You Flinch During An Argument

you flinch during an argument

Namjoon x f!reader

Genre: angst to fluff, hurt/comfort

WC: 1.3k

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You sigh as you stare at the clock hanging on the wall from your seat at the dining table. Namjoon promised he would be home by 9:00 for dinner, but it was nearly midnight and he still wasn’t home.

As disappointed as you were at another empty promise, you couldn’t say you were surprised. Last week was even worse, with five missed dates and you were just about done with Namjoon.

You understood that he was a busy man, but if he knew he couldn’t fit you in his schedule, he shouldn’t get your hopes up by planning dates with you and then not showing up.

You already missed him so much, and the feeling of getting stood up five times a week was not a good feeling. You didn’t want to doubt him after he treated you with so much love and care, but you couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious. 

Were you boring? Did he not enjoy your company anymore?

Lost in your own thoughts, you start packing up the food on your plate and putting it in the fridge, having suddenly lost your appetite. As you close the fridge, you hear keys dangling outside the front door.

You walk over to the door and unlock it before he can, and you open it with an unimpressed look on your face.

Looking up at you with a guilty smile, he gives you a small wave as he scratches the back of his head.

“Oh hey Y/n. I didn’t know you were still up.”

You roll your eyes at him as you silently walk back into the kitchen.

Sighing at your behaviour, he follows you into the house. “Look, I’m sorry y/n. We’ve just been so busy lately, I don’t have time to do anything else right now.”

Tired of hearing the same thing every time, you simply shrug off his apology. “Are you going to eat or should I put that away?” you ask, crossing your arms over your chest as you gesture towards the plate you filled for him.

You honestly didn’t know why you were giving him so much attitude. You knew how busy he was and you knew he was truly sorry, but it still hurt. You felt neglected, but instead of talking to him about how you truly felt, you hid it behind annoyance and anger.

“You’re being immature,” he says with a clenched jaw.

Normally, he was a really patient guy. But he’s been working so hard for the past couple of weeks with no breaks so his patience was running thin.

He felt so guilty for missing dinner yet again, but it really wasn’t his fault. Why couldn’t you understand that?

“Yeah, whatever. At least I keep my word,” you spit back.

Your words are like an arrow to his heart. He missed you just as much as you missed him and he already felt terrible about missing dinner, but you were just rubbing it in and making him feel worse.

“Listen y/n, you know if I had the time I would eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with you, but I can’t!” he tries to reason with you.

You didn’t mean to make him feel worse about all the missed dates, you knew he already felt guilty, but your stubbornness and pride didn’t allow you to tell him how much you missed him.

“Yeah, sure you would. That’s why you’ve missed the past seven dinners,” you say sarcastically. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t want to eat dinner with myself either, but don’t make plans with me if you know you won’t make it.”

Although you were trying to hide it behind anger, he could see just how much his actions hurt you. Hearing you put yourself down because you thought he didn’t want to spend time with you really upset him, but the stress from that past couple of weeks stopped him from thinking clearly.

“Oh, so I’m the bad guy because I’m trying to spend time with my girlfriend? If I didn’t try to make plans with you then we’d never see each other!” he yells as his anger starts boiling over.

“We don’t see each other anyway!” you yell back.

“You think I don’t know that?!” his voice booms as he slams his fist on the table.

You flinch as you tightly shut your eyes. You loved Namjoon and you knew he would never do anything to hurt you, but his aura was already commanding and powerful. When he raised his voice, you couldn’t help but feel afraid.

Seeing you flinch hit Namjoon like a bucket of ice water. His heart sunk to his stomach at the thought of you being afraid of him and he instantly felt guilty for raising his voice at you.

Normally, you two could always calmly sort things out, but the stress from the past couple of weeks got the best of both of you.

His anger immediately fades as he gently calls out, “Y/n? I’m sorry, please look at me.” He wanted to reach out for you but he hesitated, not wanting to scare you.

You slowly open your eyes and your gaze softens as you stare at him.

You find nothing but guilt in his eyes, and you feel terrible because you know none of this is really his fault, but he would blame himself anyway because that was just how he was.

You rush into his arms and bury your face in his chest. He lets out a breath of relief as you hug him and he slowly wraps his arms around you.

“I’m sorry y/n,” he whispers into your hair.

You shake your head as you rub his back comfortingly. “Don’t apologize,” you say as you look up at him. “It’s not your fault and I’m sorry I made you feel like it was. I just really missed you but my stubborn ass wouldn’t admit it,” you say, letting out a laugh.

A big grin forms on his face as he stares back at you. “It’s okay. You have a right to be mad at me after all the dates I’ve missed,” he says. “The past few weeks have been tough for the both of us.”

You just nod in agreement as you lean your head back on his chest, wishing you could stay in his arms forever.

“I’ll tell Bang-PD that I’m taking this weekend off. I really need to take a break,” he says.

“Yeah, you do. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you lose your temper before,” you admit.

He places a light kiss on the top of your head before mumbling, “I’m sorry I scared you.”

You clutch the material of his shirt in your hands as you just hug him tighter. “It’s okay. You’re not called the God of Destruction for nothing you know,” you add with a laugh.

He laughs along with you as he places his hand under your chin to tilt your face up.

Staring into your eyes, he says,

“No matter how angry I am, I could never hurt you. You know that right?”

You smile up at him as you giggle, “I know. You may look tough but I know you’re really just a big softie.”

He chuckles before he adds, “And you also know that I enjoy your company the most, right? There’s no one I’d rather spend my life with than you, so don’t say stuff like that about yourself, okay?”

You nod at him as he flashes you his adorable dimple smile.

He tightens his arms around your waist, and you lay your head back on his chest. A content smile forms on your face as you listen to his heartbeat, safe in Namjoon’s arms.

 there are no mistakes | part 2

Namjoon x f!reader

Genre: fluff + angst

WC: 11.1k

Author’s note: i wasn’t planning on writing a part 2 but @rjsmochii this is for u and anyone else who wanted a part 2!! <3

part 1

When your sweet tooth was finally satisfied, you two get up from your seats, walking over to the counter to pay. Namjoon takes his card out to give to the cashier but you quickly stop him. “You don’t have to,” you say as you rummage through your bag for your wallet. He places his hand on your arm, halting your movements, “I want to,” he tells you with a reassuring smile. He hands the cashier his card, and you pout as you watch them scan his card. He chuckles at your expression, patting your head, “I’m the one who invited you here, stop frowning.”

You turn your head away with a huff. “I’m not frowning,” you mumble, crossing your arms in defiance, but it just makes you look like a stubborn child. He jokingly rolls his eyes at you, grabbing ahold of your hand as you exit the cafe. Your anger quickly fades as it’s replaced by shyness. Glancing at you from the corner of his eye, he finds it cute how your cheeks turn pink every time he does something as simple as holding your hand or hugging you.

“Where are we going now?” you ask curiously as he pulls you along. “The National Museum of Korea. It has an amazing art exhibit you must see,” he says with a smile. You weren’t much of an art enthusiast, but seeing the excited smile on Namjoon’s face was enough for you to want to check it out. He guides you through the museum as he was already familiar with the place, having visited many times before. He shows you all of his favourite pieces, explaining what each one meant to him, and you find yourself falling for him even more. You already knew he was a beautiful person, inside and out, but his passion for art proved it to you once more.

You take pictures of him with a painting of sunset for him to post later on Twitter for ARMY. “Do you want me to take a picture of you too?” he offers. You nod, taking his spot next to the artwork as you swap positions. Snapping a picture of you next to the beautiful painting, Namjoon shows you the picture with a grin, “I’m not sure which one is the piece of art.” You blush and smack him on the shoulder, hurriedly walking to the next exhibit while you try to calm down your burning face. He laughs at how easy it is to make you flustered as he follows you into the next room. 

After walking through the museum, marvelling at the art and enjoying each other’s company, he takes you to your next destination. “What’s next?” you ask as look up at Namjoon. “We just spent a lot of time indoors looking at paintings, so I thought it’d be nice to get some fresh air and go to the beach?” he says, unsure if that was something you wanted to do. Your face lights up as you grab his hand and pull him along excitedly. “Hurry up! What are we waiting for?” you say, eager to go to the beach. 

He laughs at your childish nature, relieved that you seemed more than pleased with his idea. He resists as you pull him along, and you turn back at him in confusion. “The beach is the other way,” he says with a chuckle, pointing behind him. “Oh, my bad,” you say with an embarrassed laugh. “Let’s go,” he says with a smile.

Namjoon planned the day out perfectly, and by the time you reach the beach, the sun was starting to set. As the beach comes into view, you can hear the sound of crashing waves, and you can smell the salty ocean water. The sky was painted a gradient of many different colours, and the sunset reflected off the water’s surface. “Wow,” you breathe out. The sunset painting in the museum was amazing, but this sunset was the most incredible thing you’ve ever seen. Your eyes shine brightly as you stare out at the ocean, your mouth wide in awe as you take in the view. Namjoon had to admit, the view was indeed gorgeous, but it couldn’t compare to your beauty. 

“It’s so beautiful!” you say, turning to him. Words weren’t enough to express how beautiful it was, but one look into his eyes and you knew he understood you. He nods in agreement. “It is,” he says, “But not as beautiful as you.” He could see the pink dusting your cheeks as you turn back to the ocean. You pull your phone out, taking several pictures of the view. A picture wasn’t enough to capture the beauty of the occasion, but you wanted to remember this moment forever. “Stay there,” you tell him as you take a few steps back. You take a picture of the view with Namjoon in the shot. He poses for the picture, forming a big heart over his head. You laugh at the cute poses he strikes. 

Approaching him to show him the pictures, he smiles. “Let me take some of you too,” he insists, already getting in position to take your picture. You weren’t a model like Namjoon, but he couldn’t help but smile as he took your photos. Something about the simplicity of your poses only exaggerated your beauty, complimenting the beautiful sunset in the background.

He flips the camera on your phone to the front camera, moving next to you and wrapping an arm around your shoulder. He takes a few selfies, both of you smiling happily like you didn’t have a care in the world. He turns to face you, placing a quick peck on your cheek. Your eyes grow wide as he snaps the picture, capturing the moment perfectly. Looking at the picture, he chuckles at the shocked expression on your face. “I think this one is my favourite,” he says, teasing you as you try to hide your flustered face. “N-Not fair!” you complain, but you end up setting the picture as your phone’s lock screen.

To end the day off, Namjoon planned to take you to one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. Nearly everything you two have done was something that just friends could do. He wanted to make sure you understood that he liked you more than just a friend, and he thought a romantic dinner at a fancy restaurant would do the job.

Walking into the restaurant, he notices that you look a little uneasy. Do you not like the restaurant? Do you not feel the same way about him? Although he looks calm and put together on the outside, he starts panicking internally, hoping he didn’t fuck everything up. “Is something wrong?” he asks, both out of concern for you and his own anxiousness. “Oh, yeah,” you nod, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “I’ve just never been to a restaurant as fancy as this before,” you say with a laugh to cover up your uneasiness, but he can tell that it’s forced.

He places his hand on your lower back as he guides you to your reserved table, trying to provide you with a sense of comfort. “You have nothing to worry about,” he tells you with a smile, “Just enjoy yourself.” You nod, your lips curling into a small smile as Namjoon’s presence comforts you.

Sitting at the table with your menu in hand, you take a moment to look around the restaurant. Everyone else in the restaurant looked rich and expensive, dressed in formal attire with a noble air surrounding them. As you look back at yourself, you feel out of place. You bury your face in the menu, trying to ignore all the stares you can feel on the back of your head. You couldn’t help but feel self-conscious under everyone’s stares, hyperaware of everything you do. 

Glancing up from his menu, Namjoon can read you like an open book. It wasn’t your fault, but so far, this dinner wasn’t going as he planned. He could tell you were uncomfortable, and honestly, he wasn’t having the time of his life either.  As he stares at you from across the table, he notices all the little things you do when you’re nervous. Your eyes were quickly flitting from your menu to other tables, and you were unconsciously chewing on your bottom lip. He places his menu on the table with a sigh, leaning forward as he places his elbows on the table. Lacing his fingers together, he rests his chin on his hands as he eyes you with a serious but concerned stare. “Do you want to leave?” he asks gently.

You look up at him with wide eyes. “No!” you blurt out almost a bit too loudly. You quickly shrink in your seat, anxiously looking around. When no one seems to notice or care about your outburst, you turn back to Namjoon, a bit more relaxed now. “Sorry, I know there’s nothing for me to worry about,” you apologize for your odd behaviour, but he shakes his head at you. “You don’t have to apologize, I shouldn’t have brought you here without asking first. Should we go somewhere else?” he asks, hoping you would say yes so you guys could get out of there.

“No, no, it’s okay, really,” you tell him with a forced smile. “If you’re uncomfortable then I don’t want to force you to stay,” he says with a frown when you lie to him. “I’m okay,” you insist, “You took the time to make a reservation and everything, I don’t want you to throw it away just because I’m uncomfortable.” His frown only deepens when you downplay your emotions. Even he was uncomfortable, and he was used to restaurants such as these. He could only imagine how uneasy you would feel. 

“Are you sure?” he asks as he stares at you with nothing but concern in his eyes. Your comfort and happiness were his priority and he hoped you trusted him enough to tell him how you honestly felt. When he sees your hesitance to say yes, he continues. “Because honestly, I’d rather have tteokbokki or ramen for dinner. This place is so fancy I don’t even know what half the things on the menu are,” he tells you, and he feels relieved as you laugh at his complaints, a little more relaxed than before.

Placing his hand on top of yours on the table, his dimples appear as he smiles at you warmly. “So let’s get out of here, I can’t stand having to sit up so straight or laugh politely anymore.” You nod eagerly as you stand from your seat, heading back towards the entrance. Feeling everyone’s eyes on you as you stand, you reach for Namjoon’s hand. He gives your hand a comforting squeeze, leading you towards the entrance. He has a quick chat with the waitress before pushing the door open and pulling you out of the restaurant. 

You let out a sigh of relief once you were out of that stuffy restaurant, laughing when he does the same. Even though it was late, the streets were still busy. You swing your intertwined hands as you walk, a content smile on your face as you enjoy the cool evening breeze. He takes his phone out of his pocket with his free hand, dialing Jin’s number. “Hello?” Jin answers. “Hey Hyung, have you guys eaten yet?” Namjoon asks. “Not yet. Yoongi and I were just about to start cooking,” Jin replies, confusion lacing his voice as Namjoon was supposed to be on a date with you. He was about to ask what happened when Namjoon’s voice cuts through the speakers of his phone. “Can you cook for two more? Y/n and I are coming back for dinner.” Jin chuckles, knowing it wasn’t necessary to answer the question. They always cooked extra anyway.

“What happened to that fancy restaurant you reserved? I thought it was the best one around.”Namjoon rubs the back of his neck even though Jin can’t see him, “Yeah that didn’t work out. It was too fancy and just uncomfortable.” Jin holds the phone between his cheek and his shoulder, already starting to prepare dinner. “Yah!” he yells to someone in the background, “Set the table for 2 more people!” he yells before addressing Namjoon. “You better watch out Namjoon, maybe we’ll woo y/n over with our cooking,” he jokes. Namjoon playfully rolls his eyes, “Yeah right Hyung-” he suddenly rips the phone away from his ear. You could hear shouts coming from the phone even though it wasn’t even in speaker mode.

“Is y/n coming?” you hear your name being mentioned, but you’re not sure what the context of the situation was. You raise a questioning eyebrow at Namjoon, but he just smiles before bringing the phone back to his ear, saying a quick thanks and goodbye before hanging up the phone. “I was just letting them know we’ll be joining them for dinner.” You nod and open your mouth as you were about to say something when something catches your eye.

Walking through the city, there were many food stands still open and selling food. “Didn’t you say you wanted tteobokki? Let’s bring some back for everyone!” you suggest as you point to the stand. “Look! There are dumplings too! Tae was telling me how much he likes dumplings when we had dinner yesterday, let’s get some for him too,” you say, already heading towards the stands. Namjoon trails behind you, watching as you order for everyone. His heart is warmed as you pick out many different foods, excited to surprise everyone with their favourites.

He’s about to hand his card to the vendor but you swat his hand away, frowning at him as you give your card instead. “You already paid at the cafe and you’re inviting me over for dinner. I’m paying for this,” you insist, leaving no room for argument. He sighs at your stubborn nature but raises his hands in defeat, putting his card away. The vendor hands the bags of newly purchased street food over to you, but Namjoon takes the bags for you. Feeling useless, you whine out his name, “Namjoon.” He couldn’t resist your puppy dog eyes or the adorable pout of your lips. “Fine, fine,” he laughs breathily, handing over two bags for you to carry. You jump happily, taking the bags from him as you happily skip along. He laughs at how you bounce along despite the added weight of the bags. He admires your determination to help whenever you can, and he can’t help but fall for you even more as you turn around and smile at him, jokingly scolding him for being so slow.

Arriving at their dorm, Namjoon unlocks the door, kicking his shoes off as he steps inside. You follow him in, gently shutting the door behind you. Moments after you take your shoes off, you hear heavy footsteps rapidly approaching you. “Y/n!” Jimin yells happily, and you look up to find the three maknaes racing down the hall. They remind you of little puppies running to welcome their owner home. You barely have enough time to place the bags of food down before they engulf you in a hug. You hug them back as the rest of the boys come out from the living room to say hi.

“We missed you!” Jimin tells you. “Yeah! Namjoon Hyung keeps hogging you,” Jungkook says with a pout. “I missed you guys too!” you say, but they don’t miss the subtle flush of your face at Jungkook’s comment. “What’s this?” Yoongi asks as he picks up the bags to bring them inside. “Dumplings!” Taehyung exclaims as he peers into the bag. “We were passing by some food stands and y/n wanted to buy some for you guys,” he explains with a smile.

Hoseok makes a noise of excitement as he claps happily. “You’re the best y/n!” he tells you. You just laugh, happy that you could do something for them, “It’s no problem!” You bring all the food to the table, which was already set and full of food that Jin and Yoongi cooked together. Taking a seat between Namjoon and Jungkook, you clasp your hands in front of you as look at all the food. “Wow! It looks so delicious!” you compliment them. Yoongi gets flustered by your praise, while Jin just gives you a thumbs up. “Let’s eat!” Jungkook says, excitedly digging in.

Sitting around the table with them, laughing and enjoying the food; it felt like family. But a voice in your head was screaming at you to stop, to not get attached because you were going to have to leave them in less than two days. And in the back of your mind, just barely a whisper, another voice was telling you that even if you didn’t have to leave, they would leave you eventually.

They were global superstars, loved by many around the world. You were ordinary, average. You were always afraid to let people in, as they could walk out of your life whenever they wanted. You were afraid of becoming dependant on others, only to have them disappoint you later on. A sick feeling settles in your stomach, but you push it aside. Just this once, you let them in, because even if it would make your departure more painful, this was the happiest you’ve ever been.

