A/N: I know you can't play Mario Kart 8 on a PlayStation but it's my world and I make the rules :D
Two weeks flew by and before George knew it, Asher's birthday rolled around. He was clueless on what to get so a couple of days before the party, he asked Sapnap what Asher liked.
Sapnap suggested something small and soft. After George got permission to go uptown, he stopped by the store and found a stuffed lion. With the help of Ari, he got it wrapped and ready.
The day of Asher's birthday, Sapnap invited George over an hour early to help decorate. George agreed and showed up, but his mood dropped the moment he walked into the living room. A tall man with a white mask was sprawled across the couch, his limbs dangling over the side.
"You can set the gift on the counter and once I get Dream's ass up, we can start," Sapnap said and dashed for the couch.
George watched as he lept over the back and landed on Dream, who groaned. "Oh my god, you suck," Dream muttered as he clawed out of Sapnap's grasp. As soon as he and George locked eyes, George shrunk back.
"I see you've brought an extra," Dream said. The playfulness of his tone had disappeared, leaving George anxious.
Asher's head popped over the couch, and he jumped when he saw George. "You're here!" He cheered and rushed to hug him.
George glanced down at the ecstatic kid. "No backing out now, I guess." He swallowed a sigh and forced a grin instead. "I am."
Asher detached himself from George and clung to Sapnap instead. "When are Cole and Karl coming?"
Sapnap chuckled. "They'll be here in a little bit. I brought George over a little early."
"Oh, okay!"
"And-" Sapnap started, but was cut off by a knock at the door. "Oh, one of them are early." When he opened it, a small boy shot past him and tackled Asher.
"Coleton!" The mother scolded. "I'm so sorry, he's been bouncing off the walls all day."
"It's alright, ma'am. Thank you for letting him stay over, I'm sure the two will have fun." Sapnap flashed the most polite grin George had ever seen from him.
"Of course. Are you certain he can spend the night?"
"Yes ma'am. We always have a place for him to sleep and he's welcome over any time."
The woman smiled. "Well, thank you again. Call me if you have any issues."
"Will do."
After the door shut, Sapnap turned to the younger two. "Since this is supposed to be a surprise, why don't you two go upstairs for a bit."
Asher and Cole nodded, then took off. "Hopefully this won't take long," Sapnap said to George and Dream.
They started by hanging streamers around the living room and kitchen. Since Dream was the tallest out of the three, he hung them while Sapnap and George blew up balloons.
George didn't know how to tie a balloon, so Sapnap stopped to teach him. After a couple of failed attempts, George got the hang of it.
One by one, they handed the balloons to Dream, who attached them to the streamers. Once the house was decorated, Sapnap pulled his friends into the kitchen and revealed a white cake with golden frosting that spelled out "Happy Birthday Asher!"
"Do you think he'll like it?" Sapnap asked nervously.
"I'm sure he'll love it," Dream assured, throwing an arm around Sapnap's shoulder.
Soon, Sapnap went to get the boys, which left Dream and George to sit on opposite sides of the couch. George felt the hatred radiating off of Dream and didn't dare to look up at him. Eventually, he tore his eyes from the ground and quickly glanced at Dream, who was glaring daggers.
He couldn't have been more relieved when Sapnap walked back in with two giggling kids behind him. "Okay, you can open your eyes now."
Asher removed his hands from his face, and his eyes lit up as he looked around the room. "It looks cool, thanks you guys!" He squealed.
Sapnap opened his mouth to respond, but was once again cut off by a knock at the door. Dream laughed maniacally and Sapnap sighed. "Hopefully that's Karl."
George slowly looked over at Dream, who was struggling to pull himself together. When they locked eyes, Dream pulled himself upright and scowled. George tore his eyes away and focused on the fluffy haired man that stood in the doorway. "Hey guys, how is everyone?"
A smile crossed his lips. "Hey, Karl."
