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Jeongguk had loved walks ever since he was a kid, always looking at the family of ducks in the pond, maybe picking up some pretty flowers on the way, watching the sunset as he walked back home with a skip in his step. Now that he had a special someone to do it with, he loved it even more.
“Feed the ducks with me, Jinnie.” Little Jeongguk pulls on his brother’s hand, leading him to the pond nearby. He tugs him over and throws breadcrumbs into the water, watching the ducks swim over to the food. They waggle their tails, making nine year old Jeongguk squeal and giggle. “Look, hyung, look!”
He hasn’t been outside in so long, and it was nice to breathe in the fresh, dewy morning air and to feel the cold breeze hitting his face.
Seokjin ruffles his hair, listening to his giggles like its music to his ears. “You’re so precious, you know that?” Jeongguk gives him a wide smile, eyes crinkling happily.
“‘Course, I know that! Hyung tells me almost every day.” The younger boy continues to gaze at the ducks and coo at them incoherently, bending down to reach his hand over the pond before Seokjin could stop him.
“We should go soon, Ggukie. Father would punish us for sneaking out if he wakes up before we get back home.” Seokjin latches into his hand before he could go any further.
“Father would never scold me.” Jeongguk mumbles and throws more breadcrumbs into the pond.
The older sighs, pulling him up from the ground. “Let’s go.”
He pouts and brushes off the dirt on his hands, waving to the ducks sadly. Jeongguk runs off when he sees the sun setting, since he knows that they weren’t allowed out at night at all. He doesn’t know why, but he’s fine with staying at home with his hyung. His toy trains and cars entertain him enough, but it was a rare occasion to step out of the house and have fun, so Jeongguk was excited every time.
“Jeon Jeongguk!”
He hears Seokjin call out for him, and he knows he’s in trouble when he says his full name. But he’s a mischievous kid, so he keeps on running with giggles in each step, turning back to see his brother running after him and— he trips over his own legs, falling face flat onto the ground.
He hears a gasp behind him, and heavy steps nearing. Jeongguk feels pain in his hands, liquid running down his arm, and he can’t help but burst into tears when he sees crimson red and sand all over his palms.
“Oh, my gosh, you silly boy.” Seokjin chastises gently, picking him up so that he isn’t lying on the ground in the middle of the pavement. He wipes his tears that run down his cheeks, never ending. “The pain will be gone soon, Ggukie.”
Seokjin takes out the packet of tissues that he always keeps in his pocket for emergencies, because Jeongguk has been clumsy since birth. Falling off a chair, tripping over things or his own legs was a common thing for the nine year old.
The younger whimpers when he presses the tissue against his wound, seeing the blood getting absorbed and the napkin turning red. “There you go, all clean and better, isn’t it? My big, strong boy.” Jeongguk sniffs and raises his arms, and Seokjin chuckles.
“You're getting heavy, you know that?” He teases, but he complies, piggybacking the boy all the way back home.
It’s autumn, and it’s getting colder and darker; leaves are falling from the trees. There’s a chill in the air, frost on the ground and mist and fog in the air. Dry, dead leaves crunch beneath Jeongguk’s feet and little clouds appear when he breathes out.
He shivers, hands intertwined tightly with Taehyung’s as he hugs his arm close to his side while they walk.
“Ice cream!” Jeongguk gasps and points at the ice cream parlour, holding onto Taehyung’s hand tightly as he shakes it in excitement. “Hyung, there’s ice cream!”
“I can see that, baby.” Taehyung chuckles, walking into the shop. The younger gapes at the variety of flavours, his face so close as the glass fogs up.
“Go and sit, I’ll order.” He pulls out his wallet, looking at their bodyguards with a menacing look. “Watch him.” They nod, leading him to a seat at the back, where it was private but well lit.
“I need to go to the bathroom, hyung.” Jeongguk softly speaks with doe eyes, standing back up.
“We’ll come along as well.” They bow their heads, ready to walk towards the bathroom.
Accompany him into the bathroom? The boy furrows his eyebrows and shakes his head, bangs covering his eyes. “S’Okay, I’ll be quick. Promise.” The guards were about to protest, but Jeongguk slipped away before they could say anything.
He quickly does his business, washing his hands ( with soap, because he’s a clean freak). He doesn’t like the atmosphere of this bathroom. The lights are dim and flickering, the doors don’t shut properly, and the sinks don’t work well. He wants out . Jeongguk wants to be back at Taehyung’s side, chills running down his spine whenever he hears the sound of the pipes rattling throughout the room.
