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“I could get to Washington, that flight’s still running.”
George sat in front of his computer, fingers drumming on the surface of his desk and the other hand propping up his head. His bags were packed and ready to go, and just as he’d been about to book an Uber to the airport he’d had an email arrive from the airline informing him that his connection to Florida had been cancelled. Thanksgiving with Dream was supposed to be fun , it was supposed to be this brand new experience with George meeting Dream’s family, supposed to be two weeks away from the drab English weather, but now it was gone. His shoulders slumped a little and his eyes threatened to droop closed.
“I think we should just cancel.” Dream said, deflated on the other end of the call. “We’ve been ordered to evacuate, there’s no point you coming here just to be stuck in limbo with my family. I love them but I wouldn’t put you in an enclosed space with them for that long.” He chuckled, trying to lift his spirits. “Look, I’m still coming for Christmas, Sally’s just a bitch.”
George could agree with that, Sally was a bitch. Hurricane Sally had undergone an eyewall replacement cycle and had rapidly intensified into a huge category 5 storm. George was certain he’d learned more about hurricanes in the last week as he’d been monitoring the storm than he had in the rest of his life. Even though what Dream was saying was logical, even though it was the safe thing to do, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated at his plans coming crashing down.
“I don’t think I can wait another few weeks.” He said quietly, and he swore he could hear Dream smiling. “We’ll call every night, right?”
“We always do.” Dream reassured him. “Unless the hurricane takes out power, I promise I’ll still call you. Maybe more. You could meet my parents that way!” He said, still trying to find something to soften the blow of George being unable to fly to see him. It wasn’t working.
“Okay…” George said sadly, leaning forward and resting his head on his desk. He let his eyes close and yawned, Dream chuckling quietly at how cute he sounded down the phone.
“Go back to bed, you’ve probably barely slept at all.” Dream said, knowing his boyfriend far too well. “We’ll call tomorrow okay? I should pack some stuff to get out of here, anyway.”
“Alright.” George told him, sitting back up and stretching his body. “Promise you’ll keep in touch? Text me when you’ve left Orlando, and when you’re with your parents, and when you’re out of the evacuation zone.”
“I will , I promise.” Dream said. This might’ve been unusually strong but he was no stranger to hurricanes, he wasn’t as worried as George clearly was. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, now go to bed.” Dream said, and with another yawn George nodded.
“Okay.” He said, not hanging up. Instead, he just watched the screen with a dopey, lovestruck expression on his face. “Love you.”
“Shut up.” Dream laughed, ending the call.
George sat where he was for several long moments, thinking about the fact that he wasn’t going to be making a mad dash for the airport, before he carried himself to his bed and flopped back into the covers. It only took a moment of mild disappointment before he realised just how upsetting the trip cancellation was. He’d almost forgotten, in the rush to get dressed and get ready, about the small box tucked away in the corner of his suitcase. Despite his exhaustion George forced himself to sit up and unzip his case, pushing the neatly folded clothes aside and pulling it out.
The black box sat perfectly in his hand and with the push of his thumb it clicked open. A plush blue cushion holding a small gold band in place with (he had been assured) an emerald protruding, several small diamonds surrounding the jewel in a ring. He’d been terrified about the prospect of proposing, even though he knew it was the right thing to do, but the fact that he couldn’t ask Dream to marry him in the next week was heartbreaking. He ran his fingers over the ring, taking in a deep breath as he tried to soothe himself. In a month, Dream would be snuggled up on the sofa beside him in his apartment with a Christmas tree decorated, presents placed underneath, mistletoe in the doorway… It would be perfect. Mulled wine and a proposal, nothing could go wrong.
Except that was a month away, and he wanted to ask Dream now .
He wasn’t tired anymore, his mind formulating a plan.
It was a week later that George and Dream had a chance to video call, Dream back in his home which had thankfully been undamaged during the storm - although the streets of central Orlando had definitely seen better days.
“Oh, I got a package from you.”
George looked at the screen Dream’s face was on, turning away from where he’d been scrolling through Twitter to look at his boyfriend. He’d almost forgotten, how the hell had he managed to forget?
“You did?”
“Yeah, I read the note saying I couldn’t open it until we were on video call together. Can I open it now?”
The older man shifted a little in his seat, clearing his throat and turning his attention to Dream entirely. It had been just over a week since he’d sent the package and given the hurricane he was amazed that it had arrived so quickly, but he was relieved that it was there and had been delivered safely to him. George had been terrified it would go missing en-route, or that it would break, and all this would have been for nothing. Straightening his posture, he spoke.
“Y-yeah. Yeah, sure, you can open it now.”
“Okay.”
The little smile on Dream’s face made George’s heart race in his chest and he felt himself heating up - this was it, he was going to do it. As Dream looked away from his own webcam to focus on opening the envelope in his hands George stood up, pushing his chair away and timing it as perfectly as he could. Dream’s fingers slipped into the envelope and George reached to his desk, taking the empty box from where it sat next to his keyboard. Dream took out the ring and George bent down to his knee, looking up at the webcam and swallowing as he watched for Dream’s reaction.
“George--” His voice came across almost a little unsure, eyes wide as he examined what now sat in his hands. George’s heart was racing quicker and quicker, he could hear blood pumping through his ears and if he waited any longer he felt as if he was going to pass out.
“Dream, will you--”
There was a knock at the door to George’s apartment mid-question and the two of them laughed, of course someone would arrive at the door right now. George looked at the screen to apologise for the interruption and Dream just wiped at the tears in his eyes, sniffling and smiling.
“It’s okay, we’ll do it properly when you get back.”
George found himself confident as he wandered through his apartment, the smile and the tears made him certain that Dream was going to say yes. Of course he’d assumed that the American would’ve agreed but actually asking the question and hearing an answer felt completely different. The delay to the proposal was utterly ridiculous though, and as he signed for the small padded envelope he chuckled to himself - it couldn’t happen to anyone else.
“Dream?” George called, stepping back into the room. At first he couldn’t see his boyfriend on the camera and for a moment the fear returned. He was horrified he’d messed up, that Dream had disappeared for fear of saying no to his face.
“Open it, you idiot.” Dream’s voice came through the speakers loud and clear and George did as he was told, shaking his head.
“No mail is as important as---”
He trailed off, losing his train of thought as he pulled the sapphire jeweled ring from the packaging and looked back up to the screen. Now he looked closer he could see Dream kneeling on the floor, an empty box in his hand and the widest smile he’d ever seen on his face.
“I told you we’d do this properly.” Dream said, a laugh bubbling its way from his chest. Through a mixture of elated sobs and laughs, he continued. “Will you marry me?”
“I asked first.” George beamed, shaking as he sat himself down in his chair. This didn’t seem real to him - that they’d both come up with the same ridiculous contingency plan to ensure their proposal could still go ahead. He tried to act as nonchalantly as possible, but the happiness that radiated from his face and the tears spilling from his eyes made it obvious that he was nothing but exhilarated. “I suppose if I have to…”
“I guess I could marry you, too.” Dream said, pushing himself off the ground and sitting back in his seat. He admired the ring that George had sent him a moment longer before slipping it onto his own finger, his hands moving to cover his face as he cried. George managed to remain composed long enough to take a screenshot of the moment before following suit, watching how the ring sparkled on his finger as he moved his hand back and forth under the lights of his bedroom.
“I love you, Dream.”
“I love you too, George.”