To Be Loved... (BOOK 1)

Destruction

I slowly opened the front door to Jisung's house only to hear screaming from the kitchen.

"How could we let this happen?" His mom yelled. My only guess is he told them the truth.

"You made me feel like I could never be who I wanted. I always had to be what you wanted. I can't do this anymore!" Jisung yelled back.

"If you want to be a fucking embarrassment, then so be it!" His dad interjected. "Pack your shit and get out. How dare you think you even have a place here with that filth in your brain!"

"Filth in my brain? I just drove home drunk off my fucking ass from a party at one in the morning, absolutely heartbroken, and all you care about is the fact that I'm gay?" Jisung was standing his ground and I was so proud of him.

"Is that where you go almost every night? This boy's house?" His mom asked, outwardly disgusted.

"Yeah, because at least he loved me!" By the end of his sentence, his voice started to get shaky. "You've made me believe for so long that no one would ever want me. Well he did! I see that now, but it's too late. You've been stuck in my head, you ruined my life!"

"You ruined your own life when you chose to be gay. It's pitiful." His dad spat out.

"Then I guess you never need to worry about your disappointment of a son again then, right? Since I'm so disgusting to you. Well you're disgusting to me." After that, I heard a loud slap.

"Talk to me like that again and I'll make sure you won't be able to speak." His dad raised his voice to the highest volume he possibly could. "You got that?" I felt a lump in my throat trying not to cry. I wish I could do something, but he doesn't even know I'm in the house. I was hoping everyone would be asleep and he'd just be in his room but this is so much worse.

"You don't have the fucking guts." I could hear the smirk in his voice. He was playing with fire. It's almost like he was asking for a death wish.

"That's it!" I immediately heard a loud bang. It sounded like his dad pinned him against the wall. "No son of mine is going to be fucking gay. You have ruined your life, you have embarrassed us, and you have no business being in this family. Ever since you were little, I regretted the day you were born. Every day I curse God for not making you like your brother. Instead, me and your mother got a weak, pathetic little brat who likes men." The banging was repetitive at that point. Each sound only made the pit in my stomach grow larger. "Who made you like this, huh? Certainly wasn't me or your mother. Was it that fucking loser, Hyunjin? His fucking parents don't love him either, his mom tells us all the time. You'd think you would've known better because of them. Was he your fucking boyfriend?" It was silent. I was afraid if Jisung was even conscious at that point. "Answer me!"

"Minho." He strained. "His name is Minho," He laughed just enough to get under his dad's skin more than he already was, "and I fucking love him."

At that point, I felt like I had heard enough. I snuck upstairs as they were still going back and forth, then ran into his room.

"Hang in there, Ji." I found a duffle bag and a backpack in his closet, then started stuffing it with everything he had. He didn't have much due to his parents not taking care of him and having to fend for himself. I put all the clothes in the duffle bag and everything else in his backpack. I needed to make sure he never needed to come back here again. Once I felt like he was all packed, I snuck back downstairs. The timing was perfect; his parents went back into the living room to watch TV. I bit my lip, trying to keep my emotions in check as I saw Jisung laying still on the ground. I walked over to him and shook him lightly but I knew I couldn't say a word. He was beaten badly and I knew it would only look worse in the morning. I got so scared to the point where I had to check his pulse; he wasn't waking up. My last resort was punching him in the stomach. His eyes flew up and immediately winced in pain. He slightly jumped as he saw me leaning over him so I put my finger over my lips, telling him to be quiet. He nodded and took my hand. We quietly walked out the front door the best we could. He was limping but I knew he was trying. He made it all the way to the front of my car until his body gave out. That's when Minho rushed out and dropped to his knees next to him.

"Jisung?" He scanned every part of his face in fear.

"Minho, take him to the backseat. We can't stay here." As badly as I wanted to break down and cry at the sight, it wasn't safe. Minho nodded and picked him up. I opened the back door for them and threw his belongings in the trunk. Once we were all settled in, I raced back to Minho's. I looked into my rear view mirror and noticed him silently crying as he held Jisung's unconscious body close. "Minho?"

"Mhmm." I could tell he didn't trust his voice.

"He needs to stay with you."

"I doubt he'll want to."

"Trust me, he will. They kicked him out, he has nowhere else to go."

"Even if they didn't, I would never let him stay there." That's when he cried even harder. I never thought I'd see the sight. He seems the type to never let a tear fall under any circumstances. "Look what they did to him." He whispered, gripping onto Jisung for dear life.

"He defended himself like you wouldn't believe." That's when I began to tear up.

"Why didn't you do something?" He seemed upset rather than angry.

"That wasn't my fight, Minho." I shook my head. "Everything that was said...he's been waiting for this moment for so long. But I ran upstairs and got everything he'll need and got him out of there. I did the best I could."

"I know." He took a deep breath, composing himself.

We finally pulled up to Minho's house. I went to the trunk and grabbed his things after opening the door for Minho and Jisung. The three of us walked in together feeling absolutely exhausted. Yeonjun, Jeongin, Beomgyu, and Changbin rushed to see us. Jeongin immediately started to cry and Beomgyu ran into Yeonjun's arms.

Changbin walked over to us. "He finally did it, huh?" He smiled. Although no one other than Felix, Minho, and I know the full truth, many of our friends know how badly his life was at home.

"Yeah." I whispered.

Minho made his way upstairs with Jisung still in his arms.

"I'll take these three home."

"Okay." I nodded.

Before everyone left, Jeongin crashed his body into mine and squeezed tightly. Him and I were the only ones who have been around for so long to see this unfold from day one. So if anything, this hits a little harder for us.

"Innie, he's gonna be okay." I reassured him, rubbing his back. "I'll text you in the morning and tell you how he is." He just nodded. "Get some rest and tell Changbin I said to be careful."

"Okay." He sniffled, wiping his eyes. "Goodnight, Hyunjin."

"Goodnight, Innie."

Once they left, I went upstairs to check on Minho and Jisung. I opened his bedroom door to see him treating Jisung's wounds the best he could. It was really just a rag wiping the blood away, but it was something.

"Hey." I walked over to them and sat on the edge of the bed.

"You think he's gonna kill me when he wakes up?"

"No." I shook my head. "You guys will be okay."

"How could you be so sure?"

I stood up and smiled at them both. "Trust me, I'm sure." I walked towards the door. "I'll be with Felix if you need anything."

"Okay." I nodded and went to close the door. "Hyunjin?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For everything." I nodded again before I left the room and went back to Felix.

He was still asleep thankfully.

"Hey." I whispered, getting back in bed. His immediate reaction was to cuddle up next to me the way he was before. I didn't want to cry in front of Felix so I gave him a long kiss on the forehead. Having any type of contact with him calmed me and I needed that feeling now more than ever.

I don't think anyone is going to recover from this for a long time...