From his seat beside you, Namjoon studies you closely as you suddenly fall quiet, pushing your food around your plate. Your expression was neutral, but there was a small downturn to the corners of your mouth, and your eyes looked troubled, full of fear, worry and pain. His eyebrows furrowed in concern, about to ask you what was wrong when you suddenly sit up, a bright smile suddenly replacing the depressed look that was on your face moments ago. Your sudden movement causes Namjoon to flinch in his seat, blinking at you in confusion.

One moment, you looked like you were about to break down into tears, the next, you looked like you were having the time of your life. He feels relieved as you seem to be back to normal, but he can’t shake the feeling that something was bothering you. He keeps a careful eye on you throughout the rest of dinner, and although you seem happy, there are brief moments where your face falls and you suddenly space out with a faraway look in your eyes.

After you space out for probably the fifth time in less than an hour, Namjoon places a comforting hand on your shoulder. “Are you okay?” he asks, eyes full of concern when you turn to meet his. “Yeah,” you answer shortly, not going out of your way to assure him like you usually would. “Are you sure?” he pushes, not satisfied with your answer. “Yeah, I just,” you pause, unsure if you should tell him. You were upset in the first place because you let yourself grow attached to them, to him, and you didn’t want to let him in even more.

But one glance at his worried face made your resolve crumble within seconds. “I’m just really going to miss you guys,” you confess, your voice watery as you stop yourself from getting emotional. He frowns, hearing the wavering of your voice. After making you cry at the fan sign, he told himself that he never wanted to see you upset ever again. An idea pops up in his head as his face lights up. “Tomorrow’s your last day, right? Do you have any plans?” he asks. You shake your head, curious as to why he was asking.

“Then how about we all go out tomorrow?” he suggests, looking to the rest of the boys for their input. Everyone nods, immediately jumping up to make suggestions on where to go and what to do. As they argue and throw ideas around, Namjoon takes your hand in his, rubbing comforting circles on the back of your hand with his thumb. “I know goodbyes are always hard, but you shouldn’t let that ruin your remaining time here. We should enjoy every day like it’s our last, and when you know it really is your last, that should be even more of a reason to enjoy it to the fullest.”

You take a moment to fully absorb and register his words, before smiling at him brightly. He was right. You should make the most of it while it lasted, and now you were determined to do just that. “Thank you,” you say with a grateful smile. He just nods and he smiles back, glad that you felt better.

“Y/n!” Taehyung suddenly yells, causing you to jump in your seat. “What would you rather do?” Jimin asks as they present their ideas to you, passionately arguing why their idea is better than the other. You laugh awkwardly as they bicker back and forth, not being able to understand anything they’re saying. “We should do pottery! I want to make a new pot, mine got ruined last time!” Taehyung says. “That’s boring! My idea is so much better!” Jimin tells him. “I want to go bungee jumping again!” Jungkook adds in.

“Yah! Y/n won’t even be here by the time the pottery is finished! And this is about what y/n wants, not you!” Jin says, pointing at Jungkook. “Actually,” Hoseok says, rubbing his chin in thought, “Pottery is a good idea. We could make presents for y/n and we could send them to her or give them to her the next time she visits.”

“We’re talking about what we’re going to do with her tomorrow, not what we can do for her later,” Yoongi laughs at their conversation. “Would you like to just come over tomorrow? There are so many places we’d like to take you to, but one day simply isn’t enough time. And after dinner today, I think it’d be better to stay in the comfort of our own home. But if you’d rather go out we, we don’t mind either, it’s just a suggestion,” Namjoon says. “No, that sounds perfect,” you say happily. Just eating dinner with them was one of the highlights of your day, and you realized that it didn’t matter where you were or what you did, as long as you were with them.

Once everyone was full and all the food was eaten or put away, you all move to the living room, piled on the couch to watch tv. Checking your phone, you notice it’s already 1 am. “It’s pretty late, I should probably head back,” you announce as you stand from the couch. “Give me a minute I’ll call the driver,” Namjoon says, standing as well. “Oh no, it’s okay you don’t have to call him. I don’t want to bother him at this time,” you tell Namjoon as he pulls out his phone. He gives you the same look he gave you when he told you he wouldn’t let you walk back from the karaoke place, and you know there’s no convincing him. You just sigh and wait as he dials their driver.

“It’s already late, why don’t you just sleepover?” Hoseok suggests. You raise your eyebrows in surprise. “Are you sure-” you were suddenly interrupted by the three maknaes who excitedly jumped up from the couch. “Yeah! Sleepover!” Jimin yells, holding his fists in the air. “Pillow fight!” Jungkook yells, already grabbing a pillow from the couch and smacking Jin with it. You watch as the whole living room breaks into chaos, Jungkook and Jin were smacking each other with pillows while Jimin and Taehyung were chasing Hoseok around the room. Yoongi was still laying on the couch, groaning when someone’s pillow went astray and hit him in the stomach.

Seeing the shocked look on your face, Namjoon assumes you may not want to stay because of how exhausting the boys could be, he would know. “It’s okay if you don’t want to-” he starts, but he’s cut off as you grab a pillow from the couch, turning around and smacking him in the face with it. You laugh loudly, jumping over the couch to get away from him. He remains frozen in surprise, but he snaps out of it when he hears you laughing at him. He grabs a pillow off the couch before chasing after you. You laugh as you run from him, hiding behind Jimin. “Help me!” you yell playfully at him and Taehyung. 

They suddenly stop chasing Hoseok, turning to Namjoon with their pillows. “Don’t worry y/n! We’ll protect you!” Jimin tells you, defensively facing the leader with his pillow. Namjoon cries out a loud battle cry, taking on the two 95′s. You let out a yelp when arms suddenly wrap around your waist from behind, causing you to drop your pillow in surprise. Jungkook lifts you off the ground, pulling you away from the scene. “I got her Hyung!” he yells to Namjoon. “You traitor!” Taehyung yells at him over his shoulder as he fights Namjoon off.

Jin suddenly appears, whacking Jungkook in the face, causing him to let go of you. Jin wasn’t on either team, he was just settling his fight with the maknae. Defenceless without a pillow, you run and crouch behind the back of the couch. Your eyes widen when you find Hoseok also hiding behind the couch before you hide next to him, trying to stifle your giggles. You can hear all the smacks of the pillows as well as their laughter as you hide behind the couch with Hoseok, trying to catch your breath. Hoseok’s eyes suddenly go wide as he yells while pointing at something behind you.

Turning around in surprise, Namjoon pulls you into his chest, falling back onto the couch with you on top of him. He wraps his arms around your waist to prevent you from escaping, as he yells out of breath, “I win!” Everyone drops their pillows, falling onto the floor as they were too exhausted to move back to the couch. You laugh as you look up at Namjoon who was practically panting from working so hard to catch you. He moves one arm from your waist, hitting you lightly over the head with a pillow. “Now we’re even,” he says between breaths. You laugh at his worn out state, accepting the draw.

Everyone collapsed where they were sitting, laying on their backs on the floor. All that could be heard was everyone’s heavy breathing and Yoongi’s snores. You didn’t understand how he could sleep through all of it. Soon, everyone’s eyes started to flutter shut, exhausted from the pillow fight. Feeling the steady rise and fall of Namjoon’s chest, you look up at him to see find him out cold. You giggle before climbing off his chest. You look around the room to find everyone else dead asleep. Even though they said they had a few days off, you have no doubt that they were still working hard even while on a break. You shake your head as you cross the living room, careful not to step on anyone as you make your way through.

You don’t want them to sleep on the floor, but you know you can’t carry seven grown men back to their beds. Instead, you make your way down the hall and open one of the doors. As expected, it was a bedroom. You quickly go in, grabbing a pillow and blanket from each room and bringing it back to the living room. You gently lift each boy’s head, placing a pillow underneath before draping a blanket over them.

Namjoon stirs awake as you lay a blanket on top of him. “Y/n?” he mumbles, opening one eye to look at you. “Sorry, did I wake you?” you apologize. He shakes his head, lifting one side of the blanket up to let you in. You gladly accept his invitation, cuddling up next to him on the couch as he makes sure the blanket covers the both of you. You feel secure as he wraps his arms around you, and you fall asleep as soon as your head hits his chest. Namjoon looks around the room to find everyone sleeping on the floor, and he smiles when he sees that you tucked everyone in. He gently pushes your hair out of your face, placing a feather light kiss on your forehead. “Good night y/n,” he whispers, “I love you.”

Yoongi is the first to wake up the next morning around 10 am. Still half asleep, he moves to the edge of the couch to get up when he steps on something squishy. “Ai!” he yells in shock, his eyes now wide open as he scans the room and realizes that everyone else slept on the floor. Hoseok groans as Yoongi’s foot connects with his stomach, rolling over before falling back asleep.  “Sorry,” he mumbles before getting up, this time careful not to step on anybody. His yelp wakes Jin and Jimin who were now sitting up on the floor. “Why are you yelling?” Jin grumbles while Jimin was still in the process of waking up. 

Namjoon stretches his arms above his head before looking down at you. “Good morning,” he greets you with a smile, gently smoothing down your hair. “Good morning,” you say with a yawn. He chuckles at your sleepy state, gently combing his fingers through your hair. He could get used to waking up to you in the morning.

Taehyung sits up, complaining about his neck. “My neck hurts” he whines while rubbing his neck. Although you didn’t understand what he said, you could guess from his tone and actions that he was sore from sleeping on the floor. “Sorry about that. I didn’t want you guys to sleep on the floor but I couldn’t carry you guys,” you say, feeling guilty. “It’s not your fault,” Yoongi says as he comes back from the bathroom, “It’s their fault for falling asleep on the floor.” You laugh at how merciless Yoongi seemed, but you know he’s an actual softie for all of them, especially the younger ones.

“Where did these blankets come from?” Hoseok asks, getting up. “Y/n went to go get them for you guys last night,” Namjoon tells them. “Thanks y/n!” Jimin smiles gratefully at you, to which you just smile back. You felt like they didn’t have to thank you, it was the least you could do since they slept on the floor because you were sleeping over. “Yah! Wake up!” Jin yells at Jungkook, smacking him with a pillow and finally getting revenge for last night.

Everyone got ready for the day, heading into their rooms to change out of their clothes from yesterday, but you were in the kitchen preparing breakfast since you didn’t bring a change of clothes. “Y/n?” Namjoon calls as he pokes his head into the kitchen. “Hm?” you hum in response. “Do you want to change? You can borrow some of my clothes,” he offers. You were still in your clothes from your date with Namjoon yesterday, and you felt overdressed compared to the rest of the boys who were now wearing casual, comfy clothes. “Actually, yeah, that would be nice,” you answer. “I’ll leave some clothes for you in my room. You can go change in there whenever you’re ready,” he tells you.

You nod even though he can’t see you, “Okay thank you!” You place the knife down and wash your hands before heading into Namjoon’s room. You find a sweatshirt and a pair of sweat pants on his bed, and you take them into his bathroom to change into. You stare at yourself in the mirror once you were dressed. He was much taller than you, so his clothes were big on you and practically engulfed your form. The sleeves went way past your hands, and you had to be careful not to trip on his pants that were trailing the floor. But you didn’t mind, it was soft and warm, and it smelled like him. Smiling at yourself in the mirror, you head back into the kitchen to find Jin and Yoong picking up where you left off.

“You can go join them in the living room if you want, we can handle it,” Jin tells you, but you shake your head. “Can I help you guys?” you ask. The corner of Yoongi’s mouth lifts slightly as he nods. “Of course.” You smile happily before joining them at the counter, helping them prepare breakfast for the rest of the boys. The ones who weren’t cooking set the table and brought the food out. Namjoon freezes in the doorway of the kitchen when he spots you, causing Hoseok to run into his back. His heart skips a beat when he sees you in the kitchen, wearing his clothes. They were a few sizes too big on you, but he swears they’ve never looked better. Seeing you cooking for him along with his brothers, he couldn’t help but imagine settling down with you. Is this a sight he would wake up to every day?

“Namjoon?” Hoseok asks in confusion, shaking Namjoon out of his thoughts. “Oh, sorry,” Namjoon mumbles, clearing his throat. You spot Namjoon when you turn around, and you skip over to him. “Thanks for letting me borrow your clothes! They’re so comfy!” you tell him, having never worn such expensive threads. “No problem. They look good on you,” he says with a smile. You just smile back before helping bring the food to the table.

You spend the rest of the doing various things with the boys. You all played Just Dance after eating breakfast before the maknae line took you to Jungkook’s room to play video games. After playing for a couple of hours, Taehyung pulled you along to his room, showing you his tie collection and some of his favourite outfits. Hoseok also showed you his room and all the figures he’s been collecting. After lunch, you baked a few treats with Jin and Yoongi since they do more cooking than baking, while you did quite the opposite. Despite the little experience they had, the desserts came out great, and you promised to teach them more recipes when you came back. You were currently snacking on the baked goods with the rest of the boys as you all sat in the living room watching a movie.

“What time is your flight tomorrow?” Namjoon asks once the end credits start rolling. “Noon,” you answer shortly, not wanting to think about it. “Can we take you to the airport? So we can say goodbye?” Jimin asks with puppy dog eyes that he knows you can’t resist, although it’s not like you were going to say no anyway. “Of course,” you tell him with a smile.

It was already late, and you had to get your things ready for tomorrow. “I’ll bring y/n back now,” Namjoon announces, standing from the couch. You follow him to the door before realizing, “Wait! I’m still in your clothes.” He places his hand on the small of your back, holding you in place, “It’s alright, you can keep them.” You look at him unsure, but he assures you that it’s okay, “So you have something to remember me by.”

Even though you were going to see them tomorrow, you feel sad as you say goodbye to them before leaving their dorm. And even though you didn’t do anything extraordinary today, it was a day you would never forget. There was something special about staying at home and just enjoying each other’s company. It just felt right. They felt like family, and they made you feel like you belonged. It was ironic, how being away from home, in a different country with people you met two days ago, was the most at home you’ve ever felt. And a certain sadness washed over you when you realized you had to leave it all behind.

You nod, following him out the door. The drive to your hotel is silent, your hand clasped in his as you stare out the window. There was so much to be said, but neither of you were ready to come to terms with the fact that you were leaving. Walking you up to your room like last time, you two stand outside your door to say goodbye. “We’ll come to pick you up around 10:30 tomorrow. The traffic in Seoul can be pretty bad sometimes,” he tells you. You simply nod, not really in the mood to talk.

Namjoon feels conflicted. He doesn’t want to leave you alone when he knows you’re hurting, but he knows there’s not much he can do about it. Seeing that you clearly didn’t want to talk, he just pulls you into a hug, rubbing your back as he comforts you with actions instead of words. He wanted to say so many things to you. To tell you how much he loves you, to make things official. But he couldn’t. He had only met you a few days ago, and you were leaving in a day. So he holds it all in even though his heart is yearning to tell you.

You wrap your arms around his waist, burying your face in his chest as you breathe in his scent. Normally, Namjoon could always calm you down. It didn’t matter how big or small the problem was, it felt like he was all you needed. But now, he just reminded you how he was all you needed, but you couldn’t have him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then. Good night y/n,” he says with a tight smile. “Good night,” you whisper before you walk into your room, closing the door behind you. Unable to hold back your tears anymore, you lean back against the door, sliding down until you reach the floor. Bringing your knees up to your chest, you cry. You cry because you don’t want to leave them, you cry because you love him so much, and you cry because it’s not fair. Why were they put in your life, and why did you have to fall in love with him only for it all to be taken away? You always tried to find the good in the bad, but you simply couldn’t bear the pain of leaving them.

When Namjoon arrives back home, the apartment is so silent you would think no one was home. Since the day first met you, they all knew you would have to go back home, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. No one had to say it because they all felt it. Your home was here, with them, with Namjoon, and they didn’t want to see you go.

The next morning, you wake up early to pack your things. You didn’t have the motivation to do anything last night, simply showering before hopping into bed. You pick out clothes to wear before you pack all your things so you don’t have to go back into your suitcase later. You want something comfy for the long flight home. As you look at all your clothes, neatly folded and laid out to be packed, your eyes land on Namjoon’s clothes. They were no doubt the comfiest clothes you’ve ever worn, but on top of that, they smelled like him. There was no doubt you would be missing them the whole flight home, so at least his scent could comfort you on your lonely trip back.

You put on a pair of your own pants since his were impractically long, but you throw his sweatshirt over your head. You pack the rest of your clothes away, finally done clearing the hotel room of your belongings. You know you should eat something before the long flight, but you don’t have an appetite. So once again, you settle for a large cup of coffee. Sitting at the table while sipping on your drink, you hear a knock at your door. 

Looking at your phone, your brows furrow in confusion. It was only 9 am, so they shouldn’t be here yet. You get up to answer the door, opening it to find all the boys smiling at you, holding a few paper bags. “Good morning y/n!” Jimin brightly greets you from behind Taehyung’s shoulder. “Good morning?” you didn’t mean for it to come out that way. You were glad to see them, you were just confused as to why they were here so early. “Sorry, I hope we didn’t wake you up,” Namjoon smiles apologetically. You shake your head, “No, it’s okay. I was already awake.”

He nods before holding a bag he was holding out to you, “We went to go pick up some food from that cafe we went to yesterday. I hope you don’t mind.” Namjoon knew you better than you thought, and he wasn’t about to let you get on a 12 hour flight without breakfast. “Of course not,” you say, opening the door wider for them, “Thank you. Please, come in.” They all walk into your room, placing the bags on your table. Your room was only meant for one, two at most, so the table wasn’t nearly big enough to fit eight people. Everyone was scattered around the room, some at the table, some on the couch, and the rest on your bed.

The morning was quite serene. You guys didn’t laugh or fool around like usual, instead just eating peacefully, enjoying each other’s company and the complete feeling you got only when you were all together. Finishing up, you clear the room one more time before grabbing your luggage. “Okay,” you breathe out, “I’m ready to go.” You pull your luggage down the hall and Namjoon wordlessly takes the handle from your hand, passing it to his other hand before holding your hand. Normally, you would complain and tell him you can handle it, but you allow it this time.

By the time you arrive at the airport, you had about half an hour until your flight. You arrive at your gate, taking a seat on the chairs as you wait for your flight to be called. “So,” Jin starts, “When will you be coming back?” he asks, hopeful that you were planning to come see them again. “You’ll come see us again, right y/n?” Jungkook asks with his big doe eyes. You ruffle his hair with a chuckle, “Of course,” you tell him with a smile. “I’d like to come back as soon as possible, but it might be a while until I can afford another trip,” you say, your smile falling.

“Don’t worry about that, we’ll get you a ticket for our next concert,” Yoongi tells you. “We’ll pay for your flight too!” Hoseok chirps. “What?” you blurt out, “Absolutely not. Just because we’re friends doesn’t mean I’m going to let you guys pay for me.” They frown, and you feel guilty for sounding so harsh. “You guys work hard for your money. It’s not fair to you guys,” you say more gently this time.

