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Dream examined the pattern on his arm as he and Sapnap waited for George. Sapnap had spent a long time practicing on his arm to get it right for his soulmate. His friends matching one was visible on his own arm as they were both wearing t-shirts due to the Floridian heat. People walking by assumed they were soulmates, but neither cared, knowing it wasn't true.
He was pacing, wringing his hands as they waited for their best friend to hop off the plane. Sapnap sat typing on his phone, and due to the crinkles around his eyes, suggesting he was smiling, he assumed it was Karl, his suspected soulmate.
The dry air of the airport was beginning to get to Dream, short and staggered breaths becoming more frequent as he picked at the skin surrounding his nails. The mask he was wearing didn't help the situation in the slightest.
He had every right to be panicking though.
His best friend, crush and hopefully soulmate was nearly here. About to see his face for the first time, about to hug him for the first time.
Sapnap wasn't bothered, having met George already, but could sense his friends freak-out, as it was an obvious thing to everyone around them. He slipped his phone in his pocket and walked over to him, wrapping his arms around him tightly to stop his movements. Dream hugged back, burying his face in his hair, and meting into the embrace.
During his freak outs, which weren't an uncommon thing due to the recent news of George's visit, touch was the best way to calm Dream down, and Sapnap knew this, having to stop most of them as they happened. He knew he didn't see quite a few of them, Dream sometimes opting to stay in his room as they began, dealing with them by calling Bad or a few times George, or dealing with them unhealthily.
They stayed in their embrace for a little while longer until they heard a quiet voice.
"Hey guys."
-----
George was terrified.
His leg bounced up and down as he waited for his plane to land. The aircraft was stuffy and wearing a mask made this no easier. (Yes I hate masks, get over it)
But the same amount of longing he held to exit the plane was matched with his desire to stay on it. To not meet Dream. To not reveal to the guy he had liked for so long that he wished they were more than friends. That he was in fact, not straight as everyone believed he was.
He knew he had to. He wanted too as well. Coming out to Sapnap, Karl, Quackity and Tina while they were in England had gone very well. They had given their congratulations, added more teasing about Dreamnotfound, and then moved on with their life. Treating him with little difference.
And he knew he had no choice but to exit the plane as it would be difficult to go back to England if he didn't. He knew he had to walk down to collect his bags and meet his best friend for the first time. And see Sapnap again, of course.
So, he did just that. Each step closer to the baggage claim where they had agreed to meet he wanted to run back more. Wrapping his arms closer to his chest, he pulled down his hoodie sleeves to repress the urge. He hadn't looked at his arms since he was in England, so if something had been drawn on them, he wouldn't know.
There had been very little drawings on his arms his whole life, although he'd sobbed as the cuts and scars appeared more recently. He didn't know what his soulmate was going through, but he had an overwhelming feeling to hug them when they first met. 'Soulmate Touch' it was called. When you first touch and you can tell, your life feels a little brighter and you feel fireworks. Some people's eyes flashed too or literal sparks exploded.
In movies it just looked downright creepy, and George could never want that much attention on him if he was out in public with the person and it happened. So, touch in public was rare for him, avoiding everyone's elbows that could possibly brush his, not hugging his friends when they met for the first time, instead waiting until they were at his house or in the parking lot.
The baggage claim came into view, and he instantly spotted his friends, them both wearing bright blue t-shirts to stand out to him. They were hugging, Dream's head buried in Sapnap's hair, the latter seeming to be comforting him in some way. He walked closer, standing in front of them and examining every bit of Dream visible. It was then he noticed the henna drawing on their arms, matching in almost every way.
They were soulmates.
----
The car ride home had been tense, and Dream didn't understand why George was so upset. He'd been grouching most of the way since they'd met and avoided both their touches.
He hated it.
He hated himself. Chances were that he'd done something that'd set George off, possibly with something he'd said, but his most likely reason was that he didn't like what he looked like. Despite not having a view of the lower half of his face, everything he could see must've been disappointing.
So, his mask wasn't removed. When they got to the car, Sapnap and George ripped off their masks with glee, glad to be free from it's restraints. But he kept his on, dealing with the difficulty to breath as his breaths began to stagger themselves again.
He'd chosen to sit in the back of the car, so when Sapnap spotted the tear that trickled down his face about half-way through the drive when looking in his rear-view mirror, he manoeuvred his arms in such a way as to hold Dream's. It was the only touch he could give because of their locations.
George, having spotted their movement, scowled, and turned away from the two boys. Dream knew it was something he did.
He fumbled with the keys slightly, inserting them into the lock and positioning his leg at the bottom of the door to stop Patches escaping. All he wanted was to run up to his room and cry. Use his methods to escape his feeling of helplessness and the fact that George already hated him.
