Inky's Collection of Shorts

Say You Love Me

"Say you love me, George."

George clenched his hands into fists at his side, glaring down at the ground. His friends, Dream and Sapnap, stood a ways in front of him, still in the midst of yelling at each other. All because of him. Because he couldn't do what everyone expected of him.

Despite being a king for only a short amount of time, he already knew how useless he was in the position.

"Say it, please."

Five simple words that Dream always used to tease him during better times. Five words that made George blush and look away, denying all claims tossed in his direction. He was never going to say it, of course, and he always complained about the teasing, but inwardly he enjoyed it. Teasing meant that the mood was good and happy.

Now, the mood was down to the Nether.

Dream's voice rang in his head, making him long for a better time. When things were good and okay before he messed everything up.

The sound of arguing reached his ears. He looked up at his friends. Sapnap was gesturing at the castle around them, frowning as he protested against Dream, but the man simply shook his head and scowled back at him. Disfunction between the three of them, cracks splitting along their friendship. George seemed to be hardwired towards messing everything up.

"He can do it!"

"No, he can't. You saw what happened! He nearly died on three separate occasions!"

"Yeah, but he's still alive now, isn't he?"

"That could easily change and you know it."

George clasped his hands together and leaned back against the wall, shifting his sitting position so that he could rest his head against his arms. Three times did people target him, ready to assassinate him, and three times was he saved by Dream and Sapnap. Three times did he prove to be incapable to taking care of himself.

Unlike Eret, he was no king. He wasn't fit to rule. Dream had made him king because Eret had proved unable of being an impartial ruler, but George was clearly weak. In just a week, there had been enough assassination attempts that even Dream was regretting his decision.

I just want to be able to help. Dream needed me to be a king, and I failed.

He gripped the velvet red cloak around his shoulders tighter, digging his fingernails into the fabric. He didn't deserve it. It belonged to Eret, as did the crown perched on his head, and George knew it.

"George."

At the sound of his voice, he looked up. Dream and Sapnap were looking at him now, finally silent. Their debate was over, but tension was still in the air. He could feel it resonating off of the two, in the way they refused to look each other in the eyes and the furrow of their eyebrows.

"I'll be reinstating Eret as king in a couple of days," Dream said, addressing George. "Until then, I will take the throne, and you will stay with Sapnap."

Sapnap folded his arms in front of his chest and scowled down at the ground. George knew how busy the man was, what with trying to get Karl comfortable in the new area and putting out fires between people before they could flare up and consume the SMP. But Sapnap was going along with what Dream proposed, even if he didn't like it. George had to respect that.

"What about you?" George asked.

Dream shrugged. "I don't want to be king, but I'll have to do it. I can't leave the throne empty."

Empty, because of me.

Why couldn't I just do what he needed me to do? Why has it come down to this?

I can't do anything properly.

George felt tears well up in his eyes, but he did his best to fight them down. Tears were of no use to him, and they certainly weren't any good for Dream. But they slid down his cheeks anyway as he met Dream's gaze and gave him a sad smile. He knew what Dream was probably thinking, and he agreed with it as well. Dream wouldn't say it himself, so George said it for him.

"Just say you hate me, Dream."