Euthanasia

Chapter Five- Sunsets and Meadows

George woke up before Dream. His eyes fluttered open to Dream sleeping beside him. Though they weren't touching, George could feel his warmth, and though he begged himself not to, a part of him liked the security, the safety of sleeping next to him. He liked that he never had nightmares when Dream was with him. He liked to feel warm next to him. And most of all he wasn't alone.

But doing this was dangerous. Getting attached was only going to end up in disaster. He could never consider the king his friend. They were enemies. He was sharing a bed with someone who destroyed his life, tortured him. But he convinced himself he was doing it for the right reasons and that he wouldn't do it again. He had a job to do, kill the ruler of Iaspis Empire, then get away from it all. That was the plan, he had to stick to it and help the king. It was his only way to be free.

Dream stirred beside him, and George couldn't help but watch as his chest rose and fell gently as he slept. The sun was just beginning to rise, so it would be a while before training would start, so George laid back down, not intending to fall back asleep, but to just feel warm beside Dream. He scooted closer to him, so they were face to face, almost touching. For some reason George wanted to get close to him. He closed his eyes, feeling safe, and soon despite what he wanted; he was falling asleep again.

He awoke again sometime later; Dream was gone and the bed, cold. George sat up, shaking the sleep from his eyes, to look around the room. He spotted Dream on the balcony, a pencil in his hand and paper resting on lap. He was drawing something. Getting up, George made his way to the balcony. He sat down next to him, atop a comfortable wooden chair, and looked over to see what he was drawing. As soon as Dream noticed he was there, he turned the paper away, his face turning red.

George grinned at the sight. "What are you drawing," he asked innocently, but from what he saw already, and based on Dream's reaction to being there he could tell what it was.

"It's nothing important," Dream said, turning the page over. George laughed at his embarrassment. He swiped the page from his lap and examined it. It was detailed, surprising George for how good it was. He never looked better in drawing form. He stared at his own portrait, at how it captured every part of his face, his freckles and almond eyes, everything.

"I was trying to practice drawing and I just thought it would be easier to draw a face, yours just happened to be the one I chose." He rambled on about his excuse as George handed it back. Before Dream could finish his explanation, he interrupted him. "It's really good, I like it," George said with a smile, and he could tell Dream was relieved by the reassuring words.

For a while they sat like that, they let the sun spill onto their skin, let the cool morning surround them. George silently watched Dream as he finished the drawing, his pencil strokes were confident and soothing. He soon found himself leaning into Dream as he watched, Dream just let him.

His eyes wandered to look at Dream. The way the light rested lazily on his skin, creating soft shadows and highlighting his features, made him look beautiful in that moment. His eyes were a bright emerald green as they looked down at his paper. He creased his eyebrows in concentration as he moved his pencil elegantly along the page.

After finishing the drawing, Dream held it out in front of him, looking proud of his work. Then they went back inside, deciding to get breakfast before beginning their training. Dream led George through the palace to the grand dining room, hosting a large table. Above the table was an enormous and expensive-looking crystal chandelier, but that wasn't what lit the room. Large windows, going from floor to ceiling, filled the walls, allowing the natural sunlight to drift in.

This was one of George's favorite rooms in the palace. The gold gilded tiles glimmered from the light pooling in the room and the large red carpet sprawled below the table complimented the rich color. Dream picked a seat to sit in at the table and George chose to sit next to him. Usually, he would take a seat across from him, but today he felt bold, and for some reason he wanted to be near him.