without you

big ben - 14

chapter 14 playlist: listen before i go - billie eilish, i think im in love - kat dahlia, gotta be a reason - alec benjamin, jubilee line - wilbur soot, achilles come down - gang of youths, good night - toby fox, no children - the mountain goats, snow - ricky montgomery, today today - jack stauber, putting a spin on fly me to the moon - egg

It was February fourteenth, a day usually spent with your loved one. A day that, in another universe, Dream would be spending with George. However, this wasn't the case. Dream had a funeral to go to. George's funeral. He knew about this and was resenting going.

However, Dream had begun to push his feelings down to where they didn't affect him. He had been drowning his thoughts and feelings away with alcohol. It had mainly worked. Sure, he still hallucinated George from time to time. However, because of his state of intoxication, he almost felt as if it was actually George. It was as if Dream didn't push his lover to suicide and he was right next to him the whole time.

Dream woke up with an excruciating headache. He hadn't expected the sun to intrude from the window directly onto his eyes and it was burning his retinas. There wasn't a window there in his room or George's room. He had been switching rooms because Sapnap had already left. Sapnap begged Dream to come, but Dream refused. Eventually, Sapnap decided he didn't want a drunk living with him anyway.

Dream turned on his side facing away from the window. He felt semi-sick. There was an icky feeling in his stomach, his head ached and he was slightly dizzy. Ugh, I hate hangovers. Dream thought. He reached onto the floor and grabbed a half empty beer bottle and chugged the rest of it. He laid there for a few minutes in his own self pity.

Eventually, he got up and got ready for the day. His daily routine consisted of brushing his teeth to get rid of the alcohol smell, drinking more alcohol, getting dressed (if needed), and talking to George. Dream put on a black and white suit but he couldn't figure out how to tie the tie and so he let it hang around his neck. Then, he tried to talk to George.

"Georgie~ I'm wearing a fancy little suit for you." Dream said, slurring his words.

No response. No one came walking out of George's bedroom.

"Oh come on. Where is my favorite dead guy?" He started trying to sound teasing, but he just sounded even more intoxicated.

Still nothing.

"Oh well, I'll see you at the funeral."

Dream stumbled to the fridge and grabbed a cold bottle of beer out of the fridge and stuck it in his inside suit pocket. He felt the bitter cold against his chest. As he walked out the door, he waved to the nonexistent George.

He waited for his cab to arrive in the extreme cold. It was absolutely freezing out and the bottle in his coat only made it worse. The sudden change in temperature shocked Dream and he suddenly became aware of what he was doing. I'm going to my dead lover's funeral. He thought. I've been 'talking' to him too. I'm so pathetic. He deserved better. This world deserves better than to have me in it. With that thought, he grabbed the bottle out of his coat and hit the cap on a corner of a stop sign. Before the top hit the ground, Dream had already drunk a third of the bottle. The taxi arrived and Dream put the bottle back in his pocket carefully.

-~-~-~-~-

The air in the funeral home was warm, highly contrasting the outside. People were sitting in the wooden pews, some occasionally getting up to get in line to see George's body. Dream hadn't gotten up to see him yet. He was slightly nervous to. What if George grabbed Dream's throat and choked him out. Maybe that's what he wanted. Maybe that's what he deserved.

"Dream?" He looked up and saw Sapnap staring down at him. "Hey, I'm surprised you came."

"I am too." Dream replied.