anathema. ✓

four

[ may 10, 20 ; present ]

the mattress was buzzing.

it was impossible to ignore at this point. jeongguk wasn't lifting a muscle to answer his own phone, and taehyung couldn't distract himself from the buzzing long enough to fall asleep. the calls didn't seem to stopㅡwhoever was calling jeongguk was persistent, but taehyung wasn't one to invade his boyfriend's privacy like that.

the older couldn't take it longer. fingers latched onto his stained cotton pillowcase and a crudely stitched together blanket, and the brunette was sleeping on the couch. it felt like sleeping on a wooden board, and jeongguk wasn't there for him to cuddle, but it was better than dealing with a persistent caller at four in the morning.

[ may 11, 20 ; present ]

"did you know your phone was ringing nonstop this morning?"

silence.

taehyung took another bite of his toast, frowning at the lack of response he received. "it kept me up. that's why i was on the couch when you woke up."

more silence. the ravenette had barely even lifted his fork, let alone touch his food. taehyung was more than worried, but he wasn't sure where to begin at all, where to start asking or where the root of the problem began.

"do you know who was calling you?"

jeongguk shook his head. it wasn't much, but it was a response. taehyung was getting somewhere, but not as quickly as he wanted to. but that was okay. patience was one of taehyung's best traits that he had developed over time.

"are you okay, baby-?" the phone began to buzz again. this time, it was taehyung's phoneㅡhis mom's caller id was flashing across the screen. taehyung set his toast back down on his plate and lifted the phone, swiping his thumb over the screen and lifting it to his ear. "yeah? why are you calling so suddenly?"

to anyone else, taehyung would have come across as rude. usually when one's mother called, they didn't question it, and picked up the phone without much hesitation. the brunette's mother, however, would typically send a quick text alerting him that she would be calling within five to ten minutes. this was either an emergency, or his mother was overwhelmed with emotions/ideas that she needed to spill and vent to her son about.

"taehyung! one of my friends found a therapist who is willing to help you out for a very minimal fee that your father and i can pay for," she went on, her voice sounding loudly through the speaker. "we also cleared out the guest bedroom so that you can get out of that house and have a place to stay until you can secure a job."

taehyung frowned. his mother was usually never this helpful, and he wasn't sure how much he wanted this help. he could do things on his own well enoughㅡand why would he need a therapist? besides, his parents' house would be too small for the four of them to stay in at once, and jeongguk's family wouldn't be too happy about that.

"mom, you know that jeongguk and i can't live with you together. we'd have to live separately, and i don't think either of us really want that."

the other end of the line went silent for a moment. for a moment he though his mother had a hung up, but the sigh and look of disappointment that he could practically feel told him otherwise. his mother sounded sad and defeated. it was as if she didn't know what to do with her son anymore, and taehyung wasn't sure how he felt about that.

"you're still talking about jeongguk, honey...?" she sounded worried. taehyung wasn't sure what she was talking aboutㅡhad she turned against the couple all of the sudden? she had been fine with them only weeks before, he thought, so what had changed her mind now?

taehyung leaned against the back of the chair, raising an eyebrow at jeongguk, who was following the patterns in the cracks of the wallpaper with his eyes. "of course i'm still talking about him? mom, he's been my boyfriend for years. nothing has changed that."

"but something has changed that!" his mom exclaimed. she took in a deep breath momentarily after. "i'm sorry for raising my voice. i shouldn't yell at you when you're dealing with this. as your mother, i should be more supportive, but you have to understand where i'm coming from. it's already hard to help you through this without everything that has happened, let alone with the addition of your...issue."

what issue? taehyung asked himself. he reached out to lift jeongguk's hand from the table, the ravenette's fingers had been digging into the wood. he didn't want the boy getting splinters in such a painful way. jeongguk cried easily, and taehyung wasn't in the mood to deal with both his mom and boyfriend right now. one was being confusing, and the other was being distant. he didn't like feeling left out of the loop. what the hell is mom talking about?

"i'm coming over to visit tomorrow." her tone was stern, voice quiet and husky as it crackled through the slightly broken speaker. "clean up a little, okay? it makes me sad when i see the mess you live in."

the sound of jeongguk standing up interrupted taehyung's thoughts. his chair made a loud sound as he stood, almost screeching and pounding against taehyung's eardrums. the boy then stormed out of the room, visibly upset at the words taehyung's mom had muttered, and he slammed their bedroom door shut. taehyung knew that the door couldn't lock. he would have to go check up on him once he was done dealing with his mother.

"yeah, i'll- i'm gonna start cleaning up soon. i have to go talk to jeongguk. see you tomorrow."

he hung up the call. he refused to hear his mother's response and complaints about his attitude. if she was that upset by it, she could yell at him for it when she arrived at their doorstep tomorrow.

the table wobbled a bit when taehyung stood up, the leg threatening to collapse for the millionth time as he stepped away from the kitchen, though it had fallen many times before. sounds of jeongguk thumping around in the bedroom echoed down the hallway. taehyung almost refused to open the door, wanting to give the boy his privacy, but decided against his. when the door creaked open, he was met with the sight of jeongguk organizing taehyung's set up.

taehyung sighed in relief. maybe he had misinterpreted jeongguk's emotions.

maybe he was just doing his best to prepare for taehyung's mom.

1,111 words