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Dream let out a sigh of relief when Sylvee nodded behind the camera, signaling that their stream had ended.
“You can let go of me now,” George mumbled.
Looking down, Dream realized he still had the smaller boy wrapped in his arms. He didn’t really remember how long he had been holding him like that, had it been for a while? The back of George’s neck was painted a faint pink and his cheeks bore a similar rosy hue, but he didn’t seem to be struggling to free himself. On the contrary, the brunet seemed to tuck himself closer to Dream, pressing their bodies flush together and melting into the warmth. The blond leaned down and pressed their cheeks together as he gave George a squeeze before reluctantly letting him go. His body instantly grew colder, longing for the comfort that came with the shorter boy’s touch.
“I can’t wait to see that get clipped a million times,” Sapnap scoffed. “I can already see the phrase ‘dnf hug’ trending on twitter.”
Dream shrugged, hoping the blush crawling along his skin wasn’t as obvious as it felt. He bent over the counter and busied himself with cleaning up the mess they had made with the gingerbread houses, watching George out of the corner of his eye. The Brit stood still for a moment, looking almost lost as he glanced around the kitchen, before he regained his bearings.
“Well I can’t wait to see that clip of you holding your gun all over twitter,” George shot back teasingly. “Or those clips of you dancing around in the reindeer costume. Are you sure you weren’t a high school mascot, those dances seemed really rehearsed.”
Sapnap rolled his eyes and stuck his middle finger out. George mimicked the gesture.
“Alright alright, calm down,” Dream chimed in. “Can someone please help me clean up this stuff? There’s frosting everywhere!”
Crossing his arms, Sapnap stood completely still, staring pointedly at George. “I’m definitely not helping, I’m pretty sure your boyfriend over there is the one who made the mess.”
“I’m not his boyfriend!” George exclaimed, pink tinting the tips of his ears. “But fine, I’ll help clean since Sapnap’s entirely useless.”
Sapnap grinned and made his way out of the kitchen to help Sylvee pack up all of the equipment they had used.
Dream could feel a strange sort of tension fill the air as George leaned over the counter across from him, picking up empty packaging and spare candies that had rolled free. It almost seemed like George was actively avoiding his gaze as Dream tried to catch his eye. His chest felt heavy, like a weight had suddenly dropped onto his rib cage and was pinning him down. Breathing became difficult.
“Hey, uh,” he choked out, putting all his effort toward pulling air into his lungs. “That uh- that didn’t make you uncomfortable, did it? Me hugging you on stream? Cuz if it did, just let me know and I won’t-“
“It was fine, Dream,” George replied. His voice sounded strange to Dream’s ears. “I’m just- I’m not used to it, I guess…”
He paused, gaze focused on the countertop as he picked up a rag to wipe off all the excess frosting.
“I’ve just never really liked physical contact, y’know, like people touching me and stuff-“
“Say no more,” Dream said, feeling the weight dip lower on his chest. “I won’t do that anymore, I promise.”
“But it’s different with you.”
The blond’s eyes shot up, connecting with deep brown irises watching him carefully.
“Huh? But you said-“
“I can’t explain it,” George sighed, looking back down. “Touching you feels different. It feels… right.”
Dream’s breath caught in his throat. The weight eased off of his chest gently and air returned to his lungs. George continued, unaware of the effect his words had.
“I think it’s because we’ve been apart for so long. Like, we’ve been waiting to see and touch each other for our entire lives. Now that we finally can, it doesn’t feel weird.” A kind of fondness that Dream had never heard before coated George’s tongue.
“Oh,” Dream said softly, unsure of how to respond. “As long as you’re okay with it. I’d hate to make you uncomfortable.”
He watched as George shook his head vehemently, lifting his eyes from the counter once more.
“I promise you’re not making me uncomfortable. Plus, everyone really is going to go crazy for that, I’m sure we’re already trending.”
Dream chuckled. “Yeah, probably.”
