It was settled. Quackity and Techno both agreed to help. George had no idea why, but was grateful nonetheless.

The four days that George had to wait to put the plan into action felt like four months, but eventually they passed. He was currently standing by the door, waiting for Quackity to come get him, Karl and Sapnap. He and Techno were going to keep watch while the guards let the three boys in, and then they'd be escorted to Dream's room by one of them.

George was getting visibly antsy as he awaited Quackity's arrival. He was shifting his weight from foot to foot and playing with his hands. His nails were messily bitten and the skin around them was torn and ripped, but George couldn't find it in himself to care. He had a bad feeling in his stomach that wouldn't go away, and it was making him nervous.

Just as the clock struck 1:00 A.M, there was a silent knock on the door, and George practically sprinted over to it and swung it open. Right on time. Quackity and Techno stood on the other side. Quackity looked just as nervous as George felt, and Techno just looked bored.

"Let's get this over with," Techno said dryly, already turning and walking off towards what George assumed was the solitary wing. He, Karl and Sapnap quickly rushed out of the room and followed after him, Quackity bringing up the rear. They walked back towards the Meeting Room, a hallway that George hadn't been in in weeks. Suddenly, Techno stopped, swinging his arm out to stop the boys behind him. He faced the wall, inserted his key card into a crack in it, and a piece of the wall swung open.

"Why do they keep this place inside of a wall?" Sapnap whispered as he followed behind Techno.

"Don't ask me. Schlatt's crazy." Quackity replied hurriedly.

"So why do you work for him?" George questioned, looking behind him to meet Quackity's eye.

"I- that's a long story." He responded shortly, averting his eyes.

George sighed but continued on, going deeper into the walls until the met yet another wall, but this time a door was visible. Standing on either side of the door were two guards, one a tall woman with dark brown hair and one a tall man who's hair was even darker.

"Foolish, Minx, how are we?" Techno greeted.

"Hey Techno, hey Quackity." The woman responded, turning to open the door. "I'm Minx, I'll bring you to Dream. Remember: no talking until we get to his room. Do not interact with anyone else who might be awake."

The three boys nodded quickly, anxious to go inside. The door opened outward and Minx stepped through, motioning for them to follow her. Quackity and Techno stayed outside with Foolish, and the door shut behind them.

They walked through a short hallway and into a big, dimly-lit room that was lined on both sides with large metal doors. It was almost like the hallway that led to their normal rooms, except the doors were more spaced out. There were only three on each side, and they each had a small rectangle carved out at about eye level that George assumed could open and serve as a small window. Minx led them to the room at the end of the right wall and she tapped on the rectangle.

"We told him yesterday to try to stay up, but I don't know if he actually did it." Minx whispered to them.

Her query was answered when the rectangle slid open. The room was pitch black on the inside so George couldn't see any of Dream's face, but he knew he could see them.

"George?" Dream asked carefully, sounding like he was in disbelief. "Sapnap? Karl? What are you doing here?"

"We came to see you," George responded softly, as if speaking too loudly or too harshly would break the other boy. "We know you didn't do anything wrong. We know Schlatt did this to you for no reason."

"Alright, you guys go inside. I'll turn the light on. You have five minutes." Minx instructed, swiping her key card in a slot in the door that George hadn't noticed before.

"No-" Dream protested quickly, but it was too late.

The door slowly opened and the light from the room flooded in, finally revealing the boy.

George almost screamed at what he saw.

Sapnap ushered George and Karl inside quickly and the door swung shut behind them, enveloping the room in darkness. It was completely silent for a few moments; nobody knew what to say. When a thin strip of lights attached to the ceiling illuminated, someone finally spoke.

"Dream... what happened to you?" Karl asked, his voice slightly breaking.

The boy standing before them looked like he'd been through hell. His hair was tangled and matted, and his skin almost as pale as George's; purple veins were visible on his arms and neck. His eyes were sunken in and surrounded by heavy dark circles. But that wasn't even the worst part. He was thin. Insanely thin. His clothes hung loosely off of his body, opposed to how they used to fit him perfectly. The neckline of his shirt hung below his too-defined collarbones, and his elbows were so pointy and boney that George figured they could be used as a lethal weapon.

