"So, are you in or what?"
"You've convinced me. I'm in."
Needless to say, neither Dream nor George had any idea that their harmless prank was going to turn into a month-long endeavor of fake dating.
For context, George is the one to blame here. You see, when Sapnap had come to visit him in England back in March, he had started a prank war of sorts with George. The pranks were stupid and predictable at first, but as Sapnap's stay kept getting extended because of his ear infections, they suddenly had time to make the pranks into elaborate productions.
They had left off on a stalemate, neither of them getting to complete their final prank before Sapnap was well enough to fly back to the states. George knew that Sapnap had probably forgotten all about their little prank war, but he sure hadn't.
So that led us here, with George roping Dream into his grand kick off into the second season of his and Sapnap's prank-off.
"Just, explain it one more time for me?" Dream asked with a laugh. Truthfully, he understood the plan the first time George said it, but watching George light up with excitement every time he got to explain his elaborate plan all over again was worth the time.
"Okay, okay. When I get there, boom, we act like we've been a couple this entire time. Like, for years. We don't address it until Sapnap calls us out on it but then we spin it on him. We just gaslight the fuck out of him, saying he's being an ass and to stop acting like he didn't know about us. Just when he's feeling totally insane, I give it four days- tops, we get him to admit that he's an idiot for not realizing. Then we tell him he's really an idiot for actually falling for it!" George finished, laughing hysterically by the end of it.
"Okay, I've got it." Dream nodded, laughing along with George.
It was still surreal to even be on FaceTime with George- to have George know what he looked like, let alone the fact George would be moving in in three days. He was more thankful and relieved than he expected to be that George took him up on his offer to get the face reveal out of the way before he arrived.
"This is going to be epic." George said through another laugh, falling over into his bed.
"Wait, what are we going to do though? Like how are we going to make him think we're a couple?" Dream asked after letting George get settled into bed. He had quickly learned it always took George a few minutes to plug in his phone and get comfortable.
Staying on FaceTime until they fell asleep had quickly become a routine for them since the first night George called two weeks ago.
"Pfft. You act like you've never been in a relationship before." George rolled his eyes with a scoff. "Just, I don't know, act like you're my boyfriend." George let out an abrupt laugh just hearing the words.
"See- you don't know what to do either!" Dream justified, climbing into bed himself.
"Okay, game plan. Have Sapnap get me from the airport and have some ridiculous surprise all planned out for when I get home. I'm talking roses, I'm talking balloons, I'm talking you in a suit-"
"A suit?" Dream interrupted, laughing.
"No boyfriend of mine is meeting me for the first time in sweatpants." George said with a completely straight face. He quickly lost grasp of his seriousness, bursting out into another wave of laughter.
"Fine, I'll get a suit." Dream rolled his eyes despite the smile growing on his face. "What about after the 'surprise'? Then what do we do?" Dream asked, tapping the space between his chest and where his phone was propped up on his nightstand, inviting Patches to come lay with him.
"You really think he's going to not believe it after all that? Did you miss the part where I said you would be in a suit?" George laughed, resting his head back against his pillow with a smile when Patches crawled into frame.
"No, he probably will believe it." Dream admitted with a soft laugh, as to not scare away Patches. "But just in case, you know?" Dream continued his thought, petting her gently.
"Whatever we have to do to seal the deal, I guess. But we can't be too obvious about the little stuff or he'll see right through it." George clarified. Dream watched as George's blinks started to get slower, his smile fading a bit as he relaxed.
"Yeah, because the grand gesture won't be cheesy and see through enough." Dream laughed, watching the smile return to George's face when his eyes fully closed.
"Treat me like any other person you've dated. Call me 'baby' or something." George yawned, pushing his face further into his pillow.
"Baby?" Dream questioned, trying to hold back his laughter, since he could tell George was close to falling asleep.
"Yeah?" George responded.
"No, I'm not-" Dream cut himself off, letting out a laugh before he could stifle it. "I'm not calling you baby right now, I was asking that in an 'are you serious?' way." Dream explained.
"Oh." George let out a small laugh that sounded more like an exhale, his features completely relaxing a few moments later, as he fell asleep.
Dream smiled, hanging up the phone and pulling Patches closer to his chest. She let out a meow as her form of protest, but quickly settled back down. Dream fell asleep minutes later, knowing the next few days before George's arrival were going to be even more hectic than he expected.
As soon as Dream woke up, he started gathering everything George told him to, plus a few extra things he thought could help strengthen their prank. He figured George would have to have some kind of genuine reaction to make it believable.
"Okay, I try not to judge your spending habits- but what the fuck is all this?" Sapnap asked with a laugh, sifting through Dream's bags from Target. This was also Dream's fifth Target run in the last three days since he and George starting planning their prank. Dream walked over to Sapnap, taking the box of chocolates out of his hands before he could dig into them.
"These are for George, not you." Dream scolded. He hip bumped Sapnap away from the bags, beginning to unload them himself.
"Chocolates, flowers, cologne, the house is already getting overrun with all these fucking balloons-" Sapnap stopped, punching one of the balloons that lazily floated by. "Oh my fucking god, you didn't... You did! You printed out fanart of you guys?" Sapnap burst into laughter, flicking through the photos Dream had gotten developed.
"Don't get your nasty finger prints on them. Do you have any idea how hard it was to find a place that even still prints photos?" Dream rushed, taking the stack of photos away.
"How come I didn't get such a warm welcome, hmm? I thought you didn't have a favorite child." Sapnap teased, walking over and eating one of the chocolate covered strawberries Dream had just made.
Even though Dream was planning to just shoo Sapnap away, saying it was none of his business, he figured it might be beneficial to start the prank a few hours early- just getting Sapnap warmed up.
"Pfft, yeah I wonder for whatever reason I would be welcoming George home differently than I did for you." Dream laughed, deciding to walk over and eat one of the strawberries too. He had to turn away to hide his smile when Sapnap stopped chewing midbite, like he was trying to process what Dream meant.
"But what is the reason?" Sapnap finally asked, watching Dream as he began to set up the room.
"Oh wow, I guess that's just one of the great mysteries of the world, now isn't it?" Dream asked sarcastically while he laughed.
