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It had started to rain before George went to bed. The beginnings of a slight sprinkle from an hour ago rapidly changed to a downpour, the sound swiftly turning from soothing to unnerving. Dream and Sapnap were unfazed, however, their mumbled ‘ goodnight ’s overlapping with each other before the shutting of doors left George in almost silence as he stood in the hallway. George pressed his lips into a thin line, turning on his heels and softly shutting his door behind him so as to not add any more noise. It’s louder in here , George noted.
George once thought the rain couldn’t grow any louder, but it seemed to be increasing in both volume and quantity as the seconds passed. The noise resembled that of a jet plane, the sheer amount of rain making the usually steady sound lose all rhythm. An unexpected sharp crack of lightning flashed through George’s bedroom, causing his whole body to jolt. The rumble of thunder that followed suit was louder than the already deafening rainfall. George swore he felt his whole room vibrate as he slowly and shakily climbed under the covers.
The torrential rainfall continued, and the thunder slowly faded as George pulled his bedsheets closer to his chin. He had no idea how Dream and Sapnap could possibly be sleeping through this; it felt like George had stuck his head in a waterfall. George sighed slowly, reaching for his airpods. Maybe some Youtube or TikTok would help to drown out the noise and calm him down.
George was flipping open the case of his airpods when another loud clap of lightning sounded, the case flying out of his hands as he felt his heart drop to his toes. The thunder that followed was more intense than the last round, the severity of it bordering on an earthquake. George sharply drew his hands back towards his torso, feeling a bit spooked as the downpour continued to grow louder in volume. He fought the urge to get up and retrieve his airpods, growing nervous at the irrational possibility of the action bringing more adverse noise.
George’s stomach flipped as he slowly lowered his head onto his pillow, heaving a sigh of relief when no thunder or lightning came shortly after. Without the added noise, George felt himself starting to get used to the severe downpour of rain. It was still obnoxiously loud, but the absence of thunder and lightning gave him the confidence to at least try to get comfortable in bed. A weight slowly lifted off of his chest as he pulled the covers over his ears.
The continuous rain began to sound like white noise after a while, albeit very loud. George shifted in bed a bit, searching for a comfortable spot before attempting to fall asleep. Once he felt relatively at ease, George let his eyes fall shut. The rainfall began to fade into the background, allowing for sleep to finally take hold.
George’s eyes opened to a flash, his heart hammering in his chest as a new roar of thunder reverberated across his bedroom. He froze, gripping his covers with white knuckles and labored breaths as he waited for the noise to pass. Once the rumbling faded, George couldn’t help but feel a little ridiculous. It’s just a storm , he told himself. It used to rain in London all the time. He sighed, the breath shaky as he steadily eased his death-grip on his bedsheets. I am not scared of a stupid thunderstorm.
His entire room was engulfed in white, the clap of lightning bringing booming thunder with it. George shot up in alarm, his heart racing in his chest and roaring in his ears. With wide eyes, he yanked his knees to his chest and brought his bedsheets with them.
Maybe he was scared of a stupid thunderstorm.
Through panicked breaths and trembling hands, he picked up his phone and began quickly typing out a text to Dream whose room was a mere ten or fifteen feet away from his own.
To: Clay
hey are you awake
A wave of unease washed over George when Dream didn’t reply instantly. It took a moment, but George’s phone vibrated softly in the palm of his hand when a response came.
From: Clay
i am now
From: Clay
why, what’s up?
George’s body tensed when more thunder sounded. He took an unsteady breath before typing out a response. Another loud clap startled him, almost causing George to drop his phone mid-text.
To: Clay
i cnrt sleep
To: Clay
it’s thjs stupid stprm
From: Clay
you can come in my room if you want to, my door’s unlocked
George rose from his bed at an embarrassingly high speed, gripping his phone in his hands as he quickly yet quietly clambered down the hallway towards Dream’s door.
With an unstable hand, George gently but rapidly knocked on Dream’s bedroom door. A drowsy ' come in ’ sounded from the other side, so George did so and opened the door.
“You can sit down,” Dream murmured, fighting back a yawn as he reached over to turn on his bedside lamp. The warm, dim lighting illuminated Dream’s face in a way that made George’s heart race.
