hopeless purpose (dreamnotfound)

chlorination jubilation

once safely inside the building with all sounds hidden away from peeping ears, the boys had free reign to be as loud as they so pleased. quackity appeared to be taking advantage of that factor with his back slamming recklessly into the pool room's doors and the immediate blasting of his bluetooth speaker.

each member filed in with the feeling of unmatched exhilaration bubbling up in their stomachs. something about bending the rules and playing games of exponential risk brought on a rush like no other.

the six surveyed the room in drowsy awe at the way the dim fluorescent lighting complimented the reflections of cerulean waters unto the ceiling amazingly. contradictory to that, only five of them rushed to strip down and jump into the pool.

george, as always, being the odd one out. each of them had worn bathing suit bottoms in preparation so that wasn't the issue- the issue was his own body. he wore skin he wasn't comfortable in; that dread only worsening when in company of others.

the brunet tapped his thumb against each of his fingertips rhythmically in futile attempts to shut off his mind. cold water sprinkled over his bare knees in repercussion of the gargantuan, various outlandish tricks and jumps the other's plunged into the water with.

a shadow shifted in front of his dead-set vision, gesturing out a set of leather bound, beaded bracelets that would surely engulf his tiny wrists. george looked to dream quizzically for a moment, wondering why he was giving up his adored accessories. to carry? the epiphany only clicked in his brain when he saw the unadulterated sympathy on the other's face.

ah, he got it now. he was helping out a friend who has something to hide. something they're ashamed of. of course dream understood george's hesitancy without any explanation. of course, because dream is wonderfully considerate. a bit peculiar, but overall refreshing that another human seems so capable of understanding. it was a phenomenon george would like to get used to.

george flashes him an appreciative, but sad smile and takes the offering, mumbling a meek "thank you."

although it didn't entirely cure him of his insecurities, it did massively help. turning his back on the water's visibility, he gingerly raised his sweater over his head, leaving only his navy blue and white trimmed swim shorts on. before turning back, he tailored each bundle of bracelets to the tightest notch they'd go, even though it was obvious the spacious gap would be unavoidable.

refusing to tear his eyes away from the suddenly very interesting grimy floors, george tip toed over to where the other's were all draped over the steps in a broken circle amidst a boisterous conversation.

the boy slumped down onto the steps while absentmindedly clutching at his sides to shield his figure. not to be confused though, he was highly aware of the fact that no person currently in the room would ever make any sort of backhanded observation about his body, but that brought him no peace of mind. after all, it's not really about what others think- it's about how your own mind perceives yourself. it's your mind that is the root of all trickery and deception, your mind that forces you to believe the self-created degrading lies.

so there george sat in disgust with his own skin, berating himself with pelts of loathing. that is until another's hand peeled back one of his own, and held onto it comfortingly just below the water's surface.

george's eyes flitted over to the blonde discreetly in gauge of any sort of reaction, but there were none. in fact, dream seemed to have initiated the contact subconsciously by the looks of his clueless white teeth gleaming through exposed laughter. he was fully immersed into whatever the others were saying, proving that he had done it as a reflex.

how did he make those coupley actions appear so natural without turning into a complete flustered mess? george was envious of practically everything about him. speaking of, he hadn't been paying attention to dream's looks just before due to his internal freak out, but now he certainly was.