Dream was pretty broad. He had a wide chest, which George had the privilege of being pulled up against. He probably had wide shoulders, a trait which came with being tall. He wondered how tall he really looked when he was standing up. Would he be a full head taller than him?

He remembered what Sapnap had said earlier, “You’re skinny though, so you look smaller. Dream’s gonna love that.” What did that mean? The insinuation of Dream talking about his small size and stature kind of made his stomach do flips. He wasn’t sure why he was having that reaction. Usually he’d be quite offended by those remarks, snapping back some form of snarky comment or equally-burning insult, but he was… happy about the idea of being smaller than Dream.

George very carefully let his hands roam a little. There was no harm in it really, no one was watching and Dream was still asleep. He put it down to just being curious, since he’d never seen the younger male before that moment. Also, his arms were cramping.

He let one hand slip down to Dream’s waist, underneath the arm that was slung over George’s side. He sighed as his joints popped back into place at the more comfortable position, a little less hot and stifled. His hand was resting on the younger’s lower back, in the same position as the hand on his own lower back. They were… cuddling. There was no escaping that word now.

A sudden wave of exhaustion washed over George. It was probably because he didn’t have the best quality of sleep on the plane, the jetlag already catching up on him. The nerves and anxiety had also probably contributed to his mental fatigue.

There’s no harm in snoozing off, while I’m already here.

~*~

“What?”

George hadn’t really fallen asleep – he had been in that kind of floaty, in between stage of sleep – though he felt more rested he knew it had only been maybe an hour or two. The slight shifting from the male next to him, followed by the soft exclamation, was what stirred him.

George blinked the sleep from his eyes, stifling a small yawn into the crook of Dream’s neck as his brain booted back up. He pulled back a couple of inches just to peer up and check if his cuddle buddy was properly awake yet. He’d almost forgotten that he was supposed to be surprising him.

A more frantic, slightly louder “What?” confirmed that Dream was awake.

George couldn’t help the shy smile that wrapped around his lips, subconsciously locking his hand around Dream’s side in case he tried to pull away.

“Uh-“ George coughed quietly to clear his throat, “Hi Dream?”

His eyes really were green. It was still dark in the room but he could tell, his vision having adjusted enough. They weren’t a dark forest green like he had been expecting – they were light, probably a similar colour to the grass or the foliage that he’d seen on the drive to the house, paler due to the summer sun. Well that’s what he imagined, considering he was colour-blind. They were more yellow in his mind, but he knew that they were supposed to be green, so it came out more of a light-green or dark-yellow.

Dream looked like he was still kind of waking up, but he was very much aware that George was sharing his bed with him.

“Wh- What? Am I dreaming?” The younger croaked out, his voice gravelly with sleep. He sounded pretty similar to the way he sounded online, over a microphone, but it still felt a little foreign to George’s ears.

George snorted, “What, do you have dreams about me often?”

The arm around his waist tightened, joined by another arm snaking underneath his body on the other side. His face was pulled back underneath Dream’s chin, where he slotted in comfortably, flush against Dream’s body. The younger’s legs wrapped around his own, squeezing around him like he was trying to combine them both into one body.

“God, I hope I don’t wake up, this is the best dream ever,” George felt Dream’s chest vibrate as he spoke, “Sapnap better not come in and ruin this, I’ll kill him.”

That made George giggle, shaking a little in Dream’s warm embrace. “You’re an idiot,” he huffed, “and you’re not dreaming, either.” He reluctantly pulled away again and shuffled up the bed a little, so that they were face-to-face, parallel against the pillows, looking into each other’s eyes.

Dream gawked.

Then he was grinning wildly, similar to when Sapnap had first seen him. It was a look of realisation. The older could hear the smile in his voice when he said “George?”

The moment didn’t last, because before he knew it, Sapnap was tumbling into the room, absolutely howling with laughter. Dream’s eyes flicked between the two, his wide smile not faltering as he exclaimed, “Sap, what the hell is going on dude-“

Sapnap cut him off, “Dude- dreaming? Why don’t you just confess your love for him a little louder?” He caught his breath, “God damnit, I refuse to be the third wheel in my own house, fuck you guys.”

The youngest crawled onto the double bed behind George, sending him into a fit of giggles as he felt Sapnap pull him into a bear-hug from behind. It essentially squished George even further into Dream’s chest, now shaking with laughter at the absurdity of the situation. He smelled like green apples, that was probably the smell of his body wash or shampoo or something. The temperature of the room felt like it went up a few degrees.

He balled his hands into fists in Dream’s hoodie to try and get some kind of purchase. I guess their love-language is physical touch, he thought.

Dream was looking down at him with stars in his eyes. “George, when the hell did you get to Florida? How?”

“This morning actually,” George answered honestly, “And how? I took a plane, you idiot, how do you think I got here-“

Dream laughed loudly, hugging him impossibly tighter. “I’m so happy to hear your snarky little responses in person George, you have no idea.”

Sapnap grumbled behind him, “I only found out about it like an hour ago dude, when he showed up on our doorstep out of nowhere.”

“You didn’t plan this?” Dream directed at Sapnap.

George huffed, “You think he’d be able to plan my trip over here without blabbing to you before I even showed up?”

A small scuffle and some jabbing fingers later, the three decided that staying underneath the covers in the small room wasn’t a good plan for a summer’s day. George felt the blood rush to his head when he sat up, trying to flatten his hair down. He missed the fond look that Dream send him as they all finally crawled their way out of bed.

~*~

“This is ridiculous.”

George stared at the pepperoni pizza in front of him. He’d confessed earlier that he was getting a little hungry, and mentioned the pretty unfortunate plane-meal, and Dream had immediately jumped to ordering lunch for everyone. He knew that the younger usually paid for most of the meals, and even covered Nick’s utilities most of the time, but he didn’t expect to be showered with Dream’s generosity so soon.

“I’m getting regular ones, so we can have leftovers and don’t have to worry about dinner,” Dream had said.

“This is just stupid.” George said again, eyes not leaving the box. “What did you say this was? A regular?”

Two curious gazes were regarding his reaction closely, and Dream was smiling affectionately at him. “Yeah,” he laughed, “that’s a regular.”

