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I
The trees seemingly are miles high, the ground is wet from dew, the sun says hello if you stand in the right spot to see the light as it fights its way through branches and trunks alike. Dream has no idea where he possibly is, why he’s in the middle of a dewy forest, ready to be attacked by a bear at any moment.
But soon, he spots George, sitting on the ground, on a blanket to protect his jeans from getting dirty. He’s smiling at Dream like he’s the only person in the entire world– whatever universe this might be, he might be the only person in the world. He hopes George looks at him like this forever.
“Dream?” George suddenly says, his smiling features gone, worry appearing like he’s concerned for something but the blond man can’t place it. Dream isn’t sure what’s changed, why their picnic in the forest has suddenly given him a bubbling anxious feeling in his stomach.
“Dream!” George shouts again and the panic gets worse like he’s forgetting something, he’s going to be in trouble, but the fact he can’t place it makes him want to scream, rip his hair out. What is wrong?
“Dream?” He’s startled awake by the British accent of his roommate, the boy gently shaking his shoulders and he realises that it was all just a dream.
Firstly, disappointment makes its way into his mind. Disappointed because the dream had felt so real, even though now he thinks back he couldn’t place anything of importance besides George himself; couldn’t place how they’d gotten there, where they were, why they were there. Dream knows this isn’t the first time he’s dreamt of his seemingly straight roommate who’s held his heart, so it is unlikely to be the last, but he can’t help but feel saddened being pulled from the picturesque dreamland earlier than needed.
After the disappointment fades, the panic from his dream makes its way back into his chest, tightening it like a vice but he still can’t place why, why George in his dream had filled him with so much fear, why real-life George waking him up had caused such a panic in his bones. The blond man looks around his room, takes in his surroundings. The first thing he notices is that the fire alarm isn’t going off, drill or not he knows he’s safe from being forced downstairs in his pyjamas again . Nothing seems out of place, nothing broken, the sunshine from the new school year beginning shining through his open bedroom curtains.
“You’re going to be late,” George says. His words are soft like he’s talking to a child he doesn’t want to startle and that’s when the panic evolves into full-blown anxiety, realisation hitting him at full force that the sun is too high in the sky to be able to stop by his favourite coffee shop for breakfast as he had planned. He mumbles thanks to George before he jumps out of bed, almost pushing the smaller man over as he runs around the bedroom to get ready.
Looking at his phone, the digital clock reads 8:45 and he curses himself for not going to bed until 3am the previous night. He knows he doesn’t function well on less than eight hours of sleep, so why he didn’t go to bed until early morning was beyond him.
Actually, he does know. He should blame George, after all the British man had flown back from England yesterday and they had spent the evening catching up, sharing anecdotes from their summer breaks despite the fact the two had never gone a day without texting or calling the entire three months.
He’s shocked George himself is up, considering in all the time has known him, he doesn’t think he’s ever seen George conscious before noon on days he doesn’t have class, but he doesn’t have time to question it, yelling that he’ll see George later as he rushes out the door.
As he rushes to class, he can’t help but fixate on the fact George had woken him up. George, who is often forgetting his own schedule, remembered that Dream had an 8:50am class. George, who is never awake in the morning, had noticed Dream wasn’t walking about their kitchen and had ventured into his room to make sure he’d get to class. George had awoken Dream, who is someone their entire friend group jokes about not waking up before he gets 8 hours sleep because he knew he’d feel worse if he’d woken up at 11am and realised he’d missed his first class of the year.
He smiles to himself, realising George notices the little things about him just like he notices them about George.
His class is boring and he sends a text off to George, jokingly cursing the man for ruining his sleep for a class that’s just explaining where to buy the books needed for this class. He’s not paying attention, being a sophomore in college means he already knows the loopholes, even as an English Literature major. His phone vibrates, showing George has sent back some winking and sleeping emojis and Dream doesn’t reply, assuming that he’s tucked into bed and going to be asleep until his own class this time tomorrow.
By the time his classes are finished, he’s exhausted and starving, thinking about all the food he’s going to order to eat considering he missed breakfast involuntarily but when Dream exits the lecture hall, brain fried, he gets the shock of his life.
George is standing there, yawning, but standing there nonetheless.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Dream asks, slinging his arm around George. He’s always loved their height difference, it’s not a secret that the blond man thrives on being the tallest in their friendship group, but he’s always had a soft spot for how small George is in comparison to him.
“I feel bad for waking you up this morning.” The clock above the door they walk through reads 12pm and Dream is sure the constant yawning emitting from George is due to just waking up and rushing here, much like he did this morning. “I’m going to take you out for lunch as an apology.”
Dream is dumbfounded. “You don’t have to do that, George.”
He shrugs, leading the way to their favourite coffee shop, which is coincidentally the one George does the closing shifts for. Dream makes a snide comment when they walk in, saying his apology is cheap because he’s using his staff discount for it but he lets George hand over his card to pay nonetheless.
“How was your nap?” Dream asks when they sit down, food and drinks in hand. Dream had opted for avocado toast with orange juice, the meal he had planned to savour this morning that he’d missed out on while George went for what Dream would describe as disgustingly sugary pancakes and an iced coffee.
