Stay, Forever

27

Dream is more than surprised when George is released a few days later with no questioning about the gunshot wound he had been treated for. But he waits until they're back in the safety of their home and he's alone with Sapnap in the kitchen to ask him about it.

Karl has trailed out of the room to go check on George. He's barely left his side since they've gotten back, not that Dream can fault him. He's only just found out that there's a much darker side to his boyfriend, and he's barely even exchanged more than two words with Dream. He mostly keeps quiet, and passes nervous glances between them, almost like he's trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

Dream listens to the footsteps recede up the stairs and towards his bedroom where George is, and then he turns to Sapnap with a questioning gaze.

Sapnap, with his mouth half full of food, manages to ask, "what are you staring at?"

Dream laughs softly, shakes his head, and waits for Sapnap to finish chewing. He feels his expression settle into something more serious, and then he drops his voice a bit quieter and asks, "what did you tell them at the hospital? When they asked about the gunshot?"

Sapnap swallows and then takes a long sip of water, and Dream watches him while his skin prickles with anxious warmth. And then finally, Sapnap explains, "I think I handled it. I told them we were just hanging out at George's apartment, and there was a break in. I told them he was armed and that he attacked George, and that's where the injury came from."

Dream nods, but his brow furrows and he still feels uneasy because this whole thing could so easily be traced right back to him. He's always been running on borrowed time, and it all has to end eventually.

"But you killed him, didn't you?"

Sapnap nods, and then shrugs one shoulder, "yeah, out of self defense. But I made sure to point out that he had a lot of the same features as the masked murderer on the news. You know, same height, same body type. Should buy us a little more time, at least."

Dream huffs out an anxious breath, and he wants to feel reassured but he's been an anxious mess for weeks. This whole thing was supposed to be so easy. He was going to kidnap George, use him as bait, and get his revenge. He didn't count on George remembering him so easily, and he definitely didn't plan on developing feelings for him.

And now he wishes he could forget about the whole thing. Because having George in his life complicates it all, and suddenly, he doesn't want to be the masked man that's all over the news. He doesn't care about revenge, and he doesn't really care about what happens to George's parents. But he does care about George, and he cares about what George thinks of him.

He can feel Sapnap watching him closely, and so he manages a nod and a forced smile, and he mutters back, "okay, good. Thanks, Sap."

Sapnap smiles and shrugs it off like it's nothing, and Dream feels nothing short of pure love and appreciation for his best friend. Dream doesn't have many people he can count on, but he knows that Sapnap would do just about anything for him.

It's been close to two years since Clay has lost his mom. Since then, life has gotten so much worse than he could have ever imagined. He's continuously being passed around between foster homes, and he's starting to feel like he'll be alone for the rest of his life.

Shortly after his twelfth birthday, Clay is taken in by a couple who seems nice enough. They feed him well, and they're kind to him, and for the first time in his life, he doesn't have to wear second hand clothes. He should be grateful, but he's still sad most of the time.

On his first day at a new school, the couple drops him off and walks him inside. They wish him luck and tell him to just be himself, and everyone will love him. But that's never worked too well for him in the past. He nods anyway, because he doesn't like when other people worry about him.