Requested by panii_s

[New Requests Closed]

---

The end of dance practice. Finally.

Practice was brutal under Hobi's watchful eye. He wasn't all sunshine when it came to the team practicing their choreography. He would develop a whole new persona. A scary, intimidating judge. The members knew better than to mess up. Any time they did, their eyes went straight to their dance leader, praying he didn't see their mistake.

He always did.

He was tough on them but they all knew he was the expert and he was only ever trying to help.

What his members didn't know was that he had doubts. Not about his group, but about himself. He believed his group could only become as good as he could make them. They were doing great, but he wanted them to be more than great.

"I'm thinking of taking more private dance lessons." Hobi slung his backpack over his shoulder as they were all getting ready to leave.

"Why?" Taehyung asked. "You're already a pro, hyung."

"There's always room for improvement. I just want to learn new styles and things so I can then teach you guys. I want to go to new levels."

"That would be so cool, hyung!" Jimin patted Hobi's shoulder. "I'll support you no matter what you do. Just make sure to teach us everything you learn!"

Hobi stared at Jimin wondering if his dongsaeng was being serious. "Jimin-ah...that's the whole point...obviously I'd...never mind. Let's get home! It was a long practice."

Jungkook groaned. "Yeah, I wonder whose fault that is." He narrowed his eyes at Hobi as his hyung simply smiled at him and patted his cheek.

Namjoon, Jin, and Yoongi were already half way out the door, complaining about how if they didn't leave the studio right this very second they were all going to starve to death.

--

Hobi's private dance lessons started about a week later. His instructors name was Wan, a man the company had reached out to because he was a rather well known instructor who had worked with other people before.

The first practice wasn't the greatest. Wan told Hobi he was really bad and wouldn't even know he was a dancer if it weren't for the fact he was in a band. Although he said the band only does "silly little moves."

Wan made Hobi feel extremely inadequate and had him doubting himself even more. I didn't realize I was so bad. I must be, if such a prestigious instructor tells me I am. I guess I really have been doing the band a disservice this entire time.

As shitty as the instructor made Hobi feel, he kept it to himself. He didn't want the members to make a big deal out of it, but then Taehyung kept asking if he could take the classes with him.

"Erm...I don't know Tae." Hobi didn't want Taehyung to hear or see just how cruel Wan could be, and he felt like if Taehyung joined him in lessons, Wan would berate Taehyung too, and he knew his dongsaeng was way too sensitive to go through that. He didn't want to do anything that would ruin Taehyung's confidence as well.

Taehyung didn't understand why Hobi was saying no so he put up a small protest. Hobi caved and said he could come and watch but that was it. He hoped maybe with Taehyung at least watching the practice, Wan wouldn't be such an asshole to him all the time.

That was not the case.

Taehyung sat there and watched Hobi get screamed at while being told how much he sucked over and over by Wan. He couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and stood in front of his hyung, facing the instructor. "What the hell? Is this how you treat everyone you teach? Hobi hyung is an amazing dancer, who are you to tell him he's not?"

"Taehyung, please, it's fine." Hobi tried to shoo him away but Wan walked up to Taehyung and got so close to his face that Taehyung could feel his breath against his skin. "And who are you to tell him he is?"

Taehyung took a step back and crossed his arms. He was unphased by Wan trying to act threatening. "I'm his band member and his brother. I see him dance way more than you do. He's won a ton of awards already, honestly he doesn't even need you." He turned to Hobi. "You don't even need this guy. Why bother?"

Hobi looked between Wan and Taehyung and gulped. He could see that Wan was quite visibly angry, and Taehyung was quite annoyed. It wasn't a good mix. He appreciated Taehyung's concern, but was now thinking it was a bad idea to let him come at all.

Hobi grabbed Taehyung's arm. "It's okay. Just go sit back down and watch. He's...just doing his job." He felt his chest hurt. Doing his job at telling me how shitty of a dancer I am.

Taehyung looked back at Wan with a disgusted expression. He wanted to respect Hobi's wishes, but he sure as hell didn't plan on respecting Wan in any way, shape, or form. Nobody was allowed to disrespect any of his members. He shoved past Wan as he strolled back to his spot on the ground. "You can give constructive criticism without being an ass," he snarled.

Hobi overheard him and he felt his cheeks flush red and hot with embarrassment. I'm never bringing him anywhere ever again. He knew Taehyung wasn't wrong, but he still felt the need to respect the man in charge, even if he was being, as Taehyung put it, an ass.

