Narrator:
Namjoon clutched his stomach in pain as they stepped inside their house after a long day of practice. He probably shouldn't have pushed so hard during dance practice, now his body was aching all over, and he had enough aches already. They stepped into the house, Namjoon hanging at the back and wincing as he walked through the doors, clenching his eyes shut and clutching tightly onto his stomach. Yoongi took notice of this. "Hey, Namjoon-ah," he murmured softly, trying not to gain attention from their other bandmates, "are you okay?" Namjoon looked at his hyung, who was looking at him with concern-filled eyes. Namjoon forced out the most reassuring smile he could muster and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine hyung"
Now, Namjoon's fake smiles are always convincing, he used them a lot at work after all, to cover up the excruciating pain shooting through his veins. But Yoongi was his bandmate, and the person who lived with him the longest, he could see right through Namjoon's fake smile, he saw that Namjoon was in pain. But, he also saw that Namjoon didn't want to talk about it, so left it at that. As everyone else rushed off to make dinner, Namjoon headed up the stairs to his room. Yoongi stopped him at the bottom of the stairs, squeezing Namjoon's hand in a reassuring way. Namjoon loved that so much. Yoongi looked up at Namjoon's eyes. "I'll keep my studio unlocked" With that, he walked away.
It was a simple sentence, but the most reassuring one he could ever say. Namjoon knew from the years he's spent with his Yoongi-hyung that this was Yoongi's way of saying: 'I'll be there for you if you need me' and he couldn't be more grateful. But, he couldn't tell Yoongi this, not yet. Namjoon dragged his body up the stairs towards his room opening the door and stumbling inside. He shared his room with Jungkook, but he didn't think Jungkook would come in for another couple of hours, so he locked the door behind him. As soon as he did, a wave of nausea hit him and he toppled to the floor, clutching his head and whimpering. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck..." he cursed out as he grabbed at his hair, pulling at it as if to rip the pain out of his head.
He curled into a fetal position as the pain continued to stab all over him, the effects of not shrinking finally crashing down on him. Yes, Namjoon is a mixed. His mother was a tiny but he had yet to tell anyone about it. Not Bang PD-nim, not the manager, not ARMY, not even his members. I mean, what would the members think if they learned that their leader was part tiny!? He also hasn't shrunk for more than a month, with all the busy schedules and overworking himself. Namjoon whimpered as the pain became unbearable, his entire body ached and stabbed with pain as black spots filled his vision. He could feel himself shrinking as his eyes slowly slid closed, encasing him in darkness.
Jungkook made his way up the stairs towards his and Namjoon's room, yawning and stretching his limbs. He was tired from today's particularly intense dance practice, everyone was, he supposed Namjoon was too tired to have dinner. He stepped up to his room door and gently twisted the handle, only to find that it was stuck. "Huh" he mumbled, reaching into his pocket to pull out the spare key. Each of the members had a spare key to their dorm, just incase their roommate fell asleep without unlocking the door. Jungkook unlocked the door and opened it, wondering why Namjoon would've locked the door without texting him or telling him. Stepping inside, he expected to see Namjoon in bed or in the shower, but there was nobody there.
Jungkook tilted his head in confusion as he closed the door behind him. "Namjoon hyung?" He called out, looking around the room, he even ducked down to look under the bed, only to find nothing. "Weird," Jungkook murmured as he stripped himself of his clothes, "maybe he left and forgot to unlock the door?" Deciding to make sure he wasn't sticky and gross before thinking of anything, Jungkook threw his clothes on the bed before stepping into the shower. He sighed in content as the warm water ran over his body soothing all of the tense muscles and aches. Once he was done he came out of the shower, brushing his teeth and towelling his hair.