"No, seri-"
"Stop fucking around and go get dressed. George lands in a couple hours and- shit, I still need to go pick up my suit from the tailor's." Dream interrupted, setting down a bouquet of flowers and making his way to the front door.
"Suit?!" Dream heard Sapnap call out from the kitchen, but he was already running out the front door. He couldn't help but laugh out loud as soon as he was in the safety of his car, realizing that George really did come up with the best pranks. George wasn't even here yet and the prank was already hilarious.
Dream sped out of the driveway, heading for the tailor where he had dropped off his suit earlier that morning. The drive wasn't long, but he was anxious to get back, seeing that he still had so much he needed to set up.
After Dream walked out of the tailor's shop, laying his suit gently over the passenger seat, he noticed a liquor store that was open next door. An idea that was certainly cheesy and stupid popped into his head, but so was everything else he had planned.
He entered the store, heading straight to the counter, looking at the options they didn't even leave out on the floor. Dream didn't drink, so he had no idea what was good, but he figured if they kept it behind the counter, it must meant that it was nice. The cashier walked up slowly, looking very unamused at Dream.
"Which bottle do you want to see?" He asked in a monotone voice, leaning against the counter to look at the wall with Dream.
"Can you just grab a bottle of champagne? Something decent?" Dream asked with a laugh. He quickly stopped laughing when the man just stared at him, turning to the shelf and grabbing a bottle seemingly at random.
"$267.53 and I'll need your ID." He said, looking back up to Dream.
Even without being a drinker, Dream knew that had to be one ridiculous bottle of champagne. It would all be worth it in the end- seeing the look on Sapnap's face. Plus, George had mentioned in the past he liked champagne, so at least the bottle wouldn't go to waste.
By the time Dream had gotten home and began setting up the house, it was already after six. He did his best to frantically get everything organized, finally heading upstairs to change into his suit.
It wasn't often that Dream dressed up, usually just sporting some type of sweatpants and t-shirt combo every day, so this was actually a nice change. Well, for an hour tops before he had to change back into pajamas.
Just as Dream was descending the staircase, heading back into the living room, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
(7:13pm) I think we're almost home, is everything ready? He's already so confused hahaha
Dream looked down to his phone with a smile, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve.
(7:13pm) even im impressed with myself you might ask me to be your real boyfriend once you see it. make sure you guys come in through the front door not the garage
As he hit send, Dream looked around to admire his hard work. The sun was still setting, but it was nearly dusk, the faintest amount of golden light still shining in through the windows. He had rose petals lining the floor from the front door leading to the living room.
The living room was scattered with flowers, lit candles, and balloons hanging from the ceiling, each with a different dnf fanart photo tied to the string. He had champagne and desserts set up on the coffee table, sitting next to a handwritten card.
The card described everything he loved about George, forged details about anniversaries, and maybe a not-so stretched truth about the first time they said they loved each other. In an open box next to the card was a thin silver bracelet from a company Dream knew that George liked. Dream also knew that George would have preferred a ring, but he didn't want to make Sapnap think this was a proposal or something. Honestly, it could be mistaken as one.
(7:14pm) You wish
(7:19pm) We just pulled in
Dream barely finished reading George's message before he heard two car doors shut and laughter coming up the walkway. For some reason, he was feeling extremely nervous all of a sudden. He began to anxiously adjust his bowtie, hitting play on the speakers, soft music filling the house.
The laughter came to a halt when the front door opened, slow footsteps shuffling down the hall.
"What the f-"
"Oh my god, I told him not to do this." George interrupted with a laugh, turning the corner into the living room. The cheesy grin on George's face melted into something much more genuine as he looked around the room slowly, taking in the surprise in its entirety.
"Welcome home, baby." Dream said, shocked that he even remembered to say the pet name George encouraged him to use. George let out a laugh, probably from hearing Dream call him baby so seriously, but he dropped his bags and ran over to him regardless.
Dream opened his arms, lifting George against his chest, hugging him as tightly as he could. Even with the ridiculous set up, soundtrack, and mood lighting, the one genuine thing in that room was their embrace.
He told himself he wasn't going to, but Dream could feel tears welling in his eyes, threatening to fall at any moment. Dream leaned over, letting George put his feet back on the ground. Just as Dream started to lean away, bringing himself face to face with George, the stark overhead lighting turned on.
"What the fuck is going on?" Sapnap announced, walking over to turn off the stereo.
"Dude, come on. What the hell?" Dream said, shaking his head. It was strange how he almost felt offended that Sapnap abruptly ruined the moment. In Dream's defense, this surprise has been his primary focus for three days now, he wanted it to be appreciated.
"Sapnap, what's your deal?" George asked. Despite Dream setting him down, he remained leaning against Dream's chest, his hands still resting on his shoulders.
"My- my deal?" Sapnap practically gasped, walking over to the table, swatting away a few balloons on his way. He looked around in disbelief for a second before picking up the card.
"George, I can't believe that after a year and a half of long distance, of loving you from across the world, I finally get to welcome you home. I still remember the day you first told me you loved me, half asleep on call after we won MCC 14 toge-"
"Nick!" Dream interrupted, stepping away from George to pull the card out of Sapnap's hand. Sapnap started laughing, starting to piece together that this had to be some kind of joke.
"You remembered that?" George asked in the midst of Sapnap's continued laughing. Dream turned around to see George looking up at him, a smile growing on his face again.
"Of course." Dream answered, his smile returning as he started walking towards George. He was stopped by Sapnap pulling him back by his arm, stepping to stand between them.
"Okay, idiots. Jokes over. I'm not falling for it so you can knock it off, I'm starting to get nauseous." Sapnap laughed, looking between George and Dream. As soon as their eyes locked, they each wiped any remnant of a smile off their faces, knowing that now the prank was really starting.
"It's not a joke." George spoke up first, his voice shockingly calm. Dream had the satisfaction of watching Sapnap's face form into confusion before he spun around, facing George.
"Why are you acting like you didn't know?" Dream asked, walking around Sapnap to stand next to George again, wrapping an arm around his waist.
"Know what?" Sapnap exclaimed, another laugh following. His laugh was much more anxious sounding now than before.
"About us." George clarified.
"About how we've been dating." Dream continued, looking over to George, running a hand gently across his cheek. George turned to face him, his smile returning as soon as he looked into Dream's eyes.
