╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

(TW: violent imagery as a result of abuse)

Taehyung fumbled with the bottle of antiseptic. Jimin sighed, standing up and walking over to the taller.

"Let me help." The shorter mumbled, reaching out to take a cotton ball. Taehyung scoffed.

"No. Don't touch me." Taehyung bit out. Jimin swallowed.

"Taehyung, you're hurt. I can help you, so stop being stubborn and let me do this. Believe me, I don't want to touch you." Jimin wrinkled his nose. Taehyung laughed sarcastically.

"That's a lie if I've ever heard one." Taehyung remarked. Jimin bit his tongue to prevent himself from arguing back. The shorter took the cotton ball and carefully applied antiseptic on it before looking at the boy beside him. Jimin crouched down and gulped, looking up at Taehyung's bruise. The taller made eye contact with Jimin and looked away. Jimin lightly dabbed on the injury on Taehyung's cheekbone and the latter hissed.

"Almost there..." Jimin poked out his tongue to swipe over his lips, wetting them. Taehyung noticed that and pulled back, disgusted.

"What was that?" The taller asked, angry. Jimin tilted his head, puzzled.

"What was what?"

"You fucking licked your lips. Perverted Park."

Jimin's eyes widened as his cheeks turned red. "T-That's just a habit of mine! I swear I wasn't thinking of anything!" Jimin explained hurriedly. Taehyung closed his eyes in frustration and leaned back towards the other boy to let him finish his work. Jimin carefully treated the wounds with Taehyung wincing a few times in between.

"Are you done yet?" Taehyung grumbled.

"Yes." Jimin threw the dirty cotton ball in the trash can under the desk. It was silent between the two.

"I'm sorry. For kissing you." Jimin finally apologized, looking down at his lap. Taehyung glanced towards the shorter who was sitting on top of his calves on the floor.

"You better be." The taller deadpanned. Jimin's face visibly fell and Taehyung felt bad. "Whatever. Don't try to pull gay shit on me again though."

The shorter nodded. The air was so thick between them. "Taehyung?"

Taehyung didn't reply, but was listening. Jimin decided to venture on.

"Sleep with me—I mean, i-in my bed. Tonight. And every other n-night." Jimin stuttered. Taehyung raised his eyebrows.

"Are you going to kiss me while I'm sleeping?" The taller questioned, suspiciously looking down at the boy. Jimin shook his head, swallowing.

"N-No. I just don't think it's a good idea to stay here."

After thinking about it for a moment in silence, Taehyung shrugged. "Fine, whatever." Just then, a woman's scream could be heard from downstairs and the two bolted up. They rushed downstairs to see Mrs. Kim wailing on the floor while Yoongi backed away.

"I-I didn't touch her! I swear!" Yoongi insisted, horrified. Mrs. Kim was shaking on the ground. She didn't seem injured, just incredibly drunk. "Fuck, we should go. I think your mom needs to calm down by herself."

Jimin felt bad leaving the woman alone. After all, she was going through a tough time. Taehyung's mother stood up clumsily and reached for a packet of powder on the table. Yoongi had pulled Taehyung and Jimin out of the house before Jimin could see what the woman was about to do, even though he already knew. Taehyung sat in the passenger seat and Jimin sat in the back. The shorter noticed the other holding back tears. Poor Taehyung.

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Jimin checked if the front door was locked before turning off all the lights downstairs. He walked up the stairs carefully in the dark as to not trip and break a bone. When Jimin quietly pushed open the door to his room, he saw Taehyung lying on the bed on his left side and facing the door. His eyes were squeezed shut and his arm was still holding his right rib cage. That's odd.

Jimin sat down on the bed. He could hear the taller's heavy breathing. Taehyung was asleep. Jimin carefully moved Taehyung's arm away from his rib cage and slowly lifted up Taehyung's shirt so that the he would not wake up. Jimin gasped at the sight.

Dark blue and purple bruises were scattered across Taehyung's skin and some were even yellow and green. It looked so painful that Jimin couldn't help crying silently. A home is meant to feel safe and warm.

Your skin should not be this tarnished after coming back from home.

Jimin's eye brows knitted together when he fully took in the colour of the bruises. Yellow and green? Do bruises not turn that colour after around 5-10 days? Jimin's eyes widened when he realised it.

Taehyung has had these for a while.

That just made him feel worse and so he bit down on his hand to muffle the cries. Undeniably, Jimin was still loud and Taehyung woke up, adjusting to the sight snd comprehending the fact that he was seeing a crying Jimin. Taehyung's eyes trailed down to his torso and he became mad.

"I thought you wouldn't try anything!" Taehyung went to pull down his shirt, but Jimin stopped him by grasping his wrist, tears streaming down his face.

"I-I didn't. Taehyung, we need to treat these." Jimin's voice wavered. Taehyung shook Jimin's hand off.

"No. It doesn't matter." Taehyung curtly responded, lying back down. He didn't have the energy to bother shielding his skin from Jimin.

That's when he felt it.

A soft, small hand touching his skin and he winced. Ouch. Jimin gently caressed the marks.

"It does matter, Taehyung..." Jimin whispered, still unbelieving of what he saw. "How did this happen?"

Taehyung closed his eyes. "She repeatedly hit me with a beer bottle until it broke." Taehyung uttered it as if it was the most normal thing in the word, breaking Jimin's heart. Jimin pulled Taehyung's shirt down and lied down next to him, looking up at the taller's face. Taehyung still didn't meet Jimin's eyes and just kept them shut, but he could feel the shorter's gaze on his face.

Jimin leaned in to hug Taehyung and before Taehyung could protest, the other boy spoke.

"I'll treat them in the morning. For now, just try get a good sleep." Jimin paused. "Remember Taehyungie...I'm right here."

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