Karl waved at him, then set his present aside and walked into the kitchen with a grin. Asher gasped and tackled him, nearly knocking the poor boy over. "Karl! It's been so long since you came over!"
"I know, I know," Karl giggled, ruffling Asher's hair. He then walked over to Dream, and the two did a handshake of sorts. "Welcome to the party, man," Dream grinned.
George grimaced. He already felt out of place.
Karl noticed him huddled against the arm of the couch and moved beside him. "Nice to see you again. It was George, right?"
He nodded.
"Are you okay? It seems lonely over here," Karl teased.
"Yeah, I'm good." George forced a smile. While Karl didn't look like he believed it, he didn't get to question any further because Sapnap spoke up.
"Well, this is everyone. We're doing cake and presents, so to the kitchen!"
"Good idea. I don't think Asher can wait another second without exploding," Dream joked.
George stood from the couch and went join the others. Everyone already found their seats, and the only one left was next to Dream. He decided he was better off standing and leaned against one of the counters.
"Okay, we're going to sing on three."
Sapnap nodded towards the empty seat, but George shook his head. He shrugged. "One, two, three!
George joined in, but quietly. Once it was over, cake slices were passed around. Sapnap offered him some, but he declined. "I'm not a big fan of cake, sorry."
As they ate, George saw Karl lean over and whisper something to Dream. Dream turned to glare at George, then sighed and swapped spots with Karl.
George took a hesitant step forward and Karl smiled, patting the seat beside him. He felt more at ease as he sat down, though Dream continued to glare harshly.
From beside him, Sapnap announced it was time for presents. He stacked them beside his chair and handed Asher one.
He ended up with an art set and sketchbook from Karl, a $25 card from Dream, the two figures from Sapnap, and a bunch of his favorite candy from Cole. Finally, he got to George's, and he squealed as he tore open the gift. "It looks like Roar! Remember Roar, Sapnap?"
"Of course I do," Sapnap chuckled.
George shot a questioning glance at Sapnap, but he mouthed, "I'll tell you later."
Asher thanked everyone and ran upstairs to store his new things.
"How about we play something on my PS4?" Sapnap suggested. Everyone agreed and started for the stairs.
"Dream, George, could you two grab the extra controllers from the closet? We need four more, thanks." He didn't give them a chance to respond as he ran upstairs with the others.
Dream didn't bother looking at George. He just shoved him towards the stairs. "Don't bother, I'll get them."
George nodded and didn't hesitate to join the others. As he walked into the room, Sapnap looked up. "Where's Dream?"
"He said he would get them." George sat beside Karl, who grinned. "Hey, George, have you ever played Mario Kart?"
George shook his head. "What is it?"
"It's a racing game. You'll see when we play."
Once Dream brought in the controllers, everyone grabbed the one they wanted and waited for the game to start up.
While everyone picked their characters, George's eyes darted back and forth as he tried to find someone he wanted. "Who's the little mushroom guy?"
"That's Toad. Dream usually plays him, though," Sapnap said.
George rolled his eyes. "How about the green thing?"
"Yoshi?" Karl giggled. "I normally play him, but you can have him if you want."
George thanked him and once everyone picked their cars, the race began.
The first course was a mansion. As soon as the countdown started, George noticed Sapnap and Karl rapidly pressing a certain button, so he did it too.
The other two took off, but he spun out. "What the hell? It didn't do that for anyone else!" He cried out as he finally got his car to move.
"You have to do it perfectly, or it'll mess you up," Sapnap said.
George sighed and focused on getting around the corners. The controls were easy to figure out, but the time wasted put him in last place. It was difficult to stay focused on his small square, but he forced his eyes to stay on his screen only.
Occasionally, his attention shifted to the square beside his, which was Dream's. He noticed that instead of slowing down around the curves, Dream slid around them smoothly. The last thing he wanted to do was ask Dream how he did it, in fear of getting a snarky response. Instead, he kept his mouth shut and tried to figure it out himself.
