Chapter Text
There were a lot of plans George had for his life.
"-be okay? Tell me what's going-"
Needless to say…
"Sir, you need to step back."
… this wasn't one of them.
"Like hell I'm going to step back! That's my mate, do you get that? Do you-"
"Dream?" George coughed, only to have another wave of agonizing pain rip through his body. He hurt, he couldn't smell anything other than the nauseating scent of sterilized equipment, and he had no idea what was going on.
"Baby- I'm here! Fucking move- what's wrong with you?!"
Correction, he could only smell sterilized hospital whatever and Dream's growing panic.
He was trying desperately to figure out what happened, what could've possibly gone so terribly wrong that he was in the hospital, but his mind was drawing a blank. One minute, he, Dream, and Sapnap were lounging on the couch, then Dream got up to get him water and crackers for the stomach ache he'd had since he woke up that morning, then boom- he was in a world of pain.
"-appendectomy. There's a chance his appendix burst, in which case we need to prep him for emergency surgery."
"Surgery?" Dream sounded horrified, but George could finally feel his heart rate slowing down when whoever was fighting Dream at the door gave up, and he felt Dream's smooth but shaking palm rub his shoulder.
"Yes, now please-"
"No," George croaked, wincing in pain again.
"Baby, I know it must be scary, but if your appendix actually burst, then-"
"I don't have an appendix," George got out through a sob, trying to find a way to get closer to Dream when there were what felt like a dozen hands pulling him in different directions. "Got it- got it out when I was a kid."
The room went quiet for the first time since George was rushed inside, aside from the erratic beeping of a few machines. Another sharp cramp had George crying out in pain, actually pushing him to the point of vomiting- which he thankfully did over the edge of the bed once he rolled onto his side and away from Dream.
"Blood- we have blood! Okay, we need to take him up to the operating room- now."
George wanted to cry for a completely different reason when he felt Dream's hands ripped off of him, followed by the gurney he was laying on being pushed down the hall at a speed far too fast for his aching everything. George wasn't sure if he was going to throw up again, but he noticed the only taste in his mouth was that of stomach acid- no lingering taste of blood.
By some miracle of whatever higher power was out there, George passed out. Granted, that higher power was probably just a medication that was put into his IV drip, but regardless, George was thankful for the pain to be gone.
Waking up was hard. It was like his body wasn't groggy, but his mind was still off in another realm. The smell of white tea, bitter from anxiety, sat beside him, stroking his hand with trembling fingers.
"George? Hey, are you waking up?" Dream asked in a whisper, but his scent brightened the slightest bit.
"C'mere," George groaned. As much as his body still ached, it was in a very different way from the unbearable cramping he had earlier, and all he wanted was for Dream to hold him.
"I might hurt you, the doctors said you need time to heal." Dream moved from rubbing George's hand to rubbing the side of his face, trailing his fingers through George's sweaty hair.
"Lay with me," George pouted, trying to shift himself closer to the edge of the bed to make room for Dream, only to be hit with a flash of white hot pain. Dream was hovering over him and hushing his cries before he even made a sound.
"Stay still, sweetheart. You're going to be sore for a while," Dream spoke softly, kissing George's forehead, followed by a sniffle. Even if George was now instilled with a fear of moving, he slowly tilted his head back to look up at Dream.
The sight he was met with was terrifying.
Dream looked wrecked. It didn't look like George was out for days and Dream had let himself go with things like shaving and bathing. No, it looked like Dream's entire life had been sucked out of him in nothing more than a few hours tops. He arguably looked the same as the last time George was conscious, but also like a completely different person.
"What happened?" George whispered, tears dripping from his own eyes from the lingering pain, while Dream's bottom lip went back to being tightly pinned between his teeth.
"Do you want me to tell you, or would you rather have the doctor-"
"Dream," George interrupted with furrowed brows. "Tell me what happened."
"They thought your appendix burst, since you had such bad abdominal pain, but you told them you already had your appendix removed," Dream started with a shaky breath.
"Okay, I remember that. Then I threw up blood." George nodded, trying to get Dream to speed up the story. To his surprise, Dream shook his head no.
"You didn't- the blood they saw wasn't in your vomit, baby. It was-" Dream's chin started to quiver, and pain be damned, George was determined to roll over and face him.
"Dream, I don't get-"
"You were pregnant, George. You were pregnant and having a miscarriage- that was the blood they saw." Dream lifted George's hand to his mouth, pressing kisses to his knuckles with quivering lips, while tears streamed down his cheeks.
"They're… they must be wrong. Dream, I can't-"
You won't be able to carry a baby to term- likely won't even be able to get pregnant.
"George?" Dream whispered his name.
"Oh my god," George said under his breath, the words from his specialist in London ringing in his ears. She told him he couldn't carry a baby to term… but she never said he couldn't get pregnant, just that it was unlikely. All this time, George had been living under the assumption it was impossible for him to have kids, starting off with him no longer being able to conceive.
He was wrong.
"No… no, no- no!"
"Shh, hey- baby, it's okay- you're okay," Dream hushed him.
George was beyond the point of gentle words of comfort- even from Dream. Whether his tears were from the pain of the news he just received, or the fact that every sob sent a bolt of lightning-like pain throughout his entire body, it didn't matter.
George was devastated.
Dream climbed into the bed with him, apparently figuring that George was doing enough damage with his thrashing cries that holding him in place couldn't possibly cause more harm. In the midst of his sobbing nightmare, a subtle burn made the skin around his IV sting. When George looked up, there was a nurse at his bedside, looking at him apologetically.
George could feel everything beginning to slow down, starting with his breathing.
"There you go," Dream said with a thick voice, clearly struggling to contain his own tears. "Relax- get some rest, love. I'll be here when you wake up." He kissed the side of George's head, adjusting the two of them to bring George closer to his chest.
"We had a baby," George whispered, his eyelids falling shut.
"Shh, don't-"
"We had a baby and I lost it," George interrupted, his body desperate to release all the pain and anguish he held inside, but alas, whatever medication burned in his veins put him back under.
If George thought the worst of it was over, he was once again wrong.
The next time he woke up, Sapnap was there too. Any other time, George would be happy- relieved even- to see him, but Sapnap was looking at him differently. He was staring at George with more pain and sorrow than George thought Sapnap's sage-green eyes could carry. George couldn't stand the thought of there being another thing in his life that could make his best friends look at him with such pity in their eyes.
"Hi, baby," Dream said softly, kissing the side of George's head from where he was still laid beside him. George let his head fall to Dream's shoulder, already feeling the tears beginning to well in his eyes again. It all truly felt like a nightmare, but every time he woke up, there was no relief from the reality he wished he'd imagined. All he wanted to do was act like none of this was real.
"Woke up 'cause the room was so stinky… 'cause Stinknap is here," George mumbled with his best attempt at a smile.
"Do you want me to leave?" Sapnap asked, despite having to know George was just teasing. He was hoping Sapnap would throw a petty little insult back at him to help him pretend things were even just a fraction back to normal, but the somber feeling in the air made it clear that wasn't the case.
"Course not," he answered quietly, wincing slightly when he pulled his legs up, making room for Sapnap to sit at the foot of the bed. Dream, whether or not it actually helped, gently grabbed George's legs to aid him in bringing them closer so he wouldn't have to tense his abs. Sapnap joined them in George's crowded hospital bed, moving so slowly it was almost painful to watch, but George knew it was his way of making sure not to jostle the bed and unintentionally cause him any discomfort.
George was never one who liked pity, or- despite what people assumed because of his job- being the center of attention. He didn't want the sad looks his friends were constantly throwing in his direction, but he also knew he wasn't in a position to stop it from happening. He was pitiful, there was no denying it.
There was also Dream, who was undoubtedly taking the loss just as hard as he was. Sure, Dream's body may not have gone through the same trauma as George's, but seeing George hurt was more painful to Dream than anything else. Not to mention this was no mystery pain, or caused by something random. The life that had been unknowingly growing inside him wasn't just his own, it was Dream's also.
