Much Needed Naps
Title: Much Needed Naps
Prompt: 11- brood
Pairing: Gen
Rating: G
Summary: The Jo twins are going loopy from missing sleep
Notes: Part three
Disclaimer: Not mine, not true
See Table here!
Series: Rescue, Safe (for Now)
YoungMin had to wonder about the conversation he'd had with HyunSung, especially when he half overheard the conversation with JungMin. It didn't make any sense, punctuated by silences - the kind that meant the two were saying more than just the words - and he eventually had to stop thinking about it.
KwangMin definitely was not okay. It became more and more obvious that he never ate, and that he spent a lot of nights pacing the hall outside of the apartment they all shared. Most nights. Every night. Nothing YoungMin did seemed to help, either. It seemed he could do nothing to help - he didn't even know what was wrong. KwangMin didn't either, which made it most frustrating of all.
"It's a good thing we have this whole building to ourselves," HyunSung said one afternoon, sitting next to YoungMin on the stairs. YoungMin had followed KwangMin until KwangMin had yelled at him to leave him alone, he was fine. That only underscored how not fine he was. So YoungMin sat on the steps and listened to his twin walk the floors, the stairs, everything but the roof, thankfully. The soldiers still hadn't left.
"I don't know what to do," YoungMin said, leaning against the wall. "He won't let me help him, and he's not getting any better." He looked at HyunSung without moving his head. "I don't dare talk to DongHyun, either. He's already going crazy with us, and adding this stress…."
"We've got it covered," HyunSung said. "Minwoo and JungMin are being careful while they're out, and they're actually getting more help, and from other people. You worry about KwangMin, DongHyun will take care of the house, and the three of us will keep us fed. Don't brood about it."
"I can't help it," YoungMin said, looking up the stairwell at the sound of footsteps heading down. He'd spent way too much time in here recently if he could tell that. "I can't do anything and it's… so hard. I don't know what they did to him, I don't know what to even think about any of this."
"And you're not sleeping," HyunSung said. He stood up, grasped YoungMin's hands, and pulled him to his feet. "You need to sleep. DongHyun said you stumbled over him the other day, so tired you couldn't even open your eyes. I'll stay here and listen for now, but you need to sleep so you can keep up with him."
YoungMin looked at him for a moment, suddenly so tired he could barely see straight. "You're sure?"
"I'm sure," HyunSung said, and gave him a gentle push. "Go sleep before you fall over."
With a grateful bow, YoungMin went. He slept as soon as his head hit the pillow.
KwangMin couldn't explain his restlessness, no matter how he tried, only that trying to sleep only made him more anxious to move, and the food they had was so bland as to be tasteless. He knew YoungMin worried about him, but he couldn't do anything about it. He found himself dreaming about the food back at the camp, and that worried him.
He couldn't say anything, though, because he knew what the others went through to get even that, and it would break YoungMin's heart if he just… went. He also knew that if he went, the soldiers would keep on him until he broke and told them where he'd been. He knew what would happen to YoungMin and Minwoo, and could guess on the rest of them. He also knew he'd never see YoungMin again. Ever.
So he didn't go, didn't run after the pounding feet of the soldiers, but it got harder and harder as the days dragged on. Things seemed to blur, his vision going gray until he found something to focus on, but it didn't seem to get better, only worse, and what….
He got to the bottom of the stairs, not even sure when he'd come down them, and looked in incomprehension at HyunSung. "Where's YoungMin?"
"He needed to sleep," HyunSung said. "Do you think you can sit down?"
KwangMin regarded him for a moment, then carefully did so, half afraid he would crack if he tried.
HyunSung smiled. "I bet this is driving you a little crazy," he said.
KwangMin sighed. "No, I'm pretty sure I'm already there."
"Aren't we all," HyunSung said, and they sat in a silence that KwangMin found restful, for once. "Can I ask you a question?" HyunSung asked after the silence had lasted long enough that KwangMin thought he might fall asleep.
"I guess," KwangMin said.
"What do you think about, when you wander around this abandoned building?"
KwangMin stared at him for a moment, and then, to his surprise, it all came out, his thoughts about food, about sleep, about going back and being afraid of what would happen to the others if he did. HyunSung didn't say anything, just listened, and that made it even easier to spill everything, his worries about YoungMin, seeing the damage he did to his twin but unable to change anything because it all felt so out of his hands that he couldn't bear to even go near the kitchen and the knives in there for fear of what else he might do.
That hadn't come up in his thoughts, at least not that he remembered, but as he spoke the words, he recognized truth. HyunSung didn't looked shocked, or judgmental, just accepting, and that kept KwangMin talking until he'd run out of words. Still silently, HyunSung slid along the step he sat on, closer to KwangMin, and hugged him.
The silent show of support finished off the resistance, and KwangMin sobbed out his helplessness and hopelessness. It wouldn't make anything better, but maybe he could keep going just a while longer. Anything that helped, he'd take.
YoungMin came into the stairwell when he couldn't find either of them, and found HyunSung still holding onto KwangMin, who'd fallen asleep. "I don't dare move," HyunSung said softly. "I'm afraid he'll wake up."
"Is he okay?" YoungMin asked, then shook his head. "Stupid question. He's not okay, and he might never be. Is he… better?"
HyunSung smiled, and YoungMin felt his spirits lift. "I think he will be," he said. "I think there's hope."
