"What went wrong?"
One moment, he and George were pressed against each other, George's soft hands gently cradling his cheek. The next, George stumbled back with a mixed look of disgust and confusion displayed across his features.
The look of pure guilt George's eyes held as he turned and ran would be permanently etched into Dream's mind. It stabbed into his heart, ripping him to shreds.
It had been around two hours since he'd been left to soak in the rain. Dream gripped his pillow tightly, re-reading the desperate messages he'd sent in an attempt to apologize for whatever he did wrong.
Dream let out a soft whimper, squeezing his eyes shut and allowing new tears to trace the paths of old ones. Drops of water dripped from his hair, soaking into the sheets beneath him. The only thing illuminating the room was his screen, which stung his eyes, but he didn't care.
Glancing at his phone once more, he could barely see the words delivered change to read through his blurred vision.
He forced a shaky sigh and closed out of their messages, grimacing upon seeing his background.
It was of him and George sleeping soundly, snuggling against each other. Despite how much it hurt, a weak, involuntary smile spread across his face.
He clicked his phone off, and his surroundings darkened once more. Fresh tears began welling up as he held an arm over his eyes.
Was it his fault? George was the one who closed the gap between them, but maybe it was a heat of the moment thing. They had been drunk after all.
"That's probably what it was. There's no way he would've reacted like that if he liked me. He did kiss pretty hard though..." Dream's thoughts bounced back and forth as he bit his lip in an attempt to hold back loud sobs.
Maybe Dream shouldn't have kissed back.
"I don't think you've noticed, but in your entire 17 years I've never heard you say anyone's name the way you do him; you sound happy."
He buried his face into his pillow. Why did he have to fall for George, of all people? It wasn't fair, he hadn't meant for this to happen. Sure, he enjoyed every moment he spent with George and would give the world to see his smile, but this is exactly the way he feared it would go.
Wrapping himself tightly in a couple of blankets, Dream allowed the world to slip away, even if it was momentarily.
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Dream slowly opened his eyes, his surroundings a blur. He winced as he sat up, a killer headache beginning to form.
"Mrow?"
Dream's gaze traveled to the small cat resting on his legs. He smiled faintly and reached over to pet Patches. The glaring light flooding in through the window made Dream squint his eyes. Had he really slept the entire night?
The light blue backpack leaning against his tall shelf caught Dream's eye. He fought back tears as he went to pick it up. The overwhelming smell of vanilla and peppermint wafted up towards him. A single tear dripped down his face; it even smelled like him.
He held the backpack away from himself, the sickly scent was bittersweet to him. He knew he couldn't keep it, that would only make the pain worse.
Frowning, Dream dragged himself into the bathroom to at least halfway brush his tousled locks. When his attempt was somewhat successful, he clipped the nearly forgotten mask back on and snatched the backpack. Feeling more insecure than ever, Dream stumbled down the stairs in search of painkillers.
———————-
Hallway across the yard, he stopped. Couldn't he return it some other time?
Dream shook his head, knowing that if he didn't do it now, he wouldn't have the guts to any other time. He willed himself to keep walking, though his mind was screaming at him to turn around and crawl back under his covers.
After psyching himself up, Dream knocked lightly on George's front door. He waited a few moments before the door slowly cracked open. Alice stepped out, her expression unreadable.
"Hello?"
Dream held out the backpack and she took it silently, a sad smile on her lips. He turned to leave, but Alice's voice broke the awkward silence.
"Thanks, Dream. I don't know what happened, but if what I think happened did, it's not your fault. My brother has been through a lot and whatever happenedmight have made him remember the bad things."
Dream nodded and began walking back to his house. Taking one last glance across the street, he caught George peeking out from behind Alice.
——————————
Sitting against the front gates of the school, Dream kept his eyes low and his head towards the ground. He desperately craved talking to George, to ask what he did wrong and how he could fix it, but he knew that wouldn't be the smartest idea.
The next few classes were painful. He was forced to keep up the act of his usual persona around the others, which drained most of his energy. He occasionally stopped outside in-between classes to compose himself so his friends wouldn't suspect anything just yet.
He knew it was inevitable as lunch was quickly approaching, but he didn't feel like explaining everything just yet.
Eventually, the lunch bell rang and Dream dragged himself to the line. He debated skipping and going straight outside, but he would feel bad if he ditched his friends.
A quick scan over the group and Dream realized George wasn't there. His shoulders relaxed a little as he took his usual spot beside Nick.
As Nick began his daily rant about something that inconvenienced him ever so slightly, Dream noticed Darryl glancing around with a confused look. He pretended not to notice and turned his attention back to Nick's rambling.
"Where's George, Dream?" Darryl asked.
Dream's breath hitched. The question was innocent enough, but it tugged at his heart.
"How would I know?" Dream shrugged.
On the inside, his heart was racing and he tried his best to keep his composure. Just the mention of George's name struck a nerve, but he held himself together.
"Oh, you two are always together I just thought-"
"George can take care of himself, I'm not his babysitter," Dream growled lowly.
Darryl's mouth snapped shut at the other's abrupt change in tone.
"Easy dude, what the hell is wrong with you?" Zak snarled, instinctively wrapping his arms around Darryl.
Dream leaned back in his chair, running a hand over his mask tiredly. "I'm sorry."
Nick stood, motioning for Dream to follow. As soon as they were in a secluded spot, Nick sighed.
