Little Wildfires | A YoonMin Fanfiction

01 | matchsticks

Yoongi puffed a cloud of smoke and crossed his legs, watching droplets of water hit the glass walls of the bus stop. He scanned the surroundings as he finished the cigarette and threw it in the wet pavement.

It's been raining in the past few days, which irritated him a lot. The skies are gloomy, and the town looked dull, with few cars passing by.

Boring, he thought.

But then he remembered that his life was always boring, which made him laugh a little. Nothing new ever happens. When he came home from school, he will see his mom crying, while his father passed out in a bar somewhere. He is always looking at the window of his room; staring at the boring, gray sky while a 90's song played in the radio. He sleeps, wakes up, deals with the same shit, then sleep again. Yoongi lives in this same old cycle for 19 years.

He was about to light another cigarette when he felt a hand in his shoulder.

"Still skipping classes?"

Yoongi tilted his head to look at the person speaking, and his eyes are met with a familiar brown coat and the smell of old books and cheap perfume filled his nose.

"June, you still being nosy and annoying?" Yoongi said and continued to light his cigarette.

"I know I've been telling you for more than three years but, I think you should stop smoking. I can hear your lungs screaming in pain. Besides, no one likes a mouth filled with nicotine." June said and sat beside Yoongi.

"Whatever, mom."

June just shook his head and laughed.

"I'm gonna go, June. See you around." Yoongi stood up, pulled the hood on his jacket, and threw the cigarette. He could tell at June's face that he wanted to talk some more, but since he was already leaving, he didn't have a choice. He then reached for his pocket and pulled out nicotine gums, and ran through the rain.

Yoongi stopped by at Bartholomew's, the local bar which serves disgusting, water-diluted beer. He decided to have a quick drink before going home. He didn't actually like their beer but he didn't mind. It was cheap.

As he arrived at the counter, the owner looked at him and greeted him with the same, boring look. He was slightly wet, but the bar owner didn't mind.

"The usual?" the bar owner said with a boring tone, as if she hadn't slept all day. Yoongi just nodded.

As the owner fixed his drink, he scanned the area. The bar was just a normal store, much like a beerhouse. It has wooden chairs and metal tables that didn't really complement well. The wall on his right has blue and red neon lights which said "Bartholomew's". On his left is a stage, where singers usually perform during Friday nights with boring songs from overrated bands. Since it's only a Tuesday, the whole place was almost empty, aside from two casual drinkers and himself. 

"Here's your beer."

While he drank his beer, he watched the rain pouring outside endlessly through the windows. Nothing interesting happened outside though, but he noticed a boy, around his age, running and using his books to try to protect himself from the rain, in which he failed. Yoongi faced the counter again and finished his drink.

He ran his way to get home. He arrived in the porch and quickly dried himself, silently hoping his parents aren't fighting again.

But his prayers aren't answered. It always hasn't.

He heard glass breaking inside the house, which made his heart beat frantically. He knew it wasn't a drinking glass normally falling from the table. From the sound of it, it didn't fall and accidentally  broke. It was being broken.

Yoongi burst through the door and ran upstairs in his mother's room. As he opened the door, his drunken father flashed before his eyes, holding a broken beer bottle and pointing it to his mother.

He didn't have to think. He just walked up to his father and was about to punch him, when his mother stopped him.

"Yoongi, no!" His mother screamed and his eyes fell into the woman in front of him, her body filled with bruises where eyes can't see, her nose dripping with blood, and her cheeks filled with dried up tears while fresh tears are continuously falling down.

"Bastard," Yoongi whispered and faced his father.

His father dropped the broken bottle and suddenly grabbed him by the throat. "What did you just call me, brat? I can't hear it."

Yoongi had trouble breathing, and his father didn't have plans to let go of his throat yet. All he could do was try to get his father's hands away from his throat, which didn't work. His face started to turn purple.

"Calvin, Let go of my son!" His mother shouted. Calvin released Yoongi and punched him, sending him into the other side of the room.

"Don't ever speak up to me like that again, Caitlyn. Or else I'll break you and your son's neck." Calvin said and got out of the room.

He stood up and approached his mother, helping her stand up.

Her mother is too weak to talk, probably because of the bruises and the trauma she got. Yoongi helped her to the bed and washed her. He took ointments and treated the bruises. He sat for a while and looked at his mom.

  "Mom, why do you still want to be with him? Why are you putting up with this? Is it because of his money? I can work, you know!" he said.  

His mother just smiled and shook her head. She then turned to the window and looked at the sky. Yoongi left her in her room and went to his own. He kicked his bed in frustration. He wanted to cry and punch his father to his heart's content, but he knew he couldn't. He wouldn't. 

He may be living in a mansion; he may have lots of money; but he is empty. The mansion felt empty. His heart felt empty.

From that moment on, he cursed the world. He cursed the skies. He cursed everything because he can do everything he wanted, but he can't. 

And he lit another cigarette and looked at the dull, gray sky.