Stay, Forever

33

The sun rises far too quickly the next morning, and Dream lies in bed feeling like he's having an out of body experience. He thinks he should be enjoying the way George's body is half covering his own, and the way an arm is wrapped tightly around his waist in a way that feels endearing.

And normally, he would be enjoying it.

He loves slow mornings with George by his side. He loves the quiet way in which George mumbles 'good morning' while he's still half asleep, and the way that if he even attempts to leave the bed before George is ready to get up, familiar hands will reach for any part of him they can and tug him back under the comforter. He even loves the way that George will playfully fight with him because he doesn't want Dream to kiss him before he's brushed his teeth, and the way he always ends up giving in and kissing Dream like it's the only thing he wants to do all morning.

He loves all of it, and it's all that he wants for the rest of his life.

But then he remembers that as the sun slowly rises in a hazy sky, they still have an impossible task at hand.

The night before, sometime after they had gotten out of a warm shower and crawled back into their bed together, they had received the text that they both knew was coming. George was lying on his back, and the phone in his hand had cast his features in a hazy blue glow. And as Dream watched him, he saw the way his smile faded, and how the look in his eyes grew a bit more heavy and complicated.

Dream hadn't bothered asking, because he already knew.

"My mum texted again," George had murmured quietly, like if he whispered it low enough, it wouldn't be real, "they can meet tomorrow."

Dream hadn't answered, because there wasn't much else to say. He had pulled George close, and George hugged him back tightly, and they had stayed like that until they both drifted off to sleep.

And now it was a new day, and Dream was desperately trying not to think of it as potentially being their last day together.

"Good morning."

Mumbled words pull Dream from thoughts that are far too heavy for the early hour of the day. He can't help but smile, and his hand drifts down to brush the hair away from George's face. But when their eyes meet, his own thoughts are reflected back at him.

George's brow furrows, and it's like he's only just remembering exactly what it is that they're doing today. With a quiet sigh, he adds on, "we should probably get up. We need to get ready, and maybe we should go over the plan with Sapnap and Karl again."

Dream nods, but he can hear the panic behind George's words. He's nervous, too, but he's trying not to show it because it'll only make George feel worse. And he doesn't want George to feel any worse, not when he needs him to feel a bit more calm and confident.

"Hey," Dream interrupts him, "just relax, okay? Sapnap and Karl are ready. Everything is fine, George. We got this."

George hesitates, and Dream wishes that wasn't the case. He wishes George could believe what he was saying. He wishes he could believe his own words.

"Yeah," George mutters back, distracted, "yeah, okay. You're probably right."

Dream nods, and the two of them lapse into a comfortable silence as they climb out of bed and get ready for the day. They stand side by side at the sink, both distracted as they brush their teeth. And by the time they get downstairs, Karl is already seated at the kitchen table, looking tense and on edge.

"Morning," George mumbles.

Karl glances up quickly, blinks once, and then seems to finally realize that George is talking to him.