(this was roughly proofread. i'll probably go back to fix things here and there later:)

KTH || 7:04 p.m. || apt. 95

if it hadn't been for hoseok's constant speaking and seokjin's jokes, dinner would have been too awkward for taehyung to bear.

the conversation between the other boys only made it bearable; only enough for taehyung to be able to sit down and drink his water and not run out the door.

he could nearly feel the bruise on his face darken, and become more and more prominent as the night went on. that wasn't the case though, of course. it was just how he felt; insecure and self conscious and oh my god, there's another fucking bruise on my face and jungkook. is. here.

taehyung's eyes darted back and forth from person to person at the table, the dark orbs dancing within his sockets, distracted and lost without a place to land. he eventually settled for staring down at the table.

"tae, you should eat," jimin whispered, nudging him in the rib gently.

despite how gentle the motion was, taehyung couldn't contain his flinch, nor could he contain the small yelp that escaped his lips.

"you alright?"

seokjin looked concerned. and taehyung hated it.

"i'm fine," he said. "it's all good."

but is it really?

jimin bit his lip and waited for conversation at the table to start up again before whispering to taehyung again.

"sorry," he said. "but really, you haven't touched the food on your plate, tae. would it hurt to eat a little?"

and taehyung knew jimin was right. but he really didn't have an appetite, probably from the nervous aroma engulfing him by the second and the constant somersaults his stomach was doing every time he made eye contact with jungkook.

taehyung tentatively took a bite from his food, setting down the spoon just as quickly as he had picked it up.

jungkook kept looking his way.

why the hell did jungkook keep looking at him?

taehyung took a sip of water, nearly choking when he made eye contact again.

and jungkook's pink lips curved into a soft, timid smile, as if he somehow could see through taehyung and knew exactly how taehyung was feeling.

"wait, so you said you guys know each other right?" yoongi said. "we went to high school together, so that's that. but since when did you all know each other?"

"a funny story?" jimin added, recalling the comment hoseok had left before about how it was a funny story.

"maybe not exactly funny," jungkook said. "hoseok just calls everything funny."

"he speaks the truth," namjoon smirked.

"are you indirectly calling me a psychopath?"

"can you just get on with the damn story?" yoongi's tone was joking and playful as he laughed.

"alright, so me and kook work the graveyard shift at this convenience store-"

"it's hellish. i die everyday."

"-and, it's not that cool of a story, honestly, but then taehyung walked in and just kind of died on the floor-"

"like me."

"-and we took him home for the night."

"died on the floor?" jimin asked.

"he was hurt."

yoongi and jimin both sent questioning, worried looks taehyung's way.

"it wasn't that bad," taehyung argued. "i didn't die." his eyes fluttered to his plate as he tried to ignore yoongi and jimin. had taehyung not known better, he would have thought they were angry, with their hard, piercing stares and tight lips. but taehyung did know better, and he knew that they were just worried.

taehyung hated it when they were worried. he would rather have them angry.

MYG || 11:07 p.m. || apt. 95

"i'm sorry," taehyung murmured.

"for what?"

"for being too scared to go home."

yoongi and jimin both whipped their heads to the side to face taehyung.

"taehyung, i swear to god-"

"that's nothing to-"

their voices blended into each other, and taehyung flinched back, regretting it instantly.

yoongi's voice softened. "that's nothing to be sorry for."

"yes it is," taehyung whispered. "i'm being stupid. how can anyone be so afraid of going home?"

"you aren't afraid of going home, because tae, that isn't your home," jimin said. "it's alright if family isn't family and home isn't home."

taehyung smiled.

JJK || 2:07 a.m. || corner convenience store

"what did manager say again? that our shift today ends at 2:30?"

"yeah. i guess we're actually getting somewhat sufficient sleep tonight," hoseok yawned, leaning forwards as he did so.

it had been a week since they had last seen taehyung, which had been at dinner with yoongi and jimin. they hadn't seen him since then, and a sickening feeling kept filling jungkook's stomach because what if taehyung was hurt?

as if further proving jungkook's worries, the chimes rang and taehyung came limping in.

he was clearly trying to hide it, and clearly unable to.

"tae? are you alright."

he didn't answer and disappeared into an aisle.

jungkook and hoseok exchanged looks and jungkook considered following him into the aisle. it was just as he was walking out from behind the counter that taehyung came back, still limping just enough for hoseok and jungkook to notice.

he set the beers down on the counter, heaving them up and then leaning against the surface weakly, and jungkook couldn't hide his horror.

taehyung seemed to be gasping for air just from having brought over the beers, and there was a dark bruise running down the entire left side of his face. he had sloppily put a band aid on his forehead, and clearly hadn't done much to stop the bleeding as blood was seeping through the fabric. a hand was pressing down on his torso as he winced, and all jungkook could think about was how many bruises were probably blooming from his pale skin and how many welts covered his spine. he looked so, so incredibly weak and gaunt, and jungkook bit his lip until he drew blood as he tried to think of a gentle way to confront taehyung.

"are you alright?" was all jungkook could force from his lips.

taehyung smiled, seeming to wince as his split lip was stretched upwards.

"i'm okay."

his voice cracked at the last syllable and his eyes filled with tears, but he kept smiling as if to try to hide the fact that he was hurting.

"i'm really okay."

jungkook shook his head. "no you aren't, taehyung."

as if on cue, taehyung collapsed into a heap on the floor, and jungkook rushed out of the counter and picked taehyung up.

"what do we do?" his eyes urgently rushed to hoseok.

"go wait in the car. i'll be there as soon as our shift's over."

KTH || 2:47 a.m. || apt. 07

"the least you could have done is actually bandaged your forehead better."

hoseok's eyes were sad as he worked carefully with cotton balls and swabs.

"i don't have any disinfectant at home," taehyung said, wincing slightly as hoseok put a bandage on. "sorry."

"why do you always apologize for things you don't need to be sorry for, hm?"

jungkook stood at the door, watching as hoseok picked taehyung up and gestured to him. "can taehyung sleep in your bed tonight?"

jungkook nodded. "yeah, i'm cool with it."

so it was fifteen minutes later that taehyung and jungkook sat side by side on jungkook's bed.

"why are you always hurt?"

jungkook's voice was nothing more than a soft, gentle murmur. he spoke with his hand soothingly rubbing circles into taehyung's back.

"who does this to you?"

taehyung shook his head. "no, no, i can't-"

"is it someone at home?"

"my mom said she'd come back for me!"

his response was instant and impetuous.

taehyung already had tears streaming down his cheeks, the droplets falling like a drizzle but hitting jungkook like a hurricane.

"she said she'd come back, kook, she promised," taehyung choked out the words, spilling them from his lips desperately. "she said she'd come back and take me somewhere safe. to our safe place."

so it's someone at home.

jungkook wrapped an arm around taehyung protectively.

"you're safe here," jungkook said, whispering softly. "you're safe with me and hoseok and jin and namjoon, and with yoongi and jimin. you're safe with all of us."

and it was then that taehyung realized that sometimes, home could be a person. home was supposed to be a safe place, and perhaps, his safe place was within someone's arms.

jungkook was his home.