Chapter Text
Jisung didn’t know for how long he was running. Endless streets of a city he didn’t recognize but felt so familiar were making his path, while the presence chasing him was pushing the boy to keep running, struggling to keep rhythm as it seemed like his legs were made out of thick jelly. Lingering fear was sticking to his back in the street that seemed everlasting when he suddenly realized. Nothing was chasing him. He was dreaming.
Stopping his course, Jisung allowed himself to catch his breath, taking a second to observe his environment, becoming more aware as the fear left him. It was a narrow paved back alley, and a deep black sky was above his head. The only source of deem light was a streetlight next to him. The atmosphere felt unreal, as if everything was deformed by a soft mist, it was indeed what felt like a lucid dream.
Jisung’s dreams were always quite realistic, at least more than what his friends were telling him. And almost each of them holds a common characteristic, a certain someone.
« Minho ? » the young boy called, hearing footsteps.
Revealing himself from the darkness of the street, the man called Minho emerged in the dull light.
« How disappointing. I was dreaming that I was following a cat, but I only found a squirrel. » he said, faking a pout.
Minho and Jisung knew each other since primary school in the dream world. Their first encounter was a bit more than ten years ago, both of them having a simple dream where they were playing ball games together with a bunch of other unknowns kids. At first, their meetings together were rare, but the older they got the more often they met, getting closer to each other with time.
« A handsome squirrel, you should find yourself lucky ! retorted Jisung.
- I mean, you look miserable. What happened to you ? blatantly said Minho.
- I don’t know, answered Jisung almost unbothered by this expected teasing, it felt like I was running away from something.» While saying those words, he looked back behind him, making sure that all traces of dangers were gone. Most of his fear may have left, but only to leave him with the uncomfortable feeling that gives out too realistic bad dreams.
Minho blinked, looking worryingly at the younger boy. His past own dreams were quite nice for him, but Jisung seemed like he was often going through tough ones for a while now, making him worried about his well being.
« You’re always dreaming of that, carefully started Minho, right ? I heard that dreaming to be chased mean that you're avoiding or scared of something. » these words made the other boy turns his head towards him, noticing the sudden serious tone .« Sungie, is everything okay ? »
Jisung bites his lip, looking back at the ground. Like always, Minho was able to read him like an open book- which should not be surprising for someone being literally inside his head. Anyway, his dream’s situations were already weird enough, he might as well take this opportunity to get some feelings out of his heart.
« Not really... you’re right, there is something. »
Jisung let out a sign, letting the memories of his real-life events flowing through his mind. He let himself drop against a wall, next to the streetlight providing minimal lightning to the allay. Minho felt the burden of Jisung hearth, and carefully, he came to sit next to him, curiously observing what is supposed to be a creation of his mind.
« With my friends, we’re going to submit our work to a company tomorrow. Like, you know, so far we were just making our stuff by ourselves. We have a meeting with a producer. I’ve always felt confident about my capacities, but... » Jisung swallowed, trying to find the right way to put into words the thoughts clouding his head for the past days. « What if it proves me wrong ? What if we’re not capable of starting a career... or that I’m the one not capable and bringing everyone down ? There is a tone of people way better than me out there, sometimes, I can’t help but think that they deserve more than me. »
The older let the information some time to sink, feeling the sudden vulnerability of his dream companion. Even if all of this was just a dream, it felt so realistic, making him feel the emotion coming out of the younger boy and radiating on himself, painfully clenching his heart. After thinking a moment of what to say, he put his hand on top of Jisung’s, squeezing it slightly.
« You don’t have to be scared of anything, okay ? I know how much determination and talent you have, I know you like if I was inside of your own head. » He accentuated his words by pocking the younger boy's forehead, getting a chuckle out of him at the obvious truth of his words. « So just relax, you’re sleeping right now and there is no need to torment yourself with that for the moment. Your friends love you and want to go through that with you and no one else, okay ? »
He ended his small speech with a little squeeze of Jisung's hand, who was now looking at him with a soft smile, feeling already some of his tension vanishing. He let himself close the space between their two bodies, resting his head on the steady shoulder next to him and letting the warmth of the older boy's body appease his heart. Despite their constant teasing, their presence always had a healing effect on both of them.
