Don't Let Go Of Me

Chapter 18

The next seconds seemed ages long, dragging out like a movie played in slow motion.

Rewind that.

It was a movie.

Yeah that seemed to sound about right, just that the genre wasn't fitting his taste at all.

It felt like going for a romance just to discover that you accidently reached for a horror movie where you have to witness your love run through your fingers like hot sand.

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Seven pillows.

Two blankets.

One lamp on his bedside table.

He had been recounting them for about ten minutes now, just to be unhappy with how the voice inside his head phrased the word 'lamp', making him start over all again.

It had been about a day since dream fainted in the middle of the living room. George still refused to tell him what happened, claiming that he in fact didnt say anything before dream's panic attack set in.

Under normal circumstances he would just go with it but the display of George yelling for him while dream was shaking and babbling nonsense was smth he hasn't seen in quite some time. There must have been a trigger.

Dream want from his attack into a deep sleep, George leaving it up to him again to carry dream up and look after him.

Something inside his chest tightened at that realization. It had always been this way. Dream needed comfort and he was there. George needed someone to hold him and he would without a second thought.

What about him?

His chest got more heavy as he unlocked his phone to look for the time. For the last two days he had been between a state of emptyness and restless sleep.

Nobody checked in on him.

They didn't even message him. They didnt care if it wasn't them needing him for something.

Blankets fell off of the edge of the bed as he shuffled to stand up for what seemed like the first time in ages. His legs felt like jelly.

They looked like jelly too.

His nose scrunched up in a disgusted way as he pushed the thought all the way back down again. Now wasn't the time for even more self pity.

As if summoned his stomach growled with what seemed like a desperate cry for anything edible. It had been some time.

Cold hands were put on his stomach over his dirty shirt. Faint the heartbeat could be felt if he concentrated enough on it.

Shaking his head he turned and went for the doorknob, stopped in his action tho as he heard distant chatter in the hallway. Dream?

"I mean sure you can go up, don't know if he wants to see anyone tho, he is focusing hard on university work I guess."

That wasn't really true, he called in sick for his last three meetings, even tho they were online.

"Imma just take a peak."

His eyebrows furrowed at the voice that didnt fit what he thought would be Georg. Who came over? And more important who wanted to look for him?

Before he could continue this thought spiral the door, which he was still holding onto, started being pushed open from the other side, smacking him onto the nose.

"Sap! Oh shit you're bleeding!"

Karl.

It was Karl.

Behind his he could also see some black hair and after focusing his eyes he could look at quackity too.

"Oh yeah.. Uhm sorry. For bleeding?"

He hadn't really expected visitors so everything just seemed a little bit too suddenly to register correctly.

"Take a napkin."

It was quackity who held the piece of cloth to his nose as he knelt before him now. He didnt want to know how huge his eyes and how full of wonder they must look like currently.

It was something straight out of a novel.

"So how are you doing?"

Karl had in the meantime started pacing around the room, inspecting the mountains of dirty laundry and piles of junk laying around. The most prominent thing he eyes was his nest looking bed tho. Filled with pillows and blankets to mimik the warmth of another person while being alone.

"Great."

He couldn't tell if it came off sarcastic or just weird because of the tissue pressed at his nose. Either way Karl raised an eyebrow and quackity gave an audible snort.

"Come here buddy."

Karl sat himself onto his nest-.. Bed and patted the free place next to him.

"You know I have seen your depression room before right?"

Oh yeah. He had completely blended out that he used to share a little apartment with Karl for a few months before he moved out to join dream. Quackity on the other hand had also known him since his early childhood days.

"You didnt stream and we got worried.."

Quackity didnt look at him and started scratching his neck as he spoke, clearly not used to showing such honest emotions.

Someone cared?

"You didnt think we would just give up on you did you? We are friends!"

It didnt sound angry, it sounded cheerful and easy, like wind blowing through your hair on a late summer evening.

A greasy black strand of hair got moved out of his field of view and each second he bashed into the warmth of the others touch.

"You look like you need a hug, would that be OK Sapnap?"

After a short, very short second to think he nodded, craving more of the warmth he got earlier.

Arms were wrapped around him.

It was suffocation in the best way.

It was dandelions and metal.
Blood and the sweet taste of peaches.