DLMLU

Temperament

Temperament

noun:

A person's or animal's nature, especially as it permanently affects their behavior.

☆ミ　☆彡☆ミ　☆彡☆ミ　☆彡

"Dad! Please stop!" Minho cried out painfully after watching his little brother receive a brutal hit across the back. Their dead-beat father was hitting Felix again and Minho couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't stand idly by and watch his five-year-old brother be hit. He had gotten involved. His punishment was far worse than most kids would experience. Where most kids would get lectured and taught the rights and wrongs when they did something bad, Minho was punished even if he did nothing wrong. He could breathe air and then be hit just for being alive. That's what their parents drilled into their young heads. Minho pulled at his fathers swinging arm away from Felix before he was hit again and fell against the floor, his knees getting bruised from the hardwood. Felix's eyes widened looking at his brother. This was the first time Minho stepped in at a mere seven years old, and he took a stand while His fathers searing cold eyes loomed on Minho, whose eyes became sharp with a glare, yet his father swallowed him whole and sent fear through his brittle body.

'I'm doing this for Felix. I'll protect Felix.' He kept whispering to himself. Minho's soft glance towards his brother, Felix only had his eyes on him in fear as he was dragged away by the roots of his hair. Minho yelped reaching above his head trying to release his dad's grip. No matter how much pain there was Minho made sure Felix was out of sight before he releases his own cries. Minho knew Felix would be okay when he ran up the stairs to hide in their room.

It became a cycle like this. Minho took all the brutal beatings his father inflicted. It didn't matter who was in trouble for the smallest things. Minho always stepped in first. He took every punch, smack, kick, belittling over his little brother.

Being thrown against the wall he heard the un-buckling of a belt. Like autopilot he wasn't even being hit yet and its like his body moved on its own pulling the shirt over his shoulders revealing his already ripped skin. He took his shirt and bit onto it tightly as he placed his hands against the wall waiting for impact. It was to avoid biting his tongue or causing his gums to bleed. He learnt the hard way.

Once he felt the belt whip across his back shooting pain through his body. Up and down his spine, he held in the tears. He gripped the wall, his shaky legs soon numbed out as he held himself together. By now his body was completely worn and swollen with abrasions and lacerations. His father ripped through old injuries creating new ones over top. Layers upon layers.

"This is what you get for interrupting Felix's punishment." His father angrily spoke, lacing his words with venom. He hit Minho with the leather belt once more before walking away. Minho counted the amount of times he whipped the belt at him. Twenty-one times to be exact. Three more than last time. It was always the same extra number. Three between each brutal whipping. This told Minho his father was finished with his punishment and Minho fled from the scene before more damage could be done. He could hear his parents yelling at each other on the first floor, but he would prefer that, then being the one in the middle of it again. He tossed his tear-stained shirt on, covering the lacerations, they were probably dripping with blood, but the young boy didn't care to tend to them yet. His first thought was checking on Felix. If Felix couldn't see them then he wouldn't feel bad, and then he would forget about the pain that remains hidden beneath the soaked shirt.

That's what he always thought.

Bolting up the stairs to his and Felix's bedroom quickly slamming the door. He shifted against the door breathing heavily, no tears were falling by this point. He had become immune to that facade he would create. Tears stopped any time he was in front of his little brother. Felix was curled up on the bed. Staring at the wall with tears in his eyes. Minho tossed all his pain aside that he felt and embraced his little brother.