MANHUNT {dreamnotfound}

9 • Mutual Aims

Edited 8/8/22
•

"I want to help you."

The words were immobilizing. Dream's initial reaction had been to laugh, and then maybe mock him, and then maybe ask if he was being serious. On the surface, however, he merely gaped at George with a mixture of bemusement and amusement.

Surely this was pity?

It had to be, because George's expression had never been so soft, so open, not like when he was trying to uphold his stupid Loyal Knight persona. He was being vulnerable, which meant Dream's sympathy card had played in his favor — but at what cost?

Now George knew what he was after, meaning the information was ever-closer to reaching the King, and then Dream would be royally screwed, whether he got out of the caves alive or not. George simply could not live with the information, he had to die.

...Why was the thought of killing him so much harder the more he postponed it?

He would have gladly torn into George with all the volcanic rage he'd felt when he thought the map was gone, but he hadn't thrown it away. He'd known it was important, he'd been playing his own power games.

And while it was certainly enticing that he'd managed to outplay Dream, he couldn't let it happen again — he wouldn't.

"Well?" George asked with raised eyebrows. "Are you going to... reply?"

"Help me?" He finally scoffed. "I must have punched you really hard."

George scowled, gingerly feeling the tender skin on his cheekbone. "Yeah, thanks for that. But seriously, I want to help you. Find your family, I mean."

A lump found it's way into Dreams throat. "What if that had been a bluff?"

"You wouldn't lie about that," he said, and he sounded so sure of himself, it was almost annoying.

Dream remained defiant. "What happened to me being a monster, huh?"

George just grimaced at him. "Stop being a baby."

He bounced to his feet, pointedly ignoring the ache in his shoulder as he rambled, "You're so confusing. One minute you hate me, the next I try to kill you, and now you're—"

"You're going to make me change my mind," George said, followed by an aggravated sigh. "Yes, I'll help you find your family, if you work with me to get out of this ravine."

"And the King?"

George hesitated, eyes darting to the left. "I'll... speak to him."

Dream laughed loudly. "You think the King will listen to you, let alone let me go? You're more delusional than I thought."

"You're a criminal. What did you expect?"

"A criminal you just offered to help," Dream pointed out, smirking. "Pick a side."

When George looked at a loss to say anything more, Dream did the thinking for him.

"If you help me, that's your life on the line. If I let you take me in, then I die and you win."

"We can work something out."

"You're an idiot if you truly believe that."

"I'm not—"

"Then where's all our food and bandages?" Dream slapped his hand on his head. "Oh yeah, you threw it off a cliff."

George went red in the face. "I kept the food and bandages, moron. I'm not that stupid."