The Railroad

Chapter 20

Of course, when he woke up he was being carried again. After sitting up, his eyes met those belonging to Dream, neither being concealed by a mask. He smiled warmly upon seeing that George was up and placed a delicate kiss on his forehead.

"Dream, you don't have to carry me everywhere, you know," George grumbled.

"Good morning to you, too!" Dream laughed.

"Please put me down. This is embarrassing."

"Well in that case, no way." The blond tightened his grip around the other's waist, keeping the brunet firmly against his chest. George glared at him through narrowed eyes. "Oh come on, princess. No one's around to see anyway. Let me take care of you, it's all I'm good for."

"Shut up. It is not and you know it."

"Oh yeah? Prove it."

"You've comforted me whenever I've been upset; you've saved me on multiple occasions when my dumbass gets into trouble; you always cuddle with me. Honestly, with all of those things on top of the fact that you are a very attractive young man, I truly don't know what you see in me."

"There's plenty, Georgie. First of all, you're adorable, which always helps. But you're also sweet, and you care about me more than most other people in my life have. You've also been there for me when I'm sad, and, believe it or not, you've done your fair share of protecting me. Whether it be from myself or something you believe to be your own fault and problem. Overall, you're just amazing, princess."

The brunet smiled shyly. He snuck a kiss on the other's lips that was more intimate than most that they'd shared, causing Dream to stop walking out of shock. George used the moment of temporary inattentiveness to slip out of his grip, taking off running down the deserted street ahead of them.

Hearing the slightly heavier footsteps of Dream running up behind him, he knew there was no escape and stopped dead in his tracks, making Dream run right into his back. They would've gone toppling to the ground if George hadn't planted his feet and tightened his muscles, serving as a more steady figure like a wall. But they still stumbled, and Dream steadied them by wrapping his arms around George and widening his stance.

Laughter echoed down the road, rebounding off the brick walls and broken windows, as the boys stood holding each other. George put his hands on Dream's as the blond rested his head on the brunet's. George's head and neck were against the taller's chest, and the warmth radiating off of him completely snuffed out the chilly breeze that was wafting across the empty street.

"No more running, I'm tired," Dream mumbled into the smaller's hair.

George chuckled before walking forward, taking the bigger hand of the other as he went. He was vaguely aware of where they were going, only knowing the general direction, and soon Dream took the lead once more.

"Okay George. We're nearing the wall that will take us into Raleigh, but this won't be nearly as simple as leaving Denver was. For starters, leaving somewhere and entering are very different. When you leave, there's no possibility of infecting those inside the wall with the disease, but the same can't be said for entering. Secondly, Raleigh is a lot more strict than most of the other walled cities, because it has many more manufacturing companies and important valuables inside that they don't want to be tainted. The guards won't be as easily bribed, and it can be very dangerous to try. That being said, we're gonna have to try a much more daunting approach."

"And that is?"

"Have you ever hopped a train?"

~~~

"Dream, I don't know about this," George muttered, clutching onto the support beam for dear life.

They were currently at the train station. It was abandoned, but trains still ran in and out of the cities. Apparently, it was the most effective way to transport goods to and fro that was also the least costly. And Dream wanted them to get on one of these trains, as it was also their easiest way to get in.

"You'll be alright. Just jump when I tell you and it'll be fine. Okay?" Dream assured him, lightly rubbing the brunet's back to calm him.

George nodded, but more to convince himself than Dream. You'll be alright, he repeated, Dream won't let something happen to you, George, relax. This is the only way to get in; you have to do this.

Almost as if on cue, the whistling sound of a train came from further down the track. George's heart stopped and his breathing got quicker as he thought about what he was about to do. He was gonna chicken out, he could feel it. No, come on. You have to do this! For Wilbur! one voice was telling him. No, don't listen to him! Wilbur will understand that you didn't want to die for him, just go home! the other was saying.

"I've got you," the final voice, the deciding voice, whispered in his ear. He felt the warm fingers of Dream stroke his neck softly. "Breathe. It'll be okay. The train has to slow a bit when passing cities so they can stop for whatever reason if deemed necessary."

George relaxed marginally. Then the train came into view. He mustered up all the courage he had left in him, clenching his fists and taking deep breaths, and then he and Dream began to run.

Dream's longer legs would've given him the advantage of speed if not for the more agile grace of George that came with his slim, less heavy body. They matched each other's-and the train's-pace, running as fast as they could to get sort of a head start on the train and be able to have more momentum when it reached them.

That moment came quickly, quicker than what would've been to George's liking. His time to jump was coming, and fast, and he wasn't ready. Before he knew what was happening, Dream had leapt onto the wooden floor of one of the open box cars, using the handle to pull himself up. Fear took over George and he didn't move any further than his legs and arms pumping as he ran.

"George, take my hand!" Dream yelled over the roar of the engine in their ears, extending his hand for the brunet to take. "Please, come on!"

He was snapped out of his trance as he grabbed Dream's hand and was suddenly yanked into the box car. Then he was laying on Dream's chest, both of them out of breath from the running. The blond used his arms to keep George pressed against him instead of to support them, so they were laying flat against the floor as they struggled to get their breathing steady.

"You did it, princess. I'm proud of you," the taller murmured, running his fingers through George's soft, brown hair.

"What do you mean? I chickened out. I wouldn't have made it if not for you."

Dream raised his eyebrow questioningly. "No offense, George, but I wouldn't have been able to pull you in here on my own. You jumped; I just caught you and used force to launch us both in here."

"Oh," was all George said in response.

As he laid his head back down on the stronger's chest, he smiled slightly to himself. So many different things that he'd done on this trip surprised him. They were things he would've never done before, not even the leaving itself. But he'd come into his own and realized what he wanted, the kind of person that he aspired to be.

He'd come a long way since Tallahassee.

~Word count: 1,271~

A/N: IM SO SORRY I FORGOT TO UPLOAD YESTERDAY!! i was at a friends house and was so exhausted when i got home that it just slipped my mind lmao. i've really gotta get on finishing this story...