The look George gives Dream confuses him because he’s looking at him as if he has three heads. “What nap?”
Mouth full of food, Dream gestures with his fork. “I assumed you napped during my class?” He’s trying his best not to spit avocado at the boy across from him but he also didn’t want to leave him waiting for his answer.
“No, I haven't slept since yesterday.”
He says it so casually Dream almost chokes. He starts doing mental gymnastics to work out how long George has gone without sleeping. They were up all night, his flight got in at 7pm, and Dream was well aware his flight had left at 2:30pm, which in actuality is 10:30am Eastern Time so that means…
“George, you haven’t slept in at least 24 hours?”
All George does is shrug, stuffing a heaping forkful of pancake into his mouth before speaking. “Nothing I haven’t done before?”
Dream hates it when George answers his questions with another question, especially when it comes to his unhealthy sleep schedule. Dream might have an insane schedule, but at least he’s consistent; it’s like George throws a dart at a spinning board to decide how many days to go without sleeping. Dream thinks that if they weren’t roommates, George would conduct a self sleep study to see how long he can function without sleeping just for fun.
“Besides,” he starts before Dream can even lecture him on his lack of sleep. “I knew you wouldn’t wake up to your alarm, you sleep like a fucking rock. So I made sure to stay up, y’know, make sure you woke up. Think I dozed off for a little but I got you to class!” George looks so proud of himself that Dream doesn’t have the heart to shut him down.
“Thank you,” he says, he genuinely does mean it. “But never do that again.”
II
> dude this party is ass youre so lucky you didn’t come
> still gonna stay though. they have free beer :D
Sapnap’s text comes through at 11pm, just as Dream had finally gotten enough work done to finally sit down and start his paper.
Sapnap and Karl had been invited by one of their mutual friends to a party being thrown to celebrate winter break and in turn, had tried to convince George and Dream to go as well. George said yes immediately, finally having a weekend off between assessments and his job at the local coffee shop, but Dream wasn’t as lucky. His professors loved him, and even though classes had let out on Friday for winter break, had set assignments to be due on the weekend because ‘break doesn’t really start until Monday’ and despite being self-aware of his ADHD and how it is almost physically impossible for him to write essays in one night, that’s exactly what he’s trying to do now and he’s regretting it.
So he’s at his desk, his laptop open in front of him with an empty Google Docs tab staring back at him. His annotated copy of The Picture of Dorian Gray is on his desk, among the mess of notebooks, pens and highlighters from where he’s spent the last 3 hours hunched over, condensing his annotations and notes.
Dream was admittedly struggling with this class, not exactly understanding Gothic elements in literature so he knew this essay was not going to be kind to him. He almost wished this book was a requirement for his Gender and Sexuality class he was taking for an elective, much rather preferring to discuss the relationship between Basil and Dorian but c’est la vie, this is the straw he has drawn and what he has to live with.
He finally thinks he has a solid outline down after about an hour of working, deciding now is as good of a time as ever to start working on an introduction, something he knows won’t take a lot of brainpower. It’s when he’s almost finished that his phone starts vibrating so much he thinks it’s going to launch itself off his bed.
> yhis party sjcks
> why dient u come
> karl and sapnap ditcyed mr
> probably yo fuck
> eream stop doing yor pper
> im more kmportant
Dream laughs at the texts from his roommate, the last 4 just being sad faces spammed because he wasn’t replying. He has half a mind to send an angry text message to Sapnap and Karl for leaving George alone at a party and clearly inebriated out of his mind but before he opens his text thread with them, George is calling him.
“Hi, Georgie,” he coos as he answers the phone, any annoyance because of the interruption flying out the window.
“You answered!” His words are slurred, the drinks he’s had tonight obvious from the way he’s speaking- his accent is thicker, something he usually tries to tone down so people can understand him easier, but whenever he slips up Dream thinks it’s adorable. “Thought you were ignoring me.”
“I was ,” Dream laughs, “You almost sent my phone flying off my bed with all your texts.” George whines in response, something he wouldn’t have heard as it not been for the ambience from the party suddenly dissipating from the background, signalling George has gone outside.
“Are you leaving the party?” George hums in response and Dream takes it as a yes. “Do you want me to come and get you?”
“No,” George says, yawning before speaking again. “Someone tried to hook up with me tonight.”
Dream isn’t sure how to take George’s words, considering the keyword was clearly tried . In the time he’s known the British man, he’s never known him so much as go on a date, let alone hook up with someone, so it’s not out of the ordinary but that fact doesn’t bother him any less.
The thought of a pretty Sorority girl hitting on George, touching George, kissing him makes Dream’s skin crawl. His heart aches at the thought of other people getting to do what he’s wanted, needed since he met George. He knows he has no one to blame but himself, the fact Dream has never uttered a hint about his true feelings to George isn’t getting him anywhere, but Dream thinks being an English Literature major is already too much of a gay stereotype– not wanting to tick the ‘in love with straight roommate slash best friend’ box as well.
“Dreamie, are you listening to me?” George so much whines into the phone receiver, pulling Dream from his thoughts. “Are you mad at me?”
