George stared out the window at the scenery whizzing by. The bustle of town had long left his mind, shuffled aside by the tranquill sight of the countryside. The cushions had begun to itch him, making him shift in his seat more often than he'd like. He'd left the city a day ago. Why exactly, he could not remember. Where he ended up, he did not care. The announcer said something through the train's intercom. George didn't hear it. It was probably meaningless rambling about the next station. It didn't matter to George. He wasn't going to get off on this one, or the next one.
A town started to come into his view. A couple of houses at first, they soon clumped together denser and denser. The brakes jabbed George ever so slightly forward. They must be approaching a station, though it was a miracle that a town of this size even had one.
He remained staring out his window. The poles holding up the station roof appeared first, then the benches along the back wall and the ticket counters. He wouldn't get off here. He had no reason to stop here at all. He was alone in his wagon, comforted only by the lush green fields and rolling hills. George hadn't seen a single person on the entire trip from the city, and could hardly imagine anyone would be getting on here either.
But he did spot someone. On one of the benches, he saw a boy. He seemed about George's age, albeit he did look taller. His dirty blonde hair slid down his forehead and across his eyes as he moved it aside. The boy scanned the wagons in front of George one by one when the train stopped. He seemed entranced, as if he himself wished to jump on board and run off like George had. George too found the boy interesting, sitting all along at this desolate train station. Inevitably, their gazes met. The boy's eyes widened as he saw George for the first time, his green eyes beaming and his skin glistening in the sunlight reflected off the cabin's windows. He gestured to George to come over. Huh.
George jumped from his seat and stepped off the train, the summer breeze caressing his skin as he stepped on the platform. The doors closed, and the train sounded that familiar chime. It was gone the next moment. Huh, why did I step off? He'd told himself he wouldn't be stepping off here. Or on the next station. Perhaps he was just lying to himself. He had to get off eventually, anyway, else he'd ride it to the end of the world.
A blooming flame in his chest caused George to shuffle in place before the boy's connection he'd felt with him while he had sat in the train was gone as soon as it departed. He felt a strange tension as he stared at him, wondering whether he'd imagined the boy's wave. Why did I get out, George cursed himself. He did not want any part of this. Now that he really thought of it, he would much rather be on that train drifting to the end of the world. As if on cue, the boy broke the silence.
"Hi." - he said. His voice sounded mature, his tone deep and developed yet the tiniest hint of puberty still remained in the occasional cracks George would come to know.
"Hello." - George replied absentmindedly, by instinct or simple force of habit. He'd not thought the boy would be willing to speak first. They stood three feet apart now. George's dark brown hair glistened under the sunlight that began to scorch his neck.
"What's your name? I'm Dream." - the boy said. Dream, what a strange name, George thought.
"I'm George." The boy must've thought the same about George's name. "Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, George." - the boy paused for a moment before shuffling to one side of the bench.
"Come, you'll get sunburnt." - Dream said as he gestured to the empty seat on the bench beside him. George hesitated for a moment. Dream must have noticed, but decided to leave it up to George. He watched George intensely as he approached, as if dissecting his every move. George plopped down next to Dream, escaping the summer heat for a while.
"So…-" George began.
"It's cooler here, yeah?" - Dream interjected, his eyes locked on George's when they turned face to face.
"It is." - George said.
"It doesn't get much cooler in these parts during summer." - Dream paused as the expression on George's face turned indecisive and unfocused - "What brings you here?"
George met Dream's gaze, a smile tugging at Dream's cheeks wide and joyful. George would've smiled himself if he hadn't had to think of an answer, fast.
"I'm travelling."
"Alone?"
"Yeah."
"Sounds cool, I'd love to try it. Where's your stuff, though?" - Dream chuckled.
"I've got none." - George replied quickly, still keeping up the facade and smiling at Dream.
"How do you travel...without a backpack?"
"I manage."
"Do you now?"
"Yes." - George grinned.
They sat in silence for a moment, soaking in the warm summer air. George could feel his skin cool as the light breeze rushed past it and through his hair, tossing it messily in the wind. Dream glanced at George again. A nagging feeling kept pulling his gaze to him more often than he would've liked. Maybe it was his brownish hair strewn so haphazardly across his bright red cheeks, or the uncanny way in which his fingers folded across the bench's edge. He'd surely notice Dream's stares, but did not seem to mind.
