Don't you just lovvvvve time skips? 

Happy Birthday to me!! 

(This is my birthday present to myself and to you; publishing a new book!) 

*Slight depictions of tattooing in a poor way and domestic abuse

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(7 years later) 

Taehyung walked briskly out of the back of the tattoo parlor, a fresh bandage wrapped tightly around his upper arm. It was almost 9:30, the store was about to open and it was his turn to run the counter; his least favorite job, he might add. He didn't like being overly social on any given day, he preferred to stay in the back, doodling or working on new sketches for clients, but Namjoon was stubborn and wouldn't let him. Taehyung pouted slightly just thinking about it, jutting out his bottom lip as he flipped on the open sign.

'RM's Tatto Parlor' in florescent purple  cursive lit up outside the glass window, casting a faint purple glow inside the dim interior of the parlor. Most people would say that the musky tattoo shop's dark interior was depressing and only a place where goths would go, but Taehyung, who mostly dressed in pastel sweatshirts and had bright blonde hair, found the tattoo shop oddly comforting. It felt more like home than his actual home. He loved every part of it; the sample sketches hung on every wall(most done by himself), the soft purple hue that always covered the room, and the constant whir of tattoo guns always resounding in the background, giving Taehyung a sense of tranquil peace. He felt safe at the tattoo parlor. 

Taehyung had just taken his stance behind the small counter, when the quiet click of the back door latching into place reached his ears. Taehyung's boss and life-long best friend, Namjoon, came striding into the front room holding a stack of Taehyung's most recent sketches. He gave Taehyung a small smile as he passed, moving to hang the new samples up. Taehyung returned the gesture with a bright box-shaped smile of his own. Namjoon faltered, a single brow quirking when he noticed the white gauze wrapped tightly around Taehyung's arm, before turning to resume his task.

"What'd you do this time?" Namjoon asked, not sparing Taehyung a second glance, an exasperated lilt present in his tone. The blond glanced down at his bandaged arm, grimacing slightly as the fresh tat stung. 

"Smeraldo's flower!" Taehyung chirped, briefly forgetting about the pain the new tattoo was causing him. Namjoon sighed before walking over to Taehyung and taking his arm in his hands. He carefully undid the bandage, cautious not touch it. 

Namjoon frowned. The intricate design was quite beautiful; the flower was placed in the middle of Taehyung's upper arm, blooming delicately as long tendrils flowed out from the bud, weaving together to create one beautiful picture. 

But he'd gone too deep. 

Again. 

Fresh blood was still oozing languidly from the self-done tattoo, giving the flower an eery look, almost as if it was crying. Namjoon watched sadly, eyes following a bead of blood as it seeped through the dark lines and dripped down the blond's arm.

"Taehyung, you have to stop doing this to yourself." Namjoon said tiredly, only wanting the best for his friend. 

"I just pushed a little too hard, is all. I really didn't mean to, hyung." Taehyung lightly giggled at his hyung's worried nature. "It'll heal, and then it will be a beautiful addition to my collection! Don't you think, Namjoonie-hyung?" Taehyung's eyes plead sweetly with Namjoon. 

Namjoon knew Taehyung was lying. There was nothing accidental about the bleeding tat, but Namjoon was never one to win against puppy eyes, he folded immediately. He sighed again before ruffling Taehyung's scruffy hair. 

"Yeah Tae. You did a wonderful job. I think it's one of my favorites." 

Taehyung smiled at Namjoon before skipping over to the counter to continue his most recent sketch, completely ignoring the elders presence. Instead, he focused on the smooth edges of his creation, wanting the drawing to be absolutely perfect. Namjoon watched him a second longer, a fond smile gracing his lips, before he too, returned to his work. 

~・✧・~

A comfortable silence fell over the two men as they worked individually, merely lolling about, waiting for customers. Minimal words were exchanged, each lost to their own thoughts. 

I wonder if I should give my puppy a cute face? Ooh! Maybe a hoodie too! 

Taehyung thought as he scrunched his nose cutely at the picture in front of him, bending over to get a close look at the sketch. He tweaked a few things before holding the paper up, into the light, handling it like a treasure. He smiled his box smile again as he looked at the drawing. It was perfect! He couldn't wait to show his hyungs! 

