CHAPTER 6 - SECRETS

Orlando, Florida, Thursday, 4:17 p.m.

"No!" George yowled. Sitting up hastily, breathing fast. Another nightmare. He sighed. Ever since Fundy threatened him two days ago. He had been having nightmares about the fox and his threats to him. It looped in his head like the rumors about the Omega sighting.

Before George could even yawn. Sudden furious knocks came roaring from the front door. He groaned and heaved himself out the side of his bed. He was grudgingly dragging himself towards the door. 

More knocks came aloud once more. "I'm coming!" exclaimed George, growing impatient. He opened the door and Sapnap stood timidly. He looked like he was waiting to throw a jungle of words at the brunette.

"Hi George," Sapnap began. Taken aback by George's appearance. When the Omega didn't say anything he continued. "Dream was meaning to pay you a visit since you haven't been at school for the past two days."

But he's too busy so he sent you instead. The brunette itched with resentment. He panicked when Sapnap's eyes abruptly watered.

"Dude your hormones!" Sapnap wailed, dramatically plugging his nose. "Sorry." George quickly jogged to his bathroom to find his pills.

After tidying himself up, George returned to his living room. The panda was sitting on his couch, waiting for his friend to come back. Once he did he jumped straight to the point, not even letting the brunette sit down first.

"Are your hormones always this strong?" Sapnap questioned after George had freshened up.

"Yeah." George played with his nails from the awkward tension. "Only on the fourth and fifth day of my heat." He explained as he sat down.

Silence once more, all that echoed around the room was the sound of George flicking at his nails aggressively. Would it be so awkward if it were Dream instead? He frowned. It seemed like ever since he told Sapnap his secret. The boy suddenly had a much more crucial part in his life.

"Well, ever since the recent sighting…" Sapnap trailed off, his head seemed to be spinning with words but swirled his sentences into place.

"The group was agreeing to go into the city, to get away from this whole drama," Sapnap explained. The Omega silently agreed. "I was looking at those capsule hotels for the first night." Sapnap perked his rounded ear.

"Would you come with us?" He prompted. "I'll try," George mumbled casually. Suppressing a smile at how excited he was to get away from the school for a bit. 

"Tomorrow?" Sapnap cheesed. "Tomorrow?" George echoed, swallowing thickly. He doubted it quickly. Would he lose control of Dream on the last day of his heat?

"Yeah, late notice." The Sapnap clarified. George released air from his lungs that he didn't know he was holding. "What time?"

"Does 2 pm work?" He answered. George returned the stare at Sapnap. Surely he could get away from his heat if it was two in the afternoon. 

"Guess I'll start packing" The Omega muttered. He got up and headed towards his room. "Cold weather clothes!" Sapnap insisted.

—— 

The next day arrived faster to George's dismay. He had packed and headed out. He knew it was going to be a long weekend. But it was better than school any day of the week.

Once he arrived at his desired destination with his suitcase wheeling hurriedly behind him, friendly smiles greeted his presence.

"Looks like everyone's here," Dream glances at his watch updating himself on the time "Since it's already pretty late, why not just settle in one of the capsule hotels?" Dreams softly spoke. Everyone silently agreed as Dream started up an Uber.

When finally arriving at the luxurious hotel. The doors opened automatically and George's first thought was it was too much. The over-the-top chandeliers. Warmly lit candles in holders hugged the walls. Complementing the fading tile floor. 

The brunette stood in place while Dream and the others went up to the lady at the front desk to pay. Karl must have picked up on George's worries. 

"Something up?" Karl encouraged. A side of the Omega hated how the wolf could always tell if something was bothering him. It was like he knew the storm cloud of trouble was following him. Making his attempts to whisk it away.

"Not just, a lot on my mind." blandly replied the Omega. Mindlessly stuffing his hands in the depths of his hoodie pockets. But really, he was already drained from the sudden burst of human interaction.

Karl looked for an answer in George's eyes but found none, George's cold outer shell was thick and hard to read, keeping up its guard of its warm, precious inside that is easily breakable and fragile.

