after you, blue || dreamnotfound

eight

George

He was going to suck it up and do it. Confession should be easy.

Be a man George.

On second thought, that is very sexist and never to be said again.

George sat in the middle of the flower fields, waiting for him to come. The slight willowy breeze swayed the colourful stems from side to side, like a seesaw rooted into the ground. George took deep breaths, steadying himself for what was yet to come.

It had been almost two months since George had met him. Dream. The man who had turned his world upside down. His head tipped as he thought about him. He loved everything about Dream. His pretty hair, his lopsided smile. How he runs his hand through his hair whenever he gets flustered. He gets flustered a lot. Especially when he's with George. And that made George happy.

George was going to do it today. Set the lines completely clear about where they stood. His hands fiddled with each other as he waited for Dream to come. George dreaded it, but was anticipating it at the same time. His emotions were a jumbled mess.

"George!"

He was here. George's eyes lit up and his heart did a few flips. This happened every time he saw Dream.

"H-hey Dream," George waved as Dream sat down in front of him, smiling awkwardly.

"George it's the middle of the day, and so terribly hot. Why have you brought both of us out here to suffer?"

"I-I," the words were lost in George's throat as he began to speak them. Beads of sweat were forming on the tip of his nose, from both the sweltering heat and his nervousness.

Dream sat patiently, awaiting his response. It was almost as if the taller boy was staring at George, lost in his features. George takes a deep breath and starts:

"Dream, I- I've been wanting to tell you this for uh, quite some time," George began. Dream smiled encouragingly, "go on."

"I know this might be a lot to take in.. but. I feel happy when I'm around you. I feel safe and welcomed- something I haven't felt in over eight years. I don't know why but I think it's you, Dream. You make me feel," George paused to breathe. He looked down, unwilling to meet Dream's searching gaze. "I think you know what I mean to say. I-I.. Dream- I like you."

Something about those last four words brought out a tinge of nostalgia. As if it's happened before so long ago. It was almost as if George has lived through this exact moment before. All he had to do was hope the ending was happy. George finally looked up. Dream was staring straight at him, bright green eyes filled with unshed tears.

"George I," Dream shuddered, trying to stop his voice from wobbling. "I feel the same way, about- about us-

"Really?" George cut in, voice suddenly laced with a hope. A hope that was soon crushed.

"But- but I can't," Dream whispered, voice cracking.

The world was crashing down. George's vision turned blurry, and he quickly sat up, stumbling. "Why?"

"Because I made a promise to someone. Many many years ago. And I can't break it now. I can't."

George choked out a cry. Tears blurred his vision as he backed away. Dream was reaching out to him, trying to hold onto him. Anger suddenly bubbled up as George lashed out at Dream.

"I made a promise too, you know?" George cried, hot tears streaming down his face. "Eight years ago. The vision is fuzzy. But I remember it. I said I'd promise never to forget them. But- but sometimes you have to accept the harsh realities that not everything will go in your favour. I regretted everything when I left America. I would leave him. But I had to. I said I would come back to him. But I never did. I accepted it and found you. I thought- I thought everything would be alright. But seems like you've still been hanging onto a small childhood crush."

As George's words slowly scrambled to a halt, he didn't even realize that Dream had stopped speaking, and had been staring intently at him for the last minute.

What could I have said to make him like this?

Eight years ago. Childhood crush. The dirty blonde hair, soft green eyes. Same lopsided smile and soft features. The same wheezing laugh and gentle chuckle. Realization dawned on him, and his eyes widened in recognization.

George tried to muster a word but Dream had beaten him to it.

"Blue?"