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"Hyung, wanna go out tonight?" A deep voice rang throughout the living room, his figure suddenly showing up to the elder man as he jumped on the empty space, his weight dipping on it.
Seokjin looked at Taehyung, pausing his game for a moment and smiled at the latter. "Can we just stay indoors, only for this time? We've been strolling every night, Tae. I think we deserve an early good night sleep this time." He replied before turning back to his game on his phone, completely ignoring the pout that rested on the younger's lips. "But hyung..."
"No buts, Tae," Seokjin stood up and cards his fingers through Taehyung's soft locks, bringing the strands of hair away from his face before placing a small kiss on his forehead, making the younger flustered, but unnoticed in Seokjin's eyes. "Goodnight for now. Just go to my room if you don't feel sleeping alone, okay?" With those last words, Seokjin left Taehyung in the living room and went straight to his bedroom.
Taehyung felt that there is something really wrong right now. Seokjin is being a little distant to him. When they hangout at evenings, he always forces Taehyung to come home early, sometimes he sleeps early— well he doesn't have an idea whenever Seokjin is really sleeping that time or he's doing something else.
He wanted to know what's up, but something in him wants to give space to his hyung. So he decided to go to his own room and spend the night alone. Taehyung tried.
He really tried.
Closing his eyes, but sleep never took him.
As his mind was filled with Seokjin and to whatever he's been keeping from him for almost two weeks.
"Appa, s-stop, please..." He cried out for his father to stop lashing his leather belt to his poor elder sister, hugging his shaking body, he felt helpless as he watched his father beating his sister who almost threw up blood from so much impact her body gets from the thick leather and the metal end of it.
His abusive father, who took a sip of unbranded alcohol, approached him slowly.
Taehyung felt really dizzy, as if he's watching his father walk closer to him in a very slow manner, like a man walking in a place where there is limited gravity. The old man looks agitated, almost finding satisfaction as he swings his leather belt towards Taehyung and like what happened to his sister, he was beaten to hell. He hissed at every burning hit on his skin, tears were falling like an unattended faucet, yet no pleas of help was heard from him. His sister kept on screaming, but it felt like it just added to their father's will to beat them until their bodies turned into prone areas of bruises.
"Taehyung? H-hey, wake up!" Seokjin shook Taehyung's trembling, sweaty body and quickly pulled him into a tight hug. The younger's breathing normalizes, finding so much comfort into the elder's arms and with a few more words from Seokjin, he finally calms down. Dried tears and sweat messing his face, hair disheveled in multiple directions. "You should have walked straight to my room, Tae." Sighing, Seokjin discarded his own shirt and used it to wipe Taehyung's tears and sweat. "I-I'm sorry, S-seokjin hyung.. I-I just didn't w-want to bother..."
Seokjin's eyes went wide at the sudden confession, Taehyung was never a burden to him. Ever since he took Taehyung from his father, he vowed to himself that he will take care of him until...
It's over now...
Finally...
He's free. His sister is free..
They're free..
Taehyung looked at the man infront of him, struggling and fighting for his life. He lowered his gaze at his stomach, full of blood, where he stabbed his abusive father. Uncontrollably, anger filled his whole being and he continuously wrecked the old man's skin with the broken glass bottle he has on his hand. 'I'm sorry, father.'
As soon as his insides were curling up in disgust, anger quickly turned into fear, his shaking hand stained with blood dropped the upper part of the bottle where it shattered completely as it reached the hard wooden floor. Taehyung stepped back, tears started pooling in his eyes, he was breathing heavily. He felt suffocated.
He ran away.
Left his poor sister with his father who's already in the verge of death.
How could he?
He's a fucking murderer now..
His humanity is completely stained..
Taehyung ran and ran until he found the small cubicle where he always stays whenever something happens at their house. Sitting on one corner, he found a water bottle and he quickly popped the cap off and rinsed his blood-stained hands.
Usually, he would come here whenever his father is done and satisfied in beating him up. Usually, he cleans up his blood that kept on flowimg from his wounds.
But today was different. It wasn't his. But his father's.
'Nothing will work.'
'I need to remove this..'
"You're a fucking murderer, Taehyung."
His mind screamed in his ears, which made him clasped on both of his ears, his filthy hands messing his whole face as well. Hands fishing on his pockets, he searched for his phone and pressed on 1, the speed dial.
One beep..
Two beeps..
"Taehyung.." "H-hyung..."
"I need you here, hyung..." and the call immediately ended.
"It's okay, Tae... Your safe now.." Seokjin, who's holding Taehyung's shoulders to let him stand stably, murmured as he took the younger to his home, he looked at the younger version of Seokjin sitting by the living room, Jungkook, who looked back at him. "Tae hyung..." He mumbled, quickly getting a basin and towel.
