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George was not shocked to be greeted by a tired, sleep-deprived looking Dream at the door before he could even open it. The Uber had just started pulling away and somehow Dream was right there. He was there to greet George with a light smile and an offering hand on his luggage. Christmas was in 3 days. Dream was at the door. George was home. Everything was perfect.
“Hi, baby.” Dream spoke softly, voice slightly hoarse from misuse. George suspected the last time Dream talked to anyone was 8 hours ago when they called as George got packed for his trip home. The sun was starting to set and Dream had his blue light glasses on.
“Ello, love.” George offered and shut the door behind himself. Dream set George’s luggage by the stairs to be brought upstairs later and George met him in front of them. Dream pulled George closer by the waist.
Dream always found a way to gently have his hands on George. May it be gentle fingers on his wrist - or passing waist touches - Dream is always touching George. It’s always such gentle touches that George hardly believes they happened. He wouldn’t believe it to be true if his skin didn’t burn where he was touched afterwards. A soft burn like a fire in a fireplace. Crackling and emitting a soft glow.
Dream slipped his hands up George’s shirt and rubbed his thumbs on the dips of George’s waist, George rested his chin on Dream’s shoulder once Dream placed his forehead on George’s shoulder. They swayed ever so gently in the living room, with their eyes closed and soft music playing on the TV. Dream must’ve been listening to it and working judging by his opened laptop on the couch with a discarded blanket.
“Missed you.” Dream mumbled into George’s shoulder.
“I kn’w, love. I m’ssed you too.” George said, keeping his voice soft. His speech was slurred ever so slightly from him avoiding digging his chin into Dream’s shoulder. Not like Dream would care, they often poked and prodded each other out of nothing but pure love and enjoyment when they wanted something or just to bother each other, but Dream was holding George in a way that made George not want to ruin the soft atmosphere.
George opened his eyes as they had swayed in a full circle and saw something hanging from their kitchen doorway. A decoration that had not been there last year, and Dream said he was decorating the same when they called a few days before. George hummed and gently tapped Dream in the middle of his back. He hardly remembered wrapping his arms around Dream’s torso, nor did he remember clutching the blonde’s shirt tightly in his hands.
“ Hm ?” Dream hummed and George just laughed a light laugh once he realized what was before his eyes.
“Mistletoe?” George asked and Dream lifted his head, causing George to be looking into the golden eyes instead of the plant that did nothing but confuse his eyes. Who the hell would make such a romantic plant red and green ? Didn’t they know George was colorblind?
Dream just smiled, it wasn’t his usual grin. It allowed soft smile lines to form on his face. George loved this smile the most. The blinding grin was his second favorite. But this one was reserved for George, for moments like this. It was reserved for their private moments, as George liked it. He enjoyed their private moments more than anything. “What other way is there to get a kiss for Christmas?” Dream asked and George laughed.
“Just for that, I will avoid the kitchen till December 26th.” George joked with a smirk and Dream pressed his fingers into George’s sides. George screeched as Dream tickled him before he slipped away from the hold and ran over to the couch. He hopped onto the couch and grabbed a pillow, holding it as a shield.
Dream laughed and ran right over to him, throwing a pillow at George and diving at him to tackle him down onto the couch when he was distracted deflecting the pillow Dream had thrown with his own.
Dream laid right on top of George and pressed his head on George’s chest, keeping his ear above George’s heart. George hummed and carded a hand through the blonde curls, humming along to the song playing. It was a slower song that he recognized the tune to but not all the words. Dream reached over and grabbed a pillow from the floor, where it had fallen when George jumped onto the couch, and held it up next to George’s head. George lifted his head and Dream wordlessly slipped the pillow under his head for comfort. Dream then closed his eyes and George just leaned forward to kiss the curls on Dream’s head.
George adores the way they had figured out how to exist in each other’s spaces without needing words. Dream called it years of experience of knowing each other but George knew that just meant it was love. And George couldn’t disagree. They loved each other and it was all George could want from Dream.
Dream had started tracing shapes on George’s bicep, the one closest to the edge of the couch - his other hand was under George’s body and wouldn’t be letting go anytime soon, - but that motion slowly stopped as Dream drifted off.
George just continued to card a hand through Dream’s hair and humming along to the music. He didn’t plan on moving anytime soon because nothing in the world could be more important than having Dream in his arms.
~
George walked into Dream’s office with a water bottle and a plate of crackers and cheese. He could laugh at the jagged cuts along the cheese from him choosing the wrong knife to cut it with. He could laugh at how domestic it all was for him to be bringing water and snacks to his boyfriend who was editing a video.
Dream had woken up early after they went to bed, the next day, from napping all evening before dinner and decided to edit as George decided he needed more sleep. Now it was noon and George just wanted to check in considering he was more awake now.
