The 7 Princes [BTS x Reader]

Chapter 13 - Falling

Jin was recovering, but the process was slow. Regardless, Namjoon and Jungkook encouraged Nara to continue with Jimin's birthday celebration as a way to keep the mood light.

"I thought since most of your friends and family were here, you would prefer a party at this castle." she told Jimin as they watched the crew setting up the garden. 

Nara planned to use the large stage in the middle of the courtyard as a dance floor, since Jimin loved dancing so much. Paper lanterns were being streamed around the stage, and large white tables were being set up to accommodate the guest list.

Jimin just stared at the workers. "Sounds good."

You folded another napkin, watching them. Your thoughts wandered back to your time  with him on the lake.

I don't want to leave any stone unturned until I find a woman I can love for a lifetime...

Idiot. Couldn't he tell that Nara cared about him? Couldn't he at least look at her?

"You there." a voice said.

You looked up to see Hoseok. He was waving at you to come over. You got up and went over, your arms folded.

"Did you just say, 'you there?'" you asked. "You should know my name."

"I have a lot of students. It's impossible for me to remember all their names."

"That's interesting, considering for the past two weeks I've been your only student."

He waved his hand. "Ugh. Details. Listen, I need your help with something."

He shoved a lantern at you and pointed to a tall ladder.

"I need you to hang this at the top of that pole for me." he said.

"Why can't you do it?"

"I don't do heights."

You raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you... scared?"

He oddly went sheepish, his eyes rolling to the side and looking at the ground. You weren't prepared at how adorable it was. His face snapped back into a usual scowl.

"I... Could you... Just do it,please." he said.

You didn't want to let it go – it was the first time Hoseok had ever shown weakness – but something about his big, soft eyes made it impossible for you to torture him.

You nodded and got up on the ladder. It was tricky to get the lantern up on the pole, but you managed after a few tries.

"Now," he called down from below. "Come down before you hurt yourself."

Is he actually... concerned?

"I don't want anyone blaming me for your clumsiness." he added.

Maybe not.

You snorted and started to make your way down the ladder. "I'm not --"

Before you could finish, your foot missed the rung and you slipped. You felt weightless for a moment, then you hit the ground.

Huh. That was softer than I thought it would be.

Then you heard Hoseok groan.

You turned to realize you had fallen from the ladder, on top of Hoseok. 

Wait, wasn't he on the other side of the ladder? Did he... run over to catch you?

"If anything is broken," he said. "I'm suing you."

You rolled off of him. "Hoseok! Are you okay?"

"What did I say about being clumsy?"

You stood and tried to offer him a hand to stand up, but he didn't see it. He stood, grabbing onto the ladder and holding his leg. His face twisted.

"What's wrong?" you asked.

He rubbed his knee. "Nothing."

He put his leg on the ground and began to walk, only to hiss through his teeth and grab his leg again.

"Hoseok! Are you hurt?"

He waved you away. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not." you replied, watching him limp. "You can't hurt your leg. You're a dancer. Come here."

Before he could protest, you flung his arm over your shoulder and helped him walk to a nearby chair.

"I'll get some ice." you said.

He held an arm in front of you to stop you. "You don't need to be concerned about me."

"I can be concerned about you if I want to be. So sit down and shut up."

You ran full speed to the kitchen, made a bag of ice, and sprinted back to where Hoseok was sitting.

"Really, Princess," he said. "I'll be --"

"Don't call me Princess." you snapped, holding the ice to his leg. "I don't like the way it sounds."

"Then what do I call you, Miss Accident Prone?"

You sighed. "Just call me by my name, Hoseok. Is that so hard?"

You don't know why it bothered you so much. You should have gotten used to the term by now. But you didn't feel like a princess. You didn't know if you ever would.

"[Y/N]..." he said, softly.

The sound of his voice made you bring your head up to meet his eyes. You held your breath for a moment as his eyes searched your face.

"Better?" he asked.

You looked down before he could see you blush.

"Yes," you said. "Thank you. I think I should wrap this up for you so it doesn't keep sliding."

You grabbed a couple of the cloth napkins and tied them together, then leaned down to wrap them around Hosoek's leg. Your hair fell into your face, so you tried to flip it out of your line of sight. You didn't want to break the momentum. But no matter how you tried to maneuver your head, your hair kept getting in the way. 

Two hands ran through your hair and pulled it back, moving it over to the side of your neck. You froze, stunned. You looked up to see Hoseok lean back, crossing his arms and looking off to the side as if nothing happened.

The ghost of his fingertips still lingered in your hair. His touch was so soft. Who was he, really? What was he like before he became so cold? What was he really like?

"It's good to see a woman taking care of you, Hoseok." a female voice said.

You looked up to see Jimin and Nara standing next to you both. Nara smiled sweetly. Jimin didn't look amused. You stood to greet them.

Before Hoseok could reply, Nara continued. "Are you going to be [Y/N]'s escort to Jimin's party?"

Escort? As in... date?

Hoseok gave a courteous smile. "As honored as I would be to do so, I'm afraid I have a prior engagement that day. I won't be able to attend."

Would he really be honored to take you? No... he was probably just being polite.

"That honor belongs to me," a voice said as an arm snaked around your shoulders.

You looked up to see the owner.

Jungkook.

 He looked down at you, his lips pulling back into a smirk. "She belongs to me that evening."