He spat out the toothpaste and washed his face before stepping out of the bathroom and walking over to the wardrobe. He pulled out a black tank top and a pair of black shorts, not his usual choice of clothing but he just felt like it tonight. As he pulled the shorts on, his ear picked up the faintest noise, a noise that didn't belong in his dorm room. 'Sobbing?' Jungkook thought, pausing his movements to listen better. But he didn't hear anything after that, so he just shrugged and continued to dress, pulling the tank top over his head. Once he was done, he hopped onto the bed and curled up under the covers, sighing in contentment. As he lay in the silence of the dorm room, wondering when Namjoon was going to show up, he heard yet another quiet noise.
It was almost inaudible, the faintest noise, like dropping a small pin onto a hard surface. But, Jugnkook's sharp hearing caught the small noise. It was the sobbing again. Someone was crying. There was no way it was coming from any other of the rooms, after all, all the walls were perfectly soundproof, and he had closed the door on the way in. So... was it a ghost? Jungkook was wide-awake in a matter of seconds, shooting up out of bed. "Who's there!?" He demanded, getting up from bed. The sobbing ceased immediately. But Jungkook's ears still picked up quiet sniffles and hiccups, whoever was sobbing was most likely covering their mouth to prevent the sobbing from coming out. "I asked who you are, so either show yourself or get the hell out of my dorm room!" Jungkook shouted, trying to mask his fear.
No answer. Jungkook stood up and focused, trying to get a sense of where the sound was coming from. Then, his ears perked up, behind the nightstand. Jungkook rushed to the nightstand and shoved it aside, expecting to see some sort of device or anything very violating.
But that wasn't what he saw.
Instead, he saw a small figure curled up in the corner of where the nightstand once was, sobbing into their knees. Jungkook blinked for a couple of seconds, processing what his eyes were seeing. A tiny? Are they a stalker? What were they doing in his dorm? Why are they crying? They hadn't noticed he was there, so Jungkook sat down on his knees and examined the tiny's features, they seemed tall, by tiny standards, and had a large bulky build (by tiny standards) so Jungkook guessed they were a male. He was wearing a small pair of sweats and a t-shirt, like the ones Jungkook and his bandmates often wore to practice. After all, they were very comfortable with all the moving around they were doing in their choreography. Upon further examination, he noticed that the tiny also had small glasses, which had been tossed somewhere to the side.
But then he realized that the voice sounded somewhat familiar, it was very deep, like, really deep, possibly deeper than Yoongi. Jungkook contemplated for a moment before reaching over and gently wrapping his hand around the tiny's form and using his thumb to lift the tiny's chin, with an odd feeling that if he could just see the tiny's face, he would be able to understand what was going on. His eyes widened when he saw the tiny's face. It was him. It was his leader. It was- "Namjoon hyung?" Jungkook asked, his fingers loosening a bit in shock. The tiny- no, Namjoon, released a teary hiccup and curled up further into himself, sobbing loudly. "No no no hey hyung why are you crying?" Jungkook gently wrapped his hands around Namjoon's small form and gently lifted him up to his face.
"Hyung-" Namjoon cut Jungkook off. "I'm sorry!" He shouted, tears falling uncontrollably out of his eyes, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you it's just-" Namjoon sucked in a sharp breath and sobbed again, "I thought you guys wouldn't... wouldn't see me as a leader any more if I told you guys I was a mixed and... and kick me out of the group! I'm sorry... I'm sorry I hid it but... no I'm just..." Namjoon choked on a sob. "I'm so fucking sorry" he whimpered out, curling up into a fetal position. Jungkook stared at Namjoon in shock. Is this what their leader thought this whole time? Did he really think that they would just kick him out for being half-tiny? What's wrong with being half-tiny!? Jungkook's expression turned sad as he stared at his role model breaking down before him, sobbing and crying and tugging at his hair.
Namjoon sobbed into his knees, his thoughts screaming at him again. THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING!? NOW THEY'RE GONNA KICK YOU OUT YOU PIECE OF SHIT!! NICE GOING DUMBASS!! YOU'VE THROWN AWAY YOUR DREAMS BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T KEEP YOUR FUCKING DEFORMITY UNDER CONTROL!! Namjoon sobbed at the words being said in his head, whimpering and begging for them to stop. Suddenly he was snapped out of his thoughts when a warm object pressed itself onto his chest, forcing him to move his arms and legs away from his face and body. He looked up and saw Jungkook staring at him with sad eyes. Jungkook gently lifted Namjoon in front of his face and leaned in to press his lips onto Namjoon's stomach, humming softly. Namjoon sniffled a bit and tried to process the current situation.