Drying his hands with a sheet of tissue, he wraps Taehyung’s hoodie tighter around his body, covering up the pungent smell of the toilet. He opens the door, letting out a breath. At last, fresh air, he sighs in relief, shaking his head.
He’s about to walk back to their seats, until there’s a sudden squeeze against his throat, and Jeongguk widens his eyes, about to scream bloody murder when a wet cloth covers his mouth. No, no, no no no— This couldn’t be happening.
He knows what it is — chloroform, a chemical that’d make you pass out in less than a minute. Jeongguk struggles in the grip, but they don’t budge. He kicks his legs, fingernails digging into the arm around his neck but the hand stays, and doesn’t give him any mercy. Jeongguk whimpers, trying his best to lift an arm in hopes of hitting the attacker but nothing works. He should’ve let the guards come with him, what was he thinking? He landed himself in this.
He can’t breathe, the hand on his neck tightens his grasp and squeezes his windpipe and oh god, he can’t breathe. Jeongguk’s starting to panic, eyes becoming dim, his mind almost going blank. Black spots dance around his vision, and he shakes his head rapidly, trying to get the substance off of him before he passes out. He can’t pass out, he can’t. Who knows where he’d be when he wakes up? Please, please—
“Looks like Vante isn’t that strong after all,” A raspy voice echoes in the bathroom as Jeongguk goes limp in his arms. He stuffs the cloth in his pocket, throwing a bag over his head. “I got the little bunny right where I want him, and it wasn’t even difficult.”
“Where’s Jeongguk?” Taehyung comes back with a cup of chocolate ice cream in his hands, looking at the empty seats, and then at the guards.
“We can’t find him, Sir.”
He blinks slowly, processing the information.
There’s a beat of silence.
“What the fuck do you mean you can’t find him?” Taehyung growls, knuckles turning white from the tight hold on the cup of ice cream. Brown, sticky liquid is spilling over his fingers, but he doesn’t give a care in the world about that when his baby is missing.
Taehyung doesn’t believe it. He’s been so careful for so long. His head is in a mess, and his hands are starting to shake, both in fear and anger.
“We— We’ve searched everywhere.” Their heads are down, bodies bowed into ninety degrees, sweat forming on their forehead at the thought of what’s going to happen to them. “He said he was going to the bathroom, but he wasn't there.”
Taehyung runs a hand across his face, heart beating wildly as he throws the cup of ice cream to the ground, letting out a frustrated grunt. Some of it splatters onto his shoes, and on their faces, but he likes to think that they deserve it.
“Fuck you,” He spits, pulling out his phone. “You’re fired. Both of you. Get out of my sight, you’re lucky I’m not killing you two right here.” Though he wanted to, badly. But he doesn’t have time to deal with cleaning up the bodies right now.
“Fuck.” Taehyung curses under his breath again, ignoring the stares from customers as he walks out of the store with his phone pressed to his ear. “Pick up.” He mutters while starting up his car and steps on the pedal, going way past the speeding limit.
“ Why are you calling me? You never call me, this is the first time in years.” Jimin snickers through the phone, and it was partly true, since Taehyung didn’t like phone calls and preferred to talk face to face.
“Jeongguk’s missing.”
There’s silence, other than the soft motor of his car while he speeds past each street. He couldn’t believe he let this happen, and he’s worried sick about Jeongguk. Taehyung could and would kill whoever’s behind all of this.
“I’ll gather the rest.”
“He’s waking up.”
Jeongguk squeezes his eyes shut, whining at the uncomfortable position he’s in. He tries to stretch his arms, but— they’re stuck. They’re stuck together. He whimpers as the rough rope scratches against his wrists while he struggles to get out of it.
“Stop that.”
Jeongguk opens an eye, cowering back at the man who’s dangerously close to him. He looks at his surroundings — they’re in a dimly lit room, with no windows or sunlight, just a few light bulbs, some of them flickering. It creates an eerie atmosphere, and the boy doesn’t like it one bit. The chair’s uncomfortable and rocky, making creaking sounds whenever he makes the smallest of movements.
His arms are starting to hurt, and he wonders how long he was out. His ankles are cramping up as well, being tied tightly to the legs of the chair.
“Don’t fucking touch me.” Jeongguk snaps, turning his face away when he sees the man’s finger edge towards his cheek.
“You ought to get beaten up for that, you little—“ The taller snarls and raises his hand, but his partner stops him.
“Boss said we can’t lay a finger on him. Do you want us to get killed?”
