A/N: So random but this man can choke me anyday
Caged but not imprisoned.
It's the safest feeling in the world. Having his warm arms wrapped around you firmly so that you can feel your body easily dissolve into his. Cheek against his bare chest, hands curled and pressed against his stomach while your legs stay entangled with his like an inseparable knot.
His breath sensitively blows over the top of your head and the steady but deep breathing tells you he's still in heavy slumber. You never knew he could sleep this long nor this deep. He's told you about his trouble sleeping and the dark circles that outlined the bottom of his eyes were always undeniably noticeable. So, instead of stirring or trying to wake him up, you stay still and treasure this sweet moment that you never want to lose.
It's usually impossible to tell the night from day with your loss of sight but you're not completely blind so if the light was unusually blinding or strong, you'd be able to notice it. And this time you did. Along with the increasing warmth you can feel from the air, you can only guess that the sun has fully risen and is prompt to grace you with its beneficial gifts.
Everything is perfect and precious. But while you're silently wishing for this time to never end, the sudden ringing of the doorbell told you to stop acting so foolish. You frown into his chest, squishing your nose into his skin while you cup your ears. You know he's going to wake up soon as the blaring sound never ends and when you feel your human shield shift, you curse inside your mind at whoever's decided to interrupt such a precious moment.
"Hmm..." He lets out a hum, shifting as his arms release your body and he rubs his eyes harshly, trying to awake himself from the sleep that tries to pull him back in selfishly.
"I think there's someone at the door." You say softly, unmoving while staying coiled up in your position.
Taehyung sits up at this point, his mind fuzzy and vision blurry as he looks down at you. It takes him a while to process everything and once he does, his jaw drops into the bed.
He really had sex with you. Just thinking about last night explains to why his body feels so amazing right now. Fully rested and refreshed. He swore he hasn't slept that well since he was a baby. He doesn't feel groggy either or like he needs to beg for more sleep. He feels like he's had all the sleep he'll ever need.
"Taehyung?" You call him out of his staggered thoughts and his ears consume the loud bell that stubbornly continues to ring. As he takes his eyes off you to stare at his bedroom door, an angry frown takes place on his face and he too starts to curse in his mind.
"Just hang on for a second, sweetheart." He presses a kiss to the side of your head before escaping the bed. Quick to exit the room as the ringing starts to irritate him more and more, he grabs his robe on the way, wrapping it around himself and crossly knotting it.
It pains him already to leave your side, your admirable face instantly popping into his head the moment he can't see it anymore and a chuckle leaves his lips, the frown temporary leaving as he laughs about how crazily addicted he is to you. There's no doubt it's going to stop anytime soon.
He doesn't realise he's still smiling big until he opens the door and he can feel the muscles in his face shift as it disappears once he sees the person behind it. The older man forces a stiff smile that looks too strange to be seen on his hard face. "Taehyung....it's good to see you."
Fingers glued to the door handle; his entire body stays motionless, unable to comprehend the man he's seeing after so many years. "Father." He says in a still and hard voice, not an inch of kindness to be heard in his tone.
His father tries to force his smile to be wider in an attempt to soften the cold behaviour from his son, but it doesn't do anything and his head lowers as he looks down at his wet shoes from the heavy rain outside. Taehyung's eyes follow his and he starts to observe his form, noticing how soaked his long coat is. He figures his father must not be comfortable.
Seconds away from offering him to come in, he hears your hesitant voice calling out. "Tae...?"
Tearing his gaze off the old man, he sees you fearfully gripping the thin rail of the stairs, clothed in a robe as you cautiously place one foot in front of the other. His heart almost falls out of his chest when he sees your fragile bare foot almost missing the next step. He rushes to your side, grasping your elbow and hip for support as he helps you finish the last few steps.
"You should've stayed in the room, sweetheart." He says gently but firmly.
"Sorry, I just...wanted to see who it was." You tell him, your head straightening and facing forward towards his father's direction.
Taehyung looks back at his father, realising he's now entered the apartment by a few steps, gripping the black umbrella in his hands as he stares with a curious expression but keeps the polite smile for you. Although he didn't know that you couldn't exactly see his kind gesture.
"Who's this?" He asks, shifting the umbrella from hand to hand restlessly. Taehyung already knows what's going on his dad's head and he knows he doesn't like it. Seeing you in a robe, he's probably thinking you're just another girl Taehyung's slept with.
"I'm Y/N." You smile widely, stepping forward and offering a handshake. Taehyung unwillingly lets you go as you move forward but keeps a secure hand on your lower back. "And you are?"
The man stares down at your hand before taking it, glancing at Taehyung. "I'm Taehyung's father. You can call me Mr. Kim."
"Oh." You let out, surprised. Your hand curiously shakes his and you take a step back to become closer to Taehyung again. A certain anxiousness but joy washes over you at the news. You were happy to finally meet more of his family but then it struck that he'd never even talked about his family, which as you were drawing all the strings together, helps you to understand the tense atmosphere.
"Would you like to stay for some coffee?" You offer kindly in a sweet voice and Taehyung looks down at you with slight shock.
