Yoongi wakes up with a dry mouth and a foul taste on his tongue. It's hot – Holy shit why is it so fucking hot?! He tries to get out from under the blanket but there's something holding him back... or rather someone.

Taehyung is wrapped around him like a koala and maybe Yoongi would have found his sleeping face kind of cute if it weren't for the fact that he thinks the other is totally unlikable and that he's burning the fuck up. Taehyung's arms are wrapped around his middle, his legs between Yoongi's own and the other's hot breath against the sensitive skin of his neck. Just as he tries to wriggle out of the other's deathly grip the door flies open and he's greeted by his smirking cousin.

"Is he still not your boyfriend?" Shin suggestively wiggles his eyebrows and Yoongi groans as he struggles against Taehyung's hold, accidentally ramming his elbow into the younger's stomach which makes him sit up with a yelp.

"Shut the hell up, Shin," Yoongi hisses and finally frees himself, standing up on his own two feet. Behind him, Taehyung is rubbing his stomach with a slight frown on his face, he looks absolutely ridiculous. His brown hair is tousled, standing up in all directions, there's a dry patch of drool on his chin and the fact that Yoongi's clothes cling to him makes him look even more like an overgrown baby.

"Mom!" Shin yells from the door, "Yoongi is cursing again!"

"You've always been a teller – Get down here!" Shin shrieks as he tries to get out the door but Yoongi is a millisecond faster as he pulls his cousin back, trapping him and tickling him from head to toe. Shin laughs so loud that Yoongi thinks his ears might fall off but before that, his face is probably going to split from the sheer width of his grin. There's nothing he loves more than the laughter of his family. That's all he ever wants in his life, for them to be happy. Especially his young cousins who still have their whole life ahead of them. A life that shouldn't be shaped by poverty.

A life where they shouldn't worry about how they're gonna afford dinner. Or have to choose between the bus home at night or going by foot. Everything Yoongi is going through, everything he endures and gives up for his family is something he doesn't want them to go through too. Something he doesn't even want them to see. For his cousins he smiles every time he comes home, he plays with them and listens even though all he wants to do is fall asleep and have those few hours before starting his next shift but he stays with them. He buys them candy and toys even though that might mean he doesn't have enough money for food for himself but that's okay. As long as he sees their smiles and hears their laughs he's content. And his job at the café is at least better than any job he ever got fired from before.

He hopes he'll be able to keep that job despite his temper. It's like his last resort. He knows he only got in because his friend Seokjin owns the café and did him a favor but if he messes up too much, not even Seokjin will be able to keep him and then he would be standing there with nothing at all.

When Shin eventually escapes his grips and seeks shelter in the kitchen with his mother, there's suddenly a deafening silence in his room. Yoongi awkwardly stands in front of the mattress on which Taehyung is still sitting, brown hair tousled and the blanket around his shoulders.

"So..." he says, not really sure what to say and Taehyung doesn't really look like he has an idea either. His brown eyes are wide, still a little unfocused from sleep as he stares up at him without moving his lips.

Yoongi coughs in his fist, turning around because the intense stare of the younger makes him feel like a deer caught in the headlights. "So, what are you going to do now?" He asks as he stares at the safety which is his half closed door. Behind it, he could hear the rest of his family preparing breakfast. At least he doesn't have the early shift today and could actually eat with them for once. "I let you stay and now? What's gonna happen?"

He could only imagine Taehyung's clueless expression and once the first tone leaves his lips there's another voice talking over him. "I-"

"Boys!" Yoongi's aunt sticks her head through the door, he hair is still unkempt and up in a wild bun, gray strands falling out of it. "Yoongi come and help too!"

"We'll talk after." Yoongi pulls on his sweater and leaves the room, not waiting up for Taehyung. The living room/kitchen/bedroom/room for everything is in total chaos like always. Well, not really chaos, Yoongi would describe the room as one that looks like someone lives in there. It's not picture perfect and yeah, there's always something lying around and it's cramped, mismatched furniture and people scattered over it but it's home. His home.

Taehyung follows after the other male in slightly slower and less confident steps. Last night he had been a little too overwhelmed to take in the details of the small apartment he slept in tonight. The living room looks... well, messy. The couch is still not yet pushed back together and pillows and a blanket is still on top of it. There are toys lying around and the table in the middle of the room looks out of place with how big and sturdy it is.

