A/N: MORE PANDEMIC STUFF, IDK OK?????????

George never meant to do harm. He just wanted to hang out with some of his friends. Just not online. He never wanted to get sick. He never wanted to pass it on to anyone. But it still happened.

George stood at his front door, scanning through a mental list of the things he needed to bring.

Mask? Check.

Change of mask? Check.

Hand Sanitizer? Check.

Phone? Check.

George took a deep breath, and stepped outside. Dream was waiting outside, backing up as George approached, to keep the six feet distance.

"You've got everything?" Dream asked. George nodded. Dream turned around and climbed into his car, George into his. Even though they were living in the same house, Dream insisted on keeping up the social distancing everywhere.

"I don't want to make you sick, George. Please, just do it for me." Dream pleaded. George reluctantly agreed. Dream had been even more reluctant than George was to come to this party. But George pleaded Dream as well, and the blonde finally caved in.

The two drove for five minutes before arriving at Sapnap's house. Skeppy was casually leaning against the door, chatting amiably with Bad, while A6d was watching on, laughing occasionally. George pulled up after Dream, taking extra care to park.

"Hi, you two muffins!" Bad broke off from his conversation to greet Dream and George. Sapnap emerged from within the house.

"Hello." Sapnap greeted them simply, gesturing them inside. Dream took careful care to keep six feet distance, frowning disapprovingly at all the others' lack of masks.

"Guys, masks." Dream reprimanded them. Skeppy gave Dream an indiscernable look.

"It doesn't matter, Dream. It's just us." A6d piped up. Dream bit his lip, worried. He glanced over at George.

George shrugged. "Just keep your distance." Sapnap completely ignored Dream's point, and beckoned to George and Dream again.

Dream frowned, but followed Sapnap in, George following behind. Sapnap lead them to a rather spacious living room, where Spifey, TapL, and Finn was seated.

"Come in. I've got some food and stuff, but you can take whatever you want." Sapnap gestured over at the countertop in the corner, which was laden with food, drinks, and...

Alcohol?

Most of us aren't even 21 yet.

Dream furrowed his brow.

This isn't right.

Dream jumped at George's touch, then twisted away.

"George! Don't touch me." George's face was a little hurt, but he brushed it away.

"You're twenty one. You haven't tried wine or anything yet? You should try some now."

Dream rubbed the place George touched him with his hand, running his fingers over the spot unconsciously. "Maybe... I don't really drink though, and I don't want to get into a bad habit."

George rolled his eyes. "Stop being so uptight. Just one drink, it won't become a bad habit." Dream bit his lip, doubtful.

But George was already moving on, striking up a conversation with A6d, who had just wandered in. Dream sat down on the couch, six feet, obviously, and started chatting with Spifey, with a sinking nervous feeling in his stomach that something was going to go wrong.

DREAM'S POV

A clinking sound came from behind Dream. He turned around. George was pouring wine into a small cup.

George caught Dream's eye. "Want some?" He gestured to his cup. Dream shrugged.

"Sure." George passed Dream the cup, which the blonde accepted, staring at the golden-yellow liquid.

"This is wine?" Dream asked, swishing it in the cup slightly. George nodded.

"It's aged wine, actually. One of the finest. I don't know where Sapnap got it from, but hey, we've got some!" George bubbled enthusiastically. They clinked their glasses together.

"Cheers!" George downed his in a gulp, but Dream only took a casual sip, feeling the taste in his mouth, slowly, turning it over, tasting it.

"Not bad." Dream finally deduced, looking at the wine bottle. "Not bad." He repeated, taking another sip, a little longer now.

George went to get another shot, sitting down next to Dream. "Do you like it?"

"Not bad." Dream repeated again. He downed the glass. George took the glass from Dream and refilled it, handing it back to the blonde.

"This is the last one." Dream said, before downing it in one gulp, wiping his mouth. He set his glass on the nearest table, and began talking with George.

It didn't take long for the affects of the alcohol to kick in. After a few minutes, Dream started to feel a little woozy. The reason why didn't dawn on him until another few minutes had passed.

"We should probably leave soon, before we get too drunk." Dream finally cut in on George's babbling.

George brushed it off airily. "No need. We'll be fine." His voice slurred slightly. "Here, have another glass." George stumbled and grabbed the bottle of wine, almost missing the glass.

