Status: complete
One Hundred Sleepless Nights
1/1
"Alex?" I mumbled, leaning my head outside the curtain of my bunk. I crawled out of my bunk and sat down on the floor outside his bunk, desperately trying to make as little noise as possible, just in case he was sleeping. Pulling my phone out of the pocket of my pajama pants, I check the time; 3:15am. I really fucking hope he'd be sleeping, because he hadn't been for about four days, and we were all starting to get a little bit worried about him. He'd be tired at shows and after meet and greets, he'd sleep for about an hour, but it was often restless sleep, which got him nowhere. I pulled back the curtain and there he was, curled up in his blanket, watching Supernatural on Netflix. I sighed, pulling his phone back from his hands. "Alex," I sighed, rubbing at my (very tired) eyes, leaning my elbow into his bunk. "Jack?" He mumbled as he rolled away from the wall, and toward me. "It's the last episode, I swear," he pouted, sitting up and nearly hitting his head. I chuckled and patted the top of his head gently, pushing him down, lightly, into his bed again. "Nope, you can have your phone in the morning. Go to bed, okay?" I felt like a mother reprimanding her child, but there were two problems with that; One, I'm pretty sure I'm a male, and two, he's older than me. Again, Alex sat up. "Lay with me?" He scooted toward the edge again, eyes wide, even in the darkness. I nodded reluctantly and lay myself down next to him in his bunk, him automatically curling up to me, my arms wrapping around him. I rubbed his back for about an hour, trying to coax the boy into a little, even if restless, sleep.
The nights usually went that way now, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it was from being back on the bus, but that just couldn't be possible, we'd been back on tour for about a month now... Insomnia, perhaps? No, it's never bothered him before. I'd given up on wracking my brain with possibilities, all it did was make me worry, and I knew, I fucking knew that was the last thing he wanted me to do. I didn't want to hover over him, I was afraid he'd get mad ("Why are you suddenly so interested in me, Jack? Did I do something? Stop hovering, damn it, it's getting weird!" Or that's how it went in my head, anyway). So I went with my silent, nearly hover-less worrying. He'd ask me to lay with him a lot now, we spoon a lot. Sometimes kiss, but rarely (it isn't 2008 anymore, hello).
It was about the third week in a row now that he'd ask to lay with me, or me to lay with him. I remember waking up about a week ago, and him lying in my bed, and he didn't even ask me during the night. I didn't care, anyway, because he finally got sleep. Plus, it was cute to see him that way; eyes fluttering 'cause he's dreaming, little honeysuckle tainted breaths leaving his lightly parted lips, the corners of his mouth just turned up enough to be a smile. That, I think, was when he was at his best; when he's sleeping. He'll occasionally mumble little things that I don't understand, his lips will blubber, and it's just over the top adorable, I don't exactly know what to call it besides adorable, really.
Next night, the same; he'd crawl into my bunk, cuddle, and fall asleep. The morning, he'd still be there, lying right next to me, face nuzzled up into my chest. I kissed his forehead lightly, his eyes fluttered open, mine going wide. "Well, good morning, sunshine," I joked, rubbing my nose against his. Alex still had sleep weighing heavily down on his eyelids, it was obvious. "Mm," he groaned, rubbing his eyes. "G'morning." I chuckled and rubbed at his lower back, my head tilted to the side. "I have a question," I grumbled, my hand aimlessly and effortlessly rubbing at his back. I didn't give him time to answer, because there's really no in-between for "I have a question" besides "what is it?" I signed and kicked my legs so they were hanging out the curtain. "Why d'you always sleep with me?" I chuckled lightheartedly, my hand coming to an abrupt stop. Alex, I could tell, thought for a moment before putting out his answer. "I feel safer in your arms, God, I sound cliché," he smiled, placing his forearm across his forehead. I couldn't ask for a better answer, not that I wanted one, anyway.
The nights went on that way for the next month or so, and I still wasn't complaining, it felt nice to be able to hover without him getting mad. But one day, he just stopped coming into my bunk. And it stayed that way for about two months. I think we were in a hotel one night, and it was storming, and he just couldn't sleep. I had his phone and he'd left me alone for a bit, I assumed he was sleeping. At about 6:15am, I heard a rustling noise coming from across the room, though.
"Hey, Jack?"
"Yes, Alex..?"
"Can I... sleep with you?"
The nights usually went that way now, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it was from being back on the bus, but that just couldn't be possible, we'd been back on tour for about a month now... Insomnia, perhaps? No, it's never bothered him before. I'd given up on wracking my brain with possibilities, all it did was make me worry, and I knew, I fucking knew that was the last thing he wanted me to do. I didn't want to hover over him, I was afraid he'd get mad ("Why are you suddenly so interested in me, Jack? Did I do something? Stop hovering, damn it, it's getting weird!" Or that's how it went in my head, anyway). So I went with my silent, nearly hover-less worrying. He'd ask me to lay with him a lot now, we spoon a lot. Sometimes kiss, but rarely (it isn't 2008 anymore, hello).
It was about the third week in a row now that he'd ask to lay with me, or me to lay with him. I remember waking up about a week ago, and him lying in my bed, and he didn't even ask me during the night. I didn't care, anyway, because he finally got sleep. Plus, it was cute to see him that way; eyes fluttering 'cause he's dreaming, little honeysuckle tainted breaths leaving his lightly parted lips, the corners of his mouth just turned up enough to be a smile. That, I think, was when he was at his best; when he's sleeping. He'll occasionally mumble little things that I don't understand, his lips will blubber, and it's just over the top adorable, I don't exactly know what to call it besides adorable, really.
Next night, the same; he'd crawl into my bunk, cuddle, and fall asleep. The morning, he'd still be there, lying right next to me, face nuzzled up into my chest. I kissed his forehead lightly, his eyes fluttered open, mine going wide. "Well, good morning, sunshine," I joked, rubbing my nose against his. Alex still had sleep weighing heavily down on his eyelids, it was obvious. "Mm," he groaned, rubbing his eyes. "G'morning." I chuckled and rubbed at his lower back, my head tilted to the side. "I have a question," I grumbled, my hand aimlessly and effortlessly rubbing at his back. I didn't give him time to answer, because there's really no in-between for "I have a question" besides "what is it?" I signed and kicked my legs so they were hanging out the curtain. "Why d'you always sleep with me?" I chuckled lightheartedly, my hand coming to an abrupt stop. Alex, I could tell, thought for a moment before putting out his answer. "I feel safer in your arms, God, I sound cliché," he smiled, placing his forearm across his forehead. I couldn't ask for a better answer, not that I wanted one, anyway.
The nights went on that way for the next month or so, and I still wasn't complaining, it felt nice to be able to hover without him getting mad. But one day, he just stopped coming into my bunk. And it stayed that way for about two months. I think we were in a hotel one night, and it was storming, and he just couldn't sleep. I had his phone and he'd left me alone for a bit, I assumed he was sleeping. At about 6:15am, I heard a rustling noise coming from across the room, though.
"Hey, Jack?"
"Yes, Alex..?"
"Can I... sleep with you?"
♠ ♠ ♠
i think i wrote this in december last year, finally remembered the password to my account on my PC, and found this lil thing. there's so many uncompleted fics on this lil gem. be prepared >:~)