Karl followed George's stare on the floor. "Has that demon been annoying you again?"

"Bad? Oh, no no he's a nice demon." The Omega reassured Karl. Although he hadn't talked to the demon in a long time. And he was never bothersome. He wondered if George had an unpleasant look on his face whenever he would talk to the demon.

"Then who?" The time traveler continued to pester. The brunette was growing annoyed at Karl's hounding. He quickly glanced to see if Dream and the others were finished yet. They weren't.

"Fundy this time." George bluntly stated.

"Why is he after you? He likes Dream doesn't he?" Confused, the wolf asked. George clenched his jaw at this comment, his brain flashing the memories again.

  "It's a long story…" George started and Karl waited for George to continue, but he didn't.

"Want to tell me when we get in the bunks?" The time traveler just wouldn't let go of the subject. "We could stay up telling each other stories!" 

As perked as Karl was, George strained his ears and sighed. "Sure, Karl." He plastered a smile on his face and he was returned with a friendly one. George looked up pleasingly as the rest were done having their conversation with the lady. 

She pointed at one of the two elevators. The Omega guessed girls and boys were separated. They got to their locker floor. Each with their cards to their lockers. 

After settling in their stuff they went up in the elevator to the pods floor. The five wandered silently into the room. Looking to his left and right, stacked two up. Were the pods on either side of the small hallway.

The brunette felt like he was cornered by mountains. White numbers were plastered onto the black floor. Labeling each pod. Making an easy and accessible to find your correct one. 

He glanced at Karl who was about to let his excitement out vocally. But hurriedly hushed himself as some curtains were closed. Notifying him this was public and people were actively sleeping.

Soon the group found their cluster of bunks and settled in. Quackity and Dream were assigned two bottom cubes. And George, Karl, and Sapnap were given the top ones.

They finally realized they were hungry. Setting out to find a Mcdonalds' nearby.

—— 

"Have you told anyone else?" Karl peered up at George with hazy eyes glittering with questions. The group had retrieved their food and now we're hungrily eating it in their cozy pods. Though Karl insisted George needed company in his.

"Yeah, Sap knows" George returned the eye contact, taking a soft bite from his cheeseburger. Karl now knew about the Omega's hostile secret.

George attempted to speak again but his voice was caught in his throat. Most likely from the stress that his secret was escaping to more people than he expected. 

"I won't tell anyone, promise." Karl's words seemed dull to George. Even empty as if they meant nothing and were just spat out in the heat of the moment.

"Is it hard?" The wolf wondered, eating the last of his fries. George swept his hair to the side that was in the way.

"I guess, it always feels like you on the run. I mean have you heard police are going through all the schools in Florida?"

"Yeah, I mean don't you think it's a bit… dramatic?" Hesitation tripped Karl on his last words but continued. "Also Have you heard the game is happening next Friday?" The wolf asked. George shifted, picking up Karl's nervous scent causing him to change the subject so suddenly.

"Not excited." George realized.

"You're disguised as a beta remember? You will have to participate.." Karl's voice rang in his ears and grumbled in response.

"So is Fundy! I can't get away from him." George looked up to the roof of the pod. His bottom lip quivered. Trying desperately to hold back tears.

"Don't cry… What's happened with you and Fundy?" Karl nudged, worried he had jumped to questions too fast.

"Oh, he just likes Dream too," George replied. He felt a plunge in his heart being strained to tell his friend the full story, but soon George cringed awaiting for Karl to explode off  his findings of George had caught a liking to Dream

"I guessed." Karl giggled, the bubbly aurora he gave off chased the tears attacking George's eyes away. "You want anyone specific in the games?" George forced a smirk, happy to change the subject.

"Yeah, but I'm tied between two.."

—— 

Both had been exchanging stories for many hours. Just pleasant to have each other's company. But soon Karl caved more and more, craving sleep. The two both decided they should head to bed.

