This idea was just way too cute. I hope I did okay writing it. This is for StillLovely as a fill from the btr_fluff_meme community. And this is not meant to be slash, just friendship. Enjoy!
P.S. Google tells me "hermano" is the Spanish word for brother.
LiveJournal Prompt:
Little!BTR during nap time in Kindergarten. One of them either has a nightmare or is scared to sleep or something. Whatever you come up with works for me. But I would love to see one of the other boys, or two of them, or even all of them, comforting and cute and adorable 'cause, y'know. They're five and what isn't cute about five year olds giving hugs?
"Alright class, settle down now!" Miss Hess called to her roused kindergarteners.
"When's do we go back to recess, Miss Hess?" helmeted five year-old Carlos Garcia bubbled excitedly.
Miss Hess smiled, shaking her head slightly, "Tomorrow, Carlos. Remember? Two recesses in one day would be just too many."
"Aww!" Carlos exclaimed, but he sat down on the rug obediently as Miss Hess hushed the classroom.
"Shh! Shh! Guess what time it is, class?" Miss Hess whispered.
"Snack time?" Carlos suggested hopefully.
"Carlos, we just had our snacks!" Logan Mitchell reminded him matter-of-factly.
"Logan's right, Carlos. It's naptime now," Miss Hess continued.
A chorus of moans and discontented protests arose from the room. "Well, I like naptime," James Diamond inserted cheerfully, "'Cause my mommy says that sleep makes you pretty."
"She's right, James," Miss Hess replied, "Now everyone grab your pillows and settle down on the rug. And no talking, okay?"
The students nodded their consent and scuttled to the corner of the room to collect their pillows. Five year-old Kendall Knight rushed to join his three equally aged friends, Logan, Carlos, and James. "Naptime's dumb," he whispered rebelliously to his peers, earning a snicker from Carlos.
"It is not!" James defended quickly, "You're just saying that because you're not pretty!"
"Shh! Miss Hess will hear you, and then we'll get in trouble!" Logan hissed, glancing worriedly back at the teacher.
"You worry too much, Logie," Kendall giggled, picking out a green and blue plaid pillow for his nap.
Logan muttered something under his breath and joined his other friends who had splayed their pillows across the rug. James snuggled into his purple one and fell asleep promptly. Carlos, still donning his helmet, grinned and lay back on his red one, with Logan placing his white and blue striped one beside him. As Logan settled down, Carlos began chanting softly, "One corndog, two corndogs, three corndogs, four corndogs, three, no, five-"
"Carlos! Be quiet; I can't sleep!" Logan whispered harshly.
"Sorry," Carlos mumbled, rolling over.
Logan groaned and tried to silently find his own way to sleep by reviewing his multiplication tables. Logan had gone all the way through his threes when he heard Miss Hess quietly click the door shut behind her, probably running off to the bathroom. He had just finished his elevens when he heard a quiet whimpering noise. Logan shifted against his pillow, ignoring the sound, and continuing with his math. "Twelve times one is twelve. Twelve times two is twenty-four. Twelve times three is-"
He heard the sound again. Groggily, he rubbed at his eyes and sat up, searching the room for a disturbance. He saw Kendall squirm in his sleep, and Logan frowned as the boy yelped out softly. Successfully clambering over Carlos, who was drooling a little bit, Logan crawled over to Kendall. "H-Help," Kendall muttered in his sleep, his brow furrowed with apprehension.
"Kendall?" Logan whispered, poking at the blonde's shoulder timidly.
Kendall writhed in his sleep, babbling incoherently to himself, but Logan persevered, shaking Kendall's shoulder gently.
Kendall's emerald eyes flashed open and he gasped out unsteadily, "L-Logie?"
"Yeah, it's just me," Logan stated quickly, a little worried by his friend's actions.
"Where are the…" Kendall cut himself short, squeezing his eyes shut again.
"Where are the what, Kendall?" Logan kept his voice low so as not to wake the other kindergarteners.
"You'll laugh at me," Kendall sniffled.
"No I won't," Logan promised.
"Where'd the m-monsters go?" Kendall's lip quivered and a tear trickled down his cheek.
Logan let his instincts guide him as he towed his friend into a hug, wrapping protective arms around his little body. "There aren't any monsters, Kendy," Logan swore into Kendall's ear, "It was just a dream."
Kendall's body still shook slightly, so Logan tried to console him further, "I watched a show once that said there's not even such a thing as monsters. They're not even real."
"The ones I saw were," Kendall cried quietly into Logan's shoulder.
"You just think they were," Logan persisted, "Your mind tricked you into thinking that by having a dream."
Kendall whimpered into the fabric of Logan's T-shirt, as the brunette continued to hug him. Logan whispered, "Even if monsters were real, Kendall, I wouldn't let them hurt you. I promise. I'm right here."
Kendall's cries quieted at Logan's words. There was a soft shuffling noise nearby, and Logan glimpsed down to see James fluttering his eyelashes, staring up at Logan and Kendall curiously. Without even questioning the purpose of the hug, James cuddled up to Kendall, enclosing his arms around both of his friends. "What's the matter?" he whispered, nuzzling his cheek into Kendall's sweater.
"I-I dreamed that there were m-monsters in here," Kendall whispered ashamedly, his voice muffled by Logan's shoulder.
"Aw, you don't have to worry about monsters, Kendall," James whispered back brightly, "Mommy says that I'm so pretty that the monsters won't come near me."
Kendall lifted his head to glance at James quizzically, "But I'm not pretty, Jamie! You said so."
"I…I didn't mean it," James blushed, before assuring him with a sweet smile, "I think you are. And you're strong too. No monster would wanna come near you!"
Kendall shivered again, still unconvinced with a few tears rolling down his cheeks as Logan held him tighter. James pleaded softly, "Please don't cry, Kendall. I don't like seeing people cry."
Kendall didn't stop his silent tears though. James pursed his lips thoughtfully before an idea came to him. He continued to explain in a his most scholarly manner, "And because you're my best friend, I'm gonna stay right here. I'm not gonna leave you, so since I'm here, the monsters won't be. Because I'm so pretty."
"You sure?" Kendall asked uncertainly.
James bobbed his head enthusiastically. The three held each other for a few more moments before they felt a fourth pair of arms awkwardly drape over them. Kendall wiped at his eyes hastily before peeking up from Logan's shirt to meet Carlos' troubled toffee irises. Despite not fully understanding the situation, Carlos still tried to offer whatever comforts he could. He understood by Kendall's expression that something had frightened him, and that upset Carlos. Wordlessly, he unfastened his helmet and slid it onto Kendall's head. "My helmet will keep you safe," he murmured with a sleepy smile, "And I will too. 'Cause you're my hermano."
Kendall grinned back shyly, "Thanks, Carlos."
"Wanna try to nap some more now?" Logan suggested quietly.
Kendall nodded slowly after giving the proposition some thought. The blonde found himself sandwiched between Logan and James, with Carlos slinging his arm over Logan and Kendall's chests protectively. Kendall felt the effects of a long morning of recesses and snacks and learning gradually slow his body. His eyes drooped shut with James, Logan, and Carlos still nestled around him. He felt safe, secure. He knew his friends would do anything to protect him, as they had shown in their own different ways. And with that thought in mind, he drifted into a peaceful sleep.
When Miss Hess returned from the bathroom, she cocked her head to the side curiously to see the four boys squished together in a new position than the one she had left them in. She was also puzzled to see Carlos' most prized possession being sported by Kendall instead of the energetic Latino himself. She shook her head with a slow smile. Boys. She'd never fully understand them.