Hiiiiiii!!!!
I'm hyper and my foot is still injured so I can't skip around my house :(
If I started writing AUs on my Twitter, would you all be interested in reading?
I hope you enjoy the chapter!!!! <3
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Taehyung sighed contently, lost to dreamland, the plush comforter of the infirmary bed specifically bought for Taehyung in times of severe injury was cradling his body and made him feel like he was floating. He realized vaguely he'd been brought to the tattoo parlor where the more serious medical equipment was.
As rare as it was for Taehyung to have anything other than nightmares, the blond relished in any happy dream he was presented with, and this had to be one of the best to date.
It was a world in which his father didn't exist, he'd been cast out of the picture the minute a hand had been raised to his son, and his mother was still alive and well, as caring and lively as ever. They were having a picnic, like they always used to in the Spring.
Jungkook was there too; lounging with Taehyung under the afternoon sun, the blonde leaning his back against the elder as his mother cooed at their adorableness.
Taehyung hummed in his sleep, rolling over to his side when he grimaced and was shook from the grip of rem sleep. Groggily, Taehyung peeled his eyes open, met with a dull throbbing pain resonating in his stomach. He groaned, the memories of the night prior rushing back to him and his sudden movement awakening the pain inflicted on him. Like many, the beating was fuzzy, muddled with his other memories of that day, the only crystal clear remembrance being Yoona's heel; the sharp stab being too painful to be forgotten.
Taehyung squeezed his eyes shut, carefully folding his body into a position that was least painful for him; now that he had become aware of the pain, it was difficult to become unaware, but Taehyung was unwilling and not ready to face the trauma of the night before and wanted nothing more than to float back to his peaceful dream with his mother and Jungkook. So, he took a single deep breath, filling his mind with happy thoughts and a fleeting wish for the ravanette to be beside him in that moment, regardless of discovering his home situation or not.
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"You called him?!"
Namjoon's brash and slightly angered voice rang through the silenced room. The other occupants looked up, all eyes falling on Yoongi's form sitting on the couch, eyes red-rimmed and underlined in a deep black and head in his hands.
"He needed to know. Tae isn't going to want anyone else" Yoongi answered tiredly, voice evidently run dry and emotional, conveying every emotion he felt, contrary to his usual masking personality at Taehyung's expense. The others; Jimin, Hoseok, and Namjoon shared silent looks with one another.
"He's so impulsive. He won't be able to stop himself" Namjoon spoke, eyebrows furrowed in thought at the situation.
"What are you going to do when he gets himself and Tae hurt in the process?"
"He won't. I'm doing what is best for Taehyung. Jungkook needs to be here." Yoongi's voice hardened by the end of his sentence, enunciating the importance of the ravanette's presence.
"You give him so much doubt, Joon. Never once have you stopped to look at the bigger picture. Jungkook wouldn't ever do something that would put Tae in harms-way. They need each other and this is no exception. I can't help it if you are too blind by your protectiveness over Tae, but Jungkook isn't bad for Taehyung, not in the least"
Namjoon looked at Yoongi stunned. There was so much confidence in the speech, that even Namjoon felt swayed by it. He looked to the other members, who were staring wide eyed between the two. One eyebrow raised in question.
"He's not wrong. Taehyung's been so much happier lately. Jungkook helps. He's his anchor" Hoseok voiced, matching Namjoon's gaze with a strong-willed one of his own. "You need to open your eyes, Joon. See Jungkook for how he is now, not the trouble-maker you knew him as."
Namjoon cleared his throat, spluttering slightly at the accusations thrown his way.
"I..."
"We won't hold it over you, Joon. Your big fluffy dad side was too much in the way. Tell him to shove over for a change" Jimin spoke finally, voice full of an airy playfulness in attempt to lighten the mood yet not completely slipping from the topic entirely. Yoongi sent him a small, grateful smile and reached out, pulling the pink haired male across the couch so their hips were touching.
