"I don't get it," Sapnap whines.

The trio sat on the floor of George's apartment. It had become their thing whenever they discussed things. An "irl vc", as Sapnap had once put it.

"We've done everything together," Sapnap continues with a frown.

"Are you sure? There must be something we haven't checked off on the list," Dream asked.

"Dream, we've been doing this for two months. We checked everything off, back to back," Sapnap replied, scrolling through his notes app on his phone. "I even double-checked. Triple checked! You guys even reread the whole thing with me!"

George felt his heart sink. Two months of no progress. They've thought of and done everything. Even as far as recording and uploading something on their channels together even though they've been dead for years. Literally, given Dream and George's situation.

George didn't mind staying in the living world at all. He hadn't woken up in the void once during those months, as both of his friends refused to leave his side. Whenever he'd tell them that it would be alright, they'd brush it off saying they wanted to live the dream of living together.

He figured that they just wanted to spend as much time as they possibly could with him before he "obtains nirvana".

"That was a lot of fun, though," the brunette shrugged. "I'm honestly happy."

The other two nodded, small smiles seemingly growing on their faces.

"What if it takes some time before it happens? Do you feel anything weird, George?" Dream suggested.

The brunette sat in silence, trying to capture anything different inside him. The distant voice telling him that he wasn't meant to be in this world was still there. "No, I feel... the same as I always do," he shrugs.

"Maybe we've been doing the wrong things this whole time," Sapnap grumbled. "Maybe George isn't here to finish hanging out with us."

"To be fair, who even wants to finish hanging out with their friends?" George says.

The three took a minute or two to process that, before groaning and facepalming.

"We probably should've thought of that 2 fucking months earlier," Dream groaned.

Silence.

Noiseless, numbing silence. The void of everything and nothing. A reoccurring thing between them lately. Sometimes it would be tense, sometimes it would be awkward, sometimes it would be comfortable.

Right now, it was just quiet. George knew it was because they were thinking, but that didn't make him dislike it any less.

"...We don't really have to do this, y'know," George mumbled. "I don't want to leave you guys again."

Dream turns to him, the smile on his spherical head seemingly sadder than usual. "George, listen," he said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "You exist for a reason. There's no way you're just here to be with us and nothing else. If you stay without doing what you're supposed to for longer, who knows what'll happen?

"Just know that Sapnap and I are going to help you, yeah? And if it makes you feel any better, when you've finished your unfinished business, we're happy enough that we actually spent time with you before that. Right, Sapnap?"

Sapnap shot George a genuine grin, and a satisfied "yeah."

George smiled back at them. He wouldn't exchange his friends for anything else in this world. He loved them more than all the things he loved combined.

Despite that, he fought with himself in his mind. He didn't know if he should let them help him and let himself believe in Dream's words, or not. When his heart told him to do the former, his brain decided on the latter.

People always say to follow your heart and brain. But when the heart and the brain contrast, it's never pretty.

He decided to keep his mouth shut. They don't need to know what he thinks. They matter the most to him right now, although he'd never admit that out loud.

"Okay," George finally replied. "Okay. What if it has something to do with you guys?"

Dream and Sapnap looked at him, puzzled.

"Like, I dunno. Maybe there's something you guys have been meaning to do. Maybe I'm just here because I subconsciously wanted to help you guys do it?"

"That's stupid," Sapnap chuckled. "But we'll do it anyway," he shrugged.

Dream slightly wheezes. "You're so stupid."

"So is there something you've always wanted to do, Sapnap?"

"I don't know," Sapnap taps his chin, putting on his thinking face. "I've done everything I've wanted to do the past 2 months. I can die a happy man."

The other two men winced at that.

"Dream?" George asked.

"Uh, I'm not sure," he fumbled with the hem of his hoodie. "I guess... I guess I could say the same as Sapnap," he shrugged, almost half-heartedly.

Sapnap raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you've done everything, Dream?"

"Yeah...? I think so?"

"Didn't you plan to... say something to George when you got here 7 years ago?"

