Setting Sun

10 | Tenebrae Vincunt | 10

{Tenebrae Vincunt: Latin for "Darkness prevails"}

TW!!!- severe panic attack, talk about self hatred, reference to su!cide, mention of death

If any of things are triggering to you, go to the end of the chapter where I will have a brief overall of the contents of the chapter so you don't miss anything.

***

"What is going on?" George said incredulously, convinced he was dreaming. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Georgie! It's really you!" Wilbur said, rushing up to George and picking him up in an embrace. Dream stood close by, somewhat protectively.

"Who the honk is Wilbur?" Karl whispered to Sapnap, who shrugged. He was in just as much confusion as Karl. But Dream knew. Dream knew who it was and George could tell. The way he stood, the shock on his face. He didn't need to know the name of George's old best friend, or a description of what he looked like. Dream knew because he paid attention, he noticed how the way George acted when talking about Wilbur was the exact same as he was acting now.

"Wilbur, I thought you were dead, how are you here?"

"It's, um, kind of a long story," Wilbur said. George waited, demonstrating that he wasn't moving until he got answers. "That we should discuss alone."

"Uh uh, nope, this is where I have to intervene," Dream said, stepping so that he was in the middle of the two.

"And who's this?" Wilbur asked, sounding more annoyed than curious.

"I'm Dream. You must be Wilbur." Dream didn't wait for an answer, and instead turned to George. "George, this is the guy you thought was dead, literally a minute ago. Are you really just gonna go off on your own with him?" Dream asked, so low that only George could hear.

"Dream, Clay, he's my best friend. Or was, and I think I deserve some answers. Do I not?"

"Well of course you do, I just don't think it's very smart to be alone with him. You don't know what he's like after all this time," he pleaded, desperate now.

"Hey, it's okay, I'll be fine. I just wanna figure everything out, preferably alone."

"George," Wilbur interrupted, Dream glared at him. "I have to go soon. Are you coming?"

"Yes," George said without a second thought.

"George," Dream warned. "What about us?"

"What about us?"

"Things are gonna be different if you go back to him, and you know it. Do you want things between us to change?"

"What things?!" George yelled, angry now. "What are we, Dream? We only just met, and we've already slept in the same bed, I've borrowed your clothes, and you even bought me flowers! What is that? What is this? Are we a 'thing' or not? If you can answer honestly, then I'll stay, Dream." He waited, Dream just stared at him, shocked, not knowing what to say, but looked like he desperately wanted to answer. "That's what I thought." George turned on his heel, walking in the direction Wilbur had come from. He heard Wilbur's footsteps as he ran up behind him, and could feel the three boys' eyes bearing into his back.

"Well," Wilbur said when they were a little ways away, "that was awkward."

"Can we please not talk about it?" George said, voice still angry.

"Sure, sure," Wilbur answered quietly, though a few seconds later he spoke up again. "Are you and Dream, like, a thing though?"

"Clearly, by that conversation, I don't have any more of a clue than you do."