Just For Tonight

Jimin

The first thing Jimin noticed was that someone was carrying him.

The normal sort of alarms of "what happened?" didn't go off. If anything, he felt very safe, even though it was a very unusual thing to be carried, especially like this.

He tried to think back, wondering why someone was carrying him. Was he dreaming? He was mostly certain he wasn't dreaming. Jimin didn't dream about this sort of thing. Mostly, he didn't dream at all.

The second thing he noticed was that he was very tired.

So tired that he almost didn't notice that the particular smell of the individual carrying him wasn't what he expected. He couldn't get his eyes to open, but feel of the person's arms also wasn't what he expected from one of his hyungs.

It could be Taehyung. His best friend was strong, certainly stronger than he was, a bit taller and a bit heavier, with longer arms that would be good for carrying people. It was probably Taehyung, and that meant safety.

His sweet, Taehyung angel. Carried. Safe.

Jimin wanted to think about this, but the heavy sort of fire that currently resided in his limbs only made him that much sleepier. He tried, he really did, but the blackness was so inviting, and the arms holding him were strong and comforting, so he let himself fall under sleep's spell again.

~

Jimin thought he heard voices, very familiar, comforting sorts of voices, which seemed to confirm that once again, he wasn't dreaming. Also, he was being carried again.

This wasn't normal. Jimin felt weight tugging on him this time. A tiny bit of exhaustion had disappeared, leaving him with just a little more room in his brain to wonder about why he was being carried.

It felt safe. It felt good, and Jimin didn't like it. He was not a helpless sort of person. He was the helper, he was the one who wanted to carry others, and this sort of position did not sit well inside. If he had the strength, he might have struggled against the arms holding him, and he thought he tried, he really did, but he was still so tired.

Was it the same person who had carried him before? The arms felt the same. If it was Taehyung, Jimin thought he could bear it when he finally woke up all the way. Taehyung was the sort of person who would tease you and be worried sick about you and scold you and hold you close to comfort you, all in the space of about a minute.

And that thought alone was comforting, because it must be Taehyung. His sweet, angel Taehyung.

If it was Jin-hyung, he'd hear panting sounds by now. If it was Namjoon-hyung, he'd hear Jin-hyung being worried right next to him. It couldn't be Hoseok-hyung or Yoongi-hyung, they were both too close to his size.

So it must be Taehyung.

Then he heard a voice, a smallish voice from directly above him, a voice that wasn't deep enough or warm enough to be Taehyung's voice.

And then he figured out that it wasn't Taehyung who was carrying him.

It was Jungkook.

And suddenly he felt very small. Because Jungkook was younger but taller, and strong enough to carry his hyung, something that Jimin would never be able to do.

And he felt almost unhappy. But sort of happy that Jungkook actually cared, but mostly unhappy, because he was not the baby, but he was being carried like one.

And he felt almost annoyed. But not completely annoyed, because he was very, very tired, so tired that all this thinking had used up the minutes and he heard more voices and door being opened and closed, and then there was softness beneath him and the arms that had been carrying him were gone.

He heard the same smallish voice murmur something to a bigger, protesting voice, that he couldn't pin down to either Jin or Taehyung, and he really was too tired to think about it anymore, so he gave up.

And gave in to sleep for the second time.

~

When Jimin woke up for the third time, he was really awake.

And he was really scared.

He was really scared because he had been dreaming, and now he was awake, but the shivers and the crying that had happened in the dreamwere still happening. And he couldn't seem to stop. And it scared him.

His eyes finally open, Jimin registered the fact that he was back in their hotel room, with a not sweet, angel Taehyung sleeping in the other bed. He sat up, hot from being tangled in the blankets. His skin met the cold air without gratitude.

He was still shivering, and it wasn't because he was cold. Jimin really didn't like this. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a nightmare, and couldn't remember that one had ever affected him like this.

Jimin brought a hand up to his face, feeling the wetness on his cheeks. Tears, too? Stop, Jimin, stop crying, you're not a baby.

But he was still so tired, and so he lay back down, pulling the covers tight around himself in an effort to stop his body from shaking. He shut his eyes, which was a mistake, because all the horrible things he'd been dreaming about jumped up from his subconscious and made him cry.

Out loud. He cried out, unaware that he'd actually made a sound until there was suddenly a second pair of hands prying his away from his face.

"Hyung."

It was that smallish voice, now filled with sleep and concern. Jimin heard the voice, the familiar voice of his dongsaeng, and willed himself to stop shaking. But as the shaking quieted, Jimin became increasingly more aware that the remaining trembling was a side effect of crying.

His crying. Why was he crying? How could he be so scared from just a bad dream, a dream that he couldn't even remember, only that it was horrible, and now he was crying. No, no, no, not in front of Jungkook, never in front of Jungkook.

"Hyung."

The hands finally removed his from his face, but Jimin didn't look at Jungkook until the younger forced his head up. A light came on, too bright for Jimin's eyes and he used it as an excuse to look away.

Jungkook was silent as he wiped away Jimin's tear with a tissue. Jimin was silent too, trying to be calm, but every time he thought he'd succeeded, another quiver ran through his body and fresh tears spilled out.

"I'm sorry," he managed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

He hated it. He was the hyung. He was supposed to be the one wiping the other's tears. He was supposed to be the comfort and the safety, not the other way around.

But when Jungkook sat down on the bed and reached a tentative arm around Jimin's shoulders, he gave up.

And gave in. And just cried. And Jungkook didn't say anything, only moved further onto the bed and wrapped both his arms around his smaller hyung and let him cry. If he was uncomfortable or alarmed or annoyed, he didn't show it, and Jimin let himself be held.

It was safe. It was comforting, and Jimin needed that comfort. He wasn't sure if he was crying because of the dream, or because of pent up emotions that he'd been holding back, or merely because he was still so tired.

"Jungkook." He whispered it finally, at the end of his tears, face pressed against the younger's chest, listening to his calmer heartbeat.

"It's okay," Jungkook whispered back, and in those simple words, Jimin felt all the weight of the world drop off his shoulders.

Because those words meant that he would be okay. It meant that the crying and comforting thing, that was okay too. It meant that at least in that moment of bared souls and silence, they weren't hyung and dongsaeng, they were just Jimin and Jungkook, and it was okay.

"S-stay with me, please."

He whispered it, almost inaudibly, but he knew Jungkook had heard him, because the arms around him didn't leave.

And then a soft, smallish voice murmured against his hair. "Just this once."

"Just for tonight," Jimin agreed, giving in to Jungkook's warmth and snuggling against him.

The younger let out a small sigh, but it was a contented one, and Jimin relaxed as Jungkook settled down beside him. He closed his eyes, and felt safe.