Comfort in Silence // dnf

Will They or Wont They

They were standing at the airport. Near another exit because Georges terminal was at a different location but it was was Deja vu from when Clay was picking up Nick. They were leant back onto the car watching the sky as the pink hues mingled with the blues. The sun was going down and the automated lights outside the building were slowly turning on. 

Georges flight landed almost 20 minutes ago but he was taking his time as usual. Nick was playing Clay back in a game of pool on their phones and he was concentrated on his screen, trying to angle the shot correctly. He missed though and he groaned as the cue ball fell into the slot. 

"Dude what the hell." He whined looking at Clays screen, seeing him line up the shot and make it in. He kept up that streak with a little smirk as he continued to knock each ball into the sockets on the table. Finally it came to the 8 ball which was no different as he selected where he was going to send it, and then proceeded to do so. 

"Dream, let me win at least once please." Nick begged, looking at the "you lost" on his own phone. He didn't receive a reply, only the sight of Clay who was looking at the doors to the airport with a wide smile. Nick had a baseball cap on so it was hard to tell that it was him, so when he noticed George looking around like a lost kid in the grocery store he understood why Clay had that goofy grin on his face.

He was a weird mix of excited and nervous, but the sight of his friend looking as confused as he was put him on the edge of laughter. 

Despite his distinct characteristics and height, George was still having trouble spotting him in the small crowd of people. He even wore one of his bright green hoodies, which would make him a beacon for fans but he didn't care because this was for George.

 (In retrospect it was a bad idea because George was colorblind and the hoodie would just appear as a piss yellow instead of Clays signature green color.)

But then, like you would see in one of those cheesy romantic movies on Netflix, George made eye contact with Clay, and his face mirrored his friend as he rushed over with his suitcase rolling behind him. 

Clay held open his arms for a hug, something he obviously didn't do for Nick who made note to give him crap for it later. George took the offer, dropping the case and wrapping his arms around the others waist. They held each other for at least 2 minutes.

Nick had heard Clay talk about George in call, and he could tell then that his friend cared about the other, but now this? This hug was more than platonic and he was certain of that. All of this combined just sealed the deal. He just wondered how long it would take the two of them to confess to each other, if ever. 

"Hate to break whatever this is, but we should probably get out of here before some fans recognize George and I and put two and two together." Nick said, trying his best to get rid of the feeling like he was now third wheeling. 

"I didn't think about that." George said with his accent, breaking the hug. He couldn't see but Clay frowned a little, losing the heat source he had just a moment ago. He  just nodded along and walked to grab Georges luggage from where he dropped it. He turned around to his friends playing Rock Paper Scissors for shotgun, George winning in the end because Nick just kept sending out scissors.

He smiled and headed to the trunk to put the luggage away. Once he was situated in the car they were off, back to the house for the second time that day, or in Georges case, the first. Nick still managed to keep control of the music and played some of his favorite songs on the way back. This ride was far quicker because the airport wasn't as congested as before so it only took them about 20 minutes.

When they got back George had the same reaction as Nick, but he didn't smother Patches because she learned from before and was hidden away in a room somewhere. They settled in, letting George set up his room to preference, and then after Nicks incessant begging they finally played monopoly. 

"Ha! Go to prison Dream!." Nick laughed, watching as the prison card was placed in the discard. Clay just shot him a look as he placed his game piece in the prison square. He was winning too and this certainly did not help. 

The game went on for another couple hours, edging on the longer side as the boys played longer and longer. Their competitive attitudes clashed which made them put more effort into the game which meant more strategy and more undermining. 

All for a children's board game that you could find at any store these days. 

Eventually Clay secured his victory despite being sent to prison and having houses bought out from under his nose. He cheered holding up a hand and calling "Lets go!"

George smiled. Nick told him how Clay was apprehensive about talking earlier and he was worried, so hearing him cheer after winning the game was nice. He didn't say anything more than a few words and when he did speak it was rare, but progress was progress. George was subconsciously looking fondly at the smile on his friends face, not even noticing his own smile forming on his own. 

Nick took another note watching carefully. It was kind of creepy to be honest but he didn't care. Seeing his friends fall for each other right in front of him was kind of funny, and he wondered if they noticed each others longing looks or how they acted around each other. 

This is going to take a while 

It was late at this point, nearing around 2 AM for George internal clock so they decided to call it a night.

"Disney tomorrow." Clay reminded with a short sentence, watching George walk up the stairs to the guest room. "Okay Dream, thank you!" George said continuing up the stairs to finally go to sleep. 

Once he was gone Nick turned around on the couch to face Clay who was looking at the TV. This caught his attention and he refocused to his friend who looked like he was about to ask something. Clay cocked a brow waiting for something.

"Be honest with me Dream. You like him don't you?" Nick asked, holding onto the back of the couch with his arm. Clay froze, caught. He panicked. But then he remembered it was Nick. He could tell Nick anything. Nick wouldn't judge him.

"Yeah..." He admitted, looking down at his feet as if it was something to be embarrassed about. "But don't tell him please!" He added frantically, afraid that secret texts would be sent and his secret would be exposed. He always needed time with this kind of stuff so he hoped that Nick would keep it quiet. At least until he mustered up enough courage to confess.

They both knew that would take forever with Clays anxiety, but neither dared to mention it.  

"You seem to be warming up to him, that's good." Nick complemented looking at his friend with a smile. "Yeah, I still can't talk to him like I do with you though." Clay added, sounding discouraged. He beat himself inside thinking that he should have been farther along by now, especially with his budding feelings for the boy upstairs. 

"Don't say that, you told me the doctor said things like this would take time. You can't rush yourself. Not to mention you've made more progress with George in one month than you have with anyone else." Nick complemented, knowing that Clay had never really even tried with anyone else. That said more about how much he cared for George than anything. 

"Get some sleep dude. You need it." Nick added, waving his hand to get the other to go upstairs and sleep. Clay rolled his eyes but turned to the stairs. He muttered a quick "good night" and started up the stairs, with Patches not far behind him. 

He was so tired that he didn't bother changing out of his basketball shorts and t-shirt. He just climbed into the covers and scrolled through his twitter until he felt tired. 

He was excited he finally got to meet his friends in person. The next two weeks would be fun.

A|N

Shorter chapter rip. I aim for 2000 per chapter but I feel like this has enough in it already. I accidentally pre wrote a later chapter in the middle of this one so I didn't forget my plan for it (It wont be published for another 2-3 chapters so...) its got angst so watch out o_o

Feedback it always appreciated!

-wowie