He accidentally pressed a button that used his speed boost. With this, he shot from tenth place to fifth. Right as he was about to pass Dream, a sharp kick to his back made him gasp and fumble with his controller. Just as quickly as he made it to fifth, he was kicked to ninth.
Sapnap and Karl shot him worried looks as he grumbled. "Are you okay?" Karl asked, lowering his controller.
"Somebody fucking kicked me." He mumbled. "But it's fine, I'm sure it was an accident."
Karl glanced back at Dream. "If you say so."
Sapnap patted George's knee, which made him feel a little better. The round ended with Dream in first place, who got an earful from Sapnap for taking his win at the last second. George giggled because Sapnap was the same way when it was just the two of them.
"Oh my god, he's acting the same as when it was just us. Maybe I really did judge him too fast." George smiled to himself.
The rest of the rounds went by, and Sapnap and Dream ended up tied for first. Aside from Dream slipping in a remark or two or kicking him when he got too close to passing him, George enjoyed himself.
Soon, Asher was ready to do something else. Everyone started to head downstairs, but Dream grabbed George's arm before he could make it out of the room. "I actually want to talk to George for a minute." The grip on his arm tightened.
George froze. Dream's voice wasn't malicious. In fact. it was sickly sweet, which shot a chill down George's spine.
"Sounds good, we'll be downstairs," Sapnap's said.
George used his eyes to plead with Karl, who was glancing between him and Dream. He silently begged for Karl to stay, but the boy hesitated before following Sapnap.
George slowly turned. He didn't need to see Dream's full face; the pure hatred in his eyes was enough to make him shiver. "Let me guess, you don't really want to talk?"
The narrowing of Dream's eyes only made him shrink back more. "No shit."
He swallowed hard. "Okay, so what do you want with me?"
The few moments of silence frustrated him. He turned on his heel to leave, but rapid footsteps approaching him made him whip back around.
Dream slammed him against the wall by his throat. "Listen here fucker. I've warned you once, I won't do it again. You don't seem like the type to go looking for trouble, so you'll stay away from him if you know what's good for you."
George's mind raced as he tried to choke out a response. His thrashing only seemed to tighten the grip around his neck.
Finally, after a moment of silence from Dream, he was dropped from the wall and to the floor. He gasped for air, rubbing his throat.
Dream walked past him without a second glance. He laid crumpled on the floor for a few minutes more before following the taller man down at a distance.
He couldn't take much more of this, so as soon as he reached the living room, he made up some half-assed excuse about Ari calling and left.
As he crossed the area between their houses, his hand subconsciously stayed on his throat. Surely, it had turned red by now. His eyes watered, but he refused to cry. He furiously swiped the tears away.
He didn't bother to find Ari when he got inside. Instead, he went straight to his room and let his body sink comfortably against his beanbag. The internet didn't provide much help for how to get red of the red mark, much to his dismay. He tossed his phone aside and shifted to lay on his side.
He tried to think of something, anything, that he had done to Dream, but fell short. His teeth tore into his lip as he thought back to the few times he had met Dream.
A sigh of defeat escaped him. The one time he was willing to hang out with multiple people, he ended up back at home with a red handprint across his throbbing neck.
He cursed as he realized he still had to go to the arcade tomorrow. If Dream went, there was no way in hell that he would too.
It was barely past four, but he was exhausted. He willed himself to stand, but sunk further into the beanbag. He quickly gave up and allowed his eyes to shut, but only for a minute. Or at least, that's what he told himself.
————-
George squinted at the dim light that shone through the window. and into his newly opened eyes. "How long was I out?" He frowned.
There was a warmth over his body that he didn't remember falling asleep with. He sat up and found a blanket from his bed was draped over his body. He shrugged it off and dragged himself downstairs to soothe his dry throat.
As he reached for the fridge handle, he heard from behind him, "So, how did it go?"
