"George."

"Yes?"

"George."

"Yes?"

"George."

"What is it, Nick?" George huffed but the corner's of his lips quivered with a poorly held-back giddiness. He stared at Nick's deadpan face displayed on his laptop.

"Show me your hand." George registered Vincent lingering just out of frame. His smile was becoming harder and harder to hide and a giggle was bubbling in his chest.

"Why?"

"George."

George crumbled into elated giggling, fighting the urge to cover his mouth with his hands as he slumped back in his chair. He had half the mind to continue being coy, pretending he didn't know exactly why Nick was asking to see his hands, content in the knowledge that Nick was all the way in France with Vincent and his family and therefor couldn't injure George in any physical way. He decided against it, however, knowing that Nick would hold a grudge.

Instead, he lifted his right hand to the camera with an impossibly large grin. Nick groaned and George felt a flare of smugness at the shadow of Vincent's laugh. It was silenced by a searing glare from Nick that Vincent knew was empty but he wouldn't let Nick know that.

"Other hand." Nick growled and George figured he best comply, for the sake of his life the next time he saw Nick - he attempted to assure himself that the next time they saw each other would be in public at the first venue of their band's tour but he knew too well that that wouldn't stop Nick. George lifted his left hand and splayed his fingers.

Nick's face dropped from anger to wonder, getting much too close to the screen in order to inspect the new ring nestled comfortably on George's third finger. George moved his hand closer regardless, wiggling his fingers and fighting through short bursts of laughter.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Nick shrieked and George laughed - half at that and half at Vincent's arm that shot through the frame in order to cover his own ears.

"I've been telling you to propose since your first year anniversary and you waited almost two years so I wasn't there?" Nick whined, still close as ever to the camera. His following smile, wide and bright and proud, wiped any worry that he may actually be upset. "Tell me everything, Gogy, I want to feel like I was there."

"It was after we got back from dinner with his family," George answered, more than just eager to comply "he was acting really weird ever since he came back with the groceries. Apparently two fans saw him picking up the ring - his mum said there was a big cue and then that he got stuck in traffic - and just ran away laughing and shouting."

"Wait, he proposed?" Vincent popped into frame, not bothering to pretend he hadn't been there the whole time. George nodded, spinning the ring around his finger carefully. He took a moment to admire the harmony formed between his engagement ring, his promise ring and his bracelet. "Huh, I owe him an apology then, I thought he'd be too coward." George and Nick laughed at that.

"He was really nervous when we got home and then gave me a flash-drive and told me to listen to it." Nick shuffled along and adjusted the camera to capture both himself and Vincent, nodding. "It was my song, the one I told you he wrote for me."

"The one he wouldn't let any of us even read?" Vincent asked and George laughed, having not known that, and nodded.

"But at the end he added 'Dear The Prettiest Boy I've Ever Seen, will you marry me?'" Nick cooed loudly and Vincent had the good nature to let himself smile. "And when I turned around to go find him he was on one knee with the ring." George delicately pulled the ring from his finger, holding it up to the camera again with a flushed face "It's engraved."

Nick leant towards the camera far too far, scrunching his face in order to read the neat little indents that traced the inner curve of the metal. George giggled, making sure his face was hidden by his own hand before taking a screencap, Vincent also half covered by Nick. "November third?"

"You remember the concert you took me to? And we went backstage and met the band for the first time?" George asked and Nick eyes widened "November third, two days after my birthday." Nick cooed obnoxiously once more, flopping back against Vincent's side.

"He should have waited and proposed on stage." Nick commented "That seems like something he would do." George rolled his eyes with a begrudging smile but Nick continued. "Bring you up on stage and propose with fireworks and confetti and shit."

George shook his head, softly slipping the ring back onto his finger. "I like the way he did it." He carefully twisted the cold metal, face shifting to something love-worn and contented. Nick took a moment to silently smile to himself.

This, this quiet, warm, comfortable and loved George? This was his best friend.

"I'm happy for you George." Nick whispered, as though it were a soft-set secret meant to be left unspoken. When George looked up, Nick's eyes were glassy and brimming with a pride unsurmountable.

"I'm happy too." George murmured just as lowly but Nick needn't hear the words to know as much. He could see it written down the curve of George's cheeks, printed in large across his chest, resting just over his heart.

"I'm still beating both of your asses next time I see you for doing it without me there."

George laughed.

////:\\\\

@GeorgeNotFound
Cat :D
[An image of Bartholomew curled asleep in George's lap. What must have been George's hand sat nestled against the cat's flank, engagement ring clearly visible on his finger. Clay's hand was also present, scratching behind the cat's ear, ring less clear but still decipherable.]
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retweets likes
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@OhOphelia
G E O R G E YOU LITTLE SHIT
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@quackquack
I DONT KNOW NOBODY I DONT KNOW NOBODY I DONT KNOW NOBODY I DONT KNOW NOBODY I DONT KNOW NOBODY I DONT KNOW NOBODY
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@FleepFloop
should I be expecting my invite by post or by email?
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@GeorgeNotFound
by dms :)
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retweets likes

////:\\\\

And Nick kept true to his words, all but tackling George to the ground on site outside the venue their band would be playing.