At that moment, the sound of the back door clicking shut rang again. The employees never used the front door, always reserving it for the customers only. There was only one person who in so late. 

"Yoongi-hyung!" Taehyung yelled happily, before running off down the back hallway to greet his hyung. 

The said male was currently hanging his coat up on the rack and turned when he heard the patter of Taehyung's quick footsteps approaching him. 

"Hyungie!" Taehyung shouted, throwing his arms around the startled male and hugging him tightly. Yoongi froze for a moment before wrapping his arms around Taehyung as well. 

"You're late hyung! I missed you!" Taehyung cried as he pulled away, knowing that Yoongi didn't much like hugging. Yoongi cooed at Taehyung's cute behavior, giving him his gummy smile in return. 

"Hey Tae. Sorry I'm late. I got caught up." Yoongi's voice was slightly raspy and his mint green hair was astray. 

"Caught up doing what, hyung?" Taehyung asked, curiously. Yoongi smirked. 

"Nothing. Come on, Namjoon is probably waiting to bite my ass off." 

"Hyung!" Taehyung scolded. "No cursing" 

"Whatever" Yoongi grumbled, casually walking towards the front of the building. Taehyung followed closely on his heels. 

"Yoongi." Namjoon spoke in his work voice when the two males entered. "You're late. I should hope you have a decent reason" The tall male crossed his arms over his chest looking down at Yoongi in a disapproving manner. 

"Give me a break, Joon. I was sleeping." 

Namjoon rolled his eyes, as Taehyung giggled from behind the counter. Yoongi just looked bored with the conversation. They all knew, Namjoon would never do anything to punish Yoongi. It was just an ongoing joke they had by this point. 

Besides, Yoongi was late for work, every day. 

Namjoon grumbled, once again hanging up the sample sketches, as Yoongi smirked in triumph, going off to the back of the shop, probably to sleep some more. 

||

An hour passed and no customers had come to the shop yet. It was Wednesday; the tattoo parlor's slow day. They would only get a couple clients for the entire day, but that allowed the 3 boys to catch up on any paperwork, and do basically whatever they wanted for the whole day. Yoongi had emerged from the back about half an hour ago and was now lounging on the purple couch in the middle of the room, a laptop and headphones were present as well. Taehyung watched Yoongi as he bobbed his head up and down to the music and drummed his fingers on the keyboard. He glanced down at what he had been working on before going over to his hyung. 

Taehyung plopped down on the couch, startling Yoongi, who had been deeply concentrated on the rap song he had been creating. He almost shouted out a curse before he realized it was Taehyung next to him. He quickly composed himself before turning to the younger, who smiled cheekily. 

"Hyung I have a question." 

Yoongi, who had put his headphones back on, didn't hear the small boy next to him, going back to creating his new song 'The Last' 

He was pulled out of his concentration by the tug of Taehyung's hand on his shirt. He glanced down at the smaller boy who was busy placing a sketch pad on his hyung's lap. 

"Hyung? What color do you think I should draw my puppy?" The smaller male asked cutely, fiddling with the hem of Yoongi's sweatshirt. 

Yoongi smiled at Taehyung's cuteness before pretending to really ponder his answer, placing a finger on his cheek and tapping absentmindedly. 

"Hmmmm. I think yellow would be a nice touch." Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows as he studied his design, before a large box smile lit up on his face. 

"Yellow! It's perfect! Thanks Hyung!" Taehyung squeaked before running off to the back of the shop to finish his drawing. Yoongi watched him go, eyes only filled with fondness and adoration for the tiny boy. 

||

The end of the day was always Taehyung's least favorite part. This was because, at the end of the day, Taehyung had to go home, to his father. The very place he dreaded most. 

"Closing time boys" Namjoon happily stated after shutting the door behind the last customer. The sound drew Taehyung's attention from his thoughts. He internally grimaced at the idea of going home to his drunken father and new hook up for the night; it never ended well for the 17 year old. 

