not actually there || dnf

chapter 1 ✰

it was raining. pouring even. it was a cold touch of rain, but it made everything foggy and humid. dream looked out among the hudson river, waves lapping among the beaches of staten island. the moonlight
created a shimmering effect on the water. it was peaceful, maybe even beautiful. dream had had his suicide plan tucked away in his mind for months, however he never planned of putting it into action. until today.

"well..." dream sighs, clutching the cold, metal bridge pole, stepping up onto the railing to jump. "this is it," he whispers into the cold air of august night. he looks below him to see nothing but fog, hearing the water run below. tears drip from his cheeks lightly, down to the nothingness below him. he daringly waves his right foot over the edge. the edge that can break him free of this hell. dream brushes his hand through his dusty blonde hair as he pulls out his phone. he clicks his messages app and goes to his mothers contact. as he starts typing the word 'goodbye', he feels a sense of presence
behind him.

"w-wait-" a voice calls out from behind dream, who then grabs dreams wrist, pulling him back from the edge. dream stumbles, almost tripping due to being whipped from the ledge so fast. dream turns, startled by this person, who decided to not agree that it was dream's time to let his depression win.

"what're you doing?! let me go! it's my time," dream pleads, sobbing to this stranger. his voice is panicky and wobbly, like a stretched out rubber band being plucked.

"no, it's not your time. not yet. please don't
do it." the stranger speaks in a soft tone, so soft that it makes dream collapse to his knees as he sobs.

his head lightly touches the ground, giving dream a mild headache. the stranger kneels to dream's side, rubbing his back gently.

"what's your name?" the stranger kindly asks, as an attempt to try to get dream distracted from his near attempt of suicide.

"dream," dream manages out. "my name is dream."

"that's a cool name! nice to meet you, dream, i'm george. please don't jump, it's not your time dream." george says, attempting to coerce dream out of not taking his life. a small tear falls from george's eye.

"but it is," dream cries as his sage green eyes meet george's chocolate brown eyes." it is my time."

dream hugs his knees tightly, and george sits beside him, setting down his leftover dinner he had been holding in his arms. previously, he had been having dinner with his family. he had been walking home from his dinner when he had saw dream waving his leg over the bridge, crying.

"do you live around here?" george asks.

"yeah, i do, i live a little up the block," dream replies.

"oh same! my apartment isn't too far from here, i just happened to be headed home as a matter of fact," george says quietly.

"then don't let me get in your way george, go home," dream smiles, tears running down his tomato red face. his eyes magically turned from sage green to a light blue as the whites of his eyes started to become bloodshot. his stomach hurt, and his throat felt like he had gotten a sizeably large pill lodged in his throat. he felt like shit, shittier than before when he was standing on the ledge.

"no," george said, "i don't feel safe leaving you by yourself like this, come to my apartment with me," george implores, as he stands up, leaving dream on the ground. dream looks up to meet his eyes as george lends out a hand to possibly pull him up.
"please."

dream ponders about the offer given. on one hand, he could go home to his shitty condo that smells like cat piss and vomit, with disgusting coffee stained carpet floors. but on the other hand, he could go with this kind stranger named george who seems willing enough for dream to go with him.