"Stop fucking around. You guys aren't together- you've never been together." Sapnap refused to budge in the argument. He stepped forward, pulling Dream's hand away from George's face.
"You stop fucking around." Dream spat back, pulling his hand away from Sapnap with furrowed brows.
"You're our best friend, how could you not even notice?" George said, grabbing both their attention with the genuine sounding pain in his voice.
Dream turned to George, looking down at him with concern. He had no idea George was this good at acting. It wasn't until George quickly raised his eyebrows once at Dream that he realized it was still just part of the bit.
"You seriously expect me to believe that just because Dream did some big, tacky homecoming in a tuxedo that I'm going to believe you idiots have been dating for like two years? I'm honestly offended you think I'm that stupid." Sapnap crossed his arms.
"I didn't think it was tacky, honest to god. Well, you could've done without the fanart prints." George turned to Dream with a laugh, bopping away one of the balloons that had deflated enough to be at head level with them.
"But it made you laugh, didn't it?" Dream asked, pushing George's hair behind his ear. George nodded his head and let out a small laugh under his breath.
Dream wasn't expecting it to be so easy to be with George like this- to gently brush his hand over his cheek, to always be standing side by side with him, to always have a smile when he looked at him. Maybe George's advice was just paying off, that Dream was simply treating George like he treated his girlfriends in the past.
"Fine, want me to believe it? Let's see a kiss then. Come on." Sapnap rolled his eyes, making a disgusted expression at the hand Dream hand lingering on the side of George's face. Dream and George looked at each other, George's face being the first to fall.
George looked towards Sapnap and Dream could tell he was about to throw in the towel, to admit that Sapnap saw through the act. Without even thinking, Dream cupped George's face in his hands, bringing their lips together.
The kiss was hesitant and quick, but they stayed close for the seconds following it, each of them letting out an airy laugh under their breath- like they couldn't believe they just did that. They looked to Sapnap in unison, holding back from reacting to the distraught look on his face.
"That- that- that doesn't mean anything. There's still no way this is real." Sapnap finally shook off his state of shock from seeing his two best friends kiss right in front of him. "Why does George have his own room then? Hmm? And-and, George, when I was in the UK, you kept sneaking off and when we called you out on it, you said you were on the phone with the girl you had been seeing." Sapnap said matter-of-factly, looking between them.
"I'm moving my entire life over here, I can't overrun Dream's room with everything I own. I still need my own space. And, yeah, I wonder whoever that girl could've been." George rolled his eyes, looking over to Dream before looking back to Sapnap. Dream was thankful that George handled Sapnap's questions this time.
Honestly, he had completely forgotten about George's short lived fling back in March. It was so annoying he practically blocked out the memory of it entirely.
"So your room is just for storage? You were planning on sleeping in Dream's room this whole time?" Sapnap asked with raised eyebrows, skepticism still in his tone.
"I thought that would be a given, but since we're spelling everything out- yes. I will be sleeping in Dream's room. In Dream's bed. With Dream." George rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. Dream did his best to keep a blank face, pretending this wasn't all new information to him.
"Yeah, that'll last a day. You idiots can come find me when you're done playing make believe." Sapnap walked off, heading towards his own room. As soon as the echo of his door shutting reached the living room, Dream and George turned to each other with muffled laughter.
"Oh my god, he's already so flustered! He's going to cave before Friday, I just know it." George whispered with a laugh, walking over to the coffee table and picking up the two glasses of champagne.
Dream accepted the glass, holding it out to cheers with George.
"Here's to the start of a beautiful fake relationship." Dream clinked his glass against George's while he laughed, each of them taking a sip.
"I can't believe you actually kissed me. Oh, this is quite nice." George laughed after taking a sip, walking back over to look at the bottle. Dream didn't plan on admitting how much he spent on that bottle of champagne, but he was glad George liked it nonetheless.
"You looked like you were about to give in, I had to do something." Dream shrugged, unbuttoning his suit jacket and sitting on the couch. He grabbed one of the strawberries and popped it into his mouth.
"I was going to tell him that our first kiss wasn't going to be in front of an audience." George laughed, grabbing a strawberry for himself before sitting on the couch next to Dream.
"Oh." Dream laughed, taking another sip of the champagne, hoping it would hide his embarrassment.
"It's probably better that we got that out of the way now though- you know, the first one." George shrugged, tapping away another balloon that had started to deflate.
"Why do you keep saying 'first'?" Dream asked, setting down his glass so he could hit back the balloon to George.
"You really think he's going to believe us if we just kissed that one time?" George answered with a question, backing away on the couch to make more distance to hit the balloon between them.
"I mean, if you think it'll help out with making this believable, then I guess I'm in." Dream shrugged, pulling off his jacket and bowtie while the balloon slowly floated over to George.
"Same with staying in your room. I'd give it four days tops, but I still think he's going to cave before the weekend." George laughed, grabbing Dream's bowtie off the couch and trying to tie it on himself.
"Whatever works- oh my god, you don't even know how to tie a bowtie? Give me that." Dream laughed, ignoring the balloon as it passed by, moving on the couch to be closer to George again. George rolled his eyes, tilting his head back so Dream could tie the bowtie on for him.
"So... MCC 14." George started, while Dream was meticulously creating the bow. What else did you put in that card?" He asked, tilting his face to the side with a smirk.
"I just talked about how much I love my baby." Dream laughed, reaching over for the card, quickly getting distracted by the bracelet. "Oh, I got you this. I know you'd be more likely to wear a ring, but considering all this-" Dream gestured first to the living room, then himself. "I figured Nick might think this was a proposal and then really not believe it." Dream laughed.
"This is so cool, it looks like it's pixelated?" George took the bracelet, looking over it before slipping it onto his wrist. "Is this the LucasPlus brand?" George asked, wiggling his wrist so the thin bracelet would move around.
"Yeah, it kind of had the same 'glitched' vibe that your 404 logo has. I figured it would be up your alley style wise." Dream shrugged, grabbing his champagne again and finishing the glass. He was glad George was too wrapped up in admiring the bracelet to notice his proud smile.