"Are you leaving soon, then?"
"Maybe." - George said as he shrugged - "I'll see."
"Would you like to tour the town a bit? I'll show you if you want."
"I've just met you." - George stated boldly.
"I know." - Dream answered, his legs restless against the concrete - "You're just interesting, you know. I've never met a traveller who carries nothing around, not even a backpack."
George chuckled. He'd not given his own lie much thought, and it had come to bite him. Still, there was no going back on it. George bit the bullet.
"Eh, screw it. Let's go." - George jumped from the bench as he joyously turned to face Dream. The wide smile that graced George's face made Dream's cheeks flush with color. He averted his gaze to the side, trying to hide his second-hand embarrassment. George picked up on it without hesitation.
"What is it?" - George said playfully, trying to provoke the blush that had started to appear on Dream's face. He moved closer to Dream, bending down slightly to meet him at face level.
"Nothing, nothing." - Dream said as he rose from the bench, which prompted George to lean back. He stretched his legs, bending to reach for his toes, much to George's amusement. A tint of red still remained in his cheeks, but Dream would insist it was due to the heat.
They left the station. The scalding concrete gave off all the day's heat as the sun trailed behind the hill to the town's west. As they scurried along the streets, George peppered Dream with questions about the town. What's this building? What's that over there? Dream answered them patiently, sharing stories of the old town and sprinkling in some of his own. Some were covered in a thick slate of ivy while others seemed like they'd just been built.
"Wooah!" - George exclaimed as they strolled past a pond. Swimming in it were two ducks, one gray, and one dark blue and green. Male and female, George remembered from his biology class.
"Have you never seen ducks?" - Dream asked with a snark.
"Only in photos. They look so fluffy!" - George said as he leaned over the wooden fence that lined the pond's shape. George could not see Dream's smile as the boy watched over him, making sure he did not tip over the fence too far and fall into the muddied water. It'd be hard to fish him out of there, that's for sure. Dream felt it as he watched the joyful face of this boy, a fiery sensation in his chest. A desire of sorts, but with no clear goal. He would shrug it off for the evening.
"Come, I want to show you something else."
"Better than the ducks?"
"Better than the ducks." - he chuckled, and so did George. It was almost 10PM, and the last of the sun's rays that managed to claw their way across the hills graced Dream's cheeks. George stared at this boy who he would've called a stranger only two hours ago, but would now call a...an acquaintance? A friend? Sure, they've just met that day, but he already learned so much about him. For example, he was born and raised in the town, never really leaving far off except on school trips to the big city. Dream preferred the quiet life over the bustle of the city, which George found very odd. George himself very much enjoyed the brisk pace of city life, since it made him blend in with the rest of the crowd. It's easier to go unnoticed, isn't it? He'd told Dream, who looked at him with that characteristic smile of his adorning his face. Yes, but how would you show everyone how awesome you are?
The thought rumbled for a while in George's mind. That might be the reason he left, then. He decided not to dwell on it too much, and let himself indulge in Dream's company, for as long as it would last. They got along surprisingly well, sharing stories and jokes they'd heard in their short lives. George felt it then, like he had back at the train station. A feeling that welled up in his stomach, fermenting and swelling to a point that he could no longer ignore. When Dream talked to him, when he looked at him with those deep green eyes of his, the feeling reemerged. Was it happiness, fulfillment, joy?
The sun set fully behind the hill. Two boys darted up another hill, this one standing just north of the town. It had only taken them 15 minutes to get from the pond to the foot of the hill, which stood at opposite ends of the small town. They ran up the rocky path that Dream said would lead them to the top, skillfully planting their feet like leopards chasing after prey.
"Hurry!" - Dream shouted from the front. George had begun to trail behind slightly. Dream must've taken this path a thousand times before, and George was seeing it for the first time.
"I'm coming!" - George shouted after catching his breath for a second, chasing after Dream who moved swiftly as a gazelle. They could see now the soft moving of the shadows from beneath, slowly but steadily consuming from below as they escaped towards the still sunlit hilltop. Dream crossed the boundary, letting the dim rays strike his hair, making it gleam a juniper orange. He turned to face George, a wide smile decorating his face. George's gaze was focused on Dream then, his gleaming hair, his tall stature, his thin but swift body. George's shoe caught on a rock, sending him tumbling forward, straight into Dream's quick hands. George felt his touch for the first time, and that feeling in his gut returned, stronger than ever before. He felt his cheeks flush as Dream helped lift him back up.
