Dream POV
Dream's head was spinning as he sat staring out the window of Sapnap's car. He knew what he had to do, and he knew that it was the right thing. Still, it tore him apart. There's no doubt that everything that was going on was both illegal and harmful. Nonetheless, it was a place that gathered people that had nowhere else to go. These people were seen as the lowest of society, no one cared what happened to them. People died there on a regular basis, but Dream had never seen any cop involvement or news articles regarding the ones that died.
Neon lights from signs at the side of the road flashed by Dream's eyes. He was tired but had promised to follow his friends and see tonight's street race. Quackity, Punz and Foolish were all racing.
The ravenette had insisted that Dream would go with him. The atmosphere was tense, but Sapnap's fury wasn't as eminent as before. Yet they both knew that the conversation wasn't over. Dream's mind was all over the place. He needed Wilbur and he needed a chance to come clean to his friends. Their lives were bound to end miserably if they continued this path. Dream had witnessed first-hand how cruel this world could be. But at the same time, they seemed happy. Despite the sometimes rather immoral choices, they seemed content with life.
And he would be the one to rip it all away.
"You know. Even if I didn't notice that it was you. I did notice the difference in George's behavior." Sapnap's words ripped him out of his trance.
"In what way?"
The ravenette wavered. "George was never the same. He became cold towards everyone and everything. But ever since your return. He's seemed happier." Dream didn't know what to say, so Sapnap continued.
"I think your return brought him out of a dark place. Even if I might not understand your reasoning and I'll always wish that you would've acted different. I know the special bond you two have. I love George, but I sure as hell never seem to understand that guy completely."
Dream huffed. "Trust me, I don't claim to understand him either."
Sapnap was drumming his fingers against the steering wheel before making the car go even faster than the already illegal speed they were at right now. "I think you'll either be his salvation or his downfall. I just haven't figured out which one yet."
The words felt like a punch to the gut. Dream was like 99% certain that it would be the latter.
They were now side by side with George, Karl and Quackity. The insane speed made it feel like they were flying. Dream could see himself getting used to this. However, Sapnap decided to disturb the euphoric feeling by slowly getting out of his seat. When Dream realized what his friend was about to do, he panicked.
"What the fuck are you doing!?" Sapnap grinned in his direction.
"Ready to be the driver Dreamy-boy?" He wasn't given a chance to answer before Sapnap lowered the window and, not so elegantly, started climbing to the roof of car. Dream's survival instincts kicked in as he grabbed the steering wheel. Sapnap was nearly out of the car and Dream crawled over to the driver seat.
Adrenaline was taking over every cell of his body as he figured out what was about to happen. He'd seen people car-surf before. George was mimicking Sapnap's moves on the purple car. He prayed that they were just going to sit on top of the cars,
But of course they weren't.
A reckless and exhilarating expression was obtaining George features. Dream had never seen the brunette look so different. He looked free and a wide grin covered his face. Although Dream might think they were utterly stupid, the brit's smile sure was contagious and he felt the corner of his own mouth rise. This was the part of George that he adored the most. The times where he didn't make everything he felt invisible towards the world.
A loud dunch was heard Sapnap leaped over to the other car. Dream started laughing. George caught the ravenette who then crawled into the other car.
Dream's eyes found George's and that's when his heart stopped. George's eyes looked like the shone and it hit him that George was about to do same thing. His pulse must've reached a new record and pure adrenaline filled every fiber of his body. No one would be able to catch George the way he'd caught Sapnap.
But it didn't stop him. Dream knew that he would've to catch the brunette. He was fairly confident in his own driving skills, but his nerves sure as hell were acting up. A barely noticeable nod was George signal as he leaped. George must've grabbed something on the roof. Instinctively, Dream closed his hands around George leg that was resting on the edge of the window.
He put his knees on the sides of the steering wheel so both his hands were free. The road was empty and more or less just a straight line, so Dream wasn't too concerned with driving down a ditch or something similar. However, he was desperate to get George into the car. Although the crawling through the window wasn't all that graceful, it was clear that George had done this before. Dream gripped the steering wheel with his left hand while George sat down in the driving seat. The dark hair was a mess and the brit's cheeks were tinted pink from exhaustion.
The road didn't appear to change course any time soon, so Dream dared to look at his new passenger. He tilted the white mask away from his face and reached his right hand behind George's neck.
"Are you guys crazy?! Like for real, do you have a death wish?" George was already grinning his way and accompanied the grin with the raise of an eyebrow.
"And here I was believing that you thought that I was too strict and stuck-up?" Dream stared in disbelief between George and the road.
"First of all, I've never said that. Second, was this all to prove a point?!" For some reason, George must've found Dream's reaction funny because he started laughing. A genuine laugh without any other emotion hinting behind it. Dream wanted to tell him how stupid, reckless and crazy that unnecessary stunt had been. But George's laugh was too contagious, and he found himself smiling back. He shook his head. George's impulsive action had definitely startled him. Though, George wasn't the only one who could be stupid and impulsive. Dream still had the mask resting on his head and his right hand resting on George's neck. He detached his eyes from the road and pulled George closer to connect their lips. A smirk spread on Dream's face as George's surprise was obvious. The brunette's lips were as soft as ever. It was a passionate but short-lived kiss as George pushed Dream back.
