More than just friends

onze

"Jungkook, could you set the table please." Her sweet tone said from the window that offered the kitchen a view of the garden.

The teenager looked up from his dribbles, kicking the ball to the goal at the back of the small garden then jogging back to the house.

"Clean your hands." His mother asked, feeding him a piece of the grilled meat she had just prepared.

A small moan came from his throat as he nodded at the great taste, his hands scrubbing the dirt from under his nails.

A few minutes later, the were both sitting in front of each other, eating their meals peacefully.

"Jungkook-ah." His mother called gently after taking a sip of her water.

"Mhm?" He hummed, his mouth still full.

"That boy, Taehyung, have you ever been to his house?"

The question was unexpected, so much so he stopped chewing on the food to look at her questioningly.

"No, why?"

She took in a sharp breath, and Jungkook could just see how she was stalling to tell him something and that scared him. his mother was never one to beat around the bush, she would just drop the nuke on him in one sentence

"Well, he- he seemed a bit jumpy yesterday. I was thinking things may be a little harsh at his house." She voiced softly, looking down at her bowl as only the sound of metal chopsticks against porcelain bowl broke the heavy silence that slowly enveloped them.

Flashes of Taehyung flinching at teachers for no apparent reason, and the occasional ematomas that painted his skin drifted in Jungkook's mind.

"Come to think if it," he started, clearing his throat uncomfortably, "he has come with bruises, I asked if he was getting bullied but he said no one did, I didn't think..." he trailed off.

His mother nodded.

"I think your friend Taehyung might be going through child abuse."

The sentence, although implicit throughout their conversation, had struck Jungkook very hard. Because he had read books about it and saw articles on Tv, but he would never have imagined it to happen so close to him.

He was so lucky, to be graced with a mother that he loved so dearly and with whom he was so close.

Though he lacked a paternal image to refer to, he would never exchange his situation for the world, perfectly satisfied with his relationship with his mother, to whom he told pretty much everything. Even though he hadn't told Taehyung, his mother new about the true nature of their relationship, simply because Jungkook had told her.

He couldn't imagine not having any parental support, let alone being physically abused by them.

"You should be really careful with him Jungkook. I think he needs you, to forget perhaps." His mother smiled.

And that's when Jungkook realised, just how much more he and Taehyung were, beyond being "Fuck buddies".

***

After dinner, Jungkook had immediately jumped on his bike and peddled off to the smaller, poorer, parts of the city.

His best friend, Seokjin, had moved there ever since they had started high school.

After his parents divorce, he had decided that he would rather live with neither of them instead of having to choose between the two. So he had moved out on his own, granted his appartement was small, but it was largely sufficient for one person.