Archive of Our Own

“So this is it then?” The words were flat, but George’s face said it all. Dream had never seen him so bright eyed before. He saw them flicker over to his face before landing on the front of the house again.

“This is it,” Dream said.

The house was quaint. There was a porch wrapped around the front and large windows. Shrubbery tucked into all the corners. A large tree in the front of it had a branch thick enough for them to hang a swing on. But the best was what surrounded it. A grassy field extended from the back and around the left side, then broke into a tree line where there was an oak tree forest. It was exactly what they had been looking for.

George’s room was on the right side of the hallway, Dream’s on the other side. The room was bare of course, but as George began to stack boxes and furniture in, it slowly started coming to life. Dream played music over his speaker and for a couple hours they sang and unpacked. George was halfway through dumping his clothes out of trash bags and folding them into the drawers of his small wardrobe when Dream appeared in his doorway.

“Did you finish already?” George asked, glancing over at him. He continued to fold his clothes and set them to the side, still sat on the floor.

“No,” Dream said. George grinned into his lap.

“Got bored, then?”

“Oh, come on. There’s no way you’re not bored.” George pretended to think for a second.

“Actually I’m pretty busy, here, obviously.” He gestured to the piles of clothes surrounding him.

“Yeah, you’ve got quite the castle going on,” Dream said.

“That’s right, welcome to my kingdom.” Dream huffed out a laugh and sat down on the floor with George. He leaned back against the closet door opposite him.

“You’re room is starting to come together,” Dream said, looking around.

“You think so?”

“Yeah, how is that possible? Mine still looks like shit.”

“My impeccable design taste,” he said. Dream snorted.

“Yeah, okay.”

“I meant it when I said we were gonna make this place cute.” George put the shirt he was folding down onto his lap.

“Well, duh. That was the whole point wasn’t it?”

“No, the point was to live out our cottagecore dreams.”

“Okay, but isn’t having a cute cottage part of that dream?”

“I suppose you’re right.”

-

“Come on,” George said, turning back to grin at him. “Let’s explore.”

George turned back around and started walking into the grass. A slow smile crossed Dream’s face before he laughed and chased after him.

“Wait up!” George giggled and broke into a run, tossing glances over his shoulder. Dream shook his head and ran after him, steadily gaining until George stopped suddenly. Dream skittered to a halt, but ended up running into his back anyways. George teetered forward on his toes, swinging his arms, and Dream threw an arm out to steady him.

“Fuck! Sorry!” Dream said. “Don’t stop so suddenly,” he mumbled. George wasn’t paying attention. He was staring out in front of them with a look of wonder on his face, and when Dream turned to look out he saw why. There was a large pond before them, complete with chirping frogs and turtles camped on the outer rocks. Bubbles broke the surface from small fish. They shared a look before dashing forward to the banks, laughing giddily.

“This is heaven, has to be,” George said. He bent down, muddying his knees, and dipped one hand into the water. It wasn’t the cleanest pond in the world, there was algae covering all the rocks and the floor was muck, but there was a creek running into it that kept the water flow and it was empty of any trash, so it was better than nothing. The water was a deep, murky blue that hid how deep it was.

“Oh my god,” Dream said, following him to the edge and peering over into the water. A fish stared back at him, then shimmied off into the depths. Dream laughed again. “How is this real?”

“I don’t know, but I’m going in.” George looked back at Dream, who returned his excited grin. George pulled his shirt off in one smooth motion then stepped out of his pants. He ran forward, the ground squishing beneath his feet in a kind of gross way. He stopped ankle deep and turned back to look at Dream. He was staring at him, frozen in place. “You coming?”

“Yeah.” Dream shook his head, clearing whatever thoughts were there. “Yeah.” He quickly stripped down to his boxers as well and joined George in the water. It was cool, but not cold. Refreshing. George kept going until the water was up to his neck, lapping at his jaw. When he turned to Dream and saw him still a foot above the water he snorted and splashed his exposed torso. Dream gasped dramatically and surged toward George, splashing him twice as forcefully. George took a wall of water to the face and gagged when some of it got into his mouth.

“What the fuck, Dream?”

“You splashed me first!” Dream raised his hands in surrender.

“Yeah, in a fun and playful way! Not like a tsunami!” George stood up and stormed closer to him, shoving Dream’s shoulders so that he stumbled backwards. Except he forgot that Dream was taller than him and could still stand in the deeper waters. Dream grinned evilly at him before walking backwards until the water was at his shoulders.

“Come get me now, George,” he said, tossing his head back to laugh. George huffed and swum out to him, treading water because he couldn’t reach the bottom anymore. Dream laughed harder and ruffled his hair, George tried to swat at his hand, but had to stop when his mouth dipped under the water. They ventured out into the middle of the pond where neither of them could touch the ground.

Dream dunked his head under the water, getting his hair wet and rubbing his fingers over his eyes. George watched him silently as he disappeared fully under the water. George looked around underneath him frantically, but he couldn’t see Dream in the pond water. He felt something brush against his calf and flinched, then rolled his eyes. He kicked out with his foot and hit skin. Cold fingers wrapped around his ankle and George shivered, barely having time to take a deep breath before he was pulled under.

He couldn’t see any better under the surface, but Dream had let go of his ankle and swum up in front of him. His eyes looked darker than they usually did, more brown, and his hair floated around him in a halo. George punched him in the chest and kicked back up again. Dream broke the surface after him with a deep gasp for air, his hair now plastered against his forehead over his eyes.

“That was not funny,” George said. Dream swiped his hair out of his face, revealing a small smile.

“It kind of was.”

-

Dream sat down against a tree and leaned back, splaying his legs out in front of him. George wobbled over and plopped down beside him, still grinning maniacally. Before he could overthink, he laid down and put his head in Dream’s lap. Dream smiled down on him, all lopsided and adorable. His hand found George’s hair and combed through it gently. George closed his eyes and appreciated it for a second. When he opened them, he saw the bright blue sky framed by the branches behind Dream’s head.

He breathed in deeply through his nose, out through his mouth. It smelled like grass and crisp air. Dream was still watching him, half smile lingering on his face.

“Hi,” George said, finding his eyes. The smile jumped to life again.

“Hi.” He leaned his head further over so he was right above George’s. His hair fell down off his forehead and hung like a curtain over George. He eyed it for a second before lifting his hand and wrapping a strand around his index finger. “You like it?”

George shifted his gaze back to Dream. “Yeah.”

“I was thinking about getting it cut.”

“Don’t.” George’s arm was getting tired so he released Dream’s hair. He poked Dream in the cheek and let his hand drop back to his side. Dream chuckled and poked him in the nose. When he tried to pull his hand away George grabbed it and held it against his chest. “Mine, now.”

Dream didn’t try to take it back. “Always was.” George watched Dream’s face flush furiously. “I didn’t mean…”

“No, I think you did,” George said. Dream groaned and leaned his head back on the trunk. George laughed, but let him off the hook.

He closed his eyes against the gentle breeze. The sun shone down on his shoulders. Dream’s hand was warm in his, his knuckles slightly chapped, but his fingers soft and slender. His other hand was still playing gently with George’s hair. It was the most peaceful George had ever felt and he never wanted it to end.

-

“What if we got chickens?” George asked, hovering near the kitchen table. Dream looked over at him with raised eyebrows, turning away from the breakfast he was making for them.

“Neither of us like eggs, George. It’d be a waste.” He turned back to the stove and poked at the hash browns.

“So? We could bake with them. Or sell them.”

“To who?”

“Anyone! There’s gotta be people around here that would buy fresh eggs, no? Or we could just learn to like them.” Dream rolled his eyes, but there was a grin on his face. “Imagine raising chicks, Dream! C’mon, they’re so cute and then they grow into cute chickens. And they’re like mini compost machines, Dream. It’s good for the environment.”

Dream was still for a moment and George knew he’d won. He crossed the kitchen to stand in front of him, leaning his hip on the counter and crossing his arms. Dream heaved a sigh and peeked at him out of the corner of his eye.

“Fine.” George’s face lit up and he stood up straight.

“Yes! Think about how much fun this is gonna be, I’m so excited.” George let out a cheer. Dream watched him, unable to keep the wide smile off his face. He tried to look put out, but they both know he would do it again if it meant seeing George this happy. George looked up at him and they both stared at each other, grinning, for a silent moment.

George reached out and touched Dream’s upper arm, fingertips skimming over his skin lightly. Dream looked down to watch them, but then George was gone completely, talking animatedly about where they were gonna put their chicken coop.

“How soon can we go to the tractor supply store?”

“You sound like a hillbilly,” Dream said, wheezing a little. He turned back to the food, waited for the toaster to bing and grabbed plates. George was still waltzing through the house with his hands raised talking to himself. Dream shook his head and huffed. He dumped a good portion of hash browns on both their plates, then moved the hot toast over between his thumb and forefinger, hissing and dropping it when it began to burn. He shook his hand out.

There was jam and butter on the table already, George must have put it there. He moved the plates to the table and went back for napkins. When he came back George was pouring boiling water from the kettle into two mugs. They met at the table, George placing their tea in front of them- Green tea, because it was Dream’s favorite- and sat to the left of him. Dream threw the napkin at his face playfully, snickering when George shot him a look.

“I’m just saying, the sooner we get on this the better, right? It’s spring now, so it's the perfect time,” George said, continuing the conversation like nothing had happened. He reached forward for the butter, spreading it across his toast evenly before going back in with the jam over top.

“You’re really excited about this whole thing, huh?” Dream followed suit. He watched George take the tea bag out of his mug before it got too strong. There was a tinge of blush on his cheeks.

