Roommates // DNF

35

Dream hauled the last heavy box through the doorway, placing it down on the ever-growing stack in the living room.

As soon as it was out of his arms, he let out a sigh, stretching to relieve some of the soreness as his eyes drifted over to the couch where George was sitting. His legs were pulled up as he leaned forward just slightly, his hands searching through the items of an open box, brunette hair falling into his eyes.

Dream gave one final stretch, sighing dramatically as he said, "I think that's everything. Thank you so much for all of your help, George."

He heard George giggle from where he was seated, and he couldn't stop the smile that overtook his face, wrapping George up in his arms as he dropped down onto the couch beside him.

"Sorry, Dream," George responded with a smile, placing a quick kiss on the blonde's cheek, "it's only fair though."

Dream leaned back against the back of the couch as George returned to sifting through the box, narrowing his eyes as he asked, "what do you mean, it's only fair?"

George exhaled a quiet laugh, his eyes still cast down into the box as he answered, "I had to move all of those boxes on my own when I first got to the university. I seem to recall asking a certain mysterious blonde to at least help me open the door, but he ignored me."

Dream tried to think back to that day; it felt like a lifetime ago. He remembered standing out in the cold, a cigarette between his lips, the campus quiet and deserted. And he remembered seeing George for the very first time, overwhelmed expression on his face as he paused to stare up at the dorm building.

Even then, looking nervous and uncertain, Dream had thought he was one of the most perfect people he had ever laid eyes on.

But there was more to it than that; because even though it had only been Dream's second day at the university, he was already backsliding into the life he had been trying so hard to leave behind.

Dream sighed quietly, his hand moving to gently rub George's back as he began, "I didn't mean to ignore you. I just-"

His voice trailed off, his eyes dropping down, and he felt George immediately shift beside him, turning into Dream's touch as their eyes met. The brunette leaned into him even more, wrapping his arms around the blonde's torso as if he could sense that Dream needed some form of comfort, looking up at him as he quietly said, "what is it, Dream?"

Dream smiled at him, looping an arm around the brunette's shoulders as he explained, "I had actually gotten to campus the day before, and some of the people on our floor told me about a party. So of course, I went. But I ended up seeing Fundy there, and he was the last person I had expected to see here. I just felt like it was my first day of trying to start over, and everything was already falling apart for me."

He felt George's eyes still on him, and he gave him a small smile as he quietly continued, "so I wasn't ignoring you, George. I could never ignore you. I just had a lot on my mind."

George nodded, his voice soft and quiet as he said, "I didn't know, I'm sorry."

Dream moved his hand to George's face, his thumb rubbing softly against his cheek as he answered "it's okay."

And really, it was more than okay for Dream. Because even though he could recall feeling out of control during those days, he could also remember how he felt when he had talked to George for the very first time, in their tiny shared room on campus.

From the very beginning, before Dream even really knew George, he had helped to provide the blonde with a sense of stability in his life. He made Dream feel like he was finally standing on solid ground, and he helped to quiet the constant chatter in Dream's brain, the voices that were constantly telling him that he wasn't good enough or that he was bound to screw everything up.