Sapnap paced around the hospital waiting room impatiently.

The sound of his quick footsteps on the tiles was the only noise in the mostly-empty room. He wasn't aware he was making everyone else more anxious until a6d put a hand on his shoulder.

Sapnap briefly paused. He hadn't heard him get up.

"What?"

The question came out a little more biting than he meant it to.

A6d noticed the tone but didn't flinch. He just said, "you're tired. sit down for a minute."

Sapnap grudgingly sat down. I'm not tired. I'm restless.

A6d picked up his book and opened it again, getting away from everything.

Sapnap tried to transfer his energy into looking around for the gazillionth time. The walls were white. The chairs were tan. The ceiling was those panel-thingies that look whiteish but they have black dots and the floor was marble-y tiles. Sapnap was sick of looking at the room.

Grian was across from them, in the other row of chairs with Mumbo. He was bent over with his elbows on his knees, staring hard at the floor. Mumbo was sitting up with his head against the wall and arms crossed; his eyes were closed but his tapping fingers gave away that he wasn't sleeping.

Skeppy and Bad were to the left of Sapnap and a6d. Bad was asleep on Skeppy's shoulder and Skeppy glanced up from his phone at Sapnap staring at him. Sapnap made kissy faces and Skeppy responded with a rude gesture.

Sapnap smirked and carried his gaze somewhere else. He tried to distract himself. Patience was never something he was good at.

He recounted everything he knew.

George ran away.

Grian found out where his bike was and told Clay.

Clay went to get him.

Grian called an ambulance after Clay left.

Everyone came to meet George at the hospital.

They brought them here at like 12:20.

Now it's past 3am.

He started fidgeting in his seat.

Being hyperaware of everything, he suddenly noticed a6d hadn't turned the page in his book for a while.

Sapnap gazed at him and realized he was staring at one place on the page and not reading. He waved a hand in front of his face playfully.

Vin blinked.

"quoi?"

Sapnap realized a second too late that he didn't know what to say to him.

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmm 'quah' what does that mean?"

Vin closed his book. "I said what. did you want to talk to me?"

"Yeah... I wanted to say..."

Vin raised an eyebrow.

Jesus Sapnap get it together!

"...hi."

What is wrong with you?

You have literally been in the same room for hours.

"hi," Vin said back.

Sapnap leaned back casually. "So how ya doin?"

"fine," Vin answered quickly. He lifted his book. "reading."

"Mhmmm. Reeeeeeeading?" Sapnap asked slowly.

A6d narrowed his eyes and smoothly reopened the book. "yes."

Sapnap planted his hand over the page and looked at him daringly. "What does it say on here then?"

Sapnap enjoyed messing with him a little bit, and a smile grew on his face as he watched a6d try to remember what he last read.

Finally he snatched the book out of Sapnap's reach.

"fine. I can't focus because I am worried about the others and I would love to forget about the whole thing and read this but I can't because I can't stop thinking about it, is that what you want to hear?"

Sapnap froze in the middle of reaching across Vin for the book.

He wasn't expecting that honest of an answer.

He didn't know how to answer Vincent back.

He looked past Vin's eyes and glimpsed Skeppy making kissy faces at them.

You little-

Vin followed his gaze and smiled, "save it for Bad, Skep."

Skeppy turned bright red and glared.

"Well you- it- I don't- we aren't- FUCK YOU!"

Bad moved around a little in his sleep, making Skeppy shut up in a second and Sapnap and a6d burst out laughing.

After they all settled down they started talking more.

"Do you think they're okay?" Grian asked.

"Yeah," Sapnap answered. "George is a clumsy idiot but Clay wouldn't let anything happen to him."

He spoke confidently like always, but he was trying to convince himself too.

Skeppy was trying really hard not to wake Bad up so he spoke in a hushed voice. "What the hell has he been doing this whole time anyway?"

A6d shrugged. "I have no fucking idea Skeppy why don't you actually ask him when you talk to him?"

"He couldn't have been by himself that whole time or he would have starved," Mumbo chimed in.

"Technically, no," Grian responded lightly. "It depends on how active he was and how much water he drank and-"

"Whoa, why are you suddenly talking about George like he's a science experiment?" Sapnap cut in.

"Of course he's not a science experiment." Grian blinked and started talking half to himself. "I dunno, it's just easier sometimes to detach yourself from a situation if it's causing you a lot of stress."

"Yeah that sounds healthy," a6d muttered sarcastically.

"Oh are you an expert on coping mechanisms, Mr. im-reading-my-book?" Mumbo asked.

A6d opened his mouth to retort but Grian stopped him.

"Okay, okay. Let's not fight guys. We're all a little tense, but that's no reason to jump at each other's throats. Sapnap, I'm sorry for upsetting you; I'm tired of sitting here worrying for a hundred and sixty minutes. The point is that George would've been a lot worse at this point if he was by himself this whole time."