He froze. There's no way the red mark had faded yet. "Shit." His mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out. He couldn't find an excuse to run back upstairs, so he lied instead. "It was fine."
"What did you guys do?"
"Ah, you know, stuff," He said, inching back towards the stairs.
"Is everything okay?" He heard them get up from the couch.
"Yes." He said quickly. Before he could make it up another step, Ari was behind him.
"George, look at me."
He gripped the railing. "I'm fine, seriously." Without waiting any longer, he dashed up the stairs and slammed the door behind him. He listened carefully for footsteps but to his surprise, he was met by silence. He snatched his blanket from the floor and tossed himself into his bed with frustration. "I already have drinks up here, why the hell did I go downstairs?"
He grabbed a drink from his mini-fridge and took a sip. "Screw this, I'm going back to sleep."
—————-
The next morning, the loud ringing of his phone stirred him from his peaceful sleep. He felt around for it and was confused when he couldn't find it. After listening for a second, he realized he'd left it on his beanbag last night.
Once he checked the caller ID, he held the phone up to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey, you're still going to the arcade with us, right?"
George grimaced. "Is, um, Dream going?"
"No, him and Karl are busy. It's just you, me, Ash, and Cole."
He sighed in relief. "Okay, yeah. When are we leaving?"
"It's 10 now, so around 1, I think. Make sure you've got whatever you need."
"Sounds good. Call me when it's time."
"I got you. See you later!"
"Yeah, see 'ya." George hung up. His eyes widened as his phone notified him of its low battery. After plugging his phone in, he crept out of his room and downstairs.
It wouldn't matter if he ran into Ari, because surely the red mark was gone by now. Still, he felt bad for the way he acted last night.
He heard the TV going in the living room and after grabbing a handful of blackberries to chew on, he went to see if Ari was on the couch.
"Good morning," He said, sitting beside them.
"Morning." They grinned and pulled Catt closer to them. "He's been a little attention whore all morning."
George chuckled halfheartedly. "Yeah, he always is." He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. "Can we talk about last night?"
They sat up. "Sure, what's on your mind?"
"I'm not sure if i've told you this, but Sapnap has this friend named Dream. I've only met him a couple of times, but for some reason, he seems to hate me. Yesterday, he managed to get me alone and slammed me into the wall, threatening me and telling me to stay away from Sapnap."
Ari's eyes narrowed. "He did fucking what?"
George held up his hands. "Wait, no, listen. I don't know what he has against me, but I refuse to be around him anymore. If for some reason I have to be, I've decided to stick by Sapnap or Karl, their other friend. He won't do anything if either of them are around."
Ari frowned. "If he hurts you again, I can't allow you to be around that, I'm sorry George."
"He won't! He won't hurt me with them there."
Ari nodded. "I believe you. Is there anything else you wanted to tell me?"
"More like ask you. I know you already said yes to me going with Sapnap and his little brother to the arcade, but I forgot to tell you that we can't get there unless Sapnap drives. Can..I still go?" He squeaked out.
Ari's eyes narrowed again, but not at him. "George, I know I give you a lot of freedom, but this is really pushing it. Being in a car with anyone is against your dad's most important rule."
"I know, but it's not fair! He's not even around most of the time, and he can't keep me trapped here forever."
"You're right, he can't. You have to understand though, that if I were to let you go and he found out, I'd be fired. That means I won't get to work with you anymore and you would have another caretaker until you turn 18."
"He won't find out, I promise!" George flashed his best puppy eyes.
They raked a hand down their face. "God, the things I do for you. Fine, keep your phone on and please, please be careful. If anything happens to you, it'll be my fault."
George wrapped his arms around them. "Thank you! Nothing will happen to me, I promise."
Once he got back upstairs, he snuggled beneath his blankets and looked for a show to pass the time.
Halfway through the fourth episode, his phone rang. "You ready to go?"
