Addicted ☆ TaeKook Fic

Department of Youth

There was nothing worse than rainy days in the summer.

Taehyung firmly believed this to be true. When the sun was out, it brought nature to life; it brought the neighborhood to life with block parties and get-togethers. It was a source of comfort when shadows plagued his mind, which was often as of late. Even when the sun beat down, his body felt awake. The sun made it easier to go outside, easier to get chores done; it was simply easier to cope with life's problems.

But when it rained, the skies turned to grey, and his energy felt drained. His neighbors retreated inside and his few friends stayed home. The hidden sun shouldn't bring shadows, but it did, to his mind.

Taehyung had many problems to face, trials and tribulations throughout his life. Yet, he tried to push them away to calm his mind, even with a simple task, such as drying dishes. He remained cool and collected as he stood in the kitchen of his house, which was barely big enough for two, and dried the dishes at the sink. Through the window, he watched the rain outside with a frown as his hands idly moved the cloth across a plate.

Though his focus broke as the sound of heavy rain. He blinked to focus his gaze outside and spotted his laundry on the clothesline hanging across the yard. It was getting completely soaked. With no dryer in the house, it was the only way to dry his clothes. Living on a tight budget, he already had a limited wardrobe, which needed to be dry by next week.

His hands dropped the dish into the sink, ceramic crashing in the water, before he dashed out the back door to the fenced-in yard. When the humid air hit his skin as he pulled open the door, he was grateful to be dressed in a simple shirt and shorts. But when the rain fell through cracks in the arbor above his small porch, he felt himself sigh in frustration. Before he could dash over and pull his clothes off the line, Taehyung's father appeared in the yard, coming from the entrance gate on the side of their house.

Disregarding Taehyung, his father Sejin quickly rushed over to the clothesline and began pulling the clothes off the line. He was dressed akin to hit son with no umbrella in sight.

As guilt consumed him, he rushed down the stairs into the yard to help his father and grabbed the last few pieces of clothing, throwing it over his shoulder. Once all the clothes were removed, the two walked over to the porch and hurried back inside, clothes dripping on the floor in the arms.

"Here, put the clothes in this," His father ordered, marching across the living room to grab a clothes hamper off the floor. With a sigh, Taehyung dropped the clothes in the hamper and suddenly pulled his shirt off, staring at his father with a glare. Even though he recently turned sixteen, his father was still taller by a few inches with a similar build and identical light brown hair.

But despite his muscle buildup from working outside, his father never looked threatening nor displayed intimidation, even as returned his son's angry stare. "Don't look at me like that," His father sighed, bending down to organize the wet clothes so the fabric draped over the sides. Taehyung huffed in response and continued to shake his damp shirt, trying to save it for the rest of the day. His eyes never left his father's, even as he pulled the tee back on, wincing at the discomfort of wet clothes.

"Why did you let the clothes get wet again? I know you weren't at work since it's raining," Taehyung pleaded for an explanation, but his anger dissipated at the sight of his frustrated father, who sighed again and pushed himself up to stand. Since Taehyung could remember, his father provided for them by working contract labor jobs, and he became used to living with such little income. But at times, Taehyung succumbed to the frustration despite his respect for his father.

Feeling remorseful for the outburst, Taehyung reached up to bite his nails and leaned back against the door. "Sorry," He added quietly, looking away from his father to stare at the floor as if it could swallow him whole in comfort.