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It was cold, dewy, and dark outside as the stars peeked behind dark gray clouds in the navy sky. The grass lining the pathway that trailed along the beach was practically sparkling with the aftermath of drops of rain from before, and the handrail that came waist high was freezing to the touch under soft fingertips. The city that owned this area was far enough away to leave the seaside in silence, minus the sound of waves gently rolling against the shore. It was calming, almost serene, out here by the water.
George sniffled and gently wrapped his fingers around the handrail along the pathway. His eyes gazed out towards the sea in almost a longing way, and his eyes would occasionally glance upwards to try to catch a glimpse of the small, twinkling lights. His ride here had left not too long ago, the driver giving him a judgemental look before asking if everything was okay, and she drove off after George just nodded and smiled a small smile. It took a bit of walking to find the exact spot he wanted to stand at, the spot that always had its own place in his heart; the spot where an old friend had confessed to him a few years back.
As he stood with his hands feeling numb to the biting coldness of the metal beneath them, he let out a soft sigh. George was alone.
He hadn't necessarily planned to come out here tonight. In fact, he was actually supposed to go to a stupidly huge party one of his roommate's friends was throwing, but instead he was here. At the side of the beach. Alone. George sniffled again and moved his hands up to wrap his jacket tighter around his torso. Gods, it was cold. October was just around the corner, so the weather started to wane in heat already, but the humid air that suffocated the seaside felt ten times colder than the air back home. George glanced towards where the water kissed the sand and let out a soft sigh; despite the cold, he couldn't help but feel content with the familiarity it brought.
The last time he'd been here, his aforementioned friend—that had confessed her feelings at this spot—had asked to meet up one last time. At the time, he had been confused, as they had stayed friends after George politely rejected her. They had gone back to the beach every few weekends to just hang out and catch up on how their studies and lives were going, even snuck out past curfew to have late-night picnics on the soft sand. George remembered wondering if she didn't wish to stay friends after all, if it was too much for her despite her acting as if nothing was wrong—as if he hadn't crushed her heart just months prior. But his racing mind was calmed when she spoke a simple sentence; she was moving back to Brazil to stay with her grandmother, figuring that she's been absent far too long during high school and the beginning year of college. George understood, as family was something very important to his friend, and wished her all the luck with what was to come.
So now, George stood there at the same railing, standing at the same beach, with a distant look across his face. George had come back to nothing but fond memories and harsh cold breezes as he stood there. Alone.
At least, he thought he was alone.
As George tuned back into his surroundings, slightly foggy mind clearing just a little, he heard something coming down the concrete path towards him. He looked to his right and stayed idle, curiously gazing as the figure of a man became more clear under the dim streetlight from feet away. He didn't look dangerous, didn't give off the creepy vibes George would normally be able to pick up on from strangers, so George just stood; watched. The person came closer and finally noticed George's presence, head tilting to the side as their own curious eyes scanned over him.
"Hey," they said, walking closer and slowing to stop beside him.
"Hello," George mumbled politely, head turning back to the water, paying no mind to his new company.
The stranger hummed under their breath and faced the same way, moving to cross their fully sleeved arms along the railing and bending to rest their chin on top.
An oddly comforting silence coated the air between them, and the stranger opened their mouth to speak, "You doin' okay out here?"
George sniffled and let out a hum of his own before answering, "Yeah, just relaxing, really."
"Kind of an odd time and place to be relaxing, don't you think?"
"You're one to talk," George shot back with a grin.
"Touché," the stranger paused, "My name's Dream. What's yours?"
"George,"
"Nice to meet you,"
"Likewise,"
Dream shuffled on his feet and angled his head to rest his cheek against his arms, eyes staring at George as the latter continued to look out to sea. “Hey, George?”
“Hm?”
“Did you come out here because you were feeling lonely? You know, if you feel lonely, I could be lonely with you."
George couldn't help the giggle that slipped through his lips, and Dream couldn't help but smile at the soft sound. "You don't even know me,"
"What better person to be lonely with than with a stranger?" Dream hummed.
George finally looked down at him and lightly flushed under the curious, yet listless, eyes staring back. "I guess you have a point,"
"Though I will admit, I do know who you are kind of. You're one of Karl's friends, right?"
"You know Karl? Karl Jacobs?" George's eyes softened at the sound of his best friend's name.
