Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There were many things Dream would’ve expected from a high end college on his first day. Perhaps extensive lectures, a strict schedule and a way too early curfew, but not a welcome party.

But here he was, standing at the door to the common room, which had been decked out with some brightly coloured LEDs and a few bass boosted speakers, quite honestly confused. He had obviously read a lot of enthusiastic student reviews of the place when he was looking to transfer, but he had assumed the students had been put up to it by the teachers. Apparently not.

“Ayyy Dream! Come over here!” Dream heard his name being called and turned to see a student he had met earlier in the day when he had been moving his stuff into his new dorm. The student, Sapnap, waved him over.

“Hey! Good to see you again.” Dream greeted the other with a warm smile as he strode over. Sapnap gave him a friendly slap on the back as if he’d known Dream his whole life, before turning to a few other people to introduce them.

“I met a couple other people as well! This is Karl, I met him just after I met you,” Dream nodded to the boy in question who grinned back cheerfully, “and this is Camilla, she’s a friend of Karl’s.” Dream turned and smiled briefly at her, getting a small smile in return.

“Nice to meet you both.” Dream greeted the two. The girl, Camilla, giggled and extended her hand.

“I’m Camilla… but you can call me Cammy.” She whispered with a wink as Dream shook her hand.

“Um… nice to meet you… Camilla.” There was no way in hell that Dream would ever catch himself unironically using that nickname.

“Alright, formalities are over. I heard they’ve got alcohol and I intend to find it.” Sapnap changed the subject, earning a laugh from the group.

The four of them made their way around the room, squeezing past the clusters of students, occasionally ducking and dodging around some flailing arms of some who were brave enough to dance. Eventually, Sapnap located a few beers, and they went to find a relatively quiet corner to talk.

“So, first impressions?” Sapnap questioned as he opened his beer.

“I’m honestly surprised. I did not expect this place to hold a whole party to welcome new students, but you won’t see me complaining.” Dream commented as the group cheersed their drinks.

“Yeah I was fully ready to be thrown into a full day of lectures and immediately drowned in assignments, but this definitely is a pleasant surprise.” Karl agreed.

“Yeah, it’s a great opportunity to get to know everyone a little better.” Camilla noted, her eyes lingering over Dream just a fraction of a second longer than everyone else. Dream was getting strange vibes from her already.

The four fell into small talk, just surface level questions as they sipped their drinks. The music blared in the background, and the lights kept up their intensity, occasionally blinding them when they shone in their direction.

“Well, I’m bored. There’s only so much standing and talking I can do before I legally have to cause chaos.” Sapnap announced after a short while.

“What do you want to do instead then?” Karl questioned. Sapnap looked around, trying to find some inspiration. Then his eyes lit up and he turned to Dream.

“Dream. Find someone you haven’t talked to ever and try to get them to say ‘I love you’. Forfeit is you have to take a shot. Go on, I dare you.” Sapnap challenged Dream with a wicked smile on his face.

“Why me? I feel like this is almost personal…” Dream joked as he looked around the room, eyeing up any possible contenders, because obviously he’s not one to back down from a challenge. The majority of the students were in small groups, much like himself, with a few going crazy on the dance floor. However, Dream spotted one student standing by himself in the corner, also surveying the scene.

He looked interesting, Dream thought. The way his eyebrow was quirked, giving him an almost disdainful expression, and the way he checked his watch frequently, clearly waiting for the earliest acceptable time to leave the party. Dream wanted to talk to him anyway, so he might as well break the ice in a memorable way.

“Alright. I’ll give it my best shot, if you excuse the pun.” Dream smirked as the rest of the group groaned at the joke, before he disappeared into the crowd.

“Hey there,” Dream approached the boy who had caught his eye, deciding last minute to go with a cheesy pickup line to lighten the mood, “did you transfer here from Tennessee?” The student looked confused.

“What? No-”

“Well, you’re the only ten I see.” Dream held the charming smile, waiting for a chuckle at the incredibly cringey line, but he was met with nothing but a stone cold stare. His grin faltered, did he say something rude? Dream was almost about to apologise before the student finally responded.

“Oh, I’m sorry, are you not used to people who have the braincells to see past your trashy attempts at charm? Do you normally just give them a wink and an overused one liner and they’re immediately dragging you off to a secluded corner?” The boy crossed his arms, his face set in a frown. Dream reeled back, his hands coming up in surrender.

“Easy there, tiger, I was just joking around. Contrary to your apparent beliefs, I only came over because you looked like an interesting person and I wanted to introduce myself. But no need to fret,” Dream started backing away, “I know when I’m not welcome. I’ll see you around.” And with that, Dream turned on his heel and left. Fuck the dare. Taking a shot wasn’t even a bad forfeit anyway. It was only a shame because the student had genuinely seemed interesting and Dream would’ve liked to at least introduce himself.

Dream returned to his group, his head hanging low.

“So…?” Sapnap prompted. Dream sighed defeatedly.

“I’m gonna need one shot and a can of soda, please.”

Chapter Text

Who in their right mind thinks that it’s ok to set an assignment in the first week of term , and only give one day to complete it. Not even a weekend. Dream’s english teacher, apparently. They hadn’t even had a class yet, but his teacher had made it imperative that the whole class read the entire book that they would be studying before the first class.

So naturally, with a hyperactive brain such as Dream’s, things were going… not great. He had started reading as soon as he had got the email about it from his teacher, and now here he was, at the ripe old hour of 4am, desperately clinging onto his attention span as he read the last few pages of the damned book.

Finally, after hours and hours of non-stop reading. Dream slammed the book shut triumphantly. Did he still have notes to make about the book? Yes. Was he going to make the notes? Absolutely not. Was he instead going to the 24 hour on campus coffee shop at 4am? Of course he was.

Dream shrugged on a jacket and slipped his feet into some trainers and he was off. Luckily it was only about a five minute walk, along his corridor, down to the ground floor, out of his dorm block, across the road, and there it was.

Dream pushed the door open and was immediately greeted with a gust of warm air and a comforting smell of coffee. The lights were dimmed and there was some soft jazz playing through the speakers. Dream already knew that he was going to be a frequent 4am customer if this was the atmosphere that he could have to himself.

As Dream closed the door behind him, he vaguely noticed the cashier, who had previously been sitting behind the counter on his phone. Dream couldn’t blame him, it’s not like he should’ve been expecting customers at this hour. The cashier stood up to greet Dream.

“Hello, what can I get for y- wait, it’s you?” Dream, who had been distracted looking at the fairy lights that had been artistically twisted around the windows, turned his attention to look at the cashier, and had to do a double take.

It was the student Dream had tried to talk to at the welcome party. What kind of coincidence was that? What were the chances of Dream randomly deciding to go to the coffee shop at 4am and meeting the one student he had tried to introduce himself to? Fate works in some wonderful ways.

“Huh yeah… isn’t that an interesting coincidence.” Dream chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s just that it seems that we were destined to meet at some point anyways, even despite you savagely rejecting me at that party.” Dream must have been seeing things, because he swore that he caught a flicker of remorse on the boy’s face.

“Oh right… sorry about that by the way. I think I came on a little too strong.”

“Don’t worry about it, it probably wasn’t my smartest idea to go up to someone and tell them the most horrendous pickup line ever to exist and expect them to still want to be friends with me afterwards.” Dream offered an awkward smile, which the student briefly returned.

“It was pretty terrible. You’re going to have to step up your game if you wanted me to go home with you.”

“Oh really? Is that a challenge?” Dream raised his eyebrow jokingly, but the boy was quick to squash the topic before he could take it any further.

“So what do you want? I’m assuming you’re not just here randomly at 4am because you felt like it?”

“Firstly, you may joke but that is absolutely something I have and would do. Secondly, I’ll have a latte with an extra shot of espresso, please.”

“Pulling an all nighter, are we?”

“Most likely, yeah. I had an assignment to get done, albeit I didn’t expect it to take me almost twelve hours to do it.” Dream yawned and rubbed at his eyes.

“Yikes. That sounds like hell.” The student commented as he poured Dream’s coffee into a takeaway cup. “Can I get a name for the cup?”

Dream looked around. As far as he was aware, the only people remotely conscious within a fifty metre radius was himself and this student. “I’m the only person here, why do you need my name?”

“So that I can stop referring to you as ‘dickhead’.” The student said bluntly, taking Dream by surprise.

“Well, uh, my name is Dream. And you?”

“What kind of parent names their child Dream?”

“Oh come on, it’s obviously not my real name, but it’s a nickname that practically everyone calls me so I’ve taken to just introducing myself as Dream.”

The student narrowed his eyes, processing the information, before he shrugged and scribbled down a name on the cup, and handed it to Dream.

*Dream (dickhead)*

“Oh fuck off.” Dream laughed at the name that the student had written.

“I’d love to, but unfortunately my shift only just started.” The student cleaned off the equipment he used to make Dream’s coffee before hopping up onto the counter and turning his attention back to Dream.

“Only just started? What kind of hours are they making you work? How do you get to your classes? Do you ever sleep?” Dream had many questions.

“It’s fine, I agreed to do this. My timetable worked out so that I had some days where I didn’t have a class until the afternoon, and one or two days where I have no classes at all, so I’ll just use those days to catch up on sleep.” The student explained as Dream sipped his coffee. “Plus not all of my shifts are at this time.”

“That makes sense.” Dream nodded. “So what do you do to entertain yourself while no one’s here? I’m guessing that it’s not very common for you to be getting customers at this time?”

The student shrugged before jumping down off the counter and making a drink. “I don’t know, I catch up on youtube videos, sometimes I’ll bring a textbook down to read ahead of my classes, mostly I just mindlessly scroll through various apps.”

“Reading ahead of your classes? I could never.” Dream shuddered at the thought of doing extra voluntary work.

“It’s not that bad, it gives me something to do and I’m ahead of the class, what’s there to lose?” The student finished making the drink and moved towards a waffle toaster.

“Fair point, I suppose. What are you making? Did you get an online order or something?” Dream asked as the student poured in the waffle batter.

“No, this is just my breakfast. Waffle with yoghurt and cinnamon sugar, and a cappuccino.”

“Ooh that sounds nice. Maybe I’ll have to order it next time.”

“Next time? Are you thinking of making this a weekly thing or something?”

“I don’t know, maybe. If you can bear to put up with me?” Dream’s heart leapt as he saw the student chuckle lightly.

“I’ll think about it.” The waffle was done, and Dream watched as the student carefully transferred it onto a plate and added his favoured toppings.

“Well, I best be off. Can’t have me hogging all your attention away from the many customers who are definitely impatiently waiting right now.” Dream joked as he finished his coffee. “I’m glad that I at least had the chance to make a better first impression. See you around, mysterious coffee boy.” Dream turned to leave, but was stopped by the student.

“George.”

“Come again?”

“My name is George. If I’m supposed to stop referring to you as ‘dickhead’, then you can stop calling me mysterious coffee boy.”

“Ok George. I’ll see you around.”

Chapter Text

“-and so we ended up hiding behind the bike sheds to avoid getting caught!” Sapnap finished relaying his story excitedly.

“Sounds like you’ve had a far more interesting few days than me already.” Dream took a bite out of his toast as he sat across from Sapnap at the table. In the few days of being at the new college, Dream and Sapnap had quickly become good friends, and it was now pretty common for one to waltz into the other’s dorm and have breakfast, which is what Dream was doing now.

“Oh come on, surely something cool happened?” Sapnap prompted.

“Well actually, now that I think about it, I did randomly go to the coffee shop at 4am, and you’d never guess who was working there.”

“Who?”

“The student I went up to after you dared me to get someone to say ‘I love you’.”

“No way. Was it awkward?”

“Actually it wasn’t that bad. I definitely made a better first impression and he didn’t seem to despise me with every fibre of his being. We talked for quite a bit actually.”

“Nice. So did you like hookup under the coffee machine or something?” Dream almost choked on his toast at Sapnap’s question.

“Wh- what? No! Why would you say that? I just wanted to talk to him, nothing else!”

“Suit yourself, bro.” Sapnap gave Dream a knowing look before changing the subject. “So what classes do you have today?”

“I got English this morning, computing this afternoon. Speaking of, I should probably head out actually. Thanks for breakfast.”

“See you later, dumbass.” Dream affectionately flipped Sapnap off, who returned the gesture as well as blowing a kiss.

It was a short walk to the English block, and soon enough Dream was walking into the classroom and making a beeline for a seat at the back of the room. With a stroke of luck, there was a completely empty table for two, which Dream wasted no time in claiming. It was almost too good to be true.

And as he came to find out, it was indeed too good to be true.

“Oh, hey Dream!” Dream looked up from unpacking his books for the class to see Camilla moving towards him. Well, this could throw a spanner in the works of things.

“Hey Camilla. I didn’t know you took English?”

“Yeah, Psychology major, English minor. I’m glad that we have at least one class together though!” Camilla sat herself down in the empty seat next to Dream and took out her laptop, before turning to look at Dream, resting her chin on her hand.

“Your eyes are so… green. I haven’t seen them up close before.” Camilla murmured as she unapologetically stared at Dream.

“Um… thanks?” Dream could already tell that this was not going to be a fun class. He had sensed the weird vibes from Camilla even at the welcome party, but this was just confirming it. It seemed that Camilla had herself a bit of a crush on Dream. Question was, how far was she willing to go?