"Nothing. I'm fine," Dream responded, staring at the floor. George saw his lip quiver slightly and his heart broke even more.

"Dream." George whispered, slowly stepping closer to him. "What did they do to you?"

"It-it's really nothing, George."

George stepped closer still, finally stopping when he was right in front of the taller boy. He reached a careful finger up and softly touched Dream's cheekbone; it was much more apparent than it had been before.

Dream refused to meet his eyes, keeping them locked on the ground beside him.

"Stop lying." George demanded, gentle but firm.

"Aww, does Georgie care about me?" Dream teased lightly. It was less snarky and deliberate than it used to be, and George knew he was just saying it to distract him.

"Dream."

The taller boy grabbed the smaller's wrist, pulling his hand away from his face. "I said I'm fine."

George backed away, slightly hurt by the other's words. "Are you really not gonna tell me?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Dream's face softened slightly and he hesitated, as if he was debating what his next words would be. "There's nothing to tell."

George didn't even try to hide his disappointment anymore. Sadness gleamed in his eyes as he stepped back completely, returning to his place in between Karl and Sapnap. "Fine. If that's how it's gonna be, we'll see you in two days."

He turned to the door and gently nudged Karl towards it, gesturing for him to leave. He shot Dream a sad look before complying, George following closely behind.

"Sapnap," George heard Dream call after them. He didn't even bother turning around to watch their exchange, and when Karl did he just pushed him forwards. The two left the room, leaving Sapnap alone with Dream as George shut the door behind them.

"George-"

"It's whatever, Karl. I don't care anymore." George lied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You don't mean that." Karl said.

"Yeah, I do. He's being an asshole."

"Maybe he's just not ready to talk about it."

"Well it's a pretty pressing issue. They're obviously hurting him. We can't fucking help if he doesn't tell us what's going on."

A few moments of uncomfortable silence passed between the two before George started to get impatient.

"What the fuck are they doing in there?" He asked as he yanked the still unlocked door open, revealing the two boys. Dream was hunched over Sapnap, his arms wrapped around the shorter boy's waist as Sapnap held Dream around his back, rubbing big circles into it. The sight almost made George throw up.

"You have got to be kidding me," George stated, standing dumbfounded by the door.

Dream yanked himself away from the embrace, putting his hands up in defense. "It-it's not what it looks like."

"Oh yeah? Because it looks like you two were making out while Karl and I were waiting outside. You're fucking bipolar, Dream. One minute you're shoving me away and the next you're practically having sex with Sapnap." George countered, hiding his amusement at Dream's embarrassment.

"Wha- stop saying that. We weren't making out." Dream sighed, slapping a hand to his forehead.

"So you were having sex then? Who bottomed? See, Dream, you act all tough and dominant but I think you'd let Sapnap top you any-"

"Shut the fuck up right now before I knock your teeth out."

Sapnap looked between the two, hiding a giggle behind his hands.

"Oh, did I hit a nerve? Someone's uncomfortable in their sexuality," George mocked, unable to hide the grin that spread onto his face.

"Stop being a dick and leave, George. I'm too tired to deal with your bullshit right now," Dream dismissed, slumping down onto a small cot tucked into the back corner of the room.

"You're right, I'm sorry Dream," George said, looking at the taller boy with a sincere expression. When Dream looked back, obviously confused, George continued. "I shouldn't have joked about what I don't know about."

"Oh. Well, thanks I guess?" Dream said suspiciously, not completely believing his friend's apology.

"It's none of my business who tops-" George cracked, bursting into laughter as Dream groaned.

"Just get the fuck out already. And for your information, since you seem all too interested, I'm not a fucking bottom."

George just rolled his eyes and muttered a small whatever before leaving once more, Sapnap following him this time.

"You're gonna tell me everything he said to you," George demanded as Minx led them back through the corridor.

