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Taehyung has had a rough relationship with sleep for as long as he can remember. Growing up, his home life was far from ideal, a poisonous cocktail of neglect, abuse, and very lonely nights. And along with each night came the terrors that mirrored the day. Even after he left home, went to therapy, and started a new life, the nightmares followed—no longer every night but relenting nonetheless. No matter how much healing he did while awake, he was still just a scared little boy when asleep.
Because of this, he preferred to live alone for most of his adult life. It’s better that way. This way, the only one burdened by his night terrors is himself. It can be lonely at times—not having a roommate or partner to share days with—but Taehyung is used to being alone. He’s accepted it and even made peace with it. At least, he thought he did; that was before Jungkook.
Recently falling on hard times and needing another person to pitch in on expenses, Taehyung took the extra room in Jungkook’s apartment. At first, he was nervous, afraid his night terrors would wake his roommate. Thankfully, his fears thus far were unfounded. Jungkook’s room is far enough from his that it appears he doesn’t hear them.
Frankly, he’s glad. It’s been surprisingly lovely having Jungkook around. He’s a little shy and doesn’t talk very much, but he’s incredibly sweet and offers to make Taehyung an omelet whenever he’s making one for himself. They don’t hang out all the time, and they’re certainly far from best friends, but even just passing by him in the hall feels like a breath of fresh air to a lonely soul like Taehyung. In another life, he may have even fell for a guy like him.
Things continue like that for a while, the roommates chatting casually from time to time, sharing breakfasts together, and maintaining a friendly relationship. Taehyung has had a few night terrors that wake him in a sweat, but Jungkook doesn’t hear, sound asleep in his own room, blissfully unaware of the monsters haunting his new friend.
Until the day that he isn’t asleep.
It’s just past 3 am, and Jungkook has been up watching a new TV show. He’s been binging it the last few days and just finished the season finale. He hasn’t gotten up from his spot in hours, too immersed in the show to tear himself away. Only now does he realize just how thirsty he is. He quietly tiptoes his way into the kitchen, pouring a glass of water and downing it in one go.
Just as he’s passing Taehyung’s room, he hears a cry from inside. He stops dead in his tracks, listening to ensure he heard right. When another whine sounds through the door, Jungkook’s heart skips a beat. Without another thought, he knocks on the door, calling out for his roommate. “Taehyung? Are you okay?”
For a moment, he hears nothing, and then there’s a pained sob ringing in his ears. Fearing the worst, he barges in, panicked eyes searching the space for his roommate. He finds Taehyung’s crumpled form, arms clenched tight, and chest heaving. His eyes are closed as he mumbles, the occasional cry making his body jerk. Despite his evident distress, Taehyung's still asleep. Jungkook watches on anxiously, unsure of what to do. Should he wake him? He’s clearly having a nightmare. He’s never dealt with this before.
Taking hesitant steps, he creeps toward the bed. When he reaches Taehyung’s side, his hand hovers in space. He can see sweat drip from his roommate’s forehead and tear tracks staining his cheeks. The man’s restlessness picks up, body jolting and moving as he murmurs unintelligibly. Jungkook bites the bullet, reaching down and pushing on Taehyung’s shoulder as he speaks quietly, “Taehyung? Hey, Tae?”
Immediately, Taehyung’s eyes fly open, his body thrashing with a scream. Jungkook is taken by surprise, and acting instinctually, he gets onto the bed and tries to placate the man. “Hey! Taehyung, it’s okay! It’s okay, it’s me, Jungkook!” Taehyung’s body shakes, and shocked and bleary eyes finally land on the man before him. After a moment, recognition seems to pass over him, and his roommate breaks into sobs. Taehyung clings to Jungkook without much thought, muffling his cries into the man’s t-shirt.
Jungkook’s heart aches as he feels the man shaking against him. Hesitantly, he reciprocates the embrace, rubbing Taehyung’s back and running his fingers through his hair in a way he hopes is reassuring.
As Jungkook rocks his trembling form and pets his hair, it dons on Taehyung that this is the first time he’s ever been held after a night terror. It’s strange, and a small part of him wants to pull away, but a much larger part is desperate to have someone so close. Jungkook continues to embrace him, whispering quiet words of reassurance.
His tone is so gentle as he speaks to Taehyung. Not a hint of judgment or malice to be found. “It’s okay. I’m here, Tae. You’re not alone.” It’s at that moment that something breaks inside of Taehyung, an unbidden sob toppling from his quivering lips. His mind is clouded, traces of his nightmare still fresh in his mind, but his roommate’s words act like a soothing balm on his fresh wounds. He'd be embarrassed by his emotional response if he was any more coherent. Jungkook just holds him tighter.
They’re quiet for a long stint, the only sounds in the room being Taehyung’s muffled cries. Eventually, his crying dies down, turning to an occasional shaky breath or sniffle. His senses start to come back to him, the realization of their situation settling in. He mumbles quietly against Jungkook’s chest, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
Jungkook rubs over Taehyung’s back reassuringly with a shake of his head. “You didn’t. I was awake getting water, and I heard you crying.”
Taehyung’s eyes shut tightly, ashamed at being caught in his most vulnerable state. “Still… I’m sorry.”
It’s quiet again for a moment until Jungkook’s soft, hesitant voice breaks the silence. “Does this happen often?”