“I just like the idea, that’s all.” Dream took a bite of toast and smiled at him. Under the table his foot nudged George’s then stayed leaning against it. The corners of George’s mouth twitched up.

“I do too,” Dream said honestly. George’s head snapped up to look at him, searching his face for the truth. He smiled wider when he found it.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Dreamed laughed. The morning sunlight was streaming through the windows around their kitchen, filling the room with pale natural light.

“Were you around when my family raised chickens in our bathtub?” George asked suddenly. The way Dream’s eyebrows shot up told him he hadn’t been.

“You raised chickens in your bathtub?”

“Well, chicks, but yeah. Then when they were big enough we took them to the ranch. Twice, we did that, actually.”

-

“We need plants,” Dream said. George nodded seriously, pretending to be deep in thought.

“Yes, yes, you’re right. Plants.” He broke the facade and looked at Dream with a sparkle in his eyes.

“Do you wanna go down to the town now or later?” Dream leaned back on the couch, stretching his arm across the back. George chewed on his bottom lip while he thought about it.

“Now, probably. That way we can get back in time to start dinner. While we’re out we should get supplies for the coop.”

“Okay, but like, you’re forgetting that neither of us know how to make a chicken coop.”

“We’re gonna learn! It can’t be that hard, I’ve already looked it up.” Dream raised his eyebrows at him and George rolled his eyes.

“Do we even have power tools?”

“Yeah, my grandpa gave me some of his old ones when I said I was moving to a farm house.”

“I guess they don’t need them anymore, huh?” George shook his head.

“Not since they sold the ranch, but hey, at least we can call them for advice on things like this.”

“Alright,” Dream said, groaning as he lifted himself off the couch. “I’ll get dressed then we can go.”

“Good thinking, bud. I’ll put some real clothes on too.” George clapped his hands together then disappeared into his room. He ran a hand through the clothes hanging in his closet, then picked up a plain blue t-shirt and some black jeans. He grabbed a pair of dusty converse, mussed his hair in the mirror, then gave himself a quick thumbs up.

“Hey, we should get some overalls,” George said, walking out of his room. Dream was still in his room, door cracked open.

“You think so?”

“Yeah, we’re farmers now. We need overalls. And flannels.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Dream’s voice floated out of the room and George could almost picture the face he was making.

“C’mon slow poke, let’s go!”

“I’m coming, you idiot,” Dream said, finally emerging from his room now fully dressed. He ran a hand through his hair and shoved his wallet into his pockets. “Ready?”

“‘Course,” George said, crooked smile in place. “Let’s go!” He bounced out of the house and into the midday sun, enjoying the feeling of a breeze on his skin. He jumped into the passenger seat while Dream slid into the driver’s and started the car.

“Here,” Dream said, handing him his phone. “You do music.” George took his phone and happily put on their shared playlist.

“You just add this one?” Dream asked when the music came on, softly playing over the speakers as they pulled out of their driveway and onto the dirt road. It was accompanied by the whir of the wheels on the uneven surface. The car jumbled slightly as they drove.

“Yeah, you like it?” George turned his head to look out the window, watching the vast expanse of fields and forest pass by. There were cows in some of the pastures, horses here and there.

“Mhm.” Dream turned his attention back to the road. He hummed softly when a song he liked came on, thumping his fingers on the steering wheel.

“Are you happy we’re doing this?” George asked, not looking away from he window. Dream peered over at him.

“Of course, dude. You know I am.” He could just barely see George’s smile.

“Yeah, but it's been a long time since we came up with this plan. I just wanna be sure you’re still into it.”

“George,” Dream said, waiting until the other looked over at him. He shifted his attention between the road and George’s eyes. “I would have told you before we bought a house and moved in together if I wasn’t 100% in on this.” The skin around George’s eyes crinkled.

“Yeah, okay.” He nodded, gaze lingering before he turned back to the window. Dream chuckled under his breath.

-

“I want this one for sure,” George said, gesturing to a tall monstera plant. Dream nodded.

“Yeah, I agree. I really want this one too,” He held up the pothos he was holding.

“For sure, we should get more of those too, they’re really hardy and pretty. I think we should grab some ivy too and then maybe one more. If we need more we’ll come back later on.”

“Okay, sounds good. And if it’s too expensive then we can just steal clippings and propagate our own plants.”

“Oh, good point. I like where your heads at.” George nudged him with his hip and snickered. “Okay, help me carry these.”

“Wait, I’ve just thought of something, what if we had a garden?” Dream asked, spinning around to face George fully. George’s eyes widened.

“A garden! Like with vegetables and stuff?”

“Yeah! We could build a little planter for it like my dad did at home. It's not that hard, plus we have all the time in the world.” They grinned excitedly at each other. Something in George’s chest spun at the words.

“Perfect. We’ll be certified builders after all this.” Dream laughed loudly.

“Yeah, right. I think we’ve got a lot to learn.”

“Well, we’ve got all the time in the world, Dreamie.” Dream grinned even wider at his own words being thrown back at him.

They piled all of their plants into the car, then left again to walk around the town square. It was small, a couple local shops and the court house, that was it. But the scenery was nice and there were people walking around that nodded curtly at them or said hello. George was the one to notice the bakery on the corner, and was walking in before Dream had even comprehended what the place was.

“Hiya! Welcome to The Bread Box!” A boy their age welcomed them from behind the counter. He had a bright smile and looked extremely happy to see them.

“Thanks!” George said, stepping forward.

“This is your first time in, right?”

“Yeah,” Dream said, nodding with a polite smile. The boy started to say something else, but was interrupted by the door behind him suddenly flinging open.

“Karl, do we have- Oh, hi.” He shared a look with presumably Karl. The two couldn’t have been more opposite, Karl with sandy brown hair and a colored sweater under his apron, the other with dark hair, dark clothes, and a chain strung through his belt loops.

“Hi,” Dream said, laughing a little.

“How can I help ya?” Karl asked as they approached the case. There were small cakes, cookies, muffins, pies. And they all looked delicious. George took a moment to look around while Dream pointed and asked questions about the pastries. It was an adorable place, with comfy seating and fairy lights scattered across the ceiling. Plants in every corner. The vibe was definitely warm and cozy. When George turned back to the conversation Karl was watching him, head tilted just the slightest bit in curiosity.

“What do you think?” He asked, George met his eyes and smiled and the other immediately smiled back effortlessly.

“This place is really cute.” Karl was beaming. There was a blur of motion behind him and George thought he caught the glimmer of a proud smile as the dark hair boy disappeared into the back room.

“Thank you!”

“Is it yours?” Dream asked, leaning forward onto the counter. Karl nodded happily and began the motions of grabbing a coffee and muffin for Dream.

“Ours,” Karl corrected, tossing a warm smile towards the back room. “It was always my dream to open a bakery, but Sap humors me. Well, he loafs around while I do all the work, but…” There was a scoff from further back in the bakery and Karl’s smile widened. Then his face dropped and he leaned forward over the counter conspiratorially. “But between us, I don’t know what I’d do without him.” George laughed and shook his head. There was something about the two that was charming. He met Dream’s gaze in the corner of his eye and saw he was thinking the same thing.

“So!” Karl clapped a hand on the counter where he had just placed Dream’s drink. He turned to George. “Anything for you?”

“Can I have one of the cinnamon rolls?”

“Sure thing! That’s what we’re known for. Actually, I think we have some coming out of the oven soon. If you wanna wait a minute, they’ll be warm?”

George agreed and moved forward to pay, but Dream stopped him, knocking his hand down. George quirked an eyebrow up quizzically.

“I’m paying.” Dream handed his card to Karl before George even had a chance to complain. “It’s fine, George. Plus, this way you’ll have to share with me.” Dream was smirking.

“Oh, he’s got you there,” Karl said.

“Fine.” George rolled his eyes.

“You guys can take a seat wherever you like, I’ll bring the rest out to you when it's ready.” They thanked Karl and turned to look for a table. The place was empty so they had their pick of wherever, and Dream led him over to a corner booth near the window. Dream cupped his mug with both palms and put his elbows on the table.

“This was a good find,” he said. George nodded back, playing with the table cloth in front of them.

“Yeah, good job me.” Dream rolled his eyes quickly. He blew on his drink then leaned back in the seat. “They seem really nice.” George glanced over at Karl, who has swiping a cloth across the surface of the counters and whistling softly.

“Yeah,” Dream said. There was a beat of silence. “We should probably introduce ourselves, make some friends here.” A nervous smile crossed George’s face but he nodded all the same.

Warm air suddenly wafted into the room smelling like cinnamon and George heard the clatter of a pan being set down. His eyes brightened and he watched the door to the back swing open as Karl moved behind it. A moment later he nudged the door open with his hip, a slight blush on his cheeks and a large grin. He had two plates in hand, one for each of them.

“We went ahead and heated up the muffin for you, too! I hope you enjoy,” he said. He turned to leave and George kicked Dream under the table. Dream cleared his throat and Karl stalled in place before turning around again.

“Um,” Dream suddenly looked nervous. “We just- we’re new here and we haven’t really made any friends yet. So, uh, I just thought we should introduce ourselves.” He looked to George wide eyed for back up. George smiled easily and looked over to Karl. He lifted his hand up.

“I’m George.” Karl wiped his hand on his apron and grasped George’s hand.

“Karl.”

“Its nice to meet you. If you’re not busy, maybe you wanna sit down?” Karl’s face lit up and he nodded rapidly, the movement shaking his mop of brown hair.

“Yes! Of course, I would love to. That’s a great idea. Hold on.” He spun in a circle. “Let me get that dork back there, he’s not doing anything, just hiding.” Karl took off, untying his apron as he went. George chuckled and looked back over to Dream, who was already smiling at him.

