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requested by ArtisticDA !
Dream is overwhelmed with editing, so George helps him regress and gets him his favorite snacks, ending the night with cuddles.
* a little bit of crying, but otherwise no warnings for this chapter:)
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Dream huffs and slides his headphones down from his ears, laying his head in his arms on the desk and just barely resisting the urge to burst into tears.
He has spent the last 15 minutes rewatching the same 20-second clip of the video he's editing and trying his hardest to figure out what is off about it, but getting nowhere. There are distractions everywhere in his office, from all the colorful trinkets on his desk to the constant sound of heavy rain hitting the windows, and he just can't focus.
On top of that, the lights are too bright and his ears hurt from the pressure of his headset and he's hungry and thirsty and— "Dream?"
George's smooth voice reaches him through the mess of haze and thoughts in his tired mind. Warm hands settle on his shoulders and squeeze lightly, pulling an involuntary whine from his throat. Then, closer to his ear this time, "Are you feeling okay?"
He shakes his head and digs his face deeper into his arms, hiding away from the light and all the other things that are overwhelming him. George crouches down beside him and begins to brush through the tangles in his blond curls.
Dream turns his head slightly to meet brown eyes, blinking at him. "Nothing is working," he complains quietly, referring to the paused footage on the monitors behind him. George glances at it briefly before meeting green eyes again, tilting his head to the side.
"Maybe it's time for a little break?" He suggests softly, tracing a thumb along the blond's freckled cheekbones and the slightly darkened skin underneath his eyes. "I can tell that you're tired."
Dream's eyes flutter shut at that, letting George's touch pull him into the fuzzy headspace that he has been avoiding ever since he first told his friends about his regression a few days ago. Not because he hasn't wanted to regress—he definitely has—but his busy schedule has gotten in the way every time.
As he feels himself slipping younger and younger, stinging tears finally start welling in his eyes. He is just so tired and frustrated with the stupid video, wanting nothing more than for George to hold him close and take care of him. He whines again, kicking his feet against his chair to express how he's feeling. Small. But more than anything: hungry.
George smiles at him and coos, "There's my little boy." Dream blushes and taps his feet again, tearing his gaze away from the other shyly. "Should we go get you some food?" He continues gently, bending down so the little can no longer avoid their eye contact.
It takes a few moments for the words to make sense in his mind, but when they do, Dream perks up instantly. "A 'nack?" He mumbles, gaining an enthusiastic nod in response.
"You want a snack?"
Dream nods his head and reaches for the brunet's hands, lips tugging up into a sheepish smile once he gets to hold both of them.
"Alright sweetheart, let's go to the kitchen." George stands up, followed suit by Dream who keeps a firm hold on one of the brunet's hands the whole way to the kitchen. He also makes sure to not let there be more than a few inches between them as they walk, refusing to be anything but as close as possible to George.
In their bright kitchen, George helps him sit on one of the cushioned bar stools. Dream immediately realizes the fun of spinning around on it, doing so repeatedly until the brunet kindly asks him to stop— "You'll feel sick, darling."
George stands on the other side of the counter, setting out a cutting board and a bag of fresh fruit, plus a blue bowl with a matching spoon. He cuts some strawberries, half a mango, and a kiwi, to Dream's absolute delight, into little bite-sized pieces.
"Kiwi!"
Next, he watches in silent amazement as a pot of vanilla yogurt is brought out from the fridge and placed in front of him along with the bowl of fruit. And then, as if that wasn't enough, George pours a handful of goldfish crackers in a little cup and sets it with the other treats.
Dream gasps, "Gol' fish!"
"That's right," George smiles, filling a tumbler with ice-cold water and popping a straw into it. He walks around the counter and sits down on the barstool next to the blond, holding the lidded cup up for him to drink out of.
Dream leans forward and takes a long sip from the straw, grabbing onto George's free hand as he does. "Water?" He questions randomly afterward, gaining a chuckle from the other.
