dnf oneshots

20. ghosts

God AU
This is a part two to "dreams and nightmares", requested by @V4L0UR1A, original idea requested by @i-ran-outof-names
George isn't sure how to act. Word is, Dream escaped prison. Everyone heard the alarms. Now DreamXD is always in the corner of his vision, and the real Dream is running around SMP freely. Sapnap is a basketcase, Karl and Tina are worried for George, who is holed in his room 24/7, clinging to the last shred of Dream's hoodie. [angst, bitter-sweet fluff, implied sexual content]

CW// arguing, violence, near-death experience, dislocated shoulder, blood

Alarms.

It's earsplitting. It's gripping, haunting, terrifying, aggravating, tramautizing, otherworldly. 

It's a signal.

George's eyes fly open. 

Alarms. Alarms. Alarms.

"Fuck."

He kicks off his blanket and bursts out of his room. He's off and running, straight for Karl and Sapnap's room as the alarm fills every available inch of space. Their door is already open, which probably means Tina is up too. Anyone would be -- the alarms are purposefully like this; to warn, to scare, to prepare. 

He comes to a slow jog and enters the room. Tina and Karl are sitting next to Sapnap, who's head is in his hands. Upon his entrance, they all look up. Tina looks anxious, Karl looks sad, but Sapnap looks angry. Tears are streaking down his face, and he has a murderous glint in his eyes. 

"I told him if he ever escapes, I'll fucking kill him."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because he deserves worse the sentence he got, and if he tries to cut corners, he suffers the consequences."

"Sapnap," George whispers. 

Tina and Karl exchange a look, and they both stand up and leave. "Take care of each other right now," Tina murmurs as she passes, placing a hand over his shoulder. George nods dimly, barely noticing when the door clicks shut behind them.

Neither of them speak. George watches from the doorway, Sapnap from the bed. The alarm continues to ring in their ears, probably giving them both brain bleeds at this point. 

Since the DreamXD thing, George has felt like the only thing he and Sapnap have in common is Dream. Before that, they were closer. Now, they're more distant. They've barely upheld a proper conversation since George shared the story of the exorcism. George isn't sure how to talk to Sapnap anymore, but now they have to. Because their best friend has just escaped prison.

Sapnap's face suddenly changes. The wish for blood slips out of his eyes with the tears, and his back hunches until he's in a ball. "I miss him," he whispers, voice cracking. 

George's shoulders fall. He walks over, crawling across the mattress to sit in front of his friend. He remembers their friendship before everything; just him, Sapnap, and Dream, fishing until the sun went down; building the community house; just them against the world. It was everything for him, but then more and more people joined their community, and Dream changed. The rest is history.

Now, all this time later, George wraps his arms around Sapnap, pulling him closer until Sapnap is crying into his shoulder. "I know," he whispers, rubbing his hands in a slow circle across his friend's back. "Me too. Every day."

"Why did he have to change?" Sapnap cries. "Where did it go wrong?"

George doesn't know how to reply. So he listens to Sapnap's cries, wishing someone would hug him instead. And he ignores the figure in the corner, watching the whole exchange as his robes ebb and flow beneath the pull of an unforseen gravity.