exposé

twelve

A/N: slight tw!! this chapter mentions/ shows signs of parental neglect, symptoms of anxiety/panic attacks, and possible symptoms of dissociation. make sure you stay safe, and i love you all <3

enjoy!!

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"What're you guys doing after school?" Quackity hummed, trying and failing miserably to sound nonchalant.

George rolled his eyes in fond annoyance, continuing to mindlessly dig into the bag of chips Dream had brought in for him. Their relationship had been steadily improving again after the kissing incident, and they both quickly grew back into their old friendly habits. The rest of their group had promptly gotten over their own initial shock at seeing both Dream and George back to their normal selves, and didn't even bat an eye at their 'strange' behaviour anymore.

If anything, things between himself and Dream were even better than before. George was less hesitant to seek out what he wanted- feeling more secure in himself and his friendship with Dream now that they'd had a talk about boundaries and what everything meant. He would happily take the taller boy's hand under the table now, and even went as far as to let himself indulge in the soft affection Dream seemed to like lathering him in.

Dream had become increasingly more doting as time went on, too. George wasn't stupid enough to not notice the way Dream had started constantly giving him different snacks, or carrying around a spare water bottle everywhere with him just in case George needed one. It was nice to feel so looked after, George thought.

He tried not to let himself indulge in the attention too much, though. He didn't want to come across as though he was using Dream for his gifts, or that he simply wanted Dream's money and care, and not the boy himself. George had mentally begrudgingly accepted the fact that what he felt for Dream ran deeper than what it probably should've- even if he couldn't express it out loud.

If George was less oblivious, however, he would've noticed that Dream's actions were on par with what his ancestors would describe as 'courting'. Dream was subconsciously trying to prove that he could provide for George, that he could cater to his every need, and even that he would be good 'mate material'.

But again, George was oblivious to a fault, and simply registered Dream's behaviour as his way of apologising for the whole situation from before.

It didn't help that Dream was in pre-rut still either. He'd been in it for almost three weeks now, and became more and more restless and Alpha-like the longer it went on. George knew that Dream had some kind of mental claim on him- if the growl he'd been letting out during lunch the week prior was anything to go by- and somewhat dreaded what would happen if Dream randomly went into rut around him.

Maybe 'dreaded' wasn't the right word to use.

George had never seen an Alpha in rut before, or even an Omega in heat- despite being one himself. He had no clue how they usually acted in their different states, and could only picture the awful stories he'd overheard about them in the hallways whenever he thought about it. He knew that everyone was different, though, and that Dream could act the complete opposite of the gossip he'd listened in on.

Whenever George thought about it, shivers would travel down his spine- and not necessarily in a bad way.

George was brought out of his thoughts from a gentle poke to his shoulder, jumping slightly from the suddenness of it. He quickly sat upright from his slouched-over position, turning his head to the side with wide eyes to see Dream grinning at him softly. George huffed out a light laugh.

"You okay?" Dream hummed, voice low enough that the other members at their table wouldn't be able to hear, "You seemed really out of it."

"I'm fine," George's smile grew at Dream's concern, his hand snaking over to Dream's own from underneath the table to squeeze it reassuringly, "I promise, I was just thinking."