He silently watches from the doorway how the family in front of him works in sync. It's weird. He remembers things like that from movies or Tv shows but not once had he experienced something similar with his own family. Breakfast has always been ready when he had still lived with his parents, prepared by their maid like she did it for every other meal. There wasn't a lot of laughter in the house of his childhood, meals were eaten in silence, his father often absent due to work and his mother never really paying attention to anything but the PR for their firm.

Taehyung has always believed that the way families were portrayed in those movies was a scam, after all, every one of his friends had told him the same. Their families were acting almost identical to his. Parents more focused on their own success and the future success of their children. It took him a while to learn that not every family was like his own. And Yoongi's family seems to be like the ones he always deemed impossible to exist and only a phenomenon of Tv.

"So, Taehyung was it?" The male flinches at the mention of his name, eyes stuck on the bowl of cereal in front of him. The table is a little small for all of them, the little girl – Taehyung doesn't remember her name – sits on Yoongi's lap, happily eating her own cereal. "Are you gonna stay here for a while?" Yoongi's uncle asks him with a smile on his lips, a smile that vaguely reminds him of the one Yoongi wore yesterday as he greeted his cousins. Taehyung tenses under the sudden attention that's on him and Yoongi could see the nervous shiver that runs up his spine.

"Uhm, I don't want to burden you – I'll figure something out. One of my friends is going to return from vacation today and I'm hoping I can stay with him for the time being. But thank you for letting me stay the night," Taehyung mumbles into his cereal, eyes darting left and right to avoid looking at anyone directly, "I can't really pay you anything right now but I'm sure once I get back on track I'll be able to compensate for my stay-"

"Oh dear, no," Yoongi's aunt interrupts him and Taehyung's gaze snaps up, "No, you don't have to pay us. We're glad we could offer you a bed for the night."

The confusion on Taehyung's face is obvious and yeah, inside of his head too. It's weird, it's so weird that Taehyung is unable to wrap his head around the kindness he has received from those people. He doesn't understand, he seriously just doesn't understand why they're being so nice to him. He can't pay them – give them anything for their kindness. This is not how it's supposed to be, right?

This is not like those things work. There is nothing free in this world. You never get anything for free, there's always a price and in the past, he had been able to pay almost any price. Why is Yoongi's family – and even more important, why is Yoongi himself – being so nice to him? It doesn't make any sense.

"Okay... Thank you so much," Taehyung mumbles and finishes the last of his cereal. He needs to get out of here. Seriously, he can't stay in this cramped apartment a second longer. It feels like the walls are closing in on him. He can't stay here. In the end, people always want something from him. What do they want? What could Yoongi's family possibly gain from this? Yoongi knows who he is. He does, right? Does he want to expose him to the media?

He could already see the new headline: Kim Taehyung, back from the dead and sleeping on the street like a beggar!

Taehyung doesn't listen to the other conversations taking place at breakfast, the only thing he hears is the blood rushing in his ears and the rapid beating of his heart. Out, out, out, he just wants to get out. It doesn't matter where. Just out and away from prying eyes, judging stares and the frown on Yoongi's face.

Going back into Yoongi's room and changing into his own clothes again almost feels surreal, like it's not really him who's doing it. He feels like he's watching himself and the small room does nothing to help the anxiety creeping up on him. What do they want from him? What?

"How can you live here?" The question spills over his trembling lips before he could stop it and Yoongi turns around to face him with another frown. It makes Taehyung feel so small, like a little child getting scolded by his father. It does things to him that he can't explain and his heart speeds up again. He wants it to stop. He wants Yoongi to stop looking at him like he's a little kid, a brat who doesn't know anything. He needs to get out of here.

"What?" Yoongi asks cautiously like he's daring him to say something wrong. But since when does Taehyung ever say something right? Since when does he ever do something right? Since when isn't every step he takes not a mistake?

Out. Out, out, out. He kind of wants to cry but the words of his father ring in the back of his mind. Only weaklings cry, my son is not a weakling or is he? Certainly not. He wouldn't be my son if he were a weakling. He's strong. He's good. He's above people like Yoongi. Yoongi has no right to look down on him. He has no right to look at him like he's a stupid little kid and suddenly Taehyung starts talking. He starts talking with the intent to hurt. Hurt Yoongi to get rid of that stupid frown on his face because if he doesn't, Taehyung is positive he's going to go insane.

"I mean – This, this is tiny and you live here with a whole family. You don't even have a bed. It's old and rundown and-" This, this is familiar. Talking like that is what Taehyung is used to. This is how he grew up and it's the only time when he feels confident in his own skin. Yoongi's face falls and his eyebrows scrunch together in anger. Taehyung feels it deep inside himself, the slight regret but then he reminds himself that today is the last day that's going to be like that. Bogum will take him in. Bogum will take him in and he'll resume his old life. He'll be able to pay Yoongi back for his kindness and then he would never see him again. That is a plan. A plan he needs to execute as soon as possible because there's still the anxiety crawling into his limbs and making him restless.

