𝑨𝑻𝑻𝑨𝑪𝑲 𝑶𝑵 𝑻𝑰𝑻𝑨𝑵 𝑶𝑵𝑬𝑺𝑯𝑶𝑻𝑺 ꨄ︎

𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 | Jᴇᴀɴ X Rᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

Spoilers: Minor Season four spoilers

Warnings: Alcohol-induced blackouts (in other words drinking to forget your problems).

Pronouns: They/Them

Enjoy!

Your body throbbed as you rolled over on your bed. Slowly, you open your bleary eyes. The room around you was unfocused, which compelled you to rub the sleep out of your eyes, and the room came into focus. Sunlight steadily streamed into the room from the open window on the wall across from you. The rays shone through, highlighting the dust particles floating about, birds chirped outside, and the faint sound of talking filtered into the quiet space.

There was nothing tremendously intriguing about the room. A standard-issued bed, two dressers, a bathroom, books, and other miscellaneous items lying about occupied the space. Groggily, you hoist yourself up and use your elbows to hold up your half-sitting body, your head pounds in the forefront of your head at the sudden movement.

Oh, right, I drank last night. You wanted to flop back down into the inviting bed, but your eyes willed themselves to fall on the wall in front of you, which hung a clock. Squinting, you were able to make out the numbers on the clock. 8...30? Oh shit, we are gonna be late for breakfast!

As soon as you went to exit the cushiony bed, Jean's hand grabbed yours, pulling you back down.

You look over at him- his eyes half-lidded as he gazes fondly at you. "Stay here, just a little longer, love," He sleepily murmured.

A small smile broke out across your face. "Jean, we need to get going, or else we are gonna miss breakfast."

"It's not like anyone will be there after last night. Almost everyone is nursing a hangover," Jean's voice came out to a husky mumble.

"Ugh, don't remind me."

----------------->

(The day before)

It had been a particularly rough expedition, and you had buried more than your fair share of comrades. That was never something you would get used to, you knew the risks when you enlisted, but this...was unfathomable. You stripped your bloodstained uniform off when you returned to HQ and showered. You couldn't tell if the blood was your own or your comrades. The water had gone to a frigid temperature when you were finished scrubbing off the grime and filth you accumulated outside the walls.

When you finished cleaning yourself up, you joined Jean inside his room, his grim expression mirroring your own. Despite what you had witnessed, the selfish feeling of being grateful that it wasn't you or Jean covered in white blankets bubbled deep within your chest.

You and Jean spent the rest of the afternoon wrapped in each other's warmth, occasionally dozing off. But, unfortunately, the nightmares gave you a rude awakening not even thirty minutes into your slumber. Every time you would wake up drenched in sweat and disoriented, Jean was perpetually there to ease you back into a better state of mind.

But, Jean was no exception to the terrors of his own mind. You provided relief for him as he did for you. You continued this sick routine for hours until the dinner bell woke you two from your fractured rest- if you could even call it sleeping.

You untangled yourself from Jean's body, and the two of you got dressed in casual attire and walked to the Mess Hall. The hallways seemed eery and silent, and the doors of your deceased comrades' bedrooms were open. There were a lot of open doors.