Peach Silhouette

12 | Presage

I slipped out of George's bed as the sun was rising over the mountains, returning to my own room. A couple of hours later, George peeked his head in.

"Hey, me and Sap are gonna collab most of today, sorry." I shrugged, but internally I frowned. 

"See you later, I guess." He smiled and closed the door. I let out a long sigh.

The fuck am I gonna do with my life now?

After a few minutes of sitting there feeling sorry for myself, I stood up and exited my room. I made a cup of espresso and flopped down on a couch in the coffee shop. I heard Nick and George laughing faintly from one of the studio rooms and I drank my coffee and tried to ignore it. There was a clatter around me and an annoyed huff. 

I turned around to see Tubbo snatching his phone off the floor, glaring at the ground and muttering something under his breath. He hadn't seen me yet, and he made a cup of coffee before turning around. 

"Oh! Hello Dream, you startled me. I- wow, now I'm embarrassed. Sorry about the huffing and puffing." He rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks flushing.

"It's alright Tubbo," I laughed. "May I ask why you're so tired?" 

"It's Tommy." He sighed heavily, yawning part way through.

"What about him?" I asked curiously. "I mean he ought to be tiring but I'm assuming there's something more to it?"

"Yeah. He's so afraid to be real and talk to me. It just bothers me how it's always a big show with him all the time. Sometimes it doesn't even feel like a show."

"Tubbo, he does that because he's afraid." I offered.

"What do you mean?" He asked. I thought for a moment.

"He's afraid because he's never had this before. He's finally somewhere where he can fit in, and have fun, and be with you and everyone in real life, not over a call."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Give him time to get used to it. He'll come around, and tell me if he doesn't. I'll have Phil talk some sense into him." Tubbo laughed.

"On the topic of serious things, what's going on with you and George?" He asked. I shook my head.

"I honestly don't know."

"Aren't you guys like," he cleared his throat and looked at his coffee. "Sleeping together?" I choked.

"W-what?" I laughed, wheezing. 

"Do you not sleep in his bed good sir?" Tubbo asked. I calmed down, struggling to breathe.

"It's not that simple."

"Ahh, or it is, and you can't accept that." He replied.

"I can't accept a lot of things, Tubbo." 

"But George - you have always accepted George. He makes you better." He pointed out, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"I like him a lot, Tubbo. And it's so hard because I feel like he's struggling but I have no idea how to help. Sometimes it seems like he likes me and then he just pushes me away again."

"Well it seems to me that you need to take your own advice. Give George time." I snorted.

"I guess you have a point."

Time was never Dream's friend.

~ten years earlier~

A short blonde boy opened the cabinet. It was full of cans and boxes, and he pulled them out, checking the expiration date on each. He put them back one by one, wondering why he even bothered to check anymore. They were all expired. Everything in the fridge was covered in mold. And there was nothing to eat.