Work Text:
Sinu looked at Jake sleeping soundly next to him, his head lolling into Sinu’s shoulder. He smiled softly, musing on how much younger and less stressed he looked when he was asleep. All around them were other members of Big Deal, sprawled haphazardly all over the room. He could see Jerry, huddled up on the other side of Jake, holding his hand and snoring softly. Jason was half hugging, half laying on Brad, his hands clenched on his shirt, just as Brad’s were on his. It took his eyes a few seconds to find Yeonhui amongst everybody else, to see her sitting on a chair, asleep with her arms crossed and head hanging.
(There was a missing piece in all this, an empty space where a person was supposed to be. Sinu didn’t want to think about it.)
He still couldn’t believe he was back home. That the nightmare he was stuck in for so long has finally ended.
It was still confusing, to see his friends, to see Jake again. He spend so much time convinced that they were all dead, that he lost them forever and now they were here, right next to him. At the hand’s reach.
He unconsciously raised his hand and started to running it though Jake’s hair. (He wanted to make sure Jake was still there. That he wasn’t dreaming. That this was real.) Jake let out a pleased sound and turned his head in the direction of Sinu’s hand, as if he was a dog wanting to be pet. Sinu chuckled softly at that thought and continued petting Jake’s hair. He remembered that Jake was very affectionate person, always hanging from his friends shoulders, holding hands or patting people’s back. It seemed that this part of him didn’t change, even after all the hardships he must have gone through.
Sinu sighed. He left Jake with such a heavy burden when he sold himself to the workers. Just thinking about it made his heart clench. He knew it couldn’t have been easy to keep it all together by himself. That Jake must have gone to hell and beyond to protect everyone. The two new scars on his face were the evidence for that.
He wondered how Jake got them.
(Sinu knew he got them in the fight. And he wouldn't have been fighting if Sinu haven't pulled him in to this mess. He wondered if Jake ever cursed him for that.)
“What are you sighing about this time?” Jake whispered suddenly, making Sinu flinch, not expecting Jake to be awake.
“Ah.” He stated, looking down and straight into Jake’s eyes “Did I wake you up?” he whispered back, feeling a little guilty.
“Yes.” Jake murmured, his face set into a deadpan expression “You were thinking too loud.”
Sinu snickered quietly at that, not expecting that sort of answer out of him. He looked away from Jake, a bittersweet smile on his face.
“I just… ” he hesitated and his eyes traveled to the hand he still had in Jake’s hair “I left you with so much responsibility on your shoulders when I left. And I know you haven’t had it easy since then. And it was all because of my choices. You suffered so much because of me.” Sinu said, his voice trembling a little “I… don’t know if-“
Jake suddenly cut him off, raising his free hand and covering Sinu’s mouth with it.
“Shut up.” Jake said, looking slightly irritated “I done what I did from my own free will. I never once regretted taking care of Big Deal or doing whatever I had to to get you back. I would never blame you for the choice you made. You wanted to protect everybody. And you did. Big Deal survived because of you. Never forget that.”
Sinu, swallowed, feeling a little teary eyed. He shifted a little and planted a kiss on Jake’s forehead, trying to convey all the pent up emotions he was feeling at the moment.
“Thank you.” he choked out, his free hand moving to clutch on Jake’s shirt.
“No problem.” Jake said, sneaking his hand around Sinu’s waist and bringing him into a hug “Now go back to sleep. Everything is fine now. You can just relax and go to sleep.” Jake rested his head back on Sinu’s shoulder “You are safe here. And I will be right next to you when you wake up. So just go to sleep.”
And that was what Sinu did. He closed his eyes, feeling more at peace than he had in years and started drifting off.
He was safe.
He was home.
He could finally rest.