“I hope that’s okay, but you did say we should make friends.” Dream shook his head.

“It’s perfect.” Dream took a bite of his muffin and mumbled praise under his breath. George stood up and shoved his plate over so he could take the seat next to Dream. The corner of Dream’s mouth curled up and he bumped their shoulders together. There was a commotion in the back.

“Oh come on! No one else’s here, say hi at least.” A second later Karl reemerged with the other in tow. Karl’s fingers were wrapped around his wrist as he pulled him out into the front, but as soon as they were in view the other ripped his hand away. George thought he saw hurt flash across Karl’s face, but it was gone before it was really even there.

They approached the table, Karl beaming again and the other boy looking down at his feet with his hands shoved in his pocket. Karl wiped at his brow and slid into the seat looking expectantly up at the other until he sat down too.

“Sapnap, this is George and…” Karl’s eyebrows knotted and he looked to Dream.

“Dream.”

“And Dream! This is Sapnap,” Karl said. “They’re new in town,” he added, elbowing Sapnap in the side. Sapnap winced and shot him a glare.

“Nice to meet you. Welcome to town.” He sighed like he knew how awkward he sounded and leaned back into the chair, folding his arms. He had shaggy black hair that was tied back with a white bandana and an eyebrow slit. George caught the glint of metal on his ear and it took him a minute to realize he had piercings there. He didn’t look like the kind of person he expected to be living here, but his style was pretty fire.

“Don’t mind him, he’s shy,” Karl said, laughing. Sapnap rolled his eyes playfully, but couldn’t hold back a small smile directed at Karl. “What brings you guys to town? We don’t often get new people. Plus, if you haven’t noticed, it’s mostly an older crowd here.”

“Yeah, we noticed that,” Dream said. “But we wanted a quiet place to settle down for a while.”

“Oh!” Karl said lifting his hands to his cheeks excitedly. “Are you two dating?”

George choked on the bite of cinnamon roll he had just shoved into his mouth. He banged on his chest a couple times until he spluttered back to normal, but by then the whole table was staring at him. Dream was beaming, of course.

“No,” George said. “We’re not.”

“We’ve been best friends since we were like ten, so we get that a lot,” Dream explained happily. He loved when this happened. George rolled his eyes and shoved him for good measure. It didn’t happen that often.

“Aw that’s cute,” Karl said, but George saw the way his face dropped slightly. A hesitant smile fitted onto Karl’s lips and he started to say something before thinking better of it. He looked to Sapnap for help and the other sniffed before dropping his arms and leaning forward onto the table.

“So, where do you guys live?”

“We just bought the place down on Orchid Lane,” Dream said. Sapnap nodded slowly, mulling it over.

“Great place.”

“Yeah, it’s very… quaint.”

“Well, if you ever need help with things, just ask us! We’ve been here for a couple of years, so we kind of know the go around. And, Sap’s pretty handy if you like that sort of thing!” Karl said. He seemed to have recovered from whatever moment he was having before. Sapnap turned to give him the smallest of smiles.

“Actually,” George said, sitting up a bit in his chair. “Do you know how to build a chicken coop?”

Sapnap grinned, all teeth. “Sure do,” he said proudly. Karl grabbed his arm and leaned forward.

“See, I told you! He’s good for something,” he said. Sapnap huffed. “You guys looking to raise chickens?”

“Yeah, I really want to,” George said. He eyed Dream from the corner of his eye and saw him nod along.

“Well, if you wouldn’t mind… we could use a local egg supplier,” Karl said, sincerity lighting up his eyes. “We would pay of course!”

A slow smile spread across George’s face and he shared a look with Dream. “Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Neither of us really like eggs, so that works perfectly.”

“Oh that is perfect! Sap, how about you help them build the thing, then we’ve got a deal?”

-

“This is all you got?”

“Well… yeah.” Dream crossed his arms defensively. Sapnap was staring at the small pile of wooden planks and chicken wire he had bought, one eye brow raised and a look of disapproval to match.

“We’re gonna need more planks than this. I brought my own tools, so we’re good on that front, but seriously man, didn’t you do any research?”

“Yes! I did,” Dream said. “It’s not going to be a chicken mansion, I thought this would be enough.”

“Yeah, enough for the floor maybe. Did you forget there’s six sides to an enclosure?” Dream blushed furiously and chewed on his bottom lip.

“Yeah, but some of them will just be wire.”

“Hey,” George said, waltzing up beside Dream. He gave a confused glance at Dream’s defensive stance. Dream let out a breath of air that ruffled the hair on his forehead and George bit back a laugh. “Everything going okay?”

“Just fine,” Sapnap said, huffing a laugh. “With all this, we can build a shoe box.”

George chuckled softly. “We need to head back to the store then, huh?”

“Damn right.”

“Well, you might as well stay for a bit Sapnap. We can build the chicken coop another day,” George said. He shaded his eyes from the sun with one hand and fanned himself with his other. It was a particularly hot day. Sapnap shifted uncomfortable in place for a moment, then shrugged.

“What else are you guys up to?”

“Probably just gonna play some video games, honestly.” Sapnap smiled.

“Now you’re speaking my language, what games do you have? Cause I can run over to me and Karl’s place and bring some of mine over.”

Dream stepped closer to George and put his arm on his shoulder. George shifted closer to him subconsciously, not minding being used as an arm rest.

“Come check it out,” Dream said. “We’ve got a good collection going.”

-

“If we put the ivy there maybe it’ll start to grow up the wall!”

“Do we want that?”

“Of course we want that, what do you mean?” George asked, turning his head to look at Dream. Dream shook his head and grinned.

“I just mean, it could get out of control, no?”

“I like out of control.” George was smiling madly and when Dream turned to raise a brow at him he devolved into a fit of giggles. “Don’t look at me like that!”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, like that.”

“No, tell me, George, what am I looking at you like?” Dream took a step forward, towering over him so that George had to bend his neck to look up.

“Shut up,” George said, rolling his eyes. He turned back toward the wall. “I’m telling you- ivy! It’ll be pretty.”

“Fine, but I want an herb garden, so I can cook with fresh ones.”

“Dream, you are a genius sometimes,” George said.

“All the time,” Dream said. George tilted his head and pursed his lips.

“Well…”

-

There was a knock on his door and George turned over and sat up on his bed to face it.

“Can I come in?” The door was cracked open, so Dream poked his head in.

“Yeah, get in here,” George said, patting the bed.

Dream pushed the door open and slipped in, then leaped up on the bed and sprawled across the bottom of it.

“Whatcha doing?”

“I’m on TikTok. Look at this cute cow,” he said, turning his phone around for Dream to see.

They shared a look, having the thought at the same time.

“Should we get a cow?” George whispered. Dream contemplated for a brief moment, chewing on his bottom lip as he stared at the TikTok again.

“Chickens first, then cow.”

“Yeah, but we’re getting one for sure.”

“Once we can take care of one safely,” Dream said.

“Obviously.” George stared at him. “Come up here.” George gestured to the pillows next to him. “Watch TikTok with me.”

-

There was an antique shop on the corner across from the bakery. Karl mentioned it, and they saw it every time they went to visit him, so it was inevitable that one day they would finally stop in. It was small, cramped, and dusty, but just about the best thing George had ever seen. His eyes went wide as he scanned the shelves lined with old knick knacks, glasses, plates, clothes. His eyes snagged on some tarnished candle holders and he stepped forward to pick them up. He turned to Dream with a gleam in his eyes and a giant smile on his face that Dream easily returned.

They maneuvered lazily through the place, admiring the vast variety of things shoved onto shelves. George picked up and turned over as many items as he could, but there was nothing he actually thought worthy of buying. That was, until they hit the jackpot.

“Oh… my god. George!” George spun at the sound of his name. Dream was staring away from him, fixated on something sitting on a side table. George sidled up beside him and following his stare to find a chess board. His face lit up and he turned to Dream as Dream turned to him.

“No way!” George bounced on his toes happily and Dream clapped his hands together.

“George, we have to get it. We can play chess in real life instead of on chess.com.”

“We have to! I love chess.com, but come on!” He reached forward and picked up the black queen. It was cool and smooth in his hand.

They bought it, of course. They also bought the candle holders, a sage green teapot, and a picnic basket. They set the board up on the kitchen table and wasted no time in sitting down to start a game.

“Rock, paper, scissors for white?” George asked. Dream grinned and nodded, already extending his hands. On the count of three George played paper. Dream played scissors.

“Yes!” Dream laughed giddily and George made a face.

“Alright, timer or no timer?”

“No timer, I just wanna chill.”

“Okay.” George settled into his chair and glanced at the board while Dream picked up a pawn and moved it forward. “King’s Pawn opening, so predictable.” Dream made a face at him.

“Shut up, it’s the best and you know it.”

“That’s true.” George gave a small shrug and picked up his pawn to mirror the move.

“Oh, and I’m predictable, okay.” Dream snorted. George shook his head and grinned.

“It’s my favorite response!” Dream moved his knight to f3 and George responded with knight to c6, the most standard opening to ever exist. The two shook their heads and laughed. Dream hummed and put his elbows on the table and his chin in his hands while he thought. Slowly, he reached one hand out and move his bishop to c4. George quirked one eyebrow.

“Italian game huh?” George asked. Dream smiled.

“Yeah, why not?” He shrugged one shoulder. George moved his bishop to c5. “Stop copying me.”

“No,” George said, winking at him. Dream scoffed and castled, switching his rook and king. The game continued at a pretty even pace, staying equal for the most part until the end game.

“I feel like I’m not gonna know if it’s checkmate or not,” George said. Dream huffed out a laugh and rolled his eyes, but he was too focused on the board to really respond. A chill game for dream was never really a chill game, but George already knew that.

