(Hold Me Tight)

Sometimes, being the leader was the best role in the world. Namjoon was responsible for six amazing humans who loved and cared for him back. His brothers were so beautiful and kind and Namjoon couldn't imagine life without them. He felt proud to be able to be with them and he felt as if their achievements were his, too. He loved them more than anyone else in the world and he never felt happier than when he was with them.

But sometimes, being the leader was shattering. When Taehyung and Seokjin fought, Namjoon felt like running and screaming at them to stop. But he couldn't; he always managed to make it right in the end and thanked God he could stay calm. When Jungkook or Jimin overworked themselves, it made Namjoon want to cry. Somehow, he thought it was his fault they stopped eating properly or collapsed on stage. When Hoseok or Yoongi went through dark times, Namjoon threw everything aside to help them. Because he couldn't stand to see them that way and nothing else was more important than making sure they were okay.

So that's why at almost one in the morning, Namjoon was fighting back the urge to cry. He had just gotten back from the studio to find the living room empty. He had assumed that everyone else was asleep and was about to go to bed himself when he froze outside his door. He could hear someone sobbing faintly inside his room. He had heard all of the others cry before and tried to deduce who it was without opening the door.

He knew that Jungkook cried silently and preferred not to draw attention to himself; Yoongi was the same and hated being seen in tears, usually choosing to compose himself first before seeking help; Jimin reverted almost back to a child with his quiet sobs and occasional sniffles; Seokjin got tremors, making his voice and body shake; Hoseok wasn't by any means loud, but he had a tendency to try and hold back until his dam broke and everything came flooding out at once.

But this didn't sound like any of those. The sobs were harsh and Namjoon immediately recognised the occasional abrasive cracks in his voice. It was Taehyung. Namjoon took a second to prepare himself and gently opened the door.

Taehyung was sitting with his back to the wall and crying his heart out. He looked up at the door opening and Namjoon's heart constricted at the sight. His pale blue hair was a chaotic mess and he had clearly been crying for a long while. His usually clear, sparkly brown eyes were now bloodshot and glassy and tears were still trickling down his cheeks. His hands were clutched in fists in his stained shirtsleeves, but he looked like he had given up on trying to wipe away his tears, letting them fall freely. Another sob ripped through him and Namjoon was immediately next to him.

Namjoon crouched beside him and brushed away some of his tears but they were quickly replaced with more. He lightly took Taehyung's hands, unclenching them, and helped him stand up. He kept Taehyung close and walked him to the bed, helping him under the covers. He looked so small and helpless and Namjoon's heart broke watching him. He joined Taehyung in the bed and lay facing him. He linked their fingers, holding Taehyung's hand tightly and really not wanting to let it go.

Taehyung buried his face in Namjoon's pillow as if he was ashamed to be seen crying. Namjoon shuffled closer and moved his free hand up to Taehyung's hair, stroking the soft locks gently to calm the boy down. It seemed to work if Taehyung's quiet sniffles were any indication. He looked at Namjoon with hurt, wet eyes and didn't speak, even though Namjoon could tell he wanted to.

"You don't have to tell me now. We can wait until morning if you think you'll feel better," whispered Namjoon. Rule one: don't force anything out of Taehyung; he won't respond well and will probably just close up more. Taehyung just shuffled closer to Namjoon and buried his face in the elder's shoulder.

"Hyung, I'm so glad you're safe," he mumbled. Namjoon just held him close and let him know he was safe as well, in Namjoon's arms.

"Of course I'm safe, Taehyung. Why are you so worried?" comforted Namjoon. Taehyung curled up next to him and looked up.

"J-Jungkook made the others pretend that you left for good. Th-they faked a note and everything. I was just st-stupid enough to believe them and I ran in here and I wouldn't open the d-door because I didn't believe it was a prank. They gave up after a w-while and went to bed." Namjoon was shocked. Jungkook and Taehyung liked to pull pranks on each other occasionally, but they were always small scale. The forfeit was never this strong.

"It's okay, Taehyung. I would never leave you. I'm going to have a word with Jungkook tomorrow, okay? He won't do anything like that again, I promise. You can stay with me tonight if you want." Taehyung responded by grasping Namjoon's hand tighter and whispering,

"Thank you."

The next morning, Namjoon was still holding Taehyung close to his chest. He was breathing steadier and his face was still a little bit puffy, but it would go down soon. Namjoon didn't want to move before Taehyung had woken up but he didn't mind. Taehyung was really warm and surprisingly comfortable to sleep with. As Namjoon was drifting in and out of dreams, Taehyung's eyes flitted open.