"Come on, it's not far now." - Dream said softly before turning and shooting off up the hill. George touched his cheeks. Warm. A shudder went down his spine, and with a shake of the head, he was back on the upward trek. His mind could hardly keep still. His breaths were shallow and his heart felt like it was about to burst and paint him red. He could see Dream turning a corner, and then standing in front of him, gazing at a view George could not yet see. He glanced back at George, a smile tugging at his lips.
"Look." - he said.
George ascended to the hilltop, finally able to see what Dream had brought him here for. Beyond the hill to the west, the sun still shone upon a valley with a river, and the corn fields to each side of the river and the grassy plains and the wooded hilltops around them. George stared out in the distance, at the next town further down the valley, at the train tracks that ran by its side. It could've been that town that he got off at. Maybe he would've met a different boy, or no one at all. Maybe he wouldn't have gotten off there at all. Hypotheticals, he knew, were useless.
They gazed upon the valley, the last dim rays turning their skin a deep golden. Dream sat down in the bushy grass, calming down his breaths from the sprint. George continued to huff, though it too would subside, and then silence would place its veil over them. George plopped next to Dream, the grass tingling his skin as it brushed against it. He let himself be absorbed in the moment, for he did not know when he would feel so free, and so at peace again.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" - Dream whispered under his breath.
"It is."
The sun set behind the hills, and the gleam of moonlight soon found its way to Dream's cheeks. It was a full, bright moon that night. He glanced at George, finding his brownish hair illuminated in the dark, glistening a deep brown. What a bizarre situation, he thought. He'd only met him today, and here they were, sitting next to each other and watching the stars dot the night sky. The feelings that George had felt now stirred in Dream as well. George was sure that the boy would feel them too. They sat in the grass, amongst the crickets and the sweet silence of night.
"I should go home." - Dream said as he faced George.
"Oh...right." - George said, a disappointed tone creeping in his voice. They'd spent two hours together, but night had come. It would've always come, no matter what they'd done. George couldn't have staved off the inevitable.
"There's a small inn in the town, if you need to sleep over. But considering your travels, you don't seem like someone that would stick around for too long." Unfortunate, he wanted to say, but couldn't bring himself to.
George felt in Dream's words a pang of regret and disappointment. He wants me to stay. I do want to stay.
"Who knows, I might stay around for a while." - George blurted out and chuckled, turning to meet Dream's gaze. Dream's face lit up, beaming with the brightness of the sun in the night. The moon held the candle to his smile then. Oh, so this is it. Joy.
They made their way downhill, more carefully than earlier due to the dark. Dream helped George climb down a couple of steep passages he knew better of, through experience or otherwise. The town was silent in the night, almost as if everyone had fallen asleep. George saw some people wandering the streets, taking night strolls and walking their pets, listening to the melodies of nature. They'd passed by the pond on their way as well. The ducks weren't there. They must be sleeping too, George thought.
They reached the small inn at last. Dream had told George of its owner, a disgruntled veteran of the civil war that ravaged the north two decades ago. They were both too young to know of its horrors, but the stories that survived told of violence unseen. Dream said the man had the kindest heart, but people were scared of him and his rugged, dangerous appearance. He'd made friends with him when he'd gotten bored one day and while roaming the town, ended up in his inn where he heard him tell a group of travellers a war tale.
The creaky door opened, and they stepped across the wooden threshold. They both saw him at the same time, the rugged man sitting at the reception, half-snoozing and half-awake. He shot up to meet our glances when we first entered.
"Hi, Dream." - he spoke in a deep gravelly voice, his pink hair shining bright in the light of the lanterns that dotted the small room.
"Hi there, Techno." - Dream responded. Techno, huh?
"You've brought a friend, I see." - Techno said as he tilted to the side to try to get a better look at George. Friend, George blushed at the thought as he tried to avert his gaze. Dream caught him in the moment and grinned.
