Chapter Text
Dust flew over the road as a big black SUV sped down it.
It wasn’t uncommon for vehicles to speed down the dirt road, but it wasn’t very common for fancy SUVs with tinted windows and California plates to make the same journey as all the locals' shitty pickup trucks, much less, vehicles carrying famous actors.
But, here the black SUV was, speeding towards a family-owned ranch where the driver was supposed to drop off George Davidson, the hottest and newest upcoming actor in the scene.
George didn’t even want to be going to the stupid ranch, but he was being forced by the director of the tv show he was starring in and his manager to go learn “cowboy skills” or whatever the fuck that was, so he could play the part better.
The tv show wasn’t even something he was interested in, but the director, a close friend of his named Schlatt, had basically begged (conned) him into auditioning for the part and he just couldn’t turn his friend down like that. So he auditioned and got the part. A lead role in the two (more could be confirmed) season show where he’d be playing the part of a young cowboy dealing with an identity crisis.
He didn’t know much else, other than what he read from the pilot episodes script, and that was just a whole bunch of introductory bullshit as each of the main characters made themselves known to the audience.
“We’re here, Mr. Davidson,” The driver of the SUV said as they turned onto a long dirt driveway, both sides of it lined with barbed wire fencing. George groaned, his head falling back against the soft cushioning of his seat.
George’s manager chuckled from his spot in the seat next to George and the brunet turned quickly, glaring at the man.
“Oh, shut up. You don’t have to be left here for five weeks learning “horse-manship,” or whatever.” George scolded. His manager, Sam, shrugged, a small smile still on his face as he scrolled through emails on his phone.
“It’s not going to be that bad, George. The ranch you're staying at, they’re great people. The boy, he’s gotta be around your age, Dream. He’s awesome. Runs the entire show out here. He’ll teach you what you need to know,” Sam said as he types something out with both thumbs before cursing. “Shit. No service.”
That caused George to look up with wide eyes. “No service?!”
“What? Did you think they had four bars of 5G? I’m sure they have wifi you can hook up to if you need it.” Sam said as he shoved his phone into his pocket. “Now come on, think of this positively. It’s gonna be a good experience that helps you get into character. Plus, I’m sure you're going to have at least a little bit of fun.” George blinked at him, unconvinced.
“I doubt it. I don’t know what your definition of fun is, but mine definitely isn’t being abandoned in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of hicks for five weeks,” George sassed and Sam rolled his eyes.
Nothing else was said between them as the driver pulled the SUV into a circle driveway in front of a large ranch house with a wrap-around porch. Across from the house was a big red barn with two horses tied out front and two young boys watching curiously.
“Well, let’s get to it,” Sam said, smiling at George who scoffed but slammed his door open anyways, stepping out of the vehicle fully before slamming it shut again, right in Sam’s face.
One of the boys in front of the barn laughed, earning himself a smack to the gut by the other, and then they pretended to brush their horses, both keeping an eye on George as he crossed his arms and pouted like it was going to save him.
“Welcome to the Weztaken Family Ranch,” Sam said as he rounded the vehicle. The driver opted to stay in the vehicle to avoid George’s rage. “It’s nice, right?”
“It’s fucking stupid, is what it is.” George snarled. Sam glared at the young actor as the house door slammed open and a young man wearing a cowboy hat stepped out.
“Howdy,” He said with a little nod as he climbed down the steps. George scanned him over, slight disgust on his face as he took in the dusty boots and jeans he was wearing. “Name’s Dream. I’m the owner of the ranch. And you must be George Davidson?” Dream asked as he approached the actor.
“I am,” George confirmed with a nod as Dream held his hand out for George to shake. Hesitantly, George uncrossed his arms and shook Dream’s hand. “Pleasure.”
“S’all mine. When Sammy here called me sayin’ that he had some pretty boy needin’ some tips an’ tricks on how to be a cowboy, I couldn’t resist offerin’ up the place. M’gonna whip you into shape real good, Georgie.” Dream said as he took his cowboy hat off, running his hand through his hair before putting his hat right back.
George’s eyes widened in shock as the shade was lifted off of Dream’s face and he got a good look at the man. He had short, slightly curled blonde hair, a split lip, and freckles covering his cheeks and nose. He was good-looking, to say the least, with a strong jaw and pretty eyes. At least he had something nice to look at while being stuck in hell.
“Don’t call me that,” George scoffed out once he realized what the man had called him. Dream smiled with his teeth before snorting at George's cold behavior.
“Sure, whatever you say, Georgie. Anyways,” Dream stepped back, sliding his hands into his pockets. He smiled again, this time, tight-lipped. “Um, you can follow me and I’ll show-" George watched as Dream's face grew slightly angry at the sight of something over his shoulder. "TOMMY! TUBBO! GET YOUR ASSES DOWN! NOW!” George startled, stepping back and away from Dream as he shouted.
