Feeling For You (DNF)

Chapter 33: Things Are Changing

Author's note:

Hi, everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Lots of Karlnap, DNF, and plot... I'm excited to hear your theories after reading! 

Word count: 3,379 

⚠️TRIGGER WARNINGS: Very few, located at the bottom of the chapter! 

For this chapter, I recommend listening to Hard Times by Paramore, Portrait of a Blank Slate by Lovejoy, and/or It's Time by Imagine Dragons.

Waiting patiently has never been easy for me. Something about it always makes me feel helpless- while also being restless as fuck, thanks to my ADHD. I thought I'd be used to it be now, after waiting years for George's VISA, but the feeling never changes. Right now, sitting on the couch with George while we wait for Sapnap to get back with Karl, is torture. 

I exhale loudly as my watch ticks another minute further, and shuffle my feet. Just doing nothing is killing me, although I know I wouldn't be able to focus on anything else either. 

"Dream, calm down," George orders, putting his hand on my knee to stop it from jackhammering nervously. "You're scaring Patches, idiot."

I look up, and sure enough, our cat is cowering away from the vibration and noise, her tail fluffed out and eyes wide.

Oops. I hate frightening Patches- and, unfortunately, it's an event that occurs far too often. Something about being over six feet tall, clumsy, and filled with an (ADHD caused) boundless energy is a bad mix when it comes to a skittish cat.

"Sorry, baby." I cringe to myself as the lack of movement starts to get to me again, and resort to yanking off my cat beanie and twisting it between my hands. "George, what if-" I start, but swallow back the words. 

He tilts his head. "What?"

"What of something's different in person? What if he hates me, or something? I just... I really want Karl to like me. For Sapnap, and for me, too." 

I blush as the silence stretches, too embarrassed at the confession to look George in the eyes. "I know it's stupid," I ramble, desperate to sound less, well, desperate. "I just- you know, he's really important to Sap. And I know I can be a lot, with the empathy and the... everything else."

"Everything else?" George echos. "Dream..." He scoots closer, the hand on my knee starting to rub my leg comfortingly. "It sounds like you're doing that think where you make yourself think you aren't as epic as you really are. Don't do that thing, or I'll bite you."As if to prove his point, he nips at my ear, and I yelp. 

"George!"

He shrugs, as if to say well, it's not my fault you were being stupid. 

I glare reproachfully at him, carefully maintaining my distance from his teeth as I speak again. "I'm serious, though. Just because you like me doesn't mean he will." 

A serious expression falls over George's face. It's not rare for him, exactly, though it is infrequent enough to draw my full attention. "Dream. I don't just 'like you', I love you. And as much as I hate saying... that, I'll repeat it as many times as I need to get that in your thick head. I love you. Sapnap loves you. Millions of your fans love you- and okay, maybe that last one isn't the best example because they don't know you outside of your content, but it's still true. I have no doubt that Karl's going to love you as well."

Oh.

Oh. 

I gawk at George, stunned. With anyone else, I'd immediately assume they were lying or exaggerating, but this is George. George, stubborn and funny and who absolutely refuses to say anything he doesn't mean wholeheartedly. The sincerity radiating off of him makes my eyes water, and it's not a reaction from my empathy.