« Okay », muttered the smaller one, feeling his emotions coming at peace with the words and proximity of Minho.
Jisung never knows the exact moment he wakes up. The feeling of Minho’s hand was still lingering on his, making him remember the whereabouts of his past dream. Like every one of his recent adventures with the boy, he woke up with a fuzzy sensation in his chest, and an unknown feeling in his heart. He squeezed his eyes, burying his head under the welcoming blankets, trying to fall back asleep. He wanted to go back to his dream, back to this world where Minho exists, where he can hold his hand, feel the warmth of his body.
If only all of this was real.
Somewhere else in the city, another pair of eyes we’re opening up to reality, heavy eyelids struggling to fight the blinding morning light filtered through the curtains.
« You woke up later than usual today. Did you have one of your dreams ? »
Minho had dragged himself out of his bedroom, only for him to meet Felix, his roommate, laying carelessly on the couch, scrolling through his phone. Both of them were in the same dance major at university.
« Yeah, usual » answered Minho while yawning, crashing himself in the free space next to Felix. His answer immediately caught the Aussie's attention, straightening himself from his position for better listening.
« You met that Jisung guy again, right ? How is he doing ? cheerfully asked the younger one.
- Don’t talk about him like he's a real person, it’s weird, grunted Minho.»
He didn’t like very much to put the boy haunting his dreams in his everyday life, not enjoying the feeling of mixing real and unreal. Jisung only exists at night, he shouldn’t bring him in the bright and vivid day world. Another reason, that he doesn't want to admit to himself, was that weird emotion that he was feeling when he was thinking about the boy of his dream, like if the beating of his heart was all of a sudden malfunctioning. Developing that kind of sentiment for someone unreal is definitely no good.
But one time, he needed to share one of his dreams with Felix, who was not only his roommate but also one of his close friends. This may have not been the best idea if he didn’t want to have an almost daily reminder of his night's adventures, considering how passionate Felix became with it.
« ...But he wasn’t feeling good tonight, Minho continued nonetheless. I think he was stressed.
- What happened ?
- Do you remember when he said he was doing music with some friends ? They’re going to sign up for a company, or something. I think he said the meeting was supposed to happen today’s morning...»
It’s soon, I hope he’ll be okay, unconsciously thought Minho. He quickly snapped out of this reflection, having to remind himself that he was only in his head.
« That’s amazing how real it seems... dreams aren’t supposed to have such solid storyline ! enthusiastically cheered Felix. All of the information you’re telling me about him make sense and follow each of your dreams... » he trailed the last words, losing himself in the thought of this singular case for a second before jumping right back in the subject. « Oh yeah ! Did he still tell you that he dreamed of being chased ? Did you tell him what I read about the meaning of those dreams ? It makes perfect sense now ! He was unconsciously trying to avoid the meeting with the company !»
The freckled boy was almost bouncing on the couch with excitation, exalted to see every piece putting themselves together.
« You have way too much energy for a Saturday morning » whined Minho, grabbing a pillow and getting more comfortable on their couch, starting to regret his bed.
« And that’s not all ! Guess what else I read about dreams.
- ... and you put way too much interest in this, grumbled Minho in his pillow.
- When you meet people in your dream, if you ask them if they know they're part of your dream, they’ll always deny it, whatever happens, continued Felix, ignoring his grumpy friend's commentary. But Jisung is pretty much aware of the dream world, right ? Like a normal person, he makes the difference between the real and unreal world. That’s crazy !
- Then it just means I have on hell of a fictional world. I guess I’m making up for not having an imaginary friend as a child. »
On these words, the older got up from the couch to get some breakfast, putting an end to Felix’s chatter.
« You’re no fun ! » the latter whined, getting up to follow Minho on his path.
« I hope Jisung and his friends will get taken into this company. He sounds like someone nice, Felix wondered.
- Well, I’ll make him get taken. His part of my dream, so I’m supposed to have absolute control over that. »
Right ? thought Minho, because he’s only part of my imagination.