Dream raised his eyebrows expectantly and George suddenly remembered that he had, in fact, been spoken to. Speechless, George simply nodded before sitting on the edge of the bed facing the door. Dream grunted softly as he sat up, scooting forward to sit next to George. George tried not to think about the warmth radiating from Dream’s thigh just a few inches away.
“Are you okay?” Dream murmured, craning his neck slightly down and out to get a better look at George’s downcast face. George swallowed, meekly shaking his head in response. Dream hummed in sympathy, not looking away.
“What’s wrong? Is the storm scaring you?” Dream asked softly, leaning just ever-so-slightly closer to George. The latter took in a trembling breath in preparation to reply, but bright flashes of lightning and deep rumbles of thunder beat him to it. George jumped almost a foot off of the bed, and his whole body shook once he made contact with the mattress again.
“Okay, okay,” Dream cooed, nodding in understanding as he delicately placed a hand on George’s shoulder. The latter tensed initially at the sudden contact but found himself involuntarily melting into Dream’s touch. “You should lay down, okay?”
George wordlessly agreed, too startled and exhausted to ask any questions. Dream’s hand brushed his shoulder as the former reached past him to turn off the bedside lamp. With trembling hands, George reached for Dream’s bedsheets and pulled them close as he slowly lowered his head down on the pillow beneath him.
Out of the corner of his eye, George could see Dream gently coaxing him to get closer. Still too startled to speak, George gave a small nod as he rolled onto his side and shuffled towards the former. George heaved a heavy sigh of relief when he felt Dream’s hands on his back, feeling every ounce of stress fade away when Dream gently guided George’s head to sit on the former’s chest.
“I didn’t know it was gonna be this heavy,” Dream mumbled, his voice vibrating through his chest. It sent shivers up George’s spine. “The forecast jus’ said sixty-percent chance of rain tonight.”
“But you know how Florida is, I guess,” Dream murmured, exhaling softly as one hand settled on George’s waist and the other behind his own head. “Can’t really trust the weather reports.” George managed a soft hum of acknowledgment.
“I’ll hold Patches like this whenever we get a bad storm,” Dream continued, his voice warm and thick like honey. “It helps calm her down when she’s scared.”
“Oh, so I’m just a scared animal to you, Dream? Is that it?” George quipped softly, though his voice wavered. Dream didn’t comment on it, only playfully scoffing along with George’s characteristic sarcasm.
Before Dream could add to the banter, another flash of lightning lit up the whole room and more thunder shook the house. George instinctively threw his arms around Dream, the latter pulling him closer and using his free hand to gently rub up and down George’s back. George felt his whole body quivering, growing embarrassed as the wave of fear passed.
“I’m sorry,” George whispered after a moment. “I don’t know why I’m being so fucking dramatic about a stupid thunderstorm.”
“It’s okay, George, really,” Dream assured, his voice warm and soft. His exhale sent chills down George’s spine, and George found himself finally able to close his eyes. “It’s not a big deal.”
“I know London never got storms like this,” Dream continued, tracing small shapes on George’s waist where his fingers sat. “It sounds like the house is about to get torn down.”
“Yeah,” George muttered with a soft chuckle, nodding his head. “I’ve, uh… never really liked big storms, anyway.”
“Rain is nice, but not this,” George chuckled softly, exhaling slowly as he allowed the remaining tension in his body to melt away. “This scares me.”
“I know,” Dream murmured, the warmth and care in his voice making George’s heart flip in his chest. “Just try to get some sleep, okay?”
“Wake me up if you need anything at all,” Dream added, his fingers slowly ceasing movement. George hummed an ‘mm-hmm’ , unashamedly nuzzling closer to the former.
The warmth from Dream’s skin and the soothing rhythm of his heartbeat were helping George calm down, the former’s slow and even breathing helping George’s own breathing to slow down. George felt himself get closer and closer to the edge of unconsciousness as the minutes passed, relief washing over him as sleep felt like it was just moments away.
Just as the rain started to sound like it was beginning to lessen, there was a crack of lightning and a round of thunder louder than any other George had heard that night. George nearly jumped out of his skin, causing Dream to stir awake beneath him despite falling asleep not that long ago.
George’s breaths were shallow and quick, and his heart was racing. In between panicked inhales and exhales, George heard Dream talking to him. He couldn’t really decipher what was being said through his rapid breaths and the blood roaring in his ears, but the sensation of slow rubbing on his back helped ground him.
