𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒘𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒔 : 𝒘𝒐𝒘𝒌𝒘𝒂𝒏

copper teeth

there's so much yelling. too much.

his ears hurt worse then the stinging on his cheek, his hands twitch to be raised over his ears to block the sound.

his breath smells like copper, teeth stained, and his inner cheek stings from his spit.

the room smells like cheap beer and cigarettes, the rancid breath of his father is spit in his face to add to the smells.

he's silent, head tilted down and only looking to meet crazed eyes when demanded.

it's an endless cycle.

wake up, go to work, see the kid every few days, come home to a drunk father.

Sehyoon hates it, hates it more than his dad, more than his mom for dying, for the words spoken behind his back. he wishes he could leave, leave the town and all its people.

his father tires out, giving him one last shove to the shoulder and walks back to slump into his recliner, the TV playing a game show pulling him into a trace.

Sehyoon leaves silently, like always.

as the blond sits on his bed that night he thinks of Donghun, the boy he's known for so long but never helped like he wanted. the boy who slept in his bed for a week before running off with his pot dealer and partying to the fullest. the boy he wishes he could have saved.

he thinks about Junhee, if he's still watching over Donghun and Chan and Byeongkwan like he always did, from the stories Sehyoon had heared. does he still work two jobs? does he still have his apartment?

is Chan okay?

finally he thinks of Byeongkwan, the kid. Sehyoon hates to admit how much he enjoys the youngers company, but after a month and a half of hanging out he's become accustomed to the kids awkward humor and twitching.

he hasn't heard of from the other in a day or two now, sadly. but he's not the type to push, never has been. he hopes the kids okay.

Sehyoon cringes when he swallows a gulp of metallic saliva, turning his head to the side and sighing.

one day he'll leave.

maybe he'll even take the kid with him.