a/n: i'm so proud of this, hopefully you all enjoy it!

HERO IN DISGUISE

- in which you and hoseok hate each other but one incident causes things to change

"Don't you love nature," Hoseok's irritatingly sweet voice rings out from behind you, your immediate reaction to the sound being to roll your eyes and clench your fists, "despite what it did to you?"

You don't even bother responding, quickening your pace as you grit your teeth together at the sound of his shoes squeaking across the floor as he follows after you, your mind clearly envisioning that devilish smile of his pulling his lips upwards, his eyes gleaming with a cheekiness that anyone—that is, of course, except you—would define as cute.

"Aw, are you ignoring me now, Y/N?" He taunts, his tone of voice indicating the enjoyment he gets out of annoying you. Smirking, you turn to flash him a sickly sweet grin and flip him off, watching as he chuckles in amusement, hand reaching out to ruffle your hair playfully. You swat it away with a scoff, ignoring the insults he begins to throw your way, not in the mood to deal with his daily dose of bullshit.

Since the beginning of high school, you've had to deal with the pest that goes by the name of Jung Hoseok. He had suddenly approached you in the middle of class and informed you that it was okay to get an answer wrong, referring to the way you so embarrassingly mucked up your numbers earlier in the session. Thinking that he was being nice, you had blushed and thanked him for his attempt at making you feel better. It was then that he laughed and told you that he was only saying that so that he could continue to say that you're stupid.

That was the moment your little war began; the whole school now aware of the fact that you and Jung Hoseok just don't get along. Although, that would be a complete understatement. The both of you despise each other so much that you make it your personal mission to make sure that the other's life is hell and there's nothing that can change that.

"Are you still here?" You deadpan, snapping out of your daydream to see Hoseok still walking beside you, seeming at peace with the odd moment of silence in between the two of you. He looks over at you with a smug smirk, one that you have to resist slapping off him as he curls a lock of your hair around his finger.

"I thought you liked my company, princess," he croons, snickering when you wince and pull away from him with a look of annoyance. You let out a sigh, feeling relieved when you see the door to his first class in the distance, unable to help the smile from blooming on your face. His eyebrows draw together in confusion, noting this as the first time he's ever seen you smile in his company. His confusion only worsens when you wrap your slender fingers around his wrist, dragging him behind you.

"Woah—watch it!" He yelps, barely managing to dodge the people that roam the halls as you continue to mercilessly keep him in your tow. You swing him around, sending him stumbling into the wall, a groan of pain slipping past his lips. You clap your hands together and motion to the door beside him, mustering the best smile you possibly can.

"This is not like my Y/N," he muses, his hand hovering over the doorknob. "It's been over fifteen minutes and you have not insulted me yet. Are you sick?"

"Just get in, you irredeemable fuckwit. I'll see you in math," you mumble, turning on your heel to the sound of his laughter, feeling a little more lighter as you head off for your first class.

*

Being popular or liked has never been a priority of yours and because of this, you have no friends. It's like people can't imagine that someone actually wants to pay attention in class and make something out of their future. And while you are certain that you're better off without the added drama, you wonder how things would turn out if you were to befriend the group of girls that roam the school halls like they own them.

You shudder at the thought, swinging your bathroom pass around your finger with a slight laugh, concluding that if you were to turn out like one of them, you'd find yourself unbearable. However, it doesn't deny the fact that those girls are intimidating and ruthless, the lot of them demanding that every thing be handed to them on a silver platter.

You roll your eyes, whistling a slow tune as you take a turn down the long hall, cursing out your school for having a lack of toilets, the nearest being a fifteen minute walk. You flick your gaze up at the sound of heels hitting the linoleum floor, eyes widening upon the sight of four girls strutting their way down the hall. You cower slightly and move to the side, ducking your head down as your hair covers your face, mumbling a small prayer under your breath as they move past you, the various scents of their perfume polluting the air in front of you.

"Wait," one snaps, the sound of their heels stopping as your breath hitches in your throat, your pace quickening instinctively as you so desperately wish to be back in class, "is that Y/N?"

Ah, fuck me.

