I Need You (We Need Each Other)

Part I

"You did well, thank you!" The seven men bowed to the staff as they entered the backstage area, fans still screaming in the arena behind them. Event coordinators dashed around, checking to make sure the sound employees were in their positions, props and shifting stages were prepped, and everything already used was being brought back to its original place. Makeup artists and designers were prepping their supplies for the idols, ready to get them fresh for the second half of the concert.

"Hey, Suga, over here!" The rapper separated from his bandmates to join his dresser, who was tapping her foot. Slowly, four others found their own staff and moved off.

"I can't believe her!" Taehyung fumed right after they left. "How does she have the nerve to show up now? I should get her arrested, that's what I should do." He paced angrily back and forth.

"Calm down!" Jimin hissed. He glanced around, watching for anyone listening in. Thankfully, everyone else was too busy. "Look, I need to get ready for the second half. But don't lose it. I'll ask security to watch for her and detain her, if possible. What sea-"

"A5. A freaking 5. She is in the front seat, Jimin."

Jimin gave a small squeeze to his friend's arm and walked towards his waiting stylist, repeating, "I'll ask security."

"Taehyung-ssi, can you come now?" A voice spoke from behind. Taehyung turned to see his makeup artist waiting, arms crossed.

"Yeah." He blew out a long sigh and followed the short woman to his seat. She quickly busied herself with wiping off his face, rubbing hard and fast.

As the tissue made yet another pass across his lips, chafing them more, he lost it, shooting up from his chair. "What is your problem, Kim Naya?"

The artist crossed her arms and took up a position ready for argument. She completely dropped any honorifics. "Wow, lucky me. Kim Taehyung remembers my name." She held a hand on her chest, feigning shock. "I'm so sick of you showing up whenever you feel like it, asking me to do whatever you feel like doing, putting me in danger of losing my job. What happened to you?"

"Guess I shouldn't have been nice and agreed to let the newbie work with me," Taehyung growled.

"I started a year ago!" Naya burst out. "You know, you should be lucky that I still work with you. No one else would put up with your attitude! It was all fine until about three months ago, and ever since then, you've been giving me hell! I don't know what you're trying to prove or who you're trying to prove it to, but it doesn't involve me, for sure. And yet here I am, dealing with you demanding more eyeliner, color contacts, and tousled hair when it isn't close to the concept."

Taehyung opened his mouth to argue, but Naya continued, "You blackmail me into changing your outfit seconds before getting onstage, despite it not even being my job. I'm tired of you using me to prove your point to someone I don't care about. I'm just trying to make a living, and you're getting in my way, Kim Taehyung." Glaring, Naya forced Taehyung back down with a surprising amount of strength for someone as small as her, and brought out her brushes. Stunned, he tried to form a sentence as she whisked powdered lotion across his cheeks.

"I didn't notice," Taehyung finally said. It surprised him because he wanted to argue against her, but his words were spoken softly against his initial plan. He sank down into his chair.

Naya didn't say anything. She grabbed Taehyung's jaw and moved it up slightly to finish with the powder, and he let her move his head around silently. "You're done."

As she moved to put away her supplies, Taehyung grabbed her hand, looking at her with the best puppy eyes he could muster. "I'm really sorry about that," he said, "but please, please, please heed me just this one day. If Jimin does what he's supposed to and it works out, I won't ever have to ask you again. But just today, please give me smoky eyes and a leather jacket."