"Yes. He's my friend." - he said with a beaming smile, but when George glanced up to look at his face, his cheeks still red from the moment prior, he found Dream's cheeks rosy as well.
"Hello, I'm George." - George stuttered out as he clinched his arm against the other. He cowered behind Dream, as if seeking shelter from Techno's gaze.
"Nice to meet you, George. I'm Technoblade, but you can call me Techno." - the man tried his best to soften his voice so as to not startle the boy.
"N...Nice to meet you, Techno."
Technoblade smiled as George finally raised his head and met his gaze. He understood why people might think him cold and heartless. War does that to a person, after all. He was glad that there were still those that saw through the veil. Dream first, and now George.
"Do you need a room, my boy?" - Techno said, leaning over the counter as he looked at George.
"Yeah, for the night." - George shot back. Dream sighed quietly, not letting George catch the quiet sound.
"Alrighty. Since you're Dream's friend and we're pretty empty, I'll give you a room free of charge." - Technoblade smiled, and George could hardly keep his excitement a secret. He'd brought some money, but it would not be enough to cover any costs besides this night's rest and maybe some food the next day. His face sparkled with gratitude, and that was payment enough for Technoblade.
"Thank you very much." - he said, meeting the man's gaze with a smile of his own. The old veteran was not as rough as the people made him out to be, after all.
"I'll come see you tomorrow morning." - Dream said as he placed his hand on George's shoulder.
"Alright." - George whispered quietly.
"See you, Dream." - Technoblade said from across the counter.
As Dream was about to leave through the door, George turned toward it.
"Hey!" - he said, louder than he'd expected, causing Dream to turn rapidly - "Uh...um...sleep well." - George stuttered out at last. Dream chuckled at George's slight awkwardness.
"You too, George." - Dream said, tilting his head to the side and smiling back at George. When he exited onto the street, Dream held two fingers to his neck. His pulse was quick, and his cheeks were warm with blood. He trotted home, letting the cold air of the night cool his face and silence the deafening beating of his heart.
George woke up the next day feeling refreshed. He hadn't slept so well in a long time and, for the first time since he'd left his home, he did not wail or cower in regret at the choices he'd made. He was content. In the shower, he thought of Dream and what the boy would show him today, what new things they'll discover together. He turned the water colder still, but it did not extinguish the burning in his chest that he felt every time he thought of him.
They met up in front of the inn after Technoblade bid them goodbye for the day. He knew they wouldn't return until nightfall at least. Boys will be boys, as he had once been. He hoped their childhood would not be tainted like his.
"Isn't it weird?" - George said as they walked down the street towards the pond.
"What?"
"You know, I've only met you yesterday but...I feel like we're good friends already."
"I don't think it's weird. Some people just click, so I've heard."
"Hmm."
The ducks were out and about again, splashing their wings around and bathing away the intense summer heat. Dream led George around a different part of town today, though he did try to keep both of them in the shade for as much of the trip as he could. The day whizzed by, drowned in joyful voices of conversation and bonding. They visited a local playground, and Dream again had to catch George. Again, George's stomach fluttered. Again, his cheeks turned a bright red. Dream caught him by the armpits from behind, feeling George's back against his chest.
"What's up with you? You keep falling into my arms all the time." - Dream said through a chuckle. It sounded cheesy even to him, but George didn't seem to mind, as he was too busy trying to hide his blushing face.
"I'm clumsy, that's all." - he murmured as he slumped in Dream's arms.
Dream lay George gently on the concrete beneath, but remained hanging above him, their faces only a dozen inches apart. They could feel each other's breaths. Fresh mint and strawberry toothpaste mixed as the light breeze carried it away. George's heart was ready to pop. Why, why am I like this; there was no hiding the color in his cheeks now. Although, looking up at Dream's face, he saw it too was flush with color. Oh, he must be feeling it too.
Dream inched away, finally getting back on his feet and helping George up as well. A silence, deafening as the crickets in the night before fell upon them as they each looked their own way, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
"You know." - Dream shattered the unstable peace that had settled in the air - "I'm not feeling too well. I should rest for the day."
"Oh, that's unfortunate." - George mumbled back - "Get well soon."
