'Striped Feline' Taehyung x Reader - BTS 18+

Chapter 49 - Painful Reminders

The whistle faded and stopped. A robotic message came next.

...'You can keep them safe if you come alone to the abandoned building in the South. You have twenty four hours.'...

The message came through clearly, it seems, only to his sensitive ears. Y/n didn't even stir.

His body shook. This was his choice. He had to go. But when? Suddenly the time he had left with his family became shortened to such little time.
———

Taehyung spent twenty one hours home, watching his son and spending so much more time with him. He showed so much affection to y/n as if he could supply her with enough love to last once he was gone. That dark shadow remained in the back of his mind. Twenty three hours. He counted the time carefully till the end.

In his last moments he wrote her a letter, it was all he could think of to leave behind. He tucked it away somewhere safe, walked to the crib and held the baby tightly, etching the face of his son into his memory. He came to y/n and tried to stay calm, he kissed her brashly trying to keep the tears back.

'Taehyung... what are you doing? Is something wrong?'

He catches a glance of a picture hanging on the wall, the picture of them on the snowy winter day. Then he looks back to her and utters 'I love you'.

The odd behavior does not settle well with her. He says nothing else and heads toward his old room to sneak out, hoping she would think he was doing nothing unordinary.

He closes the door and slides the window open, a breeze blows in, he takes his first step out.

'Wh-what are you doing?' She asks with nerves bundled tightly and holding herself in her arms.

Y/n: 'I think I know what you're doing. You're giving yourself up.. aren't you?'

He looks at her and dashes out the window completely. Knowing he was running out of time and staying longer would cause him more strain.

'Wait! Stop!'

She follows him through the window frame, stumbling half way through and hitting the balcony floor with her knees. She hurries back to her feet and has already lost sight of him. She would have chased him forever if only there wasn't a baby left behind in her home.

She called Kelly immediately, explaining hysterically through immense tears, begging for her friend to come to her. She even called Jungkook to go out and search for Taehyung in her stead. She was desperate.

---

Taehyung ran far. He ran south to meet who sent the message to him. After arriving to the old building he hesitantly stepped inside, still unsure of his choices.

'Welcome. You made it in time.' He saw a man. Quickly he was held down by two others. He did not struggle, he came here for this on his own after all.

'If you take me you will leave them alone right?' He huffed from the old, dusty, floorboards.

'Well... I will have to ask my boss for that answer but I don't think we had planned anything else after taking you back.' He raises a metal rod, at the end of it were bars bent into the shape of a symbol.

(I'm here to keep them safe.) Taehyung thought and closed his eyes, teeth clenched tightly, preparing himself for what was next. He wouldn't allow himself to cry here.

The man lit a fire inside an old oil drum and he placed the pole into the flames, holding it there. He raised the pole, the hot orange light gave the shape of the metal bars more clearly. It was a branding iron, now glowing red and hot.

(I came here for them. They will take me away and.... I will never see them again.) His thoughts moved further toward changing his mind about being here at all.

(I shouldn't be here. I need to go home. I don't feel right. I can still escape... Right?)

He began to struggle but was trapped to the dirty flooring, the hot pole came closer. They forced his shirt upward, exposing his back.

'Hold still or the masters mark will have to be done again until it clearly shows his symbol.'

They forced his arms behind him and a hand held his head to the floor. The next feeling was the searing pain of the hot metal on the center of his back. It stayed there for only seconds but tortured his skin for the minutes after. Taehyung aggressively shook and rolled in pain, eventually freeing himself and allowing him to get away. He only heard these words before escaping.

'Let him go. He belongs to the master now.'