used | taegyu❤️‍🩹

[05]

the clock read 9:40pm, and taehyun knew he should head home to avoid anything bad with geonu. he really did enjoy his time though, and felt upset that it had to come to an end. he felt as if he got closer with them and definitely more comfortable too.

"uhm... i have to go now." he spoke, and immediate sounds of disappointment were heard.

"aww, but taehyunie..."

"it's okay, it's late anyways. we should all go." the eldest spoke. "beomgyu's probably tired of us."

"where are you going, taehyunie?" soobin asked the younger.

"oh... uhm to my boyfriend's place."

"is he here to pick you up?"

taehyun looked confused, "...no? i'm walking there."

soobin grew a bit more concerned, as did hueningkai and yeonjun. "walking? alone? at this hour?"

taehyun just nervously chuckled. "y-yeah... it's okay."

"it's not safe though... i wish i could walk with you!! but i have to walk with soobin-hyung and yeonjun-hyung back to the dorms." kai pouted, and taehyun immediately melted.

"hey... it's okay. i'll be fine." he insisted, hoping that they would just let it go.

but instead, their gazes turned to beomgyu, who groaned.

"what? don't tell me i have to walk that thing home..." he seemed very displeased with the idea.

taehyun would be better off walking alone than with beomgyu. "it's okay... i can walk home alone."

"we're not risking anything, taehyun-ah." yeonjun said. god, weren't they stubborn. "come on, gyu."

"please, beomgyu-hyung?" kai coaxed, "you're very sweet~ i'm sure you'd do it for taehyunie?" that only made the said boy scowl.

"god, fine! just shut up." beomgyu grumbled. he really didn't want to, but if it made them shut up, then sure.

___________

that's how taehyun ended up walking through the streets, with beomgyu by his side. the atmosphere was tense and it was clear both of them wanted to escape the situation.

the streets was draped in the silence of midnight, a gentle breeze passed by occasionally. the air was warm, carrying the lingering scent of summer blooms and the sky was like a canvas painted in dark hues. it felt somewhat comfortable.

he expected the walk to be silent until the very end, but it wasn't and he was taken aback when he heard a voice which broke the silence.

"taehyun."

"y-yeah...?" he answered a bit nervously. beomgyu noticed this and just sighed.

"what happened to your arms?"

taehyun choked. he froze, and couldn't walk. this caused the older to stop walking too. did he see...? out of instinct, he pulled his hoodie sleeves down and gulped, not knowing how to approach this situation.

"i didn't mean to. but when i took off your hoodie after you passed out, i just happened to see it." beomgyu added which only made it worse. his voice sounds nonchalant and he was so hard to read. did he care? does he not? is he going to make fun of him?

"i...i... uhm... i-i just... erm... uh-" taehyun couldn't find any words to say. "c-cat scratches...?"

beomgyu narrowed his eyes, but thankfully he didn't ask any further questions and let it go. instead, he just walked off. taehyun followed behind him, his breath a bit shaky.

other than geonu, beomgyu was the first one to acutally notice his scars.

taehyun just wanted to go home, he felt so overwhelmed and wanted the comfort of his own room right now. however he couldn't help but to wonder, does beomgyu even care?

___________

"th-this is it... erm, thank you." taehyun mumbled shyly as they stopped in front of his home. beomgyu just nodded dismissively. "goodnight." he forced a soft smile before approaching his house, hoping geonu would answer the door quickly.

for some reason, he felt slightly relieved when beomgyu left. it was so tense around him. he took a deep breath before knocking on the door. "hyung... i-it's me..."

the door was soon opened by geonu who didn't properly greet his boyfriend. instead, he glared down at the younger with a scowl.

"filthy thing. what took you so long? i said to be home before 10pm, did i not?!" he scolded his boyfriend. it was only 10:05pm, taehyun didn't think it was much of a problem.

"i'm sorry, hyung..."

"sorry's not going to do anything! i did say i'll make you regret it. did you take that so lightly, doll?" he scowled, stepping closer to taehyun and grabbing his collar.

taehyun tried his best to control his tears. "i-i didn't mean it..."

"i bet you're slutting out yourself, huh? is that it? out with multiple men?"

how hypocritical when he himself is cheating with some girl...

"answer me, you damn brat!" geonu lashed out. with a sudden, sharp movement, he slapped the boy across the face, a blur of motion fuelled by anger and frustration.

the air hung heavy with tension as it fell silent. it hurted, a damn lot. the atmosphere felt thick with tension, heavy with the weight of unspoken words and raw emotions. the pain on his cheek burned bad. it was just one of those days were geonu was in a bad mood and had his anger outbursts. taehyun was all well too used to it.

"i'm sorry." he choked out.

"is that all you can say, huh?! you're so damn pathetic, god. no wonder why you cut yourself."

those words hit hard and a sharp pain went through taehyun's chest. he felt the first few tears run down, unable to say anything.

"and now you're crying. god." he tsked, letting go of the crying boy and pushing him back.

taehyun stumbled and fell to the ground. he lowered his head but that didn't conceal the fact he was crying. in fact, it just made him look even more pathetic and vulnerable.

"i'll let you in when i feel better. reflect on yourself, brat." geonu spat at him, turning away and locking the door.

he was hoping to be back home. back in his bed. he wanted to sleep. but instead, he got scolded his boyfriend and locked out. it wasn't anything new.

the poor boy curled up on the pavement, sobbing silently.

i want to go home.