Dream woke up first, like usual, but this time he woke up extremely close to another.

His cloak was draped over both of them, shielding them from the world. The sun had just started to peek over the horizon, a sliver of the day to come.

Dream yawned quietly and arms around him tightened in response. Over the course of the night, Dream had pulled George close, bringing him to his chest. His chin rested atop George's soft hair. Their legs were tangled together, calf against calf, boot against boot.

Dream pulled his head back to look at George, smiling softly. He turned so that he was on his back, George clinging onto him. As he sat up, Dream made sure to be careful not to wake George.

He sat up fully and looked back to the fire, which had since long burnt out. Sapnap was still sleeping. Dream looked back to George and took off his cloak, placing it on George.

He looked at his hands, unsure of what to do. His eyes snagged on the bracelet around his wrist and he had an idea. Dream took the last scrap of his old cloak from his pocket and started tearing it. He looked from the cloth in his hand to the cloth around his wrist to try and make them match.

After an hour or so of frustrated sighs and quiet curses, he finally did it... he made a matching bracelet.

It was nowhere near as good as George's, but Dream hoped George would like it.

Dream blinked, surprised at himself. Where was this thinking coming from? Dream had never wanted to impress George, so why was he trying now? His eyebrows furrowed as he wondered, What am I doing?

He rubbed his temples, realizing how swiftly his wounds had recovered. Scrapes and some of the more worse bruises remained, but other than that, he was healed. The burns on his bicep and side would take another day or two, though.

I'm lucky to be Fae, Dream thought. He'd never wanted to be anything else― except for when he loved Fundy― that was different. Dream didn't think he'd ever want to be mortal anymore, what was the point? He wanted a long life and that's what he was given.

George and Sapnap were mortal, however. Dream frowned at the thought, twiddling the bracelet in his hands.

He genuinely liked Sapnap. The pyrokinetic was nice, funny, sometimes annoying, but overall, he was a good person― a good friend. Dream didn't want to bring him back to Technoblade, but he was going to anyway. It was his job and he only had ten more years of service. Nothing would stop Dream from getting out of it all, he'd finally be able to be free and find out what happened to his family.

George on the other hand... he was different. Dream was closer with him in their relationship as friends(?). Dream hoped George saw him as a friend, he didn't know what he'd do if George didn't like him, but he had a sneaking suspicion that George did like him.

Dream's eyes drifted to George and he smiled softly. He felt his heart flutter, which was weird. Dream cleared his throat quietly and looked away, glancing back seconds later.

George had this ethereal look about him. With parted lips, long lashes, and pale skin― which had slowly become tan in the many hours they spent under the sun― George looked calm. He looked comfortable and safe under Dream's cloak.

Dream heard Sapnap yawn and he got up, placing the bracelet in George's palm. He hoped it wasn't too little for all that George had done for him.

Dream walked to Sapnap and greeted, "Good morning, Sapnap."

Sapnap looked at him with bleary eyes and grumbled, "Mornin'... where's George?"

"He's sleeping over there," Dream replied with a jab of his thumb in the direction George was as he sat down.

Sapnap nodded, blinking sleepily as he sleepily relit the fire. They sat in silence for a moment before Sapnap asked, "So... how are things going with George?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, you're not..?" Sapnap trailed off and cleared his throat. "Never mind."

"No," Dream insisted, confused at where Sapnap was going with it, "finish your sentence."

"Oh, umm." Sapnap looked at the fire, clearly flustered. He muttered, "I sorta thought that you two were like... a thing."

"A thing?"

Sapnap met his stare and nodded slowly. Dream's eyebrows furrowed and he asked, "What does that mean?"

"I, uhh, I just thought that― since you two have been closer-ish lately― I thought you..." Sapnap paused before finishing, "...I thought you saw him as more than a friend and he saw you the same way."

Dream blinked in confusion and Sapnap said quickly, "That was a really awkward way to put it. Basically, I thought you guys were in a relationship."

"Oh," Dream replied. His eyes widened. "Oh― I-I... we're not... no, just friends."