"Don't mind him. He's one of our younger members.."  Hobi quickly tried to justify the entire situation. "He's not used to seeing someone else in charge of the dancing. It's usually me."

"Well, to Hell with him. Let's carry on." Wan got back into position to start instructing Hobi again. Taehyung and Hobi both glanced at each other, the older giving Taehyung an apologetic look for what Wan had just said. Taehyung crossed his arms again and rolled his eyes. He wished he didn't come to this practice either. As much as he loved Hobi, he already hated Wan. At the same time he felt like at this point he had to be there, because he didn't trust this man with his Hobi hyung.

And for good reason.

Wan grew more and more irritated with Hobi. His screaming and belittling got worse. It had gotten so bad that Taehyung could tell Hobi was holding back tears. His eyes were glossy and blood shot. His cheeks were puffy and rosy. Before Taehyung could even stand up and say anything, Hobi was asking for practice to be over. "I...I'll practice more at home but I can't do this anymore today."

Wan was refusing to let Hobi leave. "You'll be allowed to leave, when I allow you to leave."

Taehyung watched from his place in the dance studio as Hobi ignored Wan. He knew if his hyung had gotten to the point of ignoring the man, that meant he was very upset and angry, which really broke Taehyung's heart. He knew Hobi didn't deserve any of this. This man has no right being like this to my hyung.

Hobi was grabbing his bag off the ground as he wiped the tears that he'd failed to keep holding back. He sniffled. "Come on, Tae. We're going home."

"No you're not." Wan gripped Hobi's wrist and yanked it, causing him to drop his bag. He quickly pulled Hobi and told him they weren't done practicing.

"What the hell do you think you're doing to him?" Taehyung felt his blood boiling. "Don't fucking touch him. Are you actually insane? You can't just grab him like that. He wants to leave. So we're leaving."

Taehyung tried grabbing his hyung and pulling him towards the door, but Wan still had his grip on the bands dance leader. He kept dragging him around, pulling him away from Taehyung. Hobi could feel Wan's grip digging into his wrist as he was being dragged like some old rag doll. He tried pulling away. "Wan, please...I want to go home." He wiped more tears. Now not only was he angry and sad, but he was scared.

Wan shoved Hobi onto the ground and went to give him a back handed smack across the face, but Taehyung was there in time to block it. He felt Wan smack his arm as he tried shoving him away from his hyung. "What the hell is your problem?! You're actually crazy! No one hurts my hyung! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Wan shoved Taehyung aside and tried hitting Hobi again, but Taehyung grabbed Wan and shoved him. "Hobi hyung, just get out of here already while I hold this asshole off!"

Hobi stood up and backed away. As much as he would have loved to do that he also wasn't about to leave Taehyung alone with the guy. "Taehyungie, let's both get out of here!" he screamed and ran towards the door. Taehyung ran to his hyung and stood protectively next to him while his hyung gathered his stuff.

Wan was running for them, spewing profanities at Hobi. Neither of the boys understood why the hell he was being so mean, especially to the point of physical assault. The instructor screamed with rage, his face a deep red. Taehyung could swear he saw steam coming out of the mans ears with how angry he was. "I don't tolerate people not listening to me!"

"So you think hitting him is going to make him listen?! Quite the opposite, asshole! Don't think our boss won't be hearing about this! Stay the hell away from us. Stay the hell away from my hyung, he didn't do anything!" Taehyung was ready to defend his hyung with his life if he needed to.

Wan chased them out of the studio. They were running for the stairs when Wan got a grip on the back of Hobi's shirt. Taehyung had quick reflexes and punched Wan's arm, making the man lose his grip. The two continued running for the stairs desperate to get the hell out of there. Upon reaching the top, Wan caught Hobi again. The rapper stumbled and was about to lose his footing, but Taehyung caught him. He shoved Hobi out of the way just in time as Wan's fist came down and ended up slamming into his face instead of his hyungs. The punch made him stumble and he tripped over the top steps, tumbling all the way down the stairs.

Taehyung let out an ear piercing scream when he not only felt, but heard, something in his knee pop.

"Taehyung!" Hobi screamed. He turned and punched Wan. "What the hell have you done?!"

Wan looked up and noticed a security camera pointed right at them and knew, at this point, there was no getting out of this guilt. He turned and booked it out of the building, leaving Hobi and Taehyung alone to deal with the mess he had just made.