"Thanks, Dream. I love it- seriously." George said with a smile, finally looking back at Dream. He was glad George accepted the gift so readily, seeing that George normally wasn't the biggest fan of receiving gifts.
George always said he hated getting gifts, but seeing that giving gifts was Dream's love language, he was happy to see it was off to a good start with George.
"Yeah, of course. Well, I'm exhausted from setting this up all day. I'm going to go to bed. Oh, uh, are you coming with me?" Dream asked with a laugh, remembering that George would be sharing a room with him until further notice.
"Yeah, that flight was so bad. I'm dead." George laughed, grabbing Dream's oversized suit jacket, putting it on.
"You look so stupid in that, it doesn't fit you at all." Dream laughed, standing in front of George to pull on the extra fabric. While he was there, he adjusted the bowtie again.
"You guys are dedicated to the bit, I'll give you that." Sapnap said with an eye roll, walking by them as he headed to the kitchen. Dream and George looked at each other in a bit of panic, realizing that if Sapnap had walked in any earlier, they would've blown their own cover.
Dream and George quickly walked in the opposite direction, grabbing George's bags before heading upstairs to Dream's room.
"I'm going to go to my room for a bit. I need to shower and stuff but I guess I'll be back after?" George questioned with a laugh, grabbing a small bag from his suitcase before heading out of the room.
Dream took the liberty of condensing some of his drawers, making room for George to have a place to keep his clothes for the next few days.
Dream looked back at his bed, contemplating how this was going to work. He had a king bed, it's not like there wouldn't be enough room for them to both sleep comfortably, but he wasn't exactly sure if it would be necessary to share a bed.
Dream grabbed a few pillows off his bed, tossing them to the floor, before heading to his closet to grab extra bedding. By the time Dream had made a makeshift bed on the floor and changed into pajamas, George had returned.
"You're going to sleep on the floor?" George asked, closing the door behind him.
"It's just for a couple days, right? What, do you think he's going to come check on us in the middle of the night?" Dream sarcastically asked, crawling into his floor bed.
"I mean, if you're sure you're good with that." George shrugged, turning off the lights. Dream hummed in response, getting settled in. He had slept on floors plenty of times- being a middle child of four kind of guarantees that. Dream was out before he even had time to say goodnight to George.
"Hey, are you up?" George whispered, nudging Dream's shoulder. The room seemed darker now, or maybe it was just because his eyes hadn't adjusted yet. Dream rolled over, seeing George hanging off the edge of the bed to reach him.
"I am now." Dream grumbled, rubbing one of his eyes.
"I can hear Sapnap walking around upstairs. I think he might actually try to come check- get in the bed." George whispered, holding out a hand to Dream.
Dream accepted the hand, pulling himself up slowly. He tossed his pillows back onto the bed, kicking the blanket underneath. He was far too tired to lean down again to grab it. Dream crawled into his bed, still holding onto George's hand for stability.
"What time is-"
"Shhh." George interrupted, pointing to the door. The light from the hallway shone into the room through the crack at the bottom of the door. The light faded in and out as shadows of feet walked past the door a couple times, clearly Sapnap pacing in front of Dream's room.
Dream couldn't be bothered to be as stressed as George was. He was pretty sure he was already falling back asleep. Dream let go of George's hand, laying down again. Once he had settled in and George was still sitting up, staring at the door, Dream pulled him down by his waist, pulling George to his chest.
He wasn't sure if George was laughing or trying to say something to him, because he was back to being fully asleep in less than a minute.
"Good morning." Dream mumbled, rolling over in bed to see George. He was sitting against the headboard, petting Patches with one hand and scrolling his phone with the other.
"Morning." George smiled, leaning over to mess up Dream's bed head even more. Dream let out a laugh, pushing his face into his pillow. He was a bit surprised that George had waited around in bed for him to wake up. Regardless, Dream started to settle back into bed, adjusting the covers around him.
"No, you're not going back to sleep!" George refuted with a laugh, pulling away the covers and ignoring Dream's groan. "We nearly ruined the prank on the very first day because we suck at being fake boyfriends. We need to practice before we actually fuck up." George explained, pulling on Dream's arm.
Dream rolled over, draping an arm over George's lap, laying face down in the bed again. After a second, Dream turned his face to George, lifting and dropping his arm more dramatically in his lap.
"Look, we're so cuddly. Totally believable boyfriends. Can I go back to sleep now?" Dream groaned, pushing his face back into his pillow.
"You're such an idiot. We need to be comfortable with each other. You're so stiff around me, it's like you have rigor mortis or something. Just, relax. Here." George said while uncrossing his legs, pulling on Dream's arm. Dream propped himself up on his elbow, looking at George with a raised eyebrow.
"Rest your head in my lap." George said, tapping his thigh. Dream actually let out a laugh before he realized George wasn't joking.
"You're being serious right now?" Dream asked, looking at George's lap.
"See- this is why we're practicing now. If you were this awkward in front of Sapnap, there's no way he'd believe us. Just come here." George insisted, tapping his thigh again until Dream slowly laid his head down on it. Dream brought up both his arms, wrapping them around George's waist.
"Like this?" Dream asked. Honestly, even with his girlfriends in the past, he never really laid with them like this.
"Yeah. Once you stop being so weird about it we can sit like this when we're on the couch and stuff." George answered with a shrug. Dream was surprised to find himself already falling back asleep. The nail in the coffin ended up being when George brought a hand to his head, running his fingers through his hair.
This level comfortability soon translated into other areas of the fake relationship as well. Now that Dream and George had ripped off the bandaid of being physically affectionate with each other, things started to come more naturally. Whether that was laying on the couch together, holding hands, or giving hugs from behind when one of them was standing in the kitchen.
Despite their increased affection around the house, especially when Sapnap was in the room, it had been a week and a half and Sapnap didn't seem to be any more ready to acknowledge their 'relationship'.
In an attempt to speed up the process, Dream and George agree to invite Dream's family over for dinner after getting them all in on the prank. To avoid anyone in his family doing anything over the top and exposing the plan, Dream just asked that no one give any kind of reaction to him and George acting like a couple, like it was something that was totally normal.
Even though they didn't want them to give any reaction, it kind of worked in their favor when Dream's mom couldn't help but stare at them with a soft smile, it growing every time she watched her son wrap an arm around his 'boyfriend'.
