Better Than Tears (sweeter than sleep)

Waking me from a dream

Dragging himself out of dreams was something he was used to, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd come up for air and the water had been so pleasant.

He didn't remember what the dream had been about, if it had been something specific or it simply hadn't been anything bad, but Jungkook opened his eyes to darkness with a reluctance that was unexpected. He usually jerked awake, stung out of sleep by something unspeakably awful, or else had to pry his eyelids open because he'd barely slept at all and his entire body was craving more rest.

Those were the days that he slept during class. He'd keep himself awake for forty of fifty minutes and the last ten were spent in sleep that had no dreams because he was too tired to think of any. The chatter and general movement around him woke him up and he went to his next class and spent the next fifty minutes the same way again. Nobody woke him up or kicked his chair or threw things at him. Nobody called him out. The professors never pulled him aside to scold him.

His psychology professor with the nice smile sometimes pulled him aside to ask if he was okay or to press pills into his hands - "for sleeping, Jungkook, you look like you could use it" - and he never used them, because he was afraid of sleeping even though he did need it. He always thanked him, though, because there was genuine care on Seokjin-hyung's face and Jungkook couldn't refuse him. He was pretty sure it wasn't ethical or something to provide his student with sleeping pills, but it was the care that Jungkook cared about, so he tried not to think about it much.

There was too much else to think about anyways, between homework and notes and people, people, so many people to avoid and not speak to and not even look at. Even in his dorm room his thoughts with occupied, mostly with scary, stupid ideas and how much he desperately needed sleep.

Jungkook blinked a few times to assure himself that he really was awake. The room was dark but there was a crack of light under the door from the hallway, meaning it wasn't late enough that everyone had gone to bed, and a good thing too, because what on earth would he have done if he was the only one awake in a house he wasn't supposed to be in? But there was a light on and he glanced at the bedside table and saw 7:54 in blue numbers on the digital clock. He'd slept for close to four hours but still felt tired. It was probably because his body wanted healing time.

Or because he'd been sleeping or rather, not sleeping, rather poorly of late and that fluffy puppy blanket was just too comfortable. Jungkook shook his head at that last thought. Blankets didn't chase away bad dreams.

He pushed the covers back and rolled out of bed, wincing and steadying himself against the table as he put weight on his bruised leg. Concrete and hard impacts made for deep bruises, Jungkook knew this all too well. He limped towards the door, opened it carefully and continued to limp down the hallway. His mind was still riddled with sleep and it wasn't until he'd reached the living room that he fully remembered about messy-hair and he'd have to talk to him again and there was returning the sweatpants, had Jimin dried his jeans? and he'd totally forgotten about Jimin's jacket, not that he'd planned on visiting today, oh, he did not want to walk back to the dorm like this and he didn't see the hand until it was already on his shoulder.

"Did you sleep well, Jungkook-ah?"

If it had been Jimin...no, even if it had been Jimin, Jungkook still probably would've jerked away as was his fearful habit. Messy-hair - Taehyung - who's hair was no longer as messy, stared back at him in confusion and something else, his hand still hovering in the air until he dropped it. Jungkook put a hand on his heart, willing it to slow down. He wasn't in any danger. Taehyung meant no harm. He wasn't even looking at him with pity in his eyes, though the lighting was dim and Jungkook couldn't be totally sure.

"Y-yeah, s-sorry, I didn't m-mean to." Jungkook cursed his stuttering, but Taehyung didn't seem to mind as his face broke into a grin.

"That's okay. You prefer people not to touch you, I get it. Don't see how you're gonna get along too well with Jimin, I mean, that guy loves to touch people, but he's got better self-control than I do."

Jungkook blinked at Taehyung.

"I mean, he's such a hugger, you know? Hasn't he hugged you a lot?"

"Um, n-not a lot?" Jungkook phrased his answer like a question. "Anyway, I should go, right?"

"Aren't you gonna eat dinner first? Jiminnie made stew. It's really good."

Jungkook felt like refusing dinner would personally offend Taehyung on his friend's behalf, plus, his stomach rumbled at the idea of Jimin's cooking. "Oh, o-okay."

Taehyung smiled again, "I'll go warm up a bowl for you. Go and sit down on the couch," and dashed toward the kitchen before Jungkook could say anything else.

He couldn't just stand there in the doorway, so he limped further into the living room and spotted a fluffy head and limp body in one of the chairs. Jimin was slumped over one armrest in a position that couldn't possibly be comfortable, sound asleep. Jungkook bent over him undecidedly, wondering if he should move him into a better position. He wished Jimin was awake. Being alone with Taehyung wasn't as appealing as he would've liked, but he wasn't going to wake him up.

"Oh, don't bother with him, I'm going to take him to bed soon."

Jungkook didn't think he'd ever get used to the way Taehyung said things.

"Here's your stew, now sit down, would you? I know your bruises still hurt." Taehyung helped Jungkook sit and moved on to where Jimin was still slumped and passed an arm under his friend's shoulders and knees, hoisting him into the air.

Jimin was shorter than Jungkook and definitely stronger, but looking at him being cradled in Taehyung's arms made him look so small. He watched them disappear into a doorway off the living room, presumably the guest room. Why wouldn't Taehyung take Jimin into his own-- oh.

Taehyung wanted Jungkook to sleep over.

Jungkook flopped back onto the couch with a breathless whimper.