Empty Boxes

Chapter Fifteen

this chapter is dedicated to lexxi <3 

Time passed, and Dream was still staying with George.

George never thought that the man would stay with him this long, making sure George was eating enough and that he got out of bed in the morning. George was grateful.

It was another morning, and this time it was pissing rain, the sky an angry grey color. George woke up first, smiling to himself when he realized that Clay had draped himself around him again, arm curled over George's stomach. This had become an everyday occasion that he had learned to appreciate. He enjoyed the comfort. 

Flipping over, George took a moment to admire Dream's features, the freckles on his cheeks, the slope of his nose. He reached out a finger and slowly traced his cheekbones, jumping violently when the other man's eyes shot open.

"Jesus!" George yelped, heart pounding. "What the fuck was that for?" 

Dream laughed and pulled George closer, cuddling him against his chest. "I just wanted to mess with you a bit," he chuckled. "Good morning, Georgie."

"Good morning, Dream."

They lay together for a few minutes before George started to get uncomfortable with the contact - something new that had surfaced recently - and pulled away. Dream looked disappointed, but didn't say anything.

"I'm going to go shower," George said, stifling a yawn as he got out of bed and stretched. Dream sat up and nodded, picking his phone up from the nightstand. 

"Okay," he said simply. "Will you be okay in there?"

George pursed his lips. "I'll be fine, don't worry."

Dream watched, suspicious at how quickly George walked into the bathroom. His concerns grew when the door locked.

"Hey, George," he called, getting up from the bed and slowly walking over to the bathroom door. "Can you unlock this really quick? I need to grab my toothbrush."

George sighed and unlocked it, stepping out of the way. Dream smiled at him and quickly grabbed what he needed, shutting the drawer as he left.

"Thanks!"

The bathroom door slammed and locked again, but Dream disregarded it.

He dumped the blades he held into the kitchen garbage, satisfied with the work he had done.

TW: Panic attack, mentions of SH (only mentions, no explicit scenes)

George was panicking a bit.

He opened the bottom drawer once Dream had grabbed his toothbrush and left, his heart rate quickening when he realized his blades were gone.

All of them.

He stumbled back a bit until his heels hit the bathtub and he tumbled into the bath, the water from the shower pouring over him. He ignored its sting and breathed heavily, his pupils blown wide with panic.

Thankfully, before he could get too far into his attack, a timid knock sounded at the door, and Dream walked in a moment later. 

"George?" he called. "I heard something bang up here, are you alright?"

George couldn't say anything, too focused on trying to get his breathing under control, only to have oxygen continuously slip out of his grasp.

"George?"

Dream's head peeked through the shower curtain, his eyes covered. He flinched back a bit as water hit his head, making his hair hang in his eyes. "Oh Jesus," he muttered. Carefully, he peeked through his fingers, relief showing on his face when he realized George was still clothed.

"What are you doing, dummy?" he teased. George's heart calmed significantly at Dream's tone, his chest still rising and falling at a concerning rate. Dream noticed this and reached a hand out, helping him out of the shower and handing him a towel. He left the bathroom and came back a minute later with fresh clothes.

"Come on," he said gently, helping George pull his shirt over his head and tugging the dry one down. George did the same with his pants, changing into a warm pair of sweats while Dream turned around respectfully.

"Done?" Dream asked, turning around. "Here, hand me the wet clothes. I'll toss them in the dryer."

George handed him the sopping wet clothes silently, following his friend out of the bathroom. He stood numbly in the center of his room while Dream disappeared with the clothes, coming back with a large blanket. He wrapped it around George's shoulders and led him back over to the bed, helping him get comfortable before lying down next to him.

"Do you want me to hold you for a bit?" He whispered, arms held open. George nodded and allowed Dream to pull him against his chest, wrapping his own arms around his waist. Tears pricked at his eyes, but he blinked them away before they could fall. Dream hummed a soothing tune and ran his hands through George's hair. 

"What happened?" he asked after a while of allowing George to calm down and bask in the other's comforting presence. George shrugged as well as he could while being held in his arms.

"I...couldn't find them," he muttered, cheeks warming in humiliation. Dream nodded.

"I threw them away." he admitted. "I knew you were still doing it and...I didn't know any other way to help. You need help, Georgie, maybe seeing someone, like a psychologist or a therapist or something-"

"I don't need help," George argued, sounding disgusted. "I'm perfectly fine."

"You're not fine," Dream said softly, whispering the words into his ear. "But that's okay, I get it. I just...I want to help you, Gogy. I think a therapist could really help with what you're going through."

George's cheeks turned pink and he murmured something under his breath, Dream leaning down so he could hear better.

"What was that?"

"...I have you, that's enough for me."

Dream laughed quietly and hugged George close. "You're right," he agreed. "You do have me. But someone else can help you better than I can."

When George didn't say anything, Dream huffed a bit. 

"Think about it, at least?"

George nodded.

"Thank you."

They slept together for a couple hours before George woke up. Dream woke up a moment after him, yawning and pulling him close. 

"What time is it?" he said sleepily, nuzzling his nose into George's hair. George's heart warmed at the gesture and twisted his neck to check the clock behind him.

"It's 2:30," he informed, flipping back over to curl into Dream's chest. Dream hummed in response and fell back into a comfortable silence.

"Georgie?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I kiss you?"

AN: I had a lot of writers block for this chapter so im sorry it took so long to get out! <3