Dream ended up winning, and being overly excited about it for someone feigning a relaxed game.

“You’re dog water!” Dream slammed his fist down on the table, rattling the discarded pieces. George sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Bitter 'cause you lost?”

“No, just enjoying the show, drama queen.”

-

There was always a chess game going on after that. They left the board on the kitchen counter and every time they walked past it they made a move and wrote it down so they knew whose turn it was. Sometimes the games lasted days, sometimes hours. When someone won it was always accompanied by loud cheers and insults before a new game was set up. Sapnap saw the thing almost immediately and was quick to perk up and ask them if they liked chess. When they said yes, his eyes brightened and he told them he loved the game and they immediately bonded over it. Karl looked at them like they were speaking a different language, but was happy to see Sapnap opening up to someone other than himself.

Karl and Sapnap were quickly becoming their best friends there. They came over all the time, often just showing up. Karl sometimes brought a new recipe he was trying out and Dream and George were happy to be the taste testers when more often that not they were a home run. Sapnap slowly warmed up to them enough to drop his guard and he and George fought like siblings.

-

There was the loud thump of the front door opening and closing, then footsteps rumbling across the floor. George sat up and rubbed his eyes. He heard the sound of another, closer door swinging open and Dream’s voice rang out. Another voice greeted him, muffled voices behind the walls of George’s room, and he smiled to himself. He played with the fabric of his comforter and listened to them for a minute. Morning light trickled in from around the blinds and dappled across the bed. When he lifted his fingers to the spotted light it painted his fingers in a cream color. He curled his fingers into his palms, trying to catch it.

Loud laughing from the main room of the house drew him back to the present and he got up slowly, stretching his limbs along the way. He slid his door open softly and tip toed out into the living room and kitchen area. It was no surprise to him to see that Sapnap had made himself comfy on the couch while Dream talked to him over his shoulder in the kitchen. George hugged himself, the sleeves of his oversized hoodie falling over his fingers. Sapnap looked up and smiled at him.

“Hey, it’s Gogy!” Sapnap said. Dream turned around in the kitchen and waved one hand at him before his attention was whisked away again.

“Did you just wake up?” Dream asked.

“Mhm,” George said, still groggy. Sapnap chuckled as he shuffled over and dove onto the couch next to him. “Karl around?”

“Nope, maybe in a few. He was working on a new recipe early this morning. It looked sus, so I dipped to see what you guys were up to.”

“He actually just came to get breakfast,” Dream called over.

“Hey! Not true, there’s like a thousand baked goods in our house at all times, I don’t need to leech off you guys.”

“Yet you do anyways,” George said. Sapnap reached over to hit him on the leg, causing George to kick at him with his foot.

“No fighting on the couch,” Dream said. George and Sapnap both rolled their eyes.

“Oh yeah, like there’s never been any wrestling on this couch,” Sapnap said, a sly glint in his eye.

“Ew!” George buried his face in his hands. “That’s gross, Sapnap.”

“Oh please, George and I are classy, okay? We have sex on the bed not the couch.”

“Dream!” George screamed, a blush rising to his cheeks. The other broke down in laughter, Dream going so far as to wheeze laugh at the stupid joke. “You guys are so dumb.”

“Who’s dumb?” The front door must have opened in the midst of all the laughter, because Karl was standing in the doorway, but none of them had heard it open.

“Karl!” George said. He scooted up so that he was leaning against the arm of the couch with his legs bent in front of him. “Come to my rescue, I need another sane person in the house.”

“I don’t know that there’s a single sane person here. Just my asshole boyfriend who abandoned me to avoid tasting my scone experiment.“ Karl approached the couch slowly, looking expectantly at Sapnap.

“I’m sorry, babe, but there was no way in hell I was trying that.” Sapnap smiled like he hadn’t just insulted his boyfriend’s baking and patted the space on the couch in between him and George. Karl sighed and shrugged, then shoved Sapnap to the side until he shifted for Karl to sit against the arm of the couch. He put his legs over Sapnap’s lap and Sapnap linked his arms around them, pulling them closer and resting his chin on the knee closest to him.

“Fine, I’ll forgive you. But only because they actually did taste like shit.”

“Told you.”

“Shut up. You’re dumb.” Karl made an angry face and crossed his arms, but Sapnap lifted a hand to ruffle his hair and Karl immediately leaned into his hand.

“Karl do I need to add extra bacon on, are you hungry?” Karl’s face lit up.

“Just cook it all, Dream,” George called over.

“But that’s so much work,” Dream whined.

“Put it in the over then, you dunce. It’s better and easier.”

“But I already started it in the pan.”

“So take it out, dude,” Sapnap said. Karl, seemingly have forgiven him already, linked their fingers in Sapnap’s lap.

Dream grumbled from the kitchen and there was a clanking as he pulled out a sheet tray.

“What’s on the list for you two today?” Karl asked, looking at George.

“We were gonna paint today, you still wanna do that, Dre?”

“Sure do,” There was a bang as Dream shut the oven and sauntered over to them.

“You guys wanna hang around?” George asked. “Pretty sure we have extra painting stuff.”

“Yeah! I love painting,” Karl said, nodding vigorously. Sapnap shrugged, but if Karl was in, so was he. George looked up and found that Dream was staring down at him.

“Scooch,” Dream said, gesturing with his hand. George grinned and shook his head.

“No.”

“Fine,” Dream said. He stepped forward and flung himself down onto George’s lap. George groaned and shoved Dream’s arm. He was heavy and his body weight on top of George was making it hard for him to breathe.

“Stop, Dream, get off.”

“No. You refused to move and there’s nowhere else to sit.” Karl and Sapnap shared a look and laughed to themselves. George glared at Dream, holding eye contact, but Dream refused to back down. Finally he broke the stare and sighed.

“Fine, get up.” Dream raised one eyebrow. “Just get up! Go!” Dream lifted himself up and George slid out from underneath him. “Sit,” he said, gesturing to where he had just been.

Dream sat down the same way he had been, his legs extended and back against the arm of the couch. George sighed and nudged Dream’s knees apart then sat down in between his legs. He caught a brief glimpse of Dream’s smile before he turned away and leaned back, crushing him against the couch. There was a soft ‘oof’ from Dream behind him, but he didn’t push him off, instead hugging him from behind and hooking his head over George’s shoulder so he could see Karl and Sapnap. George crossed his legs loosely and let his hands rest in his lap, trying to ignore Dream’s face so close to his.

“You guys got anything other than bacon?” Sapnap asked, stretching his arms above his head. George couldn’t help but notice the way he and Dream mimicked their position. In fact, he and Dream were cuddling more so than Karl and Sapnap, who were quite literally dating.

“We got bagels too,” Dream said.

“Fuck yeah, I love bagels.”

-

It was morning and George was drinking tea again. He put the warm mug up to his lips and savored the earthy taste as it rested on his tongue. It was on the perfect side of hot, just enough to not actually hurt. The ceramic stung his palms a little while he cupped it. When he lowered it, he tucked the mug against his chest, just above his heart, enjoying the way the warmth seeped through his shirt.

“What are you doing?” Dream asked softly, eyeing him with curiosity.

“Oh,” George started, then he hesitated. “It’s warm, so if you put it against your chest it’s like- it’s like a hug. I got in the habit of it during college.” He stumbled over the words slightly, a blush tinging his cheeks pink. It was embarrassing to say out loud. Dream didn’t seem to notice, just smiled as wide as he always did.

“George, if you needed a hug you could’ve just asked.” George barely had time to think before Dream looped his fingers around his wrist and pulled him out of the chair. Dream plucked the mug out of his hand and set it on the kitchen table, the whole while George staring at him slack-faced, and then he wrapped his arms around him and tucked his head over the dark curls of George’s hair. There was a weird moment where George didn’t react at all, just stood there, arms hanging by his side while Dream sighed into his hair. Then, he burst to life suddenly and his hands linked around Dream’s middle and pulled him in closer. Dream’s feet shuffled as he complied and George let his forehead drop forward to rest on the soft fabric of Dream’s shirt.

“See,” Dream said, and George almost startled at the noise. “Better than warm tea.”

George hummed in response, because he was right. It was much better than warm tea.

After a minute or two, George was trying not to count, he finally pushed Dream away and sat back at the table to resume his tea drinking. Dream pouted.

“Can’t hug all day, my tea’s going to get cold.” Dream’s pout intensified. George shook his head. “Later.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, you’re like a dog or something. Always needing affection.” George rolled his eyes with the words, but they didn’t affect Dream, who barked and turned around to dig around in the pantry.

-

“Movie night?” Dream asked, leaning back against the kitchen counter. George grinned and poured water into his third cup of tea that day.

“Absolutely, what should we watch?”

“Horror movie?”

“No, I’m a baby Dream, I won’t be able to sleep.”

“So sleep with me tonight.” George’s eyes widened and he looked at Dream. “You know what I meant.” Dream waved it off.

“I’m not gonna sleep with you.”

“Why not? It’s no big deal. We can cuddle, like you promised.” Dream winked at George then turned around to grab the air popper.

“Oh, shut up. You’re such an idiot.”

“Come on, I wanna watch Hereditary.”

“Hereditary? Are you crazy?”

“Yes.” Dream said. He plugged in the popcorn maker and dug the kernels out of the pantry. The hum of the old thing drove out their conversation. George crossed his arms and glared at Dream as he worked, taking small sips of his hot tea.

He let Dream finish up their popcorn, drizzling melted butter and nutritional yeast on it, because that was the best way to eat popcorn, of course.

“Do we have any beers?” Dream asked.

