Chapter Text
with his stomach pains, vomiting, migraines, and general fear, it took george a few days to work himself up to go back to school again.
his heart was beating stupidly fast the whole time he was getting ready, hands shaking as he tried to tie the laces on his air forces. (he'd decided against his vans.)
he'd been reluctant to get out of bed and didn't leave himself enough time for breakfast, so george settles on grabbing a quick cereal bar on his way out of the house. he unwraps it as he makes his way down his driveway. for a moment, he is surprised to see sapnap's car parked outside his house, but then he remembers that they'd planned for the ravenette to drive him.
george makes his way over to the car, pulling the door open and consequently shifting sapnap's attention off of his phone. he looks up at the brit with a smile, "hey george."
"hi," he replies, clambering into the car and taking a bite from his cereal bar.
"how are you feeling?" sapnap asks as he starts up the car, still looking at george.
"fine," george shrugs, "i'm a little anxious but i guess that's sort of expected."
sapnap nods understandingly, gaze diverting as he pulls out onto the road and starts in the direction of their school. "you'll be okay," he assures. "you've got me and the other two, we won't let anything happen," he promises.
george smiles, muttering an honest, "i know," before taking another bite out of his breakfast. they fall quiet as george eats, nothing but the sound of sapnap's music floating in the space around them.
george had never been a fan of country music, but he supposes it's okay when sapnap's playing it.
it isn't long before they're pulling up outside the school, and george's leg is bouncing quickly as he stares through the windshield at the large building. sapnap switches off the car, and the sound of the music and the engine fall to a stop, leaving them in silence.
sapnap doesn't talk, and george assumes that the ravenette is keeping quiet so george has some time to mentally prepare himself.
the brunette sighs deeply, pressing his eyes shut for a short moment before reaching down to undo his seatbelt. "alright, let's do this," he speaks confidently, completely countering the terrified feeling coursing through him.
as soon as george's hand meets the doorhandle, moments away from pushing it open, sapnap speaks behind him.
"george," he says a little urgently, causing the brit to look back with a confused expression. sapnap clears his throat, surprised by his own tone. "i uh- there's something i should probably tell you," he starts, his right hand moving to scratch along the back of his left forearm, "like, before we go in, just so it isn't a surprise or like, you hear about it from someone else first."
"what is it?" george asked worriedly, hand dropping from the door as he turned to fully face sapnap. his eyebrows are pulled together in concern as he waits.
"dream's been suspended."
george's eyebrows widen. he's relieved that it wasn't anything bad, but more than that he is surprised. "suspended?" he repeats, "why? when?"
"he got suspended on tuesday night," sapnap answers, "me, karl, and foolish all reported him for, you know," he waves his hand, "everything."
george wants to smile. he wants to be happy about having some freedom, but there's a more daunting thought shadowing over him. "when is he coming back?" he asks, not even wanting to imagine how angry the blond would be, how much worse the bullying would be.
"that's the thing," sapnap says, scratching at the back of his neck, "the senior school board and governors need to speak to you before they can take it further," he explains. "but once you've spoken to them and they've reviewed everything he should be permanently excluded, but apparently they can't do that without you."
"for real?" george says excitedly.
"yeah. but you don't have to do anything until you're ready," sapnap says, instinctively reaching a hand across the centre console to press a reassuring squeeze onto the other's knee. "they'll probably ask a lot of questions about what happened and stuff, and it'll probably be kind of like, traumatic, so don't rush yourself. take your time."
sapnap finishes his spiel with a kind smile before his gaze flickers down to george's knee where his hand currently resides. sapnap's eyes widen, as if he hadn't even realised what he'd done, before he quickly pulls his hand back to his own lap, muttering a small, "sorry."
"it's okay," george dismisses, "and thank you, for reporting him and being here for me and stuff."
"you shouldn't thank me for doing the bare minimum," sapnap says, but he smiles regardless.