Dream nodded, and quickly scurried away. He scurried past his parents into his room and hid beneath the blankets. The thought of what he'd felt scared him. Would George still look at him with those same joyful eyes now? Would they still be entranced by each other's company, able to pass the day together without tension or discomfort or uneasiness? Did I mess up? With a heavy heart and a fire burning deep inside, he let a tear stream down his cheek. I don't want to lose him.
The day passed for George, though the pit in his stomach remained hollow as ever. It felt lonely without Dream, the hours endless and strenuous, never seeming to pass the ringing silence onto the next. He just wanted to be with Dream again. I barely even know him. He thought himself silly, but couldn't deny where his desires lay.
He returned to the inn that night. Technoblade could notice the shift in the boy's eyes, slight and delicate but obvious to his trained eye. He'd seen it a thousand times before, on the battlefield and in camp. Regret.
"What's bothering you?" - Technoblade asked as George plopped himself down sullenly onto the counter. He reached for a glass and poured George some orange juice.
"I think I messed up." - George grumbled under his breath.
"What happened?" - Technoblade asked as he leaned on the counter opposite George. George sighed.
"We were in a park, and...ugh…He caught me in his arms and..." - George began to redden as he remembered Dream's face. He was so close.
"It's okay, George." - Technoblade said without hesitation - "I think I understand what happened. Let me tell you something, and I want you to remember this the next time something like that happens. Even if it feels wrong, it's not wrong in the slightest. Your feelings are your own, and you have to trust them." - Technoblade smiled reassuringly, and George felt deep within that what Technoblade had said was right. His feelings could not be wrong, for they were his alone.
He met Dream the next day. He'd come to meet him at the inn, his eyes baggy from a night spent awake. Like the day prior, they bid Technoblade goodbye for the day and scurried through the town. Some tension remained in Dream's mannerisms and pace, George could see. He was not as talkative as he'd been the last two days, but George thought it would settle down eventually. They went about their usual business, and George could almost forget their accidental moment from yesterday. That night, they climbed the hilltop and lay in the grass again, gazing at the stars above.
"Look, that's Orion." - Dream said as he pointed at the cluster of lights in a small corner of the sky. - "And that, that's Ursa Major right there." - he continued as he moved his hand swiftly across the night sky.
"What's that over there?" - George asked as he pointed to a cluster of stars directly above him.
"That's Gemini."
"You sure know your stars."
"I guess I do." - Dream said. A bout of courage, a decision on a whim, or something in between. He pointed his hand at George.
"George." - he said as a chuckle escaped his mouth. George chuckled along, ignoring the fire that had begun to rage within him the moment he'd heard Dream call his name.
A week passed, and then another. Dream showed George where he lived, though he warned that his parents did not usually endear to strangers. Nonetheless, George tried his luck. He actually got along well with Dream's parents. A lovely couple, they were, he thought. They shared many stories and began to open up to each other.
George finally conceded that he ran away from home, which Dream did not find surprising. George did say that he will return home so that his parents wouldn't worry their lives away. A hollow feeling pierced Dream's gut. Dream could not shake off the feeling that he might very well lose his companion soon, no matter how good the reason.
They watched sunsets together on top of the hill and fed the ducks in the pond. George quickly learned the names and shapes of the constellations Dream would show him every night. One day after nightfall, they scurried to the inn with an idea. They begged Technoblade to tell them stories, things he'd experienced. They were just kids, Technoblade knew, and did not know of the horrors that the war had brought to the country. So he indulged them each night, telling them a new story from his life in the army. Some were funny, some sad.
"I closed my comrade's eyes shut." - Dream and George teared up.
"I snuck up on him and tackled him to the ground, reaching for my knife." - They stared in suspense.
"I grabbed his ice cream and ran like lightning." - They laughed with him.
It was the tenth day in August, and the clouds gathered over the hills in the north. George and Dream approached the playground, stepping in comfortable silence next to each other. The place still awakened memories of that day in both of them, causing them to shuffle slightly apart, though neither knew why that was their instinct. We hadn't done anything wrong, right? That feeling in George's stomach came back as well, though he'd learned to silence it over the days. It was ever present when he was with Dream, but it did not distract him now as it had used to.
Then, lightning struck the hill. It came slow at first, a couple of drops peppering the searing ground. Dream knew of the summer showers that came quick as wind and were gone even quicker. Soon, the light rainfall turned into a torrent.
