a collection || dreamnotfound

yours truly,

the stifling air causes sweat to collect on dream's forehead as he rests it on the cold metal bars in an attempt to cool himself down. his hands also wrap themselves around the bar as he sighs in frustration at his situation.

the potent scent of alcohol and vomit linger around the small, cramped room and it causes dream's face to twist into one of disgust as he desperately tries to block it out. just out of sight, an annoying tick of a clock can be heard and he taps his foot at his growing impatience, he has no idea how long he's been stuck here but every second feels like hell.

dream slides his hands up the bars a little, finding a newer, cooler spot for them to rest on. he pathetically tries to ignore the noises coming from the other people who are also locked away with him; but it doesn't seem to be working. this irritates dream, and it takes everything in him not to start yelling.

in one corner of the room, is a middle aged man lying in the fetal position crying. he must be drunk. dream turns so his back is pressed against the uncomfortable bars as he takes a good look at everyone. surprisingly, there isn't as many people in here as he originally thought.

in the opposite corner is a boy he hadn't spotted on his way in. he's sitting on a chair, swinging his legs and staring at the ground. dream raises a brow as the boy looks over at him, to break any eye-contact he averts his gaze onto his hands. they're bruised and a few cuts litter his knuckles. a few seconds go by, and dream can feel the boy's stare so he gives in and looks back at him.

his brown eyes meet dream's, and for a moment, he doesn't feel as irritated as he had before. the two break eye contact when their peace is disturbed, a short woman rounds the corner before yelling a name.

"robert, it's your time. get up."

the man, robert, stirs from his sleep before standing. he stands by the door, which the lady opens and he leaves with her. dream looks around at the remaining people, tilting his head back and his eyes fall on a familiar pair that stare again back at him.

"what did you do?" the boy says, seemingly out of nowhere. his voice echoes quietly throughout the small room, and his british accent stands out even while his words are slightly slurred.

dream narrows his eyes, "none of your business."

the brunette shrugs, still swinging his legs. time seems to go by even slower than before, the boy's attention being drawn to dream's every few minutes, but he avoids eye contact. each time he feels the boy's eyes on him, he becomes all too aware of his breathing. agonising seconds turns into minutes before dream finally gives in.

"i hit somebody." he pauses to look over at the stranger, who raises his brows at the other's statement. "what about you?"

the boy seems surprised he actually responded, but plasters a small smile onto his face as he replies. "none of your business."

this earns a genuine chuckle from dream, and he can't help but join in. a man in the opposite corner stares at the two, and appears to be annoyed, however dream responds to this with a harsh glare of his own. the man soon averts his eyes to the floor, shifting uncomfortably under the taller's gaze. a moment of silence passes through the room until somebody finally speaks up.

"i got really drunk." the boy admits, "with a friend. but then i lost him."

dream raises a brow. "lost him? how do you lose someone?"

he giggles, shrugging. "i wandered off and managed to stumble into the police."

"well, you're definitely something." he replies, an amused smile on his face as he studies the boy's face. "so, what's your name?"

"oh, george." he mumbles, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "you?"

"you can call me dream."

the boy, george, nods in response before smiling. "well, nice to meet you, dream."

another moment of silence passes, but george speaks again.

"so, uh, what happened? who'd you punch?"

dream's eyes flit to his hand, observing his bruised knuckles once again. "just some dude who insulted my sister." he pauses, scrunching his face up. "to be clear, it was self-defence; he hit me first. after that i don't know what happened, i just kept punching and punching until i was dragged off the guy."

"jesus." george mutters, "now i know not to insult your sister, i guess."

"oh?" dream's eyes light up, his tone soft. "did you plan to?"

the other snickers, "i did actually."

dream hums, suppressing a small laugh before walking over to sit beside george, whose eyes glance at him in curiosity.

"you know, i punched a guy once." the smaller says, a smirk on his face.

"oh yeah?"

george laughs, "yeah, and my hand bruised so bad i cried."

this time, it's dream who breaks out into a fit of laughter, wheezing at the boy who feigns hurt. "aw, poor georgie." he mocks after calming down.

"it's not funny, i was seriously injured." he gasps dramatically.

"guess we've both had our share of bruises then, eh?" dream chuckles, his brow raised at the other who nods in agreement.

minutes pass, and each second feels like an eternity has passed and dream finds himself growing drowsy. he peers at the boy beside him, who had fallen asleep a while ago. his head rested gently on both dream's shoulder and the wall behind them. the chair was a little uncomfortable, but not insufferable, so he lets his body relax and fall into a light slumber.

dream's body jolts upright as a creaking noise disturbs him, and he finds himself disoriented as he takes a long look around the room. his mind only clears when his hand begins throbbing, oh, a holding cell.

for a moment, he's put at ease. he appears to be alone, and it's peaceful. too peaceful. a distant chatter occupies his ears and the occasional beep from another room. a chill runs up his spine as a short breeze greets his skin and he grimaces at the feeling.

george.

his heart leaps into his throat at the thought of the smaller boy. he wonders where he is. perhaps the bathroom? he looks to his right, the empty seat george previously sat in remains cold. and looks outside the cell, toward the open door labelled 'BATHROOM'

he tuts, a sinking feeling hits him as he realises george is gone. he must've been let out while dream was sleeping. hopelessness and despair creeps into his brain as he begins to fall back into the peaceful abyss of sleep when the sound of metal clanking against metal makes him jump. the freight was caused by a warden, who glares at dream before speaking.

"it's your time. get up."

with a curt nod, dream stands and waits for the warden's next instruction. he sticks his hands through the bars and feels the cold metal handcuffs against his skin as it's put on abruptly and the cell door is opened immediately after. he is walked into another room, before being forced to sign a couple of forms while being scolded by a security guard who waits in the corner of the room. after promising he'll "improve" he is finally let out.

dream walks to the reception desk, retrieving his items which consist of a phone, his  wallet, keys and a few other random things he forgot he owned. he pockets his belongings and turns to leave but the receptionist clears her throat, stopping him in his tracks.

"sir, a note was left here for you." she states, eyeing the man before holding a piece of paper toward him.

with a simple smile, dream takes it, uttering a short, "thank you."

as he leaves the building, he's met with a rush of biting air and he suddenly feels grateful for being able to walk outside. as he walks towards the nearest bus station, he curiously glances at the note.

in scrawny letters written in black ink is a number followed by a, 'yours truly, george.' and he can't stop the smile on his face which widens brightly and he knows the boy will be stuck on his mind for a while, at the least.

maybe holding cells aren't so bad.

wc: 1424