To that, Dream's face darkened. No, not in an ominous way. George couldn't really tell if his face was obscured by a shadow or if it actually changed in color.

"Oh my god, you're blushing! How the hell is that even possible?!" Sapnap laughed.

"Dream, what were you going to tell me?" George teased, smiling cheekily.

Dream began to stammer. "W-well I- That's- I don't even think- I haven't even- like,- thought about that since that day-" George and Sapnap laughed. "Look, that was years ago!- Well kind of... uh...- E-even then, I may have already told him..."

"What? When?" George asked, replaying as many conversations as he could remember with Dream. "What were you going to tell me anyway?"

"Maybe nothing happened because nothing happened between you two," Sapnap yelled as he exasperatedly gestured at the two of them.

"What?" George was just confused.

Oh.

He finally got it.

"I got to fall in love with you all over again," Dream said.

Reciprocation. It's a wondrous thing. It's unbelievable, it's beautiful, it's...

George had absolutely no idea what to do with it.

He had shoved his feelings aside to shine some light on his friends. Yeah, their task at hand was quite literally about him, but George followed through for their sakes. He'd forgotten about his own at some point. His feelings for Dream were still there, but he didn't expect them to be returned like this.

That was the problem with George. Sometimes he gets affection, and when he does he never knows how to handle it. He holds it like holding a baby for the first time. Like it's fragile. Like you have the urge to give it to somebody else. Like you might drop it so you hold it steadily, but not too much that it might shatter.

Lately, he'd been more open with his feelings. Putting them aside had somewhat brought him back to square one.

"Uh, we don't have to talk about it right now," Dream explains quickly, looking away and fidgeting with his fingers. "I just- I just wanted to let that out."

George relaxed, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Okay," he breathed out.

Sapnap started banging on their door. "HEY????" BANG, BANG, BANG. "ARE YOU GUYS DONE YET?!?!" Sapnap yelled, popping the little bubble Dream and George had been in the whole time.

With a breathy giggle and a slight shake of his head, Dream walked over to the door after glancing at George with an affectionate smiley face.

"Oh. Oh, wait, I think I get what you guys are talking abo-" George started.

"No-!" Dream interrupted. The two men looked at him with quizzical faces. "I- I mean..." The tall man began to play with his fingers.

"...What are you suggesting, Sapnap...?" George said carefully.

"Okay. Don't yell at me," Sapnap raises a finger at the other two with raised brows. "What if," he slowly starts, "both of you..." he clasps his hands together.

"What?" George squints, confused. He glanced at Dream, who shrugs in response. "Sapnap, you're bad at charades."

The raven-haired boy looks at them, dumbfounded. Then facepalms. "Look, I don't know how to say this without it being weird, so don't blame me. Not my fault you guys are stupi-"

"Just get on with it!" Dream exclaims exasperatedly.

"Fine!" Sapnap yells back. "Just- I don't know! Get together..? Uh.. Be a couple?! Go on a date???"

George's eyes widen and Dream looks taken aback. They turn their heads at each other at the same time, looking elsewhere as quickly with a blush.

Sapnap looks at them with an even more incredulous face than before, arms out in disbelief. "Oh, come on!" He raises his hands to his face. "Look, we're running out of options here. It won't hurt to try...?"

Well, that's one way to let that topic resurface. Sapnap was something akin to one of those characters in stories who bring their obviously in-love friends together. (Which, George thought, was exactly the case.) Only less subtle. Way less subtle.

"Okay," the word came rolling off of George's tongue before he could catch it. The other two turned to him, seemingly surprised as he was. "Okay," he repeated, this time with a little more confidence.

Something about the star-struck look in the dots Dream had for eyes warmed the brunette's heart, giving him a little more willingness to go through with it.

It wasn't like the outcome of this would end up badly, even if that wasn't exactly what George needed to do to die peacefully.

When Dream discreetly intertwined their hands, George knew that Dream knew that as well.

As always, feedback and criticism are highly appreciated!