Was Jungkook... comforting him?
Namjoon pressed himself onto the top part of Jungkook's nose, tears once again dribbling down his cheeks, but this time from relief. "Hyung," Jungkook whispered, his now deep voice sending vibrations through Namjoon's body, "hyung, listen to me, please" Namjoon nodded his head, nuzzling Jungkook's nose. "I love you hyung," Jungkook whispered, "all of us do" Namjoon sniffled once again and buried his face in Jungkook's nose. "Hyung, you're so much more than just a leader to us," Jungkook whispered, using his finger to stroke the top of Namjoon's head, "you're the person we try to be, you're the person that makes us want to try harder, to push our limits, you're the person that keeps us going, that keeps us together, you're the core of Bangtan hyung, and yet, you say we would kick you out of the group, why would we ever do that?"
Namjoon sniffled. "B-Because... Because I'm..." Namjoon released a soft sob and pressed his face into Jungkook's warmth. "Because you're half-tiny?" Jungkook offered, to which Namjoon nodded, "hyung, that is never going to be the reason we kick you out of the group, kicking someone out of the group is never going to happen, either we stay as Bangtan together or we disband, we are never going to let someone just disappear. You are our leader hyung, you do so, so freaking much for us, who you were born as is never going to be a reason we disband or kick you out, never. You are so, so, so valuable to us hyung, we love you with all our hearts, so please..." Jungkook pressed his lips further into Namjoon's chest, his own tears dribbling down his cheeks. "Please don't say that, ever again... I'll never forgive myself if I keep on making you feel this way hyung"
Namjoon broke out into sobs again, but this time, he smiled. He smiled through his tears of joy and relief. What country did he save in his past life to have such a caring dongseng? "Thank you," Namjoon whimpered out, squeezing Jungkook's nose, "thank you so much Jungkook-ah" Jungkook smiled into Namjoon's chest and gently pulled away, wiping his tears with the back of his hand. Jungkook grinned at Namjoon and lifted him up to press his lips onto Namjoon's forehead, causing Namjoon to smile. "Alright," he murmured, slowly standing up, "do you want to go talk to hyungs or do you want to wait a bit longer?" Namjoon paused, thinking, should he? After a moment of thought, Namjoon looked at Jungkook, who had been waiting patiently for him to decide the next move. "쇠뿔도 단김에 빼야지," he said with a grin, "let's go"
(Oh and by the way, that little phrase is like a Korean saying, it had a similar meaning to: "strike while the iron is hot" or "make hay while the sun still shines". But I used it in more of a "rip it off like a bandaid" sort of way. I'm sure you understand the rest. Don't try to translate it, trust me, it will make you more confused than you already are)
Jungkook smiled at Namjoon, he was already back to his normal, intelligent self. Jungkook lifted his hand and gently slid Namjoon onto the top of his head into his hair. Namjoon smiled softly as he laid down in Jungkook's soft locks, sighing in content. Jungkook chuckled lightly. "Don't fall asleep hyung," Jungkook said, reaching up to tap his hyung's head with his finger, "at least not until we tell other hyungs about this" Namjoon hummed and nodded his head. But despite his answer, Namjoon burrowed further into Jungkook's hair, smiling. He knew Jungkook's hair was soft, after all, he liked to rest his chin on top of Jungkook's head when he hugged Jungkook from the back, and he liked to play with Jungkook's hair when he was bored. But now, in this position, buried entirely in Jungkook's soft hair, breathing in the sweet scent of whatever fruit shampoo Jungkook used in the shower, he realized just how soft Jungkook's hair was.