Dream could never be mad at George. He tells him that.
“Then why did you stop talking when I said someone tried to hook up with me?” George’s words are clearer now, he’s on the street away from the party and Dream is cursing not going to the party to make sure George gets home safe and makes a mental note to definitely send that angry text message to Sapnap and Karl about abandoning him to get laid when they hang up.
“I zoned out, sorry, you know how it is.” He knows George is going to assume it’s his ADHD he’s referring to and not the fact he’s in love with him and jealous. He shouldn’t blame being neurodivergent on this, but it’s easier than admitting the truth.
“Oh,” George says before quickly adding, “so you’re not jealous?” Dream almost chokes on air at his words before realising George is just teasing and not picking up any hints that the blond man accidentally dropped with his silence.
“I’m wondering why you didn’t take up her offer.” Dream struggles to get the words out without sounding like he’s in pain, but considering the fact George is drunk, Dream thinks he probably won’t even remember this conversation coming morning time… Or whenever it is he wakes up.
“I told her I had a roommate and she left me alone.”
“George,” Dream tries to say but he’s trying to hold in a laugh, somewhat glad that even when he’s not at a party, he’s a cockblock. “Why the fuck would you tell a girl trying to hook up with you that you have a fucking roommate?”
George whines for the umpteenth time on this phone call. “Stop laughing at me! I don’t do hookups, you know this.” Dream can see the pout on the brunet man’s face as he speaks. “I wanted to come home anyway, she just clung to me the second Karl and Sapnap left me.”
“I should’ve come tonight,” Dream says, sighing. He does have a terrible fear of missing out, especially when it comes to his lifelong best friend who, for the last decade, hasn’t so much been able to burp without Dream knowing, but George is different. George got propositioned for sex, and still subconsciously chose him and he can’t help but feel guilty that he left George alone too, in a way.
“I wish you did too.” His words are earnest, drunk, but earnest nonetheless. “Like I get why you didn’t come but fuck, I wish you had come.”
George starts rambling about the party; about how Wilbur, another student from England, had drunk an entire bottle of wine at the pre-party and then continued to attempt to perform the entirety of Hamilton before he got put in involuntary timeout by whoever’s party it was and how before Karl and Sapnap had ditched him, George had teamed up with a guy named Bad against them in beer pong and ultimately lost.
“You would’ve been a better beer pong partner,” he says and Dream argues he wouldn’t, the fact he has terrible hand-eye coordination despite years of football in high school combined with not being a very big alcohol drinker in the first place would make him a terrible partner. “Yeah, but it’s you, so I’d be having fun.”
His words make Dream’s chest swell, his heart so warm he feels it in his entire body. George won’t ever know how even the simplest things he says make butterflies erupt in Dream’s stomach.
“Are you almost home?” Dream asks after a while. He looks down at his phone, seeing they’ve been on the phone for half an hour, George has been distracting him from his assignment for half an hour.
“Yeah, I’m in the elevator now,” he says, “thanks for staying on the phone with me as I walked home.” Dream hadn’t realised how far away this party was, if he had, he absolutely would have gotten in his car and saved them both so much time but simultaneously, it’s nice to feel wanted, needed. To know that in George’s drunken state he had thought to turn to Dream of all people in his contact list.
So Dream smiles to himself at George’s appreciation, and his next words come spilling out of his mouth before he can stop them. “Of course, Georgie. Always want you to come home safe.”
“I always feel safe when you’re around, Dreamie.”
Dream isn’t sure how much longer he can hold in these secret feelings if this is how George talks to him when drunk.
III
Dream loves his friends. He does, he would never speak ill of them. Times like this he tries to remember how insufferable Sapnap was when he was pining over Karl and how Karl would talk to Dream about how he was sure Sapnap didn’t like boys, let alone him.
He wouldn’t trade their happiness for the world. Except for right now, how somehow during the movie night Dream himself had planned, he’s been kicked to the floor.
“Karl’s stupid roommate doesn’t let me stay over,” Sapnap had whined when he lay down on the couch as he pulled his boyfriend on top of him. For a 5’8” man, he takes up a surprising amount of room, even more, when you add his 5’10” boyfriend on top of him and with Dream alone being 6’2”, there just was no possible way all four of the men are getting on that couch tonight.
So Dream had sighed and sat on the floor, saying that if he’s being forced to the ground in his own apartment, he gets to choose what they watch.
“You’re just going to put Prison Break on,” George says as he walks out of the bathroom, wet hair from his shower, droplets falling on his cheeks as he walks into the kitchen. “Like, I’m not going to complain because it’s a good show. But don’t act like you’re not.”
Sapnap laughs and screams that he’s right, and Dream huffs, hating knowing that his friends know him so well.
“Well, we don’t have to put Prison Break on,” he says, crossing his arms across his chest. He doesn’t mean to act like a small child throwing a tantrum, but he doesn’t want his friends to feel like they have to watch the shows he likes.
Suddenly, a body is on top of Dream.
“No, we like Prison Break !” the British man exclaims, “and it’s your turn to choose what we watch anyway!” He can tell George’s words are sincere, especially when he hears Karl and Sapnap agree with him from behind him.
