Little things - Taekook (ON HIATUS)

Chapter 23

YOUR CHOICE: stay put, but arm yourself just to be on the safe side.
There is so much swearing in this, I have accidentally become a sailor. Being quarantined means I can't swear irl, so y'all will have to deal with it. Love you!!!!!

I turn the lock in the bathroom door, as carefully as I can, so that it makes as little noise as possible. At this point, any clues to our location will be a bad thing, as it will make the intruder aware of where we are. And it could even indicate that Tae isn't on his own. 

Right now, all the intruder knows is that Taehyung is home alone. He doesn't need to know that I'm here, or that I'd protect Tae with my life if need be. 

I turn to my toolbox, keeping one ear focused towards the bathroom door so that I can hear where the stranger is going. Taehyung frowns in confusion at my actions, but the expression quickly clears when I take out a hammer from the selection of tools, sliding it into my belt. I hand him a screwdriver. 

"I can't fight!" he whispers. I nod in understanding, but don't take the tool back, as he clearly wants me to. 
"Whether you can fight or not, you need something to defend yourself with." At the fearful expression on his face, I interlace our fingers together and hold his hand, relief filling me when he smiles shyly at me. "It's gonna be okay." 

I walk over to the door, leaning against it so that I can hear what's going on in the apartment better, gesturing for Taehyung to hide in the shower. And yes, that's not ideal, and some may say that it's a little weird, but this is the best way to protect him. If he's harder to find, and I get hurt, he's got more time to react. And sometimes, that's all someone needs. 

"Taehyung, I know you're here! I just wanna talk to you, that's all!" the stranger calls out. I don't know the guy, but his voice is uncomfortable for some reason, and I highly doubt that his definition of 'talking' is the same as mine. 

No matter what the situation, I need to make sure that Tae is okay. And now that he's hiding, I can't see him either, which makes it difficult to tell either way. 

Then I get an idea. 

"Text Hobi hyung," I whisper. "He should be able to help us out." 

I don't hear a reply from Tae, but I have to assume that he's heard me, because I'm too busy worrying about the intruder situation. I know that the Little is more than capable of looking after himself, when he's not in a childish headspace, but there's nothing I can do to ensure that he's in a more adult headspace. I still don't know how to encourage his mental age to slide. And now is not the time to ask.

The stranger is getting closer, and for a moment I wonder if he knows where we are, and then I hear it. "What broke the wall, Taehyung darling? You see, I was right to say that you're not safe. This kind of thing just proves that you can't look after yourself properly. I'm telling you, I need to get you to that nice place I told you about." 

I don't know what he's talking about, but I can make a good guess, and that makes me furious. Taehyung doesn't belong in an institution just because he sometimes age slides. That is not one of the requirements for that kind of thing, and besides, it's not anyone else's decision to make. Taehyung should be able to decide where he lives, and who with, no matter what. 

Before Tae can even explain himself, the footsteps get closer, and then there's a knock on the bathroom door. "Are you in there, Taetae? Don't you wanna come and play?" I shiver at the tone of voice, knowing by now that it might cause him to age slide. They probably know it, better than I do, and so they're using it against him. 

And that is more shitty than I could possibly put into words: changing someone's understanding of what's going on, just to benefit yourself. If a child is easier to manipulate, it makes sense why this asshole would want to force Tae into the headspace of a child. So that he can control him. But that is never okay. No matter who it is, whatever you're trying to do. 

If the person in question is okay with you changing their headspace, and wants you to do so, then it's fine. Maybe you need an adult for something, or you need to be safer. But it is never okay to do something like that without their permission. Never. 

I grit my teeth, irritated now. But I can't leave the room, or he'd know that I was there, and then I don't really know what he'd do. It's difficult to tell. He might attack me out of some stupid jealousy thing. Or he could decide to try and trick me into hating Taehyung for some stupid made-up reason. And I don't really have the energy to sit through bullshit right now. 

I think I'd just end up punching the guy in the face, and I don't want Tae to have to see that. It's not fair. The easiest solution is to avoid being seen or heard in the first place. And so I can't do anything.

I back up, looking behind me for a moment and then finding Tae's hand again, squeezing it once before letting it go so that he can keep hiding in the shower. He doesn't say anything, but the squeeze I get in response tells me that he appreciates the support. 

"Taetae? Don't you miss me? Don't you wanna come say hi? It's been such a long time, honey, and you're being awfully rude right now. Don't worry about Hobi. He won't mind. He's a meanie anyway-"

"I'd like you to fuck off, please," Taehyung interrupts suddenly, his voice steady, and I spin round to stare at him through the shower door for a few seconds, shocked at the fact that he's gotten so much control over himself. "I'm not a freak, I'm a goddamn person, and I can make my own fucking decisions. If I don't want to see you, you can respect that, or I'll call the police." 

"Weren't you the one who asked me to be your caregiver in the first place? What kind of shitty attitude did you develop when I left, that you can't even show respect? I'm trying to help you, Taehyung-"
"You're trying to control me, Kyungjae. You're trying to have power over someone you don't have the right to talk to. Get out of Hoseok hyung's house. You aren't welcome here." 

"Oh, come now, Taetae-" 

I glance over at Tae questioningly, and when he nods at me, I finally speak up. "Here's your warning: get the fuck out, or you have to deal with me." There's a few seconds of silence, and then Kyungshit responds.
"Who the fuck are you?" 

In that moment, something rings true in my mind, and there's a part of me that wants to say something that I shouldn't. Because Tae doesn't know how I feel yet, and I don't want him to be thrown into the deep end with my bullshit. That's a conversation we need to have in advance, instead of in the middle of some dramatic situation. 

Taehyung deserves better than some shitty cliche sentence in the middle of some tense situation as an explanation for how I view the bond between us, how I view him. Yes, he's important to me, and I think I might love him, but now isn't the time to talk about it. Maybe, when Kyunshit fucks off, then I'll talk about it with him. Not now. 

"I wouldn't stick around to find out, buddy," I simply say, making my voice harsher than usual in an attempt to sound intimidating. There's something odd about it, threatening a stranger for the sake of someone who's become one of the most important people in my life. "I don't think you want to know."

Look, I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but I really just want this guy to jump out of the window and at least break his ankle. Because he's getting on my nerves now. 

"And what makes you think you're so special, huh? I bet you think you're the first guy to mess around with-"
"I'm the first guy to actually treat him like a human, no matter how gorgeous he is. That's who I am. You're just someone who doesn't know how to care about others, you prick. Now, for the last time, exit stage left before I show you to the fucking door." 

CHOICE ONE: I wanna see the fight

CHOICE TWO: kyungjae is spooped and does a run

CHOICE THREE: hi hobi, welcome home? Protective hobi

CHOICE FOUR: Yoongi fucks shit up

CHOICE FIVE: angst 

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Izzy x