Yoon Bum x Reader: In-Justice

Chapter 10: Loss

The abuse in this chapter might be a little hard to get through, but I tried to avoid the gruesome details as much as I could.

Chapter 10: Loss

The searing white-hot pain engulfed his senses. He tried to crawl away, but felt large rough hands drag him backwards, a stinging rug burn now plastered across his knees.

"No, uncle! Please stop!" He held up a frail hand only to have it swatted away.

"Shut it. You ought to be used to this by now." The crude man's tone was more controlled than aggressive, which unnerved Yoon Bum all the more. He leaned forward, low voice an inch from the younger one's ear. "Come on now. We both know how this is going to end..."

"ACK! NO!" Bum lay a swift kick to the husky man's chest, not making nearly the impact he hoped it would.

"Heh. You're so dramatic today." He sighed as Bum scrambled to escape, calmly grabbing the cane he kept at the ready for just such occasions. Before Bum could dodge, he was struck hard across the center of his back, knocking the wind out of him.

"AAGH!" He tumbled face-first onto the ground but found his feet again. He shot darting glances around the room, searching for anything he could use as a weapon. Normally fear would have kept him from acting out, but everything was different now. Bum had someone special to save himself for, a reason to fight back! 'There! THAT!'  He gripped the long metal part of the standing floor lamp and swung it with all his might. "Ah!" He felt a rush of dread when the accelerating object came to an abrupt halt, caught between the frightening man's meaty fingers.

"Insubordinate brat." With that, Bum was hoisted by his wrist and thrown violently to the floor. Before he had a chance to rise, he was pinned on his stomach.
"No! NO!"

"ENOUGH!" The man was angry now and yanked Bum fiercely by the hair until he fell still. His nails dug deep into the carpet as the racking pain returned. Through his watery blurred vision he saw your White Day gift sitting just a few feet away. He clenched his teeth, ashamed of his pitiful efforts.

'I tried! I really did...' He squeezed his eyes shut, rueful tears spilling over onto the crumpled messy sheets. 'F/N... please forgive me!'  His shaking hand reached out and pulled the soft bear close to him. He gripped it tightly, holding onto a little piece of you to help him endure the pain. But suddenly... the pain stopped. Bum opened his eyes in confusion.

"The hell are you doing?" When Yoon Bum's uncle was met with silence he flipped the boy over with his foot. "You gonna just cuddle a stuffed animal like a child?" Bum's eyes widened in horror. "Time to grow up!"

"Ah!" Desperation set in when the plush animal was snatched out of his arms. "Wait! Please not that!" He crawled forward on his knees to beg the way he'd been conditioned to. But the man strolled towards the front door, ignoring him. "PLEASE!" Bum shrieked, clutching onto his uncle's shirt. "I'll do anything you want! I wont ask for anything ever again! I wont eat for a week! Please!" Each plea was scorned and Bum was forced to watch his precious present get tossed carelessly into the outside dumpster.

"If you so much as leave your bedroom tonight or make any attempts to get it, you'll get a beating like you've never had before." The malicious man smirked and was met with a glare of defiance from his nephew.

'I'll just go get it tomorrow while he's at work.' Bum thought, planning to just hide it in the same place he hides your cookies.

"Oh... and what a shame... tomorrow's garbage day." With that, he retired to his room and slammed the door.

Yoon Bum's hopes sank in that instant and he collapsed to the floor in a heap of miserable sobs. It was the only gift he'd ever received, most importantly from the one he loves. The loss cut deep, and his brokenhearted cries continued long into the night.

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Yoon Bum hid his eyes all throughout the school day. His head was hung low, fixated on the same page in his notebook he'd been looking at since first period. Beyond a doubt something was bothering him. Each time you tried to throw him an encouraging smile, he would turn away and frown. You suddenly began to panic a little. 'If he's upset with me... that can only mean one thing... Oh god... he found the camera!'

"Can we... talk?" Bum's fingertips lightly grazed your arm in a hesitant reach.

"Now? I'm coming over in like three hours." You grinned nervously as the two of you exited the school building.

"Yeah... Can we?"

"Sure." Your stomach churned with unease as he led you around the secluded side of the building. As usual, a long drawn-out silence filled the air before you decided to coax words out of him. "So... is there something wrong?" 'Maybe I can play it off like someone else put the camera in the bear. Like I could just pretend I had no idea. Is he naïve enough to believe that?'

"I'm..." Bum's voice broke. "S-sorry!" You blinked in utter shock as the ravenette burst into tears.

"Huh?"

"I'm so sorry!" Yoon Bum was beside himself. Surely you wouldn't forgive him for the heartless disposal of your wonderful gift.

"Wha-"

"Th-the bear..." He sniffled and you took a step closer to him, ready to catch him in your arms if he needed them. "I l-lost it!"

"Lost it?"

"My uncle... *hic*- c-caught me with it... *sniff*... and he took it from me..." His wavering voice struck a sensitive chord on your heartstrings. "He threw it away!"

'What an awful man.'  Your brows knit together. "Bum..." You placed a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"I tried to stop him..." He squeaked pitifully. "I really did..."

"I believe you, Bum. I'm not upset with you." 'He only had the bear for a few days... would that be enough to-'

"Really?"

"Yeah. And honestly, based on what you told me about your uncle, I expected as much." 'But I at least thought it would be weeks to months before this happened...'  What good would all that work with Joon-Ki be if you hadn't captured anything of value?

"Yeah, but... I still feel bad. A stuffed animal that big must have been really expensive."

'You have no idea...'  You thought to yourself as you reached up and brushed away his tears.

"It was worth it to bring my favorite boy a present on White Day." You exclaimed with a dazzling smile and Bum felt his heart flutter. 'Oh jeez, did I just confess?!'  You weren't able to stop it, the words just sort of slipped out. You couldn't help but delight in the way he acts when you dote on him.

Bum's reaction didn't disappoint your expectations. 'I'm her favorite? ...Even more than the university student?'  Immediately a smile crawled up his hot, deeply blushing cheeks as he twisted his hands bashfully. He tucked his chin and eyed the concrete for a moment before he was able to gather enough composure to meet your eyes. That face, the way he lovingly gazed up at you was worth any other stupid pseudo-confession you could have made. It washed away your embarrassment and replaced it with a new feeling: warmth. Bum was about to tell you that you were his favorite too, that there wasn't a single facet of you that he didn't adore, but his thoughts were interrupted.

"Don't worry about the bear anymore, Bum. Let's just have a good time tonight." He nodded immediately, elated that the date was still on.

"Yes! I'll see you tonight."

Sorry, guys. This was intended to go through tonight's date, but it got longer than I anticipated.

Also, if you are enjoying this, go check out my other Yoon Bum story. It's quite a bit darker but I hope you all will still like it.