“No it’s not. This is an extra-large, you’re fucking with me.”

“Nup,” Sapnap managed through a mouthful of his own meat-lovers pizza, “Americans just go big. Go big or go home, baby.”

It was the biggest pizza George had ever seen - it looked like those party pizzas you could get that fed about 30 people. He was sure that just one slice would make him full, and possibly a little nauseous. He was glad he didn’t get something with lots of toppings, like Dream’s ‘Veggie Trio’ one.

“You don’t have to eat it all you know,” Dream said softly, making George feel a little better, “If you don’t eat it later, I’m sure someone will.”

The whole situation still felt a little surreal, George thought as he took a bite of a notably greasy slice. He’d imagined this moment, sitting down with his two best friends and eating whatever ridiculously unhealthy take-away had been ordered, finally one of the roommates, but his imagination didn’t quite do it justice. He already felt like he had been wholeheartedly accepted into the pact, he felt at home. It was a feeling that George didn’t even feel back at his own home. Being around others really made all the difference.

After he managed to get his way through two slices, Dream offered to help him unpack his suitcase in the spare room.

“Seriously, if I’d have known you’d be coming, I would have at least made up the bed or something…” Dream trailed off, bundling some sheets under his arm from the cupboard in the hallway.

George just huffed, shaking his head. “I’m more than capable of making a bed, you know.”

“Yeah, but,” Dream half-whined as he nudged the spare room door open with his foot, “I feel like bad host now. I wasn’t even awake when you arrived.”

George followed him into the room, one of the only rooms in the house where the blinds were actually open, because it faced out to the side of the property where a hedge obstructed the fence to the neighbours’. “You weren’t complaining about waking up next to me though,” he teased.

Dream huffed out a laugh, “No, you’re right, I’m not complaining about that.”

Dropping the sheets onto the bed, Dream turned around to face him, and George finally got an indication of his stature. And yeah, he was tall.

His hands were on his hips, he wasn’t slouching the way he was when he had dragged himself out of the comfort of his bedroom earlier. He had an air of confidence around him, as George had expected, rugged, blond and outgoing. He was also a good head taller than him, and when Dream took a step towards him, George suddenly felt very small. But not in a bad way.

“Oh my god, George-“ He could hear the smile in Dream’s voice as the younger gently placed a hand on top of his head, “I didn’t realise now tiny you are!”

George rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah, Sapnap said the same thing, you know this isn’t new information…”

The hand left his head and suddenly two very large hands were wrapping around his waist, underneath his sweater, making an indignant squawk leave George’s throat. His hands were warm.

“Look- my fingers touch George, my hands wrap completely around your tiny little waist, oh my god-”

George managed to wiggle out of his grasp before his cheeks exploded with heat, shooting him a scowl that only half his heart was in. “It’s not my fault you’re ridiculously oversized, just like everything else in this stupid country-”

His mini-rant was cut off when he heard a noise behind him, a kind of inquisitive sound from something beside the door. He knew exactly what it was before he saw it, but his suspicions were confirmed when he felt a soft bump of something’s head rubbing against his shins and curling around his ankle. He looked down, and two hazel eyes looked right back at him.

George quirked an eyebrow at Dream who was watching the interaction with a warm smile on his face.

“Patches?” George asked, bending his knees to get down to the small cat’s level. He held his hand out for her to sniff, but she didn’t bother, and went straight for rubbing her cheek on his thumb and burying her face in his palm, drawing a small gasp from George’s lips. She was so friendly, so much friendlier than the kitten that George had owned for an unfortunately short amount of time.

“Yep, that’s the infamous Patches,” Dream beamed, “and she’s warming up to you a lot quicker than she did with Nick.”

“Cats can tell if you’re a cat person or a dog person,” George mumbled, distracted with scratching his short nails into the base of Patches’ ears which she seemed to like. A small purr rumbled out of her at the attention.

“She actually takes her afternoon nap in here,” Dream said, “so she’s probably gonna be hanging around you a lot during the day.”

George didn’t mind that, but he doubted he’d be spending a lot of time in the spare room. What was the point in travelling overseas to see your best friends if you were just gonna be hauled up alone in your own room all the time? Besides, Dream’s room was just two doors down the hall.

“If I did move here, this would be my room right?”

Dream nodded in confirmation. “You mean when you do move here, yes.”

George rolled his eyes, standing back up and pointedly ignoring the way his knees cracked. “Yeah, whenever my full working visa gets accepted, which is gonna take a while.”

“I can wait.” Dream’s answer was instant and genuine. George had always liked how straightforward he was.

He was actually glad that the younger was helping him make the bed, because the fitted sheet would have been a nightmare to try and put on himself. They managed it together, despite Patches jumping up on the bed half-way through and wanting to get in between every single layer of sheets that they put on. George sat on the edge of the bed as he worked on opening up his suitcase, taking out each item of clothing and folding it, as Dream watched him from his spot on the floor in front of him.

He’d only been sitting there for a second before Patches climbed into his lap, and you know the rules – you can’t disturb a resting cat. That was his excuse for not helping George with his clothes anyways.

“We’ll be sharing a bathroom, I hope you don’t mind,” Dream explained, “I’m pretty tidy though, but feel free to set up your stuff in there.”

George snorted, “I’d rather share a bathroom with you than mister irritable bowel syndrome upstairs.”

Dream pulled a face, “Dude, gross. But you’re right.”

By the time George had unpacked and had been given a vague tour of the house that he’d be staying in for the next month, it was already dark outside. He wasn’t hungry enough to have any more of his pizza which was now in the fridge, but he noted that Dream had gotten through a good portion of his. Curse tall people and their fast metabolisms.

Sapnap had escaped off to his bedroom upstairs to do a stream or something, leaving George to trail behind Dream wherever he went in the house. That’s how he found himself sitting on Dream’s bed, watching him code something for an upcoming video, making a few suggestions and yawning into the back of his hand. He didn’t know how he was still so tired, considering how he’d slept on the plane and taken a nap earlier.

“It’s because you’re jetlagged,” Dream said gently as he nudged his shoulder to lay down on the bed properly, “your body still isn’t used to this time-zone, it probably won’t be for a few days.”