"Come here, love," Dream mumbled against the top of George's head, taking notice of the way his uneven breathing had started to grow more erratic. George didn't resist when Dream pulled his wrist closer, light scenting him.
George felt guilty for the comfort and relaxation the feeling brought him. He didn't feel like he deserved to get relief at a time like this.
To make everything worse, there was a knock on his door, followed by the loud sounds in the hallway flooding into his room when the door opened without an invitation.
"Okay, I heard he was up and- alright, looks like he is."
The doctor was tall, his hair was just starting to gray, and he had the unpleasant scent of strong mint radiating off of him. George briefly wondered if he ever considered being a dentist instead of a doctor.
"I know you're probably still pretty out of it, so I'll try to be as concise as I can," he said through an exhale, dragging over a chair to sit on.
George wasn't sure why, but he could literally feel Dream and Sapnap essentially guarding him, like there was no substantial reason for them to dislike the doctor, but based on vibes alone, they didn't want him near George.
"Is he okay?" Sapnap asked, braving the uncomfortable tension first, while reaching out to hold onto George's ankle over the blanket.
"Yes, he's okay." The doctor looked around between the three of them, his expression no less guarded than before. "We were able to remove the lining that was struggling to shed with the miscarriage without causing more damage to his womb."
George had to hold back his scoff, seeing that it felt pointless anyway. His womb was hostile, what did it matter if they caused more damage to a failed system anyway?
"That being said, it's vital that you're responsible and take the proper precautions for your next pregnancy. Just because you got lucky this time, doesn't mean-"
"Lucky?" George interrupted with disbelief, his bottom lip instantly beginning to quiver- angry and disgusted that someone, let alone his doctor, would refer to the trauma he just endured as 'lucky'.
"Yes, George- lucky. You could've caused serious harm to your body, or worse, had you continued on with your pregnancy that unmanaged. You weren't taking any prenatals, there were no ultrasound scans in your chart, you-"
"He didn't know he was pregnant!" Sapnap cut in this time.
Dream was squeezing George closer to his chest. As much as George knew Dream wanted to protect him from whatever ignorant nonsense the doctor was spewing, all he could focus on was the way Dream trembled around him.
Sapnap seemed to pick up on Dream's desperation too. George could smell the anger and protectiveness radiating off of Sapnap, as he adjusted to sit directly between George and the doctor, blocking his line of sight.
"Okay, I suppose I can understand that. Regardless, for your next pregnancy, which I hope is planned-"
"I didn't know I could get pregnant. I went to a specialist in London years ago and they said my womb wasn't viable. I still don't really understand how this even happened," George added, seeing that no matter how much the doctor claimed he 'understood', he was either a complete quack, or just an asshole. Maybe both.
"What type of specialist?" he asked, tilting his head to the side so he could see George around Sapnap.
"An omega medical specialist?" George questioned, looking up at Dream for some type of reassurance, despite him knowing little to nothing about the experience George had there. "They did blood tests and gave me an ultrasound- they said those results indicated that I could never carry a baby to term- made it sound like I could never even get pregnant in the first place."
Thankfully, the doctor stopped talking and actually reflected on what George was saying for a minute.
"Alright," the doctor started with a sigh, leaning back in his chair. "That… that makes more sense."
"What makes sense?" Sapnap asked, moving back to his original seat towards the edge of the bed, that way George and Dream could see the doctor with an unobstructed view again.
"Omega specialists are there to tell you what your body is or isn't capable of on its own. It's a fertility specialist you want to talk to- they're the ones who tell you how to safely go through pregnancy when you have an unstable womb. The only thing that your body needs to be capable of in order to have a baby is being able to actually get pregnant. The rest can be managed with medications and frequent scans to track progress. Clearly, we know now that your body is capable of conceiving, even if it isn't able to carry a fetus to term naturally- but that's where your fertility specialist comes in," he clarified, adjusting to sit on the edge of his seat again to be closer to the bed.
"What are you… what are you implying here? Are you saying we could have a baby?" Dream asked, the shake of his arms arguably growing stronger.
"Yes, that is what I'm saying. Look, I'm no fertility specialist myself, but my guess is that George would have decent odds at carrying out a pregnancy if he took the right precautions."
And with that short explanation, George felt like his world flipped upside down.
Everything else the doctor said while he was in the room went completely over George's head. There wasn't enough space for him to retain any new information now that his every thought was consumed by the bomb that had just been dropped in his lap.
He and Dream could have a baby.
The thought was overwhelming- George was even struggling to determine if that was in a good or bad way. On one hand, until very recently, he'd lived his entire life- before and after he’d been told he was infertile- thinking that he didn't see himself having kids in the future. His reasoning had definitely changed- initially the idea stemmed from the pact he made with himself at seventeen, seeing that swearing off ever sleeping with an alpha sort of went hand-in-hand with not having kids in his mind. As time went on, especially after he was told the option was no longer on the table for him, his reasoning for not wanting kids came more from a place of passive resignation.
While wrapped up in his head, George picked up stray words like 'risk' and 'future miscarriage' and even 'death', leaving him wondering if this doctor was listing off the far-fetched potential outcomes that don't really happen, or if George just may end up being that one-in-a-million for far from the first time in his life.
Being born a male omega from two beta parents, having- apparently- a viable womb, getting a college degree as an omega, being famous- George's entire existence was essentially one big 'once in a lifetime' opportunity. That left George with a scary thought…
Would this one-in-a-million be having a miracle baby, or would it be going through the pain of another miscarriage? There was no guarantee that the odds would lean in his favor.
"Baby?"
George perked up, zoning back into the world around him. To his surprise, Dream was still looking at him as heartbroken as before the doctor delivered the news, which made George worried he'd missed something vital in the conversation.
"Yeah?" he mumbled back, tilting his head to the side.
"Nothing, just… you looked lost in thought for a while." Dream gently stroked the back of his hand against George's face. George looked forward, surprised to see his doctor had left the room already.
"I'm…" He wanted to say fine, but there was no use in lying at that point. "I just want to go home."
"Say the word and I'll bust you outta here. Better decide quick before Dr. Minty-Fresh comes back though," Sapnap said with raised eyebrows, doing his best to give George the feeling of normalcy he craved, seeing that Dream was in no position to do so.
"Dr. Minty-Fresh?" George parroted back with a smile- his first real smile since this nightmare began.
"Whatever- do you wanna make a break for it or not?" Sapnap scoffed, rolling his eyes at George's judgment regarding the nickname, but continued to lightly hold onto George's ankle. The touch felt soft and tender, completely unlike the bear hugs and ass slaps he was used to getting from Sapnap.
"We all want George home, but we're staying until he's one hundred percent in the clear," Dream answered for him. George leaned his head back, shamelessly looking at Dream with his best doe eyes, silently pleading for Dream to agree with Sapnap's jailbreak plan.
"I'll take you home as soon as the doctor says it's safe, promise." Dream kissed George's lips now that they were in his reach, giving them a light peck before resting his forehead against George's.
"I hate Dr. Minty-Fresh," George muttered, but didn't push the subject any further once he saw the anxiety and fear in Dream's eyes. If anything, the situation seemed to have rattled Dream more than it did George, and George was still too foggy in the brain to figure out why.
"Ugh- don't I already see enough of this shit at home?" Sapnap asked rhetorically, standing up from the foot of the bed. "I'm gonna go see if I can find some decent food around here." George had half a mind to demand Sapnap bring him back some kind of smoothie, but he didn't want to actually make Sapnap feel rushed to return.
George looked up from where he'd started to bury his face into Dream's neck, searching for the usual potency of Dream's pheromones, only to be met with something bitter and mild.
"Dream?"
"Sorry." Dream shook his head, snapping back into the moment as best as he could. Even so, his eyes continually scanned the room, like he was watching a movie play out in his head.