"S-seokjin hyung..." Taehyung muttered, looking blankly at the elder kneeling in front of him. "Taehyung... What happened?" There was no response, but "Jin hyung.."
He knew from thay day, Taehyung needed his help.
"There, there Tae... It's in the past now... You're safe with me.." He paused for a moment, sighing.. "And Jungkook." And from that night, he hugged the younger for the whole night.
Days passed and the usual hangouts at evenings continue. Taehyung was slowly forgetting his nightmare from the other night and suspiciously, he started looking for Jungkook. Because it's summer already and he isn't even showing up.
"Hyung, any news from Jungkookie?" Taehyung questioned. They are currently at the couch, watching their usual anime at late afternoons, his head resting on Seokjin's broad chest. The latter's eyes went wide, hoping that he wasn't caught by Taehyung. "Uhm... I haven't heard anything from Kookie yet." There was a slight conviction when he mentioned Jungkook's nickname. And out of nowhere, a loud ringtone was heard. From Seokjin's phone.
Taehyung's eyes squinted at the person in Seokjin's lockscreen. It wasn't their triad picture. But a picture of another guy. "Who's that hyung?" The younger looked up at his hyung who was already sweating, almost panicking from the situation he's in. "W-wait up.." Seokjin gently pushed Taehyung off him and went to his own room, answering the call he received. "Uhm, hello?"
And the door was shut lock.
"Who's that? He never mentioned that he has a someone..." There was gloom in his expression. He expected. He fucking expected that at least Seokjin has a little feelings for him, but he was wrong..
"I told you they'll leave you in the end, Taehyung." A voice whispered and Taehyung responded, screaming in disapproval, which made Seokjin rush back to him. "Taehyung?! What happened?" And again, the elder received no response from Taehyung.
"No one will love a murderer like you, Taehyung..."
———
"Hyung, wanna go—" "No, Taehyung. I have some errands right now, I'm sorry.." Seokjin quickly refused before Taehyung invited him to watch another underground rap battles three blocks away, and rushed out of their apartment, leaving Taehyung alone.
"Useless..." "Unimportant.." "No one loves you..." Taehyung could only scream.
The next nights, Taehyung never heard even a single approval from his Hyung. It seems like Seokjin was doing it everything on purpose. The latter would come home in the mornings already, completely forgetting about Taehyung's nightmares every fucking night.
"Seokjin hyung?" He suddenly called out one afternoon to his hyung who was preparing the lunch he bought from the convenience store. The said name hesitated for a moment then looked at him, waiting for Taehyung's next words, but the latter shook his head.
That night, he didn't ask Seokjin if he wanted to go out. But it seems like the elder was delighted at it. Instead, Taehyung only locked himself in his room and let his thoughts eat him up, making sure to keep his voice low and unheard. And Seokjin quickly left, as he knows that Taehyung will be fine alone.
But Taehyung was far from fine. As soon as he heard the door clicking lock, he screamed, cried and wanting to die already.
Where was the Seokjin he used to admire? Who used to pamper him so much?
"He's gone, Taehyung. Jungkook left you already. And sooner, Seokjin will too."
The voice threatened followed by an evil laugh sounding similar to the demons.
With his whole body shaking, he took a pen and paper and started writing something.
He remembers everything. Those moments where Seokjin took care of him and brought him back to his old self.
That time where Seokjin did the same. Locked himself in a room for days, for some unknown reasons.
That time that he...
"Seokjin is dead, Taehyung." His father's voice screamed which made the latter close his eyes and pour out his tears.
It was fucking unacceptable..
He just can't..
He fooled himself because he can't accept it..
"Seokjin died two months ago, Taehyung... You weren't enough for him to cope up with his depression and eventually killed himself."
Throwing the paper where he wrote on, he swiftly ran to the shore, a bright smile was on his face when he saw the same structure...
The structure where he attempted to jump from, but Seokjin was always there to stop him.
But Seokjin was long gone.
No one can stop him this time..
Climbing up, he hummed the same song him and Seokjin always listens to.
"Taehyung!!!" A voice screamed from behind, but he ignored it. "Taehyung stop, please..." His mind was fooling him once more.
It's not him...
"Taehyung, please.. It's me, Seokjin.." The voice screamed out, but Taehyung knew... It wasn't him. It was Jungkook
He wanted to end things and be with his Seokjin hyung already.
As soon as Taehyung reached the top, about a five-hundred meter from the lans surface, he looked on his west and saw Seokjin, beside him was Jungkook. The eldest smiled at him only, while Jungkook kept on screaming for Taehyung to go back down.
One step.
Two steps..
And three...
And finally, Taehyung is free from his insufferable condition.
He's finally free.