Namjoon gave a tiny half smile before folding his hands in his chest, eyes cast down, and appearing to be deep in thought. The mood of the scene was flipping drastically, as it once again slipped back to a grim tone, the realization that Taehyung was asleep, just in the next room, stomach a bloom of purples, blue, and red, one of the worst they had seen in a while; they all had been worse in the recent weeks actually and each man wondered what change had occured to make it that way.
"What are we supposed to do?" Yoongi whispered, voicing out the question weighing on all their minds.
"What can we do?" Hoseok responded, he too feeling the despair washing over the room in a tidal wave. "Last time we tried to go to the police, they showed up sniffing at the shop, saying we were the ones who had hurt Tae! And then..."
"And then we didn't see him for 2 weeks after that." Namjoon finished, voice flat and eyes clouded with faint memories.
The others, save for Jimin, nodded. They hadn't known what else to do; the bruises had become one too many, there had been to much patching up on their part, and Namjoon had grown increasingly concerned that a repeat of the 'Sinner' tattoo would happen. So they had taken their case to the police, without Taehyung's knowledge, a few photos they'd taken serving as their only evidence to the crimes of Taehyung's father.
Immediately upon arriving at the station and Namjoon mentioning the name of Taehyung's father, they'd been whisked to a secluded section with a woman detective, who'd seemed hesitant to hear their claim as it was. But they told her every piece of evidence they'd gathered, yet compelling as their story was, the woman had sent them away, promising to file the case for further investigation. A week later and cops had shown up at the tattoo parlor, equipped fully with handcuffs. In tow had been Taehyung's father, a sickeningly sweet smile on his face as the police had waltzed into the private property and trashed the entire place with no sense of regulations whatsoever. Taehyung was whisked out of the building by his father. He was crying but paid no attention to as the cops told Namjoon he'd been accused of child abuse on a minor. It took 3 days for him, with the help of Yoongi and Hoseok to convince the authorities otherwise.
When Taehyung came back, two weeks later, he'd been noticeably different; reserved, closed off to himself, and immensely guilty. It took a full year for him to be restored to the semi-normal he had been before, and it was a time none of them liked to remember. The bruises stopped being visible after that too, hidden under layers of clothing or strategically placed so as not to be seen, the blonde's father growing more meticulous and smart about his mistreatment.
It was clear Taehyung's father was a force when it came to manipulation and fraud as well, he was completely ok with Taehyung taking the brunt of said force if it meant Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hoseok would stay quiet. And Taehyung, being the caring soul he was, had asked them not to talk, told them he could handle the situation. The boys had agreed hesitantly and barely, only after coming to the arrangement should they deem it to be bad enough, they would take action.
That was before Taehyung's father rose in rank.
And malice.
Now a factor of strengthened fear had come into play; they held their tongues to protect the blonde, fearful should they speak, there would be no Taehyung left to worry over.
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The 4 men were jolted out of their saddened and heavy silence by the front door being rammed against its hinges, the loud noise enough to knock Jimin clear off the couch accompanied by a startled squeak.
Jungkook stood breathless in the entryway, pupils wide and chest heaving as he wildly looked at each man individually, appearing to have run the entire way to the tattoo parlor.
"Where?"
Four individual fingers pointed in the direction of Namjoon's station room. No words were shared, what was there to say? They knew this was either going to happen one of two ways; Taehyung weaseled his way out of telling Jungkook or Jungkook found out about Taehyung's home life. Neither was the best option and each man felt the familiar need to jump in front of Jungkook; protect Taehyung but they also knew it was hopeless.
They couldn't have stopped Jungkook if they'd tried.
Namjoon watched the ravanette with a newfound curiosity as he turned abruptly on one heel and ran off down the back hallway, almost sprinting and Namjoon thought he caught a glimpse of what the others had been talking about. Jungkook certainly obtained an intense protective nature when it came to Taehyung, he'd never seen the younger so disheveled or worried before, for anyone. Maybe there was something to what the others had been saying. He'd have to keep a closer eye on the two.
