A/N: Thank you so much for 50 reads! I love each and every one of my readers :D
5 days after meeting Taehyung, Jeongguk decided to man up and walk to his house. He had a small box with a tiny beanie baby in it, accompanied by a note scrawled in his messy handwriting.
He approached the white fence, carefully opening it and approaching the front door. He took a deep breath, knocking on the door and waiting for someone to open it. He barely noticed the large chain wrapped around the house with an even thicker padlock dangling in front of the door.
Jeongguk jumped slightly when the front door creaked open and a small woman with long hair stared at him with glassy eyes. He awkwardly smiled at her, face flushing.
"Er..is Taehyung here? I have something for him. I'm his friend, Jeon Jeongguk and I live down the street.." he rambled for a moment before stopping himself.
Taehyung's mother froze, simply observing the teenage boy before her. He was lanky yet muscular, exceptionally cute in the face, and so obviously sweet.
She didn't like him, for he intimidated her.
But she smiled at him regardless, struggling to keep up a kind facade. "Ah..I didn't know my little Taehyungie had friends. He never mentioned you before. But, I'll pass the message okay? And I'll give that gift to him too. He'll be happy to know you stopped by."
She flashed a crooked smile, shutting the door and re-locking it. Jeongguk stayed on the doorstep for a second before grinning and skipping home like the kid he was.
Taehyung's mother stared at the box in her hand, anger bubbling inside of her. Since when did Taehyung have any friends? She had a strict rule against him talking to strangers. Especially ones that had the potential of uncovering her secret.
She crushed the box in her hand, furiously stomping up the stairs and kicking Taehyung's door open. He was startled awake, a hand flying to his chest to regulate his breathing.
"Mommy, you scared me! What happened-" His voice was cut off by his mother angrily screaming and hurling the box towards him. It smacked against his face, leaving a red mark on his cheek.
"WHAT THE FUCK DID I TELL YOU ABOUT TALKING TO PEOPLE OTHER THAN ME? SOME STUPID KID WAS ASKING FOR YOU ON THE PORCH AND NOW HE KNOWS WHAT I LOOK LIKE AND THAT YOU LIVE HERE! YOU'RE GOING INTO THE BASEMENT." Her voice was terrifying, and Taehyung immediately started crying, begging for her to forgive him.
She roughly grabbed him, dragging him by his arms down the first flight of stairs. While still holding onto him, she unlocked the basement door and threw him down the second flight into the dark cellar.
He wailed in pain; his ankle was sprained and it was pitch black in the basement. The floor was cold and hard and Taehyung was too weak to attempt climbing up the stairs to plead for his mother to open the door.
So, he waited. And waited.
And waited.
2 weeks later.
Taehyung limped silently towards his mother's door. It had been almost a full month since he walked Yeontan, and he was desperate to get outside again.
During his week locked in the basement, he really began to think about how his mother was treating him. He had always tried his hardest to be a good son, but his mother never appreciated it.
When his mother finally opened her door, she simply glared at him. "30 minutes. Not a minute later. You know the routine."
He sighed heavily, practically tripping down the stairs to Yeontan's cage due to the ache in his legs. He opened the cage, grabbing the small puppy and walking outside. Rather than waiting for his mom, he slid underneath of the chain and walked to the park.
He set Yeontan down, letting him bark at a stick. He sat down on a swing, melancholia sweeping over him. Why was his mom so mean to him all the time?
Jeongguk was riding around the neighborhood, looking for things to do. He spotted Taehyung in light brown cargo shorts and a Hello Kitty hoodie. His knees were decorated with more bandaids than before and his ankle was bound loosely with an ace wrap.
He grew excited, quickly dropping his bike and running up to Taehyung who stared at him with sad doe eyes. Taehyung stood up, wrapping his small arms around Jeongguk's shoulders and crying softly.
"Mommy..she locked me in the basement for a whole week.. I'm sorry Ggukie, I wanted to see you but I couldn't."
Jeongguk cradled Taehyung gently, rubbing his back and shushing him. He then cringed once he registered what he had just been told.
He pulled away from Taehyung, wiping off his tears with his thumbs. "Does she..lock you up often? And hit you?" His voice shook with anticipation.
"Mhm..but it's my fault. I'm a bad son, Mommy has to be mean to me so I'm good." Taehyung blubbered. He sunk to the ground, curling up on the hard mulch beneath his legs.
Jeongguk was in shock. His mother seemed so kind when they met, but her aura did seem a bit strange.
"D'you..want to come live with me for a while, Taehyung? 'S just my brother and me." Jeongguk knew this wasn't the time to become flustered, but he turned red nonetheless.
Taehyung panicked, pushing Jeongguk away and running towards Yeontan (who was eating grass). He grabbed him, yelling "I'm sorry" before rushing back to his house. He climbed back under the chain, quickly opening the door and locking Yeontan in his cage.
He rushed to his room, packing a bunch of clothes and his journal into a bag. But then he stopped.
"What will Mommy do if I leave? She can't live without me.." He sat down on his bed, pondering what he was going to do. He didn't like how his mother treated him, but he still loved her.
She loves him too, right?