“But we want to see you,” Taehyung whines sadly. “If it means we get to see you sooner, it’s really not a big deal to us,” Namjoon reassures you, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. “It’s a big deal to me,” you mumble, looking at the floor. Maybe to them, it wasn’t a lot of money because they had so much of it. But to you, it was a lot. You had to work hard to afford a plane ticket, and they had to work hard too. They were just so used to working extremely hard all the time that it’s not a big deal to them anymore. But it matters to you, and you don’t want them to spend their hard earned money on you, no matter how badly you want to see them too.

“It sounds like you don’t want to come see us again,” Namjoon says jokingly, but there’s a small fear in him, in all of them, that maybe you didn’t want to come back. “No!” you say immediately, not wanting them to believe that for a second. “It’s not like that, I just,” you pause, unsure how to explain how you felt. “It feels like I’m using you,” you admit quietly.

Namjoon wraps his arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer so you can lean your head on his shoulder. “We don’t offer to do these things for just anybody. Trust us to know whether someone is using us or not,” he says. “You gave away the one concert ticket you had to a stranger, I’m pretty sure you’re not the kind of person to use somebody for their money,” he adds.

“If you don’t come see us, we’ll just come see you,” Yoongi says, almost nonchalantly, “So it’s better if you let us buy just one ticket for you rather than seven tickets for us.” You laugh at how he could sound so cold when the meaning of his words was so warm. “Please y/n! I really want you to see us perform!” Jungkook begs you like a child asking their mom to buy them a toy from the store. The younger ones saw you like an older sister, and they wanted you to see them perform and be proud of them. You felt your resolve slowly crumbling as the younger three looked at you with such big, pleading eyes.

“Fine,” you say with a sigh, finally caving in. “But you have to let me pay you back eventually. And I’m bringing a whole bunch of presents back for you guys,” you say, stubbornly crossing your arms to let them know it’s non-negotiable. They nod, happy to agree to anything as long as you come back to them. Suddenly, a voice comes over the speakers, calling for you to board the plane.

Namjoon sees the sadness swirling in your eyes as you stand from your seat. They pull you into one last group hug as a few tears escape you, soaking into Namjoon’s shirt. When Namjoon doesn’t let go of you, the others step back, giving you two some space. He pulls away just enough to gently wipe away your tears. He takes your face between his hands, looking down at you with eyes full of nothing but love and fondness as you try your hardest to stop your tears from falling.

He leans in, placing his lips on yours as more tears stream down your cheeks. No words are needed as you can feel all the love and unsaid words between you two through that kiss. You finally break apart, staring deeply into each other’s eyes. “Please don’t cry,” he says, drying your tears again, “We’ll see you soon, I promise.” You nod as the speaker gives a warning for the last call. Giving them one last smile through your tears, “I love you guys, so much,” you tell them. “We love you too,” they return with sad smiles on all their faces, “We’ll see you soon.” You nod, their words planting a new hope in your chest for when you can return. You turn around and start walking towards the gate, not looking back in fear that if you did, you wouldn’t be able to leave. 

They watch your back until you disappear through the door and they can no longer see you. Wordlessly, they all move to the big glass wall to see your plane, hoping to spot you in one of the windows even though they know it’s extremely unlikely. Once your plane has taken off, Hoseok pats Namjoon’s back comfortingly. They were all sad that you had to go, but they knew their leader had it harder than them, so they tried to be strong for him.

As the plane takes off, you stare blankly out the window. Watching the city of Seoul grow smaller as you get farther and farther away. When you can no longer see it, you curl up in your seat, nuzzling into the collar of Namjoon’s sweater. With nothing to comfort you except your memories and his faint scent, your eyes flutter shut, dreaming of the time you can return to Seoul.

Although you wanted nothing more than to be with Namjoon and the rest of the boys, what used to be a sharp pain in your chest has now dumbed down into a dull ache. It wasn’t easy, but the daily texts and frequent video calls got you through it. Some people may not be satisfied with such a relationship, but it meant so much more to you when you knew how busy their schedule was, yet he still found the time for you.

Even though it’s only been a few months, it felt like years since you’ve seen them. But you were finally heading back to Korea for their concert. Their concert was still a week away, but you were arriving early to surprise Namjoon for his birthday. You knew how much they loved food, so you brought a full suitcase of foods that were hard to get a hold of in Korea, along with other more personal gifts for each of the members.

Jin, Yoongi and Jungkook were waiting to pick you up from the airport. All of the members wanted to be there to welcome you back, but they knew they couldn’t or else Namjoon would be suspicious. After a few rounds of rock paper scissors, these three came out victorious. Jin and Yoongi used the excuse of going grocery shopping for Namjoon’s birthday dinner, while Jungkook was supposedly just tagging along to help his Hyungs. After buying said groceries, they were patiently waiting for you to arrive.

It takes you a while to spot them at the airport as they covered their faces with hats, sunglasses and masks, but you could recognize them anywhere. Jungkook’s habit of using random items as weights also helps them stand out quite a bit. You quickly approach them, excitedly waving at them to grab their attention. “Y/n!” Jungkook exclaims when he notices you running to them.

When you reach them, you jump into Jungkook’s arms. You laugh happily as he lifts you up, spinning you around. When he places you down, you bounce over to Yoongi. He raises his hand to give you a wave, but you go in for a hug. He chuckles, lazily wrapping his arms around your waist as he gently pats your back. You turn to Jin, wrapping your arms around his waist as you hug him tightly. “Welcome back Y/n,” he says, patting your head as he smiles fondly at you. 

“I missed you guys,” you say, unable to contain your happiness as your smile stretches from ear to ear. “We missed you too! And so do the others!” Jungkook says, grinning his bunny smile. “Speaking of the others, they’re all back at home. We shouldn’t keep them waiting” Jin mentions, taking your suitcase for you. “Let’s go!” Jungkook says, eagerly pulling you along to the van, Yoongi and Jin trailing behind you with your luggage. In the van, Jungkook excitedly tells you about everything going on, updating you on anything you missed. He seems so excited to surprise Namjoon, almost a little too excited. But you brush it off, assuming he was just happy since it’s been such a long time.

Little did you know, you weren’t the only one with a surprise. Namjoon didn’t know that you were arriving early, however, he was planning on asking you out and making it official whenever you arrived. The boys knew of both your secrets and they were excited to see it all happen.

Arriving at their dorm, you become restless as Yoongi unlocks the door. Even though you guys kept in touch while you were gone, it’s been so long since you’ve seen him that you had millions of butterflies in your stomach. Seeing your nervousness, Jin gently nudges you forward through the doorway. You stand by the front door, hidden behind Jin’s broad shoulders as Namjoon pokes his head into the hallway. “You guys are back,” he observes, walking over to help them carry the bags in. 

His brows furrow in confusion when he sees the suitcase in Jin’s hand. “You brought a suitcase?” he asks in confusion. “And one more thing,” Jin says with a smirk as he steps aside to reveal you. You give him a small wave, “Happy birthday Namjoon!” you say with a bright smile. His eyes go wide, and he remains frozen in his spot until he realizes that this isn’t a dream; You’re finally here. “Y/n!” he says, finally snapping out of the shock before he takes big strides towards you, pulling you into a warm hug.

He buries his face in your hair, breathing in your scent to make sure you’re really here. You wrap your arms around his shoulders, nuzzling into his chest. “I missed you so much,” he breathes out. Hearing Namjoon call out your name, the rest of the members come tumbling down the hall. “Y/n!” Jimin and Taehyung call out. You peek over Namjoon’s shoulder to see the two 95s racing towards you.

You open your arms for them and they gladly run into your arms. “You’re finally here!” Hoseok says from behind them. “You guys knew about this?” Namjoon asks. “No, we just decided to stop by the airport today and happened to see y/n,” Yoongi says sarcastically. Namjoon chuckles before wrapping his arms around your waist from behind, placing a chaste kiss on your lips. “I can’t believe you’re here,” he says with a smile, staring into your eyes. You giggle at the dazed look in his eyes before Yoongi grabs your sleeve, pulling you out of Namjoon’s grip and into the kitchen.

“You guys can be in love later, y/n needs to help us in the kitchen,” Jin says, trailing behind you and Yoongi. “Wait!” Hoseok calls out, causing Yoongi to pause and look back at him, “She just got back. She must be tired, let her rest.” Your heart is warmed by the concern in Hoseok’s voice, forgetting just how caring they were.

“It’s okay! I’m not tired at all,” you reassure him with a bright smile, “Namjoon’s birthday only lasts a day and I’m already late. Sleep can wait!” you tell him before pulling Yoongi and Jin into the kitchen. Hoseok frowns, still concerned for your health, but their worries are soon washed away when they see just how much energy you have. You were smiling and laughing happily the whole time, practically bouncing around the kitchen. Your body probably was tired and jet-lagged, but the only thing you could focus on was how happy you were to be back.

As Jin and Yoongi prepare dinner, you start making batter for Namjoon’s birthday cake. As promised, you came back with more recipes for them to try, including a cake recipe. Once the cake was baked and cooled, you go to search for the maknaes. Hearing them yell at their video games from down the hall, you knock on Jungkook’s door. “Jungkook?” you call. You hear some shuffling before he opens the door, Taehyung and Jimin sitting on the floor behind him with controllers in their hands. 

“Do you guys want to decorate the cake?” you ask, knowing that Jungkook was quite the artist, and Taehyung was interested in art as well. “Yes!” Taehyung excitedly jumps up from his seat on the floor in front of the television. They hurriedly turn the console off, throwing their controllers onto Jungkook’s bed. You chuckle as they scramble to clean up. “Just come to the kitchen when you’re done, I’ll go get everything ready,” you say as you walk back to the kitchen.

You see Namjoon leaning on the wall next to the kitchen, waiting for you. He tries to follow you into the kitchen but you block his path. “I love you, but you can’t come in. It would ruin the surprise!” you tell him as he pouts at you like a sad puppy. “We’ll be done soon, I promise,” you tell him as he reluctantly goes back to the couch with Hoseok. It was rare to see the childish side of Namjoon come out, as he always felt like he had to be a responsible leader around the members. Watching your interaction, his Hyungs were glad that he found someone like you, someone he could relax and be himself around.

You have Jimin and Taehyung help you construct the cake, spreading the icing on each layer of cake before stacking them on top of each other. Meanwhile, Jungkook practices piping designs and writing with a piping bag full of icing. Jimin meticulously works on the cake, making sure the cake was stacked perfectly and the icing was smooth. Taehyung eventually went to go bother Jin and Yoongi while they were cooking, trying to get a bite of food before dinner.

Jungkook piped the edges and the base of the cake beautifully, finishing it off with “Happy birthday Namjoon!” on the top in neat letters. You hold the fridge doors open for him as he places the cake inside, smiling proudly at his work. You give all of them a pat on the head, praising them and thanking them for their help. They bask in your praise before heading into the living room. “Do you guys need help?” you ask Jin and Yoongi, but Yoongi waves you off. “You worked hard, go rest,” Yoongi tells you, remembering Hoseok’s words.

The exhaustion of the flight was starting to catch up to you, so you nod, walking out of the kitchen. You sluggishly enter the living room where Namjoon was sitting on the couch watching Hoseok and the maknaes play a board game around the coffee table. Seeing you enter the room, Namjoon motions for you to come over. Seeing your exhausted state, he lays down on the couch, pulling you onto his chest. You snuggle into his chest with a content smile, already being lulled to sleep by the warmth radiating from him.

He places a light kiss on your head. “Take a nap, you deserve it,” he whispers as he strokes your hair, making you fall asleep instantly. He can’t help but stare as you sleep peacefully on his chest. It reminds him of the last time you spent the night here when you all fell asleep in the living room and you were laying with him just like this. It just felt right, your bodies fit together perfectly like two pieces of a puzzle.

Even though the boys are quite loud as they play, yelling whenever they roll an unwanted number, you somehow sleep through it all. You must’ve been so tired and Namjoon didn’t want to wake you up, but you had to eat. He gently shakes you awake, “Y/n,” he calls out quietly, “Dinner’s ready.” You sit up, rubbing your eyes as you let out a yawn. “Come on sleepyhead,” he says as he places his hand on your lower back, guiding you to the dining table.

You take a seat, still half asleep, but as soon as the delicious smell of the food hits your nose, you snap awake. Looking at everything on the table, you turn to Jin and Yoongi. “Everything looks so good!” you tell them, suddenly bright and energetic. Everyone laughs at how your mood can change so suddenly simply because of food, but then again, who doesn’t love food?

You enjoy a meal together, catching up on everything you missed during the few months you were back home. Once everyone is done eating, you get up to bring the plates back to the kitchen, but Hoseok stops you, placing a hand on your shoulder and gently pushing you back into your seat. “You already cooked, we’ll clean,” he tells you with a smile. “But I didn’t cook!” you stubbornly argue back. Yoongi rolls his eyes at you from across the table, “Whatever. You helped in the kitchen so you don’t have to clean.” 

You stick your tongue out at him, wanting to help when another idea pops into your head. “I’ll go get the cake then!” you announce as you stand from your seat once again, but this time Namjoon pulls you back down. “You baked the cake, they’ll get it once they’re done the dishes,” he tells you. You pout in your seat, but Namjoon just chuckles, patting you on the head. “Just relax babe,” he tells you, causing you to get flustered by the pet name. You turn your head away from him, pretending to be mad when you were really just trying to hide your red cheeks.

“I’d tell Namjoon to go get the cake, but knowing him, he’d probably drop it!” Jin says, laughing loudly. Yoongi smirks, crossing his arms as he leans back in his chair. Once the other boys stacked all the plates and bowls in the sink, Jungkook takes the cake out of the fridge as Jimin and Taehyung grab the plates and forks. Hoseok places the candles on the cake, lighting them before motioning for Jungkook to bring the cake to the table as he follows him out with a knife to cut the cake.

Jungkook walks out with the cake, and you all start singing happy birthday. Jungkook places the cake in front of Namjoon, and he stares at you as he makes his wish before blowing out the candles. Everyone claps once he blows out all the candles, and Hoseok cuts the cake and distributes a slice to everyone. “Mmm!” Jungkook says, taking a bite of his slice, “It’s good!” You giggle at him as he has icing on his face “Thank you,” you laugh out, wiping the icing off his face, “You guys did a great job decorating it!”

As everyone enjoys the cake, Namjoon places his hand on your thigh, looking at you with a fond smile. “Thank you for the cake, and for everything. This has been the best birthday ever,” he tells you as he leans in to place a kiss on your cheek, “I love you.” You smile at him when pulls away. “Happy birthday Namjoon,” you say, “I love you too.”

It was finally the day of the concert, and it was finally the day Namjoon would put his surprise in motion. He almost couldn’t wait and was going to surprise you the day you arrived, but he planned everything out and he wasn’t going to let his eagerness ruin it. 

Everyone was doing their own thing, relaxing before heading out for the concert. You were sitting on the couch with Taehyung and Jin, watching an animation. Namjoon pokes his head into the living room. “Y/n?” he calls out. “Hm?” you turn to the hallway. “Can you come here for a second?” he asks. You nod, hopping off the couch and following him into his room. He fidgets nervously as you take a seat on the bed.

“What’s up?” you ask casually, swinging your legs on the edge of the bed, staring up at him with innocent eyes. He clears his throat awkwardly before he takes a seat beside you. “I’ve been wanting to tell you this since the day I met you, but you had to leave too soon, so I thought it would be better to wait,” he starts. “I love you y/n, and if you want to, I’d like to make it official,” he says, pulling out a necklace from his pocket. It was a simple silver chain with one ring on it. “Will you be my girlfriend?” he asks with a hopeful look on his face.

You’re taken aback, staring into his eyes before you snap out of it, smiling as you nod happily. He smiles back at you before leaning forward, clasping the chain of the necklace behind your head. He gently lifts your hair from under the chain, and your face starts to burn at the close proximity of his face. Staring deeply into his eyes, you lean forward, closing the space between you two. You feel him smile into the kiss before leaning back just enough to stare into your eyes.

He reaches into his shirt, pulling a necklace out from under his collar. “I have a matching one. I know things are a little complicated right now, with you having to go back home. But one day, when we sort everything out, I’d like to put this ring on your finger,” he says with a smile. You wrap your arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly. “I love you so much,” you whisper. He rubs your back, smiling as he says, “I love you too.”

You walk back into the living room with Namjoon to finish the film you were watching with Jin and Taehyung, only to find all the boys waiting on the couch. “Did you ask her?” Jungkook asks excitedly. Namjoon nods, taking your hand in his. “She said yes,” he tells the boys with the brightest smile. All the boys jump up from the couch, cheering as they surround you two for a group hug. Namjoon’s success put everyone in a good mood for the rest of the day, and all preparation for the concert went smoothly.

Standing in the front row of their concert, you watch as they perform, doing what they do best. When it comes to an end, they take a moment to talk to ARMYs and tell them how much they love them. Suddenly, the camera focuses on Namjoon as his face appears on the big screen. “I love you!” he yells, pulling his necklace out as forms a finger heart with his thumb and index finger, holding the ring between them. No one else paid it a second thought, but you knew it was meant for you. Not caring that he couldn’t hear you, you yell back from the crowd, “I love you too!”

A few months ago, you would have never imagined that giving your ticket to a stranger would lead to you meeting the love of your life. But the necklace hanging around your neck and the promise it held was enough for you to know that you were where you were meant to be.

cold shoulder

Summary: Yoongi suddenly starts giving you the cold shoulder, causing you to distance yourself from him and the rest of the members. But the reason behind his behaviour is not what you think.

Yoongi x f!reader

Genre: angst to fluff, hurt/comfort

WC: 4.5k

Watching BTS perform through a screen was entertaining and exciting. Watching them perform live was magical and an experience you would never forget. Watching them perform up close from the wings of the stage was a privilege that came with being Yoongi’s girlfriend, and one you would forever be grateful for.

Of course, you weren’t just dating Yoongi to watch their concerts, you loved him inside and out, the good and the bad, the idol side of him and the real side of him. And no matter how many times you watched them practice, rehearse and perform their songs, you would never get tired of watching them do what they loved.

As you stared out of the wings, you were so captivated by their performance, passion dripping from their bodies as they sang their hearts out. They were all amazing performers, each of them having their own unique set of skills and talents, but your eyes were drawn to the one who held your heart. You couldn’t tear your eyes away from Yoongi, hanging onto every word and syllable he spat out. He was a completely different person on stage, and although you loved all sides of him, his wild side never failed to excite you.

You were so absorbed in their performances that you didn’t realize it was over until they bowed and thanked their fans, and you excitedly waited to congratulate them on yet another excellent concert. 

You help the staff hand out water bottles as they step into the wings, all with pleased but exhausted smiles on their faces. As soon as everyone has had a drink and a chance to catch their breath, you engulf Yoongi in a big hug. 

You wrap your arms around his neck as you hug him tightly. Overflowing with excitement, you don’t notice how he doesn’t hug you back, arms hanging limply by his side.