“I don’t know, check the fridge.”

“There’s two, do you want one?” George lifted up his mug.

“Tea now, maybe at intermission.” Dream grinned.

“Gotcha. Go get blankies and pillows, dude.”

“Ugh.”

“Hey, I made the popcorn. You’re on cozy duty.”

“Fine,” George said, dragging out the syllables. He peeled himself away from the counter and put down his cup. There were extra blankets in the crate next to the couch already, including the patchwork one Dream had spent the past year making. He picked a couple up and threw them onto the couch then walked to his room and grabbed some pillows and a few of his stuffed animals.

Dream was placing their drinks on the coffee table when he returned with his arms full. He threw the pillows down on the couch and smoothed out the blankets while Dream turned on their fairy lights and all the other off. The house was dark aside for a dim glow, but it was maximum coziness level and George was more than content to grab his tea from the table and curl up on the couch. He pulled the blankets over him and took his favorite stuffie into his lap. Dream rented the movie, then settled down next to George.

George progressively dug himself deeper and deeper into the blankets and pillow, trying to hide from the horrors on screen. At a particular gruesome scene he squeaked and buried his head into the cow stuffed animal he had been hugging and Dream’s head snapped over to him.

“Are you scared?” He asked softly. His face was shadowed from the low lighting, and the screen flickered over the side closer to it.

“Duh,” George said, flinching when the screen flashed in his peripheral. There was a look on Dream’s face he didn’t recognize before he scooted closer and tugged on George’s arm gently. George let himself fall into Dream’s side, if only so that he could hide his face in his shoulder when he got too scared to watch. Dream chuckled lowly the first time he did so, but he grabbed George’s handle gently and gave it a squeeze anyways.

When intermission came around, which was just Dream telling him they were half way through and pausing the movie, George had to untangle himself. Dream stood up and stretched, then walked to the kitchen and turned the light on. George cringed against the light, but was glad for it.

“Do we have any sweets?” Dream asked.

“Stop asking me stuff and just check, Dream.”

“Somebody’s snappy.”

“That movie is awful, Dream! I’m allowed to snap at you for torturing me.” George moved forward to grab his beer from the fridge.

“Stop being such a baby,” Dream said, bumping him with his hip. George clicked his tongue and kicked at the back of Dream’s leg. “We don’t have to finish it if you don’t want.” George paused to think for a moment. Dream’s words were sincere, but he thought he would be disappointed if he said no.

“It’s okay, Dreamie. I can handle it.” A smile crossed Dream’s lips that was worth the scary movie.

They settled back down after getting their snacks and drinks for the rest of the movie, but as George walked over to the couch he hesitated. Dream was already getting situated on his side of it, balancing some M&Ms on his knee while he gulped down water and placed his glass on the table. George watched him silently, not wanting to sit down yet. Dream finally looked over at him, then furrowed his eyebrows and opened his mouth to say something. Before anything came out, he shut his mouth, a smirk coming over it that made George blush. Dream wordlessly lifted his arm, inviting George back over and George accepted gratefully. He nuzzled into Dream’s side and felt Dream’s arm drop onto his shoulders. His fingers dusted against his upper arm, drawing patterns into his skin.

As the movie resumed, George found himself unable to really focus. Dream’s fingers were still brushing his arm and playing with the hem of his sleeve. His chest rose and fell methodically against him, and he was warm. It was almost easy to forget the movie going on in front of him and drift to sleep listening to the sound of Dream’s breathing.

He woke up to a small laugh that shook his head and hair tickling his forehead as Dream tilted his head to look at him. A warm breath next to his ear made him shiver.

“George?” Dream’s voice was low and George felt the vibrations reverberate through him.

“Hm?” Fingers raked through his hair and George settled in deeper, humming happily.

“You sleepy?”

“Mhm.” Another small laugh from Dream. George smiled too, not really knowing why.

“C’mon then, let’s get to bed.”

“No,” George mumbled, feeling Dream pull away from him.

“No? You want to stay here all night?”

“Yes.” He could feel Dream shaking his head.

“Don’t be silly, c’mon.” Dream pried himself away from George and stood up, leaving George cold and uncomfortable by himself. He scrunched up his face and blinked his eyes open. The menu screen of the movie was playing in the background and Dream was looking down on him fondly.

“You’re an asshole.”

“You’ll thank me in the morning.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

George stepped around him and walked to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and washed his face, moisturized and put his retainer in, because he was good like that. And by the time he had changed into his pajamas and gotten all of his pillows back into his room, he was fully awake again. His tiredness had washed away and now he was alone in a dark room and for some reason his mind was playing the movie over and over again in his head. Every time he closed his eyes he grew paranoid and had to open them again and check the corners of his room. He stared endlessly at the dark doorway, waiting for something to appear in the shadows. He eyed his closet door, praying it wouldn’t open and a figure slink out. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Charlie crawling across the ceiling. For the life of him, he couldn’t sleep.

An hour later, he tossed onto his back once more, dragged a hand down his face, and heaved a deep sigh. He sat up and leaned his back against the pillows, grabbing his stuffed cow and hugging it to his chest tightly. It was ridiculous, and stupid, he knew, but there was no way he was getting sleep tonight. Every creak of the house made his nerves jump. He recalled Dream’s words to him earlier and stared at the door, debating for a good fifteen minutes whether or not he wanted to go.

He stood up slowly from his bed, took a few steps toward the door, then doubled back and paced around the room. He caught sight of himself in the full length mirror propped up next to his closet and startled, then spun around. He groaned and rubbed at his eyes again, then pushed past all the nerves bundled in him and opened the door of his room. He cringed at the thick darkness of the hallway. Dream’s door was only a couple feet away. Out and to the left. He took a deep breath and darted into the hall to Dream’s door, but he stopped there, his hand hovering anxiously over the door knob. He was having second thoughts.

Something scratched against the kitchen window and George jumped. He clamped down on the doorknob and turned it before he could back out, then stepped into Dream’s room. It looked different in the dark, still unnerving like everything else, but also comforting for some reason. Dream was sprawled across the bed, face pressed into the pillow and limbs flung about. The sheets were twisted around his torso and one leg was bent up. He took a tentative step forward, ignoring his instincts to just flee back to his own room, and stopped in front of Dream’s sleeping form. Tentatively, he raised a hand to tap Dream’s arm.

Dream startled awake immediately, making George flinch backwards. Dream’s darkened eyes landed on him and he seemed to relax significantly. He turned onto his side and lifted himself up a bit so that he was propped up on his arm.

“George? You okay?” Dream’s hair was sticking up in every direction and George resisted the temptation to reach out and flatten it. He chewed on his bottom lip, blush hidden by the night.

“I just…” He paused, sighed. “I couldn’t sleep, and you said-“

He stopped talking when a big, goofy smile spread across Dream’s face. He was still half asleep it seemed, but he shuffled over and patted the other side of the bed. George released a breath and climbed into bed next to him. Dream turned over so that he was facing him, still smiling lightly.

“You get scared?” He asked, his words mumbled behind drowsiness. George nodded. Dream reached out and put a hand on his arm, then moved it down slowly over his forearm to land on his hand. He held George’s hand loosely, brushing his thumb over his knuckles in a soothing motion. George scooted closer to him on instinct and let his hand tentatively touch Dream’s chest. They were only a couple inches apart, but Dream’s eyes were closed now.

George watched him silently for a moment, his chest rising and falling with each breath. There was a hole in the pit of his stomach that could only be filled by being closer to him. Being pulled fully into his chest so he could hear his heart beat the same way he had on the couch. Slipping his foot in between Dreams’ and curling his finger’s around his side. It was so strong in that moment he almost did all of it, before he caught himself and decided to close his eyes and sleep instead.

It came easily this time. He didn’t feel the need to constantly look over at the door or pry his eyes open, because Dream was safe. Dream would protect him.

He woke up the next morning feeling groggy and sweaty. He was hot, but when he tried to throw the covers off there was a weight on his arm that wouldn’t let him. He opened his eyes and that was when he remembered whose bed he was in. Fuck.

Sometime while they were both sleeping, George had turned around and Dream had slung an arm over him. The arm still hung loosely across his shoulder, pinning his own arm down. George moved to shove him off, but hesitated. Maybe he didn’t want to escape Dream’s hold. He kind of wanted to bask in it for as long as he could. There was light streaming in from behind the blinds, but he could tell it was still early morning.

A sly grin worked its way onto his face and he sneakily shifted backwards, edging closer to Dream. He realized with a start that somehow their legs had become tangled without him knowing and a blush spread across his face. They really were just full on cuddling, huh? In his sleepy state he decided to embrace it wholeheartedly and gently grabbed Dream’s fingers where they hung over his shoulder.

Dream didn’t stir behind him, and he figured he got away with it and drifted back to sleep. For a few hours he came in and out of sleep, and each time he was still wrapped up in Dream’s embrace. At one point he thought he felt Dream’s hand tighten around his. Then his foot brushed the back of his calf. And when Dream finally began to shift awake, so did George. Reluctantly, he let Dream take his hand and feet back, trying to hide his disappointment, but in a sudden movement Dream lunged forward again and hugged George from behind. He laughed loudly, arms tightening around George’s middle and head burying into his neck. George screeched and tried to squirm out of his grasp, but it was no use.

“Get off me you freak!”

“No! You leeched off of me all night, I get to crush you.” George continued to struggle against him until finally Dream’s grip loosened and he jumped away. He landed on his knees at the bottom of the bed, reaching for the pillow he had been laying on and whacking Dream in the head with it. Dream scrambled back, covering his head with his hands as George hit him over and over again and laughed wildly. Dream grabbed his own pillow and sat up to fight back.