"well i'm thanking you anyways, so there," george chirps, earning a small chuckle from his friend. "we all ready to go now?" he asks.
"yep," sapnap replies, popping the 'p', "i suppose we are."
the pair share one more reassuring smile before turning away from one another to push open their doors. they step out into the parking lot, immediately surrounded by the familiar bustle of students making their way up into the school. the rush of people was heavy as the school bell had just rung, so anyone who had been aimlessly hanging around is now making their way up to the main doors.
george takes his gaze away from the daunting sight of the crowd, looking over at sapnap to find the ravenette already staring back with a fond expression.
"you got this," he says quietly.
george nods in response and the pair make their way up the path towards the school.
as soon as they enter the main hallway, they're pushed around by the stupid amounts of people trying to rush to their classes. george instinctively closes his shoulders around himself to make himself smaller so he wouldn't be as in the way. there's a group of friends laughing down the hall, and something about the sound through the crowd reminds george of when he's stepped out of dream's car and onto the yard.
the thought overwhelms him and he feels his face scrunching up in disgust at the memory, growing increasingly uncomfortable in the crowded space around him.
he almost forgets sapnap's beside him until there's an arm wrapping around his back and pulling him close. sapnap pulls him against his side and george flinches minutely, looking up at sapnap with wide eyes in response to the unexpected contact.
"you okay?" the ravenette asks, keeping george tight against his side as he worms them through the crowd to their lockers.
george nods unconvincingly, "fine."
once at their lockers, sapnap steps away from george with a sincere sounding, "sorry for grabbing you and making you jump, you looked all spaced out, i didn't mean to scare you."
"i'm not scared," george dismisses with a smile, "i know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me, there's nothing to run from."
sapnap nods but says, "still, i should've asked before yanking you like that."
george shakes his head. "really, it's okay, it was actually really grounding."
"what's grounding?" foolish chirps, stepping out of the crowd and to the side of the hallway by george's locker, karl following close behind.
"how are you feeling?" karl asks cautiously, desperate to make sure his best friend is okay but not wanting george to feel under pressure.
"i'm good," george confirms, looking around his friends so they'd all see his genuine expression. "it's not been as bad as i expected so far," he spoke honestly, "it definitely helps knowing he isn't here."
"i'm glad you're feeling okay," karl grins proudly, "you ready for math?"
george settles his backpack on his lap before pulling his seatbelt on.
"were your last two periods alright?" sapnap asks, this being the first time he'd seen george since lunch. "did punz or anyone try to talk to you?"
george shakes his head, holding his arms around his bags as he looks over at the ravenette. "everyone sort of just avoided me," he shrugged, "schlatt shouted something at me as i was leaving english but i didn't really pay attention to it."
"that's good," sapnap nods, making a mental note to put schlatt back in his place tomorrow. "am i just taking you home?" he asks as he starts the car, leaning his arm against george's seat as he looks back to reverse out of the parking lot.
"yeah, you can come around for a bit if you want," the brit offers kindly, "my parents are working so i'm going to order chinese food too if you wanna stay for dinner."
"sure, sounds good," sapnap chirps happily. he drives out onto the main road, turning in the direction of george's house. "i noticed you don't have your little pin thing on today," sapnap points out, momentarily glancing down to george's sweatshirt where it would usually sit.
"it's a pride flag pin," george says, "i didn't want to make myself more vulnerable to getting hurt by wearing it so i just decided against it for today," he explains.
"that makes sense," sapnap nods, eyes fixed on the road, "i like it."
"the pin?" george asks for clarification, earning an affirmative hum from sapnap in response. george can't help but giggle to himself, "thanks, you probably wouldn't even know what it means."
"it's a pride flag," sapnap replies factually, "and i'm not just saying that because you said it, i did already know that before."
"yeah but different sexualities have different flags," george explains, briefly thinking about how stupid it is that this isn't taught in their school. "the different colours represent different things, they're not all the same."