Mr. Kim notices his son's reaction and wavers before starting to agree. "That would be-"
"Unnecessary." Taehyung cuts in, staring him down. "I've got a busy day ahead of me today. I need to get started soon anyway."
Mr. Kim breathes in, telling himself not to push on. "Ah, right. Your business is doing exceptionally well, I understand."
"Exceptionally." Taehyung mutters under his breath, shaking his head as he tries not to give a fed-up eye roll.
Swallowing, Mr. Kim sighs. "I came here to check on you, Taehyung. I wanted to see how well you were doing and I have important news."
Taehyung's face scrunches into a strong grimace. "Bullshit."
The tiniest gasp leaves your mouth as you face him, surprised at his disrespectful tone. "Taehyung."
But he ignores your warning tone. "You're not here to see me. The only thing you need now that I'm successful is my money."
Your face expresses the confused worry, trying to grab his hand but he shakes it off and steps closer to his father intimidatingly.
"Taehyung, listen, that's not what-"
"Get the fuck out of my house." He tells him bitterly, breathing down on him as their faces are inches away from each other. Up close, he can notice the new wrinkles on his face, the deepened charcoal circles underneath his eyes and how pale his skin looks now but he thinks nothing of it.
He's too full of grudging hate to think about anything else. "Take your demeaning, selfish and judging thoughts and leave."
You're speechless at what you're hearing, mouth open but too baffled to let any words out. Mr. Kim swallows, staring intensely back at his cold son before backing away. "Okay."
He throws another small smile in your direction. "It was nice to meet you, Y/N."
You nod silently in appreciation but you're not sure if you feel the same. Taehyung doesn't pay attention to his father as he leaves, keeping his bursting gaze on the table beside him instead as he feels his presence soon vanish and the door clicks.
It's a resounding silence that cascades over the apartment and no one moves an inch. "Taehyung." You say his name quietly.
He doesn't respond, body too tense as his fists stay curled and a bomb of emotions stay ticking inside, ready to burst. But he contains himself, as incredibly hard at it is, he holds in all his anger. He didn't want you to see this monstrous side to him.
A flinch travels across his stiff posture when he feels your small hand on his back. Gradually, the tensed muscles relax, and you can feel it beneath your fingers. You didn't know you had such an effect on him and neither did he as he feels his anger wisp away within seconds.
"Tell me."
•
The two of you have shifted into the kitchen and Taehyung's hand locks around the warm mug of tea he knows he won't drink. You sit patiently in peace on the stool next to him, waiting for him to properly trust you with his feelings.
Both were still so early on in their relationship and it had only struck you after this morning's incident that there was still so much you didn't know each other. It's killing you. You want to know everything.
"I've never had a good relationship with my dad." He finally starts, staring into his cup. "He brought me up in a wealthy household, sent me to the best grammar school, got me into all of the clubs and sport tournaments as a kid. He gave me everything except the one basic thing a father should give their son."
You don't shift to hold his hand, staying still as he continues to unravel his childhood. "He didn't play the role of my father if he didn't act like one, there was no love in anything he did for me, but I never questioned it as a kid. I had so many things to distract me. Loads of friends but never really into girls. I didn't exactly make use of the proper education I had, I was more into just having a good time and messing around. The only thing I ever really loved was photography. It wasn't such a big deal to him at a young age and I guess my dad was hoping my reckless ways would fade out soon."
"After the age of fourteen, I started to become more reckless; stealing, skipping classes and sneaking out endlessly. That's when he really started to change, he was not only an ignorant father but an angry and controlling one too. The amount of times he told me off, told me how much disgrace I was bringing to his name and told me to toughen up every time I'd start crying."
"It started to affect me...my mental health. All those demeaning thoughts and just the negative atmosphere he created whenever I was around him. My home didn't even feel like home anymore. I felt so lost. So naturally I started to become more distant with my friends and less social. It was then when I realised I never had any real friends, they only ever wanted to hang out with me because I was rich. The only one who stuck by me was Jin. Even though I'd never call him, he'd always come to check up on me."
He smiles sadly. "I'd never admit it to him but I'm so thankful for him. He's like the brother I never had, the real family that actually cared for me."
You end up smiling sadly as well at that, thinking of Jin's bright and loving personality. You too were thankful he never left Taehyung's side.
"One morning, I had turned sixteen by then, it was...probably one of the worst mornings of my life. He'd just burst into my room, woke me up and shoved my report card in my face. He was a lot more aggressive this time. He just wouldn't stop shouting, swearing and gripping me harshly. My little sister who was only fucking twelve had to try stop him. But...she couldn't and when he punched me in the face, that's when he really went too far."
Your hands automatically rise to cover your mouth as you try to silence your gasp. You weren't expecting that. Your chest starts to hurt unusually, and you can feel all the pain he felt, almost reliving the memory. Hand shifting, it covers your cheek and your jaw feels sore for no reason at all.
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Sorreee for cutting it off like this but this chapter was getting long and the juicy bits that come after are long too so...YEET.
AND 10K READS! YEHET! ❤️