Case 404

[ Brainwashed ]

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Dream turned around. "Why would I stay?"

George looked down and shook his head. "Don't sugarcoat it..we both know I have a death sentence." He paused and looked up. "And I would do anything to talk to my best friend and pretend everything's normal, just for a little while."

"I can't, George." Dream knew he couldn't handle that. Everything about this wasn't normal.

"Then you don't have to talk. Just listen? Please..I just need to talk to someone."

Everything inside of Dream was telling him to get out. Leave while he can.

But he silently walked over to the bed and sat on it, face to face with George.

George stared for a moment like he was thinking. 

He used his free hand to slowly take off Dream's mask. Dream didn't fight back, he let him.

George tilted his head slightly, biting his cheek. He looked beautiful. The lantern on the nightstand lit up half of Dream's face.

"You look so different now."

Dream stayed silent, which George expected.

"I don't know if it's a good or bad thing. You just look stiller and calmer. But I know you're thinking about something right now."

Dream furrowed his eyebrows. 

"I remember now. You told me to call you Dream when I first got here. Why?"

Silence. 

"You wanted me to know, I understand. You really do live up to the name." George took a breath. "This is hard." George rubbed his forehead. "I wish I could just talk to you, like you're still the same boy I knew. But you're not. And it's even harder because I have to grieve Nick and accept he's never coming back. But now I have to grieve the fact that you're not coming back either, and you're still alive. That's the hardest part."

"I'm right here." Dream spoke up, which caught George off-guard.

"Please..make up your mind."

"What do you mean?"

"All I want tonight is you. Just you. I want Clay, not A1."

"It's difficult."

"What is? Tell me.", George was trying to milk every word out of Dream that he could.

"It's like.." Dream paused to think. "I've been trained for so long to keep this act up. And whenever I catch myself falling, I have to snap back into the 'A1' mindset. It's like having two people inside of me, fighting for the spotlight. It all started when you got here."

"When I got here? What do you mean?"

"It's hard to describe. It's like having this other person inside of me is telling me to do my job because I've been so used to having this mindset of if I don't perform well, my family could get hurt." Dream put his hand over his mouth. He hated thinking of his family now knowing he couldn't protect them. "I think that's why I've been so indecisive with you. Once I'm vulnerable, I feel like I have to hurt you to make up for it. And I really don't want to hurt you, but all I want it to talk to you."

"You said no one's here?"

Dream looked up, confused. "Yeah..why?"

"Then talk to me. It's just us."

"Do you trust me?" Dream looked up at him. It broke George's heart. It all made sense now. Dream initially didn't want to talk to him, because he was scared he would have to hurt him after.