"I'm okay," George whispered, resting his head on the pillow instead of in the crook of Dream's neck, wanting to be able to look up at Dream. "And, I mean… he was an ass about it, but the doctor kind of gave us a bright side, right?"
"What?" Dream furrowed his brow, looking down at George with confusion, making him wonder if there really was something crucial he missed at the end of the doctor's time in his room.
"It- he made it sound like I can, you know, have a baby. That's what you want, isn't it? You know, for us to have kids together? Our feral army of rat pups, remember?" George leaned his head back, waiting for the relief to wash over Dream's features… but the look never came.
"We can talk about this when we-"
"Or we could talk about it now," George interrupted, wincing a bit when he tried to push himself up into a seated position. Dream immediately refused to let him continue- guiding him back down to lay on his chest.
"Okay, okay. We can talk about it now," Dream resigned, stroking George's back. George wasn't sure if Dream's pheromones increasing in smell could be considered a good thing, since it felt like a wall of sour anxiety in his face.
"Do you wanna scent first?" George requested after silence persisted for a few seconds longer than he expected. He let his neck fall to the side, pushing out his sweetest and most comforting pheromones to lure Dream in- to hopefully get him to relax a little.
Dream leaned down, first smelling his neck, then kissing it. With each passing second Dream kept his nose tucked away there, George could smell the calming scent of white tea returning to Dream's system.
"You just experienced one of the most traumatic things the human body can go through… yet you're the one comforting me," Dream said softly, a lilt to his tone, like he didn't want to laugh or scoff, but he felt it necessary to acknowledge the irony.
"I know that you watching me go through something painful is way worse for you than if you experienced that same pain yourself. You arguably look like you need this hospital bed more than I do." George smiled at the shiny spot on the tip of Dream's nose where his pheromone oil had transferred to his skin from his repeated nose bumps.
"I never want you to go through this again- I can't see you go through this again," Dream whispered.
At first, George smiled. When Dream didn't return the smile, George realized that wasn't the simple phrase he originally thought it was.
"Dream, that-"
"You and your safety come before anything else to me," Dream interrupted, shaking his head no.
"Before our child- a child we could have together?" George furrowed his brow, searching for meaning somewhere beyond the sadness in Dream's eyes.
"Levi," Dream said through a sigh, making George lean away in surprise, not expecting that to be Dream's rebuttal.
"What about Levi?" George asked skeptically.
"We are clearly capable of falling in love with a baby that has no blood relation to either of us- literally in a matter of hours. Why would we ever risk putting you through another miscarriage- potentially death, George- when there's a much safer option that's always available?" Dream cupped both of George's cheeks, tears welling in his eyes.
George stared silently, struggling to wrap his head around Dream's logic.
Sure, adoption was their best option when they assumed George couldn't carry a baby himself… but how did that remain the best option after that assumption was proven false? How was it possible that Dream- that an alpha- would rather adopt a baby than have one of their own? It was practically unheard of.
"I can't lose you, George- I don't know how many times I have to tell you that." Dream offered him a sad smile, his lip and chin quivering.
"I don't- I…" George trailed off, wondering if the situation was as confusing as it felt, or if maybe there was still a bit of anesthetic in his system.
"Baby, it's your body and I'm not going to tell you what you have to do… but I'm your partner and I need to make sure you understand that this is not what I want. I mean- yes, I want to have kids with you, but not like this- not when there's a risk this large. I want to decorate nurseries and buy way too many baby clothes and waste the few hours we should spend sleeping by staring at our baby together… but I can't do any of that if you're not here anymore. I’m not strong enough to even imagine a world without you in it, George," Dream practically begged, swiping his thumbs across George's cheeks with shaking hands.
"You'd… you'd seriously choose to adopt a baby over having your own?" George asked timidly, waiting for a switch to flip in Dream's head- for his inner to realize the promise he was making.
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. I'll always choose the option that puts your life first." Dream nodded, dropping his head down to George's shoulder, waiting for George to give the okay to scent.
"Come 'ere," George mumbled under his breath, guiding Dream closer until their glands brushed together. Like before, George pushed out as many positive pheromones as he could, finding it a little bit easier that time.
The confirmation George had searched for all that time they each spent hurting during the second half of their agreement… this was it- and he never even knew it.
Dream loved George more than his inner loved the fact George is an omega. Seeing that the very thing driving their second genders towards each other was now an option, yet Dream couldn't care less was all the proof George ever needed- not that George was still looking for security on the matter, but having it come in this form was irrefutable.
Any and all alphas jump on the opportunity to reproduce, especially with an omega. For Dream to want to start a family and not do it the traditional way… it spoke volumes to the love and devotion he felt for George as a person, not George as an omega.
"I love you, George," Dream whispered, continuing to rub their necks together. George could feel Dream finally relaxing into his embrace and some of the anxiety in the alpha's pheromones beginning to fade away.
"I know you do- I know now more than ever," he answered at the same volume, pulling away just barely long enough to kiss Dream's lips, before the heavy scenting put him under.
George unfortunately couldn't get out of staying the night at the hospital for observation. Sapnap and Dream ended up spending the night with him, which was a blessing and a curse. It was nice to feel protected by his pack, but rather uncomfortable when his nurse came in every few hours to ask if he'd had a bowel movement yet.
When the time was right- which thankfully ended up being the following day- George was discharged, and slowly but surely, things started returning to normal. As days turned into weeks, Dream and Sapnap stopped doting on him as much. Arguably, the thing that took the longest to revert back to how it used to be was the fact Dream had been refraining from sex.
At first, it was everything- sex, blowjobs, handjobs, eating George out. Almost like they were in a brand new relationship, George felt like he had to slowly encourage Dream through the bases.
It wasn't until George's three week check-up where they asked about birth control options that George saw Dream’s attention piqued. He was fairly certain Dream would get a vasectomy if he asked, but ultimately George requested a Nexplanon implant in his arm, seeing that it could be done right then, whereas Dream getting a vasectomy would take a few days or weeks to schedule.
George's theory was right, seeing that as soon as his seven-day waiting period ended, Dream finally stopped holding back. Maybe it was just because they'd gone over a month without having sex, but George could hardly keep up with Dream's needs- not that he was complaining after his stent of involuntary celibacy.
"What's going on with you lately?" George asked through a mixture between a scoff and a laugh, finding himself being lugged onto Dream's lap. It was far from uncommon- if anything that was George's preferred seat- but it felt like there had been a noticeable shift in Dream's demeanor since that morning. They were both usually 'night-sex' people, but George woke up to Dream kissing his neck, and- well… one thing led to another, despite one thing having led to another just a few hours prior. George was starting to think they'd be having a repeat of recent events in front of Sapnap if Dream didn't chill out.
"You two are such fucking idiots," Sapnap groaned. Inadvertently, George groaned as well, seeing that Dream squeezed around him a bit tighter when Sapnap got up to walk past them. "Down, boy. I'm leaving- just don't take a whole ass month like last time."
"What are you talking about?" George questioned after Dream slumped down behind him, realizing he was apparently the only one who wasn't clued in to whatever the hell was going on.
"You smell like you're wearing vanilla extract as perfume and Dream has been playing guard dog over you all day. He's going into rut and it's triggering your nasty pseudo-heat-whatever thing," Sapnap explained, his tone a mixture of disinterested and grossed out.
"But he just-"
"Doesn't matter- it's almost February," Sapnap interrupted with a yawn, whispering a yes under his breath at whatever was on his phone- plane tickets to somewhere far away, if George had to guess.
"Shit, tomorrow is the start of February," Dream sighed, resting his forehead between George's shoulder blades, as if Sapnap explicitly acknowledging what was happening gave him a bit of his lucidity back.