He grabbed Patches as he entered, leaving the suitcase he'd been carrying in the entryway and bolted up the stairs. Away from everyone, away from his problems. Once the door to his room was locked, he set Patches down and ripped off his mask, locking the door. He allowed the liquid welled up in his eyes to finally fall after having waited the entire thirty-minute car ride.
He looked at himself in the mirror across the room. His body was curled up on his bed, sobbing.
'I hate you' He thought. 'I hate your stupid face, I hate your stupid nose, I hate your stupid scars. I hate you Dream.'
A knock on the door came but he ignored it, continuing to dissect the disgusting things about himself.
The door was slowly pushed open, George's face peeking around the door. Dream looked over at him through tear-stained eyes.
"Hi." His friend said as he stepped into the room. Dream looked over at him with a glare.
"What do you want?" He said, annoyance clear in his tone. George gulped a little before answering. "What?" He asked. Dream rolled his eyes.
"What do you mean 'What?'. The second you meet me you ignore me and act grouchy. If anyone should be confused about this situation it should be me." He argued. George huffed.
"I'm sorry, I just didn't realize you'd found your soulmate and didn't tell me." George almost yelled. His eyebrows furrowed and his fist clenched, walking further into the room and jabbed a finger in Dream's chest, who'd stood up. Zaps sparked around both of them at the movement, but neither noticed nor cared, too busy glaring at the man in front of them.
"I thought we were best friends Dream; I didn't realise finding your soulmate wasn't a thing we talked about though! Why didn't you trust me with that?" He was yelling now, a tear streaking down his face as he yelled. Dream gave him a look of bewilderment.
"What the fuck are you talking about? I haven't found my soulmate! You took one look at me and hated what I looked like! That's not fair to me or Sapnap, who you randomly were grumpy to as well!" Dream shouted back, stepping closer to him.
"You and Nick are fucking soulmates, and you didn't tell me! Both of you never told me! We've talked about soulmates so often, how we couldn't wait to meet ours and you just didn't tell me!"
Georges words were cut off as he was pushed against the door, Dream's face close to his own, uneven breathing tangling together. Both Dream's hands were planted beside George's head, one of his knees in between George's legs, trapping him in place. The door slammed shut due to the impact, no doubt alarming Sapnap.
Dream hesitated for a moment. "Stop me at any time you need." He whispered. George gave him a look of confusion until soft lips were pressed against his own. George's arms gently moved to wrap around Dream's waist as he gently kissed back. The hesitance Dream felt all but disappeared as he noticed the movements, gently pressing deeper and leaning into the boy in front of him.
They both noticed the little fireworks that went off, and neither stopped the other from doing as they pleased to show they carefully, a tongue being pushed inside another's mouth. It wasn't an intimate moment, not one that needed to be continued with something else. When they gently released, Dream sank to the floor, pulling George into his lap. The latter rested his head on the blonde's chest, curling into the comfort slightly.
"I thought you and Sapnap were soulmates?" George whispered, fidgeting with one of Dream's hands. Dream shook his head, before resting it on the shorter. George's hands trailed down to rest on the drawing messily drawn on the boys wrist and arm. He frowned at the scars just visible beneath the stain. He gently poked one, looking up at the younger with a wordless expression.
"Don't worry about it." He whispered, chasing George's head as a head rest again, ready to sleep.
"No." George said shaking his head, earning a whine from Dream as he refused the head rest. The blonde carefully positioned George in his arms and stood up, stumbling slightly. He moved them to the bed, slumping his back against the wall, holding the brunette close. George shifted in his lap and curled close in him, tucking his face into Dream's neck, and squeezing the arm's wrapped around the others waist tighter.
"Sapnap and I were never soulmates. He drew on my arm to practice drawing on his own for his soulmates birthday." Dream explained, tracing patterns in George's back. His gaze trailed to the brunettes own wrist where the faint lines of henna spiralled. He gently pulled back George's hoodie sleeve to reveal the full pattern. The faint scars that scattered his wrists, mirroring his own, showed that he was Dream's soulmate, not Sapnap's.
George watched as he traced the lines, the light touches of his soulmates fingers sending occasional shivers down his spine. Dream's head had been rested once again on George's head, ignoring all protests from the shorter who he knew (and was right in his assumption) that he secretly loved the affection.
As the tracing began to slow and soft snores were beginning to be produced from the man below him, George moved the two of them into a more comfortable sleeping position, Dream adjusting accordingly, until the two were laying under the covers of Dream's bed, Dream spooning George as the latter faced the door. George decidedly loved the position.
Sapnap came to check on the two not long after, realising the yelling and door slamming had stopped and wanted to make sure everything was alright. Noticing their position, he chuckled before taking a quick photo he would no doubt be sending to Drista and called his own soulmate. Said man picked up the phone very quickly.
"Hey Karl."