Dream could already tell that Camilla was not his type, but he was also terrible at rejecting people, so he already knew that he was absolutely about to sit through this entire class and put up with whatever Camilla threw at him.

“Oh my gosh your hands are so big! Look at them compared to mine!”

This was going to be a long class, Dream thought to himself as Camilla grabbed his hand and lined it up with hers, only to squeal as her hand was dwarfed by his own.

Scratch that, it was going to be a long semester.

****************

Dream had almost dropped to his knees and thanked whatever higher power existed when the class finally finished. As expected, Camilla had spent almost the entire class trying to metaphorically get in Dream’s pants and hardly even tried to be subtle about it.

But that was in the past, for now. Until the next class they shared. Now, Dream had just finished his lunch and was heading towards his final class of the day, computing.

Dream always looked forward to his computing classes, mainly because they were piss easy for him and he didn’t have to put too much brain power into getting good grades, but also because he had a big interest in coding and the class gave him a lot of opportunity to explore it. Dream was very fond of his little bubble in the corner of the room where he could spend the time doing his own thing and making up some crazy code.

However today it seemed that Dream wasn’t going to be able to sit in his little bubble in the corner of the room and do his own thing. The first reason being that someone was already sitting in his corner, and the second reason being that it was George.

“So we meet again.” Dream announced his presence ominously as he sat down in the chair next to George. The boy in question, who had been listening to music and therefore hadn’t noticed Dream walk in, startled as he recognised Dream.

“What are you doing here?”

“Take a wild guess.”

“Ok shut up. You surprised me, that’s all. I didn’t know you took computing.”

“Yeah, computing minor. And you happen to be in my seat, good sir.”

“Your seat? You mean this one? You mean the one I sit in for all my computing classes? Oh I’m so sorry, I had no idea. Maybe next time you’ll get here quicker if you want your precious seat so badly.” George smirked triumphantly as he leaned back in the chair. “You snooze, you lose, I’m afraid.”

Dream pouted, only half jokingly. He knew he wasn’t about to win this battle, but perhaps he could win the war. Unfortunately, the pair’s standoff was cut short as the teacher walked in to begin the class. They were given a simple task, a scenario was described and they had to create some code to solve the problem as efficiently as possible.

Dream knew how he could solve the problem almost immediately, and he began typing. George also began typing similarly as quickly. Within thirty minutes, both were finished. They swapped laptops to read each other's code.

“Pretty good, I can’t see a problem with it.” Dream went to hand George’s laptop back, but George wasn’t done with Dream’s own laptop.

“What the fuck is half of this used for? You only need one section, maybe two to answer the question. How have you written so much?”

“Ah you see, George, while you might have answered the problem excellently, I went that further step to set up some troubleshooting code so as to aim to prevent the same malfunction from happening again. I essentially just coded a software immune system.” Dream felt very smug about the look of surprise in George’s eyes.

“That’s actually pretty clever…” George muttered, barely audible over the general buzz of the class.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” Dream had heard, but he chose to be an asshole.

“Fuck off.” Dream laughed as he was shoved away weakly by the other.

“So did you find any issues with the code?” Although Dream was still riding the high of impressing George, he still valued the other’s input.

George took another look at Dream’s screen, scrolling through and scrutinizing the lines of code. “No, it looks good.” George passed Dream’s laptop back and went to take a drink from his water bottle. Except whatever was in that bottle was most definitely not water, if Dream’s sense of smell told him anything.

“What the fuck are you drinking?”

“Orange juice. You got a problem with that?”

“Why are you drinking orange juice out of a water bottle in the middle of the afternoon? That’s like a breach of at least three unspoken rules.”

“I don’t know, it helps wake me up I guess.”

“Wake you up? But it’s the middle of the day?”

“I’m always tired, don’t come for me.” Their conversation abruptly ended as their teacher called the class’ attention to assign a project, in which the class had to divide into pairs and work on a project together. Dream knew full well that he could absolutely do this project in about an hour on his own, but he was enjoying getting to know George a little better, so instead he turned towards the other and raised an eyebrow.

“Am I supposed to know what a raised eyebrow means?”

“I think you know what it means.” Dream only raised his eyebrow further.

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. We could be thinking of completely different things right now.”

“Oh come on, George. Don’t make me say it.”

“You might as well at this point. Just rip off the rest of the band-aid.”

“Ugh, fine. Will you work on this coding project with me?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Well fuck you then, I’ll just do it myself. I’m not about to get on my knees and beg.” Dream went for the reverse psychology and it seemed to work. He could see George calculating every possible option that could arise from him doing the project solo, and he seemed to come to the conclusion that not a lot of good things were going to happen.

“Ok fine. Yes, I will work on the coding project with you."

"Excellent. My place tomorrow evening?"

"Wow Dream, take me out to dinner first." George smirked as he took out his phone and pulled up the new contact menu. Dream tapped in his details and passed the phone back.

"That can be arranged." Dream responded with a smile, before he promptly picked up his bag and left, leaving George slightly speechless and a fraction of a shade more pink.

Chapter Text

Dream had been so wrapped up in worrying about cleaning his dorm for when George came over that he almost forgot about the fact that George was coming over. After texting George his dorm number and setting up a time that suited both of them, Dream had immediately got started with tidying things up. Now here he was a couple hours later, having just sat down on the couch after finishing the last of his cleaning, and jumping out of his skin as he heard a knock on the door.

“You look like you just saw a ghost.”

“Well hello to you too, sunshine.” Dream opened the door for George, giving him a flick on the back of his head as he walked in. “I’ll admit that I got a bit caught up cleaning the place, so I didn’t realise how much time had passed.”

“Aw Dream, you cleaned the whole place for me? I’m flattered.” George placed a hand on his heart jokingly.

“It was already overdue some attention buddy, don’t get ahead of yourself.” Dream closed the door and walked back towards George. “Anyway, do you want anything before we do this project?”

“Uh… how about a Camomile tea and uhh… whatever fruit you see first?” Dream nodded and walked off into the kitchen. He started boiling the water for the tea and then looked around for a fruit. His eyes landed on a few apples which had been sitting untouched since Dream had moved in. They’d have to do. Dream finished making the tea and returned to the living room, where George had already got his laptop out.

“One Camomile tea, and an apple that definitely isn’t past it’s best before date.” Dream placed them down next to George, before sitting down himself.

“Thanks.” George took a sip of his tea. “So about this project?”

“I won’t lie, it looks easy as shit to me. We could have it done in less than an hour honestly.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“Alright,” Dream pulled his laptop towards him and cracked his knuckles. “Let’s get this thing done then.”

****************

A couple hours had passed, and the pair were still in the same spot. But not because they were still working on the project, they had finished it in less than an hour as they had expected. It was because they were still talking. It seemed almost difficult to end the conversation, because each topic flowed so easily.

“Damn, I have a shift that starts at 4am.” George groaned as he checked his watch, which showed that it had just passed midnight. “But it’s too late to sleep now.”

“What do you mean? You still have four hours?”

“Well yeah but I don’t want to sleep because then I’ll be really tired.”

“What the fuck is that logic? If you sleep you’ll be tired, so you’re going to stay up so as to therefore not be tired? Even though you won’t have slept?” Dream could not comprehend George’s reasoning.

“Shh don’t worry about it. I have time to make up for lost sleep, remember? The point is, I have to find something to do for the next four hours.”

“Do you want to watch something with me?” Dream suggested.

“In other circumstances I’d say yes, but I will absolutely fall asleep if I have to sit still and watch tv.”

“Fair enough, I probably would too honestly.” Dream tried to think of any other options, before an idea came to him. “Wait! I have a great idea!”

“I’m all ears.”

“Let’s go for a walk!”

“Dream, it’s literally midnight.”

“Yeah, and?”

George paused to consider the suggestion. “You know what, sure. Let’s go for a walk.”

It wasn’t long before the pair were out of the dorm block and walking under the stars. Dream remembered a place he had found when he went for a walk not too long ago, so he directed them to it. Soon enough, after walking through a small cluster of trees, they found a little clearing that looked out onto a little valley.

“This place is… really cool. How did you know it was here?” George couldn’t take his eyes off the scene in front of him.

“I like to go on walks and explore, I guess.”

There was an old fallen tree trunk that provided a convenient seat for the boys to sit and watch the valley, and so they did. They sat and they looked at the beautiful view, neither feeling the need to fill the silence that had fallen between them. There was a small lake at the bottom of the valley, with barely a ripple on its surface. It reflected the moon beautifully, seemingly amplifying its brightness and intensity.

“Did you know that the moon doesn’t actually emit any of its own light, it just reflects the light from the sun?” George murmured as they enjoyed the comfortable atmosphere that surrounded them.

“I didn’t. That’s pretty cool.” Dream responded just as softly. “You got any other space facts?”

“Most of the stars you can see in the sky right now have probably already died, but because they’re so far away and therefore the light takes so long to reach us, they appear to still be shining.”

“Huh. So all that ‘when you wish upon a star’ stuff was bullshit, if we’re wishing on something that’s already dead.”

George chuckled lightly, and it might just be one of the most beautiful sounds Dream has heard in a long while. It was as enchanting as the night sky he was learning so much about.

“You know, I’m glad that we ran into each other again, after the party. As you said, it’s like we were destined to meet at some point. I’m glad we did.” George admitted out of the blue, taking Dream by surprise. In the few brief interactions he and George had shared, Dream had come to expect the sarcastic and sharp witted responses from the other. This, however, was a whole new side of him that Dream was very much not used to.

“Wow, um… I wasn’t expecting you to say that, I half thought you didn’t like me at all.” Dream stuttered, “But I’m glad we ran into each other again too. It’s hardly even been that long, but there’s just something about you that draws me in. I meant what I said back at the party, you're an interesting person, George.”

“It’s weird, because I tried to not like you. I close myself off to people, because if you don’t let anyone near enough to get close to you, then they can’t hurt you. I tried to keep you at a distance, but you just kept appearing in my life, and now here we are. You’re the first proper friend I’ve made in a good few years, Dream.”

“Well I’m honoured to take that title, I’ll wear it with pride.” Dream puffed out his chest and made a smug face. George rolled his eyes with a smile.

“You’re such an idiot.”

“Aww, love you too George.” Dream teased. George didn’t reply, instead opting to return his gaze to the night sky. Dream did the same, taking a moment to reflect on the conversation. He was beyond happy that George considered him a friend, because that had been his main goal from the beginning. Perhaps there were some extra feelings that were poking around in the corner of Dream’s mind, but he wasn’t ready to think about them yet. For now, Dream was content to spend time with George and get to know him better.

“Tell me something I don’t know about you. I feel like we haven’t really had a proper chance to just find things out about each other.” Dream asked the other, who kept staring at the sky for a little longer before turning to look at Dream.

“I’m colourblind.”

“You’re what now?” Now that was a bombshell.

“Yeah, can’t see red or green too well. It usually makes Christmas a bit confusing.” George joked, his eyes crinkling as he smiled. “I will say that it makes your eyes look more interesting than most others. They look a really vibrant yellow to me.”

“They’re green, so I guess that makes sense?” Dream batted his eyelashes playfully.

“Alright, your turn. Tell me something I don’t know about you.” George waited expectantly.

“Um… I once hyperfixated on the morse code communications during World War Two, don’t ask why, it just happened, but that then led to me now knowing morse code.” Dream waited for George to make fun of him or say something sarcastic, but no such comments were made.

“That’s pretty cool. Even though you’ll probably never need to use it. I think the world has moved past that style of communication now.”

“I could always start sending my messages in dots and lines, George. Never say never, my friend.” George wasn’t entirely sure if Dream was joking, but he laughed anyway. He checked his watch to see how long it was until his shift at the coffee shop started, and gasped.

“Holy shit, my shift starts in ten minutes. We’ve been here for almost four hours!” George got up quickly, followed closely by Dream.

“Wow, time really does fly when you’re having fun.” The pair walked briskly over to the coffee shop, and made it with just less than five minutes to spare. George went into the back to get the stuff he needed to work, while Dream waited in the shop.

“Well, thanks for staying awake with me.” George was back again. “You really didn’t have to, but I appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it. I had a lot of fun.” Dream smiled, and turned to leave. “Have a good shift, see you later.”

Chapter Text

As the days passing turned into weeks, Dream could definitely notice the temperature dropping as winter set in. It became harder and harder to leave the warmth and comfort of his bed each morning, and the weather only got more bleak and dreary.

This morning, however, was Dream’s favourite morning in his whole timetable, because he had no classes scheduled. Which meant that Dream didn’t need to rush out of bed and brave the cold just to sit and put up with Camilla being all over him while he tried to learn about the subtext between two characters. Instead, he could stay in bed all day if he so desired.

Dream reached over to grab his phone so that he could check through for any messages. There wasn’t anything that caught Dream’s eye in particular, just a couple messages from Sapnap and some emails from the college. The emails were mostly about homework, but one of them was quite different to the others.

Dream opened the email and began reading. Apparently there was a winter market that had just opened in town, and it would only be around for a few days. The college seemed to heavily recommend it, and as Dream read further about the different stalls that were there, he could understand why. Dream’s mind was made up before he even finished reading, and he wasted no time in pulling up Sapnap’s contact and calling.

