Late Night Lullabies - Chapter 4

Instructions

The sun climbed higher in the sky, casting warm golden rays over the clearing. Dream and George lingered in the quiet space they’d carved out for themselves, their usual banter softened by the shared vulnerability of the morning. But the peace couldn’t last forever. A distant rustling in the trees made Dream sit up straighter, his instincts kicking in. George noticed the shift immediately, his brow furrowing. “What is it?” Dream’s eyes narrowed, scanning the treeline. “Someone’s out there.” George followed his gaze, his heartbeat quickening. “Do you think it’s—” “Could be anyone,” Dream interrupted, his voice steady but tense. He stood, brushing dirt from his pants, and picked up his mask from where it had fallen earlier. Sliding it back over his face, he looked down at George. “Stay here.” George shot to his feet, grabbing Dream’s arm before he could walk away. “I’m not just going to sit here while you go off alone.” Dream hesitated, his jaw tightening. “George—” “No,” George said firmly, his grip unwavering. “We’re in this together, remember? You don’t have to do everything alone anymore.” Dream stared at him for a moment before letting out a resigned sigh. “Fine. But stay close to me, okay? I don’t want anything happening to you.” George nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips despite the situation. “I can handle myself, you know.” Dream chuckled softly, the sound lightening the tension between them. “I know. But humor me.” The two of them moved toward the treeline, Dream leading the way with practiced caution. As they walked, the rustling grew louder, and George found himself gripping the hilt of the sword he always carried but rarely used. When they reached the source of the noise, Dream relaxed slightly, his hand falling from his weapon. “Oh.” Standing before them was Sapnap, his armor scuffed and his expression somewhere between annoyed and relieved. “There you two are,” he said, crossing his arms. “I’ve been looking for you all morning.” George let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. “Sapnap, what the hell? You scared us!” Sapnap raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. “Scared you? I was the one wandering around looking for you while you two were having some… alone time.” He smirked, his eyes flicking between them knowingly. George’s face turned bright red. “We weren’t— It wasn’t—” Dream stepped in smoothly, his voice calm and unaffected. “What’s going on, Sapnap? Why were you looking for us?” Sapnap’s smirk faded, replaced by a more serious expression. “Something’s happening back at the SMP. Techno and Phil are up to something, and Tommy’s freaking out about it. I thought you’d want to know.” Dream’s shoulders tensed. “What kind of something?” Sapnap shrugged, clearly frustrated. “I don’t know all the details, but it sounds big. Tommy’s convinced it’s another plan to destabilize the server.” George groaned. “Of course it is. Can’t we get one day of peace?” Dream placed a reassuring hand on George’s shoulder. “We’ll figure it out.” Turning back to Sapnap, he nodded. “Thanks for letting us know. We’ll head back now.” As they made their way back to the SMP, the weight of the situation began to settle over them. George glanced at Dream, who was walking beside him, his expression unreadable beneath the mask. “You okay?” George asked softly. Dream didn’t respond immediately, his gaze fixed ahead. Finally, he said, “I’ll be fine. As long as you’re with me.” George’s heart skipped a beat, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he reached out and took Dream’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Dream squeezed back, and for a moment, the chaos ahead didn’t feel quite so daunting. ...