KTH | 11:34 a.m. | 23rd street

taehyung had left right after breakfast, despite the insistent protests from the other boys telling him he needed to stay longer, that he needed time to heal.

it's okay, i've had worse.

he hadn't said that, of course, but it was the truth.

he had been hurt worse, and he had went longer before without eating. he'd struck lucky this time; just happening to stumble into a store where two university students were nice enough to take him in for the night.

taehyung took small, slow strides to his apartment complex.

it would have really been a five minute walk, but he managed to make it take twenty five, stopping every few seconds to look around and take a few deep breaths.

taehyung was scared.

and when his fingers reached the cold, metal doorknob of his apartment, he felt his breath quicken. by the time he'd opened the door, six minutes had passed.

he took six minutes to turn the knob and walk inside.

"taehyung, is that you?"

his breath hitched.

"yes, dad. i'm..." he breathed. "i'm home."

and the word home tasted bitter on his tongue, because this place had never been home to taehyung.

it was a little room with cold air and torn wallpaper and walls that closed in on him and suffocated him from inside out.

it was where the bruises bloomed on his ribs and bled through his skin until he couldn't feel anymore.

it was where every room reeked of alcohol and cigarettes in the worst of ways, not in the warm way jungkook's apartment had smelled like. it was where this particular, cold smell of cigarettes tore his lungs in half and gave him the sickly, painful reminder of just exactly where and when everything had went wrong.

it was hell itself.

JJK | 4:27 a.m. | corner convenience store

taehyung didn't show up at the convenience store that day.

JJK | 3:49 a.m. | corner convenience store

or the next.

JJK | 4:21 a.m. | corner convenience store

or the next.

KTH | 3:07 a.m. | apartment 263

it took three days for his father to unlock the door to the hallway closet and let him out.

it had been dark in there. dark and cold and unpleasant.

the door opened with a click, and taehyung fell out of the doorframe, landing on his hands and knees a few mere millimeters from his father's shoes.

a hard booted foot kicked his ribs, as his father's voice came low and hoarse, menacing. "you leave this house all night one more time, you little shit, and i'll make sure you starve to death in that closet. you understand?"

taehyung nodded desperately, falling to his stomach with a soft yelp when another kick met his spine.

"i'm out of beer," his father muttered.

harsh hands grabbed at taehyung's hair and pulled him up, with no mercy to his weak body and begging whimpers.

something was grumbled into his ear, and his father then dropped him to the floor and threw a ten dollar bill to his feet.

"pathetic."

JJK | 3:39 a.m. | corner convenience store

"he hasn't come here in days," jungkook mumbled. "do you think he's alright?"

hoseok shrugged. "he'll come by when he needs to, kook. all we have here are snacks and drinks. he doesn't need to come here everyday, you know?"

"yeah, i guess."

jungkook's eyes flitted longingly to the windows that lined the front wall.

"it's so dark in this street," hoseok said. "seems dangerous to walk down here at night."

"the least they could do is take our tax money and use it to invest in two more street lamps."

"yeah."

jungkook fell against the counter, his history essay staring him in the face, teasing him.

"i need to write this essay," jungkook said.

"then write it, asshat."

"but i need to wait for taehyung."

as if on cue, the chimes rang and the door shut right away with a light thud.

jungkook's head shot up from the counter.

"hey. what's up?" hoseok said, eyeing the hooded boy closely.

he knew it was taehyung.

but why the fuck did he have his hood up like that?

taehyung didn't respond, and just disappeared into an aisle.

jungkook was wide eyed, surprised that taehyung seemed so distant again.

had they done something wrong?

taehyung made his way to the counter merely seconds later, holding a six pack of beers.

again.

hoseok rang it up.

"15.83."

taehyung kept his head down and his face covered, slowly sliding a ten dollar bill across the counter.

"i'm sorry. this is all i have," his face was kept downwards, covered by his hood as he spoke. "i'll pay you back."

hoseok simply stared, eyes scanning the bruised, bony fingers and the crumbled up money and the smell of cigarettes that certainly weren't smoked by taehyung. he couldn't bear the amount of fear that was evident in taehyung's voice.

"please."

jungkook couldn't bear it either.

"i'll pay for it. take back the ten."

"what? no, please-"

"have you eaten today?"

taehyung paused, dark eyes trying to find a place to land on the white counter.

"it's... it's been a few days."

"shit, kid," it was hoseok's voice this time. "i'm making you ramen. go sit at a table."

"no, oh god, it's fine. i'm okay. i should have lied, i'm really-"

jungkook's soft, warm hands wrapped around the bones of his shoulders and pulled him away from the counter.

and before taehyung even knew it, he was sitting at a table with a bowl of instant ramen in front of him.

jungkook and hoseok were sitting across from him in the other chairs, silently urging him to just eat it.

"really. it's fine. we paid for it, we won't get in trouble, and it only costs a dollar for one of those." hoseok pushed the bowl closer to taehyung.

"thank you."

taehyung ate slowly, and chewed carefully, wary of everything around him.

"do you need to keep your hood on?" jungkook asked.

there it was.

taehyung had expected the question the second he walked into the store. he had been dreading it.

"i... yeah."

"why?"

taehyung didn't answer; he just kept his eyes on the food in front of him and breathed quickly.

"if you're hurt again, we can help you," hoseok said.

taehyung shook his head 'no.'

"i'm okay."

liar.

jungkook's gaze wouldn't leave taehyung's eyes under the shadow cast by his hood, and taehyung hated it.

"tae, i don't think you're okay."

taehyung pushed the bowl away, getting up.

"hey, thanks for the meal."

hoseok looked disappointed. "you're not going to finish it all?"

"yeah, sorry. i'm... i'm really full," taehyung said. "sorry. thank you; for paying for the beers too."

he left the store into the dark street with the beers in his left hand.

and when the door closed behind taehyung, jungkook turned to hoseok.

"should i not have asked him? did i sound rude?" his eyes looked frantic, darting from feature to feature on hoseok's face. "do you think he's angry?"

"he's probably scared, but not angry," hoseok said. "he doesn't seem like that kind of kid. and his voice didn't sound pissed off at all."

"hoseok," jungkook murmured softly, leaning onto the table. his face seemed to scream disappointment and frustration. "i want to help him."

hoseok smiled. "we all do, jungkook," he said, slowly getting up. "and we will."