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George takes another stab at the cold broccoli on his plate, biting down harshly on the inside of his cheek. He wasn’t sure whether he was upset at the nasty school food, or the fact that his ex-boyfriend was making out with another guy across the cafeteria. Or maybe he’s upset at himself. That he has yet to move on when Dream clearly has. George doesn't like him anymore, no, he's not jealous of the fact he's dating someone else. He's jealous of the fact Dream is doing better off than he is, if the bright smile on his face has anything to say about it.
George pokes his fork into his plate of rubbery noodles that looks more like a prop from IKEA than edible food.
“What did your food ever do to you?”
“Let me let out my frustrations in peace,” George grumbles, turning to look at his friend. Karl had his tray of food pushed away from him, instead a notebook placed before him, doodles and notes scribbled onto the page with coloured pens and highlighters.
“Is this about Dream again?” Karl hums, eyes still glued to the notebook, wrist moving back and forth as he draws meaningless shapes.
“...No.”
Karl looks up from the notebook, pen still clutched in his right hand, eyebrow quirked up as if to say “I've known you for 3 years and I know when you're lying.”
“Okay, maybe I am. It’s only been 2 weeks and he’s already dating Sapnap. Meanwhile, I’m single and suffering,” he groans, letting go of the fork in his hand and the metal clanks against the tray.
Karl sighs heavily, capping up the pen and setting it down.
“There’s nothing we—I mean you, can do about it. Go download Tinder or something.”
George wanted to think of a rebuttal, maybe slap Karl’s shoulder and tell him to shut the fuck up, but his attention is focused elsewhere.
“Why are Dream and Sapnap walking towards us?” It was less of a question, more of a statement.
The couple walked up to their table, fingers laced and Sapnap pressed to Dream’s side. They really did look cute together.
“Hey George, how are you?” Dream asked, a bright smile spread across pink lips. As sarcastic as it sounded, George knew Dream long enough to know how truly genuine and sincere he is.
He forces a smile on his face.
“I’m good. Yeah, everything is great,” George lies, and the blond looks at him like he knows he’s lying.
“So, are you guys—?” George gestures to their hands, fingers intertwined and holding each other firmly.
“Yeah, we’re together,” Sapnap says shyly, free hand rubbing at the back of his neck. Dream lifts up their hands and brings it up to his face, pressing a light kiss to the back of the Texan’s palm.
“I’m so happy for you guys.” And George meant it. Dream was nothing but loving to him in the few months that they were together. It just didn’t work out and they mutually decided they were better as friends, and he was completely okay with that.
“What about you? Anyone you’re interested in?” Dream teases, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiles.
Okay, George can do two things here. One, tell Dream he’s absolutely miserable and lonely and he’s watching couples on his tiktok for you page to feel something.
Or two, not seem like a loser.
And maybe choosing the latter wasn’t such a fantastic idea.
“Actually, yeah. I’m seeing someone.” George immediately regrets the words the moment they leave his mouth, hoping he does look as shocked and panicked as he feels inside. Karl, who’s been silently staring at his notebook the whole time, snapped his head up.
“Really? That’s awesome! Mind telling the class who this lucky guy is?”
The cogs in his brain are spinning quickly as he tries desperately to come up with an excuse or some sort of exit strategy, like when magicians throw down a smoke bomb and disappear into a trap door. No, George wasn’t a magician with rabbits up his top hat, he had to improvise.
“Karl. I’m dating Karl,” George blurts out, an arm rushing to wrap around the brunet’s waist.
His eyes widened comically, crystal eyes darting from George, to the couple standing before them. George definitely owed him an explanation.
“Wha— I mean yeah! Yeah, we’re dating,” Karl fumbles, not exactly sure where to put his hands, ending up with his left hand awkwardly on George’s thigh and his other hand shoved into his pocket.
“Oh my god, congrats! We should go on a double date sometime, I’ve always wanted to do it,” Dream gushes, reminding the brit of a puppy, his tail wagging behind him
“That sounds fun.” Stop talking.
“How does tomorrow sound? Are you free, babe?” Babe? Where did that come from?
“Yeah. Yeah, tomorrow sounds…good. Great.” Karl sends them a tight smile, his hand firmly gripping George’s thigh.
“I’ll text you the details?” Sapnap pipes up.
The brunet nods, his heart still racing in his chest. They sit with shoulders pressed together, muscles tense till the couple were out of sight, before finally letting out the breath they didn't know they were holding.
Karl pulls his hand away in favour of crossing his arms in front of his chest, George tugging his arm back and resting it on his head, mainly because he has no idea where to put it.
“Shit.”
“Yeah, ‘shit’ George,” Karl mumbled, his cheeks and nose were tinted with a soft pink blush, eyes glued to his lap.
“I’m sorry, I was panicking and… sorry, I’ll text Dream right now and tell him to call it all off, I’m sure he’ll underst—”
“Relax. It’s—it’s okay, but you owe me,” Karl reassures, “what do you need me to do?”
George almost sighs in relief, pulling Karl into a tight hug, resting his cheek on the brunet’s shoulder.
“Thank you so much, you just saved my entire life.” George pulled back, a wide smile on his face.
“Yeah, yeah, let’s discuss some boundaries.” Karl flipped onto a fresh page of his notebook.
RULES !! :D written by Karl Jacobs and George Davies:
1. No kissing (hugs, cheek kisses, hand holding allowed)
2. Yes to pet names (to sell the story, duh)
3. Don’t accidentally fall in love with me. I know I’m so sexy and awesome ;) That won’t happen and I actually hate you
Signed by K + G.