He grunts and steps away, shooting Jeongguk a warning glare. “He pisses me off, he’s just a useless boy toy.” The man scoffs, looking at him from head to toe. “Bet I could take Vante down in seconds . I won’t be surprised if he doesn’t even show up.”
Jeongguk would be lying if he said he wasn’t hurt by those words, but he pushes his feelings aside, face turning grim. “Say another word, I dare you.” He mutters. No one ever insults Taehyung.
His kidnapper snickers, looking to his partner as if whatever Jeongguk had just said was a total joke. “Bunny thinks he’s scary, huh?” His eyes turn into slits, staring at the boy bounded up in the chair like a hungry animal. The nickname sounds disgusting coming out from the man’s mouth, a whole different feeling compared to when Taehyung says it.
“Let me get this straight, bunny boy.” Coming up close to Jeongguk, he grabs onto his chin, his musty fingernails digging into his milky skin. “You and your little boyfriend? You’re never going to make it.”
Jeongguk’s eyebrows furrow up as he tries to escape from his dirty grip, holding his breath at the close proximity between the two of them. “Get the fuck away from me.” He grumbles, utterly annoyed that he can’t use his hands to simply push him away.
“I could kill you both in seconds, and I’m not scared to try— Fuck! Shit—“
A string of curses spill out of his mouth, hands cupping his crotch. Jeongguk smirks, holding back a laugh. It was his fault for coming that close to him and spewing those ugly words about him and Taehyung.
He groans, bending over, looking up to glare at his attacker through his bangs. “You’re going to pay for that.” He slowly gets back up, ignoring his partner’s whiny protests on how their boss was going to fire them.
“Give me all you’ve got.” Jeongguk smiles sweetly, and maybe he shouldn’t have said that, because he would be regretting it in a while.
A punch is flung to his cheek, and he swears he heard his jaw crack. His head whips to the side while he tries not to whimper, mouth sealed shut. “Must be fun, being bound up in a chair, hm?” The man above him laughs, lifting his leg to throw a kick against his ribs and now, Jeongguk does choke out a cry, because that hurt like a bitch. He doubts that his ribs aren’t broken by now.
It goes on for about ten more minutes, until his knuckles have turned bright pink from all the punching, and pants could be heard, both from the man and Jeongguk. “Look at your pretty face, all bruised up.” He presses onto his crooked nose, making Jeongguk scream in pain, more blood spilling out and flowing down his chin.
“Are you done, Jaeyoung?” The other man who was standing at the side the entire time, watching him beat the poor boy up. “I’m going to get killed because of you.”
“Is that all you’ve got?” Jeongguk heaves, spitting out the blood that dribbled into his mouth. “You punch like a little girl.” Jaeyong, Jeongguk has learned his name now, whips his head to him, squinting at him.
“What’d you just say?”
“What if I get taken away from you?” Jeongguk shudders at the thought as he feels Taehyung pull him closer, pressing a kiss onto his temple.
“You won’t, sweetheart. I’ll make sure of it.”
“But what if it happens?” He looks up at him with big, glassy eyes. “What should I do?”
Taehyung sighs, thumb grazing his skin below his eyes, admiring his facial features, caressing the small scar on his cheek. “You’ll buy some time for me. I’ll track you down quickly, but I’d still need some time. So distract whoever took you away, and I’ll get you back.”
That was two years ago. But Jeongguk remembers every word.
He’ll do whatever it takes to get back to Taehyung’s side, no matter how painful it is.
“I said you punch like a little girl. Heard that loud and clear? Or do I have to repeat myself?” He stammers a little, distracted by the pain but he still continues. “I’ve never seen such a weakling like you—“
Another slap to his face. A few more punches to his already broken nose and misshapen cheek, and some kicks to his ribs and stomach. His chair topples backwards from the force, and his fingers get crushed against the cement. He presses his lips into a thin line to muffle his screams, but tears keep on spilling and spilling and he just wants Taehyung to hold him and tell him everything’s going to be okay.
A sob escapes past his lips, and that was a mistake. His attacker laughs, basking in the sound of his pain. “Not so confident now, huh?”
“Christ, get off of him!” The shorter of his kidnappers pull him away from the bloodied boy on the chair, forehead creased in worry. “Look at what you’ve done!”
Jeongguk’s barely conscious, eyes half closed as blood runs down his head and nose and down to his chin. He looks like a mess — purple bruises forming all over as spit trickles from his mouth. His entire face is swollen and coloured crimson red, and every movement hurts. It hurts, bad.
“Boss said to get him in one piece. In perfect condition. What part of that did you not understand?” He mutters, shaking his head as he goes forward to lift the chair back up, with much difficulty with Jeongguk’s weight.