"You're driving, idiot! Eyes on the fucking road, mate." The brit tried to act upset but failed miserably.
Dream kept smiling as he let go of the other and lowered his mask. "Everything for you, love." George rolled his eyes in played annoyance.
He turned his focus back to the road. Sapnap was sitting in the passenger seat of the other car and the ravenette caught his attention. He was looking at him. When Dream looked back, Sapnap shook his head but gave him a half-smile, which Dream viewed as a small victory.
They arrived at what Dream presumed to be the racetrack. The purple car by his side stopped, so Dream did the same. He still had to wear the mask, because no one besides George and Sapnap knew the truth and Dream wanted to keep it like that for a bit longer.
Multiple bright and colorful cars lit up the road. It wasn't as many people here as it usually was at the fights, but Dream estimated it to be at least seventy people. He spotted both Punz and Foolish leaning against one car each. There were a few other familiar faces that he recognized from the fights. No one really stood out until his eyes landed on Wilbur. Wilbur's height made him rather easy target to spot. Reality caught up with him and he knew that this was the perfect opportunity to discuss his plan with the guy.
George was occupied discussing something with Quackity. It appeared to be Quackity's time to throw the race, which didn't seem to be appreciated. A variety of Spanish curses were thrown at George, but the brunette seemed unfazed and told him to take it with "404" which made Quackity shut up. Sapnap and Karl were already chatting with Punz and Foolish, so Dream deemed it rather safe to execute his idea without his lack of presence being too noticeable.
He grabbed Wilbur's arm and led them to a quieter place. Wilbur eyed Dream in confusion.
"Good evening, how may I help you?" Dream rolled his eye at the so-typically-Wilbur reply.
Dream pulled out the little recorder and played George's confession. ""404"'s planning on making my upcoming fight, my last. That must be good enough of a confession? Your mom is a scary woman, but she's pinned people for less. Plus, I can identify the man."
Wilbur furrowed his brows. "Who's your source?" Dream hesitated, knowing that he was playing a dangerous game.
"One of the guys that recruited me, I've been told that he's like "404"'s right hand." Wilbur nodded and reached for the recorder, but Dream didn't let him take it.
"My conditions still stands. You're gonna have to crypt the voice of the person and tell her that "404"'s is the only guilty one. The rest are just people who's lacking a purpose and found it here." A hint of sorrow flew by Wilbur's eyes. Dream though that he'd imagined it as the tall brunette quickly pulled himself together. But he could've sworn that Wilbur looked sad for a moment.
"I'll do everything in my power, Dream." And Dream knew that it was the best Wilbur could promise him. Dream gave the other guy a nod and placed the recorder in his hand. He was about to head back when Wilbur grabbed him. Dream turned around. Wilbur gave him a weak smile.
"Just wanted to say that Patches is a lovely cat. I put Tommy to take care of her while I'm gone and he's probably gonna try and steal her."
Dream could help but smile. "Over my dead body."
He sprinted back and got there just in time for the first race to begin. Dream had watched "The Fast & the Furious" But that about where his knowledge regarding cars ended. There were four contestants. Punz, Foolish and Quackity were three of them. The fourth one was unknown. He must've been around thirty, about the same height as Dream and his aura radiated no sign of mercy.
George, Sapnap and Karl stood as close as possible to the road. Dream pushed his way through the crowd until he reached his friends. George gave him a short questioning look but didn't ask anything about where he'd been.
Everyone was getting into their assigned car. Because Dream lacking knowledge, he decided to focus on the colors to keep track on who's who.
Punz's car was the white one, Foolish was blue and Quackity's was matte black. The last guy stepped into a neon green car, which probably was Dream's favorite.
A girl dressed in all black, skintight clothes stepped onto the middle of the road with one flag in each hand. The countdown began and when the girl lowered the flags, the sound of aggressive engines and the smell of burnt rubber filled the air. The race consisted of three laps and the first to compete was obviously the winner. Quackity quickly took the lead, but the others were closely behind. Dream waited for Quackity to get overthrown from first place as he knew about the agreement. Yet, nothing changed for a good while. They entered the third lap. Quackity was still winning, and people were cheering as crazy.
That's when everything suddenly took an unexpected turn. The green car caught up with Quackity and loud crash was heard as the crowd got quiet. Everyone was shocked, even George seemed surprised.