"Stop. What the hell is your problem, huh?" Yoongi steps forward, one finger boring into Taehyung's chest violently, "Is your head so full of shit that you don't even know how to at least act decent? Instead of talking shit about my home you should be on your knees thanking me for being generous enough to let you stay the night."

"On my knees? Kinky, aren't we?" Taehyung chuckles and the cocky smirk on his lips feels so familiar, it feels safe. This is the only way he knows how to act. Hopefully, Yoongi will hate him enough to completely forget about him. To forget what he wanted to gain from offering Taehyung a place to stay. "And generous? Were you generous? I was sure you only wanted a pretty boy in your bed."

"Listen, I didn't let you stay because I think you're nice, or you could pay me or because you're handsome. I let you stay because I'm a decent person," Yoongi hisses and he says it with such fervor that Taehyung almost believes him. Almost but not quite. There is no way that Yoongi is just being nice because he can. There's no way he's not expecting to get something out of this. That's just not how life works!

"Sure you are," Taehyung scoffs, he still has a playful smirk on his lips. Hiding the slight hurt behind it, hiding his own self behind it. He wishes Yoongi would just be honest with him, telling him outright that he only let him stay because of something he'll later gain from it. And still... Still, he also kind of wishes that Yoongi's not lying. That he's genuinely being nice to Taehyung. He just wants one person – one single person to treat him with brutal honesty.

When he met Yoongi the first time in the café he had been taken aback by the other's outright rejection and despite the sharp sting ripping through his chest when Yoongi called him out for being superficial, obnoxious – ugly inside, it was one of the first times he had been treated with honesty. There's still the anger he felt back then when he thinks about it but then there's the tiny voice in his head arguing that Yoongi is right. He's right despite not knowing anything about him and that it's so obvious is kind of terrifying. Taehyung is not ashamed of himself. He is just not happy with whom he is but not ready to accept that.

"Great that we established that – Now, leave." Yoongi is gesturing towards the door. His gaze is hard, sharply piercing through Taehyung without room for arguments.

"I think I like you better when you pity me," Taehyung chuckles. The smirk on his lips feels forced but he knows it doesn't look like it, "You're nicer like that."

"Just get out."

He leaves without looking back. The door behind him closes and it feels like he's pushed back in the hard unforgiving world. Because somehow, that one night, that one morning he experienced in a family felt... it felt kind of nice.

Once Yoongi is back in the safety of his own room he takes his laptop and settles down on his mattress again. The blankets smell like Taehyung which is weird because the only thing the younger could have smelled of would be the shampoo he used here and that definitely isn't a foreign scent to Yoongi. But somehow the smell invading his senses is slightly different from what he's used to. It's not bad but he still doesn't like it. Somehow musky and sweet at the same time. Freshly picked strawberries, the sweet scent of the fruits mixed with the earthy scent of the ground.

He shrugs, trying to ignore it as he opens his laptop. It takes a while to boot but once it's finally up Yoongi instantly searches for Taehyung's name on google. He's dying to find out what happened to him. Why the hell he has to stay outside and what those many articles and posts containing his name were about.

It's a little overwhelming. There are so many articles and news about him – they're all a little old. Maybe a week or so after he had first met the younger. He clicks on the first one that pops up and his eyes quickly scan the text.

Heartthrob Kim Taehyung on the downfall

The name Kim Taehyung should be familiar to everyone who keeps up with the latest news and no, this time the twenty-two-year-old son of the Ceo of the Kim Corporations is not being talked of because of his handsome face or his amazing talent for acting. Even though that's what he's known for, as the lead role in one of the best selling K-Drama's so far and face for one of the best beauty product sellers in Korea. This time he makes headlines because of his excessive behavior.

Who would have thought that sweet and kind Kim Taehyung we all know from those various interviews isn't as sweet and kind in real life?

He's still young and often expressed how much he just wants to have fun as long as he's able to but this so-called 'fun' has definitely gone too far now.

