Chapter Text
George sighed, burying his face into his hands. He had just barely opened his footage folder in an attempt to edit something only to see how many videos he had stockpiled in there. It was all becoming too much.
It wasn’t that he wanted to stop, quite the opposite actually! He loved having his fans on Twitch and YouTube. He loved interacting with his fellow creators and making tons of content with them.
And most of all, he loved that he could do it with his two closest friends. It’d be a lie to say that he would have managed to do this without their help. More specifically, he knew he couldn’t do this without Dream. He said he was going to blow up one day, so George had to follow him regardless of whether it became reality or not.
But that wasn’t what his struggles were. The mounting pressure and stress of everything was piling up on top of him. He had several hours of unedited footage on his computer, tons of streams planned with various content creators on Twitch, and some new lore that he had been working on with Dream. Honestly, he should be excited to do most of it, but it was just piling up on him.
He could take a break, but he hated seeing how much everyone missed him when he was gone. The idea of possibly upsetting his fans only added to the weight on his shoulders. While he knew he was allowed to take some time for himself, he just… couldn’t.
Finally, he reached over and turned his computer off before it continued to stress him out. He could just… deal with all of that tomorrow. Pushing things off till the next day was actually what got him in this mess, but he couldn’t really stop himself. The procrastination was unintentional, but now he was just attempting to make himself feel better.
Whatever. George stood up from his chair and sleepily stepped towards his bed before falling into the depths of the blankets covering his bed. He probably should at least brush his teeth, but he couldn’t handle that. He just needed to sleep before everything became all too much for him.
He settled himself into the bed and pulled the covers as far up as he could. He didn’t know why, but he found a simple pleasure in just having the comforter all the way up to his chin. It reminded him of when he was a child and got tucked in by his parents.
His dreams were definitely weird throughout the night, but George barely remembered them in the morning. He could only remember the feeling of his dreams, instead. It was more of a feeling of warmth and comfort than anything scary or freaky. But they were just… strange? George definitely couldn’t explain it when the morning came.
The brunet pushed himself up in his bed and swiped at his eyes. It was too early to be awake, in his opinion. For the most part, he usually slept in much later, but he went to bed earlier than normal the previous night due to feeling overwhelmed.
He always went to bed whenever he felt overwhelmed.
With a sigh, he got his way out of bed and went through his usual morning routine. That usually involved using the bathroom, brushing his teeth, fixing his hair, changing clothes, and possibly making food depending on the time.
When he finished with all of his tasks except for the last one, he glanced over at the clock. It felt too late for breakfast but too early for lunch. He hummed for a moment before deciding he could wait a little longer until he ate. Honestly, George wasn’t even sure if he had any type of breakfast food inside of his home, so he’d probably have to order out if he wanted breakfast.
With that established, he returned to his recording room. He bit his lip as he looked at his computer, feeling almost fearful about the idea of turning it on. He knew that the folder containing his unedited recordings was still open since he didn’t close it before turning the computer off. It was taunting him.
But he had to get onto his computer. He promised Sapnap he’d join his stream for a bit today. Not that he was going to stream himself or really play whatever game he was playing, rather just being there to add to the conversation. Plus, the fans enjoyed whenever he and Sapnap were together. George partially assumed that Sapnap just wanted the boost of viewers that came when one of the other members of the Dream Team joined a stream.
George avoided his computer for as long as he could. Instead, he lounged around his apartment and scrolled through things on his phone. Occasionally, he’d see something on Twitter asking about when his next stream or video was going to be posted which caused George’s heart rate to spike for a moment before he scrolled away.
That was until he got the notification for Sapnap’s stream.
George hadn’t promised the shorter man that he was going to join his stream immediately, but he did say he was going to be there. He promised him that. George couldn’t just turn his back on a promise he made to one of his closest friends.
He bit his lip as he stared at the notification for longer. He rolled a few ideas around in his mind for a moment before clicking the notification. Instantly, he was brought to Sapnap’s Twitch stream where he was playing valorant alone. Usually, he played with Punz, but George knew that he was busy at the moment.
George decided that, instead of waiting a set amount of time, he was just going to join him whenever he determined that it would be the most interesting. He glanced over at his set up for a moment, internally cringing at the idea of opening it up again, but he knew he would have to. He could, theoretically, join on his phone, but he’d much rather be in a stable situation.
At some point, Sapnap mentioned that George was going to show up on the stream at some point. And leave it to their audience to point out that the brunet was actually watching the stream as they spoke. Once he heard that, the shorter man instantly called out George and demanded that he joined him instead of leaving him all alone.