Yoongi immediately started packing up his things, heading for the back door in a haste, mumbling something about having a date and already being late. Namjoon was about to follow when he caught glimpse of Taehyung. He was standing in the corner of the shop, messing with the bottom of his pastel blue sweatshirt, and looking at the ground. Namjoon crossed the floor to him and laid a hand on his arm. Taehyung flinched and Namjoon quickly pulled his hand away. 

"I'm sorry-*sigh*-Are you going home tonight?" Namjoon questioned gently. Taehyung nodded slightly, looking sadly at the floor. Namjoon's gaze softened. 

"Just be careful, ok? I don't want to see any new tattoos on you tomorrow morning." Taehyung nodded again, hesitating before slowly walking over to his coat and slinging it over his shoulders. He then proceeded to trudge his way out of the shop, Namjoon watching his every step. 

The walk home was dreadful. Taehyung's every step was grudgingly slow, his head hung low, and hands buried deep within the pockets of his jacket. Every second longer that Taehyung wasn't at home was another second he didn't have to spend with his father. 

When the all too familiar shape of his small, worn down house came into view, Taehyung's heart involuntarily started beating faster. He did not want to walk through that front door; he knew all too well what awaited him. 

He stood, standing in front of the front door for a good five minutes, staring at the door handle as if it were a foreign object. Maybe his father wasn't home. It was a lie, to make himself feel better. Taehyung knew his father would be home; sitting in the living room, beer in hand and tv blaring in the background, waiting for him like he always was. With trembling fingers, he pushed open the door. It creaked in response and he heard the volume on the tv turn down, followed by the booming voice of his father. 

"Taehyung! Get your sorry ass in here! You're 20 minutes late for curfew and I sure as hell don't have time to sit around and wait for you to decide to come home!" Taehyung scrambled to lock the front door before hurrying to the living room. The very portrait he had pictured in his mind came to life as he rounded the corner into the small room. 

His father, seated in the recliner, footrest up. His beer was currently being swallowed harshly, three more lay on the floor around him. The entire room reeked of alcohol and the tv was indeed on; the sports channel, the accompanying piece to Taehyung's nightmare. His father set his beer down with a clunk and motioned for Taehyung to get him another. Priorities first; Taehyung could wait. Or at least that was what his father seemed to think. 

When Taehyung returned with the fourth beer, his father took a long swing of it before harshly sitting it back on the side table, small droplets of the substance spilling onto the table. He peered towards Taehyung, a look of pure distaste across his features. A moment later and distaste turned into a scowl coupled with hatred. 

"Well?" His father questioned, annoyed by the silence. "What took you so long to get here, boy?" 

"I-" Taehyung stopped. He was late because he had stopped at the bus stop to finish his drawing for an extra 30 minutes and hadn't noticed the time. He couldn't tell his father about his careless mistake, so he'd have to lie. "N-n-Namjoon-hyung needed me to help clean up the shop after my shift ended. I-I couldn't get out of it. I'm s-sorry." 

His father grunted as he slowly stood up from the chair, his now empty beer bottle clutched in his hand. 

Taehyung jumped when the bottle splintered at his feet, shards of glass ripping holes in his pants and some nicking his legs. 

"You're lying" his father growled, moving to grip Taehyung's blonde hair tightly in his fist. Taehyung whimpered in response. He had always been bad at lying. 

"I'm going to ask you one more time. Why were you late?" He spat every word, making Taehyung scrunch his face up. His father shook him violently when he didn't answer right away. 

"Answer me!" He shook Taehyung again. 

"Aah! I-I was f-finishing a d-drawing and lost t-track of t-time. I-i-it will never h-h-happen again." Taehyung peeked one eye open when his father didn't immediately start yelling at him again. 

Slap

His father slapped Taehyung, sending the fragile boy to the floor, as the loud sound reverberated off the walls. Taehyung placed a hand to his cheek, the stinging sensation still there. Tears welled in his eyes and he furiously blinked them back, not wanting to seem weak in the face of his father. 

"You were finishing a drawing?" His father sneered. "You know the rules Taehyung. You broke your curfew for a fucking drawing that probably isn't even worth anyone's time. What a pathetic mess." He kicked Taehyung in the stomach and he curled into a tight ball on the floor, biting his tongue to keep himself from screaming in pain. 