“What do you want, dickhead?” Sapnap greeted Dream warmly as he answered his phone.

“Did you see the email about the winter market in town? Do you want to go? Like, right now?” Dream cut to the chase.

“Can’t, I have classes today. Maybe another day though?”

Dream sighed. “Well fuck you then. Have a good day, dumbass.”

“Fuck y-” Dream hung up and quickly pulled up his next contact. The phone rang. And rang. And kept ringing. Eventually the call went to voicemail, and Dream hung up. If Sapnap was busy, and George wasn’t answering his phone, then that didn’t leave Dream with a lot of options. Dream was almost about to consider asking Camilla, but his train of thought was interrupted by a text notification.

George: sleeping stfu

Dream: answer your goddamn phone idiot

George: make me

Dream: oh come on just give me two minutes of your precious time

George: two minutes, starting now

Dream dialled the number again, and this time the line crackled into life after only a few rings.

“One minute forty eight seconds and counting, pal.”

“Alright, there’s this winter market in town and I really want to go with someone so will you come with me? I promise it’ll be fun and definitely worth it.”

“What do I get for missing out on sleep and going out in the cold? Because I’m weighing things up and staying in bed is sounding like a much more comfortable option at the moment…”

“Uhh… look, I see your point, but hear me out…” Dream had no idea what else he could say, he had been winging the whole pitch this entire time. “Please?” There was silence on the other end of the line. Dream held his breath in anticipation.

“... ok. I’ll be over in ten minutes.” The call ended and Dream let out a cheer, before rushing to get ready.

****************

“Hey look, it’s you.” Dream pointed to a handcrafted angel that was displayed in a stall as they walked past. George raised an eyebrow, clearly confused by the correlation.

“Because you’re an angel.” Dream grinned.

“Shut up.” George shoved Dream half heartedly as the other laughed. They walked on, slowly making their way down the street, stopping now and then to look at any stalls that caught their eye.

“Hey look, George, it’s you.” George turned to see what it was that Dream was comparing him to this time. The other was pointing at a wooden craft of a cat wrapped up in about five different blankets.

“Do I even need to explain this one?” Dream chuckled. George sighed, because he did in fact know what Dream was talking about.

“It’s cold, ok? I’m not even wearing that many layers, like three at most…” George crossed his arms and tried to frown, but a small smile still crept onto his face anyway. Dream continued to laugh and the pair moved on.

The market was proving to be a brilliant decision as the boys explored further. There were so many unique stalls selling all sorts of things. Little handmade trinkets, christmas decorations, a wide range of food and drink, winter clothing, this place had it all. As they walked past a stand with lots of tiny models of animals, however, George got an idea.

“Hey look, Dream, it’s you.” George could hardly contain his smile as he pointed to the model of a donkey. It was Dream’s turn to raise a confused eyebrow.

“Because you’re an ass.” George grinned gleefully before moving on to the next stall, leaving Dream standing there, too stunned to speak. The look on Dream’s face alone was enough to make the whole trip worth it.

“Remind me to never invite you to nice things ever again.” Dream was next to George again, having regained his composure.

“Oh come on, it was only fair that I got you once.” George smirked.

“Fine, fine. I guess we’ll call it even.”

“Well technically you got me twice so actually-”

“Look who it is! I thought it was your voice I could hear, Dream!” The boys’ conversation was interrupted by a familiar voice, and they turned to see Camilla walking towards them. Dream sighed internally, before putting on a smile.

“Hey Camilla, I see you heard about the market as well.”

“I did! I’m glad I decided to come down, it’s a beautiful place.” Dream nodded, unsure how to follow up Camilla’s comment. Fortunately, he didn’t have to.

“Oh, while you’re here, Dream, do you have the notes for our last English class? I missed a few points that were pretty important.”

“Um, yeah sure, I can send you my notes.” Dream was trying to work out what Camilla’s deal was, since it was a bit out of the blue for her to randomly ask for some english notes in the middle of a winter market.

“Thanks so much! Of course, if you wanted to deliver them in person… I’d be more than happy to see you…” Ah, there it is. That’s what she was trying to say. Brilliant.

“I’ll keep it in mind.” Dream said stiffly, wishing to be done with the conversation. Camilla, on the other hand, was very much not done.

“Also, I was planning on doing some study this weekend for the test due next week, did you want to join me?” Camilla asked, giving Dream a little wink. Dream had no idea how to handle this, because he didn’t want to be rude to Camilla but he also did not want to ‘study’ with her, or whatever her version of ‘studying’ was. The silence was beginning to become deafening as Camilla waited expectantly and Dream frantically tried to think of a way out of the conversation.

“Oh! You know what I just remembered, Dream? We were going to work on that computing project this weekend!” Just as Dream was about to grudgingly agree to meet with Camilla, George swooped in on the conversation to save the day.

“Of course! I almost forgot. I’m so sorry Camilla, maybe another time? George and I really need to finish this project, it’s already a little late.” Dream tried his best to look apologetic, even though he was internally cheering.

Camilla’s face dropped as she shot an annoyed glare at George, before her smile was back like nothing had happened.

“Another time, sure. Well, I best be off. See you in class, Dream!” And with that, she was gone.

Dream and George looked at each other for a few seconds, before bursting out laughing.

“Dude… she wants to fuck me… so bad…” Dream gasped out between wheezes of laughter, only causing them to laugh harder. It was a good few minutes before they could calm down.

“To be fair, she’s not the only one.” George said as soon as he’d regained the ability to speak.

“I’m sorry what? Come again?”

George shrugged. “You’re a hot guy. Not a lot of people wouldn’t want to fuck you. Just an observation.”

“Oh. Thanks, I guess?” Dream wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or not, either way the conversation was dropped regardless. The pair continued walking down the street, pointing out different things and stopping occasionally. Soon enough, they were at the end of the street, where another surprise was waiting.

“Oh my god.” Dream grabbed George’s arm as he saw what was ahead of them.

“What is it?” Dream turned to George excitedly.

“There’s an ice skating rink. Gogy, we are legally required to do this.”

“Gogy? What the fuck is a gogy?”

“You’re a gogy, it’s like a cute nickname or whatever, now stop avoiding my question. Ice skate with me. Go on, I dare you.” Dream challenged George with a smirk.

George was still trying to figure out how ‘gogy’ was a viable nickname for ‘george’, but alas he found himself being dragged over to the ice skating rink, which appeared to have been set up specially for the market.

“I don’t think I have a choice here, but for the record I was going to say yes anyway.”

“Great, get these skates on then.” Dream shoved a pair of skates into George’s arms, and they sat down to put them on. Within a few minutes, they were ready to skate.

George took a tentative step out onto the ice, immediately realising that it was a lot slippier than he had previously anticipated. If his legs had been more flexible, George was sure that he would have slipped right into the splits. The best he could do as he stepped fully into the rink was grab tightly onto the side and hope that he stayed upright. Once he had secured himself to the best of his ability, George looked around for Dream.

“Having fun?” George turned to see Dream standing perfectly still in the middle of the ice. No extra support, no holding on for dear life to something solid, nothing. Dream couldn’t help but laugh at George’s expression, which clearly looked very bemused.

“This is so not fair. How was I supposed to know that you can ice skate? Now I just look like an idiot…” George would have crossed his arms, but his arms were occupied with holding himself up, so he settled for a pout.

“Oh come on, just enjoy yourself a little. You can hang on to me if you want?” Dream offered his arm to George, who cautiously let go of the rink side and clung on to Dream’s elbow instead. Dream waited patiently for George to find his balance and secure himself before he gently moved them forward.

“Try and act like you’re just walking, but just push a little more with each step- there you go, you’re getting it!” Dream encouraged as George attempted his instructions. Together, they slowly skated around the rink, being careful to avoid other skaters.

“Do you want to try skating on your own?” Dream suggested after a while. George had been enjoying the closeness of holding onto Dream’s arm, but he nodded anyway, and slowly unhooked his arm.

“Holy shit, I’m doing it!” George exclaimed as he glided forward ahead of Dream. This was definitely an improvement from the beginning. George went to turn back to look at Dream, but quickly discovered that turning wasn’t quite within his capabilities. George felt his foot slide out from underneath him and he began to fall backwards. George flailed his arms out, trying to break his fall, except he found that he didn’t have to, as he was caught in some strong arms.

“Uh, hey.” George whispered as he found himself very close to Dream’s face.

“Hey.” Dream whispered back. The pair seemed to not be able to move, as they stood frozen on the ice.

“Um…” George’s brain seemed to short circuit.

“I know I’m charming and all, but you don’t have to fall for me.” Dream’s voice was low, sending a shiver down George’s spine.

“Fuck off.” George looked away, his face heating up just a fraction despite the fact that they were in the middle of an ice rink, and suddenly the moment was over and Dream pulled George back up into a standing position.

“Wow, not even a ‘thanks for saving me from falling on my ass, Dream’? You wound me, gogy.”

“Shut up.” George pushed Dream lightly. “Alright then, if you’re so good at ice skating, show me some moves.”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Dream smiled before immediately skating backwards. George watched as he skated confidently around the rink. He maneuvered around other skaters expertly, and his turns were sharp and masterful. George’s breath caught in his throat as Dream suddenly leapt into the air, turning gracefully and landing perfectly, and then he was back in front of George again.

“How’s that for a few moves?”

“Not too bad, I guess.”

“Oh come on, I went all out for you!” Dream pouted.

“Ok fine, I’ll admit, that was pretty cool.”

“Aww, thanks gogy. Do you want to go somewhere else? I’ve had my fun now.” George nodded and the pair made their way off the ice.

“What should we do?” George asked after they had returned the skates and put their own shoes back on.

“How about we both find each other something as a little souvenir? I want to have something to commemorate today.”

“That sounds like a fun idea. Let’s do it.”

George was very much glad that he had agreed to go out with Dream. He’d already had so much fun in such a short space of time. They walked back up the street, both looking around for something they could remember the day with. George hardly even noticed that he had snaked his arm around Dream’s like he had done when they were ice skating, although he made no moves to let go.

“Hah, look.” Dream pointed to a pair of sunglasses with thick white rims. “Clout goggles, like gogy.”

George smiled. He had to admit, Dream’s association was a tiny bit endearing. And the nickname was growing on him as well. George was brought out of his thoughts, however, as a pair of glasses were placed on his head.

“Aww they suit you!” Dream adjusted the glasses on George’s head. “You look cute.”

“Thank you.” George chose not to comment further, instead he looked at the items being sold at the stall, trying to find something for Dream. And find it he did.

“Here.” George held up a keyring. It was a simple design, just a leather rectangle with a smiley face etched into it. Dream looked confused.

“Because you make me smile.” George said simply. He bought the keyring and gave it to the other, who seemed completely speechless. “Hello? Earth to Dream?”

“Sorry. That was… really sweet of you.” Dream took the keyring and put it safely in his pocket. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” George gave a small smile. “So, is there anything else you want to do, or are you ready to head back?”

“Actually, I noticed earlier that there was a stall that had hot drinks. Do you want to get one and then go back?” Dream suggested.

“Lead the way.” George hooked his arm around Dream’s again and let the other guide them to the stall. Luckily when they arrived there was no queue.

“Ooh! I know what I’m having. Could I have a hot chocolate with whipped cream and chopped hazelnuts, please?” George ordered his drink excitedly.

“Chopped hazelnuts? Interesting choice.”

“I love hazelnuts, I’ll order them any chance I get.”

“Wow, George loves nuts, you heard it here first, folks.” Dream joked as George shoved him half-heartedly. “I’ll have the same please. Might as well see what the deal is with the hazelnuts.” Dream ordered his drink and paid for them both. After a short wait the drinks were ready.

Dream took a small sip of the hot chocolate as they walked back towards the college. “You’re onto something with the hazelnuts. This is pretty damn good.”

“Right? It’s actually so good.” George agreed.

The rest of the walk back to the college was relatively silent, broken occasionally by a few comments made here and there. The pair had both finished their drinks by the time they got back.

“Well, thanks for coming with me, I hope you had as much fun as I did.”

“Thank you for inviting me. This has been the most fun I’ve had in ages.”

“Likewise. Maybe we can do something like this again sometime?”

“I’d love to.”

“Brilliant.” Dream smiled before taking a step backwards. “Well, I’ll leave you to your precious sleep that I’ve been keeping you from, and I’ll see you later.”

“See you later.”

Chapter Text

Sincerely fuck college , Dream thought to himself as he threw his book down and stormed out of his room. Seriously, what kind of teacher sets a reading assignment and revision for a test, both due two days from the date it was set? That didn’t even give Dream the weekend, that gave him two weekday evenings. And Dream was not a fast reader. Nor was he good at revising efficiently.

He had already been reading for the past three hours and was hardly even close to finishing, he’d had to cancel dinner plans with Sapnap, and all the other work he had was pushed to the side. He hadn’t even started to think about the test.

Needless to say, Dream was pretty stressed. He needed to get out, so he pulled on some shoes and left his dorm.

It was a chilly evening, but for Dream, who had been cooped up in a hot dorm for the past three hours, it was refreshing. He strode out of the campus and started walking down a road, not particularly bothered about where he would end up.

