Stay, Forever

9

"I remember you, Clay."

George holds his breath as soon as he speaks the words aloud, and he can't seem to tell exactly what Dream is thinking. He looks nervous, uncertain, and he takes a step closer as he quietly asks, "how much do you remember?"

George remembers a lot more than he's willing to say. He remembers how much he loved spending time with Clay, how being around him made all of his problems disappear. He remembers that Clay's favorite color was green, and that he liked to lie in the grass in George's backyard while the sun warmed his freckled face. And he remembers that he never trusted anyone the same way he trusted Clay, and that he never really trusted anyone else besides Karl after Clay walked out of his life so unexpectedly.

George breaths out, and then answers with a half truth, "I don't remember everything, but I remember enough."

Dream nods once, and all George can do is stand there. He's not sure what to say, and so he quietly admits, "you were my best friend, and then you were just gone. And I was mad at you for so long."

Dream's brow furrows, and although George knows now that it wasn't his choice to leave, he adds on, "you didn't say goodbye. You just...left."

Dream exhales a slow breath, and George watches the way his chest rises and falls with the action. He can still feel some of that anger and sadness he had clung to for so much of his life, and he knows that it's misplaced, but he can't help it. His parents were constantly walking out of his life like it meant nothing, and Dream had done the same thing whether he realized it or not.

"I'm sorry," Dream mutters, and George's chest aches. He had waited so long for an apology, but it felt complicated now and it did nothing to set him at ease.

"I didn't want to leave," Dream adds on, "but after my mom...I wasn't given a choice."

George knows this, and he nods. Dream takes a cautious step forward, and he quietly mutters, "before they took me away to put me in the foster care system, I begged them to let me go see you. But I was ten years old, and they obviously weren't going to listen to me."

George nods again, and he feels guilty because he can see the pain in Dream's face. He can't imagine what it must of been like to lose everything, and he quietly responds, "I'm sorry, Dream."

Dream only half acknowledges the apology, and George's eyes drift up as he hears the soft spoken words, "you were my best friend, too, George. You have no idea how important you were to me."

George thinks he does know, because Dream was just as important to him. But he doesn't say it, and his brow furrows because he doesn't understand why he still can't fully recognize the person who's standing in front of him now. He doesn't like this version of Dream, and he can't help but wonder how differently things could've ended up.

He shakes his head once, and then says, "I understand that you were upset about what happened to your mum, but you're so...different now. I feel like I don't recognize you at all, Dream."

A pained look crosses over Dream's face, and he shakes his head once. Something uneasy settles in George's stomach, and he quietly continues, "if I'm not here because my parents are rich, and you're not planning on killing me yet, then why? I deserve to know the truth about why I'm here."

Dream looks at him from across the room, and he takes a slow breath as a tense silence spreads between them. And George silently urges him to finally answer the question. He thinks that now he's figured out who Dream is, Dream will finally be willing to talk to him, but he's not sure. He watches Dream as his eyes drop down towards the floor, and when he looks back up, he finally answers, "you're here because of who your parents are, George."