Bittersweet // DreamnotFound

Flowers in Your Hair

"Hey, want to come on the rocks?"
"After last time? Never in 100 years."

Dream chuckled.

"What about 101?"
George rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"I'd be dead by then, Dream."

Dream hopped between two rocks back and forth, close to the shore so he could talk to George without yelling. The stream glistened nicely, just as it always did. It seemed to be quieter today, though, as if wanting Dream to talk to George and remind him everything was fine. He still thought George was weirded out by him. In reality, George's stomach was full of butterflies, watching the other boy hop between the two rocks, and remembering when they were holding hands the day before yesterday.

The thought never left George's mind since, for different reasons then why it never left Dream's.

"Again, thanks for saving me the other day," George thanks.

"Yeah, it's nothing," Dream replies, shrugging. Really, he was trying to hide his blush at the memory. "I mean anyone would save their best friend from drowning to death."

George seemed to hum at this, but Dream wasn't too sure, since the water did mute that. Dream only guessed by the way George's lips were shut tight against each other. Not that he was staring at them, or stared at them so much he could tell what his lips looked like when humming. It was just something he noticed over time, like how long-term friends notice little things about yourself you never did.

At least that's what he tried to convince himself.

"Well, what if it's a fake friend? They wouldn't save them then," George pointed out.

"I said best friend. If they're a fake friend, how would they be their best friend?"

"Well one person could think of the other as their best friend, and the other could think of the person as something less."

He saw George say something else, but that to was quieted by the flowing water. He decided not to ask about it, not wanted to push George any farther away then he thought he already had. Thoughts of George leaving came racing back to his mind, however he quickly blocked them out. If he were to think about that, it at least wasn't going to be in front of George.

"If Sapnap was in the same position as you were, and you could save him would you," Dream questioned, hopping to the rock closer to the shore from the other.

"Obviously not," George rolled his eyes, playfully. "I bet he would drag me in after him, then we would both be dead!"

Dream stops on the rock closet to the shore to wheeze, his tea kettle laughter filling the air. George could feel his face heating up, at the picture of Dream in front of him. His face was bright with a huge smile on it. The sunlight glistened on the water around him, and hit Dream at the perfect angle where his hair was highlighted nicely. If he had a camera, he would immediately take a picture, but even that wouldn't capture all beauty. Then he thought of something, something that would make the image more complete.

After Dream stopped laughing, George told him to stay in his exact spot and wait, before heading off into the forest in front of him. He was obviously confused by this request, but stayed put anyway. George could ask him to do anything, and he almost always do it. Dream couldn't decide whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

After Dream waited for a good bit, maybe 10 minutes, George came bursting back through the trees with something he was holding with two hands. When Dream noticed what it was, his eyes immediately lit up in awe.

There, held softly in both of George's hands was a flower crown.

The stems of the flowers were all intertwined, making a full ring. It was mostly blue flowers, but had a few dark purples and pinks thrown in as well. George had his arms out-stretched, holding it out like it was an actual crown. A few petals were on his hands after having fallen off some flowers. All Dream could do is stare in wonder with bright eyes.

"Uh, I made this for you. I don't know all the colors I put on there, but I hope it's pretty."

Dream was completely lost for words and hesitant to take it. It looked so fragile; he was scared it would break at the slightest touch.

He still took it, however, very gently, and set it on his head. It fit perfectly.

Slowly lowering his hands from his head and looking up, he is met with George's dark brown staring at him, arms now also lowered. They weren't too far apart, one step on the shoreline and their bodies would be against each other.

The river seemed to quiet.

"How do I look," Dream whispered.

George couldn't lie this time.

"Beautiful."

They stood and stared at each other for a while, Dream lost in his own thoughts about how the other looked, how he was one step away, how it would be the perfect moment-.

"I figured I had to thank you in some way," George says, cutting Dream's thoughts off.

"Yeah," he replies, quickly glancing away. "How did you learn how to make it anyway?"

"My mom taught me when I was little."

Dream looked up as if expecting to see much of the flower crown atop his head.

"Could you teach me how?"

"Uh, yeah, sure it's pretty simple."

George grabbed his wrist and pulled him off the rock, onto the shoreline, then over to the trees.

Dream had butterflies in his stomach, and despite the promises he made to himself, he figured he could break them on purpose just this one time. He let the butterflies stay.

~___~

Dream walks back into his room, more exhausted from the day than usual. He takes the flower off of his head and puts it on a shelf next to a clay blob Sapnap made for him back when they were 7, still trying to be gentle. He then flops onto his bed, ready to fall asleep. He gets a text from a number that's not in his contact list before he can, however.

Despite not being in his contact list, he still recognizes it as the one that belongs to a younger boy with blonde hair.

"Hey, Dream," It read, "it's Tommy, the guy you spoke to a bit last year? Yeah, well I'm throwing a party at Wilbur Soot's house (lol) you should know where it is. Lots of ppl will be there so, hope you come."