The green car caught on fire and George must've sensed the danger because the brunette leaped over the fence to get to the wreck of a car that supposedly contained Quackity. Dream, Karl and Sapnap wasn't far behind. The fire was spreading, and they all knew that it was just a matter of second before the black car was burning as well. George tried to crank open the crushed door but without result. Everyone seemed on edge. Dream scanned the area and finally found a loose metal piece that he hoped could be used to bend the door open. He pushed George aside and started repeatedly to hit the car. One punch finally broke the hinges and Dream ripped the door open. The hot metal burned his hands, but it seemed insignificant in this moment. He spotted Quackity. The guy was unconscious but didn't appear to have any other major injuries. A conjoined effort made it possible for them to pull the unconscious guy to a safer space.
George took commando. He told Dream to carry Quackity to Karl's purple car as they needed to get him home.
All five of the entered the cars and if they'd driven illegally on the way there, didn't compare to the way home. Once home, George demanded that Quackity would be brought to his "office". None of them complained. George closed the door and left the rest to do nothing else but wait. Karl was devastated and Sapnap tried his best to comfort his partner. Dream felt really out of place, so he saw no other solution then to retreat to his room.
He took a quick shower and made a lazy try to put gauze around his burnt hands before curling down under his comforter. Hours passed but sleep he just couldn't sleep. It hit him that his friend could be dead. He'd been torn before about what he was going to have to do in a near future, but he now knew that it was the right decision to get this organization shut down. It didn't matter how fun some people found it, risking your life on a daily basis wasn't the way to live your life.
Silent footsteps were heard outside his room. Dream's mind was too twisted to allow him to sleep, so he carefully got up, put on a pair of shorts before leaving his bedroom. He saw George closing his own door behind him.
Dream made his way over there and knocked quietly. The door opened second later by a very tired-looking brunette.
"How's he?" Dream whispered. George looked to the floor.
"He's surviving. He received a hit to his head but nothing major. But he'll be out for a while. Karl insisted on staying with him for a while and it's not really anything more I could do for him, so I accepted."
Dream gripped George's hand. "Can I come in?" George just shrugged but backed away from the door so Dream could get in. The brit let go of his hand and collapsed on his bed. The room looked like Dream's own room except for the blue color-scheme and the endless numbers of books.
"Do you read?" George lifted his head from the pillow and gazed around his room before his eyes landed on Dream.
"No way, Sherlock. What gave it away?" He answered sarcastically.
Dream ignored the comment and laid down next to George so that their bodies were facing each other.
"So that's George Davidson then. A guy who loves to read, unqualified nurse and happens to love throwing knives at trees?" George had his head buried in the pillow but turned to look at Dream with a tired expression. "What you see is what you get." He muffled.
Hair was covering George's face, so Dream decided to push it away. "Somehow it feels as though I never truly know who you are." George laughed quietly.
"You're one to talk. The man who just shows up one day and refuses to reveal his identity."
He let his hand trail down the soft, pale face and the action seemed to make George even more tired. "Well, I didn't even need to reveal it, you figured it out."
George eyes were barely open as he spoke. "You think too highly of your ability to disguise yourself, sir."
Dream's lips tightened until a line. If you only knew, George.
It was clear that the brunette was about to fall asleep any moment now and Dream thought that maybe it was time for him to go back. But when he tried to leave the bed, a hand dragged him back down. A smile spread across his face as the sleepy brunette's arms wrapped around his stomach. Dream made himself comfortable and pulled the comforter over both of them as George lifted his head to rest on Dream's chest.
Dream had his own arm protectively wrapped around the brunette's waist and subconsciously started rubbing small circles on George's back.
"What are you doing?" George muttered against his chest. It even surprised Dream when he became aware of his actions.
"Oh, my mom used to do it when I was younger to help me escape my night terrors."
George didn't respond and first, so Dream thought that he wanted him to stop.
"It's nice." The confession was so quiet that Dream barely registered it.
"Speaking of which, how's your mom doing?" Dream froze at the unexpected question.
"Eh, she's still grieving with a bottle." He said with an emotionless laugh. It was a sensitive subject and George must've sensed it, because he remained silent. Dream continued rubbing small circles on the brunette's back. It somehow gave him a sense of security as well.
The brit appeared to be sleeping, but Dream knew better, and one question refused to leave him alone. "Do you ever wonder what happened to your mother, George?" The chestnut eyes opened slightly and stared a Dream with disbelief. He thought that he'd overstepped for a second until George answered.
"Every day. But there's no use in missing someone who's made a conscious decision to leave you." The words were directed at George's mom, but Dream could help but feel that some of it was directed at him at the same time.
The permanent guilt came creeping back to his mind. His days were numbered. His identity would soon be revealed and so would his true reason for returning. He knew that he needed to come clean to George. However, he was so scared that he'd lose him once more if he did.
"George?" The brunette hummed. "Come with me after my final fight. We could go wherever we want and start over." The brunette still rested his head on Dream's chest but the shift in demeanor was still noticeable.
"It isn't that easy. This life isn't just something you can quit without consequences." George was right and Dream knew that a happy-ever-after was wishful thinking. "404" wouldn't just let George leave.
But what if George knew the truth about what was about to happen?
Maybe, just maybe, George would reconsider.
Dream tried to gather all his confident.
It's now or never.
"George – I need to tell you something."