Even after a convincing performance and a flawless evening, Sapnap seemed to be just as skeptical of the entire idea of them being together. He didn't even seem any more inclined to believe it after seeing Dream's family have such a casual reaction.
It was clear that Sapnap was going to stand his ground, firmly believing that this whole thing was a prank. Dream and George refused to quit, though. They had invested ten days into this- that was ten days of sharing a bed, of obnoxiously cuddling around the house, of having virtually no personal time or space.
"I don't think we gave him enough credit." George sighed, leaning against the bathroom counter, while Dream brushed his teeth.
"He's never been so stubborn about something before. Are we really not that believable of a couple?" Dream asked after spitting out his toothpaste, now swishing around mouthwash, while George hopped up to sit on the counter.
"I feel like we're believable. I don't know what more we could- oh. We haven't kissed since the night I got here. Do you think kissing in front of him more often could persuade him?" George asked, watching Dream continue his nightly routine.
"I mean, I guess there's no harm in trying? So, tomorrow... I'll just kiss you good morning while we're all making breakfast." Dream pitched, but it came out more like a slow question. "Or... not." Dream continued after watching George look a bit apprehensive to the idea.
"No, no. That sounds like a good idea, it's just-" George paused, looking away for a minute. "I'm not used to kissing you. If he's going to see us kiss, we have to make sure it looks natural or this whole thing will have been pointless." George explained, looking back at Dream.
"So what are you suggesting then?" Dream asked, leaning next to where George was sitting on the counter.
"I think we should practice- like how we did with cuddling and stuff. We made sure that we were comfortable and used to it before we started doing it in front of him." George shrugged. Despite trying to act casual, Dream could tell that at least part of George felt nervous pitching the idea.
"Okay, we'll practice." Dream agreed after a second, watching the tension release from George's face.
"We can kiss each other goodnight. I'm sure after a couple days we'll be used to it and then we can do it around the house." Dream offered. George nodded with a small smile, jumping off the counter.
Dream followed closely behind, turning off the lights. George got into bed first, watching Dream as he crawled in a minute later, getting under the blankets. Dream looked at George for a minute before he let out a laugh, realizing how stupid their entire plan was.
George joined in after a minute, sharing the same thought, even though Dream didn't get the chance to say it out loud. In the midst of laughing, Dream leaned forward and kissed George, taking him by surprise.
"Goodnight." Dream said, pulling away. George grabbed onto his shirt, preventing him from rolling over. "What?" Dream asked with a laugh.
"The point is to get used to it. You can't just keep surprise kissing me- those don't help. Do it again- when I'm ready." George rolled his eyes with a laugh.
"Nobody announces, 'I am going to kiss you in ten seconds. Please prepare yourself.' Most kisses aren't planned. If you want it to be believable, then maybe you should get used to my surprise kisses." Dream laughed again, resting his head on the pillow.
"Or maybe you could be a gentleman and ask to kiss me instead of-"
"You just wanna kiss me again, admit it." Dream teased, wiggling his eyebrows. George let out an abrupt scoff, letting go of his grip on Dream's shirt.
"I'm kidding, come on. Your turn to kiss me goodnight." Dream laughed, grabbing George when he tried to crawl to the other side of the bed. He pulled George back by his waist, holding up the blanket for George to get back under the covers. George complied after a minute of giving Dream continued attitude, lowering to his usual spot in Dream's arms.
"Goodnight, Dream." George said, slowly leaning down and kissing Dream. The kiss was quick and light, nothing more than a peck on the lips. "See- no need to be so theatrical with it." George laughed, trying to roll away but Dream grabbed him by his waist again, making him laugh harder.
"Theatrical? You think my kisses are theatrical?" Dream exclaimed, continuing to hold George to his chest despite his attempts at getting away.
Their laughter bounced off the walls until they inevitably calmed down, relaxing into each other's arms. It was honestly amazing how quickly Dream found himself being genuinely comfortable with George. How their personalities seemed to click even better in person than they had online.
After two days of their new goodnight kiss routine, Dream and George finally felt like they could kiss believably in front of Sapnap, and they were quite pleased with the results.
Since the family dinner, Sapnap had been ignoring their affection, completely refusing to acknowledge that they were doing anything beyond friendship.
This was the first time in four days that Sapnap actually gave them a reaction. Granted that reaction was a scoff, but still, it meant that they were one step closer. George had also noticed that Sapnap was starting to stare at them more, really paying close attention to their body language and how they interacted.
"I think we're finally making some progress." George said quietly, shutting the bedroom door behind him. It was after two in the morning but they were all just going to bed now.
"I know right, did you see his face?" Dream asked, leaning down and kissing George quickly before heading into the bathroom. George followed like he always did, sitting on the counter while Dream did his nightly routine.
Oh, that was another thing. Kissing had become such a habit to them over the last couple days that they found themselves kissing each other even when Sapnap wasn't around. It was probably good in the long run though, seeing that it was essentially just more practice.
"I think he might crack this week. He's not ignoring it anymore, he's like, analyzing us." George said with a muffled laugh, looking towards the bedroom door when a few heavy knocks preceded the door opening.
Dream leaned to George's side, peering into his room as Sapnap walked in, looking around before his eyes landed on them in the bathroom. He dramatically rolled his eyes, heading their way.
"I'm out of toothpaste. Does the happy couple have any to spare?" Sapnap asked, holding out his hand.
"Why don't you say it like you mean it and then-"
"Baby, it's fine. He's going to think what he wants." Dream interrupted, handing Sapnap the toothpaste. George and Sapnap both looked at Dream confused, which was his goal.
"Uh, thanks. I'll bring it right back." Sapnap said slowly, heading out of their room and closing the door behind him.
"What was that?" George asked, nudging Dream's arm. "I was about to get him to say it!" He continued.
"What? Nick saying it and him believing it are totally separate things. Do you just want him to say that he thinks we're a happy couple?" Dream asked, swishing around mouthwash while he waited for George's answer, as George leaned back against the mirror.
"I guess you're right. It's just that it's already been two weeks- this was only supposed to be four days." George groaned, leaning to the side to fidget with all of Dream's random trinkets.