“Yeah, it’s a good show dude,” Sapnap says and he can feel Karl ruffling his hair. Even if he didn’t notice it himself, he must’ve given them some form of indication to give him this reassurance and he realises how much he loves his friends.
He mumbles thanks as he shoves George off him, his heart racing when he finally comes to terms with how close the two of them really are. George quickly gets up upon hearing the microwave beep, indicating the popcorn he claims is specifically he is ready.
When he comes back, he sits even closer to Dream if it was possible. “We can share,” he whispers under his breath and Dream feels his face warm up as he whispers back a thank you.
Karl clicks start on the first episode of the second season, and the four of them are quiet for a while– focusing on the episode at hand. Despite it being the third time Dream has watched the show, he’s entranced, quoting the funniest lines under his breath and he feels Sapnap kick him in the head whenever he’s slightly too loud.
“Stop showing off in front of George,” Sapnap grumbles from above them and while Dream knows he’s kidding, the reassuring hand George places on his thigh helps in ways he can’t explain.
“I think it’s funny,” George says, a slightly defensive tone in his voice that makes Sapnap laugh. “Dream doesn’t laugh at you when you quote Commander Erwin’s speech from Attack on Titan before every exam.”
“That helps me!” Sapnap yells in response and Dream doubles over laughing at the seriousness lacing Sapnap’s voice like George just demanded the Texan give him his firstborn son. “He’s distracting us.”
All George does is stick his tongue out before rewinding the show 30 seconds, claiming they could’ve missed something important in the time the pair spent bickering.
The rest of the night is uneventful, they get through three episodes before George has fallen asleep, head in Dream’s lap. The blond man is unsure when George got into this position and if it’s even comfortable for him, but the snores emitting from the brunet man indicate he’s been asleep for a while.
“Pathetic,” Karl says as he walks back into the living room, eyes transfixed on the pair on the floor. “Can you get any more obvious?”
Dream gives Karl a perplexed look, not quite understanding what he’s saying. “Huh?” He has nothing to say because he doesn’t want to give Karl any ideas but also, he and Sapnap were horrible in getting together and if anyone was obvious, it was the two of them during the three months of dancing around feelings.
“It’s so obvious you guys like each other,” Karl replies as if it’s the most obvious thing in the entire world. “He’s asleep on you for fucks sake?”
George stirs but doesn’t wake, his soft features stay relaxed.
“He always falls asleep on me during movie night,” Dream defends, “nothing out of the ordinary?” It’s the truth, George has the worst sleep schedule out of the four of them, usually not sleeping until 4 or 5 in the morning some days even if he has a 9am class, but every movie night, without fail when the two of them are forced together, he falls asleep.
Sapnap and Karl give each other a look and now, more than ever, he feels like a third wheel. While he and Sapnap are brothers, always understanding each other without saying a thing, Sapnap and Karl can look at each other and have a whole conversation. “I’m right here guys, stop talking about me in front of me!”
“It’s just funny,” Sapnap says, “I get why you were so annoyed at me before Karl and I got together.”
Dream feels himself getting irritated, not understanding what his friends are talking about. George is just a friend, the same way Sapnap is his friend, the same way Karl is too. Nothing romantic, if any of them fell asleep on him during movie night, he wouldn’t be phased.
But when he vocalises this to his friends, they almost laugh him out of the room. “Dream! You can’t be serious?” Karl exclaims but is quickly shushed by Dream. “See!”
“Dude, have you ever seen George cling to us the way he clings to you?” Sapnap questions and while Dream hasn’t, he has a perfectly good explanation as to why.
“Because you two are always clinging to each other! Pick another argument.” Dream’s words make Sapnap roll his eyes as he starts listing off all the things George does for Dream that he’d never do for Sapnap or Karl; how George always brings Dream his favourite food and drinks home from the coffee shop he works at, how George will sit on voice call for hours with Dream during school breaks, he even goes as far to mention that time George just didn’t sleep so he made sure Dream woke up in time for his class.
Dream thinks none of this means anything beyond the fact that George is just a good friend and an even better roommate, but it’s not until Sapnap mentions the night of the party, the one where George had said Karl and Sapnap had ditched him that something clicks.
“Hold on,” Dream says, effectively cutting Sapnap off and the shorter man rolls his eyes before letting Dream continue. “He told me you guys ditched him to go have sex?”
His words make Karl squeak in embarrassment. “No! Well, like we wanted to but we weren’t going to be bad friends and leave him at a party we dragged him to!”
“Yeah, man, we know you’d have our heads for that,” Sapnap adds on, “he spent the whole time complaining about missing you and wishing you were there that we told him to call to try and convince you to come but then he found us and told us he was just going home after he called you.
“Didn’t he say that?”
Sapnap and Karl’s revelations make Dream’s head spin. “No, he, uh, he said you guys ditched him and he wanted to come home because of it.”
His words are soft but they fill the room, the snores of George the only thing anchoring Dream to this moment. Why had George lied and acted as the couple had ditched him? Why did he feel like he couldn’t be honest?