"Water, yes."
"Help, please," Dream points to the fruit so George understands. The aspect of eating it himself feels impossibly daunting to him right now. Luckily, he doesn't have to do it on his own.
George picks up the spoon, feeding Dream the fruit piece by piece and humming enticingly in between. All the while, the little plays with George's soft fingers, weaving their fingers together and drawing little shapes in his palm.
After a bite of kiwi, Dream bounces a little extra in his seat. "I love kiwi!"
"I know you do, my love. And look— you're all done!" He holds up the empty bowl.
"I did good?" Dream slurs his words ever so slightly, just enough to indicate that he'll need a little nap soon.
George sets the bowl aside and cups the blond's cheek, "So good, Dream. Are you ready to eat the rest of your snacks now?"
He nods confidently at that, reaching a clumsy hand out for the yogurt and the pretty, blue spoon. "Look, I do it myself, okay?"
And he does, scooping out the sweet dessert into his mouth without making any mess— well, almost no mess. George wipes a napkin around his mouth once he's done, laughing lovingly when Dream scrunches up his nose and tries backing away.
His hoodie did not manage to stay clear of the mess, either, so George helps him tug it off, leaving Dream in just a t-shirt. "Hey, let's bring the goldfish and your water up to your room, yeah? So you can get nice and cozy under the covers."
"I carry," Dream insists, already up and standing with the tumbler clutched in his hands. And moments later he's bumbling up the stairs, leaving George to rush after him, goldfish long forgotten. When he reaches Dream's bedroom, the blond is already snuggled up in the abundance of blankets on his bed.
He has a giddy smile on his face from running away and is sipping idly on his water between giggles. "There you are, baby." George joins him on the bed, sitting up against the headboard and letting himself become a human pillow for the other who settles his head on his chest instantly.
Dream hands him the water wordlessly and lets out a content sigh. All the snacks almost made him forget how tired was, but it's seeping softly back in now, making his limbs heavy again. He blinks up at George, who meets his gaze with a smile. "Paci?" He asks politely.
George has never seen Dream's pacifier before, but he assumes it must be close by the bed. By chance, he slides a hand under the pillows and bumps against something plastic. He pulls it out, revealing a simple, lemon-colored pacifier.
As soon as he spots it, the little makes grabby hands toward it, whimpering impatiently. George places the rubber end to the boy's lips, cooing as it slips in easily. Dream nuzzles into the brunet's hoodie, wrapping his arms tightly around his safe frame and letting his eyelids flutter shut, ready for a long nap.
George holds him close to his chest and presses a long kiss on his temple before settling down to sleep, as well.
...
Sapnap comes home to an unusually quiet house. He sets out to find the other two, walking past an empty pot of yogurt and some goldfish on the kitchen countertop, then stepping over Dream's hoodie on the floor before going upstairs to their bedrooms.
His room— empty, the office and George's room— empty, which leaves only one more place for them to possibly be. Dream's bedroom door is wide open, yet not a single noise can be heard from inside. Sapnap stops in the doorway and scans the messy room, eyes finally landing on the blond's bed. He breathes a sigh of relief.
There they are.
Peeking out from the bundle of blankets and pillows, the boys lie cuddled up and sound asleep. Dream has his arms wrapped tightly around George's torso, cheek squished to his chest and suckling quietly on a yellow pacifier Sapnap has never seen before.
Their chests rise and fall in sync, peaceful faces painted a coral-like color in the warm light of the sunset happening outside Dream's large window. The rain passed a couple of hours ago.
With a fond smile on his lips, Sapnap enters the room as quietly as he can and walks over to the bright window to close the curtains.
After one last look at his friends, he steps back into the hall and closes the door behind him. His best guess is that Dream slipped into his headspace at some point, and that George has been taking care of him.
"Idiots," he mutters fondly, heading downstairs to clean up the mess in the kitchen.
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1579 words
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