I Need You to Run ✔️

Epilogue

Trigger Warning:
Physical Abuse

(Same Morning)

A cold sweat found its way to Taehyung's forehead as he stepped through the front door of his old home. The door had been unlocked, hinting that at least one of his parents was home. Although his father was an idiotic drunk, he still had the common knowledge to lock the door on the rare occasions he stepped outside.

Scanning the room, Taehyung set the cases of beer down beside his feet, attempting to remain as quiet as possible. If he was lucky, his father would be passed out and he could gather his things without a hitch.

Taking his chance in the quiet, he moved through the apartment and towards his bedroom, ignoring the tension in his stomach from being back in the one place he feared most.

Once safe in his room, he closed the door behind him, hoping no one would notice his presence since it had been left open in his absence.

The room was thrashed, clothes thrown about and dresser drawers broken, alerting him to the fact his father had already had one or two of his tantrums over his disappearance. Unfazed by the mess, he stepped over a pile of clothes to his closet, searching through the rubble for his duffle bag.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to grab much, Tae started strategizing the best way to pack the bag to its capacity, forming a list of objects he wanted to make sure he took with him in his head as he searched through the mess for each item.

Although he didn't own a lot, the mess sure made it look like he did.

"What are you doing here?"

Taehyung's head snapped up to the voice, his eyes wide with fear before settling the moment they rested over his mother.

What began as happiness to see her instantly shifted to anger the moment he noticed she had a bruised eye and a healing gash on her lower lip. He couldn't imagine all the terrible things the old man had done to her in his absence, the sight bringing him nearly to tears.

Standing, Taehyung crossed the room, his fingers brushing his mother's cheeks as he examined her closer. "What did he do to you?" He questioned, catching his bottom lip between his teeth to contain his anger.

She batted away his hands, running her finger through his hair instead. "You shouldn't be here." She reminded, tears cascading down her cheeks.

"I'm just grabbing my things and then I'm leaving." He explained, before wrapping his arms around her sunken waist and hugging her close. "Please come with me."

She hugged him back, kissing the side of his head as he cried soundlessly into her shoulder. "I can't baby. You know I can't."

"But-"

She cut him off, placing her hand over his mouth and a finger over her own, signaling him to stop talking. "Grab whatever you can but make it quick." She whispered, keeping her fingers over his mouth. "He's absolutely furious and if he sees you here," her bottom lip began to quiver as she closed her eyes, allowing more tears to fall. "If he sees you here, he won't let you leave this house alive."

Taehyung's eyes widened at her warning, not wanting to let her go but knowing he needed to. If he protested her staying any longer, it may cause more issues.

With a nod, Taehyung dropped his hands to his side and watched as his mother moved towards the door.

"If he wakes, I'll keep him distracted so you can go." She gave a faint smile, attempting to give him encouragement but only bringing more pain to his racing heart. "I love you son."