Nick was the first to notice the two walking into the kitchen side by side. He eyed George with a raised brow and George nodded in return, eyes exhausted but lips pulled into a small smile.

"Has everyone kissed and made up?" Clark quipped and Jethro elbowed him in the side sharply for his choice of wording. George just let out a small laugh and nodded.

"Yeah. We're good." George murmured, looking around at his friends with a small smile. Though his heart was still in pieces, he could feel those pieces slowly beginning to gravitate towards one another.

"Come on, hug it out!" Ophelia instructed, shoving Zak's shoulder repeatedly from where she was stood beside him in order to inch him and Darryl towards George. Darryl giggled, both of them opening their arms and George shuffled until they could encase him. Nick was quick to shove Vincent toward the three and he rolled his eyes before wrapping his arms around them too.

Clay looked over at Nick first with a heavy heart. The look he got in return held a fizzling out anger and a rising undertone of acceptance. He nodded once, seriously, and Clay had to blink to himself in surprise for a moment before eagerly joining the hug. He pressed his chest to George's back, near shivering from the contact, and wrapped his arms around the clump.

For the first time that morning, George finally let loose the knot in his throat, allowing the tears to trickle from his eyes and drop onto Zak and Darryl's overlapped shoulders. The feeling of the fabric of Zak and Darryl's shirts against his face, of Vincent's arm around his shoulders, of Clay's chest against his back, of Clay's breath ruffling his hair was all too overwhelming. He clutched tighter at whomever he was holding on to, George couldn't tell by this point, and shook. They held him back just as tight for a long, peaceful moment. They were okay.

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@ClarkNotKent
Gogy is letting us take his friends around Didney with us :3

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@GeorgeNotFound
You say that as if I had a choice
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@fleepfloop
Friends??????? Are they finally all together again?????????? PLEATH
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@BBHisBaby
Oh dear God, I'm so sorry George's friends. Clark is in the mood to get on people's nerves again
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     @JeThrowMeAway
     When is he not in the mood to get on
     people's nerves?
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     retweet      likes

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"Georgie-pie!" Clark crowed, throwing an arm around George's shoulders. They had decided that it would be a waste of a day to not go and enjoy the park on their doorstep after George had deemed himself stable enough for it. "Say, does your butt buddy enjoy rollercoasters? Mine's too coward, Lia is busy simping and Geo won't stop texting that boy. Wonder when he'll realise his man-crush is rapidly becoming just a crush."

"Butt buddy?" George choked out, not having managed to hear much past the two words and 'rollercoaster', face turning red, and Clark grinned. He distinctly ignored the fact that he could most definitely feel Clay glaring at him from a few strides from George's other side.

"Tall blondy, kinda looks like a classic surfer dude." He continued, ruffling George's hair in reference and feeling the glare on him intensify.

"Clay?" George asked, voice thick with confusion.

"Bingo!" Clark cheered, jostling George's shoulders and poking at his cheek obnoxiously. He had to hold back his laugh as he watched Clay attempt to discretely move closer to George, still unaware of their conversation topic, from the corner of his eye. "Reckon he'll accompany me?"

"Uh, no, I don't think so. He doesn't like them either." George managed to get out, as much as it would be hilarious to see him stumbling out of space mountain like George had done.

Clark hummed. "Shame." He commented with a click of his tongue. "Well, it was worth a shot. Thanks scooter boy!" He then pressed his nose to George's temple, something George had seen him do often and distantly wondered the meaning of, before disappearing off completely to walk just in front of Jethro's toes. He was satisfied that he'd caused enough trouble between the obviously-still-in-love-birds.

Really, Clay shouldn't be jealous. He had no right to be jealous. Clark had been there for George when he wasn't. Clark and Jethro and Ophelia and Geo and Nick, they had all been there.

But seeing the pink on George's cheeks and ears as Clark practically hung off of him made something stir in his stomach. The way Clark so easily jostled George closer into his side and played with his face. The way George almost smiled when Clark nuzzled his temple.

So Clay took another step closer after Clark had skipped off, praying George wouldn't notice. He did, of course.