"Triggered ruts don't change the timeline of your annual one. He could've had his rut triggered two weeks ago and he'd still get his annual the first week of February." Sapnap shrugged, waving over his shoulder, saying something like gotta pack before heading upstairs.
"I'm such an idiot- I thought maybe you smelled especially sweet because you were going to have another heat soon, not because I was triggering a heat," Dream mumbled into George's back, his hands loosening around George's middle now that Sapnap was out of the room.
"We uh- we need to talk about this… now, I guess, since if you're getting territorial around Sapnap, that means it has to be soon, right?" George asked, unable to hide the slight panic from his scent.
"Yeah, I'd say I have another three days- tops. Honestly, with you here now and your scent around the house getting sweeter… maybe more like one day." Dream leaned away from George enough to turn him around, making them face to face. "Can I ask for something super selfish?"
"Go for it?" George questioned, growing increasingly anxious for whatever Dream was going to ask, considering that wasn't the best lead in.
"Could I… fuck-" he paused, rubbing his face harshly before letting out a long exhale. "Can I stay home this time? I know- I know we agreed that for the first ruts of the year, Sapnap and I would go to hotels for them, but being away from your scent for that-"
"What?" George cut in, resting his hands on Dream's shoulders, trying to get him to stop whatever tangent he was spiraling into.
"For my… for my rut? I'm asking if I can stay home and you go to a hotel, instead of the other way around," Dream answered cautiously, like he was questioning his own statement.
"Why the hell would you think I won't be staying with you for your rut?" George asked, blinking quickly when he was hit with a wall of singed tea leaves, the burning scent becoming the most prominent in Dream's pheromones.
"Don't- don't say shit like that. You'll get my inner all rut-happy and make it start sooner than it needs to," Dream grumbled, leaning forward to bury his face in George's neck.
"Dream, I'm being completely serious. Yeah, I didn't realize it would be so soon, but I always planned on staying for your rut," George explained, attempting to get Dream to look at him, but it was clear Dream was far too infatuated with his scent to pull away.
"This isn't the time for games and foreplay, baby." Dream's voice was low and gravelly, while also sounding like he was begging George to put him out of his misery.
"If you think I made you babysit me through an eleven-day heat when we weren't courting, but didn't plan on staying for your rut when we're literally at the point of talking about starting a family- you are a way bigger idiot than I thought you were." George answered, letting his head fall to the side, giving Dream more room to explore.
"You can't- if you stay, there's no way I'll be able to go a week in that headspace without marking you. I'll- I'm so fucking serious, even right now I'm struggling to not sink my teeth into your neck." Dream shook his head, rubbing his nose against George's gland in the process.
"I… kind of planned on that happening too," George added.
"George," Dream said like a warning.
"Plus, if-if we don't mate, then this will become an actual heat instead of a compensatory one," George warned back, closing his eyes when Dream's breath grew hot and erratic against his neck.
"Fucking christ- you god damn freaks. Couldn't even wait 'til I left? Had to traumatize me one last time when I'm literally on my way out the door?" Sapnap groaned, letting out several fake (or real, honestly) gags as he walked past the living room. He had an overstuffed backpack slung over his shoulder and was already slipping on a pair of shoes at the front door.
"Easy," George whispered, tapping on Dream's shoulders until he loosened the uncomfortably tight grip he resumed around George's waist, while his eyes tracked Sapnap’s every movement.
"I'm hiring a priest to cleanse the house once you guys are done defaming it with your love," Sapnap called out over his shoulder, followed by the front door slamming shut behind him.
"Whoa-" George let out a slight laugh when Dream immediately flipped him onto his back on the cushion beside him, pressing kisses up his neck. "Hey, big dumb alpha- chill out for a minute."
Dream immediately pulled away, but George could visibly see Dream's chest heaving as he looked down at George from where he was sitting on his knees. Dream's eyes were scanning his body hungrily… maybe George had some slight regrets about playing into the whole 'rut-happy' thing Dream warned him about.
Maybe he wanted to press a few more buttons.
"Summarize your ruts for me- I need to know what to expect," George instructed, propping himself up on his elbows.
"I'll uh, I'll wanna fuck you?" Dream shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, struggling to maintain any kind of eye contact with George.
"Wow, my alpha wants to fuck me- his omega- during his- Dream!" George found himself beneath Dream again, with warm hands crawling up his body. That was about the time when George realized it wasn't necessarily him that wanted to provoke Dream, but that a triggered heat was pretty similar to a regular one.
"How are you going to tell me to calm down and call me your alpha- call yourself my omega- in the same goddamn breath, Georgie? Are you trying to kill me?" Dream asked, sounding rather pathetic, like he wanted nothing more than to already be in the throws of it, but he also understood there were logistics they needed to sort through first.
"Okay, we both- we need to focus," George said through a deep breath, trying his best to calm his body down and think about much more boring things- like research he'd done on compensatory heats back in university.
"Ruts, ruts- what happens during my ruts? Right, uh… I guess lots of biting, I'll take every chance to knot you that you give me, um- I'm pretty good about eating and drinking, but I don't know if that'll change with you here, like, I might focus more on taking care of you." Dream nodded, closing his eyes while he remained hovering over George, as if he knew he'd get carried away again just by looking at literally any part of him.
"You're going to take care of me during your rut? Shouldn't it be the other way around, like, I take care of you?" George asked, feeling his inner wiggling with excitement about being pampered.
"No. I’m your alpha, so I take care of you," Dream said lowly, his brow furrowing momentarily. "Sorry- sorry," he paused, laying down by George's side instead of overtop him.
"It's okay. I'm just saying, like, I won't be helpless the way I am during an actual heat. Compensatory heats are different from regular ones, like, I'd be much more lucid than during a heat- it's only my body that changes, not so much my mind. I'll make more slick, I'll take your knot more easily, I’ll- okay, sorry- I'll keep it vague," George chuckled, pressing his lips against Dream's hairline once he started to whine.
"Food? Do you need plain foods again?" Dream asked, pressing his face closer to George's chest and wrapping his arms around his torso. George smiled at the fact Dream remembered that, considering he definitely forgot to tell him about diet changes before he went into heat the first time.
"I'm not sure, but better safe than sorry. I'll make an Amazon order with all the stuff I might need. Do you need any supplies?" George asked.
With a shaky breath, Dream pulled his face away from George's chest, finally looking him in the eyes.
"A collar, for you- just to be safe." Dream nodded, even when George looked more confused. "I just- when I get to my peak, I don't know if I'll be able to hold back from marking you, and I want- I need you to have that as a fail safe incase you change your mind."
"We don't need a rut collar," George said softly, his heart warmed by Dream's offer, but also a bit annoyed that he was still doubting George's decision.
"Baby, it's just-"
"I want you to mark me while we're both still here, like, mentally. I want you to remember marking me- I want to remember it too, which means you need to do it before I go into an actual heat," he explained. "Do it once my pre heat gets a little closer, since I definitely want to be knotted when you mark me."
"Are we done talking? Please tell me we're done talking," Dream begged, already slipping his hands under George's shirt.
Instead of answering, George arched his back, letting Dream's hands slide beneath him. Dream took the opportunity to push George's shirt up and over his head, immediately diving into kissing his chest.
"Tonight," George said through an airy moan, shifting uncomfortably at the feeling of slick coating his underwear.
"What's tonight?" Dream mumbled, kissing his way down George's torso. There was no doubt that if George could feel his slick, Dream could surely smell it.
"Mark me tonight. I'll- fuck- I'm gonna go into a full blown heat by morning otherwise." George was panting, desperately lifting his hips up to help Dream pull his pants down faster.
"God, you've made such a mess," Dream moaned under his breath, making George's heart jump out of his chest when he eagerly slipped his hand between George's legs.
"Mouth- fuck, can you just put your mouth on me alr-"
"I'm not done," Dream interrupted, continuing his torturously slow pace of thrusting two fingers in and out of George, while leaving his dick totally neglected. It was driving him crazy how it felt simultaneously like too much and nowhere near enough.
