Stylist {j.h} A BTS Fanfiction - ON HIATUS

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He swallowed the massive lump of pickled cabbage and pointed a chopstick at me accusingly. "Hey, I'm hungry here, okay? Don't blame me for wanting to eat."

I held up my hands innocently. "I didn't say anything," I said teasingly. 

Namjoon flicked a stray noodle at me. I dodged it and stuck out my tongue, snickering as he tried to hit me with another noodle. 

He grinned before digging back into his dinner. "So, J-Hope," he asked conversationally, "How long have you and the new stylist been seeing each other?" 

I spat out my drink. Water dribbled off my chin and down my front, soaking the neck of my shirt. "What did you just say?" My voice was wobbling in the upper octaves from nerves.  

A victorious smile cut his mischievous face in two. He continued to pick around his noodles like we were talking about a bar of music we both loved. "Oh, you know, the really attractive stylist you got as your replacement? The one I asked about to see if you knew if she was single? By the look on your face, I'm guessing she's not anymore?" 

He looked meaningfully over his box of takeout at me. "What's the truth, Hoseok?" His voice held the serious tones he used when we were talking before a concert or trip. 

I fumbled to put together how he had found out. We had been so careful. Where did we go wrong?

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Wondering why I've waited so long to talk to you about this?" I nodded, not sure what else to say. He set down his container and steepled his fingers like he always did before group discussions. 

"I knew you were captivated by her the moment she stepped onto the floor the night of the first California concert. Everyone was. You could see it in the way the dancers stopped as she worked and the subtle way that whenever she smiled, a few heads would turn." His words struck me like a bag of sand landing on my chest, stealing my words before I knew what I was even going to say.

Namjoon continued. "Something happened that first night. We came off the stage and you just seemed different. I couldn't put my finger on it until I saw the stars dancing in your eyes whenever you talked to her between sets. What made me first notice something was going to happen was when I saw how happy she seemed when you talked together."

He stood up and started pacing around the room. "When I asked her later that evening why she stopped to talk to you, she made so many excuses. I remember her saying in passing that she didn't have time for any of the dancers that flirted with her. Hoseok, she wouldn't even meet anyone else's eyes that night. Yet she would make time to talk to you, personally." 

Hot anger bubbled in my veins when he mentioned the dancers. He was probably talking about Chai and his incessant attempts to flirt with Hiroko. He noticed my angry expression and cocked his head to the side. "Ah, so you know a bit about the dancers."

"Yeah," I said testily. "One of them won't give up trying to catch her attention He's the type who doesn't take no for an answer, if you get my meaning, hyung." 

"Hm, I see why that would make you angry," he said thoughtfully. 

"Hyung, can you just get to the point of all of this?" I asked irritably. 

"If you want, then yes." He sat back down on the couch, all sense of teasing vanishing from his expression. "I want to know how long this has been going on. How long you plan on making it last? You're going to get caught sooner or later. And I want to help." 

My jaw dropped. "Help me? Hyung, why would you want to help me? Why aren't you mad at me for hiding this from you?" 

He smirked at my apparent confusion. "I've seen how happy you've been since she switched on to our personal staff. I want to help you stay happy because that's what brothers do for each other." 

I was shocked. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Did he really want to help me and Hiroko? This was unbelievable. "Hyung, this means a lot to me. Thank you." 

He smiled brightly. "You're welcome. Now, how heading home or not? It's later than I thought and I don't want the others to worry about us." He stood up and offered his hand to help me to my feet. 

We cleaned up his studio quickly, filing away notebooks and packing up the food in his minifridge under the cabinets. RM tossed a tired arm around my shoulders as we walked down the hall to the door. 

"Let's go home, Hoseok." I smiled and nodded in sleepy agreement. The door to the studio closed behind us with a gentle click.  

Merry Christmas, my dear readers! I hope all your holiday festivities and celebrations are merry and well. Stay safe and warm!

-Mads