"Yeah, he's dating Sapnap, he dorms with Callahan," Dreams lists off, a hand idly holding up fingers as he spoke. "Really one of the smartest yet wildest people on campus,"
"Yeah, that's him," George let out a fond laugh. "He's my best friend,"
"Thank gods I was right, this would've been really awkward if I confused you for someone else." Dream said, eyes crinkling as he smiled. "Anyway, mind if I hang for a bit? I promise I'll stop talking, let you get back to your uh, peaceful silence."
"Sure, I don't mind," George answered with another sniffle.
As he turned to face the sky again, he noticed that the looming gray clouds that littered it were now gone, stars able to breathe once more and shine even brighter. He thought it was kind of funny how Dream seemed to bring clear skies along with his slightly somber, but at-ease, presence. The guy was an enigma, George thought to himself, still not able to wrap this situation around his head. Just ten minutes ago, he was alone with nothing but his thoughts and the chill of the air. Now, he stood beside someone who apparently knew him through his best friend.
“I wasn’t feeling lonely,” He murmured, hugging his arms close. Dream hummed in question and George could feel the blonde peering up at him again. “You asked if I was here because I felt lonely. I don’t really know why I came back here, I guess I just needed a comforting space to breathe for a while. I don’t usually come here too often.”
“Would you like for me to leave?” Dream’s whispers were carried with the next gentle breeze that swept through the two.
George shivered and shook his head, “No, just thought I’d answer your question.” He glanced at the other from the corner of his eye and offered a small smile. “You’re strangely nice to be around.”
“Well, that’s good, at least,” Dream chuckled.
“Why were you out here at this hour?”
Letting out a hum, Dream stood up straight and stretched his arms above him with a groan before sighing out, “I was supposed to go to a party today, but I felt weird being there, so I left and decided to take a trip. That’s all, really.”
“Oh? If I think hard enough, I think I’ve heard your name mentioned once or twice at a few parties, surprised you’re not there.”
“I gotta be in the mood for Sapnap’s stupid parties, they’re always crazy,” Dream said with a fond laugh and shake of his head. “Sucks he’s my roommate, though. I gotta deal with the aftermath.”
“Sapnap’s your roommate? You really do know Karl,” George stifled a laugh when Dream just sputtered at his words. “I am so sorry for what you must witness,”
“They usually do everything at Karl’s dorm. I swear Callahan has become my new best friend at this point, despite not talking much,” They shared a laugh and George shook his head with closed eyes and a grin of disbelief.
The quiet afterward lingered over their heads once again but was quickly interrupted by George letting out an unexpected sneeze. “Ah fuck, sorry,”
“You should probably head home now, yeah?” Dream teased.
“Nah, I’ll probably stay out here a while longer. Not ready to go home just yet,” George declined. He noticed Dream moving where he stood and when he turned to see what on earth he was doing, his vision was quickly obscured by a heavy, warm piece of clothing. He flinched back and caught what was thrown at him with careful hands. Pulling it down to look at it clearly, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“Take that,” Dream said.
“What?”
“Put it on, it’ll benefit you more than that thin sweater you’ve got on.”
“But what about you? You’ll be freezing without anything on,”
“I’m going to start heading back to the dorm now, actually,” Dream mumbled, almost like he didn’t want to upset George. He held up his phone, George didn’t even notice him pull it out, and shook it with a sad grin, “Sapnap just texted me that he’s going to Karl’s so they can grab a few things, so I gotta go start cleaning up.”
“O-Oh,” George frowned and shrugged off his sweater, folding it over his now bare arms before pausing. “Well, nothing you can do about that, I guess. Wait, you should take your hoodie, then,”
Dream hummed and tilted his head with a small smirk. “Nah, you can keep that for now. I wasn’t lying when I said it’d do better than that sweater. You can return it to me on Monday.” He winked, and the brunette flushed, not moving when he reached over and plucked the tan sweater from out of his arms. “I’ll take this in return. That way you have to come find me.”
“But you can’t even wear it, surely it won’t fit,” A small laugh escaped George and Dream just smiled.
“That’s okay, it’s just for safekeeping while you wear mine,” He winked again, causing George to bristle up as air filled his lungs up to a knot in his throat.
“D-Dream,”
“Alright, see ya then, Georgie~,” Dream waved a hand and started walking backward until George nervously returned one back. He then smiled and turned on his heel with a chuckle, walking back to where he came from just an hour prior.