“You guys were so amazing out there!” you praise them as you peer over Yoongi’s shoulder. You were so proud of everything they’ve accomplished and you were unable to contain your excitement as you began to ramble on about them. “You guys did the dances perfectly! And it was so cool when-” you were suddenly cut off when Yoongi roughly shoved you off of him.

Stumbling back, you look up at him, confused and hurt, but he doesn’t meet your gaze, staring at the floor instead. The rest of the members’ eyes widen as they exchange glances with each other, bewildered by Yoongi’s actions. 

It was like a slap in the face when he pushed you away. Yes, sometimes he would reject hugs from you or the rest of the members, but he always did it in a lighthearted and joking way. This time, it was different; almost hostile.

You stare at Yoongi, begging for him to look at you, to give you some sort of explanation. But his gaze doesn’t move from the floor. Sensing the tension in the room, Namjoon quickly steps in. “Thanks y/n. You’ve been by our side since the beginning and we really appreciate your support,” he says with a smile. 

You return the smile, trying to act like Yoongi’s actions didn’t bother you. “Of course! I’ll always be here!” you tell them. “You guys always do great, but today was even better if that’s even possible. Like when Jimin did that jump? I’ve seen it so many times but it still amazes me every time!” you exclaim.

Jimin laughs as he covers his face with his hand to hide his blush. You continue to shower them with compliments because today was about them, but that moment keeps replaying in the back of your mind. You know Yoongi isn’t the most affectionate person in the world and he values his personal space, but he usually doesn’t mind hugs from you or the rest of Bangtan. Actually, he loves them, he just acts as if he hates them. So what was different about today? 

As you continue to praise the rest of the members, your eyes keep wandering over to Yoongi. You look him up and down, scanning his form to try and figure out what was bothering him, but you fail to find anything.

When he doesn’t even spare you a glance, you let out a sigh of defeat. You tell yourself that he’s just tired, but another part of you keeps coming up with worse reasons for why he’s acting this way. Were you too loud? Did he find you annoying? Did he not love you anymore?

Realizing you were jumping to conclusions, you try to shake those thoughts from your head. But no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t stop thinking about him. Seeing the gears turning in your head, Namjoon is quick to pull you out of your thoughts. He ruffles your hair as he gives you a reassuring smile, silently asking if you’re okay. You just nod and give him the most convincing smile you can manage, but everyone could tell that it was forced.

As the members change and get ready to leave the venue, you wait outside the dressing room in the hall. You sigh as you close your eyes and lean your head back against the wall, slowly sliding down until you were seated on the floor. Resting your chin on your knees, you stare blankly at the floor in front of you as you let your thoughts run free.

You tune out the muffled voices coming from inside the dressing room as you replay that moment over and over again inside your head. Yoongi seemed happy when he exited the stage, but as soon as you hugged him, it seemed like his whole mood changed. He didn’t seem upset with the other members, just you. Was he angry at you? Had you done something wrong? You start to worry and grow anxious as your thoughts spiral out of control.

In the dressing room, the members try to give Yoongi some space. He was grateful that his fellow members understood him and knew him better than he knew himself. He already regretted pushing you away and he didn’t want to snap at anyone else. But the image of you staring at him, eyes filled with hurt and confusion, keeps flashing through his mind as he carefully changes.

You, along with the rest of the members knew about the accident Yoongi was in when he was a delivery boy, and you often took care of him by getting him ice packs and pain killers whenever it bothered him. But he didn’t tell you every time his shoulder acted up.

Like today, his shoulder felt like it was on fire, but he didn’t want to ruin the joy of another successful concert. The pain was almost unbearable. He was glad he made it through the whole concert, but he couldn’t enjoy it the way he wished, nor could he celebrate it with you and the boys the way you all deserved. His shoulder was already a heavy burden on himself, and he didn’t want it to burden you guys as well, so he tried to hide it from all of you.

Once everyone had changed and refreshed themselves, they make their way out of the dressing room. Spotting you on the ground, Jimin immediately approaches you and crouches down next to you, his caring nature coming out. “Everything okay?” he asks as his eyes dart all over your face, trying to figure out what was troubling you. The rest of the members watch out of the corners of their eyes, brows furrowed in concern.

You muster a small smile and as you nod. “Yeah, I’m fine,” you insist. Today was about them, and you didn’t want to ruin it by troubling them with your relationship issues. The looks on their faces show that they don’t believe you, so you try to calm their worries. Getting up from the floor, you brush your clothes off as you flash them a bigger smile. “Just tired from standing and jumping the whole time. I don’t know how you guys do it, just watching you perform makes me exhausted,” you tell them, trying to change the subject. It seems to have worked as they let it slide, choosing to argue about where to eat as you all head to the van.

You all pile into the vehicle, and you hesitate before deciding to sit next to Yoongi in the back. You’re not sure if he’s upset with you, but you know that communication is important in relationships, and it’s better to confront him about it rather than make assumptions.

You instantly regret it when Yoongi leans away from you once you take a seat next to him. You really didn’t want to ruin their day, but it was hard to hide how upset you were when your own boyfriend seemed so opposed to even being near you. Instead, you lean your head on Jungkook’s shoulder who’s on your other side, opting to pretend like you’re asleep rather than having to force a smile for the rest of the car ride. As if it was second nature, Jungkook wraps his arm around your shoulders, adjusting himself to make sure you were comfortable.

Yoongi feels a pang of jealousy and regret when he looks over to see you leaning on Jungkook’s shoulder. He moved away from you because you were sitting on the same side as his injured shoulder, and every time the car went over a bump in the road, you would knock into it. But now, he‘s starting to think that he would rather endure the pain just to let you lean on his shoulder. He trusts you and Jungkook completely, but he just wishes that it was him you were leaning on instead of somebody else.

Jungkook gently shakes you awake when you arrive at the restaurant, and you quickly thank him before climbing out of the car. Afraid that what happened in the van may repeat, you take a seat beside Jin and J-Hope instead of Yoongi.

You remain silent as they discuss what to order, spacing out and staring blankly at the table. You would be lying if you said that Yoongi’s behaviour didn’t bother you. You had no desire to eat as you were too focused on trying to figure out what you had done to upset him. 

You’re pulled out of your thoughts when you feel a tap on your shoulder. Your eyes meet J-Hope’s concerned ones as he asks, “What do you want to eat?” Forgetting where you were for a moment, you just stare blankly at him before snapping back to reality. “Oh right. I’m actually not that hungry, so I’ll just have whatever you guys get,” you tell him. “Are you sure?” he asks with a frown. When he only receives a nod from you, he reluctantly gives their order and the menus to the waiter.

“Have some pork.”

“Do you want chicken?”

“The noodles are good! Try some.”

“Do you want more?”

Although you didn’t have much of an appetite, you ended up eating more than you anticipated because you were seated between Jin and J-Hope, who kept placing more food on your plate and telling you to eat more. You insisted you weren’t very hungry, but it seemed they knew you better than you knew yourself since you finished everything they put on your plate.

From across the table, Yoongi’s heart was warmed as he watched Jin and J-Hope fill your plate. He felt remorseful about how he treated you, but he also felt reassured that the members would take care of you when he couldn’t.

You left the restaurant with a full stomach, feeling a little better than when you arrived. Once you reach home, Yoongi immediately retreats into your shared room, shutting the door behind him. You felt defeated as you desperately stared at the door, hoping that it would open and Yoongi would come out. Communication was vital in relationships, and being left in the dark led to assumptions and mistrust. Not knowing what you did wrong was eating you up, but he had made it very clear that he didn’t want to talk to you. 

You’re brought back to reality when you feel a hand on your shoulder. You turn to find Taehyung looking down at you sympathetically, the rest of the members giving you pitiful smiles. You return a small smile as you shrug. You trusted that if it really was important, he would talk to you about it. But at the same time, you couldn’t just sit still and wait for him to come to you. So you decide to watch a movie with the maknae line to pass time, and afterward, you would try talking to him again.

You don’t end up recalling a single thing that happened in the movie. You spent the whole time worrying about confronting Yoongi that you couldn’t focus on the film, and by the time the credits start rolling, it’s 10 pm. As you stand from the couch, Jimin encourages you with a smile. “Fighting,” he says as he holds his fists up. Jungkook and Taehyung mirror the action as you give them a grateful smile. Mentally preparing yourself, you take a few deep breaths as you stand outside your shared room with Yoongi.

You knock on the door, and you open it when you get a hum of acknowledgement from inside. You poke your head into the room to find Yoongi sitting on the bed, drying his hair with one hand. When he doesn’t show any signs of being unhappy to see you, you take it as a sign to move closer.

You walk in and take a seat on the bed next to him, leaving a small space between you two. “Hey,” you start. He turns his head to look at you, making that :] face at you. “You did great today,” you tell him, “Like always.” Flustered, he continues to rub his hair with the towel as he looks away. “Thanks,” he takes a pause, “And thanks for coming today, like always. I don’t know what I would do without you,” he says sincerely.

You smile happily as he seems relaxed now. He must’ve just been tired earlier, you think. “Of course! I’ll always be here for you,” you tell him as you take the hand that he wasn’t using to dry his hair. Your smile drops as soon as he pulls his hand away from you. He suddenly stands from the bed and walks over to the closet, putting a jacket on with a grimace on his face. “I’m going to the studio,” he says over his shoulder. “I’ll be back later, don’t wait for me.” A nod is all you can manage as he quickly leaves the room, not even sparing you a second glance.

It seems you spoke too soon when you thought that everything was fine. You noticed that he made a strange face as soon as you touched him, and he seemed eager to get away from you. 

In fact, what Yoongi wanted the most was to let you cuddle him and praise him and just be close to him. But he knew he wouldn’t be able to hide his shoulder from you if he let you get too close to him. He wasn’t even sure why he was going so far to hide it. He just wished the pain would go away, and it felt like if he acted like it wasn’t there, it would go away sooner.

But to you, it seemed like he was repulsed by you, or at least by your touch. You began to feel a little self-conscious. Were you clingy? Did the other members find you clingy as well? They always returned your affections, but what if they were just being nice? Would they start avoiding you too?

Throwing all rationale out the window, you come to the conclusion that your overbearing affection was what was pushing Yoongi away. And you were afraid that if you didn’t tone it down a little, you would end up pushing the other members away too. It wasn’t easy, since you were always super affectionate with them, but throughout the week, you try to hold back on being overly affectionate or clingy, afraid that they may find you annoying.

One evening, all the members were piled on the couch watching TV and sharing snacks. Normally you would join them on the couch or on Yoongi’s lap, packed like a can of sardines, but you wanted to give them space, so you chose to take a seat on the floor in front of the couch instead.  J-Hope looked at you with furrowed brows. “Isn’t the floor uncomfortable y/n? There’s space here for you,” he tells you as he pats a spot on the couch.

You turn and give him a smile, simply shaking your head no. “It’s okay, I’m fine here.” You turn back around to face the TV, so you fail to notice the frown that forms on his face as he looks at the others in confusion.

It didn’t take long for the rest of the members to notice the change in your behaviour. They were already watching you closely to make sure you were okay since Yoongi was giving everyone the cold shoulder, and their worry only grew when you started to become a little more distant as well. They tried to be more affectionate with you to make up for all the hugs and cuddles Yoongi wasn’t giving you, and to try and get you to open up to them. But it only served to confuse them more when you happily returned their affection, yet you still remained distant from them.

Since the tour was over, Yoongi was able to take the time he needed to rest and recover. After just two or three days, the pain had mostly faded to just a dull ache. Everything was back to normal; almost everything.

Yoongi always acted like he hated affection and as a result, he refused to openly ask for any. Instead, when he wanted a hug or a kiss, he would just stand there and stare at you expectantly. You had grown to learn and pick up on the signs, and you were more than happy to give him what he wanted.

But recently, you weren’t picking up on the signs, or at least you weren’t acknowledging them. You weren’t giving him anything at all. Whenever he was near you, he waited for you to lean on him, or hug him, or at least hold his hand since you loved to play with his hands, but you never did.

You didn’t indulge in the other members either unless they engaged first. It was strange to all of them since you were normally a very upfront and affectionate person, something they all loved about you. But you were still your happy and cheery self, which confused them even more.

Yoongi was starting to feel touch-starved and almost a bit neglected. He knew he was being childish, and he should just ask if he really wanted your attention. But not knowing why you were acting this way bothered him. It was normal for him to sometimes drawback because he wasn’t always super affection or extroverted. But you were, and he couldn’t help but worry that something was wrong.

One night, as you and Yoongi laid in bed, Yoongi stared longingly at you as you slept with your back facing him. You guys always used to cuddle each other to sleep, but recently, you’ve been staying to your side of the bed. Before meeting you, he didn’t get much sleep, since he often fell asleep late at night and woke up early in the morning. Holding you in his arms brought him great comfort, and it never failed to help him get a good night’s sleep. He let out a sigh before staring up at the ceiling, preparing for yet another restless night.

The next day, Yoongi woke up feeling especially tired and fatigued due to the lack of proper sleep. He tried to sleep in but failed, and he finally got out of bed around noon. He groggily dragged himself out of your room and into the kitchen to find you pouring a cup of coffee.

“Good morning!” you greeted him cheerfully. “Or should I say afternoon?” you add with a giggle as you hand him the cup. You turn back around as you start to prepare brunch. A small smile forms on his face as he takes a sip from the cup. Two of his favourite things in the world, you and coffee, all within an arm’s reach. 

Still half asleep, he places the cup down on the counter before moving behind you and wrapping his arms around your waist, resting his chin on your shoulder. Yoongi was most affectionate and clingy when he was tired, something you found incredibly endearing about him.

You freeze and the knife almost slips from your grip when you feel his arms snake around your waist. You’ve been so self-conscious about being overly affectionate and it had just been so long since you’ve hugged him, or anyone, that you forgot how to act.

He feels you stiffen beneath him and he pulls away, brows furrowing in confusion. He tries to rub the sleep out of his eyes with one hand, and his eyes widen in concern when you look like you’re about to cry.

“Y/n?” he asks a little panicked, “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” He immediately starts scanning your body for any injuries. You shake your head no as you place the knife down on the counter. He lets out a breath of relief before staring at you in confusion.

You turn around to face him and hesitate before asking, “Can I hug you?” His eyes soften when you ask so timidly, and his heart aches when you look like you expect him to say no. He’s quick to pull you into a hug, letting you rest your forehead on his shoulder. “What’s wrong?” he asks gently as he cradles your head against his chest. You shrug as you wrap your arms around his waist, burying your face further into his chest. “I just missed you,” you say, voice a little watery.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” he asks with a frown.

He feels relieved to know you missed him as much as he missed you, but he doesn’t understand why you held yourself back. You were always open about your feelings, something he was still trying to learn from you, and it was unlike you to hide things from him.

You hesitate to tell him, but you know that all this happened in the first place because you guys didn’t communicate well with each other. “I thought you wanted space. Whenever I came near you, you would move away,” you explained with a pout.

He felt a pang of guilt, realizing you were bottling up all your feelings and blaming yourself when he was at fault. He combs his fingers through your hair, trying to comfort you as he places a light kiss on the top of your head. “You didn’t do anything wrong. My shoulder was acting up after the last concert and I tried to hide it from all of you,” he confessed.

It was your turn to frown as you pull away to look up at him. “Why did you hide it from us?” you ask with furrowed brows. He rubs the back of his neck as he gazes out the window above the sink to avoid eye contact. “I didn’t want to ruin it,” he says.

You smack him on his good shoulder, scolding him for being ridiculous. “Ruin what? Your shoulder?!” you berate him, angry that he didn’t let you help him. He looks at you like a guilty puppy, and you can’t help but sigh as you feel your anger fade away. No matter what, you could never stay mad at him.

“You know, you don’t have to feel guilty about relying on us. We’re here for you and we want to help you,” you tell him. “You’ve already been so strong, having to deal with the pain all these years. Let us take some of that weight off your shoulders,” you say, grinning as you raise your eyebrows at him.

He smirks and rolls his eyes at your pun. “You’ve been talking to Jin Hyung too much,” he says.

“Maybe,” you admit. “But seriously, promise you’ll at least tell me if it ever starts hurting again? I know you don’t want to worry them, and I understand because you’re all so busy, but I’m here for you.”

You look at him expectantly with big, pleading eyes, and he can’t resist your adorable face as he gives in with a small smile. “Okay, I promise,” he says as he raises his hands in defeat.

You smile happily as you pull him into another hug. “I’ll be your shoulder to lean on whenever you need!” you say with a laugh. He scoffs and jokingly pushes you away. “Enough! No more dad jokes!” he cries.

You clutch your stomach as you double over in laughter. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” you half-heartedly apologize. Once your laughter dies down, you turn back to the counter to finish preparing the food. As he drinks his coffee and leans on the counter, he can’t help but smile as he stares at you. Through the window, the sun’s rays shine down on you, perfectly highlighting the features of your face.

He moves next to you, about to help you make brunch. You expect him to grab a spatula or something to start cooking, but he remains completely still. You look at him with a raised eyebrow, wondering what he was doing before bursting into a fit of giggles.

Yoongi was just standing there, staring at you with big puppy eyes and an adorable pout, waiting expectantly for a kiss. Not wanting to keep him waiting any longer, you laugh as you place the knife back down on the counter. Gently taking his face in your hands, you place a short but sweet kiss on his lips. His lips instantly curve into a smile before he bends down to steal another kiss from you. “I love you,” he mumbles.

“I love you too,” you say. He sighs happily as he wraps his arms around your form, melting in your embrace. It felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders, and he was finally able to relax knowing that he could lean on you when things got tough.

thought you were different | pt. 2

ot7 x f!reader

Genre: angst to fluff

WC: 3k

Author’s note: there’s a couple puns in this one so sorry not sorry 😂 but thank u to all those who asked for a part 2 and thank u for waiting! i hope you like it!!

part 1

Not much had changed about you since the incident with BTS, at least nothing too noticeable. You were still known for your kindness and generosity, but you had lost your light. It was hard to see unless you took a closer look, and only those who were close to you would be able to notice. You were good at acting like everything was okay so no one had any suspicions that something was wrong.

Your smile was still warm and welcoming, but the eyes are the windows to the soul. Your eyes that used to shine as bright as the stars had become dull; they were sad and empty. But they were easy to hide behind close-eyed smiles.

A part of you died when BTS walked out of your life, but life goes on. Although you wish you could be there by their side, you still supported them from the sidelines by playing their songs in your cafe and making limited-time, BTS themed treats and desserts.

A bittersweet smile formed on your face as you pressed the two shells together to form another macaron. You added coloured details to make the shells look like BT21 characters. They were a big hit in your cafe so you made them quite often, but it caused many memories to resurface.

You missed their presence dearly. They never failed to make you laugh and just thinking about them made you smile. You kept up with news about BTS and you were happy to see that they were finally getting the recognition they deserved. They were doing well and they seemed happy so you were content with the memories you had of the boys.  You’re shaken from your thoughts when you hear someone enter the cafe, and you head to the counter to tend to your customers.

