It had taken months before George had finally recovered.
He had opened his eyes on the 4th of October, barely even groaning from the pain in his back when Dream had practically jumped on him, arms enveloping his weak body in one of the tightest hugs George had ever experienced.
He squeaked, quickly patting his friends back and whispering for him to let go so he could finally breathe.
"Sorry, George-" Dream apologised, pulling away with the biggest grin on his face, eyes tearing up. "It's just- you're awake! Niki! He's awake!"
George turned to look to his right, catching sight of the girl he had met the night of the fall out, a relieved look on her face:
That party reminded George of something.
"OW! Why did you pinch me?!" The blonde half-yelled beside him, making the brunette raise a brow.
"I think it's the least you deserve for believing a furry over me," George half-joked, making Niki bark out laughter and Dream stare at his best friend with his mouth hung open, a surprised expression on his face.
"Where- where did that come from?" George rolled his eyes, pushing his weight onto his two hands to pull himself up, into a comfortable seated position.
"You honestly can't tell me you're that blind - did you not see that family picture in his house where he was wearing fox ears?" Niki nodded in confirmation of George's statement, the two of them sharing a knowing look as Dream still sat there, unmoving and just utterly confused.
Probably confused as to how he hadn't noticed that picture before, George assumed.
A comforting aura took over both George and Niki, but refused to meet with Dream, and George wondered why (although, deep down, he kind of knew why).
The blonde boy sighed, fiddling with his hands and almost having to collect every ounce of courage he had in his body in order to speak his thoughts in that moment. Both his friends, George and Niki, waited patiently for him, knowing how hard it must be to own up to this.
"I think- no, I know. I know I owe you an apology, as many as I can give you," He began to own up, trying his best to keep eye-contact with the brunette across from him. "I know I've said it countless of times whilst you've not been able to move, so I promised myself that I would tell you again when you're fully conscious."
George nodded as a go-ahead.
"I'm so sorry, and I know I will be forever. Everything I put you through, everything you had to endure because of my recklessness and lack of judgement is almost sickening." Dream glanced over the hospital room they were in. "I mean - it is sickening."
His friend laughed lightly at that, followed by Niki having to hold back a few giggles herself.
It reassured Dream that his apology was making a difference, feeling closer and closer to the friendship he once had with his best friend, that he hoped would turn into something more in the near future.
Dream began to daydream then, listening intently as his friend forgave him and watched in utter fascination as he witnessed the wallflower he had known for so many years finally open up to someone other than himself. His mind wandered back years, years upon years of all the memories he had accumulated with the brunette all that time ago. He recalled the bench that the boy used to reside on every break-time when they were younger, and how the brunette would raise a brow at him when he turned up with more bruises.
He recalled their adventures (although they never ended up hunting for a bear) and smiled as he saw how far they had come - from children to grown-ups.
He shook his head, deciding not to get too emotional on their past, preoccupying his mind with how happy he is to have a friend like George.
And, as he had hoped for these past few months, would become something more.
-----
It was during the first month out of the hospital that Dream asked.
It had been a sluggish few weeks in the hospital, George having to walk with the aid of crutches for some time to get him used to moving around again (as he had been pretty much paralysed for months prior). It had broken Dream when he heard he had to use them, but George reassured that it was just a precaution that the nurses wanted him to take.
Weeks George had spent within the white walls of the place, Dream making sure to visit everyday he could and take him to the hospital gardens outside (which Dr Minx had informed them of), which made the day just a little more bearable. It wasn't until their exam results came through the mail did George finally decide it was time to move back into the dorms.
Dream reminisces how George almost flung his crutches across the room in excitement, loving how happy the elder looked with his results that it made him feel a little better about the C Grade he had achieved himself.
It hadn't taken long for his friend to ditch the crutches, either, almost instantly throwing them to the floor as soon as they had gotten back to their shared room (Dream had made sure to set up a blanket fort for a movie night that day, wanting to make sure it was a special and comforting 'welcome back' for the brunette).
Niki came around to visit often, too, sometimes bringing some of her own friends to tag along with her to meet George (Quackity and Karl being George's personal favourites, so far). These regular meetings convinced Dream to introduce the brunette to one of his close friends, Sapnap, who George seems to quarrel with a lot, but Niki reassured the blonde that it was all light-hearted and good fun.
And it was these regular meetings which led to the current moment they were in.
They had guests over - Sapnap and Niki - and the blonde-brunette duo were in the kitchen, preparing some snacks for them all to indulge in that night.
"Do you think we should put out Doritos or Monster Munch, Dream?" George asked, preoccupied with the task at hand.
Dream - not so much.
"Both is fine," The blonde drifts in thought, back to the counter and neck craned over his shoulder slightly to look down at the elder boy next to him. He found himself captivated, almost, feeling as though everything that had led up to this moment was some weird fever dream that he would wake up from if he dared to ask the question he had been wanting to for a while now. Even when George turned his head to glare at him, Dream didn't move from his self-depreciating thoughts.
The elder raised a brow, chewing the inside of his cheek. "Y'know, we're gonna need two heads if we're gonna pull off tonight's sleepover - we don't want to have a bad time now, do we?" The boy tried to convince, waving a hand in his friends face to try and grab his attention. However, it did nothing to get his mind back to the task at hand.
It did, however, make him nervously blurt out his thoughts.
"Do you think we could ever date?"
The silence that overcame the room was suffocating to Dream in those next few moments, eyes searching his friends brown and blue ones for any sign of hope. Any sign of hope for the answer he hoped to hear.
"Of course we can!"
"I thought you'd never ask!"
"I've been wanting to date for ages, Dream!"
He hoped for any of those answers - any positive answer. At the very least, he didn't want George to be freaked out. He didn't want the boy to be disgusted in him to the point that he was uncomfortable even carrying on as friends, but he hoped that it never came to that.
He was sure it wouldn't, as he knew the boy had feelings for him. He knew ever since the incident at that party oh so long ago.
However, he didn't like the continued silence, taking it as a bad sign from the get-go.
So much so that he felt himself tense when the boy in front of him finally replied.
"I just don't know, Dream."
Oh.
"I understand, honestly. After everything I did..." Dream replied subconsciously, knowing full well that George had every reason to be hesitant, so much so that the blonde wouldn't be surprised if his friend did end up rejecting him.
"I didn't say no, Dream." George chuckled with a raised brow, making Dream gulp in anticipation.
"So... It's a maybe?"
George grinned at Dreams hopeful look.
"It's a yes - we just need a little more time."