The bright red clock shone on in the dark room, it brightly lit up in angry red colors that reflected on John's face. He lay still, staring blankly at the ceiling, a pile of sheets and comforters lay on the corner of the mattress, discarded and damp with sweat. He tries to get the dark, purple tinted and scaly images to keep from appearing somewhere in his peripheral vision and successfully scaring him out his wits for five seconds before he realizes it's another shadow; panting slightly while doing so.
Somewhere on the other side of the room a different clock ticks on; John always found it weird to have two clocks in one room but his roommate, Jake, insist that it's classy. He guesses he agrees. John takes one shaky breath at a time, it seeming like there truly is some kind of fish queen outside his window; just waiting for him turn his back, close his eyes for too long, let his guard down in some sort of way so she can just sneak up and-
He throws open his eyes again.
It takes almost a solid five minutes for John to stop shaking again and to concentrate on something that isn't gut wrenching fear. 'Okay, okay, think happy thoughts. What can distract you?' he thinks to himself. That thing would happen to be his roommate, Jake.
". . .Jake," He whispers the name softly into the darkness, as if afraid to wake night itself. He gets merely the sound of more heavy breathing as an answer.
He sits up now. "Jake," He hisses a bit louder this time. Now a low moan is issued from the side of the room, springs getting squashed down squeak loudly from his old mattress whilst he turns over.
"Ja-!"
"I heard you the first time, mate." Comes the groggy reply. Jake lets out a long, tired sigh, more squeaking from the bed as he now is laying on his back, but the chipper tone comes quickly into his voice. "What is it that wakes you at this time of night, Johnny my boy?"
John wants to tell him, he really does- for Jake to make it better with that weird kind of comforting presence he has. But now that he thinks about it, how awkward is it to tell your college roommate that you had a nightmare and that's why you woke him at three am? But he knows he can trust Jake, to this extent at least.
". . . I had a dream . . ." He manages to force out after a minute. ". . . Where you, and everyone else, died." John does his best not to start crying or shaking again as the images of bodies flash across his vision, but at best he just manages to only let one tear prick his eyes.
"And, uh . . . then the person who killed all of you came after me next and. . ." The cool metal is slicing down his chest again, tearing open his skin while his scream echo's in the sky, but reaches no ears. And then he can't help it anymore, because it feels like everything is real and this right here, this Jake, is all a dream his lonely mind created.
The only thing that he can even hear is Jake throwing his blankets off, and the loud protest of box springs from his bed. Only until he feels the arms wrap around him does John realize that, one: he had unconsciously wrapped himself in a protective ball, and two: oh wow, hey, Jake is now hugging him. He makes soothing 'shh' sounds, holding John closely as he pats the boys hair. For a second it's awkward because it's obvious that his friend doesn't know what he's doing and that he just wants John to calm down, so he's trying too hard. But then again any comfort is so welcome; the warmth emanating from Jake's body is nice and reminds him he is real, for the moment at least. This continues; Jake shushing him, patting down his hair and cradling him in a nice calm pattern. It starts to relax him, having the desired effect where eventually his muscles release from their clenched position and he just sort of crumbles in the others hands.
Slowly though, John starts to realize that Jakes arm is snaking around his mid-section, and the other is cradling his head. When he puts two and two together though, it's a bit late because Jake is then lifting him in the air and is still making those nice lulling sounds, and okay maybe he's only falling asleep a little because as they walk it's kind of rocking him.
Distantly, he feels them get lowered onto another bed; soft sheets and cool comforters greet him but as he's getting scooted to the edge near the wall Jake doesn't let go. He feels blankets getting strewn on top of him, but this time they don't feel smothering like they did when John woke up; he feels Jake lay them down to rest his head on a pillow, but tucks the others head into his chest when he sees John's too short to reach with the way they're positioned.
He stays awake though, now more scared then ever of this getting ripped away. And Johns about to voice his thoughts again, shifting in the locked arms around him- when Jake suddenly holds him much tighter, forcing his face into the larger his shirt.
"Mhphhhh," He mumbles, wriggling his head out just in time for Jake to surprise attack his forehead with a soft kiss.
"Go to sleep, chap." He grumbles irritably, squeezing him once more.
With his voice lost in his throat John just nods, swallowing a blush. Maybe this Jake was dream; but if he was, John supposed he didn't mind too much.