"S-so this is how it's- god- gonna be? You think you're going to be in- Dream- in charge?" George struggled to ask, rolling his hips.
"I am in charge," Dream said with a level voice- the complete opposite of how desperately his hand moved in sync with the grind of George's hips.
"Yeah right," George said through a gasp, pushing his head into the cushion. He squinted his eyes shut the closer his orgasm got.
"Look at me, or I'll stop."
George let out a small laugh between his panting breaths, assuming Dream was joking- there was no way he'd be cruel enough to rip George's orgasm away when he was literal moments away from coming… right?
Wrong.
"I said look at me," Dream repeated, hovering over George. He had his fingers planted as deep into George as possible with one hand, while holding him tightly by his hips with the other, preventing George from getting himself off while Dream remained frozen.
"Alpha," George murmured, prying his eyes open enough to barely make out Dream's features through the haze.
"Good- good omega," Dream praised under his breath, dropping down to kiss George's lips.
Just when George thought Dream was going to resume his prior pace, he instead pulled out his fingers completely. As much as George was getting lost in the kiss, he pushed Dream away by his chest with a furrowed brow to glare up at him.
"Now you're looking at me." Dream smiled- smirked, really- since there was nothing innocent about the curve of his lips.
George was about to rebuttal, to refuse to let Dream win so easily, but then something much larger than Dream's fingers started entering him, stealing away the breath George was going to use to argue.
"I love how you feel," Dream murmured through gritted teeth, pushing into George in one slow drag. Most of the time, Dream would stay buried as deep as he could go, letting George adjust for more time than necessary, and would then scent with George before really getting into. That didn't seem to be the case today.
"Full-" George gasped, grabbing onto his stomach when Dream began thrusting a bit harder.
"Shh, baby, you can take it," Dream mumbled into George's neck, alternating between kissing and licking George's gland.
It was indescribable how quickly George could already feel his inner taking over, like his pre heat experience was being expedited- maybe skipped altogether. The closer George got to his climax, the more lost he became inside his head, finding his lips loose and his mental filter out of commission.
"Not yet," Dream whispered against his skin. At first George thought Dream was saying it as a reminder to himself, but then George heard his own voice whining in response, begging incessantly for mark, bite, and please.
Okay, if George was at the point of losing track of his words, then his pre heat was arguably already there, which meant if they were going to mate before they were both totally out of their minds, they needed to do it maybe even sooner than that night.
"Just like that- squeezing me so fucking good, baby." Dream threw his head back, hiking up George by his hips. One more thrust at the new angle was enough to finally push George over the edge, leaving him scrambling for anything to hold onto- searching for stability to get him through his orgasm.
"Wha'?" George mumbled unhappily, struggling to keep his eyes open when Dream pulled out, opting to stroke himself to completion until he unloaded on George's stomach as well, instead of finishing inside George like he always did.
"Come 'ere," Dream said through an airy breath, pulling George in close enough to dive into scenting. George could feel himself melting, going fully slack in Dream's embrace. "Woulda knotted you if I came inside. Gotta- we gotta wait 'til we mate. Can't knot you twice in a day."
"Mates- need mate," George slurred, his eyes feeling heavy and the combination of scenting and his orgasm quickly pushing him towards sleep.
"Later," Dream mumbled into George's temple. "Mate later, sleep now."
George couldn't argue, seeing that he was asleep before Dream's lips even met his own.
When George woke up, he was in a new environment, and Dream was hugging him from behind far too closely considering the degree that he was burning up. That being said, the way his languid snores clashed with his growing grinding against George's lower back was enough for George to look past the uncomfortable sheen of sweat covering their naked bodies.
The sun was shining into their room with rays of deep golden light, almost like the color of Dream's eyes. It was nearly nightfall and there was only one thing on George's mind.
"Psst. Wake up." George nudged Dream as best as he could, only to be squeezed tighter with a discontent grumble. It wasn't all bad, seeing that Dream holding him more tightly meant he was also grinding against him with more pressure.
It wasn't exactly George's intention, but he couldn't help from inching his way up little by little, until Dream's dick went from being trapped between their torsos, to gliding between his thighs.
"Mngh-"
George was giggling on the inside at Dream's little noises of pleasure, but on the outside his inner had taken over the plan. George arched his back, pressing his ass flush against Dream's groin, and rolled his hips into each of Dream's grinds.
Dream had gone from snoring peacefully, to moaning occasionally, to downright panting- all in his sleep.
"Alpha, wake up- need you," George whined, half calling Dream alpha to get his way, half saying it because he was already at the mercy of his own inner.
Unsurprisingly, at the beckoning call of his omega stating he's in need, Dream snorted himself awake, slowing down his steady grind- which was the opposite of what George wanted. In a desperate attempt to feel filled, George reached between his legs and leaned forward as much as Dream's embrace allowed, pushing Dream's dick towards his hole.
What was surprising was the fact Dream didn't argue or insist on prepping George again. Instead, he rocked his own hips back, not pushing forward again until his tip was pressed against George's slick-covered entrance, finding himself sliding inside easily. George let Dream pull him closer to lay with his back flush against his chest again.
"Wha' d'you need, baby?" Dream slurred his words into the back of George's neck, followed by biting the back of George's shoulder.
"Bite 'n' knot." George nodded, turning his face to the side as much as he could, hoping that the next time he felt Dream's teeth sink into his skin it would be on his neck gland.
Just the mention of mating- and knotting, for that matter- had Dream smelling like a fresh bundle of burning sage and his cock twitching inside of George.
"You're positive this is what you want?" Dream asked quietly, like any signs of his rut had completely disappeared and George was laying with Dream in a totally lucid state. George took a second to collect himself, making sure he had the capacity to say what he knew Dream needed to hear in that moment.
"Never been more sure about something in my life," George whispered back, surprising even himself with the genuineness in his promise. "Mark me, Dream. You're the only one I want to mate with- I mean it."
George let out a shaky breath before turning his neck to an uncomfortable degree so he and Dream could be eye-to-eye. Even if George's first instinct was to poke fun at the fact the whites of Dream's eyes had grown pink and his lower lash line was growing heavy with tears, he figured now wasn’t the time.
"Okay, maybe mating can wait one more minute," George said through an exhale, slowly pushing himself off of Dream's dick. Even while plagued with a terribly hollow feeling, George rolled over to face Dream, allowing the alpha to bury his nose into George's hair.
"We're really doing this, huh?" Dream asked after taking a minute to collect himself.
Even as short as a month ago, George would've taken that question as fear based. That wasn't the case anymore- George knew Dream was merely thinking out loud and that any nervousness he felt stemmed from excitement- maybe even relief.
"I want to be yours," George somewhat answered, pressing his face forward to rest his forehead on Dream's gland. His pheromones were an intriguing combination of sweet, sour, and burned to a crisp.
"I want you to have me," Dream said in response, leaning away enough to pull George's face out of hiding. “All of me.”
“Forever?” George asked with a smile, pulling up his leg to drape over Dream’s hips, inviting Dream back inside.
“Always,” he confirmed, leaning in to kiss George’s lips as he pushed back inside.
“I should- let me present- Dream! I wanna present myself for-“
“Can’t,” Dream took in a shaky exhale after rolling onto his back and pulling George on top of him. “Need to see your face- need to kiss you after I bite.”
“Please- god- please bite me already,” George whined, struggling to roll his hips with Dream’s every thrust.
“I like when you’re the one begging,” Dream said under his breath, stealing kisses between each word to hopefully distract George from the taunt.
“Don’t make your omega beg to be knotted and marked, because I’ll do it- I’ll beg for it, Dream.” George couldn’t hold back his moans when Dream’s pace picked up.
“I’ve got- I’ve got you, baby.” Dream’s voice grew shakier and George didn’t know if that was from his orgasm getting closer or his nerves about mating, but either way, George was ready for it.
