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5

The sound of the front door opening downstairs made Jimin sit upright quickly in his cage.

After spending countless days locked up in total silence, his ears got used to the slightest of all sounds, and he listened carefully as his captor walked around downstairs.

The fridge opened. Shut. More footsteps. Some banging and the sound of running water. Various little sounds, and then the blaring TV.

Jimin couldn't see a clock from where he was sitting, but he knew it had to be around six.

He always came home at this time. After about an hour of watching TV, he would come upstairs.

Like clock work, exactly an hour later, Jimin heard the TV shut off. The sound of dishes clanging together in the sink, and then the sound of ascending footfalls.

Jimin stiffened, hoping almost painfully that he would be left alone tonight.

He hadn't been fed in days, but not even the prospect of eating made him want to get noticed by him.

The sound of the door being unlocked, and then he stood there.

The mismatched eyes took in the room, settling on Jimin, and a smirk formed on his face.

"I missed you, my little broken songbird." He cooed, walking over to the cage.

Jimin would have shuffled back if he had the space to do so.

The man reached in and Jimin squeezed his eyes shut, feeling the mans fingers brushing through his limp, oily hair.

"Hmm, I've been neglecting you, haven't I?" The man murmured, feeling the dirt and grime that had accumulated on the caged boy.

He stood up, and Jimin risked opening his eyes to see the man walk to the connecting bathroom, and heard the water turn on a moment later.

Jimin both hated and looked forward to going in that bathroom.

Getting clean was a wonderful feeling, a small oasis in this hell, but it also meant the man had unrestricted eye access to Jimin's body, making him feel dirty all over again.

The water shut off, and Jimin watched as the man came back, pulling out a small key.

He hummed as he unlocked the cage, and Jimin sat as still as he possibly could as the man untied him.

The man stepped back, and Jimin slowly crawled out, tears in his eyes at finally being able to stretch out.

He didn't try to make a run for it, he knew he was too weak to get very far. Just standing up gave him a headrush and black spots floated in his vision.

The man grabbed his arm, guiding Jimin into the bathroom.

Jimin stood there, arms wrapped around himself as the man worked off his dirty pants and boxers, and winced at the pain in his neck when his shirt was pulled over his head.

"Get in, my love." The man murmured, his hand on Jimin's lower back as he helped him step inside the white tub.

The water was warm and covered in a thin layer of bubbles.

Jimin felt his tears run down his dirty cheeks at the feeling of clean water surrounding him. The bubbles smelled like sugar, covering the stench of the boy.

The man grabbed a wash cloth and began scrubbing Jimin's body.

"I've been busy," the man said as he worked. "You understand, right? You forgive me, don't you?"

Jimin said nothing, closing his eyes.

By the time he was fully clean, the bath water had turned brown and cold, and all the bubbles had popped.

The man drained the water and fetched a towel for Jimin.

Jimin stepped out, holding the towel around himself as he was led back to the bedroom. He dried his hair off, enjoying the scent of the shampoo while the man rummaged through his closet.

Clothes were tossed at him, and Jimin wordlessly slid them on.

The man had left the room, and Jimin crawled over the bed to the window, staring out at the remote cabin he was in.

Tall, dense woods surrounded him. It was evening, and the stars twinkled in the dark blue sky.

It would be beautiful, if it wasn't Jimin's hell.

The man came back with a hot plate of food and a tall glass of water.

The sight of it alone made Jimin's stomach rumble.

The man with the mismatched eyes set the plate down on the table beside the bed. "I made this for you, my love."

Jimin didn't bother with the fork, just grabbed the piping hot food by the handful and shoved it in his mouth.

He was starving, but after a few bites, he forced himself to slow down. The last time he had eaten too fast, he had vomited it all up, and the man had not been happy.

He could feel the man watching him as he ate but he ignored it, downing the entire glass of water.

A hand rubbed his back. "Sorry you can't have more, baby. I don't want you to get fat. I love your beauty."

Beauty? You could count every rib on Jimin if he lifted up his shirt.

But there was no point, or way, to argue with the man, so Jimin just focused on licking every last molecule of food off his hand.

The man pulled Jimin down with him, wrapping himself around the smaller boy as he pulled the covers over them.

"You love me, don't you?" The mans deep voice rumbled in Jimin's ear.

Jimin stared at the wall, listening as the man slowly fell asleep.

Silence.