Aether's Legacy | Elysium [Dreamnotfound]

Disaster in Tennessee

It was an old-fashioned 20th-century diner that, paired with an antique jukebox, was dazzled with the plentiful portraits of legendary 20th and 21st-century bands and artists. It was surprisingly busy with lively waitresses and waiters serving families and couples scattered across the polished wooden tables and striped booths with large windows facing the parking lot. The hostess greeted them with too bright of a beam and cheerfully asked them how many people they would be serving. Then she led them to a booth off the back by the jukebox that was playing an upbeat classic.

George and Dream wordlessly sat beside each other, close enough that their arms brushed against each other every time one of them shifted. Sapnap quirked a suggestive eyebrow at the action that George preferred to ignore.

A waitress took their orders soon after, and Sapnap took full advantage of Dream's wallet to buy himself a hefty order of pancakes with a platter of eggs, sausage, and toast. Skeppy seemed a bit more distracted than usual staring out the window and tapping his fingers on the table. Dream had to call his name twice before he realized the waitress was waiting on him.

After she took his and Dream's orders, the waitress excused herself and left the boys in silence to listen to the jukebox music, the racking dishes from the kitchen, and the energetic voices from the tables surrounding them.

A stressed-out couple sitting by the front door with young triplets blabbering and toying with their food. An old woman using her baby voice on a toddler as she cut his pancakes into little pieces. A muscular woman with a tattoo sleeve giggling as she wrapped her arm around a woman's shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. A lonesome teenage girl two booths behind them who was nervously scanning the crowd with her fists tightly wound into rocks.

The air around her stung with an aura of anxiety that was slowly encompassing the room. George looked away before her aura could hijack his emotions, yet even with the distance, an inevitable swirling in his gut stole his appetite. He looked down at his hands and started playing with his fingers while attempting to put his mind elsewhere.

Dream leaned into him, and when their hands grazed, the tenderness in his aura caressed him like a milder version of his morning bear hug. He closed his eyes and pretended they were still in bed, if only for one second.

When he opened them and met Dream's gaze, he smiled. Across the table, Sapnap narrowed his eyes and alternated glances between them with suspicion.

He opened his mouth to undoubtedly say something that would have George launching his drink at him but before he could, Dream slid his tablet with a map of their location in front of them.

"We're stopping by the shopping mall at the border and then heading to another hotel for the night before staying in Nashville for the day to unwind a little."

"Unwind?" Skeppy snapped, taking a sudden, not-so-pleased interest in the conversation. George winced at the hostility behind his tone, and he was suddenly aware of the uneasy aura caving in on them. "You want us to unwind? While Bad is out there in danger?"

Taken aback by his voice, Dream's look hardened and he replied, "I didn't mean it that way. We've been on the run for a few days now. We'll be needing a break so we don't lose our minds soon."

Skeppy glimpsed at George before looking back at Dream with a tense expression. The rush of emotions was too much, and George turned away to steer his focus onto something else. "You mean we need a break or George does?"

Bewildered, Dream said, "Look, Skeppy, I know you're worried for Bad. We all are, but—"

"And you think taking a break is going to help him?"