Dream pressed one last kiss to George’s lips before moving down to his neck, experimentally scraping his teeth over his gland. George gasped, tangling his fingers in Dream’s hair to keep him in place until the act was complete.
Dull teeth switched to the smooth glide of Dream’s tongue, followed by a pain much sharper than when Dream would bite his shoulders, collarbones- even his ass. Despite it being Dream’s mouth against George’s neck and not his own, George’s system was washed over with Dream's scent in a way he struggled to even describe.
He wasn't smelling the white tea, he wasn't tasting it, he was just… becoming it.
George had no idea that having Dream buried inside of him while holding him to his chest wasn't the closest he'd ever get to experience. George had never felt Dream so deeply ingrained in his very being, and this was exactly the type of closeness he'd been longing for.
"'M sorry- I love you. Love you so much- 'm sorry it hurts," Dream hushed him once he pulled away, licking away the small amount of blood he drew from the shallow wound. With each pass of Dream's tongue over the broken skin, George could feel it healing, sealed shut by Dream's saliva.
"So much- your scent is so much," George struggled to say, his breathing growing even more ragged once the base of Dream's cock began to swell, only moments away from his knot popping. He hoped Dream knew what he meant- that he was trying to find the words to explain the indescribable feeling of Dream's pheromones finding their permanent home inside his body.
"You too- it's like, I don't even know- just so you." Dream hugged George as tightly to his chest as he could, making George's challenge to breath downright impossible between the constriction and being knotted.
It was amazing- god, it hurt- but every second of burn and stretch was worth it to feel the euphoria coursing through George's veins. They did it, they actually did it.
The following minutes, maybe hours for all George could recall, went by in a flash. If George thought Dream was obsessed with taking care of him before, he had no clue what he was in for with Dream in rut. Like, Dream actually got a thermometer to measure the bath's temperature before putting George in it.
George was also using his half-functioning brain to make a list of all the things that textbooks and the internet had lied to him about when it came to compensatory heats, because he was far from fully lucid. He had enough sense left in him to confidently feel like he'd remember at least some of what was going on, but there was no way he would've been able to take care of Dream like he suggested.
He was also coming to realize something about mating he didn't anticipate- something he really didn't like.
"Dr'm?" George mumbled with an exaggerated frown and furrowed brows.
"Yes? You want food, or water, or-"
"Scent," he interrupted, sniffing the air around him.
Dream's scent was still in his system- obviously, seeing that it was going to be there forever from now on… but it wasn't anywhere near as potent as it'd been when they mated. It couldn't have been more than half a day later, yet it felt comparable to the lingering amount of Dream's scent left in his system when he woke up most mornings- in heat or not, George needed more.
"You want me to scent you- is that… Do mates still scent?" Dream asked, and George had no clue if he was expecting a real answer or not, so he settled on whining while making a dramatic show of trying to roll closer to Dream, knowing Dream would scoop him up immediately.
"Don't care if it's not a thing- need more of you in me, like, now," George said through an exhale, adjusting his neck to align with Dream's.
"I'll never say no to that." Dream huffed a laugh under his breath, kissing George's gland softly before moving it beside his own. "God- I could never say no to you," he added on in a mumble once their glands rubbed together.
George took in the breath he'd been longing for- one filled with more of Dream's scent than his own. It seemed like Dream was having the same reaction, since George could literally feel the tension releasing from Dream's muscles the longer they scented.
"Can I have you again? Fuck- I-I need you again, baby," Dream said through a moan, beginning to grind into the space between them.
"Wait-" George propped himself up, then leaned back down to press his face into Dream's neck.
"Please? Please, don't wanna- can't wait. Why wait?" Dream begged, keeping his hands busy by clenching fistfuls of the sheets until George gave him the go ahead. That being said, with each passing second of George sniffing Dream's neck, then the area around them, it was clear Dream was getting desperate to a painful degree.
"It's- it's me. Like, it's you- but it's me?" George said like a question, looking around more confused than ever before. He wasn't smelling Dream's emotions like he usually could- he was actually feeling Dream's scent within himself shifting, growing more burnt with each (not-so) subtle grind of his hips.
"It's always been you," Dream offered, clearly having no clue what George was going on about.
"No-" George paused with a laugh, pushing himself up on Dream's chest fully to create some space between them. "Let me- wanna try somethin'." He situated himself more comfortably, straddling Dream's midsection. With his hands raised to cover his neck glands- despite Dream's immediate whining- George gave into the motion of Dream's hips, letting himself get carried away in how good he already felt.
"What the- you're… but wait, it's-" Dream cut himself off, also stopping the roll of his hips. When George looked down, Dream was sniffing the air with his head tilted to the side at the sight of George's glands being covered.
"You can smell me in you too, right? Smell how sweet I am for you?" George asked, continuing to grind down on Dream, even as he remained in shock.
"We can feel each other's emotions- the, like, part of our pheromones that are in the other… They're still connected?" Dream mumbled. Even if he didn't make much sense, he was still doing a better job at explaining than George was able to.
"Love it," George said against Dream's lips, allowing himself to lay flush on Dream's chest again.
In one swift motion, Dream rolled them over so George was beneath him. George was left clawing at Dream's back when he dove into scenting again. The feeling was amazing- it traveled through him like a bolt of lightning.
"Stay up, baby. Need you with me," Dream whispered into his ear.
George didn't realize he'd already gone slack in Dream's hold, having been scented to the point of struggling to stay awake.
"'M here. Get in- get in me, alpha." George nodded, letting his legs fall open. George reached between his legs, watching Dream's own tired eyes stare in amazement while he rubbed against his hole, gathering slick on his fingers. "Made this for you."
George mustered up a smile when Dream's entire body shuddered as he ran his slick-covered fingers across Dream's lips, gliding them over his tongue when his mouth fell open. Dream closed his lips around George's fingers, moaning in pleasure at the taste. George could smell how much Dream enjoyed it- better yet, he could feel Dream's pheromones sparking inside himself.
Things were clearer, well, they would be once Dream's rut and George's compensatory heat were finished.
Days drifted by in a sort of haze. It felt like George's mind was on a vacation, seeing that he didn't have to think about a single thing- Dream took care of it all. Bathing? Dream washed him. Eating? Dream fed him by hand. Drinking? Dream held his cup. Sex? Dream did all the work.
The only things George did have to do were produce slick, present himself, and let Dream fulfill his every instinct to take care of him.
Honestly, the day Dream's rut ended was quite disappointing- it made George rethink his perception of Dream being upset when he woke up from his heat. Sharing your cycle with someone was nice, and it was even nicer when that someone was the person you're in love with.
"Thought your heat only lasts as long as my rut?" Dream whispered against the back of George's neck, tilting his head to the side to smell George's gland.
"Does," he mumbled in return, fighting back a smile when Dream continued to sniff and lick his gland. "It's not me you smell, it's me in you- you feel that I'm happy."
"What are you talking-"
As soon as George rolled over to face Dream, all the words on the tip of Dream's tongue disappeared. At first George thought maybe Dream had just been having a moment of lucidity before a final wave of his rut, but the shaky fingers that brushed over his other neck gland made George realize exactly what was going on in Dream's mind. That, and the spike of Dream's souring anxiety that George could smell and feel.
"Do you… do you know about this?" Dream asked with a poorly hidden sense of panic.
George let his head fall to the side, allowing Dream's curious fingers to continue tracing over the mark left atop his gland.
"Yes, Dream. I know you marked me- I was still fully me when that happened." George closed his eyes. He might've not been fully himself in that moment, but a white lie in his favor would only help ease both their minds.
"Oh," he whispered under his breath, staring at George with fear in his eyes, like he was waiting to be reprimanded for his actions.
"I'm so glad it's finally official," George said at the same volume, scooting closer to Dream's chest. "Took you long enough," he added, hoping to show Dream he was capable of being serious and still himself.
