Aether's Legacy | dnf

Chapter 5: Stowaways in a Caribbean Cruise

"WAKE UP!" George awoke to a pillow to the face and a pyromaniac standing over him threateningly, ready to smother him with a sick grin on his face. The sun beams cascaded through the small window next to him, and outside, the ship blew its morning horn.

"Bloody hell, stop it!" He blocked Sapnap's next hit with his arms, groaning and sitting up, trying to push him off. "I'm awake," he announced with a yawn which earned him another smack he failed to dodge.

"Change, we're gonna go eat breakfast." Sapnap let the pillow go on top of his head and walked back to his bed, flinging a pair of cargo shorts and a short sleeve into George's face after he'd put down the pillow.

Pulling them off his face, George grimaced and examined them, finding they were one size too big and also smelled like they'd been stored deep within attic boxes for years. "Where did you even get these?"

Sapnap shrugged, pulling off his shirt from yesterday and slipping on an old band tee. "Skeppy got them. Don't ask how. Now hurry up, I'm starving!"

"Fat arse," George remarked and used his pillow to block Sapnap's next instant attack with a laugh.

A few minutes later, they were wandering the halls of the cruise idly. Animated voices surrounded them everywhere they went, bright laughter and huge smiles decorating every passerby's face. They walked by a family all dressed in fourth of July outfits (despite the holiday being a month away) and taking a photo with a tripod. A young couple stood at the railings snapping photos of the dolphins in the distance, their lively squeaks audible from miles away. The sound only recalled the events from last night and caused George to cringe. A few teenagers were messing around by the restrooms, and one of the security guards was keeping a close eye on them, thankfully not paying Sapnap and him any attention.

"Where are Dream and Skeppy?"

"I think they went to find us some passes. Told us to be chill and not draw attention to ourselves or something."

"And they left me with you ?" George looked unimpressed.

Sapnap rolled his eyes. "Look, dude, you don't gotta be jealous of my fire skills. Don't worry, your powers are plenty cool." He waved a dismissive hand, and it was George's turn to roll his eyes.

"George! Sapnap!" A familiar voice called out in front of them. Skeppy and Dream were heading toward them with their arms full of food and sporting two huge smiles.

"Where did you get that?" George asked as he grabbed an apple from the top of Dream's stack and took a bite out of it, suddenly aware of his stomach grumbling at him.

"The buffet, duh," Skeppy replied.

"Let's head to the deck and try not to make a scene." Dream eyed Sapnap and Skeppy warningly, and George snorted at Sapnap's mock offended expression.

The deck was much louder than the rest of the ship with chattering all around them, a tiki bar with bartenders performing fire tricks with flamed drinks, the vivacious sway of Caribbean music swirling around them, and a newly-wed couple dancing an energetic routine in the middle of the dancefloor, several people clapping and cheering them on. Energy buzzed through George's skin, and the people's beams were contagious, his own pearls on display as some of the staff greeted them kindly as they passed. He felt strangely normal in the middle of the deck, not an ounce of attention aimed his way.

For the first time, nobody knew him. Nobody was afraid of him. And for a fleeting moment, George closed his eyes and imagined what it'd be like to live in that kind of world.

They found a spot by the pool which wasn't too crowded, only had a few kids splashing around in the water and their parents sitting and chatting away on the chairs nearby. There were only a few security guards around so they went through without a suspicious glance and settled down at an empty table to eat their breakfast which consisted of croissants, fruit, and bacon (which Sapnap proceeded to call Techno when Dream took a bite).