He sighed and realized that it was probably better that he got called out since he really didn’t want to join otherwise. He pushed himself up from his comfortable spot and settled himself down in his chair. Right in front of his set up.
The brunet stared at his own reflection in the blackness of the monitor for a long moment. He controlled his breathing for a long moment, trying to prevent himself from accidentally hyperventilating or having a repeat of last night. He didn’t really want to do that.
After a moment, he reached over and turned on his computer. It took a second to boot up before he was confronted with the folder of videos. He felt his hand beginning to shake as he reached for his mouse and closed the window as quickly as he could. Once it was out of his view, he needed to take a few more seconds to stabilize himself once again.
When he finally felt alright, he pulled open discord and glanced around to see where Sapnap was live. It didn’t take him too long to find it, hesitating for just a moment more before clicking to join the call.
“Nice to see you finally joined me,” Sapnap teased as soon as he heard the discord connection sound. Theoretically, it could’ve been anyone in their recording server, but he just knew it was George. Either he had his discord open or he assumed that the brunet would join him as soon as he was called out.
“Well, you called me out,” George retorted, his voice still shaky. He swallowed heavily, wondering if the chat noticed the sway in his voice. He glanced over at the chat as it became filled with spam following the arrival of George. “I don’t see why I shouldn’t join after that.”
omg GEORGE
george my beloved
when are you gonna stream on the smp again
gogy wogy fogy mogy logy <3
he sounds weird
george is dnf real
is he okay?
omg dnf
why would you ask if dnf is real
this is sapnap’s stream???
is dream watching
100% george is in florida rn
George felt the anxiety spike once again. They noticed. They noticed the shakiness of his voice and they were calling him out. They were going to see how stressed out he was and demand he take a break. But as soon as he took a break, they were going to be upset about him not producing content.
“... so that means that the Dream Team meetup is happening soon,” Sapnap said, disturbing the brunet out of his thoughts.
“Huh?” George asked as he was pulled away. He heard the ending to what Sapnap was saying, so he knew what he was talking about. For the most part, he was just surprised to zone back in to see that the man was discussing their meetup- especially since Dream wasn’t there with them as well.
“Oh, you went silent so I just talked to chat about how the meetup is coming up,” Sapnap explained. George knew that since he was, of course, part of the meetup. He had got his visa recently and everything was set in stone, the only thing they needed to do was get George there. Well… and his setup, but Dream was trying to convince him that he could just buy a new one when he got to Florida.
The idea of moving was terrifying to him. It wasn’t really the idea that he was leaving the place he’d known as his home for his entire life (though that probably was part of it), but more so that he was going to live with his two best friends. What if they all met up and were different in person? What if George made a bad first impression and everyone hated him for it?
There were so many fears that George had over the idea of moving to America and living with Dream and Sapnap in the ‘Dream Team’ house. Literally anything could go wrong from Patches not accepting him to him not clicking with the other two when being physically in the same place as them. It freaked him out just as badly as it did thinking about all the excess work he had to do.
It made him feel like there were so many things piling up on his back. So many stresses of the average adult life that he just wanted to turn his back on and forget about. He just wanted a break from it all, but he also knew that he couldn’t get that.
“Yeah, the meetup,” George responded back with a smile, probably taking much too long to actually give an answer. He swallowed before forcing himself back into the internet persona that everyone knew him as: GeorgeNotFound. “I’m actually gonna meet Stinknap, for once. I’ll let you guys know just how bad he smells when I get there.”
“I’ll have you know that I do not smell bad!” Sapnap huffed in response, clearly upset with the idea that he did. George just giggled lightly, his brain still melting over everything that was previously causing him turmoil. He couldn’t really get too deep into that mindset or else he’d be too out of it to engage in the stream.
The night continued on for much too long. George had to physically force himself to say upbeat and in the ‘streamer’ mode. He felt like he’d just been working a customer service job instead of his actual career in streaming. As much as he usually enjoyed participating in streams and having fun, he wasn’t really in the mood that night.
Eventually, he determined that it was enough time with Sapnap on stream that he could leave without anyone being too upset with him, whether it be Sapnap himself or the fans. He liked to do what he wanted, but he also was somewhat of a people pleaser because he didn’t like others thinking less of him.
With his goodbyes said to Sapnap, he left from the discord call and stared at his monitor for much too long. The thoughts from earlier began to resurface as he was finally alone with just his head.
The meetup was so close. All of the things he had recorded needed to be properly edited and posted, probably before he went to America and got distracted by the other two. And there were also the streams that he’d promised some of his friends he’d attend, much like the one he had gone to earlier with Sapnap. Everyone would be disappointed in him if they saw how much he was pushing back against all of these things.