Once he was out of earshot, George released the gathered breath and it came out as a swooning sigh. Cheeks now flaming, he tugged on the black hoodie Dream gave him, and he sighed out once again. Warmth. It was very warm. George hummed as oranges mixed in the surrounding air, finally feeling warm enough to be able to disregard the stinging blue breezes of the night. He adjusted the cloth and buried deeper into the fabric, hidden hands pulling the neckline up to cover his mouth as he tried to absorb the heat it radiated.
Brown eyes gazed back out towards the sky and George felt at ease for the first time that night. It was odd how much a fleeting company could affect someone’s mood, how much a playful smirk paired with a wink could send someone into a spiral of yellows and greens.
George thought the color choice to be ironic, as he often got the two confused, but he couldn’t think of any better way to describe the feeling he felt when Dream looked at him then.
He leaned against the cold railing for the third time that night. George was alone again, but that was okay. He had new rambling thoughts of sharp yet pretty smiles and oh-so-soft laughter that rang out in the night, thoughts of glimmering eyes he could barely make out in low light, and thoughts of what was to come after the weekend.
To say George liked the hoodie Dream had loaned him would have been an understatement. The brunette refused to stop wearing it the following few days, and when asked about it by his roommate Quackity, he just shrugged with a bitten-back smile and went on with whatever it was he was doing beforehand. You couldn’t blame him, really; the hoodie material was soft as down feathers and it was large enough to keep him warm at all times, even on the night he wore shorts to bed. When Sunday night rolled around, he almost debated telling Dream he had simply lost it somewhere just so he could keep it, but he knew that wouldn’t go too well. He tossed it into the washer with a pout across his lips and sulked on his bed for the rest of the night, hoping it would be ready to dry before he passed out.
The next day rolled around, and George was awoken by the sun prodding at his eyelids, begging him to wake up and get ready for his classes. Groaning out in protest, George forced himself to sit up in his bed, eyes still stubbornly shut.
“Yo, George, get up dude,” Quackity called to him from his desk. “You’ll be late if you don’t hop in the shower now.”
George grumbled nonsense in the form of an affirmation and sluggishly dragged himself off the mattress.
“Don’t you have someone to meet today or something? You should wear that one tan sweater you have, the nice one,” His roommate mumbled distractedly, as he quickly finished up an essay for one of his own classes.
His words sent a shock through George’s body, the man shooting straight up as violet flowed to his brain. Oh fuck, he thought, Dream. How could he forget? He had to somehow find the blonde on the absurdly large campus and hope for the best when he gave him back the hoodie. It took just under thirty minutes to finish getting ready for the day, and another three to annoy Quackity by drawing small crude cats onto his study papers, and George was finally out of the dorm building.
As the day progressed and George went to his two morning classes, the hoodie stayed tucked away in his backpack for safe-keeping lest it gets dirt on it or stained by some unfortunate mishap. He surveyed his surroundings when he trudged across the campus grounds to try to catch a glimpse of the blonde, but he had zero luck both times and he was starting to feel a little guilty for some reason. He could easily ask Karl to give it to Sapnap to give to Dream, but Dream specifically asked George to find him and give it back. Huffing out a sigh, he decided he’d start looking again after he ate and went to his last class of the day; maybe he could text Karl to ask if Sapnap knew Dream’s schedule for the day. Surely that wouldn’t be too weird.
He shook his head at the thought and continued his trek to the campus cafeteria. How ridiculous. He was making too big of a deal out of this. One night with someone he’s only heard of a few times and suddenly it’s like he’s all George could focus on. Granted, it was at the beach, his safe place. Maybe that was why he was desperate to see the other man again, disregarding the obvious actual reason that stayed hidden in his bag.
It wasn’t until his day was over, and the sky had started to change color, that George finally stumbled across the one person he’d been looking for. He was just about to give up and head back to the dorm to ask Quackity to grab them some dinner from his friend’s workplace when he almost bumped into someone. He wasn’t looking where he was going, obviously, and due to that, he just about knocked himself over by crashing against a taller body.
“Whoa there, careful,” they said. They rested their hands on his elbows to help steady him, and he looked up to thank them when his mouth froze.
The sky had just turned light strawberry, the sun casting a soft glow amongst their surroundings, and though George couldn’t fully appreciate it, gods did he thank it at that moment. Dream stood there, in front of him, and looked at him with golden eyes filled with concern before they softened to something full of mirth; his hair faintly shone with the light from above and his smile... oh. He was beautiful in the sunlight.
“George? You okay?” A teasing smile flitted across Dream’s lips as he spoke, and George tried his damndest not to combust on the spot.
