Begonias

Chapter Thirty One|Tease

Dream was at a loss for words as he rubbed circles on George's back, trying to calm the boy down enough to explain what had spooked him so bad.

Dream's best guess was a nightmare, or, more accurately, a night terror. He knew first hand how hysterical those can make a person, especially if it's out of the blue.

When George's sobs slowed down to hiccups, Dream angled pulled away enough to see his red flushed face. His own face was soft with compassion, yet drawn with worry.

"... Did you have a Nightmare, Georgie..?" He said, trying to make his voice soothing and reassuring. He wanted the boy in front of him to be at peace enough for at least a couple more hours of sleep.

"I- You- I just..." George was having trouble explaining himself. He just put a hand on Dream's stomach, making sure that he was still in one piece; Nothing was out of place, and George felt exhausted and relieved enough to pass out in the other boy's arms.

"I did. I'm... I'm glad you're okay." He said, pulling his hand away. Dream immediately felt himself missing the coolness of his touch against his constantly flushed and warm skin.

"Do you think you can fall asleep again..?" Dream asked, checking the time. It was one in the morning, he fell asleep just around six. He was wide awake.

"I... I think so, yeah. But..." George looked up at Dream, and his small sliver of hope shone clearly on his face as he asked,

"Can I stay?" He was desperate to stay with the taller male. Desperate to hold the boy in his arms until he was absolutely, without a doubt sure that he was okay. And it was in this moment that Dream had a stupid pinch of confidence.

Dream wrapped the other boy in a loose hug, leaning down to kiss the top of his head before petting his hair a couple of times.

George seemed to melt into the touch, and happiness ran through his veins like lava, lighting him up and keeping him warm.

"Of course you can stay. You can stay whenever you need." Dream said, leaning against his thankfully cushioned headboard. Even though he had slept for so much longer, Dream's relief was enough to make him drowsy again.

George snuggled into Dreams embrace, and Dream continued to pet his hair. Dream didn't know how long he sat there, comfortingly lulling the other boy deeper into sleep, but he knew that when sleep took him into his arms, he accepted it with a smile.

---

When George woke up, it was from someone Gently running their hand across his arm. He felt warm, steady. He felt happy and at peace.

And when he saw Dream, a look of pure adoration on his face as he whispered 'Time to get up, Georgie' in his ear, his face burst into flames.

"G-Good morning, Clay." He said, and he didn't miss the small twitch of the boy's lips as he said his real name. His face felt like it would melt off, and he had no doubt he was blushing so furiously that even an idiot would notice.

"Good morning, Georgie. Did you sleep well?" Dream asked, trying to ignore the feeling of his numb leg as George pulled away from him to rub his eyes. He smiled at Dream, and Dream felt his heart squeeze in his chest.

"Yeah, actually... Thank you, Clay." George could see Clay's face change color a bit, and it made him smirk. But really, he was eternally grateful to have gotten a full night's sleep.

"It's no problem, Georgie. Any time." Literally, any time. It was a blessing to fall asleep with George in his arms.

---

When they went down, they saw Darryl making Breakfast. Darryl sent a smile towards Dream that George didn't really understand, but he was too happy to overthink it as he managed to sneak a piece of bacon off of the plate Darryl was putting it on.

Dream felt the heat rise to his face as he gave Darryl a playful glare, one that said 'don't you make fun of me, I'm having the time of my life'.

He smiled at George while he started nibbling on his prize. Darryl turned around when he was halfway through the savory treasure he had snagged.

"Hey!" Darryl said, pouting. He found it hard to believe that George snagged it right from under his nose. George froze for a second before shoving the rest of it into his mouth, causing Darryl to groan.

This boy was gonna be the death of him, Dream thought, and not for the first time as George trotted up to him, a smirk on his face, obviously pleased with himself.

And the shorter boy must've had a sudden burst of confidence, because he put his arm around Dream's waist for a split second before lightly dragging his arm across his skin and winking as he walked away, probably to get his phone and wait for breakfast to be ready.

The touch had Dream going wild, even though it was barely anything. The place his arm had been tingled slightly and Dream wanted him to touch him again.

Dream was staring after him, his face beet red and his jaw on the floor. Darryl laughed at him, less mocking and more 'i can't believe how in love this boy is'. Dream closed his mouth, finally, looking to Darryl and pointing behind him.

"Did that really happen?" He asked, and he felt a bit faint, like he needed to sit down. He felt a tickle at the back of his throat that signaled that he was gonna have a fit now, or an even worse one later. He shoved the urge down, deciding to be happy right now.

"That really happened, Dream." He said, and Dream ran a hand down his face, grinning to himself like a high school kid in love.

If this boy was going to be the death of him, Dream would accept it with open arms.

First chapter of the day.