"yeah, i know," sapnap laughs, "you've got the gay pride one, so it's like men loving men," he says, "but like it can also be non-binary and stuff cause that's what the white stripe is for." sapnap looks over just for a moment to see george looking back with wide eyes.
"i'm impressed," george says, "i didn't think you'd know that."
sapnap shrugs dismissively, gaze fixed on the road as he takes the route back to george's house.
the pair sit around on george's couch for a few hours, mindlessly scrolling on their phones and occasionally showing each other something they find funny, until sapnap's stomach rumbles.
george raises an eyebrow at the ravenette. he giggles awkwardly, patting his tummy as he flashes george a smile, "it has a mind of its own," he jokes.
"shall we order food now?" george suggests, already closing down instagram to open up door dash.
"oh, no, it's okay," sapnap dismisses politely, "i can wait till whenever you want food."
george simply shakes his head as he selects his favourite local chinese restaurant, scrolling through to choose his order and making sure to add a little extra to have for leftovers. "do you want to share veggie spring rolls?" he offers, ignoring what the ravenette had said.
"are you a vegetarian?" sapnap questions, surprised.
"no, i just prefer the veggie ones to the meat," he shrugs, looking to sapnap for an answer. "so?"
"oh right, yeah sure," he agrees with a nod and a sweet smile, "we can share." george hums, adding the side dish before passing his phone to the ravenette so he could add on whatever it was he wanted to eat. he scrolls for a moment, adding a chow mein and some duck, before giving the phone back. "i'll pay you back if you give me your details," sapnap says, settling back against the couch, "unless you want it in cash?"
george simply shakes his head. "don't bother, it's my treat," he says, "as a thank you."
sapnap feels his cheeks heating as he looks down at his hands, fiddling them together in his lap. "you don't need to keep thanking me," he says "i was part of the problem in the first place."
george shrugs, "yeah, but you helped, and so i'm thankful. let me be thankful." he pays for the food before looking up at sapnap, seeing the younger boy smiling softly. george smiles back.
"you've been through so much shit," sapnap speaks suddenly, frowning, "and you're so nice, it sucks." he huffs, frustrated at himself and the world.
"it'll get better," george shrugs. "once i've had that meeting with the senior team he should be expelled, and with him out of the way stuff should improve," he points out. "plus, i've got you now, and that makes everything feel easier."
sapnap grins, shuffling across the couch so that he can pull george into a hug. the brit giggles at the sudden affection, hugging his friend back. "i'm so glad we're friends," sapnap speaks earnestly, "i didn't realise how much i needed someone like you in my life."
they pull away from the hug, smiling at each other again but much closer now. george finds himself wordless as he tries to find a response, so he settles instead on replying through his actions. he moves right up next to sapnap, laying his head down on the ravenette's shoulder. sapnap reciprocates immediately, leaning his own head against the brits.
enveloped back into a comfortable silence, sapnap pulls out his phone, tapping it on and shifting it so that his face id would work.
"is that your girlfriend?" george asks, lifting his arm to point vaguely at sapnap's phone lock screen, where an image of the ravenette and a girl is displayed. it's a mirror selfie, and she is sat on the floor in front of him, looking up with a smile, while he is looking at the phone with a fond expression.
sapnap laughs lightly, shaking his head. "no, she's my bestfriend," he denies.
george hums, unconvinced.
sapnap unlocks his phone swiping along to his photo app. he goes to an album named 'T<3', opening it up and angling the phone so george would see better.
the brunette's gaze filters over the photos, noticing they're all of/with the same girl. he can't help but think this isn't helping to prove the point that they're not dating, but he doesn't point that out. sapnap scrolls through slowly, giggling to himself as he taps on one of the videos. "this one is funny," he mutters, and the low rumble of his voice vibrates against george from where the younger boy is still leaning against him.
it takes a second for the video to load, but when it does the audio immediately starts to blast loudly out of the phone speaker.
in the background, some taylor swift song is playing, and the girl (sapnap's not girlfriend) is stood up on the bed dancing along with a hairbrush as a microphone. behind the phone, you can hear video-sapnap laughing away at her, with the occasional 'whoop.'
the video is only a few seconds long, and right before it ends you can see the unfamiliar girl's leg slipping off the side of the bed, sending her flying down to the floor with a yelp. the last thing you can hear is video-sapnap's shocked gasp before the video freezes back on the opening frame.
real-sapnap starts to laugh, bright and genuine, and george can't help but giggle along.