"Come!" - Dream shouted over the deafening sound of rain splashing against the rough concrete.
He rushed towards the playground, hiding under the roof atop one of the slides. George joined him soon, his hair already soaking wet. They plopped down opposite each other, their legs intertwined to make space for both. Dream huffed as his labored breaths caught George's attention. From a foot apart, George felt his breaths land softly on his face.
Their eyes locked, and a fire that George thought extinguished ignited hotter than ever. No words needed to be said. His eyes widened at the sight of Dream's blondish hair haphazardly set across his eyes, and the grace with which he moved it aside. Huh. George bent forward as he got on all fours in the small space. He crawled closer to Dream, their gazes piercing each other's. The rain had stopped by now, but they did not care anymore.
Dream'd been breathing shallow ever since they sat and interlocked. The deep, hollow feeling in his stomach seemed ready to be satisfied at last. He leaned forward as well. George noticed him moving, and he did not wait any longer. He couldn't wait any longer.
George straddled atop to sit in his lap, facing him with a look Dream had only caught glimpses of before. He lifted his hand to Dream's face drenched with rain and sweat. The soft skin of his cheek radiated hotter than the summer days of past, and George leaned in further. They closed their eyes, the two boys sitting in a playground, and shared their first kiss together.
Oh, so this is it. Love.
It lasted only a moment, but to Dream it might as well have been an eternity of bliss. He felt content at last. The weeks of yearning for something he did not understand or did not wish to think of finally quenched by the soft lips of his companion. Still, he could not shake off the doubt that had seeped into his mind. He pulled away, leaving George's lips hanging open.
"It's wrong." - Dream said as he huffed back against the wooden fence.
"What? H...how is it wrong?" - George stuttered out, his moment of bliss shattered by the sudden realization. He might not be feeling it.
"We're both boys, George. It's wrong."
"Do you really believe that?" - George asked sternly.
"I…" - Dream could not answer him. His thoughts were a jumble, unable to pick out a response that would not jeopardize their relationship even further.
"Who cares if it's wrong?" - George broke the silence as if cutting Dream's spiraling thoughts loose - "Who even sets these rules for what's right and what's not? Dream, I believe my feelings, and they say it's the right thing. Do you trust your feelings, even if someone says they are wrong?"
"I...I do."
"Then it cannot be wrong, right? Your feelings are your own, and how can you be wrong about yourself?"
"Right. Right…" - tears began to stream down Dream's face, and George embraced him, gently stroking his hair.
"Trust yourself, Dream. Trust me."
"I will."
Dream lifted his face from George's shoulder, and leaned in for another kiss. His eyes were red from crying, but George found them captivating nonetheless. Their lips met again, sweeter than before, safe in the knowledge that even if the world was to end tomorrow, they had each other.
Another week passed. Technoblade noticed the change in their behaviour, how they showed more affection towards each other and how they were happier when the other was around. He did not comment; there was no need to. If they were content, he was content. They still came over after dark to listen to his stories, the tales of the country's darkest days and glorious victories.
They too were getting much more comfortable with each other. They shared long, intimate kisses on top of the hill and at the pond and wherever prying eyes could not reach them. They cuddled in the grass after sparring, their rosy cheeks and shallow breaths pressed against each other and molding into one. They held hands and sang songs together, making memories neither would soon forget. They took photos together, both with goofy faces and cuddly moments.
Deep down George knew it could not last. The first leaves started to fall, and he had to return home. School was about to start, and he'd have to leave this town behind. Oh, so this is it, then. He had led Dream on long enough, promising to stay when he obviously couldn't.
"Dream." - George said as they walked down an empty alleyway, hand in hand.
"Hmm?"
"I will have to leave soon." - George felt Dream's grip tighten around his palm. He searched for the boy's eyes, finding them sullen and filled with an emotion he himself could not describe.
"You...you're leaving?" - Dream said as George lowered his head to escape his saddened gaze.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot stay here. I'll come next summer, or when I finish sch-"
"I understand."
George looked up at Dream, finding tears streaming down his face. As if on cue again, Dream comforted George's thoughts.
"They're tears of joy, George. I knew it wouldn't last forever, but it doesn't matter." - Dream reached for George's hand, placing it upon his beating heart.
