Billionaire's Bargain || Kim Taehyung

Protect

Trigger Warning: Minor instances of Self-harm. 

"Tae, put me down!" Kira shrieked with laughter as he simply fastened his arms around her clinging legs.

"Nope, you're my personal Koala bear." He chuckled as she tried to squirm away.

Despite her initial protest, she settled down, swung her legs comfortably around his waist, her body leaned on to his broad torso, her arms wrapped around his neck and her chin rested affectionately on his shoulders. His soft hair tickled her ears and she was enraptured in his addictive fragrance.

They were nearing his neighbourhood and his relaxing body heat was making Kira incredibly sleepy.

"Minjee?" He called her cautiously.

"Yes?"

"Did you ever harm yourself?" His voice was soft and full of concern.

Kira automatically stiffened at that. Her eyes fully wide and her lips a little parched. She was desperately trying to find out what inspired the question. Sure enough, he was grabbing her wrist. They were adorned with faded scars, carrying not-so-faded memories. They were almost invisible, invisible to the eyes of those who don't care enough. He touched them gently and Kira winced out of reflex, not because it hurt physically but because it caused her to look back upon her darker days.

Seeing that she was hesitant, he spoke again slowly. "You don't have to tell me if you aren't ready."

She took a deep breath. "I used to. When I became highly emotionally unstable, I used to resort to abusing myself physically. I am not that proud of it."

He nodded in respond, seeming to contemplate on it. "Do you still...?"

Kira shook her head. "I try my best to make sure that I don't get myself in situations which might tempt me to do it."

This had been one of Kira's deepest insecurities and she never really liked talking about it to people. Saying it out loud seemed to relieve some sort of burden from deep within her that she never even knew she was carrying.

"I know it's stupid." She sheepishly tried laughing it off.

"No, baby no." He said; his voice more soothing than ever before. He lifted her wrist up to his lips and kissed them tenderly.

"I'll protect you." He said finally. He chuckled at his own words and spoke again. "I know you can take care of yourself but I'll make sure nothing can harm you. I'll make sure that you're never tempted to do it again."

This was one of those rare times that made Kira hate her well controlled emotions. His words were so heartfelt that she felt horrible for not being emotional. It was as if her tear ducts couldn't let her cry even if they wanted to until it all came crashing down at once. She did the only thing she could do now; she hugged him closer and pressed her lips to his cheek in response.

"Thank you." She whispered.

They walked in comfortable silence and he went on carrying her as if she was a tiny monkey. As his house came into their clear view, she squirmed under his grip, protesting to get down before someone else saw them. He adamantly carried her, battling off her protests until all laughs seized suddenly.

"My boy, you didn't answer your phone. I can't seem to get hold of Jungkookie either. So I thought I'd come visit you in person. It's been a while anyway."

A middle aged man stood in front of his house, leaning comfortably on his costly black car. It was clear that there were men in and around the car but it took great observation to notice them. For someone who carried themselves with such elegance and posh, the man didn't seem to mind waiting in front of a mansion until he saw the owner. For once, Taehyung stopped deflecting her protests and gently let her down.

Seeing how Taehyung remained silent, the man spoke up again. "I see you have company. I hope I am not intruding something special."

She could feel Taehyung's muscles contract under her grip and she looked closely at the man. There was something in Taehyung's eyes, a sort of unknown fear as he lightly pushed Kira behind his back. His breathing was ragged as if all the exhaustion of walking and carrying her suddenly hit him out of nowhere.

"No, of course not." Taehyung replied with haste.

"I'll meet you next Sunday. You should go home now." He said to her under his breath. He seemed to be trying to hide her from the man but it was futile. She had already caught the man narrowing his eyes at her unfamiliar figure.

Kira didn't want to argue with him. If a man like Taehyung who had strong holds on a lot of places seemed timid, it must mean something vital. She nodded quickly and walked away, leaving a final lingering glance at the authoritative man.

She didn't know who it was or what was happening but it came as an unsettling feeling in her. Something was not right.

A/N: Who dat eh? 

To anyone who is hurting, I just want you to know that you're not alone. You WILL get through this. If you ever feel down, do talk to someone. Letting it all out helps a lot. The amount of people (especially teenagers) resorting to self-harm is high and it is troubling to see someone suffer so much that they'd rather hurt themselves. If you ever feel like talking to someone, you can always message me; I'll be more than happy to be there for you.

Your happiness matters. You matter. 

P.S: Don't forget to smile!