George let himself be laid down, accepting the fluffy blanket that was draped over his body. “You don’t mind if I rest here?” he yawned again, “I’m still technically keeping you company.”

Dream beamed, “I don’t mind at all, besides I’ve got you here all month. Just sleep.”

George didn’t have to be asked twice, feeling like a switch had been flicked in his tired mind, and he fell asleep quite easily underneath the blanket that smelled like green apples.

~*~

He woke up somewhere around midnight, feeling sweaty and gross in his clothes that he’d been wearing all day. Dream wasn’t in the room anymore – his computer had been switched off, but he heard movement from upstairs through the ceiling, so he figured he was likely with Sapnap.

He’s probably getting his opinion on a plugin or something, George thought as he stumbled back to the spare room to collect his toiletries, and heading to the bathroom for a much needed shower.

Dream was right, the downstairs bathroom was pretty neat. Dream had a few products lined up on the sink, like shaving cream and hand-soap. His green apple-scented body wash rested in the shower caddy, which confirmed George’s suspicions on the origins of his scent. He set his own things out, lined up his skincare products on the counter, hung his own vanilla body wash in the shower caddy beside Dream’s. He tried to ignore the thought that was creeping into his mind about how domestic the gesture was.

Making sure the door was locked, he finally stripped out of his travel clothes, wincing at the thought of how bad he must have smelled to the others. He got into his short-sleeved shower robe (which he’d stolen from a hotel back in England at some point), fully intending on doing some skincare while he waited for the water to warm up – when he was met with a problem.

He had no idea how to turn the shower on.

It was a typical bath/shower setup, but unlike the one he had back at home, there was only one set of taps. This confused the hell out of him, because when he tried to turn them on, the water came out of the bath nozzle. How was he supposed to take a shower? He looked around for another set of taps, but there was just the one. Did they not take showers? Did they only have baths?

George decided to cut his losses and go get help.

He meekly wrapped his bathrobe tighter around his slight figure to cover himself up, not wanting to change back into his gross travelling clothes that he’d just gotten out of, and climbed the stairs with gradually reddening cheeks. He could see light under the door of Sapnap’s room, confirming his suspicions of the whereabouts of his hosts.

He knocked timidly, not wanting to interrupt anything. He was already thoroughly embarrassed, but the look that Dream gave him when he opened the door didn’t help. He took a long gaze at George from head to toe, at his thin robe that didn’t cover his pale legs or the skin past his elbows. It made George shiver a little under his gaze, following as his eyes flicked up and down his body. He crossed his arms over his chest self-consciously, but the gaze remained.

“Shut up and teach me how to use your stupid American shower,” George huffed out before the younger could ask.

Dream nodded dumbly, finally tearing his eyes away from his bare arms. He heard a snicker coming from inside the room as Dream wordlessly lead him back downstairs.

George noticed that he avoided looking at him for the rest of the time that he was wearing the bathrobe, showing him how to pull some little tab that was on the bath nozzle which switched the water path to the shower-head, which was just stupid as he had poignantly expressed to Dream, earning a shaky laugh to lighten the mood. He wasn’t sure how he’d managed to make it so awkward.

He missed the fleeting backwards glance that Dream sent him as he left the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

~*~

George didn’t sleep well.

It took him a long time to get comfortable, which he kind of expected with the foreign-feeling mattress and pillow. In hindsight he should have bought his own pillow from home, but he hadn’t thought about it. He was in a weird hot-cold temperature all night – too hot to warrant a lot of blankets, but too cold to peacefully fall into a warm slumber. Nights in Florida were weird.

He woke up early in the morning because of his messed up jetlag sleep schedule, and had nothing to do but unpack a little more and wander aimlessly around the house until the sun rose and strips of sunlight peeked through the sides of the blinds. He rummaged through the pantry, and was disappointed to learn that they didn’t own any teabags – just some grainy looking instant coffee that he didn’t dare to try. He realised his neck kind of ached from sleeping on the dense pillow.

It wasn’t until almost noon that Sapnap rose, giving George a weak ‘morning’ as he stumbled into the kitchen and made himself an instant coffee. George watched the process with disturbed fascination from his place at the kitchen island stool. Dream followed not long after, stopping at the bottom of the stairs for a moment when he spotted George, almost as if he hadn’t expected him to be there.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t run off in the night,” George offered him a drowsy smile.

Dream just ruffled his hair fondly in response, joining Sapnap in the instant coffee making process.

It was just after midday, they had all moved to the couches in the living room, but instead of stretching out on the three couches that were available, they of course decided it was the best idea to all squish together on the double-seater with George in the middle. Dream was balancing his half-empty mug of coffee on his left thigh with one hand, and the other was wrapped around George’s waist to draw him in closer. Sapnap was on the other side, his coffee balancing on the armrest of the couch, his left hand kneading George’s thigh muscle like a kind of massage.

Their love language really is touch, George thought to himself.

“Sapnap,” George inquired, “You’ve got your license, right?”

The younger nodded, “Yep, the truck’s in the garage. Why?”

By ‘truck’ he meant what he’d call a pick-up truck back in England, with front seats and then a tray in the back.

“Is there a supermarket nearby? I want to get some real food, and tea, you guys don’t have teabags.”

Dream snorted, “Tea? I thought that was a stereotype, that’s something you drink regularly?”

George pouted, “Well yeah, I don’t like coffee that much, so…”

Dream squished his pouted cheek with his finger.

Sapnap piped up, “Yeah I think there’s a Trader Joe’s around the block, I’ll take you there Georgie.”

He wasn’t going to push Dream to come out with him, he knew about his social anxiety situation, why he never left the house. He’d told him about it a while ago, how he was terrified of being exposed, that someone would recognise his voice or see him with Sapnap and know who he was. It had almost happened before, and left the younger in a state of panic and fear. Now he never went out, not even to check the mailbox – he only ever was driven to his mother’s house a few times a year, and that was it.

George hadn’t realised that he’d been rubbing comforting circles into Dream’s thigh, just at the thought of him being at unease. Being around him in person has kind of changed things, he thought. And if it means I can comfort him more for those situations, that’s a benefit.

