Comfort (Dream X GeorgeNotFound)

Savior

Days and nights had blurred together for George. It was still dark out when he woke up from his nap on the couch with a headache. He went back to the bedroom to look at his phone. 4 AM. And new messages from Clay.

It took all the willpower he had not to unlock his phone and go through their old chats. Oh, what he wouldn't give to make everything go back to the way it was before this unhealthy obsession started.

He hadn't really looked at himself in a good while. The only times he was home he was either passed out or drunk. Would he even be able to recognize himself?

The trip to the bathroom mirror was difficult. Without being able to stand up straight, George had to lean against the walls to support himself. He opened the door and looked at his reflection.

A stranger stared back at him from the mirror. He recoiled. The stranger did, too.

He had sunken eyes, pink splotches on his face, uneven stubble that he had never grown out before, and terrible, sickly pale skin.

He stood with his mouth agape. Of course he knew he wouldn't be in the best shape, but... He didn't expect it to be this bad.

What was even the point of trying to look presentable? The only people he interacted him only saw him in neon lights and dark alleys where his face was mostly obscured. He doubted it really mattered. It's not like he was trying to impress someone anymore...
Still, he had been a person that took pride in their appearance most of his life. This was an unpleasant development.

With that, he turned and headed to the kitchen to retrieve another bottle of alcohol to drown his problems in.

_________

Clay packed up as soon as he could. He hadn't brought much in a hurry. Just his phone, a few changes of clothes and meds that he occasionally needed.

Right now, he only had one goal in mind. Clay made sure his phone was fully charged and left the hotel with his suitcase in hand. He booked a room near where George was supposed to be and hailed a cab.

It was difficult to know what he was feeling. Confusion? Hope? Excitement? It certainly wasn't a normal situation he'd found himself in, but the thought of finally reuniting with George kept him going.

_________

After a drunken haze, he spent his morning and afternoon playing videogames on his console. At least that way he'd have a distraction.

When evening came, though, George decided the silence in his head was too deafening no matter what he tried. The music he blasted to fill the emptiness earned an angry pounding on the shared wall between his apartment and his neighbor's.

Finally, he caved. He changed his pants and threw on a shirt that he hadn't cared enough to wash for several days of wearing on end, then unlocked the front door and headed down to the place he'd been frequenting for so long now.

It was an unusually busy night at the club. Maybe that had something to do with the discounted drink day that was held every week. Either way, George actually preferred when the place was crowded. More people to choose from, and he didn't get as much attention so he could slip away into the alley.

That night, he settled for a tall guy with a deep voice and brown hair. He figured it'd be close enough to Clay's appearance. As usual, they ended up in the alley, with George up against the wall, the other person towering over him.