Silent Ruler [DNF]

Chapter 12: Connections

Did Dream purposely take every opportunity given to be near the brunette? Yup. Had he also made it into a habit to make flirty remarks every time he could? Also, yes.

It was as if a switch had been flicked in his brain after that day when they'd witnessed the sunset together. The mere presence of the brunette caused indescribable feelings to appear. It was addictive.

Dream carried George almost all the way back to the camp. Reason? Solemnly due to his recent desire to be near the brunette every time an opportunity presented itself. It was fascinating how quickly hatred had turned into something else. Something closer to love. After all, the line between love and hate were supposedly thin. Though, Dream refused to acknowledge his feelings towards George as 'love'. A better description would be a strong admiration, a desire to keep him safe. A need to be in his presence as much as he possibly could.

Maybe it was love, but denial was, too, a strong emotion. Dream wouldn't accept that he'd fallen for George just yet. At the end of the day, they were only friends.

Friends and friends only.

That was also the reason why their upcoming mission scared the living hell out of him. Dream knew Sapnap well enough to not doubt his friend's ability to take care of himself. George, however, held possession to versatile knowledge about the kingdom and an astonishing connection to all three elements. Yet it did nothing to erase that looming fear for the future.

Exact details and date also still lacked, which certainly kept Dream nervous. The thought of trying to convince Philza of letting him and Sapnap go alone had crossed his mind. However, it felt too possessive, and he knew that George would be offended and view it as a way for Dream to undermine his capability to take care of himself.

Speaking of George. The brunette laid with his head in Dream's lap as the two of them plus Sapnap, Karl and Quackity sat around the dying fire that was left from dinner. After George confession that he'd practically never received physical affection, Dream made it his mission to supply him with that as often as he wanted it. Which proved to be a lot. Not that Dream minded, not in the slightest.

So, something like resting his head on Dream's leg was now a daily occurrence.

George was currently laughing about something that the other four were talking about while Dream absent-mindedly ran his hand through the dark locks. He'd zooned out a while ago and had no idea what the conversation was about. Not that he cared, he was fully content sitting there mindlessly staring into the last remains from the fire.

For the first time since the death of his sister, Dream could honestly say that he felt happy, and he was apparently not the only one who'd noticed the change. Sapnap had commented on it one morning when they were practicing together.

"Guys! Let's revisit the lagoon." Karl excitedly erupted.

Dream was tired but as everyone else seemed to think it was a great idea, he too decided to join them. Him and George headed to their hut and switched to shorts. He carefully stole glances of the brunette's exposed body. In his eyes, there wasn't a flaw in George's entire being. The slim, toned body complemented his delicate features. George might not be the most muscular person and wasn't the tallest, even though he insisted that he was the perfect height. But despite all of that, he somehow carried himself with such mannerism that he withheld a great amount of authority. Not that the brunette often displayed an arrogant attitude, but his way of presenting himself had Dream convinced that nearly everyone would obey his commands if he was to request something.

Mismatching eyes found his. A sly smile played on the soft, plump lips. "You better stop staring and get going before the others starts questioning our competence to put on clothes."

Dream's face heated but he played it off with a theatrical bow. "Your wishes are my commands, your highness." Dream responded playfully. George's posture stiffened for a second before he scoffed and opened the door.

Dream followed shortly after and was pleasantly surprised when George grabbed his hand gently. Dream took it, of course, and his heart fluttered. George's soft hand linked perfectly with Dream's, like their hands were crafted specifically for one another.

They reunited with their three friends. Karl and Quackity sprinted ahead. Sapnap stayed behind with Dream and George. The ravenette's dark eyes darted to their intertwined hands but said nothing.

George eyes lit up as the water became visible. Dream's heart warmed every time he witnessed George reaction to water. A combination of fondness and excitement appeared on the shorter's features. Sapnap took off and leaped into the hot water, shortly followed by George. Dream was the last to dive in.

Laughter echoed through the cave walls. Quackity did a decent attempt at drowning Sapnap while Karl was floating peacefully on his back. He furrowed his brows at George's absence, though he soon spotted brunette sitting on the bottom. With a deep breath, Dream dove down, his lungs nearly caving in until the pressure disappeared as a dainty hand grabbed his. His vision cleared and the need for oxygen seized to exist. George's eyes shone in similar fashion to the luminescent stalagmites and a content expression decorated his magnificent face.

The brunette suddenly pointed to the left. Dream's eyes widened at the sight of a tunnel. George began pulling him towards it and together they swam through it. A couple minutes later and they'd reached the end of the tunnel which turned out to lead to a room. They swam to the surface. George got out of the water and indicated for Dream to do the same.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about this place sooner. It slipped my mind." George mumbled quietly.

The triangular pattern on the stone wall caught Dream's full attention. He recalled seeing it before in the green book that George had brought with him. His traced the carved pattern with great fascination.

"What exactly is this?" Dream asked silently. George walked up to his side, equally amazed by the creation.

"I honestly don't know. All I remember was that I found this place after you pushed me in the water. I touched the symbol and passed out afterwards. I believe that it was what changed my eyes."

A stung of guilt washed over him as he remembered how awfully he'd treated the brunette. "George, I– I'm truly sorry–"

But the brunette covered Dream's mouth with his hand. "Stop apologizing. Besides, I think that it was somehow meant to happen."

With a gentle grip around George's wrist, Dream removed the brunette's hand. However, he continued to hold his hand. The brunette's gaze was plastered on the wall, but Dream found it way more interesting to look at the shorter boy. Though, George must've sensed it as he switched focus after a while.

A curious look laced the blue and brown eyes that was partially covered by the wet hair. "Can I hug you?"

With no hesitation did Dream wrap the brunette in a tight hug, whose hands found their way around Dream's neck. A surge of confidence infiltrated his body as George tightened his grip.

"George?" Dream breathed lowly.

The brunette hummed against his bare chest.

His left arm remained around George's waist while his right hand found George chin and tilted it up. Dream lowered his head, so their foreheads met. "Can I kiss you?"

George froze and for a second he dreaded that he had misread everything. But as soft lips pressed against his own, he knew that he'd never before made a righter decision in his life. His fingers nestled into the dark curls as he kissed back with every ounce of emotion he'd tried to suppress. The kiss was short but filled with such a passion that it felt a lot longer.

As they eventually broke apart, he saw the wide grin that appeared on George's face. "I thought you never ask." The brunette mumbled fondly, causing Dream's emotions to grow even more intense.

He responded by connection their lips once more; a lot more determined this time. Never in his life had he craved something, or rather someone, in the same way his body and soul craved George. Someone who in his eyes were the embodiment of perfection.