TAEKOOK | HOPE

• 37 last first time

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"Jeongguk!"

And there it is, as if on cue - he's hearing Taehyung's voice again, even though he's not there. A sob rips up his throat, the agony so great that he doesn't know how much more -

"JEONGGUK!"

Jeongguk gasps into consciousness, his whole body jolting as if an electric shock had sparked through it. It takes him a moment to get his bearings, but when he does, he finds himself in his own bed, face to face with Taehyung. He has one hand smoothing Jeongguk's hair back from his forehead, the other gripping his upper arm, and he looks absolutely fucking terrified.

"Are you with me?" he asks, concerned eyes darting all over Jeongguk's face. From the light seeping through Jeongguk's windows, it seems to be early morning.

It had been a bad dream, Jeongguk realizes. Just a dream. The relief that sweeps through him is so powerful it nearly takes his breath away.

"Fuck," he croaks, reaching out tentatively to touch Taehyung's cheek, wanting to be sure he's real. His skin is soft and warm and solid under Jeongguk's fingertips. "What are you doing here?"

"You were - uh. You were shouting my name," Taehyung explains, still looking deeply shaken. "I came in to see what was wrong, and I realized you must be having a nightmare, or something, so I tried to wake you up."

"Oh," Jeongguk says dumbly. The more oriented he becomes, the more embarrassed he feels. He's so strung out that he's confusing his nightmares with reality, and as a bonus, he'd subjected Taehyung to that. "Sorry," he mumbles.

"Don't be," Taehyung says firmly. He's lying very close, Jeongguk realizes belatedly, his cheek pressed into the same pillow as Jeongguk. His hands are fussing everywhere, little reassuring touches over Jeongguk's hair, his ear, his cheek. "Do you want - will you tell me about it?"

Jeongguk doesn't want to, particularly - he's still mortified, and he's not too ecstatic about letting on just how vulnerable he truly is. But in light of everything they've talked about over the past few days - the importance of communicating, of honesty - he recognizes that he probably should.

"Umm." He swallows, cheeks burning. Taehyung stays quiet, watching him patiently while his fingers worry at Jeongguk's earlobe. He looks ethereal in the pale light of the morning. "I dreamed that I woke up, and you were gone. Or, maybe - that you'd never come in the first place."

Taehyung huffs out a noise that sounds suspiciously like a sob, eyes wide and so sad that Jeongguk immediately feels guilty. But before he can say anything else, apologize again or possibly crawl into a hole and die, Taehyung starts speaking.

"I'm so sorry, Jeongguk," he says quietly, releasing Jeongguk's ear to trail his fingers along his jaw instead. The touch is soothing, anchoring Jeongguk to reality. "I'm right here, yeah? I'm not going anywhere."

Jeongguk nods, reaching out tentatively and running his hand along Taehyung's side. He's still dressed in his sleep shirt, the material rumpled and warm from being in bed. "Please just - don't leave again," Jeongguk all but whispers. It's embarrassing to say out loud, but this is it, really - his most deep-rooted fear when it comes to Taehyung.