4:30

Chapter 3

Sheepishly opening the door, Clay keeps his head low as he enters the room. Silence settles over the two before he decides to speak.

"I-"

"Save it, you saw what you saw, no takesies backsies, just don't say anything to your friends."

"My friends? Why would they give a shit? Also, takesies backsies?"

"Look, I'm new, you're... well, you, I just don't want people finding out you walked in on me in a skirt, okay? That doesn't seem like I'm asking much," George finally snaps.

"Understood. I just, why, why don't want people finding out, they would eat that shit up," Clay admits, "It's not like it's a bad look or anything," Clay adds at the end before clearing his throat.

George looks at the floor before changing the topic, "You look tired. Are you sure you don't want to go to bed?" Clay realizes he never mentioned wanting to go to bed in the first place. Taking that as his cue to leave, he stands up and puts his hand out, 'what the fuck are you doing?'

"Alright well I'm gonna head to bed I guess," Clay stiffles out a small laugh.

"That's not what I meant! Your eyes are just kinda red," George says while simultaneously putting two and two together, "Oh Sapnap , you were with Sapnap , oh, sorry, I didn't, that was dumb of me, please sit, you can stay."

Clay hesitantly takes his seat, his mouth dries up from the weed and the images of the small brunette boy standing in front of his mirror. Images that won't stop replaying themselves in his head. The boy in front of him, currently in simple oversized clothes, is the same one who just minutes ago looked like something out of the fantasies stored in the darkest parts of Clay's mind.

George brings him out of his thoughts as he remarks on Clay's earlier adventures, "So how was Sapnap," he asks, pronouncing Sapnap 's name with a certain level of confusion, "did you guys have fun?"

"Lots," Dream smirks to him, "If you ever want to join, I'm just a text away."

George's eyes glimmer with something that reminds Clay of hope.

"I'd like that, a lot," Clay's not sure if George means the smoking part or the hanging out with his friends part. He presumes it's not the latter, and with that thought an offer comes to mind.

"Would you want to go to my room to smoke? I can show you my setup, and now that I've been in your room properly, it's only fair that you see mine," Clay opens the lighter,

"Yeah, sure," George flicks the flame to life.

The two men smile at each other, George hoisting himself off his bean bag before reaching out to help Clay out of his chair.

"I feel like I'm the one that should have helped you," Clay admits.

"And why's that?" George inquires.

"I'm the one who suggested we leave and all," Dream explains.

George nods slowly before grabbing Dream's wrist and pulling him to his feet. The blonde finds himself staring into brown eyes for a second longer than he should. Looking away, George starts out of his room and turns the corner before realizing there's no one following him. Peeking his head back in the doorway he mutters a quiet, "you coming or what?" Clay is snapped out of whatever hypnosis he's in, before walking out of George's room and following him down the hallway.

Shutting the door behind him, Clay rummages in his dresser drawer before pulling out his dab pen. He contemplates handing it to George first, but decides George may have never used one and he couldn't afford having another awkward moment with the brunette. Deeply inhaling, he makes eye contact with the shorter boy now sitting on the edge of his bed. As he exhales he grins to the man, trying to communicate whatever he's feeling without having to say it.