Boyfriend for Hire (BTS Ot7 x Reader)

Chapter 40

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Taehyung ended up staying like he said he would, to help us finish. After hauling out all the trash and sweeping and mopping the floors, I went through one last time to make sure nothing was missing. Everything was accounted for and I stashed the boxes of damaged goods that I could still use in the back on one of the shelves. Jungkook was right, the door was officially jammed. It couldn’t be opened, and I guessed the good thing about that was the fact that no one would be getting through it again. At least not without difficulty.
Taehyung begged me to stay the night again, but I had to refuse. Staying with them for most of the week along with just spending the day cleaning meant I was behind on orders and I desperately needed to catch up. So, with a promise to come by again this weekend sometime (and another promise to stay with him one of those nights), Hoseok was nice enough to drop me off at my apartment with a farewell and a reminder of the time his class was tomorrow. I stayed up much later than I should have trying to finish as much as I could.
I completed four that needed to be shipped early next week, so I was proud of the little progress I made. Yoongi called me to check up on me and I made sure to call Jin and thank him for the lunch earlier. By the time I made it to bed, I was exhausted, falling asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

The next morning, I was excited to get to see Hobi dancing. He had mentioned he was filling in for one of the other teachers that was on leave for a family issue. He typically didn’t have a whole lot of time for full classes. He did substitute a lot and had one group he committed to meeting with at least twice a week along with maybe a few private lessons here and there, but most of the dancing he did was for his own pleasure. Arriving at the studio, I parked and got out, rushing to the front entrance trying to escape the cold. I opted to drive myself, planning on heading back home afterwards to get some more work done before going back to the shared apartment.
I loved those men, but I certainly can’t get much work done while being in the same room as them. I froze with that thought. My feet cemented to the sidewalk as flurries of snow swirled around me. Did I love them? There was only person in the world I could say with certainty I loved wholeheartedly and that was Kat. But I wasn’t in love with her. I didn’t know what falling in love felt like and I didn’t know how I was supposed to feel once you committed to it. But I did know that what I felt for the seven of them wasn’t anything like I felt for Kat.
It was more intense. Passionate. My heart swelled every time they smiled at me, and the sound of their voices relieved the aching I felt when they weren’t there. I missed them when I couldn’t see them, and I wanted to be with them every second I could. Isn’t that what they say love feels like in the books? Or was it a more abstract definition. You couldn’t logically explain it to someone that didn’t feel the same thing towards the same people you did. Like trying to describe the way water tastes or what silence sounds like. Maybe it was speculative, and no one really knows for certain what it feels like to be in love.
Only that you feel such a strong connection with another person that you would willingly put them above yourself. Someone you could see yourself spending your life with and wanting to give your life to. I could see the kids just inside the entrance to the studio, all surrounding Hoseok with large smiles on their faces as they all shouted over one another to garner his attention. Hobi took it in stride, his mouth moving as he spoke to all of them, and they all were riveted onto his every word.
It was then, standing outside and looking in that I realized that yes, perhaps I did love them. Was in love with them. So impossibly and irrevocably smitten with all seven of them that I would never choose anyone else. Even if they didn’t choose me. If by some twisted fate I was no longer able to be with them, I knew deep down I would never find anything that compared to the way I felt about them with another person. They were it for me. My end all and be all. Hoseok’s eyes lifted to the window, that smile that struck me like an arrow through the heart every time he flashed it at me surfacing as our eyes met.
He waved me in, mouth moving again as he said something to the kids who all collectively turned to see me standing outside. Finding my feet again, I carried myself to the door and entered, barely getting enough time to shed my coat as I was bombarded by all the kids that were once surrounding Hobi.
“Are you Mr. Hoseok’s girlfriend?” one little girl asked.
“I like to think so.” I smiled, seeing Hobi shake his head out of the corner of my eye.
“She is. Don’t let her tell you otherwise.” He hollered while checking the sound system.
One little boy tugged on my sweater until I leaned down far enough for him to whisper in my ear.
“Maybe with you here he won’t be so strict.”
“Oh? Is he usually really strict?”
“Always.” Another little girl chimed in. “But he always gives us cookies afterwards, so we forgive him.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “He bribes you?”
“I don’t bribe them! I reward them for doing such a good job.” Hoseok said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders to lead me to one of the corners of the studio.
“But you just told us you wouldn’t give us cookies if we didn’t say nice things about you to your girlfriend!” the first little girl accuses him.
Hoseok let out a horrified gasp, and I burst into laughter.
“Busted.” I said, poking him in the side. “If you don’t give them cookies, I will.”
He grinned, rolling his eyes. “Don’t worry. I always give out cookies. Whether they’re behaved or not. Just don’t tell them that.” He whispered to me.
He clapped once, the sound loud and echoing in the studio. Everyone straightened immediately, turning their attention to him.
“Alright everyone. Let’s start with some stretching exercises. Who wants to lead this week?”