"We can call it off if you're that miserable, damn. Didn't know I was such a shit boyfriend." Dream laughed after spitting out the mouthwash. He moved to stand between George's legs, a hand resting on either thigh.
"I'm frustrated, not miserable. And I'm not frustrated that we're still doing this, I'm frustrated that he's being so stubborn!" George complained, closing his eyes, tapping the back of his head against the mirror.
"Hey, stop that." Dream sighed, placing a hand behind George's head. George stopped, looking up at Dream. "We just need to be patient. Great things are worth waiting for." Dream said with a smile, leaning down to kiss George.
"Here's the- ugh, christ." Sapnap paused as soon he walked in, seeing them about to kiss. He set the toothpaste on the ledge and left the room without another word. George looked back at Dream, the hope returning to his eyes.
"He's close." Dream smiled.
"Oh, he's so close." George confirmed, laughing as he grabbed the toothpaste, beginning to brush his own teeth.
Dream left the bathroom, getting into bed. He got into his usual place, pulling George's pillow directly next to his own. George emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, collapsing onto the bed after turning off the light.
"Goodnight." Dream said quietly, leaning over to give George his usual goodnight kiss. George smiled into the kiss, pushing further into it. Dream's hands snaked their way around George's waist, pulling him in closer.
As the days had continued to pass, they found that the way they kissed in front of Sapnap had stayed the same- usually just quick pecks to say hello. However, the way they kissed when they were alone, specifically that goodnight kiss, seemed to have developed.
Short kisses that used to end in laughter were now drawn out into something much longer and slower. The kisses were too deep to mean nothing like they were pretending they did. Even though Sapnap had made no inclination that he found the way they kissed to be an unbelievable performance, they still continued to practice a goodnight kiss, which would never see the light of day.
Week three of fake dating began the way every other day did. George was sitting on the kitchen counter, while Dream made everyone breakfast. Dream and George did their usual good morning peck when Sapnap walked in, although it was far from their first kiss of the day.
Similarly to other mornings, Sapnap gave them a skeptical look as he walked by, grabbing a pancake off of the pile.
"I'm going to Luke's place to play basketball. I swear, you guys are such freaks. Enjoy having the house to yourselves." Sapnap said over his shoulder, grabbing the basketball he kept sitting by the front door, and heading outside.
Dream was still standing in front of George, both hands resting on his thighs, while George had his hands laid over his shoulders, as they watched Sapnap practically run out of the house. When they looked back to each other, they let out a laugh, realizing that after twenty-one days of endless dedication to this prank, it was finally paying off.
George didn't hesitate to pull Dream down by his shoulders, connecting their lips. To be fair, this really did feel like something worth celebrating over. If they had more champagne, they would've popped a bottle instead. But in lieu of that, a kiss would have to do.
Dream leaned further into the kiss, sliding his hands from George's thighs to his waist, pulling him to the edge of the counter. The kiss was long and slow, with George's legs wrapping around Dream's hips. This was like the kind of kiss they had only shared in the privacy of their room under the shield of night.
At some point, the kiss began to even go beyond how they had been saying goodnight. Dream's calloused hands found their way under George's shirt, roaming his back without any reservation. It was unclear who was the first to introduce their tongue to the kiss, but this first-time advancement was welcomed regardless.
The kiss didn't break, despite all the new things that had happened during it. If anything, it just got deeper, growing hungrier for more. What did break the kiss was Sapnap speaking up.
"You're burning a pancake." He said awkwardly, slowly grabbing his car keys off the table, which he had come back inside to retrieve.
Dream and George pulled away from each other with genuine embarrassment, realizing they had no idea when Sapnap had come back inside or how long he had been watching them. Dream looked back to Sapnap one more time before what he said actually registered in his head.
"Shit." Dream muttered. He jogged over to the stove, putting the burnt and smoking pancake into the trash. He sprayed down the pan with more oil and put fresh batter in, a satisfying sizzle being the only sound in the house.
"Uh, thanks. Have fun, man." Dream said with a forced smile, staying on the opposite side of the kitchen from George. Sapnap looked between them with his brows furrowed in confusion, silently heading back outside with his keys.
Even after Sapnap had left, the silence persisted. Each of their hearts were beating out of their chests, but that wasn't something they were quite ready to own up to yet.
Over the next few days, there seemed to have been a shift in the house's atmosphere. Sapnap was no longer acting quite as dismissive to their relationship, but he also wasn't acknowledging whether or not he thought it was real.
Dream and George had also found that since that kiss they shared in the kitchen, things had been persistently different between them. They still did all the same things when Sapnap was around- kisses that were just pecks, laying on the couch together, and so on. It was when they were alone that things were different.
They were more distant now. They didn't kiss throughout the day if Sapnap wasn't watching, they were far less affectionate with each other when there wasn't an appearance they needed to uphold.
Well, during the day.
At night, things had changed in the opposite direction. The kiss in the kitchen seemed to spark something that they couldn't talk about when the sun was in the sky. However, when they were under the cover of the moon, there were no words which needed to be shared.
They could kiss to their heart's content, feeling like they were breathing each other in. They would kiss more passionately, not holding themselves back from letting their hands roam where they wanted to be, allowing soft moans to move past their lips.
Kisses traveled down their necks, resulting in George very unsuccessfully hiding a few hickeys for days at a time. Dream felt a bit guilty for leaving the marks behind, still somehow justifying in his mind that this was all for the sake of the prank's believability.
The awkward tension that seemed to persist between Dream and George finally lifted once week four began. They still hadn't addressed what happened in the kitchen, nor had they talked about how their goodnight kisses had progressed into something more mature. But alas, they seemed to be content.
Dream and George had fallen back into their routine of kissing throughout the day, even when Sapnap wasn't around, finding comfort in each other's arms, and looking forward to going to bed together each night.
It had been officially thirty-two days since George arrived, since this whole prank officially began, when Sapnap walked into the living room, finding them watching the TV. He looked between Dream and George skeptically one last time before turning around to stare at the TV as well.
Dream was in his favorite spot, which consisted of laying with his head in George's lap, one of George's hands trailing slowly through his hair, the other resting on Dream's chest. George's hand in Dream's hair paused when Sapnap turned back around to stare at them.