"Do you all think he'll tell him?" Jimin asked, legs sprawled across Yoongi's lap and head against Hoseok comfortably. They all caught his worried eye looking in the direction of Taehyung's room; the two younger males hadn't spent a ton of time together since re-meeting again, but Jimin seemed to have held on to his love for the blonde. That and the need to protect Taehyung, similar to what all the males possessed, and something that Taehyung seemed to carry with him. An indisputable desire to protect him.
"If he does, can I personally drive Jungkook to Tae's father's house?" Yoongi asked, eyes suddenly wide with a demonic-like gleam.
"Why?"
"Because as much as I know, letting Taehyung's father know more are aware of the abuse, I'd like to see Jungkook's fist in his face more"
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Taehyung was awoken a second time by a loud resonating bang, startling him into a sitting position. He looked around widely but couldn't place if the sound had been in his dream or in real life. He whipped his head around looking for any sign of an intruder then cried out when he jostled his stomach too much.
He sat rigid in the bed for a moment, blanket pulled up to his chin as he waited for the pain to ebb away. When it faded, in his lack of movement, to a throbbing yet manageable pain, Taehyung let out a breath of relief and relaxed, unaware of the twin pair of deep raven eyes watching him from the doorway.
Jungkook stood frozen, his heart thumping wildly in his chest, and he wondered had Taehyung been paying more attention if he would have heard it. The small blonde was visibly in pain, taking in shortened breaths and spine perfectly straight as he waited for another sharp stab of pain to fade. Jungkook grimaced. It hurt, watching Taehyung in pain. He hated it more than words could describe and Jungkook wanted to run to Taehyung immediately, engulf him in his arms and ensure for himself that Taehyung was ok.
But his feet felt rooted in place, unwilling to carry him further into the room. He felt a sense of intrusion, like he was witnessing something he shouldn't, at least not yet. This occurrence, while not the first he'd seen of Taehyung's struggles felt more physical and that set Jungkook off, made his insides itch and his mind reel with the possibilities.
He watched as Taehyung edged forward slowly, placing the majority of his weight on his hands, which were placed behind him on the bed, and Jungkook came to the realization that perhaps this was not Taehyung's first time doing this. The blonde expertly wove his way down the comforter towards the side of the bed, managing to keep the blanket over his cold body and minimal weight directed towards his stomach and lower body. It was a technique Taehyung found to be beneficial. Often times, when he was injured, witnessing the cold air against his skin was enough to slap all the emotions of the night prior onto him after any residual adrenaline and shock had worn off. So he eased his way into it, keeping the purposefully heated comforter over his lithe frame for as long as he could, before slowly hoisting himself to a standing position, the blanket falling away.
Jungkook gaped, trying to mask his heavy, angered, and worried breathing. Taehyung dawning only a pair of shorts, was shirtless, leaving his heavily gauze wrapped stomach to Jungkook's view. There were angry red lines and other faint bruises climbing steadily up and around the wrapped area, as well as a few on his shoulders and arms, all of which, Jungkook noticed painfully, would have been covered by his typical attire on a normal day. The ravanette's stomach lurched, mind churning, yet still found himself unable to move, to speak even. He was too much in shock, in disbelief, in worry to fully place what he was seeing.
Taehyung still obliviously unaware of Jungkook's piercing gaze watching his every move, took the first painful and sluggish step towards the single plush chair in the room, where his teeshirt had been lain. He glimpsed at himself in the mirror briefly on the wall behind the chair, eyes stuck to the bandaged area and array of purple-black marks littering his skin before disappearing under the gauze. Taehyung sighed. This was going to take days to heal, which meant he'd actually have to stay on his father's good side until it did, knowing his body wouldn't be able to take another beating such as this one.
Jungkook was livid. Hands clenched tightly into fists and his eyebrows furrowed. His deadly glare was set on Taehyung exposed back.