Everything started to feel wrong. All the stresses of his normal life were piling up on him too much to the point that everything seemed to overwhelm him. He just wanted to curl up and… well, he didn’t really know what else he wanted to do.
He felt so small. Everything around him seemed too big and he seemed much too small. George felt like he didn’t belong despite the fact he knew this was his apartment and nothing was physically different. He just felt… wrong.
The brunet felt tears sting his eyes as he struggled to place what he was feeling. His mind felt fuzzy as almost everything around him seemed to shift. He couldn’t focus on his computer. He needed something… he needed comfort.
He pushed himself off his chair and realized that his legs felt weak underneath him. He swallowed before stepping towards his dresser like a newborn deer. He struggled, but managed to make his way there before accidentally falling over. He settled down on his knees and opened the bottom drawer to find comfort.
At first, he wasn’t entirely sure what comfort really entailed. That was until he managed to rest his hand on top of his large hoodie. He inhaled sharply for a second before tugging the clothing out and over his body. It wasn’t exactly what his fuzzy brain wanted, but it was close enough for himself to feel the comfort.
He glanced down at the white smile plastered on the front of the pure black hoodie. It was much too large on him and carried the faint scent of cologne- specifically one scented almost identical to a blond man who lived a whole ocean away.
“Dream,” he murmured to himself, feeling the tears stinging his eyes once again. He wanted… no, he needed Dream. The comfort of the hoodie was a subtle reminder of him, but it wasn’t enough for the brunet. He physically needed Dream with him right now during this moment of duress.
With as much support of the dresser as he could, he stood back up and walked his way back to his desk. He felt himself shy away from the idea with every single step he took towards it, but his phone was located there. He just needed to grab it and then he could be okay. He’d be okay.
As quickly as he could, he snatched his phone and wobbled his way over towards his bed. He flopped down on the bed and curled himself up into a ball to the best of his ability while he unlocked his phone. It took a minute due to the cotton that filled his brain and muffled his ability to think clearly. He didn’t understand what was causing the fuzziness, but he could almost feel himself slipping deeper into it.
Before he could slip any further into this strange new mindset, he opened his contacts and called Dream. He needed the blond. He needed his comfort. He needed his voice. He just needed Dream to be with him. It was difficult since he was, again, so far away, but he needed him.
“George? Everything alright?” Dream asked, his voice caring yet had a worried tone. It stressed the brunet out thinking that the blond was worried. What was he worried about? Was he worried about George? “You usually text me before you call.”
“Needed you,” George mumbled as he set his phone down beside his pillow. Almost instinctively, he brought his thumb up to his mouth and gently placed it between his teeth. He tended to bite on the tip of his thumb whenever he was nervous, but found himself pushing it further into his mouth and sucking on it gently.
“You needed me, huh?” Dream asked playfully. He was clearly attempting to do some of the playful flirting they were used to doing whenever they were alone, but George didn’t want that right now. He didn’t want that at all!
George’s face turned into a sneer as he ripped his thumb out of his mouth. He’d whine at the loss if he wasn’t so… upset with what Dream was saying. “No!” George snapped at him. If he was standing up, he would’ve stomped his foot in addition to snapping, but unfortunately he was laying in bed. The most he could do is writhe around a little bit in discomfort.
“Oh-” Dream gasped back, seemingly taken aback by the brunet’s sudden temperament towards him. He paused for a moment before murmuring, “I’m sorry. I should’ve thought before I said anything like that. You’re clearly in distress. Did you wanna talk about it?”
“No,” George said simply, not explaining himself any further. He probably did need to talk about it, but he definitely couldn’t. Not how he was right then, of course. The previous overwhelming thoughts were pushed aside as the cloudiness of his mindset took over.
“Do you want me to talk? Take your mind off whatever's bothering you?” The blond continued, his voice soft as he spoke closely into the microphone. George felt soothed at the closeness… well, as close as he could be when they were physically separated by an ocean and on voice call with one another.
George nodded, smiling at the suggestion. It took a moment before he remembered that Dream couldn’t actually see him. He whimpered quietly before asking, “Please?”
“Of course, Georgie,” Dream spoke softly, his voice dripping with pure and genuine care for the brunet. The brunet found himself sinking deeper into this weird headspace, feeling better about himself as he listened to Dream talk. “How about I talk about my day, okay? I fed Patches this morning like I usually do and then went to edit one of our videos. There’s so much funny dialogue between you and Sapnap, but it’s all self referencing! I don’t know if I can keep it all.”
George sighed in delight as he relaxed further into his blankets, adjusting himself so he was actually underneath them. He brought his thumb back up to his mouth and began to gently suckle on it. He didn’t usually do this, but it seemed to be strangely comforting to the older man.