The sun was just beginning to disappear below the horizon as Dream walked. It cast long shadows on everything it touched, before it disappeared completely, leaving the rest of the world in darkness.

It quickly went from dark to darker, however, as Dream noticed clouds forming, covering the beautiful night sky that was only just starting to fill with stars. For the first time since he had left his dorm, Dream shivered, feeling the cold as it began to creep through his body.

Thoughts of turning back before it got too bad floated through Dream’s mind, but they were immediately squashed by the anxiety of getting back to his dorm and having to continue working. Dream spotted a single streetlight in the near distance, and he gave himself a compromise. He would walk to the streetlight and then turn back.

Five minutes later, when Dream felt a raindrop land on the back of his neck, he was very much wishing that he had decided to turn back earlier. But he was so close to the streetlight…

The rain started falling, and it fell fast. What had been infrequent little drops rapidly turned into a hellish downpour. Dream cursed his bad luck for not bringing a jacket. Now here he was, already soaked to the core, and at least half an hour's walk away from the college. Dream pulled out his phone with shaking hands, maybe he could call someone.

He pulled up the most recent contact in his phone and pressed call. It rang, rang, rang…

“Dream?”

“George! Oh my god I’m so glad you picked u-”

“Dream your signal must be shit, you’re breaking up really badly. Are you ok?” Dream checked his phone signal, and as suspected, it was barely clinging onto one bar.

“Shit uhh… ok I went for a walk and now it’s raining and I don’t have a jacket and it’s really fucking cold, can you come pick me up?” Dream tried to speak slowly and clearly so as to get his message across. The line was silent for a second or two, and Dream thought he had lost connection entirely, before a voice crackled into life on the other end.

“You need me to pick you up? Sure, where from?”

“Uhh… drive out of the main entrance to the college and take a left, I’m on the side of the road somewh-” Dream was interrupted by the sound of the call being ended. He groaned frustratedly as he took his phone away from his ear to see that the signal had gone completely. Well, all he could do now was wait, and pray that his Prince Charming had gotten enough of the message.

The rain continued to pour, and Dream continued to shiver violently. His shirt had become pretty much see through because of how drenched he was. It was just Dream’s luck for him to choose a road that had no overhanging tree branches that could save him from the brunt of the downpour.

Minutes passed, and Dream was still waiting. His vision was starting to get a little fuzzy as the cold took hold of his body, and his head was spinning. Was that a light he could see way up the road? Was it an angel coming to take his soul up to heaven because he had died in this storm? The light grew brighter. It looked ethereal, its rays bouncing off the water on the road. Was it his time to go? Dream almost couldn’t feel the cold anymore. The light seemed to stop, and he heard a voice calling to him.

“Dream… come on, let’s go… Dream? Dream!” That voice felt familiar. Had the angel morphed into someone Dream knew so as to be less frightening? How considerate.

“Dream, can you hear me? It’s George.” Ohh, it was George. Dream’s fuzzy brain reminded him that he had called George not too long ago to ask him to pick him up. Man, no angel then. Just some car headlights.

“Dream? Nod if you can hear me.” Dream nodded his head up and down slowly. He felt hands on his body, one on his arm and one cupping his face.

“Dream, I’m going to get you in the car, and we’re going back to the college, ok?” Dream nodded his head again, and let George guide him into the car. It was a good thing that George was doing most of the coordination, because Dream could hardly put one foot in front of the other. He felt himself being lowered into the passenger seat, and then a seatbelt being fastened around him. He felt a warm material being wrapped around him, and then his door was closed gently.

Dream vaguely noted the car engine revving and he barely noticed George speaking to him. Now that he was out of the rain and safe in the car, the adrenaline that had been keeping Dream standing upright was wearing off. His vision quickly began to fade, and within seconds he was out like a light.

****************

George parked the car hurriedly and got out. Dream had passed out a couple minutes ago and George was getting more worried by the second. He raced around to Dream’s side of the car and opened his door. Luckily, Dream stirred slightly, and George let out a small sigh of relief.

“Dream? Are you able to stand up and put your arm around me? I’ll walk us to my dorm.” George asked slowly and gently while he unfasted the other’s seatbelt. After a few seconds, Dream began to move sluggishly, and George reached out to pull him up. After a bit of shuffling, Dream’s arm was hooked around George’s shoulders and the pair were heading towards the dorms.

The rain was still pouring, so much so that by the time George had walked them both inside, he was soaked through as well.

It wasn’t long before George was settling Dream down on the couch of his dorm.

“Dream? Can you nod if you can hear me?” George waited for the other to respond. It took a few seconds but Dream eventually nodded his head in acknowledgement. “Great. Ok, can you nod your head if you’re ok with me taking your shirt off to change it for a dry one? It’ll help you warm up quicker.” George watched carefully for Dream’s response. Perhaps George was imagining things, but it looked as though Dream’s mouth quirked up into a small smirk before he nodded his head again.

George moved closer and began to peel the soaked material off of Dream’s body. He carefully lifted each of Dream’s arms and soon enough the shirt was off. George was absolutely not staring. At least, that’s what he tried to tell himself. George excused himself and went on the hunt for warm items of clothing and blankets. He returned with a thick hoodie, a couple of towels and some blankets. George managed to get the hoodie on Dream, and he used a towel to dry his hair as best as he could, before he wrapped the other in the blankets. George sat down on the couch next to Dream, wondering what else he could do to help.

“Heyy gogy.” George turned to see Dream peeking at him with half lidded eyes. His voice was muffled by the blankets wrapped around him, and it seemed slightly slurred, but George could see that Dream was definitely coming back to his senses.

“Hey Dream, how are you feeling?”

“Tired… still cold… but better now you’re here…” George smiled at Dream’s soft voice.

“That’s good. How about I turn the heating up, we put on some tv and I warm up some soup for you?” George became worried as Dream’s eyes started glistening with tears.

“You’re so good to me, gogy…” George’s heart swelled with affection, and he placed a hand on Dream’s face, wiping the tear that had started running down his cheek.

“I care about you, idiot. Give me a few minutes, I’ll be right back.” George didn’t want to leave the man on his own, so he made sure to be as quick as possible. He returned within a few minutes with a bowl of soup.

“Here you are, my finest work, good sir.” George placed the bowl down on the table in front of Dream. “Do you think you can sit up and eat it yourself?”

“I think so, I can feel my fingers again so I’ll give it a try.” Dream shuffled himself into a more upright position and stuck his hands out of the blankets. George handed him the bowl and sat down next to him, grabbing the tv remote. He turned on a random documentary and then leaned back.

“Hehe… good soup.” Dream giggled as he ate the soup slowly. George rolled his eyes with a smile.

“You’re an idiot.”

“No actually… ‘ts good soup.”

“Well thank you, I made it myself.”

“No…”

“...Yes?”

“Don’t believe you.”

“Oh really? I’ll have to prove it to you sometime.”

“Deal.”

“Whatever.” George shuffled ever so slightly closer to Dream, and tugged one of the blankets around his legs. It was a documentary about the ocean that was playing, and it’s calming music and soporific nature quickly made the pair sleepy. Dream finished the soup and placed the bowl back on the table, before settling back into the couch and wrapping the blankets around him again. His head was a lot clearer now that he was warm, dry and well fed.

Dream was on the brink of falling asleep when he felt a weight on his shoulder. He turned to see what it was and saw George resting peacefully, his head having fallen onto Dream’s shoulder. Dream moved a little further down so that George wouldn’t strain his neck, and he tugged a few blankets from around him and threw them over the other.

“Thank you for taking care of me, George.” Dream whispered into George’s hair before he rested his own head on George’s and closed his eyes, quickly drifting off to sleep.

Chapter Text

“Wilbur I swear, they’re literally just living their lives, they’re not hurting you-”

“George, each day that I wake up in a world where anteaters still exist is a day wasted.” George rolled his eyes as his coworker spoke solemnly. The two boys had just finished their afternoon shift at the coffee shop and were walking back to their dorms together, and George was being treated to the impromptu presentation on why anteaters were apparently the spawn of satan.

“Imagine your entire species being named after the food you eat. Imagine being so unimportant that your defining feature is the fact that you eat ants. How fucking dumb is that?” Wilbur was beginning to get a wild look in his eye, and George was unsure whether he should interrupt and try to change the subject. He looked around to see if anyone could help in some way, and then immediately wished he hadn’t.

“Oh hey… George, was it?” Camilla gained both boys’ attention, even managing to shut Wilbur up as she approached them. “What are you doing here?”

“I uhh… live here? What are you talking about?” George was confused.

“Huh… I seem to recall you telling me very confidently at that market the other day that you had a very important project you were working on with Dream this weekend?” Camilla raised an eyebrow as the colour drained from George’s face. He had completely forgotten about him and Dream supposedly having a project to work on. The longer he didn’t answer, the more suspicious he looked, even Wilbur narrowed his eyes at him. George had to think fast.

“Uhh… oh shit you’re right, I completely forgot. Thank you so much for reminding me, Camilla. I’ll… go now…” George took a step back, nodding briefly to Wilbur, before he turned and ran, pulling out his phone.

****************

It was a ripe Saturday evening, and Dream was having a great time. He was sprawled on the couch, scrolling through Twitter, with a random youtube video playing as background noise. The lights were dimmed, the vibes were almost immaculate. And then his phone started ringing. Dream was about to be annoyed that someone was about to interrupt his calm and peaceful atmosphere, but then he saw who was calling.

“Hel-”

“Hey so you know when we saw Camilla at the market and I lied about us having a project to work on this weekend so that you had an excuse not to fuck her?” George’s voice came loud and clear through Dream’s phone speaker.

“Uhh… yeah?”

“Well I just ran into her and she asked why I wasn’t with you so I pretended that I forgot.”

“Ok…” Dream couldn’t quite understand what George’s point was. “So why are you telling me this? That sounds like you solved the problem? Also, why does it sound like you’re running a marathon?”

“Long story short, I’m sprinting over to your dorm right now so you better unlock the door because I’m not stopping.” The call was ended and Dream stared at his phone in shock, before bolting off the couch to open his door. As promised, within a few seconds Dream heard some thundering footsteps and then a blur of a human shot through the door and dived for the couch.

“Oh my fucking god, George, you’re insane.” Dream couldn’t help but laugh as he closed the door, turning back to the other who was laughing too.

“To be fair… that could’ve gone a whole lot worse.” George gasped out between fits of giggles.

“You could have knocked yourself out, dumbass.”

“Shh it worked out fine.” George sat up, still chuckling. “So, what do we do now? I’d say we have at least two hours to kill before we can leave safely. Any ideas?”

Dream shrugged. “I mean, only thing I need to do is get some food, other than that I can do whatever.”

“I haven’t eaten either. We could make something together? I can prove that I actually can cook.”

“Sounds good to me. I’m not sure what I have in the kitchen though, but we can make something work.” Dream followed George through to the kitchen, where George started looking through various shelves and cupboards.

“Hm… I’m thinking pasta… with a cheese sauce… and bacon?” George suggested, to which Dream nodded.

“Let’s do it.” Dream pulled two aprons off a hook and threw one to George.

“Alright I’m head chef, you’re sous chef, capeesh?” George tied the apron round himself.

“Yes sir.” Dream replied with a smirk. George almost choked on air, his face definitely not heating up a few degrees. That was an issue he could think about another time, perhaps never.

George began directing Dream, giving him instructions here and there. Dream turned out to be a very attentive listener and quite the efficient sous chef. The pair worked almost seamlessly together, barely ever getting in each other’s way. The meal itself wasn’t all that complicated, but with the extra pair of hands it was done in almost half the time.

Dream set up a table while George added the finishing touches to the pasta. He laid two places out opposite each other, and added a candle in the centre to set the mood.

“Ooh, this looks cosy.” George commented as he walked into the room holding a carton of apple juice, which he opened and poured into two wine glasses that Dream had dug out of a cupboard. “It’s like a cute little dinner date.”

“How do you know that wasn’t what I was going for?” Dream shot back in a suggestive voice, before breaking into a smirk.

“You’re such an idiot.” George responded with no real malice in his voice, before retreating back to the kitchen to get the pasta. In no time at all the pair were sat down and eating. It was mostly silent for a good few minutes while they ate, since neither had eaten in a while and both were quite hungry.

“So… you come here often?” Dream fought hard not to laugh as George looked at him with wide eyes.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Hey, I’m just trying to recreate the first date vibes, and what’s a first date without the awkward icebreaker questions?” Dream chuckled.

“I hate you.” George knew his face was a stupid shade of red, but thankfully the dim lighting saved his reputation. “But even so, surely we’re past the first date stage by now. Which means you have to ask an actually interesting and insightful question.”

“What makes life meaningful?”

“... damn, Dream. Are you, like, ok?”

“Most of the time yeah, but I was just curious to hear your thoughts.”

George had to pause to think. What makes life meaningful? Meaningful in general, or meaningful to him specifically? 

“I think… I think being able to make memories that you can look back on and get that feeling of nostalgia is what makes life meaningful. That’s why having pictures and souvenirs mean so much to me, because they bring back memories just by looking at them.”

“That’s exactly what I would say. It’s strange, I’ve never met anyone who’s answered the same as me. Usually they’ll say stuff like ‘being successful’, ‘having a family’, ‘being happy’. No one has ever talked about making memories.”

