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Inviting George to his family’s Christmas dinner was an easy decision. Sapnap had already left for Texas for the holidays, and all their other friends were getting off campus as well, nobody wanting to hang around the dreary dorm air post-exam season. All except George, who wasn’t flying home for the break and instead had plans to just ‘sit alone in his dorm and eat his weight in McDonald’s’.
He insisted it was because of his exam schedule, but Dream had overheard certain conversations and was able to put together that George wouldn’t be in for the warmest welcome if he were to go home for the break. So, naturally, Dream had told George to come over to his place for the holidays. It was only a few-hour drive off-campus so he could always drive George back if need be, and he didn't have any huge overwhelming plans. Not to mention, his sisters had been begging him to meet the cute brunet Dream had been rambling about nonstop for the past year, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
When Dream first brought it up, George seemed hesitant, not wanting to intrude. But Dream persisted, letting him know he was welcome no matter what.
Eventually, it was a promised trip to Harry Potter world that had George finally relenting, the shy grin that broke across his face letting Dream know he made the right choice pushing it.
A phone call home to his mom the day before Christmas eve was all that was left to confirm their plans before they headed out the next day.
“I’m going to bring George home with me for the break. Is it okay if he stays in my room with me?”
“Oh, honey, of course that’s okay! I can get your sister to bring up the air mattress.” His mom paused, her voice bordering a fine line between teasing and curiosity. “Unless this is more than just a "friend" visit?”
Dream’s face went hot. “No! It’s not–we’re not–he’s not–uh–”
“Really? Because the way you talk about him sometimes…”
“Oh my god, Mom, it’s George--it’s-it's not like that.”
“Do you want it to be like that?”
“Mom,” Dream scolded, flushing a deep red all the way up to his ears. He heard his mom’s light laugh over the phone.
“Alright, alright. I’ll stop. Is there any particular reason George is coming up over Christmas?”
“He was gonna stay in the dorms for the break otherwise, and I figured this would be more fun.”
“I see. Well, let him know he’s always welcome here, and that I’m looking forward to meeting him properly.”
“Okay, I will. We’ll be up sometime tomorrow to help set up for dinner.”
“Sounds good to me." He could hear rustling in the background. "Alright, sweetheart, I’ve got to head out, but I’ll see you soon! Love you, travel safe.”
“Bye, love you, too.”
The line clicked off, and Dream looked around his empty dorm room realizing he still had an entire week to pack for.
******
The drive up went smoothly, George picking the music for most of the drive, putting on Alvin and the Chipmunks covers until Dream threatened to revoke his aux privileges. Dream noticed George getting quieter the closer the destination time got on the screen, but he figured he was overtired. Exam season was a bitch.
However, he found himself keeping a closer eye when they arrived at the doorstep, suitcases in hand, and George was nearly shaking. Sure, Dream had expected George to be a little nervous– he normally was meeting new people–but he hadn’t expected for him to be quite so…pale.
Dream’s mom greeted them both with a hug, shooing them both in the door, and it looked like jolly old St Nick had eaten an entire Hallmark store and vomited it all over the interior of the house.
The festive spirit was high in the household, Mariah Carey blasting and lights twinkling by every doorway, and Dream found all his concerns melting away as they both succumbed to the jolly atmosphere. The more comfortable George got, the further his demeanor reverted back to his normal bubbly self–playing with Patches and politely offering to set the table.
It was a small dinner, the only people beyond his immediate family there were his grandparents, his aunt, and his sister’s fiance, but there was still a lot of food to prepare nonetheless.
Dream didn’t mind being put to work, he enjoyed being busy, and the joyful mood in the household was contagious as he found himself whistling along to the familiar tunes.
At some point, George got dragged away from the kitchen by his younger sister who was absolutely enamored by George’s British accent; asking him to repeat certain words back to her so she could try to copy it. It kept them occupied all the way up until dinner was ready, which led to an incredibly overeager 13-year-old conversing in a heavily maimed accent around the table.