Sapnap shifted uncomfortably. "Okay, sorry. I just assumed..."

Dream looked back to where George was and saw him awake, pulling at something in the grass. Dream chewed on his lip and cleared his throat, looking back to Sapnap. Sapnap prodded at the fire with a stick awkwardly.

Sapnap glanced up to him and muttered, "Sometimes... the way you look at him and the way he looks at you... it just reminds me of Karl."

Dream's face softened slightly. Fundy. The name popped in his head, the person who seemed to have been cast aside in his thoughts recently. Dream stiffened as he said evenly, "I don't do relationships. Never have, never will."

Sapnap studied his expression and grumbled quietly, "You're a bad liar... There was someone else once, wasn't there?"

"No," Dream muttered, fiddling with the bracelet on his wrist.

Sapnap nodded as he looked back to the fire, an unreadable expression across his features. Dream swallowed and muttered, "I'm gonna go check on George."

Sapnap had no response as Dream got up, walking towards the place where George had been, but he wasn't there. Dream looked around and called, "George?"

He walked in circles around the meadow for a minute, picking up his discarded cloak. Dream heard footsteps behind him, relaxing as he grinned softly. He let George "sneak" up on him.

George tapped his shoulder and whispered, "Boo."

Dream turned around, unable to hold back a smile. George stood in front of him, holding his hands behind his back.

Dream asked, "What are you holding?"

"Good morning to you too," George said with a grin.

Dream ignored him and tried taking a step around George to see what he was hiding. George turned, keeping his back away from Dream. Dream raised an eyebrow as he insisted, "Let me see."

"Give me a moment," George teased. Dream paused, watching George puff out his chest and lift his chin. George brought his hands, filled with something, in front of him. George smiled and said, "A gift."

"For what?"

"For the bracelet," George replied, his eyes looking at the bracelet Dream had made on his left wrist.

Dream felt his chest fill with happiness. He looked back to George's open palms and the happiness dimmed slightly. "I'm not wearing that."

"Why not?"

Dream studied the flower crown in George's hands. Long strands of grass and flower stems were woven together carefully, flowers protruding. Dream hesitated before saying, "I think it would look better on you."

George raised an eyebrow as he replied, "No, Dream, I made it for you."

At Dream's continued hesitance, George added, "You can make one for me if you want?"

Dream sighed, giving in. He leaned forward, letting George place the flower crown on his head. He cringed as he stood back up, his mood lifting at George's beaming smile.

George exclaimed, "Wait here!"

George strode off, wandering the meadow. Dream blinked and sat down in the grass. The flower crown in his hair was expertly made, not going to fall apart soon. He grimaced at the thought of what he must look like, but he didn't want to upset George, so he kept it on.

The flower crown reminded him of his other life, the life before he became what he was― a murderer, assassin, killer... someone to be feared. He wondered what his sister would think of him.

Dream's thoughts were not pleasant as he pulled at the grass in front of him. George came back and the thoughts disappeared. He sat in front of Dream, piling flowers and long strands of grass in front of him.

George placed his hands in his lap and looked at Dream expectantly. Dream opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it as he picked up two flowers. He fumbled with them, unsure of what to do.

George laughed softly and said, "You have no idea what to do, do you?"

"I know what I'm doing," Dream said defensively.

"Okay, so you don't need my help?"

"Correct," Dream replied, focusing on the flowers in his hand.

George hummed in response, adjusting himself so that he was laying on his stomach. His head rested in his hands as he watched Dream.

Dream started to weave the flowers and grass together, albeit sloppily. George reached a hand out to help, but Dream pulled his hands back, saying stubbornly, "I got this."

George snickered at his failed attempts, but pulled his hand away. The flower crown was holding together, it just lacked a certain flow. Loose ends of stems and grass stuck out and several flower stems had snapped in the process.

Dream had sworn, more than once, in frustration, but George would always be there to murmur, "It's okay," or, "You're doing extremely well, Dream."

