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“hey, kid.”
taehyung looks up from where he was fiddling his fingers while sitting on the police station’s cold chair. the officer is looking at him with an unreadable expression. there are bags under his eyes, and if taehyung wasn’t in any miserable state as well, he would feel sorry for the guy. right now, though, taehyung just wants a miracle to happen. maybe the 2012 movie will come true, and while everyone is panicking, he could just make a run for it. he wouldn’t survive either, but at least he would die free.
“m’not a kid,” taehyung mumbles. the officer doesn’t seem to hear it.
“i know what you’re trying to do is good, but violence is not the answer, alright? just because they did violence, you don’t need to do the same as well.”
then how is he supposed to react? accept all the beatings in silence?
taehyung takes a glimpse of the two guys sitting beside him. both of them are clearly not listening at all, yawning and looking at the clock the whole time. what the officer said is a bullshit, taehyung agrees, but seeing them taking everything so lightly makes taehyung’s blood boils. he only wants everything to be over.
as though it would make any difference, taehyung mumbles again, “i was just trying to protect myself.”
“you hit us first, you jerk,” the guy in red shirt instantly jumps in. taehyung didn’t expect him to react so fast.
“well, you kicked my dog, asshole.”
the officer knocks on the table. “kids, please. despite who’s right and wrong, the three of you had hurt each other. we were managed to stop you on time before anything serious could happen, but please take my words into consideration. no violence in the future, you hear me? if i ever see you three again, i won’t take this so lightly.”
“whatever,” the guy with the black cap says.
by the time it was finally over and the douchebags had left the station, it’s already nine p.m. taehyung hurries to open the small cage beside the officer’s table to let yeontan out. the dog yelps and licks taehyung’s face in affection, and taehyung nearly cries.
“um,” taehyung looks at the officer tentatively. “so, i’m allowed to go too. right?”
the officer nods his chin towards the waiting room just a few feet away. “wait there for a moment, alright? i’ll call your emergency contact.”
so much for a quiet escape.
taehyung gives the officer a tight smile before he walks to the room with yeontan in his embrace. the coach is rigid, although it’s still better than the chair. yeontan looks at him with wide eyes.
“don’t worry. we’ll be home soon. you’re a good boy, right, yeontanie?”
yeontan lets out a small bark. taehyung couldn’t help but to laugh. right, they’ll be home soon, and right now, there is nothing that would feel better than the soft fabric of the pillow under his cheek. or maybe a cup of hot tea, but it’s not like he has enough energy left to make one. at the moment, though, he can only wait until the officer is done calling his emergency contact.
his emergency contact.
wait.
his emergency contact—
taehyung stands back up hastily. in panic, he dashes back to the officer’s table so fast that yeontan needs to grip on his shoulder tightly in order to survive.
“sir officer!” calls taehyung. the whole station turns their heads towards taehyung’s direction, but he doesn’t pay any of them attention. “sir officer! a moment, please!”
the officer who was in charge of taehyung’s case earlier looks up in surprise. his right hand is already holding the phone next to his ear, and taehyung needs to control himself from prying it off the officer’s hand. “yes, taehyung-ssi?”
“um. can you call someone else instead? my emergency contact is so busy, and—”
“hello?”
fuck.
-
the silence is unnerving.
taehyung chews his lips subconsciously as yeontan jumps up and down next to him, the collar around the puppy’s neck connected to the leash between taehyung’s fingers. in contrary of taehyung’s mood, yeontan seems to be awfully happy. it cool, though, since without yeontan in presence, the situation would be far more awkward than it already is.
“taehyung-ah.”
alright. shit. just apologize. apologize, then explain.
“hyung. i’m—”
“are you hungry?”
“—what?”
after walking side to side for almost fifteen minutes now, taehyung finally turns his head to look at the person next to him. covered in a thick jacket with a crown of bed hair on his head, min yoongi looks like he was ready to sleep any second. taehyung hadn’t seen him in so long that it feels like a dream.
“are you hungry?” yoongi repeats himself. the tip of his nose is red. cute.
taehyung takes a huge gulp of air. “i’m fine.”
“i’m hungry, though. eat ramen with me.”
“um. alright.”
so. that’s why on this tiring saturday night, taehyung ended up sitting on the convenience store’s stool with a cup of instant ramen, a cup of hot tea, and an ex-boyfriend. taehyung wouldn’t even think about any of this happening when he woke up this morning, and he doesn’t even know what to feel.