George recognized the video as a mod they had made and tried out weeks ago for a video. He smiled fondly at the reminder before he frowned and stepped back into the doorway. George had been giving permission since day one to walk into Dream’s office whenever he wanted. No matter what. The only exception was if the door was locked while he was in a meeting.
And even though they were dating, George still didn’t want to intrude on anything. “Dr’m.” George said, keeping his voice low in case Dream was on a call with anyone or anything like that. He knew Dream would be able to hear him but not his mic. The possibilities of what Dream could be doing two days before Christmas was utterly endless, especially with their jobs.
Dream turned to look at George and offered a soft smile back, “hey baby!” Dream greeted happily and slipped one side of his headset off an ear. Dream pushed back away from his desk a little bit and patted his lap. George immediately walked over quickly and set the water and plate down, before clambering onto Dream’s lap. His legs dangled off one side of his thighs as he curled into Dream’s chest. “ Georgie , I told you that you could come in whenever. You don’t have to timidly stand at the door like you’re not allowed in.”
George loved that nickname. He loved the way it rolled off Dream’s tongue like the pet name of ‘baby’, they were said with the same amount of love that George knew they meant the same. George just huffed, “I had to keep an eye out for mistletoe.” George said with a smirk, Dream knew it was a deflection. George knew that Dream knew that. Dream knew everything.
“Yeah? Well you’re safe here- or are you?” George felt Dream look up and George instinctively looked up at the ceiling. George pouted when Dream laughed at him for making George look up. Dream just kissed his head and rubbed his thumb on George’s thigh.
George groaned and shoved his face into Dream’s neck. “Rude.”
Dream hummed, “wanna tell me what’s up with waiting at the door? You’ve done it since you got here. Despite me always telling you that you don’t have to wait. You aren’t Pandas, baby, you have Dream privileges.” George laughed at that and poked Dream in the chest for no reason other than the fact that he can.
“I don’t want to interrupt anything. I wouldn’t want to be interrupted when I work and you wait at my door.” George said and Dream nodded.
“Well I love you and I don’t care what you interrupt. May it be editing, streams or a fucking- a meeting with the fucking President. You can interupt anything because I would rather have you with me than anyone or anything else. Yeah?” George nodded and kissed Dream’s collarbone. Dream hummed a song that must’ve been playing in his headset as he drew shapes on George’s leg. “Did you want to do anything? Cuddle? Watch crappy holiday movies? Hot cocoa?”
George melted at the words. He truly didn’t know what he did to deserve Dream and he was so happy his life got him here. He was happy to be loved so genuinely and endlessly. Because he loved Dream with the same amount of ferocity.
“Why are you always so gentle with me?” George asked, receiving a kiss to his hairline.
“Because, you love gently.” Dream explained like that would answer the question. Like that solved all his issues. He had been wondering for weeks in LA why Dream had been so gentle with him. He left Dream alone to go to LA and yet Dream texted and called him everyday and was nothing but kind. Dream had always been kind to him.
Feather light touches during cuddles and hugs, peppering kisses all over his body when a body part was near and cameras were long gone and even his voice had its own ‘George setting’. George never understood. And this answer was not enough.
“You can keep editing. I have plans with the kittens anyway.” George said and lifted his head to kiss Dream on the cheek. “Plus I have to call Pandas.” George said the last bit like it was a chore and Dream only laughed. Dream knew, of course, that George was looking forward to this call with their best friend. George had spoken about it multiple times while in LA but Sapnap had been busy with his family and didn’t have the time to properly sit down and talk for hours with George.
“Okay, sweetheart,” a forehead kiss, “when you’re done why don’t you come in here and then we can cuddle with hot cocoa and shitty Christmas movies?”
George nodded and peeled himself away from Dream, pressing their lips together for a quick kiss once he was standing. Dream smiled at him as he left the room. Dream went right back to editing but this time with more water and something to snack on.
George found himself on the couch with the three cats, a blanket and Sapnap’s face on his MacBook as a FaceTime call was started.
“George!” Sapnap yelled and George grinned.
“Sap. Nap!” George yelled back.
They both fell into easy laughter and began their 5 hour long call not before Sapnap asked, for the 7th time that month, when Dream and George were finally going to get married. George rolled his eyes and started asking Sapnap questions about Texas.
George found himself in Dream’s arms after dinner with hot cocoa on their coffee table, a pretty bad Christmas movie playing on the tv, a blanket on their laps as George had his legs draped over Dream’s legs loosely. George was curled more into Dream’s side than on his chest and Dream was carding a hand through the back of George’s hair as his arm rested on the back of the couch. Dream’s other hand was on George’s thigh over the fluffy blanket.