Once Karl left George felt empty. The excitement of telling thrilling stories was now washed away. He felt drained like the shore returning from its powerful wave. Though George felt anything but powerful. Practically vulnerable, his secret could spread like a forest fire at any moment in time. Three people already had ahold of his information in the past week.

He huddled himself into a tight ball. Closing his eyes and embracing for sleep to chase away his thoughts. But he couldn't get his exhaustion to wash over him to get to such a state.

After restless minutes passed. George noticed a pattern of banging rumbling below him. Since he had nothing better to do, he thought he would go down and see. His ears straightened atop his head into mountain-like shapes. He nagged the curtain open of his cubby. And was gently climbing down a level into Dreams pod.

Once opening the drape it revealed Dream lazily sitting against the wall. With his laptop's blinding light screaming into his face, it was the only light that dimmed the cube.

"Nick? Is that you?" Dream questioned his floppy dog ear lifting at the unusual visit.

"It's George"

"Come in, why are you up so late?" The taller swarmed George with questions before he had even settled in.

George closed the curtain once more before saying anything. "Karl and I were talking for a while but then I couldn't get to sleep."  he plumped down next to the blonde. He fumbled around until he was comfortable.

"I could hear." Dream drew his focus to the screen, swiftly typing a few things. George stiffened his muscles and began tensing. Could he hear what we were talking about? The brunette looked at his feet drowned in thoughts.

"W.what?" George stammered. His heart felt as if it were about to leap out of his throat.

"Never mind," Dream chuckled, "but if you worried about if I could hear the things you and Karl were saying, I only ever heard mumbling." George exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding.

His heart was slowing as he took his eyes off his feet and onto the laptop screen. Scanning the editing app, Dream seemed to be fixing up a video. but it was abruptly shut and the sleek electronic was put to the side.

Like an idiot, the dark blonde padded and dragged his hand across the sheet. "Where's my phone?" He blindly questioned.

George scoffed. "There idiot." The Omega's smooth tail lifted, mindlessly pointing to where the Alpha's phone was.

"How can you see?" Dream looked at George squinting, the brunette shrugged. Though he realized after that the Alpha probably couldn't see the action.

"Cat perks I guess." After seeing Dream was still searching. George just stretched out and grasped Dream's phone for him, planting it in the taller's hands. He thanked him lighting up his phone so his vision returned.

While the two carelessly scrolled through Twitter. The dream seemed like he was distracted. Something was tugging his mind so much it felt like it was probing George's brain. It was painfully distracting, but his question was answered.

"Wait, so you have cat-like traits?" The Alpha burst. This simple sentence spun George off guard. "I guess" He replied. Trying to connect minds with the taller to get answers.

"So… Can you purr?" A grin was tucked at the side of the blonde's lips. George quickly scoffs before flushing a deep shade of red. "So?" Dream urged, and the brunette curled his lips awkwardly.

"Fine. Yes. Only naturally though." George's cheeks burned from anticipation. Dream slowly put his hand up to rest between the brunette's flicking ears.

"What, what are you doing?" George was suddenly glad Dream was unable to see his face in the darkness. He felt as if his cheeks were glowing.

The Omega was choking on his words but he fell into silence as Dream started a gentle massage on his scalp. He drooped in vulnerability, taking in the moment. He leaned in harshly against Dream's hand, wanting the feeling to arise. Soon he felt a slow rumble come up from his chest as he breathed.

He flinched at the guilty touch, tightening his lungs to prevent the wind of purrs. The taller whined in a pleading manner, guiding George into a dangerous option. The brunette yearned for the soft feeling to come once and found his actions driven by desire.

"C'mon, before I change my mind" The shorter croaked, the feeling quickly reoccurred. His mind surfed the embarrassment stage. This time letting the purrs erupt from his chest freely. Filling the cube with light sounds and the only sound. No words were spoken, shifting the air into a comforting silence.

The massages strained away, and Dream's hand rested limply on George's head. The two fell asleep like that. Sleeping peacefully at one another's side.