You were wrong to think that the members of BTS were happy without you. They missed you too. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t forget your warm smile or your contagious laugh. And they still supported your business too. They would send staff to pick up drinks and snacks from your cafe in place of them.

One day, they were called to an unexpected meeting at Big Hit Entertainment. As the members filed into the room, the staff laid out a series of photos taken of them in your cafe. “What’s this?” Namjoon asks while picking up a photo to take a closer look. “A news reporter had been stalking you guys and following you around,” a staff member explains, “she was caught stalking other idols as well and these were found in her possession.” 

Yoongi’s eyebrows furrow as he looks at you in the photo. Seeing photos of you reminded the members of just how much they missed you. Work and their busy schedules were good distractions for them, but they couldn’t avoid remembering you and your cafe when they looked at the pictures.

It was hard to stop seeing you, especially because not all of the members agreed. Jin, Jimin and J-Hope fought hard for you because they didn’t believe that you would do something like that. But in the end, they all complied to stop seeing you, not because they believed you would do such a thing, but because they trusted Yoongi. Yoongi had no reason to lie about you. If anything, he was the most hurt because he was one of the closest to you.

But now they were questioning if that was the right choice. “Hyung...” Jungkook starts, “Do you think maybe...?” Yoongi cuts him off, “There’s no way she could have known. V was with me that day and no one else was in the cafe.” Taehyung nods before saying, “She was acting weird even though it was empty, but I still don’t think it’s because we told her. She was hiding something.” 

They stand in heavy silence. They’re not sure what to do, but they’re hopeful that maybe they were wrong and the friendship they had with you was genuine. 

“I’ll go see her,” Jimin says finally, not leaving any room for argument. Along with Yoongi, he was one of the closest to you because they had known you the longest. He was probably also the one who fought the hardest for you, and he wanted to prove your innocence. For a while, there was tension between him and Yoongi because they didn’t agree. But eventually they sorted it out because Jimin knew Yoongi wouldn’t lie about something like this, he was just as hurt as he was.

By the time practice is over that day, it’s almost your closing time but Jimin decides to visit you anyway. It’s now Winter so he’s able to cover his face with a scarf. As he walks towards your cafe, he spots you standing out in the cold in nothing but your uniform, holding the door open to let a couple of homeless people into your cafe. “Please come in. I’ll get you something hot to drink right away,” he hears you say before you follow them inside. 

When he steps into your cafe, you’re serving them drinks as well as all the leftover desserts from that day. “I’m sorry this is all that’s left,” you say while smiling sadly. The person sitting in front of you shakes their head and smiles at you, “Bless your soul.” 

Once you finish serving them, you turn to Jimin and bow. You’re unable to recognize him as his hood is covering his eyes and a scarf is covering almost half of his face. “How can I help you?” you ask. He orders tea since it was already late and he takes a seat at the counter to observe you.

He frowns a little bit when you’re silent as you make his drink. Usually, you would sing or hum as you did your thing. He assumed that you were just tired since it was past closing time. 

You place the cup of tea down in front of him with a smile before walking around the counter to start cleaning the tables. He strikes up a conversation with you, trying to find out how you’ve been and what you’ve been up to, but you somehow avoid the topic and make the conversation about him. 

By the time he finishes his tea, the cafe is empty except for you two. Sighing frustratedly, he places the empty teacup down and pays for it. You look up at him concerned, “Is everything alright?” He nods silently at you before bidding you good night and heading home.

You continue to clean and lock up before heading to bed, exhausted from acting happy when you really felt empty and incomplete.

When Jimin arrives home, he updates everyone on how you’ve been. “I don’t know anything, really. She didn’t talk much,” he says with a frown, “She seems really tired and, I don’t know. Something’s a little off.” Any other customer of yours would’ve thought your behaviour was completely normal, but you used to be such close friends with BTS; they could notice a small change in your demeanour from a mile away. 

“I hope she’s been taking care of herself properly,” Namjoon says. “Me too,” Jimin agrees, “She’s always looking out for others that she forgets to look after herself,” he says as he remembers the homeless people from earlier. “I always told her to stop being so kind. Someone’s going to take advantage of it one day,” Yoongi adds. “Let’s just check up on her once in a while, try to get her to open up,” Jin suggests. The rest of them agree before heading to bed. 

So far, their plan wasn’t going so well. Whenever any of them had free time, they would visit your cafe, check up on you, and try to find out what’s wrong. It’s been almost two weeks and they’ve made no progress. No matter what they tried, you wouldn’t open up to them, not even a little bit. You honestly deserved an award for how good you were at avoiding the topic of yourself. You made it so much harder for them to bring up the topic of BTS and ask you about it when you wouldn’t even talk about how your day was going. 

Although they didn’t get any verbal answer from you, they could guess how you’ve been just from watching you. Your loss of light and happiness didn’t go unnoticed by them. They can’t help but feel guilty for not being there for you when you need them most and they feel helpless when they’re unable to do anything while watching you lose yourself.

But the universe appeared to be on their side. In honour of their Grammy nomination, you were selling special BTS cupcakes to celebrate their success. When Jin spotted them in the display case, he saw an opening and he took it.

Sitting at the counter, he asks you, “So, you like BTS?” “I love them,” you answer right away. He nods before continuing, “My friend has always wanted to meet them. Have you ever met them?” he asks before taking a sip of his drink.

You hesitate before answering, “Actually, yeah I have. We used to be good friends,” you say with a sad smile. His eyes widen as he acts surprised, “Really? You were friends with BTS?” You laugh at his reaction before nodding in confirmation, “Yes. They’re so humble and kind. They’re really just,” you pause to try and find the right words to describe them, “such great people, inside and out. They truly deserve the world.” 

For a moment, Jin swears he can see the light in your eyes as you talk about them, but it quickly fades. “If you don’t mind me asking,” he starts carefully, “Why aren’t you friends with them anymore?” You laugh awkwardly and run a hand through your hair, “It’s a long story.” 

“I have time,” he answers, maybe a bit too quickly. You hesitate, unsure if you should tell him, but for some reason you feel so compelled to open up to the customer. You pause, trying to think of where to start. “Honestly, when I first met them I didn’t even know who they were. They’re so humble and they’re just such genuine people, you’d have no idea they were actually celebrities,” you smile as you recall memories of your early days of meeting them. 

“But there are some cruel people out there,” you say as your smile falters. Your voice gets a little watery as you explain, “I had to choose between my friendship with them and their reputation. And it definitely wasn’t easy but, I would never forgive myself if I let my own selfish wants ruin their image and everything they’ve worked for,” you pause to take a deep breath to calm yourself down. “They were so kind to me and I love them so much. But I had to let them go,” you say as your voice cracks. Getting emotional, you quickly apologize and excuse yourself as you run into the kitchen to compose yourself.

Once you disappear behind the door frame, Jin curses out loud. Their suspicions were correct; you knew about the photos. You called them humble, but you were the most humble person they’ve ever met. You let them go, not only because you cared for them, but because you thought it was only your loss. You didn’t realize how much you meant to them, and that made Jin’s heart ache.

He feels guilty for even considering that you actually cared about their status as idols and he wishes he fought harder for you. He sends a quick text to the group chat before getting up from his seat.

Namjoon is the first one to see the message from Jin, and as soon as he sees it, he rushes out of his room to tell everyone. He quickly knocks on everyone’s door, yelling for them to come out.

As soon as everyone’s out of their rooms, he simply says, “It’s y/n.” Everyone immediately rushes to put their jackets and boots on before they’re out the door and running to your cafe.

As you lean against the wall and take a few deep breaths to calm yourself down, you question why you told him. You promised yourself that you wouldn’t open up to anyone ever again, yet you couldn’t help but want to pour your heart out to that customer. They almost seemed familiar. 

Once you had composed yourself again, you step out of the kitchen to find the customer standing in front of the register. You bow to him. “Sorry for the wait,” you say with an apologetic smile. The customer shakes his head as he reaches for his hat. Your eyes widen when he takes his hat off. Jin.

You freeze when your eyes meet and you’re unable to speak. Jin moves around the counter and pulls you into his embrace, comforting you as you start to cry into his chest. You were so glad that he finally knew the truth, but then you remembered who caused all this in the first place. Afraid that she could still be watching, you try to pull away, “Jin, we can’t. If she comes back-” He interrupts you, “She was caught. That’s why we came back.”

A wave of relief washes over you as you crumble in his arms. He sways side to side as he rubs your back comfortingly. “Why are you crying?” he asks with a laugh. “Are you not happy to see me?” he says jokingly. That only makes you cry harder. “Okay okay!” he laughs at his failed attempts at cheering you up and strokes your hair gently, “It’s okay, don’t cry.”

Suddenly, the door burst open and six more men push their way inside. As soon as they spot you and Jin, they quickly rush over to you two. Jin releases you to let the others hug you, and Jimin is the first to reach you. He pulls you into his embrace and lets you cry on his shoulder while everyone joins the hug. “Y/nnnnn!” J-Hope cries dramatically, “We’re so sorry!”

They all felt so guilty. You had been nothing but kind and genuine to them and yet they still doubted you. They felt like they didn’t deserve your forgiveness.

Eventually, everyone reluctantly lets go and gives you some space. Well, almost everyone. Taehyung continues to hug you from behind while resting his chin on your shoulder. Jimin releases you, but he only takes a step back so he can look at you.

He stands in front of you and bends down to look you in the eye. He gently holds your face in his hands and wipes away your tears, “We missed you so much,” he says. You finally smile a real smile as you say, “Me too.” Namjoon affectionately ruffles your hair. “There’s that million dollar smile,” he says with a laugh. Jungkook pouts at you, “You’re so mean y/n. You hid that smile from us for so long.” 

You smile apologetically at him before you feel a hand take ahold of yours. You look at your hand, and your eyes follow the unknown sleeve until your eyes meet Yoongi’s. You can see the guilt swimming in his eyes as he stares at you, “I’m sorry for everything I said. I was just-” 

“It’s okay,” you cut him off, “You guys have to be careful and you were just trying to protect them. I understand.” Taehyung laughs, “You’re right Hyung, she is too nice,” he says. “Yeah,” Jin whines, “Yell at Yoongi or something, he always scolds us!”

Thinking about the news reporter, you ask, “Is she really gone?” Namjoon nods in confirmation, “She was caught stalking other idols. She won’t be a problem anymore.” Yoongi’s eyes darken at the mention of her, “She’s lucky she wasn’t caught by me. I swear-” “Okay that’s enough. She’s gone now so don’t worry about it,” Namjoon quickly cuts him off.

“How have you been?” J-Hope asks while staring at you worriedly. The rest of them look at you with concerned eyes, “Yeah, whenever we stopped by, you looked sad,” Taehyung says. “And tired,” Jungkook adds. “You better have been taking care of yourself!” Jin yells.

You just laugh and try to wave off their worries, “I’m okay, really,” you say. But the looks on their faces show that they don’t believe you. “Life was just hard without my usual taste testers,” you joke. “Are we only taste testers to you?” Jimin asks as he acts offended. You roll your eyes playfully. 

“You should have seen when Yoongi told us. Jimin looked like he was about to cry!”  J-Hope laughs while pointing at Jimin. Jimin raises his eyebrows at J-Hope. “Hm?” he says while tilting his head and staring intensely at J-Hope.“If I’m not mistaken, you were the one who cried the most when Yoongi came back!” he says while pointing back at him accusingly. They erupted into an argument about who was the most sad or the most angry and you couldn’t help but laugh at their bickering.

You felt complete.

And when they finally stop arguing, you hear Jimin say smugly, “I told you she was different.”

tags: @yzkyzkuniverse

That yoongi shoulder fic, I cried, I'm soft, I stayed up am extra 30mins reading it and I work tomorrow

Oh no, u cried? I’m sorry about that 😂 But who needs sleep when Yoongi fics and coffee exist? Jk take a nap or something after work your health is important too :)

dancing with a stranger

Summary: You’re introduced as Jimin’s duet partner for the school recital, and Hoseok already doesn’t like you. When he discovers that you were the same person he’s been dancing with underground, what happens when he realizes he’s been dancing with a stranger all along?

Hoseok x f!reader

Genre: fluff + angst

WC: 14.6k

Author’s note: for legal reasons reader is in her last year of high school but is already 18.

You nervously tap your foot on the ground as you watch the floor number slowly come to a stop above the elevator doors. The elevator opens with a ding before you step out into the hallway that leads to BTS’ practice room. You were a student at Seoul’s School of Performing Arts, specializing in ballet and contemporary dance. Your mother was a talented ballerina when she was younger, and your parents wanted you to follow in her footsteps. They raised you to be a professional, and it showed in your dance as well as your daily behaviour.

For the school’s annual recital, you were assigned a contemporary duet with your classmate, Park Jimin. While he was an excellent contemporary dancer, he was also a newly debuted idol, which is why you were currently at BigHit Entertainment after school to accommodate his busy schedule. You were actually quite lucky to get partnered with Jimin out of all people. You dedicated your whole life to dance, and as a result, you didn’t have much time for friends. Jimin and Taehyung were the only ones in your class who went out of their way to try and befriend you, and although you were still far from being friends, acquaintances at most, you were glad to be partners with Jimin.

Standing outside their practice room, you can hear muffled music through the door and you can feel the beats through the floor. Not wanting to interrupt their practice, you wait for the song to finish before knocking on the door. An out of breath Jimin answers the door as he welcomes you with a big smile. “Y/n!” he exclaims, “You’re here! Come in,” he says as he opens the door wider for you. You give him a stiff smile as you slightly bow your head and enter the room. There were six other boys in the room, one who you recognized was Taehyung, breathing heavily as they sat on the floor, recovering from their practice.

You look back at Jimin over your shoulder, “Am I interrupting something?” you ask. He shakes his head as he walks past you to grab a cup of water, “Not at all! We just finished,” he assures you, but you find it hard to believe as you look at the six other heavily panting boys. “You must be tired. I can come back another time-” you start, but Jimin quickly shuts you down. “No, no! It’s okay, I’m ready to go!” he says energetically. You give him a skeptical look, but he shows no signs of being tired. If anything, he seems eager to get started. Nodding, you give in, placing your bag on the floor. “Oh! I almost forgot, let me introduce you guys,” he says as he grabs your hand and pulls you towards the rest of the boys. Your cheeks flush slightly, not used to the contact. “You already know Tae, but these are my Hyungs and the maknae of our group,” he says as he motions to all the boys. Each one introduces themselves, giving you a smile or a wave as they tell you their names.

“Guys, this is y/n, she’s a classmate of mine and Tae’s and she’s the best dancer in our year!” Jimin introduces you proudly. You don’t acknowledge his compliment as you just bow towards them. “Do you mind if we watch you practice?” Taehyung asks, to which you respond with a shake of your head. Taehyung raises a small fist in victory, taking a seat in front of the mirror and leaning back to watch you and Jimin practice. The rest of the boys sit next to Taehyung, interested in watching your practice as well.

After hearing from Jimin and Taehyung about how amazing of a dancer you were, they were excited to meet you, and they couldn’t take their eyes off of you. You were just as they said: perfect. Your timing was exact and your technique was impeccable, but your face was blank and your eyes were empty as you went through the motions. Just from watching your expression, or rather your lack of expression while dancing, one would think that you hated dance. But your lack of emotions didn’t take away from your dance. It added a dark, almost sad beauty to your almost robotic but flawless performance.

“What do you think?” Jimin asks once the song ends, and all the boys clap for the two of you. “It was great,” Namjoon says as he smiles and nods approvingly. Hoseok stands with a huge smile, clapping excitedly before patting Jimin on the back, “Woah Jimin! Great job!” he says proudly. Jimin’s face lights up as he hugs Hoseok and turns to the boys. “Hobi Hyung said I did good!” he says with shining eyes. After all, Hoseok was their dance leader and all the boys admired him greatly. There was no better feeling than getting praise from him. “You did well too, y/n,” Namjoon compliments you, “It was perfect.” You simply nod in thanks before calling Jimin over, going over small details you wanted to change or correct. Hoseok frowns at how you brushed off Namjoon’s compliment. They all knew you were good, but you could’ve at least shown some gratitude, he thought. He didn’t know how much you despised the word “perfect,” or how much pressure it put on you because that was all that was expected from you.

After about two hours of practice, you notice Jimin’s movements were starting to grow sloppy due to fatigue, so you decide to call it a day. Taehyung hands you a cup of water with his boxy smile. “Thank you,” you mumble as you take the cup from his hands. “Are you going now?” Taehyung asks. You simply nod as you throw away the now empty paper cup. “Are your parents here to pick you up?” Namjoon asks. “I take the bus,” you answer shortly.

Jin grabs his keys before getting up from his spot on the floor, “I’ll drive you home. We can’t have you walking alone this late.” You shake your head as you thank him for the offer but politely decline. “I can manage,” you say. They frown as you step out into the hallway. They didn’t want you to walk alone when it was already dark, and they were worried for your safety. “Are you sure? It’s really no big deal,” Yoongi tries once more. “I’m sure,” you say with a nod, “Thank you for the offer, and thank you for having me,” you say politely. “Alright, good night y/n. Stay safe,” Namjoon waves you off with a small smile.

“At least let us walk you to the bus stop then,” Taehyung insists as he and Jimin follow you into the elevator. “Why couldn’t you just let Jin Hyung drive you? Then we wouldn’t have to worry about you getting home safely,” Jimin asks with a small pout. “I didn’t want to be a bother. It’s alright,” you say with a shrug as you brush off his concerns. “You’re not a bother!” Taehyung insists as they walk with you towards the bus stop. The corners of his lips were slightly downturned, upset that you thought of yourself that way. When you’re about to respond, you see the bus coming down the street. Following your gaze, Jimin spots the bus as well. “Text me when you get home, okay?” Jimin says as the bus comes to a stop in front of you. You nod before you climb into the bus, taking a seat by the window as you put your earphones in. They wave goodbye to you through the window and you wave back with a small smile. 

As the bus pulls away, they remain frozen on the sidewalk, staring at each other with wide eyes. They’ve never seen you smile before. With giddy smiles on their faces, they walk back to the company together, glad that you were starting to warm up to them even if it was just a little bit. And upon reaching home, you also find yourself smiling as you send a quick text to Jimin.

You: I’m home.

The older ones watch from the window of the practice room as Jimin and Taehyung walk you to the bus stop. Hoseok stares at the three of you with a small frown. “What’s wrong?” Yoongi asks him as it was unusual to see Hoseok without a smile plastered on his face. “I don’t like her,” he mumbles as he narrows his eyes, searching for anything off about you. The way you acted was forced and he could tell you weren’t who you pretended to be. He was wary of you because he didn’t know what your intentions were and he didn’t want the younger ones to get hurt by you.