"You don't regret it? Not at all?" Dream wrapped his arms around George's waist, squeezing him a bit tighter than George's overused body wanted to handle.
"No, I don't." He draped one arm over Dream's shoulders, leaning his head back enough to look at Dream. "Do you?"
"Don't be an idiot," Dream mumbled against his lips, kissing the formation of a pout away. "I've always wanted this, but I know that wasn't the case for you."
"Don't tell me not to be an idiot when you're the one saying stupid shit like that," George huffed, getting a laugh out of Dream. "I was- I don't know- I wasn't in a good headspace when I moved here. I was looking at the world all wrong. I guess what I'm saying is… the way I feel about you isn't what changed, it was my perception that did."
Over the next minute spent in silence while Dream processed, George watched all the lingering doubt fade away from Dream’s expression.
"You always loved me, you just didn't know what it was at first," Dream simplified for him. The usual brightness to Dream's pheromones had returned, helping George relax.
"I don't know about love- I mean, love at first sight kind of sounds like a simp-move," George teased, tucking his face away in Dream's neck when he started to laugh.
And if they extended their vacation by an extra day or two, despite both their cycles being complete, well, Sapnap should honestly thank them, since the more time he was out of the house, the less of their love he had to bear witness to.
The day Sapnap finally returned home was… strange.
Dream had been pulled into a YouTube-related meeting. Needless to say, Dream was nervous- George knew he was nervous, because he could feel it. The little piece of Dream that now resided within himself had been souring with anxiety.
"Why's your face like that?" Sapnap asked, pulling George out of his head.
"Sorry- it's Dream. He's prepared for his big meeting- he's memorized all his talking points- but he's still so fucking anxious. It's driving me nuts," George complained, rubbing his mating mark as if it would wipe away the pheromones permanently logged in his system. It didn't help that he and Dream had scented right before Dream locked himself away in his office, seeing that scenting essentially amplified the ability to feel the other's emotion.
"He's been in there for over an hour… why are you still thinking about that?" Sapnap furrowed his brow, staring at George like he had two heads.
"Because I can tell that he's still anxious. Like, I swear no matter how many positive pheromones I push out, it makes no difference." George leaned back with a groan.
"Of course it's not going to do shit- he's all the way upstairs! How's he supposed to smell your honey-nut-bullshit from up there?" Sapnap chuckled, throwing a pillow in George's direction. He wasn't sure if Sapnap was being dumb because he was dumb, or if it was just to further torture him.
"We're mates now, you moron. I don't smell him being anxious, I feel him being anxious. Like, the piece of Dream inside of me-"
"Ugh, ew-"
"Oh my god." George buried his face in his hands, nearly at his wits end. "Stop being an idiot- you know what I mean."
"Actually, I don't know. Like, my parents never talked about sensing how the other was feeling- not, like, in whatever mate-related way you’re talking about. And while we’re on the subject, I was actually pretty confused when I came home to you guys being mated-" Sapnap paused to gag before continuing- "but, like, you both still smelled like yourselves. I could barely smell Dream on you when we light scented this morning. I thought your scents were supposed to mix or something. When I was a kid, my mom would tell us about how she used to smell much more floral before her and my dad became mates. She used to joke around and say that she went from a flower garden to a freshly mowed lawn."
"What?" George uncovered his face, sitting up with his head tilted to one side, struggling to wrap his brain around what Sapnap was saying.
"Yeah. I don’t know, I guess I was just confused by how normal you both still smell. Like, if not for the mark, I would’ve had no idea it happened," Sapnap answered with a shrug.
"I'm so confused," George mumbled under his breath. Sapnap seemed to have already moved on from their conversation, having become engrossed by something on his phone.
Truthfully, George had hardly looked into mating when he was big into doing research, since it was something he never imagined would be applicable to him. Even so, he always had a preconceived idea that when a couple mated, their scents would mix, leaving them each with something that resembled their original scent, but with the addition of their partner.
If not for the little pop of bitter lime zest bouncing around in his system, reminding him of exactly how Dream felt at that moment, George would've questioned if he and Dream somehow mated… wrong?
"Oh- no fucking way," Sapnap muttered, letting out a load groan. George rolled his eyes, too busy with his own situation to care about Sapnap's football team losing a match or whatever. At least- he wanted to be, but Sapnap wouldn't let him.
"Oh my god, what?" George turned to his side, pushing away Sapnap's foot, which he’d been using to repeatedly kick his thigh. Waiting for him on Sapnap’s outstretched phone was a reddit thread titled r/fatedmates.
"I won't lie, I always thought this was, like, bullshit. You know those stupid scam companies that are like 'one swab of your pheromone oil and we can tell you if you have a fated mate!'? I guess it actually is real though, like, read what this person said." Sapnap held out his phone to George, letting him investigate the post at his own pace.
bigdog1994 Has anyone else been able to sense their mate's emotions? Is this just part of the honeymoon phase? None of my mated friends and family told me about this.. It's almost like our pheromones didn't mix?? I feel her pheromones in me- hard to miss the smell of cotton candy- but it feels way different than when we scent. Did I mark her wrong?
YourBestBeta Are you sure you can't just smell her in the same room as you? Lmao
bigdog1994 She’s at home with the baby and I’m at work- so yeah, pretty sure I can’t smell her from across town
quickwit check out this post it sounds like they're going through something similar
bigdog1994 Yes!!! This explains what we're going through so much better!
After following the link to the tagged post, George couldn't pry his eyes away from the screen. Each passing sentence grew even more applicable. If not for the fact he hadn't shared some of the things he was reading with another soul, he would've guessed Sapnap made the post himself as some sort of prank.
anonomega4 Are my alpha and I fated mates?
From the moment we met, we became inseparable- maybe a bit unhealthily so. After a week, it was like we couldn't function without the other's scent in our system in one way or another…
We got into a fight very early on in our courtship and actually called things off for a bit. My (now) mate got concerningly ill after going out one night. A mutual friend was with him when he got sick- they went to some crappy bar with the intent of 'finding new beginnings'. Even though we weren't on the best terms, his sickness was serious enough for his friend to tell me he wasn't doing well- that they were taking him to a hospital because of how abrupt the onset was. The second I walked into his hospital room, it was like I could see the life returning to his face, like I was the only cure to whatever was wrong… We got back together that day and haven't broken up since…
From the moment we mated, it has felt like a piece of my partner was implanted in me. It's like there's a small, untouched, bubble of sandalwood floating around in a sea of caramel, and he says it's the same for him. It's a completely different experience from scenting, which is what I was always told being mated feels like- being scented with your mate all the time…
There's also the fact that I can feel what he feels without being able to smell him- the feeling comes from within me, from that little bubble of sandalwood. We've been on opposite sides of the city before and I can tell the moment he's told good news at work, or he'll call me when he can feel I'm getting overwhelmed at home…
The ability to detect each other's emotions gets stronger after scenting- unfathomably so. It's been months since we mated, but we both still struggle to catch our breath from how intense scenting makes us feel. Maybe this is TMI, but scenting basically feels comparable to an orgasm now- but like we're experiencing our own climax and the other's at the same time. That's the best way I can think to describe it, I guess…
My family has noticed that my scent hasn't changed and I have no idea what to tell them- I have no idea how to describe any of this to them…
There isn't much credible research out there, but from what I've found, it all suggests we're fated mates. Has anyone else experienced something similar?
"Well, is that what you're talking about?" Sapnap asked after giving George time to read over the post, as well as a few comments.
"More than you know," George answered under his breath.
“What do I always say? DNF bullshit propaganda.” Sapnap let out a scoff, snatching his phone out of George’s hand. “Like, getting together wasn’t gross enough? You had to go and be fated mates too?”
“We didn’t choose-“
“I know, I know- don’t get your nest in a twist,” Sapnap interrupted, nudging George with his foot again but offering him a small smile.
