Free the Game, Beat the End [DreamNotFound]

Chapter 17

2 and a half hearts.

George was only a few seconds away from dying.

He was so close.

It was as if the experience was taunting him, dangling it in his face every time he tried to think about anything else.

Because he knew if it weren't for his friend, it would have been the end.

It would've been game over.

"Dream-" He winced, closing his eyes as his friend carefully covered up the wound. It was still painful, definitely, but he knew he was doing his best to stop the bleeding. He gritted his teeth as his friend slowly pulled out the dagger.

But Dream's hands were shaky, and he was frightened. George was so close to losing his life, but Dream was just as close to losing his best friend.

And to him, that was far more important.

Then he was angry.

He was pissed at the hunter who did this to him, the one who had made George go through all of that, the one who had almost killed him.

And he was furious at George for messing up, for putting his life in danger. For his stupid risky actions. But he bottled it up, holding in his words as he focused on the task ahead of him.

The moment Dream pulled out the weapon, blood began pouring out of it, and he rushed to cover it up, ripping off the sleeve of his hoodie and wrapping the cloth around his friend's injury.

They sat across each other on the floor of the fortress, as George rested his head on the wall, clutching onto his arm, as Dream searched through his inventory.

"Dream, why'd you use your hoodie? The hell- you look so stupid without the other sleeve," George said, frowning. He was grateful though, the wound hurt a lot less, and he couldn't feel those burns inward anymore.

Dream laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood. "The game is coded to keep skins intact no matter what, the sleeve will probably reappear soon." He explained, pulling out a golden apple and handing it to George. "Eat this, you need to regenerate your health."

George mumbled a thanks as he took the fruit, taking a bite out of it and watching his hearts rise up. They were still black though. He still had the wither effect.

"How come you had one? It probably would've been pretty useful if I had it earlier." He said, trying to hide his gratitude.

Dream just shrugged it off, trying to hide that slight bit of guilt he was feeling. "We only had a limited supply, not enough to give out. There was only enough for those planning to fight the hunters, but that didn't work out, did it?"

No, it really didn't, they messed up.

George tilted his head as he continued to eat, more so relishing the taste than for actual purpose. It tasted like a real apple. George loved apples, only this time, it was richer and more flavorful. "You do have extra ones right?"

"No, that's my only one."

George frowned, pulling away the fruit as he debated giving it back to his friend. It was supposed to be his safety net in case his health got low, and he had already saved George once in the nether. "My health is high enough, you should have the rest just in case."

Dream sighed, his expression visible under his mask. "Don't feel guilty, you need it more."

"No, I don't. I'm fine, take it," he said, practically shoving the half-eaten fruit up Dream's face.