After Nick reluctantly got changed into some actual outside functioning member of society clothes, which was jeans and a shirt, they drove the short distance to the local Trader Joe’s. George found it kind of ironic that the youngest of the three was the only one with a drivers licence, much less an actual vehicle. George had never really needed to get his license though; there was no point in driving in London when you could just get The Tube.

The supermarket wasn’t too different to the ones back in London, but this specific one was distinctively more organic. At least, there were a lot of ‘organic’ labels on everything, but he didn’t know if they were any more organic than usual. He spent a long time just wandering up and down all the different aisles looking at all the options before he’d even put anything in his basket.

George managed to find some regular black tea bags, and a few simple meals like pastas or frozen pastries that he would be able to cook at home. He even convinced Sapnap to add something green to the shopping basket, a few apples and some vegetables that would likely rot in the fridge if George wasn’t cooking for them. His main reason for being there was so that he could buy something to cook a proper meal for Dream on his birthday. He figured he would be forgiven for the pre-made cake he picked up though.

“So George, how are you enjoying America so far?” Sapnap asked as they slowly strolled down the aisles together, appreciating each other’s company.

George hummed, “Well, I haven’t seen a whole lot of it, but that’s not really the reason I came here.”

“What do you mean?”

George sighed, “You know, I didn’t come here as a tourist to appreciate the country or something, I came here to spend time with my two best friends. Like a trial run for when I come live here for real. Then I can be the travelling tourist.”

Sapnap rephrased his question, “Then, are you enjoying spending time with us in America so far?”

“Yeah,” George said honestly, “Yeah I really am. I feel at home.”

The younger sent him a cheeky look, “And Dream? What do you think of him? You can be honest with me now that he’s not here, you know.”

George snorted, “I’ve got nothing to be dishonest about when he’s around. Dream is… he’s Dream. Not much has changed in terms of our dynamic…” George trailed off, eyeing up a dubious looking tin of ‘organic’ soup. But it is nice to be able to put a face to a voice. A handsome face.

“You think it’s the same for him?” Sapnap asked, almost as if he knew something more than he was letting on.

George quirked an eyebrow, “I mean, he’s already seen my face, it’s not like I’m any different online. How would our dynamic be different now that he’s seen me in person?”

The younger shrugged, “I dunno man, you’re right. He flirted with you online, he flirts with you in person just a little bit coyer, I guess it’s the same.”

“Flirts?” George scoffed, “He talks like that with everyone, he talks like that with you.”

Sapnap hummed, “Yeah, but he doesn’t check me out from head to toe, if you know what I mean.”

Ah. So Sapnap had witnessed whatever stupor Dream was in last night.

“Whatever,” George shook his head, his cheeks feeling a little hot, “He’s just flustered that I’m actually here in person. He’ll get over his clingy arc soon, and I’ll be just another roommate in no time.”

Sapnap sighed with a smile on his face, “Whatever you say, Gogy.”

~*~

It was late at night, later than George would usually be up playing games, but he was still regretfully awake. The stiff pillow and thin mattress weren’t letting up that night, and Patches being curled at the foot of the bed in one big grey lump wasn’t helping his comfort either. George didn’t want to suffer through another night of bad quality sleep, so he was awake considering his options.

How had he fallen asleep so easily when he was in Dream’s bed? He thought it might have been the travel fatigue, but in hindsight, it was probably the comfortable pillow and the warmth of another body. So what was stopping him from going up there and curling into bed with him again?

Well, a few things.

Firstly, he was probably awake. It wasn’t quite midnight yet, and he knew that Dream would be either playing something or scrolling on his phone until the early morning, which was the reason for his usual late rising. If he was awake, George would have to face the embarrassment of asking him permission to get into his bed and cuddle with him. That was the second reason – he couldn’t find a good way in his mind to ask for that kind of thing.

It wasn’t something he was familiar with doing, cuddling with someone. In the two short days that he had been in the house, he’d experienced the same amount of physical touch that he had experienced all together in his 24 years of life. So what’s the problem? You think he’s gonna turn you down?

An uncomfortable twang in his neck made up his mind, swinging his legs out of bed and stepping out into the hallway. He was drowsy, and frustrated that he couldn’t sleep, and those emotions were enough to override any embarrassment he’d have to face.

He lightly knocked on Dream’s bedroom door with one knuckle, pushing it open when he heard a muffled’Come in!’ from the other side. He probably already knew that it was George, since Sapnap didn’t knock ever. George had found that out the hard way when he was getting dressed that morning.

He peeked his head around the doorway, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the lamp-lit space compared to the dark hallway. He must have looked a little dishevelled, because Dream gave him a sympathetic smile and patted the bed next to him. He looked like he was watching Tiktoks or something, tucked under the covers and propped up against the pillows with his phone in his hand.

George shuffled over and climbed into the bed without a second thought, sighing as the mattress dipped comfortably under his body and hugged his small curves. It was so different to the hunk of cardboard down the hall. He didn’t even have to explain himself because Dream was tugging him in closer, drawing him so that George was tucked into his side, his cheek resting on Dream’s shoulder as he slotted next to him.

Dream stayed lying on his back and went back to scrolling with one hand through the videos with the volume on low, the other one around George’s slender shoulders. It was tender, domestic, comfortable. George almost didn’t want to close his eyes because he wanted to enjoy the moment, but he’d come to Dream’s room for a reason.

He fell asleep to the soft lull of Dream’s phone, and the feeling of fingers massaging the curls on the nape of his neck.

It was probably the best he’d slept in his whole life. He didn’t wake up once during the night, and when he did wake up, he was in a delightful comfy slumber that he was just conscious enough to enjoy. It was so warm, the blankets were so soft, and the comforting weight of Dream’s arm slung around his waist and curling around his front made him feel floaty.

He realised pretty quickly that he was being spooned, he supposed that just happened naturally while they were asleep. He was just the right size with his legs curled up to nestle into the curve of Dream’s body. It should have been weird, or a little awkward, but it really wasn’t. It was the most natural thing George had ever done.