You’re surprised when you find Jimin, Taehyung and Jungkook waiting for you by the school’s gates the next morning. “Good morning y/n!” they greet you brightly. “Good morning,” you wave back with a shy smile. Jimin and Taehyung walk with you to your classroom, telling you funny stories about them and their Hyungs. During your lunch break, they drag their chairs over to your desk. “Can we sit with you?” Jimin asks, holding his lunch in hand. You’re slightly surprised by their request, but you agree nonetheless. You nod as you clear your desk to create enough space for them. “Nice!” Taehyung says with a smile as he high fives Jimin before taking a seat around your desk.

You notice them staring at your lunch as you eat silently, and you raise an eyebrow at them. “Do you want some?” you ask as you point at your food. They both nod fervently as you take a piece and place one in each of their lunches. “Did you make this?” Taehyung asks you with wide eyes as you nod. “It’s good!” he compliments you. “Thank you,” you say with a giggle as you use your thumb to wipe away a few stray crumbs near the corner of his mouth. Jimin says something inaudible as his mouth was still full of food. You smile at how cute he looks with his cheeks puffed out with food. After chewing and swallowing, Jimin takes a piece from his lunch and places it in yours. “Here, try it. Jin Hyung made it for us, he’s a great cook too!” They stare at you, awaiting your reaction as you chew the food. “It’s good,” you say with an approving smile. They smile back at you, and you wordlessly place more of your food in their lunches as they do the same for you.

Jimin and Taehyung stay at your desk even after you’ve all finished eating as they wait for the next period to start. Jimin places his elbow on your desk as he leans his chin on his hand. “You don’t talk much, do you?” he asks, studying you closely. You shrug as you move your gaze to your desk, feeling a little self conscious under his intense gaze. “You should talk more. Namjoon Hyung always tells us how important it is to speak yourself. Jungkook used to be super shy too, but Tae helped him break out of his shell,” he tells you as he wraps an arm around Taehyung’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll get you to talk more too!” Taehyung promises with a smile. You nod, trying to follow their advice as you mumble a small, “Okay.”

At the end of the day, you part ways with the three maknaes by the school gate. “See you later y/n!” Jimin waves to you as they start walking towards Big Hit. You wave back before walking in the opposite direction towards your home. Unlocking the door, you drop your bag onto the floor as you head into the kitchen to grab a snack. As you munch on your snack, you think about the last time you went to practice with Jimin at his company building. All the boys had just finished their own practice and they stayed hours later to practice again once you left. With that in mind, you start preparing some snacks for them as well, placing them in the fridge for later. Around 5 pm, you put your homework away, changing into some loose and comfortable clothing to dance in. Packing the snacks into your bag, you lock the door and make your way to the bus stop. 

“Hey y/n!” Jimin greets you with a smile as he opens the door for you. You let out a small, almost inaudible, “Hey,” as you step into the practice room. Just like before, they had just finished their own practice. Offering everyone a wave and a small smile, you place your bag down to take out all the snacks. “I brought some snacks for you guys,” you say as you reach into your bag. As soon as you mention snacks, they all seem to suddenly regain energy, shooting up from their spots on the floor and surrounding you. “Aw, y/n, you’re so sweet!” Jimin says, causing your cheeks to flush slightly. You act nonchalant, telling them you just had a lot of extra snacks at home that you needed to get rid of, but they know that’s far from the truth. They were still a long way from getting you to open up to them, but Jimin and Taehyung could tell that you were already starting to warm up to them. They didn’t know what you had been through to build your walls up so high, but they would be patient with you and take it one step at a time.

You didn’t want to admit it, but they had already wormed their way into your heart a lot faster than you expected, and your resolve was slowly starting to crumble as you let them in more. You give Jimin some time to eat and take a break while you stretch and loosen up. As you diligently warm up in the corner, Namjoon leans over to Jimin. “Is she always like this?” he asks, referring to your silent but caring ways. “She’s like Yoongi Hyung!” Taehyung says with a laugh. “Yah, what’s that supposed to mean,” Yoongi asks accusingly, but everyone knew what Taehyung meant. You acted cold and nonchalant, but you worried for them and took care of them. “It’s okay,” Jimin says as he finishes his last bite, standing from his spot on the floor. “We’ll get her to open up soon,” he says confidently before walking over to you and playfully pulling you to the centre of the practice room. 

“Bye y/n! Get home safe!” the boys bid you goodbye as you head home for the weekend. It was finally Friday, and that meant you would be going out tonight. For the past three years, you’ve been frequenting Hope World, an underground dance club in your area, every Friday night. You loved how wild and free underground dancing was, and despite the risk of getting caught, you found yourself returning to Hope World again and again. It was quite easy to sneak out, as your parents worked until the late hours of the night. As long as you were back before they got home, you would never get caught.

Putting on your bucket hat and a surgical mask, you get on the bus heading to Hope World. You chose to keep your identity hidden, as your parents surely wouldn’t approve if they knew of your whereabouts. But in the underground, no one cared about your background as long as you loved to dance. Arriving at the club, it was loud and energetic as usual, but that was what you loved about the place. The walls were brick, giving a rustic feeling of the underground, and the room was dark with flashing lights, reminding you of a party. A large crowd was formed in the middle of the room, surrounding a pair of dancers who were currently battling it out. You quickly make your way into the crowd, eager to find an opponent and jump into a battle yourself. A while after you leave, Hoseok starts gathering his things as well. “I heard about an underground dance club nearby, I’m going to check it out,” he informs Namjoon. “Alright, have fun,” Namjoon says with a wave. 

As soon as Hoseok steps foot into the club, he’s blown back by the loud music and the wild atmosphere. It was everything you’d expect of an underground dance club and more, and he didn’t realize how much he missed this until now. Spotting the big group of people gathered near the centre of the room, Hoseok moves to the edge of the crowd. He spots two people battling it out, although it wasn’t much of a battle because the two dancers weren’t anywhere near the same level. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the girl with a bucket hat. She was definitely great at hip hop and her popping was good enough to rival his own, but the way she moved was graceful and elegant, the exact opposite of what you expect to find in a place like this.

When the music ends and the crowd cheers, you bow before pulling your opponent in for a hug, patting them on the back and praising their dance. They do the same to you before you step out of the circle and into the crowd, receiving many pats on the shoulder or praises and congratulations. It was your third battle of the night and you had to get back before your parents got home. Your path towards the door is suddenly blocked when a boy around your age stands in front of you. You peer at him from under the rim of your bucket hat, but you can’t see his face as he’s wearing a hat and mask similar to yours. Your interest is already peaked by the mysterious boy, and you pause and wait for him to speak.

“You’re really good at dancing,” he suddenly blurts out. He approached you so confidently, you were surprised by how nervous he sounded. “Thank you,” you say with a laugh. “Are you new here?” you ask him curiously. “Yeah, it’s actually my first time here,” he tells you, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m y/n,” you introduce yourself, holding your hand out for him to shake. “I’m Hope,” he says as he shakes your hand. “Well Hope, I’m sure you’ll fit in fine judging by your name,” you say with a chuckle. “Unfortunately, I have somewhere to be, but I’d love to see what you’ve got. Will you be here next week?” you ask him. He hadn’t decided whether he would be returning or not, but now that you were asking him to, there was no way he wasn’t coming back. “Yeah, of course. I’ll see you next week then?” he asks. “Yup! See you!” you say cheerfully as you wave at him over your shoulder. He raises his hand to wave back, but he doesn’t even get the chance to say goodbye as you’re already out the door.

Your mind wanders back to Hope as you lean your head on the bus window, staring at the passing scenery. You didn’t know much about him, actually, you only knew his name and you didn’t even see him dance, yet there was something familiar about him. You brush it off, thinking it must just be the fact that you two could relate to having to hide your face and identity.

“How was it?” Namjoon asks as Hoseok walks in through the door. “It was cool,” he says as he places his bag down. “Just cool?” Namjoon asks with a raised eyebrow, giving him a knowing look. “Actually,” Hoseok says while running a hand through his hair, “there was this girl. Her name’s y/n, and she’s an amazing dancer. I’ve never seen someone dance like her before,” he tells him. “Y/n?” Namjoon repeats, his mind immediately going to you. Hoseok nods in confirmation. The possibility of you being the same y/n he met at Hope World flashed through his mind for a second, but he simply brushed it off as a coincidence. There was no way the bright, bubbly girl he met at Hope World was the same cold, stoic girl who was Jimin’s duet partner, even your style of dance was completely different. It was impossible, right?

A week ago, they would have never even thought of patting your head or hugging you in fear that they would make you uncomfortable, but you were already starting to warp up to the seven boys. Sometimes you would playfully shove Jungkook’s shoulder, and you didn’t tense up whenever Jimin or Taehyung would randomly hug you or cling to you. You were starting to open up to them, and they couldn’t be more proud of the progress you made.

After practice, you would often stay to do your homework with Jimin and Taehyung. As Jimin was explaining something to Taehyung, your eyes wandered to the mirror. You watch as Hoseok dances freestyle, popping smoothly to the beat and doing a few cool b-boying moves. You were so mesmerized by his dancing that you didn’t notice him staring back at you through the mirror. When your eyes meet his in the mirror, he gives you a cold stare. Intimidated and embarrassed from getting caught staring, you look back down at your papers on the floor.

Ever since you were young, you always yearned for people’s approval, your parents, your teachers, even your peers. Hoseok’s obvious distaste for you bothered you more than you let on. You didn’t know him well, but the way all the members talked about him showed how much they admired him. And it was deserved. From the little dancing you’ve seen from him, during and after your practice with Jimin, you could tell he was a very detailed and seasoned dancer. The more respected a person was, the more you wanted their approval and praise, and the more respected a person was, the more it wounded your confidence when they seemed repulsed by you and only you.

After a long week of school, practicing with Jimin and enduring Hoseok’s glares, you finally made it to Friday once again. You subconsciously find yourself picking out a nice outfit since you know Hope will be there. You mentally scold yourself for trying to impress a boy you just met, but that doesn’t stop you from putting on your best outfit. You see no sign of Hope when you arrive at the club, causing you to deflate slightly. You know that you shouldn’t be this affected by him, but you can’t help the disappointment that sets in.  

Stepping out of the circle after your second battle, you move away from the crowd to catch your breath. A cup of water is suddenly shoved into your hands as you look up to find Hope smiling down at you apologetically. “Sorry I’m late. I got a little caught up with my brothers,” he says sheepishly. You can’t find it in yourself to be upset with him, the disappointment in your chest suddenly replaced by joy and excitement. “No problem, I’m glad you’re here now,” you tell him as you accept the water.

You notice him watching the battle going on within the circle, and you look at him curiously. “Will I get to see you dance today?” you ask him. He was a little nervous to dance in front of you because of how much he admired you, but he was also excited to show you what he’s got. Confidently stepping into the circle, you watch as he battles. He was light on his feet and his isolations were out of this world, and you could tell he was very comfortable with freestyle. Squinting at him, you furrow your brows as you watch him dance. You were sure you’ve seen someone else who danced just like him, but you couldn’t place your finger on it. Before you know it, his battle was over with Hope announced as the winner. Stepping out of the circle, he approaches you proudly, and even though you can’t see his face under his mask you can tell how big his smile is by the way his eyes crinkle at the sides.

Noticing the unimpressed look on your face, his smile drops and his steps falter as he approaches you. “Was it that bad?” he asks jokingly to cover up how nervous you make him. Snapping out of your thoughts, you stare back at him with wide eyes, trying to remember where you’ve seen him before. “Oh, no!” you wave your hands in front of you frantically at the misunderstanding. “You were great, really. I was just thinking,” you explain. He nods, but you can tell he doesn’t really believe you. “You’re amazing at freestyling, I can tell you practice a lot. How long have you been dancing?” you ask curiously. 

Poking his cheek with his finger, he tilts his head to the side as he looks up to the ceiling, trying to remember. “Maybe eight years now?” he says. “How about you?” he asks. “Almost three years,” you lie. It wasn’t a complete lie, you started street dancing three years ago, but you’ve been dancing for nearly all your life. “Wow only three? I would’ve thought you’ve been dancing for longer,” he says, amazed, “Where did you learn to dance like that? I’ve never seen someone who dances like you.” You feel guilty for not telling him the complete truth, but you want to keep your personal life separate from your life here. “I just learned from watching the people here dance and picking up a few things from my opponents,” you say with a shrug. “You’re incredible,” he breathes out. You’re glad your mask covers your blushing face as you look away from his eyes, “T-thanks, you’re really great too.”

Your relationship with Hope was still fresh, but it progressed a lot faster than you would’ve expected in just two hours. You both respected each other as dancers and admired each other greatly, but you still teased and poked at each other playfully to push the other to their limits. You two also had a deeper, unspoken connection from keeping hidden your identities hidden. It didn’t matter whether you knew each other’s names or faces because you got to know each other for who you really were inside. You didn’t feel like you had to put up a wall around him, and he didn’t feel like he had to act happy around you all the time because he was truly happy whenever he was with you.

You didn’t want the night to end, but alas, your parents were going to be home soon and you didn’t want to get caught. Especially when being caught meant you wouldn’t be able to see Hope anymore. With the promise to meet next week, you leave the club with a smile on your face as you wave to Hope, wishing him good night.

Back in BTS’ practice room Monday evening, you let out a yawn as you lean back, stretching your arms out. You had tuned out the music as background noise while you were doing homework with the three maknaes, but you could hear it clearly now that you were done. Turning around, you find Hoseok freestyling near the back of the room once again. You watch him pop, doing his signature move of dropping to the floor, only to smoothly rise back up. Your eyes widen when you realize you’ve seen that move before. Watching him more closely, he looks exactly like Hope, and their moves were way too similar to be a coincidence. You connect the dots in your mind: Hoseok, J-Hope, was Hope.

You break out into a nervous sweat at the realization. Did he already know who you were? Did he tell the rest of the boys? Surely they would hate you for lying to all of them. Abruptly, you stand from your spot on the floor with a panicked look on your face. “Y/n? What’s wrong?” Jimin asks in concern. You shake your head as you quickly gather your things, “N-nothing, I have to get home.” All the boys, except Hoseok, give you a worried look. “Is everything okay?” Namjoon asks. “Yeah, I just,” you pause as you try to think of a believable excuse. “I forgot to feed my fish! See you tomorrow!” you say hurriedly as you rush out the door, wanting to be anywhere but here. 

“Y/n doesn’t have a fish,” Taehyung mumbles with a frown. Why were you lying to them? And what seemed to have you so frazzled? During the whole bus ride home, your thoughts were running wild. Hoseok must not know you are, or else why would he be so cold to you here but so friendly at Hope World? And why the fuck did you ever think it would be a good idea to tell anyone at the club your real name? Taking deep breathes to calm yourself down, you come to a conclusion that Hoseok doesn’t know, and you just have to keep it that way. 

The next day, you sheepishly apologize for your odd behaviour last night. “Sorry, I forgot that my parents would be home early yesterday. They would’ve grounded me if they knew I was out this late,” you lie, but they’re quick to believe you and reassure you it’s okay. “Next time, you don’t have to lie,” Namjoon says gently, “We were worried about you, you know.” You felt guilty for lying to them when they were so understanding, but you thought it was for the best. You were glad they didn’t seem suspicious at all, but Hoseok was. From the first day they met you, he sensed something off about you and now you were acting even more strange.

“I’ll see you guys next week!” you say as you wave goodbye to them. It’s been a couple of weeks since you first started practicing at Big Hit with Jimin, and the recital was only two weeks away. You and Jimin had been practicing hard and the duet was going well. Despite your initial cold attitude, you guys had good chemistry, and your colourless dancing mixed well with Jimin’s ability to emote through his faces and movements.

Walking towards the elevator, you flinch when the door to their practice rooms suddenly bursts open. Turning around, you find Hoseok stomping down the hall towards you. You stare at him nervously, wracking your brain to try and remember what you did to anger him. You didn’t know why he didn’t like you, but you never thought to ask. You thought you could just keep your distance, but it seemed that was no longer good enough for Hoseok. He gets closer until he’s standing right in front of you, and you could feel his hot breath fan over your face as he stares down at you with angry eyes. You shrink under his gaze, taking a step back to try and create some distance between you two. “Listen. I don’t know what the hell you’re trying to do, but you won’t get away with it,” he says, pointing an accusing finger at you. “You think they’re your friends?” he asks mockingly, “They don’t like you, they’re just acting nice to you for Jimin. And as soon as your duet is done, I want you out.”

Your whole world seems to freeze as Hoseok’s words sink in. They don’t like you. You were wary of letting people close because you were afraid of depending on people and getting hurt, but you thought they were different. Of course you were wrong, you should’ve expected this. But that didn’t make it hurt any less. Your eyes start to burn as tears start to form in your eyes but you hold them back. Acting as if you don’t care, you let a blank expression settle over your features because after all, it was what you do best. “I understand,” you say with a nod before entering the elevator, bidding Hoseok goodbye with an empty “goodnight.”

Hoseok didn’t like you, but for some reason, your reaction was unsettling to him. Maybe it was because he was expecting you to lash out or at least try to deny that you had other intentions, but instead, you seemed defeated. That night, you didn’t show up at Hope World like you usually would every Friday night. Hoseok was worried for you because, in the short span of time that he’s known you, neither of you have ever missed Friday night until now. He can’t shake this feeling in his chest that something was terribly wrong, but he had no way of contacting you outside of Hope World. Leaving the club with a heavy heart, he hopes that you’re okay and that you’ll be back next week.

Laying in bed, you stare up at the ceiling as a tear streams down your face and falls onto your pillow. You press the palms of your hands to your eyes, unable to stop the flow of tears. Hoseok’s words constantly echo through your mind as a picture of each boy’s smile appears behind your eyelids. You tried so hard to push them away, but they were so patient and understanding, slowly breaking down your walls until you let them in. Why were they so persistent if they didn’t like you anyway? Why did they have to make it harder for you? You cry over all your regrets, wishing you could go back in time and build your walls up ten times stronger than they were before. Maybe then, you wouldn’t have let them in. And maybe you wouldn’t be lying in bed, crying yourself to sleep with a broken heart.

The next day, you spend more than half the day moping around the house. It was strange for you to waste so much of your day doing nothing. You were always a hard worker, just like your parents raised you to be, but you no longer had any motivation to do anything. You were almost always home alone, but you got used to the boys’ company as they became part of your daily routine, and you started to rely on them. But you couldn’t even bear to think about them anymore, not after Hoseok told you the truth. You realize that it was Saturday, and you didn’t go to Hope World last night. It was the first Friday you’ve ever missed in your three years of going to Hope World. Your mind wanders to Hope, or Hoseok, you should say. How could you face him at the club now that you knew how much he hated your guts?

Not wanting to think about it anymore, you resort to the only thing you’ve ever been able to rely on: dance. A short bus ride later, you enter the school’s studio, which is empty because it’s the weekend. Placing your bag down, you start the music before you head straight into dancing. You were always diligent with your warm up to prevent injury, and it was reckless of you to jump in without stretching but you couldn’t care less. All you wanted to do was dance so that you could get seven certain boys off of your mind. You could deal with the pain of a pulled or sore muscle later, but you weren’t sure how much longer you could endure the aching pain in your chest. You dance until you collapse, and until your body and mind are so exhausted you can’t think of them anymore. You knew that this was in no way healthy, but you needed these few peaceful moments where your mind was just empty and you could breathe if only for a moment.