Turns out, Dream’s questions were said aloud because quickly, Karl is laughing. “Dream, there’s no way you’re that oblivious right?”
“What?”
“George likes you,” Sapnaps says, he says it as if it’s the most obvious thing in the entire world, that there’s no doubt in his mind that it’s the truth. “It’s so obvious dude, don’t tell me you didn’t realise?”
“George is straight.” Dream’s blunt, assertive. He doesn’t want to entertain this conversation because he knows Sapnap and Karl, how they’ll convince him somehow, that George likes him in the way Dream has liked him and the blond man knows he doesn’t have the strength to deal with a lie like that.
“No straight man looks at a homie the way he looks at you, dude,” Sapnap states, “trust me, I thought I was straight and then I met Karl and I looked at him the way George looks at you, and here I am.” He looks at Karl in the most loving way when he says it and Dream feels like he’s going to throw up.
“I wish I never got you guys together, you make me sick,” Dream says and he feels George stirring in his lap, the loudness of the trio finally awakening him.
“Who makes you sick, Dreamie?” His words are mumbled, laced with drowsiness as he yawns and when Dream looks up at his best friend, he’s mimicking throwing up.
“Karl and Sap, they’re grossly in love and I’m kicking them out of our apartment now,” Dream replies and Sapnap and Karl object, saying they want to watch more television while George giggles on the floor, yelling get out, they’re too loud and he wants to sleep more.
When Dream stands, George stays attached to him; arms wrapped around his waist as he yawns and Dream has to drag him to the front door to say goodbye to their friends. It’s grossly domestic, the pair of them cuddling together at the front door as they say goodbye after a night of entertaining their mutual friends. Dream curses himself for even entertaining the idea of this being them one day.
“I’ll text you when we’re home,” Sapnap says as Karl drags him out of the door, hand in his own. While he’s leaving, Sapnap gives the pair a knowing look, a look Dream knows George is too out of it to notice, but he waves it off, silently communicating that Sapnap should shut up and mind his own business before closing the door.
When he closes the door, George yawns again. “Let’s get you to bed, Georgie.”
The arms around his waist tighten, like going to bed means having to let go of the tall man and Dream lets himself think, for a fleeting moment, that George doesn’t want to, that he’d be happy if Dream crawled into bed beside him. “You’re clingy when you’re tired.”
“Only with you,” he replies, “only ever with you.”
The confession is raw, in his sleep state Dream doesn’t think George even realises what he says and how it affects the blond’s heart rate.
VI
His body feels like it’s on fire, a one hundred degrees fever attacking his body but he’s also freezing cold. No matter how many blankets he has on his body, he continues to shiver. His chest feels like it’s ripping apart with every breath he takes, and his words are so soft that he’s been texting George as opposed to speaking for the past 2 days.
He never gets sick, the most he gets is a cold when the weather switches and his body freaks out at the sudden change, so this is something entirely new.
Today, he finally accepted that he’s sick and needs rest and has been bed-bound for the past 12 hours. George has been intermittently checking on him but as far as he knows, he’s been in and out of sleep, trying his best to recover.
Dream isn’t sure what time it is when George comes knocking on his door, plastic bags in hand when Dream struggles to say come in.
“I got you medicine,” he says sheepishly, placing the bags on Dream’s desk. “I basically spoke at the pharmacist, just listed off everything wrong with you and he laughed and handed me this, he said you probably have some kind of pneumonia.”
“George, we already have these?” he questions as he looks at the medicine his roommate is holding, which is a box each of Tylenol and Advil. “Tylenol is just acetaminophen and Advil is ibuprofen. They’re just brand names, Georgie.” He’d never admit it to anyone, but he secretly finds it endearing the way George’s face scrunches up at the realisation he just bought expensive, brand name versions of medicine that they already have.
“I guess we can never have too much,” he grumbles, popping some tablets of Tylenol out to help with Dream’s fever and pain and handing him a water bottle.
After swallowing the two tablets, Dream notices something. “You’re in my jumper.” It’s one of his black ones, so it’s easy to assume they just got mixed up when putting clothes away, but he also wonders if George had just taken it? It’s way too big for him, Dream naturally wears XL men’s clothing to compensate for his height, so the sleeves are bunched up around his wrists and Dream hopes he takes more of them.
His roommate looks like he’s blushing but Dream’s sure it’s just delusions from his fever tricking his eyes. “Oh, it must’ve got caught up in my laundry, sorry.”
“Don’t say sorry,” Dream replies quickly, adamant he doesn’t want George to think he’d ever want the jumper back now. “It looks nice on you.” He says it without thinking, the sickness clouding his brain and causing him to say anything he thinks.
“Shut up,” he says quickly, putting his head down as he rummages through the plastic bag, clearly wanting to change the subject. “I have food too. Chicken and corn soup from that Chinese place you like.”
At the mention of food, Dream’s stomach grumbles. When he looks at the time on his phone, it reads 7pm and it’s no wonder he’s so hungry after sleeping the day away. George passes him the soup, alongside a spoon and they spend Dream’s time eating just enjoying each other’s company. George says he already ate, got dinner with Sapnap and Karl before running these errands and coming home. Dream makes a mental note to pay George back because he can’t let him get away with this.
