𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦 ~ dnf

2.

"dream, are you alright?" sapnap asks.

they're joined at a table together for lunch.
a small diner
that they've always gone too
even when george
was still around
it's their favorite place
their place.

with mahogany walling
wooden tabletops
and speckled flooring
it's not a fancy place
but it's small
cozy
and has good food

with the perfect amount
of decor
black and white pictures
framed against the walls
with dimmed rooms
and strings of fairy lights
hanging from the walls

it's comfortable.

sapnap only wanted to check on his friend
and see how he was doing,
because they hadn't spoke
in what seems like forever

dream looks up
with red
and swollen eyes
big eye bags
clearly visible
from underneath
there was not a thought
behind those
emerald green eyes

they used to sparkle
with joy
and glimmer
with glee
but now they're dead
torn down
worn out
and blurring
who they see

"i'm fine." he lies

dream was not okay
he's never been okay,
not since george disappeared

"are you sure?"
karl questions
chewing on his food

dream rolls his eyes
laying his head
on the table

"i said im fine,
dammit.
quit asking me."

dream grows infuriated
that his friends
wont quit asking
how he is
it's frustrating
and it's annoying
that they can't just leave him be

cant they see
that he's not in the mood?
cant they see
that he doesn't
want to talk?

karl flinches
as does sapnap
dream's always in a bad mood
but since george left
it's been worse
all of his friends are worried
they just want him to feel alright
but he can't
not when the love of his life
is missing.

"we're just worried, dream."
quackity tells him
looking away from his left at karl
to dream

dream huffs.
"i know, and i said im fine.
don't you understand?"
he pinches his eyebrows into a fine point
it was clear enough to anyone
who saw him
and read his expression
to know
that he was not feeling
very upbeat

quackity nods.
fidgeting
with the fork
he held in his hands

a long
silver plate
of metal
that's cold
to the touch

but not anymore
after it's been held
and squeezed
by quackity
his sweat
seeping off
onto the
metal

as he holds it so tight
forgetting he's even squeezing it
that forcefully
in the first place

he just wanted
to forget
the way his stomach
was rising
with anticipation
the way he became so easily filled
with anxiety
sitting
so close to dream

not because
he was scared
of dream,
but more so
scared of himself.

he's never been good
at handling emotions
not even his own
he's always laughed through his pain
and usually it works
but this,
was not a time
for laughs.

not a time
where he could whip out a joke
and everything would be okay

but more so,
that dream
wasn't okay.

he's not feeling alright
and quackity knows
but he can't comfort him
because he's not sure how

they're all so stressed
so bummed out
they can't seem to ever get along
anymore