A Lost Pair of Sunglasses ~ Georgebur Highschool AU

#5

~~

George sighed a deep sigh, like all of his worries were being released at once. “I…”

Wilbur sat and watched patiently, silently. Whatever George had to say didn't need a response. It just needed to be said.

“I'm gay.”

It made sense, so much sense, and he hadn't realised how much it made sense until he heard it. Of course. No wonder he had turned into a blushing stuttering mess around him so often. Because he'd been hiding his his secret. Whether it was by retrieving the Clout Goggles from someone they should never have been, or being accused of being the gay little fuck he was, Wilbur had come so close to catching George out. But somehow he was still a complete dumbass and hadn't managed to work out how gay the smaller man was.

The way George was looking at Wilbur was tense with stress. It was expectant too. It suddenly twigged on Wilbur that George was expecting a response.

“Have you told anyone before?”

It felt like the only question to ask.

“No.”

And the answer was obvious, so obvious. Why would he be so stressed about something he had already confided in another? No, it made sense.

“Why not?”

He hadn't meant to say it out loud, it had just slipped out. Why hadn't George told one of his friends? They were stuck together almost 24/7. They told each other almost everything, why not this?

“Too much to risk.” George was honest, he was terrified of being rejected by his friends for his sexuality.

“Risk? What risk?” Wilbur scoffed. “Do you really think your friends would be homophobic? Really? Sapnap is the gayest little simping fuck for Karl. Everyone knows it. Well, except for Karl, but he has a talent for missing things. As for Dream, well, you're not trying to say he's only ever had girlfriends, are you?”

“What?”

“To be fair, you're too high in the pecking order, and too deep in the closet, to have heard. Yeah, Dream has railed more than his fair share of guys. Some of my bottom buddies have had a lot of fun with him. He's very good, or so I hear. They're sworn to secrecy after. And they keep it because honestly, as much as Dream doesn't want people to learn he's been sleeping with them, I don't think they want people to know he's sleeping with them either.”

“You're lying. Dream's a homophobic asshole. Even I know and acknowledge that.”
Wilbur raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? I have some photos that prove he's actually pretty friendly with the homos. Wanna see?” George blanched at this, making Wilbur laugh. “Only joking Gogy, I wouldn't show you that.”

He placed his hand on the ravenette's shoulder. “My point is, it'll go better than you think. Trust me, you'll be surprised by just how supportive they'll be.”
George shook his hand off. “What do you know of my life? You can do anything, you're an anonymous little shit, nobody cares what you're getting up to in your free time. I have everyone's eyes on me, all the time. I mess up and I lose all the power I've built up. I'll be weak, vulnerable. I… I'd get bullied.”

Wilbur had been bullied before. Of course he had. He was an outcast among his peers, and always had been. Now, to him, being bullied was nothing. The words rolled off him like water off a duck's back. But George? George had never been bullied. He wouldn't know how to cope, how to react. He would suffer. A lot. And so his fear suddenly made sense to Wilbur. The poor guy. He just didn't know how to deal with bullies. He'd hung out with enough of them, you'd have thought he'd have learnt. But no. And that was why he felt the closet was where he needed to stay.

Wilbur became aware of the feeling brewing inside. It took a moment for him to realise what it was: anger. He was angry. Not at George, not really. The poor boy was scared and vulnerable and moulded by his life so far. But Wilbur was most definitely angry. At the injustice, of someone living in fear of the simple fact of who they loved getting out there. It wasn't right. It had never been right. But that didn't stop it.

Then he looked back up at George, who looked very much on the verge of tears. Wilbur was not a hugging person and never really had been, but some primordial instinct must have kicked in because he pulled George into his lap and hugged him tight.

~~

That was the moment George felt his lungs give in. What. The. Fuck? What was Wilbur doing? Huh? Some part of him harshly instructed him to wiggle away, which he attempted. But alas, Wilbur (despite his spaghetti-like arms) was far stronger than him, and didn't even let up for a second. When the frantic feeling had settled, he relaxed into the embrace, soothed by the regular beat of Wilbur's heart.

“You okay Gogy?”
No. No he was not. “Yeah, I- I'm okay. Thanks Wilboo.”

~~

Wilbur, who had started absentmindedly playing with George's hair, suddenly froze. Okay, simp brain could shut up now. He'd had quite enough of its fantasies. There was no way in hell George had called him "Wilboo". Nah! It was simp brain, plain and simple. Simp brain had decided that because they were basically cuddling. That was it.

~~

Okay, Wilbur hadn't commented on it. Maybe his mind had made the "Wilboo" slip-up all internally. That was the hope.
But he felt how tight Wilbur had stiffened, and how his heart had began to race. He mistook this for anger and immediately decided to pretend that they had both made up the slip.

“Wilbur? You alright?”

~~

Wilbur. Okay, simp brain had definitely made it all up. Rude, but manageable.

“Yeah, I'm good. Should be heading home soon though.”
“Oh yeah, me too.”

~~

George slipped out of Wilbur's arms, his hair messy from being played with. Just before he turned away, a cheeky impulse took control, and he gave Wilbur a quick peck on the cheek. With that, he turned away and was gone before Wilbur could finish saying goodbye.

~~

And Wilbur was left alone to digest what the actual fuck had just happened.

Bonus chapter is still a WIP, I'm being a very slow writer, sorry :)