They kept hitting each other with pillows and bouncing around the bed until George threw his forcefully into Dream’s face and dove out of the bed. He made a mad dash for the door, barely getting out of the room before Dream was on his heels. George laughed loudly as he threw open the front door and ran out into the early afternoon air. The sun was bright and the sky was blue and George bolted. Dream was still hot on his trail, his longer legs making ground faster than him. Eventually George, out of breath and heaving air into his lungs, stopped and dropped to the ground. Dream slowed his run and fell into the grass beside George, laying down on his back and breathing heavily too. There were wide smiles on both of their faces, but they didn’t say anything for a moment.

Dream stared up at the sky, closing his eyes and feeling the sun’s warmth on his skin. George pulled a fistful of grass from the ground and sprinkled it onto Dream’s chest. Dream’s eyes opened just as he was dumping a second fistful onto him and shifted to find George’s. He huffed out a laugh and brushed the grass off of him.

“You’re such an idiot.”

-

“You know what I feel like doing today?” George asked, hopping up to sit on the kitchen counter. Dream flicked his knee as he moved past.

“What?”

“Baking something.”

“Like what?” Dream raised an eyebrow, looking genuinely curious.

“Bread.” George shrugged.

“Bread? We don’t know how to make bread.”

“Okay, but we have an amazing baker for a friend. I’ll just text Karl for a recipe.”

Dream shrugged. “Sounds fun. Then we can go on a picnic with our homemade bread and the stuff we got yesterday.” George’s eyes lit up.

“Oh, you’re a genius. Alright, I’m texting Karl now. I wonder if we have all the ingredients already.”

“I hope so, I really don’t wanna go to the store again today.”

As it turned out, they did not have all the ingredients, but Karl was kind enough to offer to drop some off. He claimed it was no big deal and that he had an excess anyways, but George still thanked him for it. He even brought them some dried lavender to add to it, practically bouncing with excitement for them. George invited him to stay, but he said he had left Sapnap at the bakery and he really needed to get back.

Baking bread wasn’t nearly as hard as George expected it to be, he and Dream actually worked pretty well together. While they left the dough to rise they made fresh lemonade and started packing for their picnic. They used the basket they had bought from the antique store for the first time, which George was absolutely stoked on. Dream mixed marshmallow fluff with cream cheese and cut up strawberries to have with it. The loaf came out perfectly, to their surprise, and they went off for their lunch while it was still warm.

The branches above them seemed to brush against the sky as the wind moved them back and forth. There was a light breeze that was cool against the warmth of the sun shining down on their necks and the scent of sweet grass in the air around them.

“I can’t believe we made this, Karl would be so proud,” Dream said around a bite of said bread.

“We should tell him we followed his recipe and it came out great.” George reached forward to tear a piece of the loaf off. He grabbed the brie cheese and spread it across the bread with some of the locally made jam they picked up from the store down the street. George was pretty sure this was what they ate in heaven, because there could not be anything better in the world. Dream was grinning at him, all lopsided and adorable. George chewed slowly then swallowed and when Dream was still looking at him he finally raised his eyebrows and said something.

“What?” He asked. Dream’s grin widened impossibly.

“Nothing, just… I just-“ he shook his head as he tried to find the words. “You’re just so- This is great.” George sniffed and tilted his head.

“I’m so what?” George was surprised to find Dream blushing.

“Nothing.” George scooted closer and nudged Dream with his elbow.

“Come on, tell me. I’m just so what?”

“So ugly, now shut up and stop ruining the vibe.” George barked out a laugh.

“The vibe?” He asked incredulously.

“Yes, the vibe! Please, you’re still ruining it.”

“How am I ruining it?”

“Well, maybe if you stopped talking…” Dream trailed off. His head whipped around to see if George had taken it the wrong way. George scrunched up his face.

“Oh, okay,” he said sarcastically, crossing his arms. “Didn’t know you hated the sound of my voice so much.” He looked away pointedly.

“Oh, come on, George. I love your voice, you know that. As a matter of fact, I love everything about you. Is that better?”

“That’s not enough.” George huffed.

“My love isn’t enough for you?” Dream asked, voice raising with mock offense. George snorted and chewed on his bottom lip before sneaking a glance at Dream, who was, of course, staring right at him. That was all it took for him to break out into a fit of laughter, falling back onto the blanket and clutching his stomach as he got it all out. “You’re an idiot.”

But Dream was laughing now too, his signature wheeze laugh that made everything right in the world, and George’s jaw hurt from smiling so much.

-

George laid in bed that night alone and was surprised to find himself feeling lonely. He’d only spent one night in bed with Dream, but he already missed it. He’d never been one to like sleeping alone, and growing up they had always shared a bed at sleepovers, but this felt different. He didn’t just want someone beside him, he wanted Dream. He wanted Dream’s arm around him, the warmth of his hand around his, his slowing breathing as he drifted off. It was this new feeling that made him hesitate. He didn’t want to overstep any boundaries, but at the same time, Dream was always open to cuddling with him. It was no big deal, or at least it shouldn’t be.

George sighed and tugged his stuffed animal closer to his chest in hopes it would replace the emptiness that hung there. It didn’t. He could feign being scared again, could say he just couldn’t sleep. Those were just excuses, though.

He laid there for a few for minutes before caving and checking his phone to pass the time. It was getting late, but he didn’t really care. The mindless scrolling was enough to distract him and numb the ache. At 4 am he put his phone down and tried for sleep again. He closed his eyes and tried to think of anything besides Dream. It didn’t work, and as though his thoughts had somehow summoned the man, there was the creaking of a door from the hall. George’s eyes shot open, even though he imagined Dream probably just had to pee.

Except he didn’t stop at his bathroom. His footsteps were slow as he approached George’s door and stopped in front of it, like he was unsure. George bit down on a grin. The door handle turned carefully and a figure stepped in.

“Dream?” Dream startled a little and George giggled as he sat up.

“So you are awake,” he said. From the sound of his voice George could tell he hadn’t been sleeping either.

“What?”

“Your discord said you were online.” George snorted.

“Yes, I’m awake. Can’t sleep.”

“Me neither. I just… thought I’d check in.” Dream was still standing, George noticed. That wasn’t like him, Dream was never awkward around him anymore.

“Alright,” George said. “Close the door and get in bed, dork.” If it weren’t so dark George thought he might’ve seen Dream smiling. The door clicked shut and the bed dipped as Dream crawled into it. George shifted towards the wall to make room for him and curled one arm under his head as he watched Dream settle next to him.

Dream finally got situated and turned on his side to look at him. Something warm rushed through George’s chest, filling the previous hole and making his eyes crinkle at the corners.

“You sleepy?”

“Not really,” Dream said. There were crickets were chirping loudly outside the window.

“Me neither.” George grinned. “It feels like we’re having a sleepover right now.”

“I mean, every night is a sleepover.”

“Yeah, but not like this,” George said. He was pouting without even really knowing it.

“Well…”

“What?”

“It could be.” Dream looked away, up to the ceiling, then at him.

“What do you mean?”

“There’s nothing stopping us from doing this every night.” It was all starry eyes and grins between them.

“Yeah, you’re right,” George said. “Just like old times.” There was a pause while they searched for words.

“Kinda crazy that all these years later we’re still doing this.”

“I mean, I always thought we were endgame.” George said it like a joke, but he wasn’t really joking at all.

“Oh, really, huh?” Dream’s brows raised a little. George huffed out a laugh and rolled his eyes.

“If you thought you were ever getting rid of me, you’ve lost it.”

“Who said I wanted to get rid of you?” All George could do was smile at him.

“I’m gonna remind you of that next time I burn dinner.” The laugh he got out of Dream was a gift from the universe. With his head titled back slightly, exposing his jawline, and his eyes rolling towards the ceiling, his laughter came straight from the chest and filled the whole room. George let it wash over him, blinked slowly in the aftermath and swallowed his own mirth.

They talked deep into the morning, until the sun rose and the birds began to chirp. George had that strange feeling that came with being up when you weren’t supposed to be. The staleness of a morning where you hadn’t gotten any sleep. He reached over and peered through the blinds idly to look at the sunrise. The sky was all pink and purple as the sun begun its rounds. Dream was quiet behind him, but his breathing told him he was still awake.

“Good morning,” George said, throwing a look over his shoulder. Dream snorted. He had been watching him.

“Mornin’.” He punctuated it with a yawn. George laid back down on his back and yawned too. “If we go to sleep now, we’ll fuck up our sleeping schedules so bad.”

“I don’t care.” George stretched his arms above his head and settled in, pulling the comforter up over his shoulders and grabbing one of his stuffed animals. Dream was still watching him, and the corner of his mouth twitched upwards.

“Do you always sleep with a stuffed animal?” George hugged his bear defensively.

“Yes. It feels weird not to now.”

“That’s adorable, Georgie.” Dream had broken out in a full blown smile now and George blushed.

“I like having something to cuddle.”

“I’m right here.” Dream was pretending to be joking, but George could tell there was sincerity to it.

“You wanna cuddle?”

“I always wanna cuddle, dude.”

“That’s ‘cause you’re clingy,” George said. He didn’t mind Dream’s clingy-ness though, he actually kind of relied on it.

“Hey,” Dream whined. George ignored him in favor of scooting closer and grabbing Dream’s wrist. He lifted Dream’s arm and put it over his waist.

“There,” he said. He didn’t need to look at Dream to know he was pleased. Dream hummed and pulled George closer into him. George giggled at the ridiculousness of it all, but moved his head onto Dream’s pillow nevertheless. In the brightening room he felt like he could see every detail of his face. His foot brushed against Dream’s and stayed there. Dream didn’t move his away either.

