𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕄𝕖 - Ⓓ Ⓝ Ⓕ

~43~

George couldn't stop shivering.

It was the middle of the night, and they had all retreated to huddle under Sapnap's blanket after eating some cold canned beans, trying to find any sense of warmth. Karl's elbow was pressing into George's cheek, the other brunette completely knocked out with Sapnap hugging his arm, and Dream had trapped George beside him, his arms wrapped around George's waist. They all looked so content, and yet George felt like he was turning to ice. Why was it so freezing?

"Please stop shaking. You're moving the whole bed." Dream grumbled, pulled from his sleep.

George's teeth were chattering too much to allow him to scoff. "Oh, like it's easy."

One of Dream's eyes opened and glanced up at him, the whites of his eye stained red as he examined the brunette beside him. "You're still cold?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

The Brit rolled his eyes. "I don't know, maybe because it's just fucking cold?"

Dream clicked his tongue, bordering on a chuckle. "Touché."

George released a heavy breath and allowed his eyes to close, shuffling a little closer to Dream so his head tucked under his chin. Gentle fingers carded through his hair, trimmed nails raking against his scalp, and George couldn't help but relish in the way warmth seeped from Dream, shivering against the taller male.

Dream hummed, and whispered quietly into George's ear. "You know, sometimes you don't sleep and settle down because something's on your mind," Dream shuffled closer, and George felt his hot breath against his neck. It made his toes curl. "Do you need to tell me something?"

"You need to stop neglecting yourself. Tell one of us if something is wrong."

"No. nothing at all."

They were silent once again. George's heart ached.

He tucked his head more into Dream's neck, his arms embracing the dirty blonde. "You're warm."

Dream breathed a giggle, his lips pressed to George's hair. "And you're cold."

"Mhm," he smiled and tried not to flinch when there was a loud bang from beyond the room. Something had probably just crashed into a lower part of the house, or a neighbour's house. George tried to not let it bother him, despite how his stomach churned. "Do you think your neighbours are okay?"

Dream shrugged. "Sapnap told me that one of our neighbours had left early, but I'm not sure about the rest. I hope they're okay. One of our neighbours had a baby girl recently, so I hope she managed to get out in time and stayed with her parents elsewhere."

George frowned, and they both grew tense. "And if she didn't?"

There was a pause. "Let's just hope they got out in time."

The silence stretched again and George found his eyelids growing heavier, a haze falling over his mind. He snuggled closer to Dream, seeking comfort and warmth, and the other gladly reciprocated, content in holding George close. Beside them, there was a quiet mumble from a dozing Karl, which then prompted a shift from Sapnap, who's face pressed into the side of Karl's arm. Under the blankets, they were safe from the world. Under the blankets, it was just them – there was no hurricane, no flooding, no expectations and no pain.

George closed his eyes. He would let the warmth take him, just this once.

Dream was shaken awake by Sapnap, who stared down at him with a grim expression. Dream instantly knew that something was up – that something was wrong – but despite that, he felt fully rested, his previous exhaustion gone. A certain Brit was lying peacefully in his arms, brown hair tickling his nose, and he took a moment to admire George and his long eyelashes, holding him close. The brunette grumbled cutely for a second, being disturbed by something that Dream couldn't see, and he quietly shushed him, lulling him back to sleep.