Begonias

Chapter Twelve|Swimming

It was ten o'clock at night, and Dream's finger still stung.

It hadn't been as bad as he and Sapnap originally thought, And they were able to clean it up and use a band-aid and some medical glue to hold it together.

The band-aid limited the movement of his finger a little bit, but it wasn't as bad as it could've been, and for that Dream was relived.

He sighed as he finished posting on all his social medias that he was going to take a break from YouTube for a little while, turning his phone off and sliding off of his bed.

Dream stretched his arms above his head, a groan slipping from his mouth as he felt the stretch.

He moved to his balcony doors, swinging them open to be met with the hot air. He closed his eyes at the breeze,  taking a deep breath.

There was a smokey smell in the air, like someone had cooked out earlier. There was also the smell of the grass and the trees, and..

And there was chlorine. Dream had completely forgotten the house had a pool. Dream looked down into the backyard, their moderately-large pool looking back at him invitingly.

Dream smiled a bit. The last time he had lived anywhere with a pool was when his family lived in an apartment complex with a small swimming pool, that you paid extra for access to.

Dream reluctantly left the balcony and it's welcoming, familiar heat as he went back into his room, stripping and changing into his green shark patterned swim shorts.

He thought for a moment before he pulled on a grey tank top. It wasn't worth the risk of someone coming outside and seeing his scar.

As he went downstairs he checked to make sure the band-aid he had used was waterproof, brushing his hair back with a hand before he went into the backyard, sighing happily at the hot air enveloping him.

He went to their shed, going around the side to the pool controls, flipping on the lights and jets. He made a note in his mind to buy chlorine and a pool net.

He walked around to the other side, the shallow end, slowly setting his foot on the first step and watching the water rush around to accommodate it.

He shivered a bit. The water wasn't cold, but it was cooler than he had expected it to be, considering how hot it was outside.

He took another step, then another, and eventually he was hip deep, this being the only depth he can get in the shallow end.

He waded deeper, glad that the change in depth was more gradual than most pools. Their pool went a maximum of ten feet, but it was a kind of slow slope rather than a steep drop.

Dream held his breath, dunking himself the rest of the way under so he could get used to the temperature of the water. As he pulled himself out again, he brushed his wet hair back and out of his face with his hand.

He swam over to the side of the pool, where there was a built in stool type thing to rest on. Dream sat there, just moving his legs back and forth in the water as he let his mind run.

He wondered what it would be like to swim with the rest of the boys. He smiled at the thought of Sapnap splashing Bad and Bad calling him a naughty muffin, and then Dream would splash George and-

George. Dream felt his heart and lungs clench as the air was stolen from him. He forgot that George was going to come. Eventually, George was going to be here, and as much as Dream longed for him, he knew that it would only make his death come quicker.

He sighed, swimming away from the bench and then just swimming a few laps around the pool before his emotions settled again, and he just let himself float, staring up at the stars.

How many people would Dream hurt, just because he was too scared to ask George to be with him? How many people would be struck by grief when he passed?

Would he make his parents cry? Would they weep for their child, taken by something they would never truly  understand?

Will they be upset at him for never telling them the type of people he loved?

And the team.. Would they stop making videos because of him? Would they not be able to stand the thought of living in this house, swimming in this pool, without him?

How many people would miss him?

Would George be one of them?

Would his favorite person in the whole world weep for the life Dream wasn't able to live? Leave flowers on his grave every birthday? Wish Dream had just told him, so it wouldn't end this way?

Dream exhaled all the way before closing his eyes and mouth, feeling himself sink to the bottom as he planted his feet, bending his knees and propelling himself to the surface just as the burning of his lungs had started to get unbearable.

But he breathed in just a second before he reached the surface, the Chlorine water going into his lungs along with the air, and Dream found himself hanging onto the side of the pool desperately as he coughed and hacked.

He realized too late that along with the water he was coughing up, there was blood. He had started up another fit completely on accident.

His chest and throat heaved, and more than once Dream had accidentally let his hands and himself slip back into the water, but he was always able to pull himself back out.

Eventually it ended, and Dream just took a second to breathe deeply. He needed to get the air back in his lungs and feel normal again, unless he wanted the fit to repeat itself.

He swam to the stairs of the pool, climbing out and then going back to the mess of crimson he had left on the poolside. He used the water from the pool to clean up the ground, leaving the petals, because he just needed rest.

He just.. He just needed a break.

Second chapter of the day

AN
Look at the new cover!!!! Isn't it just awesome??
I did the art, and VortexLeAuthor helped me out with the amazing idea of using a photo of the actual Begonia flower in the cover!
Heres's the photo in better quality, so you can really see why I like it so much!

Anyways, have a wonderful day you all!