My Oneshot Collection

"JACKSON!"

CW: Brief Mentions Of Violence, Nightmares
Tags (An Excuse To Include Spoilers): Loneliness, Fully Platonic, Jackson's Diary (Webtoon by Paola Batalla)
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"Good night, Ron" she said happily before flopping down on the matress of the bed beside his.

"Good night, Libby" he replied before doing the same. He rolled to his side, turning off the lamp on his nightstand before pulling the covers over him and returning to his original position.

He lay awake as he thought about their friendship. It was strange how they both ended up here, exchange students that were taken in by such a friendly and hospitable family. And to think that, had the circumstances been any different, they would've never met, despite the chances of that being incredibly high. Libby was a Japanese exchange student that he met once he arrived at Kingston Town from Russia. They were both awkward at the start, seeing as their English was not as good as it is now and they had to adapt to a completely different environment. That changed quickly, since their love for music and certain foods, as well as their interests and way of thinking were unbelievably similar.

He sighed as he remembered his sister back at home. Jackson and Libby reminded him so much of her because they felt like home. He smiled just thinking about all of them. He truly cared about them and wouldn't want them to be hurt by anyone.

Finally, he decided it would be best if he went to sleep. He could call his sister tomorrow and hang out with his close friends if he got enough sleep. He closed his eyes and let everything go black.

Strangely, he found himself standing up in the darkness, staring at a strange figure. It started coming closer to him, dragging something behind it. It opened its eyes, a light grey glow emanating from them. In the light, it looked alarmingly similar to Jackson, save for the wrongness of its facial expression and movements. He watched as it slowly brought the mass he was holding forward.

Ron's eyes went wide. His blood ran cold as he saw Jackson, the boy he saw as a brother, beaten and battered, restrained by the tape around his limbs and on his mouth. He had tears in his eyes, a horrified look on his face. His screams were muffled and he was desperately trying to free himself from the restraints to no avail.

The panicked guy's attempts at running towards them and freeing his brother were fruitless. He kept trying to run but it was as if he was on a treadmill, he wasn't making any progress. He started screaming Jackson's name with a few tears running down his face. Seeing where his efforts were getting him, he tried one last time: "JACKSON, JACK-"

He jolted awake, looking around. He could feel himself heaving for air as he tried to understand what had happened. The only thing he could focus on was a strong and undeniable sense of urgency related to Jack.

"Ron! You're okay, it's okay" said Libby, now sitting next to him on his bed.

"Jackson, where Jack?" he asked breathlessly, his voice laced with concern.

"He is fine, Ron. It was a nightmare, he isn't hurt or anything" she replied calmly, only putting her hand on his shoulder. Understanding his situation and wanting to give him space, she asked if she could hug him. He replied wordlessly, immediately hugging her tightly. She hugged back and didn't let go.

"Liberty" he started, unsure of himself "can you cuddle me?" he finished.

"Absolutely" she replied enthusiastically, crawling towards the headboard and sitting with her back against it. She pulled Ron onto her legs, putting his head on her lap and letting him lie down fetal position. He let himself get comfortable with her, knowing she wouldn't mind.

"Are you cozy enough?" she asked quietly.

"Yes" he answered sleepily.

"We should go back to sleep since it's still quite late. Good night again, Ron." she said happily, a genuine smile plastered on her face as she carded her fingers through his light blue hair.

"Good night again to you, Libby" he replied finally, drifting off to sleep once again.