Slinging his backpack around the chair, Dream took his usual spot and waited for Nick. After class had started and they'd gotten their assignments, Dream and Nick began to talk while sharing answers. Eventually, the topic of the other day came up.
"So," Dream lowered his voice, "Would you mind if I asked about the other day?"
Nick gulped but nodded.
"Who was the other guy?"
Nick sighed. "That was Karl, my boyfriend. We weren't ready for anyone to know yet."
Dream nodded, feeling bad for his friend. "I won't say anything to the others."
Nick smiled weakly, "Thank you."
"Do you ever plan on telling them?"
Shrugging, Nick said, "I know they won't care, but I'm still nervous."
Dream placed a hand on Nick's shoulder. "Take your time, I'm more than sure they'll accept you."
"Thanks, I knew I could trust you."
The rest of the period was spent working, the occasional banter seeming to make the atmosphere a little more breathable.
The moment Dream walked into English, a sharp chill ran down his spine as he felt a pair of eyes watching him. Purposefully avoiding Techno, he took a seat next to Zak.
"Hey dude, thanks for helping out with the homework the other day, you saved my ass," Zak chuckled.
"Yeah, no problem," Dream said dismissively.
Hearing the change in his voice, Zak looked over and caught Techno's sly smirk over Dream's shoulder.
"What happened?" Zak asked, his joking tone replaced by a more serious one.
Dream glanced up, "What do you mea-"
"Techno is burning a hole through your skull Dream, I know something happened."
Panic began rising in Dream's chest. "Should I tell him?" He thought.
"Nothing happened, he always glares at me." Dream's voice wavered.
"Not like a predator stalking its prey."
Dream's hands began to shake. "Nothing happened okay? Drop it."
Zak was skeptical but didn't want to push the other boy further.
"Fine, but if he does anything then you need to tell one of us so we can help you take care of it." He said.
Dream flashed a thumbs up and began rearranging his desk. While he was distracted, Zak glared towards Techno; the pink-haired boy's smirk only grew.
Around lunchtime, Dream noticed Techno had been subtly following him and only stood a few places back in line. An uneasy feeling settled over him as he rushed to sit with the others.
Zak and George were bickering back and forth, so Dream took a seat next to Nick and watched in amusement.
"Are you crazy?" George asked, eyebrows raised with a look of disbelief.
"No! Pineapple on pizza isn't that bad once you try it!" Zak argued.
Dream chuckled, his worries from before quickly melting away. "Are they really arguing over this?"
"Leave these two together for more than five minutes and they'll argue about anything," Nick laughed, taking another bite of his cheese stick.
Dream giggled and checked his phone, noticing there was one notification. Opening it, his joy faded as his eyes scanned the message.
Grandma
You need to visit your father after school, your grandfather and I have already been.
Have a good day, love you <3
He sighed heavily and responded. Putting his phone up, his mind drifted away from his friends' argument.
By the time the final bell rang, Dream's anxiety was through the roof. On the walk home, he hadn't been able to process anything George or Alice said; his mind was echoing with more unfriendly thoughts.
Alice had gone to her friend's house, leaving the two boys in Dream's yard. After stumbling a little, Dream successfully hopped onto the swing with George and watched as a car drove past.
"I need to leave soon, so I don't know if we can do any work tonight." Dream said.
George tilted his head, turning to look at the other boy. "Where are you going?"
Dream bounced back and forth between explaining the situation or not.
"Just to visit someone." He fidgeted with his earring.
George nodded and turned back to the street. "I see."
"You could come with if you'd like."
Dream slapped a hand over where his mouth would've been. He didn't know why he'd said that, considering it would not be a good idea for George to go.
George peered back over. "You sure? I can wait until you get back, I'm not that clingy," He joked.
They sat in silence for a moment, Dream heavily weighing his options. Even though it probably wouldn't end up well with George going, he decided he trusted George enough to take him.
"I'm sure. Let's go, I don't want to be out too late."
After taking the normal route uptown, Dream ducked down a street that was unfamiliar to George. A couple of gas stations were scattered on the way, along with some houses. The street led to a tall building with a small white cross on the front.
After stopping by the gift shop on the first floor, Dream spoke to the receptionist and they were led up the stairs by a nurse.
She stopped in front of a room and knocked before speaking to someone inside. Stepping to the side she left with a small wave.
Dream sat down first, offering the candy bar to a scruffy-looking man attempting to sit up in his bed.
"How're you feeling today Pops?" Dream asked, shuffling around to get comfortable.
"I'm okay. Two other people visited today, it was nice." His father smiled tiredly.