"George, stop." Dream gently pushed the glass away from George's grasp.

"It's nothing." George smiled lazily, placing a hand on Dream's cheek, tilting the blonde's chin up. Dream slapped his hand away, backing away from George, putting on his mask, guilty about taking it off in the first place.

"George, you've drank too much. Come on, let's go home." Dream stood up. Spifey, Finn, and TapL watched on silently, not interfering as Dream dragged George out of the house, coaxing him gently. George stumbled after Dream, complaining as he did so.

-

George had a terrible hangover. Either George had slipped in a few extra shots when Dream wasn't looking, or George was just really sensitive to alcohol. Anyways, George woke up groggy, moaning, and most scarily, with a severe fever. Dream completely disregarded the six feet rule to care for George. After a few days of the fever, Dream decided to bring George to get tested.

George had tested positive. Positive for coronavirus. The doctor told Dream that George would have to stay isolated, as well as Dream himself, so he wouldn't be able to see George. He would be allowed to call George once he was feeling better, but at the current moment, George was too feverish and they wanted to let him recover a little before Dream called him. Apparently Sapnap had been feeling a little off and had tested positive. No one else had tested positive at the party, which was lucky. After the fifth day without getting a call from the hospital, Dream began to worry. Pacing the floors. Cracking his knuckles, rubbing his temples, his thoughts spiraling into madness.

I shouldn't have let him go.

I shouldn't have let him drink.

I should've made him leave earlier.

I should've talked some sense into him.

I should've left when I saw that no one else was wearing their mask.

Dream sat down on his bed, face buried in his hands. He groaned, exhaling to his fullest extent. Suddenly, the phone rang. Dream lunged for it, but then slumped when he read the caller ID. It was Sapnap. He collapsed within himself, sighing through his mouth, tears beginning to form at the edge of his eyes. With his free hand, he pressed the accept call button without looking at his phone.

"Dream." Sapnap's voice came through the phone.

"Yeah?" Dream mumbled through his hands.

"Are you okay? You haven't spoken much. Where's George, too? He won't answer any calls."

Dream was silent for a moment. "He's sick, Sapnap. He's got a serious case of COVID, Sapnap."

Dream was answered with silence. After what felt like an eternity, Sapnap finally spoke.

"I'm sorry. Is he getting better?"

"I don't know!" Dream wailed, cracking on the inside. The dam that he had built up over the past five days had cracked, sending the swirling, dark waters rushing through his body. "I don't know! I don't know if he's going to survive or not!"

Sapnap was silent again. "I don't know, dude. We'll have to hope for the best."

Dream started sobbing, tears overflowing his palms and spilling down his wrists, the tears slowly rolling down, tracing a path on his dry, uncared for skin. "I don't want George to die because of me." He finally whispered.

"It's not your fault." Sapnap began.

"Yes it is!" Dream shouted, more to himself than to Sapnap. He lowered his voice. "Yes it is, I killed him, I let him go to the party even though I noticed that no one was wearing masks, I let him drink, and now where is he? What situation has he landed himself in?"

Sapnap didn't know how to answer. Finally, he said, "just tell me, whatever- whatever happens." Sapnap hung up before Dream could reach the button. In the silence of his own room, he broke down completely, sobbing, wrenching at his own hair, then finally, curled up in a corner, racked with dry sobs. And that was how Dream fell asleep that night.

He awoke to a call from an unknown id. Dream stared at it for a few moments, like the phone was a tiger or some threatening predator. Then, he lunged for it, pressing accept call.

"Hello? Is this Clay? George's friend?"

Dream's throat was momentarily too tight to answer, but he finally choked out, "yes."

"We're sorry to inform you that your friend — your friend has passed away. We can't let you come in and visit him one last time, for fear of passing on the virus to you. You can come and watch at a distance, and we'll inform you of the funeral's details as soon as possible."

Dream was silent. He couldn't cry anymore — his eyes were already dry. But he was shaking, breaths coming in gasps, knees weak (arms are heavy).

George was gone. And if everyone had just worn a mask —

It wouldn't have happened.

A/N: Take this as a message everyone! WEAR A FUCKING MASK OR I WILL FIND UR HOUSE AND-

Ok just kidding. BUT WEAR UR MASK.