He'd had the courtesy, however, to tackle George onto a large patch of grass beside the pathway to avoid having to listen to George whining about scrapes later. George attempted to push and kick him off but eventually gave up when Nick sat triumphantly on his back, shoving George's face into the grass with a loud laugh.

"Sapnap!" George complained, somewhat muffled. "Get off me, you're so heavy." Nick readily ignored him, looking around instead for George's taller counterpart. He spotted him walking from an almost concealed door and searching the area looking confused and mildly panicked. They locked eyes, Clay glancing down at the poor detained George before returning to Nick.

"You're next!" Nick called, scrambling from George's back and into a stumbling sprint.

Clay didn't have long to realise what was happening before he was on the floor, undoubtedly in a similar position to what George had been in. He groaned, twisting to try and look at the overgrown child that held him to the ground. "What was that for?"

"That," Nick bounced once on the small of Clay's back, eliciting another pained complaint "is for proposing the second I was away, you ass." Clay rolled his eyes, intending to make some sarcastic comment when the weight disappeared entirely from his back. It took Nick's shriek reaching his ears for him to realise that George had come to either help him or elicit revenge.

"Boys!" All heads turned to the door Clay had come from moments before. Mrs Bosko was stood there, arms crossed but lips pulled into a tired smile. "If you're quite done." She stepped aside and held the door open.

George shoved Nick's face into an exceptionally muddy patch of grass before taking Clay's offered hand and letting himself be pulled up. Clay ran the fingers of his other hand through George's hair quickly, ruffling it to get rid of any miscellaneous plants weaved into the strands. He laced his fingers together with George's, tugging him towards the door.

Nick let out a loud scoff and made a scene of standing, brushing himself down and pushing past the pair to walk in first.

"What happened to you three?" Zak asked the moment they stepped through into the dressing room and Clay and George pointed at Nick, who was threateningly approaching Vincent with muddy arms opened wide. Zak nodded as Darryl appeared from seemingly nowhere with a damp cloth, reaching forward to scrub at the mud on Clay's cheek.

Clay swatted at his hands, scrunching his nose childishly, and lit up as he was called forward by one of many stylists, stepping around Darryl to escape. He pulled George into a quick, slightly off-centre kiss before jogging away and leaving him and Nick to suffer Darryl's mothering.

They stood relatively still, George more-so than Nick, as Darryl swiped the mud from their faces and attempted to brush it from their clothes. He was unsuccessful, only serving to smudge it with grumpy little huffs.

"We'll just get them a clean outfit, Dar." Zak somewhat laughed, weaving his hand to rest in the crook of Darryl's elbow.

And that they did, sorting through racks of clothing in order to find two fitting pairs of jeans, a white turtleneck that Nick had picked and a rather loose white tank top that Nick had forced on George. It took some extra scavenging to find but Nick proudly pulled a black band shirt on atop his turtleneck. He then plucked George's enchroma clout goggles from his pile of clothes and shoved them incessantly at George.

George didn't really get why he was so set on their outfits.

George repositioned Clay's smiley pendent over his chest just as Clay re-emerged from being beautified - freckles standing out alongside the muted green that framed his eyes and the soft red tint that sat upon his lips. He did a half twirl as he approached and George nodded his approval, reaching to even out the collar of his part-way open shirt.

Clay dropped his hands to George's bare shoulders first, running his thumbs over the ends of his collarbones before gently tracing down George's forearms. George needn't think before he stood on his toes and pressed another quick kiss to Clay's lips, wary not to ruin the work that had been put into them.

Clay didn't seem to care however, bringing one hand to shift George's goggles into his hair in order to kiss him deeper.

It took Vincent swatting him over the head for Clay to realise himself and where they were, pulling back with a sheepish colour to his cheeks and smudged lip tint. The band's disappointed sighs didn't go unnoticed.

"I think it's a good look." George supplied innocently, bringing a thumb to ghost over Clay's bottom lip. Clay smiled and resisted the urge to kiss him again.

"I'm sure ya do." Mrs Bosko interrupted, hiding her smile as she looked pointedly down at her watch. "You two better run off to the box, show's starting soon." George and Nick new what a dismissal sounded like and made quick work of their 'good-luck's before disappearing with a staff member at their side acting guide.

And maybe it wasn't the same as standing centre, three rows back from the stage and screaming along to every line but George found he really didn't mind this change. Maybe they didn't have backstage tickets and a folder of embarrassing art but instead George had his and Clay's home to return to and a ring nestled happily into his third finger that promised him forever.

In George's eyes, that wasn't too bad of an upgrade.

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2k words

This is not proof read because live life on the edge 😎

Feedback is welcome and appreciated!!

Yours, Dandelion