He felt the younger shifting behind him, mumbling groggily as his hands tightened around George’s torso, “Mmh- morning.”

George hummed in response, “Good morning, birthday boy.”

Dream stopped mid-yawn. “Oh. That’s right, I almost forgot to be honest,” he said groggily.

George shuffled around so that he was face-to-face with the younger, making sure to leave enough distance between them so he didn’t have to subject him to his morning breath. Dream gave him a lazy smile.

They were interrupted with the door suddenly swinging open, because Sapnap doesn’t knock, and the younger man stumbled into the room with his hand covering his eyes.

“Please tell me you’re both clothed and decent, I swear to god,” he said as he peeked between his fingers.

George rolled his eyes as he shuffled a few inches away from Dream, “Shut up, you’re so weird. Get in here.”

~*~

The rest of Dream’s birthday went quite smoothly. They ended up spending most of it streaming online, which was kind of expected for the group. They had set up the computer in the spare room for George to play on, which he was grateful for. It consisted mainly of the other two’s older equipment, so it wasn’t half bad.

The world still didn’t know that George was in America. He hadn’t released any official twitter statements or anything, and had been denying it along the way, even though somehow it seemed like people were catching on. He didn’t want people to know where he was in case it affected the daily lives of the other two, which was the last thing he wanted. He didn’t need people following him home from the supermarket and knocking on their door.

Dream said he’d be visiting his mum the next day, so he didn’t feel too bad about keeping the man all to himself on his special day.

“How do you feel about being twenty-two?” George asked as the younger as he emerged from his room later that afternoon, his hair rumpled from wearing his headset all day.

Dream hummed as he put some dirty dishes in the sink, “Not much different to be honest, I’m catching up to you though.”

George scoffed, “That’s not how ageing works.”

“Whatever,” Dream laughed, “What’s all this?”

He was gesturing to the ingredients that George had spread out over the bench, grouped into categories. He was in the middle of finely slicing chives for the chicken pie. He was sick of take-out.

“One of your presents, I’m actually cooking you something for dinner.”

Dream raised an eyebrow, “You can cook?”

George nodded, “Of course I can cook.”

Dream gave him a sly smile, “You really are wife-material, aren’t you?”

It was said as a joke, but it made George’s ears burn with embarrassment. He spluttered a little and busied himself with chopping instead of answering the remark. He didn’t watch as Dream reached over to the drawer that they kept their tea-towels in, and pulled out a very frilly, very pink apron.

George made an indignant noise, “What is that? Why do you have that?"

The younger chuckled, “I think it’s Sapnap’s, he got it for a video or something. Look, it suits you,” he grinned widely as he looped the apron around George’s neck and tied the straps behind his back. George felt ridiculous, but he also had butterflies in his stomach as Dream’s large hands worked to get the straps in the right place.

“There, my cute little wifey,” Dream huffed, sitting at the stool at the island across from George.

George liked that term way too much. Way more than a friend-likes-friend kind of way. He was being weird, and his running thoughts needed to stop.

They didn’t stop.

Why did things feel like they were different? But it was just George that was being different, he was pretty sure Dream’s personality was exactly the same. He still made those little teasing remarks, or what Sapnap had called ‘flirting’. The only difference now was that he was able to flirt in person, and since he was so comfortable with physical touch, of course he was cuddling George and ruffling his hair, and putting his hand on his waist when they stood together. That was normal. It was banter.

George was just taking it in a weird way, probably because it was just different, right? He just wasn’t used to it, and once he got more settled in, it would become more normal to him.

But why wasn’t it the same with Sapnap? Sure, he was a touchy guy, he joined them on the couch or squished between them in bed. He remembered what Sapnap had said the other day though, I refuse to be the third wheel in my own house. Was he being serious? Did he see the difference in their relationships too? Did Dream treat George differently to the way he treated his roommate?

Did George like being treated differently?

“George?”

George’s head snapped up to follow Dream’s voice, and was met with a concerned look, “Are you okay? You’re kind of spacing out."

Shaking his head a little, George went back to slicing his vegetables. “Yeah, yeah just… lost in my head, I guess.”

Dream didn’t look convinced. “If the apron bothers you that much, you don’t have to wear it you know. I can tone it down-“

“No!” George interrupted him a little too quickly, “No, no its fine, I actually love the apron, I was just thinking about how I’m gonna steal it from you and take it home with me.”

“I don’t think Sapnap would be too happy with that idea,” Dream laughed.

The younger stayed sat at the kitchen counter the whole time that George cooked, watching him prepare everything and cook the filling before putting it in the pie tin. Dream even helped him put the pie lid on the top, crimping the edges down with his fingers.

The words domestic and wife were ringing in George’s ears the whole time, but he didn’t let it linger. At least he tried.

~*~

"You going to bed soon?”

Dream was leaning against the doorframe of the spare room, his arms crossed over his chest, looking as confident and relaxed as usual. He was wearing those grey sweatpants that he usually wore underneath his own merch hoodie, which George couldn’t even fathom wearing in the middle of summer in Florida. He wondered how he hadn’t died of heatstroke yet.

George hummed in response, “Yeah, I was planning on staying up and watching videos or something, it’s getting pretty late though.”

The younger nodded, watching George as he folded his laundry that he’d just done. He’d managed to finally wash the sweater that he’d worn on the plane, and it miraculously hadn’t shrunk in the dryer. He wondered for a moment what was so riveting about the action of folding his washing that made Dream want to watch, until he asked a follow-up question.

“Do you- I mean, do you want to sleep in my bed again?” His voice was a little quieter, and a little more unsure, lacking his usual assured tone.

George blinked.

The hesitation must have made the younger panic, because he jumped to defend himself- “I mean, you don’t have to! I- I just know the spare bed is shit, and I can tell you slept better with me- No, that sounds weird, you weren’t sleeping with me, you know what I mean-“

George couldn’t help the awkward laugh that tumbled out of him, effectively cut him off. Dream looked monumentally embarrassed as George tried to contain his giggles, the tips of his ears getting redder every second.

“You couldn’t have been less smooth just then Dream, seriously,” he tried to muffle his nervous laugh by pressing his lips tightly together before continuing, “But I’ll join you, if you don’t mind? I’m not like, messing up your sleep schedule or anything am I?”