For the rest of the week, you avoid the boys at all costs. You text Jimin, coming up with various excuses as to why you can’t make it to practice, and during lunchtime, you would leave your bag at your desk and spend the whole lunch period on the roof to avoid him and Taehyung. You felt guilty every time you walked by their desk and saw the sadness and confusion in their eyes. They wanted to reach out to you and demand answers for your distant behaviour, but they respected you and gave you your space. You wanted so badly to go back to them, explain everything to them and apologize, but every time, Hoseok’s words echo in your mind and keep you from going back to them. They don’t like you.

Watching you walk out of the classroom for the fifth day in a row this week, Jimin looks at Taehyung. “I think y/n’s avoiding us,” he says defeatedly. They made so much progress in getting you to open up to them, but now you were going back to your old ways, maybe even a little more distant than before. “I don’t understand why though. Did something happen?” Taehyung asks, completely at a loss. Jimin just shrugs as he looks back at your desk sadly. Your seat was empty besides your bag that you left on your chair. “I haven’t seen her eat lunch at all this week,” Jimin mumbles, “I’m worried about her.”

When Jimin and Taehyung come back from school alone for the fifth time this week, everyone knows something’s up. “Where’s y/n?” Jin worriedly asks, “Is she sick or something?” They had all gotten used to your presence and they missed your seemingly nonchalant but actually caring personality. You always made sure they were taking care of themselves, and if their health wasn’t up to your standards, you would bring them snacks and force them to rest. They wanted to do the same for you, but they couldn’t do that if you didn’t allow them to even see you.

“I think she’s mad at us Hyung,” Jimin says as he looks at Namjoon like a lost puppy, “Did we do something wrong?” Namjoon’s brows furrow as he tries to recall the last time they saw you. “Y/n seemed fine when we saw her last Friday, and we haven’t seen her since. Maybe something else is going on in her life right now,” he says as he tries to ease Jimin’s worries. They all truly loved and cared for you, but the 95′s were the closest to you. And it was harder for them to see you every day at school knowing that you needed them, but they couldn’t, or rather you wouldn’t let them help you.

Hoseok didn’t understand why they were all so upset by your absence. You clearly weren’t who you pretended to be, didn’t they notice? Maybe only he saw it because he was used to having to act a certain way all the time. It takes one to know one, I guess. “I’m going to Hope World. I’ll see you guys later,” Hoseok says as he makes his way out. The boys wave goodbye to him, staring at the door as it closes behind him. “Is it just me or does Hobi Hyung always seem to get in a bitter mood whenever we talk about y/n?” Jimin asks. “I don’t know, he says there’s something off about her and he doesn’t trust her,” Yoongi mumbles. “Did something happen between them?” Jimin wonders with furrowed brows.

Although you didn’t show up for practice with Jimin, you were still practicing on your own. You stayed late after school, practicing the duet for hours and making sure everything was perfect. One time, the janitor had to ask you to leave because of how late it was. And because your parents were never home, no one was there to tell you to rest when you started growing sick, and no one was there to take care of you when you couldn’t take care of yourself.

Even though you were starting to develop a fever, you still went to Hope World on Friday night. Dancing helped you relieve stress and pent up emotions, but your duet practice wasn’t giving you that satisfaction. If anything, it was only adding more stress because it was your duet with Jimin, and it made you think about all the boys. As soon as you arrived at the club, you jumped into the circle, eager to dance and distract yourself from all your worries. You were already on your fourth battle of the night when you started to feel the fatigue from all the battles as well as your worsening fever. As soon as Hoseok arrived at the club, he was immediately searching for you. He found you in the circle during your second battle, but he never got to talk to you since you jumped into battle after battle. He could already tell something was off from the moment he saw you. Your dancing was sloppy which was extremely usual for you and you never danced four battles in one night, three at most.

You were starting to feel lightheaded from the combination of all the dancing, your fever and the loud, hot room. You emerge from the circle, hiding in one of the empty storage closets to get away from all the noise and take a moment to find your bearings. Collapsing onto the floor of the closet, you pull your hat and mask off as your whole body felt like it was on fire and it was getting hard to breathe. You close your eyes as you lean your head against the wall, trying to fight off your fever.

Worried eyes followed your form as you crossed the room to get to the back, and without a moment’s hesitation, Hoseok followed you to the storage closet. He forgoes knocking, his need to make sure you’re okay taking first priority over privacy. Barging into the closet, he finds you sitting against the back wall, breathing heavily as you try to catch your breath. You didn’t have enough time to cover your face as you didn’t receive much of a warning before he burst into the room. It felt like someone threw a bucket of ice water at him as soon as he laid his eyes on your face. It was you.

Opening your eyes at the sound of the door opening, you look up to find Hoseok staring at you. Ah shit, you think as you look down at your hat and mask in your hand. A heavy silence settles over the both of you as he stares at you, trying to process everything. When he doesn’t move or say a word, you take the opportunity to escape. You rush past him, hurriedly putting your hat and mask back on as you cross the club, making a beeline for the door. Hoseok remains frozen as you walk by him, leaving him standing all alone in the storage room.

All this time, you, y/n, the girl that was Jimin’s contemporary duet partner, was the same y/n that he met at Hope World. He couldn’t recognize you by your dance because he’s only ever seen you dance contemporary with Jimin, but you must have known it was him all this time. How long were you going to act like you didn’t know him as Hope? Comparing the y/n he knew as Jimin’s duet partner and the y/n he met at Hope World, he starts to see the similarities. Deep down you were a sweet and caring girl. From the first night he came to Hope World, you’re bright and bubbly personality never failed to brighten his day. And even though you tried to act cold and distant around the boys, you still took care of them by bringing them snacks and making sure they got enough rest. The reason he got weird vibes from you was because you were acting like somebody else. But it wasn’t because you had ulterior motives to hurt or use the boys, it was because you were forced to be someone else.

Fuck. He thinks as he remembers the way he treated you and the things he said to you. He remembers how confused he was when you didn’t show up at Hope World last Friday, how you’ve been avoiding all the members like the plague, and that you were sick. He curses as he runs out of the storage closet, bursting out the front doors. He frantically looks around for you, but he can’t find you anywhere. It’s too late. He was worried that you were walking home alone at night, especially since you were sick.

Dialling Jin’s number, he climbs into his car as the phone rings in his ear. On the third ring, Jin picks up. “Hello?” he answers. “Hyung!” Hoseok says urgently, “What’s y/n’s address?” He knew Jin knew where you lived because he would often drive you home whenever you stayed late at Big Hit to practice or just hang out with the boys. Jin was confused as to why Hoseok was suddenly asking for your address, especially after you’ve been absent for a week, but he could tell by the urgency in Hoseok’s voice that whatever the reason was, it was important. “I’ll send it to you,” Jin says, already typing your address to him. As soon as he receives a text notification from Jin, Hoseok starts the car up. “Thanks,” he breathes out, tightly gripping and releasing the steering wheel. “You owe us an explanation when you get back,” Jin says finally before hanging up the phone.

Pulling up your address on his phone, Hoseok starts driving to your house. He runs a frustrated hand through his hair as he keeps on the lookout for you. Turning onto your street, he still hasn’t seen any sign of you and he hopes that you’ve already arrived home safely. Parking on the side of the road, he quickly climbs out of his car and rings your doorbell. He didn’t think about the possibility of your parents or someone else answering the door, all he could think about was seeing you, making sure you were okay, and sorting this mess out. You answer the door and attempt to shut it as soon as you see Hoseok’s face, but he stops you as he sticks his foot between the door before you can close it. “Y/n, please,” he desperately pleads, “We need to talk.” Too weak and exhausted to fight him, you turn around, retreating into your home. He quickly follows you inside, closing the door behind him as he keeps his eyes on your back.

He grabs your wrist to stop you from walking away from him, turning you back around to face him. “What do you want?” you ask as you stare at the floor instead of his eyes. Hoseok’s heart breaks a little when he hears how weak you sound. You never let yourself be vulnerable in front of them, always putting up a strong front and speaking and presenting yourself confidently. The fact that you had completely given up caused a sharp pain in his chest, especially when he knows he caused this. He keeps a firm hold on your wrist as he stares at you, silently begging for you to look up at him. When you show no signs of moving, he sighs in defeat.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks quietly, just above a whisper. You probably wouldn’t have heard him if it wasn’t for your close proximity. You look up at him in disbelief. From the beginning, he made it very clear that he didn’t like you. Why would you have told someone who hated you one of your biggest secrets? The image of Hoseok’s face starts to blur as tears form in your eyes. “I-” you try to speak but a sob comes out instead. As soon as the first tear falls from your eyes, Hoseok pulls you into a hug. You hate that you were crying in front of him, but you can’t help but bury your face in his chest. “I thought you hated me,” you manage to choke out. 

“I could never hate you-” he starts but you cut him off. “But you did. They all do,” you say with a sniffle. “That’s not true. I...” he pauses, sighing as he deeply regrets what he did, “I lied. I told you they didn’t like you because I wanted you gone.” You try to pull away but he doesn’t let you, holding you tight until he finishes. “I thought you were acting strange and I was worried you had other intentions. I was trying to protect them and I just-I’m so sorry y/n” he says sounding absolutely heartbroken. You feel relieved now that you know the truth behind Hoseok’s cold words and actions, and you allow yourself to melt into him further. When you move closer to him, he takes it as a sign of forgiveness, gently combing a hand through your hair to comfort you.

”Why...” he hesitates, not sure if this was a sensitive topic. “Why do you act so differently at school and with the boys? Why do you hold yourself back?” he asks. “My parents,” you answer shortly as you pull away. He lets you pull back, but he takes your hands in his, giving them a comforting squeeze. “You shouldn’t have to live this way, y/n,” he says with a frown, “Let us help you.” His heart feels heavy as he sees your eyes reddened from crying. Even though he apologized now, he couldn’t take away all the pain you’ve been through, the pain caused by him.

His eyes widen in surprise when you smile at him as you wipe at your runny nose. “Thank you, Hoseok,” you tell him with a closed eye smile. “T-Thank you?” he repeats, confused. You nod, laughing slightly at his confusion. “Even if you didn’t know it was me, you were a good friend to me at Hope World. If it wasn’t for you, I probably never would have allowed myself to get that close with all of you.” He smiles softly at your confession, but he feels undeserving of your thanks. “Are your parents home?” he asks a bit belatedly, peaking down the hallway behind you. You shake your head no as you tell him, “They work from early in the morning until late at night. I’m usually home alone.” He nods in understanding, starting to see where you get your work ethic from. “They’ll be home soon though,” you mention. He nods as he brings his hand up to place it on your forehead, checking your temperature. “Your fever’s gone down. I’ll come check on you tomorrow morning,” he tells you. “You don’t have to,” you’re about to protest but he gives you a look that says otherwise. “Of course I do. Clearly you can’t take care of yourself, and if your parents aren’t home, who’s going to look after you?” he says with a raised eyebrow. You simply shrug. 

He wonders how you’ve gotten this far living the way you were. You had no one to take care of you, yet you were so caring towards the boys. It must be lonely, but he was determined to be the one to care for you. “You always worried about us and took care of us. Let us worry about you for once,” he says as he opens the door. “Good night y/n,” he says before walking out. “Good night,” you say as he walks towards his car. Once he drives off, you close the front, heading straight to bed.

The next morning, you’re woken up by the sound of your doorbell being rung. When you answer the door, Hoseok greets you with a smile as bright as the sun. “Good morning,” you say to him with a small smile, opening the door wider for him to come in. He brings a hand up to your forehead, checking your temperature again. He nods in silent approval when he feels your temperature is back to normal. “Have you eaten anything?” he asks. You shake your head no, having just gotten out of bed. “Great, Jin Hyung made some soup for you,” he says with a smile as he gestures to the plastic bag in his hand. You lead him to the kitchen, taking a seat at the table as he warms up the soup in the microwave.

He places a bowl in front of you as he sits across from you with a bowl for himself. Once you two finish eating breakfast, he takes both of your bowls to wash them in the sink. You insist that you could do it and that you should be doing it because he was your guest, but he tells you to sit back down because you were sick and should be resting. “I’m not sick anymore,” you whine, but he simply ignores you. You pout as you lay your head on the table, staring at him as he puts a pair of gloves on. But your frown soon disappears as the corners of your lips lift at the sight of Hoseok humming and dancing as he washes the dishes.

Drying his hands on a towel, he turns to you with a serious look on his face. “Let’s go see the boys,” he suggests suddenly. He can see the fear and insecurity in your eyes as soon as he mentions them, and even though he told you it was all a lie, the damage has already been done. “They’re worried about you y/n. And they miss you,” he tells you, remembering how sad and quiet the practice room was without you. You were afraid of facing the boys after you ran away because things were getting hard. But one look at Hoseok’s pleading eyes was enough to convince you. You knew he still felt guilty for lying to you, but you also knew that he was trying his best to make it up to you and you didn’t want him to feel guilty over a misunderstanding when you’ve already forgiven him.

You quickly head upstairs to wash up and change out of your pajamas, changing into comfy dancewear since that was what most of your closet consisted of. Sitting in the passenger seat of Hoseok’s car, you stare out the window as you get closer to Big Hit. You missed the boys too, but how could you face them after you abandoned them because you were a coward? You’re pulled out of your thoughts when Hoseok moves one hand from the wheel and places it over your knee. No words are needed as his touch comforts you, and he reassures you that the boys will be just as understanding as he was.

While they were all sitting around in the practice room waiting for their dance leader to arrive, Jin tells them about how Hobi asked him to make soup for you and that he went to your house because you were sick. “Wait, how did Hobi Hyung know she was sick?” Jimin asks since you didn’t answer anyone’s texts or calls. Jin just shrugs, acting as if that phone call with Hobi on Friday night didn’t happen. He was sure Hobi would explain himself once he was ready, and it was easier if he could explain it to everyone just once.

Parking at the company building, Hoseok waits for you to get out of the car before holding your hand and leading you into the building. He gives your hand a reassuring squeeze as you take the elevator up to the floor of their practice room. Hearing the ding of the elevator, all of the boys rush out of the practice room, demanding an explanation from Hoseok. “Hobi how the hell did you-” 

“Y/n!” Yoongi is suddenly cut off as Jimin spots you standing next to Hoseok. Taehyung and Jungkook tumble out the door as soon as they hear your name, and all three of the maknaes engulf you in a hug as soon as you step out of the elevator. Hoseok lets go of your hand, letting them have their moment with you. “We missed you!” Jungkook says as he stares up at you with his big, doe eyes. “I missed you guys too,” you say as you pat his head. “Why did you leave us?” Jimin asks sadly. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Hoseok visibly stiffen at the mention of your reason for leaving. “I’m sorry,” you apologize, although you know an apology is not what they want. “I was just scared. But I promise I’m here to stay now if you want me to-”

“Of course we want you to!” Taehyung affirms, not letting you think for a second that you were anything but wanted here. Hoseok was grateful that you didn’t tell them about what he did, but he still feels guilty for causing this whole mess. He opens his mouth, about to confess but you give him a look saying that he doesn’t have to tell them if he doesn’t want to. You’ve already forgiven him and all that was left now was to move forward. He looks at you with a small smile and a shake of his head, reassuring you that he wanted to. “You guys know how I felt about y/n,” Hoseok says as he awkwardly clears his throat before continuing. “I said some things to her that I shouldn’t have and I scared her away,” he admits, head hanging in shame. You reach for his hand, giving him a comforting squeeze to which he gives you a grateful smile. “But it turns out that y/n was the same y/n that I met at Hope World, so we were able to sort things out,” he says with a sheepish smile. He keeps his eyes on the floor as he waits for their reactions. He wouldn’t blame them if they weren’t so quick to forgive him. What he did to you was terrible and unfair, and he was the reason you were gone for so long. 

“As long as everything’s okay now and y/n’s forgiven you, we forgive you too,” Namjoon says with a smile, patting his on the shoulder. Jimin separates from you and moves to hug Hoseok. He was always so hard on himself, and he was always the last to forgive himself even if he was already forgiven by the one who he wronged. Hoseok lets out a breath of relief, although he wasn’t surprised. His brothers were always so understanding and forgiving, and they were always there to help him get back on his feet. They clearly weren’t happy that he didn’t talk to them about how he felt about you and what was going on, but they understood where he was coming from. “Next time, you don’t have to handle everything on your own. Don’t forget that we’re here for you no matter what,” Yoongi tells him. 

Hoseok nods and gives them all a look of thanks for understanding. “You owe me ten bucks,” Namjoon says as he holds his hand out expectantly to Yoongi. Yoongi rolls his eyes as he pulls out his wallet and digs through it, slapping a few bills into Namjoon’s palm. “Ten bucks for what?” Jin asks curiously. “I bet that the y/n Hobi met at Hope World was the same y/n we knew,” Namjoon says smugly. “You bet on that?” Hoseok asks in disbelief. “You get ten bucks for believing in fate and shit, I lose ten bucks for being realistic,” Yoongi complains as he stalks back into the practice room. “Come on y/n!” Jimin says as he starts dragging you to the practice room after his Hyungs, “We need to practice, the recital is in less than a week!” You quickly agree, feeling a little guilty about the stress you must have caused him from missing out on a whole week of practice. But despite a whole week of not practicing together, the condition of your duet was still good. If anything, you felt closer and more connected with Jimin than before.

As you dance with Jimin, you can feel Hoseok’s concentrated gaze on you, watching intently. His eyes were nowhere near as cold as they used to be, but they were still sharp and intimidating, paying attention to every little detail. Breathing heavily, you turn to him with a raised eyebrow. “Well?” you ask expectantly. “What?” he asks, suddenly snapping out of his strict dance teacher mode and turning back into the carefree Hoseok you knew. “I know you have something to say,” you tell him, crossing your arms. He shakes his head as he holds his hands up in defence, “I’m not a contemporary dancer. It was great as far as I know.” 

You deadpan at him, knowing full well he was lying. He sighs when you give him an unimpressed look. “Fine,” he says defeatedly, “I wasn’t lying when I said I have nothing to correct you on, you’re dancing really is perfect,” you raise your eyebrow at him, confused at what he was getting at, “But it’s almost too perfect. I think that you could sacrifice a little bit of technique or a be half a beat late so you could emote more and get the story across to the audience.”

You take in Hoseok’s advice, trying to think of how you can emote with your face or body. You nod determinedly before turning to Jimin, asking if you can go over the dance once again. He agrees immediately, standing up to start the music once again. Hoseok continues to watch you two as you go through the dance with Jimin, this time, applying his advice. Your faces and movements weren’t perfect yet, but he could see the improvement. You were already a force to be reckoned with, with your absolute technique and perfect timing. Once you learned how to emote through your face and body, you would be unstoppable.

