The Railroad

Chapter 14

The brunet fell asleep in the other's arms, but Dream didn't have the heart to wake him. His cheeks were still blotchy and tear stained; his eye lids heavy from the exhaustion of crying so hard. With his soft breaths came the slight sniffle from his stuffed nose, and something about it was adorable to Dream. Every once in a while his eyes would flutter open and he'd get scared, but after seeing the taller's face he would relax and snuggle back into him.

The blond let this carry on for an hour or so before deciding they needed to start moving again. Was he going to wake George up? Absolutely not. He looked so peaceful in this state... only a monster would tell him he had to get up at this point. That being said, he stood, carrying the brunet bridal style.

He was quite light, being shorter and not having a lot of meat on his bones, and Dream was pretty strong, so this was nothing to him. It simply felt like he was carrying a heavy backpack, but the motivation was an important factor as to why he kept going. The motivation being that he didn't want to wake the shorter when he'd gone through what he did. He deserved to get some rest, and Dream would take care of everything else so he could do just that.

With every chilly breeze, it seemed he'd only snuggle closer into Dream, and the blond wouldn't trade it for anything else. The brunet was wearing Dream's jacket, the brown complimenting his pale skin. It was chillier out today, so a faint pink was coating his cheeks and the tip of his nose. His long, dark lashes laid softly against the light purple circles under his eyes, and his mouth was parted slightly to allow more breath.

Every so often his hair would ruffle in the breeze, and since it nearly reached his eyes it would make him stir, so Dream put the hood over his head to prevent this from happening. He wished he could see George clearly with both eyes, but he wasn't ready to reveal to the shorter the hideous truth he was hiding under the mask just yet. He couldn't, not when George was just so beautiful.

The silence was nice, though Dream found himself missing the sweet sound of the brunet's voice: the matter-of-fact way he would regularly speak, the scolding tone he would use when annoyed, the light, carefree voice of his teasing, and the gentle sound of his laughter all filled Dream to the brim with serotonin. His voice wasn't like those of the people back home: his seemed more tender and real and raw compared to the harsh, intense voices belonging to everyone down South.

The moment he first laid eyes on George he knew he was beautiful. He didn't believe in love at first sight, but he was, after all, a bisexual male with eyes. The first time he felt his heart flip for the brunet was when he called George princess. It was sort of an impulsive nickname, but it suited him perfectly and seeing his reaction to it set off emotions in Dream that he didn't know he still had.

And as the trip went on, there were more and more little things that sent his head spiraling and struggling to ground itself once more. Such as when he saw how tired George was that first day. It worried him so much, more so then was normal when dealing with stubborn clients. He seemed so strange in his sleep... it didn't take long until he realized that what was strange was that he looked happy. The brunet always looked, what was a good word? empty? It was like there was a vacancy behind his gorgeous brown eyes that magically vanished when in the dream world.

It saddened him, which is why he decided he was going to try his best to bring the light back to those eyes. He'd already seemed to have had a huge improvement: as the journey went on he'd become more comfortable around Dream. Vulnerable, some might say. The brunet had even cried in front of him, his first time doing so in years. To Dream, it revealed that the shorter clearly trusted him and felt safe around him. It was ironic, seeing as the only time he'd been in danger was because of the taller.

They were both still just kids. Kids who were thrown into the thick of it all because they had to in order to survive. They'd been abandoned, both metaphorically and physically. But, by a twist of fate (whether cruel or not was yet to be determined) they'd found one another. And neither was about to let that opportunity go to waste, hence why they didn't take long to admit their feelings.

The blond had never had a meaningful relationship either, just a guy or girl every now and then who'd he'd develop "feelings" for and date for awhile before someone got bored and ended things. But none of that was anything like what he felt for George. Whatever it was that emerged from the time they spent was different than anything he'd ever experienced in the past; it made him feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. The brunet was like a song he never wanted to take off repeat.

Perhaps it was because it was real, not just feelings consistent of those with a teenager going through puberty. George was the first person he'd cared about in a way that was more than family or friendship in years, and he'd grown since the last time. He'd physically matured, become an adult. And along with features on the outside, so had his emotional maturity. It was so foreign: a type of happy he'd forgotten existed.

Once more the shorter's eyelids fluttered open, but this time they seemed less foggy. They were still red and swollen from crying, but he seemed to be really awake this time. He smiled softly up at the blond, losing the initial fright in his eyes that was accustomed to him waking up in an unfamiliar setting.

"Morning, sleepyhead. You ready to be a human being again?" Dream chuckled.

"Have I been asleep for long?" George asked, voice scratchy. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, princess. You needed the sleep."

Dream stopped walking, gently setting George on the ground and helping him get his bearings before releasing him. The blond placed his large hand against the other's cheek, stroking it gingerly with his thumb while looking into the pair of brown eyes below him. George put his hand up and held the taller's tan hand while staring at him questioningly.

"Are you sure you're okay? I didn't mean to set anything off yesterday by making you talk about it, I just thought maybe it would be good for you?"

"You didn't, I'm alright. Truth be told... I had been denying it for too long. I would push away thoughts about her. Well, about the event itself. I didn't blame Wilbur, but I blamed myself. I mean I was right there, and I didn't do anything. That's what had really been eating at me after all this time: the guilt. I know it's not technically my fault but you know how it goes, I'm sure you've felt similar in the past-"

Dream cut him off by kissing him again. It was gentle, but loving, and George had no problem being interrupted by it. After separating, they embraced in a warm hug. George's face was buried in Dream's chest and the blond had his chin resting atop the brunet's head.

"Whatever else you have to go through in order to heal, I'll be here for, princess. I will never leave you, I don't care what happens."

He meant every single word, and George felt his feelings swell impossibly more. Whatever went down in Raleigh, no matter what happened when the cure was released, Dream and George would stay together. It was an odd bond, forged by two people who most would never expect to come together, but it was more real than most things still remaining. It was even more real than most connections from before the outbreak.

In that moment, both finally discovered what this feeling was: an early stage of love.

A/N: happy halloween!! this is an earlier update, but before you ask, no it's not cuz i had plans :,) because i am doing absolutely nothing this year, funzies. i just felt like it i guess, lol. i hope everyone has fun with your plans!