Taehyung frowned when he heard that Jungkook had left school early that day, causing him to check his phone to see if the raven-haired boy had left him any messages at to why he had left so suddenly when they only had one class left before the final bell. But when he was met with a blank screen, he felt his spirits drop and his shoulders slump as he made his way home, denying a ride from his friends once again.
He wondered why Jungkook suddenly left without telling him he wouldn't be walking home with him. He worried and wondered if the said boy was having problems with his shoulder still, so he shot him a quick text asking of everything was okay. He didn't expect an immediate reply, so he shoved his phone back into his pocket as he continued his walk home, not even knowing his parents were already there and waiting for him.
When he seen their car pulled into their driveway, he immediately stopped in his tracks as his body stiffened from the sight of their black BMW parked right in front of their garage. He didn't expect them to be home so early in the week after he was told they would be gone for a week and a half, they were three days early. The sight terrified him, and he had to force himself to moved his legs and walk up to his house in hopes his parents were in good moods to allow him to just go and lock himself in his bedroom.
When he opened the door, he was met with that familiar eerie feeling, his hopes plummeting when he seen his father sat in the living room with a cigarette between his lips. He gently closed the door behind him, assuming his mother was in the kitchen doing her own thing as he peeked his head in the living room, his eyes landing on his father and the bottles of vodka setting on the side table by his chair.
He already knew the man was drunk because he reeked of alcohol and cigarette smoke. He shuddered when he was met with those same cold pair of eyes, boring into his own deep brown ones that were praying for everything to be alright. His father stared at him with an expressionless face, bringing his cigarette back up to his lips and taking a long drag from it. The way his father stared at him had him already trying not to shake in fear as he tried not to have an intense staring competition with him, because he already knew where this was going.
"You guys are um... home early," Taehyung stated quietly as brought a hand up to the back of his neck, rubbing it as if it were to ease and calm his nerves that were currently all over the place. His father didn't even answer him, and Taehyung assumed the man wasn't in the talking mood like he usually is when they just came home from a business trip. He was about to take the silence as his invitation to leave until his mother came up behind him, blocking his escape.
His body seemed to have stiffened more, if it were even possible as he turned his body around and looked up at his mother, fear evident in his features. He clutched the strap of his bag that was slung over his shoulder, subconsciously, as his father stood up from his chair and took slow strides towards the small brunette boy. Taehyung heard the footsteps coming his way, causing him to turn around and see his father had that same deathly look in his eyes, and that's when Taehyung knew he had fucked up somewhere down the line.
What he did to fuck up, he had no clue, but he knew his parents must've known about it, probably why they're back here early and cornering him in his own home, terrified of what was to come. His father finally stopped a few feet away from his son, hand reaching down and picking up a half-empty vodka bottle from the coffee table, bringing it up to his lips and taking a long gulp from it before letting his hand fall to his side lazily.
Taehyung watched with round eyes in fear, his anxiety kicking in once again when his father brought the back of his hand up to wipe the remnants of the alcohol from his chapped lips. The small brunette boy almost flinched when he saw that hand move up, fearing striking him dead in his chest as he cautiously watched the man before him. The room was insanely quiet-too quiet for Taehyung's liking-a sound he's grown to absolutely despise.
His father just stayed quiet and stared at the other, neither one of them making a sound or daring to move closer to each other. Taehyung was glued to where he was, his body completely frozen from fear, scared as to what his father would do to him if he moved even a muscle. He didn't want to find out, and when he saw the man begin to move closer to him, his breath caught in the back of his throat.
"Did you have anyone over while we were gone?"
Shit.
Taehyung was sure he would be able to get away with Jungkook staying here without his parents having a single clue about it, but now they know and he was terrified of what they were going to do. He knew his parents didn't like it when people came over and stayed the night at their house, and they made that very clear to Taehyung to never invite people over for any kind of reason at all, whether if it were for a study session or just a simple hangout.