“My nest is perfectly in order,” George grumbled back, but he didn’t push away Sapnap’s leg that time around.
“Fine- shut up, you broke me, you can stop pestering me now.” Sapnap let out a dramatic sigh, making George laugh. “I guess it’s, like, kinda really fucking cool you guys are fated mates and shit. You guys really made the saying one-in-a-million your bitch. Like, this house is basically the one-in-a-million pitstop.”
“You’re an idiot.” George was fully laughing at that point. Possibly the best part of the situation was that his pheromones had gone from forced comfort to genuine happiness, which was apparently all Dream needed to relax.
It was funny- Sapnap’s joke about them being one-in-a-million. George had called himself that multiple times throughout his life, but never in a good way.
That was beginning to change.
Without even realizing, George's world started to look different… he started to feel different.
Life wasn't centered around MCC tournaments, if he could afford to take a heat break, and feeling the constant need to look over his shoulder. His life had slowed down, which George had no idea he wanted.
Content creation became something he did when he wanted to, not because he felt like he had to. Only communicating with his parents through obligatory texts on birthdays turned into calling Carol at least once a day to ask a dumb question, complain about her son, and get back all the time he felt like he'd been living without a mother.
Friends came and went, projects were obsessed over then conquered, one door closed and another opened…
The open door in front of George wasn't a game changing career move, it wasn't award shows waiting for his appearance on a red carpet, it was something much better.
The view was of Dream sleeping on the floor of the nursery, using the ridiculously large crib assembly instruction pamphlet as a blanket.
"We need to get the room together before the adoption agency lady shows up next week," George said with a laugh, nudging Dream with his foot. Dream startled himself awake, looking over his shoulder at the ruins of the crib, then buried his face into the carpet with a loud groan.
"I fucking dreamt that I finished putting together the crib," Dream whined, reaching out to hold onto George's ankle for a means of emotional support.
"Now it's time to do it in the real world- come on," George encouraged, letting out several grunts and groans as he helped Dream off the floor. Dream leaned against his chest, hooking his chin over George's shoulder, while he hugged George's waist.
"How are you not nervous?" Dream asked, rubbing their neck glands together for only a second, like he just needed a small amount more of George in his system to actually believe there was no anxiety present in his pheromones.
"When it comes to babies, omegas don't get nervous- we nest." George laughed softly, indulging Dream in a heavier scenting session. Like always, as the glide of their necks dragged on, any and all negative emotions in Dream's system faded away.
George had always assumed once a couple mated, their pheromones would combine, changing into how they smelled after scenting with their partner. Back then, when George thought about mating with Dream in the future, he had mixed feelings on the idea of losing his own scent- or at least having it be permanently altered.
The reality of the situation was much different than George realized. The discovery fated mates were apparently real and that he and Dream were them had more benefits than just the emotion detection. Mating didn't feel like his and Dream's scents were combining. Even after scouring the internet for as many first-hand fated mate stories he could find, the best way George could describe it was that a small piece of himself- and in turn a small piece of Dream- had swapped places with each other. George's scent was still ninety percent his own, but it came with the new addition of ten percent of Dream. That ten percent wasn't mixed in with his remaining ninety, it didn't feel like honey-sweet tea inside of him.
It was just… Dream.
Honestly, that was the best possible outcome for the both of them. First, because George got to keep his original scent- but more importantly, they were still able to scent to their heart's content. Considering just about anyone who'd spent more than an hour with them accused Dream and George of being addicted to scenting before they mated, the realization that being mated wasn't going to stop that had everyone groaning in feigned disgust.
Well, not everyone.
The case worker assigned to them at the private adoption agency they were going through found it to be rather sweet. She was an older woman, a beta, and made it no secret that Dream and George's love story genuinely warmed her heart. It was relieving to know they had someone at the agency rooting for them- without Dorothy, there's no telling how long it could've taken them to be matched.
Now all they had left were the final few weeks of waiting for their baby to be born. They weren't allowed to know any personal information about the birth parents, only that the mother was an omega, so their child would either be an alpha or an omega.
It was a bit terrifying to think about- all the ways George wanted to raise their child differently from how his parents raised him- but knowing Dream was there helped ease his nerves. And of course Carol too- she had been essential in keeping George's anxieties to a minimum.
While Carol gave George the best parenting books and academic articles about omega and alpha children, Dream had a different way of coaxing his nerves.
When George would be awake in the nursery at one, two, sometimes even three in the morning, Dream would sit on the floor beside the rocking chair and rub George's feet, having learned that just about any kind of massage would put George to sleep. On the nights where Dream could see the stress weighing down George's features, he'd all but drag him out of the house. The time of day didn't matter when Dream would drive George to Walmart, knowing there was no way he'd had anything to eat during the hours he spent nesting in the nursery. Whatever late night craving George had, Dream would always find a way to get it for him.
Funnily enough, it was kind of like George did get to experience some of the things about pregnancy he assumed would never happen. He knew Dream wasn't doing them for that reason- that he was genuinely just looking for anyway to keep George happy and his worries to a minimum- but it filled a piece of him that he didn't know was empty.
The day they brought their daughter home was easily the best day of both their lives.
Azalea Cedar Davidson.
Dream cried at least once a day for the first week, Sapnap deemed her 'a total W baby' (his opinion may have been strongly influenced by the fact her middle name was a tribute to his scent), and Carol had all but moved in with the four of them. Once Dream's dad called questioning where his wife had been, Carol decided it was time to give them a little bit of space.
"Would you stop letting her suck on your finger like that? It's weird," Dream said through a groan, having turned around from closing the door behind his mum to find George letting their daughter use his pinky like a pacifier.
"But she likes it," George defended furrowing his brow at Dream.
"She does, doesn't she?" Dream relented immediately, assuming his usual place behind George with his chin hooked over George's shoulder. He reached one hand out, gently running his thumb across the side of Azalea's head.
"Think her hair is going to stay this dark?" Dream mumbled.
"Uh, yeah?" George laughed softly, leaning against Dream's chest. "Light hair usually gets darker, but dark hair doesn't typically get lighter."
Dream sulked behind him, but it only made George smile a bit more. Now that they had a taste of what real parenthood was like, George knew it was only a matter of time before they started talking about having more kids. Part of him wanted to assure Dream they could adopt a blond child in the future, part of him enjoyed Dream's moping.
"I actually think she looks kind of like me," George added, pulling her away from his chest, deciding making Dream miserable was much more fun. "Like, the nose, the cheekbones-"
"Baby bones aren't even real bones, like, aren't they just cartilage? She can't have your bone structure if she has no bones," Dream interrupted, hugging George's stomach a bit tighter. George brought Azalea back to his chest, deciding to lean against Dream instead of pulling away out of mock offense.
"No bones- like that dog on TikTok. Is it a no bones day, sweetie?" George asked her, beginning to laugh far more than his joke warranted.
"Alright, someone needs a nap- and it's not her." Dream turned George towards the stairs, guiding him in their direction. The more George thought about the fact they looked kind of like waddling penguins due to their position, the more his laugh grew.
George used to loathe the days he spent delusionally tired from getting too little sleep, feeling embarrassed later on by the things he said and did while he was overtired. Those feelings weren't around anymore.
In a tired daze, George had once shoved a pacifier into Dream's mouth, he swaddled Milo and carried him around thinking he was Azalea for twenty minutes, and he drank out of a bottle not realizing it was formula- all within the span of twenty-four hours. Dream was no better, having gotten into just as many (George was fairly certain it was more) predicaments out of sheer exhaustion as George had.
But that was life- this was life.
Babies and laundry and chasing Sapnap with soiled nappies and running on two hours of sleep and then even more laundry- seriously, Azalea was pooing through everything.
It wasn't a life George ever pictured for himself, but it also wasn't one he would trade for the world. He had his mate, his daughter, his entire pack under one roof, and so much hope for all that had yet to come.