"Hyung…" he tried to speak but his voice cracked. Namjoon watched him remember why his voice was shot and why he had a headache. He looked up at Namjoon and smiled at him before sitting up. Namjoon ruffled his hair and got up, opening the door for Taehyung to walk back to his own room.

He followed Taehyung into the living room and saw Jungkook and Jimin sitting on the couch, talking. They fell silent when they saw Taehyung walk to the next room in his dishevelled state and avoided eye contact with Namjoon. Once he heard Taehyung's door close, Namjoon turned his attention to the boys on the couch and asked gently,

"Jimin, could you give us a minute?" Jimin nodded and went to his room. Jungkook sat properly on the couch and looked incredibly guilty. Namjoon didn't want to assign blame or be too harsh, but Jungkook had done something wrong and needed to fully understand that. "Jungkook, I understand you were the leader of the prank?" Jungkook nodded,

"Look, I'm really sorry, I- "

"I wasn't finished talking," Namjoon interrupted. He was trying not to be too much like an annoying teacher but that was surprisingly difficult. "I'm sure you noticed that Taehyung stayed in my room last night. He didn't want to be alone and he wanted to know that I wouldn't actually leave. Your prank really affected him and I understand those weren't your intentions. However, I have no idea what your actual intentions could have been. I appreciate you trying to fix the situation afterwards but I want you to explain yourself." Jungkook paused.

"I didn't mean it to hurt him that much. It was just supposed to be a sort of test for the rest of us, to see if we could act well. But it sort of…backfired. He got really upset and we obviously expected that but he got really upset and wouldn't stop crying. He shut himself in your room and wouldn't let us in. He blocked the door and everything. We tried to tell him that we were joking but he didn't believe us and in the end we just thought that he'd find out when you got back. I get that it was a really bad thing to do because obviously it's not a joke if one of actually leaves and obviously since Tae…"

Jungkook cut himself off. Namjoon looked at him, willing him to keep going. But Jungkook stayed silent. Namjoon implored,

"Since Tae what?" Jungkook fidgeted and didn't answer. "Jungkook, tell me the truth." Jungkook ran his hand through his hair.

"I shouldn't have said anything. That was a mistake. Shit, Tae's gonna kill me."

"Language, Kookie." Jungkook apologised but still looked panicked. Namjoon was less annoyed with him now but was slightly irritated that he was still hiding things. "Tell me." Jungkook swallowed.

"Um, well, Taehyung sort of has a crush on you. He only told me and I've been trying to be supportive but also taking the piss because he wants to be normal about it. But I shouldn't have told him you were gone because I know how he feels about you and he is actually going to kill me now." Namjoon stayed still, processing this. After a minute, he called,

"Taehyung? Can you come out here, please?" Jungkook shot to his feet and Taehyung's door opened. Taehyung went to stand next to Jungkook, confused at why Jungkook looked so on edge. Jungkook rested his forehead on Taehyung's shoulder and mumbled,

"Tae, I'm really, really sorry. He wouldn't let it go, I had to tell him. I'm so, so, sorry. Please forgive me?" It slowly dawned on Taehyung what Jungkook meant and he pushed Jungkook away, disgusted.

"Jungkook, what the f- "

"Taehyung, calm down. Jungkook, you did the right thing. You can go to your room now." Jungkook tried to protest. "Jungkook! Go to your room!" Namjoon needed him out of the way. Taehyung was fuming and looked violent, so it wouldn't be smart to keep them together. Jungkook slunk back to his bedroom and shut the door. Taehyung turned away, pulling on his hair and looking like he wanted to scream.

"I am so going to kill him," he mumbled. Namjoon stepped closer.

"I know you're annoyed but he did the right thing. I know the whole story now so I get why you were so upset. And besides- "

"Look, can you skip to the 'I don't like you back so we can never be friends again' part. I really don't need all of this protective shit," Taehyung interrupted. Namjoon looked straight at him and felt something surge inside him. He grabbed Taehyung's hand just as he was about to walk away and kept him centimetres away. Taehyung stuttered and looked away, despite being less than two inches away from Namjoon. Namjoon lifted his head and kissed him gently.

"Let's go back to bed," he said when he pulled back. Taehyung just bit his lip and nodded, clearly flushed. Namjoon would talk to the others later. He had more important things to deal with now.