They finished cleaning in silence, listening to Sapnap and Sylvee’s laughter echoing through the house. Christmas music played quietly in the background, easing the tension as it dissolved in the air around them. George let out a sudden yawn and dropped his rag into the sink.
“Do you need any help cleaning up the couch by the tree?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.
“Nah, we can clean that up tomorrow,” Dream said. “You look exhausted.”
George yawned again, pressing a hand over his mouth. “Yeah, those streams really took it out of me. I think I’m gonna head up to bed.”
“Goodnight, Georgie. See you tomorrow.” Dream grabbed a handful of plastic wrappings and tossed them into the already overflowing trash can.
George stood in the kitchen for a few extra seconds, opened his mouth like he was going to say something, then hesitated and closed it. As he walked out of the kitchen and climbed the stairs slowly, he called out, “Goodnight, Dream.”
The house grew quiet while Dream finished cleaning off the counters. Sylvee must have slipped out the front door and Sapnap must have gone to bed because after a few minutes, Dream realized their voices had disappeared. While the rooms around him dulled into sleepy silence, the thoughts in his head were buzzing. Why was touching him different for George? And why was touching George different for him than touching Sapnap? Were they playing up the joke about “dnf” for the viewers… or was it not a joke anymore?
He pushed the remaining bags of candy off to the side of the counter and sighed deeply. Turning off the lights and walking out of the kitchen, Dream made his way up the stairs toward his room. As he passed George’s room, he hesitated. Should he ask George? He shook his head and kept walking. George would just tell him that he’s being stupid.
But as he lay in bed later that night, staring at the darkened ceiling with his brain still buzzing, he couldn’t push away the idea that maybe he wasn’t being stupid.
He accepted the fact that he wouldn’t be falling asleep any time soon and dragged himself out of bed. Padding down the hallway and creeping slowly down the stairs, he made his way back into the kitchen and quietly poured a glass of water. He took a sip, feeling the cool liquid roll down his throat.
Footsteps sounded from the front entrance and he whirled around.
“It’s just me,” George’s voice whispered through the darkness and he stepped into the kitchen.
The room was lit only by moonlight and the faint glow of Christmas lights through the windows. Dream stared at the other boy as he stepped closer. Pale skin was illuminated by shades of red, orange, and green, and a gentle smile curled plush lips upward.
“You couldn’t sleep either?”
Dream shook his head and stepped aside so George could fill his own water glass.
“What’s keeping you awake?” the taller boy asked hesitantly.
George shrugged. “Just thinking.”
Dream nodded in silent understanding. That had been exactly what he had expected. George was never one to talk about his feelings, especially if something was really bothering him.
“You?” the brunet asked.
“Just thinking,” Dream echoed.
“What’re you thinking about?”
Dream hesitated. Did he really want to confess his thoughts to George, especially since the boy in front of him was the focal point of his concern?
“I- uh- I was thinking about- uh- you, I guess,” he stammered, completely unable to lie to George.
George raised an eyebrow. “Me?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“What about me?”
Dream set his water glass gently on the counter in front of him.
“I uh-“ He took a deep breath. “I was just thinking about what you said earlier. About how physical contact between us is different and… and it doesn’t make you uncomfortable.”
There was a silence as George seemed to process Dream’s words.
“Mmhmm,” he hummed as he thought. “And why’ve you been thinking about that?”
Dream’s eyes dropped to the counter. “Because it’s different for me to touch you than it is for me to touch Sapnap. I don’t know why, it just is. You’re like a magnet, like I can’t stop myself from reaching out to grab your waist or hug you or rest a hand on you. And I don’t know why!”
His voice pitched higher as he reached his biggest concern, but he couldn’t stop himself. Once he started talking, it felt like he needed to get everything out, so he continued.
“And I know we play it off like it’s just for the viewers, like we know the viewers think it’s all some big joke. But I don’t think it’s a joke anymore. At least not for me!”
Breathing heavily, he finally put a stopper in the words that were pouring out of his mouth, realizing that he had gone too far.
