Jin's eyes fluttered open and he groaned reflexively, knowing fully well that the subtle creaking of the floor meant someone's imminent arrival. He braved a glance at his phone's clock and nearly sobbed when he saw it read 1:19 AM. He swore up and down that if it was one of those idiots asking for a midnight snack or something else they could easily do themselves, he'd lock them in their own closet, as this was the case more often than not for their late night visits and they simply didn't want to endure their insomnia alone. This time seemed different, somehow. The floor may have creaked from the weight of whoever was walking towards his room, but otherwise the mystery member seemed to be trying to stay fairly quiet. Jin could barely make out the sound of the doorknob turning. The sound of bare feet padding towards his bed revealed no clues as to his bandmate's identity, but even a barely mumbled "Hyung" couldn't mask the speaker's baritone, nor the pain in his voice. This worried Jin greatly, and he turned over, now wide awake, to see a teary-faced Taehyung squatting at the side of his bed.

 

        All but shocked, Jin quickly sat up at the edge of the bed and concernedly asked, "Are you alright, Taehyung?" The younger could barely be made out in the darkness thanks to the blackout curtains he had, but Jin was familiar with Taehyung enough to know pain when he saw it. Putting his hand on the younger's shoulder and squeezing gently, Taehyung swallowed dryly and looked down at the floor. 

 

        "I- had a nightmare, hyung," he managed to croak. Jin's concern was growing by the second. This certainly wasn't the first time Taehyung had come to him bearing news of a bad dream, but he was usually awoken by the younger crawling under his blankets and whispering about monsters taking his socks or whatever the dream had been about. It didn't take Namjoon's IQ to tell something was very, very wrong, and Jin wanted nothing more than to fix it. Sighing, Jin took Taehyung's hands and pulled him to sit on the bed so they were facing each other, sitting criss cross next to Jin's pillows.

 

       "Why don't you tell me what it was about? I'm guessing it wasn't about aliens kidnapping Kkanji this time, hm?" Jin gently teased. A smile flickered across Taehyung's face for a fraction of a second, but it was quickly replaced by his...grief from earlier. The younger seemed to be struggling to form the words, and when he opened his mouth only a sob came out. Jin couldn't stand what he was seeing and hearing, so he pulled Taehyung to sit in his lap, knowing that he would probably respond better to contact than questioning. The effect was almost immediate; Taehyung pulled his knees to his chest and began to cry quietly. 

 

        "...gone," was all Jin could hear through Taehyung's alternating gasps and sobs. The elder wrapped one arm around Taehyung's waist as he rubbed his back with the other. He didn't care that the gesture was so intimate, or that it would've been strange in any other context. Instructing the younger to breathe deeply, Jin could feel the boy slowly relax in his embrace. As Taehyung's breaths grew more regular and less shaky, Jin asked again, "What was it about, Tae?" The younger took another breath, and finally spoke.

 

        "Everything... everything was just, gone, hyung. Bangtan was gone. BigHit was gone. Hobi hyung, Jungkookie, everything," Taehyung said quietly, his voice breaking on the last 'everything'. "E-even you, hyung... I guess it was gonna happen eventually," he continued, "That's been our theme since I Need U promotions started, but it just felt...way too real..." Jin couldn't find the words to comfort Taehyung, and his silence prompted the younger to speak again. "I thought it was going to be okay... But I couldn't find anybody. The building was empty. The dorms were too quiet. And I just kept hoping and hoping that I'd find someone, but I went in ...your room... and there was only a photo on your nightstand. And it was of Bangtan...but you, you weren't there," he finished as a new wave of tears began to spill. 

 

        Hearing Taehyung's revelation damn near broke Jin in two. He honestly never thought that the younger would be so fond of him, yet the more he thought about it, he realized that he had always been there when Taehyung needed him the most. In fact, Taehyung had previously confessed to him that he always came to his room after a bad dream, felt sick, or just needed somebody because he never turned him away, and that made so much more sense now. Strangely, he felt rising anger at the other members. How anyone could ever abandon the boy in his arms was far beyond him, and the dream only proved to Jin further that Taehyung feared nothing more than being alone or abandoned. He obviously felt abandoned, judging by the fact that the picture in his dream showed Bangtan all together, and if Jin had never been there, Taehyung worried he would've been left all alone long ago. Jin mentally noted to have a talk with Namjoon later and hold a band meeting while Taehyung was out, but at the moment he just wanted to help soothe the boy in his arms. 

 

        "Taehyungie, look at me," Jin said softly, taking his hand from Taehyung's back and cupping his cheek. Taehyung hesitantly looked up, barely raising his head. "I won't leave you. Ever. That's a promise, okay?" he added, Taehyung's cheek with his thumb and catching the younger's last few tears before wiping them away. Taehyung sniffed, blinking hard before whispering "sorry" so quietly Jin could barely make it out. Just like that, a new pain lanced through the elder's chest. "Taetae, don't you ever feel sorry for needing somebody. Especially me. I promise, I really do, if you ever need anything- and i mean anything, I'm here."

 

        Taehyung registered Jin's promise silently at first, before breaking into a grateful smile as a single remaining tear rolled down his face. Before he could stop himself, Jin leaned in and pressed his lips against the spot on his cheek where the tear had been, lingering there for perhaps a second too long. The silence between the two was nearly deafening but it dissipated quickly as Jin pulled Taehyung to lie next to him in his bed. One of Jin's arms wrapped around the younger's waist and the other his back,  pulling Taehyung's face into his neck and letting the older bury his nose in his nice-smelling hair. His hair smelled  like sandalwood and flowers, thought Jin. After a second of hesitation,Taehyung leaned fully into his hyung's embrace, their bodies flush against one another in the darkness. Taehyung was pliant in his arms and allowed Jin to adjust their position without complaint, only starting once when their hips shifted against each other. Before long the pair were comfortable and fully tangled and peaceful.

 

        "Goodnight Taehyungie," whispered Jin. A muffled reply was heard from the area around Jin's neck, causing the elder to smile at last. Not ten minutes later Taehyung's breathing was deep and even, and Jin allowed himself to relax. Oddly enough the elder felt quite sleepy. Jin checked again to make sure the younger was definitely asleep before kissing the top of his head, lingering once more before nuzzling into his hair. Moments before he drifted off himself, he thought that he wouldn't trade sleeping lightly for the world.