Hobi was an amazing dancer to say the least. Even in the slow steps he was using to show the kids what he was doing, every motion was fluid and effortless. No doubt he was born to dance, and I wondered why he didn’t pursue it. Even the kids were enthralled with him. They watched him carefully, mimicking his movements the best they could. Complete admiration on their faces. It was so cute to watch. The class finished without a hitch, and just as he promised, Hoseok gave them all cookies afterwards as parents came to collect them all one by one.
“So, what did you think?” Hobi asked, dropping down in a chair beside me after the last student had left.
I handed him a bottled water that he had placed beside me earlier, thinking he probably needed it more than I did.
“I had a good time! The kids really love you and you do so well with them.”
“I like kids. They’re so eager to learn it makes it easy to teach them.” He admitted, shying away from my compliment as he took a drink.
It was a little past mid-day. The snow outside still going strong as the wind whipped past people on the streets. People held onto their coats tighter and pulled their caps lower on their head to fight the bite of the chilly air. A fresh layer of snow coated most of the ground and sidewalks, bathing everything in white. It was beautiful really. As much as the cold weather sucked, winter was a gorgeous season. The world covered in white was a sight not everyone got to see but should at least once in their life.
“What about you?” Hobi asked.
I turned my head to see him already looking at me.
“What about me what?”
“Do you like kids?”
“Oh, yeah. I love them. I used to babysit to make a little extra cash while in university. I enjoy toddlers, but babies were always my favorite. They’re so cute.”
“So… you wouldn’t be opposed to having your own someday?”
I thought about it for a second. To be honest, I had never thought about having my own kids, but more because I wasn’t at a point in my life where they were something I was ready for rather than something I didn’t want.
“Someday, I would like some of my own. I’m a little scared though. Growing up without having parents who loved me like they should have made me realize how detrimental it is for a child to grow up without having that type of love in their life. Logically, having experienced that for myself I know what not to do, but it’s still terrifying. I want my kids to know I love them and I would be there for them no matter what, but it’s so easy to mess up, you know? What if I’m not a good mother?”
I looked away, back out the window to watch people scurry by. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Hoseok mulling over what I had told him. His own gaze looking out the window, but it was faraway. He took another sip from his water bottle. From the side, his features were even more striking. Sharp jaw and nose, pronounced chin, the ends of his hair had started to curl with the sweat accumulating on his forehead. He cleared his throat before answering.
“Well, I think you’d be a great mom. No one can be perfect all the time. You can’t expect them to be. You’ll make mistakes and shit happens, but at the end of the day, as long as you try to rectify them, it’ll work out. I have no doubt you’d be the best mother you can be.”
I smiled, loving the way his cheeks pinkened just the tiniest bit as he refused to meet my eyes. I scoot my chair a little closer to his and laid my head on his shoulder.
“I think you’d make a good dad. You’ve already got the fatherly advice bit down.” I teased.
He chuckled, my head bouncing with his shoulders as they shifted.
“I’ll leave that to Jin. Lord knows the man has more dad in him than any of us, but I will admit the thought of being a dad myself is a nice one.”
The silence between us after that was a comfortable one. After a few beats, I sat up turning to face him in my chair excitedly.
“Now will you dance for me again? I want to see exactly what Jung Hoseok is capable of.”