Steeling My Heart - DreamNotFound

Chapter 21

This is the last chapter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are quick to exit the building, leaving behind the effervescence of the fights. Not having to dip and weave through the crowd because of Nightmare's, who was following closely behind, intimidation made for a swift exit.  I'll wait to tell Dream and Sapnap my mistake for the most likely otherwise verbally vacant car ride. 

I look back up to the blonde, scouring for any hint of anger or emotion at all, but I come up short. The apathy I see so often during any sort of business has effortlessly masked his feelings, this time the cover completely opaque. 

Repetitive flashes light up our faces and attempted, but unanswered, questions from within the crowd almost slow the pace. We reach the door exiting the building and Clay opens it, allowing me to walk through before him. Just before the cold wind of fresh air had the chance to calm my nerves, I think I catch the clipped sentence of Schlatt's animosity.

My footsteps stop progressing and I look up at the man allowing my exit and he's already looking at me. He heard it too and it seems that so did Sap. Searching the blonde's eyes, I find them telling me to ignore it and keep walking.

Quick paces lead us to our vehicle quickly after shutting the door that blocks Schlatt's infuriating voice from the rest of us. "Okay, I'm not mad, but you need to tell me what happened, George." His grasp hangs loose at the bottom of the steering wheel and this time I'm in the passenger seat.

"Do you remember when I asked if there was an AI shortcut I could use instead of programming each individual response?" A head nod of confirmation is given and he silently waits for me to continue. "Well, I found one, but for me to use it, the program had to be connected to a Wi-Fi source."

Clay's hand is brought up to his eyes as he begins to understand what happened. "As you've probably realized, Schlatt's goon figured that out and in a moment of despracy, he hacked the controls through the IP." I stair at my lap as I finish my explanation.

Two soft fingertips lift up my chin and Clay turns my face to look at him. "George. Yes you should have thought about that, but you couldn't have known. I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at Schlatt and how low he'll go just to ruin our reputation."

"You aren't mad at me?" I double check just to confirm. That's the only thing that was stressing me out. Taking care of our reputation isn't as important to me.

"No." My chest deflated as a sigh of relief escaped my lips along with a humorless giggle.

"Thank god. That's all I was worried about." Clay moved his finger from my chin to my hairline, pushing back black fringe that had escaped the normal swoop of my hair and covered my eye.

Sapnap clears his throat abruptly with light hearted frustration from the middle back seat, purposely interrupting us. "What about me? Because I think George is a fucking idiot."

"Don't you remember during our second year of bot fighting when mid match a bolt came loose and fucked up Spirit's joint movement?" Dream spoke up in my defense as he turned around and raised an eye at Sapnap. Teaming with the blond, I turned to the back seat in mimicry and waited for a response.

"Yeah, and you guys gave me shit for it for weeks after, so I think it's only fair we do the same to George. Oh wait, Dream's to much of a fucking simp." The youngest fires back.

I watch the taller next to me roll his eyes and begin to open his mouth in defense, but I cut him off. "You know what? That is fair. You can taunt me enough for the both of you, Sap. I believe in you."

Clay laughs as he starts the car, silently listening to Sapnap and I bicker. The insults become more and more few and far between as the miles to our houses get less and less. Soon enough small snores come from the idiot in the back seat and I feel that with my drooping eyes, I will soon follow.

I am stirred more awake by Clay's hand rubbing my thigh, nudging me to acknowledge him. "Hey, Georgie." He whispers, glancing from the road to me.

"Yeah?" My voice is heavy with exhaustion.

"We will be in Oakland soon. Where are you staying tonight?" I weigh the options in my head. Schlatt will no doubt be a risk for the next few days or even weeks, but with what happened last time he broke into my house, I doubt he will use that tactic again.

I miss the comfort of my own home though, even as Clay's is comfy and now familiar. I make the suggestion that I reciprocate the same hospitality he has provided me with for the last few days and he easily obliges.

~

Letting Dream walk through the door to my seemingly cold apartment, I watch his curious eyes scan over his surroundings just as I did to his space. "It's been awhile since I have been here." He begins, sitting his overnight necessities down next to the couch. With slow steps and a relaxed grin, he approaches me and pulls me into a tight hug, hands resting low on my back. "This time in slightly better circumstances." He huffs out a laugh through his beautiful smile which soon dips down to place a simple kiss on my touch starved lips. "Umm, so about the other night-" He starts after pulling away. I just roll my eyes at the subject because of the worried expression on my face.

"Dream, I keep telling you, I've known you for years. We have had something for years. I have trusted you for years. I don't regret it, I promise. Do you?" I look up as the last couple syllables of my spiel are uttered, wondering if maybe that's why he keeps going back to that.

The blond towering over me in the middle of my kitchen visibly relaxes, his shoulders untensing. "Of course not. I have been waiting for that since I found you in your dorm by yourself." He pulls my chin up when my gaze wanders shyly to the side and continues. "I just don't want you to think I'm using you or that that's all I want because it's not."

Giving into his pull on my face, I smile and lean into the soft touch to appreciate Clay's solicitude. The anxiety that has lingered since just before the long awaited bot fight flows out of my tense muscles and the uneasy feeling in my chest subsides, leaving Clay and me in a bubble of easy touches. "I don't think that, Clay." He only acknowledges my simple reply with a head nod.

After moments of standing in the kitchen with my head against his chest, listening to his steadily beating heart, and arms loosely around his waist, exhaustion begans to make my eyes drag shut and feet become unsteady beneath me.

Noticing my consciousness drifting away, "Let's go to sleep, yeah?" is what is asked just before I am gently picked up and carried to my room the same as I had just days ago which now felt like weeks. This time, however, my tired eyes aren't for show and the taller one carrying me won't leave to go sleep on the couch, but instead allow my arms to wrap around him just the same as his will do to me, offering a protective barrier. This time I don't have to dream about it.