LOVEGAME OVER

35 - Aggro

Taehyung has not been able to sleep for the whole night. He has heard his parents fight until two in the morning, and then his mother has gone to the spare room. Taehyung has not even wanted to play video games. Everything around him seems to crumble. Sure, he did not like everything about his family, but he had never wanted it to fall apart.

When he gets up for school, with dark rings under his eyes, his mother is making coffee in the kitchen. She salutes him with a warm, "Morning, baby", but he remains mute. If he had spoken, he would have either insulted her or made a sarcastic remark.

He cannot look at her without thinking about what his father has told him the night before. Without thinking about Yoongi. Yoongi kissing his mother, Yoongi making love to his mother...? He has been feeling this rage and disgust burning inside his stomach, ever since that night. As if he wanted to destroy something, everything.

"You're going to be late, Tae. Here, I made your lunch for today. Your favourite!"

Taehyung glances up at her. He knows he should not talk. He should not talk, or he will be mean. But he answers, "I don't want it." Once those words cross his lips, he can only continue with even more bitterness, "But you know what? I'll take it anyways. I'll give it to Yoongi, maybe he needs it more than I do."

Seokjin's eyes quickly fill with tears and she bites her lips. "Not you too, baby...," she breathes, powerless.

This time, he decides to shut up, and goes away, without taking the lunch bag his mother has placed on the table. He directly heads for the school bus, without waiting for his father to get out of his parents' bedroom.

Taehyung enters the school, feeling his heart beat faster, because he knows what he will find there – who he will find there. Indeed, Jimin and Hoseok are gladly talking to each other near the lockers, and a third student is standing there, next to them. Yoongi is thoughtful, gazing at nothing in particular. His black eye is still perceptible, and the nick on his lip is not healed yet.

Taehyung meets the older's eyes. Yoongi senses the hatred in his look, and does not dare sustain his glare. Across the hall, Taehyung suddenly yells, unable to control himself, "Hey, you bastard!"

He just wants Yoongi to face him, to take responsibility for his actions. He does not even respond to the insult, and everyone in the hallway turns to frown at him. Jimin and Hoseok have stopped talking.

Taehyung fumes even more at Yoongi's absence of reaction. He strides across the corridors and stops right in front of his long-time friend.

"Tae, is everything–," Jimin starts.

"You piece of shit!" Taehyung shouts, as Yoongi is still looking down. "Just look at me!" He pushes the smaller boy against the lockers.

"Are you insane?" Hoseok scolds him, trying to pull his friend away from Yoongi.

"Leave it, man," Yoongi mumbles to Hoseok. He lets his backpack fall to the ground and straightens up, finally facing Taehyung. "I'm sorry, Tae."

"That's all you've got to say? You're sorry?" Taehyung clenches his fists, trying to stop himself from hitting the other boy. "That's what she said, too. But it doesn't mean anything! You're not sorry! You just don't care about us, her family."

Yoongi does not reply. Taehyung groans and slaps him. His friend stands still. "Just say something!"

"I don't have anything to say. I have no excuses." Yoongi's cheek is already turning red.

"Then do something! Fight back!" Taehyung pushes Yoongi again, and, as he does not move, he punches his face.

Yoongi stumbles, but stays motionless. And this drives Taehyung mad. He grabs Yoongi's hair, whose blue color is already fading away, and sends him against the floor, then straddles him and hits his face repeatedly. "I trusted you! I fucking trusted you!"

Behind him, Hoseok reacts quickly, as Jimin is too appalled to do anything. Taehyung's friend drags him back and locks his hands behind his back so he cannot move. "What are you doing?" Hoseok yells. "Just stop!"

"Let me go!" Taehyung shouts, trying to wriggle out his grip. "Let me destroy that son of a bitch!"

A small group of students has gathered around them, but Taehyung seems oblivious to their presence. He keeps yelling at Yoongi, whose nose is bleeding as he tries to sit up. Yoongi glances up at Taehyung, who almost spits his last words, "Don't fucking get near my mother again!"

Everyone gasps around him, starting whispering to figure out the meaning of what he said, but Taehyung only shrugs off Hoseok's grasp, and leaves the hallway, heading for the men's bathroom. He was this close to attempt to strangle Yoongi.