Stay, Forever

34

They pull up to a small, worn down house that looks like it hasn't been inhabited for years. It's dangerously close to the house where Dream has been residing for the past few years, and he wonders if that's on purpose. Maybe they'd known exactly where he was all along.

He leans back, exhaling slowly as he takes in the exterior. From the outside, it seems like the place is empty, but he knows that George's parents are just beyond the threshold.

It's all been leading up to this moment, and he hates that he doesn't feel the least bit prepared.

George leans in to him, pulling his attention back as he peers out the same window as Dream, brow furrowing as he looks at the house.

"What's wrong?" Dream asks, wondering if maybe George has changed his mind.

"Nothing," George mumbles, distracted, "it's just...I think I recognize this house."

Dream looks out at the house again, and he tries to picture a younger version of George standing on the front porch.

In another life, it could have been a secluded vacation home for a small family. But he knows George's family wasn't the vacationing type. That would have required that George's parents actually be around for parts of his childhood.

"I've been here before," George murmurs, and even Karl turns around in the driver's seat to listen in, "my dad took me here once. I was young, and it was one of the rare occasions we actually spent some time together."

Thinking they could use this to their advantage in terms of the layout of the house and places they could sneak in, Dream asks, "so you've been inside?"

George's brow furrows, but then he shakes his head. His eyes darken, and his voice is quiet as he explains, "he made me wait in the car. I remember. I was sat in the backseat and he told me not to move from there, no matter what. He was gone for ten, maybe fifteen minutes. And when he came back, it was like he was a whole different person. He had blood on his shirt, and when I asked him about it, he wouldn't even look at me."

Dream doesn't know what to say, and he looks up at Sapnap and Karl, who are intrigued but just as quiet.

George gazes out the window again, and he quietly mutters, "I'm sure this is where my parents took people when they..."

His voice falters, and Dream watches as his fingers curl around the edge of the seat until his knuckles turn white. He covers one of George's hands with his own, loosens his grip on the fabric and interlocks their fingers.

"How could I have not known," George breathes out, "all the signs were right there."

His voice falters again, and he's squeezing Dream's hand like it's the only thing keeping him grounded.

"George," Karl says, "you were ten years old, you were a child. You couldn't have known what kind of people they were. You can't keep blaming yourself."

George doesn't answer, but Dream already knows that the words do nothing to ease his conscience. He'll blame himself until this whole thing is over and done with.

Even so, he tries, "George-"

But George is quick to cut him off. He exhales sharply, never once letting his eyes stray from the house as he mutters, "can we just do this, please? I need to get this over with."

Dream hesitates, but then George pulls his hand away and he feels like his heart is crawling up his throat. He tells himself that George is just mentally preparing, that he's been waiting for a long time to get some sort of closure with his parents. But it feels like he's shutting them out.