When the food is finished and George throws the rubbish away, he comes back into his room. “Do you wanna watch something together?” he asks and when Dream begins to get out of bed, he’s quick to stop him. “No, we can… Watch here, if that’s okay?”
Dream just nods, not trusting his voice to speak at George’s offer but it doesn’t matter, because at his consent, George is rushing out of the room to get his laptop and before he knows it, they’re cuddled in bed together.
They decide they can’t watch Prison Break , even though Dream begs for a solid two minutes because they’re finally up to a good part in season 2. After more bickering, and a threat from George to leave Dream alone, laptopless, they put on some random Netflix original.
Dream, however, isn’t paying attention to the movie, too entranced by the feeling of George in his bed, body pressed against his own. The bed isn’t big enough for the two of them, not considering his own height but they make it work. George is lying on his side, legs slotted between Dream’s as his laptop sits on the blond’s chest and the brunet has his head almost resting in the crook of his neck.
Dream thinks even as friends, he could die happy in this moment.
When the movie ends George is asleep like he usually is whenever they watch movies together. He gently shakes his roommate, urging him to wake up so he can go back to his own room and Dream can finally calm down his heart rate.
“I’m comfy,” George mumbles, head digging further into Dream’s neck and if Dream wasn’t already overheating from his fever, he’s sure his skin would be on fire. “Let me sleep here.”
“You’re going to get sick yourself,” Dream croaks out, throat scratchy from not talking for the past two hours and also from nerves, not trusting his voice with George so close. However, George doesn’t budge and instead, just grips Dream tighter and he thinks back to what he said during that movie night.
Only ever with you.
“I don’t care,” he says, his voice soft and coated in sleep like he’s going to fall asleep again mid-conversation. “Pneumonia, shmonia, I can take it.”
Dream considers being more assertive, setting a boundary for his personal space so his feelings don’t claw at his throat. But he can’t help but enjoy the moment, the feeling of having George in his arms. Friends cuddle all the time, he and Sapnap always did when they were roommates their first year so this makes perfect sense.
So he lets George sleep and falls asleep himself, embracing the smaller man in his arms and having the most relaxed sleep he’s had since getting sick.
And when George gets sick two days later, Dream knows not to buy Tylenol and Ibuprofen and finds himself cuddled in George’s bed, watching movies with him again.
V
> do you wanna go out tonight?
Dream stares at the text on his phone, thankful he’s turned off read receipts.
The text is from a guy named Punz, someone he met on Tinder when Dream impulsively downloaded it the week prior under the guise to ‘get over his straight(?) roommate’ . Sapnap had laughed at him, said he wouldn’t have the balls to go on one date because he’s too hung up on George and he’s been determined to prove him wrong.
Punz has been lovely to talk to though, they’ve been texting nonstop over the last week. Dream may have slightly bent the truth, told the man he’d just gotten out of a relationship and he wasn’t looking for anything serious but he’s open to see how things go. He’d been super understanding, saying if anything they can be friends first and foremost and Dream had good feelings about him.
> sure! do you want to get mexican?
Dream had sent the reply and practically thrown his phone. He isn’t sure why he’s so nervous considering the fact Punz was the one who asked him out. Perhaps, it’s the thought of leaving the comfort of his feelings for George that scares him.
Punz replies, agreeing of course. They decide they’ll meet there at 7 for dinner, which gives Dream an hour to prepare both mentally and physically.
So he showers, brushes his teeth again even though he knows it’s pointless because he’s just going to be eating food in 30 minutes. He picks out clothes appropriate for a date and when his hair is being unruly, he shoves one of Sapnap’s beanies on top of his head and hopes Punz doesn’t think he’s a slob.
“Hey, I’m going out so I won’t be home for dinner,” he announces as he walks into the living room on his way out after ordering his Uber because he spots George sitting on the couch.
“How come?” he asks, pulling his headphones off and sitting them around his neck. The genuine look of curiosity that George gives him assures him Punz won’t be getting a second date before he even meets the guy because the way George looks at him wouldn’t compare to anybody else.
“I, uh, have a date?” It comes out more like a question so he isn’t exactly shocked at the look George gives him. But George’s face is impossible to read, Dream can’t tell if he’s amused or annoyed.
“Are you sure it’s a date?” George’s question comes off like a joke, he laughs as he says it, but something about his tone of voice seems malicious and Dream can’t place why it’s such a big deal. He racks his brain, wondering if they had plans tonight if it was movie night with the boys, but he comes up blank.
So, Dream tells him of course it is one and gives George all the information needed – he’s a college student at their campus, they met on Tinder, they’re going to get Mexican for dinner and his name is Punz.
“Punz?” George questions again and this time, Dream is ready to defend his name, ready to say it’s a nickname just like Dream or Sapnap , but George is suddenly speaking again before he can interject. “I heard he’s an asshole who tries to fuck on the first date.”
Dream scoffs at George’s words because he’s 99% sure George has absolutely no idea who Punz is. Punz is an art major and George is computer science, so there’s no way they would have met during classes and Punz had just transferred from up north this semester.