"What happened?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Dream's voice cracked as he forced back the overwhelming urge to cry.
"C'mon, I know something happened between you and George. You guys are inseparable."
"Don't break, you've got this," Dream thought.
"Nothing happened, okay? It's been a long weekend, that's all," Dream mumbled.
Nick nodded, knowing he wouldn't get anything by pushing the boy further. "Alright, but if you need anything, I'm always here man."
Dream hummed in response, leaning against the cold brick wall. The two continued talking until lunch ended. They were forced to part ways, and Dream slowly made his way to the class he was dreading the most, Art.
Peeking into the room, his heart sank as he spotted George at their table, a seat over from the usual spot next to him. Dream took a moment to collect himself and push his emotions away. He sat down, willing himself to not look at the boy beside him no matter how badly he desired.
The urge to talk to George was strong, but Dream forced himself to keep his attention off the other boy.
His mood dropped further as he realized they still had to finish the project. He regretted not spending more time on it earlier, because they now had to speak to each other. Gathering all of his courage, he turned to George.
"Did you finish the-"
"I left the mask and goggles at home by mistake, just finish your part."
Dream winced at the cold tone, he'd never heard George speak that way.
"Oh...alright," He mumbled defeatedly.
He tried his best to focus on molding the clay onto the wires, but every mistake caused him more frustration. He buried his head in his hands, letting out a soft groan of annoyance.
Dream stood, pushing his chair back. After excusing himself to the bathroom, he found himself slumped against the wall in one of the stalls.
He knew it would be stressful to be in the same room, but he hadn't expected George to use such a cold, empty tone. Deciding to wait out the rest of the period, Dream hid his face in his hands and let a couple of silent tears slip.
——————————-
A few hours later, Dream crept into Study Hall and took his seat beside Darryl.
"Hi, how's it been?" Darryl asked cheerily.
"Fine, I guess," Dream muttered, unable to hide the bitterness in his voice.
Darryl's playful smile quickly dropped into a concerned frown.
"What's wrong?"
Dream sighed softly. He didn't have the energy to explain the whole story, but on the other hand, it might help him feel better if he told someone. He decided to start with an apology for earlier since Darryl seemed like a sweetheart and didn't deserve that.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you during lunch, you didn't do anything wrong," Dream apologized.
Darryl shrugged. "I knew something was off but it's okay, I accept your apology, you muffin."
Dream silently chuckled at the other's choice of words.
"Now, could you please explain what happened between you two? If you don't mind, of course."
Dream hesitantly agreed and began recalling the entire day. He struggled a few times and had to pause to keep his voice even, but he managed to tell the whole story. When he finished, Darryl leaned back in his chair and sighed.
"So he's giving you the cold shoulder now?"
Dream nodded, not trusting himself to speak without breaking down.
"I'm so sorry he did that to you. It's inexcusable, but I think there's a reason behind his actions."
Dream tilted his head to the side, being careful not to let the tears spill.
"I don't know if I should be the one telling you this, but George's dad left him a couple of years ago when he came out as gay. It scarred him so badly that when he came out to our group, he cried because he thought we would hate him. Of course, this was before Zak and I started dating, so he had no idea where we stood with that kind of stuff."
"Anyway, I'm guessing that since then, George has developed internalized homophobia and is pushing you away in an attempt to let his feelings fade."
"Wow," Dream breathed.
"Yeah, that's not even the worst part," Darryl frowned.
"A few years back, a new kid came to the school. He was kind, caring, and took an immediate liking to George. They developed mutual feelings and eventually started dating. Soon enough, the kid wasn't kind anymore."
"He began threatening George and would hurt him if he didn't listen. George came crying to Zak and I one day after he had nearly been knocked unconsious. We tried our best to help, but neither of us knew what to do. As the days went on, their relationship got more and more toxic. I had to help George hide bruises and cuts and when Nick heard about what was happening, he tried to stand up for George but only got him more hurt in the process."
"The only reason George managed to escape was the kid happened to move a few states over. George changed his number and kept to himself for the longest time. It took forever for him to be fully comfortable around us again, but we were patient and let him take time to heal."
"The first day you walked in, George couldn't keep his eyes off you. He was scared to death though, he didn't know anything about you and feared the whole thing happening again. He tried not to get close to you, but you managed to break through the walls he'd spent so long building up. I think the reason he ran off and is avoiding you is that he's scared. Scared to like another guy, scared to come out again, scared to hurt himself once more."
"I-I had no idea," Dream sputtered in pure disbelief.
Darryl shook his head. "Of course you didn't, you wouldn't have had a way to. Just give him some time and hopefully, he'll realize you're different from his ex."
Dream sighed. "The only problem is we have a project we have to present in a few days. I tried talking to him earlier, but he gave me the coldest time I've ever heard from him."
Darryl grimaced, "Like I said, give him some time to think. I'm sure you'll do great, no matter how he acts."
"Thank you."
Darryl's grin returned, "No problem."
——————————————-
Dream snaked his way through the hall, moving aside to not get squished in the sea of other students. He highly doubted George wanted to walk home with him. Glancing longingly at the way they usually walked, he turned and headed for the buses instead. As he climbed onto the bus, he grew agitated at the extreme noise level.
He made his way to the back and managed to steal the last available window seat. Watching as the other buses began leaving, he plugged in his headphones and allowed the music to lead his mind elsewhere.
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