George looked like he was enjoying himself, eyes bright as he shared stories with his family over the food and once again, Dream was really glad he decided to invite him. He didn’t comment on how George only picked at his large portions of food, but it didn’t slip his notice. He figured George was overtired, and he planned on showing him to his room once the dinner was over so he could get some clearly well-needed rest.
When it was time to bring the dessert out, Dream slipped into the kitchen to bring out some of the food. He considered asking George to help, but the brunet had fallen rather quiet again, and Dream figured he could bring it out himself.
Dream had his hands full, precariously trying to balance two plates of cookies in his arms from the kitchen to set on the table.
George, ever polite, saw him struggling and pushed his chair back to help. “Here, let me–”
Dream watched what happened next in slow motion; the moment George was on his feet, all of the colour drained right out of his face. Before he could even take a step, his eyes were rolling back into his head and he crumpled to the ground.
“George!” Dream cried in alarm, as everyone turned at once to the loud thud, commotion breaking out across the dining room. He nearly dropped the cookies he was holding in his rush to get to his side. Once they were safely deposited onto the table, Dream knelt down next to where his mom and sister were already leaning over him.
His mom–ever the nurse, even in retirement–was checking his temperature and his pulse, seemingly not noticing anything that overly concerned her.
“He’s a little warm, but nothing really too concerning. Did he mention feeling unwell earlier?”
“He’s been acting kind of weird the past few days, but not like, weird weird…” Dream responded, his head spinning. Had he missed George being sick?
Then George stirred and his mom moved back, effectively pulling him out of his thoughts.
“Here, give him some space, honey. He’s going to be pretty disoriented waking up.”
“Wha’ happened?” George mumbled, his tongue feeling heavy.
“You passed out, sweetheart. Just give yourself a second, no rush.”
George went to push himself up, but halted when a gentle hand fell on his shoulder.
“Go slow, okay?”
He nodded, propping himself up against the wall as he glanced around at his surroundings with wide eyes.
“You with us, honey?”
“Y-yeah,” George replied, trying again when his voice didn’t quite work right.
“Here, have some water, George.”
George took the water bottle but made no move to drink it, instead gripping onto the sealed bottle as he tried to regain a better sense of his surroundings.
Honestly, George looked a little like he was going to be sick sitting there like that with everyone’s eyes on him, and Dream made the executive decision to get him the fuck out of here.
“Why don’t you come get some fresh air? If you're feeling ready to stand?” Dream said, getting to his feet and offering George a hand, who accepted both the out and the help gratefully.
George still looked a little dazed, so Dream wrapped a tight arm around his shoulders to guide him out to the small bench on the back porch, removing it once they were seated so he could go back and close the glass door behind them.
Neither of them spoke, at first. Silence blanketed over them like an uncomfortable weight.
“You okay?”
Even in the dim lighting from the Christmas lights strung along the roof, Dream could see George’s ears turn pink.
“Yeah.”
“We can stay out here for a while if you like. You were starting to look a little green in there.”
George nodded gratefully. “Thank you. Yeah, it was just…a lot."
“Don’t worry about it. I’m happy for the break too, all those people can get a little overwhelming.”
“Are you feeling any better? Do you know what caused you to pass out like that?”
“I’m just stressed, I think. Not sick. This-this isn’t the first time that’s happened. It just kind of…does. I haven’t been sleeping or eating all that well.”
“From exams?” Dream asked, eyebrows furrowing.
“Something like that,” George muttered, pressing his palms against his eyes.
Dream hummed at the vague answer, following it up with another careful question.
“Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?”
George shrugged, tilting his head. “I didn’t really think it was that bad. I just felt kind of overtired and, like, floaty.”
“Are you feeling better now?” Dream rephrased the question George had previously ignored.
George nodded. “The fresh air is helping. I still feel a little light-headed, and kind of nauseous but…” he hesitated. “I’m-I’m mostly just embarrassed.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Nobody in there minds, I promise. They’re just worried.”
That just made George groan. “I feel so bad. Here I am intruding on your family dinner, and I just fainted.”
“You can’t help feeling sick,” Dream retorted. “And you’re not intruding. I invited you here, remember? Plus, my sisters love you. Everyone’s excited you could come.”