“Night, Gogy.” He was so close his breath tickled George’s face when he spoke.

“Night, Dreamie,” He whispered on his own breath.

-

They woke up in the late hours of the afternoon. George slapped a hand over his eyes and groaned loudly, feeling like he’d just woken up from an extended nap instead of actual sleep. Dream mumbled something in his sleep and turned over, burying his head into the pillow. George groaned again and stifled a yawn, sitting up slowly and stretching his arms over his head. He blinked a couple of times, waiting for his brain to catch up, then turned his gaze to the sleeping man next to him. A sly smile toyed with the corner of his lips.

He pounced, putting his hands on either of Dream’s shoulders and turning him over. Dream protested loudly and flung his arms over his face, but flipped over onto his back. George sat up on his knees and pushed on Dream’s chest, earning an ‘oof’ from Dream.

“Dream! No more sleeping, come on. We’re fucked as it is,” he said. Dream said something incoherent under his breath in response. He smacked Dream lightly in the chest with the back of one hand.

“Dream,” he tried again. Nothing. George heaved a loud sigh. Fine, Dream gaze him no choice but to resort to extremes. He hopped up and plopped down on top of Dream, straddling his waist with his hips, and hit his shoulders with either hand. He shouted his name as loud as he could, then burst out laughing when Dream finally dropped his arms and opened his eyes. He wasn’t expecting the way Dream’s eyes widened and his pupils dilated when he looked at him, but took it in stride all the same. The smirk on George’s face was devilish as he leaned in close and brushed his nose against Dream’s.

“This is your fault,” he said. “You should have woken up the first time I told you to.”

Dream was still foggy from sleep, but not enough so that he couldn’t return the favor. “Well if that’s the case, maybe I’ll ignore you more often.” George sat up straight and threw his head back in a bark of laughter. Dream grinned lazily at him, then shoved George’s thighs until he was falling back onto his side of the bed.

“Oh, Dream. What are we gonna do?” George sighed as he hit the mattress. He put his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. Dream sat up and glanced down at him.

“We’ll figure something out. Right now, though, I’m hungry. C’mon, let’s get breakfast.”

“It’s 2:00 pm, hardly breakfast hours.”

“Breakfast is whenever you wake up, George.”

George thought about offering a retort, opened his mouth to do it and everything, but he let it slip past. Dream was already at the door, disappearing out into the hallway, and George was warm all over and he bit back a smile as he got up and followed him into the kitchen.

-

Sapnap hovered over the campfire, debating. With a maniacal grin he dumped a bit more lighter fluid on and watched the flame surge upwards. He laughed happily and sauntered back over to where Karl was sitting on a lawn chair they had dragged over from the garage. Karl smiled and ruffled his hair when he sat down at his feet and leaned back against his legs. George and Dream were both in chairs of their own, ones from the kitchen table because that was all they had. There was a chair for Sapnap too, but he preferred to be closer to Karl and insisted on being nearer to the fire as well.

Somehow a cold front had blown in the night before, and it was kind of chilly once the sun was gone. The fire was a welcome heat and George was the perfect distance away to bask in the warmth but not feel overwhelmed by it. The only thing not in his favor was the smoke that blew his way when the wind changed and made him cough. Dream’s long legs stretched out from his chair and landed in George’s space, their ankles just barely resting on each other. The contact was kind of comforting, in a weird way.

“We haven’t had a bonfire in so long,” Sapnap said, musing as he stared into the flames. Karl’s hand had fallen to rest on his shoulder.

“Yeah, it’s been a hot minute,” Karl said. His face lit up and he looked around excitedly. “Get it, hot minute?”

“Yeah, Karl. We got it,” George said monotonously. Karl pretended to be hurt. Sapnap leaned his head back into his lap and looked up at him from behind his hair.

“That was terrible,” Sapnap said. Karl flicked him on the forehead then immediately bent in half to place a small kiss in the same spot. Sapnap scrunched up his face and stuck his tongue out.

“Don’t make me kiss that tongue,” Karl said.

“Ew dude,” Dream said. Karl burst out into a fit of high pitched giggles and Sapnap lifted his head up to press a short kiss to his lips. There was a satisfied look on his face that made George jealous for a brief moment, but he didn’t know what part he was jealous of.

Their voices filled up the night air for hours, chatting and laughing and having a good time. Dream told stories of all their childhood shenanigans and Sapnap told them how he’d met Karl a farmers market, which was so cliché, but the look on his face when he talked about it made something clench inside of George. When Karl and Sapnap retired back to their place to get some sleep, George pouted and nagged them to stay longer (it didn’t work).

“Do you remember when we were in high school?” Dream asked. Now that it was just the two of them it felt different. The atmosphere had shifted from hanging out to something more serious. The whole night had been full of reminiscing, telling the good stories and poking fun, but there was a lot that was just between the two of them.

“How could I not?” George asked. He looked at Dream, but he was staring deep into the flames of the fire. The wood crackled and a spark flew in the night air. Bright red for a split second before disappearing. A far off smile touched Dream’s lips.

“Yeah, I know. I just mean, like. It seems like so long ago that everything was so… bad.”

“Bad,” George echoed. “Probably an understatement, to be fair.” Dream’s smile grew a little wider, but he didn’t look over.

“Back then I never thought something like this was possible.”

“I know.” George would have said more, but he had the feeling Dream was trying to getting something out.

“God, I didn’t even really know what it was like to be happy. Not like this, at least. We were happy sometimes, weren’t we? Like when we had sleepovers and played video games all night or went to Six Flags.”

“Sure, not everything can be bad.”

“Yeah, but a lot of it was.”

“True. There was a lot of bad to balance out.”

“Why, do you think?” There was something weird in Dream’s voice that brought George’s eyes to his face. He searched for some kind of answer there, but all he found was a cloudy pain.

“Why what?”

“Was it like that?”

“Just how it is, man. I don’t know.” George shrugged noncommittally. He didn’t know what Dream needed to hear.

“I was talking to someone, months ago, and they were talking about high school and how they had a generally good time and they just kind of assumed I did too. They were like ‘you had a good high school experience, right?’ And I just looked at them and said no and laughed, because I didn’t realize there were people out there who actually liked high school. You could offer me a million dollars to relive my high school years and I would say no without hesitation.”

“People enjoyed high school?” George huffed out a laugh at that.

“Yes!” Dream laughed exasperatedly with him and shook his head. “See, I had no idea until that person said that, but then I was asking around and a lot of my other friends said the same thing. So I was like, what happened to us? Why did we have such a shitty time.”

“Untreated mental illness, probably.” George was aware he was being blunt.

“Well, yeah, that’s for sure. You could describe my whole childhood as untreated mental illness.” George snorted and agreed.

“You could probably say that about your mom too,” George said. Dream barked out a laugh.

“If anyone is the picture of untreated mental illness, it’s my lovely mother.” There was a pause where George thought about everything. He took a moment to really process the words Dream was saying and guide them to a softer conclusion.

“I think, like, obviously we were both going through some things mentally at that point, right? But also, for me, I was still coming to terms with being bi and trying to figure out who I was,” He said. “We were all feeding into each other too, obviously,” he added on. Dream nodded slowly.

“Yeah, my sexuality crisis didn’t come till after yours. Maybe it’s a gay thing. I think you’re right though, we had no idea how to help each other.”

“It very well could be a gay thing, since most queer people don’t get to experience their youth in the same way straight people do. In terms of like, not being able to be themselves freely or figuring things out later in life.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Sucks though.”

“Oh, for sure. It’s shitty. I’m just glad that in college I got to be fully out and go to therapy. I did a lot of work on myself. So did you, by the way. We’re both much happier now.” Dream smiled shyly at his hands.

“Yeah, I’m proud of us. We’ve made it this far, right?”

“Yeah,” George said. He looked up at the sky and the vast expanse of stars above him and for once he felt like he belonged here. There was a place for him on this earth, and Dream was at his side. The heaviness of the world didn’t feel so strong here.

They let the fire smolder out fully then retired to the house for the night. George felt the good kind of tired, his eyelids were heavy and his limbs moved slowly. His clothes and hair smelled of smoke. He changed into pjs and went to the bathroom, but on the way back he hesitated. He paused in his doorway and glanced over to Dream’s room. The door was still open and he could hear him shuffling around. They had slept in the same bed for the past two nights. George found himself not wanting to break that streak.

He padded over to his doorway softly and peered in. Dream was staring at something on his phone in the middle of the room when George cleared his throat. Dream’s head shot over to him, then he tilted his head in confusion.

“What’s up?” Dream asked. George played with the hem of his sleeve nervously. He hadn’t planned this far ahead and he didn’t know what to say.

“Just… Um.” He glanced over at the bed then back at Dream. Dream followed his gaze. When he looked back there was a level of understanding in his eyes. Dream ducked his head and laughed lowly.

“Getting used to sleeping with me, George?”

“If you make fun of me, I’m leaving.” George crossed his arms. Dream held his hands up in surrender.

“No, don’t leave. I like it, too.” The words made George’s chest swell. He dropped his arms and closed the door. Dream shut his lamp off and climbed in bed and George followed him.

As he laid in bed with Dream for the third night in a row, far closer than he should have been, but not quite cuddling yet, he thought maybe he could get used to this. That maybe this could be the knew normal, so long as Dream would let it.

-

The bed sharing kind of became a thing after that. Sometimes it was George’s bed, sometimes it was Dream’s, but more often than not they slept in the same one. They didn’t really talk about it except to make jokes, but it was clear they both liked it better than being alone.