When Dream finished with his attempt at a flower crown, he sighed in relief. He placed it on George's head with steady hands. George grinned and sat up carefully. The crown in his hair fell apart immediately, strands falling to and fro.

They sat in dumbfounded silence for a moment before bursting into laughter. Dream wheezed, his chest squeezing as he laughed with George. George's brown hair was full of grass and flowers, clumps of the crown holding together and separate strands sticking up. Grass fell across his face and George continued to laugh.

Dream smiled softly, reaching a hand to brush the grass out of George's face. George blinked in surprise, his laughter subsiding. Dream brushed a finger over his forehead, pushing a piece of grass away. His fingers traced down the side of George's face, skimming over his cheek and jaw, hesitating before leaving George's face.

George swallowed, his eyes tracking Dream's hand. Dream's eyes were on George's parted lips before he cleared his throat and looked back to George's eyes.

His hand retreated to his lap and Dream stiffened when he saw George's soft expression. He stayed still, letting George's eyes roam over his facial features. From the flower crown on his head to his jaw to his mouth, George studied him.

"We could―" Dream cut off with wide eyes when George grabbed the collar of his cloak, pulling them closer.

"―kiss," George whispered, leaning forward, onto Dream as he brought their mouths together.

Dream froze, but slowly relaxed, moving his lips with George's. He leaned back on his hands and closed his eyes as George moved onto his lap, running fingers up Dream's face and into his hair. Strands of grass fell onto his face, but Dream ignored them, focusing on George as the brunet's fingers tugged through his hair.

George's fingers brushed against his ears and Dream shuddered, almost moaning into George's mouth. George took this opportunity to slide his tongue between Dream's teeth. Dream remembered the last time he'd let someone come that close and he froze, pulling his lips away. It didn't deter George, because he just leaned forward for more. Dream moved his mouth and George's mouth landed on his jaw. Dream cleared his throat, and sat up, using his hands to lift George off him and push him away.

"I-I gotta― uh... yeah," Dream muttered, not meeting George's stare as he stood up.

He brushed the flowers and grass of his pant legs and took the flower crown off, tossing it back to George. He caught a glimpse of George's flushed cheeks, which disappeared into a hurt expression. Dream ignored it and headed back to the campsite.

He strode past Sapnap and mumbled, "I'm gonna go take a walk."

He didn't bother listening for a response and just walked forward. Dream ran his fingers through his hair, where George's fingers just were. He approached the nearest tree and exhaled slowly, closing his eyes as he sat down.

George... Dream sighed again and muttered, "What the fuck am I doing?"

Tears pricked the corners of his eyes as he thought. He didn't want to kiss George, he didn't plan on it, but when George kissed him he just went with the flow. The feeling was better than he thought, something in his chest leaping. Dream's stomach fluttered at the thought of George kissing him.

He shook his head slowly, memories coming back up... Fundy, watching him do something simple... Fundy, laughing with him... Fundy, kissing him.

Dream swallowed thickly, a tear sliding down his cheek. Fundy and George were both similar and different. They were both mortal, they both had a genuine personality, and they both had perfect laughs. But they were so, so different. Fundy was dead, George wasn't.

Fundy knew when to calm Dream, he knew his limits. George hadn't learned them yet. Fundy, with bright eyes and a personality to match, had been carefree, joyous, and inexplicably happy. It would always rub onto Dream. George, however, was a little more reserved and wasn't as quick to be happy. Based on the different households Fundy and George were each raised in, Dream assumed that that was the cause.

But the main difference... George was present. He was a short distance away, easily reachable by word of mouth. Fundy... was not.

Dream sighed, opening his eyes as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. He took a deep breath and gave himself a goal, well, several goals.

He wasn't going to sleep next to George anymore, let alone kiss him. They'd resume their relationship as friends― not that it had ever changed. Dream was going to put his mission first, before his emotions and wants. And he was going to bring Sapnap to Technoblade, no strings attached. Once that was completed, he'd go back to his job and leave George.

Yes, kissing George felt right, but Dream wouldn't let that thought settle.

He decided, I'm going to finish my job... no more delaying the inevitable.