Karl also drew two cats holding hands on the side in purple and blue coloured pens, but that’s not the point.
“How do you hold someone's hand again? Is matching outfits too much? What if they don't believe us? I do coding, not drama, this was an awful idea, I'm sorry—” George paced around his bedroom, hands fisted in his hair.
“Calm down, George, we still have 30 minutes before we need to leave, we can figure this out,” Karl reassures, sitting cross-legged on the brit's bed with a cow plushie clutched to his chest.
“Why don't I lend you one of my hoodies? Don't couples do that? Like share clothes?”
“Yes! That's it, you're a genius,” George beams, cupping Karl's face and pressing a kiss to his cheek. For practice, of course.
The brunet's face flushed a bright red, a small smile graced his lips.
Karl's hoodie was larger than anything George owned—it being slightly oversized for Karl himself already. The purple fabric slipped over his smaller frame easily, falling till only the tips of his fingers could be seen and the hem covering up to the middle of his thigh. He was suddenly engulfed in a lovely, sweet scent he often smelt on Karl—a mix of vanilla, cinnamon, pine.
George snuggled deeper into the warmth of the hoodie and just Karl.
“If you like it so much, you can keep it,” Karl giggles, ring clad hand over his mouth as he laughed.
“Ready to go, baby?” The pet name rolled off his tongue easily.
Karl stretched out his hand for George to take, as they walked out hand-in-hand.
As weird as it sounded, the sky felt brighter and the breeze felt cooler, or maybe it was just Karl's presence. He felt so undeniably happy.
“Dream said to meet at… Grey's Brewery? It's just a few blocks away,” George read off the screen of his phone, before shutting it off and sliding it into his back pocket.
They swung their hands together as they walked, talking about the first thing that came to their minds.
Soon the cafe came into view, but not before the aroma of coffee beans and pastries wafted through the air.
“Here we are. Last check, are you sure you want to do this? It's not too late to back out of it.”
“I'm sure.” His thumb runs over the back of George's hand comfortingly.
Grey's Brewery was a very cozy place, with yellow lights and plant decorations all around. George stood up on his toes to get a better look around, though the lime green hoodie wasn't hard to spot.
Sapnap waved them over to their booth, gesturing for the pair to sit across from them.
“Hey, glad you guys could make it. You need to tell me all about you two.” George thought Dream sounded like a middle school girl, asking her friends for “all the details” and the newest gossip going on with all the boys.
Fuck. They didn't discuss the details. Why didn't they think of a backstory?
George squeezed Karl's hand tightly in a non-verbal “SOS”.
The light brunet seemed to get the memo, looking equally shaken up, but sent him a small smile.
“Well, it isn't all that interesting, but I've liked George since we were freshman. But I just never had the guts to tell him. Not until you guys started dating, and I realised I was never gonna let him go again,” Karl finishes, turning to look at George with a certain fondness in his eyes.
Dream and Sapnap cooed and “aww”-ed in the background, but George was too focused on Karl. Karl and his bright smile and pretty eyes. Karl and his bad jokes but adorable giggles and laughs that make up for it. Karl and his utmost kindness and generosity no matter who or what.
“You never told me that,” George says gently, lifting his hand up to push one of his loose curls behind his ear.
“I was afraid. That we would ruin what we had already. I couldn't lose someone as special as you.”
It was a confession. There was weight to each word, holding all the emotion from the past 3 years. He meant it from the bottom of his heart.
“I love you. And when I say I do, I really do mean it.” It's so soft and it makes George want to melt into a puddle on the ground.
“Not to ruin the moment but you guys are so cute.”
“You just ruined the moment,” Dream chided as he punched his boyfriend playfully on the shoulder.
“Okay, sorry.”
“We'll be right back,” George slid out the booth, pulling Karl along with him.
“Look what you did, you chased them away.” “Okay, I didn't mean to!”
They stood in silence, the only sound being the jingle of the bell as the cafe door swung close and the occasional car zooming by.
“Did you mean what you said?”
“You know I wouldn't lie about something like that. About you.”
Those words lingered in the space between, they let it settle, to fully understand what it means.
Does he like Karl? Karl is great—he's kind, nice, pretty, smart, funny, and he's so fucking pretty and oh my god, he likes Karl Jacobs.
“You don't have to reciprocate or anything. We can go in and tell Dream and Sapnap we're busy and then tell them I died or somethi—”
And George broke his own rule. It was rather impulsive, pulling Karl in by the collar and pressing them chest-to-chest, noses bumping together as their lips met.
Karl's eyes widened, his hands rushing instinctively to hold onto George's shoulders to balance himself.
It was a quick kiss, probably only a few seconds before George pulled away in a panic.
“I'm so sorry, I never asked you if you wanted this too—”
The question died on his tongue as Karl tugged him in, slotting their lips together. The brunet tastes like candy and bubble gum chapstick, and George's knees almost buckle beneath him when their lips clash together. George's hands found his waist, pulling them impossibly closer. When they pull away, they rest their foreheads against each other, smiles never leaving their faces.
“You still owe me something, remember?” Karl smiles as he whispers, only for the two of them to hear.
“What do you want me to do? Massage your feet?” George jokes, hands rubbing at his hip comfortingly.
“I want you to be my boyfriend. For real this time.”
“Only if you'll be mine.”