ORPHANED

:: one hundred thirty ::

"today has been really fun but i think i should be leaving now," he spoke the exact words they all wished he hadn't. their movements slowed—if they weren't paused in entirety—to face the brunette who fidgeted with his hands in distress. the blonde tried to appear indifferent, knowing if he gave away too much of a reaction he'd be expected to ask the man to stay.

he knew this would happen, his family would like george just as much as he, and they'd be against the idea of him leaving. he wanted to ask him to stay, and a single glance around the room told him he wasn't alone in this desire and that his first suspicion was correct, but he also knew george wouldn't mention leaving unless he genuinely had to.

"well if you really have to leave i'd like to take some pictures of you all in front of the tree before you go."

the tension in the room seemed to ease at her request, and he could tell by the look on george's face that he was glad to have gotten out of the situation without putting up a fight.

when his mom got up to fetch her phone he moved over to check on the man who still sat unmoving. "you alright?"

"yeah," he offered a nod and a smile to appear more convincing. "i'm not actually sure why i was so worried i knew you guys wouldn't force me to stay or anything."

"well let's get this over with and then i'll take you home, okay?" a hand was reached over to squeeze at the brunette's knee before they shared a comfortable beat of silence.

"come on losers, it's better to get it over with now before she starts pulling out props and we have to do this for another hour and a half."

they turned to the girl who stood in front of the tree, ushering them to her side with knowledgeable urgency. dream was the first of the two of them to stand, understanding exactly what it was she was referring to. "oh god, george hurry and get over here."

"you make it seem like it's terrible." he initiated the first giggle between them since the unfortunate moment when the attention lingered on them for too long.

the two at the tree shook their heads.

"you have no idea how seriously she takes her christmas photos." the sarcasm in her voice no longer sounded like sarcasm.

"what she said."

"oh god." the brunette whispered between them, starting to pick up on the fear that laced their voices.

still, even with their quick compliance to her wants for the photo they were forced to stay in front of the camera for an entire hour and a half. she tested multiple poses and rearranged them several times over again. when she announced she was finally satisfied they thought they were free, but she made it known that they were just getting starting.

everyone was held responsible for taking pictures of the rest of the group so, as she put it, 'no one was left out'. as the rotation continued the smiles on their faces became more forced and the sky behind them grew several noticeable shades darker.

when their photo shoot came to a close the brunette made a revelation that could have saved them all that time to begin with, except he came across it much too late. "why not just use the timer setting so you can get pictures of all of us together?"

it was a smart idea and none of them were sure how they had gone as long as they had without thinking of it themselves, but both dream and his sister made it known that it was not the right decision to voice the idea when they were finally given the opportunity to sit down. "george!" they flopped onto the sofa, hoping their mom would grant them mercy.

"dream where did you find him? he's perfect!" jokingly she pinched at the brunette's cheeks, and he flashed a blush, appreciative of the praise that seemed to run in the family. something he'd never really get used to.

**

"so much for driving you back." dream huffed as they peeked past the curtains to observe the piles of snow where the road used to be.

"don't you usually take the train to his house? they always clear the tracks so you should be fine." his mom collected the mugs that littered the living room with a shrug.

"should i change back?" the brunette questioned, unsure if the blonde would want his clothes back.

he shook his head, "no it's fine, i'll wash them so we're even."

"if you guys are going to take the train i suggest you leave now before it's too late and all." she gestured to the clock on the mantle, but her words were all the convincing they needed to rush to their shoes. "well george, it was nice to meet you again. you're welcome anytime, no invitation necessary!"

the blonde held the door open for the man that proceeded him to step out first. "thank you for having me!" he answered as he stepped back out into the cold.

"bye mom." dream then closed the door behind them, staring back at the freshly fallen snow. "good thing i shoveled when i did."

george made a pathetic effort to take a step farther from the door, but his foot sunk back into the snow. "i am going to get soaked again."

they paused for a second whilst dream came up with a solution to keep him dry for the most part. "i could carry you?"

the brunette didn't seem entirely against the idea but also carefully weighed the consequences of admitting it. dream didn't want to stick around to see where his mind would land so he took matters into his own hands.

now slung over the blonde's shoulder george kicked his feet in disagreement. "dream put me down!"

"you said it yourself, your clothes are going to get soaked again if i make you walk. it's better this way." he shrugged with little effort, continuing down the barely paved pathway.

—

i haven't been able to watch mcc since grid runners was added so every time it's talked about i have no idea what to picture. kinda glad i didn't watch the last once though since twitter hasn't been the best place to be since it ended and apparently we lost brutally :/