Welcome to the end of Act I!!!!  Next part will be intermission and a recap before getting into Act II!!!! (which I'm not finished planning out so I might not post the next part for another day or two)

This chapter is kinda emotional idk

!!!note pov change!!!

TW: mention of po po, suggested PTSD

Previously...

I wanted his comfort so badly. I craved it. But I couldn't bring myself to say it- or anything, for that matter. So I just laid there, my hand against his cheek (held in place by Dream, since I didn't have the energy to hold it up).

And for the first time in a long time, I had hope.

**Dream's P.O.V.**

Wilbur and I got pulled away from George, along with Cole. They spoke to all three of us- separately- and determined who to take away.

So, Wilbur and I got off with a small fine for breaking and entering, while Cole had to go to court and hopefully be sentenced to a long term prison. He deserved so much worse than that, but I wasn't going to take the law into my own hands and risk getting in more legal trouble.

Plus, I really wanted to get back to George. I need to talk to him, to ask him if he's ok.

I ran back into the room from before, yelling, "George!" Wilbur was close behind me, standing in the doorway with a look of concern on his usually relaxed features.

I kneeled down in front of George, searching his face for injuries and fear.

"It's ok, it's over now. No more," I murmured comfortingly. He just stared back at me, not saying a word.

"I'll leave you two alone. I'll be in the hallway if you need me," Wilbur stated, giving us both a wave before walking out. I turned my attention back to George, frowning deeply.

He had a distressed look on his face, and I quickly tried to distract him. He could probably hear Cole fighting back against the police in the hallway.

"Hey George, I need you to listen to me, ok? Can you try to tell me what happened? Or tell me anything at all?" I did my best to be his center of attention. He definitely needed some distraction right now. And I needed to hear his voice.

"George, please. What's your favorite color? Can you tell me your favorite color, George?" He didn't answer, instead giving me a look that seemed to say "you should know this."

"Please, George, just- please. Say something, I want to hear your voice so badly." I was getting more and more scared the longer he didn't respond. All he did is stare blankly.

A cop walked in, leaning against the door frame nonchalantly. He glanced at me, then at George.

"Kid, will you testify against your attacker in court?" Again, silence follows the question.

I can't stand it anymore. "He won't speak!" I cried, feeling absolutely devastated. How could this happen? Why would anyone want to hurt sweet Gogy? The cop just sighs.

"I can call an ambulance," he says, sounding like he doesn't really care, but is just trying to do his job. Fair enough, I suppose, but it wouldn't hurt him to at least pretend to care.

The cop leaves, and I'm back alone with George. My eyes are brimming with tears, and when I turn back to look at my broken friend, a few of them spill over the edge.

And then, I see the first real reaction from George since we got here. His blank stare turned to more of a frown, and slowly, shakily, a hand reaches out to brush away my tears. My breath catches in my throat, quickly pressing my hand against his- since he was having trouble keeping it there. George inhaled sharply when I touched his hand, but he didn't seem too scared or make any moves to pull it away.

I hummed softly, leaning into George's hand. His skin was soft, bruises spotting his pale skin. I lightly brushed my fingers over a few of them, stopping when George started breathing heavier. We looked at each other, his terrified brown eyes breaking my heart.

"It'll be ok. You're safe now, I promise. I won't ever let anyone hurt you again." George didn't smile, but I saw his eyes close peacefully. His breathing slowed, and his tense muscles relaxed, finally, as George fell asleep.

"It's going to be ok. I love you, George."

And that's the end of Act I!!!! Act II will be significantly less traumatic, however it will be a recovery story so obviously we aren't just going to ignore what happened

Well, get ready for mute George coming up soon, after we take a quick intermission :))))