Comfort (Dream X GeorgeNotFound)

New Apartment

George sat in his empty room. Being in the process of moving into a new apartment, he hadn't had the time to furnish the place with anything except the essentials, let alone decorate it. His barebones room  currently only had his gaming setup and a king sized bed pushed against the wall across the room.

He was about to get up to fix himself a breakfast when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He glanced at the notification and couldn't help but smile.

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Dream 💚

georgieeeeeee :(
u awake yet? im bored

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There was no way to explain the delight he always felt after receiving a text from Dream. He just chalked it up to being glad that his friends wanted to talk to him. Strangely enough, others rarely had the same effect on George.

He looked at the time showing at the top of the screen. 7AM. The sky from his window looked gray and cloudy. Small raindrops slowly started to make their way onto George's window and down. It was quite depressing, actually. Even though he liked the rain, the weather sure wasn't giving him a warm welcome into his new apartment.

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Dream 💚

georgieee >:( answer me
oh right ur probably asleep

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George should have been sleeping. But every time he felt himself drift off, he was jolted back up to alertness. He'd never admit it to anyone since he thought it was childish, but nightmares had been plaguing his rest for a while now. Deciding not to leave his best friend hanging for much longer, he shot him a quick text (or four) and stood up.

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George

What are YOU doing up?
It's 2 am for you
Stayed up editing again huh
Get some sleep old man

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The floor had been freezing cold. The new apartment didn't have heating installed yet and walking barefoot on cold wood and tiles didn't help George's case.

He opened the fridge to find something to cook with, but it was as empty as the rest of his apartment, so he just settled on ordering something instead.

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Dream 💚

2am isnt that late

__________

George stared at the screen as Dream continued to type for a long time. The bubbles at the bottom of the screen would pop up, then die down again. Whatever Dream wanted to say, he was hesitating a lot.

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Dream 💚

besides i kinda missed u :/

__________

George felt himself blush. Just gratitude for a friend caring, he thought. He didn't know how to reply, though. Maybe Dream wasn't being serious and if George gave a sincere reply it'd make things weird.

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George

Haha gay

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He immediately realized what a stupid reply that was. Dream was probably being serious. They had barely talked because of how busy George had been during the moving process. He saw Dream typing again, but no reply came. Feeling a little guilty, he ordered some food and went back to his room to watch a movie while he waited for it to arrive.

He found himself glancing at his phone every time it buzzed, hoping it was Dream asking him to record, call, anything. Just as he thought that he'd upset him, a text popped up on his screen.

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Dream 💚

wanna record?
i took a nap
much better now

George

Yeh sure call me on discord

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He was secretly relieved that Dream hadn't texted him because he had been asleep rather than upset. As soon as he got a call from Dream and they started recording, all his stress seemed to wash away.

It had been like that ever since he met dream - he found himself looking forward to their next encounter. It wasn't something he even admitted to himself, but between family issues, everyday problems and being unable to sleep, Dream was his escape. He felt somewhat guilty for viewing his best friend as a distraction, but he was sure that in some way he was the same to Dream.

The session was filled with their usual banter and flirtatious jokes he always blushed at. Another thing he didn't want to admit was that as an otherwise shy person, he really, really liked being the center of his best friend's attention. Almost to a point where he'd do and say outrageous things just to get Dream to react.

They finished the recording and started casually talking. Just small talk about everything - how George was adjusting to his new life away from his parents' house, how Dream found a new recipe and totally fell in love with it... Everyday things. Despite that, George listened to every word spoken by his best friend throughout the whole thing. It was only when he hung up the call that he realized his jaws were aching like crazy from smiling the whole time.

George got up and turned off his PC to heat up some of the leftovers from before. He started to aimlessly wander around the empty space while he waited for his food to be done. He'd thought his own place was all he wanted. Back at his parents' house, he always dreamed of a nice apartment in the city, out of the suburbs he grew up in. And even if the apartment was in decent shape and more than enough for one person to live in, he wasn't satisfied.

The former full gray sky had been replaced by a warm evening illuminated by the soft streetlights. He saw people walking on the streets - happy families, groups of friends and couples hand in hand.

That was when he realized how lonely he felt. How desperately he wanted someone to be there with him, to take care of him. They'd cook together, take walks in the evenings, hug... Oh, what he wouldn't give in that moment to have someone by his side who truly understood him, comforted him through the night, cherished him... and truly, unconditionally loved him. For who he was - a flawed human. And he'd love them back.

The microwave beeping teared him from his train of thought. He didn't really feel hungry anymore.

Trying to shake this new suffocating feeling of dread and loneliness away, he turned and entered his room again.

Another night came. Another night of restlessness and terror. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, hoping to fall asleep and finally catch a well-deserved rest. But to no avail.