Little Flower

9

"If I wasn't important then why would you waste all your poison?" ~ Lo Vas A Olvidar [Billie Eilish, ROSALÍA]

TW: scene of abuse

Two years ago, when Taehyung was in his senior year, he went to his school's football game.

He was exploding with excitement, of course, because his dad was gone for a business trip and it ended up freeing his Friday. He didn't really get the chance to go out much, so he was practically bouncing around the house getting ready for the big night.

"I'm going, little flower," he sung as he went out the door, racing to his car and shoving the key into the ignition.

It was turning out to be the best night of his life. He never got to spend time with his friends outside of school, and if he did, it was on a very tricky timetable. He was shouting stupid chants with everyone and bouncing off of the Coke he had just tried for the first time—which he deemed was now his favorite pop.

Everything was going perfect. Until it wasn't.

When Taehyung had parked the car and entered his house, what was going to be the best night of his life quickly turned into one of the worst.

He knew he was home by the suitcase by the stairs and the shoes by the front door, causing the blood to drain from his face. His hands were shaking and he tried to keep his footsteps as light as possible, praying that his baby sister was in the safety of her room.

But then he heard her scream.

Taehyung had never felt his heart drop as much as it did that day, flinging the basement door open and sprinting down the stairs. He could hear him laughing maniacally and taunting his innocent sister as the wooden stairs almost broke underneath his feet.

"Where's your Taehyungie now, huh?"

"STOP!"

Taehyung's chest heaved up and down in anger as he stared at the sight in front of him. His sister was tied around a chair with injuries painting her skin, a fabric tied around her mouth so tight the corners of her mouth were bleeding. She was crying helplessly and screamed when their father rose away from her and walked towards Taehyung.

"So," he spits with a wicked grin. "How was the game?"

Taehyung stared at the man in front of him in horror. He wasn't supposed to be back until Sunday. He wasn't supposed to be anywhere near his bubba.

Their father was a man with pitless eyes and a messed up mind. He had an overgrown stubble and his black hair was slicked back with too much gel, making him seem like the greasy rat that he really was. He had never loved his children, or if he did, he can't remember when. He hated Taehyung because he saw his younger self in him, and he hated Rosie because she looked like their mother, who died years ago.

Though, he wasn't nice to them when their mother was alive either. They both had witnessed the harsh treatment their mother had gone through, had seen their father slap her across the face for no reason other than his bad temper.

And when their mother passed away, it felt like their last hope went along with it.

"Let her go," Taehyung grits his teeth, trying to keep his tears at bay.

"You didn't answer my question," his father tsks before back slapping him across the cheek, sending Taehyung's face sideways. "No matter. You can enjoy the show now that you're home. You have no idea how much I-"

Before he could continue, Taehyung punched him square in the jaw and tackled him to the ground, wrestling with his father as tears ran down his cheeks. His father only managed to scrape his nails down his arms before Taehyung punched his head back to hit the floor, leaving him unconscious.

Taehyung wiped at the blood on his lip before clambering towards Rosie, his fingers pulling desperately at the bonds around her.

"Taehyung," she cried once he freed the tie from her mouth, falling into his arms weakly.

"Rosie," he holds the sobbing girl tightly in his arms and tries to shush her screams as best he could while the tears rolled down his own cheeks.

He had never felt so guilty before. To him, this was the worst thing he ever did to his sister. He left her alone in this house all by herself with that monster, unable to protect her because of his selfish desire to go out and have fun.

He vowed never to leave her like that again. He would continue protecting her like he's done for her whole life, even if that meant throwing away his chances at having fun with his friends at school.

"Your arms," she croaked out weakly as he carried her upstairs.

"Rosie," he cries, tears streaming down his cheeks at an alarming rate. "How can you even worry about me right now?"

"'Cause you're my brother,'' she closes her eyes with a small smile. "And I love Taehyungie."

"Taehyungie loves you too, bubba," he sobs, locking his door behind him before leaning back against the wood. "I've got you now. Okay, bubba? Taehyungie's right here."

And now, Taehyung sat at his dining room table, his hair disheveled and his tie pulled loosely around his neck.

He didn't get the job, and he felt like he was letting Rosie down all over again. She should be annoying him by asking him to take her to the mall, or pleading in excitement to buy the latest shoes.

But that wasn't Rosie. Sweet Rosie never asked for such things, and god, the way she practically beamed when Taehyung saved up enough money to buy her the strawberry dress he passed in the shop on his way home from school years ago.

The door opened and Taehyung's eyes shot to the clock.

Five minutes before 10:00. Jungkook had dropped her off early.

"Taehyungie! I brought you cotton candy!" she giggles, skipping into the room and slinging her arms around the back of his neck.

"Thank you, little flower," he smiles, taking the small container from her hands. "Did you have fun?"

"Mhm!" she smiles, hugging him tightly. "Missed you though. How did-"

"I'm gonna head up to bed," he stands up and coughs. "It's getting late, yeah?"

"Yeah," she yawns, ignoring his weird behavior and following him upstairs.

She was surprised when Taehyung suddenly hugged her tightly. She didn't see his pained expression as he buried his face into her neck, but she didn't mind hugging her brother for as long as he needed.

"Taehyung?"

"Hm?"

"You'll get the next one," she pulls back with a knowing smile. "I'm sure of it."

•
•

i know this is kind of intense, but i hope you all are okay. i love you all so much and i know reading scenes like this can make your mood drop. please remember that i love you, care for you, and am very happy to have you here reading my story.

i will try to post the next chapter soon 💜