"I was just getting to the good part of this episode," George whined.
"I'll leave your ass here and go to the arcade myself."
"Fine, fine, I'm coming." He said, and switched off the TV.
"Good, because I'm outside."
"I'll be out in a minute." He hung up and unplugged his phone, shoving it into his back pocket. After grabbing his wallet and glasses, he said goodbye to Ari and was out the door.
Sapnap was scrolling through his phone until he heard his passenger door click open. "Are you ready to spend the day with all three of us?" He asked as George climbed in.
"Sure, you could say that," George teased. He glanced at Sapnap's hair. "Aww! Are those space buns?"
Sapnap reached up to readjust one. "Yeah, I've been too lazy to put my hair up lately."
"I like it!" George grinned.
"Thanks. Alright, let's go! I don't think these little fucks behind us can wait much longer."
"That's mean, Sap!" George heard from behind him. He turned back to see Asher and Cole in the backseat. He snickered, and the two younger boys continued chanting, "Arcade! Arcade!"
He shook his head. "Are they going to be like this the whole time?"
"Probably. That's why I brought you." Sapnap nudged his shoulder.
George rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, do you have a charger on you? I forgot to charge my phone last night."
"I got you. It's across from the center console, underneath the drink holders." Sapnap pointed it out.
Once his phone was charging, he leaned against the window and tuned out the excited chants from behind him. A song he liked started playing from the radio, and he hummed along quietly.
As soon as the arcade building came into view, the two in the back squealed. After the car was parked, the two jumped out and tried to run off, but Sapnap grabbed them by the shirts. "Not so fast. You two have to behave and stick together, do you hear me?"
The boys flashed toothy grins and nodded. Sapnap let them go, and they raced into the arcade.
"They can't do anything until I buy their cards," Sapnap's shook his head.
Before they went inside, George slipped his glasses over his eyes. Sapnap gave him a questioning look, but didn't push it.
They entered the building, and George was overwhelmed by the funky music and unique floor patterns.
Sapnap grins. "Man, I haven't been to one of these in years."
Once the younger boys' cards were activated, they disappeared behind some arcade machines. "I love seeing him so excited," Sapnap beams.
A discreet smile slipped onto George's lips at the sight of Sapnap's happiness. "Hey, wait, aren't you going to get a card for yourself?"
"Nah."
"But you said you haven't been in years?"
Sapnap shrugged. "I only brought enough money for the kids and to get some food later."
"Well-" George reached for his wallet, "-would you want some too?"
Sapnap shook his head. "No way, dude. I'm not going to ask you to spend money on me."
"I'm not asking, I'm offering. I've never been to an arcade before, and I think we should play some games too." He handed Sapnap $30.
Sapnap stared at the money in his hand, then sighed. "Maybe you're right."
They got their cards activated and started looking at the games. George couldn't decided which one he wanted to play first, so Sapnap chose for him.
It didn't look like most of the other games; there was a booth that surrounded the machine and depictions of zombies all over it. Once they sat inside, the game explained the premise and controls, then tossed the two into action.
George immediately forgot how to spin his character around and quickly died from not defending his backside. Sapnap, on the other hand, took out the zombies like they were nothing. Since George already died, he sat back and watched Sapnap destroy the zombies.
"Sweet, I got top five!" Sapnap exclaimed after the game ended.
"Awesome! You did a lot better than me."
"I also have more experience than you," Sapnap said and climbed out of the booth.
George didn't think he meant anything by it, but it jabbed into his heart a little. He tried his best to not let it get to him and went to catch up with Sapnap, who stood in front of a wide arch indented into the back wall.
Sapnap grinned slyly. "Do you want to grab the other two and play laser tag?"
"Sure, how do you play?"
————-
After they found Asher and Cole, an employee led them to a room with more people. They explained the game and rules, while another employee helped everyone with their equipment.
"Wow, this has some weight to it," George mentioned to Sapnap, who agreed.