Prompt: 11- brood
Pairing: Gen
Rating: G
Summary: The Jo twins are going loopy from missing sleep
Notes: Part three
Disclaimer: Not mine, not true
See Table here!
Series: Rescue, Safe (for Now)
YoungMin had to wonder about the conversation he'd had with HyunSung, especially when he half overheard the conversation with JungMin. It didn't make any sense, punctuated by silences - the kind that meant the two were saying more than just the words - and he eventually had to stop thinking about it.
KwangMin definitely was not okay. It became more and more obvious that he never ate, and that he spent a lot of nights pacing the hall outside of the apartment they all shared. Most nights. Every night. Nothing YoungMin did seemed to help, either. It seemed he could do nothing to help - he didn't even know what was wrong. KwangMin didn't either, which made it most frustrating of all.
"It's a good thing we have this whole building to ourselves," HyunSung said one afternoon, sitting next to YoungMin on the stairs. YoungMin had followed KwangMin until KwangMin had yelled at him to leave him alone, he was fine. That only underscored how not fine he was. So YoungMin sat on the steps and listened to his twin walk the floors, the stairs, everything but the roof, thankfully. The soldiers still hadn't left.
"I don't know what to do," YoungMin said, leaning against the wall. "He won't let me help him, and he's not getting any better." He looked at HyunSung without moving his head. "I don't dare talk to DongHyun, either. He's already going crazy with us, and adding this stress…."
"We've got it covered," HyunSung said. "Minwoo and JungMin are being careful while they're out, and they're actually getting more help, and from other people. You worry about KwangMin, DongHyun will take care of the house, and the three of us will keep us fed. Don't brood about it."
"I can't help it," YoungMin said, looking up the stairwell at the sound of footsteps heading down. He'd spent way too much time in here recently if he could tell that. "I can't do anything and it's… so hard. I don't know what they did to him, I don't know what to even think about any of this."
"And you're not sleeping," HyunSung said. He stood up, grasped YoungMin's hands, and pulled him to his feet. "You need to sleep. DongHyun said you stumbled over him the other day, so tired you couldn't even open your eyes. I'll stay here and listen for now, but you need to sleep so you can keep up with him."
YoungMin looked at him for a moment, suddenly so tired he could barely see straight. "You're sure?"
"I'm sure," HyunSung said, and gave him a gentle push. "Go sleep before you fall over."
With a grateful bow, YoungMin went. He slept as soon as his head hit the pillow.
KwangMin couldn't explain his restlessness, no matter how he tried, only that trying to sleep only made him more anxious to move, and the food they had was so bland as to be tasteless. He knew YoungMin worried about him, but he couldn't do anything about it. He found himself dreaming about the food back at the camp, and that worried him.
He couldn't say anything, though, because he knew what the others went through to get even that, and it would break YoungMin's heart if he just… went. He also knew that if he went, the soldiers would keep on him until he broke and told them where he'd been. He knew what would happen to YoungMin and Minwoo, and could guess on the rest of them. He also knew he'd never see YoungMin again. Ever.
So he didn't go, didn't run after the pounding feet of the soldiers, but it got harder and harder as the days dragged on. Things seemed to blur, his vision going gray until he found something to focus on, but it didn't seem to get better, only worse, and what….
He got to the bottom of the stairs, not even sure when he'd come down them, and looked in incomprehension at HyunSung. "Where's YoungMin?"
"He needed to sleep," HyunSung said. "Do you think you can sit down?"
KwangMin regarded him for a moment, then carefully did so, half afraid he would crack if he tried.
HyunSung smiled. "I bet this is driving you a little crazy," he said.
KwangMin sighed. "No, I'm pretty sure I'm already there."
"Aren't we all," HyunSung said, and they sat in a silence that KwangMin found restful, for once. "Can I ask you a question?" HyunSung asked after the silence had lasted long enough that KwangMin thought he might fall asleep.
"I guess," KwangMin said.
"What do you think about, when you wander around this abandoned building?"
KwangMin stared at him for a moment, and then, to his surprise, it all came out, his thoughts about food, about sleep, about going back and being afraid of what would happen to the others if he did. HyunSung didn't say anything, just listened, and that made it even easier to spill everything, his worries about YoungMin, seeing the damage he did to his twin but unable to change anything because it all felt so out of his hands that he couldn't bear to even go near the kitchen and the knives in there for fear of what else he might do.
That hadn't come up in his thoughts, at least not that he remembered, but as he spoke the words, he recognized truth. HyunSung didn't looked shocked, or judgmental, just accepting, and that kept KwangMin talking until he'd run out of words. Still silently, HyunSung slid along the step he sat on, closer to KwangMin, and hugged him.
The silent show of support finished off the resistance, and KwangMin sobbed out his helplessness and hopelessness. It wouldn't make anything better, but maybe he could keep going just a while longer. Anything that helped, he'd take.
YoungMin came into the stairwell when he couldn't find either of them, and found HyunSung still holding onto KwangMin, who'd fallen asleep. "I don't dare move," HyunSung said softly. "I'm afraid he'll wake up."
"Is he okay?" YoungMin asked, then shook his head. "Stupid question. He's not okay, and he might never be. Is he… better?"
HyunSung smiled, and YoungMin felt his spirits lift. "I think he will be," he said. "I think there's hope."