chapter eight. [unedited]
*mature themes (sensitive topics)
[warning]
take your shirt off.
taehyung's eyes widened. he gave the black haired boy a look of uncertainty. he read over the words again and again, why was he trying to get him to remove his shirt. jeongguk quickly realized his flaw, and how abrupt he must have sounded. the boy quickly turned back to the board and erased the message with the sleeve of his shirt, that covered his palm. he uncapped the marker and scribbled something else.
the scar
taehyung hesitantly looked at his sleeve. he looked back up at jeongguk, who gave him a stern look. he was quite serious about this. yet, what jeongguk did not expect, was for taehyung to pull up his sleeve, showing lines that faintly cut into his skin. some were recent, some were long ago, his skin was far from clear, the view of what he had done to himself making jeongguk's jaw drop, he forgot about the chest scar, reaching out, a reluctant feeling growing in his mind.
"it's okay, you can touch them." taehyung urged on, watching as jeongguk seemed to grow more concerned- maybe more curious. he gripped- gently, held taehyung's wrist in his hands. a pointer finger danced across the lines, lightly touching them. taehyung felt the light sting, but he kind of liked it. jeongguk thumbed over an older looking scar, looking up at taehyung, his eyes glistening just a little bit.
he hurried to the board, erasing the note frantically, and hurriedly substituting it for something else.
why?
taehyung chuckled dryly, sliding his sleeve back down. "my dad, mostly. i never wanted to hurt myself, it just kind of, happened one day. i was sitting around, tired of having bruises that went up my arms and legs, and so i grabbed one of the kitchen knives, and i sat there and sliced my way up my arm. the blood covered the bruises, the way he held on my wrists and just kinda messed me up." jeongguk's mouth slightly opened, as if he were to say something- although it closed, since of course, he could not. "i knew you were asking about the whole, chest scar thing, but i knew if i took my shirt off, you'd see the others and have questions. so, i guess you can see my chest too."
only if you want to.
taehyung smiled lopsidedly at this message, but decided to discard of his hoodie, setting it aside on the desk. jeongguk marveled at the marks and scratches that littered taehyung's torso and belly. most of them were not visible, and the main one, that was supposedly supposed to be on his chest;
was not there.
jeongguk looked confused, a hand rising to touch the soft skin of taehyung's chest. taehyung jumped a little at the cold touch. he looked up, and their eyes met for a split second. jeongguk pulled his finger back, noticing that- taehyung's skin seemed to come off and onto his fingers.
"it's makeup. this one torments me the most, so i like to hide it." taehyung explains briefly, wiping the makeup from his chest and revealing a long scar that went from one side of his chest to the other. "i don't remember exactly how i got this one." taehyung said, eyes focusing on the scar along jeongguk's neck. "i do remember, vividly, on how you got that one."
it was cold, and the sirens blared loudly as jeongguk ducked underneath a bit of broken glass being thrown at him. he turned back to the boy, who sat on the floor, looking up with wide eyes. "what's going on?" he'd ask, lifting himself up and walking up to jeongguk, linking their arms together as they neared the kitchen.
jeongguk saw the boy's father, thrashing in an officer's hold. he also saw his own father, and a lady who looked like she was crying. jeongguk guessed it was the boy's mother, but he did not seem worried for his mother. he seemed like he was more worried for his father, more than his mother. the officer turned to the two young kids, frowning at the sight of how beaten up they looked, the bruises and scratches and cuts on their skinny limbs that showed from baggy clothing.
"you two better get out of here- it's not the safest for kids." the officer informed, but his father was too quick with his actions, lunging forward and grabbing jeongguk by the neck once more. jeongguk felt the boy beside him stir, letting go of his arm to ground himself. jeongguk father squeezed harshly once more, jeongguk feeling his airways close up.
"stop!" the boy screamed, along with the officer, who tried to pry the older man from the boy's body. bloody, shaky, jeongguk's father raised his hand, which held a shard of glass from a window- he guessed. he squeezed it hard, and turned, holding it to the boy's neck. the officer grabbed his gun, which was located in his belt, and held it to jeongguk's father's head.
but it was not enough, because jeongguk's father pierced the shard of glass straight into the front of jeongguk's neck.
the officer immediately shot the man, blood splattering on the kitchen cabinets, the small boy screaming and sobbing at all of the gory sights he was seeing. jeongguk sunk to the ground, gasping for needed air, blood seeping down the side of his face, his neck, pooling around his collarbones and soaking his clothing. after a few minutes, he passed out.
"they were able to get you oxygen before you died." taehyung spoke, his voice wavering, and a hand went to rest on jeongguk's scar that still stood across his neck, from the countless surgeries and corrections, the countless check ups and doctors appointments to restructure his neck. "they shoved a tube down your throat and forced you to breathe. i was crying the entire time, so it's kind of blurry to me."
jeongguk quickly turned, erasing the words and scribbling on something else, are you okay? but deciding to just erase it all in the end, realizing their time in the classroom was over, he pulled taehyung into a hug and waved to him when they left the school. he had learned the truth, and that his father was dead, and taehyung was the small boy who witnessed it all.
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