He growled audibly out of anger, and Taehyung froze, dropping the shirt in his hands and shakily looking up to peer into the mirror, meeting Jungkook's piercing fiery gaze. His knees started to shake. Even through the dim lights of the room, Jungkook could see the fear shining in Taehyung's eyes, but he was too angry to ponder it as he surged forward, taking long strides and covering the space between him and Taehyung quickly. His eyes never once leaving the jagged crooked lettering of the tattoo gracing the boy's shoulder.
'Sinner'
Jungkook internally shuddered, practically shaking with rage. Taehyung jumped as Jungkook's calloused hands gripped his shoulders tightly. Jungkook tentatively ran a finger over the rugged lettering, yet still holding his shoulder into a vice like, increasingly painful grip. His eyes were dark and burning.
"What the hell is this, Taehyung" Jungkook growled out, his voice low and barely containing the anger he felt, as he took in the severity of the tattoo. Immediately, he deemed it not to be the blonde's work, knowing that the terribly done tattoo was inflicted by another, and he couldn't wrap his head around the thoughts flowing through his head, as the pieces fit together one by one.
Taehyung was still staring at him through the mirror, eyes blown wide and body stiff under the older's touch. Had Jungkook been able to focus on anything other than the daunting thoughts he was currently experiencing, he may have realized how Taehyung's breathing had spike. Or how his fingers had begun to dig into his shoulders, squeezing harshly.
A small whimper caught his attention as Taehyung finally caught his eye, his own pupils large and swimming with unshed tears.
"J-Jungkook, you're h-hurting m-me" The blonde stuttered out, feeling an immense amount of guilt and shame, thinking Jungkook's obvious anger was directed at him.
The sound and the small broken voice broke Jungkook out of his revere and for the first time he registered all that he had been doing, his eyes softening almost immediately.
"Baby" He whispered lowly, turning the blonde around softly to hold his cheek in one hand. "Who did this to you?" Jungkook asked, trying to control himself and already fairly sure he knew the answer to his question. Taehyung's bottom lip began to tremble, the tears threatening to spill over, now witnessing a completely different set of emotions seeing Jungkook's pain filled eyes, but the guilt was ever present. He wasn't supposed to find out like this. He wasn't supposed to know at all. What if Jungkook left him? Then what would he do?
"You can tell me Taehyung. You can trust me." Jungkook assured the quivering blonde, caressing the supple skin under his touch gently and fitting his other loosely around his waist as a sense of security. Taehyung suddenly shook his head harshly, trying to back away from Jungkook, back the ravanette wouldn't let him, tightening his grip around his waist, yet mindfully being aware of the blonde's injured stomach.
"No!" Taehyung suddenlyyelled, pounding once on Jungkook's chest with his fist, the tears now freely falling down his cheeks. "You're gonna leave me! You'll be disgusted! He'll hurt you! I can't lose you, Jungkook! I can't lose you like I lost my mother! You can't leave me! P-please. I need you"
Taehyung continued shouting, sobbing, and striking Jungkook's chest with each word, his punches getting weaker as he continued and his voice increasingly cracking and shaking before finally breaking by the last word. Jungkook caught Taehyung's fists in his hands, stopping him out of fear the blonde would hurt himself. Small pools of tears shone in Jungkook's own eyes witnessing Taehyung break down like this, his heart aching.
Taehyung fell against Jungkook's chest, still shaking once stopped and unable to stand on his own, as he gripped onto the elder's shirt tightly. Jungkook didn't hesitate to hug the blonde back, pulling him as close to his chest as he possibly could and securing his arm around his waist, keeping him upright.
Jungkook let Taehyung cry. Let him get all the pent up emotions and fear out once more, while stroking his hair and whispering calming words into his ear.
"Shh" he cooed, shifting slighlty to place one hand over Taehyung's wrapped abdomen, worried that he had injured it farther. Taehyung gasped at the touch, feeling the warmth spreading through Jungkook's fingers like tendrils into his stomach and washing all the pain away. "I've got you."