“I guess I’m just built different.” George chuckled. He took the last bite of his pasta and set his fork down. “Well, I think you can safely say that I can indeed cook, right?”

Dream put his fork down as well. “I’ll admit, that was some of the best pasta I’ve had in a while. Chef’s kiss, if you will.”

“You’re such an idiot.” George didn’t even attempt to hide his smile this time. He checked his watch, and saw that almost two hours had passed.

“Well, this has been really fun, but I do have some work to do for tomorrow.” George stood up, as did Dream. They walked to the door, which Dream moved to open, before George stopped him with a hand on his arm. He leaned up and placed a kiss on Dream’s cheek.

“Chef’s kiss.” George whispered. “Thanks for the date.” And with that he was gone. Dream vaguely noticed the door shutting behind him, he was so stunned. He reached a hand to touch the spot that George had kissed. It had all happened so fast, did it even really happen?

At what point did things change between them? At what point did the line between platonic and romantic become so blurry? Was it when Dream first walked into the coffee shop at 4am, or was it when he lost the battle for his seat in that computing class with George? Was it when they spent the whole day together at the winter market, or was it just now? Everything had all been so easy, so effortless.

Dream finally regained the ability to move, and walked back to the table, picking up the empty bowls and taking them back to the kitchen. Whatever their relationship was, or what it was becoming, Dream liked where it was going.

Chapter Text

George knew as soon as he stepped through the doorway into a room with bright neon lights and loud thumping music that he was not going to be staying long. The only reason he was here in the first place was because he was an honourable man… and he also lost a bet to Wilbur. However, Wilbur only said that he had to go to the party, he didn’t say he had to stay.

“This way, George!” Wilbur grabbed George’s wrist and George had no choice but to let Wilbur drag him over to a group of people George didn’t know. Wilbur started chatting easily, leaving George to stand awkwardly off to the side, giving a small smile whenever he was unfortunate enough to make eye contact with anyone.

“SHOTS! GET OVER HERE!” George heard a voice holler above the noise and he groaned internally as Wilbur’s head turned in interest. Next thing he knew his wrist had been grabbed again and he was stumbling over to the kitchen area.

//

Dream took a sip of his cider as he listened to Sapnap and Karl’s conversation. Sure, he wasn’t not enjoying himself, but there was only so many bass boosted pop songs and flashing lights he could take before he started tearing his hair out. He just wished he had someone to talk to like Sapnap had Karl. Maybe he should’ve tried to persuade George to come.

“SHOTS! GET OVER HERE!” Now that sounded like something to distract him from going clinically insane. It seemed Sapnap and Karl were keen as well, so the three of them made their way through to the kitchen, where a small group of people were lining up some shot glasses.

Dream was promptly handed a shot glass that was quickly filled with what looked like vodka. The group all went round cheersing the drinks, before tipping the alcohol back. Dream turned to cheers his shot with the last person, but almost dropped it instead.

//

George had been squeezed into the kitchen, which in itself wasn’t small, there were just a lot of people in there. A shot glass filled with vodka was shoved into his hand and before he knew it everyone was clinking glasses and tipping their heads back. George cheersed his shot with a couple people, and then he turned to face the last person and almost audibly gasped.

“Dream?”

“George?”

“You didn’t tell me you were going to this?”

“I didn’t know, it was a last minute… decision.”

“You lost a bet didn’t you.”

“... yeah.” George looked down, feeling the tiniest bit embarrassed, but a hand gently touched his chin, pushing his head back up.

“Well, now that we’ve found each other we can hang out together!” Dream held up his shot glass, which George clinked with his own, before the pair knocked the alcohol back. George winced at the taste, wishing he had found a chaser beforehand.

“You can’t actually want to stay here, surely?” George asked incredulously. Dream laughed, putting an arm round George’s shoulders.

“Oh come on gogy, give it at least an hour, you can meet some of my friends, we can hang out, get hammered, what’s not to like?” Dream spoke like a true salesman, and if George was honest, it was working.

“You know what? Fine. Lead the way.” Dream smiled and wrapped his arm tighter around George, guiding them both to where he could see Sapnap and Karl had ended up. George would never admit it out loud to anyone, but he quite enjoyed the warm security that was Dream’s arm around his shoulders.

“George, this is Sapnap and Karl. Sapnap and Karl, this is George.” Dream introduced the boys, who all nodded to each other in greeting. Sapnap smirked a little and shot Dream a look, and for some reason Dream appeared to blush slightly.

Once the introductions were out of the way, the boys fell into a casual conversation. For the most part they just observed the rest of the party, watching drunk people doing stupid things, laughing at the terrible singing that happened when ‘Dancing Queen’ was played, chatting about random topics. George hadn’t expected to enjoy himself as much as he was. Sure, the lights were still bright, the music was still loud, and he was constantly being jostled by people, but that shot had taken the edge off of his anxiety and he was actually feeling pretty good.

So of course that moment had to be ruined. Of course George wouldn’t be allowed to have fun with no consequences.

“Ey Sapnap! Grab your friends and come over here, we’re playing a drinking game!” George turned his head to see a student wearing a blue beanie and a wide grin on his face yelling at Sapnap. Sapnap hollered something back before moving to join the student. George prayed that Dream would stay next to him and they could keep hanging out together, but lo and behold, Dream turned to George with an excited look on his face.

“Come with me?” How could George refuse a face like that? He nodded silently and took the arm that Dream had offered him and let the other lead him over to where a small group of students had managed to clear enough space to sit down in a circle. Since there clearly wasn’t enough room for anyone else to join the circle, Dream and George leaned against a table next to the group.

“Do you know any of these people?” George whispered to Dream while people were getting themselves settled.

“Um, let me think… that’s Quackity, the one who called us over here, there’s Sapnap and Karl, I think that one over there is Technoblade, not sure about the guy sitting next to him though.” Dream pointed to two boys, one of which was tall, well built, and sporting some vibrant pink hair which was tied up into a bun, the other of which George actually recognised.

“That’s Wilbur. He works at the coffee shop, and sometimes we have shifts together. He mentioned that he had a twin brother so maybe that’s who Technoblade is.”

“Ohh right, that makes sense. As for everyone else, I might have seen a few of them before but I don’t know any more names.” Dream surveyed the rest of the group, which was only a few students. He might’ve seen a few of them in his classes but he’d never spoken to them before.

“Alright everyone! We’re playing good ol’ truth or dare, but the forfeit is you have to drink some form of alcohol. Who’s going first?” Quackity started off the game, and when no one seemed desperate to start, he picked someone himself. Since neither Dream or George were sitting in the circle, they were happy to watch from the side.

Quackity picked Sapnap, who was dared to speak in a British accent until his next turn. Sapnap then picked Karl, who chose truth and had to tell the story of the most recent time he was rejected after asking someone out. Karl then picked Wilbur, who chose dare and had to tie his hair up into pigtails until his next turn. Wilbur picked Technoblade, who was dared to arm wrestle a person of his choice, with the loser having to finish their drink from the winner’s hands.

Technoblade looked around the group, before his eyes landed on Dream. Dream immediately felt panic upon realising that he was about to be chosen. Technoblade smirked before he opened his mouth to speak.

“I choose blondie over there. He looks like he’s hidin’ a few muscles under that shirt, I reckon he might at least make things interesting.” Dream couldn’t tell if he’d been complimented or insulted, but regardless of that, he’d definitely been challenged. Technoblade stood up to kneel down next to the table, Dream following suit.

“Don’t hurt yourself, idiot.” George warned as he moved out of the way. He watched anxiously as Dream rested his elbow on the table and grasped Technoblade’s hand. The pair were counted down and the arm wrestle began. A hint of surprise crept onto Technoblade’s face once he realised he hadn’t immediately won, but it was quickly replaced with determination as he increased his efforts.

Their hands stayed pretty central for the most part, with Dream being able to match Technoblade’s strength, but soon enough Dream began to tire and their hands leaned in Technoblade’s favour. With one final burst of strength, Technoblade slammed the back of Dream’s hand onto the table.

“I’ll admit, you surprised me blondie. However, rules are rules, and I still won. Where’s your drink?” Dream passed his cider to the other, who held the bottle to Dream’s mouth.

“CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! WOOOOO!” Dream could hear Sapnap and Quackity cheering him on as he drank as fast as he could. He quickly finished the bottle and raised his arms in triumph, earning more cheers.

“You wouldn’t think this guy just lost an arm wrestle, huh.” Technoblade snorted as he put the bottle down and returned to his seat on the floor.

Now it was Dream’s turn to pick someone. He didn’t need much deliberation, he turned to George and grinned.

“Truth or dare, gogy?” George sighed.

“I guess dare, I’d rather not be spilling any truths to people I don’t know.”

“Hm… you know what, George? I think you’re a little bit too sober for this. I dare you to take a shot.” 

“Oh come on, Dream, that’s not even fair.” George complained.

“Go on, I dare you.” A dare was a dare, after all. And besides, George suspected that the forfeit would have been something similar to the dare itself anyway. He grudgingly agreed and a shot was pushed into his hands not long afterwards. He took it cleanly, feeling the burn of the alcohol down his throat. At this point George could definitely feel the effects taking hold. Two shots in on an almost empty stomach meant that George was definitely buzzed. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Dream talking to him.

“Do you want to take a breath of fresh air? I noticed that there’s a little garden out there and it doesn’t seem too busy.” George nodded, his head now spinning slightly. He held onto Dream once more and after a bit of squeezing and stumbling through groups of people they were outside.

There was a bench that was unoccupied in a corner of the garden, which the pair made their way to. George collapsed down onto it, giggling as he did so.

“You’re in a good mood.” Dream chuckled as he sat down next to George.

“I blame you.” George accused with a smile on his face. Dream pretended to be shocked.

“Me? How is it my fault?”

“Well I was relatively fine before you dared me to take another shot, and now my head’s spinning and I feel like I’m going to fall over whenever I try to walk. And what’s even worse is that I happen to be a giggly drunk, which is extremely embarrassing and-”

“I think it’s cute.” That seemed to shut George up. He stopped rambling and a pink blush crept into his cheeks.

“You think I’m cute?”

“I’d say so, yeah.”

“Awww I think you’re cute too.” George giggled again. Dream found it very endearing that George became such a happy drunk, when his normal self was so sharp and uptight. It wasn’t half bad to hear that George thought he was cute, even if Dream couldn’t fully trust that he meant what he said because of the state he was in.

“Perhaps we need to talk about some things when we’re both sober, then.” Dream had wanted to talk to George about that dinner date and the kiss, and with this new information, maybe he wouldn’t be disappointed with the outcome.

“What if… we just don’t talk about it?” George was leaning closer. “What if we just skipped that part? Talking’s hard anyway…” George was very close now, his face mere inches away from Dream’s.

“Uhh, I really think we should wait, George.” Dream wasn’t sure what to do. A part of him wanted to grab the boy in front of him and kiss him breathless, but another part of him screamed that it would feel so much better if they were both in their right minds. “You’re drunk, I’m tipsy, neither of us are really in a place to be making decisions here.”

“Oh come on Dream, you and I both know that we like each other, why not just do it? I haven’t heard you complaining about the last kiss…” George whispered in Dream’s ear, sending shivers down his spine. It was taking all of his self control to keep himself from giving in to his desires.

“Let’s talk about this tomorrow, ok? I’m not… I’m not denying what you said, but I want to talk about it with sober George.” Dream placed a hand on George’s shoulder, pushing him back ever so slightly. “How about we go back inside and have some fun?”

George pouted a little, but agreed. He got to his feet unsteadily and let Dream help him get back inside. They were soon swept up by the party and their conversation outside was forgotten. As the night went on and everyone became more and more intoxicated, the dancing got more and more crazy until eventually people started going home or passing out in various places.

A lot of the past few hours had been a bit of a blur for Dream, but he briefly recognised George being fast asleep next to him before he passed out on a couch himself. He went to sleep with an arm around George and a smile on his face.

Chapter Text

“Thanks, have a nice day!” George had to fight to keep the smile on his face as the student left the coffee shop. As soon as the door closed, however, his smile dropped instantly and he slumped over the counter. It was a huge mistake on his part to forget that he had a morning shift the day after the party. Had he remembered, he would have had no remorse in refusing to go to the party. But alas here he was, feeling dizzy, vaguely ill and a cracking headache on its way. His only saving grace at this point was the fact that he only had ten minutes or so left on his shift, and then he had time to sleep before his afternoon class.

George raised his head as he heard the door open, praying that it was someone coming to start the next shift, but his heart sank as he realised who it was.

“Oh hey George, I’m surprised to see you here.” Camilla greeted George cheerfully as she closed the door behind her.

“Oh? Why’s that?” George stood up properly and faced the girl.

“Well, I saw you at the party last night, you looked like you were getting pretty wild. I would’ve thought you’d have to take at least the morning off.”

George raised an eyebrow. “Yeah that’s not creepy at all, telling someone you were watching them.”

“Oh come on, you know I didn’t mean it like that!”

“What can I get for you, Camilla?” George chose to drop the subject.

“I’ll have a caramel latte with a shot of espresso, thanks.” George nodded and began making the drink.

“So…” Camilla leaned on the counter as George prepared the coffee. “You and Dream, huh?”

