TWO
SLEEPING AT LAST
It's okay if you can't find the words
Let me take your coat
And this weight off of your shoulders
Like a force to be reckoned with
A mighty ocean or a gentle kiss
I will love you with every single thing I have
Like a tidal wave, I'll make a mess
Or calm waters, if that serves you best
I will love you without any strings attached
"Hey, hyung—holy shit." Hoseok begins, but cuts himself off with an expletive as Jeongguk and Haneul walk into his hospital room. Jeongguk raises his eyebrows at his gaping best friend, who sits up in his hospital bed. He looks much better than when Jeongguk last saw him, which is a relief to Jeongguk, who felt a little guilty for leaving his side for a longer than 24 hours. He had planned on going back to the hospital when Haneul woke up from her nap, but her forcing him to sleep was not planned into his schedule.
That didn't bother him too much, though, because, to his surprise, he slept. He slept until the next morning, uninterrupted. No images of Jimin or his soulmate or the wedding—nothing but the peaceful blackness of sleep. When he finally opened his eyes, he found Haneul in bed next to him, reading a book. Her hair was damp and fell around her face in ringlets, and she smelled like cinnamon, no doubt fresh from a shower. It took him a few seconds to realize that he hadn't been awoken by a nightmare, but when he did, a smile bloomed on his lips, and he felt the backs of his eyes stinging with happy tears.
He sat up slightly on his elbows, catching Haneul's attention. She looked up from her book, but the words she planned on saying evaporated from her lips when she saw the fondness he was gazing at her with. He shifted onto his side and lifted one hand to brush the wet strands of hair out of her face, let his hand rest tenderly on her cheek. "Thank you." He murmured, and he felt her cheek grow warm beneath his palm.
"I didn't do anything, Guk—" She insisted, but before she could finish, he leaned in and graced her lips with his own, a light pressure that made her melt in his arms. He slid his arms around her, moved so that he hovered over her. Though the position was mildly provocative, neither of them wanted to explore their sexual attraction to one another quite yet. Both were perfectly content with the innocent kisses, filled with passion and gratitude and something along the lines of love. Just the fact that they could freely touch one another and express the feelings they shared satisfied them beyond belief.
Now, at the hospital, Jeongguk feels more awake than ever. The bags under his eyes have diminished, and an incessant vitality seems to radiate from his rested skin. He's dressed in some clothes they purchased on the way to the hospital. Haneul tried to pay, but Jeongguk wouldn't allow it, so she settled on picking out his outfit. The blue jeans were tighter than he would have chosen for himself, but the casual white button-up didn't depart too far from what he usually wore. His wire glasses were perched on his nose, and his hair was mussed from Haneul's hands. In other words, he looked good. Well, great. "Fucking hot. Ridiculously attractive. You can definitely get it." According to Haneul. (He had asked, "Get what?" and she had laughed, cheeks flushing and mumbling a "never mind.")
"Holy shit." Hoseok repeats, staring in awe at his best friend. "Hyung, you look like a whole different person." He deadpans, and Jeongguk looks down shyly.
"The clothes are new. Haneul picked them." He says timidly, but Hoseok shakes his head.
"Not your clothes—your face. You're—honest to God, you're glowing. Literally, you're sparkling. What the fuck?" Hoseok rambles, radiant smile bright. He turns his attention to Haneul. "What the hell did you do to him?" He asks, and Haneul laughs. She leans to the side, wrapping arms around Jeongguk's muscular one. Her hand slides down his arm and intertwines with his.
"Made him sleep." She chuckles. Hoseok's jaw drops for the umpteenth time, and he looks like he's going to explode from overstimulation and happiness—both from the fact that she made him sleep, and that her hand is gripped in his.
"You—He slept? You slept?" He asks in disbelief, looking to Jeongguk once more.
"17 hours." He says happily. "No nightmares." Hoseok looks like a proud mother.
"You." Hoseok points at Haneul. "You're a miracle worker. Please never leave hyung." He says, and Haneul laughs. They talk for a while, about what they did while out of the hospital (they skipped the details), about Hoseok's progress, about how he would kill to eat something other than the hospital food. They get caught up talking for so long and with so much ease that the light outside fades to dusk, and Hoseok finally tires out and falls asleep. Haneul has long since departed to go to work, and now Jeongguk is back in the hospital chair, feeling perfectly at peace. The turbulence of the last couple weeks has finally died down, he thinks, and he can't wait for Hoseok to get better so he can go get the burger he wants and so greatly deserves.
