After agreeing to meet in the center of town around five in the evening, Jungkook went home with Chanyeol.

Taehyung was hoping that he was able to convince his father that he was going to Jimin's house for dinner.

He just knew he couldn't let Jungkook down or his mother.

So he slowly opened his front door, peeking his head in to see if his father was anywhere in sight.

He shut his eyes momentarily when he heard the sound of the television playing, making his hands shake nervously.

He bit his lip harshly as he mustered up the courage to ask his father.

He could hear him talking to himself in the other room, mumbling words under his breath.

"Father?" Taehyung asked as he stood in front of him, hands clasped behind his back nervously.

"What?" He grunted in response, not once taking his eyes away from the screen.

"May I go over to Jimin's house for dinner? His mother-"

"No."

"B-But his mother asked me-"

"I said, no." He spoke, voice serious.

Taehyung wanted to cry, he really did.

What was he suppose to do now? His father was obviously done talking, now focusing on the television and ignoring him completely.

He slowly turned around to walk up to his room, eyes sad.

He sat on his bed, looking at the clock to see that it was now almost four.

He couldn't help but imagine Jungkook showing up and waiting for him for hours only for him to not show up.

He imagined Jungkook's mother's look of disappointment when Jungkook got home empty handed and alone.

Taehyung's thoughts wandered further, a part of him wishing he wasn't suggesting what he was thinking.

He sat there for another fifteen minutes contemplating the odds before shaking his head and getting up slowly.

He carefully opened the door to his room, allowing him to hear his father's loud snores from the living room.

He slowly shut the door again, eyes darting around the room.

He quickly placed a few pillows under the sheets to make it look like a decent human sized lump.

He exhaled loudly as he opened his bedroom window, looking around the room one last time before jumping down the second floor, landing on the soft grass below.

His body was racing with adrenaline as he quickly got up, looking around the street one last time before bolting it down the road.

It was his first time ever sneaking out of his own house, but he had to see Jungkook.

He knew it was wrong and was already scared enough at the thought of his father finding out, but the thought of letting Jungkook down changed everything.

-

By the time Taehyung got to the center of town Jungkook was already there, casually sitting on a brick bench without a care in the world.

Taehyung slowly approached him, suddenly very aware that they were in public and he couldn't kiss Jungkook like he wanted to.

He couldn't hug him or hold his hand.

"Hey, how did it go with your father?" Jungkook asked him when he stood in-front of him.

"Uh- pretty good I just told him I was going to Jimin's house." Taehyung lied through his teeth, knowing Jungkook would disapprove of him sneaking out.

Besides as long as he got back before his father noticed he was gone, everything was fine and no one would get hurt.

Once they made it to Jungkook's house his mother greeted him with a hug at the door, smiling fondly at him.

Their house was evidently smaller than his own, but still able to give him a bigger sense of home than his own.

Chanyeol had been so happy to see his favorite catechist, hugging Taehyung as soon as he walked in.

"I'm so happy you could come Taehyung." Jungkook's mother smiled warmly at him as they ate at the table.

Jungkook, who was sat to his right, gently grabbed his hand at the table.

Taehyung flushed immediately, feeling a bit embarrassed that his mother was seeing them.

"Thank you for inviting me." Taehyung replied softly, boxed smile on his face as he turned to see Jungkook looking at him with a strange emotion in his eyes.

The rest of dinner consisted of Jungkook's mother asking him simple questions and just making conversation.

It was nice, Taehyung had to admit.

To sit at the dinner table and laugh instead of hearing dead silence as his only response and his father's constant ranting about the church.

Before they had begun eating, Taehyung said grace making Jungkook's mother even more happy hearing his kind words.

But soon enough dinner ended and Taehyung mentioned that it was getting late and he had to get going.

"Thank you so much for dinner, it was delicious." Taehyung commented as he stood by the door with Jungkook's mom while the boy ran to put on a hoodie.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you, with Jungkook hovering all of dinner, but I'm so happy and grateful that my boy has someone like you in his life. Ever since you came into his life, he's different. I can see it and I can't thank you enough."

Taehyung smiled at her warmly as she held his hands in hers, eyes stinging.

"I'm happy too. Jungkook has done more for me than I have for him I think." Taehyung spoke, smiling at the woman as Jungkook's footsteps got louder.

"Are you ready?" He smiled.

And so Jungkook walked him half way home since it was pretty dark out, asking him if he had enjoyed dinner and such.

After saying goodbye to Jungkook a few blocks away from home, he anxiously bit his lip as he neared his house.

From a distance he could see that all of the lights had already been turned off, his mother's car missing from their garage meaning she was still at work.

He quietly tip toed towards the side of the house to his bedroom window, having no thought about how he was going to get up to the second floor.

He honestly just wanted to cry and knock on his front door, admitting defeat.

But then he noticed the small little space on the window sill where he could climb up, giving him a spark of hope.

He didn't know how he managed to climb up to his open window, his legs stumbling into the room, making him fall into the bedroom with a loud thump.

He winced lightly as he slowly got up, panicking when he heard his father's loud footsteps coming up the stairs.

He quickly threw himself onto the bed, pulling the sheets over his body as he pretended to be asleep.

But what he failed to notice was how the sheets were already messed up and the pillow that he had placed, thrown across the room.

He inhaled shakily as he heard his bedroom door open with a loud slam, his father nearly knocking it off its hinges.

"Get up boy! I know you're not asleep!" His father yelled as he roughly threw the sheets off of him, revealing his formal attire and shoes still on.

Taehyung shrieked, panicking as he pressed himself against the headboard. He was scared out of his mind, realizing that he had been caught.

"Father please!" He cried, tears beginning to stream down his cheeks as he placed his hands in front of his face defensively.

He could see how livid his father was, face red with anger.

"Liars like you need to be taught a lesson!" His father spat, the sound of the belt buckle was loud in Taehyung's ear as his heart dropped.