Better Than Tears (sweeter than sleep)

I want to breathe

The moment really didn't last that long.

It was nice, not being scared, and Jungkook made a mental note to give people a second look-over before letting himself descend into utter fear and anxiety the next time something like this happened. If it did ever happen again and Jungkook had no intentions of doing it on purpose. Jimin's hand against his cheek was still warm, but it felt a little awkward as he remembered that even if he knew this stranger's name, he was still a stranger and Jungkook was still mostly scared of strangers. By some higher power, he pulled himself together and sniffed mightily, signaling return to a general state of being relatively fine.

Jimin noticed, just like he's noticed the bleeding and the tears and in one swift motion, he had removed his hand and sat back in his original spot. "You should drink your coffee. It's good."

Jungkook breathed in deeply and exhaled quietly for another few seconds to gain full control of himself before truly hearing what the stranger said. He reached for the coffee automatically, sipping lightly at the drink. It was warm and sweet, with a caramel aftertaste that he liked. But warm coffee with caramel aftertastes didn't erase his discomfort entirely, because even if he had control over his body now, Jungkook's insides were still shaking and he really wanted to be back in his dorm room with a locked door and his own pillow to cry into.

He could probably cry now, right? He'd been through a huge ordeal - for him, anyway - and the tears would probably come back if he let them. But in order to get back to that dorm room and his own pillow, there was the small matter of first getting back to campus.

Jungkook shivered involuntarily, just thinking about the walk from his stopping point.

Jimin noticed, of course. "Are you still cold? You can use my coat again; I don't mind. I always run warm anyways."

Jungkook got that from the warmth that had just now been radiating from a gentle hand to a cold cheek, but he shook his head. "I'm fine."

The overall expression of Jimin's face didn't change, but there was utter disbelief in his eyes, and Jungkook knew it had nothing to do with the matter of being cold. He sipped at his warm, caramel coffee, stalling for time to come up with a good way to ask Jimin for a ride back to campus. To ask a stranger for a ride back to campus. A stranger with warm hands and gentle eyes. A stranger.

"Jungkook-ah?" The stranger's voice interrupted his unhelpful thoughts. "If you're uncomfortable, I can take you back. Which dorm are you in?"

"South," Jungkook heard himself say distantly, already thinking about locked doors and pillows and tears. An overwhelming need to get away from this stranger - warm hands and gentle eyes aside - was starting to wash over him again and anxiety was bubbling up in his stomach uninvited. Anxiety was always uninvited. He gripped his coffee cup to make up for pinching his thighs or biting his lip so Jimin wouldn't get concerned over him again. This was less noticeable and the heat that almost made his hands pull away was a decent substitute.

Jimin noticed, of course, and Jungkook noticed him noticing, but when the stranger said nothing, Jungkook felt grateful and ashamed all over again. It was a never-ending cycle and Jungkook wanted his pillow more than ever.

"Come on, Jungkook-ah," Jimin said gently, beckoning with one hand that came close to touching but didn't actually touch his arm. "You walked clear across campus. My warm car is better than snow and no jacket, hmm?"

A response didn't seem to be required here, and Jungkook took the opportunity to not say anything. When they were settled in the car again, Jimin resumed talking about nothing. It was less relaxing this time, but he wasn't too surprised to be agitated and was too anxious to be comforted. It was better than silence, at least, because he definitely wasn't close enough with this stranger to have a companionable silence where neither of them needed to speak to break the awkward tension. As it was, there was plenty of that, but it might have been all on Jungkook's end. He couldn't be sure.