“Hey, George, it’s okay,” Dream murmured, his voice sounding clear as he squeezed George closer to him in a snug embrace. “I know, I know… it’s okay.”
“That was loud, huh?” Dream muttered, the words just mere centimeters from his ears. George let out an unsteady breath as he nodded, hoping he wasn’t squeezing the air out of the former as he had just become aware of how tightly his arms were wound around him.
“Hey, hey, you’re okay,” Dream continued, his words fast yet comforting and caring. George felt himself slowly loosening his grip. “I’m right here, George. I’m here.”
“It’s okay,” Dream whispered. George nodded, squinting his eyes shut and burying his head in Dream’s chest. He tried to ignore the stupid, embarrassing tears that were beginning to prick at his eyes. “It’s okay.”
“I’m here, okay?” Dream mumbled, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of George’s forehead.
They both froze in surprise, George slowly raising his head from where it was nestled in Dream’s chest. He was thankful the room was dark, as he knew for a fact that his cheeks were burning a deep crimson.
Dream and George were both speechless for a moment, the two of them exchanging the same astonished look with each other. Dream swallowed thickly, inhaling shakily. His mouth opened and closed, nothing but puffs of air coming out for the first few attempts to speak.
“I, uh-” Dream’s voice failed. He tried again. “I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry, it, uh.. it just… happened,” Dream faltered, swallowing again. “I’m tired and, uh… not really… thinking.”
“I… don’t mind,” George confessed sheepishly, unable to hold back the smile that was tugging at his lips. Dream’s face immediately relaxed and he responded with a soft and relieved laugh.
“You don’t?” Dream exhaled in disbelief. George’s smile grew as he shook his head, blinking away the unshed tears from before. Dream looked at the brunet that he was cradling in his arms, a mixture of fondness and concern in the former’s eyes. Dream gently brushed away the stray tear that slid down George’s cheek, letting his thumb linger there.
“I liked it, actually,” George muttered, his voice barely audible as his cheeks set aflame. Dream chuckled softly, the laugh increasing in volume a bit when George’s cheeks burned brighter. Dream’s thumb gently brushed over George’s cheekbone once more, leaving trails of heat in its wake before the former’s hand resettled on the latter’s waist.
“Ooh, good to know,” Dream smirked playfully, fighting to keep his laughter quiet when George bit back an embarrassed ‘Oh my god, Dream, stop! ’ as he hid his face back into Dream’s chest. More thunder rumbled close by, the room plunging into an uneasy silence as George retightened his grip around Dream’s middle.
“I jus’ wanna sleep,” George groaned in an exasperated tone, his body relaxing again as the sounds of thunder ebbed. “I’m exhausted.”
“I know,” Dream murmured, lovingly rubbing up and down George’s back again. George exhaled slowly, willing his body to relax enough to fall asleep even if only for a few hours.
“I’m sorry,” George muttered after a moment. He sighed as he nuzzled his cheek into Dream’s chest again, the warmth a comfort. “I woke you up.”
“Hey, did I or did I not tell you to wake me up if you needed me?” Dream questioned rhetorically, his tone equal parts playful and consoling. “You have nothing to apologize for, George.”
Unsure of how to reply, George simply nodded and let it be. They both exhaled at the same time, the sound of the rain outside seeming to slow down a bit. To George’s relief, he wasn’t hearing things; The rain was truly starting to ease up. Dream must’ve noticed the sudden release of tension from George, as he began to gently trace small circles and stars where his hand rested on the former’s hip.
“It’s slowing down,” George observed drowsily, his eyelids growing heavy now that anxiety wasn’t keeping them pried open. “The rain.”
“Yeah, it is,” Dream murmured, the shape-tracing momentarily pausing so he could gently tug George closer to him. “Finally, huh?”
“Yeah, finally,” George echoed, a yawn nearly cutting his sentence short. He felt Dream resume lightly rubbing his hand up and down his back, the sensation pulling him closer to sleep. “Now I c’n sleep.”
“Yeah, get some sleep,” Dream cooed, his voice hushed and filled to the brim with warmth. “I’ll be right here, okay?”
“Okay,” George drawled, his eyelids finally falling - and staying - shut. “Goodnight, Dream.”
Dream smiled softly, placing a soft and silent kiss to George’s forehead.
“Goodnight, George.”