George turned and watched the two young boys that had been standing near the barn as they hurried to climb off one of the big brown tractors that were parked next to the barn.
“We weren’t doin’ nothing, Dream!” The blond shouted back as he moved to stand by his horse again. The brunet followed his friend's lead and they went back to silently chattering with each other while tossing side glances at George.
“Sorry ‘bout that, Georgie. Tom and Tubs like to snoop around where their noses don’t belong,” Dream sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Where was I?” He asked, looking up with scrunched eyebrows.
“Um… Me following and you showing something?” George said with a shrug, not sure where the blond was going with that conversation. Dream nodded and snapped his fingers as he remembered.
“Right. I got a room for you in the house if you want it. Or I can put you in the bunkhouse. You’d have more privacy in the bunkhouse, I think? But in the house, you’d be closer to a bathroom.” Dream explained and George shrugged.
“He’ll take the bunkhouse,” Sam chimed in and George smacked him, hard. “Ow, what the hell, George!”
“I want the house, please.” Dream nodded and moved so he could pop the back of the SUV open.
“Sure thing, city boy. These your bags?” George nodded and Dream tugged one of the black suitcases out before setting it on the ground and grabbing the other. “Come grab your backpack, I’ll carry these in.” George nodded again and grabbed his backpack, hoisting it over his shoulder before following Dream towards the house.
The actor hurried up the steps, right on Dream’s heel, and into the front door. Inside the house, in the kitchen at a small round table, three people were sitting. The first, a young girl with hair just as blond as Dream’s, was pulling dark green cowboy boots onto her feet. Another, an older woman with brown hair was nursing a cup of coffee. And the last, a boy around Dream and George’s age, eating a peanut butter sandwich.
“Afternoon,” The boy spoke up, his mouth still full. George’s nose scrunched up in disgust and Dream whacked the boy in the back of the head as he shuffled past with George’s bags. “Ow, the hell, Dream?”
“Don’t talk with your mouth full. Use your barely-there manners, would you?” Dream scolded as the young girl giggled.
“Yeah, Sapnap. We’re in the presence of a prince, don’t you know?” She teased and George rolled his eyes. He'd heard it all before, but he was sure it was going to be 10x worse now that he was surrounded by heathens.
“Enough, Drista. No teasing. George is here to learn, not be made fun of. Understood?” Dream scolded gently and the girl, Drista, nodded while rolling her eyes. “Good. George, this is my mom, Wendy, my little sister, Drista, and my best friend, Sapnap.”
“Howdy,” Sapnap tipped his hat at George without looking him in the eye.
“Welcome to the Ranch,” Wendy smiled, setting her cup of coffee down on the table.
“Hi…” Drista said as she yanked her dark jeans over her boots. “I’m goin’ on a ride with Tommy and Tubbo. See ya later.”
She stood and stormed past George and Sam, her boots slamming down heavily on the wooden floorboards before she yanked the front door open and let it slam shut behind her.
“She’s grumpy today, don’t think much of it,” Wendy said, excusing her daughter's behavior and George nodded.
“Um, thank you for… letting me stay in your home,” George said awkwardly and Wendy chuckled, waving him off.
“Not my home. Dream owns the place. I just come to do financing for the kiddo. But I’m sure I’ll be seeing quite a bit of you, George.” Wendy said and George nodded. “Oh, and I just had to tell you- I love that Hallmark movie you’re in. The Christmas one- What’s it called?” Wendy asked, tapping her lip as she thought. George felt his eyes widen.
“The First Christmas?” George asked, blushing. That was his first film where he was one of the leads. And the first movie where he had to kiss a girl.
“Yes! Oh, it was absolutely lovely! One of my favorites!” Wendy complimented. George nodded
“Thanks…”
“Of course, dear. Anyways, I'm finished up with this paperwork, so I’m gonna head into town. Sapnap, dear. Walk me to my car?” Wendy asked and Sapnap nodded. Both of them stood up, saying quick goodbyes to Dream, George, and Sam before exiting the house.
“Sam, you can stay here. We’ll be right back down in a second. M’just gonna show Georgie his room.” Sam nodded and Dream motioned for George to follow him with a quick head nod.
The two wandered upstairs, down the hall, and then into the first room on the left. Dream set the two suitcases down and then brushed his hands off on his jeans.
“This is it. Your new home for the next few weeks… My room is just across the hall, and Drista’s is the one next to yours. Sapnap stays in the bedroom downstairs and there are two bathrooms. One up here, across from Drista’s room, and one down next to Sapnap’s,” George nodded, setting his backpack on the bed. He looked around the room, pulling his bottom lip in between his teeth, gnawing at it nervously as he took in his surroundings. He could see Dream studying him cautiously from the corner of his eye, but he paid no mind. He was used to people watching him.
“I’ll go talk to Sam, let you get settled a bit… Then we can go out and I’ll show you the barn?” Dream said, asked excusing himself and George nodded.