If Clay moved any closer, their arms would brush with each step. George didn't comment on it though. Clay had left an awkward amount of space between them as they walked before and George knew that he was trying to be kind and respectful but it just made things worse. He didn't like this new customary distance between them but he also wasn't sure how he'd deal if things had immediately returned to how they had been.

He wasn't sure where they stood. Clay had said he loved him but, after everything, George's heart was having a hard time believing it. Really, they ought to sit down and talk about it. About them and where they were together and where they wanted to go.

George wasn't even sure if they were together or not. He had thought they had broken up when George said goodbye but he wasn't sure if Clay thought the same. He wasn't sure if he wanted Clay to think the same.

"Are you okay?" Clay finally mustered the confidence to murmur, having seen the way George's features had shifted and his steps had slowed. George almost jumped at the noise, looking up into Clay's warm, concerned eyes.

"Not yet." George breathed honestly after a moment. "But I'm better than I was. I'll get there." He finished and Clay had the urge to take George's hand in his. Instead, he smiled down at him softly.

They walked in silence for a moment, having to do that awkward half walk half jog to catch up with the group again. George broke it again after a moment of chewing on his lip and thinking.

"Can I be selfish for a moment?" He asked almost guiltily, not looking up from where he was watching his black converse pat against the path with each step. Clay looked over again.

"George, I've been being selfish for months now, you deserve to be selfish for more than a moment." Clay replied, palms itching with the want to just reach out for George.

"Do you really still love me?" Clay almost didn't catch the words and, when he did, he tripped over his own feet and barely managed to right himself. He took in George's pink dusted cheeks with a hammering heart.

Before he had the chance to stop himself, Clay felt his hand land on George's shoulder. He was about to pull it away and apologise when George's fingers rested feather light over his own. He was certain George could hear his heart hammering.

"I love you so much, George. And I'll do whatever it takes to make you believe that." He promised earnestly, squeezing George's shoulder softly. He looked between George's eyes for a moment. "Whatever it takes."

"Even let Clark take you on a rollercoaster?" George asked, only half joking. Clay ignored the burn the name brought in him. George was asking Clay whether he loved him, not Clark. He nodded regardless.

"I'd let Clark take me on every rollercoaster in this place if it would prove to you that I love you." He swore and George smiled, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"Hey Clark!" George hollered and Clay's eyes snapped open with a quick 'wait'. "Clay said he'd go on every rollercoaster with you!" Clay didn't think before wrapping an arm around George's shoulders, other hand wrestling to cover his mouth. George giggled as he shoved it away, watching Clark perk up from where he had had his arms wrapped around Vincent and Nick and had been shoving them into one another.

"Wait, I didn't agree to this-" Clay began, one arm still strong around George's shoulders. George turned to him and Clay felt the breath leave him at how very close George's face was now.

The group had gathered around the pair in interest, Clark acting similar to a puppy told he was going for a walk at their side. "Come on! Don't back out now!" He called and the others echoed similar pressures. Clay took a moment to glance around them all with a nervous laugh before settling on George's blinding grin.

For a moment, all else stopped. It was like Clay was seeing George for the first time all over again. His hair was slightly messy from where Clark had ruffled it earlier but Clay thought it looked good on him. Though his eyes were still faintly red rimmed and shadowed softly, they were bright with a beautiful amusement and framed by long, black lashes. His smile was something Clay would never be able to get over. It curled perfectly to expose beautifully straight, white teeth and it crinkled his eyes in the most endearing way.

Clay wanted George to know just how highly he thought of him. Just how beautiful he was to him. Just how much Clay loved him.

"Fine." Clay agreed with a roll of his eyes. George would be the death of him, but Clay didn't really mind. He'd be happy if George's smile was the last thing he ever saw. The group cheered, a few shoving at Clay's shoulders in encouragement.

He'd regret his decision later but, right now, seeing and feeling George laugh beneath his arm as Clark attempted to leap onto Clay's back made it all worth while.

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1.7k words

Does this count as fluff? 🥺👉🏼👈🏼

Feedback is welcome and appreciated!!

Yours, Dandelion.