Everyone got their vests on and were led down a hall, which opened up into the main room. Over the speakers, a voice shouted, "May the odds be ever in your favor!"
The music blared through George's ears as he took off running. The darkness made it difficult to see, but neon lights illuminated certain areas of the room. Footsteps echoed all around him. but the music distorted his ability to tell where they were.
He ducked behind a corner and held his breath as someone ran past. Keeping his back to the wall, he used the holes in another wall to his advantage and aimed at them.
Their vest powered down, and they whipped around. He expected them to keep going, but they didn't. His heart raced as they crept closer, their gun aimed and ready to fire. If he didn't run now, he would be shot.
His eyes frantically scanned the area, and landed on what looked to be a playground. He took a deep breath and ran for it. The sound of lasers being fired from behind him only made him run faster.
He scrambled up the ramp and hid behind a pillar. He noticed Asher leaning over one of the rails and aimed the gun at his target. Asher saw him and ran, but not before landing a hit first. George gasped as his vest powered down.
It wasn't safe here either, as a group of kids ran past. He waited until they disappeared to dash back down the ramp. He ducked under the ramp, which was attached to a structure meant for hiding under. There was a wall that he could lean against and catch his breath for a minute, which he used to his advantage.
His relief was short lived, though, as he heard slow footsteps approach his area. He lifted his head to be met by Sapnap, who gripped his gun.
George's eyes darted between Sapnap and the gun. He reached for his own, but found it trapped beneath his body and the wall. Any sudden moves, and he was sure to be shot.
Instead, he raised his arms up near his head. "Come on, you don't have to do this," He tried to negotiate.
"Do what?" Sapnap asked, feigning innocence. He stepped closer.
"You don't have to shoot! We could, um, team?" George didn't really want to, but he needed to buy himself time.
"That's against the rules, George," Sapnap smirked. He slunk closer, until they were inches apart.
George pressed his body as flat against the wall as he could. He glanced at Sapnap's gun and was surprised to see it hanging loosely at his side. His eyes travelled back up to Sapnap, who still had a stupid smirk plastered across his face.
"You don't want me to shoot you, huh?" Sapnap leaned near George's face.
George's heart rate picked up. "No?" He squeaked out.
"Well-" Sapnap leaned in a little closer. Their lips were nearly touching.
"-too bad!" A shot went off, and George's vest powered down.
"H-huh?"
Sapnap ran off cackling. George nearly gave chase, but let him go. He placed a hand on his cheek, which burned bright. "What the hell was that? If he moved any closer, we would've..."
His nose scrunched. "That's disgusting, I don't like him like that."
Without another though, he raced after Sapnap with determination to get his revenge.
——————-
After all four boys ran out of credits, they fed their tickets to a machine, which spat out receipts with their total amounts.
Asher and Cole ended up with around 1,000 points each, while Sapnap and George ended up with under 900 when they put them together.
They went to the prize counter and let Asher choose what he wanted first. It took some time because "Asher is indecisive," as Sapnap muttered under his breath. Eventually, he picked out some candy and a container of Play-Doh, claiming he would use the rest another time.
After Asher and Cole, it was Sapnap's turn. He purposefully took a long time to piss George off.
Once he moved on, it was George's turn. He knew exactly what he wanted; he had been eyeing it since they first walked up. "Can I get the colored pencil set and the small notebook, please?"
The employee nodded, and he handed them his receipt. He grabbed his items and thanked them before rushing to join the others outside.
"You're such a nerd," Sapnap teased as George climbed into the truck.
"Shut up, I like my drawing stuff."
"I know you do. Alright, is anyone hungry?"
Asher and Cole both shouted, "Yes!"
George shrugged. "Kind of."
"How does McDonalds sound?"
Shouts of joy came from the backseat. George perked his head up. "I've heard about that place, but I've never actually had it before. Is it any good?"