“Sure. Yeah… that sounds good, thank you.” George said as he kicked off his shoes. Dream nodded and smiled one last time before exiting the room and heading back downstairs.
George sighed, flopping back on the bed.
He knew he needed this experience if he wanted to nail his role in Schlatt’s new series, but he didn’t want to be abandoned by Sam at some strange ranch in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of hicks who probably didn’t know left from right. Ok, that was mean. They probably knew left from right, but they probably didn't know the difference between a vegan and a vegetarian.
Thankfully though, the Ranch house was super nice and big. There were quite a few rooms (from what Dream had said) and his room was huge, with a queen-sized bed, a desk under the window, a nice bedside table, and a big dresser. (There was also a small closet but George didn’t care about it, seeing as he’d probably only use the dresser.)
George sat up with a sigh, opting to empty his bags later that night, and just as he was about to stand up, someone knocked on the open bedroom door before poking their head in.
“Hey, George. Just wanted to give this to you now. It’s a gift from Schlatt and me,” Sam said as he held a silver-wrapped box towards George, who took it hesitantly.
“What is it?” He asked, setting it in his lap.
“Something essential,” Sam winked cheekily. “Go on. Open it.”
George looked down at the gift, picking at the neatly cut end of the ribbon it was tied with. He pulled the bow loose and then ripped open the edge of the paper. He peeked at the now exposed box and groaned at what he saw before finishing unwrapping it.
“Boots?” George asked. “Really?”
“You’re gonna need them! Everyone on the ranch wears them, plus, Dream was the one who advised me on getting you a pair.”
George opened the box and pulled out one of the boots. He knew it was blue, seeing as that was one of the only colors he could see, and the bottom half was brown. He kind of liked the look of it, but he’d rather die than be caught liking something so… unrefined.
“What the hell is Ay-ree-yat? Fucking weird,” George asked as he read the logo on the box.
“It’s Ariat, George. And it’s a brand. Dream sent me a few links to look at before I got you these, so thank him for the weird brand name," George scoffed as Sam pulled his phone out to check the time. "Anyways, I have to head back to the hotel. My flight to New York leaves in five hours and I still need to pack.” Sam said shoving his phone away again. “Trust me, you’re going to have a blast here, George. Just give Dream a chance to teach you. He’s a good guy.”
George frowned at how genuine Sam sounded when he said that.
“Whatever. Just leave. I don’t want to look at you anymore because it pisses me off,” George snapped and Sam chuckled, used to George's attitude.
“Good luck,” Sam said to someone on the way out and George heard Dream chuckle.
“Thanks, Sammy. We’ll see you, ‘round.”
“Sure thing, buddy. Keep me posted on the shithead, would you?” George scoffed and rolled his eyes as he heard Sam’s footsteps thud down the stairs. He heard Dream chuckle and then the blond popped his head back into the room.
“George- I’m gonna head down to the barn. Do you wanna finish unpacking, or come with?” Dream asked and George sighed and stood up. Might as well start sooner rather than later, right?
“I’ll come with,” George said, shoving the box with the boots in it off to the side. Dream bounced on the balls of his feet, looking like he wanted to say something but ultimately stopping himself. George, noticing Dream gaping at him like a fish, got annoyed. “What?”
“You should put your boots on… y’know, get used to them and break 'em in,” Dream said with a smile. George groaned but followed Dream’s suggestion anyways, pulling his boots out of the box and onto his feet.
“Do I…” George frowned down at his feet. “Do I tuck my jeans in?” He asked and Dream shrugged.
“If you want. Might get made fun of by Drista, but Sap wears his tucked-in sometimes. I normally wear tall socks and put my jeans on the outside,” Dream said as he leaned against the door. George nodded and pulled his jeans out so they were around the boot. “I guess it’s just a personal preference thing. Looks better on the outside though.”
George nodded again and stood up once he was situated. Dream smiled at him and turned on his heel, guiding them down the hall and stairs and into the main living area again. This time though, George got to look around.
The living room was nice and big with a fireplace on one of the walls. There were three couches and a recliner in the middle of the room, and on the glass coffee table, a cat was laying sprawled out, purring loudly.
“Cat?” George asked, perking up. He loved cats.
“Hm?” Dream hummed, turning to look at George in confusion. “Oh, Patches?” He asked as he looked to where George was staring.
“Patches…” George murmured to himself before letting his feet carry him towards the cat. “She?” He looked up at Dream for confirmation as he crouched next to the glass table. Dream nodded with a small smile on his face. “She’s pretty.”
“She is, thank you.” Dream agreed. George smiled and stood up, never disrupting the cat from her sleeping position. He joined Dream again, the soft look of adoration that had overcome his face when he was looking at Patches disappearing in seconds. “Ready to go to the barn?”
George sighed, for what felt like the millionth time in the last hour, and nodded.
“Perfect. Follow me.”