flowers from 1970 - eternity ending

epilogue

George had never been the same since that fateful day, September 9th, 2020. He had promised Clay- no, Dream- that he would live his life. Dream made him promise that he would move on, forget him, and find another love. George could never do that. He had continued to live his life but the impact that the dirty blonde man made on his life, an impact that no one else in the entire world could never understand. How could they? Some sort of sci-fi magic, some sort of tear in time had connected the lives of these two men from so far apart and yet so close. A magical sort of connection that George and Clay had barely understood themselves. 

George kept part of his promise. He had promised to fulfill his fate, and that was complete. George had become a godfather to Wilbur and Niki's son, Tommy, and to the others that came after that. George had been there to witness Sam and Callahan's births, the twins that represented a new era in everyone involved's life. He watched Tommy become a big brother, grow into his grandfather's shoes, and every day he was reminded of Dream by the boy's mannerisms. His personality. His kindness, and his own dirty blonde hair.

George never took another lover, not finding it in his heart to do so. Even though he had only known Dream for less that a year, the hole in his heart was shaped such that no other could ever fill it. So he spent his time babysitting, working hard at his jobs, slowly getting promoted, and making a life for himself.

Still, each night, even though his days were full of love and hope, his nights were empty. The spot beside him in his bed lay empty, for some 30-odd years, and each night, George wished to dream of... well, Dream.

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George had never moved out of the house, built in the early 1900's, and instead renovated and kept it up in shape. It was like his own little museum. With the newfound money from his promotions filling his bank account, he restored the house step by step. He bought new prints of paintings to hang int he living room, to match with the "Birth of Venus" depiction that lay so elegantly in the golden frame. He restored the nasty hardwood floors, and updated the electricity panels for the whole house. 

He never dare touch the wallpaper. Even to restore it, he knew that taking down the prints of the thousands of pale yellow flowers would sever the last tie he had with his soulmate. He kept the phone that Wil had so quickly cut displayed on his bedside table, still plugged in, to keep a nonexistent thread kept sewn between the heart from 1970 and the heart from 2020. Now, that heart from 2020 was many, many years older, much older than he'd ever like to admit.

Still, living in his slice of time, George felt at peace. Every day that went by, the wound in his soul, the ache in his heart began to heal itself. The hole never fully closed, however, as each time he saw his godchildren kept it forever in him. His heart was healing, and each night it would search for Dream's soul, always to come up with no avail.

That is, until one night.

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George had been in the hospital, after having some issues breathing, and related problems with his heart. As Niki, Wilbur, and their children stood and sat near George in the hospital, the doctor explained. 

"It's a congenital heart defect. Something that's been there since you were born, but hasn't presented any issues until recently."

Niki turned towards the doctor, eyes angry and full of despair. George was hooked up to so many machines she couldn't count, and his wrists were covered in bruises from the IVs he had. "Is he going to be okay?" she shouted, and Wilburgrabbed her hand, softly, bringing her down to Earth.

"He's lived a full life, but there's no telling what the deterioration could be doing to his heart right now. There's an unknown time he could live, or until he could pass. The outlook isn't good though. His heart will be affected for the rest of his life."