Dream huffed out a relieved sigh, “Not at all, I sleep way better with you there, actually.”

“I guess the feeling’s mutual.”

George finished up with his laundry and met Dream in his room that night, just two doors down the hall.
Before he went in, he stopped outside of his room, hovering in the hallway, eyes trained at the strip of light peeking through the bottom of the door. This would be the third time he’d been in Dream’s bed. Sighing, George leaned against the wall and ran a hand over his face, trying to figure out why his heart was beating so fast.

George had it bad.

He didn’t even realise it until it was too late, but he had feelings towards Dream that definitely weren’t feelings that friends should have towards other friends. When the hell had that started? Since he had come to America?

When the distance was between them, he hadn’t thought twice about his views towards the younger. Well, he hadn’t minded the attention and affection, and sure he sometimes got jealous when that affection was directed to someone other than himself. And sure, he’d thought about moving to America to be closer to him, and imagined their futures together. And he’d gotten flustered at some lewd comments that were made, or flushed at the mountains of compliments that gave him butterflies.

Okay, maybe he had thought about his feelings forwards Dream before. But he hadn’t taken them seriously. Not until now.

Did he… like Dream? Like, like like him?

He couldn’t. He knew it was possible, and a pretty good explanation for his flustered-ness, but he couldn’t. Because it would ruin everything. The years of friendship that they had carefully built together, it could all disappear overnight. If he told Dream about his little newfound one-sided crush, he could be on the next flight back to England, never to speak to him again.

What would happen to him then? All of his future plans revolved around Dream, so if he was out of the picture… George would be so lost. He literally didn’t know what he would do with his life. It sounded dramatic, but he couldn’t live without him. He didn’t know how he hadn’t figured out his feelings before.

How to I fix this?

He had to snap out of it, bury those feelings deep inside him so that they wouldn’t ruin his friendship. But how was he supposed to do that? He couldn’t just avoid the guy, he was sleeping in his room every night for gods sakes. George thought about the way Dream had timidly asked him to join him again, and thought of how awkward and sad he would have looked if George had have said no. He didn’t think he was capable of saying no to Dream.

He really didn’t want to put any kind of distance between him, even though he knew it was the best way to momentarily deny his own feelings just long enough for them to go away. He felt selfish either way – distancing himself from Dream for his own benefit would negatively affect the younger, but also acting on his feelings might do the same.

Well, I’m only here for a little while. I might as well make use of our close proximity in a self-indulgent way, enjoy it while it lasts, and work on forgetting these feelings later.

Things would be easier when the physical distance was between them again. Things would go back to normal.

~*~

Time in Florida was unfortunately going pretty fast.

George had only gone out a few times, going to the supermarket or being dragged to the beach once by Nick, but he mostly found himself not wanting to do much except hang around Dream for the rest of his time there.

It was a trial run after all, for when he lived there for real. He’d have plenty of time for sight-seeing and beach trips sometime in the future, so he’d let himself be a tourist later.

He’d made no effort to distance himself from Dream. He knew it wouldn’t be fair to do anyways, how were you supposed to ignore someone when they were the whole reason you were even in the country? Not to mention he spent every night sleeping in his bed, because he found out pretty quickly that he couldn’t sleep alone. He’d barely spent any time in the spare room at all.

There was only about a week left until George had to fly back. He’d booked the tickets rather reluctantly, but he’d known that it would only be a month. It just didn’t feel long enough.

It was getting late, George was cleaning up dishes in the kitchen (because no one in the goddamn house ever did the dishes), and Patches was weaving in between his legs and chirping loudly.

“What do you want?” he asked fondly, toeing at the cat with his socked foot, “Have you been fed yet?”

Patches just bumped against him again, rubbing her cheek against his calf.

“Come on, let’s ask Dream if he’s fed you yet.”

The other two had escaped up to Sapnap’s room earlier, the younger claiming that he needed help with a server or something. George took two steps at a time, Patches following him close behind.

As he approached the room, he tried to listen in on the conversation through the slightly-opened door to make sure he wasn’t interrupting anything important. His ears perked up as he heard Dream’s voice, speaking softly, as if he was telling Nick something personal.

“I don’t know, like I knew I felt like this even before he came, it’s just…”

“Different now that he’s here, right?” Nick’s voice was just as soft, a sense of comfort to his words.

“Not different, just like, amplified.”

Nick hummed in response, “You don’t wanna talk to him about it?”

George heard a noise that sounded a bit like a scoff, “No, how the hell am I supposed to talk to him about it? Like, ‘Hey George, you know how I flirted with you online before? Well, I’m actually in love with you-‘ “

George froze. He was a few paces away from the door, hovering near the top of the stairwell, but he’d heard the words clear as day. He feel his heart beating in the back of his throat.

“No dude, not like that-“ Nick laughed quietly in response, “You never know unless you talk about it though, he could like you too.”

I shouldn’t be hearing this, George thought to himself. He wouldn’t want me to be hearing this.

As quietly as he could, George shakily made his way back downstairs, ignoring Patches curious meows.

What the hell was that? George thought as he shoved his hands back in the kitchen sink, the words that Dream had used were still ringing in his ears. I’m in love with you.

It had happened so quickly, but he was sure that that was what he had said. In love. With George?

Was George in love with Dream too?

He didn’t know. He’d only accepted in his head that it was a crush, just a one-sided kind of adoration that he was only feeling because he was meeting him for the first time in person - but he’d felt the same kind of fondness towards him even before now, hadn’t he? He liked Dream, he’d go so far as to say he had a crush on Dream, but the word love…

It was too much for George to handle in that moment. He didn’t know if he wanted to cry of happiness at the fact that Dream definitely liked him back, or have a panic attack about what that meant for them both.

It hadn’t been aimless flirting after all - all of those comments that Dream had made to him in the past - all the compliments, the teases and jokes and suggestive comments, it was because Dream liked him.

George tried to busy himself with scrubbing a particularly burnt pot, but his brain was going a million miles an hour.