You and Jimin hold the ending pose for a few seconds, both your chests rising and falling harshly from the many times you went over the dance. It was Thursday night, and it was your last practice before the recital. Turning to Hoseok, you give him a closed eye smile as you laugh breathily. You could feel how much better the dance was now that you were more in tune with your emotions while dancing, and it was much more enjoyable now. He smiles back as he claps for the both of you, proud of your rapid improvement.

Normally, you would be a nervous wreck the day before a performance, going through the dance over and over again and stressing over each little detail. But now, you were excited to do it well and show everyone how you’ve grown as a dancer. You didn’t want to impress them with your perfect technique anymore, you wanted to impress them with your ability to tell a story and show your passion through your dance. “The duet looks great, now you just need to rest,” Hoseok says as he hands both of your a cup of water, “You guys are going to do great tomorrow!” You and Jimin just smile proudly at each other, giddy at getting praise from Hoseok.

It was finally the night of the concert, and you were standing with all the boys in the hall while waiting for the recital to start. You didn’t seem nervous yesterday, you seemed excited even, but now you had a terrified look on your face as you nervously chewed on your bottom lip. “You okay?” Hoseok asks as he rubs your back to relax your tense muscles. “My parents are here,” you tell him quietly. “Do they make you that nervous?” he asks with furrowed brows. They were your parents, they were supposed to make you feel loved and supported, not nervous and afraid. “They just have such high expectations. I don’t want to let them down,” you admit, your voice a little watery. 

Hearing the slight waver in your voice, Hoseok holds his arms out to offer you a hug, which you gladly take. He pats your back as he exhales slowly to help you calm down. You take a few deep breaths, following his breathing and trying to stop yourself from getting too emotional. “You won’t let them down. I’ve watched you guys rehearse all week, you guys look amazing. You’re amazing,” he promises you. “Just have fun,” he tells you with a bright smile and a slight ruffle of your hair. It felt like all your worries were washed away whenever you saw Hoseok’s smile. 

You nod and return his smile, silently thanking him before you and Jimin head backstage while the rest of the boys head to their seats. Peeking out of the wings, you scan the audience while the number before you performs. As soon as you find Hoseok in the audience, it feels like you can breathe again. You can picture his bright smile as his words ring in your head. Just have fun. And that’s exactly what you did. You didn’t try to impress your parents or try to make everything so perfect to the point where it was more stressful than enjoyable. You just let the music take over and danced freely to your heart’s content. You danced like it was only you and Jimin, and the boys were the only ones watching. Bowing in front of the audience as your hand was intertwined with Jimin’s, you smiled proudly. Not because you didn’t mess up or because you danced up to your parent’s expectations, but because you truly enjoyed it. Your light was back.

The boys were the first ones backstage to congratulate you two as soon as the recital was over. Even though Jimin was like his little brother, Hoseok’s first instinct was to run to you. He’s the first one to reach you, pulling you into a hug and whispering into your hair, “I’m so proud of you.” You wrap your arms tightly around his waist as you whisper back, “It’s all thanks to you.” Everyone smiles at the two of you fondly before the Taehyung and Jungkook start fooling around, trying to recreate your duet with Jimin.

“Y/n l/n!” you suddenly hear your name being called by your mother. You visibly stiffen, standing upright as you turn to face your parents. “What was that sorry excuse of a performance?” your fuming mother asks as they approach you. “That was the sloppiest technique I’ve ever seen,” your father says disappointedly with the shake of his head. Suddenly feeling ashamed, you keep your head down and stare at your feet as you get scolded by your parents. Everyone else stands behind you, unsure what to do as they watch the exchange between you and your parents.

Hoseok felt guilty knowing that you were getting scolded because you followed his advice, but he didn’t regret it at all. For once, you looked happy on stage, and that’s what mattered the most to him. He’s pulled out of his thoughts when he hears your mother’s raised voice directed towards them. “It’s because all you do is waste your time with these boys!” she says as she points towards them. “Mother!” you exclaim, in disbelief that she would say such as thing, especially right in front of their faces. Your parents believed in strict ballet training and prestigious dance academies, and they looked down on hip hop and idol dance. You didn’t share their beliefs though, you thought the exact opposite despite the way they raised you. “Look what they’ve done to you!” Your mother cries out, not caring about how rude she sounded. 

The boys just keep their mouths shut, not wanting to get you into any more trouble, but Hoseok could no longer stand down and watch as your parents looked down on them as well as the dance that you loved to do. “With all due respect, Mr. and Mrs. l/n, I think you’re wrong,” he says through gritted teeth. “Surely not, young man. Hip hop is absolutely disgraceful,” your father reiterates, although he was surprised that Hoseok was brave enough to stand up to them. “Well your daughter is a well known and respected hip hop dancer in the underground. She’s anything but disgraceful,” Hoseok argues, refusing to back down.

Your eyes widen as you weren’t expecting Hoseok to tell your parents, but you feel Hoseok’s hand snake into yours, grounding you and providing you with a sense of comfort. Your father was speechless, turning away from Hoseok and to you. “Y/n,” your father says in a warning tone, “Is this true?” You remain frozen, afraid to answer your parents but Hoseok squeezes your hand as he gives you a reassuring smile, encouraging you to tell your parents the truth. You nod as you stare at the ground, unable to meet your parents’ eyes. “Young lady we have a lot to talk about when we get home,” your mother says sternly, not wanting to cause any more of a scene than they already have.

But the boys wouldn’t let you face your parents’ wrath alone, not when you didn’t deserve it. Namjoon steps up, placing a hand on Hoseok’s shoulder to tell him he’s got his back. “I understand how you feel about hip hop and underground dance,” Namjoon starts respectfully, “But I think if you saw y/n dance in the underground, she would change your mind.” Your mother scoffs at Namjoon’s suggestion. “I would never even think of setting foot in such a place,” your mother says distastefully. 

“You’ll like hip hop if you watch without prejudice,” Yoongi insists, albeit a bit less respectfully as he moves to stand on Hoseok’s other side. Hoseok gives a grateful nod to both his fellow rappers before turning back to your parents. “Y/n belongs on that stage. You’ll regret it if you don’t come to see her,” Hoseok says adamantly. More than proving himself and the rest of BTS to your parents, he wants them to see and appreciate all you are as a dancer and as a person.

Your parents were stubborn and stuck in their old ways, but there was a fire in the boys’ eyes as they spoke about you that intrigued your parents. It was obvious how much they cared for you, and your parents wanted to see exactly what these boys saw in you. “Fine. This is your only chance,” your mother threatens before turning to leave. “Thank you, you won’t be disappointed,” Namjoon says, bowing politely to your parents as they walk away. As soon as your parents disappear through the doors, everyone lets out a breath of relief while Hoseok immediately moves in front of you. “Are you okay?” he asks, gently cradling your face in his hands. 

You let out a shaky breath, nodding at him. “Thank you guys. I’m so sorry about what they said, they’re wrong about you. They just-” Yoongi raises his hand to stop you, reassuring you that you don’t have to apologize on behalf of your parents. “It’s fine, we know you’re not like them. I guess we’ll just have to prove them wrong next comeback,” he says with a cocky grin. You feel relieved knowing that they weren’t offended by your parents, although it saddens you to know that this sort of thing is something they have to deal with often. 

“If you don’t want to dance for them you don’t have to. I don’t know why I said that, it just...” Hoseok pauses and takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. You pull him in for a hug, trying to soothe his anger and show him that it’s okay. “It just makes me so mad that they don’t appreciate your passion and talent for hip hop. It’s not fair that they get to decide what you can and can’t do,” he admits as he rests his chin on your shoulder. “It’s okay Hobi,” you tell him as you pull away enough to look him in the eye. “No matter how they react, I’m glad I have the chance to show them what I love to do at least once,” you tell him with a smile.

Hoseok could see through your facade though. You tried to be positive and optimistic, but he could see the uncertainty swimming around in your eyes. He pulls you back into his chest knowing you were the one who needed to be comforted right now, not him. Staring over your shoulder, he nods at Namjoon and Yoongi in thanks. Yoongi didn’t feel the need to be thanked, he just hated when people were prejudiced, and Namjoon just smiles back, knowing full well you won’t fail to prove your parents wrong for all of them.

To try and take your mind off of your parents, Jin suggests going out for dinner. They didn’t want your parents to ruin your day, especially after your duet with Jimin. All those hours of practice paid off, and you both deserved to celebrate a very successful performance.

After dinner, you went back with them to their dorm because Hoseok wanted to help you pick an outfit. He insisted that the colour of clothes you wear while popping is important if you want your movements to be seen. Borrowing a few pieces of clothing from him, you look at yourself in the mirror. They were oversized, but not too oversized that it was suffocating or would hide your movements. It was street style oversized and it was comfy, you loved it. You abandoned your hat and mask since it was no longer necessary to hide your identity now that your parents knew. Walking into their living room, everyone else was dressed casually while Hoseok was also dressed like he was ready to dance. He still had his hat and mask like everyone else because they still had to hide their identities. “Y/n! You look so cool!” Jungkook says from the couch. You just smile at him, thanking Hoseok for the clothes he picked out. 

Climbing into the car, Hoseok sits down next to you. “You look great! Maybe you should wear my clothes more often!” he says playfully, but there’s truth behind his words. He thought you looked great. His clothes fit you better than they fit him, and there was a warm feeling blooming in his chest when he saw you in his clothes. Your cheeks flush as you smile and mumble a small “thank you.” His clothes smelled like him, and it comforted you despite how nervous you were. You bounce your leg anxiously as you stare out the window, getting closer and closer to the club. “You okay?” Hoseok asks, placing a comforting hand on your knee. “Yeah,” you say with a small smile even though you know it isn’t very convincing. You stay silent for about five seconds, building up the courage to finally ask, “Can you dance with me?”

His eyes widen at your request, and you’re about to apologize for asking when he breaks out into an even bigger smile, “Of course!” It was his fault that you had to dance in front of your parents in the first place and he admired you greatly. He feels honoured to dance beside you and he missed those Friday nights where you two would dance together at Hope World without a care in the world. “Thank you,” you breathe out, leaning your head on his shoulder for the rest of the ride. He would never know how much it meant to you, but you truly appreciated his presence. Just having him by your side was comforting, and you felt like you could face the world as long as you had Hoseok by your side.

You walk into Hope World hand in hand with Hoseok as the rest of the boys trail behind you two. Looking around the room, It’s not hard to spot your formally dressed parents in a club full of dancers wearing streetwear and casual clothes. They were keeping their distance from the circle as they watch the dancers with an obvious distaste. Without even greeting your parents, Hoseok starts dragging you towards the circle. “Let’s go!” he says excitedly as if today was just an ordinary Friday night. Even though you were surrounded by a cheering crowd and you knew your parents were watching, all you could focus on was Hoseok. Letting the beat take over, you dance as if you and Hoseok are the only ones in the room. Although it was supposed to be a dance battle, it was anything but. If you thought you had good chemistry with Jimin, your chemistry with Hoseok was on another level. He brought out the best in you, and you couldn’t help the warm feeling that spread through your whole body as you two flowed together.

You were only snapped out of Hoseok’s trance when the music ended and you were slowly brought back by the sound of the crowd screaming loudly for you two. You were well known in the club, but today, you showed a whole new side of you. Along with finally showing your face after nearly three years of keeping your identity hidden, you danced like you never danced before. A new fire was ignited in you, and it was burning brighter than ever. Stepping out of the circle, the boys engulf you two in a big group hug. You all jump around in a big circle, celebrating as if you were all in your own little world.

“You guys looked so cool!” Jimin says with sparkling eyes. You and Hoseok just smiled and laughed as the maknaes tried to imitate your moves. You feel Yoongi tap you on the shoulder, motioning to something behind you. Everyone suddenly goes silent as you turn to find your parents approaching your group. Taking a deep breath, you look back to find all the boys giving you encouraging and supportive smiles. You knew that whatever happened, they would have your back. You return their smiles before turning to face your parents proudly. Whether they liked it or not, this is what you loved to do and these are the people who you loved. No matter what they say, you’re proud of what you’ve done and who you are, and nothing could change that. 

When your parents stop in front of you, you waver slightly under their intense gazes, but you step up confidently. Your strong front shatters as soon as they do the unexpected: they pull you into a hug. You were prepared for them to yell at you, to scold you or give you disapproving looks. But you didn’t expect them to accept you. Having missed your parents’ affection, you melt into their arms as your eyes start to burn with unshed tears. “We’re so proud of you,” your mother whispers. You longed for nothing more than your parents’ approval, and a choked sob makes its way out of your throat at your mother’s words. Your parents were also getting emotional, regretting all the suffering you must have gone through because of them, but they were so proud of you. Proud of how talented you were and proud of how strong you were. 

The boys smile happily, watching the little reunion between your family. Jungkook even shed a tear, but he’s quick to wipe it away. “Are you crying Jungkook?” Jin asks with his windshield wiper laugh. Jungkook stubbornly tries to deny it, but his runny nose says otherwise. Your father lifts his head, meeting eyes with Hoseok. “Thank you,” he says with watery eyes, “Thank you for bringing back my little girl. I haven’t seen her smile like that in ages.” Hoseok wasn’t expecting his thanks, but he quickly overcomes the shock, bowing respectfully to your father.

Your mother’s hand suddenly shoots out, pulling Hoseok into the hug. His eyes widen as he feels your parents wrap their arms around him, but he soon relaxes into the hug. A few tears shed later, you finally pull away, although Hoseok doesn’t let go of you. Your parents bow deeply to all the boys as they apologize. “We were so wrong about you boys. I sincerely apologize for everything we said about you,” your mother says. The boys stiffen when your parents bow down to them. “It’s alright,” Namjoon says slightly panicked, “Please lift your heads up.” Your father smiles at all of them as he stands up straight. “Thank you all for taking care of our daughter. I’m glad she has such wonderful friends like you,” he tells all of them. They simply smile back at your parents, happy to have a friend like you as well.

Standing outside the entrance of Hope World, you all say goodbye to your parents. “Don’t break my daughter’s heart, got it?” your father points to Hoseok. Hoseok suddenly sputters, choking on air as your face turns bright red. “Dad! It’s not like that!” you say a bit too quickly. Everyone laughs at your reactions, both of your faces burning bright red. Even if nothing was official yet, everyone could tell there was something going on between you and Hoseok. “I’m kidding son,” your father says as he pats Hoseok on the shoulder, “I’m sure you won’t.” 

Regaining his composure, Hoseok gives your father a knowing look. He made the mistake of hurting you once, and he never wanted to see you sad ever again. He suddenly puffs his chest out and salutes your father jokingly. Your father gives a hearty chuckle at Hoseok’s goofiness before turning to head home with your mother. “You guys are welcome to come over for dinner anytime!” your mother yells across the parking lot as she climbs into the car. The boys all smile and thank her as they watch your parents’ car drive away and disappear down the road.

“1, 2, 3!” you all smile brightly as your mother counts down to take a group photo of all of you. It’s been a couple of months since that night at Hope World, and you were finally graduating alongside Jimin and Taehyung. Your parents took all of you out for a celebratory dinner, and you were all chatting away happily as you ate. You’ve never seen your parents talk so animately before, but the boys managed to win them over, especially Hoseok. Ever since he stood up to your parents that night of the concert, your father had a certain respect for him, and your mother couldn’t get enough of his bright and bubbly personality. She’s made it clear on several occasions that she thinks he’s a keeper and she’s already started calling him her son-in-law. But your parents cared for all of them like their own, and they were forever grateful for everything the boys did for you.

“So what are you boys going to be doing now that you’ve graduated?” your father asks the two 95′s. “We’re probably going to enroll in Global Cyber University so we can balance school and our work schedule,” Jimin answers your dad as Taehyung nods in agreement. “What about you y/n?” Hoseok asks you curiously. You grow a bit nervous as everyone turns to you expectantly. “I’m not sure yet,” you say with an awkward laugh. To be honest, you didn’t want to think about life after high school. You went through most of high school alone until you were assigned a duet with Jimin, and now that they were in your life, you didn’t want to let them go. You wanted to stay in high school forever if it meant you could stay with them. “No worries,” Namjoon reassures you with a smile, sensing your unease, “We actually have an offer for you.” You raise an eyebrow at him, looking around the table in confusion when everyone seems to be trying to hide their smiles. “An offer?” you repeat. Namjoon nods as he gestures to Hoseok to reveal the surprise.

You turn to Hoseok, asking for answers as to why everyone seemed to know what was going on except for you, even your parents seemed to be in on it. “I talked to our choreographer and I showed him some of our dance videos,” you stare at Hoseok dumbly, confused at what he was getting at. “And if you want, Big Hit would like to offer you a job as assistant choreographer,” he reveals excitedly. You stare at him with wide eyes, trying to process the information. You look around the table to find everyone staring at you, on the edge of their seats as they wait for your answer. “Are you for real?” you ask in disbelief. He just nods at you with a bright smile. It took a bit of convincing since you were still young, but with Hoseok vouching for you, they decided to give you a chance.

“Can I?” you ask your parents, desperately hoping they say yes. They smile happily as they nod their heads, “The boys brought it up with us a few days ago. If you’d like to, you’re more than welcome to go work for these boys.” You turn back to Hoseok, and before he even gets the chance to ask what your answer is, you jump into his arms and engulf him in a hug. He laughs as he wraps his arms around you, patting you on the back as he asks, “So I guess that’s a yes?” You pull away just enough to flash him a bright smile, nodding excitedly. 

Everyone cheers loudly, glad to have you as part of their team. They all get up, piling onto you and Hoseok as they give you a big welcome hug. “Why are you crying?” Hoseok laughs as he gently wipes at the tears that you didn’t even know were falling from your eyes. “I’m just so happy,” you sob loudly, which only causes him to laugh harder. Your parents take a picture of all of you, capturing your crying face while all the boys surrounding you are laughing. It was a moment you wanted to remember forever, and it would be a great picture to laugh at when you’re old. “Thank you,” you say as you try to wrap your arms around all of them, “I love you guys so much.”

To say you loved your job at Big Hit was an understatement. It didn’t even feel like a job. You got to spend time with the people you loved while doing what you loved. You were assistant choreographer, working alongside Son Sung Deuk and Hoseok, but you also worked on their dance breaks since you could do both contemporary and hip hop. You specialized in both styles of the two main dancers, so you knew how to let each member shine. And at this point you could also be their manager because of the amount of time you spend with them, always making sure they were taking care of themselves.

You and Hoseok still went to Hope World whenever your schedules allowed it, and sometimes the three maknaes would tag along to watch or improve their freestyle and popping. You were also a regular guest on Hope on the Street, often having freestyle battles or dancing small combos with Hoseok. All this time, you felt so far away and Hoseok didn’t know how to reach you, but he was no longer dancing with a stranger. Even when you weren’t at Hope World, you two were in your own little world, dancing in the studio where your bodies were in sync and your hearts beat together.