Nick was disheveled and sleep-worn but none the less awake when he arrived at George's. He made a b-line straight to George's room, Vin having explained the situation whilst he was driving over.

He opened the bedroom door and his gaze fell upon George, who looked a pitiful mess to say the least. He was curled tightly into his chair, phone propped against his PC, dressed in a pair of gray joggers and a white top. Clay's hoodie was discarded on the floor beside him and George's knuckles were white where they were clutched tightly around Clay's pendent. When George looked up at Nick through red raw and puffy eyes, Nick felt his heart shatter. This wasn't his best friend.

Nick was quick to stride across the room to George and George responded immediately, reaching his arms out. Nick wrapped his arms around his shaking frame tightly, one hand cradling the back of George's head. He let out soft shushing noises as George hiccuped into his shoulder, nails digging deep crescents into Nick's back through his sleep shirt.

Nick gently pulled George into standing, picking up his phone, and manoeuvred them both towards George's bed. He plugged in and propped George's phone up on the bedside table, Darryl smiling sadly at him from the screen, before working on bundling George up in his duvet. He pried George's nails from his back in order to cocoon him in and took a moment to situate himself on the pillows against the head of the bed before pulling George against his chest.

"No homo," Nick tried as an attempt at humour while George curled his knees up and nestled his head against Nick's shoulder, arms lost in the bundle of covers. George let out a watery laugh, echoing the words back in a hoarse tone. Nick wrapped his arms back around George and rubbed up and down where he assumed George's arm was before settling still once more.

"Vin told me what happened already but is there anything else you want to talk about?" Nick prompted once they were settled. Darryl held a soft, questioning smile as he looked between Vincent and Nick. It was best not to get involved, he figured.

George thought for a moment, letting himself become aware of the way he moved with each of Nick's breaths. It felt so wildly different from being curled into Clay's chest that George wondered whether he'd romanticised what it was really like.

"Can I ask you all some questions? And you have to be honest with your answers, no matter what." George asked, looking between Darryl and Vincent as he couldn't really look at Nick from their position.

"Of course. Even if you won't like the answer?" Vincent asked carefully. He distantly wondered when in the hell he had become so soft. It was probably Nick's fault.

"Especially if I won't like the answer." George responded with about as much fire in his voice as anyone who'd been crying for the last few hours could muster up. The three voiced quiet agreements.

"How do you think this ends?" George finally gets the courage to ask. There's a moment of shocked silence as the three think.

"I think it'll end with the two of you happy and together again forever," Darryl decides and Nick and Vincent hum their agreements.

"Clay will come to his senses. He'll talk to you and the two of you will talk to management together," Vincent adds, all sourness disparaged from his argument with Clay. Just because he's stupid and headstrong doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be happy.

"You'll work things out like you always do. Clay's been obsessed with you since day one and you with him since long before that. The universe owes you both a happy ending and it would be dumb to have it be with anyone but eachother." Nick finalised. He'd been working on his words. George nodded to himself, deciding his next question.

It continued like that for a while. George asking tentative questions while Nick tried to stay awake above him, well aware that the sun would rise before their eyelids fell. Darryl and Vincent had settled more comfortably onto the couch, more than willing to stay there all night, and Zak had come to join at some point when he had realised that Darryl wasn't coming to bed any time soon. Darryl was quick to fill him in after his attempt at a lighthearted joke fell flat. He'd sobered up quickly and offered his own share of comforting words and advice.

It was reaching dawn for Nick and George when George asked his final question. Darryl and Zak were curled into one another and Vincent was half asleep against the arm of the chair, half lidded eyes watching Nick with something odd swimming in them.

"Which..." George paused for a moment, as if rethinking his question. He decided to say it anyways. "Which part of me wasn't enough?" He near whispered but all four of the others heard. George, however, didn't hear the harrowing sound of each of their hearts aching for him.

"None, George. Not a single part of you isn't enough for Clay. He's stressed and distant at the moment but he'll come around and he'll show you. He'll show you that you've been it for him since day one." Zak stated sternly. He had half the mind to smack the sense into Clay himself. A soft hand ran over the span of his back and tucked itself against his waist and Zak relaxed into it.

"I'll talk to him. I won't say a thing about what you've told us if you don't want me to but Clay needs to open his eyes sooner rather than later. If he knew how much he was hurting you then he wouldn't have even thought of doing any of this." Darryl reassured, warm eyes trained on George as he tucked his boyfriend beneath his chin.

There was a silence in which they felt themselves slipping in and out of consciousness but the four had made a silent pact to stay awake until George was okay and asleep. Eventually, George spoke again.

"Thank you. Thank you all so much." George murmured breathlessly. Nick used the last of his waking energy to gently squeeze George and Zak, Darryl and Vincent all let out similar noises of humble dismissal.

"You're our friend too, George. You were there when we needed you, we'll be here when you need us." Darryl slurred. And, with that last piece of reassurance, George drifted off to sleep. Zak and Darryl followed close behind and Vincent and Nick stayed awake for a few moments longer to whisper to one another quietly before joining the others as well.

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@Sapnap
Y'all better show George the love and care he deserves (no homo)
[an image of George asleep against Nick's chest. The duvet had unraveled slightly but it's still tucked warmly around him. His eyes, though closed, are visible puffy and pink. His hair is disheveled and his eyebrows are lightly knit.]
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retweets likes
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@fleepfloop
In this household, we love and appreciate George unconditionally.
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@DefinitelyNotDying(inLA)
You've been the best internet friend a person could ever ask for. You're so strong and so so kind. We love you George 💕
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@BadBoyHalo
We love you George! - Me, Skeppy, A6d, Rat and Rocco ╰(*' ︶ '*)╯♡
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@GeorgeNotFound
Thank you ❤️
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retweets likes

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George felt stiff and dry upon waking up. He stretched and almost winced at the loud pops his spine produced.

"How you feeling?" Nick asked, unraveling his arms from around George in order to let him sit up. Once George was up and had shuffled away a fraction, Nick copied George's stretch and whined at the eleven ugly cracks that resonated from him.

"Physically? Like shit." George remarked, scrubbing at his sore eyes and pressing a hand to his aching head. Nick laughed softly, standing from the bed and stretching again with a groan, just to be sure.

"And emotionally?" Nick continued, watching as George unravelled himself from the duvet. He readjusted Clay's pendent around his neck, glancing at the hoodie still discarded on the floor.

"Better. I think I needed to get it all off of my chest to see reason. Just because he's made friends with someone doesn't mean he suddenly doesn't love me. I just need to be patient and trust him." George decided after a moments thought. Nick nodded.

"Good." He said, looking to be thinking something over. George waited to see whether he'd say anything else. "Seeing you like that again was terrifying. If Clay wasn't a nine hour plane ride away then I would beat his ass." George smiled, once again feeling the swell of gratefulness for his best friend.

"As if you could even lay a finger on him, he'd win for sure." George commented, bumping Nick's shoulder with his own as he walked from the room towards the kitchen, eager for something to eat, drink and to relieve his headache. Nick laughed as he watched George's retreating figure. This was his best friend.

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Bittersweet wholesomeness.

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Yours, Dandelion.