The pictures and videos of Kim Taehyung at different nightclubs, surrounded by hordes of girls – prostitutes, like a research revealed – has gone viral in the last days. Excessive consumption of alcohol seemed to have made his mouth and fists loose and there are numbers of videos showing his disrespectful, offensive and violent behavior towards other people. Not only has he been involved in various sex scandals (click here to get all the information about the leaked sex tape of Kim Taehyung and a prostitute), footage of him supposedly doing drugs are also coursing through the internet.
The police are still investigating the topic of the possession and consumption of illegal substances and have yet to announce anything regarding possible consequences for the actor.

Almost overnight he lost his popularity in Korea. Insiders stated that his modeling contract with the beauty line has been canceled and producers have drawn back their offers to let him play in one of their Dramas.

Kim Taehyung has yet to make a statement regarding his behavior but we've received insider information from an anonymous source who tells us that the young male has not only lost his popularity and career but also his money.

Now, bankrupt and at rock bottom of the high society, Kim Taehyung remains disappeared from the scene. His parents are also refusing any questions regarding their son's behavior and his current whereabouts.

It's always sad seeing such a talented person falling into disgrace but looking back on all of his mistakes, he had it coming.

Yoongi closes the tab. He doesn't need to know anything else. Taehyung is exactly how he imagined him to be. Cocky, arrogant and throwing around with his money. The article is right, he did have it coming.

-

His skin is buzzing. It's like electricity is running through his veins and Yoongi can't really control what's happening to him. He hates it when he gets like this. His temper had always been a huge problem for him and lately, he's been on edge. He's not even sure what got him feeling so agitated at the moment but he tries to get himself in check. It's not something that comes to himself easily. His whole body hurts, anger hot and fiery under his skin and he wants to throw up and punch something until his knuckles bleed. Every noise he hears makes him even madder, sets him on edge and he tries to breathe calmy but he can't.

The night air is cold against his hot skin but it does nothing to calm him down. It's not far until he's home but he also knows that he can't arrive there like this. It's not like it's a secret. Their whole apartment building knows that he's dealing with anger issues but he avoids coming home feeling ready to punch through a fucking wall. It's not an uncommon sight for his cousins, he still tries to avoid facing them like this all the time.

He fights with all his might against the desperate tears collecting in his eyes as he presses his hands and forehead against the cool metal of the lamppost in front of him. Shock therapy. He is trying to numb the desire to destroy inside of him. Hoping the coldness can get him back down to earth. He needs to breathe. In and out. Slowly, very slowly. The tips of his fingers begin to get numb and he feels the tears running down his cheeks, dripping down on the pavement below him. That's what he's trying to concentrate on. Ignore the anger coursing through his veins, his rapid heartbeat and trembling limps. Instead, he's trying to focus on the sensation of the cold seeping through his skin, the feeling of his hot tears sliding down his cheeks and the noise of his breaths which get calmer and calmer with every passing second.

It takes a while. It always does but he manages to calm down enough to think straight again. He's sure to every possible passerby he must look like he's crazy, out of his mind. But that doesn't matter. It only matters that he hasn't hurt himself or anybody else now. Slowly he lifts his head again, his hands are still trembling but the heat under his skin has reduced, the urge to let the buzzing energy inside of him out in a violent way vanishing gradually.

He hates it, hates this. Being unable to control his emotions and acting out of the way because of it. It has always been a huge problem for him, calming down, keeping his anger in check and his job isn't really the best for someone who easily falls into searing anger when he's put under stress. Yoongi knows... he knows, he knows it but he needs the money. He needs the money to provide for his family. And he's gotten better. He really has... no joke, really. His episodes of rage have decreased over the years but the problem.... Yeah, the problem is that whenever he gives into the anger now it gets worse. All the tension he piled up inside of him over weeks releasing in one violent wave of buzzing energy he can't control and he finds it more and more difficult to not lash out at innocent people or at the smallest inconveniences.

It's not like he chooses to be like that. It's not like he chose to be this rude to the woman back then, or make that one kid cry because he glared at her so much and he also didn't choose to pour coffee over Taehyung all those weeks back. There are just situations where he's not himself. His cousins call him the Hulk. A sensitive and soft person but once anger takes over he's a monster. Someone else and he hates it. He hates it so much...

With a stuttering breath, he wipes the tear tracks from his cheeks, taking a second to collect himself before he turns around to continue his walk home. His steps are faltering a little, body now completely drained of energy and all he wants to do is curl up under his blanket and hide for the rest of the night.

He passes the familiar convenience store with the owner who doesn't like him and like someone poured cold water all over him he remembers the promise he made to Jiae this morning. A groan is trying to spill over his lips but Yoongi swallows it back down. He promised.