“Like I give a shit about what he says. Little bunny here can’t follow simple instructions either.”
Jeongguk heaves and pants, spitting out the blood when he chokes on some of it. He wiggles his fingers around the tight rope, grimacing at the roughness against his skin. His legs are starting to cramp up, being tied up to the chair for… He doesn’t even know. Was it day or night? Jeongguk’s lost track of time.
“No one’s coming to save you, you hear me?” Jaeyoung hovers over him, grabbing his hair and pulling it up. Tears trickle down Jeongguk’s cheeks as the pain gets worse, and the hope in him starts to die down. It’s been so long, and he’s in so much pain, when will he come to save him? He just wanted some ice cream. He sniffs, snot and tears mixing with the blood on his face.
No, he protests in his head. Taehyung will come. He trusts him.
He jumps when gunshots ring around the building, and the two men do the same. “What the hell was that?” Jaeyoung furrows his brows, a slight tremor in his voice. He hears screams and cries for help, and it sounds terrifying.
They exchange looks nervously, but Jeongguk looks suspiciously calm. The boy chuckles, and they turn to him like he’s a mad man. “He’s here.” Jeongguk’s words sound muffled but it’s clear as day to them. Jaeyoung swallows, locking the door and staying far away from it. He curses, heart skipping a beat. They’re going to die today.
Another gunshot.
The door handle drops to the floor, clanging.
Jeongguk smiles, teeth stained with blood. He's finally here.
“You thought locking a door could stop me?”
A gun points straight at the man’s head, bullet flying in between his eyes, making him drop dead to the ground. Taehyung cocks his gun again, licking his lips and smirks like this is a fun game for him. And it is. “Who’s next?” He tilts his head to the side, staring deep at Jaeyoung.
“You’ve got a little blood on your knuckles.” Taehyung comments, clicking his tongue as he steps closer to the shaking man, digging his gun into his side. “Wonder how that got there, hm?”
“Tell me.” Taehyung reaches out to grip Jaeyoung’s chin, skin bunched up tightly in his fingers. There’s already sweat in his hair, and he laughs. There's silence. He cocks his head to the side, chuckling. “I said tell me. There’s nothing to be afraid of, is there? Your boss is already dead , he won’t kill you.”
The man in his grip whimpers like a child, hands clasped together like he’s making a prayer. “Please, please, let me go, I swear I won’t tell anyone about—“
“Shut the fuck up.” Taehyung groans, rolling his eyes. “I hear the same words every time. I don’t give a flying fuck about what you’d do. No one touches what’s mine and gets away with it alive.”
“I should just cut off every single one of your fingers, one by one .” Taehyung looks down at his fingers, and then at his face, laughing at his terrified expression. “But I don’t have time for that.”
“You don’t touch what’s mine.” He whispers in his ear, pulling the trigger. “Remember that.”
Three gunshots reverberate throughout the room, and Jeongguk winces, covering his eyes. He could never get used to watching people die despite the countless amount of times that he had seen before. Jaeyoung and his partner lay dead on the ground, gunshots clearly seen on their bodies.
“Baby,” A complete 360. Taehyung murmurs, stuffing his gun in his pocket and pulling out a knife to cut off the ropes around his wrists and ankles. “My sweet baby.” He wipes away the red on Jeongguk’s face, holding his head close to his chest. The boy tries his best to wrap his arms around him, but it burns to move.
“I’m glad you’re okay, bun.” Taehyung cards his fingers through his bloody and matted hair, lips on his temple as he holds on tight to him like he’ll disappear again. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“Don’t be, ‘yung.” Jeongguk’s busted lip prevents him from talking normally, but Taehyung understands him perfectly fine.
“Fuck,” He curses, cradling his cheek gently, careful not to jostle him. “What did he do to you?” Taehyung stares at the bruises and scabs littering his face and body, teeth sinking into his lip.
“Home, Taetae.” Jeongguk slurs and bobs his head up and down, on the verge of unconsciousness. He sniffles as more tears start to fall again. His eyes burn, shutting his eyes tight while trying to reach for Taehyung, desperate for his right embrace despite his injuries. “Go— go home, please.”
Taehyung’s expression softened. “I’ve got you, baby.” He picks him up, a hand on his back and another under his upper thighs. “There we go.” Jeongguk tightens his grip around his neck, pressing his cheek against Taehyung’s warm neck. He whines at the throbbing pain in his ribs, letting out another whimper.
“The pain will go away soon, my love.” Jeongguk feels him walking, the hand on him firm but affectionate, careful not to hurt him any more. “Hang in there, we’ll be home soon.”