Maybe his one-sided crush wouldn’t ruin their friendship after all? Maybe he had been worrying over nothing, and he really didn’t need to be trying to distance himself from the younger at all. It sounded like Dream didn’t want to talk about it though, he didn’t want to acknowledge his feelings towards George. Or maybe that was just because he had no idea that George liked him.

He was going to have to do something. But he was not just going to hand himself over to the younger. He had to come up with a way for Dream to talk to him, to find him approachable enough if he wanted to initiate anything. He needed somewhat of a plan.

~*~

“Let’s go out.”

George knew that he definitely hadn’t picked the right phrase the moment that it left his mouth, so he pointed his thumb towards the door for good measure.

Dream quirked an eyebrow at him. “Outside?” He asked, “With me?”

George nodded firmly.

The younger huffed, “There’s a tropical rainstorm coming on George, I told you this, even most of the shops are closed during tropical rainstorms. It’s a Florida thing.”

“I know,” George held his ground, “and that’s exactly why I wanna go out, to experience Florida. Plus, since everything is closed and people will be inside, you won’t have to worry about people seeing your face, will you?”

Dream looked like he was considering it.

“Come onnnnnn,” George whined, putting on his best pouty face, “There’s a beach literally around the corner from you, have you been to the beach this summer?” He watched as Dream’s eyes grazed over his pouted bottom lip, not answering, “I bet you haven’t, come on, I’m getting dressed so we can leave soon.”

Dream managed to tear his gaze away from George’s lips to roll his eyes, “Alright, fine, we leave in ten.” He was smiling though, and George did a little victory dance as he made his way to the spare room to sift through his clothes. He’d spent most of his time in sweatpants, but he’d be able to wear shorts and a t-shirt for the first time since he got there.

Even if it was going to be raining, it wasn’t like England rain – it was going to be warm and humid, and any long-sleeved garments would stick to him uncomfortably. He grinned as Dream emerged from his room in a similar outfit.

It really was a feat to be able to get Dream to leave the house, considering his social anxiety. It was a small win for George.

A quick yell up the stairs to Sapnap about their excursion, and they were walking down the street, hands bumping together every so often as Dream pointed out different local landmarks to him. He noted the primary school that his sister had gone to, as well as a skate park that he’d been to with Nick once or twice. They had also located a corner shop that was open, and after more persistent begging, George got him to promise to buy him an ice-cream on the way home.

Dream looked… really happy. It was probably his first time out of the house in long time, and he was glowing. His naturally tanned skin looked good in the sun, and George could get a better look at the freckles that dotted his chest underneath his low-neck shirt. George felt a little self-conscious about his own pasty white skin, and wondered if he’d develop a tan if he stayed for much longer.

“I can’t believe you roped me into this,” Dream chuckled fondly, taking off his flip-flops when the concrete path turned into a sand one that lead down to the beach.

George returned his smile, “Just wanted to do something different before I leave.”

Dream hummed in sympathy, “Yeah, you’ve been stuck in the house with us for most of your stay.”

“I wouldn’t say stuck,” George mused as he kicked off his own flip-flops and tucked them under his arm, “you say it like you’re holding me captive or something. I like being around you, believe it or not.

Dream hummed, “Well good, because I like being around you too.”

He sounded sincere, and it was the closest the George had gotten to talking about their feelings so far, so he counted that as a win too.

The sand was very white, which was quite different to the usually grey or pebbly beaches back in England. It felt soft and warm beneath his feet as he followed Dream down to the water, to a spot right before where the sand got damp again. Looking out at the waves, he could see what Dream was talking about with the storm.

The blue sky above him looked like it was shrinking, being overtaken by a grey mist of clouds that were closer down to the earth. It looked like the ocean was bringing it to them, and he couldn’t tell if it was sea mist in the distance or rain. The air was still very warm though, humid, and the sun was still out behind them. It was a strange feeling.

Dream was watching his reaction – George could feel eyes on him.

“It’s- yeah, there’s a storm coming,” he said lamely.

Dream laughed at him, “Good job weather-boy, that’s definitely a storm.”

George just punched him lightly in the shoulder and walked forward, his toes sinking into the wet sand the further he went. Dream followed him to the shallow part, where the tides were coming in and water rushed past their ankles. It definitely wasn’t cold like he had been expecting.

He breathed in deep, salty air hitting the back of his throat. Now it felt like he was on holiday. Most of his holidays as a child involved beaches, so the sensation brought back a sense of nostalgia.

“Look-“ Dream suddenly whisper-shouted, startling George a little.

“What?” George whipped around, brows furrowing as he tried to follow where Dream was pointing, into the water about a metre away from them. “I don’t see anything-“

“Over here,” Dream hooked a hand around his waist, tugging him so that their bodies were flush beside each other. George had to try really hard not to trip over his own feet which were sinking in the sand. “There’s a bunch of really small fish, stand still.”

George did stand still. He hoped Dream couldn’t hear the beating of his heart over the slight wind that the storm was bringing in. Then he spotted it – a small movement in the water, something silver jostling the surface.

He almost shrieked, “What is that?”

“Just like a baitfish or something, I dunno,” Dream chuckled as he kept his grip on George’s side, mused by his reaction. “The bigger ones are out deeper, don’t worry.”

George subconsciously placed his own hand over the one that was on his waist, keeping it from pulling away as they silently watched the small fish scatter around them. He didn’t know which one he wanted to pay attention to more – the warmth at his side, or the fish in the water.

“Aren’t they gonna get washed up with the storm?” George asked, his eyes still glued to the ocean.

“Nah,” Dream hummed quietly, “The storm won’t be that crazy. If it was a hurricane, then yeah, maybe.”

He felt Dream’s thumb moving in comforting circles on his waist, and George was just thinking about how happy he was that the younger hadn’t pulled away yet. It felt intimate, like a step further than what they usually did. The glow on George’s cheeks was cooled when the first scattering of raindrops started, disturbing the surface of the water in front of them.

“We should uh-“ Dream’s hand dropped down from his waist, “We should get back up on the sand at least, just for safety reasons.”

George hummed, turning around and taking his hand back into his grasp, tugging him out of the shallow water and back onto the sand bank. Dream didn’t pull away.

