raspberries and dirt

9. raspberries

George woke from his sleep. His back was pressed against Dream's stomach, and Dream's hands wrapped around his waist. He didn't know when Dream had gotten in the bed, and he didn't know when they began to fit together like puzzle pieces, but it happened. They fit together.

Dream's soft, gentle snoring filled the freezing train car. George shifted, trying to move closer to Dream. His movement woke the boy, and he whispered in George's ear.

"Good morning, my love."

Wait.

Excuse me?

When did George become Dream's lover?

It's not like he was mad about it; he was just confused. When had this happened?

"Good morning," George mumbled.

Dream hugged George tighter and pulled him closer.

George loved every single second of it.
_____

Dream took George by the hand and pulled him outside the train car into the freezing morning air. The sunlight streamed in through the canopy of leaves overhead, and dust mites swirled in the beams of light.

Dream showed George to a bush growing at the edge of the train track.

"It's a raspberry bush!" Dream said excitedly.

George reached in and plucked a perfectly red raspberry off the bush. The leaves scraped at his hand, and he extracted it from the bush. He popped the berry into his mouth, and the flavor burst in his mouth like a rainbow.

"Jesus Christ, it's been forever since I've had something fresh."

"You can have fresh stuff every day here. Some wild mushrooms are growing along the tracks, and a couple more raspberry bushes, too. If you want to stay, that is," Dream said.

George wanted to stay forever. He knew he couldn't, though. The kids he was in an alliance with would find him eventually, and they had weapons. Although, George did too. A black-handled dagger with a steel blade was tucked into his pocket. It was sharp enough to kill someone, for sure.

George didn't want to kill anyone, though. He just wanted to live in this train car with Dream and pick wild raspberries every day.

It would never happen, but a boy can dream.
_____

Dream stared at George's lips as he bit into the ripe raspberry. His lips were cracked and dry, the color a dusty pink. They were upturned at the corners. Dream didn't know that for a fact, though. George might just always be smiling with him.

Dream didn't know why George loved him. Or why Dream loved George. It seemed as if Dream was always smiling with him rather than frowning.

George made Dream happy. It was all he could ask for.

Dream looked at George's lips again. Jesus fucking christ, he couldn't pull his eyes away.

Dream grabbed George's wrist and pulled him back towards the train car. Before George could walk inside, however, Dream pushed him against the wall.

George's eyes widened.

"George, you need to be kissed. So hard you don't remember your own name."
_____

Holy shit. This was like a fucking novel.

The words echoed around in George's mind.

George, you need to be kissed. So hard you don't remember your own name.

Dream's strawberry blond hair fell into his bright green eyes, which were currently staring into George's blue eyes. The freckles on his cheeks popped. The colors around him were radiant.

Dream shoved his lips onto George's.

And the boy forgot his own name.