“Drive home.” Taehyung tells their guard, and he settles Jeongguk’s head in his lap, wiping the tears and sweat from his face. “Stay awake, bunny. Don’t fall asleep on me.” He leans down to peck his forehead, towel in his hand to clean up the blood.
“Hyung,” Jeongguk hears Taehyung speak, squinting his eyes to see him with a phone to his ear. He just wants to lie in bed surrounded with cushions and blankets, and he wants to be out of this bumpy car ride. He whimpers at the jostling as they go through a few speed bumps, pain shooting up his stomach. He’s going to throw up on this car if it continues.
Taehyung gives a warning glare through the rear view mirror, before turning to coo and rub Jeongguk’s chest. “We’re almost there, Gguk— Yeah, Jin hyung, I’m still here. Could you prepare some first aid for Jeongguk? I got him here with me.”
Jeongguk tunes their conversation out, too exhausted and in pain to keep on listening to what they’re saying. “It’s not too major, just... quite an amount of blood. That fucker , glad I shot him through the head.”
“ Spare me the details, please. I’ll be in the living room, I’ve got everything prepared. Joon’s here if you need more assistance.”
“Thanks, hyung. We’ll be there in a few.”
“‘M sorry, Tae.” Jeongguk starts quietly, and ignores the protests from Taehyung asking him to stop talking. “I asked the guards not to follow me into the bathroom. Shouldn’t have done that. Got myself, and hyungs into this mess.” He speaks in broken Korean, peering to see Taehyung’s reaction.
“Precious,” He hears him sigh. Oh, no. “This isn’t your fault, okay? The Baek clan has been watching us, specifically you for a long time, probably to use you as some fucking bait, or as a demand for a ransom.”
“But—“
“No buts, my love.”
The door opens for him, and Taehyung presses Jeongguk close to his chest, walking out to the building and doesn't even mutter a thank you because, you know, it’s Taehyung and all that matters right now is Jeongguk. “No, no.” Jeongguk slurs and whines, squeezing his eyes shut at the sudden bright light. “Too bright, hyungie.”
“Okay, okay.” Taehyung shushes him as someone turns down the brightness of the room, and he places him down on the couch gently.
“When will you make me stop worrying about you, hm?” Jeongguk hears a familiar voice above him. “Jinnie?” He mumbles, but he feels a finger touch his lips. “No talking, Ggukie.” Why does everybody want him to stop talking? Seokjin tears out a cotton pad, cleaning up the remaining blood that Taehyung didn’t manage to get. “Hell, I couldn’t sleep knowing you were still out there, in the hands of someone bad .”
Seokjin sighs, uncapping the bottle of antiseptic and throwing away the stained pads. “And I get the call at two in the morning telling me that you’re injured.” He pours the liquid onto a clean pad, dabbing it gently on his open wounds. Jeongguk sucks in a breath, mouth parting as he tries to hold back his cries and refrain from flinching.
Taehyung sits and watches him with a pained expression as if he’s the one on the couch, hand in his hair and the other intertwined with Jeongguk’s tightly. Namjoon holds his arm down, making sure he doesn’t move as Seokjin finishes cleaning up his injuries.
“You have never changed.” Seokjin cracks a small smile as he peels off a bandage, pasting them on each of his wounds. “You’re still a little cry baby who cries whenever I clean your injuries, aren't you?” He laughs softly when he hears a whiny “hyung!” utter out of Jeongguk.
“When will you stop getting hurt so I can stop giving you first aid, hm?” Seokjin closes his box full of materials, patting Jeongguk’s chest. “Little brat, making hyung take care of you even when you’re already twenty.”
“He’s been pacing up and down all night, you know.” Namjoon has a hand on Seokjin’s back, gazing at Jeongguk with a fond look. “Waiting for a call to tell him that you’re safe and sound.”
“I’ll always come back to you guys, no matter what.” Jeongguk says quietly, squeezing Taehyung’s hand. Taehyung gives him a light smile, letting out a sigh. “Let’s get some rest, it’s late.”
“Don’t get injured again, Ggukie.” Seokjin reminds him, ruffling his hair before standing up, ready to get back to bed. “Sleep well tonight.”
“Love you, hyung.” Jeongguk mumbles, cheek against Taehyung’s shoulder with his eyes half open as the older picks him up again.
Seokjin shoots his head up, eyes a little wider than usual. It’s been a long time since he’s heard those three words. The three special words that mean the most to him. Especially from his little brother.
“I love you too, Gguk. Always and forever.”