"Taehyung!" Hobi screamed through tears as he ran down the stairs, skipping steps in order to get to his dongsaeng faster.

"H..hyung....it hurts...." Taehyung was rolling around in agony on the floor while gripping his knee in his hands. "It hurts hyung.." His face was drenched in tears. His knee felt like it had shifted in directions under his skin  that it wasn't supposed to. His entire body felt like it was being prodded with pins and needles as bursts of heat shot through him. He was hyperventilating, not only because of how badly it hurt, but because of how scary this entire situation had been.

Hobi was in full panic mode. He was already on the phone with emergency services saying he needed an ambulance. He was so scared that Taehyung may have broken his leg or his knee, neither of them were sure. He lifted Taehyung's pant leg to see the skin around his knee swelling while turning purple and black. They both felt sick.

While they waited, Hobi took Taehyung's head and placed in his lap as they cried together. Hobi was massaging Taehyung's chest, hoping it would bring attention away from the pain at least a little bit.

"Hmmph...ow.." Taehyung whimpered. The slightest movement sent more sharp pain through his entire leg.

"Oh Taehyungie," Hobi cried. He could feel how badly Taehyung was sweating because of the pain and terror. "You didn't have to do that for me.." He knew the only reason Taehyung ended up falling down those stairs was because he had taken the punch that wasn't even meant for him. Taehyung grabbed his hyungs hand and squeezed it. "No one...no one...hurts...my hyung.." He sucked in a deep breath to try and steady his breathing, but he ended up screaming in pain more. It became so unbearable that without warning, Taehyung ended up passing out in Hobi's lap.

"Tae?!" Hobi's panic only grew. Where the hell is the ambulance?! "Taehyung-ah?! Oh no no no, I'm so sorry! Please wake up!" He tapped on Taehyung's face but it didn't work. He placed his hand on Taehyung's chest to make sure his heart was still beating and he was still breathing. His pulse and breathing were still very rapid, and Hobi felt the guilt wash over him. He dropped his head, seeing his tears splash off his face. "I'm so sorry I let you come. I shouldn't have let you come. He was after me, not you. And that bastard won't get away with this either! We will make sure he gets caught!"

Finally the ambulance showed up, and Hobi rode along with Taehyung in the back. His dongsaeng finally regained consciousness on the way to the hospital and once again started screaming in pain. The older was ecstatic that Taehyung had come back to the land of the living, but it sent new hurt and guilt through his body hearing him screaming again. Paramedics were looking at his knee, messing with it trying to figure out exactly where it hurt. Every poke and prod made Taehyung feel like he'd pass out again. Hobi held on to his dongsaengs hand the whole time.

"I'm so sorry.." the older cried.

"It's not your fault, hyungie." Taehyung frowned. He wanted all of this to be over.

When they arrived at the hospital Taehyung was whisked away to get x-rays. In the meantime, Hobi called his boss and let him know what happened, saying that Wan had run off but everything had been caught on camera in the hallway. "I'm not letting any of my members go back to that building until I know he's caught and everyone is safe." He didn't know where Wan ended up, and he'd be damned if he let him members walk right into that mans hell. His boss said he'd get right on looking at the footage and getting the police to start searching.

Hobi then called the others and informed them of all of the events that took place leading up to this current situation. He could hear their panic through the phone. He could envision the worry on their faces without having to physically see them because he knew how insanely protective and worried everyone was about each other. Yoongi said they were heading out right this moment to come meet up. He could hear Jungkook and Jimin sobbing the loudest in the background.

The members arrived shortly after the phone call. They ran to Hobi and hugged him, seeing the sorrow all over his face. "I'm so sorry," he cried into Jin's chest. "I didn't mean for him to get hurt."

Jin kissed the top of Hobi's head as the others patted his back. "It's not your fault, Hobi-ah. It's Wan's fault! And If I get my hands on him I'll make sure he regrets ever hurting you or Taehyung-ah!" He saw the bruises on Hobi's wrist and kissed them.

Yoongi asked for Hobi to re-explained what happened, and Hobi broke down more discussing how Taehyung was doing all he could to protect him. "It's not fair. He shouldn't have gotten hurt. It was supposed to be me."

Jimin rubbed Hobi's back. "It shouldn't have been either of you."

