(this is a filler, but it's fluffy af soooo... enjoy x)

♥║ twenty-four ║♥

Jungkook freezes.

What the hell does he do?

Kiss him back, obviously, but... how?

Oh God. He sounds so pathetic.

He's never kissed anyone, much less a boy he's had a crush on for almost a year. Shit, he's never even like-liked anyone until Taehyung.

He has to do something, though. He can't just sit still and make Taehyung think he doesn't want this. He would be devastated if he ruined his only chance at a relationship simply because he's too inexperienced. He's nearly eighteen, anyways. He should already know the basics such as flirting and kissing.

Tentatively—incredibly uncertainly—he puckers his lips slightly. He must have already screwed up, however, because Taehyung pulls away with sparkles of amusement in his eyes. Jungkook immediately blushing, looking away as he begins to stammer helplessly.

"I—s-sorry. I-it's just... s-s-sorry."

Instead of laughing at him, Taehyung gently cups the younger's chin, turning his face so their eyes meet. "It's okay, Jungkook-ah," his voice is quiet, which makes it deeper, thus sending chills down Jungkook's spine. "Just follow what I do, okay?"

God, could this be anymore embarrassing?

He nods sheepishly, though, determined to get it right.

Taehyung raises his eyebrows. "Is it okay if I kiss you again?"

Jungkook blushes yet nods again.

"Don't be nervous," Taehyung whispers as he leans in once more, his breath brushing Jungkook's lips.

Then they're kissing again, and Jungkook is trying his hard to mimic what Taehyung does. It's still a little awkward at first, but somehow it starts becoming more natural. Jungkook has always imagined how his first kiss would go, and he could've never prepared himself for the butterflies clustered in his stomach, the rapid beating of his heart.

Taehyung places his palm one of Jungkook's cheeks, almost as if he's trying to pulling him closer despite there being no space between them. Jungkook isn't sure what to do with his hands. His fists are clenched at his sides, his knuckles pressing into the mattress. Aren't there specifics as to where your hands go while kissing? He doesn't know the rules.

"Jungkook," Taehyung says huskily, barely breaking the kiss as he speaks. "It's okay if you hold me. I want you to."

Jungkook takes the pause to swallow the lump in his throat, every part of his body on fire as Taehyung locks their lips once more. Hesitantly, Jungkook's hands slide around Taehyung's torso, clasping behind his back. In response, Taehyung wraps his arms around Jungkook's neck, one of his hands running up into the younger's hair. It brings them impossibly closer.

And somehow, Taehyung ends up in Jungkook's lap, straddling him.

Abruptly, there's a knock on the door.

Both of them jump so hard, their forehead collide. Taehyung scrambles off Jungkook, tucking himself into the sheets while Jungkook get to his feet, blinking quickly as if that will erase any evidence of their intimate moment.

"Yeah?" Jungkook calls, his voice gruffer than normal. He clears his throat, blushing as the door opens.

Mina stands there in her button-down pajamas, her eyes wide with fear. Automatically, Jungkook kneels, opening his arms. He's used to this. Mina has nightmares almost every night, an aftermath of their father's death. She always comes to Jungkook because she feels bad waking up their mother since she works such long shifts at the hospital.

She walks into his arms, clutching onto him tightly as she shoves her face into his shoulder. He feels wetness seeping through his shirt.

Instinctively, he strokes her hair and shushes her. "Come on," he murmurs. "Let's get you back to bed."

Mina's grip tightens. "No, Kookie. I-I can't sleep there." She only ever calls him Kookie when she's scared.

He sighs. "Mina, I'm sleeping on the couch since hyung is over. You have to be in your own room tonight, okay?"

She pulls back to look at him, her bottom lip quivering. "K-Kookie..."

Taehyung sits up. "You two can have the bed, Jungkook. I promise it's okay. I'd rather her be calm than upset all night because of me."

Jungkook frowns, feeling disrespectful, but he nods slowly after another look at Mina on the verge of a breakdown. Taehyung gets out of the bed, pulling back the covers so Jungkook can set her in them. Taehyung tucks them under her chin, offering her a kind smile as he tells her to relax, that she's safe. Jungkook reluctantly slides in next to her, her figure instantly attaching to him as if they're magnets.

Taehyung goes to leave, but Jungkook can't stifle the desperation in him. He catches Taehyung's wrist, finding enough courage to say, "D-don't leave yet. S-she'll be asleep s-soon."