"she seems nice," the brit compliments cheerily, relaxing further into sapnap's side as the ravenette goes back to scrolling through the album.
"oh, look," sapnap chirps, "this one is so cute."
another video opens up on screen, this one taken from the girl's point of view. there is a lot of noise, and she seems to be stood in a busy crowd. she is holding the phone out in front of her as if she is vlogging, her long brown hair flowing slightly in the wind. "hello and welcome to my video," she says with a laugh, brushing the hair out of her face, "this is my fit check!"
the girl holds the camera up above her head, angling it down so you can see her clothes. she's wearing a rainbow-knitted jumper, and she kicks her legs to show off the white denim flares. the brunette throws a quick peace sign before bringing the camera back down to her level.
pulling it close to her face, the girl whispers, "sap told me no filming, but he looks really cute right now, so i'm gna anyway!" she giggles to herself, and the sweet sound is almost angelic. she taps twice, flipping the camera to show sapnap.
he is sat at some kind of street stall, with a very colourful dressed woman stood in front of him, doing something with his face. if george didn't know better, he would describe it as looking like sapnap was getting his makeup done. from over the woman's hand, sapnap flashes the camera a glare, and the videographer giggles once more before the video cuts off.
before george can ask any questions, sapnap swipes onto the next photo.
george's brain, breath, and life pauses.
"this was us at pride," sapnap says, nodding down at his phone. "tina loves this photo."
george's gaze runs over the photo slowly, completely missing out the girl (tina, apparently) as he stares at sapnap. the ravenette's hair is messy, presumably because of the wind, and he has what looks like a purple hoodie on, some other material thrown over his shoulders. the most noticeable feature, however, was the three streaks of colour painted on his face. right on the apples of his cheeks sat pink, purple, and blue.
george inhales sharply, holding in his thoughts as to not make the other boy uncomfortable. instead, he simply says, "you look cute."
sapnap laughs quietly, shaking his head slightly. "you are allowed to ask," he says, swiping onto the next photo, which is like the previous, but with just sapnap. "i know you want to."
"ask what?" george asks with feigned confusion.
sapnap snorts out a laugh, moving on to the next picture, then the next. "well," he hums knowingly, and george can hear the smirk on the other's face, "if you're not going to ask i guess i'll just keep scrolling."
"are you bi?"
sapnap giggles, like really giggles. "i don't know george, am i?"
"sapnap," he whines, moving away from the ravenette and shooting him a glare. "don't make me ask if you won't even say!" he says, embarrassed.
"no george, i'm not bi," he speaks sarcastically, playfully rolling his eyes, "i just went to a pride parade dressed in the bi colours with a bi flag and got them painted on my face cause i thought it would be quirky," he jokes.
"okay, shut up," george mumbles, hitting the other boy's arm. "i just- i just didn't expect it!" he defends.
"well, you should never judge a book by its cover," sapnap speak smugly, smiling at the brunette.
george sighs dramatically, shaking his head. he sits back against the couch with his arms crossed, pretending to stop but not really knowing why. he didn't have time to process how he was acting; he was far too busy trying to hide the shock of what he had just discovered.
