Let the Games Begin DreamNotFound

Chapter 28

George POV

"If that means I get to see your caring side more often, I gladly promise."

George watched the slow rise and fall of the dirty blond's chest, his hair tousled and clinging to the pillow. True to his word, Dream fell asleep almost immediately after his shower, admitting quietly that his stomach was sore. George had been annoyed to find that he had changed his bandages himself, but he held his tongue and allowed his friend to sleep while he went to shower himself. 

He lay in bed now, in a room where the only noise was the soft breaths beside him. He closed his eyes, shifting closer to Dream as he slipped into sleep. 

"Welcome to the fifth game!" The Game Host clapped his hands, the sound reverberating around the strange room. "You will now receive a ribbon to determine your standing in the game. Trading of ribbons, as well as refusal to accept one, will result in severe punishment. We ask that you do behave for this process."

Lined up at the front of the room, players stared at the vast distance to the finish line. The "finish line" being an elevator bathed in green light. George swore he'd tumbled down a hole and crashed into Wonderland. Ahead of him stretched a giant checkerboard, complete with massive black-and-white squares and sculptures of horses rearing from the walls. 

His blue tracksuit may as well be Alice's flowy cobalt dress. All they were missing was a Cheshire cat and a caterpillar smoking from an old pipe. He supposed the Game Host was crazy enough to serve as the Mad Hatter.

A guard holding a basket full to the brim of black and white ribbons approached him. George wordlessly took the white ribbon presented to him. The guard stepped to the next person in the line, handing off a black ribbon and moving through the line. 

He peered down the line, spotting his friends tying their ribbons securely around their heads. Tommy held a white ribbon, while Sykunno and Corpse secured black ribbons. 

"Fuck." Dream's curse drew his attention to the man beside him.

George felt like he'd been slapped when he spotted the black ribbon in the dirty blond's hands. We are on different teams. He prayed the game wasn't a fight to the death involving them playing living chest pieces. 

He raised his own white ribbon to his forehead, entwining the ends behind his head. He somehow felt the dumb look was more Sapnap's style, as if the fiery man would've tied the ribbon on with confidence. 

"Allow me to explain the rules of the game." The Game Host's bodiless voice announced. "The color ribbon you received determines what squares you can and can't stand on. White ribbons cannot step on a black tile, and black ribbons cannot step on a white tile." 

George pinched his snowy fabric between his fingers, his mocha eyes lowering to study the checkboard awaiting them.

"You may traverse tiles of your same ribbon color, with one player per tile. However, opposing colors may push you from your tile square. This means only a black ribbon can push a white ribbon, and vice versa. If you get knocked off your tile, or step onto the wrong color, you will be eliminated from the game. You may not attack a ribbon of your own color."

Dream's shoulder bumped his, warm fingers slipping into his. The soft press of palms reassured the dirty blond would look out for him, and he squeezed that hand in mutual promise.

"In order to complete the game, you must make it to the elevator on the far end." The Game Host continued calmly. "Your largest obstacle here would be the dangers of other players. With that said, I wouldn't trust the tile you stand on, either."