"No one hurts my hyung!" Jungkook screamed in a fit of tears. Hobi had deja vu, remembering how Taehyung had said the exact same thing. It made his heart burst knowing how protective even the youngest of the group were, and it also slightly freaked him out how alike both Taehyung and Jungkook were, saying the exact same thing as each other without even knowing it.

While the members were continuing to express their anger, a doctor came in to let everyone know Taehyung's x rays had come in. "His knee cap is cracked, he will need a cast and crutches for a few weeks. The good news is that it cracked in a way that will heal easily and more quickly than others kinds of fractures."

It was supposed to be good news, but it still made everyone feel like shit.

"Can we see him now?" Yoongi asked.

"Of course, right this way." The doctor led them to Taehyung's room. He lay in a hospital bed with his knee already casted up. He had some IV drips going into his arm to help with the pain. His eyes were puffy and red, with traces of tears still lingering around the surface of his eyelids and soaking his long lashes.

Hobi was the first to run to him and pull him into a hug. "Oh, my baby. How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

Taehyung looked to his members and was happy to see everyone there for him. They were all gathered around his hospital bed. He could see their concern and wanted to reassure them that he was feeling okay, at least. "I'm just...tired..It hurts but not as badly as before."

Jungkook caressed Taehyung's face. "It will heal up in no time, hyungie. I promise."

Hobi looked down at Taehyung and broke down all over again. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault, hyung. Please don't apologize. If I had to, I'd do it again. At least it was me and not you." Taehyung squeezed his hyungs hand and it made even more tears spill from his hyungs eyes. He didn't understand what on earth he'd done in this lifetime to deserve people so loving.

The members continued to comfort Taehyung. Expressing their concern while simultaneously reassuring him that he'd be alright. Namjoon joked that this must have all been a scheme for Taehyung to get out of doing chores, which lightened the mood and got a chuckle out of everyone.

Their boss called to let them know that the police looked at the tape and had enough leads to find and arrest Wan. He hadn't gotten very far. "I assure you he won't be a problem anymore. I'll get restraining orders on him, but he'll be locked up for a while anyways. Send Taehyung my sympathy, and take as much time off as you need."

Jin added to the lightened mood by thanking Taehyung for getting them some time off. "You're a hero, in more ways than one!"

The members giggled. Taehyung had burst into laughter, as the pain medication he was on had him in a bit of a loopy mood. He didn't have to stay at the hospital all too long, the members were able to get him home by morning.

As the doctor had said, he had to use crutches. His knee was casted up and he was put on bed rest for a few weeks. The others took great care of him. Sometimes Hobi, still feeling a bit guilty, became an overbearing mother-hen and would even feed Taehyung himself. "It's the least I can do. You shouldn't be moving a muscle!" he'd tease.

Everyone else picked up the slack around the house for the time being. Jin had made Taehyung's favorite one night for dinner, per request. The members helped Taehyung get to the kitchen table and settle in the chair. They kept expressing gratitude to him for protecting Hobi.

"No need to thank me. It's what any of us would have done," Taehyung replied. He honestly didn't feel like protecting his hyung was this big heroic act. He was just reflexively doing what instinct told him to do.

They also spent some time talking about the mean things Wan kept saying to the dance leader, knowing he was still feeling bad about some of the mans derogatory comments.

"Don't listen or believe a word that man has said to you," Jimin said. "You can't sit here and take advice from a man who tried to hurt you, and who put Taehyung in the hospital. Personally, I'd be more offended if you did believe the words of a man like that. You know damn well he's nothing but a pathetic asshole. You're better than him in every way."

Hobi blushed as the rest of the members all agreed with Jimin. They really hoped Wan's words wouldn't bother their brother too much.

"I won't let it bother me." Hobi agreed to brush the mans insults off. He hated him now. He didn't, and would never, believe any of the words he'd heard spew from that mans mouth. He leaned over and squeezed Taehyung's shoulder. "But, please, Taehyung. Please never get hurt like this again. It kills us. If someone tries to hurt me, then hell, just let them."

Taehyung smiled and then started giggling. It was nice to see him in such good spirits after everything. Although the members knew that also might still be a side effect of the pain medication he had to be on for a few more days. Taehyung gripped Hobi's shoulder and squeezed him back.

"No promises, hyung." He looked around at everyone, seeing their slight confusion. He clarified. "No one hurts my hyung." He looked at Jungkook. "Or my Jungkookie. Like I already said before," he shoved his favorite food in his mouth, completely unbothered.

"If I had to, I'd do it again."

[The End]
[New Requests Closed]