But then the hospital room door opens, and three men tumble in. Balloons in hand, along with flowers and bags of food and stuffed animals. They chaotically approach the sleeping Hoseok with concern and care, too engrossed in the sight to notice Jeongguk, but Jeongguk notices them, and his blood runs cold. Seokjin and Hoseok's friends. His friends, or at least, the people who used to be his friends, if Seokjin told them what he is and they had the a similar reaction. Jeongguk pauses to note that Taehyung, Namjoon, and Yoongi are present, but not Seokjin.
The first to notice Jeongguk is Taehyung, his dyed blue locks a stark burst of color in the dull hospital room. An emotion Jeongguk can't decipher flashes across his face as his coffee brown eyes connect with Jeongguk's. He stands up from where he kneels next to Hoseok's bedside, and begins to round the bed, approaching Jeongguk, who doesn't know whether or not to run or just accept what's coming to him. He doesn't want to know what Taehyung, the most gentle, kind person in the world, looks like when he's angry. But then it's too late and Tae is in front of him and his large hands latch onto Jeongguk's forearms and pull him to his feet. By now, the others are watching, but Jeongguk just shuts his eyes, bracing for the impact of a punch to the jaw, to the nose, to the stomach—
But none come.
Arms are thrown around him, pulling a shocked Jeongguk close and hugging him tight enough to knock the air out of him. Jeongguk cautiously wraps his arms around the taller man, and he feels his shoulders shaking. Is he crying? The answer to Jeongguk's question is met by the wet sensation of tears soaking through the fabric on Jeongguk's shoulder and onto his skin. He rubs the younger's back and whispers comforting things into his ear. "Tae, do not fret. Everything is okay." He says, still struggling to process the situation.
"Hyung, you don't get it—I'm one, too." He sniffles, red rimmed eyes looking up at Jeongguk. Jeongguk's heart feels like it stops beating, and for a moment, no one is in the room but he and Taehyung.
"What?" He chokes out, shock making coherent sentences impossible.
"I'm a Wanderer." He repeats. The world around Jeongguk suddenly spins back into focus, and he gapes at Taehyung, gripping onto him tightly. He looks around, and the only other surprised person is Hoseok. "I'm a Wanderer, too."
"Why—Taehyung—what?" Hoseok stutters.
"I was terrified of telling you. I—I made friends throughout my lifetime, always made sure to adapt to the new trends so I wouldn't stick out too much. When things got too close to them finding out, I'd move. I've never told anyone before, but—but when Seokjin came home and told us about Hobi hyung and about you, I knew I needed to say something." He says softly. Jeongguk lets out an incredulous laugh, as Hoseok drags a hand over his baffled face. "I just—I want you to know you're not alone." He says quietly, and Jeongguk's heart contracts.
"How old are you?" Jeongguk asks curiously, trying to keep his emotions at bay.
"One hundred thirty seven." He says, chuckling, the pink flush on his cheeks a sharp contrast to the blue of his hair. "You?"
"Two hundred twelve." He says, and for the first time after telling someone his age, he feels the urge to laugh. And then he does, and then Taehyung begins to laugh, and soon the whole room is laughing uncontrollably. Jeongguk's sure that if a nurse or a doctor walked in right now, they'd be sent to a mental institution, but he doesn't care. He can feel his circle of friends expanding, can feel the love towards him in this room vividly. He knew he wasn't alone, he had Hoseok and Haneul, but now, he's got plenty of company.
When they've finally caught their breaths, cheeks stained with tears of laughter, Jeongguk speaks. "Have you ever seen those underground railroads? Aren't they bizarre?" He asks Taehyung, who guffaws, nodding.
"Most definitely. Hey, you are aware that you can get contacts now, right? You don't need to wear those big glasses." Taehyung informs him, speaking in a more antiquated way than Jeongguk has heard him speak before, and Jeongguk gasps in surprise.
"That's remarkable!" He exclaims, and the room erupts in laughter once more. The night goes on like that, meaningless, conversation about weird dance moves and weird clothing and even weirder slang words; a meaningless conversation that meant the world to Jeongguk.
It makes him realize that he may lose some people to what he is—but he'll keep more than he loses.
i said last chapter was the last happy chapter for a bit
i lied
this chapter is
thank you all for being so patient with me while i got back into the swing of writing. i just experienced the worst two weeks of my life, and i don't want to get into it, but i lost inspiration for a while. but you guys were so supportive of me and never rushed me to update. i couldn't ask for better readers or for a better fandom. people say that bts helps them get out of dark places, but we should all acknowledge that the fandom helps too. it's amazing how we can all unite and be supportive of one another just because we love the same seven weird ass, talented crackheads. i love you all.
thanks for reading & i hope you enjoyyyyyyyy
xoxoxo r
edited 05/07/20