Dreaming a dream as someone who hates dreams but needs sleep

"Then I'll just have to be careful," he said to her, more serious and tender as his fingers ever so carefully moved down. Did she tremble? "Does it hurt?" He asked, though his fingers moved in such gentle small strokes, merely guiding the water to clean her off nicely. He wasn't rough or mean, frankly he was more sweet as it was clear he just wanted to take care of her. Once he was done, he removed his fingers just as gently as they had been on her, moving slightly up to her hip, just touching her a little absent mindedly. He looked at her, his eyes a little soft. A million thoughts in his head as he wondered what would be best to say. "I don't want to lose you from my life," he admitted. It wasn't that he was dependent on her or anything like that, but he quite genuinely enjoyed her company, and found her personality refreshing. "I'm not thinking anything serious; we can be whatever you want us to be," he assured her. No, he wouldn't pressure her with committing just after one round of steamy sex. Nor did he think that she was ready to be tied down to anyone as she seemed like such a free spirit. "What I'm saying is that I really like being around you, and that I'm up for keeping things casual or platonic; whatever you feel like."

George had to admit he felt more relief than anything as she said she wanted to just be friends. Maybe it was visible on him to as he smiled more happily, "hey, I told you not to overthink this," he chuckled shaking his head no. Of course she wasn't ready for anything, he had known that coming here, but he would rather they set a boundary before either of them stepped over the line. "I really appreciate you as my friend, you know?" He told her genuinely. He smiled, reaching up to touch her cheek, pinching it slightly, "though you can bet I'm not going to stop flirting stupidly with you," no, he wanted for them to keep their banter, despite what they had done today. Not that he wanted to forget this. It would be silly for them to pretend at least. But it was one of those things he valued a lot.
They finished up the shower and he grabbed a towel for each of them, even finding one for Mari's hair. He dried off relatively easily, opting to help her with her legs if she felt too wobbly. "Alright, what we need right now is to order some stupidly good take out and just do whatever we want to," he smiled, wanting to show that he wasn't just going to leave her unless she wanted to be alone.

"Fucking hell, if you start calling me that, people will think I'm going soft," he chuckled, but clearly didn't mind it. No, he couldn't care less about how he was perceived in the eyes of others, as long as those whom he cared about still cared about him. He was rather simple like that. As he had gotten her legs dried up he went and fetched his clothes, putting them on before returning with hers, though he had had to look through her drawers to find a pair of clean underwear. He suspected that it would be better than those she had drenched. The suggestion of puzzles made him smile and nod, "I'd like that," he admitted, giving her a soft peck on the head. "I'll go clean up after us," he told her.
And he did as he said, cleaning up the bed and if she had dripped on the floor. He was clearly not grossed out by anything and more so just did what he deemed was right. Like hell he was going to leave her with the clean up in her condition. He even aired out the room, making sure that it felt fresh and clean too. George was a genuinely nice guy, that much was for sure, but he also did go that extra mile because he liked her as much as he did. This had been great, and he wouldn't mind doing it again, but the friendship meant more than to risk it over sex. So once he had finished up he went and looked at his phone for some take out. He hummed, shaking his head no as nothing felt right.
Popping his head back into her room to find her he smiled as he saw her. "Might sound odd, but would you mind if I went to pick up some things from the shop?" He asked, having gotten an idea for the food. He was going to cook her something. "And is there anything you need from it?" If she insisted on coming with him he shook his head no, stating that it was a surprise and that she could go on ahead and get a head start on the puzzle.