His father gripped his hair again and pulled him upright before slapping him again. Taehyung's head flung to the side, giving his father access to his untouched side. He wasted no time in landing a punch right on Taehyung's jaw. A single tear rolled down Taehyung's cheek. He tried to hide his face, but it was too late. His father saw it and yanked him up again. 

"Are you crying, Taehyung? What is wrong with you? Be a man and grow a fucking spine! I don't work my ass of every day to fund for a no-good, cry-baby, pathetic excuse for a son!" Taehyung's father continued to hit him as he screamed the insults, the sight of Taehyung's tear igniting something in him. Something that fueled his fire. 

"I-I'm sorry. Pl-please stop, father. I p-promise I'll never b-be late a-again." Taehyung cried out, each hit and kick sending shocks of pain through his body. 

"The hell it will! I'm getting tired of your slip-ups Taehyung, there are one too many. Can't you ever do anything right?" 

Taehyung didn't answer. Only lowered his head and let his father do whatever it was he wanted. He was too tired to fight back anyways. He just wanted to sleep. So, he let his father use him, let him beat him to a pulp, mentally adding every bruise and cut to his already long archive. 

Stupid Taehyung! Crying over something you've been dealing with for more than 7 years. Father is right, you are a pathetic excuse of a son. 

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2 long hours and 4 beers later, Taehyung's father was finally done and Taehyung was sprawled out on the living room floor, angling his body so that his blood wouldn't drip onto the carpet. His father had retreated to his study when he had had enough of beating his only son up for the day, not sparing the injured boy a second glance as he went. Taehyung slowly pulled himself into a crooked sitting position, using the doorframe as a brace to keep his aching body upright. Today was one of the bad days; when his father went farther than the usual slap, punch, and utter avoidance. These were the days that the mere thought of climbing the stairs to his room hurt to think about. It was, of course, something that had to be done; his father would only be angrier if he awoke to find Taehyung asleep on the floor, most likely ruining his 'precious' carpet with his blood. 

So, with great difficulty, Taehyung managed a standing position after some time of sitting, and hobbled his way to the stairs. He clutched the banister so hard his knuckles turned white, the only thing keeping him upright being the safe thought of his bed, patiently awaiting him. He climbed the last few stairs quicker and made it to his room, locking the door in the process. 

After cleaning and addressing his new wounds, Taehyung practically dove into bed, the soft sheets lulling him into a dream like state. Not fully asleep, but not fully awake, either. This was how Taehyung spent his nights; dozing, but never really sleeping. If he truly did sleep, he would be plagued by nightmares of his mother's death and his failure to save her. So, he settled for dozing, turned off the bedroom light, and spent another night, tossing fitfully and trying to keep his mind off the one person he missed most. 

His mother. 

You killed her Taehyung. 

You killed her and now you have to live with it. 

I only got 18 more bruises tonight, mom. It's not enough to make up for what I did to you, but every little bit counts. 

Goodnight. 

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Yay! You have no idea how excited I am for this book! I really want you all to enjoy it!

Should I consider this the first real chapter? Second? Fourth? I'm not sure. But this will be the time the book takes place, and the last bit of this chapter, is Taehyung, at first, degrading himself, and then speaking to his mom(There will be more on this later in the story) Also, every tattoo Taehyung gets in this book will have a meaning connected to the story, if you want, I can put the symbolism at the end of each chapter, or you can just wait and find out what they mean;) Starting off strong with 3.3k+ words...

How was it? Was Taehyung's father too much? Or was it ok? Or should I go a little farther and make it a little worse? The choice is yours, let me know:) Isn't Taehyung so cute around his hyungs? He's so happy when he isn't at home. 

Let me know what you thought! I love hearing your feedback - it makes me a better writer!:)<3

Oh! And this is what Taehyung was drawing in this chapter! 

You know, the world isn't perfect, believe me, I know. There are bad things that happen, terrible things that happen, to everyone, and everyone at some point feels lost and like there is no way anything will every get better. But I'm