Work Text:
“Now?” Jonas muses as Alex punches at the bag bridging the gap between driver and passenger seat, pushing it into a position to be covered with her jacket. “Now you listen to me?”
She’s curling up on her side, wriggling and worming under his arm until her head is butting against his ribs. “Shh.”
“Literally, since we met, Alex,” he murmurs, but doesn’t push her away. Just pulls the spare jacket over her like a blanket, resting his elbow on the curve of her waist. Sure, it’s a real fuckin’ driving hazard right now, but he can handle it. She needs the sleep, if she can get it.
“No.” Her voice is just a mumble, eyes closed. “Since we texted.”
“Close enough.” But she’s been arguing she doesn’t need it. She’s just stubborn like that. “Why choose now?” He’s told her over and over again she needs to sleep more. But she’s up at midnight watching TV, up at 4am playing video games - all hours. She’ll never make it through senior year at this rate.
“You help.”
His eyes flick down to her. She always looks so tired. Eyes too bright when they’re awake, a manic energy driving her through the exhaustion. But he’s seen her at peace before. Once. Twice maybe. “…That thing you said before.”
“Sleeping near you gets rid of the nightmares.” Alex nuzzles against him and that might be the most distracting part. “I think,” she adds.
Jonas has seen the nightmares - or the aftermath. When he walked away for all of ten, fifteen minutes, and came back to find her tossing and turning, waking in a frenzied panic. Sobbing.
She needs the sleep. “…Okay, but-”
“Shhhh.” She reaches a finger up to press against his lips, but her eyes are closed and she can’t exactly aim, and he smiles wryly as she pokes at his chin, then his ear, before giving up.
“I have class in half an hour,” he reminds her, softly, glancing down again before watching the road, blinker clicking rhythmically.
“…Take me with?” she suggests, grabbing at his forearm, holding onto it like a teddy bear. It’s super uncomfortable. He’ll deal with it.
He raises an eyebrow at the idea, but the motion is lost on her. “Like… into the classroom?”
Alex shrugs. Or… kinda shrugs. Not a lot of movement to it, even as she murmurs, “Iunno, mebbe.”
That’s a really stupid idea. It’s bad enough his mom’s students saw him carry her all of three feet. If his physics section spotted him carting some highschooler around like Sleeping Beauty, that would be all kinds of wrong. The concept would be laughable, really, but he’s already too focused on all the other things. The Issues. Thinking of Alex always raises the Issues. It’s not like they’re dating. He’s not– he’s not the creepy college student dating a highschooler. Just having weird dreams about her. Since before they met. They’re not– they’ve never even–
They’ve done nothing.
And they shouldn’t do anything.
They won’t– she’s probably not even–
She’s his mom’s student for Christ’s sake. She’s kinda his student, in a way. He’s had input on her grades, at least. Which means it’s ethically wrong to get involved. Not to mention the highschool/college age difference–
There’s a soft sigh as Alex shifts, butting against him again, and his train of thought is broken.
She’s asleep. That was fast. Things must be easier without the nightmares.
Jonas idles at the turn to their shared neighborhood. Glances down at her again.
With a heavy sigh, he flicks off his blinker.
Looks like he’s skipping physics. Again.