“Uh, yes. Yeah, I’m good, thank you for...” He motioned to where Dream’s hands remained resting on his arms with a nod.
“Oh, of course, couldn’t have you getting hurt, now could we?” Dream let out a small chuckle and released George’s arms, much to the brunette’s dismay, and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Honestly, I’m kinda surprised you managed to find me on your own, even if you did just run into me. Literally.”
George winced and nervously laughed, left hand coming up to rub the nape of his neck. “Yeah, sorry about that. I was distracted,”
“What had your pretty mind so occupied?”
George flushed but rolled his eyes in playful annoyance. “I was looking for you, idiot.”
“Gonna give me my hoodie back? Or did you come to tell me you lost it while you actually intentionally left it home?” Dream teased, holding back laughter as George’s eyes snapped back up at him with an accusatory glare.
“What?! Don’t be ridiculous,” He scoffed, mind reeling at how close that actually happened earlier that morning.
“You know I’m friends with Sapnap, and in turn Karl, right?” Dream couldn’t help the laughter after that. George had just given him such a great look of disbelief that he couldn’t help but laugh at it, it was too funny really.
“What did Karl say?!”
“You know,” Dream said through giggles instead of answering him, “if you liked it that much you could just say so.”
“Shut up,”
“No, I’m serious,” Dream’s stupidly pretty eyes shone with both amusement and fondness, “If you want to keep it, you can. I don’t mind. However,” He pulled his messenger bag to his front and opened the flap, taking out George’s tan sweater. “I believe you still need this back.”
Taking it with tender hands, George hugged it to his chest and cleared his throat, “Th-Thank you, Dream.”
A heavy pause settled between the two and the sky faded into a soft lilac as the sun turned in earlier than usual. A gentle breeze kissed George’s hair, and he closed his eyes, letting out a soft sigh.
“Hey George,” Dream softly spoke. When George opened his eyes again, his breath hitched in his throat; Dream looked at him with a look he’s never witnessed before, and that alone caused small blooms of iris to occupy George’s chest. “Are you busy, by any chance?”
“I’m done for today, actually,” he answered, voice just as soft. “Why?”
“Are you hungry?”
“Why do you never answer my questions?” George asked, lips drawn into a smile. “Yeah, I was going to ask Quackity if he could grab us food.”
Dream hummed, “Don’t do that.”
“Oh?”
A hand gently brushed a stray hair out of George’s eyes and Dream blushed ever-so-prettily when he opened his mouth again. “Come to dinner with me? I can’t promise anything fancy, but I know a really great ramen bar a few blocks away.”
“Are you asking me on a date, Dream?” George couldn’t help but tease. His smile only grew when the taller man shuffled on his feet.
“J-Just dinner, as friends, you know?” He stuttered out, hands now crossed behind his back as he glanced to the side.
“...Unless?”
Dream’s eyes snapped back to George’s brown ones in haste and proceeded to shine once more, this time with hope. “Unless?”
“I’d love to go to dinner with you, Dreamie~,” George laughed and Dream hopped in place before nodding, teeth digging into his bottom lip.
“Okay, cool, that’s uh really cool,” He fumbled out his words before releasing his lip to flash a bright smile at his new date. “Well, we could go now if you’d like? My car is close to the dorm building, so if you need to drop anything off, you could.”
“I’d like to throw my school stuff in my room before we go if you don’t mind.” George said with a nod, “You could meet Quackity if he’s still there.”
“Let’s go, then,” Dream turned on his heel and started walking back the way he came.
This time, unlike at the beach, George followed after him.
They reached the dorm with no issues, and Quackity was eager to talk to Dream, as he knew him through Sapnap. The two were deep in conversation as George flitted around the room, going from the bathroom to where his bed stood. After George tossed his things onto it, he dragged out the black hoodie from his bag and immediately pulled it over his frame. Dream was in the middle of talking when his eyes drifted towards him, mouth immediately going dry as his words trailed off into nothingness. Confused, Quackity followed his gaze and let out a harsh laugh.
“So you’re the one who gave him that thing,” was all he said, hand roughly patting Dream on his back as the standing male tried to recover from the sight of the brunette in his hoodie.
When the two finally reached outside again, the cool air had turned even cooler and George praised himself internally for deciding to wear the hoodie. Dream started to walk ahead of him just slightly, but George wouldn’t let him get too far, bounding up to him and latching onto his right arm. His arms wrapped around it and his hands played with Dream’s green bracelet as the blonde flushed deeply and stuttered out a poor attempt at small talk as they walked towards his car.