“Can we still watch the storm come in?” George asked, heading towards a wooden seat just beside the path that lead back up to the sidewalk, surrounded by a few trees that might have shielded them from the heavier rain.

The younger looked reluctant, but George knew he couldn’t resist the pouty eyes he was giving him. “Fine, but not for too long, I don’t want you getting sick on your last week here,” Dream huffed, but he was smiling as he took a seat next to George and bumped their knees together.

They sat in silence for a while, breathing in the salty sea air and watching the dark clouds roll over each other, being brought in with the tide. The rain was getting a little heavier through their tree covering, the drops getting a bit bigger. His hair was damp and his clothes were starting to stick to his body, but George didn’t care. The summer air was still warm, and the leg pressed against his own was comforting and grounding.

He felt like he was in a completely different world from England. He felt like a child again, no consequences for staying out in the rain, getting soaked from tip to toe. And he knew he wouldn’t be shivering when he got home – they’d probably still have the air-conditioning running inside. In that moment, he couldn’t remember the last time when he felt so calm. All of the fears and worries he’d ever experienced were behind him.

He turned to the side to see if Dream was enjoying himself just as much, but he was met with a pair of light green eyes staring back at him. A shy smile crept onto Dream’s face, “Sorry, you just looked really happy, I didn’t mean to stare at you.”

George gave him a shy smile in response, “I am really happy, but I think the storm is a little more interesting to watch than my face.”

Dream tilted his head to the side, the corner of his mouth turning up. “I disagree,” he said softly, eyes still trained on George’s.

George’s breath hitched. He was finally getting some kind of confirmation about Dream’s feelings towards him, and he didn’t want to waste the opportunity, in case he never got one again.

Without thinking twice, George leaned forward to close the short distance between them. Dream’s face was already tilted a little to the side, which made it easy for George to press a chaste kiss to his bottom lip, not letting it linger for more than a second before pulling back a few inches to gauge his reaction.

Dream’s eyes were a little unfocused, and his lips parted like he was going to say something, but soon his hands were winding up George’s neck and cupping his face, and leaning back in for more.

Plump lips met his own again, pressing down harder than George had before, and George found his hands scrambling for purchase on the younger’s shirt between them. George was still quite a bit shorter than Dream, even sitting down, so he was relieved that Dream had shifted his body to face him so that he didn’t strain his neck. Soft kisses were pressed against his lips, one after the other, the younger pulling back with each one and pushing forward again. George grinned against his lips, returning every one of them.

Then Dream was kissing him properly, his hand settled on the back of George’s neck as his tongue swiped against his lower lip, silently asking for permission. George parted his lips slightly, drinking in the taste of Dream’s salty skin. He felt the raindrops soak his hair and larger droplets were running down his cheeks, but he didn’t care. His hands were still tangled in Dream’s damp shirt, and he wasn’t sure who’s heartbeat he was feeling - but whoever’s it was, it was beating fast.

A loud rumble of thunder was what finally pulled them apart, and George licked his lips which felt hot and plump from Dream grazing his teeth against them. The younger just held his cheeks between his hands and gazed at him, his green eyes glistening, though it could have been the rain dripping off his dirty blond hair and down his face.

“So what-“ Dream started, looking a little lost for words as he smiled goofily, his thumbs swiping over George’s jawline, “What does this mean?”

George didn’t think twice about answering, “This means I love you, idiot.”

A laugh rumbled out of Dream’s chest at the same time as the sky rumbled with thunder again, and George could hear the waves tumble onto the beach with more fervour.

“I love you too,” Dream said, pressing his lips against George’s again for good measure, “idiot.”

They stumbled back into their house soaked from head to toe, promises of corner shop ice-creams long forgotten as wide smiles stretched across their faces. When Sapnap rounded the corner with two fluffy towels and saw their hands interlinked, he raised an eyebrow.

He looked at both of them, seeing their love-struck smiles and pink cheeks, ruffled hair and kiss-bitten lips. His mouth curled up into a knowing grin. “Did it finally happen?” He mused as Dream snatched a towel from him and draped it over his own wet hair.

George just shyly nodded as he took the towel that was held out to him, pressing it against his face.

“Welllll?” Sapnap drawled out as they followed Dream to the living room, where the air-conditioning was indeed still turned on, as George had predicted. “I need more details, c’mon, who made the first move?”

“That was me, actually,” George hummed, patting his arms dry as Dream meekly nodded in agreement.

“Woo!” Sapnap shouted, punching the air, “Fuck yeah, Karl owes me fifty bucks!”

Dream shot him an incredulous look, “You placed bets on my love life?”

Sapnap looked rather proud of himself, George thought. “Fuck yeah I did,” he shamelessly proclaimed, “I knew your sorry ass wouldn’t do it, so I had all my money on Gogy. It had to happen eventually.”

The storm rumbled on through the afternoon and into the night, and they opened most of the windows an inch to let the fresh storm breeze into the house. George lay on Dream’s bed next to him, letting the younger play with his hands and link their fingers together, drawing invisible patterns into his skin, playing with his curls that had frizzed up after the rain.

“It looks dumb,” George had whined, “Florida’s humidity makes my hair go crazy.”

“I love it,” Dream just chuckled in response, “I love it fluffy, it feels nice to touch.”

They spent the night wrapped up in each other’s arms, listening to the storm pass over them between heated kisses. George fell asleep with his face resting in the crook of Dream’s neck, inhaling his scent of salt and apple body wash. He didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world other than pressed into his side, warmth wrapping him around him like a comforting blanket.

~*~

One week later…

It was early in the morning, and it felt the same as when George had left England almost exactly a month ago, standing in the airport and trying to wake up enough to find his way through security.

“I don’t know how I’m gonna survive with you being so far away,” Dream pouted, earning an eye-roll from Sapnap who was standing by the baggage drop a few feet away and ‘letting them have their moment’.

George smiled fondly, but he was also a little weary of the fact that the physical aspect of their relationship would suddenly not be there anymore. “Soon I’ll be living just two doors down the hall from you, so don’t worry,” he promised.

Dream just grinned, a love-struck smile that George could never get sick of.

“Two doors down the hall is still too far away.”