There was something about waking up next to Dream that gave George butterflies every morning. He stopped being able to resist Dream’s affection, found himself wanting to be closer to him always. For the most part, he chalked it up to Dream being his best friend. They were soulmates, they’d known that for years. But there was something different lingering underneath it all, and he wondered when their flirting had stopped being a joke. Where did the line stop?

He didn’t realize he had fallen head over heels for his best friend until he was too far gone to do anything about it. It had happened so gradually, because that was just how they were. He had no idea if Dream knew, or how he felt, though, and he was too nervous to bring it up for fear of it changing everything.

The first time he realized he liked staring at Dream’s lips because he wanted them on his own, he almost choked on his drink. It had been an awful, awkward discovery and Dream had patted George’s back and ducked to look him in the eye to ask if he was okay. George had been so embarrassed he flushed a deep pink and made some excuse before hiding in his room for a few hours.

-

“Oh! Look, Dream. It’s raining.” Dream tilted his head up to look out the window. Sure enough, it was. The sky was grey and little droplets of rain pattered against the glass. When Dream looked back to George there was a sly excitement there.

“What?” He asked. George’s smile widened.

“Let’s go out.” George was already standing up, fingers circling Dream’s wrist to pull him along. Dream stumbled to his feet in time for George to drag him halfway across the house. The rain pounded steadily against the rooftop. George had the door open.

“What are we doing, George?” Dream stopped in place, effectively halting George in the doorway. A chill wind blew in from behind him and spatters of rain began to dot his shirt. George turned to him.

“Living,” he said. Then his grip tightened on Dream’s wrist and they were out in the rain. They hadn’t even bothered to put shoes on.

The rain was coming down lightly, but it still made Dream shutter against it. As they ran barefoot through the rain, droplets began to drip down his face and fly off his chin. The ground was slick and muddy beneath his feet, squelching loudly with each of their steps. George pulled him along until they were in the midst of their field, lush grass brushing their ankles. He dropped Dream’s wrist to extend his arms out and turn in a circle, laughing wildly and throwing his head back. It was all Dream could do to not scoop him up.

Instead he turned his own head to the sky and closed his eyes against the incoming raindrops. They felt cool as they ran down his face. Peaceful. Thunder rumbled in the distance, but it was far off. He felt a brush against his arm and opened his eyes to George in front of him. He bit down on his bottom lip and ran his fingers down to his hand. Dream regarded him softly, let him do whatever he wanted.

“Dance with me,” George said, words whispered on the wind. Dream didn’t even pretend there was a chance he’d say no. He cupped George’s palm with one hand and slid the other tentatively to rest on his hip. His heart skipped a bet when George’s fingers landed on his arm. George’s eyes were the warmest he had ever seen them. A hearth against the chill rain, and they watched his with a gentle fixation. His lips curled slightly at the corners, a smile he didn’t even know he was wearing.

George moved his feet leisurely, leading Dream through a slow dance that consisted mostly of them spinning in languid circles. Dream’s hair hung down the front of his face in wet spears. George peered up at him through wet eyelashes. For a second all he could see was Dream, outlined in the grey sky. Backlit, like an angel.

Dream’s hair fell in front of his eyes for a second, dirty blonde over vibrant green. He shook his head, but it fell back into place immediately. A small smile touched George’s lips and he brought his hand up to Dream’s forehead, whisking the hair away from his eyes and to the side. Dream’s breath hitched at the lingering touch. Slowly George’s hand dropped back to its place on his arm, but their eyes never parted. Another low rumble of thunder, the flash of lightening. George’s fingers squeezed Dream’s arm. Around and around they went, the rain coming down harder and harder until they were soaked through, but neither of them really cared.

George broke first, looking up to the sky with a laugh. His hair was plastered to his forehead and dripping beads of water down his face. Droplets pooled at his jaw and ran off into the earth under their feet. Their feet that were cold and coated in slick mud. George took a step and slipped, the ground beneath them was quickly turning into a muddy pit. Dream tried to steady him, but immediately slipped as well and they tumbled and slid over each other until they were both on the ground covered in mud and laughing hysterically. George tried to stand up, but his feet wouldn’t stay still and he toppled over again, this time landing directly on top of Dream.

He attempted to scramble away, but there was no use. He was practically straddling Dream by the time he gave up and finally resigned himself to hugging Dream. They were still laughing uncontrollably at the whole ordeal, but when he recovered, he let his head rest over Dream’s heart, one hand splayed up next to his face and their legs both bent at weird angles. Dream huffed out a careful laugh and moved his hands up to cup George’s sides.

“George,” Dream said, and there was something different about it. Something that made George lift his head and meet his eyes. There was something different there too. Same shy smile, though. Dream’s hands scrunched the fabric of his shirt on either side of his hips, gently encouraging him to move forward. George’s mind went completely blank as he stared down at Dream. He couldn’t help it when his eyes flicked down to Dream’s lips, because really, they were right there. Practically beginning to be looked at. There was humor in Dream’s eyes when he looked back up.

There was rain still pouring over them and thunder still cracking in the distance, but getting steadily closer. Their clothes were completely soaked through and sticking to their skin and each other. Mud covered the majority of their bodies and clothing. But it was the most free George had ever felt in his life. In that moment, he felt like he could eat the world raw.

He was still staring down at Dream, eyes scanning his face for anything that would tell him what the hell was happening right now and what the hell to do about it. There were spots of mud on his cheeks and nose, and George smiled a little as he reached forward to wipe them off. He tucked his thumbs into the sleeves of his long sleeved shirt and leaned forward, swiping across both sides of Dream’s face in one go. It didn’t help really, just smeared the mud around on his face, but Dream blinked slowly and swallowed and they were even closer now. George didn’t want to sit back up.

Dream’s mouth opened to say something, but he hesitated. George watched his eyes dart down to his lips. George’s hands still lingered at his shoulders, tucked close to his neck. He wasn’t even sure what he was hoping Dream would say. Whatever it was, what Dream actually said was far better. Dream had always been the poetic one.

“You should probably kiss me,” Dream said, eyes bright. George grinned from ear to ear and complied.

Dream’s lips were warm and wet, and the taste of the rain lingered between the two of them. Dream’s hand worked its way into George’s hair and his fingers wrapped around the strands. His mouth was sweet in a way George had not been expecting, like he had been eating honey that was now pouring into his mouth. George’s brain malfunctioned completely and he was glad that his body took over for him. He settled onto Dream and melted into the warmth his body radiated under the cold clothes.

Dream’s eyes stayed closed for a few seconds after George pulled away. George waited nervously, but a blissful smile spread across Dream’s mouth. He opened his eyes and George saw everything he felt in them. Dream reached up and tucked George’s hair behind his ear, fingers lingering on his cheek.

Slowly, George got up then held out a hand for Dream. Neither of them could wipe the grin off their faces. Dream leaned in to kiss him again, then scooped him up and carried him back to the house, George screaming and laughing the whole way. When he put him down, George shook his head and crossed his arms and waited for Dream to kiss the frown off his face. He did, of course.

Dream walked to his room and peeled his shirt off. George eyed him curiously.

“We should probably shower.” George said. Dream tossed a Cheshire grin over his shoulder.

“You’re right, we should.” George waited pointedly for him to continue with whatever he was scheming. “But it’s only right we save water, you know? Maybe we should shower together, save the environment.”

George’s eyebrows shot up, but he returned Dream’s easy grin. He shook his head playfully and walked past Dream into his bathroom. When he reached the doorway he looked back, and seeing that Dream hadn’t moved, waved a hand over his shoulder.

“You coming or what?”

Dream, still holding his wet shirt in his hands, ran after him before he had the chance to shut the door on him. He was in George’s personal space again quickly, tilting his chin up and looking at him like he had been waiting for this forever. Dream’s fingers danced under the hem of his shirt. George gasped as his cold fingers ran up his chest then lifted the shirt off of him. He shivered in the open air. Then he took a sharp intake of breath and pushed Dream away.

“Okay, you go over there,” he said. Dream laughed and raised his hands in mock surrender. George undressed in the corner, keeping his eyes to himself. The roar of the shower going was the only sound, steam slowly starting to fill the room.

His eyes scanned the upper half of Dream’s body, not anything new to him, but different in the context. He refused to let his eyes wander any lower, awkwardness taking over him. Dream noticed his stiffness and chuckled softly.

“Don’t be weird,” he said. “It’s just a shower.”

“A shower with someone I just kissed, yeah,” George said, refusing to look him in the eyes.

“Well, you wanna do it again?” George grinned despite himself and finally looked up at Dream. It was the same Dream he had known since childhood, the same one he had grown up with and confided in time after time. He wondered how long he had been in love with him. He nodded and Dream kissed him again.

“We have a thing for kissing in water,” Dream murmured onto his lips.

-

George stared at the fully formed chicken coop in awe. It was exactly what he’d imagined and more. He could already picture the chickens in there, all loud and obnoxious and everything he’d ever wanted. It was perfect. And Dream had thing proud smile on his face like he owned the world and Sapnap was standing off to the side with a small quirk to his lips. The sun was beating down on them and Dream had huge pit stains, but George thought maybe he’d never looked more beautiful.

“Well?” Dream asked. “What do you think?” A smile broke across George’s face.

“I love it,” he said, not looking towards the coop. George blinked, then surged the few steps forward to Dream, grabbing his sweaty shirt and pulling him down for a kiss. It was supposed to be a quick one, but then Dream’s hands were on either side of his face and he was kissing him like he was made of glass. Sapnap whistled somewhere to his left and he heard the crunch of grass as he wandered off. George pulled away.

“We have to get chicks,” he said. Dream huffed a laugh that tickled George’s lips.

“Tomorrow,” he said, and George nodded. They had all the time in the world.