“Maybe I’ll post an unedited version of this video, just so the fans can enjoy the two of you,” the blond continued, his voice practically oozing into George’s brain. “I enjoy listening to it, personally. It practically feels like the two of you are right here with me. I know that the two of you are going to spend a lot of your time bickering just like in recordings.”
“Is tha’ ok’y?” George mumbled, some of his words being slurred by both his brain’s fuzz and from the thumb still inserted into his mouth. He didn’t care about it, though. Dream could probably still understand him.
“Why would that ever not be okay?” Dream asked, his voice still gentle. Normally, George would dislike the feeling of being coddled by the younger man, but he really enjoyed it right now for some reason. The idea of being cared for by the blond was all too appealing. “George, I love whenever all of us get into play fights. There’s nothing better than the occasional bickering between friends over something trivial.”
George frowned, wondering briefly if Dream was being genuine. From his tone, he definitely sounded like it. George had his voice pretty much memorized, so he knew whenever he was being serious or truthful versus whenever he was lying or attempting to sugar coat something for the brunet. It was just part of their relationship.
“I’m guessing this is about you moving in, right?” Dream asked, sensing something from George’s side without being physically told. “I know you and Sap were talking about it on his stream earlier. Twitter is acting like hell froze over because of the news.”
“Dr’m,” George warned, his frown deepening as Dream continued to talk about it. He had literally told the brunet that he’d talk to get George’s mind off of things, but now he was just discussing the issue? That wasn’t helping him, despite the fact that Dream voice was technically working wonders on soothing him.
“Okay, I’m sorry,” he apologized, allowing George to relax back into his bed. “I promised I wouldn’t ask you about it. Where was I about my day? Oh, right. I definitely spent too much time holed up in my office editing because when I left, it was already time for dinner. I hadn’t even had lunch, you know? I’m usually pretty good at maintaining a good eating schedule, but I guess I just got lost in the production.”
“Since Sapnap is a terrible cook, as you know, I was the one to make dinner. We could’ve ordered something out, but it’s unhealthy to do that so often. I just made pasta carbonara since I didn’t really feel like going all out for dinner, but I think it was good. Oh, I knew that Sapnap was going to stream after dinner since he told me such. He also told me you were going to be on the stream and that I should join, but I turned him down,” Dream continued, rambling on about dinner for far too long. Not that George really cared.
“Why?” He asked, specifically tuning into the final statement that the blond made. Dream wasn’t usually the type to turn down offers to join streams, especially if they were from either Sapnap or George.
“Oh, why did I turn him down?” George nodded despite the fact that Dream couldn’t see him. The blond seemed to understand all the same. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk with the two of you, but I just didn’t want to be in the public eye, you know? Sometimes, It’s just one of those days where you need to take a break and avoid being seen by all of the fans for a day or two.”
George knew the feeling well. Hell, he genuinely felt like that very day, but he couldn’t take back his previous engagement. Furthermore, he couldn’t just do that to his audience, the people who genuinely enjoyed watching him. He’d seen the trackers about how many days it had been since George had been seen and he just got more overwhelmed as the ticker went up.
“Back to the main topic. After dinner, I went back to my office to continue with editing. I did watch Sapnap’s stream for a bit,” he continued, returning right back to where he’d left off before George interrupted him. “I actually joined when the two of you were in the middle of debating whether or not he smells. I think that was pretty funny.”
Dream’s voice continued to seep out from his phone and directly into George’s ears, allowing him to feel his eyelids grow heavier and cloudiness grow thicker. “I kept getting distracted by the two of you bickering, I guess. Both on stream and on the video I was editing. I dunno, I can’t really help it. You both act like… like children whenever you’re together, you know?”
“Not like that’s a bad thing,” Dream was quick to correct himself, not wanting George to get upset with his choice of words. George didn’t really care either way in this situation. “After the stream ended, I edited a bit more. Well, I was editing until you called me. I was going to edit while we talked, but you sounded really upset. And you always take priority over editing whenever you’re upset or just need someone to talk to.”
After talking about his day, Dream continued onto a different topic. Occasionally, George would make small comments about it. He couldn’t really find it inside of himself to really engage in a proper conversation with the blond. The mind fuzz was too much for him to really properly form sentences longer than a few words, anyway.
Finally, George allowed his eyes to close as he curled into himself under his large blankets. He continued to hold his thumb in his mouth (but he had switched after a while because his other one had started to prune) as he listened to Dream talk about something that interested him.
If this is what Florida was going to be like, George couldn’t wait to get there.