Flame Between a Rose (dnf)

Nightmare

Was it supposed to be extremely hot? Because it's burning.

Dream looked around the room.

Fire.

Bright flames lit up the room. They wiggled around, threatening to come closer to him.

He finally realized that he was in his own room. The sage green walls were now covered with brown spots from the burning. Multiple sheets of fanart that were hanging on his walls were burnt to crisps. Clothes on the ground were no longer wearable.

Loud meowing was heard from under his bed, which was surprisingly not on fire. Quickly, Dream jumped off his bed and grabbed his terrified cat.

"I'm right here, Patches."

Dream zoomed towards the door, trying his best to avoid the flames. He got a hold of the handle, pushing it down and back towards him to open the door.

With no hesitation, he did the same with the new door in front of him, pushing forward instead.

"George?!"

There was a major difference between the two rooms. Dream's was lit up, of course. But this one. This was much worse than his.

There was a burst of flame in his face the second he opened the door. He yelped in pain, protecting Patches by putting her under his shirt.

Coughing, Dream jumped into the room when he had the chance. There was a path that was surprisingly not in flames. He followed it, sprinting as fast as he could to reach his friend. The room was larger than usual, which confused him.

A few words in some type of black ink were on the white walls.

'PROTECT.'

'WATCH OUT.'

'FUTURE.'

'L.'

The last one wasn't even a word; it was just a letter. What could it mean?

The bed was finally right there in front of him. George was neatly laid on the bed, looking as peaceful as ever.

"George! Come on, we have-"

Suddenly, Dream was pushed away. He watched as the bed burst into flames, tears flooding down his face.

There was nothing he could do. He couldn't even get up; something was holding him down as if there were weights tied onto his legs.

"George!"

"Dream!"

His eyes shot open. The blond quickly sat up, looking around at the now normal room. His clock read 3:46 am.

'It was just a nightmare.'

Finally, Dream turned to face the startled brunet sitting next to him.

"Are you okay? I was trying to wake you up."

Dream released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. He nodded, wiping away the tears that were on his face. "Yeah. Just had a nightmare." He shifted in his bed, laying the back of his head on his pillow to face the ceiling. George did the same.

"You were yelling my name," George whispers, "you sure you're okay?" Dream turned to his side, facing George. He held up his head with his right hand. "Yep. Now let's go to sleep. We're leaving in the morning, remember?"

And with that, Dream went back to look at the ceiling.

'That dream was completely different from past ones I've had. I wonder what it could mean.'

--------------------

"Line without a hook?"

"Yeah, do you know it?"

The boys have been driving for an hour already. Dream couldn't think of any songs to put on so he once again gave his phone over to George.

"I do," replied Dream. How could he ever forget that song? It was the one he cried to when they had their break. Oh, the memories.

George hit play on his phone, putting it down afterward. Dream kept his eyes on the road, only looking over at his friend when there was a red light. He enjoyed the view of George playing with Patches. It was adorable.

"Cars are moving."

He snapped his head back to the road, pressing his foot onto the gas pedal. "Sorry." He found it funny how George would find ways to tell him that the red light was now green since he couldn't actually see the color. Dream smiled when he remembered what he got George for Christmas.

"Can we stop at a store or something? I need to pee." Dream chuckled, taking a right turn to head towards the nearest store. After finding a grocery store, Dream parked his car.

"You're gonna have to go by yourself. I can't leave Patches here alone." He watched as George's smile changed to a frown. "But I don't want to go alone. What if someone kidnaps me?"

Dream sighed, getting out of his car with Patches in his hands. He walked to the other side, meeting a smiling brunet. "Hopefully we don't get in trouble for bringing a cat."

They walked inside, cool air hitting their bodies. Luckily, the bathrooms were close to the entrance.

"I'll wait for you out here."

George nodded, walking into the men's bathroom, leaving Dream alone. Dream was petting Patches when a lady walked up to him. She had curly brown hair leading down to her shoulders, dark-colored eyes, and a slim body.

"Your cat is so cute! He matches you," she says as she winks at him. Dream was already annoyed. "She," he corrects her. "Can I help you with something?"

She smiles at him, taking a step towards him to pet Patches. "You can help me by giving me your number."

Dream moved Patches out of her reach. "I think I'm good," he responds. The blond removes the smile off his face, hoping that George would hurry up.

"Are you sure? Maybe we can-"

"Babe, I'm ready to go." In sync, they turned to see the short brunet standing next to him. George intertwined their hands, looking at the lady with a grin on his face. "Who's this?" Dream smiled at him, squeezing his hand.

"Oh, I didn't know you were...Sorry." She walked away, leaving the store with embarrassment.

"Let's go, babe."

George rolled his eyes. "Shut up. I was trying to help. And it worked."

With their hands still together, the two left the store. The trip to Dream's family's house continued.