Taehyung looked up at Jungkook, once again feeling that calming trance of being stuck in his dark eyes as they pulled him in, surrounding Taehyung in their comforting peace. There was an array of different emotions flooding through his being at the moment, some more prominent than others, but particularly, wrapped in Jungkook's arms, sensing the security, the shared feelings, a singular one stuck out like a beacon of light in Taehyung's depths.
The stakes were so much higher now. It wasn't just about Taehyung anymore, and it hadn't been for a long time. He had long since lost most hope of his own freedom, but Taehyung came to realize in this moment, his fight, his breakdowns, all of it, was because there was a second person he had to protect now; one whom couldn't know the truth for fear of injury at his expense, who wasn't supposed to see his dark side because he wanted to be strong for them, yet at the same time, it was so hard to not place full trust, to show them his vulnerability and depend on them.
It wasn't about just Taehyung anymore.
It was about Taehyung and Jungkook.
So, as Taehyung looked up at Jungkook in the darkened light, and Jungkook's worried eyes looked back at him, the ravanette's hand still laying across his chest and fingers caressing his skin, the blonde stood on his tippy toes and kissed Jungkook, trying to convey every emotion he had every had about the elder into one moment. When he pulled back, Taehyung hovered near, their noses touching.
"I can't lose another person I love, Jungkook"
Jungkook's heart swelled as the words left the blonde's mouth, a wide smile gracing his lips as his emotions battled between of euphoric happiness and worry, before molding into one big jumble of combined feelings. Jungkook reiterated by kissing Taehyung again, holding him close.
"You won't ever lose me, love. I promise"
________________________________________________________________________________I'm crying. I'm really in love with this chapter yay!!
Soo..I also was not planning on dropping the L-bomb today...was it too soon? Just right? Not soon enough?! :) Lemme know what you thought in the comments! :)
Quick note: I don't know if anyone was wondering this, but Taehyung's father doesn't have a name on purpose. It keeps his character a little more daunting without much description, I think. That time will come, but not quite yet :)
What did you all think about Namjoon, Hoseok, and Yoongi's story about not telling the police a second time? I know they should try again anyway, but they are afraid what will happen to Taehyung should it not work out.
Oh! Also, I wasn't sure if it came across but the part where Taehyung was talking about everything being about him and Jungkook now, what I was trying to say was he's fighting for Jungkook and himself, while feeling guilty about being weak around Jungkook(which is partly why there have been so many breakdowns) because he still feels he needs to always be strong around him, all the while wanting to be vulnerable around him because Jungkook invites that, helps him heal, and gives him a sense of safety he's never had before. So he's holding on for Jungkook, while also getting more fearful of his father injuring him. Does that make a little more sense, if the other paragraph didn't?
Oh! x2, I was voted for a nomination for a Wattpad award(Fiction Awards I believe) and I just wanted to say thank you!!! to the person who voted for me, I can't find the person anymore bc Wattpad is being a butt, but thank you anyway if you are reading!! I'm not gonna ask you all to vote, because I don't and wouldn't expect to win, but it still means a bundle to me<3
Also thank youuuuuuu for 154k reads!! I am literally in awe and shock and I love you all, my friends, so much, so thank you for your support, kind words, and encouragement always!
Please, if you are stressed, take a minute to relax, breath, do something you like to do and let your mind chill for a minute. Remember that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to, no mountain is too high to climb, and there is an inner strength and confidence within all of us even if sometimes it feels hidden, it is there, and you can harness it. Just remember, you are amazing, intelligent, enough, beautiful, and special no matter what anyone says, you are perfect and that is all the matters :)
GMA Tae was such a cute little bean <3
Y'all see that twitter video of Jungkook swimming in the pool? I died and lost all my uwus at the same time...boi has some muscles but is an adorable baby at the same time...how?
_______________________________________________________________________________Next chapter will be out soon!
I purple you!
-Megan<3