Taehyung gives him a soft smile, similar to the one he gave Mina, then he sits in Jungkook's desk chair, taking the chance to look around the younger's room.

"Kookie, make it stop," Mina whimpers, half asleep as she clutches his shirt, tears escaping her closed eyes.

Jungkook momentarily forgets Taehyung's presence during Mina's distress. He resorts to what he always does: singing her a lullaby. It's a song their mother would always play on high volume to drown out the fights.

He keeps his arms around her securely, his cheek against her head as he sings quietly, one hand smoothing her hair comfortingly. Mina likes skin-to-skin contact when she's in a mood like this, and he always knows when she's in a deep sleep because her arms will loosen around him, her lips parting slightly. He waits for those signs, repeating his routine until he's positive she's back asleep for good.

She may be a spawn of Satan, but at the end of the day, she's his little sister. Which, by default, makes her one of the biggest loves of his life.

He glances at Taehyung, who is staring at him in such a fond way. It's no surprise he starts blushing again. He has to avert his gaze, acting as if Mina is waking up when she's really dead asleep.

"I didn't know you could sing so well," Taehyung says, keeping his voice down.

Jungkook shrugs the best he can laying on his side. "O-only to Mina."

Taehyung smirks then. "And to think you hated each other."

Jungkook chuckles a little. "I do hate her. But I love her more."

The fond look is back on Taehyung's face. "You're really good with her, Jungkook. I wouldn't have taken you as a kid person."

Jungkook clenches his jaw, trying to shove the memories away. "We've been through a lot," he mumbles, nearly inaudibly. He stares at Mina's sleeping face, feeling nothing but the strong desire to protect her from anything that comes her way.

"I admire your closeness with her," Taehyung responds, a sad expression replacing the loving one. "I'd do anything to be close with Bogum."

"Why don't you talk to him about it?" Jungkook suggests, knowing it's a lame thing to say but it leaves his lips nonetheless.

"We have, a little. We're just... we're too different. He's not the understanding type."

"I'm sorry, hyung." Jungkook pauses, then decides to push his boundaries slightly, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Is he why you were crying earlier?"

"Yes and no," Taehyung sighs, resting his elbow on his knee, his chin on his fist. "I was probably being melodramatic crying that much."

Jungkook purses his lips. Taehyung clearly doesn't want to elaborate; Jungkook will take the hint and not question any further.

Taehyung yawns, and Jungkook feels even worse for making him get out of bed.

"Come lay down, hyung. I can put Mina back in her bed," Jungkook says, though he knows the possibility of that working is slim to none. It's impossible to pry her off of him once she's had a nightmare, despite her limbs loosening around him. It's like she has a sensor whenever he tries to put her back in bed, and she wakes up crying.

"Jungkook," Taehyung laughs. "I'm capable of sleeping on a couch, I promise. Don't torture that poor girl any more tonight. Does she always have nightmares? You seemed to know what you were doing when she came in."

"Yeah," he mutters. "She has them almost every night."

"Wow. Does she ever tell you about them? It may help her sleep better if she talks about them."

Jungkook's jaw tightens again.

Mina's first nightmare, she told him exactly what happened. She told him it's reoccurring, and she'd always been too afraid to say it out loud. He doesn't ask anymore, and she doesn't say. It's too late to reassure that fear, anyways.

"No," Jungkook says instead. "She doesn't want to talk about it."

"Maybe the doctor could prescribe her some medicine to help her sleep deeper," Taehyung adds. "She may not have nightmares if she's in a deep enough sleep."

"Maybe," is all Jungkook mumbles in reply.

"Well, I'm going to head downstairs now. I didn't realize it was so late."

Jungkook hadn't realized it was after midnight either until Mina had come in. If his bed were bigger than a full size, he'd offer to let Taehyung sleep with them, as dumb as that may sound. He just really doesn't want to be out of the elder's presence. Is he already getting too attached?

"I'm sorry," Jungkook says. "About the bed."

Taehyung rolls his eyes. "Jeon Jungkook, if you mention it one more time... Go to sleep, all right? You can make it up to me by having breakfast ready when I wake up," he teases.

Taehyung is joking.

Jungkook knows that.

And yet, the younger boy gets up thirty minutes early to prepare breakfast anyways.