chapter forty-six ;; slashed cord
third person
°☆.。.:*・°☆

The car ride was anything but calm. Jeongguk's heart was booming against his ribcage with such a terrifying velocity, he thought it might lead to a heart attack. Taehyung, on the other hand, didn't show his fear quiet as much. The boy was more angered than afraid. He was about to meet a man, one who tortured the beautiful boy next to him, gave bruises and scars beyond repair. There would have to be so much constriction, unless he'd end up punching someone.

A single white and magenta flower was twisted between nimble fingertips, as another pair tightly gripped a steering wheel. Both of their eyes were set, being concentrated with what was in front of them. Rosy lips had gone a light pink, much lighter than the magenta that flew and spread. A young boy sighs, leaning further into his chair with closed eyes.

He'd be eighteen soon, already feeling like that age had been passed years ago. A seventeen year old felt nothing like his age. He still got scared like a seventeen year old. Those of eighteen seem to have some sort of thing, a thing where fear is merely nothing for them nor a concern. It made Jeongguk jealous. Taehyung seemed to have no fear of anything, when really, the elder boy was just good at hiding it.

"Are you scared?" Jeongguk blurts out in a somewhat frantic tone, catching Taehyung off guard and sending an odd stare. Dark brown eyes flutter shut at the revelation of how weird he's acting.

"Of course I'm scared." The elder reassures, taking one hand off of the wheel and placing it onto a slim thigh.

"Y-You're not acting scared."

"Because I'm trying to look strong for you." Jeongguk goes silent at that, realizing how stupid he must look for not assuming since the beginning.

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It had happened so quickly, one thing after another and they were already at a doorstep. It seeped danger and fear, causing Jeongguk to stumble backwards upon a certain front door opening, revealing a rather handsome man.

No one would suspect the horrors that had been conjured inside the house. The two didn't even look related, but Jeongguk knew that this was him, this was the one he hid from, the one he almost killed himself because of.

"Mr. Jeon." Taehyung was the first to speak, as always, voice surprisingly strong, even though his hands were shaking ever so slightly while clutching onto Jeongguk's forearm. He couldn't decide if he was shaking with fear or anger. Both emotions were swirling to create something along the lines of a deadly concoction.

"And who are you?" Mr. Jeon asks, eyes sharp and angered.

"I'm Kim Taehyung, and I wish to come inside your house to talk to you with Jeongguk."

Mr. Jeon heaves out a heavy sigh. He's acting as if this was far too much work. Seeing his son was a burden. After all, the boy hadn't seen the horrible man in a year and a half. Everything went to hell once Jeongguk's mom passed away. The stories and memories tell that.

Jeongguk feels like he hasn't had a dad in a very long while.

"Fine." Mr. Jeon huffs. The two of them suspected an argument, something much worse and brutal.

Taehyung takes ahold of Jeongguk's hand, but the younger boy to jerks it away with the quick shake of a head. Even in acceptance of coming inside a somewhat small house, fear was still prominent, and no chances wanted to be taken. Another time would be prepared for skinship and loving gestures. Just not here.

"Thank you, Mr. Jeon." Taehyung faintly speaks.

It made a shiver erupt up their spines, traveling towards fingertips and essentially bleeding out into the air. Jeongguk's hands had become extremely clammy, audibly gulping at the sight of old furniture he'd been pinned down against, forced to drink copious amounts of alcohol as his father held onto the sharp jaw. His father had said it would make the pain go away. The same man who was currently gesturing for the two boys to sit down on a sofa across from another, an aggressive face shown, was the one to hurt Jeongguk.

"I don't see why you've shown up." Mr. Jeon finally speaks, legs crossed and posture poor when they sit down across from one another. His tall and somewhat lanky body laid into the sofa cushions, "No one asked for you to come here."

Taehyung let the back of his hand brush against Jeongguk's smooth skin, jaws clenching. The elder boy had no idea how to respond. He knew the one next to him was too afraid to do anything at the current moment, so he only silently nodded, "We came to discuss Jeongguk's current condition."

"I already know what he has." Mr. Jeon rolls his eyes, crossing strong arms that had been used in an attempt to strangle someone so much smaller to death in a tight headlock. Fingernail marks would trail up and down the skin as an attempt to break free and breathe.

"D-Dad..." Jeongguk whispers, a breathy and cracked tone escaping pink and dry lips. Large and innocent brown eyes didn't dare to look up. They focused on the patterned carpet with a loose intentness and teary eyes. Mr. Jeon grimaced at the sight and sound of his son's voice, finding his only offspring to be pathetically weak.

