BTS Imagines 3

Taehyung ♡ Hybrid [request]

The requester asked to remain anonymous

Word count: 4,245 (it's a big one)
Warning: Mentions of abuse. Read at your own risk.

The crowd cheered as I took a bow, finishing my act for the night. I gave a final wave to the large mass of people before disappearing behind the large, red curtain that separated the backstage area from the performance area.
I've been with the circus for a few years now, three to be exact. We travel all over the country, sometimes even the world. It's an exciting life of adventures and crowds of people cheering for you. I wouldn't trade it for anything. My act is doing tricks on an aerial hoop. It requires lots of concentration, especially since I'm suspended in the air while doing my routine.

I stretched a bit as I left the tent, heading to my trailer to relax until the show ended. The ringmaster usually allows circus goers to walk around the grounds and meet with the performers afterwards, so I would have to stay in my performance outfit and makeup until everyone left.
On my way to my trailer, I spotted Taehyung in his mobile cage, a large sign with big letters hung above reading: The Ravenous Man Tiger.
Taehyung is a tiger hybrid and has been with this circus longer than I have. He's kind of feral and won't let anyone near him. I don't even think I've heard him speak, to be honest. He's extremely closed-off.
I stopped for a moment when I saw a couple staff members standing by Taehyung's cage. The taller of the two threw a set of chains and cuffs at him.
"Put them on." He snapped.
Taehyung didn't move.
"He's being disobedient again." One grumbled.
"You know what to do. The boss said if he misbehaves to use the baton on him." The other responded.
The shorter staff member pulled a black staff out, sticking it between the bars and poking Taehyung with it. The hybrid's face twisted as his body convulsed.
A stun stick?
I took a step back, hiding as I watched the scene unfold.
The man continued to shock Taehyung until he complied and began putting on the cuffs, locking them around his wrists and ankles. Once he finished, the two men opened up the cage, the taller one grabbing onto the extra chain hanging from the wrist restraints. He then jerked on it, causing Taehyung to stumble forward. I watched as they pulled him towards the tent, gasps from the crowd following shortly after his entrance.
I couldn't help but feel concerned at what I had just witnessed. I had never seen them prepare Taehyung for a show.
Is that how they treat him?
I shook my head, brushing it off as some sort of punishment. Taehyung seems like the type to lose his temper, in fact, I've seen him growl at staff before, so maybe they were just being rough with him because he snapped at them.

***

Days passed and I couldn't seem to shake the thought of Taehyung being treated so badly that evening. It kept replaying over and over in my head like a video on loop. I was hardly able to focus at practice and even at the show. One day, I had enough and made the decision to talk to Taehyung and confront him about it.
After the show, when everyone was in their trailers, I went to Taehyung's cage which was just a couple trailers away from mine.
Even in the dim outdoor lighting, I could see Taehyung's ear twitch as I approached. He was quick to sit up and face me, immediately put on edge by my presence.
"Hey, Taehyung."
He glowered at me as I moved closer to his cage.
"I wanted to talk to you about something." I kept my voice low. "I saw something a few days ago."
I stopped speaking when I saw a cut on Taehyung's upper arm and bruises around his wrists.
I drew in a sharp breath.
"You're hurt. Did they do this to you?" I asked, unconsciously reaching towards him.
His top lip curled upwards, his sharp canines on display as he growled.
"I won't hurt you. I just want to look." I told him gently, continuing to move my arm further into the confined space.
In a split second, Taehyung swatted at me, his sharp nails leaving behind red marks. I hissed, retracting my arm immediately, my hand clamping over the wound.
Taehyung's menacing expression dropped right away, regret filling his eyes as they widened in horror. I stared at him with an equally wide-eyed expression, backing away from the cage. The hybrid opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
I didn't stay to see if he would say anything.