The man behind the counter eyes him pointedly as he opens the door but Yoongi ignores him. He makes his way over to the back of the store, weaving his way through the stacked shelves only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight that greets him.

Fate must have a terrible sense of humor because right there, in front of him is again, none other than Kim Taehyung. Yoongi almost wants to laugh because this can't be a coincidence. How high could the chances be that he runs in Taehyung yet again? This has to be a joke.

The younger male hasn't noticed him. Yoongi takes a second to take the male in front of him in. Taehyung hasn't changed, he looks... worse, actually. Four days. It's been four days since he threw the younger out of his apartment and Taehyung looks exactly the same. Same clothes, the same desperate expression he had worn the evening Yoongi picked him up. It doesn't make sense. Shouldn't he be living with one of his rich friends by now? That's what he said he would do, right?

Taehyung is fidgeting, eyes jumping left and right as his trembling fingers clutch rustling backs of food. He's nervous, scared even and Yoongi almost wants to laugh at him. Almost, weren't it for the sudden onslaught of memories invading his mind. He remembers himself, standing in the middle of small stores, nervous as hell as he tried to sneak things out.

"You tryna steal something?" He asks, coming up behind the other. Taehyung literally shrieks, dropping everything in his hands on the floor as he jumps back, eyes wide and stumbling over his own feet as he lands on his ass, knocking against the other shelf behind him in the process.

Before Yoongi could ask if he's okay the shop owner rounds the corner, his expression immediately darkens as his eyes land on Yoongi. "I see you kiddo," he scowls at him, pointing his index finger right at Yoongi's chest in a warning, "Don't try anything funny in here."

Yoongi scoffs, crossing his arms in front of his chest as he takes a step forward. "I have money to pay," he says, getting his wallet out to wave it in front of the elder man's face. The man just glares a little longer before leaving for the entrance of the store again, probably settling back behind the counter. "Bastard," Yoongi adds when he's sure the man can't hear him anymore.

Taehyung is still staring up at him, the things he so obviously had tried to sneak inside of his hoodie laying scattered around him. Yoongi just sighs as he bends down and picks the things up, making his way to the counter again. How does he always end up in these situations? And more importantly, why can't he just walk away from Taehyung and abandon him to his fate?

He avoids the dirty glare of the shop owner as he pays for the food before he tugs Taehyung out of the store and back on the cold dark streets. "You don't have the guts to steal something, not even from a convenience store," he sighs, thrusting the things in the other's hands. Taehyung isn't answering him, instead, he just ducks his head in – in what? Shame? Embarrassment? Yoongi isn't really sure how to exactly read the younger. It's weird. Back then, the first time they met he found it pretty easy but the time after that and now... Taehyung wears masks over masks and Yoongi can't seem to catch a glance at his real, genuine feelings.

"Things with your friend didn't work out, huh?" Yoongi carefully asks just as the other male is tearing open a plastic bag. Once the words leave his lips Taehyung's movements falter and he winces, his gaze quickly dropping to the floor.

For a few seconds, they stand in total silence in front of each other. Their bodies illuminated by the flickering lights of the sign above the convenience store and the lampposts lining the streets. The air is cold around them and white clouds appear every time a breath leaves their chapped lips. Yoongi carefully watches the way Taehyung is chewing on his bottom lip, the way he's clenching and unclenching his fists. It's kind of endearing. To keep his temper in check Yoongi has learned to focus his attention on specific things and watching, noticing small traits of other people, speculating about their life, their personality from the small sneak peek he gets has become something he almost does naturally by now.

The silence around them is only broken by the sudden wet sniff from the younger male. Yoongi watches as the first tears begin to spill. "Seems like no one's my friend the second I'm broke and need help..." He looks pitiful and the longer Yoongi watches the shivering male the more he is reminded of a puppy being left out in the rain. All alone and with no one to save it from the cruelness of the world.

It's a bad idea. Maybe the worst idea he's ever had. The idea is even worse than allowing Taehyung to stay with him those few nights ago. Yoongi sighs as he turns around to walk away and he swears he hears a whimper leaving Taehyung's lips. "Are you coming or do you want to sleep outside again?" He asks once he notices Taehyung isn't following him.

Yoongi somehow wishes he would have his phone out to take a picture of the surprised expression on the other's face. Taehyung is staring at him like he just grew a second head, tears on his cheeks and snot dripping from his nose. "I – I'm coming!" Taehyung quickly wipes his face with his sleeve and almost falls in the process of hurrying after him.

Yoongi really hopes he won't regret taking Taehyung in once again. Sometimes he curses his soft heart.