“I’m serious,” George adamantly says. “He’s seriously just wanting a fuck. That’s what everyone uses Tinder for. Unless that’s what you want. Then I don’t care.” His words are snarky, rude like he’s trying to cut deep at Dream’s skin.
The British man is really getting on Dream’s nerves, he doesn’t understand why he’s so quick to judge, why he’s being so rude. “All I said was I’m not fucking home for dinner? What’s your problem, I never said get out I want to bring him home to fuck tonight?”
“Whatever,” George says quickly, putting his headphones back over his ears effectively ending their conversation, but Dream isn’t finished, and wants to know why he’s being so childish.
“No, what the fuck is wrong with you?” Dream practically screams his words at George to ensure the man can hear him over his headphones. “It’s just dinner, what’s the big deal?”
George rolls his eyes and aggressively pulls his headphones off his ears again. “I’ve just heard he’s an asshole! I don’t want you getting hurt!”
“It’s one date George,” Dream reassures, his words getting soft at the thought of this being hidden as a weird George-ism to show that he cares. “How do you even know him?”
George mumbles a reply, something Dream can’t understand so he prompts him to speak again. “Look, just let me worry, okay?” George says sheepishly. “You haven’t been on a date since we’ve been friends, people can be assholes, Dream.”
Dream sighs and curses his soft spot for his roommate because, at his confession, the blond man immediately ceases all instinct to fight. “I’m a big boy, George, I can look after myself.”
George goes to argue but he soon realises it’s no point, the look Dream is giving him makes him back down. “Fine, but if something goes wrong, text me.”
Dream assures him he will before grabbing his keys and finally leaving, wanting nothing more than to get the conversation with George long behind him before he meets Punz at the restaurant. George’s words ring in his ears, getting to him even though he didn’t want them to. The man he’s going on a date with has never once alluded to the idea that he wanted anything sexual, if anything, he was extremely understanding about Dream’s hesitancy to even be on the application in the first place.
It’s because of that, he feels bad for even considering trusting George’s words, for holding his opinion with so much weight.
Pulling up at the restaurant, he places his phone on do not disturb before spotting Punz waiting out the front and he decides now, he needs to ignore George, just this once.
The date goes well, and they find out they both have a lot in common, including friends because it turns out Sapnap and Punz have been duo queueing in Valorant together for at least 3 weeks. Punz is funny and honestly, a nice guy considering he doesn’t bully Dream for ordering two $5 margaritas as some guys would.
Dream doesn’t feel uncomfortable or pressured around him once.
This is why Dream is so frustrated, confused at why his brain is constantly going back to thinking about George despite his best efforts to push him out. He finds himself wishing Punz was George, that they were together at this restaurant, that Dream would reach across the table and hold his hand no questions asked and these thoughts plague Dream’s mind and he knows, deep down, Punz doesn’t deserve this.
Punz pays, which Dream tries to contest but the other man waves him off, saying he can grab the next one, friends or not. Dream gives him a puzzled look, confused at his words and he gestures to Dream’s phone and gives him a knowing look, one that makes Dream blush when he notices his phone has lit up and exposed the lock screen of George and himself.
“I’m sorry,” Dream says “I swear I didn’t take you out for free food, you’re a really cool guy but–”
“Dude, don’t say sorry,” he cuts him off, but his words are reassuring, “I assume you didn’t just get out of a relationship?” He’s teasing Dream and he blushes, looks down at his feet and starts kicking the sidewalk as Punz waits for his Uber.
“He's my roommate,” is all Dream needs to say, and Punz just nods in agreement, totally understanding.
“Look, you’re a cool dude,” Punz says as he’s about to get into the car. “If your roommate doesn’t like you back, call me. But until then, let’s be friends, yeah?”
Dream agrees, thankful Punz has been so understanding because anybody else and Dream probably would have felt ten times worse.
I
The Uber home from the date isn’t far but the more time passes, the more livid Dream gets. He’s mad because George got into his head before his date, that even though he wasn’t there, he’s all Dream could possibly think about no matter how hard he tried.
It’s tonight, it’s this date that’s convinced Dream that he needs to say something to George, that he needs to tell George how he feels and when his roommate inevitably doesn’t feel the same way then Dream can finally begin the work of getting over him.
Going out with Punz tonight has shown Dream what he’s missing, even if he’s hung up on George, it showed him what it could be.
> yes or no
The text he sends to Sapnap is something they always do. Asking each other ‘yes or no’ with no context as a get out of jail free card, an excuse to not do the thing they were planning to do.
> ?
> yes
> now elaborate
Dream held his breath reading the texts, but he knows he could genuinely back out if he had wanted to. Without replying to Sapnap, he gets out of his Uber, says thanks to the driver and practically runs up the stairs to their apartment. It’s only 10pm, so he knows for a fact George is up and the margaritas he drank at dinner are giving him liquid courage.
He struggles to unlock the door, hands shaking and he can’t tell if it’s adrenaline or fear but he swallows it down when he finally gets the door open and spots George standing in the kitchen, washing his dishes.
“I’m fucking pissed at you.”
