New Leaf (Taekook 21+) [Completed]

17- On the contrary

Taehyung flushed bright red as heat crept across his cheeks at his mother's question. "Y- Yes, Mama... D- did Minnie tell you that?" he asked, extremely embarrassed as he buried his face in his mother's shoulder. His mother chuckled softly as she tucked some of Taehyung's shaggy hair behind his ear. "Who else would have told me? We'll keep it a secret from your father for now. You know that's the only leverage we have to keep your father from marrying you off to whoever he decides," she whispered softly, cupping Taehyung's face in her hands now.

Taehyung nodded softly as he glanced back over at where his father stood, his father peeking out of the diamond-shaped window. "What's wrong, Papa?" he asked, tilting his head as his father hummed loudly enough for it to bounce off the walls and echo into the emptiness and silence. "I thought I saw someone looking in through the window," he stated, finally walking away from the door. Taehyung watched as his father took a seat across from him once more, folding his hands in front of him.

"Remember what I've told you today, Taehyung. If I hear of you misbehaving one more time, I will not hesitate to yank you out of this school and force you to marry my life-long friend. He's a good man and he'll treat you right, Taehyung," he stated, brushing his sleeves off as he stood to his feet. "He'll make sure to keep you healthy too, so make wise choices or I'll be making your choices from now on," his father added, dusting the rest of his suit off as if this place we're poisonous to him. Taehyung stood to his feet as well, a fire in his eyes as he defended his case. "I don't want to marry your friend, Papa! He's 3 years short of being 30 years older than me! I want to marry someone closer to my age," Taehyung argued, putting his hand on his chest.

"Then you better get your shit together," his father asserted, motioning for his mother to stand up. "Now, if there's nothing more to discuss, we're going to cut this visit short. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to be, even if you're here. Come along, dear," his father instructed, turning on his heel and heading towards the door without so much as a goodbye. His mother sighed softly in defeat as she slowly stood to her feet. She walked over towards Taehyung and kissed his forehead before tenderly tapping the tip of his nose. "Be good, baby boy. I love you and we'll visit again soon," she stated, waving goodbye to Taehyung as she followed her husband out. Taehyung watched them before slowly walking towards the opposite door, his body moving on its own as he felt nothing more than emptiness. How could his father be so blunt?

He knew he was provoking his father by taking more time to find someone to agree to marry him so soon, but he wanted to find someone he didn't think he'd want to live without. Not someone who only wanted him for sex and other mischief. At least to him, Jungkook was someone he didn't want to be without, even if the other didn't feel the same about him.

He trudged tirelessly toward his room as someone tapping him on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts. He forced a smile and turned toward the person that wanted his attention. "Is something wrong?" Taehyung asked as he opened his eyes to see Jungkook standing in front of him. "Oh! Hey, is everything okay with you?" Taehyung asked, his smile beaming brighter at the sight of Jungkook.

Jungkook could see the remnants of Taehyung's father's handprint fading into his skin as Jungkook tenderly caressed Taehyung's cheek. "I saw him smack you so hard, Tae... You don't have to pretend everything is okay..." Jungkook trailed off, cupping Taehyung's swollen cheek tenderly. Taehyung swallowed hard at Jungkook's words, trying to ignore the emptiness and pain that had accumulated during his visit with his parents. Although that was the hardest part as his smile dropped like a boulder suspended in the air, his lower lip trembling with the tears that threatened to spill over.