Sapnap walked up to the coffee table, grabbing the remote and turning off the TV when neither of them acknowledged him. Dream and George turned their attention to Sapnap in unison, each with furrowed brows.
"Is this serious?" Sapnap asked blankly.
"Dude, we've been telling you that for a month." Dream laughed, turning his head up to George. George looked down, meeting Dream eye to eye, a smile growing on both their faces. It was time.
"Clay, are you being serious?" Sapnap repeated, his face lacking any emotion other than residual anxiety. Dream started to sit up on the couch, both of George's hands sliding away. He had been living with Sapnap for nearly two years now, but he'd never seen him so on edge about something before.
Just as Dream was about to back out, to say they're not serious, George opened his mouth first.
"Dream and I are seriously together." George said slowly. He looked over to Dream, reading the concern on Dream's face. They had no idea what Sapnap was so worked up about, but it was starting to get to the both of them.
Sapnap opened his mouth several times, clearly having something that he was trying to say. Dream watched with increased confusion as Sapnap finally seemed to give up, letting out a defeated sigh, and heading for the front door.
"Why's he acting so weird?" George whispered as soon as the front door closed behind Sapnap. He looked at Dream, clearly searching for some kind of comfort, for Dream to have an explanation for Sapnap's behavior.
"I wish I knew." Dream responded in a whisper, wrapping an arm around George. Even though his answer was far from reassuring, George seemed to be content enough with accepting the embrace, leaning into Dream's side.
Sapnap reentered the house, catching both their attention. As they looked to the front door, they saw Sapnap was walking hand in hand with Karl. It wasn't a surprise that Karl was there, he had been planning to come visit on that day since they got word George's visa was approved. What was a surprise was the way Karl's face seemed to hold the exact same anxiety that Sapnap's had.
"I really didn't believe you guys... but after that day- and I know you know which day I'm referring to, I realized that maybe you guys weren't just fucking with me after all." Sapnap said slowly. Dream and George looked at each other before quickly looking away again, knowing that Sapnap was referring to the day in the kitchen- the day they never even addressed with each other.
"I guess what I want to say is, sorry for being such an ass to you guys. And, well, since you guys trusted me with your secret, we want to trust you with ours. Karl and I have been together since July. I get that it doesn't really seem like very long compared to the year and a half you've been together, but that was why I went to live with Karl in August. We wanted to see if this was something we actually wanted... and it is." Sapnap smiled at Karl, the anxiety on both their faces seeming to dissipate.
Dream and George turned to each other in what felt like slow motion, before turning back to Sapnap and Karl, still standing hand in hand in front of them.
George was the first one to burst out laughing, soon followed by Dream. George was laughing so hard he was holding his stomach and Dream had broken out into a full airy wheeze.
Sapnap and Karl looked at each other with a sigh, like they were expecting this reaction was a possibility. Although, it was fairly clear that they were hoping for a smoother acceptance.
"Can you guys stop? I'm trying to be vulnerable and shit here." Sapnap rolled his eyes, walking away from Karl's side to hit each of them with a couch cushion.
"You can't steal my prank while I'm literally still doing it! Prank war is back on, idiot!" George barely got out between his laughter, while Sapnap stared at him in disbelief.
"You think this is a prank?" Sapnap repeated back slowly, stepping away from them.
"We were pretending to date to see if we could get you to believe it- and it worked! It fucking worked!" Dream cheered, falling over on the couch to lay on George while they both came down from their laughter.
"We are not joking. We've been together- wait. Wait, what do you mean you two aren't together?" Sapnap asked, like the reality of what they admitted had finally set in. "I practically caught you guys fucking in the kitchen when you thought I wasn't even home! Not to mention George has been sporting a fresh hickey every day for a week!" Sapnap exclaimed in disbelief, causing both of their laughter to finally die down.
Dream and George looked at each other slowly, shrugging, and letting out a much less genuine sounding laugh.
"We just, uh, we got really into character?" George said with raised eyebrows, looking to Dream for confirmation. It sounded like he was trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince Sapnap.
"Yeah, in character, I guess." Dream agreed, pulling himself off of George, moving to sit in his own seat on the couch.
"You guys are fucking idiots." Sapnap said through a groan, rolling his eyes. He grabbed onto Karl's hand, leading him to his room. Dream and George watched them ascend the staircase, disappearing down the hall.
"Wait, do you think he's pranking us back or do you think he's being serious- like they're actually dating?" Dream asked. It was almost disorienting how he had just sat into his own seat, but in the midst of asking his question, he had scooched back over to George, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
It was just a habit at this point. George leaning into his embrace, reaching a hand over his chest to hold Dream's hand in his own could also be explained as a habit. As could the way George leaned his head back to rest it on Dream's shoulder and how Dream leaned over, kissing George's forehead. It was all just a habit.
"I don't know, I guess we'll have to wait and see." George mumbled.
Dream shrugged, more so to himself than to add anything else to the conversation. He grabbed the remote, turning the television back on so they could continue watching their show, almost as if that whole conversation never even happened.
Karl was about a week into his stay now. Dream and George had been meticulously watching the way he and Sapnap interacted. It kind of reminded them of how they acted when their prank first started- a bit shy and awkward around each other, but working on getting more comfortable.
They weren't sure what that meant. It could either mean Sapnap and Karl were also fake dating or it could mean that Dream and George were very accurate actors.
Dream and George, despite admitting a week ago that they had been pranking Sapnap this whole time, had yet to change anything about their routine.
The two would still lay on the couch together, they would still feed each other a bite of whatever they were eating, they still kissed throughout the day, and they still fell asleep together each night. Every morning they would laugh about it, saying that they must've been too tired the night before to remember they didn't have to do that anymore, always claiming they would remember for the upcoming night.
After another week, Karl's final day in Florida was here. Dream and George had come to the conclusion that they couldn't even be bothered to try figuring out if Sapnap and Karl were pranking them back or not. They had decided against bringing it up again after the initial conversation. In a way, this led to the last two weeks being a very strange and nonstop double date.
For Karl's final dinner while staying with them, Dream said he would prepare spaghetti, seeing that it was one of Karl's favorite dishes. George was sitting in his usual spot on the counter, being a very unhelpful sous chef.