“How was your call, baby? I don’t think I asked earlier.”
George smiled. “It was really good. I missed him.” George let out a content sigh at the easy way they could fall into something so domestic as cuddling on the couch after dinner and talking about their days.
George honestly wouldn’t care if they were back in Antarctica and suffering. As long as he was with Dream, nothing else mattered to him.
He wouldn’t care if they quit streaming and got normal boring jobs in coding.
He wouldn’t care if they got married and loved life as a domestic married couple.
He wouldn’t care if they had 1 or 2 kids. Or 100 more cats.
Everything was fine with him as long as at the end of the day he had Dream with him.
~
George groaned as Dream’s phone started ringing on the nightstand closer to Dream’s side of the bed. The left side, because George demanded to be on the right since day one.
George patted the empty space next to him and huffed a bit to find lingering warmth in the place of his boyfriend. He must have just left a couple minutes ago. And as much as George complains that he has to untangle himself from Dream’s tight hold while also untangling their legs, he didn’t particularly love mornings without Dream there.
George grabbed the phone and saw it was Sapnap before glancing at the time that read 6am. He groaned and answered it, putting the phone to his ear. Before he could even speak out a greeting, Sapnap was talking. “Dude, did you make sure everything was ready? I know you’re like super fucking nervous but really, there’s no reason to be. I kinda threw the idea out there and George seemed chill about it.”
“Pandas, what the fuck are you rambling about at 6 in the bloody morning?” George asked, “what did you talk to me about?”
Sapnap halted instantly. George could hear his breath hitch and his fidgeting with god even knew what, stop. “Family dinner at his mom’s house.” Sapnap said and George hummed. If he was more awake he wouldn’t believe a word Sapnap was saying, but he was too tired to even care if it was a lie or not. He would figure it out later - if he remembered - and all would be well. But George just really wanted to go back to sleep. It was 6 in the morning on Christmas Eve.
“Right, okay. Cool.” George said with a yawn, “Why are you calling him so early?”
“Is he sleeping? He texted me like 15 minutes ago that he was awake. He’s meant to be picking his sister up from their Grandparents.”
Right, George totally forgot about that. He blamed his sleepy brain for the forgetfulness and suddenly he wasn’t mad that Dream had abandoned him. Even though he originally assumed it was to piss. If anything, this reminder made George swoon more for Dream. He remembered Dream offering to go pick his sister up when his mom said she had to do it during their call last night.
Dream was so willing to do anything for everyone he loved and George admired it, relished in it and adored it. “No.” George said. “He uhm, he got up a few minutes ago and forgot his phone.” George rubbed his eyes tiredly to try and wake up a bit, to no avail. Dream kept him up late last night. Merry Christmas to George. But that also means Dream will want to nap later and so George probably should wake up so he can nap with Dream. Sleep just sounded too nice.
“Well sorry for the call, handsome. I’ll let you get back to your beauty sleep.”
“Wait- why are you awake?” George asked and Sapnap took a moment to reply.
“I uhm-“ Sapnap stuttered nervously. “I was getting something set up to deliver to Karl later.”
“Your penis?” George asked with a smirk and Sapnap groaned.
“I will have you know, GeorgeNotFound, that my penis doesn’t go near Karl. Thank. You. Very. Much. Karl is ace.” Sapnap spoke matter-of-factly and George laughed.
“Good night, Pandas.”
“Goodnight, G. Love ya.”
“Yeah, yeah, you too.” George said and hung up, setting Dream’s phone back down and getting back on his proper side of the bed before drifting back off.
And of course- he woke up later to Dream’s left hand on his waist and his right slightly under the pillow they were sharing, his own right hand clutching Dream’s shirt with his left over his torso, and their legs so intertwined it was amazing they managed to part everyday.
George only smiled, kissed Dream’s collarbone and settled closer to his chest - Falling back into a deep sleep, and falling deeper in love with Dream - Just like he did every morning.
~
“Don’t start ‘The Santa Clause’ without me, George. I mean it.” Dream said, as he grabbed his keys off the counter. George stood in the doorway with a smirk on his face.
“Don’t take forever and I won’t have to.” George said and Dream approached him, laughing. George raised a brow before he looked up at the doorway and groaned.
“I got you.” Dream said with much pride and George grinned before he grabbed Dream’s face and pulled him down into a kiss. Dream smiled into the kiss before his hands found George’s waist. George wrapped his hands around Dream’s neck as the kiss deepened. George felt a hand fly to the back of his head as he was pushed into the doorway, Dream’s hand protecting his head from hitting the wall. George gripped Dream’s shirt collar and Dream hummed, pulling their lips apart. “I’ll always have you.” Dream said, but this time it was much sweeter. This time his voice was laced with love and promise .