The date itself went smoothly. Dream ordered whatever George wanted without complaint and George managed to keep the hoodie free from any sort of mess. With stomachs full and content, the two talked in their booth for another twenty minutes before being politely told that the bar was closing soon and that they had to leave. They hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. Deep blues now stained the sky as a few drops of light started to appear as time went on. George didn’t want the night to end. It had been nice, getting to know more about the mysterious man he’d met on the beach just a few nights prior, plus he got free food and a new friend out of it. So, of course, he couldn’t just let the night slip through his fingers just yet; he wanted to be selfish.
With nervous hands, George reached for Dream’s wrist when they got outside and tugged on it lightly. When the blonde looked down at him with curiosity, George simply stared back up at him. “Let’s go to the beach.”
Dream obliged. He could never deny the pretty boy anything after the day he blessed him with, and soon enough they were parked in the beach’s parking area. George accidentally wandered off ahead of Dream, feet too excited to be back somewhere so familiar so soon, and Dream just followed after him with a fond grin. When the shorter man reached the certain spot he had been walking towards, he breathed in deeply and exhaled with a verbal sigh. He looked behind him at his date, and Dream felt the air get stolen from his own lungs at the wide smile and loving chocolate eyes that were aimed at him. The moon’s glow gently rested against his brown curls and the stars kissed his eyes, making them sparkle under the soft light. George was gorgeous under the moonlight.
“Come over here, idiot,” George quietly laughed and turned back around, leaning to rest his elbows on the familiar railing of the concrete pathway.
Dream joined him shortly after and nestled against his side, arms pressed together as the two gazed out towards the calm waters. “Didn’t think you’d come back here so soon,”
“Today was a special day, was it not?” George asked, a small smile making its way onto his face. “I don’t come here too often, like I said that night, but I felt like it would be nice to come back here with you tonight.”
“Makes sense, I guess,” Dream said with a shrug. He looked to his side at George and just watched as he kept his eyes on the water. “Today wasn’t too special, but I guess you did make it mean more.”
“Weird way to say you enjoyed my company, Dreamie,” George giggled and turned his head to look back at him.
Dream smiled and teased back, “I enjoyed your company, Sir George. Thank you for coming with me to get the fanciest ramen the area could offer.”
George burst into loud laughter, causing Dream’s chest to tighten oh-so-sweetly at the sound, and he covered his mouth with a sleeved hand. “You’re so weird,”
Dream’s eyes softened as he continued to watch George calm himself down from his laughs and only one thought plagued his mind; Gods, how he wished to press his lips against the rose-tinted ones of George. His cheeks became dusted with pink at the thought, yet his expression remained the same as George finally calmed down minus a few giggles here and there. George looked back up towards Dream and paused under his gaze, his own face now becoming flushed.
“I know that look,” he whispered, eyebrows drawing together as he smiled in embarrassment.
“Do you?” Dream asked, not moving a muscle as his heart pounded in his chest.
George nodded and a small giggle slipped through his lips, “I do,”
Dream decided to test the waters and leaned down, just barely, but was stopped by George’s fingers pressed against his lips.
“Not yet,” George teased, a smirk shining as Dream's eyes fluttered back open, his mouth pouting against his skin. “Maybe after our second date,”
The blonde perked up at his words and George felt him smile against his hand. Dream’s left hand came up and gently grasped at George’s wrist, allowing his hand to slip through his grip until he was able to interlock their fingers. Dream’s smile stayed as he tilted his head to the side. “Okay George, I can wait ‘till then,” He mumbled.
After a few more seconds of eye contact, George huffed under his breath and turned back to the beach, head moving to lean against Dream’s shoulder with their hands still interlocked. They stayed in comfortable silence, eyes trailing back and forth from the water to the star-littered sky to each other, time seeming to snail crawl around them. Thoughts full of rosy scenery, golden eyes—green, Dream had told him at the restaurant—and dazzling smiles, George couldn’t help but close his eyes.
The air was crisp, yet not as cold as the night they met, and the sky was void of any clouds, and the sound of the waves wasn’t suffocating. Despite what he had told Dream that fateful night, there hadn’t been a time when he didn’t feel lonely while being here after his friend had moved. But now? Well… He didn’t feel lonely with his new company beside him, hand locked in his as it rested against the metal railing.
George wasn’t alone anymore.