"Sorry man, bro-code. He'll tell you when he wants you to know."

"I honestly couldn't care less about when he wants me to know. Why am I the only one that thinks it's, I don't know, necessitated? Look at what's going on here, Sap. Why the hell is he trying to hide it from me?"

"He has his reasons. Relax. He'll tell you. Now shut up about it already," Sapnap said, playfully nudging George's shoulder. George just shook his head, keeping his eyes forward as they walked back to their room.

Today was the day. Dream would finally be getting out of solitary for good. George couldn't help but feel antsy, even though he constantly reminded himself that he was supposed to be mad at the blond boy. For some reason, every time he thought of his thin frame, the way he looked like he was wasting away, any anger George felt towards him dissipated and was replaced with sympathy. Even though he didn't know what happened to him, he knew it was bad, and even though Dream could be an asshole sometimes, he knew he didn't deserve it.

George sat on Dream's bed, his leg rapidly bouncing as he awaited Dream's arrival. Quackity had dismissed them from their classes for the day, knowing they wouldn't be able to handle waiting any longer than they already had to.

Just as George was ready to go look for him, the door swung open and Dream trudged inside. And, boy, did he look awful.

Somehow he'd managed to look worse than he did two days prior. Purple bags hung under his eyes, contrasting the dark circles that had clouded his eye sockets. His eyes were bloodshot and unfocused, and if it was possible, he looked even paler. His hair was still tangled and his movements were sluggish.

George couldn't help thinking that, in a twisted way, Dream looked kind of... pretty. His all-too-bright skin reflected the lights shining above them, almost making him look like he was glowing. His hair was messy and all over the place, but George preferred it that way anyway. Not that he'd thought about it long enough to have a preference. No way.

"Dream!" Karl yelped, launching himself at him. Karl had at least an inch on both George and Sapnap, but Dream still easily towered over him. He just stood there, laughing gently as  Karl wrapped his arms around him, squeezing tightly and pushing his face up against his chest.

"Alright, I get it." Dream chuckled, playfully pushing Karl off of him.

"What's up? How are you feeling?" Sapnap asked, and George would have missed the hint of panicked concern if he hadn't been over-analyzing the conversation.

"Fine. I know I look like shit, and I kinda feel like it too. But it's better than yesterday, so I'll take it."

Dream turned to George who was looking at his nails, pretending to be uninterested.

"George?" He asked, amused.

George looked around as if he didn't know where the voice was coming from. "Oh, Dream. You're back."

Dream shook his head as he laughed, walking closer to his bed. "Get off, Brit."

"Yikes, using my nationality to make fun of me. That has to be some sort of prejudice."

"Don't make me throw you off."

George hesitated, but eventually gave up, knowing all too well that Dream would actually do it. He climbed up to his own bunk, sinking back into the pillows. He felt at ease. More so than he had the last few days. He felt more comfortable knowing that Dream was under him. Below him, George corrected himself. Below him. His bunk was below George's. Not under him.

George could feel himself drifting off. He knew that he should probably do something to stop it, like sit up or at the very least open his eyes, but his eyelids felt like lead.

He was just barely asleep when the door whipped open.

Antfrost, Skeppy and Callahan stood in the doorway, frantic looks on their faces.

"You guys aren't gonna believe what we just overheard."

AN: heyyy guys!! i'm trying my hardest to keep my motivation up.  i write at least a little bit every day, but future updates might be a little bit more spread out like they have been recently.  i seem to only want to write at 1:00 in the morning so fun fun fun

just wanted to make it perfectly clear that Dream and Sap weren't actually having sex or anything when George walked in LOL they were just hugging

anywho i hope you guys enjoyed! let me know what you think of the story so far. also OF COURSE I DIDNT KILL OF MINX y'all are wild

thanks so much for reading! i appreciate all of the attention this story has gotten. it makes me feel all warm and fluffy inside :] i love you all so much, go treat yourself to a brownie or something because you are that bitch and you deserve it. toodles <3

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