George’s cheeks went pink at the praise before he put his face in his hands. “Still, I should’ve known it was coming and like, gone to the bathroom instead of disrupting the whole dinner. Your mum has every right to kick me out after making a scene like that.”
“What, and passed out on the way to the bathroom? Or brained yourself on the bathtub? There was nothing you could’ve done, George. This kind of stuff happens, it’s okay.”
Dream could practically hear George still worrying in the quiet, even after the reassurance.
“Sorry,” George whispered after a while. “I feel like I’m ruining Christmas, first with fainting and now I’m making you deal with me while I’m all…like this .” He ran a hand through his hair, and Dream could tell how agitated he was with the force George pulled on the strands.
“Hey, none of that,” Dream murmured gently, carefully pulling George’s wrist from where it had tangled itself in the dark locks. “You’re upset, you aren’t feeling well. I don’t mind sitting with you. You’d do the same for me.”
He looked down to where George’s hand was still in his, and Dream linked their fingers together, gazing out at the night stars on the cool Florida night.
“Do you like stars, George?”
George shrugged. “I don’t know much about them, but I think they’re cool.”
“Me neither. I’ve never been good at finding constellations. But I bet that one’s Santa,” Dream commented, a little bit of humour lacing his tone as he pointed to a large star in the distance.
George’s eyes followed his gaze. “It’s pretty,” he responded after a moment.
“It is.”
Silence fell over them, comforting in the way it felt to hold a warm cup of hot cocoa after a cold night. Dream basked in the way it felt to be holding George’s hand.
“My parents didn’t let me believe in Santa,” George said into the air.
Dream looked over at him in surprise, trying to read where this was going, but George wasn’t looking at him. Instead, his eyes were trained somewhere far away in the vast night sky.
Dream crafted his response carefully, not wanting to say the wrong thing. “Why’s that?”
George shrugged. “My family isn’t big on any of this…holiday stuff.”
“Does that bother you?”
George pursed his lips, looking thoughtful for a moment.
“Not really.”
He sounded like he wanted to say more, so Dream stayed quiet, silently prompting George to keep going. What’s going on in your head?
“I guess lately, maybe-maybe it’s been bothering me a little,” George admitted. “Not because they don’t do all the celebrations, I could care less about all that.” He paused for a moment, backtracking. “Though, this one has been really nice. I’m really glad you invited me.”
Dream squeezed his hand in nonverbal reassurance. I’m glad you’re here.
“It bothers me that–while they’ve never been big on Christmas, lately it’s turned into them not being big on–” George bit his lip, thinking through what he was about to admit. Dream ran his thumb up and down the back of George’s hand. It’s okay. “Well, me, honestly.”
The admission rang heavy in the air, and the words sunk deep into Dream’s chest.
“Oh, George,” he breathed, his heart aching at the emptiness in George’s tone.
“It started with me having a boyfriend, back in England. They-they weren’t really a fan of…of my-my ‘ lifestyle’, ” George spat the last word as if it tasted like poison. “Even after we broke up, they still weren’t happy with me. Coming to America for school was kind of like the nail in the coffin. They don’t really want me home anymore.”
George’s voice wavered and Dream could see the unshed tears glittering in his eyes like the stars surrounding them.
“I’m so sorry,” Dream said, sincerity bleeding into every syllable.
George just shook his head as his chest hitched with a quiet sob, and that’s all it took for Dream to wrap an arm around George’s shoulders to pull him close.
George relaxed into the embrace, his head falling onto Dream’s shoulder as tears silently ran down his face.
Neither of them said anything; there was nothing to be said. They sat under the glare of strung lights and fading stars, vulnerable sitting there in the night air, soaking in the comfort of each other on this cool Christmas eve night.
Soon, they would have to go back in. Face his family, let them know they were retiring to bed early. He knew they would have no protests, but the idea of breaking the warm bubble they created between them seemed too heavy.
So for now, he could feel George’s breath tickling his neck and their hands intertwined like they were made to fit together. Though George’s head was still spinning and Dream’s heart was still aching, for now, this moment of sentiment shared between them was enough.