Angels (DreamNotFound/Gream)

Chapter 4: The Confession

   THE CONFESSION

(trigger warning: abuse, mentions of homophobia)

George was drowning. Drowning, flailing, trying in desperation to reach the surface that, whenever he got closer, drew even farther away. He struggled frantically, clawing at the foggy water, until he saw a sudden flicker of movement from far down under him that made him stop dead. He whirled around immediately, squinting through the haze to discern what it was. The flicker drew closer and closer until he realized, with a twinge of confusion, that it was Dream.

But suddenly, as his eyes adjusted to the haze and Dream came closer still, a fierce terror immobilized him, and he desperately wished it wasn't Dream. It couldn't possibly be him. It couldn't be, because this Dream was bloodied and bruised and screaming for help, and George was panicking, a cold, intense fear coursing through him, because he couldn't move. It was like walls were closing in on him, forcing him still while Dream begged him desperately for help.

And then, suddenly, as if the man appeared from thin air, he saw his father hovering over Dream. A brief moment of confusion set in, replaced by an excruciating, overwhelming panic, when he saw the older man slowly take out his belt. George pushed as hard as possible, trying to move, struggling to get to Dream, but he couldn't, he was stuck, stuck watching the belt brought down as if in slow motion.

The belt hit Dream hard, leaving shining red marks, and he screamed in anguish: a horrible, echoing sound. "PLEASE!! GEORGE!"

George struggled against his invisible bind, tears falling fast, breaths shallow and rapid through the panic. He was watching his worst nightmare: seeing his father get to Dream.

"NO!" he shouted desperately, but it didn't come out. "PLEASE!" he tried, but nothing happened. He struggled even more violently, but to no avail.

And then suddenly, he was falling, falling, falling...

And he woke up.

He rapidly sat upright in bed, panicking and sweating. His chest heaved up and down with shallow, shuddering breaths. Where was his father?? Where was Dream?? He vigorously whipped his head around, only to find Dream, perfectly fine, albeit tired, looking at him, concern laced on his weary features.

"George, what happened? Are you okay?"

George realized with a pang of embarrassment that he was crying. He shakily wiped the tears away, face heating up as he realized what happened. It was only a nightmare. Dream's fine, he's here, he's safe, he mentally repeated to himself over and over, trying to calm himself, but to no avail. He was trembling all over, and with strenuous effort, he put on what he hoped was a calm mask. "I'm fine," he whispered.

Dream looked at him, his eyebrows knit tightly with concern. "No, you're not."

He wasn't. "I am."

"No, you're not. Come here." Dream pulled George into a tight hug and rubbed his back, which only made the tears leak out faster. George squeezed his face up tightly and made a concentrated effort to stop crying, but it didn't work, and he felt more hot tears sliding down his cheeks and onto Dream's shoulder. He shut his eyes firmly, trying to focus. Dream's fine. He's here. He's safe.

Dream traced soothing motions on his back, holding him secure in his warm arms. "Georgie, what happened?" he murmured, his voice full of concern.

George buried his face deeper in Dream's shoulder, a hot, new panic rushing through him as he realized he needed to tell Dream the truth about his parents. He had avoided the subject for as long as possible, afraid of what Dream would think, but he knew he had to tell him now that he was holding him in his arms, all deeply concerned and caring. He took a deep, shuddering breath, mentally steeling himself for what he was about to say. "I guess - I guess I need to tell you something."

"I'm all ears," said Dream. He pulled back to look George in the face, and gently wiped away a stray tear from his cheek with his thumb.

George's eyes fluttered shut; every muscle in his body tensed. He hesitated, meshing his lips together in anxiety. "Well.. you know that one week last year I was calling you basically every minute of every day, and I wouldn't tell you what happened?"

Dream nodded.

"My, um - uh..". George forced himself to continue. Dream deserved to know. "My parents came to visit for a week, and one day, I was watching a show. It had.. gay boys in it, and my dad walked in, saw it, and - and h-he..". He couldn't breathe. His fists clenched tightly as he retreated from Dream and curled into a ball, burying his face in his knees. He couldn't do it. He couldn't tell him.

"George, look at me." Dream's voice was calm and comforting.

He slowly looked up from his legs, his head feeling much like a heavy weight was on it. Dream grabbed his hands, rubbing them with his thumbs soothingly. "I'm always there for you. I'm going to help you." He paused. "I love you, George."

Although he knew the other boy didn't mean it romantically, a shudder passed through George that had nothing to do with his nightmare. "Alright." He steered himself to continue, and the words finally fell out in one big rush. "He kicked the television, yelled some shit at me about how he didn't need a son that watched that crap, and punched me in the face."

Dream inhaled sharply.

George felt his resolve breaking. Tears fell faster. "I'm sorry, Dream."

"Hey." Dream pulled him into a tight hug, protectively wrapping his arms around the shorter boy. "You have nothing to apologize for, okay? Nothing. And I'll... I'll never let him do that again."

George buried his face in his friend's shoulder. "Thank you," he whispered, his voice muffled.

"I'll always be there for you," Dream said simply. His fingers stroked soothing motions through George's hair, and George gripped him even tighter.

"So why were you panicking?" asked Dream after a moment of silence. "Did you have a nightmare about him?"

George took a deep breath, his eyes shut tightly. The words spilled out without his control. "I had a nightmare that he was there and you were there and he was - he was h-hitting you and I - I couldn't move, Dream, I was panicking and I couldn't help you, and you were s-screaming..".

A lump rose in Dream's throat, and he valiantly fought tears back. "Georgie," he murmured. "It was only a dream. It won't happen in real life. You're okay. I'm okay. I promise."

George pulled back and gave him a pleading look that was so heartbreaking it made Dream want to cry even more. "Promise?"

"I promise," Dream whispered. He clenched his jaw tightly, willing the tears to not escape. "Now go back to sleep."

George gave a slight nod and laid back down. Dream held him tight, tracing circles on his back and comfortingly raking his hands through his hair until the troubled boy's features relaxed, his breathing slowed, and Dream knew he was asleep.

It took Dream a lot longer to fall asleep, knowing what George had been through. He promised himself that one day, one time, he'd get revenge on the man who hurt his best friend so much. Because nobody deserved that kind of treatment. Especially George.

_____

i bet that wasn't the type of confession you were expecting from the title, but anyways we have some drama!! let me know what you think :)

as always, make sure to vote if you liked it and comment your feedback! it really does mean a lot to me.

reminder that you can do whatever you put your mind to. get out there and achieve your dreams (but not actually out there, social distance pls)! i love you all <33