"what are you trying to say?" A6d asked.

Grian shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just pointing it out. He's not a Boy Scout, I doubt he was trapping animals."

"That's a good point," Sapnap said.

"you think someone gave him food?" A6d asked.

"Maybe his mom?" Mumbo suggested. "Where is she anyway? You'd think she'd be here by now."

They all shrugged. Sapnap figured the hospital would've called her but he had no idea. He knew his dad was out of town.

"I don't know, maybe she's at work? She has two jobs right?" Grian asked. "And no-" he shook his head- "I don't think she was secretly feeding him. She was genuinely worried when I went there. Besides, I think if he talked with anyone they would either make him see sense or report it to someone."

"well, give him a little break for being confused," a6d repositioned himself in the chair. "he was tricked into thinking his heart was broken."

"Didn't know you were such a romantic," Sapnap teased.

"I'm not." Vin rolled his eyes. "my point is, who would have just given him food but not helped him get home?"

"Maybe he had money and bought food," Sapnap said.

"Maybe, but someone would have seen him at the store or a fast-food place," Grian commented. "I can't figure it out."

"Skeppy?" Vin asked. "you've been suspiciously quiet."

"I don't know. How am I supposed to know anything? Why are you guys all looking at me? I don't want to wake Bad up, is that so weird?"

"actually no, it's normal at this point." A6d smiled knowingly. "you're such a good boyfriend Skeppy."

"I am NOT his boyfriend. Call me that again and I'll- I'll force feed you a baguette."

Sounds kinda h- wtf is wrong with you Sapnap!

Vin lazily put his legs over another chair. "baguettes, really? you need to get more creative with your insults."

"Shut up." Skeppy rolled his eyes and tuned out of the conversation.

It didn't go far from there. They vaguely theorized about George, but there was little energy in it since they were so close to talking to him again.

Well, they were supposed to be close. Nothing happened and then nothing happened some more until eventually Sapnap's nerves wore out and he fell asleep from boredom and exhaustion.

He woke up to a6d gently shaking him.

"Huh what time is it?" He asked groggily.

"around 7 in the morning. the doctor said we might be able to see them in a few minutes."

Sapnap snapped awake and stood up. We can see them soon!

A6d got up to wake Skeppy and Bad, but Sapnap caught his arm.

"Wait a sec."

Skeppy's head had kinda dropped onto Bad's and they looked really cute sleeping against each other.

Sapnap whipped out his phone and took a picture for blackmail. Nice.

A6d looked over his shoulder and laughed. "will you send that to me?"

Sapnap grinned. "Sure."

They woke Skeppy and Bad up and then Mumbo and Grian. They finally followed a nurse out of the waiting room and into the little patient room where Clay and George were.

Sapnap dove on George as soon as he saw him. He tackled him in a bear hug and the others crowded around doing the same, shouting with joy.

It was a big pile of happy people squeezed on the single hospital bed.

The soft guys were crying with happiness but Sapnap wasn't a girl, even though something must've gotten in his eyes to make them water.

George was crying with happiness, what a wimp. Sapnap sniffed, still hiding his face in the hug.

He had really missed him.

George was being overwhelmed with people but he didn't mind. It was proof they cared. They loved him and they missed him.

After the big group hug his friends all hugged him one by one and the whole time voices were overlapping saying how much they looked for him and were glad he was okay and how much they all missed him; a lot of words were lost in the mix but the meaning came through clearly.

It was Sapnap's turn to hug him again and he squeezed him probably too hard. Clay punched his shoulder.

"Don't I get a hug too?"

Sapnap let go of George and gave Clay the hug he wanted.

"I saw you yesterday, idiot."

"Yeah but still. Huggy wuggy."

Sapnap laughed. "You're definitely on something."

He turned to George beaming at them stupidly. "Did I take good enough care of your boy toy?" he asked, rubbing Clay's hair.

George made a face. "Boy toy?"

His weird-ass British accent was music to Sapnap's ears.

Sapnap shook his head; he couldn't keep the smile off his face. "I'll save it for when you guys are thinking straight."

"don't hold your breath," a6d half-whispered to him jokingly.

They were all soothed by the familiar banter and joy in conversation and companionship.

"Hey Clay, how come you're over here? Isn't your bed supposed to be like separated or whatever?" Sapnap asked.

Clay made a noise that was a mix between a giggle and a wheeze.

"I- I made them push our beds together."

Then all of them were hysterically giggling and shoving each other with "shhhhh be quiet" "you be quiet" "shhh shhhh shut up we're gonna get kicked out of the hospital" followed by another outburst of laughter. Eventually the nurse made them go and let the boys rest, but she promised they could come back in the afternoon.

Sapnap's only regret leaving the hospital was that he forgot to take a video of Clay and George acting like idiots.

(1.9k words)