"What are we?"

Lee blinks, turning her head to the side. Her eyes fall on the boy with beautiful eyes sitting beside her on the roof, legs dangling and almost touching her's.

"What do you mean?" She asks.

"You know what I'm talking about," He says with a small smile, "You're not dumb. You know I like you. You like me, too, don't you?"

She turns her head to look away, and he doesn't fail to catch the faint blush on her cheeks.

"I don't like labelling things," She says, avoiding eye contact and looking up at the starry sky instead. "And you never confessed anyway."

"I just did," Hoseok says urgently, inching closer to her, "Namjoon said I was too obvious."

"You were," She says, finally looking at him, "Still are."

His smile widens. "Wanna go out with me? On a date?"

Lee stays silent for a few seconds, searching his eyes for any ounce of hesitance, but little does she realise they show nothing but pure admiration.

"It's late," She says, turning her body around to step off the edge, "I need to go home."

She walks a few steps towards the exit, but a gentle grip turns her around.

"Why don't you want to go out with me?" Hoseok asks, his eyebrows furrowed, grip growing tighter, "You didn't deny it when I asked if you liked me."

"You're a distraction," She says, "I have tournaments coming up and I don't want to lose focusㅡ"

"You're lying," He cuts her off, his eyes shooting daggers at her as his voice grows harsher, "Just why are you so closed up? Why don't you let me in? Why don't you just tell me why you don't wanna go out with me when we both know you like me as much as I do?!"

She pulls her hand away, taking in a deep breath. "Because it always ends the same way, Hoseok. There's always someone who says they love you and that they're going to stay."

She looks in his eyes. "Then they don't."

"I don't know what you've been through," Hoseok says, his eyes softening, "But if you think I'm going to give up on you, then you're wrong. I mean it when I say I admire who you are and want to know you more. You inspire me in ways I never imagined any woman would. I never looked up to someone as much I did to you. So please, let me in."

"All I'm asking for is one chance," He adds, pulling his lips to that gorgeous smile that makes her heart flutter, "Just one."

"Promise me you won't make me regret it," Lee says.

He nods violently, putting up his little finger.

She raises an eyebrow. "Pinky promise? What are you? Eight?"

"Out of ten," He says, "No, wait."

Lee chuckles, shaking her head and intertwining her finger with hers. She doesn't realise it when he pulls her in for a hug, wrapping his arms around her smaller form. She freezes in place for seconds before hesitantly hugging him back, burrying her head in his shoulder.

---

They stand in front of her house in silence. He scratches his head awkwardly. She starts taking off his leather jacket that he gave her earlier. He stops her.

"Keep it," He says.

She obliges.

Silence.

"Cㅡ"

His sentence is cut off by a loud crash that makes them both turn their heads towards her house's front door. Lee curses under her breath, muttering something to Hoseok about not following her before she rushes inside. Hoseok ignores her words and follows.

It's almost sickening, the smell of alcohol, cigarettes and blood filling the place, the sight of her so-called father, arms flailing around as curses spurt out of his mouth, her little brother shaking in the corner.

"Let him go!" She yells, and the man steps back to look at her.

Their eyes meet, and it falls silent, no sound but the almost inaudible gasps of Jungkook's filling the air.

"What will you do?" The man slurs. "Hit me? Like last time? You'll hit your father? The one who raised you and put food on the table?"

"You didn't do shit."

"Hit me," He repeats.

Lee ignores him, walking up to her brother and pulling him in for a hug, whispering soothing words in his ears.

"Hit me like you did last time!" The man yells, "I SAID HIT ME!"

She ignores him, holding Jungkook closer as her fists shake in rage and fear. A harsh grip pulls her back before her back collides with the wall behind her, knocking the breath out of her. She feels her father's rough hands wrapping around her neck, and everything she's ever learned about fighting vanishes into thin air.

"Noona!"

She knows how to stop him. She can do it. But why doesn't she? Her hands shiver as they hold his, and she tries to bring her chin closer to her chest but to no avail. It's as if she's back again to her old pathetic self who didn't know what to do when her dad hit her but to cower in fear. All the courage she had built up over the past few months disappear. This man has hurt her more than anyone else ever has, and no matter how hard she tries, she's still the same old pitiful punching bag her dad owned.

"You're still the same old pathetic little girl. You thought learning how to fight will save you? It's not doing you any help now, is it? You're so useless."

She chokes on a sob, and as if on cue, the feeling of his hands on her necks disappear, too, and she falls on the ground with a thud, taking in loud breaths between coughs. She tries to see through her teary vision, and only makes out two struggling figures, one which she knows is that monster and the other? Hoseok?

Lee's eyes widen, freezing in place when she sees Hoseok holding the man in a headlock, a technique she knows too well. After all, she was the one who taught him that move. Then it all happens too quickly, the loud crack, the man's limp body falling to the floor with a thud, Hoseok's wide eyes.

Jungkook throws up his stomach's content on the floor, his face turning pale. Lee stays still, her beating heart only going louder and louder.

"Iㅡ I didn'tㅡ I didn't mean to kㅡ I didn't mean to do that. I didn't know it wouldㅡ I didn't know it would work. I thoughtㅡ Iㅡ "

"Is he dead?" She asks in a whisper.

Hoseok doesn't reply, a quivering hand coming up to cover his mouth. Jungkook's loud gasps become more audible now.

Sirens ring in the distance.

---

A/N: so umm... It's been more than a month since I last updated 😳👉🏻👈🏻

In mY DeFeNcE i wAS pRePArInG FoR eXaMS AnD hAd nO mOtivAtIOn tO wrItE

I honestly don't like how I wrote the chapter, I feel like I didn't do the scene justice. Could've written it much better.

Anyway, thank you for your patience. I surprisingly didn't get any demands for updating, and hopefully it's not because the fic is a flop and no one's reading it ha ha ha

Stay safe everyone, wash your hands regularly and stay home. And eat lots of bananas too. Take care ♡