“... what about us?”

“I gotta say, I applaud that man’s commitment, I didn’t think he’d stick it out this long.” George stilled as he processed what Camilla had said.

“What are you talking about?” He stopped making the drink and turned to face Camilla, who’s expression faltered slightly.

“Oh… you don’t know? Shit, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything-”

“What don’t I know? What are you talking about, Camilla?” George’s heart was racing.

Camilla hesitated for a few seconds before speaking. “Well… I was just talking about the dare that we gave to Dream way back at that welcome party.”

“What dare.”

“Well… we- Sapnap dared him to find a random person at the party and try to get them to fall in love with him. I was just saying that I’m surprised he’s still keeping it going.” George couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He didn’t want to believe it.

“You’re joking.”

“I wish I was. I’m sorry George.” George was speechless, his mind reeling with emotions. He finished Camilla’s drink and handed it to her. She quickly paid and left, her expression apologetic. As soon as she was gone George sank to the floor, fighting back tears.

He couldn’t even put a name to the emotion he was feeling. Rage? Despair? Grief? Whatever it was, it felt like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. In a moment of clarity before he had a full on breakdown, George pulled out his phone, opening up his and Dream’s messages. He hoped to god that he would text Dream and ask about it, and Dream would tell him that Camilla was being a petty bitch and that he had nothing to worry about.

George: at the welcome party at the beginning of the year, did you ever get dared to do something?

George put his phone down next to him and closed his eyes, praying that everything would work out and this was all just a misunderstanding. A few minutes passed, and then George’s phone dinged with a text notification. He took a deep breath, and opened the message.

Dream: uhh yeah? sapnap dared me to go up to someone and do something but i cant remember what it was exactly

It was as if the whole world was caving in on George. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. Shock morphed into hurt, hurt turned into embarrassment, and embarrassment twisted into anger.

George: I can’t believe you admitted to it just like that. Clearly I mean that little to you that I’m not even worth lying to for the sake of things.

Dream: ???

George: Goodbye, Dream.

George blocked the number, tears streaming down his face. All the memories he’d made, all the deep conversations he’d had, all the time he’d spent with a lying, cheating asshole. It had all been for a dare. It was all a joke to him, a challenge.

George felt used, vulnerable, embarrassed. He’d poured his heart out to that boy, when they’d spend nights together on the phone because one of them couldn’t sleep. For the first time in years, he’d trusted someone, and look where it got him. Crying on the floor, feeling hopeless. It had been situations like these that led George to close himself off from people, and this was only proving to him that he had been right to do so.

George mentally shook himself, roughly wiping his eyes. He wasn’t going to let it get to him, at least on the outside. With a bit of effort, he was back on his feet and headed to the back room, where he took off his apron and badge and swapped it for his jacket.

If being an introverted, closed off person gave him anything, it was the ability to hide from the world. And if he could hide from the world, then one person didn’t stand a chance at finding him.

He would make sure that he never had to see that boy’s face ever again.

Chapter Text

George: Goodbye, Dream.

Dream had barely woken up since today he only had an afternoon class, so he had been planning on sleeping in and trying to escape the hangover he was almost certain he’d have.

But now he was wide awake, staring at his phone, utterly confused and worried. He re-read the texts over and over again, trying to grasp what it was that had upset George so much. He racked his brain, trying to remember exactly what Sapnap had dared him. It had been such a meaningless dare that Dream wasn’t surprised he had forgotten it. Something about saying ‘I love you?’ Oh, Dream remembered now. He had to find someone random at the party and get them to say ‘I love you’ to him. The problem was, Dream hadn’t even tried to do the dare, because if he remembered correctly, he’d been rejected before he could even get a proper word in.

So what was the problem? Why was George so upset? Dream couldn’t even call him to try and make sense of things because he had been immediately blocked without being given a chance to explain himself. The whole situation was so confusing and stressful. Dream was worried about George, confused about what he had done, and scared that he had somehow ruined one of his closest relationships. And to think that he had been about to confess his feelings to him this evening.

Dream dragged himself out of bed in an attempt to distract himself from things. There was no use trying to work anything out while he was stressed, better to try and calm things down, maybe go for a walk, and come back to it when he was thinking more rationally. He splashed some water on his face, brushed his hair, pulled on some clothes and left his dorm. Even if he just looped round the campus and back, he just needed some fresh air.

Dream set off out of his dorm, striding down the hallway. He shoved his hands into his pockets, put his head down and walked.

He should have been paying more attention to where he was going, however, as he all but knocked a student over completely as he rounded a corner.

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry- oh hey Camilla.” Dream reached a hand out to steady her, pulling her back on balance. While Camilla managed to keep her balance, the cup of coffee in her hand unfortunately did not, and it tumbled to the floor as it slipped out of her grasp.

“Whoops- oh man that’s annoying, I just bought that.” Camilla sighed as the contents of the cup spilled onto the floor. “Hey Dream. You ok? You seem stressed.”

“Um, not really? I don’t know, I was just trying to clear my head but I should’ve been looking where I was going. I’m sorry about your drink.” Dream apologised as he fished out a tissue from his pocket and tried to clean up the mess.

“Don’t worry about it, you look like you’ve already got enough on your plate as it is. Do you want to talk about it? I’m happy to listen if you need to rant.” Camilla offered, her face full of concern.

Dream opened his mouth to decline her offer, but instead found himself saying “Sure, if you don’t mind.” Perhaps subconsciously Dream thought it would be good to have someone who at least knew about George to listen to him.

Camilla led them back to her dorm, and they sat down next to each other on her couch.

“So what’s bothering you?”

“Well… it’s George.” Dream sighed.

“What about him? I saw you guys having fun at that party last night, did something bad happen?”

“I thought we were having fun too… problem is he texted me randomly this morning and I don’t even know what I said or did that upset him but his last message sounded so sad and then he blocked me and now I don’t know what to do.” Dream buried his face in his hands.

Camilla laid a hand gently on Dream’s shoulder, rubbing little circles into it with her thumb. “I’m sorry to hear that. You guys really seemed to get along.”

“Yeah, we did. And now I won’t be able to stop worrying about him until I can at least try to explain myself.”

“Well… I could think of one way to get your mind off him…” Dream felt the hand on his shoulder grip a little tighter.

Dream wasn’t an idiot. Even in his stressed out state, he could tell that he’d fallen into a trap. But honestly? It would take his mind off things, even for a little while… so Dream took the bait.

“Oh really? What might that be?”

“Why don’t you let me show you, hm?” The hand on Dream’s shoulder moved up to curl around his neck. Camilla crawled forward slowly and settled herself in Dream’s lap, her hand running through his hair gently.

“I’m all yours.” Dream whispered. And then there were lips pressed firmly against his own. The kiss was needy, passionate, desperate. Dream moved his hands up and placed them around Camilla’s waist while Camilla tugged at Dream’s hair, forcing him to tilt his chin upwards. Dream closed his eyes and let Camilla take what she had clearly been wanting for so long. When they finally broke apart for air, both were pink in the face and their lips swollen slightly.

“How’s that for a little distraction?” Camilla giggled into Dream’s ear before she reconnected their lips again, this time adding in a few bites at his bottom lip, to which Dream opened his mouth, letting her tongue explore.

They continued making out for a long while, pausing occasionally for a breath. Camilla seemed to understand that this wouldn’t turn into something more substantial, and was therefore taking everything Dream could give. When things finally seemed to be slowing down and Dream’s brain kicked back into action, painfully reminding him of the reason he was there in the first place, Dream decided that he wasn’t done with the distractions and instead flipped them both so that Camilla was laying down on the couch with Dream above her. Camilla had no complaints as Dream continued to kiss her, eventually wandering down to her neck, where he focused on leaving a multitude of little marks there.

Finally they broke apart and laid next to each other, eventually dozing off. Dream had to admit that the endorphins released in his brain felt pretty damn good, and as much as he was sure he’d come to regret this one day, it had served as a decent distraction. Dream drifted off to sleep, his head spinning, but not as much from stress.

****************

It must have been a couple hours later that Dream woke up as he heard a door closing. He groggily checked his watch, and noticed that there was about twenty minutes until his afternoon english class. He also realised that he was alone, and that Camilla must have left for her class just now.

Dream stood up and stretched. He had enough time to get back to his own dorm and freshen up before going to class. He left Camilla’s dorm quietly and made his way back. Now that it had been a good few hours since the events of the morning, Dream felt a little bit calmer about everything. He already missed George, but there wasn’t much he could do if his number had been blocked. Clearly the boy wanted to be left alone, and as much as it hurt, Dream had to respect that, at least for a few days.

Perhaps he could try the coffee shop in a couple days time, or ask around to try and pass on a message.

For now, Dream tried his best to push his worries to the side and hope that things could work themselves out soon.

Chapter Text

Dream didn’t know what to do with himself anymore. Not talking to George at all after they had been talking almost every day for the past months was one of the most heartbreaking things Dream had ever done. He had been so close to going to the coffee shop to ask about him, but Dream had sworn to give George a few days before trying to talk to him.

As well as blocking his number, George seemed to have disappeared almost completely as well. He wasn’t in the computing class they shared, he wasn’t in his usual study spot in the library, and on the one occasion that Dream went to get coffee, he was nowhere in sight. 

Someone who was definitely far from ‘nowhere in sight’ however, was Camilla. She seemed to be taking full advantage of Dream’s availability, and even though Dream didn’t necessarily need a distraction anymore, he didn’t see much reason to deny her. The only thing that worried him was how little enjoyment he felt with her, and how his mind would wander to George every time. It seemed that Dream was only proving to himself how much he had fallen for the boy.

Dream was pulled from his thoughts by a knock on his door. He sighed and got up to answer it.

“Hey Dream.” Camilla purred as she walked in. “You look like you need a bit of a distraction, don’t you think?”

Dream smiled weakly, his heart not really in it, and his mind even further away. “Sure, Camilla. Be my guest.” He closed the door behind them and turned towards the girl.

Camilla took Dream’s hand and led them over to his couch, where she pushed Dream down and settled in his lap again. She connected their lips with no hesitation, and Dream tried his best to match her pace.

They kissed slowly for a couple minutes before Camilla stopped, pulling away to look at Dream, who raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“You seem more upset than usual, did something happen?”

“It’s been almost a week, Camilla. I haven’t seen him, I haven’t heard from him, and I’m getting worried. I just want to know he’s at least ok.” 

Camilla ran her hands soothingly through Dream’s hair. “Well, I guess he would’ve been pretty upset when he found out about the dare, but he’s got friends who can hopefully help him out, right?”

“Yeah…” Dream murmured as she cupped his face lightly and leaned down to reconnect their lips. 

“Wait, hold on a second.” Something clicked in Dream’s mind. “I… never mentioned anything about the dare to you. How did you know?” Camilla froze for a second, before the brief look of panic was gone and replaced with a smile.

“I’m sure you said something about it, you probably just forgot.”

“No. I specifically left out the details of what actually happened when I first told you about it. I know that I didn’t mention the dare being part of the conversation.” Dream narrowed his eyes. “So how did you know, Camilla?”

Camilla hesitated, as if she was weighing up her options, before she sighed. “Fine. I talked to George that morning. I told him about the dare.”

Dream was shocked by the new information, but still confused. It still didn’t explain why George was so upset. Unless… uh oh.

“You lied to him, didn’t you?”

“What? No, of course I didn’t-”

“There is no way that George would have reacted the way that he did if he had been told what the actual dare was.” Dream pushed Camilla off him and stood up, pacing the room. “So what did you tell him? Spit it out, Camilla.”

Camilla seemed to admit defeat, as her smile melted away into a scowl. “I told him that you were dared to find someone and get them to fall in love with you. And you know what? He believed every single word I said.”

Dream’s heart sank as he found out the truth. Anger quickly flooded through him as he realised what Camilla had done.

“You petty bitch.”

Camilla only laughed, angering Dream further. “And the best part? You and I both know that George isn’t going to forgive you easily. Once he found out that you had lied to him about everything, I watched his heart break into tiny pieces.”

“But I didn’t lie to him, you know that I didn’t even do the dare, I forfeited.”

“He doesn’t know that sweetie. But go ahead and try to tell him otherwise, loverboy, I’ll be waiting for when you come crawling back to me after he refuses to take you back.” Camilla spoke with a sly grin on her face as she watched Dream, who was struggling to control his emotions.

“Get the fuck out, and don’t ever come back.” Dream ordered through gritted teeth. Camilla left without another word, knowing that she’d already done enough damage.

As soon as the door closed, Dream grabbed the nearest cushion and yelled into it, before throwing it as hard as he could across the room. He at least felt a little bit better, so he sat down on the couch and tried to think rationally.

He knew now that since Camilla had lied to both him and George, there was no real reason for him to keep away from George. He needed to find and talk to George as soon as possible. He could try the coffee shop first, and go from there.

****************

“Hi, how can I help you?” Dream looked up to see a new face behind the counter as he walked into the coffee shop.

“Um hi… look, I know this sounds weird and possibly creepy, but do you know someone called George? He works here part time?” Dream decided to get straight to the point. The student behind the counter looked a little confused, before seemingly remembering something.