"No, I'm gonna pretend to get a carton of milk and then get out of here - of course it's groceries," he smiled, clearly having no intention of leaving her at all. No, they were going to make a puzzle, and he felt like he couldn't remember ever doing that. He nodded at her order about the vitamins, asking where she kept them so he could take a picture of the bottle. He wouldn't risk getting back with the wrong ones. The request for a cake made him chuckle, "you do really have a sweet tooth, huh?" Finding it quite adorable. But he nodded, promising to bring her back what she needed. He went briefly to take pictures of the bottle, popping his head back in to say that he was heading out.
He wasn't gone for too long, but as he came back into the apartment he was carrying two bags, sending her a mischievous smile before heading out to the kitchen. He placed the bags down, putting her vitamins in the right spot before unpacking the rest. It almost looked like he had bought the whole store, but no cake. If she looked disappointed he would shoo her out of the kitchen, "I'm the one cooking, alright sweet cheeks, now sit your bum down on a chair by the kitchen table and star doing that puzzle," he chuckled.
He quite quickly got to cooking, the smells that spread in the small kitchen were pleasant and not too strong. He could even multitask, talking with her as he went on. In the end everything wat put in a pot on the stove to simmer. He cleaned up the mess, wiping down the counters before he came and looked at the puzzle, managing to find a few pieces that fit, looking at the box. But then he looked at the time, smiling as he went back up to the kitchen. That was when he started taking out things to bake with. Yes, he really had the audacity to both cook and bake for her. "None of the cakes looked appealing, so I thought I'd whip something up for you - that way you can freeze it and save the parts you don't eat," he just explained. Truly this was nothing to him. He worked in a kitchen all day, and while this wasn't as fancy as the work one, it worked just as fine.
Once the cake was mixed, he put it in a baking form before popping it in the oven, setting a timer as well before stirring the pot of food currently cooking. Finally he went over, helping her with the puzzle for real this time.

She rolled her eyes with a smile at the remark about her sweet tooth. Yeah, she had a sweet tooth, that was for sure. Even more now with all the hormones. When he left, she decided to clean just a little bit, since it really did show that she hadnt been here for a while. She emptied the fridge from old food and went down with the trashbag to throw out. Once the kitchen was somewhat presentable, she opened a window to air it out as well now that she had dusted off everything in sight. She sat down on her couch with a deep sigh, smiling softly to herself. She grabbed her favorite blanket and just held, finding some kind of happiness in being back home, despite of how she had gotten here. It did help to know that George was returning.
When he did return she got up and went to see what he got. He was very secretive about it, wasnt he? She wasnt really complaining, it made it more fun. She sat down at the kitchen table with a puzzle box after being told to stay off the groceries. She looked at him with a smile before she opened the box and began assessing the picture. She started off with the edges, slowly framing it. When he joined her, she watched him place a few pieces before he had to return to the cooking. She was rather surprised by the fact that he was making a cake now. "Are you trying to impress me? Because I'm already impressed." she chuckled, shaking her head a little. When he returned to help her with her puzzle with the intent to stay, she tilted her head, looking at him with a small smile on her lips. "Are you at your best puzzle game?" - "I thought we could start small so this is just a hundred and fifty pieces this time." she chuckled.

"Come on, don't lie; I could've impressed you simply by making you pasta with mayo," he rolled his eyes. Truth be told he just wanted to do something for her. He knew she was still hurting, even if she was smiling and chuckling right now. He knew that ache that went deep in your soul and felt like it was going to crush you. George might've been cooking and baking for her, but it was also because he knew the importance of looking out for one another. That if you didn't then what good was a friend for?
He joined her at the table, sitting across from her and helping her sort them. Her question made him scoff, but he appreciated that it wasn't too many pieces. "I've actually never made a puzzle before," he admitted, but he had seen it in movies and whatnot. He had just never thought to go and pick up one to make it. It wasn't really his sorta deal, but he was finding that it was sorta therapeutic. "Growing up we didn't have too many toys, and a puzzle would've just gotten messed up because pieces were missing and shit," he shrugged, placing a piece down that fit, smiling as it felt very good. Like a task being completed in that sense. "What got you into puzzles in the first place?" He instead asked, maybe because he wanted to know more of this special hobby. She did pottery and puzzles, and he felt those were oddly specific things to just pick up one day.

He was right, he could have easily impressed her with her current craving. But this was also rather impressive, just by smelling it. It had to be good too. She looked at the puzzle and continued when he joined her to help. His confession made her look at him rather surprised, "Really?" she asked with her eyes a little wide. He explained and it made sense to her, nodding and humming. He placed down a piece and she grinned softly as it fit. The question of how she got into puzzles made her shrug. "I used to be in a after school kind of daycare. Both of my parents were hardworking, so that meant late hours where they could pick me up." she explained before she chuckled a little at the memory. "One of the grown ups loved doing puzzles and I watched her do them. One day she let me put down a piece and after that, I did a puzzle with her. Eventually it just got so normal to sit down and do puzzles that my parents got me one with a 1000 pieces!" she explained, looking up at him with a soft smile. "It's so calming to me to slowly assemble a picture."

