"난 울고 있어."
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Purple constellations painted his skin. He was tainted, dirty. Taehyung wasn't a clean canvas, no, he was a canvas abused and stained many times over. The artist was his father, and the message was hatred.
Pain was a constant for Taehyung. Whether it was mental or physical, the brunette was damaged in a way that left him exhausted, and the act of pretending everything around him was okay became a battle that the latter knew sooner or later he would lose, but the one glimpse of hope, the one person that made Taehyung's dim life okay, was Jimin.
Jimin was a good friend to Taehyung, and the brunette cherished the time they spent together. The cheeky male was his home, and Taehyung prayed that he would stay by his side forever. The brunette tried his best to keep a strong persona for the latter, but as he stared into blonde's hazel eyes, concern prominent, Taehyung knew he had failed.
"What happened?" Jimin asked as he slowly traced his fingertips over the dark blemishes.
Taehyung winced at the contact and pulled away, avoiding any eye contact with the male. He hated being this way, but he knew if the blonde dug any deeper, he'd be disgusted at what he would find and run away just like everyone else.
"Nothing happened," he mumbled.
"Bullshit! Who did that to you?"
Though Jeongguk knew of Taehyung's father, Jimin didn't, and the brunette wanted to keep it that way.
"It doesn't matter." Taehyng said as he lifted his bike off the ground, "We're going to be late."
The brunette was exhausted, and he didn't want to talk about the subject a second longer. He was already in enough pain and thinking about his father would only add to it.
Jimin gave Taehyung one last look before he mounted his bike. The blonde knew something was bothering the male, but he didn't want to press, it hurt him more than the other could imagine, seeing the bruises had made Jimin's heartache.
The two males always rode to school together. It became the usual after they had met in middle school, the only difference since then was that Jeongguk wasn't with them, but things change, and life moves forward. The ride today though was quiet, and it mocked Taehyung. Usually, the blonde would rant about his classes or homework, but now he was reserved, and the atmosphere was tense.
"Jiminie, remember when the three of us used to ride to Cheonggyecheon? That was fun." Taehyung said in hopes to break the silence.
"Yeah...those were good times," Jimin frowned. He knew all too well what Taehyung doing, but he decided to just let it go.
☾
Once the two males arrived at school, Taehyung became increasingly self-conscious. He knew his bruises were prominent, screaming for attention, and he was afraid. He knew people were going to stare, that's what they always do, they never ask what's wrong, or if he's feeling ok, no, they just stare, and Taehyung doesn't know if he should be happy or sad by the fact.
"You alright?" Jimin asked, placing a gentle hand on Taehyung's shoulder, worry etched on his perfect face.
"Yeah, I'm okay." Taehyung gave him a small smile and looked towards the classroom.
The brunette could see Jeongguk from where he was standing; the raven-haired male had a smile on his face that made Taehyung's heart swell with affection.
As if the latter knew he was staring, he looked up from his friends to meet the brunette.
Taehyung paled and turned away. Jimin noticed the small exchange and chuckled, "Ok Taehyungie. Let's get to class."
☾
When Taehyung walked into the classroom, Jeongguk's glare burned the back of his head. It made the small male nervous; the walls felt as if they were going to close in on him or the ground was going to give way.
Jeongguk's head pounded, thoughts going in every direction. The bruises on the smaller male were dark and angry, making him look ugly and pitiful. The brunette was so small from where Jeongguk sat and it left a weird feeling in his stomach, a feeling he hated with all his heart.
He replayed the conversation from the night before and clenched his jaw. It's not his place or his job to step in and he had to tell that to himself constantly. Taehyung had to face the consequences alone because that's how the real world works, no one cares about what happens behind closed doors, so why should Jeongguk care about what happens to someone as weak and feeble as Kim Taehyung? He wants nothing to do with the brunette, all he brought was feelings and an unwanted presence that left the raven-haired male angry beyond belief. Why was Taehyung so...so annoying? Why was he such a nuisance? Questions began to pile in the back of his mind leaving the younger dazed. Jeongguk looked away from the brunette and took a deep breath, he knew he had to turn the other cheek because that's all he's ever known and that's all he can really do.