You stop in your tracks, knowing very well that there'd be no point in running. You keep your gaze lowered, eyes tracing the marks on the floor until all you can see are four pairs of heels, their designs absolutely gorgeous and no doubt expensive. The same can be said about the girls that wear them, you realise as you raise your head up meekly to look at them, your stomach churning at the sight of their fake smiles. Everything that they wear, whether it be clothes or makeup, costs more than your entire existence, this fact making every girl in school envious of all that they have, including their beauty.

"How lovely to run into you!" Hyeri, the girl on the right with luscious, black locks, full lips and the most striking pair of eyes you've ever seen exclaims, her hands clasping together in a warm gesture. The other three nod, all sharing eerily identical looks of content.

"I heard from little whispers around the school that you're still friends with Hoseok," Hyebin, the tall girl standing in the middle with honey blonde waves and thin lips, her dimples adding more depth to her smile reveals, looking slightly scary as her eyes hold anger towards the statement.

Hoseok, this being one of the many things that you so greatly dislike about him, is part of the group of students that put their popularity over everything else. Almost every girl at school has a crush on him, his endearing qualities too likeable to ignore. He, however, is oblivious to it all and spares these girls little attention, mainly focusing on his passion of dance and keeping up his reputation.

However, you seem to be the only girl that he openly (and quite happily) talks to, the girls standing in front of you really disliking that.

They cornered you about him a month before, warning you about your sudden closeness with him despite the numerous times you had told them that you had no intention of becoming romantically involved with a man of his standards. In fact, you had even stated that you could do so much better. They still issued their threat and left, hoping that that alone would be enough to get you to leave their beloved alone.

And while you did try, Hoseok just kept on coming back.

Which leads you back to the present, your hands currently shaking as you realise that the girls are here to prove to you that their threats aren't as empty as you thought they were.

"You see, Y/N, disobeying us like that was extremely disrespectful," Sura suggests, her short, brown hair swaying as she tilts her head, those forest green eyes of hers drilling holes into yours. You gulp as Amber, a Korean-American that's well known for breaking the hearts of half the school's male population, traces the outline of your face with her finger, tsking in mock disappointment.

"It's a shame we have to ruin such a pretty face," she murmurs, pouting her lips as Hyeri and Hyebin grab onto your arms, pinning you to the lockers with a surprising amount of strength, a gasp leaving your lips as you try to break free, their nails digging into your skin.

"W-What are you doing?" You shakily ask, hissing as Hyeri digs her nails further into your skin, a sign for you to shut up or face the consequences. You whimper, nodding slowly before lowering your head so that they're unable to see your hot tears.

"First of all," Sura starts, her knee ramming into your chest, ignoring the cry of pain that slips past your lips as she entangles her hand into your hair to pull your head up so you're looking into her eyes, those emerald orbs so cold that you're sure your insides are freezing up. "That was for completely ignoring what we asked you to do."

Sura shuffles to the side, still holding your head up for Amber, who gives you a look of mock pity, her fists clenching by her sides. You suck in a breath and close your eyes, your head whipping to the side as her knuckles make contact with your skin, the pain making your head spin and your eyes well up. Amber doesn't even give you time to adjust before she's landing another punch to your opposite cheek, rubbing her knuckles as you groan, your knees feeling weak as you find yourself unable to get air into your lungs.

"Talk to Hoseokie oppa again and you watch what happens," she sneers, flicking her wrist towards the two girls holding you up, watching with no remorse as they let you go, your weak and aching body falling to the floor ungracefully.

"Now, Hyeri, Hyebin, I have a special job for you," the two girls in question nod eagerly, this type of exchange too normal for the situation that you're in. "I know the two of you are so upset about her involvement with Hoseok so what I want you to do is make sure she learns her lesson well."

Are you fucking kidding me?

Hyeri crouches down, using her thumb and forefinger to clasp your chin tightly, squeezing until you let out a whine of pain. She brushes your hair out of your face with a giggle and throws your head to the side, standing to nod at Hyebin, her smile about as sinister as her intentions.