“Good.” George said, licking his lips and ignoring the deep red on his face. Dream kissed George on the head before he left to go to his mom’s. George streamed, despite it being christmas eve.
Dream walked into his mom’s house and found her on the couch with Drista. He sighed and collapsed next to his mom, laying his head on her lap. She hummed a lullaby and carded a hand through his hair. “There’s no need to be nervous, Clay. Everything will be good. Nick even said so.”
Dream groaned, “Easy for you to say, you never had to propose before.” Dream complained and Drista only scoffed.
“Clay, get your ass up. Grab the gifts you came here to get and go get engaged already you big idiot.” Drista said and Dream flipped her off. Their mom laughed at them and ushered Dream to sit up.
“She’s right.” Their mom said and Drista snickered. “Go get the boy, you deserve it.”
Dream kissed her head and flipped off Drista as he grabbed the bag of wrapped gifts and cards for him, George and Sapnap. He made his way back to the house and put the gifts under the tree, seeing a few that George had placed in his absence. He laughed and grabbed the gifts he had for George and Sapnap and set them under the tree as well, they had been in his office. All but one gift.
He joined George in their room with snacks and cocoa and George opened his arms, allowing Dream to collapse on him. They played the movie and eventually fell asleep.
~
“Too early.” George said when he felt Dream untangling them. Dream only laughed and got out of bed. “Dr’m.” George said, patting the mattress and pouting at the loss of his boyfriend. Dream only laughed on the other side of the room.
“C’mon, baby , it's Christmas. We have gifts to open and a Pandas to call.” Dream said and chucked a shirt at George who threw it back.
“5 more minutes.” George said. H e didn’t need to ask because he knew Dream would grant his every wish. Dream allowed the 5 minutes before he was dragging George downstairs to eat and open gifts.
~
“Open your card, baby.” Dream said hours later, handing George a box with a card attached to it. The box was larger than George’s torso and hard for him to hold. With the box on his lap he could hardly look over it. George huffed and grabbed the card. Dream knew he hated opening his cards before he opened the gifts and Dream had let him do that with gifts sent from other people. But this was a gift in their room, it was special.
George knew that to be true because the minute Dream brought the giant gift inside, it was sitting in the corner of their room taunting George for weeks. Dream brought it inside already wrapped. It sat right next to the closet with George’s name written in Dream’s best handwriting. George had obviously shook the box. There was no sign of what was inside.
George carefully picked the card off the top of the box and opened it, reading it out loud; “‘to my dear husband’ Dream- what?’” George laughed. “Last year I was your wife and now I’m your husband?”
Dream just smiled gently. “Maybe you’re stepping up in the world.”
George rolled his eyes and opened the card, he read every word that Dream wrote like they were careful pieces of art.
“I love you too, Clay. So much.” George smiled due to the fact that Dream wrote his heart and soul into the card. Dream reached forward and wiped the tears off George’s delicate cheeks. “I don’t even- I don’t know what to say.”
“Open the gift, baby. Then you can give a response.” Dream said with a sparkle in his eyes that made George want to kiss him and grab him more than he wanted the taunting present before him.
George nodded and bit his lip, ever so slightly, and tore the gift open. Underneath the wrapping paper was a cardboard box. George raised a brow at Dream and when Dream just shrugged he opened the box to expose another wrapped box. Dream smirked and George took that box out to open it.
By the 10th box, George was frustrated and was holding one small wrapped box in the palm of his hand. “If there is nothing in this box - or another box I’m giving up and I’ll- I’ll break up with you.” George threatened, though it was very empty.
Dream rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around George, leaning his head on George’s shoulder and looking at the box. “Just open it.”
George unwrapped it and looked at a simple black jewelry box. He opened it and nearly dropped it from his palm. George looked at the silver ring with subtle diamonds around the band. It was the right amount of glimmer to not be too overwhelming. George pushed Dream off of him to make the blonde look at him. Dream only smiled.
“Will you marry me?” Dream asked and George nodded, allowing Dream to take the ring out of the box with a laugh and simply slipped the ring onto his finger. George set the box down and climbed onto Dream’s lap, grabbing his face and kissing him. Dream smiled into the kiss as he kissed back, positioning his hands on George’s waist.
George pulled away and put their foreheads together. “I love you, Clay.”
Dream kissed his nose, “And I love you, George.” And suddenly it all made sense to George.
George loved Dream in a gentle way. He gave his heart cautiously at first, then all at once. He always sampled things before he went into them like he was afraid he could hurt Dream. Like he was afraid he could break Dream. Dream was a sensitive lover. But with that sensitivity came the ability to mimic George’s gentleness and return it in the best ways.