My Servant In Shining Armor ┃DNF ┃ Dream x George

R.I.P

Dream stepped back in astonishment.

"Oh. Sorry." Dream gulped, taken aback by the mean glare George bore into his soul.

George stared at the book in embarrassment, trying to hide his red cheeks from the sudden outburst.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been so mean. It's just-"

George paused. His dainty thumb stroked the paint-splashed, leather cover.

"This is something I truly treasure from my childhood."

George smiled to himself, reminiscing on his fond memories.

"I see. What's it about?" Dream inquired, curious to learn more about the king.

George ruffled the stained papers. He opened the fable to the first page. He read aloud,

"A young boy wanders the north with no one but him and his dragon. The pair encounter many adventures together. One day, they stumble upon a kingdom. Can this boy become king of this nation? Or will he and his dragon be doomed to wander the lands forever?"

George flipped through the pages; each corner of the paper bore a scar of a fold, a makeshift bookmark.

"It's a silly tale. It's a children's book. My mother used to read this to me as I would go to bed. It's sort of funny now, though. I'm kind of like the boy in the tale."

Dream stared at George. George's hands ran through the book, itching for another read.

"Well, I like books. Can you read it to me?" Dream pleaded.

George giggled at the taller man's interest.

"I'd love to, Dream."

The pair sat on George's bed. George began the book in chapter one, "Meet Bubby."

Every word George spoke slipped out like butter. His charisma and genuine interest in the fable shone through like radiant light.

George was trying his best to imitate the way his mother read the tale. Every sentence enunciated with great care and personality. Eventually, George himself got lost in the book.

The story captivated the pair. All their surroundings melted into nothing as the two zoned out and became engrossed in the fictional reality.

With a sigh and a happy ending, George closed the book. The two men were zapped back into their reality.

"I can see why you loved that book so much." Dream laughed at the fact that he enjoyed a children's book so much.

"It's a great story. I never could get past the part when Bubby fought the knights, though. I was always fast asleep by then. I think that's the first time I've read all the way through."

Dream and George burst into fits of laughter over the imagery of baby George falling asleep so fast.

"You said your mom read this to you?" Dream questioned.

"Yes. She was the best story-teller I ever knew. I tried to read the story like she read it to me."

George's finger brushed the embroidery on the spine.

"We created this cover together. I threw a fit over the original cover. So we changed it. I painted the title, and she created the rest."

The spine had neat embroidery that repeated the title on the front cover. It was small and was written in yellow-gold thread. The front cover pictured a messy Bubby and his pet dragon. Rainbows and green fields surrounded them. The title looked as if a monkey tried to write. It was simply a mess.