"Nope," Sapnap chuckled. "Asher loves it though, so I figured I could treat him a little more."
He started the car, then did a double take at George. "Wait, you've seriously never had McDonalds?"
George shook his head. "Not that I can remember, at least."
"Oh, we are so changing that today. Let's go!"
Once they got to McDonalds, Sapnap let the younger two pick a seat, while he and George ordered. "Think about what you want, then tell me so I can order."
George's eyebrows creased in confusion. "How am I going to pay then?"
"You're not."
"But you said you only had enough for the kids?"
"And us. Did you really think I wasn't going to have enough for you too?" Sapnap's lips held a playful smile.
"No?"
Sapnap turned back to the line in front of them. "Have you decided what you wanted yet?"
"Nuggets."
"That's- that's it?"
George nodded.
"Do you want a drink or something to dip them in?"
George nodded again.
After telling the rest of his order, he left to find their table. As soon as he approached Asher and Cole, the two ran into the play area. He raised an eyebrow, but sat at the claimed table.
When Sapnap asked about the two, he jabbed his thumb toward the play area.
Sapnap sighed. "They know not to go in until they've finished eating.
He slid the tray onto the table and sat across from George. "Well, at least our food won't be cold."
George agreed and grabbed a nugget. "You never told me why Asher got so excited over the lion."
Sapnap's gaze softened. "When we still lived with our parents, he had a stuffed lion that looked just like the one you got him. It's name was Roar, I think. I know, so creative," He chuckled. "Anyway, he had it for about four years before our parents decided he was too old for toys and took it from him. Poor kid cried for days after. I did all I could to get another one, but I could never afford it."
George's jaw was agape. "I'm so glad I bought that then."
"Yeah me too. He slept with it last night." Sapnap's eyes crinkled at the corners from how wide his smile was.
Eventually, Asher and Cole burst through the playroom door for food. Asher asked if he and Cole could sit together, so Sapnap moved by George.
George finished his food first and leaned back to observe the others. Asher and Cole rambled back and forth about things that made no sense to him, while Sapnap watched them with a certain fondness in his eyes.
George's thoughts drifted back to the arcade, and he could feel his face start to warm. He kept his eyes on Sapnap and his space buns. "They kind of look like panda ears," He smiled to himself.
"Yo, Earth to George?" A hand waved in front of his face. George zoned back in to Sapnap staring at him. "Welcome back, how was the trip?" He teased.
"It was great, thanks," George shot back.
"Good to know. Do you know when you have to be home?"
George shook his head. "I probably should've asked that, but I'll do it on the way back."
"Well, if you don't have to go home right away, do you want to hang out at my place later?"
"I'll think about it."
After everyone finished eating, Sapnap let the kids play a little longer, then they all piled back into the truck. By the time they dropped Cole off, the sun started to dip below the horizon.
George stared lazily out of the window during the ride home. The pink and orange swirls of the sky calmed him, and he allowed his eyes to close for just a moment.
The next thing he knew, Sapnap was shaking him awake. "We're at your house."
He sleepily nodded and grabbed his things before stumbling out of the truck. When he reached the door, he realized he forgot to ask Ari if he can hang out a little longer. Though, exhaustion weighed him down, and he didn't think he had the energy to put on his energetic persona.
Ari wasn't in sight when he walked in. He assumed they were in their room and went up to his own. After he slid his glasses onto the nightstand, he snatched a cold bottle of apple juice from his fridge and jumped onto his bed.
He shot Sapnap a quick apology text, then set out his new drawing supplies. He wanted to test them out, but couldn't decide on what to draw. Instead of planning it out like he normally would, he sketched freely and let his hand do the work.
Soon, the lines formed into something, or someone familiar, but he couldn't quite tell who. The more he sketched, the more familiar the face became.
He angrily sighed at the unrecognizable figure and went to grab a handful of blackberries. As he sat back down, it clicked.
"Wait, is that Sapnap?"