After this pained confession, Taehyung couldn't stop thinking about what Jeongguk has told him, his heart still aching and burning whenever his thoughts slipped back to the man's horrible past.

Jeongguk went through so much pain. But he kept the agony deep inside of himself until it was eating him alive and prevented him from ever turning back normal. Until it destroyed his mind and entire being.

And Taehyung could understand hin so good, knowing about the misery stored inside the maniac's mind and heart, he too has been tortured with Minho trying to break him.

Unlike the fact that he wasn't breakable.

He and Jeongguk escaped their captors with only the difference on how they did it...

Jeongguk slaughtered the ones who brought pain upon him, Taehyung simply left, escaping Minho's toxic grip and hopefully never coming back. The brunet felt himself receiving his strength back, day by day... the wounds inside and outside his body would still leave scars on his form, soul and mind.

But Taehyung wanted to grow on them, learning how to protect himself and never allowing anyone to take advantage of him ever again. Jeongguk was helping him in becoming this person.

The raven has completely melted in the presence of Taehyung, being the first one to truly listen to him, seeing past the image of the crazy psychopath who brought hell upon Asia. He saw past the maniac the broken soul hid behind.

In return, Jeongguk grew deeply attached to the first one seeing him as a person and not trying to change him. His family, his beloved half brothers, knew about his struggle, his insanity but unlike Taehyung, they could never fully accept the man and his crazy being, his craving to destroy, kill, hurt... Taehyung could.

Because he knew what pain could make people do when they were at their lowest point in life. Life wasn't fair but because of this aspect, it somehow became fair.

But sometimes, a few people have become more unlucky than others... and they had to suffer their whole life for even some important, particular moments. Jeongguk could never become the man he has been before, the child he has been, was gone.

Gone his happy memories that were so few in count, only the insanity replacing every other version of the man he once was. Ripped apart from his childhood, Jeongguk had to grow up at a young age, taking care of himself and protecting his life. Murdering his first victim at the young, supposed to be innocent age of ten. Allowing his parents to murder every inch of innocence of a seven years old until it was replaced with the cold unforgiving mind of a ten years old killer.

Taehyung still suffered from Minho's toxic influence, his throat slowly recovering from screaming in agony and pain of three years straight. His heart grew numb after watching his own parents getting killed by Minho before he was exposed to daily torture and humiliation.

Both men were victims, supposed to break under the heavy influence of their environment but strangely, it only allowed them to find and give each other strength.

And now, it was the time to heal and find revenge.

•••

Bony hands were ripping on Taehyung's skin, tearing his flesh apart to fest on his body, teeth coming down to his arms, fingers, shoulders, chest, waist, claws scratching at his soft thighs and all Taehyung could do was crying.

Crying in pain because he was surrounded by the unforgiving darkness he grew so familiar with, hating and loving it the same time. Finding support in being prevented to see what torture he was put through.

Words entering his ears, the familiar dark sneer of Choi Minho's voice, cold fingertips brushing over a wet, tear tinted cheek.

"This is what you deserve... you deserve to be broken for being such a disgrace... you're not normal Taehyungie, mi flor... you're supposed to suffer. You are the reason why your parents died."

•••

Taehyung awoke with a scream, shooting up in the empty bed and he hectically looked around, fists lifted up high in the air, being on high alert, panting and looking incredibly panicked.

His throat immediately started to ache, burning to signal the whimpering boy that this was not be the best decision, Taehyung hiccuping in pain since he has finally started to recover and a simple nightmare crushed all of his recovery in just a few hours again.

One hand pressed onto his tattoo to ease his panic attack, Taehyung walked towards Jeongguk's quiet library where his soulmate used to be at night.

Jeongguk was sometimes freaking out whenever he felt another presence in his bed and needed to get out in order to not harm Taehyung, going into his beloved library and sometimes sleeping there.

Jeongguk has actually requested to have Taehyung staying in his bed, not liking the thought of his sweet soulmate away from him in another room, still disliking it even when his own sleep schedule had to suffer under his unpredictable anger attacks he let out on other people.

Rather than harming Taehyung, the peaceful sleeping brunet in his bed, Jeongguk would burn the whole city down instead of ever laying one finger wrongly onto the delicate brunet.

"G-Ggukie?", Taehyung whimpered softly, seeing that a dim light was on in the room. Jeongguk was sitting over a new plan of his in order to wreak havoc in the city once again. The raven looked up surprised and on ease, long midnight hair tossed and the strands wildly hanging into his face.

Jeongguk, on a request of his soulmate, has started to let his hair grow, making him look like a demon crawled straight out of hell, the strands of ink colored hair seeming to have their own will and hanging loosely around his face.

"Angel? Why are you up?", Jeongguk rasped out, eyeing the sniffling Baby concerned who hugged a blanket close to his chest, naked feet visible under the ends once he waddled towards Jeongguk.

"And without socks, you'll get cold, Angel", Jeongguk said worried but allowed Taehyung to come closer, climbing onto his lap. "Won't you tell your soulmate what's wrong?", the raven quietly cooed, quickly dropping everything in his hands to steady Taehyung's position on his lap, the tiny male curling up on his thighs.

Jeongguk quickly adjusted the blanket over Taehyung's thin frame. "B-bad dream", Taehyung whimpered, pressing his face into the crook of Jeongguk's neck and hugging his shoulders.

"Bad dream, angel? What was it about?", Jeongguk asked quietly, thumb rubbing soothing circles over Taehyung's finally not bony back. The boy was slowly but finally gaining weight and it made Jeongguk's heart swell with happiness to see his angel recovering.

"H-him, Ggukie...", the brunet whimpered again, lips attaching themselves to Jeongguk's skin and the man immediately understood, his hands merely tightening their grip.

"Oh... It's time to destroy him, hm Angel?", the raven exclaimed quietly, making Taehyung nod against his neck, arms hugging his neck as well, the little Baby hiding in his soulmate's arms and finding support in his embrace.

"That's fine, angel. Find support in my arms and try to sleep. I'm here to hold all your nightmares away from you", Jeongguk promised with a fond little smile, allowing himself to enjoy the warmth radiating from the boy, watching fascinated how the pretty angel fell asleep against his chest.

This was his secret hiding room, his hidden library nobody knew about.

The fact that Taehyung has known this easily where he was located, where this room was, made Jeongguk excited for the future as he came to realize, that he couldn't ban Taehyung from his life anymore.

~

Ela_koo