He just nodded, confirming that he was being honest, but he was much more interested in hearing about how she had fallen upon this niche hobby. Humming along he nodded as she told the story, placing a few pieces, but not all of them fit to his dismay. Yeah, maybe this wasn't really his cup of tea, but he was trying. Chuckling softly at how excited she seemed to get, he found it rather endearing. "Well I get the accomplishing feeling," he could recognize that quite easily. It was like when you wrote a to-do list and got to cross out a thing you had completed. There was just something so satisfying about that.
His alarm sounded, letting him know that the cake was done, so he sent her a smile as he got up, checking that the cake had baked all the way through before taking it out to cool for later. The foos was almost done as well, but he figured they could just take it straight from the pot and eat while doing the puzzle? Regardless he poured both of them a nice serving, giving her a spoon as well. "It's a goulash," he said, explaining the contents of meat, potato and spices. He also had prepared some bread that he placed on a separate place for them to just reach for. "The meat should hopefully just melt on your tongue; but careful it's still hot," he smiled, sitting down, stirring his own bowl a little to cool it down.

"Well it's the whole recipe for this type .. the one I used to make at home was not with good quality food, and the meat was scarce, but it kept them fed," he chuckled, blowing softly on the contents in his spoon. He took a bite, a little eagerly and burned himself a little, though it wasn't too bad, and he didn't really show it much. "My neighborhood had a lot of different cultures, so I picked up on a lot of good dishes," he admitted, enjoying this warming food. It was the sort that really heated you from the inside and out. He ate some more, looking at the puzzle before he reached out and put a piece in place, smiling a bit to himself. "Alright, I think I'm starting to get it now," he chuckled.
He wasn't in a rush to get dinner over with, and he actually wanted to hear more about her story. "You mentioned you are an only child .. did you have a lot of friends instead?" He asked, of course not intending on ripping up some old traumas, but he remember having a lot of friends in his siblings, even if they were far apart in age. "I mean, there had to be another weird girl doing puzzles too, right?" A light tease, but he didn't mean it too harshly.

"That's true," he hummed, chuckling as he shook his head, "but creativity isn't always the best when all you got to work with is basically nothing and have to do shady stuff, you know?" Or maybe she didn't know what he was eluding to. It didn't really matter in the end. They just continued the puzzle, and he could see that she was quite familiar with it. Was she bored with repeating it? But then again, she didn't seem to be. In fact she looked quite content. At least until he brought up her childhood.
He wasn't really liking hearing about how she had been mostly alone. It didn't sound nice, but then again he hadn't been popular either. More so been the schools bad boy on the outside, but actually a genius underneath. He had just tried to hide his IQ around his friends, dumbing himself down to relate to others. That had been isolating him in a different way. The story of the gum made him frown, shaking his head no as that sounded absolutely horrible. "Well if I had seen that back when I was in school, I would've kicked their front teeth out," he admitted. He hadn't been one to get into fights, unless it was aggravated, but he found bullying horrible. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you do seem like quite the loner .. and that sorta makes me feel quite honored to be your friend," he admitted with a smile.

Her smile and slap made him feign that he was hurt, frowning and rubbing his arm with a soft "ow" escaping his lips. Though he quite quickly softened up again in a smile as she explained her friends. Humming he could understand that at her current condition partying wouldn't really be the priority. But he was saddened to hear that she didn't really see them too much, and the notion of him liking them made him shrug, "I suppose we'll have to see," he smiled. He wouldn't put her down in that. If she liked them, he was going to like them too - or so he hoped. George could be a bit picky about whom he would or could consider friends.
They both finished their bowls, and he offered her seconds unless she was too excited because of the cake. He would let it cool down, promising to pack it up in nice portions so she could have it in the freezer and reheat it at a later point. That way she would at least have some hearty food for the rainy autumn days. He then made sure to clean up after them, at least putting the bowls into some soapy water just to make sure that there wouldn't be anything sticking to the sides of it. Looking over he saw that the puzzle was almost done. However he stopped her before she put in the last piece. Walking behind her, he wanted to get the same view as her as she finally put in the piece and the image was completed. It was quite a beautiful scenery with a few gracing cows and a blue sky with clouds. "It looks really cool now that it's done," he smiled, leaning down to rest his chin on her shoulder, just looking at the image before him. Maybe he could get used to puzzles. "I'm sorta hooked on doing another one .. a big one maybe?" He chuckled, maybe getting in over his head, but honestly he wasn't too upset about it. He would find out in due time just how many pieces there could be in a complex puzzle.