"Pasta check." George said, already holding open his mouth. He had been asking Dream for a 'pasta check' once a minute since Dream put the noodles in the water. Dream fished out a piece of cooked pasta for George, putting one end in his mouth and dangling the other side in the air for George to catch.
"Like that dog movie?" George laughed, trying to catch the pasta.
"Lady and the tramp, you moron." Dream laughed, talking in a mumble to avoid losing his grip on the noodle. George finally caught the other end in his mouth, both of them giggling with each bite until their lips met.
The kiss was rather standard for them. Most of their kisses were longer than a peck now, but nothing like the way they continued to kiss each other every night.
"I don't get it- was it a prank or not? Why the hell are you two still keeping up the 'act' if you already said it wasn't real?" Sapnap asked, making sure to put air quotes around the word act, as he walked into the kitchen with Karl by his side.
Dream and George's laughter fell flat, each looking to the other. Finally hearing someone else actually call them out gave them an epiphany of sorts.
The prank was over.
The prank was over but nothing had changed between them. The prank was over but they were still kissing each other. The prank was over but they were still sharing a room- a bed. The prank was over but they were still acting like a couple in every aspect of the word, despite there being no one left to fool.
"Habit?" Dream questioned. He looked to George, who was already nodding in agreement. "Yeah, we've just, uh, we've been pretending to date since George first got here- it's weird to think of doing things differently is all. Breaking a habit is hard." Dream tried to justify.
Despite George's continued nodding, Sapnap and Karl seemed to not be on the same page. Karl let out a quick laugh before covering his mouth, hiding his face in Sapnap shoulder as more laughs escaped.
"Oh man, the only ones you guys are kidding anymore are yourselves. You 'fake' dated for so long you guys just actually have feelings for each other now." Sapnap laughed, pulling Karl away from him by his waist, pulling out a chair for him to sit in instead.
Dream and George watched in disbelief as Sapnap and Karl continued to laugh quietly to themselves.
"That's not true, right?" George asked. Dream only turned to look at him when George pulled away his hands, which he didn't even realize were still resting on his chest.
"No, not at all. It's just a habit- a bad habit, nothing we can't fix." Dream shrugged, taking a step back and heading to the stove.
Dream had found himself questioning whether or not what he told George was a lie. Was George asking him if he had somehow developed feelings for him by pretending to date? As far as Dream was aware of, that wasn't the case. He felt the same about George now that he did before he arrived- before George even pitched the prank idea to him.
But if his feelings hadn't changed and he still found himself wanting to fake date George, did that mean he had been wanting to just actually date George all this time?
No, no. That was a ridiculous thought. Dream pushed it to the back of his mind as soon as it surfaced. He went back to tending dinner, trying to keep his rouge thoughts at bay- which would have been much easier if he wasn't fighting his every natural instinct around George.
Holding his tongue to avoid calling George a pet name, being painfully aware of how he needed to keep his hands at his side when he passed George in the kitchen, reminding himself that he should be looking at George's eyes when he talked and not his lips.
By the end of dinner, he was exhausted.
He was exhausted and it only felt worse knowing the one thing he was craving was laying in bed with George and Patches, falling asleep to whatever movie George would insist he wanted to watch before bed, even though he would always fall asleep before the opening credits finished.
Dream stared at himself in his foggy bathroom mirror after getting out of the shower. It was almost disorienting to not have George seated on the counter in front of him, keeping him company while he did his little nightly routine. Dream felt like his entire world had tipped on its axis and everything was out of balance.
Dream walked out of his bathroom, overwhelmingly aware of the way his heart seemed to find its normal rhythm again when his eyes landed on George standing in front of the dresser, closing the drawer with all his clothes in it.
"Should I... sleep in my room tonight?" George asked, sounding genuinely confused, looking at Dream briefly before looking away again. The normalcy his heart had found from the sight of George in their-... his room, was gone in an instant, after hearing George's question.
"Have you actually slept in your room at all since you got here?" Dream asked, intentionally avoiding giving George an answer to his question. He wasn't sure how George would react to his honest answer that no, he shouldn't sleep in his own room tonight.
"No, I haven't. We, uh, we started sleeping together the day I landed." George explained slowly, looking over to Dream with a sigh.
"George-"
"Dream-"
They said in unison, each pausing, waiting for the other to continue. After George looked away, Dream decided to finish his thought.
"Was Nick right? Are we kidding ourselves to think this has all just been pretend?" Dream asked, watching intently as George looked to the open bedroom door, slowly looking back to the floor.
"I don't know... What do you think?" George asked, finally looking back over to Dream.
"I think... Every second after he said that has sucked. Suddenly being so aware of everything that I shouldn't be doing and forcing myself to not do the things that I'm used to doing. That I have to force myself to not do what I want to do." Dream admitted, slowly walking over to sit on the edge of the bed.
George turned around where he was standing, leaning against the dresser so he would be facing Dream.
"If you're asking me what I think... I think, if I get into bed and you go to your room to sleep instead, then it was all pretend... but if you stay, then it wasn't." Dream continued quietly, fidgeting with his fingers before taking a deep breath, finally looking back up at George.
Dream watched as George nodded slowly, returning his gaze to the doorway. Dream wanted nothing more than to yell no, to tell George that he wanted him to stay- but he couldn't. He knew that at the end of the day, the choice was George's to make.
When George pushed himself away from the dresser, heading towards the door, Dream was all too aware that he wouldn't be able to hide the disappointment on his face, so he turned to his lap instead.
"Yeah, maybe that's-" Dream paused when the lights turned off and the bedroom door closed, looking up to see George was still in the room with him.
George walked towards the bed, silently crawling in on his side, leaning forward to pull on Dream's arm, encouraging him to lay down. Dream leaned back slowly, wrapping his arms around George like he had every night for nearly two months, even though it suddenly felt different- because it was different.
"I guess I'm staying." George said quietly, looking over at Dream. He offered Dream a gentle smile, pushing a few strands of dampened hair out of Dream's face.
"Yeah?" Dream asked, almost in disbelief.
"Yeah." George confirmed, leaning down to kiss Dream. A kiss that sparked the start of something genuine.
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(10,732 words) oh my fucking god this chapter is a BOOK but i couldnt skimp out of the fake dating trope, it's way too good.