"awe, georgie," sapnap pouts, poking the other's side, "why're you all sulky?" he asks in a high-pitched voice, as if he was speaking to a child.
george looks over with the intention to glare at sapnap, but his face falls to a soft smile when he sees the ravenette just a few inches away, grinning genuinely. moments like this, when he sees the pure happiness of his friends, are what he really lives for.
happiness of his friends.
friends.
sapnap is his friend.
george has to strain himself from looking down at his friend's lips. their proximity is suddenly becoming overwhelming for the brit, and he can hear sapnap's steady breathing as he exhales.
"watcha staring at?" sapnap asks playfully, an amused smirking tugging at the edge of his mouth.
"nothing," george denies, shifting back to sit up against the armrest of the couch, looking across the space at sapnap. george can feel a lot of feelings dawning over him, and he can't seem to stop himself as the words slip quickly out his mouth, "do you think it was my fault?"
sapnap's face falls from its easy-going expression, and he too relaxes back against the couch. "what do you mean?" he wonders, frowning.
"i mean, maybe i'm to blame," george says, shrugging. "it's my fault for falling for it in the first place, and if i hadn't gotten attached so quickly-"
"no, george, it isn't your fault," sapnap quickly interrupts, shaking his head with absolute certainty, "you don't get attached too quickly, dream is just a manipulator."
"it's not just dream though," george speaks shyly, "i already feel like i'm falling for someone else," he admits, "it's like i'm putting myself into these situations."
"dream lied to you, drugged you, sexually assaulted you, and manipulated you, george. this is not your fault, and it's okay if you're falling for someone else," he says, swallowing. "feelings are normal, you just have to be careful so that you don't get hurt."
"i already know i'm going to get hurt," he mumbles, more so to himself, sighing deeply.
"how so?" sapnap asks, even if it seemed like george hadn't even been speaking to him. "you can talk to me, remember."
"i know, i just-" george looks back over at sapnap, meeting his eye contact with a guilty expression. "i'm sorry."
sapnap furrows his eyebrows, cocking his head to the side in confusion. "why are you apologising?" he asks.
"it's you," he admits quietly, looking back down at his lap to avoid seeing the ravenette's reaction. "i think i like you and i just- i didn't- i'm sorry if it feels like i've been using you," he speaks sadly. "we've just been spending so much time together, and you're nice and like, i- i just can't-" he sighs frustratedly, shaking his head, "i'm sorry, you can go if i've made you uncomfortable."
george hears the shuffling, but he refuses to look up, not wanting to watch his friend leave.
then, there are a pair of arms around him, and he is being pulled up off the couch and into a tight embrace. "you're such an idiot, george," he mumbles through a laugh, laying his cheek in the brunette's hair.
george lets himself relax into the comforting arms, pressing his eyes shut as he feels the tears threatening to spill out. "you're not upset?" he asks quietly.
"no, of course not," sapnap denies, holding him tighter. "i think you're cute as fuck," he giggles. "and, if it makes you feel a little better," he starts, soothingly running his palm up the other's back, "i think i might have a lil' bit of a crush on you too."
george giggles at the playful tone, calming down in sapnap's ever-warming presence.
"i do think though," sapnap says, speaking more sincerely as he tightens his hold on the older, "that we should wait a little bit, you know, take it slowly?"
george hums in agreement. despite his eagerness, he knows that it would be really mentally beneficial for him not to rush into anything. "i would like that," he says.
"maybe i could take you on a date?" sapnap offers, moving one hand to scratch gently at other's hair, "maybe dinner or something?"
"i would like that too," george almost whispers.
sapnap pulls away just slightly from the other, keeping one arm wrapped around his waist as he brings the other up to hold george's chin between his thumb and pointer finger. he tilts the brit's head up, their gaze meeting.
sapnap smiles, triggering the same expression in george.
"can i?" the ravenette asks gently, leaving space between them while george makes a decision.
george giggles softly, pretending to shrug, "yeah, i guess you could if you really wanted," he replies playfully.
sapnap exhales an amused breath, rolling his eyes before slowly closing the distance between them, sealing their lips together in a gentle kiss.