“eat up, taehyung-ah,” yoongi says nonchalantly.
taehyung blinks. next to his feet, yeontan is busy trying to catch yoongi’s silhouette. it finally hits him; how domestic and familiar it is. “yoongi-hyung.”
yoongi hums. the tip of his nose is red from the ramen’s heat steaming up.
“you don’t want to, i don’t know, say something? be angry? anything?”
yoongi turns his head to look at taehyung in the eyes. a blink, then he continues to stir his food. “you expected me to?”
“yes?”
“why?”
“well. i woke you up this late.”
“it’s only nine,” one of yoongi’s eyebrows rises up.
“but—”
“i came because i want to, okay? and i’m not mad at you,” yoongi says softly. “well, a little surprised, but not mad.”
taehyung sighs. “still. i’m sorry.”
“apology accepted, taehyung-ah. although you didn’t do anything wrong in the first place.”
“and about my emergency contact. i swear i forgot. i’ll change it soon. i swear.”
“god, it’s fine, taehyung-ah.”
“sorry.”
yoongi grabs taehyung’s hand and squeezes it for a second before he pulls it back. “stop—stop apologizing, alright? eat up, then i’ll take you home. you did nothing wrong, taehyung-ah.”
taehyung blinks hard. the view in front of him starts to blur, but maybe that’s just the steam from his cup of ramen.
-
after eating, taehyung and yoongi and yeontan are back on the road. it shouldn’t be long until they finally arrive at his apartment building, but taehyung doesn’t feel relieved at all. he feels so on edge that he’s afraid he’ll cry any second now. yeontan aren’t jumping around anymore, maybe tired, and yoongi doesn’t make any sound either.
it reminds taehyung of that day. the day where it just ends, with yoongi packs his stuffs and leaves. it wasn’t dramatic at all, and both of them were alright with it. supposed to be, since they are both so busy with their jobs that they never interacted enough anymore. that must be why taehyung had forgotten to change his emergency contact. yoongi had only been there before, simply existing.
this yoongi, though, feels a lot more real.
“i didn’t know there really would be a day you’d be called,” taehyung smiles a little, “as my emergency contact, i mean.”
yoongi smiles back. “me neither. are you okay with talking about what happened?”
“it’s stupid.”
“i don’t think it is,” yoongi says. it’s quiet again for a few moments, before yoongi continues, “do you know that i was once suspended from school for three days?”
taehyung had never turned his fast that fast. “you what?”
yoongi laughs. “well, one of my classmates was about to hit my friend, so i was kind of pushed him out of the way. it wasn’t that hard, i swear. but, apparently, he wasn’t ready for that since he ended up hitting his head. so, yeah.”
“wow,” taehyung gapes. “you’ve never told me that.”
“it just never came up, i guess.”
“yeah.”
yeontan lets out a bark once their apartment building came into view. taehyung’s steps subconsciously turns a little slower, and yoongi copies.
“they hurt yeontan,” taehyung finally says. “i was only trying to protect him.”
yoongi looks at him. “you did the right thing. i’m sure yeontan is thankful and proud of you, taehyung-ah.”
taehyung kicks a small rock on the sidewalk.
“life is unfair sometimes. what’s most important is this, taehyung-ah,” yoongi points his index finger on taehyung’s chest. “you have a good heart. don’t you ever forget about that. be confident. alright?”
“you too, hyung,” taehyung says. he stopped walking, and yoongi steps in front of him to take a look at his face. taehyung tries to cover himself by staring dagger on the floor. “you have a good heart, too.”
yoongi smiles. “thank you, taehyung-ah. let’s get you home, okay? it’s been a long day for you. you hurt your cheek. must be get taken care of soon, right?”
taehyung almost forgot he just got punched only a few hours ago. “i—can i—?”
yoongi rises both of his eyebrows, waiting patiently.
“can i—hug—?”
“you want to hug me?”
taehyung shakes his head.
“ah. you want me to hug you?”
taehyung almost died in embarrassment. “um. do you want to?”
“yeah,” yoongi breathes. he steps a little closer, before wrapping taehyung’s larger body in his arms. “this good?”
“it’s perfect,” taehyung closes his eyes.
“don’t fall asleep on me, kim taehyung.”
taehyung smiles. he feels like dreaming already.