George looks taken aback, eyebrows furrowed at Dream’s words. He looks at the microwave clock and notices the time and looks even more confused.
“Why?”
At George’s question, his invitation to continue, Dream takes a deep breath. It’s now or never; if he doesn’t say something now he never will, and he’ll never get over George.
“Punz is a nice guy, George,” he starts, breath shaking, heart beating, “a really fucking nice guy. And I spent the entire date wishing he was you.”
It was not what he expected to say, the words had just started spilling out of his mouth and he couldn’t stop them. He had planned to say he couldn’t stop thinking about George, that everything Punz had said he had compared to George unwillingly but he guesses saying he spent the date wishing he was George isn’t a lie either.
Instead of yelling back like the blond had assumed he would, George looks at Dream as if he has three heads. First, Dream can read the confusion on his face, the question of why in his eyes but the next look, Dream can’t read. George is a closed-off person, he always has been but Dream has always been able to read him like an open book, and it hurts his heart not being able to read this situation.
“Why?” he says, and the repeating question makes Dream want to rip his hair out, the fact he can’t read George’s face now of all times makes him want to smash plates across the kitchen.
“Because I’m fucking in love with you.”
It feels like the entire world is confined to this one room, and the only two people in the world are Dream and George. Words hanging in the air, Dream’s biggest secret on the table and he feels as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulders finally admitting it but the weight soon returns, as he awaits George’s reaction.
But George doesn’t speak right away, just puts his plate down on the counter and walks towards Dream. He can’t tell if the brunet man is going to push past him and ignore him or punch him in the fact. He can’t decide what’s worse.
Instead, George shocks him. He stops right in front of him and takes his hand in his own. It’s much smaller, if Dream wanted he could engulf George’s entire hand in his own, but he lets him take the lead.
He just stands there for a moment, basking in the moment and Dream thinks he’s going to have a panic attack if George doesn’t speak any sooner, but the brushing of George’s thumb against the top of the blond’s hand calms him more than he’d like to admit.
“Dream…” he starts, trailing off before giggling to himself. “Dreamie, I know .”
Now it’s Dream’s turn to be taken aback, more confused than anything and he starts to question George, asking how he could have possibly known before George shushes him and speaks again.
“I know because I’m also in love with you, you prat.” The British word for a foolish person falls off his tongue with nothing but affection. “I thought I was obvious but I was too scared I was reading your signs wrong! And then you said you were going out with Punz tonight and I just got so angry…”
“Because you thought I got over you or you were wrong in the first place?” Dream interjects and George just nods, red tinting his cheeks clearly embarrassed. “Why didn’t you tell me that you liked me tonight?”
“I don’t know?” He says, stumbling over his words, trying to find the right thing to say to Dream. “Like it was our thing and then you said you were going out with Punz and I just saw red and I got so angry and hurt and I didn’t know what else to do besides try and tell you Punz is a dick to turn you off him.”
The pout on his face as he looks up at Dream makes him want to kiss the brunet boy.
“You’re so annoying,” Dream replies, laughing as he brushes some hair out of George’s eyes. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“I thought you theoretically broke up with me!” he argues back, now laughing alongside Dream, realising how stupid this conversation the pair of them were having. “How did you not realise I liked you back, I’d never do any of this shit I do for you for Sapnap.”
While George is joking, the confession makes Dream’s heart swell. It’s a joke with their best friend as the punchline, but under all of that, the sentiment is that Dream is special to George, that he’s George’s person, the one person in the universe he would do anything for and Dream hopes that George knows he feels the same way.
“Can I kiss you?” Dream blurts out the question and before he can start apologising for being so forward, before he can start blaming the margaritas he had at dinner, George has pulled Dream down by his neck to lock their lips together.
First kisses are awkward, especially first kisses you don’t expect, but despite the awkwardness of teeth hitting each other, Dream hopes this is his last 'first' kiss for the rest of his life, because the way his stomach jumps, the way butterflies erupt in his chest he knows he’ll never feel this way ever again unless it’s with George.
He wraps his arms around the smaller man, deepening the kiss and once they find their rhythm, it’s perfect because it’s them, it’s perfect because Dream is finally kissing George after all this time. Time passes but neither of them notices, they could’ve been kissing for minutes or hours and neither of them would have complained because nothing else matters at this moment.
Their lips are made for each other, tongues gently massaging against together. Dream would not be able to explain the way he feels right now, can’t explain it other than right , because if soulmates are real then George is definitely his. They move in sync, so in sync that it’s something the blond had only experienced through literature and movies and he can’t believe he finally has for himself.
He never wants to let George go, wants to be selfish for the rest of his life, to keep the boy in his arms here forever.
Eventually, they begin to pull away, soft kisses being shared becoming of second importance to their need to breathe. George’s face is flushed, lips swollen from kissing and Dream thinks if he thought George was beautiful before, he’s ethereal now.
George giggles as he looks at Dream and pulls the taller man in for another kiss, clearly feeling the same way. Nothing could ruin their night, they finally have each other, officially. Dream thinks he could kiss George forever, could hold him in his arms and never let go and could die happy in this moment.