Little Cub (TaeJinKook) ✅

Thirty Seven

“Hi Namjoon Hyung!” Taehyung waved happily at the man sitting behind the counter. Namjoon waved back, before returning to shelving the new books that he’d gotten.

Taehyung hummed happily, skipping down the isles, in search of something new to read. He flipped through a few pages of a random book he grabbed off of the shelf, before putting it back, not interested.

“Hyung, did you get anything good today?”

“I didn’t find anything that you would really enjoy, sorry Tae.” Namjoon called back. Taehyung pouted, returning to his search, until he finally found one thing he hadn’t read before and would like to.

Jungkook would groan when he returned home with yet another book. Just last week the man had had to have a full wall bookshelf installed to hold the sheer amount of books that Taehyung had. He got tired of keeping them in boxes underneath the bed, and so he had the bookshelf placed there.

However it was already nearly full, and Jungkook had stated the next step would to just make a room into a library for Taehyung. They had suggested Jin’s room, seeing as the three men all slept in Jungkook’s room nowadays, none of them wanting to be apart.

The three had been together for four months now. Taehyung has gotten confessions from both Jungkook and Jin...and Taehyung had confessed back to the both of them, knowing that he was in love with both men, but really hadn’t had time to wrap that around his head until just recently.

Now the two men were inseparable from Taehyung, except for when he snuck out because he needed some alone time, like now, and usually he went to go and see Namjoon, who always hung out with him and offered a helping hand in finding a new book to read.

“Hey Hyung—“ Taehyung stopped cold when he turned around.

Because there...standing in front of him…

Was Jung Hoseok.

The man was smiling, both hands placed lazily into his pockets, his posture a bit slouched, relaxed, as he stood in front of the book shelves. “Hey, baby boy.”

“H-Hobi…”

“Missed me?”

“No! No. No, no, no. I’m not letting you ruin my life again—!” Hoseok shushed him, pushing him lightly into the nearest shelf. “Who said that I ruined your life? Because they’re lying. I love you, baby boy. You’re mine.”

“I’m not.” Taehyung said firmly. “I’m not yours, Hobi, not anymore. You left me in that alley, and I found men who love me. I love them. You don’t love me, Hoseok. You think you love me, because I was the only one who stayed by your side.”

The man frowned, letting go of Taehyung and stepping back. “Not anymore it seems. Looks like Jimin managed to put you back into your mindset that I’m bad for you.”

“You are bad for me!” Taehyung hissed, stepping away from the man. “I’m sorry Hobi. I love you, I really do, but I don’t love you in that way. You’re a dear friend to me, but you need help—“

“I don’t need help!” Hoseok suddenly shouted, his eyes growing angry. Taehyung gasped, knowing his mistake.

Hoseok had grown up tortured and beaten, molded into what he was today. He’d always been alone, and when he’d finally escaped his tormentors, he’d gone to Pops, and started working under him.

There he’d met others, but...when Hoseok has started hanging out with them, making friends, becoming happy and thinking that those people cared for him...they started telling Hoseok that he was sick, that he needed help.

Hoseok hated it. Hated it when people pointed out that something was wrong with him, that he was different, that he thought differently, expressed things differently. He hated it. And when he fought back against those that told him he needed help...they left him. They ruined him more than he already was.

And then Taehyung came along.

Taehyung...who never judged him, never told him he needed help, never asked why he was the way he was, never expressed disgust from the things that he did. Hoseok...loved him. He loved him.

How dare he tell him to get help? How dare he say that he didn’t actually love him?

Hoseok growled, stepping forward, about to grab for a Taehyung when someone latched onto his arm. “What do we have here?” Hoseok turned, his eyes hard. He prepared to lash out, but stopped cold, his eyes widening at the man in front of him.

Namjoon smirked down at him. “Hello, little one. My, aren’t you a cutie?”

“Let go of me.” Hoseok suddenly scowled, wrenching his arm free.

“What’s your name, little one?”

“Don’t fucking call me that.” Namjoon pouted playfully, but then smirked.

“Why? You’re nothing but a scared little boy that needs a little direction. You won’t get it from the man who is babied by two other men.”

“Hey!” Taehyung said indignantly, shooting Namjoon a betrayed look.

“Taehyung is mine—“

“Taehyung is not yours, little one. He belongs to the one called Jeon and Kim. I know what he said hurt you just now...but it’s the truth. He loves you, just not the way you think he does. And you don’t love him. Now that that’s out of the way—“ Hoseok screamed in outrage, screamed at the man dismissed his feelings so fleetingly and lunged forward, suddenly procuring the hidden knife from his belt.

But Namjoon grabbed his wrist, stopping him just moments before he was stabbed in the neck. The man grinned, something evil glinting in his eye. “My...you’re just looking to get punished...aren’t you, little one?”