“Oh! Yeah, he’s the reason I’m working here actually, he’s taking a temporary break from work for personal reasons apparently, so I have a temporary place here to cover for him until he comes back. Why do you ask?”

Dream groaned internally. This definitely complicated things slightly. “Uhh, we had a small misunderstanding, and I really need to talk to him.”

“A small misunderstanding?” A new voice joined the conversation, one that Dream vaguely recognised. He craned his neck to see the person who had spoken as they walked out from the back of the shop. Dream tried to remember why the voice sounded familiar, and then it clicked.

“Wilbur?”

“Mhm. What do you want, Dream?” Wilbur folded his arms and looked at Dream disapprovingly.

“I need to talk to George, do you know where he might be?”

“Hm I don’t know Dream, I don’t think he wants to see you right now. He’s still pretty hurt by what you did.” Dream paused. He hadn’t really taken into account the fact that George might have told someone else about the situation, let alone the fact that they might take his side.

“Wilbur, you have to believe me. Camilla lied to George, she lied because she knew that I didn’t like her the same way she liked me, and I guess she was jealous of how close me and George were. I swear Wilbur, I would never do anything like that to him.” Dream explained frantically.

Wilbur’s face softened. He saw the genuine worry in the boy’s eyes and knew he was telling the truth. “Well, that’s a relief. I didn’t want to believe George when he told me what had happened, and you seemed like a good guy at that party last week. In all honesty, I don’t know exactly where he is. He mentioned something about a clearing in the woods one time, he said something about it being a nice escape from things. Does that mean anything to you?”

Dream’s eyes widened. The clearing in the woods, the one he had showed George that one night when they were trying to waste time before his shift? That sounded like a solid lead.

“Yes, I know where that is, I’ll give it a shot. Thanks so much Wilbur, and thanks…?” Dream looked for a nametag on the other student. “Thanks Apollo. Cool name.” The student smiled, and Dream quickly left the shop.

The clearing was worth a try, if not he could probably ask Wilbur for George’s dorm number.

Chapter Text

George tucked his knees up to his chest as he sat on the fallen tree trunk looking out into the valley. He had become quite familiar with the clearing as of recent, considering it was where he spent a lot of his time when he wasn’t in his classes or his dorm. Despite some of the associations that he had with it, it was the only place that he could feel peace. He was away from the college, and away from people in general, just surrounded by nature and a breathtaking view. It was nice to be able to disconnect from reality for a little bit, and not have to think or feel anything.

Although deep down, was there another reason that he came to the clearing? Was there a possibility that George perhaps hoped that someone in particular would come looking for him? George didn’t want to admit it to himself, but he missed Dream.

He missed him a lot. His heart ached with too many emotions, and George just wished that he could go back to being oblivious and unaware of Dream’s true intentions, because whether Dream was genuine or not, George had been happy.

“George?” George jumped as he heard his name called, and he turned around to see who it was, though there was only really one person that it could be. He got up from the tree trunk and turned to face the person approaching, not knowing whether he should stay or not. He felt rooted to the spot as he watched Dream walk hesitantly closer, before Dream lowered himself to his knees, bowing his head.

“Please, George. You don’t need to say a single word, just please let me explain. If you’re still hurting afterwards, then I can go and we never need to see each other again. Please?” George had imagined a multitude of scenarios for when he eventually saw Dream again, but Dream dropping to his knees and begging for George to hear him out? Not one that he had thought of. George realised that Dream was still waiting for his answer, and so he took a deep breath, and nodded silently.

Dream’s eyes brightened, before he slowly rose to his feet and started to talk.

“Camilla lied to you. You know that she’s liked me since practically day one, and you saw that she was all over me when we ran into her at that market. She was jealous of how close you and I were, and she knew that she could never have me while you were still in the picture. So she made up a dumb lie to push you away so that she could make her own move.” Dream paused to catch his breath after spilling everything out in one go. George took the opportunity to ask a question.

“So when I texted you to ask about it, and you confirmed what she had told me, that was also a lie?”

“No, because that part that you asked about did actually happen, which is really frustrating because if you’d waited not even two minutes I would’ve remembered what the dare was and none of this would have happened.”

“So what was the supposed real dare?”

“Sapnap dared me to find someone random and try to get them to say ‘I love you’ to me, which is entirely different to what Camilla told you. If you don’t believe me, I can call Sapnap right now and he can tell you himself.”

Did George believe Dream? He wanted to believe him, he wanted to trust him and forgive him and let things go back to how they were, but the seed of doubt had been planted already, and it didn’t matter whether it was based on the truth or not, it had already taken root in George’s brain. George had spent the past few days believing that the boy he had fallen for had been lying to him the whole time, so it wasn’t exactly easy to shake the distrust he had built up.

“So if I’m meant to believe that you’re not lying about everything, how do you really feel, Dream?”

Dream spoke with almost no hesitation. “I like you, George. I like you a lot. I want to be around you all the time, you make me laugh like no one else can, and you understand me like no one else too. I wish I could do something to prove how much you mean to me-”

“Alright.” Dream stopped mid sentence as George spoke.

“What?”

“Prove it to me. Show me that you’ve been paying attention, show me that you care.” George wasn’t sure where his boldness came from, and he half wanted to tell Dream to forget it and run away, but that small part of him that still yearned to forgive him kept him there. “Show me that I can trust you.”

Dream’s eyes widened as he heard George’s offer. “Really? You’re giving me a chance?”

“One chance. Don’t blow it.”

“I won’t let you down, George.”

“I hope you don’t.”

****************

Dream’s mind was reeling with ideas by the time he got back to his dorm. George had given him a chance. He felt on top of the world, despite not being out of the woods yet.

He had to prove to George that what they had was real and genuine. That should be easy enough, right? All Dream had to do was plan something big and meaningful, maybe he could write a few words, a poem maybe? He was an English major after all, might as well put his skills to the test.

Dream leaned against his kitchen counter and pulled up a notes page on his phone and started typing any ideas that came to mind.

go out for dinner

or stay in and cook?

pillow fort? and a movie?? with snacks??

see if there are any cool things to do in town together?

Dream frowned as he reread the ideas he’d written. They were good ideas… but they didn’t really feel… sentimental? They didn’t really show that Dream cared, they just showed that he could search up cute date ideas on pinterest. If he wanted to really win George over, he would have to think of something a little more original.

Dream sighed as he placed his phone down on the counter next to him. His gaze wandered around the kitchen as he tried to think of an idea, before his eyes caught on a bunch of apples lying just as untouched as the last time he’d paid them attention. His brain easily supplied him with the memory of the last time he’d thought about them, back when George came over for the first time to work on a project. Dream felt a smile creeping onto his face as he remembered that night.

Wait.

Wait a second.

That was it. Dream knew exactly what he was going to do.

Chapter Text

George rolled out of bed grumpily, cursing whoever it was that was knocking on his door at the ungodly hour of 10am. He rubbed his eyes, trying to get them to work properly before he opened the door, ready to scream at the person who dared to interrupt his sleep.

“Good morning, sleeping beauty.” Perhaps the screaming would have to be postponed, as George’s mouth fell open in shock. Standing tall as ever, holding a tray of what looked to be breakfast, was Dream.

“Wh- huh?” George’s brain was yet to fully wake up, which was not helping with his confusion.

“I made you breakfast, and there’s a note that can explain things a bit more.” Dream gestured for George to take the tray off him, and once the breakfast had been handed over, Dream smiled perhaps a little nervously, before taking a step back.

“I’ll uhh… I’ll leave you to it. Sorry for waking you up, see you tomorrow.” George had barely even processed the fact that he was awake, let alone Dream showing up with breakfast and leaving before George could even say anything. Now he was just standing in the doorway to his dorm, holding a tray of food, looking like an idiot.

George stepped back inside and shut the door, placing the tray down on the nearest surface, which happened to be his coffee table, before he sat down on the couch in front of it. Now that he was slightly more awake, he could take a proper look at what Dream had given him. He noticed the piece of paper Dream had pointed out and so he picked it up and started reading.

Good morning George, I hope you’re not too upset at me for waking you up so “early”.

As you can see, I made you some breakfast. Waffles with yoghurt and cinnamon sugar, accompanied by a cappuccino. You might not even remember, but back when we met for the first time in the coffee shop at 4am, I watched you make this for yourself while we were talking. I remember it was the first time we properly talked and I got the chance to show you that I wasn’t actually a dickhead. Huh, I guess we’re back where we started, since here I am now trying to prove to you that I’m not a dickhead.

Anyway, my point is that much like the unique breakfast you made, that conversation that we had, full of sharp remarks and sarcastic comments, it showed to me how unique and interesting you were, and how I wanted to get to know you more.

I hope my version tastes at least half decent, and I’ll see you tomorrow :)

George hadn’t realised how much he had been smiling as he finished reading the note. He placed the paper down and looked at the food. Sure enough, it was waffles topped with yoghurt and cinnamon sugar, looking as if George had made them himself.

He picked up the knife and fork that had been included in the tray and cut a small piece. To his surprise, it actually tasted really good. He went in for another bite without hesitation.

George had to admit, he was surprised Dream had remembered something so small that had happened so long ago. Heck, even George had almost forgotten that he’d made this until now. It was sweet of Dream to do something like this, bringing back fond memories in this way. And from the sound of it, it seemed that this wasn’t going to be the only occasion.

“I’ll see you tomorrow :)” The note had said. George wondered what else Dream had planned.

****************

George rose slightly more gracefully the next morning as he woke up to a knock on the door. He paused for a second in front of his mirror to attempt to fix his hair, before walking to the door.

“Good morning, George. I hope you slept well.” Dream greeted him warmly as he stood holding another tray in his hands. “I made you some breakfast.”

George took the tray from him, although slightly puzzled at what he saw. Dream seemed to sense his confusion and laughed a little.

“Make sure you read the note, and enjoy.”

George looked up from the tray, catching Dream’s eye. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow.” And that was that. Dream turned to leave, and George took the tray inside and closed the door.

George sat down on his couch, just as he had the day before, this time just a little bit more confused than before.

This time, Dream had given him two pieces of well buttered toast, and… a water bottle? And not just a disposable one either, it was a metal one with a blue pattern on it. It was as if Dream had gone out and bought a new reusable bottle just for the occasion.

George picked up the note that was also on the tray, hoping to find some answers.

Good morning George, me again :)

I can probably guess that you’re a tiny bit confused as to what you’re looking at, so let me announce the menu for today:

Lightly toasted bread with perfectly melted premium butter

Freshly squeezed orange juice in a water bottle

It may look like a normal water bottle, but yes, there is orange juice in there. Is this ringing any bells yet? Remember the first time we had a class together, the one where you “stole” my seat and then proceeded to pull a water bottle out of your bag, only for it to be orange juice? Well, ta da, I present to you the inspiration for today’s breakfast.

It might be my English major brain speaking, but there’s definitely a metaphor in that somewhere. I suppose in some ways, you’re the water bottle. From an outside perspective, you blend in to the crowd, but take a closer look and you’ll be surprised by what you find out. I’m glad I took that closer look, because you continued to surprise me every day.

Shitty metaphor over, I hope you can forgive me. See you tomorrow :)

George chuckled as he put the note down and picked up the bottle. He opened the lid and was promptly met with the sweet smell of fresh oranges. He remembered when Dream had called him out on it and they had bantered back and forth. That had been a really fun class, plus George had been impressed with Dream’s coding skills as well.

George picked up the toast before it went cold and took a bite. True to his note, the toast was indeed well buttered.

****************

The next day when someone knocked on George’s door, he was already awake. He got out of bed as soon as he heard the knock and walked eagerly to open it.

“Good morning, George.” Dream smiled as George opened the door. George could feel the corner of his mouth turning upwards despite the poker face he tried to keep in front of the boy.

“Hey.” George replied quietly. His eyes lingered on Dream’s soft smile for a second, before he turned his attention to yet another tray that Dream was holding.

“Do I need to keep telling you that I made you breakfast or do you get the idea by now?”

“Actually I think you should keep saying it. Just to be sure, y’know.” George smirked as he leaned against the doorframe.

“Ah of course, my bad.” Dream cleared his throat, “I made you breakfast, hope you enjoy.”

George took the tray that Dream handed to him. “I’m honestly starting to wonder where you got so many trays.”

“Between you and me, there’s a really accessible window into the kitchens, but as far as anyone else knows, I bought them in town.” Dream winked mischievously. “I’ll see you tomorrow, gogy.”

George rolled his eyes at the nickname as Dream turned on his heel and walked away. George was quick to close his door and take the tray to the coffee table, where he picked up the note and began reading.

Good morning George, it me :)

I wonder if you’re starting to see the pattern here yet, but if not I shall refrain from ruining the fun. Today’s breakfast is, to quote someone very dear to me, “a camomile tea and whatever fruit you see first.” As much as I’d like to say that the apple is from the same bunch that I got the first one from, I feel like you wouldn’t appreciate a mouldy and soft apple as much as a fresh one.

Back when those apples weren’t mouldy and soft, though, was the first time you came over and we worked on that piss easy coding project together. I remember we got through it quicker than either of us expected because we worked so well together, and then we talked for hours afterwards. It was back then that I showed you the clearing for the first time, and we sat and watched the valley together, talking about random things, space facts, feelings.