He wasn't allowed to have anyone over, and when he allowed Jungkook to stay the night, that's where he knew he fucked up big time with his parents. He swore he would be able to get away with it, but now they know and he was terrified. He knew he was going to get beat for it and taught a lesson, and that's when his knees went weak and his arms felt heavy, like someone was pulling down on them, fear striking every inch of his body.
"Answer me, boy, before I fucking make you."
"I-he h-had no place to-to go," Taehyung managed to get out, although his voice was wavering and he was trying to not allow it to break from all the pressure and anxiety he was feeling just from a simple question. It wasn't the question that's what scared him, it was the answering part that terrified him he most, because all he had to do was say something his parents didn't like, and he would be sent to the floor with blow to his head and side.
"So? That doesn't mean bring random strangers into my home!" His father boomed, causing Taehyung to flinch from his loud his voice was. The small brunette boy felt a whine form in the back of his throat, his eyes screwed shut in fear, his arms bringing themselves up to protect his head from any sudden punches his father would throw at him because of his answer, but he was met with nothing, which only met his father wasn't done.
"H-He's not some random stranger, though," he said rather quietly, peeking through his arms and at his father, seeing him chug the bottle of vodka in his hand, and it scared him because his dad was much more ruthless when he was drunk and intoxicated. He was even worse when he had hard liquor in his system, and every time he saw the man had a bottle brought up to his lips, he knew to not do anything in front of him and just stay in his bedroom. "He's one of my close friends."
"I don't care if he's your fucking best friend!" His father roared after taking the bottle away from his chapped lips, his hand falling to his side heavily as he wiped his lips with the back of his hand, his eyes narrowed into thin slits, glaring ice-cold daggers at his fuck up of a son. "You know. You know you're not allowed to have anyone over while we're here, or while we're gone. You fucking know that, Taehyung. You know we don't allow that in this home."
"You guys never allow anything in this home, though!" Taehyung was trying to hold back so many tears that were threatening to spill from his deep brown eyes, his bottom lip quivering violently, causing him to bite it in an attempt to keep it from trembling, because his voice was already doing that job pretty well. His father cocked an eyebrow at the trembling boy, seeing how he was trying to not allow his body to shake in fear-trying to compose himself because he didn't want to give his parents this kind of satisfactory.
"You want to run that by me again."
It wasn't even a question, it was more like a dare or a challenge-challenging and daring Taehyung to speak up again, daring him to voice out his opinion in his household without given the permission to do so. The smaller bit his lips harshly, more than positive he was going to draw blood soon if he didn't stop, but he couldn't because he was stuck between keeping his mouth shut, or finally speaking his mind to his parents, not even caring about the consequences.
"You-you guys never allow me to do anything. You guys expect me to be this perfect person when in reality I can't. I'm just this fuck up of a son and you guys keep me, which I don't understand why. Why keep me if all you're going to do is tell me how much of a fuck up I am? Why have me around when all you're going to do is beat me on the daily? Why have me stick around if all I am is this person who can't even be loved by his own parents?"
"You don't get to feel bad for yourself, and feel like your life is fucking falling apart, do you hear me?" His father pointed a finger at him as he held the bottle with his other digits securely wrapped around it, his speech slurred and he was barely able to keep his balance. "You don't get to go around, and slit your wrist because you don't feel loved by anyone."
That struck a knife right through him, causing him to subconsciously hand his hands behind his back at the mention of his scarred wrists. He felt the hot tears get heavier and heavier in his eyes, his bottom lip quivering and voice trembling violently, "I just don't understand why you guys keep me around if this is all you're ever going to do to me. Why are you even wasting your time with me? Why don't you guys love me like real parents should?"
His father took a step forward, stumbling a little due to his intoxication, his hand falling back down to his side as he looked down at his son with a hard glare in his features, "Love is something that must be earned, just like trust. If you can't earn love or trust, then that's on you, not on me, because I'm not missing out on a damned thing."
"You're my dad. Love shouldn't be earned."