Jungkook headed downstairs, knowing for a fact that his hyungs weren't asleep yet. He came to the bottom of the stairs and into the living room, where he confirmed his guess. Taehyung and Jimin were sitting next to each other on the couch, Jimin leaning his head on Taehyung's shoulder and Taehyung's legs draping over Jimin's lap. Next to Taehyung was Hoseok, who had Yoongi's head in his lap with his head leaning on Taehyung's other shoulder. Yoongi had his legs in Seokjin's lap, who was rubbing Yoongi's ankles to soothe the ache there. They all turned to look at Jungkook as he stepped through the doorway. "Hey Jungkook-ah" Hoseok greeted with his sunny smile. Jungkook smiled back at him. "Hey hyungs," he said, then his expression turned serious, "I have something to tell you"
The others realized something was up. Taehyung turned off the TV and Hoseok scooted over to make room for Jungkook. Seokjin gently shook Yoongi awake. Jungkook sat down between Hoseok and Taehyung, Namjoon still safely tucked in his hair and out of view. "What is it Kook-ah?" Seokjin asked gently, although Jungkook could tell he was very concerned. "It's about Namjoon hyung" Jungkook replied. "Should I go get him?" Jimin asked, moving to get up. "No need," Jungkook said, gently placing a hand on Jimin's thigh to stop him from getting up, "he's right here" Right on cue, Namjoon poked out of Jungkook's hair. The others stared, stunned by what they were seeing. "Namjoon..." Seokjin murmured, "you're a mixed?" Namjoon nodded his head slowly, turning away from Seokjin.
"My mother was a tiny, I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys before," Namjoon murmured, sitting on top of Jungkook's head, "I didn't know how you'd react" Jungkook reached up and gently lifted Namjoon out of his hair and held his in his hands, Namjoon relaxing and leaning on Jungkook's thumb. "But... why...? Are we not trustworthy enough?" Jimin asked, looking like a kicked puppy. Namjoon panicked. "No! No of course I trust you guys! I'd trust you with my life! It's just that..." Namjoon let out a sigh, "I just... I thought you guys might... not want to accept a tiny to be your leader... and kick me out of the group... if not you guys them maybe Bang PD-nim or manager hyung-nim. I guess I was just... scared"
Yoongi, who had been watching quietly, reach over and used his index finger to gently turn Namjoon around. Namjoon stared up at Yoongi, his closest friend. Yoongi stared at Namjoon for a moment before sighing lightly. "Listen Joon-ah," he said, sitting with his legs crossed on the sofa so he could face Namjoon, "thinking that we were going to kick you out for being part-tiny is the stupidest thing I've ever seen you do" Namjoon blinked up at Yoongi. "What?" He asked, confused. "You're our leader Joon-ah," Yoongi stated, crossing his arms, "and you're our leader for a reason, you became a leader because you had leadership, because you were hardworking, because you took responsibility for your actions, because you brought us together, and kept us together through all these years"
Yoongi then reached over and pressed his index finger into Namjoon's chest. "You had one of the heaviest burdens on your shoulders yet you didn't give up or complain, not even once, that's why you're our leader Joon-ah, because you are strong, because you don't give up, because you inspire others to become strong and hardworking like you. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is going to change that," Yoongi looked straight into Namjoon's eyes, "you're still our leader, you're still our brother, you're still Kim Namjoon, and being part-tiny is never going to change that" By now Namjoon was in tears, Yoongi had just taken all of his insecurities and turned them into nothing. Namjoon released a teary hiccup and wiped away his tears, grinning despite the hot tears spilling from his eyes. "Thank you hyung," he whispered, releasing another hiccup, "thank you so much"
Yoongi turned away. "I just stated the truth" he mumbled, turning away to hide his red face. But Seokjin saw this immediately and grinned, immediately going to tease Yoongi. "Awww! Yoongi's face is all red!" Seokjin teased, pinching Yoongi's cheeks. Yoogni whined and Seokjin chuckled, smiled at Yoongi and turned to Namjoon. "Yoongi's right," he said with a smile, "you're our leader Namjoon, I may be the eldest but I still look to you for guidance, you allowed me to rely on you, and that proves just how good of a leader you are" Taehyung and Jimin nodded their heads, "you made us feel safe hyung," Jimin said with his signature crescent eyed smile, "I made it through my insecurities because you always told me that I could rely on you" Taehyung nodded his head with a grin. "Besides! You look absolutely adorable at that size!"