Her warning made him chuckle, shaking his head at her before closing his hand in a fist, pointing his thumb back at himself, "I got what it takes, coach, I swear it," he said. Though he couldn't keep a straight face for long, smiling as he opted to just take the cake with him into the living room along with two plates and dessert forks. The suggestion of a movie made him hum and nodded, "yeah, I would like that," he admitted.
They seemed to keep their friendship intact, and over the next few weeks things were going great, or at least George thought so. Though he of course didn't see the sides of her when she was alone.

Aiastes had told himself that he was done with mortals. That his heart couldn't comprehend leading Mari on because of how absent he was all the time. He knew that if she found someone good that were more like her in species, then perhaps she would forget about him. But he couldn't forget about her. He watched over her, monitoring her dreams and every so often he took the time out to simply visit her dreams, though never making himself known.
Until one night. She had a nightmare, one that he hadn't planned for her, and he felt like he couldn't stop himself. He wrapped his arms around her, shielding from the scary feeling and holding her close. He was silent, just holding her and hating himself more and more. Perhaps she would wake and think that she had simply imagined him. But he also knew just how clever she was. "Everything is alright," his voice deep and hopefully soothing, "the nightmare is over."

The passing days seemed fine at first, but her dreams were turning odd. In a way she couldnt quite describe. But she hadnt expected it to pan out in a horrible nightmare. Everything happened so fast and she felt so out of control that when she felt it, the arms that held her for a moment felt like another part of the never ending nightmare. But it wasnt. The soothing voice made her freeze as she realized who was holding her, her shoulders trembling a little, or so she felt like. "Why are you here?" she whispered, feeling even her voice shake a little. She didnt know if it was the nightmare or the wound that had been healing but now was torn up and bleeding with emotions that made her heart ache.

He just held her, pressing his face into her hair as he had done in the waking world. To him everything here was just as real as her world. Her whisper didn't go unheard, but he struggled to find the right words to explain his actions. He had told her that he wanted to support her still. Be her friend. And yet she had been the one to refuse that. She had been the one who left. And yet, "I care about you," he just spoke in a soothing voice, pulling his face away to look at her face. His hand moved up to cup her face ever so delicately, though he doubted it would feel as real to her as it did to him. "You were the one who left me," he reminded her, and it was clear that despite his stoic face that his eyes were showing how much that had hurt. She had been the one to sever the contact between them when he had opted to insist that they simply remained friends. Had that truly been such a horrible act? He was still trying to figure it all out, but mortals seldom made a lot of sense to him. Not that she was like any mortal he had ever met.

She felt lead on? He couldn't possibly believe that. He wasn't approachable or someone worthy of love. All he had done was trying to be decent to her; show her the kindness that she deserved. And yet he couldn't comprehend it. Broken her heart as well? Had he truly done that? It was almost strange to hear her talk like this and as she removed his hand he saw her hesitation. He simply stood there, looking at her with his stoic face while his eyes showed how he moved through his emotions; hurt; sadness; longing. It was the last one that was the worst. because he knew he wasn't meant for her. And yet, he wanted to dare the fates that all had been given. "So your disdain for me stems from the fact that I was trying to protect you?" He asked. It wasn't only protecting her, but himself as well. He just stood there, letting her hold his wrist, but if she let him, he would take her hand ever so carefully in his hand. Looking at it his thumb caressed the top of it as if it was the most valuable thing in the whole world. "You are hurt because I told you the truth, and yet you felt lead on when you've known my placement in all of this all along?" He was trying to understand her, but he was unsure if she was being as rational as he was.