"That was Grandma Wil and Grandpa Mike. your parents."
George could hear the strain in Dream's voice. Confused, he watched as the two continued to speak.
"Right." Dream's father glanced around the room as though he were looking for someone.
"I thought my wife might've been here today, I haven't seen her in so long," He said, his expression dulling.
George glanced at Dream as the other's breathing quickened.
"Pops, she can't visit anymore remember?" Dream gritted his teeth.
"She's...she's gone." Dream choked out, his voice breaking.
George's heart ached at the sound of Dream crumbling in front of him. Unsure of what to do, he held himself back and watched as the scene unfolded.
Dream's father's eyes widened before his mouth turned to a snarl. "That's insane, I want to see my wife!" He bellowed.
George flinched at the volume but forced himself to choke back the horrid memories resurfacing in his mind.
Dream let out a shaky sigh. "I know, but you can't. Believe me, I want to see her as well."
The shouting from Dream's father grew louder until George couldn't take it anymore. He abruptly stood, rushing out of the room and collapsing against the wall outside.
Within moments, Dream was by his side. The nurse hurried towards them, asking what had happened. Dream quickly explained that his father had gotten upset when he couldn't see his wife. The nurse grimaced and stepped into the room in hopes of calming the older man down.
Dream knelt next to the shaking boy, rubbing his back as George took in deep, unstable breaths. Once his chest had loosened up, George stared up at Dream with a look of guilt, his eyes glazed over.
"I'm sorry, I should've been able to control my emotions better and-"
"No need to apologize because whatever triggered you to panic wasn't your fault."
George nodded, "I don't want to get into that right now."
"That's alright, you don't need to."
After a while, George's breathing returned to normal. "If you're going back in there, can I wait here?" He asked quietly.
"Of course, I won't be long."
Dream wrapped his arms around the smaller and squeezed for a moment before returning to the room. George buried his head into his knees and began lightly rocking himself back and forth. He'd tried so hard to keep himself calm, but Dream's dad raising his voice had been too much.
Before he knew it, Dream was back at his side and the two began their walk home in silence. As they approached the open field, Dream stopped.
"I can keep walking you home if you'd like, but afterward I want to come back here to visit my mother."
Curious as to what the boy meant, George shook his head.
"I'm okay now, I think I'll stay."
Dream nodded and led them through the tangled blades of overgrown grass. Further down the field, a small tombstone lay among a patch of weeds. Dream pulled a few and brushed the rest away, revealing letters engraved on the front of the stone.
Here lies Dianna Bloque, a loving mother, wife, and daughter
1970-2004
He sat in front of the crumbling stone, motioning for George to sit beside him. Tracing his fingers alone the cracks running deep into the stone, Dream mumbled, "Hi mom, it's been a while."
While Dream softly spoke, George picked a flower from beside him and began fiddling with the petals.
"Are there more of those?" Dream asked, pointing to the daisy George was holding.
His eyes lit up as George handed him a clump of them. Weaving the stems together, he sighed.
"I'm sorry I haven't visited in a long time, we've moved a lot since you've been gone. Grandma Wil wanted to give this place another chance since it's where you and Pops are and the chances of people remembering me are low."
"Speaking of Pops," Dream reached for more flowers, "He really misses you. He's not getting any better; he couldn't remember his own parents today, all he wanted was you.
A tear rolled down Dream's cheek, but he couldn't do much about it due to the presence of the boy beside him.
Noticing George tugging on his hoodie strings, he sighed and pulled the boy closer.
"This is George, I think you'd like him."
While Dream continued to introduce him, George smiled. Taking that as a compliment, he stopped squirming and listened to what Dream was saying about him.
After a little while, George began to sway slightly back and forth as he struggled to keep his eyes open. He tapped on Dream, who seemed to get the message.
"I'll be back another day, Georgie here is getting a little tired," Dream teased.
Setting the newly made flower crown on top of the gravestone, Dream extended a hand to George and pulled him up. The two continued their walk home, Dream being thankful that George had stayed.
Later that night, George collapsed onto his bed and began gathering his thoughts from the day. He still felt awful for the freak out; he really hadn't meant to do that.
He tried not to think about his father often, but sometimes the memories slipped through the cracks of the walls he'd built to keep them out and closed in on him, trapping him in an inescapable mindset for a while.
Burying himself in a cocoon of pillows and blankets, he plugged in his headphones and put a certain song on.
Tonight was going to be one of those nights.
-1846 words
A/N: I spent a solid hour trying to do the math on his mother's birth year, you're welcome.