Again | DreamNotFound

So many smiles

"Well." Dream laughed. "I'm glad we are having it again."

George couldn't help but give a small smile back when he saw Dream's.

"Oh, Alana. It's on your nose!" Dream pointed out, shaking his head while chuckling as he pulled out some napkins. "How did you manage that, hm?"

"It's really yummy." Lana said, beaming. It took George a moment to realise Dream was holding out the napkins for him, since he was the one sitting right beside her.

"I've learnt to wait until she finishes." George laughed, watching the girl as she messily ate her icecream. "No point in cleaning her if she's going to make more mess." He did grab the napkins though, and placed them on the table.

"That's a good point." Dream laughed, watching Lana make even more of a mess. "Kids are messy. I get it."

"I never realised how messy until she came along." George rolled his eyes.

"What was her first word?" Dream asked, and George looked at him, eyes squinting slightly as he considered.

"You want to know?"

"That's why I asked."

"You don't have to, Dream-"

"I said I want to be in your life. In her life." Dream interrupted. "That means knowing things about you again." He added softer.

George swallowed, staring at the icecream so he could avoid Dream and his soft voice and that stupid fond look in his eye.

"Surely it was Daddy."

"No." George laughed lightly. "I didn't really refer to myself in third person enough, and it's not like there was anyone else around to say it." He shrugged. "It was puppy, actually." George said, looking at Lana now. "Her first stuffed teddy. You know I'm bad at naming things, and it was a dog, so I just-"

"Called it Puppy." Dream supplied with a laugh. "Of course you did."

"Where's Puppy? Let's go get Puppy. Don't chew on Puppy. She picked up on that word quickly." George brushed Lana's hair. "Do you remember what your second word was, baby?" He asked her.

"No!" She shouted, and George laughed.

"Yeah. It was no."

"Well, she's very good at saying it." Dream tried to hold back his own laugh.

"Then it was Dada. Took a while, didn't it." George patted her hair. "Didn't stop talking after that."

Dream looked between the father and daughter, imagining what life was like just a few years ago. So drastically different than Dream's. George was out there raising a whole child while Dream barely got outside.

"Are you working at the moment?" Dream asked, and George nodded.

"Coding for a company that lets me work remotely. It's been ok, probably could be better but with the recent move and her still being young, it was easier to just have a flexible job so I can work from home. Not the best for money, and the company itself is not really great. But it works at the moment. I just..." George looked at Lana. "I want her to be proud of whatever job her Dad is doing."

"If you're doing something you enjoy, then she will always have something to be proud of."

"I'm not even sure I enjoy it, is the thing. I don't get treated very well there." George muttered.

"Well, now that you've settled, and with Alana in preschool, maybe you could find something more permanent?" Dream said.

"Mm." George just hummed, shifting in his seat. He put his spoon down.