Hoseok chuckled at Taehyung antics before turning to look at Namjoon. he reached down and gently rubbed Namjoon's cheek with his thumb. "Same goes for me Joon-ah," he said with a smile, "sometimes you're like a dongseng I entertain, and sometimes you feel like a hyung I could rely my entire life on. I always admired how you never gave up, and how you inspired others to be as stubborn as you are" Namjoon whined and Hoseok chuckled. "So what I'm trying to say is..." Hoseok gently lifted Namjoon off of Jungkook's hand to press a kiss onto Namjoon's stomach, "thank you for being my leader Joon-ah" Namjoon smiled and hugged Hoseok's nose. "Thank you for letting me lead" he mumbled back. Hoseok smiled and allowed Namjoon back onto Jungkook's hand.
"Alright! Enough of this sappy stuff!" Seokjin shouted, "I'm making us all late-night snacks!" With that, he stormed off to the kitchen, Yoongi chuckling as he followed behind him. Jungkook giggled softly, not realizing that Taehyung and Jimin had sneaked Namjoon off of his hands. "Taaaaaaeeee!" Namjoon whined out as Taehyung continued pressing kisses onto his chest and stomach. "Stoooooop!" Taehyung giggled. "But you look so adorable hyung!" He exclaimed, pressing another kiss onto Namjoon's forehead. Namjoon let out a long whine but didn't try to fight Taehyung's grip. Jimin giggled and reached over to gently stroke Namjoon's chest with his index finger. "Really Jimin? You too!?" Namjoon whined, betrayed. Jimin giggled. "Sorry hyung" Jungkook and Hoseok laughed as they watched.
"Jungkook!" Namjoon whined out, "get me out of here!" Jungkook chuckled and walked over to pull Namjoon away from Taehyung and Jimin, making them whine. After a while, Seokjin and Yoongi came back with bowls of popcorn and strawberries. The whole band sat in the living room, enjoying a movie and midnight snacks. Taehyung and Jimin sat in the same position as before, except this time, Taehyung had one leg on the floor. Seokjin was between them and leaning his head on Jimin's knees. Yoongi had his head resting on Jungkook's lap while Hoseok sat at Yoongi's feet, rubbing circles into his hyung's back. Jungkook sat in the middle, with Namjoon sitting in his hair. One by one, the boys fell asleep until only Jungkook and Namjoon were remaining awake.
Namjoon lay in Jungkook's hair, breathing in the soft scent of Jungkook's hair. "Hey Jungkook?" He murmured. He got a hum in response. "Why are you okay with me being tiny? Be honest" Jungkook chuckled as if Namjoon had just told a joke. "It just makes you adorable hyung" he replied, reaching up to gently lower Namjoon onto his palms. "That's it?" Namjoon asked, disappointed albeit only slightly. Jungkook giggled. "No," he said, rubbing Namjoon's chest with his thumb, "there's another reason" Namjoon sighed softly in content before looking up. "And that is?" He asked. Jungkook smiled and rubbed Namjoon's cheek with his thumb. "It lets me take care of you for once, and I love that more than anything"
Namjoon blinked up at Jungkook before smiling at him. "I guess... it's nice being taken care of once in a while" he murmured, grinning. Jungkook smiled back, leaning back on the sofa and pressing Namjoon to his chest. Namjoon pressed his cheek to Jungkook's chest and smiled, enjoying the warmth and scent coming from Jungkook's body. "I love you hyung," Jungkook murmured, "all of you" Namjoon smiled and hugged Jungkook's thumb. "I love you too"
Call it what you will, but Namjoon knew for a fact that perhaps he could have just become the little one between him and Jungkook.