KTH || 2:05 a.m. || apartment 263

he walked into his apartment, soaked with water and shivering relentlessly.

the rain had not been forgiving.

the door opened with an agonizing creak, and taehyung tiptoed inside, taking his shoes off and hanging them off the coat rack, hoping they would be dry in the morning.

"you insolent boy, i thought i told to make dinner?"

his father's voice came ringing through the apartment, filled with venom.

"i'm sorry," taehyung said, walking into the kitchen and slipping past his father. "i had detention and the buses had stopped running by the time-"

"ah, i nearly forgot about that," his father sneered. "i got a phone call earlier. you stole something?"

taehyung pulled out carrots from the refrigerator slowly, hoping not to anger his father.

"i... i was just hungry," taehyung said. "i didn't think the ladies would notice if i took an apple-"

"so you did steal?"

"i was just hungry, dad. i thought i was going to pass out and-"

the impact of a book hitting the back of taehyung's skull sent his head jolting forwards and hitting the cabinets in front of him.

"by the time a boy turned seventeen you would have thought they would know better than to steal."

footsteps neared him, and taehyung rubbed his forehead gingerly, staying rooted where he was, his heart beating incredibly quickly against his ribcage until it ached to breathe.

"please, i'm just asking for enough money for lunch," taehyung begged. "one meal a day. that's all i need to get by." his father grabbed his shoulder and flipped him around to face him, breathing alcohol and cigarette smoke from his lips. "i... i can get by with a meal every two days, or every three days if that's all you can do for me. please, i just-"

the sound of flesh meeting flesh rang through the room and taehyung instantly brought his hands to his face to cradle his cheek.

"spoiled little brat, begging for food," his father spat. "look at you, you don't need to eat. you're fat. a few days starved wont kill you."

the floor rushed up at taehyung as he was shoved to the ground harshly and kicked.

he heard his parents' bedroom door open and from his peripheral vision, could vaguely make out his mother standing in the kitchen as he was kicked again.

"honey, don't hit him, please," his mother begged. "he's... he's already so hurt from last night, please-"

taehyung flinched when his mother was shoved across the room, and felt anger course through his veins when his father hit her. and then taehyung got up and shoved himself in between his parents, shielding his mother.

"hit me instead. just leave mom alone."

"taehyung, dont you dare-" his mother cried out desperately as she watched taehyung fall forwards from the force of a kick.

she screamed when her husband took off his belt and raised it in the air to strike the boy, and she sobbed when he did hit him, knowing full well how many welts that one whip alone would leave across the boy's back.

she threw herself forwards, only to be pushed away again, left wailing on the floor as taehyung only whimpered with every strike.

and then it was nearly fifteen minutes later that his father stopped and crouched down, grabbing a handful of taehyung's hair roughly and dragging him to the kitchen despite the boy's sobs and desperate clawing at his father's wrist.

"make dinner, you brat."

he kicked him, once, twice, and as taehyung pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, he kicked him again.

taehyung collapsed onto the floor, coughing out blood and crying out as he was kicked again.

"i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry-"

his father walked away, putting on his jacket and leaving the apartment. the door was slammed shut with so much force that the room shook.

"taehyung, oh taehyung, baby..."

his mother made her way to him and gently picked him up to lay him down across his legs. her eyes brushed over the bruises on taehyung's face and the blood dripping down his chin.

"taehyung, why did you jump in? you should have stayed back."

"i can't let him hit you."

taehyung's voice was raspy and weak from screaming and crying out.

his mother lifted his shirt, gently touching the bruises and welts that were blooming across his delicate skin, wiping away blood with a paper towel.

"it must hurt so much."

taehyung coughed again, eyes shutting from the force.

"mom, will we ever be safe?"

his mother smiled down at him, a cut blooming against her temple.

"yes, we will," she said. "i'll find our safe place, our safe haven, and i'll make sure we get there together."

"together."

"and we'll be safe and we'll be happy. it'll be our own little home."

taehyung knew now that she had lied.

she had left merely days after the event, promising to be back soon, only to leave him to struggle with his father for four more years.

he knew she had lied, but he had still trusted her.

it was as if he just hadn't wanted to give up.

their safe haven.

him and his mother.

they were supposed to go together.

she had promised.

so taehyung had stayed, hugging himself and sobbing into walls, body covered in watered down blues and purples that made constellations down his back. had they been less painful, taehyung could have called them beautiful.

she had promised.

so taehyung had trusted.

and he had waited, hoping that there would come a day when soft hands and warm breaths would take him away.

take him to their safe place. take him home.

"you're safe here," jungkook said, whispering softly.

and it was then that taehyung realized that sometimes, home could be a person.

perhaps, his safe place was within someone's arms.

jungkook was his home.

a/n : i couldn't come up with anythinG oml;; so basically this is kind of a backstory and a lowkey filler chapter while i come up with something relevanT.