What I wouldn’t give to sit and talk about whatever comes to mind in that clearing with you again.

If I recall correctly, we were talking for so long that you almost missed the start of your shift at the coffee shop, but we made it just in time. Seriously, what part of you convinced yourself that a 4am shift was a good idea? Anyway, I digress.

It’s not much in terms of a breakfast, but I thought you might appreciate the memory.

See you tomorrow :)

George was definitely aware of what Dream was doing, and he had to admit that it was definitely working. Dream could ask if George forgave him even tomorrow and George would be happy to say yes, but at this point he was intrigued to see where Dream would take things.

George took a bite of the apple, already looking forward to tomorrow morning.

****************

The following day, George was up, dressed, and pacing around his dorm. He had come to enjoy Dream’s wake up calls, which had always been at 10am sharp for the past three days. George checked his watch, which read 10:27am. Dream had said that he’d see George tomorrow in his last note, so why was he almost half an hour late? Had he forgotten? Woke up late? Wasn’t bothered anymore? What if-

George was pulled abruptly from his spiralling thoughts by a knock on the door. Not even bothering to hide the fact that he was practically standing right outside, George opened the door immediately, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw the familiar face.

“Someone’s a little eager this morning, huh?” Dream joked as he took in George’s expression.

“You were late, I was worried that… something… happened?” George realised halfway through his sentence that he was sounding too clingy, but unfortunately he had already gone too far.

Dream’s eyes sparkled mischievously as he understood what George had said. “So what you’re saying is I’ve unintentionally conditioned you to expect food at 10am?”

“Shut up.” George stared at the ground and tried to ignore the fact that his face was heating up rapidly. Dream just chuckled and pushed his tray into George’s hands.

“Without spoiling anything, all I can say is that some of the ingredients in your breakfast took a little longer than I had hoped to get a hold of. My deepest apologies.” Dream explained cryptically, only winking as George raised an eyebrow questioningly.

“See you tomorrow, Georgie.” George closed his door as soon as Dream’s back was turned and headed for his coffee table.

George sat down on the couch, going straight for the note.

Good morning George, it’s your friendly neighbourhood English major :)

Today’s breakfast was a great trip down memory lane for me, because it ties into one of the most fun days I’ve ever had. After finally getting hold of everything I needed, I’ve made you a hot chocolate, topped with whipped cream and hazelnuts. Do you remember that day? The winter market, all the little stalls selling the most random things, the ice skating rink, the goggles I got for you, and the keyring you got for me? I’ll never forget the few words that you said, ‘because you make me smile’. I hope I still make you smile.

I also made you a bowl of cereal because otherwise this wouldn’t really be a proper breakfast and honestly I felt bad for only giving you an apple and some tea yesterday.

Hope you enjoy :)

George snorted as he thought back to the day before. While it had quite literally been just an apple and a cup of tea, George appreciated the sentiment enough to overlook the breakfast for what it was.

Today’s breakfast however, was looking to be a lot more filling. The hot chocolate looked beautiful, and George realised that it must have been the hazelnuts that Dream had a hard time finding, but for the sake of the memory, it was definitely worth it. That day had been one of the most fun he’d had in a long time as well. The memory itself felt safe and cosy to him, and everything that had happened on that day filled him with warmth. He remembered picking up on the mildly flirty comments, and how he liked being close to Dream. Perhaps it had been on that day that he realised there was something more between them.

George took a sip of the hot chocolate, pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted. Dream had done an excellent job at recreating his favourite hot drink.

****************

On the fifth day, George was glad to find that Dream had gone back to his 10am schedule. He opened his door as soon as he heard the knock, hardly trying to hide the smile growing on his face.

“Good morning George, did you sleep well?”

“Fine, thanks.” George dragged his eyes away from Dream’s face and turned his attention to the tray in Dream’s hands.

“As usual, I made you some breakfast. I hope you like it, I had to follow a recipe for this one.” Dream handed over the tray, which George accepted gratefully.

“I’ll see you tomo-”

“No.” George cut Dream off as he made a spur of the moment decision. Dream’s face paled and he swallowed nervously.

“You… don’t want to see me tomorrow?”

“No. I’ll see you tomorrow.” George said ominously before closing his door, leaving Dream to try and work out what he meant.

George placed the tray down on the table, and from what he could see, he could guess what Dream’s note could be about already.

Good morning George, I hope you’re well on this fine morning :)

Today’s dish is a throwback to the time that I was an idiot and you came to save me. I’ve never told you this but when I was standing on the side of the road barely able to think straight, I thought you were an angel. And even now that I’m able to think for myself, I still feel the same way.

My memory is still a little fuzzy of what actually happened, but one of the few things that I remember clearly is you taking excellent care of me and giving me some wonderful soup that was allegedly homemade, even though I didn’t believe you at the time. As you can see, I have attempted to make you some soup myself, although I’d be careful because there’s about a 20% chance that I added sugar instead of salt, but it’s the thought that counts right?

My final memory of that night is right at the end when we were watching TV, and you fell asleep on my shoulder. You looked so relaxed and comfortable, so peaceful. I’d give anything to share a moment like that with you again.

I hope you enjoy, and I’ll see you tomorrow :)

George gave the soup a tentative sniff, and after deciding that there wasn’t any overpowering sweet smell he tried it, and surprisingly it wasn’t bad.

It had been five consecutive days of Dream delivering him a unique and well thought out breakfast. George had already made his mind up about Dream from about day two, and while it had been nice to see what Dream would come up with each day, it was George’s turn to respond.

****************

Dream had been pacing around in his kitchen anxiously for the past half an hour. Normally he would be up and making breakfast for George by now, but from what George had said to him yesterday, he had figured that he was supposed to let George come to him today. As if on cue, Dream was pulled from his thoughts by a knock on his door. He rushed to open it, and sure enough there he was, standing timidly.

“Good morning Dream, I uhh… made you breakfast?” George produced a carton of apple juice from behind his back. Dream immediately recognised what the apple juice was referencing, as it had been part of the meal he would have used to make today’s breakfast.

“Well, how about you join me inside and we can enjoy it together?” Dream smiled warmly, inviting George in. The pair made their way to Dream’s couch, where George sat down followed shortly after by Dream, who ran to the kitchen to get some glasses. Dream poured them both a glass of apple juice before he sat down next to George.

They sat in silence for a while, neither being able to come up with a good way to start the conversation. The silence was heavy, only broken by the occasional slurp as one of them nervously sipped their apple juice, until George decided to go for it.

“I’m uhh… I’m sorry?” He started, trying to formulate a direction to the conversation. “I’m sorry for believing the first story I heard, and I’m sorry for blocking you without giving you time to explain yourself. I guess it was a heat of the moment kind of thing? I should’ve fact checked things a bit further than just taking Camilla’s word for it.”

Dream raised his eyebrow and took a long sip of his apple juice. “Ya think so?” He teased with a smirk.

“Shut up.” George felt a twinge of embarrassment as he thought back to the day that Camilla had lied to him. Now that he was looking back on the memory, it really was dumb of him to immediately believe Camilla of all people.

“Even though I technically didn’t do anything wrong, I feel like I still need to apologise, so I’m sorry that I wasn’t clear enough when you messaged me, and I promise to be fully transparent with you in the future. You should never need to doubt whether or not I am trustworthy, I’ll make sure of it.” George smiled at Dream’s apology. It was sweet because as he had said, he hadn’t really done anything wrong, but it was nice that he still apologised anyway.

“So uh… where do we go from here?” George asked. “I’d say we can pretty much write off this whole thing as something that never happened, so what happens next?”

“Well, if I remember correctly,” Dream put his apple juice down on the table and twisted his body so that he was facing George. “You were trying to kiss me at that party, and we uhh… never got round to it?”

“Ohh… so what you’re saying is you want to kiss and make up?” George smirked as Dream moved closer.

“Well, I’d rather make out, but making up is fine as well I suppose.”

“Just shut up and kiss me, dumbass.” Dream didn’t need telling twice, as he pulled George towards him and crashed their lips together.

Chapter Text

George finished wiping down the counters and cleaning the coffee machine and went to go and get his stuff from the back of the shop. He had just finished an evening shift and was meant to be going for a walk with Dream, who had said that he would meet George at the coffee shop.

George heard the door to the shop open while he was in the back and assumed Dream was here already, however when he walked out to the shop front, he was met with a very different sight.

“Oh hi George, how’s things been going? Between you and Dream, I mean.” George narrowed his eyes, wondering how Camilla had the audacity to walk in and casually pretend that she wasn’t the whole reason there was ever an issue in the first place, but then it clicked.

Camilla probably didn’t know that he and Dream had talked things out. And that meant that George could have some fun, perhaps give Camilla a taste of her own medicine.

“Oh you know, not too great. I’m doing a little better now that I’ve had time away from him.” George sighed with all the dramatic emotions he could muster. “And I heard that he moved on from it all pretty quickly, so I guess there’s no use moping around anymore.”

“You’re absolutely right, George. You know, as soon as I left the shop when I first told you about him, not even ten minutes later I ran into him and he was all over me. You don’t deserve to be with a shitty guy like him.”

George raised an eyebrow, wondering how much of this Camilla was making up. “All over you? Really?”

“I’m afraid so.” Camilla nodded apologetically, and George was beginning to question whether she was actually telling the truth, before the door to the coffee shop opened once more.

Dream strode into the shop, making a beeline for George. George smirked as he saw Camilla’s eyes widen in surprise, before he turned to Dream and made a point in pulling the tall boy down and planting a quick kiss on his lips.

“What the- huh?” The pair broke apart and both turned to face the girl, who seemed to be going through quite a few emotions.

“Honey it’s gonna take more than a few petty lies to break us up for good.” George laughed as he wrapped an arm around Dream.

“You know I wasn’t lying about Dream being all over me after you blocked me. We made out on multiple occasions for hours at a time.” Camilla could tell she was losing the battle so she was stabbing blindly, hoping that at least one sword would do some damage. Dream only chuckled lightly.

“Camilla, I’m gay as fuck.” That was all he had to say to completely squash Camilla’s argument. She promptly shut her mouth, turned on her heel and left without another word.

“Good riddance!” George giggled as the door slammed shut. “I’m glad she’s gone.”

“And hopefully she never comes back.”

****************

It had turned out to be the perfect evening for a walk. The sunset cast beautiful colours into the sky, the air was cool and fresh, and the area was quiet and calm. As usual, Dream and George found themselves sitting on the fallen tree trunk, looking out at the valley which was as beautiful as ever.

“So you actually hooked up with Camilla, huh?” George nudged Dream playfully. Dream groaned and hid his face in his hands.

“Shut up, it was a dark time in my life.”

“It was literally not even a week ago.”

“... shut up.” Dream turned his face so that he was looking at George, who was practically glowing with the sunset on his skin. “Do you want me to be honest?”

“Sure.”

“Kissing her only made me realise how much I liked you.” Dream watched as George glowed impossibly brighter and a smile crept onto his face.

“I’m glad, because it could have made what’s about to happen a little awkward otherwise.” George chuckled as he moved from his spot next to Dream on the tree trunk and instead sat sideways on Dream’s lap, his arms crossing around Dream’s neck to steady himself. Dream didn’t even bother with a witty remark this time, he was too focused on kissing the boy sitting in his lap.

Dream didn’t think he could ever get tired of kissing George. There was something so enchanting about the boy that pulled him in each time, making him constantly want more and more. He wrapped his arms around George’s waist, pulling him even closer without even breaking the kiss. They stayed like that for a while, neither making any moves to deepen the kiss any further, just enjoying being close to each other. Eventually, they ran out of air and broke apart.

“I was just thinking.” George mumbled as he rested his head on Dream’s shoulder. “We never got round to labelling us officially. Do you want to?”

“I’d love to.” Dream whispered back.

“Well go on then.” George lifted his head back up and waited expectantly. Dream smiled at the forwardness of George’s comment, but had no complaints.

“George, light of my life, my shining star, you have been a beacon of positivity in my life since the first time I stepped into that coffee shop. Our relationship has come so far, going from strength to strength, and even with the setback that wasn’t even either of our fault, we still pulled through and ended up stronger than ever. I couldn’t imagine being as close with anyone but you, so with that being said, will you be my boyfriend?”

George leaned down and pressed a kiss onto Dream’s nose. “Of course I will.” The pair were quiet for a few seconds, both simply taking each other in, before they burst into giggles.

“God I feel like I’m 13 and I just asked my crush out in the corner of the playground.” Dream chuckled.

“Did you maybe want to sit together at lunch tomorrow? It’s ok if you don’t want to, I just thought I’d ask.” George asked with mock sincerity, causing both of them to dissolve into laughter again. They laughed for a while, both finding joy in being able to laugh so openly and easily, until they weren’t really sure what they were laughing about anymore.

Finally the laughter petered out, and the two boys were back to enjoying each other’s company in a comfortable silence. The sun had long since disappeared behind the hills that bordered the valley, and night was quickly approaching.

“How about we get out of here and go watch a movie?” Dream suggested quietly, to which George nodded.

“I’m down.” George shuffled off of Dream’s lap and stood up, stretching. Dream stood as well, before he thought of a fun little challenge.

“Race me back to my dorm? Winner picks the movie.”

“Oh come on, Dream-”

“Go on, I dare you.”