Nervously, Taehyung extricates himself from Jungkook’s hold. The sudden lack of contact is somehow unnerving, though, and he reaches unsure fingers to a frayed string on his roommate’s pajama pants to fiddle with. He looks down, watching the action as he responds. “Not as often as they used to, but I still get night terrors a few times a month.”
Jungkook frowns, uncharacteristic boldness causing him to take Taehyung’s restless hand into his own. “I’m so sorry, Tae. That must be hard.”
With a shrug, Taehyung’s sad eyes meet Jungkook’s. “I’m used to it.” He pauses, looking down again, shrugging once more. “I’m used to dealing with the aftermath on my own.”
The words sit heavy in the pit of Jungkook’s stomach, and an innate desire to comfort overcomes him. He lifts Taehyung’s chin so he can see his sincerity. “Just because you’re used to it doesn’t make it right.” His assuredness wains as he reflects on his own actions. “Also, I’m sorry if I scared you when I woke you up. I didn’t know what to do, but you sounded so distressed.”
Taehyung smiles softly, squeezing the hand that’s still holding his own. He feels shy when he admits his feelings. “It’s okay. No one’s ever woken me from a night terror before, so I can’t tell you whether that was the right thing.” He thinks hard for a moment before continuing, “But I’ve never woken up with another person around either. Despite the initial fear, it was… it was actually kind of nice.”
With a relieved smile, Jungkook scoots in a little closer, knees knocking with Taehyung’s. “Really?”
His breath is shaky on the exhale, remnants of the heightened emotions still present. “Yeah. When you held me, I just felt… safe. I’ve never had that before.”
Another minute passes in silence, and Taehyung worries he may have shared too much. When he looks up, he sees Jungkook fidgeting, biting his lip contemplatively. “What is it?”
“I don’t know, maybe it’s a stupid idea.” He responds hesitantly.
“What?”
Jungkook’s shy gaze falls on Taehyung as he answers. “Well, what if the next time you have a night terror… if I’m asleep, you can come to my room, and I could hold you? That way, you don’t have to be alone after. You can even stay the night if that would make it easier to fall back asleep.”
Taehyung stares blankly at his roommate, a mix of awe and surprise written on his face. He feels his heart skip a beat, finding yet another example of this man’s unending kindness.
Unfortunately, Jungkook misconstrues it, assuming the worst. His eyes widen, recanting quickly, “I’m sorry, that’s probably weird. We’ve only known each other for a little while, so if that’s too much, I totally get it. I just hate the idea of you having to spend the rest of your night scared and alone.”
Cutting him off before he can backtrack further, Taehyung gently grabs Jungkook’s wrist, still pleasantly surprised. “Do you mean it?”
Jungkook brows furrow, lip jutting out. “Of course I do.”
Emotion makes tears prickle at the corners of Taehyung’s eyes as he looks down at their hands. He whispers so quietly that Jungkook can barely hear it. “I’m just... so tired of being alone.”
Jungkook caresses Taehyung’s cheek, thumb swiping the stray tear that falls. “You don’t have to be.” Jungkook pulls Taehyung into a hug, and the man melts into the comforting embrace. He shakily exhales as he burrows his face into Jungkook’s neck. As early and silly as it might be to say, Taehyung thinks he might be developing feelings.
Taehyung’s cheeks heat at his realization, coloring his tone as he cautiously asks, “Do you… do you think you could stay? Just for tonight?”
Jungkook smiles softly, squeezing Taehyung’s hand reassuringly. “Of course.”
Without another word, the pair settle under the covers, facing each other. Taehyung takes the opportunity to really look at Jungkook—probably for the first time. He’s got beautiful deep brown eyes, pouty lips, and a cute button nose. It almost seems a shame he didn’t allow himself the privilege to look sooner. Jungkook’s cheeks have a light rosy tint, barely noticeable in the moonlight, but right now, Taehyung doesn’t think he’d miss anything about him.
With the sudden urge to touch, Taehyung fingers twitch where they rest between them. Jungkook’s skin was so soft when they held hands, he wishes he was bold enough to initiate it again. “Thank you.” Taehyung remarks quietly, not wanting to disturb the gentle atmosphere they’ve created. Jungkook doesn’t respond, but his eyes wander across Taehyung’s face. He takes the man in just as he had, savoring the rare instance where he can see his roommate’s face so close.
Taehyung’s messy curls fall in all directions, a few strays covering his eyes. “Is it okay if I touch you?” Jungkook asks gently. He’s given a slight nod in response. Jungkook reaches his hand out, tucking Taehyung’s hair behind his ear. The touch elicits a shudder from the man, closing his eyes as he revels in the warm hand against his skin.
It’s foreign to Taehyung, not used to this type of quiet intimacy. And yet, even though Jungkook is little more than a new friend, it feels natural. Jungkook’s hand slides down, lacing his fingers with Taehyung’s. It’s such a simple gesture, but it reminds Taehyung he’s not alone. He’s not sure how they got here—how they went from such casual friends to sharing this moment together—but he’s grateful all the same.
Jungkook leans in, pressing a featherlight kiss to Taehyung’s forehead. Taehyung’s eyelids flutter. It makes Jungkook smile, squeezing his hand. Taehyung finally lets himself fully relax, scooting in just a hair to feel the warmth emanating from the body next to him. He exhales, melting into the sheets as his eyes grow heavy. “Goodnight, Jungkook.”
“Goodnight, Tae. I hope you have sweet dreams.”
And for once, he does.