"You call me Byungwook." Mr. Jeon firmly speaks, spit flying out his mouth and landing onto Jeongguk's cheek. There was only a slight flinch to the hatred. He should've known better than to call Mr. Jeon dad.

"Byungwook," The same light voice continues, "I don't want the townhouse anymore," another gulp surpasses a closed mouth, "or your money. I-I'm fine by myself now." He was proud of himself for speaking but not quite as proud as Taehyung, who was trying so hard to suppress a wide smile.

Mr. Jeon stays silent for a long moment. Bushy eyebrows turn downwards even more, a deep frown and terrifying wrinkles being set in place. Taehyung was prepared to defend all he could. Six years of football would hopefully come in handy for their situation. He sits forward ever so slightly as Mr. Jeon does the same, the two having some sort of battle through eye contact.

"You're just like your mother." Mr. Jeon hisses. The aggressive tone towards the name surprises Jeongguk. He was always the main target, his mom being praised in some sense, but now she was being poorly verbalized just as equally, "Always ungrateful for what you have. I gave you a place to live and money, the only things you need, and in return, I see you show up with this- this male and ask for me to just drop it without any thank you's. Pathetic, I'm telling you." Jaws continued to tighten along with fists, "Always mooching off of those around you...Maybe you deserve what's coming soon, the same pain your mom went through."

Taehyung had enough of it, bursting up from his seat and roughly grabbing into Mr. Jeon's collar, bringing their infuriated faces closer. The younger boy was breathing heavily in the face of a sick man, eyes narrowed and mouth screwed.

"T-Tae." Jeongguk fries weakly and tugs at the him of the brunette's shirt. This wasn't worth it.

"Maybe you deserve to be in the same pain Jeongguk went through." Taehyung speaks anyways in a low and dark tone, scaring the youngest one there, "It's the least you deserve for someone as big of a low-life cunt as you, worthless and destroying someone else's life for your own therapy."

"Faggots, the two of you." Mr. Jeon fights back, now directing his words towards Taehyung more than anything else, "I mean every word I say and have said to that boy, and he is no son of mine. I sure as hell don't call him my own. Jeongguk is a disgrace to this family. My only son turned out to be a complete pussy that sucks dick and prances around in skirts-" Taehyung had swung a fist into his face before any other terrible comments could've been made, blood boiling with such a new found anger he's never experienced.

Adrenaline slammed through the brown haired boy's body, prepared to do more damage. Byungwook stumbled for a moment in white pain surging from nose to temple, and Taehyung would've liked to done more. But all of that was calmed once a small hand wrapped around his own, a shocked feeling that would always set a hot-head like him to some amount of peace, "That's enough." A weak voice speaks from behind, not wanting to continue anything. This visit had only ripped out stitches. Jeongguk wanted to go home.

Mr. Jeon holds his bleeding nose with a coarse hand, dirt under overgrown fingernails in the shapes of crescents. His eyes were wide in shock, yet they still held a fire that made the youngest want to choke out loud sobs and curl up into a ball, "Get out now, and don't ever think of returning." He commands in a firm tone, and the two boys didn't fight against the orders.

Jeongguk was then dragged away by Taehyung and towards the front door, but one last glance towards the old man had the smaller'd steps slowing until he stopped completely in the living room's edge. A few last sentences had to be said before quick departure, "I'm glad you force me to call you by your name instead of Dad." Tears begin to brim, "I don't have a Dad, because that man died with Mom." Jeongguk says, finding confidence with salty water trailing down his pale cheeks now, "A dad helps his beloved son through tough times and supports his actions, not torture him beyond repair and force drinks down his throat. You may be tied by blood, but we are not tied by word, and I am thankful to be nothing like you. I never was and never will be."

And a sudden weight lifted off of his chest at the slam of a door. Even though his knees buckled and a small body dropped to the ground in loud sobs, screaming and bracing dainty fists into the pavement, Jeongguk had gotten what he needed, "I hate him! I hate him! I hate him! What did I ever do?!" Jeongguk screams into Taehyung's chest, sitting next to his car.

Those sentences exchanged had slashed through the cord to an anchor slowly causing him to drown, finally able to breathe from years spent in fear and suffocation; and goddamnit, he may not believe in any World or Being up above, but Jeongguk found such peace in thinking about his mom staring down with a proud smile, the same one Taehyung sadly held while whispering sweet words and running a hand up and down the smaller's hunched back.

Jeongguk felt like he could start living.

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[lmao only the people reading this before 2-12-17 will know what really went down at the end of this update *cough* god awful & tacky daddy issues shit *cough*. i finally decided to take it out after months of hatred gbye.]

ps- soz this wasn't that great. i struggled immensely w this chapter.