She kicks her foot out, an immediate groan of pain echoing down the hall as her foot makes contact with your already sore chest. Hyeri goes next, somehow managing to move around you so that her kicks are now directed at your back, her heels digging into your flesh. It alternates between the two, your initial sobs of pain slowly simmering down into quiet whimpers as every part of your body goes numb.

The only thing you know for certain, judging by the copper taste in your mouth, is that those girls have kicked you enough to make you cough up blood.

"Hyeri! Hyebin! Stop!"

Thankfully, they listen to the awfully familiar and intimidating voice, stepping away from you instantly as you curl into yourself and cry, drops of blood falling onto the cold floor beneath you. Another pair of footsteps can be heard running over to the small group, stopping just in front of you as you crack open your eyes to take a look. Painfully craning your neck, you manage just a glimpse of Hoseok's face before you have to put your throbbing head back dow. His lips are pressed into a thin line and his eyebrows are furrowed together, anger practically radiating off him in hot waves.

"Just what do you think you four are doing?" He demands, his voice dropping down so deep that it makes the girls standing before him flinch, his cold glare making them fidget with their hands. You let a small whimper of pain, his head immediately dropping at the sound, his features softening into a look of concern as he studies your visible injuries. He mutters something but you don't hear it, the ringing in your ears only dying down when he turns back to the girls.

"Well?" He impatiently questions. "Is no-one going to tell me what the four of you were doing to her?"

Sura timidly raises her hand, flinching when Amber jabs at her side urgently, almost trying to get her to put it back down and shut up. Hoseok nods at Sura, giving her permission to explain, his hands itching to hold you close to him and make all the pain go away, your soft whimpers worrying him more than ever.

"We were punishing her for talking to you, oppa. Last month, we told her to stay away from you and that if she didn't, we'd make sure she'd regret it. She didn't stay away from you so we pulled her aside and, well, beat her up. We're sorry, oppa," she shyly explains, her voice so quiet that Hoseok has to focus intently on the story, managing to catch the main pieces of information.

"If I ever, and I mean ever, see you near her again, it will be the end of all four of you. Got it?" He lowly threatens, his finger pointing accusingly at them as they shake in their spots, frantically nodding as he presses for a response. He cocks his head in the opposite direction and watches with a grimace as they run away, waiting until they turn the corner before crouching down beside you.

Your tears continue to stream down your cheeks, the pain in your face making it sting. You try to take deep breaths to calm yourself down but even that burns, your bruises preventing you from even moving to adjust to a more comfortable position.

"C'mere," he softly mumbles, carefully and so, so, gently picking you up off the floor. You close your eyes, wincing as he pulls you in between his legs, delicately holding you against his warm chest. You melt into his embrace, slowly and reluctantly snaking your arms around his torso. He smiles at this and tightens his hold around you, resting his chin on your head.

"Shh," He hushes, rocking side to side as you cry into his chest. "I know, I know. It hurts. I'm so sorry." You find your tears slowly coming to a stop, that being a relief, but your lungs lack the air they need causing you to feel lightheaded.

Hoseok immediately notices the loosening of your grip around him, one of his hand instinctively moving to cup your cheek, forcing you to look up at him, your eyes hazing over. "Shit. Hey, princess. I need you to breathe for me, okay? Just f-follow me."

You manage a nod, pressing a hand weakly to his chest, trying to match the deep breaths he takes, his encouragements making you feel warm and supported as a cool stream of air slowly but surely begins to fill up your lungs.

"Better?" He asks softly, brushing some of your hair out of your face with a fond smile. When you confirm this with a nod, he swiftly cradles you to his chest, his hand slipping underneath your knees as he stands, ultimately carrying you bridal style. You want to refuse and tell him that you're fine but something in you has you craving his company, lips staying shut as he walks down the hall, holding you in a way that ensures you don't bounce with every step he takes.

"Where are we going?" You manage to ask, voice sounding raspy and hoarse as he looks down at you with a reassuring smile. You smile back at him, heart fluttering at the way his eyes look like melted chocolate and cuddles.

"Boy's locker room. I'm going to patch you up and then you and I are getting out of here."

"Where do we go after that?"

He bites his lip before lowering his head to press a lingering kiss to your forehead, his cheeks a rosy pink when he pulls away. "Anywhere you want, princess."