"Can you feel it?"
"Yes." "Remember it, George. Remember the time we've spent together. Wherever you go, remember it. Whenever you feel down, and the world is to blame, remember it. And if you decide to come again, I'll be waiting for you. We've got all the time in the world, right?"
"We do." - George grinned.
The day finally came on the third of September. They stood at the station platform, awaiting the train that would come any minute now. Technoblade came with them, to bid George farewell until next year, or whenever he would come back again. It was a long way out to the city now. The sound of the engine rumbled down the tracks. So, this is it, Dream thought. Summer is over. Next year perhaps, next year. He turned to see George looking back at him. He smiled, yet even Dream could see he was forcing himself. George was surely not eager to leave, but life does not always go the way he would've liked.
As the train pulled into station, Dream wrapped his arms around George. Technoblade had long understood their relationship, so it did not surprise him in the slightest. It's not wrong in the slightest, he'd told George with a smile that night, and he stood by it. The train doors opened, the future beckoning George onward. They kissed, long and sweet, like the first one they'd had back at the playground. A smile crept on Technoblade's face, a bittersweet reminder of the long nights in the inn, and George's smiles and laughter and tears he would not see for a while.
George finally entered the train, setting down his bag next to the door. Dream had bought him one so he could pack him some food for the journey home.
"I'll see you next year then." - George said.
"See you then. Take care." - Dream said as a tear welled up in his eye.
"See you, young one." - Technoblade added.
"Oh, before I forget." - George reached into his pocket, taking out a small folded note before handing it to Dream. Dream opened it, and saw an address scribbled onto it. - "Come visit if you're in town." - George grinned, and Dream couldn't help but smile, wiping the tear on his sleeve.
"I will." - he said.
The doors shut, and George was alone again. He stared out the window for a moment, seeing the station starting to whiz past as the train picked up speed. Next year. He ruffled through the bag to check what Dream had packed for him. A banana, a couple of sandwiches and two bottles of water. As he rumbled further, his hand struck against the unmistakable hardcover of a book. His fingers wrapped around it, pulling out a thin book with a blank cover. He slowly opened the first page. Oh, it's an album. George scanned the first photograph. It's us. There they were, George and his companion laying in the grass on the hilltop, watching the sun set behind the western hills. On the next one, George was pointing at the ducks in the pond with an excited expression on his face. He turned the page. There was a photograph of them kissing, with Dream's hand holding the camera and one eye open. George chuckled. His gut felt heavy as the hollow loneliness started to take hold. He started to sob. I miss him already. Still, the train did not stop for George.
Six months passed. George lay on his couch, reading over chemistry material that he'd gotten assigned. It bored him to death, but he had no choice in the matter. Whenever he was bored, he thought back to the town and Dream, and the times they'd spent together. That was enough to make his stomach flutter with excitement at next year's trip, and sadness at their separation.
His doorbell rang. It snapped him out of the learning zone, which made him both angry and happy. Finally, something to relieve the boredom, he thought. It was probably Sapnap, who would ask him to hang out and go for a coffee, or something like that. Anything to escape homework, George thought as he opened the door.
The man standing on the other side looked nothing like Tommy. He was far too tall, and his hair was too brown for him to be Sapnap. His eyes were not the dark brown he knew, but a greenish tint. He'd cut his hair shorter, but George would recognize it anywhere. He bought new clothes that fit him better after his growth spurt. He'd recognize those eyes and that beautiful smile from a mile away.
"Dream!" - George jumped at him, wrapping his legs around his waist. - "You've come!"
"I have, George! I have come! My mother got a great job offer so we're moving in nearby!" - Dream beamed with happiness, struggling to contain his delight at the face of his companion. George's mouth hung wide open.
"Seriously?!"
"Yes!"
"Oh, but we must go on vacation to the countryside for the summer. We wouldn't want Techno getting lonely now, would we?" - he chuckled.
"Of course not." - George laughed along with him.
George cupped Dream's face, and kissed him. It was sweeter than any they'd shared before, having been brewing in the months of wallowing loneliness that was finally released. Though they were closed, the flame of passion burnt bright in their eyes. Nothing would separate them again, George thought as he clung tightly onto Dream.
Oh, how I'd missed him.