Downhill || 𝘥𝘯𝘧

XX

"Checkmate," Dream said, his voice ringing throughout the otherwise quiet room. The only other sound was of the wind howling outside, and the occasional rumble of the heater in the basement.

George studied the pieces surrounding his king. It was true. There was nowhere he could go.

With a hefty sigh, George sat back in the chair as Dream began putting away the pieces. That was the third time he lost in a row. He ran a pale hand through his dark hair, a frown of annoyance resting on his face.

"Had enough of losing?" Dream asked, his freckled cheeks stretched in a hardly contained smile and vivid chartreuse eyes gazing at George with amusement.

"Shut up," George huffed. "I knew I shouldn't have put my queen there."

"Yeah, that definitely cost you the game," Dream agreed, putting the pieces neatly away.

George tapped his finger on the table a few times, looking out the window at the blizzard outside. The snow hadn't let up since they got back from ice skating last night.

"I'm getting better, though," George noted as he stood and walked to the kitchen for a glass of water. "Come Christmas time, and I'll be the one beating you."

"In your dreams," Dream snorted in return.

They put the chess board away and sat on the couch, turning on some kind of Christmas movie. It was cold in the house, and George found himself glancing at the fireplace.

When he noticed Dream shivering as well, he pitched the idea.

"Hey, do you think we could start a fire?" George asked, drawing Dream's attention away from the screen.

"A fire?" Dream repeated, following George's gaze to the fireplace. "I mean, yeah, if you know how to do it," he agreed.

"Well, it can't be that hard to figure out," George said as he stood and walked over to the stone fireplace. He observed it for a moment before turning back to Dream, who was watching with mild interest.

"We need wood. I think my parents keep some downstairs in the laundry room," he said thoughtfully.

"I'll grab some," Dream offered before standing up.

"Alright," George said, and as Dream walked away to do that, he went into the office upstairs to grab some newspapers to light it. He vaguely remembered his parents showing him how to do it as a kid.

He retrieved a lighter from a drawer in the kitchen before bringing the stuff back to the fireplace. Dream came up the stairs a moment later, carrying a few good chunks of wood in his arms.

The wood spilled out of his arms as he sat it beside the fireplace where George was kneeling, crumpling up the paper and setting it at the bottom.

"Think that's enough?" Dream asked.

"Yeah, for now," George agreed. "Now help me crumple up these papers."

"Okay," Dream said before obediently kneeling beside George and copying his movements, crumpling up the individual newspapers and setting them at the bottom of the fireplace.

Once George thought there was enough, he set a few smaller pieces of wood on the grate before lighting it up. Dream and George both watched in admiration as the warm flame licked at the paper, beginning to spread and crackle.

Once the fire was going well enough, George and Dream returned to their spots on the couch. The movie was still playing. Almost instantly, the room began to heat up, and George was able to loosen his grip on the blanket.