George’s lips were no longer curled into a smile, instead hanging slightly parted in surprise. Both eyebrows were raised and furrowed in confusion.
“Wh- What do you mean it’s not a joke anymore? You mean- you have… feelings?”
Dream bit his lip nervously, nodding.
“Oh.” George’s voice was quiet but in the silence of the kitchen, Dream winced like he had shouted.
“I- I’m sorry. I sh- shouldn’t have said all of that. I- um- I’m just gonna-“
Dream kept his face tilted down and walked around the counter, making his way out of the kitchen.
“Wait!” George hissed urgently.
Feeling a small hand grab his own, Dream stopped under the archway leading out of the kitchen. He turned, ignoring the heat blooming from George’s fingertips as they touched his and watching the smaller boy’s shoulders lift as he took a deep breath before speaking.
“It’snotajokeformeeither,” he blurted out.
“What?”
“It’s not a joke for me either,” George repeated slowly.
Dream’s eyes lit up, shock shooting through his body and sending sparks skittering across his skin.
“You mean-?”
“Yes, you idiot,” George breathed out. “I have feelings for you too.”
George’s hand gave his a squeeze.
“I didn’t want to tell you like this,” George continued with a dry laugh. “I wasn’t sure I was gonna tell you at all.”
Dream’s heart soared; it flew into the dark clouds circling above their house and danced among the stars. His chest felt lighter than it had in months as if he was suddenly realizing the true weight of his feelings and how long they had been pressing on him. Almost instinctively, he wrapped his arms around George, lifting him off the ground and spinning them around in the moonlit house. The brunet giggled, a bright sound that floated through the air around them, calling Dream’s heart back to his chest.
He set George down and pulled back slightly, resting his hands on the other boy’s waist. His cheeks hurt from smiling so widely.
“So… what now?” George asked shyly, grinning. “Are we, like, boyfriends or-?”
“I think we can take things slowly. We don’t need to rush into anything and I want us both to be comfortable.” Dream’s fingers fidgeted with the soft fabric of George’s hoodie.
George nodded. Their eyes locked, green and brown irises finding each other through the darkness.
“Look,” George said, his gaze drifting upward.
Dream’s vision followed. His smile grew wider, if that was even possible. They stood under the archway separating the kitchen from the front entrance and, hanging from that archway, was a small green bundle of leaves dotted with white berries: mistletoe. Dream looked back down to find George already looking at him. Brown irises dipped down unconsciously to trace the curve of Dream’s lips and his cheeks grew warm.
“I forgot we hung that up,” he murmured.
George smiled, his eyes flicking back up. “You know the rules, don’t you?”
Dream chuckled lightly. “Obviously.” He took a step closer, gripping the fabric of George’s hoodie where it bunched around his waist.
“Then you know what we have to do.” George’s voice was barely above a whisper as he tipped his chin up, lips parted.
“I guess so,” Dream breathed out.
Small hands came up to cup Dream’s jaw, fingers tangling in the curls behind his ears as the two boys’ faces drew closer. Their eyelids drooped slowly and they nudged their noses past each other. For two people who had never kissed before, they somehow moved in perfect sync.
Then suddenly, their lips melted together. Dream almost immediately sighed into the kiss. It felt so right, as if they had always meant to be this way. George’s fingers tightened in Dream’s hair, tugging him closer, and they tilted their heads to deepen the kiss. Dream felt like he was breathing for the first time, like he had been searching for something his whole life and had finally found it. A wave of calm and pure bliss washed over his body, rolling down from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.
George’s lips moved against his, curving up into a smile that was quickly mirrored by Dream. They parted reluctantly and rested their foreheads together, both grinning like crazy.
“Best Christmas ever,” George murmured.
Dream chuckled, rolling his eyes. “That’s what you say after our first kiss? ‘Best Christmas ever’?”
“Well it’s true!” George giggled.
And as Dream pressed their lips together again and again under the mistletoe, he couldn’t agree more.